This paper presents the development of 2.5D and 3D extensions of a 2D procedure that is described in an earlier paper (see Zhang, Z. et al., Electronics Letters, vol.36, no.5, p.464-5, 2000) for modeling propagation environments. These methods are based on dividing the propagation region into cells whereby the number of cells is decided by the number of vertices of structures instead of their dimensions. Results from the 2.5D and 3D methods show significant improvement in computational efficiency. Specifically, the CPU time for the 2.5D method is less than 5% of that of the visibility ray tracing method. Accuracy, on the other hand, is related to that of a traditional ray tracing method and includes accounting for reflected, transmitted and diffracted rays.


This paper is mainly concentrated to the correlation between Total Precipitable Water (TPW) on one single column of the vertical air mass and radar reflectivity (Z) over Kototabang (0.2˚S; 100.32˚E), Bukittinggi, West Sumatera based on to the analysis of Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) and Boundary Layer Radar (BLR) data during the Coupling Processes of Equatorial Atmosphere (CPEA) Campaign I from April 10 to May 9, 2004 was going on. wWe firstly reviewed yhe basic concept of TPW using the Weisner method ti estimate the TPW value from the radiosonde data. We reviewed the basic concpt of RASS and BLR system also, especially on the Z data analysis. By arranging the mean value of RASS data every 10 minutes and 150 meter in height, respectively, we estimated the TPW values from the RASS data. By analysing the Cross Cirrelation Function (CCF) of both values taken from SPSS software version 13, we found a good agreement between TPW and Z parameter, especially on 5 May 2004. The correlation values are 0.05, and 0.61 at around 2.7 and 2.25 km, repectively. Although, the maximum correlation value in only 0.61, but this is still good enough to describe the correlation between TPW and Z.


We present a new algorithm for spectral clustering based on a column-pivoted QR factorization that may be directly used for cluster assignment or to provide an initial guess for k-means. Our algorithm is simple to implement, direct and requires no initial guess. Furthermore, it scales linearly in the number of nodes of the graph and a randomized variant provides significant computational gains. Provided the subspace spanned by the eigenvectors used for clustering contains a basis that resembles the set of indicator vectors on the clusters, we prove that both our deterministic and randomized algorithms recover a basis close to the indicators in Frobenius norm. We also experimentally demonstrate that the performance of our algorithm tracks recent information theoretic bounds for exact recovery in the stochastic block model. Finally, we explore the performance of our algorithm when applied to a real-world graph.


The world-wide availability of the huge amount of license-free spectral space in the 60 GHz band provides wide room for gigabit-per-second (Gb/s) wireless applications. A commercial (read: low-cost) 60-GHz transceiver will, however, provide limited system performance due to the stringent link budget and the substantial RF imperfections. The work presented in this thesis is intended to support the design of low-cost 60-GHz transceivers for Gb/s transmission over short distances (a few meters). Typical applications are the transfer of high-definition streaming video and high-speed download. The presented work comprises research into the characteristics of typical 60-GHz channels, the evaluation of the transmission quality as well as the development of suitable baseband algorithms. This can be summarized as follows. In the first part, the characteristics of the wave propagation at 60 GHz are charted out by means of channel measurements and ray-tracing simulations for both narrow-beam and omni-directional configurations. Both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) are considered. This study reveals that antennas that produce a narrow beam can be used to boost the received power by tens of dBs when compared with omnidirectional configurations. Meanwhile, the time-domain dispersion of the channel is reduced to the order of nanoseconds, which facilitates Gb/s data transmission over 60-GHz channels considerably. Besides the execution of measurements and simulations, the influence of antenna radiation patterns is analyzed theoretically. It is indicated to what extent the signal-to-noise ratio, Rician-K factor and channel dispersion are improved by application of narrow-beam antennas and to what extent these parameters will be influenced by beam pointing errors. From both experimental and analytical work it can be concluded that the problem of the stringent link-budget can be solved effectively by application of beam-steering techniques. The second part treats wideband transmission methods and relevant baseband algorithms. The considered schemes include orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) and single carrier with frequency-domain equalization (SC-FDE), which are promising candidates for Gb/s wireless transmission. In particular, the optimal linear equalization in the frei quency domain and associated implementation issues such as synchronization and channel estimation are examined. Bit error rate (BER) expressions are derived to evaluate the transmission performance. Besides the linear equalization techniques, a low-complexity inter-symbol interference cancellation technique is proposed to achieve much better performance of code-spreading systems such as MC-CDMA and SC-FDE. Both theoretical analysis and simulations demonstrate that the proposed scheme offers great advantages as regards both complexity and performance. This makes it particularly suitable for 60-GHz applications in multipath environments. The third part treats the influence of quantization and RF imperfections on the considered transmission methods in the context of 60-GHz radios. First, expressions for the BER are derived and the influence of nonlinear distortions caused by the digital-to-analog converters, analog-to-digital converters and power amplifiers on the BER performance is examined. Next, the BER performance under the influence of phase noise and IQ imbalance is evaluated for the case that digital compensation techniques are applied in the receiver as well as for the case that such techniques are not applied. Finally, a baseline design of a low-cost Gb/s 60-GHz transceiver is presented. It is shown that, by application of beam-steering in combination with SC-FDE without advanced channel coding, a data rate in the order of 2 Gb/s can be achieved over a distance of 10 meters in a typical NLOS indoor scenario.


The paper deals with the important sources of bauxite in India. The quartzitic bauxite of Madras has been discussed in detail. Digestion tests of Bihar bauxite and the Bayer's process are described.The consumption of raw materials for the manufacture of alumina and aluminium are given.
 Binding property of pitch and the types of electrodes
are mentioned. The various theories of electrolytic reactions are described. The types of furnaces and their advantages and disadvantages are described. The refining of aluminium metal and some of its practical operating data are given. Prospects of this industry have been examined.


Background. In order to gauge the impact of the HIV epidemic on psychotic disorders, the magnitude and causal direction of the association between HIV infection and psychosis need to be examined closely. Objective. To determine the HIV seropositivity rate among adult patients presenting with first-episode psychosis (FEP) to Town Hill Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Design. A cross-sectional, point-prevalence study was done over a 6-month period. Results. Of the 63 FEP patients in the study, 48 tested HIV- negative and 15 tested positive, giving a seroprevalence rate of 23.8%. Conclusion. The prevalence of HIV seropositivity is high among patients with FEP.


A rapid start-up of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) from subzero temperatures is essential for fuel cell vehicle commercialization. We explore the limits of the start-up time and the required cell material properties and operating conditions using an experimentally validated model. A linear class of current-ramping protocols is proposed and optimized for a rapid cold start. A PEMFC with a standard cell thermal mass of 0.4 J/cm 2 K starting from -30°C is of primary interest and is extensively studied in this work. Either a small initial current density (e.g., 100 mA/cm 2 ) combined with an intermediate ramping rate or a relatively large initial current density (e.g., 200 mA/cm 2 ) in combination with a small ramping rate can lead to a successful self-start if the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is sufficiently dry before the start-up. However, a current-ramping cold start using an insufficient initial current density (e.g., ≤50 mA/cm 2 ) shuts down with any ramping rate. A more rapid self-start can be achieved by increasing the initial current density, which is mainly limited by the initial water content in the MEA. Hence, keeping the MEA mildly hydrated before the cold start can be favorable to a rapid start-up of a PEMFC using current ramping. This strategy is particularly effective for the rapid start-up of next-generation PEMFCs with reduced thermal mass. A PEMFC with a thermal mass of 0.2 J/cm 2 K and a relatively wet MEA can be successfully started from -30°C in about 5 s by applying an initial current density of as high as 1 A/cm 2 .


In this dissertation, I conduct experimental labor markets to investigate the effectiveness of an optimal agency contract in inducing employee effort and maximizing firm profit. I compare firm profit under the optimal agency contract to that under a theoretically sub-optimal contract that relies on the norm of reciprocity to motivate employee effort, and explore how factors outside standard agency models affect the relative profitability of the two contracts. Experimental results show that firm profit is higher under the optimal agency contract in markets where only one of the two contracts is available, but is statistically indistinguishable between the two contracts in markets where both contracts are available. These results are inconsistent with the assumptions of agency theory, but are consistent with my proposition that employees'perceptions about the intentions underlying firms' contract offers, which play no role in standard agency theory, influence employees' reactions to the offers, and that this, in turn, affects the relative profitability of the two contracts. The implications of these results for research on incentives, contracting, and social norms, and for the design of management control systems in practice, are discussed.


To the Editor: We wish to provide some additional information not covered in the review of granulocyte transfusions by Dr. Higby and Dr. Burnett.' First, we and other investigators of granulocyte transfusions are still very preoccupied in research attempting to demonstrate whether granulocyte transfusions work. Most of our efforts have been stimulated by the vulnerability of previously published studies of granulocyte transfusion therapy to critical analysis2 and the fact that most infected neutropenic patients will respond to appropriate antimicrobial therapy alone.3'4 Criticisms against previous controlled studies of therapeutic granubocyte transfusions3 include: (1 ) the marked variability in the patients studied with respect to age, reversibility of underlying disease, the degree of neutropenia, and the types of infections and causative organisms; (2) the variation in the types and duration of antimicrobial therapy; and (3) the application of different criteria for evaluating response to therapy. Moreover, none of these studies included more than 20 patients in either the transfused or control group. The analysis of relatively few patients with very complex underlying illnesses and infections may only allow slight differences in prognostic factors between the transfused and control groups to bias the results. In most of these studies, the positive effect of transfused granulocytes was frequently short-lived, and a significant number of transfused patients died shortly after they were released from the study. For all of the above persons, a multicentered, controlled trial both therapeutic and prophylactic granulocyte transfusions sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is now being carried out in order to accumulate the large number of patients needed to assure better comparability of transfused and control patients in terms of important prognostic factors and to provide data indicating which patients, if any, might benefit from granulocyte transfusions. This ongoing study should be completed soon. Second, the data on granulocyte procurement provided by Dr. Higby and Dr. Burnett may not be representative of most transfusion centers. Indeed, in a survey of 10 centers located in Southern California,' we found that the mean cost of a granulocyte transfusion to the patient or his medical insurer is $468.00 (range, $280.00 -$600.00). The Haemonetics Model 30 blood processor is used almost exclusively by all the centers for collection of granulocytes by intermittent flow centrifugation. Only 4 of the centers stimulate the donors with both corticosteroids and hydroxyethyl starch, and a mean granulocyte yield per procedure of 1.3 x l0'#{176} (range,


Hard Bargaining in Sumatra is an artfully written and penetrating examination of interactions between Western travelers and Toba Batak wood carvers in the souvenir marketplaces of Samosir Island, North Sumatra. Toba Batak carvings, ranging from simple human figures of wood to elaborately engraved water buffalo horns, are described in tourist guidebooks and by Toba Batak vendors alike as "traditional" and "antique," despite many recent changes and inventions in form. This pathbreaking work investigates how notions of place and self are constructed by the travelers and the Bataks in the context of ethnic tourism. The author proposes that these interactions be understood in light of Louis Marin's concept of utopics, suggesting that tourist venues such as hotels and marketplaces are neutral spaces where both locals and visitors can act out behaviors that would ordinarily be constrained by their respective cultures. Rich in ethnographic description and employing a lively narrative style, Hard Bargaining in Sumatra is essential reading for students and scholars with interests in anthropology, cultural studies, globalization and tourism research, art history, and identity studies.


In the present study a rat leukemia NK cell line designated CRC- (derived from RNK-16 cells) was shown to spontaneously transform into a noncytolytic (NL) line referred to as CRC-/NL cells. CRC- and CRC-/NL cells were utilized to study pathways of NK activation by phorbol esters, calcium ionophore (A23187), and monoclonal antibody (mAb). 10(-6)-10(-7) M phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) but not phorbol didecanoate or 4-beta-phorbol activated CRC-/NL to lyse YAC-1 targets. Activated CRC-/NL cells produced 20-90% specific cytotoxicity compared to 0-5% for nonactivated cells. 10(-7) M PMA inhibited normal CRC- cytotoxicity. The optimum concentration of PMA for activation was 10(-6)-10(-7) M and 3-6 h treatment time. Augmentation of cytotoxicity by PMA occurred at different E:T ratios. The time required to reverse the PMA activation of CRC-/NL cells was approximately 9-10 h posttreatment. In an effort to attempt to differentiate pathways which initiated activation, CRC-/NL cells were treated with FAM binding mAb, or with combinations of mAb and ionophore, mAb and PMA, or PMA and A23187. mAb singly or in combination with 10(-7) M PMA increased cytotoxicity. However, A23187 either singly or when combined with PMA or mAb did not produce an augmented lysis of YAC-1 target cells. Additional experiments were conducted to determine if PMA activation was associated with FAM binding. This was accomplished by analyzing redirected killing of various FAM mAb-producing myeloma cells in the presence of 10(-7) M PMA. PMA treatment of the CRC-/NL cells caused a significant increase in the lysis of myeloma/mAb-producing cells compared to control cells. Further evidence that FAM binding was associated with cytotoxicity was presented by demonstrating specific inhibition of redirected lysis by homologous mAb. Phenotype analysis of CRC- and CRC-/NL cells demonstrated that OX-7 and OX-1 expression on CRC-/NL cells was increased by 71.8 and 86.8% respectively compared to CRC-. FAM expression (78-83% positives) by CRC- and CRC-/NL cells was not different. These experiments indicated at the functional level that rat NK cells can be activated for increased cytotoxicity by FAM-specific mAb binding and/or by treatment with the diacylglycerol analogue PMA. This implies that protein kinase C mobilization either singly or in concert with inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate activation following FAM mAb binding may play important roles in NK cell cytotoxicity.


Vibrations caused by automobile engine are absorbed mostly by a passive-type engine mount. However, user specifications for automobile vibrations require more stringent conditions and higher standard. Hence, active-type engine mount have been developed to cope with such specifications. The active-type engine mount consists of sensor, actuator and controller where a control algorithm is implemented. The performance of the active engine mount depends on the control algorithm if the sensor and actuator satisfies the specification. The control algorithm should be able to suppress persistent vibrations caused by the engine which are related to engine revolution. In this study, three control algorithms are considered for suppressing persistent vibrations, which are the positive position feedback control algorithm, the strain-rate feedback control algorithm, and the modified higher harmonic control algorithm. Experimental results show that all the control algorithms considered in this study are effective in suppressing resonant vibrations but the modified higher harmonic controller is the most effective controller for non-resonant vibrations.


Richard Samuels's book 3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan is, to date, the most authoritative English-language study of the impact of history's costliest natural and man-made disasters on Japan's political economy of energy and the implications for intergovernmental relations. The book uses a narrative approach, deftly outlining the institutional terrain prior to 3.11 and presenting the key actors and core arguments for a return to business as usual versus alternatives advanced by reformists. Samuels maps Japan's fights over energy and regional governance, providing a valuable resource for examining those linked conflicts in the larger context of accelerating global paradigm shifts in energy and the character of the city regions that consume the vast majority of it. In Japan, as is true elsewhere, energy is the fundamental economic sector. For decades predictable and taken for granted, energy is suddenly dynamic, with disruptive change being spurred in particular by communities' search for resilience and sustainability in the face of multiple crises.Samuels's considerable background in research and writing on Japanese energy and local government left him better prepared than most concerning what to pay attention to in the confusion following 3.11. He neither takes sides nor picks winners, save in betting on expanding opportunities for the local governments who star in his account (p. 197). This detachment allows Samuels to explicate the broad range of interests wanting to rebuild the disrupted status quo ante as well as the challengers who swiftly rose to prominence amid the chaos.His analysis shows us that prior to 3.11 Japanese energy policymaking was dominated by a "nuclear village" centered on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); the utilities; the nuclear industry; cooperative political, business, media, and academic elites; and advocates in the communities hosting nuclear plants. Japan's power economy-the world's third-largest-featured the most profound monopolization of any developed country, not just in terms of generation and transmission assets, along with the rules governing them, but also via dense and dangerously complacent political and business alliances in the national capital and throughout the country. Compact and powerfully incentivized, the nuclear village had seized control over fiscal, regulatory, and other resources and had driven a nuclear energy paradigm into the core of Japanese policymaking. The dominant discourse, inscribed in energy, environmental, and economic-growth policy, depicted nuclear power as the cheapest, most reliable, and most realistic option, declaring it also to be completely safe as well as the bedrock of energy security. Prior to 3.11, Japan's nuclear program was thus set to expand from under a third of electrical power production to reach over half of the nation's power generation by 2030. In a country with scarce conventional energy resource endowments, oceans away from increasingly precarious and expensive fossil-fuel supplies, the governmentbacked nuclear paradigm possessed immense resources, credibility, and political momentum, enabling it to obfuscate a startling record of accidents, cover-ups, cost overruns, and other scandals.Samuels details how the shock of 3.11 shattered this structure of interests and its commanding narrative, delivering a particularly large blow to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the world's largest private utility. The nuclear village continues to be eroded by public opposition to its vision, the already monumental and still-mounting costs of the Fukushima Daiichi reactor meltdowns, and the spread of renewable and efficiency alternatives among local governments, households, businesses, and other rapidly multiplying "prosumers" (producers and consumers) of energy. Even the subsequent return of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), headed by an explicitly pro-nuclear prime minister, has yet to contain this momentum for an energy shift. …


This study investigates 201 Singaporean teachers' perceptions of their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), lesson design practices, and design dispositions through a survey instrument. Investigation of these constructs reveal important variables influencing teachers' perceptions of TPACK which have not yet been explored. The confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument. The structural equation model shows that the teachers' perceptions of design dispositions (orientations towards design) and lesson design practices (approaches used for lesson design) have direct relationships with the teachers' perceptions of TPACK. The results of this study show that to enhance teachers' TPACK perceptions, teacher educators need to help teachers develop lesson design practices that support ideation and iteration. They also need to develop teachers' design dispositions that are amenable to exploring and resolving conflicting lesson design ideas. Going beyond TPACK, understandings of teachers' lesson design practices and design dispositions are important for teacher educators to better design professional development for integration of information and communications technology.


OBJECTIVE
We assessed whether Index60, a composite measure of fasting C-peptide, 60-min C-peptide, and 60-min glucose, could improve the metabolic staging of type 1 diabetes for progression to clinical disease (stage 3) among autoantibody-positive (Ab+) individuals with normal 2-h glucose values (<140 mg/dL).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We analyzed 3,058 Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Pathway to Prevention participants with 2-h glucose <140 mg/dL and Index60 <1.00 values from baseline oral glucose tolerance tests. Characteristics associated with type 1 diabetes (younger age, greater Ab+, higher HLA DR3-DQ2/DR4-DQ8 prevalence, and lower C-peptide) were compared among four mutually exclusive groups: top 2-h glucose quartile only (HI-2HGLU), top Index60 quartile only (HI-IND60), both top quartiles (HI-BOTH), and neither top quartile (LO-BOTH). Additionally, within the 2-h glucose distribution of <140 mg/dL and separately within the Index60 <1.00 distribution, comparisons were made between those above or below the medians.

RESULTS
HI-IND60 and HI-BOTH were younger, with greater frequency of more than two Ab+, and lower C-peptide levels, than either HI-2HGLU or LO-BOTH (all P < 0.001). The cumulative incidence for stage 3 was greater for HI-IND60 and HI-BOTH than for either HI-2HGLU or LO-BOTH (all P < 0.001). Those with Index60 values above the median were younger and had higher frequency of two or more Ab+ (P < 0.001) and DR3-DQ2/DR4-DQ8 prevalence (P < 0.001) and lower area under the curve (AUC) C-peptide levels (P < 0.001) than those below. Those above the 2-h glucose median had higher AUC C-peptide levels (P < 0.001), but otherwise did not differ from those below.

CONCLUSION
Index60 identifies individuals with characteristics of type 1 diabetes at appreciable risk for progression who would otherwise be missed by 2-h glucose staging criteria.


: Three new allotypes were discovered in mink sera by means of isoimmunization. Based on the results of identifications, they were referred to the Lpm system of serum alpha2-lipoprotein. They were designated as Lpm 6, Lpm 7 and Lpm 8. The allotyping of serum samples from 342 minks made possible to establish a relation between Lpm 7 and Lpm 8 using the chi2 method; it was also found that these two allotypes related to each of the first five Lpm as well as to their phenotypes, which was described earlier. There was a significant dependence of the expression of Lpm 6 on Lpm 5 indicating a genetic relation between Lpm 6 and other allotypes. The detection of Lpm 6, 7 and 8, which are the most likely under the control of the same gene (or a sustem of genes) as Lpm 1, 2, 3 and 5, is an evidence for the complex structure of the Lpm locus.


Besides sliding apart antiparallel microtubules during spindle elongation, the mitotic kinesin-5, Eg5 promotes microtubule polymerization, emphasizing its importance in mitotic spindle length control. Here, we characterize the Eg5 microtubule polymerase mechanism by assessing motor-induced changes in the longitudinal and lateral tubulin-tubulin bonds that form the microtubule lattice. Isolated Eg5 motor domains promote microtubule nucleation, growth and stability. Eg5 binds preferentially to microtubules over free tubulin, and colchicine-like inhibitors that stabilize the bent conformation of tubulin allosterically inhibit Eg5 binding, consistent with a model in which Eg5 induces a curved-to-straight transition in tubulin. Domain swap experiments establish that the family-specific Loop11, which resides near the nucleotide-sensing Switch-II domain, is necessary and sufficient for the polymerase activity of Eg5. Thus, we propose a microtubule polymerase mechanism in which Eg5 at the plus-end promotes a curved-to-straight transition in tubulin that enhances lateral bond formation and thereby promotes microtubule growth and stability.


HYPOTHESIS
Polyadenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP) has been implicated as a mediator of inflammation and tissue necrosis in murine models of human stroke and myocardial infarction. This study was designed to determine whether PARP modulates skeletal muscle injury and cytokine-growth factor levels during ischemia-reperfusion.

DESIGN
Prospective controlled animal study.

SETTING
Medical school-affiliated university hospital.

INTERVENTIONS
Mice were divided into 2 groups-treated (PJ) and untreated; all mice were subjected to unilateral hind limb tourniquet ischemia followed by 4 or 48 hours of reperfusion. In treated mice, PJ34, an ultrapotent-specific PARP inhibitor was given immediately before ischemia and prior to reperfusion. A group of PARP-1 knockout mice (PARP-/-) were also subjected to hind limb ischemia followed by 48 hours of reperfusion.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
After ischemia-reperfusion, muscle was harvested for measurement of edema, viability, cytokine, and vascular endothelial growth factor content.

RESULTS
The PJ34-treated mice had increased skeletal muscle viability when compared with the untreated mice after 4 and 48 hours of reperfusion (P<.01). Viability between PARP-/- and PJ34-treated mice were similar at 48 hours of reperfusion (P>.05), and it exceeded that of untreated mice (P<.01). Tissue edema was unaltered by PARP inhibition. Tissue levels of cytokine were only different (P<.05) in PJ34-treated vs untreated mice at 48 hours of reperfusion. Vascular endothelial growth factor levels in PJ34-treated mice were markedly reduced when compared with untreated mice only after 4 hours of reperfusion (P<.01), and in PARP-/- mice (P<.01) at 48 hours of reperfusion.

CONCLUSIONS
Polyadenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase modulates skeletal muscle viability, cytokine and vascular endothelial growth factor synthesis during reperfusion. Polyadenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase inhibition may represent a novel method to modulate skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury.


Gaussian process regression is widely used in many fields, for example, machine learning, reinforcement learning and uncertainty quantification. One key component of Gaussian process regression is the unknown correlation function, which needs to be specified. In this paper, we investigate what would happen if the correlation function is misspecified. We derive upper and lower error bounds for Gaussian process regression with possibly misspecified correlation functions. We find that when the sampling scheme is quasi-uniform, the optimal convergence rate can be attained even if the smoothness of the imposed correlation function exceeds that of the true correlation function. We also obtain convergence rates of kernel ridge regression with misspecified kernel function, where the underlying truth is a deterministic function. Our study reveals a close connection between the convergence rates of Gaussian process regression and kernel ridge regression, which is aligned with the relationship between sample paths of Gaussian process and the corresponding reproducing kernel Hilbert space. This work establishes a bridge between Bayesian learning based on Gaussian process and frequentist kernel methods with reproducing kernel Hilbert space.


The measuring temperature and force experiments of cutting heat-resistance steel (3Cr-1Mo-1/4V alloy and 1Cr18Ni9 alloy) by plane milling insert and milling insert with complex groove that invented by ourselves has been done, meanwhile, the falling process of sticking-welding chip when milling insert cut-in and cut-out has been observed by high-speed photograph. Mechanical-thermal coupled field has been analyzed using ANSYS, and equivalent complex stress of the coupled field is larger than the stress of single field distinctly, it shows that they have a relation of direct proportion. The results of test and analysis show that the main reasons of adhesion failure are heat that produced in cutting process and the change of temperature grads during cut-in or cut-out and alternate tension stress and stress impact during cut-in or cut-out., which provides technical support and experimental data for the groove's optimization and reconstruction of milling insert with 3D complex groove.


Three isolates of  P. aeruginosa were isolated from burnt patients. The ability of these isolates for adhesion and formation of slime layer were tested, the result showed that all isolates were able to adherence on the smooth surface. The sensitivity of  P. aeruginosa isolates for antibiotics were tested , all isolates were sensitive  to Gentamycin, Piperacillin and Amikacin Ciprofloxacin, and  resist to Tetracyclin, Amoxicillin, Cephalexine , Ceftriaxone. Ciprofloxacin and Amikacin were found effective against P. aeruginosa isolates with MIC values of 3.8 μg/ ml for  Ciprofloxacin  and 0.244 μg/ ml for Amikacin The antibacterial effect of Different concentrations of Aloe vera gel, Sesame Oil and Camphor Oil against P. aeruginosa were determined, Camphor was highly effective with Concentration inhibit bacteria value of 10% followed by Sesame Oil (20%) and Aloe vera gel (>75%). The combinations of Aloe vera gel, Sesame Oil and Camphor Oil and antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin and Amikacin ) showed that the efficacy of  the two antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin and Amikacin ) against P.aeroginosa isolates was improved in the presence of Aloe vera gel, Sesame Oil and Camphor Oil.
Key words : Aloe vera gel, Sesame Oil , Camphor Oil , Pseudomonas aeruginosa.


Existing face relighting methods often struggle with two problems: maintaining the local facial details of the subject and accurately removing and synthesizing shadows in the relit image, especially hard shadows. We propose a novel deep face relighting method that addresses both problems. Our method learns to predict the ratio (quotient) image between a source image and the target image with the desired lighting, allowing us to relight the image while maintaining the local facial details. During training, our model also learns to accurately modify shadows by using estimated shadow masks to emphasize on the high-contrast shadow borders. Furthermore, we introduce a method to use the shadow mask to estimate the ambient light intensity in an image, and are thus able to leverage multiple datasets during training with different global lighting intensities. With quantitative and qualitative evaluations on the Multi-PIE and FFHQ datasets, we demonstrate that our proposed method faithfully maintains the local facial details of the subject and can accurately handle hard shadows while achieving state-of-the-art face relighting performance.


Summary. Despite evidence of importance of water for the general population' health, water intake estimates in breastfeeding women are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed at estimating water intakes and identifying dietary water sources in a sample of Croatian breastfeeding women one month postpartum. For the sake of comparison, water intakes of similarly aged non-breastfeeding postpartum women were estimated too. A total of 83 full-breastfeeding and 76 non-breastfeeding women were recruited. Data on total water intake were collected from two consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. On average, the breastfeeding women take 73.61% and the non-breastfeeding 88.45% of the recommended water amount. In the breastfeeding women, 44.80% of the total water intake was represented by plain water, 20.02% by other beverages and 35.18% by food moisture, similar as with the non-breastfeeding group (39.40%, 28.30% and 32.30%, respectively). Except for the plain water, whose average intake was 890.32 ml/day in the breastfeeding and 696.24 ml/day in the non-breastfeeding women, the main water sources in the breastfeeding group were milk and dairy, while in the non-breastfeeding group these were sugar-sweetened beverages and vegetables. In the breastfeeding group, water intake positively correlated with the total (r=0.47; p<0.001), protein-derived (r=0.16; p=0.036) and carbohydrate-derived energy intake (r=0.19; p<0.001), but inversely with fat-derived energy intake (r=-0.22; p=0.039). The same was established in the non-breastfeeding group. Given that total water intake of the surveyed women was found inadequate, these estimates can guide both further research and messages raising general public awareness on the importance of adequate water intake in breastfeeding women.


Current mainstream architectures have ISAs that are not able to maintain all the information provided by the application programmer using a high level programming language. Typically, the information that is lost in compiling to a low-level ISA is related to parallelism and speculation [14]. For example some loops are typically expressed as parallel loops by the programmer but later the processor is not able to determine this level of parallelism; conditional execution might apply control independent execution that at execution time is basically impossible to detect; function and object-level parallelism is lost when code is transformed into a low-level ISA that is oblivious to programmer intentions and high-level programming structures.
Object Oriented Programming Languages are arguably the most successful programming medium because they help the programmer to use well-known practices about data distribution through operations related with the associated data. Therefore object oriented models express data/execution locality more naturally and in an efficient manner. Other OO software mechanisms such as derivation and polymorphism further help the programmer to exploit locality better. Once object oriented programs have been compiled then all information about data/execution locality is completely lost in current assembly code (ISA code). Maintaining this information until runtime is crucial to improve locality and security. Finally, Object Oriented Programming Models maintain the idea of memory (data memory) far from the programmer. These are all desirable qualities that is mostly lost in the compilation to a low-level ISA that is oblivious to the Object-Oriented Programming model.
This report considers implementing the Object Oriented (OO) Programming Model directly in the hardware to serve as a base to exploit object/level parallelism, speculation and heterogeneous computing. Towards this goal, we present new computer architecture that implements the OO Programming Models. All its hardware structures are objects and its Instruction Set directly utilizes objects hiding totally the notion of memory and other complex hardware structures. It also maintains all high-level programming language information until execution time. This enables efficient extraction of available parallelism in OO serial or parallel code at execution time with minimal compiler support. We will demonstrate the potential of this novel computer architecture through several examples.


This book of essays is concerned with aspects of religion, magic, and witchcraft in medieval and early-modern Europe, with particular reference to Central Europe. Drawing on a range of theoretical and methodological work including that of Elias, Geertz, Bakhtin, and Turner, the author gives special attention to the history of the body and of gesture, of symbolism and representation, and shows how these dimensions can be related to religious and mystical beliefs and practices.Among the topics discussed are conflicts in twelfth-century Christianity and the tensions between popular religion and learned urban Christianity; heretical and nonconformist behavior in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; the celestial courts of holy princesses in thirteenth-century Central Europe; shamanistic elements in Central European witchcraft; witch-beliefs and witch- hunting in Hungary in the early-modern period; and the decline of beliefs in witches and the rise of beliefs about vampires in the eighteenth-century Habsburg monarchy.


The study examines the basic research methodologies and approaches for assessing business performance. It provides a critical literature analysis on how perception-based evaluation can be used to evaluate performance, specifically for SMEs. The analysis of the literature covers articles from major journals related to the topic. The methodology followed during the conduct of this paper involves starting with the broad case of articles in general business performance measurement, then focusing on the indicators used to study SMEs. Next, the review screens the list, focusing on the differences between subjective and objective measures. The validity issue related to subjective measures is also discussed.


It is important to keep lists of invasive and alien species up to date, but it can be difficult to determine when species should be removed from such lists. One such example is the urchin, Tetrapygus niger (Molina, 1782), which is believed to have been unintentionally introduced to Alexander Bay on the west coast of South Africa with oyster spat imported for aquaculture (the only recorded alien population of T. niger globally). This species is a kelp grazer in its native range, capable of converting healthy kelp populations to barren landscapes. This study involved the re-survey of two aquaculture dams in September 2014, which previously contained the urchin, as well as intertidal and subtidal transects of the surrounding coast. Tetrapygus niger were absent from all sites, despite the presence of a healthy population of native urchins Parechinus angulosus (Leske, 1778). There was also little indication of urchin grazing on kelp stipes. As a result of this absence record, it is recommended that T. niger be removed from the South African list of introduced marine species, and from global lists of invasive species.


OBJECTIVE
To study the expression of adhesion molecules in epithelial cells from patients with COPD.

METHOD
The expression of ICAM-1 and HLA-DR in airway epithelial cells from 10 COPD patients, 7 asthmatic patients, 9 chronic bronchitis patients, and 10 healthy volunteers was evaluated using immunohistochemistry techniques. The cells were stained and analysed microscopically.

RESULT
The percentage of neutrophils in brushing cells from COPD(0.04) were significantly higher than those from asthma(0.01) and normal subjects (0.01). More goblet cells were found in COPD (mean 0.13) and chronic bronchitis (mean 0.11) as compared with asthma (0.03) and healthy volunteers. As to the expression of ICAM-1 in COPD, the percentage of cells expressing ICAM-1(15%) significantly increased in comparison with chronic bronchitis (6.28% P < 0.05), healthy volunteer(1.8%, P < 0.05), and asthma (8.8%, P > 0.05). The score of expression of ICAM-1 in COPD was significantly higher than those in asthma (P < 0.05), chronic bronchitis (P < 0.05) and normal subjects (P < 0.001). As to the expression of HLA-DR in COPD, the percentage of cells expressing HLA-DR(5.9%) significantly increased in comparison with normal subjects (0.6% P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference among COPD, asthma and chronic bronchitis. The score of expression of HLA-DR in COPD was significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers (P < 0.001), chronic bronchitis (P < 0.001) and asthma (P < 0.05). In addition, the percentage of neutrophils in brushing cells from COPD significantly correlated with the expression of ICAM-1 (r = 0.81, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
Upregulation of ICAM-1 in epithelial cell from COPD correlates with the neutrophil infiltration in COPD. Lymphocytes are in an active state in COPD and the use of brush biopsies of the bronchial epithelium may serve as a diagnostic tool for differentiation among COPD, chronic bronchitis and asthma.


The authors present a method for multiarea generation system reliability assessment. It is based on direct sampling of generating unit states, the clustering technique, and the correlative normal distribution sampling technique of the load states. A linear programming model was used to minimize the total load curtailment. Area load uncertainty, correlation between area loads, and generating unit derated state were considered. Incorporation of these factors does not create a significant increase in computing time. Sensitivity indices of both system and each area to area generation and tie line capacities can be calculated. These indices provide information regarding which tie line or which area generating capacity should be reinforced from the overall system and each area point of view. Calculation results of a four-area system are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. >


This article is devoted to the hash function that provides closure of biometrics in information networks for remote access to client account. There is proposed hash function which is described as a table of numbers. Verification of sustainability of cryptographic hash functions is performed. The session key for the hash is determined by the sequence of biometric data. The protocol of mutual authentication of a client and the server of payment system is given. The number of client's safe applications to ATM is estimated.


DNA methylation is involved in various biological phenomena, and its dysregulation has been demonstrated as being correlated with a number of human disease processes, including cancers, autism, and autoimmune, mental health and neuro-degenerative ones. It has become important and useful in characterising and modelling these biological phenomena in order to understand the mechanism of such occurrences, in relation to both health and disease. An attempt has previously been made to map DNA methylation across human tissues, however, the means of distinguishing between methylated, unmethylated and differentially-methylated groups using DNA sequence features remains unclear. The aim of this study is therefore to: firstly, investigate DNA methylation classes and predict these based on DNA sequence features; secondly, to further identify methylationassociated DNA sequence features, and distinguish methylation differences between males and females in relation to both healthy and diseased, statuses. This research is conducted in relation to three samples within nine biological feature sub-sets extracted from DNA sequence patterns (Human genome database). Two samples contain classes (methylated, unmethylated and differentially-methylated) within a total of 642 samples with 3,809 attributes driven from four human chromosomes, i.e. chromosomes 6, 20, 21 and 22, and the third sample contains all human chromosomes, which encompasses 1628 individuals, and then 1,505 CpG loci (features) were extracted by using Hierarchical clustering (a process Heatmap), along with pair correlation distance and then applied feature selection methods. From this analysis, author extract 47 features associated with gender and age, with 17 revealing significant methylation differences between males and females. Methylation classes prediction were applied a K-nearest Neighbour classifier, combined with a ten-fold crossvalidation, since to some data were severely imbalanced (i.e., existed in sub-classes), and it has been established that direct analysis in machine-learning is biased towards the majority class. Hence, author propose a ModifiedLeave-One-Out (MLOO) cross-validation and AdaBoost methods to tackle these issues, with the aim of compositing a balanced outcome and limiting the bias interference from inter-differences of the classes involved, which has provided potential predictive accuracies between 75% and 100%, based on the DNA sequence context.


Budgets and Markets highlights the decisions involved in budgeting and marketing European films. It looks at the origin, development, production, distribution, financing and profit of thirteen European films, including such critical and popular successes as Tacones Lejones (High Heels) by Pedro Almodovar; Oci Ciornie (Dark Eyes) by Nikita Mikhalkov; Peter's Friends by Keneth Branagh and La Discrete by Christian Vincent. Detailed financial data is reinforced by interviews with the producers of each film. The core of the analysis is based on the question 'Was this film made at the right price for the right market?'.


The Late Cretaceous Canyon San Fernando channel-levee system in the Rosario Formation of Mexico contains a diverse assemblage of trace fossils that is fully documented for the first time. The aim of this study is to describe the trace fossils present and document their palaeoenvironmental range across a turbidite-channel-levee system, from the coarse-grained channel axes within the channel belt to the most distal parts of the external levee. Trace fossil distributions are strongly controlled by palaeoenvironments and physical and chemical conditions within the turbidite system. Large, deep-tier deposit-feeding macrofauna are most abundant in and close to the channel axes (i.e., organisms forming Ophiomorpha rudis and Scolicia), and smaller, deposit-feeding and gardening organisms are more abundant in more distal terrace and external levee environments. The distribution of shallow-tier ichnotaxa (e.g., graphoglyptids) is restricted to levee and terrace/overbank settings. It is not known whether this represents the true ecological range of the trace-making organisms, or the limit of the suitable taphonomic conditions required for their preservation. Further studies of this kind will help shed further light on the biological, physical, and chemical controls on trace fossil assemblages across a variety of turbidite depositional systems throughout the Phanerozoic. Integrated ichnological and palaeoenvironmental analysis of deep marine clastic sediments has an important potential role to play in the analysis and characterization of hydrocarbon reservoirs in the subsurface.


This research investigated the phylogenetic relationships and population genetics of two species of fur seal in order to provide a basis for the study of the hybridisation of these species at Macquarie Island. The Antarctic (Arctocephalus gaze/la) and subantarctic fur seals (Arctocepha/us tropicalis) occur throughout the subantarctic region of the Southern Ocean, hauling out on remote islands throughout the region to breed. Both species were subject to intense sealing activities in the 18th and 19th centuries. The competitive and indiscriminate nature of the industry ensured that all populations were greatly reduced in size, with some becoming extinct. The cessation of sealing in the early 20th century has allowed both species to recover in number, and recolonise islands across their former range. The current range for the Antarctic fur seal overlaps with that of the subantarctic fur seal at lies Crozet, Marion Island and Macquarie Island. Hybridisation has been reported at low levels at Marion Island, and at higher levels at Macquarie Island. The situation at Macquarie Island is further complicated by the presence of an additional species, the New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) While this species is not breeding on the island, some males participate in the breeding process, with some hybrids being produced This research seeks to apply molecular methods to investigate the hybridisation that is occurring at Macquarie Island within the context of the evolutionary and recent history of the two breeding fur seal species, and to a lesser extent, the New Zealand fur seal.
The phylogenetic relationships of the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals were investigated within the context of the family Otariidae. This family include the nine species of fur seal (Genera Arctocephalus and Callorhinus), and five species of sea lion (Genera Neophoca, Phocarctos, Eumetopias, Zalophus, and Otaria). A 360 base pair region of the cytochrome b gene in the maternally inherited mitochondrial genome was used for the primary phylogenetic analysis of the family, while a 356 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial control region was used to enhance resolution of the terminal nodes. The traditional classification of the family into the two. subfamilies Arctocephalinae (fur seals) and Otariinae (sea lioris) was not supported, as the fur seal Cal/orhinus ursinus was found to be basal to all other fur seal and sea lion taxa. While four sea lion clades and five fur seal clades were consistently observed through all analyses conducted, it was not possible to adequately resolve the relationships among these clades. This probably reflects the rapid radiation of these taxa that occurred about 3 million years ago. The subantarctic fur seal was found to be most closely related to the Australian and Cape fur seals (A. pusillus) while the closest species related to the Antarctic fur seal was not clearly resolved. However, there were discrete species specific differences observed between the Antarctic, subantarctic and New Zealand fur seals in both the cytochrome b gene and the control region, providing the basis for species identification within the hybridising population at Macquarie Island.
The investigation into the level and distribution of genetic variation in the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals was conducted using two classes of molecular marker. The mitochondrial control region is a commonly used marker for investigation into population genetics issues, due in part to the relatively high rate of mutation. Microsatellites are highly variable regions within the nuclear genome, and with a bi-parental mode of inheritance, provide a natural complement to the maternally inherited mitochondrial genes. Given that historic records indicate both fur seal species had passed through population bottlenecks as a result of sealing, it was suspected that the current level of genetic variation may be low. This is because reduced levels of variation have been observed in other species that have passed through extreme population bottlenecks at some stage in the recent past (eg. the northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris). Surprisingly, the nucleotide diversities of the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals, as determined by the mitochondrial control region, were found to be high (3.2% and 4.8% respectively). The level of genetic variation as exhibited by the 10 microsatellite loci was generally high (overall heterozygosity levels 0.54-0.62 for the three species), though variable between loci. Despite the overlapping allele size ranges for most of the loci, significant allelic and genotypic differentiation was observed between the three species (P < 0.000). Significant population structure was evident within the subantarctic fur seal with both the mitochondrial (<PsT=0.19) and microsatellite DNA (unbiased RsT=0.122; P<<0.001 ). Population pairwise comparisons among subantarctic fur seals, suggest gene flow from Gough Island in the South Atlantic eastwards to Marion Island and lies Amsterdam, and from Marion Island in the South Indian Ocean eastwards to the recolonised population at lies Crozet. Less population structure was evident within the Antarctic fur seal based on mitochondrial DNA (<PsT =0.074), but two genetically differentiated regions were recognised. In contrast, no genetic heterogeneity was observed with microsatellite DNA (unbiased RsT=0.003; P=0.501 ), suggesting panmixia despite the large geographic range of the species. Overall, less structure was evident with microsatellite DNA compared with mtDNA data for both species. This could be due to there being a greater effective population size for microsatellites compared with mitochondrial DNA, or the results may reflect the greater male mediated dispersal reported in fur seals. In any case, both markers indicate that the recolonisation of Macquarie Island is most likely to have originated from lies Kerguelen for the Antarctic fur seals, and Marion Island and lie Amsterdam for the subantarctic fur seals.
The presence of three fur seal species and their hybrids within the Macquarie Island population renders the identification of individuals to species problematic. The extent of hybridisation was initially investigated within a single cohort of pups (n=130), through the comparison of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA methods developed in previous chapters, with a number of field-based methods The latter group include: the 'Overall Phenotype' method, where the investigator considers traits such as external appearance, behaviour, and vocalisations in providing an overall picture of the individual; and the 'Phenotype Score' method, where a prescribed set of phenotype traits are scored in an objective manner for each individual. This study also aimed to investigate the direction of hybridisation by comparing the incidence within the pup population with that observed in the breeding population of males and females. The two phenotype-based methods found that the incidence of hybridisation within the cohort ranged from 5.5% to 7.7%. The molecular methods relied on comparing the genotypes of all pups with a reference data set of the species, either with an assignment test or by eye. The assignment test method was easy to use, but was unable to categorically assign individuals to a hybrid class in an objective manner. If a subjective variation of the test is used, then the estimated level of hybridisation was found to be 18.4%. This is lower than the estimate obtained when assessing the genotypes by eye, which was 30.4%. While the phenotype-based methods had a high success rate in classifying individuals to the correct species (75.8% to 70.9%), they severely underestimated the number of hybrids in the population. The incidence of hybridisation within the pup cohort was much greater than observed in the breeding female population (17.5%), but much less than was observed in the breeding male population (48.5%). If the males are grouped as territorial males and challenger males, it can be seen that the proportion of hybrids w1th1n each class also differs (58.8% and 37.5% respectively).
The study of the Antarctic and subantarctic fur seals in the light of their evolutionary relationships, combined with an investigation into the levels and distribution of genetic variation in the context of their recent hist~ry, has laid the ground work for a comprehensive examination of hybridisation at Macquarie Island. However, there are still many questions remaining, and a longitudinal study adopting a holistic approach (encompassing molecular data, field observations, morphological measurements, and the study of pre- and post-mating isolating systems) is required to understand the longer term implications of hybridisation in this population.


Wildland fire and ecological researchers use empirical and semi-empirical modeling systems to assess fire behavior and danger. This technical note describes the firebehavioR package, a porting of two fire behavior modeling systems, Crown Fire Initiation and Spread and a Rothermel-based framework, to the R programming language. We also highlight supporting data objects and functions to predict inputs required for fire behavior estimation. Last, this package contains functions for fifteen indices to express fire danger using weather and/or fuels observations. Specific advantages of predicting fire behavior using R, a free-and-open-source programming language, include freedom to adapt calculations to suit users' needs, transparency of source code, and reduction of workflow inefficiencies, thereby aiding in sophisticated fire behavior analyses.


Academic librarians are important drivers of academic achievement, research advancement, and community success. This study investigated the effect of librarians' stressors, affectivity, and self-efficacy on thriving at work. The study utilized a descriptive-correlational research design. The respondents were the one hundred ten (110) academic librarians in the higher education institutions of Caraga Region and Northern Mindanao who were chosen using a clustered sampling technique. Five modified questionnaires were utilized for data gathering. Findings discovered that there was a collective significant effect of the stressors, affectivity, and self-efficacy on the librarians' thriving at work in both vitality and learning dimensions. The study recommends that the leadership in higher education institutions must show their support to the academic librarians and expose them to training that is geared towards improving their affectivity and self-efficacy to motivate them to perform better at work. When librarians positively view work-related stressors, learn how to manage and control their emotions, and believe in their ability to solve work-related problems, they can thrive in the workplace and thus function more effectively and efficiently. One of the study's limitations is its failure to consider the effect of stressors, affectivity, and self-efficacy to work productivity and professional development. These factors may be explored in future studies. Qualitative studies about thriving at work and the various variables that can predict this significant condition may be explored to understand deeply its existence and relevance in the workplace. Keywords: Thriving at Work, Work Stressors, Self-Efficacy, Affectivity, Librarianship


The aim of the study was the determination of neomycin and streptomycin
aminoglycoside antibiotics in bovine kidney tissue at trace levels. The
aminoglycosides contain no chromophore making detection difficult by conventional
spectrophotometric detection and are highly polar making separation from tissue
samples a multistep clean-up procedure. [Continues.]


We investigate the use of a functional analytical version of the Backus-Gilbert method as a reconstruction strategy to obtain specific information on the solution of linear and slightly nonlinear systems with Frechét derivable operators. Some a priori error estimates are shown and tested for two classes of problems: a nonlinear moment problem and a linear elliptic Cauchy problem. For this second class of problems a special version of the Green formula is developed in order to analyse the involved adjoint equations.


Molybdenum is essential to most organisms, being found in the active site of enzymes that catalyze redox reactions involving carbon, nitrogen and sulfur atoms of key metabolites. Some of the molybdenum-dependent reactions constitute key steps in the global biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, with particular emphasis on the atmospheric dinitrogen fixation into ammonium. Presently, more than 50 molybdoenzymes are known. The great majority are prokaryotic, with eukaryotes holding only a restricted number of molybdoenzymes. Tungsten, probably because of its limited bioavailability, is less used, being found most often in anaerobic thermophilic prokaryotes.


As many large organizations have multiple data sources and the scale of dataset becomes larger and larger, it is inevitable to carry out data mining in the distributed environment. In this paper, we address the problem of mining global frequent closed itemsets in distributed environment. A novel algorithm is proposed to obtain global frequent closed itemsets with exact frequency and it is shown that the algorithm can determine all the global frequent closed itemsets. A new data structure is developed to maintain the closed itemsets. Then an efficient implementation is provided based on the structure. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is effective.


Malaria is an increasing hazard of tropical travel. Sixty-five cases were notified to the Health Department in 1980 and there is clear evidence of under notification. We reviewed the notes of 19 adults admitted to the infectious disease unit, Auckland Hospital, between 1 January 1979 and 31 March 1982. The typical patient admitted is a young caucasian New Zealander presenting three months after returning from Papua New Guinea where he took prophylaxis: he is febrile, infected with P. vivax, has splenomegaly but is not anaemic. Others presented atypically, especially with the potentially lethal P. falciparum. Four patients are described to highlight particular aspects of malaria management. Suggestions for prophylaxis and therapy are made in the light of changing global patterns of resistance of plasmodia, and particularly of P. falciparum to chloroquine.


This paper describes development of a research agenda in the College of Business & Economics at a small private university in Kuwait. One driving factor is the need to satisfy AACSB requirements. AACSB likes to see strong development of student analytic and decision-making skills, as well as a reasonable level of 'scholarly contributions.' Action research and experiential learning methods are well suited to these goals. The research agenda was developed around 'water,' which is a critical issue in Kuwait. It was constructed to integrate themes from the whole supply chain, starting with raw materials and ending with consumer consumption and use of water. Thus, it can incorporate a wide range of interests in economics and marketing. The projects in the agenda are usually conducted as part of interaction with government entities and private organizations involved in some way with water.


L-Homoserine is an important compound and a building block in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The one-pot cascade synthesis of L-homoserine with substrate recycling catalysed by an aldolase and a transaminase was investigated in detail, with special interest in the reaction's kinetics and process development. Complex relationships between the process variables were discovered and kinetic and reactor models were developed. In addition, new chemical insights were developed through this model-driven process development, and for the first time, a kinetic model was proposed to describe YfaU-catalysed reactions. The modelling was crucial for a better understanding of the reaction system, as well as for process optimisation. Finding a suitable strategy for process improvement by manipulating the reaction conditions, as well as developing a process design, was imperative to obtain the process metrics necessary for scale-up. Using the optimized reaction conditions in the fed-batch reactor with a continuous formaldehyde supply, and with subsequent addition of pyruvate and L-alanine, 80.1 g L−1L-homoserine was obtained with a volume productivity of 3.2 g L−1 h−1 after 25 h. These results present a 100% increase in product concentration and an approximately 18% increase in volume productivity in comparison with previously published work. This work shows the benefit of the synergistic approach of bio(chemical) knowledge and process model development working hand-in-hand which is crucial for greater breakthroughs of biocatalysis in the chemical industry.


CONTEXT
Home environmental interventions (EIs) and assistive technology (AT) devices have the potential to increase independence for community-based frail elderly persons, but their effectiveness has not been demonstrated.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a system of AT-EI service provision designed to promote independence and reduce health care costs for physically frail elderly persons.

DESIGN
Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
A total of 104 home-based frail elderly persons living in western New York were assigned to 1 of 2 groups (52 treatment, 52 control).

INTERVENTION
All participants underwent a comprehensive functional assessment and evaluation of their home environment. Participants in the treatment group received AT and EIs based on the results of the evaluation. The control group received "usual care services."

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Functional status as measured by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique; pain as measured by the Functional Status Instrument; and health care costs including the costs.

RESULTS
After the 18-month intervention period, the treatment groups showed significant decline for FIM total score and FIM motor score, but there was significantly more decline for the control group. Functional Status Instrument pain scores increased significantly more for the control group. In a comparison of health care costs, the treatment group expended more than the control group for AT and EIs. The control group required significantly more expenditures for institutional care. There was no significant difference in total in-home personnel costs, although there was a large effect size. The control group had significantly greater expenditures for nurse visits and case manager visits.

CONCLUSION
The frail elderly persons in this trial experienced functional decline over time. Results indicate rate of decline can be slowed, and institutional and certain in-home personnel costs reduced through a systematic approach to providing AT and EIs.


Although verb spelling is rule-based, it is a relatively difficult aspect of Dutch orthography. Assink (1985) was the first to show that Dutch verb spelling is affected by two factors, namely, frequency of occurrence of the verb and the context in which the verb appears. This study is a developmental follow-up on his work, in which students of two age groups and three different levels of education, that is, students from primary school, secondary school, and university students, participated. It appeared that frequency and context already affect spelling behavior in the early stages of learning to spell. These aspects are still prominent determinants in the group of most experienced and good spellers, albeit the relative contribution of each of the determining factors changed over time. The interpretation of these findings was that verb-spelling performance in Dutch is not just the result of its inherent difficulty, it is also affected by the fact that it requires continuous active monitoring of the spelling process, while being involved in a main literacy activity.


Today's industrial design has gone beyond the traditional product design. China is in the transfer process from the world's manufacturing plant to the world's manufacturing center. Chinese manufacturing industry is transiting from mass production and mass marketing to brand competition and design competition; China's industrial design is moving from design for products and design for industrial enterprises to design for the market and users, and from basic industries- and technology-oriented model to sales- and marketing-oriented and brand- and user-oriented model. The importance of implementing user-friendly design principles and applying ergonomic principles to sustainable design in Industrial design is increasingly becoming the consensus of the industries. In today's information society, the media industry is charged with an irreplaceable task of information manufacture and dissemination. A variety of devices (including electronic, optical, mechanical equipment and instruments, and even household facilities and equipment, etc.) used by the modern media industry need the direct contact, operation or use of the operator. Design and manufacture of these devices need to apply modern ergonomic design theory and research results. In this paper, the importance of ergonomics, the features and research aspects of modern ergonomics, developing trends of ergonomics, and the application of ergonomics in the media industry are described.


A total of 302 patients with stage Ib and IIa cervical carcinoma were submitted to radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy during the period from 1980 to 1994. The morbidity rate was 37.5% and the mortality rate 0.6%. The most common intraoperative complications were injuries to the great pelvic vessels and the most frequent postoperative complications involved the urinary tract. The leading causes of morbidity were urinary infection (20.8%), bladder dysfunction (9.2%) and ureteral fistulas (2.9%). Although the rate of complications was high, morbidity has been decreasing over the last five years. Thus, radical hysterectomy continues to be one of the methods for the treatment of early cervical carcinoma that presents an acceptable 5-year survival rate.


This paper is a summary of the principal conclusions that can be made from a rather extensive survey of the open Soviet literature in the technical areas relevant to the design of reliable digital computers. Particular emphasis in the survey was on the various techniques for the constructive application of redundancy in order to achieve the reliability necessary for the successful realization of machines of high computational power and high availability. In this summary overall conclusions are presented regarding the nature and significance of Soviet activities in these fields.1


Granulocytic leukemia, induced in the primary mouse by x-irradiation, was serially transmitted to RF/Up mice. An extra chromosome, as well as a morphologicaly unusual chromosome, was found in the bone marrow cells of all the leukemic mice that had been injected previously either with leukemic spleen cells or with cell-free ultracentrifugates. This suggests that the changes in the chromosomes are caused by a virus.


Background:
 Reperfusion in stroke patients with a perfusion-diffusion (PWI-DWI) mismatch leads to better clinical outcomes (
 1
 ). Because some patients cannot receive gadolinium contrast agents, we examined whether the ASL-DWI mismatch was equivalent to the PWI-DWI mismatch in patients with acute ischemia.

 Methods:
 We retrospectively analyzed all patients scanned at a single institution during 2010 who met the following criteria: technically adequate DWI, ASL, and PWI images; >10 ml lesion on ADC maps; onset of symptoms within 5 days; scanned at 1.5T. Automated software (RAPID) (
 2
 ) was used to determine the volume of the DWI and PWI lesions and to classify into one of three categories using revised DEFUSE criteria (
 3
 ): mismatch (PWI>1.8 DWI lesion size and >10 ml absolute difference), matched (1.8 DWI>PWI>0.7 DWI lesion size or <10 ml), and reperfused (PWI<0.7 DWI lesion size and >10 ml). This was considered the gold standard read. ASL-DWI status was determined using visual observation by two radiologists blinded to clinical data and each other's reading. After this, a consensus was determined. Agreement between the two radiologists for ASL-DWI mismatch status and for consensus ASL-DWI versus PWI-DWI status was measured using kappa statistics.

 Results:
 44 studies in 43 patients met the above criteria, and had the following demographic and imaging features: mean age 59±16 yrs; 22 men, mean DWI lesion size 66±56 ml (range: 10-243 ml), mean PWI Tmax>6 sec lesion size 64±64 ml (range 0-219 ml), time from last seen normal 37±24 hrs (range 2-111 hrs). Agreement between the two readers for rating the ASL-DWI mismatch was excellent (unweighted kappa 0.92 [95% CI 0.80-1.0]). Agreement between categorization of the two modalities (consensus ASL-DWI and gold-standard PWI-DWI) was moderate (unweighted kappa 0.35 [95% CI: 0.13-0.57]). Exact agreement was present in 57% of cases (25/44). Most of the time, when there was disagreement, ASL tended to overestimate the size of the perfusion lesion compared with PWI Tmax. If the groups are dichotomized between mismatch and either matched or reperfusion, the sensitivity and specificity of ASL-DWI mismatch classification is 63% and 81%, respectively. If ASL-DWI does not show a mismatch, it is almost always correct (29/32 cases, NPV 91%). If ASL-DWI does show a mismatch, a PWI-DWI mismatch is present about half the time (5/12, PPV 42%).

 Conclusion:
 For the purposes of treatment, ASL-DWI mismatch classification using qualitative visual observation generally agrees with PWI-DWI mismatch status using Tmax>6 sec. Disagreements were typically related to ASL overestimation of the PWI lesion size. Although promising, improved methodology may be required before ASL can be used routinely in acute stroke trials.


In this article, we consider the question of how professionalized the cantonal parliamentarians are and which factors are related to this professionalization. By definition, Swiss parliamentarians exert an occupation in parallel to their mandate. We argue that parliamentarians who spend more time for their mandate have more resources to do so and, more importantly, intend to pursue a political career. In doing so, we analyze data gathered from a survey that was conducted among all Swiss cantonal parliaments in 2014. Our multi-level analysis shows that parliamentarians who run for office at the national level spend significantly more time for their parliamentary mandate than their colleagues. This effect decreases with the parliamentarians' age. This finding could be relevant in order to understand the career paths of Swiss parliamentarians. In addition, the study contributes to the discussion of the future development of the militia system in Switzerland.


We use a hydro-and-radiative-transfer code to explore the behavior of a very massive star (VMS) after a giant eruption—i.e., following a supernova impostor event. Beginning with reasonable models for evolved VMSs with masses of 80 M⊙ and 120 M⊙, we simulate the change of state caused by a giant eruption via two methods that explicitly conserve total energy. (1) Synthetically removing outer layers of mass of a few M⊙ while reducing the energy of the inner layers. (2) Synthetically transferring energy from the core to the outer layers, an operation that automatically causes mass ejection. Our focus is on the aftermath, not the poorly understood eruption itself. Then, using a radiation-hydrodynamic code in 1D with realistic opacities and convection, the interior disequilibrium state is followed for about 200 years. Typically the star develops a ∼400 km s−1 wind with a mass loss rate that begins around 0.1 M⊙ yr−1 and gradually decreases. This outflow is driven by κ-mechanism radial pulsations. The 1D models have regular pulsations but 3D models will probably be more chaotic. In some cases a plateau in the mass-loss rate may persist about 200 years, while other cases are more like η Car which lost >10 M⊙ and then had an abnormal mass loss rate for more than a century after its eruption. In our model, the post-eruption outflow carried more mass than the initial eruption. These simulations constitute a useful preliminary reconnaissance for 3D models which will be far more difficult.


Editorial policy The journal welcomes submissions in any of the areas of Combinatorics, Probability, or Computer Science, not just those dealing explicitly with relations between the three. Its scope covers combinatorics in a broad sense, including classical and algebraic graph theory, probabilistic methods, random structures, combinatorial probability and limit theorems for random combinatorial structures; and the theory of algorithms, including complexity theory, randomised algorithms, probabilistic analysis of algorithms, computational learning theory and optimisation.


Charging stations (CHS) for electric vehicles (EV) are considered as sources of local magnetic fields (MF). The MF created by the CHS depends mainly on the actual charging power and topology of the electrical components inside the CHS. MF are in technical practice represented by the effective value of the magnetic flux density BRMS. However, the complex view has to consider the resulting MF vector, its components and the corresponding frequency values of the components at the measurement point and also their corresponding time development. The paper presents measurements of MF near the CHS that were performed with the VEMA-04 series magnetometer and 38 kW power drawn from the CHS. The parameters of the magnetic fields were evaluated in both the time and the frequency domains. The aim of this analysis is to point out that evaluating only simple effective value BRMS of MF is not sufficient.


We propose the use of directional antennas for improving the efficiency of on-demand protocols in mobile ad hoc networks. These protocols require that routes are found and maintained reactively, as required to handle the offered traffic. However, the process of searching for a route typically involves a network-wide flood of query packets, which consumes a large portion of the wireless bandwidth. We present two protocols that reduce the number of routing packets transmitted during the route discovery by limiting the query flood to a restricted region using directional transmissions. Performance evaluations of the protocols, obtained from computer simulations, are presented.


The emergence of new business risks has compelled many organizations to reformulate strategies and to elevate the status of internal auditing. Thus, risk-based internal auditing has emerged as an important contributor to effective risk management and improvement of Corporate Governance of state corporation. The Corporate Governance effectiveness requires appropriate risk based audit practices hence effective and efficient internal audit. For the purpose of this study, the researcher sought to find out how Risk Based Auditing relate with Corporate Governance of state corporations in Kenya. This study adopted descriptive research design. Simple random sampling technique was adapted to select sample size o f 40 respondents from 40 selected state corporations. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution were used to analyze the data. Data presentation was done by the use of percentages and frequency tables for easy of understanding and interpretation. The study found that there is a strong positive relationship between Corporate Governance and Risk Based Audit Practices such as Risk Assessment, Risk Management, Annual Risk Based Planning, Internal Auditing Standards and Internal Auditing Staffing. These practices should be enhanced to be able to detect risks on time and concentrate on high risk areas leading to increased transparency and accountability. From the findings, the study recommends that management in state corporations should adopts effective risk based audit practices to enhance effective and efficient Corporate Governance in State Corporation.


Abstract We investigated whether suburbanization influenced the physical and biological characteristics of ten 3rd-or 4th-order streams that drain historically agricultural watersheds in the southern Appalachians near Asheville, North Carolina. Five watersheds had areas of recent suburban development proximal to stream sites, and 5 watersheds were not currently undergoing suburban development. We estimated 5 hydrological, 10 geomorphological, 6 erosional, and 3 depositional (i.e., substrate) variables, and 13 fish and 8 macroinvertebrate metrics in the study sites. We used Student's t-tests and multivariate analysis of variance to compare the 45 variables between sites in agricultural and suburban watersheds. We used Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) to detect subtle differences in taxonomic composition and abundance among watersheds. Stormflow total suspended solids were significantly lower and substrate inorganic matter content was significantly higher in streams influenced by suburban development. Fish taxa richness and the density of nonguarding fishes were significantly higher in sites in suburban watersheds than in sites in agricultural watersheds. No other fish or macroinvertebrate metric differed with respect to watershed land use, but ordination of sites by fish and macroinvertebrate species abundance suggested that biotic assemblages at sites in suburban watersheds were distinct from those at sites in agricultural watersheds. Therefore, some taxa may have been influenced by suburban development. Our results suggest that watershed hydrology, sediment delivery, and sediment composition might be important factors influencing biota in streams draining agricultural vs suburban watersheds. Biological assemblages in streams differed structurally with respect to watershed land use, but streams did not appear to be otherwise influenced by suburban development. We conclude that suburbanization near historically agricultural southern Appalachian streams induces subtle changes to inorganic sediment dynamics, substrate composition, and fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage structure.


During March-May 1992, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation and the Philippine Office of Energy Affairs conducted a cooperative marine seismic, gravity, magnetic, bathymetry and geochemical "sniffer" survey in four offshore Philippine basins: NE Palawan, Cuyo Platform, Tayabas Bay and Ragay Gulf. The project was funded by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau. The survey work was conducted using the Australian Government's geoscientific vessel, Rig Seismic. The cruise achieved all its objectives and was a major success. Of the four survey areas, the Ragay Gulf is of particular interest, with complex structures, multi-phase tectonism and massive sediment infill. It was in this region that many geochemical "sniffer" seeps were located. The geochemical "sniffer" data and its C-13 and C-14 isotope analyses have indicated the presence of significant source rocks. These seeps are thermogenic in origin and have reached sufficient maturity to generate significant quantities of hydrocarbons. In the near future, the geochemical data will be integrated with the seismic data to provide clues for hydrocarbon migration. The preliminary seismic interpretation have revealed the existence of five sedimentary sub-basins with 2.5 - 5 seconds of Eocene to Recent sediments. Several types of potential traps were documented. No well has been drilled in the offshore Ragay Gulf. Onshore well log information and stratigraphy have assisted in the correlation and interpretation of offshore seismic data. In addition, the importance of the carbonate and clastic reservoirs was recognised. Overall, the oil and gas potential in the Ragay Gulf area looks most encouraging.


This study compares the job satisfaction of individual contributors and managers on local (co-located) software teams versus those working on virtual teams. It also examines differences in job satisfaction among workers of differing experience levels. Participants were recruited from two software organizations; one from Company V and one from Company L, a spinoff company formed from Company V's former semiconductor division. The Company L team was a local (co-located) team housed in one building. The Company V team is a distributed virtual software development team and is spread across five cities in California, Oregon, Arizona and Texas. Some members of the Company V team work in Malaysia, but were not included in this study.
A total of 40 software engineers and their managers were surveyed using the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) for job satisfaction, a valid and reliable instrument with over 30 years of historical data to support it. Comparative statistics were used to determine if there were differences in job satisfaction between the two teams. In addition, the results were sorted by experience and job satisfaction, after which, comparisons between the four different experience levels were made. The four experience groups were: 0 to 5, 5-10, 10 to 20 and 20 or more years of experience.
The study showed strong similarities in job satisfaction between these two organizations. There was little notable difference in job satisfaction between the two groups (Company L and Company V) and among the four experience levels. The results of this study are important because they support claims that the experience of workers on a virtual team is similar to that of those on traditional co-located local team. This study also suggests that there is little difference in job satisfaction among workers of differing experience levels for these two groups of software engineers and their managers.


A new type of diarrhoea in neonatal piglets, called NNPD, has arisen in Europe. Which role the intestinal microbiota plays in NNPD is unknown. Several methods can be applied to compare faecal samples from sick and healthy animals; in this study we used Real-Time PCR combined with next generation sequencing. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the applicability of the Access Array 48.48 (AA48.48) from Fluidigm® in investigating the composition of the intestinal microbiota. The array makes it possible to analyse 48 primer pairs against 48 samples resulting in 2304 individual Real-Time PCR reactions in a few hours. Subsequently the 16S rDNA amplicons can be harvested and used for next generation sequencing. The experimental setup was designed so that the primers represented a phylogenetic overview of the biggest groups of intestinal bacteria. Primers were mainly chosen from published literature, meaning their use had already been verified. DNA from reference bacteria and DNA from faecal samples were used to check specificity and sensitivity of the assay when analysing bacterial communities. The heat map showed nice dilution colour series consistent with the diluted sample concentrations ranging from 50 to 0.005 ng/µl and in agreement to the expected results. This implies that the AA48.48 is a useful tool when examining the bacterial composition of faeces and maybe superior to competitive methods, as it gives a quantitative measurement of the bacteria in the sample and afterwards it is possible to get further phylogenetic information, as the DNA can be harvested and sequenced.


Pasta is still the most characteristic Italian food and, in fact, it is always present in the Mediterranean diet. This study points out the preliminary results obtained through the application of the Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI) on the dried pasta production. It has been analyzed the main environmental impacts caused by a small farm industry situated in Floridia (Sicily) and whose managing staff plays a particular attention on the environment. For this purpose it has been applied the LCI to exploit wisely the available resources, to reduce the power consumption and to limit the environmental impact of the entire production cycle. This approach focuses on a charge of consumption and emissions produced during the LCI by specific impact categories and whose environmental effects are known. Moreover, it has been also quantified (with appropriate characterization methods) the magnitude of the overall contribution due to the process against the concerned effects. It has been defined a suitable functional unity which corresponds to 1 kg package of durum wheat short pasta and it has been examined all the different phases of the productive cycle.


Using finite differences and the Crank-Nicolson implicit scheme for solving parabolic type partial differential equations, a computer program has been developed for solving the one-dimensional, vertical rr10v-ement of water in soils. The formulation of the initial boundary value problem is obtained by introducing a new dependent variable through the Kirchhoff transformation to replace the hydraulic head. Data relating saturation (or moisture content) to the capillary pressure in the soil are used to define the hydraulic properties of the soil which are needed in order to obtain a solution. The Burdine Theory has been iITlplemented in the program to obtain the needed relationship of hydraulic conductivity to capillary pressure. This formulation and solution method is consistent with the solution method develaped earlier for three dimensional axisymmetric rn-Gvernent 0-£ water applied at the surface by a circular infiltrorneter, so that compariso-ns of the solution results from the two different cases would indicate quantitative effects on the flow pattern of the component of radial moisture movement. A number of solutions have been obtained for several initial moisture contents and for several application rates (including variable rates equal to the intake capacity of the soil), for a soil at the Reynold's Creek experimental watershed. Saturation-capillary pressure data for this soil were obtained by the Agricultural Research Service in the laboratory. Laboratory measurements of the hydraulic conductivity corresponding to number of capillary pressures were also obtained. Using the saturation-capillary pressure data in the Burdine equations for evaluating the hydraulic conductivity gives good agreement with these latter laboratory measurements. The results froITl these solutions have been used to display the variations of hydraulic head, saturation and hydraulic gradient with time under varying conditions. By contrasting the results from these solutions with those from similar solutions for the axisym-rnetric cas-e, the effects on the flow patterns due to the radial cOITlponent of moisture rnoveITlent have been determined.


A FEM simulation program for induction hardening of sintered metal shafts was made up. Physical properties of the sintered metal were measured. An electromagnetic field analysis, a heat conduction analysis and an elastic-plastic stress analysis during the induction hardening process of sintered metal shafts were carried out for various hardening conditions by using the measured material data and the simulation program. The effects of the electric power and the frequency on the temperature and the stress during the induction hardening process of the sintered metal shaft and the residual stress were examined. The map for selecting the optimum heating condition (P, f) for the residual stress of the sintered metal shaft due to the induction hardening was indicated.


For several years, it has been known that extracts from the liver have a depressor action when injected intravenously. Vincent and Sheen 1 showed this in 1903. They also demonstrated that the presence of choline in the extracts was insufficient to explain the effects obtained after intravenous injection, since in atropinized cats a marked depressor action was still obtained. It was not until the publication of the work of Best, Dale, Dudley and Thorpe 2 that the vasodepressor action of liver extracts could be definitely attributed to histamine and choline. These workers obtained histamine and choline as pure salts and chemically identified and physiologically assayed them. Ever since operation was first resorted to for the relief of obstruction of the common bile duct, a certain percentage of the patients have died from a vasomotor collapse occurring some hours after the operation. Clinically, this condition has been known as "liver shock."


Descriptions of how attention modulates neuronal responses suggest that the strength of its effects depends on stimulus conditions. Attention to an isolated stimulus in the receptive field of an individual neuron typically produces a moderate enhancement of the cell's response, but neuronal responses are often strongly modulated when attention is shifted between multiple stimuli that lie within the receptive field. However, previous reports have not compared these stimulus effects under equivalent conditions, so differences in task difficulty could have been responsible for much of the difference. Consequently, the quantitative effects of stimulus conditions have remained unknown, and it has not been possible to address the question of whether the differences that have been observed could be explained by a single mechanism. We measured the attentional modulation of the responses of 70 single neurons in area MT of two rhesus monkeys using a task designed to keep attention stable across different stimulus configurations. We found that attentional modulation was indeed much stronger when more than one stimulus was within the receptive field. Nevertheless, the broad range of attentional modulations seen across the different conditions could be readily explained by single mechanism. The neurophysiological data from all stimulus conditions were well fit by a model in which attention acts via a response normalization mechanism (Lee and Maunsell, 2009). Collectively, these results validate previous impressions of the effects of stimulus configuration on attentional modulation, and add support to hypothesis that attention modulation depends on a response normalization mechanism.


Several risk factors have been associated with Multiple Sclerosis onset (MSo). However, the role of previous drug exposure in MSo is far to be completely elucidated. In this intricate scenario, another important issue is represented by the safety profile of MS therapies. This thesis aimed to explore the role of drugs as possible risk factor in MSo by performing an evidence mapping of literature and a disproportionality analysis by using the FDA-Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. In the last part of the thesis, signal of Drug Induced Liver Injury (DILI) events during MS therapies was assessed by using in the same database.
The analysis of the literature showed that drugs acting on immune system, hormone balance and infections were suspected as possible cause of MSo in case reports and case series, whereas contrasting results emerged from the few longitudinal studies. These data were in part in line with FAERS analysis, which resulted in disproportionality for drugs acting on immune system, insulin, bisphosphonates and contraceptives.
Analysis of DILI events in MS treated patients suggests that a careful clinical monitoring should be applied to these patients. In addition, longitudinal studies should be planned in order to evaluate safety profile of MS drugs in monotherapy as well as in combination with other drugs.
In conclusion, the submission of exhaustive reports of adverse drug reactions would permit stratified analyses and a better characterization of rare and unpredictable adverse events. Moreover, case-control studies performed on electronic medical records could confirm or refuse safety signals emerged from this thesis.


Objective
examination questions are widely used to assess students' knowledge, but the standard MCQ with a stem followed by 4 - 6 possible answers one of which is chosen as correct is very inefficient. Simple
changes to the format can treble the information gained. Information theory is
the tool for assessing the information content of electronic and other
communications. The "bit" is the unit of information and equals on true/false
choice. I have applied basic information theory to objective questions. The
standard MCQ with a stem, a choice of 4 possible answers (mark one answer true)
and an expected correct answer rate of 70% yields 1.36 bits. A MTFQ with 4
choices where the student must answer true/false to every possible answer gives
3.52 bits of information. By adding a "don't know" option the
same MTFQ gives 4.72 bits of information, 350% of the standard MCQ. Thirty MTFQ
with don't know give the same information about students' knowledge as 100 standard MCQs. The effort needed to set, sit and mark is the
same for both. Small changes to the format of objective
questions give large gains in efficiency. We should balance these gains against
possible disadvantages.


The ability of 60 strains of Aeromonas to produce enterotoxin and haemolysin after cultivation at 5 degrees C for 7-10 d was investigated. The strains were isolated from lamb meat, offal, carcasses and faeces, and had previously been tested for their ability to produce these exotoxins at 37 degrees C. The results showed that some strains of Aeromonas hydrophila and A. sobria were capable of producing enterotoxin and haemolysin at 5 degrees C, but none of the A. caviae strains tested produced these two factors. Of the 30 A. hydrophila strains investigated 25 and 27 were enterotoxigenic and haemolytic respectively. Likewise, of the 24 A. sobria strains investigated 16 and 18 were enterotoxigenic and haemolytic respectively. The results indicate that certain strains of Aeromonas species, in particular A. hydrophila and A. sobria, are of potential public health significance in meats stored at refrigeration temperature.