Nb/Ta multilayer films deposited on Ti6Al4V substrate with Nb and Ta monolayer thicknesses of 30 nm, 120 nm, and 240 nm were irradiated by a high current pulse electron beam (HCPEB) to prepare Nb—Ta alloyed layers. The microstructure and the composition of the outmost surface of melted alloyed layers were investigated using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) attachment. The Ta content of the alloyed surface layer prepared from the monolayer of thickness 30 nm, 120 nm, and 240 nm was ∼ 27.7 at.%, 6.37 at.%, and 0 at.%, respectively. It was found that the Ta content in the alloyed layer plays a dominant role in the microstructure of the films. The hardness and the wear rate of the alloyed layers decrease with the increasing content of Ta in the surface layer.


Visual purple is soluble and stable in a mixture of glycerol and water (3:1). At room temperature the spectrum of such a solution is identical with that of the aqueous solution. At — 73°C the peak of the absorption curve is higher and narrower than at room temperature, and it is shifted towards longer waves. The product of photodecom position at — 73°C has a spectrum in dependent of pH and is at low temperatures thermostable and photostable, but at room temperature it decomposes therm ally to indicator yellow. The primary product appears to be identical with transient orange. The quantum yields of the photoreaction at low and at room temperature are of the same order.


Coverage checks of censuses of population usually show an undercount. However in [the] 1953 census of population in Yugoslavia a slight overcount was found. This was attributed to housing rationing that created a tendency [to over report]....Similar tendencies are also likely in the enumeration of emigrants. Therefore more attention is needed to the problem of overcount in countries with housing rationing and strong emigration. (SUMMARY IN GER) (EXCERPT)


Prior works propose new models for role based access control (RBAC) in Android; this paper adds on to that body of research. Despite RBAC's inherent administrative ease, managing roles for Android applications is tedious for the device user, owing to their lack of knowledge in access control. To realize the full potential of RBAC and to equip the user with ability to effectively manage Android permissions, we introduce three new models for administration of RBAC in Android. These models are based on an in-depth analysis of applications in Android, and support the principle of least privilege to reduce unwanted permission exposure.


: Fifty children aged 7 to 11 with the hyperdynamic syndrome were under treatment. Sydnocarb proved effective only in cases which did not involve prominent emotional-volitional disorders. Symptom reduction was primarily concerned with motor disinhibition and distractibility. The drug had no effect in treating hyperdynamic syndrome with psychopathology.


A novel method of ancient DNA (aDNA) purification was developed using ion-exchange columns to improve PCR-amplifiable DNA extraction from ancient bone samples. Thirteen PCR-resistant ancient bone samples aged 500-3,300 years were tested to extract aDNA using a recently reported, silica-based aDNA extraction method and an ion-exchange column method for the further purification. The PCR success rates of the aDNA extracts were evaluated for the amplification ability of the fragments of mitochondrial DNA, a high-copy DNA, and amelogenin, a low-copy DNA. The results demonstrate that the further purification of silica-based aDNA extracts using ion-exchange columns considerably improved PCR amplification. We suggest that the ion-exchange column-based method will be useful for the improvement of PCR-amplifiable aDNA extraction, particularly from the poorly preserved, PCR-resistant, ancient samples.


EDITOR,-Recent issues of the journal have included four articles on screening programmes.'" The outcome of a screening programme (as with many other health care activities) depends on its effect on three main variables: length of life, quality of life, and costs. It is therefore surprising that none of the articles includes any mention of the costs that might be incurred. D M Bradley and colleagues' paper on a screening programme for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in newborn infants describes the benefits for the nine affected families that were identified.2 It would be interesting to be able to weigh these against the costs of over 34000 blood tests, pretest information, and more sophisticated analysis and counselling in those in whom the result of the test was positive. Fritz H Schroder's editorial on screening for prostatic cancer makes the point that the specificity and positive predictive value are too low for any of the available screening tests to be recommended.3 This statement needs to be expanded in relation to the cost disadvantages of screening as well as the physical and psychological disadvantages. Finally, A L Clark and A J S Coats's editorial on screening for cardiomyopathy suggests that improved test validity and proved treatment would be sufficient to justify echocardiography on a mass scale.4 Though this may be the case, it would be helpful to be given some idea of the potential cost-benefits and disadvantages. A screening programme is a public health measure, and any balanced discussion should make at least some reference to its overall impact on the use of health care resources.


Recently, increased attention has focused on the use of sound in long‐term ocean‐acoustic experiments. The question being the determination of begin levels or the quantification of acceptable levels. This is an important consideration due to the increased use of higher power sound sources and our increased awareness of the effects of sound on mammals. Recent discussions and papers at the 126th Meeting of the Acoustical Society illustrate the confusion which exist with respect to characterization of acoustic source levels and has resulted in erroneous and misleading reports (i.e., see information from John R. Potter reported by Malcolm B. Browne, ''Science Times,'' New York Times, 19 Oct. 1993). This paper presents some standard definitions for the comparison of decibel levels with references of peak pressure, energy, or power. Frequency‐dependent characteristics of oceanic noise sources shall be discussed and the relative importance of sound levels from air guns, surface ships, marine mammals, and other sources shall be placed in perspective. Finally these sources of sound will be further examined in light of the propagation effects found in both shallow waters and the deep ocean.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Advances in MR imaging modeling have improved the feasibility of reconstructing crossing fibers, with increasing benefits in delineating angulated tracts such as cerebellar tracts by using tractography. We hypothesized that constrained spherical deconvolution–based probabilistic tractography could successfully reconstruct cerebellar tracts in children with cerebellar hypoplasia/atrophy and that diffusion scalars of the reconstructed tracts could differentiate pontocerebellar hypoplasia, nonprogressive cerebellar hypoplasia, and progressive cerebellar atrophy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen children with cerebellar ataxia and pontocerebellar hypoplasia, nonprogressive cerebellar hypoplasia or progressive cerebellar atrophy and 7 controls were included in this study. Cerebellar and corticospinal tracts were reconstructed by using constrained spherical deconvolution. Scalar measures (fractional anisotropy and mean, axial and radial diffusivity) were calculated. A general linear model was used to determine differences among groups for diffusion MR imaging scalar measures, and post hoc pair-wise comparisons were performed. RESULTS: Cerebellar and corticospinal tracts were successfully reconstructed in all subjects. Significant differences in diffusion MR imaging scalars were found among groups, with fractional anisotropy explaining the highest variability. All groups with cerebellar pathologies showed lower fractional anisotropy compared with controls, with the exception of cerebellar hypoplasia. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the feasibility of constrained spherical deconvolution to reconstruct cerebellar and corticospinal tracts in children with morphologic cerebellar pathologies. In addition, the preliminary results show the potential utility of quantitative analysis of scalars of the cerebellar white matter tracts in children with cerebellar pathologies such as cerebellar hypoplasia and atrophy. Further studies with larger cohorts of patients are needed to validate the clinical significance of our preliminary results.


Abstract Th-rich (up to 18.4 wt.% ThO2) loparite occurs as an accessory phase in foyaite pegmatites at Mr. Eveslogchorr, Khibina complex, Russia. It is associated with aegirine, astrophyllite, eudialyte, lorenzenite, lamprophyllite, magnesio-arfvedsonite and gerasimovskite. Loparite crystals are zoned from niobian loparite (core) to niobian thorian and thorian niobian loparite (rim). Th-enrichment is accompanied by a decrease in Na, LREE, Sr and increase in A-site vacancies. The most Th-rich composition approaches (Na0.39LREE0.19ThoA2Ca0.05Sr0.02)∑0.77(Ti0.76Nb0.27)∑1.0303. The mineral is partly or completely metamict and after annealing gives an X-ray diffraction powder pattern similar to that of synthetic NaLaTi2O6 and naturally occurring loparite of different composition. For the Th-rich rim sample, the five strongest diffraction lines (Å) are: 2.72 (100) 110, 1.575 (60) 211, 1.925 (40), 1.368 (30) 220, 1.222 (20) 310; a = 3.867(2) Å. The X-ray diffraction patterns do not exhibit peak splitting or other diffraction lines typical of low-symmetry and ordered perovskite-type structures. Composition determinations, infrared transmission spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry show that thorian loparite is partly replaced by betafite with LREE and Th as dominant A-site cations ('ceriobetafite'). Some loparite samples also exhibit thin replacement mantles of belyankinite with high LREE2O3 and ThO2 contents. Both 'ceriobetafite' and belyankinite were formed due to metasomatic alteration of loparite.


New financing mechanisms for tropical forest conservation, based on payments for ecosystem services, often involve the development of new business models. Suppliers of ecosystem services may include existing land users (e.g., farmers, foresters, tourism operators) or new business ventures (e.g., carbon accountants and traders, conservation bankers). Developing viable business models for biodiversity conservation is a major challenge, due to: the complexity of biodiversity itself (i.e., genes, species, and ecosystems, many still undocumented); the various linkages between business and biodiversity (which may be an economic input, output, competing resource use, or victim of pollution); insufficient consensus on biodiversity conservation priorities and performance indicators applicable at the enterprise level; weak or missing property rights, liability regimes, and/or incentive measures to penalize biodiversity loss and reward conservation effort; and concerns about potential adverse social impacts. This study presents a synthesis of experience across a range of sectors to develop more sustainable business models for biodiversity conservation, identifies key success factors, and outlines a new approach to building a biodiversity business that combines policy innovation, business development assistance, and financial support.


The value premium varies substantially across countries. Kim explores whether the inter-country cross-sectional variation in the value premium can be predicted by the variables known to predict the intra-country time-variation in the value premium. After examining data from 23 developed markets and 13 emerging markets between 2000 and 2010, he found that the earnings-yield spread and the return dispersion have predictive power in emerging markets but not in developed markets. The earnings-growth spread was found to have no significant predictive power.


This paper presents the theoretical analysis and experimental investigation of actively controlled manipulation of a magnetic microbead using quadrupole magnetic tweezers. Bead dynamics, magnetic actuation, and visual measurement are analyzed. A feedback control law is developed and implemented to stabilize and steer the motion of the magnetic microbead. It is developed in two steps. First, an inverse model, which is associated with a lumped-parameter analytical force model, is derived to enable feedback linearization. Second, linear controllers are designed to achieve motion stabilization and manipulation of the magnetic microbead. A proportional-gain controller along with feedback linearization is implemented to establish a stable trapping of the magnetic bead to facilitate system calibration. Experiments are then performed to validate the derived inverse force model and theoretical analysis. In addition, a minimum-variance controller is designed and employed to reduce the variance of the bead's Brownian motion. The control performance in terms of variance reduction, nanostepping, and large-range steering is then experimentally demonstrated.


In previous work on decoding space-time codes, it is either assumed that perfect channel state information (CSI) is present, or a channel estimate is obtained using pilot symbols and then used as if it were perfect to extract symbol estimates. In the latter case, a loss in performance is incurred, since the resulting overall receiver is not optimal. We look at maximum-likelihood (ML) sequence estimation for space-time coded systems without assuming CSI. The log-likelihood function is presented for both-quasi-static and nonstatic fading channels, and an expectation-maximization (EM)-based algorithm is introduced for producing ML data estimates, whose complexity is much smaller than a direct evaluation of the log-likelihood function. Simulation results indicate the EM-based algorithm achieves a performance close to that of a receiver which knows the channel perfectly.


OBJECTIVE: To explore surgical strategies for unexpected gallbladder carcinoma (UGC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A study of hospital records was performed in 26 patients with UGC treated in our institution from January 1990 to December 2002. The surgical therapies and disease prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: Five cases of GBC were noted during open cholecystectomy (OC) and 15 were confirmed during minicholecystectomy (MC), while were 6 identified during laparoscopic (LC) surgery; all patients with Nevin Stage I gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) survived > 3 years; patients with Stage III GBC died within 2 years and patients with Stage IV GBC died within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Caution must be taken when high risk conditions and atypical ultrasonography of gallbladder are encountered. Examination of frozen sections should be performed routinely in all cases to reduce the rates of misdiagnosis. Surgery is an effective treatment for GBC.


Compliance with the prescribed inhaler dosage regimen and the manufacturer's recommended inhalation technique are essential to achieve good control in asthma and COPD. A patient's beliefs and education are important factors to ensure that they will use their inhalers as prescribed. Training patients how to use the correct inhalation technique is important. During this training session the patient's ability to use the correct technique must be assessed. Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) have flow dependent dose emission properties and the inhalation flow achieved by a patient will be dependent on their inspiratory ability and the resistance of the inhaler. This has led to debates on 'the optimal inhalation flow' for each DPI. However the clinically important issue is to identify the inhalation flow below which the particles in the emitted dose would not be expected to be deposited into the lungs and so in the future this should be the focus of attention. DPIs are not generic devices and so should not be regarded as interchangeable. Once a patient is controlled, accepts and is familiar with one type of inhaler then a change of device is not recommended unless requested by the patient or they are unable to use the correct inhaler technique.


This study measures and explains technical efficiency (TE), economic efficiency and allocative efficiency of 110 small-scale vegetable farmers practicing various irrigation technologies for increased productivity. We employed the two-stage approach to estimate efficiency scores under constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) specifications. First, using a linear programming method, efficiency scores of the irrigated vegetable farmers were measured using the data envelopment analysis approach. The results show that about 27.3 per cent of the farmers currently operate on the production possibility frontier and are technically efficient, while 3.6 per cent were found to be both economically and allocatively efficient. The mean TE score for CRS was 50.6 per cent, compared with 78.1 per cent under the VRS. A Tobit regression at the second-stage analysis revealed that gender, experience, health and credit utilization have significant effects on TE. These results are valuable for stakeholders interested in promoting efficiency in smallholder irrigated production. JEL Classification: C14, C61, D24, D61, Q12


Four main qualities of documentation management chain. Systematisation of dialogue systems. Formalisation of processes in dialogue systems. The technological stage of the complex reprographic documentation processing.


The Genetic Society of America's Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded to an individual GSA member for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics. For over 40 years, 2015 recipient Brian Charlesworth has been a leader in both theoretical and empirical evolutionary genetics, making substantial contributions to our understanding of how evolution acts on genetic variation. Some of the areas in which Charlesworth's research has been most influential are the evolution of sex chromosomes, transposable elements, deleterious mutations, sexual reproduction, and life history. He also developed the influential theory of background selection, whereby the recurrent elimination of deleterious mutations reduces variation at linked sites, providing a general explanation for the correlation between recombination rate and genetic variation.


XENON is a dark matter direct detection project, consisting of a time projection chamber (TPC) filled with liquid xenon as detection medium. The construction of the next generation detector, XENON1T, is presently taking place at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It aims at a sensitivity to spin-independent cross sections of 2 · 10-47 c 2 for WIMP masses around 50 GeV2, which requires a background reduction by two orders of magnitude compared to XENON100, the current generation detector. An active system that is able to tag muons and muon-induced backgrounds is critical for this goal. A water Cherenkov detector of ∼ 10 m height and diameter has been therefore developed, equipped with 8 inch photomultipliers and cladded by a reflective foil. We present the design and optimization study for this detector, which has been carried out with a series of Monte Carlo simulations. The muon veto will reach very high detection efficiencies for muons (>99.5%) and showers of secondary particles from muon interactions in the rock (>70%). Similar efficiencies will be obtained for XENONnT, the upgrade of XENON1T, which will later improve the WIMP sensitivity by another order of magnitude. With the Cherenkov water shield studied here, the background from muon-induced neutrons in XENON1T is negligible.


The paper examines commuting patterns in Israel within the gravity model framework. We find that commuting patterns of Israeli employees are close to their European and American counterparts: commuting rates are higher among younger and more highly educated employees, and men commute more than women. As is expected, we find that individuals more actively engage in commuting as the distance between regions decreases. Other things being equal, increasing the distance between origin and destination by 10 percent is associated with a 16 percent drop in commuting flow. Additionally, commuting flows are 3.4 times greater between the pairs of neighboring sub-districts. Moreover, higher wages and higher employment density (as measured by total employed to total labor force in the region) attract commuters. We also find that commuting is not necessarily directed towards the regions with the lowest unemployment.


This study presents univariate narrow-sense heritability estimates for 33 common craniometric dimensions, calculated using the maximum likelihood variance components method on a skeletal sample of 298 pedigreed individuals from Hallstatt, Austria. Quantitative genetic studies that use skeletal cranial measurements as a basis for inferring microevolutionary processes in human populations usually employ heritability estimates to represent the genetic variance of the population. The heritabilities used are often problematic: most come from studies of living humans, and/or they were calculated using statistical techniques or assumptions violated by human groups. Most bilateral breadth measures in the current study show low heritability estimates, while cranial length and height measures have heritability values ranging between 0.102-0.729. There appear to be differences between the heritabilities calculated from crania and those from anthropometric studies of living humans, suggesting that the use of the latter in quantitative genetic models of skeletal data may be inappropriate. The univariate skeletal heritability estimates seem to group into distinct regions of the cranium, based on their relative values. The most salient group of measurements is for the midfacial/orbital region, with a number of measures showing heritabilities less than 0.30. Several possible reasons behind this pattern are examined. Given the fact that heritabilities calculated on one population should not be applied to others, suggestions are made for the use of the data presented.


This paper uses firm-level data to investigate the impact of taxes on the location of mergers and acquisitions. Our theoretical framework suggests that there are many ways in which tax can influence such M&A activity. For example, it is possible that a higher tax rate in the country of the target company could make an acquisition of the tax more likely, less likely, or have no effect at all. Another possibility is that the difference between the home and host country tax rates has an effect. We combine financial and ownership data from a large number of companies in the ORBIS database for 2005 with domestic and cross-border acquisitions in the ZEPHYR database between 2006 and 2008. We estimate a model in which acquiring companies choose in which country to acquire a target company. The results suggest that the effects of corporate tax vary considerably across groups of companies: acquirers most sensitive to differences in tax rates across countries are large, previously purely domestic, companies. This is consistent with our theoretical framework which suggests that tax should be most important when the acquirer captures more of the surplus arising from the acquisition, but where the acquirer has limited capacity for shifting profits between countries to avoid tax.


Light microscopes are the cell and developmental biologists' "best friend", providing a means to see structures and follow dynamics from the protein to the organism level. A huge advantage of C. elegans as a model organism is its transparency, which coupled with its small size means that nearly every biological process can be observed and measured with the appropriate probe and light microscope. Continuous improvement in microscope technologies along with novel genome editing techniques to create transgenic probes have facilitated the development and implementation of a dizzying array of methods for imaging worm embryos, larvae and adults. In this review we provide an overview of the molecular and cellular processes that can be visualized in living worms using light microscopy. A partial inventory of fluorescent probes and techniques successfully used in worms to image the dynamics of cells, organelles, DNA, and protein localization and activity is followed by a practical guide to choosing between various imaging modalities, including widefield, confocal, lightsheet, and structured illumination microscopy. Finally, we discuss the available tools and approaches, including machine learning, for quantitative image analysis tasks, such as colocalization, segmentation, object tracking, and lineage tracing. Hopefully, this review will inspire worm researchers who have not yet imaged their worms to begin, and push those who are imaging to go faster, finer, and longer.


This article presents the potential impacts of climate change on the Apalachicola -ChattahoocheeFlint (ACF) river basin (Figure 1) in the southeast US. The long term future basin inflow sequences corresponding to A1B and A2 climate change scenarios were used to drive a water resources model that incorporates the river network, all storage projects and hydroelectric facilities, water withdrawals and returns, instream flow requirements, and management procedures. The assessment criteria of impacts include reliability of water supply for municipal, industrial, and agricultural users with current demand level (year 2007) and future projection (year 2050); lake levels; environmental and ecological flow requirements; and hydropower generation. Results indicate that, under the climate change scenarios and with the current management procedures, the system will experience severe adverse water resources impacts such as extended reservoir drawdowns (Figure 2), water supply deficits (Figure 3), and frequent violations of instream flow requirements. Adaptive management procedures and modified operation rules are proposed and tested to mitigate the impacts of climate changes. The results indicate that such measures can significantly reduce adverse climate and demand change impacts (Figure 4 and Figure 5), but they need to be institutionalized as part of state and federal agency policies. Reg. Reservoir Runoff Reservoir Control Point Local Inflow Withdrawal Legend Lake Lanier 105MW


Zooplankton samples collected from ten stations covering the entire stretch of the Kadalundi-Vallikunnu CommunityReserve, Kerala, south India, for a period from July 2018 to June 2019 were studied. Twenty eight groups of zooplankton viz. copepods, foraminifera, medusae, chaetognaths, siphonophores, ctenophores, ostracods, cladocera, Lucifer sp., amphipods, isopods, appendicularia, Balanus nauplii, cyphonautes larvae, polychaete larvae, echinoderm larvae, ephyra larvae, brachiopod larvae, alima larvae of squilla, aquatic insect larvae, prawn larvae, crab zoea, crab megalopa larvae, bivalve larvae, pteropods, gastropod larvae, fish eggs and fish larvae were recorded. Among these, copepods formed the major portion of 43%. An average of 18330 nos. per 100 m3 was noticed from the study area. The maximum and minimum density of zooplankton was observed at Station 1 and 10 respectively and a decreasing trend in abundance was recorded from barmouth towards upstream stations. Seasonal studies indicated a maximum of 52% during pre-monsoon, followed by 36% during post-monsoon and a minimum of 12% during monsoon. Different indices of diversity, dominance plot, dendrogram and Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS) plot are presented and discussed.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Estuary, PRIMER, Primary consumers, Seasonality


The article assesses the impact of digital technologies on our understanding of film history. While the "New Film History" has revitalized the study of the cinema's "origins," it has not yet proven itself equally successful in analyzing the subsequent turn-of-the-century multimedia conjuncture. Faced with this challenge, the essay makes a case for a new historiographical model, "Media Archaeology," in order to overcome the opposition between "old" and "new" media, destabilized in today's media practice. The field of audio-visual experience needs to be re-mapped, clarifying what is meant by embodiment, interface, narrative, diegesis, and providing new impulses also for the study of non-entertainment uses of the audio-visual dispositif. Ciné_14,2.qxd 14/03/05 14:59 Page 75


Background Intimate partner violence (IPV), defined as physical, emotional, or sexual violence against a partner, is an important public health issue globally. However, there is scarce data on intimate partner violence among vunerable youth living in the slums in Kampala, Uganda. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the factors associated with IPV among youth living in a high-risk setting. Methods Analyses are based on a cross-sectional study conducted in spring of 2014. Participants comprised a convenience sample (N = 1,134) of urban service-seeking youth living on the streets or in the slums, 12–18 years of age who were participating in a Uganda Youth Development Link drop-in centre. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with IPV. Results Among youth who currently had a boyfriend or girlfriend, 32.5% experienced or initiated IPV. Among those who experienced or initiated IPV, 26.4% forced their partner to have sex with them, 76.3% admitted to physically hurting their partner, and 80.0% stated their partner physically hurt them. Experiencing or initiating IPV was associated with parental drunkenness (AOR 2.00; 95% CI: 1.41–2.83) and observing parental physical violence towards each other (AOR 2.28; 95% CI: 1.54–3.37). IPV was also associated with having any sexually transmitted disease (AOR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.09–2.31) and having suicidal ideations (AOR 2.82; 95% CI: 1.89–4.20). Conclusions Levels of IPV victimisation and perpetration very high in this population and warrant urgent attention. Risk factors for IPV need to be integrated in services to address the specific social and environmental challenges that these youth are facing.


The prediction skill and errors in surface temperature anomalies in initialized decadal hindcasts from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) are assessed using six ocean–atmosphere coupled models initialized every year from 1961 to 2008. The initialized hindcasts show relatively high prediction skill over the regions where external forcing dominates, indicating that a large portion of the prediction skill is due to the long-term trend. After removing the linear trend, high prediction skill is shown near the centers of actionof thedominantdecadalclimate oscillations, such as thePacific decadaloscillation(PDO)and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO). Low prediction skill appears over the tropical and eastern North Pacific Ocean where the predicted anomaly patterns associated with the PDO are systematically different in model and observations. By statistically correcting those systematic errors using a stepwise pattern projection method (SPPM) based on the data in an independent training period, the prediction skill of sea surface temperature (SST) is greatly enhanced over the North Pacific Ocean. The SST prediction skill over the North Pacific Ocean after the SPPM error correction is as high as that over the North Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the prediction skill in a single model after correction exceeds the skill of the multimodel ensemble (MME) mean before correction, implying that the MME method is not as effective in addressing systematic errors as the SPPM correction.


This paper describes development of a test cell setup for concurrent running of a real engine and a simulation of the vehicle system, and its use for investigating highly-dynamic engine-in-vehicle operation and its effect on diesel engine emissions. Running an engine in the test cell under conditions experienced in the vehicle enables acquiring detailed insight into dynamic interactions between power train sub-systems, and the impact of it on fuel consumption and transient emissions. This type of data may otherwise be difficult and extremely costly to obtain from a vehicle prototype test. In particular, engine system response during critical transients and the effect of transient excursions on emissions are investigated using advanced, fast-response test instrumentation and emissions analyzers. Main enablers of the work include the highly dynamic AC electric dynamometer with the accompanying computerized control system and the computationally efficient simulation of the driveline/vehicle system. The latter is developed through systematic energy-based proper modeling that tailors the virtual model to capture critical powertrain transients while running in real time. Coupling the real engine with the virtual driveline/vehicle offers a chance to easily modify vehicle parameters, and even study different power train configurations. In particular, the paper describes the engine-in-the-loop study of a V-8, 6l engine coupled to a virtual 4´4 off road vehicle. This engine is considered as a high-performance option for this truck and the real prototype of the complete vehicle does not exist yet. The results shed light on critical transients in a conventional powertrain and their effect on NOx and soot emissions. Measurements demonstrate very large spikes of particulate concentration at the initiation of vehicle acceleration events. Characterization of transients and their effect on particulate emission provides a basis for devising engine-level or vehicle level strategies, and direct guidance for developing drive-by-wire systems and/or hybrid supervisory control.


The 'agencification' of EU law is a long discussed process encompassing, on the one hand, the far-reaching regulatory powers that agencies enjoy, and on the other, their external and internal accountability. Indeed, if EU agencies are based on secondary legislation, it remains to be seen whether the agencies' democratic accountability is acknowledged by those individuals dealing with them.
The European Ombudsman (EO) is the sole body entrusted to oversee the accountability of European institutions and bodies. Indeed, not only has the EO played an active role in shaping a code of good administrative behaviour, but has also been more and more involved in disputes between individuals and agencies.
Against this background, this paper will be structured as follows. Firstly, in order to understand whether the EO can foster agencies' accountability, the paper will depict the role of the EO vis-a-vis European agencies, through an analysis of the EO's decisions. Secondly, it will posit that in light of the wide locus standi before the EO, anybody can potentially lodge a complaint – including international actors, multinational companies, or even agencies located in other States. Thirdly, and in conclusion, the paper will argue that the external dimension of EU agencies benefits from the internal control of accountability performed by the EO.


The objectives of this study were to obtain the best formula for corn flour-based batter and to predict its shelf life using critical moisture approach.  According to a hedonic test, the best batter formula was composed of 60% corn flour, 12.5% rice flour, 12.5% tapioca starch, and 15% glutinous rice flour. Addition of glutinous rice flour in the formula changed the proportion of amylose and amylopectin in the batter. As a result, the retrogradation of the batter decreased and the texture of its fried product was preferred. A critical moisture approach was used to predict the shelf life of the batter. The critical moisture content of the batter was 0.16 g H2O/g solid.The isotherm sorption phenomenon of the batter was best described using Hasley model. The shelf life of the product was 7 months when packaged in polypropylene (0,07 g/m2day.mmHg) at 85% RH.


Summary 1. A population model for the tick Ixodes ricinus, the most significant vector of pathogens in Europe, is used to explore the relative impact of changes in climate, host density and acaricide-treated hosts on tick abundance and seasonality. 2. A rise in temperature of the sort witnessed since 1989 speeds up the inter-stadial development of ticks, thereby reducing the cumulative effect of constant daily mortality rates and potentially raising population levels. The predicted earlier onset of tick-questing activity in the spring, due to stage-specific temperature thresholds, could increase contact between ticks and humans during recreational visits to the countryside in spring holidays. These tick population effects vary geographically with background climate. 3. The significant increase in deer abundance across Europe, including the UK, in recent decades is predicted to drive tick population increases, the effect varying with the initial density of hosts. In areas only recently colonized by deer, tick numbers are predicted to rise dramatically (given suitable climatic conditions). Where host densities are already high, however, further increases may reduce numbers of questing ticks; unfed ticks leave the questing population more rapidly, even though the overall tick population (and therefore pathogen transmission potential) increases. 4. Culling high-density deer populations as a control measure could, therefore, initially cause an apparent increase in questing ticks, with the predicted long-term population trajectory depending on the severity of the cull. 5. Conversely, the further addition of large hosts (e.g. sheep) would effectively reduce the number of questing ticks and therefore the risk to humans. If such sheep were treated with acaricide, tick populations are predicted to decrease rapidly, to an extent that depends on the relative abundance of wild (untreated) and treated hosts. Tick control in designated areas may be achieved by using sheep in this way as 'lethal mops', as used to occur in the past when sheep were regularly dipped. 6. Synthesis and applications. Both abiotic and biotic environmental changes witnessed recently could have contributed to apparent increases in tick populations, especially where these environmental factors were limiting in the past. The release of additional hosts treated with long-lasting acaricide is potentially an effective control strategy.


This article employs social network analysis as a mechanism to bridge the typical ways of talking about usage statistics and to provide a context-specific perspective about the mediated use of electronic resources. The article reports on an analysis of data gathered at the Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California) about standard usage statistics as well as library Information Desk encounters during which an electronic resource is mentioned. Our analysis demonstrates that e-resources are suggested and used in concert; there are central resources that are mentioned together, instead of a single e-resource being suggested alone to resolve a given information need. We also learned that half of the available electronic resources are not suggested once during the year analyzed. The conceptual results of this work support the use of social network analysis in examining other relational aspects of library work. Practical results are reported as well, most notably the use of more than one resource to fulfil an information need.


Ethanol dehydration is
effectively catalyzed by solid acids, such as HZSM-5,
alumina, or silica-alumina. In these catalysts, the amount, nature, and
strength of acid sites is believed to determine catalyst activity and
stability. However, surface hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity can
be suggested as another decisive catalyst property that can directly influence
performance. For example, a more hydrophobic surface might be beneficial in repelling
the co-product of the reaction, water. However, these aspects have been studied
only scarcely in the context of alcohol dehydration. Here, a series of mesoporous hybrid aluminosilicate catalysts containing CH3Si
groups was prepared in
one pot by non-hydrolytic sol-gel (NHSG). The presence
of the methyl groups was verified by IR, solid-state NMR, and ToF-SIMS. Aluminum
is mostly incorporated in tetrahedral coordination in the hybrid silica matrix.
Two parameters were varied: (i) the Si:Al ratio and (ii) the Si:MeSi ratio. On
the one hand, changing the Si:Al ratio had a marked impact on hydrophilicity,
as attested by water sorption measurements. On the other hand, unexpectedly,
the introduction of methyl groups had no clear influence on sample
hydrophilicity. Nevertheless, some of the methylated aluminosilicate catalysts
markedly outperformed the purely inorganic catalysts and a commercial
silica-alumina benchmark. While a direct influence of surface hydrophilicity or
hydrophobicity could be excluded, characterization of acidity (IR-pyridine) revealed that these improved
performances are correlated with a modification of the acidic properties in the hybrid catalysts caused by the presence of methyl groups. A decisive role of acidity in ethanol dehydration was confirmed by an
experiment with delayed addition of the Al precursor in the NHSG synthesis.
This led to a higher Al surface concentration, marked acid sites number increase,
and better catalytic performance, even competing with HZSM-5 in terms of
activity.


The analysis of a problem state of chronic hepatitis C in children was conducted. Data on primary incidence of chronic hepatitis C at the children's population as on the territory of the Russian Federation, and abroad are submitted. Problems of diagnosis of a HCV infection are studied. The survey analysis of risk of contamination is carried out, possible ways of transfer are highlighted, features of a course of a HCV infection in children are shown, synchronising frequency of a process is displayed. The problem is analysed now, and further prospects in treatment of chronic viral hepatitis C in children are estimated.


Contamination of water supplies by polyfluoroalkyl substances, notably perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), has serious health and environmental consequences. Therefore, the development of straightforward and effective means of monitoring and removing PFASs is urgently required. In this study, we report a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of PFOS and PFOA in water that rely on the J-aggregate formation of meso-ester-BODIPY dyes. The dye C10-mim, which contains a hydrophilic methylimidazolium group and a hydrophobic alkylated BODIPY, self-assembles in water into weakly green-emissive micellar assemblies. Upon binding to PFOS or PFOA, a spontaneous disassembly and reorganization forms orange-emissive J-aggregates. The rapid formation (≤ 5 s) of J-aggregates and the accompanying spectral shifts provide a superior sensing performance, with excellent sensitivity (limit of detection = 0.18 ppb for PFOS) and distinct chromogenic and fluorogenic "turn-on" responses.


SIR,-It makes a good deal of sense, for prospective candidates and colleagues alike, to implement an interview system such as that proposed by Mr Malcolm Gough (23 February, p 635), particularly at consultant level. My business friends gape in amazement when they learn that an appointment may effectively be made on the basis of a flying visit by the candidate, a few phone calls by sponsors, and a half hour interview, and laugh nervously when reminded that such appointments are for life. They then describe the in depth series of interviews they use when appointing staff equivalent in experience and salary, which may even include a staged accident or the offering of excess alcohol at lunch to check social grace and performance under stress. Indeed, such double interviews are already standard practice in other parts of the DHSS's empire. One of our department staff has just been through a pre-interview (expenses not paid) from which a second smaller shortlist was produced for the proper interview (expenses paid). I would not wish to suggest that the post she applied for was in any way inferior, but it did strike me that more care was being taken over the selection of an assistant social worker than is taken with the selection of senior medical staff. ANDREW BAMJI Brook Hospital, Loindon SE18 4LWN;


This study aimed to evaluate animal performance and economic performance of feedlot crossbred lambs (1⁄2 Santa Inês+ 1⁄2 Suffolk) fed different diets based on hay from Cynodon dactylon genotypes, through the use of financial measures considering only the period of feedlot, without relating it to the complete management cycle. A total of 30 intact crossbred Suffolk lambs, identified with earrings, with an average age of 90 days and an average body weight of 21.5 kg were used in this study. Diets were formulated using as treatments a standard concentrate and hay of the Cynodon dactylon genotypes Jiggs, Vaquero, Tifton 68, Coast-Cross, Tifton 85 and Russell in a 60:40 forage-to-concentrate ratio. The treatments were distributed in a randomized complete block design with five replicates. There were significant differences between diets in terms of total expenditure on food, and the highest values were obtained for the Jiggs genotype (BRL 48.96/animal). The animals fed diets based on Tifton 68 hay had a higher rate of return (2.16%) and profitability (34.63%) compared to the other diets. The use of diets based on Tifton 68 hay for feedlot lambs in the finishing phase brings higher economic returns compared to the remaining diets.


PRP-Exos are nanoscale cup-shaped vesicles that carry a variety of proteins, mRNAs, microRNAs, and other bioactive substances. PRP-Exos can be formed through several induction pathways, which determine their molecular profiles and facilitate their tailormade participation in intercellular communication. Currently, little is known on how the PRP-Exos activation method influences the quality and quantity of PRP-Exos. The present study aims to observe and analyze the number, profile, and growth factors of PRP-Exos through TEM, Nanoflow, and WB after PRP activation and compare the difference in function of PRP-Exos on HUVECs, with different stimuli (calcium gluconate, thrombin, or both). We found that PRP activated with both thrombin and calcium gluconate harvested the highest concentration of exosomes [(7.16 ± 0.46) × 1010 particles/ml], compared to thrombin group [(4.87 ± 0.15) × 1010 particles/ml], calcium gluconate group [(5.85 ± 0.43) × 1010 particles/ml], or saline group [(7.52 ± 0.19) × 109 particles/ml], respectively (P < 0.05) via Nanoflow analysis. The WB analysis showed that cytokines (VEGF, PDGFBB, bFGF, TGF-β) are differentially encapsulated in PRP-Exos, depending on the PRP stimulus, in which the mixture-PRP-Exos yielded the highest concentration of cytokines. In the function assay of PRP-Exos on HUVECs, the mixture-PRP-Exos promoted HUVECs proliferation, increased HUVECs migration, promoted the formation of vessel-like by HUVECs via the AKT ERK signal pathway more dramatically, compared with other groups. In summary, our studies showed that PRP activated by the mixture of calcium gluconate and thrombin harvested the best quality of exosomes which had the top biological functions. This study provides a protocol for selecting appropriate PRP activators to obtain high-quality exosomes for future applications.


Juvenile hallux valgus is a complex condition that is associated with multiple forefoot abnormalities and can be accompanied by a flexible flat foot. Initial treatment remains conservative with large toe box shoes, pain control, stretching, taping, or spacers. When indicated, surgical treatment is controversial because of the greater than 100 described surgical procedures and a historically high prevalence of recurrence. However, more recent reviews of surgical techniques for juvenile bunions show less recurrence than previously reported. The percutaneous distal metatarsal osteotomy is one procedure that offers many advantages to correcting adolescent hallux valgus deformities including minimal scar, immediate weight bearing, and effectiveness at correcting the deformity in a reproducible manner. The purpose of this paper is to review the management of juvenile/adolescent bunions and share technical pearls for the successful treatment with a percutaneous distal metatarsal osteotomy.

Juvenile bunions are complex deformities that are not "younger" versions of adult bunions because of an increased dysplastic metatarsal articular angle.
Lesser toe deformities may accompany the obvious hallux valgus deformity.
Historically high rates of recurrence for surgical treatment are decreasing with improved techniques such as percutaneous distal metatarsal osteotomy.


This study determines the factors that influence job satisfaction in public organizations in Tanzania, using Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) Limited as a case study. The objective of the study is to determine the factors which influence employees' job satisfaction at work places. Data were collected using questionnaires, oral interviews, and observations. Questionnaires were distributed to 210 respondents who yielded a 100 percent response rate. The findings show that most of employees were not satisfied with their jobs. The factors observed are satisfaction from job incentives, employees training and development, working environment, leadership, the extent of employees involvement in decision making, fairness and equality of employees in promotion, and managers leadership. As regards to management's strategies needed to ensure employees job satisfaction at work places, most employees were not satisfied with adequacy of efforts devoted by their organizations. The strategies in use are succession planning, employees support for training, opportunities to learn new skills, employer's recognition, compensational benefits and other allowances. As regards the extent at which job satisfaction affects employees performance, the findings are high productivity due to high workers morale, employees commitment in their work, minimal employees absenteeism, and working culture of employees. Most employees were not satisfied with the support given to them by their organizations on fulfillment of these factors. The researcher's recommendations are that, public organizations should identify incentives that increase job satisfaction among employees, secondly, train their employees to keep abreast with technological changes in their work settings,
viii
organizations should have good leaders who can influence their employees to perform to the best of their capabilities. Third, for public organizations to grow and prosper and remain competitive they ought to demonstrate a high level of commitment to employees involvement in decision making. With respect to policy, public organizations should design policies that help to raise the level of job satisfaction among employees including investing heavily on training and development of employees, create plenty of opportunities for employees to learn new skills in their work, and putting in place clear succession planning in the organization.


The aim of this paper is to investigate whether religion has a positive or negative impact on tolerance towards people with different ethnic backgrounds and people with different sexual orientation, or if this is a product of other phenomena in society like general trust, left-right placement, gender and so on. The main intention is to explore if, and in that case to what extent, religious people in Europe tend to be more or less xenophobic or homophobic than their unreligious, or secularized, counterparts. To live up to this aim, the study is based on regression analyses which utilize data from the European Social Survey. The findings show that religious people generally tend to be more intolerant towards immigrants and homosexuals than nonreligious people, but that this effect also differs between countries. For example, whereas the negative effect can be found in most European contries, the correlation is reversed in countries like Sweden and Czech Republic, meaning that a higher level of religiosity makes people more tolerant towards these particular contexts.


Sugarcane bagasse ash is a byproduct of sugar factories found after burning sugarcane bagasse which itself is found after the extraction of all economical sugar from sugarcane. The disposal of this material is already causing environmental problems around the sugar factories. On the other hand, the boost in construction activities in the country created shortage in most of concrete making materials especially cement, resulting in an increase in price. This study examined the potential use of sugarcane bagasse ash as a partial cement replacement material. In this study, bagasse ash sample was collected from Wonji sugar factory and its chemical properties were investigated. The bagasse ash was then ground until the particles passing the 63μm sieve size reach about 85% and the specific surface area about 4716 cm 2 /gm. Ordinary Portland cement and Portland Pozzolana cement were replaced by ground bagasse ash at different percentage ratios. Normal consistency and setting time of the pastes containing Ordinary Portland cement and bagasse ash from 5% to 30% replacement were investigated. The compressive strengths of different mortars with bagasse ash addition were also investigated. Four different C-35 concrete mixes with bagasse ash replacements of 0%, 5%, 15% and 25% of the Ordinary Portland cement were prepared with water to cement ratio of 0.55 and cement content of 350kg/m 3 for the control mix. The test results indicated that up to 10% replacement of cement by bagasse ash results in better or similar concrete properties and further environmental and economical advantages can also be exploited by using bagasse ash as a partial cement replacement material. Keywords: Bagasse ash, Pozzolanic material, Normal consistency, Setting time, Compressive strength, Water penetration depth.


Information about the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences (IIIS) is typically acquired through the web pages, which is limited in its static nature. In this course project, we develop a conversational system, named YaoTalk, to allow for voice-in/out information acquisition through natural dialogues. Unlike commercial form-based dialogue systems, we propose to exploit hierarchical knowledge structure by adopting a tag-based dialogue management module. This module is further coherently combined with an efficient database unit and a domain-specific ASR to meet our purpose. Through extensive testing, we evaluate the quality and efficiency of our developed system, and discuss its limitations. The results show our system is properly responsive, and leads to several potential directions of future work.


This paper documents state dependence in labor market fluctuations. Using a Threshold Vector-Autoregression model, we establish that the unemployment rate, the job separation rate and the job finding rate exhibit a larger response to productivity shocks during periods with low aggregate productivity. A Diamond-Mortensen-Pissarides model with endogenous job separation and on-the-job search replicates these empirical regularities well. The transition rates into and out of employment embed state dependence through the interaction of reservation productivity levels and the distribution of match-specific idiosyncratic productivity. State dependence implies that the effect of labor market reforms is different across phases of the business cycle. A permanent removal of layoff taxes is welfare enhancing in the long run, but it involves distinct short-run costs depending on the initial state of the economy. The welfare gain of a tax removal implemented in a low-productivity state is 4.9 percent larger than the same reform enacted in a state with high aggregate productivity. JEL Classification: E24, E32, J64, C11.


Purpose

Although studies on student residential satisfaction abound, yet there are limited studies conducted on students' satisfaction in respect of hostel accommodation facilities undertaken through public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Nigeria. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of students' satisfaction with the provision of university hostel accommodation facility using build-operate-transfer (BOT) model at University of Lagos (Unilag), Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted literature review and questionnaire survey within the case study of a BOT hostel accommodation facility at Unilag in Nigeria. The students who reside at the case study were the respondents. Hence, 153 self-administered questionnaires were purposively distributed face-to-face to the entire student population that live in the BOT hostel. Thus, a total of 96 completed questionnaires representing 63 per cent were collected and found suitable for the analysis. The data collected were analysed using the mean score and chi-square (χ2) test.

Findings

The study revealed a total mean satisfaction level of 3.46 (on a 5-point Likert scale), which indicates that students are "somehow satisfied" with the university hostel accommodation facility undertaken through BOT. The study further established that age and level of students have no significant influence on the overall students' satisfaction with their hostel accommodation facility undertaken through BOT.

Practical implications

The study would provide valuable feedback to private investors, university authorities and facility managers of higher education institutions to improve their services in the near future.

Originality/value

The identified variables that have tested to be significant in assessing students' level of satisfaction in BOT hostel accommodation facilities could be used to assess users' satisfaction in similar facilities delivered through PPPs in other countries.


A survey of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) along the Skye coastline revealed a variation in distribution on different coastal types. Factors like geology, width of the intertidal zone, intertidal makeup, slope of coastline, inland vegetation, and number of freshwater pools could influence otter distribution. A quantitative method based on a logistic regression model is applied to take into account three scalable and four categorical environmental variables which may or may not affect otter distribution. Otter presence or absence in 500 m coastal sections was compared with binary dependent variables and a set of independent variables on 622 coastal sites. Analysis shows that this method can be used to characterise combinations of factors to predict if otters are likely to occur on a particular coastline. Geology, height 25 m above High Water Mark (indicating slope of coastline), and number of freshwater pools all affect otter utilisation of the coastal zone. Coastlines with Torridonian and Mesozoic rocks and the Landslip area show a positive effect on otters, while all other coastlines have a negative effect. Although primarily of theoretical importance, the model could be used as a tool to locate coastlines elsewhere which are of potential conservation importance for otters.


Full-length poliovirus complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized by assembling oligonucleotides of plus and minus strand polarity. The synthetic poliovirus cDNA was transcribed by RNA polymerase into viral RNA, which translated and replicated in a cell-free extract, resulting in the de novo synthesis of infectious poliovirus. Experiments in tissue culture using neutralizing antibodies and CD155 receptor–specific antibodies and neurovirulence tests inCD155 transgenic mice confirmed that the synthetic virus had biochemical and pathogenic characteristics of poliovirus. Our results show that it is possible to synthesize an infectious agent by in vitro chemical-biochemical means solely by following instructions from a written sequence.


Abstract. This article describes the latest stable release (version 2.2) of the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator (ARTS), a public domain software for radiative transfer simulations in the thermal spectral range (microwave to infrared). The main feature of this release is a planetary toolbox that allows simulations for the planets Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, in addition to Earth. This required considerable model adaptations, most notably in the area of gaseous absorption calculations. Other new features are also described, notably radio link budgets (including the effect of Faraday rotation that changes the polarization state) and the treatment of Zeeman splitting for oxygen spectral lines. The latter is relevant, for example, for the various operational microwave satellite temperature sensors of the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) family.


IEEE 802.11 is implemented in many wireless networks, including multi-hop networks where communications between nodes are conveyed along a chain. We present a modeling framework to evaluate the performance of flows conveyed through such a chain. Our framework is based on a hierarchical modeling composed of two levels. The lower level is dedicated to the modeling of each node, while the upper level matches the actual topology of the chain. Our approach can handle different topologies, takes into account Bit Error Rate and can be applied to multi-hop flows with rates ranging from light to heavy workloads. We assess the ability of our model to evaluate loss rate, throughput, and end-to-end delay experienced by flows on a simple scenario, where the number of nodes is limited to three. Numerical results show that our model accurately approximates the performance of flows with a relative error typically less than 10%.


This study compares the clinical outcomes of Er,Cr:YSGG (2,780 nm) laser-assisted open-flap (OF) and flapless (FL) esthetic crown lengthening (ECL) for the treatment of altered passive eruption. Thirty-six healthy patients requiring ECL were randomly divided into two groups: OF and FL. Gingivectomy and ostectomy were performed with an Er,Cr:YSGG laser in both groups. The periodontal condition and gingival margin level (GML) were assessed at baseline, immediately postsurgery, and at 1, 3, and 9 months postsurgery. The effect of periodontal phenotype and tooth location on GML and supracrestal gingival tissue dimension were evaluated. A significant difference was detected in the mean of GML at all time points, except between 3 and 9 months. The main tissue rebound after 9 months was 0.25 ± 0.3 mm in the OF group and 0.26 ± 0.3 mm in the FL group (no significant difference) and was significantly higher in thick periodontal phenotypes. Er,Cr:YSGG laser-assisted ECL is a predictable technique that achieved similar outcomes using flap and flapless approaches, providing esthetic and restorative opportunities for clinicians.


Abstract : Accurate identification of unknown contacts is a crucial issue in military intelligence. In order for this task to be accomplished by human observers, each one must be specially trained and regularly re-qualify. Even with training, their decisions are subject to human error: bias, expectations, or even a lack of sleep may compromise their accuracy. If an automated system could quickly and accurately determine the identity of a contact, it would be a great benefit. This thesis explores some of the problems which must be addressed in producing such a system. We detail an approach to an algorithm which compares a picture of an unknown ship to an established database and determines its most likely classification. In particular, we use infrared images from FLIR video taken at sea, and obtain classification results for a small test set. We tested eighteen images with success rates varying between seventy-three and eighty-nine percent.


Thirty percent of America's 2.2 million farms are operated by individuals older than 65 years. This study examined how older farmers define health and determined whether demographic characteristics, farm work, and physical and mental health status predict health definition. Data were collected via telephone and mailed surveys during the baseline wave of data collection in a longitudinal study of family farmers residing in two southern states (n=1,288). Nearly 42% defined health as the "ability to work" compared to a physical health-related definition. Predictors of defining health as the ability to work included being White, performing more farm tasks in the past week, taking prescription medications daily, and having minimal health-related limitations to farm work. Health behaviors are centered on the individual's perception of health. Understanding the defining attributes of health can support better approaches to health care and health promotion, particularly among rural subcultures such as farmers, whose identity is rooted in their work.


When we transmit multimedia through wireless channels, we need to protect source bits from channel noise. However, due to the constraints on the channel resources, source and channel bits should share the resources optimally in the sense of distortion or throughput. That is, the problem is how to allocate channel resources such as the bandwidth, diversity, or transmit power to the source and channel under system constraints. In addition, due to the unequal priority of source packets, performance can be improved by assigning unequal channel resources to the packets based on their priority. In this dissertation, we introduce an information-theoretic framework which allows us to analyze the system performance mathematically with unequal allocation of the channel resources with respect to the unequal priority of the source packets. By applying the information theoretic framework, an algorithm to find the throughput-optimal unequal error protection (UEP) is derived. The first example to apply this framework is the progressive image transmission over block fading channels with relay-assisted distributed spatial diversity. Assuming a progressive image coder with a constraint on the transmission bandwidth, we formulate a joint source- channel rate allocation scheme that maximizes the expected source throughput. Specifically, using Gaussian as well as BPSK inputs on at Rayleigh fading channels, we lower bound the average packet error rate by the corresponding mutual information outage probability, and derive the average throughput expression as a function of channel code rates as well as channel signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a frequency-division multiplexing-based system both without relaying and with a half-duplex relay using a decode-and- forward protocol. At high SNR, the optimization problem involves a convex function of the channel code rates, and we show that a known recursive algorithm can be used to predict the performance of both systems. The second example is the layered transmission of a Gaussian source over multiple relays using superposition coding. At first, we analyze the outage probability and performance in terms of average throughput and distortion for decodeand-forward (DF) protocols with single-layer and superposed two-layer coding. For the superposition coding approach, we consider different power allocations to the base and enhancement layers. Then, we propose a simple protocol which assigns a pre-determined number of relays to individual layers instead of repeating the superposition coded packet at the relay. We also present numerical results based on the analysis to compare the performance. We then consider a practical application where motion compensated fine granular scalable (MC-FGS) video is transmitted over multi -input multi-output (MIMO) wireless channels and the leaky and partial prediction schemes are applied in the enhancement layer of MC-FGS video to exploit the tradeoff between error propagation and coding efficiency. For reliable transmission, we propose UEP by considering a tradeoff between reliability and data rates, which is controlled by forward error correction (FEC) and MIMO mode selection to minimize the average distortion. In a high Doppler environment where it is hard to get an accurate channel estimate, we investigate the performance of the proposed MC-FGS video transmission scheme with joint control of both the leaky and partial prediction parameters and the UEP. In a slow fading channel where the channel throughput can be estimated at the transmitter, adaptive control of the prediction parameters is considered


Abstract. Endogenous electric fields (EFs) play an important role in many biological processes. In order to gain an insight into these biological phenomena, externally applied electric fields are used to study cellular responses. In this work, we report the construction and fabrication of a direct current (DC)-electrically stimulated microfluidic biochip and its validation with murine photoreceptor-derived 661 W cells. The presented device has the particularity of offering a non-homogeneous EF environment that best resembles the endogenous electric fields in vitro. The fabrication process is relatively easy, namely by photolithography and soft lithography techniques and, furthermore, it enables live-cell imaging under an inverted microscope. First experimental results reveal cathodal directional cell migration upon applied DC EFs. In summary, the microfluidic biochip has proven biocompatibility and suitability for cellular electrotaxis experiments in non-homogeneous DC electric fields.


The mosquito gut microbiome plays an important role in mosquito development and fitness, providing a promising avenue for novel mosquito control strategies. Here we present a method for rearing axenic (bacteria free) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which will greatly facilitate mechanistic studies documenting the structure and function of the microbiome. Through feeding sterilized larvae agar plugs containing attenuated Escherichia coli, mosquito development was observed in the absence of living bacteria. Axenic larvae were capable of full development into adults, which laid eggs that were subsequently hatched. However, axenic mosquitoes exhibited delayed development time and reduced egg clutch size in comparison to bacterially colonized mosquitoes. These findings suggest that mosquito development is not dependent on live bacteria, but their phenotype is modulated by the presence of microorganisms. This axenic system offers a new tool in which the mosquito microbiome can be systematically manipulated for a deeper understanding of microbiome host interactions.


Virtually every communications system today requires some form of reference oscillators. The need for miniaturized, batch manufacturable oscillators as chip scale timing references stems from the need to replace the well-established, high performing, albeit expensive quartz oscillators without compromising on performance. MEMS oscillators have recently found applications in various consumer electronic applications. With numerous advances in fabrication technology and materials processing, these oscillators are being pushed to create a presence in the high performance base-band market and high frequency applications. Scaling MEMS oscillators to high frequencies presents challenges in terms of reduced transduction efficiencies and material limits on quality factors. Opto-mechanical transduction offers higher sensitivity and opens up possibilities to interrogate high frequency mechanical resonances hitherto inaccessible. MEMS has also found a strong foothold in the several markets for inertial sensors. Typical MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes operate at low frequencies (kHz) through electrostatic drive and sense. A limiting factor in the sensitivity of these sensors is the electronic noise in the sense circuitry. This thesis investigates how opto-mechanics can benefit the field of MEMS in low-phase noise oscillators and inertial sensors (gyroscopes). Using a previously demonstrated opto-acoustic oscillator (OAO), a driving scheme is presented for an OAO by simultaneously exploiting radiation-pressure (RP) and RF feedback oscillation mechanisms to achieve significantly lower phase noise than could be realized by either phenomenon solely. A theoretical model and experimental results are presented corroborating this scheme, demonstrating a silicon OAO operating at 175 MHz with a phase noise of -128.6 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset with 2.77 dBm RF output power, resulting in a 10dB far-from-carrier phase noise improvement. An opto-mechanical transduction scheme is then presented which is selective to sensing the wine glass modes in an on-chip integrated silicon mechanical resonator. By utilizing two orthogonal waveguides for opto-mechanical sensing at the anti-nodes of the desired wine glass mode, the phase difference between the wine glass modes can be used to selectively sense the desired wine glass modes as compared to other modes. The theoretical model for this transduction scheme is presented followed by the mechanical and optical design of several potential resonators. The design of the resonator, drive electrodes, and tunable waveguides are all explored. These designs are experimentally characterized for the 22.3 MHz and 25 MHz wineglass modes. Optical resonances were shown with loaded optical quality factors as high as 95k. Tunable optical coupling was shown with a DC bias gap-closing waveguide design that reduced the extinction of the optical resonance by 7dB with an applied voltage of -43.9V. Differential electrostatic drive was implemented and showed a 15dB suppression of the unwanted wineglass mode. The RF transmission of the wineglass modes for both waveguides showed out-of-phase signals for the wineglass mode of interest and in-phase signals for the other wineglass mode, consistent with what is needed for balanced differential detection. An application considered for these resonator designs and differential sensing scheme is as a vibratory gyroscope. The resonator designs are modified to reduce the wineglass mode splitting to 50-76kHz. Initial COMSOL simulations were performed by applying external rotations and measuring the displacements at the drive and sense from the resulting coriolis accelerations.


Achieving and maintaining acceptable quality of service (QoS) is a difficult task in wireless networks due to highly variable transmission channel parameters and the scarce bandwidth available in such networks. Although IEEE 802.11b is traditionally used for indoor wireless local area networks (WLANs), we have experimented using it as a point-to-multipoint (PMP) configuration for an outdoor WLAN environment with extended coverage areas using suitable amplifiers and antennas. This is an emerging alternative to expensive sub-5 GHz PMP networks for providing cost-effective voice, video, and data services to commercial customer premises equipment (CPE) and end users. The paper evaluates the degradation in performance of data (indicated by measured throughput) and degradation in performance of voice over IP (VoIP) (indicated by measured mean opinion score, MOS) due to effects of fading and interference in a PMP configuration. Tests were carried out in a controlled RF environment. Effects of interference, noise power, signal power, and number of CPEs per base transceiver station (BTS) were investigated. The intent was to evaluate the performance at different traffic loads when the signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio (SNIR) was below a certain threshold. The results show important findings that can be used as a guideline in radiofrequency (RF) engineering a service provider access network using WLANs.


Over the last years, the VAT exemption applicable to transactions concerning payments and transfers has been subject to a strict interpretation by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). What constitutes these transactions has been narrowed down by the CJEU to the function of 'having the effect of transferring funds and entail changes in the legal and financial character'. This has reduced the opportunity for intermediaries in the supply chain to benefit from the exemption. On 21 March 2018, the Advocate General (AG) handed down his Opinion in DPAS Limited (DPAS) (Case C-5/17), whose conclusions appear to potentially narrow down even further any scope for exemption as regards transactions concerning payments or transfers. According to the AG, the exemption should not apply to a provider that 'only' instructs banks to transfer sums of money insofar as it constitutes a 'mere physical, technical or administrative service' that is not covered by the exemption. In this article, the author analyses the AG Opinion and provides some alternate views in light of previous case law.


Abstract. The purpose of this study is to investigate the ability of the Sentinel-5P
TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) to derive accurate geometrical
features of lofted aerosol layers, selecting the Mediterranean
Basin as the study area. Comparisons with ground-based correlative measurements constitute a
key component in the validation of passive and active satellite aerosol
products. For this purpose, we use ground-based observations from quality-controlled lidar stations reporting to the European Aerosol Research Lidar
Network (EARLINET). An optimal methodology for validation purposes has been
developed and applied using the EARLINET optical profiles and TROPOMI
aerosol products, aiming at the in-depth evaluation of the TROPOMI aerosol
layer height (ALH) product for the period 2018 to 2022 over the
Mediterranean Basin. Seven EARLINET stations were chosen, taking into
consideration their proximity to the sea, which provided 63 coincident
aerosol cases for the satellite retrievals. In the following, we present the
first validation results for the TROPOMI/S5P ALH using the optimized
EARLINET lidar products employing the automated validation chain designed
for this purpose. The quantitative validation at pixels over the selected
EARLINET stations illustrates that the TROPOMI ALH product is consistent with
the EARLINET lidar products, with a high correlation coefficient R=0.82
(R=0.51) and a mean bias of -0.51±0.77 km and -2.27±1.17 km
over ocean and land, respectively. Overall, it appears that aerosol layer
altitudes retrieved from TROPOMI are systematically lower than altitudes
from the lidar retrievals. High-albedo scenes, as well as low-aerosol-load
scenes, are the most challenging for the TROPOMI retrieval algorithm, and
these results testify to the need to further investigate the underlying
cause. This work provides a clear indication that the TROPOMI ALH product
can under certain conditions achieve the required threshold accuracy and precision
requirements of 1 km, especially when only ocean pixels are included in the
comparison analysis. Furthermore, we describe and analyse three case studies
in detail, one dust and two smoke episodes, in order to illustrate the
strengths and limitations of the TROPOMI ALH product and demonstrate the
presented validation methodology. The present analysis provides important
additions to the existing validation studies that have been performed so far
for the TROPOMI S5P ALH product, which were based only on
satellite-to-satellite comparisons.


BACKGROUND
Infectious complications can occur in patients receiving cancer treatment and are the most common cause of death not directly related to malignancy. Established international best practices for recognition and management of early sepsis with bundled interventions reduce sepsis-related morbidity and mortality in many patient populations. Integration of these practices is common in emergency departments but has not been documented in ambulatory oncology clinics, where many patients with cancer present for evaluation of infectious symptoms.

OBJECTIVES
The current quality improvement project embedded sepsis best practices into routine care for ambulatory clinic patients receiving chemotherapy or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematologic disease or malignancies.

METHODS
An interprofessional protocol was implemented that included guideline-based universal screening, nurse-activated standing orders for recommended interventions, and clinician-supported decision making for the first six hours.

FINDINGS
Evaluation of implementation of the protocol showed improved timeliness and adherence to sepsis practice guidelines. Postintervention adherence to threshold times for obtaining blood cultures and blood lactate and start of antibiotics showed improvement. All recommended interventions were completed within the target time frame for the majority of patients.


BACKGROUND
Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs), mainly adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), account for about 80% of all lung cancer cases. One of the proteins involved in NSCLC progression may be special AT-rich binding protein 1 (SATB1), a potent transcriptional regulator, able to control the expression of whole sets of genes simultaneously. SATB1 has been found to be associated with aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis in numerous malignancies, including breast, colon, ovary and prostate cancer. However, its role in NSCLC is still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of SATB1 protein and mRNA in NSCLC and non-malignant lung tissue (NMLT) samples, as well as to determine possible relationships of SATB1 expression with both the expression of Ki-67 and the clinicopathological data of the patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was performed on 277 NSCLC (158 AC, 119 LSCC) and 20 NMLT samples.

RESULTS
We observed increased SATB1 immunoreactivity in NSCLC when compared to NMLT, and in LSCC when compared to AC cases. We also noted that an elevated SATB1 immunoreactivity was associated with a poor degree of AC differentiation, whereas in LSCC, an inverse relationship was observed. Our analyses revealed that the expression of SATB1 positively correlated with Ki-67 index in NSCLC and LSCC, but not in AC cases. Finally, we found that high SATB1 expression was associated with a better overall survival of patients with NSCLC.

CONCLUSION
SATB1 plays diverse roles in different NSCLC subtypes, and its expression may have a prognostic significance for patients with these tumours.


A possible association between iron serum levels and Parkinson's disease (PD) using a meta‑analytic approach was evaluated. A systematic MEDLINE search was conducted to identify published observational, case‑control studies dealing with the association between iron blood levels and PD. In both groups, iron blood levels were extracted as means and standard deviations to calculate the standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity of selected studies was investigated. Then, a meta-analysis was performed applying a random effects model. Possible causes of bias were also examined. A meta-regression analysis was finally conducted to investigate whether associations varied according to specified confounding factors. Of 155 studies detected by the research strategy, a total of 23 case‑control studies with full available data were selected based on the adopted criteria. A small, around zero, overall SMD of -0.052 (95% CI, -0.303-0.2) was estimated, indicating no substantial differences between groups among selected studies. High heterogeneity among studies was detected (I2=91.42%; p<0.001). By performing a meta-regression analysis considering single available demographic, geographical and clinical covariates, no significant association was detected. Based on our systematic revision and meta-analysis of available case‑control studies, there was not sufficient evidence supporting a possible significant association between iron serum levels and PD as compared to controls. Principal reasons should be sought in the elevated methodological heterogeneity we found among available studies. A particular attention should be paid on bias and confounding effects to limit heterogeneity among studies and to facilitate the summary of results.


In the presence of an electric field perpendicular to the axes of the wire, the binding energy of shallow donor impurity in finite square quantum well wires is calculated. For different impurity positions and aspect ratios of the wires, we investigate the Stark shift of the 1s-like state energy of the impurity by expanding the wavefunction into a two-dimensional Fourier series and by using the variational scheme. It is found that the electric field breaks down the degeneracy of the states for impurities symmetrically positioned within the structure and leads to red-shift or blue-shift of the impurity Stark energy, respectively. Furthermore, the scaling rule of the binding energy will not be valid for the square quantum well wire under the applied electric field.


Background: Obesity is one of the most serious problems worldwide. Using anti-obesity medications have gained growing interest among adults as a shortcut for bodyweight management practice. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, knowledge, usage determinants, intake pattern and experienced effects of anti-obesity medications, licensed and unlicensed, among university students in Jordan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured web-based questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Results: 418 students with a mean age of 21.5 responded to the questionnaire. The prevalence of anti-obesity medication intake was 11%. The majority (67.2%) had scored poor knowledge regarding these medications. The intake patterns indicated that 78.3% of the consumers were self-administrated without prescription and 76.1% of the consumers used licensed type. Despite being perceived as useful in weight reduction, vomiting, and nausea, were very common adverse events (65.2%). Besides being obese, students with excellent knowledge demonstrated higher odds (OR=24.38 (95%CI: 8.12-73.19) and 10.48 (95%CI: 4.03-27.26), respectively) for medication consumption compared with other, p < 0.0005. Conclusion: Using anti-obesity medications among university students is of concern, particularly due to using unlicensed types and the lack of clinical prescription. With the reported poor knowledge, it becomes crucial to launching awareness campaigns and tailored programs for this age group and the general population.


Immunostaining in transgenic mice carrying the lac z gene can be used to map gene and protein distribution in a single tissue. In this study, we examined inner ears from ephrin-B3 homozygous and ephrin-B2 heterozygous mice. Ephrin-B3 lac z expression was limited in these mice. However, immunostaining revealed ephrin-B3 throughout cochlear and vestibular regions. Immunoreactivity was absent in ephrin-B3-homozygous null mutants, demonstrating the specificity of the antibody. Ephrin-B2 lac z reactivity was detected in a limited number of cells in cochlear and vestibular regions. Different immunostaining patterns were found with different antibodies. Comparison with lac z expression indicated which antibody was specific for the transmembrane-bound ephrin-B2 ligand.


This paper examines idiosyncratic volatility of equity-oriented hedge funds and provides an explanation for why there exists a positive cross-sectional relation between funds' idiosyncratic volatility and their future returns, whereas higher idiosyncratic volatility predicts lower returns in the cross-section of individual stocks. We find that idiosyncratic volatility is a persistent hedge fund characteristic and positively linked to proxies for managerial incentives, discretion, and leverage. Moreover, funds with a greater value of long call options and confidential equity positions disclosed with a delay in their regulatory filings exhibit higher idiosyncratic volatility. We document a positive (negative) cross-sectional relation between idiosyncratic volatility and future returns on individual stocks with high (low) hedge fund ownership. The results indicate that hedge funds are able to solve the idiosyncratic volatility puzzle by successfully picking undervalued, high-volatility stocks that offer high future returns and shying away from overvalued, high-volatility and lottery-like stocks that offer low future returns.


Several G-proteins (GTP-binding proteins) were identified by SDS/PAGE in the cytosol (105,000 g supernatant) and membrane fractions of the oestrogen-dependent human mammary-tumour cell line ZR-75-1. These proteins, with molecular masses in the range 18-29 kDa, specifically bind [alpha-32P]GTP, which can be displaced by unlabelled GTP, GDP and their non-hydrolysable analogues guanosine 5'-[delta-thio]triphosphate (GTP[S]) and guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (GDP[S]), but not by GMP, ATP, ADP, AMP and other unrelated nucleotides. The apparent dissociation constant for GTP was approx. 2 x 10(-8)M. Homogenization of ZR-75-1 cells in high-salt buffer (1 M-KCl), and successive washing of the membrane fraction, suggested that, among the major G-proteins found, the 18 kDa protein is predominantly soluble, whereas the 27-29 kDa complex is primarily bound to the membrane fraction under the experimental conditions employed. Possible translocation of these G-proteins between membrane and cytosol was analysed. No redistribution of the 27-29 kDa complex was observed, whereas GTP[S] in the presence of Mg2+ caused apparent translocation of the 18 kDa protein to the membrane fraction. This effect was specific for GTP and stable GTP analogues, whereas GDP, GMP, ATP, ADP, AMP and other unrelated nucleotides were ineffective. GTP[S] and guanosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]-triphosphate (p[NH]ppG) were equally potent (apparent Kd approximately 5 x 10(-6)M), whereas GTP was rather weak. The nucleotide effect is temperature-, time- and concentration-dependent. The translocation process was reversible, slow, and reached its maximum between 30 and 60 min at 37 degrees C. The apparent translocation of this small G-protein from the cytosol to the membrane fraction, and the specific effect of GTP analogues, suggest that this process may have functional significance in mammary-tumour cells.


The paper describes a range of evidence-informed strategies that a Historically Black, Colleges and University (HBCU) work readiness program adopted to increase the engagement of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program successfully engaged half of the program participants through two-generational (2Gen) approach. The 2Gen approaches target low-income children and parents from the same household and combine parent and child interventions to interrupt the cycle of poverty. These approaches emphasize early childhood education, economic supports, postsecondary education, social capital and health and well-being to create a legacy of economic security. The paper highlights the human services delivery strategies utilized to engage individuals into work readiness training activities during the pandemic. The paper presents data where certain 2Gen activities engaged TANF participants more than other 2Gen activities. The data reveals that half of the participants completed online digital literacy courses and earned training certifications. The intent of the paper is to offer state and local human service agency policymakers' guidance on strategies to increase TANF participant engagement.


Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a significant public health problem that impacts millions of men and women in communities across the United States. The authors describe how one Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) utilizes a contemporary integrative approach (i.e., contextual IPV framework) in a specialty mental health clinic focused on treatment and prevention of IPV. This framework values psychosocial rehabilitation and a veteran-centered approach in IPV-related treatment, reduces stigma and shame connected with use and/or experience of IPV while simultaneously holding individuals accountable for their behavior, and creates a therapeutic context that allows for comprehensive assessment, systemic conceptualization, and collaborative treatment planning. The authors provide an overview of the clinic and present three clinical cases to illustrate how the contextual IPV framework is utilized in this setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).


Each application of the procurement of goods / services required the manufacture of Self-Estimated price derived from the approximate (estimated) price of a job (goods / services) to be held. This above is in accordance with Indonesian Presidential Regulation No. 70 Year 2012 on Procurement of Goods / Services, Article 66 digits (5) points a. But what is happening now in the procurement of many software companies individuals or businesses, government officials and developers of software that performs supply and demand for software procurement, had difficulty in making the report HPS. So it can be deduced to solve the problems occurred is needed to set the benchmark in the determination Self-Estimated Price (HPS) method Use Case Point in software development projects by activity agile models. model testing is done using 5 software development project data gets deviation between the estimated level of HPS with the actual cost by 10%, which indicate that the models estimated in this research has a good degree of accuracy.


We describe the ophthalmic manifestations of 3 cases of infantile Refsum's disease. The gravity and the aspect of the retinal disorders which we have observed by ophthalmoscopy and electroretinography were quite different from one case to another, including two siblings. We then go on to discuss the pathogeny and the genetic basis of diseases due to a deficiency of the peroxisomal biogenesis.


Kofee Annan described the inability of a huge number of urban poor in the third world to access proper water and sewerage facilities, leading to many socio-economic and physical difficulties, as an affront to human dignity. Water should be managed as a financially sound commodity subject to legal and regulatory controls to ensure its conservation, protection and well-balanced use. Despite efforts by the governments, the magnitude of the problem remains unassailable. In this backdrop, the non-government organisations in some countries have come forward with innovative ideas to fill the gaps created by the failure of the public sector service providers. However, the question remains of ensuring the institutional and financial sustainability of any such approach, as it should primarily be upon the governments to satisfy the basic needs of the poor, if necessary with the participation of the private sector through a legislative and functional framework. This paper deals with the sustainability of the water and sewerage services in the third world urban areas with particular reference to a model developed by a Bangladeshi NGO where the public sector is the only service provider. It will briefly present the scale of the problem and identify the parties involved before presenting the case study on the Bangladeshi NGO and its program, and discussing on the various aspects of the sustainability issue.


Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene is 21 kb long gene that is located on chromosome 17q23. Protein coded by this gene, ACE enzyme causes conversion of inactive angiotensin I to active angiotensin II that presents key component of Renin Angiotensin System(RAS) that is known to functions in control of blood pressure and balance of fluids and salts in the body. ACE also increases degradation of bradykinin.

It has been shown that ACE gene contains a polymorphism based on the presence (insertion [I]) or absence (deletion [D]) of 287 bp Alu sequence in intron 16. Accordingly, it leads to the generation of three genotypes: deletion homozygotes (DD), insertion homozygotes (II), and heterozygotes (ID).

Studies have identified correlation between ACE polymorphism and different diseases as well as correlation between one of three genotypes and sport performance.
The main aim of this study was to identify genotype and allele frequencies of ACE gene in Gorani population. Comparison of these results to the results of other population studies on ACE polymorphismswe aimed to understand genotype composition of studied population as well as to see if ACE gene presents suitable genetic marker that could be used in population studies.

Genotypes of hundred unrelated individuals were determined by using method initially described by Rigat et al (1992). As overamplification of D allele can cause ID genotype mistyping, DD individuals were subjected to second PCR in which presence or absence of I allele was controlled. Results of the first and second PCR were detected by 2% and 1,5 % gel electrophoresis, respectively.

Results of ACE testing revealed that Gorani population is in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium, where the most common genotype is ID(63%), followed by DD (20%) and II (17%) genotypes.

When results of present study where compared to other population studies, the highest correlation was observed with Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian and Turkish populations. MDS plot as well as dendrogram revealed grouping of population according to geographical position, being more reliable based on continental distribution.

Keywords: ACE gene, ACE polymorphism, Gorani population, Polymerase Chain Reaction, MDS, Dendrogram


Social influence effects have been extensively studied in various empirical network research. However, many challenges remain in estimating social influence effects in networks, as influence effects are often entangled with other factors, such as homophily in the selection process and the common social-environmental factors that individuals are embedded in. Methods currently available either do not solve these problems or require stringent assumptions. Recent works by Xu (2018) and others have shown that a latent-space adjusted approach based on the latent space model has the potential to disentangle the influence effects from other processes, and the simulation evidence has shown that this approach outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches in terms of recovering the true social influence effect when there is an unobserved trait co-determining influence and selection. In this paper I will further illustrate how the latent-space adjusted approach can account for bias in the estimation of social influence effects, and how this approach can be easily implemented in R.


Eight fires in two months at this major New Orleans hospital attracted the attention of the news media and arson investigators. The author provides an interesting look into the way this awkward situation can be handled by a hospital that has been stricken by an arsonist. Language: en