The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to be 26.3% among the US population. A subset of this population exhibits an aggressive histological phenotype, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with ≥ stage 2 fibrosis, which may progress to cirrhosis. The definition of NAFLD excludes excessive alcohol intake, which is well known to cause alcoholic liver disease and will not be discussed here. Most NAFLD clinical trials use ~14 drinks per week as the cutoff for excessive alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption below this threshold, which we define as moderate alcohol consumption, is common in the US. According to the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 56% of the US adult population consume alcohol, but only 8.2% report drinking heavily and 18.3% report binge drinking. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Practice Guidance of 2018 states that there are insufficient data to make a recommendation with regard to moderate alcohol consumption in patients with NAFLD, citing a lack of longitudinal studies that examine the impact of moderate alcohol consumption on disease progression and its extrahepatic harms versus benefits, specifically in individuals with established NAFLD. NAFLD prevalence studies have generally noted a negative correlation between modest alcohol consumption and NAFLD. However, prevalence studies have limited application to patients with established NAFLD who present to the clinic. There can also be many confounding factors, because modest alcohol consumption is also negatively associated with some NAFLD risk factors, and those risk factors may not be adequately adjusted for in analyses. The prevalence of NASH with significant fibrosis (≥ F2) is more important because this is the group that is believed to have progressive disease. Thus, cohort studies of disease progression are more important from the patient's standpoint. Because these patients have already developed NAFLD or NASH, their interest lies in their odds of disease progression if they have moderate alcohol consumption compared to abstinence. It is also noteworthy that cardiovascular disease is the most important cause of death among patients with NAFLD. Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a reduction in overall mortality, but mostly in cardiovascular mortality. However, this protective effect has not been demonstrated specifically in patients with NAFLD.


Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a leading cause of cirrhosis in western countries. Insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and the polymorphisms patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 and transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2) rs58542926 are independent risk factors of NASH. Nevertheless, little is known about the interaction between IR and T2D with these polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of NASH and the development of advanced fibrosis. Thus, our study aimed to investigate this relationship. This is a cross-sectional study including NASH patients diagnosed by liver biopsy, at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. A total of 140 patients were included (93 T2D, 47 non-T2D). T2D (OR = 4.67; 95%CI 2.13–10.20; p < 0.001), PNPLA3 rs738409 and TM6SF2 rs58542926 polymorphisms (OR = 3.94; 95%CI 1.63–9.54; p = 0.002) were independently related with advanced liver fibrosis. T2D increased the risk of advance fibrosis on top of the two polymorphisms (OR = 14.69; 95%CI 3.03–77.35; p = 0.001 for PNPLA3 rs738409 and OR = 11.45; 95%CI 3.16–41.55; p < 0.001 for TM6SF2 rs58542926). In non-T2D patients, the IR (HOMA-IR ≥ 5.2, OR = 14.33; 95%CI 2.14–18.66; p = 0.014) increased the risk of advanced fibrosis when the polymorphisms were present (OR = 19.04; 95%CI 1.71–650.84; p = 0.042). The T2D and IR status increase the risk of advanced fibrosis in patients with NASH carrying the PNPLA3 rs738409 and/or TM6SF2 rs58542926 polymorphisms, respectively.


To improveaerobic treatment of wastewater, cultivation of aerobic granular sludgeseems to be useful. Since excess nitrate and phosphate compounds promoteforming algal blooms and eutrophication in receiving water, in recent years many investigations have been conductedto improve the efficiency of COD, nitrogen and phosphate removal. Applying aerobic granular sludge is a novel and promising technique due to its advantages over conventional activated sludge process and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) such as improved settling ability and higher biomass retention as well as capable of toleration significantly higher organic loading rates because of their ability to retain biomass. In this study, a mini-review over papers and patents in this field was done.


All-regime performance simulation of marine diesel propulsion system is an important support for design of control system. An all-regime model for diesel propulsion system is established, including starting, braking, reversing, etc. The dynamic simulation models of propeller running across four quadrants and ship longitudinal motion are given too. A 76000DWT bulk carrier is selected as plant. The simulation results show that steady data of diesel are in good accordance with test-bed data, and dynamic data match to ship sea trial data in crash stop condition. The model is accurate and effective.


It is well known that a muscle excited anaerobically fails to contract any more when the concentration of lactic acid inside it rises to about 0·3 per cent. In the presence of oxygen the lactic acid disappears and the muscle recovers, but this does not prove that recovery is due solely to the removal of the acid; it might be argued that some other mechanism also needs restoration before the muscle can function normally again. Now it is possible, by suspending a sufficiently thin muscle in oxygen-free Ringer's solution and exciting it sufficiently slowly, to allow diffusion to remove the lactic acid as it is formed. Under such conditions the muscle is found to liberate 2 to 3 times as much energy as it would it diffusion were not permitted. It appears to continue working until all its carbohydrate is used up. Since, therefore, nothing is known to pass into the Ringer's solution except lactic acid, we may, until some other substance is found, attribute the absence of fatigue to the absence of lactic acid in the muscle, and conclude that when diffusion is not allowed fatigue is due primarily to lactic acid. In a recent paper (1, p. 51) the case was considered of a muscle excited by single shocks at regular intervals in oxygen-free Ringer's solution, attaining a "steady state" in which outward diffusion of lactic acid balances new formation. If a plane sheet of muscle of thickness 2 b , exposed on both sides to Ringer's solution, produce α gm. of lactic acid per c. c. per minute, and if k be the diffusion constant, the greatest concentration attained anywhere inside it, viz., in its middle plane, is (in gms. per c. c.) α b 2/2 k .


WP29 has recently adopted Guidelines on Automated Individual Decision-making and Profiling for the purposes of General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). Article 22 GDPR bans all decisions that affect the data subject which have been based solely on automated processing. The Article eventually allows automatic processing, conditional on application of suitable safeguards for data subject rights. These safeguards might vary substantially depending on automated processing technologies. This article describes, firstly, the general safeguards to embed legal requirements. Secondly, the article explores solutions for automatic processing based on data analysis. It is argued that, although the data controller can put in place safeguards that respect data subject rights, a parallel empowerment of external authorities will be necessary to reach both: an informed external oversight, and the full application of this right. This article seeks to provide an analysis of Article 22 GDPR in the hope that this will inform the policy debate. Keywords: Article 22 GDPR; automated processing; data analysis; agreement technologies; multi-agent systems; internal/external oversight


Experimental Examination of Wire Mesh Dampers Subjected to Large Amplitude Displacements. (August 2007) Adam Matthew Jones, B.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. John M. Vance Wire mesh dampers are under investigation because they are seen as replacements for squeeze film dampers as a source of direct stiffness and damping at bearing locations. There are several advantages of wire mesh dampers over squeeze film dampers, including: temperature insensitivity, oil-free operation, and the ability to contain large amplitude vibrations. Furthermore, due to their direct damping and lack of cross-coupled stiffness, the wire mesh reduces the response to imbalance and increases the stability of the system. The objective of this research was to determine the properties of wire mesh dampers under large amplitude vibrations. Impact testing was first conducted on the wire mesh as a means of obtaining the large amplitudes that were of interest. Next, to verify the results, a second methodology was employed using shaker testing. It was found that both the stiffness and hysteretic damping decrease with increasing displacement. However, they both approached asymptotes around 2 mils of displacement, and further increases in displacement had significantly less effect on the properties. Once the results were verified to be consistent, equations were obtained to describe the response of the wire mesh dampers. These equations were then used to create a new design workbook, which would allow an engineer to determine the properties of wire mesh dampers under conditions that they might experience.


Context. The frequencies, lifetimes, and eigenfunctions of solar acoustic waves are affected by turbulent convection, which is random in space and in time. Since the correlation time of solar granulation and the periods of acoustic waves (∼5 min) are similar, the medium in which the waves propagate cannot a priori be assumed to be time independent.
Aims. We compare various effective-medium solutions with numerical solutions in order to identify the approximations that can be used in helioseismology. For the sake of simplicity, the medium is one dimensional.
Methods. We consider the Keller approximation, the second-order Born approximation, and spatial homogenization to obtain theoretical values for the effective wave speed and attenuation (averaged over the realizations of the medium). Numerically, we computed the first and second statistical moments of the wave field over many thousands of realizations of the medium (finite-amplitude sound-speed perturbations are limited to a 30 Mm band and have a zero mean).
Results. The effective wave speed is reduced for both the theories and the simulations. The attenuation of the coherent wave field and the wave speed are best described by the Keller theory. The numerical simulations reveal the presence of coda waves, trailing the ballistic wave packet. These late arrival waves are due to multiple scattering and are easily seen in the second moment of the wave field.
Conclusions. We find that the effective wave speed can be calculated, numerically and theoretically, using a single snapshot of the random medium (frozen medium); however, the attenuation is underestimated in the frozen medium compared to the time-dependent medium. Multiple scattering cannot be ignored when modeling acoustic wave propagation through solar granulation.


Kernel learning is a fundamental problem both in recent research and application of kernel methods. Existing kernel learning methods commonly use some measures of generalization errors to learn the optimal kernel in a convex (or conic) combination of prescribed basic kernels. However, the generalization bounds derived by these measures usually have slow convergence rates, and the basic kernels are finite and should be specified in advance. In this paper, we propose a new kernel learning method based on a novel measure of generalization error, called principal eigenvalue proportion (PEP), which can learn the optimal kernel with sharp generalization bounds over the convex hull of a possibly infinite set of basic kernels. We first derive sharp generalization bounds based on the PEP measure. Then we design two kernel learning algorithms for finite kernels and infinite kernels respectively, in which the derived sharp generalization bounds are exploited to guarantee faster convergence rates, moreover, basic kernels can be learned automatically for infinite kernel learning instead of being prescribed in advance. Theoretical analysis and empirical results demonstrate that the proposed kernel learning method outperforms the state-of-the-art kernel learning methods.


The coupling between defects in diamond and a superconducting microwave resonator is studied in the nonlinear regime. Both negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy and P1 defects are explored. The measured cavity mode response exhibits strong nonlinearity near a spin resonance. Data is compared with theoretical predictions and a good agreement is obtained in a wide range of externally controlled parameters. The nonlinear effect under study in the current paper is expected to play a role in any cavity-based magnetic resonance imaging technique and to impose a fundamental limit upon its sensitivity.


Histamine is a well-known inflammatory mediator exerting various immunomodulatory effects and affecting the development of antigen-specific immune responses. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells specialized for capture, uptake, transport, processing and presentation of antigens to T cells. Using a genetically histamine-free [histidine decarboxylase knockout (HDC-/-)] mouse model, we examined the effects of histamine on DC-mediated antigen presentation. Applying an in vitro antigen presentation assay, we found that spleen DCs, derived from HDC-/- mice, display a higher efficiency in antigen presentation compared with wild-type cells. Flow cytometric characterization of DCs disclosed that this difference was not due to an altered distribution of DCs between or within the major functional sub-populations (assessed by CD11b and CD4 as myeloid and CD8alpha and DEC205 as lymphoid DC markers) or major changes in the co-stimulatory molecule profile (CD40, CD80, CD86). However, real-time PCR analysis of in vivo CFA-induced IL-12p35, IFNgamma, IL-10 and IL-4 expression showed that DCs matured in a histamine-free environment exhibit significantly elevated levels of IL-12p35 and IFNgamma mRNA. In vitro investigations confirmed that isolated DCs, developed in the absence of histamine, exhibit indeed a predominantly T(h)1-polarized cytokine pattern, as they show elevated levels of IFNgamma mRNA upon LPS stimulation. Similar difference was found at the protein level by ELISA, as well. Our study demonstrates that histamine interferes with antigen presentation and alters the cytokine profile of DCs.


A flux regulation method with passivity-based control (PBC) for a variable reluctance (VR) finger gripper is presented. The performance and stability of the proposed control scheme is verified through mathematical derivations and computer simulation. These verifications indicate that the direct-drive VR finger gripper control has robustness despite certain parameters variations and modelling uncertainties. A novel two-finger gripper based on VR driving principle is also introduced. This kind of gripper has certain advantages over the conventional permanent magnet voice coil gripper, the most notable advantages are the ease of construction, high robustness and very low cost. The work described is the first of its kind in carrying out passivity based control for a direct-drive VR actuator. In the study, the flux and torque behaviour of a mutually-coupled VR gripper was investigated, and its state dynamic equations were derived. Then its flux and torque models were constructed. A similar two-finger VR gripper was fabricated and its characteristics were measured. The PBC controller is designed to regulate the flux linking through the magnetic circuit of the VR finger gripper. Computer simulation and hardware implementation were carried out. The two sets of results compare favourably with each other. Both sets of result show that the system is highly robust and has excellent trajectory tracking performance.


Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a new type of non-orthogonal modulation suggested for 5G systems offering lower bit-error rate and higher spectral efficiency. There are many challenges when designing high throughput SCMA message passing decoders to meet the standards expected from 5G networks. Particularly, the message passing algorithm (MPA) needs many exponential computations to calculate conditional probabilities in case of Gaussian noise channels. This paper describes a sub-optimal modeling of noise using polynomial probability distributions rather than a normal distribution to eliminate the exponential calculations for MPA detectors. Simulation results demonstrate that an estimated SCMA MPA reaches the desired bit-error rate performance with much lower computational/hardware complexity.


We had shown in our previous work [7, 9] that supervisory control theory (SCT) of discrete-event systems could be applied for scheduling hard real-time systems. In particular, we had presented a formal framework for the synthesis of real-time schedulers on single processor systems using priority-based supervisory control of timed discrete-event systems (TDES). We had also provided the extension of SCT in designing schedulers for uniform multiprocessor systems [8]. As we had considered discrete time models in our scheduler design, the state sizes were substantially large, and increased exponentially with the number of real-time tasks. In order to reduce the state space explosion problem in our models, we have utilized a modified form of symbolic modeling methodology [3], along with the pre-stable algorithm proposed in [3], for reducing state space while designing schedulers for real-time tasks on uniprocessor systems. The main contribution through this paper has been the development of an informal procedure for uniprocessor scheduler design with reduced state space for preemptive real-time tasks.


We study the question of determining locations of base stations (BSs) that may belong to the same or to competing service providers. We take into account the impact of these decisions on the behavior of intelligent mobile terminals that can connect to the base station that offers the best utility. The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is used as the quantity that determines the association. We first study the SINR association-game: We determine the cells corresponding to each base stations, i.e., the locations at which mobile terminals prefer to connect to a given base station than to others. We make some surprising observations: 1) displacing a base station a little in one direction may result in a displacement of the boundary of the corresponding cell to the opposite direction; 2) a cell corresponding to a BS may be the union of disconnected subcells. We then study the hierarchical equilibrium in the combined BS location and mobile association problem: We determine where to locate the BSs so as to maximize the revenues obtained at the induced SINR mobile association game. We consider the cases of single frequency band and two frequency bands of operation. Finally, we also consider hierarchical equilibria in two frequency systems with successive interference cancellation.


This paper reports the results of subjective studies to determine objective predictors of perceived listener envelopment in concert halls. Subjects, seated in an anechoic room, were exposed to simulated sound fields that were expected to have varied listener envelopment. As independent variables: the reverberation time, the early‐to‐late sound ratio, the overall sound level, and the angular distribution of the late‐arriving sound levels were varied. All of these factors had statistically significant effects on perceived listener envelopment. The results indicate, however, that the angular distribution of the late arriving sound and the overall level would have the largest effects in real concert halls. Thus listener envelopment depends on having strong lateral reflections arriving at the listener 80 ms or more after the direct sound. Several objective measures correlated significantly with listener envelopment. However, a new measure, the late lateral sound level, as measured using a figure‐of‐eight microphone, was found to be both conceptually simple and a very good predictor of the perceived listener envelopment of the sound fields in this experiment.


ABSTRACT This study sought to characterize auditory attention functioning among pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) survivors treated on a chemotherapy-only protocol, given previous literature suggesting late impact on sustained visual attention. We hypothesized similar deficits would be observed in auditory attention relative to previous literature indicating weakness with aspect of visual attention in this population. Survivors (n = 107, 53 females, M = 12.80 years) completed the Conners Continuous Auditory Test of Attention (CATA). Parents completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition and reported educational performance and services via structured questionnaire. Results indicated several CATA indices associated with sustained auditory attention were significantly worse than normative data, though group means were average. Reflecting individual variability in performance, 50% of the sample performed worse than one standard deviation from the mean on at least one CATA variable. Parent report of attention did not differ from normative means for the sample. Parent-report data indicated that 60% of the sample utilized academic support services, with a large proportion of survivors having utilized special education services. Poorer performance with sustained auditory attention was associated with poor academic outcomes. Greater methotrexate exposure and younger age at diagnosis were risk factors for inattentiveness. No gender differences were identified on direct assessment of auditory attention or parent report of attention, though male gender was associated with poorer educational performance. Findings suggest that auditory attention is an at-risk cognitive domain following treatment for pediatric ALL, and that an association exists between auditory attention and school performance in this population.


Orientation: Construction human resource management. Research purpose: The study examines the skilled labour supply in the South African construction industry and determines whether there is a relationship between trade certification, quality of work output and scarce labour skills. Motivation for the study: The rationale for the investigation is based on the view of scholars that a skilled labour shortage is preponderant in the South African construction industry even though there is a high level of youth unemployment in South Africa and that the perceived skills shortage contributes to a decrease in productivity and product quality. Research design, approach and method: The paper reviews relevant literature and employs a mixed method research approach in collecting empirical data from contracting companies within the Western Cape Province of South Africa that are listed on the Construction Industry Development Board contractor register. Main findings: The study demonstrated that there is no shortage of manpower, but there is a shortage of qualified or skilled tradesmen, such as electricians, plumbers, welders, fitters and carpenters, whose professions are more technical and require formal training and certification. The level of supply of skilled tradesmen is attributed to the lack of high-quality basic education, the state of the economy, compulsory certification of tradesmen and an ageing workforce. It was also found that there is a significant relationship between skilled labour shortages and the requirement that labour be certified and that work output is unsatisfactory when there is no certification requirement. Practical/managerial implications: Based on these findings, the study concludes that skilled labour shortages and poor work output quality continue to be experienced in the South African construction industry when workers are unable to obtain formal certification for informal work experience acquired through years of practice on construction sites. Contribution: It is recommended that the South African government establish proactive strategies in the form of a framework for use in evaluating, certifying and grading the informal expertise acquired by workers through years of practice. This recommendation seeks to ensure that the supply of certified craftsmen capable of undertaking and producing high-quality construction work meets demand. Keywords: Artisans; Education; Experience; Expertise; Practice


International factors, such as the dramatic increase in imports from emerging-market economies, especially China, have been widely blamed for the decline in manufacturing employment in the United States over the past decade. The authors argue, however, that far more important in causing that decline has been the slow overall growth in US employment and powerful historical forces that have affected all advanced economies: a combination of rapid productivity growth and demand that is relatively unresponsive to income growth and lower prices. To be sure, US manufacturing employment can grow in the short run. The labor content of the US manufacturing trade deficit remains significant and a vigorous US and global economic recovery could boost US manufacturing employment. Over the long run, however, absent new product innovations, or a shift in consumer preferences, the basic forces leading to declining manufacturing employment are unlikely to abate.


Objective: (1) To determine the correlation of 2008 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging system with survival in patients with stage IIA cervical cancer, (2) to elucidate the treatment patterns in stage IIA1 and stage IIA2 cervical cancer, and (3) to investigate whether radical hysterectomy or radiation influenced overall survival. Methods: Data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database between 1988 and 2005. Statistical analysis used χ2 test, Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression, and logistic regression. Results: Of the 560 women, 271 (48.4%) had stage IIA1, and 289 (51.6%) had stage IIA2 cervical cancer. Stage IIA2 patients were younger than stage IIA1 patients (mean age, 49 years vs 54 years; P = 0.01). Stage IIA1, compared with stage IIA2, differed significantly regarding the administration of primary radiation (47.2% vs 64.7%, P < 0.001) and adjuvant radiation (60.5% vs 77.5%, P = 0.006). The following variables were significantly associated with the performance of radical hysterectomy: patient age, 65 years or younger, tumor size, ≤2 cm or lesser, high tumor grade, and nonsquamous tumor histology. The incidence of adjuvant radiation after radical hysterectomy was high (48% [tumor size, ≤2 cm] to 86% [tumor size, >6 cm]). The 5-year overall survival was not significantly different between stages IIA1 and IIA2 (65.8% vs 59.5%, P = 0.2). Only patient age (P = 0.01), tumor size (P = 0.02), and lymph node status (P = 0.002) were independent predictors of survival. When controlled for other contributing factors, there was no significant difference in survival between patients treated by radical hysterectomy and primary radiation. Conclusions: The 2008 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging criteria is not an independent predictor of survival in stage IIA cervical cancer. Given the equivalent efficacy of radical hysterectomy and radiation, attention should be paid to the high risk of adjuvant radiation in these patients.


Myliobatidae is a family of large pelagic rays including cownose, eagle and manta rays. They are extremely efficient swimmers, can cruise at high speeds and can perform turn-on-a-dime maneuvering, making these fishes excellent inspiration for an autonomous underwater vehicle. Myliobatoids have been studied extensively from a biological perspective; however the fluid mechanisms that produce thrust for their large-amplitude oscillatory-style pectoral fin flapping are unknown. An experimental robotic flapping wing has been developed that closely matches the camber and planform shapes of myliobatoids. The wing can produce significant spanwise curvature, phase delays down the span, and oscillating frequencies of up to 1 Hz, capturing the dominant kinematic modes of flapping for myliobatoids. This paper uses dye flow visualization to qualitatively characterize the fluid mechanisms at work during steady-state oscillation. It is shown that oscillatory swimming uses fundamentally different fluid mechanisms than undulatory swimming by the generation of leading-edge vortices. Lessons are distilled from studying the fluid dynamics of myliobatoids that can be applied to the design of biomimetic underwater vehicles using morphing wing technology.


Background: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the developed world; this has implications for quality of life and demand on healthcare systems. Current treatment approaches for obesity appear effective in achieving short-term weight loss for some, but gains are not always maintained long-term. Treatments for Binge Eating Disorder (BED) can reducing binging but are not shown to have a significant impact on body weight. Evidence suggests that current treatments lack effectiveness because they do not target the factors underlying chronic weight and eating problems.
Aims: To investigate, from the perspective of the affected individual, the role of emotion regulation and coping in BED.
Methods: Nine participants took part in a non-directive, semi-structured interview. All were classified as obese: four met criteria for BED. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Results: Five main themes were found; 1) Early life experiences, 2) The development of weight problems, 3) Use of food, 4) Attitudes to coping and 5) Beliefs about self. Differences were noted across these key themes between the BED and non-BED group with those in the BED group relying more on maladaptive strategies for coping, having more negative childhood experiences and having more negative self-perceptions. The results of this study highlight the need for treatment to focus on increasing individual's resources for managing emotions, by widening their coping strategies.


In conventional text‐to‐speech systems, synthesis unit inventories are prepared in advance through a laborious process of speech data gathering, analysis, and manual segmentation, and users of such systems cannot add unit inventories of new voices. This paper describes a method for registration of a new speaker's voice to synthesis unit inventories in a text‐to‐speech system, by providing users with a function of registering their voices like a training function commonly used in speech recognition systems. An approach taken here is as follows: (1) create an initial unit inventory as a reference unit inventory by manual segmentation, (2) for new speakers, let them give utterances following a guidance synthetic speech of the reference speaker, whose pitch range is adjusted to those of new speakers, (3) segment the new speech database automatically by a phonemic alignment technique combined with constraints given by the segment information of the reference unit inventory. Experimental results are shown for a...


Particle, especially fine and ultrafine particle exposure has been linked to lower airway infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ischemic heart disease, stroke and cancer. The underlying mechanisms are under active investigation, and are still not fully understood. Several mechanisms have been proposed such as oxidative stress, inflammatory response and genotoxicity.Different biomarkers have been developed to investigate the mechanisms. This thesis includes exposure to fine and ultrafine particles from three different exposure sources: diesel exhaust, asphalt fumes and welding fumes. The main aim is to investigate adverse health effectscaused by airborne fine and ultrafine particle exposure, and to analyze biomarkers that are hypothesized to be in the causal pathway from exposure to pulmonary and cardiovascular disease.The thesis is based on three studies (four papers): i) a human experimental exposure study with 18 volunteers; ii) a field study with 167 asphalt workers and 100 controls; iii) a field study with 101 welders and 127 controls. We investigated airway symptoms and lung function as health outcomes,and measured different biomarkers: cytokines (as biomarkers for inflammatory response), mitochondrial DNA copy number (as biomarker for oxidative stress) and telomere length (as biomarker for genotoxicity) to explore mechanisms.The exposure levels in our studies were lower than the current occupational exposure limits. However, we still found exposure related eyes and airway irritation and transient decrease in lung function. Changes in cytokines after exposures were not statistically clear, but may indicate a mild inflammatory response. Higher mitochondrial DNA copy number together with lower methylation suggests possible exposure related oxidative stress. No difference in telomere length was found between exposure groups and controls, but telomere length was positively associated with PAH metabolites, indicating more PAH exposure was associated with longer telomere length.This thesis shows health effects and change of biomarkers under low to moderate exposure to particles. Although the effects seem to be in the compensatory stage, reconsideration is still called for regarding current occupational exposure limits. (Less)


Summary: Mitochondria of Aspergillus terreus NRRL 1960 and two mutants, 25/111 and β, were not able to oxidize tricarboxylic-acid-cycle intermediates, either in the presence of ADP or cytochrome c, or after disruption of mitochondrial membranes. Reduced pyridine nucleotides, in particular NADH, were the only substrates respired. In the presence of NADH without added ADP the oxygen uptake was from 14 to 55 ng-atom oxygen/min/mg protein, while with ADP it was from 21 to 130 ng-atom O/min/mg protein, with respiratory control ratios from 1.8 to 2.9 and ADP/O ratios from 0.8 to 1.8. The lowest consumption of oxygen was shown by the mutant 25/111 dissimilating nitrate as the source of nitrogen.
The cultures converted malate to itaconate and succinate, fumarate to itaconate and one unknown acid, and pyruvate to all the acids usually produced in glucose media. Succinate, citrate, lactate, propionate and acetate supported growth without acid production.
It is concluded that the synthesis of itaconate in Aspergillus terreus is probably not via the tricarboxylic acid cycle.


Linear polymatroids have a strong connection to network coding. The problem of finding the linear network coding capacity region is equivalent to the characterization of all linear polymatroids. It is well known that linear polymatroids must satisfy the inequalities of Ingleton (Combin. Math. Appln., 1971). However, it has been an open question for years as to whether these inequalities are sufficient. It was until recently that new subspace rank inequalities have been discovered (independently by Kinser and Dougherty, ). In this paper, we propose a new approach to investigate properties of linear polymatroids. Specifically, we demonstrate how to construct a new polymatroid that satisfies not only the Ingleton and DFZ inequalities, but also lies outside the minimal closed and convex cone containing all linear polymatroids. Using this polymatroid, we prove that all truncation-preserving inequalities (including Ingleton inequalities and DFZ inequalities) are insufficient to characterize linear polymatroids.


Healthcare is in the middle of a digital revolution. Physicians are adopting mobile apps that make them more effective and patients are taking to ones that give them more control over their healthcare. Mobile technology is changing Medicine. A new movement for free open access medical education (FOAMed) is growing through Social Media. E-learning is increasing access to new and exciting learning opportunities, deeply changing the traditional concept of continuous medical education. What will be the future of Nephrology in the era of Digital Health?


The fish fauna of French Guiana is one of the best described in the geographical area covering the
Guiana Shield. Paradoxically, however, there is no summary document validated by ethnologists and specialized
linguists that links the scientific names of the fish of this area to their vernacular names from the different
language groups. In this paper, we compile the presently existing data on species and vernacular names collected
over several decades in Creole, Amerindian (Kali'na, Palikur, Wayana, Wayapi and Teko), Nenges or Maroons
(Boni, Ndjuka and Sranan Tongo) languages as well as French and/or specialist aquarium terms and Brazilian
Portuguese. Of the 416 fish species found in French Guiana, we can assign a common name to 85% of them by
considering all these languages as a group. These common names can be more or less generic, covering a greater
or lesser number of species that are similar or very close in their external morphology. The fish currently without
common names are mostly rare or small species of less than 5 cm. The linguistic groups with broader geographic
distributions (Brazilian, Creole, French and specialist aquarium terminology) have named the most species but
have also tended to give several local names to the same species. Taking into account the number of species
present on the territory occupied by each linguistic group, the percentage of fish with at least one name ranges
between 65 and 70% for Brazilian, French, Creole, Kali'na, Wayana and Wayanpi, suggesting a degree of completeness of the nomenclature. This is not the case for languages like Boni, Ndjuka, Palikur, Teko and Sranan
Tongo, which will require new collections specifically geared towards these ethnic groups to fill the gaps.


We propose a new nonparametric algorithm that can be implemented to study and characterize stellar clusters. The scheme attempts to simultaneously recover the stellar distribution function and the cluster potential by using projected radii and velocity information about the cluster members. The pair of these functions that is most consistent with the input data is detected by the Metropolis algorithm. In this work, the cluster characteristics recovered by the algorithm (''CHASSIS'') are calibrated against N-body realizations of two clusters, the Hyades and the Arches. The cluster mass and line-of-sight projected velocity dispersion profiles are correctly reproduced by the algorithm when the cluster obeys the assumption used in the code, namely, isotropy in phase space. The results recovered by the code are shown to be insensitive to the choice of the initial parameters. The results are also not influenced by increasing the number of input data points as long as this number exceeds a minimum value, which is moderately low for an input data set that obeys the assumptions of isotropy and sphericity.


SUMMARY: A 35-year-old man with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia and a massively enlarged skull presented with Lhermitte sensations due to an unstable, mulitseptated, lytic C2/3 vertebral body complex. Enlarged extracranial vasculature made open surgery a high-risk option and limited percutaneous access. A 5F catheter was directed by using a guidewire into the C2/C3 vertebral body complex via a transpedicularly placed biopsy cannula to ensure polymethylmethacrylate deposition throughout the lytic compartments of the vertebral body complex.


Three Tn10 polypeptides were detected by analyzing the proteins synthesized in ultraviolet light-irradiated Escherichia coli cells after infection with lambda::Tn10. One of these polypeptides was the previously identified 36,000-dalton TET polypeptide. The other two had approximate sizes of 25,000 and 13,000 daltons. The syntheses of both the TET polypeptide and the 25,000-dalton polypeptide were inducible by tetracycline in lambda-immune hosts. Similarly, the synthesis of the TET polypeptide was inducible in nonimmune hosts. However, the synthesis of the 25,000-dalton polypeptide was constitutive in nonimmune hosts. An amber mutation in a gene required for tetracycline resistance on lambda::Tn10 was isolated that eliminated the synthesis of the TET polypeptide in sup+ hosts but not the synthesis of the 25,000-dalton or the 13,000-dalton polypeptides. The expression of tetracycline resistance from wild-type Tn10 was found to be anomalous in E. coli strains carrying the amber suppressors supD, supE, and supF. In general, strains containing these nonsense suppressors were less resistant to tetracycline.


Organizations have found that seemingly tedious data problems are fundamentally business problems, and cannot be solved by the IT group alone. Public organizations routinely store large volumes of data about its citizens and while analysis of this data can improve decision-making and better address individual needs, this fails due to a lack of data governance. Data governance has received growing attention from both practitioners and academics as a promising approach to solving organizational data issues. This paper presents a review of data governance literature, classifying authors, research disciplines, methods and related theoretical fields, providing researchers with an overview of this emerging field. The paper is concluded by suggesting four areas for future development of the data governance field in the context of the public sector.


Providing new services on the Internet to quality of service demanding applications has raised a number of problems and related models of solution. Within the framework of the ACTS PETERPAN project, the IP-level QoS provision mechanisms have been overlaid on the ATM technology according to a network concept, in which two kinds of new ATM-attached IP nodes (known as hybrid edge device and hybrid core device) are implemented. This paper discusses the hybrid edge device (HED).


Objective To assess the cost effectiveness of a reduced imaging follow-up protocol of distal radius fractures compared with usual care. Design An economical evaluation conducted alongside a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT). Setting Four level-one trauma centres in the Netherlands. Participants 341 patients participated (usual care (n=172), reduced imaging (n=169)). Interventions Patients were randomised to usual care (routine radiography at 1, 2, 6 and 12 weeks) or a reduced imaging strategy (radiographs at 6 and 12 weeks only for a clinical indication). Outcome measures Functional outcome was assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) using the EuroQol-5Dimensions-3 Levels (EQ-5D-3L). Costs were measured using self-reported questionnaires and medical records, and analysed from a societal perspective. Multiple imputation, seemingly unrelated regression analysis and bootstrapping were used to analyse the data. Results Clinical overall outcomes of both groups were comparable. The difference in DASH was −2.03 (95% CI −4.83 to 0.77) and the difference in QALYs was 0.025 (95% CI −0.01 to 0.06). Patients in the reduced imaging group received on average 3.3 radiographs (SD: 1.9) compared with 4.2 (SD: 1.9) in the usual care group. Costs for radiographic imaging were significantly lower in the reduced imaging group than in the usual care group (€−48 per patient, 95% CI −68 to −27). There was no difference in total costs between groups (€−401 per patient, 95% CI −2453 to 1251). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for QALYs was −15 872; the ICER for the DASH was 198. The probability of reduced imaging being cost effective compared with usual care ranged from 0.8 to 0.9 at a willingness to pay of €20 000/QALY to €80 000/QALY. Conclusions Implementing a reduced imaging strategy in the follow-up of distal radius fractures has a high probability of being cost effective for QALYs, without decreasing functional outcome. We, therefore, recommend imaging only when clinically indicated. Trial registration number The Netherlands trial register (NL4477).


To elucidate the distribution of arsenic in shallow aquifers of the Guangzhou region (South China), 85 groundwater samples were collected and 18 chemical parameters of them were analyzed. The arsenic concentration of groundwater ranged from below detection limit to 0.13 mg/L. The results showed that those areas with high arsenic concentration were characterized by porous aquifers, low-lying, relief topography and close proximity to fault belt and rivers. The reductive dissolution of Fe (hydr)oxides is the main control mechanism for arsenic enrichment in the river delta region where groundwater is mainly characterized by a reducing environment. This mechanism was well embodied in the areas with these geological and geographical features. Agricultural fertilizer could produce high levels of nitrate in groundwater and the reduction of it could restrain the enrichment of arsenic. Industrial effluents, sewage irrigation and the probable leakage from sewers could promote the arsenic content in groundwater by lateral flow and infiltration. In addition, the effect of ion competition between phosphate and arsenic occurred in sewer leakage areas characterized by middle-high construction leading to the elevation of arsenic concentrations. The arsenic distribution in groundwater was caused by these natural and anthropogenic factors jointly.


The UV absorption spectrum of the permanganate anion is a prototype transition-metal complex spectrum. Despite this being a simple d0 Td system, for which a beautiful spectrum with detailed vibrational structure has been available since 1967, the assignment of the second and third bands is still very controversial. The issue can be resolved only by an elucidation of the intricate vibronic structure of the spectrum. We investigate the vibronic coupling by means of linear-response time-dependent density functional calculations. By means of a diabatizing scheme that employs the transition densities obtained in the TDDFT calculations in many geometries around Re, we construct a Taylor series expansion in the normal coordinates of a diabatic potential energy matrix, coupling 24 excited states. The simulated vibronic structure is in good agreement with the experimental absorption spectrum after the adjustment of some of the calculated vertical excitation energies. The peculiar blurred vibronic structure of the second band, which is a very distinctive feature of the experimental spectrum, is fully reproduced in the calculations. It is caused by the double-well shape of the adiabatic energy surface along the Jahn-Teller active e mode of the allowed 1E state arising from the second 1T2 state, which exhibits a Jahn-Teller splitting into 1B2 and 1E states. We trace the double-well shape to an avoided crossing between two diabatic states with different orbital-excitation character. The crossing can be explained at the molecular orbital level from the Jahn-Teller splitting of the set of 7t2{3d(xy), 3d(xz), 3d(yz)} orbitals (the LUMO + 1), to which the excitations characterizing the diabatic states take place. In contrast to its character in the two well regions, at Re the 2(1)T2 state is not predominantly an excitation to the LUMO + 1, but has more HOMO - 1 --> LUMO (2e = {3d(x2-y2), 3d(z2)}) character. The changing character of the 2(1)T2 - 1E state along the e mode implies that the assignment of the experimental bands to single orbital transitions is too simplistic intrinsically. This spectrum, and notably the blurring of the vibronic structure in the second band, can be understood only from the extensive configurational mixing and vibronic coupling between the excited states. This solves the long-standing assignment problem of these bands.


The research targets women in court – those who were frequently recorded in legal documents managing or protecting their property rights. The main concern is the change and development of the legal status and property rights of women, namely hereditas (inheritance), maritagium (marriage portion) and dos (dower) from the end of the twelfth century to the thirteenth century in England, and how they strove for their rights in court. While the thirteenth century is significant in England for the crucial development of the common law, the evolving common law also enacted a few prominent pieces of legislation which had huge impacts for women's property rights.
A number of important questions should be addressed at this point - How did women strive for their rights and what difficulties did they encounter in court? What strategies and claims did they and their representatives use in court in order to cope with the new regulations? Also, in a rather primitive age, what was the gap between the law and practice?
While recent scholarship has paid more attention to medieval English women's property rights, very few works compare the differences between inheritance, maritagium and dower and the dynamics between them in thirteenth-century England, which is the focus of this research. Through case studies, I will examine women's experiences of pursuing their property rights in court in order to elucidate the effects which the legislation brought, and what difficulties they might have encountered in court. The research uses case studies of women's experiences not merely covering noblewomen but also wider groups of women in society, and by looking at court cases I aim to create a more comprehensive picture of medieval women's property rights. More importantly, despite the focus in this research on women, it is impossible to discuss women without either putting them into the context of family or involving their menfolk; therefore, the research will not only discuss women's participation in court
but also the reactions of and dynamics among their family members when it came to property rights.
Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 consist of the introduction, and historiography methodology respectively. Chapter 3 will primarily examine heiresses. Unlike the male heir, who, according to custom, inherited the whole of the father's inheritance (primogeniture), most daughters inherited by means of an equal division of the property. The equal division of inheritance between daughters makes the cooperation and conflict between them worthy of discussion, and this will be one of the focuses of this chapter. Through examining the dynamics between co-heiresses and their family members, this
chapter will also explore the difficulties heiresses encountered when claiming their inheritance. Chapter 4 discusses maritagium. This chapter will show that claiming a certain
amount of land as maritagium was a strategy often used by both plaintiff and defendant. However, the strategy as such would be of more benefit to women in courts. Next, Claire de Trafford's idea of 'maritagium as women's land' will be challenged, since maritagia in most cases served as families' property. This study suggests that, maritagium was easily disposed of during the marriage, rather than a woman being able to keep it intact for it to descend to her children; and the idea of 'maritagium being women's land' could be misleading, because there was no social consciousness to suggest that maritagia should be passed on to women's daughters as their maritagia. In Chapter 5 this study will reach the final stages of women's lives – widowhood. Although the common law stipulated that widows were entitled to either a nominated
dower, or one third of their late husbands' property, claiming their dower in court, in fact, was a difficult task for widows to accomplish. These rights were reluctantly documented in law, thus offering no guarantee that they would be received,
unconditionally, when they survived their husbands. This chapter will also show that dower was as much 'family's business' as 'women's business'. The early development
of jointure will be briefly examined as well because it not only concerned women's dower. Finally, the rights of the most powerful group of women, widowed heiresses, will be looked at. Through case studies, I hope to offer a glimpse of how capable,
influential, but vulnerable widowed heiresses could be. This study will conclude by comparing the property rights of heiresses, brides and widows. Dower might have been the only property that a woman could have sole control over, but the significance of inheritance and maritagium should not be
underestimated. I shall clarify their position by exploring the differences and similarities between herediatas, maritagium and dos as the common law developed.


Youth sharing a school and neighborhoods often have similar academic achievement. This correlation between neighborhood quality and youth achievement holds even when controlling for many observable features of a family. Nevertheless, the correlation is not entirely causal because families and youth are sorted into relatively homogeneous groups. Thus, the quality of the school or neighborhood in part acts as a proxy for hard-to-measure attributes of the family. To enable separate estimation of sorting and school effects, we use the characteristics of the high school students will attend as an additional indicator of family background. When we compare youth who are at the same junior high school, the above measure is an appropriate instrument to identify family background separately from neighborhood and junior high school effects. Even after this correction, the point estimate of school effects on student achievement remains large and is statistically significant.


Faruqi's project of Islamization mainly focused on social sciences because the social science dealt with man and society. It had somewhat neglected scrutinizing modern natural science arguing that natural science dealt with nature and therefore neutral and objective (Kalin, 2002). However, it is the natural science methodology that dominates and shapes social science methodology and questions. More importantly, the scientific methodology has reduced all matters to physical things and all knowledge reduced to physical knowledge. Any and all non-physical knowledge initially was beyond the scientific methodology to prove right or wrong because the limitations of the physical methodology were held in abeyance and were not judged upon and considered scientifically meaningless. Mach's dictum that "where neither confirmation nor refutation is possible, science is not concerned (Mach, MACCORMACK, & Menger, 1960). Logical positivism adopting Wittgenstein's verification criteria that seeks to legitimize all discourse by placing it on a basis shared with empirical evidence only statements verifiable either by direct observation or logical deductions would be cognitively meaningful changed everything. Now, any and all non-physical knowledge becomes non sense statements. These statements become absurd statements, unable to be proven by the only criteria acceptable, the scientific physical methodology and thus become no longer worthy of study. We must engage with science, in fact celebrate science but at the same time, we must also constraint science and guide it with our ethico-religious world view that will make science a true blessing for all mankind. In order to do this, we must purify religion from error and superstition, re-appropriate science as a study of sunnah Allah and institutionalize critical and rational thinking within society.
Keyword: Ethics, science, methodology, worldview, Islamization


China is set to become the world's next superpower. Should America celebrate - or be afraid? China: Friend or Foe? deals with vital questions: Who are China's power-players? Will the Chinese economy increase trade or kill off our livelihoods? How is China using its political and cultural influence? Accessible and hard-hitting, China: Friend or Foe? goes beyond borders and stereotypes to explain what China means to America and the West at large.


Abstract The coupled action of the Na(+) /H(+) exchanger NHE1 and the HCO3 (-) /Cl(-) exchanger AE2 constitutes the principal mechanism for acute correction of decreased cell volume in mammalian somatic cells, while, when acting separately, they regulate intracellular pH. It was previously found that AE2 becomes inactivated during meiosis in mouse oocytes. Similarly, NHE1 activity stimulated by intracellular acidosis was present in preovulatory germinal vesicle stage (GV) mouse oocytes and then decreased during meiotic maturation. In contrast, NHE1 activity stimulated by decreased cell volume was low in GV oocytes but became active during meiotic maturation as the oocyte detached from the zona pellucida. It then decreased again in mature eggs similar to activity stimulated by acidosis. The subcellular localization of NHE1 was investigated with YFP-tagged NHE1. Exogenous NHE1 expressed in GV oocytes localized to the plasma membrane and resulted in increased Na(+) /H(+) exchanger activity, but only when co-expressed with Calcineurin Homologous Protein 1 (CHP1). When oocytes expressing functional NHE1 were matured to eggs, however, membrane localization of NHE1 and Na(+) /H(+) exchanger activity were lost. It was unknown why NHE1 and AE2 activities are suppressed during meiotic maturation. Maintenance of cell volume in preimplantation embryos requires glycine accumulation via the GLYT1 transporter, a process unique to eggs and early embryos that is initiated during meiotic maturation. When NHE1 and AE2 activities were maintained in GV oocytes by exogenous expression, glycine accumulation was inhibited. We propose that NHE1-mediated acute cell volume regulation is inactivated during meiotic maturation to allow preferential accumulation of glycine in eggs. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The operation of discrete heterojunction organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells employing chloro-aluminium phthalocyanine (ClAlPc) as the electron donor and C60 as the electron acceptor is reported and the characteristics are correlated with the energy level structure of the devices determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results give new insight into the origin of the open circuit voltage (Voc) in discrete heterojunction OPVs. The measured Voc in this system is found to be determined by: (i) the frontier orbital energy offsets between the donor and acceptor materials, accounting for the likely formation of an abrupt vacuum level shift at the heterojunction interface and (ii) the degree of alignment between the hole-extracting electrode Fermi level and the highest occupied molecular orbital energy of the electron donor material. The generality of the findings is demonstrated by rationalising the Voc in OPVs employing the archetypal electron donor, copper phthalocyanine.


The metastatic spread of cancer is still the major barrier to the treatment of this disease. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the metastatic process is of crucial importance to tune novel therapeutic strategies aimed at contrasting the dissemination of cancer. Metastasis is a sequential multistep process that ultimately leads to the cancer's outgrowth in a different organ from which it had originated. This clinically and experimentally involves the following steps: invasion of adjacent tissues, intravasation, transport of cancer cells through the circulatory system, arrest at a secondary site, extravasation and growth in a secondary organ. Additionally, tumor growth and metastasis depend on the ability of the tumor to induce its own blood supply through angiogenesis. Each of these steps can potentially be targeted by therapeutic agents, but the limited knowledge regarding the molecular events of metastasis makes most therapeutic strategies largely inefficient. However, important methodological advances have recently led to further insights into the biology of metastasis, thus raising the possibility of designing more appropriate pharmacological strategies to contrast the specific steps of the metastatic process. A variety of pharmacological approaches including inhibition of tumor invasion, angiogenesis, signal transduction pathways, and most recently the targeting of tumor stroma, are now under fervent development. Benefits and limits of these approaches, as well as, new therapeutic opportunities are herein discussed. Agents that limit any phase of the metastatic process may be therapeutically useful. Therefore, the future pharmacological challenge will be to combine drugs that target different aspects of this complex multistep process.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the type and frequency of self-mutilation lesions of the mouth and lips in a large group of institutionalized mentally retarded subjects.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Two hundred and forty-five institutionalized mentally retarded patients were evaluated clinically by a systematic inspection of the perioral cutis, lips, tongue, oral mucosa, palate, gingivae and teeth. Moreover, the drug therapy taken by each patient was carefully reviewed.

RESULTS
Numerous lesions were found involving the tongue, lips, oral mucosa, perioral skin, gingivae and teeth, prevalently supported by a self-mutilation mechanism (such as cheek and tongue biting and nodular traumatic lesions), which were differentially expressed in patients with different degrees of mental retardation. A possible effect of anti-epileptic or neuroleptic drugs was also detected.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that inspection of the oral cavity should always and carefully be performed in all patients with mental retardation and in those with neuroleptic and anti-epileptic drug therapy, in order to avoid or even extinguish self-mutilation of the oral cavity by means of an accurate hydration of the mucosa which might counterbalance some iatrogenic undesired effects.


BACKGROUND
The modern endonasal operative technique of functional fenestration of saccus lacrimalis in the middle nasal meatus (endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy), first described by West in 1910, has been gaining in significance over the past few years. At the VI National Congress of Otorhinolaryngology (1997) we presented for the first time in this country performance of endonasal microscopic dacryocystorhinostomy videotaped and started a routine use of this technique in our department.

OBJECTIVE
We present the results of our 3-year experience with the technique.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Endonasal microscopic dacryocystorhinostomy was performed in 50 patients (57 operations) without stenting. The effect of the surgery was assessed by comparing the results of control examinations with the preoperative findings using the following criteria: subjective complaints, and objective findings--palpatory test, irrigation according to Anell, endoscopy of the nasal cavities and the neo-ostium.

RESULTS
Statistically significant improvement of specific subjective symptoms was obtained in 78.9%-100%. In 6 cases the closure of the neo-ostium was proven endoscopically.

CONCLUSION
Endonasal microscopic dacryocystorhinostomy preserves intact the normal function of the lacrimal pump, yields excellent cosmetic results and allows simultaneous management of the concomitant sino-nasal pathology. A neo-ostium under 2 mm in diameter can be conducive to postoperative epiphora. A congenital, untreated form of postsaccal stenosis with concomitant dacryocystitis as well as formation of synechiae are factors increasing the possibility of restenosis.


In recent years several learning approaches to point goal navigation in previously unseen environments have been proposed. They vary in the representations of the environments, problem decomposition, and experimental evaluation. In this work, we compare the state-of-the-art Deep Reinforcement Learning based approaches with Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) formulation of the point goal navigation problem. We adapt the (POMDP) sub-goal framework proposed by [1] and modify the component that estimates frontier properties by using partial semantic maps of indoor scenes built from images' semantic segmentation. In addition to the well-known completeness of the model-based approach, we demonstrate that it is robust and efficient in that it leverages informative, learned properties of the frontiers compared to an optimistic frontier-based planner. We also demonstrate its data efficiency compared to the end-to-end deep reinforcement learning approaches. We compare our results against an optimistic planner, ANS and DD-PPO on Matterport3D dataset using the Habitat Simulator. We show comparable, though slightly worse performance than the SOTA DD-PPO approach, yet with far fewer data.


This paper investigates how citizenship is continuously being imagined, reworked and negotiated in different societal arenas and how people claim their right to participate in society and to be recognised as a valuable member of their society. The study focuses on the case of disabled people in Sweden who feel that they are considered as second class citizens and claim their right to full citizenship.In his lecture about Citizenship and Social Class, T.H. Marshall noted that 'there is no universal principle that determines what those [i.e. citizenship] rights and duties shall be, but societies in which citizenship is a developing institution create an image of an ideal citizenship against which achievement can be measured and towards which aspiration can be directed'. The ideal of citizenship is not neutral, however, and various feminist scholars have called attention to the fact that citizenship tends to be tailored to the situation of able-bodied, adult, heterosexual and full-time employed males. As a consequence, people who do not fit this template find themselves in a position of 'second class citizens'.The empirical analysis is grounded on an online blog called 'Full Participation. Now' which was created five months prior to the federal elections of 2010 in Sweden. The blog's aim was to get the politicians' attention to the issue of full citizenship for persons with disabilities and the analysis shows how citizenship for disabled people is being (re-)imagined by bloggers who point at discriminatory practices at political, community and personal level. The analysis also shows how citizenship is negotiated by the bloggers who imagine citizenship in various – and sometimes contradictory – ways. Finally, the analysis indicates that the ideal of citizenship found in the blog posts not only develops in relation to the political arena but also in relation to everyday activities and experiences.


A sensitive radioimmunoassay for eucaryotic elongation factor Tu (eEF-TU) was developed using radioiodinated elongation factor T (eEF-T) and goat anti-(rabbit eEF-T) immunoglobulins coupled to a solid support. eEF-T was iodinated with 125I to a specific activity of 7 x 10(3) counts min-1 ng-1 using a system employing lactoperoxidase and glucose oxidase coupled to a solid support. The assay exhibits a limit of detection of about 1 ng eEF-TU and an intraassay variability of < 10%. By using the radioimmunoassay, it was found that eEF-Tu is a major non-hemoglobin protein of rabbit reticulocyte postribosomal supernatant proteins, comprising about 3% of the total hemoglobin and 10--13% of the non-hemoglobin proteins. Similar results were found for a number of different tissues and cells, including rabbit heart, brain, liver and kidneys, as well as both induced and non induced Friend erythroleukemia cells. Values of eEF-Tu ranged from 1% of supernatant proteins in heart to about 11% in noninduced erythroleukemic cells. The levels of eEF-Tu in these mammalian tissues were comparable to the level of the homologous factor EF-Tu in Escherichia coli. It has previously been found that EF-Tu constitutes about 6--8% of the supernatant proteins of E. coli [Furano, A. V. (1975) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 72, 4780--4784]. The level of eEF-Tu in reticulocytes was compared to the abundance of other components of protein synthesis in reticulocytes, such as translocase (eEF-G), tRNA, ribosomes and eIF-2. In all cases eEF-Tu was present in large excess over these other components.


The European Union is committed to the global
fight against obesity and overweight, in which
nutrition labelling plays an important role.
> Under Regulation 1169/2011, the EU currently
operates with traditional tabular and numerical
labelling.
> The 'Nutri-Score' is a new type of simplified, frontof-
pack and colour-coded nutrition labelling already
adopted by some member states as a
recommendation to their food operators. It
represents a useful supplement to the current
system: it is easier to understand for consumers and
leads to improved dietary choices.
> The adoption of the Nutri-Score across the EU
would bring a triple benefit: better information to
consumers, better health outcomes and a less
fragmented European market for foodstuffs.
> As per Article 35 of Regulation 1169/2011, the
European Commission is under an obligation to
submit an overdue report on the matter, which
could result in a proposal to modify the relevant EU
provisions and introduce an EU-wide Nutri-Score
labelling scheme.


Security bills of sale are an antiquated means of securing a loan over an individual's existing physical assets, and whilst they share certain features of other types of credit agreement, they offer none of the protections. A recent Law Commission Consultation proposes a range of sensible amendments.

"The civility which money will purchase, is rarely extended to those who have none."1 Charles Dickens, The Broker's Man

The works of Dickens are replete with tales of moneylenders displaying a malevolence and implacability in their dealings with those individuals who, through sheer desperation, became their debtors. Indeed, the real-life versions of Scrooge, Quilp and Heep were freely able to exercise their rapacity at a time when poverty in Victorian England was rife—the Poor Law was the social security of its day and the workhouses were in full swing. Moreover, there was little by way of legislative protection for the debtor, and debtors' prison was often the consequence of non-payment of debt.2 Whilst these institutions have long since disappeared, and a plethora of consumer credit legislation3 enacted to obviate the worst excesses of Victorian usury, there still exists a compendium of questionable lending practices. This was recognised by Lord Scott in Wilson 4; he commented that consumer credit controls:

"[R]ecognise the vulnerability of those members of the public who resort to pawnbrokers and moneylenders when in dire need of funds to make ends meet … They need protection." 5

HH Judge Simon Brown QC made a similar observation in Rankine,6 when commenting on the need to "protect the individual unsophisticated in financial affairs in contracts with unscrupulous and sophisticated financial institutions".7 To this end, and following several revealing investigations into the payday loan sector,8 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has recently shifted its attention to the evolving, yet equally contentious, logbook loan9 —a business model predicated upon individuals offering their vehicles as security for a loan.


This study focuses on the hydrodynamics behavior of a floating breakwater with taut leg mooring configuration. The aim of the study is to understand the motion responses of the H-type floating breakwater and the effects of the mooring system on the motion responses of the floating breakwater. This study focuses only on the heave, surge and pitch movements, whilst the other motion responses were restricted. In order to quantify the motion responses of the floating breakwater, the Response Amplitude Operator (RAO) was utilized in the study. The RAO values for heave, surge and pitch obtained in the study will provide an insight on the extent of the movement of the H-type floating breakwater subjected to various wave conditions. The results show that the motion responses of the floating breakwater are heavily affected by the breakwater's drafts and the wave period. The recorded RAO values show that the motion responses of heave and surge decreased with an increase of the breakwater draft. However, as for the case of pitch RAOs, no specific pattern can be recorded; a clear indication that the pitch responses are less significant as far as changing the drafts is concerned. All of the RAO values of the heave, surge and pitch are rather sensitive to the change of wave period, as the RAOs vary significantly with the increasing wave period. The motion responses for all the heave, surge and pitch also show significant differences when subjected to different wave steepness, with lower RAO values recorded milder wave steepness (H/L = 0.04). However, the RAOs are less sensitive at higher wave steepness (H/L = 0.05 and H/L = 0.06) and the effect are rather scarce. The RAO's patterns for both regular and random waves are almost identical; with the RAOs for regular waves tend to produce larger values as compared to random waves.


Over the last quarter century, a nationalized and increasingly conservative Republican Party made unprecedented gains at the state level, winning control of twenty-four new state governments. Liberals and conservatives alike anticipated far-reaching consequences, but what has the Republican revolution in the states achieved? Red State Blues shows that, contrary to liberals' fears, conservative state governments have largely failed to enact policies that advance conservative goals or reverse prior liberal gains. Matt Grossmann tracks policies and socioeconomic outcomes across all 50 states, interviews state insiders, and considers the full issue agenda. Although Republicans have been effective at staying in power, they have not substantially altered the nature or reach of government. Where they have had policy victories, the consequences on the ground have been surprisingly limited. A sober assessment of Republican successes and failures after decades of electoral victories, Red State Blues highlights the stark limits of the conservative ascendancy.


Thin-film evaporation of heptane in a V-groove geom try is experimentally investigated. The groove is made of fused quartz, and electrical heating of a thin layer of t itanium coated on the backside of the quartz substrate provides a constant heat flux. The effects of liquid feeding rate on t he emperature suppression in the thin-film region and on the meni scus shape are explored. High resolution (~6.3 μm) infrared thermography is employed to investigate the tempera ture profile in the thin-film region, while a goniometer is used to image the meniscus shape. An approximate heat bala nce analysis is used to estimate the fraction of total meniscus heat transfer which takes place in the contact line regi on.


Istanbul hosts large amount of historical buildings. Many of these buildings are made of limestone, fossiliferous limestone and clayey limestone widely known in the region as "Kufeki Stones". In this study the effect of varying cleaning techniques on altered Kufeki stones was investigated. Within this respect, fresh Kufeki stone samples from original building stone (Bakirkoy Kufekisi) and recently used substitute rocks from different quarries and regions around Istanbul were compiled. Mineralogical, petrographic and chemical analysis followed by physical and mechanical properties were investigated for these stones. Same stone samples were subjected to accelerated deterioration mechanisms. These altered stones were then cleaned with laser cleaning and pressurized micro-sand blasting techniques and weight losses were calculated and visual changes were determined. The results revealed that rock micro-texture and physical properties should be considered in determining the appropriate cleaning technique. Besides, the usage type of the stone and type of deterioration mechanism should also be considered during the determination of cleaning technique. It is also emphasized that the laser cleaning is less destructive method for cleaning Kufeki stones among the investigated techniques.


RoboCup is an attempt to foster intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where a wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. The First Robot World Cup Soccer Games and Conferences (RoboCup-97) was held during IJCAI-97, Nagoya, with over 40 teams participating from throughout the world. RoboCup soccer is a task for a team of fast-moving robots in a dynamic, noisy environment. In order for a robot team to actually perform a soccer game, various technologies must be incorporated including: design principles of autonomous agents, multi-agent collaboration, strategy acquisition, real-time reasoning, robotics, and sensor-fusion. This article describes technical challenges involved in RoboCup, its official rules, a report of RoboCup-97, and future perspectives.


A meta–analysis was performed in an attempt to clarify the proposed relationship between religiosity and psychological adjustment. Specific focus was given to the issue of definition, namely, whether differences in researchers' conceptualizations of religiosity and mental health could account for the various contradictory findings by psychologists of religion. Analysis of 34 studies conducted during the past 12 years revealed that the definitions of religiosity and mental health utilized by psychologists in this field were indeed associated with different types and strengths of the correlations between religiosity and mental health. Discussion of results assesses the fit between relevant theory and the pattern of change in effect size across categories of religion and adjustment, and concludes with implications for therapeutic uses of religious involvement.


The first-order theory of finite and infinite trees has been studied since the eighties, especially by the logic programming community. Following Djelloul, Dao and Fruhwirth, we consider an extension of this theory with an additional predicate for finiteness of trees, which is useful for expressing properties about (not just datatypes but also) codatatypes. Based on their work, we present a simplification procedure that determines whether any given (not necessarily closed) formula is satisfiable, returning a simplified formula which enables one to read off all possible models. Our extension makes the algorithm usable for algebraic (co)datatypes, which was impossible in their original work due to restrictive assumptions. We also provide a prototype implementation of our simplification procedure and evaluate it on instances from the SMT-LIB.


The implementation of transition metal oxides as anode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) has been largely hindered by their huge volumetric change during the lithiation/delithiation cycles, which generally leads to electrode pulverization with a fast capacity fading. Slow ambipolar (ionic and electronic) diffusion kinetics are another disadvantage suffered by transition metal oxides. This intrinsic drawback inevitably causes a poor rate capability of transition metal oxides. SnO2 is an attractive candidate as an anode material for next-generation LIBs due to its high theoretical capacity, low cost and improved safety. In this article, a sandwich-structured carbon nanofiber@SnO2@carbon coating (C@SnO2@C) nanofiber bundle was facilely prepared by using collagen fiber, a typical fibrous protein, as the biotemplate as well as the carbon source. The hierarchical architecture of the C@SnO2@C nanofiber bundle guaranteed a good match between the electron transport kinetics and the Li+ diffusion kinetics, thus realizing efficient ambipolar diffusion. Another merit that originated from the configuration of the C@SnO2@C nanofiber bundle was the unique "breath" behavior, which effectively accommodated the volume change of SnO2 so as to ensure structural integrity with the formation of the smooth and thin solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The C@SnO2@C nanofiber bundle showed obvious advantages both in rate capability and cycling stability as compared with those of conventional carbon/SnO2 nanocomposites, including a C@SnO2 nanofiber bundle and SnO2@C nanofiber bundle. Our strategy developed here may be extended for the synthesis of other high-performance anode materials, especially for transition metal oxides that suffered from poor electrical conductivity and/or huge volumetric change.


Information access can be thought of as a continuum beginning with information acquisition and culminating at information use. Information access begins at a point where a user comes into contact with information. The nature of this contact is largely determined by three facets of information access, namely the physical, intellectual, and socio-cultural access to information (Burnett et al., 2008). Use of the acquired information is also affected by this tripartite model. A holistic study of information access must take these three facets into account when determining the likelihood with which information might be used by a user to satisfy her/his need. Physical access to information is often addressed in digital divide studies, and intellectual information access tends to be a strong component of information literacy research. There are some studies (although limited in scope) exploring the socio-cultural aspect of access to information, but holistic discussion of information access that incorporates all three lenses in examination of access issues is largely absent from the information studies literature. This paper presents an overview of the complexities of this holistic model of information access, with an emphasis on understanding of the socio-cultural elements that support or prevent group access to needed information.


BACKGROUND
We compared insurance status among three groups of ambulatory patients with an operatively treated fracture of the distal part of the radius or of the ankle, in order to determine if insurance status affected continuity of care. The patients were categorized as having received initial care at our institution, having received initial care elsewhere with an identifiable reason for transfer to a tertiary care center, or having received initial care elsewhere with no identifiable reason for transfer.

METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of 697 patients with an operatively treated distal radial fracture or ankle fracture who had received their definitive treatment at a level-I trauma center. Demographic data, the mechanism of injury, the insurance type, and the location of the initial care were recorded.

RESULTS
The proportion of uninsured or underinsured patients in the group that had had their initial treatment at our trauma center was similar to that in the group that had had a specific reason to seek definitive care with us (64% and 63%, p < 0.832). However, the proportion of uninsured or underinsured patients was significantly larger in the group that had not received initial care from us and had no specific reason to receive definitive care from us (82% vs. 63%, p < 0.001). With other variables held constant, the odds of being underinsured or uninsured were 2.53 times greater for the patients initially treated elsewhere who had no specific reason to receive definitive treatment from us.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that nonmedical reasons play a role in determining where ambulatory patients with fractures requiring operative treatment are able to receive definitive care. Patients without specific medical or nonmedical reasons to receive definitive care at our center were significantly more likely to be uninsured or underinsured.


Based on the theory of direct torque control, the simulation model of asynchronous motor is designed to solve two problems. The one is that asynchronous motor in high speed, if a single circular flux control method used, its switching losses will be great; the other one is that asynchronous motor in low speed, if a single hexagonal flux control method used, it will make a large harmonic current. So double modes are used in solve problems together in this paper. That is when asynchronous motor runs at low speed circular flux control strategy is adopted, and when it runs at high speed hexagon flux control strategy is adopted. Auto-switch between circular flux control strategy and hexagon flux control strategy is achieved. Simulation results show that not only the harmonic current can be reduced, and the switching losses are reduced effectively by smooth switching the two control strategies.


Sulfentrazone herbicide was applied to a SR1020 creeping bentgrass putting green (5/32") on October 15, 1996 and again on March 4, 1997 at the rates of 0.125, 0.250 and 0.375 lb. AI/A. Betasan was included at the standard rate of 5.6 ounces of product/1000 ft. Turf response to sulfentrazone was mostly linear with application rate, with higher application rates causing more damage to the turf. Responses occurred quicker in the fall (by 3 DAT) compared to late winter (7DAT). Magnitude of injury was also somewhat less in the late winter than in the fall, although rank responses were still rate dependent for sulfentrazone treated creeping bentgrass turf. Applied rates of 0.250 and 0.375 lb. AI/A were deleterious and not acceptable for putting green quality turf. A marginal (acceptable) response occurred overall at the 0.125 lb. rate. Betasan applied at 5.6 ounces product/1000 ft, caused no visible damage to the turf in the fall and was similar in response to sulfentrazone in the spring at the 0.125 lb. AI/A (repeat) application rate.


This article examines barriers to change in the clinical laboratory and discusses suggestions for maintaining vitality, renewal, and professional growth. The major barriers to change and renewal include institutional pressures that underlie the personnel shortage and financial implications of laboratory service, time pressures associated with the normal operation of a laboratory, work habits that develop early in the career of a laboratory manager, and managerial policies that limit or discourage change. Some solutions to overcome these barriers include goal setting, job or career change, lifelong learning, good staff members, mentors, and outside interests.


We devised a new method to repair the depression of the nasal floor and inferolateral displacement of the alar base and to reconstruct the philtrum in the secondary repair of unilateral cleft lip. Depression of the nasal floor and inferolateral displacement of the alar base were corrected by advancing a lump of the levator labii superioris, the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, and the upper part of the superficial orbicularis oris muscles to the anterior nasal spine. When the depression of the nasal floor was too severe to repair using these muscles only, a cranially-based de-epithelialised flap of the scar region on the upper lip was inserted under the nasal floor. The lower, greater part of the superficial orbicularis oris muscle was dissected to the nasolabial fold, brought towards the midline, and laid on the surface of the same muscle on the medial side to be sutured. When the depression of the nasal floor was not severe, the lower, greater part of the superficial orbicularis oris muscle was passed through a tunnel pierced beneath the de-epithelialised scar tissue and sutured to the corresponding components on the medial side to reinforce the philtral ridge. In both cases, if the deep orbicularis oris muscle in the vermilion had been interrupted, it was reconstructed by end-to-end anastomosis. Operative results were evaluated in 76 patients using photographs taken preoperatively and postoperatively. Elevation of the nasal floor and correction of the alar base were achieved in most patients, while reconstruction of the philtrum was achieved in cases in which the skin tension at the suture line was weak.


Abstract The use of online student response systems (OSRSs) is increasing within tertiary education providers, however, research investigating their potential to enhance student engagement is limited. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of an OSRS using an experimental crossover design. Quantitative data measuring student engagement was compared from pre- to post-intervention. A qualitative analysis was used to further investigate student perceptions of the OSRS. The results from this study suggest that OSRSs may be appropriate tools to increase student engagement in undergraduate statistics classes. Despite no significant change in engagement scores observed when students were exposed to the OSRS than when they were not, students appreciated the novelty of the OSRS and perceived it to have had a positive impact on their learning experience. Suggestions for how to exploit the advantages of OSRSs and directions for further research are discussed.


Introduction
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) occurs due to increased intracranial pressure (ICP), is most commonly encountered in obese women, and may lead to loss of vision. This study aimed to determine the demographic features, clinical signs and symptoms, and radiological findings of patients with IIH, and to investigate the factors associated with the prognosis.

Methods
Patients with IIH who were examined and followed-up between January 1992-January 2012 in the Neuro-ophthalmology Unit were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were diagnosed based on the modified Dandy criteria.

Results
The mean age of 59 patients included in the study (female, 88.1%) was 30.25±13.12 years. Reported complaints were headache (78.0%), transient visual obscuration (45.8%), nausea (32.2%), dizziness (16.9%), and diplopia (13.6%). Of the patients 69.4% had visual field deficits, and 71% had papilledema (66.1% were bilateral). The rate of obesity was 20.3%. The prognosis was good in 64.7% of the patients, and 35.3% of the patients clinically worsened. Recurrence of symptoms was observed in 33% of the patients and 4 patients had severe permanent vision loss. Demographic features, initial complaints, mean ICP, and pathological magnetic resonance imaging findings were not associated with the prognosis. Delay in treatment and generalized constriction in the visual field were associated with the poor prognosis.

Conclusion
Compared to patients with IIH in the western population, obesity was less frequent in the present study. Initial visual field defects, especially the generalized constriction and delay to treatment were related to poor prognosis. Cessation of medical treatment was a factor for recurrence. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment may subside the severity of permanent vision loss in fulminant IIH.


BACKGROUND
Avian influenza A/H5N8 virus infections have been circulating widely in wild and domestic bird populations with transmission to a few human poultry workers. This phase 1, randomized, blinded trial evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of a monovalent inactivated influenza A/H5N8 virus vaccine (H5N8 IIV) given with and without AS03 or MF59 adjuvants.

METHODS
275 healthy adults, ages 19-64 years, were randomized to one of five groups to receive two doses of 15 µg unadjuvanted influenza A/gyrfalcon/Washington/41088-6/2014(H5N8) (clade 126.96.36.199c) virus vaccine or two doses of 7.5 or 15 µg of vaccine adjuvanted with AS03 or MF59. Immunogenicity was assessed through 21 days following the second dose of vaccine using hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and microneutralization (MN) assays for the homologous influenza A/H5N8 and three heterologous influenza A/H5 viruses. Safety was assessed through 1 year.

RESULTS
The vaccines were well tolerated. Only modest immune responses were seen following receipt of a single dose of vaccine. Seroprotection (HAI titers ≥40) was more common in groups that received AS03 plus 7.5 or 15 µg of vaccine (89% and 93%, respectively) compared to the MF59-adjuvanted groups (56% and 73%), while unadjuvanted vaccine showed a poor response (27%). Higher antigen content resulted in modestly improved immune responses. HAI and MN GMTs and seroconversion rates were low across all study groups for all three heterologous strains of influenza A/H5 virus.

CONCLUSIONS
AS03 or MF59-adjuvanted H5N8 IIV generated strong immunogenic responses following two doses. There was poor cross-reactivity for the three antigenically drifted H5N1 strains tested.


The central issue for us is not that we are suddenly surrounded by what is described as 'fake news' but that we have been living with fake democracy. This takes the form of a democratic facade that promises much but delivers little, leaving its citizens confronted by what Raymond Williams described as 'the coexistence of political representation and participation with an economic system which admits no such rights, procedures or claims'.  The media themselves are partly to blame: their attachments to power and their use of sensationalism and soundbites 'degrade the quality of political discussion and reduce the competence of citizens'. This sham sovereignty is not incidental to, but intertwined with, the liberal capitalism of which our mainstream media industries are very much a part. The real problem isn't the Macedonian cottage industry churning out pro-Trump messages, but the fact that in equating liberal democracy (and a liberal media) with meaningful control of our collective lives, we have been swindled. Actually existing democracy (rather than its utopian ideal) – both in its rhetoric and its political routines – has very successfully used discourses of equality and autonomy to commodify individualism and constrain freedom. And in doing so, it has given us nothing more than the illusion of democratic communications: a media where editors and top politicians dine at the same tables, are educated at the same institutions, and share many of the same corporate values and ideological agendas; a media that is disaggregated in theory but centralized in practice; a media where the tools may be open source but where the most powerful networks remain closed. This is a media marked by commerce, complicity, and caution rather than critique, creativity, and a journalism of conscience. Media institutions are massively implicated in fake democracy as both subject and object of a socio-economic restructuring that favours the upward transfer and concentration of property and wealth. Mainstream media outlets have failed to use their symbolic power to challenge this shift to offer alternative visions and truly representative narratives, serving up instead an anaemic diet of stories that are frequently shallow, decontextualised, misleading, or downright biased – for example the economics journalism that assumes the 'expertise' of financial commentators and the legitimacy of austerity policies,the reporting of 'terror' that marginalizes geopolitical tensions and inequalities, the negative coverage of progressive movements and leaders, and the popular representations of welfare claimants as 'revolting subjects' that seek to mobilize a sense of disgust towards the 'unproductive' and 'undeserving poor' in the contemporary world.


Software Product Lines (SPLs) are families of related software systems, which provide different feature combinations. Different SPL testing approaches have been proposed. However, despite the extensive and successful use of evolutionary computation techniques for software testing, their application to SPL testing remains largely unexplored. In this paper we present the Parallel Prioritized product line Genetic Solver (PPGS), a parallel genetic algorithm for the generation of prioritized pairwise testing suites for SPLs. We perform an extensive and comprehensive analysis of PPGS with 235 feature models from a wide range of number of features and products, using 3 different priority assignment schemes and 5 product prioritization selection strategies. We also compare PPGS with the greedy algorithm prioritized-ICPL. Our study reveals that overall PPGS obtains smaller covering arrays with an acceptable performance difference with prioritized-ICPL.


This article examines the contribution of local culture or costum ( adat )  in family conflict management among Batak Muslims in Southern Tapanuli.  It is very common that marital conflicts ended up in the court. To avoid engaging court to judge a marital conflict within a family,   Batak Muslim in Southern Tapanuli utilized Dalihan Na Tolu custom to resolve the problem. Batak Muslims in Southern Tapanuli often mediated the conflicting couples through a process, which is referred to as Tutur . By utilizing anthropological and socio-legal approach, the authors analyze the effectiveness in utilizing Tutur tradition among Batak Muslim family and argue that local costum such as Tutur has still played an effec- tive role in preventing divorce as well as in reconciling conflicting family mem- bers.


Stability of opencast mine slopes is significantly influenced by the presence of structural features in rock mass. In this work the effect of faults on slope stability is discussed in detail. The slope design in such situations needs to be made keeping in view the relative orientation of these features with respect to the slope orientation. To avoid fault-induced instability the benches should be laid across the strike of fault. Stability of slopes in opencast mines is greatly influenced by the presence of structural features in rock mass.
―Assessment of the stability of of slopes in open pit mines at different stages of mining is important for the safe and economic mining operations. Slopes are generally designed based on the geotechnical data and physio-mechanical properties of rock/soil. From geotechnical data , the rock mass quality is assessed, and from this the rock mass properties are estimated. Using the rock mass properties stability of the slopes is evaluated from empirical, analytical and numerical techniques.
Based on the numerical model analysis, it is concluded that bench failures are likely to occur because of discontinuities in the form of faults. Fault F1 located along the proposed boundary appears to pose instability problems to the high walls. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to monitor the slopes for its stability.
The analysis of stability of slopes for the ultimate pit slope indicated the safety factor exceeding 1.2 for slope angle of 48 degrees without consideration of the faults. However, the presence of fault F1 decreased the safety factor below 1. Therefore it is recommended to extend the boundary of the mine beyond the fault F1, and maintain the overall slope angle not steeper than 48 degrees.