Fishing companies are faced with decreasing profitability and increasing competition. These companies can try to gain a competitive advantage by differentiating their products, e.g. by marketing new product attributes that consumers are interested in such as attributes relating to sustainability. Although consumers could be considerably interested in social sustainability of fish, this sustainability dimension has received little research interest so far. The main objective of this thesis is to understand social sustainability of capture fisheries. Social sustainability can be understood by applying the framework for social sustainability assessment, which consists of stakeholder consultation and issue selection, indicator development and quantification, and interpretation of the results, to the case considered. The case considered in this thesis was capture fisheries in the northeast Atlantic. Stakeholder consultation resulted in the identification of 27 social sustainability issues relevant for capture fisheries in the northeast Atlantic. Overall, social sustainability issues concerning working conditions, employees' job fulfilment and fish welfare were seen as more important than other social sustainability issues. Indicators were defined for the most important social sustainability issues of capture fisheries in the northeast Atlantic. To interpret values for each indicator, rubrics were developed that articulated levels of performance. Application of these indicators and their accompanying rubrics to a Norwegian trawler demonstrated that the indicators and rubrics provide insight into social sustainability at the level of the vessel, which can be used to identify potential room for improvement. To determine whether social sustainability issues can be used for product differentiation, consumer interest in social sustainability issues of whitefish from the northeast Atlantic was studied. Results from a choice modelling survey demonstrated that consumers prefer the issue fish welfare over the issues product quality, worker safety and local employment. Given the lack of overview of the knowledge on fish welfare, the most important social sustainability issue for consumers, the literature on this topic was reviewed to determine how the capture process in capture fisheries affects fish welfare, using the indicators external injuries and mortality. This review showed that scale, skin and fin injuries occur more frequently in trawls, purse seines, gillnets, traps and seines than in hooks, whereas hooking injuries occur in hooks only. Pressure injuries can occur in all gear types when deployed at greater depth. Trawls, purse seines and seines result in higher mortality than gillnets, hooks and traps. Mortality appears to increase with decreasing fish length, and differs across fish species. A greater capture depth and a longer fishing duration were associated with more external injuries and higher mortality, whereas a large change in water temperature, a longer duration of air exposure and a high density in the net were associated with higher mortality only. This thesis shows that application of the framework for social sustainability assessment to capture fisheries in the northeast Atlantic leads to an understanding of social sustainability that fishing companies can use to their advantage. In addition, this thesis shows that fishing companies in the northeast Atlantic need to start paying attention to fish welfare because consumers consider fish welfare the most important social sustainability issue of capture fisheries in the northeast Atlantic.


As the technology sizes of integrated circuits (ICs) scale down rapidly, current transistor densities on chips dramatically increase. While nanometer feature sizes allow denser chip designs in each technology generation, fabricated ICs become more susceptible to wear-outs, causing operation failure. Even a single link failure within an on-chip fabric can halt communication between application blocks, which makes the entire chip useless. In this paper, we aim to make faulty chips designed with network-on-chip (NoC) communication usable. Specifically, we present fault-tolerant irregular topology-generation method for application-specific NoC designs. Designed NoC topology allows different routing path if there is a link failure on the default routing path. Additionally, we present a simulated annealing-based application mapping algorithm aiming to minimize total energy consumption of the NoC design. We compare fault-tolerant topologies with nonfault-tolerant application-specific irregular topologies on energy consumption, performance, and area using multimedia benchmarks and custom-generated graphs. Our results demonstrate that our method is able to determine fault-tolerant topologies with negligible area increase and better energy values.


The ability to factorise parameters into identity and expression parameters is highly desirable in facial tracking as it requires only the identity parameters to be set in the initial frame leaving the expression parameters to be adjusted in subsequent frames. In this paper we introduce a strategy for creating parameters for a data-driven 3D Morphable Model (3DMM) which are able to separately model the variance due to identity and expression found in the training data. We present three factorisation schemes and evaluate their appropriateness for tracking by comparing the variances between the identity coefficients and expression coefficients when fitted to data of individuals performing different facial expressions.


Grasping is one of the first dominant motor behaviors that enable interaction of a newborn infant with its surroundings. Although atypical grasping patterns are considered predictive of neuromotor disorders and injuries, their clinical assessment suffers from examiner subjectivity, and the neuropathophysiology is poorly understood. Therefore, the combination of technology with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may help to precisely map the brain activity associated with grasping and thus provide important insights into how functional outcomes can be improved following cerebral injury. This work introduces an MR-compatible device (i.e., smart graspable device (SGD)) for detecting grasping actions in newborn infants. Electromagnetic interference immunity (EMI) is achieved using a fiber Bragg grating sensor. Its biocompatibility and absence of electrical signals propagating through the fiber make the safety profile of the SGD particularly favorable for use with fragile infants. Firstly, the SGD design, fabrication, and metrological characterization are described, followed by preliminary assessments on a preterm newborn infant and an adult during an fMRI experiment. The results demonstrate that the combination of the SGD and fMRI can safely and precisely identify the brain activity associated with grasping behavior, which may enable early diagnosis of motor impairment and help guide tailored rehabilitation programs.


The standard for differentiating between dementia subtypes is currently based on neuropathological changes and follows traditional nosological classifications. However, the high incidence of comorbid neuropathologies complicates the differentiation between dementia diagnoses in the clinic. The aim of this study was to investigate the grades of agreement between clinical and neuropathological diagnoses in neurodegenerative disorders, to compare them with rates found in previous studies, and to propose implications for dementia diagnostics. Patients, who donated their brains to the Brain Bank of Navarre (Pamplona, Spain), had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder during life (clinical diagnosis) and postmortem (neuropathological diagnosis). We studied a sample of patients with a short average time interval between the last clinical assessment and death (4.6 months). Overall, there was a mean grade of agreement of 44.0% between the clinical diagnosis and the pure neuropathological diagnosis (i.e., without co-morbid neuropathological disorders). This grade of agreement differed between dementia subtypes: e.g., 85% for prion disease, 49% for Alzheimer's disease, and 0% for Lewy body dementia. Our data confirm that co-occurrence of multiple neuropathological disorders is very common in individuals with dementia, and that the underlying neuropathology often differs from the neuropathology implied by the clinical diagnosis. These findings support a multidimensional approach to diagnosing dementia, in which dementia syndromes are not categorized into diagnostic subtypes, but are seen as syndromes characterized by a combination of various neuropathological dimensions.


Representations of the oriental woman in Sulho Ranta's songs Rarahu and Aziyadé
Exoticism is a distinguishable feature in Sulho Ranta's (1901−1960) 1920s compositions. This study examines how the popular topic of the oriental and exotic woman manifests itself in Ranta's vocal works Rarahu op. 3a/1 (1922) and Aziyadé op. 10/2 (1925). Aziyadé is previously unexplored and unknown, whereas Rarahu is one of Ranta's most well-known and performed compositions.
The oriental woman has been a popular part of the oriental imagination in the works of Western artists. This study analyses the representations of the oriental woman in Ranta's songs in the contexts of exoticism, orientalism and modernism. The songs' musical analysis emphasises, e.g. gender, sexuality, exotic femininity and nature perspectives. Ranta's compositions have not been studied from a similar perspective before.
The imagined oriental woman established in Ranta's songs is an exotic and sexual other, a manifestation of western thinking and oriental fantasies. Moreover, sexual otherness and accentuated eroticism can be mirrored in the conceptions of women within Western society. The representations of the oriental and exotic woman in Ranta's songs are connected to the general means used in Western art music and create the usual daydream image of the seductive and erotic, exotic female figures. In addition, this study emphasises the cultural continuity these representations inherently belong.


OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of various concentrations and combinations of serum, EDTA, 3 tetracyclines, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for collagenase inhibition in an in vitro corneal degradation model. SAMPLE Grossly normal corneas from recently euthanized dogs and horses and fresh serum from healthy dogs and horses. PROCEDURES Serum was pooled by species for in vitro use. For each species, sections of cornea were dried, weighed, and incubated with clostridial collagenase (800 U/mL) in 5 mL of a 5mM calcium chloride-saline (0.9% NaCl) incubation solution and 500 μL of 1 of 19 treatments (homologous serum; 0.3%, 1.0%, or 2% EDTA; 0.1%, 0.5%, or 1.0% tetracycline, doxycycline, or minocycline; 0.5%, 1.0%, or 5.0% NAC; serum with 0.5% tetracycline; serum with 1.0% EDTA; or 1.0% EDTA with 0.5% tetracycline). Positive and negative control specimens were incubated with 5 mL of incubation solution with and without collagenase, respectively. Each control and treatment was replicated 4 times for each species. Following incubation, corneal specimens were dried and reweighed. The percentage corneal degradation was calculated and compared among treatments within each species. RESULTS Treatments with tetracyclines at concentrations ≥ 0.5%, with EDTA at concentrations ≥ 0.3%, and with NAC at concentrations ≥ 0.5% were more effective at preventing corneal degradation than serum in both species. The efficacy of each combination treatment was equal to or less than that of its components. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested EDTA, tetracyclines, and NAC may be beneficial for topical treatment of keratomalacia, but in vivo studies are required.


Early life is a sensitive period, in which enhanced neural plasticity allows the developing brain to adapt to its environment. This plasticity can also be a risk factor in which maladaptive development can lead to long-lasting behavioral deficits. Here, we test how early-life exposure to the selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine, affects motivation, and dopaminergic signaling in adulthood. Early life is a sensitive period, in which enhanced neural plasticity allows the developing brain to adapt to its environment. This plasticity can also be a risk factor in which maladaptive development can lead to long-lasting behavioral deficits. Here, we test how early-life exposure to the selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine, affects motivation, and dopaminergic signaling in adulthood. We show for the first time that mice exposed to fluoxetine in the early postnatal period exhibit a reduction in effort-related motivation. These mice also show blunted responses to amphetamine and reduced dopaminergic activation in a sucrose reward task. Interestingly, we find that the reduction in motivation can be rescued in the adult by administering bupropion, a dopamine-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor used as an antidepressant and a smoke cessation aid but not by fluoxetine. Taken together, our studies highlight the effects of early postnatal exposure of fluoxetine on motivation and demonstrate the involvement of the dopaminergic system in this process. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The developmental period is characterized by enhanced plasticity. During this period, environmental factors have the potential to lead to enduring behavioral changes. Here, we show that exposure to the SSRI fluoxetine during a restricted period in early life leads to a reduction in adult motivation. We further show that this reduction is associated with decreased dopaminergic responsivity. Finally, we show that motivational deficits induced by early-life fluoxetine exposure can be rescued by adult administration of bupropion but not by fluoxetine.


The detection of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) in donor sera is one effective method for the prevention of posttransfusion CMV infection in seronegative recipients. A passive latex agglutination test (CMV Scan, Hynson, Wescott & Dunning, Baltimore, MD) has been shown to be an acceptable method of screening sera from the blood donor population. The procedure for this test, however, does not permit the testing of stored donor blood products. To evaluate the feasibility of testing blood components at various times during storage, the authors examined 25 CMV‐positive and 25‐CMV negative samples of CPDA‐1 plasma from 50 units each of platelets and red cells. Plasma samples from platelets stored at 22°C were tested on each of the 5 days of storage. Samples from red cell units stored at 2 to 6°C were tested on storage Days 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Of 250 tests done on plasma from platelet units, there were 123 true‐positive and 123 true‐negative results (sensitivity and specificity, 98.4%). Of 400 tests on plasma from red cell units, there were 200 true‐positive and 198 true‐negative results (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 99.5%). These data show that the CMV Scan test can be used reliably to test segments of CPDA‐1 plasma from platelets stored for up to 5 days and from red cells stored for up to 14 days.


Neurons in biological systems usually exhibit distinctive response selectivity to certain features in the stimulus. As the neurons are functionally and spatially segregated, one may interpret the computational principles of the neural systems as a mechanism of feature mapping, which represents information in a topographic fashion. In this article, the author summarizes the physiological findings of the neural selectivities in the primary auditory cortex and, based on which, proposes a mathematical framework for mapping the acoustic features conveyed in the power spectrum. The author further demonstrates how this model may be employed to explain a series of psychoacoustic experiments that are designed to measure the sensitivity of the human auditory system to spectral shape perception, and hypothesizes how the measured thresholds may be related to the model parameters.<<ETX>>


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Even though atherosclerosis is a systemic disease, few prospective studies have evaluated in a thorough and systematic manner the whole vascular tree in patients with clinical damage of different territories. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Prospective protocolized study of 269 consecutive patients younger than 70, attended because of symptomatic arteriosclerosis of any territory -53% coronary (CHD), 32% cerebrovascular (CVD), 15% peripheral (PVD)-. Patients underwent evaluation of risk factors and their control, systematic non-invasive study of the vascular tree (Doppler-ultrasound) and comparison between groups according to the index territory. RESULTS: Even though all risk factors were represented in the 3 groups, male sex, smoking and diabetes were more frequent in PVD and dyslipemia was more common in CHD (p < 0.05) Abdominal aortic diameter and carotid intima-media thickness were similar for all groups, while the number of carotid plaques was higher in PVD. CHD patients more often presented left ventricular hypertrophy and reduced ejection fraction. PVD patients showed a marked reduction of the ankle-brachial index as well as increased C-reactive protein and homocysteine (p < 0.05). Severe unsuspected vascular lesions were found in 13% of cases (95% confidence interval, 9.5-17.6%). Risk factor control was better for CHD, followed by CVD and PVD, but was globally poor. CONCLUSIONS: The systematic evaluation of the vascular tree detects generalized atherosclerotic lesions, in some cases severe and clinically unsuspected. New markers to identify patients at very high risk are necessary. Peripheral vascular disease identifies a group of patients of particular risk. Risk factor control is deficient, particularly among PVD patients.


This paper describes a design process of HALE PW-114 sensor-craft, developed for high altitude (20 km) long endurance (40 h) surveillance missions. Designed as a blended wing (BW) configuration, to be made of metal and composite materials. Wing control surfaces provide longitudinal balance. Fin in the rear fuselage section together with wingtips provide directional stability. Airplane is equipped with retractable landing gear with controlled front leg that allows operations from conventional airfields. According to the initial requirements it is twin engine configuration, typical payload consists of electro-optical/infra-red FLIR, big SAR (synthetic aperture radar) and SATCOM antenna required for the longest range. Tailless architecture was based on both Horten and Northrop design experience. Global Hawk was considered as a reference point – it was assumed that BW design has to possess efficiency, relative payload and other characteristics at least the same or even better than that of Global Hawk. FLIR, SAR and SATCOM containers were optimised for best visibility. All payload systems are put into separate modular containers of easy access and quickly to exchange, so this architecture can be consider as a "modular". An optimisation process started immediately when the so-called "zero configuration", called PW-111 was ready. It was designed in the canard configuration. A canard was abandoned in HALE PW-113. Instead, new, larger outer wing was designed with smaller taper ratio. New configuration analysis revealed satisfactory longitudinal stability. Calculations suggested better lateral qualities for negative dihedral. These modifications, leading to aerodynamic improvement, gave HALE PW-114 as a result. The design process was an interdisciplinary approach, and included a selection of thick laminar wing section, aerodynamic optimisation of swept wing, stability analysis, weight balance, structural and flutter analysis, many on-board redundant systems, reliability and maintability analysis, safety improvement, cost and performance optimisation. Presented paper focuses mainly on aerodynamics, wing design, longitudinal control and safety issues. This activity is supported by European Union within V FR, in the area Aeronautics and Space.


A collision-limiter method, designated as equilibrium direct simulation Monte Carlo (eDSMC), is proposed to extend the DSMC technique to high pressure flows. The method is similar to collision-limiter schemes considered in the past with the important distinction that for inviscid flows, equilibrium is enforced in the entire flow by providing a sufficient number of collisions, based on pre-simulation testing. To test the method with standard DSMC and Navier–Stokes (NS) methods, axi-symmetric nozzle and embedded-channel flows are simulated and compared with experimental temperature data and pre-existing calculations, respectively. The method is shown to agree with third-order Eulerian nozzle flows and first-order channel flows. Chapman–Enskog theory is utilized to predict the range of initial conditions where eDSMC is potentially useful for modeling flows that contain viscous boundary layer regions. Comparison with supersonic nozzle data suggests that the eDSMC method is not adequate for capturing the large variation in flow length scales occurring in supersonic expansions into a vacuum. However, when eDSMC is used in combination with the baseline-DSMC method a near-exact solution is obtained with a considerable computational savings compared to the exact DSMC solution. Viscous flow channel calculations are found to agree well with an exact Navier–Stokes (NS) calculation for a small Knudsen number case as predicted by Chapman–Enskog theory.


This paper analyses the consequences of using Covariance Inflation Methods for Simultaneous Localisation and Map Building (SLAM). Covariance Inflation refers to the process of adding a positive semidefinite matrix to the system covariance matrix to improve the properties of a SLAM algorithm. Because this approach can be used to decorrelate the state estimates in the covariance matrix, it has the potential to greatly reduce both computational and storage costs. However, it also raises the risk that the covariance can increase without bound. This paper analyses the properties of covariance inflation algorithms to assess their impact on performance. We prove that, to prevent the steady-state covariance from being increased, the computational and storage costs must be linear in the number of beacons. Furthermore, if the steady-state covariance is to remain finite, the inflation method cannot impose structures on the filter which are continually broken down. These results are illustrated in a simple linear example.


OBJECTIVE: To describe an outbreak of Candida tropicalis fungemia in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), to evaluate the risk factors associated with this infection and the possible mode of nosocomial transmission. DESIGN: Descriptive and case-control study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Surveillance cultures were taken from hospitalized patients, personnel, and inanimate objects in the NICU. Six patients with C tropicalis fungemia (cases) were compared with C tropicalis culture-negative patients matched for duration of exposure to the NICU (controls). RESULTS: During a five-month period, C tropicalis was isolated from 29 blood cultures of six premature infants. The same organism also was isolated from fingernail samples taken from the ward housekeeper, who had a mild onychomycosis, and an asymptomatic nurse. Other potential reservoirs of C tropicalis were not identified among all the other infants or in the hospital environment. The six patients with C tropicalis fungemia were more likely to have received a larger number of antibiotics (4.0 versus 1.8, P < 0.001) and to have been subjected to a longer duration of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) therapy (8.5 versus 2.67 days, P = 0.004) than the controls. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of fungemia in this outbreak can be attributed to a larger number of antibiotics and a longer period of TPN administered to the patients. Analysis of events suggests that the outbreak may have been the result of cross-infection between staff and patients.


Under this heading are brief reports of studies providing data that substantiate, disprove, or refine what we think we know. These notes consist of a summary of the study's procedure and as many details about the results as space allows. Additional details concerning the results can be obtained by communicating directly with the author.


Background: The law and literature about children's consent generally assume that patients aged under-18 cannot consent until around 12 years, and cannot refuse recommended surgery. Children deemed pre-competent do not have automatic rights to information or to protection from unwanted interventions. However, the observed practitioners tend to inform young children s, respect their consent or refusal, and help them to "want" to have the surgery. Refusal of heart transplantation by 6-year-olds is accepted. Research question: What are possible reasons to explain the differences between theories and practices about the ages when children begin to be informed about elective heart surgery, and when their consent or refusal begins to be respected? Research design, participants and context: Research methods included reviews of related healthcare, law and ethics literature; observations and conversations with staff and families in two London hospitals; audio-recorded semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 45 healthcare professionals and related experts; interviews and a survey with parents and children aged 6- to 15-years having elective surgery (not reported in this paper); meetings with an interdisciplinary advisory group; thematic analysis of qualitative data and co-authorship of papers with participants. Ethical considerations: Approval was granted by four research ethics committees/authorities. All interviewees gave their informed written consent. Findings: Interviewees explained their views and experiences about children's ages of competence to understand and consent or refuse, analysed by their differing emphases on informed, signified or voluntary consent. Discussion: Differing views about children's competence to understand and consent are associated with emphases on consent as an intellectual, practical and/or emotional process. Conclusion: Greater respect for children's practical signified, emotional voluntary and intellectual informed consent can increase respectful understanding of children's consent. Nurses play a vital part in children's practitioner-patient relationships and physical care and therefore in all three elements of consent.


Functional human insulin-Au nanodots (NDs) are synthesized for the in vivo imaging of insulin metabolism. Benefiting from its efficient red to near infrared fluorescence, deep tissue subcellular uptake of insulin-Au NDs can be clearly resolved through a least-invasive harmonic generation and two-photon fluorescence (TPF) microscope. In vivo investigations on mice ear and ex vivo assays on human fat tissues conclude that cells with rich insulin receptors have higher uptake of administrated insulin. Interestingly, the insulin-Au NDs can even permeate into lipid droplets (LDs) of adipocytes. Using this newly discovered metabolic phenomenon of insulin, it is found that enlarged adipocytes in type II diabetes mice have higher adjacent/LD concentration contrast with small-sized ones in wild type mice. For human clinical samples, the epicardial adipocytes of patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) also show elevated adjacent/LD concentration contrast. As a result, human insulin-Au nanodots provide a new approach to explore subcellular insulin metabolism in model animals or patients with metabolic or cardiovascular diseases.


In the very near future wireless LAN and UMTS technologies will have to co-exist in many populated areas. Since UMTS radio cells are more limited in capacity than WLAN access points (AP), this technology integration gives operators the opportunity to perform internetwork load balancing by transferring services to WLAN hotspots. By doing so, UMTS cell congestion can be alleviated and capacity can be freed for future real time connections. Several scenarios arise depending on the level of congestion of both networks. This research studies such scenarios by assessing the impact of performing internetwork load balancing when transferring non-real time traffic. Promising results show how light and intermediate loaded neighboring WLAN hotspots can absorb up to 50% of the load of a congested UMTS cell, enhancing the throughput for switched non-real time applications and freeing 50% capacity of for future real time UMTS calls. This is achieved without degrading the service of existing applications in the WLAN hotspot.


The article discusses the socio-economic effects of Russia's state programs in the sphere of natural resources management, in particular those effects that, in our view, are not given enough attention within the framework of the national project 'Ecology'. This shortcoming of the state programs can be overcome if policy-makers adopt an evidence-based approach. To this end, we propose an adjustable and flexible set of indicators of state programs. The analysis relies on the model of panel data that uses Rosstat data for Russian regions between 2017 and 2018. According to the modeling results, environmental factors have a significant influence on morbidity. An increase in emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere from stationary sources per unit (ton per capita) causes an increase in morbidity per 1,000 people (registered diseases in patients with a diagnosis established for the first time in life). Similarly, a 1 % increase in the share of industrial production in GRP causes an increase in morbidity by 3 units. Significant differences between regions of Russia were also detected. For example, in the Central Federal District, other things being equal, the incidence rate is lower by 52 units than other regions of Russia; in the North Caucasian Federal District, by 135 units, and in the Southern Federal District, by 109 units. In the North-Western Federal District, on the contrary, the incidence rate is higher by 113 units.


Three northern hardwood stands were clearcut to evaluate the effect of whole tree harvesting on sites of varying quality. Stands were growing on sandy, outwash soils and had red maple (Acer rubrum) site indices of 15, 19, and 20 and biomass values of 114, 165, and 181 Mg/ha. Harvesting did not alter extractable soil P levels significantly on any site. Forest floor weights decreased to similar values on all sites 1.5 years after harvest. Nitrogen losses of over 1.3 Mg/ha occurred in the top meter of soil on all sites. This was attributed to the mixing of the forest floor with the surface mineral soil by the full tree skidding and the subsequent leaching of mineralized N. Soil exchangeable K decreased more than 1 Mg/ha on all sites. Changes in Ca and Mg were much smaller on the low and medium than on the high site. These losses from surface soil horizons are higher than reported previously for clearcutting northern hardwoods on till soils. The greatest impact of whole tree harvest on soil nutrients occurred on the better sites in this study rather than on the poor quality site. (Refs. 33.).


The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to identify a possible relationship between the information-seeking behaviour of patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer with source, type, amount and satisfaction of health information accessed. The sample (n = 36) were drawn from the medical oncology department of a large city centre teaching hospital. Participants were recruited through consecutive attendance to the medical oncology department. Eighty-six patients were invited to participate (response rate 42%). An anonymous self-report questionnaire and the Miller Behavioural Style Scale were used to measure attitudes towards 10 different sources of information and identify information-seeking behaviour. The study found that high information-seeking behaviour influenced the type of information sources used to find out about chemotherapy, but did not influence the level of satisfaction with the information sources used. Healthcare professionals were the most frequently used sources of information, but the majority of the sample used a variety of information sources. The Internet was the most frequently used mass media source of information (50% of the sample), especially by those under 50 years old (P = 0.033). Patients' behavioural signature needs to be considered when addressing their information needs. Oncology services need to provide patients with details of recommended high-quality websites to access for information about their chemotherapy.


A new edition that matches the content of the 2011 Cambridge syllabus. This new edition covers the content of the new Cambridge economics syllabus (9708). Fully endorsed by Univeristy of Cambridge International Examinations, the course comprises a Coursebook with Student's CD-ROM and this Teacher's Resource CD-ROM. Featuring examples and data from a wide range of economies, the course offers comprehensive coverage of the syllabus and a truly international perspective on the study of economics. The Teacher's Resource CD-ROM contains: a wide range of further activities for each chapter including multiple-choice, data response and essay questions as well as homework suggestions; answers to the further activities including model essays; schemes of work; glossary of key economic terms


As a fundamental part of the urban function, urban green space faced a long-term maintenance requirement. The maintenance of urban green space (i.e., trimming, irrigation, fertilization, pesticide, and plant waste removal) can have environmental impacts, such as energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. This chapter focuses on the adjustment of the plant communities' combinations in urban green space to reduce the environmental impacts in long-term maintenance. The plant communities in urban green spaces are a combination of four plant layers: woodland, shrubs, herbicides, and grassland. In this chapter, we will start to investigate the environmental impacts in the maintenance of urban green space. Then we introduced the quantitative method life cycle assessment (LCA), to quantify the environmental impacts of the maintenance tasks. We analyzed the maintenance environmental impact (MEI) index of 95 plant community samples (20 m × 20 m) in Zhengzhou (China) through LCA and sorted out the changing curves of the MEI index during the change of the combined amount in each plant layers. Finally, we sorted out the MEI strength of the plant layers and summarized the low MEI plant community model. The low MEI model can save energy consumption and GHG emissions of the maintenance tasks, to contribute to the sustainable development of the urban green space.


Quinolinate synthase (QS) catalyzes the condensation of iminoaspartate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate to form quinolinate, the universal precursor for the de novo biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. QS has been difficult to characterize owing either to instability or lack of activity when it is overexpressed and purified. Here, the structure of QS from Pyrococcus furiosus has been determined at 2.8 Å resolution. The structure is a homodimer consisting of three domains per protomer. Each domain shows the same topology with a four-stranded parallel β-sheet flanked by four α-helices, suggesting that the domains are the result of gene triplication. Biochemical studies of QS indicate that the enzyme requires a [4Fe-4S] cluster, which is lacking in this crystal structure, for full activity. The organization of domains in the protomer is distinctly different from that of a monomeric structure of QS from P. horikoshii [Sakuraba et al. (2005), J. Biol. Chem. 280, 26645-26648]. The domain arrangement in P. furiosus QS may be related to protection of cysteine side chains, which are required to chelate the [4Fe-4S] cluster, prior to cluster assembly.


We present three novel phase-conjugate laser systems. A Nd, Cr:GSGG laser with a stimulated-Brillouin-scattering (SBS) mirror and plasma shutter has been investigated. A combined effect of SBS and optical breakdown allows us to control pulse duration in a wide range. A description of a Nd:YAG laser with a peak power of 1 GW in a 1-nsec pulse, achieved by means of SBS compression in CCI4, is given. A laser oscillator design with a SBS mirror arranged outside the main resonator has been studied experimentally. Nd:YA1O3 and Nd, Cr:GSGG lasers based on this design revealed efficient generation of near-diffraction-limited output.


Alpine meadows are strongly affected by climate change. Increasing air temperature prolongs the growing season and together with changing precipitation patterns alters soil temperature during winter. To estimate the effect of climate change on soil nutrient cycling, we conducted a field experiment. We transferred undisturbed plant-soil mesocosms from two wind-exposed alpine meadows at ~2100 m a.s.l. to more sheltered plots, situated ~300–400 m lower in the same valleys. The annual mean air temperature was 2°C higher at the lower plots and soils that were normally frozen at the original plots throughout winters were warmed to ~0°C due to the insulation provided by continuous snow cover. After two years of exposure, we analyzed the nutrient content in plants, and changes in soil bacterial community, decomposition, mineralization, and nutrient availability. Leaching of N and P from the soils was continuously measured using ion-exchange resin traps. Warming of soils to ~0°C during the winter allowed the microorganisms to remain active, their metabolic processes were not restricted by soil freezing. This change accelerated nutrient cycling, as evidenced by increased soil N and P availability, their higher levels in plants, and elevated leaching. In addition, root exudation and preferential enzymatic mining of P over C increased. However, any significant changes in microbial biomass, bacterial community composition, decomposition rates, and mineralization during the growing season were not observed, suggesting considerable structural and functional resilience of the microbial community. In summary, our data suggest that changes in soil temperature and snow cover duration during winter periods are critical for altering microbially-mediated processes (even at unchanged soil microbial community and biomass) and may enhance nutrient availability in alpine meadows. Consequently, ongoing climate change, which leads to soil warming and decreasing snow insulation, has a potential to significantly alter nutrient cycling in alpine and subalpine meadows compared to the current situation and increase the year-on-year variability in nutrient availability and leaching.


Considerable efforts have been made during the past two decades to investigate gas injection operations in steelmaking ladles. Towards these, numerous physical and mathematical model studies embodying aqueous as well as full scale systems have been reported. On the basis of an extensive literature search, a summary, discussion and analysis of these are now presented. For the sake of convenience and clarity of presentation, studies have been categorised into three major groups: (1) physical modelling studies, (2) combined physical and mathematical modelling studies and (3) mathematical modelling studies. In each of these categories, a great number of publications on various phenomena, such as gas-liquid interactions, turbulent fluid flow, mixing, solid-liquid mass transfer, etc. have been reported. Accordingly, and as discussed in the text, considerable improvements have resulted in our understanding of the various gas injection induced phenomena in ladle metallurgy operations. Coupled with these, extensive mathematical modelling studies have also lead to a reasonably accurate framework for carrying out engineering design and process calculations. Nonetheless, some obscurities and uncertainties still remain and these are pointed out, together with those areas where further work is needed.


Targeting of many polytopic proteins to the inner membrane of prokaryotes occurs via an essential signal recognition particle-like pathway. FtsY, the Escherichia coli homolog of the eukaryotic signal recognition particle receptor α-subunit, binds to membranes via its amino-terminal AN domain. We demonstrate that FtsY assembles on membranes via interactions with phosphatidylethanolamine and with a trypsin-sensitive component. Both interactions are mediated by the AN domain of FtsY. In the absence of phosphatidylethanolamine, the trypsin-sensitive component is sufficient for binding and function of FtsY in the targeting of membrane proteins. We propose a two-step mechanism for the assembly of FtsY on the membrane similar to that of SecA on the E. coli inner membrane.


This LibGuide contains resources for teachers, students, and administrators who are participating in the New York City Department of Education's High School Science Research Pathways program.


Pomset logic introduced by Retore is an extension of linear logic with a self-dual noncommutative connective. The logic is defined by means of proof-nets, rather than a sequent calculus. Later a deep inference system BV was developed with an eye to capturing Pomset logic, but equivalence of system has not been proven up to now. As for a sequent calculus formulation, it has not been known for either of these logics, and there are convincing arguments that such a sequent calculus in the usual sense simply does not exist for them. In an on-going work on semantics we discovered a system similar to Pomset logic, where a noncommutative connective is no longer self-dual. Pomset logic appears as a degeneration, when the class of models is restricted. Motivated by these semantic considerations, we define in the current work a semicommutative multiplicative linear logic}, which is multiplicative linear logic extended with two nonisomorphic noncommutative connectives (not to be confused with very different Abrusci-Ruet noncommutative logic). We develop a syntax of proof-nets and show how this logic degenerates to Pomset logic. However, a more interesting problem than just finding yet another noncommutative logic is to find a sequent calculus for this logic. We introduce decorated sequents, which are sequents equipped with an extra structure of a binary relation of reachability on formulas. We define a decorated sequent calculus for semicommutative logic and prove that it is cut-free, sound and complete. This is adapted to "degenerate" variations, including Pomset logic. Thus, in particular, we give a variant of sequent calculus formulation for Pomset logic, which is one of the key results of the paper.


The way people see the past tells us much about their present interests and about their sense of identity. This book examines both what men of the day knew about their past, and in particular about the Roman Empire, and shows how such knowledge was used to authenticate claims and attitudes. These original essays, by distinguished scholars, are wide-ranging both geographically, from Russia to Iberia, and in scope, dealing with legal, ecclesiastical, noble and scholarly attitudes.


A gentamicin-resistant mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO503 was selected after ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenesis. The strain, P. aeruginosa PAO2401 had increased resistance to all aminoglycosides tested but exhibited no change for other antibiotics. The mutation designated aglA (aminoglycoside resistance) was 50% cotransducible with the 8-min ilvB,C marker on the P. aeruginosa chromosome. It showed a marked reduction in cytochrome c552 and nitrate reductase (Nar) and a change in terminal oxidase activity. Cytochrome c552 is a component of the P. aeruginosa Nar. No changes in succinate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenases, ubiquinone content, Mg2+/Ca2+ membrane adenosine triphosphatase, and energy coupling of electron transport to adenosine 5′-triphosphate synthesis were detected. Transport of gentamicin and dihydrostreptomycin was impaired in PAO2401, but transport of proline, arginine, glutamine, glucose or the polyamine spermidine was not reduced. Ribosomes of PAO2401, and PAO503 bound dihydrostreptomycin equally well, and cell extracts did not inactivate gentamicin or dihydrostreptomycin. Strain PAO2401 is resistant to gentamicin and dihydrostreptomycin because of impaired transport of these compounds. The transport studies indicate a selective coupling of dihydrostreptomycin and gentamicin transport with terminal electron transport. This conclusion was supported by results from another mutant (PAO417-T2) with increased Nar activity, enhanced dihydrostreptomycin and gentamicin transport and a reduction in resistance to these drugs. These results are discussed in relation to a refined model for aminoglycoside transport and briefly relative to plasmid-mediated aminoglycoside resistance.


Background: TGF-β is a potent growth factor that induces myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, the interaction between circulating TGF-β and local myocardial TGF-β in inducing cardiac hypertrophy is not well understood. Fibulin-2 is an ECM protein that mediates TGF-β activation during cardiac hypertrophy in response to chronic angiotensin (Ang) II infusion. We tested the hypothesis that fibulin-2 mediates systemic TGF-β-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Materials & Methods and Results: We created double mutant mice by crossing TGF-β over-expressing transgenic mice (TG) and fibulin-2 knockout mice (KO). TG are known to produce excessive mature porcine TGF-β from the liver. TG/WT developed significant myocardial hypertrophy at 8 weeks compared with non-TG (NTG) groups. Hypertrophy in KO/TG was significantly attenuated compared with TG/WT. Myocardial TGF-β mRNA up-regulation was significantly higher in TG/WT than in TG/KO or NGT groups, so was Smad2 activation, but myocardial TGF-β bioactivity measured by PAI-1 promoter/luciferase bioassay was comparable among all four groups. Serum carrier-bound TGF-β (total TGF-β) in WT/TG was significantly higher than that in KO/TG and NTG groups, but free TGF-β level was equally elevated in TG groups compared with NTG groups. The difference in hypertrophy between WT/TG and KO/TG may be attributed to increased myocardial TGF-β[[Unable to Display Character: ]]mRNA and elevated serum total TGF-β in WT/TG, not directly to bioactive myocardial TGF-β[[Unable to Display Character: ]]or serum free TGF-β. Endogenous TGF-β mRNA levels in kidney and liver were equally increased in TG groups compared with NTG groups, and were same in all 4 groups in lung, suggesting fibulin-2 was not involved in TGF-β-induced TGF-β synthesis in these organs.

Conclusion: Systemic TGF-β-induced-endogenous TGF-β up-regulation was mediated by fibulin-2 in the myocardium. After secretion, endogenous myocardial TGF-β may be either sequestrated into insoluble ECM or directly released into circulation as a soluble carrier-bound form. It is circulating endogenous TGF-β secreted from the heart that is primarily responsible for myocardial hypertrophy. Heart is a major source of circulating endogenous TGF-β in the TG/WT, which assumes an endocrine role in inducing myocardial hypertrophy.


BACKGROUND
Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) utilizes telemedicine to connect a multidisciplinary team of experts with a -network of primary care physicians to enable rapid dissemination of evidence-based -guidelines and practices at scale. In this study, the Project ECHO model disseminated the Arizona Pain and Addiction Curriculum to providers in rural Arizona with the goal to educate providers on medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

METHODS
Participants engaged in biweekly, virtual teleECHO sessions, and post-session surveys were used to collect data on provider satisfaction, self-efficacy, knowledge, barriers to change, and changes in practice behavior.

RESULTS
Between February 2020 and November 2020, the MAT-ECHO program hosted 20 teleECHO sessions (N = 20) with 255 unique participating providers and delivered 877 learning hours. Analysis of a 6-month post-ECHO survey (N = 13) demonstrated that teleECHO sessions had broad geographic outreach. Participants had an average of 12 years of experience, 38 percent held NP/PA professional degrees, and 54 percent practiced in opioid treatment program settings. Assessment of job satisfaction and well-being revealed overall improved satisfaction among the small cohort of nonwaivered respondents (N = 8), except for meeting patient's needs. MAT-waivered respondents reported no post-session changes.

CONCLUSIONS
Data from this study demonstrated that teleECHO sessions were well attended, consisted of a diverse cohort with various degrees, and had broad geographic outreach; hence, the utilization of the teleECHO model has the potential to reach rural providers and subsequently increase the availability and -efficacy of MAT in rural America.


This qualitative study investigates the impact of physical activity on the well-being of a group of older people with dementia from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The study is influenced by the theoretical perspectives of symbolic interactionism, social constructionism and embodiment. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews are used in eight well-being cafes and day centres in a northern city in the UK, where people with dementia living in the community perform different types of exercise and dance. Nineteen people with dementia and eight carers took part in the participant observation stage. Thirteen individuals with dementia from the participant observation phase are asked about their relationship with physical activity. Thematic analysis is used to generate themes and Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach is used to guide interpretation.

Participants from all ethnic groups express positive beliefs and attitudes towards physical activity and some individuals overcome substantial barriers in order to be physically active. Participants experience a range of benefits including enjoyment, social contact and enhanced mood. Physical activity provides the context in which participants could employ their embodied ability to express themselves, communicate, locate themselves effectively in the social world and connect socially with others in a non-verbal manner. The well-being profile devised by Bradford Dementia Group (Bruce 2000) is applied to identify positive effects of physical activity. Engagement in physical activity is found to fulfil participant's psychosocial needs and therefore positively affect well-being.

Barriers and facilitators which influenced participants' engagement in physical activity are identified. Engaging in physical activity can be easily disrupted. Staff and volunteers are not always effective in facilitating physical activity and their efforts sometimes result in participants expressing ill-being. Some participants find it difficult to perform physical activity because their ethnic identities are incompatible with the cultural characteristics of available activities. A number recommendations relating to policy and practice are made to assist in the provision of physical activity that is likely to support the well-being of people with dementia.


With the development of C2C e-commerce, selecting proper contract to govern the transactions becomes particularly important. Although scholars have made considerable theoretical efforts to understand the rationale for various contractual arrangements, few empirical studies are undertaken to analyze contract choice in C2C e-commerce. Usually the interaction of informal and formal contract was analyzed under two-side repeated game framework. By extending the analysis from two-side repeated game framework to multi-side game situation, this paper enables us to discuss the contract implementation in non-frequent transactions. The conclusions are: when contract cost is very high, informal contract is the best choice; when contract cost is relatively high, there is substitution between formal contract and informal contract; when contract cost is low, formal contract complements informal contract.


Scientists from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) and the University of Würzburg (Germany) have investigated a simple biomimetic light-harvesting system using advanced spectroscopy combined with a microfluidic platform. The double-walled nanotubes work very efficiently at low light intensities, while they are able to get rid of excess energy at high intensities. These properties are useful in the design of novel materials for the harvesting and transport of photon energy. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications on 10 October.


Objective: To examine the HIV-related knowledge and attitude among dental patients attending a Nigerian teaching hospital.
Methods: This questionnaire based cross-sectional study among dental patients University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City was conducted between August, 2016 and October, 2017.
Results: Three-quarters (73.1%) of the participants had poor HIV knowledge. Participants less and equal to 20years, males and never married participants had poorer HIV knowledge. Most of the participants had favourable attitude (66.9%) towards HIV. Most of the participants that were more religious had favourable attitude towards HIV.
Conclusion: This study revealed that majority of the participants had poor HIV-related knowledge and a minority of the participants exhibited negative/intermediate attitude towards People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). There is a need to activate HIV-related education and promotion in the dental clinic setting. Efforts at improving religious attendances may be necessary to help reduce negative/intermediate attitude towards PLWHA


Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers, with five-year survival rates of 9%. We hypothesized that secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2) may influence stromal growth in pancreatic cancer, since it increases fibrosis and collagen production in non-neoplastic pathologies. We assessed SFRP2 value as a biomarker and assessed its function in PDAC. SFRP2 gene expression in patients with PDAC was analyzed using TCGA data. Disease free survival (DFS) was analyzed using Kaplan Meier test. The effect of KRAS inhibition on SFRP2 expression in PDAC cells was assessed. The associations of stromal content with SFPR2 mRNA and protein with fibrosis were analyzed. The role of SFRP2 in mesenchymal transformation was assessed by western blot in fibroblasts. Of all cancers in TCGA, SFRP2 levels were highest in PDAC, and higher in PDAC than normal tissues (n= 234, p= 0.0003). High SFRP2 levels correlated with decreased DFS (p= 0.0097). KRAS inhibition reduced SFRP2 levels. Spearman correlation was 0.81 between stromal RNA and SFRP2 in human PDAC, and 0.75 between fibrosis and SFRP2 levels in PDAC tumors. SFRP2-treated fibroblasts displayed mesenchymal characteristics. SFRP2 is prognostic for PDAC survival, regulated by KRAS, and associated with PDAC fibrosis.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the financial performance of provincial gas distribution companies as affiliates for National Iranian Gas Company. To this end, we identified financial performance indicators in accordance with the requirements of NIGC through a review of theoretical foundations and interviews with a number of financial and planning experts and then prioritized using the Analytical Hierarchy Process method. These indicators lied in four groups of liquidity, capital structure, profitability and activity criteria, respectively. Then, the weighted indicators were analyzed using TOPSIS technique in Expert-Choice software and the final ranking of the companies was provided. The results showed that based on the identified criteria, provincial gas companies of Hormozgan, Yazd, Markazi, and Kermanshah had a favorable financial performance and Ilam, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Zanjan provincial gas companies had a weak financial performance with respect to other companies in three years under review and some suggestions have been made in this regard.


The study tries to examine the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve a European strategy for industrial symbiosis (ESIS). Conclusions are drawn upon a large pool of scientific studies on the topic as well as best practices. Important factors being discussed are benefits of industrial symbiosis and obstacles that hinder its creation, as well as social factors and networking. The study presents the development of industrial symbiosis in Europe and highlights the UK "National Industrial Symbiosis Programme" (NISP) as an innovation and promising best practice for the widespread implementation of industrial symbiosis across Europe. This is why the study argues that the EU has to take the role of a coordinator of coordinators by following a subsidiary approach, promoting the implementation of national industrial symbiosis programs in all Member States and generally focusing on the creation of a context in which IS network can sprout bottom-up through self-organization. Concrete measures include turning into law provisions from the 2015 Circular Economy (CE) Package and taking inspiration from the 2009 Chinese CE law, plus clearing regulatory issues concerning the waste status of by-products. The EU should assist Member States in providing their national IS programs with sufficient budget and provide a European database containing knowledge, information and material stream data, which businesses interested in IS ventures can make use of.


Summary Scientific and clinical advances in all fields of medicine are, to a great extent, based on development and practical usage of advanced technological systems. During the past 30 years, three dimensional (3D) diagnostics has been used in virtually all branches of medical practice. However, the inherently high levels of x-ray radiation have limited the application of computerized tomography (CT) in orofacial region only to emergency cases such as tumor diagnostics. The ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achiveable) principle – the fundamental principle of radiological diagnostics – prevented practical application of 3D CT diagnostics in daily clinical practice in dental medicine. Because of these limitations, a concerted effort was undertaken towards development of diagnostic methodologies that would retain the advantages of CT diagnostics while reducing the concomitant doses of radiation, and thus enhance their diagnostic value and ethical acceptability. The application of conic-beam-based CT instruments (CBCT – Cone Beam Computer Tomography), enabled wider application of 3D diagnostics in dental medicine and, primarily, orofacial surgery. Awareness of the 3rd dimension and the spatial relationships of anatomical structures greatly facilitates the planning of surgical procedures and reduces their inherent risks. Furthermore, it allows a more thorough understanding of the proposed therapeutic procedures by the patient, enables asessment of the quality and quantity of bony structures, and reduces the chances of peri/post operative complications. CBCT methodology features lower relative radiation doses, a high resolution of quantitative and qualitative details, and simple, economical manipulation of images. CBCT is based on two-dimensional conic beam and a wide array of sensors with the imaging angle greater than 400 degrees. Radiation exposure is significantly reduced by the usage of pulse exposure and data analysis algorithms based on a wide digital panel that simultaneously receives data from all imaging angles and calculates the exact values of the imaged structures. Due to its significant advantages compared to two-dimensional radiological diagnostic methods, the application od 3D diagnostics is expanding to virtually all branches of dental medicine. Also, based on its high acurracy and precision, the CBCT technology holds great potential for future applictions in scientific research.


We present a novel thylakoid based bio-solar cell capable of generating a photoelectric current of 0.7 µA/cm2. We have introduced an electro conductive polymer, PEDOT-S, to the thylakoid membrane. PEDOT-S intervenes in the photosynthesis, captures electrons from the electron transport chain and transfers them directly across the thylakoid membrane, thus generating a current. The incorporation of the electro conductive polymer into the thylakoid membrane is therefore vital for the function of the bio-solar cell. A liposomal model system based on liposomes formed by oleic acid was used to develop and study the incorporation of PEDOT-S to fatty acid membranes. The liposomes allow for a more controllable and easily manipulated system compared to the thylakoid membrane. In the model system, PEDOT-S could successfully be incorporated to the membrane, and the developed methods were applied to the real system of thylakoid membranes. We found that a bio-compatible electrolyte and redox couple was required for this system to function. The final thylakoid based bio-solar cell was evaluated according to performance and reproducibility. We found that this bio-solar system can generate a low but reproducible current.


Background: Cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) forms a small subset of extrapulmonary TB and continues to be a significant diagnostic dilemma in routine practice. The present study is an attempt to find the incidence, clinical spectrum, and histopathological features of cutaneous TB in western Rajasthan. The relation of cutaneous TB with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was also assessed. Method: A total of 40 cases of newly diagnosed patients of cutaneous TB attending the dermatology outpatient department over a period of 1 year were included in the study. A detailed clinical examination and investigations including histopathological examination were carried out. Results: The overall incidence of cutaneous TB was 0.025% (40 of 160,000 outpatients). HIV concurrence was 5% (2 cases) of all cutaneous TB cases. The most common variants were scrofuloderma (40%), lupus vulgaris (30%), TB verrucosa cutis (8%), orificial TB (2%), and lichen scrofulosorum (2%). Males suffered more than females (2.07:1) and all patients belonged to lower socioeconomic class. The Mantoux test was positive in 65% of cases. Extracutaneous involvement occurred in 17 (42.50%) cases. Characteristic well-defined tuberculoid granulomas were seen in 60% of cases, whereas 40% of cases showed nonspecific changes. Conclusion: This study provides the epidemiological data of cutaneous TB in western Rajasthan, identifies the clinicohistopathological pattern, and calls the attention of the health-care professionals that they should improve the propaedeutics of neglected and underdiagnosed cases of cutaneous TB that is prevalent in the lower socioeconomic group. Due to the varied clinical presentations, physician awareness and a high index of suspicion are necessary to diagnose cutaneous forms of TB.


The study of the phenomenology of an extra neutral gauge boson, ZH, can help us to unravel the underlying theory. We study the decay of such a particle into two neutral gauge bosons, ZH → ViZ (Vi = γ, Z), in two popular versions of the little Higgs model: the littlest Higgs model and the simplest little Higgs model. These decays are induced at the one-loop level by a fermion triangle and are interesting as they are strongly dependent on the mechanism of anomaly cancellation. All the relevant tree-level two- and three-body decays of the ZH gauge boson are also calculated. It is found that the branching ratios for the ZH → γZ decays can be as large as that of a tree-level three-body decay but the ZH → ZZ decay is very suppressed. We also discuss the experimental prospects for detecting these decays at the Large Hadron Collider and a future linear collider. We conclude that the latter would offer more chances for the detection of such rare decays.


Dietary supplementation of glutamine prevents intestinal dysfunction and atrophy in weanling piglets, but the underlying mechanism(s) are largely unknown. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that weaning or glutamine may modulate expression of genes that are crucial for intestinal metabolism and function. In Expt. 1, we obtained small intestine from 28-d-old pigs weaned at 21 d of age and from age-matched suckling piglets. In Expt. 2, piglets were weaned at 21 d of age and then had free access to diets supplemented with 1% L-glutamine (wt:wt) or isonitrogenous L-alanine (control). At d 28, we collected small intestine for biochemical and morphological measurements and microarray analysis of gene expression using the Operon Porcine Genome Oligo set. Early weaning resulted in increased (52-346%) expression of genes related to oxidative stress and immune activation but decreased (35-77%) expression of genes related to macronutrient metabolism and cell proliferation in the gut. Dietary glutamine supplementation increased intestinal expression (120-124%) of genes that are necessary for cell growth and removal of oxidants, while reducing (34-75%) expression of genes that promote oxidative stress and immune activation. Functionally, the glutamine treatment enhanced intestinal oxidative-defense capacity (indicated by a 29% increase in glutathione concentration), prevented jejunal atrophy, and promoted small intestine growth (+12%) and body weight gain (+19%) in weaned piglets. These findings reveal coordinate alterations of gene expression in response to weaning and aid in providing molecular mechanisms for the beneficial effect of dietary glutamine supplementation to improve nutrition status in young mammals.


The understanding of gases dispersion phenomena in atmosphere is very important to population life quality, as the accumulation of pollutants can lead to serious health problems. On this context, the urban canyons are favorable areas to the accumulation of pollutants, due to fluid dynamic effects, inherent in these configurations, such as recirculation. An increasingly widespread and improved tool for understanding the gas dispersion phenomenon is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The present work evaluates the dispersion of carbon monoxide (CO) in a generic urban canyon. The evaluated computational domain presents three buildings arrays. The Fluent/ANSYS 18.2 software was used for simulation, and the Finite Volume Method was used to solve conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy, and species concentration along the computational domain. The turbulence equations were solved through the STT k-omega Model. The pressure and velocity coupling were solved through the SIMPLEC Algorithm. A polynomial velocity profile was used at domain inlet to better represent the real atmospheric conditions. A 10 seconds transient simulation was performed. Different emission velocities of 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 m/s were considered. This study allowed the observation of pollutant accumulation regions along with the time, of the fluid dynamics effects and of the significant impact of the emission velocity on pollutant dispersion. It is possible to observe the concentration increase within the urban canyon, while CO inlet velocity decreases. The results of such researches may help the authorities to improve building legislations and assure a better life quality to urban population.


Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels play a role in olfactory transduction. Olfactory CNG channels consist of three different subunits, 2XCNGA2, 1XCNGA4 and 1XCNGB1b. Only the CNGA2 subunits can form functional homotetrameric channels. It is still unclear how ligand binding is translated to channel gating in the homotetrameric CNGA2 channels. Therefore, we characterized the work of only one CNGA2 subunit in homotetrameric CNGA2 channels. We used the concatenation technique in combination with the patch-clamp technique. Selected subunits were rendered almost insensitive to cGMP by a point mutation (R538E) in the binding domain. First, we show direct evidence indicating that the concatenation technique does not have any effect on channel function: 1) The concentration-response relationship of wt-wt-wt-wt concatemer was almost identical to that of channels formed by non-concatenated subunits (4wt). 2) When coexpressing wt-wt-wt-wt concatemer with mut subunits, the concentration-response relationship was indistinguishable from that of wt-wt-wt-wt concatemer alone. 3) The amplitude of the single-channel current and the open probability of wt-wt-wt-wt channels were not significantly different from that of 4wt channels in the presence of saturating cGMP concentrations. Then, the concentration-response relationships obtained from the concatemers containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 mutated subunits showed that an increase of the number of mut subunits in the concatemeric channels caused graded losses in cGMP sensitivity (EC50) associated with a systematic decrease of the Hill coefficient (H). Moreover, we showed that the position of the functional subunit(s) in the concatemers is irrelevant for the channel function. We further characterized the CNGA2-channel activation induced by the first ligand binding step in mut-mut-mut-wt channels by means of the single-channel recordings and a global fit analysis with Markovian models. We found that the first binding step is sufficient to evoke significant channel opening to the full conductance level. The second binding step is the most important step because this step drives the channel from the closed to the maximal open state. Together, these results provide direct information about the functional role of individual subunits in homotetrameric CNGA2 channels.


The O(N) hierarchical N-body algorithms and mas sively parallel processors allow particle systems of 100 million particles or more to be simulated in acceptable time. We describe a data-parallel implementation of Anderson's method and demonstrate both efficiency and scalability of the implementation on the Connec tion Machine CM-5/5E systems. The communication time for large particle systems amounts to about 10%- 25%, and the overall efficiency is about 35%, corre sponding to a performance of about 60 Mflop/s per CM-5E node, independent of the number of nodes.


We have performed ab initio electronic structure calculations and Monte Carlo simulations of frustrated ferroic materials where complex magnetic configurations and chemical disorder lead to rich phase diagrams. With lowering of temperature, we find a ferromagnetic phase which transforms to an antiferromagnetic phase at the magnetostructural (martensitic) phase transition and to a cluster spin glass at still lower temperatures. The Heusler alloys Ni-(Co)-Mn-(Cr)-(Ga, Al, In, Sn, Sb) are of particular interest because of their large inverse magnetocaloric effect associated with the magnetostructural transition and the influence of Co/Cr doping. Besides spin glass features, strain glass behavior has been observed in Ni-Co-Mn-In. The numerical simulations allow a complete characterization of the frustrated ferroic materials including the Fe-Rh-Pd alloys.


Communication cost estimation tools are required for exploration of interface choices during design space exploration for automated synthesis of systems. Theoretical models for delays and performance for a communication medium may not suffice when designing practical systems, as the actual performance of the medium depends on the setting that it is used in. In this paper, we present an approach where we build system-specific models, taking the PCI bus as the communication medium. Models are built for two systems, one for the SW-SW case, and the other for the SW-HW case.


In the light of the results obtained during the last two decades in analysis of signals by time series, it has become evident that the tools of non linear dynamics have their elective role of application in biological, and, in particular, in neuro-physiological and psycho-physiological studies. The basic concept in non linear analysis of experimental time series is that one of recurrence whose conceptual counterpart is represented from variedness and variability that are the foundations of complexity in dynamic processes. Thus, the recurrence plots and the Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) are discussed. It is shown that RQA represents the most general and correct methodology in investigation of experimental time series. By it we arrive to inspect the inner structure of the time series connected to the signals under investigation. Linked to RQA we prospect also the method CZF, recently introduced by us. It is able to account for a true estimation of variability of signals in time as well as in frequency domain. And, consequently, it may be used in conjunction with classical Fourier analysis, accounting however that it is inappropriate in analysis of non linear and non stationary experimental time series. The use of CZF method in fractal analysis is also considered in addition to standard index as Hurst exponent. A large field of possible applications in neurological as well as in psycho-physiological studies is given. Also, there are given examples of other and (possibly linked) applications as example the analysis of beat-to-beat fluctuations of human heartbeat intervals that is sovereign in psycho-physiological studies. We give applications on some different planes to evidence the particular sensitivity of such methods. We reach the objective to show that the previously exposed methods are also able to predict in advance the advent of ventricular tachycardia and/or of ventricular fibrillation. The RQA analysis gives good results. The CZF method gives the most excellent results showing that it is able to give very significant indexes of prediction. We also apply such methods in investigation of state anxiety, and proposing in detail a quantum like model of such phenomenological status of the mind.


In the spring of 1986, medical school admissions personnel were surveyed on their institutions' admissions practices and the use of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) data in student selection. The admissions officers listed sources of information considered in processing applications. The variables accorded high importance were: overall and science undergraduate grade-point averages, quality of degree-granting institutions, letters of evaluation, interview ratings, MCAT scores, extracurricular activities, work in areas related to health care, breadth and/or difficulty of course work, and state of legal residence. Variables judged of medium importance were: nonscience grade-point average, graduate study, narratives supplied through the American Medical College Application Service or supplemental narratives, demographic factors, and undergraduate research. The respondents divided the 15-point MCAT scale into exemplary, acceptable, and unacceptable ranges of performance. These responses varied widely among institutions. The mean response for the bottom of the acceptable range was a score of seven, and the mean for the beginning of the exemplary range was 11. In considering individual MCAT subtest scores, 34 percent of the admissions officers regarded the six scores individually and equally, 51 percent weighted the areas in ways related to their curricula, and 43 percent summed or averaged scores with equal weights at some point. Thirty-one percent used MCAT scores to adjust grade-point averages across undergraduate institutions.


Film thickness describes the coating around aggregate particles on asphalt mixtures. The standard method of calculating film thickness has proven to present several limitations, such as assuming an average thickness independent of particle size, being completely independent to the porosity of the mixture and considering only one mineral type. In this paper, a binder distribution model is developed for aggregates according to size and role in the structure. The aggregates are separated into two different structures: primary structure, the load bearing one, and secondary structure, smaller material that provides stability to the skeleton. A coating thickness for these two structures is calculated from a geometrical consideration that includes the packing arrangement of particles and the effect of overlapping as the film grows. The results were compared with known rutting performance of field mixtures and moisture conditioned laboratory mixtures, showing a good correlation between film thickness and resistance to failure.


Meiosis, which produces haploid progeny, is critical to ensuring both faithful genome transmission and genetic diversity. Proteasomes play critical roles at various stages of spermatogenesis, including meiosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The atypical proteasomes, which contain the activator PA200, catalyze the acetylation-dependent degradation of the core histones in elongated spermatids and DNA repair in somatic cells. We show here that the testis-specific proteasome subunit α4s/PSMA8 is essential for male fertility by promoting proper formation of spermatoproteasomes, which harbor both PA200 and constitutive catalytic subunits. Immunostaining of a spermatocyte marker, SYCP3, indicated that meiosis was halted at the stage of spermatocytes in the α4s-deficient testes. α4s stimulated the in vitro degradation of the acetylated core histones, instead of nonacetylated histones, by the PA200-proteasome. Deletion of α4s blocked degradation of the core histones at DNA damage loci in spermatocytes, leading to meiotic arrest at metaphase I. Thus, α4s is required for histone degradation at meiotic DNA damage loci, proper progression of meiosis, and fertility in males by promoting proper formation of spermatoproteasomes. These results are important for understanding male infertility and might provide potential targets for male contraception or treatment of male infertility.


It can be difficult to identify trends and perform quality control in large, high-dimensional fMRI or omics datasets. To remedy this, we develop ImageNomer, a data visualization and analysis tool that allows inspection of both subject-level and cohort-level features. The tool allows visualization of phenotype correlation with functional connectivity (FC), partial connectivity (PC), dictionary components (PCA and our own method), and genomic data (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs). In addition, it allows visualization of weights from arbitrary ML models. ImageNomer is built with a Python backend and a Vue frontend. We validate ImageNomer using the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC) dataset, which contains multitask fMRI and SNP data of healthy adolescents. Using correlation, greedy selection, or model weights, we find that a set of 10 FC features can explain 15% of variation in age, compared to 35% for the full 34,716 feature model. The four most significant FCs are either between bilateral default mode network (DMN) regions or spatially proximal subcortical areas. Additionally, we show that whereas both FC (fMRI) and SNPs (genomic) features can account for 10-15% of intelligence variation, this predictive ability disappears when controlling for race. We find that FC features can be used to predict race with 85% accuracy, compared to 78% accuracy for sex prediction. Using ImageNomer, this work casts doubt on the possibility of finding unbiased intelligence-related features in fMRI and SNPs of healthy adolescents.


Passive elastic behavior of arterial wall remains difficult to model. Although phenomenological and structural models exist, the question of how the three-dimensional network structure of the collagen in the artery determines its mechanical properties is still open. A model is presented that incorporates a collagen network as well as the noncollagenous material that comprise the artery. The collagen architecture is represented as a network of interconnected fibers, and a neo-Hookean constitutive equation is used to describe the contribution of the noncollagenous matrix. The model is multiscale in that volume-averaging theory is applied to the collagen network, and it is structural in that parameters of the microstructure of the collagen network were considered instead of a macroscopic constitutive law. The computational results provided a good fit to published experimental data for decellularized porcine carotid arteries. The model predicted increased circumferential compliance for increased axial stretch, consistent with previously published reports, and a relatively small sensitivity to open angle. Even at large extensions, the model predicted that the noncollagenous matrix would be in compression, preventing collapse of the collagen network. The incorporation of fiber-fiber interactions led to an accurate model of artery wall behavior with relatively few parameters. The counterintuitive result that the noncollagenous component is in compression during extension and inflation of the tissue suggests that the collagen is important even at small strains, with the noncollagenous components supporting the network, but not resisting the load directly. More accurate representation of the microstructure of the artery wall is needed to explore this issue further.


0099-1112/12/7804–363/$3.00/0 © 2012 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Abstract Accurate stream topography measurement is important for many ecological applications such as hydraulic modeling and habitat characterization. Habitat complexity measures are often made using visual approximations or total station (TS) surveying that can be subjective and have limited spatial resolution. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can measure topography at a high resolution and accuracy. Two methods, TS surveying and TLS, were compared for measuring complex topography in a boulder-dominated 100 m forested reach of the Staunton River in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. The mean absolute difference between the two datasets was 0.11 m with 82.3 percent of the TS data within 0.1 m of TLS. The TLS dataset was processed to remove vegetation and create a 2 cm digital elevation model (DEM). An algorithm was developed for delineating rocks within the stream channel from the DEM. A common ecological metric based on the structural complexity of the stream, percent in-stream rock cover, was calculated from the TLS dataset, and the results were compared to estimates from traditional methods. This application illustrates the potential of TLS to quantify habitat complexity measures in an automated, unbiased manner.


Abstract The most fitting way to celebrate Joan Petersilia's numerous advancements within the field of criminal justice is to deliberately practice the two most important lessons that perhaps best define her legacy. First, embedded research should drive collaborative partnerships to foster real-world change based on science. Second, such real-world change should reduce the consequences of crime as well as the social costs of heavy-handed criminal justice sanctions within distressed communities to transform criminal justice policy and practice. In this paper, we outline future directions for policing practice and research as a result of the embedded, collaborative partnerships that led to the Tulsa Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) initiative. The Tulsa CBCR initiative and subsequent evaluation shows that police-driven, collaborative stakeholder partnerships (including business owners, resident steering committees, local government, police, and researchers) significantly reduced crime within targeted areas, allayed many citizens' perceptions of risk, and improved residents' attitudes about the Tulsa Police Department.


Spatial road networks have been widely employed to model the structure and connectivity of cities. In such representation, the question of spatial scale of the entities in the network, i.e. what its nodes and edges actually embody in reality, is of particular importance so that redundant information can be identified and eliminated to provide an improved understanding of city structure. To address this, we investigate in this work the relationship between the spatial scale of the modelled network entities against the amount of useful information contained within it. We employ an entropy measure from complexity science and information theory to quantify the amount of information residing in each presentation of the network subject to the spatial scale and show that it peaks at some intermediate scale. The resulting network presentation would allow us to have direct intuition over the hierarchical structure of the urban organisation, which is otherwise not immediately available from the traditional simple road network presentation. We demonstrate our methodology on the Singapore road network and find the critical spatial scale to be 85 m, at which the network obtained corresponds very well to the planning boundaries used by the local urban planners, revealing the essential urban connectivity structure of the city. Furthermore, the complexity measure is also capable of informing the secondary transitions that correspond well to higher-level hierarchical structures associated with larger-scale urban planning boundaries in Singapore.


Willingness to communicate (WTC) used to be studied as a relatively stable, trait-like predisposition; however, recent attention has been shifted to more dynamic, state-like components of WTC, i.e. possible fluctuations in state WTC over time. This research investigates variability and stability in both trait and state WTC. It particularly focuses on within-person variability in state WTC, which may lead to stable between-person differences, and situational antecedents that can either promote or hinder state WTC in L2 classrooms. Published research on state WTC was systematically reviewed, and frequently reported situational antecedents of state WTC were organised into a framework composed of three inter-linked layers: situation cues, situation characteristics, and underlying dimensions. Two high-density repeated measurement studies conducted in English classrooms in a Chinese university, investigating whether, how and why state WTC varied during a semester (Study 1) and during a lesson (Study 2), respectively. The two studies found that (a) state WTC varied both within a lesson and across different lessons during a semester; (b) within-person variability in state WTC was systematically related to the situational antecedents proposed in the framework (e.g. support, task-importance, task-interest, etc.); and (c) systematic within-person variability in state WTC predicted English learning performance, particularly in terms of communicative competence. This research provides novel insights into how within-person variability in state-like variables can be studied, and the proposed framework can be used as guidance for future research on state WTC and its situational antecedents. This research also suggests practical strategies for educators and language L2 teachers who would like to facilitate student state WTC by systematically shaping classroom learning situations.


OBJECT
Transplantation of fetal dopaminergic tissue is being investigated in animal models and clinical trials for its potential as a treatment for advanced Parkinson disease. At the same time, the availability of fetal tissue is limited, making its storage time prior to transplantation a key practical issue. Although it results in a smaller percentage of surviving cells. a longer storage time enables fetal tissue obtained over several days to be pooled for transplantation in a recipient. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been shown to improve survival of human dopaminergic tissue that has been stored prior to transplantation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects on fetal dopaminergic tissue of GDNF-supplemented hibernation for extended periods of 6 to 15 days.

METHODS
The ventral mesencephalon (VM) was harvested in a total of 27 14-day-old rat fetuses, and three VMs were cultured immediately (fresh control group). The remaining 24 VMs were divided sagittally along the midline to yield 48 equal pieces of hemimesencephalon. Twenty-four pieces were stored with GDNF-supplemented hibernation medium for 6, 9, 12, or 15 days, and the 24 "partner" hemimesencephalon pieces were stored in control hibernation medium for the same periods of time. Tissue was cultured for 48 hours and processed for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity and double-stained with cresyl violet. Cell counts for all cultures and the percentage of TH-immunoreactive cells were obtained. The percentage of TH-immunoreactive cells for the fresh control group was 6.3 +/- 0.5%. The percentage of TH-immunoreactive cells in cultures derived from tissue stored in GDNF-supplemented medium was significantly increased at 6 and 9 days posthibernation compared with the fresh control group and the "partner" groups stored in hibernation medium only. No significant increase in the percentage of TH-immunoreactive cells was observed in the 12- and 15-day groups.

CONCLUSIONS
In this study the authors have demonstrated that fetal dopaminergic tissue can be safely stored for up to 9 days in GDNF-supplemented hibernation medium. Furthermore, the percentage of TH-immunoreactive cells is significantly increased after 6 and 9 days of storage in this medium, improving the yield of TH-immunoreactive cells prior to transplantation. These observations have practical clinical implications for collecting fetal dopaminergic cells and improving their survival after transplantation.


Integrated water resource management has been discussed since at least the Civil War; yet, there is still no integrated framework for sustainably managing water. Recognizing this need, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) funded a research project to develop an integrated, conceptual framework for sustainable water resources management. Through WERF funding, this framework was developed over the past four years. Development of the framework was guided by the U.N. Agenda 21, Global Water Partnership, the Enlibra Principles, and Panarchy Theory.

The conceptual framework for Sustainable Water Resources Management considers water as a renewable, but finite resource with global and regional constraints. It integrates ecological, economic, and social considerations through institutional and legal/regulatory constructs to move toward sustainable water resources. Implementation of the framework is guided by a process flow?chart that considers both crisis management and proactive management activities. We believe that sustainability is as much an outcome as a goal. If water resources are viewed within a total systems context and monitored, assessed and adaptively managed through time, sustainable water resources are the outcome.

This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series

ISBN: 9781843397564 (Print)

ISBN: 9781780403984 (eBook)


This work covers the robotic drone integration of a re-identification system for Friesian Cattle. We have built a computationally-enhanced M100 UAV platform with an on-board deep learning inference system for integrated computer vision and navigation able to autonomously find and visually identify by coat pattern individual Holstein Friesian cattle in freely moving herds. For autonomous drone-based identification we describe an approach that utilises three deep convolutional neural network architectures running live onboard the aircraft; that is, a YoloV2-based species detector, a dual-stream Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) delivering exploratory agency and an InceptionV3-based biometric Long-term Recurrent Convoluational Network (LRCN) for individual animal identification. We evaluate the performance of components offline, and also online via real-world field tests of autonomous low-altitude flight in a farm environment. The presented proof-of-concept system is a successful step towards autonomous biometric identification of individual animals from the air in open pasture environments and inside farms for tag-less AI support in farming and ecology. The work is published in full in IROS 2019 [4].


Presents a high-speed 64-bit hybrid carry-lookahead/carry-select adder in 0.1 /spl mu/m partially depleted silicon-on-insulator (PD/SOI) technology with a critical path delay of 346 ps. Sense-amplifier based differential logic with source follower evaluation tree is used for fast generation of 8-bit group carry. Floating body PD/SOI shows 24% performance improvement over bulk CMOS for the 8-bit group carry generating circuit. We also show that the proposed circuit is robust to noise induced by floating body effect in PD/SOI.


The proposed system follows a model–based approach based on Digital Signal Processing and Artificial Neural Network. Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) of an Automobile Engine' have been carried out using acoustic signals which is captured from the engine. This method is based on parameter estimation, where a set of parameters is used to check the status of an engine and a model based approach is employed to generate several symptoms indicating the difference between faulty and non-faulty status. In this work, experimentation is carried out on Maruti Suzuki Alto Four Stroke (MSAFS) Engine. There are many more types of faults which may be developed because of wear and tear or lack of maintenance but, the database is generated only for three different types of faults and classification of the same is carried out. The signal normalization, signal conditioning, signal decompositions, analog to digital conversion and feature extraction were carried out by using the algorithm written in MATLAB R2010B. The paper describes the performance of statistical and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based classifiers for individual and multiple faults and finally the optimal classifiers are proposed based on classification accuracy. It is observed from the experimental results that ANN) based classifiers are more appropriate than statistical classifiers. It is also observed that the magnitude of MSE is under permissible limits and percentage Average Classification Accuracy (% ACA) is also reasonable.


To solve the equity issues in the network bandwidth competition of TCP/UDP mixed flow, we have raised an AQM algorithm framework based on "granularity", which is aimed to realize the divide-and-rule goal of the conservative TCP and the greedy UDP so as to alleviate the equity issues of the network resources caused by different protocols by designing a common framework. Furthermore, under the AQM framework of "granularity", we have brought forth Multi-Virtual Queue based on Flow Estimation (VFQ) and we have also given the detailed implementation schemes for different modules of VFQ algorithm. In order to further verify the feasibility and validity of VFQ algorithm, we have designed 5 computer network congestion scenarios in AQM network simulation platform and made simulation comparisons with the classical ARED, PI and Blue algorithms. Numerous simulation results demonstrate that in contrast with other AQM algorithms, VFQ can better adapt to various sudden network congestion scenarios and it has better response speed and queue management performance.


Vasopressin and related peptides (10-9 to 10-6 molar) induced bursting pacemaker potential activity and altered the current-voltage relations of the membrane in a specific molluscan neurosecretory cell. These effects long outlasted the period of application of the peptides. Sensitivity of the cell to these peptides was primarily localized on the axon hillock region. The observed effects do not resemble conductance changes evoked by conventional neurotransmitters, but rather suggest a membrane regulatory role for these peptides, and thus may be indicative of a new form of information transfer in the nervous system.


We report 3 cases of solid and papillary neoplasm of the pancreas, which is a rare pancreatic tumor with distinct clinicopathologic characteristics. Sonographic, computed tomographic (CT) and gross pathologic findings of these 3 patients were obtained and compared. The tumors had a smooth, enhanced capsule and variable internal architecture. Two of the tumors appeared to be of the heterogeneous soft tissue density type, while one of the tumors was of the mixed solid and cystic type. Because the CT appearance of this tumor is subject to variation, it should be differentiated from other pancreatic lesions with variable CT appearances. Several CT features such as soft tissue density of the mass in a precontrast study, a well-enhanced capsule and the absence of pancreatic or biliary duct dilatation, as well as the characteristic young-female predilection, may aid in a correct diagnosis before surgery.


Pure-shear and simple-shear models provide interpretations of sedimentary basins formed by extension of crust and lithosphere of normal thickness. Devonian basins of western Norway developed during collapse of the thickened Caledonian crust and return to a crust and lithosphere of normal thickness. Because extension did not thin the lithosphere to less than its normal thickness, no thermal subsidence phase followed the initial subsidence.


In recent years, the logic of questions and dependencies has been investigated in the closely related frameworks of inquisitive logic and dependence logic. These investigations have assumed classical logic as the background logic of statements, and added formulas expressing questions and dependencies to this classical core. In this paper, we broaden the scope of these investigations by studying questions and dependency in the context of intuitionistic logic. We propose an intuitionistic team semantics, where teams are embedded within intuitionistic Kripke models. The associated logic is a conservative extension of intuitionistic logic with questions and dependence formulas. We establish a number of results about this logic, including a normal form result, a completeness result, and translations to classical inquisitive logic and modal dependence logic.


: We describe a fetus with hydrocephalus and the cranial and cervical findings of iniencephaly (enlarged foramen magnum, fusion of the upper cervical vertebrae, and a retroflexed, webbed neck) who had an unusual palatal abnormality ("palatal anteversion"). The posterio-lateral border of the secondary palate arose at the oral commissures, giving the palate an appearance of being folded so that the uvula was directed anteriorly. There were no clefts. Histologic sections of the junction of the secondary palate with the inner aspect of the oral commissures revealed continuity of the epithelial basement membranes and no unusual disarray of collagen fibers. This indicates that the unusual palatal orientation occurred during palatal formation and was not due to adhesion formation later in development. Failure of rotation of the palatal shelves prior to fusion and merging could account for the observed findings.