Background: β-thalassaemia manifests a spectrum of clinical phenotypes, ranging from mild subclinical disease to severe transfusion-dependent anaemia. This remarkable diversity of disease patterns is not completely explained, but various disease modifying factors have been identified and categorized in to primary, secondary and tertiary modifiers. Nearly 300 mutations in β-globin genes (HBB) have been reported so far. In our previous study we identified six mutations; (Cd 5 (-CT), FR 8-9(+G), FR 16(-C), FR 41-42(-TTCT), Cd 30(G>A) and Cd 15(G>A) to be the most frequent ones in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is aimed to observe if bioinformatics tools could be used to construct the structure of globin chains carrying these six common mutations. Methodology: Using a computational approach, the sequences of mutated HBB were hypothetically constructed, protein structures were formulated and analysed for homology, and post-translational modifications. In mutations where protein structure formation is halted in vivo, stop codons from the DNA sequence of each of the mutational variant were exclude to allow further analysis. Results: These mutants exhibited variable post-translational modification pattern with little effect on overallstructure. Mutations at critical sequences in HBB that do not allow further translation of HBB in vivo and did not stop computer modelling from developing protein structure in-silico. Conclusion: Computational analysis for constructing mutant proteins does not take into account some of the critical checkpoints present in the cell. Studies using computational analysis should be followed by rigorous in vivo validation.
Pak J Physiol 2018;14(3):68–73


Encephalitis is uncommon but is a neurological emergency which must be considered in a patient presenting with altered consciousness. Encephalitis is a diffuse inflammatory process of the brain parenchyma associated with evidence of brain dysfunction. The presentation of encephalitis can be acute or chronic. The aetiology of encephalitis can be broadly divided into two major subtypes. (1) Infection-related encephalitis which is a direct consequence of pathogenic viral, bacterial or parasitic agents. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) are the most common cause of acute infectious encephalitis. (2) Autoimmune-mediated encephalitis which is mediated by an aberrant immune response. This can be triggered by a recent viral infection or vaccination. An example of this would be acute disseminated encephalitis (ADEM). This article will focus on the medical management of acute encephalitis. This will involve an extensive overview of the literature reviewing the diagnosis, investigation and treatment of acute viral encephalitis, ADEM and acute haemorrhagic leukoencephalopathy (AHLE). Encephalitis can also present chronically, and some of the different types of chronic encephalitis will be discussed.


This paper describes the development of a hierarchical situation assessment system using Bayesian networks and also a situation assessment based decision making system for battlespace environment. The situation assessment system consists of two levels of reconfigurable Bayesian networks that are adapted with changes that occur in the battlespace on two different timescales. The decision making system uses this adaptive situation assessment system to make decisions that in turn affect the battlespace dynamics. An algorithm is provided to model these interactions and dynamics of the battlespace. Furthermore, a Markovian model for the battlespace dynamics is provided


Measures for reducing emissions in buildings, including renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency measures and inducements to change behaviour are widely available today. In practice, due to financial costs, project timelines and other constraints, their implementation is unlikely to be achieved in a single operation. There is therefore the need for a robust decision-making methodology with which optimal choices can be made regarding the prioritisation of the measures. Such a methodology will take into account multiple and sometimes competitive objectives such as energy consumption, financial costs, environmental impacts and the interactions of measures. This paper, written to support a poster, gives an overview of relevant literature in this field, a proposed research methodology and some thoughts on how measures of financial costs and both embodied and operational emissions can be combined into a robust way. This will allow ranking and sequencing of retrofit options to reduce emissions in non-domestic buildings in a cost-effective manner.


We show that the atmospheric and magnetic height variations are coupled in general MHS equilibria with gravity when isolated thin non-force-free flux tubes are present. In gas-dominated environments, as in stellar photospheres, flux tubes must expand rapidly with height to maintain pressure balance with the cool surroundings. But in magnetically dominated environments , as in stellar coronae, the large-scale background magnetic field determines the average spreading of embedded flux tubes, and rigidly held flux tubes require a specific surrounding atmosphere with a unique temperature profile for equilibrium. The solar static equilibrium atmosphere exhibits correct transition-region properties and the accepted base coronal temperature for the sun's main magnetic spherical harmonic. Steady flows contribute to the overall pressure, so equilibria with accelerated wind outflows are possible as well. Flux tubes reflect a mathematical degeneracy in the form of non-force-free fields, which leads to coupling in general equilibrium conditions. The equilibrium state characterizes the system average in usual circumstances and dynamics tend to maintain the MHS atmosphere. Outflows are produced everywhere external to rigidly held flux tubes that refill a depleted or cool atmosphere to the equilibrium gas profile, heating the gas compressively.


Contributors to this remarkable volume on the development and current status of the United States Congress use perspec-tives from history and comparative politics to study congres-sional law making, congressional debate, public support, the absence of leaders in congress, congressional oversight of ad-ministration, congress and public finance, and corruption. The Essays are based on the Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr., Symposium on the U.S. Congress held at Boston College in 1981. The United States Congress gives us a portrait of the national legislature at a critical moment in its history, and seeks to pro-vide timely answers to fundamental questions: What is deliber-ation and how can Congress become a more deliberative in-stitution? How have congressional elections changed? Has the relationship between voters and congressmen gone sour? Can Congress write a budget, direct the federal bureaucracy, or de-vise a sensible foreign policy? How has the nature of leadership within the Congress changed in recent years? And, above all, what is the Congress of the United States supposed to be and to do?


This contribution emerged as part of the collaborative project "Data network for better European organic market information" carried out in the 7th Framework Programme of the EU. Data from a survey among organic market data collectors form the basis for the analysis of the current situation of statistics on organic market data. The results reveal a heterogeneous picture, because organic market growth and data collection within the organic food sector have developed differently throughout Europe. Building on the survey results, the quality of data collection approaches is evaluated through the application of the data quality dimensions relevance, accuracy, comparability, coherence, accessibility/clarity, and timeliness/punctuality (Eurostat, 2009).


A three-phase two-leg NPC inverter is presented for power quality compensator. Eight power switches instead of twelve power switches used in the conventional three-level inverter are adopted in the adopted inverter. The voltage stress of power semiconductors is equal to half dc bus voltage instead of full dc bus voltage in the conventional two-level inverter. In this paper, the proposed inverter is operated as a power quality compensator to supply the active power for the dc or ac load and to eliminate harmonics and reactive power drawn from the nonlinear loads. Therefore, the balanced and sinusoidal line currents are drawn from the ac system. To derive the necessary active power and maintain the constant dc bus voltage, a dc bus voltage control in the outer low-bandwidth control system is used. A carrier-based current control in the inner high-bandwidth control system is used to track the line current commands. The mathematical model of the proposed converter is derived and the control algorithm is provided. Simulation and Experiments based on a laboratory prototype are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.


Compact roofs are normally built without organic materials between the vapour barrier and the roof membrane due to moisture safety risks. However, laboratory measurements indicate that organic materials could be used provided that a smart vapour barrier (SVB) is applied at the warm face of the roof construction. The aim of this study is to investigate the moisture and temperature conditions in three full-scale flat compact wooden roofs with SVB. The roofs are part of two pilot projects located in Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Malvik, Norway. The paper presents the two projects including the premises for construction of the roofs and provides preliminary measurement results. The roofs are instrumented to measure moisture content and temperature in the wooden roof beams. The initial results from Longyearbyen show that the moisture content in the wooden beams is low and indicate that compact wooden roofs with SVB may be a solution with acceptable moisture risk in the arctic climate. The initial results from Malvik show that there might be a risk of mould growth in the roof as the built-in moisture in the wooden beams was up to 24 weight-%. In both projects, the moisture content in the beams in general was higher close to the roof underlay than close to the SVB.


In order to study the interactive relationships between house price with marc-economy in China and reveal the transmission mechanism, this paper specifies a six dimensional VAR model to identify the forces driving house prices fluctuations in China over the period 1999-2009. By employing quarterly time series for real house prices, gross domestic product, money, consumer price index, market capitalization of tradable shares and labor remuneration of persons employed in all units, the author found that: (1) there is a stable and significant relationship of mutual causality between house price with these three factors including GDP, M2, CPI. (2) house price is quickly responses to the growth or falling of market capitalization of tradable shares .in other words ,it is a single causal relationship between them (3) There is not a significant causal relation between house price with labor remuneration .It may appear surprising. Yet this phenomenon accurately reflects the real estate bubble today. This paper deeply study the transmission mechanism of house price.


OBJECTIVE To determine whether a maternal antecedent with diabetes has an effect on insulin resistance syndrome parameters. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 352 Algonquin Indians from Quebec aged at least 15 years who had no personal antecedents with diabetes. Data concerned clinical and biological parameters and the parental antecedents with diabetes. RESULTS For subjects over > 30 years, fasting insulin and cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the group with a maternal history of diabetes than in the group with a paternal history. Significant differences were observed for serum triglyceride, BMI, and subscapular skinfold thickness when comparing subjects with a maternal history and those with no parental history of diabetes. Blood pressure and fasting glucose did not differ according to parental history. CONCLUSIONS Subjects of maternal antecedents with diabetes have known risk factors for NIDDM. This study does not identify whether there is a genetic or maternal environmental reason for this association.


This research paper analyzes how the cases of NFL players Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady, and Ezekiel Elliot have affected the role of the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) and the commissioner's disciplinary authority in the NFL. Although the commissioner is considered a powerful figure, and historically courts have deferred to the commissioner concerning matters of league discipline, this deference is not limitless. The Peterson, Brady, and Elliot cases each helped shape how the role of the commissioner and the commissioner's disciplinary authority in the NFL is being amplified in light of the language used in the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiated by the the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) in 2011, legal precedent that limits a court's ability to review an arbitrator's decision, the law of the shop, and the CBA's missing due process protections traditionally found in the court room. The findings and implications learned from "the Trilogy" show that players were unable to secure by lawsuit what they failed to achieve through collective bargaining. Although "the Trilogy" illustrates the commissioner's vast authority, the next round of collective bargaining negotiations are an opportunity for the both the League and the NFLPA to cooperatively revise the player discipline process to curb a consistent stream of high-profile and public challenges of commissioner discipline, possibly encouraging the sides to move away from an adversarial relationship toward a more of a partnership.


This thesis focuses on the investigation of two types of Dirac materials: topological insulators (TI) and graphene. Both materials have received much attention and stimulated intense research activities over the last decade. Although massless Dirac electron are wonderful, there will be more industrial applications if we can open the gap and make Dirac electrons massive. For topological insulators, we focus on studies of the TI/Magnetic TI (MTI) bilayer structures to induce a gap on the surface state. For graphene, the author focuses on the Moire pattern and interlayer interaction. For bilayer TI/MTI samples, they were investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS), and with electrical transport measurements by means of a Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS). Details of the experimental setups for this research and their upgrades were described. For the current STM system, both the tube scanner and sample stage in the STM head had been redesigned and rebuilt, which led to better XYZ fine approach control, improved wire protection, and enhanced noise shielding. A new back gate capability was added to the sample stage. A customized commercial STM system has been commissioned, which is expected to provide a better sample holder with improved vacuum seals and easier temperature control, as well as more convenient approaches to loading samples and switching STM or AFM (atomic force microscope) tips. For PPMS, an optical probe had been designed and constructed, which enabled light-induced effects on the electrical transport properties of TIs. A new custom-made glove box has been installed, which provides a computer-controlled and self-circling gas environment to minimize the concentration of air while reduces the waste of argon. The glove box is also easy to use. This upgrade helps expand our abilities to conduct research more efficiently. STM/STS studies of both the binary and ternary types of magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) are presented. For both binary and ternary bilayer TI/MTI systems, the majority of the density of states (DOS) spectra evolved with the temperature. At room temperature, all samples showed massless Dirac spectra. However, for temperatures below 200 K, all bilayer samples with the top pure TI layer thinner than 5QL revealed opening of a surface gap. Generally, binary TI/MTI samples exhibited smaller gapped domains, which was consistent with the finding of nearly negligible hysteretic behavior for Hall resistance vs, magnetic field sweeps at low temperatures. In contrast, ternary TI/MTI samples exhibited larger gapped domains, which implied longer range ferromagnetic order and was indeed corroborated by the apparent hysteretic behavior in the electrical transport measurements at low temperatures. Additionally, the application of c-axis magnetic fields led to slighter larger surface gaps and more uniform gap distributions, which further confirmed the physical origin of the surface gap as magnetic in nature. Besides the U or V-shaped DOS spectra, double-peak or single peak impurity resonances were also observed. These spatially localized minority spectra were found to mostly appear along the boundaries of gapped and gapless domains. Moreover, the number of impurities was founded to reach a maximum around 240 K, which corresponded to the onset temperature of localized surface gaps. Detailed studies of the electrical transport properties of both the binary and ternary MTIs by the PPMS provided a comparison between the macroscopic information thus obtained with the microscopic information derived from STS studies. Binary TI/MTI showed an anonymous Hall effect (AHE) at 25 K while ternary TI/MTI showed AHE around 20 K. Binary TI/MTI systems exhibited weak localization (WL) behavior in the longitudinal resistance vs. magnetic field data at 2 K. The binary TI/MTI samples with a thinner top pure TI layer revealed sharper and stronger WL behavior. In contrast, for the 3QL-TI/6QL-MTI ternary sample, weak antilocalization (WAL) behavior was present for all temperatures, while WL also showed up below 13 K. The Hall resistance vs. magnetic field data for all samples of ternary TI/MTI bilayers and ternary MTI monolayer samples revealed strong hysteresis at low temperatures, in contrast to the negligible hysteretic behavior in all binary TI/MTI samples. Finally, circularly polarized light was found to enhance the AHE of the bilayer ternary TI/MTI sample while weakening that of the monolayer ternary MTI. These experimental phenomena may be mostly attributed to the different band structures and Fermi levels among the binary and ternary TI/MTI samples. In particular, we note that the observation of quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) only in ternary MTI monolayers at extremely low temperatures (at T ≤ 30 mK Simulations have been carried out to account for the Moire patterns of graphene on Cu (111), graphene on Cu (100), twisted bilayer graphene, and Cr-doped topological insulators. The physical origin for empirically observed structural superlubricity between graphene layers has also been modeled by simulations based on the density functional theory (DFT). Finally, the key findings of this thesis work and the suggested future research directions are summarized.


Hedge funds are often described as an alternative asset. In fact, hedge funds are not an alternative to traditional stock and bond investments in that they replace existing traditional investments but are complementary because they offer unique risk and return opportunities when combined with traditional assets. The author points out some of the problems in perception of hedge funds as an alternative investment including that hedge funds should not be viewed in the same vein as traditional assets; that is, as a benchmark-driven investment.


Background: Cytokines have long been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes in a number of studies, and playing a role in the initiation of β-cell damaging process. The objective of this study is to gain more understanding about the role of cytokines in initiation of T1DM, through assessment of IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-6 in diabetic patients. Patients and methods: A total of 60 patients who were newly diagnosed as having T1DM (diagnosed less than five months) were included in the present study. Fifty apparently healthy control subjects were underwent the measurement of serum IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-6 by ELISA. Results: Higher serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-10, and Il-6 were observed in the investigated patients ≤10 years (75.60, 104.92, 147.6 pg/ml respectively) compared to controls (42.66, 57.01, 80.4 pg/ml respectively). The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between patients and controls (P1= 0.005, 0.003, 0.036 respectively). The mean levels of serum IFN-γ, IL-10, and Il-6 were also significantly elevated in >10 years old patients (70.78, 84.22, 171.8 pg/ml respectively) than controls (40.39, 59.50, 81.6 pg/ml respectively), (P1= 0.006, 0.037, 0.04 respectively). A statistically difference of mean IL-10 concentration appears between patients in both age groups (P2= 0.04). No significant differences appear in the mean serum concentrations of IFN-γ, and IL-6 between the two age groups (P2=0.73, 0.07 respectively). Conclusions: In children with diabetes, a significant elevation of serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-6 were observed.


The genetic algorithm and the adaptive mechanism are adopted to tackle the inefficiency of optimization and the convergence difficulty of collaborative optimization (CO). Based on the further analysis of collaborative optimization process, the constraint conditions are converged into part of the optimization function. The system optimization model of CO has been reconstructed according to the adaptive penalty function which is based on the information of different disciplines and the transformation of system-level constraints. Therefore, the global and local search capabilities of optimization algorithm and searching efficiency of CO have been improved. Meanwhile, the difficulty of convergence caused by the internal definition of CO has been resolved. Finally, an example of speed reducer is demonstrated to verify the proposed method, showing that the convergence rate and search efficiency have been improved.


HD-Zip proteins represent the major transcription factors in higher plants, playing essential roles in plant development and stress responses. Foxtail millet is a crop to investigate the systems biology of millet and biofuel grasses and the HD-Zip gene family has not been studied in foxtail millet. For further investigation of the expression profile of the HD-Zip gene family in foxtail millet, a comprehensive genome-wide expression analysis was conducted in this study. We found 47 protein-encoding genes in foxtail millet using BLAST search tools; the putative proteins were classified into four subfamilies, namely, subfamilies I, II, III, and IV. Gene structure and motif analysis indicate that the genes in one subfamily were conserved. Promotor analysis showed that HD-Zip gene was involved in abiotic stress. Duplication analysis revealed that 8 (~17%) hdz genes were tandemly duplicated and 28 (58%) were segmentally duplicated; purifying duplication plays important roles in gene expansion. Microsynteny analysis revealed the maximum relationship in foxtail millet-sorghum and foxtail millet-rice. Expression profiling upon the abiotic stresses of drought and high salinity and the biotic stress of ABA revealed that some genes regulated responses to drought and salinity stresses via an ABA-dependent process, especially sihdz29 and sihdz45. Our study provides new insight into evolutionary and functional analyses of HD-Zip genes involved in environmental stress responses in foxtail millet.


This study describes the significance of various road related factors for cyclists' accident risk, accessibility, comfort and decision whether or not to cycle. Four focus group meetings with cyclists from Linkoping and Umea were held, following an interview guide with six principal areas: avoidance of obstacles, the cycle ride takes longer than necessary, or longer than usual/planned, increased stress, safety risk, and the decision whether or not to cycle. Apart from the principal areas in the interview guide, the participants' comments were grouped under the categories maintenance, geometric design, other road users, traffic rules and other matters. For the safety risk, other road users and geometric design appeared to have the greatest significance, as well as shortcomings in maintenance. Exercise and wellbeing were the chief reasons to cycle. Maintenance is also significant for the decision to cycle, mainly in the winter, but this chiefly applies on the part of those who regularly cycle in their daily decision. To promote cycle traffic it is essential to enhance the competitiveness of the cycle by improving accessibility and making travel times shorter for cyclists. This mainly requires a direct and continuous cycle path network. Maintenance of high standard has a more immediate effect on accessibility during short periods, and it is important in retaining the existing cyclists.Alternativ URL: http://www.vv.se/fud-resultat/Publikationer_00 0201_000300/Publikation_000291/R585.pdf


The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended yet, and so educational systems need to continue to be active and creative in establishing online learning materials. Nursing education faces challenges for many learning materials with high credits, such as Medical-Surgical Nursing. Even when altered to online methods, education still must prioritise the quality of the teaching-learning process to generate satisfactory learning. This study aimed to overview the satisfaction of nursing students towards the e-learning activities of the Medical-Surgical Nursing program during the pandemic. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with a total of 300 participants. There were five aspects assessed, including accessibility, convenience in understanding the materials, interactivity, the accuracy of the methods used, and independence. The results showed that 110 respondents (36.7%) marked low on accessibility; 164 (54.7%) determined it was convenient to understand the materials; 126 (42%) felt that they interacted well among students and with lecturers; 185 (61.7%) thought the methods were sufficiently appropriate during the online learning process; and 141 (47%) felt independent enough to be able to do online learning. In conclusion, the students determined that the online learning process was fairly good in its accessibility, convenience in understanding the materials, interactivity, accuracy of the methods used, and independence aspects.


The present study investigated the use of a dedicated gas chromatography (GC) column (L = 70 cm, 75 μm deep, and 6.195 mm wide) with radially elongated pillars (REPs) as the second column in a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × μGC) system. Three stationary phases [apolar polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), medium polar room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) based on monocationic phosphonium, and polar polyethylene glycol (PEG-1000)] have been coated using the static method at constant pressure or using an original vacuum pressure program (VPP) from 400 to 4 mbar. The best efficiency reached up to N = 62,000 theoretical plates for a film thickness of 47 nm at 100 °C for an iso-octane peak (k = 0.16) at an optimal flow rate of 4.8 mL/min. The use of the VPP improved the efficiency by approximately 15%. Efficiencies up to 28,000 and 47,000 were obtained for PEG-1000 and RTIL, respectively. A temperature-programmed separation of a mixture of 11 volatile compounds on a PDMS-coated chip was obtained in less than 36 s. The PDMS-, PEG-1000-, and RTIL-coated chips were tested as the second column using a microfluidic reverse fill/flush flow modulator in a GC × μGC system. The REP columns were highly compatible with the operating conditions in terms of flow rate and with more than 30,000 plates for the iso-octane peak. Moreover, a commercial solvent called white spirit containing alkanes and aromatic compounds was injected in three sets of columns in normal and reverse modes, demonstrating the great potential of the chip as a second-dimension separation column.


Corruption is often portrayed as a barrier to trade and investment capable of altering international investment patterns. Here, we analyze how firms' choice of country and the volume of offshored material inputs are affected by corruption in target economies. Taking stance from the gravity model of trade, the analysis suggests that corruption is a deterrent for offshoring. Firms avoid corrupt countries and, given that destination country has been chosen it reduces the volume of offshored inputs. The negative impact of corruption is largest in poor countries, and internationalized firms trading with many countries use their flexibility to avoid corrupt countries. Given the importance of these firms as international investors, this is yet another reason for why fighting corruption is important.


A national demonstration of the effectiveness of an optimal weatherization program for low-income families was conducted by the Community Services Administration and the National Bureau of Standards. In this demonstration 101 family dwellings in 12 cities in the continental United States were retrofitted and inspected by using thermographic equipment. The weatherization techniques included air infiltration reducing measures such as caulking and weatherstripping, additional attic insulation, storm windows, cavity-wall insulation, basement or crawl-space insulation, and modification or replacement of the heating systems. In order to assess the quality of the workmanship of the weatherization techniques applied to the building envelope, and in particular the quality of the installation of the cavity wall insulation, thermographic surveys were performed after the completion of the weatherization work. It was not uncommon to find large wall areas still uninsulated, ceiling insulation improperly installed, heat losses around door and window frames, excessive heat losses from eaves and soffits due to bypassing of the insulation, shrinkage and fissures in the foam insulation, areas where the loose fill insulation was not installed to proper density, and air penetration into the interior of cavities. Examples of such defects are presented and summary statistics showing the frequency of occurrence ofmore » these defects in the weatherized dwellings and the percentage of wall area not insulated are given.« less


The diversity of cultures in schools is on its rapid growth. Consequently, the knowledge of teachers on cultural background becomes a valuable input to the way they manage their classroom. This study aimed to find out the relationship of cultural sensitivity with the classroom management of teachers.
The study employed correlational research design. It is quantitative in nature that was complemented by interviews. It involved thirty-one (31) accessible respondents who were public school teachers of Dadiangas South Central Elementary School, General Santos City employed during the school year 2015-2016. Three (3) of the teachers were randomly chosen for an interview. The data needed were gathered using questionnaires following the survey method and interviews of randomly chosen teachers. The data were analyzed using frequency count, weighted mean, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient.
The result of the study revealed that teachers display a high-level cultural sensitivity. They employed ideal classroom management to a great extent. The findings also disclosed that a moderate significant relationship between cultural sensitivity and classroom management exists. Based on the findings, the cultural sensitivity of teachers influences their classroom management. The study recommends capacity-building programs for the teachers such as seminar-workshop on multicultural approaches to education and culturally responsive classroom management strategies for them to enhance their knowledge and skills on culture-sensitive classroom management.


: This article has described current recommendations for nutritional support of the burned pediatric patient. A checklist for monitoring the progress of pediatric burn patients from admission to discharge is included.


Engineering needs diversity so that creative solutions may be developed for the modern-day grand challenges. Native Americans can offer a unique perspective to solving problems due to their worldview, yet they remain drastically underrepresented in engineering and broader STEM fields. Restricting the pathways to engineering, K-12 students in non-mainstream groups can experience alienation from science and engineering due to the universalist view in which K-12 science is taught. However, engineering education can support alternative ways of knowing through curriculum that is culturally responsive. Culturally-responsive schooling is to design learning environments and train educators with appropriate curriculum, pedagogy, standards, and assessments that will value and foster a student's cultural identity. This study deconstructs a traditional Navajo philosophy of learning and predominant philosophies of learning in engineering design to make explicit the differences between ways of knowing. The outcome of this study is an evaluation of how an engineering education might fit into a traditional Navajo worldview. The intent of the work is to contribute to the conversation of how culturallyresponsive schooling may be designed to minimize barriers to engineering for Native American students.


This issue focuses on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM), a population greatly affected by coexistent HIV and STI epidemics in many parts of the world. Indeed, gay-related immune deficiency (GRID) was the name first proposed in 1982 to describe AIDS before HIV was recognised as the cause. Even in the earliest epidemiological studies of AIDS, it was understood that there was a link to sexual practices and a history of STI diagnoses.1 New STIs are emerging and disproportionately affecting gay men living with HIV, such as lymphogranuloma venereum, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced anal cancer. Increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV has induced a return to normalcy. This has claimed to contribute to the re-emergence of syphilis among MSM.

Homosexual male–male activity is as old as mankind, and a part of life for many men in societies across the world. There is no evidence that men are more likely to be gay or otherwise MSM in any part of the world, though safety and social support to live as a gay man does vary greatly. Moreover, HIV disproportionately affects gay and bisexual men due to the efficiency of HIV transmission during condomless anal sex with serodiscordant and viraemic partners. The first part of this issue consists of a series of commissioned reviews and non-commissioned original articles describing the diverse responses to HIV and STIs among MSM around the world. A consistent message is the sustained disparity in the burden …


Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a cluster of pathological liver conditions of emerging importance in overweight and obese children. NAFLD is associated with central obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidaemia, which are considered to be the main features of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Prevention of the adverse outcomes of NAFLD, as well as the risk of MetS, depends on the identification of genetic background and environmental factors that modulate susceptibility to these diseases. However, several lines of evidence highlight the strong correlation and co-currency of these two chronic diseases, both in children and in adults. In the present review, we provide an overview of the current clinical proofs on the link between NAFLD and MetS in children, with particular focus on all the possible overlapping features that connect them at paediatric age.


Random constraint satisfaction problems (CSP) have been studied extensively using statistical physics techniques. They provide a benchmark to study average case scenarios instead of the worst case one. The interplay between statistical physics of disordered systems and computer science has brought new light into the realm of computational complexity theory, by introducing the notion of clustering of solutions, related to replica symmetry breaking. However, the class of problems in which clustering has been studied often involve discrete degrees of freedom: standard random CSPs are random K-SAT (aka disordered Ising models) or random coloring problems (aka disordered Potts models). In this work we consider instead problems that involve continuous degrees of freedom. The simplest prototype of these problems is the perceptron. Here we discuss in detail the full phase diagram of the model. In the regions of parameter space where the problem is non-convex, leading to multiple disconnected clusters of solutions, the solution is critical at the SAT/UNSAT threshold and lies in the same universality class of the jamming transition of soft spheres. We show how the critical behavior at the satisfiability threshold emerges, and we compute the critical exponents associated to the approach to the transition from both the SAT and UNSAT phase. We conjecture that there is a large universality class of non-convex continuous CSPs whose SAT-UNSAT threshold is described by the same scaling solution.


At a time of renewed scrutiny of capital punishment, Nevada lawyers may be interested in some of the recent legal scholarship on the death penalty based on social science data, rather than on legal philosophy or constitutional theory. Three projects are of particular interest: Professor James Liebman's work on errors in death penalty cases; the National Jury Project's data about how jurors decide capital cases; and David Baldus' recent study of peremptory challenges in capital cases.


Objective Identify the primary therapeutic targets selected for a large cohort of patients with Tourette Syndrome. Method Clinical records of 446 patients seen consecutively between 2004–2013 were reviewed. Various features were collated, including clinician-rated severity and treatment outcome at first visit. Results 48% of patients had multiple treatment targets. Tics were a target for treatment in 45% of cases (adults: 57%, children 36%). Comorbidities (particularly ADHD, OCD, depression and anxiety) were selected as targets for treatment in 55% of cases. In 18% of adult cases and 30% of children, immediate management did not include any new drug or behavioural intervention – the main outcome was psychoeducation and reassurance. Patients with more severe tics were more likely to have tics selected as the target. Conclusion These findings emphasise clinicians' impression of the importance of identification of comorbidities. Children were less likely than adults to have an active management target chosen at first visit, reasons could include a higher threshold for drug prescription, fewer severe cases and the lack of availability of specialised psychology therapies.


 Abstract — There are many situations in which human activities have significant effects on the environment. Damage to the ozone layer is one of them. The objective of this work is to use the Least Squares Method, considering the linear, exponential, logarithmic, power and polynomial models of the second degree, to analyze through the coefficient of determination (R²), which model best fits the behavior of the chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-142b) in parts per trillion between 1992 and 2018, as well as estimates of future concentrations between 5 and 10 periods, i.e. the concentration of this pollutant in the years 2023 and 2028 in each of the adjustments. A total of 809 observations of the concentration of HCFC-142b in one of the monitoring stations of gases precursors of the deterioration of the ozone layer during the period of time studied were selected and, using these data, the statistical software Excel was used for make the scatter plots of each of the adjustment models. With the development of the present study, it was observed that the logarithmic fit was the model that best fit the data set, since besides having a significant R² its adjusted curve was compatible with the natural trend curve of the


AIM To determine whether those most easily reviewed in a population prevalence study differ from those followed up only with difficulty. METHODS All babies born before 32 weeks of gestation in the North of England in 1983, 1990, and 1991 were traced, and all the survivors assessed at two years by one of two independent clinicians. RESULTS 818 of the 1138 live born babies survived to discharge. There was some non-significant, excess disability in the 5% of long term survivors who were difficult to trace because of social mobility, but eight times as much severe disability in the 1% (9/796) in care and in the 5% (38/796) whose parents initially failed to keep a series of home or hospital appointments for interview, and five times as much emergent disability in the 2.7% (22/818) who died after discharge but before their second birthday. Had the babies who were seen without difficulty been considered representative of all the babies surviving to discharge, the reported disability rate would have been two thirds what it really was (6.9% instead of 11.0%). CONCLUSIONS Population prevalence studies that ignore those who seem reluctant to cooperate risk serious ascertainment bias. Key messages Children seen for review without difficulty in any study of community prevalence are seldom representative of those who are not assessed Failure to review those who prove difficult to trace introduces less bias than failure to review those who prove difficult to review once traced Studies where it is not possible to see some children for assessment might usefully include a calculation of what the total prevalence would be if there was a fivefold difference in the proportion with the condition in question among the children who were not seen Parental support for any such study can nearly always be obtained if an effort is made to make the family feel, from the outset, that they are partners in a collaborative exercise of genuine worth


Synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) systems produce high-resolution images of the seabed environment. Moreover, deep learning has demonstrated superior ability in finding robust features for automating imagery analysis. However, the success of deep learning is conditioned on having lots of labeled training data but obtaining generous pixel-level annotations of SAS imagery is often practically infeasible. This challenge has thus far limited the adoption of deep learning methods for SAS segmentation. Algorithms exist to segment SAS imagery in an unsupervised manner, but they lack the benefit of state-of-the-art learning methods and the results present significant room for improvement. In view of the above, we propose a new iterative algorithm for unsupervised SAS image segmentation combining superpixel formation, deep learning, and traditional clustering methods. We call our method iterative deep unsupervised segmentation (IDUS). IDUS is an unsupervised learning framework that can be divided into four main steps: 1) a deep network estimates class assignments; 2) low-level image features from the deep network are clustered into superpixels; 3) superpixels are clustered into class assignments (which we call pseudo-labels) using $k$ -means; and 4) resulting pseudo-labels are used for loss backpropagation of the deep network prediction. These four steps are performed iteratively until convergence. A comparison of IDUS to current state-of-the-art methods on a realistic benchmark dataset for SAS image segmentation demonstrates the benefits of our proposal even as the IDUS incurs a much lower computational burden during inference (actual labeling of a test image). Because our design combines merits of classical superpixel methods with deep learning, practically we demonstrate a very significant benefit in terms of reduced selection bias, i.e., IDUS shows markedly improved robustness against the choice of training images. Finally, we also develop a semi-supervised (SS) extension of IDUS called Iterative Deep SS Segmentation (IDSS) and demonstrate experimentally that it can further enhance performance while outperforming supervised alternatives that exploit the same labeled training imagery.


Over the last few years, there has been considerable debate in Australia as to the appropriate regulation of foreign direct investment by entities affiliated with foreign governments. During that time, Australia has been a significant beneficiary of investment by sovereign wealth funds from many foreign jurisdictions, particularly by Chinese state owned enterprises. The Australian government, similar to governments of many developed Western countries, has struggled to properly calibrate its policy settings for regulating this type of investment activity. This Article considers the Australian regulatory regime and assesses Australia's experience in regulating those investment flows during this period.


1. Object of this note. In his lively essay, "Between Analytic and Empirical," (Philosophy, April 1957), Mr. J. W. N. Watkins challenges the empiricist identification of synthetic statements with empirical ones by arguing that there exists an important class of statements which are synthetic, i.e. not analytically true or false, and yet not empirical. I find Mr. Watkins's arguments very stimulating, but I do not think they provide a sound basis for his contention. In the present note, I wish to indicate what seem to me the principal flaws in Mr. Watkins's reasoning, and to make some additional comments on the issues raised by his discussion.


In the event of a terrorist attack or an accidental release of hazardous substances in a subway system, an understanding of the dispersal of a toxic agent across the system with and without train movements is key information to aid rescue and escape procedures. This information is only available with knowledge of the airflow conditions inside the system. Apart from the train movements or active ventilation, the natural airflow regime determines which parts of the system will be contaminated. Tests with the tracer gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and climatic studies have clearly confirmed the expected complex airflow system inside subway systems. The assumption that climatic and topographic factors of track routing as well as architectural characteristics have an influence on the air flow regime have been verified. The results show that in many instances designated escape routes are not safe. The emergency response could be improved and lives could be saved by implementing dynamic escape routing systems based on knowledge of the natural air flow.


Space- and time-resolved measurements of spin drift and diffusion are performed on a GaAs-hosted two-dimensional electron gas. For spins where forward drift is compensated by backward diffusion, we find a precession frequency in the absence of an external magnetic field. The frequency depends linearly on the drift velocity and is explained by the cubic Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction, for which drift leads to a spin precession angle twice that of spins that diffuse the same distance.


In Weyerhaeuser v. Ross-Simmons the Supreme Court held that the predatory pricing standard adopted in Brooke Group also applies to predatory bidding claims, because the two types of predation are "analytically similar". I argue that predatory bidding is likely to be more harmful to consumer welfare than is predatory pricing. Successful input market predation may lead to a "dual market power" outcome in which the firm has market power in both the input and the output market. In spite of the analytical distinction, consideration of error costs leads me to conclude that Brooke Group remains the best standard to apply to predatory bidding claims.


The purpose of research is the definition of androgens role and myocardial androgen receptors and sex steroids in males under metabolic and hormonal "stress" induced by the experimental diabetes. Research was carried out on 60 rats-males, mass 180,0-200,0 g. The diabetes reproduced by single injection of alloxan (200mg/kg). Androgen receptors were revealed by the radiometric and radioautography methods. The content of glucose, immunoreactive insulin, testosteron, estradiol, corticosteron and somatotropin were defined in animals blood plasma. On the early terms of alloxan diabetes estradiol concentration increase against a background of testosteron decrease which causes the "feminization" of the sexual hormonal balance. On the other side the increase of androgen receptors expression by cardiomyocytes causes the intensification of myocardium tissue physiologic ability to androgens perception positively influencing on the metabolism. Consequently, androgens provoke stimulating effect on the myocard metabolism in males at early stages of the experimental diabetes.


ABSTRACT Antibiotic-resistant bacteria represent a major threat to our ability to treat bacterial infections. Two factors that determine the evolutionary success of antibiotic resistance mutations are their impact on resistance level and the fitness cost. Recent studies suggest that resistance mutations commonly show epistatic interactions, which would complicate predictions of their stability in bacterial populations. We analyzed 13 different chromosomal resistance mutations and 10 host strains of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli to address two main questions. (i) Are there epistatic interactions between different chromosomal resistance mutations? (ii) How does the strain background and genetic distance influence the effect of chromosomal resistance mutations on resistance and fitness? Our results show that the effects of combined resistance mutations on resistance and fitness are largely predictable and that epistasis remains rare even when up to four mutations were combined. Furthermore, a majority of the mutations, especially target alteration mutations, demonstrate strain-independent phenotypes across different species. This study extends our understanding of epistasis among resistance mutations and shows that interactions between different resistance mutations are often predictable from the characteristics of the individual mutations. IMPORTANCE The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria imposes an urgent threat to public health. The ability to forecast the evolutionary success of resistant mutants would help to combat dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Previous studies have shown that the phenotypic effects (fitness and resistance level) of resistance mutations can vary substantially depending on the genetic context in which they occur. We conducted a broad screen using many different resistance mutations and host strains to identify potential epistatic interactions between various types of resistance mutations and to determine the effect of strain background on resistance phenotypes. Combinations of several different mutations showed a large amount of phenotypic predictability, and the majority of the mutations displayed strain-independent phenotypes. However, we also identified a few outliers from these patterns, illustrating that the choice of host organism can be critically important when studying antibiotic resistance mutations. The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria imposes an urgent threat to public health. The ability to forecast the evolutionary success of resistant mutants would help to combat dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Previous studies have shown that the phenotypic effects (fitness and resistance level) of resistance mutations can vary substantially depending on the genetic context in which they occur. We conducted a broad screen using many different resistance mutations and host strains to identify potential epistatic interactions between various types of resistance mutations and to determine the effect of strain background on resistance phenotypes. Combinations of several different mutations showed a large amount of phenotypic predictability, and the majority of the mutations displayed strain-independent phenotypes. However, we also identified a few outliers from these patterns, illustrating that the choice of host organism can be critically important when studying antibiotic resistance mutations.


In this paper we describe continuing work being carried out as part of the Bristol Wearable Computing Initiative. We are researching processing techniques for data from accelerometers which enable the wearable computer to determine the user's activity. Techniques already employed by others have been explored and we propose new methods for analysing the data delivered by these devices. We try to minimise the number of devices needed by using a single X-Y accelerometer device. Using our techniques we have adapted our GPS based Tourist Guide application to vary its multimedia presentation according to the user's activity as well as location.


This article follows Mexican Chinese families from Mexico, across the Mexican-U.S. border, to China, and back to Mexico. Settling in northern Mexico in the nineteenth century, Chinese formed multiple ties with Mexicans. An anti-Chinese movement emerged during the Mexican Revolution and peaked during the Great Depression. The Mexican government deported several thousand Chinese men and their Mexican-origin families from Sonora and neighboring Sinaloa, some directly to China and others to the United States, whose immigration agents also deported the families to China. They arrived in Guangdong (Canton) Province but eventually congregated in Macau where they forged a coherent Mexican Chinese enclave. Developing a strategic Mexican nationalism, they appealed for repatriation. The Mexican Chinese "became Mexican" only after authorities compelled them to struggle for years from abroad for the inclusion of their mixed-race families in the nation. They became diasporic citizens and fashioned hybrid identities to survive in Mexico and China.


Dolphins emit a large variety of acoustic signals on which they rely for navigation, communication and searching for food. Nevertheless, each species uses quantitative and qualitative species-specific characteristics for tonal and pulsed signals, and the different behavioral contexts may affect the use of these signals. The main aim of this work is to evaluate if the emission rate of acoustic signals can be used as a cue to recognize species, and as an intra-specific feature for recognizing behavioral contexts. We collected acoustic and behavioral data during 27 sightings of bottlenose and striped dolphins in the Gulf of Taranto, (Northern Ionian Sea, Central-Eastern Mediterranean Sea). 396.31minutes of recordings were considered for analysis. The emission rate, calculated as the number of vocalizations/minutes of recording per animals within the group, was compared among species and behaviors. A higher emission rate was recorded for bottlenose dolphins clicks during traveling compared to striped dolphins involved in the same behavior, and for striped dolphins whistles during socializing compared to other behaviors of the same species. However, we must consider that smaller groups were analyzed for bottlenose dolphins. Results suggest that dolphins share click echoes in larger groups and increase communication signals during social activities. Our preliminary results can help inform management and conservation actions, in the framework of EU regulations, in this high impacted area.


Context. Stars form surrounded by gasand dust-rich protoplanetary discs. Generally, these discs dissipate over a few (3–10) Myr, leaving a faint tenuous debris disc composed of second-generation dust produced by the attrition of larger bodies formed in the protoplanetary disc. Giant planets detected in radial velocity and transit surveys of main-sequence stars also form within the protoplanetary disc, whilst super-Earths now detectable may form once the gas has dissipated. Our own solar system, with its eight planets and two debris belts, is a prime example of an end state of this process. Aims. The Herschel DEBRIS, DUNES, and GT programmes observed 37 exoplanet host stars within 25 pc at 70, 100, and 160 μm with the sensitivity to detect far-infrared excess emission at flux density levels only an order of magnitude greater than that of the solar system's Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Here we present an analysis of that sample, using it to more accurately determine the (possible) level of dust emission from these exoplanet host stars and thereafter determine the links between the various components of these exoplanetary systems through statistical analysis. Methods. We have fitted the flux densities measured from recent Herschel observations with a simple two parameter (Td, LIR/L ) black-body model (or to the 3σ upper limits at 100 μm). From this uniform approach we calculated the fractional luminosity, radial extent and dust temperature. We then plotted the calculated dust luminosity or upper limits against the stellar properties, e.g. effective temperature, metallicity, and age, and identified correlations between these parameters. Results. A total of eleven debris discs are identified around the 37 stars in the sample. An incidence of ten cool debris discs around the Sun-like exoplanet host stars (29 ± 9%) is consistent with the detection rate found by DUNES (20.2 ± 2.0%). For the debris disc systems, the dust temperatures range from 20 to 80 K, and fractional luminosities (LIR/L ) between 2.4 ×10−6 and 4.1 ×10−4. In the case of non-detections, we calculated typical 3σ upper limits to the dust fractional luminosities of a few ×10−6. Conclusions. We recover the previously identified correlation between stellar metallicity and hot-Jupiter planets in our data set. We find a correlation between the increased presence of dust, lower planet masses, and lower stellar metallicities. This confirms the recently identified correlation between cold debris discs and low-mass planets in the context of planet formation by core accretion.


A critical review of specifications for flexural strength of concrete in road pavements is presented considering technical means of compliance and control, as well as adherence to the criterion of adequate air void structure required for frost resistance. Numerous test data provide an evidence for a linear relationship between the flexural strength and the compressive strength raised to a power of 2/3 or 1 /2. The scatter of flexural strength data is about twice greater than the scatter of compressive strength data; the coefficient of variation often reaches up to 10-15%. Both a total porosity and a distribution of air void diameters significantly influence the strength of concrete. Since the concrete strength and the air void content needed for frost resistance are conflict criteria the quality control procedures should be modified adequately. The current standards are not precise enough to describe the testing procedures neither in defining the conformity criteria.


SLNB has revolutionized staging and treatment in breast cancer patients, several issues provoked renewed attention. If small lymph node metastases are relevant, the pathologist should detect them. The current Dutch pathology guideline is not sensitive enough to detect them. To obtain a 95% detection probability for 200μm metastasesthe interval between sections should be 200μm and the number of sections should be at least 20 from each half in a median sized SLN. Is small metastases are irrelevant, serial sectioning with 2mm is preferable.

Intra-operative frozen section analysis of the SLN has the advantage of avoiding a second operation for an ALND, but it carries the risk of tissue loss and missing metastases. However, the detection probability is not negatively influenced by FS analysis in the majority of the protocols. Only in extensive protocols the detection probability diminishesdue to tissue loss.

Patient- and primary tumor characteristics associated with pN0(i+) and pN1mi were studied. Younger patients, patients with larger tumors and with an intermediate BR-grade had an increased risk of pN1mi and ≥pN1a. Patients with a triple negative tumor had a decreased risk on pN1mi and ≥pN1a. The frequency of the smallest metastases was fairly constant in relation to increasing tumor size. pN0(i+) seems to bare resemblance to pN0, while the resemblance between pN1mi and ≥pN1a seems less clear.

The need for removal of IM SLNs remains subject of discussion. Adjustment of post-surgical treatment as the result of IM SLNB was advised in 20% of patients in whom the IM SLN was harvested. Adjustments mainly implied expansion of the radiotherapy field.

How to manage the axillais not clear for patients with exclusive IM drainage. In 1.1% of the patients exclusive IM lymphoscintigraphic drainage was observed and axillary staging by other means revealed additional axillary metastases in 4/14 patients, post-surgical treatment was adjusted in two. Staging the axilla thus appears sensible.

Only a very small group of patients has metastases in the IM SLNs, therefore it is difficult to establish if they affect overall survival. In a large multicenter cohort the impact of IM metastases on outcome was addressed, they were observed in 3.5% of patients and OS was not significantly worse for these patients (HR 1.23; CI 0.75 - 2.01).

ER+/her2neu negative breast tumors are associated with favorable outcome and may have an even better prognosis than based on ER positivity alone. In a large cohort three groups of ER+ patients were compared: her2neu+, her2neu- and her2neu not determined. ER+/her2- patients did have a significant better outcome than ER+/her2 not determined patients. These results suggest that the her2neu receptor should be includedin prognostic models.

The use of SLNB in patients with breast cancer has definitely led to a more refined lymph node staging, but the heydays of optimal lymph node staging that started with the introduction of SLNB may soon be past


We here report a case of a 53-year-old woman requiring pulmonary embolectomy for acute massive pulmonary embolism caused by a huge uterine myoma compressing veins in the pelvis and extreme obesity. She was also diagnosed as having myomatous erythrocytosis syndrome, a rare disease associated with secondary polycythemia. The polycythemia improved after a hysterectomy which was performed after pulmonary embolectomy.


Any organization with an outcome measurement system will quickly accumulate lots of data. Before those raw data can be used to help improve services, they need to be converted into useable information, through the process of analysis. This guide provides step-by-step basic procedures that can be used each time the outcome data become available. Even though nonprofits provide diverse services, this approach can be applied in most programs. Ongoing analysis, completed on a regular basis, can provide a stream of key information about clients and results that can help organizations improve their services.


The assessment of economic variables is an important part of regional macroeconomic analyses. However, increasing integration of the markets has led to greater financial and economic interdependence between regions. Therefore, this paper uses the global vector autoregressive (GVAR) methodology, which can tackle the curse of dimensionality. Focusing in the Brazilian labor market, it has two main objectives: firstly, establishing a model accounting for the interdependencies between regions. Secondly, estimate the regional elasticity of employment in respect to the economic activity of the country. To this end, it is applied the so-called GVAR technique, which considers the interdependencies between several regions and their temporal dynamics in a multivariate framework. The model is estimated at the Brazilian mesoregion level, with 137 distinct mesoregions. The final model proved to be stable with 128 regions, 2 cointegration relationship and, and 9 regions having 1 cointegration relation. Focusing on the classical major Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, Southeast, South, Central) it is estimated that the most sensitive region is the South followed by the Northeast and the South region, while the Northern and Central regions are mostly unaffected. A long-run relationship is also estimated indicating a natural growth of 694 thousand jobs per year in Brazil.


In this paper, a new algorithm based on differential geometry viewpoint to solve the 3D rotating Navier-Stokes equations with complex Boundary is proposed, which is called Bi-parallel algorithm. For xample, it can be applied to passage flow between two blades in impeller and circulation flow through aircrafts with complex geometric shape of boundary. Assume that a domain in $R^3$ can be decomposed into a series sub-domain, which is called "flow layer", by a series smooth surface $\Im_k, k=1,...,M$. Applying differential geometry method, the 3D Navier-Stokes operator can be split into two kind of operator: the "Membrane Operator" on the tangent space at the surface $\Im_k$ and the "Bending Operator" along the transverse direction. The Bending Operators are approximated by the finite different quotients and restricted the 3D Naver-Stokes equations on the interface surface $\Im_k$, a Bi-Parallel algorithm can be constructed along two directors: "Bending" direction and "Membrane" directors. The advantages of the method are that: (1) it can improve the accuracy of approximate solution caused of irregular mesh nearly the complex boundary; (2) it can overcome the numerically effects of boundary layer, whic is a good boundary layer numerical method; (3) it is sufficiency to solve a two dimensional sub-problem without solving 3D sub-problem.


Background and Objective: The WHO has stressed to regularly monitor the mental health of populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we conducted this study to examine anxiety and depression among recovered and recovering COVID-19 patients. Methods: An online survey was conducted using a social media platform from 31/05/2020 to 24/06/2020. The study participants were COVID-19 infected individuals who had recovered or still were in the recovery phase from COVID-19. We collected information on demographics, clinical characteristics and physical complications of COVID-19. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using previously validated tools. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied to analyze the data. Results: 53.4% of respondents reported that they had a fear of getting COVID-19 again. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were present in 71.7% and 97.6% of respondents respectively. Both disorders were present in 71.3% of respondents. The respondents with shorter durations of physical symptoms (< 2 weeks) demonstrated less anxiety (OR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.05 - 0.67) and depression (OR = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01 - 0.37). Conclusion: Anxiety and depression appear as common psychological complications in COVID-19 recovering and recovered patients. Longer durations of COVID-19 related physical symptoms were associated with an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression.


The construction of a new bridge in a high density urban environment has numerous constraints which can influence and often dictate the method of construction and hence the design of the structure. Early identification of these constraints ensures an integrated design and construction procedure whereby the constraints are recognised and planned for throughout the project. Through a collaborative approach between the designer and the constructor, the significant use of precast concrete ensured that the Coronation Drive Viaduct was constructed ahead of program, under budget and in harmony with the numerous project constraints. The objectives of this paper are to use the Coronation Drive Viaduct as a case study to highlight the constraints that are encountered in an urban environment and the implication these constraints have on design and construction. Furthermore, the advantages the use of precast concrete provided to overcoming these constraints and ensuring the delivery of a successful project are discussed.


In this paper, we consider the problem of trajectory reconstruction for the mobile mapping system Davide. Davide is equipped with a custom GPS/INS system and a number of dead-reckoning sensors, such as odometers, inclinometers, etc. The application falls in the framework of state reconstruction with multi-sensor architectures, for which GPS/INS integration is a paradigmatic problem. In this paper, to maximize the accuracy of trajectory reconstruction, we propose to use a combination of two strategies, namely: a) to use a customized dynamical model of the vehicle, that includes nonholonomic constraints and load transfer in roll and pitch, and b) to use advanced nonlinear filtering techniques such as Montecarlo filters. The performance of proposed algorithm is illustrated by means of both simulations and real vehicle data.


A checklist of all described species of Philonthina, a subtribe of the staphylinid tribe Staphylinini, known to occur in Central and South America (CASA) is presented. Included for each species, and for synonyms known from CASA, is a reference to the original description, type locality and type depository, and for each species the known distribution within and outside CASA. Type material was sought in the main European and American collections where it is deposited (BMNH, MNHUB, IRSNB and FMNH) and is summarized for all indigenous CASA species, with lectotypes designated for 16 names and confirmation of holotypes and prior designation of lectotypes when necessary. Based on recent phylogenetic work in Philonthina and our revision of types of CASA species of Philonthus Stephens, 1829 and Belonuchus Nordmann, 1837, some taxonomic changes are proposed. Thirty-one species of Philonthus are transferred to Belonuchus (16), Gabrius Stephens 1829 (14), and Bisnius Stephens 1829 (one) resulting in the following new combinations: B. abnormalis (Sharp 1885), B. celatus (Sharp 1885), B. corticalis (Sharp 1885), B. extremus (Sharp 1885), B. infimus (Sharp 1885), B. iteratus (Sharp 1887), B. latecinctus (Sharp 1885), B. lucilius (Sharp 1885), B. muticus (Sharp 1876), B. optatus (Sharp 1885), B. platypterus (Sharp 1885), B. rufiventris (Sharp 1887), B. rufocaudus (Sharp 1885), B. rufopygus (Sharp 1885), B. serraticornis (Sharp 1876), B. supernus (Herman 2001), G. approximans (Sharp 1885), G. armatipes (Sharp 1885), G. atricolor (Sharp 1885), G. championi (Sharp 1885), G. dampfi (Bernhauer 1929), G. elegans (Sharp 1885), G. forsterianus (Scheerpeltz 1960), G. misellus (Sharp 1885), G. nugax (Sharp 1885), G. ovaticeps (Sharp 1885), G. peruvianus (Bernhauer 1916), G. planulatus (Sharp 1885), G. rusticus (Sharp 1885), G. serpens (Sharp 1885) and Bi. subaeneipennis (Bernhauer 1916). Endeius nitidipennis Solier 1849 is transferred to Gabrius, resulting in the following new combination, G. nitidipennis (Solier 1849). Leptopeltus carchiensis Chani-Posse Asenjo 2013 is proposed as junior synonym of Philonthus divisus Sharp 1891, which is transferred to Leptopeltus Bernhauer 1906 resulting in a new combination: Leptopeltus divisus (Sharp 1891). Belonuchus penetrans Silvestri 1946 is transferred to Pridonius Blackwelder 1952 as a new combination. Lectotypes are designated for Atopocentrum mirabile Bernhauer 1906, Philonthus armatipes Sharp 1885, Ph. atricolor Sharp 1885, Ph. championi Sharp 1885, Ph. misellus Sharp 1885, Ph. planulatus Sharp 1885, Ph. rusticus Sharp 1885, Ph. serpens Sharp 1885, Ph. abnormalis Sharp 1885, Ph. celatus Sharp 1885, Ph. infimus Sharp 1885, Ph. latecinctus Sharp 1885, Ph. muticus Sharp 1876, Ph. platypterus Sharp 1885, Ph. rufocaudus Sharp 1885 and Ph. rufopygus Sharp 1885. Of the 543 currently known species of Philonthina reported from CASA, at least 14 are believed to be adventive from elsewhere, 56 may occur naturally elsewhere, and 473 (87%) are evidently endemic to this region. Of the 31 genera represented by these described species, 20 (65%) are endemic to CASA. One genus, Gabronthus Tottenham 1955, is adventive. However, the actual philonthine fauna of CASA will undoubtedly be much larger, and the generic composition highly modified, when the fauna is fully explored and studied within a phylogenetical framework.


(EGD, ERCP & EUS) for abnormal hepatobiliary imaging. Percent yield for endoscopy was compared with a dependent samples t-test; independent samples t-tests and ANOVAs examined group differences in yield between those with/without symptoms and between imaging modalities. Percent malignant findings were examined with follow-up independent t-tests examining differences in malignancy findings among individual pairs of imaging modalities and pairs of imaging outcome categories. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all comparisons. Results: Endoscopic yield was not significantly higher for patients who were ever symptomatic (83.5%) than for patients who were always asymptomatic (68.8%) patients (Image 1a). Endoscopic yield was significantly higher for patients who were symptomatic (86.1%) at the time of endoscopy than asymptomatic (65.4%) at time of endoscopy (Image 1b). Number of days between imaging and date of endoscopy did not impact endoscopic yield. There were also significant differences in % of malignancy found based on the type of imaging findings. A finding of mass was significantly more likely to detect a malignancy than a finding of inflammatory changes or dilated bile duct (Table). Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrated that the endoscopy should not be delayed for the symptomatic patients and the abnormal imaging in the presence of these findings should be taken seriously. Future studies and artificial intelligence may explore other factors that may impact yield in abnormal imaging.


AIMS
To elucidate the frequency and clinical impact of left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) in patients set for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

METHODS AND RESULTS
All patients undergoing TAVI between January 2014 and June 2020 with analysable multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for LAAT were included. Baseline and procedural characteristics were collected, pre-procedural MSCT's were retrospectively analysed for LAAT presence. The primary endpoint was defined as the cumulative incidence of any cerebrovascular event (stroke or transient ischaemic attack) within the first year after TAVI. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify predictors.A total of 1050 cases had analysable MSCT. Median age was 80 [interquartile range (IQR) 74-84], median Society of Thoracic Surgeons' Predicted Risk Of Mortality (STS-PROM) was 3.4% (IQR 2.3-5.5). Thirty-six percent were on oral anticoagulant therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF). LAAT was present in 48 (4.6%) of cases. Patients with LAAT were at higher operative risk [STS-PROM: 4.9% (2.9-7.1) vs. 3.4% (2.3-5.5), P = 0.01], had worse systolic left ventricular function [EF 52% (35-60) vs. 55% (45-65), P = 0.01] and more permanent pacemakers at baseline (35% vs. 10%, P < 0.01). All patients with LAAT had a history of AF and patients with LAAT were more often on vitamin K antagonist-treatment than patients without LAAT [43/47 (91%) vs. 232/329 (71%), P < 0.01]. LAAT [hazard ratio (HR) 2.94 (1.39-6.22), P < 0.01] and the implantation of more than one valve [HR 4.52 (1.79-11.25), P < 0.01] were independent predictors for cerebrovascular events.

CONCLUSION
Patients with MSCT-identified LAAT were at higher risk for cerebrovascular events during the first year after TAVI.


Heart Disease is the most dominating disease which is taking a large number of deaths every year. A report from WHO in 2016 portrayed that every year at least 17 million people die of heart disease. This number is gradually increasing day by day and WHO estimated that this death toll will reach the summit of 75 million by 2030. Despite having modern technology and health care system predicting heart disease is still beyond limitations. As the Machine Learning algorithm is a vital source predicting data from available data sets we have used a machine learning approach to predict heart disease. We have collected data from the UCI repository. In our study, we have used Random Forest, Zero R, Voted Perceptron, K star classifier. We have got the best result through the Random Forest classifier with an accuracy of 97.69.


This article starts out by introducing the category of the 'one-character film' — that is, narrative feature films that rely on a single onscreen character. One-character films can range from extremely laconic movies entirely focused on the action in the narrative here-and-now via highly talkative films that revolve around soliloquies of self-reflection, questioning of identity and a problematizing of the narrative past to strongly dialogue-heavy films that — via phones and other telecommunication devices — reach far beyond the depicted scene. It is on the latter that the article eventually focuses. Films like Buried (2010), Locke (2013) or The Guilty (2018) centrifugally thrust the viewers into a simultaneous present that remains invisible and that they have to imagine in sensory ways. Imagining this invisible elsewhere, which I call mise en esprit, can be facilitated and evoked through various cinematic means such as reduced within-modality-interference, suggestive verbalizations, acousmatic voices and sound effects.


This study was carried out to determine Hyalommaticks and the natural infections of Hyalommaspecies with Theileria annulata in cattle and their shelters in Malatya province between May 1998 and January 1999. Selected areas in Malatya province were visited to collect ticks from cows and their shelters during the study. Salivary glands of Hyalommaspecies were dissected and thin films were prepared. The nymphs collected from cattle and their shelters were kept at 26 °C and 85% relative humudity. Unfed adults of Hyalom- maspecies taken from engorged nymphs and collected from shelters were kept at 37°C and 85% relative humudity for at least five days,and then salivary glands were dissected. All films prepared from salivary glands were stained with Methylegreen/Pyronin stain and examined for T.annulata infection under microscope. A total of 1633 Hyalommaticks were collected from cattle,and their species were determined and the numbers were as follows: Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum 990 (60.6%),H.a.excavatum 485 (29.6%), H.detritum 155 (9.4%)and H.marginatum 3 (0.1%).From these ticks,720 H.a.anatolicum,258 H.a.excavatum and 87 H.detritum were dissected to determine the infection rates of T.annulata.The infection rates were found to be 12.4% for H.a.anatolicum,7.8%for H.a.excavatumand 4.6%for H.detri- tum. Eighty-three out of 443 H.a.anatolicum collected from shelters were positive for T.annulata. Mean numbers of infected acini per infected male and female ticks from cattle were 9.2 and 15.4 in H.a.anatolicum,4.0 and 6.8 in H.a.excavatum. In H.a.anatolicum collected from shelters, the above rates were 9.3 and 4.9, respectively. In male H.detritumcol- lected from cattle, there were no infections.


This Ph. D. Thesis presents a novel attention-based cognitive architecture for social robots. The architecture aims to join perception and reasoning considering a double and simultaneous imbrication: the ongoing task biases the perceptual process to obtain only useful elements whereas perceived items determine the behaviours to be accomplished. Therefore, the proposed architecture represents a bidirectional solution to the perception-reasoning-action loop closing problem. The basis of the architecture is an Object-Based Visual Attention model. This perception system draws attention over perceptual units of visual information, called proto-objects. In order to highlight relevant elements, not only several intrinsic basic features (such as colour, location or shape) but also the constraints provided by the ongoing behaviour and context are considered. The proposed architecture is divided into two levels of performance. The lower level is concerned with quantitative models of execution, namely tasks that are suitable for the current work conditions, whereas a qualitative framework that describes and defines tasks relationships and coverages is placed at the top level. Perceived items determine the tasks that can be executed in each moment, following a need-based approach. Thereby, the tasks that better fit the perceived environment are more likely to be executed. Finally, the cognitive architecture has been tested using a real and unrestricted scenario that involves a real robot, time-varying tasks and daily life situations, in order to demonstrate that the proposal is able to efficiently address time- and behaviour-varying environments, overcoming the main drawbacks of already existing models.


The overall loudness of dichotic sounds composed of a tone to one ear and a low‐ or high‐pass noise to the other ear, was determined by absolute magnitude estimation for groups of ten listeners with normal hearing. Within a 30‐dB range above 70 dB, the sound pressure levels (SPL) of the tone and noise were independently varied in 5‐dB steps. Results showed that total loudness was generally a nonmonotonic function of the overall SPL of the complex. Moreover, the obtained loudness functions were steeper than those typically measured separately for pure tones and broadband noise. Instead of the standard slope of 0.60 (log loudness as a function of SPL), overall slopes ranged from 0.75 to 0.86. For a given complex, the rate of loudness growth was dependent on the relative loudness of the component stimuli. Loudness increased more rapidly with overall SPL when the tone and noise were nearly equal in loudness than when they were markedly unequal. In contrast to earlier results for the same stimuli presented together binaurally [R. P. Hellman, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 75, 209–218 (1984)], the current findings suggest that dichotic loudness is mainly based on the summed output from each ear without the effects of intraaural interactions. [Work supported by NIH.]


This study aims to provide a roadmap for research dealing with the tourism sector. In this context, by conducting a study in the form of a literature review, researchers are informed about what has been done and what is missing. In the study, articles that have been accepted from scientific journals indexed in the SCOPUS database before January 18, 2021 and dealing with COVID-19 and tourism issues are examined. The study was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, descriptive statistics were given in terms of the region studied in the articles, the journal in which the articles were published, and the methods used in the articles from a general perspective. In the second stage, articles are divided into sections such as title, keywords, abstract, and conclusion. Each article section has been analyzed separately with text mining and clustering analysis, taking into account both single and double-word groups. As a result of analysis, it was determined that theoretical studies were carried out and quantitative methods were used in most of the studies.


The high specific bending stiffness of sandwich structures can with advantage be used in vehicles to reduce their weight and thereby potentially also their fuel consumption. However, the structure must not only meet the in-service requirements but also provide sufficient protection of the vehicle passengers in a crash situation. The in-plane compressive response of sandwich panels is investigated in this thesis, with the objective to develop a methodology capable of determining if the structural response is likely to be favourable in an energy absorption perspective. Experiments were conducted to identify possible initial failure and collapse modes. The initial failure modes of sandwich panels compressed quasi-statically in the in-plane direction were identified as global buckling, local buckling (wrinkling) and face sheet fracture. Global buckling promotes continued folding of the structure when compressed beyond failure initiation. Face sheet fracture and wrinkling can promote collapse in the form of unstable debond crack growth, stable end-crushing or ductile in-plane shear collapse. Both the unstable debond crack propagation and the stable end-crushing are related to debond crack propagation, whereas the ductile in-plane shear mode is related to microbuckling of the face sheets. The collapse behaviour of sandwich configurations initially failing due to wrinkling or face sheet fracture was investigated, using a finite element model. The model was used to determine if the panels were likely to collapse in unstable debond propagation or in a more stable end-crushing mode, promoting high energy absorption. The collapse behaviour is mainly governed by the relation between the fracture toughness of the core and the bending stiffness and strength of the face sheets. The model was successfully used to design sandwich panels for different collapse behaviour. The proposed method could therefore be used in the design process of sandwich panels subjected to in-plane compressive loads.During a crash situation the accelerations on passengers must be kept below life threatening levels. The extreme peak loads in the structure must therefore be limited. This can be achieved by different kind of triggering features.Panels with either chamfered face sheets or with grooves on the loaded edges were investigated in this thesis. The peak load was reduced with panels incorporating either of the two triggering features. Another positive effect was that the plateau load following failure initiation was increased by the triggers. This clearly illustrates that triggers can be used to promote favourable response in sandwich panels. Vehicles are harmful to the environment not only during in-serve use, but during their entire life-cycle. By use of renewable materials the impact on the environment can be reduced. The in-plane compressive response of bio-based sandwich panels was therefore investigated. Panels with hemp fibre laminates showed potential for high energy absorption and panels with a balsa wood core behaved particular well. The ductile in-plane shear collapse mode of these panels resulted in the highest energy absorption of all investigated sandwich configurations.


Purpose: To examine the safety and efficacy of catheter-based plaque excision as an alternative therapy to surgery, conventional angioplasty, and/or stenting in high-risk patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Methods: Between August 2003 and August 2004, a prospective evaluation was conducted of consecutive patients with CLI (Rutherford category ≥5) who were treated with endovascular plaque excision at 7 institutions. This study enrolled 69 patients (37 women; mean age 70±12 years, range 43–93) with CLI involving 76 limbs. Clinical outcomes were prospectively followed for 6 months. The primary endpoint was major adverse events (death, myocardial infarction, unplanned amputation, or repeat target vessel revascularization) at 30 days. Visible healing of ulcerated tissue, avoidance of any amputation, and performance of less extensive amputation than initially planned were also assessed. Results: Procedural success was achieved in 99% of cases. Major adverse events occurred in 1% of patients at 30 days and 23% at 6 months. The target lesion revascularization rate was 4%, and there were no unplanned limb amputations. Amputation was less extensive than initially planned or avoided altogether in 92% of patients at 30 days and 82% at 6 months. Conclusion: Catheter-based plaque excision is a safe and effective revascularization method for patients with CLI. These findings support further study of this modality as a singular or adjunctive endovascular therapy for limb salvage in CLI.


QUESTION UNDER STUDY
Thirty-day readmissions can be classified as potentially avoidable (PARs) or not avoidable (NARs) by following a specific algorithm (SQLape®). We wanted to assess the financial impact of the Swiss-DRG system, which regroups some readmissions occurring within 18 days after discharge within the initial hospital stay, on PARs at our hospital.

METHODS
First, PARs were identified from all hospitalisations recorded in 2011 at our university hospital. Second, 2012 Swiss-DRG readmission rules were applied, regrouped readmissions (RR) were identified, and their financial impact computed. Third, RRs were classified as potentially avoidable (PARRs), not avoidable (NARRs), and others causes (OCRRs). Characteristics of PARR patients and stays were retrieved, and the financial impact of PARRS was computed.

RESULTS
A total of 36,777 hospitalisations were recorded in 2011, of which 3,140 were considered as readmissions (8.5%): 1,470 PARs (46.8%) and 1,733 NARs (53.2%). The 2012 Swiss-DRG rules would have resulted in 910 RRs (2.5% of hospitalisations, 29% of readmissions): 395 PARRs (43% of RR), 181 NARRs (20%), and 334 OCRRs (37%). Loss in reimbursement would have amounted to CHF 3.157 million (0.6% of total reimbursement). As many as 95% of the 395 PARR patients lived at home. In total, 28% of PARRs occurred within 3 days after discharge, and 58% lasted less than 5 days; 79% of the patients were discharged home again. Loss in reimbursement would amount to CHF 1.771 million.

CONCLUSION
PARs represent a sizeable number of 30-day readmissions, as do PARRs of 18-day RRs in the 2012 Swiss DRG system. They should be the focus of attention, as the PARRs represent an avoidable loss in reimbursement.


Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome Type 1(APS I) is a monogenic autosomal recessive autoimmune disorder which is the result of mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Symptoms of the disease include circulation of multiple organ specific autoantibodies, which leads to the breakdown of several tissues, including the adrenal cortex and the parathyroid glands. The patients also develop a number of non-endocrine disorders. This study has investigated the peripheral tolerance mechanisms controlled by the AIRE gene in Aire deficient mice, an animal model of the disease. The B cell Activating Factor (BAFF), which is a cytokine involved in B cell survival and growth, is elevated in Aire-/- mice, resulting in an increased release of autoantibodies and B cell proliferation. Therefore the BAFF level differences between TCR-/- and B6 mice was studied, and the results showed significantly higher levels of BAFF in TCR-/- mice. This is not in accordance with earlier studies. ICOS and ICOSL are involved in the activation of follicular T helper cells. The expression of ICOSL on different subpopulations of DC from mice was studied to evaluate the possible influence of AIRE expression on the T cells in the spleen. The results showed that ICOSL is significantly higher expressed in peripheral 33D1+ DCs in Aire-/- mice, showing that AIRE has a role in the over-activation of the follicular T helper cells, which can lead to autoantibody production and inflammation. These results show that AIRE is involved in peripheral tolerance.


The computer-based pattern recognition procedures of nonlinear mapping and principal-component analysis have been applied to analyze 1H NMR-generated metabolic data on the biochemical effects of 15 acute nephrotoxin treatments affecting the renal cortex and/or renal medulla in rats. The 1H NMR signal intensities for 16 urinary metabolites representative of several major intermediary biochemical pathways were estimated using either a simple semiquantitative scoring system or complete peak intensity quantitation. NMR-derived data were treated as input coordinates in a multidimensional metabolic space and were analyzed by pattern recognition methods through which the dimensionality was reduced for display and categorization purposes. Different nephrotoxin treatments were initially classified using semiquantitative metabolite scores on the basis of their 1H NMR-detectable biochemical effects, and a good separation of renal cortical toxin treatments from renal medullary toxin treatments was achieved. The refinement of using exact peak heights rather than metabolic data scores utilized the available metabolic information more fully and provided a unique classification of each type of toxin according to its pattern of biochemical effects and site of toxic action. Principal-component analysis provided consistently better results than did nonlinear mapping in terms of discrimination between different sites of toxicity, and maps generated from correlation matrices gave improved discrimination, compared with those based directly on the original metabolic data. A comparison between the use of an added internal quantitation standard (3-trimethylsilyl-[2,2,3,3-2H4]-1-propionate) and independently determined glucose excretion rates for scaling to the NMR-detected urinary glucose levels demonstrated that the consistent classification of site-specific nephrotoxicity was independent of the quantitation standard used. This study has provided a rigorous assessment of data processing, relative quantitation, and pattern recognition methods, and the utility of applying these methods to the classification of NMR-derived toxicological data. The considerable potential of the NMR-pattern recognition approach in the assessment of nephrotoxicity has also been confirmed with the discovery of new combinations of molecular markers of renal cellular damage.


This article presents a damping modification factor (DMF) model without source and path parameters for subduction interface earthquakes in Japan using a similar dataset as the one used in the Zhao, Liang, et al. (2016) study. Site effect was modeled by site classes based on site periods. DMF models were constructed using the spectra for 13 damping ratios at 34 spectral periods. The DMF values can be calculated in a damping ratio range of 1%–30% and in a spectral period range of 0.03–5.0 s. The effect of damping ratios was modeled by a simple quadratic function of the damping ratios in the logarithm scale, and the effect of the spectral period was modeled by a simple fourth-order polynomial of the spectral period also in the logarithm scale. The DMF value is 1.0 at a spectral period of ≤0.02  s . At long periods >5.0  s, the DMFs for different damping ratios appear to converge to 1.0, satisfying the condition of constant displacement spectrum at long periods. For an extrapolation to >5.0  s for a damping ratio <5%, DMF=1.0 can be selected when DMF<1.0; for a damping ratio >5%, DMF=1.0 can be selected when DMF>1.0. For a damping ratio <5%, all standard deviations decrease linearly with increasing damping ratios in the logarithm scale; for a damping ratio >5%, all standard deviations increase linearly with increasing damping ratios in the logarithm scale. A smoothed displacement spectrum useful for engineering designs can be obtained by scaling the spectrum from Zhao, Liang, et al. (2016). The DMF values from this study are close to those of the published models at some spectral periods. The residual distribution suggests that DMFs are functions of earthquake source and path parameters.


Author(s): Lee, Amy | Abstract: The UC Davis Campus Travel Survey is an annual survey led by Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) and the National Center for Sustainable Transportation, part of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. It collects a rich set of data about travel to the UC Davis campus, demographics, and attitudes toward travel.The 2018-19 survey collected data from 4,014 people affiliated with UC Davis about their travel to campus during a single week in October 2018. It used a stratified random sampling method with the intent to gather a representative sample of the campus population. Over 20 percent of those invited responded to this year's survey. For the statistics presented throughout this report, we weight the responses by campus role (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, Master's, PhD, faculty, and staff) and gender so that the proportion of respondents in each group reflects their proportion in the campus population.


Pattern of Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) is a major factor largely determining the power of association mapping studies. Along with nucleotide diversities and DNA polymorphism, knowledge of patterns of LD along the genome needs to be to known to effectively design association mapping studies. In this study, patterns of nucleotide diversity, population structure, LD was estimated in Norway spruce (Picea abies). The data used for this were 23 nuclear loci sequenced in around 90 individuals originating from natural populations of Norway spruce throughout the current distribution range in Sweden and Finland. The observed levels of nucleotide diversity are variable among loci varying between 0.002 and 0.008 if measured by average pairwise nucleotide diversity. Despite the samples stretching large part of Finland and Sweden there were no evidence for strong population structure. As in earlier studies LD decays fast with distance and the average pattern of the squared correlation of allele frequencies drops to less than 0.2 within 100bp. In order to put the data in perspective previously generated data sets were re-analyzed and compared to the inferred results.


The ability to recognize analogies is fundamental to human cognition. Existing benchmarks to test word analogy do not reveal the underneath process of analogical reasoning of neural models. Holding the belief that models capable of reasoning should be right for the right reasons, we propose a first-of-its-kind Explainable Knowledge-intensive Analogical Reasoning benchmark (E-KAR). Our benchmark consists of 1,655 (in Chinese) and 1,251 (in English) problems sourced from the Civil Service Exams, which require intensive background knowledge to solve. More importantly, we design a free-text explanation scheme to explain whether an analogy should be drawn, and manually annotate them for each and every question and candidate answer. Empirical results suggest that this benchmark is very challenging for some state-of-the-art models for both explanation generation and analogical question answering tasks, which invites further research in this area.