The new issue market has reopened in the U.S. for collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), and there are now a variety of vintages with different structural features. In this environment, the panel considered some key questions that anyone analyzing a CLO should address: structural changes, the equity call, fundamental versus market evaluation, and how to analyze the collateral manager. The structural changes since 2008, known collectively as CLO 2.0, can be put into four categories: back to basics, regulatory changes, structural clarifications, and new features. Among the specifics under these categories, the panel discussed post-investment-period tests and restrictions. "Amend to extend" has been an important change. The equity call is possibly the most discussed element of a CLO valuation; whether or not a deal is likely to be called will have a dramatic impact on the duration of bonds and is therefore a key question for investors. Before the financial crisis and downturn, the market and fundamental analysis were different. Now it is hard to distinguish between them because most investors are examining the fundamentals in detail and "looking under the hood." The three sources of pricing that are used most frequently are broker quotes, fundamental analysis, and third-party services. Some of the factors to consider in evaluating a collateral manager are equity returns, volatility in overcollateralization cushions, number of trades in the portfolio, actual trades made during the credit crisis, who makes decisions and how, ability to monitor deals and IT infrastructure, work-out expertise within the firm, and availability of managers to answer investors' questions.


Twenty crossbred lactating multiparous cows were used in a 28-day study to compare dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, milk composition and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein concentrations in plasma when fed diets containing Bollgard II(®) cottonseed (BGII) or a control non-genetically modified isogenic cottonseed (CON). Bollgard II cottonseed contains the Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab insecticidal proteins that protect cotton plants from feeding damage caused by certain lepidopteran insects. Cows were assigned randomly to the BGII or CON treatments after a 2-week adjustment period. Cows consumed a concentrate containing 40% crushed cottonseed according to milk yield and green maize forage ad libitum. All cows received the same diet but with different crushed cottonseed sources. Cottonseed was included to provide approximately 2.9 kg per cow daily (dry matter basis). The ingredient composition of the concentrate was 40% crushed cottonseed, 15% groundnut cake, 20% corn, 22% wheat bran, 1% salt and 2% mineral mixture. Milk and blood plasma were analyzed for Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab proteins. DMI, BW, milk yield and milk components did not differ between cows on the BGII and CON treatments. Although milk yield and milk fat percentage were not affected by treatment, 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM) production and FCM/kg DMI for cows on the BGII treatment (14.0 kg/cow per day, 1.12 kg/kg) were significantly improved compared with cows on the CON treatment (12.1 kg/cow per day, 0.97 kg/kg). Gossypol contents in BGII cottonseed and conventional cottonseed were similar. Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 proteins in Bollgard II cottonseed were 5.53 and 150.8 μg/g, respectively, and were not detected in the milk or plasma samples. The findings suggested that Bollgard II cottonseed can replace conventional cottonseed in dairy cattle diets with no adverse effects on performance and milk composition.


Within the international context, energy has become a central factor in our everyday ways of life. There is increasing dependence on energy resources such as electricity to improve people quality of life. In developing countries, many people still do not have access to energy due to several challenges that have hindered infrastructural development and economic growth. At the same time, there is a growing interest in the protection of the environment and addressing issues of climate change. Green technologies such as solar water heaters are identified as technologies that meet the need of both its end-users and the environment through the provision of hot water. Access to 'hot water' is seen to be an important element resulting in an improved quality of life. In addition, several methods of heating water are explored to assess the attitudes and perceptions that people have towards solar water heaters. The dissertation involved in-depth interviews with residents from low income RDP houses in Kwandengezi Coffee Farm and government officials from eThekwini Municipality involved in the solar water heater programme for low income communities. The interviews revealed that renewable energy interventions such as the solar heater programme for low income communities contribute significantly to an improvement in people's quality of life. The availability of solar heaters allows people to enjoy hot water at a free cost, hence an improvement in the quality of life. The research further revealed that such renewable energy interventions can contribute to a reduction in negative environmental impacts, hence facilitating the acquisition of hot water with less dependence on electricity resources.


The previously suggested favorable prognostic significance of pushing tumor margins in mammary carcinoma is denied by the present report. Although tumors with margins of this sort are less likely to be associated with extensive axillary lymph nodal metastases, the ultimate prognosis for survival is no better in these cases, and is actually somewhat worse when medullary and colloid carcinomas are excluded. Since the tumors with pushing margins appear to be comparable in other respects to those with infiltrating margins, the reason for these findings remains unclear.


Endophthalmitis is a well-recognized complication of intraocular surgery, penetrating ocular trauma and systemic infection. Metastatic bacterial endophthalmitis is rare. However, once it happens, the visual outcome is very poor. In order to prevent visual damage, early diagnosis and treatment is essential. Due to the blood-ocular barrier, intravitreal drug concentrations are low after systemic administration. Strong antibiotics with good penetration into the vitrous humor are needed to obtain adequate bactericidal concentrations. We report two cases with liver abscess complicated by septic events to the eye. One was uveitis, and the other was endophthalmitis. They were diagnosed early and were successfully treated with parenteral ceftriaxone and good vision was preserved.


Abstract In the pediatric population, cardiac tamponade may present with altered mental status without any clear signs of trauma. Bedside ultrasound is essential to the early diagnosis of this condition. We describe the case of a 5-year-old boy who sustained a potentially fatal, unrecognized trauma to his chest resulting in cardiac tamponade.


The paper will describe the development of universities in Latvia from 1950's to nowadays. The higher education system experienced changes along with the political transformations of the country. Latvia was incorporated in the Soviet Union in 1940, regained its independence in 1991 and joined EU in 2004. Since 2012 Latvia is a fully fledged participant of the European Higher Education Area. The paper will describe the transformations of universities in Latvia from the perspective of a cultural learning theory and transfer of knowledge defined by Gita Steiner-Khamsi. It will provide the reference to an external education model, its modification and metamorphosis into a local educational model. Latvia as a small country and relatively new culture had found itself in the situation to learn from the cultural experiences of countries that have longer experience of democracy and had to overtake the ideas of the education systems from other countries and adopt them to the local needs.


In this paper, we addressed heating problems in integrated circuits (ICs) and proposed a thin-film thermionic cooling solution using Si/SiGe superlattice microrefrigerators. We compared our technology with the current most common solution, thermoelectric coolers, by strengthening the advantages of its compatible fabrication process as ICs for easy integration, small footprint in the order of ~ 100times100 mum2, high cooling power density, 600W/cm2 and fast transient response less than 40 mus. The thermoreflectance imaging also demonstrated its localized cooling. All these features combined together to make these microrefrigerators a very promising application for on-chip temperature control, removing hot spots inside IC


Due to recent trends to eliminate or reduce the time devoted towards school recess the current study investigates the experiences and overall perceptions of school recess held by both regular and special veteran educators. The purpose of this study was to use semi-structured interviews to investigate the view educators hold toward school recess the past and present role school recess has played within their school districts and provide educators with a voice for suggestions and opinions about recess towards the future of elementary education. The sample consisted of 12 veteran educators with a mean teaching experience of 23.5 years employed at one of six districts within the Marathon County Special Education Consortium in Wausau WI. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results indicate that recess is valued by school educators and that increased academic pressure has contributed to a reduced amount of time for school recess. This study additionally presents overall findings that educators have numerous suggestions and ideas for the future of elementary education but the voice of veteran educators has failed to be recognized when making and implementing decisions towards bettering schools in particular the battle between increased academic focus at the expense of school recess. Future efforts to implement curriculums geared towards higher achievement may benefit from the understanding of educators who believe that maintaining a healthy balance between recess and academics is necessary.


Understanding human-object interaction is a fundamental challenge in computer vision and robotics. Crucial to it is the ability to infer "object affordances" from visual data, namely the types of interaction supported by an object of interest and the object parts involved. Such inference can be approached as an "affordance reasoning" task, where object affordances are recognized and localized as image heatmaps, and as an "affordance segmentation" task, where affordance labels are obtained at a more detailed, image pixel level. To tackle the two tasks, existing methods typically: (i) treat them independently; (ii) adopt static image-based models, ignoring the temporal aspect of human-object interaction; and / or (iii) require additional strong supervision concerning object class and location. In this paper, we focus on both tasks, while addressing all three aforementioned shortcomings. For this purpose, we propose a deep-learning based dual encoder-decoder model for joint affordance reasoning and segmentation, which learns from our recently introduced SOR3D-AFF corpus of RGB-D human-object interaction videos, without relying on object localization and classification. The basic components of the model comprise: (i) two parallel encoders that capture spatio-temporal interaction information; (ii) a reasoning decoder that predicts affordance heatmaps, assisted by an affordance classifier and an attention mechanism; and (iii) a segmentation decoder that exploits the predicted heatmap to yield pixel-level affordance segmentation. All modules are jointly trained, while the system can operate on both static images and videos. The approach is evaluated on four datasets, surpassing the current state-of-the-art in both affordance reasoning and segmentation.


Hepcidin, a member of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides, plays an
important role in both fish adaptive regulation of iron metabolism. In
this paper, the nucleotide sequence of a full-length cDNA clone for ayu
(Plecoglossus altivelis) hepcidin gene, 763 nucleotides in length, was
determined. Ayu hepcidin gene contained a complete open reading frame
(ORF) encoding an 85-amino-acid peptide with a molecular weight of 9.7
k. A signal peptide of 24 residues existed in hepcidin N-terminus. The
ayu hepcidin mature peptide sequence contained 25 amino acids with
eight cysteines that formed four disulfide bonds. Sequence comparison
and phylogenetic analysis showed that ayu hepcidin was most similar to
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and the relationships of the different
hepcidin coincided well with the evolutionary relationships of their
organisms. In healthy ayu, hepcidin mRNA was mainly expressed in the
liver, spleen, kidney, heart, and muscle. After Listonella anguillarum
infection, liver hepcidin mRNA expression change was determined by
quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method. Hepcidin transcripts of
ayu liver were significantly up-regulated and peaked at 12 h. These
results suggest that hepcidin may be involved in the immune response of
ayu.


Increasing bacterial and fungal drug resistance requires novel, effective antimicrobial treatments to be actively sought. Because of a general lack of resistance towards antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), they are being relied on as a novel class of therapeutics aiming to conquer drug-resistant bacteria and fungi. There are numerous ways in which AMPs might interact with pathogens, such as membrane disruption, production of ROS, inhibition of cell wall, nucleic acid and protein synthesis or by the withdrawal of essential metal ions. Biologically indispensable metal ions have a dual effect on the activity of antimicrobial peptides: (i) AMPs bind them, so that microbes cannot get enough metals essential for their life and virulence (withdrawal of metal ions, nutritional immunity) or (ii) AMPs need the given metal ion as a booster of their antimicrobial activity (metal ions affect the AMP charge and/or structure). We discuss both strategies, focusing on AMP metal binding mode, structure, thermodynamics and mode of action.


Rationale: In a phase 2b trial (NCT01854047), dupilumab (DPL) improved lung function and reduced severe exacerbations. This sub-analysis estimated severe exacerbation-related direct medical and productivity-related costs. Methods: Uncontrolled persistent asthma pts on medium-to-high-dose ICS/LABA were randomized to 24 weeks of add-on therapy with DPL 200mg every 2 weeks (q2w), 300mg q2w, 200mg every 4 weeks (q4w), 300mg q4w, or placebo (PBO). Healthcare resource utilization, work and non-work related days lost were collected using a questionnaire and monetized using published costs. Results are presented for the q2w and PBO groups only; q2w regimens have been selected for dosing in a phase 3 trial. Results: Compared with PBO, both DPL groups had lower numbers of hospitalizations, inpatient days, unscheduled physician visits, as well as work and non-work-related days lost. The 300mg group had lower number of emergency room visits while the 200mg group was similar to PBO. Total direct medical and productivity-related costs were lower for the DPL groups (Table). Severe exacerbation-related costs were 52% and 84% lower, respectively, in the DPL q2w groups vs PBO. Most common adverse events with DPL vs PBO were upper respiratory tract infection (13–15% vs 18%) and injection-site erythema (14–22% vs 8%). Conclusions: Dupilumab-treated patients had lower severe exacerbation-related costs compared to PBO.


We address the issue of autonomic management in hierarchical component-based distributed systems. The long term aim is to provide a modeling framework for autonomic management in which QoS goals can be defined, plans for system adaptation described and proofs of achievement of goals by (sequences of) adaptations furnished. Here we present an early step on this path. We restrict our focus to skeleton-based systems in order to exploit their well-defined structure. The autonomic cycle is described using the Orc system orchestration language while the plans are presented as structural modifications together with associated costs and benefits. A case study is presented to illustrate the interaction of managers to maintain QoS goals for throughput under varying conditions of resource availability.


O-(4-Diazo-3-[125I]iodobenzoyl)sucrose ([125I]DIBS), a novel labelling compound specifically designed to study the catabolic sites of serum proteins [De Jong, Bouma, & Gruber (1981) Biochem. J. 198, 45-51], was applied to study the tissue sites of degradation of serum lipoproteins. [125I]DIBS-labelled apolipoproteins (apo) E and A-I, added in tracer amounts to rat serum, associate with high-density lipoproteins (HDL) just like conventionally iodinated apo E and A-I. No difference is observed between the serum decays of chromatographically isolated [125I]DIBS-labelled and conventionally iodinated HDL labelled specifically in either apo E or apo A-I. When these specifically labelled HDLs are injected into fasted rats, a substantial [125I]DIBS-dependent 125I accumulation occurs in the kidneys and in the liver. No [125I]DIBS-dependent accumulation is observed in the kidneys after injection of labelled asialofetuin or human low-density lipoprotein. It is concluded that the kidneys and the liver are important sites of catabolism of rat HDL apo E and A-I.


We analyse the currently popular vortex identification criteria that are based on point-wise analysis of the velocity gradient tensor. A new measure of spiralling compactness of material orbits in vortices is introduced and using this measure a new local vortex identification criterion and requirements for a vortex core are proposed. The inter-relationships between the different criteria are explored analytically and in a few flow examples, using both zero and non-zero thresholds for the identification parameter. These inter-relationships provide a new interpretation of the various criteria in terms of the local flow kinematics. A canonical turbulent flow example is studied, and it is observed that all the criteria, given the proposed usage of threshold, result in remarkably similar looking vortical structures. A unified interpretation based on local flow kinematics is offered for when similarity or differences can be expected in the vortical structures educed using the different criteria.


Can process conditionality really enhance poverty reduction in developing countries? This question is addressed in the framework of a politico-economic model considering political distortions both on the recipient and on the donor side. It turns out that process conditionality is a very useful tool to raise the welfare of the poor as long as the international aid organizations hold all necessary information to assess the political situation in recipient countries and to select the true representatives of the poor into a participatory process. If they do not hold this information or if other bureaucratic interests reduce their incentive to acquire this information, process conditionality loses its effectiveness in achieving the desired objective.


To date there is a lack of research looking at the influence of military background on sexual offending. The current study utilized retrospective data from a sample of sexual offenders referred for evaluation at a sex offender treatment facility in Oregon. The study participants were divided into two groups: those who endorsed prior military involvement and those who did not. A MANOVA was used to examine possible differences in scores on four scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI): Anxiety, Antisocial, Aggression, and Stress. Although the results were non-significant, this study marks an important point in research with sexual offenders by noting possible influences of military involvement on sexual offending.


The study examined rural intervention programmes for meeting the energy
 and agri-food needs of smallholder farmers in Imo State, Nigeria. The
 specific objectives were to identify energy sources available to farmers in the
 study area; examine energy and agri-food needs of respondents and ascertain
 perceived rural interventions for meeting the energy and agri-food needs
 of respondents in the study area. A total of 360 smallholder farmers were
 selected and interviewed. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire
 and analyzed using percentages and mean. The available energy sources
 include human power (100%), mechanical power (70.5%), electrical power
 (66.6%), candles and kerosene (81.6%), charcoal/wood residues (78.8%). Energy is needed for cooking/preparing food (100%), crop production
 (100%), processing (88.5%) and the agri-food needs were to improve farmer
 livelihoods (66.6%), increase crop productivity (89.1%), reduction poverty
 (88.8%) among others. Rural interventions for meeting energy and agri-food
 needs included rural electrification programmes (M=4.09), standalone off
 grid energy solution (M=3.91), agricultural mechanization (M=4.05), rural
 road/transport programmes (M=3.90) and training/retraining of both
 farmers and extension officers with mean of 4.08 and 3.41 respectively.
 Improved/clean energy facilities are provided to the rural populace by
 the relevant stakeholders–governments, donor agencies, NGOs, etc. for
 improved livelihood and food security.


Climate change and its effects on existence on earth are becoming more and more relevant as physical evidence of change in our climate is beginning to mount. Livestock production and our dependence on it for survival is a reality. It is also a reality that this global source of food and income will be prone to the effects of climate change. Historic climate changes have already played a role in the demise or development of agricultural production systems. This review article will give insight into the most important livestock production species and the possible effects of climate change on their production parameters. The species to be discussed are dairy cattle, beef cattle, small ruminants and monogastric production animals. The results and predictions of global studies and simulations are summarized with special emphasis, where possible, on the southern African scenario. This review deals with these changes and possible adaptations and mitigations. All predictions indicate that livestock production at local, national and regional level may undergo changes in the foreseeable future.


Introduction
 Virus-induced thrombocytopenia is a severe complication in immunocompromised hosts. Among patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection contributes to a variety of end-organ diseases and hematological complications, leading to increased mortality. Even with antiviral treatment, HCMV remains a potentially lethal infection due to the lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms of host-virus interactions. The key to solving this problem is to identify the factors that predispose patients to HCMV infection and carry out targeted therapy. Here, we investigated the megakaryo/thrombopoiesis process, including the thrombopoietin (TPO)/c-Mpl pathway, after HCMV infection in vivo and in vitro, screened for susceptible subsets of megakaryocytes (MKs) and explored novel therapeutic targets for HCMV infection.
 Methods
 To test whether thrombocytopenia induced by HCMV results from an impaired megakaryo/thrombopoiesis process, we studied the impact of HCMV in an in vivo model of HCMV DNAemia patients following allo-HSCT and an in vitro model of bone marrow CD34+-derived MKs infected with serum from HCMV DNAemia patients. Forty patients who had received allo-HSCT were enrolled in this study, among whom 18 recipients had HCMV DNAemia and 22 were HCMV negative, and bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) from patients were tested for CD41, vWF, pp65, c-Mpl, PDGFR, αvβ3 and TLR2 using flow cytometry (FCM). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to detect HCMV capsids inside MKs. Cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin V. MK ploidy was determined by FCM for propidium iodide (PI) staining. Finally, inhibitors of PDGFR (IMC-3G3 and Gleevec), αvβ3 and TLR2 were cocultured with MKs.
 Results
 Our data showed that pp65+ cells accounted for 40.59±6.12% of total CD41+vWF+ MKs from HCMV DNAemia patients, and there was a significant increase in the expression of αvβ3, PDGFR and TLR2 in pp65+ MKs compared with that in control patients. Furthermore, the percentage of PDGFR+αvβ3+ MKs emerged as an independent factor associated with HCMV infection in multivariate analysis (p = 0.008). MKs in HCMV-infected patients showed increased apoptosis and necrosis and different patterns of MK ploidy distribution compared with those in HCMV-negative patients, with a decreased proportion from 16N to 64N and a peak at 8N. Meanwhile, the expression of TPO receptor c-Mpl was lower in pp65+ MKs from HCMV DNAemia patients (0.77±0.38% in pp65+ MKs from HCMV DNAemia patients, 1.75±0.40% in pp65- MKs from HCMV DNAemia patients, 1.97±0.67% in MKs from HCMV-negative patients, and 2.06±0.29% in MKs from healthy controls, p<0.01) while the TPO level in serum was increased compared with that in controls. Next, we established an in vitro HCMV infection model of CD34+-derived MKs with serum from HCMV DNAemia patients, and the laboratory HCMV strain Towne was used as a positive control. After 9 days of coculturing, the viral capsids of HCMV were observed in the nuclei of MKs (Figure 1A), and HCMV infection increased the apoptosis of MKs and shifted them to low ploidy, with a significant decrease in platelet release. As with the in vivo results, c-Mpl was downregulated in HCMV-infected MKs. The expression levels of PDGFR, TLR2 and αvβ3 on MKs were increased in coculture with HCMV DNAemia serum, and pp65-positive MKs were decreased compared with the control after treatment with inhibitors of PDGFR and αvβ3 (Figure 1B). However, neither Gleevec nor anti-TLR2 altered the HCMV infection rate.
 Conclusions
 Our study showed that HCMV could impair megakaryopoiesis throughout maturation, apoptosis, and platelet generation via the TPO/c-Mpl pathway both in vivo and in vitro. MKs with PDGFR+ and αvβ3+ phenotypes are susceptible to HCMV infection and we proposed PDGFR and αvβ3 inhibitors as potential therapeutic alternatives for allo-HSCT patients with HCMV infection.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


In this study, lean mixed-mode combustion is numerically investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in a spark-ignition engine. A new E30 fuel surrogate is developed using a neural network model with matched octane numbers. A skeletal mechanism is also developed by automated mechanism reduction and by incorporating a NOx submechanism. A hybrid approach that couples the G-equation model and the well-stirred reactor model is employed for turbulent combustion modeling. The developed CFD model is shown to well predict pressure and apparent heat release rate (AHRR) traces compared with experiment. Two types of combustion cycles (deflagration-only and mixed-mode cycles) are observed. The mixed-mode cycles feature early flame propagation and subsequent end-gas auto-ignition, leading to two distinctive AHRR peaks. The validated CFD model is then employed to investigate the effects of NOx chemistry. The NOx chemistry is found to promote auto-ignition through the residual gas, while the deflagration phase remains largely unaffected. Sensitivity analysis is finally performed to understand effects of fuel properties, including heat of vaporization (HoV) and laminar flame speed (SL). An increased HoV tends to suppress auto-ignition through charge cooling, while the impact of HoV on flame propagation is insignificant. In contrast, an increased SL is found to significantly promote both flame propagation and end-gas auto-ignition. The promoting effect of SL on auto-ignition is not a direct chemical effect; it is rather caused by an advancement of the combustion phasing, which increases compression heating of the end-gas.


Leukemia-specific chromosome translocations involving the nucleoporin CAN/NUP214 lead to expression of different fusion genes including DEK-CAN, CAN-ABL, and SET-CAN. DEK-CAN and CAN-ABL1 are associated with acute myeloid leukemia and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, respectively, whereas SET-CAN was identified in a patient with acute undifferentiated leukemia. In addition, SET is overexpressed in solid tumors of the breast, uterus, stomach, and rectum. Ectopic expression of SET-CAN inhibits vitamin-D(3)-induced differentiation of the human promonocytic U937cells, whereas ectopic SET expression induces differentiation. Here, we assessed the leukemogenic potential of SET-CAN in the hematopoietic system of transgenic mice. Although SET-CAN mice showed expansion of an early progenitor cell pool and partial depletion of lymphocytes, the animals were not leukemia-prone and did not show shortening of disease latency after retroviral tagging. This suggests that SET-CAN expression in acute undifferentiated leukemia might determine the primitive phenotype of the disease, whereas secondary genetic lesions are necessary for disease development. Surprisingly, SET-CAN mice developed spontaneous hyperplasia of the stomach mucosa, which coincided with overexpression of beta-catenin and vastly increased numbers of proliferating gastric mucosa cells, suggesting a role of SET-CAN in proliferation of certain epithelial cells.


beyond the uterine serosa, as well as color Doppler signs. Delivery records and surgical pathology reports were reviewed to obtain outcome data. Results: Twenty patients were evaluated for possible placenta accreta. Fifteen patients delivered and had all follow-up data available. Three cases (20%) of placenta accreta were confirmed by surgical and pathological findings, two of which were predicted antenatally. The single false negative case was noted to be a placenta percreta at the time of surgery. While not noted on the antenatal ultrasound report, retrospective review of the ultrasound images revealed multiple placental lakes. Two cases of suspected accreta were determined to be false positives at the time of surgery, one of which had evidence of the placenta growing through and separating the prior cesarean uterine scar without myometrial invasion. The use of ultrasound to predict accreta had a sensitivity of 67%, specificity of 83%, PPV of 50%, and NPV of 91%. Conclusions: Placenta accreta can be predicted antenatally with gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasound in patients with risk factors. Our 67% sensitivity compares favorably to the 33–100% reported in prior small series. Given the high morbidity associated with placenta accreta, it is important that antenatal sonographic prediction is enhanced to eliminate the uncommon false negative and positive cases.


This paper denotes the gas pipeline's risk degree by expectation wealth loss. We propose to classify the events that result in pipelines accidents according to independency principle and partition this kind of events into exclusive small events. The aim of risk evaluation is to carry through risk control. Aim to decision indexes' diversification, this paper in the first instance transforms the risk control problem to a decision optimization problem. Considering the complex of this problem, we adopt genetic algorithm to deal with it. We also make many experiments by partial pipelines. The result indicates that this algorithm can find the solution in little time. So we can debase the expectation loss by a little loss.


Two forms of perform were prepared by a Glass fiber/Polypropylene fiber commingled yarn. One was a three-dimensional woven fabric with an angle-interlock structure, and another was a two-dimensional plain woven fabric laminate. The three-dimensional woven fabric reinforced thermoplastic composites(3-DWRC) and two-dimensional woven fabric reinforced thermoplastic composites(2-DWRC) were fabricated by hot-press process. The Impact and tensile performances of both 3-DWRC and 2-DWRC were examined. Compared to the 2-DWRC, the 3-DWRC have better impact properties, the energy required to initiate cracks, the threshold force of the first oscillation and maximum load increased by 41.90%, 54.41%, 38.75% respectively under the low-energy impact conditions. The tensile tests shown that the 3-DWRC presented batter fracture toughness than the 2-DWRC. The use of thermoplastic composites is growing rapidly because of their excellent properties, a high toughness and damage tolerance, short processing cycles, and the ability to be reprocessed. But thermoplastic materials usually have a difficulty to impregnate between reinforcing fibers, due to high melt polymer viscosity. It is a technology innovation that the commingled yarns composed of reinforced fibers and thermoplastic fibers are used as prepreg for thermoplastic composite materials. Because thermoplastic fiber and reinforced fiber are closely combined, which reduces distances of resin's infiltration, this can effectively overcome the difficulties of resin's impregnation. The commingled yarns can be woven and knitted, and can facilitate the processing of complex structural composites. Three-dimensional fabrics reinforced composites are ideal materials with excellent integrity because it is linked with yarns between layers. Its shearing strength between layers, damage tolerance and reliability are better than the two-dimensional fabric laminated composites. At present, the researches of thermoplastic materials with two-dimensional fabric reinforced structure made from commingled yarns are much more, such as manufacturing technology, material properties ,effects of process conditions on properties, relationship between structures and properties, and so on [1-8]. However, only a few studies appear in literature on the structure-property relationships of three-dimensional fabric reinforced thermoplastic composite materials made of commingled yarns [9-10]. Byun, Hyung Joon et al. [9] undertook the impact test and the tensile test on 3-D woven thermoplastic composite materials and 2-D plain woven laminate which is made by CF/PEEK mixed yarn. Dong Weiguo and Huang Gu[10] studied the porosity, tensile and bending properties on 3-D woven thermoplastic composites which make from core-spun yarn containing glass fibers and polypropylene fibers. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact behavior of and tensile properties of 3-D woven fabric thermoplastic composites made by a GF/PP commingled yarns. Attempts was made to identify the damage mode of the 3-D woven fabric thermoplastic composites under the low energy impact and tensile conditions.


To improve the retrieval rate of contourlet transform texture retrieval system, a contourlet-2.3 transform based retrieval system was proposed. Six different features, including mean, standard deviation, absolute mean energy, L2 energy, skewness and kurtosis contributions to retrieval rates were examined. Based on the single feature ability in retrieval system, a contourlet-2.3 retrieval system was proposed. The feature vectors were constructed by cascading the standard deviation, absolute mean energy and kurtosis of each sub-band contourlet coefficients and the similarity measure used here is Canberra distance. Experimental results on 109 brodatz texture images show that the new retrieval algorithm can lead to a higher retrieval rate than several contourlet transform retrieval systems including the original contourlet transform, non-subsampled contourlet transform under the same structure.


ABSTRACT Crude oil ash is the residue that is produced during oil combustion for instance fly ash, bottom ash or boiler slag which was primarily produced from the combustion of coal. With growth in oil burning power station, huge amount of fly ash considered as organic materials which are normally disposed in an on-site disposal system without any commercialization purpose. Previous researchers have studied the extraction of silica from agricultural wastes such as palm ash and rice husk ash (RHA) and FA (fly ash) by using leaching treatment method. In this study, the weaker acid, citric acid solution was used to replace the strong acid in leaching treatment to process. Result showed that the loss on ignition materials can be decrease to 12%. Meanwhile the silica can be extracted up to 54.4% from FA using citric acid leaching treatment under the optimum reaction time of 60 minutes with solution temperature of 60°C and concentration of citric acid 5% receded by gradual combustion at 900°C for 3 hours.


Precipitins to avian serum antigens have been found in the sera of bird fanciers and, until now, they have been considered strong supporting evidence for a clinical diagnosis of bird fancier's lung (BFL). We now report that 35% of patients with coeliac disease, none of whom had recently kept a bird, had precipitins against an avian serum antigen common to all the avian species tested, but which was distinct from the antigens usually associated with BFL, This antigen was a component of hen egg yolk but not of bird droppings. In patients with BFL the antibody response results from inhaled antigens in the bird droppings, whereas the antibody response in patients with coeliac disease probably results from eating uncooked or soft‐boiled eggs.


In a remarkably reliable way, appropriate signals during development guide particular groups of cells to produce intricate organs, such as kidneys, but somehow they don't influence other cells that might make supernumerary organs. Grieshammer et al. implicate in such a process the secreted ligand Slit2 and its receptor Robo2, best known for their role in transmitting chemorepellent signals that guide migration of developing neurons in the central nervous system. Normally, each kidney develops from a single bud (the ureteric bud) that grows from a tubelike structure known as the nephric duct. This budding occurs in response to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) that is secreted from adjacent mesenchymal tissue. However, mice lacking the Slit2 gene showed that kidney development was markedly disrupted, and three or more ureteric buds were often formed. Robo2 knockout animals had similar defects, indicating that failure of Slit-Robo signaling accounted for the problem. When Slit was absent, GDNF was produced in a larger area of the nephrogenic mesenchyme, which appeared to explain the extended formation of multiple buds from the nephric duct. The mechanism by which Slit2-Robo2 signaling restricts GDNF expression remains unclear, but it appears to be distinct from the chemorepellent effects for which the pair is most famous. In experiments with transplanted explants, Grieshammer et al. could find no evidence for migration of the GDNF-producing mesenchymal cells that might be regulated by Slit. U. Grieshammer, L. Ma, A. S. Plump, F. Wang, M. Tessier-Lavigne, G. R. Martin, SLIT2-mediated ROBO2 signaling restricts kidney induction to a single site. Dev. Cell 6, 709-717 (2004). [Online Journal]


A review of:
Urquhart, C., and R. Davies. "EVINCE: The Value of Information in Developing Nursing Knowledge and Competence." Health Libraries Review 14.2 (1997): 61-72.

Objective – To examine the impact of information on the clinical knowledge and practice of nurses, midwives and health visitors.

Design – Two surveys: a one-page critical incident questionnaire survey sent weekly over four weeks, and a questionnaire attached to information requests and searches, followed up by interviews.

Setting – UK health information providers serving nurses (national information providers, National Health Service trust libraries, higher education funded library and information services, and a health promotion library).

Subjects – A random sample of 210 nurses, midwives and health visitors were targeted in the critical incident survey, and 776 of those requesting information or searches at participating library and information centres received questionnaires for the second survey.

Methods – Opinion leaders were consulted to inform a pilot study. A critical incident type questionnaire survey was then administered to a random sample of 210 nurses, midwives and health visitors. The same one-page questionnaire was sent weekly (for four weeks) to 10% of a randomly selected sample of staff at each site. Staff were asked to identify one occasion during that week when they needed information, the purpose of the information needed, the sources chosen to answer the query and how successful the quest was. The impact of the information provided by the library and information services on present and future professional practice was examined through a complementary survey. Responses were coded using three categories of competence: assessment, monitoring of care and evaluation of care. Follow-up interviews then explored the nature of the incident described or the quality of information provided.

Main results – The response rate for the critical incident survey was 52% (434 out of 840 completed questionnaires returned) with 78% (163/210) of participants replying at least once. The total response rate for the second survey was 40% (311/776). Ninety percent of respondents stated that the information they obtained from the library or information service added to their knowledge, and 86% had been able to use some information immediately. Sixty-one percent reported that information had refreshed their memory, and 75% agreed that information substantiated what they had known or suspected. Seventy-six percent of respondents agreed that they needed to obtain more information on the topic, while 23% had expected to find something else. Eighty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they would share the information with colleagues. Ninety-six percent of respondents agreed that the information obtained would contribute to future practice. Seventy percent felt that the information would or did help in evaluation of practice outcomes, 68% for improved quality of life for patient and/or family and 61% in interpersonal relations with clients/patients. Other majority responses were for Audit or standards of care (57%), Monitoring of care (56%) and Legal or ethical issues (51%). Base or ward sources were used in 72% of patient care related incidents and colleagues in 56% of these incidents. Of 148 incidents involving use of a library, the primary purposes were personal updating (62%), coursework (54%), patient care – specific drug or therapy (44%), and teaching staff, students or colleagues (39%).

Conclusion – The findings demonstrate the value of information to nursing professionals while acknowledging that the library is not necessarily a principal source of such information. Ward-based resources and information from colleagues continue to play a dominant part in information use. Rather than reducing uncertainty, the value of information may lie in encouraging uncertainty and reflective practice. Information professionals must seek a greater understanding of situations and methods of presentation by which they might encourage reflective practice.


Seven patients with gallstone pancreatitis discovered at diagnostic laparotomy did not undergo definitive biliary surgery because it was considered hazardous in the presence of severe acute pancreatitis. The procedures carried out at operation in these cases included cholecystectomy and T-tube drainage (2 patients) cholecystostomy drainage (3 patients), and closure of the abdomen without drainage (2 patients). Direct cholangiography was carried out postoperatively in all cases. The biliary drain was used for this purpose in 5 patients, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was performed in 2. All patients were found to have calculi in the common bile duct and were successfully managed by endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) without complications or mortality. ES therefore appears to be a safe and effective method of avoiding difficult and hazardous biliary surgery in the presence of severe acute pancreatitis.


Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) has been employed [1] as a simple and low-cost treatment method for patients with severe aortic stenosis, for symptom palliation in patients considered inoperable, for aortic valve replacement and to select the proper transcatheter heart valve (THV) size. During THV implantation choosing the correct balloon size is paramount for minimizing the risks of coronary occlusion, annular damage or THV embolization. Current methods for selecting the proper balloon dimensions are based on transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography requiring trained staff for image interpretation, expensive equipment and high doses of patient radiation exposure. Alternative methods propose the use of BAV to determine the correct THV size before its implantation [2]. The strategy is based on determining the BAV aortic anulus using a sterile caliper. Any slight pressure to the balloon may compromise the measurement accuracy. In this paper, we present a non-contact metrology system for BAV measurement based on bright field microscopy (BFM). The balloons under test (MedTek-22 and TrueDilation-22) were clamped vertically, employing a tension spring to restrict movement and ensure perpendicularity to the microscope optical axis. The BFM is based on an Olympus PLN 4X WD~18.5mm, NA 0.1, a tube lens (f~180mm) and a FL3-U3- 13S2M-CS camera mounted on top of a custom-made linear stage having a coarse resolution of ~ 3.3µm. Balloon expansion was performed using a Boston scientific Encore 26 inflation device. The balloons are made up of an outer shell with an internal catheter tube (O~2mm). By focusing the microscope on the internal tube, then moving the linear stage to refocus on the balloon outer wall, the inner tube to outer wall dimension (see figure inset) can be accurately measured using the linear stage digital readout. The balloon was inflated up to six times recording the pressure and radius at each stage of inflation (twice the amount required for THV). Our non-contact method preserves the catheter sterile conditions and allows the accurate measurement of the BAV anulus showing: a) repeatability of the achieved balloon radius within all the inflation rounds, b) accurate measurements with a standard error of ±200 µm c) and a variation of 1.38 ±0.0387 mm from the manufacturer data. Knowing the exact balloon dimensions is crucial for avoiding the adverse consequences of THV oversizing. Our method may potentially improve the safety and efficacy of THV implantation.


Abstract Small shelly fossils (SSFs) are a group of mostly problematic, small skeletal elements preserved primarily through secondary phosphatization. They dominate lower Cambrian diversity, but appear to suffer a sharp decline in the Botomian Stage or equivalent levels outside Siberia. This observed decline coincides with a significant reduction in phosphogenesis, suggesting that it may be attributable to the closure of a phosphatization taphonomic window. The influence of taphonomic bias on observed patterns of SSF extinction at the end of the Botomian was tested using a dataset consisting of 558 Cambrian skeletal genus occurrences compiled from 109 references. Analyses indicate that SSF preservation is significantly enhanced by, and for most taxa, restricted to, a phosphatization window. Independent proxies indicate that prevalence of secondary phosphatization declined from 74% and 64% of all preservational modes during Nemakit-Dal'dynian + Tommotian and Atdabanian + Botomian times, respectively, to 40% of all modes during Toyonian + middle Cambrian times, coincident with a severe reduction in observed SSF diversity. Subsampling methods that control for variations in the phosphatization window were used to test whether observed SSF diversity trajectories are biased. The corrected curve suggests that although the decline of SSFs was real, it may have been significantly exaggerated by the closure of a phosphatization window.


This paper presents defects inspection and cause analysis of six road tunnels in Chongqing based on information of construction, operation and maintenance, defects property and related factors. The unfavorable factors including ground disturbance and load nearby, complex structure form, construction deformation that threaten the safety of tunnel structure and operation are thoroughly analyzed. Based on the discussion and analysis recommendation and suggestion on measures of urban tunnel maintenance and management are carried out. Experience gained is helpful for future urban road tunnel maintenance and management.


SUMMARY. This study investigated the anti-proteinuric effect of sulodexide in rats with adriamycin (ADR) nephropathy. A total of 40 healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to four groups: normal control group (Control-group), ADR control group (ADR-group), sulodexide treatment group (SUL-group), and losartan treatment group (LOS-group). The ADR-induced rat models were established by injecting two different doses of ADR (4 and 3.5 mg/kg) into the caudal vein of rat for two consecutive weeks. After that, SUL-group and LOS-group were respectively treated with sulodexide (10 mg/kg/day) and losartan (10 mg/kg/day) for an additional 4 weeks period. Samples of 24-hour urine were harvested at 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after the model establishment. The pathological change in renal tissues was observed by light microscopy, the function of liver and kidney were assayed at week 6th . The results showed that the urinary excretion of protein progressively increased in ADR-group, and accompanied with severe nephrotic syndrome such as massive albuminuria, proteinuria, and hyperlipidemia. Sulodexide effectively reduced the 24-hour urinary protein excretion of ADR-induced nephropathy rats, preventing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. There was no significant difference between LOS-group and SULgroup for reducing urinary protein excretion (P < 0.05). Sulodexide alleviated ADR-induced nephrotoxicity as good as losartan in a short period of treatment.


Abstract. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and terrestrial photogrammetry are methods applicable for mapping forested environments. While ground-based techniques provide valuable information about the forest understory, the measured point clouds are normally expressed in a local coordinate system, whose transformation into a georeferenced system requires additional effort. In contrast, ALS point clouds are usually georeferenced, yet the point density near the ground may be poor under dense overstory conditions. In this work, we propose to combine the strengths of the two data sources by co-registering the respective point clouds, thus enriching the georeferenced ALS point cloud with detailed understory information in a fully automatic manner. Due to markedly different sensor characteristics, coregistration methods which expect a high geometric similarity between keypoints are not suitable in this setting. Instead, our method focuses on the object (tree stem) level. We first calculate approximate stem positions in the terrestrial and ALS point clouds and construct, for each stem, a descriptor which quantifies the 2D and vertical distances to other stem centers (at ground height). Then, the similarities between all descriptor pairs from the two point clouds are calculated, and standard graph maximum matching techniques are employed to compute corresponding stem pairs (tiepoints). Finally, the tiepoint subset yielding the optimal rigid transformation between the terrestrial and ALS coordinate systems is determined. We test our method on simulated tree positions and a plot situated in the northern interior of the Coast Range in western Oregon, USA, using ALS data (76 x 121 m2) and a photogrammetric point cloud (33 x 35 m2) derived from terrestrial photographs taken with a handheld camera. Results on both simulated and real data show that the proposed stem descriptors are discriminative enough to derive good correspondences. Specifically, for the real plot data, 24 corresponding stems were coregistered with an average 2D position deviation of 66 cm.


For many Scots in New Zealand the Scottish nation was not just a political entity they left when they emigrated; it was also an identitarian construct comprized of a distinct culture. By focusing on those Scots who chose to actively maintain their national identity through associational culture, this article develops the idea of the 'identitarian nation' as a key analytical category for inquiry. In so doing the study moves beyond the romanticized, shortbread-tin facade frequently associated with Scottish identity. The identitarian nation was a usable reference point for the Scots. It was utilized to evoke the past, but also served strategically in the new environment as a tool of adjustment. Characterizations of Scottish expatriate identity that only emphasize emotions and nostalgia are misleading. Scottish national identity in New Zealand was characterized by a strong functional element. Many associations, especially Caledonian societies, transcended the national purpose they promoted at the outset. Associationalism was a mode of entry to a more or less exclusively defined collective in which other benefits could be cultivated, with the identitarian nation helping to overcome the potentially fracturing effects of setting up home in an alien world.


The standard GTAP data bases do not explicitly represent production, consumption, and trade of biofuels. In response to the growing demand for biofuels research, biofuels (including ethanol produced from grains, ethanol produced from sugarcane, and biodiesel produced from vegetable oils) were introduced in to the GTAP data base version 6 which represents the global economy in 2001 [1]. In 2001 the global production of biofuels (including ethanol and biodiesel) was about 5 billion gallons. Then the first and second generation of biofuels were introduced into the GTAP data base version 7 for 2004 [2]. In 2004 the global production of all types of first generation of biofuels was about 7.8 billion gallons. In 2004, there was no commercial production of second generation of biofuels (biofuels produced from cellulosic materials). However, several second generation biofuel technologies were introduced into this data base. Several studies have used the first and second versions of the GTAP-BIO data bases to project the economic and land use impacts of biofuel production and policy at the global scale


Greater concentrations of fulvestrant are being employed within the clinic due to increased oestrogen receptor (ER) down-regulation and greater clinical benefit in ER+ breast cancer. However, complete ER down-regulation has not been achieved. The importance of residual ER is unknown and could allow cells to survive initial anti-hormone impact and progression to hormone insensitivity. This project aims to go further than current clinical therapy, using the MCF-7 cell model to target and assess the importance of residual ER. Cells were treated with fulvestrant aiming to achieve maximal ER down-regulation. The effect of any residual ER on signalling and growth was subsequently assessed. An alternative model for ER loss, ER siRNA, was employed to see whether this had a greater anti-ER effect. Finally, fulvestrant and ER siRNA were employed in combination to assess whether these agents work synergistically to give greater ER down-regulation and increased anti- tumour effect. With fulvestrant at 10"7M, ER levels were markedly reduced, although residual ER was observed that remained with increasing drug concentrations. There was significant reduction of ER signalling, proliferation and growth, but the inhibition was incomplete. When ER siRNA was assessed, similar results were obtained, with comparable and incomplete ER loss, residual signalling and growth. Following combination treatment of fulvestrant and ER siRNA, residual ER was almost undetectable, though this did not correspond to greater loss of ER signalling or growth when compared to either agent alone. While this work showed greater ER loss than previously recorded by targeting both protein and mRNA together, no greater anti-tumour activity was observed. Thus, while the mechanism underlying residual growth warrants future investigation (along with longer exposure), targeting ER alone, no matter how successfully, may not be the best treatment regimen and a combination of targets may be required as the optimum strategy to treat ER+ breast cancer.


Quantitative estimates of the gamma radiation field intensities expected to be encountered in flight over various geologic bodies are presented. Scattering effects are included in the calculations, but several simplifying assumptions were necessary, such as assigning equal energies to all photons. Results are compared with geiger counter measurements of three kinds: near a small natural carnotite deposit, near a tenth‐curie of radium, and soundings made over normal terrain at various times. It appears that anomalies from most outcrops of radioactive ores will exceed the normal fluctuations of background radiation due to topography, variations of composition of the surface, etc., only at flying altitudes of less than about 35 feet. However, such anomalies can probably be detected under favorable conditions by their characteristically pointed shape, allowing flight at higher elevations. Requirements on flight plan and instrumentation are discussed.


Catherine H. Stein, Advisor Social stigma can have a devastating effect on the lives of people coping with serious mental illness. Stigma can impact feelings of self-worth, and play a major role in limiting individuals' access to community resources. The present study compared the effectiveness of live and video-taped theatrical presentations in reducing stigmatization of people living with serious mental illness. The study focused on the effect of a play written and performed by a group of actors who live with serious mental illnesses on attitudes about mental illness in a sample of 303 undergraduates. Attitudes related to tolerance and future contact with people with serious mental illness are assessed before, and after exposure to either 1) live performance 2) video-taped performance or 3) no performance in the context of a college course. The live theater and video groups also rated the affective impact of the presentations. Results indicate that the students who witnessed a live performance and the students who watched a video of the play generally reported significantly more tolerance towards those with serious mental illness compared to the control group immediately following the presentations, and one month later. The live performance group generally reported significantly higher scores of behavioral intentions compared with controls, immediately following the presentations. On average, ratings of overall positive affective impact were significantly greater for the live group compared with the video group. Implications for the development of innovative classroom interventions involving contact to reduce stigma against people living with mental illness are discussed.


The synthesis of cyclooxygenase (CO) and lipoxygenase (LO) metabolites of arachidonic acids, such as prostaglandins (PG) E2, F2 alpha, 6-keto-P1 alpha, thromboxane B2 (TB2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and hydroxyeicosatetraenic acids (HETEA) in the biopsy specimens of the colonic mucosa (CM) was studied in vitro in 30 patients aged 17-66 years who had ulcerative colitis (UC) of various severity and extent. The biopsy specimens of CM from 10 patients with the irritable bowel syndrome were used for comparison. A proportional severity of the disease and increased synthesis of CO and LO metabolites in CM was ascertained in a phase of UC. In the early phase of clinical remission (on the average, following 4 weeks of therapy), there was a comparative reduction in the level of eicosanoids with the preserved high production of TB2 and LO derivatives (LTB4 and HETEA). At the same time, in patients with severe UC, a higher synthesis of LTB4 and HETEA and PG was preserved. The predominance of CM production of eicosanoids having aggregative, vasoconstrictor, and proinflammatory effects (less coefficients of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha/TB2 and PG/LTB4 + ETEA), which had been detected in a phase of UC exacerbation, was preserved in a phase of remission development, by forming the metabolic basis for recurrence of the process.


Since Kriesi's (1980) pioneering work no study has attempted to provide an overall picture of power configuration among the Swiss political elite. To fill this gap we aggregate recent network analyses carried out in various policy domains. Based on meta-hypotheses regarding the likely effects of the contextual changes that have taken place during the last thirty years, we compare the structure of the Swiss political elite existing in the 1970s to that of the last decade with respect to reputational power, collaboration and conflict. Our results suggest that important transformations have indeed occurred. Thus, both political parties and some specific state bodies could in crease their power, whereas most interest groups have lost some. While the internationalization of politics has overall had the expected effects with respect to the power structure and to conflict among political parties, it did not lead to the hypothesized, new conflict among interest groups.


This paper proposes a novel framework called Gaussian process maximum likelihood for spatially adaptive classification of hyperspectral data. In hyperspectral images, spectral responses of land covers vary over space, and conventional classification algorithms that result in spatially invariant solutions are fundamentally limited. In the proposed framework, each band of a given class is modeled by a Gaussian random process indexed by spatial coordinates. These models are then used to characterize each land cover class at a given location by a multivariate Gaussian distribution with parameters adapted for that location. Experimental results show that the proposed method effectively captures the spatial variations of hyperspectral data, significantly outperforming a variety of other classification algorithms on three different hyperspectral data sets.


Globe artichoke and cardoon, belonging to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, are herbaceous perennial plants native to the Mediterranean area, which are traditionally grown as vegetables for the heads and the fleshy petiole leaves, respectively. Italy is the richest reserve of globe artichoke autochthonous germplasm, which is vegetatively propagated and well adapted to the different pedoclimatic conditions of the Country. In Central Italian environments, the Romanesco type is widespread. In the last years, the development of in vitro technologies allowed the propagation of Romanesco globe artichoke type and its rapid expansion. As a result, the micropropagated Romanesco clone C3 has replaced many landraces traditionally grown in the Latium Region and has led either to a significant erosion of local genetic resources. As regards Italian cultivated cardoon germplasm, there are few studies on its genetic characterization and identification and there is a lack of information about the genetic variability existing within and among accessions. For the wild cardoon, no specialized crop is present and it represents mainly a weed in Italian environments. The great variability existing in Cynara spp. has not been described, the nomenclature of Italian germplasm is not always very clear since there are many cases of homonyms. In addition, Italian globe artichoke sector is facing a crisis due principally to the appearance on the market of foreign products and to the high labor cost required for crop cultivation and harvesting. In order to overcome this crisis several possible industrial uses were considered for the species. Considering these preliminary remarks, a strategy for valorizing Italian germplasm using biomass and biocompound production has been carried out during the three years of PhD program. The first objective of PhD work consisted in (i) characterizing agro-morphologically Italian germplasm using UPOV descriptors, (ii) assessing the genetic variability existing within and among landraces/clones and (iii) identifying and preserving genetic resources for the development of future plant breeding programs. As a result of this characterization, three genotypes have been selected and registered under the names of Michelangelo, Donatello and Raffaello. In order to analyze Italian Cynara spp. germplasm also from a biomass point of view, different traits explaining plant vigor and dry matter production have been considered. The aerial biomass yield resulted very high underlining the possibility of using this crop as raw industrial material. A focal point of PhD program was to set up biocompound extraction methods and analysis techniques to optimize polyphenol recovery from biomass of Cynara spp at a laboratory scale. In particular, ASE was found as the best extraction technique which allows to reduce extraction time and solvent consumption, increase nutraceutical yield and improvement of extract quality. Moreover, the kinetics of biomass and bio-compound production has been evaluated and the optimal physiological stage to collect plant material grown in open field has been identified. Biochemical characterization has been performed using the methods set up and collecting plant material in the optimal physiological stage identified in order to distinguish which genotypes were more suitable for bio-compound production purpose. The last focal point of PhD program was the development of an alternative technique for biomass and biocompound production in greenhouse grown conditions. Results obtained in the three PhD years, highlighted the possibility of using successfully some Cynara spp. genotypes for biomass and bio-compound production, in particular in open field condition. Also the real prospect of using some globe artichoke genotypes for food and non-food dual-production (biomass for biocompound extraction and heads for human food) has been underlined.


We present an analysis of the internal velocity structures of the newly identified sub-0.1 pc coherent structures, droplets, in L1688 and B18. By fitting 2D linear velocity fields to the observed maps of velocity centroids, we determine the magnitudes of linear velocity gradients and examine the potential rotational motions that could lead to the observed velocity gradients. The results show that the droplets follow the same power-law relation between the velocity gradient and size found for larger-scale dense cores. Assuming that rotational motion giving rise to the observed velocity gradient in each core is a solid-body rotation of a rotating body with a uniform density, we derive the "net rotational motions" of the droplets. We find a ratio between rotational and gravitational energies, β, of ∼0.046 for the droplets, and when including both droplets and larger-scale dense cores, we find β ∼ 0.039. We then examine the alignment between the velocity gradient and the major axis of each droplet, using methods adapted from the histogram of relative orientations introduced by Soler et al. We find no definitive correlation between the directions of velocity gradients and the elongations of the cores. Lastly, we discuss physical processes other than rotation that may give rise to the observed velocity field.


In order to clarify the relationship between technology appropriability and the promotion effect of innovation activities by agglomeration externalities, we conduct a panel analysis using city-unit data of Japanese patent applications. In this analysis, we use three indicators (technology concentration, entry barriers, inventor stability) as an indicator of technology appropriability, and try to clarify the relationship with the effect of agglomeration externalities (Marshall-Arrow-Romer (MAR) externality, Jacobs externality) on innovation activities. We find that, as a regional cluster policy focusing on economic externalities, it is appropriate to concentrate together high technology with comparative advantages in comparison to other areas. In particular, this trend is particularly important for technical fields where technology concentration is low and changes in inventors' patent-share rankings are intense (e.g., electronics fields such as electronic circuits and communications).


Polycrystalline Ca3-xMgxCo4O9(x=0-0.3)ceramics were prepared by the sol–gel method combined with the ordinary pressing sintering and the thermal conductivities were measured from room temperature to 673 K. The influence of Mg2+ substitution for Ca2+ on the thermal conductivities of Ca3Co4O9 ceramics was investigated systematically. The influence of Mg doping on the thermal conductivities is mainly embodied in the lattice thermal conductivities, which shows a significant decrease with the increase of the dopant content for the samples with x ≤ 0.2, while the carrier thermal conductivity had no obvious change with Mg doping increasing. These results indicated that the thermal conductivities of the material could be reduced remarkably with the substitution of Mg from 1.427 W/m·K to 0.731 W/m·K at 573 K with x = 0.2.


In what may be the best ever use of a Wellcome grant, Geoffrey Tweedale, in his fascinating history of the multinational asbestos company Turner & Newall,1 reminds us that asbestos was once known as the 'magic mineral'. Indeed, in many ways, it is the ideal construction material: tough, durable, light in weight, fire-resistant and very cheap. Unfortunately, asbestos is also, as every respiratory physician knows, highly toxic when inhaled. Total bans on its use are in place in 52 countries including those of the European Union, Australia, Japan and South Africa2; and its use is tightly restricted in the USA, New Zealand and Canada—the last, ironically, among the world's largest exporters of the material.

Readers from these countries may be surprised to learn that elsewhere the production, sale and use of asbestos continue to flourish and even increase. In 1994, one of us (NP) edited a book3 on occupational cancer in developing countries for the International Agency for Research on Cancer and reported that global asbestos production and use had not declined; rather, the problem was simply being moved from Western countries to emergent economies. Unhappily, the situation has not improved in the intervening 17 years. In India, for example, the use of asbestos has doubled in the last decade to about 300 000 tonnes a year by an industry that now employs an estimated 100 000 workers.4 Other major users include China, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Indonesia. In these parts of the world, where occupational exposures may be difficult to control and enforce, the great majority of …


Herbs/Botanical plants are considered as God's gift to human beings in the form of natural medicines, like the one well known "Sanjeevani booti" described in Hindu Mythology. The traditional and ethno-veterinary practices have been in use for centuries, transferring the knowledge from generation to generation and they are accessible, easy to prepare and administer, with little or no cost at all. Even though the modern developments in therapeutic field brought about a rapid decline in traditional medicine, the plant-based remedies are still having a crucial role as potential source of therapeutic aids in health systems all over the world for both humans and animals. Among the 21,000 medicinal plants listed by the World Health Organization (WHO), 2500 species are native to India, which stands first in the production of medicinal herbs. This innumerable treasure of medicinal herbs brings India the distinction of 'the botanical garden of the world'. Nowadays immune-based therapies are gaining more importance than monovalent approaches which are having limited benefits. Apart from the actions like treating diseases, control of ecto- and endo-parasites, fertility enhancement, bone setting and poor mothering management, an array of herbal medicines have been reported which are having immunomodulatory effects like modulation of cytokine secretion, histamine release, immunoglobulin secretion, class switching, cellular co-receptor expression, lymphocyte expression, phagocytosis and so on. The present article describes in brief few of these important ones viz., ashwagandha, amla, tulsi, arjuna, aloe vera, garlic, turmeric, ginger, shatavari, neem, guduchi, kiwifruit, tut, kamala, palashlata, kokilaksha etc. being used for human and animal health benefits.


I read with great interest the case report titled "Periumbilical pain with radiation to both legs following tarantula bite; a case report" published in Emergency journal. Tarantula spiders are not medically important except for some very limited species, which do not exist in Iran. Solifugae -or  rotails  as they are called in Iran- are in fact another group of animals also called camel spiders (Figure 2). They are also venom-free and generally cause secondary infections in the site of their bites. Thus, it seems that the patient's signs and symptoms cannot be due to the rotail or tarantula bites.


Higher rates of economic growth in recent years have led Ireland from being a country characterized by emigration to one where population inflows have become an important issue. This paper contains an analysis of one element of the current inflow. Drawing on data collected in 1998 on over 800 Irish individuals who had graduated from Irish colleges in 1992, we compare the wages of returned migrants with the wages of those who stayed in Ireland. In a recent paper, it has been argued that returned migrants accumulate skills and competencies while away that are rewarded on return to the home country. We find support for this argument for men. On average, returning males earn 10 percent more than men who stayed in Ireland, controlling for a range of factors. However, men who say that they originally migrated for labour-related reasons earn 15 percent more. No wage premium is found for female returning migrants relative to female stayers.


Accurate forecasting of extreme values in time series is critical due to the significant impact of extreme events on human and natural systems. This paper presents DeepExtrema, a novel framework that combines a deep neural network (DNN) with generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution to forecast the block maximum value of a time series. Implementing such a network is a challenge as the framework must preserve the inter-dependent constraints among the GEV model parameters even when the DNN is initialized. We describe our approach to address this challenge and present an architecture that enables both conditional mean and quantile prediction of the block maxima. The extensive experiments performed on both real-world and synthetic data demonstrated the superiority of DeepExtrema compared to other baseline methods.


Background: Evidence on the long-term usefulness of anti-depressants in managing depression in cardiometabolic disease is limited. Aim: We examined the effects of anti-depressant prescribing on depressive symptoms at 12 months follow-up in patients with cardiometabolic disease and a positive depression screening result at baseline. Design and Setting: We retrospectively reviewed routine UK primary care data for patients with coronary heart disease, diabetes and previous stroke for the year 2008–2009. 35,537 patients with one of the three above diseases underwent depression screening using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D). Of 7080 patients with a positive screening result (HADS-D ≥ 8), 3933 (55.5%) patients had a repeat HADS-D recorded at 12 months follow-up. Methods: We compared the change in HADS-D at follow-up and remission rate in those who were prescribed anti-depressants (n = 223) against those who were not (n = 3710). Results: The mean change in HADS-D from baseline, for the nonprescribed group was similar to the reduction observed in patients who were continuously prescribed (n = 93) with anti-depressants during follow-up. Patients who were prescribed intermittently (n = 72) or only one (n = 58) prescription during follow-up had a lower reduction in HADS-D compared to the nonprescribed group. There was no difference in remission rates between continuously prescribed and the nonprescribed group, but remission was lower in patients prescribed intermittently and single prescription. Conclusion: Improvement in depressive symptoms in patients with cardiometabolic disease at 12 months was not any better in patients prescribed with anti-depressants compared to the nonprescribed group. The role of anti-depressants in the management of depression in cardiometabolic disease merits further investigation.


Risk assessment instrument (RAI) datasets, particularly ProPublica's COMPAS dataset, are commonly used in algorithmic fairness papers due to benchmarking practices of comparing algorithms on datasets used in prior work. In many cases, this data is used as a benchmark to demonstrate good performance without accounting for the complexities of criminal justice (CJ) processes. However, we show that pretrial RAI datasets can contain numerous measurement biases and errors, and due to disparities in discretion and deployment, algorithmic fairness applied to RAI datasets is limited in making claims about real-world outcomes. These reasons make the datasets a poor fit for benchmarking under assumptions of ground truth and real-world impact. Furthermore, conventional practices of simply replicating previous data experiments may implicitly inherit or edify normative positions without explicitly interrogating value-laden assumptions. Without context of how interdisciplinary fields have engaged in CJ research and context of how RAIs operate upstream and downstream, algorithmic fairness practices are misaligned for meaningful contribution in the context of CJ, and would benefit from transparent engagement with normative considerations and values related to fairness, justice, and equality. These factors prompt questions about whether benchmarks for intrinsically socio-technical systems like the CJ system can exist in a beneficial and ethical way.


Though a few empirical studies on acceptance of Web 2.0 as a social networking tool in teaching and learning exist, apparently none of such studies is on students and faculties views from different cultures which is the focus of this study. This paper reports on a pilot study that begins to fill this gap by investigating the perceptions, attitude and acceptance of Web 2.0 in teaching and learning from two countries (developed and developing). A conceptual model of 9 variables and associated hypotheses was designed based on literature review and initial primary study. A questionnaire was developed from the model operationalization and used to collect data from 317 students from 5 universities in Nigeria and 273 students and lecturers from one university in Scotland. The findings that came from data analysis indicate that all the variables are validated from the data collected in Scotland but motivation via learning management systems which are not presently used in these universities in Nigeria affect intention to use Web 2.0 in e-learning in Nigeria. Some of the validated variables are perceived usefulness and prior knowledge. The major conclusions and recommendations include the utilization of Web 2.0 facilities to stimulate participation in learning. This work will contribute to the body of knowledge on acceptance of Web 2.0 social networking tools in teaching and learning. It will aid the key players of e-learning which include content developers, technology vendors and service providers. It may also support management decisions toward investing better on technology so as to improve the educational sector.


Abstract. Thermal–optical analysis (TOA) is a widely used technique that fractionates carbonaceous aerosol particles into organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), or carbonate. Thermal sub-fractions of evolved OC and EC are also used for source identification and apportionment; thus, oven temperature accuracy during TOA analysis is essential. Evidence now indicates that the "actual" sample (filter) temperature and the temperature measured by the built-in oven thermocouple (or set-point temperature) can differ by as much as 50 °C. This difference can affect the OC–EC split point selection and consequently the OC and EC fraction and sub-fraction concentrations being reported, depending on the sample composition and in-use TOA method and instrument. The present study systematically investigates the influence of an oven temperature calibration procedure for TOA. A dual-optical carbon analyzer that simultaneously measures transmission and reflectance (TOT and TOR) is used, functioning under the conditions of both the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Method 5040 (NIOSH) and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environment (IMPROVE) protocols. The application of the oven calibration procedure to our dual-optics instrument significantly changed NIOSH 5040 carbon fractions (OC and EC) and the IMPROVE OC fraction. In addition, the well-known OC–EC split difference between NIOSH and IMPROVE methods is even further perturbed following the instrument calibration. Further study is needed to determine if the widespread application of this oven temperature calibration procedure will indeed improve accuracy and our ability to compare among carbonaceous aerosol studies that use TOA.


Background: Values are the basis of nursing practice, especially in making decisions about complicated ethical issues. Despite their key role in nursing, little information exists on the factors affecting their development and manifestation in nursing students. Objective: This study identifies and describes the facilitators and inhibitors of the development and manifestation of professional values based on the experiences of nursing students and instructors and nurses. Research design: Data were collected through 29 semi-structured interviews and two focus group interviews in 2013–2015 and were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method of Elo and Kyngäs. Participants and research context: In total, 18 nursing undergraduates, five nursing instructors, and five nurses from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and one of the teaching hospitals in Shiraz were selected through purposive sampling. Ethical considerations: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and the teaching hospital examined. Findings: The findings consisted of two categories: personal and environmental factors. Personal factors consisted of the two subcategories of personal stimuli (work experience and past relationships, inner beliefs and acting on values, belief in God and a divine worldview) and personal inhibitors (the lack of professional motivation and enthusiasm, negative emotions). Environmental factors consisted of the two subcategories of environmental stimuli (cooperation, order and discipline) and environmental inhibitors (unfavorable work environment, society's negative attitude toward nursing, the violation of rights). Discussion and conclusion: Given the impact of personal and environmental factors on the development and manifestation of professional values in nursing students, it is upon the education authorities to take account of them in their planning, and nursing managers are also recommended to further address these factors in their development of a proper work environment, provision of standard facilities and removal of barriers.


Lee and mountain waves are dominant dynamic processes in the atmosphere above mountain areas. ST VHF radars had been intensively used to investigate these wave processes. These studies are summarized in this work. After discussing features of long-period quasi-stationary lee waves, attention is drawn to the frequent occurrence of freely propagating waves of shorter periods, which seem to be more common and characteristic for wave processes generated over mountainous areas. Characteristics of these waves such as their relation to the topography and background winds, the possibility of trapping by and breaking in the tropopause region and their propagation into the stratosphere is investigated. These orographically produced waves transport energy and momentum into the troposphere and stratosphere, which is considered an important contribution to the kinetic energy of the lower atmosphere. The occurrence of inertia-gravity waves in the stratosphere had been confused with lee waves, which is discussed in conclusion. Finally further questions on mountain and lee waves are drawn up, which remain to be solved and where investigations with ST radars could play a fundamental role.


In this work, we report an example of the facile synthesis of methyl methacrylate/tert-butyl acrylate (MMA/tBA) gradient copolymers (poly(MMA-grad-tBA) using the Cu(0) and conventional ATRP ligands as catalysts in DMF solvent at 25 °C. Semi-batch copper(0)-mediated living radical copolymerization technique (Cu(0)-mediated LRP) was used for achieving the chain gradient microstructure of the resulting copolymers. We also compared copolymerizations with two different ATRP ligands at ambient temperature allowing control over the molecular weight and polydispersity with a quarter of catalyst concentration versus a conventional ATRP in dipolar protic solvent (i.e. DMF), while the reaction temperature up to 80 °C in a non-polar medium (i.e. toluene) in order to reach the above polymerization efficiency. The addition of a small amount of reducing agent (i.e. hydrazine hydrate) into the reaction system allows the reaction proceeding in the oxygen tolerant system without losing control and decreasing total conversion such as using the reagents without deoxygenating.


Objective The objectives of this scoping review are to examine existing research on the often-secretive contracts between tobacco manufacturers and retailers, to identify contract requirements and incentives, and to assess the impact of contracts on the sales and marketing of tobacco products in the retail setting. Data sources The systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest Political Science Database, Business Source Premier, ProQuest Agricultural & Environmental Science Collection, and Global Health through December 2020. Study selection We included studies that collected and analysed empirical data related to tobacco contracts, tobacco manufacturers, and tobacco retailers. Two reviewers independently screened all 2786 studies, excluding 2694 titles and abstracts and 65 full texts resulting in 27 (0.97%) included studies. Data extraction Study characteristics, contract prevalence, contract requirements and incentives, and the influence of contracts on the retail environment were extracted from each study. Data synthesis We created an evidence table and conducted a narrative review of included studies. Conclusions Contracts are prevalent around the world and handsomely incentivise tobacco retailers in exchange for substantial manufacturer control of tobacco product availability, placement, pricing and promotion in the retail setting. Contracts allow tobacco companies to promote their products and undermine tobacco control efforts in the retail setting through discounted prices, promotions and highly visible placement of marketing materials and products. Policy recommendations include banning tobacco manufacturer contracts and retailer incentives along with more transparent reporting of contract incentives given to retailers.


Test generation complexity varies exponentially as the depth of cycles in the S-graph of the circuit. We map the hard-to-reach states obtained from a sequential test generator onto the cycles in the S-graph of the circuit. We then proceed to rank the cycles in terms of the testability gain that would result if the cycle were broken. The primary objective is not to cut all the cycles but to cut those cycles which are preventing the test generator from reaching these hard-to-reach states. To this end, we introduce new measures that combine conventional testability measures such as controllability and observability with the information from hard-to-reach states. We show that this approach overcomes some of the limitations of conventional cycle-cutting. This selective cutting of cycles is shown to yield better results in terms of fault coverage than conventional cycle-cutting.


Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-empowered communication is one of the promising 6G technologies that allows the conversion of the wireless channel into an intelligent transmit entity by manipulating the impinging waves using man-made surfaces. In this paper, the potential benefits of using RISs are investigated for indoor/outdoor setups and various frequency bands (from sub 6 GHz to millimeter-waves). First, a general system model with a single RIS is considered and the effect of the total number of reflecting elements on the probabilistic distribution of the received signal-to-noise ratio and error performance is investigated under Rician fading. Also for this case, the path loss exponent is analyzed by considering empirical path loss models. Furthermore, transmission models with multiple RISs are developed and analyzed for indoor and outdoor non line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. The conventional RIS selection strategies are also integrated for systems equipped with multiple RISs for the first time. Through extensive simulations, it is demonstrated that the RIS-assisted systems provide promising solutions for indoor/outdoor scenarios at various operating frequencies and exhibit significant results in error performance and achievable data rates even in the presence of system imperfections such as limited range phase adjustment and imperfect channel phase estimation at RISs.


IntroductionThe SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) Canadian Data Platform aims to facilitate multi-jurisdictional research through a variety of activities, including the development of standardized algorithms for health conditions, health service use, and the determinants of health. An initial step towards standardization was to identify existing health measures that have been validated or assessed for feasibility of implementation in multi-jurisdictional research, document features of these measures, and describe the methods used to validate or assess feasibility.
Objectives and ApproachWe constructed an inventory of published algorithms to measure population health, health services use, and the determinants of health. A systematic review of published literature identified algorithms from validation or feasibility studies in two or more Canadian provinces/territories. The search strategy was applied to Medline, Embase, and Scopus. The Algorithms and Harmonized Data Working Group of the Canadian Data Platform identified relevant fields for data extraction, including study type, population characteristics, data source, jurisdictions, and algorithm details. A searchable online resource was created to maintain and share the algorithms.
ResultsOf the 2758 articles retrieved, 1998 articles underwent title and abstract review and 60 articles were selected for full review. A total of 8 validation and 26 feasibility studies were assessed; they contributed over 140 algorithms. Chronic physical health conditions, such as diabetes, depression, hypertension and dementia, were most often represented in the algorithms. British Columbia and Manitoba were the jurisdictions most frequently represented in the studies. Methods to facilitate automated searching of the on-line resource are under development.
Conclusion / ImplicationsOur inventory of algorithms provides valuable information for researchers interested in conducting multi-jurisdictional studies, and reveals gaps where further algorithm development could be undertaken. This comprehensive collection of existing algorithms will support future studies aimed at improving population health and monitoring health service use in Canada.


Among the wide range of wireless sensor network applications, many require reliable data communications such that data packets can be delivered to the destination without loss. This thesis is focused on one such application, viz. metal-fill monitoring system for the lost foam casting process implemented using capacitive sensors and Wireless Sensor Networks. Experiments were carried out in the TTU foundry to measure Radio Signal Strength and Link Quality and characterize data packet losses. The problem of packet losses associated with wireless transmission of data using wireless sensor networks with emphasis on the foundry environment has been explored and two solutions were investigated. The first is based on Delayed Retransmission and is suitable for offline monitoring. The second is for online monitoring and is based on Erasure Coding using Cauchy Reed - Solomon codes. The two solutions have been tested and evaluated for the metal-fill monitoring application. The entire system from sensing to data transmission provides a flexible and cost effective method to monitor the metal fill process.


Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to estimate genetic relationships between two seasonal immigrant forms (namely fall-run and spring-run) of Caspian trout Salmo trutta caspius. In this regard, 62 fin tissue samples were collected from southern parts of the Caspian Sea basin and examined with 16 oligodecamer primers to asses their genetic diversity as well as probable specific population bands. The total number of RAPD bands produced in spring and fall-run were 162 bands, of which 69 and 53 bands were polymorphic for each population. Nei's genetic identity and genetic distance between springrun and fall-run populations were 0.9858 and 0.01430, respectively. The RAPD based data revealed that the two migratory forms of Caspian salmon were categorized in conspecific value.


Abstract : Increased operational pace in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined with a reduction in the number of service members, has required military members to work longer and harder. Civil engineer company grade officers are among the most heavily deployed members of the Air Force. Because of this, Air Force leaders are concerned that they will encounter retention challenges with these members. To address this issue, a questionnaire designed to capture several key attitudes individuals have about the Air Force and the civil engineer career field was administered to 364 Air Force civil engineer company grade officers. Results of this study indicated that job satisfaction, organizational commitment, availability of alternatives, perceived organizational support, operations tempo, interrole conflict, and non-work satisfaction were significantly correlated with turnover intentions. Additionally, as suggested by some of the seminal and contemporary models of employee turnover, job satisfaction and organizational commitment were shown to mediate the relationship between these attitudinal variables and an individual's intent to leave the Air Force. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.


The city has always been a site of cultural, social and physical transformation, on scales from the most personal to the most collective. However, with the rise of the "metapolis" [3, 4] and the issues it brings with it, 24/7 rush hours, the conversion of public space to commercial space, the rise of surveillance, transnational neighborhoods, polyvocal politics and architecture etc. the contemporary city is weighted down. We can no longer technologically or socially be constrained by something planned and canned, like another confectionary spectacle. We dream of something more, something that can respond to our dreams. Something that will transform with us, not just perform change on us, like an operation. The metapolis requires individual, social and technological interaction. As the field of wireless and locative technologies matures, this workshop is interested in exploring a more enduring relationship between the physical and cultural multicity and its digital topographies. This workshop asks the question what might an authentic or native digital/physical relationship be? Authentic to whom? How can these be considered within the hybrid space emerging from the interaction between digital and physical practices? This workshop seek to understand alternative trajectories for digital and wireless technologies while building definitions of place and practice in both physical and digital terms, as well investigating their interaction, influence, disruption, expansion and integration with the social and material practices of our public urban spaces. Author Keywords


This study evaluated how spectral resolution of high-spatial resolution optical remote sensing data influences detailed mapping of urban land cover. A comprehensive regional spectral library and low altitude data from the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) were used to characterize the spectral properties of urban land cover. The Bhattacharyya distance was applied as a measure of spectral separability to determine a most suitable subset of 14 AVIRIS bands for urban mapping. We evaluated the performance of this spectral setting versus common multispectral sensors such as Ikonos by assessing classification accuracy for 26 urban land cover classes. Significant limitations for current multispectral sensors were identified, where the location and broadband character of the spectral bands only marginally resolved the complex spectral characteristics of the urban environment, especially for built surface types. However, the AVIRIS classification accuracy did not exceed 66.6% for 22 urban cover types, primarily due to spectral similarities of specific urban materials and high within-class variability.