The aim of this research work is to analyze the chemistry and diversity of forest VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and to outline their evidence-based effects on health. This research work was designed as a narrative overview of the scientific literature. Inhaling forest VOCs like limonene and pinene can result in useful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the airways, and the pharmacological activity of some terpenes absorbed through inhalation may be also beneficial to promote brain functions by decreasing mental fatigue, inducing relaxation, and improving cognitive performance and mood. The tree composition can markedly influence the concentration of specific VOCs in the forest air, which also exhibits cyclic diurnal variations. Moreover, beneficial psychological and physiological effects of visiting a forest cannot be solely attributed to VOC inhalation but are due to a global and integrated stimulation of the five senses, induced by all specific characteristics of the natural environment, with the visual component probably playing a fundamental role in the overall effect. Globally, these findings can have useful implications for individual wellbeing, public health, and landscape design. Further clinical and environmental studies are advised, since the majority of the existing evidence is derived from laboratory findings.


Food-hoarding behaviour is widespread in the animal kingdom and enables predictable access to food resources in unpredictable environments. Within species, consistent variation among individuals in food-hoarding behaviours may indicate the existence of individual strategies, as it likely captures intrinsic differences in how individuals cope with risks (e.g. starvation, pilferage). Using 17 years of data, we estimated the long-term repeatability of 10 food-hoarding behaviours in a population of Eurasian pygmy owls (Glaucidium passerinum), a small avian predator subject to high temporal fluctuations in its main prey abundance. We found low repeatability in the proportion of shrews and the average prey mass stored for both sexes, while females were moderately repeatable in the mass and the number of prey items stored. These two pairs of behaviours were tightly correlated among individuals and might represent two different sets of individual strategies to buffer against starvation risks.


Abstract. Coccolithophores are globally important marine calcifying phytoplankton that utilize a haplo-diplontic life cycle.
The haplo-diplontic life cycle allows coccolithophores to divide in both life cycle phases and potentially expands coccolithophore niche volume. Research has, however, to date largely overlooked the life cycle of coccolithophores and has instead focused on the diploid life cycle phase of coccolithophores. Through the synthesis and analysis of global scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coccolithophore abundance data (n=2534), we find that calcified haploid coccolithophores generally constitute a minor component of the total coccolithophore abundance (≈ 2 %–15 % depending on season).
However, using case studies in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, we show that, depending on environmental conditions, calcifying haploid coccolithophores can be significant contributors to the coccolithophore standing stock (up to ≈30 %). Furthermore, using hypervolumes to quantify the niche of coccolithophores, we illustrate that the haploid and diploid life cycle phases inhabit contrasting niches and that on average this allows coccolithophores to expand their niche by ≈18.8 %, with a range of 3 %–76 % for individual species. Our results highlight that future coccolithophore research should consider both life cycle stages, as omission of the haploid life cycle phase in current research limits our understanding of coccolithophore ecology. Our results furthermore suggest a different response to nutrient limitation and stratification, which may be of relevance for further climate scenarios. Our compilation highlights the spatial and temporal sparsity of SEM measurements and the need for new molecular techniques to identify uncalcified haploid coccolithophores. Our work also emphasizes the need for further work on the carbonate chemistry niche of the coccolithophore life cycle.


Over most of its length, the backbone of the blue marlin, like that of all other istiophorids, contains enlarged and flattened neural and hemal spines and zygapophyses, all of which span the intervertebral joints. These plates of bone restrict dorso-ventral bending of the backbone but their arrangement permits a high degree of lateral flexion. The spinesand zygapophyses also appear to be important in stabilizing the relatively large intervertebral joints against axial compression and lateral shearing during bending. Although bone is an elastic material, these overlapping structures are not arranged so as to contribute to elastic recoil of the backbone during normal swimming movements.


The development of neural cell topography in the retinal ganglion cell layer was examined in a teleost, the black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). From Nissl-stained wholemounts, it was established that fish between 10 and 15 mm standard body length (SL) possess high cell densities throughout the dorso-temporal retinal quadrant, with peak cell densities located in temporal regions of the retina. However, in fish between 15 and 80 mm SL, a wide variation in the position of the peak cell density is revealed with the locations of the areae centrales (AC) ranging from exclusively temporal to periphero-dorsal retina. Fish larger than 80 mm SL always possess an AC located in the dorsal region of the dorso-temporal retinal quadrant. The topography of ganglion cells within the ganglion cell layer was determined by comparing the numbers of ganglion cells retrogradely-labeled from the optic nerve with the total population of Nissl-stained neurons (ganglion plus displaced amacrine cells) in a range of different-sized individuals. Ganglion cell topography was the same as that recorded for all Nissl-stained neurons. The feeding behavior of juveniles from metamorphosis to 80 mm SL was observed, where fish were given the choice of feeding on live food in mid-water (until 15 mm SL) or obtaining pellets from the surface or the bottom. A range of feeding patterns was recorded, with the smallest fish taking food from mid-water but individuals between 15 and 80 mm SL taking food either from the surface or the bottom or both. A correlation between the preferred mode of feeding and the position of the AC was found, such that those individuals feeding in mid-water or at the surface possess a temporal or intermediate (dorso- temporal) AC, whereas those predominantly feeding from the bottom possess a dorsal AC.


WHEN SOME OFFICIALS WITH VaxGen Inc announced last month that their HIV vaccine did not reduce infection rates, the AIDS research and activist communities were disappointed but not surprised. After all, many had suspected that the Brisbane, Calif–based company's vaccine would not be able to elicit the kind of immune response that would be required to protect the body against infection with HIV. But a firestorm of criticism erupted when the company reported that subset analysis of their data showed statistically significant efficacy in blacks and another minority group, suggesting a genetic basis for difference in response. Researchers and activists were dubious of the claims, noting the small sample size of the subgroups. Moreover, some critics complained that further analysis and research based on the subset findings would waste dollars better spent on other HIV vaccine trials and would give false hope to certain minorities.


We give an overview of four different ensemble-based techniques for uncertainty quantification and illustrate their application in the context of oil plume simulations. These techniques share the common paradigm of constructing a model proxy that efficiently captures the functional dependence of the model output on uncertain model inputs. This proxy is then used to explore the space of uncertain inputs using a large number of samples, so that reliable estimates of the model's output statistics can be calculated. Three of these techniques use polynomial chaos (PC) expansions to construct the model proxy, but they differ in their approach to determining the expansions' coefficients; the fourth technique uses Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). An integral plume model for simulating the Deepwater Horizon oil-gas blowout provides examples for illustrating the different techniques. A Monte Carlo ensemble of 50,000 model simulations is used for gauging the performance of the different proxies. The examples illustrate how regression-based techniques can outperform projection-based techniques when the model output is noisy. They also demonstrate that robust uncertainty analysis can be performed at a fraction of the cost of the Monte Carlo calculation.


We consider the problem of inference in agraphical model with binary variables. While in theory it is arguably preferable to compute marginal probabilities, in practice researchers often use MAP inference due to the availability of efficient discrete optimization algorithms. We bridge the gap between the two approaches by introducing the Discrete Marginals technique in which approximate marginals are obtained by minimizing an objective function with unary and pair-wise terms over a discretized domain. This allows the use of techniques originally devel-oped for MAP-MRF inference and learning. We explore two ways to set up the objective function - by discretizing the Bethe free energy and by learning it from training data. Experimental results show that for certain types of graphs a learned function can out-perform the Bethe approximation. We also establish a link between the Bethe free energy and submodular functions.


MPI is the most widely used data transfer and communication model in High Performance Computing. The latest version of the standard, MPI-3, allows skilled programmers to exploit all hardware capabilities of the latest and future supercomputing systems. The revised asynchronous remote-memory-access model in combination with the shared-memory window extension, in particular, allow writing code that hides communication latencies and optimizes communication paths according to the locality of data origin and destination. The latter is particularly important for today's multi- and many-core systems. However, writing such efficient code is highly complex and error-prone. In this paper we evaluate a recent remote-memory-access model, namely DART-MPI. This model claims to hide the aforementioned complexities from the programmer, but deliver locality-aware remote-memory-access semantics which outperforms MPI-3 one-sided communication primitives on multi-core systems. Conceptually, the DART-MPI interface is simple; at the same time it takes care of the complexities of the underlying MPI-3 and system topology. This makes DART-MPI an interesting candidate for porting legacy applications. We evaluate these claims using a realistic scientific application, specifically a finite-difference stencil code which solves the heat diffusion equation, on a large-scale Cray XC40 installation.


This paper presents a model for the evaluation of environmental and urban improvements on the islands of the Venetian lagoon. The model simulates the changes in residential real estate values using a value function integrated in a geographical database which provides spatial distributions of values changes. The fairly weak market signals, fragmented demand and strong externalities, and the scarcity of market data available do not permit the use of econometric models for value appraisal. Appropriate hedonic-hierarchical value functions are calibrated on the basis of a set of indicators of the characteristics of the buildings and the location. Some applications of the model are illustrated simulating two scenarios of future interventions which are actually being discussed or realised and involving the island of Murano, Burano and S. Erasmo in the Venice Lagoon. The interventions considered are: subway beyond the lagoon connecting Murano with Venice and the mainland, and the solution of "high water" problems on Murano, Burano and S. Erasmo.


The demand for solar energy has rapidly increased throughout the world in recent years. However, anomalies in photovoltaic (PV) plants can reduce performances and result in serious consequences. Developing reliable statistical approaches able to detect anomalies in PV plants is vital to improving the management of these plants. Here, we present a statistical approach for detecting anomalies in the DC part of PV plants and partial shading. Firstly, we model the monitored PV plant. Then, we employ a generalized likelihood ratio test, which is a powerful anomaly detection tool, to check the residuals from the model and reveal anomalies in the supervised PV array. The proposed strategy is illustrated via actual measurements from a 9.54 PV plant.


This thesis addresses one of the outstanding questions of modern theoretical particle physics: what underlies the fermion mass and quark mixing hierarchies? All fermions (except the top quark) have masses which are suppressed to varying degrees relative to their natural scale, which is set by electroweak symmetry breaking. Most models, including the Standard Model (SM), attribute this to a hierarchy amongst fundamental Yukawa couplings. Here, the view is taken that partially conserved chiral symmetries provide a much more satisfactory rationale for suppressed fermion masses, and the fermion mass sector of promising models is analysed. Firstly, Chapter 1 discusses relevant aspects of the SM and some popular Standard Model Group (SMG) extensions. In Chapter 2, a classification scheme is introduced for SMG extensions which possess no non-SM fermions in the low energy regime. This classification is based on the manner in which fermion irreducible representations (IRs) of the SM are collected to form IRs of these extensions. It is argued that the class of extensions whose members' IRs are identical to those of the SM show most promise of naturally generating the fermion mass hierarchy. The SMG is seen to be embedded within these extensions as a diagonal subgroup and, consequently, the non-abehan part of each extension must be gauged. Assuming that all abelian symmetries are also gauged, the anomaly-free members of this favoured class are discussed. They are seen to be closely related to the anti-grand unified group SMG X SMG X SMG. For this group, corresponding Weyl fermions in different generations belong to inequivalent IRs. Chapter 3 begins by taking some time out to emphasise that the whole approach to fermion masses and quark mixing angles in this thesis is geared towards accounting for them order of magnitude-wise. It then becomes more quantitative in specifying how various approximately conserved symmetries suppress fermion mass matrix elements, and several plausible ansatze for constructing these elements are introduced. Finally, the existence of the large inter-generation mass gaps points towards particular candidate symmetries before the intra-generation gaps are seen to lead in two quite different directions. One of these directions is examined in Chapter 4, where the candidate symmetries of the previous chapter are extended to include a partially conserved and gauged abelian flavoiir symmetry. This is done in order to directly account for mass splitting within the generations, assuming that the heavy generation mass eigenstates are approximately equal to the corresponding gauge eigenstates (a well-defined concept for the type of groups under consideration). Unfortunately, the full symmetry group cannot then include SMG X SMG X SMG, but only a subgroup of it. Several anomaly-free flavour charge sets are found for each model, subject to some basic constraints. The resulting models are then analysed using the ansatze of Chapter 3, following a general discussion of how the ansatze parameters are chosen to fit the known data on fermion masses and quark mixing angles. Finally, Chapter 5 examines the alternative method of obtaining intra-generation mass splitting. This is based on the hope that the abelian subgroup of the anti-grand unified group SMG x SMG X SMG might itself be responsible for such splitting, providing the assumption of Chapter 4 regarding the heavy generation mass eigenstates is explicitly violated. The mass gaps thus generated turn out to be unrealistic, however, and again a gauged abelian flavour symmetry is introduced in an effort to rescue the anti-grand unified model. The resulting SMG X SMG X SMG X U(1) model is then analysed in exactly the same way as the models of Chapter 4.


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This paper studies stochastic optimization for a sum of compositional functions, where the inner-level function of each summand is coupled with the corresponding summation index. We refer to this family of problems as finite-sum coupled compositional optimization (FCCO). It has broad applications in machine learning for optimizing non-convex or convex compositional measures/objectives such as average precision (AP), p-norm push, listwise ranking losses, neighborhood component analysis (NCA), deep survival analysis, deep latent variable models, etc., which deserves finer analysis. Yet, existing algorithms and analyses are restricted in one or other aspects. The contribution of this paper is to provide a comprehensive convergence analysis of a simple stochastic algorithm for both non-convex and convex objectives. Our key result is the improved oracle complexity with the parallel speed-up by using the moving-average based estimator with mini-batching. Our theoretical analysis also exhibits new insights for improving the practical implementation by sampling the batches of equal size for the outer and inner levels. Numerical experiments on AP maximization, NCA, and p-norm push corroborate some aspects of the theory.


The purpose of our study is to compare the biodegradation and osteoconduction between CaO-SiO2-B2O3 glass-ceramics(CS10B) and hydroxyapatite(HA), tricalcium phosphate(TCP). Porous CS10B implants were prepared by polymer sponge method. Single-level posterolateral spinal fusions were performed on thirty rabbits. The animals were divided into three groups by implant material: HA, TCP and CS10B. Radiographs checked every two weeks. All animals were sacrificed 12 weeks after surgery. The proportion of the area occupied by ceramics in final radiography on the initial radiography was calculated. Uniaxial tensile strength was measured on 7 cases in each group. The proportion of the area of HA(88.7%±16.1) was significantly higher than those of the others(p<0.05), and the proportion of the area of CS10B(28.2%±9.3) was significantly lower than those of HA and TCP(37%±9.6)(p<0.05). The mean values of tensile strength of the HA(191.4±33.5 N) and CS10B(182.7±19.9 N) were significantly higher(p<0.05) than those of the TCP(141.1±28.2 N). CS10B showed the tensile strength of fusion masses similar to those of the HA, however, more rapid biodegradation than HA and TCP. These findings suggest that CS10B grafts have the possibility as a bone graft substitute.


Introduction Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) continue to be a major burden for workplaces and workers as well as insurance and health systems. Evidence-based approaches are desired but research-to-practice gaps remain. One reason for gaps is the necessary research of sufficient quality is often not available. However evidence-based practice considers both scientific evidence as well as practitioner expertise. Our objective is to synthesise evidence from the scientific literature, practice evidence (policies and practices), and experiences from stakeholders. Methods Scientific evidence from recently published reviews, including a recent review our team completed, will be synthesised. Evidence from practitioners' expertise and worker experiences are being collected using a web-based survey, focus groups, and interviews with representatives from various stakeholder groups from multiple sectors. We are using the Public Health Agency of Canada's best practices portal to structure data collection of workplace practices and policies. We are synthesising the evidence gathered from stakeholders with that from recently published systematic reviews. Result Recent systematic review results revealed 61 high and medium studies addressing MSD. The studies described 30 different intervention categories. There was strong evidence that resistance training has a positive effect and moderate evidence that stretching, using a feedback mouse, and workstation forearm supports have positive effects. However the level of evidence was too low to make recommendations for many other interventions. The survey and interview/focus groups to collect practice-based evidence are ongoing. Discussion The presentation will focus on current policies and practices described by our practitioner and workplace audiences as compared to the scientific evidence. The discussion will outline the synthesis of evidence and co-creation (with OHS stakeholders) of a practical guide to help workplaces develop and implement effective practices and policies to prevent MSD and help workers with MSD return to work safely.


The focus of this paper is on the rural poor of south Asia and their struggle to cope with the seasonal risk of unemployment and the ensuing income risks. In the absence of formal credit or insurance markets the rural poor typically resort to, among other options, the following informal strategies to cope with seasonal income risks: (i) seasonal rural-to-urban migration, and (ii) mutual (ex-post) transfers between families of friends and relatives. Access to credit through a microfinance institution could also provide a competing source of insurance. The question raised in this paper is how the access to credit may affect the more traditional/time honoured means of risk coping, such as seasonal migration. Given that credit, i.e., a creditfinanced activity, is potentially a substitute for seasonal migration, it is reasonable to argue that easy access to credit (or high return on credit) will lower the incidence of migration. However, there also exists a potential complementarity between the two activities (if implemented jointly) in terms of gains due to diversification of income risks. That is, given that income from migration is not typically subject to the same shocks as income generated by a credit-financed activity, a joint adoption of both activities creates opportunities for diversification of risk in the family incomes portfolio. If the diversification gains are large enough then the adoption of both activities jointly will be preferred to adopting either of the activities individually. In that event, introduction of microfinance in rural societies may result in raising the incidence of migration. The joint adoption case for rural households is modelled using a choice theoretic framework, and exact conditions are derived for when joint adoption is preferable to adoption of a single project. The model of joint adoption is estimated by applying a Bivariate Probit regression model on a single cross-section of household survey data from rural Bangladesh. Our preliminary results show that indeed the probability of participation in migration by household members is positively related to the probability of the household being a credit recipient.


This paper examines how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be used to address procedural problems faced by platform workers, including opaque rating systems, arbitrary account suspension and nonpayment, and uncommunicative clients and platform operators. GDPR provides workers with a variety of rights with respect to their data, including right of access, right to rectification, and rights regarding automated decision-making. Additionally, Art. 40 of the GDPR establishes the possibility for groups of controllers to develop codes of conduct that clarify the application of GDPR to their particular sectors. This paper details the application of GDPR to labor platforms, provides draft text for an Art. 40 code of conduct for labor platforms, and discusses how such a code could help address procedural problems encountered by platform workers. We hope that this paper can help spark a discussion at European level among trade unions and other stakeholders in platform work about how to use GDPR to address the 'procedural problems' faced by platform workers, regardless of their employment status.


Coordination can destroy scalability in parallel programming. A comprehensive library of scalable synchronization primitives is therefore an essential tool for exploiting parallelism. Unfortunately, such primitives do not easily combine to yield solutions to more complex problems. We demonstrate that a concurrency library based on Fournet and Gonthier's join calculus can provide declarative and scalable coordination. By declarative, we mean that the programmer needs only to write down the constraints of a coordination problem, and the library will automatically derive a correct solution. By scalable, we mean that the derived solutions deliver robust performance both as the number of processors increases, and as the complexity of the coordination problem grows. We validate our claims empirically on seven coordination problems, comparing our generic solution to specialized algorithms from the literature.


CONTEXT
The laboratory test turnaround times (TATs) that exceed the expectations of clinicians who order those tests, the so-called outlier test reporting rates, may be responsible for perceptions of inadequate laboratory service.

OBJECTIVE
To monitor outlier test reporting rates for emergency department stat potassium results and routine inpatient morning blood tests.

DESIGN
In 2 different monitors, each conducted for 2 years, laboratory personnel in institutions enrolled in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Q-Tracks program tracked the percentages of emergency department stat potassium results and/or the percentages of morning rounds routine test results that were reported later than self-imposed reporting deadlines.

SETTING
A total of 291 hospitals participating in 2 CAP Q-Tracks monitors.

RESULTS
Participants monitored 225,140 stat emergency department potassium TATs, of which 33,402 (14.8%) were outliers, and 1,055040 routine morning test reporting times, of which 123,554 (11.7%) were outliers. For both monitors, there was a significant (P <.05) downward trend in the outlier rates as the number of quarters in which participants submitted data increased.

CONCLUSION
Outlier reporting rates for emergency department stat potassium and routine morning test results decreased during the 2-year period of continuous monitoring. The CAP Q-Tracks program provides an effective vehicle by which providers of laboratory services may improve the timeliness with which they deliver the results of laboratory tests.


Logistics is gaining increased attention in companies since interconnectivity is increasing, and the interdependence among actors is enhanced due to challenges organizations are facing today (market changes, novel strategies, and technological improvements). While the logistics discipline has been characterized by an efficiency focus based on positivistic assumptions, the challenges of today require a focus on effectiveness i.e. adaptive logistics based on extended assumptions. As firms are becoming more complex themselves in their relationships with suppliers and customers, and there is increased turbulence facing almost all industries, this complexity needs to be taken into consideration by logistics researchers and practitioners in order to increase their understanding, and for the sense-making of logistics phenomena. The purpose of the thesis is to contribute to the further development of logistics research and practice by exploring, from a complexity perspective, how increased adaptation can enhance logistics effectiveness. In order to gain knowledge and understanding of how a complexity perspective could impact logistics, several methods have been used. Through extensive literature reviews from several disciplines, insights into what type of underlying assumptions dominates the discipline were gained. In order to understand logistics in its ?real? empirical setting, a topical study entitled ?real logistics? was performed, in which logistics practitioners were interviewed with a grounded theory-inspired approach. Case studies have also been performed, focusing on issues of effectiveness. Furthermore, for me to be able provide the logistics discipline with an approach which is ?proven? to be applicable and where ?operationalization? of the complexity perspective could be achieved, combined case and simulation studies have been performed. It is the firm conclusion that adaptive logistics is not a concept separated from human-mind and involvement, instead it is a transformative concept realized in the individual and collective sense-making processes guided by assumptions related to both filters. Hence, in order to move towards adaptive logistics it is the conclusion that this is a process involving reflections on assumptions and their impacts on logistics phenomena and processes, and operationalization of a new way of thinking through sense-making methods with close connection to the perceived contexts in question. For the reflective part, theoretical frameworks are needed, which are in line with assumptions similar to real-life experience by managers i.e. of a less mechanical character, with emphasis on the extended assumptions comprised in the complexity perspective. Secondly, in order to operationalize a different way of thinking and acting i.e. change mind-sets to embrace more complex considerations, and provide tangible results in a reasonable time period, it has been concluded that agent-based modeling provides a feasible and applicable method and tool. (Less)


Background Clinicians who manage nasal obstruction often comment on the shape and size of the nasal valve (NV) area. However, correlation of the symptoms of obstruction, nasal airflow dynamics, and the endoscopic appearance of the anatomic cross-sectional area of the NV is poorly understood. Endoscopic imaging and calculation of the NV area is investigated as a tool for either clinical or research use. Objective To describe and evaluate a two-dimensional measurement of the minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) of the NV by using endoscopic imaging. Methods A cross-sectional study of patients with symptoms of nasal obstruction who were undergoing nasal assessment was performed. The NV was measured with digital imaging taken from the endoscopy. Adobe Photoshop was used to calculate the digital MCA of the NV based on pixel count and a reference marker placed in the image field. Airway parameters were assessed by using a nasal obstruction visual analog scale, nasal airway resistance via rhinomanometry, and acoustic rhinometry derived MCA (acoustic MCA). Correlation of the digital MCA and airway parameters was made and interobserver correlation of the MCA measures was calculated. Results Thirty-three nasal airways were assessed: mean (standard deviation) digital MCA (0.28 ± 0.13 cm2) and mean (standard deviation) acoustic MCA (0.51 ± 0.15 cm2). Correlation of the digital MCA with visual analog scale was poor (Pearson r = 0.10, p = 0.56). Similar finding between digital and acoustic MCA was poor (Pearson r = 0.50, p = 0.56, respectively) despite a moderately strong interobserver correlation for the digital MCA (Pearson r = 0.79, p < 0.001). Conclusion Qualitative endoscopic assessment of the NV may help clinicians predict NV dysfunction but simple two-dimensional measures seemed to be of limited value in accurately assessing the three-dimensional NV quantitatively.


OBJECTIVESurgery to achieve ulnar nerve decompression at the elbow has been performed for nearly 2 centuries. Several methods have been developed, some of which have been abandoned. Historical insight improves understanding of current techniques and provides the basis for the development of new methods. Which treatment method is best is the topic of ongoing debate. METHODSThe literature was reviewed using the MEDLINE database. Standard textbooks and retrieved articles were checked for missing references. For older articles, the bibliographies of books and theses were consulted. When I was unsuccessful in finding information in standard biographies of authors of milestone publications, I contacted the hospitals or institutions in which these individuals worked or are currently working. RESULTSA systematic chronological overview of the surgical treatment of ulnar nerve compression at the elbow is presented, with special attention to people who described a treatment method for the first time. CONCLUSIONThis article is the first in the literature to provide information about and photographs of nearly all of the people who were important in the development of the surgical treatment of compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow.


A guide to finding information in meteorology. Includes links to key resources and sources of help. Dictionaries & encyclopedias relating to this subject


The utilization of millimetric waves in satellite communications requires the use of advanced transmission techniques known as Propagation Impairments Mitigation Techniques (PIMT) to counteract severe atmospheric phenomena without excessive power expenditures. Among these PIMTs we remind Adaptive Code Modulation (ACM), reconfigurable antenna pattern, site diversity, up/down link power control and others. The possibility to exploit profitably this concept is based on the knowledge coming from the propagation science, i.e. on accurate models for the space- and time-distribution of impairments such as rain attenuation and to allow their experimental validation through measurements. The TDP5 Q/V Band Propagation Payload, which has been renamed as Alphasat Aldo payload to the memory of Prof. Aldo Paraboni, who conceived and greatly contributed to its realization, will allow in the near future further propagation and telecom measurements across Europe. The mission will allow a direct assessment of the advantages obtainable from PIMTs like the ACM or reconfigurable on-board antenna. The payload has been supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) as in-kind contribution to the Alphasat project which is executed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the framework of the ARTES 8 Telecom programme. Alphasat will be launched in 2013. The Aldo payload will permit simultaneous measurements of attenuation and depolarisation at 20 and 40 GHz during a long period (some years) all over Europe. In addition the Aldo payload will enable telecom Q/V experiments at the stations located within the 3 narrow spot beams covering Austria, North and South Italy. As for the ground segment, ASI assumed directly the commitment to realize the deployment and realization of the Earth terminals in Italy with the support of Politecnico di Milano and Univ. Tor Vergata as Principal Investigators for the propagation and telecommunication experiments, respectively. One of these terminals will be placed at the experimental station of Spino d'Adda (near Milan, North of Italy); another one will be installed in Tito Scalo (South of Italy). A third Earth Terminal for the telecom experiment is being developed by Joanneum Research (in the framework of an ESA ARTES 8 activity with the support of the Austrian Aeronautics and Space Agency) and it will be installed in Graz, Austria. As well, in order to enlarge the significance of this experiment, the development of additional propagation ground terminals for Alphasat has been assigned by ESA within the ARTES-5 programme for Telecom technology development to Joanneum Research and Graz University of Technology. In the frame of this contract a propagation terminal will be placed in Graz to perform joint measurements with the Telecom station. In this contribution the status and the planning of the Alphasat TDP5 experiments will be presented with particular regard to the ground segment and the planning for scientific activities.


AIM
To evaluate the association between polymorphisms XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln and XRCC3 Thr241Met and the risk for chronic gastritis and gastric cancer, in a Southeastern Brazilian population.

METHODS
Genotyping by PCR-RFLP was carried out on 202 patients with chronic gastritis (CG) and 160 patients with gastric cancer (GC), matched to 202 (C1) and 150 (C2) controls, respectively.

RESULTS
No differences were observed among the studied groups with regard to the genotype distribution of XRCC1 codons 194 and 399 and of XRCC3 codon 241. However, the combined analyses of the three variant alleles (194Trp, 399Gln and 241Met) showed an increased risk for chronic gastritis when compared to the GC group. Moreover, an interaction between the polymorphic alleles and demographic and environmental factors was observed in the CG and GC groups. XRCC1 194Trp was associated with smoking in the CG group, while the variant alleles XRCC1 399Gln and XRCC3 241Met were related with gender, smoking, drinking and H pylori infection in the CG and GC groups.

CONCLUSION
Our results showed no evidence of a relationship between the polymorphisms XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln and XRCC3 Thr241Met and the risk of chronic gastritis and gastric cancer in the Brazilian population, but the combined effect of these variants may interact to increase the risk for chronic gastritis, considered a premalignant lesion. Our data also indicate a gene-environment interaction in the susceptibility to chronic gastritis and gastric cancer.


This article addresses two specific puzzles in the area of regulation. The first is the engagement of regulatory intermediaries by the targets of regulation. The second is a tendency for regulatory intermediaries, once added to the regulatory landscape, to expand their roles independently and for reasons of self-interest. The article offers important insights into the roles, opportunities, and constraints of regulatory intermediaries, particularly because it moves beyond the unidirectional understanding of the regulatory process that is at the base of the RIT model. After exploring both puzzles, the article discusses how (target-oriented or self-interested) intermediation may increase the complexity and impact of regulatory capture. It concludes, however, that while the model of intermediation is sometimes flawed, regulators and targets are generally better off with the involvement of regulatory intermediaries than without it.


Whether species interactions influence species response to environment and species ranges has always been a central question in ecology. Joint species distribution models (JSDMs) simultaneously model the species–environment relationships of multiple species and the residual correlation between these species. These residual correlations are assumed to depict whether species co‐occur less or more often than expected by the modelled species–environment relationships, which could ultimately be attributed to species interactions, or hidden environmental information. Here, we propose to specifically test the capacity of JSDMs to detect species interactions from co‐occurrence data, at different scales of data aggregation. Using a recently published point‐process model, we simulated equilibrium co‐occurrence patterns of species pairs by varying the strength and type of interactions (e.g. competition, predator–prey, mutualism) as well as the prevalence of the interacting species in homogeneous environments (assuming the environment does not influence the species responses and co‐occurrence). Then, we fitted JSDMs without environmental predictors, and compared the estimated residual correlations against the known interaction coefficients. JSDMs detected competition and mutualism well, but failed with predator–prey interactions. For the latter, JSDMs predicted both negative and positive residual correlations for these kinds of interactions, depending on the prevalence of the interacting species. Interestingly, the estimated residual correlation was strongly influenced by species' prevalence and can thus not be translated to interaction strength. At increasingly coarser data resolution, the signals of negative and positive interactions became indiscernible by JSDMs, but – reassuringly – were rarely confounded. The underlying point‐process model simulates the consequences rather than the mechanisms of interspecific interactions, and thus is better at corroborating rather than discrediting JSDMs. Nevertheless, our simple theoretical exercise pinpoints important limitations of JSDMs. In conclusion, we caution against interpreting residual correlations from JSDMs as interaction strength and against comparing these across different species and communities.


One of the greatest breakthroughs in soil mechanics was the development of Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM) in the 1950s and 1960s and the derivation of a continuum elasto-plastic constitutive model, namely Cam clay, which was the foundation for other continuum models for clays, and much later for sands. However, as yet there has been no micro mechanical analysis which explains the existence of such continuum models; such a micro perspective must take into account the discontinuous nature of soil. Without such insight, the engineer cannot understand which micro parameters affect soil behaviour.
This work uses the discrete element method (DEM) to model a silica sand as a sample of discrete particles, with properties which have been calibrated against experimental data in previous work, to build up a micro mechanical picture of the behaviour of sand under different loading conditions. The simplest of loading conditions is the one dimensional or oedometer test and has been modelled to check whether this agrees with previously published research. The simulated sample has then been subjected to isotropic compression to establish a normal compression line in log voids ratio – log stress space, and which turns out to be parallel to the one-dimensional normal compression line, in agreement with CSSM. The evolution of the isotropic normal compression line is due to local shear stresses within the sample, and the origin of the existence of both lines lies in the evolution of a fractal distribution of particles with a fractal dimension of 2.5. The effect of boundary particles has then been minimised by choosing an appropriate aspect ratio and a smaller number of particles in the sample to give a computational time which is acceptable for subsequent shearing to critical states.
Isotropically normally compressed samples have been unloaded to different stress levels and sheared to critical states. A unique critical state line (CSL) exists at high stress levels, which is parallel to the normal compression lines, in agreement with CSSM. At low stress levels, the CSL is not linear and is non-unique; that is to say it is a function of preconsolidation pressure because the fractal distribution of sizes has not fully evolved. Samples sheared on the dense side of critical dilate and have a peak strength whilst loose samples exhibit ductile contraction, in agreement with CSSM. At a critical state, the work shows that crushing continues in the formation of 'fines', small particles with smaller than 0.1mm dimensions, which plays no part in the mechanical behaviour, which is reflected in the average mechanical co-ordination number and which means that plastic hardening can be assumed to have ceased at a critical state.
For the isotropically overconsolidated samples sheared to critical states, a number of different definitions of yield have been used to establish a yield surface in stress space. The work shows that a previously published yield surface for sand (Yu, 1998; McDowell, 2002) gives a good representation of the behaviour, and it has therefore been shown that the sample of discrete particles has been shown to give rise to observed continuum behaviour. The work is, to the author's knowledge, the first that has shown a DEM soil to show many of the desirable features of sand, in that the sample qualitatively gives normal compression lines and a CSL of the correct slope, which obeys CSSM and which gives a Cam Clay type yield surface in stress space. The work means that the established model can be used in the study of other micro mechanics problems such as particle shape and time effects and the application of DEM to boundary value problems directly.


Aim The aim of this survey was to capture the current "state of play" with regard to ILD services, with an emphasis on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), in the UK. Methods The BTS Specialist Advisory Group emailed a survey to 260 clinicians. Respondents were advised to collect data prospectively for 1 month (late 2010/early 2011) before completing it. Results 120 responses were obtained, (England-96, Scotland-16, Wales-6, Northern Ireland-2), total catchment population 37.3 million, number of full-time consultants 3 (1–15). *50% of centres had a "lead" ILD consultant, 57% ran an ILD clinic and, of those centres currently without an ILD clinic, 70% anticipated setting one up in the next 5 years. For patients with all types of ILD the estimated number of new patients seen at clinic each month was 6 (1–75). *The percentage of new patients with IPF (options "<25%", "25–50%", "50–75%" or ">75%") was estimated at 18%, 36%, 27% and 18% respectively. For all ILD patients, the number of return patients seen at clinic in a month was 25 (1–300). *Only 5% of respondents were "very confident" about these figures (based on audit/registry) with 62% expressing "low confidence". HRCT reporting was performed by "Pulmonary radiologists"/"Pulmonary radiologists with a specific ILD interest" in 48% and 36% respectively. 47% of centres did not have an ILD-multidisciplinary meeting (MDM), and for those that did, 32% held them monthly. Access to an ILD Specialist Nurse, ambulatory oxygen, pulmonary rehabilitation, palliative care and smoking cessation were 26% 93%, 81%, 93% and 97% respectively. 64% had not recruited into IPF clinical trials and 68% had no registry/database[n1]. "Triple" therapy continued to be prescribed "frequently", prednisolone (55%), azathioprine (49%), N-acetylcysteine (45%). The reported preferred model of care for ILD patients was "local" (51%), "network" (45%) and "centre" (4%). *Median/range. Conclusions There is a wide variation in current practice, with almost half of all respondents not holding a MDM, despite BTS/ERS/ATS guidelines. Our survey has implications for the delivery of ILD care in the UK and should support the BTS in developing Quality of Care standards.


The Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 3.0. Susan J. Slaughter and Lora D. Delwiche. Cary, NC: SAS Institute, Inc., 2005, xiv+364 pp., $50.95(P), ISBN: 1-59047-786-3. SAS Enterprise Guide r © is a point-and-click front end to traditional SAS. The desired data manipulation and statistical analyses are described by choosing items from menus. Enterprise Guide then writes SAS code (data and proc steps) that is executed by SAS. Lora Delwiche and Susan Slaughter are the authors of a very popular introduction to SAS, (Delwiche and Slaughter 2003), now in its third edition. This book is a similar introduction for users who prefer the point-and-click interface and have access to Enterprise Guide r ©. The first half of the book contains five tutorials on getting started, reading data files, creating reports, subsetting variables or observations, and joining datasets. These are copiously illustrated with screen shots indicating inputs, menu choices, and results. Helpful hints and explanations of confusing issues are set off in highlighted text boxes. The data used in the tutorials is printed in an appendix and available on the support.sas.com Web site. The second, slightly longer, half of the book is a reference section. Most of these chapters elaborate on the topics introduced in the tutorials. Again, the text is copiously illustrated by screen shots. Almost every page has an illustration of the operation discussed in the surrounding text. As in the original Little SAS Book, the emphasis is on data management and report generation. Data analysis is discussed, but not extensively. There is one chapter describing simple graphics and one chapter describing data summarization, regression, and analysis of variance. This might be sufficient for an undergraduate class in SAS programming. It is not sufficient for my students, who need the more comprehensive coverage of SAS statistical procedures in, for example, Everitt and Der (1996) or Elliott (2000), but neither of these two texts currently has a version for Enterprise Guide r ©. Note: An updated title, The Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 4.1, was released in mid-2006. The table of contents is identical to that of the 3.0 edition, with the addition of a chapter on "Adding flexibility with parameters."


In this work we deal with both Coding Theory and Entropy Extraction for Random Number Generators to be used for cryptographic purposes. We start from a thorough analysis of known bounds on code parameters and a study of the properties of Hadamard codes. We find of particular interest the Griesmer bound, which is a strong result known to be true only for linear codes. We try to extend it to all codes, and we can determine many parameters for which the Griesmer bound is true also for nonlinear codes. In case of systematic codes, a class of codes including linear codes, we can derive stronger results on the relationship between the Griesmer bound and optimal codes. We also construct a family of optimal binary systematic codes contradicting the Griesmer bound. Finally, we obtain new bounds on the size of optimal codes. Regarding the study of random number generation, we analyse linear extractors and their connection with linear codes. The main result on
this topic is a link between code parameters and the entropy rate obtained by a processed random number generator. More precisely, to any linear extractor we can associate the generator matrix of a linear code. Then, we link the total variation distance between the uniform distribution and the probability mass function of a random number generator with the weight distribution of the linear code associated to
the linear extractor. Finally, we present a collection of results derived while pursuing a way to classify optimal codes, such as a probabilistic algorithm to compute
the weight distribution of linear codes and a new bound on the size of codes.


Little is known about the nature of genetic variation underlying complex diseases in humans. The recognition that susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus has a strong inherited component provides a mechanism for developing the molecular understanding of the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus through various genetic approaches. The main aim of the Breda study described in this thesis was to identify genetic factors involved in type 2 diabetes mellitus in a defined Dutch population. This thesis gives gives an overview of the approaches that can be used to identify genetic factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus and, in particular, the role of candidate gene analysis and genome-wide scanning is emphasised.

This thesis also describes the results of a genome-wide scan performed for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a defined Dutch population. The genome-wide scan was carried out using identity-by-descent analysis in affected sibpairs. Since obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are inter-related, the data set was stratified for the sub-phenotype body mass index (BMI), corrected for age and gender. This resulted in a suggestive maximum multi-point LOD score of 2.3 (p-value 9.7 x 10-4] for the most obese 20% pedigrees of the data set in the region flanked by marker loci D18S471 and D18S843 (chromosome region 18p11). We hereby confirmed the presence of a susceptibility locus on chromosome 18, reported earlier from a Finnish/Swedish population. This finding provided solid and independent evidence that the chromosome 18p11 locus is of definite interest for type 2 diabetes mellitus in connection with obesity in the Breda study cohort. In addition, we demonstrated that in the lowest 80% obese pedigrees ("lean" type 2 diabetes mellitus) two interesting loci on chromosomes 2 and 19 were found with LODs of 1.5 and 1.3, respectively (p-values 7.5 x 10-3 and 11.2 x 10-3].
Further more this thesis describes the analysis for linkage to loci influencing BMI (using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping) in 420 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients from the Breda cohort for which BMI values where available. Subsequently, the genotype data from the 20% most obese type 2 diabetes mellitus pedigrees ("obese" type 2 diabetes mellitus) was also analysed for linkage to type 2 diabetes mellitus using the ASP analysis. The QTL results support previous findings of a susceptibility locus (QTL) influencing BMI in type 2 diabetes mellitus residing on chromosome region 11q. In addition, suggestive evidence was found and previous findings confirmed for linkage with type 2 diabetes mellitus on chromosome regions 1q, 11p, and 12q. In general, it appears that the linkage found for type 2 diabetes mellitus in the present cohort is strongly influenced by obesity. This supports the notion that a genetic predisposition to obesity is closely intertwined with one predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, our study fails to determine to what extent obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are genetically unique entities in their own right.
Complementary to these approaches described above also candidate gene association studies were performed with the sulphonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and with the beta-adrenergic receptor-2 (B2ADR) gene and obesity in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects from the Breda study cohort. In our cohort, no significant association was found with the SNP16 variant of the SUR1 gene in type 2 diabetes patients compared to controls. The genotypes of SNP27 variant in the B2ADR gene were matched to the BMI values of 542 patients in our cohort and were compared using ANOVA with age and gender as covariates. No statistically significant difference was observed between the various groups, implying that, in our cohort, this polymorphism has no important effect on body mass index. Also no effect was found for this polymorphism on either the age of diagnosis of diabetes or on plasma lipids levels.
The results of this thesis will, together with previously reported results, help accelerate the efforts to identify susceptibility genes for type 2 diabetes mellitus located in the regions described above. Combined with new developments in the fields of bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, this will lead to a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Identifying new pathways involved in the disease aetiology may help identify new therapeutic goals, and direct efforts to target therapies to relevant tissues. By improving the classification of type 2 diabetes, together with new insights in pharmacogenetics, this genetic information may form the basis for the development of new drug therapies and hopefully, in the future, will lead to the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus.


We examine the symbolic management of participative strategic decision-making programs that purportedly use crowdsourcing technology to solicit strategic input below the executive suite, but are often decoupled from actual strategic decision making. Specifically, top management may decide on a strategic option before soliciting input under the program. The first portion of our theoretical framework explains why disclosure of a participative strategic decision making program in communicating with security analysts is associated with more positive analyst appraisals, despite decoupling, and why the benefits of disclosure are amplified to the extent that leaders highlight the use of crowdsourcing technology in the program. The second portion of our framework addresses the antecedents of symbolic adoption. We suggest that firms are more likely to adopt and decouple a program when the CEO has a personal friendship tie to the CEO of another firm that has adopted and decoupled, especially following relatively negative analyst appraisals. Analysis of a unique dataset that includes longitudinal survey data from executives supported our predictions.


larly difficult in a specialty with many non-urgent cases and a fairly long waiting period. Apparently, many ofour patients had moved during the waiting period and had not informed us. Many patients were on other hospital waiting lists in an attempt to beat the system; this practice should be discouraged as it leads to an inaccurate impression of total numbers on waiting lists, which leads only to further waiting time for other patients due to non-attendance and subsequent waste of operating time. The report by the House of Commons working committee,2 which suggests using computerised waiting lists, is excellent in theory. Difficulties in recruiting and training clerical staff, however, have meant untrained staffdealing with our waiting list on many occasions or no staff. Poorly designed software that does not allow bed state entry to trigger removal from the waiting list, combined with an old overworked central hospital computer system, has further compounded the problem. Conversion to a computerised waiting list should not be viewed as a universal panacea for problems with waiting lists until problems with staffing, provision of hardware, and software design have been overcome. Similarly, these shortcomings should be viewed as warning signs of the inadequacy of the present system.


The essential role of taurine in the diet of the cat has been well documented and a deficiency of this nutrient is known to be responsible for a number of clinical conditions. At present, the National Research Council (1986) recommendation for the minimum dietary requirement of the kitten is 400 mg/kg dry matter and for a pregnant cat is 500 mg/kg dry matter. However, these minima were established by feeding the animals on semi-purified diets and, therefore, may be inappropriate for other dietary regimens. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of feeding a series of specially prepared diets containing different concentrations of taurine (canned diets 1475–5750 mg/kg dry matter, dry diets 811–1240 mg/kg dry matter) on the plasma taurine concentration of the cat. All diets were fed solus for 6 weeks and plasma taurine concentration was measured every 2 weeks. The results showed that to maintain plasma taurine values in the 'normal' range (> 60 μmol/l), a canned diet must supply at least 39 mg taurine/kg body-weight per d and a dry diet at least 19 mg/kg body-weight per d; a cat fed on a semi-purified diet need only achieve a daily intake of at least 10 mg taurine/kg body-weight to maintain an adequate circulating level of taurine. The cause of the reduced availability of taurine from these diets is not yet known. Furthermore, repletion of plasma concentration above 60 μmol/l can be achieved within 2 weeks of feeding an adequate diet.


EFSA has commissioned the VectorNet consortium to undertake a series of spatial distribution models for seven potential mosquito vectors of Rift Valley fever virus, namely Aedes albopictus , Aedes caspius , Aedes detritus , Aedes japonicus , Aedes vexans , Culex pipiens and Culex theileri . The modelling used the distribution data held within the VectorNet archive (as of September 2019), updated by literature searches to acquire new records available since 2016. The modelling has been implemented in three phases: (i) data collection, collation and standardisation; (ii) spatial modelling for presence and absence, and the calculation of presence metrics at the country level to be compatible with the MintRisk utilities; and (iii) the spatial modelling of vector abundance, dependent on the data available. This document presents the results of the abundance modelling due for delivery in March 2020. Sufficient data were amassed to produce statistically reliable spatial models for all species except Ae. detritus . Data for abundance models were extracted and the abundance values standardised for sampling effort where possible. Additional corrections were implemented that attempted to standardise for trapping methods and life stages, using expert opinion to define the conversion factors. The models were implemented at 1 km resolution covering the whole of continental Europe, using standard modelling techniques (Boosted Regression Trees and Random Forest) implemented through the VECMAP software suite. The models were evaluated according to expert opinion and the degree to which they matched the presence/absence models. Whilst all models produced were statistically reliable – so represented the input data effectively – not all were judged to reflect the field situation, implying that the input data were not sufficiently complete or extensive to feed continental scale distribution models. Training data and outputs for selected models are supplied in ESRI compatible format.


Fast tool servo diamond turning is a promising machining method for precision and complex micro-structured surfaces with spatial wavelength above tens of microns. It is crucial to measure and characterize the micro-structured surfaces to sub-micrometer form accuracy. The general purpose measurement instruments are not able to evaluate the true form accuracy between the measured surface and designed surface. Therefore, in this paper an automatic surface characterization method is proposed to evaluate the form accuracy for micro-structured surfaces. The fabricated surfaces can be measured by any high-resolution measurement instruments. After the surface measurement, an iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm is modified to align the measured surfaces to the designed surfaces with the form error evenly distributed over the whole surface. After alignment, the designed surface height corresponding to each measured point is calculated to form the areal error map. 3D surface parameters are chosen and calculated from the error map to characterize the surface form error. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed surface characterization method.


Femtosecond time-resolved emission as well as transient absorption spectroscopy of π-conjugated polymeric thin film revealed an apparent induction time for the appearance of spectrally narrowed emission (SNE) in contrast with an instantaneous buildup of normal emission. These ultrafast intensity-dependent spectroscopic studies demonstrate that the origin of SNE phenomena in π-conjugated polymer is amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), which induces prompt and efficient depopulation of singlet excitons. Furthermore, comparison of temporal profiles of SNE, normal emission and stimulated emission reveals that the photoexcitations responsible for SNE processes are singlet excitons. The temporal profiles of SNE measured by changing excitation power density, illuminated spot size, and average π-conjugation length of polymer show that a build-up time plays an important role in generating intense SNE. These findings imply that pumping geometry, sample morphology, defect sites, as well as crystallinity are strongl...


Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is a rapidly expanding field of study that focuses on allowing non-roboticist users to naturally and effectively interact with robots. The importance of conducting extensive user studies has become a fundamental component of HRI research; however, due to the nature of robotics research, such studies often become expensive, time consuming, and limited to constrained demographics. In this work, we present the Robot Management System (RMS), a novel framework for bringing robotic experiments to the web. We present a detailed description of our open-source system and describe an initial trial of the RMS as a means of conducting user studies. Using a series of navigation and manipulation tasks with a PR2 robot, we compare three user study conditions: users that are co-present with the robot, users that are recruited to the university laboratory but control the robot from a different room, and remote web-based users. Our findings show little statistical differences between usability patterns across these groups, validating the use of web-based crowdsourcing techniques for certain types of HRI evaluations.


Many studies show that interaction with extension services impact farmer's technology adoption decisions and profitability levels. However, analysis of extension impact across all farm systems whilst controlling for endogeneity biases is less common. This research attempts to redress that research gap by firstly discussing the various biases related to the motivation to engage with extension services, omitted variable bias and measurement error, and subsequently applying instrumental variable (IV) regression estimation to the relationship between extension engagement and farm level outcomes, namely family farm income over a pooled panel dataset. Distance to the local advisory office and the introduction of a policy change were chosen as valid and relevant instruments. The results indicate a positive impact of extension engagement on farm income, and imply that an ordinary least squares approach underestimates the benefits of extension engagement. Accordingly, increased advisory activity could improve the performance of the sector significantly, and this could be a useful policy tool to achieve the targets as set out by the Irish governments Food Wise 2025 plan.


The purpose of this study is to explore gender differences in reasons for losing weight, weight loss methods, and weight loss behaviors prior to and during a weight loss maintenance trial. This is a secondary analysis of data from a 24-month randomized controlled trial comparing Self-Directed or Guided phone-based weight loss maintenance interventions among adults who had intentionally lost ≥10% of their body weight in the year prior to enrollment. Participants reported their weight loss methods and reasons for recently losing weight at baseline. Dietary intake, physical activity, and dietary patterns were assessed at baseline, 12, and 24 months. Participants included 419 adults (18.4% men, age 47.0 ± 10.8, BMI 28.4 ± 5.0). Women were more likely than men to report having used an organized weight loss program during their weight loss (55.9% vs. 24.7%, p < .001) and to report improving personal esteem as a motivator (51.2% vs. 35.1%, p = .01). Men were more likely than women to report eating food from convenience stores at baseline (22.1% vs. 13.2%, p = .05) and throughout the study but otherwise reported similar meal patterns (ps > .05). Men reported higher energy intake than women while physical activity was similar. Although more men self-directed their initial weight loss and more women utilized organized weight loss programs, behaviors reported during weight loss maintenance were similar. Futures studies are needed to understand if these results generalize to other men who have successfully lost weight and are participants in other weight loss maintenance interventions.


4 cases of retinal detachment following the use of an intraocular lens have been described. Each offered a different problem in management, the results being satisfactory in 3 out of 4 cases. The ability to dilate the pupil and the clarity of the media, along with the maintenance of the proper position of the lens seem to be the most important factors in the treatment of these cases.


Solar radiation modification (SRM) could greatly reduce climate change and associated risks. Yet it has not been well‐received by the climate change expert community. This is evident in the authoritative reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which emphasize SRM's governance, political, social, and ethical challenges. I find seven such challenges identified in the IPCC reports: that SRM could lessen mitigation; that its termination would cause severe climatic impacts; that researching SRM would create a "slippery slope" to its inevitable and unwanted use; that decisions to use it could be contrary to democratic norms; that the public may not accept SRM; that it could be unethical; and that decisions to use SRM could be unilateral. After assessing the extent to which these challenges are supported by existing evidence, scholarly literature, and robust logic, I conclude that, for six of the seven, the IPCC's claims variously are speculative, fail to consider both advantages and disadvantages, implicitly make unreasonable negative assumptions, are contrary to existing evidence, and/or are meaninglessly vague. I suggest some reasons for the reports' failure to meet the IPCC's standards of balance, thoroughness, and accuracy, and recommend a dedicated Special Report on SRM.


The United States has developed the most expensive and capable reconnaissance satellites the world has ever seen. American satellites can photograph terrorist bases, listen in on radio conversations, sniff out clandestine nuclear tests and spot rocket launches anywhere in the world. The goal of these assets, simply put, is to prevent surprises. In Shades of Gray, Dr. L. Parker Temple III describes the development of these capabilities in unprecedented historical detail and context. He taps recently declassified documents and melds them with his own behind-the-scenes experiences as an Air Force space expert at the Pentagon in the 1980s. In this work, Temple tracks the evolution of space reconnaissance systems from their seeds in the painful lessons of Pearl Harbor through the challenges of today. More than any other book, Shades of Gray places development of these capabilities into their proper context with the overall U.S. space program.


Transformative praxis covers a wide range of scholarly pursuits for social change via reflexive research and practice. Praxis is used to raise the consciousness of researchers, participants and social actors through a constant embracing of a critical stance toward text, discourse, and the lifeworld. A host of images are used to conceptualise the notion of transformative praxis as epistemology, theory, methodology, professional development, genres and logics, and empowerment. Transformative praxis as epistemology refers to multiple ways of knowing embedded in critiquing, reconceptualizing self, and envisioning; whereas transformative praxis as theory is informed by the critical scholarship of strengths and limitations of theories, philosophies, and perspectives as a means for social change. Our ideas of transformative praxis as methodology are embedded in the commitments of researchers and practitioners to engage in the process of holistic meaning making. Reflexive engagement of researchers and practitioners in the lifeworld contributes to the conceptualisation of transformative praxis as professional development. Transformative praxis as empowerment draws upon the ongoing discourse of an emancipatory interest that emphasises autonomy, responsibility, and criticality. The articles in this issue focus on developing cosmologically responsible educational processes, deviance as pedagogical action, holistic learning, and pedagogical change through multiparadigmatic research processes.


ABSTRACT This paper discusses the relationship between antisemitism and Islamophobia, focusing on debates in Arab newspapers in the wake of the Second Intifada and 9/11 and then in response to two issues of contention for Muslim communities in Europe, the Danish cartoon crisis in 2006 and the Swiss referendum on building minarets in 2009. The paper relates these debates to major UN and EU resolutions for combating racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. The aim of this paper is to explore how far discussion of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the Arab world is dominated by those who see Islamophobia as the real danger in today's Europe and antisemitism as a Zionist ploy, and how far antisemitism and Islamophobia have become two competing terms relating to two communities that perceive themselves as victims of prejudice and racism and also of each other. The paper seeks to qualify this image. It acknowledges that the entanglement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict adds a political aspect to the discussion of the two terms, intensifies competition between them for recognition as unique forms of racism and discrimination, and curtails the creation of positive ground for dialogue. However, it also demonstrates the presence of other voices which are more open to addressing both forms of exclusion.


Oxidative stress and oxidative damage to tissues are involved in the path physiology of many diseases. Many occupations, most especially crafts are associated with the generation of high levels of free radicals and hence increased post-oxidant level. This study evaluated the serum level of Superoxide dismutase, Malondealdehyde and uric acid of artisans in CrossRiver State, Nigeria. The results reveals that the SOD level in all the artisans did not show any significant change at P<0.05. However, MDA level in mechanics (4.53±0.25), Welders (4.42±0.20) and spray painter (4.00±0.06) where all significantly lower when compared with the control (3.14±0.09) at P≤0.05, thus indicating increased per oxidation but the reveres was the case for carpenters where no change was observed compared with the control. More so, determination of uric acid level showed that mechanics (2.71± 0.31), welders (3.98±0.22), Battery repairers (3.40±0.37) marked significance difference compared with control (5.86±0.28) though similar trend was seen in carpenters (5.72±0.20) and spray painters (4.22±0.25). All groups of artisans were compared with the control at P≤0.05 lev el of probability. Thus, this work has opened up the occupational hazard associated craft Men or artisans and the possible health implications associated with their jobs and hence recommend more safety guides and increased anti-oxidant nutrients consumptions.


The total number of vehicles in the world has experienced a remarkable growth, increasing traffic density which results in more and more accidents. Therefore the manufactures, researchers and government is shifting focus towards improving the on road safety rather than improving the quality of the roads. The good development in the wireless technologies emerged various new type of networks, such as Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET), which provides communication between vehicles themselves and between vehicles and road side units. Various new concepts such as smart cities and living labs [1] are introduced in the recent years where VANETs plays an important role. A survey of various Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS) and various routing protocols with respect to our proposed scheme is described in this paper. It also introduces a new scheme consist of a smart city framework that transmit information about traffic conditions that will help the driver to take appropriate decisions. It consists of a warning message module composed of Intelligent Traffic Lights (ITLs) which provides information to the driver about current traffic conditions.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as novel mediators of intercellular communication. They work via delivering the sequestered cargo to cells in the close vicinity, as well as distant sites in the body, regulating pathophysiological processes. Cell death and inflammation are biologically crucial processes in both normal physiology and pathology. These processes are indistinguishably linked with their effectors modulating the other process. For instance, during an unresolvable infection, the upregulation of specific immune mediators leads to inflammation causing cell death and tissue damage. EVs have gained considerable interest as mediators of both cell death and inflammation during conditions, such as sepsis. This review summarizes the types of extracellular vesicles known to date and their roles in mediating immune responses leading to cell death and inflammation with specific focus on sepsis and lung inflammation.


The TEL/AML1 fusion associated with t(12;21)(p13;q22) is the most common gene rearrangement in childhood leukemia, occurring in approximately 25% of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and is associated with a favorable prognosis. For example, a cohort of pediatric patients with ALL retrospectively analyzed for the TEL/AML1 fusion treated on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) ALL Consortium protocols between 1980 to 1991 demonstrated a 100% relapse-free survival in TEL/AML1-positive patients with a median of 8.3 years of follow-up. However, two recent studies analyzing pediatric patients with relapsed ALL have reported the same incidence of the TEL/AML1 rearrangement as in patients with newly diagnosed ALL, suggesting that TEL/AML1 positivity is not a favorable prognostic indicator. To clarify this apparent discrepancy, 48 pediatric patients treated on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) protocols with ALL at first or second relapse were tested for TEL/AML1 using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The TEL/AML1 fusion was identified in only 1 of 32 analyzable relapsed ALL patients, in concordance with our previous reports of improved disease-free survival in TEL/AML1-positive patients. The low frequency of TEL/AML1-positive patients at relapse is significantly different than that reported in other studies. Although there are several potential explanations for the observed differences in TEL/AML1-positive patients at relapse, it is plausible that relapse-free survival in TEL/AML1-positive patients may be changed with different therapeutic approaches. Taken together, these results support the need for prospective analysis of prognosis in TEL/AML1-positive patients.


Model-free (MF) and model-based (MB) reinforcement learning (RL) have provided a successful framework for understanding both human behavior and neural data. These two systems are usually thought to compete for control of behavior. However, it has also been proposed that they can be integrated in a cooperative manner. For example, the Dyna algorithm uses MB replay of past experience to train the MF system, and has inspired research examining whether human learners do something similar. Here we introduce an approach that links MF and MB learning in a new way: via the reward function. Given a model of the learning environment, dynamic programming is used to iteratively approximate state values that monotonically converge to the state values under the optimal decision policy. Pseudorewards are calculated from these values and used to shape the reward function of a MF learner in a way that is guaranteed not to change the optimal policy. We show that this method offers computational advantages over Dyna in two classic problems. It also offers a new way to think about integrating MF and MB RL: that our knowledge of the world doesn't just provide a source of simulated experience for training our instincts, but that it shapes the rewards that those instincts latch onto. We discuss psychological phenomena that this theory could apply to, including moral emotions.


The need for continual organisational improvement is of critical importance for organisations like that of children's integrated services where there is both a legal and moral authority to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children. However, the implementation of children's integrated services since 2004 has produced a series of challenges in the forms of contextual barriers, changing political climates, organisational change and cultural issues (Robinson et al., 2008). A perennial challenge for children's services has been the ability to meet the CPD needs of the various professions that constitute its workforce without seemingly destabilising the wider organisational norms and beliefs.
This paper specifically focuses on the current development of a CPD framework for an entire children's integrated workforce, and the impact the organisational culture, as well as the professional sub-cultures are having. Reference will be made to members of the workforce being cultural carriers and the role of leaders in relation to organisational change (Schein, 1993 and Lucas and Kline, 2008). In seeking to answer the real world problem of developing a CPD framework for multiple professions within a single organisation, the paper will identify the factors that need to be taken into account.


Over the past decade, the mortality rate due to advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has seen a significant decline (1). This has been accomplished mostly due to the rapid transformation of the treatment landscape of advanced clear cell RCC (ccRCC) which comprises 70% to 80% of RCC (2). Therapies targeting vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, and immune checkpoints have replaced interferon-α and high dose interleukin-2 in clinical practice (2). Despite of these advancements, many patients do not benefit from many of these recent drug approvals. The attrition rate of patients from first line to second-line therapy is very high at 50%, and only approximately 25% patients remain alive to allow treatment in the third line therapy setting (3). This has pushed the momentum to bring the most effective therapies to the first-line setting to improve outcomes. One recent strategy to achieve this has been to combine targeted therapies with immunotherapies.


Ultraviolet light influences materials structure causing the decomposition and degradation of organic compounds. One of the ideas to reduce the harmful effects of light is to protect materials by sol-gel coatings. ZnO sol-gel thin films on a glass substrate were obtained as optical filters. The filter effect of synthesized coatings stabilized in different temperatures were characterized by UV-Vis transmittance spectroscopy. The morphology and elemental composition of coating surface was determined by SEM and EDX. Scratch resistance and adhesion have been evaluated by scratch test. The coatings present high transparency in the visible region and absorption in the UV region (270-360 nm). The results suggest that the obtained materials have proper parameters for UV optical filters. Copyright © 2017 VBRI Press.


Dr Engberg-Pedersen shows how a range of problems encountered in twentieth-century interpretation may be overcome by reading the epistles in the light of ancient Stoic ethics. He discusses literary, conceptual and theological issues: for example, the unity of the letters; the relationship in the Pauline letters between theology and ethics; the logical character and shape of Pauline exhortation; the meaning of righteousness from faith; Paul's handling of the Jewish law. The author illuminates the whole world of the Stoics, and argues that scholars must move beyond the traditional Judaism/Hellenism divide to reach a comprehensive and accurate reading of Paul's letters.


Introduction: Mental wellness is an important aspect of global health of an individual. Mental health issues not only impact personal and family life of individual but also have a significant impact on work performance. Medical Teaching and training is reported to be challenging and is stressful. Due to their nature of work, mental health of doctors is important not only for their personal front but is a concern for society to which they serve. This study was designed to find the level of stress, anxiety and depression in resident doctors and to find out the correlation between stress-depression as well as stress-anxiety. Aims & Objective-1) To examine the level of stress, anxiety and depression among resident doctors of a medical college and teaching hospital. 2) To examine the relationship between anxiety and depression as well as stress and depression among resident doctors. Material & Methods: For this purpose; residents who were pursuing their MD/MS courses in the institute were included in the study. Total number of subjects were fifty. DAS Scale was used for initial screening followed by application of Perceived Stress scale, HAM-A scale and HAM-D scales. The preset questionnaire was filled by resident doctors themselves and data was presented as mean, standard deviation, percentage and correlation was analyzed by using Pearson's Product moment correlation and partial correlation test. DAS scale screening results showed depression in 68%, anxiety in 70% and stress in 32% candidates. Final results after application of PSS scale, HAM-A & HAM-D scale revealed stress in 78% residents (low stress26%, moderate stress-40% and high stress-6%), anxiety in 70% residents (mild -62%, mild to moderate4% and moderate to severe in 4%) and depression in 24% residents (mild -20%, moderate-0%, severe-2% and very severe 2%) respectively. Correlation testing found positive however insignificant correlation between anxiety-depression and stress-depression. Conclusion: This study revealed significant level of stress, anxiety and depression in resident doctors. Considering the impact of issue, preventive and modulating measures can be considered to help resident doctors in dealing with their job expectations and responsibilities. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine (EJMCM) ISSN: 2515-8260 Volume 08, Issue 04, 2021 1359


ALTHOUGH numerous neuroimaging studies have examined the functional neuroanatomy supporting episodic memory for verbal material, there have been few investigations of non-verbal episodic encoding and retrieval. We used fMRI to directly compare prefrontal activation elicited by verbal and non-verbal material during encoding and during retrieval. Regardless of the mnemonic operation (encoding/retrieval), inferior prefrontal activation lateralized based on material type. Verbal encoding and retrieval resulted in greater left inferior prefrontal activation, whereas non-verbal encoding and retrieval resulted in greater right inferior prefrontal activation. The similarity between inferior prefrontal activity during encoding and during retrieval indicates that these mnemonic operations depend on shared processes mediated by inferior prefrontal regions.


Abstract : Increased emphasis on urban warfare creates an urgent need for airmen to focus serious thought toward what airpower's role should be in this difficult environment. Traditionally, military forces have viewed urban warfare as infantry action executed at the tactical level of battle. This emphasis on surface force employment stifles innovative thought as to how military forces can achieve operational and strategic effects by employing airpower as the key instrument of force in urban warfare. Airpower plays a unique and decisive role in urban warfare by exploiting the very characteristics that limit surface forces on urban terrain-small operational units, close-range weaponry, presence of civilians and their property, defensive bias, and absorption of manpower. Understanding the role of airpower requires this study to examine first why military forces should consider urban warfare so important. Then, the study analyzes the urban environment to explain why these characteristics make airpower the key instrument of force. Airpower's contribution is weighed against those characteristics to show that only airpower can achieve battlespace dominance by matching targets, weapons, desired accuracy, and platforms in near-real-time operational-level actions that achieve operational and strategic effects. Finally, an airpower theory for urban warfare is proposed. Airpower, via the integrated application of C4ISR and precision strike supported by other forces, is the only instrument of military force that can effectively prosecute urban warfare by shaping and controlling the battlespace through precise applications of lethal and nonlethal force that nearly simultaneously affect the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of urban combat.


The paper presents a study on the tensile behavior of UHPC conducted at the structural concrete laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Material tests and tests on structural members with reinforcement bars have been performed. A schematic representation of the material behavior allows a general description of the behavior of structural members in tension. The mechanical behavior for tension members and a simple model are presented.


An inspection system is introduced that can measure critical film thicknesses, segment IC images, and detect an entire class of color defects that would be difficult or impossible to detect with typical gray-scale imaging. This inspection is carried out on a unique multiwindow parallel hardware architecture which allows the inspection process to be performed at high speeds. The inspection is based on image understanding techniques and is carried out in a two-stage fashion where defects are first rapidly hypothesized and then verified in detail only within the salient regions of an image, thus eliminating a large amount of irrelevant data. The system has been tested on numerous IC images and shows promising results. >


Perfectly rational decision-makers maximize expected utility, but crucially ignore the resource costs incurred when determining optimal actions. Here we employ an axiomatic framework for bounded rational decision-making based on a thermodynamic interpretation of resource costs as information costs. This leads to a variational "free utility" principle akin to thermodynamical free energy that trades off utility and information costs. We show that bounded optimal control solutions can be derived from this variational principle, which leads in general to stochastic policies. Furthermore, we show that risk-sensitive and robust (minimax) control schemes fall out naturally from this framework if the environment is considered as a bounded rational and perfectly rational opponent, respectively. When resource costs are ignored, the maximum expected utility principle is recovered.


Background/Aims: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHP) is characterized by high bone turnover and elevated serum bone remodeling markers. Elevation of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels is also characteristic of end-stage renal disease. This study investigates the effects of intravenous calcitriol on serum bone resorptive markers, namely, type 5b tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP5b) and IL-6 in patients with SHP. Methods: Intravenous calcitriol therapy was given for 16 weeks to 24 patients on maintenance hemodialysis with plasma intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels >300 pg/ml. Blood was drawn at baseline and every 4 weeks for 16 weeks for determination of the levels of biochemical parameters, iPTH, IL-6 and bone remodeling markers, including bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bAP) and TRACP5b. Results: Only 21 patients responded to the calcitriol therapy, with significant decrements in serum iPTH after 4 weeks of therapy and thereafter. After 16 weeks of calcitriol therapy, 21 patients had significant decrements in serum iPTH (707.9 ± 317.8 vs. 205.0 ± 63.1 pg/ml, p < 0.01). Prior to treatment, a significant correlation was found between increased levels of serum iPTH and IL-6 levels (r = 0.45, p < 0.05). After treatment, there was also a significant and parallel lowering of levels of serum iPTH, IL-6 (8.52 ± 3.59 vs. 7.24 ± 2.81 pg/ml, p < 0.01), bAP (54.68 ± 36.17 vs. 24.55 ± 13.84 U/l, p < 0.01) and TRACP5b (3.41 ± 1.89 vs. 1.80 ± 0.55 U/l, p < 0.01). Our results additionally showed significant positive correlationsbetween baseline levels of serum IL-6 and those of iPTH, bAP and TRACP5b. After 16 weeks of calcitriol treatment, the correlation between IL-6 and iPTH levels lost significance but levels of serum IL-6, bAP and TRACP5b remained significantly correlated. Conclusions: Elevated levels of serum IL-6 and bone remodeling markers, namely, bAP and TRACP5b which are common features of SHP, are effectively suppressed by calcitriol therapy. This indicates that hyperparathyroidism not only accelerates bone remodeling but may also aggravate inflammation in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.


The purpose of this paper is to assess whether OD can be applied in Korean companies. Organization development (OD) was not traditionally implemented in Korea, but as the Korean economy and society changed, many Korean companies changed the traditional way of managing their organizations. Korean culture is changing favorably to OD and won't be a hindrance anymore. Simultaneously, Korean HRD practitioners see the change agent role as the most important one in their jobs and feel the need to develop the related competencies. This means that when Korean HRD practitioners acquire necessary competencies on change and organization, and implement OD interventions, the success rates of the interventions would be higher than before. In some successful organization change cases, it was verified that all the key OD elements were implemented and contributed to the success of the organization changes. Comments Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics in the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania Advisor: Larry Starr This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_msod/58 APPLICABILITY OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT IN KOREAN COMPANIES


It remains a challenge for graphene to reach its full potential as a lubricant and wear-resistant material in thermosetting resin composites. In this study, the mechanical properties and friction properties of amino-treated graphene-filled epoxy composites, which were influenced by the conditions for the modification of graphene and filler content, were investigated. The mechanical properties were measured by tensile examination and the tribological properties were determined using a ball-on-disk tribometer. The results showed that the composite filled with amino-treated graphene for a short reaction time exhibited the best tribological behavior, where the friction coefficient was 57.9% lower than that of the pure resin and the wear rate was 92.2% less than that of the neat resin. Simultaneously, this amino-treated graphene also resulted in enhanced mechanical properties and Tg in the nanocomposite, implying its good crosslinking network and strong interface strength. The wear track analysis demonstrated that the excellent wear resistance was induced by its improved toughness, which restrained the crack propagation of fatigue wear and decreased the size of debris, promoting the formation of a transfer film, and thus protecting the contact surface. The tribological properties also varied with the concentration of the nanofiller, which showed the best performance at 0.2 wt%. Through the optimization of the modification conditions and concentration, this work highlights a promising strategy for the application of graphene-related materials in the field of tribology.


Background Every year, thirty-five thousand patients receive renal transplants worldwide. Kidney transplant provides better quality of life and reduced morbidity. Doppler and sonography were the best imaging modalities for evaluation. Aims To assess the sonographic findings of renal allograft and to determine the correlation between Doppler resistive index and size of allograft and echogenicity. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Khartoum State from January to August 2016. A total of 86 patients with known transplanted kidneys were scanned with ultrasound using 3MHz and 5MHz transducers. The age was categorized into four groups and so the Doppler indices. Descriptive statistics used to analyse quantitative and qualitative variables (percent and means ± SD). Spearman's rho test was used to find the correlation between RI of renal vessels and allograft size. The Qui-square test was used to find an association between RI and echogenicity of the graft. Results Renal transplantation was common at the age of 20 to 50 years. The mean Doppler index of the renal artery was 0.68±0.11 in renal allografts. Renal transplantation was common in professionals and homemakers (30.2 per cent and 20.93 per cent respectively). Hypertension and diabetes were the most common causes (44.1 per cent and 18.6 per cent). A significant correlation was found between RI and allograft size (p-value=0.012). There was no statistical association between RI and echogenicity of allograft (pvalue=0.106). Conclusion The Doppler resistive index is significantly correlated with allograft size and had no association with echogenicity. Patients with enlarged allograft had raised resistive indices. The study recommended that Duplex ultrasound should be used in the initial assessment and follow-up of renal transplant.


The light-front holographic mapping of classical gravity in anti-de Sitter space, modified by a positive-sign dilaton background, leads to a nonperturbative effective couplingAdS (Q 2 ). It agrees with hadron physics data extracted from different observables, such as the effective charge defined by the Bjorken sum rule, as well as with the predictions of models with built-in confinement and lattice simulations. It also displays a transition from perturbative to nonperturbative conformal regimes at a momentum scale ∼ 1 GeV. The resultingfunction appears to capture the essential characteristics of the fullfunction of QCD, thus giving further support to the application of the gauge/gravity duality to the confining dynamics of strongly coupled QCD. Commensurate scale relations relate observables to each other without scheme or scale ambiguity. In this paper we extrapolate these relations to the nonperturbative domain, thus extending the range of predictions