Correctly predicting the direction that branches will take is increasingly important in today's wide-issue computer architectures. The name program-based branch prediction is given to static branch prediction techniques that base their prediction on a program's structure. In this article, we investigate a new approach to program-based branch prediction that uses a body of existing programs to predict the branch behavior in a new program. We call this approach to program-based branch prediction evidence-based static prediction, or ESP. The main idea of ESP is that the behavior of a corpus of programs can be used to infer the behavior of new programs. In this article, we use neural networks and decision trees to map static features associated with each branch to a prediction that the branch will be taken. ESP shows significant advantages over other prediction mechanisms. Specifically, it is a program-based technique; it is effective across a range of programming languages and programming styles; and it does not rely on the use of expert-defined heuristics. In this article, we describe the application of ESP to the problem of static branch prediction and compare our results to existing program-based branch predictors. We also investigate the applicability of ESP across computer architectures, programming languages, compilers, and run-time systems. We provide results showing how sensitive ESP is to the number and type of static features and programs included in the ESP training sets, and we compare the efficacy of static branch prediction for subroutine libraries. Averaging over a body of 43 C and Fortran programs, ESP branch prediction results in a miss rate of 20%, as compared with the 25% miss rate obtained using the best existing program-based heuristics.


Background and Purpose About 30%-40% of stroke patients are taking antiplatelet at the time of their strokes, which might increase the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH) with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-TPA) therapy. We aimed to assess the effect of prestroke antiplatelet on the SICH risk and functional outcome in Koreans treated with IV-TPA. Methods From a prospective stroke registry, we identified patients treated with IV-TPA between October 2009 and November 2014. Prestroke antiplatelet use was defined as taking antiplatelet within 7 days before the stroke onset. The primary outcome was SICH. Secondary outcomes were discharge modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score and in-hospital mortality. Results Of 1,715 patients treated with IV-TPA, 441 (25.7%) were on prestroke antiplatelet. Prestroke antiplatelet users versus non-users were more likely to be older, to have multiple vascular risk factors. Prestroke antiplatelet use was associated with an increased risk of SICH (5.9% vs. 3.0%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.79 [1.05-3.04]). However, at discharge, the two groups did not differ in mRS distribution (adjusted OR 0.90 [0.72-1.14]), mRS 0-1 outcome (34.2% vs. 33.7%; adjusted OR 1.27 [0.94-1.72), mRS 0-2 outcome (52.4% vs. 52.9%; adjusted OR 1.21 [0.90-1.63]), and in-hospital mortality (6.1% vs. 4.2%; adjusted OR 1.19 [0.71-2.01]). Conclusions Despite an increased risk of SICH, prestroke antiplatelet users compared to non-users had comparable functional outcomes and in-hospital mortality with IV-TPA therapy. Our results support the use of IV-TPA in eligible patients taking antiplatelet therapy before their stroke onset.


The article continues the inventarization and interpretation of toponims and appeals with the «айметово» components in the Turkish and Finno-Ugrian languages of the Volga region. The attempt to reconstruct the arhitypes with the data of Indo-European languages has been taken.


The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same: The Maintenance of White Privilege and Power Amid Demographic Change in A Suburban School District Ashley Lauren Fox My dissertation examines racial power dynamics and whiteness in a previously all-white suburban school district that is now home to a very racially, ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse population. Specifically, I explore how white parents make sense of and respond to changing racial demographics in their community and the extent to which whites maintain privilege and power as they comprise a declining proportion of the community population overall. In light of the current political and social context in the U.S that has accompanied demographic change, there is a great need to critically examine the racial ideologies of whites as they relate ongoing structures of inequality, particularly in suburban areas that are previous centers of white isolation and modern epicenters of demographic change. Using a multi-modal case study methodology, I found that in this particular suburban context, where residents of color possessed similar or greater levels of income and education than white residents, and students of color performed at similar levels as white students in the public schools, dominant ideologies that associated whiteness with superiority and goodness persisted and led some white parents to flee the changing community and schools. Moreover, despite the increasingly small proportion of whites in the community and schools, white parents and residents were able to leverage their racial privilege and status in ways that reasserted and maintained unequal racial power relations in Parkwood through school district policies and practices. This research highlights the often invisible and under-examined ways in which white interests are continuously centered and served in ways that reproduce structures of racism in the "post-racial" era. Overall, the findings from this study contradict dominant colorblind narratives and point to the many ways in which whiteness operates, often in surreptitious ways, to maintain the racial status quo and exert social control over people of color even in contexts in which logic might imply that the power and privilege associated with whiteness would be threatened.


Artificial muscles are to be used in the future to actuate anthropomorphic robot limbs. Their direct drive actuation mode, as well as the present-day difficulty of modelling them accurately, makes their control difficult. In this paper it is proposed to test the feasibility of an original control scheme combining a sliding mode with a Smith predictor, so as to control a robot actuator made of two antagonistic McKibben pneumatic artificial muscles. This hybrid controller is intended to give a global robustness to the robot joint, both in relation to inertial variations and to gravity perturbations. Experimental results of the method applied to the elbow joint of a 7R anthropomorphic upper limb robot are also reported.


In single crystals of orthorhombic α‐AlOOH, known also as mineral diaspore, χ(3)‐nonlinear lasing by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and Raman‐induced four‐wave mixing (RFWM) is investigated. Picosecond pumping at 1.064 µm wavelength produces a broadband Stokes and anti‐Stokes frequency comb with up to 25 SRS‐ and RFWM‐generated emission lines. All observed Stokes and anti‐Stokes lasing components in the visible and near‐IR are identified and attributed to a single SRS‐promoting vibration mode with ωSRS ≈ 445 cm−1. The first Stokes steady‐state Raman gain coefficient in the visible spectral range is estimated to a value not less than 0.36 cm GW−1.


Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Africa, have been variously reported to suffer lack of financial resources for growth and sustainability, especially because debt financing for financial institutions is generally expensive. That Equity financing through Venture capital (VC) is a non-bank source of funds considered to be an important alternative financing for small scale enterprising yearning to grow. Studies show that VC has the capacity to reduce problems of information asymmetry, adverse selection and moral hazard. VC though touted as the best alternative financial resource for MSMEs worldwide is still less appreciated by entrepreneurs in Africa in general and Kenya in particular. Empirical studies have shown that VCs portend more risk in financing MSMEs in earlier development stages, however, with proportionate breath; reasonable return is expected from early stage financing, into their mezzanine, growth and early maturity stages. Study reports therefore provide that there should be no cause for alarm on the side of the entrepreneur and the Venture Capitalist. This paper sought to investigate the level of awareness, appreciation and acknowleggement among the Kenyan investment community about the role Venture Capital financing play in boosting industrial development through MSMEs. The study employed a case study methodology that utilized a sample of 106 MSMES out of a target population of 229 MSMES registered in Nairobi Central Business District in Kenya. Data were collected by use of semistructured questionnaire and personal interviews. Descriptive statistics including correlation analysis, ANOVA and measures of central tendencies using SPSS version 19 were employed to determine the variable associations, relationships and dispersion. The main findings were that all entrepreneurship development stakeholders were largely ignorant of the potentials for VCs to bridge the MSME financing gap. That venture capitalists were not willing to finance MSMEs in Kenya due to their volatility, inability to meet the requirements of venture capitalists and their inexperience in business financial management. That MSMEs in Kenya were found to be scarcely in partnerships, which denied them reasonable capital base requisite to attract VCs. Despite the fact that VC is one of the most relevant and important sources of finance for innovative entrepreneurship growth, this study found lack of enterprising culture to drive the promotion, competition, innovation, sector development and industrialization in Kenya.


Social distinction or status is an important motivation of human behaviour. This paper provides a selective survey of recent advances in the economic analysis of the origins and consequences of social status. First, a selection of empirical research from a variety of scientific disciplines is discussed to underpin the further theoretical analysis. I then consider the origins and determinants of tastes for status, discuss the endogenous derivation of such a preferences for relative standing and assess the different formalisations these preferences. Subsequently, the consequences of preferences for status are studied for a variety of problems and settings. The last section discusses a number of implications of status concerns for normative economics and public policy.


In this challenge, we develop and distribute an integrated environment to flexibly combine multiple text mining techniques. Text mining techniques include numerous tasks such as salient sentence extraction, keyword extraction, topic extraction, textual coherence evaluation, multi-document summarization, and text clustering. Although tools that individually perform one or more of the above-mentioned tasks exist, it is difficult to integrate and activate multiple tools for a particular task. We attempt to provide the flexibility to integrate numerous tools that exist in the community in our proposed text mining environment. Users can use a customized version of the proposed text mining environment for their specific tasks, thereby concentrating solely on their creative work.


Abstract Objective This study aimed to describe maternal characteristics and clinical outcomes of infants born to mothers with positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) tests during pregnancy at an urban, safety-net hospital in Boston. Study Design We abstracted electronic chart data from 75 pregnant women with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests at any stage of gestation until 72 hours after birth who delivered consecutively between March 31 and August 6, 2020 at our center. We collected clinical data on maternal and infant characteristics, including testing, signs, and symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), delivery outcomes, newborn care practices (skin-to-skin care, location of care, and breastfeeding) and 30-day postdischarge infant emergency room visits and readmissions. We described categorical characteristics as percentages for this case series. Results Among 75 pregnant women, 47 (63%) were Hispanic, 10 (13%) had hypertension, 23 (30%) had prepregnancy obesity, and 57 (76%) had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Regarding birth outcomes, 32 (41%) had cesarean delivery and 14 (19%) had preterm birth. Among 75 infants, 5 (7%) had positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction tests in the first week of life, all of whom were born to Hispanic mothers with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and had clinical courses consistent with gestational age. Six (8%) infants visited the emergency department within 30 days of discharge; one was admitted with a non-COVID-19 diagnosis. Conclusion At our urban, safety-net hospital among pregnant women with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, 41% had a cesarean delivery and 19% had a preterm birth. Seven percent of infants had one or more positive SARS-CoV-2 tests and all infants had clinical courses expected for gestational age. Key Points Among 75 pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 positive testing at our center, five infants (7%) had one or more SARS-CoV-2 positive tests in the first week of life. Infants with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests had clinical courses expected for gestational age.


The impact of non-equilibrium effects on the dynamics of heavy-ion collisions is investigated by comparing a non-equilibrium transport approach, the Parton-Hadron-String-Dynamics (PHSD), to a 2D+1 viscous hydrodynamical model, which is based on the assumption of local equilibrium and conservation laws. Starting the hydrodynamical model from the same non-equilibrium initial condition as in the PHSD, using an equivalent lQCD Equation-of-State (EoS), the same transport coefficients, i.e. shear viscosity $\eta$ and the bulk viscosity $\zeta$ in the hydrodynamical model, we compare the time evolution of the system in terms of energy density, Fourier transformed energy density, spatial and momentum eccentricities and ellipticity in order to quantify the traces of non-equilibrium phenomena. In addition, we also investigate the role of initial pre-equilibrium flow on the hydrodynamical evolution and demonstrate its importance for final state observables. We find that due to non-equilibrium effects, the event-by-event transport calculations show large fluctuations in the collective properties, while ensemble averaged observables are close to the hydrodynamical results.


Dish-shaped lenses of dolomitic limestone commonly occur in the arenaceous Lower Tertiary and Quaternary eolianites of the Central Namib Desert region. They are interpreted as the deposits of vegetated playa lakes and, as such, have been described as "fossil oases." Regional stratigraphic studies have shown that there were two separate wet episodes during which these playa lakes formed. These are the Zebra Pan Carbonates of the Late Eocene-Early Miocene Tsondab Sandstone Formation and the Khommabes Carbonates in the partially consolidated Late Pliocene-Recent Sossus Sand Formation. In plan view, the dolomitic limestone beds have a roughly concentric distribution of lithofacies and trace fossils that reflect the water-table depth and the interaction of the vegetated lake margins with the surrounding dunes. The facies change laterally from outer arenitic dolocrete with branching unlined cylindrical Planolites burrows, some with indistinct meniscae (possibly Rutichnus) and ovoid Termitichnus nest structures to massive carbonate with desiccation, syneresis, and tepee structures containing abundant Taenidium burrows and reed-stem casts. The central facies comprises microlaminated carbonate with stromatolite mounds and algal matted surfaces with no burrowing infauna. The controlling factor over the stratigraphic distribution of paleo-playas is climate. Both intervals are linked to "wet desert" phases when the climate changed from an arid to relatively wet fluvial phase with perennial rivers and seasonal floods, through to semi-arid, with a more flashy fluvial discharge, and eventually returning to arid conditions. The spatial distribution of these assemblages is controlled by interdune topography and river-flood discharge in the case of the Zebra Pan-type end-point playas, and the elevation of groundwater table by bedrock highs in the case of Khommabes-type oases.


Landslides in Malaysia, and other tropical countries where heavy monsoon rains are common, form a risk to people, buildings, and roads. In particular, steep slopes that have been cut to accommodate road lines are prone to landslides. The objective of the study was to develop algorithms and methods that can be used to alert on increased risk of landslides through detecting small signs of slope instability with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image analysis. A time series of 19 scenes from the TerraSAR-X satellite was analyzed in study site Gunung Pass. Amplitude image analysis and interferometric techniques were applied to study soil movements. Two terrace fragments were measured to have slid 2.5 and 4.9 m in two amplitude images. The phase of topography-flattened coherence images was used to map small movements in a slope-failure area. The highest movement that was detected with interferometric techniques was 1.71 cm while the corresponding movement in ground data was 2.65 cm. High soil movements (over 16 cm) in the slope failure area prevented the use of phase data because fringes disappeared.


The possibility of charged particle acceleration by a longitudinal wake field excited in plasma by an electron bunch and a train of electron bunches is investigated. The exact solution of the stationary nonlinear self-consistent interaction of a monoenergetic relativistic bunch with cold plasma is obtained . It is shown that under certain conditions a self-acceleration of the bunch tail electrons up to high energies is possible.


A search for periodic gravitational waves, from sources such as isolated rapidly spinning neutron stars, was carried out using 510 h of data from the fourth LIGO science run (S4). The search was for quasimonochromatic waves in the frequency range from 50 to 1500 Hz, with a linear frequency drift _ f (measured at the solar system barycenter) in the range Àf= < _ f < 0:1f=, where the minimum spin-down age was 1000 yr for signals below 300 Hz and 10 000 yr above 300 Hz. The main computational work of the search was distributed over approximately 100 000 computers volunteered by the general public. This large computing power allowed the use of a relatively long coherent integration time of 30 h, despite the large parameter space searched. No statistically significant signals were found. The sensitivity of the search is estimated, along with the fraction of parameter space that was vetoed because of contamination by instrumental artifacts. In the 100 to 200 Hz band, more than 90% of sources with dimensionless gravitational-wave strain amplitude greater than 10 À23 would have been detected.


Extragalactic planetary nebulae (PNe) offer a way to determine the distance to their host galaxies thanks to the nearly universal shape of the planetary nebulae luminosity function (PNLF). Accurate PNe distance measurements rely on obtaining well-sampled PNLFs and the number of observed PNe scales with the encompassed stellar mass. This means either disposing of wide-field observations or focusing on the bright central regions of galaxies. In this work we take this second approach and conduct a census of the PNe population in the central regions of galaxies in the Fornax cluster, using VLT/MUSE data for the early-type galaxies observed over the course of the Fornax3D survey. Using such integral-field spectroscopic observations to carefully separate the nebular emission from the stellar continuum, we isolated [O iii] 5007 Å sources of interest, filtered out unresolved impostor sources or kinematic outliers, and present a catalogue of 1350 unique PNe sources across 21 early-type galaxies, which includes their positions, [O iii] 5007 Å line magnitudes, and line-of-sight velocities. Using the PNe catalogued within each galaxy, we present independently derived distance estimates based on the fit to the entire observed PNLF observed while carefully accounting for the PNe detection incompleteness. With these individual measurements, we arrive at an average distance to the Fornax cluster itself of 19.86 ± 0.32 Mpc (μPNLF= 31.49 ± 0.04 mag). Our PNLF distance measurements agree well with previous distances based on surface brightness fluctuations, finding no significant systematic offsets between the two methods as otherwise reported in previous studies.


ObjectiveTo demonstrate an overview of the epidemiological and clinical distribution of reportable West Nile cases in Houston, Texas, from 2015-2017.IntroductionWest Nile virus (WNV) is considered the leading cause of domestically acquired arboviral disease and is spread through mosquitoes. In general, the majority of the cases are asymptomatic. One in five people infected will display mild symptoms like fever, headache, body ache, nausea, and vomiting. Only about 1 in 150 people infected will develop serious neurologic complications such as encephalitis and meningitis. According to CDC, in 2017, there were 133 confirmed cases including 5 deaths and 14 presumptive blood donors reported in the State of Texas. Out of the confirmed cases, there were 85 neuroinvasive and 48 non-neuroinvasive disease cases.MethodsData were extracted from Houston's Electronic Disease Surveillance System (HEDSS) from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2017. A total of 45 confirmed cases are included in this analysis to examine the epidemiologic characteristics of the WNV cases.A confirmed case is an illness with onset of acute focal limb weakness and an MRI showing a spinal cord lesion largely restricted to gray matter and spanning one or more spinal segments.ResultsAmong the confirmed cases, 67% of were males. Age group 60 and above (47%) had the highest proportion of WNV cases. Whites (26%) represented the highest number of confirmed cases followed by Hispanics (24%).Seventy six percent of the cases were hospitalized. Non-neuroinvasive clinical presentations found among confirmed WNV cases were fever (94%), headache (76%) followed by chills and rigors (68%). Among the neuroinvasive presentations, altered mental status had the highest proportion (24%), followed by stiff necks (18%), Ataxia (12%), and seizure (9%).ConclusionsWNV is mostly prevalent in White male adults over 60 years of age, with majority of cases have common neuroinvasive symptoms like altered mental status, stiff necks, and Ataxia. For non-neuroinvasive cases clinical symptoms were fever, headache, chills and rigors.WNV infection is a markedly underreported disease as most of the infected people do not seek medical care due to mild or no symptoms. Currently there are no specific treatments available. Thus, continued monitoring and surveillance activities are warranted for prevention and control of WNV complications as well as decreasing the risk of infection.ReferencesCDC: West Nile Virus [Internet]. Atlanta: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), and Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD); Last reviewed: September 19, 2018.Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/index.html


Summary
The widespread degradation of natural ecosystems requires cost-efficient restoration techniques that minimize risk and consider context-specific restoration conditions. However, meeting these demands can be difficult because information on ecosystem-level factors controlling vegetation and continuous spatial data on species interactions are often lacking.
Using airborne LiDAR data from a Hawaiian dry forest, we delineated crowns and assessed the 3D structure of more than 700,000 shrubs and trees. We used Random Forest machine learning to assess the relative importance of resource availability, environmental conditions, and disturbance regimes on canopy density. We then modelled and scaled up plant–plant interactions (i.e. potential nursery effects) to landscape units using a LiDAR-derived Canopy Coalescence index (CC). We used the relative importance of ecosystem factors, canopy cover, and CC to prioritize landscapes for restoration.
Here, we demonstrate a methodological framework that prioritizes landscapes in need of restoration (i.e. planting woody species) using two ecological perspectives: (1) ecosystem-level controls on remnant woody vegetation, and (2) potential interactions between established canopies and seedlings (e.g. nursery effect, competition).
Our results highlight the heterogeneous nature of ecosystem-level drivers affecting forest structure along elevation gradients. Consequently, the degree of potential nursery interactions between established canopies and seedlings at the landscape-scale was context-specific.
Synthesis and applications. Our study provides a methodological approach that prioritizes landscapes for restoration by identifying the main controls on tree spatial distribution and by inferring the favourable conditions for seedlings. This approach can guide land managers to define cost-efficient restoration strategies for large ecological areas.

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Increasing reliability at a minimum amount of extra cost is a major challenge in todays ECU network design. Considering reliability as an objective already in early design phases has the potential to avoid expensive modifications in later design phases. Hence, there is a need for an appropriate optimization process and efficient analysis techniques to evaluate the found implementations. In this paper, we will show how symbolic techniques can be used to efficiently analyze and optimize such reliable systems. The contribution of this paper is (1) a symbolic reliability analysis that makes use of a partitioned structure function and (2) a symbolic optimization process based on binary ILP solvers. Our case study from the automotive area will show a significant speed-up using our analysis technique. Moreover, our optimization approach is able to offer implementations with considerably improved reliability at no additional costs as well as implementations with reduced costs without decreasing their reliability.


Reasons have become a central topic in philosophy. Epistemologists study reasons for belief. Moral philosophers assess reasons for action. And numerous metaethicists argue that all normative notions can ultimately be analyzed in terms of the concept of a reason. However, philosophers are not the only ones who talk about reasons. The Corpus of Contemporary American English yields over 10,000 examples of sentences containing the phrase "reason to [verb]", e.g. "reason to believe" and "reason to do". What, then, is the meaning of reason claims in colloquial language? This dissertation offers a theory of meaning for colloquial talk of reasons, focusing on sentences of the form "There is reason to believe that P". I argue that claims about reasons are a type of modal language. Familiar modals like "ought", "might", and "must" describe how things stand with relevant bodies of information, e.g. "You must pay your taxes" describes the relevant laws as requiring you to pay your taxes. I show that reason claims describe relevant information in an analogous manner: "There is reason to believe that P" describes the relevant knowledge as counting in favor of believing that P. This theory has far-reaching implications for recent debates about reasons and modals. First, the language of reasons pressures us to revise widely held views about the meaning of epistemic modals like "might": I show that it is talk of reasons for belief that describes knowledge, not epistemic modal language. Second, I argue that this semantic fact is best explained by a conceptual thesis: our pre-theoretical concept of a reason for belief is that of an item of knowledge, not a mere fact. Finally, once we see that "epistemic" modals have no special connection to knowledge, we are in a position to diagnose much of the confusion surrounding the formulation of fallibilism in epistemology. I argue that it is a mistake to rely on intuitions about epistemic modals to assess the truth of fallibilism, and I propose an alternative methodology for determining whether fallibilism is true.


In April 1986 a discussion meeting entitled 'Technical aspects of intraluminal pH-metry using pH-electrodes in man' was held in Zurich, Switzerland. The meeting brought together specialists in theoretical aspects of pH-recording, design and manufacture of equipment, and clinical application of this technique. The aim was to define the actual level of knowledge of pH monitoring in the upper gastrointestinal tract and to provide recommendations for its practical use. In view of the increasing use of intraluminal pH-metry it was considered timely to hold a discussion with the focus primarily on equipment and experimental design because understanding these factors is essential for application of pH-metry to research and routine clinical investigation. The meeting was organised in a format designed to maximise discussion and arrive at a consensus view. Before the meeting, participants submitted up to three concise statements on assigned topics, which were then precirculated to all 41 delegates. Fifty nine topics ranging from 'Interference of external factors with pH-measurements temperature' to 'Specific problems of duodenal pH-metry normal values' were addressed. There were no formal presentations and the entire meeting was devoted to discussion leading to modification, addition or replacement of these statements. Finally, delegates voted (agree, disagree, no opinion) on all statements and on the overall importance of a particular topic. These statements form the basis of this text with the voting being used to define the balance and emphasis of the article. Thus, the purpose of this article is to reflect the conclusions of the meeting and to incorporate a series of precise and unambiguous recommendations. As such certain of the statements may appear more dogmatic than in a conventional review article.


Deep neural networks (DNNs) used in computer vision have become widespread techniques commonly used in autonomous embedded systems for applications such as image/object recognition and tracking. The stringent space, weight, and power constraints seen in such systems impose a major impediment for practical and safe implementation of DNNs, because they have to be latency predictable while ensuring minimum energy consumption and maximum accuracy. Unfortunately, exploring this optimization space is very challenging because (1) smart coordination has to be performed among systemand application-level solutions, (2) layer characteristics should be taken into account, and more importantly, (3) when multiple DNNs exist, a consensus on system configurations should be calculated, which is a problem that is an order of magnitude harder than any previously considered scenario. In this paper, we present NeuOS, a comprehensive latency predictable system solution for running multi-DNN workloads in autonomous systems. NeuOS can guarantee latency predictability, while managing energy optimization and dynamic accuracy adjustment based on specific system constraints via smart coordinated systemand application-level decision-making among multiple DNN instances. We implement and extensively evaluate NeuOS on two state-of-the-art autonomous system platforms for a set of popular DNN models. Experiments show that NeuOS rarely misses deadlines, and can improve energy and accuracy considerably compared to state of the art.


A small concentration of graphene oxide (GO) was dispersed in ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC), and the effect of the same on the electro-optical parameters of the FLC–GO composite has been investigated using various techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible absorbance, XRD, and polarizing optical microscopy. The electro-optical parameters were remarkably modified and this effect is found to be strongly dependent on the cell thickness. Interlayer electron-phonon coupling and relative orientation between GO and the director of FLC are responsible for these effects. The presence of GO mainly induces local orientation in the FLC molecules at the interface, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction results. The change in the UV absorbance of the composite is mainly due to scattering of incident photonic radiation through GO, smectic layers, and multi-domains. This study demonstrates optimization of the cell thickness in case of nanomaterials dispersed in mesogenic systems for their device applicability, such as UV light filters, and for the tailoring of material parameters by varying the cell thickness.


This short essay discusses the relationship between ownership of creative works and music therapy. We ask the following question: what do we mean by ownership of stories and songs in music therapy? We answer this question by highlighting examples from music therapy literature. We base the essay on the notion that children may have certain rights concerning their intellectual properties and products made in therapy, but these rights are not always honored. Musical products such as lyrics or narratives made in music therapy are protected by most countries' national copyright laws, and music therapists working with music should pay close attention to the rights of the creator. Music therapy should not be a free zone or grey area where the laws on copyright do not matter. The essay offers suggestions for practitioners and researchers.


One of the most important needs for wildlife managers is an accurate estimate of population size. Yet, for many species, including most marine species and large mammals, accurate and precise estimation of numbers is one of the most difficult of all research challenges. Open-population capture-recapture models have proven useful in many situations to estimate survival probabilities but typically have not been used to estimate population size. We show that open-population models can be used to estimate population size by developing a Horvitz-Thompson-type estimate of population size and an estimator of its variance. Our population size estimate keys on the probability of capture at each trap occasion and therefore is quite general and can be made a function of external covariates measured during the study. Here we define the estimator and investigate its bias, variance, and variance estimator via computer simulation. Computer simulations make extensive use of real data taken from a study of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Beaufort Sea. The population size estimator is shown to be useful because it was negligibly biased in all situations studied. The variance estimator is shown to be useful in all situations, but caution is warranted in cases of extreme capture heterogeneity.

http://www.west-inc.com/reports/big_game/McDonald and Amstrup 2001.pdf


Abstract: For the characteristics of full electric propulsion, a novel kind of brake-by-wire unit is designed for electric vehicle to improve braking performance. A comprehensive brake-by-wire system including this unit is set up after its structure and principle are introduced. Then, a multi-layer fuzzy controller is proposed to regulate decelerate and wheel slip rate, and an optimal regenerative strategy is proposed to recover braking energy. At last, the experiment of brake unit is completed to verify that this novel unit is technologically feasible, and an electric vehicle co-simulation model based on MATLAB/Simulink and AMESim is established to prove that this novel unit is able to significantly improve braking performance of electric vehicle. The simulation result shows braking distance and time are shorten by 12.19% and 15.54% respectively compared with conventional ABS system in the same braking condition, and the recovery efficiencies in light and heavy braking are 53% and 28% respectively.


A 20kW bidirectional dual active bridge DC-DC converter prototype is designed and built for aerospace energy storage applications. The converter employs high power IGBT modules on the high voltage and low voltage sides. This paper presents the theoretical analysis and experimental results of turn-off performance of those high power IGBTs with capacitive snubbers. The turn-off performance of the 1200V, 300A ultrafast IGBT and 600V, 760A trench IGBT has been analyzed with and without a snubber capacitor. The influence of variation in snubber capacitor and variation in gate resistance on the IGBT performance is discussed. This gives a better understanding of IGBT characteristics during the turn-off transient. Experimental results show that the snubber capacitor reduces the voltage stress and switching losses significantly during turn-off. The direct mount snubber outperforms the wire-ended snubber for the same value of capacitance; hence they are suggested for high frequency, high power applications.


"On Louise Gluck" features essays by leading critics, poets, and scholars that explore the work of recent U.S. poet laureate Louise Gluck. Gluck, author of nine books of poetry, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Wild Iris," is noted for her searing honesty and compelling first-person personae. Though compared to world-famous verse by Sappho and Dickinson, Gluck's poetry has remained curiously undigested among readers of contemporary poetry for some time. "On Louise Gluck" gathers for the first time a diverse array of essays by the leading critics of this preeminent poet. Featuring a probing, extended interview with Gluck, "On Louise Gluck" traces the critical reception of her work and offers new insights into her imaginative, mysterious poetry. "


Looks at the problems and fears surrounding banks and financial institutions with regard to the Y2K computer systems date programs. Discusses the possible scenarios for the midnight of 31 December 1999 and that even with all the planning involved, no‐one was sure of the outcomes and the implications were many. States only that no two banks will experience the same effects. Further states that all over the world the arrangements varied from the well prepared to the slaphappy. Closes in saying that all financial institutions will be very pleased if 2000 brings an uneventful start for themselves and their customers.


This paper proposes performance indicators and metrics for the analysis of shared workspaces. We investigate user activity in various electronic workspaces of a shared workspace system and compare these on the basis of the proposed metrics: activity, productivity and cooperativity. Based on these results we further investigate the intensity of cooperation on shared documents. The investigations show that the proposed metrics permit an identification of the current cooperation status of a workspace as well as a classification of workspaces and benchmarking of the cooperation maturity.


A 3-yr study used 16 cows and their spring-born calves (yr 1) and 48 first-calf heifers (yr 2, n = 24; yr 3, n = 24) and their spring-born calves in a completely randomized design. All cows and heifers were Angus x Beefmaster, and calves were sired by Angus bulls. Cow-calf pairs were assigned randomly to one of two management systems: 1) an early-weaning system, in which steer and heifer calves were weaned at 108 d of age and fed a postweaning growing diet (EW), or 2) a normal weaning system, in which calves were weaned at 205 d without supplementation (NW). Before early weaning and within each management system, calves and their dams were maintained in two 1.4-ha, endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures for 35 d (yr 1) or 14 d (yr 2 and 3). Early-weaned calves and cow-calf pairs were then randomly allotted to 1.4-ha, endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures with two (yr 1) or three (yr 2 and 3) calves or cow-calf pairs per pasture (four pastures per management system). Cow weights and BCS changes and calf gains were measured from early to normal weaning. Dietary intakes and nutrient digestibilities by EW and NW calves were determined during two periods of yr 1 and three periods of yr 2 and 3. Total gains and BCS changes were greater (P < 0.01) for cows that produced EW calves in all years. Calf ADG from early to normal weaning did not differ (P = 0.32). Similar to ADG, BW of calves at normal weaning were not different (P = 0.11). Forage intake was greater (P < 0.01) by NW calves during Periods 2 and 3 of yr 1 and Periods 1 and 2 of yr 2 and 3; however, total DM and CP intakes were greater (P < 0.01) for EW calves in Periods 2 and 3 of each year. Intakes of NDF tended (P = 0.11) to be greater by EW calves across all years. Estimates of CP and NDF digestibilities were higher (P < 0.01) for EW calves during yr 1 and 2; however, all components of the diet consumed by NW calves in yr 3 were more digestible (P < 0.05) than those consumed by EW calves. These results show the condition of cows with EW calves was improved by early weaning and gains by calves weaned at 108 d to pasture plus a commercial grower diet were comparable to those by calves continuing to nurse dams until weaned at 205 d.


Every one of the diverse ecosystems of the Indian subcontinent is being degraded to some measure; but it is the freshwater ecosystems that are under the greatest threat. The root causes of this degradation lie in human institutions, in the inequities that plague our society. A significant number of our people depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods. These "ecosystem people", however, have little control over the resource base. Instead the patterns of natural resource use are dictated by an "Iron triangle" of urban population, industry and large land- holders who are the beneficiaries of the supply of a variety of natural resources at highly subsidized rates, the politicians who decide as to who gets what subsidies and the administrators who implement them. Insulated from the effects of resource depletion, these constituents of the iron triangle promote exhaustive patterns of natural resource use whose adverse consequences are felt primarily by the rural landless, small-holders, artisans, herders, tribals, and fisherfolk. It is these ecosystem people who have a far greater stake in a healthy environment, and their empowerment and involvement holds the promise of eventually slowing down a continuing meltdown of our ecosystems. India's Biological Diversity Act is a welcome move towards engaging and empowering these people. The Biodiversity Management Committees that are being established under this act in all panchayat raj institutions and town and c it y municipalities would be engaged in documenting local ecosystems in the form of "People's Biodiversity Registers". Biodiversity Management Committee study groups comprising interested BMC members, students, and teachers from colleges/ high schools, volunteers from CBOs, NGOs, and knowledgeable individuals representing different stakeholder groups would carry out this task. This exercise would focus on the documentation of people-natural resource links, landscape/ waterscape of the study area, local biodiversity elements, people's knowledge associated with biodiversity, an d people's perspectives on management issues, culminating in the formulation of a management plan to support the functioning of the local Biodiversity Management Committee. A pilot exercise on the preparation of People's Biodiversity Registers was conducted in Mendha (Lekha), a primarily tribal village of eastern Maharashtra. This village is notable for many community level initiatives towards sustain- able management of natural resources. We report here the components of the People's Biodiversity Registers exercise focusing on perhaps the most threatened of our ecosystems, namely the freshwater bodies. The major aquatic habitat of the locality is the Kathani river. It is fished by Dhivars, a community of specialist fisherfolk and Gonds who primarily fish for self consumption, and who participated in this study along with local students, teachers and scientists from the Indian Institute of Science. The study involved catching and releasing back to the river 1508 individuals through 146 fishing events. This sample comprised 32 species of 24 genera. Gonds reported 43 distinct fish names, while Dhivars reported 63. The total number expected to comprise the pool of species from which the sample was drawn is 64. About 70% of the fish species are reported to be declining, 5 species including Anguilla bengalensis are reported to have gone locally extinct, while 4 new species, primarily "Invasive Aliens" like Tilapia are reported to have appeared newly. The study led to an in-depth understanding of the diversity of factors responsible for habitat destruction and fish population depletion, including insights such as the possible impact of ash generated by forest fires. The people already possess a variety of traditional conservation practices such as protection to sacred river stretches and species. To this, prompted by the study, people have added banning of use of all poison, herbal and synthetic, for fishing in Kathani river. This ban is applicable to a cluster or Ilakha of 32 villages including Mendha (Lekha) and has been effectively implemented for the past three years.


Lakes contribute significantly to the global natural emissions of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide. However, to accurately incorporate them into the continental carbon balance more detailed surveys of lacustrine greenhouse gas emissions are needed, especially in respect to spatiotemporal variability and to how this affects the upscaling of results. We investigated CH4 flux from a small, wind‐shielded lake during 10 field trips over a 14 month period. We show that floating chambers may be used to calibrate the relationship between gas transfer velocity (k) and wind speed at 10 m height (U10) to the local system, in order to obtain more accurate estimates of diffusive CH4 flux than by applying general models predicting k based on U10. We confirm earlier studies indicating strong within‐lake spatial variation in this relationship and in ebullitive CH4 flux within the lake basin. However, in contrast to the pattern reported in other studies, ebullitive CH4 flux was highest in the central parts of the lake. Our results indicate positive relationships between k and U10 at very low U10 (0–3 m s−1), which disagrees with earlier suggestions that this relationship may be negligible at low U10 values. We estimate annually averaged open water CH4 emission from Lake Gerzensee to be 3.6–5.8 mmol m−2 d−1. Our data suggest that estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic systems to the atmosphere based on the upscaling of short‐term and small‐scale measurements can be improved if both spatial and temporal variabilities of emissions are taken into account.


THE OCCURRENCE of spontaneous idiopathic infarction of a segment of the greater omentum would appear to be extremely rare. A review of the surgical literature reveals only 17 previously reported authentic cases in which spontaneous infarction occurred without evidence of other contributory intraperitoneal pathologic changes. This condition is not to be confused with primary torsion of the omentum or with strangulation or torsion of the omentum due to herniation or adhesions. The first authentic case report is generally accredited to Johnson, who reported a case in 1932, although his case was complicated by the fact that the tip of the omentum was adherent to a scar resulting from a previous herniorrhaphy. Pines and Rabinovitch reported six cases in 1940, and Joss and Pratt in 1946 reported a personal case in addition to the 12 cases which they could find in the literature. Seley in 1951 reports a case, stating that


In this article art is used as inquiry to ask powerful questions, untangle paradoxes, and help us navigate loss and grief in the Anthropocene. Several central questions are considered and animated through narrative and poetry. How do we live poetically (Leggo, 2005) in a world that we need to exploit in order to survive? How do we engage in a more-than-human world full of ambiguity and paradox? How might nature become a teacher or mentor (Jickling et al., 2018), and what anthropocentric barriers do we face? How can stories and poems facilitate holistic expression and place-based connection? As we elucidate the wonder and loss of cottonwood, and the mentorship of ponderosa, Carl Leggo (2004, 2005, 2012, 2016, 2019a, 2019b) serves as a guide for artful attending and hopeful imagination for living poetically. Joanna Macy's (Macy & Johnstone, 2012; Macy & Brown, 2014) work that reconnects and Leggo's curriculum of joy offer parallel paths of grief and hope so that we might find our way through the Anthropocene.


The specification of Smooth Transition Regression models consists of a sequence of tests, which are typically based on the assumption of i.i.d. errors. In this paper we examine the impact of conditional heteroskedasticity and investigate the performance of several heteroskedasticity robust versions. Simulation evidence indicates that conventional tests can frequently result in finding spurious nonlinearity. Conversely, when the true process is nonlinear in mean, the tests appear to have low size adjusted power and can lead to the selection of misspecified models. The above deficiencies also hold for tests based on Heteroskedasticity Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimators but not for the Fixed Design Wild Bootstrap. We highlight the importance of robust inference through empirical applications.


In the last decade, people are increasingly relying on online content as a source of health information, facing the potential harm of encountering false information, conspiracy theories, and unreliable remedies, both as individuals and as a community. Research in this area becomes hence fundamental, given the many challenges and open issues related to the sensitive nature of health information and its use by users. In this context, the TrueHealth 2023 Workshop aims to encourage interdisciplinary research involving computer scientists, physicians, lawyers, and communication experts. The goal is to develop technological solutions that help users access truthful and reliable health information for their social well-being. The workshop seeks to combine expertise from different perspectives to address the problem of health misin-formation comprehensively.


We describe trlib, a library that implements a variant of Generalized Lanczos method [Gould et al. in SIAM J. Opt. 9(2), 504–525, 1999] for solving the trust region problem. Our implementation has several distinct features that set it apart from preexisting ones. We implement both conjugate gradient (CG) and Lanczos iterations for assembly of Krylov subspaces. A vector- and matrix-free reverse communication interface allows the use of most general data structures, such as those arising after discretization of function space problems. The hard case of the trust region problem frequently arises in sequential methods for nonlinear optimization. In this implementation, we made an effort to fully address the hard case in an exact way by considering all invariant Krylov subspaces. We investigate the numerical performance of trlib on the full subset of unconstrained problems of the CUTEst benchmark set. In addition to this, interfacing the PDE discretization toolkit FEniCS with trlib using the vector-free reverse communication interface is demonstrated for a family of PDE-constrained control trust region problems adapted from the OPTPDE collection.


Micro-expression as the main way of non-verbal communication occurs quickly and subtle in highrisk situations. Since it cannot be misleading, it discloses the real human aim. Nonetheless, feature extraction is an arduous task due to its two particular features. To resolve this problem in this paper, we propose Local Binary Pattern on Four Diagonal Planes. In fact, we utilize it after motion magnification for feature extraction in apex detection task. Also, we combine it and optical flow for micro-expression recognition. Simulation results show that automatic micro-expression apex frame detection and micro-expression recognition is promising using our method on CASME2 and CASME in comparison with other methods.


In this study we have analysed the genetic variability in ca. 700 samples belonging to six species of genus Lepus using maternal and biparental molecular markers (mitochondrial DNA, microsatellites, Single Nucleotide Polimorphisms). We aimed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of species of hares living in Europe, and assess the occurrence of hybridization between the European hare Lepus europaeus and the Italian hare Lepus corsicanus. Results showed a deep genetic differentiation and absence of hybridization between L. corsicanus and L. europaeus, confirming that they are distinct and distantly related biological species. In contrast, we showed small genetic distances and a close phylogenetic relationship between the Italian hare and Cantabrian hare L. castroviejoi, which suggest a deeper evaluation of their taxonomic status. Populations of L. corsicanus are geographically differentiated. In particular, the peninsular and Sicilian populations of Italian hares are sharply genetically distinct, which calls for avoiding any translocation between Italy and Sicily. Information on genetic variability and population structure is being used to implement the Italian Action Plan for L. corsicanus.


There are few areas in EU integration law and policy in which the Court of Justice of the European Union ("the EU Court") has not played a major role as a vehicle of integration and the "Area of Freedom, Security and Justice" (AFSJ) is no exception. One could even go so far as to say that the AFSJ represents a field of law in which the EU Court has been a particularly important player and in which the judicial process has helped to constitutionalize and transform this area to a central EU integration site. Hence, this chapter will focus on what I consider to be the most important judicial developments in AFSJ law and the role played by the Court of Justice in this European process, and as a "game changer" in this area of former third pillar law. The specific focus of this paper is the role of the Court as a guardian of constitutional rights and as an integrationist Court. The chapter is structured as follows. Section Two charts the trajectory of the AFSJ and the function of the Court in this story. Section Three focuses on the tactics of mutual recognition and how this has been a particularly successful method in the AFSJ as an expression of negative integration through the Court's case law. In doing so, I will zoom in on a number of pertinent cases for the development of, in particular, EU criminal law and EU asylum law. Thereafter, I will discuss the relationship between the EU Court of Justice and other courts. Finally, I will tentatively ask to what degree the Court is acting as a trustee court for establishing and maintaining the AFSJ and streamlining it with the Charter of Fundamental Rights.


Map matching algorithms try to map a series of location observations to an underlying network, to generate a single hypothesized true location or route. For some applications, including route choice modeling, such map matching is not required, and may introduce unnecessary biases into the model. This paper proposes a methodology for mapping location data to a underlying network in a probabilistic fashion, to try to avoid these potential biases. A framework for generating probabilistic matchings is presented, and the results of the algorithm are presented for a demonstration trip, to demonstrate the viability of the algorithm.


Musical expression is at the heart of the American spiritual experience. And nowhere can you gauge the depth of spiritual belief and practice more than through the music that fills America's houses of worship. Most amazing is how sacred music has been shaped by the exchanges of diverse peoples over time. How Sweet the Sound traces the evolution of sacred music from colonial times to the present, from the Puritans to Sun Ra, and shows how these cultural encounters have produced a rich harvest of song and faith. Pursuing the intimate relationship between music and spirituality in America, Stowe focuses on the central creative moments in the unfolding life of sacred song. He fills his pages with the religious music of Indians, Shakers, Mormons, Moravians, African-Americans, Jews, Buddhists, and others. Juxtaposing music cultures across region, ethnicity, and time, he suggests the range and cross-fertilisation of religious beliefs and musical practices that have formed the spiritual customs of the United States, producing a multireligious, multicultural brew. Stowe traces the evolution of sacred music from hymns to hip-hop, finding Christian psalms deeply accented by the traditions of Judaism, and Native American and Buddhist customs influenced by Protestant Christianity. He shows how the creativity and malleability of sacred music can explain the proliferation of various forms of faith and the high rates of participation they've sustained. Its evolution truly parallels the evolution of American pluralism.


The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa provides a model for community utilization of coalbed methane and energy independence. A feasibility study for coalbed methane development has been completed through a grant from the US Department of Energy. The total resource available beneath the 760-acre (310-ha.) campus is estimated to be nearly 10 bcf. The Mary Lee Coal Group alone contains more than 3.4 mcf of gas, assuming 75% recovery. As a result of an economic analysis, two exploration/research wells have been completed to depths of 2289 and 2760 ft (698 and 841 m) respectively. The university is currently in the process of unitizing with Bryce and Partlow Hospitals. The combined acreage is approximately 2000 acres (800 ha.). It is anticipated that coalbed methane could meet the gas demands of all three facilities for many decades. The methane will be used for space heating, domestic hot water, and for compressed natural gas (CNG) to operate the university's vehicle fleet. Recently the university, along with Southern Company Services, Kaneb Services, and the Gas Research Institute, has embarked on a demonstration project to evaluate the feasibility of using coalbed methane as a primary fuel source for a fuel-cell power plant. A 40-kW fuelmore » cell will be utilized to provide both electricity and hot water for the student recreation building. These coalbed methane utilization activities should provide planning information for communities located over coal lands to develop independent resources and provide long term energy alternatives.« less


In their famous book, Democracy in Deficit, James Buchanan and Richard Wagner define the notion of fiscal constitution: Whether they are incorporated formally in some legally binding and explicitly constitutional document or merely in a set of customary, traditional, and widely accepted precepts, we can describe the prevailing rules guiding fiscal choice as a `fiscal constitution.'(Buchanan and Wagner 1977, 21) This paper analyzes the history of American fiscal policy from post-World War II to the Gramm-Rudman Act of 1985, using the fiscal constitution concept as a framework. The paper generally finds that the fiscal constitution loosened considerably during that period, but did appear to have some real tightening as a result of Gramm-Rudman.


BACKGROUND: Low health literacy has been associated with worse adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and higher HIV-RNA levels, but these relationships have not been evaluated in longitudinal analyses.METHODS: We evaluated literacy using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) (≤6th grade, 7th to 8th grade, ≥9th grade) in the HIV-Alcohol Longitudinal Cohort study of HIV-infected persons with a history of alcohol problems, conducted from 1997 to 2001. We tested HIV-RNA levels and administered a standardized questionnaire regarding demographics, substance use, receipt of ART, and adherence with ART, every 6 months for up to 7 occasions. Among the 235 subjects on ART, we investigated the relationship between literacy and 2 outcomes: 100% 3-day self-reported adherence and HIV-RNA suppression (<500 copies).RESULTS: Subjects' literacy levels were the following: 14% ≤6th grade, 29% 7th to 8th grade, and 57% ≥9th grade. In 66% of the observations (478/725), subjects reported 100% 3-day adherence with ART. Of the 685 HIV-RNA assays from these subjects, 62% had <500 copies. In unadjusted analyses, subjects with the lowest literacy level (≤6th grade) had a higher odds of adherence (odds ratio [OR] 2.23, 95% confidence interval 1.15 to 4.30) and HIV-RNA suppression (OR 2.01, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 3.90) compared with those with ≥9th grade literacy. This trend persisted but was no longer statistically significant in adjusted models of adherence (AOR 1.93, 95% confidence interval 0.86 to 4.31) and HIV-RNA suppression (AOR 1.70, 95% confidence interval 0.79 to 3.65).CONCLUSION: Contrary to our hypothesis, low literacy was not associated with a lower odds of adherence or virologic suppression in this longitudinal analysis of HIV-infected patients with a history of alcohol problems. Indeed, trends in these data suggest the possibility that low literacy may be associated with a higher odds of adherence and virologic suppression. These counterintuitive findings underscore the need to pursue a fuller understanding of the mechanisms by which literacy affects health outcomes.


OBJECTIVE
To study the efficacy of allogeneic hemotopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for hematological malignancy.

METHODS
A total of 104 patients with hematological malignancy, who underwent allo-HSCT in Xiangya Hospital from December 1999 to January 2010, were retrospectively analyzed. Of the patients, the transplantation related mortality (TRM), relapse rate (RR), 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The unfavorable prognostic factors were also statistically examined.

RESULTS
Hematopoietic reconstitution was achieved in 101 patients. At the last data of follow-up, the incidences of severe acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) and extensive chronic GVHD were 15.38% and 25.53%, and the TRM and RR were 15.66% and 21.76%, respectively. The estimated 5-year OS and DFS for all patients were (73.49±4.59)% and (63.10±5.32)%, respectively. Those for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients were (63.00±9.51)% and (49.30±9.96)%, and those for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients were (83.87±5.06)% and (74.55±6.79)%, respectively. The survival analysis suggested the poor prognostic factors for allo-HSCT recipients including female sex, severe aGVHD and refractory hematological malignancy. Further multivariate analyses revealed that severe aGVHD and refractory hematological malignancy were the independent risk factors of poor prognosis for the recipients (P<0.05). The 5-year DFS of severe aGVHD and refractory hematological malignancy patients was (48.22±12.69)% and (42.09±12.31)%, respectively. The TRM of severe aGVHD, HLA-mismatched graft and unrelated donor transplant was significantly higher than that of the corresponding control groups (57.14% vs. 4.81%, 33.33% vs. 10.41%, 26.09% vs. 9.28%; P<0.05). The RR of refractory hematological malignancy was significantly higher than that of the control group (41.09% vs. 15.63%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The treatment of allo-HSCT can improve the disease free survival of patients with hematological malignany and is an important therapeutic method for hematological malignancy. Severe aGVHD and refractory hematological malignancy are the independent risk factors of poor prognosis for the allo-HSCT recipients with hematological malignancy.


Wireless sensor networks have today emerged as a feasible infrastructure for healthcare applications. This paper addresses the non-trivial performance problems in contention based wireless networks. We present a method for admission control in contention-based networks, implemented as a component of a performance management system. The test results show that admission control can improve the predictability and level of performance in wireless sensor networks. The system can be used as a tool for dimensioning and configuration as well as for real-time admission control. The often unpredictable dynamics in contention-based access networks means that continuous performance control is needed to maintain a desired quality of service.


ABSTRACT Public consultation has become an increasingly common form of democratic engagement. While critics have challenged the potential for public consultation to democratize policy-making due to existing power structures, few studies have undertaken a systematic evaluation of the policy outcomes of consultation. This study combines qualitative and quantitative techniques to systematically analyze participants' responses to policy proposals, and compare those responses with resulting policies. We utilized this approach to examine the large-scale public consultation process that informed the development of British Columbia's new Water Sustainability Act (2014). Our analysis revealed: (1) barriers to effectual engagement, particularly for First Nations; (2) statistical differences in policy preferences between industry and nonindustry groups; and (3) patterns in how these preferences align with policy outcomes, suggesting uneven participant influence on policy-making. This study highlights the importance of analyzing consultation outcomes alongside process design, and the need to assess consultation's fairness and effectiveness by examining its outcomes for different participant groups.


We observed the clinical efficacy of topiramate for paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis (PKC). Topiramate was administered as a monotherapy with titrated dosages to 8 patients with PKC. Target daily dose of topiramate was 100 to 200 mg; the follow‐up period ranged from 8 months to 2 years. All of the patients became attack‐free, and side effects were mild. The results show that topiramate is effective as a monotherapy for treating patients with PKC. The response to topiramate indicates that the disease may be caused by an ion channel defect. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society


To solve the three-segment loop-like damage of sleeve under rolling load case, to quantitatively analyze bearing failure mechanism, a mathematical model of oil-film bearing for producing the 3-D contact pressure and shear stress distribution between sleeve and roll neck was developed by 3D elastic contact boundary element method. Some programs for automatically creating 3-D surface grid model have been developed to check data and display deformation, as well as to plot the deformation fields of roller and sleeve. Analytical results provide an effective way to decrease wear and adhesive damage of sleeve, and help to increase the load capacity of oil-film bearing and service life as well.


Results of an experimental study to understand crack growth in open threaded bolts and nut-loaded bolts with and without pretension are presented in this paper. Experimental crack growth rates are compared with predicted solutions obtained from known stress intensity factor solutions. For the experiment, a specially designed fixture was used for loading the bolt and the level of pretension was varied by controlling the displacement on the arm of the C section of the fixture. Programmed Hi–Lo fatigue load sequence was applied on a bolt to ensure that decodable marker bands are left behind on the fracture surface, to study the crack growth characteristics. Fatigue crack growth rate was estimated using a scanning electron microscope by identifying crack increment during high stress ratio cycles. This has been compared with predicted crack growth rates using available stress intensity factor solutions. Crack growth at the center of the bolt correlates well with Toribio's (Int. J. Fract., Vol. 53, 1992, pp. 367–385) finite element based predictions for open threaded bolts. Crack growth rate is much higher at the surface than at the center. In case of nut-loaded bolts, available K solutions are found to be inadequate to provide an accurate estimate of crack growth rates at the center of the bolt. Further study is required to characterize the effect of friction, pitch angle, and thread geometry to understand crack growth in bolts.


Since the unusually prolonged and weak solar minimum between solar cycles 23 and 24 (2008–2010), the sunspot number is smaller and the overall morphology of the Sun's magnetic field is more complicated (i.e., less of a dipole component and more of a tilted current sheet) compared with the same minimum and ascending phases of the previous cycle. Nearly 13 yr after the last solar maximum (∼2000), the monthly sunspot number is currently only at half the highest value of the past cycle's maximum, whereas the polar magnetic field of the Sun is reversing (north pole first). These circumstances make it timely to consider alternatives to the sunspot number for tracking the Sun's magnetic cycle and measuring its complexity. In this study, we introduce two novel parameters, the standard deviation (SD) of the latitude of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) and the integrated slope (SL) of the HCS, to evaluate the complexity of the Sun's magnetic field and track the solar cycle. SD and SL are obtained from the magnetic synoptic maps calculated by a potential field source surface model. We find that SD and SL are sensitive to the complexity of the HCS: (1) they have low values when the HCS is flat at solar minimum, and high values when the HCS is highly tilted at solar maximum; (2) they respond to the topology of the HCS differently, as a higher SD value indicates that a larger part of the HCS extends to higher latitude, while a higher SL value implies that the HCS is wavier; (3) they are good indicators of magnetically anomalous cycles. Based on the comparison between SD and SL with the normalized sunspot number in the most recent four solar cycles, we find that in 2011 the solar magnetic field had attained a similar complexity as compared to the previous maxima. In addition, in the ascending phase of cycle 24, SD and SL in the northern hemisphere were on the average much greater than in the southern hemisphere, indicating a more tilted and wavier HCS in the north than the south, associated with the early reversal of the polar magnetic field in the north relative to the south.


Intestinal transplantation (IT) is a life-saving therapy for the patients with intestinal failure. However, ventilatory management of intestinal transplant recipients in the immediate post-operative period is difficult and challenging. Therefore, our aim was to establish the criteria for postoperative extubation, identify risk factors for prolonged ventilator needs. We conducted an observational, prospective clinical trial and performed retrospective chart reviews of 7 patients receiving IT between 2007 and 2012 at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. The patients were divided into two groups; 3 patients were not successfully extubated within 72 hours of the IT operation (ventilated, V) and 4 were (extubated, E). The median age and weight in the V group were significantly lower than the E group, 9.67 yrs vs. 28.25 yrs and 23.33 kg vs. 36.75 kg respectively. When compared to the E group, congenital Hirschprung9s disease as cause of intestinal failure, preexisting respiratory disease, severe acute rejection, immunosuppressive level and longer operation time were more common in the V group. The consequences of not being extubated within 72 hours were increased number of chest radiographs (median 40 for V and 9.5 for E), blood gas draws (median 120 for V and 10 for E,) and length of stay in the ICU (median 31 days for V and 9 days for E). IT has evolved into a therapeutic option, with an overall patient and graft survival rate of 100%. Younger IT recipients were less likely to be extubated within 72 hours of IT operation. Hirschprung9s disease, preexisting respiratory disease, severe acute rejection, immunosuppressive level and longer operation time appear to have an impact on ability to extubate.


Objective To examine the effect of gender affirming hormones on athletic performance among transwomen and transmen. Methods We reviewed fitness test results and medical records of 29 transmen and 46 transwomen who started gender affirming hormones while in the United States Air Force. We compared pre- and post-hormone fitness test results of the transwomen and transmen with the average performance of all women and men under the age of 30 in the Air Force between 2004 and 2014. We also measured the rate of hormone associated changes in body composition and athletic performance. Results Participants were 26.2 years old (SD 5.5). Prior to gender affirming hormones, transwomen performed 31% more push-ups and 15% more sit-ups in 1 min and ran 1.5 miles 21% faster than their female counterparts. After 2 years of taking feminising hormones, the push-up and sit-up differences disappeared but transwomen were still 12% faster. Prior to gender affirming hormones, transmen performed 43% fewer push-ups and ran 1.5 miles 15% slower than their male counterparts. After 1 year of taking masculinising hormones, there was no longer a difference in push-ups or run times, and the number of sit-ups performed in 1 min by transmen exceeded the average performance of their male counterparts. Summary The 15–31% athletic advantage that transwomen displayed over their female counterparts prior to starting gender affirming hormones declined with feminising therapy. However, transwomen still had a 9% faster mean run speed after the 1 year period of testosterone suppression that is recommended by World Athletics for inclusion in women's events.


Shalakyatantra is one of the important branches of Ayurveda dealing with diseases and treatment of organs situated above the clavicle. As it deals with sense organs it is a highly specialized one. One should always make all sincere efforts to protect the eyes and treat eye diseases as it is one of the important sense organs. Ayurvedic literature gives equal importance to the prevention of disease with a cure. Acharyas have explained various regimens and protocols for a healthy life in Dincharya (daily routine) and Rutucharya (seasonal routine). Some of these regimens can be considered to be designed especially for the well-being of eyes like Anjana, Nasya, etc. These therapeutic procedures are useful if done scientifically and followed the protocol. Sushruta has mentioned 76 eye diseases out of which treatable diseases are treated with systemic as well as local treatment. Kriyakalpa is one of the local treatments. Various therapeutic procedures which are formulated with different drugs and different routes of drug administration according to Dosh, Satmya, and Kal have been explained to avoid the diseased condition. Being a local therapeutic procedure, fast action and penetration of drugs through ocular tissue raises the importance of Kriyakalpa in ocular diseases. Likewise, various regimens explained in Dinacharya and Rutucharya are important to maintain ocular health to avoid ocular diseases.


Abstract Dissolved water has significant effects on the physical and chemical properties of silicate melts. Some of the different approaches towards understanding these effects are reviewed here. Spectroscopic measurements on hydrous glasses quenched from melts provide good models for the structure of the melts at the glass transition temperature (Tg). Such measurements suggest that the mechanism of dissolution of water in silicate melts varies strongly with the bulk composition. In particular framework aluminosilicate compositions seem to have very different dissolution mechanisms from Al-free compositions. The water speciation reactions are temperature dependent, with some of the molecular water which is present in glasses at room temperature being converted to hydroxyl at high temperatures. This conversion probably occurs only above Tg. Data on the kinetics of the speciation reaction and the dynamics of microscopic processes in hydrous silicate melts are also discussed. Finally some important aims of future work on hydrous silicate melts are suggested.


We investigated the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) levels of pupils during coeducational physical education units focused on direct instruction and tactical games models (TGM). Thirty-two children (11-12 years, 17 girls) were randomly assigned to either a direct instruction (control) or TGM (intervention) group. Children wore RT3 triaxial accelerometers over 6 physical education lessons focused on field hockey to measure time spent in MVPA and VPA objectively.The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was also used during each lesson to examine pupil physical activity, lesson context, and teacher behaviors. Results from accelerometry show MVPA and VPA were significantly higher in the TGM class compared to the class taught using direct instruction. SOFIT lesson context data show the TGM teacher spent less time managing and more time in skill practice and game play. The results of this study indicate that a shift in games pedagogy to TGM, in which the central aspect is participation in modified/conditioned games, is more likely to provide pupils the opportunity to achieve current physical activity guidelines stipulated by the Department of Health (2011) and the Institute of Medicine (2013).


Present Automobiles are being developed by more of electrical parts for efficient operation. Generally a vehicle was built with an analog driver-vehicle interface for indicating various vehicle status like speed, fuel level, Engine temperature etc., This paper presents the development and implementation of a digital driving system for a semi-autonomous vehicle to improve the driver-vehicle interface. It uses an ARM based data acquisition system that uses ADC to bring all control data from analog to digital format and visualize through LCD. The communication module used in this project is embedded networking by CAN which has efficient data transfer. It also takes feedback of vehicle conditions like Vehicle speed, Engine temperature etc., and controlled by main controller. Additionally this unit equipped with GSM which communicates to the owner during emergency situations.


A new dual-band 90° coupler using coupled transmission lines is proposed in this paper. As the coupler consists of only three quarter-wave coupled-line sections, it occupies less circuit area as compared to other existing dual-band branch-line couplers. A desired dual-band operation can be achieved by proper design of the coupling level for those coupled-line sections. Moreover, the coupler's configuration contains a degree of freedom so that its design is "customizable," allowing itself to be conveniently realized on a variety of circuit and substrate technologies. As a result, it is suitable for use in many practical applications.


To what extent is direct democracy achieved in current polities? To answer this question, I develop an index, Direct Democracy Practice Potential (DDPP), which is applied to 200 polities worldwide. This index results from the aggregation of the scores of four types of mechanisms of direct democracy: popular initiatives, popular referendums, obligatory referendums, and authorities' plebiscites. This index measures: (1) how easy it is to initiate and approve each type of popular vote and (2) how consequential that vote is (if approved). Ease of initiation is measured by: (a) the existence of a direct democracy process, (b) the number of signatures needed, and (c) time limits to collect signatures. Ease of approval is measured by quorums pertaining to: (a) participation, (b) approval, (c) supermajority, and (d) district majority. Consequences are measured by: (a) the legal status of the decision made by citizens (binding or consultative), and (b) the frequency with which direct popular votes have been used and approved in the past.


Multirotor micro air vehicles can operate in complex and confined environments that are otherwise inaccessible to larger drones. Operation in such environments results in airflow interactions between the propellers and proximate surfaces. The most common of these interactions is the ground effect. In addition to the increment in thrust efficiency, this effect disturbs the onboard sensors of the drone. In this paper, we present a fault-tolerant scheme for a multirotor with altitude sensor faults caused by the ground effect. We assume a hierarchical control structure for trajectory tracking. The structure consists of an external Proportional-Derivative controller and an internal Proportional-Integral controller. We consider that the sensor faults occur on the inner loop and counteract them in the outer loop. In a novel approach, we use a metric monocular Simultaneous Localization and Mapping algorithm for detecting internal faults. We design the fault diagnosis scheme as a logical process which depends on the weighted residual. Furthermore, we propose two control strategies for fault mitigation. The first combines the external PD controller and a function of the residual. The second treats the sensor fault as an actuator fault and compensates with a sliding mode action. In either case, we utilize onboard sensors only. Finally, we evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies in simulations and experiments.


Dalia M.Reda EI-Edel This thesis investigates equity home bias from an asset allocation perspective in emerging markets. Firstly, a review o f equity home bias in modem finance literature is presented, followed by a discussion o f the relative strengths and weaknesses o f international asset pricing and optimal allocation models. Secondly, the thesis tests static and conditional Capital Asset Pricing Models (CAPMs) for 23 emerging markets over the period February 1997 December 2007. The study reveals little support for the static CAPM compared to the conditional version; in which the conditional CAPM seems to explain excess returns' dynamics and implies higher volatility persistence in emerging markets compared to developed markets as documented in the literature. Accordingly, the study employs a modified trivariate generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model for the period April 1994 July 2008, in order to estimate time-varying optimal weights in a portfolio o f three assets; namely the return on the domestic index, the return on the US index, and the return on the UK index. The number o f assets in the portfolio is increased to reach 13 assets in some markets through the estimation o f the Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) model denominated in local currencies and in US Dollars. The three models show that the optimal weights on domestic equities divert substantially from the actual equity holdings as documented in survey reports; in addition to the effect o f including more assets in the portfolio, and the influence o f exchange rate risk on optimal weights. Lastly, the thesis examines the variables that influence equity domestic holdings through the panel estimation o f the feasible Generalised Least Squares (GLS) method in order to control for heteroscedasticity. The study suggests that factors related to information asymmetries, economic risks at home, exchange rate volatility, and markets' inefficiencies are the main factors affecting equity domestic bias in emerging markets.


Gravity currents are geophysical flows having large impact on human life and on the environment. The need to prevent and mitigate their negative consequences justifies the multitude of studies carried out to understand their physics. However little has been done concerning gravity currents travelling over porous bed, which is a frequent scenario in real life. Existing studies of gravity currents over porous substrates deal with lock-exchange gravity currents. In this paper we will present preliminary results of 23 experiments reproducing continuously-fed brine currents initially developing over a flat bed and then running over a porous region of varying porosities. In correspondence of this region, 2D density maps are acquired by means of an image-analysis technique. Simultaneously an Acoustic Doppler Velocimetry Profiler allows to record a 3D instantaneous velocity profile. Results describing the effect of the bottom porosity on density and velocity profiles are presented. Surprisingly the current does not slow down while travelling over the porous substrate: the relaxation of the no-slip boundary condition together with fresh water incorporation from the bottom cavities allows high velocities in the near bed region. This modifies significantly velocity and density gradients at the lower current interface. Conversely, varying the bed porosity has no remarkable effect on the upper current interface.


Modernized "Smart" grids incorporate renewable energy sources on a widespread scale. Foreseen expansion in integrating more renewables is driven by global CO₂ emission concerns and depletion of fossil fuels. Active elements/devices are added to smart grids to enhance power availability and quality with the aid of advances in power electronics and communication systems. Active Voltage Conditioner (AVC) represents state-of-the-art in the field of voltage regulation and conditioning, however; integrating it into modernized grids has not been the subject of detailed study yet.  This thesis details the AVC-Grid interaction mechanism and associated performance parameters. ABB PCS100 AVC computer model based on MATLAB/PLECS platform is used as a basis for the proposed mathematical model. Accordingly, operational V-I characteristics is derived and impact of equivalent grid stiffness is analyzed.  In this thesis, the modeling of AVC has been introduced as seen by the grid in light of MATLAB/PLECS simulations. The conditioning ratio to describe the "depth" of load conditioning had been introduced. Modeling of AVC operational characteristics has been developed and dependency on conditioning ratio and equivalent grid stiffness had been investigated. Also, the analysis of grid behavior due to AVC operation during overvoltages and undervoltages has been carried out as well as discussing the envisaged impact on tied WTG/PV systems.  The thesis represents an initial attempt to model the AVC and discusses its envisaged impact on smart grids.


A new germanide, SrGe6-delta (delta congruent with 0.5), was synthesized by the reaction of Sr and Ge mixtures under a pressure of 5 GPa at 1200 degrees C. It crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm (No. 63) with a = 4.0981(6) A, b = 11.159(1) A, c = 12.6825(8) A, V = 580.0(1) A3, and Z = 4. SrGe6-delta is composed of a Ge covalent network having a cagelike structure and Sr atoms situated in the cages. Each Ge atom is coordinated by four neighboring Ge atoms. The coordination polyhedra are fairly distorted from an ideal tetrahedron, and the Ge network contains vacancies and disordering. The resistivity shows metallic behavior down to 2 K, and the positive thermoelectric power indicates the dominant carriers to be holes.


We read with great interest the article by Derks et al. [1] on the efficacy of different chemotherapeutic regimens in a large series of 128 patients with stage IV large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung. As outlined by the authors, in 2005, we dealt with the same dilemma when analysing 83 surgically resected LCNECs collected at two different institutions [2]. In our study, patients with metastatic disease treated either in an adjuvant setting or post-surgery with platinum/etoposide, a conventional regimen for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), showed a significant clinical benefit in terms of overall survival compared to patients treated with chemotherapeutic regimens used for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In contrast, Derks et al. [1] showed that patients with metastatic LCNEC receiving platinum/gemcitabine, a regimen commonly used in NSCLC, displayed a longer overall survival than those receiving SCLC-oriented chemotherapy. In our view, a number of reasons, discussed herein, may account for the apparent discrepancies between these and other studies [3]. In our study [2], LCNEC cases eventually represented less than one-quarter (83 (23.8%) out of 348) of all lung cancer cases identified based on morphological examination alone. In addition, although we applied strict diagnostic criteria, some cases required a consensus diagnosis among all three thoracic pathologists involved in the histological review, highlighting the difficulties encountered when making a diagnosis of LCNEC, even amongst expert pathologists [4]. In agreement with the last two World Health Organization (WHO) classifications of lung tumours [5] suggesting to limit/avoid the diagnosis of LCNEC on cytology/small biopsy, we included only surgically resected cases (i.e. none of our original cases was in stage IV at the time of the diagnosis). Conversely, Derks et al. [1] and another recent study by Naidoo et al. [6] included only stage IV LCNEC cases diagnosed on biopsy. Diagnostic criteria influence the correct chemotherapy in LCNEC http://ow.ly/MSPR30ePZNK


Another method is heating. The use of waste heat from the ship's main engine Background: Invasion by different kinds of ballast water microorganisms is one of the most important marine environment problems around the world; therefore preventing the invasion of these unwanted and harmful stowaways is one of the main strategies of responsible agencies. Some of these methods such as ocean exchange, heating, filtration, hydro cyclones, UV irradiation and chemical treatment, have various problems such as technical deficiency, high costs, lack of safety and environmental side effects. Materials and Methods: A novel system of treatment by Gamma irradiation is designed to irradiate the blast water uniformly and effectively. To determine the dose distribution as a function of distance from the irradiation source, the MNCP code was used. The systems used for source implant in this simulation were Paterson-Parker, Paris and Network systems. In each system, Sivert-integral and inverse square law were used in MATLAB program to determine the dose distribution. Results: Results of initial laboratory tests on offshore water samples of Siri Island indicated that the appropriate dose for deactivation of organisms of water samples is approximately one kGy. It has been demonstrated that the dose can be provided by twenty five 100,000 Ci line sources of 60 Co in a triangle implant arranged in a 1||1|| 3 cubic shape water pipe. In order to increase efficiency and radiation safety, water passed from two other coaxial and bigger cubes, after passing from the first cube. A one meter thick wall of concrete around the cubes was adequate to shield the system completely. Conclusion: The main advantages of this system such as high efficiency, safety, reliability, minimum environmental adverse effects, proves that this novel method not only can be used for ballast water treatment, but is also effective for drinking water purification. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2006; 4 (2): 93-97


This paper systematically analysis the stress-strain behaviour of mud stone under different confining pressure. The relationship between the mechanical behaviour of mud stone and confining pressure is established, and the curves of stress-strain relationship of mud stone are fitted. The results indicate that the failure pressure and the elastic modulus increase with the increasing of confining pressure conforming to the linear function. The stress- strain of mud stone is divided into four different stages which are fracture closing, elastic strain, fracture expanding and plastic strain stage. The stress-strain behaviour in different stage has different function law, the stage of fracture closing can be fitted by polynomial function, the stage of fracture expanding can be fitted by hyperbola function, the fitting result is ideal.


We have developed a highly selective kinetic resolution of N-sulfonyl oxaziridines. This reaction utilizes an inexpensive and easily synthesized iron bis(oxazoline) catalyst to promote the efficient rearrangement of oxaziridines to the corresponding N-sulfonyl imides; no sacrificial reagents are required to effect this resolution. This process is readily translated to gram scale, which provides a practical method for the preparation of structurally diverse, enantiopure N-sulfonyl oxaziridines for use as reagents in organic synthesis.


ABSTRACT Through the use of ab initio calculations, the possibility of formation of σ-hole interaction between ZO3 (Z = Ar, Kr and Xe) and carbene species is investigated. Since singlet carbenes show a negative electrostatic potential on their divalent carbon atom, they can favourably interact with the positive electrostatic potential generated by the σ-hole of Z atom of ZO3. The characteristic of this interaction, termed as 'carbene–aerogen' bond, is analysed in terms of geometric, interaction energies and electronic features. The energy decomposition analysis indicates that for all complexes analysed here, the electrostatic energy is more negative than the polarisation or dispersion energy term. According to the electron density analysis, some partial covalent character can be ascribed to Xe⋅⋅⋅C interactions. In addition, the carbene–aerogen bond exhibits cooperative effects with the H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen-bonding interaction in ternary complexes where both interactions coexist. For a given carbene, the amount of these cooperative effects increases with the size of the Z atom. The results obtained in this work may be helpful for the extension and future application of σ-hole intermolecular interactions as well as coordination chemistry.


Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class II genes play a
critical role in immune protection from foreign antigens.
Recent evidence documents protective effects of the
HLA DRB1*13:02 allele, in particular, against age-related
brain atrophy and neural network deterioration, suggesting
a possible protection against dementia. Here we
utilized a genetic epidemiological approach to investigate
the association of DRB1*13:02 frequency and dementia
prevalence globally. Results demonstrated that the prevalence
of dementia decreases exponentially with increasing
frequency of DRB1*13:02, even when adjusted for
the prevalence of apolipoprotein E4 allele, a known risk
factor for Alzheimer's disease. This finding documents
the protective effect of DRB1*13:02 on dementia prevalence.
Since the function of HLA class II genes is to
aid in the elimination of pathogens by enabling the production
of antibodies against their antigens in specific
immunity, the protective effect of DRB1*13:02 points
to the presence of persistent harmful antigens as causal
factors in development of dementia, antigens specific to
DRB1*13:02 that could not be eliminated in its absence.


Total magnetic fields in spiral galaxies, as observed through their total synchrotron emission, are strongest (up to ≲30 µ G) in the spiral arms. The degree of radio polarization is low; the field in the arms must be mostly turbulent or tangled. Polarized synchrotron emission shows that the resolved regular fields are generally strongest in the interarm regions (up to ≲15 µ G), sometimes forming "magnetic arms" parallel to the optical arms. The field structure is spiral in almost every galaxy, even in flocculent and bright irregular types which lack spiral arms. The observed large-scale patterns of Faraday rotation in several massive spiral galaxies reveal coherent regular fields, as predicted by dynamo models. However, in most galaxies observed so far no simple patterns of Faraday rotation could be found. Either many dynamo modes are superimposed and cannot be resolved by present-day telescopes, or most of the apparently regular field is in fact anisotropic random , with frequent reversals, due to shearing and compressing gas flows. In galaxies with massive bars, the polarization pattern follows the gas flow. However, around strong shocks in bars, the compression of the regular field is much lower than that of the gas; the regular field decouples from the cold gas and is strong enough to affect the flow of the diffuse warm gas. – The average strength of the total magnetic field in the Milky Way is 6µ G near the sun and increases to 20–40 μ G in the Galactic center region. The Galactic field is mostly parallel to the plane, except in the center region. Rotation measure data from pulsars indicate several field reversals, unlike external galaxies, but some reversals could be due to distortions of the nearby field.