This MSc research intends to use modelling method to represent collaboration system and develop improvement suggestions. The represented collaboration system is under the background of concurrent design process in ESA design projects. The whole research can be mainly separated into three parts. The first part is related to explore suitable collaboration model to represent collaboration system. The outcome of the first research part is the FRMC. The second part is related to use BPMN2.0 to represent the collaboration system in concurrent design process of ESA projects. The outcomes of the second research part are BPMN2.0 collaboration model and the argument about whether BPMN2.0 can effectively represent the collaboration in concurrent design process. The third part is related to the utility of collaboration models. The outcome of the third research part is improvement suggestions to the collaboration system in concurrent design process of ESA projects regarding to its current collaboration challenges and collaboration modelling results.


Significance Changes in the number and/or structure of chromosomes (i.e., chromosomal rearrangements) have the potential to drive speciation. However, their accumulation in a population is considered both difficult and unpredictable, because the greatly reduced reproductive fitness of chromosomal hybrids prevents fixation of novel karyotypes. Here, we provide evidence for a mechanism that rescues fertility of chromosomal hybrids in species with holocentric chromosomes. We demonstrate that chromosomal heterozygotes of Leptidea Wood White butterflies have a reverse order of main meiotic events in which the first and most critical stage of the chromosome number reduction is replaced by the less risky stage of sister chromatid separation. This may facilitate long-term persistence of chromosomal rearrangements, which is a major prerequisite for chromosomal speciation. Chromosomal rearrangements (e.g., fusions/fissions) have the potential to drive speciation. However, their accumulation in a population is generally viewed as unlikely, because chromosomal heterozygosity should lead to meiotic problems and aneuploid gametes. Canonical meiosis involves segregation of homologous chromosomes in meiosis I and sister chromatid segregation during meiosis II. In organisms with holocentric chromosomes, which are characterized by kinetic activity distributed along almost the entire chromosome length, this order may be inverted depending on their metaphase I orientation. Here we analyzed the evolutionary role of this intrinsic versatility of holocentric chromosomes, which is not available to monocentric ones, by studying F1 to F4 hybrids between two chromosomal races of the Wood White butterfly (Leptidea sinapis), separated by at least 24 chromosomal fusions/fissions. We found that these chromosomal rearrangements resulted in multiple meiotic multivalents, and, contrary to the theoretical prediction, the hybrids displayed relatively high reproductive fitness (42% of that of the control lines) and regular behavior of meiotic chromosomes. In the hybrids, we also discovered inverted meiosis, in which the first and critical stage of chromosome number reduction was replaced by the less risky stage of sister chromatid separation. We hypothesize that the ability to invert the order of the main meiotic events facilitates proper chromosome segregation and hence rescues fertility and viability in chromosomal hybrids, potentially promoting dynamic karyotype evolution and chromosomal speciation.


In recent years, the double cold reduction material (DR material) was developed rapidly with the increase of industry market of computer, mobile telephone, household electrical appliances and pop canning and so on. The DR material has its characteristics such as very thin specification, strong intensity, high flatness and surface quality. In China, only Baosteel has ability to produce with the double cold reduction (DCR) technology. In this paper,based on the five years research and production Practice since 2004, the experimental study, production commissioning and product performance optimization methods in Baosteel have been discussed, such as the mode choice, roll gap lubrication system as well as the control method, the actual production operation and technology parameter set and so on ,so as to promote the development and progress of DR material production. It offers beneficial reference for the technologist on the spot.


Abstract. There are numerous networks and initiatives concerned with the non-satellite-observing segment of Earth observation. These are owned and operated by various entities and organisations often with different practices, norms, data policies, etc. The Horizon 2020 project GAIA–CLIM is working to improve our collective ability to use an appropriate subset of these observations to rigorously characterise satellite observations. The first fundamental question is which observations from the mosaic of non-satellite observational capabilities are appropriate for such an application. This requires an assessment of the relevant, quantifiable aspects of the measurement series which are available. While fundamentally poor or incorrect measurements can be relatively easily identified, it is metrologically impossible to be sure that a measurement series is correct . Certain assessable aspects of the measurement series can, however, build confidence in their scientific maturity and appropriateness for given applications. These are aspects such as that it is well documented, well understood, representative, updated, publicly available and maintains rich metadata. Entities such as the Global Climate Observing System have suggested a hierarchy of networks whereby different subsets of the observational capabilities are assigned to different layers based on such assessable aspects. Herein, we make a first attempt to formalise both such a system-of-systems networks concept and a means by which to, as objectively as possible, assess where in this framework different networks may reside. In this study, we concentrate on networks measuring primarily a subset of the atmospheric Essential Climate Variables of interest to GAIA–CLIM activities. We show assessment results from our application of the guidance and how we plan to use this in downstream example applications of the GAIA–CLIM project. However, the approach laid out should be more widely applicable across a broad range of application areas. If broadly adopted, the system-of-systems approach will have potential benefits in guiding users to the most appropriate set of observations for their needs and in highlighting to network owners and operators areas for potential improvement.


Abstract Unmet need plays a critical role in reproductive health research, evaluation, and advocacy. Although conceptually straightforward, its estimation suffers from a number of methodological limitations, most notably its reliance on biased measures of women's stated fertility preferences. We propose a counterfactual‐based approach to measuring unmet need at the population level. Using data from 56 countries, we calculate unmet need in a population as the difference between: (1) the observed contraceptive prevalence in the population; and (2) the calculated contraceptive prevalence in a subsample of women who are identified to be from "ideal" family planning environments. Women from "ideal" environments are selected on characteristics that signal their contraceptive autonomy and decision‐making over family planning. We find significant differences between our approach and existing methods to calculating unmet need, and we observe variation across countries when comparing indicators. We argue that our indicator of unmet need is preferable to existing population‐level indicators due to its independence from biases that are generated from the use of reported preference measures, the simplicity with which it can be derived, and its relevance for cross‐country comparisons as well as context‐specific analyses.


Drawing on Chinese-Japanese transnational and transcultural interaction in the mid-nineteenth century, this article illustrates how Sinitic brushtalk functioned as an effective modality of communication between Chinese and Japanese literati who did not have a shared spoken language. The illustrations are adapted from personal diary-like travelogues of Japanese travelers to Shanghai on board the Senzaimaru in 1862 and participants in the Japanese mission to the United States in 1860. The recollection of the brushtalkers with their Chinese interlocutors whom they met on the way, including those during their return journey from the US while calling at trading ports like Batavia and Hong Kong, provides elaborate details on how writing-mediated improvisation using brush, ink, and paper allowed Japanese travelers with literacy in Sinitic to engage in "silent conversation" with their literate Chinese counterparts. A third historical context where Sinitic brushtalk was put to meaningful use was US–Japanese negotiations during Commodore Perry's naval expedition to Edo Bay in 1854, where Luo Sen, bilingual in Chinese (spoken Cantonese) and English, was hired to perform the role of secretary. Throughout the negotiations, Luo was able to perform his duties admirably in part by impressing the Japanese side with his fine brushtalk improvisations. While misunderstanding and miscommunication could not be entirely avoided, the article concludes that until the early 1900s writing-mediated interaction through Sinitic brushtalk in face-to-face encounters functioned adequately and effectively as a scripta franca between literate Japanese and their Chinese "silent conversation" partners both within and beyond Sinographic East Asia. Such a unique modality of communication remained vibrant until the advent of nationalism and the vernacularization of East Asian national languages at the turn of the century.


Delivery of native or chemically modified recombinant proteins into mammalian cells shows promise for functional investigations and various technological applications, but concerns that sub-cellular localization and functional integrity of delivered proteins may be affected remain high. Here, we surveyed batch electroporation as a delivery tool for single polypeptides and multi-subunit protein assemblies of kinetochores, a spatially confined and well-studied subcellular structures. After electroporation in human cells, recombinant fluorescent Ndc80 and Mis12 multi-subunit complexes displayed native localization, physically interacted with endogenous binding partners, and functionally complemented depleted endogenous counterparts to promote mitotic checkpoint signaling and chromosome segregation. Farnesylation is required for kinetochore localization of the Dynein adaptor Spindly. In cells with chronically inhibited farnesyl transferase activity, in vitro farnesylation and electroporation reconstituted robust kinetochore localization of Spindly. Thus, electroporation is uniquely versatile for delivering synthetic and, as required, chemically modified functional mimics of endogenous proteins, and is therefore a promising tool for chemical and synthetic biology.


The nucleotide sequences were determined for the VH and VL domains of two human IgG1 antibodies, Pag-1 and Fog-B, specific for the D antigen of the Rh-blood-group system. The VH-region genes of the two antibodies were derived from separate germ-line genes within the VH-IV gene family, but both antibodies used the same JH6 gene. The D-region genes differed from each other, and no similarity was found to known D regions. The light chain of Fog-B belongs to the V lambda-I subgroup and that of Pag-1 probably belongs to the V lambda-V subgroup; both light chains used the J2/3 gene. Three-dimensional models of the variable domains were made, based on those of known crystallographic structure. The surface contours at the combining sites are clearly different, consistent with the evidence that the antibodies recognize different but overlapping epitopes. Some details of the molecular modelling of hypervariable regions have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50155 (6 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1990) 265, 5.


Cross-species comparisons of transcriptional regulation have the potential to identify functionally constrained transcriptional regulation and genes for which a change in transcriptional regulation correlates with a change in phenotype. Conventional differential gene expression analysis and a different approach based on identifying differentially regulated orthologs (DROs) are compared using paired time course gene expression data from two species which respond similarly to cold – maize ( Zea mays ) and sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ). Both approaches suggest that, for genes conserved at syntenic positions for millions of years, the majority of cold responsive transcriptional regulation is species specific, although initial transcriptional responses to cold appear to be more conserved between the two species than later responses. In maize, the promoters of genes with both species specific and conserved transcriptional responses to cold tend to contain more micrococcal nuclease hypersensitive sites in their promoters, a proxy for open chromatin. However, genes with conserved patterns of transcriptional regulation between the two species show lower ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions consistent with this population of genes experiencing stronger purifying selection. We hypothesize that cold responsive transcriptional regulation is a fast evolving and largely neutral molecular phenotype for the majority of genes in Andropogoneae, while a smaller core set of genes involved in perceiving and responding to cold stress are subject to functionally constrained cold responsive regulation.


In this paper, we present a novel supervised approach to the problem of summarizing email conversations and modeling dialogue acts. We assume that there is a relationship between dialogue acts and important sentences. Based on this assumption, we introduce a sequential graphical model approach which simultaneously summarizes email conversation and models dialogue acts. We compare our model with sequential and non-sequential models, which independently conduct the tasks of extractive summarization and dialogue act modeling. An empirical evaluation shows that our approach significantly outperforms all baselines in classifying correct summary sentences without losing performance on dialogue act modeling task.


Normal pregnancy is characterized by reduced systemic vascular resistance, which may be mediated by nitric oxide (NO). We compared endothelial vasomotor function in 71 normal pregnant women (13 in first, 29 in middle, and 29 in last trimester) to 37 healthy age-matched controls. With external ultrasound, brachial artery diameter was measured at rest, during reactive hyperemia [with increased flow causing endothelium-dependent dilation (FMD)], and after sublingual nitroglycerin (causing endothelium-independent dilation). Compared with controls, resting flow and brachial artery diameter were significantly higher during the middle and last trimesters. Reactive hyperemia was reduced in all pregnant groups. FMD increased from the first trimester (by 26%), reaching the highest value in the last trimester (to 47% above nonpregnant values). FMD was significantly correlated to pregnancy status (nonpregnant or pregnant) and to vessel size. Nitroglycerin-induced dilation was similar in pregnant and nonpregnant women. A longitudinal study of eight women evaluated in the first, middle, and last trimesters confirmed an increase in FMD throughout pregnancy. The study supports the idea that basal and stimulated NO activity is enhanced in normal pregnancy and may contribute to the decrease in peripheral resistance.


Paraneoplastic peripheral neuropathies constitute a heterogeneous group of conditions. A link between the tumor and the neuropathy has been demonstrated in a subgroup only. Definite paraneoplastic neuropathies correspond to neuropathies associated with antibodies reacting with antigens common to the peripheral nervous system and the cancer. Neuropathies associated with anti-Hu antibodies are the most frequent and consist mainly in subacute sensory neuronopathy. Sensory or sensory-motor neuropathies with anti-CV2 antibodies are less frequent. The link between the cancer and the neuropathy is less clear in the other forms. The frequency of cancer in this group varies from 1 to 18 p.cent.These neuropathies include inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies, neuropathy and vasculitis, lower motor neurone diseases, and autonomic neuropathies. Occasionally, the neuropathy improves with treatment of the tumor. Recent data suggest that gangliosides may be the target of the immune process in neuropathies associated with melanoma.


This title is presented with an afterword by Yoko Ono and original illustrations by the author. John Lennon wrote the material collected in "Skywriting by Word of Mouth" during Yoko Ono's pregnancy with Sean Lennon. After John's assassination in 1980, his manuscript was stolen from the Lennon's home. "Skywriting" was finally published in 1986, and it displays all of Lennon's extraordinary creativity and inventiveness with language. It includes Lennon's only piece of autobiography, "The Ballad of John and Yoko" as well as short works of fiction, accounts of falling in love, marriage, the break-up of the Beatles and life in America.


Topological molecular architectures play a crucial role in many physico-chemical properties of materials and biological processes. Herein we synthesized a series of molecularly-defined cyclic oligomers, cyclic-TPEn+1 (n = 1–6), containing tetraphenylethylene (TPE) segments in the main chain by a stepwise chain-growth strategy. The cyclic structure endows the cyclic-TPEn+1 with a higher glass transition temperature (Tg) and quantum yields of aggregation induced emission (AIE) for n = 1 and 2 due to the constraints imposed by the cyclic topology itself. Importantly, the cyclic topology induces odd–even effects on both Tg and photoluminescence quantum yield, arising from the alternation of intermolecular interactions. Hopefully, this work will advance our understanding on the glass transition and AIE mechanism, and finally pave the way for the development of luminogens with a wide variety of functions.


Dreams are a form of gnosis, knowledge through direct experience, making them of interest in both consciousness studies and physics. Process wor k integrates concepts from physics, psychology, anthropology, shamanism, and spirituali ty into a paradigm and methodology with applications in many fields. Some say consciousness has a cosmic origin, with roots in the preconsciousness ingrained directly from the Planck ti me. Process work helps us discover this fundamental awareness and build deeper relationship s with our dreams and unconscious. New myths grow in our dreams. As part of the dreamer's psyche, dreams are subjective, but the images in the dreams originate in archetypally info rmed objective experiences.


A significant increase in the CD38(+) population among T lymphocytes has been observed in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected carriers. We previously reported a higher replication rate of T-tropic HIV-1 in the CD4(+)CD38(+)CD62L(+) than CD38(-) subset under conditions of mitogen stimulation after infection. Here, we revealed a similarly high susceptibility in the CD38(+) subset on culture with conditioned medium containing Th2 cytokine, interleukin (IL)-4 that was produced endogenously from this subset on stimulation with mitogen or anti-CD3 antibody for 3 days. The contribution of IL-4 to the upregulated production of virus in the CD38(+) subset was confirmed by culture of this subset with recombinant human IL-4. In contrast, the rate of replication in the CD38(-) subset was not augmented in the conditioned medium from either subset or with IL-4. However, there were no differences in the surface expression of IL-4 receptor or HIV-1 receptors CD4 and CXCR4 between the two subsets. Thus, the CD4(+)CD38(+)CD62L(+) subset comprises a specific cell population secreting endogenous Th2 cytokine that contributes to the efficient production of T-tropic HIV-1 through upregulation at a certain stage of the viral life cycle, probably after the adsorption step.


Light triggers chloroplast differentiation whereby the etioplast transforms into a photosynthesizing chloroplast and the thylakoid rapidly emerges. However, the sequence of events during chloroplast differentiation remains poorly understood. Using Serial Block Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM), we generated a series of chloroplast 3D reconstructions during differentiation, revealing chloroplast number and volume and the extent of envelope and thylakoid membrane surfaces. Furthermore, we used quantitative lipid and whole proteome data to complement the (ultra)structural data, providing a time-resolved, multi-dimensional description of chloroplast differentiation. This showed two distinct phases of chloroplast biogenesis: an initial photosynthesis-enabling 'Structure Establishment Phase' followed by a 'Chloroplast Proliferation Phase' during cell expansion. Moreover, these data detail thylakoid membrane expansion during de-etiolation at the seedling level and the relative contribution and differential regulation of proteins and lipids at each developmental stage. Altogether, we establish a roadmap for chloroplast differentiation, a critical process for plant photoautotrophic growth and survival.


The thrombin receptor [protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1)] is overexpressed in highly metastatic melanoma cell lines and in patients with metastatic lesions. Activation of PAR-1 leads to cell signaling and up-regulation of genes involved in adhesion, invasion, and angiogenesis. Herein, we stably silence PAR-1 through the use of lentiviral short hairpin RNA and found significant decreases in both tumor growth (P < 0.01) and metastasis (P < 0.001) of highly metastatic melanoma cell lines in vivo. The use of viruses for therapy is not ideal as it can induce toxic immune responses and possible gene alterations following viral integration. Therefore, we also used systemic delivery of PAR-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) incorporated into neutral liposomes [1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC)] to decrease melanoma growth and metastasis in vivo. Significant decreases in tumor growth, weight, and metastatic lung colonies (P < 0.001 for all) were found in mice treated with PAR-1 siRNA-DOPC. The in vivo effects of PAR-1 on invasion and angiogenesis were analyzed via immunohistochemistry. Concomitant decreases in vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin-8, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression levels, as well as decreased blood vessel density (CD31), were found in tumor samples from PAR-1 siRNA-treated mice, suggesting that PAR-1 is a regulator of melanoma cell growth and metastasis by affecting angiogenic and invasive factors. We propose that siRNA incorporated into DOPC nanoparticles could be delivered systemically and used as a new modality for melanoma treatment.


In the period since 2004, many novel sophisticated approaches for generic multi-document summarization have been developed. Intuitive simple approaches have also been shown to perform unexpectedly well for the task. Yet it is practically impossible to compare the existing approaches directly, because systems have been evaluated on different datasets, with different evaluation measures, against different sets of comparison systems. Here we present a corpus of summaries produced by several state-of-the-art extractive summarization systems or by popular baseline systems. The inputs come from the 2004 DUC evaluation, the latest year in which generic summarization was addressed in a shared task. We use the same settings for ROUGE automatic evaluation to compare the systems directly and analyze the statistical significance of the differences in performance. We show that in terms of average scores the state-of-the-art systems appear similar but that in fact they produce very different summaries. Our corpus will facilitate future research on generic summarization and motivates the need for development of more sensitive evaluation measures and for approaches to system combination in summarization.


From the Publisher:
Authoritative coverage of a revolutionary technique for overcoming problems in electromagnetic design Genetic algorithms are stochastic search procedures modeled on the Darwinian concepts of natural selection and evolution. The machinery of genetic algorithms utilizes an optimization methodology that allows a global search of the cost surface via statistical random processes dictated by the Darwinian evolutionary concept. These easily programmed and readily implemented procedures robustly locate extrema of highly multimodal functions and therefore are particularly well suited to finding solutions to a broad range of electromagnetic optimization problems. Electromagnetic Optimization by Genetic Algorithms is the first book devoted exclusively to the application of genetic algorithms to electromagnetic device design. Compiled by two highly competent and well-respected members of the electromagnetics community, this book describes numerous applications of genetic algorithms to the design and optimization of various low- and high-frequency electromagnetic components. Special features include:
*Introduction by David E. Goldberg, "A Meditation on the Application of Genetic Algorithms"
*Design of linear and planar arrays using genetic algorithms
*Application of genetic algorithms to the design of broadband, wire, and integrated antennas
*Genetic algorithm—driven design of dielectric gratings and frequency-selective surfaces
*Synthesis of magnetostatic devices using genetic algorithms
*Application of genetic algorithms to multiobjective electromagnetic backscattering optimization
*A comprehensive list of the up-to-date references applicable to electromagneticdesign problemsSupplemented with more than 250 illustrations, Electromagnetic Optimization by Genetic Algorithms is a powerful resource for electrical engineers interested in modern electromagnetic designs and an indispensable reference for university researchers.


We present the travelling wave solution for a Susceptible, Exposed, Infective and Removed (SEIR) epidemic disease model. For this SEIR model, the disease is driven by both the latent and infective class (the diffusion term is included in both classes). The population is closed. Keywords : Epidemic model, spatial spread, travelling wave Solution.


Purpose: We developed a pre-clinical prototype system for range verification of proton pencil-beam scanning fields. The system was evaluated using phantom treatment plans delivered with a clinical dose rate. Methods: The absolute range of proton pencil-beams was verified through an optimization procedure, which matches energy- and time-resolved prompt gamma-ray measurements with models, based on cross sections for discrete prompt gamma-ray line excitations. Phantom experiments were performed with a pre-clinical prototype detector, using treatment plans delivered with a clinical pencil-beam scanning system. The detector consisted of an actively shielded lanthanum(III) bromide scintillator. Tungsten was used to collimate the gamma-rays. To support high event rates, the detector readout featured custom amplifiers and an active voltage divider for the photomultiplier. The detector signals were acquired by fast analog-to-digital converters and processed using digital algorithms. The data acquisition was also synchronized with the pencil-beam scanning and dosimetry systems. Results: We successfully acquired prompt gamma-ray spectra during the delivery of proton pencil-beams with a clinical beam current of 2 nA at the exit of the treatment head. The number of events in the primary detector ranged from 1 x 10⁶ to 2 x 10⁶ per second. In phantom experiments, non-uniform range errors were introduced by placing strips of plastic in the beam path. The magnitudes and positions of these range errors were correctly detected in two-dimensional range maps that were generated from the measurements. With our small scale prototype, a 1.0 mm standard deviation on the absolute range required about 5 x 10⁸ protons per delivered pencil-beam. Conclusions: Prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy to verify the absolute range of proton beams was demonstrated under clinical pencil-beam delivery conditions. A 1 mm to 2 mm range verification accuracy for a field delivering 1 Gy, appears feasible with a full scale system. This work was supported by the Federal Share of program income earned on C06-CA059267, Proton Therapy Research and Treatment Center.


The Mars Organic Molecule Ana- lyzer (MOMA) is a dual ion source linear ion trap mass spectrometer that was designed for the 2018 joint ESA-Roscosmos mission to Mars. The main scientific aim of the mission is to search for signs of extant or extinct life in the near subsurface of Mars by acquiring samples from as deep as 2 m below the surface. MOMA will be a key analytical tool in providing chemical (molecular and chiral) information from the solid samples, with particular focus on the characteri- zation of organic content. The MOMA instrument, itself, is a joint venture for NASA and ESA to develop a mass spectrometer capable of analyzing samples from pyrolysis/chemical derivatization gas chromatog- raphy (GC) as well as ambient pressure laser desorp- tion ionization (LDI). The combination of the two analytical techniques allows for the chemical charac- terization of a broad range of compounds, including volatile and non-volatile species. Generally, MOMA can provide information on elemental and molecular makeup, polarity, chirality and isotopic patterns of analyte species. Here we report on the current perfor- mance of the MOMA prototype instruments, specifi- cally the demonstration of the gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) mode of operation.


The study is set out to discover a new multi factor model for Shariah investing in Malaysian stocks based on musharakah principle. It also wants to know the model explanatory power of stocks" risk decomposition and return attribution as well to forecast risk given the current volatile market. Existing single factor model such as Capital Asset Pricing Model and multi factor model like Fama French Model are formulated on the basis of risk-free rate element in which rescind out with Shariah principle of musharakah. Moreover, the models do not explained their factors well in emerging markets that include Malaysia. Thus, exploring the alternative model is pertinent.
A fundamental factor model is carefully constructed from four key essential elements of musharakah: Business Sector, Management Quality, Profitability Growth and Capital Strength factors. It gives greater insight into the sources of stocks performance and leads to intuitive action items. The cross-sectional approach is used to build the model.
Key results show that the model has high explanatory power for contemporaneous returns, maintains high forecasting ability in high and low volatility environments and stays unbiased with no significant under-forecasting or over-forecasting of risk for a broad variety of portfolios.
Despite the existence of long established multi factor models, this study offers new empirical evidence suggesting the application of musharakah principle as a framework, although without risk-free rate element, is able to increase the explanatory power of Shariah-compliant stocks" risk and return. Moreover, it goes well with those who subscribe to principle based investing.


Metagenomics sequence data give protein structure prediction a boost A protein's structure determines its function. Experimental protein structure determination is cumbersome and costly, which has driven the search for methods that can predict protein structure from sequence information (1). About half of the known proteins are amenable to comparative modeling; that is, an evolutionarily related protein of known structure can be used as a template for modeling the unknown structure. For the remaining proteins, no satisfactory solution had been found. On page 294 of this issue, Ovchinnikov et al. (2) used recently developed methodology for predicting intraprotein amino acid contacts in combination with protein sequences from metagenomics of microbial DNA to compute reliable models for 622 protein families, and discovered more than 100 new folds along the way. The fast-paced growth of metagenomics data should enable reliable structure prediction of many more protein families.


The present research was designed to explore the anxiolytic-like activity of a novel 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (60) in experimental mouse models of anxiety. The anxiolytic activity of '6o' at (1 and 2 mg/kg, ip) was evaluated in mice by using a battery of behavioural tests of anxiety such as elevated plus maze (EPM), light/dark aversion test, hole board (HB) and open field test (OFT) with diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip) as a standard anxiolytic. None of the tested doses of '6o' affected the base line locomotion. Compound '6o' (2 mg/kg, ip) and diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip) significantly increased the percentage of both time spent and open arm entries in the EPM test. Compound '6o' in (1 mg/kg, ip) dose was only able to affect the percentage time spent in open arm significantly in the EPM test. In the light and dark test, compound '6o' (2 mg/kg, ip) and diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip) significantly increased the total time spent in light compartment as well as number of transitions from one compartment to other and number of square crossed. Compound '6o' (1 and 2 mg/kg, ip) and diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip) also significantly increased number of head dips and number of squares crossed, whereas significantly decreased the head dipping latency in HB test as compared to vehicle control group. In addition, '6o' in both the doses and diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip) significantly increased the ambulation scores (squares crossed) in OFT however, there was no significant effect of '6o' (1 and 2 mg/kg, ip) and diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip) on rearing scores. To conclude compound '6o' exhibited an anxiolytic-like effect in animal models of anxiety.


Although sarcoidosis and lung cancer are both frequently encountered conditions, their simultaneous occurrence in the same patient is unusual. In this report, we describe 4 cases of their concurrence and discuss the possible pathogenic mechanisms of their concurrent appearance. In particular, in 2 of the cases, both diseases had coexisted for a long period (more than 6 and 4 years, respectively), showing a surprisingly slow growth of cancers. Although the chest computed tomography showed hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, the histopathological findings of the excised lymph nodes of both cases revealed no metastasis. The causal relationship between sarcoidosis and lung cancer remains uncertain, but cases such as these may be helpful in elucidating its precise nature.


Although attention-based Neural Machine Translation have achieved great success, attention-mechanism cannot capture the entire meaning of the source sentence because the attention mechanism generates a target word depending heavily on the relevant parts of the source sentence. The report of earlier studies has introduced a latent variable to capture the entire meaning of sentence and achieved improvement on attention-based Neural Machine Translation. We follow this approach and we believe that the capturing meaning of sentence benefits from image information because human beings understand the meaning of language not only from textual information but also from perceptual information such as that gained from vision. As described herein, we propose a neural machine translation model that introduces a continuous latent variable containing an underlying semantic extracted from texts and images. Our model, which can be trained end-to-end, requires image information only when training. Experiments conducted with an English–German translation task show that our model outperforms over the baseline.


We generated T cell receptor transgenic mice specific for the liver stages of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii and studied the early events in the development of in vivo effector functions in antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Differently to activated/memory cells, naive CD8+ T cells are not capable of exerting antiparasitic activity unless previously primed by parasite immunization. While naive cells need to differentiate before achieving effector status, the time required for this process is very short. Indeed, interferon (IFN)-γ and perforin mRNA are detectable 24 h after immunization and IFN-γ secretion and cytotoxic activity are detected ex vivo 24 and 48 h after immunization, respectively. In contrast, the proliferation of CD8+ T cells begins after 24 h and an increase in the total number of antigen-specific cells is detected only after 48 h. Remarkably, a strong CD8+ T cell–mediated inhibition of parasite development is observed in mice challenged with viable parasites only 24 h after immunization with attenuated parasites. These results indicate that differentiation of naive CD8+ T cells does not begin only after extensive cell division, rather this process precedes or occurs simultaneously with proliferation.


Single-Ion Microbeam (SIM) is uniquely capable of precisely delivering a predefined number of charged particles (precise doses of radiation) to individual cells or sub-cellular targets in situ. Since the early 1990's, there has been an ever-increasing interest in developing and applying the SIM technique to problems in radiobiology for studies of cell and tissue damaged by ionizing radiations. Potential applications for SIM in radiobiology continues to grow and have been diversified. There are currently more than 14 SIM facilities worldwide, and they have been in a constant state of evolution. This paper reviews the current state of SIM research worldwide and the related pivotal technological developments in the fields of both biophysics and radiobiology. Representative applications and the perspective of SIM are also introduced and discussed.


The longstanding conflict in South Sudan has led to a heavy reliance on a fragmented knowledge base. Current reconstruction and recovery activities impose the urgent need of a unified and a systematic knowledge base to identify livelihood opportunities and constraints and development priorities. The increased availability of spatially-continuous datasets provides an opportunity to create a spatial database to meet this need. A considerable effort has been dedicated on developing livelihood zones since the 1950s but there are still gaps. In this paper we use ArcGIS to generate a dataset comprising 10 physiographic zones based on five raster datasets: agroclimatology (length of growing period), digital elevation model, USGS land cover, NDVI and FAO Soils of the World. These new zones attempt to bridge the knowledge gap and improve our understanding of the spatial distribution of physiographic characteristics, which are key determinants of livelihoods. In addition, it provides a primary spatial database that can readily be combined with formal surveys to refine livelihoods, conduct vulnerability analysis and identify constraints and opportunities for development programmes. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the map could be used for both contingency and development planning and priority setting.


Intravenous administration of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) caused a dose-dependent contraction in the lower esophageal sphincter in the opossum. The smallest dose of 5-HT which caused a detectable contraction of the sphincter was 0.5 mug/kg, and a maximal sphincter contraction was produced by a dose of 40 mug/kg. Methysergide converted the contractile effect of 5-HT to a dose-dependent fall in the sphincter pressure; maximal inhibition of 77.2 +/- 7.2% of the resting pressure occurred with a dose of 40 mug/kg. The inhibitory effect of 5-HT was antagonized by tetrodotoxin, 5 MeO-DMT, and 5-HT tachyphylaxis. 5 MeO-DMT enhanced 5-HT-induced contraction of the sphincter. In the presence of 5 MeO-DMT and methysergide, 5-HT still caused a brief contraction of the sphincter; this contraction appeared to be due to stimulation of postganglionic cholinergic neurons as it was antagonized by tetrodotoxin or atropine. Reserpinization caused enhancement of the sphincter contraction by 5-HT. In the reserpinized animals in the presence of methysergide, 5-HT caused a small initial contraction followed by prolonged inhibition; atropine antagonized the initial contraction, while inhibition was antagonized by 5 MeO-DMT. These studies are consistent with the view that 5-HT exerts several different effects on the sphincter. 5-HT causes contraction of the sphincter by its direct action on the muscle and also by stimulation of cholinergic excitatory neurons. In addition, 5-HT inhibits the sphincter by stimulation of nonadrenergic inhibitory neurons.


Teams are pervasive in today's world, and rightfully so as we need them. Drawing upon the existing extensive body of research surrounding the topic of teamwork, we delineate nine "critical considerations" that serve as a practical heuristic by which HR leaders can determine what is needed when they face situations involving teamwork. Our heuristic is not intended to be the definitive set of all considerations for teamwork, but instead consolidates key findings from a vast literature to provide an integrated understanding of the underpinnings of teamwork—specifically, what should be considered when selecting, developing, and maintaining teams. This heuristic is designed to help those in practice diagnose team-based problems by providing a clear focus on relevant aspects of teamwork. To this end, we first define teamwork and its related elements. Second, we offer a high-level conceptualization of and justification for the nine selected considerations underlying the heuristic, which is followed by a more in-depth synthesis of related literature as well as empirically-driven practical guidance. Third, we conclude with a discussion regarding how this heuristic may best be used from a practical standpoint, as well as offer areas for future research regarding both teamwork and its critical considerations


Background: To test within an n-of-1 design whether brief interventions (1) increase physical activity (PA)and (2) reduce sedentary activity (SA) in people with Type 2 Diabetes; and to examine whether effects are mediated by psychological process measures taken on a daily basis. Methods: Six participants wore an accelerometer device for 6 months that deliver different instructions on alternate days (either to improve PA, reduce SA or no instruction) while measuring physical activity levels. Participants recorded levels of confidence, self-efficacy, stress, pain, happiness and motivation on a daily basis. Results of the n–of-1 study were analysed by bootstrapped time series analyses. Findings: Participants varied in response to the PA and SA interventions with some being more responsive to PA whereas others were more responsive to SA. Self-efficacy and happiness were routinely predictive of physical activity levels Discussion: The n-of-1 design highlighted how participants respond differentially to interventions targeting PA as opposed to SA and that level of response to an intervention was mediated by psychological processes.


Exposure to conflicting political viewpoints is widely assumed to benefit the citizens of a democratic polity. Nonetheless, the benefits of exposure to heterogeneous political viewpoints have yet to be demonstrated empirically. Drawing on national survey data that tap characteristics of people's political discussion networks, I examine the impact of heterogeneous networks of political discussion on individuals' awareness of legitimate rationales for oppositional viewpoints, on their awareness of rationales for their own viewpoints, and on levels of political tolerance. Finally, utilizing a laboratory experiment manipulating exposure to dissonant and consonant political views, I further substantiate the causal role of cross-cutting exposure in fostering political tolerance.


The role of the African Union (AU) in the promotion of unity and solidarity of its member states remains imperative with a view to achieving development in the continent. The AU is saddled with responsibility of attaining socio-economic integration through a concerted effort to alleviate poverty and tackle corruption, to strengthening good governance through political process and civil rule which underscore transparency and accountability in the democratic system. The paper considers the economic objective of the AU and discusses the desirability to shift from intra-continental marketing to intercontinental trading and investment with other continents, diversification of her economies and strengthening of her common market, so as to impact positively to world trade and sustainable development goals. On continental peace and security, the AU also needs to adopt a stern approach against terrorism pervading the continent through legal and military options to curtail the menace. The paper identifies challenges of insecurity, incessant conflicts, overdependence on foreign aid, corruption, political instability, inept leadership, inadequate infrastructural development, as bane of good governance and development confronting member states of AU. The paper proposes pragmatic steps to be explored by AU in curbing various challenges in a bid to improving the standard and quality of states and the African peoples.


The online metrical matching problem is a well studied paradigm in online algorithms. The problem is defined on an underlying metric space with k special points called servers. Requests arrive in an online fashion on the metric space and the objective is to match requests to yet unmatched servers while minimizing the total cost of the matching. Research into posted price algorithms for online metrical matching was initiated in Cohen at al. (2015) as part of a line of research to study the use of posted price algorithms to minimize social cost in a setting with selfish, autonomous agents instead of requests. They gave a post-price algorithm that "mimics" the log(k)-competitive algorithm for line metrics by Gupta and Lewi (2012). We investigate the post-price setting for tree metrics by characterizing the properties of post-price algorithms and giving a poly-log(k) competitive post-price algorithm on tree metrics.


In this paper we examine how international development assistance for environmental purposes is allocated to developing countries. In particular, we investigate whether there are patterned differences between environmental aid for international public goods projects versus environmental projects having more localized impacts. We empirically investigate these questions using project project level development assistance data.


A generalized assessment of the functions of 26 genes of SP82G, a bacteriophage of Bacillus subtilis, has been made. The production of phage-specific deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), DNA-filled phage heads, completed phage particles, phage-specific antigen, and developmental aberrations has been examined in lysates of temperature-sensitive mutants grown under selective conditions. The genes show a tendency to occur on the genome in three groups of related function: genes involved with DNA synthesis, with tail synthesis, and with head synthesis.


ABSTRACT Due to the widespread usage of electronic devices and the growing popularity of social media, a lot of text data is being generated at the rate never seen before. It is not possible for humans to read all data generated and find what is being discussed in his field of interest. Topic modeling is a technique to identify the topics present in a large set of text documents. In this paper, we have discussed the widely used techniques and tools for topic modeling. There has been a lot of research on topic modeling in English, but there is not much progress in the resource-scarce languages like Hindi despite Hindi being spoken by millions of people across the world. In this paper, we have discussed the challenges faced in developing topic models for Hindi. We have applied Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithms for topic modeling in Hindi. The outcomes of the topic model algorithms are usually difficult to interpret for the common user. We have used various visualization techniques to represent the outcomes of topic modeling in a meaningful way. Then we have used the metrics like perplexity and coherence to evaluate the topic models. The results of Topic modeling in Hindi seem to be promising and comparable to some results reported in the literature on English datasets.


Two sterility test methods, the ScanRDI® rapid sterility test and the United States Pharmacopeia/European Pharmacopoeia/Japanese Pharmacopoeia (USP/EP/JP) compendial sterility test, were compared with respect to the limits of detection for the presence of viable microorganisms in aqueous solutions at low inoculation levels. The ScanRDI® system employs a combination of direct fluorescent labeling techniques and solid-phase laser scanning cytometry to rapidly enumerate viable microorganisms from aqueous samples, whereas the compendial sterility test is a qualitative, growth-based method that uses a visual assessment of turbidity to indicate microbial contamination. Eight microorganisms were evaluated, seven compendial microorganisms (Clostridium sporogenes, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans) and the Gram-positive anaerobe Propionibacterium acnes. The number of viable organisms was estimated using the ScanRDI® method and the conventional sterility test method using most probable number methodology. The mean difference between the methods was computed and 95% confidence intervals around the mean difference were estimated. The ScanRDI® method was found to be numerically superior and statistically non-inferior to the compendial (USP/EP/JP) sterility test with respect to the limits of detection for all organisms tested.


Inquiry-based learning could be viewed as a form of culturally relevant pedagogy as they both promote student success regardless of student culture. The aim of this research is to explore whether inquiry-based learning is an approach for employing culturally relevant pedagogy in a New Zealand primary classroom setting.  This is a qualitative exploratory case study examining students' perceptions of learning through an inquiry-based approach. Focus group discussions were conducted to collect data from a group of students' aged 9, 10 and 11 years from one New Zealand primary school. Data was analysed using a thematic approach that identified findings to be linked to four themes. Four themes of culture, authentic learning, relationships and teaching strategies were used throughout the study as they are deemed important components of inquiry-based learning and culturally relevant pedagogy.  On analysis of the findings it is evident that there are links between inquiry-based learning and culturally relevant pedagogy. The results highlighted students' perception of the importance of having a sense of belonging with a culture, the impact of authenticity of learning, the quality of relationships between teacher and student and the positive impact of providing a range of effective teaching strategies.


Abstract We develop a mathematical and interpretative foundation for the enterprise of decision-theoretic (DT) statistical causality, which is a straightforward way of representing and addressing causal questions. DT reframes causal inference as "assisted decision-making" and aims to understand when, and how, I can make use of external data, typically observational, to help me solve a decision problem by taking advantage of assumed relationships between the data and my problem. The relationships embodied in any representation of a causal problem require deeper justification, which is necessarily context-dependent. Here we clarify the considerations needed to support applications of the DT methodology. Exchangeability considerations are used to structure the required relationships, and a distinction drawn between intention to treat and intervention to treat forms the basis for the enabling condition of "ignorability." We also show how the DT perspective unifies and sheds light on other popular formalisations of statistical causality, including potential responses and directed acyclic graphs.


TEENS AND CELL PHONES -- OR -- TEENS AND BALANCING SCHOOL WITH WORK: This guide will assist Exposition students work through the research process and write the best argumentative paper involving the choice between the two topics.


A major goal of computational neuroscience is the development of powerful data analyses that operate on large datasets. These analyses form an essential toolset to derive scientific insights from new experiments. Unfortunately, a major obstacle currently impedes progress: novel data analyses have a hidden dependence upon complex computing infrastructure (e.g. software dependencies, hardware), acting as an unaddressed deterrent to potential analysis users. While existing analyses are increasingly shared as open source software, the infrastructure needed to deploy these analyses – at scale, reproducibly, cheaply, and quickly – remains totally inaccessible to all but a minority of expert users. In this work we develop Neuroscience Cloud Analysis As a Service (NeuroCAAS): a fully automated analysis platform that makes state-of-the-art data analysis tools accessible to the neuroscience community. Based on modern large-scale computing advances, NeuroCAAS is an open source platform with a drag-and-drop interface, entirely removing the burden of infrastructure purchase, configuration, deployment, and maintenance from analysis users and developers alike. NeuroCAAS offers two major scientific benefits to any data analysis. First, NeuroCAAS provides automatic reproducibility of analyses at no extra effort to the analysis developer or user. Second, NeuroCAAS cleanly separates tool implementation from usage, allowing for immediate use of arbitrarily complex analyses, at scale. We show how these benefits drive the design of simpler, more powerful data analyses. Furthermore, we show that many popular data analysis tools offered through NeuroCAAS outperform typical analysis solutions (in terms of speed and cost) while improving ease of use, dispelling the myth that cloud compute is prohibitively expensive and technically inaccessible. By removing barriers to fast, efficient cloud computation, NeuroCAAS can dramatically accelerate both the dissemination and the effective use of cutting-edge analysis tools for neuroscientific discovery.


This article provides a detailed description of recent trends in inequality in Ireland. To date most of the analysis of inequality in Ireland has used income data. We supplement this with detailed data on individual expenditure taken from the Household Budget Survey. While the results on inequality are not sensitive to the choice of resource measure used, we find that the composition of the low-spending group and the low-income group differ.


Abstract Purpose: Cultural differences and personal biases can affect the way a clinician provides care and the way in which patients receive it. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) designates cultural competence as one of the professional practice expectations for physical therapy students, although no standardized blueprint exists for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. This case report will illustrate how reflection can be used to facilitate a student's growth into becoming more prepared to practice in a culturally aware and effective way. In addition, this report seeks to provide a student's perspective on her efficacy providing culturally competent care, given her training and education through her DPT program. Method: This case report will present the interactions between a student physical therapist (SPT) and a culturally and linguistically diverse patient throughout a physical therapy plan of care. Subsequently, the reflections by the SPT on these interactions will be presented, and themes such as communication barriers, power dynamics, and patient expectations will be explored. Results: Through the student's self-reflection, she determined both her strengths and areas needing improvement in providing an adequate cross-cultural interaction, in addition to delineating how her preparation in school affected these areas. Her strengths included 1) vulnerability to recognize her own shortcomings, and 2) a desire to create a meaningful connection with the patient. The areas needing improvement included 1) providing an open space for the patient to speak, and 2) setting patient expectations. The student's DPT program facilitated her preparedness in cultural competence by 1) providing lecture content promoting cultural awareness, 2) encouraging reflection, and 3) hosting an event where the DPT students were able to work with international students of limited-English proficiency. Conversely, barriers to the student's preparedness included 1) no mandatory community service reaching minority populations, and 2) no opportunity for an abroad immersion experience. Conclusions: Two main themes were drawn from the student's reflection. First, continual self-evaluation and vulnerability are imperative to the process of becoming a culturally competent provider. Second, clinical experience dedicated to providing care to minority populations appears to be effective in fostering cultural competency in DPT students. ABSTRACT Purpose: Cultural differences and personal biases can affect the way a clinician provides care and the way in which patients receive it. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) designates cultural competence as one of the professional practice expectations for physical therapy students, although no standardized blueprint exists for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. This case report will illustrate how reflection can be used to facilitate a student's growth into becoming more prepared to practice in a culturally aware and effective way. In addition, this report seek s to provide a student's perspective on her efficacy providing culturally competent care, given her training and education through her DPT program. Method: This case report will present the interactions between a student physical therapist (SPT) and a culturally and linguistically diverse patient throughout a physical therapy plan of care. Subsequently, the reflections by the SPT on these interactions will be presented, and themes such as communication barriers, power dynamics, and patient expectations will be explored. Results: Through the student's self-reflection, she determined both her strengths and areas needing improvement in providing an adequate cross-cultural interaction, in addition to delineating how her preparation in school affected these areas. Her strengths included 1) vulnerability to recognize her own shortcomings, and 2) a desire to create a meaningful connection with the patient. The areas needing improvement included 1) providing an open space for the patient to speak, and 2) setting patient expectations. The student's DPT program facilitated her preparedness in cultural competence by 1) providing lecture content promoting cultural awareness, 2) encouraging reflection, and 3) hosting an event where the DPT students were able to work with international students of limited- English proficiency. Conversely, barriers to the student's preparedness included 1) no mandatory community service reaching minority populations, and 2) no opportunity for an abroad immersion experience. Conclusions: Two main themes were drawn from the student's reflection. First, continual self -evaluation and vulnerability are imperative to the process of becoming a culturally competent provider. Second, clinical experience dedicated to providing care to minority populations appears to be effective in fostering cultural competency in DPT students.


The Lago Sofia conglomerate lenses in the Upper Cretaceous Cerro Toro Formation of southern Chile represent a channel-levee facies on a north-to-south-oriented deep-sea fan that formed between the rising cordillera to the west and the South American craton to the east. The enclosing Cerro Toro flysch represents overbank and pelagic deposits. Most of the conglomerates have features developed by tractive transport; they are moderately well sorted, imbricated, and have both horizontal and inclined internal stratification. Large-scale dunes up to 4 m high are present. Fabrics and bedding styles considered typical of gravity flows are less common. Features produced by traction transport apparently were developed in the gravel by rolling, sliding, and saltation as the bedload component of highly turbulent, probably low-density, turbidity currents flowing in a confined channel.


In recent trends, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and Internet of Things interpret an evolution of computerized integration connectivity. The specific research challenges in CPS as security, privacy, data analytics, participate sensing, smart decision making. In addition, The challenges in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) includes secure architecture, energy efficient protocols and quality of services. In this paper, we present an architectures of CPS and its protocols and applications. We propose software related mobile sensing paradigm namely Mobile Sensor Information Agent (MSIA). It works as plug-in based for CPS middleware and scalable applications in mobile devices. The working principle MSIA is acts intermediary device and gathers data from a various external sensors and its upload to cloud on demand. CPS needs tight integration between cyber world and man-made physical world to achieve stability, security, reliability, robustness, and efficiency in the system. Emerging software-defined networking (SDN) can be integrated as the communication infrastructure with CPS infrastructure to accomplish such system. Thus we propose a possible SDN-based CPS framework to improve the performance of the system.


A growing number of psychological research findings are initially published as preprints. Preprints are not peer reviewed and thus did not undergo the established scientific quality-control process. Many researchers hence worry that these preprints reach nonscientists, such as practitioners, journalists, and policymakers, who might be unable to differentiate them from the peer-reviewed literature. Across five studies in Germany and the United States, we investigated whether this concern is warranted and whether this problem can be solved by providing nonscientists with a brief explanation of preprints and the peer-review process. Studies 1 and 2 showed that without an explanation, nonscientists perceive research findings published as preprints as equally credible as findings published as peer-reviewed articles. However, an explanation of the peer-review process reduces the credibility of preprints (Studies 3 and 4). In Study 5, we developed and tested a shortened version of this explanation, which we recommend adding to preprints. This explanation again allowed nonscientists to differentiate between preprints and the peer-reviewed literature. In sum, our research demonstrates that even a short explanation of the concept of preprints and their lack of peer review allows nonscientists who evaluate scientific findings to adjust their credibility perception accordingly. This would allow harvesting the benefits of preprints, such as faster and more accessible science communication, while reducing concerns about public overconfidence in the presented findings.


The paper is addressed to an analysis of object-oriented data models specified at EXPRESS language and widely used in industrial applications. These models play important role for achievement of software interoperability and system integration in accordance with STEP standard family (ISO 10303). The examples of such models are STEP application protocols for machinery construction, automobile industry, shipbuiling, electronics, electrical engineering, systems engineering, furniture production as well as IFC (ISO 16739) model for architecture, engineering and construction, CIS/2 model for manufacturing using constructional steel work, POSC Caesar (ISO 15296) model for oil and gas producing industry. The purpose of the performed analysis is to unify representation of data integrity constraints typically used in the models by means of identification of constraint patterns. The identified patterns are specified at EXPRESS language as an unified constraint library that can be applied both on refactoring of the existing models and on development of new ones. Utilizing the constraint library users can improve clearness of the specifications, to simplify their maintenance and evolution and, on the whole, to accelerate their development. Besides, CASE tools can be effectively applied to analyze the specifications in highly automatic way. Possibility to apply the library for verification of the data models is also discussed in the paper. Rules for resolving the appropriate constraints have been proposed for each pattern. The constraint library can be recommended to industrial consortiums and technical committees that are engaged in development and standardization of the data models. The work is supported by RFBR (grant 13-07-00390).


Systems of grafted polymers in the presence of additives are useful in a variety of contexts including industrial applications, solar cells, organic electronics, drug delivery, and nucleocytoplasmic transport. In this thesis, we will consider the morphologies that polymer brushes attain when exposed to a solution of additives (which we generically term ``nanoparticles"), particularly when those nanparticles interact attractively with the polymers. We find that nanoparticles of this type can have a dramatic effect on the height of the polymer chains above the grafting surface, and they can induce highly non-uniform morphologies, including ones in which a dense layer of nanoparticles and monomers forms near the grafting surface. We consider especially the relevance of the system to several experiments performed on biopolymers in the nuclear pore complex when they interact attractively with transport factors that regulate nucleocytoplasmic transport. We find that, although these experiments appear to give inconsistent results, the inconsistencies can be reconciled through two simple models: the Alexander-de Gennes polymer brush, and the Milner-Witten-Cates polymer brush. Our findings should contribute to the understanding of the nuclear pore complex in that experiments can be better understood in the context of their relevant control parameters.


not given in European text-books. Climate change and a move to less intensive grassland production may involve widening the range of forage species used in those temperate grasslands which presently rely on ryegrasses. This book is recommended to research and teaching institutions in temperate and sub-tropical regions. Common names are used throughout, which may irritate non-Americans and the concordance is not easy to use.


Central star binarity is often invoked as the main driver behind the shaping of aspherical planetary nebulae, however observational support for this hypothesis is lacking. This work presented in this thesis attempts to observationally test this theory by investigating the relationship between central star binarity and nebular morphology for several planetary nebulae. The discovery of six new binary central star systems is also reported.A detailed spatio-kinematical analysis of Abell 41 was performed, showing the nebula to have a bipolar morphology waisted by a toroidal structure, the symmetry axis of which is found to be perpendicular to the plane of the central binary. This alignment is exactly as predicted, indicating that the central binary, MT Ser, has played a significant role in shaping Abell 41. This is only the second planetary nebulae to have had this link, between binary and nebular inclination, explicitly shown.A spatio-kinematic model has been developed for ETHOS 1, indicating that its spectacular polar outflows are kinematically older than the central region of the nebula. This finding is discussed in the context of binary evolution, and it is concluded that the polar outflows in these nebulae are probably formed before their central binaries have entered the common-envelope phase. The central star of ETHOS 1 has yet to be the subject of detailed study, and as such, the orientation of the nebula could not be compared to that of its central binary.A spatio-kinematical analysis of SuWt 2 is presented, proving that the nebular ring is in fact at the waist of a much larger, extended bipolar structure. SuWt 2 is not known to contain a post-main sequence central star, required to eject and ionise the nebular shell, but rather a double A-type binary. The results of the analysis are discussed with relation to possible formation scenarios for SuWt 2. It is concluded that, while neither component of the double A-type binary could be the nebular progenitor, the presence of a third component to the system, which would have been the progenitor, cannot be ruled out. However, as there is no evidence that the central star of SuWt 2 is a binary alone, it is suggested that SuWt 2 should be removed from future lists of planetary nebulae known to host a binary central star.A sample of sixteen central stars of planetary nebulae, displaying morphological traits believed to be typical of central star binarity, were monitored for signs of periodic photometric variability associated with binarity. Six new photometrically variable close-binary stars were discovered, representing a ?15% increase on the previously known figure. The binary detection success rate from this investigation is compared to that of other surveys, and it is concluded that, while the results are promising, a more rigorous test is required to fully assess the extent to which specific morphological traits can be used as indicators of central star binarity.


This paper estimates the effect of lighting on violent crime reduction. We explore an electrification program (LUZ PARA TODOS or Light for All - LPT) adopted by the federal government to expand electrification to rural areas in all Brazilian municipalities in the 2000s as an exogenous source of variation in electrification expansion. Our instrumental variable results show a reduction in homicide rates (approximately five homicides per 100,000 inhabitants) on rural roads/urban streets when a municipality moved from no access to full coverage of electricity between 2000 and 2010. These findings are even more significant in the northern and northeastern regions of Brazil, where rates of electrification are lower than those of the rest of the country and, thus, where the program is concentrated. In the north (northeast), the number of violent deaths on the streets per 100,000 inhabitants decreased by 48.12 (13.43). This moved a municipality at the 99th percentile (75th) to the median (zero) of the crime distribution of municipalities. Finally, we do not find effects on violent deaths in households and at other locations. Because we use an IV strategy by exploring the LPT program eligibility criteria, we can interpret the results as the estimated impact of the program on those experiencing an increase in electricity coverage due to their program eligibility. Thus, the results represent local average treatment effects of lighting on homicides.


The sequelae of tissue injury caused by hypoxia, ischemia, mechanical stress, or pathogen-induced inflammation are initiated in part by the release of danger/damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) from damaged or dying cells.1 Typically serving normal functions in cell homeostasis within the cell, these endogenous molecules are recognized as danger signals by cell surface receptors when released into extracellular spaces. In AKI, as well as other kidney disorders and injury to other organs, the ensuing inflammation and recruitment of the immune system contribute to the pathogenesis and resolution of disease. A wide variety of candidate DAMPs and their putative receptors have been identified, and their role in kidney disease is gradually being uncovered1. While some receptors appear to be selective for DAMPs, others such as toll-like receptors (TLRs)2,3 respond to DAMPs and are included among pattern recognition receptors for pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). DNA extruded from apoptotic or necrotic cells falls in one of the DAMPs categories, but it also is becoming clear that associated nuclear molecules, such as histones, contribute to tissue injury and disease. In the current issue of JASN Allam et al.4 investigate whether histone release from dying renal cells functions like DAMPs and contributes to AKI in a TLR-dependent manner.

The appearance of histones in the extracellular space is not well understood but may arise from apoptotic or necrotic cells through passive release (perhaps as dying cells release their cell contents), from proinflammatory cells by active secretion, or as a component of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) from infiltrating neutrophils. In a cell death process termed NETosis that seems largely to be involved with clearance of invading pathogens, nuclear DNA and associated proteins (such as histones), some of which are antimicrobial, are extruded from neutrophils into the extracellular space to form fibrous networks, called NETs.5 Neutrophils are often the first responders to pathogens and tissue injury and are recruited to inflammatory sites to contain infections by a variety of means, including NETosis.6 NETs serve important antibacterial functions, but histones (and perhaps other NET components) may also produce collateral damage to host bystander cells. Although the term NET was originally named for and described in neutrophils, extracellular traps containing DNA and proteins are also released from other cells, including monocytes/macrophages and eosinophils7 and may serve as a more generalized defense mechanism. Indeed, extracellular traps and histones, in particular, may play a role in a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, such as stroke,8 systemic lupus erythematosus,9 thrombosis,10 and AKI, although the latter has not yet been examined.

To explore the role of histones in kidney injury, Allam et al. conducted a very thorough series of experiments to demonstrate that histones, when released by damaged cells, mediate cell death and inflammation and contribute importantly to postischemic and septic acute kidney.4 They first demonstrated that dying tubular epithelial cells release histones and that histones act directly on renal epithelial and endothelial cells grown in culture to induce both apoptotic and necrotic cell death. The pathophysiological relevance of extracellular histones was explored in mice. Direct visualization of local microcirculatory events was established through in vivo microscopy of the mouse cremaster muscle in which local application of histones enhanced leukocyte migration and adherence, and immunostaining showed transendothelial migration of neutrophils and monocyte/macrophages. Chemokine-induced chemotaxis and adhesion molecule-induced rolling, adhesion, and transmigration of leukocytes mediate these processes.11,12

Next, Allam et al. injected histones directly into the kidney by intra-arterial injection, which led to inflammation, necrosis, and increased proinflammatory cytokine expression in the injected kidney that was prevented by digestion of the histone preparation with activated protein C, a commonly used method for confirming histone-specific effects. The deleterious effects of histones depended on pretreatment of mice with a low dose of LPS to induce TLR2 and TLR4 expression and were absent in TLR2/4 double-null mice, suggesting a role in septic AKI. In an effort to demonstrate cause and effect, the authors injected blocking antibodies and showed that neutralization of extracellular histones, and specifically of histone H4, prevented tubular injury and loss of renal function in endotoxin-induced AKI and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), respectively, thus suggesting a more general role of histones in different forms of AKI.

Importantly, neutralization of histones reduced neutrophil recruitment, which is known to have a pathogenic role in AKI, and the induction of cytokine and chemokine expression in IRI. These in vivo studies demonstrate nicely that extracellular histones contribute to the inflammatory process and loss of kidney function in IRI and, in combination with the authors' in vitro studies, suggest that released histones act directly on renal epithelial and endothelial cells to induce injury, consistent with similar findings in a lung injury model.13

At this point, the more difficult question of whether dying or injured renal cells in vivo are the source of extracellular histones remains to be answered. In view of the rapid and extensive infiltration of neutrophils in AKI,14 it is intriguing to speculate that NETs are a source of extracellular histone accumulation, a concept that has not yet been explored in AKI.

In the next series of elegant experiments, Allam et al.4 examined signaling mechanisms underlying the direct cellular effects of extracellular histones and showed that histones induce proinflammatory cytokine release through TLR2/4 activation of NF-kB.15 To determine which pattern recognition receptors mediate the effect of histones the authors isolated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) from MyD88 and TRIF (TIR domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-β)–deficient mice. MyD88 is the adaptor molecule for all TLRs except TLR3, which signals through TRIF. Histone H4-induced release of TNF-α and IL-6 was completely abrogated in BMDCs from MyD88-deficient but not from TRIF-deficient mice, indicating that TLR3 was not involved. BMDCs from mice deficient in individual genes for TLRs released cytokines in response to H4 stimulation, but BMDCs lacking both TLR2 and TLR4 did not respond to H4 and were completely unable to secrete TNFα and IL-6.

To examine a direct interaction with these receptors, the authors used fluorescently labeled H4 and found that H4 binds independently with high affinity to TL2 or TL4. Last, a dual requirement for both TLR2 and TLR4 was demonstrated in vivo; injection of H4 failed to increase plasma concentrations of IL-6 and TNFα in TLR2/TLR4 double-null mice. Further investigation will be needed to understand the nature of this apparent receptor cooperativity and the reason why both are needed for a histone-induced proinflammatory state. In addition to the mechanisms that the authors have uncovered, extracellular histones also inhibit efferocytosis,16 a term coined to describe the clearance of apoptotic cells by phagocytic cells, such as macrophages, which may thereby prolong the acute inflammatory process and tissue injury.

The findings reported in this paper prompt other questions about the mechanisms of kidney injury. For example, what triggers histone release in IRI? If the mechanism bears similarities to NETosis, it is likely that a cell death process cannot go unchecked and requires mediators of regulation whose cell source and mechanisms of action remain to be identified. In view of the authors' findings on histones and dendritic cells, is histone-induced cytokine release in IRI dependent on the presence of dendritic cells, and do extracellular histones bind to cell surface receptors on other cell types to provoke an inflammatory response?

In summary, these intriguing results demonstrate the important contribution of extracellular histones in directly injuring target cells and causing release of proinflammatory cytokines through TLR2/4. Similar effects of histones have been reported in liver injury,17 lung injury,13 and sepsis.18 Confirmation that injured or dying kidney epithelial cells release histones in vivo requires further study that may also reveal whether release of histones from damaged host cells is comparable to release from dying neutrophils. It is very interesting to consider a role for NETs in mediating tissue injury, as suggested by NET formation in lung injury,13 but their role in AKI remains unclear. Neutrophils are key players in kidney IRI; widespread infiltration and activation of neutrophils in the kidney with release of NETs could contribute to or be a primary source of extracellular histones. In addition, the pathophysiological significance of these findings will be reinforced if it is found that the prevailing concentration of extracellular histones in the local microenvironment is sufficient to activate TLR2 and TLR4 following AKI. As such they would offer potential new therapeutic targets for the treatment of various forms of AKI.


This study emphasizes the impact of family planning program components on contraceptive prevalence in less industrialized countries. Building on Lapham and Mauldin's "Program Effort and Fertility Decline" framework and policy evaluation's theory, the author developed two models to examine the impact of family planning programs on contraceptive prevalence and fertility under the constraints of socioeconomic development and demand for family planning. The study employed path analysis and multiple regression on data from the 1982 program effort study in 94 less developed countries (LDCs) by Lapham and Mauldin and 98 LDCs of the 1989 program effort study by Mauldin and Ross. The results of data analyses for all data sets are consistent for the most part. Major findings are as follows: (1) A combination of program effort and socioeconomic development best explains the variation of contraceptive prevalence. (2) Among socioeconomic variables, female literacy exerts the strongest direct and indirect influences to increase contraceptive prevalence and indirect influence to decrease total fertility rate. (3) Christianity performs a significant role in reducing contraceptive prevalence. (4) Among program effort components, availability and accessibility for fertility-control supplies and services have the most influence on contraceptive prevalence. (5) When controlling for demand for family planning, female literacy and Christianity have expected and significant relationships with contraceptive prevalence. Availability and accessibility to fertility-control supplies and services exerts a positive and statistically significant impact on contraceptive prevalence. Demand for family planning has a positive and statistically significant effect on program variables, availability, and contraceptive prevalence. (6) There is a strong inverse relationship between contraceptive use and fertility. Demand for family planning, program effort, and socioeconomic development influence fertility through contraceptive prevalence. The findings of this study suggest that governments in LDCs should give priorities to increasing female education and availability of contraception to effectively reduce fertility.


BACKGROUND
Early childhood malnutrition is associated with cognitive and behavioral impairment during childhood and adolescence, but studies in adulthood are limited.

METHODS
Using the NEO-PI-R personality inventory, we compared personality profiles at 37-43 years of age (M 40.3 years, SD 1.9) of Barbadian adults who had experienced moderate-to-severe protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in the first year of life (n = 77) with healthy controls, who were former classmates of the index cases and were matched for age, gender, and handedness in childhood (n = 57). The previously malnourished participants had been rehabilitated, with good health and nutrition documented up to 12 years of age, and study participants were followed longitudinally from childhood to 40 years. Group comparisons were adjusted for childhood and adolescent standard of living, with and without correcting for IQ.

RESULTS
At the broad domain or factor level, previously malnourished participants had higher scores on Neuroticism and lower scores on Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness than did the healthy controls. At the subdomain or facet level, previously malnourished participants reported more anxiety, vulnerability, shyness and lowered sociability, less intellectual curiosity, greater suspiciousness of others, a more egocentric than altruistic orientation, and a lowered sense of efficacy or competence.

CONCLUSIONS
Malnutrition limited to the first year of life with good health and nutrition documented up to 12 years of age is associated with a significant overrepresentation of adult personality trait scores outside of the average range. This outcome has important implications for a variety of important life and mental health outcomes.


This thesis examines how deeply institutionalized IT governance arrangements change over time. The research captured in this work focuses on the transformation journey of the IT organization and its governance mechanisms within one state government in America. Our case study analyzes the breakdown of a historically dominant IT governance arrangement and the process that gave rise to a fundamentally different regime. This process was captured through a longitudinal case study lasting one and one-half years. This aim of this thesis is to provide an alternative perspective to the planned change models that dominate the literature related to the transformation of the IT function and its governance mechanisms. This is accomplished by drawing on neo-institutional theory and conceptualizing the IT governance regime as an institution. This perspective suggests that IT governance arrangements within some organizations possess a deeply ingrained status that is resistant to change. The process of institutional change captured in our case study is analyzed and explained by coupling two innovative analytic frameworks found within the larger neo-institutional literature. The first framework provides insight into the deinstitutionalization process; the second framework focuses on the process of institutional construction. The neo-institutional approach employed in this work enables us to provide an insightful and nuanced interpretation of the IT governance transformation process, which has important implications for theory, practice, and pedagogy.


It is generally recognised that the broad-band nature of time-domain electromagnetic systems offers definite
advantages in comparison with frequency-domain systems. A balanced view is given by Parasnis (1979), who
also indicates the problems involved in the analysis. The high price of available time-domain field instruments has not contributed towards making it a widely used method and only a few coil configurations have been investigated in depth with an eye to interpretation procedures. Both the coil configurations and the field procedures are determined by the manufacturer of the particular equipment in use, who will also have provided his own method of data-processing and interpretation. The latter is of course determined by the equipment's specifications of pulse-shape, time-windows, sampling rates and frequency range. In this regard there are no universally accepted standards. A short case-history by Staples (1984) shows the approach used in one particular combination of instrument and problem. The geological structure could be approximated by a dipping tabular conductor below a conducting overburden. Both the geology and the model were very simple and yet direct inversion was not possible. Mathematical modelling in this case led to a structure which corresponded to the known ore body. In situations of greater complexity the mathematical modelling is not easy.
Mathematical modelling can be supplemented or replaced by physical modelling. This requires a straightforward modelling set-up which is flexible enough to use any desired coil configuration as well as spanning a wide range of other variables. We describe a system which uses existing laboratory facilities and involves no exotic know-how or specialised tools.


The paper designs a kind of mobile jumping robot that can choose different movement strategies according to different surroundings. In order to achieve the purpose, we provide the integrated design of the robot which contains the information collection system and the mobile system. Then we describe the hardware structures and the control process in detail. First, we create the mechanical structure and analyze the kinematics model of it. Second, we give the specific design of the mobile actuating mechanisms. At last, we design the hardware circuits and control system of the robot based on TMS320LF2407A chip and put the robot into the experiments. Through the experiments, robot combines the wheeled movement and jumping movement effectively. The ultrasonic sensor is added to robot, and it makes the one smarter than any other traditional robots. The diversity of movement enhances the robot environmental adaptability and expands the range of application.


Background and purpose: One of the most popular methods to control the synanthropic flies is using parasitoid wasps. The aim of this study was to estimate the experimental parasitism rates of pupae of Musca domestica, Lucilia sericata, and Sarcophaga heamorrhoidalis by parasitoid wasps, including Nasonia vitripennis, Spalangia nigroaenea, and Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae. Materials and methods: Pupae of three species of flies, including Musca domestica, Lucilia sericata, and Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis were exposed to three parasitoid female wasps, including Nasonia vitripennis, Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae, and Spalangia nigroaenea in laboratory condition. The exposure rate was 8 wasps to 10 fly pupae on alternate days up to 5 days. The experiments were performed in triplicate and a total of 2700 fly pupae was exposed to 432 wasps. The parasitism rate and parasitoid host preferences were also determined. Results: Total parasitism of flies was estimated at 22.17%. There was no significant differences in parasitism rate of Musca domestica, Lucilia sericata, and Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis by Nasonia vitripennis, and Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae, but there was a significant difference in parasitism rate of house fly by the three parasitoids investigated (P<0.01). The Spalangia nigroaenea was active just on pupae of Musca domestica. The highest parasitism rate of the fly species studied was found by parasitized wasps of 5–7 days old. Conclusion: Spalangia nigroaenea can be considered as an efficient and specific parasitoid for biological control of Musca domestica. Other wasp species, including Nasonia vitripennis, and Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae could also be used in integrated fly control programs. Also, in biological control program for flies, 5-7 day parasitoid might be more effective.


Background: Population-based studies suggest that complaints of sleepiness are absent in many individuals with sleep-disordered breathing. We investigated the prevalence of sleepiness as well as factors associated with sleepiness in individuals with moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing (apnea-hypopnea index > 15). Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The Sleep Heart Health Study. Participants: Sleep Heart Health Study participants (N = 6440). Measurements and Results: Sleepiness was defined as an Epworth Sleepiness Scale score >10 or a report of at least frequently feeling unrested or sleepy. Forty-six percent of participants with moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing (n = 1149) reported sleepiness. Characteristics associated with sleepiness after adjustment for confounders included presence of respiratory disease, shorter self-reported weekday and weekend sleep, sleep durations, complaints of insufficient sleep, complaints of sleep maintenance insomnia, early morning awakening, habitual snoring, and complaints of awakening with leg cramps or leg jerks. Some respiratory polysomnography measures were associated with sleepiness, but sleepstage percentages and measures of sleep disruption were not. Conclusions: In this community-based cohort, subjective sleepiness is absent in many individuals with significant sleep-disordered breathing. Comorbid conditions, including respiratory disease, sleep restriction, insomnia, and nocturnal leg complaints, are important risk factors for sleepiness in individuals with moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing.


AasmAcr: A review of 119 patients with congenital dislocation of the hip complicated by avascular ne crosis, of whom fifty-one patients were skeletally ma ture, showed that damage to the physis was very corn mon. Changes in the secondary ossification center (os sific nucleus) alone were found to be of very little value in predicting the nature of the development of the hip, while the change in the proximal fernoral physis was the key to predicting residual deformity. The vascular disturbances were classified into four groups depend Ing on the amount of damage involving the ossific nu dens and the physis during treatment of the disloca tion. This classification was found to be accurate in predicting the natural history of avascular necrosis. The more severe forms of avascular necrosis were found to be most prevalent in those patients in whom treatment was begun between birth and the age of six months. We also found that preliminary traction and the use of general anesthesia reduced the incidence of the more severe form of avascular necrosis. The functional results found in the skeletally mature pa tients coincided with the types of vascular changes; the presence of avascular necrosis enhanced the develop ment of arthritis, especially if residual dysplasia and subluxation also were present.


By analyzing the association relationships between sand particle mechanics parameters and microscopic characteristics, this paper qualitative establishes the association table including physical and mechanical parameters such as the water content w, void ratio e and shear stress, and micro-parameters of sand particle such as particle number n, long axis L, short axis B, x, y coordinate of the centroid of particle, y-axis projection length, degree of eccentricity and orientation arrangement. Then the macro-micro relationship table of sand was established. The macro-micro relationship table of sand indicated that three micro-parameters of sand particle including particle number n, long axis L, short axis B have closely relationship with the water content w, void ratio e and shear stress. And the qualitative research between the sand particle mechanics and microscopic characteristics laid the foundation for the macro-micro association research.


Presidential term limit according to Article 7 of the 1945 Constitution (UUD) before the amendment should not be interpreted as only one measure namely in terms of quantity (limits on the term of office and the maximum period of office in office), but must regulate in terms of quality (legal norms and political ethics in commitment creating a democratic and competent government). As a result, every President in power will endeavor to presidential continuation by changing, avoiding, reinterpreting, amending the constitution or even presidential term limit in article 7 of the 1945 Constitution before the amendment. In the constitutional order, it will have implications for every President in power to form an authoritarian government and reduce democracy, abuse of the President's power to hold office continuously, give birth to an elected president who is incompetence in government administration, and creates stagnation of political regeneration.


The dwarf succulent genus Lithops (Aizoaceae) is endemic to southern Africa, with 16 species in Namibia. Lithops are vulnerable to a variety of threats and assignment of accurate conservation status is difficult due to insufficient information about population parameters and influence of habitat variables. In addition, taxa are defined according to leaf characters that may be adapted to plant habitat, resulting in over-classification. Plant density, spatial arrangement of plants and habitat profile was investigated in a 1 ha study area in a population of L. pseudotruncatella. Five out of seven plant density estimation methods vastly over- or under-estimated plant number as determined in a census. Plant number in 100 10×10 m test plots was positively associated with a higher percentage cover of gravel and pebbles as opposed to sand or stones, and with a gentle rise as opposed to slopes and depressions. Plant abundance and habitat variables were also evaluated in 9 populations of L. ruschiorum. Evaluation of the 51 and 43 sites of the meticulously studied RUL population, and the remaining 8 populations, respectively, showed that plant density and/or plant number was associated with aspect, slope, soil texture, substrate and geographic distance from the coast. Results are concordant with a strong impact of fog-based precipitation on plant density in the coastal populations, whereas rain is probably more important at RUL, situated further inland. Plant number dropped by 50% in 21 10×10 m plots monitored at RUL over nine years, most likely due to a prolonged drought in 2012–2016. Plant number declined also in some of the 15 plots in the other populations. AFLP markers were employed to study 52 individuals from 7 populations of L. ruschiorum, and 223 individuals from 44 populations representing 15 Lithops species and 23 taxa in total. An AMOVA demonstrated low levels of genetic differentiation between populations of L. ruschiorum, and a significant but rather weak isolation-by-distance pattern. Analyses of genetic structuring and phylogenetic relationships identified several groups of closely related species, while subspecific taxa often overlapped considerably. Main reason for the overall low variability in Lithops is probably a rapid and recent diversification of succulents after the global expansion of arid environments in the late Miocene. Three nomenclatural changes were made, affecting: (1) L. optica and L. herrei, (2) L. amicorum and L. karasmontana, and (3) subspecies bella and eberlanzii of L. karasmontana.