Automatic Music Transcription (AMT) is concerned with the problem of producing the pitch content of a piece of music given a recorded signal. Many methods rely on sparse or low rank models, where the observed magnitude spectra are represented as a linear combination of dictionary atoms corresponding to individual pitches. Some of the most successful approaches use Non-negative Matrix Decomposition (NMD) or Factorization (NMF), which can be used to learn a dictionary and pitch activation matrix from a given signal. Here we introduce a further refinement of NMD in which we assume the transcription itself is approximately low rank. The intuition behind this approach is that the total number of distinct activation patterns should be relatively small since the pitch content between adjacent frames should be similar. A rank penalty is introduced into the NMD objective function and solved using an iterative algorithm based on Singular Value thresholding. We find that the low rank assumption leads to a significant increase in performance compared to NMD using β-divergence on a standard AMT dataset.


This paper presents a synthesis of a framework of cooperative work directed towards creativity, innovation and decision-making. This framework is adapted to project management and integrates the concepts, methodologies and technologies, which aim at improving the economic and socio-technical performances of projects. The analysis and the interpretation of a number of previous researches and empirical studies show that the success of projects, particularly innovation projects, depends mainly on the capacities of the management team and stakeholders to anticipate and react. These capacities are related to the quality of the interactions which are the driving force of the generic processes of the project management, decision-making processes and problem solving, and which brings together individuals, tools, and knowledge. The research objective is to understand the nature of these interactions and to determine mechanisms and supporting tools to improve its quality. Improving the interaction quality leads to increasing the chance of success of the projects, particularly innovation projects, which are characterized by high level of uncertainty and complexity. The definition and the analysis of project processes, and the development of supporting tools are both carried out, in terms of research methodology, by the maintaining of a constant relationship between the practices and the abstraction work.


Libertarians no longer argue, as they once did in the 1970s, about whether libertarianism must be grounded on moral rights or on consequences; they no longer act as though they must choose between these two moral views. In this paper, I contend that libertarians need not choose between moral rights and consequences because theirs is a political, not a moral, philosophy, one that can be shown to be compatible with various moral theories, which is one source of its appeal. Moral theories based on either moral rights or on consequentialism purport to be comprehensive, insofar as they apply to all moral questions to the exclusion of all other moral theories. Although the acceptance of one of these moral theories entails the rejection of all others, libertarian moral rights philosophers on the one hand, and utilitarians on the other, can embrace libertarian political theory with equal fervor. I explain how can this be and why it is a strength rather than a weakness of libertarian political theory. Conservatives, neoconservatives, and those on the left who seek to impose by force their comprehensive conception of the good neglect the problem of power - an exacerbated instance of the twin fundamental social problems of knowledge and interest. For a comprehensive moralist of the right or left, using force to impose their morality on others might be their first choice among social arrangements. Having another's comprehensive morality imposed upon them by force is their last choice. The libertarian minimalist approach of enforcing only the natural rights that define justice should be everyone's second choice. A compromise, as it were, that makes civil society possible. And therein lies its imperative.


Telerehabilitation programs are designed with the aim of improving the quality of services as well as overcoming existing limitations in terms of resource management and accessibility of services. This review will collect recent studies investigating telerehabilitation programs for patients with knee osteoarthritis while focusing on the technologies and services provided in the programs.

 The main objective of this review is to identify and discuss the modes of service delivery and technologies in telerehabilitation programs for patients with knee osteoarthritis. The gaps, strengths, and weaknesses of programs will be discussed individually.

 Studies published in English since 2000 were retrieved from the EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and PsycINFO databases. The search words "telerehabilitation," "telehealth," "telemedicine," "teletherapy," and "ehealth" were combined with "knee" and "rehabilitation" to generate a data set of studies for screening and review. The final group of studies reviewed here includes those that implemented teletreatment for patients for at least 2 weeks of rehabilitation.

 In total, 1198 studies were screened, and the full text of 154 studies was reviewed. Of these, 38 studies were included, and data were extracted accordingly. Four modes of telerehabilitation service delivery were identified: phone-based, video-based, sensor-based, and expert system–based telerehabilitation. The intervention services provided in the studies included information, training, communication, monitoring, and tracking. Video-based telerehabilitation programs were frequently used. Among the identified services, information and educational material were introduced in only one-quarter of the studies.

 Video-based telerehabilitation programs can be considered the best alternative solution to conventional treatment. This study shows that, in recent years, sensor-based solutions have also become more popular due to rapid developments in sensor technology. Nevertheless, communication and human-generated feedback remain as important as monitoring and intervention services.


In this chapter we will discuss an outdoor learning project with young Aboriginal children (4-8 years), their teachers and their community in Perth, Western Australia. Due to the location of this project in the Perth region, there are no forests nearby, wild spaces within a short drive from the school are native bush areas and hence we refer to our outdoor learning project as "Bush School" rather than "Forest School".

The reader will learn how a local community worked together to provide experiences for young children in an outdoor setting that enabled them to learn and experience the outdoors in a culturally appropriate way.

This chapter will provide an important voice in the literature regarding outdoor learning since it specifically works within an Aboriginal community context and emphasises traditional cultural knowledge about relationships with nature and a sense of belonging in the natural world. Teachers in a range of settings could adapt the experiences described in this chapter to local situations. More importantly, teachers involved in this (or other) outdoor learning experiences are provided with the opportunity to learn first- hand about traditional ways of 'knowing, being and doing' (Martin, 2005) and this has enormous potential for programming when back in the mortar and brick classroom.

An important feature of this chapter is the incorporation of traditional cultural knowledge and spiritual connection to place that is highly significant for Aboriginal students and the communities to which they belong. The cultural perspectives discussed in this chapter may also be relevant for educators working with other First Nations communities such as the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Asia, Canada and North and South America.


Purpose
In light of the lack of subjective criteria and scientific rationality in current sustainability performance assessment, the purpose of this paper is conducted to improve the sustainability performance assessment of high-tech firms by developing a hybrid approach that integrates quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Design/methodology/approach
This study proposed a hybrid approach that integrates word frequency analysis, cluster analysis, grey theory and the decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Specifically, this study identifies useful criteria using quantitative word frequency analysis as well as qualitative literature research. Then, cluster analysis is used to divide these criteria into different categories. Subsequently, this study applies the grey theory associated with the DEMATEL method to assess the sustainability performance of high-tech firms.

Findings
The results reveal that the socio-environment is an important aspect underlying the corporate sustainability performance of high-tech firms. Therefore, high-tech firms should enhance their pollution emission control capabilities and increase investment in energy-conservation and emission-reduction technologies to drive sustainable development. In addition, increasing green product sales revenue and improving the guiding capability of green consumption are core issues that firms must address.

Originality/value
This study assesses the sustainability performance of high-tech firms by applying a hybrid method. This method can be used to construct a framework for scientific sustainability performance assessment and to provide a clear direction for the sustainable development of firms.


OBJECTIVES
It is hypothesized that soccer players with periodontal disease exhibit raised serum creatine kinase (CK) levels as compared to those without periodontal disease. We assessed the clinical gingival status and serum CK levels among young soccer players.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Demographic data were collected through a structured questionnaire. Full mouth bleeding on probing (BOP) and probing pocket depth (PPD) were assessed. Blood samples (4 mL) were collected for measurement of serum CK levels. All blood samples were collected from a vein in the antecubital region. Total CK activities in serum were determined with an optimized spectrophotometric method. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance, and P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS
Twenty-seven male soccer players volunteered to participate in the present study. The mean age of the participants in Groups 1 (n = 14) and 2 (n = 13) were 18.2 ± 2.3 years and 19.1 ± 0.6 years, respectively. Mean scores of BOP were significantly higher among individuals in Group 2 (56.8%) compared with individuals in Group 1 (19.4%) (P < 0.001). Mean scores of PPD ≥4 mm were significantly higher among subjects in Group 2 (12.1%) as compared to individuals in Group 1 (0.8%) (P < 0.001). Levels of CK were significantly higher among individuals in Group 2 (292.7 U/L) as compared to those in Group 1 (52.3 U/L) (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
Increased BOP and PPD are associated with increased serum CK levels in young soccer players.


SIR,-In my paper on drug resistance and R factors in the bowel bacteria of London patients before and after admission to hospital (17 May, p. 407) one of the aims was to show whether or not resistant intestinal bacteria are acquired by patients in hospital. No very great change was found in patients' bowel bacteria after admission, but a tendency to acquire a more resistant flora was noted. I did not give any statistical evaluation of this effect and would be glad if you would allow me to do so here. I showed (Table I) that 28 of 100 patients before admission to hospital were excreting enormous numbers of resistant Escherichia coli (25-100% of the bacteria cultured). The proportion of hospitalized patients excreting large numbers of resistant E. coli was higher, but the difference in the groups of patients I studied just failed to reach statistical significance (P = 0-08). Nevertheless, significant acquisition of resistant E. coli in hospital was demonstrated in another way. In Table V patients were classified according to whether their bowel bacteria, and E. coli in particular, became more resistant, less resistant, or showed no change in this respect after admission to hospital. The increase in resistance here was statistically significant (P= 0'04 for all " coliforms," P=0-02 for E. colti). It seems worth stressing this point as evidence that the use of antibacterial drugs in medicine has exerted a selective pressure in the dissemination of R factors in the normal bowel flora.-I am, etc., NAOMI DATTA. Department of Pathology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London W.12.


Abstract Motivation The Estimation of Model Accuracy problem is a cornerstone problem in the field of Bioinformatics. As of CASP14, there are 79 global QA methods, and a minority of 39 residue-level QA methods with very few of them working on protein complexes. Here, we introduce ZoomQA, a novel, single-model method for assessing the accuracy of a tertiary protein structure/complex prediction at residue level, which have many applications such as drug discovery. ZoomQA differs from others by considering the change in chemical and physical features of a fragment structure (a portion of a protein within a radius \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} }{}$r$\end{document} of the target amino acid) as the radius of contact increases. Fourteen physical and chemical properties of amino acids are used to build a comprehensive representation of every residue within a protein and grade their placement within the protein as a whole. Moreover, we have shown the potential of ZoomQA to identify problematic regions of the SARS-CoV-2 protein complex. Results We benchmark ZoomQA on CASP14, and it outperforms other state-of-the-art local QA methods and rivals state of the art QA methods in global prediction metrics. Our experiment shows the efficacy of these new features and shows that our method is able to match the performance of other state-of-the-art methods without the use of homology searching against databases or PSSM matrices. Availability http://zoomQA.renzhitech.com


Biocompatibility restrictions have limited the use of magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia therapy to iron oxides, namely magnetite (Fe3O4) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3). However, there is yet another magnetic iron oxide phase that has not been considered so far, in spite of its unique magnetic properties: ε-Fe2O3. Indeed, whereas Fe3O4 and γ-Fe2O3 have a relatively low magnetic coercivity, ε-Fe2O3 exhibits a giant coercivity. In this report, the heating power of ε-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in comparison with γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles of similar size (∼20 nm) was measured in a wide range of field frequencies and amplitudes, in uncoated and polymer-coated samples. It was found that ε-Fe2O3 nanoparticles primarily heat in the low-frequency regime (20–100 kHz) in media whose viscosity is similar to that of cell cytoplasm. In contrast, γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles heat more effectively in the high frequency range (400–900 kHz). Cell culture experiments exhibited no toxicity in a wide range of nanoparticle concentrations and a high internalization rate. In conclusion, the performance of ε-Fe2O3 nanoparticles is slightly inferior to that of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in human magnetic hyperthermia applications. However, these ε-Fe2O3 nanoparticles open the way for switchable magnetic heating owing to their distinct response to frequency.


One of the World Climate Research Programme Grand Challenges is to evaluate whether existing observations are enough to underpin the assessment of weather and climate extremes. In this study, we focus on extreme associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs). ARs are characterized by intense moisture transport usually from the tropics to the extra-tropics. They can either be beneficial, providing critical water supply, or hazardous, when excessive precipitation accumulation leads to floods. Here, we examine the uncertainty in gridded precipitation products included in the Frequent Rainfall Observations on GridS (FROGS) database during two atmospheric river events in distinct Mediterranean climates: one in California, USA, and another in Portugal. FROGS is composed of gridded daily-precipitation products on a common 1° × 1° grid to facilitate intercomparison and assessment exercises. The database includes satellite, ground-based and reanalysis (RE) products. Results show that the precipitation products based on satellite data, individually or combined with other products, perform least well in capturing daily precipitation totals over land during both cases studied here. The RE and the gauge-based products show the best agreement with local ground stations. As expected, there is an overall underestimation of precipitation by the different products. For the Portuguese AR, the multi-product ensembles reveal mean absolute percentage errors between −25% and −60%. For the western US case, the range is from −60% to −100%.


The interaction between myosin and actin in cardiac muscle, modulated by the calcium (Ca2+) sensor Troponin complex (Tn), is a complex process which is yet to be fully resolved at the molecular level. Our understanding of how the binding of Ca2+ triggers conformational changes within Tn that are subsequently propagated through the contractile apparatus to initiate muscle activation is hampered by a lack of an atomic structure for the Ca2+-free state of the cardiac isoform. We have used paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE)-NMR to obtain a description of the Ca2+-free state of cardiac Tn by describing the movement of key regions of the troponin I (cTnI) subunit upon the release of Ca2+ from Troponin C (cTnC). Site-directed spin-labeling was used to position paramagnetic spin labels in cTnI and the changes in the interaction between cTnI and cTnC subunits were then mapped by PRE-NMR. The functionally important regions of cTnI targeted in this study included the cTnC-binding N-region (cTnI57), the inhibitory region (cTnI143), and two sites on the regulatory switch region (cTnI151 and cTnI159). Comparison of 1H-15N-TROSY spectra of Ca2+-bound and free states for the spin labeled cTnC-cTnI binary constructs demonstrated the release and modest movement of the cTnI switch region (∼10 Å) away from the hydrophobic N-lobe of troponin C (cTnC) upon the removal of Ca2+. Our data supports a model where the non-bound regulatory switch region of cTnI is highly flexible in the absence of Ca2+ but remains in close vicinity to cTnC. We speculate that the close proximity of TnI to TnC in the cardiac complex is favourable for increasing the frequency of collisions between the N-lobe of cTnC and the regulatory switch region, counterbalancing the reduction in collision probability that results from the incomplete opening of the N-lobe of TnC that is unique to the cardiac isoform.


Ribbing disease (RD) is a rare bone dysplasia characterized by benign endosteal and periosteal new bone formation confined to the diaphysis of the long bones of the lower extremities in young adults. The etiology and optimal treatment for the disease are unknown. It is often initially diagnosed as a low-grade osteomyelitis or a bone-forming neoplasia. It may also be confused with other causes of increased bone density. The onset is usually after puberty and the most common presenting symptom is pain that does not resolve with medical treatment and sometimes is intolerable. We report the case of a 22-year old woman with clinical and radiological manifestations of RD. In spite of different medical treatment modalities, pain did not resolve and the patient consulted multiple physicians. Intramedullary reaming of the tibia was performed to relieve the severe pain. To the authors' knowledge, in this report we present a case of RD for the third time in the orthopaedic literature and also she is the second case in the English literature to undergo a definite surgical treatment modality as intramedullary reaming for the solution of her pain. Owing to the rarity of the disease we aimed to report the complete findings of our encounter with the disease and to emphasize the role of an orthopaedic surgeon in consultation and intervention for the treatment of intolerable pain which is the most important symptom of this disease.


High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy has been used to study the electronic properties of Ag thin films deposited on Cu(1 1 1) and modified by Ar+ sputtering. Ion sputtering strongly modifies the loss function in the region of single-particle transition as deduced from the appearance of sputtering-induced spectral features in the valence band. In contrast to unmodified Ag systems, in the sputtered films the centroid of the induced charge of the surface plasmon lies in the close vicinity of the jellium edge. In these modified Ag films, Landau damping processes are activated beyond a critical energy of 3.83 eV and a threshold wave vector of 0.2 Å−1. Moreover, we find that plural plasmonic losses arise upon increasing the Ar+dose. A comparison with the case of the sputtered Ag(1 0 0) surface is presented throughout the paper.


Synopsis
The aim of this book is to bring together contributions from researchers in Canada, Britain and Australia. The chapters on Canada point to the interaction of physical, emotional and sexual abuse in influencing particular kinds of adjustment in child victims of sexual abuse. Two independent pieces of research show that within-family sexual abuse is only harmful when it is combined with family dysfunction and/or other types of abuse. The complexities of family structure surrounding sexual abuse are brought out in the British contributions for how social workers intervene on behalf of child victims, and how mothers react in supporting child victims. Two chapters focus on the worst type of outcomes from physically, emotionally and sexually abusive homes. A typology emerges from one of these chapters. The other chapter provides a systematic comparison with adolescent sex-trade workers in the Philippines, and reaches the conclusion that exploitation of young prostitutes is more profound in Canada. Another chapter reviews theoretical and substantive writings on men and women who abuse children physically and sexually. #FEDA sample is analyzed of those who murder children, and those who sexually assult them, and a theoretical typology is derived. The final chapter provides data on suicide in men who have abused children. The Australian contribution is an essay on the sociology of knowledge in the field of child sexual abuse, showing the complexities of definition and the minefields which face those whose precipitant action may cause victims more harm.


Researchers have long documented a persistent Black–White gap in wealth. These studies, however, often treat race as a discrete category, eluding its socially constructed nature. As a result, these studies assume that the "effect of race" is consistent across all individuals racialized as Black. Studies that make this assumption potentially obscure heterogeneity in the size of the Black–White wealth gap. Research on skin color stratification suggests that it is possible that the Black–White wealth gap varies by the extent to which a racial subgroup is deemed to fit the broader racial umbrella. In turn, I adopt a more complex operationalization of race that is based on both racial and skin tone appraisals. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I find that the Black–White wealth gap does vary by the Black skin tone subgroup. Generally, the Black–White gap in assets is smallest when focusing on lighter-skin Black people and largest when focusing on darker-skin Black people. These differences are not only the result of initial disadvantage but also cumulative disadvantage in the rate of wealth accumulation. Lastly, the findings suggest that the Black–White wealth gaps grow at a faster rate than the skin tone wealth gaps. I found that differences were robust to adjustments for parental socioeconomic status, childhood background, and interviewer characteristics. I conclude by discussing the theoretical implications for our understanding of the mechanisms undergirding Black–White disparities in wealth attainment.


During the Reformation, Protestants attempted to recast their theology in opposition to the Roman Catholic system. They succeeded in most areas. There was, however, one area of theology where this was not true: demonology and spiritual possession. Incidents of demonic possession rose during the second quarter of the sixteenth century, reached a crescendo by the first quarter of the seventeenth century, and except for a flurry or two, died out near the beginning of the eighteenth century. This dissertation examines the published materials relating to the physical phenomena of demonic possession in France, England, and Puritan America from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in three categories: theology, law and medicine. By concentrating on the corporeal aspects of the phenomenon, I have delineated aspects of the problem which were most important to each profession, outlined differences between the professions in discernment of the spirits and the remedies prescribed, and offered explanations for the dissolution of the interest in demonic possession as a diagnosis. In searching for answers to the rise of demonic possession, both Catholics and Reformers resorted to shared sources: the Bible, Church Fathers, Classical authors, and scholastics. Therefore, the demonology remained constant for both sides. It was not whether one was Roman Catholic or Reformed but whether one adhered to the philosophical system outlined by Plato or the one by Aristotle. Puritan thought was dictated by the scholastic education at Cambridge University and by a lack of a reformed angelology to counterbalance the Summa Theologica of Aquinas. Thinkers who diagnosed behavior as demonic and sanctioned witchcraft persecution were usually Aristotelian in thought. Neoplatonic thinkers searched for other origins. This has implications for the study of Protestant and Puritan theology. The Salem events, for instance, happened the way they did not so much because of sociological or political problems, but because anomalous human behavior was interpreted in an Aristotelian manner. Finally, this work is an attempt to offer a broader insight into the intellectual history of the early modern period through a study of the use of the human body to explain theological assumptions.


Solar electricity is one of the most promising technologies for our future electricity supply. By using concentrators, it is possible to reduce the cost of generating photovoltaic electricity. This thesis discusses how to design stationary low concentrating systems for photovoltaic or PV/Thermal applications. The first chapters briefly explain the optics of solar energy concentrators. The theoretical maximum concentration ratios of two dimensional and three dimensional systems were derived using the concept of etendue conservation and a review of current concentrators was presented. In order to improve existing concentrators, it is important to identify the most significant losses. This was done by characterization of an asymmetrically truncated CPC fitted with standard solar cells. The non uniform irradiance distribution on the cells was identified as the single most important reason for electrical losses. To address the problems of non uniform irradiance distribution, a structured reflector was introduced in the characterized system. The structured reflector created a more homogeneous light distribution on the cells, but because of larger optical losses, it was difficult to show any improved performance. It was expected that the more uniform distribution would improve the annual output, but to what extent was difficult to estimate. A new simulation based method for evaluation of photovoltaic concentrators was therefore developed. It consisted of three steps, optical simulations of the concentrator, electrical simulations to evaluate how the light distribution affected the output, and finally annual simulations to get an estimate of the annual electrical output. Using the new method, two new concentrators were developed. One of the systems was intended for roof integration, and the other for wall integration. Both systems were fitted with structured reflectors. The concentration ratio of both systems was increased compared to their references in order to utilize the optimum potential of the structured reflectors. It was shown that the roof concentrator would yield 191 kWh per m2 solar cells. This was 20% higher than the reference system. The wall concentrator was estimated to generate 213 kWh per m2 solar cells, which was 10% higher than the reference wall concentrator. Measurements on the newly developed roof concentrator showed that the more uniform irradiance distribution and increased concentration ratio increased the electrical output in the meridian plane. However, because of low manufacturing precision it was difficult to demonstrate this for all angles of incidence. The last chapter of the thesis discusses the advantages and disadvantages of possible changes to stationary photovoltaic concentrators. The chapter ends by defining a set of rules on how to design stationary concentrators with standard cells for maximum annual electrical output. (Less)


This paper investigates the performance of private equity partnerships using a data set of individual fund returns collected by Venture Economics. Over the sample period, average fund returns net of fees approximately equal the S\&P 500 although there is a large degree of heterogeneity. Returns persist strongly across funds raised by individual private equity partnerships. Better performing funds are more likely to raise follow-on funds and raise larger funds than funds that perform poorly. This relationship is concave so that top performing funds do not grow proportionally as much as the average fund. Finally, market entry in private equity is cyclical. Funds (and partnerships) started in boom times are less likely to raise follow-on funds, suggesting that these funds subsequently perform worse. Several of these results differ markedly from those for mutual funds.


Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disruptor that imperfectly mimics the effects of physiologic estrogens via membrane-bound estrogen receptors (mERα, mERβ, and GPER/GPR30), thereby initiating nongenomic signaling. Bisphenol S (BPS) is an alternative to BPA in plastic consumer products and thermal paper. Objective: To characterize the nongenomic activities of BPS, we examined signaling pathways it evoked in GH3/B6/F10 rat pituitary cells alone and together with the physiologic estrogen estradiol (E2). Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)– and c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK)–specific phosphorylations were examined for their correlation to three functional responses: proliferation, caspase activation, and prolactin (PRL) release. Methods: We detected ERK and JNK phosphorylations by fixed-cell immunoassays, identified the predominant mER initiating the signaling with selective inhibitors, estimated cell numbers by crystal violet assays, measured caspase activity by cleavage of fluorescent caspase substrates, and measured PRL release by radioimmunoassay. Results: BPS phosphoactivated ERK within 2.5 min in a nonmonotonic dose-dependent manner (10–15 to 10–7 M). When combined with 10–9 M E2, the physiologic estrogen's ERK response was attenuated. BPS could not activate JNK, but it greatly enhanced E2-induced JNK activity. BPS induced cell proliferation at low concentrations (femtomolar to nanomolar), similar to E2. Combinations of both estrogens reduced cell numbers below those of the vehicle control and also activated caspases. Earlier activation of caspase 8 versus caspase 9 demonstrated that BPS initiates apoptosis via the extrinsic pathway, consistent with activation via a membrane receptor. BPS also inhibited rapid (≤ 1 min) E2-induced PRL release. Conclusion: BPS, once considered a safe substitute for BPA, disrupts membrane-initiated E2-induced cell signaling, leading to altered cell proliferation, cell death, and PRL release.


ObjectiveTo compare patterns in mortality and the use of subsequent biliary drainage interventions (surgical, endoscopic, and percutaneous) associated with the different types of biliary bypass. Summary Background DataSurgical palliation of obstructive jaundice due to pancreatic cancer is often accomplished with an intestinal bypass to either the gallbladder or the bile duct. It is not known whether a gallbladder bypass, which is a simpler operation and more amenable to laparoscopic surgery, performs as well as a bypass to the bile duct. MethodsThe authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1,919 patients 65 years of age or older who had a surgical biliary bypass for pancreatic cancer diagnosed between 1991 and 1996 using Medicare claims data and the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. ResultsAt 1, 2, and 5 years, 7.5%, 17.4%, and 26.0% of 945 patients initially treated with a gallbladder bypass had additional biliary interventions, as compared with 2.9%, 11.0%, and 13.3% of 974 patients initially treated with a bile duct bypass. Patients who initially had a gallbladder bypass were 4.4 times as likely to have additional biliary surgery and 2.9 times as likely to have any subsequent biliary intervention as were patients who initially had a bile duct bypass. Median survival was longer following bile duct bypass. The adjusted hazard ratio for death associated with gallbladder bypass was 1.2. ConclusionsCompared to patients whose initial biliary bypass was to the bile duct, the risk of having one or more additional surgical, endoscopic, or percutaneous biliary drainage procedures is substantially greater in patients whose initial bypass was to the gallbladder.


1,6-bis(α-alkyl pyridinium ) hexane dibromide was synthesized and confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR and MS. The inhibitive effect of the gemini surfactants for A3 steel in 20% hydrochloric acid was evaluated by gravimetric measurement and electrochemical method. The results indicated that the inhibitive efficiency of the gemini surfactants was affected by the concentration, the length of alkyl chain and spacer in the gemini surfactants. The inhibition rate increased with concentration, the surfactants with four methylenes as spacer showed a slightly better anticorrosive performance than those with six methylenes, and the gemini surfactants with decyl chains exhibited the best inhibitive efficiency. The adsorption of these gemini surfactants on the surface of A3 steel was in accordance with Langmuir isotherm. The electrochemical experiment revealed that the gemini surfactants were mix-type inhibitors. The current density decreased noticeably with the concentration while the charge-transfer resistance increased. The pyridinium rings and positively charged nitrogen atoms in the gemini molecule adsorbed on A3 steel surface and the alkyl chains formed a hydrophobic layer by virtue of self-assembly property of surfactants. Therefore the corrosion of A3 steel was effectively inhibited by the gemini surfactants.


THE serious nature of difficulties which might be encountered in tail spins, was brought forcibly to the attention of the Material Division of the U.S. Army Air Corps, in the Spring of 1926, when Lieutenant E. H. Barksdale lost his life in attempting to determine the cause of difficult recovery from spins in a military aeroplane being flight tested at Dayton, Ohio. Trouble in recovery from spins had been encountered in several instances in foreign countries, and one or two cases had occurred in the United States: however, the problem was not considered as one generally applicable to all aeroplanes, because, in most cases of previous trouble, the aeroplanes concerned possessed unusual design features which were thought to be mainly responsible for their abnormal behaviour. Prior to this time, general conjectures had been made, regarding probable reasons for difficult recovery from spins, but very little in the nature of systematic investigation had been attempted, consequently no generally applicable principles had been determined. Numerous studies had been made in wind tunnels, and it was recognised that the normal aerofoil would rotate automatically under certain conditions, but the magnitude of the forces involved, and therefore the ability of an aeroplane to recover a normal attitude by use of the controls, could not be readily determined by wind tunnel tests. A few flight tests had indicated that the centre of gravity location, with respect to the resultant air force vector on the lifting surfaces, influenced the type of spin and the case of return to a normal attitude.


This paper aims to explore the changes in efficiency of state-owned, domestic private and foreign banks in Sri Lanka after the ending of the 26 year long armed-conflict between the government and ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009. (The Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fought for a separate state called "Tamil Eelam" from 1983 to 2009. Government forces defeated the LTTE rebels in mid-2009 through military operations and capturing all the land belonging to their de facto state for more than a decade.) Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) along with the bootstrap simulation technique is employed to derive bank-wise efficiency scores. Two approaches, namely the intermediation and operating approaches, are used to measure the efficiency of banks and to analyse banking performance from multiple perspectives. The results show that, under the intermediation approach, in general state-owned banks were less efficient than domestic private banks in 2009 and 2010, but the relative efficiency of state-owned banks improved in 2011 and 2012 surpassing both domestic private and foreign banks. In contrast our results reveal that under the profit-oriented operating approach, state-owned and foreign banks show superior average efficiency than domestic private banks. The findings reflect the strong positioning of state-owned banks, in line with the post-conflict economic expansion of Sri Lanka, in providing efficient banking services.


Purpose: We are primarily interested in how women are continuously required to discipline themselves in 'body work' focusing on the areas of pubic hair removal and the regulation of tattoos, to avoid the consequences of negative social interactions.

Background: The pressure on females to conform to prevailing societal norms encompassing the idealised body of beauty is largely circumscribed via dieting regimes, continuous hair and facial maintenance and visible body attributes. Arguably, these notions of idealised beauty are malleable and can be generationally specific depending upon the cultural norms and social influences at a given time in history.

Methods: Drawing from qualitative methodologies, we undertook one-to-one, semi-structured interviews with women. Our analysis uses a discursive-narrative approach.

Conclusions: Our research projects have raised issues concerned with the ways in which ideals of femininity are continuously constructed in contemporary society and how these notions of femininity are both embodied and self-regulated (via surveillance) by women.


Pigmented hypertrichotic dermatosis with insulin-dependent diabetes (PHID) syndrome is a recently described autosomal recessive disorder associated with predominantly antibody negative, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In order to identify the genetic basis of PHID and study its relationship with glucose metabolism, we performed homozygosity mapping in five unrelated families followed by candidate gene sequencing. Five loss-of-function mutations were identified in the SLC29A3 gene which encodes a member of a highly conserved protein family that transports nucleosides, nucleobases and nucleoside analogue drugs, hENT3. We show that PHID is allelic with a related syndrome without diabetes mellitus, H syndrome. The interaction of SLC29A3 with insulin signaling pathways was then studied using an established model in Drosophila melanogaster. Ubiquitous knockdown of the Drosophila ortholog of hENT3, dENT1 is lethal under stringent conditions; whereas milder knockdown induced scutellar bristle phenotypes similar to those previously reported in the knockdown of the Drosophila ortholog of the Islet gene. A cellular growth assay showed a reduction of cell size/number which could be rescued or enhanced by manipulation of the Drosophila insulin receptor and its downstream signaling effectors, dPI3K and dAkt. In summary, inactivating mutations in SLC29A3 cause a syndromic form of insulin-dependent diabetes in humans and in Drosophila profoundly affect cell size/number through interactions with the insulin signaling pathway. These data suggest that further investigation of the role of SLC29A3 in glucose metabolism is a priority for diabetes research.


Specific defense factors in breast milk together with length of breast-feeding and genetic predisposition may modulate the development of allergy. We studied whether IgA, soluble CD14 (sCD14), or transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in colostrum could affect the development of atopy in children up to age 4. From a cohort of 4676, we selected four groups of children with either long or short exclusive breast-feeding (>3.5 or <0.5 mo); these groups further differed in the presence or absence of atopic heredity. In colostrum from mothers, we measured total IgA, IgA antibodies to cow's milk (CM) and casein, sCD14, and TGF-beta1 and -beta2. The children were divided into three groups: those with no atopic symptoms or IgE, those with allergic symptoms, and those with both outcomes. Mothers of infants later showing atopic symptoms or, in addition, having IgE sensitization (verified atopy) had a lower concentration of IgA casein antibodies in their colostrum than did mothers of infants with no indication of atopy at age 4. Low concentration of IgA casein antibodies was a significant risk for verified atopy. sCD14 levels were lower in colostrum of mothers with infants developing atopic symptoms and IgE sensitization than of those of infants with no atopy. Specific IgA antibodies to CM antigens and sCD14 in colostrum significantly associated with the appearance of both symptomatic and verified atopy by age 4.


Base on the elastic-plastic analytical theory, an elastic-plastic time-history analysis of self-anchored cable-stayed suspension bridge, which engineering background is Dalian Gulf Cross-sea Bridge program, is performed by using general finite element software Midas/Civil. The material nonlinearity of structure is considered with reinforcement concrete fiber model, and distributed hinge type is adopted to simulate for plastic hinge. Compared with the results of an elastic time-history analysis, it is shown that for the structure into the elastic-plastic stage, because of the production of plastic hinge, the input seismic energy is dissipated partially, and the internal forces of structural elements are reduced. The bending moments and axial forces occur mainly in the main tower root. Furthermore, the rotation properties of the plastic hinge causes displacement increasing of certain parts of the structure, which assumes mainly the vertical displacement present on the top of main tower and the main beam. In conclusion, it is proposed that caging devices are set in the design.


Safe water of adequate quantity, and dignified sanitation, is vital for the sustenance of a healthy and productive human population. In the recognition of this, the United Nations formulated the Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 to ensure access to safe water and sanitation by all by 2030. Actualization of this Goal requires information on the existing status of water resources and sanitation levels. Knowledge on contamination of groundwater is essential to prevent risks to human health. The objective of this study was to determine groundwater contamination in Kisumu, Kenya. A total of 275 water samples were collected from 22 sites within the informal settlements between December 2016 and December 2017. The samples were analysed for bacterial contamination and physical chemical quality. Thermal tolerant coliform bacteria enumeration was used as a proxy to bacteria contamination, and the pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, salinity and temperature were used as physical chemical indicators of contamination. The results indicate that groundwater in Kisumu hosed coliform bacteria and therefore didn't comply with contamination limits for domestic water proposed by WHO and local KEBS standards. The results further indicated that the levels of bacteriological contamination vary with water type, shallow well having the highest bacterial loads. The study concluded that there were potential risks to human health due to high content of coliform bacteria. The study attributed the contribution to pit latrines that were present in virtually all compounds. The pit latrines are located close to the water points. The study recommended the definition of minimum distance between the pit latrines and shallow wells to minimize contamination. The low income dwellers should be educated on simple ways of treating drinking water contaminated by microbial to minimize enteric infections.


Stochastic resonance (SR) is an active research topic in the area of nonlinear system theory. It has been used to explain the behavior of both natural systems and man-made produced devices. SR conditions are generally investigated by mathematical analysis of complex systems or by realizing nonlinear systems (a typical example being the Schmitt trigger) that are known to be characterized by the presence of SR and performing experimental studies on them. This paper introduces a novel instrument for the detection of SR conditions that does not require any human intervention and, hence, allows independent validation of results concerning SR.


Infants with intestinal malrotation present with bilious emesis and the diagnosis is generally obtained by an upper gastrointestinal barium study. Malrotation is suspected if the ligament of Treitz is not positioned to the left of the vertebral body. Three patients were admitted to our department from March 2006 to May 2007, aged three weeks, one month and eight months, weighing 3,3.200 and 8 kg respectively to whom laparoscopic Ladd's procedure was done successfully.


Each year the South Carolina Comptroller General's Office produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly and the Budget and Control Board. Included is a discussion and analysis, major achievements for the year and goals for the future.


SUMMARY

The precession and obliquity frequencies of the Earth's rotational motion are functions of the dynamic ellipticity of the Earth's gravitational figure, and this connection has provided a novel bridge between studies of palaeoclimate and geodynamics. In particular, analyses of tuned climate proxy records have yielded bounds on the mean relative perturbation in dynamic ellipticity over both the last 3 Myr and 25 Myr that are less than ∼3 per cent of the non-hydrostatic component of the ellipticity. We demonstrate that this apparent consistency actually defines an important geophysical enigma. Over the last 3 Myr, changes in the Earth's figure are likely dominated by ice age forcings—in this case, a small perturbation to dynamic ellipticity implies significant isostatic compensation of the ice-ocean surface mass loads and, hence, a relatively low mantle viscosity. In contrast, over the last 25 Myr, changes in the Earth's long-wavelength gravitational form are likely dominated by mantle convective flow, and in this case, the small perturbation to dynamic ellipticity implies sluggish convection and a relatively high mantle viscosity. There are at least four possible routes to resolving this enigma: The viscosity in the Earth's mantle is transient (i.e. dependent on the timescale of the applied forcing), tidal dissipation changed in a manner between the last 3 Myr and 25 Myr that was sufficient to resolve the issue, the observationally inferred bounds are unrealistically restrictive, or earth models exist in which the ice age and convection effects approximately cancel leading to no net perturbation. In this paper, we compute a suite of numerical predictions of ice age and convection-induced perturbations to the dynamic ellipticity to illustrate the enigma described above.


Cavitands with phosphane sulfide moieties 4 and 8a,b were prepared in good yields from their phosphane oxide analogues, as more stable alternatives for the dithiophosphinic acids used at present. The cavitands 7a and 7b with flexible butoxyphosphane oxide ligating sites are more efficient than cavitand 3 having rigid methylphosphane oxide groups as was studied with EuIII picrate extractions. Due to the absence of an ionic functionality in the phosphane sulfides 4 and 8a,b AmIII and EuIII are not extracted, not even in the presence of synergents (e.g. TBP, TOPO, HDNNS). Cavitand 10 with phosphinic acid groups efficiently extracts EuIII in 1:1 or 2:1 complexes, depending on the metal-to-ligand concentration ratio (extraction constants Kex1 = 3.9·10-5M2 and Kex2 = 1.9·102M, respectively). Furthermore, in the case of 10 EuIII is preferentially extracted over AmIII with a separation factor SEu/Am up to 5.


The distribution of intensity scattered by a plane mirror placed in the Fresnel region behind a smoothly varying deep random phase screen is calculated for arbitrary angles of incidence of the illuminating beam. It is found that enhancement occurs in the backward direction because of the coherent addition of doubly scattered waves, as in particle-scattering systems, and also as a result of statistical geometrical-optics effects. These effects are largest when reflection takes place near the focusing plane of the phase screen and lead to an enhancement factor proportional to the logarithm of the phase variance introduced by the screen. The coherence and higher-order statistical properties of the scattered wave are briefly examined.


Computer science is possibly one of the few remaining disciplines almost entirely dominated by men, especially university staff and in the hi-tech industries. This phenomenon prevails throughout the western world; in Israel it starts in high school, where only 30% of students who choose to take computer science as an elective are women, and continues in university and college, where usually less than 30% of the entire computer science student population is female. In this paper we present data describing women taking the undergraduate computer science program at the Open University of Israel. Covering a period of 10 years, we have examined the enrollment and results of thousands of students on 20 undergraduate computer science courses. An attempt has been made to identify whether there is a specific stage in the undergraduate program which is more difficult for women to pass. The good news is that within the Open University of Israel out of the entire population of computer science students the percentage of female enrolments and the percentage of females graduating is almost the same, and the differences in average final grade between men and women are generally not significant. This study is unique because of the large number of students which served as the study population, covering the entire undergraduate program.


Spinal muscle atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disease with autosomal recessive inheritance which is pathologically characterized by degeneration of α motor neurons from the anterior horn of the spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness, muscle atrophy involving mainly muscles of the trunk. SMA is commonly divided into types 1 through 4. In humans, SMN genes, (SMN1 and SMN2) are located on chromosome 5 in close proximity to each other. It has been assumed that the SMN2 locus is derived from a (evolutionarily) recent duplication event of a genomic region spanning 500 kb. The role of SMN2 gene as a phenotypic modifier of SMA has been studied in great details recently. Each patient affected with SMA retains at least oneSMN2 copy. From this perspective, it can be said that SMA arises due to the inability of SMN2 gene to fully compensate for the lack of functional SMN protein resulting from the mutation of SMN1. In this review article, we will focus on three of the treatment strategies using SMN2 gene which have been used as treatment strategies by various techniques. These strategies are: i) inducing the expression of SMN2, ii) modulating splicing of SMN2 derived transcript, and iii) stabilizing the full length SMN2 derived mRNA and/or protein.


We consider the possibility of describing, within the special theory of relativity, particles with spacelike four-momentum, which therefore have velocities greater than that of light in vacuum. The usual objections to such particles are discussed, and they are found to be unconvincing within the framework of relativistic quantum theory. A quantum field theory of noninteracting, spinless, faster-than-light particles is described. The field theory is Lorentz-invariant, but must be quantized with Fermi statistics. The associated particle theory has the property that the particle number is not Lorentz-invariant, and the no-particle state is not Lorentz-invariant either. Nevertheless, the principle of relativity is satisfied. The Lorentz invariance implies a relation between emission and absorption processes, in contradiction to the usual case. Some comments are made about the problem of introducing interactions into the field theory. The limiting velocity is $c$, but a limit has two sides.


The operation reliabilities of heating systems are always of great importance. As to the reliability assessment of a combined heating system with peak load compensation in the secondary heating network, it is suggested to use reliability ensuring coefficient based on quota heating coefficient rather than traditional reliability criteria. It is clear that the reliability ensuring coefficient S is capable of assessing the reliability of combined heating system in the most critical condition. Besides, peak load heat sources in secondary heating network can backup the primary heating network and augment the reliability to a certain extent.


This paper sets out an empirically-driven approach for targeting environmental policies optimally in order to combat deforestation. We focus on the Amazon, the world's most extensive rainforest, where Brazil's federal government issued a 'Priority List' of municipalities in 2008, to be targeted with more intense environmental monitoring and enforcement. In this setting, we first estimate the causal impact of the Priority List on deforestation using 'changes-in-changes' (Athey and Imbens, 2006), a flexible treatment effects estimation method, finding that it reduced deforestation by 40 percent and cut emissions by 39.5 million tons of carbon. Second, we develop a novel framework for computing targeted ex-post optimal blacklists. This involves a procedure for assigning municipalities to a counterfactual list that minimizes total deforestation subject to realistic resource constraints, drawing on the ex-post treatment effect estimates from the first part of the analysis. Accounting for spillovers, we show that the ex-post optimal list resulted in carbon emissions over 7.4 percent lower than the actual list, amounting to savings of more than $900 million, and emissions over 25 percent lower (on average) than a randomly selected list. The approach we propose is relevant for assessing both targeted counterfactual policies to reduce deforestation and quantifying the impacts of policy targeting more generally.


Over the last years, consensus and synchronization problems have been a popular
topic in the systems and control community. This interest is motivated by the fact that, in several fields of application, a certain number of agents is interacting or has to cooperate to achieve a certain task. Robotic swarms, sensor networks, power networks, biological networks are only few outstanding examples where networks of agents displays behaviors which can be modeled and studied by means of consensus and synchronisation techniques.

In this thesis we consider a general class of networked nonlinear systems in different operating frameworks and design control architecture to force the systems to reach synchronization and consensus on a target behavior. In particular, we consider the case of homogeneous and heterogeneous nonlinear agents with a static communication topology and design a static high-gain-based diffusive coupling and an internal model-based regulator respectively, to solve the problem of consensus. Then, we analyze the case of dynamical links and show under which conditions, synchronization for homogeneous nonlinear systems can be achieved. Depending on the structure of the dynamic links at hand, static and dynamic regulators (based on the concept extended state observers) are proposed.
Furthermore, we address the problem of disconnected topology and switching topology and derive under which conditions agents reach cluster synchronization and synchronization respectively. Last, we consider the problem of a sampled exchange of information between the agents and design a triggering rule locally at each agent such that the overall network reaches synchronization.


This work is related to modeling of synthetic sonar images of naval mines or other objects. Considered here is the computation of high frequency scattering from the surface of a rigid 3D-object numerically represented by plane triangular facets. The far field scattered pressure from each facet is found by application of the Kirchhoff approximation. Fawcett [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 109, 1319–1320 (2001)] derived a time domain expression for the backscattered pressure from a triangular facet, but the expression encountered numerical problems at certain angles, and therefore, the effective ensonified area was applied instead. The effective ensonified area solution is exact at normal incidence, but at other angles, where singularities also exist, the scattered pressure will be incorrect. This paper presents a frequency domain expression generalized to bistatic scattering written in terms of sinc functions; it is shown that the expression improves the computational accuracy without loss of robustness.


As it is widely known, corrosion of steel reinforcement is one of the main causes of deterioration of the reinforced concrete structures. Corrosion phenomena combined with seismic loads aggravate the situation. For this reason, in the present paper, an effort is made to upgrade the performance of steel reinforcement against corrosion, using the shot blasting method. Precisely, two groups of specimens were prepared, one of which had previously been shot blasted. Afterwards, the specimens were undergone artificial corrosion, in order to compare the results of the developed corrosion damage. Some of them were inserted in a salt spray chamber and the rest of them were corroded via "impressed current density corrosion" technique. Finally, mechanical tests were executed, in order to make an assessment concerning the performance of the reference and the shot blasted material, before and after corrosion effect. Both selection of the double shot blasting process and experimental results that came out, were really encouraging.


One of the most relevant goals of the musculoskeletal care in hemophilia is to prevent intraarticular bleeding. In the past, usual clinical practice allowed for a tacit, moderate degree of tolerance for sporadic intraarticular hemorrhages, based on the clinical observation that joints were able to tolerate an infrequent bleed with little or no harm. However, increasing knowledge on the pathophysiology of hemarthrosis in vitro and in vivo, as well as in clinical experiments, indicates that we need to move towards a more stringent policy with regards to the prevention of occasional and subclinical intraarticular hemorrhages [1–3].


Heat exchanger H.X.s is the equipment used to transfer the thermal energy between two or more fluids at varying temperatures. The nature of this paper is an experimental study of the optimum design for shell and tube heat exchanger as a condenser with high productivity of drinking water for portable solar water distiller. The elaboration covers the aspects of considerations, design, fabrication, and test of the shell and tube H.X. as a portable condenser for solar water distiller system. The system consists of a portable stainless steel condenser, which is able to be dismantled and assembled without tools. The experimental result establishes that the condenser is able to produce 3.8 liter /hour of distilled water from vapor at 99.7 C of inlet temperature and 4 liter/hour vapor flow rate, with 130 liter /hour as a condenser coolant water flow rate. The heat efficiency of the condenser can be increased by means of minimizing the tube's thickness and vapor inlet pressure. There is no back pressure effect on the system and the pressure drop in both sides of the condenser is reportedly of very low value and negligible, therefore, no need for a pressure pump is to be eliminated.


Endogenous membrane and cytosolic and nuclear protein phosphorylations were compared among three well-characterized subpopulations of human colonic carcinoma cells that were originally isolated from a single human primary colon tumor. These intratumoral subpopulations of cells were found to differ significantly in their biological properties. Analysis of phosphoproteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis following 32P phosphorylation of subcellular fractions in a cell-free system or labeling intact cells in vivo revealed significant differences in the selective phosphorylation of membrane, cytosol, and nuclear proteins. The two-dimensional membrane, cytosol, and nuclear phosphoprotein profiles distinguished the three subpopulations of colonic carcinoma cells from each other. Silver-staining proteins from the three subpopulations were also compared. The two-dimensional, silver-stained electrophoretic profiles of nuclear proteins were essentially the same for all three subpopulations. The silver-stained electrophoretic profile of membrane and cytosolic proteins revealed only minor differences in the expression of polypeptides. Nevertheless, these changes could also distinguish the three subpopulations. The results of this study suggest that minor differences in the expression of cytosolic and membrane proteins exist in intratumoral subpopulations of colonic cells. However, a significantly greater degree of heterogeneity was found to be associated with post-translational modification of proteins by phosphorylation and/or dephosphorylation. These modifications could play an important role in determining the expression of different biological properties among subpopulations of malignant cells.


The network paradigm is based on the derivation of emerging properties of studied systems by their representation as oriented graphs: any system is traced back to a set of nodes (its constituent elements) linked by edges (arcs) correspondent to the relations existing between the nodes. This allows for a straightforward quantitative formalization of systems by means of the computation of mathematical descriptors of such graphs (graph theory). The network paradigm is particularly useful when it is clear which elements of the modelled system must play the role of nodes and arcs respectively, and when topological constraints have a major role with respect to kinetic ones. In this review we demonstrate how nodes and arcs of protein topology are characterized at different levels of definition: 1. Recurrence matrix of hydrophobicity patterns along the sequence 2. Contact matrix of alpha carbons of 3D structures 3. Correlation matrix of motions of different portion of the molecule in molecular dynamics. These three conditions represent different but potentially correlated reticular systems that can be profitably analysed by means of network analysis tools.


We study the problem of robust learning under clean-label data-poisoning attacks, where the attacker injects (an arbitrary set of) correctly-labeled examples to the training set to fool the algorithm into making mistakes on specific test instances at test time. The learning goal is to minimize the attackable rate (the probability mass of attackable test instances), which is more difficult than optimal PAC learning. As we show, any robust algorithm with diminishing attackable rate can achieve the optimal dependence on $\epsilon$ in its PAC sample complexity, i.e., $O(1/\epsilon)$. On the other hand, the attackable rate might be large even for some optimal PAC learners, e.g., SVM for linear classifiers. Furthermore, we show that the class of linear hypotheses is not robustly learnable when the data distribution has zero margin and is robustly learnable in the case of positive margin but requires sample complexity exponential in the dimension. For a general hypothesis class with bounded VC dimension, if the attacker is limited to add at most $t>0$ poison examples, the optimal robust learning sample complexity grows almost linearly with $t$.


We investigate the determinants of rosca participation in Bolivia by using a sample of 5,746 households. Evidence shows that in Bolivia rosca is a consumption driven phenomenon. The probability of participating in roscas increases parallel to households' income. Middle-income families with more members and higher expenses are more likely to join roscas. We also find that people who are likely to be excluded from formal credit instruments, such as younger individuals, females, less educated, and indigenous people, are more inclined to participate in roscas.


Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor in childhood, and astrocytomas account for the largest proportion of these tumors. Increasing sophistication in genetic testing has allowed for the detection of specific mutations within tumor subtypes that may represent targets for individualized tumor treatment. The mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and, more specifically, BRAF mutations have been shown to be prevalent in pediatric pilocytic astrocytomas and may represent one such area to target. Herein, the authors describe 2 cases of inoperable, chemotherapy-resistant pediatric pilocytic astrocytomas with a documented response to trametinib, an MAPK pathway inhibitor. While these cases were not treated in the setting of a clinical trial, their data support further ongoing clinical trial investigation to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this agent in pediatric low-grade gliomas.


The Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction, generally referred as EDXD, has shown to be a valid alternative to the conventional Angular Dispersive X-ray Diffraction, the ADXD. EDXD exhibits several advantages to its AD counterpart, mainly related to the properties of the polychromatic X-ray beam utilized for diffracting, such as higher signal intensities, a wider accessible region of the reciprocal space, a greater transparency of samples, and a parallel data collection of the q-points in the diffraction pattern acquisition. However, the main drawback of poly-chromaticity lays in the fact that the quantities that modulate the scattered intensity in a diffraction measurement depend on the energy. These quantities are the primary X-ray beam spectrum, polarization, and X-ray absorption, the last producing by far the most critical effect because it rapidly changes as a function of energy. Therefore, a detailed knowledge of the energy dependence of all these quantities is required in EDXD in order to process the data correctly and prevent systematic errors. The difficulty in handling the energy-dependent factors complicates the experimental procedure and may make the measurements unreliable. In the present paper, a hybrid method between the ED and AD X-ray Diffraction is proposed to maintain the advantages of the polychromatic nature of the radiation utilized in EDXD, while preventing the problems produced by the energy-dependent quantities.


Abstract. The Asian summer monsoon is a high-dimensional and highly nonlinear phenomenon involving considerable moisture transport towards land from the ocean, and is critical for the whole region. We have used daily ECMWF reanalysis (ERA-40) sea-level pressure (SLP) anomalies on the seasonal cycle, over the region 50–145° E, 20° S–35° N, to study the nonlinearity of the Asian monsoon using Isomap. We have focused on the two-dimensional embedding of the SLP anomalies for ease of interpretation. Unlike the unimodality obtained from tests performed in empirical orthogonal function space, the probability density function, within the two-dimensional Isomap space, turns out to be bimodal. But a clustering procedure applied to the SLP data reveals support for three clusters, which are identified using a three-component bivariate Gaussian mixture model. The modes are found to appear similar to active and break phases of the monsoon over South Asia in addition to a third phase, which shows active conditions over the western North Pacific. Using the low-level wind field anomalies, the active phase over South Asia is found to be characterised by a strengthening and an eastward extension of the Somali jet. However during the break phase, the Somali jet is weakened near southern India, while the monsoon trough in northern India also weakens. Interpretation is aided using the APHRODITE gridded land precipitation product for monsoon Asia. The effect of large-scale seasonal mean monsoon and lower boundary forcing, in the form of ENSO, is also investigated and discussed. The outcome here is that ENSO is shown to perturb the intraseasonal regimes, in agreement with conceptual ideas.


Organisms that have ecologically similar sexual and asexual forms present an evolutionary puzzle, as theory predicts that eventually one form should eliminate the other. However, both forms may persist if there is niche partitioning between them. Geographical parthenogenesis is a hypothesis that predicts that in terms of niche use the asexual form in such pairs should be more ecologically successful in marginal habitats. This model has rarely been considered for gynogenetic taxa, as they are sperm dependent and thus constrained to the geographical range of sexual "sperm donor" species. Unisexual Ambystoma salamanders present a unique opportunity to look for evidence of niche partitioning and geographical parthenogenesis in a gynogenetic lineage, as there are multiple possible sperm donor species and so the geographical distributions of unisexuals are less constrained. We used broad sampling, comparative ecological niche models, and a model selection approach to determine (1) whether niche partitioning occurs among sexual and unisexual salamanders and (2) whether unisexual lineages indeed occupy marginal habitat relative to their most similar sexual species. Nearly all unisexual and sexual types showed significant niche differentiation. Predictions consistent with geographical parthenogenesis were upheld for one sexual–unisexual pair (A. jeffersonianum and LJJ unisexuals), but not for a second pair (A. texanum and LTT unisexuals). Our study provides evidence that different biotypes within the unisexual lineage have distinct ecological interactions with sexual taxa, supporting a role for these differences as a mechanism promoting coexistence between some sexual and unisexual forms. However, geographical parthenogenesis is only a partial explanation for sexual–unisexual coexistence, suggesting that other ecological and genetic mechanisms also play important roles in mediating coexistence among these salamanders.


Abstract. Extreme currents are studied with the aim of understanding their vertical and spatial structures in the Faroe-Bank Channel. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler time series recorded in 3 deployments in this channel were investigated. To understand the main features of extreme events, the measurements were separated into their components through filtering and tidal analysis before applying the extreme value theory to the surge component. The Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution and the Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) were used to study the variation of surge extremes from near-surface to deep waters. It was found that this component alone is not able to explain the extremes measured in total currents, particularly below 500 m. Here the mean residual flow enhanced by tidal rectification was found to be the component feature dominating extremes. Therefore, it must be taken into consideration when applying the extreme value theory, not to underestimate the return level for total currents. Return value speeds up to 250 cm s –1 for 50/250 years return period were found for deep waters, where the flow is constrained by the topography at bearings near 300/330° It is also found that the UK Meteorological Office FOAM model is unable to reproduce either the magnitude or the form for the extremes, perhaps due to its coarse vertical and horizontal resolution, and is thus not suitable to model extremes on a regional scale. Keywords. Oceanography: Physical (Currents; General circulation; General or miscellaneous)


To prove the indentation quality of packaging products, the indentation depth and the bottom die width were changed to study the effect of the indentation on the indentation quality and make sure the best indentation depth with HANATEK indentation tester for 20kinds of paper. The relationship between the performance of paper and the best indentation depth is analyzed by the method of linear regression. The result shows that the deeper the indentation depth is, the bigger the folding angle is. The folding angle of steel wire and paper fibers in parallel rows is bigger than that in vertical rows. The deflection and longitudinal tensile strength of paper have notable effect on the indentation depth, transverse tensile strength and tightness are poor and the folding endurance has no remarkable influence.Printing packing profession in our country has made significant progress with the rapid growth of economy and the rapid expansion of international trade. The postpress technology plays a key role to the quality of printing packing and the die cutting indentation is the important technique of production. The die cutting indentation makes the print artistic and suitable , it suits all kinds of print surface finishing process and is widely applied in book cover, trademark, label, as well as carton. So how the quality of the die cutting indentation has directly effect on the market image. However, the indentation processing basically depends on the experience of technical staff in the factory at present. To study the relationship between the performance of paper and the indentation condition can provide certain scientific basis for the choice of indentation process.


Fluorinated heterocycles are potentially interesting compounds for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industry. Fluorinated indole and oxindole derivatives are generally synthesised by late stage fluorination methodologies (Selectfluor™, NFSI). Here, a new method for the synthesis of 3-fluorooxindoles starting from 1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzenes and diethyl fluoromalonate is presented.
The SNAr reaction is very efficient: 2-aryl-2-fluoromalonates are obtained in quantitative yields and are used without any purification in the hydrolysis step. Following esterification and reduction 3-fluorooxindoles are obtained in moderate yield. The reduction is the most challenging step in the reaction sequence, as the most commonly used metal based techniques (catalytic hydrogenation, dissolving metals) eliminate the benzylic fluorine. This is the first reported example of aromatic nucleophilic substitution using fluoromalonates and is a simple and potentially scalable route to 2-aryl-2-fluoroacetic acids and derivatives. As the anion derived from diethyl fluoromalonate is a weak nucleophile, only fluorobenzenes with strong deactivating groups are suitable substrates for this reaction.


In his work on motion analysis, Ullman (1979) showed that for the orthographic case, four-point correspondences over three views are sufficient to determine motion and structure of the four-point rigid configuration. However, his method is nonlinear and the conditions of uniqueness and convergence of his algorithm are not made clear. A simple linear algorithm to solve Ullman's problem of determining motion and structure from three orthographic views is presented. Necessary and sufficient conditions of a unique solution are also given. >


This paper proposes a new NAND flash memory and related novel circuit techniques that suppress the program disturb and realize a smaller cell size with minimum array noise. The memory cell realizes a LOCOS width reduction of 20%. This architecture is essential for a scaled STI cell because of the improved program disturb. The proposed column latch and Vcc-bitline shield sensing method enable excellent noise immunity and decrease the Vth distribution from 1.2 V to 0.6 V. They also improve device reliability.


Reliability, efficient bandwidth utilisation, consistency and authenticity are some of the required applications that are required for proper implementation of vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs). As vehicular Ad hoc Networks are expected to greatly influence and improve road safety as well as driving conditions, they are attracting much attention these days. But along with all the benefits that it offers, there is more chance of giving way to frequent and severe malicious attacks. Due to this reason much attention is being given to the security and privacy issues in VANETs. A lot of research work is being performed to improve the standards of this network. In this paper we present a security protocol for VANET for message authentication which also promises privacy for its users. Privacy is a big issue in today's information age. Information is abundant but getting the authentic information at appropriate time and place is very crucial.


In this work, the motion of a two‐dimensional rectangular freely floating body under waves is simulated using Improved Meshless Local Petrov‐Galerkin method with Rankine Source function (IMLPG_R) with variable spacing resolutions. The IMLPG_R method is a particle method that solves Navier–Stokes equations using the fractional step method to capture the wave properties. However, many existing particle methods are computationally intensive to model the wave‐floating body due to the requirement of fine particles, needing uniform distribution throughout the domain. To improve the computational efficiency and capture the body response properly, variable spaced particle distribution with fine resolution near the floating body and coarse resolution far from the body is implemented. Numerical schemes to handle variable resolutions are reported. An iterative scheme to handle the wave‐floating body is implemented in the particle method. Two test cases, one with small wave and another with steep waves, are simulated for uniform particle distribution and the result shows good agreement with literature. Based on this, the performance of the variable spaced particle distribution is tested in coupling with floating body solver. The application of the method for wave impact load from the green water loading of the floating structure is also simulated.


Inspired by the notion that ``{\it to copy is easier than to memorize}``, in this work, we introduce GNN-LM, which extends the vanilla neural language model (LM) by allowing to reference similar contexts in the entire training corpus. We build a directed heterogeneous graph between an input context and its semantically related neighbors selected from the training corpus, where nodes are tokens in the input context and retrieved neighbor contexts, and edges represent connections between nodes. Graph neural networks (GNNs) are constructed upon the graph to aggregate information from similar contexts to decode the token. This learning paradigm provides direct access to the reference contexts and helps improve a model's generalization ability. We conduct comprehensive experiments to validate the effectiveness of the GNN-LM: GNN-LM achieves a new state-of-the-art perplexity of 14.8 on WikiText-103 (a 3.9 point improvement over its counterpart of the vanilla LM model), and shows substantial improvement on One Billion Word and Enwiki8 datasets against strong baselines. In-depth ablation studies are performed to understand the mechanics of GNN-LM. \footnote{The code can be found at https://github.com/ShannonAI/GNN-LM


The article approaches critically the balancing between freedom of religion and the enforcement of disability anti-discrimination law followed by the Supreme Court in Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC. Enforcing disability anti-discrimination law is a compelling interest, as it finds a very strong philosophical justification, making thus the result of the case contrary to the philosophical conception of a well-ordered society. Doing away with the social construct of disability is a compelling interest as it is a universalisable interest, an interest upon which there can be an over-lapping consensus independently of a person's comprehensive, religious or not, vision of the good. Reference to the ministerial exception to justify exempting employers from the disability antiretaliation laws is of doubtful compatibility with Emp't Div., Dep't. of Human Resources of Or. v. Smith. Courts can distinguish between a doctrinal and a nondoctrinal issue and abstain from controlling the first while controlling the legality of nondoctrinal issues. If the case of a qualified minister is at stake, whose substantive qualifications the courts cannot control under the First Amendment, then disability anti-discrimination law should be enforced, as it is neutral law of general applicability.


Japan's (relatively) new government led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has got a very ambitious economic and monetary policy agenda. Since Abe took office last December, he adopted a massive economic stimulus package while convincing Japan's central bank (the Bank of Japan, BoJ) to support and help adopting his plans to achieve 2 per cent inflation through am enormous quantitative easing program. These policies have achieved results: the Nikkei Index has gained more than 40% over the last 4 months and economic growth will most probably be higher this year than previously anticipated. However, inflation and higher interest rates will increase Japan's public debt and it remains yet to be seen whether Tokyo's economic stimulus packages will result in sustainable as opposed to short-lived economic growth. As regards Abe's foreign and security policy agenda, a territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea will most probably in the months ahead reveal how able and willing Japan's Prime Minister is to balance his assertiveness and nationalist and revisionist instincts with the need to maintain and extend commercial ties with its biggest trading partner. Axel Berkofsky is ISPI Senior Associate Research Fellow and Gianni Mazzocchi Fellow at the University of Pavia (*) The opinions expressed herein are strictly personal and do not necessarily reflect the position of ISPI. Economic, monetary and foreign policies under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe-trends, problems and prospects


In this article, the author uses data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth to examine the impact of childhood living arrangements on the characteristics of marriages formed by womenbetween 1970and 1989.The focus is on sociodemographic characteristics of marriage that may be taken to indicate a heightened risk of marital stress or marital disruption. With the exception of parental death,it is foundthat any time spent in an alternative family increases the likelihood that a woman forms a union with characteristics that decrease the like-lihood of a successful union (i.e., women who experience parental divorce are more likely to cohabit before marriage). The author provides several theoretical alternatives for explaining the effects of childhood living arrangements. Two alternatives, selectivity and socialization, appear to be most consistent with the data.


Existing student response systems, such as Clickers, have limited input capabilities and lack the necessary features to gather the insightful and necessary information that is relevant in STEM-based disciplines, where the methodology is often more important than the final answer itself. Here, we propose the use of a new student response system, called UniDoodle, which uses tablets and smartphones to deliver a system that captures an extensive range of information in the form of sketches and annotations. Thus, information relating to equation solving, graph sketching, and diagram annotations can now be obtained in large classes in a quick, convenient and user-friendly manner. This information is obtained in real-time allowing for teachers to respond immediately to any issues that may arise in their students' understanding of material. In this paper, we summarise the key features of the UniDoodle system and we carry out an extensive evaluation of its use in a live classroom environment. The context of the evaluation and the feedback obtained are presented within.


Graphite surfaces can be hardened and protected from erosion by hydrogen at high temperatures by refractory metal carbide coatings, which are usually prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or chemical vapor reaction (CVR) methods. These techniques rely on heating the substrate to a temperature where a volatile metal halide decomposes and reacts with either a hydrocarbon gas or with carbon from the substrate. For CVR techniques, deposition temperatures must be in excess of 2000 C in order to achieve favorable deposition kinetics. In an effort to lower the bulk substrate deposition temperature, the use of laser interactions with both the substrate and the metal halide deposition gas has been employed. Initial testing involved the use of a CO2 laser to heat the surface of a graphite substrate and a KrF excimer laser to accomplish a photodecomposition of TaCl5 gas near the substrate. The results of preliminary experiments using these techniques are described.


Quality scores provide a measure to evaluate the utility of biometric samples for biometric recognition. Biometric recognition systems require high-quality samples to achieve optimal performance. This paper focuses on face images and the measurement of face image utility with general and face-specific image quality metrics. While face-specific metrics rely on features of aligned face images, general image quality metrics can be used on the global image and relate to human perceptions. In this paper, we analyze the gap between the general image quality metrics and the face image quality metrics. Our contribution lies in a thorough examination of how different the image quality assessment algorithms relate to the utility for the face recognition task. The results of image quality assessment algorithms are further compared with those of dedicated face image quality assessment algorithms. In total, 25 different quality metrics are evaluated on three face image databases, BioSecure, LFW, and VGGFace2 using three open-source face recognition solutions, SphereFace, ArcFace, and FaceNet. Our results reveal a clear correlation between learned image metrics to face image utility even without being specifically trained as a face utility measure. Individual handcrafted features lack general stability and perform significantly worse than general face-specific quality metrics. We additionally provide a visual insight into the image areas contributing to the quality score of a selected set of quality assessment methods.


Spring 2009 sees the publication of a new title in the series "A Sense of Place", this time on France. Designed as an innovative mix of travelogue and armchair travel, the book is presented as an ideal photo album the kind of album that everyone wishes they had the time or skill to put together, without the hassle of sifting through crumpled leaflets or fuzzy photos of monuments hidden behind the heads of strangers. Packed with evocative images and perceptive texts that capture perfectly both the beauty and splendour of Frances urban centres as well as the atmosphere of la France profonde, this highly visual volume will be lapped up by anyone with a love of travel and photography.


> I do not seek. I find.
>
> Pablo Picasso
Diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis (DMF) and replacement myocardial fibrosis (or scar) are common features of a wide variety of pathological conditions of the heart and play an important role in the progression of heart failure. Recent advances in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques now permit assessment of DMF as well as the commonly used scar imaging, or late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) methods.1 Recent work has shown the prognostic value of detecting DMF in patients with valvular heart disease and early diabetic cardiomyopathy.2,3 Although conventional LGE techniques can successfully identify replacement fibrosis in conditions such as acute and chronic myocardial infarction and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, they are less suitable imaging methods for detecting DMF because there may be little normal myocardium available to compare with affected areas. Fibrosis shortens the postcontrast longitudinal relaxation time (T1) properties of myocardium, and this feature may be exploited in DMF because T1 can be directly measured by CMR, using specific pulse sequences in a strategy known as T1 mapping. Among them, the modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) sequence has been used extensively by Messroghli and his colleagues in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, whereas validation with histological analyses of fibrosis has been scarce. In their article published in this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging , Messroghli and colleagues4 applied a custom MOLLI technique in a rat model of DMF to better account for potential weaknesses in the technique such as sensitivity to motion and heart rate.5 In addition to comparing T1 relaxation times before and after a 2-week infusion of angiotensin II to induce DMF, they also derived myocardial extracellular volume from hematocrit and T1 of blood and myocardium. The authors found a very …


Fishers linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a classical multivariate technique both for dimension reduction and classification. The data vectors are transformed into a low dimensional subspace such that the class centroids are spread out as much as possible. In this subspace LDA works as a simple prototype classifier with linear decision boundaries. However, in many applications the linear boundaries do not adequately separate the classes. We present a nonlinear generalization of discriminant analysis that uses the kernel trick of representing dot products by kernel functions. The presented algorithm allows a simple formulation of the EM-algorithm in terms of kernel functions which leads to a unique concept for unsupervised mixture analysis, supervised discriminant analysis and semi-supervised discriminant analysis with partially unlabelled observations in feature spaces.


The calculation of spindle dynamic compliance is usually performed taking into account only the mechanical system of the spindle and tool, while the influence of the machine tool frame is neglected. However, when performing machining operations characterized by high cutting forces – which typically arise e.g. during roughing – machine frame vibration may be induced. Under such conditions, a model of the spindle alone is not sufficient to predict the dynamic behaviour of the spindle; therefore, coupled models of the spindle and machine frame system need to be created. The paper presents two possible approaches that can be used for such tasks. The first approach consists in modelling the whole mechanical system in the Finite Element (FE) environment; the second one employs the technique of coupling modally reduced separate models of flexible bodies. The application of both approaches and their comparison is illustrated by an example of a real machine tool model. The influence of the machine tool frame on the spindle dynamic compliance is demonstrated using the machine tool coupled models.


PurposeThis research aims to explain, in the secular French context, the intention of managers to accommodate religious expression at work (REW) when they are not obliged to do so. This paper seeks to understand the determinants of managerial positions on REW. Building on previous studies on how organisations and managers deal with religious expression, this research seeks to extend the evidence on this important aspect of managerial behaviour in relation to accommodating REW.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in diversity management (N = 151 French managers). This method highlights attitudinal and organisational determinants favourable to the intent to accommodate.FindingsThe present research provides new insight by identifying two main direct factors affecting managers' accommodation, namely, organisational flexibility (flexible hours, autonomy) and perceived consequences (advantages, disadvantages) and one indirect factor, religiosity. In line with the contradictions within diversity management, the perceived consequences are ambivalent and highly context dependent. One issue to explore is that managers seek to deal with religious expression by making it invisible.Research limitations/implicationsIn the French context, the explanatory social norm might not be "religiosity" but rather "perceived secularity". The authors recommend that future studies use qualitative methods with interviews and photo elicitation to extend this first study. Indeed, the complexity of the managerial position requires an in-depth understanding of managers' attitudes and behaviours with regard to religion. How do managers apply a common ground strategy and create unity despite differences? Is the desire to make arrangements invisible with a view to inclusive neutrality specific to France, or can it be generalised to managers in other countries? Does the intention to accommodate not essentially depend on the manager-employee relationship dynamic? This research raises questions for scholars about the relationship with the other and ethical managerial conduct.Practical implicationsFrance is a secular country where a debate is emerging on cases of discrimination due to REW. The results contribute to approaches to drafting company guidelines for managers and may help organisations anticipate the risks associated with REW. The discussion of the results reveals the importance of social norms in the sense of hypernorms (religiosity) and undoubtedly of secularism, nondiscrimination and gender equality in the decision-making process on accommodation. These inclusive norms should therefore be handled with care in the various guidelines that have been developed.Originality/valueREW is increasing but is a neglected dimension of diversity management. This study helps explore this new field by promoting an understanding of managers' intention to accommodate in a specific secular context.


High-potential iron-sulfur protein (HiPIP) is a soluble electron carrier protein of photosynthetic bacteria with an Fe4S4 cluster. Although structural changes accompanying the electron transfer are important for understanding of the functional mechanism, the changes have not been clarified in sufficient detail. We previously reported the high-resolution crystal structures of HiPIP from a thermophilic purple bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum in the reduced state. In order to perform a detailed comparison between the structures in different redox states, the oxidized structure should also be revealed at high resolution. Therefore, in the present study we performed a crystallographic analysis of oxidized HiPIP and a structural comparison with the reduced form at a high resolution of 0.8 Å. The comparison highlighted small but significant contraction in the iron-sulfur cluster. The changes in Fe-S bond lengths were similar to that predicted by theoretical calculation, although some discrepancies were also found. Almost distances between the sulfur atoms of the iron-sulfur cluster and the protein environment are elongated upon the oxidation. Positional changes of hydrogen atoms in the protein environment, such as on the amide-hydrogen of Cys75 in the proximity of the iron-sulfur cluster, were also observed in the accurate analyses. None of the water molecules exhibited significant changes in position or anisotropy of atomic displacement parameter between the two states, while the orientations of some water molecules were different.


CF/SiC and Hi-Nicalon/SiC composites were prepared by precursor pyrolysis-hot pressing, and the microstructure and fracture behavior of the composites were investigated. Because of a strongly bonded fiber/matrix interface primarily resulting from the direct reactions between the fibers and matrix, Hi-Nicalon/SiC composite exhibited a typical brittle fracture behavior. However, CF/SiC composite displayed a tough fracture behavior with extensive fiber pullout, which was primarily attributed to a weakly bonded fiber/matrix interface as well as higher strength retention of the fibers. As a result, CF/SiC composite achieved better mechanical properties of 691.6 MPa in strength and 20.7 MPa•m1/2 in toughness, which were much higher than those of Hi-Nicalon/SiC composite.