Trite efforts at humor aside, The United Methodist Church took steps in 2019 to become an "untied" church after little more than fifty years of existence. Different sorts of explanations have been offered for a possible disintegration. This is an essay about an overlooked element in the story—the deterioration and the neglect of theology. In blending thematic and chronological elements, this essay seeks to identify and repair that deficiency within a revised narrative that examines a long, tragic process toward a break. Any attempt to discuss a twenty-first century schism in The United Methodist Church has to give serious attention to the ways the church has separated itself from the theological basis on which the denomination is built. Factions of the divided church have advocated their own theological perspectives. But this essay explores how The United Methodist Church has suffered from an absence of serious attention to its own Doctrinal Standards, doctrinal definitions, and theological methods. The issues are not about points of view represented by conservative or progressive brands of theology but about official doctrine. A schism in the organizational unity of the denomination will cause damage of many kinds to missional, institutional, and personal relationships. But a separation from its identity as a church founded upon Wesleyan theological standards and doctrines has already damaged—and will further damage—the soul of Methodism. Parts of ecclesial bodies get untied from one another periodically, as Christian history shows. But this denomination has untied itself from its own theological basis. That is the story this essay strives to tell.


This thesis examines how women negotiate their identification within and as a group when engaging in interreligious dialogue. It is an in-depth case study of the women's interfaith book groups, the Daughters of Abraham, located in the Greater Boston Area. This focus facilitates an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of relationships within one group, between different groups, and as situated in the American sociocultural context. I explore the tensions arising from religious diversity, and the consequences of participating in an interreligious dialogue group for understandings of religious self and others. Categories such as boundary, power, sameness, difference, self and other serve to explore the complexities and fluidity of identity constructions. I answer the following questions: How do members of the Daughters of Abraham engage with the group's religious diversity? How does their participation in the Daughters of Abraham affect their self-understanding and understanding of the "other?" What can we learn about power dynamics and boundary drawing from the women's accounts of their participation in the Daughters of Abraham and from their group interactions? Two interrelated arguments guide this thesis. One, I show that Daughters members arrive at complex and fluid understandings of what it means to identify as an American Jewish, Christian, and Muslim woman by negotiating various power dynamics arising from ideas of sameness and difference of religion, gender, and sociopolitical values. Two, I contend that the collective emphasis on commonalities in the Daughters of Abraham is a double-edged sword. Explicitly, this stress intends to encourage engagement with the group's religious diversity by excluding those deemed too different. However, whilst this emphasis can generate nuanced understandings of religious identity categories, at times it highlights differences detrimental to facilitating such understanding. Moreover, this stress on commonalities illuminates the power dynamics and tensions characterizing this women's interfaith book group. Scholarship has by and large overlooked women's interreligious engagements with explicit ethnographic studies of such being virtually non-existent. This thesis addresses this gap by using ethnographic methods to advance knowledge about women's interreligious dialogue. Furthermore, it pushes disciplinary discourses by speaking to the following interlinked areas: Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations, formalized interreligious dialogue, interreligious encounters on the grassroots level, women's interreligious dialogue, a book group approach to engaging with religious diversity, and interreligious encounters in the American context postSeptember 11th  2001. URI http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25937 Collections Divinity thesis and dissertation collection Privacy & Cookies Takedown Policy Accessibility Contact Jewish, Christian, and Muslim women searching for common ground: exploring religious identities in the American interfaith book groups, the Daughters of Abraham


"Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) have been an available investment in the U.S. since the 1960s. REITs are publicly traded unit funds which invest primarily in income-producing real estate assets. Only 5 years after the first introduction in Japan, the REITs market in Asia doubles each year. Within 5 years REITs controlled 27 billion US dollar In 2005 observers expected that until 2010 the REITs could control about 160 billion US dollar in real estates. Shares of companies going public for the first time are typically at a price below that achieved on their first day of trading, giving subscribing investors large positive returns (Ibbotson and Ritter, 1995; Loughran, Ritter and Rydqvist, 1994). Therefore, either the offering price is set too low or the investors systematically overvalue IPOs on the first trading day. Since the results of studies indicate few if any departures from efficiency in the aftermarket (Ibbotson, 1975) positive initial returns can be attributed to a downward bias in the offering price, that is, IPOs are underpriced. No complete explanation of the underpricing phenomenon exists, though various theories based on different rationales shed light on the factors that may be influential. First information asymmetry (Baron,1982; Rock, 1986), second signalling (Allen and Faulhaber, 1989; Grinblatt and Hwang, 1989; Welch, 1989; Benveniste and Spindt, 1989), third legal liability and litigation risk (Tinic, 1988; Hughes and Thakor, 1992) and finally information cascade effects (Welch, 1992). The evidence for Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) IPOs is less consistent. Early studies found evidence of overpricing; a 1990s study found underpricing. So far there is few works pointing out the existence of REITs underpricing of IPO in Asia. The author's preliminary study try to examine the IPOs of the REITs in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and investigate the evidence for either underpricing or overpricing of IPO units over the first 10 and 20 days of trading.""


Diabetes is a non-communicable metabolic disease that affected about 415 million people in the age group between 20-79 worldwide in 2015. By the year 2040 the count will rise up to 642 million. Genetic and Environmental factors contribute to this world pandemic disease. Because of the occurrence of Plant-Disturbing Organisms Farmers produced low number of crops than expected. As a consequence of this farmers received low income which gave rise to the use of pesticides. Nowadays, the demand for pesticides have increased among the farmers as it is efficient in controlling the Plants-Disturbing Organisms. Today farmers depend on the pesticides to safeguard their crops as it is efficient, simple and fast. Statistical data reveals that longtime exposure to Pesticides results in the global pandemic Diabetes. Pesticides like Organophosphates, Organochlorides, herbicides are the compounds increases the risk of diabetes. Glucose homeostasis can be disrupted by Organophosphate poisoning which causes the aggregation of acetylcholine due to the inhibition of acetylcholinesterases. Organophosphates increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus with "incretin effect". In conclusion, the consumers of agricultural products and producers are at risk of acquiring Diabetes mellitus. This can be reduced by testing the fruits and vegetables for Organophosphates contamination at risk causing level using Biosensors. Organophosphates in food can be detected by a novel approach through a sensitive amperometric acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensor. Products can be washed well before it is used for consumption. Since Farmers are more susceptible, they can prevent the exposure to some extent by wearing masks and use of Biopesticides and Organic farming will have a greater effect on this global pandemic.


A mathematical model of immune system that takes into consideration the subpopulation of suppressor lymphocytes was proposed. The possibility of stable balance in the process of carcinogenesis is shown. The prospects of mathematical formalization of the immune processes are discussed.


Aiming at current situation of absenting effective texture feature model for irregular defects of fabric image, this paper proposes a new feature model with "mean range" texture, which can express irregular defect of fabric better. In this paper, the definition of irregular defect is given, and rule model expressing fabric texture is established. At this basis, feature model of mean range texture is proposed, which can express irregular defects for all kinds of fabrics. After a large number of experiments, we conclude that feature with mean range is simple and effective, express fabric texture better, can show feature mutation of irregular defect, and offer reliable texture feature model for continue relating quality detection of fabric.


Decentralized learning with private data is a central problem in machine learning. We propose a novel distillation-based decentralized learning technique that allows multiple agents with private non-lid data to learn from each other, without having to share their data, weights or weight updates. Our approach is communication efficient, utilizes an unlabeled public dataset and uses multiple auxiliary heads for each client, greatly improving training efficiency in the case of heterogeneous data. This approach allows individual models to preserve and enhance performance on their private tasks while also dramatically improving their performance on the global aggregated data distribution. We study the effects of data and model architecture heterogeneity and the impact of the underlying communication graph topology on learning efficiency and show that our agents can significantly improve their performance compared to learning in isolation.


Harvest efficiency in the production functions of fisheries should increase over time with the introduction of new technology and with increasing knowledge of the biology and behaviour of the target species. This implies that the estimated catchability coefficients of Gordon-Schaefer or Fox models should also increase over time. We estimated both models using annual catch and effort data for four lobster fisheries and compared the regression results for different time periods. We also estimated modified forms of the models with a time trend in the harvest equation. Both approaches show that the estimates of the catchability coefficients have decreased significantly over time in all four fisheries. We suggest that one important source of this anomaly is the use of annual aggregate catch and effort data. To test this hypothesis, we examined trends in the distribution of effort over the season, and their effect on annual catch per unit effort. The results show that methods based on aggregate annual catch and effort data can introduce spurious trends in annual catch per unit effort, and hence in catchability estimates. Estimation of production functions for bioeconomic modelling should use catch and effort data that is disaggregated both temporally and spatially.


A sample of Coma cluster ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) are modelled in the context of Extended Modified Newtonian Dynamics (EMOND) with the aim to explain the large dark matter-like effect observed in these cluster galaxies.
We first build a model of the Coma cluster in the context of EMOND using gas and galaxy mass profiles from the literature. Then assuming the dynamical mass of the UDGs satisfies the fundamental manifold of other ellipticals, and that the UDG stellar mass-to-light matches their colour, we can verify the EMOND formulation by comparing two predictions of the baryonic mass of UDGs.
We find that EMOND can explain the UDG mass, within the expected modelling errors, if they lie on the fundamental manifold of ellipsoids, however, given that measurements show one UDG lying off the fundamental manifold, observations of more UDGs are needed to confirm this assumption.


The use of animal models for initially screening antiaging drugs is a promising approach for drug discovery. However, there a number of potential artifacts, confounds and errors that can arise in such research programs. The following rules are intended to minimize such problems: (1) since aging occupies an increasing proportion of human adulthood, data that conflate aging and late life should not be extrapolated to human aging; (2) the response to candidate medications should show a normal dose‐response pattern, although not necessarily a linear response; (3) medicated animal models should not be hypometabolic; (4) medicated animal models should not show pronounced reductions in fertility; (5) medicated animal models should not exhibit general nervous system depression; (6) the effect of the medication should not be highly sensitive to the culture environment; (7) the effect of the medication should not be highly dependent on the genetic ancestry of the stock employed, leaving aside inbreeding, which should be avoided because humans are not generally inbred. While these rules do not guarantee successful extrapolation of successful drug results from the animal model to humans in a clinical setting, the failure to adhere to these rules should raise doubts about such extrapolation.


Non-negative matrix factorization is a basic tool for decomposing data into the feature and weight matrices under non-negativity constraints, and in practice is often solved in the alternating minimization framework. However, it is unclear whether such algorithms can recover the ground-truth feature matrix when the weights for different features are highly correlated, which is common in applications. This paper proposes a simple and natural alternating gradient descent based algorithm, and shows that with a mild initialization it provably recovers the ground-truth in the presence of strong correlations. In most interesting cases, the correlation can be in the same order as the highest possible. Our analysis also reveals its several favorable features including robustness to noise. We complement our theoretical results with empirical studies on semi-synthetic datasets, demonstrating its advantage over several popular methods in recovering the ground-truth.


The dilemma in the November/December 2009 issue concerned a client who had heard that his dog could donate blood to a canine blood bank (In Practice, November/December 2009, volume 31, page 527). Vanessa Ashall commented that this presented a complex ethical situation, because while the recipient was likely to benefit from the blood transfusion, the donor did not benefit directly. It was usual to view blood donation from a utilitarian standpoint, in which the aim is to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number and cause the least harm. Maximising benefit to the recipient and minimising cost to the donor were the principles underlying the blood banking system. Costs to donors would usually be related to any stress caused by handling and restraint, so donors with the right temperament should be selected. A possible way forward would be to ensure that the owner was aware of the criteria used to assess donors and help him assess his dog as necessary. Practice staff would often be more aware of an animal's behaviour in a clinical setting than its owner, and the dog's clinical history should be reviewed and any relevant findings discussed so that an informed decision could be made. The vet had the responsibility of protecting the interests of the donor through careful monitoring of its health and behaviour, and it was important for owners to understand that, ultimately, a vet would decide whether their dog was suitable to donate.


Important potential food allergens in vaccines include egg and gelatin. Rare cases of reactions to yeast, lactose and casein have been reported. It is strongly recommended that when vaccines are being administered resuscitation equipment must be available to manage potential anaphylactic reactions, and that all patients receiving a vaccine are observed for a sufficient period. Children who are allergic to egg may safely receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine; it may also be given routinely in primary healthcare settings. People with egg allergy may receive influenza vaccination routinely; however, some authorities still perform prior skin- prick testing and give two-stage dosing. The purified chick embryo cell culture rabies vaccine contains egg protein, and therefore the human diploid cell and purified verocell rabies vaccines are preferred in cases of egg allergy. Yellow fever vaccine has the greatest likelihood of containing amounts of egg protein sufficient to cause an allergic reaction in allergic individuals. This vaccine should not be routinely administered in egg allergic patients and referral to an allergy specialist is recommended, as vaccination might be possible after careful evaluation, skin-testing and graded challenge or desensitisation.


Optimal prediction methods compensate for a lack of resolution in the numerical solution of time-dependent differential equations through the use of prior statistical information. We present a new derivation of the basic methodology, show that fieldtheoretical perturbation theory provides a useful device for dealing with quasi-linear problems, and provide a nonlinear example that illuminates the difference between a pseudo-spectral method and an optimal prediction method with Fourier kernels. Along the way, we explain the differences and similarities between optimal prediction, the representer method in data assimilation, and duality methods for finding weak solutions. We also discuss the conditions under which a simple implementation of the optimal prediction method can be expected to perform well. c © 2000 Academic Press


In this paper, a series of composite proton exchange membranes comprising a cobaltacarborane protonated H[Co(C2B9H11)2] named (H[COSANE]) and polybenzimidazole (PBI) for a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is reported, with the aim of enhancing the proton conductivity of PBI membranes doped with phosphoric acid. The effects of the anion [Co(C2B9H11)2] concentration in three different polymeric matrices based on the PBI structure, poly(2,2'-(m-phenylene)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole) (PBI-1), poly[2,2'-(p-oxydiphenylene)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole] (PBI-2) and poly(2,2'-(p-hexafluoroisopropylidene)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole) (PBI-3), have been investigated. The conductivity, diffusivity and mobility are greater in the composite membrane poly(2,2'-(p-hexafluoroisopropylidene)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole) containing fluorinated groups, reaching a maximum when the amount of H[COSANE] was 15%. In general, all the prepared membranes displayed excellent and tunable properties as conducting materials, with conductivities higher than 0.03 S cm-1 above 140 °C. From an analysis of electrode polarization (EP) the proton diffusion coefficients and mobility have been calculated.


Fifty-seven bacterial strains, including corynebacteria, "plant pathogenic corynebacteria," mycobacteria, and nocardias, were examined (aerobically and anaerobically) for their capacity to produce a glucan phosphorylase (α-1,4-glucan:orthophosphate glucosyl transferase, EC 220.127.116.11), which synthesizes an iodinophilic starch-like polysaccharide from glucose-1-phosphate. Only Corynebacterium diphtheriae, C. belfanti, C. ulcerans, C. ovis, C. kutscheri, C. minutissimum, and two (out of eight) strains of C. renale yielded positive results. The presence of glucose-1-phosphate-induced starch-like material appears to be a valid additional means of distinguishing most true corynebacteria from mycobacteria and nocardias.


Importance
Acute cholangitis (AC), particularly severe AC, has historically required urgent endoscopic decompression, although the timing of decompression is controversial. We previously identified 2 admission risk factors for adverse outcomes in AC: total bilirubin level greater than 10 mg/dL and white blood cell count greater than 20 000 cells/µL.

Objectives
To validate previously identified prognostic factors in AC, evaluate the effect of timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography on clinical outcomes, and compare recent experience with AC vs an historical cohort.

Design, Setting, and Participants
A retrospective analysis (2008-2015) of patients with AC (validation cohort, n = 196) was conducted at 2 academic medical centers to validate predictors of adverse outcome. Timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and outcome were stratified by severity using the Tokyo Guidelines for acute cholangitis diagnosis. Outcomes for the validation cohort were compared with the derivation cohort (1995-2005; n = 114). Data analysis was conducted from July 1, 2015, to September 9, 2015.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Death and a composite outcome of death or organ failure.

Results
The median age of patients in the derivation cohort was 54 years (interquartile range, 40-65 years) and in the validation cohort was 59 years (45-67 years). Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the validation cohort confirmed white blood cell count of more than 20 000 cells/µL (odds ratio, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2-9.5; P = .02) and total bilirubin level of more than 10 mg/dL (odds ratio, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.8-16.4; P = .003) as independent risk factors for poor outcomes. In the validation cohort, timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was not significantly different between those with and without an adverse outcome, even when stratified by AC severity (moderate: median, 0.6 hours [interquartile range (IQR), 0.5-0.9] vs 1.7 hours [IQR, 0.7-18.0] and severe: median, 10.6 hours [IQR, 1.2-35.1] vs 25.5 hours [IQR, 15.5-58.5] for those with and without adverse events, respectively). Patients in the validation cohort had a shorter hospital length of stay (median, 7 days [IQR, 4-10 days] vs 9 days [IQR, 5-16 days]) and lower rate of intensive care unit admission (26% vs 82%), despite a higher rate of severe cholangitis (n = 131 [67%] vs n = 29 [25%]). There were no significant differences in the composite outcome between the validation and derivation cohorts (22 [18.6%] vs 44 [22.4%]; P = .47). Adjusted analysis demonstrated decreased mortality in the validation cohort (odds ratio, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.7; P = .01).

Conclusions and Relevance
White blood cell count greater than 20 000 cells/µL and total bilirubin level greater than 10 mg/dL are independent prognostic factors for adverse outcomes in AC. Consideration should be given to include these criteria in the Tokyo Guidelines severity assessment. Timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography does not appear to affect clinical outcomes in these patients. Management of AC has improved with time, with an overall shorter hospital length of stay, lower rate of intensive care unit admission, and a decreased adjusted mortality, demonstrating improvements in care efficiency and delivery.


The rotation of entire molecules or large moieties happens at 100 ps time scales and the transition process itself is experimentally inaccessible to scanning probe techniques. However, the reversible switching of a molecule between more than two metastable states allows to assign a rotational switching direction. Rotational switching is a phenomenon that is particularly interesting with regard to possible applications in molecular motors. In this work, single tetraphenylmethane molecules deposited on a Au(111) surface were studied in a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). These molecules comprise rotational axes mounted on a tripodal sulfur-anchored stand and with the STM tip, we were able to induce transitions between six rotational states of the molecular motif. We were able to identify critical parameters for the onset of rotational switching and to characterize the influence of the local environment. The subtle difference between fcc and hcp stacking and the rotational state of neighboring molecules clearly influence the population of the rotational states.


Calls for greater community participation health-related research are increasingly made and, it seems, heeded–albeit to varying degrees. We report here, from the perspective of external evaluators, on practical efforts by the leaders of two community-based health action research projects to enhance such participation still further by employing a small number of local people as lay action researchers within their own community. 'Action research' in this context was conceived as an approach by which comparatively small projects, based on partnerships between academics, communities and public sector organisations, could address local issues of health and well-being. The purpose of the paper is to examine project leaders' initial assumptions and expectations of the lay action research role and to compare these with the actual experience of those researchers. On this basis we consider the value to organisations and communities of the lay action research role for community health development and point out some of the unanticipated risks such individuals may face. We conclude by highlighting implications for future policy and practice in this area.


ABSTRACT Young people are repeatedly promised that internships will pave the way to the career of their dreams by providing the 'hands-on experience' necessary to differentiate themselves in a fierce job market. However, in many industries, internships – and increasingly unpaid internships – have become the obligatory norm. Young people quickly learn that the internship is not an opportunity, but rather a 'necessary evil' that, for many, strings them along in the hope that it may lead to a less precarious paid opportunity. In this article, our findings are based on 12 in-depth interviews with young female interns in the creative industries based in Toronto and New York City. Our participants recognise that in the current economic climate, they need to 'pay their dues'; however, they often enter into a system of sequential – or string – internships, and become, what we label, a stringtern. In an evolving internship market in North America, we develop a typology of internships including (1) paid/underpaid/unpaid, (2) academic credit/not-for-credit, (3) for-profit/non-profit, (4) full-time/part-time and (5) on-site/off-site to develop a common language to critically analyse the culture of internships. By valuing young people's perspectives as gleaned from our interviews, the typology aims to provide a more nuanced way to approach the complexity of unpaid internships and the transition from education to the workforce. Furthermore, three interrelated implications of the culture of internships are identified: internship as a free trial, internship as conveyor-belt labour and internship as displacing paid employment.


This article was supported in part by Award No. 06LHHCA001, granted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Learn and Serve America Higher Education through California Campus Compact. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Corporation for National and Community Service, California Campus Compact, or the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.


Morphine is used as a standard analgesic for intensive pain relief. It relieves acute and chronic pain by acting directly on the central nervous system and to treat myocardial infarction and shortness of breath. However, the use of morphine for the alleviation of chronic pain is controversial because of the its adverse side effects. The overall success of this medicine in chronic therapy is due to the long-term activity of the drug at a reasonable concentration. Nanoparticle-based carriers have emerged as a new class of drug delivery systems that can overcome traditional drug side-effect limitations by reducing toxicity to a minimum. In this study, a morphine-loaded HAPs drug delivery system was investigated. Fouirer Transform Infrared Spektrofotometre (FTIR) analysis was used to characterize typical functional groups found in the chemical composition of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles (HAPs) and morphine loaded HAPs (HAP+M). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyzes were performed to examine the size, morphology, and porosity of morphine loaded HAPs. Characterization analysis showed that HAP nanoparticles were loaded with morphine. The effects of pH on release of morphine-loaded HAPs was determined. The release time of the entrapped morphine in the nanoparticle increased in all conditions, thus increasing the morphine time in the human body. Thus, patients will have to take less morphine. In addition, it was investigated whether the morphine loaded HAP cell produced oxidative stress and genotoxic effect on DNA. Findings presented in this paper suggested that morphine-loaded HAPs have a promising future as a nanocarrier for pain treatment.


Abstract. Considering the existing problems in methods of extracting elevation in river system, such as low efficiency, low accuracy, elevation logic errors and other issues, this paper proposes a new method of elevation extraction based on contours. Firstly, the spatial relationship between river system and contours is constructed to improve the intersection efficiency. Secondly, the accuracy of river system elevation can be improved and river flow logical error can be avoided by using the method of interpolation of trend surface of the river section. And then, the river tree is established to avoid the logical error of river system. Many comparison experiments about efficiency, elevation accuracy and elevation logical error between this method and other two conventional methods have been carried out, and the results show that both accuracy and efficiency can be improved and there is no logical error of elevation by this method.


Silicon nitride with various amount of AlN as a sintering aid was sintered by a hot press method. Densified silicon nitrides were obtained, and it was found that the mechanical and wear properties were dependent on the contents of AlN. The effect of a/b phase on the mechanical and wear properties of silicon nitride was investigated. The properties were changed depending on the amount of a/b phase. In the brittle materials, tribological behaviors were dependent on the microstructure as well as hardness and fracture toughness. We focus on the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical/wear properties of silicon nitride including AlN additives.


Recent progresses in organic chemistry and molecular biology have allowed the emergence of numerous new applications of nucleic acids that markedly deviate from their natural functions. Particularly, DNA and RNA molecules—coined aptamers—can be brought to bind to specific targets with high affinity and selectivity. While aptamers are mainly applied as biosensors, diagnostic agents, tools in proteomics and biotechnology, and as targeted therapeutics, these chemical antibodies slowly begin to be used in other fields. Herein, we review recent progress on the use of aptamers in the construction of smart DNA origami objects and MRI and PET imaging agents. We also describe advances in the use of aptamers in the field of neurosciences (with a particular emphasis on the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases) and as drug delivery systems. Lastly, the use of chemical modifications, modified nucleoside triphosphate particularly, to enhance the binding and stability of aptamers is highlighted.


This paper introduces Task 2 of the DCASE2019 Challenge, titled "Audio tagging with noisy labels and minimal supervision". This task was hosted on the Kaggle platform as "Freesound Audio Tagging 2019". The task evaluates systems for multi-label audio tagging using a large set of noisy-labeled data, and a much smaller set of manually-labeled data, under a large vocabulary setting of 80 everyday sound classes. In addition, the proposed dataset poses an acoustic mismatch problem between the noisy train set and the test set due to the fact that they come from different web audio sources. This can correspond to a realistic scenario given by the difficulty in gathering large amounts of manually labeled data. We present the task setup, the FSDKaggle2019 dataset prepared for this scientific evaluation, and a baseline system consisting of a convolutional neural network. All these resources are freely available.


While most research has focused on managing technical and project risks in information systems, there are many other components of information systems risk that are currently not evaluated and managed effectively. We identify different sources of risk in both intra- and inter-organizational information systems. Many risks are not well managed because they are beyond the control of the software project manager. We suggest that senior business managers should be responsible for managing organizational risk particularly in the early and later stages of an information systems implementation project. These managers must communicate the importance of new systems and change incentive structures to promote effective system use. We suggest the need to evaluate collaborative risk in inter-organizational information systems and provide guidelines for managing this risk using a joint business management team or a trusted intermediary.


Natural fiber reinforced polypropylene composites (NF/PP) have attracted a lot of attention because of their light weight, good mechanical properties, recyclable and environmental friendly features. This work has successfully fabricated ramie fiber reinforced polypropylene composites (RF/PP) with a hybrid method of melt-blending and injection molding. Different RF/PP eco-materials have been fabricated by varying the fiber length, fiber content and way of fiber pre-treatment. This paper studied the mechanical properties of the fabricated RF/PP composites in depth by investigating the mechanical behaviors of RF/PP and microstructures of the ruptured surfaces. The results show that the increases of fiber length and fiber content can improve the tensile strength, flexural strength and compression strength apparently, but result in negative influences on the impact strength and elongation behaviors of RF/PP composites. The optimal addition amount of ramie fiber is around 20 wt%. The pre-treatment of ramie fiber in 10%~15% NaOH is good to the mechanical properties of RF/PP. The fiber length can be varied in the range of 3-8 mm. It is expected that the fabricated RF/PP composites can be applied to automobile industry as environmental friendly eco-materials.


Processes related to self-purification of Thi Nai lagoon has been studied in-situ and in laboratory in rainy season (October, 2013) and in dry season (May, 2014). Studied results shows that the capacity of self-purification of Thi Nai lagoon is quite good in rainy season, and the dominated process is material exchange. In dry season, due to the weak of material exchange, there is the accumulation of pollutants in water body, especial for nitrite, ammonium and phosphate. The studied results also indicate that the main processes that dominate the self-purification of Thi Nai lagoon are materials exchange, sedimentation, dispersion, decompose, and photosynthesis, respectively. The pollution loads discharged everyday into the Thi Nai lagoon is high, reducing the self-purification of lagoon, therefore it need to be controlled restrict.


We propose a new class of probabilistic neural-symbolic models, that have symbolic functional programs as a latent, stochastic variable. Instantiated in the context of visual question answering, our probabilistic formulation offers two key conceptual advantages over prior neural-symbolic models for VQA. Firstly, the programs generated by our model are more understandable while requiring lesser number of teaching examples. Secondly, we show that one can pose counterfactual scenarios to the model, to probe its beliefs on the programs that could lead to a specified answer given an image. Our results on the CLEVR and SHAPES datasets verify our hypotheses, showing that the model gets better program (and answer) prediction accuracy even in the low data regime, and allows one to probe the coherence and consistency of reasoning performed.


We present in this chapter, the performance study of a direct sequence-optical code-division multiple access (O-CDMA) link. In such systems, the main limitation is the multiple access interference (MAI). We investigate various schemes of receiver in the aim of improving the performances and mitigating MAI. Further-more, we show the benefits of different techniques in regard to conventional ones. However, this system uses ultrashort light pulses that are sensible to the optical link parameters, especially the fiber chromatic dispersion. We have shown that when compensation dispersion devices are not deployed in the system, there is a trade-off between the limited dispersion effects and the MAI.


Castro do Vieito is a settlement of a modest size, situated on the left bank of the Lima river estuary in the north west of Portugal. It was the target of a large scale archaeological rescue operation from 2004 to 2005, one coordinated by the present author. The enormous source of data, completely unpublished until today, that was provided by this unparalleled intervention, is explored here in such a way as to offer the reader a portrait of a village community which lived through the initial phase of the regions integration within the Roman empire. Castro do Vieitos setting on a nautical stopping point, close to one of the regions largest mineral seams, makes it possible to understand the involvement of this settlement in the supply network of the drafted military that controlled the auriferous explorations situated upstream on the river Lima. This privileged relationship with the military occupation force means that this settlement is distinct in many aspects from the others that surrounded it and makes it important in terms of understanding the different dynamics involved in the interaction of the local populations with the Imperial Army. After a first chapter explaining the methodological problems connected with an intervention of this nature and size and spread, as well as the solutions developed to surpass the problems, the following four chapters portray different aspects of the daily life of this community.


The modern development of missiles and projectiles that have shown that nonlinearities, usually ignored in traditional ballistics, have a significant impact on the flight performance of projectiles. However, the complexity of the high order terms coupled in the angular equations and the lack of appropriate analytical tools have hampered the investigation of these effects. In this paper, the method of normal forms, featuring transformations that can simplify the dynamical system equations, is applied directly to the angular motion equation to obtain a simplified formulation for the nonlinear angular problem. Analytical solutions are obtained under quantic static moments. Numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of this method. Besides, a criteria identifying the stable region of initial angle of attack is derived and examined feasible and effective. The results of this research can contribute to the studies of more complicated problems related to nonlinear angular motion.


At present, the possibility of the formation of high-angle grain boundaries upon severe cold deformation, in particular, equal-channel angular (ECA) pressing is reliably proved. The structure formation upon multi-cycle ECA pressing substantially depends on the route determining the shear plane in the sample upon repeated passes. The route is defined by the rotation of the sample around its axis upon the multi-cycle ECA pressing. There are four main routes: route A, in which the sample is deformed by many passes without any rotations; route Ba, in which the sample is rotated by ± 90°; route Bc, in which the sample is sequentially rotated in the same direction by 90°and route C, in which the sample is rotated by 180° about its axis before each subsequent pass. By the methods of SEM, TEM and EBSD analysis it was shown that the fraction of high-angle boundaries in a-Fe upon cold ECA pressing with an angle of 90° between the channels and N=4 depends on the deformation route and increases according to the route sequence: Ba-C-Bc.


In common with many other cell types, synovial fibroblasts produce exosomes. In this study, we show that the exosomes produced by synovial fibroblasts obtained from individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RASF), but not exosomes produced by synovial fibroblasts obtained from individuals with osteoarthritis, contain a membrane bound form of TNF-α as demonstrated by colloidal gold immunostaining of TNF-α and confirmed by both Western blot and mass spectrometry. The RASF-derived exosomes, but not exosomes derived from fibroblasts obtained from individuals with osteoarthritis, are cytotoxic for the L929 cell, a TNF-α-sensitive cell line, and stimulate activation of NF-κB and induction of collagenase-1 in RASF. These effects are blocked by addition of soluble TNFR1 (sTNFbp), suggesting that a TNF-α-signaling pathway mediates these biological activities. sTNFbp also reduced the production of exosomes by RASF, suggesting the interruption of a positive amplification loop. Exosomes can transmit signals between cells, and RASF exosomes, effectively taken up by anti-CD3-activated T cells, activated AKT and NF-κB and rendered these activated T cells resistant to apoptosis. Neutralization of exosomal membrane TNF-α by sTNFbp partially reversed this resistance, suggesting that not only TNF-α but also additional exosomal proteins may contribute to the development of apoptosis resistance.


Recently, a flash memory has become a major data storage in building portable information devices because of its nonvolatile, shock-resistant, power-economic nature, and fast access time for read operations. The flash memory, however, needs to be erased before write operations which are very slow as compared to standard main memory. Therefore, traditional data control mechanisms are not easy to apply directly to a flash memory database, and so we propose a new scheme called flash aware transaction management (FATM) scheme for efficient transaction processing in a flash memory database environment. We also exploit segment-dependent variable lock granularity and segment-based lock management. FATM achieves high transaction performance by using a W-Cache and a double queue to overcome the effect of slow write and erase operations in transaction scheduling processes. We also propose a simulation model to show the performance of FATM. Simulation results show FATM outperforms the traditional schemes on flash memory.


The Zr(IV)-tetraphenylpor-phyrinates Zr(TPP)(X,X'), (X,X' = -OAc, -OMe, Cl ) 4-6, 8 were prepared and their complexing properties as well as catalytic properties towards solvolysis of the phosphate diesters hpp (2), dmp (3) and pmp (16) characterised. The diesters 2 and 16, representing model phosphates for RNA and DNA, were substrates for the catalyst Zr(TPP)Cl2 (4), and rate accelerations over background by 6-9 orders of magnitude were measured. These accelerations are comparable to those of dinuclear transition metal catalysts and lanthanide ions. Catalytic turnover was observed. Kinetic studies revealed that the catalytically active species of 4 in the solvolysis of 2 and 16 in methanol-containing solvents are dinuclear complexes containing either one or two phosphate esters depending upon the phosphate concentration. Besides the usual solvolysis pathway of the RNA model hpp (2), which proceeds via the cyclophosphate 20, a second, unusual pathway via direct substitution of the hydroxypropyl substituent was found. X-ray analysis of the Zr(TPP)(dmp) complex 19 revealed a dinuclear structure with two bridging dmp ligands and one monomethyl phosphate unit. In 19 one of the two dmp residues occurs in a very unusual high energy ac,ap conformation. Based on this structure and on the kinetic data, mechanistic models for the two solvolysis reaction pathways were developed. From an extensive CSD search on phosphodiester structures no correlation between P-O ester bond lengths and diester conformations could be found. However, P-O ester bonds decrease in length with increasing formal charge of the complexing metal ions. This underlines the higher importance of electrostatic activation relative to stereoelectronic effects in phosphodiester hydrolysis.


The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a primary mode of global climate variation on an interannual time scale. The influence of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation on precipitation and streamflow can be found in many regions of the World. With water resources becoming more heavily utilized in the Southeast United States, gaining a better perspective of the climatic influences on streamflow would be of significant value. The National Weather Service Southeast River Forecast Center is tasked with providing water resource information, including long term streamflow forecasts, to external partners across the Southeast including Georgia. This study will provide a better perspective on the links between the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and Georgia streamflow and thus provide better information to support water resource initiatives in Georgia. This analysis used monthly runoff data calculated from streamflow produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for the period from 1951 through 2009. The areas examined were the Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) at the 04 level for the Apalachicola (Unit 0313), AltamahaSt. Marys (Unit 0307) and the Ogeechee-Savannah (Unit 0306) watersheds. The monthly runoff values for each of these watersheds were then compared to the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). The ONI ENSO cycle is comprised of three possible phases, the El Niño phase, the La Niña phase or the neutral phase. Results showed that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation had the most significant impacts on streamflow during the primary recharge months of January through March. El Niño phases were associated with above normal streamflows during the late winter and spring while the La Niña phase was associated with below normal streamflow for the same period. This was true for all three watersheds studied. Neutral conditions were associated with near normal streamflow.


A simple trick applied to Proposition 2 shows that its conclusion Df(T)tAR holds i f / i s an eventually increasing recursive function. The author's principal result is that the hypothesis of eventually increasing is sharp. Using a double diagonalization technique he shows that if / is a recursive function which is not eventually increasing then there exists a regressive isol T such that Df(T) t A* — A. The importance of this result is twofold. First, that AB is an extremely useful notion and deserves much further study, and secondly, that infinite sums give a great deal of insight into the properties of combinatorial functions. ERIK ELLENTUCK


Slosh is a problem in spacecrafts, which often carry considerable amounts of fuel for trajectory maneuvers and momentum dumping. As fuel is consumed, the tank becomes increasingly empty, and the remaining fuel is excited by the motion of the spacecraft. Since the reaction forces and moments caused by fuel slosh can degrade the pointing accuracy of the system, it is important to predict the effect of slosh on the spacecraft attitude control system. This paper presents the development of Sloshsat (Facility for Liquid Experimentation and Validation in Orbit) FLEVO used to study the dynamics of slosh and its impact on spacecraft attitude control. The primary objective of the Sloshat FLEVO mission is to perform a variety of maneuvers while collecting detailed measurements on the resulting slosh. For validation, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations must result in highly similar behavior. CFD predictions can then serve as a truth model for assessing the performance of simpler models for developing control algorithms.


In this paper, steering characteristics of an exploration rover on loose soil is studied. Analysis of the steering characteristics is a key to plan and control the motion trajectory of a rover. Traditionally, such analysis has been made based on a model called "bicycle model." In that model, a four-wheel car-like vehicle is approximated by a two-wheel bicycle-like vehicle with the fore-wheels and the rear-wheels paired. However, the bicycle model does not show a good performance when a vehicle travels off-road. In order to analyze the steering characteristics of a vehicle on loose soil, the authors develop a model that respects the dynamics of each wheel's slip and skid behavior. The developed model is called all-wheel dynamics model. In the all-wheel dynamics model, the behavior of each wheel on loose soil is modeled based on terramechanics. The motion trajectory of the vehicle is obtained by numerical simulation using the wheel-and-vehicle dynamics model. The validity of the proposed model is examined by the experiments of a wheel and a vehicle using simulated lunar-surface soil. The experimental results show that the proposed model provides a better approximation than the traditional bicycle model.


Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) are thought to be implicated in a variety of neuronal processes, including cell growth, resilience to noxious stimuli and synaptic plasticity. A Val to Met substitution at codon 66 in the BDNF protein has been associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions. The ApoE4 allele is considered a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but its effects on young adults are less clear. We sought to investigate the effects of those two polymorphisms on hemispheric and lateral ventricular volumes of young healthy adults. Methods: Hemispheric and lateral ventricular volumes of 144 healthy individuals, aged 19–35 years, were measured using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging and data were correlated with BDNF and ApoE genotypes. Results: There were no correlations between BDNF or ApoE genotype and hemispheric or lateral ventricular volumes. Conclusion: These findings indicate that it is unlikely that either the BDNF Val66Met or ApoE polymorphisms exert any significant effect on hemispheric or lateral ventricular volume. However, confounding epistatic genetic effects as well as relative insensitivity of the volumetric methods used cannot be ruled out. Further imaging analyses are warranted to better define any genetic influence of the BDNF Val6Met and ApoE polymorphism on brain structure of young healthy adults.


The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 1 office utilized temporary rumble strips on the approach to work zone areas on State Road 31 to alert motorists of lane closures associated with a milling/resurfacing project, from the Lee/Charlotte County line to the Charlotte/Desoto County line. The ability of rumble strips to alert drivers of unusual or hazardous conditions makes them ideal candidates for use on the approach to a highway work zone. In addition to ease-of-use, temporary rumble strips are brightly colored. Thus, temporary rumble strips provide three types of warnings to alert the motorist to the approaching work zone: a physical vibration, an auditory rumble sound, and a visual cue. In addition to making drivers more alert, it is anticipated that temporary rumble strips will impact travel speeds. This report documents the findings and conclusions of a field experiment conducted on State Road 31 at various test (with temporary rumble strips) and control (without temporary rumble strips) locations to determine the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips in reducing travel speeds approaching highway work zones. The evaluation consisted of measuring travel speeds of motorists as they approached work zone areas with and without temporary rumble strips, and comparing changes in average speed, speed distribution, and the proportion of speeding vehicles. The results of this evaluation indicated that the use of temporary rumble strips in advance of construction work zones reduced vehicular speeds once motorists encountered the temporary rumble strips. Therefore, the use of temporary rumble strips prior to a construction work zone may be a practical countermeasure to reduce vehicular speeds through the work zone.


Genetic diversity and resulting heterotic groupings in Guinea yams (Dioscorea rotundata and D. cayenensis) and their wild relative D. praehensilis were assessed using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) genetic markers. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism generated DNA fingerprinting patterns of 19 varietal groups of cultivated yams and 1 wild species, D. praehensilis. Two primer combinations generated a total of 87 polymorphic loci across the 20 varietal groups analysed. Five major groups were recognized in the germplasm based on the neighbour-joining method of cluster analysis and the Statistical Analysis System multiple correspondence analysis procedure. Among these, four varietal groups which corresponded to D. praehensilis (cv. Grovota), D. cayenensis (cvs Yaobadou and Kpokpokpokpo), and D. mangenotiana (cv. Kappe-bolanda) were genetically distant from a core of 16 varietal groups of D. rotundata. Among these, two varietal groups (cvs Dobnawo and Koukou) from Cameroon clustered separately from the West African genotypes. The results of the present study showed that AFLP analysis is a sensitive and robust DNA fingerprinting technique for genomic analysis in yams.


Agricultural machinery is one aspect, but also indicator of the level of agricultural modernization. The use of agricultural machinery in the working process is a result of the development in science and techniques, but, at the same time, one of the factors of agricultural production improvement. The paper focuses on the analysis of the basic characteristics of agricultural machinery on farms in Vojvodina, as well as on farmers` problems in machinery use and maintenance.


In this essay, Christopher Kliewer, Douglas Biklen, and Amy J. Petersen unravel the construct of intellectual disability that has dominated both policy and practice in schools and communities. The authors synthesize data from first-person narratives, family accounts, and participatory inquiry to propose a theory of human connectedness in which intellectual competence is constructed through social action and interaction. The authors trace the isolating, brutalizing, and dehumanizing consequences of the presumed "nothingness" associated with those labeled as having an intellectual disability and, by way of contrast, integrate written and video data that offer counterpoints to the notion of intellect as immutable and individual. The authors discuss the development of supports in valued arenas where the right to belong and to participate is realized without question; the provision of resources and materials based on affirmation, actualization, and empowerment; and the fostering of surrounding communities comp...


In an attempt to explore novel treatment modalities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we studied the role of costimulatory and cytokine gene immunotherapy in murine AML. We have previously shown that leukemic mice can be cured with CD80 transfected leukemic cells (B7. 1-AML vaccine) administered early in the course of the disease and that the failure B7.1-AML vaccines administered late cannot be attributed to immunosuppression induced by tumor growth. CD8+ T cells, which are necessary for tumor rejection, are activated rather than suppressed during the first half of the leukemic course in nonvaccinated mice. In this report, we question whether CD86 (B7.2) or the cytokines granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-4 (IL-4), or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) can improve the vaccination potential of AML cells. The choice of cytokines was based on their combined and alone as well ability to direct the differentiation of CD34+ cells into potent antigen-presenting dendritic cells in vitro. Our studies show that (1) mice vaccinated with a leukemogenic number of AML cells engineered to express B7.2 (B7.2-AML) or to secrete GM-CSF, IL-4, or TNF-alpha (GM-, IL-4-, TNF-alpha-AML) do not develop leukemia; (2) GM-AML cells are tumorigenic in sublethally irradiated SJL/J mice but not in Swiss nu/nu mice, indicating that killing of tumor cells is not T-cell-dependent; (3) vaccines with irradiated GM-AML, but not B7.2-, IL-4-, or TNF-alpha-AML cells, can elicit leukemia-specific protective and therapeutic immunity; and (4) in head-to-head comparison experiments, vaccination with irradiated GM-AML is more potent than B7.1-AML, curing 80% and providing 20% prolonged survival of the leukemic mice at week 2, as opposed to cures only up to 1 week with B7.1-AML vaccines. These preclinical data emphasize that GM-CSF gene immunotherapy deserves clinical evaluation in AML.


Aims. We probe the stellar population age and metallicity distributions in nearby elliptical galaxies over the largest exten sion to date. Methods. Long-slit spectroscopy is made by using the spectrograph SCORPIO of the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciencies. The Lick indices Hβ, Mg b, Fe 5270, and Fe 5335 are calculated along the slit up to radii of 1.3 to 3 re in 4 galaxies and up to 0.5 re in the fifth one. The comparison with evolutionary synthesis models of simple stellar populations allows us to disentangle age and metall icity and to measure both. Results. We have found that the mean stellar age is constant along the radius only in one galaxy out of 5. The other 4 galaxies demonstrate quite different behaviour of the mean stellar age: the outer parts are older than the centres in 3 cases and younger ‐ in one case. The metallicity gradients cannot be approximated by a single power law over the full radial extension in 4 galaxies of 5. The inner metallicity gradients within 0.5 re are all rather steep, steeper than ‐0.4 metallicity dex per r adius dex, and are inconsistent with the origin of the elliptical galaxies by a major merger.


Coevolution has been proposed as a way to evolve a learner and a learning environment simultaneously such that open-ended progress arises naturally, via a competitive arms race, with minimal inductive bias. Nevertheless, the conditions necessary to initiate and sustain arms-race dynamics are not well understood; mediocre stable states frequently result from learning through self-play (Angeline & Pollack 1994), while analysis usually requires closed domains with known optima, like sorting-networks (Hillis 1991). While intuitions regarding what enables successful coevolution abound, none have been methodically tested. We present a game that a ords such methodical investigation. A population of deterministic string generators is coevolved with two populations of string predictors, one \friendly" and one \hostile"; generators are rewarded to behave in a manner that is simultaneously predictable to the friendly predictors and unpredictable to the hostile predictors. This game design allows us to employ information theory to provide rigorous characterizations of agent behavior and coevolutionary progress. Further, we can craft agents of known ability and environments of known di culty, and thus precisely frame questions regarding learnability. Our results show that subtle changes to the game determine whether it is open-ended, and profoundly a ect the existence and nature of an arms race.


The target molecules of innate immunity are not proteins of direct gene products but the molecular arrays or patterns on pathogens, called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The self/non-self discrimination by innate immunity through simple ligands universally expressed both on pathogens and hosts, such as monosaccharides and the acetyl group, probably depends on the density or clustering patterns of the ligands. The specific recognition by the horseshoe crab lectins, named tachylectins, with a propeller-like fold or a propeller-like oligomeric arrangement is reinforced by the short distance between the individual binding sites that interact with PAMPs. There is virtually no conformational change in the main or side chains of tachylectins upon binding with the ligands. This low structural flexibility of the propeller structures must be very important for specific interaction with PAMPs.


The mechanical index (MI) has been used by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1992 for regulatory decisions regarding the acoustic output of diagnostic ultrasound equipment. Its formula is based on predictions of acoustic cavitation under specific conditions. Since its implementation over 2 decades ago, new imaging modes have been developed that employ unique beam sequences exploiting higher‐order acoustic phenomena, and, concurrently, studies of the bioeffects of ultrasound under a range of imaging scenarios have been conducted. In 2012, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Technical Standards Committee convened a working group of its Output Standards Subcommittee to examine and report on the potential risks and benefits of the use of conditionally increased acoustic pressures (CIP) under specific diagnostic imaging scenarios. The term "conditionally" is included to indicate that CIP would be considered on a per‐patient basis for the duration required to obtain the necessary diagnostic information. This document is a result of that effort. In summary, a fundamental assumption in the MI calculation is the presence of a preexisting gas body. For tissues not known to contain preexisting gas bodies, based on theoretical predications and experimentally reported cavitation thresholds, we find this assumption to be invalid. We thus conclude that exceeding the recommended maximum MI level given in the FDA guidance could be warranted without concern for increased risk of cavitation in these tissues. However, there is limited literature assessing the potential clinical benefit of exceeding the MI guidelines in these tissues. The report proposes a 3‐tiered approach for CIP that follows the model for employing elevated output in magnetic resonance imaging and concludes with summary recommendations to facilitate Institutional Review Board (IRB)‐monitored clinical studies investigating CIP in specific tissues.


This book contains the results of 30 years of investigation by the author into the creation of a new theory on statistical analysis of observations, based on the principle of random arrays of random vectors and matrices of increasing dimensions. It describes limit phenomena of sequences of random observations, which occupy a central place in the theory of random matrices. This is the first book to explore statistical analysis of random arrays and provides the necessary tools for such analysis. This book is a natural generalization of multidimensional statistical analysis and aims to provide its readers with new, improved estimators of this analysis. The book consists of 14 chapters and opens with the theory of sample random matrices of fixed dimension, which allows to envelop not only the problems of multidimensional statistical analysis, but also some important problems of mechanics, physics and economics. The second chapter deals with all 50 known canonical equations of the new statistical analysis, which form the basis for finding new and improved statistical estimators. Chapters 3-5 contain detailed proof of the three main laws on the theory of sample random matrices. In chapters 6-10 detailed, strong proofs of the Circular and Elliptic Laws and their generalization are given. In chapters 11-13 the convergence rates of spectral functions are given for the practical application of new estimators and important questions on random matrix physics are considered. The final chapter contains 54 new statistical estimators, which generalize the main estimators of statistical analysis.


Hypertension is a severe threat to human being's health due to its association with many comorbidities. Many research works have explored hypertension's prevalence and treatment. However, few considered impact of patient's socioeconomic status and geographical disparities. We intended to fulfill that research gap by analyzing the association of the prevalence of hypertension and three important comorbidities with various socioeconomic and geographical factors. We also investigated the prevalence of those comorbidities if the patient has been diagnosed with hypertension. We obtained a large collection of medical records from 29 hospitals across China. We utilized Bayes' Theorem, Pearson's chi-squared test, univariate and multivariate regression methods and geographical detector methods to analyze the association between disease prevalence and risk factors. We first attempted to quantified and analyzed the spatial stratified heterogeneity of the prevalence of hypertension comorbidities by q-statistic using geographical detector methods. We found that the demographic and socioeconomic factors, and hospital class and geographical factors would have an enhanced interactive influence on the prevalence of hypertension comorbidities. Our findings can be leveraged by public health policy makers to allocate medical resources more effectively. Healthcare practitioners can also be benefited by our analysis to offer customized disease prevention for populations with different socioeconomic status.


Flexible biosensors for monitoring systems have emerged as a promising portable diagnostics platform due to their potential for in situ point-of-care (POC) analytic devices. Assessment of biological analytes in sweat can provide essential information for human physiology. Conventional measurements rely on laboratory equipment. This work exploits an alternative approach for epidermal sweat sensing and detection through a wearable microfluidic thread/fabric-based analytical device (μTFAD). This μTFAD is a flexible and skin-mounted band that integrates hydrophilic dot-patterns with a hydrophobic surface via embroidering thread into fabric. After chromogenic reaction treatment, the thread-embroidered patterns serve as the detection zones for sweat transferred by the hydrophilic threads, enabling precise analysis of local sweat loss, pH and concentrations of chloride and glucose in sweat. Colorimetric reference markers embroidered surrounding the working dots provide accurate data readout either by apparent color comparison or by digital acquirement through smartphone-assisted calibration plots. On-body tests were conducted on five healthy volunteers. Detection results of pH, chloride and glucose in sweat from the volunteers were 5.0-6.0, 25-80 mM and 50-200 μM by apparent color comparison with reference markers through direct visual observation. Similar results of 5.47-6.30, 50-77 mM and 47-66 μM for pH, chloride and glucose were obtained through calibration plots based on the RGB values from the smartphone app Lanse®. The limit of detection (LOD) is 10 mM for chloride concentration, 4.0-9.0 for pH and 10 μM for glucose concentration, respectively. For local sweat loss, it is found that the forehead is the region of heavy sweat loss. Sweat secretion is a cumulating process with a lower sweat rate at the beginning which increases as body movement continues along with increased heat production. These results demonstrate the capability and availability of our sensing device for quantitative detection of multiple biomarkers in sweat, suggesting the great potential for development of feasible non-invasive biosensors, with a similar performance to conventional measurements.


We use a labor search model with worker experience to assess the effects of minimum wage increases. Minimum wages can have nonlinear effects on unemployment as higher minimum wages become binding for larger portions of the underlying productivity distribution. The model is used to assess the increases proposed by the Obama Administration from $7.25 an hour to $9.00 and then to $10.10 per hour. We find that minimum wage increases have large effects on youth unemployment. These large effects cast doubt on using past empirical estimates of the effects of minimum wages that do not account for potential nonlinearities.


A powerful automatic detection of estrus, the only period when the cow is susceptible to pregnancy, is a key driver to help farmers with reproduction management and subsequently to improve milk production resource use in dairy farms. Automatic solutions to detect both types of estrus (behavioral and silent estrus) based on the combination of affordable phenotyping data (activity, body temperature) exist, but they do not provide faithful explanations to support their alerts and in ways that farmers can understand based on the behaviors they could observe in animals. In this paper, we first propose XPM, a novel pattern-based classifier to detect both types of estrus with real-world affordable sensor data (activity, body temperature) which supports its predictions with perfectly faithful explanations. Then, we show that our approach performs better than a commercial reference in estrus detection, driven by the detection of silent estrus. Finally, we present the explainability of our solution which stems from the communication to the farmers the presence and/or absence of a limited number of patterns determinant of estrus detection, therefore reducing solution mistrust and supporting farmers' decision-making.


Purpose: Elastography has emerged as a new tool for detecting and diagnosing many types of diseases including breast cancer. To date, most clinical applications of elastography have utilized two‐dimensional strain images. The goal of this paper is to present a new quasi‐static elastography technique that yields shear modulus images in three dimensions. Methods: An automated breast volume scanner was used to acquire ultrasound images of the breast as it was gently compressed. Cross‐correlation between successive images was used to determine the displacement within the tissue. The resulting displacement field was filtered of all but compressive motion through principal component analysis. This displacement field was used to infer spatial distribution of shear modulus by solving a 3D elastic inverse problem. Results: Three dimensional shear modulus images of benign breast lesions for two subjects were generated using the techniques described above. It was found that the lesions were visualized more clearly in images generated using the displacement data de‐noised through the use of principal components. Conclusions: We have presented experimental and algorithmic techniques that lead to three‐dimensional imaging of shear modulus using quasi‐static elastography. This work demonstrates feasibility of this approach, and lays the foundation for images of other, more informative, mechanical parameters.


Introduction: Interestingly enough, while TBS is forging ahead to bring about uniformity a thyroid FNA cytology reporting, a similar milestone has also been reported with an application of United Kingdom (UK-RC path system or BTA/RC Path) for reporting thyroid FNA cytology. It achieved practicing activism in 2003 and later got modified in the year 2009 & 2016. The TBS and RC path system being contemporary system of reporting thyroid cytopathology, uniform system of reporting cytopathology of nodular thyroid lesion still is not achieved but activated. Aim: To study the nodular thyroid lesions on FNAC by reporting system of TBSRTC and UK RC Path. Objectives: To compare the categories of the Bethesda system with contemporary categories of UK Royal college of pathologist for cytomorphological diagnosis and overlaps as well as with conventional reporting system and to compare with tissue diagnosis of surgically resected specimen of nodular thyroid lesions for its malignancy risk. Material and Methods: This study is hospital-based observational prospective and analytic study including 255 patients with nodular thyroid lesion. FNAC were carried out with or without under the guidance of sonography. The staining performed were conventional for smears of the aspirate. The smears were classified and categorized by two systems, TBSRTC and UK-RC path system of reporting thyroid lesion. The tissue diagnosis was done for the surgically resected specimens of nodular thyroid lesion in case of patient who underwent surgery. The values of comparative statistics were bought out. Observations: Females predominated over males. The distribution of cases for into the categories of TBSRTC and UK RC Path were as follow: category I/Thy1- 23, category II/Thy2-156, category III/Thy 3a-21/19, category IV/Thy3f-22/24, category V/Thy4-21, category VI/Thy5-16. There were 57 patients underwent surgical intervention in form of total or partial thyroidectomy or lobectomy and had available histopathological examination reports for cyto-histopathology co-relation. Values of comparative analysis show high NPV, PPV and high values of specificity, as compared to conventional. Conclusion: TBSRTC and UK RC path for reporting thyroid cytology are suitable for reporting thyroid nodular lesions on FNAC because of uniformity of nomenclature categories and implication at management with high correlation percentile with subsequent surgically resected specimen of thyroid.


Abstract Objective and setting A nationwide study was performed in Cuba to assess vitamin A status and the intake of vitamin-A-providing foods in children aged 6–11 years. Design and subjects The sample comprised 1191 schoolchildren from first to sixth grade, both sexes, from municipalities randomly selected from the five eastern provinces of Cuba in 2002 (first semester) and from the four western and four central provinces in 2003 (first semester). A food-frequency questionnaire was completed by 2038 mother-and-child pairs. Results Mean (±standard deviation) plasma retinol concentrations were 1.77 ± 0.48 μmol l−1 in the western, 2.01 ± 0.56 μmol l−1 in the central and 1.40 ± 0.41 μmol l−1 in the eastern region. No child had plasma retinol concentration below 0.35 μmol l−1, indicative of a high risk of clinical deficiency. Subclinical deficiency, plasma retinol concentration of 0.35–0.7 μmol l−1, was seen in <2% of subjects in all three regions and was <5% even in the two provinces with the worst vitamin A status (Guantánamo, 4.6%; Las Tunas, 3.0%). Adequate status (>1.05 μmol l−1) was present in >90% of subjects in all western and central provinces, and in one of the eastern provinces (Holguín), whereas in the four remaining eastern provinces, adequate status was present in >75%. Only nine fruits and vegetables were consumed frequently (>3 times per week) by >50% of children. Thirty-seven per cent regularly consumed a supplement containing vitamin A. Conclusions Most Cuban children aged 6–11 years had adequate vitamin A status. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin and provitamin A, especially vegetables, was frequent but limited to a small variety of foods.


We present a patient with acromesomelic chondrodysplasia and genital anomalies caused by a novel homozygous mutation in BMPR1B, the gene coding for bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1B. The 16 year old girl, the offspring of a multiconsanguinous family, showed a severe form of limb malformation consisting of aplasia of the fibula, severe brachydactyly, ulnar deviation of the hands, and fusion of carpal/tarsal bones. In addition, she presented with hypoplasia of the uterus and ovarian dysfunction resulting in hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism. Mutation analysis of BMPR1B revealed a homozygous 8 bp deletion (del359–366). This mutation is expected to result in a loss of function and is thus different from the heterozygous missense mutations in BMPR1B recently shown to cause brachydactyly type A2 through a dominant negative effect. The patient's skeletal phenotype shows an overlap with the clinical spectrum of the acromesomelic chondrodysplasias of the Grebe, Hunter-Thompson, and DuPan types caused by homozygous mutations in the gene coding for growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) which is a high-affinity ligand to BMPR1B. However, the phenotype described here differs from GDF5 associated chondrodysplasias because of the additional presence of genital anomalies and the distinct limb phenotype.


We report on the experimental observation of current-induced polarization switching in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers which is accompanied by a decrease of the total output power at the switching point. The relaxation oscillation frequency also decreases. This switching is interpreted as a switching event from the mode with higher (unsaturated) net gain to the gain disfavored mode. The experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with a nonlinear dynamical model taking into account spin degrees of freedom of carriers in a semiconductor quantum well. Within the framework of this model, we propose an explanation for the origin of a minimum in the effective dichroism observed at the switching point, which might also be relevant for other experiments.


Although there is broad agreement that well functioning land rental markets will play an important role to increase productivity and household welfare as agrarian economies develop, evidence from Africa on the actual performance and impact of such markets is limited. We use data from Uganda to test for differences in the performance of rental, as compared to sales markets and their evolution over time, based on a framework where markets are affected by differences in ability and imperfections in rural labor and capital markets. We find that land markets are very active, that land rental but not sales markets transfer land to more efficient and relatively poor producers thereby providing an opportunity for the landless to access land, and that rental market activity has increased recently with economic growth. Despite land prices in some regions being above the net present value of land we find no evidence for sales markets leading to land concentration and conclude that, rather than imposing administrative restrictions, government should aim to improve access to alternative savings instruments.


A 160-GHz receiver-based PLL with tuning range from 156.4 GHz to 159.2 GHz is presented. Sub-THz 1/9 prescaler is replaced by a 3rd harmonic mixer incorporating frequency tripler for frequency down conversion. Frequency acquisition is assisted by received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for automatically frequency sweeping and fast locking. The frequency locking time is less than 3 μsec. Fabricated in 65 nm CMOS technology, the chip size is 0.92mm2. This chip drains 24mW from a 1.2V power supply.


Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of Levucell® SB when used in feed for turkeys for fattening. The additive is intended for use as a zootechnical additive (functional group: other additives) for the reduction of Salmonella contamination on carcasses through its decrease in faeces. In the context of a previous opinion, the identity of the strain was confirmed, and according to the Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) approach to safety assessment, it was presumed safe for the target species, consumers and the environment. Since no concerns are expected from other components of the additive, Levucell® SB is also considered safe for the target species, consumers and the environment. The additive is not a skin or eye irritant or a skin sensitiser. Considering the data on the dusting potential, the user can be exposed to the additive by inhalation when handling it. The additive in non‐encapsulated form should be considered as a respiratory sensitiser. The coated formulation is not considered to pose a risk by inhalation. The efficacy of Levucell® SB for the same purpose was previously established in chickens for fattening. The FEEDAP Panel concluded that there was some evidence that the addition of Levucell® SB at 2 × 1010 CFU/kg feed has a potential to aid the reduction of carcass contamination with Salmonella spp. Since the mechanism of action of the additive can be reasonably assumed to be same, Levucell® SB can be presumed efficacious in turkeys for fattening at a dose of 2 × 1010 CFU/kg feed without the need for additional studies.


We have examined microscopically the neuromusculature of Eudiplozoon nipponicum to explore neuromuscular involvement in fusion. Cholinergic, aminergic and peptidergic neuronal elements were demonstrated by enzyme- and immuno-cytochemistry in conjunction with confocal microscopy. FITC-labelled phalloidin was a probe for F-actin. Electron immunogold-labeling revealed peptide immunoreactivity subcellularly. The nervous system was strongly reactive for co-localised cholinergic and peptidergic pathways and for separate pathways of aminergic elements. There was strong innervation to the pharnyx, attachment sucker and clamps of the diporpa. Neuronal pathways of worm pairs are separate, with no obvious fusion. Muscle systems are dominated by extensive somatic fibres, buccal suckers, haptoral clamps and, in early stages, a transient ventral sucker. Diagonal fibres largely comprise the diporpa body wall and longitudinal muscle bundles run from forebody to haptor. EM confirmed neuropeptide-immunolocalisation in dense-cored vesicles in axons of both CNS and PNS. The structural complexity of the neuromusculature reflects its importance in host attachment, and in the processes of body contact, twisting/fusion in larval pairing.


Elite professionals opportunistically employ threats to their work identities to author preferred selves. Predicated on understandings that identities are subjectively available to people as in-progress narratives, and that these are often insecure fabrications, we investigate the identity work of members of a UK-based professional Rugby League club. The research contribution we make is to demonstrate that professionals use identity threats as flexible resources for working on favoured identities. We show that rugby players authored identity threats centred on the shortness of their careers, injury and performance, and how these were appropriated (made their own) by men to develop desired occupational and masculine identities. In so doing, we also contribute to debates on how professionals' identity discourse is an expression of agency framed within relations of power.


Drought stress in crop is affected by imbalance between water suply and demand that its in natural condition tightly controlled by the crop. Crop responses to drought stress are influenced by the varieties differently. This research was aimed to investigate the threshold of available soil moisture capacity that affected on drought stress and also known several varieties of shallot that it was tolerance and sensitive varieties on drought stress in coastal sandy soil, as well as its was investigate the physiological characters . This research was conducted in Green House of BPTPH DIY and its arranged in two experiments, i.e : (1) The study about threshold of available soil moisture capacity that affected in drought stress on shallot, (2) Study about the character of physiological tolerance in drought stress on several varieties of shallot grown in coastal sandy soil. Completely randomize design was used in factorial experiment with three replications. The result showed that : (1) Drought stress on shallot in coastal sandy soil is caused by decrease at 60% of available soil moisture capacity, (2) These several varieties of shallot that its limited investigate have found tolerance varieties on drought stress, i.e : Ampenan variety, Biru variety, Kuning variety, Timor variety and Kuning Tablet variety; moderate varieties, i.e.: Bima NTB variety, Probolinggo variety and Siam variety; sensitive verieties, i.e. : Bima Brebes variety, Bima Juna variety and Tiron variety, (3) Drought stress pressed the growth of root that its decreased the water and nutrient uptake, (4) Drought stress was affected significantly different on several physiological characters between tolerance and sensitive varieties of shallot, i.e.: leaf relative water content, stomatal conductance and content of proline in shoot. Key Words : Shallot, physiological tolerance, drought stress, coastal sandy soil


Abstract:  We describe bones from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta – including bones of large dinosaurs, a femur from the aquatic reptile Champsosaurus, and a dentary from the marsupial Eodelphis– that bear tooth marks made by animals with opposing pairs of teeth. Of the animals known from the Late Cretaceous of North America, only mammals are capable of making such tooth marks. In particular, multituberculates, which have paired upper and lower incisors, are the most likely candidates for the makers of these traces. The traces described here represent the oldest known mammalian tooth marks. Although it is possible that some of these tooth marks represent feeding traces, the tooth marks often penetrate deep into the dense cortices of the bone. This raises the possibility that, much as extant mammals gnaw bone and antler, some Cretaceous mammals may have consumed the bones of dinosaurs and other vertebrates as a source of minerals. However, none of the tooth marks described here resemble the extensive gnaw traces produced by Cenozoic multituberculates or rodents. This suggests that specialized gnawing forms may have been rare or absent in the Late Cretaceous of North America.


This article examines the process of constitutionalisation that is ongoing in English administrative law. It does so by focussing on two key questions which, although hitherto largely overlooked by commentators, are beginning to receive attention in the courts. The first question – the 'sin' of omission – relates to the question of how the courts should respond when an agency has not consciously approached a decision through a rights-based framework. The second question – the 'sin' of commission – asks how courts should respond when an agency explicitly reaches a decision on the basis of rights and proportionality. The answers we give to these questions will help to define the nature of the emerging 'culture of rights'. Staking out a position against 'hardline' proponents of rights-based judicial review, I suggest, first, that agencies should not be placed under a duty to articulate decisions through a rights-based framework and, second, that some provisional weight should be accorded to an agency's own assessment of the rights issues at stake.


▪ Abstract Information and communication technologies based on the Internet have enabled the emergence of new sorts of communities and communicative practices—phenomena worthy of the attention of anthropological researchers. Despite early assessments of the revolutionary nature of the Internet and the enormous transformations it would bring about, the changes have been less dramatic and more embedded in existing practices and power relations of everyday life. This review explores researchers' questions, approaches, and insights within anthropology and some relevant related fields, and it seeks to identify promising new directions for study. The general conclusion is that the technologies comprising the Internet, and all the text and media that exist within it, are in themselves cultural products. Anthropology is thus well suited to the further investigation of these new, and not so new, phenomena.


Generalized atrophic benign epidermolysis bullosa (GABEB) is a rare variant of non‐lethal junctional epidermolysis bullosa characterized by generalized skin blistering healing with atrophy and by atrophic alopecia with onset in childhood. Other features include mild mucosal blistering, dental abnormalities and nail dystrophy. We report four additional cases of GABEB from two families originating from the same isolated village. The patients shared an unusually mild clinical phenotype with cutaneous blisters strictly limited to trauma sites and rare occurrence of oral mucosal lesions. Scalp, eyelash and eyebrow alopecia was present in only two cases. Immunofluorescence studies showed a markedly reduced expression of the 180‐kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen (BP180), and northern analysis of cultured keratinocytes indicated that the gene encoding for BP180 is affected in these GABEB patients.


Over the years, knowledge regarding the natural history of Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) has improved. However, there are still uncertainties in the literature regarding asymptomatic and oligosymptomatic patients with CM-I. We performed a literature review in order to determine the natural history of CM-I in symptomatic patients who were not operated and in asymptomatic adult patients. Among symptomatic patients, the most frequent symptom was headache (77%). Cough-related headache alone (34%), migraine-related headache alone (21.4%), and both cough- and migraine-related headaches (21.8%) were the most prevalent forms of headache. Some symptoms improved more effectively with surgical treatment options; cough-related headaches improved by 95% following surgery and by 40% following conservative treatment. Other headache types improved by 93% and 61.5% following conservative and surgical treatments, respectively. Patients diagnosed with asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic CM-I may improve over time or stabilize with conservative treatment. There is great heterogeneity in the literature regarding the diagnostic criteria for CM-I. Owing to the heterogeneity among the articles identified for this review, there is no consensus regarding the precise indications for surgery in asymptomatic patients. The natural CM-I history in asymptomatic patients reveals a favorable evolution.


In this report, we present a synthetic method for the formation of cuprous sulfide (Cu2S) and lead sulfide (PbS) nanomaterials directly on substrates from the thermolysis of single-source precursors. We find that the final morphology and arrangement of the nanomaterials may be controlled through the concentration of the dissolved precursors and choice of solvent. One-dimensional (1-D) morphologies may also be grown onto substrates with the addition of a metal catalyst layer through solution-liquid-solid (SLS) growth. These synthetic techniques may be expanded to other metal sulfide materials.


The Affordable Care Act's Dependent Coverage Mandate (DCM) induced approximately two million young adults to join parental employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) plans. This study is the first to explore the impact of the DCM on criminal arrests, a potentially important externality. Using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, we find that the DCM induced an 11 percent reduction in criminal incidents involving arrestees ages 19 to 25, driven by property crime declines. An examination of the underlying mechanisms suggests that declines in large out-of-pocket expenditures for health care, increased educational attainment, and increases in parent-adult child cohabitation may explain these crime declines. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the DCM generated approximately $3.1 billion in annual social benefits from crime reduction.


Stomatins belong to the band-7 (or SPFH domain) family (short for Stomatin, Prohibitin, Flotillin HflC/K) of diverse membrane proteins. This protein family is evolutionary conserved with members found in all sequenced eukaryotes and in most prokaryotes. Band-7 family proteins have the ability to oligomerise and generally aid in the assembly and regulation of large membrane-bound protein complexes. In animals, stomatins have been demonstrated to regulate ion channels by direct protein interactions. Additionally, they localise to membrane microdomains where they actively contribute to their assembly by binding sterols, and they also associate with the actin cytoskeleton. The Arabidopsis genome encodes for two structurally similar stomatin-like proteins that are functionally completely unknown yet. They will be referred to as AtSlp1 (for Arabidopsis thaliana stomatin-like protein) and AtSlp2. The aim of this thesis was to provide a detailed characterisation of these two genes on a molecular and functional level. Both proteins are expressed ubiquitously throughout plant development, but they accumulate at particularly high levels in pollen and other metabolically active cells. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that AtSlps are homologous to stomatin-like proteins of type 2. Amongst these, the human stomatin-like protein 2 (HsSlp2) is localised to mitochondria where it participates in large membrane-bound protein complexes and is also involved in the proliferation of cancer cells. Evidence is provided here that demonstrates mitochondrial localisation of both Arabidopsis Slp proteins in vitro and in vivo. On a functional level, mitochondria from an slp1 knockout mutant plant have a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased oxygen consumption rates. This is interpreted as a defect in coupling efficiency and an impairment of the mitochondrial inner membrane integrity. This defect results in a variety of other growth phenotypes that are related to metabolically active tissues and cell types. Knockout plants are delayed in overall growth of shoots and roots and have decreased seed germination rates. Additionally, these plants are less resistant to conditions of high salinity and are less fertile. Overexpression of a protein acting as a putative dominant-negative Slp fragment results in plants with a dwarf phenotype and early onset of leaf senescence. This phenotype correlates with increased levels of reactive oxygen species and altered organelle ultrastructure. Guard cells from these plants in particular have enlarged chloroplasts and are impaired in transpirational control. It is concluded that also in plants, stomatins act together with other band-7 family proteins as parts of large protein complexes that have regulatory roles important for development and stress responses. Their main role is probably to provide membrane scaffolds that affect mitochondrial function and morphology during cell division and in situations of mitochondrial stress.


This paper offers a model for understanding personality change through life experience. The elements that led to the change in the patients described include a defective self-representation and a motivation to achieve an ideal self-representation; a decision to test the self-representation through an action in real life; the felicitous presence of an important object who contributed to the consolidation of a new self-representation in the context of the test; and identification with this object. The contributions of Hartmann, Hendrick, and White offer a theoretical substrate for understanding such change. The special importance of crisis, the potential for the development of psychopathology under other circumstances, and the personality characteristics of patients amenable to change are discussed.


Chinese air pollution is obviously increasing, and the government makes efforts to strengthen air pollution treatment. Although adverse health effects gradually emerge, research determining individual vulnerability is limited. This study estimated the relationship between air pollution and obesity. Individual information of 13,414 respondents from 125 cities is used in the analysis. This study employs ordinary least squares (OLS) and multinomial logit model (m-logit) to estimate the impact of air pollution on obesity. We choose different air pollution and Body Mass Index (BMI) indicators for estimation. Empirical results show Air Quality Index (AQI) is significantly positively associated with the BMI score. As AQI adds one unit, the BMI score increases 0.031 (SE = 0.002; p < 0.001). The influence coefficients of particle size smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), particle size smaller than 10 μm (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) to the BMI score are 0.034 (SE = 0.002; p < 0.001), 0.023 (SE = 0.001; p < 0.001), 0.52 (SE = 0.095; p < 0.001), 0.045 (SE = 0.004; p < 0.001), 0.021 (SE = 0.002; p < 0.001), 0.008 (SE = 0.003; p = 0.015), respectively. Generally, air pollution has an adverse effect on body weight. CO is the most influential pollutant, and female, middle-aged, and low-education populations are more severely affected. The results confirm that the adverse health effects of air pollution should be considered when making the air pollution policies. Findings also provide justification for health interventions, especially for people with obesity.


The French municipal elections of 2020 were marked by the emergence of 'citizen lists' in several cities. These lists are discussed here as 'weak' form of new municipalism: they integrate some ideas and logics of new municipalism without having the same level of radicality as the most emblematic international examples of the movement. By analysing these initiatives from a political sociology perspective inspired by Bourdieu's work on the political field, we develop three main arguments. First, new municipalism in France emerged in response to a deepening political crisis. At the local scale, this crisis is fuelling a misalignment between urban societies and political parties that support entrepreneurial agendas. This has laid out the conditions for the emergence of a new municipalism, formed of complex and contradictory new social alliances. Second, this movement has been dominated by a 'participationist ideology'. Citizens' lists have placed strong emphasis on the search for innovative participatory tools, but have invested much less energy in the construction of an alternative urban political platform. Third, we underline the unfinished nature of the new municipalism revolution, where the movement's impetus has been weakened by the resilience of 'zombie' political parties. In the end, the article highlights the need to take into greater consideration existing political and institutional contexts in the study of new municipalism.