Interactive program steering permits researchers to monitor and guide their applications during runtime. Interactive steering can help make end users more effective in addressing the scientific or engineering questions being solved with these programs, and it may be used to improve the performance of complex parallel and distributed codes. Progress is a toolkit for developing steerable applications. Users instrument their applications with library calls and then steer parallel applications with Progress' runtime system. Progress provides steerable objects which encapsulate program abstractions for monitoring and steering during program execution. Once created, steering objects are known to and manipulated by Progress' two components: (1) a server executing in the same memory space as the target program and capable of inspecting and manipulating program state, and (2) a potentially remote client providing command and graphical interfaces. Developers instrument their applications with the Progress toolkit library to create and maintain these steering objects. The server maintains information about the steering objects and performs steering actions on the application. This toolkit provides sensors, probes, actuators, function hooks, complex actions, and synchronization points. Progress' server is built on a Mach-compatible Cthreads library; it is a general toolkit for use with a variety of multithreaded, C programs executing on multiprocessors. Progress has been applied to several large-scale parallel application programs, including a molecular dynamics code and an N bodies simulation. It is currently being used with a complex global atmospheric modeling code.


Terminal and interstitial deletions of the distal segment of the long arm of chromosome 4 (Cr4q del) are not common genetic disorders. The severity of the phenotype is correlated with the size of the deletion because small deletions have little clinical impact, whereas large deletions are usually associated with multiple congenital anomalies, postnatal growth failure, and moderate to severe intellectual disability. Alteration in pain tolerance has not been included among these features, also in case of large deletions. The purpose of this report is to document a case of a child affected by interstitial Cr4q del, expressing pain insensitivity as clinical feature not previously described. We also offer a discussion on genetic disorders featuring pain insensitivity/indifference.

CASE REPORT
A Caucasian girl aged 12 came to our observation for a developmental delay with multiple congenital abnormalities and moderate intellectual disability (IQ 47). A de novo interstitial Cr4 del between band q31.3 and q32.2 (Cr4 del q31.3 to q32.2) was found. The child also expresses no evidence of pain perception to injures which normally evoke pain. Consequently, she is affected by severe disability caused by painless injuries and self-injurious behaviours, such as excessive self-rubbing and scratching. The neurological examination manifested high pain threshold with preserved tactile sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report of pain insensitivity in a patient with a specific genetic deletion involving the interstitial region of the distal long arm of Cr4. Moreover, this report could serve as a useful model to better understand mechanisms of pain perception and its modulation.


Scientific research is constantly looking for new molecules that could be used as dietary functional ingredients in the fight against obesity and diabetes, two pathologies highly prevalent in Western societies. In this context, flavonoids represent a group of molecules of increasing interest. The major flavonoid is Quercetin, which belongs to the class called flavonols and is mainly found in apples, tea, onions, nuts, berries, cauliflower, cabbage and many other foods. It exhibits a wide range of biological functions including anticarcenogenic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral; it also inhibits lipid peroxidation, platelet aggregation and capillary permeability. This review focuses on the main effects of Quercetin on obesity and diabetes. The mechanisms of action explaining the effects of Quercetin on these two metabolic disturbances are also considered. Good perspectives have been opened for Quercetin, according to the results obtained either in cell cultures or in animal models. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to better characterize the mechanisms of action underlying the beneficial effects of this flavonoid on these pathologies. Moreover, the body fat-lowering effect and the improvement of glucose homeostasis need to be confirmed in humans. Animal studies have consistently failed to demonstrate adverse effects caused by Quercetin. In contrast, due to inhibitory effect of Quercetin in cytochrome P450, interactions with drugs can be taken into account when they are administered at the same time than Quercetin.


Changes and fluctuations in sea surface temperature (SST) around the South African coast are analysed at a monthly scale from 1982 to 2009. There is a statistically significant negative trend of up to 0.5 °C per decade in the southern Benguela from January to August, and a cooling trend of lesser magnitude along the South Coast and in the Port Elizabeth/Port Alfred region from May to August. The cooling is due to an increase in upwelling-favourable south-easterly and easterly winds. There is a positive trend in SST of up to 0.55 °C per decade in most parts of the Agulhas Current system during all months of the year, except for KwaZulu-Natal where warming is in summer. The warming was attributed to an intensification of the Agulhas Current in response to a poleward shift of westerly winds and an increase in trade winds in the South Indian Ocean at relevant latitudes. This intensification of the Agulhas Current could also have contributed to the coastal cooling in the Port Alfred dynamic upwelling region. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is significantly positively correlated at a 95% level with the southern Benguela and South Coast from February to May, and negatively correlated with the Agulhas Current system south of 36° S. The correlation with the Antarctic Annular Oscillation is weaker and less coherent. El Niño suppresses upwelling along the coast, whereas La Niña increases it. Although there does not seem to be a linear relationship between the strength of the ENSO and the magnitude of coastal SST perturbation, El Niño and La Niña appear to be linked to major warm and cool events, respectively, at a seasonal scale in summer in the southern Benguela and along the South Coast. However, care must be taken in interpreting low-resolution reanalysed climate data (ERA40 and NCEP) and optimally interpolated Reynolds SST, such as used here.


CD153 (CD30 ligand) has been described as a 40-kDa type II transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the TNF superfamily and is expressed primarily by activated T cells, B cells and monocytes. In this study, we have determined that the murine CD153 gene consists of four exons, with three intervening introns, spaced over approximately 26 kb of genomic sequence. Sequence analysis of the murine CD153 promoter and 5' flanking region revealed the presence of a TATA box element immediately upstream of two tsp sites, together with putative binding motifs for a variety of lymphoid-specific transcription factors. 5'RACE analysis of LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cDNA identified at least four transcriptional start sites for murine CD153, with two sites occurring downstream of the previously predicted translation initiation codon. Additionally, 5' RACE analysis identified multiple murine CD153 polyadenylation sites. Our results indicate that primary murine CD153 transcripts may vary from 26 kb to approximately 28 kb in length.


INTRODUCTION The Oligocene-Miocene Numidian Complex forms the highest structural unit in the Mahgreb fold and thrust belt, which extends along the northern coast of Africa Major tectonic activity along this belt occurred during Miocene time. The Mahgreb orogenic belt trends east-west in Algeria and turns northeastward in Tunisia. Only the most external and less complex parts of the orogen are exposed in Tunisia, because the fold belt is south vergent; structural complexity increases toward Algeria, where more internal parts of the belt are exposed. Considerable difference of opinion exists concerning the structural position, the stratigraphic relationship, and the style and nature of emplacement of the Numidian Complex in Tunisia. In the western Mogod Mountains (Fig. 1), rocks of the Numidian Complex generally overlie older, Maestrichtian to Eocene limestone and marl, classically termed the Tellian sequence by French and Tunisian geologists. This arrangement of younger over older rocks has resulted in a controversy about whether the Numidian is allochthonous or autochthonous that has been difficult resolve in this region.


The specific features of electric current variation against time were studied by keeping the anode and cathode pulse voltage to be constant. The maximum thickness of the films fabricated by microarc oxidation was found to be closely related to the voltage. The surface morphology of the coatings can be divided into different stages according to the variation of electric current. A method for obtaining high micro hardness coating has been discussed.


This paper introduces the concept and implementation of RSA algorithm for security purpos e and to enhance the performance of software system using this algorithm. In this article we have done study about RSA algorithm. This study includes what is RSA algorithm and why they are used in the field of Cryptography & Network Security. After doing several works on this topic we came to conclude that RSA algorithm is important to Network Security because they are the components (i.e. Encryption & Decryption key) which interact with the Security system. Without them the system will be useless as RSA are used to fire a particular Encryption & Decryption keys process because of which Security system is build. Here we are dealing with general problem in which we have a particular Security system event of a software system and our objective is to secure that system into a software security because without software security system cannot be secure any things in this world. Here we are discuss with attacks made against the underlying structure of the RSA algorithm, which exploit weaknesses in the choice of values for the encryption and decryption keys, and their relation to the RSA modulus N. ————————————————————


Owing to high tensile strength and toughness even at high temperatures, titanium (Ti) alloys hold great promise for applications in automobiles, aircraft, spacecraft, etc. To investigate their instability behaviours and failure mechanisms, it is indispensable to detect the strain concentration locations before microscale crack occurrence non-destructively [1]. In this study, the microscale deformation distributions of two Ti-6Al-4V specimens were measured by advanced digital image correlation (DIC) and sampling Moiré [2, 3] techniques complementarily to visualize the strain concentrations in tensile tests. The geometric profiles of the two Ti-6Al-4V specimens are the same as presented in Fig. 1(a). The thickness and the minimum width were 1 mm and 1.8 mm, respectively. The difference was that there was a prefabricated notch on specimen #1 to narrow the area of the stress concentration (Fig. 1(b)), while no prefabricated defect existed on specimen #2 (Fig. 1(c)). The deformation distributions of specimen #1 in a small region near the notch were measured by the DIC method, and those of specimen #2 in a large area were measured by a developed sampling moiré method [3]. On specimen #1, the notch with width of 5 μm and length of 100 μm was produced by focused ion beam milling. A 500-nm-pitch grid pattern was fabricated by electron beam lithography in a small area of 500×500 μm2 around one end of the notch (Fig. 1(b)). The tensile test was carried out in a Quanta scanning electron microscope, and a series of grid images were recorded when the magnification was 10000× during the test. The deformation distributions in 23×18 μm2 near the notch were analysed by the DIC method [1]. Figs. 2(a)-2(d) show an example of the grid image and the distributions of the xdirection strain, the y-direction strain and the shear strain on specimen #1 under 511 MPa. Strain concentrations are observable near the notch from the strain distributions. The x-direction strain is maximum and the y-direction strain is minimum along the oblique line from the middle of the end of the notch. Fig. 1 (a) Geometry of Ti-6Al-4V specimen, (b) surface of specimen #1 with a notch and a fabricated grid pattern, and (c) surface of specimen #2 without any notch Q. Wang, S. Ri, Y. Tanaka, and M. Koyama For specimen #2 without any prefabricated defect, because it is not known where the strain concentration happens easier before measurement, a 3-μm-pitch grid was fabricated in a large area of 1.8×15 mm2 by UV nanoimprint lithography. The tensile test was performed under a Lasertec laser scanning microscope, and grid images were collected when the magnification of the objective lens was 10×. Full-field deformation distributions in a large area were measured by the developed sampling moiré method. Strain concentrations were found out in a square region near the specimen edge labelled in Fig. 1(c). The grid image in the square region of 219×204 μm2 and the x-direction, ydirection and shear strain distributions were illustrated in Figs. 2(e)-2(f) taking the case when the tensile stress was 604 MPa as an example. The absolute values of the x-direction strain and the shear strain are maximum at a prior β grain boundary perpendicular to the tensile direction. The y-direction strain is minimum at lower parts of the grain boundary, but the absolute value is smaller. Our experiments have verified that a crack occurs along the oblique line of strain concentration on specimen #1, and an incipient crack emerges along the strain concentration line at the grain boundary on specimen #2 under a greater tensile load. It indicates that strain concentrations visualized using image processing enables accurate prediction of microscale crack occurrence. Fig. 2 (a)-(d) Grid and strain distributions in 23×18 μm2 measured by DIC on specimen #1 with a notch, and (e)-(h) grid and strain distributions in 219×204 μm2 obtained by Moiré on specimen #2. Summarily, microscale strain concentrations of Ti alloys were visualized in a small region around a notch root and in a large area from the strain mapping using DIC and Moiré methods complementarily. The crack occurrence locations were successfully predicted and slip lines in oblique angles were found to arise in tensile tests.


: During five years or until death, we had under observation 74 patients who survived the acute phase of myocardial infarction, 66 patients with angor inestable, and a third group, also of 66 patients of the coronary unit, but whose cases didn't show evidence of their illness being due to myocardial infarction. The general features were similar in the three groups. The patients outliving myocardial infarction reached 69%; those surviving angor inestable, reached 79%, and the survivors of the no-coronary group, 92.5%. There were not significant differences among the three groups in mortality rate due to non cardial illnesses. The differences are in relation with sudden death; in the first groups, 14.8%, 10.6% in the second group, and only 1.5% in the third one. In the coronary groups half the total mortality was due to sudden death. Death was instantaneous in 26% of the cases and 52% occurred in less than two hours. All of these sudden deaths occurred out of the Hospital. Patients with antecedents of previous myocardial infarction showed from 3 to 6 more sudden deaths than those patients suffering a first myocardial infarction. The myocardial infarction patients who developed cardiomegaly afterwards registered two and a half more sudden deaths than those without cardiomegaly. Differences were highly significant; 28.5% sudden deaths in those patients with cardiomegaly and 8.4% in patients without cardiomegaly. These results show that the higher rate of sudden deaths is due to a more extensive myocardial damage. Arterial hypertension also constitutes and important risk of sudden death, even when it is properly controlled after the acute period.


habit, liable to feeble connective-tissuie fornmations and( visceroptosis; they need a world of days lasting 12 hours, six for sleep; menital overstrain does not produce neurasthenia in normal people, uinless sexuial excess, sleeplessness, alcohol, etc., are superadded. Similarly, mental exertion does not affect metabolism. Hysteria is a mental disorder, buit of emotion rather than intellect, and still more one of will he regards most of the war hysterics as suLffering from dysbulia,' their will being (lirected wholly or partly consciously into wrong paths ; he asks himself with each patient What (loes he mant " But such a misdirection of will (loes not lead in nornmal people to hvsterical symptoms, or at least only under hypnosis. The other requirement is the hysterical constitution. This may be recoginised by physical signs; hvsterics are never ugly, but usually have mell formed featutres an( phvsical nmake-ulp. They have either a rather expressionless face, or an exaggerated an(d staring look, but never a normal play of facial movement; their hands are shapely but lack expression. He does not consider that they are in any w-ay related to sy?Impatheticotonic or vasotonic cases. Generally there is some degree of bodilv infantilism or impaired development, and( hereditarv factors enter ilnto their constitution. Al. R. BARKAS.


Isabelle Garo's study, Foucault, Deleuze, Althusser & Marx: La politique dans la philosophie, presents a historical approach to the French philosophy of the 1960s and 1970s and its relationship to Marx and the Marxist tradition. In her view, these authors were captured by a largely mistaken understanding of the resources present in Marxist thought, and were overly affected by the prejudices instilled by the French Communist Party. Speaking from a perspective of practical commitment, she traces a path from early French Marxism to an anti-totalitarian consensus. Her study renders Louis Althusser's innovations the most pivotal in introducing a whole series of themes, with ambivalent effects on theoretical production today. Most significantly, she discerns a replacement of politics and political economy by philosophy and epistemology. She attends first to the mobilisation of psychoanalysis against humanism, which gave way to a vehement critique of the normative aspects of psychoanalysis itself. Re-reading Foucault and Deleuze as post-Althusserians, Garo suggests that this led to a championing of Friedrich Nietzsche's viewpoints against Marx. Garo's study is immensely valuable in contextualising the apparent innovations of poststructuralist thought. However, we can discern greater relevance for the insights of these thinkers for contemporary Marxist thought than Garo concedes, and her attempt to read them as a complete deviation from Marxist principles ultimately fails to convince.


Category: genotype

Project: Pharmacogenetics of Membrane Transporters

[Table 1][1] provides HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) symbols, PharmGKB submission URLs, submission dates, and release dates. [Table 2][2] provides HGNC symbols, HGNC names, synonyms, GenBank accession numbers, and locus


Wireless networks operating in the 60 GHz band have the potential to provide very high throughput but face a number of challenges (e.g., high attenuation, beam training, and coping with mobility) which are widely accepted but often not well understood in practice. Understanding these challenges, and especially their actual impact on consumer-grade hardware is fundamental to fully exploit the high physical layer rates in the 60 GHz band. To this end, we perform an extensive measurement campaign using two commercial off-the-shelf 60 GHz routers in practical real-world environments. Our study is centered around two fundamental adaptation mechanisms in 60 GHz networks-beam training and rate control- whose interactions are key for performance. Understanding these interactions allows us to revisit a range of issues and provide much deeper insights into the reasons for specific performance compared to prior work on performance characterization. Further, our study goes beyond basic link characterization and explores for the first time practical considerations such as coverage and access point deployment. While some of our observations are expected, we also obtain highly surprising insights that challenge the prevailing wisdom in the community.


This book contains mainly the selected papers of the First International Workshop on Medical and Service Robots, held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2012. The high quality of the scientific contributions is the result of a rigorous selection and improvement based on the participants exchange of opinions and extensive peer-review. This process has led to the publishing of the present collection of 16 independent valuable contributions and points of view and not as standard symposium or conference proceedings. The addressed issues are: Computational Kinematics, Mechanism Design, Linkages and Manipulators, Mechanisms for Biomechanics, Mechanics of Robots, Control Issues for Mechanical Systems, Novel Designs, Teaching Methods, all of these being concentrated around robotic systems for medical and service applications. The results are of interest to researchers and professional practitioners as well as to Ph.D. students in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering. This volume marks the start of a subseries entitled New Trends in Medical and Service Robots within the Machine and Mechanism Science Series, presenting recent trends, research results and new challenges in the field of medical and service robotics.


For nearly 30 years, education has been researching and implementing practices and teacher strategies to better support students to engage in more meaningful interactions with mathematics. In particular, moving away from teacher-centered approaches to mathematics learning and into more student-centered ones has been a focus. Whole-class discussions have been the subject of investigation in much of this research. Studying how teachers can better support students to discuss their perspectives on, work within, and pose questions about the mathematics of study has been one line of inquiry. Students need to have opportunities to make sense of the mathematics – to make decisions about what strategies to use, to engage with one another's ideas, and to productively struggle to reach new, more complete understandings. Similar sense making-driven efforts in science education research have used the sociological construct of framing (Goffman, 1974) to examine students' interactions with one another, the content, and their teachers (i.e., Hammer et al., 2005). My aim was to further understand a teacher's work of framing and how that may or may not influence students' interactions around the mathematics, particularly their engagement in sense making during whole-class discussions. To do so, I employed an explanatory case study design to study a 6th grade mathematics classroom. Based on a detailed micro-analysis of three videotaped lessons as well as teacher and student interviews, this study's logic of inquiry followed six different phases. The analysis revealed that the teacher's framing in this classroom mattered for the ways in which her students framed the activity and engaged in sense-making activity. Specifically, when the teacher framed the activity as a sense-making endeavor in which they were expected to be the authority, co-construct mathematical explanations, and to engage in productive struggle, the students did so. When the teacher engaged in less productive framings that were more teacher-centered, the students aligned with that framing as well. The implications of this study for teacher practice include the need to support teachers in setting and maintaining interactional expectations. In addition, supporting students to reach those expectations through particular framings is an added layer to consider beyond instructional practices.


Abstract Nowadays new education technologies and e-communication devices give new measuring and assessing tools for researchers. Eye-tracking is one of these new methods in education. In our study we assessed 4 figures from the anti-smoking heath issues of National Institute for Health Development. In the study 22 students were included from a 7th grade class of a Kecskemét primary school. Our results show that students concentrate on the text-part of the figures except if the picture is frightening. However if the text and the picture are not both frightening enough, the message will not be transferred to young students.


Buildings must pass the test of authenticity and integrity to be considered as World Heritage sites. The combination of these attributes can be referred to as the genuineness of the site. Bam suffered from a devastating earthquake in December 2003, but even after the disaster, the area was acknowledged to have a high degree of authenticity and integrity and was successfully put forward for consideration as a World Heritage site. Apart from the uniqueness of Bam's Citadel as the world's greatest mud brick structure and of a number of buildings in the immediate vicinity of the Citadel, the rationale for its inscription was also influenced by its intangible aspects and cultural landscape. Examples of intangible heritage in Bam include the legend of Haftvad and the Kot-e Kerm and its relation to the Silk Road as well as the beliefs of people of Bam in the rituals linked to the well of the Master of Time (Imam Zaman), and the ritual of Ashura. Until recently, the integrity of a World Heritage site was mostly assessed by studying its tangible heritage. However, in 1982, UNESCO introduced a new mandate for consideration of intangible heritage to emphasise its significance and to strive for protection of traditional culture and folklore. Several regional assessments have since been made on the impacts and recommendations on the protection of traditions, culture and folklore. When protecting a tangible heritage site, the practice is mainly based on pragmatic conservation and restoration. Non-tangible heritage, on the other hand, is more subtle and requires more sophisticated approaches and methods for its preservation. This paper investigates the intangible heritage associated with the Bam Citadel as part of Bam and its cultural landscape and, where appropriate, highlights the relationship between these assets and the architectural aspects to accentuate the cultural importance of this of World Heritage site. © 2011 WIT Press.


The development of mathematical and numerical models of the human heart has become a matter of high relevance in the scientific community because of the difficulty of measuring the properties and performance of the cardiac tissue in vivo, and carrying out experimental tests under different healthy and pathological conditions. Several heart models have been proposed in the literature, but the results still differ from each other.
 In this paper, a new passive heart model to estimate the elastic behaviour of the left ventricular (LV) cardiac fibres is presented. The model is based on a hybrid approach that combines a theoretical approach to determine the equivalent material properties of each layer of the LV tissue, which represents an advantage with respect to other more elaborated or complex models, and an inverse finite element method (FEM) to determine the volume of the LV internal cavity under loading conditions. The proposed model uses the LV pressure and volume measurements along a real cardiac cycle as loading and target conditions, respectively. The results are analysed in terms of the elastic properties of the cardiac fibres and compared with the results obtained from other more complex and elaborated models reported in the literature. From this analysis it is observed that the new proposed model is reliable and able to estimate the elastic behaviour of the cardiac tissue.


Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of innocent heart murmurs in children affected by nocturnal enuresis (NE). Specifically, for this purpose, a possible pathogenic relationship linking both conditions.


Early detection of malignant tumours, or their precursor lesions, can dramatically improve patient outcome. High risk human Papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV16, infection can lead to the initiation and development of uterine cervical neoplasia. Bearing this in mind the identification of the effects of HPV infection may have clinical value. In this manuscript we investigate the application of Raman microspectroscopy to detect the presence of HPV in cultured cells when compared with normal cells. We also investigate the effect of sample fixation, which is a common clinical practice, on the ability of Raman spectroscopy to detect the presence of HPV. Raman spectra were acquired from Primary Human Keratinocytes (PHK), PHK expressing the E7 gene of HPV 16 (PHK E7) and CaSki cells, an HPV16 containing cervical carcinoma derived cell line. The average Raman spectra display variations, mostly in peaks relating to DNA and proteins, consistent with HPV gene expression and the onset of neoplasia in both live and fixed samples. Principle component analysis was used to objectively discriminate between the cells types giving sensitivities up to 100% for the comparison between PHK and CaSki. These results show that Raman spectroscopy can discriminate between cell lines representing different stages of cervical neoplasia. Furthermore Raman spectroscopy was able to identify cells expressing the HPV 16 E7 gene suggesting the approach may be of value in clinical practice. Finally this technique was also able to detect the effects of the virus in fixed samples demonstrating the compatibility of this technique with current cervical screening methods. However if Raman spectroscopy is to make a significant impact in clinical practice the long acquisition times must be addressed. In this report we examine the potential for beam shaping and advanced to improve the signal to noise ration hence subsequently facilitating a reduction in acquisition time.


It is well known that the ultra grain refinement can be achieved by sever cold rolling, followed by reversion treatment in metastable austenitic stainless steel plate. In this study, the cold rolling was replaced by cold drawing. This procedure was applied to a metastable austenitic steel (Fe-16Cr-10Ni alloy) thin wire, and then the microstructure development during cold drawing and annealing was investigated. The austenite phase transformed to martensite during the drawing. Vickers hardness of the wire markedly increased with increasing the drawing strain. When the drawing strain reached about 4.5, the wire exhibited martensite single structure and had high hardness of Hv4.4GPa. Annealing of the heavily drawn wire at around 900K for 0.6ks leads to the formation of reversed austenite with the diffusional reversion mechanism. As a result, ultra fine-grained austenitic single structure with the grain size of about 0.6μm was obtained. It was also found that the wire has an excellent combination of a strength and ductility.


Dynamic mechanical allodynia is an aggravating neuropathological condition in which light, physical touch leads to pain. Developing pharmaceutical agents to treat this condition requires extensive animal trials using a mouse model, and a laborious process of manually stroking inflicted mouse paws, with a brush or cotton swab, while recording responses to that stimulus. In this paper, we developed an autonomous testing mechanism to create repeatable stroking sensations for mice during dynamic allodynia testing. The chamber consists of a belt driven brush mechanism and light and dark chambers. Additionally, we conducted a human subjects study to determine the baseline variability in human-performed dynamic allodynia testing. Our tactile stoke display is capable of stroking a mouse paw between 1–5 mm/s with a repeatable force. In our human subject experiments, the user applied force ranged from 0.1–9.0 gF with a maximum standard deviation of 4.13 gF. In contrast, our device is capable of producing repeatable brush strokes at 0.69 gF (SD = 0.13 gF) and 1.78 gF (SD = 0.16 gF) for two brushes. Preliminary animal studies show that normal mice are not disturbed by the stroking sensation; however, mice afflicted with allodynia move away from it. On average the injured mice spent 90% of their time in a bright, adverse environment to avoid the brush, whereas normal mice only spent 40% of their time in the bright environment.


Hyperspectral imaging is a technique of analysis that associates to each pixel of the image the spectral content of the radiation coming from the scene. This content can be helpful to recognize the chemical nature of the materials within the scene or to calculate their colours under particular conditions. Different solutions of hyperspectral imager have been realized with different spatial resolution, spectral resolution and range in the elec ‐ tromagnetic spectrum. In particular, improving the spectral resolution allows discrimi ‐ nating smaller features in the spectrum and the unambiguous detection of the absorption bands characteristic of superficial materials. Hyperspectral imagers based on interfer ‐ ometers have the advantage of having a spectral resolution that can be varied according to the needs by changing the optical path delay of the interferometer. A spectrum for each pixel is obtained with an algorithm based on the Fourier transform of the calibrated interferogram. We present the results of the application of a hyperspectral imager based on Fabry‐Perot interferometers to the field of cultural heritage. On different artworks, the hyperspectral imager has been used for pigment recognition, for colour rendering elaborations of the image with different light sources or standard illuminants and for calculating the chromatic coordinates useful for specific purposes.


As a contribution to the scholarship of teaching (Boyer, 1990), the author conducted a self-study of praxis (Kemmis & Smith, 2008) to identify and describe how certain pedagogies help students meet "stage one" challenges in doctoral education (Lovitts, 2001) at one university. Findings from a literature review identified the challenges typically experienced at "entry and adjustment," including gaining formal knowledge about the structure of a discipline; experiencing growth in conceptual development and modes of scholarly inquiry; learning about and experiencing the role of graduate student and independent researcher; forming relationships with peers and faculty, and participating in department culture and professional networks; and learning about the role, responsibilities, and work of faculty as teachers, researchers, and stewards of a discipline, field, and profession. The author identified seven core strategies associated with stage one doctoral pedagogy and analyzed how and why they supported students in their journey to become scholars and independent researchers.


An experimental facility is built up to investigate the abrasive wear behavior of EMC particles. The parameters explored include particle impacting velocity and impacting angle. The results show that the erosion rate depends on both the particle impacting velocity and impacting angle. A higher velocity will cause more erosion whereas a smaller impacting angle will cause more erosion, especially at higher impacting velocities. Furthermore, the morphology of the eroded particles is irregular in shape and a smaller impacting angle will result in a larger dimension of the eroded particles.


We present more computationally-efficient algorithms for contracting symmetric tensors. Tensor contractions are reducible to matrix multiplication, but permutational symmetries of the data, which are expressed by the tensor representation, provide an opportunity for more efficient algorithms. Previously known methods have exploited only tensor symmetries that yield identical computations that are directly evident in the contraction expression. We present a new 'symmetry preserving' algorithm that uses an algebraic reorganization in order to exploit considerably more symmetry in the computation of the contraction than the conventional approach. The new algorithm requires fewer multiplications but more additions per multiplication than previous approaches. The applications of this result include the capability to multiply a symmetric matrix by a vector, as well as compute the rank-2 symmetric vector outer product in half the number of scalar multiplications, albeit with more additions. The symmetry preserving algorithm can also be adapted to perform the complex versions of these operations, namely the product of a Hermitian matrix and a vector and the rank-2 Hermitian vector outer product, in 3/4 of the overall operations. Consequently, the number of operations needed for the direct algorithm to compute the eigenvalues of a Hermitian matrix is reduced by the same factor. Our symmetry preserving tensor contraction algorithm can also be adapted to the antisymmetric case and is therefore applicable to the tensor-contraction computations employed in quantum chemistry. For these applications, notably the coupled-cluster method, our algorithm yields the highest potential speed-ups, since in many higher-order contractions the reduction in the number of multiplications achieved by our algorithm enables an equivalent reduction in overall contraction cost. We highlight that for three typical coupled-cluster contractions taken from methods of three different orders, our algorithm achieves 2X, 4X, and 9X improvements in arithmetic cost over the standard approach.


type="main"> Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), schools receiving Title I funding that fail to meet adequate academic performance targets for two consecutive years are deemed "failing." This broadly defined, but often misunderstood designation has exerted a negative and unintended effect on low-income neighborhoods—the same neighborhoods NCLB was originally intended to help. Specifically, we find that "failing" designations significantly decrease home prices. This property value response is observed even after controlling for a myriad of traditional test score measures and school-level student demographics. Additional analyses suggest that this home price effect is largely due to strong perceptions of poor school quality or social stigma surrounding a "failing" designation.


Background Paediatric traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) is associated with low survival and poor outcomes. The mechanisms that underlie TCA are different from medical cardiac arrest; the approach to treatment of TCA may therefore also need to differ to optimise outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the opinion of subject matter experts (SMEs) regarding the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric TCA, and to reach consensus on how best to manage this group of patients. Methods Following topic-specific literature reviews which demonstrated a lack of evidence, an online Delphi study was conducted over three rounds, with the aim of achieving consensus (defined as 70% agreement) on statements related to the diagnosis and management of paediatric TCA. SMEs were invited from PERUKI, (Paediatric Emergency Research in the UK and Ireland), paediatric major trauma centre leads, paediatric anaesthetists, paediatric ICU clinicians, paediatric surgeons, and representatives from the Resuscitation Council UK. Statements were informed by the literature reviews and were based on elements of Advanced Paediatric Life Support resuscitation algorithms as well as some concepts used in the management of adult TCA; they ranged from confirmation of cardiac arrest to the indications for thoracotomy. Results 73 SMEs completed all three rounds between June and November 2016. Consensus has been reached on 14 statements regarding the diagnosis and management of paediatric TCA. Conclusion Paediatric TCA is one of the most challenging presentations that we face in paediatric emergency medicine. This study has given a consensus-based framework to guide protocol development in the management of paediatric TCA, though further work is required in other key areas including its acceptability to clinicians. A consensus dissemination meeting will be held in March 2017 where those statements which came close to consensus will also be discussed.


During a severe financial crisis, it is a priority to use scientific evidence to identify factors that enable therapeutic compliance by patients. This study aimed to evaluate a possible association between the number of patients who attended a medical appointment and had medicine prescribed and the number of these same patients who purchased the prescribed medicine and whether the level of reimbursement was a deciding factor. We perform a correlation analysis at primary care centers in Portugal, between 2010 and 2012 (n = 96). We found a moderate to high positive association, which is statistical significant, between the number of the patients with medicines dispensing and medicines reimbursement levels. The correlation coefficient varies from .5 to .63 (P < .01). The compliance increases along with the increase in the reimbursement levels.


Over the past ten years, the Library of Congress has cataloged more than forty thousand drawings, prints, and photographs that capture important developments in the growth of Washington, D.C., and its greater metropolitan area, including Virginia and Maryland. This elegant volume, a guide to the library's massive collection, offers an introduction to its content and a celebration of the ambitious project of designing the nation's capital. Capital Drawings features drawings for some of Washington's most important buildings, monuments, and memorials-the United States Capitol, the White House, and the Vietnam Memorial-as well as anonymous structures of everyday life and ambitious projects that were never built. These newly available documents tell the story of the capital's planning and growth. Each of these "capital drawings" reflects some aspect of the lives, history, and values of its creators and sponsors. Featuring essays from distinguished scholars in preservation, architecture, and history, Capital Drawings invites us to explore the history and development of a city and nation through the buildings, monuments, and public and private spaces that have given them physical form and symbolic meaning. Contributors: Richard Longstreth, George Washington University; C. Ford Peatross, Library of Congress; Pamela Scott, American University; William Seale, White House Historical Association; Damie Stillman, Society of Architectural Historians; Gwendolyn Wright, Columbia University.


This study investigates the nexus between municipal water consumption and economic growth for El Paso, TX, USA. Located in the semi-arid southwestern United States, El Paso water consumption has been the subject of prior economic studies. However, the relationship between water consumption and economic growth has not been previously analyzed for El Paso or any other metropolitan economies in the region. Empirical results indicate that municipal water usage and real personal income are integrated of order one, but are not co-integrated. Given that, a vector autoregression model is estimated and a Granger causality test is performed. Estimation results show unidirectional causation from real income growth to water consumption, indicating that water conservation policies will not inhibit economic growth in this urban economy.


Although inclusion for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is often recommended by experts, the challenge of this service delivery is significant for educators. The goal of the two studies presented in this dissertation is to investigate both teacher and student variables which may affect the practice of inclusion for students with ASD. In the first study, teachers, administrators and school psychologists were assessed on their attitudes, knowledge and experience as they relate to inclusion for students with ASD. Findings suggest interesting relationships amongst these variables which differed by group; furthermore, special education teachers and school psychologists reported higher levels of knowledge and experience than general education teachers and administrators. In the second study, first grade teachers provided their opinions about the educational placement of students whose characteristics (e.g., disability label and cognitive ability) varied by experimental condition. Results suggest that students with average cognitive ability were recommended for placement in less restrictive settings than students with cognitive impairment; the presence of a disability label did not influence decision making. The limitations and implications of these studies are discussed as well as directions for future research. INDEX WORDS: Autism, Inclusion, Teacher attitudes EXPLORING STUDENT AND TEACHER VARIABLES RELATING TO INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS


Practical applications of metal/ceramic joints can be found in the biomedical field regarding the encapsulation of implantable telemetric devices, the fabrication of crowns and bridges for dental restoration, or in the production of drug delivery systems, biomedical sensors and electrodes. Most of metal/ceramic joints are produced by the active metal brazing technique, which originates a multi-layered interface which should be able of accommodating the abrupt electronic, crystallographic, chemical, mechanical and thermo-mechanical discontinuity that characterize these systems. Additionally, when considering biomedical applications, corrosion resistance becomes of prime importance. In this work, the corrosion resistance of Ti/glass-ceramic interfaces obtained by active metal brazing was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests. The electrochemical behaviour of the interface was monitored, as a function of time, in a simulated physiological solution at room temperature. In order to evaluate the contribution of each layer and galvanic interactions between them, to the degradation mechanism of the interface, individual samples, representative of reaction layers present at the interface, were fabricated and electrochemically tested. Results show that the corrosion behaviour, of the whole interface was strongly influenced by the chemical composition of its constitutive layers. Thus, layers containing high contents of both titanium and silver showed a polarisation resistance increase with the immersion time, as a result of the formation of a thermodynamically stable passive film. On the other hand, the copper rich layer, appears to be the main responsible for the interface degradation. In fact, for high immersion times, an instable passive film is formed and, as a consequence, large amounts of copper are released. Galvanic interactions between the copper and the silver rich layers where also identified.


A prospective study on the amount of sodium administered in the first five days of life in a group of 18 low-birth-weight infants is presented. Their mean birth weight, and gestational age were 1.150 gm., and 28.8 weeks. Patients were cared for in radiant warmers, and protected with a plastic blanket. Minimum amount of sodium necessary to maintain a normal plasma sodium concentration was given. Mean daily sodium and free water given was 0.96 mEq/kg/day, and 108.4 ml/kg/day, respectively. In day 5, there was a mean accumulated body weight loss of ten per cent. This group of patients were compared with a similar group in whom plastic blanket was not used, and who received a sodium intake of 1.5 mEq/kg/day. In this latter group of patients there was a higher incidence of hypernatremia (p less than 0.005). The incidence of hyponatremia was similar in both groups. Daily sodium intake might be very low, in infants of very-low-birth-weight if a negative weight balance is allowed in the first days of life.


The effects of UV irradiation on infection of nematodes by two nematode-trapping fungi were studied. Five minutes UV irradiation of the fungi caused an inhibition of the infection process in both Arthrobotrys oligospora and Dactylaria candida. After the nematodes were captured, the infection process stopped; the nematodes were still moving at a time when the nematodes in untreated controls were completely digested. The UV-irradiated fungi were still alive and were capable of further growth. After 15 min UV irradiation the number of captured nematodes was also reduced. Inhibition studies with cycloheximide showed differences between the two fungi. The nematodes were still alive 24 h after capture by treated cultures of A. oligospora while the infection process was normally completed by D. candida. There were minor differences in the peptide pattern on a SDS-PAGE gel between proteins from untreated and UV-irradiated mycelia of both fungi. Both the results from inhibition experiments and changes in the peptide pattern after UV irradiation suggest that the target molecules affected by UV irradiation may have been proteins involved in the infection process, and not the DNA. No effect of UV irradiation was observed on molecules that had been suggested previously to be involved in the nematode infection process (toxins, lectins and proteases).


Proponents of qualitative inquiry are both positioned, and in turn position themselves, in the wake of the effects of the politics of evidence. Such positioning is thus a dynamic process. It is not simply imposed or determined by others. Qualitative researchers are both worked on by, and in turn work on, understandings of research and research evidence. One potentially hidden or unexplored outworking of such a dynamic is the possible rise within qualitative inquiry itself of new forms of research fundamentalism in response, but also as reaction, to attempts to normalize and define research related evidence. This creates a fine line for qualitative research to tread in terms of positioning and transforming practice(s) in the wake of the politics of evidence.


Purpose: Emission guided radiation therapy (EGRT) is a new concept that allows for online biological targeting with radioactive tracers. The concept was previously demonstrated in phantom experiments involving free breathing trajectories. This study involves the first patient imaging data to assess feasibility and estimate performance in a more realistic context. Methods: A proposed EGRT geometry involves rotating two PET detector arcs with a linear accelerator and binary multi‐leaf collimator on a CT gantry to deliver beamlets of radiation dynamically along detected PET emission paths. A lungcancer patient underwent PET‐CT as part of radiotherapy planning. PET list‐mode data were retrospectively used as an input to simulate the EGRT system's response and Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the dose to the patient. The gross target volume (GTV) was contoured based on the PET‐CT images and the planning volume (PTV) was defined as a 10 mm extension of the GTV in all directions. The EGRT method was compared to uniformly irradiating the same PTV (IMRT), with both methods normalized for the same integral dose to the chest wall. Physiologic motion was ignored during the dose calculations as the tumor exhibited < 2 mm motion. Results: The dose peaks towards the center of the GTV with the EGRT method. However, even in the presence of this inhomogeneity, the EGRT method resulted in 18% relative increase in dose to 95% of the GTV, and 45% increase in dose to 50% of the GTV, compared to the IMRT method. Both methods were normalized for the same integral dose to the chest wall. Conclusions: The feasibility of EGRT has been demonstrated with PET data from a lungcancer patient. Future work will analyze the ability of EGRT to compensate for motion in PET‐CT patient studies which will include breathing traces to estimate ground truth. RefleXion Medical is a company commercializing PET‐guided radiotherapy. SRM and ASN have financial interest in the company.


The objective of this study was to describe the experience of caring for individuals at the end of life by five nurses working in curative care units. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of the meaning nurses give to this experience. The analysis of results, based on Giorgi's phenomenological method (1997), highlighted a central meaning: it is a human experience fraught with paradoxes where the bedside nurse feels both privileged to be accompanying these individuals at the end of their lives and torn between the medical priority given to curative care and the lesser priority given to palliative care. This study offers relevant options for nurse managers wanting to improve these nurses' work environment and the quality of care for individuals at the end of life.


The purinergic receptor P2X(7) is activated by extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and promotes the efficient release of interleukin-1 beta. The authors examine protein and molecular expression of the P2X(7) receptor and its ability to stimulate interleukin-1 beta release in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) from placentae of term nonlaboring and laboring women. They show both mRNA and protein (78 kDa) expression for the P2X( 7) receptor in CBMCs of parturient and nonparturient women. Costimulation of CBMCs in vitro with bacterial endotoxin and ATP resulted in significantly (P < .05) enhanced interleukin-1 beta release in laboring (54.17 +/- 24.78 pg/mL(-1); n = 8) compared with nonlaboring (13.60 +/- 3.20 pg/mL(-1); n = 7) deliveries. Release of interleukin-1 beta in both groups was blocked by preincubation with oxidized ATP, a P2X(7) receptor antagonist. The authors provide evidence for a novel inflammatory pathway in the release of interleukin-1 beta, which may be linked to the onset of labor.


Cardiovascular disease such as atherosclerosis is one of the most common diseases in modern days which may cause pain and heart attack. Stenting is non surgical method to treat the atherosclerosis. Due to its efficiency and simplicity, the use of coronary stents in interventional procedures has rapidly increased and different stents have been introduced in the market. In order to have better output of the stent implantation, it is needed to analyze the mechanical behavior of this device before manufacturing and utilizing. The aim of this work is to investigate the biomechanical behavior of stent such as non linear bending analysis at different loading conditions by using different biomaterials. One of the most effective methods to investigate the biomechanical behavior of the stent is finite element method. A commercially available finite element package ABAQUS6.10 has been used for the analysis.


Manual pocket depth probing has been widely used as a retrospective diagnosis method in periodontics. However, numerous studies have questioned its ability to accurately measure the anatomic pocket depth. In this paper, an ultrasonic periodontal probing method is described, which involves using a hollow water-filled probe to focus a narrow beam of ultrasound energy into and out of the periodontal pocket, followed by automatic processing of pulse-echo signals to obtain the periodontal pocket depth. The signal processing algorithm consists of three steps: peak detection/characterization, peak classification, and peak identification. A dynamic wavelet fingerprint (DWFP) technique is first applied to detect suspected scatterers in the A-scan signal and generate a two-dimensional black and white pattern to characterize the local transient signal corresponding to each scatterer. These DWFP patterns are then classified by a two-dimensional FFT procedure and mapped to an inclination index curve. The location of the pocket bottom was identified as the third broad peak in the inclination index curve. The algorithm is tested on full-mouth probing data from two sequential visits of 14 patients. Its performance is evaluated by comparing ultrasonic probing results with that of full-mouth manual probing at the same sites, which is taken as the "gold standard."


Between 5% and 10% of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients become infected with Mycobacterium abscessus , a pathogen that thrives in the excess of thick mucus amassing in the airways of CF patients. Some of them die as a result. Until recently, scientists believed that patients picked up the microbe at random, from the soil or water. But an analysis of hundreds of bacterial genomes from patients around the world, published in this week's issue of Science , suggests that the bacterium has adapted to humans and that several dangerous strains are spreading from one CF treatment center to the next, from country to country, and even between continents in a silent global epidemic.


With the emergence of cloud computing, enterprises are able to migrate and scale out their workload on public clouds. In order for Cloud providers to fulfill the customer requirements and stay competitive in the market, they should manage efficiently their shared resource pool while applying appropriate pricing schemes for billing their services. In this paper, we analyse the relationship between resource provisioning decisions in the cloud and pricing process to determine the value of the cloud services. As a first step, we explain how cloud providers could apply value-based pricing to increase their revenue. Based on our analysis, we introduce the concept of value-based resource provisioning, which aims to evaluate the direct and indirect impact of resource provisioning decisions to the revenue maximization of a cloud provider. To this end, we present an architecture that enables value-based resource provisioning and we discuss possible solutions and open problems towards the realization of our approach.


TO THE EDITOR: National best practice guidelines recognise that accurate data on the health of Indigenous Australians are crucial to improving health service delivery. The draft revision of the RACGP Standards for general practices acknowledges the need for improvement a d require that a practice demonstrates how it routinely records, in active patient health records, self-identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status. This is a commendable improvement but should be further strengthened, requiring that Indigenous status be recorded for at least 90% of active patients, the level required for a history of allergies. Improved record keeping in general practice has resulted in the potential to improve Indigenous identification among patients notified with a communicable disease. This enables the documentation of health disadvantage, and allows evaluation of measures aimed at closing the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Demographic data in the NSW notifiable diseases database (NDD) were audited for all 258 Hunter New England (HNE) Salmonella infection notifications in 2007 by interviewing patients and their referring general practitioners. Interviews were completed for 83% of patients. Indigenous status was poorly recorded. The NDD listed three patients with salmonellosis as Aboriginal, but showed an unknown status for 87%. Among patients who had attended a GP during their illness (66%), practice records listed two as Aboriginal, but Indigenous status was unknown for 70%. Most GPs (95%) reported using electronic medical records, and 89% completed pathology requests with practice software. Many GPs (60%) requested information on how to appropriately ask about a patient's Indigenous status. Interviews with patients who had been notified as having had salmonellosis identified 13 as Aboriginal, and no resistance to identification was encountered. The crude salmonellosis notification rates per 100 000 population were 42.2 (95% CI, 19.3–65.1) for Aboriginal HNE residents and 25.5 (95% CI, 21.7–28.6) for non-Aboriginal HNE residents which, while not statistically significant for this small sample, suggests a differential salmonellosis burden, consistent with studies elsewhere. The true burden of disease was likely to have been substantially higher, as many infections are not notified. The differential burden may also be an underestimate if Aboriginal HNE residents were less likely to be notified than non-Aboriginal residents due to, for example, reduced access to health services. The widespread availability of electronic practice software for generating pathology requests provides a new opportunity to substantially improve Indigenous identification in communicable disease notifications. Indigenous status should be routinely recorded by GPs and automatically included on their pathology request forms and subsequent laboratory notifications. There is now a need for a coordinated national approach to ensure consistent inclusion of Indigenous status on all laboratory notification data.


A variety of perspectives has been put forward to understand reform across healthcare systems. Recently, some have called for these perspectives to give greater recognition to the role of ideational processes. The purpose of this article is to present an ideational approach to understanding the delivery of healthcare reform. It draws on a case of English healthcare reform – the Next Stage Review led by Lord Darzi – to show how the delivery of its reform proposals was associated with four ideational frames. These frames built on the idea of 'progress' in responding to existing problems; the idea of 'prevailing policy' in forming part of a bricolage of ideas within institutional contexts; the idea of 'prescription' as top-down structural change at odds with local contexts; and the idea of 'professional disputes' in challenging the notion of clinical engagement across professional groups. The article discusses the implications of these ideas in furthering our understanding of policy change, conflict and continuity across healthcare settings.


Unlocking the Unknown with Applied Spectral Knowledge. Abstract As point-of-care (POC) molecular diagnostics transforms medicine by bring-ing sophisticated diagnostic testing to the patient, the need for compact optical and detection technologies is increas-ing. Highly integrated multispectral sensors fill this niche well, reducing the complexity, footprint, and cost of instrumentation significantly. In contrast to the full spectrum acquired by a spectrometer, a multispectral sensor collects data only at the wavelength bands of most interest for the application. By integrating filtering and detection into monolithic elements in an array of up to 8 channels, the breakthrough PixelSensor™ multispectral sensor offers even greater multispectral detection efficiency in a package the size of a fingernail.


The primary task of an air traffic controller (ATCo) is to issue instructions to pi-lots. However, the first verbal communication contact is often initiated by the pi-lot. Hence, the ATCo needs to search for the aircraft radar label that corresponds to the callsign uttered by the pilot. Therefore, it would be useful to have a control-ler assistance system, which recognizes and highlights the spoken callsign in the ATCo display as early as possible, directly from the speech data. Therefore, we propose to use an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system to first obtain the speech-to-text transcription, followed by extracting the spoken callsign from the transcription. As a high performance in callsign recognition is required, we use surveillance data, which significantly reduces callsign recognition error rates. When using ASR transcriptions for ATCo utterances of Isavia data (HAAWAII project ), we initially obtain a callsign recognition error rate of 6.2%, which im-proves to 2.8% when surveillance data information is used.For the ATC operational speech data obtained from NATS air navigation service provider for London approach area, currently we obtain a callsign recognition rate of 93.8% for both ATCo and pilot utterances on automatic transcriptions which are generated by an ASR system with a word error rate of 5.1%. However, when surveillance data is not used, the callsign recognition rate drops significantly to 82.7%, indicating the importance of using surveillance data while recognizing callsigns. Once the callsign is spoken, we are able to recognize it within a second, which would be of great value to ATCos especially in situations of high traffic constituting high workload.


Purpose: The use of active medical devices in clinical routine should be as safe and efficient as possible. Usability tests (UTs) help improve these aspects of medical devices during their development, but UTs can be of use for hospitals even after a product has been launched. The present pilot study examines the costs and possible benefits of UT for hospitals before buying new medical devices for theatre. Methods: Two active medical devices with different complexity were tested in a standardized UT and a cost-benefit analysis was carried out assuming a different device bought at the same price with a higher usability could increase the efficiency of task solving and due to that save valuable theatre time. Results: The cost of the UT amounted up to €19.400. Hospitals could benefit from UTs before buying new devices for theatre by reducing time-consuming operator errors and thereby increase productivity and patient safety. The possible benefits amounted from €23.300 to €1.570.000 (median = €797.000). Conclusion: Not only hospitals could benefit economically from investing in a UT before deciding to buy a medical device, but especially patients would profit from a higher usability by reducing possible operator errors and increase safety and performance of use.


SIR,-A recent comparison of PACT (prescribing analysis and cost) data for one practice with hospital prescribing data showed the adverse effects on NHS costs of two widely used marketing strategies-the "loss leader" and "price confusionmarket expansion." A loss leader is a product that is heavily discounted into one market segment in the expectation that the improved uptake in this segment will influence other (bigger) segments. Cash limited health authorities have been happy to take advantage of the discounts offered to hospitals on such loss leading drugs but have not considered the effects that may be generated in the community (where such discounts do not apply) when patients continue treatment after discharge. The strategy of price confusion-market expansion aims to confuse the prescriber by providing such a wide choice that it is difficult to conclude objectively which is the best product. Such a strategy aims to increase overall expenditure rather than allow costs to be reduced through competition. During the past decade many new drugs have had only minor advantages over their established competitors. In response to this fact and in the face of limited budgets many health authorities, and now some general practitioners, have reduced the range of medicines available by introducing formularies. A recent analysis of PACT data for a local general practice led us to realise that in drawing up formularies authorities need to be aware of the effects of marketing strategies. Two examples illustrate this. The potassium sparing combination diuretics recommended by hospital formularies are often heavily discounted. PACT data showed that one local practice prescribed almost as much of the recommended drug as all the hospital units together. Unfortunately, this particular drug is one of the most expensive of its type to the NHS. If the hospital recommended an identical combination (from another manufacturer) the costs for the practice (if it followed suit) would fall by £500 a year14%. If the hospital recommended a slightly different combination altogether the practice's costs would fall by £1325 a year (37%), and if this practice is typical then the savings to the family health service authority could be £53 000 a year. Similar savings are possible with oral nitrate preparations; the practice could save about £1960 a year if a slightly different preparation were recommended by the hospital formulary. TheMonthlyIndexofMedicalSpecialties(MIMS) lists 14 potassium sparing diuretics in 16 strengths and 28 pack sizes, with an NHS price (excluding hospital discounts) ranging from 6p to 36p for the defined daily dose. Twenty two oral nitrates are available in 45 strengths and 60 pack sizes at prices of4p to 43p per dose. This staggering array of sizes and products does not enhance consumer choice but simply confuses the market. It is well known that drug prices are often discounted to hospitals. What is less clearly understood is the influence that this practice has on formulary decisions-and on prescribing costs outside hospital. Hospital drug and therapeutic committees need to work collaboratively with local general practitioners and family health service authorities to ensure that hospital policies do not financially burden the NHS as a whole and that effective and economic continuity of care can be achieved when patients enter and leave hospital.


The author proposes a novel application for estimating demand for a single recreation site when data are limited. An aggregated zonal travel cost model is outlined and estimated in a panel setting using a negative binomial estimator with time-specific constants to capture unobserved time-varying quality attributes. The data are based on catch records for the Mörrum river salmon fishery, one of the most popular sport fishing destinations in Northern Europe. These are aggregated to the municipal level for the zonal estimation and give number of visits per municipality per week for the period 1999–2011. The results confirm the expected negative influence of travel cost on visits. Further, the inclusion of time-specific constants does not render all time-varying quality attributes insignificant.


The trend of acquiring English as a foreign language (EFL) through blended learning (BL) has prompted teachers to develop strategic plans and directions for its onsite implementation and evaluation. This paper applies the concept of interaction to the challenge of creating a BL curriculum for an EFL class. General principles of interaction based on three dimensions of interaction—textual, social, and technological interaction—are presented and then applied specifically to EFL classes at a Taiwanese university by adopting the following practical steps: (1) setting course objectives; (2) formulating techniques and strategies; (3) selecting media and tools; (4) organizing activities and technologies; and (5) evaluating student learning. Students' reactions to and comments on six BL curriculum units indicate that various combinations of BL based on level and dimension of interaction are well adapted to the specific university EFL class. Our findings suggest that the interaction-driven approach should be the focal point for future development and implementation of BL in EFL classes.


We propose that most of the collisionless shocks in the Universe, for example, supernova remnant shocks, are produced because of the magnetic field generated by Weibel instability and its nonlinear process. In order to verify and validate the computational result confirming this theory, we are carrying out model experiments with intense lasers. We are going to make a collisionless counter-streaming plasma with intense laser ablation based on the scaling law to laser plasma with the particle-in-cell simulation resulting in Weibel-mediated shock formation. Preliminary experimental data are shown. The photo-ionization and resultant non-LTE plasma physics are also very important subjects in astrophysics related to mainly compact objects, for example, black hole, neutron star and white dwarf. Planckian radiation with its temperature 80–100 eV has been produced in gold cavity with irradiation of intense lasers inside the cavity. The sample materials are irradiated by the radiation inside the cavity and absorption and self-emission spectra are observed and analyzed theoretically. It is demonstrated how the effect of non-LTE is essential to reproduce the experimental spectra with the use of a precision computational code.


This thesis will explore connections made between the school-to-prison pipeline and bullying. Specifically, findings from a qualitative study conducted in 2016 will be presented and used to inform a review of the literature on bullying to explore connections between the two. The topic of bullying emerged as a prevalent theme among students who participated in the qualitative study by Hence (2017) titled, "Can You Hear Us Now? Engaging young African American Voices in Urban Communities and Schools". This study explored zero tolerance policies, school discipline practices, and its impact on the educational experiences of African American students. The study also examined factors that contribute to African American students entering the school to prison pipeline, as well as the role suspensions and expulsions play in increasing the likelihood of students entering the juvenile justice system. The findings on bullying led the researcher to explore research in this area to find a connection to the school-to-prison pipeline within K-12 schools, including the impact and role student-teacher relationships play in supporting students in schools. A review of the literature revealed a gap in the research, therefore this thesis uncovers a new area of inquiry as it relates to the connection between bullying and the school-to-prison pipeline. The qualitative study will be reviewed to provide context and to highlight the theme of bullying. An exploration of intervention models, recommendations, and strategies used to combat bullying in K-12 schools will also be presented. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department Social Work First Advisor Dr. Celeste Hawkins and Dr. Sarah Van Zoeren Second Advisor Dr. Angie Mann-Williams Third Advisor Dr. Lynn Nybell


It is accepted that the Arctic is warming, and may continue to warm, but the impacts on its coasts are not well documented. Permafrost coasts make up one third of the world's coasts, though few studies quantify recent changes. Remote sensing allows the detection of patterns in regional coastal dynamics, and provides a quantitative evidence of average coastal change and trends in rates on decadal scales. We investigated a 230 km long coastal stretch along the ice-rich and thus erosion-sensitive Yukon coast in north-western Canada over the time period from 1951 to 2015. Georeferenced aerial photographs from the 1950's, 1970's and 1990's as well as World View and GeoEye satellite imagery from 2011 were used to extract shoreline positions which were analyzed using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) extension for ESRI ArcGIS. To provide better temporal resolution of the shore dynamics over the last 20 years (1996-2015), seven coastal monitoring sites maintained by the Geological Survey of Canada were re-surveyed using real-time kinematic differential GPS. Remote sensing data analyses show that coastal retreat accelerated substantially between the 1990s to 2010s, to an average erosion rate of 1.3 m/a. In contrast, the temporally higher resolution ground survey data indicate that coastal erosion rates among the monitoring sites were stable or even showed a decelerating trend over the last 20 years. However, within the last three years, coastal retreat at three sites increased at an unprecedented rate, locally up to 9 m/a. Ground surveys and observations, with remote sensing data, indicate that the current rate of coastal retreat along the Yukon Coast is higher than at any recorded time.


Extensive outcrops of fusuline-rich limestone strata of Pennsylvanian age occur in the Eastern or Andara Massif of the Picos de Europa mountains in Northern Spain. The stratigraphic section is composed of the upper part of the Picos de Europa Formation, a carbonate succession deposited on a broad platform top in a distal foreland-basin margin setting, and the unconformable overlying Las Llacerias Formation, which represents carbonate-ramp strata deposited during the deformation of the underlying Picos de Europa platform. The tectonic setting allowed the accumulation of a very thick stratigraphic succession during the late Pennsylvanian, when the basin was located at paleoequatorial latitudes in the gulf of the western Palaeo-Tethys Ocean, adjacent to the eastern coast of Pangea. An in-depth stratigraphic and micropaleontological study involving six sections and several isolated localities revealed an interval spanning the uppermost Moscovian to the lower-middle Kasimovian. This study has allowed us to establish a composite section, more than 400 m thick, recording the uppermost part of the Fusulinella Zone ( F. alvaradoi subzone), the Protriticites Zone and the Montiparus Zone. Forty-one fusuline taxa are described, including four new species, Protriticites grajalensis, P. quasiovoidalis, P. benshae, and Pseudotriticites cantabricus. The composition of the fusuline assemblages differs from those of the Carboniferous in key areas of Eastern Europe, and reveals their affinity to Central Asian assemblages as part of a separate biogeographic province. In spite of these paleobiogeographic differences, the observations on the fusuline evolutionary lineages, as well as the presence of a few common forms, made it possible to establish an approximate correlation between the Andara and the Eastern European successions. We also report a previously unknown thrust fault, refine the stratigraphy and age of the successions outcropping in the Andara Massif, and determine the diachronism of the base of the unconformable Las Llacerias Formation.


OBJECTIVES. The intent of this study was to evaluate whether small changes in diet and physical activity, as promoted by the America on the Move initiative, could prevent excessive weight gain in overweight children. METHODS. In this family-intervention study, the America on the Move small-changes approach for weight-gain prevention was evaluated in families with at least 1 child (7–14 years old) who was overweight or at risk for overweight. These children were the primary target of the intervention, and parents were the secondary target. Families were randomly assigned to either the America on the Move group (n = 100) or the self-monitor–only group (n = 92). Families who were assigned to the America on the Move group were asked to make 2 small lifestyle changes: (1) to walk an additional 2000 steps per day above baseline as measured by pedometers and (2) to eliminate 420 kJ/day (100 kcal/day) from their typical diet by replacing dietary sugar with a noncaloric sweetener. Families who were assigned to the self-monitor group were asked to use pedometers to record physical activity but were not asked to change their diet or physical activity level. RESULTS. During a 6-month period, both groups of children showed significant decreases in BMI for age. However, the America on the Move group compared with the self-monitor group had a significantly higher percentage of target children who maintained or reduced their BMI for age and, consistently, a significantly lower percentage who increased their BMI for age. There was no significant weight gain during the 6-month intervention in parents of either group. CONCLUSIONS. The small-changes approach advocated by America on the Move could be useful for addressing childhood obesity by preventing excess weight gain in families.


I have now had by me for a long time, waiting for description, some very interesting fossils, obtained by Mr. W. H. Shrubsole near Sheerness; and I owe Mr. Shrubsole some apology for retaining them so long unnoticed. In July 1880, when looking over some of Mr. Shrubsole's fossils from the above neighbourhood, he showed me this specimen, which, he informed me, had very much puzzled several naturalists to whom he had submitted it. It recalled at once an East-Indian form with which I was familiar; but I could not at the moment give Mr. Shrubsole the name. On returning to town on the 2nd of August I looked up the genus in my collection, and wrote (confirming my original opinion) that I considered the shells to belong to Benson's genus Camptoceras. Dr. H. Woodward saw the same specimen in September 1880, and expressed the same opinion in a letter of the 23rd to Mr. Shrubsole; and on hearing I had previously seen the specimen and identified the genus, he forwarded the same to me in February 1881. I may also mention that Messrs. Etheridge and Newton in October, having seen Mr. Woodward's letter and reexamined the specimen, were also of the same opinion. As it is the first record of the genus occurring fossil, I shall enter somewhat fully into an account of it, giving Benson's original description, and noticing the species now known to us.


Human geographers have explored at some length the discourses and subject positions implicated in the recent rise of 'environmental responsibility'. Assigning it either as an individual disposition enacted in various spaces, a performative 'othering' tool, and/or a form of ecological governmentality, these debates have said little about the role of research and researchers in encouraging environmental responsibility. Utilising arguments from William James' 'radical empiricism', I argue that exploring practices through a pragmatist lens enables a tentative re-envisioning of environmental responsibility. Re-visiting my doctoral research into the household-level adoption of sustainable consumption practices, I claim environmental responsibility as an ethical experience felt at the moments when practices are reconsidered. Here, my presence played a vital role in this social experimentation, which, as pragmatists argue, is the fundamental basis of positive social change.


From the results of these experiments we can now attempt to answer the questions proposed in the introduction. Just as in normal tissues, it has been found that growth and development of a malignant neoplasm are influenced by temperature both quantitatively and qualitatively. The most striking effect was the acceleration in the rate of growth of the tumor at higher temperature, and retardation at lower. The ultimate size attained within periods averaging 3 months was regularly much greater at higher temperature. Also, the character of growth was quite different. At high temperature, there was more efficient vascularization, and the tumors formed long, branching, tubular outgrowths and cysts; at low temperature the outgrowths were short and stubby and cysts were rare. These differences were accentuated by repeatedly passing the tumor from one generation to another. In particular, in such serial passages, there was a remarkable tendency for the tumor to develop greatly dilated tubules and large cysts, which later, however, became solid as the result of ingrowth from the wall. The experiments demonstrate that the carcinoma in the frog can exist over a wide range of temperature. Even a temperature as low as 4°, as in the hibernation experiment, produces no injury to the tumor. This result is consistent with the common occurrence of large, healthy, spontaneous tumors in frogs which have recently hibernated in their natural state.


Cancer, as one of the evolutionary diseases, is among the major causes of death all over the world. In order to obtain quantitative data about development of cancer and its underlying mechanisms, it is significantly important to understand interactions of cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment at single-cell resolution. In this respect, microfluidic platforms are capable of mimicking tumor microenvironment, while representing a versatile tool for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications. In this thesis, new microfluidic tools were presented to investigate behavior of single cells and their response to different chemicals. The context of this thesis includes design, simulation, microfabrication and tests of these microfabricated devices using human cancer cell lines. One of these microfluidic platforms was a cell culture device to culture cells fed by medium flow, while allowing their live-cell imaging at single-cell resolution. The second one was a microfluidic gradient generator, which is known as Christmas-Tree chemical gradient generator, was used to create gradient of chemicals to be induced grown cell culture in the microfluidic cell culture device. These microfabricated tools were modular, therefore, they might be used as independent devices or they could be integrated. The designs of the microfluidic devices were simulated using COMSOL multi-physics program. Soft-lithography was performed for their fabrication. The DsRed fluorescent protein expressing breast cancer cell line (MCF7) was used to test the performance of the developed microfluidic devices. As a result of this study, a bubble-free single-cell loading protocol for LOC platforms was successfully developed. Furthermore, cells were cultured; their proliferation rate was obtained using image processing. Last but not least, the cells cultured in the microfluidic cell culture device were exposed to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) using the microfluidic gradient generator. The dose-dependent, SDS-induced death was quantitatively investigated using the integrated microfluidic platform.


BACKGROUND
The content of discharge prescriptions/summaries to improve communication about medication provided at discharge has been the subject of recent studies. To date, the authors are not aware of any literature that assesses the need for primary care health professionals to receive information on reasons for drug therapy changes incurred during hospital admission. Owing to increased emphasis on seamless care, patient education, and increased accountability for drug costs, general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists may consider the receipt of information on the reasons for drug therapy changes incurred during hospital admission to be an essential requirement.

AIM
To determine whether GPs and community pharmacists want, and receive, information on the reasons for drug therapy changes implemented by secondary care. The preferred method of acquiring this information is also investigated.

METHOD
A questionnaire was posted to all GPs and community pharmacists within the catchment area of Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust. Data were collected between June 1995 and July 1995.

RESULTS
Replies were received from 71 (64%) GPs and 33 (80%) community pharmacists. Of the respondents, 96% of GPs and 94% of community pharmacists would like information on one or more reason types for drug therapy changes, but the majority do not receive the desired information. Ninety per cent of GPs and 85% of community pharmacists seek this information of facilitate continuity of patient care. The preferred method of receiving the information is by postal delivery via a modified hospital discharge prescription.

CONCLUSION
The existing hospital discharge prescription requires modification to facilitate the completion of the reasons for drug therapy changes. The issue of patient-held cards requires consideration. These factors may facilitate continuity of patient care on hospital discharge.


Airflows, sea-surface waves, near-surface currents and X-band radar sea-returns were measured from a nearshore tower in 4-m deep water located in the Delaware Bay, during the passage of typical weather patterns. Intermittent violent momentum transfers, burstings, from air to water were clearly observed from measurements of the airflow turbulence. The scaling of mean periods between bursts and between sweeps with dominant wave period and the outer and inner variables of the turbulent airflow confirms that both, dominant wind waves and energy containing airflow eddies, share a role in the triggering of burstings. The three-dimensionality of the airflow in the field facilitates the reattachment manifested by the sweep events, and makes the latter similar to the bursts in terms of number and contribution to the mean Reynolds stress. The contribution of bursting events to the mean Reynolds stress is stronger than in laboratory flows and exceeds 100%. Wavelet analysis was applied to the surface wave data, and revealed uniformly distributed instants of bursts and sweeps over dominant wind wave profile. Using surface elevations and radar return data, no modifications of the surface roughness were found during bursting events.


Streptococcus faecalis var. zyrnogenes was grown in oxygen-limited continuous culture in a lactate/tryptone/yeast extract medium containing 7·5 μg haematin ml-l. Low temperature difference spectra of whole organisms and washed membranes showed two peaks in the cytochrome b region, at 558 nm and 562 nm, and a peak at 627 nm indicative of a d-type cytochrome. A CO-binding cytochrome was also present in the haematin-grown bacteria. These cytochromes were not detected in bacteria grown without haematin. The haematin- grown bacteria produced proton pulses in a weakly buffered medium when pulsed with oxygen-saturated buffer. The average →H+/O ratio of such pulses was 1·4 and they were abolished by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). The haematin-grown bacteria had a high activity of particulate NADH oxidase, at least 10 times that of bacteria grown without haematin. They also had a high lactate Q
02 which was strongly inhibited by CCCP and gramicidin whereas bacteria grown without haematin had a very low lactate Q
02 largely insensitive to the uncoupling agents. The glucose Q
02 was similar in bacteria grown in the presence or absence of haematin but was stimulated by uncoupling agents in haematin- grown organisms and slightly inhibited by these agents in organisms grown without haematin. These results confirm earlier findings of the ability of S. faecalis to form a functional cytochrome system in the cell membrane when supplied with haematin and show that electron transport to oxygen by such a system is coupled to proton translocation.


The aim of this thesis is the development of a framework for the systematic appraisal and communication of uncertainty in incinerator and landfill human health risk
assessments. This aspiration has been in response to finding a limited and ambiguous use of the term 'uncertainty', a lack of consensus in its definition and nomenclature, and its perfunctory review in risk assessmentsI.n the light of the need for such a framework, implications of its introduction are discussed. Guided by the literature and data collected from the field, the development of the framework progressed in three phases. First, the general concept was analysed - immediate and
wider goals were set, the target audience identified, the context of use determined, the elements of the framework defined and the needs and requirements of the target
audience considered, giving rise to a set of criteria to guide its development. The second phase included the proposal of an initial framework, which would appraise
and communicate uncertainty. In drafting the framework, the thesis explored the fundamental context in which uncertainty is placed, drew on the strengths of past
definitions and classification schemes to redefine it and suggested a more comprehensive classification scheme which finds practical application in the proposed framework. A second interaction with the field enabled the refinement of
the first version and production of a more robust, second version of the framework. Supported by case studies of both incinerator and landfill risk assessments, the third phase of the research involved the application of the framework as "scenarios of use' and its integrity discussed in terms of the set of heuristics developed in the concept analysis. The intention of the introduction of the proposed framework is to increase the transparency of risk assessments, which in turn could establish their reliability and trustworthiness, aid decision-making and allow for its management and subsequent refinement of the risk assessment practice. Although these are achieved to a certain degree, structural and methodological issues stemming from the complex and multidisciplinary nature of uncertainty, the intricacy of risk assessments and the
unfamiliarity of the target audience with the fundamental concepts of uncertainty and the framework itself, resulted in both functionality and usability being compromised to a certain extent. Suggestions for future research are made.


Planar Hall effect magnetic sensors for detection of biological agents using surface treated magnetic beads are integrated with a fluid injection system. The response of the sensors is used to evaluate bead capture rates for different bead concentrations c and fluid flow rates Q, and to monitor subsequent removal of the beads. It is found that the capture rate scales directly with c and that it depends linearly on Q. At low Q the capture rate is only partially due to gravitational sedimentation of beads. At higher Q an additional term proportional to Q becomes important, which is attributed to capture of beads by the magnetic fields near the sensor. It is shown that beads can be washed off the sensor surface.


Abstract Phosphorus (P) deficiency is a universal constraint to crop production, including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and fertilizer P use in deficient situations has biological and economic benefits. Although plant analysis is a fundamental tool for determining P nutritional status of crops, foliar analysis diagnostic indices are not well defined even for major crops like wheat. The critical concentration approach to interpreting plant analysis has inherent limitations; thus, critical concentration ranges have been suggested instead. We conducted six rainfed field experiments on P‐deficient soils (Ustochrept, Haplustalf) for three seasons (1997–2000) to develop plant analysis interpretative guidelines for diagnosing the P nutritional status of spring wheat. In each experiment, substantial crop yield increases as well as plant P concentration enhancements were observed with applied P. In general, fertilizer P requirements for maximizing P concentration in foliar plant parts were similar to the ones needed to attain maximum yields. Grain P concentration increases were comparable to whole‐shoot P concentrations. As with crop yields, P concentrations were greater with banded than broadcast P. However, there was no consistency between plant P concentration relationship with soil type or seasonal rainfall. Estimated critical P concentrations for near‐maximum crop yield (95%) were greater with banded than broadcast P, except for whole shoots and grain grown in the noncalcareous soil. Moreover, estimated critical levels for the same plant part varied between soils, years (rainfall regimens), and even fertilizer application methods. To cope with such inconsistencies, the proposed critical P concentration ranges for spring wheat in Pakistan are as follows: young whole shoots, 0.13–0.28%; recently matured leaves, 0.27–0.36%; and mature grain, 0.13–0.27%. Plant analysis remains imprecise and should be used to complement growth observations and soil analysis.


Background/Aim: Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a common soft tissue sarcoma and highly recalcitrant. We have previously developed patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) mouse models of UPS and other major sarcoma types. Unlike PDOX models of other cancer types, it has been difficult to demonstrate metastasis in the sarcoma PDOX models. Materials and Methods: To visualize metastasis at high resolution in the UPS PDOX model, established tumor fragments were implanted in transgenic nude mice expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) for one passage. The tumors acquired RFP-expressing stroma from transgenic host. UPS tumor with RFP stromal cells were harvested and implanted orthotopically in non-transgenic nude mice. After six weeks of UPS tumor growth in the PDOX model, the primary tumor was imaged non-invasively and lung, liver, and spleen were resected and imaged ex-vivo in order to visualize the presence of RFP, with a FluorVivo® imaging system and FV1000® confocal laser microscope, respectively. Results: The primary tumor was imaged non-invasively. Confocal microscopy visualized the presence of RFP in the lung and liver indicating metastases in these organs. This is the first report of metastasis in a sarcoma PDOX model. Conclusion: This study should prove very useful to screen for anti-metastatic drugs for the PDOX donor patients and to understand the metastatic process in sarcoma.


Part-of-speech (POS) taggers for low-resource languages which are exclusively based on various forms of weak supervision – e.g., cross-lingual transfer, type-level supervision, or a combination thereof – have been reported to perform almost as well as supervised ones. However, weakly supervised POS taggers are commonly only evaluated on languages that are very different from truly low-resource languages, and the taggers use sources of information, like high-coverage and almost error-free dictionaries, which are likely not available for resource-poor languages. We train and evaluate state-of-the-art weakly supervised POS taggers for a typologically diverse set of 15 truly low-resource languages. On these languages, given a realistic amount of resources, even our best model gets only less than half of the words right. Our results highlight the need for new and different approaches to POS tagging for truly low-resource languages.


Impotence is not only a problem of modern society. Centuries ago man has sought for causes and remedies for impotence, originally looking much more outside himself rather than within himself. This article reviews and reflects on mythological, religious and cultural aspects of impotence, especially before the beginning of the 18th century.