The purpose of this study was to investigate how vocational education and transitional services offered in vocational institutions helped young adults with intellectual disabilities (YAWID) attain full community integration. The study objectives included investigate the effectiveness of transitional services and follow-up programs towards aiding their community integration. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approach. Quantitative analysis was applied for the purpose of clarification, strengthening, explaining and supporting qualitative information. The research design for this paper was a descriptive case study. The target population comprised all young adults with intellectual disabilities in Kiambu County. The sample of the study included 10 young adults with intellectual disabilities. Other respondents were a head teacher/employer, 2 vocational teachers and 9 parents. Data collection was completed via use of interview guides, note taking, audio recording and an observation checklist. The actual data collection took 30 days. Data from interviews and observation text were coded and codes created according to the themes of the study. Qualitative data analysis was by use of Atlas ti software computer programme. Quantitative data analyses were completed manually through tallying the frequency of segmented responses. Further, the findings revealed that in as much as young adults with intellectual disabilities were offered vocational skills in the special school, what they were engaged in was not relevant to the skills they trained in. This led to some of them disliking the kind of jobs they had as avenues of community integration. It was evident that a well-specified vocational transitional services for persons with intellectual disabilities was lacking.


A study is presented in which experimental subjects map German word senses onto an English ontology by completing questionnaires over the World Wide Web. The work is intended to establish whether such an approach could be used to create a multilingual concept ontology. While the methods need further refinement, the results of this study, taken together with those of two previous ones, suggest that the method is viable.


A simple rapid spectrophotometeric method has been developed for estimation of acarbose from bulk drug and tablet dosage form by using potassium permagnate and sodium hydroxide as oxidizing agent. The method is based on the formation of green colored complex of drug with 0.1 N alkaline potassium permanganate having absorbance maxima at 625 nm. The beer's law is obeyed in the concentration range of 10-70 µg/ml of the drug but more precisely it obeys in the range of 10-50 µg/ml. The slope and intercept values are 0.0118 and 0.0071, respectively. Results of analysis of this method were validated statistically and by recovery studies. The method is applied to the marketed tablet formulation. Result of analysis of tablet formation given as percentage of label claim+ standard deviation is 99.78 + 0.1053. The precision and accuracy was examined by performing recovery studies and was found to be 99.59 + 0.180.The developed method is simple, sensitive and reproducible and can be used for routine analysis of acarbose from bulk and tablet dosage form.


Several Australian and African Acacia shrubs and trees have been intentionally introduced into the Mediterranean basin for different purposes, but some species become invasive, such as Vachellia karroo (Hayne) Banfi and Galasso (syn. Acacia karroo) (Fabales: Fabaceae). The seed beetles, belonging to family Bruchidae, have a significant ecological and economic importance, either because they can be plant pests or, on the other hand, be used as biocontrol agents against invasive plant species. Bruchidius raddianae (Anton and Delobel, 2003) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) is native to tropical and subtropical areas, but it has been recently reported from Cadiz and Malaga (southern Spain, 2007) and in the Lampedusa Island (Italy, 2015) from seeds of pods collected from V. karroo. This paper reports 104 specimens reared from seeds collected from V. karroo in Faro (southern Portugal) from August to October 2019, expanding the B. raddianae' European distribution limits. This is also the first report of its presence in Portugal and the third in Europe.


Abstract. Syn-kinematic mineral reactions play an important role for the mechanical
properties of polymineralic rocks. Mineral reactions (i.e., nucleation of new
phases) may lead to grain size reduction, producing fine-grained
polymineralic mixtures, which have a strongly reduced viscosity because of
the activation of grain-size-sensitive deformation processes. In order to
study the effect of deformation–reaction feedback(s) on sample strength, we
performed rock deformation experiments on "wet" assemblages of mafic
compositions in a Griggs-type solid-medium deformation apparatus. Shear
strain was applied at constant strain rate (10−5 s−1) and constant
confining pressure (1 GPa) with temperatures ranging from 800 to
900 ∘C. At low shear strain, the assemblages that react faster
are significantly weaker than the ones that react more slowly, demonstrating
that reaction progress has a first-order control on rock strength. With
increasing strain, we document two contrasting microstructural scenarios:
(1) the development of a single throughgoing high-strain zone of
well-mixed, fine-grained aggregates, associated with a significant weakening
after peak stress, and (2) the development of partially connected, nearly
monomineralic shear bands without major weakening. The lack of weakening is
caused by the absence of interconnected well-mixed aggregates of
fine-grained reaction products. The nature of the reaction products, and
hence the intensity of the mechanical weakening, is controlled by the
microstructures of the reaction products to a large extent, e.g., the amount
of amphibole and the phase distribution of reaction products. The samples
with the largest amount of amphibole exhibit a larger grain size and show
less weakening. In addition to their implications for the deformation of
natural shear zones, our findings demonstrate that the feedback between
deformation and mineral reactions can lead to large differences in
mechanical strength, even at relatively small initial differences in mineral
composition.


Vulnerabilities in software are common with several thousands of them being disclosed annually by software security researchers. The public, however, has only recently become aware of software flaws and their implications for Internet security. Prominent examples that shaped this awareness include the Stuxnet cyberattacks that exploited multiple software vulnerabilities, and the Snowden revelation of the NSA's use of vulnerabilities for its cyber operations. With the disclosure of the Heartbleed bug in April 2014, the issue of security vulnerabilities hit home closer to general Internet users as they were made aware of a severe flaw in a widely implemented security protocol. It prompted the U.S. intelligence community to release an official statement that denied knowledge of the OpenSSL vulnerability. The White House followed suit with an explanation of the U.S. government's vulnerability disclosure policy.
Drawing on media reports, technical security briefs and recently released government documents, this paper will shed light on historical and current debates about whether and under what circumstances security flaws should be either disclosed or concealed. It will (1) analyze the U.S. government's policy that honors national security and law enforcement interests over public disclosure, (2) examine newly emerging bug bounty programs of software vendors as a new mode of disclosure that rewards security researchers for reporting security flaws, and (3) discusses the role of export controls to prohibit the proliferation of knowledge and technology related to vulnerability discovery and security research.
The considerable implications of software vulnerabilities on critical information infrastructure makes the policy-making around vulnerability disclosure a critical and current topic. Questions about disclosure norms and behavior of private, commercial and state actors with regard to vulnerability disclosure, acquisition, and handling will play an increasingly important role in the cybersecurity debates in the near future.
Please do not consider for presentation in the poster session


Abstract In this paper, an Eulerian–Lagrangian two-phase flow model for liquid-fueled detonations is constructed. The gaseous mixture is described by an Eulerian method, and liquid particles in gaseous mixture are traced by a Lagrangian method. An improved space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) scheme is applied to the simulations of detonations in liquid C10H22-O2/air systems. Different fuel droplet sizes and equivalence ratios are considered in the present study. Interestingly, the numerical results show that liquid-fueled detonations have some difference with gaseous detonations. Especially, a deficit in the propagation velocity compared to the gaseous detonation velocity is observed in mixtures with lean fuel and larger droplet sizes, while an increase in the propagation velocity compared to the gaseous detonation velocity is observed in the mixtures with very rich fuel. The surprising phenomenon is analyzed and discussed with the aid of detailed numerical results. In addition, the formation and propagation of two-phase detonation waves are characterized by series of results and the influence of particle radii is also discussed. All numerical results show that the present model can describe the gas-particle two-phase system accurately, and can be applied to numerical simulations of liquid-fueled detonations.


Saliency methods are widely used to interpret neural network predictions, but different variants of saliency methods often disagree even on the interpretations of the same prediction made by the same model. In these cases, how do we identify when are these interpretations trustworthy enough to be used in analyses? To address this question, we conduct a comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of saliency methods on a fundamental category of NLP models: neural language models. We evaluate the quality of prediction interpretations from two perspectives that each represents a desirable property of these interpretations: plausibility and faithfulness. Our evaluation is conducted on four different datasets constructed from the existing human annotation of syntactic and semantic agreements, on both sentence-level and document-level. Through our evaluation, we identified various ways saliency methods could yield interpretations of low quality. We recommend that future work deploying such methods to neural language models should carefully validate their interpretations before drawing insights.


Natural language question‐and‐answering is one of the most convenient means for communicating with the Semantic Web, which is typically in the form of online knowledge bases encoded in Web Ontology Language (OWL). To understand a natural language question, it is essential that it can be translated into a query that is understandable by the knowledge bases. This article is concerned with the task of semantic mapping from natural language questions to OWL queries, and proposes an automatic and domain‐independent mapping framework, called Three‐Phases Semantic Mapping (TPSM). The TPSM framework approaches the task of semantic mapping in three interrelated phases: (i) formalizing knowledge, (ii) building semantic mapping, and (iii) combining OWL queries. First, formalizing knowledge formalizes the units of mapping in the natural language and OWL knowledge. Second, semantic mapping builds the transverse mapping between questions and OWL knowledge, as formalized in the first phase, by means of working with the so‐called Fuzzy Constraint Satisfaction Problems (FCSP). Third, combining OWL queries obtains valid Resource Description Framework (RDF) models by applying predefined templates and their corresponding combining methods. We have implemented a prototype semantic mapping system based on the framework, and have conducted a series of experimental validations involving OWL knowledge bases in different domains as queried by various types of questions.


To guide behavior, perceptual and motor systems must estimate properties of the sensory environment from the responses of populations of cortical neurons. In the domain of visual motion, estimates of target speed are derived from the responses of motion-sensitive neurons in the middle temporal (MT) area of the extrastriate visual cortex and are used to drive smooth pursuit eye movements and perceptual judgments of speed. We have asked how these behavioral systems estimate target speed from the population response in area MT. We found that increasing the spatial frequency of a sine wave grating caused decreases in the target speed estimated by both pursuit and perception and commensurate changes in the identity of the active neurons in area MT. Decreasing the contrast of a sine wave grating caused decreases in the target speed estimated by both pursuit and perception, while altering only the response amplitude of MT neurons and not the identity of the active neurons. Applying a modified vector-averaging computation to the population response measured in area MT allowed us to predict the effects of both spatial frequency and contrast on speed estimation for both perception and pursuit. The modification biased the speed estimation toward low target speeds when responses across the population of neurons were small.


During the '60s and the '70s, basically all software was Open Source and everyone was allowed to copy, modify and redistribute computer programs. When software ceased to be hardware-specific and the diffusion of computers took off, firms started to produce software independently from hardware and to protect their code through intellectual property rights. At present, a turnaround is taking place: the Open Source production mode is spreading across the software industry and, in some cases, it performs even better than the traditional proprietary one. Although a growing body of literature is analyzing Open Source software (OSS) issues, there is still lack of empirical data on the phenomenon, and little is known about firms that enter the software industry by producing under the Open Source license scheme (Open Source firms). This paper is a contribution to fill this gap and focuses on the business models of these firms. We find significant heterogeneity among them, in particular many agents supply both proprietary and Open Source software. We present a model of adoption that studies the intra-firm diffusion of the new paradigm. Explanatory hypotheses are discussed analyzing how the characteristics of the Open Source production mode and of network externalities in software demand shape the strategies of firms that entered the OSS field.


The report aims to describe the austenitic stainless steel Sanicro 25 from a thermomechanical point of view. The thermal and mechanical properties of the material make it suitable for use in coal – and thermal power plants. By the use of Sanicro 25 it would be possible to bring the efficiency of these plants up while bringing the carbon emissions down.A material model is created from material testing and validated through simulation in the finite element software Abaqus. The model that has been derived describes the material behavior during loading and stress relaxation for the first cycle in a thermomechanical fatigue test well. The unloading part of the cycle however cannot be described correctly by the use of this model.


The vast majority of extracellular signals alters cell function by activating cell surface receptors. The transmembranous signalling process initiated by an activated receptor leads to the generation of an intracellular signal and eventually to a cellular response. In contrast to receptors that are permanently coupled to an enzyme or an ion channel representing the effector, a large number of surface receptors for hormones, neurotransmitters and receptors for exogenous chemical or physical stimuli reversibly interacts with membranous signal transduction components which, in turn, regulate intracellular messenger-generating effectors. The transducer molecules isolated so far form a family of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G- or N-proteins). All isolated G-proteins are composed of three different subunits (alpha, beta, gamma). The alpha-subunit, which is specific for the individual G-protein, binds and hydrolyzes GTP and is target of ADP-ribosylating bacterial toxins. Hormone-induced activation of a receptor causes interaction with the alpha-subunit of a G-protein and the exchange of bound GDP with GTP. The GTP-bound form of the alpha-subunit represents the active form of the G-protein, which is capable of stimulating or inhibiting the respective effector. The active state of the alpha-subunit is terminated by its inherent GTPase activity causing hydrolysis of bound GTP. The beta gamma-complexes of G-proteins are structurally very similar and functionally interchangeable; they appear to dissociate from the alpha-subunits during receptor activation of the G-protein. Possible functions of the beta gamma-complex are to anchor the non-activated G-protein in the membrane, to facilitate G-protein-receptor interaction, and to promote the inactive state of the alpha-subunit. G-protein-regulated effectors include enzymes, ion channels and probably transporters. The best studied G-protein-regulated enzyme is the retinal cyclic GMP-phosphodiesterase which is activated by bleached rhodopsin via the tissue-specific G-protein, termed transducin. The ubiquitously occurring membrane-bound adenylate cyclase is under dual control by families of stimulatory and inhibitory receptors, acting via G-proteins called Gs and Gi, respectively. Moreover, the receptor control of phospholipases A2 and C and probably of phospholipase D most likely involves G-proteins which have not yet been identified. Finally, the activity of NADPH oxidase of neutrophils and that of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases in liver and fat cells may be regulated via G-proteins. Modulations of non-enzymatic effectors are reviewed elsewhere.


Office environments can be integrated with particular workspace configurations owing to diverse tasks encountered in these workspaces. This study attempts to discern how effective different office workstation configurations are on daylight performance and tries to quantify this effect by means of a dynamic daylight simulation based approach, depending on the criteria addressed in EN 17037:2018 Standard. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of workstation configurations on daylight provision and glare protection in workspaces through several configuration setups. In this study, climate based daylight metrics are used for daylight performance determination and assessment of discomfort glare caused by daylighting is performed by Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) index. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of research in the scope of EN 17037:2018 for daylighting in office environments and the obtained results represent the significance of daylighting and visual comfort conditions for diverse workstation configurations.


Using transmission electron microscopy, patellar tendons that had been autografted to replace the ACL were studied. Follow-up biopsies, performed at 6, 12 and 24 months after reconstructive surgery demonstrated that the autograft patellar tendons had undergone considerable change. After 6 months, the large collagen fibrils were less numerous and more widely spaced. The spaces were occupied by dense colonies of very small, newly-formed collagen fibrils and were rich in glycosaminoglycans. Small elastic fibres, fibrocytes, round cells with abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and macrophage-like cells were scattered among the collagen fibrils. At 12 months, sporadic clumps of large collagen fibrils were seen between the compact bundles of small, uniform collagen fibrils. Both elastic and oxytalan fibres were observed; round cells with abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum were the most prevalent cell type. At 24 months, the tissue had the appearance of a normal ligament. The small uniform collagen fibrils had formed large, compact bundles that were prevalently arrayed parallel to the long axis. Both elastic and oxytalan fibres were observed and the numerous cells present exhibited the same morphological features as those observed at 12 months after surgery. The appearance of compact collagen bundles, the abundant elastic system and the abundance of active cells observed in the patellar tendon autograft 24 months after implantation, suggest that this type of tissue is a valid functional ACL substitute of a knee required to perform normal mechanical activity.


Recently, advances in sensing techniques, internet technologies, and wireless communications are increasingly facilitating and allowing practical deployment of large and dense sensor networks for structural health monitoring. Thus, it is vital to develop efficient techniques to process and analyze the massive amount of sensor data in order to extract essential information on the monitored structures. The efforts in this dissertation are mainly dedicated to this direction, including studies on structural damage identification and traffic pattern recognition. In these studies, traditional analysis tools for structural engineering (e.g., finite element (FE) based simulation) are utilized, and the potential of machine learning techniques is extensively explored.
Using different strategies, three structural damage identification approaches (referred to as approach A, B, and C, respectively) are developed in this dissertation. Both approaches A and B adopt decentralized analysis frameworks, which define substructures in the monitored system according to the sensor spatial distribution. Within approach A, each substructure is represented by a dynamic model, and the system properties are periodically identified based on sensor measurements for monitoring purposes. Herein, approach A is applied to seismic downhole data to monitor changes in soil layer properties. As for approach B, a neural network is developed for each substructure to predict the dynamic response at a selected sensor location from measurements of neighboring sensors. Thus, the dynamic characteristics of the substructure are represented by the network, and changes in the statistical distribution of network prediction error are evaluated and utilized as a damage indicator. Three applications of approach B are presented, two based on experimental data and one of bridge pier damage identification based on simulation data. Approach C adopts a statistical pattern recognition paradigm. Within this framework, a range of damage patterns of interest is provided by numerical simulation, the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) technique is employed for feature extraction, and a neural network is developed for damage pattern identification. Herein, approach C is also applied to the bridge pier damage identification problem. Finally, the combination of neural networks and PCA is also employed to develop a strain-based vehicle classification approach, based on a unique strain-video dataset.


We studied whether pneumococcal (PNC) sonicate-induced leukostasis is specific for the lung or whether it occurs in extrapulmonary foci as well. Indium 111-radiolabeled rabbit granulocytes were infused into rabbits that were then challenged with nonviable PNC or normal saline solution. Animals were killed at either 3 or 24 hours after infusion and washed tissue sections from lung, liver, spleen, brain, heart, and kidney were weighed. Tissue 111In radioactivities from each PNC sonicate-challenged animal were compared with those from a control simultaneously injected with saline solution. At both 3 and 24 hours after injection, 111In radioactivity was significantly (p less than 0.01) increased in the lungs of animals challenged with PNC compared with controls injected with saline solution. There were no significant differences between experimental and control animals in liver, spleen, heart, kidney, or brain radioactivities. Animals in another group were injected with PNC through catheters placed in either the right atrium or left ventricle. Significantly (p less than 0.03) increased 111In radioactivity was found after either route of administration only in the lung.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between colorism and police killings of unarmed African American suspects. Previous research has investigated police violence and colorism in arrests and found that darker toned African Americans are at a higher risk of police killing. We had three hypotheses: (1) The darker an unarmed victim's skin is, the more likely they are to be killed by police compared to the skin tones of African Americans in general, (2) the effect of colorism is greater in men than in women and (3) the officers' race does not contribute to the proportion of dark skinned African American victims that are killed. Data was collected from the Washington Post database, which reports unarmed African American victims from 2015–2021. We found that the victims who were killed by police were darker on average than a control population of African Americans that had not encountered the police. This supports our hypothesis that the darker a victim is the more likely they are to be killed. Our hypothesis that men will face more colorism than women was not supported as results were inconclusive because there were only a few women victims to compare. Our last hypothesis that the officers' race does not have an effect on the skin tone of victims was supported because white and black officers both preferentially killed victims with darker skin tones.


Model-free tracking is a widely accepted approach to track an arbitrary object in a video using a single frame annotation with no further prior knowledge about the object of interest. Extending this problem to track multiple objects is really challenging because: 1) the tracker is not aware of the objects' type while trying to distinguish them from background (detection task) and 2) the tracker needs to distinguish one object from other potentially similar objects (data association task) to generate stable trajectories. In order to track multiple arbitrary objects, most existing model-free tracking approaches rely on tracking each target individually by updating their appearance model independently. Therefore, in this scenario they often fail to perform well due to confusion between the appearance of similar objects, their sudden appearance changes and occlusion. To tackle this problem, we propose to use both appearance and motion models, and to learn those jointly using graphical models and the deep neural networks features. We introduce an indicator variable to predict sudden appearance change and/or occlusion. When these happen, our model does not update the appearance model thus avoiding using the background and/or incorrect object to update the appearance of the object of interest mistakenly, and relies on our motion model to track. Moreover, we consider the correlation among all targets, and seek the joint optimal locations for all targets simultaneously as a graphical model inference problem. We learn the joint parameters for both appearance model and motion model in an online fashion under the framework of LaRank. Experiment results show that our method achieved superior performance compared to the competitive methods.


Different stem cells or progenitor cells display variable threshold requirements for functional ribosomes. For instance, select embryonic neural crest cells or adult bone marrow stem cells, but not others, show lethality due to failures in ribosome biogenesis or function (known as nucleolar stress) in several human ribosomopathies. To determine if various Drosophila neuroblasts display differential sensitivities to nucleolar stress, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt the Nopp140 gene that encodes two ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs). Disruption of Nopp140 induced nucleolar stress that arrested larvae in the second instar stage. While the majority of larval neuroblasts arrested development, the Mushroom Body (MB) neuroblasts continued to proliferate as shown by their maintenance of deadpan, a neuroblast-specific transcription factor, and by their continued EdU incorporation. MB neuroblasts in wild type larvae contained more fibrillarin and Nopp140 in their nucleoli as compared to other neuroblasts, indicating that MB neuroblasts stockpile RBFs as they proliferate in late embryogenesis while other neuroblasts normally enter quiescence. A greater abundance of Nopp140 encoded by maternal transcripts in Nopp140−/− MB neuroblasts likely rendered these cells more resilient to nucleolar stress. Summary Statement Nucleolar stress (loss of ribosome production/function) in certain human stem cells or progenitor cells results in disease. In fruit flies, larval Mushroom Body neuroblasts are relatively resilient to nucleolar stress.


The Welding Technology program is designed to offer students the necessary skills for entry level positions in the welding industry.


This paper summarizes the connotation, the work objective and the main work content of the ILS (Integrated Logistic Support) technology which belongs to the transmission system by using a template for the development experience of tail rotor drive system of the certain-type helicopter. It introduces a primary way which is about how to improve the work efficiency and reduce the maintenance cost of tail rotor drive system of the certain-type helicopter by using the technology. It expounds the relation between the ILS technology and the reliability, the safety, the maintainability, the supportability and the testability, the ideology of the technology.


Objective: To assess obstetrical care providers" delivery preferences and perceptions along with attitude towards caesarean section on maternal request and the possible effect of providers" characteristics on decision making.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Study was done in five hospitals, from 1st Aug to 31st Aug 2019.
Methodology: Obstetrical Care providers in hospitals with at least 4000 births per year completed a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire. Delivery preferences and perceptions about low-risk women, opinion about a woman"s right to choose her delivery method and the willingness to perform caesarean section on maternal request were assessed.
 Results: Out of 109 participants, 105 (96.3%) preferred a vaginal delivery for their patients in the absence of a medical indication for caesarean section. Majority 74 (67.8%) believed patients should be permitted to choose their mode of delivery, while 85 (78%) were willing to perform caesarean section on maternal request. There was significant association between perceptions and the mode of delivery. More responders were willing for caesarean section on maternal request who were less than 35 years of age, had no biological children or had less than 4, who had had vaginal deliveries themselves, were trainee doctors or who had less than 10 years of obstetrical consultant experience. These associations were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Our study revealed strong association between perceptions and personal beliefs of the practitioner and mode of delivery. There was high level of support for caesarean section on maternal request despite the fact that Pakistan"s caesarean section rate is already high.


Epithelial cells differentially segregate proteins to their apical and basolateral surfaces. For some apical localization events, association of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins with detergent-resistant rafts is necessary but not sufficient. Now, on page 699, Paladino et al. show that the key for proper protein sorting may be the formation of high molecular weight aggregates of apically targeted GPI-anchored proteins as they segregate into rafts in the Golgi.

Figure

Oligomerization may drive formation of apical vesicles.

The researchers separated rafts on sucrose gradients. The rafts containing apical proteins, like PLAP and GFP-GPI, had a high concentration of protein when compared with rafts with basolaterally targeted proteins. Mutations of GFP-GPI that impaired formation of high molecular weight complexes caused mis-targeting of the protein to the basolateral surface. Using pulse-chase experiments, the researchers found that oligomerization occurred as the protein-laden rafts made their way through the trans-Golgi network.

The team hypothesizes that oligomerization of the apically targeted proteins in the Golgi helps them to form large rafts that then pinch off on their way to the apical surface. The new hypothesis contradicts work by Polishchuk et al. (Nat. Cell Bio. 2004. 6:297–307). In their paper, Polishchuk et al. proposed that apical and basolateral proteins exit the trans-Golgi network together in vesicles targeted to the basolateral membrane, and that the apical proteins are subsequently resorted and transcytosed to the apical membrane. Paladino et al. didn't seen any trafficking of apical proteins to the basolateral surface and suggest that the difference in the results might result from differing culture conditions.

If oligomerization is driving apical segregation, the question remains as to what induces oligomerization. Paladino et al. are currently testing one possibility: that glycosylation or other protein modifications are used to gather together the protein.


We analyse risk preferences using an experiment with real incentives in a representative sample of 1,422 Dutch respondents. Our econometric model incorporates four structural parameters that vary with observed and unobserved characteristics: Utility curvature, loss aversion, preferences towards the timing of uncertainty resolution, and the propensity to choose randomly rather than on the basis of preferences. We find that all four parameters contribute to explaining choice behaviour. The structural parameters are significantly associated with socio-economic variables, but it is essential to incorporate unobserved heterogeneity in each of them to match the rich variety of choice patterns in the data.


Flexible instruments are extensively used in medical applications. Manipulation of these instruments is challenging and troublesome. To study the behavior of these instruments, different modeling approaches like finite element, Cosserat rod, and differential geometry have been used. In this paper, an alternate modeling approach using Bézier curve is proposed to understand large deformation in a flexible instrument. The shape is represented by a Bézier curve. The deformation includes extension, flexure, and torsion in the instrument. Strain energy and geometric constraints are formulated using Bézier control points. The shape of the deformed instrument under the given constraints is obtained by minimizing the total strain energy. Nonlinear constrained optimization is used for the minimization to find the deformed shape. The proposed method is applied for large elastic deformation in three-dimensional space. Loop formation is observed and validated with the experimental results. The proposed method will help in understanding the mechanics of a flexible instrument. Looping is a common problem during colonoscopy. The developed model will help in developing strategies for the safe introduction of these instruments inside the body for performing diagnostic and surgical interventions.


This paper reports on the results of a dynamic pricing experiment that compares the performance of three popular pricing programs–hourly pricing, critical peak pricing, and critical peak-pricing with a rebate–for a representative sample from the population of households in the District of Columbia. The sampled households differ in terms of their income levels, electricityusing appliance holdings and whether they own a smart thermostat. Using a nonparametric conditional mean estimation framework that allows for customer-specific fixed effects and hourof-sample fixed effects, I find that customers on all of the dynamic pricing programs substantially reduce their electricity consumption during high-priced periods. The hourly average treatment effects associated with each of these dynamic pricing plans are larger in absolute value for households with all-electric heating and households with smart thermostats. Low-income households have significantly larger hourly average treatment effects than higher income households on the same dynamic-pricing tariff. The results of these experiments are also used to investigate two hypotheses about differences in the customer-level demand response to the three dynamic pricing tariffs. Specifically, I find that for roughly the same marginal price during a critical peak period, critical peak pricing yields a larger hourly average demand reduction than critical peak pricing with a rebate. I also find that the demand reduction associated with higher hourly prices is very similar to the predicted demand reduction associated with the same price increase under critical peak pricing.


Swipe fingerprint scanners (sensors) can be distinguished based on their scanner pattern—a sufficiently unique, persistent, and unalterable intrinsic characteristic even to scanners of the same technology, manufacturer, and model. We propose a method to extract the scanner pattern from a single image acquired by a widely-used capacitive swipe fingerprint scanner and compare it with a similarly extracted pattern from another image acquired by the same or by another scanner. The method is extremely simple and computationally efficient as it based on moving-average filtering, yet it is very accurate and achieves an equal error rate below 0.1% for 27 swipe fingerprint scanners of exactly the same model. We also show the receiver operating characteristic for different decision thresholds of two modes of the method. The method can enhance the security of a biometric system by detecting an attack on the scanner in which an image containing the fingerprint pattern of the legitimate user and acquired by the authentic fingerprint scanner has been replaced by another image that may still contain the fingerprint pattern of the legitimate user but has been acquired by another, unauthentic fingerprint scanner, i.e., for scanner authentication.


BACKGROUND. The management of bilateral renal stones still represents a therapeutic challenge and synchronous bilateral percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) appears to be a well tolerated, safe and relatively rapid procedure with a favorable cost-benefit ratio. The purpose of the present study is to report our experience in the synchronous percutaneous treatment of bilateral renal stones. METHODS. We retrospectively evaluated clinical files from 4 consecutive patients (BS, BE, OCB, FL), who underwent a synchronous bilateral PCNL, performed by the same operator (ZF), for the management of renal persistent and/or recurrent stones after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, or other surgical maneuvers. From each patient's file we recorded a clinical history, any periand post-operative complication, any therapeutic resolution employed and the outcomes in terms of stones persistence/recurrence. RESULTS. Overall, 3 men (BS, BE, FL) and 1 woman (OCB), their age ranging from 31 up to 76 years, consecutively underwent synchronous bilateral PCNL. In 75% of cases a calcium-oxalate nephrolithiasis was found. We did not find any perior post-operative complication. All patients were stone-free after a mean follow-up of 12 months (range: 3-24 months). CONCLUSIONS. Synchronous bilateral PCNL is a relatively safe procedure; it may be performed in selected patients without increasing the morbidity of this surgical maneuver. The simultaneous treatment of the contra-lateral kidney may be taken into account only when the PCNL of the first side has been performed quickly and easily without any peri-operative complication. (Urologia 2008; 75: 108-112)


Movement, behavioral, and neuropsychiatric disorders in children have been linked to infections and a group of anti-neuronal autoantibodies, implying dopamine receptor-mediated encephalitis within the basal ganglia. The purpose of this study was to determine if anti-neuronal biomarkers, when used as a group, confirmed the acute disease in Sydenham chorea (SC) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS). IgG autoantibodies against four neuronal autoantigens (tubulin, lysoganglioside GM1, and dopamine receptors D1 and D2) were detected in SC sera (N=8), sera and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from two groups of PANDAS cases (N=25 first group and N=35 second group), sera from Tourette's syndrome (N=18), obsessive-compulsive disorder (N=25), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (N=18), and healthy controls (N=28) by direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). IgG specific for neuronal autoantigens was significantly elevated during the acute symptomatic phase, and the activity of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) pathway was significantly elevated in human neuronal cells. Five assays confirmed the disease in SC and in two groups of children with PANDAS. In 35 acute onset PANDAS patients, 32 sera (91.4%) were positive for one or more of the anti-neuronal autoantibodies compared with 9 of 28 healthy controls (32.1%, p<0.0001). Importantly, CSF of 32 (91.4%) PANDAS patients had one or more detectable anti-neuronal autoantibody titers and CaMKII activation. Among healthy control subjects with elevated serum autoantibody titers for individual antigens, none (0%) were positively associated with elevated positive CaMKII activation, which was a striking contrast to the sera of PANDAS subjects, who had 76–89% positive association with elevated individual autoantibody titers and positive CaMKII activity. At 6 months follow-up, symptoms improved for more than 80% of PANDAS subjects, and serum autoantibody titers also significantly decreased. Results reported herein and previously published studies in our laboratory suggest the antibody biomarkers may be a useful adjunct to clinical diagnosis of SC, PANDAS, and related disorders and are the first known group of autoantibodies detecting dopamine receptor-mediated encephalitis in children.


Background Multiple cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) are considered to be an uncommon vascular condition. dAVFs usually manifest with vague symptoms, which are related to the site of occurrence of the lesion and present with complex angio-architectural features, which in turn can render treatment procedures difficult. Appropriate treatment that aims to reduce the risk of intracranial bleeding and manage the patient's symptoms requires a multidisciplinary approach. Case Presentation The patient was a 62-year-old man who developed symptoms of progressive right-sided otalgia and tinnitus. Cross-sectional imaging revealed long-standing venous congestion with intracranial hemorrhage in the right parieto-occipital region. Moreover, cerebral angiography demonstrated multiple complex dAVFs at the right transverse sinus-sigmoid sinus (TS-SS) junction, right posterior condylar confluence (PCC), and torcula. Treatment consisted of one session of endovascular treatment, in which transarterial Onyx embolization was used to treat the dVAF at the right TS-SS junction, transvenous coil embolization for the dVAF at the right PCC, and particle embolization for both occipital arteries feeding the torcular dAVF. Postoperative improvement with favorable clinical outcomes was observed at the patient's last follow-up visit. Conclusion Multiple cranial dAVFs are an uncommon vascular lesion, which can present with unusual symptoms such as otalgia. Moreover, a single session of endovascular therapy can treat this lesion, ie, it can improve the patient's symptoms and provide a beneficial long-term outcome.


Translocation of threatened species is challenging in semiarid environments, especially when seeds are the principal means of in situ establishment. Worldwide, the overall success of translocations using seeds is highly variable and generally unpredictable. Most seed-based translocations are embarked upon with limited understanding of the species' seed biology or the nuances of the local abiotic environment in which to guide restoration approaches. For instance, within Australia just 14% of threatened species translocations use directly sown seeds and consequently, to improve the chances of restoration success, both the seed biology and the influence of the abiotic environment need to be adequately understood. We investigated these aspects in Ricinocarpos brevis R.J.F.Hend. & Mollemans – a short-range Banded Ironstone endemic – by focusing on a series of laboratory and field experiments to understand the key drivers of dormancy alleviation and germination promotion, as well as in-situ conditions of natural and recipient translocation sites. Fresh seeds were found to have high viability, fully developed linear embryos and possess physiological dormancy, with enhanced germination when exposed to smoke water, karrikinolide (KAR1) and gibberellic acid (GA3). Under laboratory conditions, seeds germinated over a range of temperatures (15−30°C), but germination was suppressed by light and highly sensitive to water stress. Seeds had reduced germination when sown on the soil surface, but could emerge from up to 13 cm in depth. Under field conditions, in-situ emergence was <2%. Using in-situ emergence results, soil loggers and rainfall data, we developed a model of the recruitment bottlenecks faced by this species under in-situ conditions, an approach that provides useful insights to assist future translocations. Understanding seed biology and seed ecology enables better insights into the principal bottlenecks restricting in-situ emergence and consequently restoration success, leading to the development of more effective approaches for conserving other threatened flora in future.


Studies have been being carried out to make production faster and more organised in the shipbuilding industry, as in other industry. The fact that automation-based works are limited in the shipbuilding industry is one of the biggest challenges encountered in block production as in other stages of shipbuilding. The blocks are time-consuming and difficult components to produce in the shipbuilding process. They are the structures formed by joining the cut metal sheets, profiles and other components. These activities are carried out at the different stations of shipyards. Labour planning is one of the crucial issues in shipbuilding. In this study, the allocation of the required capacity during the pre-production stations of the block production, namely C and D, is examined stochastically. The amount of work, revisions and worker performance under uncertainty factors to be experienced in the production process are included in the problem. A two-stage stochastic mathematical recourse model was established to determine the amount of workforce capacity requirement (man*day) of the planning period at the pre-production station depending on the factors. Scenarios are determined randomly and the near-optimum solution was tried to be obtained by the Sample Average Approximation (SAA) approach.


Background EQ-5D valuation studies are usually performed using the time tradeoff (TTO) method, which is costly and time consuming. We focused on 2 properties that particularly characterize TTO: the initial choice task categorizing health states as better than death (BTD), worse than death (WTD), or equal to death (ETD), and unwillingness to trade (UTT) lifetime to improve health. The aim of this study was to estimate the value of the information to be gained from continuing the conventional TTO tasks beyond the initial question and the extent to which mean-based EQ-5D tariff values could be predicted through a simplified method of categorizing health states into BTD, WTD, ETD, and UTT. Methods We used data from the UK EQ-5D valuation study (n = 2997). We designed an abbreviated system with only 4 values (collapsed TTO [cTTO]) based on the 4 response categories and assigned values as follows: WTD = −.5, ETD = 0, BTD = .5, and UTT = 1. Based on the mean cTTO scores for the valued health states, we created a regression-based cTTO tariff, which was compared with the conventional (full) TTO tariff (fTTO) by regressing 1) the fTTO means on cTTO means and 2) the fTTO tariff on the cTTO tariff. Results WTD values were unrelated to health state severity. Correlation between the means of fTTO and means of cTTO was >.999, and tariff values from fTTO correlated with tariff values from cTTO at r > .999. Conclusions Once respondents have classified health states as UTT, BTD, ETD, or WTD, the TTO procedure adds little further information to the tariff values. The WTD task fails to discriminate between good and bad health states. TTO valuation could likely be simplified using cTTO.


We provide a unified framework for analyzing the convergence of Bregman proximal first-order algorithms for convex minimization. Our framework hinges on properties of the convex conjugate and gives novel proofs of the convergence rates of the Bregman proximal subgradient, Bregman proximal gradient, and a new accelerated Bregman proximal gradient algorithm under fairly general and mild assumptions. Our accelerated Bregman proximal gradient algorithm attains the best-known accelerated rate of convergence when suitable relative smoothness and triangle scaling assumptions hold. However, the algorithm requires no prior knowledge of any related smoothness or triangle scaling constants.


The need of Russia for a resource-innovative energy strategy for the period up to 2035 makes it urgent to create a methodology of strategic forecasting for the electric energy consumption of mono-towns, which will result in the efficient development of a power supply system, ensuring territories' sustainability. For this purpose, it is necessary to consider a mono-town as a complete system, a living organism with a definite life cycle and structure of energy consumers. The authors offer a technocoenosis approach to carry out the ranking and structural analysis of the electric energy consumption of one of the Sverdlovsk region's mono-towns, taking into account dynamics in population, enterprises, organizations and institutions for the period of 5 years. The provided analysis makes it possible to judge the technocoenosis optimality using characteristic exponent�ߚ, depending on the structural features of the territory. The authors developed an algorithm for electric energy consumption forecasting, based on Support Vector Machines (SVM), which takes into account the electric energy of mono-towns' consumers and the climatic factors. Forecasting accuracy was achieved using cross-validation of the input data in order to optimize the training model. The corresponding changes in electric energy consumption, when a characteristic exponent is optimal, will result in a target forecast that provides the


Hugh Stretton still confesses to a bias in favour of women, children and the poor when it comes to planning cities. With wry humour, he deplores the planning of roads which ignores the fact that pedestrians exist, and the erection of drive-in shopping centres difficult to reach on foot without jeopardy to life and limb. This second edition covers many of the details of the first, including the case studies of planning in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Uncontrolled growth of city centres is discussed, but the chapter in the previous edition which elaborated on the advantages of linear design in urban planning is concentrated, and replaced by an examination of the planning practices of South Australia's colourful leader, Donald Dunstan. It is this chapter which is mainly responsible for the updating of the material first published in 1970. There are also minor additions commenting on what has been happening in the last five years in the urban centres mentioned above. The book highlights the best and the worst which can happen with urban design. It examines the role both of the state governments and their respective housing commissions, as well as the contributions of the private developers. Stretton offers not just the case studies as examples or as warnings; he also discusses the ideologies underlying planners' work. This discussion covers the most recent emphasis in planning-that of popular participation. This includes, in Stretton's words, everything from occasional uproar to continuous co-operation which requires a responsive, respectful bureacracy. Such participation, Stretton believes, should aim at enlivening government, not necessarily replacing it. This book is very much in line with the thinking of those who advocate alternative strategies being made available to people who wish to take part in the planning of the environments in which they live. It will be a useful text both for students of social planning and of community studies, and for the urban dweller concerned with his or her community. Both groups will appreciate its content and its practical, humane approach to cities and city life.


This paper presents a corpus of 43,985 clinical patient notes (PNs) written by 35,156 examinees during the high-stakes USMLE® Step 2 Clinical Skills examination. In this exam, examinees interact with standardized patients - people trained to portray simulated scenarios called clinical cases. For each encounter, an examinee writes a PN, which is then scored by physician raters using a rubric of clinical concepts, expressions of which should be present in the PN. The corpus features PNs from 10 clinical cases, as well as the clinical concepts from the case rubrics. A subset of 2,840 PNs were annotated by 10 physician experts such that all 143 concepts from the case rubrics (e.g., shortness of breath) were mapped to 34,660 PN phrases (e.g., dyspnea, difficulty breathing). The corpus is available via a data sharing agreement with NBME and can be requested at https://www.nbme.org/services/data-sharing.


Abstract A program of research related to school-based models for urban children's mental health is described, with a particular focus on improving access to services, promoting children's functioning, and providing for program sustainability. The first study in this series responded to the urgent need to engage more families in mental health services, and results showed dramatically greater involvement of parents in school-based services relative to clinic-based services. To enhance teacher collaboration, the second study involved training teacher key opinion leaders (KOL) on selected classroom practices for children with ADHD. Classroom teachers with support from the KOL teachers reported significantly higher use of these practices compared to teachers receiving no KOL support. The third study is part of a recent collaboration with the Illinois Office of Mental Health and the Chicago Public Schools, and employs a multitiered approach to service delivery, including the involvement of influential parents and teachers in the provision of mental health services. Future directions for mental health practice and research are described.


Up-to-date information about CPR's research projects and other activities is available from our World Wide Web site at www-cpr.maxwell.syr.edu. All recent working papers and Policy Briefs can be read and/or printed from there as well. Abstract Blanchflower and Oswald (1994) reported that they have found an 'empirical law of economics' – the Wage Curve. Our paper reconsiders the western German Wage Curve using disaggregated regional data and is based on almost one million employees drawn from the Federal Employment Services of Germany over the period 1980-2004. We find that the wage equation is highly autoregressive but far from unit root. The unemployment elasticity is significant but relatively small: only between-0.02 and-0.04. We also check the sensitivity of this elasticity for different population groups (young versus old, men versus women, less educated versus highly educated, German native versus foreigner), confirming that it is stronger the weaker the bargaining power of the particular group.


Certain securities in particular, those of small capitalization firms are generally unsuited to the investment requirements of financial institutions, hence attract minimal coverage by analysts. As a result, these securities may offer a premium as a compensation for associated information deficiencies and/or because pricing inefficiencies exist as a result of the lack of information. An analysis of 510 firms over a 10-year period indicates that the shares of those firms neglected by institutions outperform significantly the shares of firms widely held by institutions. The superior performance persists over and above any "small firm effect"; that is, both small and medium-sized neglected firms exhibit superior performance. The "neglected firm effect" suggests some potentially rewarding investment strategies for individuals and institutions alike.


Zearalenone (ZEA) is a nonsteroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species. The exposure risk to humans and animals is the consumption of contaminated food and animal feeds. The aim of this study was to investigate ZEA-induced effects and its tumorigenic mechanism in TM3 cells (mouse Leydig cells). Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) were assessed in this study. Results showed that low concentrations of ZEA could significantly promote the growth of TM3 cells. The percentage of cell distribution was decreased significantly in G1/G0 phase and was increased significantly in S phase with 10 and 20 μg/L of ZEA for 72 h (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The expressions of cyclin D1 and Cdk4 were significantly increased in the exposure groups compared with the control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the apoptosis was significantly decreased in 10 and 20 μg/L groups (p < 0.01), and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 protein level was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner. The protein levels of proto-oncogene c-Myc, c-Jun, and c-Fos were significantly elevated and the protein levels of anti-oncogene p53 and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were decreased obviously compared with the control group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). ZEA affected the expressions of connexins and inhibited the activity of GJIC. These results demonstrated that ZEA can disturb the dynamic balance between proliferation and apoptosis and causes abnormal regulation of oncogenes, GJIC, and connexins in TM3 cells, which may easily induce the translation of normal cells into tumor cells.


Experimental studies of the collective acceleration of laser produced ions have been conducted. An intense relativistic electron beam (1 MeV, 30 kA, 30 ns) is emitted from a 4 mm diameter tungsten cathode and passes through a 2.4 cm hole in a stainless steel anode into a 14 cm diameter downstream drift tube. Ions are provided on the downstream side of the anode plane by firing a 4-10 J, 15 ns Q-switched ruby' laser pulse at solid or foil targets mounted on the downstream side of the anode plane. Accelerated ion energies are measured using time of flight and range energy/track etching techniques. Ion charge states are measured using an EIB Thomson spectrometer. Results will be compared with measurements of the pre-acceleration characteristics of the laser produced ions from these target geometries obtained using an electrostatic analyzer.


Recent histological and molecular characterization of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) highlights the heterogeneity of this cancer that may emerge at different sites of the biliary tree and with different macroscopic or morphological features. Furthermore, different stem cell niches have been recently described in the liver and biliary tree, suggesting this as the basis of the heterogeneity of intrahepatic (IH)- and extrahepatic (EH)-CCAs, which are two largely different tumors from both biological and epidemiological points of view. The complexity of the organization of the liver stem cell compartments could underlie the CCA clinical-pathological heterogeneity and the criticisms in classifying primitive liver tumors. These recent advances highlight a possible new classification of CCAs based on cells of origin and this responds to the need of generating homogenous diagnostic, prognostic and, hopefully, therapeutic categories of IH- and EH-CCAs.


A review is presented of academician M.S. Ghilarov's principal works dealing with general problems of the evolutionary biology. His main attention in the analysis of phylogenetic relationships in invertebrates and regularities of the evolution of main organ systems has been paid to the significance of ecological factors and functional properties of morphological structures. Taking this approach as the basis, M.S. Ghilarov considered ways of animals' adaptation to the terrestrial mode of life through soil as the transit environment. He has developed new approaches to the interpretation of aromorphic and idioadaptive changes in animals' organization and to the origin of the insect metamorphosis. Patterns, being common for all groups of animals, were revealed with regard to the processes of phylogeny and mechanisms of their control by the principle of positive feedbacks.


Learning human driving behaviors is an efficient approach for self-driving vehicles. Traditional Imitation Learning (IL) methods assume that the expert demonstrations follow Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). However, in reality, this assumption does not always hold true. Spurious correlation may exist through the paths of historical variables because of the existence of unobserved confounders. Accounting for the latent causal relationships from unobserved variables to outcomes, this paper proposes Sequential Causal Imitation Learning (SeqCIL) for imitating driver behaviors. We develop a sequential causal template that generalizes the default MDP settings to one with Unobserved Confounders (MDPUC-HD). Then we develop a sufficient graphical criterion to determine when ignoring causality leads to poor performances in MDPUC-HD. Through the framework of Adversarial Imitation Learning, we develop a procedure to imitate the expert policy by blocking π-backdoor paths at each time step. Our methods are evaluated on a synthetic dataset and a real-world highway driving dataset, both demonstrating that the proposed procedure significantly outperforms non-causal imitation learning methods.


Introduction The area described in this paper lies between the towns of Dalhousie and Campbellton, on the south shore of the Restigouche River, and in the extreme northern portion of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. The attention of geologists has been called to this region for some years because of the presence of a rich Helderbergian fauna in a sedimentary series, interbedded with a number of lava flows and intrusive sheets, about one mile east of Dalhousie. Since previous descriptions of this locality did not seem to afford a satisfactory explanation of the nature of the igneous rocks, the writer spent the summer of 1923, under the auspices of the Honorary Advisory Council, for Scientific and Industrial Research, in an endeavor to explain their occurrence. Previous Work With the exception of a brief paper in the Transactions of the Nova Scotia Institute of Natural History by the Rev. Dr. . . .


The availability of fast anti-collision algorithms is crucial for most RFID applications. This paper aims to evaluate these algorithms for applications in which it is not intended to identify the entirety of moving objects but to detect as much tags as needed to allow orientation. The navigation of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) by distributed landmarks is an example which clarifies the discriminative requirements compared to supply chain tasks. For the former purpose redundant information can be gained from different tags. This requires the detection of an application dependent percentage of all tags. Because AGVs are moving, the detection and read and write operations have to be close together and very fast, since repetitive communication is not always possible.


This paper presents a novel driving system of a 5 inch true color FED using a voltage controlled PWM method with a current control effect. The proposed method has the advantage of both the voltage controlled pulse width modulation method and current control method. We propose an effective circuit model of a FED subpixel for circuit simulation of FED driving circuits. The output stage of the data driving circuit is optimized using the proposed circuit model. In video data processing, the FED controller uses the parallel processing of RGB input data, so the duty ratio increases. With these results, no noise and high quality performance is achieved in a 5 inch true color FED.


Environmental variability can be an important factor in the population dynamics of many species. In marine systems, for instance, whether environmental conditions facilitate or impede the movements of juvenile animals to nursery habitat can have a large influence on subsequent population abundance. Both subtle differences in the position of oceanographic features (such as meandering currents) and major disturbances (such as hurricanes) can greatly alter dispersal outcomes. Here, we use an ocean circulation model to explore seasonal and annual variation in the dispersal of post-hatchling Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). We simulated the transport of 24 cohorts of young-of-the-year Kemp's ridley sea turtles dispersing from the three primary nesting areas in the western Gulf of Mexico to describe variability in transport during the main hatching season and across years. We examined whether differences in transport distance among Kemp's ridley cohorts could be explained by hurricane events. We found that years with high numbers of hurricanes corresponded to shorter dispersal distances and less variance within the first 6 months. Our findings suggest that differences in dispersal among sites and the impact of hurricane frequency and intensity could influence the survivorship and somatic growth rates of turtles from different nesting sites and hatching cohorts, either improving survival by encouraging retention in optimal pelagic habitat or decreasing survival by pushing hatchlings into dangerous shallow habitats. Considering such factors in future population assessments may aid in predicting how the potential for increasing tropical storms, a phenomenon linked to climate change, could affect Kemp's ridley and other populations of sea turtles in the Atlantic Ocean.


Here an analytical solution
of Fick's 2nd law is used to predict the diffusion and the
stochastic adsorption of single diluted solute molecules on flat and patterned surfaces.
The equations are then compared to the results of several numerical Monte Carlo
simulations using a random walk model. The 1D diffusion simulations clarify
that the dependence of the solute-surface collision rate on the
observation-time (measurement time resolution) is because of the multiple
collisions of the same molecules over different time regions. It also
surprisingly suggests that due to the self-mimetic fractal function of
diffusion, the equation should be corrected by a factor of two. The absorption
rate of solute on an adsorptive surface is found to follow a power-law decay
function due to an evolving concentration gradient near the surface along with
the depletion of the bulk solute molecules on the surface, for example, in a
self-assembled monolayer adsorption kinetics. Thus, the analytical equations developed
to calculate the collision at a fixed measuring frequency can be extended to
map the whole curve over time. In the last section of this work, 3D diffusion
simulations suggest that the analytical solution is valid to predict the
adsorption rate of the bulk solute to a small group of adsorptive target
molecules/area on a bouncing surface, which is a critical process in analyzing
the kinetics of many bio-sensing platforms.


BCR/ABL is considered responsible for the development of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia. Experimental animal models, such as transgenic mice, have demonstrated unambiguously that Bcr/Abl is capable of inducing leukemogenesis. The adaptor molecule Crkl is a major in vivo substrate of the deregulated Bcr/Abl tyrosine kinase and functions as a molecular link with other signaling proteins. While associated in vivowith Bcr/Abl through its SH3 domain, Crkl can interact simultaneously via its SH2 domain with other tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. Here we report the identification of prominently tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins with a molecular mass of approximately 110 kDa, which bind specifically to the Crkl SH2 domain in leukemic tissues of P190BCR/ABL transgenic mice. We demonstrate that these proteins are identical to Hef1/Cas-L, which is related to p130Cas. The proto-oncoprotein p120Cbl and Hef1, but not p130Cas, were detectably phosphorylated on tyrosine in P190Bcr/Abl-expressing leukemic cells and were found in complex with Crkl, showing the existence of protein complexes in P190Bcr/Abl leukemic cells, consisting of P190Bcr/Abl, Crkl, and Hef1 or p120Cbl. This supports a model in which Crkl acts as mediator between Bcr/Abl and downstream effectors. Since Hef1 is involved in the β1-integrin signaling pathway, our study demonstrates that Bcr/Abl could specifically interfere with normal β1-integrin signaling.


In recent years, there have been some natural and human-made disasters and severe social clashes in globally important energy regions, which has had a negative impact on the environment in general and on the development of the energy market in particular. Therefore, the development of the modern energy industry is aimed at the broad involvement of renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy balance of the world's advanced countries. At the EU level, particular attention is given to increasing the proportion of RES in total energy consumption to 12% with the installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems up to 3 GW. The purpose of our study is to propose a mathematical model of the electricity generation processes in renewable solar and wind energy systems by methods of the theory of impulsive, random processes as well as recommendations for the development of RES based on the analysis of the trends in consumption and production of energy resources, their supply-demand proportion, and a model for the development of the energy market. Our findings show that the proposed model will allow to optimize the structure and create adaptive energy systems of RES.


We study higher-dimensional interlacing Fibonacci sequences, generated via both Chebyshev type functions and m-dimensional recurrence relations. For each integerm, there exist both rational and integer versions of these sequences, where the underlying prime congruence structures of the rational sequence denominators enables the integer sequence to be recovered. From either the rational or the integer sequences we construct sequences of vectors in Qm, which converge to irrational algebraic points in Rm. The rational sequence terms can be expressed as simple recurrences, trigonometric sums, binomial polynomials, sums of squares, and as sums over ratios of powers of the signed diagonals of the regular unit n-gon. These sequences also exhibit a "rainbow type" quality, and correspond to the Fleck numbers at negative indices, leading to some combinatorial identities involving binomial coefficients. It is shown that the families of orthogonal generating polynomials defining the recurrence relations employed, are divisible by the minimal polynomials of certain algebraic numbers, and the three-term recurrences and differential equations for these polynomials are derived. Further results relating to the Christoffel-Darboux formula, Rodrigues' formula and raising and lowering operators are also discussed. Moreover, it is shown that the Mellin transforms of these polynomials satisfy a functional equation of the form pn(s) = ±pn(1− s), and have zeros only on the critical line Re s = 1/2.


Through a study of the settlement of the Canadian Prairies, I examine if differences in violence across regions reflect the historical ability of the state to centralize authority and monopolize violence. I compare settlements that in the late 1880s were located near Mountie-created forts with those that were not. Data from the 1911 Census reveal that settlements far from the Mounties' reach had unusually high adult male death rates. Even a century later the violence in these communities continues. In 2014, communities located at least 100 kilometers from former Mountie forts during their settlement had 45% more homicides and 55% more violent crimes per capita than communities located closer to former forts. I argue that these differences may be explained by a violent culture of honor that emerged as an adaptation to the lack of a central authority during the settlement but persisted over time. In line with this interpretation, I find that those who live in once-lawless areas are more likely to hold conservative political views. In addition, I use data for hockey players to uncover the influence of culture on individual behavior. Though players interact in a common environment, those who were born in areas historically outside the reach of the Mounties are penalized for their violent behavior more often than those who were not.


Public employment services (PES) offer tools through different channels to both employers and job seekers. The multiplicity of services and channels, paired with processes that are sometimes inadequately mapped, creates challenges when implementing digital systems. This document discusses how using enterprise architecture can provide a framework for defining and representing a high-level view of the organizations processes and its information technology (IT) systems, as well as their relationship with different parts of the organization and external entities. Having a strategic vision and a high-level design allows implementing systems in phases and modules to organize services to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. This document aims to support policy makers, managers and officials working with employment policies in understanding the benefits of implementing a comprehensive digital transformation in institutions within the framework of a strategic tool such as enterprise architecture.


Teaching nature of science (NOS) is beginning to take root in science education in China. This exploratory study interviewed 24 science teacher educators from economically developed parts of China about their conceptions of teaching NOS to prospective science teachers. Five key dimensions emerged from the data. This paper focuses on the dimension of value of teaching NOS. The values of teaching NOS as perceived by the educators fall into two types. The first type relates to values within the scope of science teaching, which consists of (i) enriching content to be taught in school science, (ii) transforming traditional science teaching methods, (iii) increasing interest in science teaching, and (iv) constituting a foundation of school science teaching. The second type goes beyond classroom teaching, which includes (i) enhancing individual well-being in daily life and work-related matter, (ii) enlightening Chinese traditional culture, and (iii) promoting national development. While some of these values share much similarity of those discussed in the Western literature on NOS research, some are distinctively different with a Chinese favor. This paper discusses the social, political, and historical contexts that have contributed to the shaping of such differences. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed95:1101–1123, 2011


Against the backdrop of the review of the EU budget currently in progress, this paper revisits the academic literature on multi-level public finance and analyses to what extent theory can inform the discussion on budget reform. The answer may seem dis-heartening, in so far as the exploration reveals that theory does not provide a conclusive roadmap for reform. However, the paper argues that Europe is facing hard political choices that must be based on a serious discussion of what we want the EU to be and to do.


The security and privacy risks posed by smartphone sensors such as microphones and cameras have been well documented. However, the importance of accelerometers have been largely ignored. We show that accelerometer readings can be used to infer the trajectory and starting point of an individual who is driving. This raises concerns for two main reasons. First, unauthorized access to an individual's location is a serious invasion of privacy and security. Second, current smartphone operating systems allow any application to observe accelerometer readings without requiring special privileges. We demonstrate that accelerometers can be used to locate a device owner to within a 200 meter radius of the true location. Our results are comparable to the typical accuracy for handheld global positioning systems.


Learning by demonstration technology holds great promise for enabling users to automate routine but time-consuming online tasks. However, correct generalization from demonstration traces presents numerous technical challenges related to limited or noisy training data. To address these challenges, we propose a framework that augments learning by demonstration through a facility for asking questions of the demonstrator. We define a catalog of questions designed to inform learning by demonstration technologies that covers function and causality, abstraction, alternatives, limitations on learned knowledge, and the process of learning. We present approaches for managing when to ask questions and selecting which questions to ask that balance the potential utility of the answers against the cost to the demonstrator of answering. Metareasoning about explicit learning state and goals, along with models of question utility and cost, guide the question-asking process.


Abstract Oilseed rape 73496 was developed to confer tolerance to the herbicidal active substance glyphosate through the expression of the glyphosate acetyltransferase protein GAT4621. The molecular characterisation data and bioinformatic analyses identify no issues requiring food/feed safety assessment. None of the identified differences between oilseed rape 73496 and its conventional counterpart in the agronomic/phenotypic endpoints tested needs further assessment. Differences identified in seed composition of oilseed rape 73496 as compared to its conventional counterpart raise no safety and nutritional concerns in the context of the scope of this application. No safety concerns are identified regarding toxicity and allergenicity of the GAT4621 protein as expressed in oilseed rape 73496. No evidence is found that the genetic modification would change the overall allergenicity of oilseed rape 73496. Based on the outcome of the comparative and nutritional assessments, the consumption of oilseed rape 73496 does not represent any nutritional concern, in the context of the scope of this application. The implementation of a post‐market monitoring plan is recommended to confirm the predicted consumption data and to verify that the conditions of use are those considered during the pre‐market risk assessment. In the case of accidental release of viable oilseed rape 73496 seeds into the environment, oilseed rape 73496 would not raise environmental safety concerns. The post‐market environmental monitoring plan and reporting intervals are in line with the intended uses of oilseed rape 73496. The GMO Panel concludes that oilseed rape 73496, as described in this application, is as safe as its conventional counterpart and the non‐genetically modified oilseed rape reference varieties tested with respect to potential effects on human and animal health and the environment.


The respiratory system may be involved in all systemic vasculitides, although with a variable frequency. The aim of our review is to describe radiographic and high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of pulmonary vasculitides and to correlate radiological findings with pathological results. Lung disease is a common feature of antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated small-vessel vasculitides, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss) and microscopic polyangiitis. Pulmonary involvement is less frequent in immune-complex-mediated small-vessel vasculitides, such as Behçet's disease and Goodpasture's syndrome. Pulmonary involvement associated to large-vessel (gigantocellular arteritis and Takayasu's disease) or medium-vessel (nodose polyarteritis and Kawasaki's disease) vasculitides is extremely rare. The present review describes the main clinical and radiological features of pulmonary vasculitides with major purpose to correlate HRCT findings (solitary or multiple nodules, cavitary lesions, micronodules with centrilobular or peribronchial distribution, airspace consolidations, "crazy paving", tracheobronchial involvement, interstitial disease) with pathological results paying particular attention to the description of acute life-threatening manifestations. A thorough medical history, careful clinical examination and the knowledge of radiological patterns are mandatory for a correct and early diagnosis.


Abstract. The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence was triggered by an Mw 6.2 event at 21:26 on 14 April. Approximately 28 h later, at 01:25 on 16 April, an Mw 7.0 event (the mainshock) followed. The epicenters of both events were located near the residential area of Mashiki and affected the region nearby. Due to very strong seismic ground motion, the earthquake produced extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. In this paper, collapsed buildings were detected using a pair of digital surface models (DSMs), taken before and after the 16 April mainshock by airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) flights. Different methods were evaluated to identify collapsed buildings from the DSMs. The change in average elevation within a building footprint was found to be the most important factor. Finally, the distribution of collapsed buildings in the study area was presented, and the result was consistent with that of a building damage survey performed after the earthquake.


The nested Miller compensation of three-stage amplifiers is reviewed by using a simple design-oriented approach. The method provides stable amplifiers by accurately controlling the overall phase margin as well as that of the internal loop. Furthermore, the use of nulling resistors to remove the RHP zeros is discussed and optimization criteria are described. A novel technique is presented which allows an amplifier's frequency and settling performance to be greatly improved without increasing power consumption. Thanks to the small compensation capacitors employed, the approach is amenable for integration and in particular where large load capacitors have to be driven. SPICE simulations based on a 0.8-/spl mu/m CMOS design are given and found in remarkable agreement with the theoretical analysis.


The goal of this work is to represent objects in an RGB-D scene with corresponding 3D models from a library. We approach this problem by first detecting and segmenting object instances in the scene and then using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the pose of the object. This CNN is trained using pixel surface normals in images containing renderings of synthetic objects. When tested on real data, our method outperforms alternative algorithms trained on real data. We then use this coarse pose estimate along with the inferred pixel support to align a small number of prototypical models to the data, and place into the scene the model that fits best. We observe a 48% relative improvement in performance at the task of 3D detection over the current state-of-the-art [34], while being an order of magnitude faster.


Abstract Using IR absorption data from polarized measurements on single-crystal minerals with stoichiometric water contents (in the form of H2O or OH groups in the structure), a linear calibration curve (r2 ≈ 0.98) for water in minerals is established in the form: εi (the integrated molar absorption coefficient in units of cm-2 per mol H2O/L) = 246.6(3753 - ν) (ν = the mean wavenumber of the OH stretching band [in cm-1]). The investigated minerals include hydrogrossular, analcime, hemimorphite and its dehydrated phase, lawsonite, goethite, diaspore, manganite, mozartite, and pectolite. The influence of hydrogen bonding, leading to increased absorption values with lower OH stretching band energies, is confirmed. It is further shown that only the use of integrated absorbance values (band areas) results in a linear correlation with water content, whereas linear absorption data (peak heights) are not correlated. The calibration agrees with previously published quantitative IR data on staurolite and trace H in pyroxenes. It is also close to the frequently used trend of Paterson (1982). However, some of the previous calibrations of trace H in nominally anhydrous minerals, e.g., kyanite and pyrope, differ appreciably from the correlation derived from stoichiometrically hydrous minerals.


Modeling of Agricultural Systems The authors present an overview of agricultural systems models. Beginning with why systems are modeled and for what purposes, the paper examines types of agricultural systems and associated model types. The broad categories range from pictorial (iconic) models to descriptive analogue models to symbolic (usually mathematical) models. The uses of optimization versus non-optimizing mechanistic models are reviewed, as are the scale and aggregation challenges associated with scaling up from the plant cell to the landscape or from a farm enterprise to a world market supply-demand equilibrium Recent modeling developments include the integration of formerly stand-alone biophysical simulation models, increasingly with a unifying spatial database and often for the purpose of supporting management decisions. Current modeling innovations are estimating and incorporating environmental values and other system interactions. At the community and regional scale, sociological and economic models of rural community structure are being developed to evaluate long-term community viability. The information revolution is bringing new challenges in delivering agricultural systems models over the internet, as well as integrating decision support systems with the new precision agriculture technologies.


The inspection of each individual tooth element of a spur gear wheel can be a tedious and expensive process. Two methods of composite gear testing are available, namely, the single flank rolling gear test and the dual flank rolling gear test. The first method is well documented, but the dual flank system tends to have been neglected, few papers being available on the subject. As a preliminary stage to the investigation into the dual flank testing technique two methods of pitch error measurement using ball ended contact probes are examined. These are :(i) the direct measurement of cumulative pitch measurement using a single contact probe and dividing arrangement and(ii) the span gauging of adjacent teeth, commercial measuring equipment being used in both cases. The two methods are compared theoretically in terms of the maximum cumulative pitch error of a gear, and their probable accuracy of measurement compared with the allowable pitch tolerances quoted in the relevant British Standard. Specifications, a theory for the dual flank test is developed relating the variation in centre distance of a pair of gears in close mesh to the errors in tooth pitch and involute profile. The validity of the theory- is tested by experimental measurements, on actual gears, and- a means of determining the permissible variation in the dual flank test error trace from the allowable tolerances on tooth pitch error and tooth profile error suggested. The identification of the type of elemental error from the pattern of the dual flank trace is also examined together with the limitations of the test.


ABSTRACT Objectives: Body composition is important to rugby league coaches because, in concert with other factors such as muscle and tendon properties and neurophysiology, composition values provide a general indication of strength and power and an ability to absorb high impacts. We compared whole-body and regional body composition values of junior representative (under 16 years, 18 years) and senior professional (1st grade) National Rugby league (NRL) players using Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Methods: One hundred and forty-two junior representative and senior 1st grade rugby league players completed a whole-body DXA scan. Juniors comprised U/16 (mean age 15.9 ± 0.8 years, n = 25), and U/18 (17.9 ± 0.6 years, n = 21) state-level representative players while 1st grade players (25.3 ± 2.3 years, n = 96) were drawn from three NRL clubs. Results: Junior representative players were lighter in body mass and shorter in stature compared to 1st grade players. Despite greater lean tissue mass (LTM) in 1st grade players, there were no between-group differences in fat mass (FM) at whole-body or regional sites. Conclusions: When comparing body composition values between junior representative players to 1st grade players' results show that senior players have greater LTM but do not differ in FM relative to junior players. Findings suggest that junior training programs should emphasise developmentally-appropriate resistance training with a continuation of current practices to maintain FM.


A field experiment was conducted to find out the management strategy with fertility and lime levels in an acidic soil, and its response to mungbean production. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with three replications, assigned 16 treatments combinations consisting four levels of recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) i.e. (0, 75%, 100%, 125% RDF) and lime (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg/ha), the RDF was 20:40:20 kg /ha (N2: P2O5: K2O). Results were obtained at critical difference (CD) values p=0.05 level. Among the treatments,significant improvement was recorded in 100% RDF on dry matter accumulation (g/plant) of root (9.121), leaf (1.573), stem (8.230), total dry matter/plant (14.37), number of trifoliate (13.03), Soil-Plant Analyses Development (SPAD) value (nmol/mg) of chlorophyll (49.09), yields kg/ha of grain (524), straw (1425) and biological (1949). Similarly, the application of 200 kg lime/ha was significantly increase in dry matter accumulation (g/plant) of root (9.041), leaf (1.559), stem (8.158), total dry matter/plant (14.25), number of trifoliate (12.41), SPAD value of chlorophyll (48.59), yields kg/ha of grain (520), straw (1419) and biological (1930). Hence, on the basis of conducted field experiment recommended @ 100% RDF and 200 kg lime/ha for better mungbean crop productivity in the vindhyan region, India.


A stress wave propagating in a long bone is accompanied by a traveling electrical charge generated as a result of the piezoelectric character of bone. An electromagnetic device has been developed which can detect the magnetic fields associated with this charge and which is capable of monitoring stress waves in bone in vivo. The field measurement is independent of the mechanical properties of the soft tissue overlying the bone, so that difficulties previously encountered with vibration and wave propagation tests to determine in vivo properties of bone are avoided. Applications to the diagnosis of bone disorders are discussed.


Sliding mode control has been used extensively in robotics to cope with parametric uncertainty and hard nonlinearities, in particular for time-delay teleoperators, which have gained gradual acceptance due to technological advancements. However, since the slave teleoperator is in contact to a rigid environment, the slave controller requires a free of chattering control strategy, thus making first order sliding mode teleoperation control unsuitable. As an alternative, chattering free, higher-order sliding mode teleoperator control is proposed in this paper to guarantee robust tracking under unknown constant time delay. Moreover, complete order observers are proposed to avoid measurement of velocity and acceleration, along with a formal closed-loop stability proof of the observer-based controller. Experimental results are presented and discussed, which reveals the effectiveness of the proposed teleoperation scheme


Strong Nash equilibrium (SNE) is an appealing solution concept when rational agents can form coalitions. A strategy profile is an SNE if no coalition of agents can benefit by deviating. We present the first general-purpose algorithms for SNE finding in games with more than two agents. An SNE must simultaneously be a Nash equilibrium (NE) and the optimal solution of multiple non-convex optimization problems. This makes even the derivation of necessary and sufficient mathematical equilibrium constraints difficult. We show that forcing an SNE to be resilient only to pure-strategy deviations by coalitions, unlike for NEs, is only a necessary condition here. Second, we show that the application of Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions leads to another set of necessary conditions that are not sufficient. Third, we show that forcing the Pareto efficiency of an SNE for each coalition with respect to coalition correlated strategies is sufficient but not necessary. We then develop a tree search algorithm for SNE finding. At each node, it calls an oracle to suggest a candidate SNE and then verifies the candidate. We show that our new necessary conditions can be leveraged to make the oracle more powerful. Experiments validate the overall approach and show that the new conditions significantly reduce search tree size compared to using NE conditions alone.