Meteoritic abundances of r-process elements are analyzed to deduce the history of chemical enrichment by the r-process, from the beginning of disk formation to the present time in the solar vicinity. Our analysis combines the abundance information from short-lived radioactive nuclei such as 244Pu with the abundance information from stable r-process nuclei such as Eu. These two types of nuclei can be associated with one r-process event and an accumulation of events until the formation of the solar system, respectively. With the help of the observed local star formation (SF) history, we deduce the chemical evolution of 244Pu and obtain three main results: (i) the last r-process event occurred 130–140 Myr before the formation of the solar system; (ii) the present-day low 244Pu abundance as measured in deep-sea reservoirs results from the low recent SF rate compared to ∼4.5−5 Gyr ago; and (iii) there were ∼15 r-process events in the solar vicinity from the formation of the Galaxy to the time of solar system's formation and ∼30 r-process events to the present time. Then, adopting the hypothesis that a neutron star (NS) merger is the r-process production site, we find that the ejected r-process elements are extensively spread out and mixed with interstellar matter, with a mass of M⊙, which is about 100 times larger than that for supernova ejecta. In addition, the event frequency of r-process production is estimated to be 1 per ~1400 core-collapse supernovae, which is identical to the frequency of NS mergers estimated from the analysis of stellar abundances.


Human perception excels at building compositional hierarchies of parts and objects from unlabeled scenes that help systematic generalization. Yet most work on generative scene modeling either ignores the part-whole relationship or assumes access to predefined part labels. In this paper, we propose Generative Scene Graph Networks (GSGNs), the first deep generative model that learns to discover the primitive parts and infer the part-whole relationship jointly from multi-object scenes without supervision and in an end-to-end trainable way. We formulate GSGN as a variational autoencoder in which the latent representation is a treestructured probabilistic scene graph. The leaf nodes in the latent tree correspond to primitive parts, and the edges represent the symbolic pose variables required for recursively composing the parts into whole objects and then the full scene. This allows novel objects and scenes to be generated both by sampling from the prior and by manual configuration of the pose variables, as we do with graphics engines. We evaluate GSGN on datasets of scenes containing multiple compositional objects, including a challenging Compositional CLEVR dataset that we have developed. We show that GSGN is able to infer the latent scene graph, generalize out of the training regime, and improve data efficiency in downstream tasks.


The long-term goal of artificial intelligence (AI) is to make machines learn and think like human beings. Due to the high levels of uncertainty and vulnerability in human life and the open-ended nature of problems that humans are facing, no matter how intelligent machines are, they are unable to completely replace humans. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce human cognitive capabilities or human-like cognitive models into AI systems to develop a new form of AI, that is, hybrid-augmented intelligence. This form of AI or machine intelligence is a feasible and important developing model. Hybrid-augmented intelligence can be divided into two basic models: one is human-in-the-loop augmented intelligence with human-computer collaboration, and the other is cognitive computing based augmented intelligence, in which a cognitive model is embedded in the machine learning system. This survey describes a basic framework for human-computer collaborative hybrid-augmented intelligence, and the basic elements of hybrid-augmented intelligence based on cognitive computing. These elements include intuitive reasoning, causal models, evolution of memory and knowledge, especially the role and basic principles of intuitive reasoning for complex problem solving, and the cognitive learning framework for visual scene understanding based on memory and reasoning. Several typical applications of hybrid-augmented intelligence in related fields are given.


Railway vehicles are fitted with coned wheels to provide
a measure of stability, but it can be shown that since the forces between
wheel and track are non-conservative, dynamic instability occurs at
a certain critical speed. Under these conditions the wheelsets sway from
side-to-side of the, track with the flanges of the wheels contacting the rails.
This can lead to derailment when the wheel climbs up the rail and
eventually jumps off.
The forces which exist between wheel and rail are due to the
phenomenon known as "creepage", and various theories exist which predict
these forces in the plane of the contact area. An investigation has been
carried out into these theories with the railway wheelset problem in view,
particularly the flange contact case.
It is possible, by assuming small displacements which avoid
flange contact, to carry out a linearised study of the lateral dynamics
of a wheelset, but the presence of the wheel flanges introduces a nonlinearity
into the problem.
A mathematical model of a wheelset and track has been defined
based on real wheels with a "worn" tyre profile and real track. Computer
programs have been written which calculate the contact points when the wheelset
is displaced laterally and yawed by various amounts, including flange
,contact conditions. Up to three contact points can exist between the wheelset,
and track. Forces in the contact areas have been calculated using the
various theories assuming the wheelset to be rolling along the track a ta
constant velocity in a displaced position. These forces have been
manipulated to give the total forces and, moments on the wheelset and are
presented for various vertical load distributions and for various angular
and lateral displacements of the wheelset from its central position.
Although theories exist which predict the forces for flange
type contact, i. e. very elongated contact ellipse with a large amount of spin
present, it became apparent during the course of the investigation that very
little experimental evidence was available for such conditions. As a result
a roller rig was built to provide this data, and measurements were made of·
the lateral force due to various amounts of lateral creep and spin on
elongated contact ellipses. Results from these tests have been compared
with the available theories and show reasonable agreement.


The purpose of this research is to find out the design of ANEKA value-based evaluation model that is used to measure the quality of computer learning in SMK TI in Badung Regency. The method used in this research is Research and Development with Borg and Gall development design consisting of 10 stages. This research was conducted for two years, which is special in this first year research conducted several stages such as: research and field data collection, planning, model design development, initial test, and revision of initial test. Subjects involved in conducting the initial test of evaluation model are four experts, among others: 2 educational experts and 2 experts informatics. The analysis technique used is descriptive of percentage. The results of Initial test on evaluation model design is shown with a percentage of 86.67% so it is included in the good qualification.


A small but growing body of literature on the history of computational linguistics has emerged over the past few decades. Much of it has focused on language translation—particularly US attempts with automating Russian language translation during the early Cold War. Emblematic of its early focus on translation, the professional organization the Association for Machine Translation and Computational Linguistics (AMTCL) was founded in 1962. In 1968, ''Machine Translation'' was dropped from its name and the organization became the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL), reflecting the broadening focus of the discipline. While often the historical literature in this area has been written from the context of artificial intelligence (AI), computational linguistics (rule-based modeling of natural language using computer technology) is a field that predates AI. Its foundations lay in wartime and early post World War II mathematical linguistics and information theory. Since the 1960s, computational linguistics has drawn from a vast range of fields— from linguistics, mathematics, AI, and computer science to cognitive science, psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience—and much of the research has been conducted by interdisciplinary teams. In January 1981, the Annals (vol. 3, no. 1) published one of the first major contributions to the historical literature on computational linguistics in S.A. Greibach's ''Formal Languages: Origins and Directions.'' Greibach was trained in both linguistics and applied mathematics (PhD, Harvard, 1963). She contributed to Harvard's project on ''Mathematical Linguistics and Automatic Translation,'' and engaged in similar research at RAND and System Development Corporation, before joining UCLA's computer science faculty in 1969. Her article addressed the work of Turing and Post on grammars and machines in the 1930s and 1940s, and contributions by Chomsky, Keene, McCulloch and Pitts, and others in the 1940s and 1950s, before detailing the work at Harvard and elsewhere that she helped contribute to during the 1960s and early 1970s. More recently, the Annals published an article on natural-language processing at Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) and a three-part article on IBM's work with Far Eastern languages. Computational linguist and head of the natural-language processing group at BBN, Ralph Weischedel, wrote primarily on the history of BBN's achievements (vol. 28, no. 1, 2006) prior to his arrival in 1984—from the work of J.C.R. Licklider's ''Libraries of the Future Project'' andRoss Quillian's pathbreaking studies on semantic networks for representing meaning of natural language in the 1960s to Bill Wood's seminal research in the 1970s on what became description logics. Many of the early efforts in natural-language processing were funded by various agencies of the federal government (Air Force, DARPA, NSF, and so on) and often followed Cold War imperatives. IBM was the leading corporation concentrating on language processing for commercial applications. In the January-March (vol. 27, no. 1) issue of the Annals, Kurt Hensch, Toshiaki Igi, Masumi Iwao, Akira Oda, and Toru Takeshita published an important three-part article entitled ''IBM History of Far Eastern Languages in Computing.'' In the first part, Hensch briefly surveyed complexities and characteristics of the Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Thai languages, and IBM's efforts at encoding Japanese characters on the IBM 1401. Hensch et al., in parts 2 and 3, surveyed IBM's subsequent work with language processing of Japanese between the 1960s and the 1990s. The following pages of this special issue on the history of Asian language processing offer a wonderful complement to Hensch et al.'s discussion of IBM's work in Japan by examining the prehistory and history of language processing with Indian, Thai, and Sinhala scripts. Of particular interest, the articles collectively present the history of working with these scripts using earlier technologies (printing presses, typewriters, and so on) before relating the challenges and successes with keyboards, monitors, printing, and networking in the age of digital computers. The text and images of these articles richly illustrate the pioneering activity to address complexity, create standards, and extend the reach of computers through language processing in the minicomputer, personal computer, and World Wide Web eras. Please see Shakrange T. NandasaraandYoshiki Mikami'sdetailed introduction to the three feature articles. I am grateful to editorial board member and Events and Sightings editor Chigusa Kita for helping to recruit this special issue and to Shakrange Nandasara and Yoshiki Mikami for their contributions and leadership in assembling these important selections extending our knowledge of the history of Asian language processing.


A fully integrated complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) cascode LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with Q-enhancement technique has been designed for high frequency and low phase noise. The symmetrical cascode architecture is implemented with negative conductance circuit for improving phase noise performance in 0.18 mum CMOS technology. The measured phase noise is -110.8 dBc/Hz at the offset frequency of 1 MHz. The tuning range of 630 MHz is achieved with the control voltage from 0.6 to 1.4 V. The VCO draws 4.5 mA in a differential core circuit from 1.8 V supply.


Attitudes toward the consumption of alcohol by the British working class had begun to shift during the last twenty years of the nineteenth century, as the environment and working conditions were gradually recognised as being a major contributory factor in drunkenness. Friedrich Engels had raised the environmental issue in 1845 in The Conditions of the Working Class in England, arguing that cramped, uncomfortable living conditions and harsh working practices drove the worker to drink. Engels states of the worker, "His enfeebled frame, weakened by bad air and bad food, loudly demands some external stimulus; his social need can be gratified only in the public house, he has absolutely no other place where he can meet his friends. How can he be expected to resist the temptation?" (133). But the power of the temperance movement's focus on individual responsibility and self-help during the mid-nineteenth century meant Engels's focus was not widely accepted until the resurgence of socialism at the end of the century. By then resentment was rising within both the working class generally and the socialist movement against the imposition of abstinence, especially when the consumption of other classes remained steady. As Brian Harrison states, "it was now suspected that [the workers] were being hypocritically inculcated by self-interested capitalists," (402) and British socialists were keen to promote this perspective.


In this working paper, we estimate agricultural total factor productivity (Ag TFP) for South American countries over the period 19692016 and identify how road density affect technical efficiency. In 2015, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, the Andean countries, had 205,000; 166,000; 96,000; 89,000; and 43,000 kilometers of roads, respectively. A poor-quality and limited road network, along with inaccessibility to markets, might limit the ability of farms to efficiently manage production inputs, raising technical inefficiency. We find that the Ag TFP growth rate per year for South American countries, on average, is 1.5%. For the Andean countries, we find an even smaller growth rate per year of 1.4% on average. Our findings suggest that higher road density is associated with lower technical inefficiency.


The artificial potential field (APF) is a popular method of choice for robot navigation, as it offers an intuitive model clearly defining all attractive and repulsive forces acting on the robot [3] [25] [29] [43] [50]. However, there are drawbacks that limit the usage of this method. For instance, the local minima problem that gets a robot trapped, and the Goal-Non-Reachable-with-Obstacle-Nearby (GNRON) problem, as reported in [51] [5] [23] [2] and [3]. In order to avoid these limitations, this research focuses on devising a methodology of combining the artificial potential field with a selection of optimal search algorithms. This work investigates the performance of the method when using different optimal search algorithms such as the A* algorithm and the any-angle pathplanning Theta* Search, in combination with different types of artificial potential field generators. We also present a novel integration technique, whereby the Potential Field approach is utilized as an internal component of an optimal search algorithm, considering the safeness of the calculated paths. Furthermore, this study also explores the optimization of several auxiliary algorithms used in conjunction with the APF-Optimal search integration: There are three different methods proposed for implementing the line-of-sight (LOS) component of the Theta* search, namely the simple line-of-sight checking algorithm, the modified Bresenham's line algorithm and the modified CohenSutherland algorithm. Contrary to the studies presented in [5], [42], [48] and [40] where the APF and the optimal search algorithms were used separately, in this research, an integrative methodology involving the APF inside the optimal search with a newly proposed Safety Factor (SF) is explored. Experiment results indicate that the APF-A* Search with the SF can reduce the number of state expansions and therefore also the running time up to 19.61%, while maintaining the safeness of the path, as compared to APF-A* when not using the SF. Furthermore, this research also explores how the proposed hybrid algorithms can be used in developing multi-objective behaviours of single robot. In this regard, a robot soccer simulation platform with a physics engine is developed as well to support the exploration. Lastly, the performance of the proposed algorithms is examined under varying environment conditions. Evidences are provided showing that the method can be used in constructing the intelligence for a robot goal keeper and a robot attacker (ball shooter). A multitude of AI robot behaviours using the proposed methods are integrated via a finite state machine including: defensive positioning/parking, ball kicking/shooting, and target pursuing behaviours.


Rationale: Maintenance of a surface immune barrier is important for homeostasis in organs with mucosal surfaces that interface with the external environment; however, the role of the mucosal immune system in chronic lung diseases is incompletely understood. Objectives: We examined the relationship between secretory IgA (SIgA) on the mucosal surface of small airways and parameters of inflammation and airway wall remodeling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: We studied 1,104 small airways (<2 mm in diameter) from 50 former smokers with COPD and 39 control subjects. Small airways were identified on serial tissue sections and examined for epithelial morphology, SIgA, bacterial DNA, nuclear factor‐&kgr;B activation, neutrophil and macrophage infiltration, and airway wall thickness. Measurements and Main Results: Morphometric evaluation of small airways revealed increased mean airway wall thickness and inflammatory cell counts in lungs from patients with COPD compared with control subjects, whereas SIgA level on the mucosal surface was decreased. However, when small airways were classified as SIgA intact or SIgA deficient, we found that pathologic changes were localized almost exclusively to SIgA‐deficient airways, regardless of study group. SIgA‐deficient airways were characterized by (1) abnormal epithelial morphology, (2) invasion of bacteria across the apical epithelial barrier, (3) nuclear factor‐&kgr;B activation, (4) accumulation of macrophages and neutrophils, and (5) fibrotic remodeling of the airway wall. Conclusions: Our findings support the concept that localized, acquired SIgA deficiency in individual small airways of patients with COPD allows colonizing bacteria to cross the epithelial barrier and drive persistent inflammation and airway wall remodeling, even after smoking cessation.


Debra A. Schaumberg, ScD, OD, MPH; Susan E. Hankinson, ScD; Qun Guo, MSc; Eric Rimm, ScD; David J. Hunter, MBBS, ScDObjectivesTo delineate the magnitude of susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) due to common variants in the gene for complement factor H (CFH) and the predicted gene LOC387715 and to determine whether these variants interact with modifiable risk factors.MethodsWe compared cases who developed AMD (n = 457) with 1071 age- and sex-matched control subjects in a prospective nested case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We determined the incidence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for AMD for each genotype and examined the interactions with modifiable risk factors.ResultsParticipants with 1 or 2 copies of the Y402H variant of CFH were, respectively, 1.98 (95% CI, 1.64-2.40) and 3.92 (95% CI, 2.69-5.76) times more likely to develop AMD, whereas the incident rate ratios (95% CIs) for 1 and 2 copies of LOC387715 A69S were 2.38 (1.92-2.96) and 5.66 (3.69-8.76), respectively. The fraction of AMD cases attributable to these 2 variants was 63% (95% CI, 58%-68%). Subjects homozygous for both risk alleles had a 50-fold increased risk of AMD (95% CI, 10.8-237), and cigarette smoking and obesity multiplied the risks associated with these variants.ConclusionAge-related macular degeneration has emerged as a paradigmatic example of a common disease caused by the interplay of genetic predisposition and exposure to modifiable risk factors.


Poster presentado en: 6th Annual Meeting of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution: Madrid, Spain, 14-17 september, 2016


Locoregional hyperthermia includes local hyperthermia (heat treatment of superficial tumours, e.g., recurrent breast cancer on the thoracic wall), regional hyperthermia (treatment of larger volumes like the pelvis for intrapelvic tumours) and interstitial hyperthermia (heating electrodes are introduced within the tumour tissue). At present, the application of scientifically verified hyperthermia in Germany is carried out within the scope of controlled studies, or in cooperation with the Netherlands. Evidence for a beneficial effect comes from randomised studies in patients with recurrent breast cancer in previously irradiated areas (in combination with re-irradiation) and in patients with cervical carcinoma (in combination with primary radiotherapy). Preliminary results in patients with advanced vaginal carcinoma (FIGO stage II > 4 cm and FIGO stage III) suggest that also in these patients the results are better when radiotherapy is combined with hyperthermia. Further evidence of the efficacy of hyperthermia has to come from ongoing studies. One study compares radiotherapy plus hyperthermia with radiotherapy plus cisplatin, another study compares radiotherapy plus cisplatin with trimodality treatment, both in patients with cervical cancer FIGO stages I B - IV A. A phase II study investigates the results of magnetic fluid hyperthermia combined with interstitial radiotherapy in patients with inoperable local tumour recurrence. Further progress will come from experimental studies on tumour targeting approaches.


This paper investigates the convergence condition of ADILC (iterative learning control with advanced output data) for nonminimum phase systems. ADILC has simple learning structure including both minimum phase and nonminimum phase systems. However, for nonminimum phase systems, the overall time horizon must be considered in input update law. This makes the dimension of convergence condition matrix large. In this paper, a new sufficient condition is proposed to satisfy the convergence condition. Also, it has been shown that this sufficient condition can be satisfied although it is not full impulse response.


Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a prevalent disorder in pediatric age groups, described by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF-1) induces the expression of a family of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis. Moreover, dysregulation of miR-33b, which is located within the intron 17 of the SREBF-1 gene, disrupts fatty acid oxidation and insulin signaling, thus leading to MetS. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between SREBF-1 rs8066560 polymorphism and MetS in Iranian children and adolescents. Methods: This study includes 100 MetS and 100 normal individuals aged 9–19 years. Anthropological and biochemical indexes were measured. The -1099G > A polymorphism was genotyped by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Significant differences were observed in anthropometric measurements and lipid profiles between MetS and normal children. There were no differences in the genotype frequencies or allele distribution for -1099G > A polymorphism between MetS and control groups. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the MetS GG group than in the A allele carrier group. The genotype AA controls had significantly increased cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than AG genotypes. By logistic regression using different genetic models, no significant association was observed between SREBF-1 rs8066560 polymorphism and the risk of MetS. Conclusions: We conclude that the -1099G > A variant on SREBF-1 gene associated with serum lipid profiles, however, it may not be a major risk factor for the MetS in Iranian children and adolescents.


Drugged driving is a safety issue of increasing public concern. Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for 1999-2010, we assessed trends in alcohol and other drugs detected in drivers who were killed within 1 hour of a motor vehicle crash in 6 US states (California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and West Virginia) that routinely performed toxicological testing on drivers involved in such crashes. Of the 23,591 drivers studied, 39.7% tested positive for alcohol and 24.8% for other drugs. During the study period, the prevalence of positive results for nonalcohol drugs rose from 16.6% in 1999 to 28.3% in 2010 (Z = -10.19, P < 0.0001), whereas the prevalence of positive results for alcohol remained stable. The most commonly detected nonalcohol drug was cannabinol, the prevalence of which increased from 4.2% in 1999 to 12.2% in 2010 (Z = -13.63, P < 0.0001). The increase in the prevalence of nonalcohol drugs was observed in all age groups and both sexes. These results indicate that nonalcohol drugs, particularly marijuana, are increasingly detected in fatally injured drivers.


Ultrasonic imaging is widely preferred in the field of non-destructive evaluation, medical diagnostics, and underwater inspection because it offers various advantages such as safety and versatility. However, conventional ultrasonic imaging methods suffer from the poor resolution limit imposed by the loss of information on fine features within the near-field. Metamaterial concepts have attracted much research interest in recent years, yielding extraordinary benefits such as super-resolution imaging, vibration damping, and cloaking. In the context of imaging, Metalenses allow the successful transfer of the information carried by the evanescent waves to far-field by amplifying them and hence help in overcoming the resolution limit. Hyperlenses enable subwavelength resolution along with spatial magnification by transforming evanescent waves scattered past a material artifact into propagating waves at the far-field 'imaging' end of the medium. This paper discusses novel radially symmetric ultrasonic hyperlens for imaging defects in the context of non-destructive evaluation, a topic that has not been studied much. The effect of parameters such as defect extent and distance between the lens on the subwavelength imaging of the hyperlens is studied using numerical simulations. This study investigates the magnification achievable using the proposed hyperlens and the effectiveness of this approach for nondestructive evaluation using cost-effective 'everyday' transducers.


Implementing telemedicine solutions has recently become a trend among various research teams at an international level. Telemedicine refers to the use of modern information and communication technologies to meet the needs of citizens, patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare providers, as well as policy makers. Telemedicine applications are very promising and have great potential; they can play a very important role in service provision by improving access, equity and quality through connecting healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals, and diminishing geographical and physical barriers. However, the transmission and access technologies of medical information raise critical issues that urgently need to be addressed, especially those related to security. Further, medical identity theft is a growing and dangerous crime. Stolen personal information can have a negative financial impact, but stolen medical information cuts to the very core of personal privacy. Medical identity theft already costs billions of dollars each year, and altered medical information can put a person's health at risk through misdiagnosis, delayed treatment or incorrect prescriptions. Yet, the use of hand devices to store, access, and transmit medical information is outpacing the privacy and security protection on those devices. Therefore, the authenticity of the information and related medical images is of prime concern as they form the basis of inference for diagnostic purposes. In such applications, tamper proofing and guaranteed originality of medical data/information is achieved by embedding some kind of watermark(s) which must be secure and robust against malicious attacks. Robustness and security of medical data/information against attacks is an interesting, challenging area for researchers. Potential researchers are using watermarking and cryptography to disseminate security to the medical data. Further, noted researchers are using watermarking techniques in the field of healthcare to address health data management issues, including source and data authentication, efficient image archiving and retrieval, optimizing bandwidth required to transmit the data, and highlighting diagnostically significant regions.


The subcellular distribution of folate coenzymes in the brain is unknown. Brain folate concentrations are low and hence require a sensitive assay to determine the subcellular distribution. Rat brain was fractionated by differential centrifugation into cytoplasmic, mitochondrial and crude synaptosomal fractions. The compositions of the folate pools in these subcellular fractions were determined by differential conversion of one-carbon forms enzymatically to 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (5,10CH2H4PteGlu(n)) followed by reaction of the 5,10CH2H4PteGlu(n) with thymidylate synthetase and [3H]fluorodeoxyuridylate to form ternary complexes, which were then separated as a function of polyglutamate chain length by isoelectric focusing, visualized by fluorography and quantified by densitometry. The distribution of the pteridine derivatives in brain was very similar to the distribution of these derivatives in liver. Cytoplasm contained primarily 5-methyltetrahydropteroylpolyglutamates with smaller amounts of unsubstituted tetrahydropteroylpolyglutamates, whereas mitochondria contained approximately equal concentrations of unsubstituted and formyl-substituted tetrahydropteroylpolyglutamates. The subcellular distribution of polyglutamate derivatives in brain, however, was different from that in liver. In the brain, the mitochondrial folates exhibited longer polyglutamate chains than did the cytoplasmic folates, a pattern opposite to that in the liver. Whereas the brain cytoplasmic pteroylpolyglutamates were primarily penta and hexa glutamates, the brain mitochondrial pteroylpolyglutamates were primarily hexa and hepta glutamates. The brain also contained small but measurable levels of oxidized folates, which were seen in crude synaptosomal fractions but not in cytoplasmic or mitochondrial fractions.


ABSTRACT Focusing on ordinary people's political talk the paper contributes to the study of deliberative democracy from a systemic perspective. By examining citizens' everyday communication, it focuses on an object that is rarely studied from a deliberative perspective, but crucial for the deliberative system's democratic character. By investigating the couplings between different arenas of political talk between citizens, ranging from informal private, semi-public and public conversations to formalized discussions at public events, it provides evidence on the appropriateness of the systemic conception of deliberative democracy. Analyzing data from two high-quality face-to-face surveys by means of structural equation modeling the paper demonstrates how these venues are connected to one another. The linkages between these discursive spheres create opportunities for bottom-up information flows from informal everyday conversations into formalized public discussions. To some extent, informal conversations also empower citizens for participation in these more demanding organized discussion events. Informal political conversations between strangers, a type of political talk largely neglected by extant research, emerge as a crucial nexus that funnels the motivational and capacity-building influence of everyday political talk within people's social networks into active participation in formalized public discussions.


Billions of dollars are invested in development programs, all of which have a monitoring and evaluation component and consider only the programs' intended effects while ignoring their market effects on prices. This study analyzes the market effects of the Cocoa Livelihood Program (CLP) in Ghana. To evaluate both the benefits to cocoa farmers and market outcomes of CLP on cocoa and other noncocoa markets, this study simulates a partial‐equilibrium farm household model. The analysis shows that CLP participating households benefit by U.S.$154 per household, while nonparticipating households benefit (through market outcome) by only U.S.$21 per household, at the 2016 participation rate of 6 percent. The net welfare changes in staple food markets (maize, rice, cassava, and yam) attributable to CLP, is estimated at U.S.$850 per household. A rise in the CLP participation rate leads to a decline in the Ghanaian cocoa price. However, net gains from the program become negative at participation rates of more than 60 percent, as supply increases and the cocoa price falls. This result suggests that CLP participation could be expanded up to 60 percent of Ghana's cocoa producing households. However, expanding cocoa demand is equally as important as expanding production if participation rates exceed 60 percent.


A major problem apparent in many safety investigation reports concerning aviation mishaps, and especially in their component Flight Surgeon's Reports (FSRs), is the failure of the investigators to recognize needs beyond those of their immediate organizational structures and chains of command in conducting the investigation, and reporting the resultant facts and findings. If aircrew losses and serious injuries are to be reduced, other needs must also be considered and addressed. These additional needs include those of aircrew automated escape system (AAES) and aircrew life support system (ALSS) acquisition personnel who formulate, design, and test requirements, and AAES and ALSS designers and manufacturers who need to know how well and under what conditions of use their equipment is performing. Each mishap, in a sense, constitutes an extremely costly yet highly realistic test of the AAES and ALSS involved. If properly and thoroughly examined, these mishaps will yield exceptionally valuable insights into AAES and ALSS problems and successes and the reasons underlying system behavioral differences. This paper discusses a number of the AAES and ALSS community's needs which investigating medical officers should consider if the U.S. Navy is to gain from these expensive and often tragic mishaps.


Vice-President Albert Gore, Jr.'s bestselling book on the environment, Earth In the Balance, has generated a storm of controversy. Admirers, such as Lance Morrow of Time magazine and Martin Peretz of the New Republic, argue that Gore "speaks with a certain rare passionate authenticity, a ring of the unfakable that is rare enough in the (usually ghostwritten) outpourings of politicians" (Morrow, 1992). Such opinions won Gore the 13th annual Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. Detractors, on the other hand, call Gore an "out-and-out radical" and maintain that "the heart of his world view is an apocalyptic vision of an Earth teetering on the brink of destruction" (Bailey, 1992). They dispute Gore's evidence (Lucian, 1992) and come close to accusing him of deception (Easterbrook, 1992). The heart of the book, and the sections that make supporters and detractors Gore most uncomfortable, consists of three analogies. The first is Gore's comparison of nuclear war to the environmental difficulties facing the world. The second, and most disconcerting, is Gore's likening of civilization's relationship to the earth with that of a dysfunctional family. The third is a familiar one; he compares the effort needed to the Marshall plan. These three analogies focus the argument of the book. The first provides an interpretive framework for the magnitude of the problem; the second suggests a language to describe the spiritual issues behind problem and solution; the third structures the proposals necessary to save the Earth. Gore's use of the analogies gives the book its rhetorical power or, in Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca's terms, gives "presence" to his arguments. The ill-defined concept of "presence" has tantalized argumentation scholars since the English translation of The New Rhetoric in 1969. As Karon (1989) argues, presence, loosely "translated" as the attention paid to or the importance accorded to an argument, is a critical element in the rhetorical theory of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca; if the goal of argument is "to induce or to increase the mind's adherence to the theses presented for its assent" (1969, p. 4), then the attention granted to those theses is of utmost salience. Presence, Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca state, is of "paramount importance to the technique of argumentation". Yet "presence" is ambiguous. Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca identify it as both a psychological and a rational mode of argumentation. Its relationship to the rest of their rhetorical theory is uncertain. There is no analysis of its role in the uses of analogy, metaphor, example, quasi-logical argumentation, or any of the other strategies Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca forward. The secondary literature is equally scant. Only Karon (1989) and Kauffman and Parson (1990), and Leroux (1992) comment upon presence at length. Karon's intriguing analysis is concerned with what presence reveals about Perelman's epistemology. Kauffman and Parson comment insightfully on the relationship between metaphor and presence, but they are interested in the use of dead metaphors. Rather than detailing the "presence" of presence, they study the strategic absence of presence. Leroux (1992) opens the most useful path to an analysis of presence. His discussion of presence, situated within the development of a critical vocabulary for the understanding of style, emphasizes the function of presence. He argues that "style is the initial encounter through which auditors apprehend meaning" and that presence, treated as a stylistic device rather than a philosophical concept, can be useful for understanding "the language variations and tactics [that] can enlarge or vivify a subject". Leroux notes the important role that analogy can play in creating presence and suggests that presence is one way through which critics can collapse the troublesome form/content distinction. In this essay, I extend the work of these authors, particularly Leroux, by exploring the relationship between analogy and presence through a critique of Earth in the Balance. …


A simple on-line separation/preconcentration procedure is described for the determination of trace levels of Pb(II) by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). A mini-column packed with Dowex Marathon C (DMC) ion-exchange resin was used for the on-line preconcentration of Pb(II) at pH 3.5. Pb(II) was sorbed on the resin, from which it could be eluted with 3 mol L−1 HCl and then introduced directly to the nebulizer–burner system of FAAS. The parameters influential on the determination of Pb(II) ions such as the pH of sample solution, eluent type, interfering ions and flow variables were studied. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration graph obtained was linear over the concentration range of 0.01–0.1 mg L−1. The detection limit of the method was 1.3 μg L−1 while precision was 1.1% (n = 15) at a 0.05 mg L−1 Pb(II) level. The accuracy of the method was proven using standard reference materials. The developed method has been applied successfully to the determination of lead in water and various environmental samples with satisfactory results.


Background: Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) are common injuries in young, active patients. Microfracture is an effective treatment for lesions less than 150 mm2 in size. Most commonly employed postoperative protocols involve delaying weightbearing for 6 to 8 weeks (DWB), though one study suggests that early weightbearing (EWB) may not be detrimental to patient outcomes. The goal of this research is to compare outcomes following EWB and DWB protocols after microfracture for OLTs. Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial of subjects with unilateral, primary, unifocal OLTs treated with microfracture. Thirty-eight subjects were randomized into EWB (18 subjects) and DWB (20 subjects) at their first postsurgical visit. The EWB group began unrestricted WB at that time, whereas the DWB group were instructed to remain strictly nonweightbearing for an additional 4 weeks. Primary outcome measures were the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS) Foot and Ankle score and numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score. Results: The EWB group demonstrated significant improvement in AAOS Foot and Ankle Questionnaire scores at the 6-week follow-up appointment as compared to the DWB group (83.1 ± 13.5 vs 68.7 ± 15.8, P = .017). Following this point, there were no significant differences in AAOS scores between groups. At no point were NRS pain scores significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: EWB after microfracture for OLTs was associated with improved AAOS scores in the short term. Thereafter and through 2 years' follow-up, no statistically significant differences were seen between EWB and DWB groups. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective randomized trial.


Peroxidative decomposition of cellular membrane lipids is a postulated mechanism of hepatocellular injury in parenchymal iron overload. In the present study, we looked for direct evidence of lipid peroxidation in vivo (as measured by lipid-conjugated diene formation in hepatic organelle membranes) from rats with experimental chronic iron overload. Both parenteral ferric nitrilotriacetate (FeNTA) administration and dietary supplementation with carbonyl iron were used to produce chronic iron overload. Biochemical and histologic evaluation of liver tissue confirmed moderate increases in hepatic storage iron. FeNTA administration produced excessive iron deposition throughout the hepatic lobule in both hepatocytes and Kupffer cells, whereas dietary carbonyl iron supplementation produced greater hepatic iron overload in a periportal distribution with iron deposition predominantly in hepatocytes. Evidence for mitochondrial lipid peroxidation in vivo was demonstrated at all three mean hepatic iron concentrations studied (1,197, 3,231, and 4,216 micrograms Fe/g) in both models of experimental chronic iron overload. In contrast, increased conjugated diene formation was detected in microsomal lipids only at the higher liver iron concentration (4,161 micrograms Fe/g) achieved by dietary carbonyl iron supplementation. When iron as either FeNTA or ferritin was added in vitro to normal liver homogenates before lipid extraction, no conjugated diene formation was observed. We conclude that the presence of conjugated dienes in the subcellular fractions of rat liver provide direct evidence of iron-induced hepatic mitochondrial and microsomal lipid peroxidation in vivo in two models of experimental chronic iron overload.


Background and Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, that is, characterized by cognitive decline. To date, there are no effective treatments for AD. Therefore, the objective of this study was to map new perspectives on the effects of pharmacological treatment on cognitive function and the overall psychological state in patients with AD. Methods: Two independent researchers searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) exploring new pharmacological approaches related to cognition in Alzheimer's disease in adults from 2018 to 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. A total of 17 RCTs were included in this review. Results: The results show that in recent years, new drugs have been tested in patients with Alzheimer's disease, including masitinib, methylphenidate, levetiracetam, Jiannao Yizhi, and Huannao Yicong formulas. Most studies have been conducted in populations with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: Although some of the drugs found suggested improvement in cognitive function, the scarcity of available studies highlights the need for further research in this area. Systematic review registration: [www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero], identifier [CRD42023409986].


This study aims to investigate art foundations as a potential venue for luxury fashion brands to provide a transformative experience. Providing experiences has become one of the main strategies for fashion brands to engage with their consumers. Yet, because of the proliferation of brand experiences, consumers are starting to perceive brands as not authentic anymore. Transformative experiences are believed to be more authentic
and meaningful, and luxury fashion brands' image might benefit from offering these kinds of experiences to their customers. Moreover, this is important in the perspective of strengthening the brands' relationship with their consumers, and increasing loyalty towards the brand.

According to the literature, a transformative experience is a 'life-changing' experience; an experience which might lead a person to gain new knowledge, increase self-awareness, perceive a sense of renewal. These kinds of experiences are considered of a more profound impact than other experiences. Hence, they might facilitate the brand in creating a deeper bond with the consumers, and strengthen consumers' loyalty towards the brand. Art is considered a powerful facilitator in providing transformative experiences; although, in the luxury fashion context, art collaborations and brand experiences permeated with arts have become common. Thus, there are some brands which have decided to further invest in art by establishing art foundations characterised by a philanthropic scope. This study looks at these foundations as potential venue to provide transformative experiences.

Based on rapid ethnography as methodology, data were collected through participant observation, two focus groups, and in-depth interviews, and were analysed utilising Template Analysis.

The findings suggest that through a few implementations and improvements, the art foundation owned by the luxury fashion brand could facilitate the fashion brand in providing transformative experiences. These results have informed the creation of a conceptual framework which luxury fashion brands may implement in their foundations' strategies to facilitate these kinds of experiences.


This paper presents numerical studies of the dynamic responses of a jacket-type offshore wind turbine using both decoupled and coupled models. In the decoupled (hydroelastic) model, the wind load is included through time-dependent forces and moments at a single node on the top of the tower. The coupled model is a hydro-servo-aero-elastic representation of the system. The investigated structure is the OC4 (Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation) jacket foundation supporting the NREL 5-MW wind turbine in a water depth of 50m. Different operational wind and wave loadings at an offshore site with relatively high soil stiffness are investigated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the computationally efficient linear decoupled model by comparing with the results obtained from the nonlinear coupled model. Good agreement was obtained in the eigen-frequency analysis, decay tests, and wave-only simulations. In order to obtain good results in the combined wind and wave simulations, two different strategies were applied in the decoupled model, which are 1) Wind loads obtained from the coupled model were applied directly as time-dependent point loads in the decoupled model; and 2) The thrust and torque from an isolated rotor model were used as wind loads on the decoupled model together with a linear aerodynamic damper. It was found that, by applying the thrust force from an isolated rotor model in combination with linear damping, reasonable agreement could be obtained between the decoupled and coupled models in combined wind and wave simulations.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


In this paper, we introduce an adaptive algorithm for nonlinear system identification in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain. The adaptive scheme consists of a parallel combination of a linear component, represented by crossband filters between subbands, and a quadratic component, which is modeled by multiplicative cross-terms. We adaptively update the model parameters using the least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm, and derive explicit expressions for the transient and steady-state mean-square error (MSE) in frequency bins for white Gaussian inputs. We show that estimation of the nonlinear component improves the MSE performance only when the power ratio of nonlinear to linear components is relatively high. Furthermore, as the number of crossband filters increases, a lower steady-state MSE may be obtained at the expense of slower convergence. Experimental results support the theoretical derivations.


Early corn (Zea mays L.) growth is often slowed by cool soil temperatures in no-till production systems. This inhibitory effect may be reduced through use of starter fertilizer and result in increased grain yield, but research findings have been inconsistent. Field research was conducted in four counties of eastern Nebraska to determine the probability and magnitude of corn response to starter fertilizer under varying field conditions for different combinations of nutrients and placement methods. Soils at trial sites included Typic Eutrudepts, Udic Ustorthents, and several Mollisols. Placements of N + P and N + P + S in-furrow, over-the-row, and 50x50 mm were compared for effects on early growth and grain yield. Early growth was increased with starter fertilizer by 30% over all irrigated trials and by 10% for three of five responsive rainfed trials. In the irrigated trials, starter fertilizer increased grain yield by 0.86 Mg ha(-1). Starter fertilizer had a minimal effect on grain yield in rainfed trials. Including S in the starter fertilizer did not result in increased yield. In-furrow and over-the-row were as effective as 50 x 50 mm placement in increasing yield. Grain yield response to starter fertilizer was greatest and most profitable with irrigated corn produced under low soil test P (STP less than or equal to 15 mg kg(-1)) conditions. Conversion of early growth response into yield response to starter fertilizer appears to depend on soil water availability and on STP.


The purpose of this book is to show that the access to plant genetic resources and the compliance to the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity can only be realized, in this biotechnological era, through the balance of rights and duties of States and stakeholders. Specifically, this book suggests that the global partnership, as professed in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, has so far not been reached. It examines the possibility of achieving the global partnership though clear, fair, ethical and equitable biopartnerships in, between, and among States. For this purpose, the author analyzes international instruments and national laws dealing with patents, plant breeders' rights, farmers' rights and sui generis protection and shows how they affect developing countries rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge, such as Brazil. She raises awareness of problems derived from the patenting of genetic resources, plants and traditional knowledge and presents sui generis alternatives proposed by different sectors of society in several countries. This book critically examines five biopartnerships of countries in four different continents. The author proposes measures to protect traditional knowledge and innovations and suggests which indigenous peoples, traditional farmers and developing countries may achieve an equitable share of benefits for their contribution in the development of new medicines and foods.


Electromagnetic observations over the last 15 years have yielded a growing appreciation for the importance of supermassive black holes (SMBH) to the evolution of galaxies, and for the intricacies of dynamical interactions in our own Galactic center. Here we show that future low-frequency gravitational wave observations, alone or in combination with electromagnetic data, will open up unique windows to these processes. In particular, gravitational wave detections in the 10^{-5}-10^{-1} Hz range will yield SMBH masses and spins to unprecedented precision and will provide clues to the properties of the otherwise undetectable stellar remnants expected to populate the centers of galaxies. Such observations are therefore keys to understanding the interplay between SMBHs and their environments.


Value Stream Mapping has the reputation of uncovering waste in manufacturing, production and business processes by identifying and removing or streamlining value-added steps and eliminating non-value-added steps. The various process times for manufacturinga mono block pump were obtained from a pump manufacturing industry. A flow diagram showing the process is drawn to reflect the current state of the operation. The non-value actions are identified in each step and between each step by their waste of time and resources. The process is analyzed for opportunity to drastically reduce and simplify it to the fewest actions necessary. By reducing wastefulness the proportion of value adding time in the whole process rises and the process throughput speed is increased. This makes the redesigned process more effective (the right things are being done) and more efficient (needing fewer resources). The reengineered process is flow charted in its future state with process steps and information flows redesigned, simplified and made less expensive. This paper addresses the application of lean manufacturing concepts to the pump manufacturing industry.


The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the capabilities of the Portable Seismic Pavement Analyzer (PSPA) device to evaluate the bridge deck elastic moduli and the deck thickness, and to detect and quantify concrete bridge deck delamination. The PSPA is a device for nondestructive evaluation of concrete bridge decks and pavements developed at the University of Texas at El Paso and produced by Geomedia Research and Development, Inc., El Paso, Texas. The PSPA device was designed and constructed as an extension result of the development of the Seismic Pavement Analyzer (SPA) for the sole purpose to provide information about the top layer of the pavement or a bridge deck. Primary applications of the device are in quality assurance/quality control of the top pavement layer, void detection, bridge deck delamination, and monitoring of concrete curing. To conduct these tasks, the PSPA relies on two ultrasonic methods in material characterization, and impact echo (IE) method in defect detection. The PSPA, with its ability for high level diagnosis of bridge decks, presents an essential tool to transportation and bridge engineers in administration and management of concrete deck bridges, i.e., in proper planning of their repair and rehabilitation.


Most database management systems maintain statistics on the underlying relation. One of the important statistics is that of the "hot items" in the relation: those that appear many times (most frequently, or more than some threshold). For example, end-biased histograms keep the hot items as part of the histogram and are used in selectivity estimation. Hot items are used as simple outliers in data mining, and in anomaly detection in many applications.We present new methods for dynamically determining the hot items at any time in a relation which is undergoing deletion operations as well as inserts. Our methods maintain small space data structures that monitor the transactions on the relation, and, when required, quickly output all hot items without rescanning the relation in the database. With user-specified probability, all hot items are correctly reported. Our methods rely on ideas from "group testing." They are simple to implement, and have provable quality, space, and time guarantees. Previously known algorithms for this problem that make similar quality and performance guarantees cannot handle deletions, and those that handle deletions cannot make similar guarantees without rescanning the database. Our experiments with real and synthetic data show that our algorithms are accurate in dynamically tracking the hot items independent of the rate of insertions and deletions.


A simple probing method for obtaining broadband multichannel infrared spectra with picosecond or higher time resolution is described. Spectrally broad infrared pulses are produced by difference frequency mixing in LiIO(3) between the second harmonic of a Nd(+3):YAG laser and the broadband output of a synchronously pumped dye laser. After sample absorption the infrared pulse is upconverted by a second LiIO(3) crystal, which yields a visible pulse that is dispersed on a multichannel vidicon detector to obtain transient spectra of 4-cm(-1) FWHM resolution.


In the adaptation of new procedures and techniques in medical therapy there is a tendency to abandon or overlook an occasional therapeutic aid which has proved of value in the past. The case here presented illustrates the use of such a technique which we believe is ideal in the situation under discussion. The patient was a child with thalassemia major (Mediterranian anemia, Cooley's anemia, erythroblastic anemia) in whom repeated transfusions were necessary. Eventually as a result of this and because of the age of the patient, her obesity, and the extremely low hemoglobin, together with decreased peripheral circulation, each succeeding transfusion became more and more of an ordeal, to the patient, to the parents, and to the physician, until a point was reached at which such transfusions were no longer technically possible. Superior saggital sinus transfusion might have been done, but this is not without danger and requires considerable experience


During a six-year period, thromboembolism occurred as an early complication in 37 patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma. No other precipitating factor was identified, and only three of the 37 patients had previously undergone surgery. In 14 instances, an episode of thrombophlebitis first called attention to the patient's illness. Migratory thrombophlebitis involving unusual sites and resistant to anticoagulant therapy often preceded recognition of the tumor by as long as 18 months. The presence of thrombophlebitis was associated with a poor prognosis. The mechanism is obscure, but in three cases there was acceleration of factor III (thromboplastin) generation. No relationship was apparent between the histologic structure of the tumor and the frequency of venous thromboembolism. Even when lymph nodes are not palpable, bilateral supraclavicular exploration and lymph node biopsy appears to be a valuable and innocuous diagnostic procedure in patients with unexplained thrombophlebitis and is preferable to abdominal exploration. The true incidence of this complication is difficult to assess because of the uncertainties of retrospective diagnosis and follow-up.


Reinforcement learning (RL) is a machine learning answer to the optimal control problem. It consists of learning an optimal control policy through interactions with the system to be controlled, the quality of this policy being quantified by the so-called value function. A recurrent subtopic of RL concerns computing an approximation of this value function when the system is too large for an exact representation. This survey reviews state-of-the-art methods for (parametric) value function approximation by grouping them into three main categories: bootstrapping, residual, and projected fixed-point approaches. Related algorithms are derived by considering one of the associated cost functions and a specific minimization method, generally a stochastic gradient descent or a recursive least-squares approach.


Abstract. Mapping of the with-in field variability of crop vigor has a long tradition with a success rate ranging from medium to high depending on the local conditions of the study. Information about the development of agronomical relevant crop parameters, such as above-ground biomass and crop nutritional status, provides high reliability for yield estimation and recommendation for variable rate application of fertilizers. The aim of this study was to utilize unmanned and satellite multispectral imaging for estimation of basic crop parameters during the growing season. The experimental part of work was carried out in 2014 at the winter wheat field with an area of 69 ha located in the South Moravia region of the Czech Republic. An UAV imaging was done in April 2014 using Sensefly eBee, which was equipped by visible and near infrared (red edge) multispectral cameras. For ground truth calibration the spectral signatures were measured on 20 sites using portable spectroradiometer ASD Handheld 2 and simultaneously plant samples were taken at BBCH 32 (April 2014) and BBCH 59 (Mai 2014) for estimation of above-ground biomass and nitrogen content. The UAV survey was later extended by selected cloud-free Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery, downloaded from USGS web application Earth Explorer. After standard pre-processing procedures, a set of vegetation indices was calculated from remotely and ground sensed data. As the next step, a correlation analysis was computed among crop vigor parameters and vegetation indices. Both, amount of above-ground biomass and nitrogen content were highly correlated (r > 0.85) with ground spectrometric measurement by ASD Handheld 2 in BBCH 32, especially for narrow band vegetation indices (e.g. Red Edge Inflection Point). UAV and Landsat broadband vegetation indices varied in range of r = 0.5 – 0.7, highest values of the correlation coefficients were obtained for crop biomass by using GNDVI. In all cases results from BBCH 59 vegetation stage showed lower relationship to vegetation indices. Total amount of aboveground biomass was identified as the most important factor influencing the values of vegetation indices. Based on the results can be assumed that UAV and satellite monitoring provide reliable information about crop parameters for site specific crop management. The main difference of their utilization is coming from their specification and technical limits. Satellite survey can be used for periodic monitoring of crops as the indicator of their spatial heterogeneity within fields, but with low resolution (30 m per pixel for OLI). On the other hand UAV represents a special campaign aimed on the mapping of high-detailed spatial inputs for site specific crop management and variable rate application of fertilizers.


Most people begin their sexual relationship during adolescence and some get involved in risky life threatening behaviors such as unwanted pregnancies, abortions and sexually transmitted infections. This study was therefore designed to understand the patterns of female adolescents sexual behaviours and sexual coercion experience. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 1227 in-school adolescents in the three senatorial district of Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents, and data were collected with pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaires. The data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). Three hundred and thirty seven (27.5%) were sexually exposed with a mean age of sexual initiation of 14.88±2. 46 years. Of the 337 that were sexually exposed 153(56.5%) initiated sex early between the ages of 10-15 years, while (4.7%) had uses drugs or take alcohol before sexual intercourse. Findings revealed that of those that were sexually exposed, 122(11%) were forced to have sex, 101(9.1%) played sex willingly, while 29(2.6%) felt threatened and 3(0.3%) were convinced with money. The proportion of the respondent who reported rape and abduction was (2.6%). Finding from this study is consistent with earlier studies conducted in many other Nigerian cities which showed that in-school adolescents to be sexually active. There is the need to step up campaigns to address this noticed lapse in behavior among the students in order to arrest the usual consequences of such risky sexual behavior.


Polyarteritis nodosa is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis which predominantly affects medium-sized arteries. It is a rare disease nowadays. Both the nomenclature and the classification of polyarteritis nodosa was amended several times in the past. Currently, there is a distinction between the primary form described as classical polyarteritis nodosa and other forms that are associated with their probable cause e.g. with viral hepatitis B, C or HIV infection. Moreover, polyarteritis-like necrotizing vasculitis can appear in the course of genetic diseases caused by mutations in single genes. The pathogenesis of idiopathic polyarteritis nodosa is still unclear, but a dominant role of the adaptive immune system disorders is suggested. Interestingly, in the hepatitis B virus-related vasculitis development, immune complexes are believed to play a crucial role. The spectrum of clinical manifestations of polyarteritis nodosa is wide, from involving a single organ to the polyvisceral failure. In the course of polyarteritis nodosa nearly each organ can be involved, however the disease never affects the lungs. Special forms of polyarteritis nodosa include a single-organ disease and a cutaneous form. The diagnosis of polyarteritis nodosa requires integration of clinical, angiographic and biopsy findings. Recognizing the form of polyarteritis nodosa, determining affected organs and the progression of the disease is very important since those are deciding factors when choosing treatment strategies.


This paper proposes an angular invariant feature for registration procedure to perform reliable matching between two similarity 3D protein structures. The feature is defined by a k- dimensional vector with k angles between the normal vector of each point and its k-nearest-neighbors individually. The feature is invariant to scale transformation, rotation transformation. We present that an angular augment coefficient should be set to avoid rounding error of computer. This new invariant feature makes defect detection of 3D protein structures, faster and more robust.


We evaluated LAK cell cytotoxicity toward a sensitive B cell lymphoma and several resistant EBV-transformed cell lines in order to explore the mechanism by which some cells are preferentially recognized as targets. Cytolysis of the sensitive cells was inhibited by monoclonal antibodies against the surface proteins LFA-1 and ICAM-1; however, surface expression of ICAM-1 was similar on the resistant and sensitive cell lines. Prevention of post-translational addition of N-linked oligosaccharides by treatment of the resistant cells with tunicamycin resulted in a dramatic enhancement in LAK cell cytotoxicity which was partially inhibited by antibodies against LFA-1 and ICAM-1. Treatment of the resistant cells with the endoglycosidase N-glycanase also increased LAK cell sensitivity. Tunicamycin treatment caused a decrease in the molecular weight of ICAM-1 from approximately 95,000 to 50,000 Da. Conjugate formation between the LAK cells and the sensitive and resistant target cells was similar before and after deglycosylation. We conclude that carbohydrate modification of ICAM-1 or an alternative glycoprotein confers resistance to LAK cell cytotoxicity in some cell lines.


Ethics has become a prevalent and important criterion for academic research. However, achieving ethical compliance in practice is a highly complex and specialized task. In the field of computer security research, although top-tier conferences all have set out visions for ethical compliance, researchers may encounter practical dilemmas such as the lack of assistance from legal departments and the absence of specific domain guidelines, leading to various realistic obstacles to ethical treatment. This paper provides a comprehensive investigation of ethical considerations in computer security research. We first summarize the ethical requirements of top-tier security and network conferences. Then, based on a survey of 6,078 academic papers and an online investigation of 248 researchers mainly from a Chinese security community, we reveal the current status and practical issues of ethical considerations in security research. In particular, given the plight of the lack of authoritative ethical guidance, we offer a series of suggestions on how researchers at institutions without authoritative departments could best mitigate ethical risks. We also raise several open questions, and expect to help seek paths towards better ethical compliance for the security community.


Background The 13C-caffeine breath test (CBT) is a noninvasive tool for the evaluation of the cytochrome P450 system, implicated in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Goal To apply the CBT to assess the extent of hepatic fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods Twenty-six consecutive patients (mean age 56.1±6.85 y, 69.2% women) with NAFLD underwent the CBT, in addition to the clinical and laboratory evaluations and liver biopsy. Ten healthy individuals matched for age served as controls. Results Mean delta over baseline values differed significantly between patients and controls (1.51±0.9 vs. 2.37±0.8 Δ‰/mg, respectively) (P=0.01) and were significantly higher in patients with fibrosis stage <2 (Brunt's system) (2.0±0.77 vs. 1.3±0.9 for stage ≥2, P=0.05). Mean delta over baseline values correlated highly with fibrosis stage (P=0.01), albumin (P=0.007), international normalized ratio (P=0.04), bilirubin (P=0.0008), and platelet count (P=0.0001). On multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis, CBT was the best predictor of severe fibrosis (stage ≥2) (odds ratio 0.274, 95% confidence interval 0.086-0.872, P=0.028), with an area under the curve of 0.788. Conclusions The CBT is safe and easy to perform. It can reliably predict severe hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Further large-scale studies are still needed.


The occurrence of an enzyme that catalyses the conversion of cytidine into deoxycytidine was demonstrated in homogenates of Acetabularia. Cytidine was identified as the substrate by comparing cytidine, cytidine 5'-monophosphate, cytidine 5'-diphosphate and cytidine 5'-triphosphate as potential substrates. Experiments with ATP analogues whose inhibitory effect on kinase reactions is well established, supplied evidence that the nucleoside is reduced without a phosphorylation step before the reduction. Further evidence in this line came from incubations with cytidine in the presence of phosphatase and from trap-type experiments in which the effects of excess non-labelled cytidine 5'-phosphate and deoxycytidine, respectively, on the formation of deoxycytidine phosphates from cytidine were studied.


Abstract We study attitudes to legality and the rule of law in Russia through analysis of interviews with legal and business professionals conducted in 2013–14, the high point of the stabilisation of the Russian economy and polity following the transition of the 1990s. The annexation of Crimea occurred during the course of our fieldwork but the effects of the cooling of relations with the west and the introduction of sanctions were yet to be felt. We observed a perception that the administration of civil justice was not uniformly corrupt, but that in 'political' cases, that is, those involving state officials or powerful private interests, judicial decisions could in effect be bought and sold. This commodification of civil justice was the result of an empowered but predatory state. While the state was strong enough to engage in predation, however, it was seen as lacking the capacity to manage the economy in an effective way or to deliver essential public goods. We consider the implications of our findings for a conception of the rule of law as an emergent social norm. We conclude that the 1990s policy of weakening the state through privatisation and the removal of regulatory controls, a policy designed to ensure that the command economy did not return, has left Russia with a dysfunctional public order, under which the 'normality' envisaged by the reforms of the 1990s is a distant prospect.


Three fundamental forces have shaped labor markets over the last 50 years: the secular increase in the returns to education, educational upgrading, and the integration of large numbers of women into the workforce. We modify the Katz and Murphy (1992) framework to predict the structure of the labor market in 2030. Even though the share of educated females in the workforce will grow rapidly, the supply response will not suffice to offset the trend in demand towards skilled, female labor. Wage growth over the next 20 years will continue to favor college educated workers and in particular college educated females.


This paper deals with limit cycles in one degree of freedom systems. The van der Pol equation is an example of an equation describing systems with clear limit cycles in the phase space (displacement-velocity 2 dimensional plane). In this paper, it is shown that a system with nonlinear loading, representing the drag load acting on structures in an oscillatory flow (the drag term of the Morison equation), will in fact exhibit limit cycles at resonance and at higher order resonances. These limit cycles are stable, and model self-excited oscillations. As the damping in the systems is linear and constant, the drag loading will to some degree work as negative damping. The consequences of the existence of these limit cycles are that systems starting at lesser amplitudes in the phase plane will exhibit increased amplitudes until the limit cycle is obtained.


Background: Situs inversus totalis is a rare anatomic anomaly in which the normal arrangement of the heart and viscera is reversed to form a mirror picture of their usual anatomic position. It typically poses a diagnostic dilemma during the initial assessment acute thoracoabdominal trauma. Case report: A case is presented of the findings found on the focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) examination of a young adult with situs inversus who sustained solid organ injury from blunt trauma. Conclusion: Patients with situs inversus can be a challenge to physicians both diagnostically and therapeutically as these patients may have nontraditional signs and symptoms upon presentation. Expedient diagnosis of solid organ injury in these patients is important, since treatment may be affected according to which organ is injured.


To avoid degradation in the stomach, the proteolytic enzyme bromelain must be encapsulated in glutaraldehydecrosslinked chitosan (CGF) hydrogels, which can maintain the activity of bromelain until it reaches the intestine. In this study, we isolated bromelain by using ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, and anionic exchange chromatography with Diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose resin. Bromelain fractions were collected from each purification step and specific activities were sequentially from increased in the crude enzyme, ammonium sulfate, dialysis, and DEAE chromatography fractions (fraction numbers 58–71), which have fractions of 23.90, 122.00, 125.48, and 195.20 U/mg, respectively. Bromelain fractions from the dialysis step were encapsulated in CGF matrixes by using a post-loading method. CGF hydrogels had a crosslinking degree of 84.37% and swelling ratio of 76.60%. The dissolution profiles of CGF-encapsulated bromelain were tested in artificial stomach fluid and intestinal environments, and bromelain encapsulation efficiency following the post-loading method was 96.29%. Interactions between the hydrogel and bromelain were limited to the hydrogen bonds, and the proteolytic activities of bromelain were maintained at 0.17 U/ml in the present artificial intestinal environment.


The work presents the research results of modern composite materials. The matrix material was EN AC AlSi12 alloy while the reinforcement ceramic preforms, obtained through sintering process of Al2O3 Alcoa CL 2500 powder with addition of carbon fibers as pore forming agent burned out during sintering. The composites were produced with use of porous material pressure infiltration method. The main limitation of base technology is a difficulty in obtaining composite materials with volumetric participation of ceramic phase in amount not less than 20%. Obtained on the base of ceramic preforms composite materials were tested with scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, hardness and tensile test was performed for acquired materials. Achieved results indicate the possibility of producing, with use of pressure infiltration method, porous preforms composed of Al2O3 particles, new composite material with desired microstructure and properties, being a cheaper alternative for materials with base of ceramic fibers.


We present the results of the first numerical calculations to model magnetic decoupling in a collapsing molecular cloud core. Magnetic decoupling is the stage during which the motion of the neutrals ceases to significantly affect the magnetic field strength and the magnetic field ceases to significantly affect this motion. We have analyzed the resistivity of a weakly ionized, magnetic gas, and we have separated the contributions of ohmic dissipation and ambipolar diffusion. The chemical model used to determine the abundances of ionized particles accounts for, among other things, a distribution of grain radii. The evolution of an axisymmetric, magnetic molecular cloud core is followed from central densities of 300 to 2 × 1012 cm-3. Typically, magnetic decoupling begins at a central density of 3 × 1010 cm-3 and is complete by a density of 2 × 1012 cm-3. We find that the mechanism responsible for magnetic decoupling is ambipolar diffusion, not ohmic dissipation, and that decoupling precedes the formation of a central stellar object. When the central density is a few times 1012 cm-3, a nearly uniform magnetic field of Bdec ≈ 0.1 G extends over a region ≈20 AU in radius that contains a mass ≈0.01 M☉. This value of Bdec is consistent with measurements of remanent magnetization in meteorites. Magnetic decoupling at this stage is not accompanied by hydromagnetic shocks. We estimate that the "magnetic flux problem" of star formation is resolved by ambipolar diffusion before the magnetic field is refrozen in the matter because of thermal ionization.


Subtle impairments of cognitive function may be an important cause of occupational and psychosocial morbidity in patients with chronic liver disease. In the present study, 10 patients with cirrhotic liver disease were compared with 10 age, education, and intelligence matched control subjects. Detailed neuropsychological evaluation revealed significant overall cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients compared with controls, particularly on memory and time-dependent visuo-spatial tasks. Regional cerebral blood flow was measured using Single Photon Emission Computerised Tomography (SPET or SPECT) and showed increased uptake of radiotracer in the right and left posterior parts of the basal ganglia and right occipital lobe, together with reduced uptake in the right anterior cingulate region. The degree of cognitive impairment was directly correlated with tracer uptake in basal ganglia and limbic cortex. Our results suggest that impaired cognitive status may be associated with abnormalities of regional brain function in patients with chronic liver disease. It has recently been reported that brain concentrations of benzodiazepines are elevated in animal models of hepatic encephalopathy (Basile et al., 1990; Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA 87: 5263-5267). It is, therefore, possible that the neuropsychological and SPECT abnormalities reported here are a consequence of alterations in brain benzodiazepine concentrations.


To make up the deficiency of artificial intelligent ant colony algorithm in solving the clustering and path planning of wireless sensor network (WSN) a new random disturbance factor is proposed. A self-regulated random disturbance ant colony algorithm is obtained. An improved ant colony algorithm is proposed by combining the self-regulated random disturbance ant colony algorithm with chaos. After the algorithm improvement is completed, the improved artificial intelligent ant colony algorithm is applied to the cluster head fixed WSN node cluster and the path optimization process of each cluster head communication with the base station. The convergence speed, energy consumption and the survival time of the node cluster head are analyzed. The results show that the improved ant colony algorithm has good stability characteristics in the application and convergence of WSN. It can be seen that the improved ant colony algorithm is feasible in clustering and path planning of WSN.


We propose a general two-step estimation method for the structural parameters of popular semiparametric Markovian discrete choice models that include a class of Markovian Games and allow for continuous observable state space. The estimation procedure is simple as it directly generalizes the computationally attractive methodology of Pesendorfer and Schmidt-Dengler (2008) that assumed finite observable states. This extension is non-trivial as the value functions, to be estimated nonparametrically in the first stage, are defined recursively in a non-linear functional equation. Utilizing structural assumptions, we show how to consistently estimate the infinite dimensional parameters as the solution to some type II integral equations, the solving of which is a well-posed problem. We provide sufficient set of primitives to obtain root-T consistent estimators for the finite dimensional structural parameters and the distribution theory for the value functions in a time series framework.


In this work we used Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) to investigate the properties of vacancy defects produced by low energy electron irradiation. N-doped 3C-SiC and 6H-SiC monocrystals have been irradiated with electrons at different energies from 240keV to 900keV. EPR measurements show that Frenkel pairs VSi 3-/Si are created in 6H-SiC when electron irradiation is performed at low energy (240-360 keV). EPR also indicates that the silicon displacement threshold energy is higher in 3C-SiC than in 6HSiC. Moreover, PAS results show that the size and concentration of the vacancy defects decrease when the electron energy decreases for both polytypes. PAS detects vacancy defects in 240keV electron irradiated 3C-SiC, and the detection of the carbon vacancy is proposed.


Semi-insulating GaN is grown by using a two-step AlN buffer layer by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition. The sheet resistance of as-grown semi-insulating GaN is dramatically increased to 1013 Ω/sq by using two-step AlN buffer instead of the traditional low-temperature GaN buffer. The high sheet resistance of as-grown GaN over 1013 Ω/sq is due to inserting an insulating buffer layer (two-step AlN buffer) between the high-temperature GaN layer and a sapphire substrate which blocks diffusion of oxygen and overcomes the weakness of generating high density carrier near interface of GaN and sapphire when a low-temperature GaN buffer is used. The result suggests that the high conductive feature of unintentionally doped GaN is mainly contributed from the highly conductive channel near interface between GaN and the sapphire substrate, which is indirectly manifested by room-temperature photoluminescence excited by an incident laser beam radiating on growth surface and on the substrate. The functions of the two-step AlN buffer layer in reducing screw dislocation and improving crystal quality of GaN are also discussed.


In this paper we present a longitudinal study comparing an alphabetical selection keyboard to a multi-tap selection keyboard using a game controller as input device. Our experiment showed the alphabetic selection keyboard to be faster for novice (7.72 wpm vs. 6.34 wpm) and expert users (11.87 wpm vs. 9.64 wpm). The multi-tap selection keyboard was more error prone than the alphabetic selection keyboard. Qualitative results showed that over time the alphabetic selection keyboard was preferred by the users.


The implementation of the 1981 Education Act means that schools have had to adapt and expand their provision for all pupils with special educational needs. This results in increased pressure on local education authorities to provide comprehensive support services. "Supporting Ordinary Schools" reports on practice in a number of local authorities and examines the range of support services available to ordinary schools. It documents current and emerging practice and analyses the implications for schools and local authorities.


Asthma, a disease of reversible airway hyperactivity, is responsible for 6.5 million visits to ambulatory care offices each year. In spite of treatment advances, asthma-related deaths have increased 31% from 1980 to 1987. The severity of asthma is often determined solely by history and physical examination, which can result in either overestimation or underestimation of disease severity. To optimize management, objective quantitative criteria should be added to the diagnostic evaluation. The use of peak flow meters provides physicians with easily obtainable objective measurements to augment their diagnostic armamentarium in the treatment of asthma.


Because high rates of nitrogen fertility are necessary for producing high- quality turfgrasses, quick, reliable methods of determining the N status of turfgrasses would be valuable management tools. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of a hand-held chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502) to provide a relative index of chlorophyll concentrations, N concentrations, and visual quality in St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secondatum (Walt.) Kuntze). Two experiments were conducted in a greenhouse in 1998 to evaluate the utility of SPAD readings. Established pots of 'Floratam' were subjected to weekly foliar Fe treatments at Fe rates of 0 and 0.17 kg·ha -1 for 4 weeks. Six weekly nitrogen fertilizer treatments were applied in the form of ammonium sulfate at N rates of 0, 5.75, 11.5, 17.25, and 23 kg·ha -1 for 4 weeks. Greenhouse SPAD readings were not affected by Fe treatment, but N treatments resulted in differences in SPAD readings, visual quality, and chlorophyll concentrations. The readings were positively correlated with chlorophyll concentrations (r 2 = 0.79), visual ratings (r 2 = 0.74), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) (r 2 = 0.71). Readings taken from field-grown 'Floratam', 'Floratine', and 'Floralawn' St. Augustinegrass were poorly correlated ( r 2 < 0.63) with chlorophyll concentrations and TKN. Unless future techniques improve dependability of the SPAD meter under field conditions for measuring chlorophyll and N concentra- tion of a stand of turfgrass, the usefulness of such readings for the management of St. Augustinegrass seems limited.


Post-Translational Regulation of Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1): The Effect of K122 Acylation on SOD1's Metabolic Activity Courtney Jean Banks Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Many mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) cause destabilization and misfolding of the protein and are implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Likewise, a few post-translational modifications (PTMs) on SOD1 have been shown to cause the same phenotype. However, relatively few PTMs on SOD1 have been studied in depth and, in particular, very few studies have demonstrated how these PTMs affect SOD1's various biological roles. SOD1 is traditionally known for its role in reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging but has also been found to have a few other biological roles, including transcription factor activity to promote genomic stability, preservation of cytoskeletal activity, maintaining zinc and copper homeostasis, and suppressing respiration. We have used the computational analysis tool, SAPH-ire, to find PTM 'hotspots' on SOD1 that have a high likelihood of affecting its biological functions. Interestingly, the top seven ranked PTM 'hotspots' were found in a small region of SOD1, between S98-K128. We focused our studies on one of the PTM 'hotspots' found in this region, lysine-122 (K122). K122 is found in the electrostatic loop of SOD1, a loop that is important for shuttling in superoxide radicals to be neutralized. According to our data, and other studies, this lysine is both succinylated and acetylated. We found that acetyl and succinyl-mimetics (K122Q and K122E, respectively) of this site do not affect its ROS scavenging activity but do prevent SOD1 from suppressing respiration and decrease its localization to the mitochondria. Further, when cells are depleted of SIRT5 (the desuccinylase for K122), SOD1 can no longer suppress respiration. Additionally, we found that SOD1 appears to suppress respiration at complex I, whether directly or through an indirect pathway is unknown. When HCT116 colon cancer cells were depleted of endogenous SOD1, the overexpressed succinyl K122-mimetic (K122E) could not recover growth as well as overexpressed WT SOD1. The K122E SOD1 expressing cells also exhibited increased mitochondrial ROS and unhealthier mitochondria. We propose a mechanism whereby SOD1 suppression of respiration acts as an additional regulator of oxidative stress: SOD1 suppresses the electron transport chain to decrease reactive oxygen species leakage and to promote healthier mitochondria and growth.


Background: An outfall of urbanization in developing countries has been the mushrooming of slums where dwellers live in pitiable environmental conditions representing the lowest rung of social strata. This group is more vulnerable to practicing deleterious social habits, including tobacco and alcohol abuse. Aim: The present study was undertaken to understand the strength of association between risk factors suspected of causing oral precancer among slum dwellers in Delhi. Subjects and Methods: A house-to-house survey was conducted in an urban slum cluster situated in the heart of Delhi city by a single trained investigator who recorded oral mucosal lesions according to WHO criteria. Demographic details and history of suspected risk factors was recorded by personal interview of each subject. The obtained data was coded, cleaned, and analyzed manually. Chi-square test was applied and Odds′ ratios were calculated to analyze the association of risk factors with oral precancer. A statistically significant difference was set at 95% confidence interval. Results: A total of 479 subjects of both sexes were examined and 31 cases clinically diagnosed as having oral precancer, of which majority were leukoplakia. All cases except one reported practicing habits that are known risk factors for oral precancer, i.e., smoking/smokeless tobacco, chewing betel leaf/nut, and combination of these habits with alcohol. Association of oral precancer with smokeless tobacco was higher than that with smoking or chewing betel leaf/nut alone. Conclusion: Practicing combination of habits with alcohol was found to be the most strongly associated risk factor for oral precancer.


This thesis summarizes my work in systems biology as a PhD student at The Microsoft Research - University of Trento Centre for Computational and Systems Biology (COSBI) and at the University of Trento, department of Mathematics.
Systems biology is an interdisciplinary field that aims at integrating biology with computational and mathematical methods to gain a better understanding of biological phenomena [5, 6]. Among these methods, mathematical and dy- namical modeling have driven the discovery of mechanistic insights from the static representations of phenomena, that is, data. As a result, mathematical and dynamical models have now become standard tools to support new discoveries in biology and in public health issues. For example, models assist governments in determining the policies to contain the spreading of the diseases and in decisions such as vaccine purchases [7]. Similarly, complex and accurate models of the cardio-vascular systems guide surgeons during many procedures on pa- tients [8]. Furthermore, dynamical models of signaling cascades help researchers in identifying new potential drug targets and therapies for many diseases [9]. We used these modeling techniques to address biological questions related to diabetes and insulin resistance. Within this framework, this thesis contains two articles I contributed to, that focus on diabetes. These works are published in the journal of Nature Scientific Reports and are included in Chapters 3 and 4.
A significant contribution to the development of these models, and models in general, is given by optimization. Optimization is often used in modeling to determine certain unknown values or factors in a way that allow the model to optimally reproduce the experimental data. Moreover, the parameters of a model that correctly describe the undergoing dynamics may be used as diagnostic tools [10–13]. To this end, this thesis contains a methodological appendix that includes a review of optimization algorithms that has been submitted to the journal of Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, special topic Optimization. The content of this article is reported in Appendix A.


This article addresses a sequential changepoint detection problem, assuming that the duration of change may be finite and unknown. This problem is of importance for many applications, e.g., for signal and image processing where signals appear and disappear at unknown points in time or space. In contrast to the conventional optimality criterion in quickest change detection that requires minimization of the expected delay to detection for a given average run length to a false alarm, we focus on a reliable maximin change detection criterion of maximizing the minimal probability of detection in a given time (or space) window for a given local maximal probability of false alarm in the prescribed window. We show that the optimal detection procedure is a modified CUSUM procedure. We then compare operating characteristics of this optimal procedure with popular in engineering the Finite Moving Average (FMA) detection algorithm and the ordinary CUSUM procedure using Monte Carlo simulations, which show that typically the later algorithms have almost the same performance as the optimal one. At the same time, the FMA procedure has a substantial advantage – independence to the intensity of the signal, which is usually unknown. Finally, the FMA algorithm is applied to detecting faint streaks of satellites in optical images.


The effects of specific environmental factors on abundance and distribution of some individual soil insect taxa is known, but how scale influences spatial distribution is less well evaluated, particularly at the community level. However, given that many soil insects are pests or beneficial natural enemies, and that collectively they play a role in soil processes, this information is of potential value for predictive modelling and in furthering our understanding of soil ecology and management. The objectives of this study were to characterize the spatial distribution, relative population sizes, effect of sampling scale and taxa co-occurrence on a range of soil insects at the family level over two years. Soil cores were taken from agricultural grassland soils across three different sampling scales (farm, field and core) using a systematic sampling approach. Spatial distribution was assessed using the variance-to-mean (VMR) ratio and taxa distribution plots and the contribution of scale, spatial (geographical location) and biotic (presence-absence of other species) factors determined using deviance partitioning. Tipulid larvae (leatherjackets) were the most abundant taxa in both years, but the composition of other Dipteran and Coleopteran taxa varied between years. The VMRs revealed differences in spatial distribution between taxa across scales and years, showing a range of underlying distributional patterns. Scale was the most important factor influencing species distributions, but a large proportion of deviance remained unexplained and there was much variation between taxa, suggesting biological and scale-specific factors are driving distributions, in agreement with a previous study.


In general, the Malayic languages of Sumatra show a vowel phoneme inventory that is either equal to or greater than that of the five phonemes in Standard Malay/Indonesian (not including the so-called pepet vowel); dialects of Jambi Malay, Palembang Malay, and Minangkabau all show five phonemes. However, from recent fieldwork in Besemah, a Malayic language in the highlands of southwest Sumatra, I shall describe an inventory that evinces the smallest number of vowel phonemes in any Malayic language of Sumatra described to date. That is, Besemah has three vowel phonemes. Nevertheless, the analysis of Besemah vowel phonemes is not straightforward; vowel lowering in closed syllables, vowel harmony, and raising of the word-final low central vowel all cloud the analysis of a three-vowel system. Furthermore, Besemah currently is experiencing intense pressure from other standard and nonstandard varieties of Malay/Indonesian, which demonstrates how intense contact involving diglossia and increasing bilingualism in these other varieties of Malay/Indonesian appear to be leading to an emergence of mid vowels in Besemah.