The purpose of this research was positively to find out whether applying two stay two stray techniques by using picture series to improve students' speaking skill at the second grade in MAN 2 Parepare. The results of this research give contribution for both the teachers and students. The teacher will be conscious that it is important to apply the technique in teaching. The students can enjoy the lesson so they can be easier to express their ideas and also confidence to speak by using the gesture. The subject of this research is XI MIA 1 class which is consisted of 27 students. The sample was taken by using purposive sampling. The design in this research was pre-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. The student did the pre-test, got the treatment and did the post-test. It aimed to know whether applying two stay two stray techniques by using picture series can improve students' speaking skill. The result in this research was indicated that the improvement of the students' speaking skill. It was indicated by the students' mean score of post-test (72.26) was greater than pre-test (44.46). Even, for the level significant (p) 5% and df = 26, and the value of table is 1.706, while the value of t-test is 18.34. It means that the t-test value is greater than t-table (2.29 ≥ 1.706). Thus, it can be concluded that the students' speaking skill is significantly better after getting the treatment. So, the null hypothesis (H0) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted.


Objective To explore the most important public health information system database integration project success factors to include: technological, organizational, project-specific, or external. Methods This study involved a cross-case design. Cases were identified through literal replication logic and screened through a survey and review of available literature. Study participants were interviewed through hour-long sessions steered by a semi-structured guide. Survey responses, interview transcripts and available documents were coded and analyzed deductively, and matrices were developed to illustrate relationships. Results Leadership among the project's participants is the most important integration project success factor. This leadership factor manifests in the following ways. Executive sponsors champion the initiative. Informaticians facilitate communication and system requirement collection. Program directors contribute substantive energy to the project and remove obstacles. Some other factors also contribute to project success. For example, strong Financial Management and Support promotes project initiation. Technological aspects impact the final product's quality. Utilizing formal project management techniques, particularly the Agile software development methodology, contributes to successful project resolution by ensuring daily operational effectiveness. Discussion The principal finding illustrates important contributions by project leaders, transcending those of the executive sponsor. Other participants, notably informaticians and program directors, substantially contribute to the project's success. Additionally, the Agile software development methodology is emerging as a successful approach to project management for these and related projects. Conclusion Investing in the leadership and project management skills of database integration project participants could improve the success of future projects. State health department staff considering these projects should carefully select project participants and train them accordingly.


A community-based, single strain cluster of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is described. The cluster of cases was identified in a small rural community in southwestern Manitoba, although some spread of the MRSA strain to neighbouring communities was observed. The majority of people were otherwise healthy, had no contact with the hospital system and did not fit the profile of those at risk for MRSA infection.


Abstract Nonprofit community health centers (CHCs) are the largest subset of safety net clinics in the United States and, in many vulnerable and underserved areas, act as the only provider of vital health services in the community. The expansion of Medicaid provision under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 led to a fundamental change in the core client demographics of CHCs, with higher income thresholds and single childless individuals now eligible for Medicaid. This expansion of the Medicaid population creates both opportunities and threats that may impact CHCs' long term financial sustainability. Accumulating reserves through positive net margins is a managerial tactic that nonprofits can utilize to buffer against environmental uncertainty. This study utilizes data from IRS Form 990s, American Community Survey, HRSA grantee lists, and the Area Resource File to model the differences in net margins between CHCs in early Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states from 2008–2012. Results show higher margins for CHCs in early expansion states compared to non-expansion states, even after accounting for organizational and environmental covariates. CHCs who are HRSA grantees are associated with positive margins whereas those relying more heavily on program revenue show negative margins. Further, CHCs located in counties with higher percentages of persons in poverty also demonstrate reduced margins. This exploratory study contributes to the nonprofit finance literature by highlighting the importance of incorporating contextual variables to deepen our understanding of changes in nonprofit financial health.


The mass properties of a vehicle play a decisive role in its dynamics and characteristics and are fundamental for vehicle dynamics models and controllers. These values are not yet known for the vehicle class of the ultra-light velomobiles and similar multi-track bicycle vehicles. In the future, however, such vehicles could play a role in reducing the CO2 emissions generated by individual transportation. As a basis for vehicle dynamics modeling, accident reconstruction, and controller development for this vehicle class, this paper investigated ranges of mass properties and their influence on vehicle stability considering driver influence. In total, 13 vehicles (10 velomobiles and 3 trikes) were examined using different experimental setups. It was shown that most vehicles exhibited understeering behavior based on the center of gravity position and calculations of the static stability factor showed significantly lower rollover stability compared with conventional vehicles. The measured moments of inertia were used to develop and examine different approximation approaches for the yaw moment of inertia using conventional approaches from the passenger car sector and stepwise regression. This created the basis for parameter estimation from easily measurable vehicle parameters and provided the possibility to generate realistic parameter sets for vehicle dynamic models. Existing tests do not consider the influence of driver movements, such as pedaling movements or possible inclination of the upper body. This offers the potential for further investigations of the dynamic influences on the investigated variables.


Context Educators often engage with student performance data to make important instructional decisions, yet limited research has analyzed how educators make sense of student performance data. In addition, scholars suggest that teachers recognize a relationship between their instruction and student performance data, but this is a relatively untested assumption. Focus of Study We investigated if and how teachers referenced instruction as a contributing factor for why students performed in particular ways on assessments. We also studied other explanations that teachers offered for student performance data. Research Design Our research team conducted a qualitative case study of six grade-level teams of teachers who met biweekly to make meaning of student performance data. Using data collected from 44 hours of observation of teacher team meetings, 16 individual interviews, and six group interviews with participating teachers, we analyzed the ways in which and the extent to which teachers referenced instruction as a contributing factor to student performance data. Findings: Teachers connected student performance data to their instruction approximately 15% of the time. Teachers more frequently connected student performance data to student characteristics. Notably, student behavior accounted for 32% of all teacher explanations for student performance. We offer five distinct categories of teachers' explanations of student performance and the extent to which teachers invoked each category. Conclusions The findings in this study build on research on teachers' attributions for assessment data. In contrast to other studies, our findings suggest that teachers invoked student characteristics in distinct ways when explaining student performance. At times, teachers were knowledgeable about student characteristics, which offered verifiable insights into the "problem" of low achievement. At other times, teachers voiced negative viewpoints of students that served to blame students for their poor performance. We suggest that the practice of data-driven decision making offers an opportunity to bolster educators' informed judgment and undermine negative, unverifiable claims about children.


The biodiversity in montane ecosystems is high but is threatened by rapid environmental change. Urbanization and other anthropogenic activities in the mountains surrounding cities can affect changes in land use and habitat heterogeneity. Moreover, patterns of habitat heterogeneity are closely related to elevation and have a major effect on montane biodiversity. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of habitat heterogeneity on the vertical distribution pattern of bird diversity by characterizing the structure of the bird community, biodiversity, and landscape factors at different altitudes. Continuous monitoring of the breeding birds at Mount Tai from 2016 to 2019 revealed that forest reduced the diversity and abundance of birds and favored montane birds. Habitat composition varied at different altitudes. In the high-mountain belt and the middle-mountain belt, the habitat was primarily composed of forest. In contrast, artificial habitat was more common in the low-mountain belt. Bird abundance, species richness, and the Shannon-Wiener index decreased as the altitude increased, and the structure of the bird community significantly differed in the different belts. Some rare species tended to only occupy specific belts. Road density, number of habitat patches, patch density, and the percentage of forest significantly affected bird diversity. The effect of patch density was higher compared with other landscape factors. The "habitat amount hypothesis" was more suitable for explaining the elevational distribution pattern of bird diversity at Mount Tai. Sufficient habitat and more patches in the low-mountain belt supported higher bird diversity. The middle-mountain belt and high-mountain belt showed contrasting patterns. Our results highlight the effects of ongoing urbanization and human activities on montane biodiversity and emphasize the need for artificial habitats in the mountains surrounding cities to be managed.


Internal routing inside an ISP network is the foundation for lots of services that generate revenue from the ISP's customers. A fine-grained control of paths taken by network traffic once it enters the ISP's network is therefore a crucial means to achieve a top-quality offer and, equally important, to enforce SLAs. Many widespread network technologies and approaches (most notably, MPLS) offer limited (e.g., with RSVP-TE), tricky (e.g., with OSPF metrics), or no control on internal routing paths. On the other hand, recent advances in the research community are a good starting point to address this shortcoming, but miss elements that would enable their applicability in an ISP's network. We extend pathlet routing by introducing a new control plane for internal routing that pursues the following qualities: it is designed to operate in the internal network of an ISP; it enables fine-grained management of network paths with suitable configuration primitives; it is scalable because routing changes are only propagated to the network portion that is affected by the changes; it supports independent configuration of specific network portions without the need to know the configuration of the whole network; it is robust thanks to the adoption of multipath routing; it supports the enforcement of QoS levels; it is independent of the specific data plane used in the ISP's network; it can be incrementally deployed and it can nicely coexist with other control planes. Besides formally introducing the dissemination mechanisms and algorithms of our control plane, we propose an experimental validation in the simulation framework OMNeT++ that we use to assess the effectiveness and scalability of our approach.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Assessment of the cerebrovascular and cardiovascular response to standing has prognostic value for a range of outcomes in the older adult population. Studies generally attempt to control for standing speed differences by asking participants to stand in a specified time but little is known about the range of transition times observed. This study aimed to characterize how standing speed associates with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular measures following transition from supine to standing. Continuous cerebral oxygenation, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were monitored for 3 minutes after transitioning from supine to standing. An algorithm was used to calculate the time taken to transition from existing Finometer data (from the height correction unit). Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the influence of transition time on each of the signals while adjusting for covariates. Transition time ranged from 2 to 27 s with 17% of participants taking >10 s to stand. Faster transition was associated with a more extreme decrease 10 s after standing but improved recovery at 20 s for cerebral oxygenation and blood pressure. Standing faster was associated with an elevated heart rate on initiation of stand and a quicker recovery 10 to 20 s after standing. The speed of transitioning from supine to standing position is associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular response in the early period after standing (<40 s). Care should be taken in the interpretation of findings which may be confounded by standing speed and statistical adjustment for standing time should be applied where appropriate.


Increasing interest in using machine learning systems for decision making and support in the public sector has raised questions as to how these technologies can be designed, implemented and managed responsibly. This short discussion paper describes some relevant social and technical potentials and perils of machine learning by relating them to different groups of public sector values outlined in the public administration literature. Practitioners may find this structure useful to help them understand different dimensions of responsibility they may wish to consider if they are considering using these technologies, and how they link to developing work and tools in the field. Keywords— machine learning; public policy; public administration; public procurement.


Abstract Vertical changes in distribution, abundance, and ichnodiversity of ichnocoenoses in alluvial deposits of the Willwood Formation suggest significantly drier moisture regimes in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a transient period of global warming. The Willwood Formation at Polecat Bench contains an abundant assemblage of ichnofossils, including various types of rhizoliths and invertebrate trace fossils, such as Naktodemasis bowni, Camborygma litonomos, Edaphichnium lumbricatum, cf. Cylindricum isp., cf. Planolites isp., cf. Steinichnus, and cocoon traces. These comprise six distinct ichnocoenoses, which are categorized as dominantly terraphilic, hygrophilic, or hydrophilic based on the inferred moisture regimes of their most abundant ichnofossil morphotypes and associated pedogenic features, including other trace fossils and rhizoliths. The interpreted moisture regimes correlate well with the paleoenvironments of their host lithofacies, as inferred from sedimentology and paleopedology. Outside the PETM interval at Polecat Bench, abundant avulsion deposits and thin, compound paleosols containing hygrophilic and hydrophilic ichnocoenoses suggest frequent depositional events and predominantly poor to imperfect soil-drainage conditions. Within the PETM interval, thick, cumulative paleosol profiles with abundant terraphilic to hygrophilic ichnocoenoses suggest significantly improved drainage conditions. Lithofacies and ichnocoenoses above the PETM interval are not significantly different from those below the interval, indicating a return to pre-PETM moisture regimes. These conclusions support previous studies that suggest the Bighorn Basin experienced transient drying during this interval. This study demonstrates that ichnocoenoses and their ichnopedologic associations can be used to refine paleohydrologic and paleoclimatic generalizations inferred from paleoclimate models.


Background: A combination of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade, such as programmed death-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade, is being actively tested in clinical trial settings. Here, we tried to identify a subset of patients that could potentially benefit from this strategy using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset for glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: A total of 399 cases were clustered into radiosensitive (RS) versus radioresistant (RR) groups based on radiosensitivity gene signature and were further stratified into PD-L1 high versus PD-L1 low groups according to the median expression of CD274 mRNA. Differential and integrated analyses with expression and methylation data were performed. CIBERSORT was used to enumerate the immune repertoire that resulted from transcriptome profiles. Results: We identified a subset of GBM patients, the "PD-L1 high-RR group" that had a worse clinical outcome compared to the other groups. In this group, differentially expressed genes (DEG) were highly enriched for an immune response and mapped into activation of PI3K-AKT and MAPK signaling pathways. Through integration of DEG and differentially methylated regions, kinase MAP3K8, which is involved in T-cell receptor signaling, was found to be upregulated, while BAI1, a factor that inhibits angiogenesis, was silenced. CIBERSORT showed that a higher infiltration of the immune repertoire, which included M2 macrophages and regulatory T-cells, contributed to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Conclusion: Looking at the results collectively, the "PD-L1-high-RR group" could potentially benefit from radiotherapy combined with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and angiogenesis inhibition. Citation Format: Inah Kim, Bum Sup Jang. A Radiosensitivity gene signature and PD-L1 status predict clinical outcome of patients with glioblastoma multiforme in The Cancer Genome Atlas Dataset [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B168.


This study presents findings from an experimental investigation on the reinforcement of Lime ash particles (LAP) synthesized from coal fly ash, CaO, and CaSO 4 in Low density Polyethylene (LDPE). The Lime ash particles are synthesized by reinforcing 0 to 30 weight percentages of LAP in virgin LDPE using compression moulding. The mechanical properties of composites are studied and results showed that by adding LAP in LDPE as filler the Tensile Strength and Impact Strength of the composite decreases due to poor interfacial bonding between filler particles and LDPE but Hardness and Flexural Properties increases due to improved properties of surface.


Alkaloids are an important class of natural products that are widely distributed in nature and produced by a large variety of organisms. They have a wide spectrum of biological activity and for many years were used in folk medicine. These days, alkaloids also have numerous applications in medicine as therapeutic agents. The importance of these natural products in inspiring drug discovery programs is proven and, therefore, their continued synthesis is of significant interest. The condensation discovered by Pictet and Spengler is the most important method for the synthesis of alkaloid scaffolds. The power of this synthesis method has been convincingly proven in the construction of stereochemicaly and structurally complex alkaloids.


Background. Parental feeding styles were linked to child weight in cross-sectional studies, which were unable to test the direction of effect. Prospective studies can best establish causal relationships among such variables. Objective. We tested the 2-year stability of parental feeding attitudes and styles and investigated whether these variables predict child body mass index (BMI) z scores 2 years later. We evaluated whether these associations were dependent on children's predisposition to obesity. Methods. Participants were 57 families enrolled in an Infant Growth Study of children born at high risk or low risk for obesity, on the basis of maternal prepregnancy overweight or leanness. Children were evaluated for weight and height at 3, 5, and 7 years of age. Measures of parental feeding attitudes and styles were ascertained with the Child Feeding Questionnaire at 5 and 7 years of age. Correlation and multiple regression analyses tested whether parental feeding styles at age 5 predicted increased child BMI z scores 2 years later. Results. Parental feeding attitudes and styles were stable for child ages of 5 to 7 years. With respect to feeding attitudes, perceived responsibility at age 5 predicted reduced child BMI z scores at age 7 among low-risk families, whereas child weight concern and perceived child weight predicted increased child BMI z scores among high-risk families. With respect to feeding styles, monitoring predicted reduced child BMI z scores at age 7 among low-risk children. In contrast, restriction predicted higher BMI z scores and pressure to eat predicted reduced BMI z scores among high-risk children. These associations remained significant after controlling for child weight status at age 3. Conclusions. The relationship between parental feeding styles and child BMI z scores depends on child obesity predisposition, suggesting a gene-environment interaction. Among children predisposed to obesity, elevated child weight appears to elicit restrictive feeding practices, which in turn may produce additional weight gain. Parenting guidelines for overweight prevention may benefit from consideration of child characteristics such as vulnerability to obesity and current weight status.


Abstract The full-length translation-regulating add adenine riboswitch (Asw) from Vibrio vulnificus has a more complex conformational space than its isolated aptamer domain. In addition to the predicted apo (apoA) and holo conformation that feature the conserved three-way junctional purine riboswitch aptamer, it adopts a second apo (apoB) conformation with a fundamentally different secondary structure. Here, we characterized the ligand-dependent conformational dynamics of the full-length add Asw by NMR and by single-molecule FRET (smFRET) spectroscopy. Both methods revealed an adenine-induced secondary structure switch from the apoB-form to the apoA-form that involves no tertiary structural interactions between aptamer and expression platform. This strongly suggests that the add Asw triggers translation by capturing the apoA-form secondary structure in the holo state. Intriguingly, NMR indicated a homogenous, docked aptamer kissing loop fold for apoA and holo, while smFRET showed persistent aptamer kissing loop docking dynamics between comparably stable, undocked and docked substates of the apoA and the holo conformation. Unraveling the folding of large junctional riboswitches thus requires the integration of complementary solution structural techniques such as NMR and smFRET.


Most permafrost is located in the Arctic, and in total it contains around 600Gt of frozen organic carbon. This represents several times the remaining budget for anthropogenic emissions if we are to limit global warming below 2oC, and this carbon could have a significant impact on global climate if it is released to the atmosphere following permafrost thaw. At present, the Arctic climate is changing much more rapidly than the rest of the globe, and yet observational data density in the region is low. The positive feedback between climate warming and permafrost carbon emissions depends on changing land-atmosphere energy and mass exchanges. There is thus a great need to understand links between the energy balance, which can vary rapidly over hourly to annual time scales, and permafrost, which changes slowly over long time periods. This understanding mandates long-term observational data sets.
There is also a need to realistically incorporate permafrost into global modelling frameworks such as Earth System Models. Evaluating and parameterising these process-based models especially requires simultaneous measurements of interacting variables.

Here we present an example of such a long-term data set, from the Bayelva Site at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, where meteorology, energy balance components and subsurface observations have been made for the last 20 years. Additional data include a high resolution digital elevation model and a panchromatic image. This paper presents the data set produced so far, explains instrumentation, calibration, processing and data quality control, as well as the sources for various resulting data sets. The resulting data set is unique in the Arctic and serves a baseline for future studies. Since the data provide observations of temporally variable parameters that mitigate energy fluxes between permafrost and atmosphere, such as snow depth and soil moisture content, they are suitable for use in integrating, calibrating and testing permafrost as a component in Earth System Models. The data set also includes a high resolution digital elevation model that can be used together with the snow physical information for snow pack modeling. The data show that mean annual, summer and winter soil temperature data from shallow to deeper depths have been warming over the period of record, indicating the degradation of permafrost at this site.

This site is one of only a handful of permafrost sites where long-term automatic monitoring has taken place and data are accessible. There is a great need for continuous monitoring at more sites, to span the full range of permafrost conditions. Monitoring is often limited by scientific project funding, typically lasting only 3 or 4 years. This will continue to present a challenge unless there is investment by governments to operationalise these networks.


A firm launching a new product in an existing category can leverage comparative messages to provide information to customers and to distinguish it from others. Incumbents, on the other hand, benefit less from comparative messaging as this could be interpreted as providing legitimacy to the entrant. In our empirical context in a pharmaceutical category, we see both incumbents and entrants employing comparative messages during their detailing visits. To incorporate the effects of comparative messaging, we develop a learning model of doctor prescription behavior. The model has three distinguishing features relative to the standard Bayesian learning framework. First, the information efficiency associated with the detailing visits differ across message formats (comparative vs. non-comparative) and brands. Second, comparative messages from competing brands can "jam" or disrupt a doctor's learning of a drug's quality. Finally, the doctors can "forget" the quality of a drug with the time elapsed from the last prescription. We estimate the model using a physician panel in a therapeutic category with one existing and two new drugs. We estimate the proposed model in a Hierarchical Bayesian framework. Counterfactual experiment characterizes the impact of banning comparative messages, a practice followed in many countries other than the U.S.


The transport critical current density (J(_c)) of a 37 filament Bi-2223/Ag tape has been measured as a function of field and temperature from 4.2 K up to 90 K. Data have been obtained over a large current range from 10 mA up to 100 A and in fields up to 23 T with the tape in 3 orientations with respect to field. These comprehensive data have been used to test the predictions of the flux creep and weak link models used to explain J(_c) in Bi-2223 tapes.The J(_c)(B,T) dependence of optimised Bi-2223 tapes has been calculated using a curved film model. The model assumes perfect grain connectivity and that the local superconducting properties are equivalent to those in the best reported thin films. A comparison between the calculations and measured J(_c)(B,T) dependencies suggest that in high fields at 20 K, J(_c) in presently available industrially processed tapes is only a factor of 8 below the performance of ideal fully optimised tapes. Transport measurements have been made on Bi-2223 single filaments extracted from an alloy sheathed multifilamentary tape in liquid nitrogen at 77 K in fields up to 300 mT with the field aligned parallel and perpendicular to the a-b planes. Further Jc(B,T) data have been taken in a variable temperature insert at temperatures between 60 to 90 K in fields up to 15 T. In a study of the electric field-current density {E-J) characteristics of the c-axis orientated data at 77 K, negative curvature is observed in traces below 280 mT. However, the 280 mT trace exhibits both positive and negative curvature in different current regimes in contrast to the predictions of standard theory. A laboratory scale Bi-2223 superconducting magnet producing a maximum field of 1.29 T at 4.2 K has been designed and fabricated. The magnet comprises 6 resin impregnated double wound pancakes with a 40 mm bore fabricated via the react and wind route. Critical current density measurements have been made as a function of magnetic field, angle and strain at 4.2 K and 77 K on short samples of the constituent tape. The E-J characteristics of all component coils have been measured and a comparison with short sample data shows that minimal additional damage occurred beyond that produced by the bending strain on the tape and the long length variation in J(_c). Sufficient detail is provided for the non-specialist to assess the potential use of brittle superconducting tapes for magnet technology and construct a laboratory scale magnet.


Although structural equation modeling software packages use maximum likelihood estimation by default, there are situations where one might prefer to use multiple imputation to handle missing data rather than maximum likelihood estimation (e.g., when incorporating auxiliary variables). The selection of variables is one of the nuances associated with implementing multiple imputation, because the imputer must take special care to preserve any associations or special features of the data that will be modeled in the subsequent analysis. For example, this article deals with multiple group models that are commonly used to examine moderation effects in psychology and the behavioral sciences. Special care must be exercised when using multiple imputation with multiple group models, as failing to preserve the interactive effects during the imputation phase can produce biased parameter estimates in the subsequent analysis phase, even when the data are missing completely at random or missing at random. This study investigates two imputation strategies that have been proposed in the literature, product term imputation and separate group imputation. A series of simulation studies shows that separate group imputation adequately preserves the multiple group data structure and produces accurate parameter estimates.


DIYbio challenges the status quo by positioning laboratory biology work outside of traditional institutions. HCI has increasingly explored the DIYbio movement, but we lack insight into sites of practice such as community biolabs. Therefore, we gathered data on eleven community biolabs by interviewing sixteen lab managers and members. These labs represent half of identified organizations in scope worldwide. Participants detailed their practices and motivations, outlining the constraints and opportunities of their community biolabs. We found that lab members conducted technically challenging project work with access to high-end equipment and professional expertise. We found that the unique nature of biowork exacerbated challenges for cooperative work, partially due to the particular time sensitivities of work with living organisms. Building on our findings, we discuss how community biolab members are creating new approaches to laboratory biology and how this has design implications for systems that support non-traditional settings for scientific practice.


Unlike ground-based interferometric gravitational wave detectors, large space-based systems will not be rigid structures. When the end stations of the laser interferometer are freely flying spacecraft, the armlengths will change due to variations in the spacecraft positions along their orbital trajectories, so the precise equality of the arms that is required in a laboratory interferometer to cancel laser phase noise is not possible. However, using a method discovered by Tinto and Armstrong, a signal can be constructed in which laser phase noise exactly cancels out, even in an unequal arm interferometer. We examine the case where the ratio of the armlengths is a variable parameter, and compute the averaged gravitational wave transfer function as a function of that parameter. Example sensitivity curve calculations are presented for the expected design parameters of the proposed LISA interferometer, comparing it to a similar instrument with one arm shortened by a factor of 100, showing how the ratio of the armlengths will affect the overall sensitivity of the instrument.


P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 115%; widows: 2; orphans: 2; }P.western { font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; }P.cjk { font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; }P.ctl { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11pt; }A:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); } Different datasets and a bayesian production model were used to assess the status of the Atlantic bigeye tuna ( Thunnus obesus ) stock. Several datasets convey little information hence estimations of parameters are imprecise unless a very restrictive prior is used. Modes of posteriors calculated for composite datasets are in between modes of the posteriors calculated for separated datasets. Most of the calculations indicate that biomass has decreased until the beginning of 1990's when the stock was overfished. Catches decreased after 1999 but there is doubt if the stock was recovering in 2000's. The answer depends on the dataset and on the prior distribution.


The following article deals with up-to-date field of optimization and genetic algorithms use in the production process control. Theory of optimization is mentioned in the first part of this paper. The second part of this article is dedicated to genetic algorithms. Genetic algorithms are characterized by their robustness – the ability to solve difficult optimization or the tasks in which we need to decide on something.The third part of the paper focuses on practical demonstrations of two examples. The first example is on determining the optimal production. The second example is on application of genetic algorithms in process planning. Matlab and Evolver software tools were used for the data compution. Data preparation for Evolver was done in MS Excel. But the model building is only one step in knowledge discovery. The best model is often found after building models of several different types, or by trying different technologies or algorithms.


Despite the widespread use of oxygen therapy for clinical shock, few studies have been made of the effect of high concentrations of oxygen in experimental shock. The rationale of the method is based on the fall of oxygen consumption associated with hemorrhagic and traumatic shock, which was first pointed out by Aub and Cunningham1and which has since been confirmed by many other workers. The present report concerns a series of experiments undertaken to investigate the physiologic action of high concentrations of oxygen on normal control animals and experimental animals in which secondary shock had been produced. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dogs weighing from 10 to 25 pounds (4.5 to 11.3 Kg.) were kept under light anesthesia produced by intravenous injection of pentobarbital sodium in doses of 1/4 grain (0.015 Gm.) per kilogram of body weight. The arterial blood pressure was recorded with a mercury manometer by means of a


Marketing practices increasingly change by the use and potential of the internet . Therefore, companies have to adapt their marketing practices to these changes which often implies the integration of online driven and traditional ways of practicing marketing. This research focuses on these integration efforts, known as inter-functional coordination. The importance of inter-functional coordination lies in the fact that alignment between organizational functions is necessary for creating value for the customer. To obtain new insights on the integration of functions, this research focuses on developing a better understanding on the role of inter-functional conflicts in the integration of functions, and studying this from a temporal perspective.
Starting with a literature review resulted in a theoretical framework in which literature on inter-functional coordination is combined with literature on temporal structures. A temporal structure of a team is formed by the time perspective of that specific team. The time perspective is related to time aspects like an event or clock-based view on time, deadlines, booking hours, time pressure and the way of planning.
The current literature shows that there has already been a lot of research focusing on integration and inter-functional coordination. Nevertheless, the role of temporal structures in integrating different functions is not yet studied. Therefore, this study focuses on the role of temporal structures in integration by analysing inter-functional conflicts caused by differences in temporal structures between teams. This is important because the temporal structure a team or function is active in can have an influence on the activities a team is performing (Orlikowski & Yates, 2002), and thus can opposing temporal structures result in opposing activities . In this way, a better understanding on integration can be developed.
For this research the following question is formulated:
How can we understand the integration of digital and traditional marketing teams from a temporal perspective?
To research this, an ethnographical case study is conducted in which semi-structured interviews are used as the main data collection method. In this way in-depth insights could be gained about the current integration between the teams. For developing a better understanding on the integration of teams the focus of this research is on finding inter-functional conflicts which impede the successful integration of the marketing teams. In this case, different inter-functional conflicts came to light regarding orientation, priorities, routines and lead time. Using a temporal perspective on inter-functional coordination resulted in a better understanding of the integration of teams, and the role of temporal structures in inter-functional conflicts. The opposing temporal structures of the teams showed to be the cause of the mentioned inter-functional conflicts, and in that way influences the alignment and integration of the marketing teams.
So, using the mentioned theoretical framework resulted in a better theoretical understanding of the underlying reasons why inter-functional conflicts arise between teams, since it shows the role of different temporal structures in conflict and integration. Besides that, this research has a practical contribution by concluding that management has the important task to coordinate the temporal structures of different teams to reach integration.


Healthcare 4.0 demands healthcare data to be shaped into a common standardized and interoperable format for achieving more efficient data exchange. What is also needed is for this healthcare data to be both easily stored and securely accessed from anywhere, and vice versa. Currently, this is achieved through the secure storage of the healthcare data in different cloud repositories and infrastructures, which however increase the difficulty of accessing it in emergency situations from healthcare practitioners, or even from the citizens' themselves. The latter need to have specific credentials for accessing healthcare data in private cloud repositories, which can be almost impossible in urgent situations where this data must be accessed no matter what. For that reason, in this paper we are proposing a new health record indexing methodology that facilitates the access of non-privileged users (e.g. healthcare practitioners), to the healthcare data stored in cloud repositories of citizens-in-need, under the circumstances of emergency cases.


We investigate the use of support vector machines (SVMs) to determine simpler and better fit power macromodels of functional units for high-level power estimation. The basic approach is first to obtain the power consumption of the module for a large number of points in the input signal space. Least-Squares SVMs are then used to compute the best model to fit this set of points. We have performed extensive experiments in order to determine the best parameters for the kernels. Based on this analysis, we propose an iterative method of improving the model by selectively adding new support vectors and increasing the sharpness of the model. The macromodels obtained confirm the excellent modelling capabilities of the proposed kernel-based method, providing both excellent accuracy on maximum error (close to 17%) and average (2% error), which represents an improvement over the state-of-the-art. Furthermore, we present an analysis of the dynamic range of power consumption for the benchmarks circuits, which serves to confirm that the model is able to accommodate circuits exhibiting a more skewed power distribution.


Abstract The case of the Arabian babblers is a controversial and significant one in ethology that troubles standard sociobiological theories of the evolution of behaviour. In this chapter from her book Naissance d'une théorie éthologique, Vinciane Despret examines the divergent models and methods of the scientists studying the babblers, their different epistemologies and ontologies that are only truly visible and understandable if one takes into account their particular ways of comporting themselves with the birds, and the babblers' active role in writing their own scripts. In so far as it resembles the immersive participation and individual biographing of anthropological and primatological methods, and pays skilful attention to the reasons for their actions, Zahavi's way of relating to and questioning the babblers gives them the opportunity to respond.


As the third most popular social network among millennials, Snapchat is well known for its picture and video messaging system that deletes content after it is viewed. However, the Stories feature of Snapchat offers a different perspective of ephemeral content sharing, with pictures and videos that are available for friends to watch an unlimited number of times for 24 hours. We conduct-ed an in-depth qualitative investigation by interviewing 18 participants and reviewing 14 days of their Stories posts. We identify five themes focused on how participants perceive and use the Stories feature, and apply a Goffmanesque metaphor to our analysis. We relate the Stories medium to other research on self-presentation and identity curation in social media.


The relationship between Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and the aggregation processes of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide has been shown to be crucial for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The presence of the ApoE4 isoform is considered to be a contributing risk factor for AD. However, the detailed molecular properties of ApoE4 interacting with the Aβ peptide are unknown, although various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the physiological and pathological role of this relationship. Here, computer simulations have been used to investigate the process of Aβ interaction with the N-terminal domain of the human ApoE isoforms (ApoE2, ApoE3 and ApoE4). Molecular docking combined with molecular dynamics simulations have been undertaken to determine the Aβ peptide binding sites and the relative stability of binding to each of the ApoE isoforms. Our results show that from the several ApoE isoforms investigated, only ApoE4 presents a misfolded intermediate when bound to Aβ. Moreover, the initial α-helix used as the Aβ peptide model structure also becomes unstructured due to the interaction with ApoE4. These structural changes appear to be related to a rearrangement of the salt bridge network in ApoE4, for which we propose a model. It seems plausible that ApoE4 in its partially unfolded state is incapable of performing the clearance of Aβ, thereby promoting amyloid forming processes. Hence, the proposed model can be used to identify potential drug binding sites in the ApoE4-Aβ complex, where the interaction between the two molecules can be inhibited.


Abstract : An original process for manufacturing experimental cylindrical shells is proposed which provides for the perfect geometry and high mechanical properties of specimens, as well as a method and a device for their testing. The shells are produced by condensing a vacuum-evaporated metal (in this experiment it was pure copper) on the highly polished inner surface of a hollow cylinder. The vacuum-chamber set up and the process of coating are described and are illustrated by a schematic diagram, stressing the homogeneous structure, uniform thickness, and high elastic limit of the shells produced. The installation for testing the simply supported shells (80 mm in diameter, 80 mm long, 0.04--0.08 mm well thickness) is also described and its arrangement is sketched. The techniques used in testing are discussed, and the buckling behavior of shells is analyzed. The results of theoretical (by O. V. Pogorelov's method) and experimental investigations of the lower value of the buckling force are presented and compared graphically with each other. They show a fair agreement. The appearance of plastic deformations in shells with wall thickness over 0.09 mm is mentioned, and the discrepancies up to 25--30% between the experimental and theoretical values of the buckling force are indicated. (Author)


The selection of suitable reference genes is crucial to accurately evaluate and normalize the relative expression level of target genes for gene function analysis. However, commonly used reference genes have variable expression levels in developing skeletal muscle. There are few reports that systematically evaluate the expression stability of reference genes across prenatal and postnatal developing skeletal muscle in mammals. Here, we used quantitative PCR to examine the expression levels of 15 candidate reference genes (ACTB, GAPDH, RNF7, RHOA, RPS18, RPL32, PPIA, H3F3, API5, B2M, AP1S1, DRAP1, TBP, WSB, and VAPB) in porcine skeletal muscle at 26 different developmental stages (15 prenatal and 11 postnatal periods). We evaluated gene expression stability using the computer algorithms geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. Our results indicated that GAPDH and ACTB had the greatest variability among the candidate genes across prenatal and postnatal stages of skeletal muscle development. RPS18, API5, and VAPB had stable expression levels in prenatal stages, whereas API5, RPS18, RPL32, andH3F3 had stable expression levels in postnatal stages. API5 and H3F3 expression levels had the greatest stability in all tested prenatal and postnatal stages, and were the most appropriate reference genes for gene expression normalization in developing skeletal muscle. Our data provide valuable information for gene expression analysis during different stages of skeletal muscle development in mammals. This information can provide a valuable guide for the analysis of human diseases. Subjects Agricultural Science, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Veterinary Medicine


Non perforating trabecular surgery (NPTS) with reticulated hyaluronic acid implant (Skgel) allows aqueous humor to leave anterior chamber through a thin trabeculo-Descemet's membrane into a sclerocorneal space filled with Skgel implant and then via the outflow physiological channels. Good intraocular pressure results are obtained with less or without external filtration decreasing the incidence of per- and postoperative complications found after trabeculectomy. This surgery is actually only indicated for primary open angle glaucoma, the trabeculectomy still remaining the gold standard procedure for the other glaucoma cases.


The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of a family history of hearing impairment on those people with the hearing impairment themselves. The subjects were 102 consecutive patients with a family history of hearing impairment, seen in an audiological rehabilitation clinic. Each was given an open-ended questionnaire asking whether such a family history had any effects on them and, if so, to list any effects. Results were qualitatively analysed. 57 subjects indicated effects. Of those listed, 57% were positive, 19% negative, and 24% neutral. The most common positive effects concerned realising the importance of hearing aids and early help-seeking. Common negative effects were concern for the future of themselves and their children. Neutral effects were a reported ignorance or denial of a family history. The results emphasize the importance of asking patients about any family history when planning their rehabilitative programme.


Integrated e-supply chains are distributed manufacturing systems composed of various resources belonging to different companies and integrated with streamlined material, information and financial flow. The configuration of the supply-chain network is essential for business to pursue a competitive advantage and to meet the market demand. This paper proposes a three-level hierarchical methodology for a supply chain network design at the planning-management level. The integrated supply chain network is described as a set of consecutive stages connected by communication and transportation links, and the configuration aim consists in selecting the actors of the stages on the basis of transportation connection and information flow. More precisely, the first level evaluates the performance of the entities candidate to join the network and singles out efficient elements. The second level solves a multi-criteria integer linear optimization problem to configure the network. Finally, the third level is devoted to evaluating and validating the solution proposed in the first two levels. The overall decision process is the result of the interaction of the modules that are dedicated to each decision level. The paper presents some optimization techniques to synthesize the first two levels and illustrates the hierarchical decision process by way of a case study.


This paper presents a new factor analyzed (FA) similarity measure between two Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). An adaptive hidden Markov model (HMM) topology is built to compensate the pronunciation variations in speech recognition. Our idea aims to evaluate whether the variation of a HMM state from new speech data is significant or not and judge if a new state should be generated in the models. Due to the effectiveness of FA data analysis, we measure the GMM similarity by estimating the common factors and specific factors embedded in the HMM means and variances. Similar Gaussian densities are represented by the common factors. Specific factors express the residual of similarity measure. We perform a composite hypothesis test due to common factors as well as specific factors. An adaptive HMM topology is accordingly established from continuous collection of training utterances. Experiments show that the proposed FA measure outperforms other measures with comparable size of parameters.


A group of middle-aged mixed-morphology (MM) supernova remnants (SNRs) interacting with molecular clouds (MCs) has been discovered to be strong GeV gamma-ray emitters by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope (Fermi-LAT). The recent observations of the Suzaku X-ray satellite have revealed that some of these interacting gamma-ray-emitting SNRs, such as IC443, W49B, W44, and G359.1–0.5, have overionized plasmas. 3C 391 (G31.9+0.0) is another Galactic MM SNR interacting with MCs. It was observed in GeV gamma rays by Fermi-LAT as well as in the 0.3–10.0 keV X-ray band by Suzaku. In this work, 3C 391 was detected in GeV gamma rays with a significance of ∼18σ and we showed that the GeV emission is point-like in nature. The GeV gamma-ray spectrum was shown to be best explained by the decay of neutral pions assuming that the protons follow a broken power-law distribution. We revealed radiative recombination structures of silicon and sulfur from 3C 391 using Suzaku data. In this paper, we discuss the possible origin of this type of radiative plasma and hadronic gamma rays.


Observational and clinical studies suggest that dairy intake, particularly low-fat dairy, could have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. We performed a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on dairy intake and risk of hypertension in the general population. A systematic literature search for eligible studies was conducted until July 2011, using literature databases and hand search. Study-specific dose-response associations were computed according to the generalized least squares for trend estimation method, and linear and piecewise regression models were created. Random-effects models were performed with summarized dose-response data. We included 9 studies with a sample size of 57 256, a total of 15 367 incident hypertension cases, and a follow-up time between 2 and 15 years. Total dairy (9 studies; range of intake, ≈100–700 g/d), low-fat dairy (6 studies; ≈100–500 g/d), and milk (7 studies; ≈100–500 g/d) were inversely and linearly associated with a lower risk of hypertension. The pooled relative risks per 200 g/d were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95–0.99) for total dairy, 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93–0.99) for low-fat dairy, and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94–0.98) for milk. High-fat dairy (6 studies), total fermented dairy (4 studies), yogurt (5 studies), and cheese (8 studies) were not significantly associated with hypertension incidence (pooled relative risks of ≈1). This meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies suggests that low-fat dairy and milk could contribute to the prevention of hypertension, which needs confirmation in randomized controlled trials.


The authors have developed physically based, diurnal, and annual models for freezing/thawing moist soils subject to annual insolation, radiant heating, and cooling, and sensible and latent heat exchanges with the atmosphere. Both models have the same weather forcing, numerical scheme, and soil constitutive properties. The authors find that surface temperature differences over a diurnal cycle between the annual and diurnal models are as much as -5 K in March, -7 K in June, -4 K in September, and 5 K in December for 38% (by volume fraction) moist soil. This difference occurs because the annual model includes the history of energy fluxes at the surface of the soil. The annual model is linked to microwave emission models for predictions of temporal radiobrightness signatures. The model predicts a relatively weak decrease in diurnal differences in soil temperature with increased moisture content, but a significant decrease in diurnal differences in radiobrightness. It also exhibits notable perturbations in radiobrightness when soils freeze and thaw. The moisture dependent, day-to-night radiobrightness difference is enhanced by as much as -42 K at 19.35 GHz horizontal polarization for frozen soil if daytime thawing occurs.


Abstract Host–parasite dynamics can play a fundamental role in both the establishment success of invasive species and their impact on native wildlife. The net impact of parasites depends on their capacity to switch effectively between native and invasive hosts. Here we explore host-switching, spatial patterns and simple fitness measures in a slow-expanding invasion: the invasion of Asian house geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) from urban areas into bushland in Northeast Australia. In bushland close to urban edges, H. frenatus co-occurs with, and at many sites now greatly out-numbers, native geckos. We measured prevalence and intensity of Geckobia mites (introduced with H. frenatus), and Waddycephalus (a native pentastome). We recorded a new invasive mite species, and several new host associations for native mites and geckos, but we found no evidence of mite transmission between native and invasive geckos. In contrast, native Waddycephalus nymphs were commonly present in H. frenatus, demonstrating this parasite's capacity to utilize H. frenatus as a novel host. Prevalence of mites on H. frenatus decreased with distance from the urban edge, suggesting parasite release towards the invasion front; however, we found no evidence that mites affect H. frenatus body condition or lifespan. Waddycephalus was present at low prevalence in bushland sites and, although its presence did not affect host body condition, our data suggest that it may reduce host survival. The high relative density of H. frenatus at our sites, and their capacity to harbour Waddycephalus, suggests that there may be impacts on native geckos and snakes through parasite spillback.


Objectives: Epidemiological studies of spondyloarthritis (SpA), using ICD codes from the Swedish National Patient Register (NPR), offer unique possibilities but hinge upon an understanding of the validity of the codes. The aim of this study was to validate the ICD codes for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and undifferentiated SpA (uSpA) in the NPR against the established classification criteria [modified New York (mNY), Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS), Amor, and European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria]. Method: All patients with an ICD-8/9/10 code of AS or uSpA in the NPR 1966–2009 at a visit to a specialist in rheumatology or internal medicine or corresponding hospitalization, alive and living in Sweden 2009, were identified (n = 20 089). Following a structured procedure to achieve geographical representativeness, 500 random patients with a diagnosis of AS or uSpA in 2007–2009 were selected. Based on a structured review of clinical records, positive predictive values (PPVs) for fulfilling the criteria sets were calculated. Results: For those having received an ICD code for AS, the PPVs for fulfilling the mNY criteria or any set of SpA criteria were 70% and 89%, respectively. For those with an uSpA diagnosis (and never an AS diagnosis), the corresponding PPVs were 20% and 79%. The subset with both AS and uSpA diagnoses (overlap = 12%) were as likely to fulfil the mNY criteria as the group that had been coded as AS only. Conclusions: The diagnosis codes for AS or uSpA had high PPVs, suggesting that our case identification in the Swedish NPR can be used for nationwide, population-based, epidemiological studies of these diseases.


The effect of low-dose heparin prophylaxis on venous thrombosis and bleeding after major elective surgery was studied in a prospective controlled study of 820 patients. The total incidence of venous thrombosis detected with leg-scanning using fibrinogen labeled with radioactive iodine (125I) was reduced from 16.0% in the control group to 4.2% in treated patients. More important, the incidence of popliteal or femoral vein thrombosis was reduced from 2.9% to 1.0%. Prophylaxis resulted in a slight increase in bleeding-minor wound hematoma, mean volume of blood transfused, and a post-operative hematocrit fall in treated patients. However, increased bleeding was clinically minor, and prophylaxis was well tolerated.


We propose an open source robotic 3D mapping framework based on Robot Operating System, Point Cloud Library and Cloud Compare software extended by functionality of importing and exporting datasets. The added value is an integrated solution for robotic 3D mapping and new publicly available datasets (accurate 3D maps with geodetic precision) for evaluation purpose Datasets were gathered by mobile robot in stop scan fashion. Presented results are a variety of tools for working with such datasets, for task such as: preprocessing (filtering, down sampling), data registration (ICP, NDT), graph optimization (ELCH, LUM), tools for validation (comparison of 3D maps and trajectories), performance evaluation (plots of various outputs of algorithms). The tools form a complete pipeline for 3D data processing. We use this framework as a reference methodology in recent work on SLAM algorithms.


The present study aims to determine the impact of shock of demonetization which happened in November 2016 in India. It has been observed in literature that while the market moves due to unforeseen events, market movements are largely affected by news reports on such events. Considering these two threads and the association between them, the study follows mixed method research methodology and assesses the impact of demonetization on stock market movement through time series analysis and text analytics of news items generated during the period. This study examines, through time series analysis, the impact of demonetization as an unexpected event on stock market movement. Time series analysis evaluates the impact on overall stock market movements and on sectoral indices, liquidity shocks in the emerging Indian economy due to demonetization. This study integrates time series analysis with robustness tests and follows text analytics, news analytics and sentiment analytics to gauge public sentiment (influenced by media coverage) during the event. These evaluations validate negative movements in the market and most of the sectors due to the negative sentiment of people about demonetization.


Scarcity of indium and tellurium has been highlighted as a potential barrier for cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) thin film technologies to achieve both large‐scale deployment and reduction in production costs. With the aim of assessing the relative weight of the aforementioned concerns, this paper looks at indium and tellurium availability and implications for CIGS and CdTe production costs of their price increases. A breakdown of CdTe and CIGS module production costs is provided, accounting for the relative share of each component materials over total module cost. Conditions affecting usage of the key materials in CdTe and CIGS technologies are weighted against potential future indium and tellurium price escalation to provide a fuller picture of production cost implications for the thin film photovoltaics technologies. This includes exploring and quantifying the potential for innovation and technological developments (including efficiency increases, reduced absorber layer, higher material utilisation during deposition process) to ease the impact of possible future indium and tellurium supply constraints and price increases. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Fungal pathogens are a central cause of the high wastage rates of harvested fruit and vegetables. Seaweeds from the genus Ulva are fast-growing edible green macroalgae whose species can be found on the shore of every continent, and therefore present a resource that can be utilized on a global scale. In this study, we found that the application of ulvan extract, a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Ulva rigida (1000 mg/L), elicited table grapes defense and reduced the incidence and decay area of Botrytis cinerea by 43% and 41%, respectively. In addition, compared to the control group at two days post-treatment, ulvan extract elicited a variety of defense-related biomarkers such as a 43% increase in the activity of reactive oxygen species, 4-fold increase in the activity of catalase, 2-fold increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase and 1.4-fold increase in the activity of chitinase. No increase was observed in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity, and the treatment did not affect fruit quality parameters such as the pH levels, sugar levels, and titratable acidity of grapes. These results illustrate the potential of ulvan extract to naturally induce the plant defense response and to reduce postharvest decay.


Abstract In vascular plants, larger seeds are generally associated with higher germination potential, healthier seedlings and overall higher rates of survivorship. How this relationship holds or what other physiological tradeoffs evolved in plants adapted to high-altitude environments, such as the tropical and subtropical highland Polylepis tree, remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between seed mass and seedling performance by testing the reserve effect, the metabolic effect, and the seedling-size effect hypotheses in Polylepis tomentella Weddell (Rosaceae). Since the relationship between fitness and seed size can often depend on maternal plant size, we additionally investigated the association between germination success, seedling performance (survival, relative growth rate (RGR) and height), and size of bearing-seed trees under controlled greenhouse conditions. Our results showed that heavier seeds are more likely to germinate, but we did not find evidence that could support the reserve effect, metabolic effect or seedling-size effect. As seedlings from larger and medium seeds exhibited comparatively similar RGR, survival percentages and final size, maternal plant size was positively associated with improved seed quality and seedling performance. These results demonstrate that seed mass and maternal size during early seedling establishment are critical for Polylepis persistence, demography and conservation.


A study to assess the effects of fertilizer application on either coconut or coffee or both, in an intercropping system was conducted from 1985 to 1991. at the Davao Research Center, Mindanao, Philippines. The coconuts were planted at 8 m x 8 m square system. Fertilizer application on coconut intercropped with either fertilized or unfertilized coffee increased copra yield significantly. A very slight increase in copra per nut was noted on un-fertilized coconut even with fertilized coffee intercrop indicating coconut did not benefit from the fertilizers applied on coffee. Bean yield of fertilized coffee was increased significantly by 202 percent under fertilized or unfertilized coconuts. But yield of unfertilized coffee did not increase even under fertilized coconut. There is a need to apply fertilizers separately to both crops. Economic analysis revealed that fertilizer application to both coconut and coffee gave the highest net return, followed by fertilizer application on coffee alone.


Employing the density functional theory, we investigate the lowest-energy geometric, the stable and the electronic properties of Agn−1Y (n = 2–10) clusters in this paper. The structural optimization and the frequency analysis are performed at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level. Meanwhile, the differences in geometry, stability and electronic properties between Agn and Agn−1Y (n = 2–10) clusters are also studied. The results show that for the doping of the yttrium atoms, the structures and the average binding lengths of the Agn clusters are greatly changed. In addition, the thermodynamic stabilities of the Agn clusters are enhanced generally with the doping of the Y atoms. In addition, the chemical stabilities of the Agn−1Y clusters are still improved compared with that of the three-dimensional Agn clusters.


The customary way to create jazz arrangements of the Western classical canon—informally called swingin'-the-classics—adapts the original composition to jazz conventions. Uri Caine (b.1956) has devised an alternative approach, most notably in his work with compositions by Gustav Mahler. He refracts Mahler's compositions through an eclectic array of musical performance styles while also eschewing the use of traditional jazz structures in favor of stricter adherence to formal ideas in the original score than is usual in a jazz arrangement. These elements and the manner in which Caine incorporates them in his Mahler arrangements closely parallel the practices of a translator who chooses to create a "foreignizing" literary translation. The 19th-century philosopher and translation theorist Friedrich Schleiermacher explained that in a foreignizing translation "the translator leaves the writer alone as much as possible and moves the reader toward the writer." Foreignizing translations accentuate the otherness of the original work, approximating the foreign text's form and syntax in the receiving language and using an uncommon, heterogeneous vocabulary. The resulting translations, which challenge readers with their frequent defiance of the conventions of the receiving linguistic culture, create literal, exaggerated readings that better convey authors' characteristic use of their own languages for a new audience. My study of Caine's music—which includes a survey of previously unavailable manuscripts and an exploration of selected arrangements using an analytical method designed to address the qualities in music that parallel foreignizing translation-contextualizes Caine's modifications to Mahler's compositions to generate intertextual readings that simultaneously highlight the ways that Mahler was innovative within his own tradition.


This study focuses on the role of protein turnover in the accumulation of the storage protein β-conglycinin (7S protein) during soybean embryogenesis. The results of pulse:chase experiments using 3H-leucine indicate that the turnover of the subunits of β-conglycinin by proteolysis is more rapid in early stages of cotyledon maturation than in later stages.


Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (aP2) is a key mediator of intracellular transport and metabolism of fatty acids. Its expression during adipocyte differentiation is regulated through the actions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα). Macrophages also express aP2, and the lack of macrophage aP2 significantly reduces atherosclerotic lesion size in hypercholesterolemic mice. We investigated the regulation of expression of macrophage aP2 and CD36, a fatty acid membrane binding protein and scavenger receptor, in response to the adipogenic agents isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), insulin, and dexamethasone, a combination of agents shown to induce fibroblast-to-adipocyte differentiation. Treatment of J774 macrophages with adipogenic agents significantly induced aP2 mRNA expression, while CD36 expression was inhibited. Dexamethasone was essential and sufficient to induce aP2 expression, and insulin had a synergistic effect. However, IBMX antagonized induced-aP2 expression. aP2 protein expression and [14C]oleic acid uptake by macrophages were also increased by dexamethasone. Unlike what occurs in adipocytes, adipogenic agents had mixed effects on the expression of PPARγ and C/EBPα in macrophages. Our data demonstrate differences in the regulation of aP2 in adipocytes and macrophages and show that macrophage aP2 expression by adipogenic agents is independent of the PPARγ and/or C/EBPα signaling pathway.


Objectives Workplace environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was historically a prevalent lung carcinogen in Canada, and remains a hazard in certain occupations. This study estimates the attributable fraction (AF) of lung cancers due to workplace ETS, and is part of a larger effort to estimate the current burden of occupational cancers in Canada. Methods The AF calculation requires estimates of the proportion of workers ever exposed (PrE) during the risk exposure period (REP, 1961 – 2000) and the relative risk (RR). To estimate the PrE, the proportion of never-smokers who were exposed to workplace ETS was calculated from Canadian data sources, then combined with historical Canadian employment statistics, labour force data and survival probabilities. Exposure duration was estimated using data from a national case-control study, and used to assign RRs based upon a dose-response relationship reported in the literature. We accounted for never-smoking lung cancer cases, using rates observed among never-smokers in a large US study (CPS-II). Results The proportion of never-smokers in men showed an increasing trend during the REP while in women the proportion decreased slightly. A drop in the proportion of workers exposed to workplace ETS was found in the 80's and 90's. Approximately 7.2 million workers were ever exposed to workplace ETS during the REP, of which half were female. Estimated AFs for ETS-related lung cancers were: 0.6% for males, and 0.5% for females, which equates to 74 lung cancer cases in men and 57 in women. This translates to AFs of 11.8% and 5.8% among never-smoking men and women, respectively. Conclusions Lung cancer attributable to workplace ETS was low in the Canadian population because a large proportion of lung cancer cases occurred among current or former smokers. When only considering the burden among never-smokers, we found a relatively large proportion of cases attributable to workplace ETS.


Soybean cyst nematode is the most destructive pest causing yield reduction in soybean. However, majority of resistant cultivars in the U.S. have their resistance derived from PI 88788 (rhg1) and 'Peking' (rhg1/Rhg4). It is critical to identify new resistance genes to combat SCN. Through greenhouse evaluation of 462 accessions for SCN resistance and by using SoySNP50K data, a genome-wide association study identified 13 SNPs on five chromosomes that are significantly associated with SCN resistance. Of those, the regions on chromosomes 18 and 8 were known to be Rhg1 and Rhg4 loci. Based on this discovery, an F2:3 population derived from 'Lee' x PI 567488B was used for genetic mapping. The result indicated that PI 567488B carries two loci for SCN resistance, which were located on chromosomes 16 and 20. The QTL identified could be used for deployment and stacking of resistance alleles to improve SCN resistance in soybean. INDEX WORDS: Glycine max, Heterodera glycines (HG), Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Resistance to Heterodera glycines gene (Rhg). EVALUATION OF SOYBEAN GERMPLASM AND IDENTIFICATION OF QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI CONFERRING SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE RESISTANCE


Background: Guidelines for PSA screening in subgroups with increased risk of prostate cancer diagnosis due to race or genotype are underdeveloped. Our goal was to investigate types of increased prostate cancer risk and implications for targeted screening. Methods: We investigated computer simulation of subgroups with average and hypothetical increased risk(s) of onset of latent disease, progression, and/or cancer-specific death. For each subgroup, we predicted lifetime probabilities of overdiagnosis and life saved under more and less intensive PSA screening strategies. An application estimated risks of onset among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers in the Identification of Men with a genetic predisposition to ProstAte Cancer: Targeted screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and controls (IMPACT) study using maximum likelihood. Results: Our simulations implied PSA screening can save more lives among subgroups with increased risk than with average risk, but more intensive screening did not always improve harm–benefit trade-offs. IMPACT data were consistent with increased risks of onset among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers [HR = 1.05; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63–1.59 and HR = 1.81; 95% CI, 1.14–2.78, respectively]. Our analysis suggests screening BRCA2 mutation carriers earlier and more frequently than the average-risk population, but a lower PSA threshold for biopsy is unlikely to improve outcomes. Conclusions: Effective screening in men with increased prostate cancer risk depends on the manner in which the risk is increased. More intensive screening is not always optimal. Impact: Guidelines for screening men at increased prostate cancer risk should consider the mechanism inducing the increased risk. Although the benefit of screening may be greater in men with increased risks, more intensive screening is not always appropriate. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(2); 222–7. ©2016 AACR.


Abstract Objective This study explores possible challenges for child occupants in reclined seating positions, applying current protection systems. Using PIPER 6 y in frontal impacts, the aim was to investigate the effect of restraint parameters in reclined seating positions, in addition to an upright position, varying booster design, shoulder belt outlet, and pretensioner activation. Method Eighteen full frontal impacts were simulated using the PIPER 6 y human body model restrained on a booster in a front passenger seat. The type of booster, pretensioner activation and shoulder belt outlet were varied with the vehicle seat in 'upright position' (25°) and 'reclined position' (40°). Three booster principles were used: booster seat (BoosterA), booster cushion (BoosterB) and representing properties of a vehicle built-in booster cushion (BoosterC). The two shoulder belt outlets include 'nominal D-ring' and 'rearward D-ring´. Results Overall, activation of the pretensioner reduced the overall body displacement as well as the head and neck response in both seating positions. Submarining occurred only in the case of BoosterB in 'reclined position' without pretensioner. Some differences were observed for the lap belt interaction with pelvis in the non-submarining simulations. Greater pelvis displacement was observed in 'reclined position' as compared to 'upright position'. In both seating positions, greatest pelvis displacement was observed for BoosterB, due to relatively more forward initial lap belt position. While both provided favorable initial lap belt to pelvis contact, BoosterC offered more efficient lap belt restraint than BoosterA, since the lap belt remained lower on the pelvis and the vertical movement of the pelvis was more limited compared to BoosterA. When in 'reclined position', the 'rearward D-ring' position enabled earlier coupling of the torso due to initial shoulder belt to shoulder contact, resulting in lower head and neck responses as well as shorter head displacement compared to 'nominal D-ring' Conclusions Submarining can be addressed in reclined seating positions using current booster design in combination with a seatbelt pretensioner. Lap belt routing was influenced by booster design and reclined seating, affecting the overall kinematics and responses of the PIPER 6 y. This study highlights the importance of including the whole context of child occupant protection when investigating reclined seating, such as the interaction and compatibility of booster, vehicle seat and seatbelt.


In addition to estrogen dependence, endometriosis is characterized by chronic pelvic inflammation. The impact of the chronic pelvic inflammatory state on other organ systems and women's health is unclear. Endometriosis associated chronic inflammation and potential adverse health effects across the lifespan render it imperative for renewed research vigor into the identification of novel biomarkers of disease and therapeutic options. Herein we propose a number of opportunities for research and development of new therapeutics to address the unmet needs in the treatment of endometriosis per se and its ancillary risks for other diseases in women across the lifespan.


Mapping and quantification of biomass changes is critical to understanding mangrove carbon sequestration, conservation, and restoration. Few previous studies have focused on mangrove biomass changes based on high spatial resolution images, particularly for disturbed and recovering areas. This study developed an effective model to estimate and map mangrove aboveground biomass dynamic change between 2010 and 2016 on Qi'ao Island in South China. The study area includes native Kandelia candel (K. candel) and planted Sonneratia apetala (S. apetala) mangrove species within the largest planted area in China. Models were developed using WorldView-2 images, digital surface models (DSMs), and the random forest algorithm. Accuracies of the model were assessed using multiyear field samples. DSMs were identified as the most important variable for model accuracy, reducing relative error by up to 3.14%. Three models were developed: a model for 2010, another model for 2016, and a combined model for 2010 and 2016. Compared with the 2010 (RMSE = 41.03 t/ha, RMSEr = 24.31%) and 2016 (RMSE = 39.92 t/ha, RMSEr = 23.40%) models, the combined model (RMSE = 50.99 t/ha, RMSEr = 30.48%) only increased the relative error by 6.17% and 7.08%, respectively. Mangrove biomass maps generated from the most accurate models showed total biomass increased from 23270.43 to 39819.03 tons by up to 71.11% over the study period. K. candel total biomass decreased by 36.5% due to Derris trifoliata challenge. S. apetala total biomass increased by 74.79% due to reforestation programs, achieving aboveground biomass accumulation of 4.17 t/ha for stands that existed in 2010. This study provides insights into biomass dynamic change in disturbed and recovering mangrove areas. Future studies should consider using LiDAR techniques to obtain actual tree height applied for biomass estimation instead of DSM.


Case records of 232 dogs and 29 cats with neutropenia were reviewed to examine the spectrum of underlying etiologies causing the neutropenia. Six etiological categories included nonbacterial infectious disease; increased demand due to marked inflammation, bacterial sepsis, or endotoxemia; drug-associated neutropenia; primary bone-marrow disease; immune-mediated neutropenia; and diseases of unclear etiology. The largest single category associated with the development of neutropenia was nonbacterial infectious disease (e.g., feline leukemia virus [FeLV], feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV], histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and parvovirus), with parvovirus infection accounting for 47.1% of all cases. The least common (0.38%) cause was naturally occurring immune-mediated neutropenia.


This paper presents a new method to enhance the participation of variable-speed wind energy conversion systems (WECS) in existing frequency regulation mechanisms. The proposed approach, based on a modified inertial control scheme, takes advantage of the fast response capability associated with electronically-controlled WECS, allowing the kinetic energy stored by rotational masses to be partly and transiently released in order to provide earlier frequency support. An additional improvement is achieved by communicating the WECS response to conventional generators so that these can eventually take care of the full load imbalance. Several simulations using a two-area test system are performed to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed scheme.


Scallop (Argopecten purpuratus) cultivation is
an important economic activity in the central-northern region
of Chile, and diseases are a permanent concern for farmers and
fishing authorities. A one year-long survey was undertaken to
find out what parasites and putative pathogens are present in
cultivated scallops from three locations: Caldera, Guanaqueros
and Tongoy. Ninety adult scallops were sampled from each
location, on each season of the year. The soft parts were fixed
in Davidson´s fluid, and processed routinely for histology. The
prevalence of infection for each parasite and pathologic
condition were assessed. Larvae were sampled from three
hatcheries and fixed for transmission electron microscopy. The
same was done with digestive gland and gill tissues from the
first 10 adults of each group sampled for histology. The same
parasites and pathologic conditions were found in scallops from
the three locations studied: inclusions of rickettsial-like
organisms (RLOs) in epithelial digestive gland tubule cells of
adults, and in the velar rim of one larva, haemocyte infiltration
in gills and digestive gland, two types of granulomas of
unknown aetiology in visceral and mantle connective tissues,
mineral concretions in kidney, and the protozoan Trichodina
sp., a ciliate ectoparasite, on the gills. However, the prevalences
of all conditions varied greatly between the three sites and/or
seasons. Based on the absence of significant mortalities among
cultured scallops at the three sites during the reported survey
year, it is concluded that the surveyed scallops were healthy,
and that the pathological conditions reported here are generally
benign.


Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor ligands such as EGF and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) play an important role in controlling the proliferation, survival, morphology, and motility of colonic epithelial cells. There is also increasing evidence that growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins cooperate to regulate these cellular processes. We have reported previously that autocrine TGF-alpha and an unidentified ECM protein in the serum-free conditioned medium of the human colon carcinoma cell line LIM1215 synergize to induce spreading of these cells in low-density cultures. We have now purified the ECM protein secreted by LIM1215 cells and show that it synergizes with EGF to induce spreading of LIM1215 cells and other human cell lines from the colon and other tissues. The purified ECM migrated as a single protein band with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 800 kDa on SDS-PAGE under nonreducing conditions and, under reducing conditions, as three protein bands of approximately 360, 210, and 200 kDa. Immunoblotting experiments and mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic digests on the purified protein identified the 360-, 210-, and 200-kDa protein bands as laminin alpha5, beta1, and gamma1 chains, respectively, indicating that LIM1215 cells secrete laminin-10 (alpha5 beta1 gamma1). In serum-free medium, LIM1215 cells adhere to laminin-10 primarily via alpha2 beta1 and alpha3 beta1 integrin receptors. EGF-induced spreading of LIM1215 cells on laminin-10 is partially inhibited by pretreatment of the cells with blocking antibodies directed against integrin alpha3 or beta1 but not alpha2, alpha6, or beta4 subunits. Spreading is almost completely inhibited by blocking alpha3 + alpha2, alpha3 + alpha6, or beta1 + beta4 integrin chains and results in cell death. Increased spreading in the presence of EGF correlates with up-regulation of alpha6 beta4 integrins in these cells after exposure to EGF. These results indicate that colon cancer cells attach and spread on laminin-10 via multiple integrin receptors and suggest a critical role for alpha3 beta1 integrins in the spreading response. Together, our results support the concept that the adhesive properties of colon cancer cells are modulated by autocrine production of TGF-alpha and laminin-10 and autocrine induction of appropriate integrins.


Abstract The amphipod genus Stygobromus occurs in a variety of subterranean habitats in North America, including caves, phreatic (groundwater) lakes, and superficial subterranean habitats (seeps and epikarst). The habitats share the absence of light but differ in other features, such as pore size of the habitat, available food, and degree of seasonality. Measurements of body size, antennal size, and antennal segment number of type specimens were compared for 56 species occurring in the eastern United States. Except for differences in body size, differences among species in the four different habitats were not significant. Body size was related to relative pore size of the habitat, e.g., epikarst, with the smallest spaces, had the smallest species. However, in all habitats, there was one very large species (> 15mm); these enigmatic species apparently occupy a distinct ecological niche, perhaps being more predatory. Differences in relative antennal size showed no significant differences among habitats, and differences in number of antennal segments were marginally significant (P  =  0.06) among habitat types and not in the predicted pattern. Differences among habitats in seasonality and available food seemed to be a minor part of the selective environment; absence of light seemed to be a major part of the selective environment.


In molecular studies involving numerous clinical isolates of the genera Acremonium, Phialemonium and Lecytophora some of them could not be identified. To clarify the phylogenetic relationships among these fungi and other related taxa, we performed a polyphasic study based on a detailed morphological study and on the analysis of sequences of four loci: the internal transcribed spacer regions, the D1/D2 domains of the 28S rRNA, actin and β-tubulin genes. The combination of the resulting data let us propose the new genus Phialemoniopsis to accommodate the opportunistic fungi Phialemonium curvatum and Sarcopodium oculorum and two new species, Phialemoniopsis cornearis and Phialemoniopsis pluriloculosa. The taxonomy of Phialemoniopsis has not been completely resolved, however, remaining incertae sedis within the Sordariomycetes. In addition, the new species Lecythophora luteorubra, Lecythophora cateniformis and Phialemonium globosum are described and the species Acremonium atrogriseum and Taifanglania inflata are transferred to the genus Phialemonium. Lecythophora and Phialemonium are currently monophyletic genera of the families Coniochaetaceae (Coniochaetales) and Cephalothecaceae (Sordariales) respectively, according to our results. Tables summarizing key morphological features to distinguish the current species of Lecythophora, Phialemonium and Phialemoniopsis are provided.


The volume of natural language text data has been rapidly increasing over the past two decades, due to factors such as the growth of the Web, the low cost associated to publishing and the progress on the digitization of printed texts. This growth combined with the proliferation of natural language systems for search and retrieving information provides tremendous opportunities for studying some of the areas where database systems and natural language processing systems overlap. This tutorial explores two more relevant areas of overlap to the database community: (1) managing natural language text data in a relational database, and (2) developing natural language interfaces to databases. The tutorial presents state-of-the-art methods, related systems, research opportunities and challenges covering both areas.


tion, and development of coastal infrastructure. With limited resources, the country is looking to its people to play an active role in protecting and managing marine resources. In  Fauna & Flora International (FFI) began engaging the Myanmar Government to support sustainable management and conservation of its marine resources. Following the training ofMyanmar's first research scuba team, FFI carried out research during – on the coral reefs of the Myeik Archipelago. Although the research found a degraded ecosystem affected by anthropogenic impacts, a number of reefs had a high diversity of corals and fish and up to % coral cover. Reefs in the Langann and Thayawthadangyi Island Groups included two Endangered (Acropora roseni and Acropora rudis) and five Vulnerable coral species (Acropora acuminata, Pachyseris rugosa, Pavona venosa, Anomastraea irregularis, Turbinaria mesenterina), the Near Threatened orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides, chevron butterflyfish Chaetodon trifascialis, and bentfin devil ray Mobula thurstoni, the Vulnerable smoothcoated otter Lutrogale perspicillata, and the Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata. However, sharks, rays and other large predators were notably uncommon on these and other reefs. FFI therefore initiated socio-economic surveys in five island communities, to examine resource use and threats to livelihoods and to identify ways to address these pressures. The communities are diverse both socially and in terms of livelihoods, with three ethnicities, Karen, Burma and the Moken. Although most are fishers (some are farmers) their methods are varied, with spear fishing, stationary and drift nets, hand-lining and reef gleaning. All those interviewed noted a decline in marine resources and attributed this to an unregulated, open access fishery with excessive commercial trawlers and light boats (boats that use artificial light to attract their catch). Although fishers from these islands fish across the archipelago they were keen to have, at least, an area near their village that is free of trawlers, some of which drive through villagers' nets. Working alongside the Myanmar Fisheries Department the concept of Locally Managed Marine Areas was proposed. After  years and many discussions, the first of three Locally Managed Marine Area notifications was submitted to the Director General of the Fisheries Department in June . Each notification included delimitation of a boundary, location of no-take and seasonal no-take zones, and appropriate rules and regulations. The notifications were approved, and the three areas (Langann, Don Pale Aw and Lin Lon/Parawa Locally Managed Marine Areas) were gazetted on  March . These are the first such notifications designed specifically for marine co-managed fisheries in Myanmar. Each Area is managed by a – member committee, including a mix of ethnicities, fisher types and sexes. Management plans for each site have been submitted to the Fisheries Department for approval, and FFI has provided a patrol boat to each Area, to help enforce regulations in collaboration with Fisheries Department officers. Over the past year FFI has also provided these communities with small grants that allow local people to manage livelihood projects. These have included the establishment of two crab banks for blue-swimmer crabs, illegal fishing net exchange, pig rearing and agroforestry. The establishment of the Locally Managed Marine Areas has engendered considerable interest amongst fishing communities in the Myeik Archipelago, with  more communities coming forward to indicate their enthusiasm for the idea. The Fisheries Department and the Tanintharyi State Regional Government have also taken an interest in this approach, as it is a way to involve communities in decision making and managing their own resources, and a step towards sustainable fisheries management for the country.


The study of carbon and oxygen abundances yields information on the time evolution and nucleosynthetic origins of these elements, yet they remain relatively unexplored. At low metallicities, (12+log(O/H) < 8.0), nebular carbon measurements are limited to rest-frame UV collisionally excited emission lines. Therefore, we present the UV spectrophotometry of 12 nearby low-metallicity high-ionization H ii regions in dwarf galaxies obtained using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. We present the first analysis of the C/O ratio in local galaxies based solely on simultaneous significant detections of the UV and collisionally excited lines in seven of our targets and five objects from the literature to create a final sample of 12 significant detections. Our sample is complemented by optical SDSS spectra, from which we measured the nebular physical conditions and oxygen abundances using the direct method. At low metallicity, (12+log(O/H) < 8.0), no clear trend is evident in C/O versus O/H for the present sample given the large dispersion observed. When combined with recombination line observations at higher values of O/H, a general trend of increasing C/O with increasing O/H is also viable but with some significant outliers. Additionally, we find the C/N ratio appears to be constant (but with significant scatter) over a large range in oxygen abundance, indicating that carbon is predominantly produced by similar nucleosynthetic mechanisms as nitrogen. If true, and our current understanding of nitrogen production is correct, this would indicate that primary production of carbon (a flat trend) dominates at low metallicity, but quasi-secondary production (an increasing trend) becomes prominent at higher metallicities. A larger sample will be needed to determine the true nature and dispersion of the relation.