Internal degradation induced in the metropolitan areas by leakage of sewers. As the resistance to erosion depends on the distribution of soil particles and the water pressure in sewer pipes, it is worthwhile to research the impact of water pressure on the soil erosion resistance of embedded pipes. This study aims to find physical model tests which simulating erosion and sinkhole development due to cyclic leakage in an experimental ground model through defect sewers. Proposed parameters like cyclic leaks through pipe crashes, eroded soil properties, initiation cavity, and evolution up until sinkhole failure were studied. During this process, the ground settlement monitored with Paricle:Image Velocimetry (PIV). Also, soils with various classification were utilized to identify the total subsidence for the different soil types. Five various water pressures were used:i.e., 0.8,1.1,1.4,1.7, and 2.0 meter,(7.85, 10.79, 13.73, 16.76, and 19.61 Kpa), respectively, and local sandy soil, local loamy soil, and local clayey soil also were used. The results showed that two parameters influence soil failure,noticebliy:the first is water pressure which has a direct proportion to erosion and subsidence, where the increment of total eroded soil of 2.0 m water head reached 3.95 times 0.8 m head , and the second is soil types which showed that the clayey soil is highly sensitive and suffering more from subsidence rather than erosion on the contrary of other soil types.


The performance of one full scale four- edge fixed reinforced concrete slab under the condition of combined effects of loading and fire was investigated. The specimens design, the test plan, the test contents and the test methods were firstly introduced. Through the experiments, the distribution of temperature field along the depth of the slab and the temperature changes of the inner steel were obtained, as well as the deformation of out-plane and in-plane and the rotation on the edges. The changing of reaction forces on the bearings of the slab with the temperature was also observed. The results indicated that, under the condition of fire, the out-plan deformation of the slab was much bigger than that of the normal temperature; non-linear temperature filed was existed along the depth of the slab; remarkable redistribution of the reaction forces were occurred on the fixed bearings. The fail pattern of the slab under the condition of combined effects of loading and fire was different from the static loading under normal temperature. The slab was suffered reverse forces because of the heat effects; hence the plastic hinge lines with the shape of elliptic basin were appeared on the top of the slab.


In vivo cartilage imaging of the musculoskeletal system using clinical 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems is limited by low spatial resolution, low signal-to-noise ratio, and/or long acquisition times. Ultrahigh-field (≥7 T) whole-body MRI systems have great potential to overcome these limitations and become the new standard for clinical muskuloskeletal imaging of articular cartilage. However, a number of technical challenges must first be addressed, including transmit B1 field inhomogeneities, radiofrequency heating, errors due to B0 inhomogeneities, gradients, motion, and extended examination times. In this chapter, we provide an overview of technical solutions to address these challenges and their potential benefit for articular cartilage imaging with particular attention to joints within the torso (hip and shoulder). We also highlight a number of emerging applications for articular and epiphyseal cartilage imaging that may significantly benefit from ultrahigh-field systems and the latest technical developments. Given the rapid development of MRI technology at ultrahigh field strengths and the broad potential of these systems to improve musculoskeletal imaging capabilities of cartilage, ultrahigh-field whole-body MRI is certain to play a significant role in the advancement of our understanding of articular cartilage abnormalities and the investigation of therapeutic interventions.


Objective: To compare the use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and conventional approach (clinical probing and periapical radiograph) in assessing furcation involvement (FI) of maxillary molars and making treatment decisions. Methods: Thirty-two subjects were selected from the pool of patients at the Department of Periodontology, Tianjin Stomatology Hospital & Hospital of Stomatology, NanKai University from January 2015 to December 2016. All the patients have a diagnosis of generalized chronic periodontitis. Ninety-five maxillary molar with FI from the radiography database were analysed. Two doctors used conventional approach and CBCT images to assess FI and make treatment decision respectively. If the clinical and radiographic findings did not clearly indicate a distinct periodontal therapy, two treatment options were considered. Results: There was statistical difference of the FI diagnosis between traditional group and CBCT group assessment of the 95 molars (P=0.000). Thirty-five maxillary molars (36.8%, 17 patients) got two treatment recommendations by conventional approach but 7 (7.4%, 5 patients) by CBCT-based approach. When with the less invasive treatment recommendation, there was statistical difference between conventional approach and CBCT-based approach (P=0.001). An agreement was observed in 63.2% (60/95) of the teeth, while in another 29.5% (28/95) the CBCT-based treatment decision was more invasive than the conventional approach. When with the more invasive treatment recommendation, there was also statistical difference between two approaches (P=0.045). An agreement was observed in 86.3% (82/95) of the teeth, while in another 3.2% (3/95) the CBCT-based treatment decision was more invasive than the conventional approach. Conclusions: CBCT images of maxillary molars may provide detailed information of FI and a reliable basis for treatment decision.


The investigation of 55 patients with chronic adrenocortical insufficiency has shown an increase in the intensity of lipid peroxidation against a background of blood plasma alpha-tocopherol (the main endogenous antioxidant) concentration. The use of vitamin E in multimodality treatment together with substitution hormone therapy resulted in the normalization of indices of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant system necessitating the incorporation of the drug in therapeutic measures in chronic adrenocortical insufficiency.


The spectrum of acoustic pressure was measured as a function of excitation level of the transducer in distilled water, salt water, and seawater using an acousto‐optic detection system. A cylindrical piezoelectric transducer was used. The sensing beam of an optical heterodyne interferometric system passes through the center of the transducer where cavitation is produced, and the acoustic pressure is detected. The acousto‐optic detection does not disturb the acoustic field. The heterodyne output was demodulated and observed by the spectrum analyzer. Cavitation thresholds of seawater and distilled water were compared by observing the spectral change against the excitation level. The dip of the spectral level of harmonic components or the emergence of subharmonic and anharmonic components is characteristic of cavitation inception. The measurements were conducted in both cases: One is the case where the sensing beam passed through the cavitation site and the other is the case where the sensing beam passed near...


Indian economy has been witnessing a higher rate of economic growth for the past two decades and it is also expected to grow at a faster rate in the near future. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is indispensable to sustainable development of country. Therefore, the health and healthcare awareness level play a very significant role in sustaining higher growth with justice in the long run and also it helps to achieve inclusive growth. In this context, an attempt was made in this study to examine the level of health schemes awareness with respect to rural households of Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes in Kodagu District. The study was based on primary and secondary data hence the primary data were collected during 2018-2019 through field survey. Total 60 households belonged to SC and ST communities were randomly selected in this study for review. Out of 60 respondents, 30 sample respondents selected from the SC community and remaining 30 respondents represent the ST community. Results of the study indicated that the SC and ST rural households are socially and economically very backward and more importantly majority of them were illiterate (30%) and they were having only primary education (50%). Further, the level of awareness about health and healthcare facilities was found to be lowest among SC and ST rural households. Therefore, the central and state government should identify the areas where SC and ST people are living and vigorously dissemination of information regarding health and health insurance schemes.


This paper illustrates how the equivalent circuit parameters of an induction motor can be predicted from a 2D numerical field solution of the magnetic field. The approach presented requires a circuit-coupled 2D harmonic solution of the field (accounting for saturation) under no load and rated slip conditions. These solutions take only some minutes on a modern computer and are very suitable for the design office where quick solutions are much preferred as the effects of design changes can be quickly assessed. Parameters can be predicted using no-load and locked rotor tests on the FE model. In this approach it is not possible to separate the rotor and stator leakage reactances. The approach presented allows calculation of resistances, magnetizing reactance and separation of leakage reactances. The accuracy level of the predictions is illustrated by applying the method to two different motors from different manufacturers.


Liquid crystal device (LCD) used as spatial gating apparatus has a lot of new using at low light detecting, imaging spectrum and so on. Since LCD's lattice characteristic, it can come true point gating, local field gating and whole surface gating. It can carry out point-by-point control and feedback of imaging cooperating with CCD detector. Some characteristics of we used LCD, LCX023CMT (SONY), have been detected in order to use conveniently, those include spectra transmittance and which's changing with gating voltage. The results show that when incident wavelength more than 650nm, this LCD couldn't be used as spatial gating because of polaroid's extinction ratio becoming worse; LCD can modulate the incident light from 400 to 650nm, and the modulates of wavelength range, extent and linearity were related to the modulate voltage clearly. The results indicate that LCD modulates the incident light better and better at voltage more than 2.5V for 550nm; the action modulated become linear with voltage approximately; the modulate extent goes to saturation at voltage more than 5V, and the spectral range modulated is steady in 400-650nm. At voltage more than 5V, transmittance of spectrum is a horizontal beeline almost with incident wavelength range from 400 to 650nm. This indicates that transmittance of spectrum in this range is same, and liquid crystal has none selectivity in colored light. As a result, there is no chromatism between transmitted and incident light. However, because that there is lower transmittance, the reflected light can be used which can ensure not only effective using ratio of light, but also the consistency between reflected and incident light.


Updrafts in wintertime cloud systems over mountainous regions can be described as fixed, mechanically driven by the terrain under a given ambient wind and stability profile (i.e., vertically propagating gravity waves tied to flow over topography), and transient, associated primarily with vertical wind shear and conditional instability within passing weather systems. This analysis quantifies the magnitude of fixed and transient updraft structures over the Payette River basin sampled during the Seeded and Natural Orographic Wintertime Clouds: The Idaho Experiment (SNOWIE). Vertical motions were retrieved from Wyoming Cloud Radar measurements of radial velocity using the algorithm presented in Part I. Transient circulations were removed, and fixed orographic circulations were quantified by averaging vertical circulations along repeated cross sections over the same terrain during the campaign. Fixed orographic vertical circulations had magnitudes of 0.3–0.5 m s−1. These fixed vertical circulations were composed of a background circulation in which transient circulations were embedded. Transient vertical circulations are shown to be associated with transient wave motions, cloud-top generating cells, convection, and turbulence. Representative transient vertical circulations are illustrated, and data from rawinsondes over the Payette River basin are used to infer the relationship of the vertical circulations to shear and instability. Maximum updrafts are shown to exceed 5 m s−1 within Kelvin–Helmholtz waves, 4 m s−1 associated with transient gravity waves, 3 m s−1 in generating cells, 6 m s−1 in elevated convection, 4 m s−1 in surface-based deep convection, 5 m s−1 in boundary layer turbulence, and 9 m s−1 in shear-induced turbulence.


Sensors are the key elements for capturing environmental properties and are increasingly important in the industry for the intelligent control of industrial processes. While in many everyday objects highly integrated sensor systems are already state of the art, the situation in an industrial environment is clearly different. Frequently, the use of sensor systems is impossible, because the extreme ambient conditions of industrial processes like high operating temperatures or strong mechanical load do not allow the reliable operation of sensitive electronic components. Fraunhofer is running the Lighthouse Project "eHarsh" to overcome this hurdle. In the course of the project, an integrated sensor readout electronic has been realized based on a set of three chips. A dedicated sensor fron-tend provides the analog sensor interface for resistive sensors typically arranged in a Wheatstone configuration. Furthermore, the chipset includes a 32-bit microcontroller for signal conditioning and sensor control. Finally, it comprises an interface chip including a bus transceiver and voltage regulators. The chipset has been realized in a high-temperature 0.35-micron SOI-CMOS technology focusing operating temperatures up to 300°C. The chipset is assembled on a multilayer ceramic low-temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) board using flip chip technology. The ceramic board consists of four layers with a total thickness of approximately 0.9 mm. The internal wiring is based on silver paste while the external contacts were alternatively manufactured in silver (sintering/soldering) or in gold alloys (wire bonding). As an interconnection technology, silver sintering has been applied. It has already been shown that a significant increase in lifetime can be reached by using silver sintering for die attach applications. Using silver sintering for flip chip technology is a new and challenging approach. By adjusting the process parameter geared to the chipset design and the design of the ceramic board high-quality flip chip interconnects can be generated.


In this study, galling behavior in macro-scale is investigated in the square cup drawing of a high tensile strength steel in semi-dry and dry condition on laboratory experiments. The drawing dies are set two types: the non-coated (SKD11, ADI and SLD) and coated (TiC and DLC-Si). When using the non-coated dies in semi-dry, the macro-scale galling can clearly observed on die and drawn cup surface after a few drawing cycles. As a result, the galling on the die surface occurs at the bottom point of the boundary between the straight and corner edge, and grows upward with the drawing cycles; on the drawn cup, the galling starts at the top of the same boundary and grows downward. Simultaneously, the finite element method (FEM) with DEFORM-3D was used to simulate the square cup drawing process with the respect to the drawing force distribution and volume change analysis, which gave us a rational interpretation of the galling phenomena and illustrated the galling behavior and seizing tumour theoretically. Furthermore, a continued experiment with coated dies for TiC (CVD) and DLC-Si (DC -PACVD) was carried out to seek a anti-galling tool material for the high tensile strength steel.


Autophagy has been shown to play essential roles in the growth, development and survival of eukaryotic cells. However, simple methods for quantification and visualization of autophagic flux remain to be developed in living plant cells. Here, we analyzed the autophagic flux in transgenic tobacco BY-2 cell lines expressing fluorescence-tagged NtATG8a as a marker for autophagosome formation. Under sucrose-starved conditions, the number of punctate signals of YFP-NtATG8a increased, and the fluorescence intensity of the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm decreased. Conversely, these changes were not observed in BY-2 cells expressing a C-terminal glycine deletion mutant of the NtATG8a protein (NtATG8aΔG). To monitor the autophagic flux more easily, we generated a transgenic BY-2 cell line expressing NtATG8a fused to a pH-sensitive fluorescent tag, a tandem fusion of the acid-insensitive RFP and the acid-sensitive YFP. In sucrose-rich conditions, both fluorescent signals were detected in the cytoplasm and only weakly in the vacuole. In contrast, under sucrose-starved conditions, the fluorescence intensity of the cytoplasm decreased, and the RFP signal clearly increased in the vacuole, corresponding to the fusion of the autophagosome to the vacuole and translocation of ATG8 from the cytoplasm to the vacuole. Moreover, we introduce a novel simple easy way to monitor the autophagic flux non-invasively by only measuring the ratio of fluorescence of RFP and YFP in the cell suspension using a fluorescent image analyzer without microscopy. The present in vivo quantitative monitoring system for the autophagic flux offers a powerful tool for determining the physiological functions and molecular mechanisms of plant autophagy induced by environmental stimuli.


Since the 1950s, veterinary practitioners have included two separate dorsoproximal–palmarodistal oblique (DPr–PaDiO) radiographs as part of a standard series of the equine foot. One image is obtained to visualise the distal phalanx and the other to visualise the navicular bone. However, rapid development of computed radiography and digital radiography and their post-processing capabilities could mean that this practice is no longer required. The aim of this study was to determine differences in perceived image quality between DPr–PaDiO radiographs that were acquired with a computerised radiography system with exposures, centring and collimation recommended for the navicular bone versus images acquired for the distal phalanx but were subsequently manipulated post-acquisition to highlight the navicular bone. Thirty images were presented to four clinicians for quality assessment and graded using a 1–3 scale (1=textbook quality, 2=diagnostic quality, 3=non-diagnostic image). No significant difference in diagnostic quality was found between the original navicular bone images and the manipulated distal phalanx images. This finding suggests that a single DPr–PaDiO image of the distal phalanx is sufficient for an equine foot radiographic series, with appropriate post-processing and manipulation. This change in protocol will result in reduced radiographic study time and decreased patient/personnel radiation exposure.


Nurses should be highly knowledgeable about and have a positive attitude toward pressure ulcer (PU) prevention.

PURPOSE
This descriptive study was conducted among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in 6 hospitals in Turkey to identify their PU prevention knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of barriers to care.

METHODS
The study was conducted between January 1, 2017, and April 30, 2017, using supervised self-reporting, among nurses working in the ICUs of 3 education and research hospitals, 2 university hospitals, and a private hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Three (3) data collection instruments were used: a participant sociodemographic data collection form, the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Knowledge Assessment Instrument (range 0-26, where higher scores indicate more knowledge), and the Attitude Towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument (range 13-52; a higher score implies a more positive attitude). Frequencies, t tests, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS
Participants (N = 390) were mostly women (339; 86.9%) who had a bachelor's degree (283; 72.6%). The mean knowledge score was 11.54 ± 2.91, and the mean attitude score was 42.96 ± 4.06. The most commonly cited barriers to PU prevention were insufficient staff levels (85.6%) and pressure redistribution materials and equipment (82.6%). Regression analysis of attitude scores showed the following variables affected nurses' attitude toward PU prevention: self-sufficiency in PU risk assessment (β = 0.28), willingness to learn more about preventing PU (β = -0.15), gender (β = -0.15), and knowledge score (β = 0.14).

CONCLUSION
ICU nurses were found to have a low levels of knowledge but positive attitudes toward PU prevention. Policies and procedures should be developed to increase ICU nurse knowledge levels and remove barriers to optimal PU prevention practices.


Abstract 2830 Introduction: The Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway plays an important role in the proliferation and pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. In vitro inhibition of JAK2 results in antiproliferative activity in a variety of lymphoma cell lines. We have completed dose-escalation in a Phase-I study of the novel small molecule JAK2 inhibitor SB1518 in patients with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Patients and Methods: The primary objectives were to examine the safety and efficacy of SB1518 in this patient population. Patients were eligible if they had relapsed or refractory HL or NHL of any type except Burkitt9s, any number of prior treatment regimens as well as adequate organ function and performance status. They were excluded if they had HIV infection or CNS lymphoma. Cohorts of 3–6 patients received escalating dose levels of SB1518 orally once daily for 28-day cycles. Response was first evaluated after 8 weeks (2 cycles) of therapy. Results: Thirty patients have been enrolled (14 HL, 3 mantle cell [MCL], 8 follicular [FL], 4 diffuse large B-cell [DLBCL], 1 small lymphocytic [SLL]). Patients have been treated orally once daily at 5 dose levels, 100 mg (n=3), 200 mg (n=7), 300 mg (n=6), 400 mg (n=7) and 600 mg (n=7). Twenty of 30 patients were male and 10 were female. 28 have received SB1518 of which twenty-six are evaluable for tumor response and all 28 are evaluable for safety. The median number of prior treatment regimens was 5.5 (range 2–15), Prior treatment included an autologous transplant in 12 patients and an allogeneic stem cell transplant in 2. Treatment was well tolerated, with the most common Grade 1–2 toxicities (≥10% in frequency) being: constipation 43% (n=12), diarrhea 43% (n=12), pyrexia 32% (n=9), nausea 29% (n=8), cough and fatigue 21% (n=6), decreased appetite 18% (n=5) and anemia, anorexia, chills, dyspnea, headache, peripheral edema, peripheral neuropathy 11% (n=3). Grade 3–4 toxicities included: neutropenia 7% (n=2), abdominal distension, anemia, bacteremia, cellulitis, cerebral vascular accident, dyspnea, fatigue, hyperbilirubinemia, hypotension, lymphopenia, musculoskeletal pain, peripheral edema, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pyelonephritis, retroperitoneal hemorrhage and thrombocytopenia 4% (n=1). Dose escalation has been halted at 600 mg without identification of the MTD and enrollment continues in an expanded 600 mg cohort to confirm the recommended Phase II dose. There were no CRs, 3 patients had PRs (2 MCL, 1 FL at 300, 400, 600 mg), and 13 patients had SD (7 FL, 5 HL, 1 SLL), with the majority of responses sustained for >2 months. Of the patients with SD 7/13 had reduction in tumor mass of 4–46%. Serial plasma samples were collected for PK analysis. Pharmacologically active concentrations were achieved at the lowest dose level (100 mg). Dose related increases in AUC were seen on C1D1 and C1D15 up to 400mg. The terminal half-life was 1–3 days, and mean T max ranged between 5–9 hours. The effect of drug treatment on pJAK2, pSTAT3, and pSTAT5 was examined in PBMCs and whole blood before and after the first dose of SB1518. SB1518 inhibited the JAK/STAT pathway as early as 4 hrs after the first dose at all dose levels. Plasma was collected at each cycle to assess changes in cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. Data show marked reductions in inflammatory cytokines such as IFNalpha, as well as in PDGFalpha and beta, VEGF and RANTES in >50% of patients with samples tested (SB1518 dose levels of 100, 200, and 300 mg). Samples from higher dose levels are being tested and results will be correlated to response. Efficacy and biomarker data confirm the activity of SB1518 in multiple lymphoma subtypes and show the safety of chronic administration at doses up to 600 mg daily. Collectively these data suggest that targeting the JAK2 pathway has therapeutic value in patients with relapsed lymphoma. A Phase II trial of SB1518 in selected lymphomas is being initiated. Disclosures: Zhu: S*BIO: Employment.


The paper reports on a preliminary study undertaken to gain an overview of library professionals with knowledge and skills related to information literacy in workplace. The study is based on the result from close-ended questionnaire distributed in five universities of NCR (National Capital Region), India among librarian, deputy librarian, assistant librarian and library and information assistant. In order to foster information literacy at the workplace its utility has to be promoted, the quality of the provided information has to be ensured and high-quality data has to be easily identified and accessed. Furthermore relevant trainings have to be integrated into the respective curriculum, while personal motivation should be strengthened by adequate psychological incentives.


Muslim Americans comprise a diverse ethnic and racial minority group in the U.S. Since September 11, 2001, Muslim Americans have reported increased levels of discrimination (Peek, 2011). However, given their multiple minority identities, it is unclear whether these experiences of discrimination are based upon their racial identity, religious identity or a combination of these identities. Informed by theories of multiple minority stress, intersectionality and resilience, the current study investigated if and how different types of perceived discrimination (racial and religious) affect the mental health and well-being of Muslim American young adults. Furthermore, the study addressed gaps in the literature regarding factors which promote resilience in the face of discrimination. Specifically, the current study explored the role of spirituality as a main or buffering effect in the presence of perceived racial and religious discrimination. In order to gain insight about potential within-group differences in the experiences of racial and religious discrimination, the current study also examined the potential interactive role of racial/ethnic group in the relationships between perceived racial and religious discrimination and mental health outcomes. This study utilized a sample of 283 Muslim American young adults. Results found that perceived racial and religious discrimination have unique and differential effects on depression and anxiety. When assessed concurrently, racial discrimination predicted depression and anxiety, religious discrimination predicted anxiety and racial discrimination predicted lower life satisfaction. Additionally, results provided evidence to support the additive model of intersectionality, as religious discrimination emerged as a distinct construct from racial discrimination, predicting unique variance in mental health outcomes over and above racial discrimination. In terms of resilience, spirituality had a compensatory effect on mental health, as higher levels of spirituality predicted lower depression and anxiety and higher life satisfaction. This study fills a gap in the current literature by identifying how specific types of perceived discrimination (measured by racial and religious discrimination) are related to Muslim young adults' mental health outcomes and how spirituality and race/ethnicity may influence these relationships. This study also contributes to the broader theoretical understanding of discrimination, mental health and well-being in minority populations and points to the importance of continued intersectionality work on these topics. INDEX WORDS: Racial discrimination, religious discrimination, Muslim, young adults, intersectionality, mental heath THE IMPACT OF CONCURRENT RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION ON THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MUSLIM YOUNG ADULTS


Abstract Background As new cannabis products and administration methods proliferate, patterns of use are becoming increasingly heterogeneous. However, few studies have explored different profiles of cannabis use and their association with problematic use. Methods Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify subgroups of past-year cannabis users endorsing distinct patterns of use from a large international sample (n = 55 240). Past-12-months use of six different cannabis types (sinsemilla, herbal, hashish, concentrates, kief, edibles) were used as latent class indicators. Participants also reported the frequency and amount of cannabis used, whether they had ever received a mental health disorder diagnosis and their cannabis dependence severity via the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). Results LCA identified seven distinct classes of cannabis use, characterised by high probabilities of using: sinsemilla & herbal (30.3% of the sample); sinsemilla, herbal & hashish (20.4%); herbal (18.4%); hashish & herbal (18.8%); all types (5.7%); edibles & herbal (4.6%) and concentrates & sinsemilla (1.7%). Relative to the herbal class, classes characterised by sinsemilla and/or hashish use had increased dependence severity. By contrast, the classes characterised by concentrates use did not show strong associations with cannabis dependence but reported greater rates of ever receiving a mental health disorder diagnosis. Conclusions The identification of these distinct classes underscores heterogeneity among cannabis use behaviours and provides novel insight into their different associations with addiction and mental health.


Abstract. The ground gravity anomalies can be used to calibrate and validate the satellite gravity gradiometry data. In this study, an upward continuation method of ground gravity data based on spherical harmonic analysis is proposed, which can be applied to the calibration of satellite observations from the European Space Agency's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE). Here, the following process was conducted to apply this method. The accuracy of the upward continuation method based on spherical harmonic analysis was verified using simulated ground gravity anomalies. The DTU13 global gravity anomaly data were used to determine the calibration parameters of the GOCE gravitational gradients based on the spherical harmonic analysis method. The trace and the tensor invariants I2, I3 of the gravitational gradients were used to verify the calibration results. The results revealed that the upward continuation errors based on spherical harmonic analysis were much smaller than the noise level in the measurement bandwidth of the GOCE gravity gradiometer. The scale factors of the Vxx, Vyy, Vzz, and Vyz components were determined at an order of magnitude of approximately 10−2, the Vxz component was approximately 10−3, and the Vxy component was approximately 10−1. The traces of gravitational gradients after calibration were improved when compared with the traces before calibration and were slightly better than the EGG_TRF_2 data released by the European Space Agency (ESA). In addition, the relative errors of the tensor invariants I2, I3 of the gravitational gradients after calibration were significantly better than those before calibration. In conclusion, the upward continuation method based on spherical harmonic analysis could meet the external calibration accuracy requirements of the gradiometer.


We have studied the phase transition and superconductivity of InSb films condensed on substrate at low temperatures and obtained the following new experimental results: (a) First jump of conductance is spontaneous and independent of temperature in the temperature region in which InSb films were condensed, (b) After second jump of the conductance appears and reaches a peak, the conductance drops quickly and is accompanied by the formation of crystalline semiconductor phase as annealing temperature is increased further. But experimental results show that it is a metastable crystalline phase and third jump of the conductance takes place as annealing temperature is raised further. The phase formed after third jump of the conductance is a metallic one, but it does not become superconductive until 1.5 K. (c) Superconducting transition temperature of the phase formed after first jump of the conductance is different along with different temperatures of the substrate.


This thesis aimed to explore the utility of new and promising treatment forms for Exercise Related Leg Pain (ERLP) in the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces: Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) for Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) and gait retraining for Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS). Eight studies were undertaken and the following lessons were learned: Chapter 2: The body of knowledge on ERLP in the military is growing and the number of publications is increasing. Despite these recent developments, the occupational problem of ERLP in the military is far from solved. These overuse injuries continue to have a high incidence, long recovery time and large impact on training. Chapter 3: In four years' time, 573 Dutch service members were referred to the Central Military Hopsital (CMH) for evaluation of chronic ERLP and treatment suggestions. They underwent a new diagnostic protocol. Intracompartmental Pressure Measurement (ICPM), a standardized pain assessment tool (i.e., the Running Leg Pain Profile - RLPP) and a standardized running protocol were useful in subcategorizing patients with exertional leg pain. Subsets of patients may have high compartment pressures and low compartment pain scores, or vice versa. The clinical treatment ramifications of these categories is still evolving and further research into optimal treatment strategies for all subgroups of patients is warranted. Current advice to avoid or minimize ICPM due to needle pain concerns does not appear warranted. Chapter 4: Radial ESWT did not reduce the length of tenderness along the posterior medial tibial border during the weeks of application in patients with chronic MTSS. It is a painful treatment, but tolerable by self-application. The majority of patients did not experience post treatment pain. In this group of patients, 81% would recommend ESWT. More studies are necessary to establish if ESWT for MTSS is clinically effective. Chapter 5: In 19 patients diagnosed with CECS, a 6-week forefoot running intervention performed in both a center-based and home-based training setting led to decreased post running lower leg ICPM values, improved running performances, and self-assessed leg condition. The influence of training group, center-based or home-based, was not statistically significant. Overall, this finding is promising, taking into consideration the significantly reduced investments in time and resources needed for the home-based program. Chapter 6: Soldiers with exercise related leg pain, among them patients with chronic MTSS, responded well to a treatment program that included gait retraining. Ten months post gait retraining, repeated measures on a treadmill, still showed positive changes from intake. Chapter 7: Gait retraining in military boots achieved similar changes in stride length (reduction), cadence (increase), force and pressure in the heel (reduction) and in the fore foot (force reduction, pressure increase) compared to running shoes. However, in boots, mid foot maximal force and pressure increased. The same gait retraining cues can be used to optimize ground reaction forces in running shoes and in military boots. Chapter 8: Three commonly used gait retraining cues are: Cue 1. Change to a ball-of-foot strike; Cue 2. Increase cadence to 180 steps/minute; Cue 3. Stand up taller. When applied in isolation, all three cues achieved reduction of vertical ground reaction forces. The combination of the three cues achieved the largest reduction of vertical ground reaction forces. Chapter 9: A conservative treatment program for anterior CECS was able to return 65% of patients to active duty, without surgery. At two-year follow-up, the success rate decreased slightly, but remained positive at 57%. In this group, initiating a conservative treatment protocol with an emphasis on gait retraining can significantly reduce the need for surgical fasciotomy. For those who fail conservative treatment, surgical release may still be indicated.


Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is important to control a wide range of reactions from gene expression to protein degradation in a cell-sized space. To bring a better understanding of the compatibility of such phase-separated structures with protein synthesis, we study emergent LLPS in a cell-free transcription-translation (TXTL) reaction. When the TXTL reaction composed of many proteins is concentrated, the uniformly mixed state becomes unstable, and membrane-less phases form spontaneously. This LLPS droplet formation is induced when the TXTL reaction is enclosed in water-in-oil emulsion droplets, in which water evaporates from the surface. As the emulsion droplets shrink, smaller LLPS droplets appear inside the emulsion droplets and coalesce into large phase-separated domains that partition the localization of synthesized reporter proteins. The presence of PEG in the TXTL reaction is important not only for versatile cell-free protein synthesis but also for the formation of two large domains capable of protein partitioning. Our results may shed light on the dynamic interplay of LLPS formation and cell-free protein synthesis toward the construction of synthetic organelles.


With the aim of quantifying spatio-temporal and social factors affecting territorial calls in Little Owls, we collected data on the calling behaviour of radio tracked individuals froma low-density population in Northern Jutland, Denmark. There was considerable seasonal variation in calling activity. During the breeding season, males calling away from the nest were located in the direction of the neighbouring nesting site, and males with a neighbour within hearing distance called more often than those with a longer distance to the nearest neighbour. Call posts were on average closer to the nest than telemetry observations, but did not appear to be related to mate distance. With a sound pressure level of 82 dB(A) at 1-m distance, the territorial calls were estimated to be audible to a distance of 4.4 km. Call posts were on average 4.1 m above the ground, which probably maximizes the transmission distance.


Matching landmark patches from a real-time image captured by an on-vehicle camera with landmark patches in an image database plays an important role in various computer perception tasks for autonomous driving. Current methods focus on local matching for regions of interest and do not take into account spatial neighborhood relationships among the image patches, which typically correspond to objects in the environment. In this paper, we construct a spatial graph with the graph vertices corresponding to patches and edges capturing the spatial neighborhood information. We propose a joint feature and metric learning model with graph-based learning. We provide a theoretical basis for the graph-based loss by showing that the information distance between the distributions conditioned on matched and unmatched pairs is maximized under our framework. We evaluate our model using several street-scene datasets and demonstrate that our approach achieves state-of-the-art matching results.


A high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurement of 2,5-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone (DCBQ) at 20 K was carried out. The experimental charge density was modeled using the Hansen-Coppens multipolar expansion and the topology of the electron density was analyzed in terms of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM). Two different multipole models, predominantly differentiated by the treatment of the chlorine atom, were obtained. The experimental results have been compared to theoretical results in the form of a multipolar refinement against theoretical structure factors and through direct topological analysis of the electron density obtained from the optimized periodic wavefunction. The similarity of the properties of the total electron density in all cases demonstrates the robustness of the Hansen-Coppens formalism. All intra- and intermolecular interactions have been characterized.


In high speed machining, the feed drives with high velocity and high acceleration are necessary to make full use of the capacities of the high speed motorized spindles. The linear motor feed drive eliminates any mid- transmitting mechanism, which cause achieved the high acceleration. In this paper, the GD-Ⅲ linear induction motor feed drive is introduced, and its controller is modeled and its stiffness has been investigated with simulation program MATLAB & SIMULINK. The influence of the parameters of the controller on the dynamic performance has also been analyzed. The simulation shows that the positional loop proportional gain kv, velocity proportional gain kp, velocity loop integral time constant Tn and the current loop proportional gain kpi have great influence on the dynamics of the linear motor feed drive. In the end, the simulation is verified by the experimental results.


Interrogative suggestibility may vary as a function of interviewer's apparent authority. This study examined individual differences in sensitivity to authority figures, focusing on non-clinical narcissism and suggestibility.
As narcissists are more inclined to have a "kiss up, kick down" behaviour pattern, their suggestibility may be influenced by interviewer prestige.
Narcissism is a consistent predictor of over-claiming; hence the Over-claiming Questionnaire (OCQ) was used as a measure for non-clinical narcissism. Suggestibility of over-claimers (N = 30) and under-claimers (N = 30) was assessed using the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 1 (GSS1).
During the administration of the GSS1, the interviewer's apparent authority was manipulated by varying how she presented herself. It was hypothesised that participants who have high OCQ response bias indices (over-claimers) will display more suggestible tendencies, and therefore obtain higher GSS1 scores when faced with interviewers of higher prestige compared to those with low OCQ response bias indices (under-claimers).
Results analysed using MANOVA showed that under-claimers generally scored significantly higher in Total Suggestibility. The main effect of interviewer's apparent authority was non-significant. Over-claimers tested in the low interviewer prestige condition gained lower Shift scores than under-claimers. Such results are consistent with the notion that Shift is primarily based on sensitivity to interpersonal pressure.
It is also suggested that the varying levels of self-esteem in over-claimers are the basis of their unique ways of responding to suggestions by authority figures.


BACKGROUND
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of primary care treatment of patients with chronic illness is an important goal in reforming the U.S. health care system. Reducing occupational conflicts and creating interdependent primary care teams is crucial for the effective functioning of new models being developed to reorganize chronic care. Occupational conflict, role interdependence, and resistance to change in a proof-of-concept pilot test of one such model that uses a new kind of employee in the primary care office, a "care guide," were analyzed. Care guides are lay individuals who help chronic disease patients and their providers achieve standard health goals.

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to examine the development of occupational boundaries, interdependence of care guides and primary care team members, and acceptance by clinic employees of this new kind of health worker.

METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
A mixed methods, pilot study was conducted using qualitative analysis; clinic, provider, and patient surveys; administrative data; and multivariate analysis. Qualitative analysis examined the emergence of the care guide role. Administrative data and surveys were used to examine patterns of interdependence between care guides, physicians, team members, and clinic staff; obtain physician evaluations of the care guide role; and evaluate the effect of care guides on patient perceptions of care coordination and follow-up.

FINDINGS
Evaluation of implementation of the care guide model showed that (a) the care guide scope of practice was clearly defined; (b) interdependent relationships between care guides and providers were formed; (c) relational triads consisting of patient, care guide, and physician were created; (d) patients and providers were supported in managing chronic disease; and (e) resistance to this model among traditional employees was minimized.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
The feasibility of implementing a new care model for chronic disease management in the primary care setting, identifying factors associated with a positive organizational experience, was shown in this study.


The formation of national memory depends to a large extent on a nation's success in constructing multiple commemorative forms: symbols, ceremonies and celebrations, museums and monuments, tradition, and cultural texts that provide symbolic arenas for narrating the nation. These forms assist the nation's memory in tracing themes of continuity between the past and present; they establish shared history and cultural heritage. Significant changes in the nation's life, whether social of political, later the collective mind of its citizens. With political landscapes changing, existing forms of remembrance may be transformed or reinterpreted or they may be altogether demolished and new commemorative symbols constructed in their place. Remembering, as well as forgetting, becomes a social and highly politicized process.

A point of departure for this thesis is the city of Sofia, Bulgaria. It is studied as a palimpsest, uncovering layers of history from antiquity to the present. Studying the historical layers reveals not just the evolution of the city but also the political views and ideas shaping Sofia's morphology. The street becomes a locus of collective memory. A memory walk is developed, exposing the history of specific sites, rendering visible the specific memories and acknowledging the importance of the sites in the time period they existed. A narrative is constructed, travelling through space and rebuilding memories.

This thesis will look at issues of public commemoration, remembering and forgetting traumatic events. It will focus on political transformations of space and erasing, shaping and rebuilding a nation's memory. Deliberate demotion of built fabric in an attempt to erase the collective memory of society will be examined.


Hydrogel microspheres were prepared from the major softwood hemicellulose polysaccharide acetylated galactoglucomannan. The dry and swollen morphology was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. The microspheres were loaded with either a small hydrophilic substance (caffeine) or a macromolecular model protein (bovine serum albumin) and afforded diffusion controlled release in vitro. Statistical multivariate analysis was used to systematically determine the influence and significance of the hydrogel composition, the crosslinking density, and the dimensions of the incorporated substance on the microsphere size and release rate.


This paper proposes a implantable intrathecal drug infusion pump for pain control in terminal cancer patients. This pump consists of micropump module, drug reservoir module and control module. The micropump module using cam-follower mechanism composed of small-sized four cams and four followers. Each followers is driven by a cam and liquid is discharged by a sequential reciprocal motion of the followers. The advantage of this structure is that it allows the pump to be clean and valveless. The drug reservoir module composed of drug chamber, gas chamber and diaphragm. The control module composed of battery, wireless communication unit and controller. To design a small-sized, low power pump some analysis were performed to determine the design parameters. To verify the feasibility of the experiment, a prototype was manufactured and its operating characteristics were investigated. Experimental results were in accordance with the expected results obtained from analysis.


Abstract Manufacturing is crucial to creation of wealth and provision of quality of life. Manufacturing covers numerous aspects from systems design and organization, technology and logistics, operational planning and control. The study of manufacturing technology is usually classified into conventional and non-conventional processes. As it is well known, the term "rapid prototyping" refers to a number of different but related technologies that can be used for building very complex physical models and prototype parts directly from 3D CAD model. Among these technologies are selective laser sintering (SLS) and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). RP technologies can use wide range of materials which gives possibility for their application in different fields. RP has primary been developed for manufacturing industry in order to speed up the development of new products (prototypes, concept models, form, fit, and function testing, tooling patterns, final products - direct parts). Sintering is a term in the field of powder metallurgy and describes a process which takes place under a certain pressure and temperature over a period of time. During sintering particles of a powder material are bound together in a mold to a solid part. In selective laser sintering the crucial elements pressure and time are obsolete and the powder particles are only heated for a short period of time. SLS uses the fact that every physical system tends to achieve a condition of minimum energy. In the case of powder the partially melted particles aim to minimize their in comparison to a solid block of material enormous surface area through fusing their outer skins. Like all generative manufacturing processes laser sintering gains the geometrical information out of a 3D CAD model. This model is subdivided into slices or layers of a certain layer thickness. Following this is a revolving process which consists of three basic process steps: recoating, exposure, and lowering of the build platform until the part is finished completely.


This book is about how to write the best software code inside a relational database. The major goal is to reveal the opposition between two possible styles of development. The first style is specific to application developers. It is an atomic, row and procedural oriented style inspired by the structured models of programming. This is the classic style of programming. Many application developers write in the relational database exactly like in the user interface. By opposition, the other style of development is holistic, data set and SQL oriented. This is the style of a database developer. The purpose of the book is to compare the two styles and to promote the holistic style of development as the most suitable one. Secondly, the set based and holistic style of development is not promoted enough in universities and many application developers are not fully aware of it. There are many performance issues all over the world in relational databases due to the use of the atomic and inappropriate style of programming. The book addresses especially to application developers who write atomically in relational databases, but also to students in IT universities who should be aware of the two alternate styles of development. A good developer should realize the difference between the two specific styles and should be able to change something in the way of writing code when switching to a relational database. The first part of the book is conceptual. The goal is to explain, describe and compare the two styles of development. The second part is highly practical. I described a series of practices, taken from two popular systems like Oracle and SQL Server. I imagined many business scenarios, I described them and I solved them in the two opposite approaches. I showed that, in most of the cases, a holistic solution is available as an alternative to an atomic one. This is also a book about performance. For a good performance inside a relational database, the first thing that should be done is to write correctly. And writing correctly means writing differently and specific, means writing holistic and set based. The first prerequisite for a good performance is the use of most suitable style of development. The style of development is a vague concept, but a critical one. We, as programmers, should all be aware of our styles and try to be dynamic and adopt the most suitable style according to our needs.


Abstract Microplastics (MPs; <5 mm) are found in all aquatic environments. Due to harmful impacts, MPs pose a great threat to the aquatic ecology. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview of the risk, bioavailability, and toxicity of MPs in aquatic organisms. Various factors affecting MPs bioavailability and level of risks at cellular and molecular level on aquatic organisms are comprehensively discussed. More specifically biomarkers for antioxidant response (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, reductase, and glutathione S-transferase), neurotoxic impairment (acetylcholinesterase), lysosomal activity alteration, and genotoxicity have been discussed in detail. Biomarkers are powerful tool in the monitoring programme, but the collection of literature on biomarkers for MPs is limited. Thus, here we demonstrate how to evaluate MPs impact, in monitoring programme, on organisms using biomarkers in aquatic environment. This review would broaden the existing knowledge on the toxic effect and biomarkers of MPs and offer research priorities for future studies.


New cellular networks are capable of providing high mobility, whereas WLANs are known for having relatively higher bandwidths. Therefore, interworking cellular networks with WLANs offers ubiquitous data services and relatively high data rates across modern networks. This interworking will enable a user to access new cellular services via a WLAN, while roaming within a range of hotspots. To provide secure 3G-WLAN interworking in the SAE/LTE architecture, Extensible Authentication Protocol-Authentication and Key Agreement (EAP-AKA) is used. However, EAP-AKA has several vulnerabilities. This paper analyzes vulnerabilities in LTE-WLAN interworking and proposes a new authentication and key agreement protocol based on EAP-AKA.


In this paper we discuss experimental evidence related to the
structure and origin of the bosonic spectral function 𝛼2𝐹(𝜔) in high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) cuprates at
and near optimal doping. Global properties of 𝛼2𝐹(𝜔), such as number and positions of peaks, are extracted
by combining optics, neutron scattering, ARPES and tunnelling
measurements. These methods give evidence for strong
electron-phonon interaction (EPI) with 1<𝜆𝑒𝑝≲3.5 in cuprates near optimal doping. We clarify how these
results are in favor of the modified Migdal-Eliashberg (ME) theory
for HTSC cuprates near optimal doping. In Section 2 we discuss
theoretical ingredients—such as strong EPI, strong
correlations—which are necessary to explain the mechanism of
d-wave pairing in optimally doped cuprates. These comprise the ME
theory for EPI in strongly correlated systems which give rise to
the forward scattering peak. The latter is supported by the
long-range part of EPI due to the weakly screened Madelung
interaction in the ionic-metallic structure of layered HTSC
cuprates. In this approach EPI is responsible for the strength of
pairing while the residual Coulomb interaction and spin
fluctuations trigger the d-wave pairing.


The floating ice shelves surrounding the Antarctic Ice Sheet are the interface for interactions between ice and ocean. A plethora of previous studies has highlighted the role of ice shelves for stabilizing ice sheets. Quantification of melting at the ice-shelf base is imperative for quantifying ice-shelf stability, and also to test the coupling of upcoming ice-ocean models. Today, the basal mass balance is either inferred from mass conservation or measured using phase-sensitive radars. The former has good spatial coverage, but low spatial and virtually no temporal resolution. The latter is highly resolved in time, but with limited spatial coverage. Here we investigate a third approach exploiting the geometry of observed radar isochrones (dips, synclines, anticlines) which is a function of both ice deformation and the atmospheric/oceanographic history. By comparing isochrones with modeled age fields we can disentangle the different mechanisms and unravel the melt history. We solve the age equation on highly resolved ice-shelf geometries, and derive the required 3D velocities from surface velocities using a plug-flow approximation (and a first-order guess of basal melting from mass conservation). Validation with a full Stokes model shows that the plug-flow assumption holds well seawards of the grounding zone. We compile the radar isochrones for two Antarctic ice shelves from ground-based (i.e. Roi Baudouin Ice Self) and airborne (i.e. Ekstomisen) profiles. Our compilation includes ice-shelf channels, and we find a number of features in the isochrones geometry that indicate strong localized melting, but also anomalous snow accumulation in corresponding surface depressions. We can distinguish between both mechanisms using ourage model. This study shows the potential of using radar isochrones as a unique archive for ice-ocean interactions,and serves as a precursor for setting up the full inverse problem, allowing to infer the currently unknown oceanmelt history on decadal-centennial time scales.


In its proposals for achieving a better 'work–life balance' for Britain's working families, the New Labour government is also seeking to balance the interests of business against the needs of families. This article argues that the economic policy 'trilemma' resulting from economic globalisation is mirrored in a parallel family policy trilemma, with particular consequences for the poorest families. Drawing upon this argument and, partly, upon illustrative evidence from a small-scale qualitative study of low-income working families, it is suggested that promoting family friendly employment alongside a policy of welfare-to-work cannot reasonably be achieved without significant additional regulation of low-paying employers.


This thesis studies the patronage of an important Italian Renaissance Calrdinal, Oliviero Carafa, a topic relatively neglected in modern scholarship.

It examines his patronage from a number of distinct but inter-related perspectives, namely, his position as a cardinal prince of the church, cardinal protector of the kingdom of Naples, cardinal protector of a number of religious orders, head of the Carafa clan, and patron of a variety of artists and humanist scholars.

In doing so, it examines the historical evidence for Cardinal Carafals various positions within the College of Cardinals and the papal Curia and the kinds of access they afforded him to a complex patron client network which embraced not merely Rome and Maples but the whole of Italy and, Europe. It also investigates the extent and sources of his wealth as holder of multiple sacred offices and the various ways in which he ensured that his relatives shared In such benefits.

In respect of Carafals role as patron of art and letters, the study analyses and assesses the significance of: Carafa's two funerary chapels (the Carafa chapel in Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome and the 'Succorpo' in Naples cathedral), his commission to Bramante for the cloister at Santa Maria della Pace in Rome, his other ecclesiastical and civic foundations, his private residences, his library, his promotion of manusgript production and printing, and his status as the recipient and dedicatee of a large number of scholarly works. As appropriate to a study of Renaissance patronage, particular emphasis is placed on those areas in which Carafa can plausibly be said to have intervened in the origination and outcome of these artistic and scholarly endeavours.

In exploring these inter-related themes, the study thus throws light upon the structures and processes of Renaissance patronage in Italy. It reiterates the importance of the family as a locale for patronage and, more particularly, demonstrates how a powerfully placed ecclesiastic could contribute decisively to the family's fortunes. It also provides an insight into Renaissance patrons' strong sense of loyalty towards the place of their birth.

Moving beyond Italian Renaissance patronage in general, this study also offers an opportunity to explore the more specific field of Renaissance cardinals' patronage and assesses the complex variety of patronal commitments that Renaissance cardinals characteristically undertook. Furthermore, the case of Oliviero Carafa, an ecclesiastic involved in pluralism, simony, and nepotism and yet also genuinely committed to the reform of such abuses, provides an opportunity to explore some of the moral dilemmas that patronage presented to Carafa and his contemporaries.

The examination of Carafals patronage of art and letters provides emphatic endorsement of the interest and enthusiasm prevalent amongst Renaissance patrons for classical texts and artefacts. It also calls into question, however, the assumption that such cultural phenemona were motivated solely by secular appetites. Carafa's artistic commissions were preponderantly religious and therefore entirely conventional for a high-ranking orthodox ecclesiastic, Yet many of them were rendered distinctive by sustained self-conscious allusion to classical prototypes. The literary works produced under his aegis also supply an insight into the special nature of humanist endeavour in Rome where the intellectual traditions of scholasticism and theology provided a decisive input.


Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) and transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy are conducted in order to get knowledge on the excited state of CdSe nanorods (NR), and to assess the impact of Au nanoparticles (NP) on the carrier dynamics of hybrid Au-CdSe NRs. The decay dynamics measured in solution show an increase of non-radiative decay channels in the presence of Au NPs, whose characteristic lifetimes vary from a few ps to tens of ps. The ultrafast electron transfer from CdSe NRs to Au NPs efficiently competes with intraband relaxation dynamics, allowing observation of the hot-electron transfer process. Furthermore, the time-averaged PL decay of CdSe NRs shows a strongly multiexponential feature that was analyzed by single-particle spectroscopy. The PL decay of individual NRs fluctuates in time and is correlated with the PL intensity. We show that the time-averaged decay of bare CdSe NRs is composed of (i) a long lifetime component corresponding to bright CdSe NRs (ON state) and (ii) a short lifetime component corresponding to charged NRs that open additional fast non-radiative channels (OFF state). When Au NPs are attached to CdSe NRs, the ON state PL decays still show a long lifetime component, suggesting that the length of the NRs may hinder electron transfer if the exciton is formed far from the Au NPs. Finally, quantitative analysis of the OFF state decays shows that electron transfer occurs even in the presence of fast non-radiative pathways in charged systems.


Being ethical and sustainable is a fate in doing business, since unsustainable business practicedamages the environment, and causes lack of resources currently and in the future whichdiscontinue economic development. The purpose of this study is to understand and analyzethe influence of stakeholder dialogue in the new governance integrated in CG & CSR forunsustainable business such as oil and gas industry particularly in BP Company, as well ashow and why the notion "new governance" including self and meta-regulation affects on BPCompany to perform ethical business. This study based on the case study methodologywhereby the theoretical framework of secondary data of CG, CSR and the new governancefound in journal articles, relevant textbooks, NGO reports and the information found on BP'swebsite were employed. Furthermore, the main findings of this study is that there is asignificant variation in BP's CSR adoption regarding the TBL of CSR in which socialresponsibility performance found the worst performance among the TPL of CSR since thecompany selects where to demonstrate great interest on social responsibility and where toignore. Consequently, BP's self-regulation is ineffective which signifies lack of transparencyand accountability. More importantly, meta-regulation is very effective in keeping BP ontrack in the face of wrong doing. The study conclude that BP's non-financial reporting needto move beyond the traditional reporting on company's policies, philanthropic actions, andCSR successes and give priority to risks and incidents considering the seriousness andimpacts. More importantly, BP needs new standards of transparency and effectivemanagement system to ensure good CSR performance. The study assures that for as long asBP's operations touch the daily life of people and other organisms in our planet it mustprioritize the interest of its stakeholders via continual dialogue since it is one of thefundamental principles of corporate citizenship.


Software security problems exist since the early days of computer systems. Operating system level approaches, network level approaches and machine level approaches are not sufficient for the security of software systems. Software security has gained attention in the recent years as an internal security issue of software systems as compared to external protective measures. Threat modeling is a technique being used to model threats into software systems. By applying threat modeling at the early stages of software development life cycle, all possible threats to software systems can be identified and mitigated and hence in this way, a more secure software application can be developed. Various threat modeling approaches such as CLASP, SDL, STRIDE, DREAD, TAM and Touch Points are being used by many organizations for threat modeling into software systems. But all of the approaches being used for threat modeling are based on informal and semi formal techniques. Formal methods are based on mathematics and provide state of the art techniques for secure software development. Formal methods had been used successfully in many critical systems such as CICS, Paris Railway System and British Air Traffic Control System etc. In the proposed approach VDM++, will be used for specification of core components: STRIDE, DREAD and Security Mechanisms. VDM++Tools will be used for type checking and proof obligations.


An erbium-doped hole-assisted optical fiber amplifier, to be employed in the third band of the optical communications, is designed and optimized via a tailor made computer code. The finite element method is used for the electromagnetic investigation of the microstructured fiber section. The simulation model takes into account all the rare earth physical phenomena, i.e., the pump and signal propagation, the amplified spontaneous emission, the secondary transitions pertaining to the ion-ion interactions, and so on. The device feasibility is tested via a number of simulations, realistically performed by taking into account the actual parameters pertaining to the dispersion of the germania/silica glass, the erbium emission and absorption cross sections, the propagation losses. By simulation, in the small signal operation, a gain close to 42.8 dB is demonstrated for a fiber 13-m long, using a pump power of 50 mW at the signal wavelength /spl lambda//sub s/=1536 nm, the pump and the signal being copropagating.


The Rosenzweig-MacArthur (1963) criterion is a graphical criterion that has been widely used for elucidating the local stability properties of the Gause (1934) type predator-prey systems. It has not been stated whether a similar criterion holds for models with explicit resource dynamics (Kooi et al. (1998)), like the chemostat model. In this paper we use the implicit function theorem and implicit derivatives for proving that a similar graphical criterion holds under chemostat conditions, too.


From a mycological viewpoint the diversity of Indonesian mushrooms is barely known. Some visiting mycologists and plant pathologists have studied the Indonesian mycota since 1844, but only about 1400 specimens collected from the many areas of Indonesia are now present in the Herbarium Bogoriense (BO). Moreover, very little information about the taxa they represent is available because of the poor descriptions of basidiome morphology, micromorphology, and ecology. They are hardly adequate specimens for mycological research. There were several reasons which have caused this paucity in the research of fungal taxonomy: 1) lack of inventory; 2) absence of human resources; 3) too few collections.


Returns to the parental home represent a dramatic housing career interruption that can have significant social and economic implications. Interaction of individual characteristics with turning point shocks, such as unemployment or partnership dissolution, are key triggering events; however, housing disruptions are further embedded within variegated social, cultural and institutional contexts. Fundamental is the nature of the welfare regime, explaining norms surrounding co-residence as well as the amount and type of resources available. Through analyses using the Eurostat Longitudinal Survey on Income and Living Conditions, the research establishes a foundational understanding of how factors at both the individual as well as institutional and socio-cultural level moderate young adults' housing interruptions across Europe. The results showed a significant welfare regime effect in outcomes of returned co-residence as well as evidence of differentiations across regimes in how individual characteristics and the experience of turning points related to returns. Higher return propensities were found among more familialistic contexts of Southern Europe and New Member States, while lower likelihoods were evident in the face of stronger state support and practices of earlier autonomy in Social Democratic and, to a lesser degree, intermediate Conservative regime contexts.


Fine root distribution of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh and effects on soil fertility attributes were studied under field conditions in Badessa, Eastern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from inside the stand, edge of the stand and 10 m away from the stand at two depths viz., surface (0–15 cm) and subsurface (30–45 cm) and analysed for fine root biomass and nutrients. Fine root biomasses (root length density (RLD) and root weight density (RWD)) from within the stand and away from the stand were similar. However, RLD and RWD in the surface soils were 50–70% and 28–75% higher than those in the immediate subsurface soils, respectively, at all distances. The organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P) and exchangeable potassium (K+) contents of surface and subsurface soils inside the stand were 28–60% and 23–32% higher than those away from the stand, respectively. Surface soils had significantly higher organic C, total N, available P and exchangeable K+ than subsurface soils due to deposition of leaf litter. E. camaldulensis improved soil nutrients and organic matter status below the trees due to leaf litter deposition, while areas adjacent to the stand that did not receive litter were depleted of nutrients by the extensive fine roots.


Rab proteins comprise a family of GTPases, conserved from yeast to mammals, which are integral components of membrane trafficking pathways. Rab3A is a neural/neuroendocrine-specific member of the Rab family involved in Ca2+ -regulated exocytosis, where it functions in an inhibitory capacity controlling recruitment of secretory vesicles into a releasable pool at the plasma membrane. The effector by which Rab3A exerts its inhibitory effect is unclear as the Rab3A effectors Rabphilin and RIM have been excluded from for this role. One putative Rab3A effector in dense-core granule exocytosis is the cytosolic zinc finger protein, Noc2. We have established that overexpression of Noc2 in PC12 cells has a direct inhibitory effect upon Ca2+-triggered exocytosis in permeabilized cells. We demonstrate specific nucleotide-dependent binding of Noc2 to Rab3A and show that the inhibition of exocytosis is dependent upon this interaction since Rab3A binding-deficient mutants of Noc2 do not inhibit exocytosis. We propose that Noc2 may be a negative effector for Rab3A in regulated exocytosis of dense-core granules from endocrine cells.


Activation of factor XI (FXI) by thrombin on stimulated platelets plays a physiological role in hemostasis, providing additional thrombin generation required in cases of severe hemostatic challenge. Using a collection of 53 thrombin mutants, we identified 16 mutants with <50% of the wild-type thrombin FXI-activating activity in the presence of dextran sulfate. These mutants mapped to anion-binding exosite (ABE) I, ABE-II, the Na+-binding site, and the 50-insertion loop. Only the ABE-II mutants showed reduced binding to dextran sulfate-linked agarose. Selected thrombin mutants in ABE-I (R68A, R70A, and R73A), ABE-II (R98A, R245A, and K248A), the 50-insertion loop (W50A), and the Na+-binding site (E229A and R233A) with <10% of the wild-type activity also showed a markedly reduced ability to activate FXI in the presence of stimulated platelets. The ABE-I, 50-insertion loop, and Na+-binding site mutants had impaired binding to FXI, but normal binding to glycocalicin, the soluble form of glycoprotein Ibalpha (GPIb alpha). In contrast, the ABE-II mutants were defective in binding to glycocalicin, but displayed normal binding to FXI. Our data support a quaternary complex model of thrombin activation of FXI on stimulated platelets. Thrombin bound to one GPIb alpha molecule, via ABE-II on its posterior surface, is properly oriented for its activation of FXI bound to a neighboring GPI alpha molecule, via ABE-I on its anterior surface. GPIb alpha plays a critical role in the co-localization of thrombin and FXI and the resultant efficient activation of FXI.


In this paper we describe our TRECVID 2011 video retrieval experiments. The MediaMill team participated in two tasks: semantic indexing, and multimedia event detection. The starting point for the MediaMill detection approach is our top-performing bag-of-words system of TRECVID 2010, which uses multiple color SIFT descriptors, sparse codebooks with spatial pyramids, and kernel-based machine learning. All supported by GPU-optimized algorithms, approximated histogram intersection kernels, and multi-frame video processing. This year our experiments focus on 1) the soft assignment of descriptors with the use of difference coding and 2) the utility of 1,346 concept detectors for event retrieval. The 2011 edition of the TRECVID benchmark has again been a fruitful participation for the MediaMill team, resulting in the runner-up ranking for concept detection in the semantic indexing task.


This paper highlights the deficiencies of the Peruvian Healthcare system. Despite the treaties and covenants the Peruvian government has signed, it has done little to mitigate the ills of its broken healthcare system. Peru's current healthcare system is characterized by inequality between women, children, the poor and the wealthy. Furthermore, there is a lack of accessibility to maternal and child healthcare services that violates every individual's right to health. The Peruvian government has been unresponsive towards the needs of women, children, and rural culture. Ineffective non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been incapable of alleviating Peru's broken system. Additionally, Peru has not received adequate economic funds from globalization efforts despite the proven success of new programs, particularly the new cultural adaptations to healthcare services that have been implemented. The research performed in this study discovered a statistically significant negative relationship between the amount of Peruvian gross domestic product (GDP) invested in health and the nation's infant mortality rate, proving the importance of government expenditure investment in the healthcare system. This finding proved that as the amount invested in health increased, the rate of infant mortality decreased. In order to increase the quality of healthcare received by Peruvians, especially women and children, it is necessary that more finances be invested into Peru's healthcare system.


Power supplies for modern electronic systems should be small, lightweight, reliable, and efficient. Linear power regulators, whose principle of operation is based on a voltage or current divider, are inefficient. They are limited to output voltages smaller than the input voltage. Also, their power density is low because they require low-frequency (50 or 60 Hz) line transformers and filters. Linear regulators can, however, provide a very high-quality output voltage. Their main area of application is at low power levels as low dropout voltage regulators. Semiconductor components in linear regulators operate in their active (linear) modes. At higher power levels, switching regulators are used. Switching regulators use power electronic semiconductor switches in on and off states. Since there is a small power loss in those states (low voltage across a switch in the on state, zero current through a switch in the off state), switching regulators can achieve high-energy conversion efficiencies. Modern power electronic switches can operate at high frequencies. The higher the operating frequency, the smaller and lighter the transformers, filter inductors, and capacitors. In addition, dynamic characteristics of converters improve with increasing operating frequencies. The bandwidth of a control loop is usually determined by the corner frequency of the output filter. Therefore, high operating frequencies allow for achieving a fast dynamic response to rapid changes in the load current and/or the input voltage.


In this present work we have reported the synthesis and structural characterisations of a N2O2 donor Schiff base chemosensor with an azo arm (H2L). Various spectroscopic tools like single crystal X-ray, NMR, UV-vis, FTIR, ESI-mass spectrometry etc. have been deployed to develop the present work. In recent years a number of azo derived chemosensors have been reported by different research groups. This is first time we are reporting the design and properties of an azo derived chemosensor (H2L) for the detection of aluminium ions in semi aqueous medium. It has been found that it selectively senses Al3+ ions in semi aqueous solution. Here, the sensing process is mainly based on a chelation enhanced fluorescence process (CHEF). It has very high selectivity over other metal ions and anions. A detailed literature survey has been carried out and compared with this work. It has an appreciably low detection limit i.e. 6.93 nM. 1H NMR titration was carried out to support the plausible complexation process. 1 : 1 stoichiometry binding between the chemosensor and Al3+ ions has been confirmed from Job's plot. An inhibition molecular logic gate has been constructed using chemosensor (H2L), where Al3+ and EDTA act as inputs and fluorescence emission is the output. The structural and electronic parameters of the chemosensor (H2L) and complex [AL(L)]NO3 have been studied in detail using theoretical tools like DFT and TDDFT.


This study has been conducted in Dodoma district. The aims of the study were to investigate the contribution of school inspection on the academic achievement of
students, compare students' academic achievement in schools before and after regular inspections, find the correlation between frequency of inspections and improvement of students' academic achievement and finally get the views of stakeholders on how to improve the impact of school inspection on academic achievement. Despite the fact that school inspections are conducted by school inspectors stationed at district and zonal offices still academic achievement continues to drop, this is according to Uwezo Tanzania (2010). The observation has triggered
concern on the failure of school inspection to provide the intended outcome. Five secondary Schools were involved in the study and three educations stake holders.
Data collection includes questionnaires, Focus Groups Discussion and documentation. The research analysis based on school inspection and its contributions to higher academic achievement. Regularly it indicates the correlation
between school inspection and academic achievement. To enhance the impact of school inspection on academic achievement, it was recommended that the budget for
school inspection be increased, inspection schedules be followed, feedback to school be promptly provided, and frequency of inspections be increased. Also inspectors are
required to provide adequate guidance and support to schools.


Recent studies have shown that Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are vulnerable to the backdoor attacks, which leads to malicious behaviors of DNNs when specific triggers are attached to the input images. It was further demonstrated that the infected DNNs possess a collection of channels, which are more sensitive to the backdoor triggers compared with normal channels. Pruning these channels was then shown to be effective in mitigating the backdoor behaviors. To locate those channels, it is natural to consider their Lipschitzness, which measures their sensitivity against worst-case perturbations on the inputs. In this work, we introduce a novel concept called Channel Lipschitz Constant (CLC), which is defined as the Lipschitz constant of the mapping from the input images to the output of each channel. Then we provide empirical evidences to show the strong correlation between an Upper bound of the CLC (UCLC) and the trigger-activated change on the channel activation. Since UCLC can be directly calculated from the weight matrices, we can detect the potential backdoor channels in a data-free manner, and do simple pruning on the infected DNN to repair the model. The proposed Channel Lipschitzness based Pruning (CLP) method is super fast, simple, data-free and robust to the choice of the pruning threshold. Extensive experiments are conducted to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of CLP, which achieves state-of-the-art results among the mainstream defense methods even without any data. Source codes are available at https://github.com/rkteddy/channel-Lipschitzness-based-pruning.


Over the last decades, qualitative research had gained increasing acceptance in studying experience of individuals and groups, events, process in phenomenon in diverse field of study like anthropology, sociology, health, and nursing, organizational and management, to name a few. Qualitative research encouraged an interaction between the researcher and the subject of study, with the researcher acting as an instrument of research and investigating the real-life experiences of the subjects under study. Qualitative data collection tools like field study, focus group interviews, observation, required a closer interaction between the researcher and the subject of study. However, in times of COVID-19 pandemic following the year 2019, several social restrictions to personal meeting, travel, and field visits were in placed internationally. Qualitative researchers were therefore required, by the needs of the time, to adapt the data collection and observation methods. Following a content analysis of the available scientific literature digitally, this study analyzed the changing landscape of qualitative data collection tools. This paper attempts to highlight how qualitative data collection tools can be adapted to the times during and post COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of tools like online video calls, asynchronous interviews, virtual reality devices and camera tours, alternatives to the conventional qualitative data collection tools could be identified. With benefits of time and cost saving offered by these alternative qualitative data collection tools, the author puts forward the relevance of these alternative tools not only in times of the COVID-19 pandemic but also in post pandemic times.


Business and operational teams are responding to security and compliance challenges as networks evolve from closed systems to Internet-enabled operational technology (OT) connectivity. Facilities continue to be networked and Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints proliferate as the technology opens new opportunities for increased efficiency and operational effectiveness. Yet extensive legacy hardware and software that are not designed to address security dominate existing systems. These legacy systems were often deployed before security requirements were a mainstream issue and often cannot be readily patched or upgraded to support modern security controls. Meanwhile, with this backdrop, energy, manufacturing, smart cities, and transportation are facing ever more sophisticated, widespread and persistent threats, and the potential for significant economic damage and real world physical impact such as process shutdown, power grid interruption and physical injury.


Purpose: To explore the impact of digital mammography on the practice of medical physics. Historical and new methods for providing scheduled and unscheduled mammography services for facilities using digital mammography will be presented. Method and Materials: Clinical medical physics services provided for digital mammography facilities from various manufacturers will be presented. Quality control activities approved by the FDA for each individual manufacturer will be compared. The status of a proposed "Alternative Standard" to allow for a more uniform approach to medical physicsmammography services will be reviewed. Case studies will be presented demonstrating methods and cost considerations for providing medical physics services under the "minimum standard" (prescribed by MQSA regulations) and "best practices" model.Results:Medical physics services provided in the "minimum standard" and "best practices" model have implications for the quality and cost of mammography services. Conclusion:Medical physics services may be provided in a professional and valuable manner, using combinations of the minimum standard of practice and the "best practices" model. The professional medical physicist should consider multiple parameters when determining the appropriate model under which to deliver services.


This volume is a collection of the Nobel Lectures delivered by the prizewinners, together with their biographies, portraits and the presentation speeches at the award ceremonies in Stockholm for the period 1991 - 1995. Each Nobel Lecture is based on the work for which the laureate was awarded the prize. New biographical data of the laureates, since they were awarded the Nobel Prize, are also included. These volumes of inspiring lectures by outstanding chemists and biochemists should be on the bookshelf of every keen student, teacher and professor of chemistry as well as of those in related fields.Below is a list of the prizewinners during the period 1991 - 1995 with a description of the works which won them their prizes.(1991) R R ERNST - for his contributions to the development of the methodology of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy; (1992) R A MARCUS - for his contributions to the theory of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems; (1993) For contributions to the developments of methods within DNA-based chemistry: K B MULLIS - for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method; M SMITH - for his fundamental contributions to the establishment of oligonucleiotide-based, site-directed mutagenesis and its development for protein studies; (1994) G A OLAH - for his contribution to carbocation chemistry; (1995) P CRUTZEN, M J MOLINA & F S ROWLAND - for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone.


Earlier this year (Drug Therap. Bull. March, 17 p. 22) we concluded that pregnant women should routinely be given prophylactic iron and folic acid, preferably in a preparation providing 300–500 mcg folic acid and not less than 80 mg ferrous iron a day. At that time no such preparation was available, but Arthur H. Cox & Co. Ltd. have now made one in response to our suggestion. Cox's tablet contains ferrous fumarate 120 mg (i.e. 40 mg elemental iron) and folic acid 200 mcg. Two tablets daily provide enough iron and folate for prophylaxis; three daily can be prescribed for unreliable tablet takers. 1000 tablets cost the retail pharmacist 23/6d, so that one week's supply costs 4d (basic NHS price). In larger quantities the tablets cost substantially less.


Entrepreneurship education is held to be able to produce graduates who are not only able to work in an institution but also open new business opportunities by becoming entrepreneurs. Various methods of entrepreneurship education are provided to be able to produce new, more competent entrepreneurs, but whether the entrepreneurship education provided has been truly effective in producing new entrepreneurs in the future. Researchers want to find out about the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education provided, whether it has been proven to produce new entrepreneurs. Based on the results of the analysis of respondents responses to 8 open questionnaire items regarding the effectiveness of entrepreneurship learning in creating a new business, from 63 respondents who were students of Jenderal Soedirman University, the following conclusions could be drawn: (1) Interestingly, the entrepreneurship learning process can foster an entrepreneurial spirit and motivate respondents to run a business. (2) The presentation of entrepreneurship material provides additional knowledge and experience for respondents and is able to instill respondents' interest in starting new businesses after the learning process is over. (3) There are several obstacles faced by respondents when starting a new business, and the most important of which are capital constraints, work partners, and the respondent's lack of confidence in opening a new business so that the respondent is only interested in developing the old business. (4) The implementation of entrepreneurial learning that respondents want is 50 % theory and 50 % practice. The practice is expected to be carried out by providing capital to the respondent to open a new business, and then the respondent is given a time limit for one semester to be able to return the capital. In addition, respondents also want guidance from lecturers so that they can run their business correctly.


The major objective of this work is to investigate the magnetic effect on heat-fluid and entropy generation interactions in a porous medium for a laminar, incompressible, non-Dracy model flow in an inclined channel. The flow field considered is composed of porous and clear viscous layers. The constant magnetic force is assumed to be acting parallel to the y-axis perpendicular to the walls. The governing equations related to flow and thermal fields, which are coupled and nonlinear, are solved for both clear fluid and porous regions by implementing the semi numerical-analytical techniques differential transform method (DTM) and generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM). While keeping the channel walls at different constant temperatures (isothermal walls), the influence of the applied magnetic field on velocity, temperature, and entropy generation are investigated and presented graphically with the corresponding physical interpretations. Additionally, the effect of dimensionless parameters such as the Hartmann number (Ha), formation factor (F), porous parameter (σ), Brinkman number (Br), and the angle of inclination (ϕ) on velocity and temperature fields are examined. The entropy generation (N s ) number for the physical system is derived and plotted using velocity and temperature profiles and dimensionless quantities. One of the main advantages of this study compared to similar studies is to give a straightforward open form solution by using DTM and GDQM. By applying these techniques it is possible to obtain a tractable and easily applicable recurative form of nonlinear field equations. In many similar studies it is said that the equations have been solved; however, neither solution procedure provides neither accuracy nor, even more important than these, clarity of applicability cases and limits of using the technique to the reader. In this work, these are presented in a simple way.


Business training and education are changing. Organizations have experienced dramatic changes in their structure, competitive environment, and the demographics and demands of their employees. As a result, organizations are seeking new and innovative ways to train employees. At the same time the evolution of technology mediated learning tools (TML) has resulted in flexible, interactive, engaging, learning technology tools that promote experiential learning, analytical thinking and problem solving. Simulation based technology mediated learning (SimTML) tools are gaining popularity in practice. SimTML facilitates lifelike environments that utilize animated pedagogical agents (APAs) which employ nonverbal communication traits in their interaction with the user. The effect is a lifelike, face-to-face interaction, between the user and the APA. The result is a flexible, interactive, engaging, TML tool that promotes experiential learning, analytical thinking and problem solving. This paper explores current SimTML technology, how we interact with learning technology, and provides selection and evaluation principles for organizations to use when evaluating SimTML tools for their own training programs.


Regression analysis is investigation the relation between dependent and independent variables. And, the degree and functional shape of this relation is determinate by regression analysis. In case that dependent variable has outlier, the robust regression methods are proposed to make smaller the eect of the outlier on the parameter estimates. In this study, an algorithm has been suggested to dene the unknown parameters of regression model, which is based on ANFIS (Adaptive Network based Fuzzy Inference System). The proposed algorithm, expressed the relation between the dependent and independent variables by more than one model and the estimated values are obtained by connected this model via ANFIS. In the solving process, the proposed method is not to be aected the outliers which are to exist in dependent variable. So, to test the activity of the proposed algorithm, estimated values obtained from this algorithm and some robust methods are compared.


INTRODUCTION
Clinical manifestations of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) range from asymptomatic disease to early-onset heart failure and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Risk stratification for SCD remains imperfect and novel risk markers are needed. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of elevated high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels (hs-cTnT) with the severity of disease expression and adverse events in patients with HCM.

METHODS
All patients followed-up at a dedicated HCM clinic at a tertiary care centre between April 2012 and March 2014 were analysed. The clinical care track for these patients includes 12-lead ECG, blood work-up, echocardiography, Holter ECG, exercise stress testing and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Clinical data were obtained from medical records.

RESULTS
Of 91 HCM patients (77% males, mean age at follow up 51 ± 16 years), 46 (51%) had elevated hs-cTnT levels (>0.014 ng/ml). Patients with elevated hs-cTnT levels had greater maximum wall thickness (23 ± 7 mm vs 19 ± 3 mm, p = 0.001), more often had myocardial fibrosis (96% vs 54%, p <0.001), and lower exercise capacity (90% predicted vs 76% predicted, p = 0.002). There was a trend towards lower event-free survival estimates (Kaplan-Meier method, 15% vs 7%, p = 0.16).

CONCLUSIONS
Elevated hs-cTnT levels in HCM patients are associated with disease severity and, potentially, with more adverse cardiac events. Future studies should test whether integration of hs-cTnT in clinical decision algorithms will improve risk stratification.


The kinematics and aerodynamics of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, Myotis nattereri, M. mystacinus, Plecotus auritus and Eptesicus serotinus in horizontal flight at various flight speeds are described. Three kinematic patterns can be recognized. At low speeds M. nattereri, M. mystacinus and P. auritus use a 'tip-reversal' upstroke in which thrust is generated during the backward 'flick' of the chiropatagium. R. hipposideros also uses this kinematic pattern, but does not appear to generate thrust during the upstroke. Both R. ferrumequinum flying at 3.12 m s −1 and E. serotinus flying at 3.44 m s −1 accelerate during the 'vertical' upstroke (in which the wings move perpendicularly to the flight path), indicating that their wings are active. When flying at 4.16 m s −1 , E. serotinus also uses a 'vertical' upstroke, but in this case it decelerates, which suggests that thrust is not being generated. At minimum power speed (4.8 m s −1 ), R. ferrumequinum uses a 'reduced-span' upstroke, thrust is not generated during the upstroke and the animal decelerates.