Abstract Problem In 2010, Haiti sustained a devastating earthquake that crippled the health-care infrastructure in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, and left 1.5 million people homeless. Subsequently, there was an increase in reported tuberculosis in the affected population. Approach We conducted active tuberculosis case finding in a camp for internally displaced persons and a nearby slum. Community health workers screened for tuberculosis at the household level. People with persistent cough were referred to a physician. The National Tuberculosis Program continued its national tuberculosis reporting system. Local setting Even before the earthquake, Haiti had the highest tuberculosis incidence in the Americas. About half of the tuberculosis cases occur in the Port-au-Prince region. Relevant changes The number of reported tuberculosis cases in Haiti has increased after the earthquake, but data are too limited to determine if this is due to an increase in tuberculosis burden or to improved case detection. Compared to previous national estimates (230 per 100 000 population), undiagnosed tuberculosis was threefold higher in a camp for internally displaced persons (693 per 100 000) and fivefold higher in an urban slum (1165 per 100 000). With funding from the World Health Organization (WHO), active case finding is now being done systematically in slums and camps. Lessons learnt Household-level screening for prolonged cough was effective in identifying patients with active tuberculosis in this study. Without accurate data, early detection of rising tuberculosis rates is challenging; data collection should be incorporated into pragmatic disease response programmes.


Adversarial reprogramming, introduced by Elsayed, Goodfellow, and Sohl-Dickstein, seeks to repurpose a neural network to perform a different task, by manipulating its input without modifying its weights. We prove that two-layer ReLU neural networks with random weights can be adversarially reprogrammed to achieve arbitrarily high accuracy on Bernoulli data models over hypercube vertices, provided the network width is no greater than its input dimension. We also substantially strengthen a recent result of Phuong and Lampert on directional convergence of gradient flow, and obtain as a corollary that training two-layer ReLU neural networks on orthogonally separable datasets can cause their adversarial reprogramming to fail. We support these theoretical results by experiments that demonstrate that, as long as batch normalisation layers are suitably initialised, even untrained networks with random weights are susceptible to adversarial reprogramming. This is in contrast to observations in several recent works that suggested that adversarial reprogramming is not possible for untrained networks to any degree of reliability.


Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) promotes malignant development of cancer cells by enhancing invasion and metastasis. NK4, a competitive antagonist for HGF, is a bifunctional molecule that acts as a HGF antagonist and angiogenesis inhibitor. Although successful tumor inhibition by NK4 gene expression in tumor models has been demonstrated, the effects of systemic NK4 gene introduction are yet to be addressed. Here we show that systemic administration of a replication‐defective adenovirus expressing NK4 (Ad.NK4) inhibits tumor growth and lung metastasis of B16F10 melanoma and Lewis lung carcinoma in syngeneic mice. Single tail‐vein injection of Ad.NK4 achieved therapeutic levels of NK4 in the circulation and in multiple organs. Despite NK4 expression that was highest in the liver, toxicity in the liver was minimal. Ad.NK4‐mediated growth inhibition was associated with decreased blood vessel density and increased apoptosis in tumor tissues, which suggests that NK4 suppressed tumor growth as an angiogenesis inhibitor. Metastasis of B16F10 melanoma and Lewis lung carcinoma cells to the lung was potently inhibited by systemic Ad.NK4‐administration. Our results demonstrated that the adenovirus‐mediated induction of high levels of circulating NK4 significantly inhibited in vivo tumor growth and distant metastasis without obvious side effects. NK4 gene therapy is thus a safe and promising strategy for the treatment of cancer patients, and further validation in clinical trials is needed. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 1351–1358)


Cluster analysis of gauged streamflow records into homogeneous and robust regions is an important tool for the characterization of hydrologic systems. In this paper we applied the hierarchical cluster analysis to the task of objectively classifying streamflow data into regions encompassing similar streamflow patterns over Turkey. The performance of three standardization techniques was also tested, and standardizing by range was found better than standardizing with zero mean and unit variance. Clustering was carried out using Ward's minimum variance method which became prominent in managing water resources with squared Euclidean dissimilarity measures on 80 streamflow stations. The stations have natural flow regimes where no intensive river regulation had occurred. A general conclusion drawn is that the zones having similar streamflow pattern were not be overlapped well with the conventional climate zones of Turkey; however, they are coherent with the climate zones of Turkey recently redefined by the cluster analysis to total precipitation data as well as homogenous streamflow zones of Turkey determined by the rotated principal component analysis. The regional streamflow information in this study can significantly improve the accuracy of flow predictions in ungauged watersheds.


A growing number of studies provide evidence that female plumage coloration is indicative of individual quality and can influence male mate choice. In blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), both sexes exhibit bright ultraviolet (UV)-reflectant crown feathers, which have previously been shown to be attractive to the opposite sex. In males, there is evidence that UV reflectance of the crown feathers is an honest signal of quality in this species, but it is unclear whether this is the case for females. To address this, the UV signal (an index of relative UV reflectance specific to the visual sensitivities of the blue tit) of mothers was measured during brood rearing for 3 years (2008–2010) and related to indices of reproductive success, that is, lay date, clutch size, and number of chicks fledged and maternal state, that is, body condition and baseline corticosterone (CORT). Maternal UV signal was unrelated to clutch size but was positively correlated with number of chicks fledged in 3 years. Maternal UV signal was also negatively correlated with lay date, but this was not consistent across years. In addition, maternal UV signal was negatively correlated with baseline CORT in all years but was not predictive of body condition. Taken together, these results provide evidence that female plumage coloration is indicative of female quality and may serve as a signal for mate choice. Further, it provides novel evidence that maternal baseline CORT is associated with UV plumage signal in free-living birds and may be an important mechanistic link between an individual's ornamentation, state, and reproductive performance.


After four years of negotiations, the United Kingdom and the United States finally released on October 7, 2019, the text of their Data-sharing agreement aiming to facilitate the cross-border access to electronic data for the purpose of countering serious crime. This long-awaited agreement is the first of the executive agreements envisioned by the CLOUD Act. It is, as rightly said, "critically important providing not just a window into the U.S. and U.K.'s approach but also presumably setting out a basic blueprint for other agreements that may follow". Indeed, the US and the European Union have recently begun negotiations in order to conclude an agreement in this field, while the US and Australia also announced having started similar negotiations.

Before rushing to judgment on what this Agreement means for transatlantic law enforcement access, and, in particular, how a future EU-US agreement might differ, it is essential to understand its provisions, the safeguards, and how the mechanisms of direct access to data introduced by the Agreement will work.

The objective of this paper is to unpack, to the extent possible, the terms of the UK/US agreement not only to understand the basic mechanisms underlying it, but also to consider what are the International and Human Rights Law implications – including from a European Law perspective.

The article first provides two graphic Charts that intend to show when and how (and under which conditions) data can be requested from cloud service providers (CSPs) by either the U.S. or the U.K. under the agreement, and when other means of access to e-evidence (such as MLATs) should be used.

The paper then presents a series of 21 first thoughts, comments and questions on the content of the Agreement. It considers that, while the Agreement contains some useful elements that could inspire an EU/US Agreement, several other issues remain unclear and uncertain while others are problematic. They raise a series of important questions that need to be addressed in order to better understand what could be the implications of this agreement for the EU/US ongoing negotiations and, more generally, for EU law.

Some of the issues discussed in this paper include the following:

- The fundamental question of whether the first part of the CLOUD Act remains applicable despite the Agreement, which could give the possibility to US authorities to bypass in some circumstances the targeting limitations (exclusion of persons located in the UK) of the Agreement rendering, in such circumstances, the reciprocity provisions of the Agreement an empty shell.

- The more general question concerning the relation and interaction between the Agreement and the domestic laws of the two countries;

- The fact that the Agreement, in sharp contrast with the E-Evidence draft Regulation, does not include any mechanisms for resolution of conflicts of laws;

- The question whether transfer of EU data by CSPs under the UK/US CLOUD Act Agreement could conflict with the GDPR;

- The fact that, as shown by the two Charts, the legal regime is not the same when the UK wishes to access data as compared to when the US does so: the UK cannot access data of "US persons" – while the US can access data of UK persons not located in the UK;

- The fact that the Agreement does not require as such a judicial authorization before issuing an order to CSPs for production of content data and metadata – and why this creates uncertainties about the legal regime;

- The fact that the Agreement seems to be not just about law enforcement access to data during ongoing criminal investigations and proceedings, but also about access by national security agencies. Indeed, the Agreement could give the impression of enabling intelligence agencies such as the NSA or the GCHQ to request content data or metadata from CSPs for the "prevention" of serious crime such as terrorism;

- The wiretap provisions of the UK/US Agreement;

- A discussion of the Human Rights provisions of the Agreement;

- A comparison of its content with European standards;

- The question of what could be the influence of the UK-US Agreement for the EU/US negotiations;

…And several other issues.


Gravitational waves are usually described in terms of a transverse and traceless (TT) tensor, which allows to introduce the so-called TT coordinates. However, another possible approach is based on the use of a Fermi coordinates system, defined in the vicinity of the world-line of an observer arbitrarily moving in spacetime. In particular, Fermi coordinates have a direct operational meaning, since they are the coordinates an observer would use to perform space and time measurements; indeed, using these coordinates the metric tensor contains (up to the required approximation level) only quantities that are invariant under coordinate transformations internal to the reference frame. Using this approach it is simple to emphasise that what an observer measures depends both on the background field where he is moving and, also, on his kind of motion. This is quite similar to what happens when we study classical mechanics in non inertial frames: inertial forces appear, depending on the peculiar motion of the frame with respect to an inertial one. We show that using Fermi coordinates the effects of a plane gravitational wave can be described by gravitoelectromagnetic fields: in other words, the wave field is equivalent to the action of a gravitoelectric and a gravitomagnetic field, that are transverse to the propagation direction and orthogonal to each other. In particular, the gravito-magnetic field acts on spinning particles and we show that, due to the action of the gravitational wave field a gravitomagnetic resonance may appear. We give both a classical and a quantum description of this phenomenon and suggest that it can be used as the basis for a new type of gravitational wave detectors.


Ancient Lives provides new perspectives on object, people and place in early Scotland and beyond. The 19 papers cover topics ranging from the Neolithic to the Medieval period, and from modern museum practice to ancient craft skills. The material culture of ancient lives is centre stage – how it was created and used, how it was rediscovered and thought about, and how it is displayed.

Dedicated to Professor David V Clarke, former Keeper of Archaeology in National Museums Scotland, on his 70th birthday, the book comprises three sections which reflect some of his many interests. "Presenting the past" offers perspectives on current museum practice, especially in relation to archaeological displays. "Ancient lives and multiple lives" looks at antiquarian approaches to the Scottish past and the work of a Scottish antiquary abroad, while "Pieces of the past" offers a series of authoritative case-studies on Scottish artefacts, as well as papers on the iconic site of Skara Brae and on the impact of the Roman world on Scotland.

With subjects ranging from Gordon Childe to the Govan Stones and from gaming pieces to Grooved Ware, this scholarly and accessible volume provides a show-case of new information and new perspectives on material culture linked, but not limited to, Scotland.


A rare group of blood known as Bombay blood group was discovered in Mumbai formerly known as Bombay more than five decades ago, which lacks A, B, AB and O type. A theoretical model of human Galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase 1/FUT gene is predicted. The model was generated by application of homology modeling and structure prediction approaches. As the template homology to the query sequence is too low a multiple online modeling and prediction server is used. The output has a several challenge with poor homology and predicted results, finally a scratch server and HH-pred server output showed some promising results with 100% query coverage model generation and validated using ProSA and PROCHECK. Keywords: In silico, homology modeling, galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase, FUT 1


Problem. Educators are faced with significant challenges daily as they attempt to meet the diverse needs of students. The establishment of school-based problem solving teams is one approach that supports teachers and students. This study will determine if personality preferences of team members impact the effectiveness of teams involved in the Connecticut Early Intervention Project (EIP). EIP incorporates a team approach providing assistance to requesting classroom teachers who have students experiencing difficulties. Method. The research design consisted of a comparison of two groups of Connecticut public schools that participated in the Early Intervention Project (EIP) and were trained accordingly. Schools that had 12% or less of their student population identified as special education were classified as successful EIP schools. Schools that had more than 12% o f their student population identified as special education were classified as non-successful EIP schools. The dependent variables in this study consisted of the eight interval scales on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Data were statistically analyzed by including Independent Sample t-tests at the .05 level of significance. Chi Square analysis was conducted on the 93 MBTI items and tested at the probability level of .05. A total of 173 team members from 26 schools were part of the database. Results. The results showed that the difference in the means between both groups, based on the 8 interval scales of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is not statistically significant. No difference in the personality type preferences of successful and non-successful EIP trained schools was found. Conclusions. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that personality factors influence the effectiveness of EIP teams with respect to the determination of eligibility of students for special education. The study concludes that regardless of a team member's personality preferences, there is a need to appreciate the diversity and skills that all team members contribute to the team 's functioning.


Chest pain is common in medical consultations. One of the most frequent and serious causes is acute ischemic heart disease, which must be ruled out. The gold standard is coronary angiography. Noncardiac recurrent chest pain has a favorable prognosis. The most frequent cause is esophageal disease, with a prevalence of between 20% and 50%. The most frequent form is gastroesophageal reflux disease followed by esophageal motor disorders. Empirical treatment with high-dose proton pump inhibitors should be considered as a diagnostic-therapeutic test before performing exhaustive complementary investigations of esophageal function. Among complementary tests, manometry combined with 24-hour pH-metry has the highest diagnostic yield. Antidepressants are an acceptable therapeutic option in patients with esophageal visceral hyperalgesia.


Uterine tissue from pregnant bitches was investigated by qualitative RT-PCR for the gene expression of local factors potentially important for the implantation of canine embryos. For this purpose, 10 bitches identified as being at the time of implantation or early placentation by means of ultrasonography before ovariohysterectomy (days 20-35, n = 10) provided tissues for comparison to tissue collected in a previous study and identified as early pregnant (n = 10) or non-pregnant (n = 4) by embryo flushing after ovariohysterectomy (days 10-12 after mating; Schäfer-Somi et al. 2008). Uterine tissue was excised from the middle of the left horn from early pregnant and non-pregnant animals, including from interplacental and placentation sites. The following genes were investigated: CD-4, -8; cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, -2; granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF); hepatocyte growth factor (HGF); insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, -2; transforming growth factor (TGF) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha; interferon (IFN)-gamma; interleukin (IL)-1beta, -2, -4, -6, -8, -10, -12; leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and leptin. Gene expression for CD-8, COX-1, TGF-beta, HGF, IGF-1, IL-2, -4,-10, IFN-gamma and LIF were detected in the pre-implantation uterus, and all except IL-2 and -10 were still detectable during the implantation and placentation stage. During implantation, mRNA for IGF-2 and GM-CSF were additionally detected. The dioestrous uterus differed from the pregnant uterus because of the absence of CD-8, IL-4 and IFN-gamma and the expression of CD-4, TNF-alpha and IL-6. The results suggest that IL-4, IFN-gamma, CD-8, GM-CSF and IGF-2 are regulated in a pregnancy-specific manner and that GM-CSF and IGF-2 probably have growth supporting and immune modulating functions during implantation of the canine embryo.


Urban experimentation with sustainability has been gaining prominence in policy and academic discourses about urban transformations, spurring the creation of urban living laboratories and transition arenas. However, the academic literature has only begun examining why experimentation flourishes in particular cities, and why it conforms to place-specific styles. Meanwhile, the strategic niche management (SNM) tradition has extensively explored how protective spaces for experimentation emerge but has dealt only tangentially with why this happens in particular places. In this paper, we develop an approach for unpacking the formation of favourable environments for experimentation in specific places. We adopt an abductive research design to create a dialogue between distinct theoretical positions and one in-depth case study. Our case examines the formation of the Bristol energy scene, which hosts a variety of experimental initiatives concerning civic energy alternatives. Based on our findings, we refine the understanding of the processes shaping this experimental setting. There is value in characterising the 'genealogy' of experimental spaces and acknowledging their antecedents, path-dependencies and place-specificities. Efforts to foster urban transformation demand nuanced accounts of how places become experimental because they are not static backgrounds for experimentation.


This paper reviews theories, current conditions, and barriers to liquidization and concentration of farmland in Japan and discusses perspectives on further research. We make special effort in introducing theoretical approach to understand institutional barriers to farmland liquidization, such as the farmland law system, compensation for tenants' investment, farmland transaction costs, and the high potential for farmland conversion. Since many of the studies in Japan on this topic are anecdotal or based on case studies, econometric studies from overseas that use detailed data are selectively reviewed for reference. Future studies should consider linkage and complementarities between anecdotal or case studies and quantitative approaches. Quantitative studies that test various hypotheses in debate are required. Use of farm or region level panel data should be useful and effective to take into consideration for identification of causality. Rigorous policy evaluations are also necessary for assessing and improving policies that promote structural adjustment.


T cells activated via integrin receptors can polarize and start crawling locomotion with repeated cycles of cytoskeletal reassembly processes, many of which depend on phosphorylation. We demonstrate that protein kinase C (PKC) activation represents an essential event in induction of active T cell motility. We find that in crawling T cells triggered via cross-linking of integrin LFA-1 two PKC isoenzymes, beta(I) and delta, are targeted to the cytoskeleton with specific localization corresponding to the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) and microtubules, as detected by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting. Clustering of LFA-1 associated with its signaling function also occurs at the membrane sites adjacent to the MTOC. We further show that cells of a PKC-beta-deficient clone derived from parental PKC-beta-expressing T cell line can neither crawl nor develop a polarized microtubule array upon integrin cross-linking. However, their adhesion and formation of actin-based pseudopodia remain unaffected. Our data demonstrate the critical importance of the microtubule cytoskeleton in T cell locomotion and suggest a novel microtubule-directed intracellular signaling pathway mediated by integrins and involving two distinctive PKC isoforms.


Background Non-traumatic out of hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) is one of the leading causes of death in western world. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the most common aetiology of OOHCA with a culprit artery lesion identified on invasive angiography. However, 1/3rd of patients with OOHCA have unobstructed coronaries on angiography. Non-invasive tissue characterisation by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has the potential to establish the final diagnosis in patients with OOHCA with obstructed coronaries as well as with unobstructed coronary arteries. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the database in our tertiary cardiothoracic centre from October 2009 to November 2013. We identified 54 consecutive patients who were referred for a CMR following an OOHCA. A comprehensive CMR protocol with cine, oedema and scar imaging was used. All scans were done within 6–8 weeks of the index event and was reported by a consultant with >10years of experience in CMR. Results Out of the 54 patients (16 female, age range 21–84 years), 29 (54%) had coronary artery disease, in which the culprit was treated by primary angioplasty and 25 (46%) patients had unobstructed coronaries. Of the latter, 3 had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 4 had myocarditis or cardiac sarcoid, 2 had non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy, 2 had LV non-compaction (LVNC) cardiomyopathy, 7 had nonspecific abnormalities and 9 had completely normal CMR scan. In all patients (n = 29) with significant CAD on angiography CMR identified a myocardial infarction (100%). So in total, 40/54 (74%) of OOHCA, a cause was found on CMR. In 11/25 (44%) of OOHCA with unobstructed coronaries a diagnosis was made whereas in 9/25 (36%), a normal CMR was suggestive of a primary arrhythmic cause, thereby guiding further therapy (ICD). Conclusions In adults surviving a non-traumatic OOHCA with unobstructed coronaries on angiogram, CMR could identify the underlying aetiology in the large majority of cases. This has potential implications for treatment and prognosis.


ErbB3 is a critical activator of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; ErbB1), ErbB2 [human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)], and [hepatocyte growth factor receptor (MET)] addicted cancers, and reactivation of ErbB3 is a prominent method for cancers to become resistant to ErbB inhibitors. In this study, we evaluated the in vivo efficacy of a therapeutic anti-ErbB3 antibody, MM-121. We found that MM-121 effectively blocked ligand-dependent activation of ErbB3 induced by either EGFR, HER2, or MET. Assessment of several cancer cell lines revealed that MM-121 reduced basal ErbB3 phosphorylation most effectively in cancers possessing ligand-dependent activation of ErbB3. In those cancers, MM-121 treatment led to decreased ErbB3 phosphorylation and, in some instances, decreased ErbB3 expression. The efficacy of single-agent MM-121 was also examined in xenograft models. A machine learning algorithm found that MM-121 was most effective against xenografts with evidence of ligand-dependent activation of ErbB3. We subsequently investigated whether MM-121 treatment could abrogate resistance to anti-EGFR therapies by preventing reactivation of ErbB3. We observed that an EGFR mutant lung cancer cell line (HCC827), made resistant to gefitinib by exogenous heregulin, was resensitized by MM-121. In addition, we found that a de novo lung cancer mouse model induced by EGFR T790M-L858R rapidly became resistant to cetuximab. Resistance was associated with an increase in heregulin expression and ErbB3 activation. However, concomitant cetuximab treatment with MM-121 blocked reactivation of ErbB3 and resulted in a sustained and durable response. Thus, these results suggest that targeting ErbB3 with MM-121 can be an effective therapeutic strategy for cancers with ligand-dependent activation of ErbB3.


Earlier it was shown that in the model of low-energy quantum gravity by the author, observations of Supernovae 1a and GRBs, which are corrected by observers for characteristic for the standard cosmological model time dilation, may be fitted with the theoretical luminosity distance curve only up to z ~ 0:5; for higher redshifts the predicted luminosity distance is essentially bigger. The model itself has not time dilation due to another redshift mechanism. It is shown here that a correction of observations for no time dilation leads to a good accordance of observations and theoretical predictions for all achieved redshifts.


Bone implants are medical procedures involving replacement or reconstruction of missing or damaged bones with the patient's ones, natural substitutes or artificial substitutes. The widely used bone cement is a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) based composite material. To improve bioactivity, PMMA is combined with hydroxyapatite (HA). The manual formation can make bone implants during surgery. However, the method requires a longer operation time and raises the possibility of a higher error. Therefore, 3D printing technology is used to improve the quality of bone implants. One of the machines that can be used is the 3D printing machine, the property of the Product Design and Development Laboratory of Universitas Gadjah Mada. This machine needs to be tested to determine the accuracy of the prints, which is one indicator of product quality. Several machine parameters can be set in this machine setting. This study aims to determine the effect of three parameters, those are perimeter speed or edge print speed (20-40 mm / s), infill speed or inner print speed (50 - 70 mm / s), and fill angle or inner slope of inner printing (45 - 90 ° C). Before printing complex shapes, the machine was tested in advance with a more straightforward specimen design, which is a specimen design of flexural strength test. Response surface experiment design is used to determine the effect of three parameters on the dimensional accuracy which is measured through dimensional error. The results show that these three factors have no significant impact on the dimensional error, but the resulting error is still high. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the design size before printing.


As the frequency of operation for analog integrated circuits (IC) reaches the millimeter-wave band, while a corresponding rise-time is achieved by the digital counterpart, propagation effects in devices and ICs need to be accounted for with higher precision than that attained ever before. From a full-wave formulation, based on the coupling of the transport equations of the carriers to the Maxwell's equations, equivalent circuit models for canonical waveguiding structures on semiconductor substrates are developed. Asymptotic considerations given to the limiting cases of zero and high-level doping, as well as excitation by a static field can serve as an effective means to select the appropriate equivalent circuit, while providing insight to the physical relevance of the circuit elements to carrier interactions with the field.


There is reason to believe that factors such as physical exertion and behavioural changes will influence the ascending walking speed and ultimately the possibility of satisfactory evacuation. To study these effects, a 2‐year research project was initiated with the focus on effects of physical exertion on walking speeds, physiological performance and behaviours during long ascending evacuations. Two sets of experiments on human performance during ascending long stairs, with a height of 48 and 109 m, were performed. The results include aspects such as walking speeds, physical exertion (oxygen consumption, heart rates and electromyography data), perceived exertion and behavioural changes, showing that physical work capacity affects walking speeds in case of long ascending evacuation and should be considered while using long ascending evacuation. Analysis of both walking and vertical speeds is recommended because it provides additional insights on the impact of stair configuration on vertical displacement and the importance of not using the same value for walking speed for different stairs because the design of the stairs has an impact. The novel datasets presented in this paper are deemed to provide useful information for fire safety engineers both for assisting fire safety design as well as the calibration of evacuation modelling tools. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Studies in the field of sociology of innovation and economics of technical change have shown that technologies and their markets are highly intermingled. If we accept that technologies can shape the market, it leads to paying attention to how technologies are designed and developed. Indeed, the characteristics of technologies influence the nature of the competition (network externalities, increasing returns to adoption,...). The importance of co-operative R&D agreements is mostly analysed in terms of successes and failures or in terms of reduction of transaction costs. But, does the mode of development of technics have effects on the characteristics of the technical objects ? The impact of the mode of development of the technics on the characteristics of technics is still mysterious. Could it be that one of the determinants of the characteristics of technologies is the way in which technological development is organised ? The aim of this paper is to present some hypotheses about the consequence of R&D co-operation on the characteristics of the technical object in an actor network perspective.Thanks to an ethnographic study of the mode of coordination of a Eureka project, the role of technics as a mechanism of coordination is highlighted. Thus, technical choices can be analysed as the result of the identity of the actors of the cooperation, of their mutual trust and of the form of cooperation. Hence, the form and the nature of the technical object, which shapes the market, are the result of the organisation of its development.


Brazil is one of the countries with the highest incidence of cases of Covid-19. However, instead of cooperation between federal, state, and municipal governments, there is a conflict of opinions on how to proceed with the pandemic. In order to reduce the Covid-19 progression and consequences, a national project should be executed, but the pandemic seems to have magnified a crisis not only in health, but also in the political sphere. Considering that in the light of Brazilian laws the president can't interfere with the governors' decisions and, presently, collaboration among authorities is extremely necessary to face new challenges, in this article we discuss the antagonistic situation in Brazil today, concerning a reality in which there is no homogeneous state policy being applied, but a clash between the federal government and the state and municipal governments, generating great disarray among citizens, who are unsure as to which indications to follow.


association with thrombo-embolic complications and to refine our care of patients with this condition. Method: All patients referred for STP or query DVT, between 2000 and 2008 with STP had a colour flow duplex scan (CFDS). All case notes and scans were available for review. Results: Two hundred and ten patients had STP. Two hundred and ninetyone CFDS were performed and each patient had at least one scan. Predisposing factors to STP included varicose veins (31%), previous DVT/phlebitis (20%), cancer (13%), recent long distance travel (12%), trauma (6%), puerperium (2%) and use of oral contraceptive pills (2%). Thrombus was located along the course of the long saphenous vein in 171 patients (82%) and short saphenous vein in 39 patients (18%). Sixty-four patients (30%) had a thrombo-embolic complication: 57 DVTs; 7 PEs. Fourteen patients had DVT which progressed to PE. Treatment was a variety of combinations of antibiotics, NSAIDS, compression stockings, warfarin, low-molecular-weight heparin and surgical disconnection (28). Eleven patients had a change of treatment plan following a follow-up scan. Conclusion: Our findings show that STP is far from a benign condition with potential life-threatening thrombotic complications occurring in a third of patients. The benefits of operative intervention are unclear and studies are needed to answer this question as well as the best medical management.


The acute effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on progesterone biosynthesis by hen granulosa cells in short term culture was investigated. Pretreatment of cells for 5 h with EGF at concentrations of 1000-4000 ng/ml inhibited LH-stimulated progesterone production by 54%. Shorter EGF pretreatment times of 1 and 3 h caused 25% and 35% inhibition of LH-stimulated progesterone production, respectively. In additional experiments, EGF was found to inhibit progesterone production in response to 8-bromo-cAMP (1 mM) and forskolin (100 microM) by 34% and 35%, respectively. EGF had no effect on the conversion of 25-hydroxy-cholesterol or pregnenolone to progesterone, indicating that one site at which EGF inhibits progesterone biosynthesis is distal to cAMP generation, but before the side-chain cleavage step. EGF also inhibited LH-stimulated cAMP production by 32%, but had no effect on forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation. This indicated that there was a second site of EGF action in these cells, probably at the level of LH receptor coupling to the adenylate cyclase. Nerve growth factor (4000 ng/ml) had no effect on progesterone production, but fibroblast growth factor (4000 ng/ml) facilitated LH-stimulated progesterone production. The results demonstrate that the acute inhibitory effect of EGF on LH-stimulated progesterone biosynthesis in hen granulosa cells is due to its action at two sites: one at a site before the production of cAMP and the other at a step beyond cAMP generation.


Irrigation development is essential for reducing vulnerability to water resource scarcity, food insecurity, and climate change impacts in Egypt. The centralized irrigation development must, however, overcome the challenges of the diversity of smallholders and the pre‐existing, individualistic irrigation management. The purpose of this paper is to examine the farmers' characteristics that influence the design and success of irrigation improvement programmes in the Old Lands of Egypt. The paper investigates this issue from the perspectives of farmers by analysing farm features, agricultural practices, irrigation practices, and satisfaction with water services. The clustering method is applied to create farmer groups within the geographical area of the programme and seek consistent differences that affect the outcome of irrigation improvement. The results show that farmers are less diverse in their agrotechnology and more heterogenous in terms of capacities, livelihood sources, and land tenure structures. The article argues that grouping methods to deploy improved irrigation infrastructure should give more consideration to the farmers' individual features. Programmes intended to replicate such irrigation development or leverage the existing results should address these particularities to create a socially adaptive environment for future irrigation investment in Egypt.


A new method to simulate the daylight performance of fenestration systems and spaces is presented. This new method, named IDC (Integration of Directional Coefficients), allows the simulation of the daylight performance of fenestration systems and spaces of arbitrary complexity, under any sun, sky and ground conditions. The IDC method is based on the combination of scale model photometry and computer-based simulation. Physical scale models are used to experimentally determine a comprehensive set of {open_quotes}directional illuminance coefficients{close_quotes} at reference points of interest, which are then used in analytical, computer-based routines, to determine daylight factors or actual daylight illuminance values under any sun, sky and ground conditions. The main advantage of the IDC method is its applicability to any optically complex environment. Moreover, the computer-based analytical routines are fast enough to allow for hourly simulation of the daylight performance over the course of an entire year. However, the method requires appropriate experimental facilities for the determination of the Directional Coefficients. The IDC method has been implemented and used successfully in inter-validation procedures with various daylight simulation computer programs. Currently, it is used to simulate the daylight performance of fenestration systems that incorporate optically complex components, such as Venetian blinds, optically treated lightmore » shelves and light pipes.« less


This study examines the impact of change in Rhiw and Llanfaelrhys between 1782 and 1947 with particular respect to settlement pattern and land utilisation. Anticipated characteristics from this part of highland rural Britain requiring confirmation included dispersed settlement, interdependent agrarian communities, pastoral. farming with subsistent crop growing, poor overland communications and intermittent mineral extraction. Expectations included the slow diffusion of ideas with fewer, more gradual, less effective changes occurring later than in lowland Britain. Certain additional characteristics could be anticipated due to the Welsh context.Considerable evidence of a varied nature, including previously unpublished material has been examined. The period studied has been subdivided into five phases of approximately thirty years duration. In each phase the themes of continuity and change are examined with particular reference to settlement, economic affairs and social issues.The evidence indicates that the dispersed settlement pattern remained a constant feature. Throughout the study period agriculture formed the basis of the local economy. The stability given by the persistence in the siting of farmhouses, of land holdings and land ownership patterns and by the gradual acceptance of appropriate innovation underpinned other fluctuations in the economy. The Enclosure Acts heralded changes in the distribution of cottages and in the occupations and social status of their inhabitants.The impact of manganese mining fluctuated. In boom periods the influx of Englishmen brought new influences and increased earnings eased the cottagers' poverty. Later tourism became a secondary source of income. Despite these external forces the anticipated influence of religion, education, the Welsh language and culture combined to resist anglicisation.Change occurred but was absorbed within the economic and cultural background. This study illustrates that the concept of continuity was within the parishes of Rhiw and Llanfaelrhys, more influential between 1782 and 1947 than that of change.


Biodiversity indicates the potential of any aquatic system and also depicts its trophic status. It is important to have an adequate knowledge of the constituent biota especially for the purpose of conservation and management of the inland water resources such as rivers, reservoirs and ponds. Ichthyofaunal studies were undertaken during July-2009 to June-2010 in Pakhanjoor reservoir Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, India. The aim of the paper was to assess the variety and abundance of the important fish fauna inhabiting this region. 42 fish fauna identified during the study belongs to Cyprinidae 23 species, Bagridae 04, Cobitidae and Ophiocephalidae 03, Siluridae and Centoopomidae 02, and a species each of Saccobranchidae, Claridae, Mugilidae, Nandidae and Gobidae. The species diversity is peak in post monsoon and was low in premonsoon. To save this diversity and to develop a sustainable fishery practices and proper documentation, leading to diversity information system is an urgent need. The paper describes the detailed species composition their relative contribution and also some important points that may help to better understand the current scenario of ichthyofaunal diversity.


Under IFRS, managers can use two approaches to increase the estimated fair value of goodwill in order to justify not recognizing impairment: (1) make overly optimistic valuation assumptions, and (2) increase future cash flow forecasts by inflating current cash flows. Because enforcement constrains the use of optimistic valuation assumptions, we hypothesize that enforcement influences the relative use of these two choices. We test this hypothesis by comparing a sample of 1,958 firms from 36 countries that are likely to delay recognizing goodwill impairment (suspect firms) to a sample of control firms. First, we find that firms in high enforcement countries use a higher discount rate to test goodwill for impairment than firms in low enforcement countries. We also find a more positive association between discount rate and upward cash flow management for suspect firms than for control firms. This result is consistent with suspect firms substituting optimistic valuation assumptions with inflated current cash flows. Second, we find that, relative to control firms, suspect firms exhibit higher upward cash flow management in high enforcement countries than in low enforcement countries. Third, we show that suspect firms in high enforcement countries are more likely to eventually impair goodwill.


The Lower Ordovician Aguathuna Formation (∼100 m thick) is formed of shallow-marine carbonates, which constitute the uppermost part of the St. George Group of western Newfoundland. Sedimentation was paused by a major subaerial exposure (St. George Unconformity), which likely developed a significant pore system in the underlying carbonates by meteoric dissolution. The sequence has been affected by multiphase dolomitization that caused complex changes in the rock porosity. The Aguathuna dolomites are classified into three main generations ranging in crystal size between ∼4 µm and 2 mm. The occurrence of fabric-retentive dolomicrites implies that dolomitization likely started during the early stages of diagenesis. Although dolomitization is pervasive in the upper part of the formation and significantly occludes the pores, some intervals in the lower part have higher porosity. The development of lower permeable layers overlain by an impermeable (seal) cap suggests a possible potential diagenetic trap. Unlike sabkha deposits, the Aguathuna carbonates do not have evaporite interlayers. Furthermore, the low Sr contents (∼96 ppm) and the δ18O values of earlier dolomites (–3.3‰ to –6.9‰ VPDB (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite)) are also difficult to reconcile with a brine origin. The Sr/Ca molar ratios (0.0067–0.0009), calculated for the earliest dolomitizing fluid, suggest a modified seawater origin, likely mixed sea and meteoric waters. The least radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values of the earliest dolomite are consistent with those of early Ordovician seawater, which supports an early-stage diagenesis. Petrography, geochemistry, and fluid inclusions of the late dolomites suggest precipitation at higher temperatures (∼73–95 °C) in deeper burial environments from hydrothermal solutions.


In recent years several studies have highlighted how gentrification strategies are imposed under the discursive umbrella of 'social mixing'. However, most evidence is based on Anglo-Saxon experiences. This chapter sets out to expand the geography of gentrification by looking at the representation of processes and policies of gentrification as put forward by key stakeholders in the Nord-Neukölln (Berlin) and Indische Buurt (Amsterdam). It shows that, in both contexts, stakeholders and policy documents actively engage with the concept of gentrification, rather than avoid it. Due to public-policy influence and local criticisms this engagement differs between both cases. In Nord-Neukölln the term is heavily contested and policymakers attempt to refute accusations of gentrification, while in the Indische Buurt, the process is explicitly pursued as a positive policy instrument by policymakers. Different representations within each case are shown to be influenced by the characteristics of in-moving and out-moving residents; the employed timeframe; and the perceived influence of institutions on urban regeneration.


This paper presents an energy detection impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) receiver for radio frequency identification (RFID) and wireless sensor networks (WSN) applications. As opposed to coherent receivers, it uses simple square-integrate samplers, that allows low complexity and low power implementations. This prototype is composed by an analog front-end and timing-critical digital blocks in UMC 90nm CMOS process, and an Altera Cyclone III FPGA development kit for back-end processing, connected by a high speed mezzanine card (HSMC). Thanks to the flexible back-end on FPGA, the receiver is featured by high programmability and multi-mode operation which adopts a wide range of pulse rates and data rates, different modulation and synchronization schemes, and various channel environments.


Disorders of the auditory and vestibular central nervous system can be diagnosed more precisely by high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). MRI is mostly used for small intrameatal acoustic neuromas up to 10 mm, intracranial cholesteatomas, and multiple sclerosis. Positron emission tomography has advantages after acoustic or electric stimulation in the auditory cortex. PET is not yet a routine procedure in clinical diagnosis.


This paper presents a rate-distortion (R-D) optimized 3D wavelet video coder by extending the concept of space- frequency quantization (SFQ) from 2D to 3D. A lifting-based 3D (1T+2D) wavelet transform is deployed to process one part of the sequence at a time continuously, thus eliminating the boundary effects over GOPs. After 3D SFQ, in which an R-D based spatial-temporal tree-pruning process is used in conjunction with uniform quantization of wavelet coefficients, we apply an efficient progressive 3D entropy coder to further compress the quantized coefficients. Even without motion estimation, the new 3D SFQ video coder outperforms MPEG-4 and other 3D wavelet-based video coders for most sequences at the same bit rate.


Maintaining security and privacy in the Cloud is a complex task. The task is made even more challenging as the number of vulnerabilities associated with the cloud infrastructure and applications are increasing very rapidly. Understanding the security service level agreements (SSLAs) and privacy policies offered by service and infrastructure providers is critical for consumers to assess the risks of the Cloud before they consider migrating their IT operations to the Cloud. To address these concerns relative to the assessment of security and privacy risks of the Cloud, we have developed ontologies for representing security SLAs (SSLA) in this paper. Our ontologies for SSLAs can be used to understand the security agreements of a provider, to negotiate desired security levels, and to audit the compliance of a provider with respect to federal regulations (such as HIPAA).


This paper focuses on one emerging aspect of tort litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers that, if it gained traction, portends a dramatic (and potentially counterproductive) expansion in the prescription drug industry's exposure to liability. A growing chorus of commentators would impose on pharmaceutical manufacturers a broader duty to test and educate (aspects of what they call an obligation of "product stewardship" or "informed choice"). This paper explains the serious flaws in such proposals, but it also suggests one novel basis for imposing liability (distribution restrictions) that might make some sense. Genuine product stewardship, at least if understood as an effort to make the most of a scarce resource, strikes me as far more defensible than the approaches suggested by other commentators.


BACKGROUND
Elastin derived peptides can regulate melanocyte precursor development. Ultraviolet irradiation, infrared radiation and heat can increase the synthesis of tropoelastin in human skin epidermis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the over expressed tropoelastin in epidermis has some role in melanogenesis of melanocytes.

METHODS
A375 human melanoma cells were treated with different concentrations of kappa elastin for 24 hours. A375 human melanoma cells were randomly assigned to control, kappa elastin, and lactose pre-incubated groups. The cell viabilities were detected by the methyl thiazoleterazolium assay. Melanin content and tyrosinase activity in A375 melanoma cells were measured. The expressions of endothelin B receptor (ET(B)R) mRNA and c-kit mRNA in A375 melanoma cells were measured by quantative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS
Fifty µg/ml of kappa elastin significantly increased the melanin content by 56.64% compared with the control (P < 0.05). Kappa elastin increased cellular tyrosinase activity by 46.73% compared with the control at 24 hours (P < 0.05). Kappa elastin increased the expressions of ET(B)R and c-kit mRNA levels by 2.13-fold and 2.47-fold compared with the controls, respectively. When pre-incubating cells with a lactose solution (10 mmol/L), the inhibition on melanin production was 34.96% compared with the kappa elastin group (P < 0.05), tyrosinase activity was inhibited by 29.93% compared with kappa elastin group (P < 0.05), and the expressions of ET(B)R mRNA and c-kit mRNA were decreased by 1.56-fold and 0.82-fold compared with kappa elastin group, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Kappa elastin increased the melanogenesis in A375 melanoma cells via the stimulation of tyrosinase activity and the expression of ET(B)R and c-kit. The over expressed tropoelastin produced by keratinocytes might play a role in melanogenesis of epidermal melanocytes.


Background: The development of polymeric micelles for site-specific drug delivery is an exponentially growing field of research. In this context, we have designed two degradable amphiphilic copolymers, the poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(benzyl malate) (PEG42-b-PMLABe73) and the biotin-poly(ethylene glycol)- b-poly(benzyl malate) (Biot-PEG62-b-PMLABe73). The copolymer bearing biotin residue was synthesized in order to formulate micelles for grafting biotinylated cyclic RGD peptide onto their surface via the bridging streptavidin. Objective: Our study aimed at investigating the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of such micelles and to evaluate the potential of these nanovectors for hepatocyte-targeted drug delivery. Methods: The toxicity of micelles obtained by the nanoprecipitation method and characterized by dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurement was evaluated in vitro using the differentiated hepatocyte-like HepaRG cells and in vivo in mice. Results: The micelles derived from PEG42-b-PMLABe73, Biot-PEG62-b-PMLABe73 and RGDBiot-Strept- Biot-PEG62-b-PMLABe73 did not affect the cell proliferation and apoptotic indexes in HepaRG hepatoma cells and were well tolerated in mice following systemic injection. The hydrophobic fluorescent probes DiD oil and DiR were efficiently encapsulated in PEG-b-PMLABe-derived micelles allowing the visualization of their uptake into HepaRG cells. Furthermore, the addition of RGD peptide onto micelles strongly enhanced the cell uptake in vitro and liver targeting in vivo. Conclusion: These data demonstrate the low toxicity of poly(benzyl malate) derived copolymers towards hepatocyte- like cells and emphasize their potential use for the design of liver targeting nanovectors


In this paper a novel automated and unsupervised method for removing artifacts from multichannel field potential signals is introduced which can be used in brain computer interface (BCI) applications. The method, which is called minimum noise estimate (MNE) filter is based on an iterative thresholding followed by Rayleigh quotient which tries to find an estimate of the noise and to minimize it over the original signal. MNE filter is capable to operate without any prior information about field potential signals. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by its application on two different type of signals namely electrocorticogram (ECoG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) datasets through a decoding procedure. The results indicate that the proposed method outperforms well-known artifacts removal techniques such as common average referencing (CAR), Laplacian method, independent component analysis (ICA) and wavelet denoising approach.


The results reviewed here demonstrate that 1. the distribution of dry mass as observed in frozen-dried cryosections might be used as an unbiased measure of intracellular dry mass resp. water distributions in the tissue in vivo and 2. the well-known loss of water from cells during aging is solely due to a water loss from mitochondria without changes in the water content of all other components of the cell in the case of rat liver and heart muscle. The reason for the water loss might be increased counter ion binding by membrane-bound enzymes due to decreased fluidity of the inner mitochondrial membrane with aging rather than changes of the permeability of the membrane or chemical modifications of mitochondrial proteins or DNA. It is assumed that the observed changes lead to decreased intramitochondrial diffusion of substrates and to conformational changes of enzymes. This would decrease both the velocity and the binding constants of certain energy-supplying reactions and could therefore play an important role in the aging process.


Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most commonly diagnosed malignant tumour in the world, with an incidence of about 356,000 and a mortality of about 145,000 per year in both non-muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive BC. Although a high percentage of urothelial cancers of the bladder are staged as nonmuscle-invasive, muscle invasion can already be found in about 30% of all patients at the time of initial diagnosis. The intention of the following article is to give an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of muscle-invasive and metastatic BC according to the latest update of the EAU (European Association of Urology) guidelines.


All glucokinase gene mutations identified to date have been localized to exons that are common to the pancreatic and hepatic isoforms of the enzyme. While impaired insulin secretion has been observed in glucokinase-deficient subjects the consequences of this mutation on hepatic glucose metabolism remain unknown. To examine this question hepatic glycogen concentration was measured in seven glucokinase-deficient subjects with normal glycosylated hemoglobin and 12 control subjects using 13C nuclear magnetic spectroscopy during a day in which three isocaloric mixed meals were ingested. The relative fluxes of the direct and indirect pathways of hepatic glycogen synthesis were also assessed using [1-13C]glucose in combination with acetaminophen to noninvasively sample the hepatic UDP-glucose pool. Average fasting hepatic glycogen content was similar in glucokinase-deficient and control subjects (279+/-20 vs 284+/-14 mM; mean+/-SEM), and increased in both groups after the meals with a continuous pattern throughout the day. However, the net increment in hepatic glycogen content after each meal was 30-60% lower in glucokinase-deficient than in the control subjects (breakfast, 46% lower, P < 0.02; lunch, 62% lower, P = 0.002; dinner; 30% lower, P = 0.04). The net increment over basal values 4 h after dinner was 105 +/-18 mM in glucokinase-deficient and 148+/-11 mM in control subjects (P = 0.04). In the 4 h after breakfast, flux through the gluconeogenic pathway relative to the direct pathway of hepatic glycogen synthesis was higher in glucokinase-deficient than in control subjects (50+/-2% vs 34+/-5%; P = 0.038). In conclusion glucokinase-deficient subjects have decreased net accumulation of hepatic glycogen and relatively augmented hepatic gluconeogenesis after meals. These results suggest that in addition to the altered beta cell function, abnormalities in liver glycogen metabolism play an important role in the pathogenesis of hyperglycemia in patients with glucokinase-deficient maturity onset diabetes of young.


The partner and localizer of BRCA2 (PALB2) gene was recently identified as a BRCA2-interacting protein and subsequently shown to be a Fanconi anemia gene (FANCN). Diseaseassociated point mutations resulting in protein truncation have been found in BRCA1/2 mutation–negative breast cancer families identifying PALB2 as a susceptibility gene for breast cancer. Aberrant promoter hypermethylation is a mechanism of inactivation of many tumor suppressor genes, including BRCA1 and p16 , in breast and ovarian cancer. We therefore investigated the methylation status of a 1512 bp typical CpG island located in the promoter and exon 1 region of the PALB2 gene in 130 sporadic and familial breast and ovarian primary tumors, 9 cell lines, and 10 normal cell specimens. We found two primary breast tumors from BRCA2 mutation carriers, four sporadic primary breast tumors, and four sporadic primary ovarian tumors showed hypermethylation of the core promoter region of PALB2 . All 10 normal tissue DNA had an unmethylated PALB2 promoter region. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR showed PALB2 expression to be reduced 28-fold in primary breast tumor with PALB2 promoter hypermethylation compared with matched normal breast tissue RNA. Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of PALB2 is more frequent than the reported level of PALB2 point mutations in breast tumors from BRCA1/2-negative families and is similar to the frequency of BRCA1 hypermethylation in inherited and sporadic breast and ovarian cancers. [Cancer Res 2008;68(4):998–1002]


In North America, the class yearbook is a well known cultural object, traditionally published in middle and high schools, as well as post-secondary institutions, these publications function as keepsake items for each school year. The tradition of the yearbook has, for the most part, survived from the early nineteenth century into the twenty-first century. However, the practice of producing class yearbooks is slowly changing due to the proliferation of digital and online media, and the popularity of social networking websites. This thesis uses the historical examination and physical analysis of a set of class yearbooks at the University of Rochester to answer the question: How do the class yearbooks at the University of Rochester illustrate evolving photographic and print technologies? By employing the use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis, this project chronicles the 153-year run of the annual student yearbook production at the University of Rochester, Interpres, to illustrate how this yearbook production has changed physically, visually, and contextually over time.


In this paper, a CMOS phase to digital transducer for optical incremental sensors is newly proposed. This chip adopts a proposed phase-shift method to easily generate phase shifts of signals by using a resistor chain. Different to PLL-based and ADC-based interpolation, the complexity and hardware cost can be relaxed in this proposed chip. Based upon the device parameters of 0.5 µm 2P2M CMOS technology with 5 V power supply, all the functions and performance of the proposed CMOS phase to digital transducer for optical incremental sensors are successfully tested and proven through measurements. The physical layout including ESD I/O pads is 2010 × 1500 µm2. The proposed chip is suitable for optical incremental sensors.


According to a number of scholars of international relations, the transatlantic relationship is going through a very significant and possibly irreversible crisis. It is claimed that the different reactions of the United States and the European Union to both September 11th and the war in Iraq were the catalyst for a rift that had been deepening for some time, leading to competition between the two actors. The literature on the foreign policy of the US and the EU in the Middle East and North Africa also points to this rift in order to explain the seemingly contradictory policies that the two actors implement in the region, with the US being more forceful in its attempts to export democracy and in supporting Israel while the EU adopts a less confrontational attitude and is perceived to be more friendly to the Palestinians. This article, which introduces a special issue on the nature of US and EU foreign policies in North Africa, argues on the contrary that the transatlantic rift does not really exist. While there are certainly differences in discourse and policies, both the EU and the US share the same concerns and have similar strategic objectives in the region, leading the two actors towards cooperation and division of labour rather than confrontation.


We describe a small-angle x-ray scattering-based imaging technique that reveals the distribution and orientation of nano-scale structures over extended areas. By combining two measurement and analysis schemes, complementary structural information is available which renders the technique suitable for a broad range of applications, e.g. in materials science and bio-imaging. Through a combination of current techniques and on-line analysis schemes, measurements with a so far unprecedented combination of speed, dynamic range and point density became feasible. This is illustrated by data recorded for a section of a mouse soleus muscle visualizing fine muscle and Achilles tendon structures down to the 10 nm range over a 10 mm2 sample area.


Assessing sustainability of agricultural farms is among the most topical issues for researchers, farmers, investors, administrators, politicians, interests groups and public at large. In academic publications, official documents and agricultural practices social, economic and environmental aspects (pillars) of sustainability are assessed, while critical "governance" functions of the farm ignored. Nevertheless, comparative governance efficiency often (pre)determines the overall sustainability of a farm despite its (high) productivity, social responsibility or eco-conservation. Most frameworks usually employ "universal" approach for "faceless" farms and "anonymous" environment despite that real socio-economic, institutional and natural conditions are critical for sustainability. Assessment systems are not hierarchical and lack systemic organization of sustainability components leading to arbitrary selection of indicators. Besides, they are too simplified (few indicators), unilateral ("pure" economic, ecological, etc.), or too complicated and impossible to use. In this presentation we suggest a holistic approach for assessing absolute and comparative sustainability of farms of different juridical type, size, product specialization, ecological and geographical location in Bulgaria. It encompass governance, economic, social, and environmental aspects which are analyzed by a hierarchical system of 12 principles, 21 criteria, 45 indicators and reference values. Study, including 190 typical holdings, has found out that the overall sustainability of Bulgarian farms is good, with superior levels for environmental and social sustainability, and inferior level for governance and economic sustainability. There are great variations in sustainability levels of farms of different type and location as well as in shares of holdings with unlike sustainability level. In conclusion, we make recommendations for improvement of sustainability research and managerial practices.


It is an important to provide the vigorous and the healthy plant material during nursery stage as initial step to get high profitability and to obtain high yield in oil palm plantation. However, like the others crop, oil palm industry also faced pest and disease attack. Thus, this study was carried out to indicate biodiversity of insect pests and to assess abundance of insect pests in oil palm nursery. This study was conducted in oil palm nursery in Segama Estate of Tamaco Plantation Lahad Datu, Sabah. Pitfall traps, yellow sticky traps, hanging sticky trap, insects bait and light trap were installed randomly in the main nursery plot. By using CRD, the insect collection was taken for 6 sampling date by weekly basis. The insect number were calculated and analyzed using one way ANOVA, t-test, correlation test, Shannon index, Margalefs index and Pieleou's Evenness index. This study obtained 570 individuals of insects collected. There were 7 orders and 22 family were recorded. There is no significant difference of insects' abundance between all insects' family and sampling week. The abundance of the insect in week 3 recorded as the highest number. Some insects have significant difference abundance of insect between day and night. Scarabaeidae was the dominant family and followed by Gryllidae, Vespidae and Tettigonidae. The findings of this study also demonstrated that family of Scarabaeidae and Vespidae has no significant relationship.


With a comparative lens, this article explores the trajectory of women's advancement in policing in China and the United States (US), two major countries, one in the Global South and the other in the Northern part of the world. The article describes the rich history of women police in the US and China and compares the development of women policing in these two jurisdictions, which are sharply contrasting in many respects. Starting from the model of women's stage-by-stage integration into policing developed in the Northern contexts, we examine women's evolution in police and their local conditions in the two systems. Framed in Southern Criminology and Southern Theory, we conclude that the US model of sexual integration does not apply to China, where traditional cultural norms continue to reinforce women's gendered roles in policing. More generally, the progress of women is unlikely, nor necessary, to share the same trajectory everywhere.


The radiation chemistry and the grafting of a fluoropolymer, poly(tetrafluoroethylene-coperfluoropropyl
vinyl ether) (PFA), was investigated with the aim of developing a highly stable grafted support for use in solid phase organic chemistry (SPOC). A radiation-induced grafting method was used whereby the PFA was exposed to ionizing radiation to form free radicals capable of initiating graft copolymerization of styrene. To fully investigate this process, both the radiation chemistry of PFA and the grafting of styrene to PFA were examined.

Radiation alone was found to have a detrimental effect on PFA when irradiated at 303 K. This was evident from the loss in the mechanical properties due to chain scission reactions. This meant that when radiation was used for the grafting reactions, the total radiation dose needed to be kept as low as possible. The radicals produced when PFA was exposed to radiation were examined using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Both main-chain (–CF2–C.F–CF2-) and end-chain (–CF2–C.F2) radicals were identified. The stability of the majority of the main-chain radicals when the polymer was heated above the glass transition temperature suggested that they were present mainly in the crystalline
regions of the polymer, while the end-chain radicals were predominately located in the amorphous regions. The radical yield at 77 K was lower than the radical yield at 303 K suggesting that cage recombination at low temperatures inhibited free radicals from stabilizing.

High-speed MAS 19F NMR was used to identify the non-volatile products after irradiation of PFA over a wide temperature range. The major products observed over the irradiation temperature 303 to 633 K included new saturated chain ends, short fluoromethyl side chains in both the amorphous and crystalline regions, and long branch points. The proportion of the radiolytic products shifted from mainly chain scission products at low irradiation temperatures to extensive branching at higher irradiation temperatures. Calculations of G values revealed that net crosslinking only occurred when PFA was irradiated in the melt. Minor products after irradiation at elevated temperatures included internal and terminal double bonds and CF3 groups adjacent to double bonds. The volatile products after irradiation at 303 K included tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and oxygen-containing species from loss of the perfluoropropyl ether side chains of PFA as identified by mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy.

The chemical changes induced by radiation exposure were accompanied by changes in the thermal properties of the polymer. Changes in the crystallinity and thermal stability of PFA after irradiation were examined using DSC and TGA techniques. The equilibrium melting temperature of untreated PFA was 599 K as determined using a method of extrapolation of the melting temperatures of imperfectly formed crystals. After low temperature irradiation, radiation- induced crystallization was prevalent due to scission of strained tie molecules, loss of perfluoropropyl ether side chains, and lowering of the molecular weight which promoted chain alignment and hence higher crystallinity. After irradiation at high temperatures, the presence of short and long branches hindered crystallization, lowering the overall crystallinity. The thermal stability of the PFA decreased with increasing radiation dose and temperature due to the introduction of defect groups.

Styrene was graft copolymerized to PFA using -radiation as the initiation source with the aim of preparing a graft copolymer suitable as a support for SPOC. Various grafting conditions were studied, such as the total dose, dose rate, solvent effects and addition of nitroxides to create "living" graft chains. The effect of dose rate was examined when grafting styrene vapour to PFA using the simultaneous grafting method. The initial rate of grafting was found to be independent of the dose rate which implied that the reaction was diffusion controlled. When the styrene was dissolved in various solvents for the grafting reaction, the graft yield was strongly dependent of the type and concentration of the solvent used. The greatest graft yield was observed when the solvent swelled the grafted layers and the substrate. Microprobe Raman spectroscopy was used to map the penetration of the graft into the substrate. The grafted layer was found to contain both poly(styrene) (PS) and PFA and became thicker with increasing radiation dose and graft yield which showed that grafting began at the surface and progressively penetrated the substrate as the grafted layer was swollen. The molecular weight of the grafted PS was estimated by measuring the molecular weight of the non-covalently bonded homopolymer formed in the grafted layers using SEC. The molecular weight of the occluded homopolymer was an order of magnitude greater than the free homopolymer formed in the surrounding solution suggesting that the high viscosity in the grafted regions led to long PS grafts. When a nitroxide mediated free radical polymerization was used, grafting occurred within the substrate and not on the surface due to diffusion of styrene into the substrate at the high temperatures needed for the reaction to proceed.

Loading tests were used to measure the capacity of the PS graft to be functionialized with aminomethyl groups then further derivatized. These loading tests showed that samples grafted in a solution of styrene and methanol had superior loading capacity over samples graft using other solvents due to the shallow penetration and hence better accessibility of the graft when methanol was used as a solvent.


A quantitative method is developed for deriving water fraction from coarse- to medium-resolution satellite data with visible to short-wave infrared (SWIR) channels based on the linear mixture theory. The method uses a SWIR channel (1.64 μm) by assuming that the water-surface-leaving radiance in this channel is insignificant and is thus less affected by water types and water depth than near-infrared (NIR) channels for inland water bodies. For a mixed water pixel, a dynamic nearest neighbor searching (DNNS) method is used to find the nearby land pixels to determine the average land reflectance. The nearby pure water pixels with a similar water type to the subpixel water portion of the mixed water pixel are found dynamically to derive the average water reflectance. The average reflectance in the SWIR channel from both pure land pixels and water pixels is used to calculate the water fraction from a linear mixture model. The developed method is applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and shows promising results. High-resolution satellite data from the Thematic Mapper (TM) are used to evaluate the water fraction derived from MODIS. During pixel-to-pixel water fraction evaluation, TM data are spatially aggregated to MODIS resolution. When evaluated against the high-resolution TM observations, water fractions derived from MODIS using the DNNS method with the SWIR channel show a bias of -0.021 with a standard deviation of 0.0338. Comparing lake areas between TM and MODIS data also shows consistent results with the pixel-to-pixel water fraction comparison. The DNNS method is also compared to the traditional histogram method both with SWIR channel and NIR channel. The results show that the DNNS method is more accurate than the histogram method and that the SWIR channel is better than the NIR channel to derive highly accurate water fraction from coarse- to medium-resolution satellite data.


SUMMARY The efficacy and acceptability of yeast-derived recombinant hepatitis B vaccine given by the intradermal route was investigated in 221 health care volunteers. Two hundred and sixteen received a full course of three doses of vaccine. Only one subject was withdrawn because of a significant adverse reaction (psoriasis). The vaccine stimulated an antibody response in 81%. The response to the vaccine was better in women than in men (87% compared with 71%, p = 0·007) and in women below the age of 40 years compared with older women (94% compared with 76%, p = 0·01). For men the response showed a sequential decline with age for each decade (90% responders from age 29 or less, 72% aged 30—39 and 65% aged 40 or more, p = 0·04). Retrospective enquiry showed that over 90% had found the intradermal route acceptable and 59% would prefer vaccine by the intradermal route in preference to intramuscular notwithstanding local reactions. Although the seroconversion rate was of a high order in younger women the antibody titres were not high with only 9 of 215 recipients developing titres >1000 mIU/ml, a level which could be expected to ensure prolonged immunity. A fourth intradermal dose of vaccine given to 60 volunteers who had shown a low response (<38 mIU/ml) or no serological response to a three-dose course stimulated a good booster effect (to 150—600 mIU/ml) in only 5 (8%).


Researchers have called for new theoretical frameworks and empirical analyses to understand variations in organizational strategies and management practices in the Internet industry, where existing paradigms may have limited applicability. Studies to date have neither articulated the repertoire of key firm actions in this context nor developed theory to relate firm actions to performance. This paper seeks to identify a key set of firm moves in the Internet industry and develop a theoretical model to relate firm actions to two important firm outcomes: sales performance and firm survival. We draw on the construct of dynamic resourcefulness to the firm level and develop a research model linking the actions of firms in the Internet industry underlying dynamic resourcefulness to firm-level outcomes. We test our hypotheses using the action repertoire-year mode of analysis on the actions of 106 leading firms in the Internet industry over a period of 6 years from 1994 to 1999. Our results suggest that firm actions to manage and direct their intellectual, relational, and financial capital resources are associated with higher levels of performance and survival.


The sensitivity of the next generation of interferometric gravitational wave detectors will be limited in part by thermal noises of the optics. It has been proposed that using higher-order Laguerre-Gauss (LG) beams in the interferometers can reduce this noise. This thesis documents progress made in assessing the compatibility of higher-order LG beam technology with the existing precision interferometry framework used in the gravitational wave detector community. A numerical investigation was made into techniques for generating higher-order LG modes with a phase modulating surface. The optimal conditions for mode conversion were determined using fast Fourier transform (FFT) simulations, and predictions were made for the mode purity achievable with this method. Table-top experiments performed at Birmingham demonstrated the generation of higher-order LG modes using a spatial light modulator, and showed for the first time the feedback control of an optical cavity on resonance for higher-order LG modes. An increase in the purity of LG\(_{33}\) modes from 51% to over 99% upon transmission through the cavity was shown. Investigations were carried out at the Glasgow 10m prototype detector into the performance of the LG\(_{33}\) mode in a suspended 10m cavity, providing useful insights into the compatibility of LG modes with larger scale interferometers.


The (E)-2-(2-hydroxystyryl)quinolin-8-ol (abbreviated as HSQ) molecule was synthesized and characterized. The ESIPT, solvatochromism properties, electronic structure, and ground and excited electric dipole moments of this molecule were measured using absorption and fluorescence spectra recorded in 13 different solvents. Its electronic structure via electronic transitions was investigated to find the quantitative values of solvatochromism properties by LSER calculations. The ESIPT mechanism was clarified; ground and excited dipole moments were determined using solvatochromic shift methods. The DFT (B3LYP)/6-311$++$G(d,p) method and basis set with potential energy surface (PES) calculations of proton transfer were used to explain the ESIPT mechanism. NBO analysis, NLO properties, and behavior under an electric field were also determined.


Lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the most common spinal disorders in elderly patients, how to choose decompression alone or decompression plus fusion is still controversial. It was reported that the rate of decompression alone for lumbar stenosis was decreased, whereas the rate of decompression plus fusion was increased recently. Two recent multicenter RCTs papers published in the same issue of N Engl J Med compare the outcomes of decompression alone or decompression plus fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis currently. We combined the results from these two studies using the Stata software, we found that the decompression plus fusion had a significantly more blood loss and longer operative time. And no significant difference was found in the parameters of length of hospital stay, SF‐36 Physical Component Summary, Oswestry Disability Index, Visual analogue scales of back pain and leg pain between decompression alone group and decompression plus fusion group. Therefore, based on the current evidence, we advocate a rethink on the decompression plus fusion trend chosen by surgeons, the indications of fusion should be restricted to the lumbar stenosis patients accompanied with spinal instability or deformity.


We consider the problems of online and stochastic packet queueing in a distributed system of n nodes with queues, where the communication between the nodes is done via a multiple access channel. In the online setting, in each round, an arbitrary number of packets can be injected to nodes' queues. Two measures of performance are considered: the total number of packets in all queues, called the total load, and the maximum queue size, called the maximum load. We develop a deterministic distributed algorithm that is asymptotically optimal with respect to both complexity measures, in a competitive way. More precisely, the total load of our algorithm is bigger than the total load of any other algorithm, including centralized online solutions, by only an additive term of O(n2), whereas the maximum queue size of our algorithm is at most n times bigger than the maximum queue size of any other algorithm, with an extra additive O(n). The optimality for both measures is justified by proving the corresponding lower bounds, which also separates nearly exponentially distributed solutions from the centralized ones. Next, we show that our algorithm is also stochastically stable for any expected injection rate smaller or equal to 1. This is the first solution to the stochastic queueing problem on a multiple access channel that achieves such stability for the (highest possible) rate equal to 1.


Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in industrialized nations with myocardial infarction (MI) contributing to at least one fifth of the reported deaths. The hypoxic environment eventually leads to cellular death and scar tissue formation. The scar tissue that forms is not mechanically functional and often leads to myocardial remodeling and eventual heart failure. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine principles provide an alternative approach to restoring myocardial function by designing constructs that will restore the mechanical function of the heart. In this review, we will describe the cellular events that take place after an MI and describe current treatments. We will also describe how biomaterials, alone or in combination with a cellular component, have been used to engineer suitable myocardium replacement constructs and how new advanced culture systems will be required to achieve clinical success.


: Ureterocele is a congenital cystic dilatation of the intravesical segment of the ureter. As a consequence, the proximal ureter and renal pelvis become dilated and that results in renal-parenchymal pathological involvement. Management of this anomaly is still controversial. Among the therapeutical options there is a place for endoscopic punction. Our experience with 11 patients undergoing this treatment modality is reported. In all these cases endoscopic punction was the initial treatment. In 7 patients this technique was all that was needed. The technique of intravesical punction is described and its results are specified.


Context Needle electromyography (EMG) examination is not crucial in establishing the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, the presence of axonal loss in needle EMG helps clinicians determine a treatment strategy such as surgery. Aim of the work The aim of this study was to investigate whether needle EMG in CTS patients is essentially needed or could be predicted using other nerve conduction study (NCS) parameters. Materials and methods This study included 100 patients with clinical and NCS-proven CTS, as well as 50 age-matched and sex-matched controls. All individuals were evaluated using electrodiagnostic techniques, including median distal latency, compound muscle action potential (CMAP), forearm motor nerve conduction velocity, median peak latency, sensory nerve action potentials, and sensory nerve conduction velocity. All CTS patients underwent EMG examination of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle, and the presence or absence of spontaneous EMG activity was recorded. Results Comparison of the NCS parameters between CTS patients with and without spontaneous EMG activity revealed that the main determinant parameters for spontaneous activity were CMAPs, sensory nerve action potentials, and forearm motor nerve conduction velocities. However, logistic regression analysis showed that CMAP was the most powerful predictor of the presence of spontaneous activity (P = 0.000, odds ratio = 12.154). Conclusion It can be concluded that median nerve CMAP amplitudes are the most powerful predictors of the occurrence of spontaneous EMG activity. However, EMG examination is still valuable in some CTS patients and NCS cannot completely replace needle EMG examination in these patients.


Compressible supercapacitors are novel energy-storage devices that can be used in elastic electronics; however, the performance of the supercapacitor depends mainly on its electrode materials and configuration. Herein, free-standing three-dimensional hierarchical porous polypyrrole (PPy) wrapped nitrogen-containing polyaniline based carbon nanospheres (NPACNS) are prepared and coated on the skeleton of sponge composite electrodes (PPy/NPACNS/sponge) via dipping and drying and chemical oxidation polymerization methods. Furthermore, an integrated highly compressible all-solid-state supercapacitor is fabricated using PPy/NPACNS/sponge as the electrode and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/LiClO4 gel as the electrolyte, which demonstrates an outstanding electrochemical performance of 95 F g−1 (2.8 F cm−3) specific capacitance, 3.3 W h kg−1 (0.1 mW h cm−3) energy density and 93% capacitance retention after 1000 cycles. Surprisingly, the electrochemical performance of the as-fabricated device remains nearly unchanged when it is compressed under 50% strain, and its specific capacitance and compressibility are well maintained after 400 repeated compressing-releasing cycles. More importantly, due to its solid-state and integrated configuration, several compressible supercapacitors can be conveniently interconnected together in series on one chip to power electronics. This device will pave the way for advanced supercapacitor applications in compressible energy storage devices that are compatible with compression-tolerant electronics.


Environmental stresses are a major threat for agricultural productivity. But certain biotic and abiotic stresses like salinity and heavy metals, especially cadmium and lead are the main cause of soil degradation and inhibit germination, speed of germination, dry mass accumulation, photosynthetic pigments due to perturbed physiochemical processes resulting decline in growth and related metabolites. Salinity possesses a negative impact on plant growth as it causes plant intoxication and osmotic stress which interferes with the crop development. While heavy metals inhibit nitrate reductase activity and decrease organic nitrogen and protein contents. Their higher concentrations can severely distress the growth of plant and biomass yield. The dynamic approaches of PA's are demonstrated in all the disciplines like plant sciences, human health and microbiology. Despite their important contributions in research, still some areas remain least explored like the action of polyamines in plant stress physiology and its future practical applications. Cadaverine (Cad), a structurally different diamine which has an independent biosynthetic pathway also comes under the family of polyamines. It improves crop salt tolerance; improvise heavy metal stress, acts as a plant growth regulator that further activates antioxidant defense system and it intensely upholds the stressed plant growth through preserving the metabolites.


The success of a complete denture relies on the principles of retention, stability and support. The prosthodontist's skill lies in applying these principles efficiently in critical situations. Severely resorbed maxillary edentulous ridges that are narrow and constricted with increased inter ridge space provide decreased support, retention and stability. The consequent weight of the processed denture only compromises them further. This article describes a case report of an edentulous patient with resorbed ridges where a simplified technique of fabricating a light weight maxillary complete denture was used for preservation of denture bearing areas.


Understanding the distributional impacts of market-based climate policies is crucial to design economically efficient climate change mitigation policies that are socially acceptable and avoid adverse impacts on the poor. Empirical studies that examine the distributional impacts of carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reforms in different countries arrive at ambiguous results. To systematically determine the sources of variation between these outcomes, we apply an ordered probit meta-analysis framework. Based on a comprehensive, systematic and transparent screening of the literature, our sample comprises 53 empirical studies containing 183 effects in 39 countries. Results indicate a significantly increased likelihood of progressive distributional outcomes for studies on lower income countries and transport sector policies. The same applies to study designs that consider indirect effects, behavioral adjustments of consumers or lifetime income proxies. Future research on different types of revenue recycling schemes and lower income countries would further contribute to the literature.


In the past few decades, British parties have undergone deep transformations, also concerning their leader selection rules. It could be interesting to directly tackle this area of intra-party changes, also given the increasing attention devoted to party leaders and to their mode of selection. This article will explore both the precise features of the changes in the rules governing the selection of party leaders (particularly focusing on the selectorate), and also the characteristics of most recent leadership races occurred in the most important parties in the United Kingdom. To begin with, the article will explore the expansions of the selectorate occurred between the mid-1960s and today, particularly analysing the implementation of OMOV(one-member one-vote) systems. Second, attention will be devoted to the precise features of the selection mechanisms, by applying the quadripartite scheme devised by Hazan and Rahat (the selectorate, the candidacy, the decentralization, and the voting system). Third, we will focus on the most recent leadership races that elected Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May asleader of, respectively, the Labour and the Conservative Party. All in all, the article shows that British parties have surely undergone deep transformations concerning the rules for the selection of their leaders and the precise features of recent leadership races, but also that a full empowerment of party members has not been reached yet.


In this paper we present the Picasso programming language and the underlying design philosophy. Our goal is to provide programmers working with distributed embedded real-time systems with a tool to manage the complexity of this class of systems. The proposed tool allows easy and safe changes of the system software and hardware at any time during the lifetime of the system. This means that even during operation the system can be changed safely. This is not only important for enhancing the design process but is also necessary for a class of systems that need to be in service at all times. We have chosen to call this approach Change-Orientation. The most characteristic properties of the language are that it is graphical and that it shows time explicitly. All processing is described as functional transformations. These transformations are called processes. A very direct way of implementing a process is possible because the semantics of the description maps directly on the computation model of the processor.


We examine the linear stability and nonlinear growth of the thermal instability in isobarically contracting background gas with various metallicities and far-UV (FUV) field strengths. Such a background medium can be expected for protogalactic clouds and shocked gas with metallicity Z / Z ⊙ > 10 − 4 ?> . When the H2 cooling is suppressed by FUV fields ( G 0 > 10 − 3 ?> ) or the metallicity is high enough ( Z / Z ⊙ > 10 − 3 ?> ), the interstellar medium (ISM) is thermally unstable in the temperature range 100–7000 K owing to the cooling by C ii and O i fine-structure lines. In this case, a bi-phasic medium with a bimodal density probability distribution is formed as a consequence of the thermal instability. The characteristic scales of the thermal instability become smaller with increasing metallicity. Comparisons of the nonlinear simulations with different resolution indicates that the maximum scale of the thermal instability should be resolved with more than 60 cells to follow runaway cooling driven by the thermal instability. Under sufficiently weak FUV fields and with low metallicity, the density range of the thermal instability shrinks owing to the dominance of H2 cooling. As the FUV intensity is reduced, the bi-phasic structure becomes less remarkable and eventually disappears. Our basic results suggest that, in early galaxies, (i) fragmentation by the nonlinear growth of thermal instability could determine the mass spectrum of star clusters for Z / Z ⊙ ≲ 0.04 ?> , and (ii) a thermally bistable turbulent ISM like our galaxy becomes ubiquitous for Z / Z ⊙ ≳ 0.04 ?> , although the threshold metallicity depends on conditions such as thermal pressure, FUV strength, and redshift.


Based on differences in the siphuncular structures, the subclass Nautiloidea is divided into two new superorders: Nautilosiphonata and Calciosiphonata. The first superorder is characterized by the nautilus-type of connecting rings, and the second superorder by calcified-perforate type of the connecting rings. A new order Cyrtocerinida is erected for the families Bathmoceratidae, Cyrtocerinidae and Eothinoceratidae, previously included in the order Ellesmeroceratida. The siphuncular structure in the Ordovician nautiloid Bathmocerasholmi n. sp. is described. It is characterized by (1) connecting rings that are composed of an outer, calcareous, spherulitic–prismatic layer and an inner, fibrous, chitinous layer, and (2) prominent siphuncular ridges that originate from the inner surfaces of the connecting rings. The structure of the siphuncular ridges in Bathmoceras is compared with that of the actinosiphonate lamellae in the Silurian oncocerid nautiloid Octamerella.


The existence of a two-partial Rayleigh wave coupled to an electrical field in 2 mm piezoelectric crystals is known but has rarely been investigated analytically. It turns out that the Z cut X propagation problem can be fully solved, up to the derivation of the secular equation as a polynomial in the squared wave speed. For the metallized (unmetallized) boundary condition, the polynomial is of degree 10 (48). The relevant root is readily identified and the full description of the mechanical and electrical fields follows. The results are illustrated in the case of the superstrong piezoelectric crystal, potassium niobate, for which the effective piezoelectric coupling coefficient is calculated to be about 0.1.


RHEED intensity oscillations in the process of MBE growth of Ge and Si on Si (100) and Si (111) substrates were observed. It is revealed that a finite-thick buffer layer can improve the surface flatness of Si substrates, and the employment of lower growth rate or growth interruption procedure can improve tke crystal quality of epilayers. During the growth of Ge and Si on Si (100), a single atomic layer mode RHEED intensity oscillation was observed along either [100] or [110] azimuthal direction, which is due to the existance of double domain (2×1)+(1×2) reconstruction on the surface. During the growth of Ge on Si (111) substrates, RHEED intensity oscillation show a bilayer mode observed along [112] azimuth, but a non-uniform periodicity along [110] azimuth. The oscillations for continuosly growing Ge-on either Si (100) or Si (111) could exist up to an epilayer thickness of 6ML, which corresponds to the critical thickness of pseudomorphic growth of Ge on Si.