This article describes a therapeutic group for domestic violence survivors that incorporated healing rituals and rites of passage to help participants move past a "liminal" state in which their social identity and personal narratives continue to be characterized by the abuse experience. Through the creation and use of healing rituals, blessings, poetry, art, and music, the women in the group establish "communitas" and support each other in the work of self-reclamation and healing. The group, "Rites of Passage" is intended for women who have completed shelter-based crisis interventions, and uses a structured curriculum that incorporates theoretical and philosophical concepts from anthropology, postmodernism, humanistic psychology, social work, and existentialism. Through the creation and practice of idiosyncratic and incorporated or modified existing rituals, women in the groups strengthen social bonds, develop a sense of hope for the future, reestablish an empowered sense of self, and continue their heali...


Phosphonium-based polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) have been prepared in a controlled way by using a microfluidic technique within an improved membrane microdevice. Using this method, the average diameter sizes of the particles could be tuned from 6.4 to 375 nm through varying the dispersed phase flow rates from 1.0 to 7.0 mL min−1. The nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, SEM, HRTEM, EDS, TGA and ICP, and their catalytic properties were estimated in the cycloaddition of CO2 with epoxides. It was found they could deliver good to excellent yields with selectivities of more than 99%. 1-Bromoacrylic acid-decorated nanoparticles (NPILs-BPA) were especially effective. Additionally, the activity displayed obvious size-dependence, increasing for the smaller particles, and the particles were stable when recycled seven times, retaining their catalytic activity and selectivity. Meanwhile, the ability of NPILs-BPA to provide carboxylic acid groups and act as a hydrogen bonding donor to activate the ring-opening of epoxides was tested by in situ FTIR. This work provides a continuous, simple method for the preparation of PILs with controlled nanosizes, and offers the potential for scale-up and throughput in industrial applications.


The automatic speech recognition systems have become a part of our daily lives. People often rely on virtual personal assistants in smartphones, use their voice to control intelligent devices in cars and smart homes or communicate with automatic dialogue systems in call-centres. Since these systems often suffer from a performance drop in realistic acoustic conditions which are characterized by strong distortions, a large portion of research still must be focused on robust front-end algorithms and acoustic modelling methods for distorted speech recognition. This thesis is focused on these compensation methods working at the level of front-end processing and acoustic modelling, whose aim is to compensate the degradation introduced by a distant microphone, noisy environments and a lossy compression. The techniques for noisy and distant speech recognition studied in this thesis were focused on front-end noise suppression techniques, feature normalization techniques, acoustic model adaptations and discriminative training. Said techniques were evaluated in three different car conditions and two different public environments. The experiments have proved, that extended spectral subtraction can bring significant improvement even for the state-of-the-art systems in public environments with a strong noise and for a far-distance microphone recordings. The evaluation of compressed speech recognition examined the degrading effects of lossy compression on fundamental frequency, formants and smoothed LPC spectrum and for standard MFCC and PLP features used for ASR. The low-pass filtering and the areas of very low energy in a spectrogram were identified as the two main reasons of degradation. The practical experiments evaluated the contributions of specific feature extraction setups, combinations of normalization and compensation techniques, supervised and unsupervised adaptation and discriminative training methods and finally the matched training. The largest contributions were gained from the application of adaptation techniques, subspace GMM and discriminative training. A novel algorithm named Spectrally selective dithering (SSD) was proposed within this thesis, which compensated the effect of spectral valleys. The contribution of said algorithm was verified for both GMM-HMM and DNN-HMM speech recognition systems for Czech and English and for a GMM-HMM system for German. The practical experiments proved that the proposed algorithm can lower WER for all languages with GMM-HMM systems. Concerning DNN-HMM system, a significant contribution was achieved only for Czech.


Service is one of librarianship's core values; librarians are charged with "maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession." [1] Most academic librarians are required to participate in professional service activities, which typically means involvement in professional organizations. However, while this mode of activity connects professional librarians and practitioners to their peers, it largely fails to connect them to future members of the profession, namely library school students.
Over the last year, librarians at Binghamton University Libraries have partnered with the University of Missouri's School of Information Science & Learning Technologies to provide a service learning opportunity for students enrolled in the Principles of Cataloging and Classification course, permitting them to create metadata records for electronic capstone documents for Binghamton's digital repository. This project is designed to help students gain the practical experience needed for professional success. In this poster presentation, we will look at the impacts of this collaboration and also make the argument that through similar partnerships, academic librarians are not only able to fulfill their service obligation, but they can help to ensure the future of the profession by serving future librarians.


3D models play an important role in many applications, so there is an urgent need for an effective content based 3D model retrieval system. A variety of 3D model retrieval methods have been proposed in recent years. Shape distributions show superiority over other methods due to ease of computation and invariance to Euclidean motion, but there is poor retrieval performance for the loss in information. This paper introduces two model-partitioning methods to improve shape distributions, in which the two enhanced descriptors are combined with a fuzzy feedback method. Experimental results show that the proposed methods can achieve better retrieval performance.


The localization method of a magnetic dipole based on the magnetic gradient tensor invariants is the Scalar Triangulation And Ranging method (STAR), which is used to solve the multiple solutions problem for the real-time localization of magnetic dipole by the spatial geometric relationship of the tensor rotation invariants. The method is not involved in the measurement of the magnetic field vector greatly affected by the geomagnetic field. Simultaneously, it is very suitable for underground and underwater exploration such as the exploration of unexploded ordnance. But, it has asphericity errors, which can make the azimuth errors of up to 5°. In addition, it is tightly coupled with the magnetic properties of the target. Thus, we proposed an iterative method to correct the asphericity errors. In this method, beginning with the results of the STAR method, the defective parameters obtained by the sensor structure were used to rapidly correct the localization errors and enhance the properties of real-time localization. The relative errors of the components of bearing vector were reduced by a factor of 7, and they were not influenced by the magnetic properties of the target.


Monitoring ground subsidence of roadbed in permafrost region is very important for stability evaluation and safety management. To test its applicability to deformation monitoring for railway subgrade settlement in plateau permafrost region, satellite differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar technology (D-InSAR) has been applied to detect subgrade deformation in one test site along the Qinghai-Tibet railway with gathered interferometric SAR images. The preliminary experimental results showed that satellite D-InSAR technology can effectively acquire long-time deformation sequence through analyzing the ground scatterers with relative stable phase and are in accordance with the results obtained by conventional in-situ ground leveling. Along the Qinghai-Tibet railway in permafrost regions, it is found that settlement is the main behavior of subgrade deformation and the deformation amount of railway bridge is less than the sliced or the crushed rock embankment. It has very important engineering significance for state key infrastructure long-term monitoring system in plateau permafrost region.


Abstract Particulate lead, aluminum, sodium, vanadium, manganese and iodine, vapor phase iodine and ice nuclei were measured simultaneously in Providence, Rhode Island, over a period of one year. Interrelationships found were governed primarily by the physical properties of the aerosol. Weak positive correlations were observed between lead and ice nuclei. An argument is given using lead as an indicator of the aerosol surface area maximum, or that fraction of the aerosol which contains the greatest number of potential ice nucleating sites. Ice nucleus concentrations appeared to be controlled by large-scale air mass advection to the site studied.


The aim of the study was to devise a novel Fluvastatin (FT) based curcumin (CR) nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) loaded into an in situ gelling system (ISG) for localized and prolonged chemotherapy in the treatment of aggressive tongue carcinoma. FT-CR NLC was prepared using the solvent evaporation method, characterized, and optimized. FT-CR NLC was loaded in a Poloxamer 407 and polyvinyl alcohol-based ISG, further characterized and evaluated. The percentage of cellular viability and caspase-3 enzyme levels were evaluated for the optimized FT-CRNLC, and loaded ISG formulations were applied to HCS-3 cancer cell lines. Stability studies were performed. The optimized FT-CR NLC was spherical with an indicated particle size of 107 ± 4.5    nm, a polydispersity index of 0.38 ± 0.6, surface charge of -31.1 ± 1.8 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 98.4% ± 0.81%. The optimized ISG had an optimum sol-gel transition temperature. The FT IC50 was decreased by half for FT-CR NLC–loaded ISG in comparison to plain FT and FT-CR NLC. The studies indicated that CR's synergistic anti-oxidant effect in the FT NLC formulation led to a higher inhibition against HCS-3 cancer cell lines. FT-CR NLC–loaded ISG had a prolonged release that can be significant in localized therapy as an alternative to surgery, especially in the treatment of aggressive tongue squamous cell carcinoma.


Western State Electricity Regulatory Commission (WSERC) was a Government Regulatory Firm in India and worked in the areas of electricity and power. Its scope of work had significantly expanded after a decade of existence and the organization needed to keep pace with the changing requirements. There was a need for agile functioning in a market driven power economy in the areas of power generation, transmission and distribution. The firm needed to transition from being a regulator to being a change agent to support the reforms in the power sector. The firm was operating with a skeletal support staff and key areas of expertise had been outsourced. The case presents the challenges of operating with an outsourced model and the need to move towards self–sufficiency. The firm wanted to now rely on internal expertise instead of depending on external consultants. The change of hiring practice would also need to be supplemented by change in the style of functioning. The case ends with the chairman pondering on how best to enable this change.


This book represents the combined peer-reviewed proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing -- IDC 2011 and of the Third International Workshop on Multi-Agent Systems Technology and Semantics -- MASTS 2011. Both events were held in Delft, The Netherlands during October 5-7, 2011. The 33 contributions published in this book address many topics related to theory and applications of intelligent distributed computing and multi-agent systems, including: adaptive and autonomous distributed systems, agent programming, ambient assisted living systems, business process modeling and verification, cloud computing, coalition formation, decision support systems, distributed optimization and constraint satisfaction, gesture recognition, intelligent energy management in WSNs, intelligent logistics, machine learning, mobile agents, parallel and distributed computational intelligence, parallel evolutionary computing, trust metrics and security, scheduling in distributed heterogenous computing environments, semantic Web service composition, social simulation, and software agents for WSNs.


Abstract Where non-western communities are exposed to economic development and modernization, negative psychosocial outcomes have been clearly demonstrated. This paper begins by noting the manner in which mental health is commonly construed by health professionals in the South Pacific, argues for a change in perspective, and justifies the use of a less clinically-oriented socialprocess vitamin model to audit mental health outcomes. A framework suitable for use with tightly knit, culturally homogeneous communities is proposed followed by an outline of how relevant psychosocial characteristics within the environment might be audited to provide an assessment of community mental health. (PHD, 2005 Vol 12 No 2 Pages 145 154)


Communication complexity problems (CCPs) are tasks in which separated parties attempt to compute a function whose inputs are distributed among the parties. Their communication is limited so that not all inputs can be sent. We show that broad classes of Bell inequalities can be mapped to CCPs and that a quantum violation of a Bell inequality is a necessary and sufficient condition for an enhancement of the related CCP beyond its classical limitation. However, one can implement CCPs by transmitting a quantum system, encoding no more information than is allowed in the CCP, and extract information by performing measurements. We show that for a large class of Bell inequalities, the improvement of the CCP associated to a quantum violation of a Bell inequality can be no greater than the improvement obtained from quantum prepare-transmit-measure strategies.


Observation decoding aims at discovering the underlying state trajectory of an acting agent from a sequence of observations. This task is at the core of various recognition activities that exploit planning as resolution method but there is a general lack of formal approaches that reason about the partial information received by the observer or leverage the distribution of the observations emitted by the sensors. In this paper, we formalize the observation decoding task exploiting a probabilistic sensor model to build more accurate hypothesis about the behaviour of the acting agent. Our proposal extends the expressiveness of former recognition approaches by accepting observation sequences where one observation of the sequence can represent the reading of more than one variable, thus enabling observations over actions and partially observable states simultaneously. We formulate the probability distribution of the observations perceived when the agent performs an action or visits a state as a classical cost planning task that is solved with an optimal planner. The experiments will show that exploiting a sensor model increases the accuracy of predicting the agent behaviour in four different contexts.


Superanoxia across the Permian Triassic boundary, which has a long duration from the late Middle Permian to the early Middle Triassic (about 20 million years), is globally recognized and debated well in the context of the end Permian mass extinction. However, few studies focus on the integrated decoding of the recovery processes in the Anisian from Superanoxia because of limited application of geochemical proxies. To reconstruct the interactions between the environmental factors from multi elemental data, principal component (PC) analysis was performed on the Middle Triassic chemostratigraphy of the pelagic deep sea sequence in the Mino belt, central Japan. Major and trace element concentrations in the samples were determined by X–ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). Before PC analysis, the data matrix (438 samples and 20 elements) was normalized for constant sum. As a result, six PCs were statistically accepted and capture 77% of the total variability. The sedimentological interpretations for the components were as follows. PC1 represents the chemical weathering intensity of terrigenous materials. From the time series data of the PC1 scores, a frequency analysis detects dominant sedimentary cycles similar to the Milankovitch cycles. PC2 is the direction along the enrichment of redox sensitive elements. These records indicate astronomical driving force behind the oceanic redox evolution during the Middle Triassic. PC3 might be related to the deposition of the siliceous claystones called the Toishi type lithofacies. PC4 explains the depletion and accumulation of ferromanganese oxides precipitated from seawater across the anoxic event intervals. PC5 might be interpreted as mixing with heterogeneous materials because the scores shows no systematic variations with the lithostratigraphy and a sample with an anomalously high score has a remarkable chemical composition. PC6 might reveal the abundance of biogenic materials. Further non parametric approaches and conodont biostratigraphic correlations would lead to superior paleoenvironmental reconstruction by predicting more precise sedimentological components. MGI29-P10 JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017


Indian Railways is one of the largest railway passenger modes of transport in the world and is the backbone of the Indian transport infrastructure. However in terms of safety parameters and reliability we have not reached the global standards yet. The major rail accidents occur due to derailment of trains which are caused due to fault in the railway tracks. In this paper, we present to you a LASER pulse-EMAT crack detection system. The location and severity of the crack can be easily sent to the server or cloud storage, for necessary action. LASER pulse is incident on the track twice, after sometime on the same location for more precise monitoring of the tracks. This system can save many lives, by preventing major derailments of trains, in a country where rail accidents have become quite frequent.


The k-th p-power of a graph G is the graph on the vertex set V (G), where two k-tuples are adjacent iff the number of their coordinates which are adjacent in G is not congruent to 0 modulo p. The clique number of powers of G is poly-logarithmic in the number of vertices, thus graphs with small independence numbers in their p-powers do not contain large homogenous subsets. We provide algebraic upper bounds for the asymptotic behavior of independence numbers of such powers, settling a conjecture of [4] up to a factor of 2. For precise bounds on some graphs, we apply Delsarte's linear programming bound and Hoffman's eigenvalue bound. Finally, we show that for any nontrivial graph G, one can point out specific induced subgraphs of large p-powers of G with neither a large clique nor a large independent set. We prove that the larger the Shannon capacity of G is, the larger these subgraphs are, and if G is the complete graph, then some p-power of G matches the bounds of the Frankl-Wilson Ramsey construction, and is in fact a subgraph of a variant of that construction.


Background and Purpose Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of the major free radical scavenging systems that might play a role in both degenerative and acute diseases of the central nervous system. Methods We measured SOD activity in the serum of 41 patients with acute ischemic stroke with a chemiluminometric assay based on the generation of oxygen free radicals by xanthine and xanthine oxidase. Results SOD activity was significantly lower in patients with ischemic stroke than in age-matched control patients with nonvascular, neurological illnesses (n=24; P<.034, Wilcoxon rank test). The activity was inversely correlated with the size of infarction on CT (P=.01, Spearman correlation) and the severity of neurological deficits (P<.001, Spearman correlation). The decreased SOD activity recovered within 5 days after stroke to values found in serum of control patients. Conclusions Our data suggest that the SOD activity in serum is reduced in stroke patients, and replacement of antioxidative activity could be ben...


Background: The purpose of this study was to define patterns of injury and treatment for condylar and subcondylar fractures and evaluate short-term outcomes in the pediatric population. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on pediatric patients with mandibular condylar fractures who presented between 1990 and 2010. Computed tomographic imaging was reviewed for all patients to assess fracture characteristics. Mandibular fractures were codified using the Strasbourg Osteosynthesis Research Group and Lindahl classification methods. Results: Sixty-four patients with 92 condylar fractures were identified. Of these patients, 29 had isolated condylar fracture and 35 had a condylar fracture associated with an additional mandibular arch fracture. The most common fracture patterns were diacapitular fracture in the Strasbourg Osteosynthesis Research Group system (n = 46) and vertical condylar head fracture in the Lindahl system (n = 14). Condylar fracture with additional mandibular arch fractures were treated with maxillomandibular fixation more often than patients with condylar fracture [n = 40 (74.1 percent) versus n = 14 (25.9 percent); p = 0.004]. No condylar fracture was treated in an open fashion. Forty-three patients returned for follow-up. The median follow-up period was 81 days (interquartile range, 35 to 294 days). Ten patients had complications (23.3 percent). The most common complication was malocclusion (n = 5). Nine of 10 patients with complications had condylar fracture with an additional mandibular arch fracture. Conclusions: Closed treatment of condylar fractures yields satisfactory results in pediatric patients. Pediatric patients with condylar fractures combined with additional arch fractures experience a higher rate of unfavorable outcomes.


Diarrhea and cholera are an infection of the digestive system with watery stools conditions that can not be controlled disposal. Current technology is just a simple bed with a hole in the center, or bipots. Because of these conditions we made TOP (Toilet Otomatis Pasien) which is an automatic toilet design with mass measurement technology. The main cause of death of patients is the lack of the amount of fluids in the body. By knowing the mass of feces, doctor can control body fluids and provide appropriate treatment. TOP extremely hygienic design with a channel that connect directly to a portable dump. TOP tools will help the medical world to handle muntaber and colera patient.


Pre-drill pore pressure prediction is essential for safe and efficient drilling, and is a key element in the risk-reducing toolbox when designing a well. On the Norwegian Continental Shelf, pore pressure prediction commonly relies on traditional 1D offset well analysis, whereas velocity data from seismic surveys are often not considered. Our work with seismic interval velocities shows that the velocity field can provide an important basis for pressure prediction and enable the construction of regional 3D pressure cubes. This may increase the confidence in the pore pressure models and aid the pre-drill geohazard screening process. We demonstrate how a 3D velocity field can be converted to a 3D pore pressure cube using reported pressures in offset wells as calibration points. The method is applied to a regional dataset at the Halten Terrace in the Norwegian Sea; an area with a complex pattern of pore pressure anomalies which traditionally has been difficult to predict. The algorithm is searching for a velocity to pore pressure transform that best matches the reported pressures. The 3D velocity field is a proxy of rock velocity and is derived from seismic surveys, and is verified to checkshot velocities and sonic data in the offset wells.


Forward foreign exchange contracts embed not only expected depreciation but also a sizable premium, which complicates inferences about anticipated returns. This study derives arbitrage-free affine forward currency models (AFCMs) with closed-form expressions for both unobservable variables. Model calibration to forward term structures of eleven U.S.-dollar currency pairs from the mid-to-late 1990s through early 2014 fits the data closely and suggests that the premium is indeed nonzero and variable, but not to the degree implied by previous econometric studies.


Abstract. The Triassic-Jurassic boundary (TJB) is associated with one of the five largest mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic. A deep carbon cycle perturbation and a carbonate production crisis are observed during the late Triassic. The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), one of the most important large igneous provinces of the Phanerozoic, emplaced at the TJB. To understand the carbon cycle perturbations observed at the TJB, we investigate the consequences of CO2 degassing associated to the CAMP emplacement on atmospheric and oceanic carbon cycle. The CO2 input within the atmosphere due to volcanism has been modeled using a global biogeochemical cycle box model (COMBINE) coupled with a climate model (FOAM). Weathering fluxes and CO2 equilibrium are constrained by the Rhaetian paleogeography and different scenarios of the CAMP emplacement are modeled. The study focuses (1) on the geological record and the carbonate productions crisis and (2) on the sedimentary carbon isotope record. For point (1), comparison of different modeling scenarios shows that a Gaussian CO2 emission distribution over the duration of the main activity phase of the CAMP fails in reproducing any of the geological observations, mainly the carbonate production crisis observed in the late Rhaetian sediments. Contrastingly, intense degassing peaks lead to successive decrease in carbonate production as observed in the geological record. For point (2), the perturbations of carbon cycle due to the degassing of CO2 with a mantellic carbon isotopic composition of −5‰ do not reproduce the intensity of the observed carbon isotope excursions. This was achieved in our model by assuming a mantellic carbon isotopic composition of −20‰. Even if this hypothesis requires further investigations, such low values may be associated to degassing of carbon from pools of light isotopic carbon located at the transition zone (Cartigny, 2010), possibly linked to setting of large igneous provinces (LIP's). Breakdown of biological primary productivity can also partially account for the sedimentary carbon isotope excursions and for the observed increase of atmospheric pCO2.


Nowadays, Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) are becoming larger and implement more complex functions. Therefore, technologies that are currently used to implement these functions, like hardware platforms and communication protocols might soon become unusable due to the lack of resources. The industry is trying to adopt new technologies that will allow these functionalities to be developed without an increase in the size of the equipment, or of the development costs. To enumerate some of these technologies: virtualization, multi-core technologies are the ones that show the biggest potential. Because these technologies are not mature, research has to be done in order to fully maximize their potential. Another technology that is highly used by the industry is the Ethernet communication protocol. It presents some advantages, but due to the non-real-time nature of the applications that it was designed for, it has to be extended in order to be used in real-time applications. The objective of this thesis work is to model an Ethernet network comprised of software partitions so that it can provide timing guarantees for the traffic that traverses the network. A Response Time Analysis for real-time flows over such networks is proposed. The model and the RTA are evaluated by experiments.


Current gamma-ray and cosmic-ray satellite experiments employ plastic scintillators to discriminate charged and neutral particles and to identify nuclei. Scintillators are commonly read out using the classical photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). Recent measurements and R& D projects are demonstrating that Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are suitable for the detection of fast light signals with resolution up to the single photoelectron, with a lower power consumption. For these reasons, next generation missions are planning to replace PMTs with SiPMs. We tested a prototype plastic scintillator tile, equipped with a set of SiPMs and studied its response to a beam of electrons and pions at CERN. We used Near Ultraviolet (NUV) SiPMs of 1x1 mm2 and 4x4 mm2 area, placed along the edges of the tile. The tile was irradiated in different positions in order to study the dependence of the collected light on the impact point of the beam particles. We also varied the energy of the beam in order to study how this parameter affects the amount of collected light.


This paper introduces a novel ESPRIT-based, closed-form source localization algorithm applicable to arbitrarily spaced three-dimensional arrays of vector-hydrophones, whose location need not be known. Each vector-hydrophone consists of two or three identical but orthogonally oriented velocity-hydrophones plus one pressure-hydrophone, all spatially co-located in a point-like geometry. A velocity-hydrophone measures one Cartesian component of the incident sonar wavefield's velocity-vector, whereas a pressure-hydrophone measures the acoustic wavefield's pressure. Velocity-hydrophone technology is well established in underwater acoustics and a great variety of commercial models have long been available. ESPRIT is realized herein by exploiting the non-spatial inter-relation among each vector-hydrophone's constituent components, such that ESPRTT's eigenvalues become independent of array geometry. Simulation results verify the efficacy and versatility of this innovative scheme. Aspects of this sonar algorithm is analogous to Jian Li's earlier work (1993) with diversely polarized antennas.


BACKGROUND
Rare human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals who maintain control of viremia without therapy show potent CD8+ T-cell-mediated suppression of viral replication in vitro. Whether this is a determinant of the rate of disease progression in viremic individuals is unknown.

METHODS
We measured CD8+ T-cell-mediated inhibition of a heterologous HIV-1 isolate in 50 HIV-1-seropositive adults with diverse progression rates. Linear mixed models were used to determine whether CD8+ T-cell function could explain variation in the rate of CD4+ T-cell decline.

RESULTS
There was a significant interaction between CD8+ T-cell antiviral activity in vitro and the rate of CD4+ T-cell decline in chronically infected individuals (P < .0001). In a second prospective analysis of recently infected subjects followed for up to 3 years, CD8+ T-cell antiviral activity strongly predicted subsequent CD4+ T-cell decline (P < .0001) and explained up to 73% of the interindividual variation in the CD4+ T-cell slope. In addition, it was inversely associated with viral load set point (r = -0.68 and P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS
The antiviral inhibitory capacity of CD8+ T cells is highly predictive of CD4+ T-cell loss in early HIV-1 infection. It has potential as a benchmark of effective immunity in vaccine evaluation.


Abstract This study examined teachers' implementation of treatment plans following consultation. Interventions were implemented for 45 elementary school students referred for consultation and intervention due to academic concerns, challenging behavior, or a combination of the two. The consultation follow-up procedures examined were brief weekly interviews, weekly interviews combined with an emphasis on the commitment to implement the treatment, and performance feedback. Performance feedback was associated with superior treatment implementation and child behavioral outcomes when compared to the two other conditions. Treatment implementation did not differ for the weekly follow-up meeting and the commitment emphasis conditions at a statistically significant level. Teacher ratings of consultants and treatment acceptability were similar across conditions. A moderate statistically significant correlation between treatment integrity and child behavioral outcome was obtained. The correlation between treatment acceptability and implementation was quite small and was not statistically significant. The implications of these findings for consultation and intervention are discussed.


background:Immunization is an effective primary prevention against infectious diseases on children. The purpose of this study was to determine the related factors to the completeness of basic immunization on children and vaccine management at primary health care and posyandu in X Subdistric, Depok City. Methods:The study used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 140 mothers of children aged at least 11 months, and qualitatif study about vaccines management. Mother and child data collection using questionnaires and child health card (Kartu Menuju Sehat) in December 2012–May 2013. Vaccine management data was collected at 2 primary health care and 2 posyandu with interview and observation. Data analysis was performed with Chi-square test. result:The largest percentage of mothers who have children under the age of at least 11 months of age <30 years, at least graduated from junior high school education, no work, have a low knowledge about immunization. Vaccine management in clinics and neighborhood health center for storage after use of vaccines in posyandu not be returned to the community health center, recording and reporting is not done on the book of the records so that the possibility of scattered or lost, and the person in charge of managing the vaccine instead of pharmacy personnel. Residual use of the vaccine in posyandu not directly returned to the health center. Recording the use of vaccines in posyandu not carried on the books, so it is probable scattered or lost. Manager vaccine at primary health care should a technical pharmacy in accordance with Government Regulation No. 51 of 2009 conclusion: Completeness of basic immunization of children under one years old (82,9%), incomplete biggest measles immunization (15,0%). Factors parental characteristics (age, education, occupation, knowledge) and the availability of the vaccine were not significantly associated with children complete basic immunization. recommendation: Improving health promotion to increase the parents knowledge on immunizations beneficial.


We introduce mechanisms, which offer soft handover support between two different IP subnets for the mobile devices. The mobility support protocol that was developed tries to solve the same problem as mobile IP, that is, how to manage up to date information about the location of a moving node and to keep its connections established during its movement. It uses soft handover and relies on accurate routing information of routers participating in the protocol. The protocol works entirely in user space (layer 7, 6 and 5 of the OSI model) and considers the handover only in layer 3.


Xylitol can be obtained from hemicelullosic fraction of lignocellulosic materials containing D-xylose. Formic acid hydrolysis is widely used in lignocellulose pretreatment. However, formic acid hydrolysis wheat straw cannot be directly used as fermentation subsequently owing to various fermentation inhibitors, especially the formic acid in reaction system and released during pretreatment. This study describes main hydrolysis components and inhibitors prepared by hydrolysis of wheat straw with formic acid solution, and different detoxification methods ware used to romve the inhibitors. Study found treatment of wheat straw hydrolysate with overliming treatment and D311 ion-exchange resin had a good result on reduction formic acid and other main inhibitors, results showed which can eliminate 94% of residual formic acid and with only 15% reducion of xylose. To verify the effectiveness of different detoxification methods, hydrolysates of detoxification werr fermented by Candida.tropicalis AS2.1776, and the results also found that the hydrolysate treatmented with overliming treatment and D311 ion-exchange resin have the hightest xylitol yield.


A one-dimensional, unsteady numerical model for the prediction of the vertical distribution of suspended sediment concentration and rate of suspended sediment deposition in water stirred uniformly has been developed. The model is derived from the convective-diffusive transport equation and uses a fully implicit, exponential finite difference scheme. The model is unconditionally stable regardless of vertical diffusivities and particle fall velocities. Such a model has not previously been given in the sedimentation literature and is of interest for theory and applications. A generic study of vertical suspended sediment profiles and trap efficiencies has been made. The results, presented in dimensionless form, cover Peclet numbers Vh/D from zero to infinity. V is the particle fall velocity, h is the water depth, and D is the mean vertical exchange coefficient. In studies of suspended sediment behavior the parameters V and D are often unknown or not well determined. The generic results generated show what kind of variations in suspended sediment concentrations and trap efficiencies can be expected with different values of V and D. Sediment deposition is shown to occur through downward frontal movement when Vh/D is large (≥ 20) and through columnar precipitation when Vh/D is small (≤ 0.2). Residence time is shown theoretically to be far more important for estimates of sediment deposition rate than turbulence. This is in agreement with empirical findings for reservoir trap efficiency.


Between December 1998 and March 2001, for each HTLV-I/II seropositive blood donor (ELISA, Abbott), two HTLV-I/II seronegative blood donors were also chosen. The blood samples were re-tested by ELISA (Murex), and those seropositives were also tested by Western Blot and PCR. Of the 11, 121 blood samples, 73 (0.66%) were positives (Abbott), but only 12 (0.11%) remained positives (Murex), whereas the 146 seronegatives were confirmed, even though the concordance index between these two ELISA tests was hopeless. The Western Blot confirmed the twelve blood samples as seropositives: 8 (0.07%) HTLV-I; two (0.02%) HTLV-II and two (0.02%) indeterminate, being by PCR, one HTLV-I and the other HTLV-II. Concluding, in this Western Amazon population the HTLV-I/II seroprevalence was too low, in spite of the greater prevalence of HTLV-II expected due to a great indigenous racial mixture.


AIM
To test the ability of periapical radiography (PA) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to determine the presence/absence of periapical lesions and examine the reliability of volumetric measurements of periapical lesions on CBCT scans.

METHODOLOGY
After tooth extractions in human mandibles, bone defects were cut at the base of extraction sockets to mimic periapical bone lesions. The teeth were then returned into the extraction sockets. Sixty-three roots of anterior teeth, premolars and molars with artificial periapical lesions and 37 roots without lesions were examined with PA and CBCT. Presence/absence of periapical lesion was noted. The CBCT-based volume of each lesion (Vct) was measured using Amira software 5.4 (Visage Imaging GmbH, Berlin, Germany). A replica of each lesion was created using silicone impression material, and the volume of the replica was measured using a water displacement method, representing the physical volume of the lesion (Vp). Regression analysis was used to test the correlation between the Vp and Vct values.

RESULTS
The positive and negative predictive values and accuracy for CBCT in diagnosing periapical lesions were all 1, compared with 1, 0.64 and 0.79 for PA diagnosis. Twenty-one (33%) lesions were undetected by PA. The Vp (21.5 ± 11.0 mm(3) ) and Vct (21.4 ± 11.5 mm(3) ) values of 63 lesions were highly correlated (R(2) = 96.9%, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Cone-beam computed tomography is more accurate than PA in diagnosing periapical lesions associated with mandibular teeth. The volumes of artificial mandibular periapical lesions were accurately measured with CBCT data.


Soft robotic actuators are safe and adaptable devices with inherent compliance, which makes them attractive for manipulating delicate and complex objects. Researchers have integrated stiff materials into soft actuators to increase their force capacity and direct their deformation. However, these embedded materials have largely been pre-prescribed and static, which constrains the actuators to a predetermined range of motion. In this work, electroadhesive (EA) clutches integrated on a single-chamber soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) provide local programmable stiffness modulation to control the actuator deformation. We show that activating different clutch patterns inflates a silicone membrane into pyramidal, round, and plateau shapes. Curvatures from these shapes are combined during actuation to apply forces on both a 3.7 g and 820 g object along five different degrees of freedom (DoF). The actuator workspace is up to 12 mm for light objects. Clutch deactivation, which results in local elastomeric expansion, rapidly applies forces up to 3.2 N to an object resting on the surface and launches a 3.7 g object in controlled directions. The actuator also rotates a heavier, 820 g, object by 5 degrees and rapidly restores it to horizontal alignment after clutch deactivation. This actuator is fully powered by a 5 V battery, AA battery, DC-DC transformer, and 4.5 V (63 g) DC air pump. These results demonstrate a first step towards realizing a soft actuator with high DoF shape change that preserves the inherent benefits of pneumatic actuation while gaining the electrical controllability and strength of EA clutches. We envision such a system supplying human contact forces in the form of a low-profile sit-to-stand assistance device, bed-ridden patient manipulator, or other ergonomic mechanism.


This dissertation examines the emergence and endurance of state-sponsored land reform in Colombia. Despite inadequate results from two previous rounds of land reform, Colombia's current president instituted a bill in 2011 that promised to return land to poor farmers displaced by a forty-year conflict that involved the military, anti-government insurgent groups, paramilitary organizations, and narco-traffickers. During the latter stages of this devastating conflict, 57% of Colombian municipalities saw land inequality increase. Even with two state land reform efforts implemented over the course of the twentieth century, the continued lack of success in diminishing rural inequality in Colombia motivates the research question: what factors contribute to the failure or success of land reform to impact land inequality? Drawing from sociological and political science perspectives on development and inequality, I focus on Colombia as a strategic case study. I utilize (1) longitudinal data set of census and cadastral survey data, (2) interviews with legislators, human rights advocates, and journalists, and (3) analysis of newspaper articles from liberal and conservative newspapers. Political institutions are central to the explanatory framework. I find that the Colombian state failed to consolidate themonopoly of violence during the nineteenth century due to a nexus of geographic and institutional factors, during which time a categorical distinction emerged between landed elites and peasant settlers. In various periods during the twentieth century, civil conflict in Colombia was fought over political affiliation (e.g. during La Violencia), and over relationships profoundly changed by commercial agriculture (e.g. strikes by peasant workers on banana plantations in 1928 and the raids by ANUC in 1971-73). Violence changes relations between social classes on its own, irrespective of the penetration of capitalism into rural areas, and shifts alliances between different factions of elite groups. Colombian elites have at various critical junctures been successful in consolidating de facto power by hiring non-state armed forces, and have bypassed changes to the state's institutions. The dissertation therefore delves into one particular dimension of state capacity - its ability to enforce order - in perpetuating rural inequality.


Although large language models (LLMs) demonstrate impressive performance for many language tasks, most of them can only handle texts a few thousand tokens long, limiting their applications on longer sequence inputs, such as books, reports, and codebases. Recent works have proposed methods to improve LLMs' long context capabilities by extending context windows and more sophisticated memory mechanisms. However, comprehensive benchmarks tailored for evaluating long context understanding are lacking. In this paper, we introduce LongBench, the first bilingual, multi-task benchmark for long context understanding, enabling a more rigorous evaluation of long context understanding. LongBench comprises 21 datasets across 6 task categories in both English and Chinese, with an average length of 6,711 words (English) and 13,386 characters (Chinese). These tasks cover key long-text application areas including single-doc QA, multi-doc QA, summarization, few-shot learning, synthetic tasks, and code completion. All datasets in LongBench are standardized into a unified format, allowing for effortless automatic evaluation of LLMs. Upon comprehensive evaluation of 8 LLMs on LongBench, we find that: (1) Commercial model (GPT-3.5-Turbo-16k) outperforms other open-sourced models, but still struggles on longer contexts. (2) Scaled position embedding and fine-tuning on longer sequences lead to substantial improvement on long context understanding. (3) Context compression technique such as retrieval brings improvement for model with weak ability on long contexts, but the performance still lags behind models that have strong long context understanding capability. The code and datasets are available at https://github.com/THUDM/LongBench.


Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease affecting the microvasculature of skin and muscle. CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are key regulators of immune homeostasis. A role for Tregs in JDM pathogenesis has not yet been established. Here, we explored Treg presence and function in peripheral blood and muscle of JDM patients. We analyzed number, phenotype and function of Tregs in blood from JDM patients by flow cytometry and in vitro suppression assays, in comparison to healthy controls and disease controls (Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy). Presence of Tregs in muscle was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Overall, Treg percentages in peripheral blood of JDM patients were similar compared to both control groups. Muscle biopsies of new onset JDM patients showed increased infiltration of numbers of T cells compared to Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Both in JDM and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy the proportion of FOXP3+ T cells in muscles were increased compared to JDM peripheral blood. Interestingly, JDM is not a self-remitting disease, suggesting that the high proportion of Tregs in inflamed muscle do not suppress inflammation. In line with this, peripheral blood Tregs of active JDM patients were less capable of suppressing effector T cell activation in vitro, compared to Tregs of JDM in clinical remission. These data show a functional impairment of Tregs in a proportion of patients with active disease, and suggest a regulatory role for Tregs in JDM inflammation.


Abstract This article addresses the routine use of race and ethnicity in the context of applied population genetics, which includes research in genetic epidemiology into the causes of common, complex diseases and in pharmacogenetics – the study of the genetic basis of how people respond to pharmaceuticals. It investigates how categories of "whiteness" are operationalized in everyday scientific practice. It reviews the critique of the presumed homogeneity, invisibility and "common-sense" status of whiteness in the epidemiological and clinical literature, and draws on qualitative interviews conducted with twenty-eight UK-based researchers working in the areas of genetic epidemiology and pharmacogenetics. The study explores how researchers justify the inclusion of white/Caucasians in studies and the exclusion of other ethnic groups, operationalize white/Caucasian as a category by which volunteers or patients are selected in and out of studies, and show how genetic evidence can also challenge researchers' assumptions and problematize their everyday use of categories such as white/Caucasian.


Executive Summary Problem: The traffic safety community is interested in reducing the number of lives lost and injuries due to automobile accidents. This can be done in two ways, through advancing automobile safety technology and by changing automobile driver behavior (Desai and You 1992). Seat belt laws are thought to be the behavioral solution because they have been proven to increase seat belt usage among automobile occupants. However, studies on the topic have varying answers when it comes to the degree to which these laws increase seat belt usage and factors which influence on seat belt uses. Research Questions: This study uses meta-analytic techniques to explore whether certain variables influence seat belt usage rates. The main research questions posed in this study are: 1. What common independent variables are included in the studies of the impact of seat belt laws? 2. Does the inclusion of certain variables affect the findings of the studies? 3. In what direction do these variables influence the results of the study? The research hypothesis is that the inclusion of independent variables will have an effect on the influence of seat belt laws on seat belt use. Research Design: This study used a meta-analytic technique to pool data from five studies. A multiple regression was used to observe relationships between the dependent variable (percentage point increase in seat belt use) and independent variables such as race, gender, unit of interest, number of years included to the study, number of observations, year of publication and data source. A bivariate regression was used to further explore the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. Additionally, a qualitative review was conducted which included the seat belt law studies selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Findings: The multiple regression procedure using was not successful run due to the limited number of observations in this study. However, a bivariate regression analysis found correlations between percentage point increases in seat belt use and the primary seat belt law, secondary seat belt law, number of observation, unit of interest, and year published variables in a bivariate regression. Conclusion: This study did provide some insight into variables that influence seat belt rates however not many conclusions can be drawn from this study. Further research must be done to gain a better grasp of the factors that influence seat belt usage rates. Future meta-analytic studies on the seat belt laws and seat belt usage rates …


Providing a natural area with protection status involves many types of considerations and interests. Among these are the criteria of an ecological, naturalistic, aesthetic, cultural and educational nature. The precise layout of these spaces also brings political standpoints into play, which are often at loggerheads with the recommendations for the application of these criteria. A study conducted in central Spain for the declaration, demarcation and internal sectoring of the future Guadarrama National Park introduces new methodological aspects. The aesthetic qualities of the landscape have been described both by experts and with the use of evaluations (questionnaires answered by the different types of visitors to the region of the future Park). An essential objective of protected spaces is to ensure that the visitors enjoy nature through environmental education. Otherwise, nature conservation would be meaningless. In the current paper, we detected serious problems related to appraising the landscape and sectoring the space for the management of the park. Depending on the estimated reaction in each spatial sector in relation to different rural activities and tourism uses, the team of experts obtained maps of the Park that did not tally with those based upon the demands of the different types of visitors. Aside from the conservation of unarguably fragile sectors, which require strict protection, the aforementioned demands give rise to serious doubts in the use and management of protected areas. The paper discusses different alternatives.


The adaptive control algorithm, it's parameter adaptive recursive predicting and noise estimator unified form are presented for a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems with multiple time delays based on dynamic approximate any higher-order nonlinearization increment simplified recursive predicting model of NARMAX model(with time delays and noise increment any higher-order Volterra model). adaptive control is employed for nonlinear systems with heavy multiple time delays. the simulation result for several typical nonlinear systems are given to demonstrate the correctness and effectiveness of approach proposed..


In the paper we present smart textiles for application in critical infrastructures based on fiber Bragg grating sensors. The suitability of the selected polyester fabric was evaluated by experimental measurement. Low elasticity caused an irreversible deformation of the fabric and thus change of the reference value when stretching the textile. With a 4.5 Newton tensile, the reference value change was up to 0.14 pm. Therefore, a combination of two layers of different textiles was tested. The second layer caused less deformation of the first layer by up to 50 percent.


Lung adenocarcinoma has a strong propensity to metastasize to the brain. The brain metastases are difficult to treat and can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Identifying patients with increased risk of developing brain metastasis can assist medical decision-making, facilitating a closer surveillance or justifying a preventive treatment. We analyzed 27 lung adenocarcinoma patients who received a primary lung tumor resection and developed metastases within 5 years after the surgery. Among these patients, 16 developed brain metastases and 11 developed non-brain metastases only. We performed targeted DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry to characterize the difference between the primary tumors. We also compared our findings to the published data of brain-tropic and non-brain-tropic lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. The results demonstrated that the targeted tumor DNA sequencing did not reveal a significant difference between the groups, but the RNA sequencing identified 390 differentially expressed genes. A gene expression signature including CDKN2A could identify 100% of brain-metastasizing tumors with a 91% specificity. However, when compared to the differentially expressed genes between brain-tropic and non-brain-tropic lung cancer cell lines, a different set of genes was shared between the patient data and the cell line data, which include many genes implicated in the cancer-glia/neuron interaction. Our findings indicate that it is possible to identify lung adenocarcinoma patients at the highest risk for brain metastasis by analyzing the primary tumor. Further investigation is required to elucidate the mechanism behind these associations and to identify potential treatment targets.


Summary Development and fluorescence expression were evaluated in bovine embryos microinjected with ~2 pl of DNAbuffer solution containing [I] 1.6, [II] 4.8 or [III] 8.0 ng/µl of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene, respectively. The percentages of embryo cleavage and development to blastocysts for the DNA-injected groups (Groups I, II and III) were significantly (p<0.05) lower than those in the centrifuged control group. However, no significant difference was observed among the DNA-injected and buffer-injected control groups with respect to the percentage of development to blastocysts. There was no significant difference among the DNA injected groups with respect to the percentage of total fluorescing embryos. However, the percentage of total embryos that fluoresced in all the cells (nonmosaic) was significantly (p<0.01) higher in Groups II and III than in Group I. These results using the EGFP maker indicate that nonmosaic expression of fluorescence in the microinjected embryos increased by increasing the DNA amount injected. However, those injected embryos exhibited impaired development irrespective of the DNA dose.


Background: Exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is highly prevalent in athletes and impacts on their health and performance. The gold-standard means for diagnosing EIB is indirect bronchoprovocation testing, however the repeatability of this methodology is not established. Aims and objectives: To evaluate the short-term test-retest repeatability of eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea (EVH). Methods: Twenty-five recreationally active men ( n =21) and women ( n =4) were recruited. Participants were required to attend on two separate occasions separated by a period of fourteen days. Participants performed spirometry before and following (at 3,5,10 and 15 mins) an EVH challenge (6 minutes at 85% maximum voluntary ventilation). Difference in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) between visits was analysed using Bland-Altman methodology. Results: 22 subjects completed both visits ( n =3 excluded - unwell), mean (SD) age 25 (±4) yrs, FEV 1 102 (±8.6) % predicted. There was no significant difference in maximum fall in FEV 1 post EVH between visits (P>0.05), however Bland-Altman analysis revealed wide limits of agreement (-10.36-7.9%) for the difference in fall in FEV 1 between visits. A diagnosis of EIB (>10% fall in FEV 1 ) was established in two athletes at visit one whereas this increased to five athletes at visit 2. Importantly, only one athlete had a diagnosis of EIB confirmed at both visits. Conclusion: In this cohort of athletes EVH demonstrated poor repeatability over a fixed two-week period. The findings highlight the need for caution when considering confirming or refuting a diagnosis of EIB based on a solitary indirect bronchoprovocation test and a cut-off value of 10% fall in FEV 1 .


Context. Recent accurate abundance analyses of B-type main sequence stars in the solar vicinity has shown that abundances derived from these stellar objects are more homogeneous and metal-rich than previously thought. Aims. We investigate whether the inhomogeneity of abundances previously found in B-type stars in the Ori OB1 association is real (hence a signature of enrichment of the newly formed stars in an induced star formation scenario) or a consequence of intrinsic errors induced by the use of photometric indices to establish the stellar parameters prior to the abundance analysis. Methods. We obtained a new (improved) spectroscopic data set comprising 13 B-type stars in the various Ori OB1 associations, and performed a detailed, self-consistent spectroscopic abundance analysis by means of the modern stellar atmosphere code FASTWIND. Results. We detect systematic errors in the stellar parameters determined previously which affect the derived abundances. Once these errors are accounted for, we find a high degree of homogeneity in the O and Si abundances for stars in the four Ori OB1 subgroups. The derived abundances are in very good agreement with recent determinations in other B-type stars in the solar vicinity. We also compare our results with those obtained for the Sun during the epoch of the "solar crisis", and the Orion nebula.


A general method for the formation of a broad family of silicon nanotube arrays (Si NTAs) relevant to diverse fields--ranging from energy storage to therapeutic platforms--is described. Such nanotubes demonstrate a thickness-dependent dissolution behavior important to its potential use in drug delivery. Under selected conditions, novel porous silicon nanotubes can be prepared when the shell thickness is on the order of 12 nm or less, capable of being loaded with small molecules such as luminescent ruthenium dyes associated with dye-sensitized photovoltaic devices.


We calculate the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N3LO) QCD corrections to vector-boson fusion (VBF) Higgs pair production in the limit in which there is no partonic exchange between the two protons. We show that the inclusive cross section receives negligible corrections at this order, while the scale variation uncertainties are reduced by a factor four. We present differential distributions for the transverse momentum and rapidity of the final state Higgs bosons, and show that there is almost no kinematic dependence to the third order corrections. Finally we study the impact of deviations from the Standard Model in the trilinear Higgs coupling, and show that the structure of the higher order corrections does not depend on the self-coupling. These results are implemented in the latest release of the proVBFH-incl program.


Abstract This paper proposed a Kind-2 distribution of the multivariate generalization of log-double exponential family of distributions. Further, the constants of the proposed distribution namely it's Marginal, Multivariate conditional distributions and generating functions also expressed in a closed series expansion form. Many special cases of this distribution are derived and the location, scale, shape parameters determines the family of some existing known distributions such as familiar bivariate, mixtures of bivariate distributions, generalized and multivariate distributions are mushroomed as subclasses of the proposed multivariate generalized log-double exponential family of distribution of kind-2.


Abstract Minerals of the Fe-As-S system are the main components of Au ores in many hydrothermal deposits, including Carlin-type Au deposits, volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, epithermal, mesothermal, sedimentary-hosted systems, and Archean Au lodes. The "invisible" (or refractory) form of Au is present in all types of hydrothermal ores and often predominates. Knowledge of the chemical state of "invisible" Au (local atomic environment/structural position, electronic structure, and oxidation state) is crucial for understanding the conditions of ore formation and necessary for the physical-chemical modeling of hydrothermal Au mineralization. In addition, it will help to improve the technologies of ore processing and Au extraction. Here we report an investigation of the chemical state of "invisible" Au in synthetic analogs of natural minerals (As-free pyrite FeS2, arsenopyrite FeAsS, and löllingite FeAs2). The compounds were synthesized by means of hydrothermal (pyrite) and salt flux techniques (in each case) and studied by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy in a high-energy resolution fluorescence detection (HERFD) mode in combination with first-principles quantum chemical calculations. The content of "invisible" Au in the synthesized löllingite (800 ± 300 ppm) was much higher than that in arsenopyrite (23 ± 14 ppm). The lowest Au content was observed in zonal pyrite crystals synthesized in a salt flux. High "invisible" Au contents were observed in hydrothermal pyrite (40–90 ppm), which implies that this mineral can efficiently scavenge Au even in As-free systems. The Au content of the hydrothermal pyrite is independent of sulfur fugacity and probably corresponds to the maximum Au solubility at the experimental P-T parameters (450 °C, 1 kbar). It is shown that Au replaces Fe in the structures of löllingite, arsenopyrite, and hydrothermal pyrite. The Au-ligand distance increases by 0.14 Å (pyrite), 0.16 Å (löllingite), and 0.23 Å (As), 0.13 Å (S) (arsenopyrite) relative to the Fe-ligand distance in pure compounds. Distortions of the atomic structures are localized around Au atoms and disappear at R > ∼4 Å. Chemically bound Au occurs only in hydrothermal pyrite, whereas pyrite synthesized without hydrothermal fluid contains only Au°. The heating (metamorphism) of hydrothermal pyrite results in the decomposition of chemically bound Au and formation of Au° nuggets, which coarsen with increasing temperature. Depending on the chemical composition of the host mineral, Au can play a role of either a cation or an anion: the Bader atomic partial charge of Au decreases in the order pyrite (+0.4 e) > arsenopyrite (0) > löllingite (−0.4 e). Our results suggest that other noble metals (platinum group elements, Ag) can form a chemically bound refractory admixture in base metal sulfides/chalcogenides. The content of chemically bound noble metals can vary depending on the composition of the host mineral and ore history.


In the wake of the liberalization of electricity markets, both energy companies engaged in selling household consumers green electricity products, and policy makers wanting to stimulate green electricity products usage share the need to understand green electricity buyers. The paper presents findings from exploratory research on consumers'attitudes towards green electricity. The paper draws on findings from qualitative research where data was collected from five countries. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the responses from 83 electricity consumers collected via focus groups. Several factors were identified, shared and country specific, which may be considered when promoting green electricity. Among the shared factors are the identical nature of electricity, local production, skepticism and corporate social responsibility. The paper concludes that promoting green electricity requires an in-depth understanding of consumers' perceptions and a realization that consumers perceive the concept 'green' in quite different ways from traditional definitions.


AIMS
To conduct a comparative analysis of four cohorts of newly licensed Registered Nurses and their work schedule, daily shift length, weekly work hours, second job, and weekly overtime hours. Nurses also reported their preferences regarding work schedule and daily shift length.

DESIGN
We used a retrospective, comparative design analysing four cross-sectional surveys from new nurses first licensed between 2004-2015.

METHODS
Using state licensure lists, nurses who were first licensed between 1 August 2004 and 31 July 2005 were randomly sampled using a nested design in 23 geographical areas in 13 states and Washington, DC. The same sampling strategy was conducted for subsequent cohorts in January 2009, 2012, and 2016. We sent a mailed survey measuring demographics, education, work attributes, and attitudes to participants with a $5 incentive, following methods by Dillman.

RESULTS
There were no statistically significant differences in average weekly work hours (39.4 hrs) or holding more than one job for pay (11.6-14.6% across all cohorts). There were statistically significant differences in overtime across cohorts and shift length by unit type. The preferred shift length was 12 hrs and day shift was the preferred work schedule.

CONCLUSION
New nurses are predominantly scheduled for 12-hrs shifts and nearly half work weekly overtime, trends that have remained relatively stable over the past 10 years. Nurse managers, policy-makers, and researchers should pay attention to new nurses' schedule and shift preferences and guard against mandatory overtime hours.


INTRODUCTION
The role of the adrenal gland in the metabolism of foetus and its role in maturation of foetal organs are the principal motives for paying more attention to this vital organ, which is still a great enigma for gynaecologists. The control of the gland is important in normal as well as in risk pregnancies. Of the entities that most often imperil the growth of foetus and adrenal glands are diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy. A consequence of the maternal diabetes may be macrosomy of foetus manifested by increase in foetal body mass and enlargement of organs sensitive to increased concentration of insulin in the foetal blood [6], i.e., the liver, fat tissue, lungs, adrenal glands, heart. Brown and Singer (1988) [2] established that adrenal glands of foetus are imperiled in pregnancies complicated by mother's hypertension. Their conclusion was derived from pathologic findings in foetuses from unsuccessful pregnancies of patients with hypertension. The glands were of reduced sizes. The way to perform precise measuring of glands, which are of dilapidated composition during post mortem examination, is not quite acceptable, since during the manipulation the size may, to some degree, be altered. By introduction of the ultrasound method in medical practice the problem of biometry has been overcome. Besides measuring, of great importance for the study of physiology of the gland is also the analysis of the foetal fluid and foetal blood. The first successful measuring of the adrenal gland of foetus by ultrasound was performed in mid 80s of the last century by Jeanty and Romero [3] via transabdominal path. The aim of our study is the comparison of foetal adrenal glands in normal and high-risk pregnancies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
During a prospective follow-up carried out at the Institute of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Clinical Centre of Serbia, 213 patients, aged from 19 to 44 years were examined. Gestation periods were from the 11th to the 40th week. We divided the patients in 3 groups. The first group consisted of 131 patients with no pathologic changes and whose children were born alive. The second group was formed of 75 pregnant women in whom the course of pregnancy was impaired and disorders in the foetal. From these pregnancies the children were born alive. The third group was composed of 7 patients in whom abortion was indicated. The measured values of foetal adrenal glands diameter in the first group (131 patients), were used for making a nomogram of the glands growth. The measuring was performed with ultrasound apparatus "Toshiba 100 SSA". Transabdominal examination with a probe of 3.75 MHz and transvaginal examination with probes of 5 and 7 MHz were performed. Since the picture of the adrenal gland resembled an ellipse, on the basis of measured diameters and using the formula for circumference of this geometric figure [O = (d1 + d2) x pi/2], we obtained the desired value, which increased with advancement of pregnancy. Patients included in the study were with one-foetus pregnancy, whose last menstruation was precisely dated. Data are presented in a chart. For analysis of the obtained data, in addition to parameter methods, we also used the linear correlation and regression and one-factor analysis of variance. Data base analysis was made in the SPSS for DOS package.

RESULTS
In making a nomogram of adrenal glands growth of a foetus old between 11 and 40 weeks, 131 of 213 patients were included, while the other foetuses were excluded as they belonged to high-risk pregnancies. Correlation of the growth of adrenal glands circumference and gestation period of pregnancy are also highly statistically important. The correlation coefficient of the straight line which represents this dependancy, is R = 0.8916, for the significance level of p < 0.01 (GRAPH 1). We observed how the course of pregnancy influenced the growth of foetal adrenal gland in normal pregnancies and in foetuses impaired by a pathological pregnancy course. By the method of one-way variance analysis, we obtained the value of the test, which was F = 2.79; p = 0.07. The graphical presentation of adrenal glands of a foetus in the appropriate week of gestation revealed that dimensions of glands in pregnancies impaired by diabetes were larger than those in normal gestations, and that they were at the top of border value of +2 SD or even over this limit. The statistically obtained value was F = 1.81; p > 0.05 (p = 0.06 and it was close to the border value for the significance level of p < 0.05); however, for glands of pregnancies complicated with hypertension the value was F = 1.61; p = 0.063 and the border value near -2 SD. Data are presented in a chart, regarding nomograms and adrenal glands of risk pregnancies.

DISCUSSION
In 1993 Bronstein and colleagues [1] proved that the route of visualization of an adrenal gland was not only transabdominal. They succeeded in detecting the glands by transvaginal ultrasound examination in the 12th week. Jeanty and Romero [3] performed a successful transabdominal visualization in the 23rd week of gestation. By ultrasound prenatal examination we can determine the existence of hyperplasia of adrenal glands (Kelnar 1993) [5]. With ultrasound examination we can also diagnose tumours of the medulla, such as neuroblastoma (Jennings and colleagues 1993) [4]. In our study we reported on the visualization and growth of foetal adrenal glands in the period from the 11th to the 40th week of gestation. We presented the growth of foetal adrenal glands in normal gestations with the growth nomogram. The coefficient of correlation of adrenal glands circumference was R = 0.8916. The level of significance was p < 0.01. In conclusion, we can say that risk factors in pregnancy could impair the growth of adrenal glands. We have found that foetal adrenal glands in pregnancies impaired with maternal diabetes were hypertrophic, while those in pregnancies impaired with hypertension were almost at hypotrophic border. The nomograms of adrenal glands growth were of clinical importance, since they help us to control the state of a foetus in high-risk pregnancies.

CONCLUSION
Improvement of the methods used in prenatal diagnosis will contribute to a timely detection of a diseased foetus, and will be the first step in its recovery. Regulating the pathological condition of the mother will surely contribute to decrease the risk of delivering children with an increased risk of morbidity.


Abstract Background: Recently, the number of epidemiological studies of child psychiatry has increased, but most of these studies focus on children living in city centres. Unfortunately, one-third of the global population lives in rural areas, and various habitations exist in cities, including city centres and slums. Moreover, despite having a high risk for psychopathology development, individuals who have symptoms but fall outside the limits specified for diagnoses due to having fewer symptoms than those mentioned in diagnostic systems and individuals who do not fulfil the impairment criteria listed in diagnostic systems are not addressed in these studies. Aim: The purpose of this study was to understand the prevalence of DSM-IV childhood psychiatric disorders and subthreshold psychiatric problems from middle-class city centres, city centres in slums, towns and village areas of Turkey with a nationally representative sample using a state-of-the-art methodology. Methods: In total, 1080 children were randomly selected from second and third grades for the study's sample. A structured diagnostic interview was applied. Results: The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 8.4% (n = 91); 7.2% (n = 78) of the children were subthreshold cases. The general prevalence of psychiatric disorders was higher among children living in villages with respect to all the other human settlement areas included in the study. Conclusions: Although global urbanisation foregrounds the mental health of children living in cities, children in rural areas may have a greater risk of developing a mental disorder. This study confirmed that an equal amount of children fell outside of the diagnosing limits.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to develop a system for the continuous recording of the intraocular pressure (IOP) in rabbits maintained in their normal environment. A telemetric system originally designed for the measurement of cardiovascular parameters in unrestrained, conscious laboratory animals was adapted for this purpose.

METHODS
Experiments were performed in adult albino female rabbits. The transmitter was placed under the skin in the neck region. Its catheter was tunneled subcutaneously to the superior conjunctival sac and inserted into the midvitreous. Correlation with the IOP in the anterior chamber was performed by pneumatonography measurement and by manometric pressure perfusion in the implanted rabbits. Transitory increase in IOP was induced by a rapid intravenous injection of 20 ml/kg of 5% glucose. Timolol maleate (0.5%) or saline was administered (50 microliters) in the instrumented eye before the intravenous glucose injection.

RESULTS
The intraocular catheter remained patent and was well tolerated for at least 2 months. A constant circadian rhythm of IOP was recorded as previously reported. Intraocular pressure measurements were highly correlated to pneumatonographic and to manometric measurements, indicating the accuracy and reliability of the recording system. A significant inhibition of the IOP increases following the intravenous injection of glucose was induced by 0.5% timolol treatment when compared to saline instillation.

CONCLUSIONS
The continuous recording of IOP by our telemetric method represents a breakthrough for studying the effect of various pharmacologic agents in conscious, unrestrained rabbits under physiological conditions that have not been possible with previously described methods.


OBJECTIVES
We assessed the effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on cardiac autonomic function with the parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence (HRT) and investigated the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with OSAS.

STUDY DESIGN
Seventy-six patients (27 women, 49 men; mean age 50.6±10.7 years; range 33 to 75 years) with an initial diagnosis of OSAS underwent polysomnography and simultaneous Holter monitoring. The diagnosis of OSAS was based on an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of ≥5. The patients were evaluated with time-and frequency-based parameters of HRV, and turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS) parameters of HRT. Cardiac arrhythmias were also assessed on Holter monitoring.

RESULTS
Fifty-three patients (69.7%) were diagnosed with OSAS, being mild in 25 (47.2%), moderate in 23 (43.4%), and severe in five (9.4%) patients based on the AHI. The patients were divided into two groups as those having an AHI of <5 (n=23) and ≥5 (n=53). There were no significant differences in HRV parameters between the two groups, but patients with OSAS exhibited a significantly higher TO (p=0.02) and a significantly lower TS (p<0.001). In bivariate correlation analysis, AHI showed a significant negative correlation with TS (r=-0.37, p=0.009) and a significant positive correlation with TO (r=0.36, p=0.01). The frequencies of short-sequence premature atrial and ventricular contractions were significantly higher in patients with OSAS (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that blunting of HRT is more prominent than changes in HRV parameters in patients with OSAS, accompanied by increased frequency of cardiac arrhythmias.


In this study three types of polycrystalline highly boron-doped (ca. 1020 cm−3) diamond electrodes are compared with respect to their activity in anodic bleaching processes. A commercially available boron-doped diamond electrode (from De Beers), a conventional polycrystalline boron-doped diamond electrode grown in a hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) process, and an sp2-carbon impurity state-rich polycrystalline boron-doped diamond electrode (grown in the presence of a high methane concentration) are characterized by voltammetry, Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy methods. Next, the efficiency of anodic bleaching processes (assumed to be based on hydroxyl radical generation at the diamond electrode surface) is investigated as a function of surface modification and with/without activation by power ultrasound. As a model process, the bleaching of the spin trapping reagent N,N-dimethyl-p-nitrosoaniline (RNO), is employed. Power ultrasound is shown to drastically improve the rate of bleaching by increasing the rate of mass transport at the electrode|solution interface. However, the state of the diamond electrode surface is also important. Boron-doped diamond electrodes rich in sp2 carbon impurity states are initially more efficient in the bleaching process. Reactive intermediates, such as hydroxyl radicals, appear to be formed preferentially in the vicinity of impurity states. However, mass transport is the dominating parameter in controlling the efficiency of the bleaching process.


Abstract : This book is based on research commissioned by the United Kingdom's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1997 into how Confrontation Analysis might be applied to Peace Support Operations. The book presents a simple idea: a Peace Operations campaign (or Operation Other Than War) should be seen as a linked sequence of confrontations in contrast to a traditional, warfighting campaign, which is a linked sequence of battles. The objective in each confrontation is to bring about certain "compliant" behavior on the part of other parties, until in the end the campaign objective is reached. This is a state of sufficient compliance to enable the military to leave the theater. If this simple idea is accepted, one can show how the new technique of Confrontation Analysis (derived from Game Theory) can be applied to win an Operation Other Than War. Since this book was written, further research carried out in the Bosnia theater has clearly revealed that Special Forces commanders are already doing it. They are winning confrontations, or campaigns, made up of linked sequences of confrontations on a day-to-day basis. But they are doing it without a clear, uniform system of concepts specifically designed for a confrontational campaign. Using practical good sense, they are instead taking doctrinal concepts developed primarily for warfighting, and adapting them for use in confrontations. For example, they are using concepts of artillery targeting to plan how to "target" noncompliant parties (e.g., a local Mayor and police chief who are refusing to provide security for returning refugees from a different ethnic group). Such common-sensical adaptation of standard warfighting systems and concepts is admirable, and it works. The author believes, however, that a system that treats confrontations as confrontations, distinguishing them from battles both conceptually and in terms of planning procedures, will made British forces still more effective.


The current paper shows an end-to-end approach how to process XML files in the Hadoop ecosystem. The work demonstrates a way how to handle problems faced during the analysis of a large amounts of XML files. The paper presents a completed Extract, Load and Transform (ELT) cycle, which is based on the open source software stack Apache Hadoop, which became a standard for processing of a huge amounts of data. This work shows that applying open source solutions to a particular set of problems could not be enough. In fact, most of big data processing open source tools were implemented only to address a limited number of the use cases. This work explains and shows, why exactly specific use cases may require significant extension with a self-developed multiple software components. The use case described in the paper deals with huge amounts of semi-structured XML files, which supposed to be persisted and processed daily.


In Malaysia, environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been mandatory since 1988 as a proactive tool in environmental management for 19 prescribed activities. Since ecological information is an important component in EIA, this study examined the quality of ecological input in 41 preliminary EIAs for coastal resort development. Twelve criteria relating to ecological data, impact prediction, evaluation of impact significance, mitigating measures, residual impacts, monitoring, communication of the report and consultants were reviewed. Results revealed that only 27 percent of the EIAs were found to be satisfactory, whereas the others were at borderline or poor. In describing the existing environment, the majority of the reports made no mention of the survey methods, some of the data included were found to be not site-specific and up-to-date, and the sources of the secondary data presented in these reports were mostly not quoted. There was a tendency to survey terrestrial habitats more than aquatic, and higher plants are surveyed more than animals. Most of the reports also failed to mention the species status although comprehensive lists of species were present. They also failed to quantify the species present in the impacted areas which could lead to inadequate ecological impact prediction. The study also showed that, though all the reports contained a section on ecology, not all the EIA consultants involved in preparing these reports comprised of a multidisciplinary team that has an ecologist/biologist or environmental scientist.


The adult respiratory distress syndrome is pulmonary edema with low heart pressures and hypoxemia. Based on experimental models of the human disease, it is likely that functional injury to the lung includes pulmonary vasoconstriction, a loss of hypoxic vasoconstriction, increases in resistance to airflow across the lungs, decreases in lung compliance (perhaps both resulting from airway constriction), and lung microvascular injury resulting in pulmonary edema. Data accumulated over the last several years strongly suggest an important role for both cyclo-oxygenase metabolites and lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid in mediating lung vascular injury in this syndrome. Likewise, more recent evidence suggests a causative role for granulocytes in mediating the lung injury. Based on what is known about the biological activity of products of granulocytes and metabolites of arachidonic acid, it is reasonable to hypothesize a sequence of events in which arachidonate metabolites and granulocytes interact to result in pulmonary vasoconstriction, loss of hypoxic vasoconstriction, airway responses and capillary injury. It remains possible, perhaps even likely, that other humoral mediators, platelets and perhaps even other cellular mediators (for example, mast cells or lymphocytes) participate in the pathogenic sequence of events in ARDS. Specific delineation of the mechanisms of lung injury in this syndrome must await further research.


iIslam Rasional,/i serves a dual function. It is intended in the first place as a textbook for students of Islamic Studies, especially those who wish to examine in a more sustained way than is usually the case how theology and religious studies are related to each other. iIslam Rasional/i playing out two roles: 1) as a thought rationally looking at Islam and 2) as a thought rationally looking at iAl-Quran/i as a religious source which does not consist of everything and this only accepted rationally. It is playing out both that some scholars would obviously like to see as quite disjunct, and which others would see as indistinguishable one. this seems to create criticism. Islamic and rational thought can be engaged in a dialectical interaction which enhances the validity and authentically of each and iIslam Rational/i alows these disiplines to bed down together or to be integratedly combined. this does not mean that the offspring which might result from such of union will necessarily be a new integral theological science of religion, though this is perhaps what a growing number of scholars seem to envisage; and if such is a felt necessity there is no point in the champions of methodological rigour on either side of the marital bed saying tis must not be. Its position is that while it has to move beyond either polarised antagonism or tolerant coexistence, the rigorously desired mutual dependence will in fact more fully authenticate the distinctiveness of the two approaches. but in view of the intrinsic interdependence, to delineate any precise methodological autonomy for each will call for great subtlety, or the distinctiveness will be overstated and oversimplified. The understanding of either approach, and certainly of thier interrelation, must hinge largerly on our analysis and interpretation of the intrinsic character or religion. And here iIslam Rational/i has to affirm the incongruity of setting faith againts religion, even if in all religions there are core points of experience that seem to transcend the religion. In particular, it is in the dialectical interdependence, that relation between the theology, the diverse forms in religion, and the religious studies process in further interaction with contextual life that provides the key for understanding how to relate theology to religion and thus to religious studies (:Islamic Studies)b


In todays businesses and society, social media continues to play a vital role in the transformation of communication into an interactive dialogue. The success of social media has encouraged the integration of these aspects in higher education teaching practices.Social Media in Higher Education: Teaching in Web 2.0 provides research on the pedagogical challenges faced in recent years in order to improve the understanding of social media in the educational systems. It will highlight the levels of education ranging from learning centered on the student to the collaboration between academic networks and organizations. This reference source is essential for practitioners, researchers, and students interested in gaining insight into educational institutions as well as academic communities and environments.


Previous research suggests that neighborhoods in the United States with high concentrations of poverty or of racial/ethnic minorities have lower access to healthy foods and greater access to unhealthy foods, compared with higher income or predominantly White, non-Hispanic neighborhoods. Lower access is thought to influence dietary habits and resulting health consequences, such as obesity. While most studies have focused on either neighborhood SES or features of the built environment, few have explicitly examined both. Using data from the Geographic Research on Wellbeing study, we map the spatial relationships between sociodemographic characteristics (poverty trajectories, racial/ethnic/nativity composition) and food environments in Alameda County, California. Our map presents poverty trajectories and racial/ethnic/nativity composition at the tract level, as well as maps depicting accessibility to healthy, unhealthy, and a composite of both, based on rasterized maps and a network analysis of food types within a quarter-mile walking distance. We found that neighborhoods that have experienced long-term poverty have the greatest access to both healthy and unhealthy food outlets compared with more economically advantaged neighborhoods. We also found that predominantly Black/Latino neighborhoods had the greatest access to healthy foods compared with other neighborhoods with a different race/ethnicity/nativity composition. Neighborhoods experiencing long-term affluence, as well as predominantly White neighborhoods, had the lowest access to any of the food types, which likely reflects their surburban locations. Results suggest that spatial relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and food access at the neighborhood level depend upon place and urbanization.


This study was carried out to investigate the influence of constituency development fund on access to secondary education in Kilungu district. The objectives of the study were; to establish the effect of expansion of schools on access to secondary education, to establish the effect of establishment of schools through the constituency development fund on enrolment in secondary schools and to establish the effect of provision of bursaries through the constituency development fund on transition and completion rates of students in secondary education. This was a descriptive survey research that targeted all the 20 secondary schools in Kilungu district comprising of 234 teachers and 5825 students. All the 20 principals, 108 class teachers for forms three and four and 360 students randomly sampled from form three and four participated in the study. The data was collected using questionnaires, observation and oral interviews with principals of secondary schools. The data was analyzed by calculating percentages, frequencies and presented using tables, frequencies, percentage and charts. From the analysis it is revealed that constituency development fund has funded the construction of classrooms, laboratories, dormitories and toilets which influenced students' access to secondary education in Kilungu district. There was increased enrolment with some schools expanding from single to double streams due to CDF financed projects. The study found that students still walk over six kilometres to get to school and classes are still congested though the CDF had financed the schools. It discovered that the CDF funds were not availed to all schools. 50% of the schools did not have any projects funded by the CDF. Some schools however were found to have multiple projects funded by the CDF. The fund was found not to have established new schools though it supported community initiatives of establishing schools. Bursaries were only allocated to students in boarding schools benefiting a small percentage of students since majority of the students in Kilungu district were found to be day scholars. Bursaries were found to be inadequate in ensuring 100% transition retention and completion rates in secondary education. Students therefore still drop out of school including those awarded bursaries from CDF. From the research several recommendations are made; the constituency development fund should fully fund the establishment of schools instead of joining what the community has done, restructure the bursary to include day scholars and provide enough funds to adequately enable the students remain in school and complete education. Suggestions for further studies have also been given which include; replication of the study in other districts to assess the impact of CDF on students' access to secondary education, study of the nonfee costs that cause drop outs in secondary schools