There are two approaches to design high energy absorbing materials and structures: one is to optimize the structures by using ordinary materials. The other is to design new energy absorbing materials. The efficiency of energy absorbing structures is continuously improved by developing various types of structural geometries and selecting appropriate energy absorbing materials like polymeric foams or metallic foams. Because of composite materials which are used in these kinds of structures, too many useful properties are achieved, for example, light weight, high energy absorption, high stiffness, fracture toughness. In this study, different composite sandwich structures are modeled by ABAQUS FE software. The model is validated by the results in existed literature. Different materials as core and as face sheets in the composite sandwich structure are investigated. Internal energy and displacement of the structure during the impact analysis in low velocity are calculated. By changing variables and parameters such as dimensions of the structure, different properties and sequences of the layers in the face sheets and different core materials, the optimum state of the structure for gaining the highest internal energy is determined. By increasing the size of the structure and using the stiffer fibers, the absorbed energy is increased. The effect of stiffer core in increasing absorbed energy is more significant. The layer sequencing does not affect any changes in the absorbed energy.


High speed machining (HSM) technology is used in a broad range of applications to machine ferrous metals and nonmetallic material. The electrical spindle is one of the major elements to keep the machine running at high productivity. In recently years, the requirement of rotational speed and rigidity of electrical spindle is getting higher and higher in order to satisfy the high speed processing. So a high speed grinding electrical spindle equipped with hot isostatic pressed silicon nitride (HIPSN) fully-ceramic ball bearings without inner rings and yttria partially stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) ceramic spindle shaft is designed for higher speed and rigidity. Because the processing precision is relevant to the vibration of electrical spindle, it is necessary the vibration and noise of the ceramic electrical spindle is detected. This paper presents results of vibration and noise of the ceramic electrical spindle and analysis the reason of phenomenon. The analysis shows the vibration and noise of the ceramic electrical spindle is up to the standard.


The objective of this research was to find a transparent and secure solution for mitigating identity fraud and to find the critical factors that determine the solution's acceptance. Identity fraud is identified as a key problem with total losses exceeding fifty two billion dollars (Javelin Strategy and Research 2005). A common denominator in most identity-fraud-prone transactions is the use of a keypad; hence this research focuses on keypad data entry and proposes a biometric solution. Three studies develop, evaluate and investigate the feasibility of this solution.
The first study was done in three stages. Stage one investigated the technical feasibility of the biometric keypad, stage two evaluated the keypad under different field conditions and stage three investigated acceptable user parameters. A key shortcoming with current authentication methods is the use of external identifiers that are prone to theft, unlike biometric patterns. A biometric keypad that supplements the present external identifiers was proposed, prototyped and evaluated. The results demonstrated that a biometric keypad can be a feasible medium performance solution. Addition of pressure and higher typing speeds were found to enhance discrimination accuracy while typing patterns were found to vary with elapsed time which led to deterioration in accuracy.
The second study interviewed executives with experience in the introduction of new technologies with the objective of identifying and ranking critical factors that are important in the adoption of new biometrics. Performance, ease-of-use and trust-privacy issues were the most cited factors. A biometric acceptance model was formulated and five hypotheses were proposed from these interviews and prior research. Executives rated the keypad's ease-of-use high in comparison to other biometric approaches but were concerned about its accuracy.
The third study was a user attitude survey whose objective was to validate the formulated biometric acceptance model and acquire data on acceptable usage parameters. The proposed biometric model was validated and the proposed hypotheses were supported. Acceptable error rates and training times indicated that the biometric keypad would be more complex to engineer.
The dissertation concludes by summarizing the contributions and limitations of the three studies followed by several suggestions for future research.


ATAXIA is a common clinical sign in the older canine patient and can occur acutely or insidiously, pursuing a waxing and waning or progressive course. Although the prognosis may be guarded or unfavourable due to the underlying aetiology, age alone should not determine the outcome. The range of potential causes is extensive and, therefore, diagnosis requires a systematic approach, including thorough history taking and an accurate clinical and neurological examination. This should guide the practitioner to the most likely disease processes involved in a given case and suggest a potential prognosis for each. This article discusses the relevant physiology and neuroanatomy underpinning the interpretation of the neurological examination and reviews the major conditions associated with non-painful ataxia in the older dog, focusing primarily on the assessment and non-painful causes of pelvic limb ataxia. An article in the next issue will consider conditions associated with painful ataxia in older dogs.


A Biological basis for Aphasia Treatment: Mirror Neurons and Observation-Execution Matching Aphasia is caused by damage to the human brain, and recovery requires adaptive changes to the structure and function of this organ. Despite this obvious fact, biology plays little role in rehabilitation of persons with aphasia. Although linguistics can be useful in characterizing aphasic behaviour, thus providing a way to assess the effects of therapy, there is little evidence to suggest that linguistic models of impairment can themselves form the basis of effective therapy. Biological evidence from primates has demonstrated the presence of neurons that have both visual and motor properties, which discharge both when an action is performed and during observation of the same action. We postulate that behavioural stimulation of this system may play an important role in motor learning for speech and thereby aid language recovery after stroke. IMITATE is a computer-assisted system for aphasia therapy based on action observation and imitation. IMITATE therapy consists of silent observation of audio-visually presented words and phrases spoken aloud by six different speakers, followed by a period during which the participant orally repeats the stimuli. The treatment approach is motivated by the physiology of the brain in an effort to change specific anatomical connections, and the treatment method draws strongly from psychological evidence on learning. IMITATE is currently being used in a clinical trial, and results will not be known until these data are available in late 2010. At that juncture, it will be possible to evaluate fully the efficacy of IMITATE and to inform theoretically about the mechanism of action and the role of a human mirror system in aphasia treatment.


OBJECTIVES
The commonly adopted method of defining active disease in Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) is the definition used by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). A gold standard in imaging techniques for assessing disease activity in TAK has not been clearly established and the creation of practical and valid tools represents a challenge. To assess whether 18F-FDG-PET/CT and NIH criteria show a good level of agreement in assessing disease activity of TAK patients.

METHODS
18F-FDG-PET/CT was performed in 17 patients with TAK. All 17 patients fulfilled the clinical criteria according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria. Two nuclear physicians visually assessed the degree of 18F-FDG uptake in the inflammatory vascular lesion. 18F-FDG-PET/CT and the inflammatory vascular lesion were evaluated by using the standardised uptake value (SUV) of 18F-FDG accumulation were interpreted as active vasculitic lesions.

RESULTS
Of the 17 patients, 6 were in the active stage and 11 were in the inactive stage according to the level of disease activity as clinically assessed by the NIH criteria. No significant 18F-FDG accumulation was observed in the patients with inactive disease (SUV≤1.2). 18F-FDG-PET/CT localised 18F-FDG accumulation in the inflammatory lesion in the patients with TAK who had inactive disease (n=3) assessed by the NIH criteria. 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed intense 18F-FDG accumulation (SUV max 2.88) in the vasculature of 3 patients in the inactive stage of TAK. The other 8 patients in the active stage showed weak 18F-FDG accumulation (SUV ≤1.2).

CONCLUSION
18FDG-PET/CT appears to be a promising technique for the diagnosis and assessment of disease activity in patients of TAK, even those considered to be inactive by the NIH criteria. However, it needs to be validated in larger groups for cost-effectiveness and sensitivity to change.


Abstract : Wind tunnel experiments have been used for decades to collect data and build representative aerodynamic models; however, the model itself is usually static. This report focuses on the unique design of a dynamic, 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) wind tunnel model, release mechanism, and sting that is capable of simulating free-flight of an 83-mm projectile using its own, self-contained electronics and maneuver mechanisms. The objective is to validate state estimation and control algorithms, parameterize and quantify flight behavior, and assess the performance of the Control Actuation System (CAS). One of the unique aspects is the internal gimbal mechanism, which eliminates any gimbal-induced flow disturbances. All 3 axes can be locked independently and are instrumented with high-resolution feedback. Experiments were conducted at Mach 0.2 and 0.6 in a subsonic and transonic wind tunnel, respectively. Tunnel-specific differences in the sting and release mechanism are highlighted as well as a few representative data sets.


We present new Stata commands for carrying out several regression commands suitable for binomial outcomes. The zib command extends Stata's binreg command to allow zero inflation. The betabin command fits binomial regression models allowing for beta overdispersion, and the zibbin command fits a beta-binomial regression model with zero inflation. All the new commands allow the specification of links within the glm command's collection for both outcome and zero inflation. The zero-inflated commands optionally calculate a Vuong test comparing the zero-inflated model with the nonzero-inflated model, and the zibbin command optionally includes a likelihood-ratio test of the overdispersion parameter.


The Indonesian Archipelago extends over 5000 km of latitude, from 95°E to 141°E, and hosts some of the world's largest active metal mines. While some fascinating ethnographic and historical sources exist, virtually nothing is known of the country's prehistoric metallurgical traditions. Given Indonesia's scale, this situation cannot be remedied in short order, but with this paper we seek to elucidate some metal production and consumption behaviours on Bali, located around 115°E, during the last centuries of the first millennium bc and the early to middle first millennium ad. The studied early Metal Age assemblage of 27 copper‐base artefacts from the sites of Pacung, Sembiran, Bangkah, Pangkung Paruk, Gilimanuk and Manikliyu includes bangle, bowl, drum, hook, mirror and ornamental typologies, and fragments thereof. Fourteen of the 27 samples were suffering from corrosion, but a strong tendency towards leaded copper alloys (21 of 27) can be distinguished, with some bronzes, a high‐tin bronze and a leaded high‐tin bronze. The high proportion of leaded artefacts mean that lead isotope data cannot be used to identify possible sources of copper, but there is good consistency with Mainland South‐East Asian Iron Age leaded alloy signatures for the bulk of the assemblage, possibly indicating the existence of long‐range (~2000–3000 km one way) exchange systems at the outset of the Island South‐East Asian Metal Age, and perhaps as far as China and India in the case of the mirror and bowl, respectively. Of particular note, the Manikliyu 'Pejeng' drum, a stylistically idiosyncratic type known from Bali and Java, and for which there is local production evidence, transpired to be consistent in terms of elemental composition and lead signature with Mainland 'Dong Son' drums. This could suggest that Pejeng drums were produced not just from metal imported from the Mainland but with melted down Mainland drums; an intriguing case of local reinterpretation of foreign elite material culture and iconography.


General practitioners and commissioners in London must show courage to transform the capital's primary care, overcome complex challenges, and lift care standards, say health policy researchers.

An analysis by the King's Fund and Imperial College London says that strong leadership and long term vision are needed to tackle unwarranted variations in the quality of general practice.

Anna Dixon, the fund's director of policy and one of the authors of the study, said that despite examples of excellent services many GPs were operating in relative isolation and that some premises were no longer fit for purpose.

"The quality of care that Londoners receive is not as consistently good as it should be," she said.

She said that radical changes were needed, including encouragement of smaller practices to work in networks to provide a greater range of services; more investment …


The study examines the meaning of having a dog in the workplace of personnel who work with therapy. The purpose was to examine the personnel's view of dogs in their work envi-ronment. The study uses two theories. One is 'psychosocial work environment' and the other theory used is 'symbolic interactionism'. The first theory aims to see the personnel in the con-text of their work environment. The second theory aims to examine the symbolic meaning of the dog for the personnel. The method used is a semi-structured qualitative interview with eight personnel that work in a place where they use therapy dogs as a part of therapy for the clients. The study showed that good work environment is very important to the personnel and that bad work environment affects them negatively both at work as well as at home. The study also showed that having a dog at a workplace has many advantages as cheering up the per-sonnel and clients, making the workload easier and makes the clients motivated for therapy. A negative aspect was that there are risks for allergic people and that the dog could be distract-ing to the clients.


Structural design procedures are based on simplified hypotheses that attempt to approximate the actual behaviour. Depending on the adopted hypothesis, the design procedure may not satisfactorily describe the structural actual behaviour. Such condition occurs in the design of reinforced concrete pipes, where there are uncertainties related especially on the internal forces and the installation type of the pipe. Moreover, the main design hypothesis is that the cross section is plane and perpendicular to the deformed axis. Based on materials resistance principles it is known that this hypothesis is unsatisfactory to pipes with aspect ratio lower than ten. Note that the commercial reinforced concrete pipes usually present aspect ratio well below ten. In the light of the foregoing, the main objective of this paper is to analyse the accuracy of the design procedure for reinforced concrete pipes. Therefore, statistical processes were used to compare design values with experimental results. The comparisons in this paper showed that the design procedure results in oversized pipes.


Introduction. In the literature, nutrition is considered to be the basis for the energy supply in all the forms of physical activity. Energy needs depend on gender, age, body weight and possibly the type of the physical activity. Inadequate energy intake can lead to weight loss, fatigue, lack of concentration and no athletic performance. The constant physical activity involves the consumption of carbohydrates, useful for the formation and storage of muscle glycogen. The development of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in childhood and adolescence are very important for adult life. That is why an early intervention can lead to healthy behaviors and it can prevent the occurrence of overweight and obesity.
Objectives. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how important a controlled diet is correlated with regular physical activity, in the normal development of young people aged between 19 and 26 years.
Conclusions. The attitude is the one that should lead to a food program with a balanced diet that ensures good health, without increasing the percentage of fat, and to cause a weight loss for the young people who want to lose weight.

Keywords: impact, diet, physical activity, young people,


The paper proposes an innovative methodology for addressing the issue of the location of optimal link count sections on the basis of the proposition of a reliability measure in which the prior accuracy of the estimate of the origin–destination (O-D) matrix, that is, its statistical distribution rather than its prior punctual estimate, is explicitly considered, together with its posterior distribution conditioned on a given subset of link count locations. The proposed measure, under the mild assumptions of prior normal distribution and through appropriate algebraic rotations of the reference system, is proved not to depend on the unknown values of the counted flows; this is actually the key point that allows for effective implementation of a fast and operational procedure that is based on this mathematical framework. As an example, toy network and real network applications are presented to show how a heterogeneous level of knowledge across O-D pairs may lead to the choice of counting sections different from those resulting from the commonly adopted procedures. The proposed methodology allows for a more effective theoretical interpretation of the phenomenon and leads to an extremely efficient computational procedure—suitable also in real-size networks—whose results outperform those obtained with the methods currently available in the literature.


The assistant workforce is a constituent presence in all schools. Progressive reconfiguration of the role has resulted in a hybrid position, with assistants customarily navigating power relationships in the hierarchy of the school. This paper employs Bourdieus theory of social fields, in particular, his system of relations, as a means to consider the intersection of habitus and capital amongst assistants in special schools in Northern Ireland. Using this analytic approach, focus group interviews with Classroom Assistants and Health Assistants explored their current deployment, their interaction with each other and with teachers. Data was collected from 47 participants across 7 special schools, with interviews transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings revealed assistants as a workforce in transition, whose conventional habitus has been steadily disrupted by a supply and demand culture often at variance with the origins of the post. Whilst such divergence has the potential to create a site of struggle, the burgeoning social and cultural capital held by assistants has, instead, re-configured their perceived position within the special school environment, creating more porous professional boundaries and an increasingly fluid professional identity. These explanatory insights offer a fresh perspective for further research into this pivotal yet under-re-searched group in Northern Ireland.


BACKGROUND
Spontaneous reduction in dietary protein intake is a recognized feature of severe renal failure, and previous studies have suggested that this may occur at an early stage of renal functional decline.

METHODS
We examined the effects of progressive renal insufficiency on the normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR) in 1282 patients (mean age 55.8+/-15.5 years; 60.4% male) over a 7 year period. All values of nPCR (n = 5082) obtained before commencement of dialysis were included. A total of 361 (28.2%) patients later developed end-stage renal failure and were started on dialysis.

RESULTS
Cross-sectional analysis showed nPCR being significantly less at lower creatinine clearance. Mean nPCR was 1.17+/-0.31 at a clearance >50, 1.04+/-0.27 at 25-50, 0.93+/-0.21 at 10-25 and 0.74+/-0.18 at <10 ml/min. Mean nPCR in each clearance group was different from that in all other groups (P<0.001 in all cases). When nPCR was studied longitudinally in relation to time of initiation of dialysis, the fall in nPCR only became significant in the 3 months preceding initiation. Curve fitting suggested a two-phase exponential association between nPCR and renal function, a gentle decline of nPCR in mild and moderate renal failure culminating in a dramatic decline when CrCl reached 15 ml/min and weekly Kt/V(urea) 2.5. nPCR at dialysis initiation predicted survival on dialysis even when corrected for age, diabetes and non-renal co-morbid load. However, it was no longer significant when residual renal function was included in the model. The group initiating dialysis with a normal nPCR maintained this throughout the first 3 years on dialysis whilst the group initiating with a low nPCR, though improving initially, continued to have significantly lower nPCR levels throughout follow-up than their normal nPCR counterparts.

CONCLUSION
A significant reduction of nPCR occurs late in progressive renal insufficiency and may predict the need for dialysis initiation. nPCR levels <0.8 at initiation predict future low nPCR levels and mortality on dialysis. The correlation between nPCR and CrCl in early renal insufficiency may be partly artefactual.


Introduction: Obesity, a major health problem worldwide, is also risk factor for some diseases. Several different reports published the prevalence of obesity in Iran, but so far no accurate estimate of the rate of obesity has been documented in women, with an emphasis on physical activity. This study determined the prevalence of obesity in women 30-50 years of Neyshabur, with emphasis on their physical activity. Materials and Methods: This 1390 descriptive analytic was cross-sectional study of 381 Neyshaburi women. In this study, two questionnaires comprising 55 questions was used to collect information in five sections: Personal characteristics, socioeconomic, nutritional status, fertility, and demographics; the other was the Baek habitual physical activity questionnaire. For analysis, we used descriptive statistics, ANOVA test and other different types of correlation coefficients. Results: Results showed that the prevalence of obesity was 30.4%, over weight 45.5% and abdominal obesity 93.2%. Furthermore, we found that the lower the age of menarche, the higher was the body mass index of women (P=0.005). Rating of physical activity incidence during work and exercise in lean women was higher than other groups. Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of obesity in Neyshabur, health authorities and relevant agencies need to implement modifications in lifestyle, nutritional status and physical activity among women.


The influence of utilizing rice straw-based polyols on the morphology, thermal and spectral properties of polyurethane foam is reported. Utilization of rice straw as raw material was done through liquefaction process using ethylene glycol as solvent. It was found out that 30% replacement of rice straw-based polyols produced closed cell structures suitable for insulation material as revealed in Scanning electron microscope images. Higher percentage of rice straw-based polyols replacement will trigger cell wall structure rapturing that will deteriorate the properties of polyurethane foam. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the complete reaction of the hydroxyl and isocyanate groups takes place suggesting that high quality polyurethane foam was formed. Moreover, thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed that hard and soft segments degradation for the 30% rice straw-based polyols replacement is comparable with that of the petroleum-based polyols suggesting that bio-based polyols is a good alternative for the formation of polyurethane foams. Keywords : Polyurethane; Bio-based polyol; Rice straw; Lignocellulosic biomass


Objective:In human astrocytes, restriction of HIV replication involves inhibition of HIV Rev activity. We previously identified a Rev-interacting human protein fragment (16.4.1) that can reduce Rev activity. The 16.4.1 sequence is contained in a group of highly similar host cell proteins, which we call the Risp family. Here we investigate whether the Risp family is connected to HIV replication in astrocytes. Methods:Cell/tissue lysates were analyzed for Risp expression by western blot with various anti-Risp antibodies. The interaction of astrocytic Risp members with Rev was investigated by affinity chromatography. Astrocytes were transfected with expression plasmids containing cDNAs encoding full-length Risp or the isolated 16.4.1 region for Risp overexpression or with siRNAs designed for Risp knock-down. Rev activity was investigated with a Rev-reporter assay. RNA levels were quantified by real-time RT-PCR, HIV Gag levels by p24ELISA. Results:Expression of the Risp family was demonstrated in human brain tissues and astrocytes. Astrocytes were shown to produce Risp family members that interact with Rev. Production of HIV Gag proteins and Rev-dependent RNAs in persistently infected astrocytes increased upon Risp knock-down and decreased upon Risp overexpression. Risp knock-down increased Rev activity and raised proportions of Rev proteins in the nucleus of astrocytes. Conclusion:Our results link the Risp family to restriction of HIV production and inhibition of Rev activity in astrocytes. We conclude that the Risp family represents a novel family of host factors that can control HIV replication and may be important for the containment of HIV infection in brain reservoirs.


We have calculated the properties of SrTiO 3 (STO) using a wide array of density functionals ranging from standard semilocal functionals to modern range-separated hybrids, combined with several basis sets of varying size and quality. We show how these combinations' predictive ability varies significantly, for both STO's cubic and antiferrodistortive (AFD) phases, with the greatest variation in functional and basis set efficacy seen in modeling the AFD phase. The screened hybrid functionals we utilized predict the structural properties of both phases in very good agreement with experiment, especially if used with large (but still computationally tractable) basis sets. The most accurate results presented in this study, namely, those from HSE06 with a modified def2-TZVP basis set, stand as one of the most accurate modelings of STO to date when compared to the literature; these results agree well with experimental structural and electronic properties as well as providing insight into the band structure alteration during the phase transition.


A novel scheme of differential polarization demodulation is presented and demonstrated based on a polarized asymmetrical Mach–Zehnder interferometer configuration with polarization control. To enhance the stability of the demodulator,a phase-lock device is designed, and it is composed of a symmetric 3 × 3 coupler and a feedback circuit. For further establishing a differential polarization-shift keying(DPolSK) transmission system, we successfully carry out the demodulation experiments on 10-Gb/s DPolSK optical signals for the first time. Due to the all-optical structure with phase-lock, our scheme is available to realize the DPolSK optical communication in practical optical fiber systems.


The excellent performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on quasi-2D Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites (RPPs) holds promise for their commercialization. Further improvement in the performance of 2D PSCs requires a detailed understanding of the microstructure of the quasi-2D perovskite films. Based on scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), time-resolved photoluminescence, and transient absorption measurements, a new sandwich-like structural model is proposed to describe the phase distribution of RPPs. In contrast to the conventional gradient distribution, it is found that small-n RPPs are sandwiched between large-n RPP phase layers at the front and back sides owing to crystallization initiated from both interfaces during film formation. This sandwich-like distribution profile facilitates excitons funneling from the film interior to both surfaces for dissociation while free carriers transport via large-n channels that permeate the film to ensure efficient charge collection by the corresponding electrodes, which is favorable for high-performance photovoltaics. This discovery provides a new fundamental understanding of the operating principles of 2D PSCs and has valuable implications for the design and optimization strategies of optoelectronic devices based on quasi-2D RPPs films.


The labour market providing individual resources and economic well-being is an actual topic in the economic and social policy discussion. In the course of time the traditional full-time work is diminishing, new labour arrangements are discussed (keyword: flexible labour markets). This study will contribute to the discussion of working hour arrangements by quantifying patterns of explanation of 'who is working when within a workday'. In particular we want to disentangle certain working hour patterns and the final hours of work according to those different patterns allowing for market and non-market influences. The daily working hour patterns are analysed by two dimensions: the fragmentation of a working day (by the number of working episodes) and the timing of work time by location of those episodes within the day's period. Based on an extended microeconomic labour supply/household production our microeconometric estimates use a multinomial logit (MNL) model to explain the working hour arrangement probability and a MNL selectivity bias corrected hours estimation for arrangement specific working hours with correct asymptotic covariances. Our study is the first German study of this kind which could analyse the actual available German Time Use Survey 1991/92 from the Federal Statistical Office with ca. 32.000 time diaries.


characteristics of differentiated xylem cells of the fast-growing 76'during the active phase by the method of differential box-counting fractal dimension. The fractal characteristics of differentiated xylem cells as well as the relationship between fractal dimension and tissues proportion were considered. Results showed that the fractal dimensions of cross sections were larger than those of tangential sections. Fractal dimension of cross sections had a remarkable negative correlation with the ratio of vessel element, significant positive correlations with the proportion of wood fiber and the proportion of parenchyma. The correlation of fractal dimension with wood fiber proportion was more significant than that with parenchyma proportion. The results were also verified by replacement of the tissues in the cross section. It was observed that fractal characteristics of the wood microstructure were very much related to the proportions of different tissues of the xylem cells.


Litigants with mental disabilities are taken less seriously by their own lawyers, trivialized by opposing counsel, and disparaged by judges. This is largely a result of "sanism," an irrational prejudice of the same quality and character of other irrational prejudices such as racism, sexism or homophobia. Recognizing and combatting sanism creates extra burdens on lawyers who do seek to provide effective counsel for this population. Such lawyers need special tools to combat sanism, and we believe that lawyering skills rooted in therapeutic jurisprudence provide the best foundation through which to create a positive psychology of persuasion in this representation. Our presentation will focus on the use of therapeutic jurisprudence to combat sanism and its use as a persuasive tool in the legal system.Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) asks us to look at law as it actually impacts people's lives and focuses on the law's influence on emotional life and psychological well-being. The ultimate aim of TJ is to determine whether legal rules and procedures or lawyer roles can or should be reshaped to enhance their therapeutic potential while not subordinating due process principles. TJ's aim is to use the law to empower individuals, enhance rights, and promote well-being.It is our belief that sanism can be combatted. First, we must recognize its power to influence court proceedings and attorney-client interactions. Then we must educate members of the legal system about this problematic and dangerous way of thinking. Finally, we must implement, using TJ, a set of practices that not only combats dangerous sanist thinking, but also teaches attorneys how to effectively persuade judges and jurors to look beyond the mental disability of their client.In this paper, we first discuss the role and process conflicts that inevitably arise when lawyers represent persons with mental disabilities. Next, we discuss the meaning of sanism, and how sanism dominates the entire representational process in such cases. After that, we discuss how the lawyer-client relationship is tainted by these conflicts and the poison of sanism. We subsequently discuss the meaning of therapeutic jurisprudence, and finally contextualize all of what will be saying with the meaning on psychology of persuasion, especially as it relates to the concept of validation.


The pipeline steel with excellent deformability with ferrite and bainite dual-phase microstructure are obtained by inter-critically accelerating cooling method, aiming to get good deformation capability of avoiding failure from the geological disasters such as landslides and earthquake. The influence of volume fraction of bainite on the mechanical properties of dual-phase pipeline steels was investigated by means of microscopic analysis method and mechanical properties testing. The results indicated that both yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the steels increase almost linearly with the increasing volume fraction of bainite, while ductility, work hardening exponent and impact absorption energy decrease. When the volume fraction of bainite is about 50%, the yield strength, the yield strength/tensile strength ratio (Y/T), work hardening exponent, uniform elongation and impact absorption energy of X80 pipeline steels with excellent deformability is 665MPa, 0.8, 0.12, 8% and 245J respectively.


The aging population and skyrocketing medical costs are an urgent problem in some countries, which necessitates the prevention of diseases and postponement of disease progression with non-medical means. Functional foods are those that exhibit beneficial effects on human health and play a vital role in supporting part of normal diets. In order to produce functional foods with safe and effective active compounds, it is necessary to define functional foods and to identify the bioactive compounds, the mode(s) of action, and the proper daily dosage. Furthermore, functional foods should undergo a neutral evaluation by an independent organization to ensure only safe and effective products will be released to the market. Japan's Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) approval system will be described in this review as an example in which individual functional foods are evaluated with numerous criteria by a governmental agency. Whilst the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates and authorizes health claim petitions, a definition of functional foods and a distinct functional food category are lacking in the U.S.. The Functional Food Center ( FFC) has been supporting functional food scientists worldwide through research and the publishing of numerous educational materials on functional foods. Thus, the FFC and the Academic Society for Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds (ASFFBC) can and are willing to help the FDA and other governmental agencies establish the category of functional foods and the field of functional food science, which needs to be highly collaborative and multidisciplinary. This review will also describe the current health claim authorization by the FDA and the FFC's vision on the definition of functional foods, bioactive compounds, and the establishment of functional food science that will eventually contribute to human health and well-being in the US and across the globe. Keywords: functional food definition, functional foods, FOSHU, bioactive compounds, functional food science, health claim, foods for specified health uses


With the current generation of in-line inspection (ILI) tools capable of recording terabytes of data per inspection and obtaining millimeter resolution on features, integrity sciences are becoming awash in a sea of data. However, without proper alignment and relationships, all this data can be at best noise and at worst lead to erroneous assumptions regarding the integrity of a pipeline system. This paper will explore the benefits of a statistical alignment method utilizing joint characteristics, such as length, long seam orientation (LSO), wall thickness (WT) and girth weld (GW) counts to ensure precision data alignment between ILI inspections. By leveraging the "fingerprint" like morphology of a pipeline system many improvements to data and records systems become possible including but not limited to:• Random ILI Tool performance errors can be detected and compensated for.• Repair history and other records become rapidly searchable.• New statistically accurate descriptions are created by leveraging the sensitivities of various ILI technologies.One area of material data improvement focused on within this paper relates to long seam type detection through ILI tools. Due to the differing threat susceptibility of various weld types, it is accordingly important to identify the long seam weld types for integrity management purposes. Construction records of older vintage lines do not always contain information down to the joint level; therefore, ILI tools may be leveraged to increase the accuracy of construction records down to this level. In this paper, the possibility of ILI tools, such as magnet flux leakage tools, ultrasonic crack tools, and ultrasonic metal loss tools, to distinguish different types of longitudinal seam welds is also discussed.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


In this paper we study the derivative at the center of symmetry of an incoherent Eisenstein series which is associated to an imaginary quadratic field. We show that each nonconstant Fourier coefficient of the derivative can be expressed as the degree of certain zero cycles on a moduli scheme. This result is a generalization of the work by Kudla-Rapoport-Yang.


Background and Objectives
To examine differences in life expectancy with cognitive impairment among older Mexican adults according to nativity (U.S.-born/foreign-born) and among immigrants, age of migration to the United States.

Research Design and Methods
This study employs 20 years of data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to estimate the proportion of life spent cognitively healthy and cognitively impaired prior to death among older Mexican adults residing in the southwestern United States. We combine age-specific mortality rates with age-specific prevalence of cognitive impairment, defined as a Mini-Mental Status Exam score of less than 21 points to calculate Sullivan-based life table models with and without cognitive impairment in later life.

Results
Foreign-born Mexican immigrants have longer total life expectancy and comparable cognitive healthy life expectancy regardless of gender compared to U.S.-born Mexican-Americans. However, the foreign-born spend a greater number of years after age 65 with cognitive impairment relative to their U.S.-born counterparts. Furthermore, we document an advantage in life expectancy with cognitive impairment and proportion of years after age 65 cognitively healthy among mid-life immigrant men and women relative to early- and late-life migrants.

Discussion and Implications
The relationship between nativity, age of migration, and life expectancy with cognitive impairment means that the foreign-born are in more need of support and time-intensive care in late life. This issue merits special attention to develop appropriate and targeted screening efforts that reduce cognitive decline for diverse subgroups of older Mexican-origin adults as they age.


The components of a cloud application and their relationships can be defined and modelled by standards such as the Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications (TOSCA) language to minimise the deployment, management, and portability efforts. However, changing internal or external conditions leads to updates for the model. Sometimes the components running on the same host may split into different hosts. Recent studies on splitting the components into several hosts focus on the matching capabilities with available hosting offerings in the new environment, yet the required changes regarding the communication are not considered. After splitting topologies, the new environment may not support the previously established communication. In this case, the communication between the components must be updated and transformed. The splitting process should be aborted if a transformation is not possible. In this thesis, transformation capabilities between communication types of cloud application components are analysed. The communication protocols are first categorised according to characteristics. Next, the possibility of the transformation between those communication types and the challenges and limitations are researched. Finally, a prototype that detects whether the transformation is needed when the environment changes and offers decision support for redistributing the components is implemented.


Background: Mental health is necessary for people to lead a good life. Furthermore it is not
only the absence of disease or mental disorder but also the presence of well-being which
constitutes mental health. A high level of the subjective component of well-being is
represented in little negative but many positive emotions and a satisfied and optimistically
view of life. An effective technique to increase subjective well-being within positive
psychology is taking part in web-based psychological exercises. Adherence has an impact on
the effectiveness of interventions in different fields and is tried to apply to positive
psychology.
Objective: The goal of this study was to gain an insight into the effectiveness of different
psychological exercises. Furthermore it aimed to obtain the difference in adherence for these
exercises. Finally we took a look at the relationship between adherence and the effectiveness
of the different exercises.
Method: This study included a one-week web-based intervention in which 183 German
participants voluntary did one out of the following four psychological exercises: optimism,
positivism, happiness or gratitude. To measure the difference in effectiveness the
measurement instrument " PANAS" is used before and after the intervention as a pre- and
post-test. Finally 105 participants indicated how they felt during the last week by considering
two scales (positive and negative affect). Furthermore participants received one questionnaire
everyday in order to evaluate their exercise, which measured their adherence. Repeated
measure ANOVAs examined the differences in effectiveness. Differences in adherence were
measured by a one-way ANOVA. The relationship between adherence and the differences in
effectiveness was measured using regression-analysis.
Results: The results show that there is no significant difference in exercises concerning
positive affect. However this is a difference for negative affects as there are significant effects
of exercises optimism and positivism. There are no significant differences for adherence and
there is also no significant relationship between adherence and effectiveness of the exercises.
Conclusion: The participation on positive psychological exercises does not lead to an
increase of positive emotions but leads to a decrease of negative emotions. Especially
exercising optimism and positivism provides a decrease in negative emotions. The adherence
does not appear to be different and does not seem to influence the effectiveness of exercises.
This study provides the occasion to do more research about negative affects. Furthermore it
could be interesting to get to know more about external factors, which could have influence
on the effectiveness of interventions.


School-based non-pharmacological interventions are an important part of the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We aimed to systematically review qualitative literature relating to the experience of and attitudes towards school-based non-pharmacological interventions for ADHD. Systematic searches of 20 electronic databases were undertaken. Reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full reports of studies, before extracting data and critically appraising 33 included papers. Studies were synthesised using meta-ethnographic methods. Four-key interrelated themes were identified: (1) individualising interventions, (2) structure of interventions, (3) barriers to effectiveness, (4) perceived moderators and impact of interventions. The perceived effectiveness of interventions used in school settings is reported to vary. Therefore, flexible, tailored interventions ought to hold potential. However, highly individualised interventions may negatively affect children with ADHD. Findings point to the need for school-based interventions to take into account the wider school context, as well as core symptoms of ADHD.


Perceived need for mental health care, professional help-seeking, use of self-help groups, and reasons for not seeking professional care for mental health problems were investigated in the Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 129,543). Regional differences were found for all variables. The greatest level of Perceived Need Without Seeking Help, Professional Help-Seeking, and Use of Self-Help Groups were found in the Yukon/Northwest Territories/Nunavut. These findings likely reflect rural isolation and differences in socioeconomic levels associated with different regions in Canada. Regional differences indicate that efforts to improve the delivery of care need to be tailored to specific areas in Canada.


We report here a reversible microchannel surface capture system for stimuli-responsive grafted bioanalytical beads. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was grafted onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces by a UV-mediated graft polymerization from a photoinitiator that was preadsorbed in the channel wall. The surface grafting density and resulting switchable hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties were controlled by varying the photo-illumination times and/or the initiator concentration. At limiting PNIPAAm-graft densities, the surfaces demonstrated minimal contact angles of 35 degrees below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and maximal contact angles of 82 degrees above it. These contact angles could be varied depending on the graft density. The surface grafts are spatially limited to the photo-illuminated region to define where the trap is constructed. The surface traps capture PNIPAAm-grafted nanobeads uniformly above the LCST and facilitate their rapid release as the temperature is reversed to below the LCST. This dual surface trap and injectable chromatography system could be useful in many applications, such as affinity separations, immunoassays, and enzyme bioprocesses, by providing for the controlled capture and release of chromatography beads.


The aim of the present research was optimization of practical conditions of the sol-gel synthesis. In so doing, silica particles were synthesized using sol-gel method and their size and morphology were investigated by use of SEM and TEM images. The effect of changing molar ratio of reactive including acids and silica pre-matter on the particles' morphology and size was studied. Also, acid type and silica pre-matter used in reaction was examined and the result product of the reaction were investigated in the presence of several acids and two types of silica pre-matter. The reaction time was studied as a very important factor in products' digestion phase which plays a significant role in determining particles' size and rate of cracking products. Finally, in optimized conditions 50-80 nm diameter nanostructures were synthesized. These products can be used as drug delivery systems.


The core cognitive foundation of cooperative values, norms and beliefs can need updating and refurbishing just like the hard economic assets of plant and equipment that maintain their visible, outward structure. Import competition, agricultural industrialization, and market failure have led cooperatives to question beliefs which put the survival of the farm above the cooperative. Jeffersonian agrarian values contributed to a culture where cooperatives were run for the needs of farmers, not consumers. This led cooperatives to over-expand into commodity areas that were not economically sustainable. Or, cooperatives compensated growers for poor production decisions at a cost to other members. These values were based on a cultural model that "cooperatives were like a family." Trying to provide a small town personal ambiance and the efficiencies of large scale production within the same organization is a cultural model that cooperatives used to "be all things to all people". Farmer attrition has forced cooperatives into adopting a core business focus where co-ops shed all businesses except those they can do very well. This cultural transition has been aided by agricultural industrialization's focus on the farmer as individual "farm manager", in contrast to the idealized Jeffersonian farm family. Cooperatives are now seen as separate and independent of the farmer, not as an extension of the farm, giving co-ops greater latitude to be more market driven.


A key feature to maintaining a safe and efficient machining operation is the avoidance of unstable vibrations of the cutting tool, commonly called chatter. This thesis explores chatter simulation and a new chatter detection algorithm developed for use in a CNC milling machine. This algorithm, based on a once per revolution sampling method, samples forces experienced during the milling process, and calculates the variance of the differences between consecutive samples. As a selected level of variance, chatter is assumed. An existing milling simulation program is modified to produce a stability lobe diagram for a given CNC machine, workpiece material, and cutting tool. Stable, unstable, and marginally stable cuts are indicated as a function of spindle speed and axial depth of cut. The chatter detection algorithm is initially verified by simulation and then added to the simulation to autogenerate stability lobe diagrams. A collection of experimental aluminum cuts is run to collect force data that can be analyzed by the detection algorithm and compared to simulation results. Experimental cut stability is determined by observation of the noise, force, and cut surface. Comparing algorithm results to observed results shows the effectiveness of the algorithm in distinguishing between stable and unstable cuts. However, further testing is needed, particularly in determining the variance threshold of the algorithm. The simulation and algorithm are also used to explore the effect of system parameters; specifically, spring constant (k) and damping ratio (ζ). This exploration shows there being a strong connection between the maximum attainable stable axial depth and the parameters.


Recently, Mikheyev et al. (2019) have produced a preprint study describing the genomes of nine Khazars archeologically dated from the 7th to the 9th centuries found in the Rostov county in modern-day Russia. Skull morphology indicated a mix of "Caucasoid" and "Mongoloid" shapes. The authors compared the samples to ancient and contemporary samples to study the genetic makeup of the Khazars and their genetic legacy and addressed the question of the relationships between the Khazar and Ashkenazic Jews. A careful examination reveals grave concerns regarding all the aspects of the study from the identification of the "Khazar" samples, the choice of environment for ancient DNA sequencing, and the analyses. The authors did not disclose the data used in their study, and their methodology is incoherent. We demonstrate that their analyses yield nonsensical results and argue that none of the claims made in this study are supported by the data unequivocally. Provided the destruction of the bone samples and the irreproducibility of the analyses, even by the forgivable standards of the field, this study is irreplicable, wasteful, and misleading.


Salmonella Brandenburg ranked 16th among the serovars responsible for human infections in EU in 2015 and it was found to be associated with swine. In Emilia- Romagna and Lombardy regions of northern Italy, S. Brandenburg was isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes, fecal matter, carcasses and conveyor belts at pig slaughterhouses in 2014 and 2015. In the same area, S. Brandenburg was detected in pork salami in 2015. In the present study, 12 isolates of S. Brandenburg recovered from the pork food-chain were typed by XbaI PFGE and their three profiles were compared to all human S. Brandenburg isolates processed by the Surveillance System of Emilia- Romagna region from 2012 to 2017 (105 isolates). The most frequent pulsotype of porcine origin (6/12) was the second most frequent in humans (16/105). Of the other two pulsotypes of porcine origine (3/12 each), one was the most frequent in humans (41/105), the other was undetected among human isolates.


The article deals with town musicians in the town of Skien and subcontractor musicians or holders in the county of Bratsberg (Telemark) in the 18th century. Town musicians or musicus instrumentalis received a royal commission, granting them the exclusive right to perform music within a specified area. In Norway, the institution of town musician was established at the beginning of the 17th century. Initially the music monopoly was restricted to the towns. Gradually, the districts with such privileges expanded to encompass geographically extensive areas. In 1724, the whole county of Bratsberg became the privileged district of the town musician in Skien. In the countryside, rivalries between privileged and non-privileged musicians arose, especially during wedding celebrations, as the farming population preferred their own fiddlers. In order to counter allegedly illegal playing, two strategies were available. Exclusion by legal prosecution, or co-option. In a strategy of alliance, the privileged musician turned some of his rivals into holders, granting them authorisation for a smaller district against an annual rent. Several holders, while unknown in the folk music tradition, are well documented, emphasising the social background and skills of these musicians, and their important role in the institution of town musician.


This thesis presents Dark matter inspired searches for supersymmetry with a one-tau analysis at ATLAS, which excludes a region close to that of allowed dark matter densities at m0 ∼ 400 GeV, m1/2 ∼ 600 GeV, tan β = 30, A0 = −1200 GeV in a "Higgs aware grid". The one tau analysis was among the first groups to constrain regions of this grid at ATLAS. In addition, this thesis presents a computation of variables and limits in the mSUGRAparameter space, both by astrophysical experiments and other observables. The new Higgs mass and the LHCb measurement of BR(Bs → μ+μ−) impose constraints on large areas of the parameter space. However, some regions of interest are still there; the Higgs-aware grid was a good example. Also, in the region tan β = 30,A0 = −2300 GeV some promise may be found for both astroand high-energy physics. Last; This thesis presents an exploration of the Fermi-LAT photon data in support of an ongoing effort to investigate the planned CTAs potential. Last spring, a paper presenting a line feature at 130 GeV [70] in the Fermi-LAT spectrum was published, which has engendered an appropriately cautious response; both in view of the lack, for now, of a second experiment, as well as the importance a discovery would have.


Dolomite is present 1,250–1,400 m below sea level in Eocene strata of Enewetak Atoll. Petrographically, the deep Enewetak dolomite postdates brittle compaction of rigid grains in the host Eocene strata. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of these dolomites (0.70865–0.70901) indicates that they formed at one or more times between the middle Miocene and the present. Since the top of the lower Miocene is more than 900 m above the deep dolomitic interval, the dolomite must have formed at a minimum burial depth of 900 m. Stable-oxygen-isotope determinations suggest dolomite precipitation from cold marine water. Lower Miocene and Eocene carbonate strata on the atoll are apparently in open communication with cold, modern ocean water, suggesting that those same strata were in open communication with ocean water during dolomitization. At a depth of about 1,000 m, modern Pacific Ocean water becomes undersaturated with respect to calcite but is still supersaturated with respect to dolomite. Therefore, it is proposed that the deep Enewetak dolomite precipitated from cold, deep ocean water (undersaturated with respect to calcite) at a burial depth of more than 900 m.


We present a novel automatic system for performing explicit content detection directly on the audio signal. Our modular approach uses an audio-to-character recognition model, a keyword spotting model associated with a dictionary of carefully chosen keywords, and a Random Forest classification model for the final decision. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first explicit content detection system based on audio only. We demonstrate the individual relevance of our modules on a set of sub-tasks and compare our approach to a lyrics-informed oracle and an end-to-end naive architecture. The results obtained are encouraging with a F1-score of 67% on a industrial scale explicit content dataset.


A novel statistic for local wave amplitude of the 500-hPa geopotential height field is introduced. The statistic uses a Hilbert transform to define a longitudinal wave envelope and dynamical latitude weighting to define the latitudes of interest. Here it is used to detect the existence, or otherwise, of multimodality in its distribution function. The empirical distribution function for the 1960–2000 period is close to a Weibull distribution with shape parameters between 2 and 3. There is substantial interdecadal variability but no apparent local multimodality or bimodality. The zonally averaged wave amplitude, akin to the more usual wave amplitude index, is close to being normally distributed. This is consistent with the central limit theorem, which applies to the construction of the wave amplitude index. For the period 1960–70 it is found that there is apparent bimodality in this index. However, the different amplitudes are realized at different longitudes, so there is no bimodality at any single longitude. As a corollary, it is found that many commonly used statistics to detect multimodality in atmospheric fields potentially satisfy the assumptions underlying the central limit theorem and therefore can only show approximately normal distributions. The author concludes that these techniques may therefore be suboptimal to detect any multimodality.


In mountain environments that were subject to intensive pastoralism, the abandonment of alpine pastures and the natural reforestation caused the main modifications in land use. These two factors may have had a significant effect on evolution of shallow landslides. In the upper Cassarate catchment, the evolution of the number and surface of shallow landslides between 1900 and 2014 was studied with diachronical mapping on historical analysis. Quantitative analysis of precipitation and antecedent standardized precipitation index (IPAS) allowed triggering thresholds of 55 shallow landslide events to be calculated. The good statistical fits between the difference of IPAS and, respectively, the minimal value of IPAS and the sum of precipitations, allows defining the shallow landslide triggering thresholds. Two scenarios of shallow landslide triggering were implemented thanks to numerical modeling with the TRIGRS program and allowed a validation of the triggering thresholds determined by the historical analysis. A forecasting of future shallow landslides evolution was possible by defining 1) potential aggravation zones of observed landslides; 2) potential triggering zones of new instabilities.


This study explores mechanisms underlying processes of educational policy formation. Previous studies have given much attention to processes of diffusion when accounting for educational policy formation. Less account has been given to the day-to-day institutional dynamics through which educational policies develop and change. Building on extensive governmental archival data, complemented with interviews and media analysis, I study the development and transformation of school violence policies in Israel. I argue that diffusion of global policy ideas and practices provides the menu of possible policies, while within-country struggles over legitimacy in the policy domain serve as a mechanism shaping which items on the menu becomes actual policy. Specifically, in the Israeli case, the interest in and action toward school violence were influenced by a global trend, but the actions of Psychological-Counseling Services (PCS) who struggled to assert their legitimacy as the authority on school violence in the Israeli Ministry of Education (MOE) shaped the adoption, rejection, and institutionalization of the specific school violence policy ideas and practices.


The paper reviews Business Process Re engineering (BPR) techniques along with the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to improve the reporting or project performance, project appraisal and approval process for not for profit organizations. For profit organizations or commercial organizations have clearly defined business objectives and these include increase in revenue, reduction in costs, and increased profits. However, in not for profit firms, the motivation for taking up projects and the organization objectives is not to make profits but to provide help the poor and needy. The paper examines workflows and the project appraisal process in such organizations. BPR measures are suggested to make the project appraisal process transparent. Seven perspectives are identified for the BSC and indicators are suggested for each of these perspectives. The project appraisal process is designed to provide inputs for these indicators. The recommendation is to use benchmarked figures for these indicators from the best projects and other external sources and these indicators can to be used for the BSC. A draft BSC template is designed and further suggestions and recommendations to improve the research are made.


We propose prior probability models for variance-covariance matrices in order to address two important issues. First, the models allow a researcher to represent substantive prior information about the strength of correlations among a set of variables. Secondly, even in the absence of such information, the increased flexibility of the models mitigates dependence on strict parametric assumptions in standard prior models. For example, the model allows a posteriori different levels of uncertainty about correlations among different subsets of variables. We achieve this by including a clustering mechanism in the prior probability model. Clustering is with respect to variables and pairs of variables. Our approach leads to shrinkage towards a mixture structure implied by the clustering. We discuss appropriate posterior simulation schemes to implement posterior inference in the proposed models, including the evaluation of normalising constants that are functions of parameters of interest. The normalising constants result from the restriction that the correlation matrix be positive definite. We discuss examples based on simulated data, a stock return dataset and a population genetics dataset. Copyright Biometrika Trust 2004, Oxford University Press.


Artificial phoretic particles swim using self-generated gradients in chemical species (self-diffusiophoresis) or charges and currents (self-electrophoresis). These particles can be used to study the physics of collective motion in active matter and might have promising applications in bioengineering. In the case of self-diffusiophoresis, the classical physical model relies on a steady solution of the diffusion equation, from which chemical gradients, phoretic flows, and ultimately the swimming velocity may be derived. Motivated by disk-shaped particles in thin films and under confinement, we examine the extension to two dimensions. Because the two-dimensional diffusion equation lacks a steady state with the correct boundary conditions, Laplace transforms must be used to study the long-time behavior of the problem and determine the swimming velocity. For fixed chemical fluxes on the particle surface, we find that the swimming velocity ultimately always decays logarithmically in time. In the case of finite Péclet numbers, we solve the full advection-diffusion equation numerically and show that this decay can be avoided by the particle moving to regions of unconsumed reactant. Finite advection thus regularizes the two-dimensional phoretic problem.


In an increasingly complex world of interrelated problems many governments have tried to modernise their institutional structures and the ways in which they go about making policy. In the UK and elsewhere this has been most apparent in the growing emphasis given to evidence-based policy making in contrast to faith-based approaches and the conviction politics of earlier periods. Much of the debate about the impact and indeed value of this apparently new approach has focussed on the supply side of the equation: on the utilisation of research evidence and how researchers might make their work more relevant and useful to policy makers. Less attention has been paid in these debates to the different ways in which the nature of policy and policy making is conceptualised and how this might affect the relationship between research and policy. This article takes forward this debate by critically reviewing the theorisation of the policy/research relationship under three different conceptions of policy making: the stages model, the advocacy coalition framework and the argumentative turn. It considers the future of policy research via two questions: who should carry out policy research in which settings; and what skills do they need to do so more effectively?


Apoptosis is a basic mechanism involved both in maintaining tissue homeostasis by elimination of senescent or potentially harmful cells and in the regulation of immune responses. If not properly regulated, however, it may lead to serious tissue damage. CD95(Fas/APO-1) is a surface receptor that mediates apoptosis upon oligomerization by its ligand, CD95L. The CD95/CD95L-system is one of the major effectors of cytotoxicity in inflammation with implications for both the prevention and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. In primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), an autoimmune disease, apoptosis has been repeatedly suspected to be the mechanism leading to progressive destruction of bile ducts. The role of apoptosis and its possible molecular inducers in PBC are discussed.


Modern Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems can achieve high performance in terms of recognition accuracy. However, a perfectly accurate transcript still can be challenging to read due to disfluency, filter words, and other errata common in spoken communication. Many downstream tasks and human readers rely on the output of the ASR system; therefore, errors introduced by the speaker and ASR system alike will be propagated to the next task in the pipeline. In this work, we propose an ASR post-processing model that aims to transform the incorrect and noisy ASR output into a readable text for humans and downstream tasks. We leverage the Metadata Extraction (MDE) corpus to construct a task-specific dataset for our study. Since the dataset is small, we propose a novel data augmentation method and use a two-stage training strategy to fine-tune the RoBERTa pre-trained model. On the constructed test set, our model outperforms a production two-step pipeline-based post-processing method by a large margin of 13.26 on readability-aware WER (RA-WER) and 17.53 on BLEU metrics. Human evaluation also demonstrates that our method can generate more human-readable transcripts than the baseline method.


As the plural form "Congressos" implies there were really two congresses, the first in Lisbon (May 5-6), the second in Coimbra (May 8-9), separated by a beautiful all-day scenic drive to the other city. The President of the Congress in Lisbon was Salazar Leite, the acknowledged leader of Portuguese dermatology. It was solemnly opened in the Aula of the Faculty of Medicine in the very large and modern Hospital de Santa Maria. The first morning session, with Xavier Vilanova in the chair, dealt with "microbiotic eczema of the foot." The subject was presented by Luis Pierini (Argentine) and by Salazar Leite. Individual papers followed. The afternoon session was held in the monumental new Instituto de Medicina Tropical with Luis Pierini presiding. It was devoted to leishmaniasis, with Xavier Vilanova and F. Rabello (Brasil) presenting the subject in masterly fashion and individual papers following. I was especially impressed with


: The domestic food market has grown up to enter maturation stage with extensively diverse segments. In order for a product to survive in this "red-ocean" market, it should have a specific appeal to consumers with various psychological-attitudes. Thus, the current study aimed to segment the Japanese consumers according to their psychographical-characteristics toward foods, and evaluate their effects on the consumption motives of each segmented consumer groups. An on-line questionnaire-based survey targeting on married females revealed four distinct clusters with different food attitudes: 1) spending a lot of money on food 2) saving money and taking simple-food, 3) saving money but enjoying food life, and 4) treasuring time with their family but having simple-food. Further the four consumer groups exhibited different consumption motives on pork employing MANOVA. Based on these results, we suggest that consumer segmentation based on psychographical-characteristics would be valuable approach to produce food marketing strategies.


This chapter analyzes the semiotic construction of US claims to sovereignty in Hawai'i. Building on semiotic theories in sociology and theories within critical Indigenous and settler colonial studies, it presents an interpretive analysis of state, military, and academic discursive strategies. The US empire-state attempts to construct colonial narratives of race and sovereignty that rehistoricize the history of Hawaiians and other Indigenous peoples. In order to make claims to sovereignty, settler-colonists construct narratives that build upon false claims to superiority, advancement, and discovery. Colonial resignification is a process by which signs and symbols of Indigenous communities are conscripted into the myths of empire that maintain such sovereign claims. Yet, for this reason, colonial resignification can be undone through reclaiming such signs and symbols from their use within colonial metanarratives. In this case, efforts toward decolonial resignification enacted alternative metanarratives of peoples' relationships to place. This "flip side" of the synecdoche is a process that unravels the ties that bind layered myths by providing new answers to questions that underpin settler colonial sovereignty.


This paper investigates the application of trend quantifiers of project time-cost analysis as a tool for decision-making support in the project management. Practical project management-related problems are solved under information shortages. It means that methods of statistical analysis cannot be easily used as they are based on the law of large numbers of observations. Numbers are information intensive quantifiers. The least information intensive quantifier is a trend; its values are increasing, constant, decreasing. If a derivative cannot be quantified by a trend, then nothing is known and therefore nothing can be analyzed/predicted. For this reason, the trend model M was created. The model M is based on a degraded set of differential equations or heuristics. A trend analysis of the model M is an evaluation of the relevant discrete set of solutions/scenarios S. A trend reconstruction is an evaluation of the model M if a (sub) set of scenarios S is given. The paper studies linear reconstruction, i.e. the model M is a set of linear differential equations. The trend reconstruction is partially reverse process to trend analysis. A case study has 7 variables (e.g. Project duration, Direct personnel costs, Indirect personal costs etc.) and the reconstructed set of linear differential equations has 7 equations. The set of 243 scenarios is obtained if this reconstructed set of trend linear equations is solved. Any future or past behavior of the model M can be described by a sequence of obtained scenarios.


The work described in this thesis is directed towards a study of the size, height of ejection and electrical charge of jet droplets which are produced from a bursting bubble at an air-liquid Interface. Maximum ejection heights of 12 and 17 cm were obtained for Jet droplets of delonized water and sea-water respectively. The ejection height of the top jet droplets were identical for sea-water and deionized water for bubble diameters less than 0.84 mm, In agreement with the results of previous workers. A relation between the top Jet droplet diameter, D(_d), and the bubble diameter D(_B), was found to be of the form D(_d) α D(_B) (^1.22). It was found that the natural charge, q, on the Jet droplets is related to the droplet radius, r, by the expression q α r(^2.4) for a range of droplet radius from 17 up to 65 micrometres. A Blow increase in the electric charge of the droplets q with bubble age t followed a relation of q α t(^0.28) for a droplet radius of 36 micrometres for tap-water. The top droplet charge increased with decreasing water conductivity and showed reasonable agreement with an electrical double-layer theory proposed by Iribarne and Klemes (1974). The natural charge of the Jet droplets was found to be positive over the range of conductivity from about 4 x 10(^4) µ mho's cm(^-1) (sea- water) down to 2.8µ mho's cm(^-1) (deionized water). A Faraday cage system was used to measure the electric charge of droplets greater than about 50 micrometres in radius. A decrease in the droplet charge was obtained for droplet radius greater than about 70 micrometres. Possible explanations for the decrease in charge over the measured droplet radius range from 70 to 140 micrometres are given. Measurements of the induction charge in jet droplets over a range of induction filed from 0 to ± 175 V cm(^-1) were carried out for both deionized water and sea-water. A linear relation between the jet droplet charge and induction field for top droplet radii from 27 to 76 micrometres and the second jet droplet of radius 50 micrometers was found. The negatively induced charge due to normal fair weather electric field constitutes only on a small fraction of the natural positive charge of jet droplets.


The most common excavation walls are sheet piles, which are often sunk by vibration machines. In conditions of big thickness of water-saturated dispersed soils, one of the regulated safety criteria for the use of dynamic technology is the magnitude of soil vibrations and the structures that come to be located in the influence zone. The article presents the measured vibrations of the soil near the pile space in the process of vibration extraction of sheet piles. A characteristic oscillogram of vibration velocity with the characteristic stages of work production is added. Spectral analysis of the impact was performed to assess the prevailing frequency of the impact. The description of the process of numerical simulation of vibration extraction of a pile is given. As for the simulation results, there were obtained calculated oscillograms of the sheet piles located at 1.4 and 2.8 m distance from the sheet pile, and the influence zone was estimated. The calculated data obtained were compared with the results of field experiments.


Context. The advent of large-scale, high-sensitivity surveys of the Galaxy (2MASS, WISE, Spitzer, etc.) has allowed detection of a large number of planetary nebulae (PNe), some of them at large distances. Aims. I propose a new distance scale of planetary nebulae, based on two main quantities: the flux density (or magnitude) at 8 μ ma nd the nebular apparent size. Methods. I used these quantities to calculate the specific intensity of the radiation I8 μm, which decreases as the nebula evolves. The PNe situated in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with 8 μm photometry obtained by Spitzer and diameter obtained from HST observations were used as calibrators. Results. After calibration, I recalculated distances of PNe in the LMC, and they show a one-sigma spread of 10 kpc (20%). Eventually, I applied the method to a sample of 47 Galactic PNe observed during theSpitzer survey. These results showed agreement within 0.2 dex with the distances determined with another method of calibrating with PNe in the LMC. Conclusions. The main advantage of the present distance scale is that it is nearly "extinction free", which makes it especially suited to PNe severely affected by interstellar extinction, such as the Galactic disc and bulge. On the other hand, the method requires an unbiased determination of the nebular size, which might be quite uncertain for PNe with extended faint features, such as haloes and ansae.


This thesis presents models and methods for feedback-based resource management for cyber-physical systems. Common for the scenarios considered are severe resource constraints, uncertain and time-varying conditions and the goal of enabling flexibility in systems design rather than restricting it. A brief survey on reservation-based scheduling, an important enabling technology for this thesis, is provided and shows how modern day resource reservation techniques are derived from their real-time system and telecommunications theory roots. Techniques for modeling components of cyber-physical systems, including both computational and physical resources, are presented. The cyclic component model, specifically designed to model common resource demanding components in smart phones, is introduced together with techniques for model parameter estimation. The topic of competitive resource management, where the different parts of the system compete for resources, is discussed using a smart phone platform as motivating example. The cyclic component model is used to form a rate-based performance metric that results in a convex optimization problem. A specialized optimization algorithm for solving this problem efficiently online and with limited precision hardware is introduced and evaluated through simulations. A feedback control scheme for distributing resources in cases where components collaborate, i.e., where the performance metric is dependent on more than one component, is detailed and examined in a scenario where the available resource is limited by the thermal dynamics of the CPU. The scheme is evaluated through simulation of a conversational video pipeline. The thermal model is validated on a mobile robot, where it is used as part of an adaptive resource manager. The problem of energy conservative distribution of content to a population of co-located mobile clients is used to motivate the chapter on cooperative resource management, i.e., scenarios where the participants have individual but similar goals and can benefit from sharing their partial results so that all collaborators save cost. The model for content trading is presented in synchronous and asynchronous formulations and performance is evaluated through both simulations and experimental results using a prototype implementation in an emulated environment. (Less)


Objective: We evaluated the effectiveness of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in the treatment of Bipolar Disorder (BD) in a large sample of bipolar patients with drug resistant depression, mania, mixed state and catatonic features. Method: 522 consecutive patients with DSM-IV-TR BD were evaluated prior to and after the ECT course. Responders and nonresponders were compared in subsamples of depressed and mixed patients. Descriptive analyses were reported for patients with mania and with catatonic features. Results: Of the original sample only 22 patients were excluded for the occurrence of side effects or consent withdrawal. After the ECT course, 344 (68.8%) patients were considered responders (final CGIi score ≤2) and 156 (31.2%) nonresponders. Response rates were respectively 68.1% for BD depression, 72.9% for mixed state, 75% for mania and 80.8% for catatonic features. Length of current episode and global severity of the illness were the only statistically significant predictors of nonresponse. Conclusion: ECT resulted to be an effective and safe treatment for all the phases of severe and drug-resistant BD. Positive response was observed in approximately two-thirds of the cases and in 80% of the catatonic patients. The duration of the current episode was the major predictor of nonresponse. The risk of ECT-induced mania is virtually absent and mood destabilization very unlikely. Our results clearly indicate that current algorithms for the treatment of depressive, mixed, manic and catatonic states should be modified and, at least for the most severe patients, ECT should not be considered as a "last resort".


A large proportion of the insects which have invaded new regions and countries are emerging species, being found for the first time outside their native range. Being able to detect such species upon arrival at ports of entry before they establish in non-native countries is an urgent challenge. The deployment of traps baited with broad-spectrum semiochemical lures at ports-of-entry and other high-risk sites could be one such early detection tool. Rapid progress in the identification of semiochemicals for cerambycid beetles during the last 15 years has revealed that aggregation-sex pheromones and sex pheromones are often conserved at global levels for genera, tribes or subfamilies of the Cerambycidae. This possibly allows the development of generic attractants which attract multiple species simultaneously, especially when such pheromones are combined into blends. Here, we present the results of a worldwide field trial programme conducted during 2018–2021, using traps baited with a standardised 8-pheromone blend, usually complemented with plant volatiles. A total of 1308 traps were deployed at 302 sites covering simultaneously or sequentially 13 European countries, 10 Chinese provinces and some regions of the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia (Siberia) and the Caribbean (Martinique). We intended to test the following hypotheses: 1) if a species is regularly trapped in significant numbers by the blend on a continent, it increases the probability that it can be detected when it arrives in other countries/continents and 2) if the blend exerts an effective, generic attraction to multiple species, it is likely that previously unknown and unexpected species can be captured due to the high degree of conservation of pheromone structures within related taxa. A total of 78,321 longhorned beetles were trapped, representing 376 species from eight subfamilies, with 84 species captured in numbers greater than 50 individuals. Captures comprised 60 tribes, with 10 tribes including more than nine species trapped on different continents. Some invasive species were captured in both the native and invaded continents. This demonstrates the potential of multipheromone lures as effective tools for the detection of 'unexpected' cerambycid invaders, accidentally translocated outside their native ranges. Adding new pheromones with analogous well-conserved motifs is discussed, as well as the limitations of using such blends, especially for some cerambycid taxa which may be more attracted by the trap colour or other characteristics rather than to the chemical blend.


OBJECTIVES
To illustrate a more comprehensive view of value associated with medicines treating a highly severe illness and to apply these insights to estimate the costs and benefits of 3 treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS): Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera.

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective study spanning 2002 to 2013. We used economic theory to derive the value of therapy to patients with MS and to individuals who face the risk of contracting MS in the future, under the alternative assumptions that therapies were fully insured or paid for out of pocket.

METHODS
Models were parameterized through secondary data analysis and targeted literature review. Estimates of individual value were aggregated to the societal level using therapy-specific treatment prevalence rates. Aggregate consumer value was compared with manufacturer revenue.

RESULTS
In the baseline model, Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera generated $46.2 billion of total value to consumers, almost one-third of which accrued to those without MS. The total value to consumers was double manufacturer revenue. Results were qualitatively robust to the use of alternate epidemiological and economic parameters. We found that value to the healthy is positively related to disease severity, and that value to both the sick and the healthy are larger when costs are shared via health insurance.

CONCLUSIONS
Theory predicts that treatments for severe disease provide "peace of mind" value to the healthy. Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera have generated significant social value, a large majority of which accrues to consumers. Future economic valuations of medical technology should consider both the potential value to the healthy and the effects of insurance.


Abstract : Weapon systems in the Department of Defense (DoD) are becoming increasingly reliant on embedded software. As the size and level of complexity of these software development efforts have increased, the management of these programs has become more challenging. Additionally, as the Army strives to digitize the future battlefield, the demand for software will only increase. This thesis reviews the software development efforts associated with modernizing the Army's Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The thesis begins by presenting a background discussion of the Army's Fire Direction Data Manager (FDDM) development. After the FDDM background discussion, a case study of the troubled FDDM software development effort is presented. The FDDM case study follows the general format presented in the May 1992 General Accounting Office report on the FDDM software development difficulties. Following the FDDM review, the current MLRS software development effort, the Improved Fire Control System (IFCS) is presented. Next, the FDDM case study is reviewed to determine the software development lessons learned. Using the FDDM software lessons learned, the IFCS program is analyzed to determine the software risks, and to review the risk mitigation strategies of that program. The objective of the thesis is to provide insight into the use of modern software management methods in reducing software development program risk.


The microstructures of the oxide scale on steels are very complex and their
development depends on many factors including time, temperature, oxidation
conditions and alloying elements. Classically, steel oxide scales are characterised by a
three-layer model: The innermost layer, closest to the steel substrate, with the lowest
oxygen content is wustite (FeO); there is an intermediate magnetite (Fe3O4) layer and
a final oxygen rich hematite (Fe2O3) layer. This classical model is more complicated
in reality and its properties change with the factors that affect their development.
Microstructure characterisation of the oxide scale helps to obtain a better
understanding of the oxidation mechanism. Furthermore, knowledge of the oxide
microstructure is critical in understanding how the oxide behaves during the high
temperature deformation of steels and more importantly how it can be removed
following processing.
An understanding of the oxide scale formation and its properties can only be achieved
by careful examination of the scale microstructure. The oxide scale microstructure
may be difficult to characterise by conventional techniques such as optical or standard
scanning electron microscopy. An unambiguous characterisation of the scale and the
correct identification of the phases within the scale are difficult unless the
crystallographic structure for each phase in the scale is considered and a
microstructure-microtexture analysis is carried out. In the current study Electron
Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) has been used to investigate the microstructure and
microtexture of iron oxide layers grown on low carbon steels at different times and
temperatures. EBSD has proved to be a powerful technique for identifying the
individual phases in the oxide scale accurately. The results show that EBSD can be
used to give a complete characterisation of the oxide scale. The microstructural
features such as grain size, shape and grain or phase boundaries characteristics has
been successfully determined and analysed. The results show that different grain
shapes and sizes develop for each phase in the scale depending on time and
temperature. Also, a complex relationship between the microstructures and the
crystallographic texture of the different scales components has been observed. In the
light of new approach of understanding the steel oxidation phenomena from the
current study, previous steel oxidation hypothesis and postulations have been
reviewed and examined.


This study examines a number of brief models that demonstrate potential disadvantages in the process of globalization of capital movements. Using Israeli data, we examine the extent to which Israel suffers from these disadvantages. One disadvantage is related to the transfer of negative shocks between countries by means of capital movements, when these result solely from diversification of the asset portfolio among several economies. The second disadvantage involves the currency exposure that could arise due to the utilization of foreign currency loans for financing income-earning projects in the local currency. The third disadvantage is related to the risk inherent in shortening the period of debt contracts, which could be accompanied by foreign investors' entry to the local economy. The conclusion arising from the empirical analysis is that alongside the advantages involved, Israel does indeed suffer from at least part of the negative aspects of the globalization process: The correlation between capital movements to the economy and capital movements to the emerging markets since 1995 is creating a pass-through mechanism for the import of shocks from abroad to Israel. This mechanism was apparent at the time of the currency crises during the years 1997 and 1998. The proportion of foreign currency credit to total and restricted credit, in exports and GDP, increased during the second half of the 1990's without borrowers purchasing suitable hedging instruments against depreciation. However, foreign currency credit was usually a replacement for shekel credit, which is mostly short-term. From this aspect therefore, liberalization processes and globalization did not create a new problem.


A case of a 49-year-old man suffering from bilateral adrenocortical carcinoma with local and secondary rapid progression is reported. The results of adrenocortical scintigraphy (NP 59) and histological findings allowed the diagnosis. This case report and a literature review showed the importance of using adrenocortical scintigraphy as a complementary imaging procedure of CT or MR images.


In ad hoc networks every device is responsible for its own basic computer services, including packet routing, data forwarding, security, and privacy. Most of the protocols used in wired networks are not suitable for ad hoc networks, since they were designed for static environments with defined borders and highly specialized devices, such as routers, authentication servers, and firewalls. This dissertation concentrates on the achievement of privacy-friendly identifiersand anonymous communication in ad hoc networks. In particular, the objective is to offer means for better anonymous communication in such networks. Two research questions were formulated to address the objective: I. How to design proper and trusted privacy-friendly digital identifiers to beused in ad hoc network environments? II. How to provide anonymous communication in ad hoc networks and whatis the performance cost in relation to the obtained degree of anonymity? To address the first research question we studied and classified the security and privacy threats, enhancements, and requirements in ad hoc networks and analyzed the need for privacy and identification. The analysis led us to the relationship between security, identification, and anonymous communication that we refer to as the "identity-anonymity paradox". We further identifiedthe requirements for privacy-friendly identifiers and proposed the self-certified Sybil-free pseudonyms to address such requirements. The second research question was addressed with the design and implementation of the Chameleon protocol, an anonymous communication mechanism for ad hoc networks. The performance of Chameleon was evaluated using a network simulator. The results were used to find out the trade-off between anonymity and performance in terms of the expected end-to-end delay. The solutions proposed in this dissertation are important steps towards the achievement of better anonymous communications in ad hoc networks andcomplement other mechanisms required to prevent leaks of personal data.


Among the various tasks performed by software radios is the reconfiguration of the error control coding algorithm to match the requirement of the radio personality. In the digital radio processor, proper assignment of tasks between DSPs and FPGAs provides performance improvements over the use of DSPs alone. Error control coding functions are good candidates to reside on the FPGA side of this functional partition. Unfortunately, good VLSI designs for codes using BCH or Reed-Solomon codes do not map well to FPGAs. Good FPGA designs must parallelize at every opportunity, minimize timing delays through intelligent floor planning, and use each logic block to its fullest. We demonstrate the merits of these concepts by comparing the performance of popular finite field multiplier designs.


This article presents the development of a multi-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based crowd monitoring system, demonstrating a system that uses UAVs to periodically monitor a group of moving walking individuals. Using auction paradigms to distribute targets among UAVs and genetic algorithms to calculate the best order to visit the targets, the system has shown capabilities to efficiently perform the surveillance, visiting all the targets during a surveillance period and minimizing the time between the visits made to each target. Moreover, the system showed robustness keeping the good performance under a variety of situations.


The pHs of extracellular fluids (ECFs) in humans are consistently maintained at 7.35 to 7.45 in physiological conditions. Pathological changes, including infarction, tumourigenesis and inflammation, commonly result in decreases in the ECF pH in the affected tissues. In this study, we report that proliferation is promoted and apoptosis is inhibited by decreases in extracellular pH. Furthermore, we demonstrated that proton-sensing G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are required for the pH-dependent regulation of proliferation and apoptosis through the G protein α subunit 12/13 (G12/13) and Rho GTPases. Next, we identified Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) as a downstream effector of Rho signalling. Together, the results from our study demonstrate that extracellular pH can modulate cell proliferation and apoptosis by regulating the proton-sensing GPCR-YAP pathway.


Accurate estimation of the software effort and schedule affects the budget computation. Bidding for contracts depends mainly on the estimated cost. Inaccurate estimates will lead to failure of making a profit, increased probability of project incompletion and delay of the project delivery date. In this paper, we explore the use of Soft Computing Techniques to build a suitable model structure to utilize improved estimations of software effort for NASA software projects. In doing so, we plan to use Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to tune the parameters of the famous COnstructive COst MOdel (COCOMO). We plan also to explore the advantages of Fuzzy Logic to build a set of linear models over the domain of possible software Line Of Code (LOC). The performance of the developed model was evaluated using NASA software projects data set [1]. A comparison between COCOMO tuned-PSO, Fuzzy Logic (FL), Halstead, Walston-Felix, Bailey-Basili and Doty models were provided.