Yeast deficient in the cytosolic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) exhibit metabolic defects indicative of oxidative damage even under non-stress conditions. To help identify the endogenous sources of this oxidative damage, we isolated mutant strains of S. cerevisiae that suppressed metabolic defects associated with loss of SOD1. Six complementation groups were isolated and three of the corresponding genes have been identified. One sod1Δ suppressor represents SSQ1 which encodes a hsp70-type molecular chaperone found in the mitochondria. A second sod1Δsuppressor gene, designated JAC1, represents a new member of the 20-kDa J-protein family of co-chaperones. Jac1p contains a mitochondrial targeting consensus sequence and may serve as the partner for Ssq1p. Homologues of Ssq1p and Jac1p are found in bacteria in close association with genes proposed to be involved in iron-sulfur protein biosynthesis. The third suppressor gene identified wasNFS1. Nfs1p is homologous to cysteine desulfurase enzymes that function in iron-sulfur cluster assembly and is also predicted to be mitochondrial. Each of the suppressor mutants identified exhibited diminished rates of respiratory oxygen consumption and was found to have reduced mitochondrial aconitase and succinate dehydrogenase activities. Taken together these results suggest a role for Ssq1p, Jac1p, and Nfs1p in assembly/maturation of mitochondrial iron-sulfur proteins and that one or more of the target Fe/S proteins contribute to oxidative damage in cells lacking copper/zinc SOD.


Haptic interfaces that represent force and tactile feeling have been utilized in the areas of telemanipulation, interaction with microscale and nanoscale phenomena, and medical training and evaluation, to mention only some applications. A multi-fingered haptic interface has greater potential for these kinds of applications than does a singlepoint haptic interface. We developed a five-fingered haptic interface robot named HIRO II, which consists of a hand with 15 dof and an arm with 6 dof. The following research issues are presented: the design method of mechanism, an interface control that takes the redundancy of the mechanism into consideration, physical simulation including frictional force and moment, a haptic rendering with a deformable object, the system architecture and two application systems--a future science encyclopedia and a VR breast palpation system.


The goals of this manual are, as stated in the foreword, "to provide the reader with the basics of MR1 and to establish guide lines for performing MR1 studies in every part of the body". The first part (120 pages) of the manual covers in a concise way basic MR physics, imaging techniques, practical imaging considerations, imaging artifacts, patient preparation, and safety considerations. These chapters are very well written and easy to understand. The chapter on imaging techniques covers conventional techniques, such as spin-echo imaging with imaging times from minutes to tenths of minutes, rapid imaging techniques (gradient-echo imaging) per formed in seconds to tenths of seconds, and ultrafast techniques (echo-planar imaging) with scan times in the sub-second range. The recent "fast spin-echo" technique, which seems very promising for clinical use, is not included in this edition of the manual. Several illustrations consisting of schematic drawings as well as MR ¡mages of high quality further enhance the comprehension of the text. Multiple references are provided at the end of each chapter for those who want more detailed information on a specific topic.


Image blur in acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF's) has been a persistent problem. Here we describe the connection between transducer structure and image blur and experimentally measure it by using a 5-cm 12°-cut TeO(2) crystal of our design. With these quantitative results, we develop an image-processing method that minimizes AOTF-related image degradation. The combination of long crystal design and image processing results in substantially improved image contrast and spatial resolution relative to conventional AOTF imaging devices. We present high-magnification images of fluorescent actin fibers in cells in which we obtain a resolution of approximately 0.35 μm, representing the first successful use of an AOTF for ultra-high-resolution microscopy. Further improvements are also predicted.


Cosmetic is one of product offered by producer and consume by consumer, especially woman. Image about beauty which was offered by various cosmetic product caused woman intent to buy them, the problem which often faced by the consumer is the incompatibility to the cosmetic element consumed, and there also found cosmetic which containing dangerous product spread in the market. There would be interesting to find out whether somebody's perspective to the cosmetic post-danger cosmetic would make intention to buy the cosmetic before they really bought the cosmetic. The research aimed to find out perception about cosmetic and intent to buy. The research was quantitative. Population in the research was the students of State University of Bengkulu which amount 172 people, sample subject in the research were 43 people who were taken by purposive sampling method. Data collection technique used scale, that was perception scale about cosmetic and intention to buy. Data analysis technique, product moment correlation
from Karl Pearson which was assisted by SPSS 12 program From data analysis, there found that there was significant positive relation between cosmetic with buying intensity (with correlation coefficient (r) = 0,667; p = 0,00). It showed that higher the positive perception to the cosmetic, the buying intensity would be higher and in negative cosmetic perception, the intensity would be low. The effective perception contribution about cosmetic and buying intensity was 45,8% while 54,8% was influenced by another variable.


Promising results from a Phase II trial of induction chemotherapy and sequential radiotherapy for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) and two retrospective reviews of the authors' historical experience with NPC demonstrated that distant failure was directly correlated with advanced lymph node status. Furthermore, local control was excellent for patients with T1–3 disease that was managed with radiation alone or with a sequential approach involving chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (primarily with cisplatin + 5‐fluorouracil) was associated with a significantly decreased risk of distant metastasis and with improved survival. Based on these findings, the authors evaluated a novel induction regimen involving docetaxel and carboplatin for patients with previously untreated T1–2N2–3M0 NPC.


Structural domes composed of crystalline rocks metamorphosed to midcrustal conditions are present in every major orogen and record deformation of the deep interior of mountain ranges. The Tallulah Falls dome in northeast Georgia is a shear zone−bounded body of metasedimentary rocks that is defined by a foliation pattern that crosscuts the regional fabric of the Eastern Blue Ridge crystalline nappe in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Previously, the Tallulah Falls dome was interpreted as the expression of duplexed underlying slices of Laurentian margin sedimentary rocks imbricated during Alleghanian emplacement of the allochthonous Blue Ridge thrust sheet under greenschist-facies conditions.
We provide new observations of quartz and feldspar recrystallization fabrics and new 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dates from muscovite that complement existing thermochronometric ages to determine the timing and conditions of doming within the Tallulah Falls dome. Our microstructural observations are consistent with deformation mechanisms active dominantly at amphibolite-facies conditions, with some samples recording temperatures in excess of 650 °C. Thermochronometric ages define a period of relatively rapid cooling from ∼550 °C to 340 °C within and around the Tallulah Falls dome between 321 and 317 Ma, with differential cooling across the northwestern dome-bounding shear zone lasting until at least 313 Ma.
Our observations reveal a period of early Alleghanian cooling from amphibolite- to greenschist-facies conditions associated with displacement along a shear zone bounding the Tallulah Falls dome. Across the Blue Ridge, the Alleghanian orogeny has long been characterized only by thrusting at greenschist-facies conditions. Similarly, dome formation has been interpreted as the result of duplexing within the thin-skinned Blue Ridge crystalline thrust sheet as it was emplaced upon the Laurentian margin. Both of these interpretations are inconsistent with the new data presented here, which suggest more complex Alleghanian deformation over a broader range in temperatures, and perhaps a diverse suite of structural styles. Our results are best explained by doming of the footwall of a normal-displacement shear zone at amphibolite-facies conditions during the earliest Alleghanian period.


The measurements set-up for verification of compliance to many European Community standards are defined in detail. In particular for what concerns the radiated emissions and susceptibilities testing of electronic devices for tabletop equipment the considered standards states that the equipment to be tested has to be put on a dielectric table with an assigned geometry. Usually, in a lot of laboratories, a wooden table is introduced as a dielectric table. Unfortunately a lot of problems in the higher part of the spectrum arise just due to the introduction of a wooden table in the testing area. In this paper these effects are addressed.


This paper presents an improved design and fabrication process for hollow micro needles with the proper mechanical strength and sharpness to be applied for painless transdermal transfer of liquids. Tests have shown that liquids like blood are drawn into the needle by capillary forces, reducing the need for active pumping. The fabrication method allows different needle shapes like blades and pencils, is robust enough to be applied for larger scale production, and enables the development of a complete micro-TAS for e.g. blood analysis.


Pseudonyms are often used by nodes to anonymously communicate in ad hoc networks. However, in exiting anonymous routing protocols for ad hoc networks, most pseudonym schemes have side effects that diminish the anonymity of protocols, and authentication protocols based on them are inefficient as to scarce communication resources. Classical pseudonym systems are applicable for center-controlled networks which require an organization management center to act as an administrator, and not desirable in ad hoc networks. To resolve above problems, this paper proposes a pseudonym-based signature scheme where pseudonyms can be self-generated and used as public keys for signatures. At the same time, the credential can be selective revoked or full revoked in the signature scheme. Because the pseudonyms are self-updated and not directly bound to real identities or certificates, the signature scheme based on them must satisfy some new requirements. Hence, we formalize a security model for pseudonym-based signature schemes. Using pseudonym-based signature schemes as authenticators, authentication protocols can be easily constructed and achieve anonymity and non-interaction. Finally, the security of our scheme is analyzed and proved in the random oracle model.


Abstract Two RNA‐containing viruses, feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), have been observed to infect cheetahs. Although both viruses cause lethal immunogenetic pathology in domestic cats, only FIPV has documented pathogenesis in cheetahs. We summarize and update here a worldwide survey of serum and plasma from cheetah and other nondomestic felids for antibodies to FIV and FIPV, based on Western blot and immunofluorescence assays. FIPV exposure shows an acute pattern with recognizable outbreaks in several zoological facilities, but is virtually nonexistent in sampled free‐ranging populations of cheetahs. FIV is more endemic in certain natural cheetah populations, but infrequent in zoological collections. FIV exposure was also seen in lions, bobcats, leopards, snow leopards, and jaguars. FIV causes T‐cell lymphocyte depletion and associated diseases in domestic cats, but there is little direct evidence for FIV pathology in exotic cats to date. Because of the parallels with a high incidence of simian immunodeficiency virus in free‐ranging African primates without disease, the cat model may also reflect historic infections that have approached an evolutionary balance between the pathogen and immune defenses of their feline host species. Published 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Contact resonance AFM (CR-AFM) is a scanning probe microscopy technique that utilizes the contact resonances of the AFM cantilever for concurrent imaging of topography and surface stiffness. The technique has not been used in liquid until recently due to analytical and experimental difficulties, associated with viscous damping of cantilever vibrations and fluid loading effects. To address these difficulties, (i) an analytical approach for contact resonances in liquid is developed, and (ii) direct excitation of the contact resonances is demonstrated by actuating the cantilever directly in a magnetic field. By implementing the analytical approach and the direct actuation through magnetic particles, quantitative stiffness imaging on surfaces with a wide range of stiffness can be achieved in liquid with soft cantilevers and low contact forces.


An ECVAM-funded prevalidation study (PV) was conducted during 1999 and 2000 to identify in vitro tests capable of reliably distinguishing between skin irritants (I) and non-irritants (NI) according to European Union risk phrases ("R38" or no classification). The tests evaluated were EpiDerm, EPISKIN, PREDISKIN, the non-perfused pig ear method, and the mouse skin integrity function test (SIFT). Whereas reproducibility of the two human skin model tests and SIFT was acceptable, none of the methods was deemed ready to enter a formal validation study due to their low predictivity. The ECVAM Skin Irritation Task Force therefore suggested improvements of protocols and prediction models for these tests. Furthermore, it was agreed that experience gained with the two human-skin models be shared, and a common protocol should be developed for EpiDerm and EPISKIN (Zuang et al., 2002). When we applied an improved EPISKIN protocol (Portes et al., 2002) to the EpiDerm model, an acceptable specificity (80%) was achieved, whereas the sensitivity (60%) was far too low. In 2003, the EPISKIN protocol was further refined by extension of the post-incubation period following chemical exposure. In the current study, we evaluated this EPISKIN refinement by applying it to EpiDerm. In addition, we developed technical improvements for the application of the test chemicals and rinsing procedure, which reduced the variability of results and increased the percentage of correct predictions. A set of twenty non-coded reference substances from the ECVAM prevalidation study phase III (Fentem et al., 2001) was tested with the final protocol in three independent runs. Both high sensitivity (80%) and high specificity (78%) were achieved, and the statistical probability of correct classifications was high, so that the test is now regarded ready for formal validation.


In line with the call for a process-oriented and ecologically sound approach to planning in SLA (Ellis, 2005), and with the behavioral approach adopted in other fields (Murphy, 2004, 2005; Suchman, 1987, 2007), the present work applies Conversation Analysis to the study of group planning. The participants are four groups of adult learners of Italian as a foreign language, engaged in the preparation of a classroom presentation in their L2. The analysis focuses on: 1) the collaborative production of linguistic artifacts; and 2) the complex L1/L2 alternation patterns produced by the students. This type of fine-grained, emic analysis allows to respecify group planning as an intersubjective, goal-oriented activity that is done by multilingual actors as observable behavior, consisting of a nexus of laminated actions (Goodwin, 2013) that occur in the moment and over time in and through embodied talk-in-interaction.


Abstract Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disease of obstructed airways during sleep that significantly impacts the quality of life and increases the risk of various systemic diseases. OSA has been studied as a risk factor for a number of neuro-ophthalmic conditions and a strong relationship has been established with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The incidence of glaucoma and stroke have also been significantly associated with OSA and are conditions that may also be seen by neuro-ophthalmologists. Patients with NAION have a significantly higher incidence of OSA and OSA diagnosis significantly increases the risk for NAION development. Non-compliance with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in OSA patients has also been found to be a risk factor for fellow-eye involvement and there is increasing evidence to suggest that every patient with NAION should be formally evaluated with polysomnography. The relationship between OSA and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) has also been studied, but the relationship between these two conditions is less clear. There is insufficient evidence to recommend routine eye examinations in OSA patients for papilledema and conducting a sleep study for a newly diagnosed IIH patient should be left to the discretion of the clinician based on other symptoms and risk factors of OSA.


This chapter presents an overview of recent progress in modelling the behaviour of complex fluid–fluid interfaces with non-equilibrium thermodynamics. We will limit ourselves to frameworks employing the Gibbs dividing surface model, and start with a general discussion of the surface excess variables, introduced in this model. We then discuss conservation principles for multiphase systems with excess mass, momentum, energy, and entropy associated with the dividing surfaces. The inclusion of surface excesses in the conservation principles leads to a set of time-evolution equations for these excesses: the jump balances. The jump momentum balance is a generalised form of the Young–Laplace equation, often used for analysing surface dilatational rheology experiments. We conclude this chapter with an overview of methods to derive (nonlinear) constitutive equations for the fluxes that appear in the jump balances. In particular, we will focus on surface constitutive modelling using classical irreversible thermodynamics (combined with internal variables theory), extended irreversible thermodynamics, and the General Equation for Non-Equilibrium Reversible–Irreversible Coupling (GENERIC) framework. With these frameworks we can construct a wide range of constitutive models, which include surface generalizations of the Maxwell and Giesekus models for the surface-stress tensor, or Maxwell–Cattaneo model for the surface energy flux vector.


The rapid development in the field of permanent magnet material has rekindled interest inthe permanent magnet electrical machines. In the last couple of decades, the price of high densitypermanent magnet has come down to an affordable level. The availability of the material likeNeodymium-iron-Boron (NdFeB), has improved the characteristics of many permanent magnetmachines such as Brushless DC machine, Permanent magnet synchronous machine, Switch reluctancemachine etc. Due to decreasing natural resources, conservation of energy has become one of themost important aspects of our time. It has been proven time and again that higher the efficiency of amachine, the better is its energy saving performance. The use of magnet material can increase theefficiency of the electric machine to a great extent. In a permanent magnet generator, field excitationis provided by permanent magnet material. As a result, the carbon brushes, slip rings, field windingand its copper loss, dc supplies are eliminated. There is also possibility of reducing the size andweight. The concept of permanent magnet generator is not very recent. In fact there exist permanentmagnet generators (PMGs) for many years; still their applications are limited. The conventionalPMG has a very big disadvantage over other types of generators, due to the constant nature of thefield excitation, voltage regulation varies with load. But the interior type permanent magnet machinehas an inverse saliency ratio, which can be exploited to improve the voltage regulation characteristicas well as its constant power capability. In this paper, the performance of an Interior PermanentMagnet generator (IPMG) has been discussed. Its option as a grid connected generator has beenexplored. Its merit and demerit over a conventional synchronous generator have been discussed andanalysed.


Association of Job‐related Stress Factors with Psychological and Somatic Symptoms among Japanese Hospital Nurses: Effect of Departmental Environment in Acute Care Hospitals: Yuri Kawano, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Nagoya University—The present study examined degrees of job‐related stress factors as well as mental and physical symptoms among Japanese hospital nurses in various departments, and clarified associations of departments and job‐related stress factors with those symptoms. A self‐administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 1,882 full‐time nurses at four acute care hospitals in Japan. The survey included demographic factors, and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Among 1,599 nurses who completed all items relevant to the present study, we analyzed data from 1,551 female nurses. The results show that working in operating rooms was associated with fatigue, that working in intensive care units (ICU) was associated with anxiety, and that working in surgery and internal medicine was associated with anxiety and depression independently of demographic factors and job‐related stress factors. The physical and mental health of nurses might affect their time off, quality of nursing care and patient satisfaction in acute care hospitals. Therefore, job‐related stress factors should be minimized, to improve the physical and mental health of nurses, considering unique departmental demands.


Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin (RF) is an essential micronutrient for human health and must be obtained from dietary sources. Plants biosynthesize riboflavin and are important dietary sources of vitamin B2 for humans. Our present study reports sensitive detection of vitamin B2 in widely consumed tea infusions, namely black, green, sage and rosemary tea infusions, by a capillary electrophoresis method combined with laser induced fluorescence detection. Moreover, the correlation between the vitamin B2 content of tea plants with their total phenolics (TPs) and antioxidant capacity are evaluated in this study. Whereas green teas have the highest TPs and antioxidant capacity, the highest RF content is in sage infusions. The RF content ranged between 0.34 and 10.36 µg/g for all tea samples studied. Comparing the RF content of tea samples found in this study to the RF content of known RF sources, tea infusions are proposed as important dietary sources of vitamin B2.


The structured credit products market has seen a rapid proliferation of new products that fit under the rubric of a "CDO Squared" (or "CDO2"). Most underwriters now offer several different forms of this product, and many of the leading fixed-income investment managers are managing several portfolios of this type. But as the product has evolved from a simple, well-understood structured offering to a series of ever more complex and varied structured products, there has ceased to be a clear understanding of this product, particularly among investors. This article offers a methodology for characterizing the diverse products generally known as CDO2 into four basic paradigms, cash CDO2 formed to invest in CDO debt, cash CDO2 formed to invest in CDO equity, synthetic CDO2 referencing CDO securities, and synthetic CDO2 referencing single-tranche CDOs.


The understanding of runoff generation mechanisms is crucial for the sustainable management of river basins such as the allocation of water resources or the prediction of floods and droughts. However, identifying the mechanisms of runoff generation has been a challenging task, even more so in arid and semi-arid areas where high rainfall and streamflow variability, high evaporation rates, and deep groundwater reservoirs may increase the complexity of hydrological process dynamics. Isotope and hydrochemical tracers have proven to be useful in identifying runoff components and their characteristics. Moreover, although widely used in humid temperate regions, isotope hydrograph separations have not been studied in detail in arid and semi-arid areas. Thus the purpose of this study is to determine whether isotope hydrograph separations are suitable for the quantification and characterization of runoff components in a semi-arid catchment considering the hydrological complexities of these regions. Through a hydrochemical characterization of the surface water and groundwater sources of the catchment and two- and three-component hydrograph separations, runoff components of the Kaap catchment in South Africa were quantified using both isotope and hydrochemical tracers. No major disadvantages while using isotope tracers over hydrochemical tracers were found. Hydrograph separation results showed that runoff in the Kaap catchment is mainly generated by groundwater sources. Two-component hydrograph separations revealed groundwater contributions of between 64 and 98 % of total runoff. By means of three-component hydrograph separations, runoff components were further separated into direct runoff, shallow and deep groundwater components. Direct runoff, defined as the direct precipitation on the stream channel and overland flow, contributed up to 41 % of total runoff during wet catchment conditions. Shallow groundwater defined as the soil water and near-surface water component (and potentially surface runoff) contributed up to 45 % of total runoff, and deep groundwater contributed up to 84 % of total runoff. A strong correlation for the four studied events was found between the antecedent precipitation conditions and direct runoff. These findings suggest that direct runoff is enhanced by wetter conditions in the catchment that trigger saturation excess overland flow as observed in the hydrograph separations.


Data aggregation is an efficient technique for reducing communication cost in wireless sensor networks. However it is vulnerable to false data injection attacks where the adversary node sends false data to the aggregation node and thus, stops the base station to acquire correct data. This paper proposes a secured data aggregation protocol which detects the false data injection during the data aggregation and identifies the adversary node. The protocol is lightweight because it requires only a minimal cryptographic techniques, and takes O(n) time for both data aggregation and tracking back the attacker.


This technical note addresses the stability problem of delayed positive switched linear systems whose subsystems are all positive. Both discrete-time systems and continuous-time systems are studied. In our analysis, the delays in systems can be unbounded. Under certain conditions, several stability results are established by constructing a sequence of functions that are positive, monotonically decreasing, and convergent to zero as time tends to infinity (additionally continuous for continuous-time systems). It turns out that these functions can serve as an upper bound of the systems' trajectories starting from a particular region. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the obtained results.


An 11-year-old girl had light brown lesions or erythematous macules, many with atrophic and scaling surfaces for two years. Long, linear abrasions were present on the lower extremities. Lesions were within reach of the patient's hands, and several showed geometric patterning. Scalp, neck, ears, shoulders, posterior trunk and thighs, genitalia and palms and soles were unaffected. Corneal and pharyngeal reflexes were absent. She appeared unconcerned with her condition but finally admitted self-infliction. Morphology and distribution of the lesions, the patient's attitude and lack of response to corneal and pharyngeal stimulation justify the diagnosis of hysterical factitial dermatitis. Self-inflicted dermatosis can be recognized on clinical grounds. Diagnostic maneuvers to confirm the diagnosis and efforts to elicit admission of guilt are unnecessary. Referral for psychiatric evaluation is recommended.


The Digital Tool Shed is an incubator for innovative digital research, teaching, and learning – a space for exploration, practice, engagement, and experiential learning for individuals, groups, and classes.


This study investigates the rotor speed estimation problem for induction motor drives. The authors propose the design of a scheme based on a discrete-time sliding mode observer which provides the rotor speed estimative. A new algorithm for discrete-time rotor speed estimation is developed and analysed. The conditions for the existence of a discrete-time sliding switching hyperplane are analysed. Moreover, conventional algorithms aiming at the chattering reduction and high-frequency switching on discrete-time implementation are discussed for use with the proposed technique. The stability analysis and parameter convergence of the proposed method are investigated for discrete-time solution. The algorithms developed are tested by experimental results based on fixed-point digital signal processor (DSP) platform (TMS320F2812). Therefore the results demonstrate the good performance of the proposed scheme.


PURPOSE: Dorsal decompression has become accepted as the standard surgical treatment for spinal stenosis. However, no consensus has been reached to date concerning the extent of resectioning required or the ensuing functional impairment of the segment. As a result, a discussion is now underway on the necessity of employing various additional methods for instrumented stabilisation. The aim of this biomechanical in vitro study is to objectify the functional impact of various defined decompression techniques. METHODS: With the aid of a universal spine tester, the increasing defect situations following left hemifacetectomy, bilateral hemifacetectomy, left hemilaminotomy and laminectomy of the functional spinal unit L4/5 were assessed. A three-dimensional motion analysis was performed on six human lumbar spine specimens under the loading conditions flexion/extension, left/right bending and right/left rotation. RESULTS: The results showed an increase in both the neutral zone and the range of motion under all the loading components. No significant differences were observed in coupled motions following decompression. CONCLUSIONS: Laminectomy leads to a distinct instability and the question arises of how much additive stability achieved by instrumented stabilization will be adequate.


The increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and the devastating consequences of late-life dementia motivates the drive to develop diagnostic biomarkers to reliably identify the pathology associated with this disorder. Strategies to accomplish this include the detection of altered levels of tau and amyloid in cerebrospinal fluid, the use of structural MRI to identify disease-specific patterns of regional atrophy and MRI T1ρ to detect disease-related macromolecular protein aggregation, and the direct imaging of amyloid deposits using positron emission tomography and single photon emission computerized tomography. Success will facilitate the ability to reliably diagnose Alzheimer's disease while the symptoms of brain failure are mild and may provide objective measures of disease-modifying treatment efficacy.


The use of the term immersion to describe a multitude of varying experiences in the absence of a definitional consensus has obfuscated and diluted the term. The non-exhaustive literature review presented in this paper indicates that immersion is a psychological concept as opposed to being a property of the system or technology that facilitates an experience. An adaptable definition of immersion is synthesized based on the findings from the literature review: a state of deep mental involvement in which the individual may experience disassociation from the awareness of the physical world due to a shift in their attentional state. This definition is used to contrast and differentiate interchangeably used terms such as presence from immersion and outline the implications for conducting immersion research on audiovisual experiences. A new methodology for quantifying immersion is proposed and avenues for future work are briefly discussed.


Studies were performed to determine whether CTL against Toxoplasma gondii-infected cells could be induced in a murine model of T. gondii infection in which CD8+ T lymphocytes have been shown to play a major role in resistance against this parasite. In 51Cr release assays, nylon wool nonadherent spleen cells from BALB/c (H-2d) mice immunized with the temperature-sensitive (ts-4) mutant strain of T. gondii were cytotoxic for T. gondii-infected P815 (H-2d) mastocytoma cells but not for uninfected cells. This cytotoxic activity was remarkably increased after in vitro stimulation with T. gondii-infected syngeneic spleen cells. The effector cells were shown to be CD8+ T lymphocytes, because the cytotoxicity was significantly inhibited by depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes but not by depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes. This cytotoxic activity was genetically restricted. Spleen cells from T. gondii-immune BALB/c mice were not cytotoxic for T. gondii-infected EL4 (H-2b) thymoma cells, whereas spleen cells from T. gondii-immune C57B1/6 (H-2b) mice were cytotoxic for T. gondii-infected EL4 cells but not for T. gondii-infected P815 cells. The cytolytic activity of CD8+ T lymphocytes against T. gondii-infected cells might be a mechanism whereby these cells confer resistance against T. gondii.


The structural funds or the European funds in general are not the first instrument to promote economic development in the history of Europe. What have varied were the sources. Since the Roman Empire to more recently the Marshall plan and now the EU Funds, vast amounts of funding were given to zones in the need of concrete structural projects. Our hypothesis in this paper is that if the European Union funds usage is not efficiently monitored, the expected outcome can be perverted leading to wealth destruction. Being that demonstrated, I propose recommendations following which there will be less space for the existence of a perverse incentive to private appropriation of the EU funds.


Classification has been the focal point of research on adversarial attacks, but only a few works investigate methods suited to denser prediction tasks, such as semantic segmentation. The methods proposed in these works do not accurately solve the adversarial segmentation problem and, therefore, overestimate the size of the perturbations required to fool models. Here, we propose a white-box attack for these models based on a proximal splitting to produce adversarial perturbations with much smaller $\ell_{\infty}$ norms. Our attack can handle large numbers of constraints within a nonconvex minimization framework via an Augmented Lagrangian approach, coupled with adaptive constraint scaling and masking strategies. We demonstrate that our attack significantly outperforms previously proposed ones, as well as classification attacks that we adapted for segmentation, providing a first comprehensive benchmark for this dense task.


The auxiliary problem principle allows solving a given equilibrium problem (EP) through an equivalent auxiliary problem with better properties. The paper investigates two families of auxiliary EPs: the classical auxiliary problems, in which a regularizing term is added to the equilibrium bifunction, and the regularized Minty EPs. The conditions that ensure the equivalence of a given EP with each of these auxiliary problems are investigated. This analysis leads to extending some known results for variational inequalities and linear EPs to the general case; moreover, new results are obtained as well. In particular, both new results on the existence and uniqueness of solutions and new error bounds based on gap functions with good convexity properties are obtained under weak quasimonotonicity or weak concavity assumptions.


Prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) is a non-coding gene specifically overexpressed in prostate cancer (PCa) that has great potential as a clinical biomarker for predicting prostate biopsy outcome. However, genetic determinants of PCA3 expression level remain unknown. To investigate the association between genetic variants and PCA3 mRNA level, a genome-wide association study was conducted in 1371 men of European descent in the REduction by DUtasteride of prostate Cancer Events trial. First-voided urine specimens containing prostate cells were obtained after digital rectal examination. The PROGENSA PCA3 assay was used to determine PCA3 score in the urinary samples. A linear regression model was used to detect the associations between (single nucleotide polymorphisms) SNPs and PCA3 score under an additive genetic model, adjusting for age and population stratification. Two SNPs, rs10993994 in β-microseminoprotein at 10q11.23 and rs10424878 in kallikrein-related peptidase 2 at 19q13.33, were associated with PCA3 score at genome-wide significance level (P = 1.22 x 10(-9) and 1.06 x 10(-8), respectively). Men carrying the rs10993994 "T" allele or rs10424878 "A" allele had higher PCA3 score compared with men carrying rs10993994 "C" allele or rs10424878 "G" allele (β = 1.25 and 1.24, respectively). This is the first comprehensive search for genetic determinants of PCA3 score. The novel loci identified may provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of PCA3 expression as a potential marker of PCa.


Abstract:Artists who have confronted the politics of collaborative theater have been both drawn to and repelled by opera, intrigued by its aesthetic possibilities, its suspect politics, and its economic entanglements. Central to opera's fascination has also been its complex and manifestly gendered production of texts, voices, and performances. This essay explores the 1929 one-act opera Von heute auf morgen by the librettist-composer team of Gertrud and Arnold Schoenberg, and a collaborative filmic performance of it in the 1996 film of the same name by the directorial-production team of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub (musical direction by Michael Gielen). These two documents of operatic collaboration, along with the paired intertexts made up of the Straub/Huillet-Gielen film version of Arnold Schoenberg's Moses und Aron (1974–75), interrogate the complex field of attention to reveal its links to the aesthetics of gender, performance, and agency. Thus emerges an essential performative micropolitics embodying potential resistance to the opera's political economy of gendered domination.


Understanding and interpreting dynamic human actions is an important area of research in the field of computer vision and robotics. In robotics, it is closely related to task programming. Traditionally, robot task programming has required an experienced programmer and tedious work. By contrast, Programming by Demonstration is an intuitive method that allows to program a robot in a very flexible way. The programmer demonstrates or shows how a particular task is performed and the robot learns in an efficient and natural manner how to imitate or reproduce the human actions. Here, we develop a general policy for learning the relevant features of a demonstrated activity and we restrict our study to imitation of object manipulation activities. A Nest of Birds magnetic tracker is used for activity recognition and two different dimensionality reduction techniques are applied.The first one uses linear dimensionality reduction in order to find the underlying structure of the data. Particularly, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to learn a set of principal components (PCs) to characterize the data. The main problem using PCA is that linear PCs cannot represent the non-linear nature of human motion. The second method uses a non-linear dimensionality reduction technique. Specifically, spatio-temporal Isomap is applied to uncover the intrinsic non-linear geometry of the data, and it is captured through computing the geodesic manifold distances between all pairs of data points.For classification purposes, both PCA and ST-Isomap can be viewed as a preprocessing step. When the dimensionality of the input data is so high that becomes intractable, most classification methods will suffer and even fail in their goals due to their sensitivity to the input data dimensionality. Fortunately, high dimensional data often represent phenomena that are intrinsically low dimensional. Thus, the problem of high dimensional data classification can be solved by first mapping the original data into a lower dimensional space using a dimensionality reduction method such as PCA or ST-Isomap and then applying K-nearest neighbors (K-NN), radial basis functions (RBF) or any other classification method to classify of the query sequence.In the first stage of our work, PCA combined with k-means clustering is applied.In the second stage of our work, spatio temporal Isomap (ST-Isomap) combined with Shepard's interpolation is applied.For classification purposes, simple Euclidean distances are used.The experimental evaluation shows that a linear dimensionality reduction technique can not find the intrinsic structure of human motions due to their non-linear nature. In contrary, a non-linear one, such as spatio-temporal Isomap is able to uncover a low dimensional space in which the data lies facilitating the classification step in a much better way than PCA.


Schema discovery is finding the structure of data. It helps users understand the meaning of data and write queries to manipulate it. This is typically easy for relational databases, but complex for non-relational (NoSQL) databases with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) documents. JSON is a representation of documents that contain objects stored in the form of nested key-value pairs. For relational databases, the schema is predefined because the data they contain is structured, but for NoSQL databases, data is usually unstructured or semi-structured. In a collection of JSON documents, the structure of one document can be completely different from another. Several algorithms were developed to discover schemas from JSON documents, but they provide the physical structure and semantic information that is insufficient for data understanding and analysis. In this paper, we enumerate the major techniques used to extract a schema from JSON documents and present the next challenge: uncovering hidden data disguised as metadata. This challenge needs to be addressed within the field of JSON schema discovery to enhance the quality of the discovered schemas.


The stability is one of the key requirements for commercializing the fuel cell electrocatalysts in automotive applications. For the widely used Pt-based catalysts, it can be achieved by the formation of a stable Pt skin on the surface. Here, we employed density functional theory (DFT) to explore the stability of monolayer Pt (PtML) on various near surface alloy (NSAs) surfaces, PtML/MML/Pt(111) (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu; Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag; Os, Ir, Au), under various environmental conditions. Our results show that under the vacuum condition, the alloying M except Ag and Au thermodynamically prefer to stay in the subsurface and the formation of PtML on the surface is thermodynamically favored. A barrier has to be overcome for M to segregate. The situation varies under various electrochemical conditions. Depending on the solutions and the operating reaction pathway, different M should be considered for alloying with Pt to maintain the stability of surface PtML. PtRh and PtPd are the only two systems, where the surface PtML is likely to stay intact in perchloric acid (HClO4), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and alkaline solutions as well as under the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) conditions via different pathways. PtIr should also be paid attention, which falls only during the ORR via the OOH intermediate. Our results highlight the importance of chemical environments in affecting the stability of the catalysts.


Extensive work has been done to assess the role played by externalities in policy interventions. Studies dealing with this issue in experimental settings abound in the literature. Much less attention, however, has been devoted to the case when data comes from observational studies. In this paper, we address this gap by presenting a methodology to draw causal inference in a non-experimental setting subject to interference. Specifically, we develop a generalized propensity score-based estimator that allows estimating both direct and spillover effects of a continuous treatment. In order to showcase this methodology, we investigate whether and how spillover effects shape the optimal level of producers' support in agricultural markets. Our results show that, in this context, neglecting interference may lead to a downward bias when assessing policy effectiveness.


The goal of this study is to propose a new theoretical approach for the analysis of the impact of the double circular arc gear meshing. The gear meshing impact dynamic model for four different meshing states was firstly built in the gear system. According to the mechanical dynamics and dynamics of the gear system, the reasons for the meshing impact and the impact type of double-circular-arc gear were analyzed in the paper. The content of the paper covers: (i) analysis of the mechanism of meshing impact; (ii) the practical meshing impact process; (iii) establishment of meshing impact model; (iv) solution of the meshing impact radius; (v) calculation of the meshing impact force in theory. The reverse method and the graphing method were used to determine the starting positions of impact and its coordinate formulas were built. Formula of impact velocity, impact force and impact radius were also established. Impact force is calculated with formulas constructed above. This paper's target is quite innovative and applicable and the paper gives a new way for double circular arc gear meshing impact research.


This study examines the attitudes and representations of a select group of Hindi mother tongue speakers residing in Kolkata. Hindi is one of the two official languages of India and Hindi mother tongue speakers are the numerically dominant language community in India, as per census. Further, due to historical, political and socio-cultural reasons, enormous importance is attached to the language, to the extent that there is a wide spread misrepresentation of the language as the national language of India. In this way, speakers of Hindi by no means form a minority in Indian contexts. However, as India is an extremely multilingual and diverse country, in many areas of the country other language speakers outnumber Hindi speakers, and in different states other languages have prestige, greater functional value and locally official status as well. Kolkata is one of such places, as the capital of West Bengal, a state where Bengali is the official language, and where Bengali is the most widely spoken mother tongue. Hindi mother tongue speakers, therefore, are not the dominant majority here, however, their language still carries the symbolic load of a representative language of India. In this context, this study examines the opinions and attitudes of a section of long term residents of Kolkata whose mother tongue is Hindi. The data used in this paper is derived from a large scale survey conducted in Kolkata which included 153 Hindi speakers. The objective of the study is to elicit, through a structured interview, their attitudes towards their own language and community, and towards the other languages and communities in Kolkata, and to examine how they represent and construct the various communities in their responses. The study adopts qualitative methods of analysis. The analysis shows that though there is largely an overt representation of harmony, there are indications of how the socio-cultural symbolic values attached to different languages are also extended to its speakers creating subtle social distances among language communities.


AIM
The aims of this study were to assess the inter-examiner reliability of ICDAS and Soprolife intra-oral camera ex vivo using 5 examiners and to compare in vivo the validity of two fluorescence-based intra-oral devices in examining occlusal surfaces with early carious lesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-seven occlusal surfaces of posterior primary and permanent teeth of 20 children were examined using Diagnodent pen (KaVo, Biberach/Riß, Germany) and Soprolife (Acteon Group, La Ciotat, France) fluorescence intra-oral camera. The white light photos, made by Soprolife camera, were evaluated using ICDAS scores and the Soprolife fluorescence photos were scored as sound, enamel caries and dentine caries by 5 experienced dentists. The dentists were trained for the use of ICDAS system with a short online training programme (ICDAS.org) and for the scoring of caries on the fluorescence images with example images.

STATISTICS
cut-offs were made for ICDAS, Soprolife and Diagnodent to distinguish sound surfaces and enamel caries from dentinal caries. The inter-examiner reliability was calculated using intra-class correlation coefficient.

RESULTS
On white light images the examiners found 16 enamel caries and 21 dentine caries with the ICDAS system. On the Soprolife fluorescent images 24 enamel lesions, 9 dentine lesions and 4 sound surfaces were observed. The inter-examiner reliability (ICC) of the ICDAS system on white light photographs and of Soprolife on the fluorescent images for average measures was 0.70 and 0.72, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of Soprolife (95%CI) was 0.43 and 1.0 respectively, using ICDAS as a reference standard. The sensitivity and specificity of Diagnodent (95%CI) was 0.62 and 0.81 respectively.

CONCLUSION
A short training of dentists in the use the ICDAS system resulted in satisfactory inter-examiner reliability for the analysis of occlusal lesions on white light images. Soprolife and Diagnodent do not contribute to a better detection of early carious lesions.


OBJECTIVE To conclude in an objective and reasonable way whether, from an ethical and legal point of view, in homeopathic medicinal products all the active components have to be in homeopathic dilutions or if it is correct and appropriate for one, some or all of the active components to exist in homeopathic medicinal products without having been subjected to homeopathic potentisations (dilutions followed by succussion). METHODS Collection and analysis of Spanish and European Union legislation regarding this topic. Revision of the European Pharmacopoeia. Criteria from the homeopathic bibliography. Analysis from the standpoint of ethical principles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS "Mother tinctures", and other products containing substances that have not been subjected to homeopathic dilutions, cannot be accepted as constitutive components of homeopathic medicinal products. We consider unacceptable the existence of products under the denomination of homeopathic medicinal product if they do not meet the minimal requirements to be considered as such: manufacture by a homeopathic production procedure, which means that all its active components are present in homeopathic dilutions. We recommend that physicians should ask their patients not only if they use homeopathic pharmaceuticals in general but to specify which products they are using, bearing in mind the possibility that they may contain "mother tinctures" or products at such low dilutions that they may interfere with conventional treatment.


The potassium chloride cotransporter KCC2 plays a major role in the maintenance of transmembrane chloride potential in mature neurons; thus KCC2 activity is critical for hyperpolarizing membrane currents generated upon the activation of γ-aminobutyric acid type A and glycine (Gly) receptors that underlie fast synaptic inhibition in the adult central nervous system. However, to date an understanding of the cellular mechanism that neurons use to modulate the functional expression of KCC2 remains rudimentary. Using Escherichia coli expression coupled with in vitro kinase assays, we first established that protein kinase C (PKC) can directly phosphorylate serine 940 (Ser940) within the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of KCC2. We further demonstrated that Ser940 is the major site for PKC-dependent phosphorylation for full-length KCC2 molecules when expressed in HEK-293 cells. Phosphorylation of Ser940 increased the cell surface stability of KCC2 in this system by decreasing its rate of internalization from the plasma membrane. Coincident phosphorylation of Ser940 increased the rate of ion transport by KCC2. It was further evident that phosphorylation of endogenous KCC2 in cultured hippocampal neurons is regulated by PKC-dependent activity. Moreover, in keeping with our recombinant studies, enhancing PKC-dependent phosphorylation increased the targeting of KCC2 to the neuronal cell surface. Our studies thus suggest that PKC-dependent phosphorylation of KCC2 may play a central role in modulating both the functional expression of this critical transporter in the brain and the strength of synaptic inhibition.


A rendezvous problem for a team of autonomous vehicles, which communicate over quantized channels, is analyzed. The paper illustrates how communication topologies based on uniform and logarithmic quantizations influence the performance. Since a logarithmic quantizer in general imposes fewer bits to be communicated compared to a uniform quantizer, the results indicate estimates of lower limits on the amount of information that needs to be exchanged in order for the vehicles to meet. Simulation examples illustrate the results.


The most significant exostoses of the human jaws are the torus palatinus and torus mandibularis. Torus palatinus has long been reported by various anthropological and anatomical studies. Even if it has no functional importance, it could interfere with oral functions. Although it has been the subject of numerous studies, torus palatinus is rarely reported in children. The purpose of this paper was to report a rare case of torus palatinus in a 1½-year-old boy.


We propose algorithms to create adversarial attacks to assess model robustness in text classification problems. They can be used to create white box attacks and black box attacks while at the same time preserving the semantics and syntax of the original text. The attacks cause significant number of flips in white-box setting and same rule based can be used in black-box setting. In a black-box setting, the attacks created are able to reverse decisions of transformer based architectures.


In this paper, the coordination of pricing and periodic review inventory decisions in a supplier-retailer supply chain (SC) is proposed. In the investigated SC, the retailer faces a stochastic price dependent demand and determines the review period, order-up-to-level, and retail price. On the other hand, the supplier decides on the replenishment multiplier. Firstly, the decentralized and centralized decision making models are established. Afterwards, a quantity discount contract as an incentive scheme is developed to coordinate the pricing and periodic review replenishment decisions simultaneously. The minimum and maximum discount factors, which are acceptable to both SC members, are determined. In addition, a set of numerical examples is conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed coordination model. The results demonstrate that the proposed coordination mechanism can improve the profitability of SC along with both the SC members in comparison with the decentralized model. In addition, the results revealed that the proposed incentive scheme is able to achieve channel coordination. Moreover, the coordination model can fairly share the surplus profits between SC members based on their bargaining power.


We introduce the notion of a "meaningful" average of a collection of dynamical systems as distinct from an "ensemble" average. Such a notion is useful for the study of a variety of dynamical systems such as traffic flow, power systems, and econometric systems. We also address the associated issue of the existence and computation of such an average for a class of interconnected, linear, time invariant dynamical systems. Such an "average" dynamical system is not only attractive from a computational perspective, but also represents the average behavior of the interconnected dynamical system. The problem of analysis and control of hierarchical, large scale control systems can be simplified by approximating the lower level dynamics of such systems with such an average dynamical system.


This paper corrects Asakura's observation on
semilinear wave equations with non-compactly supported data
by showing a sharp blow-up theorem for classical solutions.
We know that there is no global in time solution for any power nonlinearity
if the spatial decay of the initial data is weak,
in spite of finite propagation speed of the linear wave.
Our theorem clarifies the final criterion on such a phenomenon.


A durable and stable nanostructure consisting of a copper and nitrogen co-doped titania (TiON–Cu 2) nanorod supported catalyst is prepared for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Pt deposited on TiON–Cu 2 nanorods as a framework in acidic medium exhibits superior mass and specific activity towards the ORR. The Pt loading, relative humidity, and back pressure also influence the overall polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) performance. In addition, a PEFC comprising TiON–Cu 2 supported Pt as cathode catalyst operated under dry conditions shows a stable current at 0.6 V even up to 100 h. The accelerated stress test (AST-1) for electrocatalyst stability evaluation shows that Pt/C retains 40% of its initial electrochemical surface area (ECSA) after 1000 potential cycles from 1 to 1.5 V vs. DHE, whereas Pt/TiON–Cu 2 retains 55% of its initial catalytic activity and ECSA even after 6000 potential cycles. In addition, the accelerated catalyst durability (AST-2) test for Pt catalyst durability shows that the Pt/TiON–Cu 2 nanorod interaction is sustained even after 18 000 potential cycles between 0.6 and 1.0 V under PEFC operating conditions, and the catalyst retains 75% of its initial ECSA. After the AST, the samples were characterized for further analysis to obtain an insight into their degradation.


This study develops estimates of the efficacy of school nutrition programs in improving a broad range of dietary outcomes by comparing the nutritional status of students and their families during the school year with the status when school is out. The study finds evidence that children who have a School Breakfast Program (SBP) available consume a better overall diet, consume a lower percentage of calories from fat, are less likely to have a low intake of magnesium, and are less likely to have low serum levels of vitamin C and folate. For every outcome examined, SBP availability either promotes better outcomes or at the least does not promote worse outcomes. The results of this study suggest that the availability of an SBP has beneficial effects for children. This report describes the study's broad evaluation of the SBP and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The study used the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey III (NHANES III)—a nationally representative data set that contains detailed information on food consumption, a complete clinical exam, and a laboratory report for respondents.


Access management, or the management of vehicular access to adjacent land parcels, is critical to safe roadway operation, allowing state and local governments to control ingress and egress to freeways, arterials, collectors, and local roads. Access management is particularly important near signalized intersection, where nearby access points can increase the crash risks resulting from additional conflict points for vehicles traversing the primary intersection. The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between access point density and the frequency of crashes at signalized intersections located along state-maintained urban roadways in the state of Iowa. Information regarding adjacent access points (i.e., intersections and driveways) was collected at a total of 415 signalized intersections from 13 different municipalities. The information collected included the type of access (driveway, unsignalized intersection, alley, median opening, or field access), as well as any restrictions related to turning movements (e.g., prohibited left-turns, right-in/right-out). Access volumes were collected for public roadways and driveway volumes were estimated using trip generation models. Two subsets of crashes, total and driveway-related, were used to examine the safetyaccess relationship over a five-year analysis period. A series of concentric buffers were applied to investigate how the relationship between crashes and the number of access points varies spatially depending upon the buffer radius. These buffers varied from 50 ft. to 600 ft. in radius with increment of 50 ft. A series of crash prediction models were estimated to discern the impact of access spacing while controlling for other pertinent variables such as traffic volumes and roadway geometry. The results showed that the number of crashes increased consistently as the frequency of access points increased,


A new digital elevation model of the Greenland ice sheet and surrounding rock outcrops has been produced at 1-km postings from a comprehensive suite of satellite remote sensing and cartographic data sets. Height data over the ice sheet were mainly from ERS-1 and Geosat radar altimetry. These data were corrected for a slope-dependent bias that had been identified in a previous study. The radar altimetry was supplemented with stereophotogrammetric data sets, synthetic aperture radar interferometry, and digitized cartographic maps over regions of bare rock and where gaps in the satellite altimeter coverage existed. The data were interpolated onto a regular grid with a spacing of ∼1 km. The accuracy of the resultant digital elevation model over the ice sheet was assessed using independent and spatially extensive measurements from an airborne laser altimeter that had an accuracy of between 10 and 12 cm. In a comparison with the laser altimetry the digital elevation model was found to have a slope-dependent accuracy ranging from −1.04±1.98 m to −0.06±14.33 m over the ice sheet for a slope range of 0.0–1.0°. The mean accuracy over the whole ice sheet was −0.33±6.97 m. Over the bare rock areas the accuracy ranged from 20 to 200 m, dependent on the data source available. The new digital elevation model was used as an input data set for a positive degree day model of ablation. The new elevation model was found to reduce ablation by only 2% compared with using an older, 2.5-km resolution model, which suggests that resolution-induced errors in estimating ablation are no longer important.


Coastal environments provide critical ecosystem services but experience a number of threats including marine debris and abandoned beach equipment. To address this threat, munici palities have begun enacting policy measures such as Leave No Trace ordinances. The impact of these ordinances on coastal species management has not yet been established. To evaluate the effectiveness of Leave No Trace ordinances in coastal species management, sea turtle crawl distribution, nesting success, and the frequency of obstructed crawls preand post-ordinance at a loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta nesting beach in Alabama, USA, were compared between 3 treatment groups: (1) Gulf Shores and Orange Beach with new Leave No Trace ordinances en acted in 2016, (2) Fort Morgan with no ordinance, and (3) the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Gulf State Park with Leave No Trace ordinances but no resident human population. The ordinance had no significant effect on crawl distribution or nesting success across the study site post-ordinance. However, the frequency of obstructed crawls in populated areas declined by 18.1% with the ordinance. The presence of a resident population was a more significant driver of obstructed crawls than the ordinance, as the Bon Secour NWR and Gulf State Park had fewer obstructed crawls than either populated treatment. With time and increased compliance, Leave No Trace ordinances may have the potential to improve coastal species management and increase coastal ecosystem services through reduced marine debris entanglement and ingestion, reduced physical damage to the environment, and increased tourism revenue and environmental education.


Abstract Background: Rising food prices can have a devastating effect on the health of poor households by making it more difficult for them to afford basic food baskets. Although South Africa is food secure as a nation, it does not mean that every household is able to access nutritionally adequate food. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the effects of rising food prices on people's perceptions and coping strategies regarding household food security. Setting: Sixty femaleheaded households were selected from 250 households in Runnymede Village in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, Mopani District, Limpopo province, South Africa. Design: A descriptive and exploratory study was conducted using quantitative methods by means of an administered, structured questionnaire. The accessible population was femaleheaded households residing in Runnymede Village. Participants representing 60 femaleheaded households were purposively selected from the 250 households. Open and closed-ended questions were used to collect the data. Results: The majority (58%) of participants indicated that their eating habits had changed owing to rising food prices. Approximately 60% of the participants indicated that they bought food in bulk as a shortterm strategy to cope with rising food prices. Approximately 50% had a vegetable garden to alleviate food unavailability, and harvested for subsistence to meet non-food expenses. The majority (57%) of participants converted to buying cheaper brands, such as generic store brands. In addition, rising food prices made high quality food scarce for poorer households, forcing them to resort to cheaper or less nutritious foods. Conclusion: Rising food prices had a negative impact on poor, femaleheaded households in Runnymede Village.


Maturity is a universal problem, it is a product of the educational process. Education is essentially aimed at making a slaved of Allah as good and perfect man. According to Naqueb al- Attas, goodness is a condition that is true, accurate and balanced. Relating this, the concept of maturity education is an effort to instill the values and maturity dimensions become better. It means, the dimensions of spirituality, physical, moral, emotional, social and intellectual integrated, true, accurate and balanced. The purpose of this study is analyse Abdullah Nashih Ulwan's concept of maturity and its implementation in Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor Ponorogo (PDMG). The study used a qualitative approach, because of the nature of the data and qualitative analysis. The main data source in this studies is maturity thoughts on various books of Abdullah NashihUlwan , especially 'Tarbiyyatul Aulad fil Islam'. The rresearch is continueded by getting the assesment of PMDG documentation, which is reinforced by the results of interviews and field observations . The application of the concept maturity in Islamic education according to Abdullah Nashih Ulwan in PDMG is exactly right. The whole concept of maturity and adulthood educational curriculum has been implemented in PDMG. Although, it was not recognized or declared as an educational curriculum maturity. With all lackness and advantages PDMG has proved its ability in the management of the educational process, to actualize the vision and mission. as an education institutions to create the leader of Ummat, became a place of worship and a source of religion knowledge and public-spirited while still defend the pesantren soul PDMG with all of their action in creating the maturity and independent students is worthly appreciated, that can not be done much better by other educational institutions. The application of Maturity Education curriculum has been implemented in PDMG, it can be observed in the KMI activities and field care . There is no dichotomy of science in Pondok Gontor. General Curriculum is integrated with Islamic education, co-curricular, extra-curricular, sunnah-sunnah of pondok and disciplinary. The things that help the realization of the vision and mission of Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor such as: activities in the dorm 24 hours monitored closely, language training and habituation, prioritizing intellect than the intellect scholars who know the religion, preparations of life skill and self-reliance, preparation as a teacher and or leader, sustainable regeneration system, and others . Keyword: Darussalam Gontor, Nasih Ulwan, Pendidikan Kedewasaan


The long-awaited version of Microsoft Office for the iPad gives Office users the opportunity to use Excel, PowerPoint, and Word on their Apple tablet. In this practical, no fluff guide, author Tom Negrino gets straight to point, showing users how to get the most out of the Office apps on an iPad. Assuming you have some existing knowledge of the desktop Office apps this book focuses on maximizing your productivity on the new iPad version. After showing how to install the Office apps on your iOS and desktop devices, Tom covers how to set up OneDrive, Microsofts cloud services for uploading and syncing files across devices. Tom then moves on to showing you how to accomplish the most common Office tasks on the iPad, including how to create and edit documents with the touch interface. Tom also covers how to use the popular OneNote on the iPad.


800MN forging press uses plate laminated parallel structure as the main bearing mode, where the force transfer and the stiffness match play key roles in achieving satisfactory performance of the equipment. Although the traditional design methods can obtain desirable stiffness or strength for bearing structure, they less consider the effect of manufacturing errors on the system performance and thus are ineffective. This is because manufacturing errors can cause local structure variation and heavy stress concentration, which may do great harms to the working performance of the equipment. In this paper, a new design approach is proposed to consider the effect of manufacturing errors to the system performance. First, a three-dimension finite element model of the 800MN forging press is built using Marc, upon which stress distributions and concentrations under different combination modes of manufacturing errors are studied. Then, combination law of manufacturing errors is established and validation is carried out through physic test.


Provenancing exotic raw materials and reconstructing the nature and routes of exchange is a major concern of prehistoric archaeology. Amber has long been recognised as a key commodity of prehistoric exchange networks in Europe. However, most science-based studies so far have been localised and based on few samples, hence making it difficult to observe broad geographic and chronological trends. This paper concentrates on the nature, distribution and circulation of amber in prehistoric Iberia. We present new standardised FTIR analyses of 22 archaeological and geological samples from a large number of contexts across Iberia, as well as a wide scale review of all the legacy data available. On the basis of a considerable body of data, we can confirm the use of local amber resources in the Northern area of the Iberian Peninsula from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age; we push back the arrival of Sicilian amber to at least the 4th Millennium BC, and we trace the appearance of Baltic amber since the last quarter of the 2nd Millennium BC, progressively replacing Sicilian simetite. Integrating these data with other bodies of archaeological information, we suggest that the arrival of Baltic amber was part of broader Mediterranean exchange networks, and not necessarily the result of direct trade with the North. From a methodological perspective, thanks to the analyses carried out on both the vitreous core and the weathered surfaces of objects made of Sicilian simetite, we define the characteristic FTIR bands that allow the identification of Sicilian amber even in highly deteriorated archaeological samples.


The study was Nigeria-South Africa diplomatic face off over Yellow fever Vaccination issue. The problem started when 125 Nigerians, including a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who landed at the Oliver Tambo International Airport on March 1st, 2012 were prevented from entering the country, because they did not have the required documentation for vaccination against yellow fever. The following day 75 of them were sent home via the South African Airways while another 50 were sent home via Nigerian Airline "Arik Air" (This Day, 3rd, March, 2012). In response to the deportation of some Nigerians from South Africa, 28 South Africans were turned back at Murtala Mohamed International Airport, and another 56 illegal immigrants from South Africa were deported following day A total of four Nigerian newspapers had a combined total of 480 editions. To arrive at the number of editions to be used, as sample size, a constructed weeks study was used to draw from the 480 editions at one day interval. This amounted to 3 editions per paper per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Hence, a total of 12 editions per month multiplied by four months amounted to 48 editions on the average. Also, the total sample was gotten by multiplying 48 editions by four newspaper titles which amounted to 192 editions. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample of stories from the editions examined. The methods for data presentation and analysis were both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Hence we made use of frequency tables and simple percentage. The study results show that the four Nigerian Newspapers namely Vanguard, This Day, The Daily Sun and The Nation published different reports such as editorials, news stories, and letters to editor on the issues. However, the papers were not unmindful of the political implication of the face-off, hence, they tried to balance national interests and African unity thereby emphasizing less on the bad relationship such incident was capable of generating among African sister states.


Introduction Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DSCAM-AS1 was reported to be aberrantly expressed and play pivotal roles in various human cancers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and roles of DSCAM-AS1 in colon cancer (CC). Methods Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of DSCAM-AS1, miR-204 and the mRNA level of SOX4. Cell proliferation and cell cycle were analyzed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Transwell assay was used for migration capacity detection. Luciferase activity assay was conducted to verify the direct binding of DSCAM-AS1 and miR-204 or miR-204 and SOX4. The protein expression of SOX4 was determined by Western blot. Kaplan–Meier curves were calculated and the Log rank test was performed for the survival data analysis. Results DSCAM-AS1 was significantly upregulated in CC and high expression of DSCAM-AS1 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with colon cancer. Knockdown of DSCAM-AS1 significantly suppressed CC cells proliferation and migration. In addition, DSCAM-AS acted as a molecular sponge for miR-204 and SOX4 was identified as a direct target of miR-204 in CC. Moreover, the rescue assay revealed that miR-204 inhibition partly abolished the effects of DSCAM-AS1 knockdown on CC cells proliferation, migration and SOX4 expression. Discussion The present study demonstrated that DSCAM-AS1 acted as an oncogenic lncRNA in CC progression by regulating miR-204/SOX4 axis and DSCAM-AS1 may serve as a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of colon cancer.


The Radioactive Waste Safety Standards (RADWASS) programme follows the hierarchical categorization scheme used in the publications of IAEA Safety Series, as shown below: Safety Fundamentals (silver cover) Basic objectives, concepts and principles to ensure safety. Safety Standards (red cover) Basic requirements which must be satisfied to ensure safety for particular activities or applications areas. Safety Guides (green cover) Recommendations, on the basis of international experience, relating to the fulfillment of basic requirements. Safety Practices (blue cover) Practical examples and detailed methods which can be used for the application of Safety Standards or Safety Guides. Safety Fundamentals and Safety Standards are issued with the approval of the IAEA Board of Governors; Safety Guides and Safety Practices are issued under the authority of the Director General of the IAEA. An additional category, Safety Reports (purple cover), comprises independent reports of expert groups on safety matters, including the development of new principles , advanced concepts and major issues and events. These reports are issued under the authority of the Director General of the IAEA. There are other publications of the IAEA which also contain information important to safety, particularly in the Proceedings Series (papers presented at symposia and conferences), the Technical Reports Series (emphasis on technological aspect) and the IAEA-TECDOC Series (information usually in preliminary form). The RADWASS reports are published within the IAEA Safety Series under No. 111. The report numbers are composed of the following elements: — The Safety Series number (111).


We study the problem of placing streaming queries into servers. Unlike previous work, we focus on queries that consume events of relative low rates, each computed in a single server (i.e. no scaling-out per query). However, we need to place a very large and dynamic number of queries in relatively few servers. Our focus is motivated by the need to support a platform for hosting end-user streaming queries that may come from a variety of applications, such as the Cortana personal assistant. The placement strives to reduce network and computational overheads. It exploits the observation that a large number of queries consume the same sources of events, and, hence, placing them in the same server in the platform reduces network overheads. However, the placement also needs to balance the load among the servers. A further complication arises from the requirement to allow the queries to read events from multiple sources concurrently (i.e., to join multiple streams). In this paper, we formulate the problem of placing queries into the servers of a streaming platform. We propose approximation algorithms and derive approximation bounds for the following cases (a) the offline case where queries are stable and known ahead of time, akin to an "oracle", and (b) the online case without departures and known query popularities. For the general online problem, we propose effective heuristic algorithms. An extensive set of experiments demonstrates that the proposed algorithms provide good performance in a wide-range of scenarios.


The rapid growth of the Web results in heavier loads on server/network and in increased latency experienced while retrieving Web documents. Internet traffic is further aggravated by its burstiness, which complicates the design and allocation of network components. Bursty traffic alternates peak periods with lulls. This paper presents a framework that exploits idle periods to satisfy future HTTP requests speculatively and opportunistically. Our proposal differs from previous schemes in that it is explicitly aware of current HTTP traffic loads so as to be unobtrusive. This paper highlights several design trade-offs and details the problem of server arbitration among several candidate documents. We present a theoretical analysis of arbitration and validate it by extensive simulation on server logs, in which we calculate latency experienced by clients. Perfect traffic shaping during peak periods is observed and substantial latency improvements for non-dynamic documents are reported over pure on-demand strategies.


Coordinated view geovisualizations allow users to interactively pick and attend to data observations across multiple views. This is frequently supported by the transient application of a visual effect to an observation during a mouse selection or rollover. This technique, known as highlighting, is typically implemented using a dedicated bright and saturated color to outline observations. In this paper we present a range of possibilities for alternative approaches to color highlighting, beginning with examples from the range of available visual variables and moving beyond those options to other, non-visual variable methods such as the use of lines to connect highlighted observations. We also describe design criteria for highlighting methods that can be used to predict and test the suitability of different approaches, and apply those criteria to our set of proposed methods to identify potential good candidates for implementation in future systems. Next, we present a set of highlighting types that define basic ways in which highlighting methods can be combined, modified, and driven directly by data values. We conclude by outlining several broad research challenges for future work on the development and evaluation of highlighting methods in geographic visualization.


The cobalt chloride influence on rat liver and serum blood lipids and lipoproteins content and composition was investigated. The data obtained show that the cobalt chloride injection leads to the oxidative stress development and to activation of lipid transport and metabolism. It has been shown that there is system of lipids homeostasis in the organism and it is activated under conditions of oxidative stress. The system blood lipoproteins and liver lipoproteins was found to participate in metabolism adaptation on oxidative stress and in maintenance of biological membranes structure and functioning.


Stochastic foam models are generated from Voronoi spatial partitioning, using the centers of equi-sized hard spheres in random periodic distributions as seed points. Models with different levels of polydispersity are generated by varying the packing of the spheres. Subsequent relaxation is then performed with the Surface Evolver software which minimizes the surface area for better resemblance with real foam structures. The polydispersity of the Voronoi precursors is conserved when the models are converted into equilibrium models. The relation between the sphere packing fraction and the resulting degree of volumetric polydispersity is examined and the relations between the polydispersity and a number of associated morphology parameters are then investigated for both the Voronoi and the equilibrium models. Comparisons with data from real foams in the literature indicate that the used method is somewhat limited in terms of spread in cell volume but it provides a very controlled way of varying the foam morphology while keeping it periodic and truly stochastic. The study shows several strikingly consistent relations between the spread in cell volume and other geometric parameters, considering the stochastic nature of the models.


An electronic circuit might consist of a CPU, ROM, RAM and other glue logic. VLSI lets IC makers at all of this into one chip. A contrast of Network On Chip's (NoC's) structure makes a fitting replacement for System On Chip (SoC) design in designs incorporating large number of processing cores. In NoC the overall power dissipation is due to the interconnection system. The interconnects have become main element in dynamic power dissipation in a NoC design. NoC improves the scalability of SoC and the power efficient of complex SoC compared to other designs. The wires in the links of the NoC are shared by many signals. The project concept depends on the traffic flow in the chip. The idea presented in this project exploits the wormhole switching techniques and works on an end to end basis. That is flits are encoded by the Network Interface (NI) before they are injected in the network and are decoded by the destination NI. In such a way as to minimize both switching activity and the coupling switching activity which represent the main factors of power dissipation. The proposed schemes are general and transparent with respect to the underlying NoC fabrication. The data encoding technique in which number of switching transitions in data word is brought down to reduce the power dissipation. To verify the efficiency of the proposed technique, encoder structure was designed by using VerilogHDL. As result, we save the power on NoC links more than 50%.


Background: Serum immunoglobulin G targeting the astrocyte water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) in the central nervous system (CNS) is a biomarker for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD). Co-existence of NMOSD with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) putatively suggests susceptibility to antibody-mediated autoimmune disease. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of NMOSD in SLE and investigate the immunogenetic background for an association of NMOSD and SLE. Methods: The study included a predominantly population-based cohort with clinical and serological investigations of 208 patients with SLE, followed prospectively since 1995. All patients received immunosuppressive treatment. NMOSD was evaluated retrospectively based on the 2015 International Panel for NMOSD Diagnosis (IPND) criteria. Polymorphisms in programmed cell death protein 1 (PDCD-1) PD-1.3 G/A were genotyped. AGP4-IgG and other autoantibodies, including myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), was determined blinded to clinical diagnosis. Results: Of 208 patients with SLE, 45(22%) had neuropsychiatric (NP) SLE, and CNS involvement predominated in 30 of 45 (67%) patients. Serum AQP4-IgG was detected in 2 of 30 (6.7%) neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) patients both of whom had myelitis and antiphospholipid syndrome; one patient also had myasthenia gravis. None had MOG-IgG. PD-1.3A allele was not associated with SLE nor with NPSLE. Conclusion: AQP4-IgG autoimmune syndrome may rarely co-exist with SLE, and such patients have other NMOSD-typical syndromes such as myelitis.


This paper argues that none of the secular trends that have driven down real interest rates
over the past two decades is likely to reverse in the near future. Thus, real rates can be
expected to remain low and government debt-servicing costs to decrease further over the
coming years. Based on these findings, the authors calculate direct gains accruing to the
Belgian government from lower net debt interest payments. The savings on interest payments
are then contrasted with the projected future increases in age-related expenditures on
pensions, education and long-term care. The findings indicate that, if savings on interest
payments are channelled to cover the increases in age-related expenditures, they will fully
offset financing needs in these areas until 2030. The calculations are robust to a moderate
increase in interest rates.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the profiles of behaviours and adaptive functioning in the UK children and young people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Design/methodology/approach
Data of 106 participants registered from 2005 to 2015 were extracted from a clinic database. In total, 99 individuals with confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), aged from 5 to 25 years, were analysed using scaled scores of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition (VABS-II), and the Developmental Behaviour Checklist-Primary Carer Version (DBC-P) and Teacher Version (DBC-T). Differences due to age, gender, IQ and family structure (adopted/living with birth parents) were also explored.

Findings
The mean composite adaptive behaviour score on the VABS-II was classified as "low" at 68.2 (SD=8.5), with the socialisation domain being the most impaired. Significantly lower VABS-II composite scores were found in individuals with lower IQ's, older ages and in males. Disruptive behaviours were the most commonly observed on the DBCs, whereas primary carers scored significantly higher than teachers across all subscales. IQ, age and gender were not associated with the total percentile scores of both DBCs. Adoption made no differences compared to living with birth parents.

Research limitations/implications
Future studies would replicate these findings in a larger sample size including individuals without PAE and those living with birth parents.

Originality/value
This study is the first UK report that examines this issue.


: Cryosurgery of MCA-10 in C57BL mice resulted in significantly greater humoral and lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity to MCA-10 target cells than in untreated, tumor-bearing mice or animals which had undergone tumor amputation. This result was tumor specific and could be reproduced by treatment of the tumor-bearing and amputated mice with frozen exogenous tumor antigen. A similar response was produced by electrocauterization of tumor.


Masticatory muscle activity during teeth clenching is affected by occlusal pattern. However, few studies have performed simultaneous evaluation of all masticatory activities during teeth clenching under various occlusal conditions. The aim of this study was to use muscle functional magnetic resonance imaging (mfMRI) to evaluate the effects of changes in occlusal point on masticatory activity during single tooth clenching. Changes in mean proton transverse relaxation time (∆T2) as an index of activity in all masticatory muscles during left unilateral clenching at the first molar or first premolar for 1 min were examined in nine healthy volunteers. Bite force was maintained at 40% of the maximum voluntary clenching force. The ∆T2 values of the masseter and lateral pterygoid muscles were analysed separately for superficial and deep layers, and for superior and inferior heads. The ∆T2 values for the ipsilateral deep masseter were significantly lower, and for the superior head of the ipsilateral lateral pterygoid muscles were significantly higher, after left first premolar clenching compared to left first molar clenching. These results quantitatively demonstrate a significant increase in activity of the superior head of the ipsilateral lateral pterygoid muscle and a significant decrease in activity of the ipsilateral deep masseter muscle with forward displacement of the occlusal contact point during unilateral tooth clenching.


. We apply a technique to study the notion of spectral rigidity of group actions to a group gr (cid:1) t,s ; ts = st 2 (cid:2) . As an application, we prove that there exist rank one weakly mixing transformations conjugate to its square, thereby giving a positive answer to a well-known question.


This paper summarizes the thesis: "Author Profiling in Social Media with Multimodal Information." Our solution uses a multimodal approach to extracting information from written messages and images shared by users. Previous work has shown the existence of useful information for this task in these modalities; however, our proposal goes further, demonstrating the complementarity of the modalities when merging these two sources of information. To do this, we propose to transform images to texts, and with them, to have the same framework of representation for both kinds of information, which allow to achieve their fusion. Our work explores different methods for extracting information either from the text and the images. To represent the extracted information, different distributional term representations approaches were explored in order to identify the topics addressed by the user. For this purpose, an evaluation framework was proposed in order to identify the most appropriate method for this task. The results show that the textual descriptions of the images contain useful information for the author profiling task, and that the fusion of textual information with information extracted from the images increases the accuracy of this task.


The study was carried out to assess the benefits derived from SACDP/IFAD through community based participatory projects in Bodinga zone. The zone comprises four villages from two local government areas. All the four villages were purposively selected for the study. Eighty (80) respondents were randomly selected and interviewed using structured questionnaire (60 male and 20 female). Data collected was analyzed using frequency and percentages. Results revealed that majority of the respondents are men, married and within their active productive age. Results further show that majority of the respondents have benefitted from one project or the other and have subsequently replicated similar community based initiatives. It is recommended that vigorous efforts be put in place by both donor agencies and government to enhance rural people derivation of benefits from community based participatory projects and participation in self-help initiatives.


European top-level soccer clubs are continually looking for talented players. Few clubs, however, are willing to let youth players play at the highest senior level. Perhaps as a consequence, the search for talented players has resulted in an imbalance in the characteristics of these players, towards an overrepresentation of players born early in the selection year, an effect called the relative age effect (RAE). The RAE has been documented to be present among senior top-level players. Even so, few studies have investigated the effect among youth players at the senior level. The aim of this study is to examine RAE among U17-U20 players in the Norwegian premier league Tippeligaen in the 2009-2012 seasons. Participants were 315 male players born in 1990-1996. The results showed that 68% of the players were born in the two first quartiles of the year. The effect was even increasing in the fouryear period. As we could expect based on the literature, the oldest players are given more playing time. However, the connection between playing time and RAE was inconsistent. Norwegian top-level soccer seems to be affected by the RAE when selecting their players. These players are not however guaranteed playing time because of the RAE.


: Usage-based linguistics abounds with studies that use statistical classification models to analyze either textual corpus data or behavioral experimental data. Yet, before we can draw conclusions from statistical models of empirical data that we can feed back into cognitive linguistic theory, we need to assess whether the text-based models are cognitively plausible and whether the behavior-based models are linguistically accurate. In this paper, we review four case studies that evaluate statistical classification models of richly annotated linguistic data by explicitly comparing the performance of a corpus-based model to the behavior of native speakers. The data come from four different languages (Arabic, English, Estonian, and Russian) and pertain to both lexical as well as syntactic near-synonymy. We show that behavioral evidence is needed in order to fine tune and improve statistical models built on data from a corpus. We argue that methodological pluralism is the key for a cognitively realistic linguistic theory.


In public spaces such as zoos and sports facilities, the presence of fences often annoys tourists and professional photographers. There is a demand for a post-processing tool to produce a non-occluded view from an image or video. This "de-fencing" task is divided into two stages: one to detect fence regions and the other to fill the missing part. For over a decade, various methods have been proposed for video-based de-fencing. However, only a few single-image-based methods are proposed. In this paper, we focus on single-image fence removal. Conventional approaches suffer from inaccurate and non-robust fence detection and inpainting due to less content information. To solve these problems, we combine novel methods based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) and classical domain knowledge in image processing. In the training process, we are required to obtain both fence images and corresponding non-fence ground truth images. Therefore, we synthesize natural fence images from real images. Moreover, spacial filtering processing (e.g. a Laplacian filter and a Gaussian filter) improves the performance of the CNN for detection and inpainting. Our proposed method can automatically detect a fence and generate a clean image without any user input. Experimental results demonstrate that our method is effective for a broad range of fence images.