process variability. The use of SPC can yield a more reproducible production process and thus
a more consistent product quality. DSM Engineering Plastics B.V. Emmen has to use SPC in
its Compound plant. First, SPC is regarded as a 'best practice' by DSM; its use is a corporate
requirement. Second, currently, in the Compound plant, the most important process
characteristics are not used to control quality; processes are mainly controlled based on
outputs and product characteristics. Therefore, the following research problem was posed:
To what extent can Statistical Process Control be implemented to change from product
quality control to process control in the Compound plant at DSM Engineering Plastics B.V.
Emmen?
The main conclusion from the research is that, from the viewpoint of the technical conditions
of SPC (process knowledge, measuring systems, control charts, decision rules &
OCAPs), the extrusion and packaging operations are ready to implement and use SPC as a
tool for the continuous monitoring and control of the processes. At drying, the needed
technical improvements to become 'ready for SPC' are known by DEP Emmen. It can thus be
said that the technical conditions for SPC will not be the limiting factor in SPC efforts. It are
the organizational conditions (education, commitment, teamwork) that will be problematic;
if both operators and staff personnel are fully committed to the efforts and a sense of urgency
is present, it should be possible to implement and use SPC in all parts of the Compound plant.
In time, when the SPC project is properly started and the organization is prepared for its use,
the focus will more and more shift from the organizational aspects to the technical side
concerning the implementation and use of sophisticated control tools.
It became clear, based upon pilot projects, that the applicability of SPC is not the same for the
three production stages at DEP Emmen.
At extrusion, for the investigated products, the quality of the process was increased when
increasing control of the most important KOP. This eventually resulted in a higher viscosity
quality. It seems reasonable to expect that increased process (and as a result increased
product) quality can also be achieved for other products, when increasing the level of control
of their most important process parameter. These results can be achieved using the current
equipment. However, for products of which the most determining KOP is the polymer melt
temperature, a system for continuous monitoring of this KOP has to be installed first. The
following can be concluded for the future course of the extruder pilot:
· The extruder pilot can be successfully continued and upgraded when considering the
seven points of attention discussed in section 6.7.1 of the original report;
· After a period of successful SPC use on extruder E12, similar SPC concepts can be used
for all extruders and eventually, other KOPs can also be added to the SPC efforts.
At drying, SPC cannot be successfully applied given the current state of the equipment and
the process. The executed pilots did not prove to contribute to the process insight of operators
and no possibilities were found to put them in charge. Therefore, it is advised to not continue
the SPC pilots at drying at the moment. Furthermore, operator resistance was encountered on
a large scale. If the improvements suggested in the memo of Van de Rijt (2007) are applied possible.
At packaging, an offline SPC tool can be used to study problem like e.g. contamination.
However, the level of education / training and commitment of employees is an inhibiting
factor. If the operators can be clearly instructed and perform their SPC duty, offline SPC can
be successfully used at packaging. Results can be expected on the long run, after recording on
contamination and cleaning procedures for several months. The following advises are given:
· Use the ideas of the existing format and integrate the SPC chart into the shift report.
The current tool can be used as a 'transition tool';
· Check on the completeness of the SPC charts on a daily basis, as operators tend to
forget their SPC activities. This is of essential importance to keep the efforts going;
· The Chief P&S should do the data collection for packaging and 'pull' the integration
process. The Plant Performance Team of packaging is an ideal team for evaluating the
efforts and proposing improvements;
· It is advised to use the first month(s) to familiarize operators with the concept, with
only line 2 as subject. After that, full-scale SPC can be launched for all lines.
The pilot projects make use of relatively simple tools and did not require the operators to
continuously monitor the processes. However, it was addressed that a situation of continuous
monitoring of the process is desirable. The following points of attention should be taken into
account or actions have to be conducted to prepare DEP Emmen for this more sophisticated
form of SPC. A more detailed description can be found in table 6.2 of the original report:
· SPC efforts should be perceivably beneficial for the operator, which is currently not
the case for all production stages. A performance indicator is needed to stimulate
commitment and clearly visualize this benefit;
· An initial meeting with the SPC project team should be conducted to enhance the
fundament of SPC and to create a sense of urgency for the team members;
· SPC has to become a part of the regular jobs, e.g. by putting it on the daily agenda of
the 'morning club';
· The team structure has to be altered by creating a difference between control room and
field operators and as a consequence a central control room at extrusion is needed;
· AspenTech training is needed for all operators and introductory courses in SPC and
process control. Currently, there is too much uncertainty to be able to state the benefits that SPC will yield in
the specific case of DEP Emmen. It could nevertheless be stated that the decision to introduce
SPC in the Compound can be the initiation of large improvements concerning e.g. process
stability, equipment and documentation. In time, SPC can probably yield benefits, like scrap
and rework reduction. An additional benefit of SPC might be concerned with the workforce.
DEP Emmen has a problem with attaining qualified and young personnel: the average age of
operators in the plant is 48 years. According to Rungthusanatham (1999), use of SPC is
expected to improve the attitudes of employees towards their jobs, motivating them and
increasing job satisfaction. As Smith (2001) also states, SPC can let people perceive that they
contribute to the quality of the product. Perhaps, the concept of SPC can be used to promote
DEP Emmen as a company where employees have freedom and responsibility for the
successful continuation of the production processes. SPC can then thus be seen as a
'marketing instrument' to attract ambitious personnel. Future research is needed to study
5
this and other beneficial effects that SPC might have for the company. Other future research
by DEP Emmen was already mentioned in this report. The extrusion KOPs should be
determined and for all essential parameters at all production stages, the operating windows
should be evaluated and determined. Within the DSM research department, models on this
topic already exist.
This study also yields interesting possibilities for future research on SPC in theory.
Literature on the 'implementation of SPC' merely concentrates on the development of
statistical tools like control charts. However, implementation of the methodology SPC in an
organization and its implications are hardly discussed in detail. Aspects concerning
'organizational change' and 'SPC' and were not found in theory. Thus, the organizational
aspects of SPC should be studied in more detail in literature as these proved to be critical
during this research.


This research explored our predictions that a syllable-based orthography of English (i.e., an alphasyllabary) is: 1) learnable and 2) easier to read than a phoneme-based orthography of English. To examine this, we developed a novel orthography of English (called Faceabary) that utilizes face-graphemes, which correspond to syllables in the English language. We trained 16 individuals (6 males, 10 females) on how to read our new orthography. After the training phase, participants decoded words and read stories that had been transcribed into Faceabary. Reading fluency rates for this orthography were then compared to reading fluency rates for the phoneme-based orthography called FaceFont. We found that Faceabary is learnable, but that it does not appear to have an advantage over FaceFont except between Level 2 and Level 3 stories. Our findings suggest that Faceabary and FaceFont yield different decoding strategies. This research has implications for improving reading skills for individuals with dyslexia and alexia.


Background Pediatric anesthesiologists during nasal intubation use Magill forceps frequently, but it is often difficult to push the tube into the trachea. Differences in the airway structure of children compared with adults may be the cause of the problem. Modified pediatric Magill forceps (modified by Farouk and his colleagues) added anteroposterior firm grasping of the nasotracheal tube which enables us for elevation and downward rotation of the nasotracheal tube, which makes the tube in line with the axis of the trachea facilitating its passage into the trachea. Objectives The aim of this study was evaluation of the value of modified pediatric Magill forceps in facilitating nasal intubation. Patients and methods The study included 100 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II patients (age range: 2–6 years) who were scheduled for tonsillectomy operation. The patients were divided randomly into two equal groups. Group A in which modified pediatric Magill forceps was used to assist nasotracheal intubation, while group B in which Magill forceps was used to assist nasotracheal intubation. For each patient, the following data were collected: age, body weight, intubation time, number of intubation attempts, hypoxia, pharyngeal trauma, and need for tube corkscrewing. Results The results showed that there was a statistically significant decrease in intubation time in group A when compared with the corresponding values in group B. Also, group A showed a statistically significant decrease in the number of intubation attempts in comparison to group B denoting easier nasal intubation attempts in group A. Patients in group A showed a decrease in the number of patients who developed hypoxia during intubation attempts in comparison to group B. There were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding pharyngeal trauma. Group A showed a decrease of numbers of the need to do corkscrewing in comparison to group B, and the difference between the two groups was significant statistically. Conclusion The results of this study demonstrated that performing nasal intubation using the modified pediatric Magill forceps showed greater ease of nasotracheal intubation than the usage of conventional Magill forceps.


Rice submergence is the condition by which the water level rises above the rice crop canopy. In general, rice plant response to submergence is to elongate its shoots above the rising water level. This costs in energy and eventually has a direct impact in terms of reducing yields. A specific gene, called Sub1, when introgressed into popular rice varieties by Marker Assisted Back-crossing, nearly stops the natural elongation process and permits a given local rice variety to sustain submerged conditions for a generally recognized period of about 2 weeks. Plant breeders now look for well-identified and location-accurate submergence areas in order to disseminate such improved local rice varieties. Remote sensing is proposed to provide surface water maps at high temporal resolution, determining a percentage of occurrences of surface water for a given pixel. Occurrence is defined as the count of days of identified surface water within a given period, returned in a percentage on that period. Rice area maps and knowledge of crop calendars are proposed to add to the assessment of submergence prone areas in two study areas, the Northeastern Thailand and Nueva Ecija in North Central Philippines.


The microstructure development and the dielectric properties of La4Mg3W3O18 layered oxide were investigated. A strong anisotropic grain growth is revealed in ceramics sintered above 1400oC. The anisotropy of the grain reflects the anisotropic character of the crystal structure. Dielectric measurements yield a relative dielectric permittivity, ε, and a temperature coefficient of the dielectric permittivity, TC ε, to be 21 and 95 ppm K-1, respectively. The positive value of TC ε is assumed to be caused by the octahedral tilting by analogy with the behaviour of other complex ordered perovskites.


AIM
To review the metabolic myopathies manifested only by crisis of myalgias, cramps and rigidity of the muscles with decreased voluntary contractions and normal inter crisis neurologic examination in children and adolescents.

DEVELOPMENT
These metabolic myopathies are autosomic recessive inherited enzymatic deficiencies of the carbohydrates and lipids metabolisms. The end result is a reduction of intra muscle adenosine triphosphate, mainly through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, with decrease of available energy for muscle contraction. The one secondary to carbohydrates intra muscle metabolism disorders are triggered by high intensity brief (< 10 min) exercises. Those secondary to fatty acids metabolism disorders are triggered by low intensity prolonged (> 10 min) exercises. The conditions in the first group in order of decreasing frequency are the deficiencies of myophosforilase (GSD V), muscle phosphofructokinase (GSD VII), phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (GSD X) and beta enolase (GSD XIII). The conditions in the second group in order of decreasing frequency are the deficiencies of carnitine palmitoyl transferase II and very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase.

CONCLUSIONS
The differential characteristics of patients in each group and within each group will allow to make the initial presumptive clinical diagnosis in the majority and then to order only the necessary tests to achieve the final diagnosis. Treatment during the crisis includes hydration, glucose and alkalinization of urine if myoglobin in blood and urine are elevated. Prevention includes avoiding exercise which may induce the crisis and fasting. The prognosis is good with the exception of rare cases of acute renal failure due to hipermyoglobinemia because of severe rabdomyolisis.


Fused Deposition Model (FDM) as Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies may offer a viable and simpler alternative to manufacture scaffolds for different purposes such as tissue engineering and cells culture. Existing commercial FDM machines are currently being modified to improve their accuracy, capabilities and use. However, for biocompatible and/or bioimplantable materials such as Poli (ɛ -caprolactone) PCL there is still a lot of work to do to set up process parameters. Cells culture had been carried on 2D without being a proper and real midst. In fact cells do not grow only in two flat directions but in all directions making strong net. Since cells responses to proteins or drugs is important for knowing proliferation or enrichment more real culture in 3D is needed. This work focuses on the study and optimization of open-source 3D printer machine, called RepRap, employed to manufacture biocompatible scaffolds for 3D cells culture of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). It has been shown that scaffolds culture can enhance the Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) population, responsible in part for tumour recurrence after chemotherapy. Mammosphere Forming Index (MFI) was defined in all cell lines to evaluate this population in TNBC cell lines sensible and resistant to chemotherapy. Enriching TNBC cells with CSC after scaffold culture will help to study new therapeutic treatments directed to this population. Several process parameters are tested to manufacture scaffolds and cells culture had been carried out in order to validate the results. Results show that porosity plays an important role in scaffolds manufacture having low cells adhesion and growth. Lower porosity values should be tested to further evaluate MFI index after scaffold culture as cell growth and enrichment indication. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of The Second CIRP Conference on Biomanufacturing.


We studied the association between multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and mortality in 1,050 older adults (50+) with intellectual disability (ID). Multimorbidity (presence of ≥ 4 chronic health conditions) and polypharmacy (presence ≥ 5 chronic medication prescriptions) were collected at baseline. Multimorbidity included a wide range of disorders, including hearing impairment, thyroid dysfunction, autism, and cancer. Mortality data were collected during a 5-year follow-up period. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the independent association between multimorbidity and polypharmacy with survival. Models were adjusted for age, sex, level of ID, and the presence of Down syndrome. We observed that people classified as having multimorbidity or polypharmacy at baseline were 2.60 (95% CI = 1.86-3.66) and 2.32 (95% CI = 1.70-3.16) times more likely to decease during the follow-up period, respectively, independent of age, sex, level of ID, and the presence of Down syndrome. Although slightly attenuated, we found similar hazard ratios if the model for multimorbidity was adjusted for polypharmacy and vice versa. We showed for the first time that multimorbidity and polypharmacy are strong predictors for mortality in people with ID. Awareness and screening of these conditions is important to start existing treatments as soon as possible. Future research is required to develop interventions for older people with ID, aiming to reduce the incidence of polypharmacy and multimorbidity.


This manual presents detailed guidelines and procedures for developing transmission line structure loads. It is divided into four sections. The first section is concerned with the load/strength design format. It introduces a reliability-based design methodology that forms the framework for the loading guidelines. A load and resistance factor design (LRFD) format is presented for the design of any transmission structure. The nature and variability of loads are given along with detailed procedures for the selection of the load and resistance factors. The next section discusses weather related loads. It gives specific procedures and formulas for determining weather related loadings on transmission line structures that can be used in the reliability-based design methodology described in section one. The third part presents a detailed discussion on special loadings such as longitudinal loads, construction and maintenance loads, line galloping, and structure vibration. The final section provides a detailed numerical example of the loading computations based on the procedures given in this guide.


Most of the service centers operating in the repair and maintenance of machines and mechanisms apply warehouse management systems based on event prediction, which ensures inventory replenishment based on the initial diagnosis of the units. Such methodology is enforced measure, since the components and assemblies, even from the same manufacturer, having similar functions, design and connecting components have their own engineering numbers and part numbers for ordering. Unfortunately, this method is relevant only with perfect logistics and minimal time factor. If these criteria cannot be fulfilled, the maintenance and repair time increases, especially at a distance from logistic centers. By reducing lost sales and quick customer satisfaction, own warehouse stocks based on statistical data increases. Unfortunately, none of the modern methods gives a 100% result and eventually leads to overstocking and formation of deadstock. On the other hands more and more components are made from composite materials, complex alloys, permanent joints are being used. But due to ineffective management the significant part of expensive components is became needless. The aim of this research is to develop an algorithm allowing to optimise the logistics chain and reduce the inventory and deadstock, reduce disposal of used and obsolete units and assemblies, resulting in significantly lower consumption of natural resources, energy and reduced negative impact of waste on the environment. Our research shows that in various fields of science there are being developed methodologies, which would solve the described tasks by combining those methodologies in a single algorithm.


The drawing properties of the modified PA 6 (MPA) fiber specimens prepared at varying drawing temperature were systematically investigated, wherein the MPA resins were prepared by reactive extrusion of PA 6 with the compatibilizer precursor (CP). At any fixed drawing temperature, the achievable draw ratio (Dra) values of MPA as-spun fiber specimens increase initially with increasing CP contents, and then approach a maximum value, as their CP contents are close to the 5 wt% optimum value. The maximum Dra values obtained for MPA as-spun fiber specimens prepared at the optimum CP content reach another maximum as their drawing temperatures approach the optimum drawing temperature at 120 °C. The tenacity and birefringence values of PA 6 and MPA fiber specimens improve consistently as their draw ratios increase. Similar to those found for their achievable drawing properties, the ultimate tenacity and birefringence values of MPA fiber specimens approach a maximum value, as their CP contents and drawing temperatures approach the 5 wt% and 120 °C optimum values, respectively. Investigations including Fourier transform infrared, melt shear viscosity, gel content, thermal and wide angle X-ray diffraction experiments were performed on the MPA resin and/or fiber specimens to clarify the optimum CP content and possible deformation mechanisms accounting for the interesting drawing and ultimate tensile properties found for the MPA fiber specimens prepared in this study.


Incubation of frog skeletal muscle with the ionophore A23187 induces severe damage in the muscle. At the level of the Z line, the ionophore induces redistribution and release of the protein α‐actinin, as shown by immunocytochemical techniques. The ionophore does not induce damage in denervated preparations or in preparations pretreated with d‐tubocurarine, which indicates that the effect is indirect and neurally mediated. It is concluded that the increase in spontaneous transmitter release produced by the ionophore induces Ca2+ influx through the acetylcholine receptor. Calcium ions activate neutral proteases which release α‐actinin from the Z line.


A collection of 143 strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) of 11 different serogroups isolated from children with diarrhoea, 71 in Sweden and 72 in Iran, was tested for similarity with a computerised biochemical fingerprinting method. From Sweden, there were 54 different phenotypes, 42 consisting of a single strain and 12 (common phenotypes) containing more than one isolate. From Iran, there were 48 different phenotypes, 38 with only one strain and 10 with more than one. Many of the strains which were biochemically similar, in both countries, also had similar virulence factors. Nine Swedish and 20 Iranian isolates showed biochemical identity to at least one of the strains of the other country, most of them belonging to serogroups O55, O119, O126, O127 and O128. The value of the biochemical fingerprinting method as an epidemiological tool and its ability to evaluate clonal relations among E. coli strains in different geographical areas is discussed.


Web page classification is one of the essential techniques for Web mining. Specifically, classifying Web pages of a user-interesting class is the first step of mining interesting information from the Web. However, constructing a classifier for an interesting class requires laborious pre-processing such as collecting positive and negative training examples. For instance, in order to construct a "homepage" classifier, one needs to collect a sample of homepages (positive examples) and a sample of non-homepages (negative examples). In particular, collecting negative training examples requires arduous work and special caution to avoid biasing them. We introduce in this paper the Positive Example Based Learning (PEBL) framework for Web page classification which eliminates the need for manually collecting negative training examples in pre-processing. We present an algorithm called Mapping-Convergence (M-C) that achieves classification accuracy (with positive and unlabeled data) as high as that of traditional SVM (with positive and negative data). Our experiments show that when the M-C algorithm uses the same amount of positive examples as that of traditional SVM, the M-C algorithm performs as well as traditional SVM.


A paired dominating set $P$ is a dominating set with the additional property
that $P$ has a perfect matching. While the maximum cardainality of a minimal
dominating set in a graph $G$ is called the upper domination number of $G$,
denoted by $\Gamma(G)$, the maximum cardinality of a minimal paired dominating
set in $G$ is called the upper paired domination number of $G$, denoted by
$\Gamma_{pr}(G)$. By Henning and Pradhan (2019), we know that
$\Gamma_{pr}(G)\leq 2\Gamma(G)$ for any graph $G$ without isolated vertices. We
focus on the graphs satisfying the equality $\Gamma_{pr}(G)= 2\Gamma(G)$. We
give characterizations for two special graph classes: bipartite and unicyclic
graphs with $\Gamma_{pr}(G)= 2\Gamma(G)$ by using the results of Ulatowski
(2015). Besides, we study the graphs with $\Gamma_{pr}(G)= 2\Gamma(G)$ and a
restricted girth. In this context, we provide two characterizations: one for
graphs with $\Gamma_{pr}(G)= 2\Gamma(G)$ and girth at least 6 and the other for
$C_3$-free cactus graphs with $\Gamma_{pr}(G)= 2\Gamma(G)$. We also pose the
characterization of the general case of $C_3$-free graphs with $\Gamma_{pr}(G)=
2\Gamma(G)$ as an open question.


Abstract While many studies have identified an association between social class and economic preferences, we know little about the implications of changes in class location for these preferences. This article assesses how social class and intra-generational class mobility affect economic preferences drawing on longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey. In doing so, the article adopts a post-industrial perspective that considers horizontal and vertical class divisions. Even when time-invariant characteristics of individuals are kept constant (through fixed-effects estimation), it is found that both vertical and horizontal class location explain economic preferences. Thus, these estimations suggest that social class moulds preferences, even when accounting for factors that can lead to selection into classes. Moreover, people who change classes hold different economic preferences than their peers in the class of origin, but do not completely assimilate into their class of destination. This implies that growing intra-generational class mobility could undermine the class basis of political conflict.


Interest in direct coal liquefaction steadily decreased during the 1980s as the price of crude oil dropped; there is now only one integrated coal liquefaction pilot plant active full time in the United States. The economics derived early in the decade established the price of transportation fuels from coal at $80 per barrel or higher. However, there have been dramatic improvements in the technology since 1983 that have not been widely appreciated. Recent designs and cost estimates show that a 60 percent decrease in the cost of liquid fuels from coal to an equivalent of $35 per barrel for crude oil. Although this cost is not low enough to justify immediate commercialization, additional improvements have been identified that could make direct liquefaction an attractive way to produce gasoline and other conventional fuels.


In vitro production of erythrocytes in physiologic numbers from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) holds great promise for improved transfusion medicine and novel cell therapies. We report here, for the first time, a strategy for scalable and xeno-free differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from hiPSCs and subsequent erythrocytes specification, by using stepwise cell culture conditions and by integrating spinner flasks and rocker. This system supported robust and reproducible definitive hematopoietic differentiation of multiple hiPSC lines. We demonstrated an ultra-high yield of up to 4×109 CD235a+ erythrocytes at >98% purity when using a 1-litre spinner flask for suspension culture. Erythrocytes generated from our system can reach a mature stage with red blood cell (RBC) characteristics of enucleation, β-globin protein expression and oxygen-binding ability. The entire process is xeno-free and clinically compliant, allowing future mass production of hiPSC-derived RBCs for transfusion medicine purposes.


Long-chain n -alkanes and alkenones were analyzed in sediments from Dabusu Lake, northeastern China, from ca. 7.2–4.5 kyr BP (the Holocene Optimum) and the present. Long-chain n -alkanes are derived from leaf waxes of terrestrial vascular plants and aquatic macrophytes. Using n -alkane proxies such as P aq and average chain length (ACL) indices, variations in paleovegetation were reconstructed. The P aq values were generally low, indicating that aquatic macrophytes were a minor floral component in Dabusu Lake. The ACL data indicated that forest/grassland mixed vegetation occurred around the lake. From the alkenone distribution patterns (C 37 /C 38 , C 40 /C 37 , and %C 37:4 ratios), the main alkenone producers were inferred to be Group II producers, especially Ruttnera lamellosa . We estimated water temperatures based on alkenone unsaturation indices (U K37 and U K''37 ) using the temperature calibrations obtained from culture strains of R. lamellosa . The variation pattern of the U K''37 -based water temperatures was almost similar to that of the U K37 -based pattern, although some spikes differed between the temperatures based on the two indices. The U K''37 -based water temperatures were lower from 7.2 to 6.2 kyr BP, and subsequently increased after 6.2 kyr BP. The alkenone-based temperatures were highest from 5.5 to 5.3 kyr BP, indicating that this maximal stage was the Holocene Thermal Maximum in the Dabusu region. The markedly decreasing spikes of U K''37 -based water temperatures in our study likely corresponded to the cooling events during the Holocene Optimum, as previously reported, especially Asian monsoon events (AM) 1 and Bond event 4 (BE4). Also, the increasing spike (7.2 kyr BP) in temperatures was possibly associated with the warming regime just after AM2. Moreover, the rapid increasing spikes of alkenone-based temperatures corresponded to those of P aq at 7.2 kyr BP (just after AM2) and 6.4 kyr BP. These results imply


Direct flame impingement (DFI) furnaces consist of large arrays of high velocity combusting jets with temperatures up to 1700 K and impinging on complex configuration surfaces of the work pieces. This results in serious convergence problems DFI modeling and computational efforts. A new method of modeling convective-diffusion transfer (CDT) and zone radiation transfer (RT) employing different calculation schemes with a multi-scale grid is presented. Relatively coarse grid calculation domain allows use of conservative and accurate zone radiation transfer method with only modest computational efforts. A fine grid calculation domain is used to predict convective -diffusion transfer for a representative furnace section, containing a small number of jets that allows to significantly decrease the computer time. The main difficulty of coupling between convective-diffusion transfer (CDT) and radiation heat transfer numerical computations is successfully overcome using a relatively simple algorithm. The method allows one to model the physicochemical process taking place in the DFI and reveals as well as explains many features that are difficult to evaluate from experiments. The results were obtained for high velocities (up to 400 m/s) and high firing rates. Maximum (available for natural gas-air firing) total heat fluxes up to 500 kW/m2 and convective heat fluxes of up to 300 kW/m2 were obtained with relatively 'cold' refractory wall temperatures not exceeding 1300 K. The combustion gas temperature range was 1400-1700 K. A simplified analysis for NOx emissions has been developed as post-processing and shows extremely low NOx emissions (under 15 ppm volume) in DFI systems. Good agreement between measurements and calculations has been obtained. The model developed may be regarded as an efficient tool to compute and optimize industrial furnaces designs in limited time.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


Objective to describe the completeness of data on yellow fever notification forms in the municipalities of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, in 2017. Methods this is a descriptive ecological study with data from the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System (SINAN); form completeness was categorized as poor (<70.0%), regular (70-89.9%) or excellent (≥90.0%); thematic maps were prepared. Results 53.1% of the municipalities had poor or regular classification for many notification form variables, especially case Final Classification (57.1%), Confirmation/Dismissal Criterion (63.2%) and Closure Date (26.5%), which are required fields. Conclusion completeness was poor or regular for several variables, pointing to the need for a systematic assessment of information on yellow fever held on SINAN.


A change management from cash to accrual method of accounting is important because it enables more efficient and effective fiscal management where accrual accounting will facilitate the costing of resources, which is essential to the effectiveness of Outcome Based Budgeting in promoting the sustainability of fiscal policies (Becker, Defond, Jiambalvo and Subramanyam 1998). In cash basis accounting systems, expenses are not recorded on the financial statements until they have been paid. Due to unpaid bills cannot be shown on the books, it is extremely difficult to accumulate cash reserves to pay them because the current tax laws. Malaysian government has announced the need to change to International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) accrual-based accounting by 2015. Thus, it is important for Accountants General Department Malaysia (AG) to change management from cash method to accrual method due to the information contained in reports prepared on an accrual basis is useful both for accountability and decision-making. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the concepts, theories and previous research on the change management towards accrual based accounting from customers and employees perspectives.


: The initial therapy of thermal injuries is directed at removal of loose debris and necrotic epidermis, alleviation of pain, and prevention of infection. Following initial wound debridement, bacterial growth in the wound itself is controlled primarily through the use of tropical antibiotic agents and daily hydrotherapy to clean the wounds and remove any loose eschar. Effectiveness of topical therapy is monitored by quantitative burn wound biopsy cultures; growth of greater than 10(4) micro-organisms per gram of tissue indicates invasive burn wound sepsis. Such bacterial invasion may be further controlled through the adjunctive use of antibiotics administered into the sub-eschar space. Once eschar separation has exposed healthy granulation tissue, the burn wound must be covered with suitable biologic dressings prior to autografting. All open wounds may then be autografted with sheet grafts to the face, neck, and areas exposed to trauma or by expansion mesh grafts to cover large areas from limited donor sites. Upon completion of autografting, a vigorous physical therapy program is necessary to rehabilitate victims of massive thermal injury to a functional existence.


The IUCN Red List categorizes the Asian elephant as endangered, citing a drastic decline in the global population. Once widespread in Nepal, wild elephants are now limited to a few protected areas, and conservation of the species is of paramount concern. Decline in numbers predisposes this species to the impacts of such disease, through loss of genetic diversity, population fragmentation and increased interactions between humans, captive and wild populations. Of particular concern is the morbidity and mortality caused by tuberculosis (resulting from infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) species) and endotheliotrophic elephant herpes vims (EEHV), both of which present a growing threat to the health and viability of Asian elephant populations worldwide. Tuberculosis is well documented in Nepal, and previous research has laid foundations for control and management of the disease. However, further research and recommendations are required, particularly to improve diagnostic techniques and identify and minimize disease risk factors.

The Nepal Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Infectious Disease Mitigation and Prevention Initiative began in 2012 as a collaborative post-graduate research project, expanding into an ongoing initiative based at the Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN). Research and management is focused on Chitwan and Bardia National Parks, where the majority of Nepal's captive and wild populations reside. The initiative is endorsed by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (Nepal), with technical support from the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) and Elephant Care International (ECI), and with academic expertise from Murdoch University, Tufts University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and the Smithsonian Institute. The initiative aims to identify and minimize infectious disease risk factors at the captive-wild and captive-human interface, with particular focus on tuberculosis and EEHV in Nepal's captive and wild elephant populations. By controlling disease at the human-elephant and captive-wild interface, we seek to prevent transmission of disease to wildlife populations, and in the case of tuberculosis, to humans. Research aims to build upon existing studies through adopting a One Health approach to fill important knowledge gaps in disease prevalence, diagnosis and epidemiology, to identify management improvements, and to empower stakeholders through conservation education, community outreach and in-country capacity building. The purpose of this presentation is to update the research community and review the initiative's achievements over the past year, and to make recommendations for future directions to mitigate and prevent infectious diseases and facilitate a holistic conservation management plan for the preservation of the Asian elephant. It is hoped that findings may be applicable to other elephant range countries, and to zoological collections.


Subaqueous deposits of aragonite, gypsum, and halite are accumulating in shallow solar salt ponds constructed in the Pekelmeer, a sea-level salina on Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Several halite facies are deposited in the crystallizer ponds in response to difference in water depth and wave energy. Cumulate halite, which originates as floating rafts, is present only along the protected, upwind margins of ponds where low-energy conditions foster their formation and preservation. Cornet crystals with peculiar mushroom- and mortarboard-shaped caps precipitate in centimetre-deep brine sheets within a couple of metres of the upwind or low-energy margins. Downwind from these margins, cornet and chevron halite precipitate on the pond floors in water depths ranging from a few centimetres to {approximately} 60 cm. Halite pisoids with radial-concentric structure are precipitated in the swash zone along downwind high-energy shorelines where they form pebbly beaches. This study suggests that primary halite facies are energy and/or depth dependent and that some primary features, if preserved in ancient halite deposits, can be used to infer physical energy conditions, subenvironments such as low- to high-energy shorelines, and extremely shallow water depths in ancient evaporite basins.


We report a handy, simple and inexpensive paper device for extremely sensitive detection of peroxide-based explosives. The sensing device fabricated using a curcumin derivative was capable of ultrafast sensing of triacetone triperoxide. The detection time was below 5 s. Moreover, the sensor retained full function under storage at ambient temperature for at least 120 days.


To commemorate Singapore's 50th year of independence in 2015, a community-led group sought to present a gift to the nation in the form of a digital collection of 50 years of Tamil literary writing in Singapore. The National Library, Singapore as the national repository of Singapore's published heritage was approached to be a key partner to create this digital archive. This saw two unique features taking place digital humanities from the ground-up and secondly, a ground-breaking initiative in which Tamil content was digitised and made searchable online through optical character recognition (OCR). This project was challenging as Tamil OCR is still a developing technology and the objective to digitise and OCR Tamil works is an endeavor that has not been attempted on this scale before. This presentation will highlight how writers, teachers and the National Library collaborated to bring justice to books that were not easily available and create a readyresource of local literary works by transforming physical books into a digital resource. Extensive community resources were mobilized to annotate and proofread these books. As a result, not only has the historical record of Tamil creative writing been preserved but it has become the most comprehensive resource of Singapore Tamil literature available and this has opened up many possibilities in teaching and learning as well as in raising awareness to a wider audience.


In this paper we investigate the evolution of the gender wage gap over early careers of skilled workers in Germany using administrative longitudinal data. Advantages of the data for this type of analysis are that we observe complete work and skill accumulation histories from the beginning for up to 13 years in the labour market. Descriptives show an entry wage differential of 22 percent between male and female full-time workers. The differential stays almost constant throughout the first 8 eight years in the labour market. Adopting a human capital model, we investigate the sources for the differential by the separate analysis of entry wages and early career wages.


Objectives
To analyze the evolution of the school breakfast program (SBP) in Sonora, according to the challenges presented during the period 1996-2018.

Methods
This is an anthology of what has been the SBP in Sonora for twenty-two years. The results of the program (1996-2018) were analyzed and discussed, according to the different stages through which it has been developed, as well as the evaluations that constituted the starting point for the subsequent stages; published in four articles, seven master's theses and technical reports delivered to the National System for Integral Family Development (DIF) -Sonora by researchers from the Research Center for Food and Development (CIAD, A.C.).

Results
Follow-up studies of the SBP in Sonora included dietary evaluations and design of school breakfast menus (SB), impact on micronutrient deficiencies and the presence of overweight and obesity. The evidence showed that SB constitutes a complementary contribution of nutrients in the diet of the participants; it also did not introduce risk factors for children's health such as excessive amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. The results of the studies on the nutritional status of children include the measurement of cognitive development, the adequacy of the diet, as well as the evaluation of anthropometric indicators, biochemical micronutrient status and cardiovascular risk for overweight and obesity, finally the inclusion of nutritional education through the implementation of programs to promote water consumption, practice of physical activity and healthy eating. The monitoring and evaluation of the SBP has allowed changes consistent with the needs of children and does not constitute a risk for the development of childhood obesity. In addition, for the benefits presented in the program such as the implementation process, sustainability, institutionalization, participation of parents and the school community and good adherence to the program has been managed to evaluate nutritional education in school and home contexts to achieve sustainable changes in dietary practices and physical activity.

Conclusions
The process of monitoring the program allows an adequate organizational environment for the implementation of a nutritional education program leading to the prevention of childhood obesity. The next challenge is to ensure the institutionalization of nutritional education within the SBP in Sonora.

Funding Sources
Sistema Integral para el Desarrollo de la Familia, DIF Sonora.


Systemic fungal diseases and antifungal resistance represent a serious problem in human medicine and contribute to increased patient mortality. The most common causes of these diseases are opportunistic yeasts of the genus Candida. C. albicans is considered to be the main pathogen, together with C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, and C. krusei. Azole antifungals predominate in the treatment of the systemic mycoses. For antifungal resistance in Candida spp. some genes and their mutations are responsible, the genes ERG11, CDR1, CDR2 and MDR1 being considered the most important. The main target of azole antifungals is the process of ergosterol synthesis. Due to ergosterol crucial functions and its unique structural properties, the synthesis of ergosterol and its individual steps represent the target of most clinically available antifungals. The biofilm appears to be a significant virulence factor of the yeast Candida spp. It allows hematogenous dissemination of cells, prevents the effect of antifungals on all cells during treatment and leads to a high level of antimicrobial resistance. The antifungal resistance in candidiasis often has a multifactorial origin, which must be considered in the treatment of systemic mycoses and in the development of new antifungals.


Cemptete disl0C2lion of the knee To the Editor: A recognizable complete dislocation of the knee is a rare injury.' Few have been documented, as most are reduced before reaching medal or hospital anentkln. What is seen is the associated disruption of the collateral ligaments, eructate ligaments or capsule of the knee. I report a case of lateral tibif:>.femoral dislocation of the knee along with. to my knowledge. the first photograph of such an injury. A 56·yeaH>ld male. 178 em tall and weighing 85 kg, was tobogganing on the slopesof Perisher Valley. New South Wales. during the August 1984 winter season. when he went over a l-merre drop into the snow. His right leg sank into the soft snow to the level of his knee; at the same time the legwas abducted as a violent valgus force was applied to the knee. The toboggan measures 80 x 38 x 63 em la plastic shell), and his legs had extended over the front of the vehicle. In intense pain he was transferred to the Perisher Ski Injury Clinic; x-rays and photographs were taken after intrave~ous pethidine and diazepam had .tx::en given (Figures I and 2). The lateral t1blO·femo~a[ dislocation of the knee was reduced, With two assistants providing longitudinal tree-


Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cavity preparation method (Er:YAG laser or diamond bur) and bulk-filled composite material type on marginal adaptation mesial occlusal (MO) class II cavities. Materials and Methods: Two-surface box cavities (4-mm proximal depth and 5-mm occlusal width) were prepared on 60 human mandibular molar teeth. Cavities were prepared using Er:YAG laser or diamond burs in an air-turbine hand-piece. All cavities were applied Single Bond Universal dentin bonding agent. The cavities were further subdivided into three subgroups according to the restorative material used; two bulk-filled composites [Filtek Bulk Fill Posterior (3M ESPE) and SonicFill 2 (Kerr)] and one traditional composite material Filtek Ultimate Universal Restorative (3M ESPE). Restorations were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy at ×200 magnification for their adaptation to the approximal margins of the tooth. Results were analyzed using the two-way ANOVA and Tukey Post Hoc Test (p < 0.05). Results: A total of 900 SEM figures were obtained from all groups. Filtek Bulk Fill Posterior, SonicFill 2, and Filtek Ultimate Universal Restorative exhibited statistically similar gapped margins. However, the lowest scores of gapped margins were observed with SonicFill 2 (4.22%). Conclusions: Completely gap-free margins were not obtained with any of the tested materials. Bulk-fill composite materials showed similar marginal adapatation compared with standard composite. Marginal adaptation of Er:YAG laser prepared cavities was more irregular and had more gaps, but was statistically similar to diamond bur-prepared cavities.


ANDREW PORTER [**] Today's commemoration is designed to mark the bicentenary of the Church Mission Society. (CMS), the 'Society for Missions to Africa and the East' as it was originally and, with its geographical pointers, somewhat unusually called until 1812. Today's theme, 'changing people, changing places', is sufficiently ample-- or perhaps conveniently ambiguous -- as to allow for almost any survey of past achievements and future prospects both appropriate to such a celebration and in keeping with many earlier May meetings. And its setting, here in Holy Trinity church, cannot but prompt recollections of the striking continuities which, quite as much as change, have marked the relationship between Cambridge and the CMS ever since the Society's formation. The university, the town, and the surrounding region have always been linked in a host of institutional and familial ways. Looking back for a moment to 1899, it is difficult not to be struck by the contrasting character of events then and those of today. We are told: The Centenary was a busy time...as a whole week was filled up with meetings and gatherings. There was a United Service at Great St Mary's, when the Bishop of Ripon...preached a sermon of riveting eloquence. The Mayor and Corporation attended in state. The Mayor...gave a reception in the Guildhall before the great evening meeting, and at the concluding service in Ely Cathedral there was large congregation, including a strong contingent from Cambridge, the preacher being [the] President of Queen's and Hulsean Professor of Divinity. The Master of St John's gave a Breakfast to a large company of University guests; and a crowded service in Great St Mary's for children gathered from all the Parochial Sunday Schools in the town marked the Sunday afternoon. The Centenary Fund amounted to [pounds]560.[1] Consider 1999. There is still the civic presence and evensong in Great St. Mary's. But now there is also a tent on Clapham Common, a perambulating camel, and here no sermon, only an address, and that from no preacher or theological scholar. Indeed, CMS might seem to have forgotten its first centennial encounter with King's College, London. The Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at King's, the Reverend Charles Hole, commissioned eight years in advance to produce a centenary history, had by 1898 completed his study only as far as 1814. As a result the Society had to turn to its own, calling its Secretary, Eugene Stock, to its rescue.[2] Hole's embarrassment, Stock's monumental achievement (eventually running to four volumes), and a further two volumes from Gordon Hewitt covering the years 1910 to 1942, are each in their different ways testimony to the difficulty of doing justice to the Society's past. [3] In such circumstances, with Ward's and Stanley's bicentennial book almost upon us, to invite not one of King's theologians but its Rhodes Professor of Imperial History even to speak, might seem quixotic. [4] Cecil Rhodes - diamond digger, opportunist politician, unscrupulous financier, overgrown schoolboy, charismatic visionary or megalomaniacal rogue according to taste - was, even as son of the vicar of Bishop's Stortford, somewhat unorthodox in religious outlook. Appropriating missionary rhetoric about civilization, he equally readily exploited missionary contacts for his own plans to change people and places. He was reported as saying: If there be a God and He cares anything about what I do, I think it is clear that He would like me to do what He is doing himself...to paint as much of the map of Africa British red as possible, and to do what I can elsewhere to promote the unity and extend the influence of the English-speaking race. [5] I can only reassure you and provide perhaps some slight safeguard for today's proceedings by saying that holders of the chair carrying his name are not required to submit to any of his religious tests. However, in at least one respect, the outlooks of Rhodes and many a nineteenth-century CMS missionary seem all too similar. …


In this case report a number of problems with speaker identification by lay persons are discussed. It is argued that specific circumstances of the identification procedure(s) and factors such as subjects' emotional states, personal attitudes towards the speaker in question, short-term changes in the speaker's vocal behaviour and the semantic content and type of speech material used may heavily bias subjects' judgements. On the other hand, a 'conventional' forensic voice comparison carried out by professionals provided clear-cut results even under severe time constraints. It is argued that speaker identification by lay persons, if indispensable in a case, should be carried out by means of a formalized, classical voice line-up experiment.


Multi-Sinks wireless sensor networks, a current research focus, has better stability and effectiveness compared to the traditional single-SINK structure. To solve the problem how to complete the tasks within the possibly shortest time, a task scheduling algorithm(DMTA) based on divisible load theory in multi-Sinks wireless sensor networks is proposed. In DMTA, the tasks are distributed to wireless sensor network based on the processing and communication capacity of each sensor by multiple Sinks respectively. By removing communications interference between each sensor, reduced task completion time and improved network resource utilization achieved. Simulation results show that DMTA reasonably distributes tasks to each node in wireless sensor networks, and effectively reduces the time-consuming of task completion.


Lyme disease (LD) is a multisystem infection caused by tick-borne spirochaetes of the Borrelia burgdorferii sensu lato group. UK and US laboratory diagnosis of LD involves the two-tier serological approach. The negative predictive value of the test has been challenged, particularly in early stage LD. There is considerable interest, therefore, in the development of improved diagnostic tests. The main aim of the project is to identify new markers that could form the basis for improved tests. A mass spectrometry biomarker discovery study was undertaken on LD positive and negative residual diagnostic samples from UK LD testing by Public Health England and a cohort of patient samples from collaboration with a research group in the Czech Republic. A 'related-disease control group' including serum samples from syphilis, leptospirosis and chronic fatigue syndrome was also included. Several proteins were found at a significantly higher or lower in abundance in the ld-positive patients compared with ld-negative. Of particular interest was Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a protein involved in immunity. LCN2 has previously been found in increased abundance in mice exposed to B. burgdorferi. Further analysis of LD samples using Illumina RNA sequencing revealed further markers of interest. Transcriptomic analysis including Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) gave insights into the host response to LD infection. Proteins of interest from proteomic and transcriptomic analysis were taken forward for further analysis by WB or ELISA in a larger sample set.


Without a specific functional context, non-functional requirements can only be approached as cross-cutting concerns and treated uniformly across all features of an application. This neglects, however, the heterogeneity of non-functional requirements that arises from stakeholder interests and the distinct functional scopes of software systems, which mutually influence how these non-functional requirements have to be satisfied. Earlier studies showed that the different types and objectives of non-functional requirements result in either vague or unbalanced specification of non-functional requirements. We propose a task analytic approach for eliciting and modeling user tasks to approach the stakeholders' pursued interests towards the software product. Stakeholder interests are structurally related to user tasks and each interest can be specified individually as a constraint of a specific user task. These constraints support DevOps teams with important guidance on how the interest of the stakeholder can be satisfied in the software lifecycle sufficiently. We propose a structured approach, intertwining task-oriented functional requirements with non-functional stakeholder interests to specify constraints on the level of user tasks. We also present results of a case study with domain experts, which reveals that our task modeling and interest-tailoring method increases the comprehensibility of non-functional requirements as well as their impact on the functional requirements, i.e., the users' tasks.


Optical, surface and structural properties of ZnO thin films fabricated by reactive radio- frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering and sol-gel coating methods are comparatively investigated. The optical properties of films produced by both techniques have very similar characteristics, however; the surface morphology and degree of crystallinity have different behaviors. The nanostructure columnar zinc oxide thin films can be synthesized by sol-gel coating methods which can have numerous applications requiring larger surface area. Also, the process scalability and large-scale manufacturing of these materials are discussed. It indicated that the nanostructure ZnO thin films can be synthesized with sol-gel methods at wafer levels with nano-grains and improved surface properties compared with reactive rf magnetron sputtering deposition.


This Element explores the topics of terrorism, counterterrorism, and the US government's war on terror following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. It draw on insights from Austrian and public choice economics. First, the foundations of the economics of terrorism are discussed emphasizing that the behaviors of terrorists and counter-terrorists are purposeful and goal-oriented. Then, the economics of counterterrorism policies and the importance of institutional change is considered. Next, the three dilemmas facing liberal societies as it relates to counterterrorism efforts is focused on. The Element then provides an assessment of the US government's war on terror. It discusses the origins of the war, discuss whether it can be judged a success or failure, and consider some of the main effects both abroad and within the United States. The final chapter concludes with a discussion of several areas for future research.


A dual frequency probe using a multi-layer piezoelectric material is proposed for simultaneous ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging of the carotid artery with a high resolution ultrasound and a high sensitivity photoacoustic image. The probe consists of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for ultrasound stack and and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) array for photoacoustic signal reception, which is placed on top of the PZT stack. We used 3D finite element analysis to evaluate a quarter of the full aperture of the dual frequency array, having 48 elements diced PZT-5H for ultrasound pulse-echo and 16 elements of 28μm thick, kerfless PVDF for photoacoustic receiving. We showed that considering the PVDF array as the second matching layer of the ultrasound stack minimized its loading effect at the cost of operating in a higher operation frequency of 9.9 MHz. We modeled a design with and without sub-dicing, where sub-dicing and subsequent suppression of lateral modes allows larger elements and thus larger aperture. The −3dB bandwidth of the ultrasound stack with and without sub-dicing are 87% and 75% relative to the center frequencies. We found a transmit sensitivity of 17 kPa/V and 21 kPa/V for those two realizations respectively.


Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) have quickly become one of the hottest computer applications today. With their tight integration of cyber and physical objects, it is believed CPSs will transform how we interact with the physical world, just like the Internet transformed how we interact with one another. A CPS could be a system at multiple scales, from large smart bridges with fluctuation detection and responding functions, to autonomous cars and tiny implanted medical devices.Cyber-Physical Systems: Integrated Computing and Engineering Design supplies comprehensive coverage of the principles and design of CPSs. It addresses the many challenges that must be overcome and outlines a roadmap of how to get there. Emphasizes the integration of cyber computing and physical objects control Covers important CPS theory foundations and models Includes interesting case studies of several important civilian and health care applications that illustrate the CPS design process Addresses the collaboration of the sensing and controlling of a physical system with robust software architecture Explains how to account for random failure events that can occur in a real CPS environment Presented in a systematic manner, the book begins by discussing the basic concept underlying CPSs and examining some challenging design issues. It then covers the most important design theories and modeling methods for a practical CPS. Next, it moves on to sensor-based CPSs, which use embedded sensors and actuators to interact with the physical world. The text presents concrete CPS designs for popular civilian applications, including building and energy management. Reflecting the importance of human health care in society, it includes CPS examples of rehabilitation applications such as virtual reality-based disability recovery platforms.


The Alexander terrane consists of upper Proterozoic(?)-Cambrian through Middle(?) Jurassic rocks that underlie much of southeastern (SE) Alaska and parts of eastern Alaska, western British Columbia, and southwestern Yukon Territory. A variety of geologic, paleomagnetic, and paleontologic evidence indicates that these rocks have been displaced considerable distances from their sites of origin and were not accreted to western North America until Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary time. Our geologic and U-Pb geochronologic studies in southern SE Alaska and the work of others to the north indicate that the terrane evolved through three distinct tectonic phases. During the initial phase, from late Proterozoic(?)-Cambrian through Early Devonian time, the terrane probably evolved along a convergent plate margin. Arc-type(?) volcanism and plutonism occurred during late Proterozoic(?)-Cambrian and Ordovician-Early Silurian time, with orogenic events during the Middle Cambrian-Early Ordovician (Wales orogeny) and the middle Silurian-earliest Devonian (Klakas orogeny). The second phase is marked by Middle Devonian through Lower Permian strata which accumulated in tectonically stable marine environments. Devonian and Lower Permian volcanic rocks and upper Pennsylvanian-Lower Permian syenitic to dioritic intrusive bodies occur locally but do not appear to represent major magmatic systems. The third phase is marked by Triassic volcanic and sedimentary rocks which are interpreted to have formed in a rift environment. Previous syntheses of the displacement history of the terrane emphasized apparent similarities with rocks in the Sierra-Klamath region and suggested that the Alexander terrane evolved in proximity to the California continental margin during Paleozoic time. Our studies indicate, however, that the geologic record of the Alexander terrane is quite different from that in the Sierra-Klamath region, and we conclude that the two regions were not closely associated during Paleozoic time. The available geologic, paleomagnetic, and paleontologic data are more consistent with a scenario involving (1) early Paleozoic origin and evolution of the Alexander terrane along the paleo-Pacific margin of Gondwana, (2) rifting from this margin during Devonian time, (3) late Paleozoic migration across the paleo-Pacific basin in low southerly paleolatitudes, (4) residence in proximity to the paleo-Pacific margin of South America during latest Paleozoic(?)-Triassic time, and (5) Late Permian(?)-Triassic rifting followed by northward displacement along the eastern margin of the Pacific basin.


The grain/oilseed industry is undergoing considerable structural change in the form of mergers and the addition of new processing facilities to add value beyond commodity grade. The rapid structural changes in this industry call into question the relevance of previous research conducted in these areas. Focusing on two structural change events in northeast Missouri as case studies provides an incisive glimpse at the larger impact of structural change on the grain/oilseed industry. This study addresses the merger of Archer Daniels Midland and Quincy Grain, and the opening of a producer-owned ethanol plant in northeast Missouri to determine if these structural change events altered pricing patterns and linkages in Missouri grain/oilseed markets, and assess the need for re-specification of conventional economic models for price analysis in cases of potential structural change. This research utilizes a three-tier statistical analysis of cointegration tests, Flexible Least Squares analysis, and impulse response functions derived from Vector Autoregressive modeling to investigate the Law of One Price and price relationships among four Missouri grain/oilseed markets. The results are consistent with the Law of One Price, supporting the ideology that markets work, and implying that localized structural change may not significantly affect research shelf-life.


The horticultural industry was instrumental in the early development and exploitation of genetic techniques over a century ago. This review will describe recent advances in a range of in vitro methods and their application to plant breeding, with especial emphasis on horticultural crops. These methods include improvements in the efficiency of haploid breeding techniques in many fruit and vegetable species using either microspore-derived or ovule-derived plants. Significant molecular information is now available to supplement these essentially empirical approaches and this may enable the more predictable application of these technologies in previously intransigent crops. Similarly there are now improved techniques for isolation of somatic hybrids, by application of either in vitro fertilisation or the culture of excised ovules from interspecific crosses. In addition to examples taken from the traditional scientific literature, emphasis will also be given to the use of patent databases as a valuable source of information on recent novel technologies developed in the commercial world.


Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) technique is introduced in Radio Frequency (RF) communication to carry both information and power in same medium. In this approach, the energy can be harvested while decoding the information carries in an RF wave. Recently, the same concept applied in Visible Light Communication (VLC) namely Simultaneous Light Wave Information and Power Transfer (SLIPT), which is highly recommended in an indoor applications to overcome the problem facing in RF communication. Thus, SLIPT is introduced to transmit the power through a Light Emitting Diode (LED) luminaries. In this work, we compare both SWIPT and SLIPT technologies and realize SLIPT technology archives increased performance in terms of the amount of harvested energy, outage probability and error rate performance.


Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is a human retrovirus that infects lymphocytes and other cells bearing the CD4 surface marker. The virus is transmitted primarily by sexual and parental routes. There are two ways blood feeding arthropods can spread disease, mechanically, by simple transfer of virus between hosts by contaminated mouth parts, or, biologically, which would require virus replication in arthropod tissues (especially salivary glands). There are some important factors which have proven that AIDS is not transmitted by mosquito bite. These factors are: (1) AIDS virus can not replicate inside the mosquito, bed bug, flea, or other blood sucking insect and the lack of replication of HIV in arthropod cells due to lack of T4 antigen on cell surface, and (2) it is unlikely that HIV is transmitted by insects, given the low infectivity of HIV and the short survival of the virus in the mosquito. HIV appears to be much less easily transmitted probably due to lower titers of virus in body fluids. So, on the basis of experimental evidence and probability estimates, it has been concluded that the likelihood of mechanical or biological transmission of HIV by insects is virtually nonexistent.


Misuse of drugs in the elderly is a rampant public health problem. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered survey to assess drug use and inadedequate prescription among noninstotunilazed elderly patients in the city of La Plata, Argentina in 2009. The total number of respondents was 215. The average number of drugs used per person was 3.19 ± 2.02, polypharmacy was present in 24.1 % of subjects. Potentially inappropriate medications (MPI) were given in 25.5 %, 31.9 % and 30.0 % of the patients, according to Beers criteria, Priscus list, and STOPP criteria, respectively. This research found that potentially inappropriate prescribing is common and there is a growing need for a list of potentially inappropriate medications, as appropriate to each situation, that considers situations where treatment is suboptimal.


This article describes the different skills which a school nurse can be brought to mobilise while practicing his/her profession. In French speaking Switzerland, these professionals acquire general community health training after receiving their basic training. The specificity of their target population group (students and their families), the context of their workplace (the school and its various actors), their daily interdisciplinary practice all put into question the adequacy of this training. The goal of this work was the formulation of the different skills required in order to conduct well their complex professional activity, in the format of a referential of competencies, prior to the development of a more specific training programme. The referential was built upon the basis of the "professional-group" approach; it was compiled from the analysis of working situations representative of the diversity in practice, by a group of confirmed professionals.


In the present study, we investigated whether cholecystokinin (CCK) or its structurally related peptide gastrin participates in long term regulation of adipocyte leptin secretion. The levels of circulating leptin observed after 2 and 6 h of refeeding in 18-h fast rats were significantly lowered by injection of the specific gastrin/CCK-B receptor antagonist YM022 at doses that did not affect feeding behavior. Moreover, in normally fed animals, circulating leptin was markedly decreased by chronic injection of YM022 (from 4 ± 0.6 to 2.1 ± 0.5 ng/ml). Consistent with these observations, YM022 treatment decreased leptin messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and increased the leptin content in rat epididymal fat tissue. Rat adipocytes exclusively contain gastrin/CCK-B receptor mRNA, but not CCK-A receptor mRNA. Furthermore, adipocyte membranes bound[ 125I]CCK-8 in a saturable manner, with kinetics consistent with a single class of high affinity sites with a Kd of 0.2 nm. These data argue for a physiological role for the ...


The case of Johann Reuchlin, one of the best-known controversies of the 16th century, has been interpreted in many ways: as a case of anti-Semitism, a controversy between humanists and scholastics, or a case foreshadowing the Reformation debate. The last interpretation was facilitated by Luther himself, who repeatedly linked his case with that of the biblical humanists Lefevre, Erasmus, and Reuchlin. In this lively critical analysis, Erika Rummel describes how the second interpretation, which was promoted in the 19th century, was replaced after WWII by a new sensitivity toward the anti-Semitic elements of the affair. More recently, however, the favoured approach is a more nuanced interpretation, acknowledging that the controversy is informed by a combination of social and intellectual currents and reflects both anti-Semitism and academic strife. The section containing the analysis is followed by documents illustrating the case, some of them translated for the first time into English.


The role of two-dimensional polar material in electronic modulation has been demonstrated recently in vertical van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions. Despite the fact that the effect of polarity on the band alignment of polar–nonpolar heterojunctions has been explored, the interplay of the internal electric field and external electric field is not well known in such polar–nonpolar heterojunctions. In this density functional theory (DFT) study, we chose Sc2CO2/MoS2 heterojunctions as a representative polar–nonpolar heterostructure; the dependence of the valence band maximum (VBM), conduction band minimum (CBM), and staggered gap on the external electric field was calculated in detail. The stacking sequence-dependent and asymmetric response of the band edge to the electric field is revealed. Moreover, we find that the VBM (CBM) can be separately modulated by the external electric field in a specific stacking sequence. We finally demonstrate a significant correlation between charge alterations at the interface and band edge shifts. Our results provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of the stacking sequence and interplay of the internal and external electric fields on the electronic properties of polar–nonpolar vdW heterojunctions.


3-D technologies are transforming the way in which medical images are created but what are the implications for education and computer animators of the future? This paper explores how postgraduate students, researchers, educators, clinicians and patients are collaborating to improve interaction and communication in clinical care.
 The paper begins by describing the background to the current research developments in medical 3-D visualisation within the School of Media Arts & Imaging at Dundee University. Following an initial critique of clinical literature for arterial disease, and a review of existing 3-D bio-medical animations we have recognized the strategic need for research into long-term patient care and communication.
 A unique collaboration with the School of Medicine at the University has allowed an opportunity to explore how newly created medical 3-D visualisations, can facilitate mediation and interaction between the disciplines of computer animation and clinical research.
 The paper discusses three case studies involving student research work in collaboration with the School of Medicine:
 • Case study 1 exploring the use of 3-D visualisation techniques to enhance medical scan data, particularly in the field of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computive Tomography (CT) scanning.
 • Case study 2 exploring the use of digital 3-D animation and visualisation techniques in the creation of information resources for Diabetic Retinopathy.
 • Case study 3 focusing on developing an animation for the purposes of exploring the area of providing health based information with the aim of altering patient behavior.


Even as a commercial cathode material, LiFePO4 remains of tremendous research interest for understanding Li intercalation dynamics. The partially lithiated material spontaneously separates into Li-poor and Li-rich phases at equilibrium. Phase segregation is a surprising property of LiFePO4 given its high measured rate capability. Previous theoretical studies, aiming to describe Li intercalation in LiFePO4, include both atomic-scale density functional theory (DFT) calculations of static Li distributions and entire-particle-scale phase field models, based upon empirical parameters, studying the dynamics of the phase separation. Little effort has been made to bridge the gap between these two scales. In this work, DFT calculations are used to fit a cluster expansion for the basis of kinetic Monte Carlo calculations, which enables long time scale simulations with accurate atomic interactions. This atomistic model shows how the phases evolve in LixFePO4 without parameters from experiments. Our simulations reveal that an ordered Li0.5FePO4 phase with alternating Li-rich and Li-poor planes along the ac direction forms between the LiFePO4 and FePO4 phases, which is consistent with recent X-ray diffraction experiments showing peaks associated with an intermediate-Li phase. The calculations also help to explain a recent puzzling experiment showing that LiFePO4 particles with high aspect ratios that are narrower along the [100] direction, perpendicular to the [010] Li diffusion channels, actually have better rate capabilities. Our calculations show that lateral surfaces parallel to the Li diffusion channels, as well as other preexisting sites that bind Li weakly, are important for phase nucleation and rapid cycling performance.


Last week my office was attended by a young couple (17 years of age) who complained of sexual difficulties. I found myself sitting across the desk from a shy teenage boy and his girlfriend of two months. "I have ED" was his introductory comment. After my initial shock, we settled into a discussion about their sex life and related concerns. As you may have guessed, his erectile dysfunction (ED) was secondary to his premature ejaculation and education was all that was needed.


Given a question and a set of candidate answers, answer selection is the task of identifying which of the candidates answers the question correctly. It is an important problem in natural language processing, with applications in many areas. Recently, many deep learning based methods have been proposed for the task. They produce impressive performance without relying on any feature engineering or expensive external resources. In this paper, we aim to provide a comprehensive review on deep learning methods applied to answer selection.


Medicine co-administration with food or drink vehicles is a common administration practice in paediatrics. The aims of this review were (i) to describe the current recommended strategies for co-administration of paediatric medicines with food and drinks (vehicles); (ii) to compare current administration recommendations from different countries; and (iii) to obtain a global perspective on the rationale behind the choice of recommended vehicle, in the context of the physicochemical properties of the drug and formulation. This study used a defined search strategy on the practices of paediatric medicine co-administration with vehicles, recommended in a commonly used paediatric and neonatal handbook, in addition to the information previously gathered from UK formularies. Logistic regression analysis was performed to further understand the biopharmaceutical basis of the choice of recommended vehicle for medicine co-administration. Differences were identified in the type of vehicles globally recommended for medicine co-administration. Ultimately, a statistical model was developed which provided an understanding on which vehicle is recommended for use with drugs/formulations, with basis on their biopharmaceutical properties. Overall, this review highlights the areas where further information is needed to support standardised procedures and guide the recommendation of age-appropriate and acceptable vehicles for use in the co-administration of paediatric medicines. Unified requirements are needed for harmonisation of the practice of medicine co-administration with vehicles. In vitro and/or in silico tools should be developed to evaluate the potential clinical outcomes of this practice during paediatric drug development.


This guide supports the courses taught at the Universities at Shady Grove in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Program of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.


Protein trafficking in and out of the nucleus represents a key step in controlling cell fate and function. Here we report the development of a red light-inducible and far-red light-reversible synthetic system for controlling nuclear localization of proteins in mammalian cells and zebrafish. First, we synthetically reconstructed and validated the red light-dependent Arabidopsis phytochrome B nuclear import mediated by phytochrome-interacting factor 3 in a nonplant environment and support current hypotheses on the import mechanism in planta. On the basis of this principle we next regulated nuclear import and activity of target proteins by the spatiotemporal projection of light patterns. A synthetic transcription factor was translocated into the nucleus of mammalian cells and zebrafish to drive transgene expression. These data demonstrate the first in vivo application of a plant phytochrome-based optogenetic tool in vertebrates and expand the repertoire of available light-regulated molecular devices.


OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of potentially pathogenic intestinal parasites in asylum seekers coming from a highly endemic area, and to identify groups of asylum seekers from Africa with a high risk of an intestinal parasitic infestation which is potentially harmful of their own health or that of those in their vicinity. DESIGN Prospective. METHOD In the period January 1996-May 1999, 956 asylum seekers from Africa were checked for intestinal parasites by means of a stool examination within one month of arriving in the Netherlands. Independent variables for data analysis were sex, age and area of origin. RESULTS Pathogenic intestinal parasites were found in 40.6% of the 956 African asylum seekers coming from areas south and east of the Sahara. Double-infection was found in 9.5% and triple-infection in 0.9% of the study population. The most common pathogenic parasite was Trichuris trichiura (13.6%) followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (8.8%), hookworms (7.8%), Schistosoma (7.0%) and Giardia lamblia (5.0%). G. lamblia was the most commonly found potentially pathogenic parasite in children less than 13 years old (19.0%). In the population from Western Africa, 15.6% had a hookworm and 12.8% a Schistosoma. Both these helminthic infestations were three times as prevalent in men as in women. CONCLUSION Sex, age and area of origin were important indicators for the species of parasite. On the basis of this, risk groups can be selected for screening for potentially pathogenic intestinal parasites.


This paper presents a self-organizing neural network approach, known as multiple self-organizing maps (MSOMs), to multisource data fusion and compound classification. The authors use the Kohonen SOM as a building block to set up a design framework for a range of classifiers. They demonstrate that the MSOM is suitable for multisource fusion, where the issues of high dimensionality, complex characteristics and disparity, and joint exploration of spatiality and temporality of mixed data can be adequately addressed. Experiments with a bitemporal data set show the effectiveness of their approach.


The Qinling Orogen is located between the North China and South China cratons. The Mianlue Suture is the key boundary between the orogen and the South China Craton marking where the South China Craton subducted northward beneath the North China Craton during the late Triassic. Another older suture, the Shangdan Suture, divides the orogen into the North Qinling and South Qinling terranes. Our new geochronological data on eight granite plutons in the South Qinling Terrane indicate that the major phase of the Zhongchuan Granite is 219.5 ± 2.1 Ma, Luchuba is 217.1 ± 1.0 Ma, Baijiazhuang is 215.9 ± 3.0 Ma, Jiaochangba is 213.9 ± 1.7 Ma, Lvjing is 214.5 ± 2.1 Ma, Xiba is 215.6 ± 1.8 Ma, Wenquan is 217.3 ± 2.1 Ma and Fengxian is 240.9 ± 1.0 Ma. Compiled results reveal widespread magmatism began in the northwestern part of the South Qinling Terrane at ~240–250 Ma and episodically progressed to the southeast in the North Qinling Terrane. Magmatism was then widespread throughout the South Qinling Terrane during the Late Triassic. A new division of Triassic intrusions has been proposed across the Qinling Orogen based on critical geochemical and geochronological differences. First, the western part of the South Qinling Terrane, (western South Qinling suite), is significantly enriched in large ion lithophile elements, including Cs, Rb, U, Th and K, whereas the eastern part of the South Qinling Terrane, (eastern South Qinling suite), has moderate enrichment in these elements. Second, there is an obvious transition from calcium to potassium enrichment in the Late Triassic western‐South‐Qinling suite, whereas the Late Triassic eastern South Qinling suite appears to follow a curved trajectory starting from high Na through K to high Ca. Third, the Ba and Sr concentrations of the western South Qinling suite have marked troughs, whereas the eastern South Qinling suites have relative enrichment of the two elements. The source of the Triassic magma becomes increasingly juvenile towards the east‐southeast in the Qinling Orogen. Geochemical and isotopic data indicate that there are differences in the granites across the Chengxian–Huixian–Fengxian Fault within the western South Qinling Orogen, which highlight the tectonic significance of this northeast‐trending fault that is now recognized as a significant boundary within the orogen. The identification of such a large‐scale structure should attract some exploration attention, since this fundamental lineation is likely to be associated with some large mineral systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Activity limitation scales, such as the Barthel index (BI) and modified Rankin scale (MRS), may fail to identify residual neurological deficits (impairment) in patients without activity limitation, leaving unresolved the question whether improvement in ADLs over time is due to restitution of impairments or compensation for unchanged deficits.

We sought to determine the degree of impairment among ischemic stroke patients who have no activity limitation at 3 months. As part of the Performance and Recovery in Stroke registry, patients with first-time ischemic stroke confirmed on MRI were enrolled during acute admission between May 2002 and January 2008. All patients received inpatient and outpatient physical and occupational therapy according to standard of care.

Three impairment measures were assessed 3 months after stroke: hand dynamometry in the affected hand (HD), the Fugl-Meyer scale (FM),1 and 9-hole peg test (9HPT). For HD and 9HPT, z-scores were calculated to correct for gender, age and hand dominance.2, 3 The motor score of the FM scale was used (maximum 100). All patients had 3-month BI and MRS assessments.

An individual was deemed meaningfully impaired on HD and 9HPT tasks if he or she had a z-score more than 1.5 SD from established population norms, corresponding to a probability of 93.3% that the score was truly worse than population norms. For FM, since population norms do not exist, an individual was deemed meaningfully impaired if he or she had a total score less than 90.4 If an individual scored BI≥95 or MRS≤1, he or she was deemed "not limited in activity."5

Among 66 patients, mean age was 61.2±10.4 years and 59.1% were male. Seventy-three percent of patients (48/66) were "not limited in activity" (BI≥95) at 3 months. Forty-seven percent of patients (31/66) were "not limited in activity" by MRS (MRS≤1). Of these patients, significant residual deficits were seen in all three impairment measures (Figure).

Figure

Percentage of patients not limited in activity who qualify as impaired

In summary, we found little activity limitation at 3 months, but significant residual impairment. Reasons for this lack of correlation between impairment and disability scores may include insensitivity of disability scores to changes in impairment, the use of compensatory strategies such as learning to brush one's teeth with the non-paretic hand, and the use of assistive devices. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between impairment and ADL performance.

Stroke trials that employ activity limitation scales as outcome measures may be missing significant changes in impairment. Scales that assess neurological impairments, such as the Fugl-Meyer scale, the Jebsen hand test, and Berg gait exam, may be more appropriate as outcome measures. From a clinical perspective, classifying a patient to be without activity limitation when significant impairment persists may limit opportunities for additional, targeted rehabilitation interventions that could enhance functional abilities and improve quality of life.


Abstract We report the first isotopic study of an animal host-parasite system. Parasitic, intestinal nematodes, Graphidium strigosum and Passalurus ambiguus, were (15)N-enriched relative to their host, the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, while parasitic cestodes, Cittataenia denticulata and Mosgovoyia pectinata, were (15)N-depleted, suggesting different trophic relationships. Host embryos were more similar in their δ(13)C and δ(15)N values to maternal muscle than were any of the parasites. Coprophagy, the direct recycling of food by the rabbit eating its own faeces, did not lead to isotopic differences between stomach contents and faeces, suggesting that the major point for isotopic discrimination in lagomorph nitrogen metabolism is in the animal rather than in the gut. We conclude that bulk δ(13)C and δ(15)N can reveal valuable new information about host-parasite relationships, and these could be explored further at the biochemical level using compound-specific isotopic analyses.


This paper presents a new probabilistic neural network model, called IPNN (for Incremental Probabilistic Neural Network), which is able to learn continuously probability distributions from data flows. The proposed model is inspired in the Specht's general regression neural network, but have several improvements which makes it more suitable to be used in on-line and robotic tasks. Moreover, IPNN is able to automatically define the network structure in an incremental and on-line way, with new units added whenever necessary to represent new training data. The experiments performed using the proposed model shows that IPNN is able to approximate continuous functions using few probabilistic units.


Multilingual query localization is integral to modern e-commerce. While machine translation is widely used to translate e-commerce queries, evaluation of query translation in the context of the down-stream search task is overlooked. This study proposes a search ranking-based evaluation framework with an edit-distance based search metric to evaluate machine translation impact on cross-lingual information retrieval for e-commerce search query translation, The framework demonstrate evaluation of machine translation for e-commerce search at scale and the proposed metric is strongly associated with traditional machine translation and traditional search relevance-based metrics.


Dichlorvos (DDVP) is used as an antihelmetic, principally in dogs, cats, pigs and horses. Retina, whole blood, erythrocyte, plasma and brain cholinesterase (ChE) activities were monitored following DDVP exposure in cats to establish their use as indicators of exposure to a ChE inhibitor. Following DDVP exposure, whole blood ChE activity was 16.8% of preexposure, erythrocyte ChE activity was 33% of preexposure, and plasma ChE was 19% of preexposure values. Brain and retinal ChE activities were reduced to 45% and 43% of control values. Retinal ChE paralleled brain activity.


"Hidden Buddhas may well be Liza Dalby's best work yet; with its fascinating story of characters caught up in a world they themselves don't understand. Besides taking us on a journey through little-known corners of Japan, it offers us an engaging and believable portrait of people driven to do things they may not have imagined."-Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha According to Buddhist theology, the world is suffering through a final corrupt era called mappo. As mappo continues, chaos will increase until the center can no longer hold. Then the world will end. In Japan, many believe that Miroku, Buddha of the Future, will appear and bring about a new age of enlightenment. From this ancient notion of doom and rebirth comes a startling new novel by the acclaimed author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki. Hundreds of temples in Japan are known to keep mysterious "hidden buddhas" secreted away except on rare designated viewing days. These statues are not hidden because they are powerful-their power lies in their being hidden. Are they being protected, or are they protecting the world? In this novel, one Buddhist priest struggles with the dictates of his inherited orthodoxy, while another rebels. An American graduate student begins to suspect the mysterious purpose of the hidden buddhas, just as he falls in love with a beautiful Japanese artist who is haunted by an aborted child. The weaving of karma that brings these two together results in a tech-savvy half-Western, half-Japanese child who text-messages her way through the profane world to enlightenment. Tracing the lives of its characters through the late twentieth century to the present, from Paris to Kyoto to California, Hidden Buddhas turns a cosmopolitan eye on discipline and decadence in religion, fashion, politics, and modern life. Liza Dalby is an anthropologist and writer specializing in Japan. She lives in Berkeley, California.


This paper demonstrates opportunities for the development of the place marketing theory given by pure model of local expenditures (Tiebout 1956) and concepts of the creative class (Florida 2004) and creative city (Bianchini and Landry 1995). Rethinking them in marketing terms, we then analyze their limitations and show why their re-examining can support competition analysis, targeting, and marketing policy of places. In the discussion section, main directions of theoretical research in place marketing are highlighted


A new approach to template tracking is presented, incorporating three distinct contributions. Firstly, an explicit definition for a feature track is given. Secondly, the advantages of an image preprocessing stage are demonstrated and, in particular, the effectiveness of highly compressed image patch data stored in k-d trees for fast and discriminatory image patch searches. Thirdly, the k-d trees are used to generate multiple track hypotheses which are efficiently merged to give the optimal solution using dynamic programming. The explicit separation of feature detection and trajectory determination creates the basis for the novel use of k-d trees and dynamic programming. Multiple appearances and occlusion handling are seamlessly integrated into this framework. Appearance variation through the sequence is robustly handled in an iterative process. The work presented is a significant foundation for a powerful off-line feature tracking system, particularly in the context of interactive applications.


Nitrate is an important nitrogen source for plants, but also a signal molecule that controls various aspects of plant development. In the present study the role of nitrate on seed dormancy in Arabidopsis was investigated. The effects of either mutations affecting the Arabidopsis nitrate reductase genes or of different nitrate regimes of mother plants on the dormancy of the seeds produced were analysed. Altogether, data show that conditions favouring nitrate accumulation in mother plants and in seeds lead to a lower dormancy of seeds with little other morphological or biochemical differences. Analysis of germination during seed development indicated that nitrate does not prevent the onset of dormancy but rather its maintenance. The effect of an exogenous supply of nitrate on seed germination was tested: nitrate in contrast to glutamine or potassium chloride clearly stimulated the germination of dormant seeds. Data show, moreover, that the Arabidopsis dual affinity nitrate transporter NRT1.1 (CHL1) may be involved in conveying the nitrate signal into seeds. Thus, nitrate provided exogenously or by mother plants to the produced seeds, acts as a signal molecule favouring germination in Arabidopsis. This signalling may involve interaction with the abscisic acid or gibberellin pathway.


Motivated by promising experimental results, this paper investigates the theoretical properties of a recently proposed nonparametric estimator, called the Mutual Nearest Neighbors rule, which estimates the regression function m(x) = E[Y|X = x] as follows: first identify the k nearest neighbors of x in the sample Dn, then keep only those for which x is itself one of the k nearest neighbors, and finally take the average over the corresponding response variables. We prove that this estimator is consistent and that its rate of convergence is optimal. Since the estimate with the optimal rate of convergence depends on the unknown distribution of the observations, we also present adaptation results by data-splitting.