Raw data that is output by an imaging spectrometer represents a quantity that is ideally related to incident pupil-plane spectral radiance as a function of spatial or angular position and spectral band. Pupil-plane spectral radiance is dependent on the material properties of the scene of interest. However, these data are integrated over an SRF that can be wavelength dependent, perturbed in spatial and spectral scale by optical distortions of the instrument, and also dependent on the effective optical transmission and stray radiance of the optical system as well as the responsivity and dark current of the FPA. Extracting quantitative spectral
information about material properties from this raw data requires a method to determine the system response spectrally, spatially, and radiometrically. This method is referred to as spectrometer calibration . One theoretical construct for calibration is to precisely measure the characteristics of every system component and determine system response through an extensive model, such as that outlined in Chapter 7. This is generally complex and impractical. An alternate, more practical approach is to directly measure the full system response using sources with known characteristics. The basic methodology of this approach is described in this chapter. 10.1 Spectral Calibration Spectral calibration refers to the determination of spectral band centers for all samples in a hyperspectral data cube. The case of a dispersive imaging spectrometer is treated first and involves characterizing the center wavelength for each element of a 2D FPA to correct any potential spatial-spectral distortion. To perform a thorough spectral calibration, the spectrometer can be illuminated by a monochromator that produces monochromatic illumination at controllable wavelengths. Theoretically, a monochromator can be stepped across an entire spectral range at a sufficiently fine spectral sampling such that the center wavelength at each detector pixel can be determined as the illuminating wavelength producing a maximum response. Such a thorough spectral calibration is sometimes impractical and generally unnecessary because the spectral-spatial distortion of an imaging spectrometer is often a somewhat well-behaved function.


Several development programs to demonstrate application of gas-lubricated bearings to gas turbine machinery are presently under way. This paper presents design and initial test data for a 24,000 rpm, 1300 F (turbine inlet temperature) gas-bearing Brayton-cycle turbocompressor operating in a closed-loop system. The bearing system design for a two-shaft power plant, consisting of a 50,000 rpm, 1490 F turbocompressor and a 12,000 rpm turboalternator, is also described. Test results to date demonstrate that gas lubrication, per se, of gas turbine machinery is definitely feasible. However, considerable data are still needed to prove the practical utility of gas bearings. A brief discussion of the needed investigations is presented.


Bridging the gap between knowledge institutions (especially universities) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is one of the challenges of present economic policy. Innovation is one important aspect of this policy. However, the characteristics of both universities and SMEs appear to be an obstacle in bridging the gap between these two groups. In particular, this paper aims to highlight the potential of universities of professional education (UPEs) for innovative strategies of SMEs. First, this paper reviews the pivotal role of innovation by SMEs. Next, it focuses on the function UPEs can assume in the innovation process by SMEs. The empirical part of the paper then presents findings from a regional case study in the Dutch region of Zwolle, in the eastern part of the country. Strategic and operational information from both lecturers and graduate-entrepreneurs of one UPE in the region concerned was collected in order to draw strategic policy lessons.


Abstract:This article develops arguments found in chapter six of Freedom Is Power: Liberty through Political Representation, concerning how Hamilton's account of freedom might inform our thinking about global justice. Hamilton's work grapples with the problem of domination and freedom in a postapartheid and postcolonial world order. While we find important statements of this theme in some of the canonical texts of the tradition, Hamilton's treatment of the theme hints at a further reaching, more demanding engagement with "real modern freedom"—freedom in the vast shadow of economic, political, and cultural domination. This contribution seeks to place his work within debates in normative international political theory and to compare his position (and its implications) with those arguing for normative and institutional change in world politics including questions of distributive justice and global economic governance.


In terminal weighting based model predictive control (MPC) algorithms, the terminal weighting term is used to cover the performance cost under the terminal control for guaranteeing stability. Therefore, the terminal control is crucial in choosing the terminal weighting term and also determining/estimating the stability region. However, most of the existing MPC algorithms are developed based on linear terminal control which restricts the achievable performance and stability of MPC. For linear systems, an MPC algorithm with nonlinear terminal control is presented in this paper, where the gain of the terminal control varies with the terminal state. An offline algorithm is proposed to determine the nonlinear gains and to choose the associated terminal weighting term. It is shown that, compared with the MPC algorithms with fixed linear terminal gain, a nonlinear terminal control results in a much larger stability region, which is confirmed by a numerical example. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Security and privacy are important properties that have to be considered for the adoption of Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). Short-lived credentials, termed pseudonyms, are used to ensure message integrity and authentication while preserving vehicle (thus, their passengers') privacy. However, this introduces extra communication and computation overhead: pseudonyms have to be attached to the messages and signatures on pseudonyms and messages need to be verified before they can be accepted. In this poster, we are concerned with computation overhead for pseudonym validation. We preload vehicular On-Board Units (OBUs) with a Bloom Filter (BF) to facilitate pseudonym validation while traditional approach (i.e., signature verification on pseudonyms) can still be preserved as a fallback approach. We evaluate our scheme on automotive testbed with a preliminary implementation. Our scheme provides low processing delay for pseudonym validation at a cost of communication overhead for pre-downloading the BF.


We proposes a kind of explicit-implicit difference scheme to solve the initial and boundary value questions of the third order term of KDV equation here,and so we can solve the problem that the additional boundary values must be given first for present difference schemes when we try to realize the calculation by then.


Bacillus brevis NRRL B-4389 produced extracellular maltase (α-glucosidase; EC 184.108.40.206) only in the presence of short α-1,4-glucosidic polymers, such as maltose and maltotriose. An optimum medium was developed; it contained 2.5% maltose, 0.5% nonfat dry milk, 0.4% yeast extract, and 0.01% CaCl2. The enzyme was produced extracellularly during the logarithmic phase of growth; no cell-bound activity was detected at any time. Partial purification of the maltase was accomplished by using diethylaminoethyl cellulose batch adsorption, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. Maltase, isomaltase (oligo-1,6-glucosidase), and glucosyltransferase activities were purified 20.0-, 19.1-, and 11.5-fold, respectively. Some properties of the partially purified maltase were determined: optimum pH, 6.5; optimum temperature, 48 to 50°C; pH stability range, 5.0 to 7.0; temperature stability range, 0 to 50°C; isoelectric point, pH 5.2; and molecular weight, 52,000. The relative rates of hydrolysis of maltose (G2), maltotriose (G3), G4, methyl-α-d-maltoside, G40, dextrin, and isomaltose were 100, 22, 12, 10, 10, 8, and 5%, respectively; the Km on maltose was 5.8 mM; d-glucose, p-nitrophenyl-α-d-glucoside, and tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane were competitive inhibitors; transglucosylase activity of the enzyme on maltose resulted in the synthesis of isomaltose, isomaltotroise, and larger oligosaccharides.


The debate over the nature and flow of international news has dominated intellectual debate about journalism practice for some time. Developing countries argued there was an imbalance in the nature and amount of international news concerning them. They argued that the Western media rarely reported on developing countries and when they did, reported predominantly negative news about developing countries. The debate led to calls for a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO). A number of studies examined its arguments, many finding developing countries were indeed disadvantaged by the Western media. This study compared foreign news coverage in The Australian and The Fiji Times, with special attention on news from the Pacific Islands region. It found the coverage of the Pacific Islands was still grossly inadequate in both newspapers. The coverage consisted of only a small number of stories, which were predominantly negative, surprising especially in the case of The Fiji Times.


The objectives of this study are to describe the kinds of information in Rapunzel and to describe deixis, grammatical and lexical cohesion of Rapunzel. This study belonged to the qualitative study that was focused on the concrete phenomenon of the written materials. The technique of data collection was the writer observing the features that occur in the fairy tale then taking it to note. The writer found that: (1) title can be expounded by a short clause, phrase, or sentence, (2) the aperture is expounded by a clause, sentence, or paragraph, (3) the stage is expounded by a sentence or paragraph containing descriptive clauses, clauses with past completed action and identification clauses or noun phrase, (4) the author used third person pronouns she and he; (5) some nouns or pronouns were omitted in the second of coordinate clauses; (6) there were 64 sentences used additive conjunction and 10 sentences used comparative conjunction but, however, the conjunction neither…nor, or and if is only used once; (7) the authors only repeated the words will and hair; (8) the authors used words bird and cat in which they are a hyponym of animal; and (9) the synonyms words are grief, misery, heard, listen.


The global pandemic has accelerated an existing trend of growth in participation in outdoor recreational activities, of which mountain biking is one of the fastest growing segments. Concurrently, responsible tourism began receiving more attention from academics and practitioners began implementing the principles of responsible tourism within organizations. No research has been conducted on the intersection of mountain biking and responsible tourism. This study examines the potential role mountain biking may play as a responsible form of tourism and in the development of responsible tourism destinations. In particular, this study explores some of the principles of responsible tourism and applies them to the results from a tourism impact study for the Super8 Mountain Bike (MTB) Festival held in Taichung, Taiwan in 2020. Limitations to this study and areas of future research are highlighted, while implications for practitioners are also shared.


BACKGROUND
Inhalation of the enzyme dornase alfa reduces sputum viscosity and improves clinical outcomes of people with cystic fibrosis. This is an update of a previously published Cochrane Review.

OBJECTIVES
To determine whether the timing of dornase alfa inhalation (in relation to airway clearance techniques or morning versus evening inhalation) has an impact on objective and subjective measures of clinical efficacy in people with cystic fibrosis.

SEARCH METHODS
Relevant randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials were identified from the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis Trials Register, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), clinical trial registries and international cystic fibrosis conference proceedings. Date of the most recent search: 12 October 2020.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Any trial of dornase alfa in people with cystic fibrosis where timing of inhalation was the randomised element in the trial with either: inhalation before compared to after airway clearance techniques; or morning compared to evening inhalation.  DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Both authors independently selected trials, assessed risk of bias and extracted data with disagreements resolved by discussion. Relevant data were extracted and, where possible, meta-analysed. We assessed the quality of the evidence using GRADE.

MAIN RESULTS
We identified 115 trial reports representing 55 trials, of which five trials (providing data on 122 participants) met our inclusion criteria. All five trials used a cross-over design. Intervention periods ranged from two to eight weeks. Four trials (98 participants) compared dornase alfa inhalation before versus after airway clearance techniques. Inhalation after instead of before airway clearance did not significantly change forced expiratory volume at one second (very-low quality evidence). Similarly, forced vital capacity (low-quality evidence) and quality of life (very-low quality evidence) were not significantly affected; forced expiratory flow at 25% was significantly worse with dornase alfa inhalation after airway clearance, mean difference -0.17 litres (95% confidence interval -0.28 to -0.05), based on the pooled data from two small trials in children (7 to 19 years) with well-preserved lung function. All other secondary outcomes were statistically non-significant. In one trial (25 participants), morning versus evening inhalation had no impact on lung function or symptoms (low-quality evidence).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The current evidence derived from a small number of participants does not indicate that inhalation of dornase alfa after airway clearance techniques is more or less effective than the traditional recommendation to inhale nebulised dornase alfa 30 minutes prior to airway clearance techniques, for most outcomes. For children with well-preserved lung function, inhalation before airway clearance may be more beneficial for small airway function than inhalation after. However, this result relied on a measure with high variability and trials with variable follow-up. In the absence of strong evidence to indicate that one timing regimen is better than another, the timing of dornase alfa inhalation can be largely based on pragmatic reasons or individual preference with respect to the time of airway clearance and time of day. Further research is warranted.


The past decade has seen a substantial increase in the use of electronic health records (EHRs) by health care providers caring for children. However, gaps in pediatric-specific functionalities continue to exist in some EHR systems, including population-specific growth curves, immunization clinical decision support, weight-based medication dosing with rounding, calculation of pediatric hypertension percentiles, age-specific developmental assessment, newborn bilirubin nomograms, anticipatory guidance reminders, and other functionalities described elsewhere. Implementing pediatric functionalities into EHRs is critical to the provision of safe pediatric care. As an alternative to direct implementation in EHRs, EHR vendor agnostic Web applications, Web services, and application programming interfaces offer an opportunity to provide pediatric functionalities and eliminate the need for each vendor to develop these functionalities. Successful implementation of Web services and related technologies requires responsible attention from both EHR vendors and developers of Web services, Web applications, and application programming interfaces to the use of data terminology standards, adherence to privacy and security requirements, rigorous testing, change management processes, and robust system support and maintenance. Education of health care providers about opportunities to improve pediatric functionalities in EHRs by using these services can facilitate discussions in EHR user groups in which vendors can be lobbied to implement them. This policy statement emphasizes the need to address pediatric-specific functionalities in EHRs by providing insight and recommendations into the development, maintenance, integration, and support of these novel solutions.


Is wave function monism, the view that the wave function completely describes physical objects, a sensible view? GRW, one candidate to solve the measurement problem, might be taken to be an example of such view. I argue in this paper that it not so obviously so. I first show that a bare version of wave function monism is impossible, and even if one can construct monistic theories with additional rules (but no additional ontologies), they are not to be taken seriously. Instead, a preferable choice is that of a quantum theory in which physical objects are represented by entities in three–dimensional space or in four-dimensional space-time.


The economic analysis of tort law is extended to multi-party accidents with unobservable actions. Due to the requirement of no punitive damages, the problem resembles a team production problem. It is shown that asymmetry in the agents' impact on the stochastic damage function can be exploited to improve ex ante incentives. This implies departures from the proportional rule, based on the statistical information contained in the circumstances of the accident. If a noisy monitoring technology is introduced, then monitoring can add enough stochastic identifiability among injurers to restore efficiency.


8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) decreased the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), the deaminated metabolite of serotonin, in rat brain. 8-OH-DPAT was much more potent when injected subcutaneously than when injected intraperitoneally, the potency difference being approximately 17-fold. The important influence of route of administration on the potency of 8-OH-DPAT must be considered in interpreting the various functional effects that have been reported with it.


The present paper aims to study the application of new standard of food safety: ISO 22000:2005 in the catering industry. At the beginning the study made a comparison between ISO 22000 with the HACCP system and the ISO 9000:2000 standard, in order to identify their similarities and differences, while it pinpoints and records the reasons for creating and applying the ISO 22000 standard. Due to the preliminary nature of this study, we are given the opportunity to assess the practical application of ISO 22000 in an array of victual businesses and the repercussions on them, through their managers' points of view. The present research will explore the influence of the ISO 22000 to the food safety issues, marketing, financial, operational and the business personnel. The research is preliminary. The method used to approach the issue was based on primary research through an appropriate questionnaire focusing on 20 victual businesses where the new standard has already been put into practice. In-depth site interviews were conducted at each firm to obtain detailed information about the ISO 22000:2005 registration process and experience. The conclusions from the current study identified the advantages and disadvantages of the ISO 22000 implementation. Also, explores the problems and barriers that face managers. Finally, it explores marketing managers' attitudes towards ISO certification. ISO 22000, certification is a valuable tool to ensure food safety and quality requirements for food products while provide catering industry with reliability in order to meet consumers needs and wants.


Adoption levels of the innovation, sale of wool by sample, were less than complete but still increasing even after the innovation had been available for a number of years. A model that offers an explanation of the innovation process by individual growers is discussed and tested using econometric methods. The model is converted to testable form, given the data available, with the help of techniques used in studies of demand for travel. Variables found to have a significant influence on adoption levels include grower characteristics, which influence the profitability of innovation, and search variables such as contact with other growers and policies of wool brokers.


This research used ethnographic method on sea tribe, a sub-culture of Indonesian society commonly known by anthropologists with the term of the Bajo Tribe. The educational phenomenon of Bajo society has uniqueness, besides acknowledging that they only know, believe, and guided by the Islamic system, but in carrying out the main rituals of Islamic teachings are not visible, so is their awareness to go to higher education is very difficult to realize in the understanding of society. For the People of Orang Bajo, education should not be lost from a value taught from generation to generation, and should not be lost from the life of their grandchildren. While formal education can be done enough for primary school (SD) only. Even if they can continue their education to a higher level, they are simply maintaining their values or education based on their local cultural wisdom. There are various findings of local wisdom that became the education identity of Bajo are Kampoh or togetherness in village, Lukka maintain the tradition of marriage, and Alla Tala have confidence in the power of God.


Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) relies on the computation distributed over the environment to simplify the tasks performed by its users. A smart space is an instance of a ubiquitous environment, composed of a dynamic and heterogeneous set of devices that interact to support the execution of distributed smart applications. In this context, mobile devices provide new resources when they join the environment, which disappear when they leave it. This introduces the challenge of self-adaptation, in which smart applications may either include new resources as they become available or replace them when they become unavailable. Ubiquitous games combine ubicomp and computer game technologies to enrich user's experience and fun. Such games may benefit from different input and output resources offered by mobile devices. To support the development and deployment of ubiquitous games, this work presents the uOS middleware. Using a DSOA (Device Service Oriented Architecture) based architecture and lightweight service discovery protocols, uOS ensures compatibility among resources, providing resource rerouting between heterogeneous and limited software and hardware platforms. The uMoleHunt game is presented to illustrate the practical application of uOS.


Purpose - The paper explores the precarious balance between modernizing monetary systems by means of digital currencies (either issued by the central bank itself or independently) and safeguarding financial stability as also ensured by tangible payment (and saving) instruments like paper money. Design/methodology/approach - Which aspects of modern payment systems could contribute to improve the way of functioning of today's globalized economy? And, which might even threaten the above-mentioned instable equilibrium? This survey paper aims, precisely, at giving some preliminary answers to a complex – therefore, ongoing – debate at scientific as well as banking and political levels. Findings - The coexistence of State's money (i.e. "legal tender") and cryptocurrencies can have a disciplining effect on central banks. Nevertheless, there are still high risks connected to the introduction of central bank digital currency, which should be by far not considered to be a perfect substitute of current cash. At the same time, cryptocurrencies issued by central banks might be exposed to the drawbacks of cryptocurrencies without benefiting from correspondingly strong advantages. A well-governed two-tier system to be achieved through innovation in payment infrastructures might be, in turn, more preferable. Regulated competition by new players combined with "traditional" deposits and central bank elements remains essential, although central banks should embrace the technologies underlying cryptocurrencies, because risk payment service providers could move to other currency areas considered to be more appealing for buyers and sellers. Research limitations/implications - We do not see specific limitations besides the fact that the following is for sure a broad field of scientific research to be covered, which is at the same time at the origin of ongoing developments and findings. Originality and implications of the paper are, instead, not only represented by its conclusions (which highlight the role of traditional payment instruments and stress why the concept of "money" still has to have specific features) but also by its approach of recent literature's review combined with equally strong logical-analytical insights. Practical implications - In the light of these considerations, even the role of traditional payment systems like paper money is by far not outdated or cannot be – at this point, at least – replaced by central bank digital currencies (whose features based on dematerialization despite being issued and guaranteed by a public authority are very different). Social implications - No matter which form it might assume is what differentiates economic from barter transactions. This conclusion is by far not tautological or self-evident since the notion of money has historically been a great object of scientific discussion. In the light of increasingly modern payment instruments, there is no question that money and the effectiveness of related monetary policies have to be also explored from a social perspective according to different monetary scenarios, ranging from central bank digital currencies to private currencies and cash restrictions/abolition. Originality/value - The originality/value of the following article is represented by the fact that it (1) refers to some of the most relevant and recent contributions to this research field, (2) moves from payment systems in general to their newest trends like cryptocurrencies, cash restrictions (or, even, abolition proposals) and monetary policy while (3) combining all elements to reach a common picture. The paper aims at being a comprehensive contribution dealing with "money" in its broadest but also newest sense.


the off-the-shelf virtual reality community is well aware of the wide variety of inexpensive and robust tracking and display technologies that have emerged from the entertainment industry in recent years. Alongside these developments, there has also been a vast improvement in the accessibility and usability of hobbyist-grade electronics components, which make incorporating lower-level sensing and actuation components into virtual reality systems feasible for even novices in electronics. Combined, these developments have formed the foundation for a renaissance of do-it-yourself interface device prototyping. Development of novel virtual reality interface devices has been simplified to the point that it can be commonplace in virtual reality system design, rather than an exception. This article discusses a variety of ways in which off-the-shelf electronics and devices can be leveraged and combined in virtual reality experiences, and the knowledge required to begin exploring possibilities, through case studies in prototyping virtual reality experiences.


Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE This work presents research into the taxonomic composition of macroinvertebrate communities in streams that are under the influence of agricultural pollution A total of 67 macroinvertebrate taxa (including 61 identified species) belonging to 40 families have been identified in the explored streams. The greatest species richness is recorded for the Trichoptera (18 species/1 taxa) and Mollusca (12 species). The molluscs Gyraulus albus, amphipods Gammarus pulex, caddisflies Hydropsyche pellucidula and oligochaetes are detected in all examined streams. There, the number of total benthic macroinvertebrate taxa is highly variable, ranging from 16 to 40. Results show that the examined streams depending on the benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomic composition and predominance of seperate macroinvertebrate groups undergo different pollution. Intolerant to pollution taxa such as Plecoptera, which are the most sensitive to pollution insects, have been found only in 5 of 12 examined streams and in low abundances. The richness and diversity of macrozoobenthos in some streams appear to respond to the water quality deterioration. The present study has found out that in the stream where the total macroinvertebrate taxa, EPT taxa richness are the lowest and a relative abundance of gatherers is the highest, the values of NH 4 -N, NO 3 -N, total N, PO 4 -P and total P in the stream water are the highest, too.


Summary As the number of preference-based instruments grows, it becomes increasingly important to compare different preference-based measures of health in order to inform an important debate on the choice of instrument. This paper presents a comparison of two of them, the EQ-5D and the SF-6D (recently developed from the SF-36) across seven patient/population groups (chronic obstructive airways disease, osteoarthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, lower back pain, leg ulcers, post menopausal women and elderly). The mean SF-6D index value was found to exceed the EQ-5D by 0.045 and the intraclass correlation coefficient between them was 0.51. Whilst this convergence lends some support for the validity of these measures, the modest difference at the aggregate level masks more significant differences in agreement across the patient groups and over severity of illness, with the SF-6D having a smaller range and lower variance in values. There is evidence for floor effects in the SF-6D and ceiling effects in the EQ-5D. These discrepancies arise from differences in their health state classifications and the methods used to value them. Further research is required to fully understand the respective roles of the descriptive systems and the valuation methods and to examine the implications for estimates of the impact of health care interventions. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper reports on two experiments with a Talking Head that explore the ability of eyebrow movements to cue focus. The first experiment tests how listeners react to synthetic stimuli in which the eyebrow movements coincide with pitch accents versus those in which these two occur on different words. Results show that subjects prefer those utterances in which pitch and eyebrow movements are aligned on the same word. The second experiment investigates whether listeners are sensitive to eyebrow movements when they have to rate the prominence of particular words in audiovisual stimuli. This experiment shows that eyebrow movements both boost the perceived prominence of words that also receive a pitch accent, and downscale the prominence of unaccented words in the immediate context of the accented word.


A review of the literature leads to the conclusion that there are no reliable figures on the impact of gambling advertising on the extent of problem gambling. To measure that impact appears as a very difficult research task. However, we can infer that gambling advertising does add to problem gambling, but with a smaller impact than other influential factors. Thus, alarming claims that gambling advertising substantially increases problem gambling and reassuring statements from gambling companies that advertising merely affects market share and has no impact on the prevalence of problem gambling both appear to be erroneous. Gambling providers are advised to avoid publishing advertising that elaborates on features of gambling known to relate to problem gambling. The controversial nature of gambling advertising is illustrated by the case of Sweden, where advertising and its impact on problem gambling have been hotly debated over the past decade.


By exploiting the cyclostationarity exhibited by most communication signals, we propose a computationally efficient method for estimating the directions-of-arrival (DOA) of coherent narrowband signals impinging on a uniform linear array without eigendecomposition and spatial smoothing processes. An online implementation of this method is proposed for tracking the DOA of moving signals in a multipath propagation environment. In the proposed algorithm, a combination of the cyclostationarity and a subarray scheme are used to decorrelate the signal coherency and to suppress the noise and interfering signals, while the noise subspace is estimated from the resulting cyclic correlation matrix through a linear operation. As a result, the proposed algorithm has the advantages of computational simplicity and robust detection capability.


Data on the chromosome aberrations associated with leiomyosarcomas of soft tissues are limited, complex, and incomplete. The aim of this study was to characterize genetic aberrations associated with this tumor group, to identify consistent regions of involvement and to determine correlations with clinical outcome. Chromosomes were prepared from 10 primary soft‐tissue leiomyosarcoma samples, and preparations from four of them, plus the cell line SK‐LMS‐1, were suitable for analysis using 24‐color karyotyping by multifluor fluorescence in situ hybridization. This method allowed rearranged chromosomes to be characterized, which would not have been possible by banding analysis alone. The remaining six chromosome preparations were analyzed using standard Giemsa banding. The chromosome imbalances associated with all the samples were determined by comparative genomic hybridization analysis. Taken together, the results show both intra‐ and intertumor heterogeneity and considerable complexity. Although no highly consistent rearrangements were found, some regions of the genome frequently were involved, including 1q21, 5p14‐pter, and 20q13, which likely harbor genes that play a role in the pathogenesis of soft‐tissue leiomyosarcomas. There were no obvious correlations between the chromosomal changes identified and available clinical details. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Recognizing that the teen years are a time of growth, transition, and tough choices, the Straight Talk series provides young readers with the knowledge they need to understand difficult issues, come to terms with their feelings, and make decisions that will work in the context of their lives. Without attempting to dictate answers, the Straight Talk series reminds its readers that all choices carry consequences. Each book is thoroughly indexed and contains a directory of resources.Straight Talk About Teenage Pregnancy guides teens through abstinence, responsible "safe" sex, abortion, adoption, raising a child, and more. It helps young people take responsibility for their actions -- stressing the importance of making decisions with which they feel comfortable.


Fibrin deposition plays an important role in the formation of mature tumor stroma and provides a facilitating scaffold for tumor angiogenesis. This study investigates the potential of the (111)In-labeled fibrin-binding peptide EPep for SPECT imaging of intratumoral fibrin deposition. (111)In-EPep and negative control (111)In-NCEPep were synthesized and characterized in vitro. In vivo SPECT images and ex vivo biodistribution profiles and autoradiographs were obtained in a fibrin-rich BT-20 breast cancer mouse model. Furthermore, biodistribution profiles were obtained in the fibrin-poor MDA-MD-231 model. In vitro, (111)In-EPep displayed significantly more binding than (111)In-NCEPep toward human and mouse derived fibrin. SPECT/CT images displayed a marked SPECT signal in the tumor area for BT-20 tumor bearing mice injected with EPep but not for mice injected with NCEPep. Biodistribution profiles of BT-20 tumor bearing mice 3 h post-tracer injection showed significantly higher tumor uptake for EPep with respect to NCEPep (0.39 ± 0.14 and 0.11 ± 0.03% ID g(-1), respectively), whereas uptake in other organs was similar for EPep and NCEPep. Autoradiography of BT-20 tumor sections displayed a high signal for EPep which colocalized with intratumoral fibrin deposits. Histological evaluation of MDA-MB-231 tumor sections displayed no significant tumor stroma and only minute fibrin deposits. Biodistribution profiles in MDA-MB-231 tumor bearing mice 3 h post-injection showed EPep tumor uptake (0.14 ± 0.04% ID g(-1)) which was significantly lower with respect to EPep BT-20 tumor uptake, indicating fibrin-specificity of EPep tumoral uptake. In conclusion, this work demonstrates the potential of EPep SPECT imaging for visualization of tumoral fibrin deposition.


The megadiverse biome of the Paraguayan Pantanal is in danger due to the expansion of cattle ranching and agricultural frontiers that threaten not only the fragile equilibrium of natural resources, but also that of local governance and cultural identities. As a consequence, weak governance stresses the relations between natural resource-dependent communities, generating socio-environmental conflicts. This perception study seeks to find community-based governance models for sustainability in the context of Paraguayan wetlands. According to the organizational principles of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), we applied qualitative approaches with the use of the Governance Analytical Framework (GAF) to identify problems and social norms. Our findings suggest that the Yshiro indigenous self-organized group (Unión de las Comunidades Indígenas de la Nación Yshiro (UCINY)) can be considered as a model for community-based governance. Besides, we discovered that this specific governance model is highly threatened by the impact of the national neo-extractive economy.


Relying on census data collected in 2002 and historical weather data for Uganda, we estimate the impact of weather-induced internal migration on the probability for non-migrants living in the destination regions to be employed. Consistent with the prediction of a simple theoretical model, our results reveal a larger negative impact than the one documented for developed countries. They further show that this negative impact is significantly stronger in Ugandan regions with lower road density and therefore less conducive to capital mobility: a 10 percentage points increase in the net in-migration rate in these areas decreases the probability of being employed of non-migrants by more than 10 percentage points. JEL codes: E24, J21, J61, Q54, R23 on the Consistent with the a Our


Research on student-learning outcomes indicates that university graduates do not possess relevant skills required by the industry such as leadership, emotional intelligence, problem solving, communication, decision-making skills and the ability to function in a multicultural environment. Currently, engineering graduates are expected to perform within a diverse working environment, hence the need to possess appropriate professional competencies and attributes. This paper seeks to identify strengths and potential shortfalls of work integrated learning (WIL) for students placed in the engineering sector. It presents findings from a study of workplace supervisors of chemical engineering students at one university of technology on the coastal seaboard. Supervisors from a variety of chemical industries completed a WIL students' competency assessment, which measures 23 work-related competencies using a 4-point Likert scale. The competencies were organised under two broad themes of cognitive and behavioural skills. The two themes were further broken down into five sub-themes, namely ability, performance, judgement, attitude and suitability. This defines the common characteristics of superior performers within the workplace. The results show that most students meet the standard expectation on the cognitive or 'hard' skills but seem to lack the behavioural or 'soft' skills. There were statistically significant differences between cognitive and behavioural skills. The findings from this study suggest that cooperative education programmes need to do more in developing the students' soft skills before they go out for WIL placement to ensure effectiveness and broad-based technical competence.


This paper presents an alternating minimization (AM) algorithm used in the training of radial basis function and linear regressor networks. The algorithm is a modification of a small-step interior point method used in solving primal linear programs. The algorithm has a convergence rate of O(√n L) iterations where n is a measure of the network size and L is a measure of the resulting solution's accuracy. Two results are presented that specify how aggressively the two steps of the AM may be pursued to ensure convergence of each step of the alternating minimization.


Here we present methods for injecting raw frames at Layer 1 from within upper-layer protocols by abuse of in-band signaling mechanisms common to most digital radio protocols. This packet piggy-backing technique allows attackers to hide malicious packets inside packets that are permitted on the network. When these carefully crafted Packets-in-Packets (PIPs) traverse a wireless network, a bit error in the outer frame will cause the inner frame to be interpreted instead. This allows an attacker to evade firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, user-land networking restrictions, and other such defenses. As packets are constructed using interior fields of higher networking layers, the attacker only needs the authority to send cleartext data over the air, even if it is wrapped within several networking layers.

This paper includes tested examples of raw frame injection for IEEE 802.15.4 and 2-FSK radios. Additionally, implementation complications are described for 802.11 and a variety of other modern radios. Finally, we present suggestions for how this technique might be extended from wireless radio protocols to Ethernet and other wired links.


Tag anticollision has long been an important issue in RFID systems. To accelerate tag identification, some researchers have recently adopted bit tracking technology that allows the reader to detect the locations of collided bits in a collision slot. However, these methods still encounter the problem of too many collisions occurring at the beginning of identification. This paper proposes an optimal query tracking tree protocol (OQTT) that tries to separate all of the tags into smaller sets to reduce collisions at the beginning of identification. Using bit tracking technology, OQTT mainly adopts three proposed approaches, bit estimation, optimal partition, and query tracking tree. Bit estimation first estimates the number of tags based on the locations of collided bits. Optimal partition then determines the optimal number of the initial sets based on this estimation. Query tracking tree splits a set of collided tags into two subsets using the first collided bit in the tag IDs. This paper analyzes the efficiency of OQTT, which represents how many tags can be identified in a slot. Results show that its efficiency is close to 0.614, the highest efficiency published to date. The simulation results further show that OQTT outperforms other existing algorithms.


This study examines the relation between voluntary audit and the cost of debt in private firms. We use a sample of 4,058 small private firms operating in the period 2006‐2017 that are not subject to mandatory audits. Firms decide for a voluntary audit of financial statements either because the economic setting in which they operate effectively forces them to do so (e.g., ownership complexity, export‐oriented supply chain, subsidiary status) or because firm fundamentals and/or financial reporting practices limit their access to financial debt, both reflected in earnings quality. We use these factors to model the decision for voluntary audit. In the outcome analyses, we find robust evidence that voluntary audits are associated with higher, rather than lower, interest rate by up to 3.0 percentage points. This effect is present regardless of the perceived audit quality (Big‐4 vs. non‐Big‐4), but is stronger for non‐Big‐4 audits where auditees have a stronger position relative to auditors. Audited firms' earnings are less informative about future operating performance relative to unaudited counterparts. We conclude that voluntary audits facilitate access to financial debt for firms with higher risk that may otherwise have no access to this form of financing. The price paid is reflected in higher interest rates charged to firms with voluntary audits – firms with higher information and/or fundamental risk.


There is increasing evidence of a pivotal regulatory role of innate immune mechanisms in tumor-immune interplay. Among these diverse mechanisms, tumor-derived nucleic acids' sensing has recently emerged as one of the fundamental pathways linking innate and adaptive immunity, with DNA-sensor STING being the crucial member of this pathway. Another clear trend is understanding the striking diversity of innate and innate- like immune cell populations implicated in suppression or promotion of tumor growth. Papillomavirus-associated cervical cancer appears to represent a complex network of antiviral and antitumor innate immune mechanisms, whose regulation can be signifi cantly influenced by developing neoplasia. In this chapter, we address new data on the problem of regulation of innate and acquired immunity in cervical cancer patients published in the past 2 years. To support the idea of multilevelness and diversity of changes in the innate arm of immunity, we also report our findings about (a) the expression of endogenous immune sensor STING in neoplastic tissue and peripheral blood lympho- cytes, (b) altered frequencies of circulating natural killer and natural killer-like cell populations, as well as regulatory T lymphocytes from patients with precancerous or early cancerous lesions. Revisiting this problem may provide new insights into therapeutic options for cervical cancer.


Turbine Blade Platform Film Cooling with Simulated Stator-Rotor Purge Flow with Varied Seal Width and Upstream Wake with Vortex. (May 2007) Sarah Anne Blake, B.S., University of Maine Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Je-Chin Han The turbine blade platform can be protected from hot mainstream gases by injecting cooler air through the gap between stator and rotor. The effectiveness of this film cooling method depends on the geometry of the slot, the quantity of injected air, and the secondary flows near the platform. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of the upstream vane or stator on this type of platform cooling, as well as the effect of changes in the width of the gap. Film cooling effectiveness distributions were obtained on a turbine blade platform within a linear cascade with upstream slot injection. The width of the slot was varied as well as the mass flow rate of the injected coolant. Obstacles were placed upstream to model the effect of the upstream vane. The coolant was injected through an advanced labyrinth seal to simulate purge flow through a stator-rotor seal. The width of the opening of this seal was varied to simulate the effect of misalignment. Stationary rods were placed upstream of the cascade in four phase locations to model the unsteady wake formed at the trailing edge of the upstream vane. Delta wings were also placed in four positions to create a vortex similar to the passage vortex at the exit of the vane. The film cooling effectiveness distributions were measured using pressure-sensitive paint (PSP). Reducing the width of the slot was found to decrease the area of coolant coverage, although the film cooling effectiveness close to the slot was slightly increased. The unsteady wake was found to have a trivial effect on platform cooling, while the passage vortex from the upstream vane may significantly reduce the film cooling effectiveness.


EDITOR,-I was frustrated by the recent annotation on vitamin A supplementation in developing countries.' My main complaint is the inability of Dr Filteau and Professor Tomkins to endorse vitamin A supplementation among children living in poverty. The authors are concerned that 15 mg (50 000 IU) of supplemental retinol given at about 1-5, 2-5, and 3-5 months has been associated with an 11% excess incidence of bulging fontanelle among young infants.2 However, the infants in this study received more frequent doses of vitamin A than is likely necessary for clinical benefit3 4; there was a higher chance of having unnecessary side effects among those treated. A similar trial, using a single dose of 50 000 IU retinol among neonates, failed to demonstrate any significant adverse effects.5 Furthermore, Filteau and Tomkins incorrectly state that the bulging fontanelle represents vitamin A 'toxicity' when, in fact, this phenomenon is transient, and has no proved adverse effect on a baby (or parents for that matter). Do fever and injection site erythema represent toxicity from the diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccine, or are they simply acceptable side effects of a beneficial treatment? Most importantly, Filteau and Tomkins failed to cite two recent rigorous cumulative meta-analyses that demonstrated clear cut benefits of vitamin A supplementation.3 4 Both publications showed reduced childhood morbidity and mortality related to respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases among children in 'developing' countries. These data prove, through trial consensus, that supplemental vitamin A is safe, efficacious, and cost effective. Retinol supplements should be a part of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). The longer we sit on the fence of inconclusiveness, the more children will suffer and die from preventable illness. JOEL RAY Department ofMedicine, McMaster Universty, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3ZS


ABSTRACT There are two perspectives on controlling the performance of salespeople–an outcome-based perspective and behavior-based perspective. The former process focuses on the objective measures of results while the latter perspective on performance control of salespeople incorporates complex and often subjective assessments of the attributes of sales people. A balance of these implications provides strong support for laying controls and evaluating the performance of sales people in varied sociocultural selling situations. This study has been conducted in two developing countries India and Mexico with varied sociocultural selling situations. The study discusses the impact of sales territory design on these consequences in reference to the underlying rationale of management control, incentive pay, and territory design as predictors of performance, and sales unit effectiveness and attempts to examine the relationships between incentive pay, management control, and their impact on salesperson performance and sales organization effectiveness.


The serine/threonine p21-activated kinase (PAK) is an effector for Rac and Cdc42, but its role in regulating cytoskeletal organization has been controversial. To address this issue, we investigated the role of PAK in migration of microvascular endothelial cells. We found that a dominant negative (DN) mutant of PAK significantly inhibited cell migration and increased stress fibers and focal adhesions. The DN effect mapped to the most NH 2 -terminal proline-rich SH3binding sequence. Observation of a green fluorescent protein-tagged a -actinin construct in living cells revealed that the DN construct had no effect on membrane ruffling, but dramatically inhibited stress fiber and focal contact motility and turnover. Constitutively active PAK inhibited migration equally well and also increased stress fibers and focal adhesions, but had a somewhat weaker effect on their dynamics. In contrast to their similar effects on motility, DN PAK decreased cell contractility, whereas active PAK increased contractility. Active PAK also increased myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, as indicated by staining with an antibody to phosphorylated MLC, whereas DN PAK had little effect, despite the increase in actin stress fibers. These results demonstrate that although PAK is not required for extension of lamellipodia, it has substantial effects on cell adhesion and contraction. These data suggest a model in which PAK plays a role coordinating the formation of new adhesions at the leading edge with contraction and detachment at the trailing


Posttraumatic avascular humeral head necrosis may require salvage shoulder arthroplasty in symptomatic cases. We tested the hypothesis that associated tuberosity malunion negatively influences the final clinical outcome after shoulder arthroplasty. Thirty-eight patients with posttraumatic avascular necrosis of the humeral head were followed clinically and radiographically for a minimum of 5 years (mean, 8 years; range, 5-13 years). To quantify preoperative tuberosity malunion, two novel radiographic parameters were introduced: on the anteroposterior view, the greater tuberosity offset as a measurement of lateralization of the greater tuberosity; and on the axillary view, the posterior offset to quantify the degree of widening at the intertubercular groove. At last followup, the average Constant and Murley score had improved from 27 points preoperatively to 57 points postoperatively; shoulder range of motion had increased from 40° abduction to 116°, flexion from 45° to 120°, and external rotation from 15° to 39°. Functional improvements and pain relief were substantial. A significant correlation was found between greater tuberosity offset and posterior offset and final clinical outcome. Preoperative near anatomic tuberosity alignment was associated with good results. The greater tuberosity offset and posterior offset are useful and reliable radiographic predictors of outcome.Level of Evidence: Level IV, prognostic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


: A neonatal death due to unsuspected coccidioidomycosis was studied. A critical review of the 12 neonatal fatalities and two survivals now reported strongly opposes the concept of transplacental spread. Associated with 35 maternal fatalities in the literature are 16 cases of placentitis and five neonatal deaths; none of the neonatal deaths, however, were associated with placentitis. Three of these five had predominantly intrathoracic disease, as did those neonates whose rapid deaths were unassociated with maternal coccidioidomycosis. Transpartum aspiration of infected decidua or postpartum inhalation is the probable initial pathogenic event in neonatal coccidioidomycosis.


Large-scale public building has high energy consumption and has great potential in saving it. It is necessary to do research on the calculation of energy consumption and raise some methods to save energy of large-scale public building. Basing on the theory of whole life cycle, the energy consumption of large-scale public building was analysed and the whole life cycle energy saving system was set up. What's more, it emphasized the importance of energy saving design at the stage of planning and design. Meanwhile, the paper not only analysed the whole life cycle energy saving contents and calculation formulas of large-scale public building by taking advantage of LCEA model, but also proposed some corresponding measures to save energy.


Are ordinary citizens or political party leaders better positioned to select candidates? While the American primary system lets citizens choose, most democracies rely instead on party officials to appoint or nominate candidates. The consequences of these distinct design choices are unclear: while officials are often better informed about candidate qualifications, they may value traits, like party loyalty or willingness to pay for the nomination, at odds with identifying the best performer. We partnered with both major political parties in Sierra Leone to experimentally vary how much say voters have in selecting Parliamentary candidates. Estimates suggest that more democratic procedures increase the likelihood that parties select voters' most preferred candidates and favor candidates with stronger records of public goods provision. (JEL D72, H41, O17)


Scientists have to perform multiple experiments producing qualitative and quantitative data to determine if a compound is able to bind to a given target. Due to the large diversity of the potential ligand chemical space, the possibility of experimentally exploring a lot of compounds on a target rapidly becomes out of reach. Scientists therefore need to use virtual screening methods to determine the putative binding mode of ligands on a protein and then post-process the raw docking experiments with a dedicated scoring function in relation with experimental data. Two of the major difficulties for comparing docking predictions with experiments mostly come from the lack of transferability of experimental data and the lack of standardisation in molecule names. Although large portals like PubChem or ChEMBL are available for general purpose, there is no service allowing a formal expert annotation of both experimental data and docking studies. To address these issues, researchers build their own collection of data in flat files, often in spreadsheets, with limited possibilities of extensive annotations or standardisation of ligand descriptions allowing cross-database retrieval. We have conceived the dockNmine platform to provide a service allowing an expert and authenticated annotation of ligands and targets. First, this portal allows a scientist to incorporate controlled information in the database using reference identifiers for the protein (Uniprot ID) and the ligand (SMILES description), the data and the publication associated to it. Second, it allows the incorporation of docking experiments using forms that automatically parse useful parameters and results. Last, the web interface provides a lot of pre-computed outputs to assess the degree of correlations between docking experiments and experimental data.


The composite foundation fully takes the carrying capacity of pile and soil into account, which decreases the settlement of oil storage tank foundation and differential settlement of oil storage tank bottom apparently. Analyzing the changes of stress and settlement under different conditions and optimizing the parameters of pile have important significance in engineering practice. In this paper, with an actual project of oil storage tank for background, basing on the Drucker-Prager yield criterion, the FEM model of composite foundation has been carried out by using ANSYS procedure. And with simulating the status of composite foundation under the working load, the project properties of composite foundation are investigated. Further more, analysis on the impacts of different pile parameters on stress and settlement of composite foundation have been carried out. In the end, the optimization scheme of composite foundation design has been proposed.


Three major membrane cofactor protein (MCP) phenotypes with different serine-threonine (ST)-rich regions, namely STc (L-phenotype), STBC (H or U phenotype) and STABC, and the MCP without the ST domain (delta ST) were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by transfecting the respective cDNAs. The expressed molecules migrated with a larger molecular mass on SDS/PAGE than those expected from their amino acid sequences. O-Glycanase digestion showed that this was due to O-linked sugar chains. The apparent sugar contents in each ST segment were compatible with their serine and threonine contents in the ST regions. The functional properties of these phenotypes as inhibitors of human complement (C) and receptors of measles virus (MV) were compared. The classical pathway-dependent CHO cell lysis by human C was more effectively suppressed by the expressed delta ST and STC than by the STABC and STBC phenotypes, although the difference was not so prominent. In contrast, alternative C pathway-dependent CHO-cell lysis was most effectively suppressed by the STABC phenotype and was only slightly blocked by the ST-deleted mutant. MV infection occurred with all of the phenotypes, but the infectious dose required to cause the same level of syncytium formation was 100-times higher in large ST (STABC and STBC) than in small ST (STC and delta ST) phenotypes. Thus, the ST domain serves as a functional modulator in MCP: MCP with a large ST domain having high O-linked sugar contents is favourable to the effective suppression of both the alternative C pathway-mediated cytolysis and MV infection, whereas MCP with a small ST domain is favourable to the suppression of the classical C pathway.


In MPLS and MPLS-TE environments pseudo wires use two unidirectional
LSPs as PSN tunnels, the two PEs select LSP tunnels independently. In
contrast the MPLS-TP environment supports both bidirectional and
unidirectional LSPs and PWE may, therefore, use bidirectional LSPs as
PSN tunnels. In order to use MPLS-TP bidirectional LSPs as a PSN
tunnels for pseudo wires some modification of the pseudowire signaling
procedures is required. This draft specifies an extension to LDP that
ensures pseudo-wires are correctly constructed over bi-directional
LSPs.


Inclusion bodies (IBs) are intracellular, insoluble protein aggregates, commonly observed when a protein of interest is expressed at high concentrations in a bacterial cell-based expression system. The molecular determinants of IB formation are poorly understood, and are of both fundamental and biotechnological significance. The stability, folding, and structure of the tenth human fibronectin type III domain (Fn3) have been studied previously, making it an attractive model system to investigate IB formation. A library of Fn3 mutants was provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb; 31 of these mutants were expressed in Escherichia coli and analyzed. The percentage of the expressed protein found within IBs was quantified at different expression time points using densitometric analysis of soluble and inclusion body (insoluble) cell lysate fractions separated by centrifugation and subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Although most of these mutants differ from each other in only 3 amino acid positions, all found within a single flexible loop of the protein, the extent of IB formation varies greatly. This data set was used to test the performance of a variety of amino acid sequence-based protein aggregation prediction methods. Several of these methods produced predictions that correlate moderately well with the IB formation data (R > 0.6), suggesting that while the intrinsic aggregation propensity of sequence segments strongly influences IB formation, other factors are also relevant. We hypothesized that improved predictions might be made possible by the consideration of additional structural context, i.e. aggregationprone sequence segment exposure. Thermodynamic stabilities determined using differential scanning calorimetry correlate poorly with IB formation; all of the mutants are sufficiently stable that no significant fraction of protein is likely to be denatured at equilibrium. To describe the variable structure of the flexible loop in which the mutant sequences differ, ensembles of homology models were constructed. IB formation was found to correlate with the ensemble average energy scores of the homology models. The ensemble average scores may capture subtle shifts in the energetic bias toward native structure that restricts the exposure of aggregationprone sequence segments. A linear combination of sequence-based aggregation predictions and ensemble average homology model scores correlates much better with IB formation (R > 0.8) than either parameter does individually.


The polymicrobial dysbiotic subgingival biofilm microbes associated with periodontal disease appear to contribute to developing pathologies in distal body sites, including the brain. This study examined oxidative stress, in the form of increased protein carbonylation and oxidative protein damage, in the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) transgenic mouse that models inflammatory TNF-α excess during bacterial infection; and in the apolipoprotein knockout (ApoE-/-) mouse brains, following Porphyromonas gingivalis gingival monoinfection. Following 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatization, carbonyl groups were detected in frontal lobe brain tissue lysates by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analysis of fixed tissue sections from the frontotemporal lobe and the hippocampus. Immunoblot analysis confirmed the presence of variable carbonyl content and oxidative protein damage in all lysates, with TNF-α transgenic blots exhibiting increased protein carbonyl content, with consistently prominent bands at 25 kDa (p = 0.0001), 43 kDa, and 68 kDa, over wild-type mice. Compared to sham-infected ApoE-/- mouse blots, P. gingivalis-infected brain tissue blots demonstrated the greatest detectable protein carbonyl content overall, with numerous prominent bands at 25 kDa (p = 0.001) and 43 kDa (p = 0.0001) and an exclusive band to this group between 30-43 kDa* (p = 0.0001). In addition, marked immunostaining was detected exclusively in the microvasculature in P. gingivalis-infected hippocampal tissue sections, compared to sham-infected, wild-type, and TNF-α transgenic mice. This study revealed that the hippocampal microvascular structure of P. gingivalis-infected ApoE-/- mice possesses elevated oxidative stress levels, resulting in the associated tight junction proteins being susceptible to increased oxidative/proteolytic degradation, leading to a loss of functional integrity.


In trust negotiation and other forms of distributed proving, networked entities cooperate to form proofs of authorization that are justified by collections of certified attribute credentials. These attributes may be obtained through interactions with any number of external entities and are collected and validated over an extended period of time. Although these collections of credentials in some ways resemble partial system snapshots, current trust negotiation and distributed proving systems lack the notion of a consistent global state in which the satisfaction of authorization policies should be checked. In this article, we argue that unlike the notions of consistency studied in other areas of distributed computing, the level of consistency required during policy evaluation is predicated solely upon the security requirements of the policy evaluator. As such, there is little incentive for entities to participate in complicated consistency preservation schemes like those used in distributed computing, distributed databases, and distributed shared memory. We go on to show that the most intuitive notion of consistency fails to provide basic safety guarantees under certain circumstances and then propose several more refined notions of consistency that provide stronger safety guarantees. We provide algorithms that allow each of these refined notions of consistency to be attained in practice with minimal overheads and formally prove several security and privacy properties of these algorithms. Lastly, we explore the notion of strategic design trade-offs in the consistency enforcement algorithm space and propose several modifications to the core algorithms presented in this article. These modifications enhance the privacy-preservation or completeness properties of these algorithms without altering the consistency constraints that they enforce.


A confined space is broadly applied to enhance the dispersion and limit the aggregation of catalytically active sites, especially at high temperatures. In this work, we provided an efficient approach to immobilize transition metal ions (e.g., Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, and Fe2+) into the confined space of laminar Cu-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) using a range of molecular metalloporphyrins (viz., TCPP(M)) as shuttles. The deprotonated TCPP(M) not only provides nitrogen-based coordination sites to anchor a series of transition metal ions, but also intercalates and diffuses facilely into the interlayer gallery of LDHs by ion exchange. The obtained TCPP(M)@Cu-Al LDHs were then used as solid precursors for the fabrication of a series of heterogeneous catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation via high-temperature calcination. Two restriction forces contributed to the enhanced dispersion of the active species over the catalyst surface structures. Remarkably, the transition metals positioned within the confined space of LDHs significantly affected the catalytic performance of CO2 hydrogenation. Mainly CO, methanol, and methane were found as the C1 products, and their selectivities are highly dependent on the reaction intermediates, as suggested by the in situ DRIFTS study. Moreover, the designed catalysts fabricated via molecular TCPP(M) intercalation exhibited much better performance than the conventional catalysts derived from surface-supported CA-LDHs, due to their better metal dispersion and smaller particle size.


It is estimated that up to one million children may have been exposed to domestic violence in the UK, with significant consequences for their social and emotional development in childhood and later life. At a time when the central and devolved administrations in the UK have developed strategies to tackle domestic violence, this paper reports the findings from a study conducted on children in the child protection system with long-term and complex needs as a result of experiencing domestic violence. The research identifies the characteristics of the children and their families and tracks their careers through the child protection system. The findings indicate that professionals have an awareness of domestic violence, and that younger children with younger parents are most likely to experience prolonged periods in the child protection system. Domestic violence in this context typically co-exists in families experiencing other difficulties such as substance misuse and socio-economic deprivation. In conclusion, the paper argues that Government policy and professional practice should primarily be concerned with assessing the risk that men present, rather than the risk that children are at. By reframing professional interventions, men are more likely to be challenged to accept responsibility for their behaviour and the consequences for their families.


Market-based information can help detect deteriorating corporate health because it incorporates more forward-looking information than other data sources such as financial statements. With this in mind, the Reserve Bank has developed an indicator of financial health based on a contingent claims framework developed by Merton (1974), which is sometimes called a distance-to-default model. The Bank will primarily use the model to assess trends in financial health for the corporate sector as a whole and, in aggregate, the model is able to broadly match the dynamics of the corporate failures data, suggesting that it will be a useful addition to the Bank's existing suite of monitoring tools. The results from the model suggest that corporate financial conditions remain robust, despite some deterioration more recently, which partly reflects the headwinds faced by listed resource companies.


We appreciate reading the data provided by Cheng and Sadek on fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) use in Nova Scotia. The information provided is quite consistent with the findings in our single-institution study at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and suggests that a large proportion of FFP is transfused with little apparent benefit. Readers interested in the effect of FFP on coagulation test results will also want to read a recent report from the University of Oklahoma by Holland and Brooks confirming that FFP transfusions have little or no effect on coagulation tests if the pretransfusion international normalized ratio (INR) is less than 1.6 or 1.7. As noted by Cheng and Sadek, we previously reported on FFP usage in the United States relative to other nations. Cheng's data show that, at least in Nova Scotia, FFP usage—whether measured as units per population or as the ratio of red blood cells (RBCs) to FFP—is nearly as high as that in the United States and much higher than usage in Europe. Additional data on FFP and RBC usage from other Canadian provinces might document whether the apparent excess usage of FFP is a phenomenon throughout North America. Coagulation tests such as the INR and activated partial thromboplastin time, though widely used as a trigger to FFP transfusion, have substantial shortcomings. A recent study by Tripodi and coworkers highlights a weakness with traditional in vitro coagulation assays. Using a novel thrombin generation assay that more closely replicates in vivo conditions by including the effect of thrombomodulin on coagulation, Tripodi and coworkers demonstrated that patients with cirrhosis have normal thrombin generation even though traditional tests of coagulation were abnormal. We hope that future improvements in coagulation test assays and the anticipated results of clinical trials of FFP will provide a more rational basis for the decision to transfuse FFP. In the meantime, data such as those provided by Cheng and Sadek will help to underscore the need to educate clinicians to a more appropriate use of this commonly transfused blood component. Walter Dzik, MD e-mail: email@example.com Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD Blood Transfusion Service Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114


INTRODUCTION
Routinely assessing exercise levels during clinical visits may be a starting point for clinicians to support physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first study to assess the feasibility of routine clinical use of a self-reported physical activity vital sign in an academic MS center.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility and findings of routinely implementing a self-reported physical activity vital sign during clinical visits.

DESIGN
Retrospective database review.

SETTING
Outpatient academic MS center.

PATIENTS
All adult patients of our MS center with confirmed MS presenting for an in-person or telemedicine clinic visit with a physician or nurse practitioner.

INTERVENTIONS
None.

MAIN MEASURE(S)
A standard physical activity vital sign representing minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was collected. Percentage of persons with MS with a recorded physical activity vital sign was retrospectively evaluated along with demographic characteristics and key findings.

RESULTS
Ninety-three percent of patients with MS at our center had a physical activity vital sign recorded in at least one visit, and 86% at the most recent visit. Of 1560 patients with a recorded physical activity vital sign, 24.3% of patients were consistently active (≥150 min/week of exercise), 20.8% were consistently inactive (0 min/week), and the remaining 54.9% were inconsistently active. The physical activity vital sign was inversely associated with BMI (p < 0.001) and 25-foot walk test times (p < 0.001), but not associated with biological sex or age.

CONCLUSIONS
Approximately a quarter of patients with MS with a documented physical activity vital sign met national aerobic exercise guidelines of 150 min/week per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Routine implementation of the physical activity vital sign at our MS center was feasible and helped identify inactive patients who may benefit from physical activity counseling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of oral health impact on the daily performance of Brazilian elderly, living in the city ofCuritiba – PR. The oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of 129 elderly people aged from 60 to 80 years was assessed. Also, the influence of gender, income, attendance to the dentist, self-assessment of health, and social-demographic features were verified. Oral health influenced in 83.72%the daily routine of the participants. The lack of compliance to dental treatment and the difficulty in oral health self-perception as integrate part of general health were associated to the greatest interference.Thus, we recommended that the self-perception of the individuals is considered simultaneously to the clinical condition to tailor oral health actions targeted to priority groups. Keywords: Oral health; Elderly; Quality of life.


The mechanism of acidification by the urinary bladder of the wa- ter turtle was studied in an in vitro system which permitted control and mea- surement of electrical and concentration driving forces. The rate of hydrogen ion secretion was measured by means of a pH stat technique in the absence of exogenous carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. Transport of hydrogen ion into the solution bathing the mucosal surface of the bladder was associated with the appearance of alkali in the serosal compartment. The mean rate of hydrogen ion secretion in the absence of electrical and concentration gradients across the bladder was 0.96 Mumole/hr. The secretion rate was only slightly greater in the presence of the spontane- ous potential difference. The maximal hydrogen ion gradient that could be generated by the bladder was 3.33 pH units in the presence of the spontaneous voltage and 3.02 pH units in the short-circuited state. Hydrogen ion secretion was markedly reduced by acetazolamide and anaerobiosis, which indicated that under our experimental conditions acidifica- tion depended on the production and enzymatic hydration of metabolic carbon dioxide. On the basis of the stoichiometry of the pH changes across the membrane under different conditions, it is suggested that the active transport mechanism for hydrogen ion is located near the mucosal surface of the epi- thelial cell and that the alkali generated in back of the pump moves passively into the serosal fluid along an electrochemical gradient.


An efficient heuristic is presented for the problem of finding a minimum-size k-connected spanning subgraph of a given (undirected or directed) graph G=(V,E). There are four versions of the problem, depending on whether G is undirected or directed, and whether the spanning subgraph is required to be k-node connected (k-NCSS) or k-edge connected (k-ECSS). The approximation guarantees are as follows: min-size k-NCSS of an undirected graph 1+[1/k], min-size k-NCSS of a directed graph 1+[1/k], min-size k-ECSS of an undirected graph 1+[7/k], & min-size k-ECSS of a directed graph 1+[4//spl radic/k]. The heuristic is based on a subroutine for the degree-constrained subgraph (b-matching) problem. It is simple, deterministic, and runs in time O(k|E|/sup 2/). For undirected graphs and k=2, a (deterministic) parallel NC version of the heuristic finds a 2-node connected (or a-edge connected) spanning subgraph whose size is within a factor of (1.5+/spl epsiv/) of minimum, where /spl epsiv/>0 is a constant.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore the development of pre-service science teachers' systems thinking skills through an outdoor education for sustainable development (ESD) course. The study was composed of four stages, which are defining systems thinking skills, designing an outdoor ESD course, developing measurement tools, and implementation. Twelve systems thinking skills were determined within the ESD and science education context. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and systems thinking skill levels were evaluated based on the rubric developed by the authors. Participants showed a slow improvement in four systems thinking skills which are related to considering the relationship between past, present and future, developing empathy with non-human beings, developing sense of place and adapting systems thinking perspective to personal life. There is a need to test the hierarchical level among the twelve systems thinking skills in future studies and to study each skill in different contexts.


Female A/Sn mice aged 2-3 and 11-14 months (with spontaneous adenocarcinomas of the mammary gland and tumor-free) and C57Bl/6 mice were followed after treatment with DMBA. Suppressor cells were tested for the ability to inhibit in vivo antibody responses to sheep erythrocytes by adoptively syngeneically transferred cells. It was demonstrated that the activity of nonspecific suppressors of the bone marrow and spleen increases considerably in the precancer period.


The visual discrimination of different structures in one or multiple combined volume data sets is generally done with individual transfer functions that can usually be adapted interactively. Immersive virtual environments support the depth perception and thus the spatial orientation in these volume visualizations. However, complex 2D menus for elaborate transfer function design cannot be easily integrated. We therefore present an approach for changing the color mapping during volume exploration with direct volume interaction and an additional 3D widget. In this way we incorporate the modification of a color mapping for a large number of discretely labeled brain areas in an intuitive way into the virtual environment. We use our approach for the analysis of a patient's data with a brain tissue degenerating disease to allow for an interactive analysis of affected regions.


Tetrachlorinated phthalimide analogues bearing a boron-pinacolate ester group were synthesised via two synthetic routes and evaluated in their glycosidase modulating and anticancer properties, with a view to use them in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a promising radiation type for cancer, as this therapy does little damage to biological tissue. An unexpected decarbonylation/decarboxylation to five 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobenzamides was observed and confirmed by X-ray crystallography studies, thus, giving access to a family of borylated 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobenzamides. Biological evaluation showed the benzamide drugs to possess good to weak potencies (74.7–870 μM) in the inhibition of glycosidases, and to have good to moderate selectivity in the inhibition of a panel of 18 glycosidases. Furthermore, in the inhibition of selected glycosidases, there is a core subset of three animal glycosidases, which is always inhibited (rat intestinal maltase α-glucosidase, bovine liver β-glucosidase and β-galactosidase). This could indicate the involvement of the boron atom in the binding. These glycosidases are targeted for the management of diabetes, viral infections (via a broad-spectrum approach) and lysosomal storage disorders. Assays against cancer cell lines revealed potency in growth inhibition for three molecules, and selectivity for one of these molecules, with the growth of the normal cell line MCF10A not being affected by this compound. One of these molecules showed both potency and selectivity; thus, it is a candidate for further study in this area. This paper provides numerous novel aspects, including expedited access to borylated 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophthalimides and to 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobenzamides. The latter constitutes a novel family of glycosidase modulating drugs. Furthermore, a greener synthetic access to such structures is described.


Cartographic exhibits featuring artworks by Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, School of Art students and hosted by the ASU Library Map and Geospatial Hub. Fall 2016 Exhibit


According to development organization Respo, global citizenship is a positive attitude to the world and to recognize the differences also expressed in behavior and with the idea that they can actively contribute to global citizenship itself. Respo describes global citizenship by using three skills: (1) Change skills; (2) Cooperation & Team building; (3) Personal development/leadership. Respo wants to develop these skills by young people who participate in the Ethiopia Xperience. This is a development program, were Dutch youth spent ten days in Ethiopia to participate in sport- and physical activities and were they are stimulated to become a better global citizen. Global citizenship is important because it can have a positive contribution to local and international communities. By giving them training, people can get developed to be more global citizen. This can be done by discussion and role play. Training as a global citizen enables young people to gather knowledge, understanding and learning skills (cooperation, resolve conflicts/problems and communicate). These skills can be learned in sport- and physical activities. It is unclear what the impact of these activities is on the development of global citizenship among participants of the Ethiopia Xperience. This study has endeavored to give understanding to the influence of the sport- and physical activities at global citizenship. The following research question has been formulated: what cognitions and skills do young people who took part in the Ethiopia Xperience of Respo developed regarding global citizenship (Change skills, Cooperation & team building, Personal development/leadership) and what is the influence of sport in this? The sub-questions are: (1) what means global citizenship to the young people?; (2) how do the young people feel that the Ethiopia Xperience has contributed to their global citizenship?; (3) in what way contributed the sport- and physical activities to their global citizenship regarding change skills, cooperation & team building and personal development/leadership?; (4) how do the young people think they will apply that what they have learned during the Ethiopia Xperience in the future?
Method: In order to answer the research question, qualitative research has been conducted with participants of the Ethiopia Xperience in February 2013. Within this context, nine young people have been to Ethiopia for ten days. After returning, they have been interviewed about their experiences in Ethiopia within three weeks.
Results: Global citizenships means to the young people thinking of others, to be open for other people and cultures and to do something for other people. The young people say that they feel that the Ethiopia Xperience has contributed to the development of their global citizenship. They have experienced the open and welcoming Ethiopian culture, experienced the position of disabled people in Ethiopia and gained insight into the thought about homosexuality. Furthermore, they say that they are more developed in terms of the skills of Respo. They have created better judo facilities (change skill), had properly consult and had to solve problems with each other (cooperation & team building). They also could take the lead within activities, learned how to cope with and teach to disabled children and had to adjust to the lifestyle in Ethiopia. According to the young people, the skills could have been further developed if there was more time and opportunities within the program. Sport does provide a positive and motivated feeling among the young people and its has become apparent that there is a lack of good sports equipment in Ethiopia. The young people have different intentions to apply what they have learned in practice. They want to be less structured and more creative in relation to sport- and physical activities during their internships. Furthermore, they want to listen better when working together and handle faster when disagreements occur. They also want to help the community in Ethiopia in the future.
Conclusion: The young people gained more knowledge about life in Ethiopia after the Xperience. Besides this, they have partially developed their change skills, cooperation & team building and personal development/leadership. The role of the sport- and physical activities on cognition and skills eventually proved difficult to define. These activities do provide fun and give a positive and motivated feeling to the Dutch youth. More empirical research is needed into the role of sport- and physical activities and the impact on global citizenship. Future research should focus on the training and education of young people into global citizens. By giving the young people more opportunities during the Xperience, they can take more initiatives to organize sport activities. In this way, they develop skills (working together, problem solving) and are trained to global citizen. The Sport-for-Development theory can be used within development programmes. A combination of sports, culture activities and education aimed at global citizenship can lead to the development of skills, which are important in global citizenship.


McIntyre was invited by Ros Rigby (programme director at the SAGE Gateshead) and Sune Nordgren (director, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art) to explore the interdisciplinary potential of mixing traditional music with the drawing processes they saw during a visit to McIntyre's studio in Newcastle. The developmental framework for the performance involved an extended application of studio practice (McIntyre was supported during this project by a £25,000 Arts Council Award, under the title 'The Immortal Memory') to the conventional rehearsal process of performers (in this case Karen Tweed (accordion), Karen Wimhurst (clarinets) and Kerry Fletcher (clog dance)). An audio CD with sleeve notes by Ros Rigby was released on ArtgoesOnRecordLabel, July 2005. www.artgoes.com. This collaborative output was the context for the development of McIntyre's concept of the 'fine art artefact for performance'. He established 'New Constellations for Wind, Sole and Drawing Instruments' in order to pioneer a method of visual arts research that would address the performative requirements of a project, designed as a dialogue between the traditional and contemporary arts and as a provocative experiment in mixing audiences at the SAGE with those using the nearby BALTIC (where the final piece was performed). McIntyre was also invited to write the introductory essay, entitled 'The Ubiquitous B', for B. Year One: BALTIC. (2003), ed. Sarah Martin, Gateshead: BALTIC. The interdisciplinary approach of 'New Constellations for Wind, Sole and Drawing Instruments' was used as a model for the development of an AHRC funded doctoral studentship by Harvey entitled: Stuckism and Punk Philosophy: controversialism and the fine art environment. McIntyre is one of the multi-disciplinary supervision team supporting Harvey's practice-led investigation into the Nietzschian critiques of mainstream art that drive the Punk and Stuckist movements.


Technology in the modern age is used in various sectors, particularly screen technology, usually in many everyday devices such as smartphones, personal computers, tablets, and smartwatches. Most of the consumer products used in this current age have a screen interface and are abundantly distributed to the public. This study investigated the connection between the rapid availability of digital screen devices and vision problems in young adults. One hundred and two students and twelve vision care experts participated in the study. Results revealed that about 59% of the students experienced a worse vision from 2015 to late 2021. About 73% of these student respondents affirmed using a smartphone as the primary digital screen device for 5-6 hours daily, and 37% confirmed to have experienced eye dryness and irritation during COVID-19. Vision care experts confirmed treating many young adult patients with vision-related issues in the past five years compared with a decade ago. About 58% of the vision experts believe blue light filters will reduce visual degradation when over exposed to digital screens. This area of study needs empirical research to ascertain other health hazards associated with the new technology evolving in our daily activities.


Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is located on the mouth of the Tagus River, where the current speed and direction are mainly governed by the local tides. The narrowest part of the river is located between Lisbon downtown and the western side of the city. This narrowing accelerates the water flow and makes it a potential site for a tidal energy system. A preliminary study based on numerical simulations using the software MOHID was conducted to assess potential energy yields throughout the estuary using freely available hindcast data. This allowed the selection of three potential sites for a tidal turbine in the Lisbon area based on yearly tidal and current energy density: off the coasts of Cacilhas, Bel´em, and Pa¸co de Arcos. However, even if the current model has been previously validated with experimental data, it was only done at two locations in the estuary that are far from the potential sites. Due to the complexity of the phenomena driving the current speed at these locations, additional validation is necessary before committing to a specific site. This paper presents the numerical analysis, the experimental campaign and the validation of the results at those three locations. Drifters with sails of 3.4m and 4.5m depth were released at least 8 times at each location and retrieved after 15 minutes of free drift. Each drifter was tracked with a GPS and the current speed and direction were derived from the drifters' trajectory. The analysis of the experimental data shows good agreement with the model, even though an error of 0.3m/s is consistent throughout the tests. This paper concludes with a discussion on the model temporal and spatial discretisation and the forces included in the analysis that could be the source of the differences between the numerical and experimental data.


This paper describes experimental work to investigate the effect of reinforcement corrosion on the behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with plain round bars. Particular attention is paid to the bond between reinforcement and concrete. Four groups of beam specimens were tested, each designed to investigate specific aspects of structural performance including stiffness and deflection under service loads, ultimate flexural and shear strengths and deformation capacity at failure. Beams were conditioned to induce loss of cross-sectional reinforcement of up to 10% owing to corrosion, equivalent to 0·3 mm corrosion penetration, and longitudinal crack widths of 1·0 mm. Flexural stiffness of specimens detailed for a flexural mode of failure was not impaired by corrosion. Strength of beams with corroded bars equalled or exceeded that of companion non-corroded specimens in all cases, despite loss of bar section. It is concluded that an enhancement of anchorage capacity, believed to be associated principally with ...


Reuse and repurposing are two of the most basic software concepts. They are powerful practices that can deliver significant improvements in software productivity and quality, as well as substantially lower software development and maintenance costs. Unfortunately, few serious gaming research entities have been able to capitalize on the tremendous benefits that reuse and repurposing offer. The rapid growth of the serious game research community in the EU has set the stage for a large diversity in serious gaming scientific research in terms of the application domains (military, health, business, engineering), scientific disciplines (psychology, computer science, social science), and development solutions. It is often argued that the large growth has created a problematically fragmented serious gaming community. The fragmentation makes it difficult to maximize contributions and successes, avoid overlap, enable resource reuse, as well as harmonized development efforts through interoperability. Questions remain regarding the demographics and outcomes of this polymorphous research community. By answering these questions, fragmentation can be reduced and synergy can emerge. Moreover, by knowing the status quo, the serious gaming research community's development can be analysed over time. The EU has tried to reduce the fragmentation in the serious gaming community by funding the Game and Learning Alliance (GALA) Network of Excellence. The GALA tasks included the establishment of a Technical Committee on Interoperability and Semantics, and ofthe European Academy of Serious Games (SG Academy), a web-based social networking website that enables EU serious gaming researchers, students, teachers and professionals to collaboratively build and share knowledge of serious gaming. In this paper, the authors build upon the expertise of this community to answer the following questions: What is the reusability and interoperability potential of existing serious games (SG)? Are information, software components, and SGs easily accessible? How many SGs have been developed through European funding? How many of these SGs are available online? How many are open source? How many require a user account? For what languages are these games available? What are the most common topics games are developed for? This research aims to enable the adoption of accessibility, reusability and interoperability principles within the SG community, as well as to support the development of the next generation of serious game researchers and developers.


We give a unified statement and proof of a class of well known mean value inequalities for nonnegative functions with a nonlinear bound on the Laplacian. We generalize these to domains with boundary, requiring a (possibly nonlinear) bound on the normal derivative at the boundary. These inequalities give rise to an energy quantization principle for sequences of solutions of boundary value problems that have bounded energy and whose energy densities satisfy nonlinear bounds on the Laplacian and normal derivative: One obtains local uniform bounds on the complement of finitely many points, where some minimum quantum of energy concentrates.