Within a closed environment, (e.g. building, car, aircraft) that is thermally and hygrically isolated from the exterior climate, one approach that can help reduce the energy required for indoor mechanical climate control whilst increasing comfort levels for occupants is to use hygrothermal coatings on top of existing materials. Hygrothermal coatings can re-introduce both thermal and hygric buffering within the isolated envelope. Understanding of the behaviour of these coatings allows them to be optimized for different environments.
The overall aim of the research is to design the functional properties of inorganic, nano structured surface coatings i.e. mesoporous silica (MS) to produce desired hygrothermal behavioural responses to climatic variables in a controlled environment. This can be achieved through correlation of the hygrothermal properties of desiccant materials with their microstructural characteristics and understanding the hygrothermal behaviour of the materials under representative psychrometric conditions.
Stage 1 was to characterise the hygrothermal properties of the MS and other conventional desiccant materials i.e. Silica Gel, Molecular Sieve, Clinoptilolite and Bentonite to produce a 'Template of functional properties' and provide material input data for the numerical models. These tests included dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) techniques for moisture absorption including cyclic adsorption/desorption and sorption isotherms, wet-cup tests for vapour permeability, partial immersion tests for liquid water absorption, modified transient plane source (MTPS) tests for thermal conductivity and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for heat capacity.
Stage 2 utilised techniques to classify the pore geometry of the desiccants, including helium pycnometry for solid density, gravimetric testing for bulk density, N2 physisorption for specific surface area, mesopore volume and mean pore diameter with small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy used to corroborate the N2 results. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to confirm material composition and purity and to indicate macropore distribution. A correlation between the hygrothermal properties from Stage 1 with their microstructural characteristics was then sought.
Stage 3 was a parametric analysis of the candidate materials hygrothermal behaviour using the validated 1D numerical simulation software WUFI Pro v5.1. Further analysis was carried out to assess how the numerical model could be used to tune the functional properties of the MS materials to suit differing psychrometric conditions in closed environments. A series of simulations using a representative climate (Nottingham) were also run to compare the hygrothermal behaviour of the MS materials to the conventional desiccants
A series of energetic 3D physical and numerical models (WUFI Plus v 2.1) were designed to study the resultant relative humidity levels in both occupied and unoccupied spaces and under different air exchange rates due to the presence of the hygrothermal materials in a closed environment. The 3D model was also used to compare the operational energy usage of different retrofitting cases under the same representative climate used in Stage 3 with three different heating, cooling humidification and dehumidification (HCHD) control scenarios.
The MS materials displayed significantly higher Moisture Buffer Values (MBV), equilibrium moisture contents (EMC) and faster response rates when compared to the conventional desiccants. It was shown that WUFI Pro can be used as a design tool for material functional properties, with the sorption isotherm, and in particular adjustment of the w50 – w80 gradient of the absorption branch isotherm being by far the most sensitive parameter. In the MS samples, the dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) response time has a significant and positive logarithmic relationship with both the mesopore diameter and the mesopore volume implying that mesopore geometry can be tuned in order to give the desired dynamic vapour sorption/ desorption response rate and storage capacity to suit a given set of interior psychrometric conditions. It is therefore possible to tune an MS material to suit a particular set of psychrometric conditions using WUFI Pro.
The MS materials displayed outstanding passive buffering performance across a range of exterior climate conditions combined with numerous internal moisture and ventilation overloading scenarios, providing constant humidity buffering within the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) comfort limits. When compared against a retro-fitted gypsum-lined indoor environment there was a potential reduction in humidification/ dehumidification energy demand of up to 100% when using an MS material coating.


Abstract Is the relatively long peace of Northeast Asia a result of crisis stability or general stability? The article introduces two stability concepts – crisis and general stability. Crisis stability occurs when both sides in military crisis are so secure due to its military capability and are able to wait out a surprise attack fully confident that it would be able to respond with a punishing counter attack. On the other hand, general stability prevails when two powers greatly prefer peace even to a victorious war whether crisis stability exists or not, simply because war has become inconceivable as a means of solving any political disagreements and conflicts. While crisis stability entails delicate balance of military power from the deterrence literature of security studies, general stability bases its logic of inquiry on constructivism where the idea of war aversion – categorically rejecting war as a means to end conflicts – becomes the prevailing norm. Therefore, this article empirically examines how Northeast Asia has sustained its peace through crisis stability and presents a new trend toward general stability.


Today's automakers are under an enormous price and cost pressure arising from both increasing competition and complexity of operations. One way to deal with this challenge is to outsource value creation to the supply network (SN), which then assumes the responsibility for producing variant-specific modules and delivering them just-in-sequence (JIS). This results in tightly coupled buyer-supplier relationships that operate with short reaction times and are characterized by high time dependency and minimal buffers. It increases the risk exposure of buyers to disturbances in their SNs and failures propagate quickly, causing production disruptions. Based on data collected at 14 car-manufacturing plants located in Germany, this research provides an overview and exploratory evidence of current JIS market practice and proposes ways of actively managing the risks inherent in JIS SNs.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the extent of somatic comorbid conditions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to assess the influence of comorbidity on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

METHODS
A 2-year followup study on health and HRQOL was conducted among 679 patients with RA with varying disease duration. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and clinical examinations at baseline and at 2-year followup. Comorbidity was measured by a self-administered questionnaire including 17 chronic diseases. HRQOL was assessed with the RAND-36. The effect of incident comorbid conditions on HRQOL was investigated with linear regression analyses.

RESULTS
At least one comorbid condition was reported at baseline by 56% of patients. Significant differences in prevalence rates with the Dutch population were found. The effect of comorbidity on HRQOL depended on both the type of comorbid condition and the dimension of HRQOL. Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, cancer, dizziness with falling (and less severe chronic pulmonary disease and heart complaints) resulted in significant adverse changes in HRQOL. For the other conditions under study no influence could be detected.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that measuring comorbidity by a summary count, assuming an overall equally large effect of each comorbid condition, may not reveal the real effect. With respect to clinical practice, our results emphasize the relevance for health care providers to be aware of specific comorbid conditions exposing patients with RA at risk for additional impairment of HRQOL, and to be aware of interactions with RA that may be unique.


Firedrake is a new tool for automating the numerical solution of partial differential equations. Firedrake adopts the domain-specific language for the finite element method of the FEniCS project, but with a pure Python runtime-only implementation centered on the composition of several existing and new abstractions for particular aspects of scientific computing. The result is a more complete separation of concerns that eases the incorporation of separate contributions from computer scientists, numerical analysts, and application specialists. These contributions may add functionality or improve performance. Firedrake benefits from automatically applying new optimizations. This includes factorizing mixed function spaces, transforming and vectorizing inner loops, and intrinsically supporting block matrix operations. Importantly, Firedrake presents a simple public API for escaping the UFL abstraction. This allows users to implement common operations that fall outside of pure variational formulations, such as flux limiters.


It seems that all the adult grey geese mentioned have a tendency to produce a melanistic pattern, which reaches its normal extreme in the Greenland White-fronted Goose... It seems highly unlikely that any external factor could be found to explain the development of this melanistic pattern. The controlling mechanism is almost certainly genetic. This suggests that the grey geese of the genus Anser were preceded in the evolutionary tree by the black geese of the genus Branta.


Today, increasing population and rapid development are posing challenges on the "environmental sustainability". One of the major concerns is on effective management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). This includes nonhazardous garbage, rubbish, and trash from homes, institutions, and industrial facilities. Garbage contains moist wastes like food, meat and vegetables; rubbish encompasses mostly dry constituents such as glass, textiles, paper, and plastic objects; and trash includes bulky waste materials and objects that are not collected routinely for disposal such as discarded mattresses, appliances, and pieces of furniture. Therefore waste should be traced and has to be recovered as much as possible. Even though, there are different policies to counter this problem, the compliance is a cause of concern. Having identified this need, an attempt has been made to study the impact of increasing population on the amount of waste generation through System Dynamics (SD) Modeling on the basis of which effective strategies could be developed for managing the same.


We investigate how the effectiveness of green infrastructure (GI) to mitigate the frequency and magnitude of significant discharge events and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) depend on both climate and sewershed characteristics and propose a theoretical framework for a holistic assessment of GI's efficacy. The framework is based on the comparison of three characteristic timescales that control the production of peak discharge: rainfall duration (tr), travel time in the sewer network (tn), and the duration of rain that would be required to fill the GI's storage (tGI). Storm events can then be characterized by two ratios of these timescales: Tn = tn/tGI and Tr = tr/tGI. A third dimensionless number characterizes critical storms during which adverse events (such as CSOs) occur and allows us to identify the combinations of Tn and Tr for which GI may substantially mitigate those events. The results of numerical experiments with the model demonstrate that the storms for which GI can substantially reduce peak discharge and CSO volume typically occur in a narrow band of Tn and Tr. Within that band, the efficacy of GI may depend on the location of GI within the sewershed if network routing substantially affects the timing and magnitude of flood peaks. The proposed framework is applied to examine the efficacy of GI using historical precipitation data from two major U.S. cities: Philadelphia, PA, and Seattle, WA, and the results of this comparative analysis suggest that GI location is an important control on catchment‐scale GI efficacy in Philadelphia, but less so in Seattle.


This discussion paper provides an overview of the analytical indicators used to evaluate fiscal policy in the short, medium and long term. It focuses on their clear definition and their advantages/disadvantages, and accentuates the importance of their clear interpretation. In addition to the commonly used indicators, such as the size of measures or change in the structural balance, the paper introduces a new indicator measuring the government's contribution to the sustainable change in fiscal position (government consolidation effort) in a given year. Despite their numerous advantages, short-term indicators do not necessarily reflect the long-term impacts of various measures. These should primarily be assessed using long-term indicators, such as fiscal gap indicators, or through the net worth concept. Despite the existence of several indicators, each and every one of them has its own raison d'etre in fiscal analyses, because they all provide answers to important analytical questions. They should therefore be treated as mutually complementary. Some of the indicators assume the existence of a no-policy-change scenario, which is an essential element in the evaluation of measures implemented by the government. For this reason, such a scenario must have a detailed structure and all its underlying assumptions should be clearly spelled out.


The cerebral cortex exhibits spontaneous and sensory evoked patterns of activity during early development that is vital for the formation and refinement of neural circuits. Identifying the source and flow of this activity locally and globally is critical for understanding principles guiding self-organization in the developing brain. Here we use whole brain transcranial optical imaging at high spatial and temporal resolution to demonstrate that dynamical patterns of neuronal activity in developing mouse neocortex consist of spatially discrete domains that are coordinated in an age, areal, and behavior-dependent fashion. Ongoing cortical activity displays mirror-symmetric activation patterns across the cerebral hemispheres and stereotyped network architectures that are shaped during development, with parietal-sensorimotor subnetworks functionally connected to occipital regions through frontal-medial cortical areas. This study provides the first broad description of population activity in the developing neocortex at a scope and scale that bridges the microscopic and macroscopic spatiotemporal resolutions provided by traditional neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging techniques. Mesoscale maps of cortical population dynamics within animal models will be crucial for future efforts to understand and treat neurodevelopmental disorders.


This paper describes an "all-in-one" solution for the real-time recognition of users' mental workloads in virtual reality through the customization of a commercial HMD with physiological sensors. First, we describe the hardware and software solution employed to build the system. Second, we detail the machine learning methods used for the automatic recognition of the users' mental workload, which are based on the well-known Random Forest algorithm. In order to gather data to train the system, we conducted an extensive user study with 75 participants using a VR flight simulator to induce different levels of mental workload. In contrast to previous works which label the data based on a standardized task (e.g., n-back task) or on a pre-defined task-difficulty, participants were asked about their perceived mental workload level along the experiment. With the data collected, we were able to train the system in order to classify four different levels of mental workload with an accuracy up to 65%. In addition, we discuss the role of the signal normalization procedures, the contribution of the different physiological signals on the recognition accuracy and compare the results obtained with the sensors embedded in the HMD with commercial grade systems. Preliminary results show our pipeline is able to recognize mental workload in real-time. Taken together, our results suggest that such all-in-one approach, with physiological sensors directly embedded in the HMD, is a promising path for VR applications in which the real-time or off-line estimation of Mental Workload assessment is beneficial.


Recent research suggests that oxidative stress, via its links to metabolism and senescence, is a key mechanism linking life history traits such as fecundity and growth with survival; however, this has rarely been put under empirical scrutiny within free-living populations. Using a wild population of live-bearing skinks, we explored how plasma antioxidant activity (OXY), reactive oxidative metabolites (ROM), and the estimated oxidative stress index are associated with female and male life history. We found that male skinks have a significantly higher ROM and estimated oxidative stress index than female skinks, but this was not accompanied by a sex difference in mortality. Both sexes showed a non-linear association between OXY and age, indicating that the oldest and youngest individuals had the lowest OXY. Interestingly, female skinks with high OXY showed a decreased probability of survival to the following season. However, we found no significant associations between female reproductive investment (litter size or litter mass) or parturition date (i.e. metabolism) and oxidative status. Combined, our results offer mixed support for a role of oxidative stress in mediating life history traits and suggest that future studies need to explore oxidative stress during vitellogenesis in addition to using an intra-individual approach to understand the cost of reproduction and patterns of aging.


At the level of fundamental research, fibre lasers provide convenient and reproducible experimental settings for the study of a variety of nonlinear dynamical processes, while at the applied research level, pulses with different and optimised features – e.g., in terms of pulse duration, temporal and/or spectral intensity profile, energy, repetition rate and emission bandwidth – are sought with the general constraint of developing efficient cavity architectures. In this talk, we review our recent progress on the realisation of different regimes of pulse generation in passively mode-locked fibre lasers through control of the in-cavity propagation dynamics. We report on the possibility to achieve both parabolic self-similar and triangular pulse shaping in a mode-locked fibre laser via adjustment of the net normal dispersion and integrated gain of the cavity [1]. We also show that careful control of the gain/loss parameters of a net-normal dispersion laser cavity provides the means of achieving switching among Gaussian pulse, dissipative soliton and similariton pulse solutions in the cavity [2,3]. Furthermore, we report on our recent theoretical and experimental studies of pulse shaping by inclusion of an amplitude and phase spectral filter into the cavity of a laser. We numerically demonstrate that a mode-locked fibre laser can operate in dif- ferent pulse-generation regimes, including parabolic, flattop and triangular waveform generations, depending on the amplitude profile of the in-cavity spectral filter [4]. An application of technique using a flat-top spectral filter is demonstrated to achieve the direct generation of sinc-shaped optical Nyquist pulses of high quality and of a widely tuneable bandwidth from the laser [5]. We also report on a recently-developed versa- tile erbium-doped fibre laser, in which conventional soliton, dispersion-managed soli- ton (stretched-pulse) and dissipative soliton mode-locking regimes can be selectively and reliably targeted by programming different group-velocity dispersion profiles and bandwidths on an in-cavity programmable filter [6]. References: 1. S. Boscolo and S. K. Turitsyn, Phys. Rev. A 85, 043811 (2012). 2. J. Peng et al., Phys. Rev. A 86, 033808 (2012). 3. J. Peng, Opt. Express 24, 3046-3054 (2016). 4. S. Boscolo, C. Finot, H. Karakuzu, and P. Petropoulos, Opt. Lett. 39, 438-441 (2014). 5. S. Boscolo, C. Finot, and S. K. Turitsyn, IEEE Photon. J. 7, 7802008 (2015). 6. J. Peng and S. Boscolo, Sci. Rep. 6, 25995 (2016).


The International Association for the Study of Pain and the World Health Organization have added a new diagnosis, chronic primary pain, and a new pain mechanism, nociplastic pain, to physicians' vocabularies. This new concept explains many pain presentations that have lacked a method of classification. The implications of this new concept regarding treatment options and for determining maximum medical improvement and permanent impairment are evolving. Incorporating the chronic primary pain diagnosis and the nociplastic pain mechanism into practice will require planning and action by physicians. In this article, the history of these terms and their applicability for the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment and related publications will be discussed.


Important to all of my work, is the created illusion of the two dimensional imagery existing in a controlled three dimensional environment; extending the perspective within the pictorial space by the inclusion of an external device. Initially, this is what confronts the viewer.
I have incorporated the negative space as a 'foreground' and my imagery, although attached to it, remains partially hidden by it. The gallery wall is used as a revealing device, formally incorporated into the work, that the viewer must 'look through'.
The actual 'grid' of the negative space, or gallery wall, is representative of the pre-conditions that exist within the character or persona of the viewer (as it does in the world generally), and, although the work is structured by that precondition to some degree, it is not dominated by it. The pattern formed is mechanical, fixed, symmetrical, and most importantly, 'real'; it exists as a concrete substance that envelops the imagery presented. It enhances the illusion I am presenting by extending it.
The pieces themselves are to be viewed as individual windows that are hidden or obscured to some degree by the structures that exist within the manner with which we approach the visual world (*See the theoretical paper of the film 'Blowup' for further elaboration).
The images are revealed rather than viewed, and there remains an amount of expectancy as to what part of the imagery has been obscured or hidden by the 'grid' structure. I find this useful in that the viewer of my work is forced into associating the segments into a whole, that the viewer is placed into the role of the revealer rather than merely seeking entry into the contextual substance of the art work, then accepting or rejecting it at whim. In other words, the viewer should be 'looking at' not 'being shown' this by me.

The common mortal, that manufacture of Nature which she produces by the thousand every day, is, as we have said, not capable, at least not continuously so, of observation that in every sense is wholly disinterested, as sensuous contemplation, strictly so called, is. He can turn his attention to things only so far as they have some relation to his will, however indirect it may be.
Since in this respect, which never demands anything but the knowledge of relations, the abstract conception of the thing is sufficient, and for the most part even better adapted for use; the ordinary man does not linger long over the mere perception, does not fix his attention long on one object, but in all that is presented to him hastily seeks merely the concept under which it is to be brought, as the lazy man seeks a chair, and then it interests him no further.
(Arthur Schopenhauer, 'The World as Will and Idea')

What should also be quite clear to the viewer of my work is my philosophy that art is fundamentally a visual medium, and not merely a communicative tool. I have refrained from the use of text within the composition themselves because of this, even at the risk of being misunderstood. My work is primarily visual in treatment and transmission, and should not be regarded as being presumptuous, moralistic or judgemental. I do not attempt to assume a dominant ideological position over the viewer by being the creator of this work. I feel that if the visual arts lose their depth in visual substance, to be replaced by communicative worth or value, then exposure to art works can be no more than an informative academic pursuit requiring little or no sensory response from the viewer; that art is not simply assessed by how 'successful' it communicates to the viewer. Paul Klee's statement that art is fundamentally 'taking the viewer's eye for a walk' still holds true with me.

For the Idea can only be known by perception; and knowledge of the idea is the end of art.
(Arthur Schopenhauer, 'The World as Will and Idea')

Although the eye is directly connected to the mind, it should not merely be a transmitter of data for the mind to savour. The eye is also connected to other senses and sensibilities. In many ways the eye can 'touch' so successfully as the hand or mind can, albeit in a different fashion.

The so-called 'materialisation' of a feeling in the conscious mind really means a materialisation of the reflection of that feeling through the medium of some realistic conception. Such a realistic conception is without value ... because the true value of a work of art (to whatever school it may belong) resides solely in the feeling expressed.
(Kasimir Malevich, 'Suprematism')

Over the past two years I have experienced a great deal of pleasure in being allowed the opportunity to indulge almost totally in the act of creativity, and I would hope that the viewer of my imagery can find, at the very least, a visual enjoyment of it; of seeing the work.

The artist ... like the thinker or the scientist, seeks the truth ... And art itself may be defined as a single-minded attempt to render the highest kind of justice to the visible universe ... It is an attempt to find in its forms, in its colours, in its light, in its shadows, in the aspects of matter and in the facts of life what of each is fundamentally what is enduring and essential ...
(Joseph Conrad, 'The Nigger of the Narcissus')


Zoning and land acquisition affect property prices and the environment. These effects are typically positive but small in our setting. Both policies have larger effects when geographically targeted. The cost of land acquisition is more than the increased tax revenue it generates. Keywords: Land-use policy Zoning Land acquisition Land use simulation Coupled models a b s t r a c t Land use change is a leading cause of environmental degradation in amenity rich rural areas. Numerous policies have been used to combat these negative effects, including zoning and land acquisition. The empirical effects of these policies on the environment and land markets are still debated. Using a coupled economic–ecological model in conjunction with landscape simulations we investigate the effect of zoning and land acquisition on property prices and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) growth in Vilas County, WI, an amenity rich region with growing rural development. Using econometric models of land use change and property prices, we simulate four alternative land use scenarios: a baseline simulation, a zoning change simulation, a land acquisition program simulation, and a land acquisition program + zoning simulation. Each scenario is simulated over 82 separate lakes. For each scenario we calculate the length of a 20-year old largemouth bass, property prices, and number of new residences at simulation years 20, 40 and 60. The policies have small effects on largemouth bass size and property prices on most lakes, although the effects are more pronounced on some. We also test if the increased property values due to land acquisitions are greater than the cost of the land acquisition program and find that in our case, land acquisition does not " pay for itself ". Our methodology provides a means to untangle the complex interactions between policy, land markets, and the environment. Empirically, our results indicate zoning and land acquisition are likely most effective when targeted to particular lakes.


This research examines the simultaneous retrieval of surface soil moisture and salt concentrations using hyperspectral reflectance data in an arid environment. We conducted laboratory and outdoor field experiments in which we examined three key soil variables: soil moisture, salt and texture (silty loam, clay and silty clay). The soil moisture content models for multiple textures (M_SMC models) were based on selected hyperspectral reflectance data located around 1460, 1900 and 2010 nm and resulted in R2 values higher than 0.933. Meanwhile, the soil salt concentrations were also accurately (R2 > 0.748) modeled (M_SSC models) based on wavebands located at 540, 1740, 2010 and 2350 nm. When the different texture samples were mixed (SL + C + SC models), soil moisture was still accurately retrieved (R2 = 0.937) but the soil salt not as well (R2 = 0.47). After stratifying the samples by retrieved soil moisture levels, the R2 of calibrated M_SSCSMC models for soil salt concentrations improved to 0.951. This two-step method also showed applicability for analyzing soil-salt samples in the field. The M_SSCSMC models resulted in R2 values equal to 0.912 when moisture is lower than 0.15, and R2 values equal to 0.481 when soil moisture is between 0.15 and 0.2.


Scenes that contain every-day man-made objects often possess sets of parallel lines and orthogonal planes, the projective features of which possess enough structural information to constrain possible scene element geometries as well as a camera's intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. In particular, in a scene with three mutually orthogonal sets of parallel lines, detection of the corresponding three vanishing points of the imaged lines allows us to determine the camera's image-relative principal point and effective focal length. In this paper we introduce a new technique to solve for radial and decentering lens distortion directly from the results of vanishing point estimation, thus precluding the need for special calibration templates. This is accomplished by using an iterative method to solve for the parameters that minimize vanishing point dispersion. Dispersion here is measured as covariance of vanishing point estimation error projected on the Gaussian sphere whose origin is the estimated center of projection. Having found a complete model for each camera's intrinsic parameters, corresponding points are used in the relative orientation technique to determine the camera's extrinsic parameters as well as point-wise structure. Surfaces inherit planar geometry and extent from manually identified coplanar lines and points. View independent textures are created for each surface by finding the 2-D homographic texture transformation which corrects for planar perspective foreshortening. We utilize the local Jacobian of this transformation in two important ways: to prevent aliasing in the plane's texture space and to merge correctly texture data arising from varying sampling resolutions in multiple views.


Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) is a syndrome characterized by chronic pain and/or stiffness in the neck, shoulders or upper arms and hips. It affects adult patients usually over 50 years old and is treated with low-dose oral corticosteroids. In this case, a 68-year-old female with a history of PMR, diagnosed by a specialist sporadically seen in the past, presented to a primary care physician due to herpes zoster (HZ) infection. Thorough history taking, along with a careful review of previous laboratory results, raised serious doubts concerning her diagnosis (PMR). Because the patient described diffuse pain throughout her body, sleep disturbances and a depressed emotional state, fibromyalgia was suspected instead and appropriate treatment was given. The patient remained free of symptoms and corticosteroids for almost a year. Information from this case may help to point out that PMR is a disorder that can be easily confused with other chronic pain conditions with similar manifestations, especially when the initial diagnosis is sped up in terms of consultation depth and care continuity. Under certain circumstances, primary care can lead to improved clinical outcomes.


We have recently demonstrated several improvements in material properties and optical design to increase the resolution, size, brightness, and color range of updatable holograms using photorefractive materials. A compact system has been developed that is capable of producing holograms with brightness in excess of 2,500 cd/m2 using less than 20mW of CW laser power. The size of the hologram has been increased to 300mm × 150mm with a writing time of less than 8 seconds using a 50 Hz pulse laser. Optical improvements have been implemented to reduce the hogel size to less than 200 μm. We have optimized the color gamut to extend beyond the NTSC CIE color space through a combination of spatial and polarization multiplexing. Further improvements could bring applications in telemedicine, prototyping, advertising, updatable 3D maps and entertainment.


The increasing world population and the shortage of adequate housing create an enormous demand for future housing with an expectable demand for sustainable solutions. The low-emission construction model of steel building system could be introduced and promoted in the civil building. There are four main ways including the standardized design, industrialized production, assembly of construction and social services to develop this model which can meet the demands of the function goal, the low-emission goal and the cost-benefit ratio evaluation criteria. Which way should be applied as the uppermost one is the key problem to realize the environment protection strategy scientifically in housing industry. The evaluation model was proposed and the AHP method was applied in calculation to draw the conclusion that the standardized is most important countermeasure.


Preface. Introduction. Silicon Carbide and Carbon Composites. Single- and Multi- Layered Interphases in SiC/SiC Composites Exposed to Severe Conditions: An Overview ( Roger Naslain, Rene Pailer, and Jacques Lamon ). (Research and Developments on C/C Composite for Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Application ( Taiju Shibata, Junya Sumita, Taiyo Makita, Takashi Takagi, Eiki Kunimoto, and Kazuhiro Sawa ). (X-Ray Tomographic Characterization of the Macroscopic Porosity of VCI SiC/SiC Composites-Effects on the Elastic Behavior ( L. Gelebart, C. Chateau, M. Bornert, J Crepin, and E. Boller ). (Mechanical Strength of CTP Triplex SiC Fuel Clad Tubes after Irradiation in MIT Research Reactor under PWR Collant Conditions ( Herbert Feinroth, Matthew Ales, Eric Barringer, Gordon Kohse, David Carpenter, and Roger Jaramillo ). Mechanical Properties. Behaviors of SiC Fibers at High Temperature ( C. Colin, V. Fajanga, and L. Gelebart ). Fracture Resitance of Silicon Carbide Composites Using Various Nothced Specimens ( Takashi Nozawa, Hiroyasu Tanigawa, Joon-Soo Park, and Akira Kohyama ). Optimization of an Interphase Thickness in Hot-Pressed SiC/SiC Composites ( Weon-Ju Kim, John Hoon Lee, Dang-Hyok Yoon, and Ji Yeon Park ). Validation of Ring-on Ring Flexural Test for Nuclear Ceramics Using Miniaturized Specimens ( S.Kondo, Y. Katoh, J.W. Kim and L.L. Snead ). Material and Component Processing. Design. Fabrication, and Testing of Silicon Infiltrated Ceramic Plate-Type Heat Exchangers ( J. Schmidt, M. Scheiffele, M. Crippa, P.F. Peterson, K. Sridharan, Y. Chen, L.C. Olson, M.H. Anderson and T.R. Allen ). Microstructural Studies of Hot PRessed Silicon Carbide Ceramic ( Abhikit Ghosh, Abdul K. Gulnar, Ram K. Fotedar, Goutam K. Dey, and Ashok K. Suri ). Diffusion Bonding of Silicon Carbide to Ferritic Steel ( Zhihong Zhong, Tatsuya Hinoki, and Akira Kohyama ). Creamics for Fuel Coating. Fracture Properties of SiC Layer in TRISO-Coated Fuel Particles ( Thak Sang Byun, Jun Weon Kim, John D. Hunn, Jim H. Miller, and Lance L. Snead ). Optimization of Fracture Strength Tests for the SiC Layer of Coated Fuel Particles by Finite Element Analysis ( Jin Weon Kim, Thak Sang Byun, and Yutai Katoh ). Laser Melting of Spark Plasma Sintered Zirconium Carbide: Thermophysical Properties of a Generation IV Very High Temperature Reactor Material ( Heather F. Jackson, Doni J. Daniel, William J. Clegg, Mike J. Reece, Fawad Inam, Dario Manara, Carlo Perinetti Casoni, Franck De Bruycker, Konstantinos Boboridis, and William E. Lee ). Nuclear Fuels and Waste. Development and Testing of a Cement Waste Form for TRU Effluent from the Savannah River Site Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility ( A.D. Cozzi and E.K. Hansen ). Frit Optimization for Sludge Batch Processing at the Defense Waste Processing Facility ( Kevin M. Fox, David. K. Peeler, and Thomas B. Edwards ). Ceramic COated Particles for Safe Operation in HTRs and in Long-Term Storage ( Heinz Nabielik, Hanno can der Merwe, Johannes Fachinger, Karl Verfondem, Werner von Lensa, Bernd Grambow, and Eva de Visser Tynova ). Author Index.


The gap between the advances and the utilization of deep submicron (DSM) technology is increasing as the new generation of technology is introduced faster than ever. Signal integrity is one of the most important issues in overcoming this gap. With the increasing coupling capacitance between the high aspect ratio wires, the delay uncertainty is unpredictable in the current design flow. We present an algorithm to generate a global wire bus configuration with minimum delay uncertainty under timing constraints. The timing window information from the timing budget (or specified in IPs) is integrated with modern accurate crosstalk noise models in the proposed algorithm. HSPICE simulations show that the algorithm is very effective and efficient when compared to the buffer insertion scheme with minimum delay. The standard deviation of the delay obtained from the Monte-Carlo simulation is improved by up to 73%. This global wire bus configuration can be adopted in early wire planning to improve the timing closure problem and increase the accuracy of the timing budget.


Effect of lumen morphologies of selected raw untreated and nanoclay infused lignocellulosic fibres on the sorptioncharacteristics have been studied. Sisal, kenaf, banana and coir fibres have been selected, and the sorption characteristics,such as adsorption, desorption and absorption properties are evaluated. Nanoclay particles are effectively impregnated intothe fibres, and the particles serve as a barrier medium by modifying the fibre-gas/liquid interface. The result indicates thatthe nanoclay treated fibres result in reduced moisture adsorption with increased fibre surface area. The adsorptiondesorptioncharacteristics of untreated and nanoclay treated fibres show sigmoidal isotherm sorption behavior, and thesorption hysteresis depends on crystallinity and nanoclay infusion. It is observed that the absorption characteristics ofuntreated and nanoclay treated fibres depend upon the nanoclay treatment and lumen phase morphology.


Introduction: Despite multiple laws implemented in various parts of the world to combat crime, homicide is on the increase day by day. Many factors predispose to the act of murder, the main being lack of self-control resulting in aggressive behavior. Objective: This study is aimed at finding out the types of weapons used for homicide in Faisalabad and comparing the statistic with other cities. Study design: Retrospective study. Settings: The mortuary of Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad. Period: Two years from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2015. Sample size: 331 homicidal cases. Data collection: Cases labelled as homicidal based on Police papers and autopsy reports were analyzed after obtaining permission from the concerned authorities. The information obtained was recorded in predesigned performas and analyzed using SPSS version 12.0. Results: Majority of the homicidal cases were of the age group 20-29 years, males being the major victims. Firearm remained the main weapon of offence followed by sharp weapons. May was the month in which most homicidal cases were reported. Police station Sadar was the area from which majority of the cases were received. Conclusion: Over the ages, the young (20-29 years) are the most aggressive and mostly the victims of homicide.


Recently, several reports demonstrate that non-neuronal acetylcholine (ACh) release may contribute to various pathophysiological conditions. In this review, we presented our experiments designed to evaluate the non-neuronal cholinergic system in human bladder. After insertion of the microdialysis probe, human bladder strips were suspended in an organ bath filled with Krebs-Henseleit solution, and Ringer solution was perfused into the probe. ACh release was measured by microdialysis and HPLC. The contribution of urothelium and the effects of age and stretch of bladder strips on non-neuronal ACh release were evaluated. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunohistochemical staining of bladder was also performed. Immunohistochemistry showed marked ChAT-positive staining in the urothelium. There was tetrodotoxin-insensitive non-neuronal ACh release and this was significantly higher in strips with urothelium than in strips without urothelium. The non-neuronal ACh release was increased with age. Stretch of bladder strips caused increases in non-neuronal ACh release. The stretch-induced release of non-neuronal ACh was increased with age. Our data demonstrate that there is a non-neuronal cholinergic system in human bladder and that urothelium contributes to non-neuronal ACh release. There was significant age-related and stretch-induced increase in non-neuronal ACh release. It is suggested that the non-neuronal cholinergic system may contribute to the physiology and pathophysiology of human bladder. We also discussed the clinical significance of the non-neuronal cholinergic system in human bladder.


SUMMARY Conservation agriculture (CA) is inadequately developed for rice-based cropping systems widely practiced in Bangladesh. The current drawback is the implementation of CA for all crops including rice (Oryza sativa L., ecotype 'transplanted aman' [T. aman]) to increase rice–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation productivity. It is important to identify the best combination of tillage types and cropping systems to achieve a high yield of component crops and improve soil health. Three tillage practices, assigned to main experimental plots [namely, zero tillage (ZT), conventional tillage using a rotary tiller (CT) and deep tillage using a chisel plough (DT)] and three different cropping systems, assigned to sub-plots [namely, WFT: wheat–fallow–T. aman, WMT: wheat–mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)–T. aman and WDT: wheat–dhaincha (Sesbania rostrata)–T. aman], were tested. After 4 years, ZT under WDT and WMT significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM) at 0–150 mm depth, and these replicates also held the highest levels of total organic carbon. Soil organic carbon (C) increased at a rate of 1.17 and 1.14 t/ha/y in ZT under WDT and WMT, respectively, while CT and DT under WFT were almost unchanged. After 4 years, SOM build-up by the three-crop system (WDT and WMT) under ZT helped conserve soil moisture and improve other soil properties, such as reduction in soil strength and bulk density and increase plant available water content, thus maintaining an optimum soil water infiltration rate. Zero tillage under WMT and WDT showed significant improvements in root mass density of rice and wheat at increased soil depth. The WDT and WMT plots under DT consistently gave the highest yield followed by WDT and WMT under CT, in contrast with ZT under WMT or WDT, which showed the highest improvement in crop yields over the years. In summary, minimum soil disturbance together with incorporation of a legume/green manure crop into the rice–wheat system as well as the retention of their residues increased soil C status, improved soil properties and maximized grain yields.


This paper investigated K-means algorithm, a well-known clustering algorithm. K-means clustering algorithms have some shortfalls and defects, and one defect is reviewed in this study. One of the disadvantages of K-means clustering algorithms is that they can produce clusters that do not always include all the correct components. It is due to the presence of the error rate during the clustering process. The purpose of this research was to decrease error rates in the K-means clustering algorithm and to reduce iteration of running this algorithm. A novel method is proposed to calculate the distance between cluster members and cluster centre. To evaluate the algorithm proposed in this study, seven well-known data sets consisting of Balance, Blood, Breast, Glass, Iris, Pima and Wine data sets were used. This investigation revealed that the performance of K-means algorithms was increased and resulted in valid clusters and that it reduced error rates, run time and iteration.


As part of a large Spitzer MIPS Guaranteed Time Observation program, we have searched for infrared excesses due to debris disks toward 26 FGK field stars known from radial velocity (RV) studies to have one or more planets. While none of these stars show excesses at 24 μm, we have detected 70 μm excesses around six stars at the 3 σ confidence level. The excesses are produced by cool material (<100 K) located beyond 10 AU, well outside the "habitable zones" of these systems and consistent with the presence of Kuiper Belt analogs with ~100 times more emitting surface area than in our own planetary system. These planet-bearing stars are, by selection for RV studies, typically older than 1 Gyr, and the stars identified here with excesses have a median age of 4 Gyr. We find a preliminary correlation of both the frequency and the magnitude of dust emission with the presence of known planets. These are the first stars outside the solar system identified as having both well-confirmed planetary systems and well-confirmed IR excesses.


Summary Limitations for the radiation quality factor, Q , of a lossless linearly polarised structure which fits a spheroidal volume are searched for. The Q is evaluated by numerical integration of the evanescent energy outside the spheroid for the axially polarised field. The minimum Q for a prolate spheroid is found for a narrower radiation pattern than the sin θ-figure characteristic for an elementary dipole, while for the oblate, the minimum turns out for a broader pattern than that of an elementary dipole. The results agree with the previous theory, stating that the Q of a linearly polarised antenna can not be smaller than ( ka )- 3 + ka - 1 , k being the wave number and a the radius of the smallest circumscribed sphere. The graphs showing the influence of the axial ratio on the radiation Q should be of practical interest in the design of wide band antennae of small electrical size as not only the maximum dimension of the antenna, but also its shape and polarisation is taken into account.


Abstract Natural languages come in two different modalities – the aural-auditory modality of spoken languages and the visual-gestural modality of sign languages. The impact of modality on the grammatical system has been discussed at great length in the last 20 years. By contrast, the impact of modality on semantics in general and on ambiguities in particular has not yet been addressed in detail. In this paper, we deal with different types of ambiguities in sign languages. We discuss typical lexical and structural ambiguities as well as modality-specific aspects such as ambiguities in the use of the signing space and non-manual markers. In addition, we address the questions how sign languages avoid ambiguities and to what extent certain kinds of ambiguities and non-ambiguities depend on the visual-manual modality of sign languages. Since gestures use the same articulatory channel that is also active in the production of signs, we also discuss ambiguities between gestures on the one hand and grammaticalized gestures and signs on the other.


Many different microorganisms carry out environmental functions, such as nutrient cycling, plant growth enhancement, or biodegradation. Some microorganisms also negatively affect their environment by causing disease. In order to gain a better understanding of the fate and behavior of specific microorganisms in nature, specific monitoring methods are required.This work focuses on the development of marker genes to monitor bacteria in environmental samples. The gfp gene, encoding the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), and the luxAB genes, encoding bacterial luciferase, were developed and applied as tools to track specific bacteria. To enable a strong expression of the eukaryotic gfp gene in bacteria, an expression cassette was assembled by fusing gfp to a ribosome binding site under control of a constitutive promoter. A variant cassette containing two copies of gfp was also constructed for higher expression of GFP. The gfp cassettes were inserted into Tn5 based transposon vectors for stable integration of gfp into the chromosomes of different bacterial strains. The Tn5-gfp cassettes were used to tag both Gram- and Gram+ strains with gfp. The intensity of fluorescence was dependent on the copy number of gfp. However, one copy of gfp was enough for visualisation of single bacterial cells by epifluorescence microscopy and confocal laser microscopy as well as for quantification by flow cytometry. GFP-fluorescent cells could also easily be distinguished from the indigenous bacterial population in soil samples and on plant surfaces by their fluorescence phenotype.In order to simultaneously quantify bacterial numbers and activity, a dual marker cassette containing both gfp and luxAB genes was constructed. Expression of the luminescence phenotype conferred by the luxAB genes is dependent on cellular energy reserves. The luciferase activity was highly correlated to the cell number when cells were actively growing, but decreased relative to cell number under starvation conditions. On the other hand, the GFP phenotype was insensitive to starvation conditions allowing gfp-tagged cells to be monitored independently of nutrient availability. Also, cells were detected by their GFP fluorescence when they were viable but nonculturable. The GFP fluorescence phenotype was found to be dependent on cell membrane integrity, as GFP was lost from dead cells with permeabilised membranes.The dual gfp-luxAB marker was useful for in situ studies of the plant growth promoting bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25, during colonisation of wheat plants starting from seed inoculum. The highest bacterial concentrations were found on the wheat seed, compared to the roots and leaves. By stereomicroscopy the in situ distribution of P. fluorescens SBW25 cells and the regions where they were metabolically active, were simultaneously monitored on the same wheat seeds. The P. fluorescens SBW25 cells showed a preference for specific regions on the wheat seed, such as the groove formed between the scutellum and the coleoptile. Interestingly, the P. fluorescens SBW25 cells were metabolically active on all plant parts where they were localised.In conclusion, the methods developed in this study are optimal tools for detection and quantification of bacteria and have wide applications for monitoring specific bacterial populations of interest in environmental samples.


Fundamental changes are taking place in the world's financial markets that will challenge stock exchanges. As the twenty-first century approaches, more and more exchanges are adopting automated floorless trading mechanisms. This article outlines an attempt to develop an automated financial cybermarket with a bundle-matching and -execution mechanism. The market matches orders in bundles and provides a price-discovery mechanism. In many real-world situations, value is derived from a combination of assets or resources. The value will be significantly reduced when even one asset or resource is excluded from the bundle. The mechanism can be used to trade financial portfolios as well as a combination of commodities. When used for simple asset trading, the bundle mechanism is, in effect, a generalization of the k-double auction. From a computing point of view, the electronic market is a large-scale distributed computing system. Emerging technologies like Java and distributed objects can be used to create electronic markets that can be accessed universally. The technologies support interactive and dynamic information exchanges between traders and market. Computational issues, such as asynchronous processing, currency control, and scalability, are also addressed.


Total Suspended Solid (fSS) is important as one of the parameters that can be influenced by a stream power which will affect the ecological condition of the system. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to improve understanding in TSS variation along Sampadi River and provide fundamental data for monitoring purposes as Sampadi
River is important for fisheries activities among the local
people. Six sampling trips for samples collection were conductecl at 12 selected stations along 5ampadi River during high (February 25; October 22; and November 11) and low (February 25; May 21; and November 11) tide of Spring
tide. Water samples for TSS analysis were collected in triplicates from the subsurface. Transparency and turbidity
data were recorded in-situ. '5S values along Sampadi River
during the study period ranged from 26.33±3.511!lgl·1 at station 1 to .04.33±7.57 mgt· 1 at station 13 during low tide. The range increased during high tide from 27.oo±13.89
mgl-1 at station 10 in February to 160.00±1.15 at station 12
in November. TSS at station 13 is significandy higher compared to all other stations during low tide. However during high tide, the TSS value at Station 12 is significandy higher compared to all stations but do not have
significant difference as compared to station 13. Turbidity
values range from 2.77±0.06 NTU at station 3 in May to
92.6±0.00
NTU
at
station
13
in
February.
However
the
range
of
values
decreases
slighdy
during
high
tide,
from
2.03±0.06
NTU
at
station
6
in
October
to
52.03±3.63
NTU
at
station
12
in
November.
Transparency,
measured
in
centimeter
ranged
from
15.33±0.58
em
at
station
13
in
February
to
119.33±1.15
em
at
station
3
in
November.
While
during
high
tide
the
transparency
value
increased
to
28.67±1.15
em
to
150.33±0.58
at
station
3
in
October
during
high
tide.
This
suggests
that
TSS
variation
along
Sampadi
River
support
the
theory
of
turbidity
maximum
zone
which
normally
occurred
at
up
or
down
estuary.
Based
on
TSS
values
as
compared
to
the
Interim
National
Water
Quality
Index
(INWQS)
for
Malaysia
of
the
Department
of
Environment,
Sampadi
River
falls
into
class
III
which
is
within
range
for
common,
ofeconomic
value
and
tolerant
species.


Summary In this study, the effects of CaCl2 (2%) supplemented diet, rock salt (RS, 2%) supplemented diet and control diet (no supplement) on the weight gain, specific growth rate, daily feed intake, feed conversion rate, protein efficiency rate and serum mineral concentration (Na, K, Cl) were investigated in rainbow trout. RS was used for increasing the CAD and Na/K ratio of the control diet and CaCl2 was used for decreasing the CAD level of the control diet. A total of 300 fish, 2 replications for each treatment consisting of 50 fish with a mean initial body weight of 88.2 g were used in the experiment. The experiment lasted fifteen weeks. The diet supplemented with 2% RS improved significantly the weight gain, feed conversion rate and protein efficiency rate in rainbow trout compared to 2% CaCl2 supplemented group and control (P 0.05). Dietary 2% CaCl2 supplementation did not significantly affect the weight gain, specific growth rate, daily feed intake, feed conversion rate and protein efficiency rate in rainbow trout compared to control diet (P>0.05). Na, K and Cl level of the serum and mortality rate were not statistically different among the groups (P>0.05). The dietary 2% RS supplementation produced a better growth and feed efficiency for rainbow trout compared to dietary 2% CaCl2 supplementation and control diet. Added RS to diet was appropriate for making cationic the diet and increasing the CAD level and Na/K ratio of diet.


For the last decades, many mechanical measurements on solder alloys were carried out. As a matter of fact, the microstructure of the solder materials is affected by their compositions. In addition, external variables like the reflow cooling rate, solder volume, thermal mass of the package and pad metallization may have an influence. For those reasons the discrepancies of creep measurements on solder contact specimen are larger than on tensile samples. A motivation for the creep measurement activities is the lifetime prediction of electronic components, which have solder joints for electric-mechanical connection on their interposer or printed circuit board. Structure-mechanic simulation tools like the FEM can calculate the mechanical interactions between the assembled materials of such complete packages. Often, the solder joints are the weakest participants in the whole assembly and determine the total lifetime. Nevertheless, every simulation is highly dependent on the material laws. Therefore, the FEM needs an accurate fatigue model and a precise material model for the lifetime prediction of this solder. The paper presents a new experimental design for measuring the creep behaviour of area arrayed solder bumps in different sizes of various packages. It focuses on the feasibility of the measurement of industrial manufactured FC, CSP or BGA packages. First measurements were accomplished on solder bumps with 200 μm and 400 μm diameter. The test setup works by cyclic reversible shear force initiation into solder joints. It operates in the temperature range between T = [20...125]°C. High-resolution force adjustment and displacement measurement enables a steady state strain rate measurement range of [10-2...10-8] 1/sec. Industrial demands for introducing the new SnAgCu base solders required a concentration on various high Sn-based alloys.


ABSTRACT Pseudomorphs of calcite are present in lacustrine strata and travertine of the Oligocene Creede Formation, the sedimentary moat fill of the Creede caldera in the Tertiary San Juan volcanic field. The pseudomorphs, previously thought to have formed after gaylussite (CaCO3Na2CO3·5H2O), are interpreted to have formed after ikaite (CaCO3·6H2O) on the basis of their modes of occurrence, pseudomorph morphology, and textural and chemical aspects of the calcite replacement. The extent of their exposure and degree of preservation in the Creede Formation allow elucidation of the depositional conditions in which the ikaite formed and was subsequently pseudomorphically replaced. The revised paleoenvironmental interpre ation of the Creede Formation also has implications for understanding of the late Oligocene climate of the southwestern United States. Formation of ikaite requires water temperatures of 0-3°C, supersaturation with respect to calcite, and the presence of a chemical inhibitor, such as dissolved phosphate, to prevent growth of calcite or aragonite (Shearman and Smith 1985). Geochemical calculations and hydrogeologic considerations suggest that waters with dissolved phosphate contents sufficient to inhibit calcite growth and stabilize ikaite could have developed in the Creede moat lake, although a chemical remnant of high phosphate content is not observed in the strata. The granular texture of the Creede pseudomorphs is common to calcite pseudomorphs after ikaite from many localities. A model is proposed in which slow pseudomorphic replacement (over a period of a day or more) results in sand-size calcite grains forme directly from the ikaite. This model has important implications for the interpretation of isotopic and chemical data obtained from pseudomorphs (and thinolitic tufa).


Teleost fish regenerate their retinas after damage, in contrast to mammals. In zebrafish subjected to an extensive ouabain‐induced lesion that destroys all neurons and spares Müller glia, functional recovery and restoration of normal optic nerve head (ONH) diameter take place at 100 days postinjury. Subsequently, regenerated retinas overproduce cells in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer, and the ONH becomes enlarged. Here, we test the hypothesis that a selective injury, which spares photoreceptors and Müller glia, results in faster functional recovery and fewer long‐term histological abnormalities. Following this selective retinal damage, recovery of visual function required 60 days, consistent with this hypothesis. In contrast to extensively damaged retinas, selectively damaged retinas showed fewer histological errors and did not overproduce neurons. Extensively damaged retinas had RGC axons that were delayed in pathfinding to the ONH, and showed misrouted axons within the ONH, suggesting that delayed functional recovery following an extensive lesion is related to defects in RGC axons exiting the eye and/or reaching their central targets. The atoh7, fgf8a, Sonic hedgehog (shha), and netrin‐1 genes were differentially expressed, and the distribution of hedgehog protein was disrupted after extensive damage as compared with selective damage. Confirming a role for Shh signaling in supporting rapid regeneration, shhat4+/‐ zebrafish showed delayed functional recovery after selective damage. We suggest that surviving retinal neurons provide structural/molecular information to regenerating neurons, and that this patterning mechanism regulates factors such as Shh. These factors in turn control neuronal number, retinal lamination, and RGC axon pathfinding during retinal regeneration. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 851–876, 2014


It is increasingly recognized that a sustainable future for agriculture must build on ecosystem services. Pollination is an important ecosystem service in all agroecosystems. In much of Africa the main challenge is conserving pollinator biodiversity in traditionally "ecologically-intensive" agroecosystems that are changing to meet different demands for food security and poverty alleviation, rather than safeguarding pollination in transition from conventional agricultural systems, with a high reliance on purchased inputs, to "ecologically-intensive" agroecosystems using natural inputs provided by biodiversity. Priority issues for research and development in pollination services in Africa include, inter alia: quantification and documentation of pollination deficits and finding measures to address these; socio-economic valuation of pollinator-friendly practices; assessment of lethal and sub-lethal effects of farming methods, such as pesticide use, on crop pollinators; identification of habitat management practices that enhance synergies between pollinator lifecycles and crop growing patterns; and policy analysis in relation to drivers and trends in pollination services and management.


CONTEXT
Implementation of pediatric palliative care as a primary practice relevant for all pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists requires a grounding, shared knowledge. This study reports on the innovative application of a monthly Palliative Care E-Journal Club (Pal Care Club) to foster shared palliative care knowledge hospital wide.

OBJECTIVES
To explore the impact of a monthly electronic journal club to increase the number of palliative care-relevant articles read and discussed and to enhance provider comfort with the integration and introduction of palliative care.

METHODS
A single cohort, predesign-post-design was utilized to explore the impact of a monthly palliative care electronic journal club.

RESULTS
Preintervention barriers to reading pediatric palliative care literature were primarily access and time. The mean of paired differences (post-pre) for the number of full-text articles read per month was 2.56 (SD = 1.25). The journal club intervention increased participant personal comfort with integrating palliative care principles at the bedside (p < 0.0001) and introducing pediatric palliative care to patients and families (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
An electronic journal club is a feasible and acceptable means of increasing number of palliative care articles read and discussed across an institution as well as enhancing pediatric palliative care knowledge across subspecialist and general pediatric services.


Motion segmentation for dynamic scene is a fundamental problem in computer vision due to its well-known chicken-and-egg character. The key issue is to estimate both numbers and parameters of motions simultaneously. Different from global clustering method and random sampling scheme, in this paper, we propose a divided-and-conquer algorithm to solve the motion segmentation problem. A guided selection is used to choose the most creditable hypothetical motion as a candidate seed and then make it grow larger. Compared to previous works such as expectation maximization and factorization approaches, there is no need for any pre-knowledge of the number of motions. To global non-parametric clustering method, it is fast because each time we only do cluster process in a partitioned sub-set. Experiments have shown that the proposal method can give a satisfying result for motion segmentation.


Image smoothing is a very important topic in image processing. Among these image smoothing methods, the L0 gradient minimization method is one of the most popular ones. However, the L0 gradient minimization method suffers from the staircasing effect and over-sharpening issue, which highly degrade the quality of the smoothed image. To overcome these issues, we use not only the L0 gradient term for finding edges, but also a surface area based term for the purpose of smoothing the inside of each region. An alternating minimization algorithm is suggested to efficiently solve the proposed model, where each subproblem has a closed-form solution. Leveraging the introduced surface area term, the proposed method can effectively alleviate the staircasing effect and the over-sharpening issue. The superiority of our method over the state-of-the-art methods is demonstrated by a series of experiments.


The issue of Semarang Government is a dependency of DAU and DAK transfer from Central Government. states that local revenue sources regarding to autonomy and decentralization is recently dominated to donation and budget of central government in the form of Dana Alokasi Umum, Dana Alokasi Khusus and Dana Bagi Hasil, whereas the proportion of PAD is relatively low. Transfer budget from the government of Dana Alokasi Umum always increases every year in Semarang means that Semarang is not able to be independent without central government donation. Therefore it is important to know what variables which have significant impact to the local revenue in Semarang. prove that local revenue in Semarang is influenced by Government Spending, PDRB and the total population.
Based on the analysis result, the conclusion is Variable of Regional Spending, Total Population and PDRB are altogether impact to the Local Revenue. Individually, Variable of Regional Spending, PDRB and total population may impact to Local Revenue, The most impact variable is Total Revenue in Semarang and total population. It is proven by the highest regression coefficient value is 5.742.


Background: Indomethacin is still used in the remote areas because of its low cost. It relieves pain, reduces swelling and tenderness. It induces gastric ulceration both in experimental animals and humans. This study was conducted to observe the reversible changes in the damaged gastric mucosa during its prolonged administration.
 Material & Methods: In this study intrapertioneal injections of indomethacin were given to rats in maximum therapeutic dose (4mg/kg body weight) to three experimental groups B, C and D for one, two and three weeks respectively. Group A was the control group. Effects were observed in the stomach pylorus.
 Results: There were well-defined superficial ulcers during initial two weeks of drug administration. During third week, there was minor damage in the form of focal necrosis. Morphometric analysis initially showed increase in the number of goblet cells, columnar cells, and mitotic figures, which was part of the tissue response to an injury. These findings were significantly reduced with continued use of the drug. The unusual phenomenon observed was that when the duration of the drug was prolonged, the ulcerogenic effects of the drug were reduced.
 Conclusion: Indomethacin given in a maximum therapeutic dose initially induces lesions in stomach but almost no effects are noted when the duration of drug administration is prolonged. This unusual response is due to adaptation of gastric mucosa to the continued use of the drug.


OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that there is no difference in cytotoxicity between separating elastics of different manufacturers. METHODS: The present article compared latex elastics (4.0 mm, 4.4 mm and 4.8 mm) of four different manufacturers. The sample was allocated to seven groups of 9 elastics: Group A (American Orthodontics, green color, modules), Groups M1 and M2 (Morelli, blue color, modules and free in pack respectively), Groups M3 and M4 (Morelli, green color, modules and free in pack respectively), Group U (Uniden, blue color, free in pack) and Group T (Tecnident, blue color, free in pack) regarding their possible cytotoxic effects on oral tissues. Cytotoxicity assays were performed using cell culture medium containing epithelioid-type cells (Hep-2 line) derived from human laryngeal carcinoma and submitted to the methods for evaluating the cytotoxicity by the "dye-uptake" test, at time intervals 24, 48, 72 and 168 h. Data were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Results showed statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between group U and all the other Groups (A, M1, M2, M3, M 4 and T) at 24 and 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Uniden elastics evoked more cell lysis at 24 and 48 h, although, all brands showed biocompatibility from 72 h onwards.


The activities of DNA polymerase-alpha and -beta isolated from pig spleen were determined at different temperatures and in the presence of different concentrations of inhibitors. The results were compared with parallel estimations of replicative DNA synthesis and UV-induced repair synthesis in spleen cells. In respect to pCMB and aCTP, polymerase-alpha is more sensitive than polymerase-beta and similarly is replication more sensitive than repair. Repair synthesis and the activity of polymerase-beta decreases at temperatures higher than 40 degrees C whereas both replication and the activity of polymerase-alpha are greatly stimulated at elevated temperatures with optima of 45 degrees C (polymerase-alpha) and 41 degrees C (replication). The results favour the hypothesis that polymerase-beta is involved in repair synthesis.


The horizontal cross-travel shaft on a derrick failed after two years of service. The shaft was required to be made of 4140 steel quenched to a hardness of 302 to 352 HRB. The shaft was found to have fractured approximately 13 mm from the change in section between the splined end and the shaft proper. The cracks were found to have propagated in the longitudinal and transverse directions until failures occurred. It was showed by a transverse section through the spline that the longitudinal cracks were initiated at the sharp corners at the roots of the spline teeth. The shaft was subjected to reverse torsional loading by the operation of the derrick and the shaft fatigue fracture was caused by this. The fillets at the roots of the spline teeth were increased in size and polished to minimize stress concentrations in these areas.


Traumatic ruptures of the diaphragm were analyzed in 18 cases. The main causes of errors in the diagnosis of the injury were considered to be the following ones: 1. the underestimation or misunderstanding of different clinico-roentgenological forms of injuries of the diaphragm and resulting peculiarities of the course of the disease; 2. simultaneous injuries of the abdominal cavity organs; 3. the underestimation of severity of the trauma.


. The author analyses the scholarship, remembrance, and commemoration of the Holocaust in Macedonia and Bulgaria after 1989. She re-examines interpretive schisms between former communists and anticommunists, explores changes in one of the major lieux de mémoire in Bulgaria, the 'rescue' of its Jews, and juxtaposes it to the killing of those Jews who lived in Bulgarian-occupied territories. She contextualizes the Bulgarian-Macedonian controversies within European and global frameworks, looking at the process of the institutionalization of Holocaust remembrance in the two countries. She then considers the role of international Jewish communities and the effects of a European Union that since the enlargement of 2007 has been moulding a 'European' commemorative landscape from fear of yet another East-West divide. In her conclusion the author outlines an agenda for a transnational social history of anti-Jewish policies and persecutions, and looks at who might be its major actors in Bulgaria and Macedonia.


Maintenance of cellular protein stores in skeletal muscle depends on a tightly regulated synthesis-degradation equilibrium that is conditionally modulated under an extensive range of physiological and pathophysiological circumstances. Recent studies have established the initiation phase of mRNA translation as a pivotal site of regulation for global rates of protein synthesis, as well as a site through which the synthesis of specific proteins is controlled. The protein synthetic pathway is exquisitely sensitive to the availability of hormones and nutrients and employs a comprehensive integrative strategy to interpret the information provided by hormonal and nutritional cues. The translational repressor, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), and the 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1) have emerged as important components of this strategy, and together they coordinate the behavior of both eukaryotic initiation factors and the ribosome. This review discusses the role of 4E-BP1 and S6K1 in translational control and outlines the mechanisms through which hormones and nutrients effect changes in mRNA translation through the influence of these translational effectors.


The effects of herbivores on landscape patterns and ecosystem processes have generally been inferred only from small-plot or exclosure experiments. However, it is important to directly determine the interactions between herbivores and landscape pat- terns, because herbivores range over large portions of the landscape to meet requirements for food and shelter. In two valleys on Isle Royale, Michigan, USA, soil nitrogen availability and its temporal variance decreased rapidly as consumption of browse by moose (Alces alces) increased up to 2 g·m 22 ·yr 21 ; with greater amounts of consumption, nitrogen avail- ability was uniformly low and constant from year to year. We tested three geostatistical models of the spatial distribution of available browse, annual browse consumption, conifer basal area, and soil nitrogen availability across the landscape: (1) no spatial autocorrelation (random spatial distribution); (2) short-range spatial autocorrelation within a patch, but random distribution of patches at larger scales (spherical model); and (3) both short-range autocorrelation within a patch and regular arrangement of patches at larger scales (harmonic oscillator model). Conifer basal area and soil nitrogen availability fit the harmonic oscillator model in both valleys. Annual consumption and available browse showed oscillations in one of the valleys and only short-range autocorrelation in the other. In both valleys, however, the spatial pattern of annual consumption followed that of available browse. The predom- inance of spatially oscillatory patterns suggests that the interactions of moose with the forest ecosystem cause the development of both local patches of vegetation and associated nitrogen cycling rates, as well as the development of higher order patterns across the larger landscape. We suggest a coupled diffusion model of herbivore foraging and plant seed dispersal that may account for these patterns.


Magnesium alloys are becoming important material for light weight car body, due to their low specific density but high specific strength. However they have a poor weldability, caused by high oxidization tendency and low vapour temperature. In this study, the welding performance of magnesium alloy was investigated for automobile application. The material was rolled magnesium alloy sheet contains 3wt%Al, 1wt%Zn and Mg balance. The effects of filler wire addition was investigated on 2kW Nd:YAG laser welding. For the results, the mechanical properties of welded specimen were similar with base metal in laser welding with and without filler wire. The bridging ability was improved with filler wire without weld properties deterioration on laser welding of magnesium alloy.


Objective: External cephalic version (ECV) is an effective tool for reducing the rate of Cesarean in patients with breech presentation at term. While amniotic fluid index has been showed to be associated with successful ECV, there is still uncertainty about which measure should be used to counsel mothers about the likelihood of success. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between the amniotic fluid index (AFI), maximal vertical pocket (MVP), as continuous, categorical and dichotomic variable, and the success rate of ECV. Methods: A prospective observational study was performed including all patients undergoing a trial of ECV between 1988 and 2001 in our center. The association between the different amniotic fluid (AF) measurements and the success of the ECV was calculated using linear and dichotomic logistic regression analyses. Multiple regression analyses with stepwise were performed to adjust for confounding variables including parity, and maternal body mass index (mBMI). Results: Data was available for 1219 patients who underwent a trial of ECV. The rate of successful ECV was 43% in nulliparous and 60% in parous women. A high level of both the AFI and the MVP preprocedure was associated with a successful ECV (Pearson's R: 0.176 and 0.151, p < 0.001). While there is no cut-off value that preclude a trial of ECV, these levels where strongly associated with successful ECV: an AFI ≥ 12 cm (OR 2.0 95%CI 1.6–2.6), and a MVP ≥ 5 cm (OR 1.9 95%CI 1.5–2.4). After adjustment for confounding factors, an AFI ≥ 12 cm (OR 2.3, 95%CI 1.7–3.0) remained most predictive of successful ECV, after parity ≥ 1 (OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.8–3.3) and mBMI < 35 kg/m2 (OR 3.7 95%CI 1.8–7.8). Conclusion: Both AFI and MVP can be used in combination with parity and mBMI to counsel women prior a trial of ECV. However, an AFI equal or greater than 12 cm seems to be the best AF-related variable associated with successful ECV.


Over the past two centuries, violins made by Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) have been more favorably received by concert violinists and instrument collectors than instruments by any other maker. Some suggest that Stradivari's success can be attributed to unique tonal characteristics, generally described as brilliance, and this opinion is still widely expressed by leading violinists today. Others believe that the perceived tonal distinction of Stradivari violins may be attributed to psychological bias instead of physical differences, influenced by historical reputation and market evaluation. Furthermore, modern research has yet to clearly identify acoustic differences between Stradivari violins and other professional quality instruments. Since both violin tones and spoken vowels are perceived through steady-state spectral features, we hypothesized that voice analysis techniques may help elucidate the tonal properties of violins. Using linear predictive coding (LPC), a common speech analysis technique, we examined the recorded scales of four Stradivari violins and ten other professional quality instruments, both old and new. On most violin notes, there are typically four or five resonance peaks (formants) below 5.5 kHz. Generally, professional quality violins exhibit formant frequencies (F1-F4) which are equidistant from the formants of male and female voices. But Stradivari violins tend to produce higher formants which are closer to female voices. Stradivari violins also show greater probabilities to emulate the formants of bright-sounding front vowels spoken by females, a tendency shared by other violins judged by concert violinists as having Strad-like tonal characteristics. Our results suggest that, within the sample group being studied, there are measurable and statistically significant differences between Stradivari violins and other professional quality violins in terms of formant features. Having higher formants or having formants that resemble female vowels may be acoustic correlates of the tonal qualities which concert violinists frequently associate with Stradivari violins.


Finding a marker of neural stem cells remains a medical research priority. It was reported that the proteins doublecortin and nucleostemin were related with stem/progenitor cells in central nervous system. The aim of the present immunohistochemical study was to evaluate the expression of these proteins and their pattern of distribution in canine brain, including age-related changes, and in non-nervous tissues. We found that doublecortin had a more specific expression pattern, related with neurogenesis and neuronal migration, while nucleostemin was expressed in most cells of almost every tissue studied. The immunolabeling of both proteins decreased with age. We may conclude that nucleostemin is not a specific marker of stem/progenitor cells in the dog. Doublecortin, however, is not an exclusive marker of neural stem cells, but also of neuronal precursors.


ABSTRACT At first sight, Julian Barnes and Michel Houellebecq are two authors with little in common, but this article uncovers a shared interest in the life of objects and their capacity to shape and sometimes eclipse the subject. Both Flaubert's Parrot and La Carte et le Territoire raise compelling questions about subject object relations and their special relevance for the institution of authorship. In a reading that tracks the novels' common concerns with tourists, copies and dead authors, I trace the lineage of these concerns back to eighteenth century debates over the relationship between authors and the material book and forward to new anxieties surfacing as the anticipated death of the material book reanimates questions of what makes an author. By foregrounding the role of tourists in literary culture, both novels challenge the conventions of anti-tourist discourse, inviting us to consider whether tourists played a part in bringing authors to life, and whether they may perform a similar service for the book.


This study explores the evolution of integration in output trends, cycles, and market returns for G-7 countries. We use unobserved component model to decompose national output levels and identify quantitatively significant trend and cycle components. For all countries, trend components dominate both in terms of magnitude and importance due to the permanent nature of the shocks they capture. Using principal component analysis, we reveal the existence of common factors driving the volatility in trends, cycles, and market returns. A central contribution of our work is the construction of quantifiable measures of output trend, cycle, and market return integration, referred to as indices of integration. Our indices display high volatility with no trend. In addition, a null hypothesis for white noise could not be rejected for the trend and cycle integration indices. Our study is not able to establish a relationship between integration and national output and market return levels.


Phosphate levels are consistently linked with cardiac calcification, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and death in populations with chronic kidney disease. In addition, mechanistic insights suggest that phosphate levels that span the conventional normal range could lead to CVD. Examining these associations in the general population may be relevant because several interventions that may be suitable for primary or secondary prevention trials already exist. This review summarizes findings described from several community-based, prospective, observational studies. Graded associations with cardiac calcification, left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiovascular events, and death were evident, and cardiovascular risk seemed to accelerate with phosphate >3.5 to 4.0 mg/dl. Although the cause of these associations remains to be determined, several existing interventions may allow in-depth examination of the hypothesis that reducing phosphate levels could prevent CVD in the general population. Even as proof-of-concept trials and mechanistic studies are awaited, phosphate levels may be useful for cardiovascular risk stratification in adults without overt kidney disease.


The friction for sliding objects over partially water-saturated granular materials is investigated as a function of the water volume fraction. We find that ploughing friction is the main sliding mechanism: The slider leaves a deep trace in the sand after its passage. In line with previous research and everyday experience, we find that the friction force varies nonmonotonically with the water volume fraction. The addition of a small amount of water makes the friction force sharply drop, whereas too much added water causes the friction force to increase again. We present a ploughing model that quantitatively reproduces the nonmonotonic variation of the friction force as a function of water volume fraction without adjustable parameters. In this model, the yield stress of the water-sand mixture controls the depth to which the hemisphere sinks into the sand and the force that is required to plough through the water-sand mixture. We show that the model can also be used for other ploughing friction experiments, such as an ice skate that leaves a ploughing track on ice.


We propose a simple but effective tracking-by-segmentation algorithm using Absorbing Markov Chain (AMC) on superpixel segmentation, where target state is estimated by a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, and target segmentation is propagated to subsequent frames in a recursive manner. Our algorithm constructs a graph for AMC using the superpixels identified in two consecutive frames, where background superpixels in the previous frame correspond to absorbing vertices while all other superpixels create transient ones. The weight of each edge depends on the similarity of scores in the end superpixels, which are learned by support vector regression. Once graph construction is completed, target segmentation is estimated using the absorption time of each superpixel. The proposed tracking algorithm achieves substantially improved performance compared to the state-of-the-art segmentation-based tracking techniques in multiple challenging datasets.


Ports play a vital role in the economy of nations and provide a critical link in the supply chain. Ports form the gateway by which essential goods are received within large geographic regions. Because of their function, ports are exposed to substantial risk of flooding, storm events, sealevel-rise, and climate change. The resiliency of ports is essential for the economy, the people, and national readiness. The contribution of this research work is in providing a methodology to quantify port resiliency that is applicable at the individual port level and regionally. The research approach first defines a quantifiable measure of systematic resiliency. Then applies this measure to quantify the resiliency of six ports located in the Southeast US impacted my Hurricane Matthew (2016). Based on the analysis of these individual ports, a regional resiliency assessment is then applied to quantify the regional resiliency of the impacted area. In general, the results showed that regionally, ports are more resilient to disruptive events than the individual ports that make up the region. This was likely because as one port enters the disrupted state, another may be entering the recovery state providing regional continuity. This may suggest that port clusters rely upon each other during disruptive events to increase the overall resiliency of waterborne commerce. In general, the study ports struggled to absorb the impact of the storm and subsequent closures, whereas adaptability and recovery were significantly higher.


Butterfly pivot is a large-travel rotational flexure pivot, which can provide elastic support for the rotational shaft in several ten degrees. Rotational precision is of great important for its application. Because of the complex structure, rotational precision is always taken with Finite Element Method (FEM), which is not suitable for design and optimize parametrically. The structure property of the butterfly pivot is analyzed before the precision analysis. Four-Blade Isosceles-Trapezoid Element is present as the basic structure unit of the Butterfly Pivot. And then, Rotational precision of the Four-blade Isosceles-Trapezoid unit is calculated and analyzed. The Self-Compensation performance of the butterfly Pivot is also studied. Work in this thesis can validate the high rotational precision of the butterfly pivot.


Chlamydial infections in children EDITOR,—We know that Chlamydia trachoma-tis infections (serovars D-K) are a significant cause of morbidity in the adult population, particularly young women. This justifies the considerable eVorts and costs of preventing, diagnosing, and treating chlamydial infections. It is also well established that C tracho-matis can cause conjunctivitis and pneumoni-tis in neonates and infants as a result of vertical transmission. There is no doubt that symptomatic children should be treated but should we also treat asymptomatic carriers? What would be the benefit of treating asymptomatic children of mothers who were proved or have a history suggestive of C trachomatis infection during their pregnancy? Should we treat these children systematically? Up to what age? These questions have recently arisen in our department after the diagnoses of C tracho-matis conjunctivitis in several small children. The American guidelines for the management of sexually transmitted infection 1 do not recommend prophylactic treatment to infants of chlamydia positive mothers but close clinical supervision and treatment if symptoms develop. These guidelines do highlight the importance of antenatal screening as the main preventive measure in the vertical transmission of C trachomatis. Routine prophylaxis with silver nitrate or topical antibiotics would not prevent C trachomatis transmission. Neither the UK national guidelines nor the SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) guidelines 2 3 address the issue. In preadolescent children sexual abuse should always be considered when a diagnosis of C trachomatis has been made, although there are reports of perinatally transmitted infections up to the age of 3 4 and in our department a family cluster of C trachomatis infection has recently been reported, including a 6 year old girl in whom there was no evidence of sexual abuse. 5 We await with interest the results of the pilot chlamydial screening projects in Port-smouth and the Wirral but suggest that routine antenatal screening for C trachomatis infections with a nuclear amplification test (NAT) would reduce perinatal and infant morbidity and possible infection in children, whether symptomatic or not. At the very least, targeted antenatal screening of higher risk groups (young pregnant women up to 25, or those with new or multiple partners, as recommended by the American guidelines) should be clearly specified in the current UK guidelines. A negative reliable chlamydial test documented during a pregnancy would make a diagnosis of C trachomatis infection in a child less likely to be of vertical perinatal transmission. In the meantime, …


The authors report on a course of malignant hyperthermia (MH) in an almost 5-years old boy. In the past, he had been anaesthetized two times with halothane without complications. The causative triggering agent was sevoflurane, a new user-friendly substance for paediatric anaesthesia. Forty five minutes after induction of anaesthesia he developed symptoms of a MH-crisis with increase in endexspiratory CO2 up 87 mmHg and followed by an increase in heart rate up to 160 beats/minute. The blood gas analysis showed a respiratory and metabolic acidosis. The timely administration of dantrolene rapidly reversed the life-threatening signs and prevent progression of the disease. It is apparent that monitoring of endtidal carbon dioxide by means of capnometry is of crucial importance in detecting MH at an early stage, and appropriate treatment is being instituted more promptly. By such early recognition, and treatment with dantrolene, we can reasonably except a further decrease in mortality and morbidity of this enigmatic disorder.


Background The effect of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) among professional drivers has not been systematically investigated. Thus, this study used a large professional driver cohort to assess the effectiveness of nocturnal oxygen saturation for prediction the subsequent 8-year CVD risk. Methods The Taiwan Bus Driver Cohort Study (TBDCS) recruited 1,650 professional drivers from a large bus company in Taiwan in 2005. The subjects were interviewed in person and completed the overnight pulse oximeter survey. This cohort was linked to the National Health Insurance Research Dataset and 192 CVD cases were found from 2005 to 2012. Primary outcomes were CVD events, nocturnal oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and working patterns. ODI3 or ODI4 are the hourly average number of desaturation episodes, which are defined as at least 3% or 4% decrease in saturation from the average saturation in the preceding 120 seconds, and lasting > 10 seconds. Results ODI4 and ODI3 levels increased the 8-year CVD risk, even adjusting for CVD risk factors (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.78; p = 0.022, and HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.90; p = 0.033). ODI4 and ODI3 thresholds of 6.5 and 10 events/hour revealed differences of CVD risks (HR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.00 to 2.95; p = 0.048, and HR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.03 to 3.03; p = 0.041). Moreover, the ODI levels had an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (not including hypertensive disease) and hypertensive disease (not including essential hypertension). Conclusion This study concludes that ODI level for a sign of OSA is an independent predictor of future 8-year risk of CVD. This finding has an important implication to encourage health or labour service organisations that early recognition and active treatment of OSA could reduce future CVD risk.


Due to a variety of recent policy changes and technical innovations, the U.S. electric grid will encounter significant opportunities and challenges over the next several decades. As we have described above, various policy and system-level issues will need to be addressed and new technologies will need to be fully developed and used appropriately for the U.S. grid to evolve along an efficient path with minimal disruption and to ensure electricity rates and levels of reliability remain acceptable. The journey to the electric grid of 2030 has begun, and there will be plenty of surprises along the way. Much can and should be done now to smooth the road ahead.


Purpose
Hospitals have become competitive organizations striving to serve the needs of empowered consumers seeking positive experiences. As a result, the patient experience turns into a critical driver of performance for hospitals. Accordingly, the question "what are the critical dimensions for creating a well-designed patient experience?" has been drawing increasing attention from the industry and academia alike. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of patient experience by using multiple source data obtained from experts and patients.

Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a qualitative research approach to examine the perspectives of both health-care experts and patients about the experience. A semi-structured interview series is conducted with health-care professionals, academicians, researchers, physicians and patients.

Findings
The results suggest a novel framework for the patient experience including five critical dimensions as follows: provider, physician, patient, personnel and periphery. This framework, 5Ps of patient experience, provides a holistic picture, which integrates the perspectives of patients, health-care providers and experts including scholars and researchers.

Practical implications
The 5P framework can be used by health-care professionals to better understand the driving factors of patient experience and to create a strategy to improve patient satisfaction.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present study is the first qualitative study, which provides a holistic approach to patient experience independent from the branch and considers the perspectives of both health-care experts and patients.