A pendulum excited by the combination of vertical and horizontal forcing at the pivot point was considered and the period-1 rotational motion was studied. Analytical approximations of period-1 rotations and their stability boundary on the excitation parameters (ω, p)-plane are derived using asymptotic analysis for the pendulum excited elliptically and along a tilted axis. It was assumed that the damping is small and the frequency of the base excitation is relatively high. The accuracy of the approximations was examined for different values of the parameters e and κ controlling the shape of excitation, and it was found that using the second and third order approximations ensures a good correspondence between analytical and numerical results in the majority of cases. Basins of attractions of the coexisting solutions were constructed numerically to evaluate the robustness of the obtained rotational solutions. It was found that the horizontal component of excitation has a larger effect on the shift in position of the saddle node bifurcations for the elliptically excited case than for the pendulum excited along a tilted axis. For the elliptically excited pendulum with pivot rotating in the same direction as the pendulum the stability boundary is shifted downwards providing a larger region of the solution existence. When the pendulum and the pivot rotate in opposite directions, the boundary is shifted upwards significantly limiting the region of the solution existence. In contrast, for the pendulum excited along the tilted axis, the direction of the rotation has a minor effect for low frequency values and the addition of the horizontal component always results in a larger region of the solution existence.


Autoimmune diseases have a multifactorial pathogenesis. If many genetic factors, such as the role of maior hystocompatibility complex, are called in cause for the risk of these diseases, many environmental factors are discovered as actors in the pathogenesis. In this paper we evaluated the role of the exposition to UVB rays, the role of activation of vitamin-D and the development of autoimmunity. We also observed the role of toxic esogen agents in the air, with particular attention for exposition workers. Finally, the role of cigarette smoking, and the development of particular autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factors and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, are discussed.


Multimedia transmissions require a high quantity of resources to ensure their quality. In the last years, some technologies that provide a better resource management have appeared. Software‐defined networks (SDNs) are presented as a solution to improve this management. Furthermore, by combining an SDN with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, networks are able to provide a higher performance using the same resources. In this paper, a redefinition of reinforcement learning is proposed. This model is focused on multimedia transmission in an SDN environment. Moreover, the architecture needed and the algorithm of the reinforcement learning are described. Using the Openflow protocol, several sample actions are defined in the system. Results show that using the system users perceive an increase in the image quality three times better. Moreover, the loss rate is reduced more than half the value of losses recorded when the algorithm is not applied. Regarding bandwidth, the maximum throughput increases from 987.16 kbps to 24.73 Mbps while the average bandwidth improves from 412.42 kbps to 7.83 Mbps.


Though a case study in which the researchers participated and collected information in the conception - involving the design of the infrastructure, implementation and current operation of a K-12 and High School education project in Colombia. In this study, based on the work previously reported by Medina (2015) the authors used linear analysis, action reach, and defined (organizational) learning as a nonlinear and Complex Adaptive System phenomena. The theoretical framework proposes that when the - organizational - learning process is rationalized, validated and systemically embedded in and through the (infra)structure of the organization, the learning dynamic has a magnifying effect that has the power to transcend the boundaries of the organization. To develop the theoretical framework, following Carroll (2012) and Cleveland et al (1997); we describe learning as a "making connections" process between things we know and things we don't. In which learning is an experiential network construct that is generated when needed, subjective and individual (not linear) and that presents some features linked to the properties of CAS as: • The learners are provided with a rich variety of inputs; • Different learners follow different paths; • The outcomes are emergent and cannot be foretold; • Learning is self-organized by the learner's activity in designing it; • Disciplines are integrated and roles are flexible; • There are rapid iterations between the parts & wholes; • People co-evolve together in a learning community. In the case study, aligned with the non-linearity and CAS conception of this project; the principles of multilevel theory exposed by Kozlowski, Chao and Nowakowski (2009) were applied to design a learning environment in which individuals coalesces, amplifies, and crystallizes as collective learning and provides ways to leverage and shape the emergence of collective learning as a multilevel phenomenon. In accordance, a pedagogic model was introduced following the principles suggested by Rootzen (2007), aiming to let the students decide when and how to work with different topics, through the use of a fragmented learning methodology based on discrete learning objects where the use of various media affords the student increased levels of direction and selection. These principles were considered in the early stages of the infrastructure design (School campus) that in coherence with the ethos, identity and educative plan of the institution drove the design towards the implementation of principles aiming to complain with the LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The context provided by the ethos of the institution and the infrastructure development conduced to the successful implementation of academic content for sustainability and the development of organizational structures that reflect, enable and reinforce not just the CAS nature of the learning process but its alignment with the intention of the infrastructure by using it as a living textbook that is core for the design and implementation of their green curriculum. The effect of infrastructure in the organizational learning has been discussed from the ethnographic perspective (Leigh, 1999); and recently Sailer (2014) from an architectural and functionalist perspective describes how architecture and space design affects organizational learning and behavior and how this can be purposefully programmed since the stage of design of the infrastructure development. This study contributes to validate the previous theory by providing evidence of the efficiency of such intentional design in the generation of learning process at different levels that transcend the limits of the organization. The case study is supported by some indicators of impact of both, the infrastructure and the organizational learning process through external and independent recognition such as the awards: the Kimberly Clark Foundation – Ekco-Awards as an Exceptional Place to Work in 2013; BIBO-WWF in 2014 as "Academy – Best Environmental Practices"; "Green Project Challenge 2014" - first place; Since 2012 Rochester School is leading "Green Apple Day" in Colombia; "Our Choice", an integrative K-12 networking initiative based on sustainability educational strategies for schools since 2014; and the LEEDS gold 2015 (first in Latin America for educative institutions – Making the school the nominated hub for this accreditation scheme in South America). The school also generates several community projects in the town where is placed and is both, inspiration and operator of community based projects on local farming, organic agriculture and protection of the local bio-diversity. Its influence is permeating the higher education clusters through the leading participation of the school in forums and research initiatives analyzing the role of infrastructure, the teaching-learning process and greening the curriculum activities.


Governments generally use enforcement methods, such as audits and the imposition of penalties, to deter noncompliance with tax laws. Although this approach is consistent with most economic modeling of tax compliance, some scholars caution that enforcement may backfire, "crowding out" taxpayers' intrinsic motivations to pay taxes to such an extent that they reduce their tax payments. This article analyzes the existing evidence to determine if this occurs. In fact, field studies suggest that enforcement tools, such as audits, are effective deterrents, generally greatly increasing tax collections. A few recent studies have found that audits have a negative effect on the subsequent tax payments of those found compliant on audit. This outcome, while perhaps initially surprising, is consistent with the deterrence model: a favorable outcome after audit may lower the audited taxpayer's perceived likelihood of subsequent audit and the perceived magnitude of the sanction.


Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) are carbon materials which have abundant nanopores ranging from 2 nm to 50 nm, with most of the pores ordered and uniform-sized. The OMCs have large surface area and pore volume comparable to conventional activated carbon materials, making it a promising gas adsorbent. This thesis investigated the application of OMCs as a versatile gas adsorbent and compared its adsorption performance with a commercially available activated carbon. The understandings achieved in this thesis contributed to the knowledge in (1) the application of the OMCs as a gas adsorbent alternative to conventional activated carbons (2) methods of modifying the OMC material to adsorb different types of gas pollutants.


Importance
An ongoing global monkeypox virus outbreak in 2022 includes the US and other nonendemic countries. Monkeypox ophthalmic manifestations may present to the ophthalmologist, or the ophthalmologist may be involved in comanagement. This narrative review creates a primer for the ophthalmologist of clinically relevant information regarding monkeypox, its ophthalmic manifestations, and the 2022 outbreak.

Observations
Monkeypox virus is an Orthopoxvirus (genus includes variola [smallpox] and vaccinia [smallpox vaccine]). The 2022 outbreak is of clade II (historically named West African clade), specifically subclade IIb. In addition to historic transmission patterns (skin lesions, bodily fluids, respiratory droplets), sexual transmission has also been theorized in the current outbreak due to disproportionate occurrence in men who have sex with men. Monkeypox causes a characteristic skin eruption and mucosal lesions and may cause ophthalmic disease. Monkeypox-related ophthalmic disease (MPXROD) includes a spectrum of ocular pathologies including eyelid/periorbital skin lesions, blepharoconjunctivitis, and keratitis). Smallpox vaccination may reduce MPXROD occurrence. MPXROD seems to be rarer in the 2022 outbreaks than in historical outbreaks. MPXROD may result in corneal scarring and blindness. Historical management strategies for MPXROD include lubrication and prevention/management of bacterial superinfection in monkeypox keratitis. Case reports and in vitro data for trifluridine in other orthopoxviruses suggest a possible role for MPXROD. Tecovirimat, cidofovoir, brincidofovir and vaccinia immune globulin intravenous may be used for systemic infection. There is a theoretical risk for monkeypox transmission by corneal transplantation, and the Eye Bank Association of America has provided guidance. Smallpox vaccines (JYNNEOS [Bavarian Nordic] and ACAM2000 [Emergent Product Development Gaithersburg Inc]) provide immunity against monkeypox.

Conclusions and Relevance
The ophthalmologist may play an important role in the diagnosis and management of monkeypox. MPXROD may be associated with severe ocular and visual morbidity. As the current outbreak evolves, up-to-date guidance from public health organizations and professional societies are critical.


identify the significant social experiences which explain the growth of political participation among citizens in economically advanced countries'. He isolates and defines four types of political behaviour and offers a 'tentative model' of immigrant political participation that should prove most valuable to students of other immigrant groups. He also analyses immigrant participation in the U.S.A. and in Australia, pointing out the persistence of ethnic voting patterns in America as compared to the general political apathy displayed by immigrants in Australia.


This article examines the mainstream of heritage vineyards in Chile. The main characteristics of these vineyards and their territorial location are investigated. Methodologically, quantitative and qualitative sources have been used. A critical analysis of the Wine Registry has been carried out, in the light of specialized literature, together with field visits and taking as reference the vineyard censuses prepared in Argentina. It is concluded that the main current of the patrimonial vineyards of Chile is in the southern interior dry land secano, between the Mataquito and Bio Bio rivers; and is characterized by water regime without irrigation; the leading system Gobelet and the Spanish-Creole varieties, Listan Prieto, Moscatel de Alejandria and Torontel. The current area comprises 15,000 hectares concentrated in nine communes in three regions, Maule, Nuble and Bio Bio. There is the heart of the patrimonial vineyards of Chile.


Previous studies on supporting free-form keyword queries over RDBMSs provide users with linked structures (e.g., a set of joined tuples) that are relevant to a given keyword query. Most of them focus on ranking individual tuples from one table or joins of multiple tables containing a set of keywords. In this paper, we study the problem of keyword search in a data cube with text-rich dimension(s) (so-called text cube). The text cube is built on a multidimensional text database, where each row is associated with some text data (a document) and other structural dimensions (attributes). A cell in the text cube aggregates a set of documents with matching attribute values in a subset of dimensions. We define a keyword-based query language and an IR-style relevance model for scoring/ranking cells in the text cube. Given a keyword query, our goal is to find the top-k most relevant cells. We propose four approaches: inverted-index one-scan, document sorted-scan, bottom-up dynamic programming, and search-space ordering. The search-space ordering algorithm explores only a small portion of the text cube for finding the top-k answers, and enables early termination. Extensive experimental studies are conducted to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approaches.


Among peritumoral cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are major facilitators of tumor progression. This study describes the effects of two urokinase-derived, novel decapeptides, denoted as Pep 1 and its cyclic derivative Pep 2. In a mouse model of tumor dissemination, using HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells, Pep 2 reduced the number and size of lung metastases. Specific binding of fluoresceinated Pep 2 to HT1080 and telomerase immortalised fibroblasts (TIF) cell surfaces was enhanced by αv overexpression or abolished by excess vitronectin, anti-αv antibodies or silencing of ITGAV αv gene, identifying αv-integrin as the Pep 2 molecular target. In 3D-organotypic assays, peptide-exposed TIFs and primary CAFs from breast carcinoma patients both exhibited a markedly reduced pro-invasive ability of either HT1080 fibrosarcoma or MDA-MB-231 mammary carcinoma cells, respectively. Furthermore, TIFs, either exposed to Pep 2, or silenced for αv integrin, were impaired in their ability to chemoattract cancer cells and to contract collagen matrices, exhibiting reduced α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) levels. Finally, peptide exposure of αv-expressing primary CAFs led to the downregulation of α-SMA protein and to a dramatic reduction of their pro-invasive capability. In conclusion, the ability of the novel decapeptides to interfere with tumor cell invasion directly and through the down-modulation of CAF phenotype suggests their use as lead compounds for co-targeting anti-cancer strategies.


Lead (Pb) exposure remains a major concern in the United States (US) and around the world, even following the removal of Pb from gasoline and other products. Environmental Pb exposures from aging infrastructure and housing stock are of particular concern to pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable populations. Exposures during sensitive periods of development are known to influence epigenetic modifications which are thought to be one mechanism of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm. To gain insights into early life Pb exposure-induced health risks, we leveraged neonatal dried bloodspots in a cohort of children from Michigan, US to examine associations between blood Pb levels and concomitant DNA methylation profiles (n = 96). DNA methylation analysis was conducted via the Infinium MethylationEPIC array and Pb levels were assessed via high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). While at-birth Pb exposure levels were relatively low (average 0.78 µg/dL, maximum of 5.27 ug/dL), we identified associations between DNA methylation and Pb at 33 CpG sites, with the majority (82%) exhibiting reduced methylation with increasing Pb exposure (q < 0.2). Biological pathways related to development and neurological function were enriched amongst top differentially methylated genes by p-value. In addition to increases/decreases in methylation, we also demonstrate that Pb exposure is related to increased variability in DNA methylation at 16 CpG sites. More work is needed to assess the accuracy and precision of metals assessment using bloodspots, but this study highlights the utility of this unique resource to enhance environmental epigenetics research around the world.


OBJECT
This study was conducted to determine whether there is a change in intracranial arterial diameters after verapamil infusion for vasospasm and, if it is present, to determine whether the change occurs in proximal, intermediate, or distal vessels.

METHODS
The authors measured arterial diameters in all patients treated with intraarterial verapamil at their institutions between August 2003 and September 2004. In all, 18 treatments were examined in 15 patients. Measurements were made before and after verapamil infusion in a blinded fashion with the aid of a magnification loupe at nine predetermined arterial sites on each angiogram. Baseline arterial measurements were made on each patient's initial angiogram and on the angiogram demonstrating spasm prior to endovascular therapy as well in 14 of the patients. Charts were retrospectively reviewed to determine whether the patients benefited from intraarterial verapamil. From the time of the initial angiogram to the time of vasospasm, there was a 21.6% decrease (p = 0.092) in proximal artery diameter, a 47.1% decrease (p < 0.05) in intermediate artery diameter, and a 12.4% decrease (p < 0.05) in distal artery diameter. There were no significant changes in the diameters of proximal, intermediate, or distal vessels after verapamil infusion (mean dose 7.4 mg, range 2.5-10 mg). After infusion of intraarterial verapamil, the proximal vessels showed a 1.1% decrease in diameter, the intermediate vessels showed a 9.4% increase, and the distal vessels showed a 3.3% decrease.

CONCLUSIONS
Administration of intraarterial verapamil does not cause a significant increase in the diameter of vasospastic vessels at the administered doses.


The vegetation of the Karangsari rehabilitation zone of Mount Ciremai National Park vegetation consists of several trees that grow together and interact with each other. This study aimed to determine species diversity and dominant tree associations in the rehabilitation zone of Karangsari Block, Mount Ciremai National Park. Field data collection using the checkered line method on a predetermined number of sampling plots. Furthermore, it was analyzed using the Important Value Index (IVI) to determine the dominant tree species and to determine the association relationship using a 2 x 2 contingency table. The study found 22 tree species with a diversity index value of 1.4. The dominant trees found in the study area were tusam (Pinus merkusii), saninten(Castanopsis argantea), anggrit (Nauclea sp), and avocado (Persea americana). There are six pairs of association relationships between dominant trees four pairs are positive and two are negative. This information is essentialfor future management of the use zone.


Type 2 diabetes is a very common metabolic disorder worldwide. The main defects of this disease are insulin resistance and a β cell dysfunction, leading to a reduction of insulin secretion over time. Insulin secretion is a complex mechanism that involves interactions among all the cells of the pancreatic insula. In addition, glucolipotoxicity may affect reversibly insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes. In recent years, several novel treatments have been becoming available for type 2 diabetes, nevertheless insulin still maintains an important role overall in specific situations including severe metabolic decompensation or pregnancy. The aim of the present narrative review is to discuss the main indications of insulin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.


Automated chromatography techniques such as high-performance (high-pressure) liquid chromatography (HPLC) or fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) represent a promising, new approach toward resolving the complex protein mixture of pancreatic juice. To achieve highly reproducible and rapid resolution of pancreatic protein profiles, reversed-phase, hydrophobic interaction, and ion-exchange techniques are employed. Until now, none of the respectively reported methods has provided a convenient, specific procedure for diagnostic purposes. However, experimental data prove that these methods are very sensitive and furthermore, easy to handle. Therefore, it seems possible to utilize such methods for diagnostics in future.


I challenge the existing literature that claims that strongly biased technology is necessary to observe a simultaneous increases in the skill supply and the skill premium. I highlight the importance of the joint determination of the direction of technical change and skill formation, as there is a positive feedback between them. Technological progress is driven by profit oriented R&D firms, where profits are increasing in the amount of labour that is able to use these technologies. Therefore, when the supply of high-skilled labour increases, technology endogenously becomes more skill-biased. A more skill-biased technology leads to a higher skill premium, which increases the incentives to acquire education, and the supply of high-skilled labour rises. During the transition to the steady state, both quantities increase simultaneously. I map the dependence of the transition path of the economy on the initial skill supply and relative technology between the high- and the low-skilled sector. I find that, contrary to the previous literature, the skill premium and the skill supply can increase jointly even if the bias of technology is weak.


Abstract. As one of the intense anthropogenic emission regions across the relatively
high-latitude (>40∘ N) areas on Earth, northeast
China faces the serious problem of regional haze during the heating period of
the year. Aerosols in polluted haze in northeast China are poorly
understood compared with the haze in other regions of China such as the North
China Plain. Here, we integrated bulk chemical measurements with single-particle analysis from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoscale
secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS), and atomic force microscopy
(AFM) to obtain morphology, size, composition, aging process, and sources of
aerosol particles collected during two contrasting regional haze events
(Haze-I and Haze-II) at an urban site and a mountain site in northeast
China and further investigated the causes of regional haze formation.
Haze-I evolved from moderate (average PM2.5: 76–108 µg m−3) to
heavy pollution (151–154 µg m−3), with the dominant PM2.5
component changing from organic matter (OM) (39–45 µg m−3) to
secondary inorganic ions (94–101 µg m−3). Similarly, TEM
observations showed that S-rich particles internally mixed with OM (named S-OM)
increased from 29 % to 60 % by number at an urban site and 64 %
to 74 % at a mountain site from the moderate Haze-I to heavy Haze-I events,
and 75 %–96 % of Haze-I particles included primary OM. We found that change
of wind direction caused Haze-I to rapidly turn into Haze-II (185–223 µg m−3) with predominantly OM (98–133 µg m−3) and
unexpectedly high K+ (3.8 µg m−3). TEM also showed that K-rich particles
internally mixed with OM (named K-OM) increased from 4 %–5 % by
number to 50 %–52 %. The results indicate that there were different sources
of aerosol particles causing the Haze-I and Haze-II formation: Haze-I was
mainly induced by accumulation of primary OM emitted from residential coal
burning and further deteriorated by secondary aerosol formation via
heterogeneous reactions; Haze-II was caused by long-range transport of
agricultural biomass burning emissions. Moreover, abundant primary OM
particles emitted from coal and biomass burning were considered to be one
typical brown carbon, i.e., tar balls. Our study highlights that large
numbers of light-absorbing tar balls significantly contribute to winter haze
formation in northeast China and they should be further considered in
climate models.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
This study gives a clue about genotypes, subgenotypes and subtypes of HBV, HCV and HDV viruses in general population of Afghanistan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 234 HBsAg, 44 anti-HCV and 5 Anti-Delta positive patients belong to 25-70 age group were obtained through a rapid screening test among 5898 residents of Afghanistan. After quantifying viral load, genotyping of 61 HBV, 29 HCV and 1 HDV samples were accomplished by sequencing of a segment of the HBV Pre S, HCV NS5B, and HDV Delta antigen regions respectively. Clinically important variants of the HBV polymerase gene, the "a" determinant of HBsAg, HCV NS5B and NS3 regions were assessed.

RESULTS
All HBV isolates were dispersed throughout the genotype D branch and ayw2 was the only subtypes found. The anti-HDV prevalence among HBsAg positive individuals was 2.2% and the single HDV sample, belonged to HDV genotype I. Analysis of HCV isolates revealed subtype HCV-1b in 75.86%, HCV-3a in 20.69% and HCV-3b in 3.44% patients. The observed mutant variants in the MHR of HBsAg were Y100 15%, Q101 5%, G102 15%, T115 45%, P120 5%, T131 5%. Likewise, S213T 10%, Q215P 5% and N248H 100% mutations were detected in the HBV polymerase region. C316N mutation was prevalent in 72.7% of HCV 1b participants.

CONCLUSION
Genotypic variation in Afghan patients is in line with the ones existing in neighboring countries and regions. HBV genotypes D1, subtype ayw2, HDV RNA type I, and HCV RNA genotype 1b are likely to be dominant in Afghan patients.


In this work, an algorithm has been proposed for real time detection and classification of beluga whale calls. The detection algorithm is based on an adaptive activity detector that exploits a priori knowledge of the longest/ shortest beluga whale sound unit. Optimum parameter values of the proposed detector are obtained by simulation to maximize the difference between Detection Probability and False Alarm Probability. A set of features that allow successful classification by means of a Naive Bayes classification algorithm has been put forward as well. Three classification categories related to observed beluga behaviours were selected. In a different perspective, the proposed features can be employed to obtain clues of how beluga sounds are produced and the degree of control that the specie has over its internal organs. As an example, the presence of nonlinearities such as subharmonics and frequency jumps have been detected and related to some extracted features. This technique can serve as a complement to more rigorous studies based on video information and ultrasonic sensors for whale monitoring.


Purpose

Archival research is a much under-rated and under-utilized method of research in management studies. Yet multi-disciplinary undertakings being observed in recent times, such as in knowledge management (KM) systems, business history and social network studies, among others, indicate that there is a lot of potential to be explored. The purpose of this paper is to highlight this point and make a case for its inclusion in the researcher's toolkit in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors follow a two-stage method here: the first stage being an improvised process to benchmark articles for this review; while the second stage involves content analysis and synthesis of the same.

Findings

The authors have dealt with the intricacies of the archival research methodology by minutely examining the fieldwork steps, proxies generation, other related processes of triangulation, etc. With the discussion on "multi-disciplinary undertakings," the authors offer not only a selective bibliography of works that have effectively harvested this family of methods, but also critique the nuances involved. Finally, coming into more contemporary concerns and developments, the authors undertake an in-depth look at technological applications in the domain of KM, in case study mode. Methodological richness leads to substantive granularity. As such, the authors argue that archival methods contribute to the robustness, contextuality and holism of any research endeavor, more so in the study of business and organizations.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on the literature review.

Practical implications

This paper makes a case for archival method's contribution toward the robustness, contextuality and holism of any research endeavor, more so in the study of business and organizations.

Originality/value

This paper re-positions the method of archival research as a viable and sophisticated tool for researchers to employ effectively in singular or mixed method studies.


An adjusted satellite-based model was proposed with the aim of improving spatially distributed evapotranspiration (ET) estimates under plant water stress conditions. Remote sensing data and near surface geophysics information, using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), were used in a revised version of the original dual crop coefficient (Kc) FAO-56 approach. Sentinel 2-A imagery were used to compute vegetation indices (VIs) required for spatially estimating ET. The potentiality of the ERT technique was exploited for tracking the soil wetting distribution patterns during and after irrigation phases. The ERT-derived information helped to accurately estimate the wet exposed fraction (few) and therefore the water evaporated from the soil surface into the dual Kc FAO-56 approach. Results, validated by site-specific ET measurements (ETEC) obtained using the eddy covariance (EC) technique, showed that ERT-adjusted ET estimates (ETERT) were considerably reduced (15%) when compared with the original dual Kc FAO-56 approach (ETFAO), soil evaporation overestimation being the main reason for these discrepancies. Nevertheless, ETFAO and ETERT showed overestimations of 64% and 40% compared to ETEC. This is because both approaches determine ET under standard conditions without water limitation, whereas EC is able to determine ET even under soil water deficit conditions. From the comparison between ETEC and ETERT, the water stress coefficient was experimentally derived, reaching a mean value for the irrigation season of 0.74. The obtained results highlight how new technologies for soil water status monitoring can be incorporated for improving ET estimations, particularly under drip irrigation conditions.


Historically, natural dyes and resins have been used in the polychromed decoration of wood, as well as in clear colored coatings and glazes employed in the finishing of other types of artifacts. Largely impermanent as colorants, the presence of these materials in their aged and faded states can often go unrecognized when encountered in a darkened and yellowed varnish. Thus, it is important that the conservator be able to easily determine when an object has been intentionally colored. The goal of this study was to find a simple, low-cost method for the detection of colorants used in the historic production of such artifacts. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was the principal method chosen for this investigation, based on its simplicity and low-cost. Some resinous materials used in the formulation of traditional varnishes, along with colored resins and natural and synthetic dye materials, were studied, alone and in combination. The method was assessed for its feasibility in the chromatographic separation of the various colored components and for its ability to aid in identification of these components.


This paper investigates the contribution of entrepreneurship to sustainable development and economic growth in emerging markets in the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the importance of various measures implemented by entrepreneurs and governments as responses to the changing environment in the COVID-19 pandemic is examined. By employing the data for 20 emerging markets, the findings revealed that only high-growth-expectation entrepreneurship (HEA) had a significant contribution to economic growth before the pandemic, but this relationship became negative during the COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, this research pointed out that sufficient responses to the COVID-19 pandemic could be a useful instrument to encourage the development of entrepreneurship and revive the economy in the post-COVID period in emerging markets.


This research mapped the personality characteristics of young people related to binge drinking. Sequentially, research was conducted on by how much these characteristics were mediated by the conscious thinking processes. The Twente model of binge drinking (Boer, Goosensen & Pieterse, 2010) was used as a base for this research.
In order to facilitate the research, an enquiry was made among young people in the age from 15 to 21 years old. The following personality characteristics were measured; sensation seeking, impulsiveness, anxiety sensitivity and helplessness. In order to represent the conscious processes the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) was used, consisting of the following constructs: self efficacy, attitude, subjective norm, descriptive norm and intention. Two definitions of binge drinking were used; an objective and a subjective one. In the objective definition, binge drinking refers to the consumption of 6 or more glasses of alcohol during one event. The subjective measure is defined as the number of times they exceed their predetermined portion. Both of the constructs were significant.
A correlation-, regression- and a mediation-analysis as well as a Sobel test were conducted on the data. The results showed that the personality characteristics; impulsiveness and sensation seeking, enlarge the chance of binge drinking. The other two personality characteristics that were tested; helplessness and anxiety sensitivity, reduced the chance of binge drinking in the objective definition. For the subjective definition the results were not significant. Conscious processes did not affect binge drinking. The influence of the personality on binge drinking was also not mediated by conscious cognitive processes.


The extent of change of soil property by the dumping of oil sludge coming out fromlubricant oil reprocessing industrieswas studied. The soil samples considered were under long duration impact (10 years of exposure to oil sludge), short duration impact (5 years of exposure to oil sludge) with or without amendment to observe recovery of pollution effect. The effect of oil sludge was evaluated on the basis of oil content of the contaminated soil. With increase of the exposure of oil sludge there was increase in the content of oil in the soil. Soilwas changing towards acidic due to oil sludge. Reduction of microbial population with duration of exposure was significant. Lime treatment was found to recover the soil from oil sludge effect.


Two Late Proterozoic granitic bodies from the Eastern Desert of Egypt, the ca. 578 Ma Nakhil and the ca. 595 Ma Aswan granites, provide insights into processes of crust formation in the Arabian-Nubian shield. Evidence for involvement of an older crustal component in the formation of the Nakhil granite includes (1) U/Pb zircon data that establish a crystallization age of 578 {plus minus} 15 Ma and indicate the presence of inherited zircons possibly as old as 1.6 Ga; (2) an elevated model initial {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr (0.7136); and (3) an elevated initial {sup 207}Pb/{sup 204}Pb (15.561) relative to model mantle compositions at 578 Ma. Evidence for involvement of an older crustal component in the Aswan granite comes from the elevated initial {sup 207}Pb/{sup 204}Pb (15.611). In contrast, extensive crustal contamination is not reflected in the high initial {epsilon}{sub Nd} (+5.7) for the Nakhil and the low initial {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr (0.7029) for the Aswan granite. The contrasting inferences from the different isotopic systems can be explained by the high whole-rock Nd and Sr concentration for the the Nakhil (87 ppm Nd) and the Aswan (173 ppm Sr) granites, respectively, that suggest that the Nd and Sr isotopic composition of themore » older component has been overshadowed by the more primitive material. Similar contrasts in Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic data from the eastern and western shield margins can be interpreted in the same manner and might suggest widespread involvement of older crustal components in the formation of the Late Proterozoic Arabian-Nubian shield.« less


It is apparent that shoplifting within England and Wales is a significant problem that seemingly needs more attention when it is estimated that seventy five per cent of shoplifting incidents go undetected (British Retail Consortium [BRC], 2007b, p. 1). The city of Portsmouth is an area that experiences a significant shoplifting problem. As a result Operation Kensington was set up by Hampshire Constabulary to try and tackle the problem. The scheme redesigned three Co-op stores in a pilot area with the purpose of making them more resistant to crime by using a series of situational crime prevention (SCP) techniques. It has been established that these SCP techniques can be successful in preventing crime and therefore the focus of this study was to assess whether the SCP techniques used by Operation Kensington have been successful in one of the three Co-op stores. The research study sought the views of two police officers who regularly deal with the selected Co-op store and two of the Co-op store workers in order to gain a varied perspective on the techniques. Crime data provided by Hampshire Constabulary was also analysed. On the available evidence the study has been unable to conclusively establish that the techniques used within the Co-op store have been effective. It does however appear that they may have been successful to some degree. The study is however able to say with some certainty that Operation Kensington as a whole as had some positive effects, most notably making the reporting of crime more efficient and leading to an increase in both reported and detected crime within the pilot area.


Instabilities driven by two electron beams that stream at the relativistic relative velocity vb are important as a plasma thermalization and magnetic field generation mechanism in astrophysics [1, 2] and in inertial confinement fusion [3]. The timeevolution of such instabilities, which are subdivided into the two-stream, mixed mode and filamentation (beam-Weibel) instability [4], is multi-dimensional and nonlinear and the instabilities are usually modelled with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. We examine the wave spectrum we obtain, if both beams have a density ratio 9 and (1 − v 2 /c 2 ) −1/2 ≈ 4. The mixed mode dominates and grows fastest for highly relativistic |vb|. An electromagnetic finite grid instability is shown to generate artificial magnetic fields, imposing a simulation constraint [5].


The aim of our study is to describe unemployed people's experiences of preventive health care services, and to investigate how the health care system responds to their individual needs. We conducted the study under the name Occupational Health Counseling project, in Kuopio, Finland, between 2008 and 2010. We examined the transition from one service to another from the unemployed person's perspective whilst also canvassing their views on health and work ability. According to general consensus the link between health services and employment activities should be flexible between authorities. However, currently a health check is still quite separate from employment activities. Participants' satisfaction with the service was high. When targeted at the unemployed, this special type of health service meets clients' needs very well. Nonetheless, more attention should be paid to individuals who report reduced subjective health. Young unemployed people especially benefit from objective health evaluations, and it imbues them with self-confidence. Preventive health care services for the unemployed are important and services should be offered actively to them. Finnish law requires municipalities to arrange these services but still they are not active in every region. Also the process and contents of the services vary considerable. The situation has improved during the last few years, but work is still needed to ensure the continuation and development of the services. Also, this study shows that preventive health care services for the unemployed are important from the international point of view. The unemployed have many health care needs in common.


Institutional development in new and potential member countries determines the success of both the catching-up of developing European countries and the deepening of the European integration process. This paper argues that the timing of future enlargement should depend on institutional convergence between the EU and potential accession candidates. Therefore, the paper looks at institutional quality in the EU, in the EU's neighboring Balkan and Black Sea regions, and especially in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, and Ukraine, i.e. the next countries in the queue for entry or likely to lobby for entry into the EU. Three dimensions of institutional quality - legislative, administrative, and judicative institutions - are analyzed on the basis of the World Bank Governance Indicators using institutional quality in EU member states as a benchmark in order to reveal institutional deficits.


The incorporation of interstitial hydrogen in yttria was studied by means of ab initio calculations based on density-functional theory (DFT) and muonium spin polarization spectroscopy (μSR). The density-functional calculations, based on a semilocal functional within the GGA-PBE and a hybrid functional, uncovered multiple geometrical configurations for the neutral, H0, and the negatively charged, H , states of hydrogen, thus demonstrating the existence of metastable minimum-energy sites. It was observed that the low-energy configurations for H0 and H are similar: they prefer to relax in deep, interstitial sites, whereas the equilibrium configurations for the positively charged state, H , were bond-type configurations with the hydrogen forming a covalent O-H bond with an O anion. For all neutral and negative configurations, localized defect levels were found inside the gap. Overall, the results for the formation energies obtained by the two different functionals are qualitatively similar; an amphoteric behavior was found for hydrogen after considering the lowest-energy structures for each charge state. The calculated acceptor transition level, obtained by the hybrid functional and seen near midgap, is consistent with μSR data from literature. The results are consistent with the present μSR data, where the observed diamagnetic signal is attributed to a donor-like muonium at the oxygen-bonded configurations and the paramagnetic signal to an acceptor-like deep muonium at the interstitial sites.


This paper reports the results of an attempt to integrate a collaborative technology, Wiki, into learning within a course in a teacher education programme based on social constructivist learning theory. The current study aimed to explore student-teacher acceptance of the proposed pedagogy and to identify specific learning style preferences that might be favourable to accepting the proposed pedagogy. A total of 56 student teachers participated in this study. They completed a number of collaborative tasks using a wiki during the learning process, and were then invited to complete a questionnaire designed to solicit their perception on the usefulness of wikis and their attitudes towards using a wiki, and 39 of them also returned a learning styles inventory which was used to identify the learning styles profile of the student-teacher samples. The findings reveal favourable perceptions of the use of a wiki as a collaborative learning tool in the course. Qualitative data collected from open-ended questions also reflects similar favourable results. Active learners were also found to be significantly different from reflective learners in accepting the wiki as a learning tool.


ABSTRACT Employee allegations of sexual harassment by supervisors and co-workers continue to be a complex human resource management problem for employers. While recent Supreme Court decisions in Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth and Faragher v. City of Boca Raton provided employers with guidance in dealing with harassment in the workplace, allegations of harassment involving customers, clients, vendors, and suppliers is emerging as an area of liability that many employers may have overlooked and continue to struggle with. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations have long held that employers may also be responsible for the acts of nonemployees with respect to sexual harassment of employees in the workplace, and in recent years more U.S. courts have relied on these regulations in recognizing the existence of a cause of action for harassment by third parties. This paper examines recent court decisions dealing with allegations of sexual harassment involving third parties, the potential legal and employee relations consequences associated with sexual harassment of employees by third parties, and what organizations can do to minimize the negative consequences and employer liability associated with third party sexual harassment INTRODUCTION Since the United States Supreme Court first recognized sexual harassment as a violation of federal law in 1986 in Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, employers have struggled in their efforts to create workplaces where employees can work free of unlawful behavior that interferes with their ability to successfully perform their jobs. What was once viewed as "an accepted occupational hazard for many working women" (Ream, 2000), sexual harassment has over time been subject to continued adjudication on numerous occasions resulting in widespread awareness and effort by employers to create work environments free of sexual harassment. While employers have become more sensitized to the harassment issue, expansion of the concept of sexual harassment continues to present new challenges to employers (Aron, 2002). In workplaces where management is unable to effectively prevent or respond to allegations of harassment, negative economic consequences for both employees and employers are the likely result. Legal costs associated with harassment litigation continue to run high in terms of damage awards and attorney fees. Additional and more difficult to measure costs incurred when harassment allegations surface include the diversion of management attention, unfavorable publicity, lower employee morale, and turnover. Doing "whatever it takes" to satisfy a customer or client is often deemed critical to business survival. While the often repeated phrase "the customer is always right" may be valid in many situations, when a complaint alleging hostile or harassing behavior on the part of a customer is voiced by an employee it is critical for managers to remember the customer is never right. There is a great deal of literature and case law dealing with co-worker and supervisor harassment. With respect to third-party sexual harassment, there have been relatively few court cases, and academic and practitioner publications have been limited. What has been published in recent years seems to indicate that the problem of sexual harassment by third parties is real and much more pervasive than previously thought. In addition, as the composition of the workforce continues to evolve and as more judicial attention is given to the issue, the potential that third-party sexual harassment "might be the next tide of sexual harassment litigation" is a distinct possibility (Vaughn, 2002). Early litigation involving third-party harassment was associated with employer policies requiring female employees to wear sexually provocative uniforms (Ream, 2000). Subsequently, a number of cases involving casinos, restaurants and strip clubs have addressed third-party harassment (Folkerson v. …


In contrast to the upper mantle, the lower mantle of the Earth is elastically nearly isotropic, although its dominant constituent mineral [(Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite] is highly anisotropic. On the basis of high-temperature experiments on fabric development in an analog CaTiO3 perovskite and the elastic constants of MgSiO3 perovskite, the seismic anisotropy was calculated for the lower mantle. The results show that absence of anisotropy is strong evidence for deformation by superplasticity. In this case, no significant transient creep is expected in the lower mantle and the viscosity of the lower mantle is sensitive to grain size; hence, a reduction in grain size will result in rheological weakening.


Almeida V. dos A., da Hora T.N., Leça Júnior N.F., Carvalho F.S., da Silva A.L., Wenceslau A.A., Albuquerque G.R. & Silva F.L. Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in hamsters infested with ticks collected from naturally infected dogs. [Detecção do DNA de Leishmania infantum em hamsters infestados com carrapatos coletados de cães naturalmente infectados.] Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 38(4):329-333, 2016. Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Campus Soane Nazaré de Andrade, Hospital Veterinário, Km 16, Rodovia Jorge Amado, Ilhéus, BA 45662-900, Brasil. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, in the transmission of Leishmania infantum. To accomplish this, we used 24 adult golden hamsters of both genders, and divided them into two groups: a control group (n = 4) and an experimental group (n = 20). The animals from the experimental group were infested with ticks obtained from dogs naturally infected with L. infantum. Hamsters of the control group were not infested and were maintained at the same conditions, as the infested animals. After three months of observation, animals were euthanized and they were posted to obtain samples of their blood, spleen, liver, lymph nodes, and skin. These samples were then processed by histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fourteen hamsters (70%) of the experimental group tested PCR-positive for L. infantum DNA in samples of buffy coat. The results of this study indicated that R. sanguineus ticks can transmit some forms or parts of L. infantum to parasitized hamsters.


Research in distributional semantics has made good progress in capturing individual word meanings using contextual
frequencies obtained from a large corpus. While vocabulary of a language is limited, its generative power for combinatorial expressions is nonrestrictive, and so lexical semantic methods cannot be applied directly to phrasal or sentential semantics irrespective of the corpus size. Any distributional model that aims to describe a language adequately needs to address the issue of compositionality.

Very recently, a new field called Compositional Distributional Semantics (CDS) emerged, stretching the boundaries of distributional semantics from word level meaning representation to higher levels such phrasal and sentential semantic representations. CDS models deal with the task of composing the meaning of a phrase/sentence from the distributional meaning of its constituents.

Polysemy of words have been a major focus in distributional semantics. The challenges posed at lexical level make a transition to phrasal and higher levels, making polysemy a major threat to CDS models. In this thesis, we aim to build better CDS models by performing sense disambiguation. We test our hypothesis, sense disambiguation benefits compositional models, on different compositionality based evaluation tasks.

The evaluation of compositional models is an uncertain topic. Since we humans do not know the way we compose semantics of expressions, it is hard to prepare datasets for evaluation, thus making the evaluation of CDS models a challenging topic. In this thesis, we focus on evaluation methods for compositional models and develop a dataset with a novel annotation scheme.


: Feldspar as a low-cost mineral adsorbent based on silica was used to removal a cationic dye, C.I. Basic Red 14 (Brilliant red 4G), from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR). The effect of some parameters such as the amount of adsorbent, contact time, the initial concentration of dye, initial pH and electrolyte on dye removal was investigated. Results showed that dye removal increased by increasing pH; contact time and adsorbent dosage, whereas decreased by increasing the dye concentration. Also, the addition of electrolyte caused a negligible decreasing in dye removal. It took about 1 hour to equilibrium the feldspar with C.I. Basic red 14 and dye removal efficiency was 96%. So, feldspar is a suitable and powerful absorbent for removal of cationic dye from aqueous solutions. Equilibrium isotherms were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Redlich-Peterson, and Dubinin–Radushkevich adsorption models and found that the experimental data were correlated reasonably well with Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption kinetics was studied by using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intra-particle diffusion models and realized the adsorption of C.I. Basic red 14 on feldspar followed the pseudo-second-order equation which indicates to chemical sorption.


Animal antisera were the first proteins introduced in medicine more than a century ago, followed in the 1920s by insulin from porcine and bovine origin. This first generation of therapeutic proteins proved to be immunogenic which is expected from foreign proteins. Today, most proteins used in medicine are made by recombinant DNA technologies. Many of these proteins are copies of human proteins but the majority of these proteins still induces antibodies.
Many factors are known to influence the immunogenicity, but their interplay is highly complex and it is still difficult to predict the occurrence of immune reactions in patient populations and, even more so, in individual patients.
Therefore, it was the aim of this thesis to contribute to the development of a generic strategy to predict the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins in clinical settings. Different conformations of proteins were created and physicochemically characterized. Their immunogenicity was assessed in wildtype and immune tolerant transgenic mice. Also, the effect of formulation excipients on protein structure was studied and attempts were made to correlate structural properties of the protein with immunogenicity. Finally, a start was made to evaluate the value of the animal models, wildtype and transgenic immune tolerant mice, in predicting the immune response in patients.
Transgenic immune tolerant mice carry the gene for the human protein in their chromosomal DNA and therefore share immune tolerance for this protein with humans. The administered protein will be recognized as a self-protein by the immune system and no immune response should be elicited.
The presence of aggregates in a protein formulation is known to induce an immune response. The transgenic animal model was used to evaluate the effect of aggregate content, aggregate type and route of administration of protein formulations on the immunogenicity. It was shown that not all aggregates were able to break the tolerance of the transgenic mice. Only aggregates with a native-like structure were able to break the tolerance of the transgenic mice. A high content of aggregates was needed to increase the immune response in the wildtype mice, while a small amount of aggregates in the protein formulation was already able to break the tolerance of the transgenic mice. The transgenic mouse model was shown to be able to simulate clinical data: an interferon beta formulation known to induce an immune response in 90 % of the patients was able to break the tolerance of the transgenic mice.
Immunogenicity testing in transgenic mice and wildtype mice, will be a good method to compare the immunogenicity of protein formulations before the start of large clinical trials.


Objectives: 1) To study the risk factor profiles of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among adolescent girls, housewives and working women and its socioeconomic and quality of life losses. 2) To undertake risk factor modifications using the adolescent girls. Design and Setting: Cross-sectional descriptive study followed by educational intervention. Statistical Methods: Cluster sampling, Proportions, confidence intervals, Chi square and t-Tests and Logistic regression. Materials and Methods: House to house survey was done in two villages and one urban ward. Seventy-five housewives, 75 working women and 180 adolescent girls were asked about the risk factors and losses due to LUTS. Three teams of adolescent girls were utilized to bring about behavioral modifications. Impact was measured through user perspectives obtained from the participants. Results: Risk factors, social, economic and quality of life losses were different among the three female populations. Overall prevalence of LUTS among the three groups is 61(18.5%). Improper anal washing technique, malnutrition, presence of vaginal discharge, use of unsanitary menstrual pads, pinworm infestation and use of bad toilets were the significant causes among girls. Presence of sexually transmitted diseases was a contributing factor among housewives and working women. Prolonged sitting the posture was also contributing to LUTS among working women. Seventy-four per cent of beneficiaries expressed that intervention is useful. Conclusions: The causes for LUTS and their consequences were differing among the three female subpopulations. Specific group level interventions using trained girls were successful.


With the acceleration of urbanization, Combined Sewer Overflows(CSOS) has become one of the important sources of polluted urban water. This paper overviewed the domestic and foreign CSOs current situation, and analysed the problems and deficiencies in the regulatory of CSOs in China. According to the characteristics of CSOs, we suggested that the regulatory of CSOs focus on the source, pipes and ends of the drainage system. The conclusion would be evidence for improving the combined sewerage system in China.


Due to its high flexibility, mobility and low cost features, wireless ad hoc network has been widely used in various applications. Security and quality of service (QoS) requirements are usually separately considered in such networks. Most of the existing routing protocols provide either secure or QoS routing mechanisms. Few protocols have combined these two requirements together. In this paper, we combine the security and QoS requirements together and develop a dynamic secure QoS routing protocol (DSQ), which simultaneously provides different levels of security and QoS service in the same network. The simulation results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed protocol.


This paper builds a model of the two-way interaction between democratic values and institutions to bridge sociological research, focusing on values, with economics research, which studies strategic decisions. Some citizens hold values that make them protest to preserve democracy with the share of such citizens evolving endogenously over time. There is then a natural complementarity between values and institutions creating persistence without assuming any form of commitment. The approach unifies ideas in the literature, explains observed patterns in the data on democratic values and political institutions, and suggests new insights into sources of heterogeneity in values. (JEL D02, D72)


Lane detection is typically tackled with a two-step pipeline in which a segmentation mask of the lane markings is predicted first, and a lane line model like a parabola or spline is fitted to the post-processed mask next. The problem with such a two-step approach is that the parameters of the network are not optimized for the true task of interest (estimating the lane curvature parameters) but for a proxy task (segmenting the lane markings), resulting in suboptimal performance. In this work, we propose a method to train a lane detector in an end-to-end manner, directly regressing the lane parameters. The architecture consists of two components: a deep network that predicts a segmentation-ike weight map for each lane line, and a differentiable least-squares fitting module that returns for each map the parameters of the best-fitting curve in the weighted least-squares sense. These parameters can subsequently be supervised with a loss function of choice. Our method relies on the observation that it is possible to backpropagate through a least-squares fitting procedure. This leads to an end-to-end method where the features are optimized for the true task of interest: the network implicitly learns to generate features that prevent instabilities during the model fitting step, as opposed to two-step pipelines that need to handle outliers with heuristics. Additionally, the system is not just a black box but offers a degree of interpretability because the intermediately generated segmentation-like weight maps can be inspected and visualized. Code and a video is available at github.com/wvangansbeke/LaneDetection_End2End.


Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is a powerful technique to reduce power consumption in a chip multiprocessor. To support DVFS in the multicore power delivery network, we integrate on-chip switched-capacitor (SC) dc-dc converters that can work with multiple conversion ratios to provide varying levels of Vdd supplies. We study the application of such SC converters in multicore chips by simulation. Our results show that distributed SC converters can significantly reduce the voltage droop seen by the local core loads by providing better localized power regulation. Considering the fact that the current distribution in a multicore chip is unbalanced, we further develop computer-aided design techniques to automate the design (size) and distribution (number and location) of these SC converters, using the efficiency of the whole power delivery system as the optimization metric. This is a major concern, but has not been addressed at the system level in prior research. We develop models for the power loss of such a system as a function of size and distribution of the SC converters, then propose an approach to optimize the SC converters to maximize the efficiency of the system, while considering all the possible conversion ratios an SC converter can work with. We verify the accuracy of our models for the power loss in the power delivery system, and demonstrate the efficiency of our techniques to optimize the SC converters on both homogenous and heterogenous multicore chips.


Whole-genome low-coverage sequencing has been combined with linkage-disequilibrium (LD) based genotype refinement to accurately and cost-effectively infer genotypes in large cohorts of individuals. Most genotype refinement methods are based on hidden Markov models, which are accurate but computationally expensive. We introduce an algorithm that models LD using a simple multivariate Gaussian distribution. The key feature of our algorithm is its speed, it is hundreds of times faster than other methods on the same data set and its scaling behaviour is linear in the number of samples. We demonstrate the performance of the method on both low-coverage and high-coverage samples. Availability: The source code is available at https://github. com/sequencing/marvin


Although several reports describe the metabolic fate of sphingoid bases and their analogs, as well as their action and that of their phosphates as regulators of sphingolipid metabolizing-enzymes, similar studies for 3-ketosphinganine (KSa), the product of the first committed step in de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis, have not been reported. In this article we show that 3-ketosphinganine (KSa) and its dideuterated analog at C4 (d2KSa) are metabolized to produce high levels of dihydrosphingolipids in HGC27, T98G and U87MG cancer cells. In contrast, either direct C1 O-phosphorylation or N-acylation of d2KSa to produce dideuterated ketodihydrosphingolipids does not occur. We also show that cells respond to d2KSa treatment with induction of autophagy. Time-course experiments agree with sphinganine, sphinganine 1-phosphate and dihydroceramides being the mediators of autophagy stimulated by d2KSa. Enzyme inhibition studies support that inhibition of Des1 by 3-ketobases is caused by their dihydroceramide metabolites. However, this effect contributes to increasing dihydrosphingolipid levels only at short incubation times, since cells respond to long time exposure to 3-ketobases with Des1 overexpression. The translation of these overall effects into cell fate is discussed.


Author Summary: In order to investigate hyperspectral images, many techniques such as multivariate image analysis (MIA) or multivariate curve resolution–alternating least squares (MCR–ALS) can be applied. When focusing on the use of MCR–ALS, constraints are of the utmost importance for a correct resolution of the data into its individual contributions. In this article, a fuzzy clustering pattern recognition method (fuzzy C-means) is applied on experimental data in order to improve the results obtained within the MCR–ALS analysis. The big advantage of a fuzzy clustering technique over a hard clustering technique, such as k-means, is that the algorithm determines the probability of a pixel to be assigned to a component, indicating that a pixel can be part of multiple clusters (or components). This is, of course, an important property for dealing with data in which a lot of overlap between the components in the spatial direction occurs. This article deals briefly with the implementation of the constraint into the MCR–ALS algorithm and then shows the application of the constraint on an oil-in-water emulsion obtained by Raman spectroscopy, in which the different components can be decomposed in a clearer way and the interface between the oil and water bubbles becomes more visible.


The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) reported the first definitive GeV detections of the binaries LS I +61°303 and LS 5039 in the first year after its launch in 2008 June. These detections were unambiguous as a consequence of the reduced positional uncertainty and the detection of modulated γ-ray emission on the corresponding orbital periods. An analysis of new data from the LAT, comprising 30 months of observations, identifies a change in the γ-ray behavior of LS I +61°303. An increase in flux is detected in 2009 March and a steady decline in the orbital flux modulation is observed. Significant emission up to 30 GeV is detected by the LAT; prior data sets led to upper limits only. Contemporaneous TeV observations no longer detected the source, or found it—in one orbit—close to periastron, far from the phases at which the source previously appeared at TeV energies. The detailed numerical simulations and models that exist within the literature do not predict or explain many of these features now observed at GeV and TeV energies. New ideas and models are needed to fully explain and understand this behavior. A detailed phase-resolved analysis of the spectral characterization of LS I +61°303 in the GeV regime ascribes a power law with an exponential cutoff spectrum along each analyzed portion of the system's orbit. The on-source exposure of LS 5039 is also substantially increased with respect to our prior publication. In this case, whereas the general γ-ray properties remain consistent, the increased statistics of the current data set allows for a deeper investigation of its orbital and spectral evolution.


Sydney's metropolitan fringe is a theatre for the creation and loss of collective memories, cultural myths and community grieving around cultural icons, traditions and rituals. European settlement took the dreaming of the Aborigines and then had its own dreaming removed by an invasion from the east in the form of Sydney's urban growth. The re-making of place in and around the fringe community of Camden illustrates the destruction and re-construction of cultural landscapes. Locals dream of retaining the aesthetics of an inter-war country town and in doing so have created an illusion of a historical myth of a 'country town idyll'. In the new suburbs of Oran Park, Mt Annan and Harrington Park urbanites have invaded the area drawn by developer spin, which promised to fulfil hopes and dreams and never really lives up to the hype. Unfulfilled expectations mean that Sydney's rural-urban fringe is a zone of transition where waves of invasion and succession have created perceptions of reality and all that is left is imaginings.


This paper summarizes the discussions held during a brainstorming session on water governance organized as part of the First Global Water Policy Dialogue of the Institute of Water Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, and the Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico. The objective was to formulate a priority research agenda on water governance which would focus on vital issues ahead such as linkages and drivers of change in the water sector and the type of institutions and instruments that are and will be needed in order to face the increasing challenges in the sector.


In this work we studied the efficiency of the benchmarks used in the asset management industry. In chapter 2 we analyzed the efficiency of the benchmark used for the government bond markets. We found that for the Emerging Market Bonds an equally weighted index for the country weights is probably the more suited because guarantees maximum diversification of country risk but for the Eurozone government bond market we found a GDP weighted index is better because the most important matter is to avoid a higher weight for highly indebted countries. In chapter 3 we analyzed the efficiency of a Derivatives Index to invest in the European corporate bond market instead of a Cash Index. We can state that the two indexes are similar in terms of returns, but that the Derivatives Index is less risky because it has a lower volatility, has values of skewness and kurtosis closer to those of a normal distribution and is a more liquid instrument, as the autocorrelation is not significant. In chapter 4 it is analyzed the impact of fallen angels on the corporate bond portfolios. Our analysis investigated the impact of the month-end rebalancing of the ML Emu Non Financial Corporate Index for the exit of downgraded bond (the event). We can conclude a flexible approach to the month-end rebalancing is better in order to avoid a loss of valued due to the benchmark construction rules. In chapter 5 we did a comparison between the equally weighted and capitalization weighted method for the European equity market. The benefit which results from reweighting the portfolio into equal weights can be attributed to the fact that EW portfolios implicitly follow a contrarian investment strategy, because they mechanically rebalance away from stocks that increase in price.


This chapter explores variables, which are measurable representations. As such, they are located at the interface between theoretical constructs and empirical observations. Deductive research identifies variables by operationalizing abstract concepts, while inductive research typically constructs variables from the observation of units. Irrespective of whether the research is deductive and theory-driven or inductive and empirically driven, variables occupy a central position in research methodology. One of the key features of variables is that they vary across units; any variable can have at least two distinct values (also called attributes). The chapter distinguishes dependent and independent variables before introducing other types of variables and presenting different types of values. It also discusses the epistemological assumptions underlying the notion of variables.


Linear canonical transformations of bosonic modes correspond to Gaussian unitaries, which comprise passive linear-optical transformations as effected by a multiport passive interferometer and active Bogoliubov transformations as effected by a nonlinear amplification medium. As a consequence of the Bloch-Messiah theorem, any Gaussian unitary can be decomposed into a passive interferometer followed by a layer of single-mode squeezers and another passive interferometer. Here, it is shown how to circumvent the need for active transformations and simulate an arbitrary Gaussian unitary with passive interferometry only, provided two-mode squeezed vacuum states are available as a prior resource. At the heart of the procedure, we exploit the fact that a beam splitter under partial time reversal simulates a two-mode squeezer, which gives access to an arbitrary Gaussian circuit without any nonlinear optical medium. This yields, in particular, a procedure for simulating with linear optics an extended boson sampling experiment, where single photons propagate through an arbitrary Gaussian circuit, followed by the detection of output photon patterns.


The prevalence of ubiquitous computing enables new opportunities for lung health monitoring and assessment. In the past few years, there have been extensive studies on cough detection using passively sensed audio signals. However, the generalizability of a cough detection model when applied to external datasets, especially in real-world implementation, is questionable and not explored adequately. Beyond detecting coughs, researchers have looked into how cough sounds can be used in assessing lung health. However, due to the challenges in collecting both cough sounds and lung health condition ground truth, previous studies have been hindered by the limited datasets. In this paper, we propose Listen2Cough to address these gaps. We first build an end-to-end deep learning architecture using public cough sound datasets to detect coughs within raw audio recordings. We employ a pre-trained MobileNet and integrate a number of augmentation techniques to improve the generalizability of our model. Without additional fine-tuning, our model is able to achieve an F1 score of 0.948 when tested against a new clean dataset, and 0.884 on another in-the-wild noisy dataset, leading to an advantage of 5.8% and 8.4% on average over the best baseline model, respectively. Then, to mitigate the issue of limited lung health data, we propose to transform the cough detection task to lung health assessment tasks so that the rich cough data can be leveraged. Our hypothesis is that these tasks extract and utilize similar effective representation from cough sounds. We embed the cough detection model into a multi-instance learning framework with the attention mechanism and further tune the model for lung health assessment tasks. Our final model achieves an F1-score of 0.912 on healthy v.s. unhealthy, 0.870 on obstructive v.s. non-obstructive, and 0.813 on COPD v.s. asthma classification, outperforming the baseline by 10.7%, 6.3%, and 3.7%, respectively. Moreover, the weight value in the attention layer can be used to identify important coughs highly correlated with lung health, which can potentially provide interpretability for expert diagnosis in the future.


While physiological cell death is non-immunogenic, pathogen induced cell death can be immunogenic and hence stimulate an immune response against antigens that derive from dying cells and are presented by dendritic cells (DCs). The obligate immunogenic "eat-me" signal generated by dying cells consists in the exposure of calreticulin (CRT) at the cell surface. This particular "eat-me" signal, which facilitates engulfment by DCs, can only be found on cells that succumb to immunogenic apoptosis, while it is not present on cells dying in an immunologically silent fashion. CRT normally resides in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), yet can translocate to the plasma membrane surface through a complex pathway that involves elements of the ER stress response (e.g., the eIF2α-phosphorylating kinase PERK), the apoptotic machinery (e.g., caspase-8 and its substrate BAP31, Bax, Bak), the anterograde transport from the ER to the Golgi apparatus, and SNARE-dependent exocytosis. A large panoply of viruses encodes proteins that inhibit eIF2α kinases, catalyze the dephosphorylation of eIF2α, bind to caspase-8, Bap31, Bax or Bak, or perturb exocytosis. We therefore postulate that obligate intracellular pathogens have developed a variety of strategies to subvert CRT exposure, thereby avoiding immunogenic cell death.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: Inability to eliminate intramural arrhythmogenic substrate may lead to recurrent ventricular tachycardia after catheter ablation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate intramural and full thickness lesion formation using a heated saline-enhanced radiofrequency (SERF) needle-tip catheter, compared with a conventional ablation catheter in normal and infarcted myocardium. Methods: Twenty-two adult mongrel dogs (30–40 kg, 15 normal and 7 myocardial infarct group) were studied. Lesions were created using the SERF catheter (40 W/50 °C) or a standard contact force (CF) catheter in both groups. Results: Comparing SERF to CF ablation, the SERF catheter produced larger lesion volumes than the standard CF catheter—even with >20 g of CF—in both normal (983.1±905.8 versus 461.9±178.3 mm3; P=0.023) and infarcted left ventricular myocardium (1052.3±543.0 versus 340.3±160.5 mm3; P=0.001). SERF catheter lesions were more often transmural than standard CF lesions with >20 g of CF in both groups (59.1% versus 7.7%; P<0.001 and 60.0% versus 12.5%; P=0.017, respectively). Using the SERF catheter, mean depth of ablated lesions reached 90% of the left ventricular wall in both normal and infarcted myocardium. Conclusions: The SERF catheter created more transmural and larger ablative lesions in both normal and infarcted canine myocardium. SERF ablation is a promising new approach for endocardial intramural and full thickness ablation of ventricular tachycardia substrate that is not accessible with current techniques.


The present study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of maternal vitamin K2 supplementation on the vitamin K status of newborn infants using the measurement of des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin (PIVKA-II [protein induced by vitamin K absence]) and the hepaplastin test (HPT). PIVKA-II and HPT were measured at the 1st month of age in two groups: 31 infants with maternal vitamin K supplementation (15 mg/d Menatetrenone since the 14th day after parturition) (group 1) and 46 without maternal supplementation (group 2). All infants received vitamin K2 syrup twice within the 1st week of life. The PIVKA-II levels of 31 infants (group 1) were 23.6 mAU/mL (standard deviation [SD] 5.8), showing extremely low levels, and close to healthy adult levels, with a smaller deviation than what was seen in group 2. The levels of the 46 infants in group 2 were 27.8 (SD 16.0). This does not differ significantly from group 1, but a small number of infants showed a modestly high level in PIVKA-II. There also was no significant difference between the two groups in the HPT. These data would indicate that maternal vitamin K supplementation can maintain the vitamin K status throughout the late neonatal period and prevent an onset of vitamin K-deficient hemorrhage.


BACKGROUND
In addition to their value in assessing pulmonary health and disease, spirometric variables have been shown to be powerful predictors of time until death in aging populations. The sources of variability in these spirometric values are consequently of relevance to basic gerontological research, and also of potential value in clinical application. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic and environmental sources of variance in pulmonary function.

METHODS
The study involved 230 Swedish twin pairs (mean age = 64.9 years), of which number 37 monozygotic (MZ) pairs and 72 dizygotic (DZ) pairs had been separated and reared apart. Comparing these groups to the 57 MZ and 64 DZ pairs reared together permits stronger interpretation than that of conventional twin studies. Measures of vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were residualized for height, age, sex, and tobacco consumption in pack-years.

RESULTS
Maximum likelihood analyses of VC and FEV1 gave heritability estimates of .48 and .67, respectively. Age effects were explored both by dividing the sample into two cohorts, respectively above and below 65 years, and by moving interval analysis. In the two-cohort analysis, heritabilities were somewhat higher for the older cohort than the younger cohort for FEV1. The opposite was true for VC: heritability was lower in the older cohort, and there was evidence for a shared rearing environmental effect for this group. Moving interval analysis suggests these differences are gradual rather than saltatory. There were no gender differences in parameter estimates.

CONCLUSION
Genetic factors account for between one-half and two-thirds of the variability in pulmonary function. There is a suggestion of age differences in the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences.


With the rapid growth of display devices, quality inspection via machine vision technology has become increasingly important for flat-panel displays (FPD) industry. This paper discloses a novel visual inspection system for liquid crystal display (LCD), which is currently a dominant type in the FPD industry. The system is based on two cornerstones: robust/high-performance defect recognition model and cognitive visual inspection service architecture. A hybrid application of conventional computer vision technique and the latest deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) leads to an integrated defect detection, classification and impact evaluation model that can be economically trained with only image-level class annotations to achieve a high inspection accuracy. In addition, the properly trained model is robust to the variation of the image quality, significantly alleviating the dependency between the model prediction performance and the image acquisition environment. This in turn justifies the decoupling of the defect recognition functions from the front-end device to the back-end service, motivating the design and realization of the cognitive visual inspection service architecture. Empirical case study is performed on a large-scale real-world LCD dataset from a manufacturing line with different layers and products, which shows the promising utility of our system, which has been deployed in a real-world LCD manufacturing line from a major player in the world.


This paper presents a new analysis of how global warming may affect the size of forest fires through its effects on air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The effects of attack time on the size of the final burned area were also determined simultaneously in the statistical analysis. Two nonlinear functions determining the size of fires in the Prague-East District of the Czech Republic were estimated, based on a set of explanatory variables including air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and attack time. The functions were determined by multiple regression analysis combined with logarithmic transformations. The effects of climate change scenarios on future forest fires were calculated using the estimated fire-size function. The results show that if global warming leads to increased air temperature, reduced humidity, and stronger winds, we can expect larger fires. According to climate change scenarios, an upturn in the size of fires is predicted over this century. While we can control the fire by reducing the attack time, the results also show that if firefighters can reach a fire more quickly, the size of the fire will be reduced. If forest management methods, infrastructure, and fire brigade capacity are not adapted to the new climate, larger areas can be expected to be destroyed by fire.


Background:US and Brazilian studies indicate that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been effective in reducing morbidity and mortality from HIV/AIDS. Differences exist in the adoption and patterns of antiretroviral drug use and in the incidence of AIDS-defining illness (ADI) between the 2 countries, however, and there has not been a direct comparison of clinical response between Brazil and the United States. We sought to determine if there have been differences in the clinical response to HAART from HIV clinical practices in the United States and Brazil. Methods:We compared 2 similarly designed clinical cohorts from Baltimore, Maryland and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Patients who started HAART from 1997 to 2004 were compared for HIV-1 RNA suppression and CD4+ T-lymphocyte count change by 1 year of therapy and for development of an ADI up to 6 years of follow-up. A total of 1368 patients from Baltimore and 1045 patients from Rio de Janeiro were studied. Results:There was no difference by location in achieving an HIV-1 RNA level <400 copies/mL (46.9% in Rio de Janeiro, 50.8% in Baltimore), in the log change in HIV-1 RNA level (−1.65 log in Rio de Janeiro, −1.63 log in Baltimore), or in the change in CD4 count (116 cells/mm3 in Rio de Janeiro, 122 cells/mm3 in Baltimore) by 12 months after starting HAART. By Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression adjusted for demographic and clinical prognostic factors, there was no difference by location in development of the first ADI after starting HAART (relative hazard = 1.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.82 to 1.25 for Rio de Janeiro vs. Baltimore). The most commonly occurring ADI in Rio de Janeiro was tuberculosis (27.7% of patients), and the most commonly occurring ADI in Baltimore was esophageal candidiasis (36.8% of patients). Conclusions:There were only minor differences in clinical response to the use of HAART comparing Rio de Janeiro with Baltimore, despite differences in patterns of antiretroviral drug use and ADI incidence. This analysis indicates that HAART can be similarly effective in treating HIV/AIDS in countries with different economies.


Abstract Mutually enhancing organisms can become reciprocal determinants of their distribution, abundance, and demography and thus influence ecosystem structure and dynamics. In addition to the prevailing view of parrots (Psittaciformes) as plant antagonists, we assessed whether they can act as plant mutualists in the dry tropical forest of the Bolivian inter‐Andean valleys, an ecosystem particularly poor in vertebrate frugivores other than parrots (nine species). We hypothesised that if interactions between parrots and their food plants evolved as primarily or facultatively mutualistic, selection should have acted to maximize the strength of their interactions by increasing the amount and variety of resources and services involved in particular pairwise and community–wide interaction contexts. Food plants showed different growth habits across a wide phylogenetic spectrum, implying that parrots behave as super‐generalists exploiting resources differing in phenology, type, biomass, and rewards from a high diversity of plants (113 species from 38 families). Through their feeding activities, parrots provided multiple services acting as genetic linkers, seed facilitators for secondary dispersers, and plant protectors, and therefore can be considered key mutualists with a pervasive impact on plant assemblages. The number of complementary and redundant mutualistic functions provided by parrots to each plant species was positively related to the number of different kinds of food extracted from them. These mutually enhancing interactions were reflected in species‐level properties (e.g., biomass or dominance) of both partners, as a likely consequence of the temporal convergence of eco‐(co)evolutionary dynamics shaping the ongoing structure and organization of the ecosystem. A full assessment of the, thus far largely overlooked, parrot–plant mutualisms and other ecological linkages could change the current perception of the role of parrots in the structure, organization, and functioning of ecosystems.


An electronic hysteresigraph, which integrates without recourse to electromechanical means and is free of drift, has been developed. In operation, a search coil surrounds the magnetic specimen to be tested, and the specimen is then subjected to a change in externally applied magnetic field strength. The time integral of the potential induced in the search coil is a measure of the magnetic flux change in the specimen. The induced potential is applied to a solid-state voltage-to-frequency converter which produces a series of output pulses, the number of which is proportional to ∫e dt. These pulses are summed on a digital counter to give a measure of the flux change. A digital-to-analog converter then provides a d-c output which drives the Y-axis of an X-Y recorder. A signal proportional to the applied magnetic field strength is simultaneously fed to the X-axis of the recorder, and a continuous B versus H plot is obtained. This is a real-time mode as the response of the various measuring elements is practically instantaneous. In considering the integrator, it is interesting to note that absolute accuracy traceability in calibrating the voltage-to-frequency converter is referred directly to the volt, as represented by the standard cell, and to the second, as represented by a crystal-controlled time base. This is in contrast to the generally used secondary standards of mutual inductance and current shunt millivolt drop.


In China, there's high energy consumption in buildings with less attention to building energy efficiency. All of these facts prove that there are great potentialities in energy conservation. On account of this, this paper introduces multiple building energy-saving technologies at home and abroad, including the technologies for innovative wall materials, exterior wall external insulation, heat insulation of window, utilization of solar energy, heat storage and recovery as well as the illumination energy saving technology. On the basis of new buildings, this paper gives five suggestions on building energy efficiency. Meanwhile it raises five suggestions on energy conservation based on the existing building, for which it presents purposely the technologies and measures about energy saving transformation from four aspects.


Low back injury is the most frequent cause of occupational time loss and disability. A small percentage of back injuries represent surgical disease, and great care must be taken in applying surgical therapy to this complex problem. Perhaps the most important factor in surgical management of low back injury is accurate clinical and neurodiagnostic assessment. Because of the high cost of poor surgical outcomes, diagnostic tests and surgical procedures should be chosen on the basis of efficacy rather than cost per individual case. This is because the cost of an unsatisfactory result quickly eliminates any savings accumulated by performing a less precise or less effective procedure. The best surgical outcomes appear to result from a process consisting of (1) thorough clinical evaluation, (2) electrophysiological studies in selected cases, (3) CT scanning with multiplanar reformatting and three-dimensional images as needed, and (4) individually designed surgical procedures. When used as described elsewhere, this sequence appears to best define the association between clinical and radiographic abnormalities, provide the best percentage of successful results, and potentially offer the greatest long-term economies.


Over the last few decades, prolonged drought in Indonesia has led to a catastrophic wildfire hazard, including on Kalimantan Island. The Barito River basin is one of the major river basins on the island, located in South and Central Kalimantan Provinces. According to The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), the drought hazard index in the southern part of Kalimantan is mostly at the medium to high-risk level. In terms of Integrated Water Resources (IWRM), more detailed drought risk analysis needs to be conducted at the river basin level, so that drought adaptation and mitigation strategies can be integrated into long-term river basin management plans. In this study, a drought projection of the Barito River basin was simulated by using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5). A coarse grid of CMIP5 data was statistically downscaled to a smaller grid over the basin area. Data from climatology observation stations and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) were used to calibrate the bias correction function of the CMIP5 data. This function for rainfall data was developed based on the rainfall probability curve, while the bias correction function for temperature data was developed based on the elevation-temperature relation. The bias-corrected rainfall and temperature data were used as input for the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) analysis. The study shows that the potential for drought hazard may increase in the future. Drought projection in the Barito basin for 2050 using KBDI shows that the potential areas with medium and high drought risk may cover around 50% and 2%, respectively, or about 35,000km 2 and 1,400km 2 . The occurrence of wildfires also has a strong correlation with the drought index. A comparison between 1998 and 2015 fire hotspot data shows that most hotspots were located in areas in the medium and high drought risk categories. The study shows the importance of climate change impact analysis to prevent more catastrophic hazards in the future, especially in the Barito River basin, Kalimantan Island.


Most real-world applications are concerned with minimizing or maximizing some quantity so as to enhance some result. This emphasizes the importance of optimization and subsequently the significance of the optimization methods that are able to tackle these real-life optimization problems. There are a number of practical reasons for which traditional optimization and exhaustive algorithms cannot deal with a variety of these real-life optimization applications although there are numerous optimization problems that can benefit from applying these traditional optimization algorithms to handle them. Therefore, their is a need for propsong new optimization algorithms (such as nature inspired optimization methods) and optimize the capabilities of the existing ones (such as hybridization and parallelization) as well. This paper investigates the most recent optimization directions for dealing with the real-life optimization problems with an application to one of the most common and important optimization problems in a variety of financial fields and other fields which is the portfolio optimization problem since it is considered one of the most crucial problems in the modern financial management and has a variety of applications such as asset management and building strategic asset allocation. The computational results were got utilizing benchmark data from the OR library with the use of modern optimization algorithms. In addition, the article highlights the differences and similarities among the utilized optimization methods. In addition, recent advancements to the utilized optimization methods are highlighted.


Hospitality Industry is booming like never before. The academic literature available related to this industry mainly deals with the technical and operational aspects only. Especially in India; there is no discussion in the literature on the strategic management aspects of this Industry. This article shall discuss the expansion of Industry and need of the strategic management principles after second world and the developments that have taken place since then. The aim of this article is to study the extent to which the strategic management principles are used by Hospitality Industry and to discuss the structure of this industry. Also, this article aims at discussing the globalization of the Hospitality Industry and modes of entry of Hospitality companies in the International markets. This article shall use the existing strategic management literature, the research already done in the area and the corporate communication of the top hospitality companies to meet its objectives.