This paper studies the implications for reserve lifetime and related quantities in a continuous time model of resource extraction under uncertainty. Both the resource price and the extracted amount are assumed to follow stochastic processes. Reserve lifetime is determined by the profit-maximizing firms optimal decision of when to close down production. We derive closed form expressions for the expected value and the probability distribution of reserve lifetime, the expected level of depletion, and the expected streams of discounted revenues and costs until closing.


For applications such as pollution detection and video mapping in limited space, underwater microrobots are urgently demanded. To meet these purposes, we designed a novel microrobot with ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators. We carried out some experiments to evaluate its crawling speeds on the underwater floor. Then we proposed a new type of underwater microrobot using ten ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators as legs or fingers, which could implement walking, rotating, floating, and grasping motions. We developed a prototype of this underwater microrobot and carried out some experiments to evaluate its walking and floating speeds. We then analysed the walking mechanism of the microrobot and calculated its theoretical walking speed.


Abstract This article summarizes selected aspects of a dissertation project and prior publications related to the DFG-funded RecomRatio research project. As such, it provides an end-to-end overview of a research project that aims at extracting and utilizing Emerging Knowledge represented by two concepts that we define as Emerging Named Entities and Emerging Argument Entities to support medical argumentation retrieval. We use these two concepts to model novelty in general scientific literature and, in particular, in medical argumentation. Therefore, this paper will provide an overview of Emerging Knowledge and definitions of Emerging Named Entities and Emerging Argument Entities. It includes a review of state-of-the-art and related work. A preparatory study shows that Emerging Argument Entities are in use in the medical literature. Based on the state of the art review and the preparatory study, a conceptual system design based on Emerging Named Entity Recognition and a state-of-the-art Argumentation Mining framework (ArgumenText) is introduced to extract Emerging Argument Entities from medical literature and make them available for Argument Retrieval. The conceptual system design supports two Argument Retrieval use cases: 1.) Ranking of result sets based on Emerging Argument Entities, and 2.) Highlighting Emerging Argument Entities within result sets. A case study for the extraction and visualization of Emerging Named Entities and Emerging Argument Entities is implemented based on the conceptual design. This proof-of-concept system is used to conduct technical evaluations regarding the Emerging Named Entity Recognition. Furthermore, prior results of an expert-based evaluation are presented. The article finishes with a conclusion and brief outlook of future work, e. g., supporting the Argument Interchange Format.


A method which permits one to reveal the one-dimensional (1-D) electromagnetic profile of a half-space bounded by a two-part impedance ground is established. The method reduces the problem to the solution of two functional equations. One of these equations is solved exactly by reducing it to a Riemann-Hilbert problem while the other is reduced under the Born approximation to a Fredholm equation of the first kind whose kernel involves the solution to the first equation. Since this latter constitutes an ill-posed problem, its regularized solution, in the sense of Tikhonov, is given. An illustrative application shows the applicability and the accuracy of the theory. The functional equations are valid also when the impedance of the ground varies in an arbitrary manner. The theory can be applied to a quick determination of the constitutive electromagnetic parameters of the atmosphere over a nonhomogeneous impedance ground.


GASNet was initiated as an Internet information resource in 1993 with a mailing list, a Gopher service and an FTP server. A WWW server was added early in 1994, one of the first 500 on the Internet. GASNet was initiated as an Internet information resource in 1993 with a mailing list, a Gopher service and an FTP server. A WWW server was added early in 1994, one of the first 500 on the Internet. With the rapid expansion of professional content on GASNet and the spectacular growth of Internet users in the mid and late 1990's, usage of GASNet soared over the years. In 1996 and 1997 mirrors were added throughout Europe and in Australia for faster access all over the world. Though the structure and layout of the pages was modified over the years, GASNet initially stayed true to the original intent of the HTML1 creators to restrict pages to content and generic markup suggestions, leaving it to the WWW client as to how to render those pages. This approach has the advantages of low overhead bandwidth requirements and leaves the user to free to configure their web client to view content in the manner he/she prefers. The vast influx of Internet users that are not technologyoriented but were instead interested in the content itself shifted the character of web sites from making information available to presenting and conveying that information to users in a manner that entices them to read it. Although the printing industry had known for centuries that the presentation of content determined the probability that people would actually read it, this fact was initially strangely ignored on the web. The GASNet editorial team decided in 1997 to overhaul the site, merge content from the Rotterdam and Brisbane servers and create a whole new site style honed to help users get to the information and present that information in a layout conducive to reading. Although it took till January 1999 to develop, this approach was immediately successful. Usage of GASNet started increasing even faster than it had before. The more graphic design also proved to be far more cumbersome to maintain, however. Although a web-authoring program was initially used to generate the site, this still left dozens of details that had to be hand-edited for each and every page, thus making site style consistency hard to maintain. Additionally, the authoring program did not provide well for the inclusion of dynamic content. Because dynamic content was the fastest growing part of GASNet, pages were increasingly being hand-coded (again), but this time with the overhead of the graphic design. As we were at the maximal extent of our possibilities to maintain GASNet it became clear that in order to foster further growth in both scope and depth we had to adopt a professional structure. The incorporation of GASNet in June 2000 enabled us to make funds available to create a completely new infrastructure. This new structure was put into place in April 2001. It is designed to minimize the work required to maintain all details of each page while keeping the site flexible, the site style consistent and putting emphasis on the scientific and editorial content. The current setup features a database that contains all details of the site structure and content sources. Server based scripts generate all pages according to the information in the database and take the content from XML or PHP (for dynamic pages) coded content. The same content sources may be used, using similar scripts, to generate pages for different platforms, such as PDA's. The new structure has been in place for less than 6 months but has enabled us to put our energy into content development and platform diversification. Over the past few Electronic Publishing How To Do It: GASNet 2 of 3 months, several micro-sites with academic content have been added, with more in various stages of development. This review was presented as lecture during the Annual Meeting of the Society for Computers in Anesthesia (SCIA) in October 2001 in Mobile – Alabama. References 1. HyperText Markup Language, the language used to describe web pages. http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/ Electronic Publishing How To Do It: GASNet 3 of 3 Author Information Rene Hagenouw, MD VP, CIO, GASNet Inc., Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Rotterdam


This article studies how traditional media functions have changed due the new media growth in terms of consumption and influence and how this has affected the public relations (PR) campaigns in terms of storytelling and managing content. The starting point of this article is the media coverage of the Paris attacks on the 13th November, as well as the institutional ceremonies that the French government organized as a tribute to 120 victims. The methodology of this article is based in a sample of the mainstream media in French and English language published in Europe. The analysis indicators are the following: (a) the "message," as the story based on organizational essentials, values and identity; (b) the publics in a media relations campaign: opinion leaders and opinion makers; (c) the social dimension and the agenda setting; (d) effectiveness versus excellence and vice versa; (e) role of the media: traditional media (or mainstream media) and new media; (f) trends and challenges for professionals. As we will see, new trends of communication are redirecting the media strategy in PR campaigns in terms of influencing other key publics that generates major engagement in institutional reputation. Hence, traditional media functions (setting agenda, transmitting values, and creating opinion) operate in a new digital context of mashup journalism where cross-cultural PR seeks to better align media agenda's with public and political agenda's in order to set frames of sociability and community engagement.


There are very few studies on the asymmetric relationship between crude oil prices and the prices of other commodities. Using the recently developed multivariate hidden cointegration technique, the results indicate that there exists a long‐run and asymmetric relationship between crude oil prices and the price of other commodities. The policy implication of our results is that crude oil as a strategic resource plays an important role in commodity markets and regardless of whether the commodity market is in a boom period or a downturn, the volatility of crude oil prices always affects other commodity prices.


1. A method has been devised and evaluated for measuring the plasma concentrations of six major corticosteroids - aldosterone, 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone (18 OH DOC), corticosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC), cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol - using gas liquid chromatography (GLC) with electron capture detection. After extraction from plasma and both chromatographic and chemical purification, thermostable derivatives of the compounds were formed; beta-lactones of the 18-oxygenated steroids, aldosterone and 18 OH DOC; androstenes of the 17beta-hydroxylated steroids, cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol. Esterification of these derivatives with heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA) formed enyl-heptafluorobutyrates which could be detected in quantities ranging from 0.3 pg for androstenetrione HFB to 2.3 pg for corticosterone 3, 21 bis HFB. 2. Accuracy, specificity, precision and convenience have also been assessed for each compound and discussed in relation to similar aspects of the performance of methods based on other techniques such as radioimmunoassay. Recovery of added steroid appeared to be quantitative in all cases and replicate variations of steroid values from a plasma pool were low in relation to the ranges of concentration experienced. Use of several GLC columns with differing separative properties indicated that discrete compounds were producing the chromatographic responses. The method has slightly lower capacity than the simplest steroid radioimmunoassay and a high degree of operator skill is needed to maintain efficient performance of the GLC. However, a physico-chemical method, such as GLC, for estimation of steroid levels has several distinct advantages over those based on saturation analysis. The principal one of these is the ease of setting up a method for a steroid which may be of only transient interest. In this case it would be a fairly simple matter to "add in" other steroids, such as 18-hydroxycorticosterone or cortisone, whereas with radioimmunoassay, considerable effort and expense would be required to produce the necessary antigens and antibodies. Investigation of the effects of some factors which influence adrenocortical secretion was undertaken. This allowed further evaluation of the method and also yielded new data. Levels of all steroids measured except aldosterone followed the diurnal rhythm of ACTH, although an effect on aldosterone may have been masked by changes in posture. Similarly, stimulation of endogenous ACTH by hypoglycaemia induced by insulin administration (insulin stress test) caused a rise in all steroid plasma levels. Infusion of exogenous ACTH uncovered a possible role of the hormone in electrolyte metabolism. Infusion rates designed to produce levels in the high physiological range caused very marked stimulation of DOC and corticosterone secretion - steroids with known mineralocorticoid properties. Angiotensin II, however, whether administered exogenously or raised by physiological manipulation caused stimulation of secretion of aldosterone only. Analyses were made in several pathological states; in 7 analyses of bilateral adrenal venous and also concurrent peripheral plasma samples of patients suffering from primary hyperaldosteronism; in two analyses of peripheral plasma from patients suffering from Cushing's syndrome due to an ectopic ACTH-producing tumour. It was possible, using the method, to predict from the adrenal venous results the site of the lesion in the 7 cases analysed. It is thought that the method may be of diagnostic value, also in helping to distinguish primary hyperaldosteronism due to an adenoma from that due to bilateral hyperplasia. Results from the two patients with Cushing's syndrome indicated yet again that high levels of ACTH cause gross elevation of DOC and corticosterone secretion and considerable disruption of electrolyte metabolism. The "multisteroid" approach has advantages over individual steroid estimation methods in that it is possible to monitor the secretory pattern of adrenocorticoids in investigation of both normal adrenal physiology and abnormal disease processes. It is thought that this type of measurement may be of particular value in research into causes of hypertension, where many factors are interrelated.


According to the old feeling theory of emotion, an emotion is just a feeling: a conscious experience with a characteristic phenomenal character. This theory is widely dismissed in contemporary discussions of emotion as hopelessly naive. In particular, it is thought to suffer two fatal drawbacks: its inability to account for the cognitive dimension of emotion (which is thought to go beyond the phenomenal dimension), and its inability to accommodate unconscious emotions (which, of course, lack any phenomenal character). In this paper, I argue that the old feeling theory is in reality only a pair of modifications removed from a highly plausible account of the nature of emotion that retains the essential connection between emotion and feeling. These modifications are, moreover, motivated by recent developments in work on phenomenal consciousness. The first development is the rising recognition of a phenomenal character proper to cognition—so-called cognitive phenomenology. The second is the gathering momentum behind various 'connection principles' that specify some connection that a given state must bear to phenomenally conscious states in order to qualify as mental. These developments make it possible to formulate a new feeling theory of emotion, which would overcome the two fatal drawbacks of the old feeling theory. According to the new feeling theory, an emotion is a mental state that bears the right connection to conscious experiences with the right phenomenal character (involving, among other elements, a cognitive phenomenology).


The crystal growth shape (CGS) and equilibrium crystal shape (ECS) of silicon in Si melt are observed using in situ observation. Fully faceted silicon CGSs, which are dominated by the {111} facets, are observed from the {112} and {110} orientation. Silicon CGS in three‐dimensional in Si melt is octahedral in shape, bounded by {111} facets. Silicon ECSs in the melt are obtained by the relaxation from the CGSs and exhibit the {111} facets separated by curved interface. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Although there is a large literature on the career decisions of House members, there is a dearth of critical scholarship examining retirement decisions in the Senate. This study aims to address this under-explored topic and identify the key factors in Senate retirement decisions. With a less demanding election schedule, greater power afforded to individual senators, more prestige attached to the office, and fewer attractive options for progressive ambition, we find that Senate retirement decisions differ substantially from patterns observed in the House. Among other things, the partisan retirement differential that is so obvious and persistent in the House (with Republican MCs retiring at higher rates than Democrats) is markedly absent in the Senate. We explore this and other inter-chamber differences, discussing both their empirical and normative ramifications, and noting their importance for our understanding not only of the two chambers but also of the two parties.


Studies of student satisfaction in higher education settings highlight the contribution of teaching, learning and assessment, institutional status, and the personal factors of self-efficacy, preparedness, and sense of community. Transnational partnership research has identified that similar student satisfaction factors are experienced by mainland Chinese students enrolled in English-language degrees. However, there are certain challenges related to foreign language skill development, intercultural exchange, and lack of local contextualization. This paper provides insights into the interplay among satisfaction factors in the transnational context of an Australian-China higher education partnership for Chinese students studying a Business degree in their home country. In addition, the paper highlights the value added to the student experience by the expeditious use of local Chinese exemplars and translanguaging across the two languages to explain the more complex concepts presented in the course content. In so doing, the paper sheds some light on the role of local, native speaking staff in the teaching and learning process and their contribution to student satisfaction, a known retention benefit to higher education institutions.


To achieve superior performance levels when working with heterogeneous distributed platforms, processscheduling decisions must be based essentially on the platform's features and on the application's demands. A primary objective of computing systems is the efficient use of available resources. The effective use of these resources in this type of system therefore requires strategies to distribute process scheduling equally among the multiple processors available. An essential element of the scheduling policy is the measurement of loads, and an accurate load index is required to manage the load distribution efficiently. Therefore, this paper sought to compile and present a survey of the load indices contained in the literature, present a new one used to obtain better performance in heterogeneous systems and propose new investigation to the future of load indices and load metrics.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the resistance of advanced semi-erect cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata ) lines, by means of a screening assay for resistance and the elaboration of fertility-life tables of Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The experiments were carried out in a screenhouse. For the resistance trial, 15 advanced cowpea lines were used, as well as two standard genotypes for resistance and two for susceptibility, which were arranged in six blocks. After resistance was determined, two lines with the highest and lowest resistance were selected for the development of the fertility-life tables which were used to estimate demographic parameters. The MNCO4-762F-03 and MNCO4-762F-09 cowpea lines were classified as resistant, for which cowpea aphids showed the lowest values (in parentheses, respectively) for: net reproductive rate (RO = 3.0 and 2.5), intrinsic rate of increase (rm = 0.16 and 0.15), and finite rate of increase (λ = 1.18 and 1.16). The highest values were obtained for the 'Vita-7', MNCO4-795F-168, and 'BRS Tumucumaque' genotypes. The MNCO4-762F-03 and MNCO4-762F-09 lines show antibiosis-type resistance, which directly affects the reproductive potential of the cowpea aphid population.


This paper describes a method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control while searching for optimal parameters corresponding to weather conditions at that time. The conventional method has problems in that it is impossible to quickly acquire the generation power at the maximum power (MP) point in low solar radiation (irradiation) regions. It is found theoretically and experimentally that the maximum output power and the optimal current, which give this maximum, have a linear relation at a constant temperature. Furthermore, it is also shown that linearity exists between the short-circuit current and the optimal current. MPPT control rules are created based on the findings from solar arrays that can respond at high speeds to variations in irradiation. The proposed MPPT control method sets the output current track on the line that gives the relation between the MP and the optimal current so as to acquire the MP that can be generated at that time by dividing the power and current characteristics into two fields. The method is based on the generated power being a binary function of the output current. Considering the experimental fact that linearity is maintained only at low irradiation below half the maximum irradiation, the proportionality coefficient (voltage coefficient) is compensated for only in regions with more than half the rated optimal current, which correspond to the maximum irradiation. At high irradiation, the voltage coefficient needed to perform the proposed MPPT control is acquired through the hill-climbing method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through experiments under various weather conditions


This paper investigates the use of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition-based reduced order computational Fluid Dynamics models for model-based controller design. An open-loop optimal control problem is posed and solved concerning the regulation of a rocket engine thrust profile. The control synthesis uses a numerical flow field solver as the plant nioclel. Controllers are synthesized using a reduced order model of the flow field generated via Proper Orthogorial Decomposition. A quasi one-dimensional supersonic convergent-divergent nozzle with varying back pressure is used as a niodcl problem. Treating the nozzle flow as one-dimensional, the reduced order model was used to synthesize a coiitroller that controls thrust along an asccnt trajectory by varying nozzle throat area and fuel mass flow rate. The effects of reduced order model accuracy on controller performance are quantified.


We introduce a model concerning radiational gaseous stars and establish the existence theory of stationary solutions to the free boundary problem of hydrostatic equations describing the radiative equilibrium. We also concern the local well-posedness of the moving boundary problem of the corresponding Navier-Stokes-Fourier-Poisson system and construct a prior estimates of strong and classical solutions. Our results explore the vacuum behaviour of density and temperature near the free boundary for the equilibrium and capture such degeneracy in the evolutionary problem.


In this paper, an improved minimum total path loss (MTP) method combining with power allocation is proposed for the relay node selection. Single-relay assisted single-carrier frequency-division multiple-access (SC-FDMA) for uplink transmissions is characterized. For the sake of exploiting the benefits of the proposed method, we investigate both the direct transmission as well as the traditional MTP and the improved MTP cooperative transmission under the condition of amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperative strategy. Our simulation results show that both the bit-error-rate (BER) and the transmission reliability of the system of the improved MTP algorithm have been improved greatly. In addition, the transmission power is reduced.


Abstract. 2003 was a record year for wildfires worldwide. Severe forest fires killed four people, displaced 20 500 others and burnt 260 000 ha in South-East Australia in January 2003. The uncontrolled fires ignited in early January 2003 as a result of a prolonged El Nino drought in South-East Australia. Severe weather conditions resulted in a fast spread of the fires and poor air quality in a region where 70% of the population of Australia lives. We use state-of-art global chemistry and transport model GEOS-Chem in conjunction with ground- and space-based observations to study the ozone (O 3 ) and aerosol enhancement due to fires. Firstly, the monthly mean surface O 3 and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in January 2003 are compared to January 2004 and, secondly, from sensitivity model simulations, four episodes are isolated and an attempt is made to quantify the contribution of the fires to air quality in south and South-East Australia. In January 2003 the observed monthly mean afternoon surface O 3 in Victoria (VIC) and South Australia (SA) reached 27.5 ppb, which is 6.5 ppb (i.e. 30%) higher than in 2004. The simulated O 3 is 29.5 ppb, which is 10 ppb higher than in 2004. While the model tends to overestimate the observed peak O 3 , it exhibits very good skill in reproducing the O 3 temporal variability in January 2003 with a correlation of 0.83. In VIC, the air quality 4-h ozone (O 3 ) standard exceedences are reported on 17, 24 and 25 January. On 12, 17, 24–25 and 29 January 2003, the observed O 3 peaks above 40 ppb and the simulated fire contribution is higher than 10 ppb. During these 4 episodes, the range of observed O 3 enhancement due to fires is 20–35 ppb, which is a factor of 3 to 5 higher than the monthly mean. The simulated fire O 3 enhancement is in the range 15–50 ppb with a factor of 1.5 to 5 higher than the monthly mean. During two episodes, a well-formed surface wind channel stretches across the Tasman Sea facilitating the long range transport to New Zealand contributing to a 10% increase of surface O 3 . During the four episodes in January 2003, the observed AOD was up to a factor of five higher that the monthly mean AOD. The simulated and observed AODs agree on the spatial structure. Despite the model tendency to underestimate the AOD, it proves a useful tool in reconstructing the mostly patchy observations.


: After the clinical studies with pronethalol and propranolol confirmed Black's hypothesis that drugs which block beta-adrenoceptors were of value in the treatment of patients with angina pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias, other compounds have been described which block beta-adrenoceptors. Detailed pharmacological studies with propranolol and comparison of its properties with those of other beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs have indicated that these drugs may possess properties in addition to their effect in blocking beta-adrenoceptors. These properties have been termed intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, membrane stabilizing activity and cardioselectivity. These properties have all been described in detailed observations in laboratory animals but not to the same extent in normal man or in patients. It appears that the therapeutic effectiveness of these drugs results from their beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity and that intrinsic sympathomimetic activity and membrane stabilizing activity do not contribute to the effects of these drugs in patients, although cardioselectivity may be of value in some patients.


This research quantifies the financial effects of value creation concepts in relation to housing values in a single-family residential development using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). As a result, value creation concepts such as sense of arrival, greenway connectivity, and the median length of cul-de-sac have positive effects on single family housing values while the number of accessible entrances and the median length of block variables have negative effects on single family housing values. These results indicate that higher values in a subdivision may result from smaller blocks, interconnected greenways, and a single entrance which provides a sense of arrival.


To solve the problems in manufacturing execution system (MES) design and application, two key issues for MES is studied in this paper. Firstly, a six-layered service-oriented MES system architecture is putforward, which includes enterprises resource layer, component layer, service layer, business process choreography layer, presentation layer and system integration framework layer. Secondly, a multi-view system implementation mode for MES is studied from the aspects of function view, organization view, supporting technologies view and implementation process view. Finally, a case study is provided for its application.


: To determine if sodium ricinoleate, the active principle of castor oil, alters mucosal surface structure of the small intestine, rabbit ileum was perfused with isotonic buffer or buffer containing 10 mM of sodium ricinoleate. Mucosal biopsies were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Sodium ricinoleate produced deep clefts or holes at the tips of villi, and at the bases of these clefts unusual cells could be resolved. The microvillus surface of the intestine was also altered at the tips and sides of villi. Microvilli were clumped into "tufts" with numerous intervening "cracks" appearing on the surface. These changes may relate to the well-documented capacity of ricinoleate and dietary long-chain fatty acids to evoke fluid secretion in the intestine. The findings thus pertain to the pharmacology of castor oil and the pathophysiology of steatorrheal disease.


Background: Germ cell tumors with somatic malignant transformation (GCT with SMT) are rare in children and poorly described. Data are missing to determine if therapies should target the GCT, the SMT compound, or both simultaneously. Patients and Methods: A retrospective national study was conducted in the Société Française des cancers de l'Enfant (SFCE) Centers. Medical records from patients aged 0 to 18 years diagnosed with GCT with SMT between 2000 and 2015 were analyzed. Any stages and primary sites were considered as well as synchronous and metachronous cases. Results: Fifteen patients were identified. Thirteen patients had synchronous GCT with SMT. In the latter cases, primaries were ovary (5), mediastinum (3), pineal gland (3), sacrococcyx (1), and parametrium (1). SMT histologies were central primitive neuroectodermal tumor (5), embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (3) or thyroid papillary adenocarcinoma, leukemia, poorly differentiated carcinoma, mixed sarcomas, and miscellaneous histology (1 case each). Chemotherapy was targeted against the GCT (3), the SMT (6), or both components (3). The last patient received surgery exclusively. Partial or complete response to chemotherapy was observed in 5/10 assessable cases: 2/3 patients treated with GCT-dedicated chemotherapy, 3/6 patients treated with SMT-dedicated therapy, and 0/1 treated with combined therapy. In addition, 2 patients with mediastinal GCT primary had metachronous SMT, with acute myeloid leukemia and thyroid papillary adenocarcinoma, 8 months and 8 years, respectively, after the diagnoses of GCT. Two patients (1 synchronous and 1 metachronous) were cured with surgery exclusively. At the end of follow-up, 6 patients died of their disease including all 4 with postsurgical macroscopic residue. Conclusions: GCT with SMT constitutes a very rare entity in children and adolescents. Surgical removal of the tumor is the cornerstone of the treatment and might be sufficient in selected cases. In the remaining cases, the best management is still unknown and should take into account both components and their respective chemosensitivity. Long-term surveillance is advised for patient with unresected teratoma as late transformation can occur.


Importance
The efficacy of factor XIa inhibition for thromboprophylaxis is unknown. Osocimab is a long-acting, fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits factor XIa.

Objective
To compare different doses of osocimab with enoxaparin and apixaban for thromboprophylaxis in patients who have undergone knee arthroplasty.

Design, Setting, and Participants
Randomized, open-label, adjudicator-blinded, phase 2 noninferiority trial with observer blinding for osocimab doses, conducted at 54 hospitals in 13 countries. Adult patients undergoing unilateral knee arthroplasty were randomized from October 2017 through August 2018 and followed up until January 2019.

Interventions
Single intravenous osocimab postoperative doses of 0.3 mg/kg (n = 107), 0.6 mg/kg (n = 65), 1.2 mg/kg (n = 108), or 1.8 mg/kg (n = 106); preoperative doses of 0.3 mg/kg (n = 109) or 1.8 mg/kg (n = 108); or 40 mg of subcutaneous enoxaparin once daily (n = 105) or 2.5 mg of oral apixaban twice daily (n = 105) for at least 10 days or until venography.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcome was venous thromboembolism incidence between 10 and 13 days postoperatively (assessed by mandatory bilateral venography performed 10 to 13 days after surgery or confirmed symptomatic deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism). A 5% noninferiority margin compared with enoxaparin was chosen. The primary safety outcome of major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding was assessed until 10 to 13 days postoperatively.

Results
Of 813 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 66.5 years [8.2 years]; body mass index, 32.7 [5.7]; and 74.2% women), 600 were included in the per-protocol population used for the primary analysis. The primary outcome occurred in 18 patients (23.7%) receiving 0.3 mg/kg, 8 (15.7%) receiving 0.6 mg/kg, 13 (16.5%) receiving 1.2 mg/kg, and 14 (17.9%) receiving 1.8 mg/kg of osocimab postoperatively; 23 (29.9%) receiving 0.3 mg/kg and 9 (11.3%) receiving 1.8 mg/kg of osocimab preoperatively; 20 (26.3%) receiving enoxaparin; and 12 (14.5%) receiving apixaban. Osocimab given postoperatively met criteria for noninferiority compared with enoxaparin with risk differences (1-sided 95% CIs) of 10.6% (95% CI, -1.2% to ∞) at the 0.6-mg/kg dose; 9.9% (95% CI, -0.9% to ∞) at the 1.2-mg/kg dose, and 8.4% (95% CI, -2.6 to ∞) at the 1.8-mg/kg dose. The preoperative dose of 1.8 mg/kg of osocimab met criteria for superiority compared with enoxaparin with a risk difference of 15.1%; 2-sided 90% CI, 4.9% to 25.2%). Postoperative and preoperative doses of 0.3 mg/kg of osocimab did not meet the prespecified criteria for noninferiority, with risk differences (1-sided 95% CIs) of 2.6% (95% CI, -8.9% to ∞) and -3.6% (95% CI, -15.5% to ∞), respectively. Major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding was observed in up to 4.7% of those receiving osocimab, 5.9% receiving enoxaparin, and 2% receiving apixaban.

Conclusions and Relevance
Among patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, postoperative osocimab 0.6 mg/kg, 1.2 mg/kg, and 1.8 mg/kg met criteria for noninferiority compared with enoxaparin, and the preoperative 1.8-mg/kg dose of osocimab met criteria for superiority compared with enoxaparin for the primary outcome of incidence of venous thromboembolism at 10 to 13 days postoperatively. Further studies are needed to establish efficacy and safety of osocimab relative to standard thromboprophylaxis.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03276143.


The homicide rate in Chicago nearly tripled between 1965 and 1992 and subsequently declined by more than 50% through 2005. However, is this trend representative of all areas in the city? Drawing on the social disorganization and concentrated disadvantage perspectives, this article uses semiparametric group-based trajectory modeling to examine homicide trajectories in Chicago neighborhoods from 1965 to 1995. Significant variability is found in homicide trajectories across neighborhoods. Multivariate results show that disadvantage increases the likelihood of having an increasing or persistently high homicide trajectory. Social disorganization and family disruption are also predictive of variation in homicide trajectories but only in communities with already low levels of homicide. Other theoretically relevant predictors are evaluated, and suggestions for theoretical refinement and future research are discussed.


In this comparative project, we analyze three policy documents that have guided gender-based higher education initiatives in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Two research questions guided our work: (1) How do key policy documents conceptualize gender equity? and (2) How is gender equity discussed in relation to economic priorities and sociopolitical realities in each country? To address these questions, we conducted a critical discourse analysis of the following: Kenya's Education and Training Gender Policy in Kenya, Rwanda's Education Sector Strategic Plan 2018/19–-–022/23, and Uganda's Gender in Education Policy. Corroborating the work of other scholars, we found that all three documents shared (1) an increased commitment to gender equality, (2) persistent underrepresentation of women in higher education despite increased participation of women over time, and (3) markedly low gender parity in STEM disciplines. Our findings are significant because they confirm that there is a disconnect between stated policy goals and actual student outcomes, which limits institutional success and economic development. Additionally, our analysis highlights differences in the strength in commitment to gender equity in policy mandates in these three countries. This is a key issue which warrants further research attention.


ACTIVAGE Project is an initiative that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grand agreement No.732679) and focuses in meeting the challenges posed by the ageing of the population via solutions entailing the use of the Internet of Things, a digital interconnection-based concept that will make it possible to make older persons safer, contributing to their staying independent and having an active social life, as well as reducing the negative impact involved in chronic disorders and degeneration.It has the support of 49 organisations, 10 of which are industrial, 14 leading research institutes or universities, 11 major corporations plus 15 highly innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and is coordinated by Medtronic Iberica co-funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme"This article mainly focuses in presenting the Central Greece use case and expected results as well as the multidimensional evaluation framework of the project "GLOCAL".


The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involving multi-step electron transfer is a challenging approach for water-splitting due to its sluggish kinetics. It is desirable to explore more efficient electro-catalysts with earth-abundant elements. Herein, we employed a high-temperature polymerization method to develop a structure consisting of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanopatch enveloped carbon nanotubes (CNTs), where isolated Ni and Fe atoms were embedded into the tri-s-triazine units of g-C3N4 by forming a metal–Nx structure. The designed dual-metal catalyst exhibited remarkable OER performance with an extremely low overpotential (∼326 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and a small Tafel slope (67 mV per decade), which is superior to those of state-of-the-art electrocatalysts with metal–Nx coordination and the benchmark IrO2/C catalyst. In combination with atomic microscopy observations, our synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy results revealed that, as compared to single-metal (Fe or Ni) doped hybrids, the electronic structures of both Ni and Fe atoms were reconfigured in the obtained dual-metal samples. Notably, increase of the oxidative state in Ni sites after multi-metal doping directly contributed to more active sites and favored the OER process, assisted by the porous structure and good electrical contacts between CNTs and g-C3N4. This investigation clearly demonstrated a unique synergistic effect in atomically dual-metal doped catalysts, thus it may provide a versatile route to regulate the electronic structures of single atomic catalysts through engineering of neighboring elements and coordination number.


To examine the mechanisms of recombination governing the illegitimate integration of transfected DNA into a mammalian genome, we developed a cell system that selects for integration events in defined genomic regions. Cell lines with chromosomal copies of the 3' portion of the adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) gene (targets) were established. The 5' portion of the APRT gene, which has no homology to the integrated 3' portion, was then electroporated into the target cell lines, and selection for APRT gene function was applied. The reconstruction of the APRT gene was detected at frequencies ranging from less than 10(-7) to 10(-6) per electroporated cell. Twenty-seven junction sequences between the integrated 5' APRT and its chromosomal target were analyzed. They were found to be randomly distributed in a 2-kb region immediately in front of the 3' portion of the APRT gene. The junctions fell into two main classes: those with short homologies (microhomologies) and those with inserted DNA of uncertain origin. Three long inserts were shown to preexist elsewhere in the genome. Reconstructed cell lines were analyzed for rearrangements at the target site by Southern blotting; a variety of simple and complex rearrangements were detected. Similar analysis of individual clones of the parental cell lines revealed analogous types of rearrangement, indicating that the target sites are unstable. Given the high frequency of integration events at these sites, we speculate that transfected DNA may preferentially integrate at unstable mammalian loci. The results are discussed in relation to possible mechanisms of DNA integration.


Background: Young male adults wishing to join armed forces have to comply with age-matched height and weight standards. Aim: This study aimed to examine the dietary changes adopted by young male adults declared overweight at initial medical examination. Settings and Designs: This was a cross-sectional observational study of candidates reporting for Appeal Medical Board (AMB). Materials and Methods: Nutrient information was collected using a 24-h semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire for food intake both before being declared unfit and before appearing for AMB. Calorie intake and macronutrient consumption were calculated using the Indian Council of Medical Research charts. Statistical Analysis: Microsoft Excel 2016 was used to analyze sample frequencies, percentage, mean (± standard deviation), and median (range), and paired t-test was used for comparing pre- and postdata. Results: Twenty-five male candidates participated in this study. They had reduced weight by a mean of 6.5 ± 2.7 kg by reducing caloric intake from 2884 ± 587.8 kcal to 1624.4 ± 327 kcal. The daily intake of carbohydrates was reduced from 510.2 ± 120.7 to 284.2 ± 67.0 g and fats from 60.46 ± 14.06 to 20.3 ± 3.0 g, whereas protein intake was increased from 64.4 ± 10.7 to 74.6 ± 11.8 g. The candidates had switched to a diet containing fruit, vegetable salad, mung dal, and oatmeal. Amount of calories expended by exercise was approximately 350 kcal/day. Majority had sourced the Internet for information. Conclusions: Young male adults being made unfit for overweight during initial medical examination reduce weight by adopting a low-fat diet.


The forced polarity between form and function in considerations of architecture -- opposing art to social interests, ethics to poetic expression -- obscures the deep connections between ethical and poetical values in architectural tradition. Architecture has been, and must continue to be, writes Alberto Perez-Gomez, built upon love. Modernity has rightly rejected past architectural excesses, but, Perez-Gomez argues, the materialistic and technological alternatives it proposes do not answer satisfactorily the complex desire that defines humanity. True architecture is concerned with far more than fashionable form, affordable homes, and sustainable development; it responds to a desire for an eloquent place to dwell -- one that lovingly provides a sense of order resonant with our dreams. In Built upon Love Perez-Gomez uncovers the relationship between love and architecture in order to find the points of contact between poetics and ethics -- between the architect's wish to design a beautiful world and architecture's imperative to provide a better place for society. Eros, as first imagined by the early lyric poets of classical Greece, is the invisible force at the root of our capacity to create and comprehend the poetic image. Perez-Gomez examines the nature of architectural form in the light of eros, seduction, and the tradition of the poetic image in Western architecture. He charts the ethical dimension of architecture, tracing the connections between philia -- the love of friends that entails mutual responsibility among equals -- and architectural program. He explores the position of architecture at the limits of language and discusses the analogical language of philia in modernist architectural theory. Finally, he uncovers connections between ethics and poetics, describing a contemporary practice of architecture under the sign of love, incorporating both eros and philia.


Empathy or sensationalism?

 The shipping disaster of the 'Berlin' in 1907 and its aftermath

 In the early morning of February 21, 1907, during a fierce storm, the ferry 'Berlin' crashed on the pier of Hook van Holland. With 128 victims, it still is the largest maritime disaster off the Dutch coast in peacetime. Due to the enormous interest of the population, the media and the Dutch royal house, it became a major media disaster in Dutch history. How did that happen? The disaster occurred at a time when a new era was dawning by the dissemination of many new forms of media, such as film, photography and illustrated magazines. In addition, there was the special attention paid by Prince Hendrik, Queen Wilhelmina's husband. His arrival in Hook van Holland was unprecedented, because he not only came to watch the rescue attempts, but also actively contributed to it. That made the disaster one with two faces; on the one hand, that of the lower class with the population of Hook of Holland and the brave saviors and, on the other hand, one of the upper class because of the attention paid to Prince Hendrik. All this ensured that the disaster was experienced intensely, more intensely than before.


The aim of this paper is to examine the Po River water quality in a small stretch in Piedmont (northern Italy). In this stretch a large pollution load, derived from the wastewater treatment plant of Torino area (more than 2 million inhabitants), is discharged and diluted in the water. In this study this load has been quantified and modeled in order to understand the sources, destinations and effects of the emitted pollutants. The objective was to determine the impact produced by the Torino Wastewater Treatment Plant on the quality of the water, based on various hydrological conditions and the possible intervention on the point and diffuse loads.


This paper describes the design and testing of a low cost thermoacoustic generator. A travelling-wave thermoacoustic engine with a configuration of a looped-tube resonator is designed and constructed to convert heat to acoustic power. A commercially available, low-cost loudspeaker is adopted as the alternator to convert the engine's acoustic power to electricity. The whole system is designed using linear thermoacoustic theory. The optimization of different parts of the thermoacoustic generator, as well as the matching between the thermoacoustic engine and the alternator are discussed in detail. A detailed comparison between the preliminary test results and linear thermoacoustic predictions is provided.© 2010 ASME


Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. Agricultural pesticides, properly used, are essential in supplying the food requirements of the world ever growing population. The use of synthetic pesticides affects the health of human being. The indiscriminate use of pesticides has adversely affected the health of the soil. The residual pesticides in the soil not only affect the soil quality but also the water quality, as they get leached into the ground water. Due to these reasons, role of biopesticides are very important for sustainable agriculture. The use of biopesticides for sustainable agriculture is a complex issue that at times is difficult to comprehend and plan. Biopesticides are usually inherently less toxic than conventional pesticides. They generally affect only the target pest and closely related organisms, in contrast to broad spectrum, conventional pesticides that may affect organisms as different as birds, insects, and mammals. They often are effective in very small quantities and often decompose quickly, thereby resulting in lower exposures and largely avoiding the pollution problems caused by conventional pesticides. Biopesticides, key components of integrated pest management (IPM) programmes, are receiving much practical attention as a means to reduce the load of synthetic chemical products being used to control plant diseases. In most cropping systems, biological pesticides should not necessarily be viewed as wholesale replacements for chemical control of plant pests and diseases, but rather as a growing category of efficacious supplements that can be used as rotation agents to retard the onset of resistance to chemical pesticides and improve sustainability. In organic cropping systems, biopesticides can represent valuable tools that further supplement the rich collection of cultural practices that ensure against crop loss to diseases. Some of the examples of biopesticides are triazino benzimidazol, thiophene sar, pyrazoles, hydroxyacetophenones, benzoylphenylureas, thiadiazolo S triazine etc. It is observed that India occupies a comparatively better position in the arena of biopesticides; in terms of growth of usage, percentage share of the total pesticide market and also in research publications. The driving forces behind this progress are identified as huge research infrastructure (universities and bio control labs) and favourable public support system/policies. Subsequently, it delves on strategies to incorporate the promotion of biopesticides into rural development efforts like recognition of the huge traditional knowledge base and use of biopesticides developed using indigenous technologies. Some of the fundamentals of the book are synthesis of triazino benzimidazol as 1 biopesticides, synthesis and pesticidal activities of thiadiazolo S triazine and imidazol, synthesis and antimicrobial activities of pyrazoles, effects of penconazole on plasma membrane, metabolism of diclofop methyl , bleaching herbicides stimulate maize HMGR activity, soil transformation of acetochlor, propanil degrading amidase activity, inhibition of BTX B binding by RH 3421, KDR type resistance in German cockroach etc. This is the first book of its kind which provides different parameters about biopesticides. The book will not only be resourceful for new entrepreneurs but will also help the technocrats, research scholars and those who willing to know more about biopesticides.


We present a general causal generative modelling framework for accurate estimation of high fidelity image counterfactuals with deep structural causal models. Estimation of interventional and counterfactual queries for high-dimensional structured variables, such as images, remains a challenging task. We leverage ideas from causal mediation analysis and advances in generative modelling to design new deep causal mechanisms for structured variables in causal models. Our experiments demonstrate that our proposed mechanisms are capable of accurate abduction and estimation of direct, indirect and total effects as measured by axiomatic soundness of counterfactuals.


Feed spacer biofouling is a major challenge in membrane processes such as nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. The bubbling of gas using air can be effective in partially controlling biofouling, but additional chemical control is still needed, and pressurized air systems can be difficult to integrate into existing systems. A simpler approach that combines both bubbling and cleaning was developed here on the basis of intermittently adding a low concentration hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to the feedwater. With periodic dosing (every 12 h) of 0.3% (w/w) H2O2, no detectable biofouling occurred after 10 days of operation, while biofouling was evident without H2O2 dosing. A single dose of 0.3% (w/w) H2O2 to prefouled spacers and membranes rapidly reduced biofouling, with decreased feed channel differential pressures of 69% (CuO spacer) and 54% (polypropylene spacer). The control of biofouling mainly resulted from bubble production when H2O2 dissociated to shear biofilms off the spacers. Using a CuO spacer did not impact biofouling, suggesting that additional cleaning based on hydroxyl radical formation via Fenton-reaction was not necessary. The use of H2O2 alone had the combined advantages of physically shearing off biofilms from spacers and chemically killing bacteria, while providing a low cost approach for biofouling control in membrane-based desalination processes.


High technology product development projects make extensive use of engineering software during the product development process. The suite of engineering software tools deployed during product development represents a significant portion of the product development costs. The ability to forecast the engineering software license capacity required to support product development plans is crucial for budgeting, return on investment (ROI) calculations, contract negotiations with the software suppliers, and the provision of an IT infrastructure necessary to support the execution of the software tools.
This research shows that the usage of engineering application software in high technology is cyclical due to the characteristics of high technology product development. A rigorous methodology to compute the cycle boundaries based on usage history is proposed. Information of the usage cycles is used to modify the existing trend forecast to increase the prediction accuracy of future usage predictions. Data of the current usage of the projects in execution is then used to forecast the overall software capacity needed to support all current projects. Cyclic usage patterns also predict how the usage is expected to change in the future for the time period under study.
Usage data is collected for the three main projects concurrently in execution. Of the three, one of the projects goes through its full development cycle. In this research we show (a) a rigorous methodology using Fourier analysis to extract the cyclical variations of the project that goes through its full development cycle and (b) the application of the cyclical variations to a trend forecast to improve the quality of the forecast.
Single project forecasts are then combined to generate an overall engineering software capacity forecast for the enterprise. All engineering software licenses for both project and non-project work are shared by the enterprise from a central license pool. To determine the enterprise capacity requirement, the relationship between the key individual projects and the total usage is determined and used to predict future capacity.


The research provides a new network governance perspective for viewing the implementation context for Chinese education policy. It identifies a policy community with policy networks which integrate the CCPS and the education systems. These networks show a power interdependence relationship as they cooperatively deliver a training program to school principals at school level. This training balances the interests of the Party and the government in the implementation of education policy, and plays a decisive role in the implementation of the principal's policy within the school. Indeed, the principal's policy as received from the CCPS is differentiated from the government's policy to some degree.


A re-evaluation is made of those aspects which led to the etiologic diagnosis in 353 patients who suffered from non-traumatic, non-tumoral myelopathies, and whose cases were studied along a period of 20 years. The cases were distributed as follows: syringomyelia, 5 cases; vascular myelopathy, 15 cases; privation caused myelopathies, 67 cases; infectious or infestation caused myelopathies, 82 cases; post-vaccination, post-infection or post-intoxication, 31 cases; multiple sclerosis and optic neuromyelitis, 20 cases; primary myeolopathy, 133 cases. With basis on the diagnosis, those aspects which may contribute to the existing knowledge about physiopathologic mechanisms related to the onset of spinal cord involvement, as related to immunobiologic alterations, are analysed. The role of necrosis, demyelinization and inflammation, and their respective interrelashionships are considered in this light.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
When a peptic ulcer is treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPI), protrusion of the ulcer base is sometimes noted during ulcer healing. To clarify the incidence of ulcer base protrusion in ulcers induced by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and whether the addition of polaprezinc, a cytoprotective agent used for treatment of gastric ulcer, to the PPI regimen helps to suppress it.

METHODOLOGY
One hundred sixty-three patients on which ESD was performed were randomly allocated to either two groups: one treated with lansoprazole (30mg/day) and the other with lansoprazole (30mg/day) plus polaprezinc (150mg/day) for the treatment of ESD-induced ulcer. The condition of the ESD-induced ulcer was blindly assessed two months after ESD by two physicians.

RESULTS
Lansoprazole plus polaprezinc group showed significantly better ulcer healing (p < 0.0001) and protrusion of the ulcer base was recognized in only 1.3% (1/77), an incidence significantly lower than that in lansoprazole group (20.7%, 16/77, p = 0.0001). Polaprezinc was the only significant factor (p = 0.0001) differentiating patients who had ulcer base protrusion (n = 17) from those who did not (n = 137).

CONCLUSIONS
Polaprezinc prevents protrusion of the ulcer base during the healing of ESD-induced ulcer with PPI.


Detection and imaging of subwavelength features in the subsurface using diffracted waves are rapidly gaining momentum in the oil and gas industry as well as in the fields of engineering, archeology, and homeland security. Most of the methods include coherent summation of the recorded wavefield along diffraction traveltime surfaces from point scatterers. The summation focuses energy onto point-like diffractors that appear at the resulting images as prominent anomalies. However, in cases in which the target is an elongated object such as a fault plane, fracture, tunnel, or elongated cave, a more efficient imaging method can be constructed. We have developed an algorithm for detecting and characterizing linear subsurface elements using a linear-diffractor operator. Our algorithm is based on the coherent summation of the edge diffraction generated by the entire lineament and on the analysis of the calculated coherence measure (semblance). The advantages and limitations of our method are discussed, and the results are compared to conventional point-diffractor-based techniques. Synthetic and real data examples demonstrate that using a linear-diffractor-based algorithm can dramatically improve the detection of linear objects.


This paper presents a number of different route discovery strategies for on-demand routing protocols, which provide more control to each intermediate node make during the route discovery phase to make intelligent forwarding decisions. This is achieved through the idea of self-selection. In self-selecting route discovery each node independently makes route request (RREQ) forwarding decisions based upon a selection criterion or by satisfying certain conditions. The nodes which do not satisfy the selection criterion do not rebroadcast the routing packets. We implemented our self-selecting route discovery strategies over AODV using the GloMoSim network simulation package, and compared the performance with existing route discovery strategies used in AODV. Our simulation results show that a significant drop in the number of control packets can be achieved by giving each intermediate node more authority for self-selection during route discovery. Furthermore, a significant increase in throughput is achieved as the number nodes in the network is increased


Coded space-time cooperation is a powerful approach to deliver information over a distributed network. Multiple transmit and receive nodes form a distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) system, thus provide the capability of high data rate transmission with the support of high diversity gains. However, unlike co-located MIMO systems, it is impractical for distributed MIMO networks to maintain a perfect synchronization between different transmit terminals. It has been shown that, in the presence of synchronization error between different relaying nodes of even a fractional symbol, coded cooperation using space-time block codes may experience severe inter- symbol interference (ISI) and, subsequently, significant performance degradation. It becomes even more challenging when Doppler effect exists as the result of moving transmit and/or receive nodes. In this paper, we propose the use of BLAST-type of data transmission combined with effective channel coding. The relative independence between the information transmitted from different nodes allows individualized compensation of the time delay and Doppler shift, whereas the channel coding of the information across different transmit nodes assures high spatial diversity. As the result, the proposed scheme is capable in maintaining a high data rate in a dynamical channel environment. It provides robust and reliable communication quality by taking advantages of spatial information multiplexing and spatial diversity.


'Honeycrisp' is a popular apple cultivar, but it is prone to several disorders, especially bitter pit. Previously reported models for predicting bitter pit are biased, indicating that the models are missing one or more important predictor variables. To identify additional variables that may improve bitter pit prediction, a study was undertaken to investigate the influence of canopy position, spur characteristics, and individual fruit characteristics on bitter pit development. 'Honeycrisp' trees from two orchards over 2 years provided four combinations of orchards and years. Fruits were sampled from spurs at different canopy positions and with varying bourse shoot lengths and numbers of fruits and leaves. Following cold storage, bitter pit was assessed in three ways: 1) bitter pit severity was recorded as the number of pits per fruit, 2) bitter pit was recorded as a binomial response (yes, no) for each fruit, and 3) the incidence of bitter pit was recorded as the proportion of fruit developing bitter pit. As a result of the high fruit-to-fruit variation, bitter pit severity was associated with canopy position or spur characteristics to a lesser extent than bitter pit incidence. Bitter pit incidence was generally greater for fruits developing on spurs with only one fruit and spurs from the lower canopy. Binomial data were analyzed with a generalized linear mixed model. Fruit harvested from trees with heavy crop loads, and those developing on spurs with multiple fruit and spurs with long bourse shoots had the lowest probability of developing bitter pit. Regardless of how bitter pit was assessed, bitter pit related positively to fruit weight (FW), but the relationship usually depended on other variables such as canopy position, fruit per spur, and leaves per spur. The advantages of fitting binomial data with logistic regression models are discussed.


PURPOSE
To clinically evaluate and compare a dentifrice system in a dual-chambered tube, wherein one chamber contained sodium fluoride in a silica base and the other chamber contained dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (Test Dentifrice delivering 0.243% sodium fluoride), to a dentifrice containing 0.243% sodium fluoride in a silica base (Positive Control Dentifrice).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was conducted in harmony with the published 1988 American Dental Association guidelines for studies geared toward the comparison of fluoride dentifrices. This 2-yr caries clinical study employed a double-blind, parallel-group design, and involved 5-17 yr-old children from the Central and South areas of Florida and from the Lares area of Puerto Rico. Qualifying subjects were stratified according to age and sex, and were randomly assigned to the two treatment groups, with multiple subjects in the same household all assigned to the dentifrice randomly allocated to the first among them. Caries examinations were conducted in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines for the clinical evaluation of drugs to prevent dental caries. Two calibrated examiners performed all the measurements. After treatment assignment, study participants were instructed to brush their teeth at home with their assigned dentifrice at least twice daily. Brushing instructions were reinforced by indoctrination in proper oral hygiene techniques by dental professionals, supplemented by pamphlets supplied by the sponsor and yearly mailings to participants, emphasizing good oral hygiene and the need to enforce compliance with the study. Post-baseline examinations were performed after 1 yr of product use, and again after 2 yrs of product use.

RESULTS
Two thousand five hundred six (2,506) subjects completed this 2-yr study. For these subjects, the mean caries scores (DMFS, decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces) at baseline were 2.29 for the Test Dentifrice group, and 2.47 for the Positive Control Dentifrice group. For caries increments after 1 yr, the respective means were 0.69 for the Test Dentifrice group and 0.81 for the Positive Control Dentifrice group. Finally, after 2 yrs, the mean caries increments were 1.25 for the Test Dentifrice group, and 1.46 for the Positive Control Dentifrice group. No statistically significant difference was indicated between the treatment groups at baseline or between the 1-yr caries increment scores. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the 2-yr caries increment scores between the treatment groups. Relative to the Positive Control Dentifrice group, the Test Dentifrice group presented a 14.38% reduction in caries increment scores at 2 yrs. In accordance with the procedures and standards provided by the published guidelines of the American Dental Association for the comparison of the anticaries efficacy of fluoride dentifrices, the results of this study support the conclusion that the dentifrice system in a dual-chambered tube, wherein one chamber contained sodium fluoride in a silica base and the other chamber contained dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, delivering 0.243% sodium fluoride, provided a superior level of anticaries efficacy than did the dentifrice containing 0.243% sodium fluoride in a silica base.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The root causes for most health outcomes are often collectively referred to as the social determinants of health. Hospitals and health systems now must decide how much to "move upstream," or invest in programs that directly affect the social determinants of health. Moving upstream in healthcare delivery requires an acceptance of responsibility for the health of populations. We examine responses of 950 nonfederal, general hospitals in the United States to the 2015 American Hospital Association Population Health Survey to identify characteristics that distinguish those hospitals that are most aligned with population health and most engaged in addressing social determinants of health. Those "upstream" hospitals are significantly more likely to be large, not-for-profit, metropolitan, teaching-affiliated, and members of systems. Internally, the more upstream hospitals are more likely to organize their population health activities with strong executive-level involvement, full-time-equivalent support, and coordination at the system level. The characteristics differentiating hospitals strongly involved in population health and upstream activity are not unlike those characteristics associated with diffusion of many innovations in hospitals. These hospitals may be the early adopters in a diffusion process that will eventually include most hospitals or, at least, most not-for-profit hospitals. Alternatively, the population health and social determinants movements could be transient or could be limited to a small portion of hospitals such as those identified here, with distinctive patient populations, missions, and resources.


The Impact of Human Resources on Nurses' Turnover Intention by Anita E. Jackson MS, Howard University, 2007 BS, Bowie State University, 1999 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy General Psychology Walden University November 2019 Abstract Nurse retention is of great concern to healthcare organizations including hospitals. With so many countries reporting a shortage in nursing personnel, healthcare organizations are now seeking ways to reduce this shortage. It is known that job satisfaction and turnover intention impact nurses' continued employment. However, the role of human resources (HR) impact on nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention is unknown. TheNurse retention is of great concern to healthcare organizations including hospitals. With so many countries reporting a shortage in nursing personnel, healthcare organizations are now seeking ways to reduce this shortage. It is known that job satisfaction and turnover intention impact nurses' continued employment. However, the role of human resources (HR) impact on nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention is unknown. The theoretical basis of this study came from the work of Bowen and Ostroff who argued the strength of HRM system regulates employee perceptions and outcomes within an organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact HR service quality had on registered nurses' turnover intentions mediated by job satisfaction and moderated by gender, in a hospital setting within the state of Maryland. Data was collected from 83 registered nurses licensed in Maryland. A multiple regression analysis of data collected from HR service quality measures of responsiveness, reliability, and empathy in addition to gender, job satisfaction, and turnover intention revealed statistically nonsignificant results involving nurses' perceptions of HR service quality predicting turnover intention. Job satisfaction failed to mediate the relationship between HR service quality indicators and turnover intention, and gender failed to moderate the relationship between HR service quality indicators and turnover intention. Although the research revealed statistically nonsignificant findings, it adds to the body of literature regarding the topic of HR service quality. This study has social change implications by informing healthcare organizations about the significant role of HR service quality indicators and its impact on nursing job satisfaction and turnover intention. The Impact of Human Resources on Nurses' Turnover Intention by Anita E. Jackson MS, Howard University, 2007 BS, Bowie State University, 1999 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy


The shortening of the telomeres that occurs in most somatic cells and untransformed cell cultures is considered a hallmark of cellular senescence. Re-activation of telomerase, which is usually present in immortal cells, avoids telomere shortening and considerably extends the culture life span. Normal human endothelial cells are characterized by an accelerated rate of telomere shortening and reach replicative senescence after a limited number of cell divisions. It has recently been reported that human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression may be strongly up-regulated in human endothelial cells cocultivated with tumor cells. Due to the important implications of this finding on tumor progression, we have extensively analyzed for the presence of telomerase in primary human endothelial cells either cocultivated with tumor cells or grown with tumor-conditioned medium. We found modest, but readily detectable, amounts of telomerase in all human endothelial cell cultures analyzed that disappeared as the cultures approached senescence. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR also showed a direct correlation between human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression and the proliferative index of the cultures. Nevertheless, we did not find any evidence of induction of telomerase activity by tumor cells in any of the tested conditions. All data indicate that telomerase in human endothelial cells follows an activation program that is strictly associated to the culture growth rate.


One way to classify person systems across languages is by means of the semantic category of person and/or number, where person forms, with distinct referential values, are supposed to be in complementary distribution to each other. However, when we look into some finer details in a language-particular person system, i.e. that of the Puxian dialect in Chinese, there are person forms or expressions that are engaged in supplementary distribution and have meanings beyond what is literally said (Grice 1989). Different from previous approaches, which tended to analyze a person system into separate domains of study, e.g. reflexivity, intensification, logophoricity, empathy, etc., the author proposes that all the person-related meanings (semantics & pragmatics) constitute a "function inventory", which has a stable structure called "inventory structure". In the structure, each of the overtly expressed person meanings is assigned to a choice of node, from which multiple outcomes can be developed. The significance of this approach is that it tries to circumvent some pre-established categories and focuses instead on meaningful differences in a system (Sausurre 1983).


Introduction Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a new biomedical intervention for HIV prevention. This study systematically reviews the acceptability of PrEP among men who have sex with men (MSM) worldwide. Methods We searched PubMed database to identify English-language articles published between July 2007 and July 2016, which reported the acceptability of PrEP and associated population characteristics. Meta-analysis was conducted to estimate a pooled rate of acceptability, and meta-regression and subgroup analysis were used to analyse heterogeneities. Results Sixty-eight articles were included. The estimated acceptance of PrEP was 58.7% (95% confidence internal (CI): 53.4%–63.8%) among MSM worldwide and showed no significant difference between developed and developing countries. MSM who were younger (4/5 studies, range of adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.49–3.47), better educated (7/7 studies, aOR=1.49–7.70), wealthier (3/3 studies, aOR=1.31–13.03), previously aware of PrEP (4/4 studies, aOR=1.33–3.30) and had greater self-perceived risk of HIV infection (4/5 studies, aOR=1.20–4.67) showed significantly higher acceptance of PrEP. Male sex workers (84.0% [26.3–98.7%]%] were more likely to accept PrEP than general MSM. Self-perceived low efficacy and concern about side effects, adherence, affordability, and stigma from health providers and society were main barriers for accepting PrEP. Conclusion This review identifies a moderate acceptability of PrEP in MSM both developed and developing country settings. Efficacy, individuals' perception of HIV risk and level of experienced stigma determine its acceptance.


ABSTRACT: We investigate whether management forecast accuracy provides a signal regarding CEOs' ability to anticipate and respond to future events by examining the relation between management forecast errors and CEO turnover. We find that the probability of CEO turnover is positively related to the magnitude of absolute forecast errors when firm performance is poor and that this positive relation holds for both positive and negative forecast errors. In addition, we find that the positive relation between CEO turnover and the absolute forecast errors is concentrated in the sample of less entrenched CEOs. Our findings indicate that boards of directors use management forecast accuracy as a signal of CEOs' managerial ability and that managers bear a cost for issuing inaccurate forecasts.


The emissivity, transmissivity, and reflectivity are considered in detail for heated, reflecting, partially transparent bodies. Kirchhoff's law, which in its usual form applies only to opaque bodies, is generalized to apply to matter of all kinds. An exact solution is found for the relationships between the "apparent reflectivity," R*, and the true reflectivity and true transmissivity. Similarly, the "apparent transmissivity," T*, is expressed as a function of the true transmissivity and true reflectivity. Further development of these considerations makes it possible to construct a ternary chart in which the observables E, T*, and R* are plotted at the apices of a triangle, the true transmissivities and reflectivities then appear as a system of intersecting lines on the chart.


A study of charged-current muon neutrino scattering on hydrocarbon in which the final state includes a muon, at least one proton, and no pions is presented. Although this signature has the topology of neutrino quasielastic scattering from neutrons, the event sample contains contributions from quasielastic and inelastic processes where pions are absorbed in the nucleus. The analysis accepts events with muon production angles up to 70° and proton kinetic energies greater than 110 MeV. The cross section, when based completely on hadronic kinematics, is well described by a relativistic Fermi gas nuclear model including the neutrino event generator modeling for inelastic processes and particle transportation through the nucleus. This is in contrast to the quasielastic cross section based on muon kinematics, which is best described by an extended model that incorporates multinucleon correlations. As a result, this measurement guides the formulation of a complete description of neutrino-nucleus interactions that encompasses the hadronic as well as the leptonic aspects of this process.


An optical-electronic measurement system for continuous monitoring of displacements and analysis of the friction pendulum bearings for the oil-drilling platforms is presented. Measuring principle of the system is based on target image formation by camera and digital image processing. The passive part of the system (optical target) is fixed on one part of construction while active part - a field measurement sensor (FMS) - is installed on another part of construction that moves relative to the first one. On the FMS output, after processing, the relative displacement between FMS and optical target is obtained with high degree of accuracy. The spatial resolution of a few micrometers can be achieved at cost of reduced measurement range.


During 1996, representatives from two professional organizations--American School Health Association and National Association of School Nurses--met collaboratively to identify and rank order key questions regarding contemporary research needs in school nursing services. This article summarizes existing literature and proposes areas for research. Recommendations are offered for nurses, school health program administrators, educators of school nurses, professional organizations, and others who plan and provide health care for school-aged youth.


Abstract We estimate the impact of market development and democratization on subjective political preferences. We rely on the specific situation of frontier zones and the considerable regional variations in culture and economic development in the countries of the former socialist bloc for identification. Using a survey conducted in 2006, we find a positive and significant effect of democracy on support for a market economy, but no effect of market liberalization on support for democracy. Hence, in contrast with the conventional wisdom concerning the sequencing of political and economic reforms, democratization may become a necessary condition to obtain public support for further economic liberalization.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of suffering in a spouse on prevalent and incident psychiatric (depression) and physical morbidity (cardiovascular disease [CVD]) in their partner, controlling for known risk factors for depression and CVD.

DESIGN
Descriptive longitudinal study.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1,330 older married couples enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a large epidemiologic study of the elderly.

MEASUREMENTS
Predictor variables were physical, psychological, and existential/spiritual indicators of suffering. Primary outcomes were prevalent and incident depression and CVD.

RESULTS
Controlling for known risk factors for depression, the authors found a dose-response relationship between suffering in a spouse and concurrent depression in their partner as well as a relationship between suffering and the partner's future risk for depression. With respect to CVD, and controlling for subclinical CVD at baseline, husbands whose wives reported high levels of suffering also had higher rates of prevalent CVD, but there were no significant associations between wives suffering and husbands incident CVD. There were no associations between husbands' suffering and wives' prevalent or incident CVD.

CONCLUSION
Exposure to spousal suffering is an independent and unique source of distress in married couples that contributes to psychiatric and physical morbidity. More attention should be paid to the interpersonal effects of suffering in married couples and to its role in contributing to morbidity.


Historically, two strategies have been used to dissect the insulin signal transduction pathway. One was to start at the insulin receptor and work down the signal transduction pathway from the plasma membrane. The other was to select a physiological action of insulin, namely the mechanism by which insulin stimulates glycogen synthesis, and then work backwards towards the receptor. The hope was that eventually the groups working down from the top of the insulin signalling pathway would meet up with those working upwards from the bottom of the pathway. This has now happened, and in this lecture I will describe the recent advances that have linked the research from both ends of the insulin signal transduction pathway. I will also discuss how these findings have enabled pharmaceutical companies to embark on novel programmes to develop improved therapies for the treatment of diabetes in the future.


Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Science in Mobile Telecommunication and Innovation (MSc. MTI) at Strathmore University


A long path gas absorption cell especially suited for infrared analyses of components of extremely low concentrations and absorption coefficients is described. The cell can be evacuated or pressurized. With aluminized mirrors and KBr field lenses, the evacuated cell performs with a peak efficiency of 45 percent of incident energy at 10 meters path length. Path length is adjustable by 1.25-meter increments from 1.25 meters to 10 meters. Adjustments are simple and can be made in a matter of a few minutes with good reproducibility. The cell will attach to the Perkin-Elmer Models 12, 112, and 21 spectrometers with compatibility to other attachments. The optical path can be altered quickly so that the usual sampling space of the spectrometer is available.


Hot melt extrusion is important for the development of advanced pharmaceutical dosage forms. In this study, the dehydration of nitrofurantoin monohydrate during melt extrusion below the expected dehydration temperature has been investigated. The influence of process time, temperature, and drug/polymer ratio on the solid form of the drug compound was studied using drug/polymer physical mixtures with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction, rheometry, and hot-stage microscopy and compared with data generated from the extruded products. Extensive dehydration of nitrofurantoin monohydrate was surprisingly observed at extrusion temperatures as low as 70 °C in contrast with TGA and DSC analysis of the pure drug indicating dehydration onset at around 90 °C. This was related to shear induced solution-mediated transformation, where nitrofurantoin dissolved into the molten polymer and rapidly recrystallized as nitrofurantoin anhydrate, as well as simultane...


BACKGROUND
To determine the binding activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and the transcription of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in rat mesangial cells and to elucidate the mechanism of renal injury of Ox-LDL.

METHODS
NF-kappa B binding activity was measured by gel shift assay in mesangial cells with or without inducement of Ox-LDL. Protein kinase inhibitors and activators were then used to determine the signal transduction pathways. In this course I kappa B protein expression was analyzed by Western blot assay. TGF-beta 1 mRNA was measured in mesangial cells exposed to Ox-LDL by RT-PCR assay. TGF-beta 1 promoter from -1551 to +57 were constructed into a pGL3-Basic vector with a luciferase reporting gene. A putative binding site of NF-kappa B was mutated. The wild and mutant promoters activity was analyzed by transfection into mesangial cells.

RESULTS
NF-kappa B was activated by Ox-LDL persistently and rebounded in the early period. Ox-LDL induced NF-kappa B activation in a dose dependent way. It also induced I kappa B degradation in 2 hours and resumed to normal levels. NF-kappa B activation was not alleviated by inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 MAP kinase (p38MAPK). Inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) and proteinsome inhibited the enhancement of NF-kappa B binding activity. Ox-LDL induced the transcription of TGF-beta1 in a time and dose dependent manner. Mutation of the putative binding site of NF-kappa B reduced the activity of TGF-beta1 promoter.

CONCLUSION
Ox-LDL induced activation of NF-kappa B persistently. It was probably regulated by the degradation of I kappa B mediated by PKC pathway. NF-kappa B may be involved in the enhancement of TGF-beta 1 induced by Ox-LDL in rat mesangial cells.


We have developed a virtual reality based system for the rehabilitation of patients suffering from different neuropathologies such as those brought on by stroke and traumatic brain injury. Our Rehabilitation Gaming System, or RGS, uses a vision based motion capture system with gaming technologies and functionally combines active evaluation, with continuous monitoring and intensive training regimes tuned to the needs of individual patients. Here we assess the validity of the evaluation phase of the RGS by comparing the physical and virtual versions of a diagnostic reaching test with 6 stroke patients. Subsequently we illustrate the ability of our system to provide high resolution information at the level of individual performance.


Nutrition is expanding to reach all components of health care including dentistry. Diet can affect oral health via numerous mechanisms. The health of oral tissues can be affected by nutrition, diet and oral habits. The documented associations between oral health and systemic health demonstrates the need for dentists to become more knowledgeable about systemic nutrition which affects the normal growth, development and maintenance of the dental structures, promotes the immunity necessary for wound healing and affects resistance to oral infections. Certain foods have both beneficial and disease causing capacity, potentially affecting the teeth and other oral structures. This article discusses the impact of dietary variables on multiple aspects of oral health. work


Conjugative transfer of plasmid RP4 between populations of azospirilla and between Escherichia coli and Azospirillum brasilense in nonsterile soil has been investigated. The process of genetic exchange was realized at the early stages of interpopulational interactions, further on the process intensity was obviously rather low. Population dynamics of azospirilla transconjugates in soil depends on the presence or the absence of additional food substrate.


As a promising formulation to represent and reason about agents' dynamic behavious, logic program updates have been considerably studied recently. While similarities and differences between various approaches were discussed and evaluated by researchers, there is a lack of method to represent different logic program update approaches under a common framework. In this paper, we continue our study on a general framework for logic program conflict solving based on notions of strong and weak forgettings (Zhang, Foo, & Wang 2005). We show that all major logic program update approaches can be transformed into our framework, under which each update approach becomes a specific conflict solving case with certain constraints. We also investigate related computational properties for these transformations.


The practice of yoga encourages individuals to work within their own bodies to bring balance and health to the mind, body and spirit, providing relief for symptoms of chronic conditions. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals participating in a series of mixed-ability yoga classes. Barriers and facilitators to their participation were also explored. Seven participants were recruited from the mixed physical and mental ability yoga classes. Semi–structured interviews were used to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and develop themes. Prominent themes were Engagement Partnerships, Physical Activity Beliefs, Supported Participation and Concepts of Disability. These themes provided insight into the experiences of participants and the facilitators and barriers that influenced their participation. Additionally, themes were supported by literature on group cohesion and self-efficacy that highlight the potential for change to group exercise classes with cross over into rehabilitation classes. The importance of appropriate adaptation through skilled instructors was key to the success of the mixed-ability yoga series, as was the promotion of inclusion and understanding of perceptions of disability. Participants experienced health benefits from the mixed-ability yoga class. The fundamental concepts of the class can be applied in physiotherapy practice to promote physical activity for all. Bevis, A., Waterworth, K., Mudge, S. (2018) Participants' experiences of a mixed-ability yoga series. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy 46(1): 29-35. doi:10.15619/NZJP/46.1.03


Reactive gliosis surrounding amyloid β (Aβ) plaques is an early feature of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and has been postulated to represent activation of the innate immune system in an apparently ineffective attempt to clear or neutralize Aβ aggregates. To evaluate the role of IFN-γ–mediated neuroinflammation on the evolution of Aβ pathology in transgenic (Tg) mice, we have expressed murine IFN-γ (mIFN-γ) in the brains of Aβ precursor protein (APP) Tg mice using recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 1. Expression of mIFN-γ in brains of APP TgCRND8 mice results in robust noncell autonomous activation of microglia and astrocytes, and a concomitant significant suppression of Aβ deposition. In these mice, mIFN-γ expression upregulated multiple glial activation markers, early components of the complement cascade as well as led to infiltration of Ly-6c positive peripheral monocytes but no significant effects on APP levels, APP processing or steady-state Aβ levels were noticed in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest that mIFN-γ expression in the brain suppresses Aβ accumulation through synergistic effects of activated glia and components of the innate immune system that enhance Aβ aggregate phagocytosis.


One objective of distributed artificial intelligence research is to build systems that are capable of cooperative problem solving. To this end, a number of implementation oriented models of cooperative problem solving have been developed. However, mathematical models of social activity have focussed only on limited aspects of the cooperative problem solving process: no mathematical model of the entire process has yet been described. In this paper, we rectify this omission. We present a preliminary model that describes the cooperative problem solving process from recognition of the potential for cooperation through to team action. The model is formalised by representing it as a theory in a quantified multi-modal logic. A key feature of the model is its reliance on the twin notions of commitments and conventions; conventions (protocols for monitoring commitments) are formalised for the first time in this paper. We comment on the generality of the model, outline its deficiencies, and suggest some possible refinements and other future areas of research.


In private federated learning (FL), a server aggregates differentially private updates from a large number of clients in order to train a machine learning model. The main challenge in this setting is balancing privacy with both classification accuracy of the learnt model as well as the number of bits communicated between the clients and server. Prior work has achieved a good trade-off by designing a privacy-aware compression mechanism, called the minimum variance unbiased (MVU) mechanism, that numerically solves an optimization problem to determine the parameters of the mechanism. This paper builds upon it by introducing a new interpolation procedure in the numerical design process that allows for a far more efficient privacy analysis. The result is the new Interpolated MVU mechanism that is more scalable, has a better privacy-utility trade-off, and provides SOTA results on communication-efficient private FL on a variety of datasets.


Chediak–Higashi syndrome (CHS) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive immunodeficiency disorder characterized by partial oculocutaneous albinism, frequent pyogenic infections & presence of abnormal large granules in leucocytes & other granule containing cells. Less than 500 cases have been reported worldwide & only a few cases reports from India. Here, we report a case of CHS in a one & half-year-old girl.


Throughout their life, cells must maintain homeostasis while facing constantly fluctuating demands on their different organelles. A major mechanism for the homeostatic control of organelle function is the unfolded protein response (UPR), a signaling pathway that triggers a comprehensive remodeling of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the biosynthetic pathway according to need. We discovered that activation of the UPR in yeast also induces a new branch of macroautophagy that selectively targets the ER. We term this process "ER-phagy", in analogy to pexophagy and mitophagy, the two other known forms of organelle-specific marcoautophagy. ER-phagy involves the generation of autophagosomes that selectively include ER membranes and whose delimiting double membranes also derive, at least in part, from the ER. This finding provides direct evidence that the ER can serve as a membrane source for autophagosome formation and indicates that ER-phagy entails engulfment of the ER by itself. ER-phagy could remove damaged or redundant parts of the ER and thus represent an important degradative functionality of the UPR that helps to afford homeostatic control. Addendum to: Autophagy Counterbalances Endoplasmic Reticulum Expansion during the Unfolded Protein Response S. Bernales, K.L. McDonald and P. Walter PLoS Biol 2006; 4: e423


This study focuses on an innovative methodology to predict landslide accelerations, based on a black box tool and a 1D mechanical model to predict the evolution of the daily displacements according to the variations of precipitation. More specifically, the impulse response model allows to predict the changes in the landslide rate by computing the transfer function between the input signal (precipitation in this case) and the output signal (the displacements). The second model uses a simple 1D mechanical model, with con-sidering a viscoplastic behavior of the landslide, and with taking into account the evolution of the pore water pressure. These methods have been applied to the Super-Sauze landslide, which takes place in the Southern French Alps, mountainous region. This site is controlled by the active movement within black marls, with velocities ranging between 0.002 and 0.4 m per day. The results show that the snowmelt has to be taken into account in the models, since the phenomena of freezing /thawing has an influence on the water refills, leading to changes in the movement. The approaches are compared and their complementarity is demonstrated in this study. It results in the development of a methodology for predicting changes in landslide rate based on criteria of com-parison between the observed and calculated velocities. The results suggest that the impulse response model reproduces the observed data with very good accuracy, whereas the mechanical model seems to be more adapted to predict the movements within 10 days. Moreover, the RMSE criterion permits to highlight the oc-currence of the flow, with considering all models, 11 days before the flow itself.