Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of the life experiences of the elderly in their leisure activities. It was done to provide fundamental data for nursing programs dealing with the elders. Method: The research took a phenomenological approach to the study. Eight participants, who were having leisure activities in the community, were observed thoroughly from September to November in 2008. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations. By using Giorgi's phenomenological method, the data were analyzed in a qualitative way. Results: There were ten main themes that the health professionals should consider when dealing with the elderly: Changes in physical health conditions, Decreased role and less social interaction, Loneliness, Longing for and recalling of the past, Acknowledgement and acceptance of aging and death, Affection towards one's life, Yearning for a dignified life, Active health management, Enthusiastic participation in leisure activities, and Positive outlook and mindset. Conclusion: This study explored how the elderly people adjusted to the physical, psychological and social changes that they experienced. On the basis of the results, further research for the elders in other settings is needed to develop comprehensive programs that will improve their quality of life.


GaAs quantum well vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers fabricated using low damage reactive ion etching are discussed. Lasers which are partially and completely etched through their structure are compared. The surface recombination velocity of exposed GaAs is not exacerbated in deep etched lasers; other loss mechanisms in shallow etched lasers have comparable impact on laser performance. Etched lasers exhibit low voltage and small differential series resistance at threshold, while devices fabricated by a combination of etching and ion implantation possess lower threshold current. It is found that reactive ion etching has little additional effect on laser operation, whereas the different device structures considered do influence laser performance.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT We compared multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) and macrorestriction endonuclease analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine their utility to identify clusters of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) among 91 isolates of PCR ribotype 027 (NAP1, for North American pulsed-field type 1) from nine hospitals (and 10 general practitioners associated with one institution) in England. We also examined whether mortality in CDI cases was associated with specific MLVA subtypes. PFGE discriminated between ribotype 027 strains at >98% similarity, identifying five pulsovars (I to V) of 1 to 53 isolates. MLVA was markedly more discriminatory, identifying 23 types of 1 to 15 isolates (>71% similarity). PFGE pulsovars I and IV contained 14 and 8 MLVA types, respectively. Twenty-one of twenty-three (91%) of MLVA types were specific to individual PFGE pulsovars. Four CDI clusters were identified in institution A by conventional epidemiological analysis. MLVA typing identified two enlarged and two additional clusters. Thirty of forty-four (68%) patients in institution A with CDI caused by ribotype 027 strains were assigned to seven distinct clusters by a combination of MLVA typing and epidemiological records. Of 33 patients, comprising 14 different MLVA types, nine (27%) died by day 30 (early deaths). Eight of nine (89%) were associated with PFGE type IV C. difficile ribotype 027. Five of nine early deaths were associated with MLVA type 16, which was the dominant type in this cohort (10/33 cases); 4 other distinct MLVA types accounted for the other early deaths. MLVA was far superior to PFGE for analyzing clusters of CDI both within and between institutions. Further study is needed to examine whether subtypes of C. difficile ribotype 027 affect outcome.


Performance is a way of organising for value creation. The kind of value performance art aims to generate is neither use-nor exchange-value but aesthetic value, philosophically defined as searching for `the absolute'. Philosophical esthetics, from Kant to Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, thus claims that art is the modern gateway to metaphysics. Pictures, texts and other artefacts are spin-offs of artists main function; performing the absolute. This paper illustrates this philosophical position by taking three practical examples which show how the artists Hans Makart, Herman Nitsch and Marina Abramovic — three famous performance art managers — go about organizing the supply of an art to satisfy a demand for metaphysics.


Earthquake is of natural hazards which its occurrence mostly causes great damages .. Geographical distribution of earthquakes in Iran indicates that 66 percent of the land of Iran is faced with earth quake risk, which 90 percent of the population lives in these areas. However, the cities of Iran are seriously vulnerable against earthquakes with 5.5 and 6 Richter. Lorestan province forms part of Zagros Mountains and in general 50.83 percent of Iran's earthquake has happened in this mountains. Hence Lorestan has faced with destructive earthquake with a high mortality. This part of Iran has been classified as the areas with strong earthquakes. Also recording a great number of earthquake Epicentesr during the last century and happening destructive earthquakes in the province, indicates that faults are active in this area. One of the most destructive earthquake occurred in Iran around a hundred years ago in 1287 Hijri –at Solar Silakhor Doroud area This province with a population density of 62 persons per square kilometer has about 2.65 percent of the population that is considered as populated area. The objectives of the present study includes the spatial distribution pattern of the province's cities and population and study the spatial distribution of the cities and urban population of Lorestan province regarding the earthquake risk. In this paper, for the study of spatial pattern of major cities of the province , "gravity or specifying separation point "has been used, the results indicate that the major urban centers of the province have almost been scattered as organic. On the other hand the frequency of water main faults at the margins of faults is the main factor for locating cities and villages in this province. Therefore majority of the residential areas have been located at the faults area and are faced with great damages and are vulnerable. Based on the results obtained from zoning maps indicate that about six percent of the province population are located at very high risk zone, 23 percent of the population in high risk area and 56 percent are located in the middle zone.


Estimating the head pose of a person is a crucial problem that has a large amount of applications such as aiding in gaze estimation, modeling attention, fitting 3D models to video and performing face alignment. Traditionally head pose is computed by estimating some keypoints from the target face and solving the 2D to 3D correspondence problem with a mean human head model. We argue that this is a fragile method because it relies entirely on landmark detection performance, the extraneous head model and an ad-hoc fitting step. We present an elegant and robust way to determine pose by training a multi-loss convolutional neural network on 300W-LP, a large synthetically expanded dataset, to predict intrinsic Euler angles (yaw, pitch and roll) directly from image intensities through joint binned pose classification and regression. We present empirical tests on common in-the-wild pose benchmark datasets which show state-of-the-art results. Additionally we test our method on a dataset usually used for pose estimation using depth and start to close the gap with state-of-the-art depth pose methods. We open-source our training and testing code as well as release our pre-trained models.


Certain parts of the genome of eukaryotes are packaged into "silent"' heterochromatin. The formation of specific regions of heterochromatin in fission yeast, Arabidopsis, and Drosophila involves the RNA interference machinery. Jia et al. now show that in fission yeast, the binding of either of a pair of transcription factors, Atf1 and Pcr1, in the mating-type region acts in a parallel pathway of heterochromatin nucleation. The analysis links Atf1 and Pcr1, which are members of the ATF/CREB family of proteins involved in cellular response to environmental stresses, to nucleation of constitutive heterochromatin. S. Jia, K. Noma, S. I. S. Grewal, RNAi-independent heterochromatin nucleation by the stress-activated ATF/CREB family proteins. Science 304, 1971-1976 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Currently, an agricultural method called SynecocultureTM has been receiving attention as a means for multiple crop production and recovering from environmental degradation; it helps in regreening the environment and establishing an augmented ecosystem with high biodiversity. In this method, several types of plants are grown densely, and their management relies mainly on manual labor, since conventional agricultural machines and robots cannot be applied in complex vegetation. To improve work efficiency and boost regreening by scaling-up Synecoculture, we developed a robot that can sow, prune, and harvest in dense and diverse vegetation that grows under solar panels, towards the achievement of compatibility between food and energy production on a large scale. We adopted a four-wheel mechanism with sufficient ability to move on uneven terrain, and a two orthogonal axes mechanism with adjusted tool positioning while performing management tasks. In the field experiment, the robot could move straight on shelving slopes and overcome obstacles, such as small steps and weeds, and succeeded in harvesting and weeding with human operation, using the tool maneuver mechanism based on the recognition of the field situation through camera image.


To analyze the current research status and trends of the artificial intelligence in education field, we applied bibliometric methods to examine the articles published in one of the representative journals of the field, International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, from 2015 to 2019. We analyzed 135 articles retrieved from the Web of Science database and examined prolific countries, collaboration networks, prolific authors, keywords, and the citations the articles received. Through examining keywords, we found that the authors largely focused on students and learning. Through examining prolific authors and countries, we found active publication of corresponding authors from United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany. We found international collaboration among some researchers and institutions, such as strong collaboration network between United States and Canada. We suggest reinforcement in building more widespread international partnership and expanding collaboration network by including diverse institutions. International collaboration and expanded institutional network can improve research by incorporating various perspectives and expertise.


OBJECTIVES
To examine the efficacy of an the intervention Stand Up Now (SUN) to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) and improve physical function and mobility.

METHODS
SUN included two groups: (a) focused on reducing total SB (SUNSL) and (b) focused on increasing sit-to-stand (STS) transitions (SUNSTS). The participants (N = 71; Mage = 87 ± 7 years) had 12 weekly health coaching sessions. SB, physical function, and mobility were measured at the baseline, 6, and 12 weeks via the activPAL, Short Physical Performance Battery, and the 8-foot up and go, respectively. Linear mixed models examined the outcome variables over time.

RESULTS
Both groups decreased sedentary time (1.3 ± 0.3 hr, p < .001), increased standing time (0.5 ± 0.2 hr, p < .02), and improved physical function (1.5 ± 0.4 points, p < .001) from the baseline to 6 weeks, and they maintained it at 12 weeks. SUNSTS increased STS transitions (5.4 ± 4.1, p < .001), while SUNSL had no changes (0.5 ± 3.1, p > .9). There were no changes in mobility for either group (0.5 ± 1.5 s, p > .05).

DISCUSSION
SUN demonstrates the efficacy to improve SB and physical function in older adults.


Abstract Increased organizational efficiency should be one of the main strategic goals of every business. Ways of achieving it differ and one of the many choices is to improve business operations using available tools such as the "20 keys methodology". This methodology is used to achieve strategic goals through the enhanced speed of learning and innovation. The aim of this paper is to look at the potential of 20 keys methodology for the improvement of company's organizational efficiency in today's global market. This integrated set of different tools is intended to increase the company's efficiency and level of quality with synchronized cost reduction. 20 keys tend to eliminate various "wastes" in production processes to improve buyer's satisfaction and motivate employees to act towards achieving company's goals. Eventually, the methodology application should ensure a sustainable development, profitability, and integrated approach to competitiveness and long-term success of the company. The paper examines the implementation of the 20 keys methodology in Croatia and presents one case of a local production company using the methodology aiming to increase the organizational efficiency. Further research proposals are brought to confirm the potential influence of methodology on organizational efficiency.


In order to determine the inevitable mechanical springback of a bended plates, designed for assembling the spherical tanks an elastic-plastic incremental finite element calculation has been carried out to analyse axisymmetric strain sheet metal bending process. Sufficiently accurate stress distributions and deformed geometry of plates as parts of spherical tanks have been obtained through the whole bending process. The load-deflection curve has been carried out based on reaction forces and compared with experimentally obtained results. Friction effects and material characteristics such as work hardening are also covered. The accuracy of the simulation results, mechanical springback and the residual stress distribution after unloading are discussed through the comparison with the experimental results


Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of three different normalization strategies utilizing coagulation factor concentrates (CFCs) in patients with hepatic coagulopathy of either acute or chronic etiology experiencing a life-threatening bleed or need for normalization of coagulopathy prior to invasive procedure.
Design: Retrospective analysis.
Setting: University-affiliated academic medical center.
Patients: Adult patients admitted with hepatic dysfunction who received CFC for treatment of an active bleed or to normalize coagulopathy prior to an invasive procedure.
Interventions: None.
Measurements and main results: Patients were stratified into three treatment groups dependent upon which CFC was administered: recombinant factor VIIa (rfVIIa), three factor prothrombin complex concentrate (3F-PCC)/rfVIIa, or four factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC). Fifty patients were included who received rfVIIa (n=19, 38%), 3F-PCC/rfVIIa (n=9, 18%), or 4F-PCC (n=22, 44%) during the study period. The groups were well-matched regarding age, weight, sex, hospital and ICU length of stay, baseline coagulation labs, and characteristics of liver dysfunction. All patients in the rfVIIa and 3F-PCC/rfVIIa groups achieved an INR <1.6 within four hours of first CFC use. Eight patients (36.4%) in the 4F-PCC group met the same endpoint within four hours of administration. Transfusion requirements did not differ before and after CFC administration in all groups. TE complications occurred in eight (16%) patients.
Conclusions: CFCs appear to be effective for the normalization of INR in patients with hepatic coagulopathy in the setting of active bleeding or prior to invasive procedures.


Collaborative learning is a key component of software engineering (SE) courses in most undergraduate computing curricula. Thus these courses include fairly intensive team projects, the intent being to ensure that not only do students develop an understanding of key software engineering concepts and practices, but also develop the skills needed to work effectively in large design and development teams. But there is a definite risk in collaborative learning in that there is a potential that individual learning gets lost in the focus on the team's success in completing the project (s). While the team's success is indeed the primary goal of an industrial SE team, ensuring individual learning is obviously an essential goal of SE courses. We have developed a novel approach that exploits the affordances of mobile and web technologies to help ensure that individual students in teams in SE courses develop a thorough understanding of the relevant concepts and practices while working on team projects, indeed, that the team contributes in an essential manner to the learning of each member of the team. We describe the learning theory underlying our approach, provide some details concerning the prototype implementation of a tool based on the approach, and describe how we are using it in an SE course in our program.


Some new ideas concerning agent and multiagent systems in the context of robotics are presented. These ideas are based on long term research and experiences in agent theory (M-agent architecture) and technology, see (Cetnarowicz 1996), (Ambroszkiewicz & Cetnarowicz 2006). The M-agent (Cetnarowicz 1996) architecture may be used for the taxonomy of multiagent systems depending on the nature of the environment. If the environment is a cyber-space, MAS contains software (possibly mobile) agents. If the environment is a real-space, there are devices (like mobile robots) that may communicate and interoperate. Following this idea, we may say that robot (considered as autonomous intelligent being) is in the cyber-space as a software application (M-agent), whereas the real robot is reduced to a device (tool) performing a specific service, and changing, in this way, the realspace. The presented approach leads us to the archtecture of the multi-robot system, and then to framework for multi-robot system development The framework assumes, that a robot is not a pro-active participant of the system. It is considered to be a tool, which must support several required functionality, and can support some additional features. The mentioned approach to the multi-robot system development and the application of the framework are presented in the paper.


We empirically compare the performance of female and male team managers. We find that female team managers never perform worse than male team managers and that females work under significantly worse conditions than males. Additionally, we find that specialized experience has no influence. Special- 1 ized experience means having worked previously as an employee in the same industry. Our dataset consists of female and male managers in women soccer leagues acroos countries, viz., France, Germany, and Norway. Managers in team sports usually have exactly the same tasks (selection, coordination, and motivation of team members) as team managers in other industries. The limited number of women in top management positions in some of these industries and the lack of available data do not often allow comparisons. Our study, which includes a fair number of female team managers and a clear measurement of performance, can help understanding stereotypical behaviors. Therefore, our results have important implications for industries, companies, and clubs who oppose employing female team managers.


5G services and applications explicitly reserve compute and network resources in today's complex and dynamic infrastructure of multi-tiered computing and cellular networking to ensure application-specific service quality metrics, and the infrastructure providers charge the 5G services for the resources reserved. A static, one-time reservation of resources at service deployment typically results in extended periods of under-utilization of reserved resources during the lifetime of the service operation. This is due to a plethora of reasons like changes in content from the IoT sensors (for example, change in number of people in the field of view of a camera) or a change in the environmental conditions around the IoT sensors (for example, time of the day, rain or fog can affect data acquisition by sensors). Under-utilization of a specific resource like compute can also be due to temporary inadequate availability of another resource like the network bandwidth in a dynamic 5G infrastructure. We propose a novel Reinforcement Learning-based online method to dynamically adjust an application's compute and network resource reservations to minimize under-utilization of requested resources, while ensuring acceptable service quality metrics. We observe that a complex application-specific coupling exists between the compute and network usage of an application. Our proposed method learns this coupling during the operation of the service, and dynamically modulates the compute and network resource requests to mimimize under-utilization of reserved resources. Through experimental evaluation using real-world video analytics application, we show that our technique is able to capture complex compute-network coupling relationship in an online manner i.e. while the application is running, and dynamically adapts and saves upto 65% compute and 93% network resources on average (over multiple runs), without significantly impacting application accuracy.


From a series of about 200 facial bone scintigraphies, 32 patients were selected to demonstrate the uptake of 99Tcm-diphosphonate in various inflammatory and neoplastic diseases in the sinuses and oral cavity. The method was found of value in separating patients with inflammatory involvement of the bone from those without, as well as in assessing possible bone involvement in malignant lesions.


This paper examines the extent to which the proliferation of European Cup competitions, the migration of professional football players across Europe and the international and transnational distribution of domestic football competition shave impacted on audiences' and fans' construction of frames of territorially bound identity from the local and regional via the national to the continental and global.

Based on qualitative audience research in the United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey, the paper examines how fans' object of fandom is constructed within and across such territorial categories and the degree to which Europe and Europeanness constitute experiences and horizons of expectations through which professional football is negotiated.

In the analysis of audience interviews and online fan fora, the paper draws on recent theories exploring audience affect, popular culture and constructions of Heimat in media consumption as well as theories of cultural globalisation and diasporic identity.


America has the highest incarceration rate in the world with an estimated 2.2 million inmates, and more than five million American children have at least one parent in jail (Murphey, 2015). Prior to imprisonment, many parents are employed, contribute economically to family life, and are engaged in parenting their children. Parent-child relationships that may have been strong pre-incarceration may not thrive once the parent goes to jail due to limited communication and the inmate's inability to provide financial support for his/her family. Further, once the parent is released from prison, s/he faces fewer options for employment with a criminal history. Developmental programs in prison such as job training and parenting skills exist to mediate these negative outcomes. Although program participation is associated with a ii 20% likelihood of increased employment among inmates, little research explores the motivating factors behind program participation (Visher, Debus, & Yahner, 2008). This study poses three research questions that explore child contact and program participation as factors of increased employment post-release. In detail, the first research question explores factors related to child contact in prison, focusing on the history of parent-child financial support prior to incarceration. The second research question explores the relationships between child contact in-prison and program participation. Finally, this paper tests a third research question to explore child contact and program participation as factors of employment outcomes post-release. Interesting findings from the study suggest that parental inmates with frequent child contact in-prison are likely to have been their child(ren)'s primary source of financial support prior to incarceration. Inmates with frequent reports of child contact are also more likely to participate in developmental programs during their sentences and more likely to be employed post-release. These associations may exist because parental inmates have a sense of responsibility after being in touch with their children. Therefore, policymakers should consider removing contact barriers that complicate phone access and visitation privileges between parental inmates and their minor child(ren). 2016 iv v ACCEPTANCE This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate's Thesis Advisor. It has been approved and accepted by the Advisor, and it has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Research Honors degree distinction of


Forty-five pseudotuberculosis patients with concomitant chronic opisthorchiasis were examined at the peak of infection and in early convalescence, as were 30 patients with chronic opisthorchiasis and 30 normal subjects. The immunologic status of pseudotuberculosis patients coursing in the presence of chronic opisthorchiasis was found changed. Reduction of B lymphocyte counts by 1.7 times, of absolute theophyllin-resistant counts by 1.6 times, and of the relative theophyllin-resistant lymphocyte counts by 2 times and elevated levels of circulating immune complexes (by 3 times) and of IgE (by 3.5 times) vs. the norm in the early periods of the disease predict a protracted course of pseudotuberculosis in the presence of chronic opisthorchiasis.


Each year in Ireland, over 50,000 young people make the transition from
primary to secondary school. This journey, although regarded with
importance, has not been researched to any great degree in the Irish context.
International research has tended to be mainly quantitative in its focus.
Relatively little attention, in transition related research, has been paid to the
'voice' of the young people or the teachers who strive to support them along
the way.
This research, through a three phase mixed methods research design,
explored the transition experiences of a group of young people who had made
the transition from 13 small primary schools into a single large secondary
school, in a rural setting in Ireland. The views of some of their primary school
and secondary school teachers were also gathered. The overall aim of the
research was to establish a rich picture of the lived reality of the primary to
secondary school transition process. In order to achieve this, Phase 1, by
means of a comparison of a pre and post transition standardised
questionnaire measure, sought to investigate the effects of the transition on
each young person's self-esteem. Phase 2, through the use of a transition
questionnaire with all of the young people, sought to investigate the
experiences of all of the young people. It then focused more specifically,
through the use of a semi-structured interview, on some who had been
identified as experiencing either a decline or an increase in their self-esteem
levels. Phase 3, through the use of semi-structured interviews with primary
school teachers and focus groups with secondary school teachers,
investigated what they had to say about the transition process they observe
and experience each year.
Building on the reported findings of what the young people and their teachers
had to say, this research provides a number of recommendations. The unique
contribution of this research is that it offers the "Transition Corridor" as a
framework for action for the future.


Analyses of the international human genome sequencing results in 2004 converged to a consensual number of ~20 000 protein‐coding genes, spanning over <2% of the total genomic sequence. Therefore, the developmental and physiological complexity of human beings remains unaccounted if viewed only in terms of the number of protein‐coding genes; the epigenetic influences involving chromatin remodelling and RNA interference and alternative precursor messenger RNA splicing of functional protein‐coding transcripts as well as post‐translational modifications of proteins increase the diversity and the functionality of the proteome and likely explain the increased complexity. In addition, there has been an explosion of research addressing possible functional roles for the other 98% of the human genome that does not encode proteins. In fact, >90% of the human genome is likely to be transcribed yielding a complex network of overlapping transcripts that include tens of thousands of long RNAs with little or no protein forming capacity; they are collectively called non‐coding RNA. This review highlights the fundamental concepts of biological roles of non‐coding RNA and their importance in regulation of cellular physiology under disease conditions like cancer. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In the years since its release, A Serbian Film (Spasojevic, 2010) has been discussed in academic terms largely within the context of its director's stated intention of presenting an allegorical story about Serbia's troubled past. This article is based on an original research project concerned with the experiences of English-speaking audiences of A Serbian Film, the vast majority of whom make no mention of the historical knowledge upon which all academic textual analyses rely. It investigates the viewing strategies of audiences of this notoriously violent film. In focusing on only those participants with the most negative experiences, this article engages with literature on anti-fandom (including Gray, 2003; Harman and Jones, 2013, Pinkowitz, 2011; Strong, 2009) to examine discourses relating to the film itself and other audiences of it. Findings suggest a variety of distancing strategies put in place by disapproving audiences and highlight a practice of pre-meditated antifandom, which accounts for instances where participants' expectations of A Serbian Film are echoed in their reasons for their disapproval.


Protein structure modeling can be studied based on the knowledge of interactions or distances between pairs of atoms, which is so-called distance-based protein structure modeling and this field includes problems of structure determination and refinement as well as analysis of protein dynamics. The distances for certain pairs of atoms in a protein can often be obtained based on our knowledge on various types of bond-lengths and bond-angles or from physical experiments such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The coordinates of the atoms and hence the protein structure can then be determined by using the known distances. However, it requires the solution of a mathematical problem called the distance geometry problem, which has been proven to be computationally intractable in general. On the other hand, due to insufficient distance data such as nuclear overhauser effect (NOE) data in NMR, the protein structures determined by conventional techniques usually are not as accurate as desired. Therefore, the uses of such protein structures in important applications including homology modeling and rational drug design have been severely limited. In this work, we have developed several efficient algorithms including theories for the solution of the distance geometry problem using a geometric build-up algorithm. We also introduced a knowledge-based method for protein structure refinement, in which we constructed a dedicated structural database for protein inter-atomic distance distributions and derived so-called mean force potentials to refine NMRdetermined protein structures. We have participated in CASPR competition regarding comparative models and reported some substantial improvement using mean force potentials. Finally, an efficient and simple method called Local-DME calculations has been developed to study protein dynamics of NMR ensembles specifically.


The raphnine and tallow oil contents in crude, stir-fried and toasted Raphnus ativus were determined. The physical constants and chemical composition of tallow oil before and after processing were compared. The results showed the above indexes had changed in different degrees.


With the development of Thailand 4.0, it is critical for engaged scholars to address the role of higher education in Thailand's social and economic development with an understanding of how local histories (local) and economic globalization (global) shape their work. The empirical analysis in this article is based on an international partnership designed to prepare graduate students as engaged scholars in a newly industrialized country. We discuss the Thai context for community engagement, then describe the purpose and learning goals for the Global Citizenship and Civic Engagement initiative. We describe the methodological approach to gathering data about the impact of the initiative and discuss findings. The findings contribute valuable international perspectives to the literature on graduate student education by focusing on the development of graduate student identities as engaged scholars through an international partnership with a US university. The GCCE initiative encourages the formation of reciprocal relationships with international universities as partners in order to prepare graduate students as engaged scholars through glocal learning.


Heavy Quark Expansions for semileptonic decays of beauty hadrons are briefly reviewed. I analyze how |V (cb)| can be extracted from the semileptonic width of B mesons, the average semileptonic width of all weakly decaying beauty hadrons and from B → lνD at zero recoil. Special attention is paid to present theoretical uncertainties (including correlations among them) and on how to reduce them in the future. Finally I will comment on theoretical uncertainties in |V (ub)/V (cb)|.


In clinical and anatomical studies carried out during 1986-1990, two new findings were identified: a small spade-shaped myocutaneous tag which can often be found at the medial side of the cleft near the columella base and the levator septi nasi muscle which draws the cleft side of the philtrum upwards. With the full use of the two findings, a method of unilateral cleft lip repair without making incisions on the lip surface was developed. Since 1986, 52 cases of unilateral cleft lip have been repaired with this method. The early and late results were gratifying.


This paper examines how change in rainy season induces adaptation strategy among farmers and affects rice production using recently collected household data from seven provinces in Indonesia. The data demonstrate delays in the perceived onset of rainy season and increased uncertainty in rainfall pattern in the region. Empirical analysis shows that (i) delay in the onset significantly decreases land productivity growth in rice production; one month delay offsets the average growth observed in 1999-2007, (ii) irrigation share significantly explains the growth of land productivity, and (iii) farmers change planting timing in response to delays in the onset of rainy season (water availability). Our results show that delays in rainfall decrease returns to irrigation infrastructure. It is also found that individual-level variations in the perceived changes of the onset explain the extent to which such an adaptation strategy is taken as a measure to respond to climate change.


A group of 100 New York narcotic addicts first admitted to the US Public Health Service Hospital in Lexington, Ky in 1952 have been followed for 20 years. Over the period, 23% died—mostly of unnatural causes. In 1970 only 25% were still known to be using drugs; the status of 10% is uncertain; and, depending on definition, 35% to 42% have achieved stable abstinence. For 20 years, both voluntary hospitalization and imprisonment failed to produce abstinence. Compulsory community supervision, usually via parole, and methadone maintenance were far more effective. There was no fixed age that addicts became abstinent and chronicity of past addiction did not destroy subsequent chances of abstinence.


The paper made an investigation on noise problems of A.O Smith heat pump water heaters. One problem is that the noise and vibration performance of 1P compressor of wall hanging type water heater was unqualified. The sound pressure level of compressor sample was about 40dBA, and the clients hope to be controlled below 39dBA. Another problem is that the noise of HV-80 floor type water heater is large when used matching with the 1.5P compressor of our company. According to the test and analysis with Test.Lab software, it is found that the main noise came from fan and compressor. The solutions of noise reduction on fan and compressor were made and the consequences were recognized by clients and markets.


BACKGROUND
Dysphagia has been an increasing area of practice for speech and language therapists (SLTs) for over 20 years, and throughout that period there has been debate about how practical skills in dysphagia can best be developed. The implementation of the new Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) framework was considered from a regional perspective seeking to establish consensus across different speech and language therapy settings.

AIM
To explore practical solutions to the development of dysphagia competency in new graduates whilst acknowledging the wide variation in staffing and clinical dysphagia experience across the geographical and clinical landscape in the North West of England.

METHODS & PROCEDURES
A four-phase study involved a literature search; interviews with experts in the field of dysphagia; a survey to identify current practice; and a two-round Delphi process.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS
Five themes emerged for dysphagia competency development: development of practical skills; supervision; clinical excellence networks; workforce planning; and postgraduate formal training. Challenges, and solutions to these, were identified through the phases of the study. A model for dysphagia competency development relevant to the North West context was achieved by consensus.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS
There are many practical ways of developing dysphagia competency. The themes and model generated provide constructive support to services in adopting the most appropriate methods for their own settings.


In this paper we present a perspective on the relationship between learning and representation in sequential decision making tasks. We undertake a brief survey of existing real-world applications, which demonstrates that the classical "tabular" representation seldom applies in practice. Specifically, several practical tasks suffer from state aliasing, and most demand some form of generalization and function approximation. Coping with these representational aspects thus becomes an important direction for furthering the advent of reinforcement learning in practice. The central thesis we present in this position paper is that in practice, learning methods specifically developed to work with imperfect representations are likely to perform better than those developed for perfect representations and then applied in imperfect-representation settings. We specify an evaluation criterion for learning methods in practice, and propose a framework for their synthesis. In particular, we highlight the degrees of "representational bias" prevalent in different learning methods. We reference a variety of relevant literature as a background for this introspective essay.


A parallel image processor (PIP) consisting of eight Texas Instruments TMS32010 digital signal processors is described. The architecture is designed for image-processing applications and two common pattern-recognition algorithms, i.e. edge detection followed by thinning are implemented achieving a total processing time of less than one second for a 256 × 256 pixel image. The advantages and limitations of using the TMS32010 as a fast signal processor are described. Problems encountered in programming the parallel processors and ways to overcome them are highlighted.


Our times are characterized by the dichotomy between the increasing need for health care and the global decrease in economic resources. Neonatology is at the centre of this scenario for several reasons. Firstly, the availability of molecular and genetic tests has made possible the accurate prenatal diagnosis of a series of diseases caused by transmissible and non-transmissible genetic defects, thus leading to the development of large-scale screening programmes and the consequent proper medical and surgical treatments. Secondly, thanks to improvements in assistance in intensive therapy in the last fifteen years, there has been a substantial increase in low, very low and extremely low weight premature births (LBW, VLBW and ELBW respectively). The survival rate of these premature neonates is good and their quality of life following the neonatal period has also improved. How can we combine the need to count on excellent laboratory diagnoses with the need to reduce the cost of healthcare and, more in particular, the costs of purchasing advanced systems of diagnosis? Three considerations can be formulated: 1) it is essential to eliminate waste, but it is just as essential to ensure the quality of the products (instrumentation and diagnostic kits); 2) we should change the objective of issuing tenders for the supplying of health equipment and services from the present scenario, which provides for supply contracts, often in-service, of diagnostic systems, we should change to contracts that call for a policy of savings through the providing of products of excellence. Although at first sight this may appear paradoxical, in reality it masks a vaster matter that involves different stakeholders: health professionals, suppliers and the public administration; 3) the use of sophisticated techniques and the study of molecular profiles are capable of generating far-reaching prospects for healthcare, investments and savings. An example of this is represented by metabolomics, one of the emerging "omics" disciplines, applicable in numerous fields such as that of infections of neonates and children. If, by means of experimental studies properly validated in clinical trials, metabolomics were found to be capable of recognizing eight to ten metabolites, thus making early identification of a clinical picture of systemic infection possible, an industrial investment could lead to the production of a dipstick containing these freeze-dried metabolites, like the dipstick commonly used in the chemical and physical analysis of urine. Such a disposable item would be extremely easy to use, economical and available to all mothers for testing the risk of sepsis of their babies simply by immersing the stick in the urine at a cost estimated at less than half a US dollar.


In many situations like driving, it is important that a person concentrates all his/her attention at a certain critical task – e.g., watching the road for possible problems. Because of this need to maintain high level of attention, it was assumed, until recently, that in such situations, the person maintains a constantly high level of attention (of course, until he or she gets tired). Interestingly, recent experiments showed that in reality, from the very beginning, attention level oscillates. In this paper, we show that such an oscillation is indeed helpful – and thus, it is necessary to emulate such an oscillation when designing automatic systems, e.g., for driving.


Two songs — "Dreams In German" and "Olive Tree"— are presented here as an attempt to explore how composition, arrangement, and recording of popular music can respond to a specific place, in this case, the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. Through lyrics, song structures, instrumentation, and recording, these songs try to capture the sounds and stories of a multicultural, multiphonic urban area in the twenty-first century. The accompanying short essay contextualizes these compositions. It outlines the research aims and methodologies used in trying to achieve this. It also places the research within scholarship on popular music and place, and intercultural music collaborations. Its conclusions are that listening is important in responding to place and that music and song has a special role to play in a response to place.


The magnetic properties (first-order reversal curves, ferromagnetic resonance and decomposition of saturation remanent magnetization acquisition) of Magnetovibrio blakemorei, a cultivated marine magnetotactic bacterium, differ from those of other magnetotactic species from sediments deposited in lakes and marine habitats previously studied. This finding suggests that magnetite produced by some magnetotactic bacteria retains magnetic properties in relation to the crystallographic structure of the magnetic phase produced and thus might represent a 'magnetic fingerprint' for a specific magnetotactic bacterium. The use of this fingerprint is a non-destructive, new technology that might allow for the identification and presence of specific species or types of magnetotactic bacteria in certain environments such as sediments.


This thesis presents a study of external possession in varieties of Dutch. External possessors appear outside of the possessum phrase syntactically, whereas semantically, they are interpreted as the possessor of one of their co-arguments. In such structures, the possessive relation is typically not marked morphosyntactically. Other characteristics include the use of the definite article to introduce the possessum, and the possessor generally being a body part noun. The current study contributes to the empirical domain by giving a systematic overview of various external possessor constructions in Dutch dialects in different syntactic and semantic environments. In traditional terminology, this dissertation focuses on three types of external possessor constructions: (i) subject possessors, (ii) dative possessors and (iii) direct object possessors with the possessum embedded in a PP. The study aims to account for both the grammatical and geographic distribution of these constructions on the basis of data obtained by means of written questionnaires and oral interviews with dialect speakers. With respect to subject possessors, previous studies have reported that this construction is restricted to 'gesture verbs', but so far no explanatory account for this observation has been given. By investigating a comprehensive set of verbs, this study proposes an explanation for this restriction, analyzing the relevant verbs as unaccusatives. This analysis expresses the core intuition that subject possessor constructions express events in which the subject does something with her body part, instead of to it. In addition, the study is able to account for the widespread distribution of PP-possessa on the one hand and the more restricted distribution of dative possessors on the other. The preposition in PP-possessa is able to license the possessum. The case of dative possessors displays a clear division between the more eastern and western dialects. The use of dative possessors is highly limited in western varieties, whereas they are quite common in eastern dialects, which are situated along the German border. I argue that the eastern Dutch dialects share properties with the German language, which enables them to entertain dative possessors. These properties include a so-called 'high applicative' projection that is able to license the non-core dative argument and the possibility to license the dative argument by means of a silent preposition. An interesting contribution of this study is the confirmation that dative possessors are facilitated by a prepositional particle verb. In other words, more western dialects are capable of licensing a non-core dative argument when they are combined with a prepositional particle verb. Finally, this study is able to treat the three external possessor constructions in a unified way, in which the possessor and possessum are syntactically related to each other in a local relationship. In this unified approach I follow a specific analysis of definite articles from the literature, in which semantic definiteness is separated from the morphosyntactic form spelling out the definite article. I apply this insight to the external possessor constructions by arguing that the definite article introducing the possessum lacks a referential index. Rather, it inherits the referential features of the possessor.


Bacteria have evolved to become proficient at adapting to both extracellular and environmental conditions, which has made it possible for them to attach and subsequently form biofilms on varying surfaces. This has resulted in major health concerns and economic burden in both hospital and industrial environments. Surfaces which prevent this bacterial fouling through their physical structure represent a key area of research for the development of antibacterial surfaces for many different environments. Laser surface treatment provides a potential candidate for the production of antibiofouling surfaces for wide ranging surface applications within healthcare and industrial disciplines. In the present study, a KrF 248 nm Excimer laser was utilized to surface pattern Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The surface topography and roughness were determined with the use of a Micromeasure 2, 3D profiler. Escherichia coli (E. coli) growth was analysed at high shear flow using a CDC Biofilm reactor for 48 hours, scanning electron microscopy was used to determine morphology and total viable counts were made. Through this work it has been shown that the surface modification significantly influenced the distribution and morphology of the attached E. coli cells. What is more, it has been evidenced that the lasermodified PET has been shown to prevent E. coli cells from attaching themselves within the laser-induced micro-surface-features.


Flow field near the turbine blade platform is very complex due to the secondary flow motions such as horseshoe vortices, passage vortices and endwall cross flows. It is therefore extremely difficult to predict the platform heat transfer distribution. As the secondary flows are largely affected by platform profile/shape, a number of investigators have studied different platform profiles to minimize aerodynamic loss and heat load. Understanding of the platform heat transfer has become especially critical in recent years, because of firing temperature increase and low NOx combustion requirement, as it is directly related to turbine durability. Three different axisymmetric platform profiles were designed and experimentally studied: flat profile, dolphin nose profile and shark nose profile. All of them were based on the existing engine hardware designs. The measurements were conducted in a high-speed linear cascade, which consisted of five blades and six flow passages. The test platforms were made of FR4 material and painted with Thermo-chromic Liquid Crystal (TLC). The test article was kept in the plenum located under the cascade at the pre-test condition. At the start of each test, the test blade/article was inserted into the cascade rapidly and then two CCD cameras recorded the color changes of the TLC on the platform surface. Engine representative Reynolds numbers were studied from 300,000 to 600,000 and the corresponding inlet Mach numbers were ranged from 0.12 to 0.24. The upstream section of the flat profile platform showed a typical flat plate heat transfer pattern with boundary layer development. The shark-nose and dolphin-nose platforms resulted in lower heat transfer coefficients on the upstream region compared to that for the flat profile, and the peak values moved slightly downstream from the leading edge due to possibly different secondary flow patterns. The heat transfer rate increased with increased Reynolds number for all three platform shapes, while the flat profile showed a higher increase rate. Zone averaged heat transfer distributions in addition to local values were also presented to show the effect of platform profile. In general, the flat profile platform resulted in a higher overall heat transfer rate than that for the other two profile platforms, which suggested that a good design of contoured profile platform could reduce the heat load and aerodynamic loss in gas turbine blade.Copyright © 2013 by Solar Turbines Incorporated


In order to visually and comprehensively grasp scientific research progress of the county-wide finance in China, and explore new breakthrough point of county-wide finance studies, this paper took China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database as research platform and made a bibliometrical study of literature indexed in CNKI between 1991 and 2013 by advanced search method. Results indicate that relevant researches take on the trend of firstly increasing then decreasing and finally steady; research hot spots mainly focus on county-wide finance and county-wide economy, county-wide inclusive finance, and county-wide finance exclusion. Based on literature review, it found subject research of county-wide finance and county-wide economic issue has become a relatively mature issue. The extension research of county-wide finance exclusion and inclusive finance is devoted to remove finance exclusion. This research is a blind spot in this field and may become a breakthrough point of stimulating re-growth of county-wide finance researches.


Goal-directed behavior crucially relies on our capacity to suppress impulses and predominant behavioral responses. This ability, called inhibitory control, emerges in early childhood with marked improvements between 3 and 4 years. Here, we ask which brain structures are related to the emergence of this critical ability. Using a multimodal approach, we relate the pronounced behavioral improvements in different facets of 3- and 4-year-olds' (N = 37, 20 female) inhibitory control to structural indices of maturation in the developing brain assessed with MRI. Our results show that cortical and subcortical structure of core regions in the adult cognitive control network, including the PFC, thalamus, and the inferior parietal cortices, is associated with early inhibitory functioning in preschool children. Probabilistic tractography revealed an association of frontoparietal (i.e., the superior longitudinal fascicle) and thalamocortical connections with early inhibitory control. Notably, these associations to brain structure were distinct for different facets of early inhibitory control, often referred to as motivational ("hot") and cognitive ("cold") inhibitory control. Our findings thus reveal the structural brain networks and connectivity related to the emergence of this core faculty of human cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The capacity to suppress impulses and behavioral responses is crucial for goal-directed behavior. This ability, called inhibitory control, develops between the ages of 3 and 4 years. The factors behind this developmental milestone have been debated intensely for decades; however, the brain structure that underlies the emergence of inhibitory control in early childhood is largely unknown. Here, we relate the pronounced behavioral improvements in inhibitory control between 3 and 4 years with structural brain markers of gray matter and white matter maturation. Using a multimodal approach that combines analyses of cortical surface structure, subcortical structures, and white matter connectivity, our results reveal the structural brain networks and connectivity related to this core faculty of human cognition.


This research aimed to identify pathogenic bacteria that infected nile tilapia (Oreoc h romis niloticus) cultivated at five Districts in Tahuna Regency including Tamako, Kecamatan, Tabukan Tengah, Tabukan Utara,  Manganitu and Tahuna Districts, and to analyze water quality (temperature and pH).  The research was  conducted from July to August 2017.  Isolation and identification of bacteria was performed at  the Test Laboratory, Station of Fish Guarantee, Quality Control and Fisheries Product Safety Grade II, Tahuna. Target organ examined was kidney.  The bacteria was grown on TSA and then isolated. The bacteria was identify by gram stain, motility, aerobic, catalase, oxidase, O/F, glucose and Rimler shots for Aeromonas hydrophila. The bacteria was then identified using Manual for the Identification of Medical Bacteria.   From the 30 samples identified, it was found seven pathogenic bacteria infected fish namely A. hydrophila observed at 11 fish (36.6%), Corynebacterium sp . observed at 6 individuals or 20 %, Enterobacteria sp. obtained at 5 fish or 16,6 %, Listeria sp.  at 2 fish or 6,6 %, Pseudomonas sp. at 1 fish or 3,3 %, Plesiomonas sp . at 1 fish or 3,3 % and Kurtiha sp. at 1 fish.  Water quality parameters at all five districts ranged between 25 and 28° C while pH ranging from  6- 7 and suitable based on the PP N9. 42 Tahun 2001. Keywords : pathogenic bacteria, aquaculture, Oreochromis niloticus


The transient electrothermal technique is a powerful tool to obtain thermal properties of fine fibers. However, the technique suffers from several inherent pitfalls, which affect measurement accuracy, especially with application to coated, nonconductive samples. In this paper, measurement challenges are described and quantified for several associated parameters and physics including: sample length, time of Joule-heating initiation, sample resistance including measurement uncertainty as well as evolving resistance for coated samples, coating influence, lateral surface heat losses, vacuum level, and variable heat generation. Several methods to overcome these challenges to ensure good measurement accuracy are provided. These methods are applied to the measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of gold-coated glass fibers (nonconductor). The resulting measured thermal conductivity of 1.35 Wm−1 K−1, and thermal diffusivity of 7.6 × 10−7 m2 s−1 compare well to literature values. Additionally, an analytic formula is developed along with limiting conditions for simplified application, which accounts for neglected heat losses. The result is a factor that can be applied to correct a more straightforward heat model of the sample, which neglects heat losses. To further validate the method and quantify measurement variability, a detailed uncertainty analysis is performed using methods based on the Taylor series method for propagation of uncertainty and Monte Carlo simulation. The resulting measurement uncertainty is found to be ~7% for thermal conductivity and ~4% for thermal diffusivity.


Abstract The following case presents a pediatric patient with an oral foreign body secondary to intentional injury. This patient had presented several previous times for medical care, first with thigh bruises, then mouth bleeding, and finally with the unusual finding of a sharp foreign body embedded in the tongue. This case illustrates the importance of considering physical abuse in the differential of orofacial injuries. Frenulum tears, both in mobile and nonmobile children, are concerning for abuse and should trigger further evaluation. This case highlights the complexity of assessing for physical abuse when examining a patient. Bruising, as seen in this patient, is common in children, and the clinical team must determine if the pattern, location, and history are concerning for a nonaccidental injury. Physicians should strongly consider child abuse in the emergency department when patients present with concerning physical examination findings such as bruises or orofacial injures without corroborating history. Finally, this case reviews mandatory reporting requirements for physicians and other medical professionals and highlights the obligation to report suspected child abuse even when not working in the professional capacity at the time of recognition.


ABSTRACT While autocracies constitute a third of all signatories of preferential trade agreements (PTAs), very little research has explained why some autocrats join PTAs while others do not. We argue that this variation reflects the leader's degree of vulnerability to elite-led coups during leadership change–whether a leader enters power legally or extralegally. New extralegal leaders are more vulnerable than new legal leaders, which encourages extralegal leaders to use PTAs to both build support from exporters and pressure disloyal importers. We test our hypotheses using a dyadic data set of 120 autocracies from 1960 to 2014. Our results show that extralegal leaders sign more and deeper PTAs than legal leaders. Moreover, we find that extralegal leaders with a high risk of coups are more likely to form deep PTAs than extralegal leaders with a low risk of coups. In line with our argument, we also provide evidence that extralegal leaders sign trade agreements that are likely to be enforced. Our article has implications for the political economy of trade and for development studies.


We introduce a family of domino tilings that includes tilings of the Aztec diamond and pyramid partitions as special cases. These tilings live in a strip of $\mathbb{Z}^2$ of the form $1 \leq x-y \leq 2\ell$ for some integer $\ell \geq 1$, and are parametrized by a binary word $w\in\{+,-\}^{2\ell}$ that encodes some periodicity conditions at infinity. Aztec diamond and pyramid partitions correspond respectively to $w=(+-)^\ell$ and to the limit case $w=+^\infty-^\infty$. For each word $w$ and for different types of boundary conditions, we obtain a nice product formula for the generating function of the associated tilings with respect to the number of flips, that admits a natural multivariate generalization. The main tools are a bijective correspondence with sequences of interlaced partitions and the vertex operator formalism (which we slightly extend in order to handle Littlewood-type identities). In probabilistic terms our tilings map to Schur processes of different types (standard, Pfaffian and periodic). We also introduce a more general model that interpolates between domino tilings and plane partitions.


This paper explores the use of dependence metadata for optimising composition in component-based parallel programs. The idea is for each component to carry additional information about how points in its iteration space map to memory locations associated with its input and output data structures. When two components are composed this information can be used to implement optimisations that would otherwise require expensive analysis of the components' code at the time of composition. This dependence metadata facilitates a number of cross-component optimisations – in this paper we focus on loop fusion and array contraction. We describe a prototype framework, based on the CLooG loop generator tool, that embodies these ideas and report experimental performance results for three non-trivial parallel benchmarks. Our results show execution time reductions of up to 50% using the proposed framework on an 8 core xeon.


The patient was a 29-year multiparous woman, hospitalised in the 25 week of pregnancy because of fetal hydrops (ascites, polyhydramnios, placentomegaly) and cardiomegaly. The results of the physical and laboratory examinations of the mother were initially normal. MCA PSV in the fetus was 1.9 MoM. Diagnostic cordocentesis revealed profound fetal anemia with high erytroblastosis, thrombocytopenia and fetal PVB19 viremia (2.27 × 108 IU/ml). We transfused to the fetal umbilical vein 35 ml of packed red cells and 0.5 g IVIG. After the transfusion the MCA PSV normalised. In the fourth day after the transfusion the patient reported dyspnoea, oedema of lower extremities and rash on the palmar side of her hands. There was fluid in both pleural cavities. The fluid balance was positive (plus 9 kg in one week), the blood pressure was normal all the time, but the condition of the mother was deteriorating rapidly. The blood parameters showed surprisingly progressive hemodilution and the patient was gradually developing anemia and thrombocytopenia, with elevation of aminotransferases. In the next few days we observed dyspnoea at rest, continuous liver pain and enlargement and massive generalised oedema. The patient was given high doses of diuretics (i.v. furosemide up to 60 mg a day), antibiotics, steroids, IVIG (0.5 g/day) and FFP. After about one week of treatment the condition of the fetus and the mother started to improve and the oedema in both patients gradually disappeared. In the 30 week of pregnancy the patient left the hospital. There was PROM and premature delivery in the 31 week of pregnancy. She delivered a child 1750/45 g with minor ascites, but no important medical problems.


This department is about building software with security in mind. Since it began in 2004, it has focused on the kinds of activities that constitute a secure development life cycle. As of to day, we're broadening that charter to include all the essential ingredients of a sustained soft ware security initiative. Instead of focusing on one turn of the crank that yields one new piece of software, we'll consider the ongoing organizational commitments necessary to facilitate se cure software development.


The majority of the human population becomes infected early in life by the gammaherpesvirus EBV. Some findings suggest that there is an association between EBV infection and the appearance of pathogenic Abs found in lupus. Gammaherpesvirus 68 infection of adult mice (an EBV model) was shown to induce polyclonal B cell activation and hypergammaglobulinemia, as well as increased production of autoantibodies. In this study, we explored the possibility that this breach of tolerance reflects loss of B cell anergy. Our findings show that, although anergic B cells transiently acquire an activated phenotype early during infection, they do not become responsive to autoantigen, as measured by the ability to mobilize Ca2+ following AgR cross-linking or mount Ab responses following immunization. Indeed, naive B cells also acquire an activated phenotype during acute infection but are unable to mount Ab responses to either T cell-dependent or T cell-independent Ags. In acutely infected animals, Ag stimulation leads to upregulation of costimulatory molecules and relocalization of Ag-specific B cells to the B–T cell border; however, these cells do not proliferate or differentiate into Ab-secreting cells. Adoptive-transfer experiments show that the suppressed state is reversible and is dictated by the environment in the infected host. Finally, B cells in infected mice deficient of CD4+ T cells are not suppressed, suggesting a role for CD4+ T cells in enforcing unresponsiveness. Thus, rather than promoting loss of tolerance, gammaherpesvirus 68 infection induces an immunosuppressed state, reminiscent of compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome.


One of the critical yet lingering issues in computer security is insider threat, and it often takes advantage of some security services based on directory services such as authentication and access control. Detecting these threats is quite challenging because malicious users with the technical ability to leverage these services often have sufficient knowledge and expertise to conceal unauthorized activity. In this article, we present an approach using directory virtualization to monitor various systems across an enterprise for the purpose of detecting malicious insider activity. Specifically, a policy engine that leverages directory virtualization services is proposed to enhance monitoring and detecting capabilities by allowing greater flexibility in analyzing changes for malicious intent. The resulting architecture is a system-based approach, where the relationships and dependencies between data sources and directory services are used to detect an insider threat, rather than simply relying on point solutions. This paper presents such an architecture in detail, including a description of implementation results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

(The preliminary version of this paper was published at the proceedings of the ACM Workshop on Insider Threat, Chicago, IL, 8 October 2010.)


Large-scale silver nanobelts (AgNBs) were prepared by a one-step method at near room temperature with high catalytic activity for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction to 4-aminophenol. This strategy was simple and green owing to the reasonable application of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as a structure-directing agent and ascorbic acid (AA) as a reducing agent, avoiding extreme temperatures, tedious procedures, environmentally unfriendly additives, organic solvents and complicated apparatus. Most AgNBs reached lengths of 50 μm with some reaching ∼86 μm; these AgNBs were produced from large round nanoplates with thicknesses of ∼58 nm. By tuning the CMC concentration, AgNO3/AA ratio and temperature, the product morphology changed from one-dimensional nanobelts to three-dimensional pie-like, brick-like and hierarchical microstructures. Benefiting from their slender and unique laced structure, the AgNBs showed superior catalytic activity for 4-NP reduction. Additionally, the reaction rate constant and activity factor of the AgNBs reached 1.74 × 10−2 s−1 and 87.00 s−1 g−1, respectively (∼11.75, 6.61 and 8.13 times higher than the activities of the pie-like, brick-like and hierarchical Ag microstructures). This method not only successfully prepared AgNBs using a simple, green approach, further broadening the application of CMC to control metal nanomaterial morphologies, but may also be applied to the preparation of other kinds of nanomaterials.


Korea had been one of hyperendemic countries of human parasitic infections until 1970s. In 1966, the Law for the Prevention of Parasitic Diseases was enacted, and the nationwide anti-parasitic control program began in 1969. The initiation of the national program was supported financially by Japan. The program included screening of whole students in Korea and treatment of all egg positive cases twice a year, and ended in 1995. In addition to student program, deworming campaign was run in the community, and 8 national status surveys were implemented from 1971 to 2012. Whole helminth egg positive rate was 84.3% in 1971 and decreased to 2.6% in 2012. Ascaris and other intestinal nematodes, Paragonimus, Taenia, and intestinal protozoa had decreased significantly throughout the country, but Clonorchis sinensis and intestinal trematodes are still prevalent locally in endemic areas. Lymphatic filariasis had been endemic in Jeju-do and other southern islands but elimination was endorsed in 2008. The control of parasitic infection in Korea was successful with statistical prevalence data, which can be a benchmarking model. In conclusion, the successful control in Korea could be achieved by social agreement of the priority, professional guidelines and systematic approach with good anthelminthics supply, and simultaneous economic growth.


This paper lays out a particular way of 'seeing' or looking at cities – one that allows us to see beneath the physical surface of buildings and infrastructure and which thus opens the door to considering the 'shadows' of a city as a source of inspiration. In these shadows, it suggests, we can see the city as a 'laboratory of ideas.' Specifically, the paper examines the city of Liverpool but its themes are applicable worldwide. It aims to expose Liverpool's 'poetic' qualities and suggests that those best placed to understand it, and guide its development, may not be architects or planners, but rather those that inhabit it most intensely – its people. As a result, the paper becomes a tale about time and movement and the everyday (and night) life of a port city with a history stretching back over centuries. Despite this history, the city has over the past two decades received a whole range of development grants that have and are, right now, changing the physical nature of its urban environment radically. In the context of these physical, externally funded changes to the city's make-up that mirror conditions found in cities across the world, it is perhaps more important than ever to redirect our thoughts to what lies beneath the surface – to the city's social, economic and cultural heart. The thinking and experience that underlies this suggestion began in the 1960s when architecture was taught alongside sociology. Imagine a radical School of Art & Design with a sociologist on the staff, in which Richard Hoggart's The Uses and Misuses of Literacy was on the agenda, and the writings of the Marxist social theorist Raymond Williams were essential reading –


A family of 3 multifunctional intracardiac imaging and electrophysiology (EP) mapping catheters has been in development to help guide diagnostic and therapeutic intracardiac EP procedures. The catheter tip on the first device includes a 7.5 MHz, 64-element, side-looking phased array for high resolution sector scanning. The second device is a forward-looking catheter with a 24-element 14 MHz phased array. Both of these catheters operate on a commercial imaging system with standard software. Multiple EP mapping sensors were mounted as ring electrodes near the arrays for electrocardiographic synchronization of ultrasound images and used for unique integration with EP mapping technologies. To help establish the catheters' ability for integration with EP interventional procedures, tests were performed in vivo in a porcine animal model to demonstrate both useful intracardiac echocardiographic (ICE) visualization and simultaneous 3-D positional information using integrated electroanatomical mapping techniques. The catheters also performed well in high frame rate imaging, color flow imaging, and strain rate imaging of atrial and ventricular structures. The companion paper of this work discusses the catheter design of the side-looking catheter with special attention to acoustic lens design. The third device in development is a 10 MHz forward-looking ring array that is to be mounted at the distal tip of a 9F catheter to permit use of the available catheter lumen for adjunctive therapy tools.


Abstract Objective: To characterize risk factors for surgical-site infection after spinal surgery. Design: A case–control study. Setting: A 113-bed community hospital. Method: From January 1998 through June 2000, the incidence of surgical-site infection in patients undergoing laminectomy, spinal fusion surgery, or both increased at community hospital. A We compared 13 patients who acquired surgical-site infections after laminectomy, spinal fusion surgery, or both with 47 patients who were operated on during the same time period but did not acquire a surgical-site infection. Information collected included demographics, risk factors, personnel involved in the operations, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs. Results: Of 13 case-patients, 9 (69%) were obese, 9 (69%) had spinal compression, 5 (38.5%) had a history of tobacco use, and 4 (31%) had diabetes. Oxacillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (6 of 13; 46%) was the most common organism isolated. Significant risk factors for postoperative spinal surgical-site infection were dural tear during the surgical procedure and the use of glue to cement the dural patch (3 of 13 [23%] vs 1 of 47 [2.1%] ; P = .02) and American Society of Anesthesiologists risk class of 3 or more (6 of 13 [46.2%] vs 7 of 47 [15%]; P = .02). Case-patients were more likely to have prolonged length of stay (median, 16 vs 4 days; P < .001). The average excess length of stay was 11 days and the excess cost per case was $12,477. Conclusion: Dural tear and the use of glue should be evaluated as potential risk factors for spinal surgical-site infection. Systematic observation for potential lapses in sterile technique and surgical processes that may increase the risk of infection may help prevent spinal surgical-site infection.


The article discusses Neil Levy's argument against compatibilist theories of moral responsibility based on his concept of luck. The author considers possible ways for criticizing the concept of moral responsibility by undermining the control condition or the epistemic condition. Levi follows the second path. The author analyzes specifics in Levy's interpretation of the epistemic condition: according to Levy, the epistemic condition is built into the control one; it is considered from an internalist position (from the point of view of availability to an agent of the grounds for his action). Levy analyzes the concept of luck and identifies several types of it: chancy and non-chancy, present and constitutive. Cases of luck are not controlled by an agent, and he or she is not responsible for them. Then the author considers Levy's argument against compatibilism based on his concept of luck: any compatibilist explanation of an action for which an agent is morally responsible rests either on constitutive luck, or on present luck, or on a combination of them. The substantiation of such a trilemma leads Levy to the concept of intellectual vice. FitzPatrick's answer to the issue formulated by Levy is analyzed. It is shown that, even though Fitzpatrick's solution is problematic, his general approach is correct: it is necessary to develop a theory of epistemic responsibility by the means of virtue epistemology and show its connection with moral responsibility.


In this research dense fluid discharge was experimentally investigated under the surface jet in the shallow acceptor. The investigated parameters were depth of the acceptor ambient, flow rate and the concentration of surface jet. In order to investigate the relationship between these parameters, a physical model experiments were performed in the hydraulic laboratory of Shahid Chamran University. The results showed that progressive length of the surface jet core is directly proportional to Froude number of fluid density, and is inversly proportional to fluid density concentration. Besides, the progressive length of the jet core increases with increasing the depth of the acceptor ambient. This length increase is due to the decrease of water surface tension. In average, increasing the depth of acceptor ambient twice, the progressive length will increase 38%, and its increasing three times, will increase progressive length of jet core 62%. Besides, in the relationship obtained for the progressive length of jet core R 2 is 0.94.


The idea of training rarely crosses cat owners' minds, and we often assume that cats can't and don't need to be trained. But in The Trainable Cat, bestselling anthrozoologist John Bradshaw and cat expert Sarah Ellis show that not only can cats be trained, but they absolutely must be in order to strengthen the bond between pet and owner, reduce their anxiety, and maximize their happiness.

Twenty-first-century urban life can be taxing for cats who historically have been wild and solitary hunters, hostile to change and turmoil. Cats today are forced to live within the confines of cramped city apartments, in the company of unfamiliar people and other animals, and to travel in compact cat carriers. Such living conditions can create scared and angry cats—cats who spend hours hiding under the bed, abruptly bite their owners, or urinate in their houses when new pets are introduced—leaving owners scratched and disheartened.

But a great deal of pet-owner discord can easily be prevented by simply training our cats. Once we understand our beloved pet's journey from wild predator to domesticated animal, we can train them to overcome their natural inhibitions, fears, and anxieties.

Full of training tips and exercises for nearly every scenario—from introducing your cat to a new baby to helping cats deal with visits to the vet—The Trainable Cat is the essential bible for cat owners and lovers.


In this article, I argue that references to the fleshly resurrection of Jesus in Luke and Acts, both those that tell of Jesus eating with his apostles and those that assert that Jesus's flesh was "incorruptible" (Luke 24:36–53, Acts 1:4, 2:31, 10:40–41, 13:37), share thematic continuity and are best understood as stemming from Luke's concern for the exclusive authority of the twelve apostles. I assume that Luke has access not only to oral and written resurrection narratives but also to a collection of the Pauline Epistles and that Luke frames Lukan narrative as the result of the scriptural practices of one second-century textual community, among others. In mapping both divergences and convergences between Lukan understandings of resurrection and views often attributed to Marcionites and/or so-called docetists, I challenge the view that Luke's assertions of fleshly resurrection represent (proto)orthodoxy's incipient battle with heresy over the nature of the resurrection of Jesus.


Climate adaptation strategies evident in New Zealand local authority planning schemes suggest an awareness of coastal hazard issues caused by global warming and subsequent sea level rise. Coastal land identified as hazardous has limits on new residential development. Alterations to existing buildings are required to be within specific floor level heights and constructed of materials that lend themselves for removal. The emphasis is, however, on managing the impending hazard, rather than reducing or removing the risk. Limits on local authority powers and the fee simple entitlement of ownership mean the ability to order removal of buildings is limited to dangerous health and safety issues of immediate concern. Planned building retreat or removal in the face of future uncertainty is not possible without the cooperation of the landowner, a challenging scenario given the high cost and desirability of coastal land. This paper will overview key literature surrounding climate change adaptation policy as it relates to coastal hazards and sea‐level rise. It will evaluate and compare the coastal hazard adaptation policies of two district schemes within New Zealand and suggest future strategies around the concept of "managed retreat" that may serve to minimise the potential damage to buildings (and their owners) living within hazardous coastal zones.


Abstract The majority of passenger vehicles use separate hydraulic circuits to drive and control high-power components such as the braking and steering systems. While this approach is acceptable, it is possible for significant improvements in effficiency to be achieved using a centralized system. In order to establish the advantages and disadvantages of the distributed and centralized approaches, a simulation-based feasibility study of the pressure, flow and power requirements of the individual engine cooling, anti-lock braking system (ABS), semi-automatic transmission, active roll control and power assisted steering subsystems was carried out. Using a realistic drive and load cycle together with simulation models accounting for component non-linearities and dynamics, the flow requirements of an integrated hydraulic system were established. It was shown that the steering and roll control suspension requirements were complementary. The steering system requires high flow at low forward speeds, while the suspension requires high flow during conditions of high speed. In addition it was shown that, although the peak flow requirements of an integrated system were high, the mean flow was moderate and the high demands could be met using small accumulator units, suggesting that the system would be feasible for use in passenger cars. Finally, an energy efficient integrated hydraulic circuit including some degree of safety back-up is proposed.


The relative constancy of nonfinancial corporate tax revenues as a share of U.S. GDP masks offsetting trends in the ratio of corporate profits to GDP (declining) and the average tax rate (increasing). The average tax rate rose steadily between 1996 and 2003, an increase largely attributable to the importance of tax losses. This rise casts some doubt on the role of tax planning activities in reducing corporate taxes. So, too, does the relative stability of the rate of profit (relative to net assets), which might be expected to have declined had the understatement of profits for tax purposes been increasing.


Can an embodied approach to social cognition accommodate mindreading, our ability to attribute mental states to another person? Prima facie it might not. Mindreading has been conceived in terms of what Susan Hurley calls the classical sandwich picture of the mind. On this view, perception corresponds to input from world to mind, action to output from mind to world, and cognition as sandwiched in between. It separates perception and action, and takes cognition to be central and distinct from both. Embodied cognition rejects the classical sandwich. The mind evolved to guide action, to enhance an organism's coping with the world. Perception and action and action are central to cognitive activity rather than peripheral. If mindreading is a central cognitive activity, isolated from sensorimotor processing, it's hard to see how it can have a place in an embodied account of social cognition. But at the same time it seems that a complete embodied social cognition should be able to accommodate mindreading, as it is an important social cognitive skill. The present dissertation investigates how this can be done. More specifically, it investigates whether the simulation theory of mindreading can be integrated with an embodied account of social cognition. The simulation theory of mindreading holds that one understands another not by applying a theory but by using one's own mental processes to generate information about the mental processes of the other. Even though its proponents appear to have subscribed to the classical sandwich, simulative mindreading could be a central component of an embodied social cognition.


This paper investigates a novel pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme for two-phase interleaved boost converter with voltage multiplier for fuel cell power system by combining alternating phase shift (APS) control and traditional interleaving PWM control. The APS control is used to reduce the voltage stress on switches in light load while the traditional interleaving control is used to keep better performance in heavy load. The boundary condition for swapping between APS and traditional interleaving PWM control is derived. Based on the aforementioned analysis, a full power range control combining APS and traditional interleaving control is proposed. Loss breakdown analysis is also given to explore the efficiency of the converter. Finally, it is verified by experimental results.


We propose a procedure for testing simple hypotheses on a subset of the structural parameters in linear instrumental variables models. Our test is valid uniformly over a large class of distributions allowing for identification failure and heteroskedasticity. The large-sample distribution of our test statistic is shown to depend on a key quantity that cannot be consistently estimated. Under our proposed procedure, we construct a confidence set for this key quantity and then maximize, over this confidence set, the appropriate quantile of the large-sample distribution of the test statistic. This maximum is used as the critical value and Bonferroni correction is used to control the overall size of the test. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the advantage of our test over the projection method in finite samples.


The use of three different materials, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and thioglycolic acid, was investigated to improve the performance of electroless nickel-plating baths. By changing the concentrations of these materials, sample plates were coated. Optical microscope images were obtained by selecting representative coated plates. From the results of the investigations, the effects of these materials on electroless nickel plating were observed, and the most appropriate amounts of these materials for nickel plating were determined. Moreover, the nickel plating speed observed with the bath solution containing 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and thioglycolic acid is higher than that in the case of traditional electroless plating baths, but the nickel consumption amount in the former case is lower. In order to minimize the waste water generated from electroless nickel-plating baths, we determined the lowest amounts of the chemicals that can be used for the concentrations reported in the literature.


W ireless peer to peer is the method by which individual users connect to each other directly, without need for a central point of management or system. It facilitate message passing between the two nodes which are directly connected. There arises a security issues for an unauthorized access to the message, hence a secured communication protocol is needed which can provide an authentication and integrity protection, which has to be establishes an end -to-end secure channel between server-side and client-side. An encryption and Decryption algorithm is used for the protocol to ensure confidentiality, integrity and nonrepudiation of messages.


A primary goal of systems neuroscience is to understand cortical function, which typically involves studying spontaneous and sensory-evoked cortical activity. Mounting evidence suggests a strong and complex relationship between the ongoing and evoked state. To date, most work in this area has been based on spiking in populations of neurons. While advantageous in many respects, this approach is limited in scope; it records the activities of a minority of neurons, and gives no direct indication of the underlying subthreshold dynamics. Membrane potential recordings can fill these gaps in our understanding, but are difficult to obtain in vivo. Here, we record subthreshold cortical visual responses in the ex vivo turtle eye-attached whole-brain preparation, which is ideally-suited to such a study. In the absence of visual stimulation, the network is "synchronous"; neurons display network-mediated transitions between low- and high-conductance membrane potential states. The prevalence of these slow-wave transitions varies across turtles and recording sessions. Visual stimulation evokes similar high-conductance states, which are on average larger and less reliable when the ongoing state is more synchronous. Responses are muted when immediately preceded by large, spontaneous high-conductance events. Evoked spiking is sparse, highly variable across trials, and mediated by concerted synaptic inputs that are in general only very weakly correlated with inputs to nearby neurons. Together, these results highlight the multiplexed influence of the cortical network on the spontaneous and sensory-evoked activity of individual cortical neurons.


Managing air quality through emissions control entails significant societal benefits in Canada and around the world. As the public health impacts of emissions depend on the atmospheric conditions conducive to pollutant transport and transformation, sophisticated atmospheric models are necessary to link public health impacts with sources of emissions directly. This thesis develops a novel method to integrate health benefit assessment and formal sensitivity analysis tools. It employs a reverse sensitivity analysis technique, infused with epidemiological and economic data, to attribute air pollution health effects to emissions sources. This linkage creates a streamlined approach for assessing the damages incurred by anthropogenic emissions, and the benefits of their control, on a source-by-source basis. The findings presented in this thesis indicate that the public health benefits of emission controls vary considerably from source-to-source and by emitted species. A main feature of emission control benefits is their dependency on the composition of the atmosphere and hence on emission quantities. As the atmosphere becomes cleaner with progressive emission reduction policies, the benefits-per-ton of emissions control are likely to change, particularly for pollutants that undergo nonlinear transformations in the atmosphere. Further, the shape of the concentration-response function (CRF) between pollutant exposure and mortality plays a determining role in estimating these benefits. This thesis investigates how both atmospheric chemistry and assumptions about the CRF influence the health benefits of emission control. For secondary pollutants such as ozone, the benefits-per-ton of NOx control are found to increase substantially as the atmosphere becomes less polluted. For primary pollutants such as NO2, compounding benefits of NOx control exist due entirely to a supralinear CRF. The findings of this thesis indicate unforeseen and long-term benefits of emissions control, suggesting that current emission controls make future abatement efforts more worthwhile. Assessment of recent emission trends in North America indicates that we are currently at an important point on the abatement trajectory, where the benefits of emission controls have increased in the past and will do so considerably in the near future. Regard for the compounding nature of emission control benefits can cast abatement policies in a self-propagating, self-rewarding light in the long-term.


The invention discloses a liver-protecting and health-care clam crisp and a processing method thereof. The processing technology comprises using a protease to soften the clam, boiling and seasoning, steaming under high pressure, stirring spices, filling dies and molding. Of the clam processing ingredients, lotus leaf powder is used to substitute chemical antiseptics in addition to general spices, and Chinese herbal medicines are added into the boiling and seasoning spices, so that the resulting clam has liver-protecting and health-care functions. The liver-protecting and health-care clam crisp has advantages of moderate tissue hardness, good chewing, spicy and delicious flavor, mellow and pure fragrance, vivid color and delicious taste, and completely overcomes the disadvantages of relatively hard texture and difficult chews. The clam crisp can be enjoyed by people at different ages, provides a novel health food for patients with poor liver function, and is convenient to eat. Meanwhile, types of clam snap food are enriched.


Understanding the origin and maintenance of community composition through ecological and evolutionary time has been a central challenge in ecology. However little is known about how extinction may alter patterns of phylogenetic and phenotypic structure within communities. To address this, we used past and present primate communities in Madagascar as our model system to explore how a large extinction event within a taxon may alter evolutionary relationships and phenotypic distributions within communities. We also explored the influence of environment on the structure of present-day lemur communities. We found a phylogenetic pattern of overdispersion in both past and present-day communities. However, trait structures, including relative dispersion of body masses and trophic niches were altered following extinction. We posit that the overdispersed phylogenetic patterns have resulted from the unique ecological and evolutionary history of Madagascar's primates including a rapid adaptive radiation in the presence of a broad niche-space available during colonization. Differences in trait structures between present and past primate communities may be reflective of the selective extinction process that eliminated the largest primates from the island. Habitat also appeared to influence the structure of present-day lemur communities. Lower divergence in patterns of phylogeny, body mass and activity rhythms were found in dry relative to wet habitats. This may be due to potential advantages of being small and nocturnal in environments with low productivity and hot dry climates. We suggest current studies exploring community processes should consider potential effects of past extinction events. Such work is important for understanding community assembly, coexistence, and mechanisms driving extinctions, particularly given the current extinction crisis facing ecosystems globally.


Developmental enhancers integrate graded concentrations of input transcription factors (TFs) to create sharp gene expression boundaries. Here we examine the hunchback P2 (HbP2) enhancer which drives a sharp expression pattern in the Drosophila blastoderm embryo in response to the transcriptional activator Bicoid (Bcd). We systematically interrogate cis and transfactors that influence the shape and position of expression driven by HbP2, and find that the prevailing model, based on cooperative binding of Bcd to HbP2 is not adequate. We demonstrate that other proteins, such as pioneer factors, mediator and histone modifiers influence the shape and position of the HbP2 expression pattern. By comparing our results to theory, we assess how higher-order cooperativity and energy expenditure impact boundary location and sharpness. Our results emphasize that the bacterial view of transcription regulation, where pairwise interactions between regulatory proteins dominate, must be re-examined in animals, where multiple molecular mechanisms collaborate to shape the gene regulatory function.


We examine potential selective reporting (publication bias) in the literature on the social cost of carbon (SCC) by conducting a meta-analysis of 809 estimates of the SCC reported in 101 studies. Our results indicate that estimates for which the 95% confidence interval includes zero are less likely to be reported than estimates excluding negative values of the SCC, which might create an upward bias in the literature. The evidence for selective reporting is stronger for studies published in peer-reviewed journals than for unpublished papers. We show that the findings are not driven by the asymmetry of the confidence intervals surrounding the SCC and are robust to controlling for various characteristics of study design and to alternative definitions of confidence intervals. Our estimates of the mean reported SCC corrected for the selective reporting bias range between USD 0 and 134 per ton of carbon at 2010 prices for emission year 2015.