Bone metastasis is a common and devastating consequence of several major cancer types, including breast and prostate. Osteocytes are the predominant bone cell, and through connexin (Cx) 43 hemichannels release ATP to the bone microenvironment that can be hydrolyzed to adenosine. Here, we investigated how genes related to ATP paracrine signaling are involved in two common bone-metastasizing malignancies, estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast and prostate cancers. Compared to other sites, bone metastases of both cancer types expressed higher levels of ENTPD1 and NT5E, which encode CD39 and CD73, respectively, and hydrolyze ATP to adenosine. ADORA3, encoding the adenosine A3 receptor, had a similar expression pattern. In primary ER+ breast cancer, high levels of the triplet ENTPD1/NT5E/ADORA3 expression signature was correlated with lower overall, distant metastasis-free, and progression-free survival. In ER+ bone metastasis biopsies, this expression signature is associated with lower survival. This expression signature was also higher in bone-metastasizing primary prostate cancers than in those that caused other tumor events or did not lead to progressive disease. In 3D culture, a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog inhibited the growth of breast and prostate cancer cell lines more than ATP did. A3 inhibition also reduced spheroid growth. Large-scale screens by the Drug Repurposing Hub found ER+ breast cancer cell lines were uniquely sensitive to adenosine receptor antagonists. Together, these data suggest a vital role for extracellular ATP degradation and adenosine receptor signaling in cancer bone metastasis, and this study provides potential diagnostic means for bone metastasis and specific targets for treatment and prevention.


High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) achieves high efficiency by introducing a new coding structure in adoption of coding unit (CU), prediction unit (PU) and transform unit (TU). However, it also imposes great computation burden on the mode decision of encoders. In this paper, we propose a fast CU depth decision scheme to reduce the encoder complexity for HEVC. Firstly, the relationship between rate-distortion (R-D) cost and CU depth is explored carefully with Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Number of Encoded Bits (NEB) metrics. Then CU splitting is modeled as a binary classification problem and resolved by an offline trained Support Vector Machine (SVM) model. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves up to 59% running-time reduction with negligible loss in terms of PSNR and bit rate.


Face detection and recognition are the nonintrusive biometrics of choice in many security applications. Examples of their use include border control, drivers license issuance, law enforcement investigations, and physical access control. Face Detection and Recognition: Theory and Practice elaborates on and explains the theory and practice of face detection and recognition systems currently in vogue. The book begins with an introduction to the state of the art, offering a general review of the available methods and an indication of future research using cognitive neurophysiology. The text then: Explores subspace methods for dimensionality reduction in face image processing, statistical methods applied to face detection, and intelligent face detection methods dominated by the use of artificial neural networks Covers face detection with colour and infrared face images, face detection in real time, face detection and recognition using set estimation theory, face recognition using evolutionary algorithms, and face recognition in frequency domain Discusses methods for the localization of face landmarks helpful in face recognition, methods of generating synthetic face images using set estimation theory, and databases of face images available for testing and training systems Features pictorial descriptions of every algorithm as well as downloadable source code (in MATLAB/PYTHON) and hardware implementation strategies with code examples Demonstrates how frequency domain correlation techniques can be used supplying exhaustive test results Face Detection and Recognition: Theory and Practice provides students, researchers, and practitioners with a single source for cutting-edge information on the major approaches, algorithms, and technologies used in automated face detection and recognition.


Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was surface modified by plasma polymerization of acetobromo-a-D-glucose (ABG) at different radio frequency (RF) powers. Plasma polymerization was carried out by vaporizing ABG in the powder form by heating at 1358C. Surface modification resulted in improved hydrophilicity and smoothness of the surface especially at low RF powers (30–50 W), but at high RF powers, the surface was found to be etched and the hydrophilicity decreased as evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements. The plasma polymerized ABG film was found to be extensively cross-linked as evidenced by its insolubility in water. *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Figure 6 appears in color online: http://jba.sagepub.com JOURNAL OF BIOMATERIALS APPLICATIONS Volume 24 — February 2010 527 0885-3282/10/06 0527–18 $10.00/0 DOI: 10.1177/0885328208101340 The Author(s), 2010. Reprints and permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav at BROWN UNIVERSITY on December 12, 2012 jba.sagepub.com Downloaded from Infra red (IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize the plasma polymerized ABG films. IR studies revealed that at lower RF powers, polymerization was taking place mainly by breaking up of acetoxy group while retaining the ring structures to a major extent during the polymerization process whereas at high RF powers, the rupture of ring structures was indicated. XPS indicated a reduction in the percentage of oxygen in the polymers going from low to high RF powers suggestive of complete destruction of the acetoxy group at high RF powers. Cross-cut tests showed excellent adhesive properties of the plasma polymerized ABG films onto PET. Static platelet adhesion tests using platelet rich human plasma showed significantly reduced adhesion of platelets onto modified PET surface as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy. Polymerization of glucose and its derivatives using RF plasma has not been reported so far and the preliminary results reported in this study shows that this could be an interesting approach in the surface modification of biomaterials.


Overcoming the diffraction limit to achieve high optical resolution is one of the main challenges in the fields of plasmonics, nanooptics and nanophotonics. In this work, we introduce novel plasmonic structures consisting of nanoantennas (nanoprisms, single bowtie nanoantennas and double bowtie nanoantennas) integrated in the center of ring diffraction gratings. Propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are generated by the ring grating and coupled with localized surface plasmons (LSPs) at the nanoantennas exciting emitters placed in their gap. SPPs are widely used for optical waveguiding but provide low resolution due to their weak spatial confinement. In contrast, LSPs provide excellent sub-wavelength confinement but induce large losses. The phenomenon of SPP–LSP coupling witnessed in our structures allows for achieving more precise focusing at the nanoscale, causing an increase in the fluorescence emission of the emitters. Finite-difference time-domain simulations as well as experimental fabrication and optical characterization results are presented to study plasmon–emitter coupling between an ensemble of dye molecules and our integrated plasmonic structures. A comparison is given to highlight the importance of each structure on the photoluminescence and radiative decay enhancement of the molecules.


Practical online learning tasks are often naturally defined on unconstrained domains, where optimal algorithms for general convex losses are characterized by the notion of comparator adaptivity. In this paper, we design such algorithms in the presence of switching cost - the latter penalizes the typical optimism in adaptive algorithms, leading to a delicate design trade-off. Based on a novel dual space scaling strategy discovered by a continuous-time analysis, we propose a simple algorithm that improves the existing comparator adaptive regret bound [ZCP22a] to the optimal rate. The obtained benefits are further extended to the expert setting, and the practicality of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through a sequential investment task.


Steroid Receptor Signaling Plant brassinosteroids signal to diverse pathways in plant physiology. These steroid hormones are perceived at the cell surface, where they bind to the receptor BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1). Santiago et al. (p. 889, published online 8 August) now show that somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase 1 (SERK1) complexes with BRI1. Together, these receptor kinases form the steroid binding site, with the hormone acting as a "molecular glue" that stabilizes the interaction. Hormone-induced heteromerization of BRI1 with SERK1 leads to the activation of the cytoplasmic signaling cascade, triggering plant growth and differentiation. Crystal structures reveal why the brassinosteroid receptor kinase requires another kinase helper protein for activation. Brassinosteroids, which control plant growth and development, are sensed by the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain of the membrane receptor kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1), but it is unknown how steroid binding at the cell surface activates the cytoplasmic kinase domain of the receptor. A family of somatic embryogenesis receptor kinases (SERKs) has been genetically implicated in mediating early brassinosteroid signaling events. We found a direct and steroid-dependent interaction between the BRI1 and SERK1 LRR domains by analysis of their complex crystal structure at 3.3 angstrom resolution. We show that the SERK1 LRR domain is involved in steroid sensing and, through receptor–co-receptor heteromerization, in the activation of the BRI1 signaling pathway. Our work reveals how known missense mutations in BRI1 and in SERKs modulate brassinosteroid signaling and the targeting mechanism of BRI1 receptor antagonists.


Abstract In times of digital pervasion of everyday life, the EU has strengthened a normative idea of European fundamental rights, especially by referring to a strong notion of privacy protection. A normative corridor is evolving with the "right to privacy" at its heart, a right that will be instrumental in shaping the European legal architecture's future structure. In this Article we argue that the constitutional protection of privacy rights is not only of individual relevance but also of major democratic significance: it protects the integrity of the communication structures that underpin democratic self-determination. The debate on privacy protection, however, often lacks a democratic understanding of privacy and misses its public value. Following an interactionist understanding of privacy and a discourse-theoretical model of democracy, our argument puts forward a conceptual link between privacy and the idea of communicative freedom. From this perspective, the substantiation of a European fundamental right to privacy can be seen as a possible contribution to promoting European democracy in general.


We present a working system for real-time tracking of multiple laboratory animals. As it is usually possible to ensure good contrast between the animals and the background, the tracking of a single animal or several physically separated animals can be obtained by relatively simple algorithms. The main problem arises when we try to track several almost identical, uniformly coloured animals during their contacts. To deal with this problem, we utilize dynamic information extracted by estimating sparse optical flow along the object contours. Optical flow vectors are used for updating the positions of the tracked contours in a sequence of image frames. The local properties of optical flow enable the system to track the objects during their contact, although some parts of the object contours become hidden. The missing dynamic information is reconstructed by using a model of constant optical flow along an object contour. The reconstructed contours are then adjusted to real object boundaries in the current frame by using an active contour model. The robustness of the tracking algorithm is improved by adding a supervision module, which detects tracking failures and reinitialises the contours that lose their targets. The system has been tested on real sequences with laboratory animals during pharmacological experiments and has been shown to be robust and efficient. Future extensions will include expert knowledge of biomedical and pharmacological experts. The major goal is to build a system that will provide an objective and standardised tool for evaluation of animal behaviour during experiments.


Service composition provides a means of customized and flexible integration of service functionalities. Quality-of-service (QoS) optimization algorithms select services to adapt workflows to the non-functional requirements of the user. With increasing number of services in a workflow, previous approaches fail to achieve a sufficient reliability. Moreover, expensive ad-hoc replanning is required to deal with service failures. The major problem with such sequential application of planning and replanning is that it ignores the potential costs during the initial planning and they consequently are hidden from the decision maker. Our idea to overcome this problem is to compute a QoS optimized selection of service clusters that includes a sufficient number of backup services for each service employed. These backup services should be sufficiently distributed to prevent a task failure in case of, e.g., a network failure. To support the decision maker in the selection task, our multi-objective approach considers the possible repair costs directly in the initial composition. Our graphical user interface visualizes the resulting QoS of the workflow and the location of the services to enable the decision maker to select compositions in line with risk preferences. We prove the benefits of our approach in our detailed evaluation.


This dissertation consists of three chapters on topics in labor economics. In the first chapter, I present a model in which firms under-invest in hiring novice workers because they don't receive the full benefit of discovering novice talent. A firm must pay a cost to hire a novice worker. When it does, it obtains both labor services and information about the worker's productivity. This information has option value as a productive novice can be rehired. However, if competing firms also observe the novice's productivity, the option value of hiring accrues to the worker, not the employer. Firms will accordingly under-invest in discovering novice talent unless they can claim the benefit from doing so. I test this model's relevance in an online labor market by hiring 952 workers at random from an applicant pool of 3,767 for a 10-hour data entry job. In this market, worker performance is publicly observable. Consistent with the model's prediction, novice workers hired at random obtained significantly more employment and had higher earnings than the control group, following the initial hiring spell. A second treatment confirms that this causal effect is likely explained by information revelation rather than skills acquisition. Providing the market with more detailed information about the performance of a subset of the randomly-hired workers raised earnings of high-productivity workers and decreased earnings of low-productivity workers. Due to its scale, the experiment significantly increased the supply of workers recognized as high-ability in the market. This outward supply shift raised subsequent total employment and decreased average wages in occupations affected by the experiment (relative to non-treated occupations), implying that it also increased the sum of worker and employer surplus. Under plausible assumptions, this additional total surplus exceeds the social cost of the experiment. In the second chapter, I estimate the sensitivity of students' college application decisions to a small change in the cost of sending standardized test scores to colleges. In 1997, the ACT increased the number of free score reports it provided to students from three to four, maintaining a $6 marginal cost for each additional report. In response to this $6 cost change, ACT-takers sent more score reports and applications, while SAT-takers did not. ACT-takers also widened the range of colleges to which they sent scores. I show that students' response to the cost change is inconsistent with optimal decision-making but instead suggests that students use rules of thumb to make college application decisions. Sending additional score reports could, based on my estimates, substantially increase low-income students' future earnings. In the third chapter, I analyze the effects of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarships, a broad-based merit scholarship program that rewards students for their high school achievement with college financial aid. Since 1991, over a dozen states, comprising approximately a quarter of the nation's high school seniors, have implemented similar merit scholarship programs. Using individual-level data from the ACT exams, I find that the program did not achieve one of its stated goals, inducing more students to prefer to stay in Tennessee for college, but it did induce large increases in performance on the ACT. This suggests that policies that reward students for performance affect behavior and may be an effective way to improve high school achievement. Thesis Supervisor: David Autor Title: Professor of Economics Thesis Supervisor: Esther Duflo Title: Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics


This paper examines the accelerated failure time competing risks model with missing cause of failure using the monotone class rank-based estimating equations approach. We handle the non-smoothness of the rank-based estimating equations using a kernel smoothed estimation method, and estimate the unknown selection probability and the conditional expectation by non-parametric techniques. Under this setup, we propose three methods for estimating the unknown regression parameters based on 1) inverse probability weighting, 2) estimating equations imputation and 3) augmented inverse probability weighting. We also obtain the associated asymptotic theories of the proposed estimators and investigate the estimators' small sample behaviour in a simulation study. A direct plug-in method is suggested for estimating the asymptotic variances of the proposed estimators. A real data application based on a HIV vaccine efficacy trial study is considered.


There is limited understanding on interaction mechanisms that govern vibration attenuation when a small coverage of lightweight resonators are applied to practical engineering structures. To shed light on the unknowns, this research investigates lightweight elastomeric half cylindrical resonators attached to an aluminum panel using a small mass ratio around 3% and only around 1.7% coverage over the panel area. Finite element modeling of the system dynamics is complemented by corresponding experimental undertaking. The eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes of the resonators are scrutinized for the respective contributions provided towards broadband panel vibration suppression. The first order eigenmodes of the resonators are found to exert great influence on the starting mode for greater vibration attenuation, which may be tuned by the Young's modulus of the resonators. The concept of displacement polarization is established to probe how the resonator eigenmodes quantitatively contribute to attenuate the forced panel vibration. This study reveals how flexural panel vibration may be attenuated by transferring the vibration from the panel to resonators by virtue of modal interaction, and prepares a generalized analytical technique that may be used by other researchers studying multi-modal interactions between host structures and applied resonators. These findings may guide the future development of lightweight resonators with a small coverage area for vibration suppression in engineering applications.


We present a novel eavesdropping technique for spying at a distance on data that is displayed on an arbitrary computer screen, including the currently prevalent LCD monitors. Our technique exploits reflections of the screen's optical emanations in various objects that one commonly finds in close proximity to the screen and uses those reflections to recover the original screen content. Such objects include eyeglasses, tea pots, spoons, plastic bottles, and even the eye of the user. We have demonstrated that this attack can be successfully mounted to spy on even small fonts using inexpensive, off-the-shelf equipment (less than 1500 dollars) from a distance of up to 10 meters. Relying on more expensive equipment allowed us to conduct this attack from over 30 meters away, demonstrating that similar attacks are feasible from the other side of the street or from a close-by building. We additionally establish theoretical limitations of the attack; these limitations may help to estimate the risk that this attack can be successfully mounted in a given environment.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that promote the progression of cancer by negatively regulating gene expression. Down-regulation of miR-483-5p was reported in a number of cancers. However, the biological functions of miR-483-5p in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas are not fully understood. In this study, the expression levels of miRNAs in the immortalized human esophageal epithelial cell line SHEE and the malignantly transformed esophageal carcinoma cell line SHEEC were examined by miRNA microarray chip. The expression level of miR-483-5p was verified by a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Growth, apoptosis, and colony formation ability were also examined in SHEEC cells after transfection with inhibitors targeting miR-483-5p. And the target genes of miR-483-5p were predicted using bioinformatics approaches and the expression profile of SHEEC cells transfected with the miRNA inhibitors. protein levels of the target gene in SHEEC cells with a control or miRNA inhibitors were measured using Western blotting. The expression of miR-483-5p was elevated in SHEEC cells as compared to the SHEE cells. Silencing of miR-483-5p expression in SHEEC cells inhibited both the proliferation and formation of colonies and increased apoptosis. We also identified hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4A) as a target of miR-483-5p in SHEEC cells. Knockdown of HNF4A recapitulated the effects of miR-483-5p. Our data showed that the miR-483-5p/HNF4A axis affected the malignant transformation of immortalized human esophageal epithelial cells and is a potential therapeutic target for ESCC.


The integral steering linkage is the key part on vehicle, which can ensure the Ackerman steer angle when steering. in this paper, The mathematical model of the Ackerman steering linkage is established. The author introduces the optimal design program for the Ackerman steering linkage with MATLAB optimtoolbox. With the program, users can obtain optimized calculating results by inputting basic structural parameters. Actual output angle and expected input angle curves variation with input angle is automatically drawn so as to facilitate users for analysis, comparison and selection. The proposed method is accurate and efficient to design the splitting Ackerman steering linkage.


Asymmetric catalysis plays a key role in modern synthetic organic chemistry, with synthetic catalysts and enzymes being the two available options. During the latter part of the last century the use of enzymes in organic chemistry and biotechnology experienced a period of rapid growth. However, these biocatalysts have traditionally suffered from several limitations, including in many cases limited substrate scope, poor enantioselectivity, insufficient stability, and sometimes product inhibition. During the last 15 years, the genetic technique of directed evolution has been developed to such an extent that all of these long-standing problems can be addressed and solved. It is based on repeated cycles of gene mutagenesis, expression, and screening (or selection). This Review focuses on the directed evolution of enantioselective enzymes, which constitutes a fundamentally new approach to asymmetric catalysis. Emphasis is placed on the development of methods to make laboratory evolution faster and more efficient, thus providing chemists and biotechnologists with a rich and non-ending source of robust and selective catalysts for a variety of useful applications.


Existing 3D human face modelling methods are confronted with difficulties in
applying flexible control over all facial features and generating a great number of
different face models. The gap between the existing methods and the requirements of
emotional bio-robots applications urges the creation of a generic 3D human face
model. This thesis focuses on proposing and developing two new methods involved
in the research of emotional bio-robots: face detection in complex background
images based on skin colour model and establishment of a generic 3D human face
model based on NURBS. The contributions of this thesis are:
A new skin colour based face detection method has been proposed and
developed. The new method consists of skin colour model for skin regions
detection and geometric rules for distinguishing faces from detected regions. By
comparing to other previous methods, the new method achieved better results of
detection rate of 86.15% and detection speed of 0.4-1.2 seconds without any
training datasets.
A generic 3D human face modelling method is proposed and developed. This
generic parametric face model has the abilities of flexible control over all facial
features and generating various face models for different applications. It includes:
The segmentation of a human face of 21 surface features. These surfaces have
34 boundary curves. This feature-based segmentation enables the independent
manipulation of different geometrical regions of human face.
The NURBS curve face model and NURBS surface face model. These two
models are built up based on cubic NURBS reverse computation. The
elements of the curve model and surface model can be manipulated to change
the appearances of the models by their parameters which are obtained by
NURBS reverse computation.
A new 3D human face modelling method has been proposed and implemented
based on bi-cubic NURBS through analysing the characteristic features and
boundary conditions of NURBS techniques. This model can be manipulated
through control points on the NURBS facial features to build any specific
face models for any kind of appearances and to simulate dynamic facial
expressions for various applications such as emotional bio-robots, aesthetic
surgery, films and games, and crime investigation and prevention, etc.


Purpose: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an incurable disease despite aggressive therapeutic approaches. We previously found that Axl receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) plays a critical role in CLL B-cell survival. Here, we explored the possibility of using a high-affinity Axl inhibitor as a single agent or in combination with Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors for future clinical trial to treat patients with CLL. Experimental Design: Expression/activation status of other members of the TAM (e.g., Tyro3, Axl, and MER) family of RTKs in CLL B cells was evaluated. Cells were treated with a high-affinity orally bioavailable Axl inhibitor TP-0903 with or without the presence of CLL bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Inhibitory effects of TP-0903 on the Axl signaling pathway were also evaluated in CLL B cells. Finally, cells were exposed to TP-0903 in combination with BTK inhibitors to determine any synergistic/additive effects of the combination. Results: CLL B cells overexpress Tyro3, but not MER. Of interest, Tyro3 remains as constitutively phosphorylated and forms a complex with Axl in CLL B cells. TP-0903 induces massive apoptosis in CLL B cells with LD50 values of nanomolar ranges. Importantly, CLL BMSCs could not protect the leukemic B cells from TP-0903–induced apoptosis. A marked reduction of the antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1, Bcl-2, and XIAP and upregulation of the proapoptotic protein BIM in CLL B cells was detected as a result of Axl inhibition. Finally, combination of TP-0903 with BTK inhibitors augments CLL B-cell apoptosis. Conclusions: Administration of TP-0903 either as a single agent or in combination with BTK inhibitors may be effective in treating patients with CLL. Clin Cancer Res; 21(9); 2115–26. ©2015 AACR.


Ductal spread (DS) of acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate can lead to an incomplete replacement of the benign epithelium by cancer cells, resulting in a lesion that can be indistinguishable from high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN). Kovi and colleagues demonstrated 30 years ago that there is a significant association between the presence of DS and local extent of invasive adenocarcinoma, making the distinction between DS and HGPIN clinically relevant. However, despite the existence of certain morphologic features that are suggestive of DS, a definitive differentiation between the aforementioned lesions cannot always be attained.


Group work is a fundamental human activity in all areas of life; it is a good exercise to enhance integration and communication among users. In addition, it is highly effective in increasing users´ creativity, thus yielding better and more satisfactory results. This task is very complex; however, thanks to the benefits offered by new technologies, today we can build systems designed to facilitate such collaboration. This paper proposes the "Co-Interactive Table": an interactive and intuitive system developed to enhance the collaboration in meeting rooms. It is based on mobile devices, RFID technology integrated in panels. This solution offers Distributed User Interfaces and a new style of interaction, which consists of bringing the mobile device close to the panel. To improve collaboration, the workspaces are divided into two spaces, collaborative and public, which consist of a display projected on the wall, and the personal and private spaces, which consist of the user's personal device. An assessment has been carried out in order to verify user satisfaction in performing tasks with this system.


Fibers were electrospun from a solution comprised of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, in efforts to achieve highly confined macromolecular packaging. A stoichiometric ratio of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) solution was mixed in an ethanol-water co-solvent. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of electrospun fibers demonstrated no indication of glass transition, Tg. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of the fibers as a function of temperature, demonstrated an amidation process at lower temperature compared to cast film. Polarized FTIR indicated a preference of the functional groups to be perpendicular to the fiber axis. These results imply formation of mixed phase fibers with enhanced conditions for intermolecular interactions, due to the highly aligned and confined assembly of the macromolecules. The tunable intermolecular interactions between the functional groups of the polyelectrolytes, impact pH-driven, reversible swelling-deswelling of the fibers. The degree of ionization of PAA at pH 5.5 and pH 1.8 varied from 85% to 18%, correspondingly, causing transformation of ionic interactions to hydrogen bonding between the functional groups. The chemical change led to a massive water diffusion of 500% by weight and to a marked increase of 400% in fiber diameter, at a rate of 0.50 μm s(-1). These results allow for manipulation and tailoring of key fiber properties for tissue engineering, membranes, and artificial muscle applications.


For prognozing the character of the development of acute pancreatitis a neural network of the direct spread of the signal was developed with 15 inlets, 5 neurons of the latent layer and two outlets. The network was trained with the help of an algorithm of an inverse spread of the error. The sensitivity of the produced prognostic model was 100%, specificity at admission--70%, on the first day--80%, on the second and third day--90%. Before the moment of hospitalization 57 patients were observed during 72 hours. The diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by the methods of computed tomography with contrast amplification.


ABSTRACT The mahout and elephant relationship is one of the oldest human—animal relationships, possibly beginning as far back as 5,000 years ago. Valued for their assistance in war and work, elephants were trained and managed using methods described in ancient Indian texts. The lifelong job of mahouts historically had a long apprenticeship, and was passed from father to son. In 1973, when the government in Karnataka, India, assumed ownership of the maharajah's elephants, Hindu and Muslim mahouts with their elephants were relocated to national forests and became employees of the Forest Department. Members of honey-gathering tribes (called tribals) began to be offered government jobs as mahouts. To assess the current patterns of family traditions with elephants among mahouts living within Nagarahole National Park, India, sixteen mahouts and four young assistants were interviewed, representing Hindu, Muslim, and tribal families. In all three cultures, almost all had been introduced to elephants by a father or other male relative; the mahouts' sons expected to be mahouts. Mahouts' sons regularly assisted and played an essential role in the management of female elephants. No examples of injuries to children were mentioned by mahouts, yet some mahouts and villagers had been killed or seriously injured by elephants. Family tradition played a major role for Hindus, Muslims, and tribals in the decision to work with elephants. The semi-captivity of, and traditional, structured work activities with, Asian elephants may afford some possible improvements for their welfare and human—elephant conflicts.


Recent works on adaptive sparse and on low-rank signal modeling have demonstrated their usefulness in various image / video processing applications. Patch-based methods exploit local patch sparsity, whereas other works apply low-rankness of grouped patches to exploit image non-local structures. However, using either approach alone usually limits performance in image reconstruction or recovery applications. In this work, we propose a simultaneous sparsity and low-rank model, dubbed STROLLR, to better represent natural images. In order to fully utilize both the local and non-local image properties, we develop an image restoration framework using a transform learning scheme with joint low-rank regularization. The approach owes some of its computational efficiency and good performance to the use of transform learning for adaptive sparse representation rather than the popular synthesis dictionary learning algorithms, which involve approximation of NP-hard sparse coding and expensive learning steps. We demonstrate the proposed framework in various applications to image denoising, inpainting, and compressed sensing based magnetic resonance imaging. Results show promising performance compared to state-of-the-art competing methods.


Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) detectors have been reporting on the proton-air cross section measurement beyond the capability of particle accelerators since 1984. The knowledge of this fundamental particle property is vital for our understanding of high energy particle interactions and could possibly hold the key to new physics. The data used in this work was collected over eight years using the hybrid events of Black Rock (BR) and Long Ridge (LR) fluorescence detectors as well as the Telescope Array Surface Detector (TASD). The proton-air cross section is determined at √ B = 73 TeV by fitting the exponential tail of the -<0G distribution of these events. The proton-air cross section is then inferred from the exponential tail fit and from the most updated high energy interaction models. finel p−air is observed to be 520.1 ± 35.8 [Stat.] +25.3 −42.9[Sys.] mb. This is the second proton-air cross section work reported by the Telescope Array collaboration.


Aim: To determine whether pretreatment of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) or platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has a prognostic value in patients with inoperable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Materials & methods: A total of 167 patients between 2013 and 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Appropriate cut-off values for initial NLR (3.06) and PLR (168.03) were determined by receiver operating characteristic curves. High NLR (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) was related to poor overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) via univariate analysis. Multivariable analysis showed that NLR can independently influence OS (hazard ratio: 1.570; p = 0.012) and PFS (hazard ratio: 1.471; p = 0.023). PLR did not correlate with OS or PFS. Conclusion: Pretreatment of NLR could independently predict the prognosis of inoperable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients, while pretreatment of PLR does not have prognostic value.


Abstract Currently, prostheses for endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms are divided into 2 device categories. Endoprostheses based on the first approach arise from the concept that endovascular grafting should ideally mimic standard surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. The second category of devices developed from a design strategy that was a conceptual outgrowth of transcathete-based techniques in which an endovascular graft is constructed de novo within the abdominal aorta from modular components. Both grafts are dependent on the successful exclusion of blood flow from the aneurysm sac. Ongoing clinical trials of these 2 categories of devices have yet to be completed with long-term data, but it is apparent even at this early stage that there exist both advantages and limitations to each system. In this review, these issues are discussed for single-component bifurcated endografts within the context of our 5-year experience gained through the use of a bifurcated device produced by Endovascular Technologies, Inc (EVT). Overall, present limitations of the single-component bifurcated prosthesis are related to graft size and the somewhat cumbersome maneuvers required for implantation. Nonetheless, the inherent advantages of these prostheses, including their durability and capacity to respond to aneurysm remodeling without late device failure, may ultimately provide the patient with a prosthesis with superior long-term clinical performance characteristics.


Hybrid density functional theory (DFT) is used to study the Chevrel phase Mo6X8 (X = S, Se, Te) as a promising cathode material intercalated with various metal ions (M = Li, Na, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Al). Electronic properties and voltages are calculated for each case. Ca ions are predicted to produce a voltage output ranging from 1.8-2.1 V, comparable to the voltage calculated for Li ions while providing two electrons per transferred ion. The highest voltage is determined to result when the chalcogen X in Mo6X8 is S, over Se or Te. Additionally, a comparison of the local-density approximation (LDA), the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE), the Hubbard U corrected GGA-PBE (PBE+U), the meta-GGA modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ), and the hybrid Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) functionals are made. The electronic structure determined with HSE is taken as the most reliable, and PBE and LDA can provide reasonable approximations. The PBE+U approach yields an erroneous band gap and should be avoided. The voltages calculated with HSE are in excellent agreement with available experimental data.


The United States today straddles the stage of global politics without any equal competitor. So the big question is how it will use its great power. Will it turn inwards towards isolationism? Will it accept voluntary constraints by allies, in multilateral arrangements? Will it act globally, but unilaterally, without consultation? Will that unilateral action be self-interested only, or with an eye to giving global leadership?A group of distinguished proponents of these diverse views argue out their differences in this collection of essays. Central issues in their debate are whether isolationism is the same as unilateralism, and the degree to which American political culture feels itself to be part of, or distinct from an emergent global civil society.


This short presentation deals with two patients with pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae and one patient with bilateral pulmonary arterial aneurysms. Extensive clinical investigations have been carried out on two of these patients before they were subjected to resection therapy. Plastic broncho-vascular cast injection studies were made of the specimen from one patient with pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae. A lung from the third patient who was not operated upon but who died owing to a brain abscess complicating multiple pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae supplied the specimen for another vinyl plastic cast injection. Pulmonary Arteriovenous Fistulae Many years elapsed between the original pathologic description of pulmonary arterio-venous fistuale by Wilkens in 1917 36 and the first clinical diagnosis of this disease entity by Reading in 1932 26 and by Smith and Horton in 1939. 31 Several years later the first resection of this anomaly was reported by Shenstone. 29 Recently a review by Sloan and


We study the entanglement entropy(EE) of disordered one-dimensional spinless fermions with attractive interactions. With intensive numerical calculation of the EE using the density matrix renormalization group method, we find clear signatures of the transition between the localized and delocalized phase. In the delocalized phase, the fluctuations of the EE becomes minimum and independent of the system size. Meanwhile the EE's logarithmic scaling behavior is found to recover to that of a clean system. We present a general scheme of finite size scaling of the EE at the critical regime of the Anderson transition, from which we extract the critical parameters of the transition with good accuracy, including the critical exponent, critical point and a power-law divergent localization length.


Hyperinflation is extremely fast or out of control inflation. Hyperinflation occurs when price increases are so wild that the concept of inflation is meaningless. When associated with depressions, hyperinflation often occurs while there is a significant increase in the money supply not supported by gross domestic product (GDP) growth, resulting in an imbalance in the supply and demand for the money. Left unchecked, this causes prices to increase, as the currency loses its value. The accounting, i.e. financial reporting applied to a foreign operation changes fundamentally when the economy in which it operates is determined to be hyperinflationary (highly inflationary). This, coupled with accounting differences between IFRS and US GAAP, means that identifying hyperinflationary economies is an essential step in the financial reporting process of a multinational dual reporter.


ABSTRACT Small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequences were obtained by PCR from 12 Blastocystis isolates from humans, rats, and reptiles for which elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) gene sequences are already available. These new sequences were analyzed by the Bayesian method in a broad phylogeny including, for the first time, all Blastocystis sequences available in the databases. Phylogenetic trees identified seven well-resolved groups plus several discrete lineages that could represent newly defined clades. Comparative analysis of SSU rRNA- and EF-1α-based trees obtained by maximum-likelihood methods from a restricted sampling (13 isolates) revealed overall agreement between the two phylogenies. In spite of their morphological similarity, sequence divergence among Blastocystis isolates reflected considerable genetic diversity that could be correlated with the existence of potentially ≥12 different species within the genus. Based on this analysis and previous PCR-based genotype classification data, six of these major groups might consist of Blastocystis isolates from both humans and other animal hosts, confirming the low host specificity of Blastocystis. Our results also strongly suggest the existence of numerous zoonotic isolates with frequent animal-to-human and human-to-animal transmissions and of a large potential reservoir in animals for infections in humans.


This article provides practical advice how to improve safety, efficacy and tolerability of disease-modifying treatment for multiple sclerosis. The dosage of interferon-beta preparations should be gradually increased during the first weeks of therapy to ameliorate flu-like adverse effects. Analgesics, taken 30 minutes before injection, may alleviate these symptoms a well as injection-associated pain. Correct injection technique, an autoinjector and injection site rotation help to improve skin tolerance. Leukopenia or hepatotoxicity may develop after years of trouble-free therapy. Blood count and liver enzymes should therefore be regularly monitored. With glatiramer acetate, a disturbing but harmless systemic postinjection reaction may occur which should be explained to the patient at the beginning of therapy. Azathioprine is potentially hemato- and hepatotoxic. Transaminases and differential blood count should be frequently checked to ensure the correct dosage. Mitoxantrone is potentially cardiotoxic. An electrocardiogram recording and transthoracic echocardiography should be performed twice a year throughout therapy. With all of these drugs, effective contraception must be used, in particular with mitoxantrone and azathioprine.


Abstract Research into the mechanisms underlying the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual loss in the United States and Europe in people over 60 years old, has been limited in part by the lack of animal models for this disease. In the current study, we examined 62 elderly (≥20 years old) rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) for the presence and severity of macular drusen. Drusen were observed in 47% of the macaques; they were similar histologically and in clinical appearance to the drusen observed in humans with AMD. It has been proposed that excessive tissue free radical damage may contribute to the development of AMD. Thus, circulating levels of select components of the free radical defense system and plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), an estimate of lipid peroxides, were measured in the above animals. Macaques diagnosed with drusen were characterized by alterations in concentrations and activities of several components of the free radical defense system. Alterations were most evident with respect to those enzymes associated with copper. The concept that excessive oxidative lipid damage might be a factor contributing to the occurrence of this disease is suggested by the findings of higher plasma TBARS concentrations in animals with > 10 drusen compared with animals without drusen.


This work was funded by INSA under the project "PTranSALT" (2012DAN828). Tânia Goncalves Albuquerque acknowledges the PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) funded by the FCT, FSE and MEC.


This thesis analyzes the relationship between science fiction worlds and the worlds in which they are imagined. While this study is interdisciplinary, the central concept employed is Victor Turner's theory of liminality. Science fiction worlds are liminal spaces; though they are cognitively or existentially linked to objective reality, the points of divergence reveal the boundaries of dominant cultural paradigms. The liminal worlds of science fiction are particularly hospitable to marginalized groups, such as racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities. Engaging with other worlds is method for theorizing alternate structures of reality. Drawing from Darko Suvin's work on science fiction and utopia, I argue that imagining other worlds through science fiction world-building is a powerful tool for world-making. The thesis contains three case studies of 21st century American science fiction authors, all of whom reflect trends in postmodern writing. John Scalzi's critically acclaimed novels parody common science fiction tropes, simultaneously revealing and revising our understanding of the genre. His theory of Narrative in Redshirts is a powerful allegory for Bourdieu's theory of doxa. In her popular romantic science fiction novels, Gail Carriger creates a textured steampunk world in which vampires and werewolves are fully integrated in society; their presence enables an exploration of other forms of marginality. The final case study discusses fanfiction of large science fiction franchises. A product of convergence culture, fanfiction is a liminal medium that allows consumers to critique dominant media. Fanfiction allows greater agency for marginalized individuals to imagine their own futures. Together, these case studies demonstrate the social relevance of recent postmodern science fiction. The worlds contained in these stories have radical, transformative potential, so long as we are unafraid to use it. Disciplines Anthropology This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/anthro_seniortheses/154 LIMINALITY, MARGINALITY, FUTURITY: CASE STUDIES IN CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE FICTION


ABSTRACT In this study, we examined yeast proteins by two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis and gathered quantitative information from about 1,400 spots. We found that there is an enormous range of protein abundance and, for identified spots, a good correlation between protein abundance, mRNA abundance, and codon bias. For each molecule of well-translated mRNA, there were about 4,000 molecules of protein. The relative abundance of proteins was measured in glucose and ethanol media. Protein turnover was examined and found to be insignificant for abundant proteins. Some phosphoproteins were identified. The behavior of proteins in differential centrifugation experiments was examined. Such experiments with 2D gels can give a global view of the yeast proteome.


Title of Dissertation: SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENTS OF THE VELOCITY AND VORTICITY VECTOR FIELDS IN THE TURBULENT NEAR WAKE OF A CIRCULAR CYLINDER Phuc Ng9c Nguy~n, Doctor of Philosophy, 1993 Dissertation co-directed by: Dr. Barsam Marasli, Assistant Professor Dr. James M. Wallace, Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering Hot-wire measurements of all components of the instantaneous velocity and vorti city vectors in the wake of a circular cylinder are presented. The experiments were performed at x / d = 20 and 30, at R ed = 2000, using a miniature 12-sensor probe for the simultaneous velocity-vorticity measurements and a 4-sensor probe for t he velocity-only measurements. A calibration and a data reduction method for multi-sensor hot-wire probes are introduced. The calibration technique is independent of the number of sensors and requires minimal information about probe geometry. The data reduction scheme involves the solution of an overdetermined nonlinear algebraic system of equations in a least-squares sense. The measurements indicate that the Karman vorti ces are accurately resolved . Statistical characteristics of the velocity aJ1 d vorticity fields in this flow, including moments, probabil ity distributions and one-dimensional spectra components are documented for the first time. Conditional analysis of t he measurements at x/ d = 30 with respect, to the passage of the Karman vortices are presented. The vortex center and the saddle regions are identified and characterized. The instanteaneous velocity and vort icity signals are decomposed into mean , coherent and incoherent parts using t he trip le decomposition technique. A significant percentage of the incoherent Buctua t ions are observed to be phase-locked to the Karman vortices. The enstropy balances are computed for three decomposed parts. The generation of incoherent enstrophy due to incoherent vortex stretching is detected to be the most dominant term and is balanced by the viscous dissipa t ion. SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENTS OF THE VELOCITY AND VORTICITY VECTOR FIELDS IN THE TURBULENT NEAR WAKE OF A CIRCULAR CYLINDER


Crude Oil Sludge Degradation in Microcosmic Scale: Simple Simulation as Preliminary Study on Land Treatment Bioremediation. A study in microcosmic condition has been carried out to evaluate the bacterial hydrocarbonoclastic capability in increasing the oil sludge degradation being mixed with NPK fertilizer as nitrogen resources. Aerobic test was carried out by putting erlenmeyers in a shaker incubator, 120 rpm shaking speed, at 50°C temperature. While 150 days in microcosmic one observation showed that the consortium has the potential to grow up to 50% (v/v) sludge oil load. Maximum growth and maximum growth rate of the consortium occurred in the III C treatment (by adding 50% (v/v) sludge oil and by mixing nitrogen in the form of NPK fertilizer amounting 30% (w/v) of added substrat. The observation showed that at the day 150, all the treatments were degradated above 64%. Highest degradation accured in the III A treatment followed by the III C treatment amounting 88.72% and 87.19% respectively. The gas chromatography analysis showed that at t15 and t30, hydrocarbon C8 and C9 turned up and then vanished after t30. Hydrocarbon do increased at t30 while the relative abundance of C11 up to C17 was decreasing gradually. The biggest decreasing of that was in C14, as 85.28% before and 43.11% after. At the end of the study 7 species of bacteria were identified, 5 of them are of Bacillus sp, which are aerobical.


ABSTRACT The present study aimed to evaluate ducks on performance, carcass traits and economic availability, fed on different phases of nutritional plans and in different housing densities. Two hundred and forty Muscovy ducks of creole lineage were used, distributed in boxes with water and food ad libitum. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement of 3x2 with three nutritional plans (3, 4 and 5 phases) and two housing densities (2 and 3 birds/m2) with four replicates. The ducks had weekly performance evaluations, and after 90 days, four birds in each treatment were slaughtered for evaluation of carcass traits. Differences (p<0.05) were observed on performance, carcass traits and economic analysis. The nutritional plans with 3 phases showed better results for feed intake and weight gain, as well as provided lower total cost production and higher operating profit. Ducks in higher densities showed smaller feed intake, weight gain, higher pro-ventricle weight and better results for total meet production, crude income and operating profit. In summary, nutritional plans with reduced phases (3 phases) and extensions of energy-protein relationships showed better results for ducks on performance and carcass traits in densities of 3 birds/m². More studies are necessary to determine other nutritional requirements for ducks in housing for a better nutritional and management control.


Language assessment literacy (LAL) is a significant component of language teachers' expertise but is also a challenging task for most language teachers. To date, there have been relatively few studies examining the research on teachers' LAL during these decades. To fill this void, this article reviews the conceptualizations of LAL and relevant empirical studies published from 1991 to 2021. It first analyzes various conceptualizations of LAL. Then in examining the empirical studies on teachers' LAL, five major themes emerge: (i) teachers' LAL levels; (ii) factors influencing LAL; (iii) language teachers' assessment training needs; (iv) language assessment training courses; and (v) LAL development through reflection. Finally, future research directions on teachers' LAL are discussed.


Abstract Miscanthus is a perennial, rhizomatous C4 grass grown in the European Union and studied in the United States as a bioenergy feedstock. U.S. farmers might be more willing to grow this perennial species if methods for its control were established. Experiments were conducted from 2007 to 2009 to evaluate methods to control miscanthus. As glyphosate rate increased from 0 to 3.6 kg ae ha−1 in a greenhouse trial, miscanthus dry weight decreased. Aboveground biomass in the summer following treatments decreased 82, 77, and 95% with fall, spring, and fall followed by spring applications of glyphosate (1.7 kg ae ha−1), respectively, compared with nontreated plots in field experiments. Summer shoot count was reduced by 41% compared with the nontreated control with fall followed by spring glyphosate applications. A second field experiment demonstrated that spring tillage with one or two spring glyphosate applications (2.5 kg ae ha−1 application−1) reduced aboveground dry biomass by 94 and 95%, respectively, and reduced miscanthus shoot number by 38 and 67%, respectively, in the same growing season. These experiments suggest that although glyphosate and tillage can reduce miscanthus biomass, complete control of a mature stand likely will require more than one growing season. Nomenclature: Glyphosate, Miscanthus × giganteus Greef and Deuter ex Hodkinson and Renvoize.


The extracellular ATP, Ca2+, Mg2+, ATP-Ca2+ and ATP + Mg2+ affect the optical density (at 520 nm) and turbidity spectra in suspensions of light and heavy synaptosomes and in mitochondria prepared from rat cerebral cortex. The properties of the light synaptosomes are associated only with their volume changes; the heavy synaptosomes and mitochondria also change their refractive indices. These results could be interpreted by structural (conformational) rearrangements occurring in membranes under such conditions. A support for this assumption was found in the studies on the spin-labeled synaptosomes.


Biodiesel researchers need to understand the optimal conditions involved in the production of biodiesel from readily available biological sources, as several research works have reported on biodiesel production. Therefore, this paper emphasizes specifically, the process parameters involved in biodiesel production and how they affect biodiesel yields. These parameters include, but not limited to the feedstock selection, catalyst type to use, free fatty acid, temperature, kinetics, hydrodynamics and reactor conditions. In biodiesel synthesis, a high fatty acid methyl ester yield of up to 100%w/w at 60 oC has been reported, which occurred with a methanol to oil molar ratio of 3.75, and 60 min reaction time. Homogeneous catalysts seems promising for the production of biodiesel, although they possess disposal challenges and reusability issues. In addition, carbon-based catalysts from natural sources have been used to resolve the presence of free fatty acids in biodiesel synthesis that results in the formation of soap. These carbon-derived catalysts prove their efficiency when modified with acids. The reactor suitable for biodiesel reaction, assume several configurations, like the batch, fixed bed and semi-batch configurations, with their respective reaction conditions. Furthermore, in the design of a hydrodynamic cavitation reactor operating on the rotor-stator mechanism, research has shown that the ratio of rotor to stator diameter Dr/Ds is maintained at 0.73 for efficient operation. Hence, a proper understanding of the process chemistry and techniques involved in biodiesel synthesis would ensure a high desired yield and sustainable process route.


Background: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are endemic worldwide and have been the cause of illness and disease worldwide. Objectives: The study is aimed to estimate prevalence, intensity, and factors associated with IPIs among school children aged 6-12 years. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out from February to July 2010, in the diagnostic laboratory of Microbiology department. The study group was divided into four groups, namely, Group A; Group B; Group C; and Group D. A total of 1769 eligible children were enrolled for sampling from these schools. For each enrolled child in the study, a standard stool ova and parasite test with formol-ether concentration technique was done for the assessment of the outcome. Results: Among 1224 participants, 714 (58.3%) were boys and 508 (41.5%) were girls. The overall prevalence of IPIs was estimated as 51.5%. Group A 84%, Group B 64.7%, Group C 62.4%, and Group D 39.3%. Single IPIs were 65.7%, among which 48% were helminthic and 19.3% were protozoan. Multiple IPIs were 34.2%, among which protozoan along with helminthic were 25.9%, polyhelminthic were 8.5% and polyprotozoan were 4.2%. Among the IPIs detected, overall prevalence of helminth was 75.9%, protozoan was 24.1%. Among the helminthes hookworm was highest (28%). Among the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica/dispar was highest (14.8%). Conclusions: The study confirmed that prevalence of IPIs is high as 51.5%. Overall prevalence shows an endemic situation. Therefore, it is recommended that local health sectors should make provision for regular examination of parasitosis and deworming.


Cetacean mother-calf dyads demonstrate formation locomotion that may provide hydrodynamic and/or social benefits. For example, echelon position (calf in close proximity of its mother's mid-lateral flank) enables calves to increase swim performance at reduced locomotor effort compared to periods of solitary swimming. Yet cetacean mother-calf dyads are also observed in infant position (calf in close proximity underneath its mother's tailstock), thus we wondered if infant positioning also provides hydrodynamic benefits to calves. Social and hydrodynamic benefits of infant position have both been hypothesized previously, but the logistical difficulties of conducting experiments on free-swimming mother-calf dolphin dyads have precluded empirical quantifications of kinematics until now. We demonstrated that 0 to 98 d old calves of the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus are afforded locomotor advantages while swimming in infant position with their mothers. Calves in infant position had reduced locomotor effort via a 24% reduction in fluke stroke amplitude compared to periods of solitary swimming. Yet stroke frequency (the other component of locomotor effort) and swim performance (swim speed) were not different between infant position and solitary swimming. Although swimming in infant position provided some hydrodynamic benefits to calves, these benefits paled in comparison to those afforded to calves maintaining echelon position. Given that echelon position provides the best hydrodynamic benefits, we speculate that older, stronger swimming calves are predominately in infant position because by relinquishing some hydrodynamic benefits of echelon position they gain important social benefits of infant position, particularly camouflage from predators, which undoubtedly plays a vital role in calf survival.


We present a decentralized failure-tolerant algorithm for optimizing electric vehicle (EV) charging, using charging stations as computing agents. The algorithm is based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) and it has the following features: (i) It handles coupling constraints for capacity, peak demand, and ancillary services. (ii) It does not require a central agent collecting information and performing coordination (e.g., an aggregator), instead all agents exchange information and computations are carried out in a fully decentralized fashion. (iii) It can withstand the failure of any number of computing agents, as long as the remaining computing agents are in a connected communications network. We construct this algorithm by reformulating the optimal EV charging problem in a decomposable form, amenable to ADMM, and then developing efficient decentralized solution methods for the subproblems dealing with coupling constraints. We conduct numerical experiments on industry-scale synthetic EV charging datasets, with up to 1 152 charging stations, using a high-performance computing cluster. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can solve the optimal EV charging problem fast enough to permit the integration of EV charging with real-time electricity markets, even in the presence of failures.


Focusing on Kenya's path-breaking mobile money project M-Pesa, this book examines and critiques the narratives and institutions of digital financial inclusion as a development strategy for gender equality, arguing for a politics of redistribution to guide future digital financial inclusion projects. One of the most-discussed digital financial inclusion projects, M-Pesa facilitates the transfer of money and access to formal financial services via the mobile phone infrastructure and has grown at a phenomenal rate since its launch in 2007 to reach about 80 per cent of the Kenyan population. Through a socio-legal enquiry drawing on feminist political economy, law and development scholarship and postcolonial feminist debate, this book unravels the narratives and institutional arrangements that frame M-Pesa's success while interrogating the relationship between digital financial inclusion and gender equality in development discourse. Natile argues that M-Pesa is premised on and regulated according to a logic of opportunity rather than a politics of redistribution, favouring the expansion of the mobile money market in preference to contributing to substantive gender equality via a redistribution of the revenue and funding deriving from its development. This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students in Global Political Economy, Socio-Legal Studies, Gender Studies, Law & Development, Finance and International Relations.... Download ebook, read file pdf Mobile Money, Gendered Walls


Regular therapy with the radiolabeled somatostatin analog 177Lu-octreotate (22.2–29.6 GBq) in patients with gastroenteropancreatic or bronchial neuroendocrine tumors results in tumor remission in 46% of patients, including minor response. We present the effects of additional therapy with 177Lu-octreotate in patients in whom progressive disease developed after an initial benefit from regular therapy. Methods: Thirty-three patients with progressive disease after an initial radiologic or clinical response were treated with additional cycles of 177Lu-octreotate. The intended cumulative dose of additional therapy was 14.8 GBq in 2 cycles. Responses were evaluated using Southwest Oncology Group criteria, including minor response (tumor size reduction of ≥25% and <50%). Results: Median time to progression (TTP) after regular therapy was 27 mo. In 4 patients, the intended cumulative dose was not achieved (2 had progressive disease, 2 had long-lasting thrombocytopenia). Hematologic toxicity grade 3 was observed in 4 patients, and grade 4, in 1. The median follow-up time was 16 mo (range, 1–40 mo). No kidney failure or myelodysplastic syndrome was observed. Renewed tumor regression was observed in 8 patients (2 partial remission, 6 minor response), and 8 patients had stable disease. Median TTP was 17 mo. Treatment outcome was less favorable in patients with a short TTP after regular cycles. Treatment effects in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors were similar to those in patients with other gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Conclusion: Most patients tolerated additional cycles with 177Lu-octreotate well. None developed serious delayed adverse events. Additional cycles with 177Lu-octreotate can have antitumor effects, but effects were less than for the regular cycles. This may be because of a worse clinical condition, more extensive tumor burden, or changed tumor characteristics. We conclude that this salvage therapy can be effective and is safe.


Thyrotropin (TSH)-receptor autoantibodies were assessed by measurement of 125I-bTSH binding inhibition in 32 patients with juvenile-onset Graves' disease (one of whom was studied twice) and 16 normal control subjects. Thirteen (76.5%) of 17 thyrotoxic patients had significantly elevated TSH binding-inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) activity compared with eight (50%) of 16 patients who were in clinical remission and none of the control subjects. Mean TBII activity was significantly greater in thyrotoxic patients than in individuals in remission, except in one unusual patient in whom there was a discordance between TBII activity and in vitro thyroid-stimulatory activity. In eight euthyroid patients who were followed up for at least five months while not receiving treatment, assessment of TBII activity did not predict who would or would not suffer relapse at a later date. Thus, TBIIs are secreted in excess in juvenile Graves' disease, the titer decreasing as the disease remits. The TBII assay cannot be used as the sole predictor of when antithyroid medication can be withdrawn safely, however.


The breathing circuits in eight types of commercially available nitrous oxide-oxygen sedation equipment, with and without gas scavenging devices in operation, were tested with respect to resistance to breathing, carbon dioxide retention and the dilution of the administered gas by fresh air drawn into the circuit. The equipment was designed for use in dentistry. Several of the systems had one or more of the following drawbacks: high resistance to high gas flow, carbon dioxide retention or dilution of the gas mixture by air, the functions being affected by the scavenging equipment. Only one modified circuit showed a high standard of performance in these respects.


This paper presents a novel method for determining the contribution of harmonic distortion generated by utility and customer in a distribution system. The method considers modeling the customer side in terms of RLC components and the whole system is represented by a Norton equivalent circuit. Voltage and current at the point of common coupling are then measured to calculate the customer and utility harmonic current and voltage contributions. Simulations were carried out the 10 bus test system to verify the accuracy of the method.


Low carbon hydrogen can be an excellent source of clean energy, which can combat global climate change and poor air quality. Hydrogen based economy can be a great opportunity for a country like Qatar to decarbonize its multiple sectors including transportation, shipping, global energy markets, and industrial sectors. However, there are still some barriers to the realization of a hydrogen-based economy, which includes large scale hydrogen production cost, infrastructure investments, bulk storage, transport & distribution, safety consideration, and matching supply-demand uncertainties. This paper highlights how the aforementioned challenges can be handled strategically through a multi-sector industrial-urban symbiosis for the hydrogen supply chain implementation. Such symbiosis can enhance the mutual relationship between diverse industries and urban planning by exploring varied scopes of multi-purpose hydrogen usage (i.e., clean energy source as a safer carrier, industrial feedstock and intermittent products, vehicle and shipping fuel, and international energy trading, etc.) both in local and international markets. It enables individual entities and businesses to participate in the physical exchange of materials, by-products, energy, and water, with strategic advantages for all participants. Besides, waste/by-product exchanges, several different kinds of synergies are also possible, such as the sharing of resources and shared facilities. The diversified economic base, regional proximity and the facilitation of rules, strategies and policies may be the key drivers that support the creation of a multi-sector hydrogen supply chain in Qatar.


The production of prawns is unarguably a fast-growing global aquaculture. This is evident in the culture of freshwater prawns which is rapidly gaining momentum in terms of productions and values in Malaysia and the world at large. Vibrio alginolyticus is one of the most pathogenic species of Vibrio that cause high mortality in freshwater prawns. The conventional use of antibiotics in the treatment of this disease has remained ineffective and resulted in an exponential increase in virulence and pathogenicity of the microbes. Hence, the need for better and practicable measures of disease prevention and treatment. This was the first study to investigate the effects of oral administration of outer membrane protein of vibrio in Macrobrachium rosenbergii experimentally infected with V. alginolyticus. Prawns were divided into three groups A, B, and C of 10 prawns each with replicates in 6 (150 L) glass aquaria. Group A was fed with OMPs-mixed diet, group B with OMPs-FIA (Freund's incomplete adjuvants) mixed diet while group C was fed with OMPs or adjuvant-free diet (control diet). Groups A and B were fed for seven days, alternated with control diet for seven days and a booster dose for another seven days. All prawns were weighed weekly, and haemolymph was collected to examine the total haemocytes counts (THC), phenoloxidase activity (PO) and the presence of OMPs in the haemolymph. All prawns were challenged intramuscularly with 50 μL of 107 CFU of V. alginolyticus. The results of the analysis revealed significance difference in mean weight gain and THC (P 0.05) in the level of mortality in all the groups after 24 h, this was not unconnected to pains from the injection coupled with stress, as this was also observed in blank control (not challenged with V. alginolyticus). In the second experiment, 45 prawns were divided into three different groups of 15 prawns each. Group A was treated with formalin killed Vibrio cell by immersion only, B with OMPs by intramuscular injection and boosted by immersion and C with PBS by immersion only at days 0, 3, 5 and 7. A bacterial challenge was carried out by immersion on day 9 and observed for mortality for seven days. The total haemocyte count (THC) increased in the treatment groups more than the control but no significant difference in the level of THC increment between the treatment groups. There was no mortality in the treatment groups, but the mortality rate in the control group was 55% over the period of seven days. Haemolymph (both coagulated and non-coagulated) that was also collected to detect the presence of OMPs in the system using SDS-PAGE revealed no bands of OMPs but only those of the plasma proteins, this could be as a result of natural clearance activity of the prawns to get rid of foreign agents. Gross examination of the experimentally challenged prawns was carried out following the mortality and tissues were processed for histopathological lesions and immuno-histochemical reaction. The untreated group showed more pronounced lesions than the treatment groups. This study, however, concluded that oral administration of OMPs with or without Freund's incomplete adjuvant is a good growth promoter and has the potential for protection against vibriosis in Macrobrachium rosenbergii when administered with unique antigen protection vehicle and at appropriate dosages, but the protection may be for a short period of time.


Plastic debris (PD) is one of the biggest pollution problems in the marine environment. Nets, ropes, packaging, and pellets are the most common items that are spread around the world's oceans causing an impact on wildlife and human health, and economic loss. Although mitigation is tantamount, the question remains for what can be done with the plastics that are already in the oceans. We conducted a literature review of research on debris and plastics waste management. Studies as shown that much of the collected marine debris goes to landfilling because it is little-known, diverse, salty, and too dirty for both incineration and recycling. Also, it showed that there is a strong focus on describing the environmental problems of marine and plastic debris, and that plastic debris is described in natural science terms that the waste management industry cannot use for determining suitable treatments. In order to better translate beach debris data into waste management data, we have collected beach debris from the Swedish West coast and conducted physical and chemical analyses for the characterization of the debris in waste management terms. Based on this data and the literature review, we have identified several recycling options for the PD. To identify environmental pros and cons with the different treatments, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing mechanical, feedstock recycling and energy recovery to establish an appropriate and practical approach towards closing the loop for PD. These treatment options were analysed in the context of two clean-up operations. The analyses suggest that mechanical treatments are not suitable for most plastics (due to they are fragmented, degraded and with a wide range of additives) whereas chemical treatments are suggested as a suitable solution. Feedstock recycling allows the production of raw material, as well as it may have fewer emissions, in comparison with combustion or landfilling which have higher emissions per tonne of PD. Finally, the LCA of two clean-up operations were performed, using the data obtained in the previous processes to see the big picture: observing the ecological benefits of removing this debris, and seeing whether that benefit is juxtaposed according to the recycling option. Although the environmental profits are difficult to quantify, the LCA results suggest that the clean-up process can have a positive impact with both mechanical and feedstock recycling, as long as the operation itself has low emissions (e.g. reducing transport emissions of the volunteers).


In this study, treatments with UV-C radiation (10, 20 and 30 kJ/m2) and gaseous ozone (1, 5 and 10 mg/L) were applied to minimally processed rocket (Eruca sativa) leaves to investigate their effects on the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacityduring12 days of storage at 5 ordmC.As control, water washing was used. Ascorbic acid content, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids content throughout shelf-life were studied. The results showed that UV-C and ozone treatments had no adverse effects on ascorbic acid content, phenolic compound and antioxidant capacity of minimally processed rocket leaves. Treatments with UV-C delayed the degradation of total chlorophyll content throughout shelf-life, while the treatments with O3 did not affect this parameter. In conclusion, the UV-C and ozone treatments applied maintain the bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity content of minimally processed rocket leaves during 12 days of storage at 5 ordmC.


Previously, we have studied the expression and regulation of four (cid:1) - and 14 (cid:2) -expansin genes in deepwater rice ( Oryza sativa ). We now report on the structure, expression, and regulation of 22 additional (cid:1) -expansin ( Os-EXP ) genes, four expansin-like ( Os-EXPL ) genes, and one expansin-related ( Os-EXPR ) gene, which have recently been identified in the expressed sequence tag and genomic databases of rice. (cid:1) -Expansins are characterized by a series of conserved Cys residues in the N-terminal half of the protein, a histidine-phenylalanine-aspartate (HFD) motif in the central region, and a series of tryptophan residues near the carboxyl terminus. Of the 22 additional (cid:1) -expansin genes, five are expressed in internodes and leaves, three in coleoptiles, and nine in roots, with high transcript levels in the growing regions of these organs. Transcripts of five (cid:1) -expansin genes were found in roots only. Expression of five (cid:1) -expansin genes was induced in the internode by treatment with gibberellin (GA) and by wounding. The wound response resulted from excising stem sections or from piercing pinholes into the stem of intact plants. EXPL proteins lack the HFD motif and have two additional Cys residues in their C- and N-terminal regions. The positions of conserved tryptophan residues at the C-terminal region are different from those of (cid:1) - and (cid:2) -expansins. Expression of the Os-EXPL3 gene is correlated with elongation and slightly induced by applied GA. However, the expression of the Os-EXPL1 and Os-EXPL2 genes showed limited correlation with cell elongation and was not induced by GA. We found no expression of the Os-EXPR1 gene in the organs examined.


Variable alongshore wave energy and sediment transport along eroding cohesive bluffs on the Great Lakes are fundamental geomorphic processes leading to shoreline evolution. The WAVENRG model is utilised to determine wave refraction patterns, wave energy distribution, and alongshore sediment transport for a 40 kilometre section of the southeastern shoreline of Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada. In general, the southeastern Lake Huron shoreline appears to experience dominant southward transport of sediment, with periodic reversals in the lee of headlands leading to protected beaches. Increased erosion is noted at several sites as a function of limited sediment supply, sediment easily removed by wave action, and increased wave energy caused by steep near shore profiles allowing incoming waves to dissipate energy close to shore. South from Point Clark to Horizon View, increasing wave energy results in significant transport of the limited sediment supply creating severe long term erosion at Horizon View. Pocket beaches, reflecting periodic reversals of sediment transport as a function of south and southwest waves are noted at several sites. Beyond the Wright's Point headland, sediment deposition is noted with increasing wave energy toward s the Maitland River, indicating an increase in potential erosion. The study results have important implications for land use and planning initiatives with the identification of sites suitable for development, areas important for sediment supply, and the potential environmental impact from shoreline protection structures. The application of alongshore wave energy and sediment transport models, when combined with corresponding field evaluation studies, has the potential to assist in the development of shoreline management plans in areas characterised by the availability of near shore sediments.


The thesis investigates rhetorical evaluative strategies in four British Broadsheets: The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent and The Times Literary Supplement. This study views writing in the interpersonal domain where language is shaped by social needs, politeness rules and the notion of appropriacy that is not absolute but mediated by the reading public. Broadsheet reviews come across as highly interactional texts where the voice of the reviewer overlaps with the voice of the reader and the voice of the author of the book. These voices are carefully orchestrated and framed within an argumentative discourse that aims at maintaining non conflictual relationships that respect the public's Face in the sense that Brown and Levinson (1978) give to the word. However, broadsheet reviewers also fulfil genre expectations that a review be honest and balanced.
A corpus of 72 reviews was coded and analysed, in order to detect the ways in which broadsheet reviewers select certain rhetorical evaluative strategies to judge the book and the work of the author. As these evaluative strategies seem to cluster round the conjunct BUT, and this is a key hub of evaluation in the Broadsheet genre, a database of 111 sentences featuring the conjunct is established. It is found that evaluative strategies clustering round the conjunct BUT are carefully planned by reviewers who distribute them in salient parts of the text. The choice of linguistic resources to judge a book are dictated by interpersonal needs aimed at reducing the Face Threat to authors and readers. Consequently, the Praise and Criticism Pair - that has a huge hedging potential - is often chosen to evaluate the work of authors while Criticism is hardly ever placed at the beginning of the review. Interaction with the readers seems to impact the evaluative patterns that occur in BRs. The clauses before BUT act as a prelude for evaluative acts while the clauses after BUT are the locus where evaluation is presented to the reader. Both the Praise and Criticism Pair and Hedges ensure mitigated evaluative acts that are framed in a cogent line of argumentation which makes them acceptable to readers. The skillful use of hedging allows broadsheet reviewers to be critical towards the Author and Specific Aspects of the book that are the recurring targets of the BUT Node. One of the main claims of this thesis is that broadsheet reviews are argumentative texts where the key organizational principle underpinning discourse is the worry to justify the judgement presented about the book read. This justification is framed within argumentation.


A new convex-concave contact lens for wide-angle vitreoretinal surgery with the BIOM was developed. Placed on an eye, in which silicone oil is injected, it prevents the formation of an optically disturbing oil-water-film on the surface of the cornea. Thus the new contact lens leads to an essential improvement of the fundus view intraoperatively without affecting the optical properties of the BIOM.


Introduction Observation of student teachers and graduate teaching assistants in the second language classroom has long-been an essential component of teacher preparation and assessment. However, the guidance and support given to novice teachers during the teacher-preparation program is unfortunately a limited commodity. In all too many cases, the tremendous support surrounding the student teacher throughout his or her practicum comes to a screeching halt as soon as a degree is conferred. For this reason, the present article suggests that instead of focusing upon in-class observation as an assessment tool, observation combined with teaching diaries can provide student teachers with a unique type of feedback, as well as give them practice with a mechanism of auto-assessment and reflection that can be used throughout their careers. A review of traditional observation techniques provides the point of departure. Category Systems For decades, systematic observation of pre-service teachers was the technique of choice. Indeed, the ESL and language-teaching profession's "need for objectivity" (Allwright, 1988, p.44) during the 1960s and 1970s gave rise to a number of systematic category systems such as Flanders' interaction analysis (1967) and Moskowitz' Flint system (1976). Category systems were designed to produce accurate records of classroom events by recording and categorizing teacher and student actions at regular intervals--three second intervals in the case of Flanders' interaction analysis. While developing the FLint system, Moskowitz augmented the number of categories from Flanders' ten to an elaborate twenty-two. However, as objective as a detailed, and possibly exhaustive catalog might appear, observation systems are not without flaws. In fact, Allwright (1988) believes that category analyses have failed to provide a "sufficiently illuminating account of the data" (p.193). For Bailey (1975), the "ambiguities of the category definitions, the problem of making rapid decisions, [and] the inability to overcome certain prejudices are all [difficulties] which the [observer employing a category system] must confront" (p.337). Probably the most compelling problem with Flanders' system is the assumption that an external observer will be able to successfully detect and record a teacher's "understanding" or "acceptance," as is required for the first and third categories of the system. In other words, category systems attempt to observe the unobservable and to count the uncountable; when in fact, the "flow of classroom life is actually under the surface [...] and we must doubt the integrity of the observable" (Breen, 1985, p. 149). A Reaction to Category Observation Given that the language-teaching and teacher-preparation professions have grafted asocial research techniques onto a distinctly social situation--and that many teachers and researchers have equated valid and useful research to large-scale comparative studies--attempts to examine the individual learner or teacher have been met with skepticism (Allwright, 1988; Bailey, 1990; Reseigh Long, 1982). Moreover, many important classroom issues have been ignored simply because they do not fit into the narrow confines of what is researchable according to traditional techniques (Reseigh Long, 1982). Opposed to the rigid, systematic, and numeric vision of the classroom espoused by proponents of category systems, or of those belonging to the hard-core quantitative tradition, are the teachers and researchers who treat the classroom not as a laboratory, but as a unique, viable culture. (Bailey, 1990; Breen, 1985). According to Breen (1985), there are too many aspects of the classroom language learning situation that are neglected by so-called objective or quantitative research techniques. Instead, the classroom is a unique social situation that must be treated as such. Clearly, "no human social institution or relationship can be adequately understood unless account is taken of expectations, values, and beliefs that they engage" (p. …


The European Union is on the verge of establishing an emissions trading program ten times the size of the Acid Rain trading program in the United States. Its design takes advantage of many lessons from existing experience with trading programs, as well as economic theory, and innovates in important ways. While we view this as an impressive development, concerns about equity, enforcement, and efficiency remain. Specifically, a lack of data and weaker environmental institutions in some EU Member States raises questions about both allowance allocations and compliance and enforcement. Although much attention has focused on whether prices will be "too low" in the first phase of the program, a greater risk is that uncertainty about program elements, technology and behavioral response, and external events could create volatile markets and costly compliance in the second phase. Regardless of outcome, the EU trading system will be influential in future international efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.


Children and adults often have difficulties comparing decimal magnitudes. Although individuals attempt to reconcile decimals with prior whole-number and fraction knowledge, conceptual and procedural differences between decimals and prior knowledge of whole numbers and fractions can lead to incorrect strategies. The dynamic strategy choice account has proposed that saliency, recency, prior knowledge, and other factors contribute to strategy use when reasoning about decimals. We experimentally tested this theory using a priming technique to manipulate the saliency of different strategies prior to completion of a decimal magnitude comparison task. We hypothesized that whole-number priming (practicing whole-number comparisons with feedback) would increase whole-number bias in decimal comparisons (treating decimals with more digits as larger in magnitude), whereas fraction priming would increase fraction bias (treating decimals with fewer digits as larger in magnitude). We also explored participants' performance in decimal comparisons after being primed by decimal comparisons with feedback. Sixth to eighth graders (N = 149) and adults (N = 175) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 priming conditions: whole-number, fraction, decimal, or a control (flanker) task. Participants first completed numerical magnitude comparisons according to their priming condition (or control task) with feedback, then all conditions completed decimal comparisons without feedback. In both children and adults, fraction priming significantly reduced whole-number bias compared with the control. Among children, fraction priming significantly increased fraction bias. Moreover, children's performance in the control and whole-number-priming conditions was characterized by strong whole-number bias, but in the decimal-priming condition, relatively brief feedback substantially improved decimal comparison performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


In the previous issue of the District Overview, we used economic mobility data from a study by economists Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, Patrick Kline and Emmanuel Saez (CHKS hereafter) to compare economic mobility in the U.S. versus the Eighth District. We focused on an indicator of economic mobility that measures a family's probability of moving from the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution to the top 20 percent in one generation.1 We found that the probability of doing this for people born in the Eighth District was 6.4 percent, which is lower than the national average of 8.1 percent. We also found that in Memphis, Tenn., one of the four largest metro areas in the District, the probability of moving up was among the lowest in the country, at 2.8 percent, while in 14 counties of the District located in Mississippi, the probability was even lower.2 In this issue, we introduce some factors that may be part of an explanation for the differences in income mobility across locations. Then, we look at potential explanations for the low economic mobility in Memphis. As before, we shape our analysis based on the results of the CHKS study, released earlier this year. CHKS analyzed a set of 37 variables that can potentially help explain geographic differences in economic mobility. The economists highlighted five broad factors that seem to have the greatest statistical association with economic mobility. These factors are: (1) the share of black population and the degree of segregation; (2) income inequality as measured by the Gini Index; (3) quality of the school system; (4) social capital; and (5) family structure. Analyzing how economic mobility is related to these factors is an important step toward building good theories of mobility. However, one must keep in mind that a strong statistical association does not guarantee that there is a causal nexus between potentially explanatory factors and economic mobility. The main concern is that economic mobility and the potentially explanatory factor may both be caused by a third variable.3 In this District Overview, we highlight the first factor: racial composition. We picked this factor for three reasons. First, CHKS found racial configuration to be strongly related to mobility at a national level. Second, this channel seems important for Memphis as this commuting zone has one of the highest shares of black population in the country: 43.2 percent. Third, studies of intergenerational economic mobility have found that upward mobility in the United States is lower for black households. The figure plots the share of black population in the commuting zone and the probability of moving up. The data are looked at in two different ways: Panel A shows the universe of all commuting zones in the country, while panel B focuses only on those commuting zones where the population is at least 30 percent black. Panel A shows that both the level and the dispersion of economic mobility fall as we look at commuting zones with higher shares of black population. The added trend line shows that the average of these observations decreases from about 11 percent to about 2.5 percent as the black population share increases. Since our question is about mobility in Memphis, Panel B focuses exclusively on commuting zones that are comparable to Memphis' in terms of the black population share. We picked those with a share above 30 percent and represented Memphis with a red marker. Our first observation from Panel B is that mobility in all of these commuting zones is quite low. According to the data, knowing that a commuting zone has a black population above 30 percent is sufficient for inferring that the commuting zone has a probability of moving up of no more than 7 percent, which is well below the national average of 8.1 percent. This is a striking observation and the main fact highlighted by this District Overview. In fact, looking only at racial composition and using the fitted trend line as a guide, a commuting zone with a 43.2 percent black population is expected to have a probability of moving up of 3.5 percent. The fact that mobility in Memphis is roughly 1 percentage point below this trend line suggests that other factors besides racial composition are reducing mobility in this commuting zone relative to other commuting zones with a high black share. We leave an investigation of other potential factors for future research on the economy of the Eighth District. How can racial composition affect mobility? Unfortunately, there is no consensus about mechanisms that could be linking black share to upward mobility in a commuting zone. One potential link between these variables is as follows: If there is a racial gap in economic mobility such that black people have lower mobility than other people, then a higher fraction of black people in a particular commuting zone reduces measures of mobility for the commuting zone as a whole. This is simply known as a composition effect. Some evidence for this composition effect can be found in a recent paper by economist


This paper aims to map the reality of the concept of humanism education in the context of Islamic education. Education is one of the most essential keys in human life. In general, education aims to help humans to get the existence of humanity as a whole. Education also aims to make people better in life. Currently education has not been able to achieve the goals and objectives of education itself are humanizing human beings by optimizing all the potential that exists in human beings. On the contrary the education that occurs today only creates a human being a robot or machine that can be controlled. Education as a process of human humanization (humanization) comes from the idea of humanism. This is in line with the basic meaning of humanism as human education. The system of education in Islam built on the basis of humanistic values since its inception appears in accord with its essence as a humanity religion. Islam makes human dimension as the orientation of education. The insight of humanism in education carries the principle of empowering each human being as a free individual to develop its potential. That means education is held to manage and develop the human self in order to become a whole human according to human nature.