Universe of the Mind A Semiotic Theory of CultureYuri M. LotmanIntroduction by Umberto Eco Translated by Ann ShukmanA major book by one of the initiators of cultural studies. "Universe of the Mind is an ambitious, complex, and wide-ranging book that semioticians, textual critics, and those interested in cultural studies will find stimulating and immensely suggestive." Journal of Communication"Soviet semiotics offers a distinctive, richly productive approach to literary and cultural studies and Universe of the Mind represents a summation of the intellectual career of the man who has done most to guarantee this." Slavic and East European JournalUniverse of the Mind addresses three main areas: meaning and text, culture, and history. The result is a full-scale attempt to demonstrate the workings of the semiotic space or intellectual world. Part One is concerned with the ways that texts generate meaning. Part Two addresses Lotman s central idea of the semiosphere the domain in which all semiotic systems can function presented through an analogy with the global biosphere. Part Three focuses on semiotics from the point of view of history.A seminal text in cultural semiotics, the book s ambitious scope also makes it applicable to disciplines outside semiotics. The book will be of great interest to those concerned with cultural studies, anthropology, Slavic studies, critical theory, philosophy, and historiography.Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman is the founder of the Moscow-Tartu School and the initiator of the discipline of cultural semiotics."


Automatic analysis and summarization of affective behaviors and personality from human-human interactions are becoming a central theme in many research areas including computer and social sciences and psychology. Affective behaviors are defined as short- term states, which are very brief in duration, arise in response to an event or situation that are relevant and are rapidly change over time. They include empathy, anger, frustration, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction. Personality is defined as individual's longer-term characteristics that are stable over time and that describe individual's true nature. The stable personality traits have been captured in psychology by the Big-5 model that includes the following traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Traditional approaches towards measuring behavioral information and personality use either observer- or self- assessed questionnaires. Observers usually monitor the overt signals and label interactional scenarios, whereas self-assessors evaluate what they perceive from the interactional scenarios. Using this measured behavioral and personality information, a typical descriptive summary is designed to improve domain experts' decision-making processes. However, such a manual approach is time-consuming and expensive. Thus it motivated us to the design of automated computational models. Moreover, the motivation of studying affective behaviors and personality is to design a behavioral profile of an individual, from which one can understand/predict how an individual interprets or values a situation. Therefore, the aim of the work presented in this dissertation is to design automated computational models for analyzing affective behaviors such as empathy, anger, frustration, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction and Big-5 personality traits using behavioral signals that are expressed in conversational interactions.
The design of the computational models for decoding affective behaviors and personality is a challenging problem due to the multifaceted nature of behavioral signals. During conversational interactions, many aspects of these signals are expressed and displayed by overt cues in terms of verbal and vocal non-verbal expressions. These expressions also vary depending on the type of interaction, context or situation such as phone conversations, face-to-machine, face-to-face, and social media interactions. The challenges of designing computational models require the investigation of 1) different overt cues expressed in several experimental contexts in real settings, 2) verbal and vocal non-verbal expressions in terms of linguistic, visual, and acoustic cues, and 3) combining the information from multiple channels such as linguistic, visual, and acoustic information.
Regarding the design of computational models of affective behaviors, the contributions of the work presented here are
1. analysis of the call centers' conversations containing agents' and customers' speech,
2. addressing of the issues related to the segmentation and annotation by defining operational guidelines to annotate empathy of the agent and other emotional states of the customer on real call center data,
3. demonstration of how different channels of information such as acoustic, linguistic, and psycholinguistic channels can be combined to improve for both conversation- level and segment-level classification tasks, and
4. development of a computational pipeline for designing affective scenes, i.e., the emotional sequence of the interlocutors, from a dyadic conversation.
In designing models for Big-5 personality traits, we addressed two important problems; personality recognition, which infers self-assessed personality, and personality perception, which infers personalities that observers attribute to an individual. The contributions of this work to personality research are
1. investigation of several scenarios such as broadcast news, human-human spoken conversations from a call center, social media posts such as Facebook status updates and multi-modal youtube blogs,
2. design of classification models using acoustic, linguistic and psycholinguistic features, and
3. investigation of several feature-level and decision-level combination strategies.
Based on studies conducted in this work it is demonstrated that fusion of various sources of information is beneficial for designing automated computational models. The computational models for affective behaviors and personality that are presented here are fully automated and effective - they do not require any human intervention. The outcome of this research is potentially relevant for contributing to the automatic analysis of human interactions in several sectors such as customer care, education, and healthcare.


For a long time now, readers and scholars have strained against the limits of traditional literary criticism, whose precepts—above all, "objectivity"—seem to have so little to do with the highly personal and deeply felt experience of literature. The Intimate Critique marks a movement away from this tradition. With their rich spectrum of personal and passionate voices, these essays challenge and ultimately breach the boundaries between criticism and narrative, experience and expression, literature and life.

Grounded in feminism and connected to the race, class, and gender paradigms in cultural studies, the twenty-six contributors to this volume—including Jane Tompkins, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Shirley Nelson Garner, and Shirley Goek-Lin Lim—respond in new, refreshing ways to literary subjects ranging from Homer to Freud, Middlemarch to The Woman Warrior , Shiva Naipaul to Frederick Douglass. Revealing the beliefs and formative life experiences that inform their essays, these writers characteristically recount the process by which their opinions took shape--a process as conducive to self-discovery as it is to critical insight. The result—which has been referred to as "personal writing," "experimental critical writing," or "intellectual autobiography"—maps a dramatic change in the direction of literary criticism.

Contributors . Julia Balen, Dana Beckelman, Ellen Brown, Sandra M. Brown, Rosanne Kanhai-Brunton, Suzanne Bunkers, Peter Carlton, Brenda Daly, Victoria Ekanger, Diane P. Freedman, Olivia Frey, Shirley Nelson Garner, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Melody Graulich, Gail Griffin, Dolan Hubbard, Kendall, Susan Koppelman, Shirley Geok-Lin Lim, Linda Robertson, Carol Taylor, Jane Tompkins, Cheryl Torsney, Trace Yamamoto, Frances Murphy Zauhar


This study examines spatial and temporal trends in Texas dams, dam failures, and dam removals. Dams were examined from a state-wide perspective and within 10 major river basins that collectively account for over 80% of all dams in the state. The state-scale and basin-scale analysis revealed similar patterns of dam occurrence, however there was greater variation in the patterns observed in both the purpose of dams and the timing for when most of the storage was created in each basin. Climate factors, mainly precipitation, influenced dam location. Population was not directly measured in this study but was an obvious influence on the spatial distribution of dams and their functions. While new dams are being built in Texas to secure future water supplies, documented dam incidents/failures have occurred in 15 of the 23 major river basins in Texas, with 328 total instances occurring since 1900. As the number of newly constructed dams and dam failures continue to grow across the state, so should the number of planned dam removals. Between 1983 and 2016, 50 dams have been removed across the state. The purpose for the majority of removals was to eliminate liability concerns associated with aging dams. Future dam removals will likely continue to occur based on the number of older, smaller dams with potential liability concerns. As Texas' dam infrastructure continues to age, dam removal is a practical management option for mitigating potential dam-related hazards and improving the connectivity and ecological function of the river systems.
Citation: Dascher ED, Meitzen K. 2020. Dams are coming down, but not always by choice: the geograph of Texas dams, dam failures, and dam removals. Texas Water Journal. 11(1):89-129. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v11i1.7092.


OBJECTIVE
Respiratory tract exacerbation rate (RTE-R) is a key clinical efficacy end point in cystic fibrosis (CF) trials. Chest CT scanning holds great potential as a surrogate end point. Evidence supporting the ability of CT scan scores to predict RTE-R is an important step in validating CT scanning as a surrogate end point. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between CT scan scores and RTE-R in a cohort of pediatric patients with CF.

METHODS
A retrospective review of data from pediatric patients with CF included chest CT scans, spirometry, and 2 years follow-up. RTE-R was defined as the number of IV antibiotics courses per year. CT scans were scored with the Brody-II system, assessing bronchiectasis, airway wall thickening, mucus, and opacities.

RESULTS
One hundred fifteen patients contributed 170 CT scans. Median age and FEV(1) at first CT scan were 12 years (range, 5-20 years) and 90% predicted (range, 23% predicted-132% predicted), respectively. Analyzing exacerbation counts using Poisson regression models, bronchiectasis score and FEV(1) both were found to be strong independent predictors of RTE-R in the subsequent 2 years. For the bronchiectasis score categorized in quartiles, RTE-R increased by factors of 1.8 (95% CI, 0.6-6.1; P = .31), 5.5 (95% CI, 1.9-15.4; P = .001), and 10.6 (95% CI, 3.8-29.4; P < .001), respectively, for each quartile compared with the quartile with the best (ie, lowest) scores. Similarly, time to first respiratory tract exacerbation was significantly associated with quartiles of both bronchiectasis score and FEV(1).

CONCLUSIONS
The CT scan bronchiectasis score is strongly associated with RTE-R in pediatric patients with CF, providing an important piece of evidence in the validation of CT scans as an end point for CF clinical trials.


Fruit and vegetable consumption rates among children constantly fail to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. However, school garden programs may offer a solution to this problem. The purpose of this review of literature was to analyze the effects of school garden programs on fruit and vegetable intake among students participating and the effects of increased fruit and vegetable intake on academic performance. Data from original research from 2002-2018 and studies on topics relating to school gardens and academic performance was reviewed. Findings support the claim that school garden programs promote an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among students participating. In one study, researchers were able to show that nutrition education classes and garden based activities doubled fruit and vegetable servings per day among sixth graders. In another study where students received cooking and gardening classes, the students showed a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, weight loss among overweight and obese, and an increase in dietary fiber. Studies also showed a positive relationship between academic performance and fruit and vegetable consumption. Four studies assessed whether past garden use was related to academic performance; two showed science improvement and one showed math improvement. However, more studies need to be conducted to understand the long term effects of school garden programs may have in influencing fruit and vegetable intake.


BACKGROUND
In a randomised controlled study, a type of cognitive behavior therapy known as Rational Rehabilitation proved effective in the treatment of patients with chronic mental symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious illness that occurs frequently and can last for many years. Rational Rehabilitation may also be an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

AIM
To investigate, via a pilot study, on the effect of Rational Rehabilitation in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, whether a randomised controlled study is called for.

METHOD
Nineteen patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, who were awaiting regular treatment, opted to join the study. The effect of Rational Rehabilitation was studied in relation to: symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, degree of happiness experienced, autonomy, social support and need for further treatment. results Rational Rehabilitation seems to have a positive effect on all outcome measures, except flashbacks.

CONCLUSION
A controlled study of the effect of Rational Rehabilitation in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder seems justified.


Evidence is building for an association between the level of anxiety experienced by a mother during pregnancy and the cognitive development of her offspring. The current study uses fMRI to examine whether there is an association between prenatal exposure to maternal anxiety and brain activity in 20 year old adolescents. In line with previous results of this follow-up study, it was found that adolescents of mothers reporting high levels of anxiety during weeks 12–22 of their pregnancy had a different pattern of decision making in a Gambling paradigm requiring endogenous cognitive control compared to adolescents of mothers reporting low to average levels of anxiety during pregnancy. Moreover, the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response in a number of prefrontal cortical areas was modulated by the level of antenatal maternal anxiety. In particular a number of right lateralized clusters including inferior frontal junction, that were modulated in the adolescents of mothers reporting low to average levels of anxiety during pregnancy by a task manipulation of cognitive control, were not modulated by this manipulation in the adolescents of mothers reporting high levels of anxiety during pregnancy. These results provide a neurobiological underpinning for our previous hypothesis of an association between a deficit in endogenous cognitive control in adolescence and exposure to maternal anxiety in the prenatal life period.


The paper analyzes the impact of scientific and technological progress on the environment and the impact of biotechnology and eco – technology in agricultural development strategy, based on the rational use of natural resources. The key problem in the application of technological developments in agriculture is based on creating the optimal interdependence of the development of the biotechnology and of eco - technology on one hand and optimal use of natural agricultural resources from the other. Special emphasis is placed on the development of "friendly" technologies that have a positive impact on the ecology and the escalation of development and economic opportunities. On this basis, the sustainable development of agriculture is an essential foundation for achieving and directing the production of biologically valuable and quality agricultural products.


What is the transformative potential of civil society in the neoliberal era? This essay responds to John Keane's "Hopes for Civil Society." While civil society plays an integral role in democratic transition, its role in countries experiencing democratic backsliding or erosion is less clear. In the longstanding liberal democracies today, political party ties to civil society groups have weakened, parties are less differentiated on economic policy, and citizens increasingly turn to mass protest, rather than civic engagement, to express their grievances.


The paper is concerned with the Steklov eigenvalue problem on cuboids of arbitrary dimension. We prove a two-term asymptotic formula for the counting function of Steklov eigenvalues on cuboids in dimension d greater or equal to 3. Apart from the standard Weyl term, we calculate explicitly the second term in the asymptotics, capturing the contribution of the (d-2)-dimensional facets of a cuboid. Our approach is based on lattice counting techniques. While this strategy is similar to the one used for the Dirichlet Laplacian, the Steklov case carries additional complications. In particular, it is not clear how to establish directly the completeness of the system of Steklov eigenfunctions admitting separation of variables. We prove this result using a family of auxiliary Robin boundary value problems. Moreover, the correspondence between the Steklov eigenvalues and lattice points is not exact, and hence more delicate analysis is required to obtain spectral asymptotics. Some other related results are presented, such as an isoperimetric inequality for the first Steklov eigenvalue, a concentration property of high frequency Steklov eigenfunctions and applications to spectral determination of cuboids.


Tubificid worms are aquatic invertebrates, belonging to the class Oligochaeta and family Tubificidae, used as an important live food for fishes. The study was conducted to culture Tubificid worms under running water in order to develop a suitable culture media and an optimum duration of media inoculation for culturing Tubificid worms. The worms were cultured under two experiments in cemented culvert system (160×25×10 cm3 ) for 90 days. In the first experiment the worms were cultured in three different media designated as treatment-I, treatment-II and treatment-III. The highest yield (503.39±22.98 mg cm-2) was found at 70th day of culture duration in the culture media containing a mixture of 35% mustard oil cake, 20% wheat bran, 25% cow-dung and 20% fine sand (treatment-III). Only 1.99 kg media ingredients valued BDT 29.85 were needed to yield 1 kg worms. In the second experiment, the worms were cultured at three different intervals of media inoculation i.e., 6, 10 and 15 days interval designated as treatment-I, treatment-II and treatment-III respectively using the media found best in the first experiment. Inoculation of media at 10 days interval showed significantly (P<0.01) higher production (488.94±5.60 mg cm-2).


The stability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis IS6110 fingerprint patterns and spoligotypes has been assessed by analyzing serial isolates from patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis. Altogether, 165 M. tuberculosis isolates obtained from 56 patients have been analyzed. The time spans between the first and the last or a changed isolate from one patient ranged from 1 to 772 days. Among the 56 patients, 5 (9%) were infected with isolates with changes in their IS6110 fingerprint patterns. According to the total number of strains analyzed, 5% of the subsequent isolates showed variations in their IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns compared to the pattern of the first isolates. Up to 10 isolates from one patient sampled at time intervals of up to 772 days with no changes in their IS6110 patterns have been analyzed. A statistically significant correlation could be found between changes in insertion sequence (IS) patterns and the increased time intervals over which the isolates were obtained, whereas changes in IS patterns are not correlated to changes in the drug resistance of the isolates. In contrast to the observed variations in IS6110 fingerprint patterns, no changes in the spoligotypes of the isolates analyzed could be found. In conclusion, our results confirm that the IS6110 fingerprint patterns of M. tuberculosis isolates have high degrees of stability. Compared to IS6110, the direct repeat (DR) region, which is the basis for spoligotyping, has a lower rate of change. Partial deletions, e.g., deletions induced by homologous recombination between the repetitive DR elements, could not be detected in this study.


Abstract Anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the fourth most prevalent cancer in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected men who have sex with men (MSM). Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been detected in over 90% of anal carcinoma biopsy specimens from MSM, and is considered a necessary, but alone, insufficient factor for carcinogenesis. Anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) may be precursive for SCC, and screening cytology with referral of persons with abnormality for high‐resolution anoscopy‐guided biopsy, and AIN treatment, has been recommended for prevention. In the absence of either randomized controlled trials or surveillance data demonstrating a reduction in anal SCC incidence, these recommendations were based on analogy with cervical cancer. HPV‐mediated genetic changes associated with cervical cancer, and aneuploidy, have been documented in AIN. However, little data exist on the rate of AIN progression to SCC. The treatment of AIN is frequently prolonged and not curative, and if routinized in the care of HIV‐infected MSM, would likely be recurring well into their sixth decade of life. Clinical trials demonstrating a reduction in invasive anal carcinoma incidence, as well as acceptable morbidity with repeated AIN destruction, are needed before asking our patients to commit to routine treatment.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) has been associated with psychosocial factors and non-urological associated somatic syndromes (NUAS) such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and chronic fatigue. We examined the prevalence of comorbid conditions in a heterogenous population of men and women with IC/BPS in a national dataset. METHODS: Using the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI), we identified a random sample of patients with an ICD-9 diagnosis of IC/BPS and patients without an ICD-9 diagnosis of IC/BPS or other pelvic pain conditions by querying all living veterans in the VINCI system. Presence of eleven comorbidities was determined using ICD-9 diagnosis codes: Alcohol Abuse, Back Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraines, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Sexual Trauma, Smoking and History of Depression. Differences between groups were tested using multivariable logistic regression where needed to adjust for age. RESULTS: Data from 2,056 subjects were included in this analysis with 1,211 IC/BPS patients (538 males, 44% and 673 females, 56%) and 845 non-IC/BPS patients (424 males, 50% and 421 females,50%). IC/BPS patients were more likely to be female (p=0.01) and were significantly older at the time of abstraction (p<0.0001). After adjusting for the significant difference of age, the predicted prevalence of most comorbidities was higher in IC/BPS subjects (Table 1). For example, 41% of IC/BPS patients in our dataset were diagnosed with NUAS vs. 16% in non-IC/BPS patients. IC/BPS patients were nearly twice as likely to have a sexual trauma diagnosis (7% vs. 3%, p<.0001) and 1.4 times more likely to have a PTSD diagnosis (40% vs. 30%, p<.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of IC/BPS patients were diagnosed with NUAS, which was consistent with the 47% found in a 2014 study by the MAPP Network (Krieger, et al.). Our PTSD findings in 40% of IC/BPS patients supports the findings of one of the few studies to examine the relationship between PTSD and IC/BPS, which reported 42% prevalence (McKernan, et al.). These data further elucidate the comorbidities associated with IC/BPS in male and female patients. Table. No title available. Source of Funding: CDC Grant U01DP006079


A novel artificial diffuser for Fourier transform hologram recording is proposed, and its imaging and spectral properties are analyzed. This new diffuser gives high SNR and resolution characteristics to the holographically reconstructed images and high reliability and redundancy characteristics to the system where holograms are used as information storing media. These characteristics are confirmed by experiments.


The recently named Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most endangered whales in the world, and improved knowledge of spatiotemporal occurrence patterns is needed to support their recovery and conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring methods for determining spatiotemporal occurrence patterns require identifying the species' call repertoire. Rice's whale call repertoire remains unvalidated though several potential call types have been identified. This study uses sonobuoys and passive acoustic tagging to validate the source of potential call types and to characterize Rice's whale calls. During concurrent visual and acoustic surveys, acoustic-directed approaches were conducted to obtain visual verifications of sources of localized sounds. Of 28 acoustic-directed approaches, 79% led to sightings of balaenopterid whales, of which 10 could be positively identified to species as Rice's whales. Long-moan calls, downsweep sequences, and tonal-sequences are attributed to Rice's whales based on these matches, while anthropogenic sources are ruled out. A potential new call type, the low-frequency downsweep sequence, is characterized from tagged Rice's whale recordings. The validation and characterization of the Rice's whale call repertoire provides foundational information needed to use passive acoustic monitoring for better understanding and conservation of these critically endangered whales.


As political scientists, we spend much time teaching and doing scholarly research, and more time than we may wish to remember on university committees. However, just as many of us believe that teaching and research are not fundamentally different activities, we also need not use fundamentally different standards of inference when studying government, policy, and politics than when participating in the governance of departments and universities. In this article, we describe our attempts to bring somewhat more systematic methods to the process and policies of graduate admissions.


By using the Hilbert-Huang transform, a novel method is proposed to perform the task of particle sizing and axial locating directly from in-line digital holograms rather than reconstructing the optical field. The intensity distribution of the particle hologram is decomposed into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) by the empirical mode decomposition. From the Hilbert spectrum of these IMFs, the axial location of the particle can be calculated by fitting the spectrum to a straight line, and the particle size can be derived from the singularities of the spectrum. Our method does not need to predefine any basis function; thus the whole process is fast and efficient. The validity and accuracy of the method are demonstrated by the numerical simulations and experiments. It is expected that this method can be used in on-line particle sizing and 3D tracking.


Hybrid electrochemical capacitors have emerged as attractive energy storage option, which perfectly fill the gap between electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) and batteries, combining in one device the high power of the former and the high energy of the latter. We show that the charging characteristics of the positive carbon electrode are transformed to behave like a battery operating at nearly constant potential after it is polarized in aqueous iodide electrolyte (1 mol L−1 NaI). Thermogravimetric analysis of the positive carbon electrode confirms the decomposition of iodides trapped inside the carbon pores in a wide temperature range from 190 °C to 425 °C, while Raman spectra of the positive electrode show characteristic peaks of I3− and I5− at 110 and 160 cm−1, respectively. After entrapment of polyiodides in the carbon pores by polarization in 1 mol L−1 NaI, the positive electrode retains the battery-like behavior in another cell, where it is coupled with a carbon-based negative electrode in aqueous NaNO3 electrolyte without any redox species. This new cell (the iodide-ion capacitor) demonstrates the charging characteristics of a hybrid capacitor with capacitance values comparable to the one using 1 mol L−1 NaI. The constant capacitance profile of the new hybrid cell in aqueous NaNO3 for 5000 galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles at 0.5 A g−1 shows that iodide species are confined to the positive battery-like electrode exhibiting negligible potential decay during self-discharge tests, and their shuttling to the negative electrode is prevented in this system.


The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy, perceived social support and mental health among teachers. Sample consisted of 447 teachers which selected by cluster random sampling. In order to collect research data from the General Health Questionnaire, general self-efficacy questionnaire and Social Support Questionnaire were used. The results of path analysis showed that social support can mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and mental health among teachers. There have significiant diffrences between genders in anxiety and insomnia symptoms. There were not significiant difrences between elementary school and secondary school teachers in outcome variableres. Path analysis showed that 15% of teacher's mental health scores was explained through the perceived social support. It could be concluded that social support had a pivotal role in teacher self efficacy and mental health.


Abstract E. N. Pavlovskiĭ's concept of natural focality of diseases and the development of general knowledge about natural foci and their structural (components), functional (mechanisms of pathogen maintenance), and ecosystem-related organization (assortment and interrelations of ecosystems) are reviewed from principal (in authors' opinion) aspects. The 60-year history of this theory includes three stages at which its scope and contents differed. At the first stage, it concerned transmissible zoonoses. It had been assumed that structurally, natural foci necessarily include the pathogen-vector-host triad, and the functioning of the focus is provided for by only pathogen circulation in terrestrial ecosystems. At the second stage, it became clear that vector is not a necessary structural component of any focus (an example of nontransmissible diseases), although the functioning of foci remained to be unequivocally attributed to the continuous pathogen circulation among animals of terrestrial ecosystems. The third stage is characterized by an understanding that, in general, the presence of a warm-blooded host in the focus is also unnecessary for pathogen survival, and natural foci can be represented by soil and aquatic ecosystems. The only necessary and specific component of any natural focus is the pathogen population. In this context, modern views on natural focality of diseases are reviewed, and the essence of the terms "natural focus" and "epizootic process" is defined. It is proposed to distinguish the phases of pathogen reservation and epizootic spread (circulation) in ecosystems of any type. The current state of this concept provides evidence that, in general biological terms, studies on natural focality of diseases belong to one of the fields of symbiotology.


Trimethylammonium-containing (TMA) polynorbornene is synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization for study as an anion exchange membrane (AEM) in solid state alkaline fuel cells. The AEMs in this work are designed to incorporate flexible tethers between the TMA and polymer backbone, methyl groups at the β position, and to be semicrystalline, with the goals of high OH− conductivity, good electrochemical stability in high pH environments, and robust mechanical properties when in the membrane form. The resulting materials are found to have high conductivities, but are mechanically weak due to an overall lack of crystalline domains. Electrochemical stability appears dependent on the environment in which lifetime is measured, suggesting that the hydration state of the polymer has a substantial influence on the result.


On January 1, 2013, it became mandatory that every new sovereign bond issued by a member of the European Monetary Union include a new contract clause called a Collective Action Clause or CAC. This, we believe, constituted the biggest one-time change to the terms of sovereign debt contracts in history, impacting a market of many trillions of euros. And it was not just that the change was big in terms of the size of the market it impacted; it was big in terms of its impact on the documentation of each individual Euro area sovereign bond contract. To illustrate, prior to January 1, 2013, all of the terms of a local-law Irish sovereign bond fitted on about a page and a half; the full document was about three pages long. After January 1, 2013, the document was twenty pages long; almost all of that space taken by the new CAC term. In terms of words on the page, it was a big change. But did it do anything meaningful? And, more importantly, did it do what it was intended to do?


In this paper, we aim to maximize the end-to-end achievable rate of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) decode-and-forward (DF) where the relay is an energy harvesting (EH) node using the time switching (TS) scheme. The relay first harvests the energy from the source, then uses its harvested energy to forward the information carrying signal from the source to the destination. The EH model at the relay is a nonlinear model. Also, we assume that the channel knowledge is imperfect at the relay and destination. We propose the structure of the optimal covariance matrices at the source (during EH and information decoding periods), the optimal covariance matrix at the relay and the optimal EH time ratio. Through the simulation results, we compare between different linear/nonlinear EH models and we show the gain/loss performance of the linear model compared to other nonlinear EH models.


Spinal cord injury leads to a massive response of innate immune cells (microglia, macrophages, neutrophils) both, in non-regenerating mammals and in successfully regenerating zebrafish, but the role of these immune cells in functional spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish has not been addressed. Here we show that inhibiting inflammation reduces and promoting it accelerates axonal regeneration in larval zebrafish. Mutant analyses show that peripheral macrophages, but not neutrophils or microglia, are necessary and sufficient for full regeneration. Macrophage-less irf8 mutants show prolonged inflammation with elevated levels of Il-1β and Tnf-α. Decreasing Il-1β levels or number of Il-1β+ neutrophils rescues functional regeneration in irf8 mutants. However, during early regeneration, interference with Il-1β function impairs regeneration in irf8 and wildtype animals. Inhibiting Tnf-α does not rescue axonal growth in irf8 mutants, but impairs it in wildtype animals, indicating a pro-regenerative role of Tnf-α. Hence, inflammation is tightly and dynamically controlled by macrophages to promote functional spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish.


There is increasing interest in replacing coal with woody biomass in co-firing plants for electrical power. A variety of pre-treatments can be used to make biomass more suitable for co-firing. This research presents a model that evaluates the delivered costs of various pre-treated biomass sources, electricity production costs, and constraints, and calculates a least cost mix. Results of the scenario presented indicate that wood chips are the most economical co-firing option for delivering biomass to direct-fired boilers. Apart from potential feeding and processing issues, the wood-chips options of forest residues present the lowest cost of electricity production for small-scale co-firing applications. From the options that will ensure minimum processing issues in the co-firing cycle, wood pellets from southern yellow pine represent the most economical choice. Based on coal displacement from the facility, torrefied wood pellets from southern yellow pine is a preferred option as compared to other choices evaluated. An alternative to torrefied wood pellets from southern yellow pine is dark torrefied Eucalyptus benthamii, providing similar electricity production costs while reducing coal utilization.


Abstract Arsenic in drinking water from streams, shallow wells and boreholes in the Obuasi gold-mining area of Ghana range between < 2 and 175 μgl−1. The main sources are mine pollution and natural oxidation of sulphide minerals, predominantly arsenopyrite (FeAsS). Streamwaters have been most affected by mining activity and contain some of the highest As concentrations observed. They are also of poor bacteriological quality. Some of the streams have a high As(III) content (As(III)/Astotal > 0.5), probably as a result of methylation and reduction reactions mediated by bacteria and algae. Concentrations of As in groundwaters reach up to 64 μgl−1, being highest in deeper (40–70 m) and more reducing (220–250 mV) waters. The As is thought to build up as a result of the longer residence times undergone by groundwaters in the deeper parts of the aquifer. The proportion of As present as As(III) is also higher in the deeper groundwaters. Deep mine exploration boreholes (70–100 m) have relatively low As contents of 5–17 μgl−1, possibly due to As sorption onto precipitating ferric oxyhydroxides or to localized low As concentrations of sulphide minerals. Median concentrations of inorganic urinary As from sample populations in two villages, one a rural streamwater-drinking community and the other a suburb of Obuasi using groundwater for potable supply, were 42 μgl−1 and 18 μgl−1 respectively. The value for the community drinking groundwater is typical of background concentrations of urinary As. The slightly higher value for the streamwater-drinking community probably reflects different provenance of foodstuffs and higher As concentrations of water sources local to the village. The low value obtained for the inhabitants of the Obuasi suburb, living close to and abstracting groundwater from the area of major mining activity, suggests that groundwater can form a useful potable supply of good inorganic quality provided that deep, long residence time sources are avoided.


This paper discusses various practices recommended by homeopaths, herbalists, spiritual and natural healers for the management and maintenance of oral health. It is intended as a partial guide to educate the dental professional on self-administered, over-the-counter remedies that are easily available to the general population. Since few if any clinical studies exist assessing the efficacy or side effects of these ingested products, little is known about the beneficial or potentially harmful course these remedies may take on the human body.


The research paper develops an understanding on how news based sentiment capture investor behaviour reflected in price jumps in stock markets. It compares the impact on two models of stock price jumps; the non-parametric model proposed by BNS and the wavelet based method. The study is also a perspective on the semi strong form of market efficiency Using the high frequency data from the stock and options market along with the actual high frequency news data from Bloomberg, the two alternative methodologies of jumps have been tested. In addition, options trades have been simulated to see whether profits can be earned from the news sentiment captured by jumps. Methodologically, jumps based on wavelets were found to be better related  with the news sentiment compared to the BNS method. Also,   the news sentiment based jumps were found to present opportunities in the simulated trades that could be exploited for earning profits suggesting that investors overreact. The paper uses an innovative method for computation of the news based sentiment. To the best of our knowledge, the paper is the first to evaluate jumps and news sentiment using the actual news data. A perspective on the semi strong form of market efficiency is presented, that too by departing from the event study based models.


: Inspire d by security issues in electronic healthcare systems which has been a vast success on cloud platforms, we propose to build security in mobile healthcare systems with the help of private cloud. Today, communication and information technology are becoming an integral part in healthcare. The system offers mechanism for privacy-preserving data storage and retrieval. Retrieval is most helpful at the time of emergencies. The system also offers auditability for misusing health data. We have integrated attribute based encryption with threshold signing for providing security and symmetric searchable encryption for providing search over encrypted documents to owner.


Chronic inflammation is a poorly understood, but problematic, manisfestation of sickle cell disease (SCD). The potent inflammatory mediator CD40L increases leukocyte proliferation, endothelial adhesiveness and procoagulant activity once it is exposed and released from encrypted sites following platelet activation. Since elevated leukocyte counts, adhesion and coagulation are associated with more clinically severe courses of SCD along with platelets that are more activated than normal, platelet CD40L is hypothesized to be an important mediator of inflammation in SCD. Data shown here indicate that CD40L is thirty-fold higher in SCD plasma but significantly reduced in SCD platelets. SCD plasma induces B cell proliferation, endothelial activation and procoagulant tissue factor production, all in a manner partially dependent on recognition of CD40L. When CD40L activity was blocked in a mouse model of SCD, lung, liver and kidney pathology was demonstrably reduced. More dramatically, anti-CD40L treatment of SCD mice prevented the architectural disruption and drastic enlargement of the spleen that is characteristic of SCD. These data suggest that functional CD40L is available and likely mediates inflammation in SCD. Furthermore, in a phase I clinical trial, the αIIbβ3 antagonist eptifibatide reduced plasma CD40L, favorably altered the inflammatory cytokine profile of SCD plasma and was well-tolerated by SCD patients. This study provides the first evidence that inflammation and organ pathology in SCD are mediated by platelet-derived CD40L. Since plasma CD40L can be safely reduced by anti-platelet medication, we identify both CD40L and platelets as potential therapeutic targets to treat SCD.


Successful Marine Spatial Planning depends upon the identification of areas with high importance for particular species, ecosystems or processes. For seabirds, advancements in biologging devices have enabled us to identify these areas through the detailed study of at-sea behaviour. However, in many cases, only positional data are available and the presence of local biological productivity and hence seabird foraging behaviour is inferred from these data alone, under the untested assumption that foraging activity is more likely to occur in areas where sea- birds spend more time. We fitted GPS devices and accelerometers to northern gannets Morus bassanus and categorised the behaviour of individuals outside the breeding colony as plunge diving, surface foraging, floating and flying. We then used the locations of foraging events to test the efficiency of 2 approaches: time-in-area and kernel density (KD) analyses, which are widely employed to detect highly-used areas and interpret foraging behaviour from positional data. For KD analyses, the smoothing parameter (h) was calculated using the ad hoc method (KDad hoc), and KDh=9.1, where h = 9.1 km, to designate core foraging areas from location data. A high proportion of foraging events occurred in core foraging areas designated using KDad hoc, KDh=9.1, and time-in- area. Our findings demonstrate that foraging activity occurs in areas where seabirds spend more time, and that both KD analysis and the time-in-area approach are equally efficient methods for this type of analysis. However, the time-in-area approach is advantageous in its simplicity, and in its ability to provide the shapes commonly used in planning. Therefore, the time-in-area approach can be used as a simple way of using seabirds to identify ecologically important locations from both tracking and survey data.


While there is a plethora of research into the perceived benefits of offsite construction systems and the barriers towards their adoption, there has been very little discussion of the procurement route selection factors for offsite residential projects in the UK Midlands region. This study sought to identify the factors which influence the selection of a procurement method for offsite housebuilding projects in the Midlands. The aim of the paper was to identify the critical factors influencing the procurement selection for offsite housebuilding developments through a survey of 157 construction professionals and housing developers using the Relative Importance Index as a basis for analysis. A comparison between the most highly ranked factors for offsite manufacturing and those presented in the literature indicate that practitioners' perceptions are largely aligned with those of traditional construction processes. The higher constructability of design and environmental sustainability have been shown to have a greater influence on the selection of the most appropriate procurement route for offsite housebuilding as compared to those applicable to traditional construction. The research findings can also help practitioners to develop a wider and deeper perspective of the criteria for selecting the appropriate procurement method for offsite residential projects at a regional level.


Our understanding of hydro-climatic dynamics in the East Asian monsoon region during the Holocene was obstructed by very few absolutely dated and high temporally resolved proxy records in northern China. Here we present duplicated carbonate δ18O records of six stalagmites with sub-decadal to multi-decadal temporal resolutions from Lianhua cave to reveal a detailed transition of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) intensity in northern China from 11.5 thousand years ago (hereafter, ka BP, before 1950 AD). Our composite records show that solar forcing dominated hydro-climatic changes, including an intensified monsoon at the Holocene Optimum from the end of Younger Dryas to 6.5 ka BP, and a subsequent multi-millennial weakening of monsoon intensity, that agree with cave records in central and southern China. However, the EASM has retreated southwards more rapidly than the Indian summer monsoon after ∼6.5 ka BP, resulting in some rapid onset of dry conditions occurring at 4.0 ka BP in northern China, which is ∼2000 years earlier than in central and southern China. This asynchrony may be related to the different regional responses among the coupling of the EASM, Indian summer monsoon, the solar forcing, and the differences in thermal forcing due to complex geographical configurations. In addition, a relative enrichment of 1h in our δ18O data of Lianhua record from 9.5 to 8.1 ka BP shows that the Holocene Optimum was punctuated by a millennial-long weak monsoon interval, which is not registered among previous cave records in central and southern China. The freshwater-induced cold climate conditions in the North Atlantic region could create stronger East Asian winter monsoon and induce a weakened EASM and a southward shift of precipitation band in northern China. Therefore, it shall not be surprised that there are strong heterogeneities among regional hydro-climatic conditions across monsoonal China in the Holocene, given the complex interplay between external and internal forcing mechanisms over the entire Holocene.


Local autonomous dynamic channel allocation (LADCA) including power control is essential to accommodating the anticipated explosion of demand for wireless. The authors simulate call performance for users accessing channels in a regular cellular array with a base located at the center of each hexagon. The computer model includes stochastic channel demand and a propagation environment characterized by attenuation with distance as well as shadow fading. The study of LADCA shows that distributed power control and channel access can be combined in an access management policy that achieves satisfactory system capacity and provides desired call performance. The authors report: LADCA/power control is observed to be stable alleviating a major concern about users unaware of the signal to interference problems their presence on a channel might cause to others. There can be substantial inadvertent dropping of calls in progress caused by originating calls. Modeling user time dynamics is essential. LADCA contrasts very favorably with fixed channel allocation (FCA) in a comparative example. >


Micro-arc oxidation (MAO), also called plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), anodic spark deposition (ASD), or micro-arc discharge oxidizing (MDO), is an effective surface treatment technique which come from anodic oxidation technology. Via increasing the anodic voltage breaking through faraday area to a high stage accompanied by micro-arc discharge phenomenon, It indicated the ceramic coatings thickness increase along with the scanning times increase, while the thickness increment reduces. The phase composition, morphology and element distribution was studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and line scanning. The morphology of the ceramic coatings shows it divided into compact layer and loose layer. And it composes of α-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3.


Some uncertainty exists as to the most suitable treatment for tuberculosis of the shoulder in adults. This is due partly to the relative rarity of this condition and partly to the inadequate follow-up after treatment. In the case of children the problem seems simpler, because there is almost complete agreement that treatment should be conservative. In this paper treatment will be evaluated on the basis of the experience at the Lakeville State Sanatorium. Since tuberculosis is a systemic illness with local manifestations, the general treatment of the patient is of great importance. If possible, a period of sanatorium care should be instituted before operative procedures are undertaken. Fresh air, an adequate and balanced diet and regular rest periods are important in restoring the patient to his optimum physical condition. Immobilization of the affected shoulder in a plaster cast is orthodox therapy. For children a long period of conservative treatment is


Because deformations are important indicators of the degree of stability during construction of rock structures, monitoring of deformation is a key element of observational method in tunnels. Monitoring can also help determine the depth of the loosened zone, movements on discontinuities, in-situ modulus, and other items that may be dealt with in design. We have studied the applicability of digital photogrammetry for monitoring of surface displacements in civil engineering. Digital Photogrammetry is the technique obtaining three dimensional coordinates of an object by means of digital photography. This photogrammetry has the advantage of measuring deformation of an object by some photos with easy measurements and excellent cost performance. Because the linearized equation to analyze the coordinates of object points has some rank defects due to no control points in tunnel, we present constrained least square estimation to measure the displacements without the incorporation of control point configuration. The results of experiments demonstrated that this measurement system could yield high accurate three dimensional coordinates of target points situated on an object. It is also shown that this digital photogrammetry can monitor the displacements of the tunnel accurately along with a capability of real-time measurement because of removal of human skills in measurement tasks.


Facial expressions play a crucial role in human interaction. Interactive digital games can help teaching people to both express and recognise them. Such interactive games can benefit from the ability to alter user expressions dynamically and in real-time. In this demonstration, we present the Facial Affect Mapping Engine (FAME), a framework for mapping and manipulating facial expressions across images and video streams. Our system is fully automatic runs in real-time and does not require any specialist hardware. FAME presents new possibilities for the designers of intelligent interactive digital games.


Double primary brain tumors are very rare. A 77-year-old man admitted to our clinic due to headache and urinary incontinence. After radiological evaluation, double tumors in different lobes were observed. Stereotactic biopsy from the frontal lesion was managed, because of the patient's age and poor medical status. Histopathological diagnosis was glioblastoma. The other unresected parietal tumor was benign meningioma depending on MR images. Postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy were given. In this case report, a rare entity of coexistent double tumors is discussed with thorough literature review.


This thesis investigates the public spaces of the contemporary city of Athens within a democratic political framework, analysing the urban space as 'produced' (Lefebvre,1991) by material practices of representation and everyday practices of appropriation, rather than as a fixed physical entity. The timeframe of this research coincides with radical changes in the sites that are the subject of the key studies, as the urban riots of December 2008 shattered the solidified and unequal relationship between state and society, introducing new public actors and spaces, such as the commons, while the indignants movement in 2011 questioned the statutory definition of public sphere and the incumbent democratic model.

In order to respond to the challenges of this highly shifting research field, focused in the main statutory square of Syntagma, the notorious main square of Exarcheia and Navarinou Park, and in order to explore the emerging commons and the elusive, informal and heterogeneous civic practices, this project adopts a visual ethnographic perspective. The research material is edited in two separate short films that are intended at the same time as methodological tools, as justification and records of this research, and as creative filmic works and means of advocacy and as such are an intrinsic part of this project.

The core argument and key finding of this thesis is the conjoining of the terms commons and public, spatially, notionally and politically that signals their reciprocal influence and constitution and herein lies a dramatic departure from those urban and social theories in which public space in contemporary democratic society is regarded as inherently bound up with the notion of the state. When analysed in regards to the democratic political model, their convergence constitutes a shared field of practices that enriches the public sphere and can lead to a deepening of democratisation processes.


Skills needed by the therapist were recently summarized by Fleming and Hamburg 1 as follows: (1) recognition and understanding of verbal and nonverbal cues; (2) understanding of one's own responses to patient behavior; (3) recognition of distortion in the patient's communications; (4) estimation of resistance to insight; (5) selection of therapeutic interventions apropriate to the level of insight and resistance manifested by the patient; (6) awareness and understanding of the effects of therapeutic interventions. It might be desirable to add under number 5 that interventions may vary considerably with the goals of therapy and may not be related to insight or resistance, but may be directed at accomplishing a more limited therapeutic effect. The skills as summarized are readily divided into passive and active elements in therapy. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 should be a part of every psychotherapeutic endeavor.


Purpose This study investigated maxillary third molars and their relation to the maxillary sinus using panoramic radiography and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods A total of 395 maxillary third molars in 234 patients were examined using panoramic radiographs and CBCT images. We examined the eruption level of the maxillary third molars, the available retromolar space, the angulation, the relationship to the second molars, the number of roots, and the relationship between the roots and the sinus. Results Females had a higher frequency of maxillary third molars with occlusal planes apical to the cervical line of the second molar (Level C) than males. All third molars with insufficient retromolar space were Level C. The most common angulation was vertical, followed by buccoangular. Almost all of the Level C molars were in contact with the roots of the second molar. Erupted teeth most commonly had three roots, and completely impacted teeth most commonly had one root. The superimposition of one third of the root and the sinus floor was most commonly associated with the sinus floor being located on the buccal side of the root. Conclusion Eruption levels were differently distributed according to gender. A statistically significant association was found between the eruption level and the available retromolar space. When panoramic radiographs showed a superimposition of the roots and the sinus floor, expansion of the sinus to the buccal side of the root was generally observed in CBCT images.


Exposure of mouse colliculi neurons to selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)4 agonists was accompanied by a rapid desensitization of the receptor-stimulated adenylyl cyclase response. Half-maximal desensitization occurred after 2 min. Only exposure of neurons to selective 5-HT4 agonists led to a potent desensitization of the 5-HT4-mediated response. Neurons exposed to other agents, like isoproterenol, vasoactive intestinal peptide, or forskolin, that increase cAMP levels did not undergo any desensitization of 5-HT4 receptors. Activation of protein kinase A with either 8-bromo-cAMP or dibutyryl-cAMP or application of inhibitors of protein kinase A-dependent phosphorylation did not change the rate of 5-HT4-induced desensitization. No shift to lower potency of 5-HT4 agonists in the concentration-response curve was observed. These results suggest that 5-HT4 receptor agonists induced homologous but not cAMP-mediated heterologous desensitization. A good correlation was found between the affinities of nine 5-HT4 agonists and their abilities to desensitize the adenylyl cyclase response. This may indicate that homologous desensitization is a function of the mean occupancy time of the receptors by agonists. When permeabilized neurons were loaded with heparin, an inhibitor of the beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (beta ARK), 5-HT4 receptor desensitization was reduced by 30-40%. Interestingly, Zn2+, an other inhibitor of beta ARK, totally prevented 5-HT4-induced desensitization. Pretreatment of neurons with concanavalin A, reported to inhibit sequestration of beta-adrenergic receptors from the cell surface, reduced the desensitization process by 70%. These data suggest that both sequestration and phosphorylation by beta ARK, or another specific agonist-dependent receptor kinase, are involved in homologous desensitization of 5-HT4 receptors coupled to adenylyl cyclase.


Introduction Educational institutions are facing intense pressure to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness demonstrated in a measurable increase in student and faculty achievement. Institutions are also forced to adapt to the quickly changing environment (growing student population, greater community responsibility, cultural changes, lifelong learning, greater technology accessibility, new entrants and stronger existing competition). A factor of big influence is heterogeneity (students, their information and telecommunication equipment, their ethnologic background, knowledge). Disappearing borders and uniting Europe, the idea of perfect faculty and students' mobility, competition in the field of education, etc. are becoming important factors even in countries where this had not been the case before. To be competitive, institutions of higher learning must constantly venture into new and innovative methods and radically change the educational outlook. They are forced to adapt the knowledge and experience from the business world. They need to realize that it is not just core functions but also the supporting functions that need to be addressed. New approaches to teaching pose challenges and opportunities to both faculty and administrators. E-learning as seen today is mostly related to, or even based on, the use of high technology (high bandwidth, new powerful hardware and software). Another important issue is a lack of IT resources in educational institutions, both in the form of technical staff and technology. In the next section of this paper, we tackle the peculiarities of the educational environment in light of e-learning. In section 3, we present a model that illustrates the impact of web portals on the quality of institutions of higher education. Section 4 presents a case study of our institution in which the presented solution was carried out. In the last section we summarize our experiences and emphasize critical success factors for successful development, implementation, and use of the presented solution. Educational Environment and E-Learning E-learning is an upgrade to teaching and learning. In its broadest definition, e-learning includes instruction delivered via all electronic media including the internet, intranets, extranets, satellite broadcasts, audio/video tape, interactive TV, and CD-ROM (Govindasamy, 2002). If we redefine this definition, we would define e-learning as the use of the Internet and other related technologies to deliver, support, and enhance teaching, learning, and assessment. But there are several obstacles in the way of introducing e-learning in higher education institutions. We can divide them into technology-based and culturally-based. Technology vendors are focusing mainly on high technology solutions that offer interactive learning materials, usually in the form of multimedia and lectures delivered via video conferencing. The key difference between traditional class-based educational process and e-learning process lies in the medium carrying the educational process (Hamid, 2001). In a traditional environment, a teacher has full control over educational environment whereas in an e-learning environment from pedagogical viewpoint this is not the case due to smaller possibilities of adaptation. As already mentioned, there are several issues related to e-learning focusing on these topics. The first issue is technology-based. Although the penetration of broad bandwidth connections to the Internet is rising, it is still not high enough to allow us to base e-learning on it. In the USA, more than 67% of users are still connected to the Internet with connection speed up to 56Kbps (Web Site Optimization, 2003). In Slovenia only 21% of users are using broadband connections (Slovenian Ministry of Information Society, 2004). There are also other technology-based obstacles, such as the need for special software and/or hardware. Special software is usually needed for creating multimedia-learning materials. …


Exoplanets—planets orbiting around stars other than our own Sun—appear to be common. Significant research effort is now focused on the observation and characterization of exoplanet atmospheres. Species such as water vapour, methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide have been observed in a handful of hot, giant, gaseous planets, but cooler, smaller planets such as Gliese 1214b are now analysable with current telescopes. Water is the key chemical dictating habitability. The current observations of water in exoplanets from both space and the ground are reviewed. Controversies surrounding the interpretation of these observations are discussed. Detailed consideration of available radiative transfer models and linelists are used to analyse these differences in interpretation. Models suggest that there is a clear need for data on the pressure broadening of water transitions by H2 at high temperatures. The reported detections of water appear to be robust, although final confirmation will have to await the better quality observational data provided by currently planned dedicated space missions.


A new obligate intracellular bacterium which we called 'Z' was isolated as a cell culture contaminant of unknown origin. The organism grew in a variety of cultured cells with a 5-7-day developmental cycle, within cytoplasmic phagosomes, similarly to Chlamydia and some Rickettsia spp. Two alternating developmental forms (elementary bodies and reticulate bodies) were observed by electron microscopy. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, immunoblotting with chlamydia-specific antibodies, and polymerase chain reaction using chlamydial genus specific primers provided evidence that our bacterium differs significantly from chlamydiae. Further characterization of 'Z' including determination of 16S ribosomal RNA sequences will allow its taxonomic position to be established.


The China Central Government is determined to promote the use of solar PV in providing electricity to rural areas as well as supplementing power in cities; the installed PV capacity is predicted to be over 4.2GW by year 2015. To attend such a target, the annual expansion rate of PV installations in China and nearby regions has to be over 40%. At the same time, in May 2005, the Hong Kong local government also established its target in alternative energy, which is 1 to 2% by 2012. With such a rapidly expanding market, the capability in accurately predicting the real performance of a PV system to be installed; together with the proper monitoring and evaluation of its performance are thus of crucial importance to designing of these systems. The HKU & HK PolyU PV research teams are collocating together to introduce a methodology in prediction of PV system performance by considering intelligently the local environmental data into an efficiency model of the PV systems for accurate prediction of power output. Other parameters including orientation, tilt angle, shading factor, panel temperature, wiring configuration, and inverter efficiency are also fed into the prediction algorithm for a year-round energy yield.


Mind-body therapies are commonly recommended to treat vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (HFNS). The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence to date for the efficacy of different mind-body therapies to alleviate HFNS in healthy menopausal women and breast cancer survivors. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were identified using seven electronic search engines, direct searches of specific journals, and backwards searches through reference lists of related publications. Outcome measures included HFNS frequency and/or severity or self-reported problem rating at post-treatment. The methodological quality of all studies was systematically assessed using predefined criteria. 26 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Interventions included yoga (n=5), hypnosis (n=3), mindfulness (n=2), relaxation (n=7), paced breathing (n=4), reflexology (n=1) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (n=4). Findings were consistent for the effectiveness of CBT and relaxation therapies for alleviating troublesome vasomotor symptoms. For the remaining interventions, although some trials indicated beneficial effects (within groups) at post-treatment and/or follow up, between group findings were mixed and overall, methodological differences across studies failed to provide convincing supporting evidence. Collectively, findings suggest that interventions that include breathing and relaxation techniques, as well as CBT, can be beneficial for alleviating vasomotor symptoms. Additional large, methodologically rigorous trials are needed to establish the efficacy of interventions on vasomotor symptoms, examine long-term outcomes and understand how they work.


Phaco-emusification is the most preferred technic at cataract surgery. Rate of dislocated intraocular lens (IOL) into the vitreous has been increased in this surgery. We reported here the results of a case who has dislocated IOL into the vitreous at the time of phaco-emulsification surgery and posterior chamber IOL located to sulcus at a secondary surgical procedure. If the patients have dislocated IOL into the vitreous and they have not any complication and visual acuity loss; IOL can be remain at the place of dropped. However, increasing risk of cystoid macular edema and retinal detachment should be remember, and these cases should be follow closely.


An important subgroup of children with special healthcare needs are those children with medical complexities who require long-term intensive healthcare interventions and treatments. As medical technology continues to advance and children with complex medical needs survive the neonatal period and progress into school-age, it is essential for school nurses to be able to recognize and acutely manage complications and malfunctions of devices in children requiring assistance from medical devices. An example of a common medical device includes shunts systems (e.g., a ventriculoperitoneal shunt) to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. These devices put children at serious medical or surgical risk when they malfunction or become infected, so it is important for healthcare providers, especially school nurses who are the first responders in schools, to recognize malfunctions and initiate appropriate care management. This article describes the initial assessment and management of common medical emergencies in students who have those devices.


This paper details the sixth Emotion Recognition in the Wild (EmotiW) challenge. EmotiW 2018 is a grand challenge in the ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction 2018, Colarado, USA. The challenge aims at providing a common platform to researchers working in the affective computing community to benchmark their algorithms on 'in the wild' data. This year EmotiW contains three sub-challenges: a) Audio-video based emotion recognition; b) Student engagement prediction; and c) Group-level emotion recognition. The databases, protocols and baselines are discussed in detail.


Western wheatgrass [Pascopryum smithii (Rydb.) Love (= Agropyon smithii Rydb)] is an allogamous North American range grass cultivated for seed production, hay, low-maintenance turf, and soil stabilization. The USDA maintains western wheatgrass cultivars, synthetic multiple-origin germplasnts, and source-identified single-origin accessions in the National Plant Germplasm System. The objective of this study was to test similarity of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) genotypes among individual plants classified by accession and geographic provenance, and compare rates of DNA variation between single-origin and multiple-origin germplasm. Individual plants from 36 of 39 source-identified single-origin germplasm sources group strictly by accession, on the basis of the average proportion of shared DNA fragments between individual genotypes. Conversely, individual plant genotypes from three of the four synthetic multiple-origin accessions did not cluster by accession and displayed higher rates of DNA variation than did single-origin accessions. Although different accessions of the same cultivar generally group together, off-types were detected in six of the nine cultivar accessions. Pairwise comparisons of interpopulation genetic distances (o st ) among 39 single-origin accessions were correlated with geographical distances among the original collecting sites (r = 0.66). Genotypes representing these accessions form three natural groups on the basis of o st that correspond to three geographic regions of the USA: northern Great Plains, northern Rocky Mountains, and southern Rocky Mountains. Therefore, georaphically significant sources of DNA variation were detected and maintained within and among these ex situ germplasm sources. These results document genetic identity and diversity in the USDA western wheatgrass germplasm collection and support the premise that geographic provenance contributes to germplasm integrity.


One hundred and nineteen isolates of Pseudomonas cepacia, 98 of which were from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and 21 from environmental and other human sources, were examined for biochemical and exo-enzymatic properties that may contribute to the pathogenicity of this bacterium. The following characteristics were demonstrated significantly more frequently in isolates from CF patients than in control isolates: production of catalase, ornithine decarboxylase, valine aminopeptidase, C14 lipase, alginase and trypsin; reduction of nitrate to nitrite; hydrolysis of urea and xanthine; complete haemolysis on bovine red blood cells; cold-sensitive haemolysis on human red blood cells; greening of horse and rabbit red blood cells. The role of these factors in the pulmonary disease associated with cystic fibrosis is not clear. However, several factors which have been reported previously as being associated with pathogenic processes with other bacteria have now been described in P. cepacia. Additional factors not previously reported as "pathogenicity factors" are also described.


Background Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe systemic inflammatory condition caused by dysregulation in Natural Killer T cell function. This results in excessive activation and proliferation of lymphocytes and histiocytes which results in a "cytokine storm" and uncontrolled haemophagocytosis. HLH should be considered in cases of unexplained unremitting fevers, sudden onset of cytopaenias, liver dysfunction and clotting abnormalities. It can be associated with rashes, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and central nervous system symptoms (headache, lethargy, irritability, seizures, coma). Due to the non specific nature of presentation, HLH can often be overlooked, even when patients are extremely unwell. Traditionally, HLH is divided into primary HLH (genetic cause identified), and secondary HLH, which is associated with a variety of conditions (neoplasic, infectious and autoimmune). In autoimmune disease HLH is usually referred to as macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). HLH can be difficult to diagnose and early recognition and prompt treatment is essential to prevent the significant mortality associated with this disorder. Aims To raise awareness of HLH, to outline the complexity of this disorder and the challenges that exist in diagnosis. Methods We present three cases of HLH seen at a tertiary paediatric hospital with a tertiary paediatric rheumatology unit between January and October 2013. In two cases there was MAS associated with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In one case the diagnosis is likely to be a primary HLH. We outline the presentation and course of the illness and the results of investigations. Results (Image 1) one and two were successfully treated with methylprednisolone and Anakinra (Interleukin – 1 blocker). Patient three initially responded to methylprednisolone however, subsequently eventually required treatment with dexamethosone and cyclosporine HLH protocol. Conclusion HLH or MAS, regardless of terminology preferred, needs prompt recognition and treatment to prevent fatality. We present this series of cases to highlight the complexities and challenges of diagnosis of this condition. It is essential to raise awareness of this condition amongst paediatricians and furthermore to stimulate the development of guidelines that encompass the diagnosis and management of primary and secondary HLH.


We previously developed a method for determining MYCN gene amplification status using cell-free DNA fragments released from cancer cells into the blood of patients with neuroblastoma (NB). Here, we analyzed the relationship between MYCN amplification (MNA) status and neuroblastoma prognosis. We screened serum samples from 151 patients with NB for MNA, using real-time quantitative PCR, and compared the results with MYCN status determined using paired tumor samples. We additionally investigated whether MNA status correlates with patient survival. When a cut-off value of 5 was used, serum-based MNA analysis was found to show good sensitivity (86%) and very high specificity (95%). The sensitivities for stage 1 and 2 might be acceptable, even though it is not as good as for stage 3 and 4 (67% for stage 1 and 2, 92% for stage 3, and 87% for stage 4). MNA status correlated with overall survival in our cohort of 82 patients, with survival data available (p < 0.01). The hazard ratio of MNA status was 4.98 in patients diagnosed at less than 18 months of age (95% confidence interval, 1.00–24.78), and 1.41 (95% confidence interval, 0.63–3.14) for those diagnosed at 18 months of age or older. Serum-based MNA analysis is rapid and non-invasive compared with tumor-based MNA analysis, and has potential to predict tumor MNA status. There is still a room to improve the sensitivity of the test for tumors of stages 1 and 2, nonetheless this assay might help to determine therapeutic strategies prior to tumor biopsy, especially for patients with a life-threatening condition, as well as for patients of less than 18 months of age whose risk-grouping and treatment allocation depends on their MNA status.


The aim of the present study was to test the possible effects of a novel sturgeon-derived compound  (LD-1227) on inflammatory markers related to metabolic nuclear receptors in patients with metabolic syndrome. The study population consisted of 76 patients with metabolic syndrome and 30 healthy subjects who were maintained to their current treatments and randomly supplemented: A) LD-1227 (n=38) or B) placebo (n=38) as compared to C) healthy controls (n=30). LD-1227 or placebo (water-soluble starch) were given daily at breakfast and dinner for three months. Levels of hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, leptin and adiponectin/ resistin index were assayed at the entry, 1 month and 3 months afterwards. At the end of the study period, as compared to B group, LD-1227-treated patients showed a significant improvement of all parameters tested, irrespective of the presence of diabetes. In particular, levels of adiponectin and adiponectin/ resistin index significantly increased following LD-1227 administration. Although the metabolic syndrome remains a multifaceted condition requiring a complex approach, LD-1227 could be a potential safe therapeutic tool to be integrated into a wider treatment and preventive medicine schedule strategy.


Do our genes make us human? More than a billion dollars are being spent on the Human Genome Project to map the genes on human DNA. Along with the hope of controlling many terrible diseases, the project offers the threat of changing the behavior and the qualities that define us as human. The essays in this volume argue that, to predict the social, political, and ethical consequences of the new genetics, we dare not take even the science for granted. Coming from fields as diverse as biology, law, sociology, history of science, gender studies, political science, philosophy, and rhetoric, the contributors take a hard look at the presuppositions, concepts, language, and self-descriptions of genetics itself. How has the focus on genes affected medical research and our conceptions of humanity? How have scientists closed off areas of the Human Genome Project from serious ethical discussion? How do such metaphors as code of life and master gene subtly influence our thinking? How can genes "cause" disease? How might well-intentioned genetic technologies harm society at large? And how did we go ahead with the new genetics without asking these questions first? These clear-headed essays go beyond stock criticisms of the new genetics, a comprehensive bibliography covers the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Human Genome Project. This is essential reading for everyone concerned about the Human Genome Project, biotechnology, science, medicine, bioethics, and society.


Three laparoscopic sterilization techniques under xylazine-ketamine anesthesia were evaluated at a 10 mmHg pressure gradient of CO2 in 60 mongrel bitches, equally divided into 3 groups (A, B, and C). Laparoscopic bilateral oopherectomy was done in group A, laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy by endoclip and electrocautery in group B, and sterilization by electrocautery in group C. All of the animals recovered from anesthesia smoothly after the completion of laparoscopic surgery. Intraoperative observations revealed good visualization of the reproductive organs at 10 mmHg of pressure in the Trendelenburg position. Comparison among the various laparoscopic techniques revealed a more effective hemostasis with titanium endoclip and electrocautery in the animals of groups A and B. No immediate postlaparoscopic complications were observed in any animal. Hemato-biochemical and physiological parameters did not reveal any significant changes in these animals during the postoperative period. In all of the groups, effective removal of ovaries was correlated with a postoperative decrease of plasma estrogen and progesterone level. Laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy by endoclip and electrocautery was found to be better than the other 2 techniques.


The commentaries to our focal article were both interesting and stimulating. As we generally agreed with the major points raised in the commentaries, we use this response to frame an on-going tension point or challenge regarding team definitions, highlight a few unifying themes that weave through our initial article and the commentaries, and discuss the transition from research to informed practice. The past few decades have been exciting times for team researchers and practitioners, and the time is ripe for new energies and approaches.


The development of the welfare state in the Western economies between 1930 and 1990 coincided with a puzzling pattern in the taxation of top incomes. Effective tax rates at the top increased sharply but then gradually decreased, even as social transfers continued rising. We propose a new theory of the development of the welfare state to explain these facts. Our main insight is that social insurance and top income taxation are substitutes for averting social confl?ict. We emphasize the role of the Great Depression as a source of aggregate risk, and argue that the rise of the welfare state can be understood as a process of exploiting efficiency gains in response to gradual technological improvements in the provision of social insurance. Our detailed arguments build on the policy histories of the United States, Great Britain, and Sweden.


Purpose:  To report the preferences and trends in managing Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in Pakistan.
Study Design:  Cross sectional survey.
Place and Duration of Study:  Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, from December 2018 to January 2019.
Method:  A survey was conducted in which the vitreo-retinal (VR) surgeons were asked to respond to 10 questions. The questions were meant to assess their practice and management strategies in treating RRD. Duration of survey was 1 month.
Results:  Sixty-two VR surgeons of Pakistan responded to this survey. Most of the VR surgeons belonged to Punjab (56%) followed by Sindh (25%). Regarding their primary practice setting 50% of VR surgeons worked both in government and private practice, 30% practiced in academic/university hospital and 20% of them had only private practice. Seventy percent of VR surgeons in Pakistan preferred local anaesthesia. In non-posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) RRD, majority (69%) performed segmental buckling (SB) with or without encirclement. In pseudophakic superior macula on RRD with a single retinal tear 50% preferred pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) followed by SB in 25% and pneumatic retinopexy in 18%. In inferior macula off RRD with a retinal tear at 7 0'clock position, 56% of the VR surgeon performed PPV alone or combined with SB.
Conclusion:  There is an increased trend towards PPV as a primary procedure for RRD in Pakistani VR surgeons. Local anaesthesia is the preferred anesthesia.
Key Words:  Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, Retinal break, Pars Plana Vitrectomy, Pneumatic Retinopexy.


This paper contributes to extending the validity of Lyapunov function PDEs (in-vented by Fang and Gao in [SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 18(2019), pp. 1163-1199]and whose solution is conjectured to be able to behave as a Lyapunov function) in stability analysisto more mass-action chemical reaction networks. By defining a new class of networks, called complexbalanced produced networks, we have proved that the Lyapunov function PDEs method is validin capturing the asymptotic stability of this class of networks, and also to their compound withany 1-dimensional independent network according to species and with any two-species autocatalyticnon-independent network if some moderate conditions are included. A notable point is that thesethree classes of networks are non-weakly reversible, any dimensional and of any deficiency. We applyour results to some practical biochemical reaction networks including birth-death processes, motifsrelated networks etc., to illustrate validity.


Reconfiguration has been used for both defect- and fault-tolerant nanoscale architectures with regular structure. Recent advances in self-assembled nanowires have opened doors to a new class of electronic devices with irregular structure. For such devices, reservoir computing has been shown to be a viable approach to implement computation. This approach exploits the dynamical properties of a system rather than specifics of its structure. Here, we extend a model of reservoir computing, called the echo state network, to reflect more realistic aspects of self-assembled nanowire networks. As a proof of concept, we use echo state networks to implement basic building blocks of digital computing: AND, OR, and XOR gates, and 2-bit adder and multiplier circuits. We show that the system can operate perfectly in the presence of variations five orders of magnitude higher than ITRS's 2005 target, 6%, and achieves success rates 6 times higher than related approaches at half the cost. We also describe an adaptive algorithm that can detect faults in the system and reconfigure it to resume perfect operational condition.


A CASE OF benign duodenocolic fistula is presented chiefly because of its rarity, it being the eighth recorded case in the literature covering the period since 1885. It is interesting that seven of the eight patients reported on have survived operation and recovered. The first case, reported by Rees1in 1933, was that of a duodenocolic fistula associated with an incompetent sphincter of Oddi. It was thought that the fistula developed as a result of perforation from a typhoid ulcer 28 years previously. Recovery was complete after operation. McPeak2reported two cases in 1940. The first patient survived for six years after closure of the fistula. Though no tissue was removed for microscopic examination, the lesion was likely benign. The second patient died on the twelfth postoperative day from peritonitis. Autopsy confirmed the clinical impression of a benign fistula. It was thought that both patients had had a


Objectives: A reservoir pressure model describing left ventricular-large artery interaction has been proposed as a useful heuristic model providing insight into the propagation of the central blood pressure as well as providing clinical prognostic information. A pressure-only approach to calculation of reservoir pressure waves has been proposed but this assumes that the resultant excess pressure is proportional to the volume flow rate out of the left ventricle; this has not been tested in humans. Approach: We use non-invasively acquired central pressure and flow data obtained in the 2nd Australian National Blood Pressure Study to test this assumption and to investigate the use of flow approximations based on excess pressure or an assumed triangular flow pattern in calculation of forward and backwards waves in the aortic root. Main results: Results from 821 subjects showed close association between the shape of measured flow patterns and calculated excess pressure, with mean coefficient of determination R2  =  0.931  ±  0.046(SD). For directly measured versus triangular flow approximation R2 was 0.918  ±  0.057. Comparison of the peak amplitudes of forwards (Pf) and backwards (Pb) going pressure waves resulted in significant correlation between Pfmax and Pbmax using both measured flow and the triangular flow approximation (0.83 and 0.79 respectively) and using excess pressure as a flow approximation (Pfmax 0.86 and Pbmax 0.77). All associations for peak pressures and integrals were high with R-values between 0.70 and 0.95. Significance: Pressure-only reservoir wave analysis appears to conform to the inherent assumptions underpinning the mathematical approach employed: this provides support for use of reservoir analysis as a non-invasive method to describe potentially important features and functions of ventriculo-vascular interaction without the requirement for flow measurement.


Synergistic bacterial gangrene is a distressing and destructive mixed infection where early recognition is essential. It is suggested that synergistic bacterial gangrene with its allied states may be manifestations of the same process with a wide spectrum. Prompt and appropriate bactericidal therapy may arrest spread before tissue destruction makes radical and immediate surgical intervention, with its attendant high mortality, inevitable.


This paper deals with the technical and/or practical treatment of terroir as a study concept, together with related functional aspects. Functioning of the terroir relies on the relation between climate, soil and vine. In addition to this interaction, a comprehensive study concept for terroir requires the consideration of viticultural and enological sciences and techniques necessary to ensure the assurance of wine quality, together with spatial aspects of the grapevine response to environmental factors, as required for vineyard management. In order to comprehend the quality of the harvest, it is necessary to understand the relationship « whole plant - berry ». An easy field and laboratory method to study the relationship between the whole plant and berry and the consequences thereof for wine quality is proposed. Knowledge of grapevine water status and the biochemical evolution within the grape berry from berry set onwards are important issues for the understanding of the role that terroir plays with respect to the quality of the harvest and the wine style or « typicality ».


Using open source Web editing software (e.g., wiki), online community users can now easily edit, review and publish articles collaboratively. While much useful knowledge can be derived from these articles, content users and critics are often concerned about their qualities. In this paper, we develop two models, namely basic model and peer review model, for measuring the qualities of these articles and the authorities of their contributors. We represent collaboratively edited articles and their contributors in a bipartite graph. While the basic model measures an article's quality using both the authorities of contributors and the amount of contribution from each contributor, the peer review model extends the former by considering the review aspect of article content. We present results of experiments conducted on some Wikipedia pages and their contributors. Our result show that the two models can effectively determine the articles' qualities and contributors' authorities using the collaborative nature of online communities


With recent advances in mesostructured materials and nanotechnologies, new methods are emerging to design optical sensors and biosensors, and to develop highly sensitive solid sensors. Here, highly sensitive, low cost, simple nanosensor designs for naked-eye detection of toxic metal ions are successfully developed by the immobilization of commercially available a,b,c,d-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphine p-toluenesulfonate (TMPyP) and diphenylcarbazide (DPC), and chemically synthesized 4-n-dodecyl-6-(2-thiazolylazo) resorcinol (DTAR) and 4-n-dodecyl-6-(2-pyridylazo) phenol (DPAP) chromophore molecules into spherical nanosized cavities and surfaces. A rational strategy was crucial to develop optical nanosensors that can be used to control accurate recognition and signaling abilities of analyte species for ion-sensing purposes. This is the first reported evidence of the significant key factors of the development of receptors as 'indicator dyes' and surface-confinement materials as 'carriers' to broadening the applicability of optical chemical sensors for selective discrimination of trace levels of toxic analytes. In all the nanosensor design techniques presented here, a dense pattern of immobilized hydrophobic 'neutral' and hydrophilic 'charged' chromophores with intrinsic mobility, as a result of extremely robust constructed sequences on nanoscale structures, is a key to enhancing the sensing functionality of optical nanosensors. These nanosensor designs can be used as cage probe sinks with reliable control, for the first time, over the colorimetric recognition of cadmium ions to low levels of concentration in the range of 10 –9 to 10 –10 M. Optimization of control sensing conditions is established to achieve enhanced signal response and color intensities. These chemical nanosensors are reversible and have the potential to serve effectively in on-site field analysis of environmental samples, which eliminates the necessity for instrument-dependent analysis. Moreover, these new classes of optical cage sensors exhibit long-term stability of signaling and recognition functionalities that in general provide extraordinary sensitivity, selectivity, reusability, and fast kinetic detection and quantification of various deleterious metal ions in our environment.


We perform a double-line-of-sight (DLOS) analysis of the Lyα forest structures that form and evolve in cosmological N-body/hydrodynamic simulations. Pairs of simulated spectra, extracted from lines of sight separated by distances from D = 12.5 kpc up to D = 800 kpc, and a "control sample" of unrelated lines of sight, are analyzed at redshifts z = 3, 2, and 1. Coincident line samples are defined for H I column density thresholds Nco = 1012.5, 1013, and 1014 cm-2. We find the following: (1) Under the assumption of a single structure size, a Bayesian analysis yields sizes that are larger for smaller Nco, and at fixed Nco the size decreases with decreasing redshift. However, these derived sizes are found to increase with increasing D, indicating that the assumption of a single structure size is invalid. (2) The column densities of coincident pairs are highly correlated for small D, with increasing scatter as D is increased, consistent with structures that have a centrally peaked NH that decreases gradually with radius. (3) The velocity difference distribution for coincident lines is very narrow for small D and widens as D is increased to meet the expectation for chance coincidences in unrelated lines of sight. This behavior is indicative of organized motion within the structures. (4) For small D, the distribution of anticoincident line column densities, Nac, falls steeply as Nac increases from the cutoff value but has a significant tail at large values, which is inconsistent with a population of spherical absorbers with sharp edges and consistent with a flattened geometry. The conclusions reached on the basis of the DLOS analysis are validated by an examination of the three-dimensional structures and velocity flows in the simulation data.


Over a 2-year period, we have participated in the introduction of e-learning in a Norwegian service company, a gas station division of an oil company. This company has an advanced computer network infrastructure for communication and information sharing, but the primary task of the employees is serving customers. We identify some challenges to introducing e-learning in this kind of environment. A primary emphasis has been on using participatory design techniques during the planning stages and evolutionary prototyping during the implementation stages. We describe a conceptual framework for analysis that takes into account technological, pedagogical and organizational factors. The data we present include interview excerpts and video recorded images and it documents the planning, implementation, and preliminary use of a moderately successful e-learning pilot system. The paper provides new insight into the successful co-existence of old and new technologies and multiple information seeking strategies.