"Anders Andersson had a fire in his rar-kiln" : analysis of Jonas Astroms peasant-diarie 1868-1891.Peasant diaries are notes written by farmers, crofters and other people connected with small-scale agriculture. The notes give unique information about diverse aspects of rural life, for example, personal relationships and work, travel and regularity of church attendance. One such diary was written by Jonas Astrom who lived in the county of Vasterbotten, Sweden. The main aim of this study is to describe the work done by farmers in the 19th century, focusing on their use of forest resources, as recorded in his diary. A second goal is to relate Jonas Astrom's life and work to the transitional period he lived in, the late 19th century, when a timber-frontier moved across northern Sweden.Jonas Astrom lived in the village Vindel-Anaset in the county of Vasterbotten in Sweden. He kept a diary between 1868 and 1891, and earned his living by farming and trading. The forest was not affected by the sawmill industry until the beginning of the 19th century. The forest landscape was heavily influenced by repeated forest fires and characterised by old-growth forest. When industrialisation reached Vasterbotten during the late 19th century, a great demand for timber followed. The farmers combined farming and forestry and the increased logging changed the character of the forest.Jonas Astrom was a versatile person. He was a farmer, but he obtained additional income from logging, tar burning, hunting and fishing. He adjusted his activities to the season, and undertook supplementary work to boost his income when farming was least intensive. The main part of the year was devoted to forestry and travelling. Collection of winter-fodder also took up quite a lot of his time. Efforts devoted to heavy work, such as forestry, declined over the years, while those spent on lighter tasks like preparing accounts, writing, hunting and fishing increased. A detailed study of the firewood gathered at the farm revealed that birch was the most commonly used wood for this purpose. About 50% of the firewood consisted of birch, 24% of freshly cut wood and 16% of dry spruce. The farmer's sons felled and transported the firewood while workers hired by the day cleaved it. Most of the diary records are notes about the weather and the farm work, but it also contains more personal and philosophical observations and reflections, which is very uncommon in peasant diaries from the 19th century.


A transimpedance amplifier, designed in a digital 120-nm CMOS technology, used as preamplifier for optical burst-mode receivers in passive optical networks is presented. A wide optical input power range of 27 dB can be handled with a variable transimpedance without stability problems by varying the open-loop gain by a factor of 115. Noise and stability analysis of the optical receiver are presented. Sensitivities of - 31.3 dBm at 622 Mb/s and - 28.6 dBm at 1.25 Gb/s with a bit error ratio of 10/sup -10/ and a pseudorandom bit stream of 2/sup 31/-1 are achieved with a power consumption of 88.5 mW.


This paper proposes a joint segmentation and deconvolution Bayesian method for medical ultrasound (US) images. Contrary to piecewise homogeneous images, US images exhibit heavy characteristic speckle patterns correlated with the tissue structures. The generalized Gaussian distribution (GGD) has been shown to be one of the most relevant distributions for characterizing the speckle in US images. Thus, we propose a GGD-Potts model defined by a label map coupling US image segmentation and deconvolution. The Bayesian estimators of the unknown model parameters, including the US image, the label map, and all the hyperparameters are difficult to be expressed in a closed form. Thus, we investigate a Gibbs sampler to generate samples distributed according to the posterior of interest. These generated samples are finally used to compute the Bayesian estimators of the unknown parameters. The performance of the proposed Bayesian model is compared with the existing approaches via several experiments conducted on realistic synthetic data and in vivo US images.


After a decade of democracy, secular political parties dominate Muslim-majority Indonesia. Explanations include a historical pattern of religious pluralism, policies of President Suharto9s New Order, creative Muslim responses to those policies, a large majority of moderate Muslim voters, and ineffective voter mobilization by Islamist parties today.


Electrophysiological charact eristics of frog intrafusal muscle fibers were studied by means of the intracellular potential recording. Analysis of distribution of the amplitude of miniature postsynaptic potentials suggests the nonuniformity of the intrafusal muscle fibers. A conclusion was drawn on the presence of three types of intrafasal muscle fibers in frog muscle spindle: single-innervated, multiple innervated, and fibers with both types of innervation.


Abstract This article discusses the algorithmic design and implementation of A Queda do Céu, a sound installation and kinetic sculpture related to the Soundlapse project. In it we provide an overview of the project and go on to describe the main computational challenges related to the installation, which included a variety of real-time processing, interpolation, and mapping algorithms. We contextualize the work in relation to regional ecological and political debates, as well as the global climate crisis. In doing so, we echo other sound and field-recording artists in proposing that artworks have an important function as experimental arenas in which new technological applications can be probed and where new modes of listening can be investigated, reconfigured, and exercised. In closing, we lay out an overview of the current challenges being tackled by the Soundlapse project, specifically the development of a refined version of the sonic time-lapse method that incorporates machine learning routines and user-defined spatialization capabilities.


The Thompson coupling is a relatively recent design of constant-velocity coupling, that is, principally based on the double Cardan mechanism. An extra mechanism comprising a spherical pantograph serves to align the intermediate shaft of this coupling and so maintains the constant velocity of the double Cardan mechanism, in a modular fashion. This technical note serves to introduce basic closed form expressions for the coupling's geometry—which may then be used to derive linkage accelerations and dynamic forces. The expressions are derived using standard identities in spherical geometry. The resulting dynamic model then informs a basic conceptual design optimization, which object is intended to reduce induced driveline vibrations, when the coupling is articulated at nonzero angles of torque transmission.


to understand. The Grace of God as operative in human lives is the theme of this book, as it was in Mr. Gordon's earlier book about his experiences in a prison camp during World War II, Through the Valley of the Kwai. Meet Me at the Door is worthy of the attention of any clergyman, whether in the parish or the college ministry, because it is not concerned with that minority which hits the headlines, but with the living, breathing, searching, hurting student who is living and trying to make sense out of our complex world.


Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an established predisposing factor of cervical cancer. In this study, we assessed the awareness about genital warts, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccine among mothers having girls who are at the age of primary HPV vaccination attending a group of schools in Lebanon. We also assessed the rate of HPV vaccination among these girls and the barriers to vaccination in this community. Subjects and methods This is a cross-sectional, school-based survey. A 23-item, self-administered, anonymous, pretested, structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions was used to obtain data. The questionnaire was sent to the mothers through their student girls, and they were asked to return it within a week. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0. Bivariate analysis was performed using the chi-square test to compare categorical variables, whereas continuous variables were compared using the Student's t-test. Fisher's exact test was used when chi-square test could not be employed. Results The response rate in our survey was 39.4%. Among the responders, the rate of awareness about HPV infection was 34%, where 72% of the mothers had heard about cervical cancer, and 34% knew that a vaccine is available to prevent cervical cancer. HPV vaccination uptake rate was 2.5%. This lack of vaccination was primarily attributed to the low rate of mothers' awareness about the vaccine (34%). Factors significantly affecting awareness about the vaccine were the mothers' marital age, nationality, level of education, employment, and family income. Barriers to HPV vaccination, other than awareness, were uncertainty about safety or efficacy of the vaccine, conservative ideas of mothers regarding their girls' future sexual life, and relatively high price of the vaccine. Conclusion Vaccine uptake is low among eligible girls attending this group of schools. The barriers to vaccination are multiple; the most important one is the mothers' lack of knowledge about HPV, cervical cancer, and the modes of prevention. Awareness campaigns along with a multimodal strategy that targets the identified barriers would be recommended to achieve higher rates of HPV vaccination.


Numerous studies have addressed the question of the econometric specification of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). This paper adds preliminary results on nonstationarity and its effect on functional form using a panel data set for the U.S. by state from 1929 to 1994. It is found that unit-root tests strongly support a unit root in pollutants (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide) and income when testing individual states. The results from panel data unit root tests provide mixed evidence about nonstationarity in EKC data.


[full article and abstract in Lithuanian; abstract in English]
Public good is the basis of public interest that determines the (co)existence of the community as well as the society. The media and its role in civic society play a major role in defining public interest, and it helps in manifesting this public interest to various stakeholders. Likewise, the public's need to know of the role of the media in the presentation, consideration and representation of the public interest is extremely important.
The relevance of public interest to a society is related to meeting the needs of a society. Changes in the functions of media from a forth power or a watchdog, to a moderator of public discussions had drawn media's attention to the need for an inquiry of public interest and discussions about it in the media.
The aim of this article is to determine how public interest is presented in Lithuanian online media. This article analyzes the case of presenting the protection of the rights of heat consumers – as an interest of the public – in Lithuanian online media. This article discusses the concept of public interest, the role of the media in discussing the public interest, and, when choosing a specific public interest issue, investigates how the topic of public interest is presented in Lithuanian online media.
The case of public interest raised by the representative of the society – P. Markevicius, a lawyer and member of the Žvėrynas district community in Vilnius, was selected for the case study. The case is connected with the protection of the heat consumers' rights, as P. Markevicius had detected potential violations of consumer rights being done by Vilnius energija (the provider of heat services in Vilnius city). All publications made during the period of 2010–2012 found using the Google search engine with the keywords "P. Markevicius" and "Vilniaus energija" were selected for the case study; qualitative and quantitative content analyses were used.
The case study of public interest manifested in 2010–2012 in Lithuanian online media shows that the representation of the "public interest" by the representatives of the media is understood only as a way of giving space to citizens to present their views and talk about the problems relevant to them. The case leads to some consideration that the public interest in the media and by media is mostly understood as a way of supporting active citizens by inviting them to discussions and providing time for presenting their arguments, as well the position statements of experts and officials, but without any specific journalistic investigations.
The development of civil society makes it possible to assume that the raising of issues related to public interest have also made some changes in the media – there could be seen an aspiration to raise problematic issues and promote discussions. Such monitored changes in civil society encourage the continuation of the ongoing investigation of the issue how public interest is manifested in online media – social media in particular.


Systemic inflammation and deconditioning syndrome lead to loss of structural and function of body muscle, particularly in extremity muscle. Longer period of inactivity due to dyspnea worsen the destruction of muscle. Regular and gradually increase exercise training as part of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) can improve the function of essential muscles in doing daily life so stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patient can maintenance their daily activities with minimal limitations. Pulmonary rehabilitation consists of exercise training, nutritional support, smoking cessation, and self-management of COPD. The prescription of exercise training is mandatory. Assessment of clinical condition to adjust the type of training, duration, frequency, and intensity of training must be completed before beginning the training session. Regular and gradually increased training gives significant impact in improving lung function, dyspnea scale, and quality of life in patient with stable COPD. However, in this covid era, the restriction of hospital attending PR was significantly affect PR program. As immunocompromised population, COPD patient have higher risk for COVID19 infection and develops more severe complications compare with normal population. So, the modified supervised and unsupervised training was needed to revise the classic type of PR. Tele-rehabilitation with teleconference, phone calls, and interactive web based PR can be the good alternative in decreasing hospital admission and improving quality of life in patient with COPD.


This thesis challenges traditional international migration studies which focus on macro-level drivers or the end-point of the migration trajectory, and instead investigates the subtle forces within the "third-space" (Ingram & Abrahams, 2016:140, citing Bhabha, 1994), which here encompasses both the physical and virtual transnational environments inhabited by the French community in London. By combining innovative digital methods with ethnographically oriented data collection techniques, such as immersion, in-depth interviews and focus groups, the thesis reveals the inherently "messy" sociocultural complexities of being an EU migrant in London at the beginning of the 21st century.

Taking Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus (1972 [2000]; 1994; 1996; 2005) as its principal theoretical underpinning and drawing on his ethnographic and sociological works, the study scrutinises the narratives of a diverse group of French Londoners between 2010 and 2015. The overarching research question posed is how, holistically, participants experience France-London mobility, and spans three main areas: 1) France, or the originary social field; 2) the London home/habitus; and 3) the on-line French "diasberspace". Beginning with the first of these, the thesis seeks to ascertain, through Bourdieu's notion of symbolic violence (1993; Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992), which social forces lie hidden beneath the veneer of reasoned migration decision-making and serve as tacit, yet potent, mobility drivers.

Secondly, based on the hypothesis that habitus overlaps with the definition of "home" in English, the thesis asks how home is (re)constructed by the London-French research participants within the diasporic field. By sub-dividing the conception into its component parts of habitat (spatial mapping and material culture), habits (quotidian practices) and habituation (unsuspecting attitudinal change), questions pertaining to how, where and the extent to which participants identify with London as "home", or conversely remain embedded in the "homeland", are addressed. In addition, the thesis investigates the reasons behind the privileged position occupied by the French community in the London social space. It therefore draws connections between past and present forms and functionalities of symbolic/cultural capital (Bourdieu, (1979a, 1980b), together with linguistic capital/habitus (Bourdieu, 1982 [2001]), examining the differing symbolic value of embodied and articulated language in France and London.

Finally, recognising that migration today involves less acute separation from the homeland than in previous generations due to the virtual proximity afforded by the Internet, this third part of the thesis assesses how home, belonging, identity, positioning and symbolic violence are depicted in the on-line "diasberspace". In order to provide a stable analytical platform conducive to iterative consultation, the author has curated a Special Collection of community Web resources in the UK Web Archive, laying the foundations for a theory of selective thematic Web archiving. An innovative "ethnosemiotic" paradigm, combining Bourdieu's ethnographic principles and the multimodal social semiotic approach advocated by Gunther Kress (2010), is thus given practical application. Furthermore, the ensuing fine-grained reading of the London-French digital objects serves as a convincing on-line/on-land triangulation mechanism for the doctoral research project as a whole, and contributes to the rich, multi-layered analysis of London's contemporary French population.


The inclusion-moderation theory points to the fact that tendency toward moderation is frequent among religious parties that have some well-established moderate features. This indeed seems to be the case in Israel. The Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox parties are not marked by any significant activist and extremist ideological components that aim to transform the political order. As to the National Religious camp, in the early days it was small, operating in the shadow of the dominant, state-founding Mapai (Israel Worker's Party), and as such it was necessarily inclined toward moderation. This state of affairs changed dramatically after the national elections of 1977, when the National Religious camp became the leading force of the right-wing opposition to any peace program that included the evacuation of settlements. Retaining, however, a significant element of moderation, the National-Religious party was committed to the notion that the state was above party politics. This moderate orientation clearly manifested itself in the disengagement from Gaza in 2005, which involved the dismantling of Jewish settlements. Another aspect of moderation is the inner workings of democracy within the National Religious Party, which are in contra-distinction to the charismatic, non-democratic rabbinical leadership of the ultra-Orthodox parties. While the National Religious Party conducts its affairs through democratic, bureaucratic procedures, these very procedures may have weakened it in the long run. Thus, its relative openness to a democratic political culture contributed to the 'leakage' of many votes to the secular parties, mostly to the right-wing Likud. One of the most important features of party politics in Israel is the effect of the participation in the national elections on the emergence of intra-party conflicts. The decision of the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Yisrael party to enter the coalition after the Likud rose to power (1977) set the stage for the party splits to two new parties the Ashkenazi Degel Hatorah party and the Sephardi Shas party. The availability of government financial support seems to have encouraged these splits.


Mrs. A illustrates the electrolyte disturbances induced by pyloric stenosis and excessive vomiting. The m?de of presentation in a lethargic, precomatose state, without any clinical evidence of pyloric stenosis, is unusual, and may have been due to loss of tonus of the musculature of the stomach as a result of potassium deficiency. The response to intravenous electrolyte therapy was v~ry good; retention of sodium, potassium and chlortde occurred. When the potassium deficiency was restored. the tonus returned to the stomach and visible peristalsis was seen. The diagnosis of carcinoma was unexpected, as no mass was palpable during the illness before operation. Chronic duodenal ulceration was thought to be most likely from the barium meal X-ray findings, but the lack of any suggestive history of ulcer would favour carcinoma as a diagnosis.


ness to incorporate relevant concepts from this and other (for example, Piagetian) fields. The most interesting paper, we consider, is by Whitmont of New York, dealing with primitive thought patterns as seen in the transference-countertransference situation; in this the author makes extensive use of ideas derived from other fields, with a considerable enriching of his powerfully interpretive -concluslons.


Reference is made to three of the authors' own cases and to relevant literature in an account of clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and therapy of osteochondrosis and osteomyelitis of the first metatarsal sesamoid bone. Eighty per cent of the incidence are related to the age groups between 13 and 22 years. The disease is probably based on aseptic ischaemic necrosis.


BACKGROUND
Depression is prevalent in general practice, but few studies have explored patient-reported depression care.

AIM
To investigate patient-reported treatment received for depression and future treatment preferences among adult patients visiting their GP, and to evaluate the associations with sex, age and educational level.

DESIGN AND SETTING
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in general practices in Norway from 2016 to 2017.

METHODS
Altogether, 2335 consecutive patients (response rate, 89.2%) in the GPs' waiting rooms answered a questionnaire about their received depression treatment and treatment preferences in case of future depression.

RESULTS
The study population (N = 2239) had a mean age of 48.6 ± 17.7 years (range 18-91), 60.1% were women. Of the 770 patients reporting to have received depression treatment, 39.1% were treated exclusively by their GP while 52.5% also were referred to a psychologist/psychiatrist. Older age was positively associated with medication and negatively associated with referrals to psychologist/psychiatrist. People with high education had lower odds for receiving medication (odds ratios [OR], 0.49; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.30-0.80) compared to those with low education. If future depression, 81.6% of the respondents would discuss this with their GP, 60.9% would prefer talking therapy with their GP, 22.5% medication, and 52.9% referral to psychologist or psychiatrist.

CONCLUSION
One-third of the patients attending their GPs had consulted with them at some time concerning depression the case of future depression, most patients preferred talking therapy with the GP. This finding warrants increased research focus on the GP's role in depression care.


We developed a capability for model-based trade space exploration to be used in the conceptual design of Earth-orbiting space missions. We have created a set of reusable software components to model various subsystems and aspects of space missions. Several example mission models were created to test the tools and process. This technique and toolset has demonstrated itself to be valuable for space mission architectural design


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify strategic objectives that can be utilized by non-host communities to leverage the opportunities provided by mega sport events. The unique context and timing of this study facilitates discussion surrounding a particular non-host community and how it can plan relevant objectives to best identify appropriate leveraging mechanisms.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a qualitative approach, drawing upon a case study of Kobe City, Japan, a non-host city of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Data were collected using diverse sources such as site visits, field notes, newspaper articles, destination marketing materials, archival data from sport and tourism facilities, and workshop with key stakeholders.

Findings

The within-case analysis identified four key objectives a non-host city could utilize to leverage mega sport events, namely, enhancing destination brand equity, integrating leveraging strategies with the existing event portfolio, fostering social capital, and strengthening corporate networks.

Originality/value

Research on event leveraging has typically focused on host cities, while there has been limited research attention on non-host cities. This paper highlights the importance of formulating shared objectives so as to provide a strong focus for relevant stakeholders, guide the deployment of resources, and create effective leveraging strategies. Few studies have focused on the planning of leveraging initiatives.


Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the cause of infectious mononucleosis, which is characterized by fever, lymphadenopathy, and sore throat. On the other hand, gastrointestinal symptoms of EBV infection like dyspepsia, abdominal pain are non-specific and rarely encountered, which means it is difficult to diagnose gastric involvement of EBV infection without suspicion. The relation between gastric carcinoma and gastric lymphoma associated with EBV infection is well defined, but relations with other EBV-associated gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis and peptic ulcer disease have rarely been reported. We report a case of benign gastric ulcer with EBV infection confirmed by endoscopic and histological findings.


In Uganda, as in much of sub-Saharan Africa, poverty is concentrated in rural areas. Because agriculture accounts for a large share of incomes for these households, policies and external shocks that affect agriculture, including shifts in world prices, changes in agricultural productivity, and reductions in marketing costs, may have significant effects on rural poverty. In this paper, we use a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of the Ugandan economy, explicitly designed to capture regional variations in agricultural production and household incomes, to examine the implications of these policy changes and shocks. Simulation results suggest that a doubling of area planted to coffee (the government.s target) would increase rural consumption by less than 2.0 percent, because of an estimated 10 percent decline in the world price of robusta coffee and an 11.3 percent real exchange rate appreciation of the Ugandan shilling. Smaller productivity increases in food crops may have greater potential to raise rural incomes, provided that markets perform well and producer incentives are maintained. A five percent increase in agricultural productivity raises consumption by 1.3 to 2.1 percent among rural households and lowers food prices by 3.4 to 3.8 percent relative to the CPI, thus benefiting households with high food consumption shares. Reducing agricultural marketing margins by 30 percent leads to increases of 2.3 to 4.1 percent in consumption of farm households, with the largest gains in regions where consumption out of own production is lower.


We solve the two-dimensional problem of acoustic scattering by a semi-infinite pe- riodic array of identical isotropic point scatterers, i.e., objects whose size is negligible compared to the incident wavelength and which are assumed to scatter incident waves uniformly in all directions. This model is appropriate for scatterers on which Dirichlet boundary conditions are applied in the limit as the ratio of wavelength to body size tends to infinity. The problem is also relevant to the scattering of an E-polarized electromagnetic wave by an array of highly conducting wires. The actual geometry of each scatterer is characterized by a single parameter in the equations, related to the single-body scattering problem and determined from a harmonic boundary-value problem. Using a mixture of analytical and numerical techniques, we confirm that a number of phenomena reported for specific geometries are in fact present in the general case (such as the presence of shadow boundaries in the far field and the vanishing of the circular wave scattered by the end of the array in certain specific directions). We show that the semi-infinite array problem is equivalent to that of inverting an infinite Toeplitz matrix, which in turn can be formulated as a discrete Wiener-Hopf problem. Numerical results are presented which compare the amplitude of the wave diffracted by the end of the array for scatterers having different shapes.


In this paper, an alternative gain-scheduled PID tuning procedure is proposed for gantry crane control systems. In order to avoid excessive overshoot and aggressive control action due to the proportional kick and/or derivative kick effects, an I-PD+PD type control law is considered. The scheduling parameter is considered the cable length due to the payload lifting and lowering movements. A linear parameter-varying (LPV) gantry crane model is constructed to enable gain-scheduled controller design with a linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) framework. Based on the LPV model, a convex optimization problem is formulized to minimize L2 gain under regional pole location constraints. Then, a fixed gain L2 gain state feedback I-PD+PD type controller and a conventional pole placement state feedback I-PD+PD controller are designed to investigate the efficiency of the proposed controller. A pole placement controller is tuned to minimize the very common ITAE (integral of time multiplied by absolute error) performance index. Simulation results show that the proposed controller has superior tracking performance under time-varying cable length, when compared with nominal fixed gain controllers.


Accumulating evidence suggests that food customs are associated with quality of life in women of the reproductive age. In Japan, dietary limitation for cosmetic purposes, skipping food intake, intake of processed foods and the shift from Japanese to Westernized style food have increased among young women. These changes in food habits can cause inadequate intake of calories, micronutrients, unsaturated fat, phytestrogens and fiber as well as increasing environmental toxins. Furthermore, these food habits increase risk as a result of intake of food additives, anti-oxidants, processing agents and sweeteners, which have been demonstrated to be harmful to human health. These factors are speculated to not only influence the present lifestyle, but also to induce gynecologic disorders such as dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation. The adverse effects of these dietary habits on pregnancy outcome and carcinogenesis of breast and ovarian cancers have also been demonstrated. In addition, latent development of organic diseases such as endometriosis, which are accompanied by dysmenorrhea, is a concern under the current nutritional environment in young women. Thus, it is an urgent issue to evaluate the present situation of eating habits in young Japanese women and estimate the influence of these habits on the quality of life including reproductive functions.


In the above-titled paper (ibid., vol.12, no.11, p.1088-92, Nov. 1990), parallel implementations of hierarchical clustering algorithms that achieve O(n/sup 2/) computational time complexity and thereby improve on the baseline of sequential implementations are described. The latter are stated to be O(n/sup 3/), with the exception of the single-link method. The commenter points out that state-of-the-art hierarchical clustering algorithms have O(n/sup 2/) time complexity and should be referred to in preference to the O(n/sup 3/) algorithms, which were described in many texts in the 1970s. Some further references in the parallelizing of hierarchic clustering algorithms are provided. >


Structural and thermal engineers currently work independently of each other using unrelated tools, models, and methods. Without the ability to rapidly exchange design data and predicted performance, the achievement of the ideals of concurrent engineering is not possible. Thermal codes have been unable to exploit the geometric information in structural models and the CAD design database, and do not facilitate transfer of temperature data to other discipline's analysis models. This paper discusses the key features in Thermal Desktop for supporting integrated thermal/structural analysis. Approaches to thermal modeling in an integrated analysis environment are discussed along with Thermal Desktop's data mapping algorithm for exporting temperature data on to structural model grid points.


In e-Science experiments, it is vital to record the experimental process for later use such as in interpreting results, verifying that the correct process took place or tracing where data came from. The process that led to some data is called the provenance of that data, and a provenance architecture is the software architecture for a system that will provide the necessary functionality to record, store and use process documentation to determine the provenance of data items. However, there has been little principled analysis of what is actually required of a provenance architecture, so it is impossible to determine the functionality they would ideally support. In this paper, we present use cases for a provenance architecture from current experiments in biology, chemistry, physics and computer science, and analyse the use cases to determine the technical requirements of a generic, application-independent architecture. We propose an architecture that meets these requirements and evaluate a preliminary implementation by attempting to realise two of the use cases.


The myelin and lymphocyte protein (MAL) is a tetraspan raft-associated proteolipid predominantly expressed by oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. We show that genetic ablation of mal resulted in cytoplasmic inclusions within compact myelin, paranodal loops that are everted away from the axon, and disorganized transverse bands at the paranode–axon interface in the adult central nervous system. These structural changes were accompanied by a marked reduction of contactin-associated protein/paranodin, neurofascin 155 (NF155), and the potassium channel Kv1.2, whereas nodal clusters of sodium channels were unaltered. Initial formation of paranodal regions appeared normal, but abnormalities became detectable when MAL started to be expressed. Biochemical analysis revealed reduced myelin-associated glycoprotein, myelin basic protein, and NF155 protein levels in myelin and myelin-derived rafts. Our results demonstrate a critical role for MAL in the maintenance of central nervous system paranodes, likely by controlling the trafficking and/or sorting of NF155 and other membrane components in oligodendrocytes.


The recent spate of work on the practice of business lawyering has begun belatedly to make up for the surprising neglect of the topic by sociologists of law, or social theorists generally. An important reason for the neglect of the consideration of lawyering as a process has been the predominance of structuralist perspectives in the sociological study of the legal profession. Furthermore, both theoretical perspectives and practical factors have led those sociologists who have attempted to analyse lawyer-client relations to concentrate on encounters with individual clients rather than the work of lawyers for business. The image of the lawyer as dealing essentially with the private problems of individual clients has become harder to maintain with the increased prominence, first in the US and then in many other countries, of the large, bureaucratized law firm specialising in commercial and business law (Galanter 1983; Galanter and Palay 1991), and the sharpening of the division between lawyers who serve corporate clients and those with a practice predominantly of individuals (Heinz and Laumann 1982).


In two cases of myelomatosis relapse was accompanied by the development of bulky extramedullary plasma cell tumours, which created serious management problems. In both cases the histology was of a poorly differentiated plasmacytoid tumour with frequent mitoses. In one case paraprotein had completely disappeared from the serum and urine after six months' treatment with melphalan alone but did not correlate with improved survival. It is concluded that extramedullary spread of myelomatosis in the form of bulky tumour deposits is a rare and ominous mode of tumour progression or relapse. Rises in serum and urinary paraprotein concentrations are not the inevitable signs of relapse.


Severe pancreatitis is typically associated with (multi-) organ failure originating from local and systemic complications, and requires intensive, often specialised, interdisciplinary management including complex interventions. Severity originates from a "double hit" mechanism, involving an initial phase dominated by the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS); and, often after transient improvement, subsequent deterioration due to secondary septic complications driven by infected necrosis or pseudocysts. Hence, a prolonged course with consumption of considerable resources is common, and mortality is still substantial. As prevention or early and effective treatment of complications and organ failure count among the most important management aims, it is therefore pivotal to anticipate severe disease with reasonable accuracy. On the other hand, most patients with acute pancreatitis have a mild, uneventful and uncomplicated course, characterised by absence of organ failure or deaths; they can be treated on a peripheral ward and discharged home within a few days. In these patients, unnecessary (over-) treatment should be avoided in the interest of the patient and healthcare resources.

In consequence, intensive research has been devoted for decades to the development and validation of prognostic tools that may allow early and reliably discrimination between mild and severe disease. Numerous single markers (such as C-reactive protein (CRP), trypsin activation peptide (TAP), procalcitonin (PCT) and others) and complex scores (including the traditional Ranson, Glasgow and Acute Physiology …


Alice is a far-ultraviolet imaging spectrograph on board Rosetta that, among multiple objectives, is designed to observe emissions from various atomic and molecular species from within the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The initial observations, made following orbit insertion in 2014 August, showed emissions of atomic hydrogen and oxygen spatially localized close to the nucleus and attributed to photoelectron impact dissociation of H2O vapor. Weaker emissions from atomic carbon were subsequently detected and also attributed to electron impact dissociation, of CO2, the relative H i and C i line intensities reflecting the variation of CO2 to H2O column abundance along the line of sight through the coma. Beginning in 2015 mid-April, Alice sporadically observed a number of outbursts above the sunward limb characterized by sudden increases in the atomic emissions, particularly the semi-forbidden O i λ1356 multiplet, over a period of 10–30 minutes, without a corresponding enhancement in long-wavelength solar reflected light characteristic of dust production. A large increase in the brightness ratio O i λ1356/O i λ1304 suggests O2 as the principal source of the additional gas. These outbursts do not correlate with any of the visible images of outbursts taken with either OSIRIS or the navigation camera. Beginning in 2015 June the nature of the Alice spectrum changed considerably with CO Fourth Positive band emission observed continuously, varying with pointing but otherwise fairly constant in time. However, CO does not appear to be a major driver of any of the observed outbursts.


By means of morphological, morphometric and radioautographic methods, regeneration of mechanically traumatized parathyroid glands has been studied in 22 euthyroid and 22 hyperthyroid rats on the 1st-20th days after the operation. The thyroid gland is stimulated by daily injection of thyrotropin (1 ME/100 g of body mass). Twelve non-operated animals (6 hyperthyroid and 6 euthyroid rats) serve as control. In the regenerating parathyroid glands of the hyperthyroid animals in comparison with the euthyroid ones, certain increase of proliferative activity is noted in parathyrocytes and in cells of the granular tissue on the 2d-6th days, a more pronounced hypertrophy of epitheliocytes on the 2d-20th days, hyperplasia of their nucleolar apparatus on the 2d-5th days. The experimental hyperthyroidism stimulates manifestation of restorative processes in the regenerating parathyroid glands during development of active inflammatory reaction in them; however, it does not influence the parameters of the organ's structure studied in the nonoperated animals.


Genetically modified agricultural field crops have provided a new lens with which to view transgenic plant engineering. Production of hybrid corn (Zea mays L) depends on crosspollination between male and female inbred parents. As such, reproductive isolation of seed fields is required to ensure genetic purity of the hybrid progeny. Customer demand for improved genetic purity prompted the seed industry to examine the level of genetic purity resulting from current isolation practices. This project was a two-pronged approach: 1) A three-year study was conducted to monitor purity of hybrid seed produced in 291 fields from 24 seed companies in North America; and 2) Evaluate a particulate model to determine whether it could be used to run multiple different seed production scenarios involving meteorological, positional and biological data to evaluate these dynamic elements on the production of genetically pure seed maize. Industry practices that most consistently contributed to high levels of genetic purity were i) use of 'Good' or 'Fair' pollen parents, ii) isolation greater than 165 ft from all potential adventitious pollen sources, iii) and large (>100 ac) seed field size. The modeling study produced evidence that models may be especially valuable for evaluating multiple "what if' seed production scenarios involving adventitious pollen movement. However, the ISCST3 model is effective estimating gross extra-field pollen movement, but lacks the precision to quantify absolute extra-field pollen quantities needed to accurately estimate seed field adventitious presence. The learnings from this project advance what the seed maize industry knows regarding seed field isolation practices and provides a solid base for further investigation applying models to assessing risk of adventitious presence within seed production.


Objective: The main aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between cosmetic surgery and psychological variables such as self-esteem and marital satisfaction along with its components in Iran. Methods: The study had an ex-post facto, pre-post-test design. Using purposive sampling method, a total of 30 married women, who had referred for cosmetic surgery to clinics in Tehran, were incorporated during a six-month period. Data collection instruments included Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. The obtained data were analyzed using inferential statistics (analysis of variance for repeated measures, related sample test, and Pearson correlation coefficient). Results: According to the results of this study, some components of marital satisfaction (such as marital relations, financial management, leisure, and sex) and self-esteem of women before and after cosmetic surgery is statistically significant also there is a relationship betwean marital satisfaction and self-esteem, as self-esteem increases, marital satisfaction rises too. Conclusion: Performance of such surgeries always presents risks, and advice should be sought before making any decision about the surgery.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to optimize time, cost and quality in a multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling environment.

Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach identified the activity execution modes in building construction projects in India to support multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling. The data required to compute time, cost and quality of each activity are compiled from real construction projects. A binary integer-programming model has been developed to perform multi-objective optimization and identify Pareto optimal solutions. The RR-PARETO3 algorithm was used to identify the best compromise trade-off solutions. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated through sample case study projects.

Findings
Results show that good compromise solutions are obtained through multi-objective optimization of time, cost and quality.

Research limitations/implications
Case study data sets were collected only from eight building construction projects in India.

Practical implications
It is feasible to adopt multi-objective optimization in practical construction projects using time, cost and quality as the objectives; Pareto surfaces help to quantify relationships among time, cost and quality. It is shown that cost can be reduced by increasing the duration, and quality can be improved only by increasing the cost.

Originality/value
The use of different activity execution modes compiled from multiple projects in optimization is illustrated, and good compromise solutions for the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problems using multi-objective optimization are identified.


This article presents a new mechanical model for the non‐linear force–displacement response of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls developing a flexural rocking mode including their displacement capacity. The model is based on the plane‐section hypothesis and a constitutive law for the masonry with zero tensile strength and linear elastic behaviour in compression. It is assumed that only the compressed part of the wall contributes to the stiffness of the wall and therefore the model accounts for a softening of the response due the reduction of the effective area. Stress conditions for limit states are proposed that characterise the flexural failure. The new model allows therefore linking local performance levels to global displacement capacities. The limit states criteria describe the behaviour of modern URM walls with cement mortar of normal thickness and clay bricks. The model is validated through comparison of local and global engineering demand parameters with experimental results. It provides good prediction of the effective stiffness, the force capacity and the displacement capacity of URM walls at different limit states. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Introduction Increase in CD4 count and achieving viral suppression are the ultimate goals of the HIV care, yet disparities in these outcomes exist among subpopulations of HIV-infected persons. We aimed to assess potential disparities in viral suppression and normal CD4 count among HIV-infected persons in care in Mississippi. Methods We used Mississippi Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) data from 2009 to 2014 (n=1,233) in this study. MMP is a nationally representative surveillance system designed to assess and monitor the behavioural and clinical characteristics of HIV-infected adults receiving outpatient medical care in the United States. Outcome variables in this study were suppressed recent and durable viral load (<200 copies/ml), and normal CD4 count (≥500 cells/mm3). Patients' characteristics in this study were race, gender, age, annual income, education, insurance, and length of diagnosis. Descriptive analysis, Chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression were conducted, accounting for the complex sample design. Results Our findings indicate that suppressed recent viral load prevalence was significantly higher among whites (72.8%), those aged ≥50 years (74.3%), those who had annual income ≥$20 000 (76%), public insurance (68.3%), or those were diagnosed ≥5 years (67.4%). The prevalence of suppressed durable viral load was significantly higher among those who aged ≥50 years (71.7%), and were diagnosed ≥5 years ago (61.4%), and the prevalence of normal CD4 was significantly higher among females (46%). Multivariable analysis show that those aged ≥50 years were more likely to have suppressed recent (aOR=2.4) and durable viral load (aOR=2.9) compared to those aged 18–24 years, and women were more likely to have normal CD4 count than men (aOR=1.4), after controlling for the confounders. Conclusion Our findings identified age and gender disparities in the HIV clinical outcomes, which may be used to develop and implement multifaceted interventions to improve health equity among all HIV-infected patients.


OBJECTIVES
This study evaluated the prevalence of job burnout and estimated psychiatric morbidity and job satisfaction among psychiatrists in Milan. Also investigated were the contributions of personal and environmental factors to burnout.

METHODS
Data were gathered via a cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter survey. All psychiatrists working in departments of psychiatry within the Italian Public Health System in Milan were invited to participate, and an overall response rate of 70% (N=81) was achieved. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, a job satisfaction measure, and a study-specific questionnaire were used in the assessments.

RESULTS
Psychiatrists showed high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Main sources of stress were related to work environment. According to regression models, the variable that most predicted burnout was a low level of job satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS
Data suggested that psychiatrists had higher levels of burnout than other physicians employed in general medical settings and confirmed that job satisfaction could have a protective role.


Among the emerging technologies with prophesied quantum advantage, quantum communications has already led to fascinating demonstrations -- including quantum teleportation to and from satellites. However, all optical communication necessitates the use of optical devices, and their comprehensive quantum thermodynamic description is still severely lacking. In the present analysis we prove several versions of Landauer's principle for noisy polarizers, namely absorbing linear polarizers and polarizing beamsplitters. As main results we obtain statements of the second law quantifying the minimal amount of heat that is dissipated in the creating of linearly polarized light. Our findings are illustrated with an experimentally tractable example, namely the temperature dependence of a quantum eraser.


This paper investigates the problem of efficient data dissemination in Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs) with high mobility. A testbed is presented; which provides a high degree of mobility in experiments. The testbed consists of 10 autonomous robots with mobile phones mounted on them. The mobile phones form an IEEE 802.11g ad hoc network to communicate with each other. A dynamic network topology is assumed, where the mobile devices form a cooperative cluster in order to exchange data packets among each other. In our multimedia exchange scenario, the initial state is that one device carries all information, and the goal is to convey that information to all devices. A strategy is proposed that uses UDP broadcast transmissions and random linear network coding to facilitate the efficient exchange of information in the network. An application is introduced that implements this strategy on Nokia phones. The measurement results collected from the testbed are presented, and the performance of the proposed strategy is compared to a reference strategy that is based on TCP unicast connections.


This illustrated paper reports on the early digital games industry in New Zealand, during the late 1970s and 80s. It presents an overview of this largely unknown history, drawing on in depth archival research, interviews with key industry participants and collectors. It discusses the local production of consoles, handhelds, and arcade games in this market, as well as anomalies of distribution of game systems widely available elsewhere, which was the context for this production. While relative isolation – geographical and policy driven – accounts for part of the booming manufacture during this period, the paper questions how helpful it is to treat early local games production as just a phenomenon of the local. While it is sometimes strategically useful, it is argued that this production of locality can mask more complex intersections between the local and non-local – or global – factors, the heterogenising aspects of globalization in this period of early digital games.


Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid(AA) on starch to prepare super absorbent resin (SAR) under microwave irradiation were investigated using N,N-methylene bis-acrylamide as crosslinker and potassium persulfate as initiator. The influences of the amount of initiator and crosslinker, neutralization degree of acrylic acid(AA), ratio of starch to AA, microwave power level and irradiation time on the distilled water absorption amount of resin were investigated. The results indicated that it only needed 4min under the microwave level of 231W to obtain the resin with the maximum absorption amount of 1110g×g-1, under the conditions that 0.3wt% initiator, 0.02wt% crosslinker, 60% neutralization degree of acrylic acid, the ratio of starch to acrylic acid of 0.25. Under microwave irradiation, the synthesis and drying of super absorbent resin could be completed at one step without nitrogen. Compared to conventional heating method, the methods had the striking advantages of short reaction time, simple process and low cost.


Green Velvet Material (PLON), which is prepared from polyester slices, has been called a green material based on its ester composition, its ability to be degraded, and the possibility of recovering the value of used material by reprocessing. PLON is expected to be used as a material for the padding layer of upholstered furniture. This paper presented a comparative study of traditional flexible polyurethane foam and Green Velvet Material as the upholstered furniture's padding layer. The compression mechanical properties of Green Velvet Material and flexible polyurethane foam, such as indentation force deflection, support performance, compression set, and resilience property, were analyzed. The results showed that Green Velvet Material had lower surface hardness and higher comfort compared to flexible polyurethane foam. In terms of resilience, both high-density and low-density Green Velvet Material performed better than the foam control group, but Green Velvet Material had a poorer ability to regain its shape after prolonged pressure. The 30 kg/m3 density Green Velvet Material was the closest to the compression and resilience properties of flexible polyurethane foam. The conclusions provide theoretical data for the effective and reasonable application of Green Velvet Material in upholstered furniture.


Face acknowledgment from picture or video is a famous theme in biometrics investigate. Numerous open places generally have observation cameras for video catch and these cameras have their huge incentive for security reason. It is broadly recognized that the face acknowledgment have played a vital part in reconnaissance framework as it needn't bother with the question's participation. The real points of interest of face based recognizable proof over different biometrics are uniqueness and acknowledgment. As human confront is a dynamic question having high level of fluctuation in its appearance, that makes confront recognition a troublesome issue in PC vision. In this field, precision and speed of ID is a primary issue. The objective of this paper is to assess different face recognition and acknowledgment strategies, give finish answer for picture based confront location and acknowledgment with higher precision, better reaction rate as an underlying advance for video reconnaissance. Arrangement is proposed in view of performed tests on different face rich databases as far as subjects, posture, feelings, race and light. Indexed Terms -


The word is in turmoil. Globalization, technology, profound demographic changes, financial crisis, ethic dilemmas lead us to question the validity of our educational and management paradigms. The new generations arriving to the workforce have different expectations and demand for more ethical, people-centered management. The future leaders are growing - socially, politically and economically - in the digital era and through a profound social, financial and economic crisis. These future leaders demand for purpose, meaning and connection and they will be working in organizations also shaped by the globalization of knowledge, markets and customers and the information and communication technology.People management and leadership will be key leverages for Europe to assert in the global context and to take a strategic role as a knowledge based economy and an innovation space. Research has been showing that the traditional management and leadership paradigms are no longer answering the current challenges that organizations are facing and are not being able to answer the expectations and needs of the new generations."With such changes have come new priorities and responsibilities and it is in this environment that the theory of servant leadership has flourished as a management style for the redefined business world of today, one that can serve as a cornerstone for organisations wishing to build corporate structures based on stewardship, empowerment and trust."Dirk van Dierendonck, RSM Insight 3rd Quarter, 2011In order to deploy new learning contents and training activities about a new leadership paradigm, one must be also prepared to answer to the learning challenges posed by a generation of active learners, digital natives and graphically/visually oriented.The main goal of the Artful Leadership project is to create innovative digital learning resources about Servant Leadership, supported by arts-based learning methods and deployed through different methods and techniques (e.g. digital storytelling, visual art, design thinking, etc.).


This report discusses the main provisions of the recently adopted WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. While recognizing the remarkable achievement of the global community in its efforts to curb illicit trade in tobacco products at the international level, the report also highlights those aspects of the Protocol that may undermine its effectiveness in the long–term perspective. In this context the enforcement capabilities of developing countries are cited as a main concern.


The use of stereotaxic cryothrombosis is sparing and sufficiently safe for the management of arteriovenous aneurysms of the brain. On the basis of experience in performing 21 operations on 15 patients, groups of patients for whom the method is recommended are distinguished (with an aneurysm no larger than 6 cm in diameter and up to 35 cm3 in volume). The method is especially promising in the treatment of small deep lying anteriovenous aneurysms. In large aneurysms the considerable blood flow makes it impossible to produce a sufficient hypothermal effect.


Recent developments, including national reports and new accreditation standards, have emphasized the need for dental students to be prepared to address the needs of a diverse patient population. The purpose of this study was to explore students' descriptions of and reflections on their day-to-day interactions with a diverse patient population in the clinical setting, using a qualitative approach. All dental students (sixty-six) enrolled in the third year of the D.M.D. program at a Midwestern dental school were required to write a paper reflecting on their experiences working with a diverse patient population in the general dental clinic of the school as part of a behavioral sciences course. All third-year dental students were invited to participate in the study. The students' papers were deidentified prior to data analysis. Forty-two students' papers describing a total of 126 patient-student interactions were reviewed. Data analysis resulted in identification of three key themes: 1) development of cultural awareness and recognition of the need to understand each patient as a unique individual, 2) desire to build rapport with all patients, and 3) realization that the development of cultural competence is a lifelong learning process requiring ongoing experiences working with a diverse patient population. Review of student reflection papers is valuable in providing faculty with an understanding of students' degree of development of cultural competence. A greater understanding of students' day-to-day experiences with a diverse patient population can provide insights for dental educators who develop cultural competence curricula.


The combined anticholinergic effects of many common drugs increase the risk of cognitive impairment and death in people aged over 65, a large scale study of the long term effect of drugs on health has found.

Taking just two drugs with anticholinergic effects, such as some drugs for heart disease, antihistamines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and even warfarin, can treble the risk of death in the over 65s. Doctors have been advised to assess the combined anticholinergic burden of all drugs that a patient is taking—prescribed drugs and those bought over the counter—before prescribing any additional ones. GPs have also been reminded of the importance of regularly reviewing patients' drugs.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on Friday (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03491.x/abstract), looked at the prescribed drugs and drugs bought over the counter taken by more than 13 000 people aged over 65 in the …


There is increasing need for environmentally safe and economically profitable farming systems. Greenhouse trials for the production of cucumber was carried out in Kenya at Egerton University, Department of Horticulture in 2003 and 2004 to compare the economics of using four nitrogen sources and three mulching materials. Based on partial budget analysis in an on farm scenario, there was no consistency in profitability of using the nitrogen sources and mulch types. In trial 1, Urea and transparent mulch were the most profitable nitrogen source while in trial 2; potassium nitrate and straw mulch were more profitable. These economic benefits make urea and potassium nitrate, and transparent polyethylene and straw mulch attractive alternatives for producing fresh market greenhouse cucumbers.


The response of canine tracheal and bronchial smooth muscle to i.a. administered agonists causing smooth muscle contraction was compared in 22 mongrel dogs in vivo. Tracheal and bronchial contractile responses were measured isometrically in situ in the same dogs. In nine dogs, dose-response curves were generated with i.a. acetylcholine and histamine (10(-10) to 10(-6) mol) in a 4-cm tracheal segment and a 1-cm segment of third order bronchus. The tracheal response to i.a. histamine was 36.5 +/- 4.48% of the response to equivalent doses of acetylcholine. In bronchus, the contraction caused by histamine was 81.0 +/- 2.83% of the cholinergic contractile response (P less than .001). In five dogs having beta adrenergic blockade with propranolol, tracheal contraction to 10(-8) to 10(-6) mol i.a. norepinephrine was 27.3 +/- 4.2% of the response to acetylcholine. However, in bronchus, contraction to norepinephrine was 218 +/- 16.6% of the response to equivalent doses of acetylcholine (P less than .001). Phentolamine (200-400 micrograms/kg i.a.) caused 79 to 100% blockade of the tracheal and bronchial response to i.a. norepinephrine. Cholinergic contraction was blocked specifically with 5 micrograms/kg i.a. of atropine. It is concluded that there is substantial heterogeneity in the contractile responses of canine trachea and bronchus in situ. Relative to cholinergic contraction, both histamine and alpha adrenergic stimulation cause substantially greater contraction of airway smooth muscle in the third order bronchus than in trachea.


About the book: Finding Out Fast provides readers with key skills and approaches for research designed to inform policies, particularly on development.

Recognizing that policy decisions are typically made under pressure of time and on the basis of incomplete data or with limited resources with which to obtain information, the authors provide guidance on how to locate, evaluate and use relevant information, fast.

They explain and critically review a variety of research methods for `finding out fast', in the belief that these methods can still be rigorous. Finding Out Fast will assist readers to become competent investigators, to understand how to use research more effectively and how to commission and critically evaluate research done by others.

This book is essential reading for development managers in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public sector agencies and students of development management and development studies more generally. However, the ideas and approaches will also appeal to anyone involved in policy making and research with developmental goals.


It is said that a camera cannot lie. However, in this digital era, it has become abundantly clear that it doesn't necessarily depict the truth. Increasingly sophisticated machine learning and artificial intelligence with inexpensive, easy to use and easily accessible video editing software are allowing more and more people to indulge in generating so-called deep fake videos, photos and audios.. These clips, which feature fabricated, altered and fake footage of people and things, are a growing concern in human society. Although political deep fakes are a new concern, pornographic deep fakes have been a problem for some time. These often purported to show a famous actress or model or any other woman, involved in a sex act but actually show the subject's face superimposed onto another woman's body who is actually involved in that act. This feature is called face-swapping and is known as the simplest method of creating a deep fake. There are numerous software applications that can be used for face-swapping, and the technology used is very advanced and is accessible. Deep fakes raise questions of personal reputation and control over one's image on the one hand and freedom of expression on the other. This will have a significant impact on user's privacy and security. Increasingly, governments around the world are reacting to these privacy evading applications for e.g., India banning TikTok and the USA investigating the privacy issues of TikTok and in the process of enacting laws to reduce the impact of deep fakes in the society. The study in this paper includes the ethical and legal implications surrounding the deep fake technology which also includes the study of several international legislations and analysing the position of India in tackling the crime of deepfake.


Introduction: Quality in laboratory medicine refers to satisfaction of the needs and expectations of users or customers which can be achieved by providing a guarantee in each and every step like the whole testing process which in turn includes the physician ordering the test, pre – analytical, analytical, post – analytical phases and finally the results for interpretation. The aim of this study is to highlight human dependent errors that affects biochemical tests, through cases which we encountered in our lab.
Conclusion: To prevent these errors, a symbiotic and synergistic participation should be there amongst the lab personnel and the health care team. This goal can be achieved with proper education and training of individuals involved in this process. Thus, prevention of these errors will help in better and effective patient management.

Keywords: Errors, Hyperkalemia, Hypernatremia, Lipemic, Preanalytical.


We report the generation of tunable cw radiation at 1.6 μm by difference-frequency mixing in a type II phase-matched 90°-cut CsTiOAsO4 crystal, using a Kr-ion laser at 531 nm and a tunable Ti:sapphire laser as the input light sources. The output was tunable from 1.57 to 1.65 μm with a single-pass output power of 1 μW. We used doubly resonant external-cavity enhancement to generate 100 μW of output power by placing the crystal inside an optical cavity that was resonant at the frequencies of the input Ti:sapphire laser and the 1.6-μm output light.


Using an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) forced by daily mean wind stresses and heat fluxes derived from the bulk formulation with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis of 1973-1995, we examined interannual atmosphere-ocean variations in the tropical western North Pacific related to the Asian summer monsoon-ENSO coupling. The OGCM simulation was successful in reproducing the east-west gradient of summertime SST anomalies between the South China Sea and the tropical western Pacific east of the Philippines that is linked with anomalous tropical convection in that vicinity. A heat budget analysis shows that a longitudinal asymmetry of surface latent heat flux anomalies is crucially responsible for the reinforcement and persistence of the east-west gradient of SST anomalies between the two regions. It is also found that the transition from premonsoon regime to monsoon regime in the tropical Indian Ocean affects the interannual atmosphere-ocean variations in the tropical western North Pacific during the period from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. In the spring before strong Asian summer monsoon, an equatorially asymmetric air-sea coupled mode tends to appear in the tropical Indian Ocean. Simultaneously with the beginning of the strong monsoon regime, the northern Indian Ocean and South China Sea are covered by cool SST anomalies due to enhanced wind speed and evaporation, whereas warm anomalies relevant to a cold episode of ENSO are still maintained in the warm pool region east of the Philippines. The latitudinally asymmetric anomalies of tropical convection and SST become dissipated and convection over the warm pool region of the western North Pacific becomes localized and enhanced with the establishment of east-west gradient of SST anomalies. Due to enhanced convective heating, equatorially asymmetric atmospheric Rossby waves are excited to the west of anomalous convection, which induce low-level westerly anomalies. This dynamic process further facilitates the localization of intense convection through the change in surface latent heat flux and SST. While such a positive atmosphere-ocean feedback system persists in boreal summer, the Pacific and Japan (PJ) teleconnection pattern in response to enhanced convection prevails and brings about unusually hot summers in recent years especially in the vicinity of Japan.


Recommender systems have become valuable resources for users seeking intelligent ways to search through the enormous volume of information available to them. One crucial unsolved problem for recommender systems is how best to learn about a new user. In this paper we study six techniques that collaborative filtering recommender systems can use to learn about new users. These techniques select a sequence of items for the collaborative filtering system to present to each new user for rating. The techniques include the use of information theory to select the items that will give the most value to the recommender system, aggregate statistics to select the items the user is most likely to have an opinion about, balanced techniques that seek to maximize the expected number of bits learned per presented item, and personalized techniques that predict which items a user will have an opinion about. We study the techniques thru offline experiments with a large pre-existing user data set, and thru a live experiment with over 300 users. We show that the choice of learning technique significantly affects the user experience, in both the user effort and the accuracy of the resulting predictions.


It is an axiomatic fact of world history that the southwestern Japanese clans led the winning coalition in the Meiji Restoration war of 1868, swept away all opposition, and built the modern Japanese order. This victory is often taken as a given, but this is not enough for a comprehensive view on the Meiji Restoration. In this dissertation, I will go beyond simply accepting the southwesterners' obvious success. I will explore why the Northern Alliance, a collection of domains in northeastern Japan, failed where the southwesterners' succeeded. Following on the powerful, albeit sporadic Japanese research stretching over the last thirty-odd years, I argue that the Alliance simply presents an imperfect analogue to the Kyoto-based southwestern coalition, which formed the modern Japanese government's nucleus. The allies drew on a tradition of its own local political legitimacy and self-assertion stretching back a millennium, and engaged in "horizontal" cooperation amongst themselves, rather than relying on their ties in relation to the shogunal or imperial center. I argue that it was not conservatism, xenophobia, or technophobia that doomed the alliance. The southwestern clans contained or set aside individual agendas in pursuit of collective victory, kept up more frequent international trade thanks to major ports like Nagasaki, and benefited from sound fiscal policies, good harvests, and booming populations. Conversely, what doomed the Alliance was fragmented political agendas, irregular foreign trade through remote ports, and a combination of poor finances, deep debt, and massive depopulation due to major famines earlier in the 19th century.


Background : In Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compliance rates with CPAP therapy are disappointingly low and since long-term adherence can be predicted by early CPAP use, effective interventions are needed to improve CPAP compliance among patients newly diagnosed with OSA. Aim: To determine outcomes of telemonitoring CPAP compliance and efficacy data, compared with standard clinical care and active phone call care. Material and Methods: We performed a randomized controlled clinical study, in which 51 patients (42 males; mean age: 54 years old; mean Apnea/hypopnea index (AIH): 36.8/h) newly diagnosed with OSA were consecutively randomized to either standard clinical care (SC) (n=21), active weekly phone call care (PC) (n=18) or telemonitored clinical care (TC) (n=12) with the use of Restraxx™. All patients were submitted to a comprehensive educational program during APAP adaptation. Patients were followed for their first 4 weeks of treatment with APAP (AutoSetSpirit S8; Resmed™) and data regarding compliance and efficacy was analyzed. Results: Patients randomized to TC used APAP an average of 5.0 ± 1.8 hours per night (hpn), SC patients averaged 5.1 ± 2.5 hpn and PC patients averaged 3.9 ± 2.6 hpn. Residual AIH was 5.3 ± 3.0 in TC, 5.0 ± 2.5 in SC and 5.6 ± 3.8 in PC. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups regarding CPAP compliance or efficacy (p=0.296 and p=0.825, respectively). Conclusions: In the presence of a comprehensive educational program during APAP adaptation, telemonitoring OSA patients didn't show benefits concerning compliance or efficacy. Standard clinical care, given its lower cost, should be privileged.


Base metal alloys due to their low cost, are being used more often as the substructure because of their good mechanical properties, excellent metal ceramic bonding and biocompatibility. The bonding of porcelain to metal is an important point to be considered for the success of the restoration. Aim: To compare and evaluate the shear bond strength of porcelain fused to metal substructure fabricated using conventional and contemporary techniques. Methods and Material: Thirty sample discs were fabricated – 10 of cast nickel chromium alloy, 10 of cast cobalt chromium alloys and 10 of laser sintered cobalt chromium alloy. Conventionally used feldspathic porcelain was used and fired over the metal discs. These samples were placed in a specially fabricated jig, which was held in a universal testing machine. The samples were subjected to shear stress until they fractured and the readings were noted. The fractured surface of the sample was then viewed under stereomicroscope. Results: The mean shear bond strength was highest in group C (porcelain fused to laser sintered cobalt chromium), followed by group A (porcelain fused to cast nickel chromium) and group B (porcelain fused to cast cobalt chromium) which was the least. The level of significance was fixed at p < 0.05. After applying Student's Unpaired 't' test there is no significant difference in shear bond strength in group A compared with group B, highly significant in group A and group C and very highly significant in group B and group C. Conclusions: All the three groups showed adequate, but laser sintered cobalt chromium alloy had the highest shear bond strength to porcelain. Nickel chromium alloy fabricated by conventional casting method showed lesser values of the shear bond strength, followed by cobalt chromium alloy fabricated by conventional casting, which had the least shear bond strength.


We compare two planner solutions for a challenging Earth science application to plan coordinated measurements (observations) for a constellation of satellites. This problem is combinatorially explosive, involving many degrees of freedom for planner choices. Each satellite carries two different sensors and is maneuverable to 61 pointing angle options. The sensors collect data to update the predictions made by a high-fidelity global soil moisture prediction model. Soil moisture is an important geophysical variable whose knowledge is used in applications such as crop health monitoring and predictions of floods, droughts, and fires.
 The global soil-moisture model produces soil-moisture predictions with associated prediction errors over the globe represented by a grid of 1.67 million Ground Positions (GPs). The prediction error varies over space and time and can change drastically with events like rain/fire. The planner's goal is to select measurements which reduce prediction errors to improve future predictions. This is done by targeting high-quality observations at locations of high prediction-error. Observations can be made in multiple ways, such as by using one or more instruments or different pointing angles; the planner seeks to select the way with the least measurement-error (higher observation quality).
 In this paper we compare two planning approaches to this problem: Dynamic Constraint Processing (DCP) and Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). We match inputs and metrics for both DCP and MILP algorithms to enable a direct apples-to-apples comparison. DCP uses domain heuristics to find solutions within a reasonable time for our application but cannot be proven optimal, while the MILP produces provably optimal solutions. We demonstrate and discuss the trades between DCP flexibility and performance vs. MILP's promise of provable optimality.


The Sparse intelligent alarm processor helps operators at power system control centers to rapidly interpret enormous quantities of alarm messages during incidents (for example, short circuits in transmission lines). Operators have been using Sparse in the field, with positive results. Sparse's main goal is to help substation control center operators during incidents to rapidly interpret the enormous quantity of alarm messages that Scada systems can generate, and to minimize the amount of nonsupplied power.


This paper describes a simple method for segmenting the hippocampus automatically from high-resolution 9.4 Tesla MRI of postmortem samples. Large datasets of high-resolution structural MR images are collected to quantitatively analyze the relationships between brain anatomy, disease progression, treatment regimens, and genetic influences upon brain structure.This method segments the hippocampus without any human intervention for few slices present in the anterior and the posterior position in the total volume. Experimental results using this method show a good agreement with the manuals segmented gold standard.


We present iSAM2, a fully incremental, graph-based version of incremental smoothing and mapping (iSAM). iSAM2 is based on a novel graphical model-based interpretation of incremental sparse matrix factorization methods, afforded by the recently introduced Bayes tree data structure. The original iSAM algorithm incrementally maintains the square root information matrix by applying matrix factorization updates. We analyze the matrix updates as simple editing operations on the Bayes tree and the conditional densities represented by its cliques. Based on that insight, we present a new method to incrementally change the variable ordering which has a large effect on efficiency. The efficiency and accuracy of the new method is based on fluid relinearization, the concept of selectively relinearizing variables as needed. This allows us to obtain a fully incremental algorithm without any need for periodic batch steps. We analyze the properties of the resulting algorithm in detail, and show on various real and simulated datasets that the iSAM2 algorithm compares favorably with other recent mapping algorithms in both quality and efficiency.


J. R. Polimeni, B. Fischl, D. N. Greve, and L. L. Wald Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States, Computer Science and AI Lab (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States


Anthropogenic organic contaminants have been found in even the most remote locations. To assess the global distribution and possible effects of such contaminants, we examined the tissues of two species of albatross collected from Midway Atoll in the central North Pacific Ocean. These birds have an extensive feeding range covering much of the subtropical and northern Pacific Ocean. Anthropogenic contaminants were found at relatively great concentrations in these birds. The sum of 19 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners ranged from 177 ng/g wet weight in eggs to 2,750 ng/g wet weight in adult fat. Total toxic equivalents (TEQs) derived from polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) ranged from 17.2 to 297 pg/g wet weight in the same tissues, while the inclusion of TEQs from PCBs increased these values to 48.4 and 769 pg/g wet weight, respectively. While contaminant concentrations varied between species and tissues, the contaminant profile was relatively uniform. The profile of contaminants detected was unusual in that much of the TEQs was contributed by two pentachlorinated congeners (2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorinated dibenzofuran and 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin), and the profiles of PCB congeners did not match known sources. When compared to other studies the concentrations detected in the Midway Atoll samples were near or above the thresholds known to cause adverse effects in other fish-eating bird species.


Den heliga kungen och den saliga ankan is a comparative study of the saint legend of Erik and the saint legend of Elin as they are represented each saint's officium. The base for these comparisons is the question of what general similarities, and differences, there are as well as an immerse investigation of how these legends portray halidom and finally how the issue of femininity and manliness are portrayed through these two legends. During the thesis apparent similarities appear in how the legends are structured; a template seems to have existed in which the content of what a legend should include is stated. Erik, as well as Elin, are of noble birth and are portrayed as godly people who live bountiful and ascetic lives. They also share other common features; both Erik and Elin proceed on a mission before they encounter the enemy which ultimately leads to their martyr deaths. After their deaths various miracles takes place. Several references to the bible occur within both legends with the intention to authorize and emphasize moral virtues. One of the variations between the legends is in the way the saints die. Whereas Erik dies during battle, sword in hand, which is not a completely characteristic way to die the martyr death, Elin instead confronts her destiny with complete stoic composure. In terms on halidom, both saints are defined within the frame of a rex justus, a rightful king, as well as a vidua sancta, a holy widow who prays for her enemies before death. In the comparison between femininity and manliness typical patterns appear in which Erik is described as an energetic man, yet humble before God, whereas Elin is portrayed as fair and vestal, abstemious and virtuous, wise and unpresuming.


Stormwater runoff carries pollutants from urban areas to rivers and has the potential to be a main contributing source of microplastics (MPs) to the ecosystem. Stormwater detention reservoirs (SDRs) differ from ponds and lakes in that SDRs retain most particulate matter and they are emptied after storm events. This paper investigates the occurrence of MPs in the SDR of the Alto-Tietê catchment area, Itaim stream in Poá city, São Paulo, Brazil. The MPs found were classified in different categories: shapes (fragment, line/fibre, film/sheet and pellet); size (<0.5 mm, between 0.5 mm and 1 mm and >1 mm); and polymer composition. Results have shown that most of the MPs found in the samples are fragments (57%), followed by pellets (27%), fibres/lines (9%), and then films/sheets (6%). Small particles (<0.5 mm) represented 89% of the total MPs, and this category mainly included fragments (62%) and pellets (30%). MPs were found in a vast variety of shapes and colours, which shows a likely variety of sources. Besides the occurrence of MPs in the stormwater samples, the potential of SDRs as a first sanitary barrier to retain MPs before they reach the ecosystem has been speculated.


OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with differential state maternal mortality ratios and to quantitate the contribution of various demographic factors to such variation. METHODS: In a population-level analysis study, we analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics database and the Detailed Mortality Underlying Cause of Death database (CDC WONDER) that contains mortality and population counts for all U.S. counties. Bivariate correlations between maternal mortality ratio and all maternal demographic, lifestyle, health, and medical service utilization characteristics were calculated. We performed a maximum likelihood factor analysis with varimax rotation retaining variables that were significant (P<.05) in the univariate analysis to deal with multicollinearity among the existing variables. RESULTS: The United States has experienced a continued increase in maternal mortality ratio since 2007 with rates of 21–22 per 100,000 live births in 2013 and 2014. This increase in mortality was most dramatic in non-Hispanic black women. There was a significant correlation between state mortality ranking and the percentage of non-Hispanic black women in the delivery population. Cesarean deliveries, unintended births, unmarried status, percentage of non-Hispanic black deliveries, and four or less prenatal visits were significantly (P<.05) associated with increased maternal mortality ratio. CONCLUSION: Interstate differences in maternal mortality ratios largely reflect a different proportion of non-Hispanic black or unmarried patients with unplanned pregnancies. Racial disparities in health care availability, access, or utilization by underserved populations are an important issue faced by states in seeking to decrease maternal mortality.


Although rework is a common phenomenon in the Chinese construction industry and significantly affects project success, the reasons for rework remain largely unknown and most construction companies are unable to manage the issue effectively. To investigate the causes of rework in construction projects, a total of 39 causes were first identified through a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with 13 experienced construction professionals in China. A questionnaire survey was further conducted to prioritize these causes, in which unclear project process management, poor quality of construction technology, and the use of poor construction materials rank the highest. Finally, a factor analysis revealed 11 major underlying dimensions of these causes, relating to design management, communication management, field management, project scope management, project process management, active rework, project plan changes, subcontractor management, contract management, owner capability, and the external environment. The contribution of this work lies in its examination of the underlying causes of rework perceived by construction professionals in the world's largest developing country, which is characterized by its unique economic and social systems. In particular, newly identified causes of contract management, active rework, and scope management help expand existing knowledge of the underlying causes of rework for the global construction community.


Abstract. Speciation analysis of iodine in aerosols is a very useful approach for understanding geochemical cycling of iodine in the atmosphere. In this study, overall iodine species, including water-soluble iodine species (iodide, iodate and water-soluble organic iodine), NaOH-soluble iodine, and insoluble iodine have been determined for 129I and 127I in the aerosols collected at Riso, Denmark, during March and May 2011 (shortly after the Fukushima nuclear accident) and in December 2014. The measured concentrations of total iodine are in the range of 1.04–2.48 ng m−3 for 127I and (11.3–97.0)  ×  105 atoms m−3 for 129I, corresponding to 129I ∕ 127I atomic ratios of (17.8–86.8)  ×  10−8. The contribution of Fukushima-derived 129I (peak value of 6.3  ×  104 atoms m−3) is estimated to be negligible (less than 6 %) compared to the total 129I concentration in northern Europe. The concentrations and species of 129I and 127I in the aerosols are found to be strongly related to their sources and atmospheric pathways. Aerosols that were transported over the contaminated seas contained higher concentrations of 129I than aerosols transported over the European continent. The high 129I concentrations of the marine aerosols are attributed to secondary emission of marine discharged 129I in the contaminated seawater in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, English Channel, Kattegat, etc., rather than direct gaseous release from the European nuclear reprocessing plants (NRPs). Water-soluble iodine was found to be a minor fraction to the total iodine for both 127I (7.8–13.7 %) and 129I (6.5–14.1 %) in ocean-derived aerosols, but accounted for 20.2–30.3 % for 127I and 25.6–29.5 % for 129I in land-derived aerosols. Iodide was the predominant form of water-soluble iodine, accounting for more than 97 % of the water-soluble iodine. NaOH-soluble iodine seems to be independent of the sources of aerosols. The significant proportion of 129I and 127I found in NaOH-soluble fractions is likely bound with organic substances. In contrast to water-soluble iodine, the sources of air masses exerted distinct influences on insoluble iodine for both 129I and 127I, with higher values for marine air masses and lower values for terrestrial air masses.


Since the concept of the 'niche' was proposed by Hutchinson almost 50 years ago, many researchers have investigated factors that enable species within 'guilds' (i.e., species that exploit a common resource and are likely to compete with one another) to co-exist and to persist. Here, development, host utilization, and life-history characteristics are compared in two species of solitary secondary hyperparasitoids, Lysibia nana and Gelis agilis, attacking pre-pupae of their primary parasitoid host, Cotesia glomerata. More than 80% of the host cocoons presented to L. nana successfully produced adult hyperparasitoids compared with only about 20% for G. agilis. Adult hyperparasitoid body mass increased with host mass, but there was little difference in the mean overall body mass of either species. However, egg-to-adult development time for L. nana was significantly less than that for G. agilis. When provided with unlimited food (honey solution), G. agilis had a lifespan that was almost twice that of L. nana. However, dissections of the ovaries of adult wasps at death revealed that L. nana usually had accumulated more than 20 mature eggs, whereas G. agilis was effectively sterile. We suggest that several eco-physiological factors, as well as differing degrees of specialization amongst the guild of secondary hyperparasitoids attacking C glomerata cocoons, enable them to successfully co-exist in nature. [KEYWORDS: competition ; Cotesia glomerata ; guild ; hyperparasitoid ; niche construction]


To the Editor: -1ndomethacin suppositories are well known to produce rectal ulceration and bleeding.',* However, we are not aware of any reports of fistula formation. An 84-year-old woman presented to the Flinders Medical Centre with a three-week history of pain and discharge in the vulval region. She had a five-year history of rheumatoid arthritis and had used indomethacin suppositories nightly. She continued to insert the suppository up until the time of admission. There had been no history of rectal bleeding. There was a history of fecal soiling but no diarrhea. Examination of the perineum revealed a 1.5-cm elliptical ulcer on the posterior aspect of the (r) vulva. Subsequent examination under anesthesia revealed that the vulval ulcer connected with the lower rectum. Biopsy of the ulcer and rectum showed chronic inflammatory changes. Subsequent treatment of sitz baths, cathartics, and adequate analgesia resulted in healing of the vulval side of the fistula in four weeks. However, sigmoidoscopy performed at 20 weeks showed evidence of continuing granulation tissue in the rectum


In Reply. —We appreciate the excellent comments of Dr O'Day and associates concerning our patient with F oxysporum endophthalmitis. We did not, in fact, observe hyphal material in the original vitrectomy specimen by phase contrast microscopy. The progressive deterioration of vision and inflammation suggested fungal growth prior to vitrectomy. During the original vitrectomy, several mass lesions were removed from the vitreous but the actual mass on the posterior aspect of the lens capsule was not disturbed; we believed that the risk to the lens was unjustified. Several of these mass lesions could certainly have been an inflammatory reaction to viable spores. The clinician should be aware that fungi do not normally sporulate in tissue. We hope that editors will more rapidly publish Dr O'Day's further fungal experimental and clinical data, for it will assist all clinicians in treating these difficult cases.


ABSTRACT Museums and heritage tourism sites are highly curated places of memory work whose function is the assembling and ordering of space and narrative to contour visitors' experiences of the past. Variations in such experiences within and between sites, however, necessitates a method that: (1) captures how guides, visitors, and exhibits interact within spaces when representing and performing history and (2) allows researchers to document those variations. We developed narrative mapping, a mobile and geographically sensitive form of participant observation, to enable museum scholars and professionals to systematically capture, visualize, and interpret tendencies and variations in the content, affective qualities, and spatial arrangements of museum narratives over multiple sites and across multiple tours at the same site. Two antebellum plantation museum case studies, Laura Plantation in Louisiana and Virginia's Berkeley Plantation, demonstrate the method's utility in documenting how stories are spatially configured and materially enlivened in order to analyze the ways enslaved persons are placed within these narratives.


Markov Random Field (MRF) is an important tool and has been widely used in many vision tasks. Thus, the optimization of MRFs is a problem of fundamental importance. Recently, Veskler and Kumar et. al propose the range move algorithms, which are one of the most successful solvers to this problem. However, two problems have limited the applicability of previous range move algorithms: 1) They are limited in the types of energies they can handle (i.e. only truncated convex functions); 2) These algorithms tend to be very slow compared to other graph-cut based algorithms (e.g. α-expansion and αβ-swap). In this paper, we propose a generalized range swap algorithm (GRSA) for efficient optimization of MRFs. To address the first problem, we extend the GRSA to arbitrary semimetric energies by restricting the chosen labels in each move so that the energy is submodular on the chosen subset. Furthermore, to feasibly choose the labels satisfying the submodular condition, we provide a sufficient condition of the submodularity. For the second problem, unlike previous range move algorithms which execute the set of all possible range moves, we dynamically obtain the iterative moves by solving a set cover problem, which greatly reduces the number of moves during the optimization. Experiments show that the GRSA offers a great speedup over previous range swap algorithms, while it obtains competitive solutions.


The gain is predicted for a solid molybdenum target illuminated by several joules of combined energy from a nanosecond laser pulse to create a preplasma followed by a picosecond laser pulse to drive the gain. Gains greater than 300 cm-1 are predicted for the Ni-like Mo 4d 1S0→4p 1P1 transition at 18.9 nm, which is driven by the monopole collisional excitation. High gain is also predicted for a self-photo-pumped 4f 1P1→4d 1P1 transition at 22.0 nm and several other transitions driven by inner shell collisional ionization.