Genera and previously described species of Nearctic Scythrididae are revised for the first time, based on the study of adult structures. About 90 percent of the Nearctic fauna known in collections consists of undescribed species. The supraspecific taxa treated in this work encompass less than half of the Nearctic species diversity. Only six new species are described, all within the largest and structurally most diverse genus. The status of all nominal species is revised. Valid species are redescribed and their features illustrated. General problems in the systematics of the Scythrididae are discussed. A description of adult features of the family Scythrididae is providad. Extra-limital genera are briefly reviewed. A key to the Nearctic genera and informal supraspecific lineages is provided.Six genera, including three new, are treated: Areniscythris Powell, 1976, Arotrura Walsingham, 1888, Asymmetrura gen. nov., Neoscythris gen. nov., Rhamphura gen. nov., and Scythris s. str. Hubner, [1825]. Areniscythris includes a single described species, Areniscythris brachypteris Powell, but is defined more broadly to account for a number of undescribed species. Arotrura is divided into nine informal species groups with the following included species: Arotrura atascosa sp. nov., Arotrura balli sp. nov., Arotrura divaricata (Braun) comb, nov., Arotrura eburnea Walsingham, Arotrura formidabilis sp. nov., Arotrura hymenata sp. nov., Arotrura longissima sp. nov., Arotrura oxyplecta (Meyrick) comb, nov., Arotrura powelli sp. nov., and Arotrura sponsella (Busck) comb. nov. Asymmetrura includes: Asymmetrura albilineata (Walsingham) comb. nov., Asymmetrura graminivorella (Braun) comb. nov., Asymmetrura impositella (Zeller) comb. nov. and type species, Asymmetrura matutella (Clemens) comb, nov., Asymmetrura reducta (Braun) comb, nov., and Asymmetrura scintillifera (Braun) comb. nov. Neoscythris includes: Neoscythris confinis (Braun) comb, nov., Neoscythris euthia (Walsingham) comb. nov., Neoscythris fissirostris (Meyrick) comb. nov. and type species, and Neoscythris planipenella (Chambers) comb. nov. Rhamphura includes: Rhamphura altisierrae (Keifer) comb, nov., Rhamphura ochristriata (Walsingham) comb. nov. and type species, Rhamphura perspicillella (Walsingham) comb. nov., Rhamphura suffusa (Walsingham) comb. nov., and the extra-limital Rhamphura immunis (Meyrick) comb. nov. from Peru. Scythris s. str. includes: Scythris immaculatella (Chambers) rev. stat., Scythris limbella (Fabricius), Scythris mixaula Meyrick, Scythris trivinctella (Zeller), and Scythris ypsilon Braun. A further eight species are phylogenetically distinct from Scythris s. str. but provisionally are only assigned to five informal monophyletic lineages until their cladistic relationships are more firmly established. These are: the Scythris basilaris lineage including Scythris basilaris (Zeller), Scythris eboracensis (Zeller), and Scythris fuscicomella (Clemens); the Scythris interrupta lineage including Scythris interrupta Braun; the Scythris inspersella lineage including Scythris inspersella (Hubner) and Scythris noricella (Zeller); the Scythris anthracina lineage including Scythris anthracina Braun; and the Scythris charon lineage including Scythris charon Meyrick. Three species are incertae sedis: Scythris inornatella (Chambers) comb, nov., Scythrispilosella (Zeller), and Scythris piratica Meyrick. Coleophora albacostella Chambers and Coleophora inornatella Chambers are transferred from the Coleophoridae. Scythris arizoniella (Kearfott) is transferred to the Coleophoridae [ Coleophora arizoniella (Kearfott) comb. nov.].The following new synonymy is proposed: Colinita Busck, 1907 =  Arotrura Walsingham, 1888; Gelechia aterrimella Walker, 1864 and Scythris epilobiella McDunnough, 1942 =  Scythris inspersella [Hubner, (1817)]; Scythris magnatella Busck, 1904 =  Scythris noricella (Zeller, 1843); Scythris pacifica McDunnough, 1927 =  Scythris immaculatella (Chambers, 1875); Coleophora albacostella Chambers, 1875 and Scythris hemidictyas Meyrick, 1928 =  Neoscythris planipenella (Chambers, 1875).A cladistic definition of the family is presented for the first time. The monophyly of the Scythrididae is supported by the following synapomorphies: very narrow ductus bursae, broad ductus seminalis anastomosed with the oviduct and the corpus bursae, lack of signum, unique shape of the apophyses of the metathoracic furca, tarsomeres 1–4 with two subapical spurs, aedeagus ankylosed, and origin of forewing veins R4 and R5 on a common stalk with R4 extended to the costa and R5 to the termen. Relationships of the Scythrididae within the Gelechioidea are discussed. Based on the cladistic analysis of 52 structural characters, phylogenetic relationships of supraspecific taxa are inferred. Two cladograms, one for the genera and one for the species groups of Arotrura , are presented and used in deriving the classification.


Objective Health inequalities between different socioeconomic groups persist throughout Europe. DETERMINE is a 3-year project supported by the European Commission which brings together a high level Consortium from 26 countries. Its objective is to support and enable policy makers and practitioners in all policy sectors to place a higher priority on health and health inequalities when developing policy. A frequent criticism of policy or action to address health inequalities and one that is particularly relevant in a worsening macroeconomic climate is that there has been insufficient economic analysis or inadequate adoption of an economic perspective in these areas. The DETERMINE project sought to address this deficit in a discrete work package strand coordinated by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland. Design Using a specifically designed data collection instrument, examples of economic evaluations conducted on relevant policies and actions were identified and the benefits and barriers to using economic arguments in this area were explored. Setting Data were collected by partners representing Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain and Wales. In addition, one partner collected data at the EU level (EuroHealthNet). Main Outcome Measures The rationale is that where such work has been undertaken, results should be disseminated to influence decision-making in favour of addressing health inequalities. If such work has not been undertaken it is important to understand why this is the case. Results Findings show that much work is occurring and there are examples of good practice. Barriers and opportunities to progressing work were identified and described by project partners. Conclusions Economic arguments are a useful approach to tackling health inequalities when used in conjunction with a range of mechanisms. Our research showed diversity across Europe regarding the desire to use such an approach as well as availability of data and tools.


We study the biased random walk in positive random conductances on $\mathbb {Z}^d$. This walk is transient in the direction of the bias. Our main result is that the random walk is ballistic if, and only if, the conductances have finite mean. Moreover, in the sub-ballistic regime we find the polynomial order of the distance moved by the particle. This extends results obtained by Shen [Ann. Appl. Probab. 12 (2002) 477-510], who proved positivity of the speed in the uniformly elliptic setting.


Wooden building has a long history in China. In Chinese ancient architectures, such as many palaces, temples, pavilions and ordinary residences were built with wood. However, because of the shortage of forest resources in China, the development of wooden building in China severely lagged behind the other developed countries nowadays. In order to promote the development of wooden structure in China, the advantages of modern wooden building are objectively analyzed from five aspects including seismic behavior, thermal insulation and energy conservation, green environmental protection, comfortable property and construction technology, etc. The problems are occurred in the process of popularization and application of wooden building in China are also described. Base on China's actual conditions, some instructive suggestions and countermeasures about revival application of wooden building in China are presented. The research can provide theoretical reference to the development of wooden structure in China.


Transportation authorities are always looking for ways to improve road safety since vehicle collisions cost Canada 25 billion dollars of capital loss and around 2800 deaths each year. An important step in improving road safety is to sieve out the problem sites through network screening processes. screening for specific accident types is discussed in this thesis, using signalized intersections in Toronto in an illustrative application. each such collision type is associated with corresponding countermeasures, which allows the engineer to rank the entities with specific remedies in mind. In this way, the effectiveness of road network screening can improved through targeted treatments. Three different screening methods are introduced and compared; procedures for selecting entities from screening results by different methods are also presented. A process for ranking jurisdictions by regions is proposed. This is a method which combines the conventional network screening techniques with geographic information system (GIS) tools. The GIS can integrate the spatial information of a selected area with the conventional accident and road characteristic data and facilitate network screening by region.


We study the hydrogen bond dynamics of solutions of LiBr and NaBr in isotopically diluted water (2% HDO:D2O) with femtosecond spectral hole-burning spectroscopy. We study the frequency fluctuations of the O-H stretch vibrations of the HDO molecules and observe spectral dynamics with time constants of 0.8 ( 0.1 ps and 4.3 ( 0.3 ps. The slow process we assign to the hydrogen bond fluctuations of the O-H · · ·Brhydrogen bonds of the hydration shell of the Branion. We find that the time scale of the hydrogen bond fluctuations of the hydration shell of Bris independent of the nature of the cation and the concentration.


Macroporous hydrogels based on hyaluronan (HA), a natural polysaccharide occurring in extracellular matrix, have attracted interest over many years owing to their numerous applications in the biomedical area. However, HA hydrogels produced so far suffer from low mechanical strength and slow rate of response against external stimuli, which limit their applications. Here, we prepared macroporous HA cryogels of high mechanical stability and fast responsivity from aqueous HA solutions at subzero temperatures using ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether as a crosslinking agent. HA cryogels are squeezable and no crack development was exhibited when compressed up to 80% strain. Depending on the synthesis parameters, the cryogels exhibit an elastic modulus between 0.2 and 2 kPa, and show fast swelling/deswelling behavior. The microstructure of the cryogels consists of large, interconnected pores on the order of 100 mu m separated by thick pore walls, as observed by scanning electron microscopy and confocal scanning laser microscopy.


When motor commands are accompanied by an unexpected outcome, the resulting error induces changes in subsequent commands. However, when errors are artificially eliminated, changes in motor commands are not sustained, but show decay. Why does the adaptation-induced change in motor output decay in the absence of error? A prominent idea is that decay reflects the stability of the memory. We show results that challenge this idea and instead suggest that motor output decays because the brain actively disengages a component of the memory. Humans adapted their reaching movements to a perturbation and were then introduced to a long period of trials in which errors were absent (error-clamp). We found that, in some subjects, motor output did not decay at the onset of the error-clamp block, but a few trials later. We manipulated the kinematics of movements in the error-clamp block and found that as movements became more similar to subjects' natural movements in the perturbation block, the lag to decay onset became longer and eventually reached hundreds of trials. Furthermore, when there was decay in the motor output, the endpoint of decay was not zero, but a fraction of the motor memory that was last acquired. Therefore, adaptation to a perturbation installed two distinct kinds of memories: one that was disengaged when the brain detected a change in the task, and one that persisted despite it. Motor memories showed little decay in the absence of error if the brain was prevented from detecting a change in task conditions.


Glocal vision, a combination of words from globalization and localization "Think Globally, Act Locally, by requires students to have global and broad thinking but are implemented based on local wisdom so without leaving the local culture. This study aims to identify the features do students perceive the implementation of glocal vision curriculum and students' perception on the implementation of glocal vision to deconstructing internationalization. This study involved 383 students as study subjects from each tertiary institution. Glocal Engagement Framework (GEF) as a framework for international justice that is fair, inclusive, and diverse. The results of this study indicate that the use of the glocal vision curriculum fosters students' attitudes that can affect the internationalization aspect of higher education. In concluding this study, critical questions were raised for further study, and recommendations were made to embed the GEF in the mainstream curriculum transformation agenda in international higher education. The perceive and perception of higher students will demonstrate their commitment by providing adequate resources to deconstruct internationalization in their respective higher education through the glocal vision curriculum.


Abstract Background Despite the use of vascularized intranasal flaps, endoscopic endonasal posterior fossa defects remain surgically challenging with high rates of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak. Objective The aim of the study is to describe a novel surgical technique that allows complete drilling of the clivus and exposure of the craniovertebral junction with preservation of the nasopharynx. Methods Two formalin-fixed latex-injected anatomical specimens were used to confirm feasibility of the technique. Two surgical approaches were used: sole endoscopic endonasal approach and transnasion approach. The sole endonasal approach was used in a patient with a petroclival meningioma. Results In both anatomical dissections, the inferior clivectomy with exposure of the foramen magnum was achieved with a sole endoscopic endonasal approach. The addition of the transnasion approach helped to complete drilling of the inferior border of the foramen magnum and exposure of the arch of C1. Conclusion This study shows the anatomical feasibility of total clivectomy and exposure of the craniovertebral junction with preservation of the nasopharynx. A more favorable anatomical posterior fossa defect for the reconstruction is achieved with this technique. Further clinical studies are needed to assess if this change would impact the postoperative CSF leak rate.


This study was performed to evaluate the effects of radiofrequency catheter ablation in the coronary sinus as a potential means of eliminating conduction over left-sided accessory pathways in humans. Radiofrequency current at a frequency of 500 kHz was delivered by electrode catheter to two sites in the coronary sinus of each often dogs. Left coronary arteriography with venous phase visualization of the coronary sinus was performed before, immediately after, and 2 weeks following ablation. Unipolar electrograms from the ablating electrode were recorded before and immediately after ablation. Coronary arteriography revealed no evidence of damage to the adjacent left circumflex coronary artery or its branches as a result of ablation. Contrast visualization of the coronary sinus showed persistent contrast staining following ablation at two of the ablated sites. Angiographically apparent stenosis of the coronary sinus was seen both acutely and chronically in two cases. Unipolar electrogram recordings from the ablating electrode showed an increase in atrial repolarization voltage (atrial current of injury) of 1.53 ± 1.03 mV (P = 0.00004), and an increase in ventricular repolarization voltage of 0.73 ± 0.84 mV (P = 0.005). There was a 23% decrease in amplitude of atrial electrograms (P = 0.006) and a 7% decrease in amplitude of ventricular electrograms (P = 0.02) recorded from the ablating electrode following ablation. Lesions could be identified grossly and microscopically at 16 of the 20 ablated sites. Perforation of the coronary sinus did not occur. Microscopical observation showed normal healing with granulation tissue and fat necrosis extending outward from the coronary sinus involving the atrial epicardium in 13 lesions, the ventricular epicardium in 5 lesions, and the adventitia of the left circumflex coronary artery in 5 lesions. No medial or intimal involvement of the coronary artery was seen. The coronary sinus itself showed luminal organized thrombus in 4 lesions, with near occlusion of the lumen in 1 case. Radiofrequency ablation in the coronary sinus thus results in lesions of a size and extent that would be expected to successfully ablate some left-sided accessory pathways if delivered in humans. Monitoring of the unipolar electrogram provides insight into the extent of injury during ablation. In some cases, thrombosis of the coronary sinus occurs, the long-term effects of which are not known.


Semen chilling procedure preserves gametes without reaching the freezing point, which induces deleterious intracellular changes that affect viability and fertilizing potency of spermatozoa. The aim of this work was to compare different egg yolk concentration for dog semen chilling at 5 °C extended in ACP ® -106. ACP-Ejaculated of dogs (n=10) were diluted and chilled in ACP -106 without (control group) or containing 5, 10 or 20% egg yolk. Was observed a significant reduction in extender pH using 20% egg yolk on the second day of chilling and after the third day of chilling when using 5 and 10% egg yolk. At the first day of chilling 20% egg yolk extender result in better sperm motility in comparing 5% egg yolk group. After five days of storing, the use of 5 and 10% were inferior to the control group. The reduction on motility was significant at the first day of chilling in the control group, after two days on group with 5% egg yolk and after three days in the other groups. The vigor, sperm and acrossomal morphology, functional plasma membrane integrity were similar in all groups tested. In conclusion, the egg yolk influences the maintenance of the pH in the extender ACP-106 and that the canine semen can be efficiently conserved for up to two days using 10 or 20% egg yolk.


This study aims to examine and analyze the growth and survival of mud crab (Scylla serrata) with different water sources and different types of feed. This study used a design Plots Divided (Split Plot Design), with the main plot of water resources (soil and brackish water and brackish water of the channel) and the subplot kind of feed (trash fish, squid, crab wideng) with replications for three (3) times . Feeding twice a day ie morning (at 06.00) and afternoon (17:00 hours) at a dose of 15% of the feed weight. The study was conducted from November to December 2013. Biota initial weight ± 100 g. Parameters measured were the growth of the absolute weight of mud crab (Scylla serrata) and survival rates. The results showed growth in the absolute weight of mud crab (Scylla serrata) week 1 to week 4, there is a tendency to rise and survival rate evenly among all treatments. The growth of the absolute weight of mud crab (Scylla serrata) the best of the week 1 to week 4 are the treatment of brackish ground water sources and feeding trash fish. At week 4, which is the end of the study the highest absolute growth of 57.7600 g ± 5:44 (brackish ground water and trash fish) and the lowest was 35.0000 ± 1.80 g (brackish ground water and crab wideng). As for the survival rate of mud crab (Scylla serrata) at 96.3% on a weekly basis. Keywords : feed type, survival, growth,, Scylla serrata, water resources.


Background: The production of blood components has undergone several changes during the last decades. Methods: Red blood cells will have slightly different properties depending on the way of preparation: whether a hard or soft spin has been used, whether platelets and/or leukocytes have been removed or not, and whether the red cells have been suspended in part of the original plasma or in an additive solution. Automated techniques are now often used for the separation of buffy coats, red cells and plasma. Recently, apheresis techniques have been applied for the preparation of red cells, mostly in combination with plasma or platelets. Continuous addition of the anticoagulant during collection reduces the delay between collection and separation, but the cost is higher and donor time longer. Results: Most of the methods for the preparation and storage of red cells allow 35–42 days of storage with a mean in vivo recovery of >75%. However, the content of erythrocyte 2,3‐DPG is commonly lost within 1–2 weeks, caused by the accumulation of acid metabolites, but can be maintained longer with new systems of storage. Leukodepletion of red cells by filtration is used increasingly, but its importance in the majority of transfusions is still unclear. Conclusion: New options for the preparation and storage of red blood cells are available and undergo continuous evaluation


In total hip prosthesis (THP), we have been using alumina ceramic femoral heads to reduce polyethylene debris and the modified cementing technique, which was named "interface bioactive bone cement (IBBC)" method to improve implant fixation. In this study, we investigated the long-term clinical performance of THPs with an alumina ceramic head and IBBC method. From 1986 to 1988, 285 joints (215 patients) were operated on by a senior surgeon, and 265 joints (192 patients) could be followed up. The presence of radiolucent lines, loosening, osteolysis and ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) socket wear were observed. In IBBC, a radiolucent line appeared as a 'space', and loosening appeared as a 'separation' between the HA layer and the cement. A 'space' appeared in 3 joints (1.4%) on the acetabulum and in 4 joints (1.8%) on the femur, while a 'separation' appeared in 3 joints (1.4%) on the acetabulum. Osteolysis was noted in 1 joint (0.5%) on the acetabulum and in 2 joints (0.9%) on the femur. No revision surgery was required. In our previous study, we reported that the thickness of the socket affected its clinical wear rate and that the wear rate of sockets with an alumina ceramic head was 20% lower than that of sockets with a metal head. By reducing wear debris through the use of ceramic heads, osteolysis could be reduced. Long-term fixation of THPs to the bone has been achieved by using IBBC. Thus, the long-term clinical results of THPs with an alumina head that were fixed using IBBC were excellent.


It is a well known fact that local scale invariance plays a fundamental role in the theory of derivative pricing. Specific applications of this principle have been used quite often under the name of 'change of numeraire', but in recent work it was shown that when invoked as a fundamental first principle, it provides a powerful alternative method for the derivation of prices and hedges of derivative securities, when prices of the underlying tradables are driven by Wiener processes. In this article we extend this work to the pricing problem in markets driven not only by Wiener processes but also by Poisson processes, i.e. jump-diffusion models. It is shown that in this case too, the focus on symmetry aspects of the problem leads to important simplifications of, and a deeper insight into the problem. Among the applications of the theory we consider the pricing of stock options in the presence of jumps, and Levy-processes. Next we show how the same theory, by restricting the number of jumps, can be used to model credit risk, leading to a 'market model' of credit risk. Both the traditional Duffie-Singleton and Jarrow-Turnbull models can be described within this framework, but also more general models, which incorporate default correlation in a consistent way. As an application of this theory we look at the pricing of a credit default swap (CDS) and a first-to-default basket option.


We are reporting the case of a 64-year-old woman with acute inferior ST elevation myocardial infarction with right ventricular infarction. She underwent primary angiography which revealed total occlusion of distal right coronary artery (RCA) by thrombus. Three runs of aspiration were performed and the thrombus was aspirated from RCA without additional ballooning or stenting. Postaspiration angiography revealed normal TIMI-3 flow down with the resolution of the thrombus and a residual noncritical trombus was seen also. She was started on glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa inhibitor tirofiban for 48 h. A new angiography performed on the 4th post-intervention day and TIMI-3 flow down was seen in RCA with complete disappearance of the residual thrombus.


ABSTRACT A dramatic increase has occurred in the number of service members who have sustained traumatic lower limb amputations over the last decade. As a result, research is needed to establish clinical guidelines by which to provide the most appropriate prosthetic technology during rehabilitation. This technology is needed to meet the primary focus of the US Department of Defense and the US Department of Veterans Affairs to return service members to their highest level of function after lower limb amputation. Because of physical impairment and decreased functional capacity resulting from the loss of one or more limbs, as well as possible concomitant injuries sustained during a traumatic event, these veterans use a wide variety of mobility-related assistive technology (MAT). Assistive devices such as prostheses, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and canes are commonly used by this population either as a primary device (when an individual uses a prosthesis without any other assistive device such as a cane or crutches) or a secondary device (when an individual needs the assistance of one or more devices in combination with his/her primary device) as a means of mobility. Mobility-related assistive technology is designed to increase the user's functional capacity, mobility, accessibility to the world at large, and overall quality of life. However, in the civilian population, MAT is frequently underused and/or discontinued, with abandonment rates as high as 30% being reported. In this study, we investigated the potential shift in use of various types of MAT over time among community-dwelling individuals and identified the reasons for these shifts and/or abandonment by veterans with at least one major limb amputation. We found that the average military service member inpatient rehabilitation length of stay (LOS) was 5.77 ± 6.79 months, a statistically significant difference in stay compared with civilian medicine (LOS, 22–35 days). Furthermore, this information, along with the identification of underlying factors associated with the transition from lower limb amputation, will provide essential information to help guide prescription of MAT and develop focused rehabilitation programs.


Purpose: The problematic of functions and responsibilities' distribution of the public and private sectors is a debatable issue in the study of the most effective PPP models. The objective of this academic paper is to study the features of the application of public-private partnership for the purpose of implementing state policy in the sphere of health care. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on the in-depth case study for data collection and semi-structured in-depth interview, detailed data on the experience of PPP projects in Ukraine have been collected and analysed with statistical methods. Findings: As a result, the problem of implementing the PPP model has been revealed being the impossibility of municipal authorities to provide guarantees of funds' return to a private partner. This problem is common in the countries with transition economies, where the concept of new public governance has not been implemented yet. The experience of Italy and China as an example of effective implementation of hybrid PPP models in the health care sphere has been studied. Originality/Value: Research proves the importance of compliance with the obligations of the municipality and its active participation in the implementation of the PPP project. The basic limitation is the inability to scale the results, the experience of the PPP project to other regions within countries due to the lack of practice of implementing the PPP mechanism.


Local fractional calculus deals with everywhere continuous but nowhere differentiable functions in fractal space. The Yang-Fourier transform based on the local fractional calculus is a generalization of Fourier transform in fractal space. In this paper, local fractional continuous non-differentiable functions in fractal space are studied, and the generalized model for the Yang-Fourier transforms derived from the local fractional calculus are introduced. A generalized model for the Yang-Fourier transforms in fractal space and some results are proposed in detail.


Aim: To study the manifestations and outcome of pneumonia in elderly from a rural background in India. Methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical, radiological and laboratory features and treatment outcome of severe community-acquired pneumonia among eldely who were managed in a multispecialty hospital in rural India during preceding 2 years. Results: 28 cases in this study included 22 males and 6 females in the age group of 72 to 88 years. 16 cases had comorbidities- COPD in 8, diabetes in 5 and chronic liver disease in 3. Etiology included streptococcus pneumoniae in 11, staphylococcus aureus in 5, H. influenzae in 3 and klebsiella pneumoniae in 2 cases. In 7 cases definitive organism could not be isolated. Only 6 had typical features of fever, chest pain, cough, pulmonary consolidation and neutrophil leucocytosis. Extrapulmonary features misleading initial diagnosis were predominant in the remaining cases. All of them had altered mental status and profound general weakness with minimal and non specific chest findings. 4 had pain abdomen and loose motions as presenting features. Among cases with atypical presentation 8 had leucopenia while the remaining had neutrophil leucocytosis.18 cases required hospitalisation of more than 3 weeks and only 14 responded to therapy.Pneumococcal-fluoroquinolone resisance was observed in 2 cases.16 cases required mechanical ventilation and among them only 2 survived. Ventilatory associated lung injury was present in 3 cases. Non responders had severe sepsis with ARDS and multiorgan failure. Conclusion: Pneumonia in elderly is an enigma, often caused by common pathogens and is associated with atypical features, complicated course and poor treatment outcome.


The objectives of this study were to use soybean cake as the raw material for the production of isoflavone powder and compare the effects of different carriers as well as drying methods on the powder quality. Results showed that with spray drying, a level of 40% maltodextrin as carrier produced the highest yield (mass) of isoflavone powder, followed by 10% gelatin and 1% sodium alginate. However, a reversed trend was observed for the isoflavone content. With 1% sodium alginate, freeze drying generated the greatest yield of isoflavone powder, followed by vacuum drying and spray drying. The isoflavone content also exhibited the same tendency. With poly-gamma-glutamic acid (gamma-PGA) as carrier, all six levels studied (0.57, 0.28, 0.14, 0.028, 0.014 and 0.003%) were capable of forming powder containing high amounts of total isoflavone, which was comparable to that using 1% sodium alginate by freeze drying. Both high- and low-molecular-weight gamma-PGA showed similar effects in terms of powder yield and isoflavone content.


Texture modification is the most vital strategy to manage dysphagia: a condition in which food and beverages are difficult to swallow. Typically thickeners in the form of starch or gums are added to the food to increase the viscosity and thereby reduce the speed of bolus flow. This allows more time for the slowly responding physiology of the patients to close the entrance to the airways and allow for safe passage through the swallowing tract. The use of thickeners possesses certain limitations, e.g. that a more viscous bolus leaves more residues. There have also been suggestions on modified thickening strategies such as utilizing extensional properties of the thickened solutions. The contribution of extensional properties of the bolus were assessed by making model Boger fluids (elastic fluid of fixed shear viscosity) and compare swallowing flow to its Newtonian counterpart (fixed shear viscosity, no elasticity), as well as to a shear thinning fluid with even higher elasticity. These fluids were evaluated in sensory and clinical studies to see if bolus elasticity plays a part in safe swallowing. A clinical study showed evidence of safer swallowing of the elastic fluids. The hypothesis of fluid elasticity contributing to safe swallowing was further tested in an in-vitro swallowing model since clinical trials are difficult to perform. As a first step all the thickeners used in clinical studies were characterized using traditional rotational rheometry and comparing it to the more suitable Pulsed Ultrasound Velocimetry, Pressure-Drop method (PUV+PD). PUV+PD was used since the instrument geometry and measurement speed better mimics the geometry and transient nature of the swallowing process. The two methods provided similar flow curves and yield stress values indicating that PUV+PD is applicable to study the transient swallowing process in our in-vitro model, "The Gothenburg Throat". The model fluids were analyzed together with commercial thickeners and it was noticed that gum-based thickeners are more elastic than the starch based thickeners, and have moderate yield stresses. Model fluids with non-food grade polyacrylamide were also developed as a reference to achieve much higher elasticity than the xanthan gum based ones. The results from the two studies provide the necessary base for further analysis of model fluids, commercial thickeners and fluid foods in our in-vitro swallowing model in the continuation of the project.


This study centers on the major changes in human resources that have plagued small scale organizations in the recent times especially in this hard time of Global economic meltdown and the methods of adjustment that best worked for them toward sustainability and improved productivity. The methodology adopted was weighted mean and Pearson correlation co-efficient. The finding reveal that small scale organizations mostly adopt the strategy of reduction in staff salaries followed by downsizing exercise before recruiting more qualified staff and thereafter applying job enlargement and/or enrichment options. Moreover, not all change processes lead to improvement in organizations productivity as exposed in the literature. The area of practical implication suggests that a more inward approach of scanning through the existing staff and training from within be adopted as these may pose cheaper options as well as lead to more satisfied workforce.


The article notes that the globalization of the world and its current development in all areas, including environmental one – these are the real facts. The transformation of the respective roles of the state and, above all, ecological one, takes place under their influence. Its goal should be to subordinate the society to ecological imperative, transformation of the nature of the state with an absolute target and functional orientation of all the activities on the implementation of this imperative.


Second hematologic malignancies occur rarely in patients previously treated for leukemia. This report describes a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who remained in complete remission for 5 yr and then developed chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). The original lymphoblasts were associated with a partial deletion of chromosome 21, while CML was associated with a classic Philadelphia marker, indicating the independent origin of the two leukemias.


In this paper, we present a generic approach for quantitatively evaluating the pe~ormance implications of a software architecture using the concept of operational projile from software reliability engineering. In our approach, the System Under Development (SLID) modes of operation are analyzed to specifi a mode's rate of arrivals of external events. The requests' process flow (i.e., the rate of arrival of internal requests at server processes) is then derived from the software architecture. Finally, the product of the internal arrival rates and the amount of server resources to service a request is used to calculate a mode's server resource utilization. Application of this technique to an actual AT&T telecommunications operations system, together with implications for engineering software architectures that are robust under variation in modes of operation are discussed.


Detection of the phytopathogen Pseudomonas cannabina pv alisalensis, the causal agent of bacterial blight of crucifers is essential for managing this disease. A phage-based diagnostic assay was developed that detects and identifies P. cannabina pv alisalensis from cultures and diseased plant specimens. A recombinant "light-tagged" reporter phage was generated by integrating the luxAB genes into the P. cannabina pv alisalensis phage PBSPCA1 genome. PBSPCA1::luxAB is viable, stable and detects P. cannabina pv alisalensis within minutes and with high sensitivity by conferring a bioluminescent signal. Detection is dependent on cell viability since cells treated with a bactericidal disinfectant are unable to elicit a signal. Importantly, the reporter phage detects P. cannabina pv alisalensis from diseased plant specimens indicating the potential of the diagnostic for disease identification. The reporter phage displays promise for the rapid and specific diagnostic detection of cultivated isolates, and infected plant specimens.


This paper focuses on the development of decentralized collaborative sensing and sensor resource allocation algorithms where the sensors are located on-board autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles. We develop these algorithms in the context of single-target and multi-target tracking applications, where the objective is to maximize the tracking performance as measured by the mean-squared error between the target state estimate and the ground truth while minimizing the energy costs. The tracking performance depends on the quality of the target measurements made at the sensors, which depends on the relative location of the sensors with respect to the targets. Our goal is to control the motion of the swarm of vehicles with on-board sensors to maximize the target tracking performance. Each sensor generates local noisy measurements of the target location, and the sensors maintain and update target state estimates via Bayesian data fusion rules using local measurements and the information received from the neighboring sensors. The quality of the data fusion depends on the network graph over which the sensors exchange information and the relative distance between sensors, and these determine the overall target tracking performance. For the case of multi-target tracking scenario, we also introduce sensor assignment graph in order to allocate the sensors to appropriate targets and maximize the overall tracking performance. We also assume that each sensor is powered by a limited energy source; which we assume is drained by how frequently sensors exchange information. The goal of our study is to optimize the collective motion of the vehicles/sensors (also determines the network graph connectivity and sensor assignment graph connectivity for multi-target tracking) such that the mean-squared target tracking error and the network energy costs are jointly minimized. This problem belongs to a class of hard optimization problems called conflicting objective limited resource optimization (COLRO). We develop fast heuristic algorithms, using dynamic programming principles, to solve this COLRO problem in real-time using a numerical optimization solver called Knitro, and we evaluate its performance against a widely used particle swarm optimization approach.


This policy report focuses on climate change and international movement from Pacific island countries (PICs), which face a specific set of challenges in that respect. In the shorter term, climate change is to continue exacerbating preexisting difficulties, making life on the islands increasingly challenging. In the longer term, such countries are at risk of becoming entirely uninhabitable. As a result of rising pressures at home, human mobility in PICs is already being affected in complex and intersecting ways. Some of this movement is and will be across international borders, most of which remains unrecognized and unprotected as of today. In view of this, the present report intends to shed some light on the issues raised by this topic and suggests a series of recommendations on how to possibly address them.


The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Sciences has developed and maintained leak standards systems, and has accumulated much data on leak standards that have been disseminated during calibration and testing services. We have found that the indicative value of a leak detector and a halogen leak detector varies a lot, depending on the conditions encountered during sniffer mode operation. Therefore, to measure the reliability of the leak rate or when performing a leak test, proper test conditions are necessary. In addition, we found that the reliability increased when we used a guide tube that could influence the flow of air.


Management of fixture design knowledge is vital for improving product quality and reducing product lead time, but there is no efficient and effective mechanism in current computer-aided fixture design systems to integrate fixture design process, to share design resource as well as acquisition and reuse knowledge. Ontology is increasingly seen as a key technology for enabling semantics-driven knowledge processing. On the background of a architecture of fixture design system based on knowledge introduced in the paper, we presented and expatiated a fixture design knowledge acquisition and reuse technology based on ontology, which embeds ontology in current computer-aided fixture design based on knowledge. Finally, the related case study was given.


Salmonella Enteritidis is responsible for a significant proportion of foodborne Salmonellosis in the United States and continues to be attributable to table eggs, despite increased federal oversight in recent years. Technologies, including feed additives, continue to be evaluated for pre-harvest application of their potential food safety benefits. Here, Diamond V Original XPC™, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation based postbiotic (SCFP), was evaluated for its effectiveness in the reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) colonization in young layer pullets. A total of forty, day-old Hy-Line W-36 layer pullets were equally divided and randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments with SCFP, or without (PCON) and orally gavaged on Day 28 with 10 6 CFU/mL of SE. Another twenty, day-old layer pullets were fed the same control feed without SCFP and blank inoculated on Day 28 with 1 ml of sterile PBS to serve as a negative control (NCON). Qualitative and quantitative analyses of cecal Salmonella contents were performed for all birds on Day 32. The prevalence of SE in the ceca of all directly challenged birds was 100%, however, the SE concentration in birds fed SCFP diet (3.35 Log 10 CFU/g) was significantly lower ( P <0.0001) than that of the PCON birds not fed SCFP (4.49 Log 10 CFU/g). Moreover, the proportion of SE colonized individuals with enumerable SE concentrations was lower in SCFP fed birds (57.9%) when compared to the PCON (95.0%). These data suggest that inclusion of SCFP in the diet may aid in the reduction of SE within the ceca of commercial laying hens and could serve as an additional, pre-harvest food safety hurdle.


This guide presents the principles and rules for planning, creating, and conducting cybersecurity exercises, and the process of learning lessons from them. The document also discusses annual and multi-year exercise programs, intended to be used by organizations in their overall effort to maintain, preserve, and promote their cyberresilience. The guide is divided into two sections: the first describes the conceptual basis, while the second focuses on selected issues, helping put theory into practice. This publication is part of the "Cybersecurity Best Practices" collection, a compendium of practices, methodologies and recommendations in cybersecurity oriented to organizations, developed by the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD), and adapted in this series by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the objective of facilitating access to this body of knowledge throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region.


Background Personal social networks have a profound impact on our health, yet collecting personal network data for use in health communication, behavior change, or translation and dissemination interventions has proved challenging. Recent advances in social network data collection software have reduced the burden of network studies on researchers and respondents alike, yet little testing has occurred to discover whether these methods are: (1) acceptable to a variety of target populations, including those who may have limited experience with technology or limited literacy; and (2) practical in the field, specifically in areas that are geographically and technologically disconnected, such as rural Appalachian Kentucky. Objective We explored the early-stage feasibility (Acceptability, Demand, Implementation, and Practicality) of using innovative, interactive, tablet-based network data collection and visualization software (OpenEddi) in field collection of personal network data in Appalachian Kentucky. Methods A total of 168 rural Appalachian women who had previously participated in a study on the use of a self-collected vaginal swab (SCVS) for human papillomavirus testing were recruited by community-based nurse interviewers between September 2013 and August 2014. Participants completed egocentric network surveys via OpenEddi, which captured social and communication network influences on participation in, and recruitment to, the SCVS study. After study completion, we conducted a qualitative group interview with four nurse interviewers and two participants in the network study. Using this qualitative data, and quantitative data from the network study, we applied guidelines from Bowen et al to assess feasibility in four areas of early-stage development of OpenEddi: Acceptability, Demand, Implementation, and Practicality. Basic descriptive network statistics (size, edges, density) were analyzed using RStudio. Results OpenEddi was perceived as fun, novel, and superior to other data collection methods or tools. Respondents enjoyed the social network survey component, and visualizing social networks produced thoughtful responses from participants about leveraging or changing network content and structure for specific health-promoting purposes. Areas for improved literacy and functionality of the tool were identified. However, technical issues led to substantial (50%) data loss, limiting the success of its implementation from a researcher's perspective, and hindering practicality in the field. Conclusions OpenEddi is a promising data collection tool for use in geographically isolated and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Future development will mitigate technical problems, improve usability and literacy, and test new methods of data collection. These changes will support goals for use of this tool in the delivery of network-based health communication and social support interventions to socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.


Diabetes intersects with cardiovascular disease at every level. While there has been much focus on understanding atherosclerotic complications, less well appreciated is the relationship between diabetes and heart failure. In addition to being a key and independent risk factor for the development of heart failure,1 diabetes is also one of the most important adverse prognostic factors in those with established heart failure with either reduced or preserved ejection fraction. 1,2 Diabetes is associated with a high prevalence of unrecognized left ventricular diastolic and systolic dysfunction, and accelerates the development of overt heart failure compared to similar patients without diabetes.3 In addition to cardiac predictors such as left ventricular dysfunction, hypertrophy, and coronary artery disease, features of diabetes associated with the development of heart failure include poor glycemic control, longer duration of diabetes, insulin treatment, and the presence of microvascular complications, such as retinopathy or nephropathy.2, 4 Finally, data from randomized trials and registries remind us that heart failure is numerically nearly as common as ischemic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, and remains one of the leading causes of hospitalizations in this population.1, 2 While conventional risk factor control can reduce ischemic complications, heart failure risk remains a recalcitrant problem in diabetes for which intensive glycemic control has had little benefit.


This study deals with the determinants of factor demand in 27 industries of the manufacturing sector during the period 1978 to 1990. Using a quadratic cost function, six production factors are distinguished : capital, energy, three types of labour and intermediate materials. A parametric test of the concavity of the cost function in prices is provided and price elasticities are compared when curvature conditions are imposed or not. The result show, firstly, that in general estimates do not appear very sensitive to imposing theoretical restrictions implied by optimising behaviour. Secondly, demand for unskilled and medium skilled labour than any other pairs of inputs.


This report is section VIII of a series of reports on aeronautic instruments. The preceding reports in this series have discussed in detail the various types of aeronautic instruments which have reached a state of practical development such that they have already found extensive use. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss briefly some of the more recent developments in the field of aeronautic instrument design and to suggest some of the outstanding problems awaiting solution.


Over the past decade, we have seen the emergence of a new class of investing known as "marketplace lending," a growing phenomenon that uses technology to fund billions of dollars in loans across multiple asset classes. At its most basic level, marketplace lending refers to the distributed funding of loans to consumers or businesses, which may or may not take place through a bank intermediary. As an alternative or supplement to balance sheet funding and securitization, loan originators can choose to fund their lending activity through whole-loan sales to diverse groups of investors using an online marketplace. Within a few short years, a multibillion-dollar market with a diverse ecosystem of participants has developed. Although an increasingly large percentage of loans are being gobbled up by asset managers, banks, insurance companies, and hedge funds, institutional capital is finding additional ways to penetrate the market, given the insatiable appetite of yield-hungry investors and a supplyconstrained industry. The overwhelming demand has given rise to a number of marketplace lending securitizations. The U.S. Department of Treasury held its first-ever Marketplace Lending Forum this summer, to discuss 1) the potential for marketplace lending to serve as a new avenue for access to credit by underserved segments of consumers and small businesses and 2) the need to resolve regulatory uncertainty in an efficient and mutually beneficial way. We see all of this activity as a validation of the efforts of so many to develop this industry into a meaningful part of the financial landscape.


This research investigates a simple procedure to improve the channel frequency response estimate for orthogonal multicarrier CDMA systems. The improvement is achieved by means of a precomputed matrix that projects the original discrete frequency response onto the subspace where the true frequency response lies. Analytical and computer simulations results reveal that the improvement on channel estimation has a higher impact on MC-CDMA performance than MC-DS- CDMA.


Previous work has shown that heterodimeric molecules, in some instances referred to as PROteolysis Targeting Chimeras, promote proximity of an E3-ligase to a target of interest to induce target ubiquitination. We hypothesize that many other PTMs, beyond ubiquitination, can be catalyzed in a similar matter. This work utilizes recruitment of PP1 (protein phosphatase 1) to induce de phosphorylation of target proteins (AKT and EGFR). To our knowledge, this work represents the first examples of small molecules recruiting non-native partners to induce removal of a PTM.


This paper looks at how the traditional First Child Birth ceremony in Palau, Micronesia, has become hybridized over time, and what historical and contemporary global influences have affected this process. The ceremony, more commonly referred to as Omengat throughout Palau and Ngasech on the island of Angaur is central to the traditional exchange system of Palau. There are concerns that through colonization, decolonization and now globalization, Palauans are losing connections to ancestral customs. However, the First Child Birth ceremony is still widely practiced and can serve as a case-study regarding the effects of globalization. This paper reviews the various biocultural aspects of the ceremony such as bathing, food, construction, attire, plant use and the diaspora in light of the effects of globalization. The findings show that the ceremony is hybridized tending towards the traditional. Using a collaborative research model to further delve into the effects of outside influence, we document the use of biological organisms. Current and historical uses for 56 plant species and 3 animal species are presented. Plants were mainly used for medicine (25 species), body adornment (19 species), construction (8 species), ornamental (7 species), food (5 species), and food preparation (4 species). Traditional knowledge differed depending on place, traditional gender roles and clan practices. The modern influence coupled with a deep rooted continuation of historical tradition, form a syncretic event demonstrating the fluidity of culture in today's changing world, and the importance of these effects in the Pacific Islands.


In this study, some Ni, Bi elements were added into low-Ag (less than 1%) Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder. The effect of these additive elements on the solderability, intermetallic compounds (IMCs), and electromigration performance of low-Ag SAC (LASAC) solder were investigated. With the increase of Bi content in LASAC-0.05Ni-xBi (x=0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0) solders, the peak melting point decreases while the wetting area of solder alloy increases. With the addition of Ni, the IMC between Cu pad and LASAC solder transforms from Cu6Sn5 to (Cu1-xNix)6Sn5 and the morphology of the IMC turns from bulk-like to needle-like. Either the addition of Bi or Ni will slow down the IMCs growth rate during high temperature storage aging (HTS) at 180°C and has a positive effect on electromigration performance of LASAC soldering.


Traditional media landscape is going through the substantial transformation of the way viewers and listeners access and consume media content. The switch from analogue to digital broadcasting, the growth of broadband access to the internet, and the development of new platforms are all giving consumers a far greater choice over what, when and where they listen, watch or read. New markets are opening up not just for broadcasters, but for empowered consumers as well, for they are no longer forced to accept the limited range of media content, offered by a limited number of broadcasters at a particular time. At the same time, these changes create new challenges for the creative industries, encouraging consumers and broadcasters to further spread creativity and knowledge. New challenges are being posed by technological developments that are entering the market. It could be said that the reproduction and dissemination of creative content has come to a new life thanks to recent technological developments. New technologies also made possible the establishment of personal media - deinstitutionalized, decentralized and completely tailored for one user's needs, expectations and lifestyle. All these changes will irreversibly change media industry, production and distribution of media content, but also the way we think, study and try to reach audience of the new millennium.


Cloned repetitive DNA sequences were used to determine the number of homologous RNA transcripts in the eggs of two sea urchin species, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and S. franciscanus. The eggs of these species contain different amounts of RNA, and their genomes contain different numbers of copies of the cloned repeats. The specific pattern of repetitive sequence representation in the two egg RNA's is nonetheless quantitatively similar. The evolutionary conservation of this pattern suggests the functional importance of repeat sequence expression.


Summary Many factors influence adoption of plantation forestry as part of the farm enterprise. This paper reviews earlier work, and reports the results of a study of these factors in North East Tasmania. Before landholders are likely to adopt plantation forestry, they must be motivated to consider adoption of a new enterprise, and be able to access adequate information on farm forestry. Information commonly sought by landholders when deciding whether or not to adopt includes that on the biophysical requirements for commercial tree crops, the opportunity costs incurred, and the infrastructure available for farm forestry. Evaluation of this information is influenced by the socioeconomic status, attitudes and values of the landholder. Plantation forestry may only be adopted if all of the above factors combine in such a way that this form of farm forestry is considered the optimal utilisation of an area of land being considered by the landholder for establishment under a new agricultural enterprise. Promoting the uptake of plantation forestry on farms therefore requires development of adequate markets for the products of farm forestry, links between growers and those markets, credible information on economic returns, supportive regulatory environments and adequate information dissemination on farm forestry.


This experimental research aims to examine the short-term effects of aroma therapeutic herbal steam on heart rate variability and stress. In this experimental study, the participants were 60 diabetic patients with stress who had rated their stress in the Suang-prung Stress Test-20 at the level of 3 or higher. They were divided into the treatment group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) using a simple random sampling method. The former was administered aroma therapeutic hot steam, whereas the latter received standard conventional medical care. Both before and after the experimental period, both groups were assessed in terms of their Heart Rate Variability (HRV). The within-group HRV values, namely SDNN, RMS-SD, LF and HF, for both the treatment and the control groups pre- and post-treatment differed significantly (p<0.05). Additionally, when the between-group values post-treatment were considered, the SDNN, RMS-SD and LF values for the treatment group were significantly higher than those for the control group (p<0.05). Based on the findings, it can be concluded that aroma therapeutic hot steam will interact with factors triggering stress and enhance parasympathetic nervous system function, thereby reducing stress levels. This is proof that the treatment should improve the conditions of diabetic patients suffering from stress.


Long-period P waveforms of some Italian crustal earthquakes recorded at the WWSSN stations located in the Iberian Peninsula have been modeled to derive a 1D upper matle compressional velocity model. A technique based on the Cagniard-de Hoop method has been used to compute synthetic seismograms. Waveforms have first been computed for published velocity models referred to different tectonic provinces and compared with the data. A model that strongly improves the fits to the data is then presented. The proposed model, called WMP, is characterized by a 100 km thick lid overlaying a low velocity zone, a 1% velocity discontinuity located at 313 km depth, that is required to fit a lower amplitude phase, and an abrupt increase in the velocity gradient starting from 370 km. This latter is preferred to the sharp discontinuity located at about 400 km that is present in various models obtained for upper mantle structure with analogous techniques. Within the lid and the low-velocity zone, WMP displays features that are typical of old ocean structures like the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.


(epsilon)-((gamma)-Glutamyl)lysine has been isolated from enzymatic hydrolyzates of cross-linked human fibrin. This compound was not detected in "non-cross-linked" fibrin prepared with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, which inhibits factor XIII; intermediate amounts were observed when the fibrin was prepared with glycine ethyl ester, which inhibits factor XIII competitively. These and ancillary experiments furnish conclusive evidence that epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine cross-links form in human fibrin during polymerization catalyzed by factor XIII.


&NA; Rationale: Poor functional status is common after critical illness, and can adversely impact the abilities of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors to live independently. Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), which encompass complex tasks necessary for independent living, are a particularly important component of post‐ICU functional outcome. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review of studies evaluating IADLs in survivors of critical illness. Methods: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, and Web of Science for all relevant English‐language studies published through December 31, 2016. Additional articles were identified from personal files and reference lists of eligible studies. Two trained researchers independently reviewed titles and abstracts, and potentially eligible full text studies. Eligible studies included those enrolling adult ICU survivors with IADL assessments, using a validated instrument. We excluded studies involving specific ICU patient populations, specialty ICUs, those enrolling fewer than 10 patients, and those that were not peer‐reviewed. Variables related to IADLs were reported using the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Results: Thirty of 991 articles from our literature search met inclusion criteria, and 23 additional articles were identified from review of reference lists and personal files. Sixteen studies (30%) published between 1999 and 2016 met eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Study definitions of impairment in IADLs were highly variable, as were reported rates of pre‐ICU IADL dependencies (7‐85% of patients). Eleven studies (69%) found that survivors of critical illness had new or worsening IADL dependencies. In three of four longitudinal studies, survivors with IADL dependencies decreased over the follow‐up period. Across multiple studies, no risk factors were consistently associated with IADL dependency. Conclusions: Survivors of critical illness commonly experience new or worsening IADL dependency that may improve over time. As part of ongoing efforts to understand and improve functional status in ICU survivors, future research must focus on risk factors for IADL dependencies and interventions to improve these cognitive and physical dependencies after critical illness.


This paper presents a design procedure for a high quality factor slow-wave tapered coplanar strips (CPS) resonator for application at 60 GHz in a 90 nm standard CMOS process. Utilizing the current and voltage standing wave profile in a quarter wavelength resonator, a slow-wave tapered resonator with an improved quality factor of 28.4 is designed. Due to the slow-wave structure, the resonator is compact and presents a quality factor improvement of 89% compared to the conventional tapered CPS resonator and 220% compared to the conventional uniform CPS resonator.


In the context of English language programs and the evaluation of such programs, this study analyzes the usefulness of the program taught to English-teachers-to-be students in the English Department, College of Basic Education in Kuwait. Based on the calculation of grades obtained in the initial placement test and a replica test conducted four years later, the change in the students' language proficiency was measured. The paper reviews the results of the 50 participant students in both tests in five main testing categories based on the four language skills. The findings reveal very little improvement in language proficiency, which also seems to be very weak initially for an English teacher. This finding implies a major problem with the current program. Finally, a number of recommendations for program and student improvement for the College of Basic Education, and English programs in other colleges and universities, are considered.


ABSTRACT This paper assesses the prospects for the implementation of multi-level governance of maritime security in the Sulu-Celebes Sea Tri-Border Area, noting the interdependencies within its terrestrial-maritime environments. It draws on the lessons of multi-level governance practices in the Baltic Sea region. A multi-level governance framework of maritime security in the Baltic Sea region is elaborated to identify the key characteristics of multi-level governance that are important prerequisites for an integrated (land-sea) nexus in maritime security management. Through the examination of the functionality of these characteristics in the Sulu-Celebes Sea, the paper discusses the implications of the existence, and or the lack, of these main characteristics of a functional multi-level governance and assesses the prospects of such governance within the Sulu-Celebes Sea. The 'common seas' nature of the semi-enclosed sea and the entanglement of transboundary, land-maritime dimensions of the maritime security challenges imply the need for a distinct form of governance, for which the Baltic Sea region can provide lessons learnt.


Intrusion detection systems successfully detect intrusions, but the alert-sets they produce suffer from multiple deficiencies. The volume of alerts is difficult to handle, while the percentage of false ones is relatively high. The intruder's attack plan is difficult to be unveiled, as alerts correspond to low level events and the security analyst has to put in a lot of effort, in order to successfully monitor the security status of the protected system.An alerts post-processing system is proposed to improve the results of intrusion detection systems. It transforms the alert-sets produced by multiple intrusion detection sensors to a meaningful live graphical representation, that can timely inform the analyst about occurring events and enable her to further examine these events and react accordingly. The system consists of sensor managers, each one of which is responsible for an intrusion detection sensor's alert flow. They calculate a validity estimation for each alert and aggregate identical alerts. Their outputs are all led to a single clustering subsystem. This merges these flows into a system-wide flow and commits the required clustering between relevant aggregated alerts. It optionally attempts to estimate information about events missed by the intrusion detection sensors. Finally a visualization subsystem produces a three dimensional live graph of existing clusters, in order to provide the analyst with a compact representation of occurring security events.Along with the proposed system, an alternative method for false alerts filtering is discussed. It is based on fuzzy inference systems and efficiently evaluates the validity of alerts, eventually filtering out false ones. Finally a platform for conducting alerts post-processing experiments is presented. It provides users with standard ready to use functionality, while it enables them to reuse theirs or others past components.


Trafficking in human beings has become one of the most serious problems in the Russian Federation. Trafficking in women is now a multi-billion dollar industry and a key source of revenue for Russian organized crime groups. The study examines the patterns and growth of this illegal activity in Russia, Europe and worldwide.


The project Retreating-trench, extension, and accretion tectonics, RETREAT, is a multidisciplinary study of the
Northern Apennines (earth.geology.yale.edu/RETREAT/), funded by the United States National Science Foundation
(NSF) in collaboration with the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the Grant Agency
of the Czech Academy of Sciences (GAAV). The main goal of RETREAT is to develop a self-consistent dynamic
model of syn-convergent extension, using the Northern Apennines as a natural laboratory. In the context of this project
a passive seismological experiment was deployed in the fall of 2003 for a period of three years. RETREAT seismologists
aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of the deep structure beneath the Northern Apennines, with
particular attention on inferring likely patterns of mantle flow. Specific objectives of the project are the crustal and
lithospheric thicknesses, the location and geometry of the Adriatic slab, and the distribution of seismic anisotropy
laterally and vertically in the lithosphere and asthenosphere. The project is collecting teleseismic and regional earthquake
data for 3 years. This contribution describes the RETREAT seismic deployment and reports on key results
from the first year of the deployment. We confirm some prior findings regarding the seismic structure of Central Italy,
but our observations also highlight the complexity of the Northern Apennines subduction system.


In the modeling of successive arrival times with a monotone trend, the alpha-series process provides quite successful results. Both selecting the distribution of the first arrival time and making an optimal statistical inference play a crucial role in the modeling performance of the alpha-series process. In this study, when the distribution of the first arrival time is the generalized Rayleigh, the problem of statistical inference for the α, β, and λ parameters of the alpha-series process is considered. Further, in order to obtain optimal modeling performance from the mentioned alpha-series process, various estimators for the model parameters are obtained by employing different estimation methodologies such as maximum likelihood, modified maximum spacing, modified least-squares, modified moments, and modified L-moments. By a series of Monte Carlo simulations, the estimation efficiencies of the obtained estimators are evaluated through the different sample sizes. Finally, two real datasets are analyzed to illustrate the importance of modeling with the alpha-series process.


Recently, hybrid multi-energy systems consisting of multiple generation, conversion, and storage technologies have been receiving great attention as a promising option to meet the multi-energy demands of residential end-users, by transforming them from passive consumers to active prosumers, who both produce and consume energy. The design problem of such systems is challenging due to the large number of degrees of freedom in the design and operation phases, so the system as a whole must be optimized. Moreover, both economic and low-carbon priorities should be considered in the design problem to foster an effective implementation and deployment. The aim of this paper was to present a methodology for the optimal design of multi-energy nanogrids (MENs) operating in grid-connected and islanded modes. Based on a pre-defined MEN superstructure, a multi-objective linear problem was established to find the types and sizes of the technologies in the MEN, with the aim to reduce the total annual cost and the fossil primary energy input, while satisfying the assigned time-varying user multi-energy demand. With reference to the latter, the thermal behavior of the building was simulated by using the dynamic simulation software TRNSYS. The Pareto frontier was found by minimizing a weighted sum of the total annual cost and fossil primary energy input, and the problem was solved by using branch-and-cut. In the numerical testing, a single-family house of 200 m2 located in Italy was considered as the residential end-user. Results show the effectiveness of the model for providing good balancing solutions for end-users based on economic and energetic priorities. Moreover, it was found that the MEN operating in grid-connected mode showed economic and environmental performances much better than those found for the configuration operating in islanded mode.


Phenomenologists have long viewed love as a central form of inter-subjective engagement. I show here that it is also of concern to phenomenological ethics. After establishing the relation of phenomenology to ethics, I show that both classical and existential phenomenology view love as an act of valuing the loved one. I argue that a second act of valuing is latent in phenomenology: valuing the relationship. These values are evident in the phenomenological distinction between true love, which generates a "perspective in difference," and false love, which seeks union with the beloved manifesting in devotion and/or jealousy. Because culturally dominant heteronormative scripts incline individuals toward false love, lovers should create their own pacts for ethical relationships. I consider consensually non-monogamous relationships as an example.


Soybean (Glycine max L.) monocropping have had a great socio-economic and environmental impact on the world and agroforestry systems has been considered an alternative for more sustainable production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different arrangements of agroforestry systems of the species E. urophylla x E. grandis and P. dubium and the pruning of the trees on the dynamics of solar radiation and soybean yield. A field experiment was conducted in Southern Brazil. In order to achieve the objective of the study, the solar radiation transmissivity and the productive performance of the soybean were evaluated. In this study, the soybean yield was determined by the arrangement of the agroforestry system and forest species utilized. The soybean crop cultivated in the understory of the P. dubium trees showed the highest yield response. The use of silvicultural practices for the management of forest species should be considered to generate the balance of the productive system. In this context, tree pruning is a viable side for agroforestry systems, as it promotes an increase in the incidence of solar radiation in the understory, resulting in an increase in soybean yield, especially when integrated with P. dubium.


The climate change is global problems. It is predicted to have more severe impact on developing country which most of population are poor. The main impact of climate change on poverty is changing crop productivity and commodity prices. However, there are few studies on the relationship between climate change and poverty. Therefore, this study will use Laos which has a high share of agriculture sector on GDP and high poverty rates as a case study to assess the impact the climate change on national wide-economy and climate change using CGE model. The preliminary result shows that climate change has serious impact of Lao economy in term of declining GDP. On the other hand, the micro-simulation indicates that the impact on poverty was negligible. This is because the households in Laos are autarky and not affected by the changes of prices and wages due to climate change.


The NeQuick ionospheric electron density model has a very simple topside formulation which allows to take into account the electron content up to 20000 km. In the present work Gallagher model has been used in connection with NeQuick to provide a more realistic representa- tion of the electron concentration distribution in the plasmasphere. Elec- tron density profiles and TEC values obtained by NeQuick alone and by NeQuick+Gallagher have been compared. ISIS-2 topside sounder profi- les have been used for comparison of electron density at 1300 km. In ad- dition, GPS vertical TEC values obtained from data of the San Fernando IGS station (36.46 N, 353.79 E) have been compared with the NeQuick and NeQuick+Gallagher vertical TEC values.


Plant Science
The parasitic Cuscuta plants do not have roots; instead, they adhere to host plants and draw water and nutrients from them. Cuscuta spp. form multiple bridges between plants that can even link different species of host. Far from devastation ensuing, Hettenhausen et al. found that the interconnections can be of benefit to the hosts. This is because, when under attack by insects, a leaf initiates systemic signaling processes that help protect the other leaves of the plant. These signals can also pass through the bridges made by the Cuscuta parasite to confer insect resistance to plants that have not yet been targeted by insects. The signaling molecules that are transferred are not yet known, but the process depends in part on production of the plant hormone jasmonic acid.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 10.1073/pnas.1704536114 (2017).


Real‐time ultrasound‐guided renal biopsy is generally applied to diagnose multiple kidney diseases. A practical simulation model is desired since it is an invasive technique with higher risks of complications such as bleeding. We developed a simple simulation tool for ultrasound‐guided renal biopsy using boiled eggs. Boiled chicken eggs were embedded in the agar, and a biopsy simulation was performed using a real‐time ultrasound‐guided technique as the renal biopsy simulator by trainees and biopsy‐proficient nephrologists, and the feedback from the participants was obtained. The ultrasonographic evaluation revealed a clear contrast between egg yolk and white, which clearly mimicked the kidney cortex and medulla region. In addition, we observed the needle entering the egg white under needle penetration, and we obtained the biopsy core consisting of egg white. As for the simulations, all the participants succeeded in obtaining the appropriate samples. A total of 92% of the trainees agreed that the simulation could reduce their fears of performing renal biopsies in patients. In addition, all the trainees and biopsy‐proficient nephrologists recommend using the simulator for trainees before conducting renal biopsies on patients. The total cost of the simulator was low (


Mindfulness is defined as a process of purposefully paying attention to one ' s thoughts, feelings, and experiences i n the present moment while taking a nonjudgmental stance on them (Kabat-Zinn, 2009). While originally an Eastern approach technique in spirituality and philosophy, mindfulness has been incorporated into or served as a basis for numerous psychological therapies and treatments (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002; Kabat-Zinn, 1 982, 1 990). Research into mindfulness has expanded to the context of learning, where studies have demonstrated that facilitative states of mindfulness can improve the abilities of students to focus, attend, and recall information in an educational setting (Langer, 1 997). The effects of mindfulness are well documented, however the mechanisms by which it works remain somewhat unclear. Shapiro, Carlson, Aston, and Freedman (2006) proposed a framework in which mindfulness acts upon psychological change through different mechanisms . They suggested that these mechanisms include self-regulation of attention, values clarification, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional flexibility, and exposure. Carmody, Baer, Lykens, and Olendzki (2009) tested this model and found some initial support for it. The purpose of the present study was to test the framework proposed by Shapiro et al . (2006) with an academic outcome. One hundred two high school students responded to a battery of assessment instruments measuring mindfulness, attention control, emotion regulation, and cognitive flexibility. Results were then compared to student GP A and PLAN assessment scores. Mindfulness demonstrated a significant correlation with attention control, however did not show correlations with emotion 2 MINDFULNESS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT regulation or cognitive flexibility. Attention control, emotion regulation, and cognitive flexibility showed no relationship with either measure of achievement. Due to the lack of connections, the model was unable to be tested for mediation. Results suggest a more nuanced relationship between mindfulness and academic outcomes. 3 MINDFULNESS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT


Natural as well as human-caused disasters and catastrophes easily lead to chaos. Effective crisis communication and informing the public about the ongoing situation can reduce chaos and maintain social resiliency. Communication, however, relies on a working physical infrastructure, which usually is broken in the incident area. Whereas first response teams and authorities benefit from special communication equipment, civilians do not and experience longer periods of being disconnected from the outside world. Even if messages come through occasionally, the communication is too intermittent to allow for channel-based trust models. TLS, for example, requires access to trusted third parties to authenticate data. In this position paper, we argue that end-to-end communication conflicts with disaster scenarios. We propose an approach that leverages information-centric networking (ICN) to authenticate risk and crisis communication in loosely connected communication systems. Our proposal makes use of spatiotemporal decoupling of data from their producers based on ICN for optimal message propagation in fragmented networks, while introducing a trust bootstrapping phase to enable off-line authentication. The data-oriented security model of ICN is used to tailor a trust model specifically for scenarios during which access to trusted third parties or data owners is not given and messages are relayed through untrusted parties.


Research has shown that the disease model of child development has not led to the prevention of antisocial behaviour or psychological disorders in youth. Recent findings have shown that the positive outcomes of moral education in the building of character strengths can be used as buffers against the development of both psychological and behavioural difficulties. Similarly, youth life satisfaction has been shown to have a buffering affect for adolescents and to be positively related to an array of desirable social and psychological characteristics. Primarily this research sought to examine whether the awareness of character strengths and the exercising of them through strengths-based exercises increases life satisfaction among adolescents. This research also sought to develop student materials for the school curriculum designed to encourage students to exercise and learn about their strengths. Results revealed that awareness of individual character strengths is positively nonsignificantly related to increased mean life satisfaction. Participation in character strengths-based exercises is significantly related to increased life satisfaction among adolescents. Application of a character strengths-based programme in the school curriculum has an overall positive impact on life satisfaction, positive affect, and selfesteem. Young people with very high levels of life satisfaction have significantly higher mean scores on multiple school, interpersonal, and intrapersonal variables than those with average and very low levels of life satisfaction. Results further indicate that young people with very low levels of life satisfaction would benefit most from interventions aimed at boosting those variables having the most influence on their level of life satisfaction. Generic strengths use is a strong unique predictor of subjective well-being among individuals for whom specific character strengths associated with a life of meaning are commonly-endorsed. Life satisfaction is positively associated with the characteristics identified as representative of the Rogerian fully functioning individual.


In order to take proper cell fate decisions, cells have to guide their biochemical machinery through the appropriate decisions in both differentiation and proliferation. Especially for stem cells such decisions are critical as they have the capacity to self-renew, i.e. give rise to new daughter stem cells and differentiated progeny. Important to mention here is at least a subset of cancers is now thought of as to derive from cancer stem cells. The current view is that either stem cells aberrantly keep on or more differentiated progenitors switch on a developmental expression programme that is enabling them with the dangerous capacity to self-renew. A locus that emerges as central in the regulation of both self-renewal and proliferation in stem cells, progenitors and cancer is the Ink4a/Arf locus.
The Ink4a/Arf locus encodes for two proteins, p16Ink4a and p19Arf, that are upstream of the two most important and well-known tumor suppressors, Rb and p53 respectively. In that respect, Ink4a/Arf is important in regulating cell cycle progression and loss of Ink4a/Arf function leads to tumor development. In contrast, Ink4a/Arf accumulation can lead to a special form of cell cycle arrest, termed senescence. Some have suggested that such accumulation also occurs in stem cells, partly to prevent them from oncogenic transformation, and that possibly stem cells senescence contributes to aging of the organism. In this thesis, we discussed a role for Inka4a/Arf under the control of Bmi1 and TBX2/TBX3 in stem cells, progenitors and cancer.
TBX2 and TBX3 are members of the T box gene family of DNA binding transcription factors, which have both been found as negative regulators of the Ink4a/Arf locus thereby leading to immortilization of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. We established that TBX2/3 are direct regulators of Arf expression via new DNA-binding T site in the Arf promoter, that is a variant of the archetypical and consensus T site and is essential for TBX2/3 mediated regulation. Furthermore, we found that the variant T site is specific for TBX2/3, potentially explaining how in vivo T box genes confer specificity in regulating target genes. Our analysis contributes to the connection between T box transcription factors and tumorigenesis via Arf regulation.
Another negative regulator of the Ink4a/Arf locus is Bmi1, a member of the Polycomb group gene family of epigenetic chromatin repressors, which have been implicated in cell fate decisions. Bmi1 deficient mice suffer from progressive neurological and hematopoietic defects that can all be traced back to an intrinsic defect in the self-renewal of stem cells in those compartments. We demonstrate that the Bmi1 deficient mice have significantly reduced cerebellar size resulting from hypoproliferation in the cerebellar granule neuron progenitors. Interestingly, we show that Bmi1 is a target of Shh, the morphogen that is driving proliferation of the CGNPs. Furthermore, we demonstrate Bmi1 overexpression in a substantial amount of primary medulloblastomas, tumors derived from aberrant Shh signalling in CGNPs. We proposed that multiple pathways downstream of Shh are regulating cerebellar granule neuron progenitor proliferation, one of which is via Bmi1.
The morphogen Shh is known to signal, at least partially, via three Gli transcription factors. Corroborating Bmi1 as part of the Shh pathway, its expression is also induced by Gli transcription factors. Corroborating earlier studies in skin tumorigenesis, we demonstrate oncogenic transformation by Gli1 and Gli2, but not Gli3. We also show that overexpression of Gli1 and Gli2 induces L-myc expression and selects for N-myc but not c-Myc overexpression. As in vivo tumors with activated Shh signaling almost always show N-myc overexpression, our results suggest a special preference for tumorigenesis induced by the combination of N-myc/L-myc and Shh pathway activation.
 Finally, we demonstrated that in cerebellum Shh is regulating Ink4a/Arf through Bmi1. As Ink4a/Arf is coding for two genes, we determined the different requirements for Ink4a versus Arf regulation in multiple defects of Bmi1 deficient mice. We observed that Arf deregulation is affecting almost all defects of Bmi1 deficient mice. Furthermore, we suggest Ink4a deregulation is more profoundly affecting undifferentiated cells. This suggests differential self-renewal and cell cycle regulation in stem cells and progenitors versus differentiated cells under the control of PcG regulation.
In conclusion, research in this thesis extends the knowledge about the mode and function of Ink4a/Arf regulation by Bmi1 and TBX2 in stem cells, progenitors and cancer. Understanding stem cells is of increasing importance, as some have suggested therapeutic potential in stem cells and benefits may be expected in the treatment of cancer by eradication of the cancer stem cells.


The objective of the present study was to evaluate the feeding behavior of feedlot Nellore bulls fed two levels of concentrate (650 and 710 g/kg dry matter) with or without the inclusion of 350 g babassu mesocarp meal/kg dry matter in the concentrate. Twenty-eight animals at 18 months of initial age and 356.66±19.25 kg initial body weight were used. A completely randomized design was used with treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Increase in concentrate level from 650 to 710 g/kg dry matter did not change the feeding time, of 194.41 and 189.64 minutes/day, respectively. The inclusion of 350 g babassu mesocarp meal/kg dry matter in the concentrate increased the feeding time from 173.92 to 210.12 minutes/day, ensuring similar energy intake in relation to the diets without this byproduct. Rumination time was not changed by increasing the concentrate level in diets with 350 g babassu mesocarp meal/kg dry matter in the concentrate, with average values of 420.48 and 398.09 minutes/day for the levels of 650 and 710 g concentrate/kg dry matter, respectively. However, in diets without babassu mesocarp meal, the rumination time was reduced by the concentrate level, with average values of 452.14 and 409.76 minutes/day for 650 and 710 g of concentrate/kg dry matter, respectively. Time spent on other activities increased from 810.23 to 860.00 minutes/day with increase in the concentrate level, which was not changed in the diets containing babassu mesocarp meal. The inclusion of babassu mesocarp meal in the diet altered the feeding behavior of feedlot cattle, due to the need to increase the feeding time to maintain the energy intake.


We propose a novel label fusion technique as well as a crowdsourcing protocol to efficiently obtain accurate epithelial cell segmentations from non-expert crowd workers. Our label fusion technique simultaneously estimates the true segmentation, the performance levels of individual crowd workers, and an image segmentation model in the form of a pairwise Markov random field. We term our approach image-aware STAPLE (iaSTAPLE) since our image segmentation model seamlessly integrates into the well-known and widely used STAPLE approach. In an evaluation on a light microscopy dataset containing more than 5000 membrane labeled epithelial cells of a fly wing, we show that iaSTAPLE outperforms STAPLE in terms of segmentation accuracy as well as in terms of the accuracy of estimated crowd worker performance levels, and is able to correctly segment 99% of all cells when compared to expert segmentations. These results show that iaSTAPLE is a highly useful tool for crowd sourcing image segmentation.


Reliable multicast suffers from the problem of feedback implosion. To achieve scalability, the number of receivers sending feedback in case of loss must remain small. However, losses experienced by different receivers are strongly correlated, since they share resources in the multicast tree. We present DTRM (deterministic timeouts for reliable multicast), a distributed algorithm to compute optimal deterministic timeouts for each receiver in a multicast tree as a function of the tree topology and sender-to-receiver delays. DTRM has several desirable properties. First, the computation of the timeouts is entirely distributed; receivers and intermediate nodes only rely on local topology information. Second, NACK implosion is provably avoided for a single loss anywhere in the tree if delay jitter is bounded. Third, feedback information does not need to be processed by intermediate nodes, and receivers do not have to collaborate. We foresee two possible uses for DTRM. In networks providing hard delay bounds, timeouts can be computed once at session set-up time. In networks with unbounded delays, such as the Internet, timeouts can be adaptively recomputed in response to changes in estimated round-trip times.


Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a common medical emergency which carries hospital mortality in excess of 10%. The most important causes are peptic ulcer and varices. Varices are treated by endoscopic band ligation or injection sclerotherapy and management of the underlying liver disease. Ulcers with major stigmata are treated by injection with dilute adrenaline, thrombin, or fibrin glue; application of heat using the heater probe, multipolar electrocoagulation, or Argon plasma coagulation; or endoclips. Intravenous omeprazole reduces the risk of rebleeding in ulcer patients undergoing endoscopic therapy. Repeat endoscopic therapy or operative surgery are required if bleeding recurs.


Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may benefit from unique contrasts and high-spatial resolutions provided by ultra-high field brain MRI. This also stands for spinal cord; nevertheless spinal cord imaging at 7T has lagged considerably behind brain investigations until recently. In this work, we propose a multi-parametric quantitative MR imaging protocol (T_\textrm1, T_\textrm2*, DTI, CSA), in an acquisition time compatible with clinical research (50min), to comprehensively investigate spinal cord diffuse alterations in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. With imaging along the whole cervical cord and medulla, theses multi-parametric acquisitions have the potential to provide new insights for the study of ALS.


Forensic investigations of digital devices is generally conducted on a seized device in a secure environment. This usually necessitates powering down the device and taking an image of the hard drive or semi-permanent storage in the case of solid state technology. Guidelines for forensic investigations of computers advise that the computer should be shut down by removing the power supply and thereby maintaining the hard disk in the state it was in whilst running. However, valuable forensic evidence often exists in the volatile memory which is lost when this process is followed. The issues of locked accounts on running computers and encrypted files present particular difficulties for forensic investigators who wish to capture a forensic image of the RAM. This research involves freezing RAM removed from a running computer so that it can later be reinserted into an unlocked computer allowing for a forensic image of the RAM to be captured. Three different methods of cooling the RAM are compared, along with varying delays in RAM reinsertion. The results provide a guideline for forensic investigators on how the issues with locked accounts and encryption may be overcome to record this valuable evidence that is otherwise lost.


In this paper, I reflect on the changing role of higher education by focusing on the case of online education. I consider the promise of online education as a means to mitigate educational inequalities. Based on the available empirical evidence, I argue that this promise is unlikely to be fulfilled because online education is not well-suited to develop the social and emotional skills needed by students from low-income and minority backgrounds for social mobility. Nonetheless, the changing social, political, and economic role of the university should lead us to revise the classical vision of the university's aims. I argue that the aim of the university should be sensitive to its new social, political, and economic role without falling prey to coarse pragmatism. This third approach delicately navigates the middle-ground between idealism and pragmatism.