Background : Psoriasis is a common, chronic disease of the skin, in which both genetic and environmental factors play a critical role. The most characteristic lesions consist of red, scaly plaques present particularly over extensor surfaces and scalp. Studies have reported association between psoriasis and many other diseases in both cutaneous and systemic forms of the disease. Several studies with different and sometimes controversial results have been done about the relationship of hyperuricemia and psoriasis. The aim of our study was to assess serum uric acid levels in patients with psoriasis. Methods : We studied 126 patients with psoriasis in a case-series study in Razi Hospital during one year. After recording the age, sex, duration, type and severity of the disease and presence or absence of psoriatic arthritis in the patients, they were referred to the laboratory for the determination of serum uric acid concentrations. Results : The mean (±SD) serum uric acid level was 5.4±1.5 mg/dL (ranging from 1.9- 9.5 mg/dL). Although the mean serum uric acid levels were in the normal range but the values were significantly higher in patients with more severe forms of psoriasis (P Conclusion : This study revealed that serum uric acid levels exacerbate by increases in the severity and duration of psoriasis, in psoriatic arthritis, and in patients with non-plaque-type psoriasis.


This talk deals with "multimodality" as comprising a rich array of verbal and embodied resources that are situatedly mobilized by the participants for the organization of meaningful and publicly recognizable actions within social interaction.
Focusing on face-to-face co-present interactions, documented by video recordings of naturally occurring activities in their ordinary settings, the basic starting point of the talk is the observation that participants do not only speak together, but also gesticulate and move their bodies in meaningful and coordinated ways. Gesture studies have shown that gesture in conversation originate by the same process that produces words (Kendon, 1980; McNeill, 1985). Made predominantly by speakers, but strongly oriented to their partners (Schegloff, 1984), gesture are finely synchronized with the emerging structure of talk (Kendon, 2004) and finely coordinated with the conduct of others (Goodwin, 1981). If gesture, gaze, and
facial expressions have been studied within a rich interdisciplinary tradition, contemporary studies in social interaction have shown the relevance of other embodied resources (see Streeck, Goodwin, LeBaron, 2011), such as body postures (Schegloff, 1998), embodied manipulations of objects (Goodwin, 2007), bodily arrangements within space (Mondada, 2009) and body movements (Haddington, Mondada, Nevile, in press).
The talk develops this enlarged vision of multimodality, and focuses on how a range of resources (gesture, gaze, body posture, body movements, walking, and embodied
manipulations of artefacts) are mobilized in a concerted way within the finely tuned and methodic coordination of action between the participants. More particularly, the talk
focuses on the temporal organization of these resources – their synchronicity, simultaneity, mutual adjustments, and sequentiality – showing how they are collectively mobilized,
building complex emergent multimodal Gestalts. The talk also focuses on the situated way in which these multimodal resources are selected and adjusted to the specificities of the ecology of action.
In this sense, the talk discusses the very notion of 'resource' for the organization of social interaction and the way in which multimodal resources are made locally relevant and are intersubjectively oriented to by the participants building in real time the accountability of
their actions.


Spectrum Sharing and Wireless Network Virtualization have been explored as methods to achieve spectrum efficiency, increase network capacity and, overall, to address the existing spectrum scarcity problems. This work aims at exploring the link between these two topics, by specifically placing virtualization as a technology that can render spectrum sharing schemes feasible.
No complete analysis can be made without taking into account three important axes: technology, policy and economics. In this light, in order to explore how virtualization enables spectrum sharing, flexibility is studied as a common attribute, due to the characteristics it presents regarding the three preceding axes.
By determining how spectrum sharing, wireless virtualization and flexibility tie together, ground can be laid toward exploring further opportunities that would enhance spectrum usage, making it possible for this resource to foster these days' ever-increasing demand.


A numerical study of hemodynamic parameters of pulsatile blood flow is presented in a stenotic artery with A numerical study of hemodynamic parameters of pulsatile blood flow is presented in a stenotic artery with non-Newtonian models using ADINA. Blood flow was considered laminar, and the arterial wall was considered rigid. Studied stenosis severities were 30, 50, and 70% of the cross-sectional area of the artery. Six non-Newtonian models were used to model the non-Newtonian behavior of blood, and their results were compared with the Newtonian model. The results showed that in Power-law and Walburn-Schneck models, unlike other models, shear stress values before and after the stenosis were smaller than Newtonian models. Also, in maximum flow rate, the Carreua, generalized Power-law, Casson, and Carreua-Yasuda models showed a reduction in global importance factor of non-Newtonian behavior, and subsequently, the results approached Newtonian model. In minimum flow rate, the global importance factor of Newtonian behavior increased, which highlighted the importance of Newtonian model. In minimum flow rate, Carreua-Yasuda model was more sensitive to the non-Newtonian behavior of blood compared to Carreua, Casson, and Power-law models. Also, in that time period, Walburn-Schneck was less sensitive to the non-Newtonian behavior of blood. On the other hand, this model did not show sensitivity when the flow rate was at its peak. Power-law model overestimated the global importance factor values. Therefore, Power-law model was not suitable, because it showed extreme sensitivity to dimension. Walburn-Schneck model was not suitable too because it lacked sensitivity.


This study was designed to explore the characteristics of individuals who volunteered to teach the A Matter of Balanceâ"—E¼ program an evidence-based health promotion program that relies on trained volunteer lay leaders to educate older adults on the fear of falling. A developed survey was sent to 206 volunteer lay leaders who reside in North Carolina and was distributed through email using the East Carolina University Qualtrics survey software. The response rate was 44% (N=90). The study found limited statistical significance related to the longevity (number of years trained/teaching the course and the number of courses taught per year) of participants involvement in volunteering as a lay leader to characteristics of the participants. These findings may be restricted secondary to the development organization and implementation of A Matter of Balanceâ"—E¼ program including: 1) commitment of volunteers; 2) publicity of program availability throughout the state; and 3) consistency of course teachings are still not yet matured within the state. The results show individuals who chose to teach A Matter of Balanceâ"—E¼ were not doing so for a specific purpose or for an indefinite period of time although the characteristics identified provide new insights into selecting appropriate people to teach this program in the future and ways to maintain their commitment.


Approximately 10% of infants will experience COVID19 illness requiring advanced care (1). A potential mechanism to protect this population could be provided by passive immunity through the milk of a previously infected mother. We and others have reported on the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in human milk (2-5). We now report the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgA in the milk of 75 COVID-19-recovered participants, and find that 88% of samples are positive for Spike-specific IgA. In a subset of these samples, 95% exhibited robust IgA activity as determined by endpoint binding titer, with 50% considered high-titer. These IgA positive specimens were also positive for Spike-specific antibodies bearing the secretory component. Levels of IgA antibodies and antibodies bearing secretory component were shown to be strongly positively correlated. The secretory IgA response was dominant among the milk samples tested compared to the IgG response, which was present in 75% of samples and found to be of high-titer in only 13% of cases. Our IgA durability analysis using 28 paired samples, obtained 4-6 weeks and 4-10 months after infection, found that all samples exhibited persistently significant Spike-specific IgA, with 43% of donors exhibiting increasing IgA titers over time. Finally, COVID-19 and pre-pandemic control milk samples were tested for the presence of neutralizing antibodies; 6 of 8 COVID-19 samples exhibited neutralization of Spike-pseudotyped VSV (IC50 range, 2.39-89.4ug/mL) compared to 1 of 8 controls. IgA binding and neutralization capacities were found to be strongly positively correlated. These data are highly relevant to public health, not only in terms of the protective capacity of these antibodies for breastfed infants, but also for the potential use of such antibodies as a COVID-19 therapeutic, given that secretory IgA is highly stable not only in milk and the infant mouth and gut, but in all mucosa including the gastrointestinal tract, upper airway, and lungs (6).


Background: This study was designed to investigate the prognostic value of the lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) in patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 154 consecutive GBC patients from 2005 to 2017 in this study. The LMR of preoperative blood samples was calculated by dividing the lymphocyte count by the monocyte count. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to identify the optimal cut-off value of the LMR in the determination of overall survival (OS). The Kaplan – Meier method was utilized to assess OS, and the Log rank test was employed to compare survival differences. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to detect independent prognostic indicators. Results: The optimal cut-off point for the LMR was 4.76 according to the ROC curve. Patients ≤ 60 years old with an LMR ≤ 4.76 experienced signi fi cantly worse OS than those with an LMR >4.76 (hazard ratio (HR): 0.399, 95% con fi dence interval (CI): 0.265 – 0.602, P<0.001); however, the prognostic value of the LMR was not determined in patients >60 years old or among the entire study cohort (both P>0.05). Signi fi cantly poorer OS was observed in patients >60 years with an LMR ≤ 4.21 compared to those with an LMR >4.21 (HR: 1.830, 95% CI: 1.129 – 2.967, P=0.014). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that both the high and low LMR cut-off values were independent risk factors for OS (HR: 0.272, 95% CI: 0.105 – 0.704, P=0.007; HR: 0.544, 95% CI: 0.330 – 0.895, P=0.017). Conclusion: The LMR is an independent prognostic indicator for GBC patients, the cut-off value of which is age dependent.


Immunostimulants, also called immunomodulators, adjuvants, or biological response modifiers, stimulate the immune system. They can be administered in the form of drugs or nutrients. Probiotics are organisms or substances that improve the intestinal microbial balance of a host animal. Prebiotics are indigestible components in a diet that are metabolized by specific microorganisms and prove helpful for the growth and health of the host. When provided as dietary supplements in feeds, even in small quantities, immunostimulants, probiotics, and prebiotics usually improve immunity, feed efficiency, and growth performance of crustaceans and fishes. The use of immunostimulants, probiotics, and prebiotics in aquaculture are presented in this review.


I was heartened to read Irene Gummerson's letter (PJ, 18 October, p543) regarding my article (PDF 65K) in the PJ devoted to concordance (11 October, p498). Although I am sure that Mrs D's treatment could be improved (Mrs D was the individual I was writing about), one of my points was that it is the delineation of patients into "successes" and "failures" in the first place that is the problem. I think that health professionals who are interested in concordance need to get away from making judgements about patients as "successes" or "failures" on the basis of their ability to comply. The important point — if establishing partnerships with patients is to have any real meaning — is to maintain an attitude of respect for the patient, even if he or she does not do as health professionals suggest.


Appreciation is an audience response associated with entertainment portrayals concerned with the meaning of life and human existence. Appreciation has been shown to be conceptually and empirically different from enjoyment, which is characterized as pleasure and fun. Drawing upon terror management theory, this research investigates first the influence of reminders of one's own death on appreciation and enjoyment of a meaningful film and second, the influence of the search for meaning in one's life on these outcomes. Results of an experimental study (N = 60) showed that mortality salience increased appreciation of a meaningful film, but only for those who rated highly for search for meaning in life. Concerning enjoyment, a reverse pattern was found: Participants who intensely search for meaning in their lives enjoyed the film when their own mortality had not been made salient before watching. Results are discussed in the light of theoretical considerations about entertainment experiences and meaning.


Anxiety and depression are common, chronic, disabling and frequently comorbid, but many people experience barriers accessing treatment. Internet-delivered psychological treatments (iPT) have considerable potential to increase access, while transdiagnostic (TD) interventions, which aim to simultaneously treat multiple disorders, represent an emerging approach that may facilitate the treatment of comorbidity. The present paper describes a conceptual and pragmatic rationale for com- bining iPT and TD approaches. It also describes the authors' experiences in developing and evaluating TD iPT protocols for anxiety and depression. The results of 4 randomised controlled trials and one open trial (N = 572) are reviewed. The results of these trials are encouraging and indicate TD iPT can significantly reduce symptoms of both principal and comorbid disorders. However, independent re- plication of the existing findings is required and many outstanding questions remain. We watch with interest how further conceptual and technological developments influence the content and delivery of these interventions.


Diffraction-limited imaging through complex scattering media is a long-sought-after goal with important applications in biomedical research. In recent years, high-resolution wavefront shaping has emerged as a powerful approach to generate a sharp focus through highly scattering, visually opaque samples. However, it requires a localized feedback signal from the target point of interest, which necessitates an invasive procedure in all-optical techniques. Here, we show that by exploiting optical nonlinearities, a diffraction-limited focus can be formed inside or through a complex sample, even when the feedback signal is not localized. We prove our approach theoretically and numerically, and experimentally demonstrate it with a two-photon fluorescence signal through highly scattering biological samples. We use the formed focus to perform two-photon microscopy through highly scattering, visually opaque layers.


There are several ways to define program equivalence for functional programs with algebraic effects. We consider two complementing ways to specify behavioural equivalence. One way is to specify a set of axiomatic equations, and allow proof methods to show that two programs are equivalent. Another way is to specify an Eilenberg-Moore algebra, which generate tests that could distinguish programs. These two methods are said to complement each other if any two programs can be shown to be equivalent if and only if there is no test to distinguish them.
In this paper, we study a generic method to formulate from a set of axiomatic equations an Eilenberg-Moore algebra which complements it. We will look at an additional condition which must be satisfied for this to work. We then apply this method to a handful of examples of effects, including probability and global store, and show they coincide with the usual algebras from the literature. We will moreover study whether or not it is possible to specify a set of unary Boolean modalities which could function as distinction-tests complementing the equational theory.


A four-step synthesis of Remdesivir (1) is presented. This work focuses on the yield improvement of step 1, flow chemistry development of step 2 and 3, process optimization of step 4. The literatures reported (https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00310 and https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00172: SI part) step 1 was repeated, but failed in the crystallization, eventually step 1 product was obtained by column chromatography with >98% HPLC purity and 40% IY. The flow chemistry development of step 2(IY: 84%) and 3 (IY: 63%) was achieved and the release of toxic HCN was avoided, the process robustness was improved by flow chemistry. Step 4 was simplified to apply primary alcohol 6 directly (without protection) to react with chiral SM 8. Lewis acid catalysts were screened by HTS and MgI2 gave 50% AY. Cheap and commercially available MgCl2 and NaI were used to replace MgI2, finally Remdesivir (1) was obtained in >99% purity with 40.3% IY.


Recent advances in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology have revived meteorological applications with this type of radar. SARs are designed for surface imaging, but now that several X-band multipolarization SAR satellites are in orbit, the attenuation and backscatter caused by precipitation can be better studied. The results presented here demonstrate some of the possibilities by analyzing observations from dual-polarization (HH, VV) TerraSAR-X (TSX) acquisitions over central Florida surrounding severe storms in August 2008. Simultaneous to the SAR acquisitions, WSR-88D ground weather radars in Melbourne and Tampa Bay, FL, collected reflectivity and radial velocity data; the observed strong precipitation cells from convective storms are colocated with severe attenuation in the corresponding SAR images. The observations from SAR measurements are explained quantitatively by converting ground radar reflectivity into spaceborne radar attenuation via a theoretical model. In addition, polarization analysis comparing the SAR image to two additional TSX acquisitions 11 days apart and without rain provides an indication of storm-induced propagation effects on X-band SAR. Specifically, the copolar ratio Z_dr and the copolar correlation differences exhibit behavior that is better explained by the precipitation impact versus surface changes. Multiple regions with varying ground cover, including urban, and storm characteristics are analyzed to highlight the complexity of meteorological research using SAR while revealing a potential use of the technology to investigate the storm structure.


Albert Jack now turns his attention to the mysteries that have haunted us throughout history. "Albert Jack's Ten Minute Mysteries" cleverly combines his research with riveting stories and hilarious observations. All life's most perplexing questions answered: UFOs, Crop Circles and Alien invasions Where is the Mona Lisa? (clue: it's not in the Louvre) Is the Loch Ness Monster really a circus elephant? Will the real Paul McCartney please stand up? What happened to the Mary Celeste? Who killed Marilyn Monroe? What was Agatha Christie's own mystery? Who was Jack the Ripper? And many, many more...With enough entertaining information to fuel hundreds of pub conversations, fascinating illustrations and all kinds of discoveries to surprise even the most expert conspiracy theorist, "Albert Jack's Ten Minute Mysteries" is the perfect present for anybody who's ever wondered why...


A 50-year-old man with a medical history of epilepsy so far treated with levetiracetam was admitted to our department of neurology with an unprovoked complex focal status epilepticus. He had turned his head first to the right side followed by an adversive movement of the head to the left side. During this period, he was unresponsive to verbal or mechanical stimuli. EEG showed continuous focal sharp wave complexes indicating epileptic activity of the right occipital lobe (Figure 1A). Consistently, MRI made the status epilepticus visible by a region of reduced diffusion at the right occipital lobe (Figure 1B). Only upon treatment escalation to four antiepileptic drugs, levetiracetam, clonazepam, phenytoin, and lacosamide, the status epilepticus could be terminated. EEG as well as MRI normalized subsequently (Figure 1C). No structural MRI abnormalities could be detected at the region of the focal status epilepticus. EEG is the gold standard in capturing epileptic activity in patients especially in nonconvulsive status epilepticus. MRI techniques including diffusion-weighted imaging provide additional information [1,2].


Abstract Scenery is a resource that has to be evaluated in an objective and quantitative manner to provide a means of comparison against other resource considerations and environmental impact assessments. This article presents the results of a quantitative evaluation of coastal scenery, enhancing the previous public survey questionnaires for Turkey, the U.K., Malta, and Croatia. The technique developed to evaluate coastal scenery uses 26 scenic parameters (of both physical and perceptual characteristics) for the four countries listed above and also for Australia, Ireland, the United States, New Zealand, and Japan, assembled via consultations with coastal users and experts. The weights of the scenic parameters are estimated and, together with a checklist that uses a fuzzy mathematics approach, an evaluation index (D) for each site is estimated for 86 worldwide coastal regions. These sites are further classified into five categories according to the D values they achieved. The results show that human impacts may adversely affect the coastal scenic value of a site. Comparison between assessment grades from experts and those from the public showed good agreement, specifically for human parameters. The results could be quite useful as a guideline for assessing, designing, and managing coastal areas when decisions must be made regarding intensive urban and industrial developments.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of allergy to stings from the Hymenoptera order of insects in a hospital in Thailand.

METHODS
A descriptive retrospective analytical study was carried out in inpatients and outpatients suffering from Hymenoptera stings from 2009 to 2013 in Siriraj Hospital.

RESULTS
Medical records of 386 patients with an allergy to Hymenoptera stings were evaluated. Anaphylaxis was more common in patients younger than 15 years, who comprised 22.3% of patients in this study. The most common sting type was from wasps (58.3%). Eighty-five percent of patients sought medical treatment less than 24 hours after being stung. A systemic reaction and anaphylaxis were found in 9.9% and 4.4% of subjects, respectively. In 17 patients with anaphylaxis, only 11 patients (64.7%) received an epinephrine (adrenaline) injection as treatment, and only 8 (47.1%) received epinephrine autoinjectors or epinephrine-prefilled syringes to prevent a possible subsequent severe reaction. Significantly more patients younger than 15 years received epinephrine for prevention of an allergic reaction than did those older than 15 years (87.5% vs 11.7%, P < 0.001). Antibiotics were given to 43.0% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Anaphylaxis from Hymenoptera stings was more common in children than in adults. Only half of the patients visited the emergency room within 1 hour of being stung. Overuse of antibiotics and underuse of epinephrine were found. More information about Hymenoptera stings should be provided to the public, and the use of epinephrine should be encouraged in the case of severe reactions and anaphylaxis.


The presence of NADPH oxidase (Nox) in the kidney, especially Nox4, results in H2O2 production, which regulates Na(+) excretion and urine formation. Redox-sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channels (TRPV1s) are distributed in mechanosensory fibers of the renal pelvis and monitor changes in intrapelvic pressure (IPP) during urine formation. The present study tested whether H2O2 derived from Nox4 affects TRPV1 function in renal sensory responses. Perfusion of H2O2 into the renal pelvis dose dependently increased afferent renal nerve activity and substance P (SP) release. These responses were attenuated by cotreatment with catalase or TRPV1 blockers. In single unit recordings, H2O2 activated afferent renal nerve activity in response to rising IPP but not high salt. Western blots revealed that Nox2 (gp91(phox)) and Nox4 are both present in the rat kidney, but Nox4 is abundant in the renal pelvis and originates from dorsal root ganglia. This distribution was associated with expression of the Nox4 regulators p22(phox) and polymerase δ-interacting protein 2. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed that IPP increases polymerase δ-interacting protein 2 association with Nox4 or p22(phox) in the renal pelvis. Interestingly, immunofluorescence labeling demonstrated that Nox4 colocalizes with TRPV1 in sensory fibers of the renal pelvis, indicating that H2O2 generated from Nox4 may affect TRPV1 activity. Stepwise increases in IPP and saline loading resulted in H2O2 and SP release, sensory activation, diuresis, and natriuresis. These effects, however, were remarkably attenuated by Nox inhibition. Overall, these results suggest that Nox4-positive fibers liberate H2O2 after mechanostimulation, thereby contributing to a renal sensory nerve-mediated diuretic/natriuretic response.


In this paper, an instantaneous optimal control performance index for active control of structures under seismic excitation is analytically proposed. Absolute velocity and absolute displacement terms are implemented to the conventional state vector terms and eventually to the resulting performance index expression. The seismic response reduction effectiveness of the proposed performance index is compared with the linear quadratic regulator control (LQR). For numerical verification of the performance index, an eight-story shear building with a fully active tendon controller system under unidirectional earthquake is considered as the first example. For a more complex model, a three-dimensional tier building under the effect of bidirectional earthquakes is selected as second numerical example. Unidirectional near fault and bidirectional near fault earthquakes are used in the simulations. The control energy demand of each control method is also considered in the comparison. It is obtained from numerical simulations that the proposed performance index is as effective as LQR in attenuating structural vibrations. However, the resulting performance index does not require a priori knowledge of the seismic excitation like the LQR. The nonlinear Riccati matrix equation solution of the LQR is not required in the proposed performance index as well.


Ridge type estimators are used to estimate regression parameters in a multiple linear regression model when multicolinearity exists among predictor variables. When different estimators are available, preliminary test estimation procedure is adopted to select a suitable estimator. In this paper, two ridge estimators, the Stochastic Restricted Liu Estimator and Liu Estimator are combined to define a new preliminary test estimator, namely the Preliminary Test Stochastic Restricted Liu Estimator (PTSRLE). The stochastic properties of the proposed estimator are derived, and the performance of PTSRLE is compared with SRLE in the sense of mean square error matrix (MSEM) and scalar mean square error (SMSE) for the two cases in which the stochastic restrictions are correct and not correct. Moreover the SMSE of PTSRLE based on Wald (WA), Likelihood Ratio (LR) and Lagrangian Multiplier (LM) tests are derived, and the performance of PTSRLE is compared using WA, LR and LM tests as a function of the shrinkage parameter d with respect to the SMSE. Finally a numerical example is given to illustrate some of the theoretical findings.


Some optical properties of thirty-two gamma-counting diamonds have been investigated. These properties include the ultraviolet transmission limit, the infrared absorption spectra, the birefringence, and the luminescence. The approximate percentage of Type I and Type II, estimated by both the ultraviolet and infrared absorption criteria, and the relative counting efficiency of each diamond are shown together on a single chart. One concludes that good gamma-counting diamonds usually have substantial portions that are Type II, but diamonds entirely Type II are not necessarily good counters. In addition to the well-known absorption maximum at a wavelength of 8 microns, Type I diamonds appear to exhibit an absorption maximum at a wavelength of 21 microns. Experimental evidence is given for the existence of normally empty trapping levels 0.5 ev and 0.7 ev below the conduction band and for the existence of point contact rectification in diamond.


: We describe a case of hepatotoxicity, pancreatitis and inappropriate ADH secretion syndrome developed in a patient receiving chronic amiodarone treatment, not related to other causes. Hepatic toxicity is a well known condition. Inappropriate ADH secretion syndrome has not been described yet and there has been a single case-report of pancreatitis in the literature reviewed.


A broadband downconverter mixer using an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) in the RF transconductor stage is presented in this paper. By changing the OTA's transconductance through a dc control voltage, the mixer's conversion gain is varied. Experimental results show that the mixer's conversion gain can vary from 17 dB down to 1.2 dB over a 12 GHz bandwidth. The maximum IP1 dB of the mixer is -3.7 dBm and its maximum IIP3 is + 8.6 dBm. Meanwhile, the maximum OP1dB is +7 dBm and the maximum OIP3 is +21 dBm. The circuit consumes a maximum of 5.9 mW of power from a 1.2 V supply. The chip occupies an area of 0.105 mm2 excluding bonding pads.


Anesthesiologists play a vital role in the management of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). The goal of endovascular repair of IAs is the occlusion of the proximal feeding arteries or obliteration of the aneurismal sac. Destruction of the sac while sparing the parent artery can be difficult, and can lead to distal embolism and rupture. The anesthesiologist must always be prepared for potential complications. This article provides a brief description of the principles of anesthesia for endovascular repair of intracranial aneurysms, as well as the relevant epidemiological, pathophysiological, diagnostic and therapeutic points. The goal of anesthesia in endovascular IA repair is to maintain an adequate hemodynamic profile and avoid decreases in cerebral perfusion pressure. Cerebral ischemia, increased intracranial pressure (ICP), and hemodynamic instability are intraoperative concerns.


We have used a commercially available monochrome plasma display panel (PDP) to study the electrical and optical properties of PDPs. The monochrome PDP was filled with helium at a pressure of 0.5 atm with the visible light emission observed directly from the gas discharge. The PDP is driven by an AC voltage source, operating at /spl sim/130 V at 50 kHz. With nanosecond resolution we have measured the current in the panel and the spectrally resolved light emission from the panel as a function of applied voltage. This study of a helium-filled conventional PDP is designed to provide data needed for improved modeling calculations of the plasma discharge. The ultimate goal is to achieve improved designs and efficacies for large-screen color PDP's.


The identification of compounds able to inhibit the NAD salvage pathway is experiencing a growing popularity as it has been proposed to be a novel target for antitumoral and anti-inflammatory drugs. In this manuscript, we used the copper-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition between azides and alkynes (click chemistry) to identify novel NAMPT inhibitors with a triazole-containing tail group. 720 compounds were synthesized in the first round, allowing the identification of 17 hit compounds. The second round of optimization brought about the discovery of compound 43 which displayed a cytotoxicity of 20 nM on neuroblastoma cancer cells and an inhibition of NAMPT of 114 nM.


Through a novel, "The Deaths of Thomas Lawrence", and an exegesis, "The Bereaved Writer: Composing a Language of Sensations", this study explores the condition of bereavement from a materialist perspective, examines how grievers experience the world, and considers how they can render that experience in language. Rather than view bereavement as a purely emotional state induced by a significant loss, this study conceives of bereavement as a condition defined primarily by a physical disruption to a body's sense of self: identity, sovereignty and conception of "meaningfulness". This project contends that without a distinct subjective position from which to have personal experiences, and without stable conceptual schemas through which to interpret the world, the bereaved body connects more directly to the raw and impersonal materiality of its surroundings and has nonhuman intensities grafted onto it from those surroundings. Put differently, this project views what it terms the bereaved-body as what French poststructuralist theorists Gilles Deleuze (1925-95) and Felix Guattari (1930-92) call a 'haecceity': an amalgam of nonsubjectified intensities that consists 'entirely of relations of movement and rest between molecules or particles, capacities to affect and be affected' (A Thousand Plateaus 261). Rather than a bereaved-body using language to present the experiences and judgements of a subjective and rational perspective, this project proposes that a bereaved-body can instead utilise an unorthodox writing style to intensively compose its desubjectified condition and to compose the transformative forces in its surroundings. A bereaved-body that produces such an intensive composition is what this study refers to as a bereaved-writer. This study also uses Deleuze and Guattari's conception of the artist and their concept of 'a language of sensations' to inform these notions of a bereaved-writer and an intensive composition: Deleuze and Guattari view the artist as a 'becomer' who 'goes beyond the perceptual states and affective transitions of the lived' (What is Philosophy? 171); and the French theorists describe a language of sensations as a text in which the writer 'twists language, makes it vibrate, seizes hold of it, and rends it in order to wrest the percept from perceptions, the affect from affections, the sensation from opinion' (What is Philosophy? 176). Thomas Lawrence, a young man writing in a state of bereavement after the loss of his father in Victoria's 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, is an example of a bereaved-writer or a "becomer", and The Deaths of Thomas Lawrence, as the novel he narrates, is an example of an intensive composition or a language of sensations.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical success potential of two nanocomposites placed in posterior teeth using an antibacterial adhesive system over 18 months.

METHODS
A total of 49 Class I and 47 Class II restorations were placed in the permanent teeth of thirty adult patients. The carious lesions were restored with Grandio (Voco) or Filtek Supreme (3M ESPE) using a two-step self-etching antibacterial adhesive system Clearfil Protect Bond (Kuraray). The restorations were finished with fine-grit diamond burs, Enhance polishing system, and Sof-Lex finishing brushes. The restorations were evaluated at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months after placement using modified Ryge criteria for color stability, marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, caries formation, anatomic form, postoperative sensitivity, surface roughness, and retention.

RESULTS
The changes in the parameters were assessed using the Cochran Q test and the McNemar test at a significance level of p < 0.05. All restorations were classified as clinically satisfactory after 18 months. Statistical analysis demonstrated differences only in superficial roughness, with Grandio exhibiting more surface roughness than Filtek Supreme (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Posterior restorations built up with the novel nanocomposites using an antibacterial self-etching system showed satisfactory results at the 18-month recall appointment relative to all criteria except the surface texture in the case of Grandio. Further evaluations are necessary for a more in-depth analysis.


The incidence of rectal cancer in the US is 45,000 per ann um. The 5-year survival is between 40 and 70%. This has not improved over the last 50 years despite improvements in techniques, the aid of new technology (surgical stapling devices in particular) and safer anesthesia.


The youth wellbeing literature draws upon the fields of Positive Education, Positive Youth Development, Social and Emotional Learning, Coaching and Mentoring Psychology and Quality of Life, collectively referred to as the Youth Wellbeing Fives (YWB Fives). Despite their individual efforts to promote mental health and address mental health issues, no study to date has explored their collective contributions (intersections) towards this goal, nor has a framework been developed to understand the benefits of collaboration between youth wellbeing scholars from different fields. This paper develops a framework for promoting the cross-disciplinary study of youth wellbeing, and critically reviews the contributions of individual and collective YWB Fives to enhancing the wellbeing of young people. Given their complementary approaches and combined influence on successful interventions, we illuminate possibilities for intersections to exist among the YWB Fives. Insights gained have various research and practical applications; these include providing a rationale for future youth studies to empirically measure intersections among the YWB Fives, and encouraging the development, delivery and evaluation of cross-disciplinary interventions to ensure widespread access to wellbeing services by all young people.


Work intensification increases again in France as revealed by the last National Working Condition Survey (WCS), along with organisational changes and job insecurity. Consequences of organisational choices on working conditions are complex and may influence psychosocial well-being and health either positively or negatively. Associations between work organisation and psychosocial experiences or health were analysed for market sector workers within the WCS through logistic regressions adjusted for gender, age, socioeconomic status, region and firm size. Changes in work organisation were studied as well as specific features such as versatility or quality procedures. Psychosocial experiences examined were: overwhelmed state, gratitude, internal psychological violence, meaning of work and value conflicts. Health was approached by the WHO5 scale as well as by self-perceived health status. Organisation features negatively associated with psychosocial experiences and health were: organisational change, management team change, redundancy plan within the last 12 months and adjustable versatility. Use of quality procedures were only associated with increased overwhelmed state, internal psychological violence, value conflicts and poorer self-perceived health status. These results, coherent with the international literature, illustrate once again the need to incorporate human factors when defining and introducing organisational changes. Further work will include the influence of work features such as quantity, intensity and complexity and psychological context such as latitude, social support and organisational justice. A key issue is their role in the moderation or exacerbation of organisation change consequences on psychosocial well-being and health.


We present a computing microsystem that uniquely leverages the bandwidth, density, and latency advantages of silicon photonic interconnect to enable highly compact supercomputer-scale systems. We describe and justify single-node and multinode systems interconnected with wavelength-routed optical links, quantify their benefits vis-a-vis electrically connected systems, analyze the constituent optical component and system requirements, and provide an overview of the critical technologies needed to fulfill this system vision. This vision calls for more than a hundredfold reduction in energy to communicate an optical bit of information. We explore the power dissipation of a photonic link, suggest a roadmap to lower the energy-per-bit of silicon photonic interconnects, and identify the challenges that will be faced by device and circuit designers towards this goal.


Rostampour, V. & Motlagh, A. M. (2018). Evaluation of the bruising susceptibility of apple in transport conditions. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 24(5), 902–908 Transporting vibration is a major cause of bruising damage in apples. The most previous studies about the bruising susceptibility of apple were conducted using the pendulum device and with a single impact. So their results for transport conditions are not accurate, because the effect of tissue fatigue (caused by cyclic loading) and apple mass have not been considered. In this study, using a vibration simulation of transportation, the effect of vibration parameters (frequency and acceleration) and fruit properties (mass, curvature radius and acoustical stiffness) on bruising susceptibility of Golden Delicious apple were investigated. The results showed that, increasing the vibration acceleration increases the bruising volume. Also increasing the vibration frequency decreased the bruising, but in higher frequencies (f ≥ 13 Hz), if the acceleration value is greater than 0.5 g, the fatigue phenomenon can reverse this trend and increasing the frequency will increase the bruising volume. Increasing the apple mass, at the acceleration of 0.5 g or more (a ≥ 0.5 g), increased the bruising volume and at accelerations of less than 0.5 g, reduced the bruising volume. Also results indicated that the apples with high acoustic stiffness and low curvature radius were more vulnerable. In conclusion, the results showed that to improve the handling of apple, arrangement of fruit in the box must be carried out carefully and we hope that fi ndings of this research will help to achieve this goal.


The time evolution of a class of completely integrable discrete Lotka-Volterra system is shown not unique but have two different ways chosen randomly at every step of generation. This uncertainty is consistent with the existence of constants of motion and disappears in both continuous time and ultra discrete limits.


The objective of the thesis is to answer the questions: How can energy storage and flexible demand be scheduled in a second-generation Active Network Management scheme representing the next stage of Smart Grid deployment in the UK? And how should they be operated to gain most benefit from distributed wind generation? To answer these questions the thesis develops and uses tools to study the optimisation of such schemes. The tools include a Dynamic Optimal Power Flow algorithm which combines a full AC-network model with the first fully flexible model of energy storage in this context and with a detailed model for demand flexibility. The model also includes the first implementation of principles-of-access in an optimal power flow, as well as the first detailed study of the role of energy storage and flexible demand in managing thermal limits and reducing curtailment of distributed wind generation. The thesis also develops the theory of Dynamic Locational Marginal Pricing based on the economic information contained in an optimal solution to a Dynamic Optimal Power Flow. Finally, the thesis goes on to apply Dynamic Optimal Power Flow to a real case study representing a deployed UK Smart Grid. The thesis reaches a number of conclusions regarding operation of energy storage and flexible demand focusing on the role of losses (both electrical and storage), and the impact on the monetary flows. In addition it quantifies the ability of flexible demand and energy storage to reduce the cost of operating a system, and how that cost reduction impact on consumer payments.


This study examined the relationship of interpersonal solidarity to various aspects of idiomatic communication in friends' relational cultures. A pilot study determined that the typology of idiom functions used in past investigations of romantic relationships could be extended to friendship. The idioms described functioned to name activities, emotional states, objects, and places; communicate affection; manage confrontations; accomplish greetings and goodbyes; reference the self, partner, or other individuals; issue requests and insults; and denote sexual matters. In the main study, 114 females and 117 males each identified a close same-sex friend, completed the Interpersonal Solidarity Scale, and filled out an idiom report form for each idiom that had emerged in the friendship. The majority of the 1,380 idioms reported were verbal, used in public contexts, and used in more than just the one friendship described. For both sexes, solidarity was positively correlated with five idiom categories: activities, affection, confrontation, nicknames for self, and objects. In addition, solidarity correlated positively with place, requests, nicknames for friend, and sexual references for females and with emotions, greetings/goodbyes, labels for others, and teasing insults for males. For both sexes, solidarity was related to the total number and breadth (diversity) of idioms reported, as well as to other features of friends' idiomatic codes. A subset of the idiom variables collectively accounted for over one third of the variance in, solidarity. Support was also found for several hypothesized sex differences in the structure and use of idiomatic codes. Associations among idiom function, channel, patterns of use, and relational consequences were also explored.


This paper hypothesizes that the long-term political behavior of breaking the country into finer geographical and political entities has been inimical to its sustainable long-term economic growth. The splitting of provinces and creation of new ones, legislating of more congressional districts, and further breaking up of even the lowest government levels fragment markets, raise real financial and transactions costs, bloat government's budgets and the bureaucracy, and burden the private sector. Partial evidence is explored showing this behavior in the country's long-term development history and some policy directions are suggested.


In the immediate aftermath of armed conflict, security is critical to the possibility that refugees, displaced persons, and former combatants will return home, that the rule of law can be established, and that the state can move forward positively. Security in a post-conflict society is critical to preventing further conflict. Available empirical evidence suggests that conflicts are highly cyclical and for societies experiencing internal conflict there is up to a 50% risk that conflict will again reignite. Security issues are at the heart of the reconstruction process for the local population, national leaders, and the international community. Security is also central to the psychological notion of safety and well-being at the individual and communal level. But what does "security" mean? We work from a layered conception of security, meaning security that encompasses both security from further state-supported armed groups and militia (typically conceived of as encompassing only public violence) and security to live in civil society without violence inflicted by post-conflict state actors in public societal settings as well as in the home. This essay examines the essential issue of security and its link to the establishment and maintenance of peace for women. It explores the multiple and contradictory versions of security that arise in societies transitioning away from violence. Our interest lies in ascertaining how women fare in these variable settings, and how concepts and implementation might be improved to make conflict transitions gender attentive. The analysis then unmasks the roles that gender and gendering play in security, showing how security priorities accord with masculine conceptualizations of safety, and critiquing the state-centric approach which focuses on public violence. Our micro analysis is focused primarily on security sector reform because that is the vehicle by which security in many post-conflict societies is conceptualized and delivered. We point to the weaknesses and limitations of existing frameworks and the ways in which gender bias is structured into existing solutions. Finally, we suggest a new paradigm for future efforts at security transitions that affects, and effects, equity between genders. We encourage a rethink of how conflict management processes manage and implement safety to the overall benefit of both men and women.


ABSTRACT In the present study, a sustainable production of boric acid from colemanite mineral and sulfuric acid was investigated, considering waste treatment and colemanite mineral processing costs. The purchasing price of sulfuric acid and the selling price of boric acid obtained from the market were used as $50/t and $900/t, respectively, to perform the simulation via professional SuperPro designer (v.9.0). The effect of the colemanite mineral price was investigated between $50 and $250/t for a 100 kt.y−1 plant capacity. The effect of a waste treatment cost was investigated by applying values between $10 and $50/ton for a 100 kt.y−1 plant capacity. The annual waste treatment cost was calculated using the value of $50/ton and was found to be $9.3 M, which contributes to the operating cost by 13.4%. The most significant components that influenced the boric acid production costs were determined to be the facility-dependence (41.9%) and cost of the raw materials (30.3%). The fixed capital investment and annual operating costs of the boric acid plant are calculated as $170.7 M and $70.1 M/y, respectively, for a 100 kt.y−1 capacity. The unit production cost of boric acid having an impurity of <100 ppm was calculated as $0.70 kg−1. Therefore, a payback time of 6.3 years was estimated from the economic analysis of a commercial boric acid production process including environmental impacts.


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The microscopically constrained relativistic mean field theory is used to investigate the superdeformation for Pb isotopes. The calculations have been performed with the four different interactions NL3, PK1, TM1 and NLSH, and show that there exists a clear superdeformed minimum in the potential energy surfaces. The excitation energy, deformation and depth of the well in the superdeformed minimum are comparable for the four different interactions. Furthermore the trend for the change of the superdeformed excitation energy with neutron number is correctly reproduced. The calculated two-neutron separation energy in the ground state and superdeformed minimum together with their differences are in agreement with the available data. The larger energy difference appearing in the superdeformed minimum reflects a lower average level density at superdeformations for Pb isotopes.


Rapid transformations through the liquid and vapor phases induced by laser-solid interactions are described by the authors` thermal model with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation to determine the vaporization temperature under different surface pressure condition. Hydrodynamic behavior of the vapor during and after ablation is described by gas dynamic equations. These two models are coupled. Modeling results show that lower background pressure results lower laser energy density threshold for vaporization. The ablation rate and the amount of materials removed are proportional to the laser energy density above its threshold. The authors also demonstrate a dynamic source effect that accelerates the unsteady expansion of laser-ablated material in the direction perpendicular to the solid. A dynamic partial ionization effect is studied as well. A self-similar theory shows that the maximum expansion velocity is proportional to c{sub s}{alpha}, where 1 {minus} {alpha} is the slope of the velocity profile. Numerical hydrodynamic modeling is in good agreement with the theory. With these effects, {alpha} is reduced. Therefore, the expansion front velocity is significantly higher than that from conventional models. The results are consistent with experiments. They further study how the plume propagates in high background gas condition. Under appropriate conditions, the plume is slowed down, separates with the background, is backward moving, and hits the solid surface. Then, it splits into two parts when it rebounds from the surface. The results from the modeling will be compared with experimental observations where possible.


Fears that the appointment of Nick Seddon as the new special adviser on health at Downing Street is a sign that the government is considering the introduction of copayments for NHS patients have been dismissed by senior health policy figures who know him well.

Before being invited to advise on health and social care as part of a new team led by Jo Johnson—the younger brother of London mayor Boris Johnson—Seddon was deputy director of the right wing think tank Reform, an organisation that promotes free market policies and small government.

Before joining Reform, Seddon—only in his mid-30s—was head of communications at Circle, the first private company to win a franchise to run an NHS hospital, Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire.

Seddon has been reported to have argued that, …


In all of the federal circuit courts of appeals, application of Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence has been distorted by judicially-created "tests" that, while intended to assist trial courts in properly admitting or excluding evidence, do not actually test for the kind of evidence prohibited by this rule. Rule 404(b) prohibits evidence of "crimes, wrongs, or other acts" if the purpose for admitting the evidence is to prove action in accordance with a character trait. This evidence is commonly referred to as "propensity" evidence, or "once a drug dealer, always a drug dealer" evidence. This Article examines three counter-productive heuristics that the federal circuit courts of appeals have created: (1) multi-factor tests based on a paragraph of dicta from the Supreme Court's opinion in Huddleston v. United States; (2) a set of "exceptions" based on a misreading of the list of permitted purposes for admitting other-acts evidence found in Rule 404(b)(2); and (3) a set of additional "exceptions" extrapolated from an advisory committee note's reference to "intrinsic" evidence. Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in an en banc decision, recognized that its approach to Rule 404(b) had become so distorted that a new approach was required. This Article concludes that the other federal circuit courts of appeals should follow this example and proposes that such a reframing of a circuit's approach to Rule 404(b) should not require a decision of the court en banc.


Liddle syndrome is monogenic hypertension caused by mutations in the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) that interfere with its ubiquitylation by Nedd4-2. In this issue, Ronzaud and colleagues found that deleting Nedd4-2 from kidney tubules in adult mice led to ENaC accumulation, but not at the plasma membrane, as predicted from current models. Instead, abundance of the sodium chloride transporter NCC increased at the plasma membrane, and the mice have some features of increased NCC activity. Together, the results suggest that defective ubiquitylation of ENaC by Nedd4-2 may not fully explain Liddle syndrome and that Nedd4-2 modulates NCC more strongly.


Thermal conductivity is an important characteristic of a nanofluid. This paper presents models for the prediction of the effective thermal conductivity of titanium oxide based on water by used of dimensionless groups. The models express the thermal conductivity of a nanofluid as a function of the thermal conductivity of interfacial shell, interfacial thickness and volume fraction. The model of effective thermal conductivity is divided into four regions by analysis of present models for the regions and can be obtained an effective value of dependence parameter. The model showed for volume fraction less than 1% and diameters less than 20 nm intensity of increase thermal conductivity is much more than other region. As we know, with decrease of concentration, the viscosity of nanofluid decreased, so this region is the best region for application of heat transfer devices because the pressure drop also decreased.


Underwater noise emission from pile driving within the offshore wind industry is becoming an increasingly important issue. To advance the understanding and ability to predict underwater noise emissions and associated control measures, Lloyd's Register Consulting and DONG Energy Wind Power have initiated model development activities. Two procedures have been applied. First a technique based on empirical data and long range sound transmission models was successfully evaluated. The prediction is based on a semi-empirical source strength which may be re-used for another site, provided the piling setup is similar. Second, a modelling method was then initiated to account for any hammer and pile configurations and gain knowledge on the near-field sound generation. The method combines two techniques: stress-Wave Equation Analysis for Piles (WEAP) and vibro-acoustic Finite Element (FE). WEAP is a well-established geotechnical tool that calculates the stress wave in the hammer-pile system. A customized WEAP is implemented in order to output soil damping and loading function information. The time-domain FE model is then set up accordingly and predicts acoustic pressure data in the vicinity of the pile. Comparisons to measured hydrophone data are very promising and that bodes well for the next modelling steps.


Background People with learning disabilities experience significant inequalities in accessing healthcare. Legal frameworks, such as the Equality Act 2010, are intended to reduce such disparities in care, and require organisations to make 'reasonable adjustments' for people with disabilities, including learning disabilities. However, reasonable adjustments are often not clearly defined or adequately implemented in clinical practice. Aim To examine and synthesise the challenges in caring for people with learning disabilities to develop a framework for making reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities in hospital. This framework would assist ward staff in identifying and managing the challenges of delivering person-centred, safe and effective healthcare to people with learning disabilities in this setting. Method Fourth-generation evaluation, collaborative thematic analysis, reflection and a secondary analysis were used to develop a framework for making reasonable adjustments in the hospital setting. The authors attended ward manager and matron group meetings to collect their claims, concerns and issues, then conducted a collaborative thematic analysis with the group members to identify the main themes. Findings Four main themes were identified from the ward manager and matron group meetings: communication, choice-making, collaboration and coordination. These were used to develop the 4C framework for making reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities in hospital. Discussion The 4C framework has provided a basis for delivering person-centred care for people with learning disabilities. It has been used to inform training needs analyses, develop audit tools to review delivery of care that is adjusted appropriately to the individual patient; and to develop competencies for learning disability champions. The most significant benefit of the 4C framework has been in helping to evaluate and resolve practice-based scenarios. Conclusion Use of the 4C framework may enhance the care of people with learning disabilities in hospital, by enabling reasonable adjustments to be made in these settings.


Abstract This review is intended to provide an overview of the design and fabrication of ionic liquid-based ionic electroactive polymer (IL-iEAP) transducers for advanced applications in biological and electronic fields. The iEAP is a class of smart materials that can perform sensing or actuating functions by controlling the movement of cations and anions in the active layer. This type of material can deform under low voltage stimulation and generate electrical signals when undergoing mechanical deformation because of ion redistribution. Numerous research attention has been focused on studying the deformation mechanisms and the potential for actuation, sensing, and energy harvesting applications. Compared to the traditional water-based iEAP, the non-volatile IL-iEAP delivers a wider electrochemical window and a more stable actuation performance. In this paper, the classification of iEAP with different actuation mechanisms is first outlined, followed by introducing various preparation methods including nanotechnology for IL-iEAPs, and discussing the key factors governing their actuation performance. In addition, the advanced functions of IL-iEAP in actuating and sensing, especially self-sensing in bionics and electromechanical equipment applications, are reviewed. Finally, novel nanotechnologies used for fabricating IL-iEAPs and the prospects of their microelectromechanical system (MEMS) applications are discussed.


We used standard microelectrode techniques to evaluate the effects of lidocaine and quinidine on canine Purkinje fibers at normal pH (7.3) and in the presence of acidosis (pH 6.9). Acidosis alone reduced resting potential, action potential amplitude, and Vmal, while increasing APD90 and conduction time. Lidocaine concentrations of 6 x 10~ to 1.5 x 10~ M had minimal effect on resting potential, action potential amplitude, and Vm u at pH 7.3. At pH 6.9, the same lidocaine concentrations significantly reduced resting potential (3-10%), action potential amplitude (3-8%) and Vraax (14-22%). Quinidine (6 x 10" to 1.5 x 10~ M) reduced resting potential (3-5%), action potential amplitude (4-9%), and Vma, (19-34%) at pH 7.3. At pH 6.9, quinidine produced significantly greater reductions in resting potential (4-15%), action potential amplitude (5-18%), and Vraal (22-49%). These changes were associated with much more quinidineand lidocaine-induced prolongation of interelectrode conduction time at acidic than at normal pH. Inexcitability occurred at pH 6.9 in four of 14 experiments with 1.5 x 10~ M quinidine and in two of 10 with 1.5 X 10" M lidocaine, and was reversed at the same drug concentration by normalizing pH. Acidosis did not alter the Vmal-resting potential relationship in either the absence or presence of antiarrhythmic agents. Furthermore, changes in ionization did not account for the alterations in electrophysiological effects of quinidine and lidocaine produced by acidosis. Our data suggest that extracellular pH changes may modify importantly the effects of antiarrhythmic agents. Circ Res 48: 55-61, 1981


Louisiana leads the United States of America, and likely the world, in coastal erosion and wetland loss. Landward translation of the barrier islands fronting the bays and estuaries of Louisiana exceeds 20 m/yr. Over the last century or so, the subaerial mass of many of these islands has been reduced by between 40 and 75 percent. Recent findings indicate that entire barriers will likely be transformed into shoals over the next decade or so. Ongoing numerical model studies indicate that this will result in significant increases in wave energy in the bays and estuaries, likely increasing rates of fringing marsh deterioration. Considering that Louisiana contains 40 percent of the Nation's coastal and estuarine wetlands in the 48 conterminous states, and that 80 percent of the Nation's total loss of wetlands has occurred in Louisiana, the problem transcends the State boundaries and has become one of National concern.


We analyze the evidence for the change of mixing state of aerosols from winter to summer inferred from the clear-sky surface radiative fluxes measured over the Arabian Sea. Compared to the solar absorption calculated by assuming externally mixed aerosols, we find that the estimates are in agreement with the observations in January-March but become increasingly too low from spring to summer (April-August). The discrepancy can be corrected by assuming that black carbon is coated with sulfate oxidized from SO2 or sea salt. The photochemical processing time of black carbon aerosols and SO2 increases as photochemical activity and the transport time for aerosols to reach the observation location increase substantially from winter to summer. Coating of sea salt on black carbon may also contribute significantly to solar absorption, increasing the efficacy of black carbon radiative forcing. While the assumption of external mixing is adequate for winter, it significantly underestimates the BC absorption in summer. Internal mixing assumption leads to significant overestimates in winter and summer. Seasonal change of mixing state such as the partial core-shell structure suggested in this study is needed in global and regional models for more reliable BC radiative forcing estimate.


F ilm historians and scholars have agreed that the 1930s decade was the most significant period in which Hollywood adopted its most recognised industrial features. Among these features, it can be said that Hollywood movies were identified because of a unique visual style, a paradigmatic and standard narrative, an "invisible" cinematic signature, strong marketing strategies and commercial formulas in the media. The decade of the 1930s was the time of the Musical, Screwball, Comedies, Westerns, Melodramas, and Horror movies among other genres. However, Hollywood movies of the 1930s are often remembered because of the stars' appeal to the audiences.


Radio-telemetry was used to identify the home range and refuge sites of two species of mouse inhabiting a semi-arid island off the Western Australian coast, in an effort to understand differences in their water metabolism. The native short-tailed mouse, Leggadina lakedownensis, had a median home range of 4.8 ha. This area increased during the non-breeding season (5.3 ha) compared with the breeding season (3.0 ha), but this difference was not significant. In contrast, the median home range for the house mouse, Mus domesticus, was smaller (2.8 ha), although this was variable. Core areas were best represented by the 75% and 60% isopleths for M. domesticus and L. lakedownensis, respectively. Core areas were greater in L. lakedownensis (1.0 ha) than in M. domesticus (0.8 ha). Furthermore, the degree of overlap in core areas was low for L. lakedownensis, but absent for M. domesticus. There was no evidence that M. domesticus used burrows as refuges. Instead, they sheltered in dense bushes above ground during the day where air temperatures were ameliorated by the cover. L. lakedownensis rested in burrows during the day where high air temperatures were mainatined at a constant 28°C, and a relative humidity of between 72–97%. Burrow morphology was simple and comprised two types: burrows with a single chamber, and those without a chamber, indicative of a solitary habit. These results suggest that a fossorial behaviour in L. lakedownensis may lower its water economy compared with M. domesticus, which shelters above ground.


We have two main purposes in this paper. One is to give some sufficient conditions for the Julia set of a transcendental entire function $f$ to be connected or to be disconnected as a subset of the complex plane ${\Bbb C}$. The other is to investigate the boundary of an unbounded periodic Fatou component $U$, which is known to be simply-connected. These are related as follows: let $\varphi : {\Bbb D} \longrightarrow U$ be a Riemann map of $U$ from a unit disk ${\Bbb D}$, then under some mild conditions we show that the set $\Theta_{\infty}$ of all angles where $\varphi$ admits the radial limit $\infty$ is dense in $\partial {\Bbb D}$ if $U$ is an attracting basin, a parabolic basin or a Siegel disk. If $U$ is a Baker domain on which $f$ is not univalent, then $\Theta_{\infty}$ is dense in $\partial {\Bbb D}$ or at least its closure $\overline{\Theta_{\infty}}$ contains a certain perfect set, which means the boundary $\partial U$ has a very complicated structure. In all cases, this result leads to the disconnectivity of the Julia set $J_f$ in ${\Bbb C}$. If $U$ is a Baker domain on which $f$ is univalent, however, we shall show by giving an example that $\partial U$ can be a Jordan arc in ${\Bbb C}$, which has a rather simple structure, and, moreover, $J_f$ can be connected. We also consider the connectivity of the set $J_f \cup \{ \infty \}$ in the Riemann sphere $\widehat{{\Bbb C}}$ and show that $J_f \cup \{ \infty \}$ is connected if and only if $f$ has no multiply-connected wandering domains.


Children are one of the most vulnerable populations to the spread of tuberculosis (TB) ger, however, unfortunately the success of TB treatment in DKI Jakarta is still quite low. This study aimed to determine the factors that most influence TB child treatment adherence. The method used was descriptive analysis with cross sectional approach. The sample was determined using techniques Consecutive Sampling: Non Probability Sampling  which numbered 168 people. This study illustrated that belief variable  was the most influencing factors of TB treatment adherence in children (p value 0,001; α=0.05; OR 8,02 after controlled by long-term treatment of TB, PMO, cognitive developments stages, coping behaviour, memory, treatment regimens, communication with health care providers, social support and access to health facilities.  This study expected to be source of knowledge for nurses to provide client's belief  and improve adherence to TB treatment in children.


More than a decade after the proclamation of consumer welfare as a goal of EU competition law, a fundamental question remains unanswered: namely, what is the content of the EU consumer welfare standard? What types of benefits and harms count respectively as welfare and as harm? Whose harm and whose benefit is included in the definition? Few answers have been available to these crucial, from a legal perspective, questions. The goal of this article is to explore the meaning of consumer welfare in terms of these questions. In particular, considering the assumption that the notion of consumer welfare in EU competition law is borrowed from economics, the article will attempt to verify to what extent consumer welfare coincides with the notion of consumer surplus in economics. The focus is therefore on 1) whether consumer can be taken to mean the final consumer or the intermediary purchaser and 2) whether the notion of harm refers primarily to price effects. Part I of the paper focuses on the definition of consumer welfare in antitrust law and in economics. Part II considers the definitions of consumer welfare in the Commission's soft law and argues that a finding of an end user surplus cannot be supported. Part III turns to the jurisprudence of the European Courts and argues that support for end-user surplus cannot be found in the Court's case law. The paper concludes that although we do not find support for an end-user surplus standard in the Court's jurisprudence, the change in language in the 2012 Post Danmark ruling leaves us wondering as to whether and in what direction the Court's approach might change.


The theory of the kinetics of metastable pit nucleation in terms of the Point Defect Model (PDM) has been applied the first time to describing the evolution of the nucleation rate of metastable pits on a variety of metallic substrates. The PDM successfully accounts for the experimental data that have been reported in the literature on stainless steel, carbon steel, iron, aluminum, and Alloy-22, and which are judged to be reliable and reproducible. Important fundamental parameters related to metastable pitting such as total number density of pitting nucleation sites, dissolution time of the cap over the pit, energy related to absorption of the aggressive ions into oxygen vacancies in the surface of the barrier layer, vacancy condensation rate, and the time at which the nucleation rate of metastable pits is maximum were obtained from the optimization of the PDM on the experimental data, as reported in the present paper. The values obtained for those parameters are in good agreement with values and observations reported elsewhere. The present work successfully demonstrates the capacity of the PDM in accounting for experimental observations of metastable pitting and that the PDM can be applied as an underlying theory for studying and understanding metastable pitting on metal surfaces.


This article explores discourses of expatriation in Merida (Mexico) developed in autobiographies, handbooks for expatriates, local house tours, websites and videos, as well as interior design books. In the city of Merida (Mexico), buying and remodeling a colonial home has become a central theme in expatriation narratives. North American expatriates have become house renovation experts and are fueling a local real estate boom. But for U.S. and Canadian residents, the houses of Merida also embody lofty community ideals-upward mobility, the American Dream, the Protestant Work Ethic, and even nationalist pride.


This research investigated the question of how laypersons are influenced by textual representations of scientific uncertainty. In an online experiment (N = 78), a blog article about effects of computer games on children was presented in four different versions. Each version contained three arguments on negative effects that were either phrased neutrally, contained assertive statements, or included hedges. The fourth version contained an additional argument on positive effects of computer games (two-sided). In comparison with the basic one-sided version, the two-sided text led to a more moderate attitude toward the topic. According to moderation analyses, this difference was mainly based on readers with more advanced epistemological beliefs and with a higher need for cognition, who were more strongly affected by a two-sided presentation of evidence. The assertive version was less effective than the basic version, suggesting that recipients were skeptical when statements were presented as overly certain.


Ankle sprains are common problem in daily activity its occurring at an estimated rate of more than 23,000 per day in the United States. (Kannus P, Renstrom et. Al 1991). The anterior talofibular ligament is the most commonly injured ligament and is most susceptible to injury during a plantar flexion and inversion mechanism. (Kannus P.et.al2010). Re injury may be greater in high risk of sports, athletes in reinjured rate of 73% was reported, Individuals with repeated sprained ankle may have the symptoms like pain during the activity, weakness, swelling, and functional disability. The primary objective is evaluating the effectiveness of Functional outcome in Mulligans mobilization group and compared with proprioception Group in subjects with lateral ankle sprain Participants. The purpose of the study is comparing mulligan methods versus proprioception training in lateral ankle sprain. In this study 30 subjects with unilateral ankle sprain were selected, they assigned into 2 groups consisting of 15 subjects each-Group A (control) and Group B (experimental). Group A received proprioception training methods. In group B received mulligan's mobilizations to the affected ankle joint. After the 4 weeks of the treatment, measured the ROM, and ankle functional status, it will be measuring by GONIOMETER and AJFAT (ankle joint functional assessment tool). In this study mulligan's mobilization group improve ankle dorsiflexion and functional activity in subjects with lateral ankle sprain. Group A is given ROM exercises, strengthening exercises and Group B is given mulligan's mobilization. By statistical analysis our study demonstrates that significant difference From the results the values for ROM with values of (-6.92) and (-2.048) pre and post intervention shows more effective in experimental group than the control group. For the ankle joint function by AJFAT pre and post intervention values of (-0.1) and (-6.4)indicate significant difference .


Protecting critical infrastructure from intentional damage requires foreseeing the strategies of possible attackers. The problem faced by the defender of such infrastructure can be formulated as a Stackelberg security game. A defender must decide what specific targets to protect with limited resources, maximizing their expected utility (e.g., minimizing damage value) and considering that a second player (or players), called attacker , responds in the best possible way. Since Stackelberg security games are generally NP-Hard, the main challenge in finding optimal strategies in real applications is developing efficient methodologies for large instances. We propose a general methodology to find a Strong Stackelberg Equilibrium for Stackelberg security games whose set of defender's mixed strategies can be represented as a perfect formulation. This methodology consists in two steps. First, we formulate the problem using variables representing the probabilities of each target being defended. The formulation must be either a polynomial-size MILP and/or a MILP with an exponential size of constraints that can be efficiently separated through branch-and-cut. In the second step, we recover the mixed strategies in the original space efficiently (in polynomial time) using column generation. This methodology has been applied in various security applications studied in the last decade. We generalize and propose new examples. Finally, we provide extensive computational study of different formulations based on marginal probabilities.


Severe secondary hypertension in pregnancy can be complicated by maternal intracerebral haemorrhage, cardiac or renal failure, superimposed pre-eclampsia, maternal death and fetal spontaneous abortion or perinatal death. The authors present the case of a 17 year old girl with no previous medical or surgical history, who booked for antenatal care at 15 weeks with a BP of 215/110 mm Hg equal in both arms and no palpable femoral pulses. Limited imaging revealed stenosis of the lower thoracic and abdominal aorta with lower limb and pelvic circulation provided by extensive collaterals between the internal mammary and inferior epigastric vessels. She was admitted to hospital at 19 weeks gestation for BP control and was managed medically as an inpatient until delivery of a healthy baby boy by caesarean section at 30 weeks which was precipitated by uncontrollable hypertension. Uteroplacental circulation was satisfactory despite marked lower limb hypotension evidenced by normal uterine and umbilical artery Doppler studies and serial growth estimation. Birth weight was 1.4Kg which was just below the 50th centile for gestational age. Management involved a multidisciplinary team of obstetricians, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, anaesthetists and radiologists. Challenging issues in her care included (1) The risk of continuing with the pregnancy, (2) Vascular imaging was limited by pregnancy, (3) The role of vascular surgery that is stenting or surgical correction of the defect, (4) Medical management of severe hypertension in pregnancy, (5) Fetal surveillance and timing of delivery. These issues will be discussed in the presentation.


The exponential and rapid growth of the E-commerce based both on the new opportunities offered by the Internet, and on the spread of the use of debit or credit cards in the online purchases, has strongly increased the number of frauds, causing large economic losses to the involved businesses. The design of effective strategies able to face this problem is however particularly challenging, due to several factors, such as the heterogeneity and the non-stationary distribution of the data stream, as well as the presence of an imbalanced class distribution. To complicate the problem, there is the scarcity of public datasets for confidentiality issues, which does not allow researchers to verify the new strategies in many data contexts. Differently from the canonical state-of-the-art strategies, instead of defining a unique model based on the past transactions of the users, we follow a Divide and Conquer strategy, by defining multiple models (user behavioral patterns), which we exploit to evaluate a new transaction, in order to detect potential attempts of fraud. We can act on some parameters of this process, in order to adapt the models sensitivity to the operating environment. Considering that our models do not need to be trained with both the past legitimate and fraudulent transactions of a user, since they use only the legitimate ones, we can operate in a proactive manner, by detecting fraudulent transactions that have never occurred in the past. Such a way to proceed also overcomes the data imbalance problem that afflicts the machine learning approaches. The evaluation of the proposed approach is performed by comparing it with one of the most performant approaches at the state of the art as Random Forests, using a real-world credit card dataset.


Motivation: Time-series observations from reporter gene experiments are commonly used for inferring and analyzing dynamical models of regulatory networks. The robust estimation of promoter activities and protein concentrations from primary data is a difficult problem due to measurement noise and the indirect relation between the measurements and quantities of biological interest. Results: We propose a general approach based on regularized linear inversion to solve a range of estimation problems in the analysis of reporter gene data, notably the inference of growth rate, promoter activity, and protein concentration profiles. We evaluate the validity of the approach using in silico simulation studies, and observe that the methods are more robust and less biased than indirect approaches usually encountered in the experimental literature based on smoothing and subsequent processing of the primary data. We apply the methods to the analysis of fluorescent reporter gene data acquired in kinetic experiments with Escherichia coli. The methods are capable of reliably reconstructing time-course profiles of growth rate, promoter activity and protein concentration from weak and noisy signals at low population volumes. Moreover, they capture critical features of those profiles, notably rapid changes in gene expression during growth transitions. Availability and implementation: The methods described in this article are made available as a Python package (LGPL license) and also accessible through a web interface. For more information, see https://team.inria.fr/ibis/wellinverter. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Objective
This article discusses the implementation and preliminary outcomes of a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) informed program integrated with Family Based Therapy (FBT) for adolescents with eating disorders within a day hospital program (DHP).

Method
A retrospective analysis of hospital records between 2013-2015 provided descriptive characteristics of patients. Weight and percentage ideal body weight at admission and discharge, frequency of binge and purge episodes at discharge and readmissions were analysed.

Results
Analysis of patient characteristics indicated a broad range of eating disorder and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses among patients. Preliminary outcomes revealed increased weight and percentage of ideal body weight, decreased binge-purge status and few readmissions to the program over the two-year period studied.

Conclusions
The implementation of a DBT informed DHP with integration of FBT is associated with improved patient outcomes. Ongoing challenges with respect to the implementation of DBT include modifying DBT to address varying developmental levels, ages and diagnoses and promoting adherence to the program by patients and families. Limitations include small sample size, uncontrolled chart review and the nature of DHP, which include a variety of components that may influence outcomes. This research will help to inform future implementation of treatment programs for adolescents with eating disorders.


The use of bio-inspired computing offers a wide range of solutions and opportunities, both for scientists, who make an effort to understand and model nature, and for artists, who use nature as a source of inspiration. The use of a metaphor that is relevant for scientists and artists helps to bridge the gap between the scientific and artistic communities, and fosters the collaboration and transfer of knowledge between the two domains. This paper presents an overview of some of the Evolutionary Art projects I have been involved during the past thirteen years.


Child sexual abuse by clergy within the Roman Catholic Church has emerged as a social and political discourse over the last three decades. The analysis here specifically focuses on the establishment, conduct, and outcomes of the extensive public inquiries of Australia, although inquiries in other jurisdictions are also discussed. Unlike criminal or civil processes, although they may be inquisitory in nature, public inquiries emerge from a specifically political context and are a tool of governance embedded in a larger context of governmentality. Understanding the broader political and cultural contexts of public inquiries is important, then, in understanding their value and effectiveness as justice processes – especially for victims of CSA by clergy. What is interesting about public inquiry is that it situates victims of CSA by clergy outside of criminal and civil justice processes and recognises a different politicised relationship between victims as citizens, the state, and Catholic institutions where abuse has occurred. At the cutting edge of disciplinary and methodological understandings of the interconnections between the church, state and families, his book explores the dynamics of the emergence and politicisation of victims of CSA by clergy, their expressions of resistance and the legitimisation of their voice in public and political spheres.


In this paper, an optimal direct adaptive fuzzy controller is designed for a class of uncertain nonlinear continuous systems through the following three steps: first, some fuzzy sets whose membership functions cover the state space are defined; then, firefly algorithm is used as a novel nature inspired optimization approach to construct an initial adaptive fuzzy controller in which some parameters are free to change. In other words, the control knowledge (fuzzy IF-THEN rules) is incorporated into the fuzzy controller through the setting of its initial parameters and simultaneously determining a suitable adaptation parameter by using the FA; finally, an adaptive law is developed to adjust the free parameters based on a Lyapunov synthesis method. It is confirmed that i) the closed-loop system using this optimal adaptive fuzzy controller is globally stable in the sense that all signals involved are bounded and ii) the tracking error converges to zero asymptotically. Finally, the proposed control scheme applies to the two well-known examples in the nonlinear control problems. Moreover, the two different methods that are non-optimal Direct Adaptive Fuzzy (DAF) control, and DAF based on particle swarm optimization method are also implemented for comparison. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimal direct adaptive fuzzy control methodology.


Abstract : The notion of buggy procedures has played an important role in recent cognitive models of mathematical skills. The authors review some earlier work on student modeling, in which Artificial Intelligence methods have been used to automatically construct buggy models of student behavior. They then propose an alternate approach to student modeling that draws on insights from the rapidly developing field of machine learning, and describe ACN, a student modeling system that incorporates this approach. This system begins with a set of overly general rules, which it uses to search a problem space until it arrives at the same answer as the student. The ACM computer program then uses the solution path it has discovered to determine positive and negative instances of its initial rules, and employs a discrimination learning mechanism to place additional conditions on these rules. The revised rules will reproduce the solution path without search, and constitute a cognitive model of the student's behavior. The authors examine ACM's operation in the domain of multi-column subtraction problems, and propose some extensions that should be included in future versions of the system. Finally, they discuss the generality, psychological validity, and practical utility of this approach to student modeling. (Author)


A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Assessment Tool (CCASAT) for agriculture with integrated GIS capability was described. Historical climate data from 1889 to 2008 and 12 GCMs downscaling scenarios were integrated in the tool. Daily climate change data used were based on state-ofthe-art statistical downscaling methods which allow for the description of fine scale structures. Development of GIS functionality within CCASAT involves the selection of mapping projection, boundary allocation, interpolation and a graphical display of the spatial data. Several mapping projections and data interpolation were implemented in CCASAT. All interpolation methods were tested using cross validation and users can review these analyses and select the best interpolation method to plot their data. To demonstrate the GIS functionality in CCASAT, the impacts of climate change on wheat flowering in the NSW wheat belt was investigated as a case study. A non-intercepted spherical equation described well the relationship between the semi-variance in changes of annual long-term hot days (dh, Tmax ≥ 28C) and the lag-distance. Cross validations showed that ordinary Kriging methods were the best scheme for interpolation of this index. The results showed that the number of hot days in 2050 during the winter crop growing season (1 May-30 November) would increase by up to 28 days, while frost days (Tmin ≤ 2) would decrease by up to 29 days. Predicted changes in the winter-genotype wheat flowering dates ranged from 5 days later in the northwestern corner and 10 days earlier in south-eastern corner of the NSW wheat belt. Spring-genotype wheat flowering is projected to be earlier by up to 7 days. The delay in the winter-genotype wheat flowering date is due to the delay in the completion of vernalisation in the warmer conditions. The analysis showed that number of frost days at flowering are not projected to change dramatically in the future, however an increase in hot days during wheat flowering is projected to have serious implications. This case study demonstrates that selecting suitable genotype wheat is the key adaptation strategy for the impacts of climate change on wheat cropping. Spring wheat genotypes are likely to become predominate in future climate, while winter genotype will only be viable in areas where sufficient days of cool temperature exist for completion of vernalisation. Breeding strategies should focus on releasing early-sowing genotypes that do not require vernalisation.


Background Well established Lymphoedema service facing number of escalating issues: Increasing referrals Over budget Frustrated staff Lack of care pathways and long term management Lack of innovation Aim Reduce financial strain Provide clear care management strategy Introduce self-management strategies Ensure full access for individuals with Lymphoedema. Approach Used Poor team work - looked at strengths and the weaknesses of each team member as a team Cost reduction – compression garment formulary assessed on cost effectiveness, size of range, availability on FP10, education supplied by the company. Care pathways – patient journey plotted dependent on severity of condition. Discharge policy developed, packs sent to the GP and to patient. Long term self-management - six week education programme combined with fun exercise class (Le Bed), gives patients tools to manage own condition. Following discharge from Le Bed, Lymphoedema Information Fun Event (LIFE) established after feedback from patients - provides ongoing information about service development. Group used as patient reference and involvement group e.g. feedback on leaflets etc. Investment in new technologies (lymph assist machines, lasers, oscillator) - enhances treatments offered, produces quicker results. Kinesio tape introduced Children's Lymphoedema Service initiated Bra fitting service developed. Outcomes Greater sense of team - clear lines of reporting, goal setting and monitoring. Expansion of team with a clear mix of skills support worker undertaking more routine work, specialist nurses concentrate on more complex cases part time specialist appointed Lymphoedema physiotherapist (still to be appointed) training and development - manual lymphatic drainage, Le Bed instructor training, bra fitting, wound management, child protection training etc. Number of new patient referrals has increased year on year (see table) Negotiated and secured contracts with three additional CCG's 2008/2009 = £23k overspend, 2011/2012 break even (including reinvestment in new technologies and education) Number of intensive treatments increased from 27 in 2010/2011 to 119 in 2012/2013 Patients self-managing - the discharge pathway and Le Bed class – leading to greater self esteem Lymphoedema manager recognised as Lymphodema nurse of the Year 2013, British Journal of Nursing


Despite attractive theoretical guarantees and practical successes, Predictive Interval (PI) given by Conformal Prediction (CP) may not reflect the uncertainty of a given model. This limitation arises from CP methods using a constant correction for all test points, disregarding their individual uncertainties, to ensure coverage properties. To address this issue, we propose using a Quantile Regression Forest (QRF) to learn the distribution of nonconformity scores and utilizing the QRF's weights to assign more importance to samples with residuals similar to the test point. This approach results in PI lengths that are more aligned with the model's uncertainty. In addition, the weights learnt by the QRF provide a partition of the features space, allowing for more efficient computations and improved adaptiveness of the PI through groupwise conformalization. Our approach enjoys an assumption-free finite sample marginal and training-conditional coverage, and under suitable assumptions, it also ensures conditional coverage. Our methods work for any nonconformity score and are available as a Python package. We conduct experiments on simulated and real-world data that demonstrate significant improvements compared to existing methods.


A single watchful sleep mode (WSM) combines the features of both cyclic sleep mode (CSM) and cyclic doze mode (CDM) in a single process by periodically turning ON and OFF the optical receiver (RX) of the optical network terminal (ONT) in a symmetric manner. This results in almost the same energy savings for the ONTs as achieved by the CSM process while significantly reducing the upstream delays. However, in this study we argue that the periodic ON and OFF periods of the ONT RX is not an energy efficient approach, as it reduces the ONT Asleep (AS) state time. Instead, this study proposes an adaptive watchful sleep mode (AWSM) in which the RX ON time of ONT is minimized during ONT Watch state by choosing it according to the length of the traffic queue of the type 1 (T1) traffic class. The performance of AWSM is compared with standard WSM and CSM schemes. The investigation reveals that by minimizing the RX ON time, the AWSM scheme achieves up to 71% average energy saving per ONT at low traffic loads. The comparative study results show that the ONT energy savings achieved by AWSM are 9% higher than the symmetric WSM with almost the same delay and delay variance performance.