This article proposes a new formulation to derive the invariant unscented Kalman filter (IUKF) algorithm for attitude estimation problem, where both state and sigma-point are considered as a transformation group parametrization of the filter. The detailed IUKF equations are presented in this article. The filter equations relie on the same ideas as the usual Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF), but it uses a geometrically adapted correction term based on an invariant output error. The specific interest of the proposed formulation is that only the invariant state estimation errors between the predicted state and each sigma point must be known to determine the predicted outputs errors. As we have already computed the set of invariant state errors during the prediction step, the computation cost to find the covariance matrix of the invariant state estimation in the update step is greatly reduced.


Academic freedom - fine sounding words that call to one's mind the freedoms Americans enjoy - freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to practice religion, and freedom to gather with others. But what is academic freedom? Is it the freedom to say what one wants in the classroom? Is it the freedom to refuse to sign a loyalty oath? Is it the freedom to assign grades to students? Is it the freedom to choose the play or the books students will read in one's class?


Many visual depictions of probability distributions, such as error bars, are difficult for users to accurately interpret. We present and study an alternative representation, Hypothetical Outcome Plots (HOPs), that animates a finite set of individual draws. In contrast to the statistical background required to interpret many static representations of distributions, HOPs require relatively little background knowledge to interpret. Instead, HOPs enables viewers to infer properties of the distribution using mental processes like counting and integration. We conducted an experiment comparing HOPs to error bars and violin plots. With HOPs, people made much more accurate judgments about plots of two and three quantities. Accuracy was similar with all three representations for most questions about distributions of a single quantity.


This study reviews the literature on the premenstrual syndrome specifically prevalence, definitional issues, etiological assumptions, and methodological issues. The conclusion is reached that the area requires the input of further well-controlled research.
 The technique of self-report is also reviewed with particular emphasis on applications, methodological advantages and limitations. The particular relevance of self-report to the study of the premenstrual syndrome is addressed as is the validity of self-report in the area.
 The first aim was to collect sufficient daily mood data from target subjects to determine correlations with their menstrual cycle. Secondly, data was collected from significant other observers and cyclicity was measured. Lastly, the relationship between target-rated and observer-rated mood was analysed for commonly occurring cyclicity. The statistical technique involved was Spectral Analysis.
 Thirteen subjects and observers were involved and results showed clear evidence of PMS in three subjects confirmed by observer recordings. Lack of coherence in cyclicity between target mood and observer rated mood was shown. It was concluded that 1) some of these women may not have been suffering from PMS and that 2) lack of coherence between target and observer on mood ratings was due to the 'private' nature of mood or to poor observation.


While the mediational theories of Don Ihde and Peter-Paul Verbeek have helped to uncover the role that technologies play in ethical life, the role that technologies play in political life has received far less attention. In order to fill in this gap, I turn to the mediational theory of Hegel, as Hegel shows how the mediated nature of experience is vital to understanding the development of both ethical and political life. Through examples found in the military, in particular concerning the relationship between explosive ordnance detonation (EOD) soldiers and robots, I illustrate how Hegel's analysis of the "struggle for recognition" can be used to understand human-technology relations from a political perspective. This political perspective can consequently help us to appreciate how technologies come to have a role in political life through our ability to experience solidarity with technology, a solidarity that is experienced by users due to the recognition of technologies as serving roles in society that I describe as functionally equivalent to the social roles of the user. The realization of this functional equivalence allows users to learn how they are perceived and respected by society through the experience of how functionally equivalent technologies are perceived and respected. Consequently, I conclude by focusing on the Dallas Police Department having turned an EOD robot from a life-saving to a life-taking device in order to show why Hegel is necessary for helping us to understand the political significance of recognizing and of misrecognizing technologies.


ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the effects on audit quality and audit fees of requiring the engagement partner to sign the audit report in the United Kingdom (U.K.). The effect of requiring the engagement partner to sign the audit report is timely since the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) is considering mandating a similar requirement in the United States (U.S.). In the first year after the introduction of the signature requirement, we find a significant decline in abnormal accruals and the propensity to meet an earnings threshold, and we find a significant increase in the incidence of qualified audit reports and in earnings informativeness. In addition, audit fees are significantly higher in the post-signature period than in the pre-signature period. Moreover, we compare U.K. firms with a matched sample of U.S. firms and firms in other European countries in periods both before and after the U.K. adopted a signature requirement. Our results are generally consistent with the argument o...


This article presents and discusses a network model to describe and predict the behaviour and performance of catalyst particles. The differences and advantages of this approach when compared to the continuous models currently used in practice are highlighted and critically assessed. The local structure of the catalyst particle is modelled using a three dimensional network model made up of cylindrical pores and nodes of negligible volume. In the pores a homogenous first-order reaction takes place, coupled with the diffusion. For steady state conditions the concentration field can be obtained solving a sparse linear system of equations, obtained by solving the mass balance equations written for the network nodes and using the concentration profile in the network pores. The influence of the boundary conditions and the network sizes was investigated, showing the results in particular that the nature of the boundary conditions can have a profound impact in the predictions of the model.


Purpose Migraine is one of the most common primary headache disorders and is burdensome to both the individual and society, influencing the academic performance and quality of daily lives of medical students worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the migraine prevalence in a sample of university medical students in China and to examine the features and typical trigger factors of migraine among these students. Patients and methods From May 2016 to August 2016, a total of 1,060 medical students who were enrolled in Soochow University in Jiangsu Province in China were chosen through stratified random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire that included the ID Migraine™ for screening of migraine cases was used to collect data. The frequency, severity, duration of migraine attacks, and relevant trigger factors were measured for migraine cases. In total, 986 students completed the questionnaire. Results The overall migraine prevalence among students was 7.91%, with 4.64% in male and 9.84% in female students. Junior-grade students had a higher migraine prevalence than senior students (prevalence of migraine of year 1 to year 5 undergraduates: 10.83%, 8.9% vs. 6.25%, 4.42%, 5.33%, P<0.05; prevalence of migraine of year 1 to year 3 graduates: 9.68%, 9.71% vs. 6.38%, P<0.05). Students with a positive family history were more likely to suffer migraine than those without (OR=8.48, 95% CI: 4.33–16.59). Stress (n=73, 93.59%), lack of sleep (n=72, 92.31%), and change of sleeping time (n=68, 87.18%) were the top three trigger factors among the students. Conclusion Migraine was common among medical students from a university in China, and especially higher in female and junior-grade students, and those with a family history of migraine. Reducing stress and improving sleep quality might be effective to reduce migraine attacks in this population.


Summary.  In infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)–positive mothers, failure after passive–active immunization still occurs. The role of maternal hepatitis B DNA level and other risk factors in this setting remains unclear. This study retrospectively evaluated virologic and other risk factors associated with immunoprophylaxis failure in infants born to HBsAg‐positive mothers. Between January 2007 and March 2010, we reviewed the clinical and virologic tests in 869 mother–infant pairs. All infants received the identical passive–active immunization schedule after birth. The failure infants (HBsAg positive at 7–12 months of age) were compared to infants who were HBsAg negative when tested during this time period. Among 869 infants, 27 (3.1%) infants were immunoprophylaxis failures and the other 842 (96.9%) infants remained HBsAg negative. When mothers' pre‐delivery HBV DNA levels were stratified to <6, 6–6.99, 7–7.99 and ≥8 log10 copies/mL, the corresponding rates of immunoprophylaxis failure were 0%, 3.2% (3/95), 6.7% (19/282) and 7.6% (5/66), respectively (P < 0.001 for the trend). All failure infants were born to hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)–positive mothers. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified maternal HBV DNA levels [odds ratio (OR) = 1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–3.30] and detectable HBV DNA in the cord blood (OR = 39.67, 95% CI: 14.22–110.64) as independent risk factors for immunoprophylaxis failure. All failure infants were born to HBeAg‐positive mothers with HBV DNA levels ≥6 log10 copies/mL. The presence of HBV DNA in cord blood predicted failure to passive–active immunization.


Drilling during Leg 160 penetrated an Early-Late Cretaceous and early Oligocene succession of carbonates in Hole 967E, beneath the lower northern slope of Eratosthenes Seamount. Middle Eocene pelagic carbonates were also recovered in Hole 966F, beneath the plateau area of the seamount. The base of the succession at Site 967 comprises shallow-water limestones, including coral and calcareous red algae, and occasional large foraminifers, that are interpreted as accumulations in a lagoonal setting within a carbonate platform. Neritic sedimentation ended in the upper Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) and was followed by an Upper Cretaceous pelagic carbonate succession that spans the interval from upper Cenomanian to Maastrichtian. Upper Cretaceous pelagic carbonates are locally organic rich and contain common replacement chert. In Hole 967E, Maastrichtian pelagic carbonates are unconformably overlain by lithologically similar chalks of early Oligocene age, with evidence of extensive reworking of older taxa. Minor tectonic instability is indicated by the presence of syndepositional neptunian dikes and fissures. In Hole 966F, middle Eocene pelagic chalks include reworked biota, chert, and organic-rich layers. The Eratosthenes Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene bathyal carbonates accumulated on a relatively level, submerged platform, isolated from terrigenous or gravity input. The transition from a shallow, carbonate platform to a bathyal setting (Turonian or earlier), took place before submergence of carbonate platforms in the Levant (in the Coniacian). Upper Cretaceous deposition on Eratosthenes is interpreted to have taken place seawards of a zone of high biogenic productivity that affected the Levant continental margin. Eratosthenes was also located well south of the zone of ophiolite genesis and tectonic displacement in the Upper Cretaceous. Overall, the Cretaceous and Paleogene carbonates of Eratosthenes are consistent with accumulation on an initially shallow, then submerged, carbonate platform isolated within a southern branch of the Neotethyan ocean, adjacent to the North African continental margin.


The microstructure and precipitates of the V-N microalloyed steels whose carbon content were respectively 0.27% and 0.35%, were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). It is shown that the microstructures of the test steels are all composed of ferrite and pearlite, the area percent of ferrite decreases from 49% to 40% and the grain size also descends from 8.96μm to 8.61μm with the increase of carbon content. TEM results show that the precipitates in two kinds of steels all include a large amount of 10~20nm dispersion distribution irregular flake VC, the part of fibrous VC that grows toward to intragranular ferrite along the grain boundary in the local area, and only a small amount of spherical VN or V (C, N). When the carbon content increases from 0.27% to 0.35%, the number of the spherical VN or V(C,N) increases obviously and the size of it varies from 20~100nm to 45~105nm, while the number of flake VC and fibrous VC decreases significantly and the length of fibrous VC shortens from several micrometers to nanometer size. Experimental results indicate that most of the spherical VN or V (C, N) firstly appear in austenite, then the flake VN and fibrous VN with precipitation strength effect emerge in ferrite during the following γ→α transformation and cooling process. The increase of carbon content can lead to the increase of driving force that VN or V (C, N) firstly appear in austenite, which results in the significant increase of ferrite nucleation rate and the refinement of microstructure.


1. The effects of stimulation of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN) on the activity of neurosecretory neurones in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of rats, anaesthetized with urethane and alpha‐chloralose, were investigated by extracellular and intracellular recordings. 2. With extracellular recording, 139 PVN neurosecretory neurones were identified by antidromic activation following stimulation of the pituitary stalk, of which 120 were spontaneously firing and 19 were silent. Three types of responses to FN stimulation (1 or 2 pulses at 333 Hz) were observed in 43% of spontaneously firing PVN neurosecretory neurones: inhibition (type I) with a latency of 4.3 +/‐ 4.1 ms (mean +/‐ S.D., 32 of 120 neurones, 27%); excitation (type E) with 22.3 +/‐ 8.1 ms latency (14 of 120, 11%); and inhibition‐excitation type (I‐E) with 5.5 +/‐ 3.4 ms latency (6 of 120, 5%). Silent neurosecretory neurones did not respond to FN stimulation. Twelve per cent of non‐neurosecretory cells (three out of twenty‐six tested) responded to FN stimulation (one was inhibited, and two were excited). 3. Repetitive stimulation (60 Hz, 10 s) of the FN, which evoked a stimulus‐locked pressor response, suppressed on‐going activity of PVN neurosecretory neurones in 43% (twenty‐nine of sixty‐eight) of neurones tested. In 40% of these neurones, the activity was also inhibited by intravenous injection of phenylephrine (3 micrograms in 0.3 ml Ringer solution), while in other neurones the injection had no effect. Rebound excitation of neurone activity lasting for 1‐5 min after termination of repetitive stimulation was observed in 28% of the neurones. Ten neurones (14%) were excited by repetitive stimulation. 4. Successful intracellular recordings were made from seventy‐two PVN neurones, of which thirty‐seven were neurosecretory cells. The mean resting membrane potential was ‐51 mV (n = 72; range from ‐40 to ‐75 mV). The input resistance of neurosecretory cells was 117 +/‐ 21 M omega (range 93‐153 M omega; n = 8). This value was higher than that for non‐neurosecretory cells which was found to be 53 +/‐ 10 M omega (range 35‐72 M omega; n = 9). The difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.01, Student's t test). 5. In response to FN stimulation, sixteen (43%) of the thirty‐seven neurosecretory neurones showed IPSPs with latencies of 7.4 +/‐ 2.8 ms and three (8%) exhibited EPSPs with latencies of 13.3 +/‐ 4.2 ms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Robust object detection has many important applications in real-world online photo processing. For example, both Google image search and MSN live image search have integrated human face detector to retrieve face or portrait photos. Inspired by the success of such face filtering approach, in this paper, we focus on another popular online photo category-animal, which is one of the top five categories in the MSN live image search query log. As a first attempt, we focus on the problem of animal head detection of a set of relatively large land animals that are popular on the internet, such as cat, tiger, panda, fox, and cheetah. First, we proposed a new set of gradient oriented feature, Haar of Oriented Gradients (HOOG), to effectively capture the shape and texture features on animal head. Then, we proposed two detection algorithms, namely Bruteforce detection and Deformable detection, to effectively exploit the shape feature and texture feature simultaneously. Experimental results on 14 379 well labeled animals images validate the superiority of the proposed approach. Additionally, we apply the animal head detector to improve the image search result through text based online photo search result filtering.


In order to realize a seismic risk analysis in the Saguenay territory, a seismic micro-zonation was developed to determine the potential of seismic site effects. The methodology used in this study is composed of three important steps. Firstly, a 3D geological model of the soft deposits was developed. Then representative average shear wave velocity values were assigned to the clay layer, to the granular deposits layer, to the till layer and to the bedrock. Finally, the average shear wave velocity of the first 30 meters was calculated over a regular grid for the study area. The results include a spatial distribution map of the average shear wave velocity in the first 30 meters and the spatial distribution map of the seismic soil classes from the National Building Code of Canada. KeywordsSeismic risk analysis ; seismic site effects ; Vs,30


Obesity is a growing global health problem due to its association with chronic low-grade inflammation contributing to metabolic complications. Multiple studies indicate that white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation can promote type 2 diabetes. However, the function and regulation of both innate and adaptive immune cells in human WAT under conditions of obesity and calorie restriction (CR) is not fully understood yet. Using a randomized interventional design, we investigated postmenopausal obese women who either underwent CR for three months followed by a 4 weeks phase of weight maintenance or had to maintain a stable weight over the whole study period. A comprehensive immune phenotyping protocol was conducted using validated multiparameter flow cytometry analysis in blood and subcutaneous WAT (SAT) (n=21). The T cell receptor repertoire was analyzed by next generation sequencing (n=20) and cytokine levels were determined in SAT (n=22). Metabolic parameters were determined by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and then correlated to immune cell subsets. We found that insulin resistance (IR) correlates significantly with a shift towards the memory T cell compartment in SAT. Among various T cell subsets, predominantly CD8+ effector memory T cells were associated with obesity-related IR. Interestingly, T cell receptor analysis revealed a diverse repertoire in SAT arguing against an antigen-driven intra-SAT expansion of effector memory T cells. Surprisingly, neither inflammatory cytokine levels nor leucocyte subpopulations were significantly altered upon CR. Our findings demonstrate the accumulation of effector memory T cells in obese SAT contributing to chronic inflammation. The long-standing effect of obesity-induced changes in SAT was demonstrated by preserved immune cell composition after short-term CR induced weight loss.


Magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) of Fe(001) interfaces with various non-magnetic metals (Hf, Zr, Ti, Ta, Nb, V, Ir, Rh, Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, Cu, and Zn) was investigated by first-principles calculations. We found that Fe interfaces with non-magnetic metals with fully occupied d states tend to show perpendicular MCA. The spin-orbit coupling in interfacial Fe atoms plays an important role in perpendicular MCA. Conversely, Fe interfaces with non-magnetic metals with partially occupied d states exhibit in-plane MCA. The Hf/Fe(001) interface shows an exceptionally large perpendicular MCA energy of 1.5 mJ/m2, which corresponds to that of the MgO/Fe(001) interface. In these cases, contributions from interfacial Fe atoms to MCA are relatively small, and the large spin-orbit coupling of non-magnetic atoms is the primary contribution to MCA. We conclude that formation of Hf/Fe(001) interfaces will enhance the perpendicular magnetization of MgO/CoFeB-based magnetic tunnel junctions.


Two fairly sensitive, simple and accurate methods have been developed and validated for the assay of omeprazole and lansoprazole in pure and dosage forms. The proposed spectrophotometric method was based on the oxidation of the title drugs with acidic potassium iodate solution resulted in liberation of iodine, which was then extracted and measured at λ 520 nm under the optimized experimental conditions. The method was proved to be accurate and precise and the linearity was found to be in the concentration range of 5-200 and 15-200 µg/ml, for omeprazole and lansoprazole, respectively, with apparent molar absorptivities of 2.42×10-4 and 2.01×10-4 lmol-1cm-1, and with the corresponding Sandell sensitivity value of 0.0281 and 0.0473 mgcm-2 for the afore mentioned drugs, respectively. Moreover, the kinetics of these reactions was investigated. On the other hand, the potentiometric method was based on the direct titration of the drugs with acidic N-bromosuccinimide solution with determination of the end point potentiometrically using a platinum indicator electrode under the optimum conditions. The concentration ranges were found to be 25-100 and 15-100 µg/ml with standard deviation of 0.007-0.042 and 0.005-0.034, and with relative standard deviation of 0.79-2.4 and 1.4-2.9 for omeprazole and lansoprazole, respectively. Additionally, the proposed methods could successfully be applied for the determination of the cited drugs in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The relative standard deviations for the results did not exceed 1%, confirming the high precision of the method and reproducibility of the results.


The daily living activities for an increasing number of frail elderly people represent a continuous struggle both for them as well as for their extended families. These people have difficulties coping at home alone but are still sufficiently fit not to need the round-the-clock care provided by a nursing home. Their struggle can be alleviated by the deployment of a mechanical helper in their home, i.e. a service robot that can execute a range of simple object manipulation tasks. Such a robotic application promises to extend the period of independent home living for elderly people, while providing them with a better quality of life. However, despite the recent technological advances in robotics, there are still some remaining challenges, mainly related to the human factors. Arguably, the lack of consistently dependable human detection, localisation, position and pose tracking information and insufficiently refined processing of sensor information makes the close range physical interaction between a robot and a human a high-risk task.
The work described in this thesis addresses the deficiencies in the processing of the human information of today's service robots. This is achieved through proposing a new paradigm for the robot's situational awareness in regard to people as well as a collection of methods and techniques, operating at the lower levels of the paradigm, i.e. perception of new human information. The collection includes methods for obtaining and processing of information about the presence, location and body pose of the people. In addition to the availability of reliable human perception information, the integration between the separate levels of paradigm is considered to be a critically important factor for achieving the human-aware control of the robot. Improving the cognition, judgment and decision making action links between the paradigm's layers leads to enhanced capability of the robot to engage in a natural and more meaningful interaction with people and, therefore, to a more enjoyable user experience. Therefore, the proposed paradigm and methodology are envisioned to contribute to making the prolonged assisted living of elderly people at home a more feasible and realistic task.
In particular, this thesis proposes a set of methods for human presence detection, localisation and body pose tracking that are operating on the perception level of the paradigm. Also, the problem of having only limited visibility of a person from the on-board sensors of the robot is addressed by the proposed classifier fusion method that combines information from several types of sensors. A method for improved real-time human body pose tracking is also investigated. Additionally, a method for estimation of the multiple human tracks from noisy detections, as well as analysis of the computed human tracks for cognition about the social interactions within the social group, operating at the comprehension level of the robot's situational awareness paradigm, is proposed. Finally, at the human-aware planning layer, a method that utilises the human related information, generated by the perception and comprehension layers to compute a minimally intrusive navigation path to a target person within a human group, is proposed. This method demonstrates how the improved human perception capabilities of the robot, through its judgement activity, ii
ABSTRACT
can be utilised by the highest level of the paradigm, i.e. the decision making layer, to achieve user friendly human-robot interactions.
Overall, the research presented in this work, drawing on recent innovation in statistical learning, data fusion and optimisation methods, improves the overall situational awareness of the robot in regard to people with the main focus placed on human sensing capabilities of service robots. The improved overall situational awareness of the robot regarding people, as defined by the proposed paradigm, enables more meaningful human-robot interactions.


Phrenic nerve lesions as a result of birth trauma have been reported as a cause of acute respiratory distress infrequently. We report recent diagnostic and therapeutic experiences in four newborns with birth-traumatic phrenic nerve injury: one bilaterally, and three unilaterally, all right-sided. In each case, mechanical ventilation was required for at least 16 days. Ultrasound examination of the diaphragm and phrenic nerve conduction studies turned out to be the diagnostic methods of choice. Spontaneous recovery occurred in two children and two became asymptomatic after operative treatment. One improved after plication of diaphragm and one after autologous nerve transplantation.


The potential for evolutionary change in flowering time has gained considerable attention in view of the current global climate change. To explore this potential and its underlying mechanisms in the iteroparous perennial Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima (sea beet), artificial selection for earlier and later flowering date was applied under semi-natural greenhouse conditions. Mean flowering date occurred more than 30 d earlier in 13 generations in the early selection line, but response was weaker in the late selection line. Taking advantage of the growing knowledge on the genetics and the physiology of flowering induction, particularly in Arabidopsis thaliana, the results obtained here were analysed in terms of the four different pathways of flowering induction known in this species. A first significant correlated response was stem elongation (bolting) in the vegetative stage, suggesting that plants were thus able to flower earlier as long as other requirements were satisfied. Vernalization had a clear influence on flowering date and its influence increased during the selection process, together with sensitivity to photoperiod. Vernalization and photoperiod could compensate for each other: each additional week of vernalization at 5 degrees C decreased the necessary daylength for flowering by about 15 min during the later selection stages, while in unselected plants, it was about 7 min. Devernalizing effects were observed at short days combined with higher temperatures. Special attention was given to the role of the B (bolting) gene that cancels the vernalization requirement. The results here obtained suggest that all four known pathways may simultaneously participate in evolutionary change.


Recently developed non-functional derivatives of polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSSO) dendrimers of the first to fifth generation were characterized by 1H, 13C and 29Si NMR spectroscopy. The self-diffusion and NMR relaxation of PMSSO dendrimers in dilute solutions of toluene and melts were investigated in a wide temperature range (-50-80 °C). The hydrodynamic radii of dendrimers were determined from the self-diffusion coefficients measured in diluted solutions according to the Stokes-Einstein equation. The hydrodynamic radius of PMSSO dendrimers as a function of molecular mass follows a power law with the scaling exponent of 0.32 ± 0.02 in the investigated temperature range. The temperature dependences of the self-diffusion coefficients of dendrimers were described by the Arrhenius-type equation. The activation energies of self-diffusion of dendrimers in diluted toluene solutions are identical for different generations while the dependence of activation energy for dendrimers in melts shows a maximum for the third generation (G3) dendrimer. Taking into account the absence of specific interactions in PMSSO dendrimer melts the observed behavior was ascribed to the manifestation of interpenetration of dendrimer molecules. For low generations (G1 and G2) the short length of the branches does not considerably affect the translational diffusion while for higher generations (G4 and G5) the densification of the structure prevents significant interpenetration.


The paper presents the external migration flows and their impacts on economic and social life in analyzed countries. The travel inside the EU is totally free after Poland and Slovakia joined the EU, and they fructified this opportunity. There are important economic consequences of these movements, because external migration is an ever-growing phenomenon that has important development implications for both sending and receiving countries. For a sending country migration and the resulting remittances lead to increased incomes and educational outcomes, and promote economic development. On the other hand, migration processes influence on changes in the age structure. This process is very important from the labour market point of view. Hence, the aim of this publication is to identify the post-accession effects of foreign migration, especially the consequences for the labour market in Poland and Slovakia. Applied quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted based on survey results and data from Eurostat statistical databases. The survey was conducted since March – till April 2017 on a sample of N = 254 respondents, using the diagnostic survey method. The temporal scope of the analyses was largely determined by data accessibility. Keywords: labour market, migration processes, aging population


Abstract Context. Livestock predation is a worldwide phenomenon, causing financial losses and emotional strain on producers. Wild dogs (Canis familiaris) cause millions of dollars of damage to cattle, sheep and goat production in Australia every year, and despite on-going control (baiting, trapping, shooting, and fencing), they remain a significant problem for livestock producers across many pastoral and agricultural regions of Australia. Aims. We aimed to quantify the uptake of dried meat baits by wild dogs and determine whether an olfactory lure (fish oil) could increase uptake. Methods. Camera traps and sand pads were used to monitor bait uptake for three baiting events on two pastoral properties in the southern rangelands of Western Australia in 2016 and 2017. Key results. Of the 337 monitored baits with a known outcome, young wild dogs (<8 months old) removed only four, three of which were covered in a fish-oil lure. In warmer months, baits were largely consumed by varanids, and in cooler months, when baits were taken it was predominantly by corvids. Varanids and corvids took more baits than expected on the basis of activity indices. Kangaroos, feral cats and wild dogs consumed significantly fewer baits than expected from their activity on camera. Conclusions. We have no evidence that adult wild dogs removed baits, despite many opportunities to do so (wild dogs passing cameras), and fewer wild dogs took baits than expected on the basis of activity events seen on camera. Olfactory lures may have the potential to increase bait uptake by naïve individuals (i.e. young dogs), but the sample size was small. Implications. Increasing the number of baiting events per year, trialling novel baits, and baiting during low non-target activity are some of the recommended methods that may increase bait persistence and uptake by wild dogs.


This study describes the process followed to explain and understand the mechanical blockage in the flow path observed while displacing the cement slurries in long casing strings set with short rat holes. In most of the cases, those blockages ended with amount of cement left in pipe and significant remedial works.
 All the incidents were investigated involving casing design experts, cementing specialists and data analysts to understand the root causes. Mud logging unit, cementing and rig sensors data from several cementing jobs were analyzed in an integrated and holistic approach. Different software's were used to simulate and prove the theory that total elongation of the casing was enough to exceed the rat hole length bringing the casing in contact with the bottom of the well, and therefore blocking the flow path.
 In all the incidents, the issue was observed at the beginning of the slurry displacement stage where the entire volume of the cement was still inside the casing. Other possible causes of blockage (cement contamination, mechanical failures, loss control material,…) were also checked and ruled out.
 Hookload data was available to be analyzed whenever a conventional wellhead was installed, and the casing was held on the elevators during the cementing job. However, in some cases this information was not available as a compact wellhead was used. For those cases, it was necessary to drill out the shoe track using LWD to detect the location of casing shoe.
 Recommendations were made to add new loads the current casing design. Results will define the minimum rathole length and the maximum tension at surface experienced by the casing during the cementing job in both static and dynamic conditions. Also, it is important to properly estimate the rathole the physical measurement of the casing joints in the tally can carry measurement errors.


Chatter in low immersion milling behaves differently from that in full immersion milling, mainly because of the non-negligible time-variant dynamics and the occurrence of period doubling bifurcation. The intermittent and time-variant characteristics make the active chatter suppression based on Lyaponov theorem a non-trivial problem. The main challenges lie in how to deal with the time-variant directional coefficient and how to construct a suitable Lyaponov function so as to alleviate the conservation, as well as the saturation of the controller. Generally, the Lyaponov stability of time-invariant dynamics is more tractable. Hence, in our paper, a first-order piecewise model is proposed to approximate the low immersion milling system as two time-invariant sub-ones that are cyclically switched. To alleviate the conservation, a novel piecewise Lyaponov function is constructed to determine the stability of each subsystem independently. The inequality conditions for determining the stability and stabilization are derived. The validity of the proposed stabilization algorithm to suppress both the hopf and period doubling bifurcation, as well as to reduce the conservation of the controller parameters have been verified.


The purpose of this study is to present a new estimate on the GDP and per capita GDP levels of the Ottoman Empire between 1870 and 1913. Since the earlier estimates employ different methods, this study re-combines data series using reliable secondary sources while attempting to incorporate the distribution margins, includes industrial production excluded from the industrial census, and correcting missing information in certain agricultural productions. The inclusion of "Distribution Margins" (DMs) that adjust from producer to market prices reflects the price difference which entails diverse GDP and per capita GDP levels. The DMs are crucial, especially to incorporating costs of distributing industrial and agricultural products between the center and periphery. This research concludes that GDP and per capita GDP levels were higher than those made by earlier estimates. The method and findings of this study make contributions to the recent discussions on the economic performance of the Ottoman Empire, particularly for the period preceding the First World War. This study also suggests new research areas to further improve future studies on GDP and per capita GDP levels of the Ottoman Empire.


Monospecific antisera against the Ag1 and Ag2 fimbrial components of Actinomyces viscosus T14V were produced by immunizing rabbits with immune precipitates of each antigen harvested from crossed-immunoelectrophoresis plates. The Fab fragments prepared from these sera were used as specific reagents in immunoelectron microscopy to identify each fimbrial component on the bacterial surface and also were assayed for their abilities to prevent the coaggregation of A. viscosus T14V with Streptococcus sanguis 34, an interaction that is lactose sensitive. Each Fab preparation appeared to react with different fibrillar structures present on the actinomycete, and only the Ag2-specific Fabs blocked coaggregation. These results provide strong support for the presence of distinct types of fimbriae on A. viscosus T14V and indicate the exclusive involvement of Ag2 fimbriae in lactose-sensitive adherence.


ABSTRACT Despite recent advances in cancer therapeutics, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a lethal disease with a 5-year overall survival of only 10%. Since either at or within a few months of diagnosis, most patients with PDAC will present with metastatic disease, a more individualized approach to select patients who may benefit from more aggressive therapy has been suggested. Although studies have reported improved survival in PDAC and isolated pulmonary metastasis (ISP) compared to extrapulmonary metastases, such findings remain controversial. Furthermore, the added benefit of pulmonary metastasectomy and other lung-directed therapies remains unclear. In this review, we discuss the metastatic pattern of PDAC, evaluate the available evidence in the literature for improved survival in PDAC and ISP, evaluate the evidence for the added benefit of pulmonary metastasectomy and other lung-directed therapies, identify prognostic factors for survival, discuss the biological basis for the reported improved survival and identify areas for further research.


The addition of PEG of different molecular weights has important effects on the physical, electrical and electrochemical properties of iron(III)-tosylate doped PEDOT. This particular polymer can be easily spin coated over plastic discs, optimizing thickness and uniformity of the PEDOT-PEG films. The conductivity and morphological analysis of the hybrid PEDOT-PEG polymer by 4-point probe (4PP), 12-point probe (12PP), and conductive AFM (CAFM) show strong effects of the PEG doping. Moreover, the conductive films kinetics at the nanoscale, in response to different bias voltages, change radically depending on the PEG molecular weight. The hybrid conductive films show also interesting electrochemical properties, making the PEDOT PEG doping appealing for biosensing applications both for EIS-based and amperometric affinity/catalytic biosensors. Keywords—Atomic force microscopy, biosensors, four-point probe, nano-films, PEDOT.


The price of whole-genome sequencing is now within the budget of the average American consumer. This has resulted in the commercialization of genome sequencing for a variety of applications, including health-related risk assessment. Direct-to-consumer marketing of personal DNA sequence information uncouples the generation of personal health-related data from the physician-patient relationship. Here, I discuss the status of consumer genomics and the current and potential concerns about bypassing physicians in the analysis and interpretation of personal genomic information and subsequent health care decision-making.


In this article, first we generalize the Thue-Morse sequence by means of a cyclic permutation and the k-adic expansion of non-negative integers, giving a sequence (a(n)) ∞=0 , and consider the condition that (a(n)) ∞=0 is non-periodic. Next, we show that, if a generalized Thue-Morse sequence (a(n)) ∞=0 is not periodic, then no subsequence of the form (a(N +nl)) ∞=0 (where N ≥ 0 and l > 0) is periodic. We apply the combinatorial transcendence criterion established by Adamczewski, Bugeaud, Luca, and Bugeaud to find that, for a non-periodic generalized Thue-Morse sequence tak∞


Rheological measurements of high melt strength polypropylene (HMS-PP) were used in order to generate master curves describing the shear-dependent viscosity in comparison to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS). The latter material showed specific disadvantages in terms of thermal stability, whereas HMS-PP showed a more stable behavior at the investigated temperatures. Hereafter, the material was used in a fused deposition modeling additive manufacturing process, focusing on the investigation of possible improvements of HMS-PP over ABS. Based on the extrusion parameters for ABS, adapted parameters for HMS-PP were determined using a fused deposition modeling test bench. The rheological survey clearly showed changes in the melt viscosity of both ABS and HMS-PP due to thermal degradation. However, the comparison of rheological data of the virgin materials with those of printed material showed negligible changes. This leads to the conclusion that the thermal degradation of HMS-PP and ABS during the fused deposition modeling process is negligible, due to the short exposure time to elevated temperatures. Copyright © 2017 VBRI


Provided there are positive external benefits attached to the historic character of buildings, owners of properties in designated conservation areas benefit from a reduction in uncertainty regarding the future of their area. At the same time, the restrictions put in place to ensure the preservation of the historic character limit the degree to which properties can be altered and thus impose a cost to their owners. We test a simple theory of the designation process in which we postulate that the optimal level of designation is chosen so as to Pareto-maximize the welfare of local owners. The implication of the model is that a) an increase in preferences for historic character should increase the likelihood of a designation, and b) new designations at the margin should not be associated with significant house price capitalization effects. Our empirical results are in line with these expectations.


Keeping a session connected as a mobile host traverses across networks is the responsibility of a handoff management protocol. An effective protocol should support various transport protocols, require minimum changes, and manage handoff with acceptable delay and signaling cost. In this paper, a handoff management architecture that utilizes application layer gateway (ALG) and network address translation (NAT) mechanisms based on the session initiation protocol (SIP) is proposed. In addition to supporting mobility for the TCP session, the proposed architecture also optimizes real-time handoff delay by reducing delays caused by layer independency and duplication address detection (DAD) procedure and head of train delay caused by sequential execution of handoff procedures at different layers with few changes to the existing protocols and infrastructure.


The relationship of weight gain to survival, risk of development of chronic progressive nephropathy and risk of development of various neoplasms has been studied in the control groups from two routine chronic toxicity studies in Sprague-Dawley rats. The groups comprised 100 CFY strain rats of each sex observed up to the age of 109 wk and 120 CD strain rats of each sex observed up to 11 1 wk of age (females) or 121 wk (males). The eventual incidence of tumours was found to be related to body weight at several ages. There was also a statistically significant association between high body weight at various ages and increased mortality, particularly in the CD strain and particularly in females. The 'heavy' rats proved to have an increased risk of developing both progressive nephropathy and certain tumours. This relationship was particularly marked for pituitary tumours in both sexes and for benign and malignant mammary tumours in females, and was significant irrespective of whether tumours coexisting with marked or severe progressive nephropathy were classified as fatal or incidental. There was also some evidence that increased body weight was positively associated with risk of islet-cell tumours and lipomatous tumours in males and fibromatous tumours in females. The observations illustrate how nonspecific factors, such as those that affect body weight, may profoundly influence mortality and tumour incidence in chronic toxicity studies. The findings also highlight the difficulty of classifying particular neoplasms as incidental or fatal where other potentially life-threatening pathology (e.g. progressive nephropathy) is present.


Iceland was identified as a typical country with relatively high achieved competitiveness level and at the same time negative growth capacity - so, with eroded sustainability of territory development. As a research hypothesis the authors suggest that Iceland's social and economic interactions with other "worlds-economies" are not diversified enough. The analysis of export/import and international migration flows of Iceland shows that a market-capitalist "world-economy" is an absolute leader (80-90 %) for Icelandic international trade and migration. Analysis of air logistical interconnections shows that a kind of sub-"world-economy" is formed which can be referred to as a Northern-Atlantic one. As results of regression analysis show social and economic interactions with the representatives of its own "world-economy" mainly draw Iceland's sustainable territory development in their direction, and, as the trends of their development are negative or stagnate (USA and Spain), Iceland's trend of sustainable territory development is also drawn after them. In its turn, rather infrequent social and economic interactions with other "worlds-economies" either do not influence significantly Iceland's sustainable territory development (as interactions with Brazil do) or influence in the opposite way (as interactions with China do). Therefore, the practical efficiency of recommendation of Human Development Report 2013 to interact more actively with other "worlds-economies" is not so far proved in social and economic reality - at least, in the case with Iceland as a typical highly-developed capitalist country.


Eastern (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlocks (T. caroliniana) of eastern North America have been attacked by the non-native hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) (HWA) since the first half of the 20th century. Unlike most insects, HWA develops through one generation from fall to late winter, exposing this insect to the lethal effects of winter temperatures. The mortality inflicted by winter temperatures on HWA determines the surviving population density as well as its ability to spread to uninfested areas. With the ongoing changes in climate, knowledge of this species' ability to survive and spread in the future can help land managers prepare for its management. This study began during the winter of 2014 and ended in the spring of 2017. During this period, winter mortality of HWA was recorded at 100 sites from Maine to Georgia (n = 209). Changes in population density from the sistens to the succeeding progrediens generation were recorded at 24 sites (n = 35). Models were developed to predict HWA mortality using the lowest minimum temperature prior to the mortality assessment date, the number of days with mean temperature <−1 °C, and the mean daily temperature of the three days preceding that minimum. Models were also developed to predict population density changes from the overwintering sistens generation to the following progrediens generation. Future projections under climate change showed increases in winter survival and population growth rates over time. Especially towards the northeastern edge of T. canadensis' distribution as minimum temperatures are predicted to increase at a greater rate. This will result in an increase in density throughout its current distribution and expansion northward causing an increase in its impact on eastern Tsuga spp.


The present study aimed at developing a valid and reliable scale for assessing attitudes towards honour killing in Pakistan. The scale was developed in three phases; item pool generation, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. The initial item pool was generated form in-depth interviews with professionals (i.e., lawyers, journalists, psychologists, religious scholars, police officials, and social activists) and perpetrators in jail. In order to validate the initial 19 item scale, 459 adults, within the age range of 18-60 years were recruited from the Federal capital city and other cities of Punjab by using convenient sampling technique. For validation of the factor structure, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was run using Maximum Likelihood (ML) extraction method and promax rotation method. The analysis yielded two factors (affirmation and deterrents of honour killing) that accounted for 32% variance. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was carried out to validate the factor structure explored through EFA. An independent sample of 695 adults was recruited for confirmatory study. Results of CFA indicated a good model fit for the final scale comprising 17 items. The Cronbach alpha coefficients for the two factors were .79 and .61, respectively. The convergent and discriminant validity of the final scale was also determined using the Gender Role Attitude Scale (Anila & Ansari, 1992) and Extremism Scale (Gilani & Altaf, 2005.


Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), a potentially malignant disorder, is a chronic, inflammatory, progressive debilitating disease of the oral cavity with a multifactorial etiology. As an inflammatory response, more fibrinogen and its degradation products are produced by the body in OSF patients. Detection of these plasma fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) in OSF patients has contributed a new direction to enlighten the etiopathogenesis of OSF. Objectives: To ascertain the role of FDP of OSF patients in betel nut chewers and in control subjects and also to estimate serum levels of proteins in the patients. Materials & Methods: The study included 25 clinically diagnosed oral submucous fibrosis patients with betel nut chewing habit & 25 healthy controls without any deleterious habits. All the patients were evaluated for fibrinogen degradation productions and total serum protein concentration (TSP) by agglutination and Biuret method respectively. The results were analysed using unpared ttest and Pearson chi square test. Results: The study revealed an increased FDP level in all the betel nut chewers with OSF when compared with the healthy individuals. There was a marginal increase in Total serum Protein concentration levels in OSF patients, thus inferring to a positive correlation between FDP and TSP in all OSF cases. Conclusion: This study validates the relationship of plasma FDPs in the etiology of OSF and can be used to measure the prognosis of the disease. Plasma FDP may also be useful as a nonsurgical diagnostic tool in suspected OSF cases without necessitating a histopathological confirmation. However, further studies with a larger sample size may be required to elucidate the precise role of plasma FDP levels and detailed fractional analysis of protein in OSF, thus facilitating to obtain more conclusive results. It can be suggested that biochemical assessment of patients with areca nut chewing habit may help in the earlier diagnosis of OSMF and thus may lead to a better prognosis of these lesions.


In recent years nutritional deficiency diseases have been reported in developed countries. Nutritional deficiencies can be due to inadequate intake, abnormal absorption or improper utilisation. Many nutrients are essential for life, an adequate amount of nutrients in the diet is necessary for providing energy, building and maintaining body organs and for various metabolic process. Skin disorders have long been associated with nutritional deficiencies. Nutrition is one of the most important parameters that are involved in modulating skin health and condition. Nutritional status plays an important role in maintenance of healthy skin. A variety of nutritive factors such as small peptides minerals, vitamins, macronutrients and micronutrients work together to maintain the barrier functions of skin in the face of everyday challenges. Changes in nutritional status that alters skin structure and function can also directly affect skin appearence. In general dermatological problems were diet plays a role are atopic eczema, urticaria, dermatitis herpetiformis, psoriasis, pityriasis, rubra pilaris, purpura, scurvy, refsumes disease, ichthyosis, vitiligo, hypo pigmentary conditions, acne, rosacea, kwashiorkor, marsmus, stomatitis, phrynoderma, pellagra, acro dermatitis enteropathica, homocysteinuria, hartnup disease, gout, porphyrias, xanthomas, hyper carotenemia and lycopenemia. Dietary changes or modification might help to prevent recurrences of many skin diseases.


IntroductionIn the Muslim Arab world, sexuality remains a taboo subject. Our Tunisian society is in an intercultural situation. It is above all a conservative Arab-Muslim society but at the same time it undergoes the phenomenon of acculturation. The objective of our study is to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of 100 adolescents in sexuality.Material and methodThe study we conducted was cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative supported by an Arabic questionnaire covering all aspects of the sexual life of a sample of 50 girls and 50 boys aged 15 to 19 living in the governorate of Monastir, randomly drawn from high school.ResultThe average age was 17.5 years for boys and 16.5 years for girls. Half of our sample (49%) reported not having sex education. Masturbation was practiced by 88% of boys and 24% of girls, surrounded by feelings of pleasure for 60.34% of cases. Heterosexual activity was reported in 40% of adolescents and 6% of adolescent girls. The average age of first intercourse was 15 years for both sexes with early sexual activity in the male environment. Only 19.7% of these teens used condom in their sexual intercourse. Homosexual activity was found in 6% of the sample. The practice of cybersex was found in 30% of boys against 6% of girls and 16% of respondents preferred to watch erotic films.ConclusionCurrent problems (abortion, sex drive, child abandonment, suicide, loss of virginity, etc.) confirm the need for sex education to enlighten our teenagers and help them to have healthy sexual behavior. Hence preventing the harmful consequences of acculturation phenomenon.


We review the causes of fetal dystocia in cows and buffalo. Two fetal causes are distinct fetal oversize and fetal abnormalities. Fetal oversize is common in heifers, cows of beef cattle breeds, prolonged gestations, increased calf birth weight, male calves and perinatal fetal death with resultant emphysema. Fetal abnormalities include monsters, fetal diseases and fetal maldispositions, and it is difficult to deliver such fetuses because of their altered shape. Although monsters are rare in cattle, a large number of monstrosities have been reported in river buffalo; yet also here, overall incidence is low. Diseases of the fetus resulting in dystocia include hydrocephalus, ascites, anasarca and hydrothorax. The most common cause of dystocia in cattle seems to be fetal maldispositions, of which limb flexion and head deviation appear to be the most frequent. We provide a brief description of the management of dystocia from different causes in cattle and buffalo. A case analysis of 192 and 112 dystocia in cattle and buffalo, respectively, at our referral center revealed that dystocia is significantly higher (P<0.05) in first and second parity cows and buffalo, and that dystocia of fetal origin is common in cows (65.62%) but less frequent (40.17%) in buffalo. In buffalo, the single biggest cause of dystocia was uterine torsion (53.57%). Fetal survival was significantly (P<0.05) higher both in cows and buffalo when delivery was completed within 12 h of second stage of labor.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how real estate returns behaved over the last two decades in relation to the other two asset types. This allows a direct evaluation of how investors make allocation choices and perceive risks and rewards offered by properties in the context of changing market conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

A de-smoothed MSCI index is used to reflect direct property returns and control for both income and capital returns within it. Indirect property returns are approximated by the RX Real Estate index. By supplementing this data with an analysis of trends in both space and capital markets it is possible to relate investor behavior to events affecting other assets.

Findings

It is possible to identify three distinctive periods characterized by different correlation of returns and behavior of investors: before the crisis of 2008, the crisis period between 2008 and 2012 and recovery afterwards. These appear to have corresponded to different stages of the economic cycle. Interestingly, performance of asset classes has also differed over that period suggesting that at different points in the cycle asset allocation decisions may have been made differently.

Practical implications

It appears that as investments over the last 15 years real assets in Germany behaved similarly to bonds. It is possible that this phenomenon was driven by an aversion to the stock market and its associated risk which became a concern after the financial crisis of 2008. Over the downturn that followed the market shock investors appear to have turned to assets with simpler risk profiles like direct real estate and government debt. On the other hand, the correlation between direct property investment index and stock returns has been found to be small but negative. This shows not only that the two asset classes were often driven by different factors but also suggests that diversification was, at least theoretically, possible.

Originality/value

Direct real estate investment returns have repeatedly been found to exhibit characteristics similar to those found in bond as well as equity markets (Eichholtz and Hartzell, 1996; Clayton and MacKinnon, 2003) but little research examines the correlation between returns offered by those asset classes in a mature financial and property market. In addition, the recent financial crisis provided a dynamically changing investment which is ideal for investigating structural relationships between assets.


Multi-constrained quality-of-service routing (QoSR) is to find a feasible path that satisfies multiple constraints simultaneously, as an NPC problem, which is also a big challenge for wireless mesh networks. There are few methods, which can solve this problem effectively so far. In this paper, we propose a novel routing scheme based on mean field network (MFN/spl I.bar/RS) to solve this problem. This algorithm first uses a function of the wireless link's delay and capacity both of which are QoS parameters as the cost function, and then seeks to find a feasible path by mean field annealing. Because MFN/spl I.bar/RS uses a set of deterministic equations to replace the stochastic process in simulated annealing (SA), and uses saddle point approximation in the calculation of the stationary probability distribution at equilibrium, thus the convergence time is much less than the algorithm based on SA. Simulation results demonstrate that MFN/spl I.bar/RS is an effective algorithm and is very fit for wireless mesh networks where the topology may be changing constantly.


In the present study, toxic effects of glyphosate on Allium cepa L. (Amaryllidaceae) cells were investigated. For this aim, we used the germination percentage, root length, seedling weight, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, frequency of micronucleus (MN), chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and mitotic index (MI) as indicators of toxicity. In addition to the analyses mentioned above, we also examined changes in the root anatomy of A. cepa seeds treated with glyphosate. Glyphosate was applied with three different doses (100, 250 and 500 mg l). The results showed significant alterations in the germination percentage, root length, seedling weight, MDA level, MN, CAs and MI frequency depending on treatment doses in the glyphosate treated groups. Glyphosate-exposure significantly reduced the germination percentage, root length and seedling weight in all the treatment groups (P<0.05). But, an increase in the MN and CAs formation (P<0.05) was observed. It was also found that glyphosate has a mitodepressive action on mitosis, and the MI was decreased depending on the dose of applied-glyphosate (P<0.05). Besides, 100, 250 and 500 mg l doses of glyphosate significantly enhanced the lipid peroxidation and caused an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at each dose treatment (P<0.05). Moreover, light micrographs showed anatomical damages such as unclear vascular tissue, unclear epidermis layer, cell deformation, unusual form of cell nucleus (usually flat) and binuclear cells. Each dose of glyphosate caused severe toxic effects on A. cepa cells and the strongest toxic effect was observed at the dose level of 500 mg l.


We report on a new measurement of the cosmic-ray electron and positron spectra. The data were collected by the balloon-borne experiment CAPRICE94, which was flown from Lynn Lake, Canada, on 1994 August 8-9 at an altitude corresponding to 3.9 g cm-2 of average residual atmosphere. The experiment used the NMSU-WIZARD/CAPRICE94 balloon-borne magnet spectrometer equipped with a solid radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov (RICH) detector, a time-of-flight system, a tracking device consisting of drift chambers and multiwire proportional chambers, and a silicon-tungsten calorimeter. This was the first time a RICH detector was used together with an imaging calorimeter in a balloon-borne experiment. A total of 3211 electrons, with a rigidity at the spectrometer between 0.3 and 30 GV, and 734 positrons, between 0.3 and 10 GV, were identified with small backgrounds from other particles. The absolute energy spectra were determined in the energy region at the top of the atmosphere between 0.46 and 43.6 GeV for electrons and between 0.46 and 14.6 GeV for positrons. We found that the observed positron spectrum and the positron fraction are consistent with a pure secondary origin. A comparison of the theoretically predicted interstellar spectrum of electrons shows that the injection spectrum of primary electrons is steeper than that of the nucleonic components of cosmic rays. Furthermore, the observed electron and positron spectra can be reproduced from the interstellar spectra by a spherically symmetric model for solar modulation; hence, the modulation is independent of the sign of the particle charge.


BACKGROUND
Annual national diabetes audit data consistently shows most people with diabetes do not consistently achieve blood glucose targets for optimal health, despite the large range of treatment options available.

AIM
To explore the efficacy of a novel clinical intervention to address physical and mental health needs within routine diabetes consultations across health care settings.

METHODS
A multicenter, parallel group, individually randomized trial comparing consultation duration in adults diagnosed with T1D or T2D for ≥6 months using the Spotlight-AQ platform versus usual care. Secondary outcomes were HbA1c, depression, diabetes distress, anxiety, functional health status, and healthcare professional burnout. Machine learning models were utilized to analyze the data collected from the Spotlight-AQ platform to validate the reliability of question-concern association; as well as to identify key features that distinguish people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as important features that distinguish different levels of HbA1c.

RESULTS
n = 98 adults with T1D or T2D; any HbA1c and receiving any diabetes treatment participated (n = 49 intervention). Consultation duration for intervention participants was reduced in intervention consultations by 0.5 to 4.1 minutes (3%-14%) versus no change in the control group (-0.9 to +1.28 minutes). HbA1c improved in the intervention group by 6 mmol/mol (range 0-30) versus control group 3 mmol/mol (range 0-8). Moderate improvements in psychosocial outcomes were seen in the intervention group for functional health status; reduced anxiety, depression, and diabetes distress and improved well-being. None were statistically significant. HCPs reported improved communication and greater focus on patient priorities in consultations. Artificial Intelligence examination highlighted therapy and psychological burden were most important in predicting HbA1c levels. The Natural Language Processing semantic analysis confirmed the mapping relationship between questions and their corresponding concerns. Machine learning model revealed type 1 and type 2 patients have different concerns regarding psychological burden and knowledge. Moreover, the machine learning model emphasized that individuals with varying levels of HbA1c exhibit diverse levels of psychological burden and therapy-related concerns.

CONCLUSION
Spotlight-AQ was associated with shorter, more useful consultations; with improved HbA1c and moderate benefits on psychosocial outcomes. Results reflect the importance of a biopsychosocial approach to routine care visits. Spotlight-AQ is viable across health care settings for improved outcomes.


During a close encounter between a star and a supermassive black hole, the star can get disrupted by the black hole's tidal forces, resulting in a tidal disruption event (TDE). The accretion of the star's material onto the black hole produces strong emission in different wavelength regimes. Here we report the discovery with the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) of an X-ray-selected transient source in an optically non-active galaxy. At the location R.A.: 13h 31m57.ˢ66 and decl.: −32°43′19.″7 a sudden rise in X-ray luminosity by a factor of 8 within 8 days has been observed. Additionally, a very soft X-ray spectrum with a blackbody temperature kT = 0.1 keV and a peak luminosity of at least 1 × 1043 erg s−1 suggests a TDE interpretation, and the observed properties are very similar to previously identified soft X-ray (ROSAT) TDEs. An optical spectrum taken of the galaxy at the position of RXJ133157.6324319.7 six years after the X-ray outburst does not show any emission lines as would be expected from a persistent active galactic nucleus. The redshift of the galaxy is determined to be 0.051 based on absorption lines. It is therefore likely a member of the galaxy cluster A3560. The rise in X-ray luminosity happens within 8 days and thus appears to be fast for such an event. No X-ray emission was detected 170 days before and 165 days after the event, and none was detected 25 yr later with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The change in X-ray luminosity is at least a factor of 40.


Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal chronic lung disease, leading to poor prognosis and high mortality. Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress characterized by excessive production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important molecular mechanism causing pulmonary fibrosis. We conceive a new type of mitochondria-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe Mito-Bor to investigate changes in the level of endogenous H2O2 in living cells and mice models with pulmonary fibrosis. In the design strategy of the Mito-Bor probe, we selected azo-BODIPY as the fluorophore owing to its near-infrared fluorescence, strong photochemical stability, and low biological toxicity. Under physiological conditions, the response moiety 4-bromomethylphenylboronic acid pinacol ester could easily detect H2O2, and turn the fluorescence switch on. The modification of the lipophilic triphenylphosphine cation on the fluorophore would allow the probe to easily pass through the phospholipid bilayer of cells, and the internal positive charge could contribute to the selectivity of the mitochondria accumulation. The Mito-Bor probe provides high selectivity, low limit of detection, high biocompatibility, and excellent photostability. It can be used to detect changes in the level of H2O2 in living cells and in vivo. Therefore, the probe is applied to investigate the fluctuation of the H2O2 level during the process of inducing pulmonary fibrosis in cells, with changes in its fluorescence intensity correlating with the concentration of H2O2 and indicating the level of oxidative stress in fibroblasts. Conversely, pulmonary fibrosis can be modulated by adjusting the level of H2O2 in cells. A further study in mice models of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis confirms that NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) acts as a "button" to regulate H2O2 levels. The direct inhibition of NOX4 can significantly reduce the level of H2O2, which can delay the progression of lung fibrosis. These results provide an innovative way for the clinical treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.


Vitamin D status of two groups of elderly was determined by measuring serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD), and dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake. Group A consisted of 35 women (mean age 86 years), and 21 men (mean age 80 years) living in 5 different homes for elderly. Group B consisted of free-living elderly, 24 women (mean age 76 years) and 7 men (mean age 79 years). There was no or little seasonal variation in serum 25-OHD concentrations in either group. Of those who did not use vitamin D supplements, 83% of the women and 77% of the men in group A, and 40% of the women and none of the men in group B had 25-OHD concentrations below 20 ng/ml in the winter serum samples. Of the 49 individuals who used supplements, only 2 had values below 20 ng/ml. In the institutionalized elderly, 14-15 micrograms vitamin D per day as supplement was associated with a mean increase in 25-OHD concentration in winter serum samples of 25 ng/ml. Dietary intakes of vitamin D were low for both groups, especially for the women (less than 3 micrograms). It is concluded that elderly Norwegians, in particular those living in institutions, ought to improve their vitamin D status by increasing their exposure to sunshine and by including more oily fish in their diet. If this is difficult to achieve, vitamin D supplement (10 micrograms/day) should be used.


The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between Turkish preschool pre-service teacher's personal and educational characteristics, and their social competence, empathy, and communication skills. A total of 385 state university Turkish pre-service teachers (age range 18 to 32 years) from the early childhood education field completed a Demographic Information Form on personal and educational characteristics, the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) Scale measuring their social competence, The Scales of Empathic Tendency for measuring empathy skills, and a Communication Skills Evaluation Scale measuring communication skills. Bivariate Pearson-correlations, independent t tests, and one-way ANOVAs were used to test study hypotheses. Results indicated that women scored higher on empathy and communication skills, and having more friends was related to higher social competence and empathy. Pre-service teachers who were members of a social club scored higher on communication skills than their peers. Additional associations among variables, limitations, and future directions are discussed.


To study the effects of royal jelly (RJ) on performance and fatty acid profiles, 168 unsexed 8-day-old quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were assigned to 4 treatment groups. Groups were arranged as follows: control (LSD; 160 cm2/quail and no supplementation), high stocking density (HSD; 80 cm2/quail and no supplementation), HSD-RJ 250 [80 cm2/quail and 250 mg/kg body weight (BW) RJ given orally], and HSD-RJ 500 (80 cm2/quail and 500 mg/kg BW RJ given orally). Body weight gain decreased significantly in the HSD group at day 42 (P < 0.01). Feed intake (FI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) were also significantly affected in the HSD group (P < 0.01). FI and FCR were improved by both doses of RJ. Both RJ doses increased total polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios in the breast, kidney (P < 0.001), leg, and liver (P < 0.05). Total saturated fatty acid ratios in leg (P < 0.01) and kidney (P < 0.05) tissues increased in the HSD group but decreased in the livers of HSD-RJ 250 group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, RJ supplementation improved performance parameters and unsaturated fatty acid ratios in the examined quail tissues.


Possible methods are discussed for describing structures localised in finite region (solitons, vortices, defects and so on) within the framework of both integrable and nonintegrable field models. For integrable models a universal algorithm for the construction of soliton-like solutions is described and discussed in detail. This algorithm can be generalised to many-dimensional cases and its efficacy for several examples exceeds that of the standard inverse scattering transform method. For nonintegrable models we focus mainly on methods of studying the stability of soliton-like solutions, since stability problems become essential when one turns to a description of many-dimensional solitons. Special attention is paid to those stable localised structures that are not endowed with topological invariants, since for topologically nontrivial structures there exist effective methods of stability analysis, based on energy estimates. Here the principal topic is that of Lyapunov's direct method as applied to distributed systems are discussed. Effective stability criteria for stationary solitons, endowed with one or more charges, (the Q-theorem) are derived. Several examples are presented that illustrate the applicability of the method of functional estimates, and the stability of plasma solitons of the electron phase hole type is discussed.


The coincidence of the appearance of euglobulin and pseudo-globulin I in the blood and urine of the new-born calf following the ingestion of colostrum and the absence of these proteins when milk is fed support the inference that the proteinuria of the new-born calf is due to the ingestion of colostrum. In this passage the proteins are in part unaltered. The absorption and excretion of the proteins of blood serum have been observed. The high protein content of the feces of young calves—during the first few days—is to be ascribed, in part at least, to ingested colostrum.


Summary.  Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major worldwide public health problem. Better therapeutics and treatment strategies are urgently needed because of ineffective clinical treatment. Our previous study showed that asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 (ASGPR1) was upregulated by HBV but downregulated by lamivudine in HepG2.2.15 cells. It has also been reported that ASGPR is a candidate receptor for HBV attachment to hepatocytes. Therefore, as a major subunit of ASGPR, ASGPR1, might be a potential target for anti‐HBV drugs. To validate this hypothesis, antisense oligonucleiotides (ASODNs) were used to downregulate ASGPR1 level in HepG2.2.15 cells. By using the MFOLD web server and BLAST searches, five ASODNs theoretically targeting ASGPR1 were selected. After 72 h post‐transfection, HBV‐DNA level in cell medium were examined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) were detected using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ASGPR1 mRNA and protein level were measured by semi‐quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)‐PCR and Western blot analysis respectively. The results showed that ASODN2 significantly downregulated ASGPR1 level. It also reduced HBV‐DNA, HBsAg and HBeAg level in cell medium as observed with lamivudine. In contrast, the sense sequence and scrambled sequence of ASODN2 had no effect on ASGPR1 and HBV markers in HepG2.2.15 cells. This indicated that ASODN2 could specifically reduce HBV replication in vitro. Additionally, cell proliferation and apoptosis assay suggested that downregulation of ASGPR1 did not affect cell viability. We, therefore, proposed that ASODNs targeted against ASGPR1 could block HBV replication without the influence of other changes, and ASGPR1 could be targeted for anti‐HBV drug development.


The Background Error Analysis Testbed (BEATBOX) is a new data assimilation framework for box models. Based on the BOX Model eXtension (BOXMOX) to the Kinetic Pre-Processor (KPP), this framework allows users to conduct performance evaluations of data assimilation experiments, sensitivity analyses, and detailed chemical scheme diagnostics from an observation simulation system experiment (OSSE) point of view. The BEATBOX framework incorporates an observation simulator and a data assimilation system with the possibility of choosing ensemble, adjoint, or combined sensitivities. A user-friendly, Python-based interface allows for the tuning of many parameters for atmospheric chemistry and data assimilation research as well as for educational purposes, for example observation error, model covariances, ensemble size, perturbation distribution in the initial conditions, and so on. In this work, the testbed is described and two case studies are presented to illustrate the design of a typical OSSE experiment, data assimilation experiments, a sensitivity analysis, and a method for diagnosing model errors. BEATBOX is released as an open source tool for the atmospheric chemistry and data assimilation communities.


The increasing digitization of contemporary media and culture -- particularly in the West -- is changing how companies market themselves to their target audiences. As the millennial generation increases its online presence and its use of mobile digital technologies, companies whose main consumers lie within this demographic are having to shift their marketing tactics to become more technologically- and mobile-friendly. The world of social media, in particular, has become the second (virtual) home for much of the millennial population. How they dress, where they go, and what they eat are all becoming increasingly impacted by the companies, brands, people, and trends they "follow" online. In this Major Research Project (MRP) I will focus on the ways companies are marketing to millennials by focusing on the ways two clothing brands favoured by millennials are marketing and branding themselves on Instagram. I demonstrate that while these companies' brand values may be exceedingly different from one another, their social media/Instagram strategies are surprisingly similar. That is, I will argue that these two clothing brands follow a distinctly similar set of social media marketing techniques in order to bring the best shopping experience through the use of images and captions -- into the digital world and to their millennial audiences. In other words, by adhering to a sort of social media orthodoxy, these brands are able to create a stronger connection between themselves and their millennial generation of followers.


Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a widely used technique to measure dimensions and material properties on the nanoscale and to realize a range of nanofabrication operations. The effective implementation of AFM-based techniques critically depends on the bluntness of the used tip as this affects directly the achievable resolution. In this paper, a novel metric is proposed to evaluate the tip bluntness of AFM probes. Its main advantage is that it relies on three-dimensional (3D) tip data, which can be obtained in-situ, i.e. without removing the probe from the head of the AFM instrument. Indeed, by using the probe to scan a tip characteriser, it is possible to extract very accurate 3D data on the real shape of the tip apex. Such tip characteriser is a common test structure consisting of an array of silicon sharp pin-like asperities. Based on these data, it is proposed to calculate the ratio of the volume of the tip to the volume of an imaginary cylinder in which the tip is contained. In this way, depending on the measured ratio, the bluntness of the AFM tip can be assessed. The utilisation of this metric is demonstrated on four different non-axisymmetric tips as received from the manufacturer. The obtained results correlate well with the assessment of the condition of these tips evaluated with a different approach, also investigated by the authors.


Crop production in the Sahel is limited by nutrients availability. The study aimed to estimate the contribution of avifauna, crop rotation and trees to soil fertility and crop production improvement. Pot experiment was carried out with soils sampled in Faidherbia albida parklands in cotton production zone of West Burkina Faso. The treatments consisted of two levels of sampling sites (outside and under the crown of Faidherbia albida), three types of previous crop (fallow, maize and sorghum) and two levels of fertilization (normal rain drop and raindrop washes). Results showed that cotton plants height were affected by sampling site and previous crop between 30 and 80 days after sowing. Rain drop washes contained nutrients that can help to improve soil fertility although their nutrients level in the soil is too small to have an impact significant on cotton plant development. No significant difference was observed between factors for the number of nodes and generative branches except for sampling site. Nutrients content in cotton plants was affected by the soil sampling site, the previous crop and the fertilization.


We present a subspace projection method for blind MIMO FIR channel identification by using the shifted correlation matrices. It is shown that the shifted second order correlation matrices can render us the partial column space of the channel convolution matrix. Subsequently, by employing an orthogonal projector constructed by the estimated partial column space of the channel convolution matrix, we developed an algorithm for blind system identification. Computer simulation results are included to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm.


As technology scales down, more transistors integrate in a single die and the thermal issue becomes a major concern. High operation temperature degrades performance of MOS devices and induce reliability problem. In this paper, the temperature dependence of MOS drain current is analyzed in both linear and saturation regions. It is shown that the drain current is invariable in some specific operation points but may increase or decrease in other operation points with the temperature fluctuation. These temperature-insensitive operation points are derived with analytical formulas and verified with SPICE simulation in 180-nm CMOS technology. In linear region, the temperature-invariant drain current requires a linear relationship between gate-source voltage and drain-source voltage. In saturation region, the drain current mainly relies on gate-source voltage and the temperature-insensitive gate-source voltage is a constant for a given technology. Consequently, the supply voltage can be optimized for temperature-variation-insensitive performance, which is about 42% lower than the nominal supply voltage in a 180-nm CMOS technology.


Purpose Metformin can reduce diabetes-related complications and mortality. However, its use is limited because of potential lactic acidosis-associated adverse effects, particularly in renal impairment patients. We aimed to investigate the association of metformin use with lactic acidosis and hyperlactatemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional study from a tertiary university-affiliated medical center. A total of 1954 type 2 diabetes patients were recruited in 2007–2011, and stratified according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Lactic acidosis was defined as plasma lactate levels >5 mmol/L and arterial pH <7.35. Results Metformin was used in 61.4% of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Plasma lactate levels were not different in the patients with and without metformin use. There was no difference in prevalence of hyperlactatemia and lactic acidosis between the patients with and without metformin use (18.9% vs. 18.7%, p=0.905 for hyperlactatemia and 2.8% vs. 3.3%, p=0.544 for lactic acidosis). Similar results were observed in the patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Most patients with lactic acidosis had at least one condition related to hypoxia or poor tissue perfusion. Multiple regression analysis indicated no association between metformin use and lactic acidosis, whereas tissue hypoxia was an independent risk factor for lactic acidosis [odds ratio 4.603 (95% confidence interval, 1.327–15.965)]. Conclusion Metformin use was not associated with hyperlactatemia or lactic acidosis in patients with type 2 diabetes.


Wind blown soil particle abrasion negatively impacts millions of hectares of crops annually. The goal of this studywas to examine the effects of wind and wind blown sand abrasion damage on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedling biomass partitioning to leaves, stems, and roots. Seedlings of three cotton cultivars were exposed to no wind (untreated controls) or sand abrasive flux densities of 0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.35, and 0.5 g cm -1 width s -1 at a wind velocity of 13.4 m s -1 in a suction-type laboratory wind tunnel. Plants were destructively sampled at the time of the sand abrasion treatment and at approximately 2 and 4 wk after exposure. These three sampling dates provided two time intervals for assessing the amount of plant damage and regrowth using classical growth analysis. With increasing sand, abrasive flux density, whole plant, leaf, stem, and root biomass, as well as leaf area, were all reduced in both harvest intervals (P ≤ 0.05). Net assimilation rate (NAR) accounted for 96 and 75% of the variability in relative growth rate (RGR) in the first and second harvest intervals, respectively, with small but significant differences in leaf area ratio (LAR). Increasing plant damage caused by sand abrasion treatment resulted in preferential biomass partitioning to the damaged stems rather than roots during the first harvest interval, while a much more stable allometric allocation of biomass among plant organs was observed in the second harvest interval.


Cropping systems greatly impact the productivity and resilience of agricultural ecosystems. However, we often lack an understanding of the quantitative interactions among social, economic and ecological components in each of the systems, especially with regard to crop rotation. Current production systems cannot guarantee both high profits in the short term and social and ecological benefits in the long term. This study combined statistic and economic models to evaluate the comprehensive effects of cropping systems on rice production using data collected from experimental fields between 2017 and 2018. The results showed that increasing agricultural diversity through rotations, particularly potato–rice rotation (PR), significantly increased the social, economic and ecological benefits of rice production. Yields, profits, profit margins, weighted dimensionless values of soil chemical and physical (SCP) and heavy metal (SHM) traits, benefits and externalities generated by PR and other rotations were generally higher than successive rice cropping. This suggests that agricultural diversity through rotations, particularly PR rotation, is worth implementing due to its overall benefits generated in rice production. However, due to various nutrient residues from preceding crops, fertilizer application should be rationalized to improve the resource and investment efficiency. Furthermore, we internalized the externalities (hidden ecological and social benefits/costs) generated by each of the rotation systems and proposed ways of incenting farmers to adopt crop rotation approaches for sustainable rice production.


The approach followed in this article differs from that of researchers who force ancient rhetorical categories on a text or who regard only a few stylistic devices as rhetorical. The analysis is done in terms of what is called a "grounded theoretical approach." This approach is briefly summarised, followed by a description of the rhetorical status of the letter and a systematic analysis of 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. It is argued that these fourteen verses form an integral part of Paul's rhetorical strategy (constructed from the text itself) and aimed at persuading the Corinthians to accept his explanation of the gospel. The article concludes that a text-centered approach, with its focus on the functional aspects of the text, provides a better alternative to existing approaches, that focus on the formal aspects of the text.


INTRODUCTION: Radiation is an important tool in the diagnostic and curative treatment of many cancers. Ionizing radiation induces many biochemical changes in the cells. The present study was designed to estimate the level of neurotransmitters in the distinct brain tissue of Swiss albino mice before exposing gamma radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mice were treated with 0.25 and 1 g/kg body weight of Cynodon dactylon extract (CDE) via oral gavage for 7 days and subjected to 5 Gy of gamma radiation. The estimation of monoamines was performed in the cortex and cerebellum separately. RESULTS: Mice exposed to a sublethal dose 5 Gy of gamma radiation causes a significant decrease in dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and serotonin levels compared to normal. The mice treated with 0.25 and 1 g/kg body weight of CDE via oral gavage for 7 days showed significant improvement in the level of monoamine neurotransmitters in both the cortex and cerebellum homogenate. CONCLUSION: Oral administration of antioxidant-rich C. dactylon has shown a neuromodulatory effect against radiation-induced depletion of neurotransmitters in the brain tissues.


Lactase persistence (LP) is a heritable trait in which lactose can be digested into adulthood. Lactase non-persisters (LNP) who consume lactose may experience microbial adaptations in response to the undigested lactose. The objective of this study was to determine the interaction between lactose consumption, LP genotype and gut microbiota in an observational cross-sectional study of healthy U.S. adults.

 ASA24 dietary data and stool samples were collected from healthy U.S. adults genotyped for the lactase persistence SNP ID: rs4988235 (n = 280). Lactose was estimated by matching ASA24-reported foods to foods in the Nutrition Coordinating Center Food and Nutrient Database. The 16S rRNA V4/V5 region, amplified from bacterial DNA extracted from each frozen stool sample, was sequenced using Illumina MiSeq (300bp PE) and analyzed using Qiime 2 (v 2019.10). Bacterial sequence counts present at greater than 0.1% of the total data set were analyzed using DESeq2 and LEfSe. Taxa that were differentially abundant by both analyses at the family or genus level are reported here.

 On average 246 ng/uL (3.9 – 646.5ng/uL) DNA was obtained from each sample, yielding 21,470 sequences (10,122 – 56,837). LP genotypes were unevenly distributed by ethnicity and Clostridium (family Lachnospiraceae) was significantly enriched in Asian ethnicities. Therefore, only Caucasian and Hispanic participants were grouped as LP (AA or AG genotype) or LNP (GG genotype) for further analysis. The abundance of Roseburia and family Lachnospriaceae was higher in the upper (>12.4g), relative to lower (< 5.78g), tertile of lactose consumption in LNP adults, but not in LP.

 Increased abundance of Roseburia, a microbe capable of utilizing lactose, in LNP individuals consuming >12.4 g lactose/day suggests that this genus may metabolize lactose in LNP adults.

 The California Dairy Research Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.


We consider the estimation of a signal from the knowledge of its noisy linear random Gaussian projections, a problem relevant in compressed sensing, sparse superposition codes or code division multiple access just to cite few. There has been a number of works considering the mutual information for this problem using the heuristic replica method from statistical physics. Here we put these considerations on a firm rigorous basis. First, we show, using a Guerra-type interpolation, that the replica formula yields an upper bound to the exact mutual information. Secondly, for many relevant practical cases, we present a converse lower bound via a method that uses spatial coupling, state evolution analysis and the I-MMSE theorem. This yields, in particular, a single letter formula for the mutual information and the minimal-mean-square error for random Gaussian linear estimation of all discrete bounded signals.


Although social disengagement is considered to be a predictor of cognitive decline, and increase risk of Alzheimer's and related dementias, little is known regarding the gender-specific association between social disengagement and cognition among Korean middle-aged and older adults. Korea's Confucianism-based gender roles provide unique contexts to examine gender differences in the influence of social disengagement on cognition. This study investigated the association between social disengagement and cognitive function in a nationally representative sample of Koreans aged 45 years or older (N = 5,196 women and 2,707 men), using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2008-2018). Results from the generalized estimating equation model showed that compared to consistent social engagement, consistent non-engagement was significantly associated with lower cognitive function among both genders. Transitioning from social engagement to non-engagement was significant for males only. Of various types of social activities (religious, senior center, sport, reunion, voluntary, political), consistent non-engagement in a senior center was most associated with lower cognitive function among both genders, while consistent non-engagement in religious activities was significant for females only. While household arrangements were not associated with cognition in men, widowed women had increased risk of cognitive decline than married women, as did women living in households of three or more people. Depression was a predictor of cognitive decline among males only. In this gender-specific study, we found that consistent participation in social activities, especially via membership in a senior community center, is beneficial in preventing cognitive decline among both genders.


Within the framework of the GITARA II project an aeromagnetic survey was performed during the GANOVEXVII expedition (1992/1993) over the King Edward VII Peninsula in northwestern Marie Byrd Land (West Antarctica). This region which may represent the eastern flank of the Ross Sea rift system had previously been explored only at reconnaissance level. New total field and upward continued (10 km) magnetic anomaly maps are produced and interpreted here to map and discuss the crustal structure of the Edward VII Peninsula. Tworound-shaped, high-amplitude magnetic anomalies are recognised over the Alexandra Mountains block. The anomalies are difficult to interpret since susceptibility data indicate the prevalence of non-magnetic rocks at the surface. A possible interpretation is that the anomalies are due to Cretaceous mafic intrusives distinct from weakly magnetic Byrd Coast Granite of the adjacent Rockefeller Mountains block. Alternatively the anomalies could be related to buried pluton-sized Devonian Ford Granodiorite intruded by dikes. If Cretaceous in age, the former intrusives revealed from the magnetics could also be responsible for contact metamorphism of the adjacent Alexandra Mountains migmatites. Lower amplitude circular anomalies over the Central Plateau and Prestrud Inlet are likely to be caused by unexposed Devonian Ford Granodiorite which crops out in the Ford Ranges. Elongated high-frequency anomalies of the Sulzberger Bay are similar to those recognised over seismically constrained Cenozoic rift-related volcanics of the Ross Sea. A broad magnetic low over the Sulzberger Ice Shelf may be indicative of a fault bounded graben-like basin with sedimentary infill. Overall recognition of magnetic anomaly patterns and trends reveals segmentation of the Edward VII Peninsula and of the adjacent marine areas in distinct crustal blocks. Faults may separate these blocks and they are interpreted to reflect multiple Cretaceous and maybe Cenozoic crustal extension\uplift phases within this part of the West Antarctic rift system.