In this paper, a novel practical principle of series hybrid active power filter based on the fundamental magnetic flux compensation (FMFC) of a series transformer is proposed. In the active power filter, the fundamental current component of power utility is detected and tracked to produce a fundamental compensation current, which is injected into the secondary winding. According to the law of superposition, when the injected fundamental current and the fundamental current component of the power utility satisfy the FMFC, the series transformer can really exhibit very low impedance to fundamental and naturally magnetizing impedance to harmonics. As a result, the series hybrid active power filter with FMFC really acts as a "harmonic isolator". The current control scheme and fundamental detecting method are analyzed. The validity of the novel principle and excellent filtering characteristics are verified by the experimental results of the two kinds of typical harmonic-producing loads.


A series of organic-vermiculite/polyimide (OVMT/PI) hybrid films were successfully prepared by in situ polymerization using hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) modified vermiculite (VMT) as filler. XRD analysis showed the OVMT were exfoliated in the polymeric matrix below 1.5wt%. The tensile strength and elongation at break increased with the addition of OVMT and up to maximum at 1.5 wt%. The Tgs of the films were nearly 400°C indicating that the incorporation of OVMT did not obviously affect the thermal stability of PI films.


Decoding speaker's intent is a crucial part of spoken language understanding (SLU). The presence of noise or errors in the text transcriptions, in real life scenarios make the task more challenging. In this paper, we address the spoken language intent detection under noisy conditions imposed by automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems. We propose to employ confusion2vec word feature representation to compensate for the errors made by ASR and to increase the robustness of the SLU system. The confusion2vec, motivated from human speech production and perception, models acoustic relationships between words in addition to the semantic and syntactic relations of words in human language. We hypothesize that ASR often makes errors relating to acoustically similar words, and the confusion2vec with inherent model of acoustic relationships between words is able to compensate for the errors. We demonstrate through experiments on the ATIS benchmark dataset, the robustness of the proposed model to achieve state-of-the-art results under noisy ASR conditions. Our system reduces classification error rate (CER) by 20.84% and improves robustness by 37.48% (lower CER degradation) relative to the previous state-of-the-art going from clean to noisy transcripts. Improvements are also demonstrated when training the intent detection models on noisy transcripts.


Electrostatic powder impact deposition (EPID) is a novel method to deposit thin films by electrostatic acceleration of powder material between charged plates in vacuum. The EPID method has been used to deposit Ge films on Si and Cu substrates at room temperature. Surface morphology and microstructure as studied by SEM showed a very rough surface. XRD and RBS measurements revealed that the films were mostly nanocrystalline or amorphous Ge oxide. The grain size distribution of the Ge powder was measured before and after deposition. Initial distribution showed a median grain size of 32??m and distribution width of 80??m. After the deposition the median grain size had decreased to 16??m and the width decreased to 55??m. The grain size of the deposited film was less than 1??m.


Background: Empirical outcome studies have identified specific symptomatic, cognitive, emotional and functional sequelae of childhood abuse in people with severe mental illness (SMI). These findings illuminate the need for an integrated understanding of biological, psychological, environmental, and developmental aspects of SMI. Purpose: The purpose of the present study includes the following: 1) to examine reliability and validity of the comprehensive child abuse rating system in a sample of individuals with SMI, 2) to examine the influence of childhood abuse severity on recovery of psychotic symptoms, neurocognition and social-cognition, and social functioning in people with SMI during 12 months of inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation, and 3) to examine moderating effects of social cognition on the relationship between severity of different types of child abuse history and social functioning. Results: In Study I (N=171), the child abuse rating system produced reliable ratings and some subtypes of child abuse history were related to poorer premorbid functioning and cognition, higher overall psychiatric symptoms, and lower social functioning.
In Study II (N=161), the longitudinal factor pattern invariance of the measures of social functioning, externality, and psychiatric symptoms were confirmed across 3 time points (e.g., at admission, at 6 months, and at 12 months). In addition, significant but varied linear relationships between subtypes of child abuse and each level of assessment of functioning were identified.
In Study III (N=143), the results showed that higher baseline social inference, independent of history of child physical abuse (CPA), played a protective role in improvements in social functioning. High externality appeared to be counter-therapeutic for individuals with no history of CPA but protective for individuals with a more severe history of CPA.
Conclusion: The child abuse rating system appears to provide reliable and valid assessment of subtypes of child abuse history of individuals with SMI. Considering the extreme heterogeneity in both SMI and child maltreatment, the current finding sheds light on providing individualized treatment and assessment planning for individuals with SMI and a history of childhood abuse.


1 Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77251 2 Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX Synthetic biology aims to engineer biological systems for practical purposes through the manipulation of gene regulation and enzymatic processes within the host. The vast majority of synthetic gene circuits operate within a single cell or isogenic colony of bacteria. However, utilizing multiple strains or species of bacteria simultaneously greatly expands the possibilities of synthetic biology. These systems, called synthetic microbial consortia, more closely resemble the naturally heterogeneous environments of bacteria, such as gut microbiomes or biofilms. Here, I will describe our recent efforts to design, construct, and analyze multi-scale regulatory structures in synthetic microbial consortia. This work includes: 1) creating novel transcription factors and promoters that allow cells to sense and respond to complex environmental conditions; 2) engineering multiple intercellular signaling mechanisms to create population-level regulatory pathways; and 3) developing mathematical techniques that accurately model and predict the dynamics of gene regulation in competing bacterial strains. Using these techniques, we have been able to engineer novel synthetic microbial consortia that exhibit complex emergent behaviors, such as oscillations and global bistability. For example, in one system we used two different bacterial quorum sensing systems to construct an "activator" strain and a "repressor" strain that respectively upand down-regulate gene expression in both strains. When co-cultured in a microfluidic device, the two strains form coupled positive and negative feedback loops at the population-level. The interacting strains exhibit robust, synchronized oscillations that are absent if either strain is cultured in isolation.


Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is claimed as among the key elements in the internal control components, which help the organizations to ensure that principal risks are monitored and managed well within the organizational structure. Implementing ERM in organizations would help to put the process of monitoring, reviewing and identification of risks in a better perspective. This study attempts to explore the ERM implementation in Malaysian construction companies. This sector is chosen as it is claimed that ERM can help construction companies make appropriate and accurate decisions in planning and construction of projects. In addition, this study is conducted to assist and improve ERM implementation of a small construction company. A comparison is conducted between this small company to a bigger construction company, which has implemented ERM for a number of years in an effort to assist the former to improve its implementation. Interviews were conducted to obtain the data for the study. Top management, risk owners, and employees of both companies were interviewed. The interview results were analyzed and presented to the smaller company. Among others, the results suggest that the awareness and understanding of ERM concept by employees is the main factor in ensuring a successful ERM implementation because the employees will be the first to experience such risks in their day-to-day operations. Participation from all level of employees, especially the commitment from the top management is crucial to ensure its successful implementation. In addition, continuous maintenance activities such as follow up monitoring and maintenance of a risk management exercises are important in managing risks effectively.


This book describes how an era of biohappiness, based on the conservation and sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity, can be launched. It deals with all aspects of conservation such as in situ, ex situ and community conservation, and also covers conservation issues relating to mangroves and other coastal bioresources, whose importance has grown with the emerging possibility of sea-level rise from global warming. The book includes concrete examples of how local tribal families have taken to the establishment of gene, seed, grain and water banks in villages, thus linking conservation, cultivation, consumption and commerce in a mutually-reinforcing manner.


Emergency Care edited by Warren H Cole and Charles B Puestow 7th ed pp xiii +438 illustrated £4.80 New York: Meredith 1972 London: Butterworths 'First aid' is defined in this book as 'assistance rendered before definite treatment can be carried out'. It is an unfortunate fact that medical men have tended to regard first aid as the province of the amateur; the subject has consequently often been poorly taught in medical schools. This volume refutes this point of view and develops the concepts of 'advanced first aid' and 'emergency medical care' that is, that additional expertise in the emergency situation which a trained physician is able to command by reason of his professional training. This development has been further underlined by the change of title in this the 7th edition, from 'First Aid' to 'Emergency Care'. The editors have recruited a galaxy ofAmerican surgical and medical talent and have succeeded in producing a practical, readable andcomprehensive volume which is remarkably free from overlap and contradiction when the number of contributors is considered. The twenty-six chapters deal competently with the subject and include interesting contributions on civil and military organization and administration, as well as the emergency diagnosis and treatment of acute medical and surgical conditions of almost every organ and system of the body. The book should prove to be essential reading for all medical practitioners, irrespective of their specialty, as well as for senior first aid workers, and will be a useful reference work for casualty departments. The book is nicely bound with an artistically distinctive permanent cover and the price is not unreasonable when the variety and value of the contents are considered. There is no bibliography one is scarcely required but the index is adequate. The only common emergencies which do not appear to have been considered are childbirth and abortion; perhaps we may expect a contribution on obstetric and gynaecological emergency care in the next edition.


Spigelman and Grobman describe the Writing
Center (WC) as an "obvious parent" of classroombased
writing tutoring, with WAC as the implied other
parent (5). Such a lineage produces writing fellows
(WFs) able to work with their peers "on location," to
borrow Spigelman and Grobman's title. This elegant
family tree assumes—and requires—shared parenting
beyond the birth of the WF program, but
unfortunately, even at small colleges the parents too
frequently live apart, occupying different spaces with
little interaction and sometimes a little territoriality.
WFs raised in isolation by one or the other develop in
very different ways. WC tutor training doesn't
necessarily prepare students for the group work of
embedded tutoring (Nicolas), WAC training may be
too genre-focused (Russell and Yanez; Gladstein) and,
like SI, is more concerned with content than with
writing (Hafer). But a more significant difference is in
the relationship of WFs to faculty, which reflects the
divergent ideologies of WAC and WCs. In the WC
student-centered model, the WF works primarily with
students and their writing, supporting the faculty
member and occasionally attending class; in the WAC
writing-centered model, WFs work with students on
their writing, but also with faculty as they develop
those writing assignments, playing an essential role in
student and faculty development. Such differences
may place WFs trained in WAC theory and those with
WC training "at odds" with each other (Martins and
Wolf).


In nature, many animals are able to jump, upright themselves after landing and jump again. This allows them to move in unstructured and rough terrain. As a further development of our previously presented 7 g jumping robot, we consider various mechanisms enabling it to recover and upright after landing and jump again. After a weighted evaluation of these different solutions, we present a spherical system with a mass of 9.8 g and a diameter of 12 cm that is able to jump, upright itself after landing and jump again. In order to do so autonomously, it has a control unit and sensors to detect its orientation and spring charging state. With its current configuration it can overcome obstacles of 76 cm at a take-off angle of 75°.


Active, wideband detection of solid, elastic, spherical objects is approached via optimal detection and estimation theory in conjunction with accurate acoustic modeling. This approach incorporates the inherent uncertainty of critical object parameters, which vary as a function of temperature, pressure, and purity. Robust detection is especially important due to the high sensitivity of scattered fields to these varying parameters, examples of which include size, density (object and medium), compressional wave speed (object and medium), and shear wave speed. The signal model employed assumes that incident signals undergo a spatial and spectral filtering operation which is accurately described by the acoustic model. Detection is limited to spherical objects in white isotropic noise. Illustrative detection examples are presented along with receiver operator characteristic (ROC) performance. [Work supported by ONR, Ocean Acoustics.]


Dietary consumption of green vegetables has a protective association with reduction in cardiovascular diseases. The thiocyanate compound sulforaphane, which is obtained from green vegetables, induces antioxidant genes and can protect against pro-inflammatory cellular activation. Our objective was to investigate the influence of sulforaphane on leukocyte pro-inflammatory activation and assess the impact of a sulforaphane-rich diet on leukocyte activation in vivo. Healthy human volunteers were randomised to consume either broccoli sprout homogenates (BSH) rich in sulforaphane or alfalfa sprout homogenates (ASH) as controls in a double-blind crossover trial. Blood was sampled prior to and then at 1 h, 6 h and 24 h post-homogenate consumption and analysed by flow cytometry for intracellular markers of leukocyte activation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphorylation and p65 nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) phosphorylation. Plasma levels of sulforaphane were determined by LC-MS methods. Six participants were recruited into the study. Plasma concentrations of sulforaphane were 30 ng/ml at one hour following BSH and undetectable following ASH consumption. In the control ASH group, ROS activation and p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation were enhanced one hour following consumption. This increase was attenuated in the BSH group (ROS, p<0.02: p38, p<0.001 comparison between groups). We conclude that ingestion of sulforaphane-rich homogenate can protect against pro-inflammatory activation in circulating leukocytes by attenuation of constitutive ROS and p38 MAP kinase.


A prototype Bayesian belief network (BBN) is described that provides catchment-to-reef integration of previously unlinked components of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) social-ecological system.

The BBN is developed to help decision-makers understand the socio-economic trade-offs associated with managing for resilient reef communities given the threat posed by climate change. The probability of severe coral bleaching events increases with climate-driven increases in surface ocean temperatures, but this threat is synergistically linked to the water quality within the GBR lagoon. Improved inshore water quality requires the adoption of 'best practice' catchment management, which may incur considerable cost to the agricultural industry. However, this cost is countered by the associated benefit of safeguarding future reef tourism. The aim of this work is to develop a prototype model capable of investigating these key system linkages only. The BBN formalises this socio-ecological cost-benefit analysis within a risk assessment framework. This aids the difficult task of prioritising alternative management actions. The complexity of the problem represents a challenging modelling task with a large envelope of solutions needing to be represented, each with its own scale and configuration of 'wins' and 'losses' across diverse system sectors. To simplify the modelling task, we specifically targeted key elements of the reef, agriculture, and tourism sectors and then focused on developing the most parsimonious set of cross-sector linkages to generate an integrated systems model. We focus here on the approach used, as results are not yet available. The diverse nature of the individual sectors presented a major challenge for model construction, not least because the causal (i.e. dependence) relationships within individual sectors exist at different levels of understanding and scientific development, as do the relationships between the separate sectors. Furthermore, the data that captures the functional behaviour of each sector (as well as cross-sector interactions) exists as an eclectic mix of simulated, empirical and subjectively-derived information. Fortunately, the adopted BBN approach is capable of resolving these system domain and data uncertainties in a transparent fashion, which includes the assigning of error estimates for the alternate system trade-off scenarios. By making these trade-off uncertainties explicit, the resultant framework provides decision-makers with a rational (i.e. quantitative) method to resolve catchment level questions such as;

Which reef protection target provides the lowest risk and maximum benefit for the local community?

How soon must reef protection targets be realised in order to maximise cross-sector benefits?

Can win/win strategies be pursued with acceptable levels of certainty?

For a given reef protection target, what are the costs to industry and how are they distributed across sectors?

What are the risks and benefits of maximum and 'do nothing' reef protection targets, and how are these risks and benefits distributed?

Are the economic benefits to tourism likely to be large enough to balance economic losses to agriculture?

Are economic losses in any sector likely to exist at levels that substantially reduce community wellbeing?

What are the most influential system components, and are they amenable to policy development?

The framework is currently under review by participants. Once the structure is verified, the prototype will be parameterised and evaluated.


The automatic synthesis of reactive systems from high-level specifications is a highly attractive and increasingly viable alternative to manual system design, with applications in a number of domains such as robotic motion planning, control of autonomous systems, and development of communication protocols. The idea of asking the system designer to describe what the system should do instead of how exactly it does it, holds a great promise. However, providing the right formal specification of the desired behaviour of a system is a challenging task in itself. In practice it often happens that the system designer provides a specification that is unrealizable, that is, there is no implementation that satisfies it. Such situations typically arise because the desired behavior represents a trade-off between multiple conflicting requirements, or because crucial assumptions about the environment in which the system will execute are missing. Addressing such scenarios necessitates a shift towards synthesis algorithms that utilize quantitative measures of system correctness. In this tutorial I will discuss two recent advances in this research direction. First, I will talk about the maximum realizability problem, where the input to the synthesis algorithm consists of a hard specification which must be satisfied by the synthesized system, and soft specifications which describe other desired, possibly prioritized properties, whose violation is acceptable. I will present a synthesis algorithm that maximizes a quantitative value associated with the soft specifications, while guaranteeing the satisfaction of the hard specification. In the second half of the tutorial I will present algorithms for synthesis in bounded environments, where a bound is associated with the sequences of input values produced by the environment. More concretely, these sequences consists of an initial prefix followed by a finite sequence repeated infinitely often, and satisfy the constraint that the sum of the lengths of the initial prefix and the loop does not exceed a given bound. I will also discuss the synthesis of approximate implementations from unrealizable specifications, which are guaranteed to satisfy the specification on at least a specified portion of the bounded-size input sequences. I will conclude by outlining some of the open avenues and challenges in quantitative synthesis from temporal logic specifications. This tutorial is based on joint work with Mahsa Ghasemi and Ufuk Topcu published in [1], [2], and with Bernd Finkbeiner and Hazem Torfah published in [3].


Abstract This article reports on one component of a larger study on measurement of the zero-pressure-gradient turbulent flat plate boundary layer, in which a detailed investigation was conducted of the suite of corrections required for mean velocity measurements performed using Pitot tubes. In particular, the corrections for velocity shear across the tube and for blockage effects which occur when the tube is in close proximity to the wall were investigated using measurements from Pitot tubes of five different diameters, in two different facilities, and at five different Reynolds numbers ranging from ${\mathit{Re}}_{\theta } = 11\hspace{0.167em} 100$ to 67 000. Only small differences were found amongst commonly used corrections for velocity shear, but improvements were found for existing near-wall proximity corrections. Corrections for the nonlinear averaging of the velocity fluctuations were also investigated, and the results compared to hot-wire data taken as part of the same measurement campaign. The streamwise turbulence-intensity correction was found to be of comparable magnitude to that of the shear correction, and found to bring the hot-wire and Pitot results into closer agreement when applied to the data, along with the other corrections discussed and refined here.


ABSTRACT Skin biopsy samples from 145 relapse leprosy cases and from five different regions in Brazil were submitted for sequence analysis of part of the genes associated with Mycobacterium leprae drug resistance. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes were observed in M. leprae from 4 out of 92 cases with positive amplification (4.3%) and included a case with a mutation in rpoB only, another sample with SNPs in both folP1 and rpoB, and two cases showing mutations in folP1, rpoB, and gyrA, suggesting the existence of multidrug resistance (MDR). The nature of the mutations was as reported in earlier studies, being CCC to CGC in codon 55 in folP (Pro to Arg), while in the case of rpoB, all mutations occurred at codon 531, with two being a transition of TCG to ATG (Ser to Met), one TCG to TTC (Ser to Phe), and one TCG to TTG (Ser to Leu). The two cases with mutations in gyrA changed from GCA to GTA (Ala to Val) in codon 91. The median time from cure to relapse diagnosis was 9.45 years but was significantly shorter in patients with mutations (3.26 years; P = 0.0038). More than 70% of the relapses were multibacillary, including three of the mutation-carrying cases; one MDR relapse patient was paucibacillary.


The main concept of Body-Coupled Communication (BCC) is to transmit the electrical information through the human body as a communication medium by means of capacitive coupling. Nowadays the current research of wireless body area network are expanding more with the new ideas and topologies for better result in respect to the low power and area, security, reliability and sensitivity since it is first introduced by the Zimmerman in 1995. In contrast with the other existing wireless communication technology such as WiFi, Bluetooth and Zigbee, the BCC is going to increase the number of applications as well as solves the problem with the cell based communication system depending upon the frequency allocation. In addition, this promising technology has been standardized by a task group named IEEE 802.15.6 addressing a reliable and feasible system for low power in-body and on-body nodes that serves a variety of medical and non medical applications. The entire BAN project is divided into three major parts consisting of application layer, digital baseband and analog front end (AFE) transceiver. In the thesis work a strong driver circuit for BCC is implemented as an analog front end transmitter (Tx). The primary purpose of the study is to transmit a strong signal as the signal is attenuated by the body around 60 dB. The Driver circuit is cascaded of two single-stage inverter and an identical inverter with drain resistor. The entire driver circuit is designed with ST65 nm CMOS technology with 1.2 V supply operated at 10 MHz frequency, has a driving capability of 6 mA which is the basic requirement. The performance of the transmitter is compared with the other architecture by integrating different analysis such as corner analysis, noise analysis and eye diagram. The cycle to cycle jitter is 0.87% which is well below to the maximum point and the power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) is 65 dB indicates the good emission of supply noise. In addition, the transmitter does not require a filter to emit the noise because the body acts like a low pass filter. In conclusion the findings of the thesis work is quite healthy compared to the previous work. Finally, there is some point to improve for the driver circuit in respect to the power consumption, propagation delay and leakage power in the future.


The vegetation recovering effect of oily soil after bioremediation was studied and contrasted with the background of natural environment in this paper. The results indicated that the vegetation productivity of oily soil after microbial remediation can be restored to its original level, but is not enough to rely on natural recovery of vegetation. The unit productivity of oily soil only through microbial remediation was obviously lower than natural background, and the biocommunity and its vertical structure were relatively simple. But the unit productivity of oily soil after phytoremediation was nearly similar to the uncontaminated soil.


Young people entering homelessness often do so while still at school. This study explores Australian teachers' and other student support staff perspectives of the experiences of students who are running away from home, the barriers to student help-seeking, and how local youth services can best support secondary schools to provide necessary services to keep students at school and at home or in some other form of safe and secure accommodation. The study revealed that although teachers and student support staff report awareness that student couch surfing exists; there are a range of barriers which prevent a student from seeking help. Teachers called for stronger relationships between schools and youth homelessness services to achieve a more effective and informed early intervention response. Teachers also asked for guidance on how to respond when students are homeless. The overall results have important implications for teacher education and practice as well as informing education welfare policies.


The content of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium ions was determined in cestodes Ligula intestinalis, Eubothrium rugosum, and Triaenophorus nodulosus. In freshwater fishes the total concentration of Na, K, Ca, Mg ions in cestode tissue water is practically similar to that of fishes muscles and in serum. It was suggested that examined cestodes have isoosmotic regulation of the water-salt balance.


Monetary policy is the subject of sharp debate in Israel. Establishing a set of basic empirical regularities on these issues is a clear prerequisite for resolving these controversies. The purpose of this paper is to provide a body of empirical evidence on the role of monetary policy measures in the inflation process. Based on a sample of quarterly data from 1989 to 1997 we find that there is a close association between movements in the rate of inflation and shifts in monetary policy variables. The empirical results show that the impact of monetary policy variables-such as the rate of change of Ml beyond the rate of growth of GDP and the ex-ante real interest rate on Bank of Israel funds-on the rate of inflation works with lags that peak at about two quarters after the change in the monetary variable. Moreover, a relatively simple inflation equation does a relatively satisfactory job at predicting-in a one-step-aliead sense-most recent quarterly movements in the rate of inflation. The empirical methodology was applied in order to account for the reduction in the rate of inflation from about 16-18 percent in the period before 1991-92 to about 10 percent per year thereafter. The paper quantifies various developments in key variables, such as fiscal, monetary, labor market, and external that combined to produce a decline in the rate of inflation.


Introduction Approximately 450 000 people in the UK are living in care homes, 70% of whom are thought to have dementia or significant memory problems. This means that they may need support with day-to-day decisions about their health and care. Shared decision-making interventions can have a positive impact on patient outcomes. They recognise an individual's rights to make decisions about their care or treatment and support person-centred approaches to care delivery. Methods A systematic review of studies designed to assess, implement, measure and/or explore shared decision-making with cognitively impaired adults in (or transferrable to) an extended care setting, with a view to answering the research question: How can people living with dementia and cognitive impairment be included in day-to-day decisions about their health and care in extended care settings? The systematic review will be started in May 2016. Studies are excluded that focus on advance decision-making. The search strategy is limited to a 20-year timeframe and English language and includes electronic databases; CINAHL, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, NICE Evidence, OpenGrey, Autism Data, Google Scholar, Scopus and MedicinesComplete. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval not required. Planned dissemination routes for protocol and systematic review through conference presentations, peer-reviewed journals and research networks including the East of England CLAHRC, INTERDEM, and the National Care Homes Research and Development Forum. Discussion The review will explore how shared decision-making is characterised and constructed in extended care settings for people living with cognitive impairment and their staff and family carers, in relation to their preferences and desires, the roles people play, facilitators, barriers, risk and benefits. The findings will inform an intervention study facilitating shared decision-making for people living with dementia in care homes and have the potential to inform future policy and practice. Trial registration number CRD42016035919.


In developing countries, there are numerous occurrences of petroleum product spillage in groundwater. The current practice of burying storage tanks beneath the surface without adequate safety devices facilitates this phenomenon. Underground tanks rust and leak, and spilled petroleum products migrate downward. The movement of the oil in the soil depends on its viscosity and quantity, the permeability of the soil/rock, and the presence of fractures within the rock. The oil spreads laterally in the form of a thin pancake due to its lower specific gravity, and soluble components dissolve in water. The pollution plume of petroleum products and dissolved phases moves in the direction of groundwater flow in the aquifer within the pores of soil and sediments or along fractures in basement complex areas. Most communities reply heavily on groundwater for potable and industrial supplies. However, the sustainability of this resource is under threat in areas where there are filling stations as a result of significant groundwater contamination from petroleum product spillage. Drinking water becomes unpalatable when it contains petroleum products in low concentrations, and small quantities may contaminate large volumes of water. Considering the losses incurred from spillage, the cost of cleaning the aquifer, and the fact that total cleansing and attenuation is impossible, the need to prevent spillage and if it happens to prevent it from getting into the groundwater system is of paramount importance. This paper proposes alternative design procedures with a view to achieving these objectives.


The soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp . lilii Imle causes bulb and scale rot of lilies ( Lilium L.) , annually resulting in a considerable economical damage in bulb and flower cultivation. Presently, the prevention of Fusarium damage depends on the application of a combination of fungicides and cultivation practices, such as crop rotation and the use of healthy starting material, however, this is not satisfactory. In the Netherlands the application of soil-disinfestation chemicals must be significantly reduced in the future. An enviromnental friendly and durable solution is the cultivation of (partial) resistant cultivars. These are, however, not widely available in the current assortment and, therefore, must be developed. The objectives of the experiments described in this thesis were: (1) the development of screening methods, (2) the evaluation of genetic variation in lily and Fusarium, and (3) the development of selection methods, by which the breeding companies will be able to develop Fusarium resistant lily cultivars (see General Introduction). A standardized screening method for an accurate determination of partial resistance to Fusarium in lily clones is described. The level of resistance can be measured by weight changes of the plant caused by Fusarium affection, as well as by a classification of the affected bulbs in ordinal disease ratings (on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 = not affected and 6 = completely decayed). The data of the weight measurements were analyzed statistically using an analysis of variance. The disease ratings were analyzed using a threshold model. This model calculates a disease severity score (DSS) using an underlying continuous and linear scale. Both measurements were repeatable, accurate, and significantly correlated. The use of disease ratings is, despite a more complicated analysis, less laborious and can suffice with a smaller control group (see Chapter 1). Vegetative propagation of lily has several developmental stages. It was possible to test reproducibly lily plant material in four different stages (separate scales, scale bulblets, yearling bulbs, and commercial bulbs). The sensitivity for Fusarium decreased with an increasing bulb age. A significant correlation was found between the resistance in the four stages mentioned, which allows testing in one stage only. In the scale test some deviating results were obtained, possibly because of the presence of a large wound. Since the scale test is more efficient than the bulb tests, this test is preferable for determination of Fusarium resistance in large numbers of genotypes. Selected material has to be retested, preferably using the scale bulblet test which is second in efficiency (see Chapter 2). Standardisation of the tests is not always possible. A high temperature, a high inoculum concentration, and a longer duration of the experiment raised the level of affection. The ranking of the cultivars was not changed; only the accuracy was reduced using more extreme testing conditions (see Chapter 3). Since no genotype x environmental interactions were found, it is expected that cultivars which are most resistant in the standardized tests, will also be most resistant under field conditions (see General Discussion). Sources of resistance are necessary for breeding purposes. Within the Asiatic hybrid lilies, which belong to the Sinomartagon section, a high level of Fusarium resistance has been found. Also, in species within this section which are related to the Asiatic hybrid lilies, such as L.dauricum , L.davidii , and L.tigrinum , high levels of resistance were detected. Absolute resistance was not found. In the Oriental hybrid lilies ( Archelirion section), a low level of resistance was found. In the Oriental hybrid lily related species of the Archelirion section no resistance was obtained. In L.henryi, however, resistance was observed. This species can be crossed with the Oriental hybrid lilies. Since only a few Oriental hybrid lilies were tested, it is recommended that a large collection will be screened for Fusarium resistance. In cultivars of L. longiflorum a moderate level of resistance was found. The level of resistance of cultivars within this species can probably be raised by specific cross combinations and selection. More variation may be detected in wild accessions from Japan. Interspecific hybridisation research showed that crossings between genotypes from different sections is possible. This can result in the introduction of Fusarium resistance in the overall cultivar assortment (see Chapter 4). Research on the variation of the pathogen, testing different Fusarium -isolates against the most resistant lily genotypes, showed that a sustainable durability of the resistance can be expected. A deviating pattern of virulence was only found in some low aggressive isolates. These isolates appeared to affect L. longiflorum less than expected on the basis of their aggressiveness. The affection of these deviating isolates was, however, lower than using aggressive isolates. Some Fusarium -isolates of other formae speciales (f.sp. gladioli and f.sp. tulipae ) could also affect lily at a low level. This could have negative consequences for the crop rotation schedules used for bulb crops (see Chapter 5). Selection at seedling level can substantially reduce costs and time. A seedling test for selection for Fusarium resistance in lily is described. Variation within and between populations was demonstrated. The seedling test resulted in a clear selection response, and this makes testing at a seedling level practical. The efficiency of the seedling test was determined on the basis of the percentage of escapes (selected susceptible plants) and missings (rejected resistant plants). The percentage of escapes was low compared to the number of seedlings tested, the percentage of missings on the other hand was rather high. This could be due to a high disease pressure. The percentage of escapes compared to the number of selected seedlings was such that retesting at clonal level is necessary. Genetic analysis of the results of the seedling test showed that the general combining ability (GCA) was the most important genetic component. The GCA-value of a cultivar was in agreement with the level of resistance at clonal level (see Chapter 6). Indirect selection using molecular markers is independent of environmental conditions and can be carried out with a small amount of plant tissue. Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), in descendants of the cross 'Connecticut King' x 'Orlito' three markers were traced, which were highly linked to Fusarium resistance. These markers, however, only explained a part (24 %) of the resistance. Linkage of markers to each other to obtain a genetic map of lily was hampered due to the marker type and the low number of the same plants used per marker (see Chapter 7). The methods described in this thesis can be of a great importance for advanced breeding programmes of lilies. The importance of partial Fusarium-resistance under field conditions in an integrated disease control programme, in combination with a reduction of chemical disinfection and the influence of other pathogens, requires further attention (see General Discussion).


Rosomoff HL, Malinin TI. Freeze-dried allografts of dura mater-20 years' experience. Transplant Proc 1976;8:2 suppl 1:133-8. Landesman SH, Corrado ML, Shah PM, Armangaud M, Barza M, Cherubin CE. Past and current roles for cephalosporin antibiotics in treatment of meningitis. Am J Med 1981;71:693-703. Rahal JJ, Simberkoff MS. Host defense and antimicrobial therapy in adult Gramnegative baciliary meningitis. Ann Int Med 1982;96:468-74. "Sande MA. Antibiotic therapy of bacterial meningitis: Lessons we've learned. Am J Med 1981;71:507-10. 12 Jones RN, Thornsberry C. Cefotaxime: A review of in vitro antimicrobial properties and spectrum of activity. Rev Inf Dis 1982;4(S):S300-S315.


While the need to adapt teaching to the needs of a student is generally acknowledged (see Corno and Snow, 1986, for a wide review of the literature), little is known about the impact of individual learner-differences on the quality of learning attained within computer-based learning environments (CBLEs). What evidence there is appears to support the notion that individual differences have implications for the degree of success or failure experienced by students (Ford and Ford, 1992) and by trainee end-users of software packages (Bostrom et al, 1990). The problem is to identify the way in which specific individual characteristics of a student interact with particular features of a CBLE, and how the interaction affects the quality of the resultant learning. Teaching in a CBLE is likely to require a subset of teaching strategies different from that subset appropriate to more traditional environments, and the use of a machine may elicit different behaviours from those normally arising in a classroom context. DOI: 10.1080/0968776950030206


Study Design. A prospective in vivo study was conducted during the performance of kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, comparing extravertebral contrast extravasation with kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty. Objective. To determine the frequency and pattern of extravertebral contrast extravasation after intravertebral injection during kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, which have implications for cement leakage during these procedures. Summary of Background Data. Vertebroplasty involves the injection of cement directly into the cancellous bone of a fractured vertebral body in an attempt to stabilize the fracture. High rates of extravertebral cement leakage have been noted. Injection of contrast into the vertebral body under fluoroscopy has been recommended in an attempt to predict and minimize cement leakage. An alternative procedure, balloon kyphoplasty, involves the percutaneous placement of an inflatable bone tamp into the fractured vertebral body. As the tamp is inflated, vertebral body height is restored and a cavity is created within the vertebral body, allowing for low-pressure cement filling of the cavity. Methods. During 20 kyphoplasty surgeries for vertebral compression fractures, contrast studies were performed. Immediately after positioning of an 11-gauge biopsy needle within the midvertebral body, 5 mL of Omnipaque was injected, mimicking vertebroplasty injection. Cinefluoroscopic images were obtained during injection. After bilateral fracture reduction and intravertebral cavity creation using inflatable bone tamps (kyphoplasty), contrast was injected again, mimicking cement injection during kyphoplasty. Scoring of the extravertebral contrast leakage was based on filling of the inferior vena cava and epidural vessels, as well as direct contrast extension through the vertebral cortex. Results. The mean contrast leak scores for vertebroplasty- and kyphoplasty-stage injections were, respectively, 4.3 and 0.8 of 6 (P = 0.0001). The scores for epidural vessel and inferior vena cava filling and transcortical contrast leak each was significantly lower for kyphoplasty- than for vertebroplasty-stage injections (P = 0.0001 each). Conclusions. The findings showed less vascular and transcortical extravasation of injected contrast with kyphoplasty than with vertebroplasty. Although leakage of contrast may not correlate precisely with polymethylmethacrylate leakage, the authors believe this study highlights the relative safety of these procedures.


Pulse wave imaging (PWI) is an ultrasound-based method that allows spatiotemporal mapping of the arterial pulse wave propagation, from which the local pulse wave velocity (PWV) can be derived. Recent reports indicate that PWI can help the assessment of atherosclerotic plaque composition and mechanical properties. However, the effect of the atherosclerotic plaque's geometry and mechanics on the arterial wall distension and local PWV remains unclear. In this study we investigated the accuracy of a finite element (FE) fluid-structure interaction (FSI) approach to predict the velocity of a pulse wave propagating through a stenotic artery with an asymmetrical plaque, as quantified with PWI method. Experiments were designed to compare FE-FSI modeling of the pulse wave propagation through a stenotic artery against PWI obtained with manufactured phantom arteries made of PVA material. FSI-generated spatiotemporal maps were used to estimate PWV at the plaque region and compare it to the experimental results. Velocity of the pulse wave propagation and magnitude of the wall distension were correctly predicted with the FE analysis. In addition, findings indicate that a plaque with a high degree of stenosis (>70%) attenuates the propagation of the pulse pressure wave. Results of this study support the validity of the FE-FSI methods to investigate the effect of arterial wall structural and mechanical properties on the pulse wave propagation. This modeling method can help to guide the optimization of PWI to characterize plaque properties and substantiate clinical findings.


Engraftment syndrome (ES) is an increasingly diagnosed complication after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Clinical presentation most commonly includes, but is not limited to fever, diarrhea, and skin rash developing at the time of absolute neutrophil count (ANC) recovery. Due to the broad and pleiotropic clinical presentation, ES can be a challenging diagnosis. Furthermore, despite many reports about the presentation of ES, the syndrome is still not completely understood. While most presentations of ES are mild and can either resolve spontaneously or with a brief course of systemic corticosteroids, mortality rates ranging from 8%-18% have been described. We present a case of ES in a critical care setting. A male patient who had an allogeneic HCT and developed fevers, diffuse skin rash, acute kidney injury and hypoxemic respiratory failure after his absolute neutrophilic count started recovering from nadir. He was subsequently transferred to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) for further management, where he was initially managed with mechanical ventilation, vasopressors and antibiotics. An extensive workup that included bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage was performed and failed to show an infectious etiology. Due to concern for ES, patient was started on steroids and his clinical status dramatically improved. The patient was eventually extubated and transferred back to the floor in stable condition. It is important for internists and critical care physicians in the MICU to be aware of post-HCT complications and be cognizant of the clinical signs of ES to better understand the syndrome and its management.


The purpose of this study is to do a thematic analysis of blog posts and comments on the topic of domestic violence against South Asian immigrant women in the US, as evidenced in South Asian community blogs. What are the consequences of this recent way of communicating for these bloggers who have found a new space for sharing experiences of their own and/or other's abuse? Guided by interdisciplinary theories of intersectionality and transtheoretical models of behavior change, this qualitative study seeks emerging thematic evidence to interpret blogs as possible social media channels of awareness-creation, contemplation of action, and as safe public spaces for voicing private stories.


Public domain document re-posted as a PDF as part of an Institutional Repository collection to aggregate Latin American energy policy, dialogue, white papers, reports, and educational materials.


To study life differences between pre-corrosion fatigue and corrosion-fatigue test, LY12CZ standard specimens are selected in pre-corrosion fatigue test to get the C(t) curve at first. Then, combining with Miner linear cumulative damage theory, theoretical fatigue life is calculated by simulated corrosion-fatigue interactive process. Compared with actual corrosion-fatigue interactive test, theoretical life is rather conservative. Afterwards, a modified model based on C(t) curve method and actual interactive test at different periods of specific flight strength is established. The result shows that the modified C(t) curve method is in good agreement with corrosion-fatigue interactive test.


Following the industrial trend of increasingly integrative design and analysis of the combustor-turbine interface, the EC FP7 project FACTOR was launched many years ago. The project ended in late 2017 after successful completion of the experimental test campaign involving blank-sheet design rotating turbine rig hardware, which was assembled, integrated and op-erated in DLR's turbine test facility NG-Turb in G¨ottingen, Germany. This paper highlights the DLR contribution to FACTOR including the 1.5 stage turbine rig's mechanical design, instrumentation and integration as well as final part assembly to a working rig. Additionally, DLR was responsible for rig operation and overall measurement campaign fulfilment including the acquisition of static pressure and temperature data as well as aerother-mal 5-hole-probe traverses in different measurement planes. The implemented combustor sim-ulator created a characteristic flow profile to and through the turbine with strongly varying flow angles and temperatures, that posed a challenge for the applied measurement techniques.


There is strong evidence to support strength or balance training for a duration of 6 to 12 weeks as an exercise intervention to improve proprioception and mobility in community-dwelling elderly. However, it is unknown if a shorter duration of exercise can be effective in improving proprioception and mobility in this population. PURPOSE: To determine whether a 5-week program of cup-tap balance control or lower limb strength exercise can improve proprioception and mobility in healthy community-dwelling older people. METHODS: Sixty-eight healthy community-dwelling elderly (19M, 49F, 70.91±6.61yrs old, range 55-90yrs old) were randomly allocated into 3 groups: cup-tap balance control exercise group (CTE), lower limb strength exercise group (LSE) or education group (EC). A 60 minutes per session, twice weekly cup-tap or strength exercise program was delivered for 5 weeks duration. Key outcome measures included ankle proprioception measured by using the active movement extent discrimination apparatus (AMEDA), and mobility assessed by using the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and the 30-second Sit to Stand test (30STS). RESULTS: ANOVA analysis showed that there was no significant difference in baseline measures: ankle proprioception (F=1.605, p=0.209), TUG (F=0.473, p=0.625), and 30STS (F=1.201, p=0.307) among the 3 groups. Paired t-tests used for examining preand post-intervention differences indicated that 1) for the CTE group, the performance of 30STS and the ankle proprioception were significantly improved (p=0.005, p=0.016 respectively); 2) for the LSE group, both TUG and 30STS were significantly improved (p=0.023, p=0.03 respectively); and 3) no significant changes were observed for the EC group. In addition, Pearson's correlation analysis showed that 30STS and TUG performances were moderately correlated (r=-0.598, p<0.001) and TUG was significantly correlated with age (r=0.416, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The current findings suggest that the proprioception and mobility of older people can be improved by a short duration of balance control or strength training exercise. However, we suggest that the exercise program must be target-specific with respect to different impairments associated with the aging process for optimal results.


We report multi-mode coupling in long-period fibre gratings (LPFGs). The analytical solution to three-mode coupling equations is presented for the first time. A 3×3 transmission matrix is attained and can be used to calculate the transmission spectra of nonuniform gratings in a way much faster than direct numerical integration. It is shown that when the resonant wavelengths of cladding modes are far from each other, two-mode coupling model can still be used. Otherwise we can only choose a multi-mode coupling model. Theoretically fitting of the result from the multi-mode coupling equations agrees well with the experimental one for mechanically-induced LPFGs.


We theoretically study the Raman-induced power tilt in wavelength-division-multiplexed systems and show that it can be drastically reduced in a distributed dual-pumped Raman amplification scheme. In addition, we observe that four-wave mixing is responsible for periodic power exchanges that alter the Raman tilt.


In this paper after mentioning the clinical radiation fields of 20 keV-450 MeV/u, they are characterized by the number of particles and their energy. Particle energy is the quantity that determines radiation penetration at the depth at which the tumor is situated (Fig. 1). The number of particles (or beam intensity) is the second major quantity that assures the administration of the absorbed dose in the tumor. The first application shows the radiation levels planned for various radiation fields. Prior to interacting with the medium, the intensity (or energy fluence rate) allows the determination of energy density, energy, power and relativistic force. In the interaction process, it determines the absorbed dose, kerma and exposure. Non-ionizing radiations in the EM spectrum are used as negative energy waves to accelerate particles charged into special installations called particle accelerators. The particles extracted from the accelerator are the source of the corpuscular radiation for high-energy radiotherapy. Of these, light particle beams (electrons and photons) for radiotherapy are generated by betatron, linac, microtron, and synchrotron and heavy particle beams (protons and heavy ions) are generated by cyclotron, isochronous cyclotron, synchro-cyclotron and synchrotron. The ionization dosimetry method used is the ionization chamber for both indirectly ionizing radiation (photons and neutrons) and for directly ionizing radiation (electrons, protons and carbon ions). Because the necessary energies for hadrons therapy are relatively high, 50-250 MeV for protons and 100-450 MeV/u for carbon ions, the alternative to replace non-ionizing radiation with relativistic laser radiation for generating clinical corpuscular radiation through radiation pressure acceleration mechanism (RPA) is presented.


Chemical vapor deposit (CVD) diamond coating layer is expected to extend the lifetime of mechanical parts that are used severely abrasive conditions. However, one of the most severe problems is that the delamination between the CVD diamond coating layer and the silicon substrate occurs frequently due to large difference in the material properties. Therefore, the nondestructive evaluation of adhesive property of CVD diamond coating layer is needed. To address such a need, back-scattered Rayleigh surface wave is currently applied. However, the interpretation of the acquired signal is not easy at all. To take care of such a difficulty, we proposed the time trace angular scan (TTAS) plot and the frequency spectrum angular scan (FSAS) plot that can make possible of the systematic interpretation of the back-scattered signals from the diamond coating layer. In this paper, the concept of the TTAS and FSAS plots and the experimental results presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


A novel approach for optical filter implementation by tuning the plasmon resonance absorption of gold and silver nanoparticles in layer-by-layer (LBL) composite structures is presented. The LBL composite structures consisted of alternating layers of polyacrylic acid (PAA)-capped Au and PAA-capped Ag bi-layers. The results show clear spectrum tuning of green and blue peaks. Spectrum tuning can be extended when more metals or oxide nanoparticles are incorporated.


Introduction: Adiponectin has been implicated in the physiology of insulin resistance during pregnancy. Insulin resistance is developed in the last half of pregnancy. Insulin has a direct influence on fetal growth and proven in past studies. Hence we can state that the adiponectin also has a effect on fetal development and growth and since it is a key regulator in the insulin sensitivity. The aim of the present study is to increase the knowledge of role of adiponectin, especially in a physiologically demanding state of pregnancy, and study its effect on development of a fetus by virtue of its birth weight and gestational age during a normal pregnancy.
Materials and Methods: This open-ended non-comparative prospective study was conducted at the outpatient and inpatient department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as in the department of Biochemistry, Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur on 50 normal pregnant subjects and their neonates attending Obstetrics and Gynecology, department for routine checkups during the period of August 2014 to July 2015. Levels of adiponectin in maternal serum during mid-trimester and pre-labor stage of pregnancy were evaluated and compared. The evaluation of maternal and fetal adiponectin levels were also done in relation to birth weight and gender.
Results: Adiponectin is detectable in pregnant subjects, with significantly higher levels seen in newborns; however, there was no relationship seen between maternal and fetal adiponectin levels at any stage of gestation (Midterm p=0.604, Full-term p=0.589). Mean Birth weight of newborns was noted at 2.95 (± 0.445) kg with slightly lower values in male babies. Statistically significant positive correlation was seen between fetal birth weights and fetal adiponectin levels (p
Conclusion: Adiponectin is a plausible candidate for illuminating some physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions associated with pregnancy and fetal growth. Our study concludes with the hope of further breakthro


Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) had been promoted for longer than half a century to monitor the activity of autonomic nerve systems. Previous studies have not clarified the relationship between HRV and prehypertension (pre-HTN) status compared with the normal group. We aimed to figure out the optimal model or cutoff point for predicting the possible pre-HTN status. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively collected and reviewed 2586 Asian people who had joined annual physical examination in Tri-Service General Hospital at 2013. The patient profiles such as age, gender, body height, body weight, body weight index, waist circumferences, and serological biochemistry data were analyzed and correlated with HRV parameter. Results: A total number of 909 patients were enrolled in our study. The physical stress index (PSI) owed a small but most significant Spearman's relation coefficient (r = 0.118, P< 0.001) among the other HRV parameters. Statistical significant parameters exist between the normal blood pressure group and pre-HTN group other than gender factor. The measured blood pressure increased with elevated PSI level. A PSI level ≥58.4 has a significant β coefficient in each linear regression model for systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure with a P< 0.001 for trend. Conclusion: The PSI level gains a positive correlation to elevated blood pressure. Our study emphasized that PSI is an efficient HRV parameter which represents higher risks for pre-HTN status and elevated blood pressure while the PSI level is >58.4. Early intervention to these participants may decrease cardiovascular events in the coming future.


Real options valuation is a financial technique for evaluating investments under conditions of uncertainty, particularly uncertainty associated with market variables such as future product demand or the future value of an asset. The real option value of the investment opportunity is what a value-maximizing firm would pay the right to undertake the investment project with its inherent decision points. This paper proposes a fuzzy multi-criteria R&D project selection methodology based on the hierarchical fuzzy TOPSIS, which includes a fuzzy real options valuation model.


Cancer Communication in the Social Media Age Twitter, a social networking site, is transforming communication.1 Effective use of Twitter might be one way to communicate with the public about cancer clinical trials and increase awareness and enrollment.2 Studies3 have described cancer content on Twitter but, to our knowledge, none have examined the use of Twitter to share information about cancer clinical trials or to recruit patients for studies. We conducted a content analysis of tweets about lung cancer, described dialogues specific to lung cancer clinical trials, and examined where links embedded in tweets about therapeutic trials are leading the public.


This paper is concerned with a culturally distinctive relationship between breasts and contemporary art from Central Desert Aboriginal women. Contra to the dominant interpretation of these paintings as representations of 'country'—cartographic 'maps' of the landscape, narratives of Dreaming Ancestors, flora, fauna, species—my argument is that these works bespeak a particular breasted experience and expression, a cultural way of doing and being in the world; what I want to call a breasted ontology.


Although we are confronted with an ever-changing environment, we do not have the capacity to analyze all incoming sensory information. Perception is selective and is guided both by salient events occurring in our visual field and by cognitive premises about what needs our attention. Although the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) and frontal eye field (FEF) are known to represent the position of visual attention, their respective contributions to its control are still unclear. Here, we report LIP and FEF neuronal activities recorded while monkeys performed a voluntary attention-orientation target-detection task. We show that both encode behaviorally significant events, but that the FEF plays a specific role in mapping abstract cue instructions onto a spatial priority map to voluntarily guide attention. On the basis of a latency analysis, we show that the coding of stimulus identity and position precedes the emergence of an explicit attentional signal within the FEF. We also describe dynamic temporal hierarchies between LIP and FEF: stimuli carrying the highest intrinsic saliency are signaled by LIP before FEF, whereas stimuli carrying the highest extrinsic saliency are signaled in FEF before LIP. This suggests that whereas the parietofrontal attentional network most probably processes visual information in a recurrent way, exogenous processing predominates in the parietal cortex and the endogenous control of attention takes place in the FEF.


This research investigates the contribution of sustainable energy policy and energy saving policy to the public goals of energy policy in the Netherlands. Not surprisingly current discussion about sustainable energy policy focus on the contribution of energy policy to the goals of climate policy, i.e. the mitigation of climate damage as a result of the production and consumption of energy. This overshadows many other effects of sustainable energy and energy saving. This study highlights these other objectives for sustainable energy policy and energy saving. This study examines the public goals of energy policy for non-climate related reasons through the lens of market failures. The general conclusion is that sustainability, energy security and affordability of energy only partially support a case for sustainable energy if as a thought experiment we ignore the case for climate change. In that case air pollution is the most important reason to promote sustainable energy as a public goal of energy policy. For energy security and affordability the impact of sustainable energy may in fact be negative. Energy saving does contribute to sustainability, energy security and affordability of energy as public goals and achieves a positive contribution in a cost effective way.


Although empirical research on internet addiction remains in its infancy, it is emerging as an area of considerable interest.  The current study was designed to address two research questions:1. Experiment 1: Are personality processes (i.e., appearance, performance, and social self-esteem; satisfaction with life; attributed oppression and felt oppression) a predictor of internet addiction?2. Experiment 2: Is neurocognition (i.e., impulsivity, self-control, attentional blink, executive functioning, memory span, cognitive interference, and inhibition) a predictor of internet addiction?


For hybrid video coding, knowledge about the prediction error statistics is needed for both, application of source coding theory and efficient motion estimation. A statistical model for the joint probability density function (pdf) of the prediction error signal in a hybrid coding environment is proposed. The model claims segmentwise stationarity of the prediction error. It is based on spherically invariant random processes (SIRPs) and allows modeling of correlations inside the segments as well as varying univariate distributions for the different segments. Computer experiments show a good fit of the proposed model to actual statistics of prediction error signals which were obtained by motion compensation under idealized conditions. >


This paper examines the law and policy nexus in the context of overseas investment law, primarily in New Zealand. It examines the difficulties of balancing the need for overseas investment-especially in land and business assets-against the need to protect a country's interests and in doing so the paper traverses a range of legal and policy issues.

Section one provides an introduction to the issues of overseas investment in land by foreigners/expatriates or overseas persons.Section two briefly describes the context to overseas investment in New Zealand. It provides a brief primer on the issue of the 'foreign buyers ban' for the non-New Zealand. Section three explores some key features of New Zealand's current legislative framework. Section four moves into the policy space by raising the question of how governments can achieve 'intergenerational justice' by focusing on sustainable investment. There it is argued that the current New Zealand legislation may achieve intergenerational justice by preventing overseas investors from buying up sensitive land on an unlimited basis, but more action is needed to achieve that goal. Section five offers a brief set of recommendations for other governments to consider when framing (or reframing) their policy position and their laws on overseas investment.


. The natural 14( and 13C content of soil organic matter and their dependence on depth for two Alfisols are presented. This soil type which covers a large area of the earth's surface is characterized by clay migration processes ("Lessive"). The samples were taken as successive horizontal layers of 2cm depth from an area of ca 1 m2 size as deep as the C content allows 14C analysis. The minima of the D14C distribution decrease with depth, while the maxima increase in the upper, leached horizon (A1) due to bomb 14C and decrease in the lower, clay illuviated (Be). S'3C indicates proceeding decomposition in Al and protection of carbon, probably due to the formation of clay humus complexes in B,. 813C values were also used for age correction of the 14C data due to isotopic fractionation. The D14C and 8'3C depth distributions are characterized by sharp peaks at the boundaries of the horizons, probably caused by the influence of textural changes on the transport of C with percolating water.


Using Newcastle Youth Offending Team (YOT) as a case-study, this report presents the findings of the evaluation of the British Red Cross (BRC) Educational Pilot Project (EPP) for service users serving reparation as part of Community Orders. The EPP was implemented between November 2011 and June 2012. However prior to this development, the BRC and Newcastle YOT had been working in partnership since 2005, to offer young people alternative forms of youth justice, focused around more physical tasks, such as cleaning and re-stocking on-site ambulances and creating packs for events in the North East such as the Great North Run. Whilst such tasks were generally considered successful, such work was not sustainable due to staff change-overs. In 2007, the BRC and Newcastle YOT once again entered into collaboration to meet the needs of young people serving reparation as part of Community Orders. This time, individuals were tasked with the maintenance of wheelchairs and litter picking. Regrettably, service users found it increasingly difficult to engage with these tasks and thus such work did not have the positive impact envisaged. Latterly, the EPP was introduced in 2011 - initially as a five-week programme - designed to introduce service users to the humanitarian work undertaken by BRC.


Background: In India, Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death among both males and females and in urban as well as rural areas. Studies indicate that the risk of adverse health outcome increases with more number of unhealthy behaviors and moreover the behavioral risk factors often manifest themselves in specific pattern of combinations. Objectives: To study the pattern of clustering or combination of CVD risk factors in the study population and their associated factors. Results: In this study, 544 adults over the age of 20 years were included. Among them, 211(38.8%, 95%CI 32.3- 45.3)) had none of the risk factors for CVD, 215(39.5%, 95%CI 33.0%-46.0%) had single risk factors and 118(21.7%, 95%CI 14.3-29.1) had clustering of CVD risk factors. The overall clustering of CVD risk factors was higher for adults over the age of 40 years (78.0%) compared to adults less than 40 years (22%) and this difference was found statistically significant (p=0.01). The overall prevalence of clustering was higher among men [29.5%, 95%CI 22.2%-36.8%] than women [18.7%, 95%CI 14.8%-22.6%]. Age, male gender, alcoholism, physical inactivity, family income, educational status and occupation were positively associated with clustering of CVD risk factors. Conclusion: A sound community based comprehensive behavioral and life style intervention approach should be established to reduce the modifiable risk factors of CVD. In addition we should design a strategy to incorporate primordial prevention in the school education such as advocating healthy lifestyle (dietary habits, importance of exercise, avoiding smoking and alcohol etc). Key words: Clustering, Cardiovascular diseases, Risk factors, Rural population, Prevalence.


develop"; "an uncomplicatedcancerdoes not kill its victim, but the insufficiency of the liver does". "Diseasessui generis like gastritis, cholangitis, colitis, pancreatitis, etc., are morphological signs of liver failure and portal backpressure." "Conditions favourable to both primary and secondarycancersin man are: (1) primary liver damage; (2) portal hypertensionand inversion of the portal blood stream; (3) flooding of the organs with nutritional toxins; (a) direct drainageby the portal vein, (b) indirect drainage via known and unknown porto-cavalshunts:'


This paper investigates the impact on operating time delay and relay maloperation i.e. selectivity, when high sampling rate is used in numerical distance protection (NDP). Simulation is carried out in an on-line way, for different source to line reach impedance ratio (SIR), fault type, fault locations and for different loading conditions. The voltage and current signals from capacitive voltage transformers and current transformers respectively are fed to the numerical distance relay (NDR). Sampling rate of 12, 16, 24, 32 and 64 times the fundamental frequency (50 Hz) are chosen for this investigation, since these are typically used in conventional distance relays.


The purpose of this study was to analyze kinetic and kinematic characteristics of three points shooting by high speed camera. Basketball players have to finish the high intensity program which was designed from simulative basketball games. The high intensity testing program includes dribbling, sprint, slide, jump shooting and three points shooting. The results of the experiments indicated that elbow, wrist, hip and ankle joints angle velocities would decrease, except the knee joint, after the high intensity program. The knee angle of take-off would also increase. It indicated that the upper limb joints angular velocity would decrease and players had to increase knee joint angular velocity to maintain original power. The time from take-off to ball release also decreased which means that there was a change in the coordinates in knee joint and elbow joint. After high intensity program the elbow and knee joints extension were closed to produce more power for the shot.


The blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulates the passage of substances between the brain and the periphery. It has not been shown that the secretion from the brain of a small amount of a substance can directly affect the periphery by transport across the BBB. We found that central injection of radioactively labeled corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) resulted in the accumulation of intact CRH in the spleen. CRH also increased splenic beta-endorphin, an effect not blocked by pretreatment with dexamethasone. Inhibition of the secretion of CRH from the brain by colchicine resulted in decreased accumulation of CRH in the spleen and also decreased splenic beta-endorphin. Similar findings occurred in the pituitary gland. The results show that the passage of labeled CRH from the brain can directly affect a peripheral organ, thus emphasizing the regulatory function of the BBB.


In 1977 and 1978 the productive response of hemp pulpe use at various different harvest times was examined
at the Ente Nazionale Cellulosa e Carta Campulongu farm (Oristano).
In 1977 three different harvest times were compared using the cultivars Superfibra and Carmagnola Selezionata:
the first harvesting took piace during female flowering, the second twenty days from the first and
the third twenty days from the second.
To the three test periods of the previous year a further early harvest was included in 1978, this time during
full male flowering.
In both years, the best yield tram both cultivars was obtained by harvesting the plant in the time of full female
flower, that is in the first ten days of August. There did not appear to be any differences between
the two cultivars, while one month's delay in the sowing reduced the 1978 yield as compared to that of
1977.


To the Editor.— The May 1982Archives(118:305-308) contained a thought-provoking study by Du Vivier et al, which showed that application of a 0.05% fluocinonide ointment once or twice daily caused notable inhibition of DNA synthesis in hairless mouse skin for approximately 100 hours. However, continued use of the two regimens then resulted in increased levels of DNA synthesis. This finding is consistent with previously published reports that tachyphylaxis to repeated daily application of corticosteroids, which included fluocinonide cream, occurs in both normal human skin (as determined by diminishing vasoconstriction with continued applications 1 ) and in hairless mouse skin (in which mitosis was noted to be increased with repeated treatments after being decreased initially 2 ). Since topical adrenal corticosteroids may exert their therapeutic activity in psoriasis by inhibiting epidermal DNA synthesis and mitosis, 3 the experimental findings that tachyphylaxis to repeated daily topical corticoid treatments develops in both man and


Glyphosate (GLY), a synthetic, nonselective systemic herbicide that is particularly effective against perennial weeds, is the most used weedkiller in the world. There are growing concerns over GLY accumulation in the environment and the attendant human health-associated risks, and despite increased attention in the media, GLY and its breakdown product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) remain elusive to many analytical strategies. Chemical derivatization coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) addresses the challenge of quantifying low levels of GLY and AMPA in complex samples. Here we demonstrate the use of in situ trimethylation enhancement using diazomethane (iTrEnDi) to derivatize GLY and AMPA into permethylated products ([GLYTr]+ and [AMPATr]+, respectively) prior to analysis via HPLC-MS. iTrEnDi produced quantitative yields and resulted in a 12-340-fold increases in HPLC-MS-based sensitivity for [GLYTr]+ and [AMPATr]+, respectively, compared with underivatized counterparts. The limits of detection of derivatized compounds were found to be 0.99 ng/L for [GLYTr]+ and 1.30 ng/L for [AMPATr]+, demonstrating significant sensitivity improvements compared to previously established derivatization techniques. iTrEnDi is compatible with the direct derivatization of Roundup formulations. Finally, as proof of principle, a simple aqueous extraction followed by iTrEnDi enabled the detection of [GLYTr]+ and [AMPATr]+ on the exterior of field-grown soybeans that were sprayed with Roundup. Overall, iTrEnDi ameliorates issues relating to low proton affinity and chromatographic retention, boosting HPLC-MS-based sensitivity and enabling the elucidation of elusive analytes such as GLY and AMPA within agricultural systems.


Diatoms are unicellular, photoautotrophic eukaryotic microorganisms, often forming colonies and can be found in most aquatic and moist terrestrial habitats. All known diatoms today have specific golden-brown pigment fucoxanthin that masks chlorophylls in diatom plastid, but one genus represents an exception, having the additional specific pigment marennine due to whom the cells appear blue. Blue diatoms from genus Haslea cause a global phenomenon of ˝greening˝ in shellfish (mostly oysters) affecting them in both positive and negative ways. In this study, historical and recent review regarding blue diatoms and physiological and behavioural effect of marennine as well as challenges in shellfish farming from diatom perspective is addressed. This study is also a first record of blue Haslea diatom in the South Adriatic Sea during BIOTA (Bio-tracing Adriatic Water Masses) cruise in March 2016. Investigated blue diatom was cultured in laboratory and morphologically analysed with light microscopy. Diatom investigations are very important for better understanding of the ecology of specific marine area, but also for the economy, aquaculture and tourism. The emergence of green coloured flesh of shellfish in the Adriatic Sea has not been recorded yet, but this finding of the blue diatom from genus Haslea does not rule out this possibility in the future.


This paper presents a case study in grammar engineering for linguistic hypothesis testing, focusing on the treatment of second position auxiliaries in an HPSG grammar for Wambaya. A detailed comparison of two versions of this grammar highlights the interconnetedness of linguistic phenomena, the model-dependence of linguisic analyses, and the value of computational support in calculating the consequences of differing analytical choices.


Abstract The authors investigated the dependence of increasing serum oncomarkers CEA, Cyfra-21, NSE, TU M2-PK on survival in 739 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer. The tests for the determination of the content of CEA, Cyfra-21, NSE in blood serum have low sensitivity and are of little use for the diagnosis of lung cancer. The tests because of their simplicity and low cost can be used for the detection of groups of patients with preliminarily diagnosed nonsmall cell lung cancer needing additional methods of examination for more exact staging of the disease and exclusion of remote metastases and more active using adjuvant method of treatment. The use of tumor pyruvate kinase can be perspective for clinical oncopulmonology. However, due to its low specificity, further experiences are required for using this oncomarker in the group of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer.


BACKGROUND
Obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (oSDB) is a condition that encompasses breathing problems when asleep, due to an obstruction of the upper airways, ranging in severity from simple snoring to obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). It affects both children and adults. In children, hypertrophy of the tonsils and adenoid tissue is thought to be the commonest cause of oSDB. As such, tonsillectomy - with or without adenoidectomy - is considered an appropriate first-line treatment for most cases of paediatric oSDB.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the benefits and harms of tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy compared with non-surgical management of children with oSDB.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Register of Studies Online, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov, ICTRP and additional sources for published and unpublished trials. The date of the search was 5 March 2015.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials comparing the effectiveness and safety of (adeno)tonsillectomy with non-surgical management in children with oSDB aged 2 to 16 years.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used the standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration.

MAIN RESULTS
Three trials (562 children) met our inclusion criteria. Two were at moderate to high risk of bias and one at low risk of bias. We did not pool the results because of substantial clinical heterogeneity. They evaluated three different groups of children: those diagnosed with mild to moderate OSAS by polysomnography (PSG) (453 children aged five to nine years; low risk of bias; CHAT trial), those with a clinical diagnosis of oSDB but with negative PSG recordings (29 children aged two to 14 years; moderate to high risk of bias; Goldstein) and children with Down syndrome or mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) diagnosed with mild to moderate OSAS by PSG (80 children aged six to 12 years; moderate to high risk of bias; Sudarsan). Moreover, the trials included two different comparisons: adenotonsillectomy versus no surgery (CHAT trial and Goldstein) or versus continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (Sudarsan). Disease-specific quality of life and/or symptom score (using a validated instrument): first primary outcomeIn the largest trial with lowest risk of bias (CHAT trial), at seven months, mean scores for those instruments measuring disease-specific quality of life and/or symptoms were lower (that is, better quality of life or fewer symptoms) in children receiving adenotonsillectomy than in those managed by watchful waiting:- OSA-18 questionnaire (scale 18 to 126): 31.8 versus 49.5 (mean difference (MD) -17.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) -21.2 to -14.2);- PSQ-SRBD questionnaire (scale 0 to 1): 0.2 versus 0.5 (MD -0.3, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.26);- Modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale (scale 0 to 24): 5.1 versus 7.1 (MD -2.0, 95% CI -2.9 to -1.1).No data on this primary outcome were reported in the Goldstein trial.In the Sudarsan trial, the mean OSA-18 score at 12 months did not significantly differ between the adenotonsillectomy and CPAP groups. The mean modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores did not differ at six months, but were lower in the surgery group at 12 months: 5.5 versus 7.9 (MD -2.4, 95% CI -3.1 to -1.7). Adverse events: second primary outcomeIn the CHAT trial, 15 children experienced a serious adverse event: 6/194 (3%) in the adenotonsillectomy group and 9/203 (4%) in the control group (RD -1%, 95% CI -5% to 2%).No major complications were reported in the Goldstein trial.In the Sudarsan trial, 2/37 (5%) developed a secondary haemorrhage after adenotonsillectomy, while 1/36 (3%) developed a rash on the nasal dorsum secondary to the CPAP mask (RD -3%, 95% CI -6% to 12%). Secondary outcomesIn the CHAT trial, at seven months, mean scores for generic caregiver-rated quality of life were higher in children receiving adenotonsillectomy than in those managed by watchful waiting. No data on this outcome were reported by Sudarsan and Goldstein.In the CHAT trial, at seven months, more children in the surgery group had normalisation of respiratory events during sleep as measured by PSG than those allocated to watchful waiting: 153/194 (79%) versus 93/203 (46%) (RD 33%, 95% CI 24% to 42%). In the Goldstein trial, at six months, PSG recordings were similar between groups and in the Sudarsan trial resolution of OSAS (Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index score below 1) did not significantly differ between the adenotonsillectomy and CPAP groups.In the CHAT trial, at seven months, neurocognitive performance and attention and executive function had not improved with surgery: scores were similar in both groups. In the CHAT trial, at seven months, mean scores for caregiver-reported ratings of behaviour were lower (that is, better behaviour) in children receiving adenotonsillectomy than in those managed by watchful waiting, however, teacher-reported ratings of behaviour did not significantly differ.No data on these outcomes were reported by Goldstein and Sudarsan.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
In otherwise healthy children, without a syndrome, of older age (five to nine years), and diagnosed with mild to moderate OSAS by PSG, there is moderate quality evidence that adenotonsillectomy provides benefit in terms of quality of life, symptoms and behaviour as rated by caregivers and high quality evidence that this procedure is beneficial in terms of PSG parameters. At the same time, high quality evidence indicates no benefit in terms of objective measures of attention and neurocognitive performance compared with watchful waiting. Furthermore, PSG recordings of almost half of the children managed non-surgically had normalised by seven months, indicating that physicians and parents should carefully weigh the benefits and risks of adenotonsillectomy against watchful waiting in these children. This is a condition that may recover spontaneously over time.For non-syndromic children classified as having oSDB on purely clinical grounds but with negative PSG recordings, the evidence on the effects of adenotonsillectomy is of very low quality and is inconclusive.Low-quality evidence suggests that adenotonsillectomy and CPAP may be equally effective in children with Down syndrome or MPS diagnosed with mild to moderate OSAS by PSG.We are unable to present data on the benefits of adenotonsillectomy in children with oSDB aged under five, despite this being a population in whom this procedure is often performed for this purpose.


This document contains a detailed account of a study to investigate the interactions between space system cost-effectiveness and spacecraft reliability and redundancy. It is submitted to the University of Surrey for the degree of MPhil by research (in collaboration with the Defence Research Agency). Currently there is a strong drive from within the UK to understand the cost drivers and minimise the costs of government funded space ventures. Present programmes are concerned with satellite communications systems and remote sensing satellite systems. The aim of this study is to investigate and improve understanding of the interactions between the cost-effectiveness of such systems and the reliability and redundancy of the satellites within them. A broad review of other work reveals that limited research has been carried out in this particular field and that there is scope for further investigation. To gain added insight into the process of optimising reliability and redundancy with respect to system cost a study of the failure histories of satellites is conducted. Failures of a wear-out nature are almost as common as random failures; and the AOCS, power subsystem and payload are found to be the most failure prone parts of a satellite. A model is constructed which relates satellite reliability and redundancy to system cost-effectiveness, after first making a number of simplifying assumptions. Results from using this model indicate that a cost optimum amount of redundancy can be found for the spacecraft in this type of system. Also an interesting and potentially useful algorithm is derived which allows satellite designers to make an objective choice between whether to use cheap low quality/ technology components or more expensive high quality/ technology versions in a satellite. A critical review of the model and results forms the basis of a series of recommendations for further research.


This paper examines the effect of the poor road transportation network on crop production in one of the rural agrarian local government of Kwara State, Nigeria. A well-structured interview schedule was conducted to elicit information from 120 crop farmers using a two-stage sampling technique. Findings from the study revealed that the poor road transportation network in their area had led to a reduction in their income, longer time in transporting produce to more buoyant markets, as well as incurring high transportation costs. Chi-square analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between age, educational level, years of farming experience, and the respondents' perceived effects of poor road transportation network for their crop production. The study recommends an urgent intervention from government and stakeholders in terms of construction and rehabilitation of roads in these rural agrarian areas in an attempt to help improve the livelihoods of the farmers through enhancing transportation of produce to more buoyant markets in good condition and at less cost.


OBJECTIVE. As patients increasingly turn to the Internet for healthcare information, it is imperative that patient educational materials be written at an appropriate readability level. Although RadiologyInfo.org, a patient education library sponsored by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and Radiological Society of North America, was shown in 2012 to be written at levels too high for the average patient to adequately comprehend, it is unclear if there has been progress made in the past 5 years. The purpose of this study was to provide a 5-year update on the readability of patient education materials from RadiologyInfo.org. MATERIALS AND METHODS. All patient education articles available in 2017 from the ACR and RSNA-sponsored RadiologyInfo.org patient education library were reviewed. We assessed each article for readability using 6 quantitative readability scales: the Flesch-Kincaid (FK) grade level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunnin-Fog Index, Coleman-Liau Index, Automated Readability Index, and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). The number of articles with readability ≤ the 8th grade level (average reading ability of US adults) and the 6th-grade level (NIH-recommended level for patient materials) were determined. RESULTS. 131 patient education articles were reviewed. The mean readability grade level was greater than the 11th grade reading level for all readability scales. None of the articles were written at less than the 8th-grade or the 6th-grade levels. CONCLUSION. Although there has been an increasing awareness of the issue of readability of patient educational materials within the radiological community, the patient educational materials within the ACR and RSNA-sponsored RadiologyInfo.org website are still written at levels too high for the average patient. Future efforts should be made to improve the readability of those patient education materials.


This paper considers automatic restructuring of loops with conditional branching for parallel processing, especially a class of loops termed "conditional cyclic loops." A conditional cyclic loop possesses a dependence cycle caused by conditional branching across loop iterations, which makes it difficult to parallelize. In general, parallel execution of a conditional cyclic loop provides little benefit due to the need of solving a full-order nonlinear Boolean recurrence relation. However, the Boolean recurrence in practice is often of simpler forms. With the simpler forms, the number of possible predicate values of conditional branching is reduced drastically compared to a general conditional cyclic loop, These simple forms of conditional cyclic loops found in practice can be parallelized for O(p/ log p) speedup with p processors. >


This work is the conceptualization, derivation, analysis, and fabrication of a fully practical digital signal source designed from a chaotic oscillator. In it we show how a simple electronic circuit based upon the Colpitts oscillator, can be made to produce highly complex signals capable of carrying digital information. We show a direct relationship between the continuous-time chaotic oscillations produced by the circuit and the logistic map, which is discrete-time, one-dimensional map that is a fundamental paradigm for the study of chaotic systems. We demonstrate the direct encoding of binary information into the oscillations of the chaotic circuit. We demonstrate a new concept in power amplification, called syncrodyne amplification, which uses fundamental properties of chaotic oscillators to provide high-efficiency, high gain amplification of standard communication waveforms as well as typical chaotic oscillations. We show modeling results of this system providing nearly 60-dB power gain and 80% PAE for communications waveforms conforming to GMSK modulation. Finally we show results from a fabricated syncrodyne amplifier circuit operating at 2 MHz, providing over 40-dB power gain and 72% PAE, and propose design criteria for an 824 -850 MHz circuit utilizing heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), providing the basis for microwave frequency realization.


The mission of the Board of Parking ("BP") is to relieve traffic congestion and to promote the clearance and reconstruction of substandard or unsanitary areas in Buffalo by coordinating City-owned and privately owned parking facilities and spaces strategically, environmentally and with minimal interference with Buffalo's streetscapes, skyline and views. The Mayor appoints eleven members to the Board of Parking for staggered five-year terms. The Mayor designates the Chair Person from among the members.


This research is an exploratory
study of pre-service teacher education students need for learning support in
writing. The participants were 81 student-teachers enrolled for a Bachelor's of
Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.) degree programme at Department of Elementary
Education at University of Delhi. The
study was data-driven as the need was explored by administering a questionnaire
to student-teacher participants. The focus was on gathering empirical data on what
their perceived writing needs were and how these could be addressed. The
participant responses overwhelmingly articulated a gap between their writing
skills and the writing demands of their curriculum. The need for creating a
writing centre (henceforth WC) aimed at learning support for writing was
reported while also explicating the nature of support that students seek. The
findings demonstrate necessity, benefits and wide-ranging value of
establishment of a WC at undergraduate institutions of teacher education. This
is a pressing student need that begs the attention of educational
administrators, policy-makers and higher education faculty in the global south.