Flexible fabric keyboard is a field of smart textile. It can overcome traditional horniness keyboard can't be foldable and washing. Because conventional keyboard's switch is matrix circuit, two conductive layers are not touchable due to action of a middle insulating layer in relaxing. When the key is pressed, two conductive layers contact and form electric current. In this laboratory study there are two kinds of methods adopted, for example, Three-layer Fabric Weaved Separately (TFWS) and Three-layer Fabric Shaped Once(TFSO). They were significantly different in weaving methods, fabric structure and weaving efficiency. Three species were designed for every method. Although Connection Ratio (CR) of 6×6 and 8×8 in TFWS was 100%, TFWS took many repeating and complex processes. Much time and labor were seriously spent so that weaving efficiency was consumedly reduced. However, if making use of Three-layer Fabric Shaped Once(TFSO) which adopted three dimensional weaving method, only one procedure was required for fabric keyboard matrix circuit. The three dimensional weaving fabric consisted of support part and orifice part. When pressed in the key position, the top and down layer of the orifice part can contact with each other. Then the circuit can connect. When the applied force was released, the top and down layer can return to primary position due to the action of the support part. TFSO didn't require many repetitive and complex courses. Therefore the weaving efficiency can be greatly increased. To be more importantly, CR of 16 wefts in TFSO was comparatively not bad among in three species of TFSO. When considering all six species for two methods together, 16 wefts in TFSO appears to provide the most suitable fabric for flexible fabric keyboard matrix circuit as a result of shaping once, high weaving efficiency and 100% CR. These findings may assist in recommendations regarding the further development of flexible fabric keyboard.


Polylactic acidg-polyvinyl acetate (PLLAg-PVAc) was used as a compatibilizer for 50/50 starch/PLLA blend. PLLA-gPVAc with different mol% of PVAc contents were prep ared by grafting PVAc onto PLLA backbone via free radical p olymerization in solution process. Various conditions such as typ e and the amount of initiator, monomer concentration, polymerization time and temperature were studied. Results showed that the h ighest mol% of PVAc grafting (16 mol%) was achieved by conducting graft copolymerization in toluene at 110°C for 10 h using DCP as an initiator. Chemical structure of the PVAc grafted P LLA was confirmed by H NMR. Blending of modified starch and PLLA in the presence compatibilizer with different amounts and mol% PVAc was acquired using internal mixer at 160°C for 15 min. Effects of PVAc content and the amount of compatibilizer on mechani cal properties of polymer blend were studied. Results revealed that t ensile strength and tensile modulus of polymer blend with higher PVAc g rafting content compatibilizer showed better properties than that o f lower PVAc grafting content compatibilizer. The amount of comp atibilizer was found optimized in the range of 0.5-1.0 Wt% dependi ng on the mol% PVAc. Keywords—starch, PLLA, compatibilizer, free radical polymerization, blending


Mass incarceration. In recent years it's become clear that the size of America's prison population is unsustainable – and isn't needed to protect public safety. In this remarkable bipartisan collaboration, the country's most prominent public figures and experts join together to propose ideas for change. In these original essays, many authors speak out for the first time on the issue. The vast majority agree that reducing our incarcerated population is a priority. Marking a clear political shift on crime and punishment in America, these sentiments are a far cry from politicians racing to be the most punitive in the 1980s and 1990s. Mass incarceration threatens American democracy. Hiding in plain sight, it drives economic inequality, racial injustice, and poverty. How do we achieve change? From using federal funding to bolster police best practices to allowing for the release of low-level offenders while they wait for trial, from eliminating prison for low-level drug crimes to increasing drug and mental health treatment, the ideas in this book pave a way forward. Solutions promises to further the intellectual and political momentum to reform our justice system.


The failures of peace interventions are often associated with their exogenously conceived and technocratic nature, which discount complexity within and diversity between post-conflict contexts. In response, scholars have resorted to concepts of empowerment, resistance, hybridity and friction to refocus post-conflict policymaking away from 'top-down' and towards 'bottom-up' processes. Any such efforts, however, require that policymakers understand the local drivers and everyday experiences of peace interventions across a range of cases, a task for which the current tools of the intervention experts have proven unsuited. This article, therefore, proposes an Ethnographic Peace Research (EPR) agenda that would provide access for and influence to the 'peace kept' and decentre the intervention experts in peacebuilding policy. In its effort to influence policy, however, an EPR agenda faces substantial challenges. These include, among others, the failure of academics to communicate clearly to non-academic audiences, the ideological biases of policymakers and the relentless simplification of complexity. However, as will be discussed and evidenced using a variety of cases below, an EPR approach also has a number of strengths that can enhance its relevance for policy, serve to decentre the intervention experts and develop a credible alternative bottom-up approach to policymaking in post-conflict states.


We present the architecture and usability evaluation of virtual reality system—"Positive Bike"—designed for improving cognitive and motor conditions in frail elderly patients. The system consists of a cycle-ergometer integrated in an immersive virtual reality system (CAVE) which allows combining motor and cognitive exercises according to a "dual-task" paradigm. We tested the usability and user's experience of the prototype in a pilot evaluation study that involved five elderly patients. The prototype was tested in one-session training to understand the limitations and areas for improvement of our system. The evaluation consisted in (i) usability assessment using the system usability scale; (ii) evaluation of user's engagement using the flow state scale; and (iii) expert evaluation involving interviews with domain experts. Results showed a good usability, both for system usability scale and the semi-structured interview. The level of flow (i.e., enjoyment with the task at hand) measured using the short flow state scale, was also high. Analysis of semi-structured interview carried out with domain experts provided further indications to improve the system. Overall, these findings show that, despite some limitations, the system is usable and provides an enjoyable user's experience.


A cooperative multi-agent learning system consists of two or more learners or learning agents that cooperate rather than compete whilst attempting to complete the task at hand. The learners have the ability to learn together thus utilising one another's strengths and alleviating individual weaknesses. The paper describes the cooperative inductive learning team (CILT) multi-agent learning system that consists of two or more machine learners which induce rules from training examples. By cooperating, the individual results of the machine learners are improved and a team knowledge-base, that contains the best team results, is created.


Abstract This paper introduces a wavelet-based method to analyze instability events in a boiling water reactor (BWR) during transient phenomena. The methodology to analyze BWR signals includes the following: (a) the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) analysis, (b) decomposition using the continuous wavelet transform (CWT), and (c) application of multiresolution analysis (MRA) using discrete wavelet transform (DWT). STFT analysis permits the study, in time, of the spectral content of analyzed signals. The CWT provides information about ruptures, discontinuities, and fractal behavior. To detect these important features in the signal, a mother wavelet has to be chosen and applied at several scales to obtain optimum results. MRA allows fast implementation of the DWT. Features like important frequencies, discontinuities, and transients can be detected with analysis at different levels of detail coefficients. The STFT was used to provide a comparison between a classic method and the wavelet-based method. The damping ratio, which is an important stability parameter, was calculated as a function of time. The transient behavior can be detected by analyzing the maximum contained in detail coefficients at different levels in the signal decomposition. This method allows analysis of both stationary signals and highly nonstationary signals in the timescale plane. This methodology has been tested with the benchmark power instability event of Laguna Verde nuclear power plant (NPP) Unit 1, which is a BWR-5 NPP.


Semidefinite programming relaxations complement polyhedral relaxations for quadratic optimization, but global optimization solvers built on polyhedral relaxations cannot fully exploit this advantage. This paper develops linear outer-approximations of semidefinite constraints that can be effectively integrated into global solvers. The difference from previous work is that our proposed cuts are (i) sparser with respect to the number of nonzeros in the row and (ii) explicitly selected to improve the objective. We select which cuts to generate using objective structure and explore engineering trade-offs for sparsity patterns, e.g. cut dimensionality and chordal extensions. A neural network estimator is key to our cut selection strategy: ranking each cut based on objective improvement involves solving a semidefinite optimization problem, but this is an expensive proposition at each Branch&Cut node. The neural network estimator, trained a priori of any instance to solve, takes the computation offline by predicting the objective improvement for any cut. Most of this paper discusses quadratic programming, but we show our ideas also extend to quadratic constraints.


Although there has been increasing interest in rural enterprises, relatively little has been written on enterprise and entrepreneurship on islands where problems tend to be different, additional and exaggerated. Economic and cultural development agencies intervene to support such remote and isolated communities but the significance of the dominant metropolitan paradigm in the peripheralization of those establishing and running businesses on islands needs critiqued. This article contrasts experiences but highlights similarities, rather than differences, of rural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and comparative Northern European locations. The key role of social capital, cultural values and norms is analysed and comment presented on small island experiences. Arguments are made for policies to be proofed for locational differences and for further research to understand the opportunities offered by islands and coastal communities in a world where the particularities of place and space are increasingly valued, and aspects of remoteness can be rearticulated to good effect.


We show how to enlarge the νMSM (the minimal extension of the standard model by three righthanded neutrinos) to incorporate inflation and provide a common source for electroweak symmetry breaking and for right-handed neutrino masses. In addition to inflation, the resulting theory can explain simultaneously dark matter and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe; it is consistent with experiments on neutrino oscillations and with all astrophysical and cosmological constraints on sterile neutrino as a dark matter candidate. The mass of inflaton can be much smaller than the


In this study we examine poverty in local fisheries using a social-ecological resilience lens. In assessing why "fishery may rhyme with poverty", Christophe Bene suggests a typology of impoverishment processes, which includes economic exclusion, social marginalization, class exploitation, and political disempowerment as key mechanisms that accelerate poverty. We extend his analysis by exploring these four mechanisms further and by intertwining them with processes of environmental change and degradation. Our goal is to understand poverty in local fisheries as a process rooted in social and institutional factors as influenced by ecological dynamics. We argue that understanding poverty will require a focus on the social-ecological system (SES) as a whole, and addressing poverty will mean rebuilding not only collapsed stocks but the entire social-ecological system, including restoring relationships between resources and people. Information from two cases, the Chilika Lagoon on the Bay of Bengal in India, and the Paraty region on the southeastern coast of Brazil, is used to understand how fishery social-ecological systems come under pressure from drivers at multiple levels, resulting in a range of impacts and pushing the system to a breaking point or collapse. We analyze elements of what it takes for the whole system to break down or collapse and push fishers into poverty and marginalization. The Chilika SES has already broken down, and the Paraty SES is under pressure from multiple drivers of change. The two cases help contrast key dynamics in the social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental spheres, for lessons on system collapse and recovery. Rebuilding fisheries may be examined as a process of building and strengthening resilience. The challenge is to make the fishery social-ecological system more resilient, with more flexibility and options, not only within fishing activities but also within a range of other sectors.


Microstructure and mechanical properties of AM50+xTi (x=0,0.01,0.1wt%) magnesium alloys extruded from as-cast and solution treated conditions have been studied. Results show that Ti element obviously refines the microstructure of AM50 magnesium alloy and Mg17Al12 phase. Only 0.01 wt% Ti addition can make the Mg17Al12 phase turn into particles and small rod-like shape. Ti addition improves tensile strength at room temperature, and obviously improves elongation at elevated temperatures up to 200°C. The AM50+xTi alloys extruded from as-cast have better tensile strength at room temperature and better elongation at 100°C, 150°C and 200°C than that of AM50+xTi alloys extruded from solution treatment; The plasticity of AM50 magnesium alloys increases with Ti content increasing and temperature increasing for the tensile fractograph.


Be Under Your Own Influence (BUYOI) is a previously validated school-based intervention designed to delay adolescent substance use (SU) initiation. This study examined the effectiveness of a culturally-adapted version of BUYOI in delaying SU initiation among reservation-dwelling American Indian (AI) youth. Five reservation-based middle schools participated. Three schools were randomly assigned to receive BUYOI-AI (N = 321), and two schools served as controls (N = 176). Beginning in 7th grade, all participating students completed four assessments over the study period. Discrete time hazard models estimated the effects of BUYOI on students' risk of initiating alcohol, alcohol intoxication and marijuana before the end of 8th grade. AI students exposed to BUYOI had a lower risk of initiating alcohol use or intoxication, though sex moderated the effect on intoxication. These findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of a culturally-adapted version of BUYOI in delaying AI youth's first-time alcohol use and intoxication.


sition that cholesterol redu ction lowers overall mort ality in people who have no evid ence to suggest existing card iovascular disease. tw Two randomised controlled tr ials of ca rdiovascular risk assessm ent, including cholesterol screening of middle-aged people encountered in general practice, suggest that mass screening may not be a cost-effective stra tegy for reducin g card iovascul ar risk.IOU 06 In the case of people at high risk, measurement of plasma lipid levels should be regarded as an essent ial component of the risk management strate gy. In the case of those who are not in the high-risk cat egory, any decision is based on expert opinion rather than hard evidence. (£4) Recommendations for screen ing in the genera l population are given later.


Objectives: The use of dexmedetomidine and ketamine (DEX–KET) combination for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sedation has not been evaluated. We investigated the efficacy and safety of DEX–KET for sedation of patients undergoing MRI of the brain. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted to compare the DEX–KET combination and midazolam for MRI sedation. We included 72 patients undergoing brain MRI following bolus injection of midazolam or DEX–KET. In August 1, 2016 a new MRI sedation protocol was implemented. After protocol implementation, bolus doses of DEX–KET were administered (DEX–KET group). Thirty-six patients from the MIDA group and 36 patients from the DEX–KET group underwent MRI sequences and were compared regarding the MRI scan time and sedation-related complications (desaturation, hypotension, cardiorespiratory arrest, and aspiration pneumonia). Results: All MRI sequences were completed for 30 patients (83.3%) from the MIDA group and for 33 patients (91.7%) from the DEX–KET group (P = 0.476). The median MRI scan time was 100.0 min (interquartile range, 87.0–111.5 min) in the MIDA group and 53.5 min (interquartile range, 45.0–60.5 min) in the DEX–KET group (P < 0.001). Complications occurred in 24 (66.7%) and 8 (22.2%) patients of the MIDA and DEX–KET group, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The efficacy of DEX–KET sedation was comparable to that of midazolam for MRI examination. DEX–KET was related to shorter scan time and lower occurrence of complications compared to midazolam.


Everyone is unique. Given the same visual stimuli, people's attention is driven by both salient visual cues and their own inherent preferences. Knowledge of visual preferences not only facilitates understanding of fine-grained attention patterns of diverse users, but also has the potential of benefiting the development of customized applications. Nevertheless, existing saliency models typically limit their scope to attention as it applies to the general population and ignore the variability between users' behaviors. In this paper, we identify the critical roles of visual preferences in attention modeling, and for the first time study the problem of user-aware saliency modeling. Our work aims to advance attention research from three distinct perspectives: (1) We present a new model with the flexibility to capture attention patterns of various combinations of users, so that we can adaptively predict personalized attention, user group attention, and general saliency at the same time with one single model; (2) To augment models with knowledge about the composition of attention from different users, we further propose a principled learning method to understand visual attention in a progressive manner; and (3) We carry out extensive analyses on publicly available saliency datasets to shed light on the roles of visual preferences. Experimental results on diverse stimuli, including naturalistic images and web pages, demonstrate the advantages of our method in capturing the distinct visual behaviors of different users and the general saliency of visual stimuli.


Importance
Heart failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The use of risk scores has the potential to improve targeted use of interventions by clinicians that improve patient outcomes, but this hypothesis has not been tested in a randomized trial.

Objective
To evaluate whether prognostic information in heart failure translates into improved decisions about initiation and intensity of treatment, more appropriate end-of-life care, and a subsequent reduction in rates of hospitalization or death.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This was a pragmatic, multicenter, electronic health record-based, randomized clinical trial across the Yale New Haven Health System, comprising small community hospitals and large tertiary care centers. Patients hospitalized for heart failure who had N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels of greater than 500 pg/mL and received intravenous diuretics within 24 hours of admission were automatically randomly assigned to the alert (intervention) or usual-care groups.

Interventions
The alert group had their risk of 1-year mortality calculated using an algorithm that was derived and validated using similar historic patients in the electronic health record. This estimate, including a categorical risk assessment, was presented to clinicians while they were interacting with a patient's electronic health record.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcome was a composite of 30-day hospital readmissions and all-cause mortality at 1 year.

Results
Between November 27, 2019, through March 7, 2021, 3124 patients were randomly assigned to the alert (1590 [50.9%]) or usual-care (1534 [49.1%]) group. The alert group had a median (IQR) age of 76.5 (65-86) years, and 796 were female patients (50.1%). Patients from the following race and ethnicity groups were included: 13 Asian (0.8%), 324 Black (20.4%), 136 Hispanic (8.6%), 1448 non-Hispanic (91.1%), 1126 White (70.8%), 6 other ethnicity (0.4%), and 127 other race (8.0%). The usual-care group had a median (IQR) age of 77 (65-86) years, and 788 were female patients (51.4%). Patients from the following race and ethnicity groups were included: 11 Asian (1.4%), 298 Black (19.4%), 162 Hispanic (10.6%), 1359 non-Hispanic (88.6%), 1077 White (70.2%), 13 other ethnicity (0.9%), and 137 other race (8.9%). Median (IQR) NT-proBNP levels were 3826 (1692-8241) pg/mL in the alert group and 3867 (1663-8917) pg/mL in the usual-care group. A total of 284 patients (17.9%) and 270 patients (17.6%) were admitted to the intensive care unit in the alert and usual-care groups, respectively. A total of 367 patients (23.1%) and 359 patients (23.4%) had a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less in the alert and usual-care groups, respectively. The model achieved an area under the curve of 0.74 in the trial population. The primary outcome occurred in 619 patients (38.9%) in the alert group and 603 patients (39.3%) in the usual-care group (P = .89). There were no significant differences between study groups in the prescription of heart failure medications at discharge, the placement of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or referral to palliative care.

Conclusions and Relevance
Provision of 1-year mortality estimates during heart failure hospitalization did not affect hospitalization or mortality, nor did it affect clinical decision-making.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03845660.


Gas-phase transient species, such as the CH₃CO₂ and HOCO free radicals, play important roles in combustion and environment chemistry. In this thesis work, the dynamics of these two radicals were studied by dissociative photodetachment (DPD) of the negative ions, CH₃CO₂-С and HOCO⁻, respectively. The experiments were carried out with a fast-ion-beam photoelectron-photofragment coincidence (PPC) spectrometer. Mass-selected molecular anions in a fast ion beam were intercepted by a linearly polarized laser pulse. Three dimensional velocities of the resulting photoelectron and photofragments were measured in coincidence by time- and position-sensitive detectors, providing complete kinematic descriptions of the DPD dynamics. The energetics and dynamics of CH₃CO₂were studied by the DPD of acetate anion at photon energy of Ehv = 3.49 eV and 4.82 eV. Evidence for several low-lying electronic states of the CH₃CO₂ radical were observed. While a stable CH₃CO₂ channel (10%) was found, most CH₃CO₂ radicals (90%) lead to a dissociation channel forming CH₃ + CO₂ products with 72% of the available energy partitioned into translational degrees of freedom at Ehv = 3.49 eV. The potential energy surface of HOCO and the dynamics of the OH + CO-> H + CO₂ reaction were explored by DPD of HOCO⁻ and DOCO⁻ at a photon energy of Ehv = 3.21 eV. The PPC experiments allow the identification of photodetachment processes leading to the production of stable HOCO free radicals and both the H + CO₂ and OH + CO dissociation channels. The PPC spectra and branching ratio analysis are consistent with a role for a tunneling mechanism in the production of H + CO₂. Evidence was also shown that vibrationally excited HOCO⁻ anions play a role in the observed DPD process. The near-threshold one- and two-photon photodetachment dynamics of HOCO⁻ at Ehv = 1.60 eV was also studied. An anisotropic photoelectron angular distribution (PAD) consistent with a strong molecular alignment was observed in the two-photon process. A quantitative analysis of the PAD reveals this is associated with a temporary anion formed by a p-wave shape resonance and the PAD in the two-photon signal is a result of interfering s- and d-partial waves within the atomic approximation. Finally, the photoelectron-photofragment angular correlations in the one- and two-photon DPD of HOCO⁻ and DOCO⁻ were investigated. The results show a transition dipole transition in the plane of symmetry for the DPD of HOCO⁻. The HOCO and DOCO lifetimes were examined as a function of the orientation of transition dipole and were estimated to be less than 9x10⁻¹³ sec and 1.3x10⁻¹² sec, respectively. Measurement of the two-photon photofragment angular distribution in the OH + CO channel confirmed the alignment of HOCO⁻ inferred from the two- photon PADs


Medication safety is a hot topic around the world but tends to focus on what professionals believe about prescribing, supply and safe administration of medicines.1 Historically, less attention has been paid to the patient or carer's perspective, including how they take or give medicines at home. One key question that we ought to consider routinely is this: what does the patient or carer do with a medicine once they are away from the gaze of the healthcare professional? Emerging patient medication safety data from the home setting is raising concerns. For instance, in some studies it was estimated that 9 out of every 10 parents, carers or family members have administered a medicine incorrectly at some point.2 Such errors included dosage mistakes, wrong medication and wrong route of administration. We acknowledge that what health professionals deem to be 'incorrect' may be deliberate and reasoned by carers or patients, and this issue is beyond the scope of this article. However, legitimate concern about mistakes in using medicines is matched by an inertia within the healthcare system to identify and address such problems. More research is needed into medication administration errors in patients' homes. Healthcare professionals may be more concerned about the administration of complex or high-risk medicines, such as oral anticancer agents, anticoagulants, insulins or biologics, and of course, it is critical that patients use these safely. However, our view is that we have neglected to check as part of our routine practice that administration of medicines is correct for lower risk or more commonly used tablets, capsules and …


The paper aims to analyse the phenomenon of self-presentation in business surroundings - a behavioural mode by which it is strived under public business surroundings to achieve an agreement and to avoid repudiating orienting to universally adapted norms and other people's expectations. In the article the main strategies of self-presentation are described, which are used in business meetings and negotiation situations. The motivation of self-presentation develops under public situations, because it is characteristic of a person to take an interest in people how they consider and evaluate other people. Therefore, a person realising himself as a social object, tries to perceive and see himself as such who can be seen by others, and, representing himself correspondingly in business meetings and negotiation, tries to show himself to be accepted and evaluated, and/or in such a way that when regulating other people's impressions on himself, when getting particular results in business, he or she could confirm his (her) own identity. The paper enlarges the understanding of self-presentation, which influences both person's identity and his state shaping in business interaction.


Few studies have been published about analgesic management practices during sickle cell pain crisis. Therefore, we reviewed the records of all hospitalized children with this complication during a recent five-year period. The 38 patients (98 painful episodes) who received intravenous narcotic therapy were the subjects of this review. In 76 patients, an initial intravenous bolus injection of morphine sulfate or meperidine hydrochloride was followed by a continuous intravenous infusion of one of these two drugs. To achieve adequate pain control, adjustments in infusion rates were made according to a written protocol. In 22 other patients, subsequent narcotic treatment consisted only of intermittent intravenous bolus injections of meperidine. Satisfactory pain relief was achieved in all 98 episodes. Patients given continuous infusions required more narcotic to control their pain and had more side effects than those treated with bolus injections alone, suggesting a dose-response relationship between narcotic dose and several known side effects. Common side effects included nausea and vomiting, lethargy, and abdominal distention. Although clinically evident respiratory depression was quite uncommon, chest syndrome was a frequent complication, and severe respiratory distress occurred in three patients. Narcotic withdrawal or addiction was not observed. With careful monitoring (including special attention directed to avoiding dosing error), continuous intravenous narcotic infusions are safe and provide effective pain relief for severe sickle cell pain crisis.


BACKGROUND
Targeted temperature management is a standard therapy for unconscious survivors of cardiac arrest. To date, multiple cooling methods are available including invasive intravascular cooling devices (IVDs), which are widely used in the clinical setting. Recently, esophageal heat exchangers (EHEs) have been developed providing cooling via the esophagus that is located close to the aorta and inferior vena cava. The objective was to compare mean cooling rates, as well as differences, to target temperature during maintenance and the rewarming period of IVD and EHE.

METHODS
The study was conducted in 16 female domestic pigs. After randomization to either IVD or EHE (n = 8/group), core body temperature was reduced to 33°C. After 24 hours of maintenance (33°C), animals were rewarmed using a target rate of 0.25°C/h for 10 hours. All cooling phases were steered by a closed-loop feedback system between the internal jugular vein and the chiller. After euthanasia, laryngeal and esophageal tissue was harvested for histopathological examination.

RESULTS
Mean cooling rates (4.0°C/h ± 0.4°C/h for IVD and 2.4°C/h ± 0.3°C/h for EHE; P < .0008) and time to target temperature (85.1 ± 9.2 minutes for IVD and 142.0 ± 21.2 minutes for EHE; P = .0008) were different. Mean difference to target temperature during maintenance (0.07°C ± 0.05°C for IVD and 0.08°C ± 0.10°C for EHE; P = .496) and mean rewarming rates (0.2°C/h ± 0.1°C/h for IVD and 0.3°C/h ± 0.2°C/h for EHE; P = .226) were similar. Relevant laryngeal or esophageal tissue damage could not be detected. There were no significant differences in undesired side effects (eg, bradycardia or tachycardia, hypokalemia or hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, hypotension, overcooling, or shivering).

CONCLUSIONS
After insertion, target temperatures could be reached faster by IVD compared to EHE. Cooling performance of IVD and EHE did not significantly differ in maintaining target temperature during a targeted temperature management process and in active rewarming protocols according to intensive care unit guidelines in this experimental setting.


Objectives: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are circulating mononuclear cells with the capacity to mature into endothelial cells and contribute to vascular repair. We assessed the effect of local vascular injury during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on circulating EPCs in patients with coronary artery disease. Design and setting: Prospective case-control study in a university teaching hospital. Patients: 54 patients undergoing elective coronary angiography. Interventions and main outcome measures: EPCs were quantified by flow cytometry (CD34+KDR+ phenotype) complemented by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the colony forming unit (CFU-EC) functional assay, before and during the first 24 hours after diagnostic angiography (n = 27) or PCI (n = 27). Results: Coronary intervention, but not diagnostic angiography, resulted in an increase in blood neutrophil count (p<0.001) and C-reactive protein concentrations (p = 0.001) in the absence of significant myocardial necrosis. Twenty-four hours after PCI, CFU-ECs increased threefold (median [IQR], 4.4 [1.3–13.8] vs 16.0 [2.1–35.0], p = 0.01), although circulating CD34+KDR+ cells (0.019% (SEM 0.004%) vs 0.016% (0.003%) of leucocytes, p = 0.62) and leucocyte CD34 mRNA (relative quantity 2.3 (0.5) vs 2.1 (0.4), p = 0.21) did not. There was no correlation between CFU-ECs and CD34+KDR+ cells. Conclusions: Local vascular injury following PCI results in a systemic inflammatory response and increases functional CFU-ECs. This increase was not associated with an early mobilisation of CD34+KDR+ cells, suggesting these cells are not the primary source of EPCs involved in the immediate response to vascular injury.


On July 30 the COVID-19 pandemic expanded to over 17 million cases and over 660 thousand deaths worldwide (Dong et al., 2020). High-risk populations include people older than 65 years, with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, and immunocompromised patients (Sokolowska et al., 2020). Primary immunodeficient patients have been identified as a high-risk population for infectious diseases including viral infections (Sokolowska et al., 2020) and severe COVID-19 (Wang et al., 2020). However, the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the course of the disease in these patients is not well known (Gao et al., 2020;Shaker et al., 2020). The impact of tailored healthcare on these patients for COVID-19 has not been stablished (Waltuch et al., 2020;Zhong et al., 2020). Although immunoglobulin replacement protects them against various types of infections, its role against COVID-19 is not guaranteed (Waltuch et al., 2020) because of the lack of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies (Sanders et al., 2020). Furthermore, it remains unclear if immunomodulation could play a role in immunodeficient patients (Waltuch et al., 2020;Zhong et al., 2020) or in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) (Waltuch et al., 2020;Yáñez et al., 2020b). The COVID-19 pandemic burden has called for urgent therapeutic solutions in treating infected patients (Sanders et al., 2020). However, its poorly understood pathophysiological process remains a therapeutic challenge, especially in high risk populations as primary immunodeficiency patients (Sanders et al., 2020). Various specific and unspecific targets for SARS-CoV-2 are currently been evaluated in various preclinical and clinical studies. Some of the relevant targets include anti IL-6R antibodies, IL-1 R antagonists, JAK-STAT inhibitors, CD147 antibodies, convalescent plasma, eculizumab targeting complement C5, immunomodulators and anti-inflammatory drugs (Sanders et al., 2020). However, the inclusion of primary immunodeficiency patients is not part of the drug development paradigm. Colchicine is a drug used in various auto-inflammatory disorders such as Familiar Mediterranean Fever and Bechet disease (Maggiore and Manenti, 2020) that have a close correlation with primary immunodeficiency (Savic et al., 2020). The mechanism of action of colchicine is based on counteracting the assembly of the NLRP3 inflammasome and mitigating the interleukin activation (Deftereos et al., 2020) and potentially preventing the cytokine storm (Montealegre-Gómez et al., 2020) via presumably the viroporin E (Castaño-Rodriguez et al., 2018). Four (4) randomized clinical trials are in progress to assess colchicine efficacy in COVID-19 patients administered alone or in combination with Lopinavir/Ritonavir (Deftereos et al., 2020). However, these Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials do not include primary immunodeficiency patients.Brazil is currently the second country in the world with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 with over 2 million cases (Dong et al., 2020). Even though there is no clear data of the total burden of primary immunodeficient patients in Brazil, it is estimated that 160,000 cases can be accounted for (Carneiro-Sampaio et al., 2013). Challenges in clinical diagnosis and auxiliary methods for primary immunodeficiencies have historically been a problem, but also in the treatment of these patients in both the public and private sectors specially in Latin America (Costa-Carvalho et al., 2017). The latter has become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic where special care protocols for patients with immunodeficiencies are needed. However, clinics currently are focused in performing PCR tests, blood testing for antibodies, CT-scans, and consultation visits of COVID-19 confirmed or suspected cases. Thus, an immunocompromised patient would not be able to go to a regular clinic nowadays because the risk would be too high (Shaker et al., 2020). Because of the deep concern in these patients, in our clinic in Brazil we have implemented telemedicine to monitor and continue their treatment. However, in-office consultations are still necessary to attend certain cases and because of this we have implemented strict in-office protocols. Our healthcare workers involved in the care of patients with immunodeficiencies must follow rules of behavior and social responsibility to avoid the spread of the virus. Furthermore, our healthcare workers undergo constant training to answer all their COVID-19 related concerns and provide psychological support when needed in order to avoid anxiety, distress and intention to change jobs (Yáñez et al., 2020a). We are also in the approval stage of a Phase 3 clinical trial in Brazil to evaluate effect of colchicine in COVID-19 patients (n=200). We are also in discussion with the Brazilian authorities to start a clinical trial that includes primary immunodeficient and COVID-19 concomitant patients in order to better understand the course of the disease in this population and assess potential immunomodulating treatments. The COVID-19 pandemic is a deep concern for the primary immunodeficient patients, we urge to re-evaluate their inclusion in COVID-19 clinical trials, and to pay closer attention to their proper care, treatment and monitoring in clinics. This is the right time to not overlook this neglected high-risk population in order to offer them opportune, secure and quality care.


"Vision, Perception, and Cognition, Fourth Edition" is a concisely structured text that expertly addresses clinical reasoning and decision making for the entire evaluation and treatment process of the adult with acquired brain injury. Provided are theoretical information, guidelines for both static and dynamic assessment, information on specific standardized evaluations, guidelines for adaptive and restorative treatment based on described theoretical and evidence-based information, and information on environmental impact of client performance. Inside this best-selling book, Barbara Zoltan, MA, OTR/L addresses visual, perceptual, and cognitive evaluation and treatment, providing structure, clarity, and content suitable for both students and experienced clinicians. Updated and expanded to reflect current practice and relevant research, "Vision, Perception, and Cognition, Fourth Edition" is a unique resource that takes the reader from theory to practice in a practical and detailed way. Students and clinicians will benefit from the numerous tables, figures, and extensive references presented throughout the text, as well as the inclusion of a glossary, for easy reference to terminology used throughout "Vision, Perception, and Cognition, Fourth Edition". Faculty will be impressed by the addition of an on-line instructor's manual for additional classroom learning objectives and activities. Component areas covered include: Primary visual skills; Apraxia and agnosia; Visual discrimination skills; Orientation; Attention; Memory; Self-awareness and monitoring; Planning and organization; Problem solving and decision making; Categorization; Mental flexibility; Abstraction; Generalization and transfer; and, Acalculia.


What does it mean to embed the phenomena in an abstract structure? Or to represent them by doing so? The semantic view of theories runs into a severe problem if these notions are construed either naively, in a metaphysical way, or too closely on the pattern of the earlier syntactic view. Constructive empiricism and structural realism will then share those difficulties. The problem will be posed as in Reichenbach's The Theory of Relativity and A Priori Knowledge, and realist reactions will be examined, but they will be argued to dissolve upon scrutiny.


Introduction The purpose of this report was to describe a very rare case of simultaneous bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture seen in a patient who was diagnosed as having diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. Case Presentation A man aged 64 years presented to the emergency department with bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture. Surgical repair was performed with suture anchors and a stainless steel cable. His legs were immobilized in casts for six weeks. After removal of the casts, physiotherapy was started. Four months after surgery, he was able to walk with 0°–120° range of motion and active extension. He was followed up for 8 years without rerupture or other complications. Conclusion Bilateral rupture of the quadriceps tendon is a rare condition and generally related to metabolic disorders. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis is a metabolic disorder that causes bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture, and it accounted for the differential diagnosis of the underlying condition.


The conversion of ethane on zinc-containing zeolites SSZ-13 (CHA), ZSM-5 (MFI) and beta (*BEA) and ethylene on Zn-containing ZSM-5 was investigated using a flow micro-reactor at a temperature of 773 K and atmospheric pressure. Zinc was incorporated in the zeolites (Si/Al = 11–25) and in silicalite-1 by ion exchange (Zn 5% w/w and Zn/BAS > 3). Drying of wet-impregnated samples by freeze-drying led to better dispersion of subnano-sized clusters of ZnO in the zeolite pores, compared to drying in an oven. The samples were characterized by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen physisorption and chemical analysis; the density of Bronsted acid sites (BAS) was measured by TPD-TGA of 2-propanamine. It was shown that several zinc sites (Zn2+, [Zn–O–Zn]2+ dimers at ion exchange positions, and (ZnO)n clusters) can catalyze ethane activation and higher zinc content resulted in higher reaction rates. However, Zn in the Lewis acid site position (Zn2+ and [Zn–O–Zn]2+) can perform aromatization. Small ZnO clusters can only catalyze dehydrogenation reaction, and on their own did not catalyze aromatization, as 5% Zn-silicalite-1 catalyzed ethane dehydrogenation to ethylene while it showed slow reaction rates for ethylene conversion. The catalytic properties of Zn-ZSM-5 for ethane/ethylene aromatization depend on the balance between the number of metal/Lewis acid sites and BAS (Zn/BAS). For ethane as a reactant, Zn/BAS < 0.8 favored ethylene formation while by increasing Zn/BAS both conversion and formation of aromatics were increased, implying the essential role of Zn sites in ethane aromatization. For ethylene as a reactant, Zn/BAS = 3.8 resulted in predominant ethane formation while at Zn/BAS = 0.8 aromatics formation was predominant. The difference in product selectivity for ethane/ethylene conversion with respect to Zn/BAS could be due to the fact that ethylene, unlike ethane, can react rapidly on BAS.


BACKGROUND: Multiple passes and attempts while administering spinal anesthesia are associated with a greater incidence of postdural puncture headache, paraesthesia, and spinal hematoma. We hypothesized that the routine use of a preprocedural ultrasound-guided paramedian technique for spinal anesthesia would reduce the number of passes required to achieve entry into the subarachnoid space when compared with the conventional landmark-guided midline approach. METHODS: One hundred consenting patients scheduled for elective total joint replacements (hip and knee) were randomized into group C (conventional) and group P (preprocedural ultrasound-guided paramedian technique) with 50 in each group. The patients were blinded to the study group. All spinal anesthetics were administered by a consultant anesthesiologist. In group C, spinal anesthetic was done via the midline approach using clinically palpated landmarks. In group P, a preprocedural ultrasound scan was used to mark the paramedian insertion site, and spinal anesthetic was performed via the paramedian approach. RESULTS: The average number of passes (defined as the number of forward advancements of the spinal needle in a given interspinous space, i.e., withdrawal and redirection of spinal needle without exiting the skin) in group P was approximately 0.34 times that in group C, a difference that was statistically significant (P = 0.01). Similarly, the average number of attempts (defined as the number of times the spinal needle was withdrawn from the skin and reinserted) in group P was approximately 0.25 times that of group C (P = 0.0021). In group P, on an average, it took 81.5 (99% confidence interval, 68.4–97 seconds) seconds longer to identify the landmarks than in group C (P = 0.0002). All other parameters, including grading of palpated landmarks, time taken for spinal anesthetic injection, periprocedural pain scores, periprocedural patient discomfort visual analog scale score, conversion to general anesthetic, paresthesia, and radicular pain during needle insertion, were similar between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Routine use of paramedian spinal anesthesia in the orthopedic patient population undergoing joint replacement surgery, guided by preprocedure ultrasound examination, significantly decreases the number of passes and attempts needed to enter the subarachnoid space.


Licensing can be a solution for hold-up in patent thickets. In this paper we study whether licensing is an effective solution for hold-up. To do this we distinguish between ex ante and ex post licensing. A theoretical model shows that firms' expectations of blocking in a patent thicket determine whether they license ex ante while ex post licensing arises if expected blocking was low but realized blocking turns out to be high. It can also be shown that ex ante licensing will allow firms to reduce their patenting efforts. A sample selection model of licensing is derived from the theoretical model. Applying this to data from the semiconductor industry we show that licensing does help firms to resolve blocking. However, the probability of observing licensing decreases as fragmentation of property rights increases and arises mainly between large firms with similar market shares. Licensing experience is also an important determinant of licensing. As expected ex ante licensing allows firms to reduce the level of patenting.


Lymphocytes are reported to express nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). However, no data are available on the expression of these nAChR on activated lymphocyte relatively to resting lymphocytes. In this study, we examined nAChR subunits expression in PHA-stimulated versus un-stimulated lymphocytes, and four leukemic cell lines. Cell stimulation with nicotine triggered calcium responses only in some experiments conducted with PHA-stimulated lymphocytes. Likewise, only the Jurkat and HL-60 cell lines displayed calcium waves upon nicotine stimulation, whereas the Raji and CCRF-CEM did not. All responding cells displayed an active form of the nicotinic a-7 nAChR. Indeed, use of 2 different sets of primers for the corresponding mRNA showed that expression of the full-length a-7 subunit mRNA was only present in PHA-stimulated lymphocytes for which calcium waves had been evidenced. Microscopy analysis of lymphocytes structure showed a direct relationship between their size, their a-7 nAChR expression, and calcium release upon nicotine stimulation. Then, this relationship suggested that lymphocytes need a prime activation to express the a-7 nAChR, and therefore to release calcium in response to nicotine.


Summary When applied to mouse skin, 3 H-labeled 20-methylcholanthrene (MC) is physically absorbed by the chromatin, mitochondria, microsomes, and cytosol of mouse epidermis. Label remained associated with cytosol protein after removal of free MC and any low-molecular-weight metabolites by dialysis, gel filtration, and ultrafiltration; this association reached a maximum around 3 hr after application of MC to mouse skin. Although previous work reported covalent binding to mouse skin cytosol, most of the material bound to cytosol protein after mild isolation of cytosol and removal of low-molecular-weight radioactivity is easily removed by precipitation of the protein with ethanol or trichloroacetic acid. Enzymatic digestion established that most of the MC loosely bound to the cytosol or chromatin was in fact bound to protein. Electrophoresis of the MC-bound cytosol protein on 7% basic polyacrylamide gels showed that most of the activity was associated with a protein fraction that had the same mobility as bovine or mouse serum albumin. The binding to the cytosol fraction and to chromatin was inhibited by the simultaneous application of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene or the promoter 12- O -tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate, and was less inhibited by benz(a)anthracene or the nonpromoter phorbol-13,20-diacetate. We suggest that the binding to the cytosol receptor protein and to chromatin may be involved in the promoting stage of mouse skin tumorigenesis.


SHRIMP U–Pb zircon data obtained from a magnetite gneiss deposit in the southeast Gawler Craton indicate that the protoliths were deposited between 1750 and 1735 Ma. Previously, these iron-rich gneisses were thought to have been a metamorphosed banded iron formation and part of the Neoarchean to early Paleoproterozoic Sleaford Complex. Detrital zircon data provide maximum depositional ages between 1765 Ma and 1740 Ma, with ϵNd(1750) values between –4.6 and –3.3. Metamorphic zircon ages are 1735–1725 Ma, indicating that the magnetite gneiss was formed during the 1730–1690 Ma Kimban Orogeny. The pelitic mineralogy of the magnetite gneiss and presence of detrital zircon demonstrate that the protoliths were not a pure chemical sediment. Correlation with the greenschist facies Price Metasediments in the southern Gawler Craton suggests a series of iron-bearing basins were developed prior to the onset of the Kimban Orogeny and suggest that metamorphism played a role in ore formation.


This thesis provides a study of a single chip, multi-channel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system. The equipment has no moving parts and uses a single sensor "chip" onto which multiple channels can be incorporated. A light emitting diode is used as a photon source while a CCD camera forms the detector. The optical configuration has been designed to achieve a uniform illumination of the sample over a fixed area with a range of incident angles. Poly(ethylene imine), PEI, poly(ethylene-co-maleic acid), PMAE, poly(styrene sulfonate), PSS, and a cationic modified polyacrylic ester, PMADAMBQ, are used as the molecular "bricks" in layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled organic architectures. Reflectivity changes in real time are used to follow the adsorption steps during the deposition of the multilayer films. Sensing experiments are mainly focused on the first row transition metals such as iron (II), nickel (II), copper (II)and zinc (II). Sensing of anionic sodium dodecylbenzene sulphate, C(_12)H(_25)C(_6)H(_4)SO(_3)Na, and a reversible pH-dependent response for a PEI/PMAE/PMADAMBQ LbL film are also reported. Using a two bilayer structure, PEI/PMAE/PMADAMBQ/PMAE, a detection limit of less of one part per million for copper ions in solution is measured. Atomic force microscopy is used to elucidate the morphology of the organic films. In some cases, the visualization of isolated polymeric chains is demonstrated. It is proved that polyelectrolytes of different charge density form dissimilar structures. The outer surface of PEI/PSS bilayers appears to be more uniform than that of PEI/PMAE bilayers. This is believed to have an influence on the sensing performance of the LbL architectures. The use of the SPR sensing system for simultaneous interrogation of different polyelectrolyte thin films is demonstrated. Two different LbL self-assembled films, PEI/PSS and PEI/PMAE, are built-up on the same chip. Their response to a variety of metal ions is shown to be independent and reasonably reproducible. Moreover, consistent results are obtained when using sensing chips stored for a relatively long time.


Latent uncertainty in the context of softwareintensive systems (e.g., Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs)) demands explicit attention right from the start of development. Use case modeling—a commonly used method for specifying requirements in practice, should also be extended for explicitly specifying uncertainty. To this end, we extend the Restricted Use Case Modeling (RUCM) methodology and its supporting tool to specify uncertainty as part of system requirements. Such uncertainties include those caused by insufficient domain expertise of stakeholders, disagreements among them, and known uncertainties pertaining to assumptions about the environment of the system. The extended RUCM, called URUCM, inherits the features of RUCM, such as automated analyses and generation of models, to mention but a few. Consequently, U-RUCM provides all the key benefits offered by RUCM (i.e., reducing ambiguities in requirements), but in addition, it allows specification of uncertainties with the possibilities of reasoning and refining existing ones and even uncovering unknown ones. We evaluated U-RUCM in the context of the U-Test project [1], with two industrial CPS case studies. Evaluation results showed that, with U-RUCM, we were able to get a significantly better and more precise characterization of the uncertainties involved compared to RUCM. This suggests that U-RUCM is an effective tool for dealing with uncertainty in requirements engineering. We present our experience, lessons learned, and future challenges based on the two industrial case studies.


The study of caffeine in racing horses has been of growing concern in veterinary sports medicine since the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) stated that it has no valid therapeutic use in racehorses. We examined the kinetic alterations in the urinary excretion and salivary secretion of caffeine in seven horses subjected to urinary acidification using ascorbic acid because this procedure can simulate the acidosis that follows anaerobic exercise. They participated in two treatment groups: the control group (SG) received 500 ml of saline and then 2.0 mg kg−1 caffeine i.v. 30 min later; and the acidified group (AG) was subjected to urinary acidification with ascorbic acid at a dose of 0.5 g kg−1 i.v. and then 2.0 mg kg−1 caffeine i.v. 30 min later. Samples were collected 30 min before caffeine administration, immediately before caffeine administration (time zero) and at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h afterwards. The samples were assayed by gas chromatography. The mean urinary pH for SG was 8.2, but for AG it was as low as 5.9 at 4 h, extending acidosis for up to 8 h. The kinetic curves for the two groups were similar for urinary excretion and salivary secretion. Differences occurred only in peak excretion and peak secretion in SG obtained at 1 h and 30 min, respectively, and in AG at 2 h and 1 h, respectively. This could be explained, in part, to the diuresis in AG compared with SG, resulting in less concentrated urine in the former group. The large difference between the pKa of caffeine and the pH of the medium may be responsible for the similar pharmacokinetics observed for the two groups. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Metabolic reprogramming plays an important role in tumor progression and antitumor immunity. START domain-containing proteins (STARDs) are responsible for lipid metabolism. However, the underlying functions of STARDs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) have not been clarified yet. Methods: Oncomine, UALCAN, TCGA and CPTAC were used to explore the expression landscape and clinicopathological characteristics of STARDs in LUAD. Diagnostic and prognostic values were assessed by Kaplan-Meier Plotter, Cox regression analysis, and ROC curve. GeneMANIA, GO, KEGG and GSEA were applied for exploring the potential biological functions. Epigenetic process, including mutation and m6A modification were analyzed by cBioPortal and TCGA. TIMER, TISIDB and TCGA cohort provided an immune signature. The correlation between STARDs expression and ferroptosis was analyzed by TCGA. Finally, the STARDs expression were confirmed by RT-qPCR and western blot. Results: STARD5/10/14 were overexpressed in LUAD compared with normal, while STARD4/7/8/11/12/13 were relatively low. STARD5/12/14 levels were positively related to clinical and lymph node stage. Survival analysis showed high STARD12 expression was associated with favorable overall survival, disease special survival as well as disease free survival, while STARD14 showed the opposite. GSEA analysis found STARD12 and STARD14 were associated with glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation and tumor related signaling pathways. STARD12 co-expressed genes participated in cell cycle and DNA replication, and STARD14 were enriched in ECM-receptor interaction. Both STARD12 and STARD14 were corelated with epigenetic regulation, especially TP53 mutation and m6A modification. STARD12 expression was positively correlated with TMB level. The level of STARD12 was significantly associated with the abundance of infiltrating immune cells, including B cells, CD8+T cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and chemokine, receptor, MHC, immunostimulatory related genes. STARD14 was negatively associated with the infiltration of CD8+T cells, while positively with CCL28 and immune checkpoints, including CTLA4 as well as PD-L2. In addition, STARD12/14 could regulate the ferroptosis related genes. Conclusion: STARD12 and STARD14 were expected to be potential biomarkers for LUAD, which were associated with epigenetic regulation, immune infiltration and ferroptosis.


Model-based development is one of the most significant areas in recent research and development activities in the field of automotive industry. As the field of software engineering is evolving, model based development is gaining more and more importance in academia and industry. Therefore, it is desirable to have techniques that are able to identify anomalies in system models during the analysis and design phase instead of identifying them in development phase where it is difficult to detect them and a lot of time, effort and resources are required to fix them. Model checking is a formal verification technique that facilitates the identification of defects in system models during early stages of system development. There are a lot of tools in academia and industry that provide the automated support for model checking. In this master thesis a vehicle control system of Scania the Fuel Level Display System is modeled in two different model checking tools; Simulink Design Verifier and UPPAAL. The requirements that are to be satisfied by the system model are verified by both tools. After verifying the requirements against the system model and checking the model against general design errors, it is established that the model checking can be effectively used for detecting the design errors in early development phases and can help developing better systems. Both the tools are analyzed depending upon the features supported. Moreover, relevance of model checking is studied with respect to ISO 26262 standard.


We develop a set of methods to improve on the results of self-supervised learning using context. We start with a baseline of patch based arrangement context learning and go from there. Our methods address some overt problems such as chromatic aberration as well as other potential problems such as spatial skew and mid-level feature neglect. We prevent problems with testing generalization on common self-supervised benchmark tests by using different datasets during our development. The results of our methods combined yield top scores on all standard self-supervised benchmarks, including classification and detection on PASCAL VOC 2007, segmentation on PASCAL VOC 2012, and "linear tests" on the ImageNet and CSAIL Places datasets. We obtain an improvement over our baseline method of between 4.0 to 7.1 percentage points on transfer learning classification tests. We also show results on different standard network architectures to demonstrate generalization as well as portability. All data, models and programs are available at: https://gdo-datasci.llnl.gov/selfsupervised/.


Acrylic acid grafted cellulose fibre samples with graft efficiencies of 14, 18.3, 43.6, and 63.53% were dyed with basic, direct, and reactive dyes at neutral pH in the absence of electrolyte. Ungrafted cellulose fibre was also dyed to serve as control. Percentage exhaustion of the dyes by the samples as well as the amount of dye adsorbed per kilogram fibre were determined. In all cases, the higher the graft efficiency, the higher the amount of dye adsorbed. Itwas found that the samples adsorbed more malachite green, a basic dye, than the other dye classes used.


Can we reduce unemployment by moving job seekers to areas with better job opportunities? To answer this question, we need data on the distance between job seekers and the jobs they apply to. Using novel data from the popular website CareerBuilder.com, we quantify how application probability declines with distance from the job seekers' zip code of residence. 82% of applications are sent to jobs within the same city (Core-Based Statistical Area, CBSA), but only 46% are sent to jobs within the same county. We build a simple search-and-matching framework in which job seekers have a distaste for distance and use our data to estimate its parameters. Using our model, we nd that US unemployment could be reduced by up to 3% by reallocating job seekers across zip codes. This magnitude of mismatch is similar to what we nd using data aggregated at the CBSA level. Our evidence suggests that the CBSA is an acceptable de nition of a local labor market.


OBJECTIVE
The long-term care (LTC) sector in Canada is expanding, but little attention has been given to medical human resources in this area. Our objective was to seek LTC medical directors' opinions about medical services in LTC and about strategies for recruitment and retention.

DESIGN
Mailed survey.

SETTING
Long-term care facilities and nursing homes.

PARTICIPANTS
Seven hundred five medical directors of LTC facilities across Canada were identified from the Canadian Healthcare Association database.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Responses to open- and closed-ended questions and to Likert-type scales.

RESULTS
The response rate was 55%. The average age of medical directors was 54 years. Most had started work in LTC because of a vacant position, as opposed to self-perceived skills or training. Most (75.3%) reported satisfaction with their role as medical directors, but 82.7% believed that there was a significant shortage of physicians working in LTC, and 42% had seriously considered leaving their positions. Major sources of satisfaction identified were clinical, especially working with older patients and improving care. Important sources of dissatisfaction were remuneration for LTC work, on-call coverage, and excessive paperwork. Directors suggested increases to fee schedules as the main recruitment and retention strategy, and many believed that increasing exposure to LTC during residency would increase recruitment. Development of larger on-call groups for coverage and alternative methods of remuneration were not cited as important factors. Most did not believe that working in a teaching nursing home would increase their satisfaction. Directors did not think the use of nurse practitioners would alleviate concerns about shortages of physicians.

CONCLUSION
Medical directors of LTC facilities are aging, and many are considering leaving their work in LTC. Without an increase in the number of physicians willing to work in LTC institutions, the current shortage of LTC physicians could increase in the near future. Medical directors' responses to questions could help guide strategies to recruit and retain physicians. Future areas of research should include the perspectives of physicians who are not medical directors and of family medicine residents.


Alterations to myelin may be a core pathological feature of neurodegenerative diseases. Although white matter microstructural differences have been described in Parkinson's disease (PD), it is unknown whether such differences include alterations of the brain's myelin content. Thus, the objective of the current study is to measure and compare brain myelin content between PD patients and age-matched controls. In this cross-sectional study, 63 participants from the Longitudinal MRI in Parkinson's Disease study underwent brain MRI, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scoring, and cognitive asessments. Subjects were imaged with the mcDEPSOT (multi-component driven equilibrium single pulse observation of T1 and T2), a multicomponent relaxometry technique that quantifies longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates (R1 and R2, respectively) and the myelin water fraction (VFM), a surrogate for myelin content. A voxel-wise approach was used to compare R1, R2, and VFM measures between PD and control groups, and to evaluate relationships with age as well as disease duration, UPDRS scores, and daily levodopa equivalent dose. PD subjects had higher VFM than controls in frontal and temporal white matter and bilateral thalamus. Greater age was strongly associated with lower VFM in both groups, while an age-by-group interaction suggested a slower rate of VFM decline in the left putamen with aging in PD. Within the PD group, measures of disease severity, including UPDRS, daily levodopa equivalent dose, and disease duration, were observed to be related with myelin content in diffuse brain regions. The age-by-group interaction suggests that either PD or dopaminergic therapies allay observed age-related myelin changes. The relationships between VFM and disease severity measures suggests that VFM may provide a surrogate marker for microstructural changes related to Parkinson's disease.


Background:
It is established that radiation exposure carries a risk for children. The best approach is to use the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle for medical procedures. Peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) placements expose children to a variable amount of radiation. The purpose of this study was to try and determine if procedural experience plays a part in reducing radiation exposure during PICC placements.

Methods:
Pediatric PICC placements by a junior attending pediatric interventional radiologist (JrIR) were reviewed, analyzing for a primary end point of fluoroscopy time (FT). These values were also compared to those of trainees and of a senior pediatric interventional radiologist (SrIR) with 15+ years of experience. Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney U test. P values < .05 were considered significant.

Results:
FT for 685 trainee, 459 JrIR, and 425 SrIR PICC placements were analyzed. No statistically significant decreasing trend in FT was noted for either the JrIR or SrIR over the course of the study period. Trainees required significantly more FT than the JrIR (Trainees = .80 min, JrIR = .70 min, P = .004) or the SrIR (SrIR = .60 min, P < .001), but there was no significant difference between the JrIR and SrIR (P = .058). Furthermore, trainees supervised by non-pediatric IRs had even greater median FT (1.30 min). All of these differences were significantly greater in smaller patients (Age <1) and cases in which increased procedural difficulty was encountered.

Conclusion:
This study suggests that the experience of the proceduralist may reduce radiation exposure in PICC placements, but it does not seem to support linear improvement early in a primary operator's career. The results raise the question as to why the differences exist and may support the use of FT as a metric for analyzing proficiency in IR procedures.


The United States Citizenship and Immigration services (USIS) have a provision that grants refugees who enter the United States permission to work. The government policy requires adult refugees, who are eighteen years and above, get jobs within six months of resettlement. They are to be assisted by agencies specializing in resettlement aid and services to find employment so as to become self-reliant quickly. This study examines the socio-economic dynamics and processes of adjustments the South Sudanese refugees commonly known as the Lost Boys since their resettlement in 2000 in the U.S. The study argues that the resettlement process of the Lost Boys had a problem in the first place in that the Boys were resettled according to their arbitrary given ages. This had important consequences as those resettled as minors had advantages over those resettled as legal adults. The minors, who were resettled as dependents in foster families and started off without economic empowerment, were placed in schools. Those resettled as Legal adults were placed in apartments and were required to start working. This produced a clear reverse trend, in terms of acquisition of social economic capital of the minors over legal adults more than ten years since their resettlement. a crowded place. There's a lot of opportunity. Housing and education is affordable."


Radiation-induced graft immobilization (RIGI) is a novel method for the covalent binding of substances on polymeric materials without the use of additional chemicals. In contrast to the well-known radiation-induced graft polymerization (RIGP), RIGI can use non-vinyl compounds such as small and large functional molecules, hydrophilic polymers, or even enzymes. In a one-step electron-beam-based process, immobilization can be performed in a clean, fast, and continuous operation mode, as required for industrial applications. This study proposes a reaction mechanism using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and two small model molecules, glycine and taurine, in aqueous solution. Covalent coupling of single molecules is achieved by radical recombination and alkene addition reactions, with water radiolysis playing a crucial role in the formation of reactive solute species. Hydroxyl radicals contribute mainly to the immobilization, while solvated electrons and hydrogen radicals play a minor role. Release of fluoride is mainly induced by direct ionization of the polymer and supported by water. Hydrophobic chains attached to cations appear to enhance the covalent attachment of solutes to the polymer surface. Computational work is complemented by experimental studies, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and fluoride high-performance ion chromatography (HPIC).


In India out of the 246,692,667 households there are 53.1% having no latrines. Similarly in the urban
areas out of 78,865,937 there are 18.6% without latrines. Two thirds of Indian homes are devoid of a drinking water facility from a treated tap source. Inadequate water and sanitation impacts women as they face challenges and are widely exposed to vulnerable situation posing a threat to their dignity and
safety. To understand the challenges in accessing water and sanitation provisions a PhD study was conducted in the urban slums of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The findings indicate that 89.5% respondents did not feel safe defecating in the open. 96% women and 40% men controlled the urge to defecate. A key finding of the study was that 68% of the women had experienced violence in some or the other form.


In this paper, we explore the potential of distributed satisfaction techniques as to provide self-regulated manufacturing control. This work relies on a DisCSP-based modeling distributed among agents (e.g. machines) having enough and reasoning capabilities to cooperate and negotiate for a committed schedule. This approach is used to dynamically regulate the system (the network of machines) when perturbations occur (machine break-out, operator or container unavailability, or even priority command). Thus, for these machines, embodied intelligence and autonomy are a mean to provide a more flexible and adaptive manufacturing network. In this paper, we present two different multi-agent models and two extensions of well-known DisCSP solvers. Experiments using a dedicated simulation platform, MASC, are presented and discussed.


Surface roughness is normally regarded as an important criterion for assessing the quality of optic elements; surface roughness of a high-quality optic element is required to be less than RMS1nm. In this paper, a series of experiments has been conducted on the sample magnetorheological finishing machine by using self-prepared magnetorheological liquid as finishing liquid, to assess the removing efficiency of magnetorheological finishing. Optimization of technological parameters enables the authors to obtain a glass-ware with an ideal surface roughness of RMS0.56nm. Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is an advanced technology for processing optic elements that has been developed in recent years. The technology polishes optic elements by using viscoplastic soft media produced by the MRF liquid under the variation of gradient magnetic field. Better than traditional polishing method in shape precision, surface roughness and inner surface destruction, MRF is an ideal technology for obtaining super-precision optic surface.


The pursuit of happiness has a long history as a primary political end in Western political thought. Along with traditional economic indicators, policy makers are increasingly concerned with the subjective well-being of a society as a measure for its success. It is important to understand the nature of happiness and ask what can be done to improve it. This article builds upon existing literature that consistently identifies health, wealth, and social connectedness as key predictors of happiness. We find that the design and conditions of cities are associated with the happiness of residents in 10 urban areas. Cities that provide easy access to convenient public transportation and to cultural and leisure amenities promote happiness. Cities that are affordable and serve as good places to raise children also have happier residents. We suggest that such places foster the types of social connections that can improve happiness and ultimately enhance the attractiveness of living in the city.


dGuo-treated mouse embryo thymus lobes depleted of lymphoid and dendritic cells are not rejected by normal allogeneic mice despite expression of class II major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens on thymic epithelial cells. Our results suggest that host mice are not tolerant to donor antigens, but treated lobes survive because thymic epithelial cells are not immunogenic. Multiple grafts of dGuo-treated lobes are not immunogenic. Mulitiple grafts of dGuo-treated lobes are rejected perhaps because numbers of residual dendritic cells reach a threshold necessary for priming. Mice previously primed by injection of spleen cells reject dGuo-treated thymus lobes, and crossreactions between major and minor histocompatibility antigens can be demonstrated. The acceptance of dGuo-treated thymus allografts by normal mice provides a system for investigating the requirements for priming.


Culture influences how fire is perceived and managed in societies. An increasing risk of catastrophic wildfire has shifted political and academic attention on the use of Indigenous fire management (IFM) as an alternative to the common fire suppression paradigm. However, what is IFM? Here we conduct a conceptual framework analysis of scientific and scholarly literature to enhance our understanding of this complex global phenomenon. We present the five main concepts of IFM from literature and the relationships between them. This framework contributes to the development of a theory of IFM, examining the ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues within this evolving and dynamic phenomenon.


Several years ago this reviewer chaired a session on military law at the annual meeting of the American Society for Legal History. Although the panel included a distinguished foreign visitor and two leading American scholars (one of whom later became the president of the American Society for Legal History), it was larger than its audience. Apparently, not even other specialists in legal history considered military justice very important. As Elizabeth Lutes Hillman accurately observes in the introduction to this marvelous book, it is a subject that has been "almost completely overlooked by scholars of American history and law" (p. 1). As she brilliantly demonstrates, those who overlook it have been making a serious mistake because courts martial provide valuable insights into many facets of American social history during the Cold War era. Hillman uses the court martial as a vehicle for exploring topics such as race, gender, class, and, above all, sexual orientation that were largely ignored by the traditional battles-and-leaders school of military historians. For her, military justice is worth studying because the political and social changes that transformed America during the Cold War years rippled through the armed forces with special intensity. The racial hierarchies, class distinctions, and models of masculinity that had always distinguished military culture made it especially sensitive to the forces that were transforming the broader society. Because these factors did a great deal to determine whom the armed forces prosecuted and on what charges, court martial records provide unique insights into the dynamics of Cold War society. Hillman uses them for that purpose. She has mined with incredible thoroughness the published opinions of military courts, as well as of civilian ones that decided cases involving members of the armed forces. Like any good lawyer, she makes extensive use of the relevant law-review literature, but unlike most legal scholars Hillman has also examined both military and civilian archival collections, the holdings of three presidential libraries, doctoral dissertations, and oral histories. She demonstrates a superb command of even marginally relevant secondary literature. In short, this is an extremely impressive piece of research. What Hillman has done with her research is impressive too. She begins with an outstanding overview of demographic changes in the armed forces from the end of


The recently characterized enzyme NEIL2 (Nei-like-2), one of the four oxidized base-specific DNA glycosylases (OGG1, NTH1, NEIL1, and NEIL2) in mammalian cells, has poor base excision activity from duplex DNA. To test the possibility that one or more proteins modulate its activity in vivo, we performed mass spectrometric analysis of the NEIL2 immunocomplex and identified Y box-binding (YB-1) protein as a stably interacting partner of NEIL2. We show here that YB-1 not only interacts physically with NEIL2, but it also cooperates functionally by stimulating its base excision activity by 7-fold. Moreover, YB-1 interacts with the other NEIL2-associated BER proteins, namely, DNA ligase IIIα and DNA polymerase β and thus could form a large multiprotein complex. YB-1, normally present in the cytoplasm, translocates to the nucleus during UVA-induced oxidative stress, concomitant with its increased association with and activation of NEIL2. NEIL2-initiated base excision activity is significantly reduced in YB-1-depleted cells. YB-1 thus appears to have a novel regulatory role in NEIL2-mediated repair under oxidative stress.


The cement proficiency testing (PT) scheme was set up by the German Metrology Institute (PTB) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in 2012. The PT scheme was a spin-off from a European Commission and African, Caribbean and Pacific-Group of States funded project entitled SPIN – Spearhead Network for Innovative, Clean and Safe Cement and Concrete Technologies (www.spin.bam.de). The SPIN project aimed at crosslinking experts in industry and policy making bodies, with the prospect of establishing a sustainable cement and concrete construction capacity in Africa.
After a successful first pan-African proficiency testing scheme in 2012/2013, it was decided to establish the scheme permanently and independent of the SPIN project.
The main focus of setting up a testing scheme was to enable all cement testing laboratories in Africa to evaluate their competence and efficiency in cement testing and further enhance their capacity to obtain better quality products according to their environment. The acronym developed for the PT scheme is PACE-PTS (Pan-African Cement Proficiency Testing Scheme). The framework for the PT scheme was set up jointly among the organisers and the first participants. The first PT scheme was initiated in Dar Es Salaam in 2012 followed by a final workshop in Berlin in 2013. The second PT scheme began in 2014. A final workshop was organised in Dar es Salaam in 2015. The third and current scheme was started in 2016 and the final workshop is held in Yaounde.


C to U editing of apolipoprotein B (apoB) RNA requires a multicomponent holoenzyme complex in which minimal constituents include apobec-1 and apobec-1 complementation factor (ACF). We have examined the predicted functional domains in ACF in binding apoB RNA, interaction with apobec-1, and complementation of RNA editing. We demonstrate that apoB RNA binding and apobec-1-interacting domains are defined by two partially overlapping regions containing the NH2-terminal RNA recognition motifs of ACF. Both apoB RNA binding and apobec-1 interaction are required for editing complementation activity. ACF is a nuclear protein that upon cotransfection with apobec-1 results in nuclear colocalization and redistribution of apobec-1 from the cytoplasm. ACF constructs with deletions or mutations in the putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) still localize in the nucleus of transfected cells but do not colocalize with apobec-1, the latter remaining predominantly cytoplasmic. These observations suggest that the putative NLS motif in ACF is not responsible for its nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking. By contrast, protein-protein interaction is important for the nuclear import of apobec-1. Taken together, these data suggest that functional complementation of C to U RNA editing by apobec-1 involves the NH2-terminal 380 residues of ACF.


Unified nonlinear spinor field models are selfregularizing quantum field theories in which all observable (elementary and non-elementary) particles are assumed to be bound states of fermionic preon fields. Due to their large masses the preons themselves are confined. In preceding papers a functional energy representation, the statistical interpretation and the dynamical equations were derived. In this paper the dynamics of composite particles is discussed. The composite particles are defined to be eigensolutions of the diagonal part of the energy representation. Corresponding calculations are in preparation, but in the present paper a suitable composite particle spectrum is assumed. It consists of preon-antipreon boson states and threepreon- fermion states with corresponding antifermions and contains bound states as well as preon scattering states. The state functional is expanded in terms of these composite particle states with inclusion of preon scattering states. The transformation of the functional energy representation of the spinor field into composite particle functional operators produces a hierarchy of effective interactions at the composite particle level, the leading terms of which are identical with the functional energy representation of a phenomenological boson-fermion coupling theory. This representation is valid as long as the processes are assumed to be below the energetic threshold for preon production or preon break-up reactions, respectively. From this it can be concluded that below the threshold the effective interactions of composite particles in a unified spinor field model lead to phenomenological coupling theories which depend in their properties on the bound state spectrum of the self-regularizing spinor theory.


This paper develops a multiattribute preference ranking rule in the context of utility robustness. A nonparametric perturbation of a given additive reference utility function is specified to solve the problem of ambiguity and inconsistency in utility assessments, while preserving the additive structure and the decision maker's risk preference under each criterion. A concept of robust preference value is defined using the worst expected utility of an alternative incurred by the perturbation, and we rank alternatives by comparing their robust preference values. An approximation approach is developed using Bernstein polynomials to solve the robust preference value. The constructed approximation problem is reformulated as a quadratic constrained linear program (QCP), and the bound of the approximation error is analyzed. An integrated energy distribution system planning problem is used to illustrate the usefulness of the robust ranking rule and the instability of the decision based on the expected utility theory.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of Chinese cabbage (hybrid Deneko) to source and rate of N topdressing application. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, consisting of nine treatments (4x2+1 factorial design), with five replications, that is, four rates of N (54, 108, 162 and 216 kgha-1); two sources of N (urea and ammonium sulphate); and a control (without N topdressing). The experiment was conducted from July to October, 2013. Forty days after transplanting, SPAD index (relative chlorophyll density) was evaluated. After harvesting, fresh matter; leaf number; head diameter and head height were evaluated. It was observed that sources of N did not influence any evaluated traits. For the SPAD index, head height and head diameter linearly increased by improving the rate of N, with values which range from 27.0 to 41.1 SPAD units; 25.9 to 29.3 cm; and 8.9 to 13.4 cm, respectively. The effect of N was quadratic for head fresh matter, with maximum value estimated at1217 g for162 kg N ha-1.

 Key words: Brassica pekinensis, urea, ammonium sulphate.


The paper explores the properties of some simple search and choice behaviors, by exploiting the asymptotic properties of maxima of sequences of random variables. Heterogeneity in the preference is introduced by means of additive random utilities, and the actor is assumed to choose points in a plane region, by sampling them according to a stochastic process. It is shown that asymptotic convergence to a Logit model holds under considerably weaker assumptions than those commonly found in the literature to justify it. This asymptotic property is treated in details for utility-maximizing behavior, and outlined for satisficing behavior. The asymptotic equivalence of the two behaviors suggests that progress in widening the family of asymptotically Logit-equivalence behaviors can be made with further research.


This study quantifies the impacts of snow augmentation and the timing of snow accumulation on the soil thermal regime at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), in the Canadian High Arctic. Monthly soil temperatures between December and March 2006–2007 were 7.7 to 9.9°C warmer beneath a deep drift (54 cm) relative to soils beneath ambient (unamended or background) snow conditions (10 cm). Although air temperatures and total snow accumulation at the sites in 2007–2008 were very similar to the previous winter, the mean monthly soil temperatures beneath two snow drifts (50 and 88 cm) were only 0.2 to 5.7°C warmer for January through March than soils subject to ambient snow depths (18 and 35 cm). Results demonstrate that the timing of snow accumulation was more important than snow depth in determining winter soil temperatures. In 2006–2007, snow cover insulated soils by early November, while in 2007–2008 there was insufficient snow cover to insulate soils until late January 2008. In 2006–2007, winter (December–March) soil temperatures beneath the deepest snow (54 cm) exceeded winter air temperatures by 6°C, and mean annual air temperatures by 1°C, while in 2007–2008 winter soil temperatures beneath 88 cm of snow were only 0.3°C warmer than air, and mean annual temperatures were 2.4°C cooler than air. There was a weak but significant inverse correlation between the maximum active layer thickness and the snow depth; however, this correlation was more pronounced for snow depths below approximately 30 cm. This study demonstrates that an understanding of the timing of projected increases in winter precipitation is necessary to predict changes in the active layer's thermal, hydrological, and biogeochemical response to regional climate change.


We are at an important technological inflection point. Most of our computing systems have been designed and built by professionally trained experts (i.e. us -- computer scientists, engineers, and designers) for use in specific domains and to solve explicit prob-lems. Artifacts often called "user manuals" traditionally prescribed the appropriate usage of these tools and implied an acceptable etiquette for interaction and experience. A fringe group of individuals usually labeled "hackers" or "amateurs" or "makers" have challenged this producer-consumer model of technology by creating novel hardware and software features to "improve" our research and products while a similar creative group of technicians called "artists" have redirected the techniques, tools, and tenets of accepted technological usage away from their typical manifestations in practicality and product. Over time the technological artifacts of these fringe groups and the support for their rhetoric have gained them a foothold into computing culture and eroded the established power discontinuities within the practice of computing research. We now expect our computing tools to be driven by an architecture of open participation and democracy that encourages users to add value to their tools and applications as they use them. Similarly, the bar for enabling the design of novel, personal computing systems and "hardware remixes" has fallen to the point where many non-experts and novices are readily embracing and creating fascinating and ingenious computing artifacts outside of our official and traditionally sanctioned academic and industrial research communities.
 But how have we as "expert" practitioners been influencing this discussion? By constructing a practice around the design and development of technology for task based and problem solving applications, we have unintentionally established such work as the status quo for the human computing experience. We have failed in our duty to open up alternate forums for technology to express itself and touch our lives beyond productivity and efficiency. Blinded by our quest for "smart technologies" we have forgotten to contemplate the design of technologies to inspire us to be smarter, more curious, and more inquisitive. We owe it to ourselves to rethink the impact we desire to have on this historic moment in computing culture. We must choose to participate in and perhaps lead a dialogue that heralds an expansive new acceptable practice of designing to enable participation by experts and non-experts alike. We are in the milieu of the rise of the "expert amateur". We must change our mantra -- not just performance, completeness, and usability but openness, usefulness and relevancy to our world, its citizens, and our environment. This talk will explore elements of the DIY and maker culture and its relevancy to research questions across computational hardware, languages, and systems. Ultimately, this talk will outline and argue for expanding the design territory and potential opportunities for all of us to collaborate and benefit as a society from this cultural movement.


Ba4Nb2O9 ceramics were synthesized via solid state reaction and sintered in air. Annealing in 5%H2 + 95%N2 at 900°C for 2 h resulted in an increase in leakage current by several orders of magnitude, and obvious increases in low-frequency capacitance and dielectric loss, while re-oxidation in air at 900°C for 2 h led to a partial recovery. It is proposed that oxygen vacancies and Nb4+ were formed through annealing in the reducing atmosphere while inverse process occurred in the re-oxidation treatment. Re-oxidation is helpful to improve the properties of barium niobates ceramics sintered or heat-treated in reducing atmospheres and further investigations are desirable.


Abstract Multifunctionality is one of the most important aspects of the sustainable development. There are essentially two approaches to the analysis of multifunctionality. One is to interpret multifunctionality as a characteristic of an economic activity. The second way of interpreting multifunctionality is in terms of multiple roles assigned to agriculture. In this view, agriculture as an activity is entrusted with fulfilling certain functions in society. Social functions are linked to employment and income generation in rural areas and hence sustaining the viability of rural communities and maintaining rural society. The study focuses on social aspect of multifunctional agriculture in Kopanice region located in western part of Slovakia near borders with Czech Republic. The region is according to OECD regional typology being considered as intermediate one approaching the category of predominantly rural region. In spite of the fact, that the share of the primary sector in economy of the region is decreasing, the agriculture still plays an important role from aspects of employment and building of social capital. The paper evaluates the influence of external and internal factors on the development of social capital in the selected region and authors will focus mainly on the impact of local stakeholders and policy measures. The interaction between relevant stakeholders as public sector, civil society, local business sector and primary sector is expected to be beneficial for development of social capital.


Abstract We examined vegetation responses to prescribed fire on three mixed-oak sites located in the Blue Ridge Physiographic province of the southern Appalachian Mountains: Alarka Laurel Branch (AL), Robin Branch (RB), and Roach Mill Branch (RM). Each of the study sites was within a sub-watershed that drained a first order stream. Our objectives were to: 1) evaluate overstory mortality following prescribed fire treatments; and 2) assess changes in composition, abundance, and diversity of overstory (stems ≥ 5.0 cm dbh), understory (stems < 5.0 cm dbh, ≥ 0.5 m height), and herbaceous layer (woody stems < 0.5 m height and all herbaceous plants) vegetation in mixed-oak ecosystems. Each site included a burned and unburned area (control). Before the prescribed fire treatments were applied, we established permanent plots (10 × 20 m) in the prescribed burn areas (12 plots in AL, 12 plots in RB, and 10 plots in RM) and adjacent unburned areas (5 plots in AL, 6 plots in RB, and 4 plots in RM), for a total of 49 plots. Within the plots, we sampled vegetation before and after the prescribed burns. All of the prescribed fires were low to moderate intensity; i.e., they had moderate flame temperatures and low flame heights. After the prescribed fires, overstory mortality was low for all sites, and there were no significant differences between mortality in burned areas and that in unburned areas. Understory density was lower on the burned than the unburned plots the first (t  =  −5.26, P < 0.0001) and second (t  =  −3.85, P  =  0.0020) growing seasons after burning. There was either an increase (AL, RB) or no change (RM) in herbaceous layer cover depending on the site and no significant change in species diversity after burning for any site. Thus, we found no negative effects of prescribed fire on herbaceous flora.


Background: This study was aimed to determine the effects of different levels of strawberry extracts on biochemical and immunological changes of infected mice liver.
Methods: The study used (20) white Albino rats and were divided into two main groups first set of mice infected with hepatitis Second group of negative control, a non-mice group infected and was then the first and second main group. The selected groups were fed with different concentrations of strawberry extracts 5%, 10%, 15% and one group positive control infected with the disease which does not feed on the experimental diet and another negative control non-infected. The mice were then injected with carbon tetrachloride twice a week for two weeks.
Results: The present results demonstrated the best treatments in the level of total cholesterol and triglycerides and LDL appeared in the experimental diet groups, 10% and 15% of strawberry extracts and also showed the immunological results significantly differ in each experimental diet groups when compared to the negative control groups.
Rationale: These results recommend the hepatic patients to add strawberry extracts in their diet because it contains useful components.