Population surveys concerning 'risk behaviours' thought to be related to the AIDS epidemic are many. Nevertheless, unfocused inquiry into diffuse behaviours in undifferentiated populations is not productive in low-seroprevalence populations, especially when the point is to design some form of intervention that might actually avert further infection. This is because of a failure to distinguish conceptually between the relevance of AIDS-related behavioural data for individuals and for populations. An illustration is drawn from the AIDS epidemic in Santiago, Chile, and an alternative perspective, based on extensive interviews with persons with AIDS and a survey of current HIV-surveillance and blood-screening programs, is described.


Robin volunteered to run the open studio group because, in part, he felt that in open groups it could easier for members and the conductor to manage anxiety, the situation was less anxiety provoking. He remembered open groups that he had been a part of, in learning disability settings, where the numbers ranged from 15 to 20 clients, depending on the demand that day. There were usually two therapists and a helper. Here clients came and used the space and materials as they felt inclined to do. There was not a lot of pressure to interact with others, other members of the group or the therapists. Many of the clients returned to the same part of the room each day, personalising the space in some way. Anxiety levels were lower in this environment and a culture of respect was inculcated over time, respect in relation to personal space and the work that others produced. Significant exchanges did take place in this group but they were not generated through any overt structures, rather they represented spontaneous communications, sharing of work, thought, emotions, and wishes. Robin wanted something like this in the conference, but without the territorial element, a space where individuals could access a range of art materials and work quietly, or sit quietly as they wished. Interaction, sharing and exchanges with others would be, of course, permitted but there would be no obligation in this respect.


There are several indications of erector spinae plane block (ESPB) for managing postoperative surgical pain. We investigated the efficacy of ultrasound-guided ESPB at T2–T3 level in five patients undergoing surgery for proximal humerus fracture and found that it provided excellent analgesia in the postoperative period. To investigate the spread of local anaesthetic at this level, we performed contrast-enhanced computed tomography studies, to understand the possible mechanism of action. We believe that ESPB at this level is a good and safe alternative to routinely used brachial plexus blocks, as it not only provides good analgesia but also spares the phrenic nerve.


Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy represents a promising on-line detector for capillary electrophoresis (CE). The inherent poor sensitivity of NMR mandates the use of NMR probes with the highest mass sensitivity, such as those containing solenoidal microcoils, for CE/NMR hyphenation. However, electrophoretic current degrades the resolution of NMR spectra obtained from solenoidal coils. A new method to avoid microcoil NMR spectral degradation during continuous-flow CE is demonstrated using a unique multiple solenoidal coil NMR probe. The electrophoretic flow from a single separation capillary is split into multiple outlets, each possessing its own NMR detection coil. While the CE electrophoretic flow is directed through one outlet, stopped-flow, high-resolution NMR spectra are obtained from the coil at the other outlet. The electrophoretic flow and NMR measurements are cycled between the outlets to allow a continuous CE separation with "stopped-flow" detection. As a new approach for improving multiple coil probe performance, the magnetic field homogeneity is automatically adjusted (via the shim coils of the magnet) for the active coil. The multiple microcoil CE/NMR coupling has been used to analyze a <3 nmole mixture of amines while obtaining between 1 and 2 Hz line width, demonstrating the ability to avoid electrophoretic current-induced line broadening.


We provide an innovative methodological contribution to the measurement of returns on infrequently traded assets using a novel approach to repeat-sales regression estimation. The model for price indices we propose allows for correlation with other markets, typically with higher liquidity and high frequency trading. Using the new econometric approach, we propose a monthly art market index, as well as sub-indices for impressionist, modern, post-war, and contemporary paintings based on repeated sales at a monthly frequency. The correlations enable us to update the art index via observed transactions in other markets that have a link with the art market.


Background: Side effects of radiotherapy (RT) could be temporary or permanent, can be severe, and affect quality of life. An investigation into the side effects of RT on breast cancer patients would help evaluate the incidences and associated risk factors in the low-income countries for patients undergoing RT in order to ensure maximum treatment with very minimal side effects. Objective: To assess the side effects of RT in patients with breast cancer undergoing RT in Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to breast cancer patients on RT that have received treatment for at least 2 weeks at the RT Department between March and August 2016. A total of 146 questionnaires were distributed, whereas 139 were completely filled and returned for the evaluation and analysis, given a response rate of 95.2%. Results: The common side effects noticed from the analysis of this research work included skin erythema (87.1%), fatigue (74.1%), telangiectasia (69.1%), pain (89.9%), breast swelling (45.3%), and loss of hair in the armpit and chest area (87.1%), and the less common ones were breast shrinkage (20.1%), lymphedema (41.0%), cardiac complications (30.9%), lung problems (12.9%), sore throat (7.9%), brachial plexopathy (24.5%), and damage to the bones (ribs; 3.6%). Management of the side effects by patients revealed that 30 (21.6%) used analgesics, 28 (20.1%) used steroidal cream, 27 (19.4%) avoided deodorants and antiperspirant, 22 (15.8%) exercised, 15 (10.8%) took antibiotics, 10 (7.2%) took herbs, and 7 (5%) had to stop treatment temporarily for minimum of a week due to severe morbidity. Conclusion: A large percentage of breast cancer patients undergoing RT experience painful side effects (89.9%), of these 87% experience skin erythema, 74% experience fatigue, and 69% experience telangiectasia.


This study focuses on a corpus assembled from commercial recordings of 1929 and 1932 featuring the two British linguists J. R. Firth (1890–1960) and Daniel Jones (1881–1967). The aim is to analyse and quantify differences in the Received Pronunciation (RP) used by the two men, in relation to sociolinguistic and stylistic variation within RP of the period. A systematic acoustic analysis reveals that whereas the vowel systems of the two speakers are closely similar in most respects, there are significant differences in the realizations of the trap, price and dress qualities. We show that each of these has a well-documented history of variation in RP, and find that in each case Firth is employing the higher-class or more prestigious variant, which is a reversal of expectations based on what is known about the social and regional origins of the two. We consider the possible roles of social background, avoidance of regional features and hypercorrection. The outcomes of our work are (i) an illustration of RP used in the interwar period for the purposes of teaching English as a foreign language, (ii) empirical evidence for internal variation within the accent, (iii) additional insights into the stylistic and social correlates of this variation, and (iv) a demonstration that satisfactory formant analyses can be conducted with recordings from as early as the 1920s. Overall, it is hoped that this case-study will both throw light on the 'standard' accent of the era and inspire further sociophonetic investigations with legacy recordings.


A family of multi-value cellular automaton (CA) associated with traffic flow is presented in this paper. The family is obtained by extending the rule-184 CA, which is an ultradiscrete analogue to the Burgers equation. CA models in the family show both metastable states and stop-and-go waves, which are often observed in real traffic flow. Metastable states in the models exist not only on a prominent part of a free phase but also in a congested phase.


PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of CHO re-introduction in athletes previously adapted to a LCHF diet on subsequent inflammatory and hepcidin responses to exercise.

METHODS: In the three weeks prior to the exercise trials, twenty-three elite race walkers adhered to either a CHO-rich (n=14) or LCHF diet (n=9). A 19-25 km race walking protocol was performed while the race walkers were still adhering to their allocated dietary intervention (Adapt). A second exercise test was performed three days later, where the LCHF consumed CHO 2 h prior to, and during the exercise protocol (in line with sports nutrition guidelines) for the first time in 3.5 weeks (CHO Restoration). Venous blood samples were collected pre-, post- and 3 h post-exercise and analysed for serum ferritin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hepcidin-25.

RESULTS: Serum ferritin concentration was similar between trials (p=0.48) and dietary groups (p=0.93). The post-exercise IL-6 increase was greater in LCHF (p<0.001) during both Adapt (LCHF: 13.1-fold increase; CHO: 8.0-fold increase) and CHO Restoration (LCHF: 18.5-fold increase, CHO: 6.3-fold increase); outcomes were not different between trials (p=0.84). Hepcidin-25 levels increased 3 h post-exercise (p<0.001), however, they did not differ between trials (p=0.46) or diets (p=0.84).

CONCLUSIONS: Strenuous exercise undertaken following chronic adaptation to a LCHF diet is associated with a greater post-exercise IL-6 response than when exercise is undertaken with high CHO availability. The elevated IL-6 response in athletes adapted to a LCHF diet is not attenuated by an acute increase in exogenous CHO availability. Despite diet-induced differences in IL-6 responses, no differences in hepcidin levels were evident, suggesting IL-6 is likely not the primary factor determining the magnitude of post-exercise hepcidin levels. Baseline iron status may be a more dominant factor regulating this response. Increased IL-6 levels may negatively influence other body processes, and the long-term impact of adhering to LCHF on other health outcomes warrants further investigation.


Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have demonstrated fascinating performance in many real-world applications and achieved near human-level accuracy in computer vision, natural video prediction, and many different applications. However, DNNs consume a lot of processing power, especially if realized on General Purpose GPUs or CPUs, which make them unsuitable for low-power applications.

On the other hand, neuromorphic computing systems are heavily investigated as a potential substitute for traditional von Neumann systems in high-speed low-power applications. One way to implement neuromorphic systems is to use memristor crossbar arrays because of their small size, low power consumption, synaptic like behavior, and scalability. However, these systems are in their early developing stages and still have many challenges to be solved before commercialization.

In this dissertation, we will investigate designing of neuromorphic computing systems, targeting classification and generation applications. Specifically, we introduce three novel neuromorphic computing systems. The first system implements a multi-layer feed-forward neural network, where memristor crossbar arrays are utilized in realizing a novel hybrid spiking-based multi-layered self-learning system. This system is capable of on-chip training, whereas for most previously published systems training is done off-chip. The system performance is evaluated using three different datasets showing improved average failure error by 42% than previously published systems and great immunity against process variations.

The second system implements an Echo State Network (ESN), as a special type of recurrent neural networks, by utilizing a novel memristor double crossbar architecture. The system has been trained for sample generation, using the Mackey-Glass dataset, and simulations show accurate sample generation within a 75% window size of the training dataset. Finally, we introduce a novel neuromorphic computing for real-time cardiac arrhythmia classification. Raw ECG data is directly fed to the system, without any feature extraction, and hence reducing classification time and power consumption. The proposed system achieves an overall accuracy of 96.17% and requires only 34 ms to test one ECG beat, which outperforms most of its counterparts.

For future work, we introduce a preliminary neuromorphic system implementing a deep Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), based on ESNs. The system is called ESN-GAN and it targets natural video generation applications.


The objective of this thesis is to develop a precast and prestressed concrete design for a factory hall, which was initially planned as a steel structure. Furthermore, a structural analysis is conducted on several chosen structural elements according to the European Standards and the German Annexes respectively. The analysis is done both by manual calculation and software calculation for comparison and includes the ultimate limit state design, the serviceability limit state design and the design for the state of transportation and assembly of the precast members. Lastly, to illustrate the results of the analysis, an overview drawing with the new concrete design as well as formwork and reinforcement drawings for each of the analyzed structural members are developed.


Indian agriculture is dominated by smallholders. With an average holding size of just 1.08 hectares (ha) (in 2015-16), and 86 percent of holdings being of less than 2 ha in size, Indian agriculture transformed the country from functioning 'ship-to-mouth' during the mid-1960s to being a net exporter of agri-produce today. This would not have been possible without the onset of the Green Revolution post-1965, which resulted in increased foodgrain production and productivity. Among various inputs such as seeds, irrigation and fertilizers, the productivity of farms also depends greatly on the availability and judicious use of farm power by the farmers. Between the mid-20th century and 2013-14, India witnessed a tremendous shift away from traditional agriculture processes to mechanized processes. Today, 88 percent of the total farm power comes from tractors, diesel engine pump-sets, electric pump-sets and power tillers (2013-14). Additionally, India has emerged as the largest manufacturer of tractors in the world, followed by the USA and China. But how has farm mechanization, especially the use of tractors, evolved in India over time? What were the key drivers of the demand for tractors? And how efficiently are the tractors being used in terms of usage by number of hours/year? Given the high cost of tractors, it is also interesting to see how far they have penetrated the small and marginal holdings, i.e., the issues of inclusiveness, financial viability and sustainability. These are some of the key questions that are addressed in this study. Our analysis shows that farm mechanization in India, especially the use of tractors, has made commendable progress. With major policy changes, entry of private farm machinery manufacturing companies and foreign collaborations, farm power availability increased from 0.25 kilowatt per hectare (kW/ha) in 1951 to 2.02 kW/ha in 2017. Furthermore, the contribution of mechanized sources to farm power increased from some 3 percent in 1951 to 88 percent in 2013-14, replacing human and draught power. In addition, the production of tractors increased significantly from a meager 880 units in 1951 to about 900,000 units in 2019. This has transformed India from being a net importer of tractors through the 1960s and 1970s to being an exporter of tractors, exporting some 92,000 units in 2019. In terms of inclusiveness, although larger farms are more mechanized, the Input Census data (2011-12) reveals that even in the category of small and marginal holdings (less than 2 ha), an average of roughly 44 percent of farmers use farm machinery (e.g., tractors, diesel engine pump sets, electric pump sets and power tillers). This is a good achievement, but further improvements are always possible and major attempts in this direction are already underway with heavy policy support through Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs). However, the fact that farm machinery is expensive also raises concerns over whether it is financially viable and sustainable to own and use on smallholder farms. It is therefore important to look at unfolding innovations providing farm machinery services through 'CHCs' and 'Uberization' models. These innovations make farm machinery and equipments perfectly divisible as a service to all classes of farmers at the doorstep at affordable cost on a 'pay per use' basis. This seems to be the future of farm machinery usage in India, if it is developed as a sustainable business model with due support of policy and finance.


Over the past years, many applications based on laser-induced refractive index changes in the volume of transparent materials have been demonstrated. Ultrashort pulse lasers offer the possibility to process bulky transparent materials in three dimensions, suggesting that direct laser writing will play a decisive role in the development of integrated micro-optics. At the present time, applications such as 3D long term data storage or embedded laser marking are already into the phase of industrial development. However, a quantitative estimate of the laser-induced refractive index change is still very challenging to obtain. On another hand, several microscopy techniques have been recently developed to characterize bulk refractive index changes in-situ. They have been mostly applied to biological purposes. Among those, spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM), offers a very good robustness with minimal post acquisition data processing. In this paper, we report on using SLIM to measure fs-laser induced refractive index changes in different common glassy materials, such as fused silica and borofloat glass (B33). The advantages of SLIM over classical phase-contrast microscopy are discussed.


This paper investigates the use of shape-memory polymer thin films in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). shape-memory polymers possess the capacity to recover large-strain deformations by the application of heat and are candidates for small-scale transduction. The key advantages of shape-memory polymers are their low material/fabrication cost coupled with their simplicity of integration/operation. In the present study, shape-memory polymers are spin coated onto a standard Si wafer and polymerized by thermal annealing. The thermomechanics of strain storage and recovery in the polymer films are studied using instrumented microindentation. The sharp microindents demonstrate full recovery at all load levels, establishing the feasibility of microscale actuation. The microindentation response of the polymer film is shown to depend on temperature and the cooling cycle during indentation. In turn, the subsequent recovery behavior of an indent depends on the thermal history during indentation. Indents performed at higher temperatures are larger in size, but have smaller stored strain energy compared to indents performed at low temperature. The larger stored strain energy in low temperature indents results in lower shape recovery temperatures. The effects of indentation temperature and load are systematically investigated to provide a framework for the use of shape-memory polymers in microsystems. Application of shape-memory polymers is demonstrated through the development of an active microfluidic reservoir. The reservoir was created by indentation at the end of a microfluidic channel and was activated by local heating. The collapse of the filled reservoir caused the motion of fluid down the microfluidic channel.


Background The objective of this prospective randomized study was to make a comparison between the effects of letrozole and tamoxifen (TMX) in ovulation induction in clomiphene (CC)-resistant women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Methods The study comprised a total of 60 infertile women (180 cycles) with CCresistant PCOS selected from the clinics affiliated to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Tanta University. Patients were randomized to treatment with 2.5 mg of letrozole daily (30 patients, 90 cycles) or 20 mg of TMX daily (30 patients, 90 cycles) for 5 days from day 5 of menses and 10000 IU hCG when mature follicles become =18 mm in diameter. The chi-square and t-test were used for comparing two groups and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results The total number of follicles (=18 mm) in the letrozole group was more than TMX group. The endometrial thickness at the time of hCG administration was significantly higher (p < 0.05, at 95% CI) in the letrozole group than that of TMX group (10.2±0.7 vs. 9.1±0.2 mm). Ovulation occurred in 23.33% of cycles in the letrozole group and in 8.89% in the TMX group, whereas pregnancy occurred in 5.56% of the letrozole group and 2.22% of the TMX group. Conclusion Both letrozole and TMX should be considered as optional therapies for CC-resistant women. In addition, letrozole was superior to TMX in achieving a higher pregnancy and ovulation rate and also lesser side effects in comparison to tamoxifen.


In a questionnaire sent out to general practitioners (GP) in the County of Funen they reported a yearly incidence of lesions penetrating the skin of 1.2 per practitioner. Approximately half of these lesions were potentially infectious. Sixty percent of the lesions were due to accidents involving needles. Only 52% of the GPs with the risk of a potentially infectious lesion tried to prevent infection. We estimate that the risk of becoming infected with HIV or Hepatitis-B infection is very low. It is necessary to get GPs to change procedures in an attempt to minimize the risk.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the usefulness of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for the differential diagnosis of breast tumors and to determine the relation between ADC and tumor cellularity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
One hundred and thirty-six female patients (age range, 17-83 years; average age, 51.7 years) with 140 histologically proven breast tumors underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (DWI) using the spin-echo echo-planar technique, and the ADCs of the tumors were calculated using 3 different b values, 0, 500, and 1000 s/mm(2). The diagnoses consisted of fibroadenoma (FA, n=16), invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified (IDC, n=117), medullary carcinoma (ME, n=3) and mucinous carcinoma (MU, n=4). Tumor cellularity was calculated from surgical specimens. The ADCs of breast tumors and cellularity were compared between different histological types by analysis of variance and Scheffe's post hoc test. The correlation between tumor cellularity and ADC was analyzed by Pearson correlation test.

RESULTS
Significant differences were observed in ADCs between FA and all types of cancers (P<0.05) and between MU and other types of cancers (P<0.01) and in cellularity between FA and cancers except MU (P<0.01) and between MU and other types of cancers (P<0.01). There was an inverse correlation between ADC and tumor cellularity (P<0.01, r(2)=0.451).

CONCLUSIONS
The ADC may potentially help in differentiating benign and malignant breast tumors. Tumor ADC correlates inversely with tumor cellularity.


The advertising ecosystem faces major threats from ad fraud caused by artificial display requests or clicks, created by malicious codes, bot-nets, and click-firms. Currently, there is a multibillion-dollar online advertisement market which generates the primary revenue for some of the internet's most successful websites. Unfortunately, the complexities of the advertisement ecosystem attract a considerable amount of cybercrime activity, which profits at the expense of advertisers. Web ad fraud has been extensively studied whereas fraud in mobile ads has received very little attention. Most of these studies have been carried out to identify fraudulent online and mobile ads clicks. However, the identification of individual fraudulent displays in mobile ads has yet to be explored. Additionally, other fraudulent activity aspects such as hacking ad-campaign accounts have rarely been addressed. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art ad fraud in web content as well as mobile apps. In this context, we will introduce a deeper understanding of vulnerabilities of online/mobile advertising ecosystems, the ad fraud's well-known attacks, their effective detection methods and prevention mechanisms.


: The following article is one of a series that deal with the provision of health care services around the world. Other countries in the series include Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. Countries scheduled for coverage in the series include Austria, France, Singapore, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The countries are described using a grid of characteristics so that comparisons may be made more easily. All of the analyses, along with further comparative data, will be gathered into a freestanding book to be published later in the year. Dr. Mendoza serves as the editor for the project.


Objectives: The Umbilical Vein (UV) has a non pulsating and even pattern in normal fetuses. Pulsation of UV has been describedin severely growth restricted fetuses with chronic hypoxia. We wanted to see whether UV pulsation could also be seen in fetuses with heart deceleration during labor, as an adjunctive measure to assess the intrapartum hypoxia. Methods: In a prospective study Doppler examination was performed on 34 fetuses with normal cardiotocography (CTG) and 26 fetuses with abnormal CTGs (GA > 37 w and cervical dilatation > 3 cm). Perinatal outcome was assessed according to presence or absence of UV pulsations. Results: The 2 groups were comparable. (GA, cervical dilatation, Umbilical artery PH, S/D ratio, PI and RI) Intraabdominal UV pulsation were present in 6 (23.1%) of abnormal CTG and none of normal CTG group. (P = 0.005) Five of 6 (83.3%) fetuses with UV pulsation under went cesarean delivery. The rate of cesarean delivery was 90% in abnormal CTG group without pulsation and 14.7% in normal CTG group. The frequency of Apgar score < 7 was more in fetuses with UV pulsations (16.7% vs. 5%) although not significant. NICU admission was considerably more in UV pulsation group. (33% vs. 5%, P = 0.123) After exclusion of LBW fetuses the UV pulsation was present in 4(19%) of abnormal CTG group, who 3 of them under went cesarean section. Neither umbilical artery PH < 7 nor Apgar score < 7 or NICU admission were seen in these 4 neonates. Conclusions: Pulsation in UV was seen in 23% of fetuses with abnormal CTG during intrapartum period. Cesarean delivery and NICU admission was increased in fetuses with UV pulsations, although not statisticly significant. When LBW fetuses were excluded no case of U/A PH < 7, Apgar score < 7 or NICU admission were seen.


Several studies have suggested that soil microbial communities adapt to changes in temperature with possible long term consequences for organic matter decomposition. We hypothesised that in response to changes in temperature, microbial decomposition would result in a differential production of metabolites. In order to test this hypothesis we used an approach, called metabolomics, which consists of a non-biased analysis of the metabolites produced by or existing in a cell. It gives a picture of the functionality of a cell or of a microbial population in a given environment. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the reproducibility and the discriminatory power of the analytical approach and then to determine the effect of changes in temperature on metabolite production. Two bacterial strains, Anthrobacter sp. and an Erwinia sp., isolated from soil were incubated in minimal media supplemented with fructose at 20°C. Both the intracellular and extracellular metabolites were extracted and detected by gas chromatography. Analytical variability was compared with biological variability by preparing triplicate liquid microcosms for each strain and then for each step of the protocol. Profiles were compared on the basis of relative abundance of each compounds using Principal Component Analysis. Analysis of variance was used to determine the variance components for each experimental factor (Strain \ Microcosm \ Extraction \ Derivatization). The 2 strains were clearly separated along the first ordination axis. Species replicates showed some variability along the second axis. ANOVA indicated that the biological variability was more important than the analytical variability. Subsequently, incubations were carried out at different temperatures and the metabolic profiles compared. Differences in metabolic profiles were also compared with catabolic profiles obtained with Biolog.


Diversity of citizenship jurisdiction has been a staple of federal civil dockets since 1789. In the mid- to late-twentieth century, academics and some high-profile federal judges led a significant effort to abolish diversity jurisdiction. They were confident that diversity had outlived its purpose, which, they said, was to provide a federal court for out-of-state litigants who feared bias in the local state courts.

But diversity survived. Today, it represents a burgeoning percentage of the federal civil docket and is supported by an efficiency rationale that did not exist at the founding. Academics and judges seem relatively ambivalent toward, and even accepting of, this form of federal jurisdiction. We are in the midst of a resurgence of academic interest in diversity – not to abolish it, but to rationalize the various threads of its doctrine.

These efforts should be informed by the lessons that should have been learned by those who sought to abolish diversity jurisdiction. First, diversity is not a free-standing phenomenon. It is part of a carefully constructed constitutional plan intended to promote the free flow of commerce and a national identity. Second, what is usually presented as the traditional justification for diversity is sclerotic and understates the value of diversity jurisdiction. Third, as a matter of political power, the bar embraces diversity jurisdiction and will fight to keep it. At one level, we retain diversity for raw political reason. But the bar's embrace is important for another reason: it likely manifests rational choices made in the interests of litigation clients. At least, the embrace should spur meaningful study of the interests served by diversity jurisdiction (study that remains to be done). And that study must appreciate that, over two centuries, an elaborate legal culture has emerged concerning the relations of state and federal courts.


Many successes have been achieved in HIV care in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC): increased number of HIV‐infected individuals receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART), wide decentralization, reduction in morbidity and mortality and accessibility to cheapest drugs. However, these successes should not hide existing failures and difficulties. In this paper, we underline several key challenges. First, ensure long‐term financing, increase available resources, in order to meet the increasing needs, and redistribute the overall budget in a concerted way amongst donors. Second, increase ART coverage and treat the many eligible patients who have not yet started ART. Competition amongst countries is expected to become a strong driving force in encouraging the least efficient to join better performing countries. Third, decrease early mortality on ART, by improving access to prevention, case‐finding and treatment of tuberculosis and invasive bacterial diseases and by getting people to start ART much earlier. Fourth, move on from WHO 2006 to WHO 2010 guidelines. Raising the cut‐off point for starting ART to 350 CD4/mm3 needs changing paradigm, adopting opt‐out approach, facilitating pro‐active testing, facilitating task shifting and increasing staff recruitments. Phasing out stavudine needs acting for a drastic reduction in the costs of other drugs. Scaling up routine viral load needs a mobilization for lower prices of reagents and equipments, as well as efforts in relation to point‐of‐care automation and to maintenance. The latter is a key step to boost the utilization of second‐line regimens, which are currently dramatically under prescribed. Finally, other challenges are to reduce lost‐to‐follow‐up rates; manage lifelong treatment and care for long‐term morbidity, including drug toxicity, residual AIDS and HIV‐non‐AIDS morbidity and aging‐related morbidity; and be able to face unforeseen events such as socio‐political and military crisis. An old African proverb states that the growth of a deep‐rooted tree cannot be stopped. Our tree is well rooted in existing field experience and is, therefore, expected to grow. In order for us to let it grow, long‐term cost‐effectiveness approach and life‐saving evidence‐based programming should replace short‐term budgeting approach.


In a group of patients with pain syndrome associated with the dysfunction of temporomandibular joint positive results of combined therapy and rehabilitative treatment including remedial gymnastics persisted significantly longer than in controls (p < 0.01). Results of long-term follow-up confirmed the desirability of rehabilitation based on therapeutic exercises. This approach permits to enhance the effectiveness of therapy and rehabilitation of patients with pain syndrome associated with the dysfunction of temporomandibular joint, reduce the number of the patients' visits for repeated treatment and its total duration during a year.


Due to climate change, the floating buildings and estates may become one of the most important environments to live and work in the next few decades. Amphibian homes that are based on the ground and that float only when flood waters rise are especially required in Poland, where there are no large areas of inland waters, but where much of the urban development is located within the flood plains. Security considerations and environmental responsibility in this regard bring a new dimension to the traditionally understood ergonomics. They affect both the internal layout of the buildings, their construction and installation, as well as the way the surrounding area is used. The setting of standards for floating buildings and the rules of the floodplain management are the main objectives in the Blue Strategy of Wroclaw (BSW). The BSW, which is created at the University of Technology in Wroclaw, is the first attempt to find a comprehensive solution to these issues across the city's riverside. Pilot projects are prepared by students and they focus on the modular floating buildings, intended for public use, such as sports, leisure, cultural activities and co-working. This evolution of the working space seems to be significant for the information society.


Farmers' livelihoods are uniquely vulnerable to climate change, and taking adaptive measures to changing environmental conditions constitutes one of the most important pathways for protecting them. Their willingness and capacity to adopt improved practices and technologies, their cognitive and behavioural preferences, and the institutional response mechanisms will go a long way in determining their success in their adaptation to climate change. This study presents results of an analysis of the vulnerabilities of smallholder coffee producers in Nicaragua to climate change. I use descriptive analyses and experimental risk games to evaluate the preferences and attitudes of coffee producers in the context of their adaptation to climate change. I show that food insecure households are more risk-averse than food-secure households and that much work is needed in the sector to ensure equity and improve institutional capacity. For households in chronic poverty, conventional risk management strategies simply may not be enough. Institutional arrangements must be put in place to enable coffee-growing households to engage in practices that result in improved capacity for climate change adaptation.


BACKGROUND
High processed red meat consumption is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The high sodium content of processed red meat could increase blood pressure and explain the association with cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the relation between the consumption of unprocessed and processed red meat and incident hypertension.

DESIGN
In a prospective cohort of 44,616 disease-free French women who responded to a validated dietary questionnaire, we observed 10,256 incident cases of hypertension between 1993 and 2008. Cases were identified through self-reports of diagnosed or treated hypertension. Multivariate Cox regression models were adjusted for age, education, smoking, physical activity, body mass index, menopause, menopausal hormone therapy, and alcohol, bread, coffee, and fruit and vegetable consumption.

RESULTS
Women who consumed ≥5 servings of processed red meat/wk (50 g = 1 serving) had a 17% higher rate of hypertension than that of women who consumed <1 serving/wk (HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.26; P-trend = 0.0002). No association was observed between unprocessed red meat consumption and hypertension. When women who consumed ≥5 servings of unprocessed red meat/wk (100 g = 1 serving) were compared with women who consumed <1 serving unprocessed red meat/wk, the multivariate HR was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.08; P-trend = 0.63).

CONCLUSIONS
In this large prospective cohort of French women, we observed an association between the consumption of processed red meat and hypertension. We observed no association for unprocessed red meat consumption and hypertension.


Bcl-2 proteins are very well known regulators of the programmed cell death.
Accumulating evidence suggests that they are also involved in regulation of calcium
signalling events. Bcl-2 has been reported to affect calcium release from the
intracellular calcium stores through regulation of inositol trisphosphate receptors and
endoplasmic reticulum calcium pumps. Physiological and pathological processes in
pancreatic acinar cells are controlled by calcium. Intracellular Ca2+ signals regulate
not only gene expression and trigger enzyme secretion but also might contribute to
premature trypsinogen activation and development of pancreatitis, which is
characterised by extensive necrosis of the pancreatic tissue. Detailed investigation of
Bcl-2 family-dependent mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ regulation and its
association with cell death induction is required for understanding of the basic
physiological signalling pathways as well as pathophysiological processes leading to
development of severe diseases of pancreas. This study investigates the effects of
Bcl-2 family proteins on intracellular calcium homeostasis, with particular focus on
their involvement in Ca2+ fluxes and CICR phenomenon. Also, the Ca2+-related
actions of different doses of ethanol in pancreatic acinar cells and their contribution
to pancreatitis are presented and assessed.
The results indicate that pharmacological inhibition of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and
Bcl-xL proteins with BH3 mimetics BH3I'-2' or HA14-1 sensitizes pancreatic acinar
cells to CICR; and overexpression of Bcl-2 has the opposite effect significantly
decreasing rising phase of CICR-types of responses in pancreatic cell line AR42J.
Responses to BH3 mimetics are at least partially dependent on both IP3Rs and RyRs,
5
since inhibition of either of them results in a substantial decrease in Ca2+ release
from the intracellular stores. However, simultaneous blockade of IP3Rs and RyRs did
not completely abolish BH3 mimetic-elicited Ca2+ release, which indicates
engagement of other factors in the development of the response. Importantly, the
effects of BH3 mimetics on intracellular Ca2+ were effectively inhibited by loss of
Bax protein, suggesting Bax involvement in the regulation of Ca2+ release from
the ER.
Further, the results presented here demonstrate that moderate concentrations of
ethanol (10 - 100 mM), although having only a minor effect on intact cells, induce
substantial Ca2+ release from both the ER and the acidic store in permeabilized cells,
and trigger intracellular trypsinogen activation - the hallmark of acute pancreatitis.
The data suggest that calmodulin, which is present in intact cells but is lost in
permeabilized cells, constitutes a part of natural defence mechanism responsible for
the differences in the severity of the responses to ethanol. What is more, the evidence
indicates that specific pre-activation of calmodulin by Ca2+-like peptides boosts this
defence and reduces the pathological calcium responses to ethanol as well as to BH3
mimetics in pancreatic acinar cells decreasing necrosis. Finally, the effects of Bcl-2
protein on calcium fluxes in pancreatic acinar cells were investigated. Cells lacking
functional Bcl-2 showed substantially more rapid clearance of thapsigargin /
high Ca2+-induced cytosolic calcium plateau as compared to wild type cells. This
effect has been explained by increased activity of the PMCA that results in a marked
increase of apoptosis / necrosis ratio in oxidative stress induced cell death.
Overexpression of Bcl-2 in AR42J cells reduces ER calcium content, while silencing
of Bcl-2 expression by siRNA results in substantially increased releasable calcium
6
pool in the ER. The data indicate that at least a fraction of Bcl-2 in both AR42J cells
and pancreatic acinar cells locates in the ER and is present in close proximity to the
plasma membrane, making possible the direct regulation of the PMCA.
In conclusion, this study provides new insights into roles of Bcl-2 family proteins
and calmodulin in intracellular calcium homeostasis. This thesis presents evidence
for involvement of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 members in Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release;
demonstrates previously unknown regulation of the PMCA by Bcl-2; and suggests
involvement of Bax protein in regulation of Ca2+ release from the intracellular stores.
The study also proposes that Ca2+-like peptides can boost natural protective
mechanisms and suggests their potential applications as therapeutic agents.


John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life. By Paul C. Nagel. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Pp. xii, 432. $30.00, ISBN 0-679-40444-9.) John Quincy Adams seldom fares well in the rankings of U.S. presidents frequently compiled by historians. The reason is not hard to discover: during his administration (1825-29), Adams ran afoul of a rapidly changing political climate, the machinations of politicians eager to undercut him, and his own political clumsiness. If the criteria for historical reputation were to be expanded to include entire public careers, however, Adams would surely rank close to the top. Adams's non-presidential accomplishments are legion: lawyer; U.S. senator; Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard; U.S. minister to the Netherlands, then Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain; poet and essayist; secretary of state and chief architect of the Monroe Doctrine; erudite author of a pathbreaking report on weights and measures; antislavery Congressman; and counsel for the Amistad mutineers before the Supreme Court. Few individuals in the entire history of American public life have amassed such a remarkable record of public service. Adams is seldom included in the American pantheon, in spite of his record, as a consequence not only of his failed administration but also of his irritable, often self-righteous manner and stubborn adherence to a fading, eighteenth-century political order in the raucously democratic, aggressively egalitarian world of nineteenth-century America. The biographies under review--alike in making the case for Adams's historical importance (alike as well in their lamentable lack of footnotes and other scholarly apparatus)--are notably dissimilar in approach and significance. Lynn Parsons's John Quincy Adams successfully meets the criteria of Madison House's American Profiles series of which it is a part: "to add a human dimension to the study of history" by offering "relatively concise and swiftly-paced sketches" of significant Americans. The series operates on the reasonable premise that "complex and often dry subjects ... can be enlivened and given meaning through a focus on ... individual stories (p. ix)." The story Parsons tells, well informed and carried forward by an engaging narrative style, moves briskly and hits the standard highpoints of Adams' s career. While it may effectively serve the needs of the elusive "general reader," however, scholars will find little new concerning either Adams or his times in these pages. Parsons tells us Adams was deeply conservative and ardently nationalist. He was a man who, although affirming his own political independence (he wanted desperately to be "the man of my whole country"), suffered rejection by the American people in spite of decades of personal sacrifice and public service. Far more ambitious and thus more engaging is Paul Nagel's magisterial John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life. …


Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with internal jugular vein thrombosis is not reported as a complication in nephrotic syndrome. We report a 40-year-old male with nephrotic syndrome, who had headache during his hospitalization. Conventional diagnostic tests showed extensive thrombosis at the proximal part of superior sagittal sinus, left cortical vein, left sigmoid-transverse sinus and left internal jugular vein. The patient underwent medical treatment and was discharged in good health after 2 weeks. The aim of this study is to report a novel case of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with internal jugular venous thrombosis in a male patient with nephrotic syndrome.


Networking can be defined as the conscious process through which organizations act to achieve their objectives in interaction with partners. Ritter and Ford (2004) argue that organizations network by either conforming or confronting towards partners in existing relationships; either consolidating its network position or creating new relationships; and either coercing or conceding the behavior of its partners. Lui and Ngo (2005) and Tjemkes and Furrer (2010) developed other typologies of actions in the interaction process that include acquiescing, compromising, creating, avoiding, defying and manipulative network actions. The latter typologies have been used to study networking by startups (e.g. Thorgren, Wincent, & Boter, 2012). These previous studies showed that despite of their liabilities of newness and smallness, which make it more difficult to know how and when to act, startups still have room for taking actions. In these studies a single type of action at the time was investigated, for example acquiescing. This limits our understanding of startups' use of alternative actions. Moreover, existing research into established firms showed that the decision to act in a particular way is influenced by both the willingness and ability to act. The rational underlying a particular action is expected to be different for startups than for established firms because of their fundamentally different characteristics, such as a lack of experience and resources. Therefore, the questions addressed in this paper are: what is the range of actions from which a startup chooses and when does it choose a particular action? These questions are addressed by comparing the network action typologies of Ritter and Ford (2004), Lui and Ngo (2005) and Tjemkes and Furrer (2010) to develop a comprehensive research model. This research model goes beyond their typologies by including the rational underlying the particular actions. Then, this research model is tested by investigating the interactions between a Dutch startup, which develops a new medical device, and its partners. In this way, this study is able to create more in-depth insight compared to existing research that takes a quantitative, cross-sectional approach. The initial findings show that (a) the startup is not always willing to conform to partners even when it is highly dependent on them and (b) the startup's surrounding network influences its ability to act in a relationship.


Congenital melanocytic nevi are defined as benign nevomelanocytic proliferation present at birth. They are rare lesions and occur in approximately 1% of new-borns and are usually classified according to their size. We report a case of 32 year old female who presented with a giant cerebriform lesion of the scalp which was present since birth. Diagnosis of Giant congenital melanocytic nevi was made on the basis of definite histological criteria. Wide excision of the lesion was done with split skin graft. This case is unique due to the fact that this young female lived with this disfiguring lesion for 3 decades and never consulted any physician for cosmetic purpose and fortunately the lesion never turned malignant.


We report on the origin of the anomalous temperature dependence of coercivity observed in some soft ferromagnets by studying the magnetic and electronic properties of FeZr films doped using ion implantation by H, He, B, C, and N. The anomalous increase of the coercivity with temperature was observed only in the C- and B-doped samples. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that the anomalous behavior of the coercivity coincides with the occurrence of an electron charge transfer for those implanted samples. The origin of the anomaly is discussed in terms of (i) magnetic softness, (ii) nature of the Fe-C and -B covalent bonds, and (iii) large charge transfer.


P-rich, In-rich and Stoichiometric undoped InP melts have been synthesed by phosphorus in-situ injection method. InP crystal ingots have been grown from these melts by Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEC). Samples from these ingots grown from various Stoichiometric melts have been characterized by Hall Effect and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy measurements respectively. The Hall Effect measurement results indicate that the net carrier concentration of P-inch undoped InP is higher than that of In-rich and Stoichiometric undoped InP materials. FT-IR spectroscopy measurements reveal that there are intensive absorption peaks which have been proved to be hydrogen related indium vacancy complex V,,,H, , By comparing FT-IR spectra, it is found that Prich InP material has the most intensive absorption peak of VI,,H,, while In-rich InP material has the weakest absorption peak.


Topology discovery is one of the most critical tasks of Software-Defined Network (SDN) controllers. Current SDN controllers use the OpenFlow Discovery Protocol (OFDP) as the de-facto protocol for discovering the underlying network topology. In a previous work, we have shown the functional, performance and security limitations of OFDP. In this paper, we introduce and detail a novel protocol called secure and efficient OpenFlow Discovery Protocol sOTDP. sOFTDP requires minimal changes to OpenFlow switch design, eliminates major vulnerabilities in the topology discovery process and improves its performance. We have implemented sOFTDP as a topology discovery module in Floodlight for evaluation. The results show that our implementation is more secure than OFDP and previous security workarounds. Also, sOFTDP reduces the topology discovery time several orders of magnitude compared to the original OFDP and existing OFDP improvements.


The Gaia satellite will survey the entire celestial sphere down to 20th magnitude, obtaining astrometry, photometry, and low resolution spectrophotometry on one billion astronomical sources, plus radial velocities for over one hundred million stars. Its main objective is to take a census of the stellar content of our Galaxy, with the goal of revealing its formation and evolution. Gaia's unique feature is the measurement of parallaxes and proper motions with hitherto unparalleled accuracy for many objects. As a survey, the physical properties of most of these objects are unknown. Here we describe the data analysis system put together by the Gaia consortium to classify these objects and to infer their astrophysical properties using the satellite's data. This system covers single stars, (unresolved) binary stars, quasars, and galaxies, all covering a wide parameter space. Multiple methods are used for many types of stars, producing multiple results for the end user according to different models and assumptions. Prior to its application to real Gaia data the accuracy of these methods cannot be assessed definitively. But as an example of the current performance, we can attain internal accuracies (RMS residuals) on F,G,K,M dwarfs and giants at G=15 (V=15-17) for a wide range of metallicites and interstellar extinctions of around 100K in effective temperature (Teff), 0.1mag in extinction (A0), 0.2dex in metallicity ([Fe/H]), and 0.25dex in surface gravity (logg). The accuracy is a strong function of the parameters themselves, varying by a factor of more than two up or down over this parameter range. After its launch in November 2013, Gaia will nominally observe for five years, during which the system we describe will continue to evolve in light of experience with the real data.


Despite the growing interest in e-agriculture research in South Africa, academic studies have not sufficiently and deeply investigated the current e-agriculture research trends in the South African context. It is unclear how primary e-agriculture research in South Africa will aid both current and future generations to create new and better ways to transform agricultural development using this modern technology. This study sought to determine the current status of e-agriculture research in the South African context. A systematic literature review was used to gather and analyze data. The results indicate that 17 papers (26.5%) were published during the first two years (2010-2011) and 28 papers (43.7%) during the last two years (2014-2015). The results of the study further indicate that the use of satellite enhancing agriculture (14 papers, 21.8%) was the most prominent e-agriculture research area in South Africa (27 papers, 23.6%). The results of this study show that information mapping was the most used research method by researchers in their studies (30 papers, 46.8%). The results of the study helped to understand the importance of enhancing research capability and socio-economic transformation of farmworkers and farmers through enhanced communication of agriculture research knowledge in the area of agricultural informatics.


Three patients who were admitted for intracranial hemorrhage are reported. Cerebral angiography demonstrated an aneurysm arising from the middle cerebral artery bifurcation. No other malformation was visible either on the computed tomographic scan or on angiography. The diagnosis was ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysm with intracerebral hematoma. At surgery, there was no blood in the sylvian fissure and the aneurysm was not ruptured. Evacuation of the hematoma and thorough exploration of the cavity led to the discovery and resection of a small vascular anomaly typical of an arteriovenous malformation responsible for the hemorrhage. Occult vascular malformations and the association of aneurysm with arteriovenous malformations are discussed. In these 3 patients, the coexistence of these two malformations could be related to a common congenital abnormality.


Abstract Enterprise stent has been widespread used in wide-necked intracranial aneurysms and good efficacy has been achieved, but there are few reports on its applications in very small ruptured intracranial aneurysms in literatures. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Enterprise stent-assisted coiling embolization of very small ruptured intracranial aneurysms. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and imaging data from 37 patients with very small ruptured intracranial aneurysms who had SAC using Enterprise stents performed from February 2012 to July 2016 in our department. Data collected and analyzed included patient demographics, morphologic features of the aneurysm, treatment results, and follow-up results. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Enterprise stents were successfully implanted in all 37 patients with very small ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Of the 37 individuals, 28 patients exhibited complete occlusion at Raymond grade I, 5 patients exhibited occlusion at Raymond grade II, and 4 patients at Raymond grade III. Procedure-related complications occurred in 3 of 37 patients (8.1%), including 1 case of intraprocedure aneurysm rupture who died from cerebral herniation caused by severe postoperative cerebral ischemia during the hospital stay, and the other 2 complications were acute in-stent thrombosis, and occlusion of parent artery caused by falling-off internal carotid artery plaque, respectively. A total of 36 patients underwent postoperative clinical follow-up visits for 6 to 24 months of which 31 patients recovered (GOS ≥ 4). One patient had hemiplegic paralysis, and no rehemorrhage was found. A total of 25 patients underwent follow-up digital subtraction angiography (DSA) at 3–21 months postintervention, in whom there were 22 cases with complete occlusion, 2 cases with recurrence of aneurysm neck, and 1 case with in-stent restenosis, but there was no patient with neurologic deficits. The Enterprise stent-assisted coiling embolization can be a safe and effective technique for treatment of very small ruptured intracranial aneurysms.


The 3-step sulphur-iodine-based thermochemical cycle for splitting water is considered. The high-temperature step consists of the evaporation, decomposition, and reduction of H2SO4 to SO2 using concentrated solar process heat. This step is followed by the Bunsen reaction and HI decomposition. The solar reactor concepts proposed are based on a shell-and-tube heat exchanger filled with catalytic packed beds and on a porous ceramic foam to directly absorb solar radiation and act as reaction site. The design, modeling, and optimization of the solar reactor using complex porous structures relies on the accurate determination of their effective heat and mass transport properties. Accordingly, a multi-scale approach is applied. Ceramic foam samples are scanned using highresolution X-ray tomography to obtain their exact 3D geometrical configuration, which in turn is used in direct porelevel simulations for the determination of the morphological and effective heat/mass transport properties. These are incorporated in a volume-averaged (continuum) model of the solar reactor. Model validation is accomplished by comparing numerically simulated and experimentally measured temperatures in a 1 kW reactor prototype tested in a solar furnace. The model is further applied to analyze the influence of foam properties, reactor geometry, and operational conditions on the reactor performance.


Ninety children, aged from 7 days to 12 months, with perinatal damage of the central nervous system (CNS) were virologically tested. The persistence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in the blood, urine and oropharyngeal swabs was identified in 18.9% of children. In 14.4% of children, CMV DNA was found only in oropharyngeal swabs and urine samples. In some cases, the severity of neurologic symptoms and absence of positive changes in the restoration treatment could be caused by the activity of CMV infection, blood CMV DNA and the increase in blood-brain barrier permeability. The authors recommend performance of a comprehensive immunological and molecular-biological survey in patients with suspected CMV infection. In case of positive reactions, a specific antiviral treatment should be started. Tree clinical cases are reported.


The main goal of META design is to achieve a factor five (5x) improvement in product development speed for cyber-electro-physical systems compared to current practice. The method claims to achieve this speedup by a combination of three main mechanisms:1. The deliberate use of layers of abstraction. High-level functional requirements are used to explore architectures immediately rather than waiting for downstream level 2, 3, 4 … requirements to be defined.2. The development and use of an extensive and trusted component (C2M2L) model library. Rather than designing all components from scratch, the META process allows importing component models directly from a library in order to quickly compose functional designs.3. The ability to find emergent behaviors and problems ahead of time during virtual Verification and Validation (V&V) and generating designs that are correct-by-construction allows a more streamlined design process and avoids costly design iterations that often lead to expensive design changes.This paper quantifies the impact of these main META mechanisms with a sophisticated System Dynamics (SD) model that allows simulating development projects over time. META compares favorably against a simulation of a traditional design process due to the generation of late engineering changes in a traditional design-build-test-redesign environment. The benchmark case analyzed in this paper contained 3,000 requirements, and the results show a dramatic improvement for project completion schedule with a demonstrated speedup factor of 4.4 (70 months versus about 16 months). In the simulated META process we used 3 layers of abstraction, 50% novelty and a model library integrity of 80% with 70% of problems are caught early. The results were also validated against data from the B777 Electric Power System (EPS) design project at UTC where a speedup factor of 3.8 was demonstrated. The paper contains a useful sensitivity analysis that helps establish requirements and bounds on the META process and tool-chain itself that should enable the desired 5x speedup factor.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


We document the implementation of the Common Representative Intermediates Mechanism version 2, reduction 5 into the United Kingdom Chemistry and Aerosol model (UKCA) version 10.9. The mechanism is merged with the stratospheric chemistry already used by the StratTrop mechanism, as used in UKCA and the UK Earth System Model, to create a new CRI‐Strat mechanism. CRI‐Strat simulates a more comprehensive treatment of non‐methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and provides traceability with the Master Chemical Mechanism. In total, CRI‐Strat simulates the chemistry of 233 species competing in 613 reactions (compared to 87 species and 305 reactions in the existing StratTrop mechanism). However, while more than twice as complex than StratTrop, the new mechanism is only 75% more computationally expensive. CRI‐Strat is evaluated against an array of in situ and remote sensing observations and simulations using the StratTrop mechanism in the UKCA model. It is found to increase production of ozone near the surface, leading to higher ozone concentrations compared to surface observations. However, ozone loss is also greater in CRI‐Strat, leading to less ozone away from emission sources and a similar tropospheric ozone burden compared to StratTrop. CRI‐Strat also produces more carbon monoxide than StratTrop, particularly downwind of biogenic VOC emission sources, but has lower burdens of nitrogen oxides as more is converted into reservoir species. The changes to tropospheric ozone and nitrogen budgets are sensitive to the treatment of NMVOC emissions, highlighting the need to reduce uncertainty in these emissions to improve representation of tropospheric chemical composition.


This writing discusses a numerical approach in solving an engineering mechanics problem by implementing the finite element method especialy in analyzing a continum. The package program will be design base on theory that can be executed by using a personel computer and can also be used to analyze plane strees and plane strain problems. The discussion will cover derivating formula lo be used, arranging block diagram as well as breaking down algorithmic analysis of two dimention solid materials by using isoparametic element. To complete the writing, the result of calculation on case study will be compared to the calculation using SAP 90 program and using exact. Engineering mechanics. The result test indicates that ISOQ8 program can be used for analyzing the structure of plane stress and plane straing.


Plantation forests are perceived to be the supplementary source of wood material for the large wood products industry in Malaysia, amidst the steadily reducing supply from her natural forests. Despite the government's initiated plantation forests scheme, the participation of smallholder farmers has been limited. Smallholder farmers constitute the largest proportion of private farmers involved in all sectors of agricultural and plantation tree crop cultivation, including commodities such as rubber and palm oil. Therefore, this study examines the lack of interest among smallholder farmers to participate in establishing forest plantations, although they have a strong presence in the palm oil and rubber sectors. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted among 12,895 smallholder farmers currently involved in palm oil, rubber and other tree-crop cultivation. The study found that this group has little knowledge and awareness of the forest plantation scheme available, and there is a prevailing perception that the establishment of forest plantations is not environment-friendly and leads to biodiversity loss. The poor economic return, small land holding, and poorly structured market and supply chain are perceived as the significant constraints faced that limit the interest among the target groups to participate in this sector. Any effort to reverse this trend and garner higher interest from the target group will necessarily require a new policy framework that boosts the economic outlook of forest plantations among smallholder farmers.


The aim of our work was to produce bispecific antibodies using biological and chemical methods. Bispecific antibodies recognise two antigens simultaneuosly. The bispecific antibodies produced were used in the development of novel ELISA and immunocytochemical techniques for the detection of antigens present on the peripheral blood cells of patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, (CLL). Cytokine production in these patients was also determined.

Biological production involved the production of triomas which were formed by the fusion of hybridoma cells with immunized splenocytes. This method required backselecting the hybridoma cells for HAT-sensitivity, a procedure which was performed firstly by growing the cells in increasing concentrations of 8-azaguanine and, secondly, by treatment of the hybridoma cells with the mutagenic reagent, ethyl methanesulfonate. The cells were then fused with horseradish peroxidase-immunized mouse and rabbit splenocytes. The chemical method chosen involved the activation of thiol groups on Fab" fragments of one antibody. These Fab" fragments were reacted with the second reduced Fab" fragment to form the heterogeneous F(ab'y)2 bispecific antibody.

Studies were also performed on the cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6). These included measurement of the concentration of IL-6 in the plasma and in conditioned medium (CM), prepared from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with CLL. The IL-6 levels were measured by an ELISA and by a bioassay using an IL-6-dependent cell line. The levels of circulating IgG present in the plasma of these patients were also determined by ELISA, but did not correlate. The effects of feeder cell layers and various medium supplements, including both IL-6-CM and CLL plasma, on the growth of hybridoma cells were also studied. The growth of hybridoma cells which are of B-cell origin under such conditions may give indications of how the various growth factors present in CLL plasma affect B-cell growth in these patients.


The editorial discusses the impacts of the global pandemic to human agency, through the authors self-reflection of academic work during the past two years accompanied two philosophical perspectives. First, we return to Chris Philo's (2017) conception of 'less-than-human geographies', and secondly, to Helmuth Plessner's (2019) conception of the sociality of human embodiment. What these perspectives have helped us to see is that people, including academic communities, need embodied encounters to fully experience ourselves and others as humans – humans whose exceptionality is not about superiority over non-human nature but eccentricity that offers us possibilities to avoid inhumanity. In conclusion we note the value of embodied encounters as a constitutive aspec of humane social life, particularly in the current times of war in Europe.


This study tests cropland contract hypotheses utilizing a landlord data set. Ordered probit and classical regression models are estimated and presented identifying factors that affect the contract type selection and terms. Results suggest credit constraints are a viable land-leasing hypothesis. Risk aversion, managerial ability, and social capital are also supported.


Text simplification (TS) is a monolingual text-to-text transformation task where an original (complex) text is transformed into a target (simpler) text. Most recent work is based on sequence-to-sequence neural models similar to those used for machine translation (MT). Different from MT, TS data comprises more elaborate transformations, such as sentence splitting. It can also contain multiple simplifications of the same original text targeting different audiences, such as school grade levels. We explore these two features of TS to build models tailored for specific grade levels. Our approach uses a standard sequence-to-sequence architecture where the original sequence is annotated with information about the target audience and/or the (predicted) type of simplification operation. We show that it outperforms state-of-the-art TS approaches (up to 3 and 12 BLEU and SARI points, respectively), including when training data for the specific complex-simple combination of grade levels is not available, i.e. zero-shot learning.


ABSTRACT: Activation of T cells after ligation of the antigen-specific T-cell receptor initiates a cascade of metabolic and biochemical alterations that culminate in cell proliferation. The major changes include a series of phosphorylation reactions on numerous protein substrates, phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis, intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, gene activation, lymphokine receptor expression, and lymphokine secretion. Despite a great deal of work unraveling the structure of the T-cell receptor complex and the many biochemical events triggered by ligation of the T-cell receptor, the exact link between the various responses is not entirely defined. Nevertheless, abnormalities in any of these initial events may be presumed to have an impact on signal transduction, thereby resulting in a T-cell immunodeficiency. Such defects may be restricted to certain T-cell subsets or functions or represent more global defects.


Our goal was to determine whether coronary leukocyte retention after endotoxin infusion was due primarily to leukocyte activation. Leukocytes were activated by infusion of endotoxin into 12 blood donor rabbits. Separately, 12 isolated rabbit hearts were perfused with blood from an endotoxemic support rabbit to expose coronary endothelium to an inflammatory stimulus. During an infusion of 20 ml of donor blood into the isolated heart, the coronary transit time of leukocytes was determined by deconvolution of multiple measurements of injectate and collected leukocyte concentrations. With no leukocyte activation or inflammatory stimulation of endothelium, leukocyte transit time was 9.2 +/- 3.5 s, and 11.6 +/- 4.1 x 10(6) leukocytes were retained in the coronary circulation. Leukocyte activation alone did not alter transit time (9.8 +/- 3.2 s) or retention (9.3 +/- 4.6 x 10(6) leukocytes). Inflammatory stimulation of endothelium with and without leukocyte activation increased transit time (18.0 +/- 3.6 and 18.9 +/- 3.8 s, respectively; P < 0. 05) and retention (24.8 +/- 8.4 and 25.3 +/- 6.8 x 10(6) leukocytes, respectively; P < 0.05) to the same extent. Differential counts showed that neutrophils (but not lymphocytes) were slowed and retained. Inflammatory stimulation of endothelium caused coronary capillary endothelial swelling and pseudopod formation. Thus increased coronary neutrophil transit time and retention are due to structural changes of coronary endothelial cells or other effects of the inflammatory response occurring within coronary capillaries, not only due to activation of leukocytes.


The object of interest in this essay is the issue of reducing work hours and how that issue was handled in the Trade Union Confederation (LO). In previous research the struggle for shorter work hours has been viewed as a struggle between trade union and employers' organizations. The previous research has had difficulties in explaining LOs part in this struggle, their actions have not been the expected. LO had not played an active part in the struggle for shorter work hours and the previous research has not been able to given a satisfying explanation for this. In this essay the starting-point is another. The issue of reducing work hours, this essay argues, was a problem for LO. The problem consists of the need for LO to mark against communism, both inside and outside of the organization. But this essay also argues that the issue of reducing work hours is in it self subversive and therefore a problem for the reformist LO. From this staring-point the essay analyses the view of the issue of reducing work hours in LO during the period of 1945-1967. The conclusion in the essay is that LO disarmed the issue of reducing work hours, making it harmless. By shifts in conceptions of needs, the possible and conceptions of time and development the issue of reducing work hours was disarmed. The disarmed issue enabled LO to unite the organization in the delicate matter without the risk of pursuing a subversive issue.


ABSTRACT This article considers the future of UN peace operations through a complexity theory lens. In the short-term peacekeeping will have to adapt to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fall-out of the Trump presidency. In the medium-term peacekeeping will go through a phase of uncertainty and turbulence due to geopolitical power shifts in the global order. In the longer-term peacekeeping will have to adapt to a new multipolar global order characterized by coexistence, and a changing security landscape shaped by, among others, climate change, urbanization, and new technologies. Throughout these contraction, moderation, and adjustment phases, UN peacekeeping is likely to be guided by a principled adaptive approach, that allows it to adapt to the realities of the moment whilst staying true to its core form and identity. As a result, UN peacekeeping is likely to remain one of the most visible symbols of global governance and international cooperation.


The rural areas in Bulgaria cover more then 80% of the country territory and account for about 29% of the population. Their development depends strongly on agricultural sector. The paper examines structural changes in agriculture, labour market situation in rural areas and presents the main results of the survey performed in three region of Bulgaria. The study shows a substantial decline in the number of farm with economic size between 0,5 and 3 ESU and a stable increase in the number of large farms. Major factors having impact on farm restructuring are: improvements in economic situation, in particular the increase in real income, positive developments of land market, deterioration of age structure of rural population and the habits of rural population to keep some agricultural activity. An important development of subsistence and semi subsistence farms is observed indicating two opposite processes: a process of transforming of a small part of semi-subsistence into commercial farms or into higher economic size group and another part of them converged to subsistence farms. The number of subsistence farms with economic size 0,5 – 1 ESU also declined as the reduction is either due to reduction of farm activity or due to exit from the sector. The most important option for employment and source of income in villages studied is agriculture, but the earned income is much below the national average The most important factor having impact on a decision to start a job outside agriculture is "To ensure households leaving standards/ generate cash income". Generally the respondents do not think that they will have possibility to start their self employed business outside agriculture in the next 5 years. Only 25% of them expect to stay in agriculture as nearly 50% of the commercial farms will keep operating and only 17% - 26% of small farms will remain in the sector


OBJECT
A systematic review concerning surgical management of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) showed that a satisfactory clinical outcome was significantly more likely with adjunctive spinal fusion than with decompression alone. However, the role of adjunctive fusion and the optimal type of fusion remain controversial. Therefore, operative management for multilevel DS raises more complicated issues. The purpose of this retrospective study was to elucidate clinical and radiological outcomes after 2-level PLIF for 2-level DS with the least bias in determination of operative procedure.

METHODS
Since 2005, all patients surgically treated for lumbar DS at the authors' hospital have been treated using posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) with pedicle screws, irrespective of severity of slippage, patient age, or bone quality. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 20 consecutive cases involving patients who underwent 2-level PLIF for 2-level DS and had been followed up for 2 years or longer (2-level PLIF group). They also analyzed data from 92 consecutive cases involving patients who underwent single-level PLIF for single-level DS during the same time period and had been followed for at least 2 years (1-level PLIF group). This second group served as a control. Clinical status was assessed using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Fusion status and sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine were assessed by comparing serial plain radiographs. Surgery-related complications and the need for additional surgery were evaluated.

RESULTS
The mean JOA score improved significantly from 12.8 points before surgery to 20.4 points at the latest follow-up in the 2-level PLIF group (mean recovery rate 51.8%), and from 14.2 points preoperatively to 22.5 points at the latest follow-up in the single-level PLIF group (mean recovery rate 55.3%). At the final follow-up, 95.0% of patients in the 2-level PLIF group and 96.7% of those in the 1-level PLIF group had achieved solid spinal fusion, and the mean sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine was more lordotic than before surgery in both groups. Early surgery-related complications, including transient neurological complications, occurred in 6 patients in the 2-level PLIF group (30.0%) and 11 patients in the 1-level PLIF group (12.0%). Symptomatic adjacent-segment disease was found in 4 patients in the 2-level PLIF group (20.0%) and 10 patients in the 1-level PLIF group (10.9%).

CONCLUSIONS
The clinical outcome of 2-level PLIF for 2-level lumbar DS was satisfactory, although surgery-related complications including symptomatic adjacent-segment disease were not negligible.


Four 1:15,000 maps for the coastal area of Mar Piccolo (Taranto, southern Italy) are presented. The study area is a small, sheltered shallow marine basin of about 20 km2, located north of Taranto town. It contains some submarine, karstic freshwater springs (citri) that have determined the development of intensive aquaculture in the past. Now, the Mar Piccolo is a highly polluted area due to the presence of both military and industrial navy docks and various heavy industries located in proximal areas: (i) the ILVA steel plant in Taranto, the largest in Europe; (ii) the ENI oil refinery and (iii) the CEMENTIR, the largest cement and concrete plant in southern Italy. Many studies show that water and sediments are contaminated (heavy metals, isopropyl alcohol, polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB], etc.), and various remediation projects are now in preparation. In this study, we analyze the physical characteristics of the Mar Piccolo environment by producing several maps: a geological map; a geomorphological map; a bathy-morphological map and a map of the thickness of surficial sediment. All these maps are original products focused on the realization of a reliable geological picture for the Mar Piccolo area. They represent the first steps toward the detailed knowledge of the Mar Piccolo physical environment, which we consider to be a fundamental requirement for developing the most appropriate remediation techniques.


While bush beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) have long been the protein
staple of Rwandan agriculture, improved climbing beans have been
introduced within the last 10 years, enabling farmers to intensify,
stabilize and better stagger production. Through a 1992-3 nation-wide
survey of 1050 households, conducted in both major growing seasons,
this study examines the adoption of improved climbing beans across
regions and potential user groups. Use of improved climbing beans, by
500,000 households, cross-cuts farm size, economic class and gender
boundaries, and is most intensive among the more disadvantaged. Initial
concerns with staking material, how to obtain and manage it, have posed
relatively few problems for farmers, and the surprising plasticity of
improved climbers has encouraged research to more closely determine
soil fertility demands. Increased incidence of root rot ( Fusarium
oxysporum ) and fear of reduced genetic variability on-farm have
resulted in the Institut des Sciences Agronomique du Rwanda (ISAR's)
adopting targeted pathogen screening procedures and releasing many new
cultivars simultaneously. The success of improved climbers, bringing
Rwanda an additional US$ 8 to 15 million per year, has stimulated
promising R & D efforts in Kivu, Zaire and southern Burundi, and
several other Eastern African regions have been identified as prime for
climbing bean introduction.


Iraq one of the most Middle East countries confronts to climate change, where it faced many environmental challenges the most important of high temperatures above the rate of the natural. The Nitrous oxide(N2O) gas work on the absorption of part of the heat inside the atmosphere and prevent the leakage into space and this leads to increase temperature of the air and knows this phenomenon of global warming, N2O has another effect on the atmosphere as it works to drain the ozone layer that protects the atmosphere from harmful ultraviolet rays. The aim of this research is to study the effect of N2O to increase their concentration in the atmosphere of temperature variation. Where the data was taken from satellites recorded by the European Centre for medium range weather forecasts (ECMWF) . This study choice Iraq and neighbor regions from latitude 27 to 37 oN and longitude from 39 to 50 oE for years (2003-2016), where we studied the behavior of N2O gas concentration and its relationship with air temperature variation. The result by using correlation coefficient between N2O and temperature it found that the relationship was high positive in the all stations of study, where in Sulamaniyah (Iraq) +0.8 , and also be a strong positive relationship in southern stations, as for neighboring regions also be high positive in Batman (Turkey) +0.7, and Amman (Jordan) +0.8 also in Aleppo(Syria) +0.8 ,and in Jubail (K.S.A) correlation coefficient +0.8, and in Ahwaz (Iran) be +0.8 .


Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) conducted two projects in Cameroon on strengthening rice, and sorghum, maize and millet seed production by smallholder seed enterprises (SSEs). Farmer groups (respectively, 25 SSEs and 114 SSEs) were formed or strengthened and trained. Sixty-six selected lead farmers were trained on the administering and managing of revolving funds. The groups were then linked to the Extension Service (for continuous technical advice), Agriculture Research for Development Institution (continuous supply of needed seed), National Seed Service (seed certification) and to financial institutions (financial support). The results obtained showed that 60 and 59.6 per cent, respectively, of the groups sustained their activities two to three years after the projects ended. Total certified rice seed produced increased to 800 tonnes (t) against 267t at the beginning. For the other cereal project, the total certified seed produced was 719.2t against 497t at its beginning. The use of quality seed rice together with good agronomic practices increased yields (up to 8.0t/ha against a scant 2t/ha before). All interviewed farmers stressed that the seed business was profitable and helped achieve higher living standards and diversify their activities. Seasonal incomes were more than US$1,783.31. Finally, both FAO projects helped generate farmers' income to about US$2,114.871, produced 447,954t of cereal grain and thus improved food security and alleviated poverty. The Cameroonian success could be repeated elsewhere.


Despite the well-known clinical effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS), the mechanisms of action have not yet been fully unraveled. The primary aim of this study was to measure whether electrochemical skin conductance, as a measure of peripheral sympathetic autonomic function, is altered by SCS. A second aim was to compare skin conductance levels of patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Twenty-three patients with FBSS treated with SCS participated in this study. Sudomotor function was measured with the SudoscanTM instrument on the hands and feet during SCS on and off states. Difference scores in skin conductance between patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls were calculated. Normal sudomotor function at the painful lower limb was revealed for 61% of the patients when SCS was activated. Skin conductance levels were not altered between on and off states of SCS. Differences in scores between patients and healthy controls were significantly different from zero. This study showed that SCS does not influencing the sympathetic nervous system in patients with FBSS, as measured by skin conductance levels. Moreover, it suggested that there is no normalization of the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system, despite the effectiveness of SCS to reduce pain intensity.


Clinical Image A 56-year-old male presented with abdominal pain, vomiting and peritoneal irritation signs on physical examination. He had history of IgA nephropathy in peritoneal dialysis since fourteen years ago with multiple episodes of bacterial peritonitis responding to intraperitoneal antibiotics. Void residual urine output. His peritoneal permeability was high requiring automated peritoneal dialysis with elevated glucose load for appropriate volume overload management. He refused hemodialysis repeatedly. In the last year the patient reported anorexia, weight loss and several minor episodes of abdominal pain accompanied by constipation or diarrhea that were blamed on a known diverticular disease. In admission the peritoneal effluent was clear. A CT of abdomen showed diffuse thickening of the peritoneum with linear calcifications and bands of fibrosis that were arranged between the loops of small intestine and forming several compartments which were confined. The laparotomy showed a peritoneum of "carapacelike" appearance (Figure 1), brownish, with a thick fibrous cover that included all intestinal loops (Figures 2 and 3) suggestive of abdominal cocoon due to a sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis. Treatment with adhesiolysis, antibiotics, parenteral nutrition, tamoxifen and hemodialysis was unsuccessful; patient died ten days later because of septic shock.


In order to accurately categorize novel items, humans learn to selectively attend to stimulus dimensions that are most relevant to the task. Models of category learning describe the interconnected cognitive processes that contribute to selective attention as observations of stimuli and category feedback are progressively acquired. The Adaptive Attention Representation Model (AARM), for example, provides an account whereby categorization decisions are based on the perceptual similarity of a new stimulus to stored exemplars, and dimension-wise attention is updated on every trial in the direction of a feedback-based error gradient. As such, attention modulation as described by AARM requires interactions among orienting, visual perception, memory retrieval, error monitoring, and goal maintenance in order to facilitate learning across trials. The current study explored the neural bases of attention mechanisms using quantitative predictions from AARM to analyze behavioral and fMRI data collected while participants learned novel categories. GLM analyses revealed patterns of BOLD activation in the parietal cortex (orienting), visual cortex (perception), medial temporal lobe (memory retrieval), basal ganglia (error monitoring), and prefrontal cortex (goal maintenance) that covaried with the magnitude of model-predicted attentional tuning. Results are consistent with AARM's specification of attention modulation as a dynamic property of distributed cognitive systems.


One of the goals of the landscape program in string theory is to extract information about the space of string vacua in the form of statistical correlations between phenomenological features that are otherwise uncorrelated in field theory. Such correlations would thus represent predictions of string theory that hold independently of a vacuum-selection principle. In this paper, we study statistical correlations between two features which are likely to be central to any potential description of nature at high-energy scales: gauge symmetries and spacetime supersymmetry. We analyze correlations between these two kinds of symmetry within the context of perturbative heterotic string vacua, and find a number of striking features. We find, for example, that the degree of spacetime supersymmetry is strongly correlated with the probabilities of realizing certain gauge groups, with unbroken supersymmetry at the string scale tending to favor gauge-group factors with larger rank. We also find that nearly half of the heterotic landscape is nonsupersymmetric and yet tachyon-free at tree level; indeed, less than a quarter of the tree-level heterotic landscape exhibits any supersymmetry at all at the string scale.


Purpose: To determine which competing macroscopic dose descriptor best tracks absorbed dose to biologically relevant subcellular targets via Monte Carlo analysis of cellular models for a variety of normal and canceroustissues, and evaluate relations between bulk dose‐specification media and absorbed doses to cellular targets for kilovoltage radiation. Methods: The relative proportions of water, proteins, inorganic elements, and lipids in cell cytoplasm and nuclei, extracellular fluid, and the corresponding average bulk media were determined for normal and canceroustissues through a literature review. Mass‐energy absorption coefficients, attenuation coefficients, and stopping powers for these media were calculated. Representative models of cells and cell clusters for normal and canceroustissues were developed; doses to cellular targets were computed with Monte Carlo(MC) simulation for photon sources (energies between 20 keV and 380 keV) and compared to bulk medium dose descriptors. Results:Cells contain significant and varying mass fractions of proteins, inorganic elements, and lipids (adipocytes only). Variations in mass energy absorption coefficients for cytoplasmic and nuclear media as large as 10% compared to water are observed for sub‐50 keV photon energies (I‐125 and Pd‐103). In adipose tissues, 10% differences persist to 90 keV. Doses to cellular targets differ by up to 10% compared to doses to the corresponding average bulk medium or to water. The relationships between cellular target doses and doses to the bulk medium are sensitive to source energy and cell morphology, particularly for low energy brachytherapy. Conclusions: There are significant variations in cellular morphology (composition, size) with cell type; cells are not generally radiologically water equivalent. Thus neither dose to bulk medium nor dose to water in inhomogeneous macroscopic media quantitatively tracks energy imparted to biologically relevant subcellular targets for the range of cellular geometries investigated and kilovoltage photon sources.


The development and implementation of the Range and Null space Decomposition (RND) strategy for large-scale problems is described with emphasis on the optimization of engineering systems. The RND technique, as detailed in Vasantharajan and Biegler (1988), uses nonorthonormal, gradient based projections for the Jacobian. However, this implementation is dense, and does not take advantage of system sparsity. Here we extend this algorithm to incorporate general purpose sparse matrix techniques. Also, problems like inconsistent linearizations and infeasible Quadratic Programs (QPs), which are generally associated with QP based methods compromise the robustness of this method and need to be considered. Finally, systematic ways of generating a nonsingular basis for general nonlinear programs must be developed if this strategy is to be adapted to solve large, sparse problems efficiently. To deal with these problems, a two phase LP-based procedure is coupled to the RND algorithm. This strategy also serves to partition the variables into decisions and dependents, thereby generating a nonsingular basis. Any redundancies/degeneracies in the constraints are also detected and processed separately. The entire reduced SQP implementation is then interfaced with GAMS (Brooke et a/. (1988)), a front end for representing and solving process models. Finally, a thorough comparison of the RND based reduced SQP strategy with MINOS (Murtagh and Saunders (1978)) is effected on a set of NLPs and process design problems. The process problems include the optimization of the operation of distillation columns. These problems warrant special mention as have been uniquely conceived and implemented in a novel equation-oriented manner, thus exploiting the full potential of the GAMS architecture. Detailed discussion of the formulation and results are included and results are obtained that confirm the viability and efficacy of the reduced SQP implementation for efficient solution of large, difficult nonlinear programs. University Libraries Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213


In this work, an approach to the forward generation of discrete first- and second-order sensitivities is proposed. For this purpose, an algorithm has been developed, which can basically be applied to general implicit differential-algebraic equation (DAE) systems. Moreover, the approach has been tailored to both the generation of directional derivatives and sensitivities with respect to discontinuous control trajectories. The implementation of the method is discussed here for the orthogonal collocation method based on Legendre–Gauss–Radau points and considering the linear implicit DAE type, which arises in problems related to chemical engineering. Lastly, the approach has been applied to three case studies of different complexities. The corresponding performance for the generation of Jacobian and Hessian information is discussed in detail. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 3110–3122, 2012


Due to the rapid diffusion of modern Informationand Communication Technologies in all business areas the demand for well education IS-professional has increased enormously. As a consequence, controversial discussions on the quality of IS-education and the application of teaching methods in the field of IS came up in the recent years. Teaching experts suggest to shift the emphasis in IS-education from passive and content-transfer oriented teaching methods to active and problem-based learning approaches which address interdisciplinary perspectives. As one of the most effective method for the realisation of active and problem-based learning processes, the case study method is established in management education since decades. Nevertheless, compared to other popular learning methods the case study method has due the long history of application a reputation as being "traditional" and not very innovative. This paper reflects the potential of improving the case study method by using hypertext and multimedia technologies for the implementation and presentation of case-related content. Taking the strengths of the case study method and recommendations of constructivist learning theories into account two important didactic concepts have been identified which can be used to support the design and development of multimedia case studies: authenticity and complexity. In an empirical study, the effects of these concepts on cognitive learning objectives, motivational factors and the learning-effort have been analysed. For that purpose, three versions of multimedia case studies with the same content but with different levels of authenticity and complexity have been developed and applied in an Electronic Commerce case-seminar. The results of the survey suggest that with regard to cognitive learning objectives multimedia case studies with a high level of complexity and authenticity promote a deeper processing of information and leads to a higher quality of results than multimedia case studies with a low level of complexity and authenticity. Nevertheless, a high level of complexity and authenticity can also have demotivational effects on side of the learner. The results show that there is not one way to implement complexity and authenticity in multimedia case studies but that these concepts have to be carefully applied and combined to match as effective as possible the educational setting.