This paper examines Delaware's judicial treatment of deal protection measures, particularly termination fee provisions. The paper explores the tension between the economic function of these provisions in inducing bidders and potentially compensating them for opportunity and transaction costs in the event of deal termination vs. the ability of large termination fees to constrain and coerce shareholder choice by obligating the target to pay out the fee in the event of a shareholder no vote. In light of these issues, the paper explores the different standards of review that Delaware courts have and could potentially apply in ex post review of agreements containing termination fees. Ultimately, the paper argues that there are sufficient policy justifications to adopt more substantive review of these provisions. In light of several identifiable policy justifications, the paper suggests that a best interest standard that is used by bankruptcy courts in their more substantive review of termination fees in asset purchase agreements be adopted by the Delaware Courts analogously in the mergers and acquisitions context.


Sensing-through-wall will benefit various applica- tions such as emergence rescues and military operations. In order to add more signal processing functionality, it is vital to understand the characterization of sense-through-wall channel. In this paper, we propose a statistical channel model on a basis of real experimental data using UWB noise radar. We employ CLEAN algorithm to obtain the multipath channel impulse response (CIR) and observe that the channel amplitude at each path can be accurately characterized as T location-scale distribution. We also analyze that the multipath contributions arrive at the receiver are grouped into clusters. The time of arrival of clusters can be modeled as a Poisson arrival process, while within each cluster, subsequent multipath contributions or rays also arrive according to a Poisson process. However, these arrival rates are much smaller than those of indoor UWB channels.


The paper describes an amusement park activity that provided a unique opportunity to facilitate tertiary-level student's understanding of Physics. During the out-of-class session, the students were engaged in activities where they verified the validity of physics concepts learned inside the classroom. By experiencing physical phenomenon in a fun manner they developed a new experimental basis for determining whether an answer calculated in a classroom makes sense. An amusement park experience is an authentic real-life experiential learning tool that enhances students' understanding of the conceptual and contextual applications of the laws of Physics. Keywords: Amusement Park Physics, Constructivism, Experiential Learning, Physics Education Research, Scaffolding, University Students


Critics of contemporary culture have argued that critical theory must keep pace with technological change and, in the process, have instituted a theoretical model that restricts consideration of technology's impact on human experience to those dimensions that can be captured in language. In this wide-ranging critical study of poststructuralism's legacy to contemporary cultural studies, Mark Hansen challenges the hegemony of this model, contending that technologies fundamentally alter our sensory experience and drastically affect what it means to live as embodied human agents. Embodying Technesis examines how technological changes have rendered obsolete notions of technology as machine and as text. Voicing a sustained plea for rethinking the technological, Hansen argues that radical technological changes--from the steam engine to the internet and virtual reality--have fundamentally altered conditions of perception and, in so doing, changed the prevailing structures of modern experience. By emphasizing the dynamic interaction between technologies and bodies, between the diffuse effects of technological shifts and the collective embodied experiences of contemporary agents, Hansen opens the path for a radical revision of our understanding of the technological. Mark Hansen is Assistant Professor of English, Princeton University.


A 22-year old female with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) presented with generalized rash. She was diagnosed at the age of 9 years and is treated with insulin pump and CGMS (continues glucose monitoring sensors), her recent HbA1c was 7.4%. Four weeks prior to her rash presentation she started a low carbohydrate diet (50 gr of carbs per day) in order to improve her glycemic control. Pruritic erythematous papules, papulovesicular, and vesicles appeared on her axillary region, upper back and groins. Lesions were associated with severe pruritus and negatively affected her quality of life. Various therapies were initiated by dermatologist as: antifungal agent, Itraconazole, and Betamethasone Esters, without any improvement. Her serum beta-hydroxybutyrate levels were between 1.1-1.2 mmol/l. Prurigo pigmentosa, a rare pruritic inflammatory dermatosis secondary to her high ketones levels was diagnosed. Her condition resolved after she increased her carbohydrate intake to 75 gr per day. Beta-hydroxybutyrate level decreased concomitantly to 0.1-0.2 mmol/l. When carbohydrate restriction was rechallenged, she again entered ketosis, followed by recurrence of the pruritic lesions. Carbohydrate intake was increased and subsequently all lesions resolved with remaining reticular hyperpigmentation. During the last few years low carb diets have gained popularity among patients with T1DM. This case illustrates the rare side effect of high ketones body levels. Health care providers should be familiar with this side effect. Disclosure N. levran: None. K. Mazor-Aronovitch: None. S. Grenberger: None. N. Levek: None. B. Sher: None. E. Mauda: None. Z. Landau: None. E. Monsonego-Ornan: None. O. Pinhas-Hamiel: None.


Based on the analysis of literature and our own studies we propose hypothesis of the pathogenesis of acute appendicitis (AA), which differs from the following generally accepted provisions. Acute appendicitis develops as a result of immunological reaction and hyperplasia of the mucous membrane of the appendix. Frequency peaks related to age, sex, and seasonal changes of AA are due to increased excretion of sex hormones. Only a small percentage of cases of primary hyperplasia causes a complete occlusion of the lumen and destructive AA. Usually it is exposed to regression without causing the typical symptoms, but leaving the damaged nervous system and / or sclerotic changes that violate the peristalsis of the appendix. Faeces, lingering in appendix eventually harden, increasing in size and often get saturated with salts. In the next fit of hyperplasia, the walls are stretched over fecolithe, causing obstruction of the lumen, the formation of a closed cavity and the known mechanisms of inflammation. Inflammation leads to increased tone of the stomach and colon, but strong in the segments of intestine lay next to the A. This is accompanied by increased of the anal canal pressure. Increased tone of the digestive tract is a nonspecific response to acute inflammation. We can assume that the same reaction is observed at any localization of acute and chronic inflammation.


Ninety-three patients with malignant disease underwent or-thotopic liver transplantation between May 1968 and April 1987 in the Cambridge/King's College Hospital program. Of 50 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (19 with cirrhosis, 31 without cirrhosis, including 7 with fibrolamellar variant), 37 (74%) survived for more than 3 months, and in this group evidence of tumor recurrence was obtained in 24 (64.9%), the longest survivor being 11.8 years post-transplant, and three survived for more than 5 years. Although there is no correlation between the frequency of tumor recurrence and underlying cirrhosis, or histologie type (except fibrolamellar variant), it was observed earlier in those with moderate/poorly differentiated tumors and also when prcdnisolone and azathioprine was used for immunosupprcssion. Tumor recurred in all but two of those with peripheral or central cholangiocarcinoma (one alive at 6.1 years) with median survival times of 34 weeks and 56 weeks for the central and peripheral types, respectively. Among the unusual primary tumors, one with epithelioid haemangioendothelioma developed tumor recurrence at 2 years, one of two patients with apudoma is tumor-free at 2.2 years, and the one patient with bile-duct papillary cystadenocarcinoma is alive at 1.7 years. For the secondary hepatic malignancy group, survival times were shorter with little palliation except for two patients with carcinoid syndrome who were free of associated symptoms at 6 and 10 months. Despite the overall high frequency of tumor recurrence in most categories of hepatic malignancy, liver transplantation gave worthwhile survival with a number of patients cured and in the others considerable palliation of symptoms.


The large volumes of visual data in future multimedia databases are expected to be stored in the compressed form. The transform domain techniques are generally based on DFT (discrete Fourier transform), KLT (Karhunen-Loeve transform), DCT (discrete Cosine transform), and subbands/wavelets. We address the problem of moving object segmentation or scene change detection and also to evaluate approaches of change detection in compressed domain standards using DCT features. Our paper presents an approach to scene change detection using DCT coefficients. Furthermore, the DCT coefficients are used to detect only necessary regions of interest for subsequent image processing steps.


The main aim of the study was to determine the kinematic model for long jump and define the kinematic and dynamic parameters of an elite long jumper's technique. The theoretical model was based on real data where the jumper was defined with a joint mass point. In view of certain previous similar studies, our study identified kinematic and dynamic parameters directly without using the inverse mechanics method. The analysis was made on two jumps of the top level athlete G.C., who won the bronze medallion in long jump at the World Championships in Seville. The kinematic parameters of the take-off, flight and landing were measured with a 3-D video ARIEL system (Ariel Dynamics Inc., USA). The dynamic characteristics of take-off in the X, Y and Z axes were registered with a force-platform (KISTLER-9287), which was installed immediately prior the take-off board. The take-off efficiency was defined best by the following parameters: horizontal velocity, VXTO—8.10 m s ; vertical velocity, VYTO—3.90 m s ; angle of projection, PATO—24.1 ; duration of compression phase, TDMKF—84 ms, duration of lift phase, MKFTO—43 ms and maximal force in Y-vertical axis, FYMAX— 5132 N. An important factor of a rational technique of long jump is also the landing, which is defined by the landing distance and fall-back distance. The efficiency of the landing depended on the landing distance L3—0.63 m and fall-back distance LFB, which amounted to 0.15 m.


DNA fragments with the point amidophosphate (cyclohexylamido- or morpholido-) modification in the sugar-phosphate backbone were synthesized and separated into individual diastereoisomer. The isomers were separated by the reversed-phase HPLC (RPC), and chirality at phosphorus was assigned by a stereochemical correlation scheme using phosphorothioate standards. The RPC-retention time values for Rp-isomers were found to be lower than for Sp-analogues. Amidophosphate DNA fragments were used as P- and OH-components in the T4 DNA-ligation. The enzyme does not ligate amidated fragments with modified internucleotide linkage near 5'- or 3'-end, independently of the amidophosphate chirality. When an unmodified phosphodiester linkage separates the amidophosphate group from 3'-end in O-component, the ligation occurs only with Sp-isomer, whereas Rp-analogue does not give the ligation product. In the P-component of the ligation, configuration of the modified linkage separated from 5'-phosphate by an unmodified linkage does not affect the result of the enzymatic reaction: both Sp-and Rp-stereomers do take part in the ligation. As a result of the ligation of the modified fragments on unmodified templates a set of 31-mers was obtained. They contain FokI and EcoRI recognition sites with the cleavage points of both endonucleases coinciding and being amidated. Upon treatment of duplex DNA consisted of unmodified and amidated strands with these endonucleases Sp-configuration did not hinder the cleavage of the unmodified strand, whereas Rp-configuration inhibited the EcoRI and did not affect the FokI cleavage.


This panel is devoted to the issue of trust and children's data. Trust in the ethical treatment of children's data relies on a broad balance of trust in a complex network of actors and practices involved in data collection, analytics, sharing and use of children's data. More specifically, trust in how data is captured, who the data is captured by, what is done to the data and how outcomes generated out of the data are employed needs to be guaranteed. We discuss the predictive practices (algorithmic analysis) used to uncover behaviours, characteristics and relationships in order to anticipate outcomes, and nudge behaviours and attitudes or initiate interventions on behalf of children. The panel also investigates how children's databases have made their way onto the dark web, positing that trust in the security of databases held by commercial and state actors is at risk. We then consider the ethical tension between the use of micro-celebrity social media influencers to establish market trust in brands and products, and the use of these potentially vulnerable influencers to market to other potentially vulnerable consumers.
Paper one 'Entrusting predictions for children's futures' discusses the future implications of large-scale data collection and analytic activities enacted across the everyday that is evident in media, academic publications and government policy discussions. Digging deeper, this concern is centred largely on unease about how the data is captured, who the data is captured by, what is done to the data and how outcomes generated out of the data are employed. Lack of transparency or clarity around internal machinic calculation processes requires 'trust' in the veracity of outputs of these systems.
Children are increasingly being positioned as data sources, datafied and embedded in algorithmic ecosystems that employ a range of calculations to uncover patterns or anomalies, to highlight risk, and to predict future outcomes. These practices inform strategies, policies and planning and therefore can have material consequences that can be advantageous or disadvantageous for the child, the family and their future pathways. This presentation explores three examples of predictive practices in early childhood in the health, education and commercial sectors through an analysis of relevant academic, policy and commercial literature and discourse to highlight the raft of ways that the placing of trust in algorithmic processes needs to be carefully scaffolded and critiqued.
Paper two, 'When trust goes wrong: Children on the dark web' investigates what happens when trust goes wrong; when children's personal data is hacked and circulated on the dark web? Where once child abuse material (CAM) was the only type of children's data generally available for sale or circulation over the dark web, the growth of big data over the last decade, has seen children's databases sourced from medical records, school records and app databases now available on the dark web—including those associated with connected toys. The paper first discusses children's abuse material available on the dark web and then outlines the emerging availability of children's personally identifiable information.
The paper argues that, while parents are often held accountable for their children's digital profile and data safety, vast amounts of children's data is being legally collected by tech companies and state actors. Some of this data has found its way onto the dark web. So far, little concern has been voiced about who is responsible for the protection of children's data along children's data supply chains—as well as any future ramifications of children's data being sold and circulated on the dark web.
Paper three, 'Trusted babes of Instagram brand-land: Child as co-opted marketer and profitable brand extension on the internet', explores how marketers are using/exploiting consumers' inherent love, trust and interest in children, to generate 'brand trust', while at the same time wading into murky ethical territory, commoditising children's images and appeal to promote adult brands. A related phenomenon is the use of children as 'brand extension', where celebrity/microcelebrity influencer parents push their children as personal brand extensions, leveraging the cuteness and newsworthy impact of their own children to earn money and/or achieve fame (Archer, 2018). Far from being the 'everyday, ordinary Internet users' initially described in Abidin's early definition (2015b), some child social media stars are now being presented as beyond 'ordinary', with lavish lifestyles or unattainable attributes presented as aspirational for the consuming public.
The paper uses case studies three extreme case studies, to examine the extent to which mainstream commercial organizations/brands and parents are colluding to use still and video social media images of children (as brands in their own right) in attempt to gain consumer 'trust'. The impact of marketers and parents co-opting children to engender this consumer 'trust', and the ensuing issues relevant to the digital rights of the child and the larger issue of 'trust' in society is also discussed.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Trees interconnected through functional root grafts can exchange resources, but the effect of exchange on trees remains under debate. A mechanistic understanding of resources exchange via functional root grafts will help understand their ecological implications for tree water exchange for individual trees, groups of trees, and forest stands.

METHODS
To identify the main patterns qualitatively describing the movement of sap between grafted trees, we reviewed available literature on root grafting in woody plants that focus on tree allometry and resource translocation via root grafts. We then extended the BETTINA model, which simulates mangrove (Avicennia germinans) tree growth on the individual tree scale, in order to synthesize the available empirical information. Using allometric data from a field study in mangrove stands, we simulated potential water exchange and analyzed movement patterns between grafted trees.

KEY RESULTS
In the simulations, relative water exchange ranged between -9.17 and 20.3 %, and was driven by gradients of water potential, i.e. differences in tree size and water availability. Moreover, the exchange of water through root grafts alters the water balance of trees and their feedback with the soil: grafted trees that receive water from their neighbors reduce their water uptake.

CONCLUSIONS
Our individual-tree modelling study is a first theoretical attempt to quantify root graft-mediated water exchange between trees. Our findings indicate that functional root grafts represent a vector of hydraulic redistribution, helping to maintain the water balance of grafted trees. This non-invasive approach can serve as a fundament for designing empirical studies to better understand the role of grafted root interaction networks on a broader scale.


In this Article, I seek to investigate several questions relating to testacy and intestacy. First, who is intestate? Are there demographic characteristics that predict intestacy and is there a class divide among whom the law serves? (Statistical analyses of original empirical data are used to shed light on these issues.) Next, does intestacy matter - what are the consequences of intestacy? Finally, what does intestacy mean or signify? On a theoretical and abstract level, how can we characterize intestacy - how do we define it, and how does it define us? These questions, when carefully considered, lead to a theory: that there is a connection between hierarchical socio-demographic roles and the legal status of testacy or intestacy that parallels these roles. Specifically, I compare the dynamics created by testacy/intestacy and analogize to the roles created by men/women and whites/non-whites, and argue that the overlap between the individuals who fill each status role is not coincidental. Finally, I develop the theory that when hierarchical status is created by law, there may be a connection to social status in filling those roles. More explicitly, when we identify areas of the law that create the dominant/non-dominant dynamic we tend to see in race and sex relationships, we should scrutinize the law to determine whether it is a reflection of - or possibly a contributor to - the dynamics of race and sex.


Current human colorectal cancer (CRC) orthotopic xenograft models require surgery and do not readily progress to form tumors in liver, the most common site for metastasis. We developed cell and patient-derived xenograft models that use chemokine-targeting to recapitulate the vast majority of recurrent human somatic CRC mutations as primary gastrointestinal (GI) tumors in mice without requiring surgery. Importantly, we incorporate early-stage mouse blastocyst microinjection techniques to extend this approach and demonstrate that it can also model primary human CRCs in immunoproficient mouse hosts. Next, we show that primary GI tumors can inducibly metastasize to liver. Finally, we use this system to demonstrate that human CRC liver metastases in vivo are more chemoresistant than paired sub-cutaneous xenografts. Overall, we anticipate that this resource can help improve our mechanistic understanding of human primary CRC growth, progression to liver metastasis and potentially provide a more physiological model than sub-cutaneous xenograft for pre-clinical drug discovery. Citation Format: Huanhuan Joyce Chen, Jian Sun, Harry Hou, Winfried Edelmann, Xiling Shen, Steven M. Lipkin. Chemokine-targeted colorectal cancer: improved models of human primary tumor formation, liver metastasis and chemoresistance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3118. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3118


High-performance composite materials are becoming more and more important in the aeronautical and spatial industries. Therefore, today's sizing methods based on experiments, which are becoming prohibitively expensive in terms of both cost and time, must evolve. The thesis has its place in this context where the objective is to reproduce numerically and accurately the physics of the phenomena involved up to complete rupture of the specimen.
The most advanced research works on composites concern laminated composites made of unidirectional plies, which are also the most popular composites in the aerospace industry. Two approaches can be distinguished depending on the scale, micro or meso, of the analysis. The bridge between these two approaches recently led to the development of a micro/meso modeling scheme which meets the virtual testing challenge well and is now implemented – or in the process of being implemented – in industrial analysis codes. The modeling and analysis of woven composites up to rupture is much less advanced. Indeed, some mesomodels have been developed, but these are limited to the prediction of the initiation of a macrocrack and, therefore, are unable to predict final rupture. Of course, there have also been works on the microscale, but a true bridge between the microscale and the mesoscale is still lacking.
In order to develop a model as close as possible to the physics, it is necessary to observe, understand and describe each mechanism on the most appropriate scale. Then, using relevant homogenization procedures, the information which is available on the microscale must be transferred to a coarser scale, called the mesoscale, which is suitable for structural analysis. The cornerstone is the development of a complete bridge between the microscopic and mesoscopic viewpoints.


Strategy and function of a new developed FEM code COSMAP(COmputer Simulation of MAterial Process) for surface hardening during of thermo-mechanical processing, including heat treatment, carbonizing and nitriding, is briefly introduced in this paper. The simulation code is developed based on the metallo-thermo-mechanical theory considering the coupled equations of diffusion, heat conduction, inelastic stresses and kinetics of phase transformation. Some examples of simulation and the experimental verification for carbonized quenching, carbonizednitrided- quenching process of a cylinder and ring as well as a gear are illustrated, and comparison of the simulated values of distortion, residual stresses and profile of induced phases with the experimental data is made with some discussions.


The fatigue behavior of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) was investigated by means of a tension–compression-type fatigue apparatus. Complex elastic modulus and mechanical loss tangent were obtained continuously with time under the conditions of constant ambient temperature as a function of imposed strain amplitude. Brittle failure was observed under the conditions of low ambient temperatures and small strain amplitudes, or forced convection of air, whereas thermal failure was observed under the conditions of high ambient temperatures, or large strain amplitudes and natural convection of air. In the case of brittle failure, the dynamic storage modulus E′ exhibited a maximum and the loss tangent tanδ exhibited a minimum on approaching the point of failure. In the case of thermal failure, E′ decreased and tanδ increased monotonously until the onset of thermal failure. It was found that failure occurs when the effective energy loss reaches a certain magnitude depending on an ambient temperature. The fatigue criterion was represented schematically from a standpoint of self-heating. When the heat generation rate of the specimen under cyclic staining is larger than that of the heat transfer to the surroundings, thermal failure takes place. In this case, the specimen temperature increases up to a limiting constant temperature corresponding to the α-absorption temperature. When the heat generation rate is nearly equal to that of the heat transfer to the surroundings, the specimen temperature does not change appreciably and brittle failure takes place.


Staining techniques have immeasurably aided diagnosis of hydatid disease on several instances. The use of staining techniques for their ability to aid in the morphological diagnosis of hydatid elements, especially at rare and uncommon sites, is discussed.


The present work aims to investigate the perception of the consumers of Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) about the attributes of craft beers in the local market. This research has an exploratory nature and an applied and qualitative approach. Regarding the data collection, a semi-structured questionnaire was used in a sample of the population. In the results we identified the perception about the importance and the strategic differential of each attribute of the beers listed. We also evaluated the quality of the Lager, Ale and Weiss varieties, as well as the analysis of the most consumed beers.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the safety and efficacy of the 308-nm excimer laser in pigment correction of hypopigmented scars and striae alba.

DESIGN
Institutional review board-approved randomized controlled trial.

SETTING
Private research center.

PATIENTS
Volunteer sample of 31 adult subjects with hypopigmented scars or striae alba distributed on the face, torso, or extremities.

INTERVENTIONS
Lesions were randomized to receive treatment or not, with site-matched normal control areas. Treatments were initiated with a minimal erythema dose minus 50 mJ/cm(2) to affected areas. Subsequent treatments were performed biweekly until 50% to 75% pigment correction, then every 2 weeks thereafter until a maximum of 10 treatments, 75% increase in colorimetric measurements, or 100% visual pigment correction.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Pigment correction by visual and colorimetric assessments compared with untreated control lesions and site-matched normal skin before each treatment and at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-month follow-up intervals. Occurrence of erythema, blistering, dyspigmentation, or other adverse effects was monitored.

RESULTS
The percentage pigment correction by both assessments increased in direct proportion to the number of treatments. The mean percentage pigment correction by visual assessment relative to control of 61% (95% confidence interval [CI], 55%-67%) for scars and 68% (95% CI, 62%-74%) for striae was achieved after 9 treatments. The mean percentage pigmentation by colorimetric measurements relative to control of 101% (95% CI, 99%-103%) for scars and 102% (95% CI, 99%-104%) for striae was achieved after 9 treatments. Both sets of values gradually declined toward baseline levels during the 6-month follow-up. No blistering or dyspigmentation occurred.

CONCLUSIONS
Therapy with the 308-nm excimer laser is safe and effective in pigment correction of hypopigmented scars and striae alba. Mean final pigment correction rates relative to control sites of approximately 60% to 70% by visual assessment and 100% by colorimetric analysis were observed after 9 treatments administered biweekly. Maintenance treatment every 1 to 4 months is required to sustain the cosmetic benefit.


As a case-control study of etiology, the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project also provides an opportunity to assess the risk factors for severe pneumonia in hospitalized children at 7 sites. We identified relevant risk factors by literature review and iterative expert consultation. Decisions for inclusion in PERCH were based on comparability to published data, analytic plans, data collection costs and logistic feasibility, including interviewer time and subject fatigue. We aimed to standardize questions at all sites, but significant variation in the economic, cultural, and geographic characteristics of sites made it difficult to obtain this objective. Despite these challenges, the depth of the evaluation of multiple risk factors across the breadth of the PERCH sites should furnish new and valuable information about the major risk factors for childhood severe and very severe pneumonia, including risk factors for pneumonia caused by specific etiologies, in developing countries.


The purpose of this work was to develop a digital device - referred as BabyCare System - for the collection, storage, and decision support for healthcare professionals and other concerned people, in order to assist patients in primary child care in deprived communities. This system is based on handheld device technologies to be used locally in basic healthcare units in deprived communities, whether assisted or not by the Family Health Program/Strategy (PSF), as well as in ambulatory facilities and hospitals. Java was used as programming language. Evaluations have been conducted regarding 62 users at Sao Paulo city including volunteers from the Pastoral da Crianca, an ecumenical institution for children. The applied questionnaires resulted in a high level of general acceptance (98.3%); the on-site training was considered as appropriate (91.9%); a perception of routine improvement and decrease in the time of consultation (100.0%), and a decrease in the volume of paperwork (96.7%). The prototype has proven to be robust and effective for the use in deprived communities with precarious computer and telecommunication infrastructure.


A study confirmed the existence of an immune reactive digitalis-like substance in normotensive and hypertensive people between the ages of 15 years and 64 years. In 13.6% of the population examined, values higher than 0.15 ng/ml of digitalis-like substances were obtained. The possible presence of this substance in a large proportion of patients should be borne in mind when interpreting digitalis measurements.


Drawing on previously unexamined diaries and letters, The Other Half marvelously re-creates the moving story of Jacob Riis, the legendary Progressive reformer and muckraking photographer. Born in 1849 in rural Denmark, Riis immigrated to America in 1870 following a devastating romantic breakup. Penniless and starving, Riis stumbled into journalism, eventually becoming a charismatic police reporter for the New York Tribune, where he befriended Theodore Roosevelt and witnessed firsthand the appalling tenement conditions of late nineteenth-century New York. His resulting expose, How the Other Half Lives, was the first major American muckraking book. It brought Americans in touch with their lost humanity, establishing a precedent for Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Jane Addams, and Upton Sinclair. Described by Roosevelt as "the ideal American," Riis died in 1914, mourned by millions, a celebrated hero. Tom Buk-Swienty's long-awaited biography, a superb evocation of the muckraking era, is a compelling work, designed with 55 haunting images from Riis's own photographic oeuvre.


FMR1 enhances translation of large neural/oocyte proteins Mutations in the highly conserved Fragile X mental retardation gene (Fmr1) cause the most common inherited human intellectual disability/autism spectrum disorder. Fmr1 is also needed for ovarian follicle development, and lesions are the largest genetic cause of premature ovarian failure (POF). FMR1 associates with ribosomes and is thought to repress translation, but identifying functional targets has been difficult. We analyzed FMR1's role in quiescent Drosophila oocytes stored prior to ovulation, cells that depend entirely on translation of stored mRNA. Ribosome profiling revealed that in quiescent oocytes FMR1 stimulates the translation of large proteins, including at least twelve proteins whose human homologs are associated with dominant intellectual disability disorders, and 25 others associated with neural dysfunction. Knockdown of Fmr1 in unstored oocytes did not affect embryo development, but more than 50% of embryos derived from stored oocytes lacking FMR1 developed severe neural defects. Fmr1's previously unappreciated role promoting the translation of large proteins from stored mRNAs in oocytes and neurons may underlie POF as well as multiple aspects of neural dysfunction.


The present study deals with an optimal inspection policy for a scale where the inspection for a scale is conducted when the elapsed time since the previous inspection or adjustment reaches T (> 0) for the purpose of detecting its uncalibrated or inaccurate state and where its uncalibrated state can also be detected empirically or accidentally. The design variable under such a policy is T (> 0). The expected cost per unit of time is formulated as an objective function to be minimized. The conditions under which an optimal inspection scheduled time T exists are then clarified. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical underpinnings of the proposed formulation. The proposed model is also compared with the conventional one to show that the proposed model can reduce the cost.


To enhance transport efficiency and service quality, a lot of countries are actively promoting Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) on public transportation today. The transport efficiency and service quality that people concern mostly are less waiting time and the reliability of the system. Dynamic bus information system is one kind of more efficiency transportation service of intelligent transportation system. Therefore the valuation of dynamic bus information system on public transportation becomes an important issue. This study builds a theoretical framework to create a survey and perform a practical investigation among users of the dynamic bus information system of Taiwan. It is an interesting finding that the dissatisfied problem tends to be a not familiar phenomenon for user.


Abstract : The United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) is charged with finding, engaging, and ultimately enlisting young Americans for service as Soldiers in the U.S. Army. USAREC must decide how to allocate monthly enlistment goals, by aptitude and education level, across its 38 subordinate recruiting battalions in order to maximize the number of enlistment contracts produced each year. In our research, we model the production of enlistment contracts as a function of recruiting supply and demand factors which vary over the recruiting battalion areas of responsibility. Using county-level data for the period of recruiting year RY2010 through RY2013 mapped to recruiting battalion areas, we find that a set of five variables along with categorical indicators for battalions and quarters of the fiscal year accounts for 70, 74, and 81 of the variation in contract production for high-aptitude high school seniors, high-aptitude high school graduates and all others, respectively. We find indications that high-aptitude seniors and graduates should be modeled as separate entities, contrary to current procedure. Finally, our models perform consistently well against a validation dataset from RY2014, and we ultimately achieve 530, 119, and 170 relative increases in respective correlation coefficients over previous comparable literature.


The aim of the study was to explore how far the perceptions of care of nurses in Finland take into account the preferences of the older patient and the patient's family members and to evaluate related background factors. The data were collected by questionnaire with nurses (n=167) working in a geriatric hospital. The questionnaire contained items about shared decision-making, attitudes to nursing patients, assessment of patients' functional ability and need for care, goal-setting, evaluation of outcomes and discharge planning. This study showed that taking into account the preferences of the patient and the patient's family members regarding the patient's care was challenging for the nurses in practice. About one-third of the nurses reported making the decisions on a patient's care themselves and not respecting patient autonomy in situations where patients are not able to assess their own situation. In addition, the nurses reported asking for the views of patients less frequently than those of family members when assessing and setting patient care goals. In practice, nurses need to be aware of this, during the transition from routine-centred care to patient-centred care.


Data of 363 patients operated on for perforated gastric or duodenal ulcers were analyzed. Immediate and follow-up results were obtained after simple suture plication, Jadd's ulcer excision combined with stem vagotomy and after distal gastric resection. Predictors of the unfavourable outcome were determined. These are: Mannheim peritonitis index >20, surgical risk of IV-V grade, signs of multiple organ failure and symptomatic character of the ulcer. The comparison of long-term results revealed that patients after suture plication experienced the ulcer recurrence in 78,4% and necessity of further operation occurred in 21,5%. Every third patient after stem vagotomy experienced postvagotomic disorders and ulcer recurrence. Primary gastric resection demonstrated the best long-term results concerning ulcer disease. The algorithm of treatment modalities of the perforative ulcer desease was worked. The algorithm is based on stage-by stage determination of indications and contraindications to gastric resection.


Plasmin-alpha2-antiplasmin complex (PAP) is an index of recent fibrinolytic activity. We examined PAP levels in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to determine whether these levels are correlated with clinical characteristics associated with stroke risk. We obtained blood for measurement of PAP in a non-random sample of 586 patients with AF on entering the Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation III Study. PAP levels were measured with an ELISA assay. PAP values were transformed with a natural logarithm (PAPln) prior to all analyses. Older age, female gender, recent congestive heart failure, decreasing fractional shortening, recent onset of AF, and coronary artery disease were each univariately associated with higher levels of PAP (all p<0.05, two-sample t-test, simple linear regression). Older age, recent congestive heart failure, decreasing fractional shortening, and recent onset of AF were independently associated with higher PAP levels by multivariate analysis (linear regression). Among patients receiving warfarin, PAP levels were not correlated with INR levels (linear regression, p=0.60). Patients classified as high-risk for thromboembolism by our risk stratification criteria (systolic blood pressure > 160 mm Hg, prior thromboembolism, recent congestive heart failure, poor left ventricular function, and women over age 75) had higher PAP levels than low-risk patients (antilog mean PAPln 5.6 vs 4.9. p<0.001, two-sample t-test). PAP levels in patients with AF are associated with clinical characteristics predictive of thromboembolism. Elevated PAP levels are particularly associated with poor left ventricular function and are not affected by anticoagulation. PAP levels may be a marker of stroke risk in patients with AF.


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and insulin signaling in the adipose tissue are critical determinants of aging and age-associated diseases. It is not clear, however, if they represent independent factors or they are mechanistically linked. We investigated the effects of ROS on insulin signaling using as model system the p66Shc-null mice. p66Shc is a redox enzyme that generates mitochondrial ROS and promotes aging in mammals. We report that insulin activates the redox enzyme activity of p66Shc specifically in adipocytes and that p66Shc-generated ROS regulate insulin signaling through multiple mechanisms, including AKT phosphorylation, Foxo localization, and regulation of selected insulin target genes. Deletion of p66Shc resulted in increased mitochondrial uncoupling and reduced triglyceride accumulation in adipocytes and in vivo increased metabolic rate and decreased fat mass and resistance to diet-induced obesity. In addition, p66Shc-/- mice showed impaired thermo-insulation. These findings demonstrate that p66Shc-generated ROS regulate the effect of insulin on the energetic metabolism in mice and suggest that intracellular oxidative stress might accelerate aging by favoring fat deposition and fat-related disorders.


Section 35 of the Property Law Act allows the Supreme Court of British Columbia to remove or modify certain kinds of registered charges from the title to land on various grounds, including obsolescence. This report examines section 35 and its judicial interpretation in depth. It considers whether the section should be expanded to cover a broader category of regulatory land use restrictions. It also considers whether there is a need for additional grounds in section 35 for cancellation or modification of charges, or reformulation of the existing grounds. The report concludes that expansion of section 35 to cover a wider range of regulatory restrictions or additional grounds is not warranted. It does recommend, however, that section 35 be amended to apply to unregistered interests in the categories it currently covers as well as registered ones.


Purpose: This study was performed to analyze the levels of blood pressure and to identify good or poor blood pressure control (BPC) groups among hypertension patients. The study was based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI and VII) conducted from 2013 to 2016. Methods: The sociodemographic and clinical data of 4,151 Korean hypertension patients aged 20-79 years and who were taking antihypertensive medications was extracted from the KNHANES VI and VII database. Descriptive statistics for complex samples and a decision-tree analysis were performed using the SPSS WIN 24.0 program. Results: The mean age was 62.46±0.21 years. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 128.07±0.28mmHg, and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 76.99±0.21mmHg. 71.9% of participants showed normal blood pressure (SBP <140mmHg and DBP <90mmHg). From the decision-trees analysis, the characteristics of participants related to good BPC group were presented with 9 different pathways same as those from the poor BPC group. Good or poor BPC groups were classified according to the patients' characteristics such as age, living status, occupation, education, hypertension diagnosis period, numbers of comorbidity, perceived health status, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, alcohol drinking per month, and depressive mood. Total cholesterol level (<201mg/dL or ≥201mg/dL cutoff point) was the most significant predictor of the participants' BPC group. Conclusion: This decision-tree model with the 18 different pathways can form a basis for the screening of hypertension patients with good or poor BPC in either clinical or community settings.


A model glass is studied by classical molecular dynamics and the Voronoï cells are determined at various times and temperatures. All their characteristics of physical interest are studied as a function of temperature. In particular, as temperature increases in the glass phase, the fraction of 4- and 6-edged faces (encircling disclination defect lines) increases at the cost of 5-edged faces. At the glass transition this trend is reversed and a majority of pentagons is recovered in the liquid phase. These results shed new light on the evolution of the local structure through the glass transition.


This paper presents the development of a conductive composite film and the measurement of electromagnetic (EM) shielding effectiveness (SE) of the prepared film. A coaxial transmission-line technique based on ASTM D4935-99 Standard was used to measure the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. A nickel nanofluid with an average particle size of 50 nm was prepared with a self-developed nanofluid synthesis system. By using a polymer blending method, carbon fiber and carbon fiber/nickel nanoparticles were blended with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to prepare conductive composite films of 0.25 mm thick. Experimental results have shown that the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness value of the prepared conductive composite material can reach 26 dB within the range of 50 MHz ~ 1.5GHz.


We investigate a possibility to generate nonclassical states in light-matter coupled noisy quantum systems, namely, the anisotropic Rabi and Dicke models. In these hybrid quantum systems, a competing influence of coherent internal dynamics and environment-induced dissipation drives the system into nonequilibrium steady states (NESSs). Explicitly, for the anisotropic Rabi model, the steady state is given by an incoherent mixture of two states of opposite parities, but as each parity state displays light-matter entanglement, we also find that the full state is entangled. Furthermore, as a natural extension of the anisotropic Rabi model to an infinite spin subsystem, we next explored the NESS of the anisotropic Dicke model. The NESS of this linearized Dicke model is also an inseparable state of light and matter. With an aim to enrich the dynamics beyond the sustainable entanglement found for the NESS of these hybrid quantum systems, we also propose to combine an all-optical feedback strategy for quantum state protection and for establishing quantum control in these systems. Our present work further elucidates the relevance of such hybrid open quantum systems for potential applications in quantum architectures.


The purpose of this paper is to propose some test statistics for testing the skewness parameter of a distribution, not limited to a normal distribution. Since a theoretical comparison is not possible, a simulation study has been conducted to compare the performance of the test statistics. We have compared both parametric methods (classical method with normality assumption) and non-parametric methods (bootstrap in Bias Corrected Standard Method, Efron's Percentile Method, Hall's Percentile Method and Bias Corrected Percentile Method). Our simulation results indicate that the power of the tests differ significantly across sample sizes, the choice of alternative hypotheses and methods one choose. When the data are generated from a normal distribution, both classical method and Efron's Percentile Method can attain a nominal size of 0.05, while other bootstrap methods cannot. However, for a skewed distribution, bootstrap methods show higher power with larger sample sizes whereas the classical method only performs well when the sample size is small.


The low superovulatory response and poor recovery rate of oocytes are major impediments to the application of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer technology in buffaloes. The present study aimed to evaluate the comparative efficacy of oocyte collection methods, season (low and peak breeding season), and ovarian status (presence or absence of corpus luteum) on the recovery rate and quality of recovered buffalo follicular oocytes. For this purpose riverine buffalo ovaries were collected from buffaloes slaughtered at Faisalabad Municipal Corporation Slaughter House. To study the efficiency of 3 different recovery methods the ovaries were dissected (n = 291), punctured (n = 301), or aspirated (n = 298). In all, 675 oocytes were recovered by dissection, 441 by puncture, and 363 by aspiration. The results of the present study revealed that a significantly higher (P < 0.05) oocyte recovery rate was obtained from the ovaries collected during the peak-breeding season and from those in which the corpus luteum was absent. Of the 3 oocyte recovery methods used, dissection yielded the highest percentage (36.74%) of type I oocytes, followed by puncture (32.87%), and aspiration (19.83%).


The hydrocarbon processing industry is in the midst of a major shift in feedstocks, structure, and products. Aggressive carbon abatement targets and intrinsic efficiency advantages from electric vehicles strongly undercut the advantages of fossil fuels, which are the majority product of this industry. However, the immense value of the existing hydrocarbon infrastructure suggests that fossil feedstocks, processing, and products will be the dominant form for quite some time. Existing fossil-based plants with compatible equipment (e.g., hydrocrackers) will begin the externality-induced transition over to bioand e-refinery formats to leverage this valuable existing infrastructure and logistical connections. Advanced separations play a role in this transition in several ways. First, advanced separations can partner with existing separation units (e.g., distillation) to extend the time in which fossil-based processing remains competitive under modern externalities (e.g., CO2). Moreover, energyand capital-efficient separation technologies can mitigate the decrease in returns of energy invested in fossil-based refining, due to greenhouse gas emission mandates. While bioand e-refineries are often thought of as a greenfield for advanced separations technologies (thus bypassing the problem of working, amortized capital in existing plants), in fact, the adaptation of existing fossil-based refineries to renewable feedstocks suggests that the "hybrid" separation system paradigm is likely to be the standard for years to come. Nevertheless, these "green refineries" introduce many new separations challenges that are likely to be poorly addressed by conventional technologies. Finally, decades-old regulatory definitions of fuels will continue to promote distillation-centric refinery designs – flexibility in not only these regulations, but also in end use will pave the way for low energy, low carbon separation techniques. In this talk, comments on the future of the refining industry and the role of separations systems in the future will be discussed, in addition to specific research challenges facing membrane and adsorption technologies. Bio Ryan P. Lively received a B.S. and Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology working with Prof. William J. Koros. This was followed by a post-doctoral research position at Algenol Biofuels under the guidance of Dr. Ronald R. Chance. He joined the faculty of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. His current research seeks to advance fluid separation processes critical to the global energy infrastructure.


In determining whether legislation permitting search and seizure properly meets the requirements of section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the courts have been obliged to balance the right of the individual to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure with the right of the state to ensure compliance with the law. In Hunter v. Southam, the Supreme Court of Canada established the minimum criteria of reasonable search and seizure for the purposes of section 8. The liberal approach adopted by the Supreme Court raises an important question : Should the same criteria apply to administrative statutes empowering bodies to conduct inquiries and inspections ? The author compares section 8 of the Charter with the American 4th Amendment, examining the requirement for search warrants in the light of Canadian cases. He then examines and discusses the case law concerning the applicability of section 8 to statutory provisions relating to the production of documents and the standard of reasonableness that should apply to these situations.


Rationale: This report describes interdisciplinary rehabilitation for a 51-year-old male recovering from incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple comorbidities following an automobile accident. Patient concerns: The patient was admitted to a rehabilitation specialty hospital approximately 2 months post SCI and 2 separate surgical fusion procedures (C3–C6). Diagnoses: Clinical presentation at the rehabilitation hospital included moderate to severe motor strength loss in both upper and lower extremities, a percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy tube (PEG), dysphagia, bowel/bladder incontinence, dependence on a mechanical lift and tilting wheelchair due to severe orthostatic hypotension, and pre-existing shoulder pain from bilateral joint degeneration. Interventions: The interdisciplinary team formally coordinated rehabilitative care from multiple disciplines. Internal medicine managed medications, determined PEG removal, monitored co-morbid conditions, and overall progress. Chiropractic care focused on alleviating shoulder and thoracic pain and improving spinal and extremity mobility. Physical therapy addressed upright tolerance, transfer, gait, and strength training. Occupational therapy focused on hand coordination and feeding/dressing activities. Psychology assisted with coping strategies. Nursing ensured medication adherence, nutrient intake, wound prevention, and incontinence management, whereas physiatry addressed abnormal muscle tone. Outcomes: Eleven months post-admission the patient's progress allowed discharge to a long-term care facility. At this time he was without dysphagia or need for a PEG. Orthostatic hypotension and bilateral shoulder pain symptoms were also resolved while bowel/bladder incontinence and upper and lower extremity motor strength loss remained. He was largely independent in transferring from bed to wheelchair and in upper body dressing. Lower body dressing/bathing required maximal assistance. Gait with a 2-wheeled walker was possible up to 150 feet with verbal cues and occasional stabilizing assistance. Lessons: Several specialties functioning within an interdisciplinary team fulfilled complementary roles to support rehabilitation for a patient with SCI.


Dynamic framed-slotted ALOHA (DFSA) is one of the most popular algorithms to resolve tag collision in RFID systems. In DFSA, it is widely known that the optimal performance is achieved when the frame size is equal to the number of tags. So, a reader dynamically adjusts the next frame size according to the current number of tags. Thus it is important to estimate the number of tags accurately. In this paper, we propose a novel tag estimation method for DFSA. We compare the performance of the proposed method with those of other existing methods. And, simulation results show that our scheme improves the accuracy of tag estimation and the speed of tag identification.


Abstract We use data from well-resolved direct numerical simulations at Taylor-scale Reynolds numbers from 140 to 1000 to study the statistics of energy dissipation rate and enstrophy density (i.e. the square of local vorticity). Despite substantial variability in each of these variables, their extreme events not only scale in a similar manner but also progressively tend to occur spatially together as the Reynolds number increases. Though they possess non-Gaussian tails of enormous amplitudes, ratios of some characteristic properties can be closely linked to those of isotropic Gaussian random fields. We present results also on statistics of the pressure Laplacian and conditional mean pressure given both dissipation and enstrophy. At low Reynolds number intense negative pressure fluctuations are preferentially associated with rotation-dominated regions but at high Reynolds number both high dissipation and high enstrophy have similar effects.


Plastids represent a diverse group of organelles that perform essential metabolic and signaling functions within all plant cells. The differentiation of specific plastid types relies on the import of selective sets of proteins from among the approximately 2500 nucleus-encoded plastid proteins. The Toc159 family of GTPases mediates the initial targeting of proteins to plastids. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the Toc159 family consists of four genes: atTOC159, atTOC132, atTOC120, and atTOC90. In vivo analysis of atToc159 function indicates that it is required specifically for the import of proteins necessary for chloroplast biogenesis. In this report, we demonstrate that atToc120 and atToc132 represent a structurally and functionally unique subclass of protein import receptors. Unlike atToc159, mutants lacking both atToc120 and atToc132 are inviable. Furthermore, atToc120 and atToc132 exhibit preprotein binding properties that are distinct from atToc159. These data indicate that the different members of the Toc159 family represent distinct pathways for protein targeting to plastids and are consistent with the hypothesis that separate pathways have evolved to ensure balanced import of essential proteins during plastid development.


61 year old man, presented with 2 weeks of watery diarrhoea, up to 20 times/day associated with 10 kg weight loss and decreased urine output. He denied travel history and antibiotic used prior to admission. His past medical history included hypertension and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, taking Pantoprazole 40 mg daily, Olmesartan 40 mg/Amlodipine 10 mg/Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg daily, and Atenolol 50 mg daily. On admission, urea was 32.5 mmol/L, Cr 699 umol/L secondary to severe dehydration, responded well to intravenous fluid therapy, and normalised Cr within 5 days, but ongoing diarrhoea. All antihypertensive medications were ceased on admission and recommenced 3 days after.


This paper deals with the formulation of a micro-mechanically based dam-age model for soft collagenous tissues. The model is motivated by (i) a sliding filament model proposed in the literature [1] and (ii) by experimental observations from electron microscopy (EM) images of human abdominal aorta specimens, see [2]. Specifically, we derive a continuum damage model that takes into account statistically distributed pro- teoglycan (PG) bridges. The damage model is embedded into the constitutive framework proposed by Balzani et al. [3] and adjusted to cyclic uniaxial tension tests of a hu- man carotid artery. Furthermore, the resulting damage distribution of the model after a circumferential overstretch of a simplified
arterial section is analyzed in a finite element calculation.


3D through silicon via (TSV) and vertical stacking technologies have become key enablers in the move towards high density, high functionality 3D integrated circuits. The need to address strain, warpage, delamination, etc. in Systems on Chip or Systems in Package (SoC/SiP) is recognised in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (IRTS 2009). This paper describes the implementation of a novel technique called 3-dimensional surface mapping (3DSM) for the non-destructive measurement of in situ strain and wafer die warpage in thin, chip embedded Quad Flat Nonlead (QFN) packages. X-Ray Diffraction Imaging (XRDI) is used, in conjunction with 3DSM, to obtain high resolution (∼3 µm) strain/warpage maps and qualitative information on the nature and extent of the strain fields in completely packaged chips. QFN packages were examined after 3 different stages of the manufacturing process: chip attach, via electroplating, and post-production as a means of demonstrating the potential for this technique to provide quick feedback towards process improvement and thus reduce major sources of die warpage.


Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) diagnosis, performed by a physician at the patient bedside, is routinely used in emergency medicine and critical care. Although training in ultrasonography has become part of the medical school curriculum, POCUS can be challenging for medical students. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a one-day POCUS course in a group of final-year medical students by pre-course and post-course assessment of both diagnostic ability and changes in student confidence levels in making a diagnosis. Material/Methods A prospective study recruited 57 final-year medical students who participated in a one-day POCUS course. Improvement in making decisions and levels of confidence were evaluated before and two weeks after the course, using image-based testing and a self- evaluation questionnaire. Results All 57 final-year medical students attended the course and completed the tests and surveys. The pre-training and post-training test scores of medical students improved from 41.78±12% to 58±13%. Student confidence scores in the post-training assessment significantly increased. The post-training confidence scores were significantly increased compared with the pre-training scores regardless of whether or not the questions were answered correctly (p<0.001). The Dunning-Kruger effect, or cognitive bias, might partially explain this phenomenon. Conclusions One day of POCUS training integrated into anesthesia curriculum for final-year medical students improved performance in the post-training test scores and improved their confidence scores. Further studies are needed to evaluate this effect and to develop adequate tools to assess medical students.


In this paper we present a graph clustering software called DPClus, which we have developed based on a clustering algorithm. The algorithm tends to isolate densely connected regions of a graph as clusters. Users have freedom to choose two input parameters within reasonable range and thus to affect the outcome of the clustering up to certain extent. Though this software can be used for graph clustering in general but it mainly focuses on detection of protein complexes in interaction networks. The proposed software makes it possible to detect and visualize clusters of proteins in interaction networks which mostly represent molecular biological functional units. We believe that the present software can be applied not only to other biological networks but also to networks in many other applications where finding cohesive group is an agenda.


Cloud computing is a new concept which combines different technologies like: service oriented architecture, distributed computing, virtualization... It represents a model used to deliver IT capabilities. In cloud computing, everything is provided as a service. We distinguish three main services: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The management of cloud computing resources in IaaS level is a very difficult task to achieve for the service provider. For example, in a simple cloud computing system which is composed of one data center, we easily find thousands of physical resources that are virtualized in millions of virtual resources. So, the manager needs an automatic solution to supervise the whole system in order to avoid or to minimize the human intervention or implication. Consequently, we propose in this paper a solution to this problem based on Agent technology which can offer an automatic management of the cloud system by doing a quick adaptation once a new situation appears. This work is in fact composed of two parts: the description of the agent system and the implementation.


This classroom action research examines the implementation of jigsaw methods in improving students' understanding of multicultural concepts in social science subjects. Carried out in three cycles of action, this study involved 46 fourth-grade students. The data collected through observation, documentation, and interviews were descriptively analyzed. The results show that jigsaw methods improved the students' understanding of multicultural concepts in social science.


This paper describes an algorithm for the automated design of whole machine learning workflows, including preprocessing of the data and automatic creation of several types of ensembles. The algorithm is based on strongly typed genetic programming which ensures the validity of the workflows. The evolution of the individuals in the population is asynchronous in order to improve the utilization of computational resources. The approach is validated on four data sets from the UCI machine learning repository.


Glutamatergic synaptic currents elicited in second-order neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (nTS) by activation of chemosensory and other visceral afferent fibers are severely reduced following 10 days of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). The mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. A strong candidate for producing the inhibition is dopamine, which is also released from the presynaptic terminals and which we have shown exerts a tonic presynaptic inhibition on glutamate release. We postulated that tonic activation of the D2 receptors inhibits presynaptic calcium currents to reduce transmitter release and that in CIH this occurs in conjunction with an increase in the dopamine inhibitory response due to the increase in presynaptic D2 receptors or an increase in dopamine release further suppressing the evoked excitatory postsynaptic current (eEPSC). Thus we predicted that blockade of the D2 receptors would return the EPSC to values of animals maintained under normoxic conditions. We found that dopamine and quinpirole, the selective D2-like agonist, inhibit calcium currents via the D2 receptors by acting on the N-type calcium channel in presynaptic neurons and their nTS central terminals. However, in brain slice studies from CIH animals, although the D2 antagonist sulpiride increased the CIH-reduced amplitude of synaptic currents, EPSCs were not restored to normal levels. This indicates that while the dopamine inhibitory effect remains intact in CIH, most of the reduction in the eEPSC amplitude occurs via alternative mechanisms.


Adult female rats with neonatally damaged posterior hypothalamus, made by a transversal cut, were investigated. Plasma levels of prolactin (PRL), gonadotropic hormones (GTH) and female gonadal steroids (GS) were determined by radioimmunoassay. The animals were sacrificed, at the ages of 4 and 6 months and their hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovary and uterus were examined using light microscopy. The results can be summarized as follows: body mass of animals, with damaged posterior hypothalamus, was significantly reduced. Masses of luteinized ovaries were increased and uterine tissues decreased. Serum levels of PRL were significantly increased and luteinizing hormone (LH) decreased. Ultrastructural changes in the corpora lutea (CL), previously described, showed clear signs of their reduced capacities to produce GS, both estradiol (Oe) and progesterone (Pg) per total ovarian mass. However, prostaglandin 2 alfa (PGF2alpha) known as a luteolytic factor, was also diminished in the evidently retarded endometrium. As a result of decreased plasma values of LH, Pg and PGF2 alpha, luteolysis of CL in hyperluteinized ovaries did not occur, and their new generations were accumulated during subsequent cycles. The character of interruption and recovery of aminergic and peptidergic neurons, involved in regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis and feed-back effects of steroid hormones, require further studies.


Describes some of the current research into infrared spectroscopic gas detection, outlining the need to produce a low cost device, whilst fulfilling the required properties of high reliability, selectivity and sensitivity. Describes and compares the photoacoustic and photothermal methods of gas detection and states that both methods outperform surface sensitive devices with respect to reliability. Concludes that the variety of options—a choice of acoustic decoupling methods and a choice of an optical filter of every wavelength required to suit the gas—offers a wide field of application including process control, atmospheric control, environmental monitoring and heat, ventilation and air conditioning.


Training a SVM corresponds to solving a linearly constrained quadratic problem (QP) in a number of variables equal to the number of data points, this optimization problem becoming challenging when the number of data points exceeds few thousands. Because the computational complexity of the existing algorithms is extremely large in case of few thousands support vectors and therefore the SVM QP-problem becomes intractable, several decomposition algorithms that do not make assumptions on the expected number of support vectors have been proposed instead. In this paper we propose a heuristic learning algorithm of gradient type for learning a SVM using linear separable data, and analyze its performance in terms of accuracy and efficiency. In order to evaluate the efficiency of our learning method, several tests were performed against the Platt's SMO method, and the conclusions are formulated in the final section of the paper.


Author(s): Tan, Lee Ngee | Advisor(s): Alwan, Abeer | Abstract: This dissertation focuses on algorithms for robust speech and bird song processing. Many applications perform well under ideal signal conditions, e.g. noise-free, full bandwidth, sufficient training data. However, a large degradation in performance is generally observed when the input signal condition deviates from these ideal conditions. This dissertation describes robust algorithms for three applications, namely human-pitch detection, automatic speech recognition, and birdsong phrase classification. In the first application, a noise-robust, multi-band summary correlogram (MBSC)-based pitch detector is proposed. Novel signal processing schemes, which include comb-filter channel selection and subband reliability weighting, are designed to enhance the MBSC's peak at the most likely pitch period.In the second application, a feature enhancement scheme using jointly-sparse reference and estimated soft-mask representations, is developed for noise-robust automatic speech recognition (ASR). Reference and estimated soft-mask exemplar-pairs are extracted from clean and noisy utterance-pairs in the training data. Using a sparsity-based dictionary learning algorithm, dictionary representations are trained from the exemplar-pairs. The sparse linear combination of estimated soft-mask dictionary representations that best approximates the test utterance's estimated soft-mask is applied to the reference soft-mask dictionary to produce an enhanced soft-mask. This enhanced soft-mask is then used to perform noise suppression on the spectrogram from which features for ASR are extracted.In the third application, a simple exemplar-based sparse representation (SR) classifier is evaluated on limited data for birdsong phrase classification and verification. Song recordings of the Cassin's Vireo are used for performance evaluation. This study of the SR classifier for bird phrase classification is inspired by a paper that proposed the SR classifier for face recognition and outlier face detection, and reported good performance with only 7 training images per subject. Algorithmic enhancements are subsequently added to the original SR classification framework to improve the classification accuracy of automatically detected and segmented phrases, and phrases sang by bird individuals that are not found in the training set. These algorithmic enhancements include dynamic time warping (DTW) and frame-based feature normalization prior to SR classification. When the class decisions from DTW and first pass SR classification are different, SR classification is repeated with frequency-bin-normalized spectrographic features to resolve the two conflicting decisions.


Background Critical Care Response Teams (CCRTs) are multidisciplinary teams of critical care clinicians with expertise in providing speedy clinical review and intervention to deteriorating patients. In 2006, Critical Care Services Ontario introduced a CCRT program in 31 Ontario acute care hospitals (27 adult, 4 pediatric) to improve quality of care for patients. Objectives To assess the impact of intensivist-led CCRTs on adult patient outcomes in 27 sites after eight years of implementation. Methods The study used a mixed method design, using CCRT data from the provincial Critical Care Information System, hospital-reported data on cardiac arrest and mortality rates, and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative findings are presented here. Longitudinal data analysis was conducted using data from 2007–2015. Trend tests assessed the significance of the implementation time across the study period. Linear regressions modeled the relationship between the two outcome variables (non-ICU cardiac arrest and hospital mortality), and CCRT implementation time, adjusting for age, gender, and type of site (teaching or community). Results Cardiac arrest rates decreased over time from 1.9 in FY2007/08 to 1.5 per 1000 admissions in FY2014/15 and the trend test was significant (ßtime=−0.11 [−0.19, −0.03]). Hospital mortality rates also decreased over time (39.8 per 1000 admissions in FY 2007/08 to 37.7 in FY 2014/15), the trend test was significant only for teaching sites (ßtime=−0.22 [−0.29, −0.14]). Conclusions Our results show that intensivist led-CCRTs improve patient outcomes and have strengthened critical care services system. Based on these positive findings, nurse-led model for CCRTs is currently being piloted in community hospitals.


Confidence estimation for Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) is instrumental in improving the reliability in the behavior of downstream applications. In this work we propose (1) a novel confidence metric for SER based on the relationship between emotion primitives: arousal, valence, and dominance (AVD) and emotion categories (ECs), (2) EmoConfidNet - a DNN trained alongside the EC recognizer to predict the proposed confidence metric, and (3) a data filtering technique used to enhance the training of EmoConfidNet and the EC recognizer. For each training sample, we calculate distances from corresponding AVD annotation vectors to centroids of each EC in the AVD space, and define EC confidences as functions of the evaluated distances. EmoConfidNet is trained to predict confidence from the same acoustic representations used to train the EC recognizer. EmoConfidNet outperforms state-of-the-art confidence estimation methods on the MSP-Podcast and IEMOCAP datasets. For a fixed EC recognizer, after we reject the same number of low confidence predictions using EmoConfidNet, we achieve a higher F1 and unweighted average recall (UAR) than when rejecting using other methods.


Therapeutic injection of facet joints is now widely practised, but British experience has been infrequently reported. We studied the results of injecting facet joints with a corticosteroid preparation in 50 patients suffering from the "facet syndrome". Our series included a number of extra-articular injections and these "failed injections" provide a useful control group. Results indicate that only intra-articular injections are effective; certainty of joint penetration can be ensured only by the routine use of joint arthrography.


The NF-κB pathway is a central signaling pathway for inflammatory and immune responses, and aberrant NF-κB signaling is implicated multiple disorders, such as cancer and autoimmune, chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases. NF-κB is regulated by various post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation and multiple ubiquitinations. We determined that LUBAC (linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex), composed of SHARPIN, HOIL-IL and HOIP, generates a novel type of Met1-linked linear polyubiquitin chain and specifically regulates the canonical NF-κB pathway via the linear ubiquitination of NEMO and RIP1. In the absence of LUBAC components, NF-κB signaling was attenuated and induced apoptosis and inflammation. Many studies on the pathophysiological functions of LUBAC, such as in B cell development, innate immune response, carcinogenesis, and osteogenesis, have been performed recently. This review summarizes these new findings on LUBAC- and linear ubiquitination-mediated NF-κB regulation and their implications in disorders.


Many cognitive functions, including working memory, are processed within large-scale brain networks. We targeted the right frontoparietal network (FPN) with one session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in an attempt to modulate the cognitive speed of a visual working memory task (WMT) in 27 young healthy subjects using a double-blind crossover design. We further explored the neural underpinnings of induced changes by performing resting-state fMRI prior to and immediately after each stimulation session with the main focus on the interaction between a task-positive FPN and a task-negative default mode network (DMN). Twenty minutes of 2 mA anodal tDCS was superior to sham stimulation in terms of cognitive speed manipulation of a subtask with processing of objects and tools in unconventional views (i.e., the higher cognitive load subtask of the offline WMT). This result was linked to the magnitude of resting-state functional connectivity decreases between the stimulated FPN seed and DMN seeds. We provide the first evidence for the action reappraisal mechanism of object and tool processing. Modulation of cognitive speed of the task by tDCS was reflected by FPN-DMN cross-talk changes.


There is increasing evidence for the presence of multiple red giant branches (RGBs) in the color–magnitude diagrams of massive globular clusters (GCs). In order to investigate the origin of this split on the RGB, we have performed new narrow-band Ca photometry and low-resolution spectroscopy for M22, NGC 1851, and NGC 288. We find significant differences (more than 4σ) in calcium abundance from the spectroscopic HK′ index for M22 and NGC 1851. We also find more than 8σ differences in CN-band strength between the Ca-strong and Ca-weak subpopulations for these GCs. For NGC 288, however, a large difference is detected only in the CN strength. The calcium abundances of RGB stars in this GC are identical to within the errors. This is consistent with the conclusion from our new Ca photometry where the RGB splits are confirmed in M22 and NGC 1851, but not in NGC 288. We also find interesting differences in the CN–CH correlations among these GCs. While CN and CH are anti-correlated in NGC 288, they show a positive correlation in M22. NGC 1851, however, shows no difference in CH between the two groups of stars with different CN strengths. We suggest that all of these systematic differences would be best explained by how strongly Type II supernovae enrichment has contributed to the chemical evolution of these GCs.


This article looks at the way nature appears in Alastor, Childe Harold and Endymion. We have tried to look for both the similarities and the differences that exist in these poems in relation to nature. First, we have dealt with Shelley's poem, in which we have noticed the poet's love for nature and its contemplation. Then we analyse Byron's feelings about nature in Childe Harold, and we have a close look at the development in the way nature is treated through the different cantos. We also pay special attention to some of the characteristics Alastor and Childe Harold have in common, such as a kind of pantheistic feeling for nature that goes back to Spinoza and Plato. Finally, we study how nature is seen through Keat's imagination in Endymion.


This paper presents a case study of a major food service company within Australia that found itself faced with the above circumstances. A best practice program was developed to address the problem of increasing consumer complaints regarding beef meals. An audit of their wholesale suppliers demonstrated that, despite the provision of product specifications, 41.5% of all the beef audited did not adhere to the product specifications. The Company identified that collaboration with their suppliers was a key initiative to meet their consumers' requirements. Collaboration occurred through the development of Quality Partnerships with strategic alliance partners resulting in committed suppliers providing guaranteed quality product. The Quality Partnerships were instrumental in reducing customer complaints by 96% and improving customer satisfaction by 34% for the beef meals served by the Food Service Company. This case study contains an overview of the problem and outlines the wholesale beef audit and the consequential Quality Partnerships developed, before providing a discussion of the results. Finally, important implications from this case study have been identified and provide a checklist for other food service companies wishing to adopt Quality Partnerships with their suppliers.


In December 2006, Felipe Calderon took over as Mexico's new president and made a bold decision to directly confront the drug trafficking organizations that had steadily gained power over the course of his predecessors' terms in office. He started by sending troops into his home state of Michoacan, and over the next six years Mexico's government succeeded in pushing drug-ferrying planes off its airstrips and into airfields in Guatemala and Honduras. Over the course of "Calderon's War" Mexican soldiers captured and killed dozens of high profile cartel leaders. But after more than half a decade of continuous anti-cartel operations, many of the traditional strongholds of the country's drug trafficking organizations have experienced a worrisome deterioration in security. For instance, in the state of Guerrero, as cartel leaders such as the Beltran Leyva brothers and La Barbie were taken down, a destabilizing sequence of inter-cartel competition has led to a string of disturbing violent incidents as well as complaints about robbery and extortion. Over the course of Calderon's presidency it became clear that without complementary improvements in local policing efforts, the anti-cartel strategy would not be able to bring Mexico the long-term security and stability that citizens demand. Fighting the drug cartels is not enough. Effective security policy requires the police to help protect ordinary citizens from "unorganized" crimes such as theft, carjacking, and extortion. ********** In September 2006, barely a month after Felipe Calderon was elected as Mexico's president, narco thugs in Michoacan dumped five severed heads onto a dance floor in Uruapan, one of the state's main cities. By that point in the year, cartel gunmen had killed more than 400 people in Michoacan, including nearly two dozen senior police officers. Along with the severed heads, the gangsters in Michoacan left threatening notes. "See. Hear. Shut Up. If you want to stay alive," said one. (1) In spite of the gruesome nature of some of the cartel killings, in 2006 Mexico was still a relatively safe place. Overall, during Calderon's term in office, the number of homicides recorded by Mexico's National Statistics Institute (INEGI) nearly tripled from 10,452 in 2006 to 27,213 in 2011. (2) In an article published in July 2012, security analyst, Eduardo Guerrero, said, "today it's not possible to argue that the violence from organized crime is confined to just a few corners of the country." (3) Calderon, a technocrat from the right-of-center National Action Party, might have had good intentions, but he picked the wrong strategy. At the start of his term, he pulled an olive drab military style jacket over his pressed, light-blue oxford shirt and squeezed a brand new dark green army cap over his head. (4) The brim of the hat partially covered his delicate, frameless glasses. Flanked by a military official in standard-issue attire, he pushed forward with Operation Michoacan Together and sent 4,000 troops to patrol the hills of his home state. The soldiers went out into the streets and, over the next few years, crime rates across Mexico soared. Four years after implementing the strategy, Calderon acknowledged that, up until that point in his term, "2010 was the year with the most violent deaths in the country." (5) As Calderon's soldiers started capturing and killing cartel bosses, Mexico's criminal groups started battling among and between each other for control of the drug trade and local rackets. This period of upheaval has corresponded with a rise in ordinary street crime in many towns and cities. It is impossible to deny that he inherited an extraordinarily challenging security dynamic. Nevertheless, in hindsight, one thing has become clear: Calderon took the wrong approach to the war on drugs. From the day the first bullet was fired all the way until the day the flag was passed to the next administration, Calderon's War failed to address the direct needs of Mexico's population. …


Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains difficult to diagnose at an early stage. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B10 (AKR1B10) is an oxidoreductase that is upregulated in some chronic liver diseases. The aim of this study was to use immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of AKR1B10 in liver tissue from patients with HCC of different stages. Material/Methods Forty-four patients with a tissue diagnosis of HCC (35 males and 9 females) with 37 control samples of liver tissue containing liver cirrhosis were studied using immunohistochemistry for the expression of AKR1B10. Histological examination determined the grade of HCC; the stage of HCC was determined according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were measured and compared between the patients with HCC. Results Immunohistochemistry showed increased expression of AKR1B10 in moderately-differentiated HCC compared with well-differentiated HCC, poorly-differentiated HCC, and liver cirrhosis (P<0.05). Sensitivity and specificity of AKR1B10 expression in HCC were high at a cutoff integral optical density (IOD) value of 89.5. A significant increase in AKR1B10 expression was found in early-stage HCC (P<0.05). Serum AFP levels were increased in patients with poorly-differentiated HCC, were increased in intermediate-stage HCC, and were significantly increased in advanced-stage HCC (P<0.05). Conclusions Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of AKR1B10 was increased in tumor tissue from patients with early-stage HCC. Further studies are needed to determine the role of AKR1B10 in the early detection of HCC.


Accident is undesired to anyone. But the research shows that the main cause of accident is unsafe behavior. The interaction mechanism of accident system was analyzed in the process of gas explosion through typical accidents and the conclusion was that the accident was occurred because unsafe behavior induced the dangerous factor in work environment. In order to further acquaint of it, the situation cognition of workers in the coal mine production process was analyzed with the research of aviation. The cognition of safe information in work process was affected by workload, goal, work habituation and others. As workload increased, goal strengthened, the attention apperceived safe information is weaken and the major change of safe information wasn't apperceived immediately in work environment, and the accident was happened in conditions of unsafe behavior. Finally, the accident model based on situation cognition was posed and some measures were proposed.


1. Samples and extracts from synovial effusions were examined for the presence of fluorescent degradation products of free-radical oxidation (peroxidation). 2. Two classes of fluorescent compounds were identified and their fluorescence and physical properties are described. The fluorescence in the aqueous methanol phase of the extracts had the characteristics of conjugated Schiff bases. 3. Changes in synovial fluid and synovial fluid extracts in vitro induced by u.v. irradiation, prolonged incubation and the enzymic generation of oxidizing free radicals, with or without admixed peroxidizing arachidonic acid, and in the absence and presence of antioxidants, suggest that the fluorescent material is derived from peroxidized polyunsaturated lipids in damaged synovial tissue.


We have developed an undersampling technique that can extract individual in- and quadrature-phase baseband signals from a quadrature-modulated RF carrier. The proposed technique enables vector information to be maintained by satisfying certain phase and frequency relationships between the RF carrier and the sampling clock despite the use of an undersampling technique. Moreover, it can extend the bandwidth of the RF front end because it requires neither 90-degree hybrids nor phase shifters but can utilize the down-conversion effect caused by undersampling. It is also suitable for the fabrication of LSIs in digital radio receivers because the analog parts for separating the in- and quadrature-phase components are eliminated. To determine the effectiveness of the proposed technique, we fabricated direct conversion digital radio receivers for QPSK and 16-QAM with FPGA devices. The measured bit-error-rate of the receivers showed that the performance was almost as strong as the theoretical performance of conventional quadtarure modulations. This demonstrates that the direct conversion digital receiver using RF direct quadrature undersampling is as practical as conventional analog receivers.


This article considers a canned food scheduling problem where jobs are grouped into several batches. Jobs can be sent to the next operation only when all the jobs in the same batch have finished their processing, i.e. jobs in a batch, have a common due date. This batch due date problem is quite common in canned food factories, but there is no efficient heuristic to solve the problem. The problem can be formulated as an identical parallel machine problem with batch due date to minimize the total tardiness. Since the problem is NP hard, two heuristics are proposed to find the near-optimal solution. Computational results comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of the two proposed heuristics with an existing heuristic are reported and discussed.


Based on the strain energy function proposed by GAO Y C and the theory of finite deformation dynamics, the question about the cavity dynamic formation and bifurcation of the incompressible homogeneous solid sphere under a suddenly applied uniform tensile dead-load was studied. The condition under which a dynamic bifurcated solution exists was examined. The relationship between the dead-load and the cavity radius, the critical load, the stress distributions after the cavity formation, the vibration phase diagram of the cavity radius and the approximate vibration period were also determined.


Acrolein, an unsaturated aldehyde found in both indoor and outdoor air, is considered one of the greatest noncancer health risks of all organic air pollutants. Current methods for determining acrolein often employ sorbent-filled cartridges containing a carbonyl derivatizing agent (e.g., dinitrophenylhydrazine). These methods are of limited use for unsaturated compounds due to the formation of unstable derivatives, coelution of similar compounds, long sample collection times, and ozone interferences that result in poor sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility. The goal of this research was to develop an analytical method for determining ppt concentrations of acrolein and other carbonyls in air with short sampling times (10 min). The method uses a mist chamber to collect carbonyls by forming water-soluble carbonyl-bisulfite adducts. The carbonyls are then liberated from the bisulfite, derivatized, and quantified by gas chromatography/electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry. The method was applied to determine atmospheric acrolein concentrations at three sites in northern California reflecting hemispheric background concentrations, biogenic-dominated regions, and urban environments. The resulting acrolein concentrations were 0.056, 0.089, and 0.29 microg/m3, respectively, which are all above the EPA Reference Concentration of 0.02 microg/m3. The minimum detection limit of 0.012 microg/m3 is below that of other published methods. Methacrolein, methyl vinyl ketone, crotonaldehyde, glyoxal, methyl glyoxal, and benzaldehyde were also quantified.


Paul Sigmund, who has studied Chile for more than a decade, and lived and taught there, offers an exhaustive, balanced analysis of the overthrow of Salvador Allende, and why it occurred. Sigmund examines the Allende government, the Frei government that preceeded it, the coup that ended it, and the Pinochet government that succeeded it. He also views the roles of various Chilean political and interest groups, the CIA, and U.S. corporations.


Financing Agreement (Additional Financing for the Taiz Municipal Development and Flood Protection Project) between the Republic of Yemen and the International Development Association (with schedules, appendix and International Development Association General Conditions for Credits and Grants, dated 1 July 2005, as amended through 15 October 2006). Washington, 25 February 2008


Understanding the dynamics and kinematics of fault-propagation-folding is important for evaluating the associated hydrocarbon play, for accomplishing reliable section balancing (structural reconstruction), and for assessing seismic hazards. Accordingly, the deformation style of fault-propagation-folding has already been the topic of a large number of empirical studies as well as physical and computational model experiments. However, with the newly developed Stress-based Discrete Element Method (SDEM), we have, for the first time, explored computationally the link between self-emerging fault patterns and variations in Mohr-Coulomb parameters including internal friction. Using SDEM modelling, we have mapped the propagation of the tip-line of the fault, as well as the evolution of the fold geometry across sedimentary layers of contrasting rheological parameters, as a function of the increased offset on the master fault. The SDEM modelling enables us to evaluate quantitatively the rate of strain . A high strain rate and a step gradient indicate the presence of an active fault, whereas a low strain-rate and low gradient indicates no or very low deformation intensity. The strain-rate evolution thus gives a precise indication of when faults develop and hence also the sequential evolution of secondary faults. Here we focus on the generation of a fault -propagated fold with a reverse sense of motion at the master fault, and varying only the dip of the master fault and the mechanical behaviour of the deformed layers overlying the master fault. The results show that the Mohr-Coulomb parameters of the succession overlying the master fault control the overall deformation of the succession, and that the geometry of the faults, and the frequency of secondary structures, depend on the internal friction of the layers and the dip of the masterfault. The modelled results are furthermore related to observations on seismics.


Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) induced by chewing of the areca nut has been considered to be a precancerous lesion with a high probability of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma. Tanshinone (TSN) is the main component extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza, a traditional Chinese medicine, which was found to have diverse pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory and antitumor. In the current study, we aimed to identify the inhibitory effects and the underlying mechanism of TSN on OSF progress. We found that treatment with TSN inhibited the arecoline-mediated proliferation of primary human oral mucosal fibroblasts and reversed the promotive effects of arecoline on the EMT process. By RNA deep sequencing, we screened two possible targets for TSN: LSD1 and p53. We confirmed that p53 is much lower in OSF than in normal mucous tissues. In addition, p53 and its downstream molecules were decreased by arecoline treatment in oral mucosal fibroblasts, which was reversed by treatment with TSN in a dose-dependent manner. Our results also revealed that arecoline stimulation resulted in hypermethylation of the promoter of TP53 and subsequent downregulation of p53 levels, which was reversed by TSN. Furthermore, we identified that LSD1 could epigenetically activate TP53 by recruiting H3K27me1 and H3K4m2 to its promoter. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanism by which TSN influences arecoline-induced OSF and rationale for the development of clinical intervention strategies for OSF and even oral squamous cell carcinoma.