This paper argues that the large-scale ethnic resurgence, as observed in the quest for ethnic reclassification in Taiwan today, is not simply the result of deep-seated feelings of primordial attachment of people in a post-colonial society. As it has been described in the case of Brazil, the phenomenon seems also to be supported by a national and international context that valorises indigenous identities as a means of reasserting political and territorial claims. As we have seen from various undertakings of the aboriginal and Pingpu movements, members often try to use the UN for political leverage. Another related reason is the strong elitist influence in the movements seeking ethnic reclassification. Focussing on the example of the Sakizaya, who were recognized as Taiwan's 13th aboriginal group in 2007, I describe how the process of campaigning was dominated by elites who had a thorough understanding of national and international requirements and frameworks. Their visions and ensuing cultural constructions, however, did not always reflect the perspectives of the common people and therefore served as another affirmation of the "elites without people" phenomenon observed in earlier activities of Taiwan's aboriginal revitalization movement. Although the petition with which the Sakizaya successfully gained recognition as a unique ethnic group in 2007 claimed a total of 15,000 members, fewer than 900 Sakizaya had registered by the end of 2015.


This article focuses on contemporary social imaginaries emerging in the specific context of food delivery mediated by digital labour platforms (DLPs) in Italy. How can the dominant imaginary constructed by DLPs be challenged? Are there alternative imaginaries to the celebration of individual autonomy and extreme flexibility that can open up the possibility of emancipation for platform workers? After introducing the theoretical framework on social imaginaries, technological changes and possible paths of liberation within and from work, the article explores how the studied organisations – trade unions, grassroots groups, and cooperatives – define themselves and the workers they refer to, as well as the different social imaginaries they foster in contrast (or sometimes in agreement) to those promoted by DLPs. By proposing the concept of a «struggle for alternative social imaginaries», our findings – based on a multi-sited ethnography study – show how the initial dominant imaginary conveyed by DLPs is progressively challenged by the multi-vocality of the counter-social imaginaries promoted by the collective actors representing platform workers.


It is widely acknowledged that workers in the apparel industry—one of the largest employers in the world—often labor under conditions that are unsafe, illegal, and abusive. While many people and groups would like to change this state of affairs, only a few institutions have the buying power and influence to do so. As a large-scale buyer and seller of apparel bearing its well-respected name, Pitt is among this select group of institutions. In the past, Pitt has demonstrated its commitment to improving labor standards by affiliating with the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a group that monitors labor conditions in factories producing university apparel. It is the purpose of this paper, however, to demonstrate that Pitt can better fulfill this commitment by affiliating with another organization, the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC).


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The identification of hypotension predicting factors during spinal anesthesia may interfere in the choice of the technique or call for preventive measures. This study aimed at identifying pre-anesthetic factors as independent hypotension predictors during spinal anesthesia. METHODS: Participated in this study 76 adult patients of both genders undergoing spinal anesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. The following parameters were collected: age, gender, weight, height, body mass index, systemic hypertension history, use of anti-hypertensive agents, preanesthetic medication, ankle and arm systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, pulse pressure, vascular overload, ankle-arm SBP index, bupivacaine doses, upper sensory block level and the lowest SBP measured at 2.5 minute intervals for 20 minutes. Patients were randomly allocated to receive oxygen (3 L.min-1). Hypotension was defined as systolic blood pressure below 80% of control or below 90 mmHg. Logistic regression was applied to identify independent hypotension predictors. RESULTS: The following variables were independently associated to systolic hypotension: more than 45 years of age, female gender and upper sensory level above T7. CONCLUSIONS: More than 45 years of age, female gender and upper sensory level above T7 were identified as independent predictors of early hypotension during spinal anesthesia.


Abstract Situations of internecine warfare have in common to question the transitivity of everyday life—that is, its capacity to be taken for granted, to flow without any need for explication. These wars within the familiar generate specific anxieties about where to look at and what to believe. Events, persons, places, or objects whose status seemed hitherto undeniable become less predictable, while their worth comes into question. As individuals' ontological security is threatened, the need for new monitoring devices and authentication procedures arises. Drawing on the phenomenology of civil wars and the anthropology of fakes, this contribution proposes to explore one such crisis of evidence: the nexus of political, ethnic, and criminal violence raging in Karachi's inner-city area of Lyari. Through the lens of local journalism, it reflects upon the tactics of social navigation deployed by residents confronted with chronic uncertainty in all sectors of life. Janbaz, the Urdu newspaper examined here, provides an opportunity to move beyond functionalist readings of the press in conflict situations. While insisting upon the pleasure derived by Janbaz's readers from the sensationalized rendering of Lyari's predicament, we argue that the newspaper is the site of a continuous series of 'reality tests' and the focal point of private and collective investigations, pooling knowledge in an increasingly undecipherable environment. More than through its information, it is through its shortcomings that Janbaz has helped to recreate social ties in a world plagued by discord and uncertainty.


Book synopsis: In recent years, interest in Sufism – often regarded as the mystical dimension of Islam – has blossomed. Taught in European and American universities for many years, Sufism is an increasingly popular area of research in disciplines such as Islamic studies, comparative religion, area studies, anthropology, history, and politics.

In this new Routledge Major Work, the editor, a leading scholar in the field, has gathered in four volumes the canonical and the very best cutting-edge literature on Sufism to create an indispensable reference resource. The collection focuses on: origins and development; hermeneutics and doctrines; ritual, authority, and word; and modern Sufism.


We have evaluated the urinary excretion of promoting (calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, oxalate) and inhibiting (citrate, magnesium, glycosaminoglycans) factors of crystallization in subjects with idiopathic hypercalciuria and calcium urolithiasis and in a control group. The examined children had a free diet and were drug free for the last 2 weeks. They were not affected by malabsorption, D-RTA, urinary tract infection, or urinary tract malformation (factors interfering with urinary excretion of citrate and oxalate). In the patients with calcium urolithiasis, the daily urinary excretion of oxalate was significantly higher (p less than 0.01), and the urinary excretion of citrate was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than in the subjects with idiopathic hypercalciuria and in the control group. Among the subjects with idiopathic hypercalciuria, those aged 4-9 years had a significantly reduced, though in the normal range, urinary excretion of citrate as compared with those aged 10-15 years (362 +/- 189 and 503 +/- 198 mg/g creatinine/24 h, respectively; p less than 0.01). Our data show that hypocitruria may play an important role in the pathogenesis of urolithiasis in children with idiopathic hypercalciuria. In these cases, the urinary citrate excretion was not inversely related to age, as has been suggested by other authors.


Background: 'Systematic reviews' have come to be recognized as the most rigorous method of summarizing confusing and often contradictory primary research in a transparent and reproducible manner. Their greatest impact has been in the summarization of epidemiological literature—particularly that relating to clinical effectiveness. Systematic reviews also have a potential to inform rational decision-making in healthcare policy and to form a component of economic evaluation. Aims of the study: This article aims to introduce the rationale behind systematic reviews and, using examples from mental health, to introduce the strengths and limitations of systematic reviews, particularly in informing mental health policy and economic evaluation. Methods: Examples are selected from recent controversies surrounding the introduction of new psychiatric drugs (anti-depressants and anti-schizophrenia drugs) and methods of delivering psychiatric care in the community (case management and assertive community treatment). The potential for systematic reviews to (i) produce best estimates of clinical efficacy and effectiveness, (ii) aid economic evaluation and policy decision-making and (iii) highlight gaps in the primary research knowledge base are discussed. Lastly examples are selected from outside mental health to show how systematic reviews have a potential to be explicitly used in economic and health policy evaluation. Results: Systematic reviews produce the best estimates of clinical efficacy, which can form an important component of economic evaluation. Importantly, serious methodological flaws and areas of uncertainty in the primary research literature are identified within an explicit framework. Summary indices of clinical effectiveness can be produced, but it is difficult to produce such summary indices of cost effectiveness by pooling economic data from primary studies. Modelling is commonly used in economic and policy evaluation. Here, systematic reviews can provide the best estimates of effectiveness and, importantly, highlight areas of uncertainty that can be used in 'sensitivity analysis'. Discussion: Systematic reviews are an important recent methodolog-ical advance, the potential for which has only begun to be realized in mental health. This use of systematic reviews is probably most


The Swedish residential rental system and market has been discussed and criticized diligently the past years. A reformed rental law was therefore the 1 stof January 2011 implemented. This has the purpose to better reflect the consumer's priorities with a more market related rental determination. With this change, it is of interest to compare it to another rental system, with market rents. In the German rental system, free rental setting is allowed in new leases. This thesis aims to evaluate and compare the rental system in Sweden and Germany. The comparison was done after reading several reports, articles and literature as well as interviews with Swedish and German actors. Results show that the reformed Swedish law will not lead to major changes, though it might lead to a more adequate rental determination system. The analysis of the German system, with its free rental setting for new leases show that is better functioning than the Swedish. It is however positive that the new Swedish law incorporates more market related variables, even though the determination of a market rent is quite complex. A free rental setting allocates diversity in the market and contributes to a heterogeneous market, as it is possible to meet different consumers demand. The rental market can be expanded though, with a free rental setting when subletting condominiums. A conclusion from the analysis is that Sweden should strive to adopt a German system with free rental setting in new leases.


Abstract. The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B) and Microwave Humidity
Sounder (MHS) are total power microwave radiometers operating at frequencies
near the water vapor absorption line at 183 GHz. The measurements of these
instruments are crucial for deriving a variety of climate and hydrological
products such as water vapor, precipitation, and ice cloud parameters.
However, these measurements are subject to several errors that can be
classified into radiometric and geometric errors. The aim of this study is to
quantify and correct the radiometric errors in these observations through
intercalibration. Since the bias in the calibration of microwave instruments
changes with scene temperature, a two-point intercalibration correction
scheme was developed based on averages of measurements over the tropical
oceans and nighttime polar regions. The intercalibration coefficients were
calculated on a monthly basis using measurements averaged over each specified
region and each orbit, then interpolated to estimate the daily coefficients.
Since AMSU-B and MHS channels operate at different frequencies and
polarizations, the measurements from the two instruments were not
intercalibrated. Because of the negligible diurnal cycle of both temperature
and humidity fields over the tropical oceans, the satellites with the most
stable time series of brightness temperatures over the tropical oceans
(NOAA-17 for AMSU-B and NOAA-18 for MHS) were
selected as the reference
satellites and other similar instruments were intercalibrated with respect to
the reference instrument. The results show that channels 1, 3, 4, and 5 of
AMSU-B on board NOAA-16 and channels 1 and 4 of AMSU-B on board NOAA-15 show
a large drift over the period of operation. The MHS measurements from
instruments on board NOAA-18, NOAA-19, and MetOp-A are generally consistent
with each other. Because of the lack of reference measurements, radiometric
correction of microwave instruments remain a challenge, as the
intercalibration of these instruments largely depends on the stability of the
reference instrument.


This paper proposes a low-complexity wideband beamforming subarray for millimeter wave (mmW) 5G wireless communications. The multibeam subarray is based on using a novel delay Vandermonde matrix (DVM) algorithm to efficiently generate analog true-time-delay beams that have no beam squint. A factorization for the DVM leading to low-complexity analog realizations is provided and complexity analysis for real and complex inputs is derived. The DVM is a special case of a Vandermonde matrix but with complex nodes that lack any special properties (unlike the discrete Fourier transform matrix). Error bounds for the DVM are established and then analyzed for numerical stability. Mixed-signal CMOS integrated circuits designs are proposed for the implementation of DVM multibeam algorithms along with low-complexity digital realizations to achieve hybrid beamforming for mmW applications. Analog–digital hybrid mmW multibeam beamforming circuits and systems are designed, for example, with eight beams at 28 GHz and simulated in cadence for functional verification.


Research to understand Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis has involved the use of model systems to reproduce various aspects of the disease process, particularly the coordinated processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by [alpha]-, [beta]-, and [gamma]- secretases to generate amyloid beta (A[beta])-containing plaques, a process termed the amyloid hypothesis of AD. In recent years, a variety of invertebrate systems including Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans have been exploited to study the pathogenesis of AD but it is not clear as to whether lower invertebrate species can provide a direct comparison in understanding human neurological diseases. Additionally, the absence of a functional A[beta] sequence and lack of equivalent [beta]- secretases in current invertebrate models have limited efforts in studying the amyloid hypothesis in vivo. As invertebrate chordates belonging to the subphylum Urochordata, the closest living sister group of vertebrates, the ascidian system will complement current AD research models by providing the experimental advantages of invertebrates in a chordate body plan. Here, we describe the generation of an ascidian model to study various aspects of the amyloid hypothesis including APP processing, A[beta] plaque formation, and A[beta]- mediated neurotoxicity. In transgenic ascidian larvae that express human APP695 (hAPP695) alone, A[beta] peptides are produced that can aggregate to form A[beta]-containing plaques detectable within 23 hours post fertilization. In support for conservation of the APP processing cascade, familial AD-associated mutations in hAPP695 result in a significant increase in plaque formation in vivo. Furthermore, co-expression with ascidian CiBace leads to increased amyloid deposition indicating that ascidians possess a functional [beta]-secretase orthologue, a finding unique among other invertebrates. Nervous system- specific expression of the processed A[beta] peptide causes observable alterations in neuromuscular functioning and larval behavior, indicative by a reduction in the frequency of tail twitching and the ability to respond to light respectively. Importantly, the treatment of our AD ascidian model with an inhibitor of amyloid aggregation reduces plaque load and improves both neuromuscular function and the phototactic response. Overall, this study introduces the ascidian as an animal model that rapidly exhibits AD-like pathologies and provides the framework for understanding and possibly treating this disease and other neurological disorders


A new active power filter with harmonic suppression and adjustable reactive power compensation is proposed. The power converter of the proposed filter can generate a compensating voltage, including a harmonic voltage for compensating the load harmonic current and a fundamental voltage for adjusting the reactive power of the utility side, connected to the power feeder via an impedance. The waveform of the utility current after compensating by the proposed active power filter can be approximated as a sinusoidal waveform, and the input power factor is also improved. A 20 KVA prototype has been developed and tested to verify its performance. The test results indicate that the proposed active power filter has the desired performance.


Purchasing and Logistics are considered by all level of management in the company as two of the most important internal functions within an organization. Both activities are the key factors which contribute towards the company"s competitive-edge and efficiency through value adding activities. There are significant benefits for a company from a high level of integration exists between Logistics and Purchasing in order to become a dominant market player. Previous studies have shown that the relationship between Purchasing and Logistics have been working diligently together. Logistics can be carried out by operational or manufacturing functions within the company whereas Purchasing is often seen as a "supporting" activity. The integration of both activities will lead to a strategic Supply Chain Management process which maximizes the company"s value and can effectively respond to the company"s strategic decision. In order to put the integration to practice, a user friendly interface will be needed as well as educating staff to have a clear understanding of both activities.This study has been conducted through case studies of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific - Engineer &Manufacturing Co., Ltd, Toyota Tsusho (Thailand) Co., Ltd, Salee Industry PLC, Kawamura Electric Sale (Thailand) Co., Ltd, Mahakit Rubber Co., Ltd, and Win Win Plus Business Co., Ltd.


The American criminal courtroom is a theater where courtroom actors play out the guilt or innocence of the defendant for the jury to assess. Although one view of the courtroom is that of a controlled atmosphere where cases are decided based only on formal evidence, this view is undoubtedly unrealistic. Trials are affected by many factors, including the appearance and demeanor of the defendant. This article proposes an approach to deal with non-testifying demeanor evidence that occurs outside the witness box. Given the problems with having jurors rely on demeanor evidence, courts should be carefully monitoring the use of non-testifying demeanor evidence. Appropriate jury instructions should be given, including those warning jurors on proper use of such evidence.


Objective. Determine the prevalence of dating violence and its association with depression and various risk behaviors in a sample of female students from the state of Morelos. Material and Methods. This is a baseline cohort study of a sample of 13 293 students from 12 to 24 years of age who attended public schools in the state of Morelos during the 1998-1999 school year. The participants were selected from a random sample of 260 junior high schools, 92 high schools and one university. For the purpose of this analysis, a total of 4 587 female students who had a previous dating relationship were selected. To control for possible confounding variables, multiple logistic regression analysis was used. Results. The total prevalence of dating violence in females who attended public schools in Morelos was 28%. The following variables were associated with dating violence: depression (OR= 1.92; 95%CI 1.61-2.28); tobacco smoking (OR= 1.31; 95%CI 1.06-1.60); alcohol abuse (OR= 1.30, 95%CI 1.12-1.51); poor academic performance (low grades) (OR= 1.25; 95%CI 1.03-1.52); a history of sexual relations (OR= 1.52; 95%CI 1.26-1.82).Conclusions. The results of this study clearly indicate that women experience partner violence beginning with dating during adolescence. Health and education professionals need to establish intervention strategies to prevent or treat dating violence among female students. Such strategies should take into account the association between


Stroke rehabilitation offers opportunity for people with impairments and disabilities secondary to stroke. In this regard, there are many advances particularly in the developed countries. Whereas, in the developing countries such as Nigeria there are still many challenges such as lack of guidelines to guide clinicians and other stakeholders, dearth of the neurological rehabilitation professionals, inadequate training of the existing rehabilitation professionals, poor infrastructure, and lack of policies for stroke rehabilitation. However, there are also opportunities as well such as increased national and global focus on non-communicable diseases, partnership with stakeholders in national and global health, leveraging on democratic governance, leveraging on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and leveraging on the systems through which communities deal with stroke. When these opportunities are harnessed, they can help to improve stroke rehabilitation in the country. Additionally, tackling the challenges headlong can help to improve stroke rehabilitation in Nigeria.


The main aim of the research is to identify and evaluate the environmental and socio-cultural performance of traditional and modern houses in Iraq in order to establish optimal design strategies that enable occupant comfort in a context of reduced energy use and socio-cultural responsiveness.
Through literature review and primary investigation this research has identified and evaluated important factors relating to traditional and modern houses in Baghdad. These are socio-cultural, economic, neighbourhood, architectural, services and environmental factors and the research has compared these characteristics in existing traditional and modern houses. The study has included a physical survey of fourteen case study houses in Baghdad, seven traditional and seven modern, to establish their current architectural characteristics, as well as occupant observation and a questionnaire survey of the occupants of these houses in order to establish their perspective on the socio-cultural and environmental responsiveness of their current houses.
Further, occupants' comfort diaries were analysed and thermal monitoring undertaken of two selected traditional houses and two selected modern houses during representative summer and winter periods. The thesis presents analysis of these findings together with analytical comparison of the thermal performance of the two traditional houses and of all four monitored houses for the summer and winter in order to establish the current occupant comfort, satisfaction and thermal performance of these houses.
Finally, the research has sought to combine the findings of these investigations to inform a set of design considerations responding to the socio-cultural, economic, neighbourhood, architectural, services and environmental factors found to be relevant in the current context. These proposals respond to the negative performance found in both traditional and modern houses, as well as draw on positive performance identified in each, in order to propose future design strategies that are intended to inform a modern vernacular style for housing in Baghdad.


This research aims to design and develop a novel
parallel mechanism based cervical collar device to
help patients suffering from neck pain. Further this
research is focussed on elderly people to create movements
on the neck for various motions. The proposed
and developed parallel mechanism consists
of 3 RPS (Revolute – Prismatic – Spherical) joints.
The dimensional analysis is carried out based on
geometrical parameters of the parallel mechanism
based on logical approach. Based on the kinematic
equations the position and workspace analyses are
carried out. The mechanism is simulated in MATLAB
to validate the position and workspace analyses
results. Further preliminary experimental studies
are carried out based on various motions of neck.
Based on the studies, it is found that the developed
rehabilitation device can be used effectively to neck


Abstract. Data from 57 wetlands from around the world have been collated to investigate whether wetlands affect the nutrient loading of waters draining through them; the majority of wetlands reduced nutrient loading and there was little difference in the proportion of wetlands that reduced N to those that reduced P loading. However, some wetlands increase nutrient loadings by increasing the loading of soluble N and P species thus potentially driving aquatic eutrophication. Studies conducted over a period of a year or more, or that involved frequent sampling during high flow events, were more likely to indicate that the wetland increased nutrient loadings. Swamps and marshes differed from riparian zones in their nutrient function characteristics by being slightly more effective at nutrient reduction than riparian zones. The attributes that enable wetlands to be effective in reducing N and P loadings need consideration when constructing or managing wetlands to reduce nutrient loadings. Their wise use will be an important strategy for meeting the Water Framework Directive requirements for many water bodies. Keywords: wetlands, nutrient functioning, nitrogen, phosphorus, riparian, swamps, marshes, eutrophication


This is a pre-print version of a paper from FIG Congress 2010: Facing the Challenges -Building the Capacity 11-16 April 2010. International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) http://www.fig2010.com/


The optimal output speed of ESPCP system is caused by the coupling of multi-factors and it is a typical nonlinear optimization problem. A genetic neural network model for output speed, which takes the three factors of the content of oil viscosity, pressure difference of the pump two ends, magnitude of interference between stator and rotor as the input variables of this model, has been built with the help of Matlab (Matrix Laboratory) software. The model using genetic algorithm optimize the weights and thresholds of neural network, so the convergence and prediction accuracy of the network were improved effectively. After the simulation through samples study and by combining field data, it shows that the predicting results is basically in accordance with the observation data, and acquire satisfactory results. The research fruit provides a new approach and a route for optimal output speed optimization of ESPCP system when more factors are considered.


African genomics and skin color Skin color varies among human populations and is thought to be under selection, with light skin maximizing vitamin D production at higher latitudes and dark skin providing UV protection in equatorial zones. To identify the genes that give rise to the palette of human skin tones, Crawford et al. applied genome-wide analyses across diverse African populations (see the Perspective by Tang and Barsh). Genetic variants were identified with likely function in skin phenotypes. Comparison to model organisms verified a conserved function of MFSD12 in pigmentation. A global genetic panel was used to trace how alleles associated with skin color likely moved across the globe as humans migrated, both within and out of Africa. Science, this issue p. eaan8433; see also p. 867 Genome-wide analysis of 2000 Africans identifies and functionally characterizes pigmentation loci. INTRODUCTION Variation in pigmentation among human populations may reflect local adaptation to regional light environments, because dark skin is more photoprotective, whereas pale skin aids the production of vitamin D. Although genes associated with skin pigmentation have been identified in European populations, little is known about the genetic basis of skin pigmentation in Africans. RATIONALE Genetically and phenotypically diverse African populations are informative for mapping genetic variants associated with skin pigmentation. Analysis of the genetics of skin pigmentation in Africans informs upon melanocyte biology and the evolution of skin pigmentation in humans. RESULTS We observe extensive variation in skin pigmentation in Africa, with lowest melanin levels observed in southern African San hunter-gatherers and highest levels in East African Nilo-Saharan pastoralists. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 1570 Africans identified variants significantly associated with skin pigmentation, which clustered in four genomic regions that together account for almost 30% of the phenotypic variation. The most significantly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms were at SLC24A5, a gene associated with pigmentation in Europeans. We show that SLC24A5 was introduced into East Africa >5 thousand years ago (ka) and has risen to high frequency. The second most significantly associated region is near the gene MFSD12. Using in vitro and in vivo analyses, we show that MFSD12 codes for a lysosomal protein that modifies pigmentation in human melanocytes, with decreased MFSD12 expression associated with darker pigmentation. We also show that genetic knockout of Mfsd12 affects pigmentation in mice. A third highly associated region encompasses a cluster of genes that play a role in ultraviolet (UV) response and DNA damage repair. We find the strongest associations in a regulatory region upstream of DDB1, the gene encoding damage-specific DNA binding protein 1, and that these variants are associated with increased expression of DDB1. The alleles associated with light pigmentation swept to near fixation outside of Africa due to positive selection, and we show that these lineages coalesce ~60 ka, corresponding with the time of migration of modern humans out of Africa. The fourth significantly associated region encompasses the OCA2 and HERC2 loci. We identify previously uncharacterized variants at HERC2 associated with the expression of OCA2. These variants arose independently from eye and skin pigmentation–associated variants in non-Africans. We also identify variants at OCA2 that are correlated with alternative splicing; alleles associated with light pigmentation are correlated with a shorter transcript, which lacks a transmembrane domain. CONCLUSION We identify previously uncharacterized genes and variants associated with skin pigmentation in ethnically diverse Africans. These genes have diverse functions, from repairing UV damage to playing important roles in melanocyte biology. We show that both dark and light pigmentation alleles arose before the origin of modern humans and that both light and dark pigmented skin has continued to evolve throughout hominid history. We show that variants associated with dark pigmentation in Africans are identical by descent in South Asian and Australo-Melanesian populations. This study sheds light on the evolutionary history, and adaptive significance, of skin pigmentation in humans. GWAS and functional assays illuminate the genetic basis of pigmentation in Africa. A GWAS identified four genomic regions associated with skin pigmentation in Africa. Functional assays in melanocytes and mice characterized their impact on skin pigmentation. Evolutionary genetic analyses revealed that most derived variants evolved before the origin of modern humans. Ma, million years ago. Despite the wide range of skin pigmentation in humans, little is known about its genetic basis in global populations. Examining ethnically diverse African genomes, we identify variants in or near SLC24A5, MFSD12, DDB1, TMEM138, OCA2, and HERC2 that are significantly associated with skin pigmentation. Genetic evidence indicates that the light pigmentation variant at SLC24A5 was introduced into East Africa by gene flow from non-Africans. At all other loci, variants associated with dark pigmentation in Africans are identical by descent in South Asian and Australo-Melanesian populations. Functional analyses indicate that MFSD12 encodes a lysosomal protein that affects melanogenesis in mice, and that mutations in melanocyte-specific regulatory regions near DDB1/TMEM138 correlate with expression of ultraviolet response genes under selection in Eurasians.


We propose a novel energy-efficient cache architecture based on a matching mechanism that uses a reduced number of tag bits. The idea behind the proposed architecture is based on moving a large subset of the tag bits from the cache into an external register (called the Tag Overflow Buffer) that serves as an identifier of the current locality of the memory references. Dynamic energy efficiency is achieved by accessing, for most of the memory references, a reduced-tag cache; furthermore, because of the reduced number of tag bits, leakage energy is also reduced as a by-product. We achieve average energy savings ranging from 16% to 40% (depending on different cache structural parameters) on total (i.e., static and dynamic) cache energy, and measured on a standard suite of embedded applications.


Three experiments examined the effect of chronic morphine treatment on cocaine-, sucrose-, and lithium chloride (LiCl)-induced suppression of saccharin intake in Sprague-Dawley rats. All rats were either water- or food-deprived and then implanted subcutaneously with 1 morphine (75 mg) or vehicle pellet for 5 days. They were then given brief access to 0.15% saccharin and soon thereafter injected with either cocaine (10 mg/kg s.c.), LiCl (0.009 M, 1.33 ml/100 g body weight i.p.), or saline, or, in Experiment 2, given a 2nd access period to either a preferred 1.0 M sucrose solution or the same 0.15% saccharin solution. There was 1 taste-drug or taste-taste pairing per day for a number of days. The results showed that a history of chronic morphine treatment exaggerated the suppressive effects of a rewarding sucrose solution and cocaine but not those of the aversive agent, LiCl. These data provide further support for the reward comparison hypothesis.


Abstract. The sea surface salinity (SSS) measured from space by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has recently been revisited by the European Space Agency first campaign reprocessing. We show that, with respect to the previous version, biases close to land and ice greatly decrease. The accuracy of SMOS SSS averaged over 10 days, 100 × 100 km2 in the open ocean and estimated by comparison to ARGO (Array for Real-Time Geostrophic Oceanography) SSS is on the order of 0.3–0.4 in tropical and subtropical regions and 0.5 in a cold region. The averaged negative SSS bias (−0.1) observed in the tropical Pacific Ocean between 5° N and 15° N, relatively to other regions, is suppressed when SMOS observations concomitant with rain events, as detected from SSM/Is (Special Sensor Microwave Imager) rain rates, are removed from the SMOS–ARGO comparisons. The SMOS freshening is linearly correlated to SSM/Is rain rate with a slope estimated to −0.14 mm−1 h, after correction for rain atmospheric contribution. This tendency is the signature of the temporal SSS variability between the time of SMOS and ARGO measurements linked to rain variability and of the vertical salinity stratification between the first centimeter of the sea surface layer sampled by SMOS and the 5 m depth sampled by ARGO. However, given that the whole set of collocations includes situations with ARGO measurements concomitant with rain events collocated with SMOS measurements under no rain, the mean −0.1 bias and the negative skewness of the statistical distribution of SMOS minus ARGO SSS difference are very likely the mean signature of the vertical salinity stratification. In the future, the analysis of ongoing in situ salinity measurements in the top 50 cm of the sea surface and of Aquarius satellite SSS are expected to provide complementary information about the sea surface salinity stratification.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine the correlation and agreement between the values of left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes assessed by echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography with the results obtained by contrast angiography, as well as the variability of each method in these measurements.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
In a group of 59 patients with a first acute myocardial infarction we have determined left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes by two-dimensional echocardiography, equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography and contrast angiography initially and six months after myocardial infarction. We also assess the variability in the determinations in these three methods.

RESULTS
We found significant correlations in ejection fraction and volumes by radionuclide ventriculography and echocardiography with contrast angiography. The correlation was higher in ejection fraction and end-systolic volume by radionuclide ventriculography (r = 0.88 and r = 0.73) than by echocardiography (r = 0.55 and r = 0.63; p < 0.01), whereas the correlation of end-diastolic volume was moderate by both methods (r = 0.58 and r = 0.47), without significant differences. The agreement between contrast angiography and radionuclide ventriculography was higher, with narrower limits of agreement than between contrast angiography and echocardiography in ejection fraction as well as in ventricular volumes. We have found high and significant correlations between two determinations by each method in all parameters, although they were higher in ejection fraction by contrast angiography (r = 0.96) and radionuclide ventriculography (r = 0.98) than by echocardiography (r = 0.70; p < 0.01). The limits of agreement were always wider in echocardiography, narrower in contrast angiography and the narrowest in radionuclide ventriculography, showing its superior reproducibility.

CONCLUSIONS
In this group of myocardial infarction patients, the variability in the measurements was lower by radionuclide ventriculography than by echocardiography, this could be the reason for overall better results found in correlation and agreement between radionuclide ventriculography and contrast angiography than between echocardiography and contrast angiography in the assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes.


Objectives This study aimed to analyse retrospectively management and outcomes of the diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFOM) multi-disciplinary team at St Thomas' Hospital, London. Methods Patients admitted during 2015 with diagnosis of DFOM were included. Data were obtained from medical and microbiology records. Results 275 patients were admitted for DF infection in 2015: 45.1% had OM (75% males). 40% were newly diagnosed with DF ulcer (DFU). 81% patients had X-ray and 28% had MRI. Bone infection was confirmed by MC&S in 53% cases. 930 microbiological isolates were obtained: 63% were Gram-positive microorganisms [S.aureus and MRSA (~40%), CoNS (20%), and E.faecalis (8%)]. All MRSA were vancomycin and linezolid sensitive. 23.2% isolates were vancomycin-resistant enterococci. 24% isolates were Gram-negative organisms: P.aeruginosa (42%), E.coli (13%), and E.cloacae (12%). Meropenem resistance was low; 5.4% P.aeruginosa, 87.5% A.baumanii. 76% patients received co-amoxiclav; 41% received ≥3 antibiotics; 17% received >3 months antibiotics. Hospital mean-length of stay was 26.1 days. Ulcer time-to-heal was >6 months in 25% patients. 22% ulcers healed without surgery, 60% healed after minor amputation, 12% patients had major amputation. Conclusion Despite current MDT approach, many patients progress to amputation. DF-OM still represents a challenging clinical condition, requiring further study to develop better management guidelines.


Abstract In order to investigate the different Cr-N formation characteristics of plasma nitrided hard Cr coatings, Cr was electrodeposited on AISI 1010 steel and plasma nitrided at 600, 700 and 800 °C for 3 h, 5 h and 7 h, respectively. Phase analyses of resulting Cr-N phases and grain size of Cr layer before and after nitriding process were calculated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Structure of nitride layer and its thickness were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy micrographs. The micrographs indicated that samples consisted of three distinctive layers. In order to distinguish these layers, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) analysis were used as well as elemental distribution versus depth was plotted. The Cr-N diffusion was investigated by layer thickness measurements, and diffusion coefficient as well as activation energies were calculated.


The ftsYEX operon of Escherichia coli historically has been described as a cluster of essential cell division genes. Filamentation temperature-sensitive (fis) designates a class of mutants that displays normal cell morphology at the permissive temperature of 30°C, but filaments and dies at the restrictive temperature of 42°C. The first gene, ftsY, is known to encode an essential component of a protein localization system first described in eukaryotes, the signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway. The function of the following genes, ftsE and ftsX, are much less understood. It has been shown that FtsE and FtsX comprise a twocomponent ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, but the substrate is unknown. Constructing a null mutant of ftsE, I have demonstrated that ftsE is not an essential gene, although viability depends upon the concentration of NaCl or other compounds in the growth medium. In the characterization of this ftsE::kan\ mutant, it was found that several predominant proteins were missing in this mutant when compared to wild-type protein profiles. Contrary to previous speculation, we have shown that the cell division septation machinery appears to be intact in this ftsE null mutant and it remains capable of forming septa. Regulation of the ftsYEX operon was investigated with the use of gene fusions. We have also constructed a plasmid shuffling system for the isolation of new mutants to further study the function of this operon. E. coli strains exhibiting a salt-dependent, temperaturesensitive phenotype were also identified and investigated. This dissertation summarizes the scientific characterization of the ftsYEX operon of £ coli.


Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among youth ages 15-24 persist as important public health issues in spite of significant investments in the development and implementation of evidence-based preventive interventions. Further, female African American youth are disproportionately affected by teen pregnancy and STDs. The purpose of this study was to better understand female African American youth's perceptions of teen pregnancy and STDs, and the characteristics they desire in sexual and reproductive health interventions. Interviews with 19 African American females ages 13-24 were conducted. Results indicated that participants perceived teen pregnancy to be common, but STDs to be rare. Overall, participants desired more information about contraceptive methods and different types of STDs, and frequently noted youth facilitators in school and communitybased programs who had experienced these issues would be more impactful than adult facilitators. Participants also suggested that parents and clinical providers should play larger roles in educating youth about teen pregnancy and STDs. Intervention developers should capitalize on the important role of peers, parents, and medical providers in female African American youths' lives by developing teen pregnancy and STD interventions that incorporate parents, peers, and medical providers in integral ways.


!Managing Educational Change in a Turbulent Environment: The ELTSUP project in Hungary 1991-1998.' One result of the political changes in Hungary in 1989-90, was the sudden switch, within state education, from compulsory study of Russian to a free choice of foreign languages. Most pupils (or their parents) opted to study English or German. Opportunities to study these languages in schools had previously been limited, and consequently there was a severe shortage of trained teachers. The English Language Teacher Supply (ELTSUP) project, was established by formal agreement between the British Council and the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture to counter this shortage through the provision of new, three year, initial language teacher training programmes, at nine Hungarian tertiary institutions. ELTSUP's rationale, and initial stated wider objectives were principally quantitative; to increase the supply of trained English teachers to the state education system and so the number of students able to learn English. By the mid 1990s, due principally to the 'turbulence' referred to in the title, it was clear that the above aim would not be met. Project objectives, now became qualitative; the integration of three year programme curriculum change into the existing, still largely unchanged, philologically focussed, four and five year language teacher education system. The thesis is a longitudinal, single case study. Its aim is to investigate and analyse the educational change process in one ELTSUP institution between 1991 and 1998. From 19931998, the writer was employed by the British Council at the case study institution. He was thus a participant observer (Marshall and Rossman 1989, Yin 1989), throughout the data collection period. The research is grounded in educational and organisational change literature, particularly the work of Fullan (1991,1992,1993) Louis and Miles (1992), Whittaker (1993), Harris et al (1997), Pettigrew and Whipp (1991), Hatch (1997), Webb and Cleary (1994), and the qualitative research writings of Lincoln and Guba (1985), Denzin and Lincoln (1994), Erlandson et al (1993), Coffey and Atkinson (1996) and Crossley and Vulliamy (1997). It is an inductive qualitative study, based initially upon 'etic' and later upon "emic1 issues (Stake 1995), and consequently had a research focus that evolved throughout the two years of the data gathering cycle. The three main sources of data are semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and project documents. The core data consists of interviews, carried out in three rounds over a two-year period with those most centrally involved, the 10 Hungarian implementers of the project. In addition, 22 other people closely connected to ELTSUP, at either national or institutional level, were interviewed. Questionnaires, sent out to past and present students, their school supervisors and other British Council contract staff in Hungary, were used to provide further evidence about the wider Hungarian environment and to corroborate interview data. As a participant in the changes under investigation the writer had access to all English language project related documentation, throughout the case study period. Data was analysed using a two dimensional framework based on Fullan's (1991) chronological division of the stages of the educational change process, PlanningImplementation-Continuation, and the components of any organisational change process suggested by Pettigrew and Whipp (1991), Content, Context and Process. Together these gave a nine cell matrix, allowing data first to be mapped and then analysed, broadly as suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994). The main findings include: On educational change projects involving more than one educational culture, and where one educational culture is accepted as bringing with it expertise that the other lacks, aims can never remain purely quantitative. Qualitative educational change is cultural change. It is therefore complex and takes a long time. It is rare to find measurable, direct evidence of success in the short-term. The necessarily long time scale and the unpredictability of the behaviour of the wider environment, make detailed advance planning of the change implementation process impracticable. Educational change is an evolving and incremental process. The rate and route of change followed throughout the implementation process is likely to be strongly influenced by, often unpredictable, occurrences at all levels of the environment. If change is ever to begin to become part of the wider educational culture beyond the project, local implementers need to be consistently supported throughout their personal change process. For such consistency to be possible, change instigators need, at the initial planning stage, to understand both what is realistically possible and what their roles within the project are likely to be. They thus need, in outline at least, to understand both the micro and wider change environments. Environmental assessment need not be complex to be valuable. It does, however, need to be continuously updated to take account of changes in the wider environment. Cultural change is hard work for those experiencing it. Perceptions of its utility can quickly become negative, without tangible recognition for work done, and periods of stability in which to consolidate new skills. Change instigators, expecting (and expected) to operate in a world that increasingly seeks rapid, measurable returns on any investment, find most of the above very difficult to accept.


Generic Angle of Arrival methods for indoor positioning are highly affected by specific antenna and environment scenarios through design impurities or multipathcomponent propagations. Here we acquired a large dataset of four different antenna designs in three different measurement environments with >140000 snapshots obtained from Bluetooth 5.1 receiver. Using the spatial power spectral densities of the PDDA angle of arrival algorithm as feature set for a small Random Forest model, we could show that angle estimation performances for all antennas in all measured environments were significantly improved (PDDA MAE >16 vs RF MAE < 3). Based on the small model size the proposed architecture can be implemented in microcontroller applications for super resolution angle of arrival applications.


A conventional solid phase reaction method was followed to prepare (1−x)BaTiO3-xCaTiO3 based ceramics with content fractions ranging from x = 0.00 to 1.00. Phase segregation was observed when x exceeded 0.10. DC breakdown voltage (DC-BDV) abruptly changed at x = 0.30 and 0.85. Furthermore, the DC-BDV values of insoluble compositions (x = 0.30−0.85) were much higher than those of solubility limit (x = 0.20 and 0.90). Results obtained by investigation of the amount of absorbed current and the dependence of the rate of voltage increase for DC-BDV and AC-BDV confirmed the formation of space charge in insoluble compositions. This suggests that the dependence of the DC-BDV value for (1−x)BaTiO3-xCaTiO3 based ceramics was affected by the formation of space charge.


This project was commissioned by the DETR to fulfil a commitment made in the 1998 white paper on
integrated transport, A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone. This was to carry out research on
the influence of the existing tax system with a view to seeing whether changes could be effective in
promoting the use of more environmentally friendly forms of transport.
The report includes a review of the UK tax treatment of commuting benefits, which is compared to
those of other countries with a different tax regime. Key points include:
• A general tax concession for all commuting trips creates negative transport and environmental
impacts; it tends to stimulate car commuting and trip lengthening and is costly to the state
concerned. A capped commuting concession would reduce these problems.
• In countries with a similar tax treatment of commuting as exists in the UK, targeted tax
concessions upon employer-provided Travel Plan benefits have featured. This add private sector
resources to the tax concession and enhances the modal shift effect.
The most effective Travel Plan measures involve direct financial incentives and disincentives. In
general the car use reduction effects of different Travel Plans is:
• Zero for information-only Travel Plans
• 5% for schemes consisting mainly of carpooling;
• 8 - 10% for those incorporating financial incentives to use alternative modes, and
• 15%+ for those that included financial disincentives to car use.
In the UK, many of the most effective measures are affected by the personal tax system.
A survey of employers developing Travel Plans was conducted, which concluded that:
• Although information and guidance may appear an appropriate response where there is a lack of
understanding of the tax liability of Travel Plan measures, the use of such an approach would be
ineffective without being spearheaded by actual tax reform.
• The issue of tax clashes with a company's 'tax-efficient' culture is of most significance when
organisations are trying to develop their Travel Plans from their initial, fairly ineffective stages, to
be more effective by the use of financial incentives and disincentives.
• There is evidence that tax does reduce the effectiveness of Travel Plan measures and that some
modest and targeted reform measures could both eliminate most of the negative tax impacts and
ease the development of Travel Plans within a company's dominant culture ...


Most Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) form lifelong pair bonds (same-mate geese), but some pairs break apart and the geese mate with new partners while their former mates are still alive (divorcees). Over 25 years, we assessed lifelong reproduction of 160 collared Canada Geese that nested for multiple years in New Haven County, Connecticut. We examined whether same-mate geese and divorcee geese differed from each other prior to or after the divorce. Fifteen percent of females and 18% of males divorced during their lifetimes. Divorces were more frequent in pairs that produced fewer hatchlings during their prior nesting year. Most divorcees that nested again did so on their former nesting territories. Replacement partners of divorcees averaged younger and had fewer years of nesting experience than the divorcees' prior mate. Usually after a divorce, one divorcee of each former pair nested immediately while the other skipped one or more years before nesting again. Under such circumstances, the partner able to nest immediately can increase its direct fitness by finding a new partner and nesting rather than foregoing the opportunity to nest that year. During their first nesting year after the divorce, the reproductive success of divorcees and same-mate geese were similar.


A simple testing method to evaluate the influence of high pressure hydrogen gas up to 100 MPa on mechanical properties at the temperature between 20 K and up to 800 K had been developed. In this method, instead of using high-pressure gas vessels, high pressure gas was filled into a small hole in the hollow-type test piece from a hydrogen gas cylinder or a compressor for 10 MPa or 100 MPa test. A small inner diameter of the hole enables to evaluate also the reduction of area in the slow strain-rate tensile (SSRT) tests. The temperature of the test piece with the high pressure gas can be changed simply by surrounding coolant or heater between 20 K and 800 K. Lots of test results by this method proved that almost the same results were obtained between this method and the conventional method with high-pressure gas vessels where test piece is installed. The great advantages of this method are not only the less cost for the facilities of high-pressure vessels but also the ability of tests at lower or higher temperatures than those with the vessels. So, this method is proposed to be used world-widely to evaluate the mechanical properties of structural materials for extremely severe environments, such as high-pressure hydrogen applications and also to study the mechanism of the influence of high-pressure hydrogen for design and reliability of those facilities.
 In this paper, the details of testing procedure of this method and results of tensile and fatigue tests in up to 70 MPa hydrogen gas on several kinds of stainless steels obtained by this method are presented.


A machine-tool is able to manufacture precisely only when it is calibrated. Calibration consists in correcting the model of the machine so that it represents the real kinematics. On no account calibrating a structure consists in changing some parts of the machine. The industrial machining prototype of the Hita-STT (Stiffness Tracking Technology) machine-tool has a four-axis parallel kinematics associated to a turning table as left hand. The spindle is fixed to the parallel kinematics; the workpiece is fixed to the turning table. This new machine-tool was developed by the Laboratoire de Systemes Robotiques from EPFL and Willemin-Macodel S.A. For its industrialization, it needs an absolute accuracy of 10 microns after calibration considering a repeatability of 5 microns. These specifications should be obtained in the entire workspace between the spindle and the turning device. This doctoral thesis deals with the calibration of the Hita-STT machine-tool. Several methods can be developed. They differ in: the geometrical model that is used. For each kinematics, three geometrical models exist: the implicit model, the forward geometrical model and the inverse geometrical model; the way the corrections are applied. Pose errors are compensated correcting the commands sent to the controller; or the parameters of the structure are identified and updated on the controller. This last solution allows to use a model for the control of the machine that is closer to the real kinematics. These different methods are presented and compared. An optimal calibration method is proposed. Whatever calibration methodology is chosen, it is divided into four steps: modeling the kinematics. An unique distribution of the parameters of the Hita-STT parallel kinematics is proposed; measurement of the pose errors. The choice and the design of the measuring device are presented. A set-up and characterization procedure is explained. It is compatible with the industrial environment. The pose errors measurements are automatic thanks to special ISO functions added to the controller. Data processing is automatic; calculation of the corrections of the model. Several methods are compared in terms of accuracy that can be obtained. An "ideal" method is proposed for the parallel kinematics calibration. It combines the two families of calibration methods, it means an identification method followed by a direct calibration method; implementation. The "ideal" method is tested on the industrial machining prototype Hita-STT. The structure of the programs used to automate the calibration process are given. Tests used to verify the calibration quality are presented. They can also be used to make sure that the parallel kinematics is accurate enough to satisfy the required quality of the manufactured parts.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to check a simple sampling and easy gas analysis of tobacco smoke for effective tobacco intervention in medical education.

METHODS
The mainstream of tobacco smoke was sampled by a syringe (50 ml) at five, ten and twenty seconds. The extracted mainstream was moved to a commercial PET bottle (2000 ml), and measured with gas detector tubes. The sidestream, which rises from the tip of the cigarette, was collected into a commercial PET bottle for a duration of 30 or 60 seconds. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2) in the tobacco smoke were measured. Then, these gasses in the tobacco smoke of four brands of cigarettes were compared. This trial was conducted in third-year medical students, and the changes in attitudes to smokers and tobacco itself were investigated.

RESULTS
The method of sampling 50 ml for 5 seconds produced the highest concentration of each gas in the mainstream. The gas concentration in the sidestream increased as the sampling time increased. The gas concentration in mainstream of "Lucia" was the highest of the used four brands, and the gas concentrations in the sidestream of "Mild Seven Prime" were higher than those of the other brands. Many medical students obtained knowledge about the toxicity of smoking by this experiment study.

CONCLUSION
We studied a simple sampling method of tobacco smoke, and gas analysis with gas detector tubes. This method is recommended for tobacco education and intervention in medical education.


We present a method to optimize absorption cells for precise wavelength calibration in the near-infrared. We apply it to design and optimize methane isotopologue cells for precision radial velocity measurements in the K band. We also describe the construction and installation of two such cells for the CSHELL spectrograph at NASA's IRTF. We have obtained their high-resolution laboratory spectra, which we can then use in precision radial velocity measurements and which can also have other applications. In terms of obtainable RV precision, methane should outperform other proposed cells, such as the ammonia cell ( NH 3 14 ) recently demonstrated on CRIRES/VLT. The laboratory spectra of the ammonia and methane cells show strong absorption features in the H band that could also be exploited for precision Doppler measurements. We present spectra and preliminary radial velocity measurements obtained during our first-light run. These initial results show that a precision down to 20 – 30     m s - 1 can be obtained using a wavelength interval of only 5 nm in the K band and S/N ∼ 150. This supports the prediction that a precision down to a few meters per second can be achieved on late-M dwarfs using the new generation of NIR spectrographs, thus enabling the detection of terrestrial planets in their habitable zones. Doppler measurements in the NIR can also be used to mitigate the radial velocity jitter due to stellar activity, enabling more efficient surveys on young active stars.


In the present work we simulate the basic two-dimensional dynamics of swarming E. coli bacteria on the surface of a moderately soft agar plate. Individual bacteria are modelled by self-propelled ridged bodies (agents), which interact with each other only through inelastic collision and with the highly viscous environment through damping forces. The motion of single agents is modelled closely corresponding to the behaviour of swimming bacteria. The dynamics of the model were adjusted to reproduce the experimental measurements of swimming E. coli K-12. Accordingly, simulations with loosely packed agents (ρ≈0) show typical run-and-tumble statistics. In contrast, simulations with densely packed agents (ρ≈0.3-0.7) are dominated by interactions (collisions) between agents which lead to the emergence of swarming behaviour. In addition, we model the motion of single agents on the base of modified run-and-tumble dynamics, where the bacteria do not turn actively during the tumble. We show that simulations with densely packed modified agents lead as well the emergence of swarming behaviour, if rotational diffusion is considered.


Airport MAX is a 5.5 mile light rail project in Portland, Oregon, connecting the city's public transit system to its airport. Bechtel Enterprises, the designer and builder of the facility, received in return for its services an 85-year ground lease on 120 acres of commercial property that it is developing with its partner, Trammel Crow. The $125 million cost of the light rail facility was financed jointly by the City of Portland; the Port of Portland; the Portland Development Commission; Tri-Met, the public transportation authority; and Cascade Station Development Company, the Bechtel-Trammel Crow joint venture. The interagency cooperation required to structure this complex undertaking was facilitated by a collegial management style and long-term working relationships among parties in the various organizations involved.


Background: Proper time intervals among pregnancies has a major role in family provision. Investigating the dynamism of the birth spacing, identify factors and their effects on the time interval among pregnancies and determination of optimal spacing is the utmost importance for health planners and families. The purpose was to study the abortion and stillbirth due to short inter-birth spacing, factors affecting inter-births and optimal birth spacing. Material and Methods: In 2005, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 1064 women of childbearing age in Fars province by multistage random sampling. Information on reproductive history was collected by resident health workers. Variables affecting inter-births were checked by the frailty recurrent events model using S-plus 2000 and SPSS 13 software. Results: The rate of abortion or stillbirth was 1.7%, which fell with increasing interval between births and reached their lowest (1.9%) at 36-48 months. Mother's level of education, duration of breastfeeding of previous infant, maternal age at birth and father's job showed positive correlation with inter-birth. Mother's age at marriage, having a job other than household, socioeconomic status was negatively correlated with the the time interval to the next delivery. With increasing birth order, inter-birth of each delivery with regard to previous delivery increased on average by one to two months. Conclusion: The risk of abortion and stillbirth were observed more in subsequent delivery with very low or very long gap interval.


This article reports data from the process evaluation of a randomised controlled trial of peer-led sex education in English secondary schools. Data from 52 focus group discussions in 19 schools and selected items from a questionnaire survey completed by 7770 students in 1998/99 are used to compare student views on teacher- and peer-led sex education. Questionnaire data show that a significantly greater proportion of students taught by peer educators than teachers felt that sex education was enjoyable, engaging and useful to them. Data also show that a slightly greater proportion of students taught by teachers felt the classroom was well controlled. Data from an analysis of the focus group discussions are used to explore and illustrate factors which students associated with the acceptability and satisfaction of the peer-led intervention. The importance of peer educator empathy and similarity with students is highlighted and data show how these characteristics are associated with peer educators' choice of teaching methods, the content of lessons and the sexual values and attitudes they espouse. The influence of contextual factors like student prior expectations and experiences of relationships with teachers, school environment and norms are considered along with the potential influence of the research process on responses.


Alkyl isocyanates react specifically with the two serine proteinases, chymotrypsin and elastase, to yield inactive enzyme derivatives containing 1 male of reagent per mole of enzyme. Octyl isocyanate inactivates chymotrypsin only, while butyl isocyanate inactivates both enzymes but shows greater efficiency toward elastase than toward chymotrypsin. These reagents may thus represent unique chemical "yardsticks" for the measurement of the relative dimensions of the active sites of the two very similar enzymes.


Objectives: Characterization of the epidemiology and cost of lawn-mower injuries is potentially useful to inform injury prevention and health policy efforts. We examined the incidence, distribution, types and severity, and emergency department (ED) and hospitalization charges of lawn-mower injuries among all age groups across the United States. Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study used nationally representative, population-based (all-payer) data from the US Nationwide Emergency Department Sample for lawn-mower–related ED visits and hospitalizations from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2013. Lawn-mower injuries were identified by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code E920 (accidents caused by a powered lawn mower). We analyzed data on demographic characteristics, age, geographic distribution, type of injury, injury severity, and hospital charges. Results: We calculated a weighted estimate of 51 151 lawn-mower injuries during the 8-year study period. The most common types of injuries were lacerations (n = 23 907, 46.7%), fractures (n = 11 433, 22.4%), and amputations (n = 11 013, 21.5%). The most common injury locations were wrist or hand (n = 33 477, 65.4%) and foot or toe (n = 10 122, 19.8%). Mean ED charges were $2482 per patient, and mean inpatient charges were $36 987 per patient. The most common procedures performed were wound irrigation or debridement (n = 1436, 29.9%) and amputation (n = 1230, 25.6%). Conclusions: Lawn-mower injuries occurred at a constant rate during the study period. Changes to nationwide industry safety standards are needed to reduce the frequency and severity of these preventable injuries.


We have studied the non-resonance interaction between a V-type three-level atom and two-mode cavity with Kerr medium. The results show that if the detunings of the two-mode cavities are equal (δ 1 =δ 2 ), when initial strength ξ of the two cavities remains unchanged and photon difference q of the two mode cavities is decreased, the non-classical coherence degree between the two mode cavities is increased; when q remains unchanged and ξ is increased, the non-classical coherence degree between the two mode cavities is decreased. When Δδ=|δ 2 -δ 1 |=0 and q and ξ remain unchanged, the non-classical coherence degree is decreased with the increase of Kerr effect, and the value of Δδ has an importance influence on the non-classical coherence degree. The results also show that when δ 1 =δ 2 , the second-order coherence degree of the cavity 1 shows g 2 11 2 22 2 22 >1. On the other hand, the amplitude evolution of the second-order coherence degree of two-mode cavity is decreased due to the influence of Kerr effect.


The excessive use of chemical pesticides to confront pests causes environmental pollution. Furthermore, plant pathogens resist chemical pesticides. When such pathogens accumulate in plants or soil, they will cause harmful effects on humans. Biological control is an alternative method that reduces or terminates the use of chemical compounds in agriculture. Biological control is also carried out by microorganisms. Bacteria are the main group of these microorganisms. Due to the extensive presence in the soil, tolerating changes in temperature, pH, and salinity as well as producing resistant endospore-forming species, Bacillus bacteria are used in biological control of soil. Bacillus species are often found in soil and rhizosphere. These bacteria help with the control of plant pathogens by producing siderophore, secretion of enzymes, production of antibiotics and inducing systemic resistance. In this study, various biological control mechanisms which are carried out by microorganisms have been reviewed.


Constrained multiobjective optimization problems (CMOPs) widely exist in real-world applications, and they are challenging for conventional evolutionary algorithms (EAs) due to the existence of multiple constraints and objectives. When the number of objectives or decision variables is scaled up in CMOPs, the performance of EAs may degenerate dramatically and may fail to obtain any feasible solutions. To address this issue, we propose a paired offspring generation-based multiobjective EA for constrained large-scale optimization. The general idea is to emphasize the role of offspring generation in reproducing some promising feasible or useful infeasible offspring solutions. We first adopt a small set of reference vectors for constructing several subpopulations with a fixed number of neighborhood solutions. Then, a pairing strategy is adopted to determine some pairwise parent solutions for offspring generation. Consequently, the pairwise parent solutions, which could be infeasible, may guide the generation of well-converged solutions to cross the infeasible region(s) effectively. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on CMOPs with up to 1000 decision variables and ten objectives. Moreover, each component in the proposed algorithm is examined in terms of its effect on the overall algorithmic performance. Experimental results on a variety of existing and our tailored test problems demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in constrained large-scale multiobjective optimization.


The third generation Gamma trochanteric nail (Stryker Howmedica, Rutherford, NJ) is a commonly used device for internally fixing intertrochanteric fractures. Despite improvements made from the first and second generation Gamma trochanteric nail, the Gamma3 system has a high cut-out rate. To minimize cut-out, the U-blade (Stryker Howmedica, Rutherford, NJ) was designed as an addition to the Gamma3 system. We reviewed the literature regarding hip-screw cut-out, the Gamma nail, and the U-blade. We also report our operative technique and experience with the U-blade. Hip screw cut-out has been reported to occur in 2--8% of all patients receiving the Gamma3 trochanteric nail. A biomechanical study has reported that the addition of the U-blade decreases cut-out. Operative time is minimally affected, and the U-blade is easy to insert. The U-blade may reduce hip screw cut-out, but to our knowledge no clinical studies have been reported to show that it has lower cut-out rates than the current systems.


Mobile technology interaction is gaining increasing acceptance. The need for mobility is a primary driving force behind mobile banking, mobile entertainment and mobile marketing, and is supported by an ever increasing convergence of computers and mobile telecommunication devices. This article examines the conceptual background and existing experience of another wave of change that provides the ultimate form of ubiquitous networks and universal devices. It presents understanding of another form of commerce, a form that goes over above and beyond traditional commerce, simply "ucommerce", in order to make consumers and service-providers aware of new business opportunities arising out of this convergence.


Abstract A review of the evidence for the organized temperature structure observed in both the atmospheric surface layer and the laboratory boundary layer reveals similar features between the two turbulent flows. This similarity suggests that the atmospheric temperature ramp may be interpreted as the signature of an organized large-scale motion rather than a necessary consequence of the presence of buoyant plumes. An experiment was conducted in which the translation velocity Ut of the sharp edge of the temperature ramp is determined from the transit time of the ramp between two thermistors placed at the same height in the marine surface layer but separated in a direction parallel to the wind. Ut was found to be in more nearly constant ratio to the local velocity than to the friction velocity. Velocities determined from the phase angle of the temperature cross spectrum and from the optimum temperature cross correlation obtained from the two thermistors are in reasonable agreement with Ut. Cross correlation...


BACKGROUND
Lack of surgical care for trauma, burns, congenital anomalies, and other surgical diseases is a growing portion of global disability and death accounting for 30% of the global disease burden. Global surgical and anesthesia care aim to achieve excellence and equality of clinical care through leadership, innovation, teaching, research, and advocacy. Stanford University Division of Plastic Surgery faculty partnered with ReSurge International to teach reconstructive microsurgery in low- and middle-income countries.

CHALLENGE
Global surgery teaching and training are challenged by limited resources. Surgical loupes and operating microscopes used to perform complex microsurgery magnify the surgical field are very expensive. Our goal was to identify low-cost alternatives to teach and practice microsurgery suturing.

INNOVATION
Use cell phone camera with zoom capacity to teach and practice microsurgery suturing.

RESULTS
Cell phones with zoom feature are widely available even in low- and middle-income countries. A cell phone was placed on a stand over a microsurgery practice station. The camera was used to zoom and focus on the suturing station to mimic a surgical field with loupes or microscope magnification. Nine attending surgeons and 7 residents practiced microsurgery with microsurgical instruments and 9-0 nylon suture under the magnification of a cell phone camera. The Stanford Microsurgery and Resident Training Scale was used to track their progress. A feedback survey was given to the participants to identify the usefulness of the cell phone setup for microsurgery suture practice.

CONCLUSIONS
Global surgery teaching and training face many challenges especially limited resources. Identifying low-cost alternative is crucial. Cell phone camera with zoom is a low-cost alternative to loupes or operating microscope for microsurgical teaching and training.


The aim of this thesis is to develop methods for variable selection and statistical prediction for high dimensional statistical problems. Along with proposing new and innovative procedures, this thesis also focuses on the theoretical properties of the proposed methods and establishes bounds on the statistical error of resulting estimators. The main body of the thesis is divided into three parts. In Chapter 1, a variable screening method for generalized linear models is discussed. The emphasis of the chapter is to provide a procedure to reduce the number of variables in a reliable and fast manner. Then, Chapter 2 considers the linear regression problem in high dimensions when the noise has heavy tails. To perform robust variable selection, a new method, called adaptive robust Lasso, is introduced. Finally, in Chapter 3, the subject is high dimensional classification problems. In this chapter, a robust approach for this problem is proposed and theoretical properties for this approach are established. Overall, the methods proposed in this thesis collectively attempt to solve many of the issues arising in high dimensional statistics, from screening to variable selection. In Chapter 1, we study the variable screening problem for generalized linear models. In many applications, researchers often have some prior knowledge that a certain set of variables is related to the response. In such a situation, a natural assessment on the relative importance of the other predictors is the conditional contributions of the individual predictors in presence of the known set of variables. This results in conditional sure independence screening (CSIS). We propose and study CSIS in the context of generalized linear models. For ultrahigh-dimensional statistical problems, we give conditions under which sure screening is possible and derive an upper bound on the number of selected variables. We also spell out the situation under which CSIS yields model selection consistency. In Chapter 2, we consider the heavy-tailed high dimensional linear regression problem. In the ultra-high dimensional setting, where the dimensionality can grow iii exponentially with the sample size, we investigate the model selection oracle property and establish the asymptotic normality of a quantile regression based method called WR-Lasso. We show that only mild conditions on the model error distribution are needed. Our theoretical results also reveal that adaptive choice of the weight vector is essential for the WR-Lasso to enjoy these nice asymptotic properties. To make the WR-Lasso practically feasible, we propose a two-step procedure, called adaptive robust Lasso (AR-Lasso), in which the weight vector in the second step is constructed based on the L1-penalized quantile regression estimate from the first step. In Chapter 3, we provide an analysis about the issue of measurement errors in high dimensional linear classification problems. For such settings, we propose a new estimator called the robust sparse linear discriminant, that recovers the sparsity signal and adapts to the unknown noise level simultaneously. In contrast to the existing methods, we show that this new method has low risk properties even in the case of measurement errors. Moreover, we propose a new algorithm that recovers the solution paths for a continuum of regularization parameter values.


Powertrain control strategy is a key technology that determines the energy consumption of dual-motor electric vehicles. However, existing control strategies cannot meet the requirements of a new dual-motor powertrain configuration with a two-speed gearbox for one of the motors, which is likely to be the mainstream powertrain configuration of commercial vehicles in the future. In this paper, two control methods including dynamic programming and an offline global optimization method are conducted to optimize torque distribution strategy and gear shifting law. The performance of the proposed methods is reflected through simulations based on MATLAB/Simulink, the results show that the proposed methods present considerable promotion on energy consumption compared with that of the fixed proportional control method.


This is a report on a practice-based research project called 'Journeys in Travel',
which investigates contemporary modes of nonlinear narratives in film, art and digital media
practice. It is a single case study, which suggests as its main contribution to set new ground in
the development of nonlinear narratives that the structural form of cinematic essay is a suitable
adoption for nonlinear database film, which is referred to as 'database essay'. The video
installation 'Journeys in Travel' is based on an algorithmic computer-controlled system and
tells a story of travel. The Open Source Software 'PD' (Pure Data), a real-time music and
multimedia environment mainly used to create live-algorithmic musical improvisation and
(interactive) music composition, controls here an infinite audiovisual narrative. It is a
temporary, open-ended arrangement, which sets in motion a seemingly endless chain of
references to related topics: Foreign places, tourism, ethnography, globalisation, a hyperconnected
world, movement, pace, rhythm and the relationship of film (structure), narrative
and travel. 'Journeys in Travel' is designed as a creative investigation into multiple modes of
contemporary digital narrative constructions. The database of video and sound elements can
act as a source for varying experimental approaches where the 'data' or 'units' of the story are
arranged and assembled according to different computer algorithms.


This paper presents an econometric analysis of the effects of price support programs and stocks on price dynamics and price volatility. Considering a price support program as a censoring mechanism, market prices are specified as a dynamic Tobit model with time varying volatility. The model is applied to the U.S. nonfat dry milk market to examine the impact of market liberalization on price dynamics and price volatility in the presence of private and public stocks. The econometric results show how the price support program and stocks (both private and public) affect expected price and price volatility. They document the role of stocks in reducing price volatility.


Results of new all-electron ab initio calculations and revisit of experimental studies of the interatomic potentials of lower-lying ungerade excited and ground electronic energy states of the Hg2 and Cd2 van der Waals complexes are used as probes of discrepancies between theory and experiment. From simulations of the previously and presently measured LIF excitation and dispersed emission spectra new analytical representations of the excited- and the ground-state interatomic potentials are proposed. An inverted perturbation approach was also used to improve the studied interatomic potentials. The comparison of the new ab-initio calculated potentials with the results of the analyses illustrates an improve theory-to-experiment agreement for such a demanding system like Hg2 or Cd2.


We consider a smart-grid connecting several agents, modeled as stochastic dynamical systems, who may be electricity consumers/producers. At each discrete time instant, which may represent a 15 minute interval, each agent may consume/generate some quantity of electrical energy. The Independent System Operator (ISO) is given the task of assigning consumptions/generations to the agents so as to maximize the sum of the utilities accrued to the agents, subject to the constraint that energy generation equals consumption at each time.


Automated design synthesis has the potential to revolutionize the modern engineering design process and improve access to highly optimized and customized products across countless industries. Successfully adapting generative Machine Learning to design engineering may enable such automated design synthesis and is a research subject of great importance. We present a review and analysis of Deep Generative Learning models in engineering design. Deep Generative Models (DGMs) typically leverage deep networks to learn from an input dataset and synthesize new designs. Recently, DGMs such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), feedforward Neural Networks (NNs) and certain Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) frameworks have shown promising results in design applications like structural optimization, materials design, and shape synthesis. The prevalence of DGMs in Engineering Design has skyrocketed since 2016. Anticipating continued growth, we conduct a review of recent advances with the hope of benefitting researchers interested in DGMs for design. We structure our review as an exposition of the algorithms, datasets, representation methods, and applications commonly used in the current literature. In particular, we discuss key works that have introduced new techniques and methods in DGMs, successfully applied DGMs to a design-related domain, or directly supported development of DGMs through datasets or auxiliary methods. We further identify key challenges and limitations currently seen in DGMs across design fields, such as design creativity, handling constraints and objectives, and modeling both form and functional performance simultaneously. In our discussion we identify possible solution pathways as key areas on which to target future work.


Liu and Tureli proposed a blind carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation method for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, making use of null subcarriers. The optimal subcarrier placement that minimizes the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) of the CFO estimation was reported by Ghogho. In this paper, we study the optimality of the null subcarrier placement from another perspective. We first show that the SNR of the CFO estimation using null subcarriers is a function of the null subcarrier placement. We then formulate the CFO-SNR optimization for the null subcarrier placement as a convex optimization problem for small CFO values and derive the optimal placement when the number of subcarriers is a multiple of the number of null subcarriers. In addition, we show that the SNR-optimal null subcarrier placement also minimizes the theoretical mean square error in the high SNR region. When the number of subcarriers is not a multiple of the number of null subcarriers, we propose a heuristic method for the null subcarrier placement that still achieves good performance in the CFO estimation. We also discuss the optimality of the null subcarrier placement in practical OFDM systems, where guard bands are required at both ends of the spectrum.


Hydraulic confined piston engine (HCPE) is a new type power device which can directly turn indicated work into hydraulic power, and three cylinders axial HCPE prototype has been manufactured. The load and stress study on its crankshaft is very important for future design. The working principles of HCPE was discussed, the mathematic model of its working process was constructed, and the load on crankpin by connecting rod was obtained by simulation. The total contact model of crankshaft reflecting the actual conditions was built, through which Von Mises stress, contact stress and friction stress of crankshaft were calculated. The maximum of Von Mises stress occures at the fillets of main shaft neck. The fatigue secure coefficient of crankshaft is about 2.85, which meets the demand.


A deep neural network (DNN)-based speech enhancement (SE) aiming to maximize the performance of an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system is proposed in this paper. In order to optimize the DNN-based SE model in terms of the character error rate (CER), which is one of the metric to evaluate the ASR system and generally non-differentiable, our method uses two DNNs: one for speech processing and one for mimicking the output CERs derived through an acoustic model (AM). Then both of DNNs are alternately optimized in the training phase. Even if the AM is a black-box, e.g., like one provided by a third-party, the proposed method enables the DNN-based SE model to be optimized in terms of the CER since the DNN mimicking the AM is differentiable. Consequently, it becomes feasible to build CER-centric SE model that has no negative effect, e.g., additional calculation cost and changing network architecture, on the inference phase since our method is merely a training scheme for the existing DNN-based methods. Experimental results show that our method improved CER by 8.8% relative derived through a black-box AM although certain noise levels are kept.


The integrals of motion are constructed for the Sutherland hyperbolic quantum systems of particles with internal degrees of freedom (SU(n) spins) interacting with an external field with the Morse potential of an arbitrary strength τ2. These systems are confined if some constraint is imposed on τ, the strength λ of the pairwise interaction and the number of particles. The ground state is described by the wave function of the Jastrow form. The known results for the systems with inverse-square interaction within harmonic well are reproduced in the limit τ → ∞.


The nature of species boundaries in bacteria remains controversial. In particular, the mechanisms of bacterial speciation and maintenance in the face of frequent genetic exchange are poorly understood. Here, we report patterns of genetic exchange that show two closely related zoonotic pathogenic species, Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, are converging as a consequence of recent changes in gene flow. Population expansion into a novel ecological niche generated by human activity is the most probable explanation for the increase in genetic exchange between these species. Bacterial speciation can therefore occur by mechanisms analogous to those seen in metazoans, where genetic diversification and incipient speciation caused by ecological factors have been reported in several genera.


The central Colorado mineral belt is endowed with an impressive wealth of mineral deposits, including the world-class deposits at Leadville, Gilman, and Climax, that formed in a variety of geologic environments. The geology of the area spans more than 1.8 Ga, commencing with the Early Proterozoic accretion of volcanic arc and back-arc complexes to the southern margin of the Archean craton. These rocks were complexly deformed and intruded by large Early and Middle Proterozoic batholiths. During Paleozoic and Mesozoic time, the Proterozoic basement complex was buried beneath several kilometers of marine and continental sediments, and it was partially exhumed during Pennsylvanian orogenic uplift. Subduction-related calc-alkalic magmatism and uplift affected the region during the Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary Laramide orogeny. Oligocene and younger extension generated the north-trending Rio Grande rift zone, which was accompanied by bimodal magmatic activity.

Most of the mineral deposits in the central Colorado mineral belt are associated with Oligocene calc-alkalic magmatism or to later bimodal activity. Deposits of demonstrably Laramide age are relatively small, and a few small carbonate-hosted deposits may have formed during the Mississippian.

The mountains of central Colorado contain some of the largest concentrations of mineral deposits, including those at Climax, Leadville, and fiilman, in the Rocky Mountain region. These ores are part of an elongate zone of hydrothermal deposits, known as the Col or ado mineral belt, that extends northeast from the San Juan Mountains to the Front Range north of Denver (Fig. 1). Although most of the deposits are the products of Cenozoic tectonic and hydrothermal processes, the geology of the central Colorado mineral belt represents more than 1.8 billion years of tectonism, plutonism, and mineralized region, world-class cratonic sedimentation. As with any heavily deposits such as those described in this volume are the culminations of numerous unrelated geologic events that occurred over hundreds of mi11ions of years.

The intent of this paper is to briefly summarize the geologic history of central Colorado and its relation to mineralization. In general, the region is underlain by a crystalline Proterozoic basement complex on which several kilometers of Phanerozoic sediments were deposited. Orogenic up 1ift occurred in the late Paleozoic and twice during the Cenozoic, and a major rifting event began in the middle Tertiary. Voluminous plutonic rocks were emplaced during several Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic magmatic events. Recurrent orogenic activity throughout the geologic history generated new structures and reactivited many preexisting faults.


We study the problem of identifying anomalies in a low-rank matrix observed with sub-exponential noise, motivated by applications in retail and inventory management. State of the art approaches to anomaly detection in low-rank matrices apparently fall short, since they require that nonanomalous entries be observed with vanishingly small noise (which is not the case in our problem, and indeed in many applications). So motivated, we propose a conceptually simple entrywise approach to anomaly detection in low-rank matrices. Our approach accommodates a general class of probabilistic anomaly models. We extend recent work on entrywise error guarantees for matrix completion, establishing such guarantees for subexponential matrices, where in addition to missing entries, a fraction of entries are corrupted by (an also unknown) anomaly model. Viewing the anomaly detection as a classification task, to the best of our knowledge, we are the first to achieve the min-max optimal detection rate (up to log factors). Using data from a massive consumer goods retailer, we show that our approach provides significant improvements over incumbent approaches to anomaly detection.


A variable Jacobian and weighted back projection algorithm, used for medical CT, was adapted to perform CT reconstructions on data obtained with a dental panoramic X-ray unit. A detector array, fitted to the unit for the purpose of acquiring digital panoramic radiographs, was used to collect the data. Compensations were made for the incomplete (230') rotation of the panoramic X-ray unit, the non-fixed centre of rotation, the irregular rotation of the X-ray target and detector, and the resulting variances in magnification. The algorithm was tested on mathematically simulated phantoms and on acquired data. Reconstruction of simulated data proved the success of the algorithm. Real data reconstructions showed some defects as a result of inaccuracies in quantifying the experimental panoramic device.


Power line communication is popular at indoor communication and smart home applications, which face a harsh using condition that is of bad impedance match, large signal attenuation, unexpectable noise and channel high time variation. These difficulties set a high threshold for power line communication technology and improve the communication channel simulation to an important place. To predetermine the performance of power line communication productions, a narrow-band communication simulation platform was developed. This platform is based on low voltage communication channel model, and can update the system parameters using on site measured data, which could get a match with the real application environment. Main channel characteristics, such as noise, signal attenuation and frequency respond could be simulated on this platform. Noise generation frequency range of this platform is 0~120MHz, attenuation frequency range is 0~4GHz and attenuation range is 0~120dB. All performance indexes can well cover the measurement boundary of power line communication.