While Western foreign correspondence is retreating, Chinese central media and correspondents, resourced by the government's financial backing for media's role in public diplomacy, are taking the opportunities to expand overseas bureaus, hire experienced local employees, enhance the quantity and quality of international news reporting, use digital technologies in newsgathering and dissemination, and receive Western-style trainings. Against this backdrop, this paper studies the identities, media cultures, and journalistic practices of Chinese foreign correspondents, as well as the international news output, and media–audience and media–foreign policy relationships. In doing so, we propose a new six-level theoretical model: (1) journalists' identities; (2) cultures; (3) practices; (4) news output; (5) news dissemination, reception, and audiences' interactions; and (6) the impacts of international news coverage. Based on semi-structured interviews with Chinese resident journalists over eight years, we argue that the media–audience and media–foreign policy relationships in China have become more interactive, dynamic, and complex.


A framework of blind multi-image super resolution reconstruction method is proposed to improve the resolution of low resolution images with Gaussian blur and noise. In the low resolution imaging model, the shift motion, Gaussian blur, down-sampling, as well as Gaussian noise are all considered. Firstly, the Gaussian noise in the low resolution image is reduced through Wiener filtering method. Secondly, the Gaussian blur of the de-noised image is estimated through error-parameter analysis method. Thirdly, the motion parameters are estimated. Finally, super resolution reconstruction is performed through iterative back projection algorithm. Experimental results show that the Gaussian blur and motion parameters are estimated with high precision, and that the Gaussian noise is restrained effectively. The visual effect and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of the super resolution reconstructed image are enhanced. The importance of Gaussian blur estimation and effect of Gaussian de-noising in multi-image super resolution reconstruction are tested in an experimental way.


We focus on the problem of selecting reviewers (or raters) that are considered by a recommender system (or a user) under the aspect of security. Malicious reviewers can exert unreasonable influence, and can bias online consumers unfairly against an attacked item or competitor. This paper proposes an approach where a meta-recommender maximizes the aggregated diversity of reviewers when deciding which reviews should be considered by a recommender system or an online consumer. This problem can be of interest in many domains where producers or service providers may seek advantages by compromising competitors with fake reviews or ratings such as tourism and hospitality industries or even free open-source software. A solution is proposed for users linked in social networks, such as unstructured P2P societies. In order to evaluate the proposed solution, we describe a mechanism of selecting reviewers of software updates such that not all end-users of a software are impacted by a potentially malicious strict subset of all available reviewers, and we experimentally assess resistance to attacks.


In Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, one of the crucial issues is the representation of the data. As the data become heterogeneous and large‐scale, single kernel methods become insufficient to classify nonlinear data. The finite combinations of kernels are limited up to a finite choice. In order to overcome this discrepancy, we propose a novel method of "infinite" kernel combinations for learning problems with the help of infinite and semi‐infinite programming regarding all elements in kernel space. Looking at all infinitesimally fine convex combinations of the kernels from the infinite kernel set, the margin is maximized subject to an infinite number of constraints with a compact index set and an additional (Riemann‐Stieltjes) integral constraint due to the combinations. After a parametrization in the space of probability measures, it becomes semi‐infinite. We analyze the regularity conditions which satisfy the Reduction Ansatz and discuss the type of distribution functions within the structure of the co...


We cannot see others' mental states, so we infer them by watching how people behave. Bayesian inference in a model of rational action – called inverse planning – captures how humans infer desires from observable actions. These models represent desires as simple associations between agents and world states. In this paper we show that by representing desires as probabilistic programs, an inverse planning model can infer complex desires underlying complex behaviors—desires with temporal and logical structure, which can be fulfilled in different ways. Our model, which combines basic desires via logical primitives, is inspired by recent probabilistic grammarbased models of concept learning. Through an experiment where we vary behaviors parametrically, we show that our model predicts with high accuracy how people infer complex desires. Our work sheds light on the representations underlying mental states, and paves the way towards algorithms that can reason about others' minds as we do.


Building on previous studies investigating the multidimensional nature of lexical use in task-based L2 performance, this study clarified the roles that the distinct lexical features play in predicting vocabulary proficiency in a corpus of L2 Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI). A total of 85 OPI samples were rated by three separate raters based on a Common European Frame of Reference (CEFR) based rubric in terms of their linguistic range. The interview transcription was analyzed for 56 lexical and phraseological indices using modern natural language processing tools. The result of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that the 56 indices tapped into 10 distinct factors of lexical use in OPI: three factors related to content words, three related to n-grams, three lexical collocation factors, and one function-word factor. A subsequent Bayesian mixed-effect ordinal regression indicated that six out of the 10 factors meaningfully predicted the CEFR levels on Range with reasonable accuracy (quadratic kappa coefficient = .81 with the human rating). The result highlights the distinct roles that multiple content-word, collocation, and function-word factors play in characterizing the linguistic range in a CEFR-based assessment of OPI. The implication for the assessment of lexical richness, as well as future directions of this research domain, are discussed.


BACKGROUND
Connexin 40 (Cx40) is a gap junction protein expressed in endothelial cells of vessels, endocardium, and conducting cells of the His-Purkinje system of heart. Its distribution in the kidney remains to be fully investigated.

METHODS
To address this distribution, we generated rabbit antibodies directed to a polypeptide comprising amino acids 231 to 330 of the carboxy-terminal domain of rodent Cx40, which specifically recognizes this protein at gap junctions.

RESULTS
Immunolabeling and in situ hybridization of kidney sections showed that Cx40 and its transcript were coexpressed by most endothelial cells of vessels and glomeruli, as well as by renin-secreting cells. This distribution contrasted with that of Cx43, which was expressed in some tubules of medulla and sparse endothelial cells. Cx40 and Cx43 expression were investigated further in a renin-dependent model of hypertension, in which rats showed an increase in arterial mean blood pressure four weeks after clipping one renal artery [two kidney, one-clip (2K1C) model]. Northern blot analysis of polyA+ RNA demonstrated that, compared with sham-operated animals, the hypertensive 2K1C animals featured an increase in Cx40 mRNA expression in both left (clipped) and right (unclipped) kidneys. In contrast, Cx43 mRNA expression was only increased in the latter organ. Antibodies confirmed that the levels of Cx40 were actually increased in the kidneys of hypertensive animals (Western blots) and this was caused, at least in part, by enhanced expression of this protein in the renin-secreting cells of the afferent arteriole (immunofluorescence).

CONCLUSIONS
Cell-to-cell communication mediated by Cx40 may be implicated in the function of renin-secreting cells, hence participating in the control of blood pressure.


Who are the Norman Fosters, Richard Meiers and Tadao Andos of tomorrow? Who will be building our airports, museums, and homes in the 21st century? 40 Under 40 is Taschen's answer. Discover the next generation of designers who are already starting to shape the future of architecture for the new millennium, redefining the relationships between culture, environment, structure, and space. Taking inspiration from visions of the future and traces of the past, these are the people who are defining the aesthetics of tomorrow's architecture.This new and original book takes us on a tour around the world, highlighting the best young architects and their groundbreaking work. Some of the architects featured, such as Shigeru Ban of Japan and Ben van Berkel from Holland, have already gained critical acclaim for their work. The rest, such as Marc Barani and Aranda Pigem Vilalta, are waiting in the wings.40 Under 40 is organized alphabetically by architect or firm, each entry featuring biographical and bibliographical information, as well as text highlighting the designers' most important works to date. With a wealth of photos and floor plans and a fresh, innovative layout, 40 Under 40 is both an essential reference book and exciting peek into the future face of architecture.


In 1901 Marconi attempted to transmit radio signals across the Atlantic Ocean. The most powerful spark transmitter ever built was operated at Poldhu in Cornwall. While on Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland, at about midday, Marconi listened for Poldhu with the very simplest untuned receiver. It is therefore hardly surprising that his claim to have heard the famous Morse code "S" signal was greeted with profound skepticism. The present authors discuss the equipment and propagation aspects and show that the Poldhu transmissions probably centered on 475 and 540 kHz, the power summed over these spectral peaks being about 1 kW. Total energy radiated was approximately 1.8 kW, with a substantial proportion at frequencies above 2 MHz. A summation of the predicted high frequency sky-wave propagation has given an average received power at St. John's of 50 pW, with an upper decile of 150 pW. The authors also determined the probable median noise power in the receiver to be 200 nW, with a lower decile of 50 nW, and resultant signal to noise ratios of -36 and -30 dB. If 20 dB gain is attributed to the peak/average power ratio, and 10 dB aural discrimination gain is allowed, the median and lower decile effective signal-noise ratios would be -6 and 0 dB, and +5 dB at a 1% probability. The authors therefore argue that in December 1901, Marconi is likely to have received high frequency wide band signals, spurious components of the spark transmitter output, propagated across the Atlantic by sky waves near the maximum usable frequency.


The proliferation of e-business has intensified competition for online customer satisfaction. Previous research has primarily offered a single view of customer satisfaction from marketing or technical perspective. Although each view has helped improve our understanding of online customer satisfaction, a framework to integrate these viewpoints is missing from the current literature. The service science theory examines customer satisfaction with online services from multiple perspectives. An integrative view of customer satisfaction with e-service is possible with the interdisciplinary lens of service science theory. This study conducted a survey with 377 customers of four online stores. Marketing and technical constructs consisting of twelve key variables were incorporated into a regression analysis to understand the effect of each variable on the dependent variable of customer satisfaction. The analysis results show that although these constructs do have a significant influence on customer satisfaction, not all the variables of each construct have the same effect. Thus it is important to take an integrative approach in examining online customer satisfaction. The findings of this research offer such a view of increasing online customer satisfaction by improving key marketing and technical factors.


Listening between the lines: what BAT really thinks of its consumers in the developing world In an audio recording of the "Structured Creativity Conference" held in Hampshire, UK in June 1984, British American Tobacco (BAT) adds context to the written report of marketing and product applications. Employees are taped brainstorming creative ways to push their product in light of future marketing constraints and social pressure towards a smoke-free society. Project proposals included the following: low sidestream smoke cigarettes, "front end lift" cigarette design to give the smoker more "impact" on the first puffs, pleasant smelling sidestream smoke, and nicotine inhalers—"Forget about smoking . . .GO FOR A QUICKEEK. No tar with nic, is what makes the body kick." One of the most interesting proposals came from Ian Ross from a Finland subsidiary, who later became the head of international brand business at BATCo in the early 1990s. Ross's proposal, the "LDC (less developed counties) Project", called for individually heat sealed cigarettes designed to lengthen the shelf life of cigarettes in arid climates found in Africa and the Middle East. This rather ingenious idea for stick sales would be sold to tobacco vendors in reels with visible brand imaging, containing 200 cigarettes that could be pulled off along perforations one at a time. What the 80 or so page written report did not include, the audiocassette captured with clarity. The taped conversations of the BAT conference participants offered rarely obtained loose discourse regarding product design proposals and a derogatory discussion of the people intended for end product use. Ross relays that he wants to make "stick purchases seem like a consumer benefit" by supplying "factory sealed and factory freshness" every time. As for marketing the heat sealed stick product, Ross states: " . . .[T]he brand image must be enhanced by the new packaging . . .if you just say, this is a cheap cigarette for you dirt poor little black farmers . . .they're not going to go for it." Ross also discusses the target group— "urban", "male", between 18–30, and "aspiring lower middle" socioeconomic class—and says: "I have not gone into psychographics . . .I have no idea what the psychographics of the average black farmer is." Another conference participant ruminates, "We could sell them to the Palestinians if we made the plastic hard enough that you could rip the end off and put your shells in them..." This discourse, not found on the written presentation, between the BAT marketing and product development personnel was obviously not meant for public consumption, nor is it new information that the tobacco industry targets the developing world. A patent search in the UK resulted in no individually heat sealed cigarette applications. What is of great interest to those of us who spend our time searching through page after page of internal tobacco industry documents is the significant difference between what is written and what is said. David Schechter, the former BAT lawyer, recently explained the "mental copy rule" to the US Department of Justice, which assumed that anything one would write could end up being used publicly or legally against the company. This leads to the obvious question: Are we overlooking important research tools in the form of non-written material?


This paper analyzes to what extent Marshallian agglomeration economies affect the creation of new entrepreneurial ventures at the metropolitan level. The measuring of agglomeration economies is based on the construction of indexes using the methodology of Glaeser and Kerr (2009). The indexes attempt to capture the effects of resource sharing, labor matching and knowledge spillovers according to the taxonomy proposed by Marshall (1920). Also an index to measure the influence of small suppliers to attract new business ventures, following Chinitz (1961), is constructed. Data on new firms and employment generated is accounted for the period 2000-2008. The analysis is based on the activity of the 15 largest metropolitan areas in Spain. Sixty industries at two-digit CNAE-93 are considered. The results show that jobs created by entrepreneurs are highly influenced by the ability to share suppliers and customers. Firm creation is influenced by those factors as well as the presence of small suppliers and the proximity to innovative activity. Agglomeration indexes with sector and city fixed effects explain more than 90% of new entry and employment generated. The potential multicollinearity among indexes is tested using principal component analysis. This analysis shows some complementarities among the indexes. New regressions using the factorized terms show that traditional measures of localization economies hide specific information about the process of agglomeration.


The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to explain the relationship between literacy experiences over time and the literacy identities of the doctoral students in a teacher education and higher education program. The quantitative phase, surveying 36 participants, revealed a positive correlation between participant's present and past literacy experiences, suggesting that past literacy experiences impacted their present perception of themselves as successful doctoral students. In the qualitative follow up multiple case study analysis, four major themes emerged from the interviews and participants' visual representations: (1) past literacy experiences; (2) present literacy experiences; (3) support systems; and (4) social experiences. The findings suggest that early feelings of success in literacy contribute to strong literacy identities in higher education programs. Implications for the faculty of higher education will be discussed.


Minkov, P., Georgiev, D., Palagacheva, N. & Dzhuvinov, V. (2018). Monitoring of spotted wing drosophila in raspberries and blackberries in Troyan region, Bulgaria. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 24(4), 670–673 Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is a new serious threat in berry crops. The purpose of the study was to establish its appearance and dynamics of development in one of its preferred nutritional host plants, such as raspberries and blackberries. The surveys were carried out during the period 2016-2017 at the Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture in Troyan, in experimental plots with raspberry and the blackberry. The beginning of fl ying of fl ies and their population dynamics were followed by the 'Csalomon' (VARL) trap (Hungary). Traps deployed at the beginning of fruit ripening from June to September. The fi rst caught fl ies in raspberries and blackberries plantings recorded in June and July, respectively. Registered mean daily temperatures in observed period were 16.6-20.0°C. Gradually the density of D. suzukii increased and its number of caught fl ies decreased during fruit harvesting.


Institutional Adoption of Blended Learning in Higher Education Wendy Woodfield Porter Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Relatively little research on blended learning (BL) addresses institutional adoption in higher education. Graham, Woodfield, and Harrison (2012) proposed a framework for institutional BL adoption, identifying three stages: (a) awareness/exploration, (b) adoption/early implementation, and (c) mature implementation/growth. The framework also identified key strategy, structure, and support issues universities may address at each stage. In this series of articles, the authors applied that framework to institutions of higher education implementing BL. In the first article, the authors applied the framework to 11 Next Generation Learning Challenge (NGLC) grant recipients transitioning from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of BL adoption. The authors compared U.S. institutional strategy, structure, and support approaches to BL adoption and identified patterns and distinctions. In the final two articles, the authors applied the framework as well as Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovations theory to determine the degree to which and why institutional strategy, structure, and support measures would facilitate or impede BL adoption among higher education faculty. The authors also explored whether faculty's innovation adoption category would affect which measures facilitated or impeded BL adoption. To achieve these objectives, the authors surveyed and interviewed faculty at BYU-Idaho (BYU-I). In the second article, the authors reviewed the survey results to determine (a) the appropriate innovation adoption category for each faculty member and (b) the factors that impacted faculty decisions to adopt BL. In the third article, the authors reviewed the results of the interviews to identify why participants reported strategy, structure, and support decisions would impact their decision to adopt BL.


OBJECTIVE
To identify the average direct cost of the procedures performed for phlebitis treatment in patients in an Inpatient Unit and estimate the costs of the procedures performed to treat phlebitis in this unit.

METHOD
A quantitative, exploratory-descriptive, single-case study. Initially, records of the procedures performed for phlebitis management were identified. Then, the cost was calculated by multiplying the execution time (timed using a chronometer) spent by nursing technicians by the unit cost of direct labor, added to the cost of materials in 2017.

RESULTS
107 phlebitis referring to 96 patients were reported. To treat the different grades of phlebitis, three procedures were carried out "application of ointment of chamomile flower extract"; "Compress application"; "Peripheral venous access installation". "Peripheral venous access installation with Íntima® catheter" corresponded to the most expensive procedure (US$ 8.90-SD=0.06). Considering the record of the execution of 656 (100%) procedures, the total average direct cost estimate corresponded to US$ 866.18/year.

CONCLUSION
Knowledge about the costs of procedures can support decision making that increase allocation efficiency of consumed resources.


The thesis critically and empirically examines the development of manufacturing in Zimbabwe, through a case study of the metal engineering sector, following the introduction of the structural adjustment programme (ESAP) in 1990/91. Original field research of manufacturing firms and supporting organisations was conducted in Zimbabwe during 1995 and 1996. A theoretical framework is applied using concepts of institutional legacy and path dependency. This provides an alternative approach to use of neo-classically based analytical frameworks. It is concluded that orthodox economic approaches are inadequate as a basis for improving the prospects for successful industrial development, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a need to improve the understanding of a country's changing social relations, in their historical context. This includes analysing patterns of agency within and between institutions and the individuals that comprise them. In part this can be accomplished by examining class and power relations and conflicts. Zimbabwe's structural adjustment programme was not followed by industrial rejuvenation and expansion. Firm performance varied in ways that cannot be explained using conventional economic approaches. Overall, there has been: a lack of technological and organisational improvements and industrial investment; a decline in real wages and industrial employment; and, a lack of skills improvement across firms and supporting organisations. Zimbabwean industrial development suffers from a dislocation of interest between those owning most of the productive industrial capital and those formulating policies that affect industry. The capitalist class is fragmented between historically established white capitalists, and emergent indigenous or black interests. Explanations are offered for the observed weaknesses of supporting institutions, including government ministries, training organisations and workers' and employers' organisations. The findings make a strong case that without better data collection from firms and an improved understanding of historical contexts and constraints, policy shifts to promote industrial development will not have the desired results. Even though the research collects a better data set than previously available, it is difficult to draw the types of definite conclusions and recommendations presented by most commentators on the same questions.


Background: Oral diseases are common and widespread around the world. The most common oral diseases are preventable, and early onset is reversible. Myanmar faces many challenges in rendering oral health services, because approximately 70 percent of the total population resides in rural areas. These relate to the availability and accessibility of oral health services. Therefore, oral health education is one key element to prevent oral diseases and to promote oral health.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out at Basic Education Middle Schools in rural areas of Magway Township to study the effectiveness of oral health education on the knowledge and behavior of eight- to ten-year-old school children. A total of 220 school children, 110 from intervention schools and 110 from control schools, participated in this study from 2015 to 2017. Data were collected before and after intervention in the two groups by using a self-administered questionnaire. Tooth brushing method data were collected by direct observation with a checklist. Oral health education was provided at eight weekly intervals for one year. At one and a half years, third-time data collection was done on the intervention group to assess retention. Chi-square test, two samples t-test and one-way repeated measure ANOVA were used for data analysis. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Public Health in Yangon, Myanmar.Results: There were significant differences between the two groups in four out of five knowledge questions (p<0.05) and all behavior questions (p<0.001) after intervention. A positive effect of oral health education for a period of 45 minutes at eight weekly intervals for one year was found in the intervention group. The intervention had a significant effect on the sustainability of the correct knowledge and behavior of the intervention group although the education session was stopped for six months (p<0.001). Their mean knowledge and behavioral scores at three different points in time were (2.45±1.12 and1.56±0.90) at baseline, (3.79±1.12 and 3.60±1.21) at one year after education and (4.07±0.98 and 3.24±1.31) at six months after cessation of education, respectively. Conclusions: Repeated oral health education was effective in promoting and sustaining oral health knowledge and behavior.


Purpose: Spectral (multiple energy) CT can characterize material composition using the x‐ray spectral information. However, imagenoise and radiation dose is a concern as photons are distributed into multiple energy bins. Therefore, the intrinsic trade‐off between number of energy bins and photon numbers in each bin results in either too noisy images, or too high radiation dose. The purpose of this study is to break this trade‐off and to reduce noise and/or radiation dose in spectral CT.Method and Materials: A semi‐anthropomorphic thoracic phantom was scanned with multiple energies (80,100, 120 and 140 kVps) on a dual source CT scanner. Images were reconstructed at each beam‐energy separately using commercial software. The reconstructed images were processed wtih the Highly Constrained Back‐Projection (HYPR) algorithm using the averaged image of all 4 kVp scans as the composite image.CT numbers and noise were measured inside three circular ROIs representing calcium, water, and soft tissue. Noise and dose reduction using HYPR compared with commercial software was calculated. Results: The same CT numbers were obtained using both algorithms while approximately 50% of noise reduction was achieved using HYPR. Based upon the relationship between noise and radiation dose, this was equivalent to 4 times dose reduction given the same imagenoise. These results could be interpreted as noise reduction given the same radiation dose, dose reduction given the same imagenoise, or a combination of these two. Conclusion: We have presented a method to reduce imagenoise and/or radiation dose in spectral CT. Using HYPR, images at each individual energy bin have SNR similar as the composite image which uses all x‐ray photons. This breaks the tradeoff between number of energy bins and number of photons in each bin. Therefore, the intrinsic problem of excessive noise and/or radiation dose in spectral CT has been addressed.


In 2003 the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and a local Australian company, Industrea Ltd., initiated a research project aiming to create a simple low cost Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS), now called SmartHUMS. This paper discusses the development of SmartHUMS technology including hardware and software aspects and possible applications. The design and manufacture of the SmartHUMS hardware was primarily carried out by Industrea with requirements specified by DSTO. This paper particularly focuses on the algorithm development conducted by DSTO. In particular the autocorrelation and cross correlation algorithms. The former is a very efficient method to identify the unique characteristics of a raw data signal, whereas the later is a simple way of comparing the signal characteristics shared between two data sets. When using these two algorithms concurrently they allow the SmartHUMS unit to detect behavioural variations within a mechanical system.


Many raptor studies require the capture of individuals and selection of the most effective trapping techniques may be crucial to achieving research goals. We assessed the effectiveness of walk-in traps to capture a very common, but poorly studied Neotropical raptor bird, the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango) in different environments and we evaluated the effects of environmental and methodological variables on trapping success and number of individuals captured. During 2009–2013 we captured a total of 1452 individuals (188 days and 2178 hours of effective trapping) with at least 423 birds being recaptured at least once during the study. The mean daily capture rate was 0.90 ind/h, with a maximum of 11 ind/h. Number of individuals captured and trapping success were higher during the breeding season and in larger colonies but were lower when longer lapse of non-trapping periods were recorded, then these variables were independent of any other methodological factor and environment type. Trapping success, but not number of individuals captured, increased during the morning when compared with afternoon hours. Trapping success and number of individuals captured were not biased towards any sex, or age group. Our results show that the walk-in trap is a useful and highly effective trapping technique for the Chimango Caracara measured both in terms of number of captures and trapping success throughout the year.


We perform single-molecule DNA experiments to investigate the relaxation dynamics of knotted polymers and examine the steady-state behavior of knotted polymers in elongational fields. The occurrence of a knot reduces the relaxation time of a molecule and leads to a shift in the molecule's coil-stretch transition to larger strain rates. We measure chain extension and extension fluctuations as a function of strain rate for unknotted and knotted molecules. The curves for knotted molecules can be collapsed onto the unknotted curves by defining an effective Weissenberg number based on the measured knotted relaxation time in the low extension regime, or a relaxation time based on Rouse/Zimm scaling theories in the high extension regime. Because a knot reduces a molecule's relaxation time, we observe that knot untying near the coil-stretch transition can result in dramatic changes in the molecule's conformation. For example, a knotted molecule at a given strain rate can experience a stretch-coil transition, followed by a coil-stretch transition, after the knot partially or fully unties.


You have recently published a review article by Prof. Tammemagi (1). We appreciate the opinions stated and constructive criticism of the article to our recently published work (2). However, we kindly request to accept our brief response and clarifications to the criticism.


Low sociodemographic status positively correlates with the risk of lung cancer. Nutritional status assessed during diagnosis of cancer may be a useful predictive factor for response to therapy and influences the quality of life and life expectancy after oncological therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the sociodemographic and nutritional status of patients. Lower Silesian Centre of Lung Diseases, diagnosed with lung cancer. 81 cases and 125 subjects formed the control group were included in this study. The questionnaire about sociodemographic status was performed among all respondents as well as MNA questionnaire and anthropometric measurements for evaluating nutritional status. Lower level of education, lower employment status and more frequent tobacco addiction was found in patient group then in control individuals. Nutritional status of patients was worse than the control group, which has been demonstrated mainly through a MNA questionnaire and arm circumference measurements. The risk of malnutrition or diagnosed malnutrition found in most patients assessed by MNA test may increase the likelihood of complications during treatment.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Recently published studies dealing with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients in early clinical stage reported that bone marrow (BM) biopsies and aspirates can be considered complementary methods of evaluating the extent of BM involvement. Consequently, we designed the present study to investigate the clinical and prognostic implications of BM biopsies and aspirates in a series of stage A CLL patients followed-up in a single center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
BM biopsy sections and aspirate smears obtained at the time of diagnosis from 102 CLL stage A patients were retrospectively evaluated. Results were correlated with clinical and hematological features as well as with survival and disease-progression risk.

RESULTS
Diffuse (D) BM histology was detected in 10 patients (9.8%) while 21 (20.5%) displayed lymphocyte infiltration (LI) > 80%. Twenty-six patients (25.4%) died with a 5- and 10-year survival probability of 85% and 50%, respectively. The survival of patients with D-BM histology was significantly shorter than that of patients with non-diffuse (non-D) histology (p < 0.05). Interestingly, when considering only CLL-related deaths (i.e. leukemia progression, infections) were considered, there was an increase in the statistical significance of BM histology (p = 0.01). There was no difference in life expectancy in cases with LI either using different cut-off levels (i.e. 70% and 80%) or excluding non-CLL related deaths. According to our experience, disease progression could only be predicted by BM histology (p = 0.008), while LI was not useful for forecasting progression to more advanced stages (p = NS).

INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
In patients with early CLL, BM histology provides more reliable information regarding the clinical outcome of the disease than LI.


Precision wavefront control on future segmented-aperture space telescopes presents significant challenges, particularly in the context of high-contrast exoplanet direct imaging. We present a new wavefront control architecture that translates the ground-based artificial guide star concept to space with a laser source on board a second spacecraft, formation flying within the telescope's field of view. We describe the motivating problem of mirror segment motion and develop wavefront sensing requirements as a function of guide star magnitude and segment motion power spectrum. Several sample cases with different values for transmitter power, pointing jitter, and wavelength are presented to illustrate the advantages and challenges of having a non-stellar-magnitude noise limited wavefront sensor for space telescopes. These notional designs allow increased control authority, potentially relaxing spacecraft stability requirements by two orders of magnitude and increasing terrestrial exoplanet discovery space by allowing high-contrast observations of stars of arbitrary brightness.


How and why do ordinary people in democratic states participate in violent revolution? This dissertation explores variation in the confluence of civilians' participation in status quo politics – through electoral channels and civil society action – and in violent insurgencies that seek to conquer the state. Through a comparative juxtaposition of Peru's Shining Path and the Naxalite movement in India, I argue that an insurgency's particular ideological interpretations and conceptions of membership shape civilian support by influencing everyday social relations between rebels and civilians and changing networks of participation. During war, civilians are agents of political mobilization, and rebels exploit social networks, which draw on historical forms of organization and activism and a long trajectory of political ideas about race, citizenship, and class. I examine people's varied participation in violent politics in three settings: the regions of Ayacucho and Puno, Peru (1960-1992), and Telangana, a region of southern India (1946-51). Where communities in Peru drew on existing political resources – diverse networks that expressed peasants' demands for reform and representation, and which emphasized commitment to democratic contestation over armed struggle – people could choose to resist rebels' mobilizing efforts. Where communities lacked integrated political organization, insurgents implemented violent ideologies by repurposing local networks. iv Mobilization in Telangana, in contrast to Ayacucho and Puno, exhibited a fluidity of method that was sustained by peasants' agency in building a wide-ranging movement, even as it crossed the line into violence. The study draws on ten months of field research in India and Peru, where I examined local and national archival records and testimonies and conducted interviews with former left party leaders, activists, and civilians in rural and urban areas affected by violence. I develop an ethnography of people's participation in a range of political activities, from protests and voting to civil resistance and searching for the bodies of victims of massacres. The study emphasizes a distinct ontology of the practice of politics: as a continuum of acts that may emerge as violent, illicit, licit, and non-violent in differing moments and social and cultural contexts, and acknowledges the possibility that violent and nonviolent mobilization may reinforce one another.


Greening International Jurisprudence: Environmental NGOs before International Courts, Tribunals, and Compliance Committees examines how international judicial and quasi-judicial bodies enforce international environmental law, with particular consideration to the role of environmental NGOs. Author Cathrin Zengerling analyses the institutional structure as well as the environmental case law from a total of fourteen international courts, arbitral tribunals, and compliance committees with special focus on accessibility, comprehensiveness, and transparency. Underlying this analysis is the fundamental question of whether the respective body appropriately contributes to the realization of democratic governance for sustainable development. After presenting her core findings, the author provides concrete recommendations for future best practices and discusses the need for a new World Environment Court.


Recent results on CP-violation measurements in B decays from energyasymmetric B-factory experiments are reported. Thanks to large accumulated data samples, CP-violations in B decays in mixing-decay interference and direct CP-violation are now firmly established. The measurements of three angles of the unitarity triangle from CP-violations of B decays are quite consistent with the Standard Model expectations. These results strongly support the validity of the Kobayashi–Maskawa prescription of CP-violation.


In a five-year long research project "eMotion—mapping museum experience," we assessed which effects artworks had on museum visitors and their behavior in the field. We tested several hypotheses such as: Does a famous work attract more attention than a less renowned one, and a "loud" artwork more than a subtle one? Do similar artworks generate similar visitor reactions? Does an artwork lose its attraction if manipulated? To investigate these questions, experiments were conducted using special technology that allowed tracking of visitors' physical locomotion and continuous measurement of physiological markers in the gallery. We also recorded visitors' general subjective assessments of their museum experience, and with respect to specific artworks. Using this innovative approach, we were able to demonstrate strong correlations between artworks, the physical reactions of the visitors, their spatial behavior, and aesthetic ratings.


According to the Nigerian National Population Commission 2006, the population of the nation was conservatively estimated to be over one hundred and seventy million. The challenge of nutritional quality to feed an increasing national population places a higher demand on poorly grown conventional plants. Thus the need to incorporate wild edible plants to bridge the extended gap between the conventional vegetable and the wild indigenous edible plants informs this research. The daily intake of vitamins and minerals are obtained from vegetables. Wild edible plants serve as food and medicine. In this study, the delicacies were prepared from two novel wild edible vegetables - Ceiba Pentandra (CPD) and Ficus glumosa (FGD). They were evaluated for nutritional quality. Their minerals and vitamins content were determined using standard methods. These delicacies were fortified with a diet of experimental rats. Twenty four (24) albino rats weighing 43.99 - 81.49 g were randomly arranged into six groups (n = 6) of six rats per group. Two groups were fed with the formulated experimental diets, while the other two were fed with protein-free (casein) and basal diets. Vitamins C and E, carbohydrate and protein were significant in CPD delicacy at (28.47±3.17%). The mineral composition showed low Na+ level, while Ca2+ concentration was also low in CPD and FGD. Phosphorus and Mg+2 were high in FGD. The FGD-fed rats had a low biological value (%) (1.38±0.01%) compared to CPD (2.29±0.01) and reference (casein) group (3.02±0.01). The reference group consumed the highest amount of food -97.06±14.70 g, followed by the basal group (88.98±10.61, with CPD having (76.46±18.78) and FGD (48.27±18.27), respectively. There were no differences in the body weight, protein efficiency ratio, net protein utilization, net protein retention, true digestibility, fecal and carcass protein levels in all the test groups. Findings indicate that nutrients from these wild vegetable delicacies may have good quality and could meet the nutritional needs of the consumer if utilize as per the standard.


Reproducibility
The deposition of research data in public archives and repositories is becoming common practice across the sciences, with many journals mandating the archiving of data associated with papers. However, in a survey of 100 publicly archived ecological and evolutionary data sets associated with recently published papers, Roche et al. found that fewer than 50% were complete and reusable. Many lacked necessary metadata, consisted of processed rather than raw data, or were presented in non-machine-readable formats, all of which are obstacles to reusing published analyses. The situation might be improved through the adoption of a reward culture, in which carrots rather than sticks for the public deposition of fully reusable data become the order of the day.

PLOS Biol. 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002295 (2015).


It is no secret that females engage less in programming fields than males. However, in online communities, such as Stack Overflow, this gender gap is even more extreme: only 5.8% of contributors are female. In this paper, we use a mixed-methods approach to identify contribution barriers females face in online communities. Through 22 semi-structured interviews with a spectrum of female users ranging from non-contributors to a top 100 ranked user of all time, we identified 14 barriers preventing them from contributing to Stack Overflow. We then conducted a survey with 1470 female and male developers to confirm which barriers are gender related or general problems for everyone. Females ranked five barriers significantly higher than males. A few of these include doubts in the level of expertise needed to contribute, feeling overwhelmed when competing with a large number of users, and limited awareness of site features. Still, there were other barriers that equally impacted all Stack Overflow users or affected particular groups, such as industry programmers. Finally, we describe several implications that may encourage increased participation in the Stack Overflow community across genders and other demographics.


In this straightforward study, Mark J. Maslan, MD, and Josef Miller, PhD, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, examined the morphological and functional effects of electrical stimulation on the cochlea. One arm of the study included implantation of the electrode into the scala tympani through the round window. In the other arm of the study, the electrode was placed in the round-window niche. Auditory brain-stem responses were obtained before and after each of four three-hour stimulation sessions. Six weeks after the implants were placed, the animals were killed and the cochleae were examined for potential damage. The threshold required to elicit damage when intracochlear electrodes were used was less than half that required to cause the same response with extracochlear electrodes. Auditory brain-stem response alterations could not predictably be related to the degree and site of cochlear histopathologic damage. The results of Maslan and Miller's study demonstrate that stimulation


A common dynamical paradigm is that turbulence in the upper ocean is dominated by three classes of motion: mesoscale geostrophic eddies, internal waves and microscale three‐dimensional turbulence. Close to the ocean surface, however, a fourth class of turbulent motion is important: submesoscale frontal dynamics. These have a horizontal scale of O(1–10) km, a vertical scale of O(100) m, and a time scale of O(1) day. Here we review the physical‐chemical‐biological dynamics of submesoscale features, and discuss strategies for sampling them. Submesoscale fronts arise dynamically through nonlinear instabilities of the mesoscale currents. They are ephemeral, lasting only a few days after they are formed. Strong submesoscale vertical velocities can drive episodic nutrient pulses to the euphotic zone, and subduct organic carbon into the ocean's interior. The reduction of vertical mixing at submesoscale fronts can locally increase the mean time that photosynthetic organisms spend in the well‐lit euphotic layer and promote primary production. Horizontal stirring can create intense patchiness in planktonic species. Submesoscale dynamics therefore can change not only primary and export production, but also the structure and the functioning of the planktonic ecosystem. Because of their short time and space scales, sampling of submesoscale features requires new technologies and approaches. This paper presents a critical overview of current knowledge to focus attention and hopefully interest on the pressing scientific questions concerning these dynamics.


The disinfecting effect of decametoxin, antibiotics, such as bensylpenicillin, streptomycin, monomycin and their combinations was studied on surgical threads of various thickness previously infected with Staph. aureus, Pr. vulgaris, Bac. anthracis, E. coli, Ps. aeruginosa and Bac. subtilis. It was shown that disinfection of the surgical silk with 0.1% solution of decametoxin for 15 minutes followed by its treatment with an antibiotic solution for 105 minutes provided absolute sterility. Treatment of the surgical silk with decametoxin and antibiotic combinations alone did not provide absolute destruction of the above test-microbes. It was found that treatment of the silk with 0.1% decametoxin solution for 24 hours did not decrease its strength.


A three dimensional linear plug nozzle of area ratio 12.79 was designed by EADS Space Transportation (former Astrium Space Infrastructure). The nozzle was tested within the German National Technology Program 'LION' in a cold air wind tunnel by TU Dresden. The experimental hardware and test conditions are described. Experimental data was obtained for the nozzle without plug side wall fences at a nozzle pressure ratio of 116 and then with plug side wall fences at NPR 110. Schlieren images were recorded and axial profiles of plug wall static pressures were measured at several spanwise locations and on the plug base. Detailed CFD analysis was performed for these nozzle configurations at NPR 116 by NASA MSFC. The CFD exhibits good agreement with the experimental data. A detailed comparison of the CFD results and the experimental plug wall pressure data are given. Comparisons are made for both the without and with plug side wall fence configurations. Numerical results for density gradient are compared to experimental Schlieren images. Experimental nozzle thrust efficiencies are calculated based on the CFD results. The CFD results are used to illustrate the plug nozzle fluid dynamics. The effect of the plug side wall is emphasized. Nomenclature M, Mach number p, pressure T , temperature K, Kelvin x, axial station y, vertical coordinate z, spanwise station a, absolute c, chamber or total pressure c,total chamber or total pressure D, design in, inlet id, internal design w, wall CFD, Computational Fluid Dynamics EADS, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company ESA, European Space Agency ESTEC, European Space Research and Technology Center FESTIP, Future European Space Transportation Investigation Program FOI, Swedish Defense Research Agency HWK, LION, Linear Internal / External Optimized Plug Nozzle Program LPNI, Linear Plug Nozzle Investigation MSFC, Marshall Space Flight Center NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization NPR, Nozzle Pressure Ratio ONERA: Office of National Studies and Aerospace Research RTO, Research and Technology Organization SRPT, Surface Restricted Particle Traces TRP, TU Dresden, Technical University of Dresden Subscripts


The radical expansion of television broadcasting in the post-war years and beyond both reflected and promoted a cultural revolution sweeping across British society. Reaching out to a mass audience for the first time, the new television industry made visible the transition from drab austerity and seeming cultural consensus to the brash, heady glitz and individualism of the new consumer age."Television and Consumer Culture" explores television's institutional, technological and programming developments during this period, revealing how genres as different as action adventure series, serious dramas, situation comedies and quiz and game shows simultaneously promoted both consumer culture and class conflict. Drawing on historical analysis and sociological theory, and looking at issues such as celebrity, scheduling, intimacy and sociability, Turnock argues that television during this era established and promoted itself as a culturally powerful force, a fact that has implications for the way that media power is understood to operate today.


It is well known that a quantum computer can search more quickly than a classical computer while solving the so-called Grover-searching problem.We present a new searching problem which cannot be classified into Grover's problem and can be solved by using the modified searching iterations with the same efficiency as for Grover's problem.


Authors study retrospectively 81 cases of isolated recent (less than three months) knee traumas. These include clinical aspects, NMR, arthroscopy. Clinical examinations have been graded: 1. possible lesion; 2. likely lesions; 3. confirmed lesions. Clinical examinations and NMR results are compared to arthroscopy considered as reference. Clinical examination of acute traumatic knee is essential. Nevertheless, its value for detecting precise lesions is poor, except for knee locking well correlated with meniscal tears. Results show that NMR provide better results than clinical examination. NMR is reliable for detecting tears of posterior cruciate ligament, tears of posterior horn of menisci (sensibility: 93%; specificity: 80%). Its results are less effective for appreciation of lesion of anterior cruciate ligament (sensibility: 88%; specificity: 78%) because of partial tears and functional but not morphologic damage. It is the only method able to evidence osteochondral injuries and soft-tissues associated lesions in traumatic knees. Emergency NMR scans show results no differences in results compared with routine examinations. However, one should keep in mind that negative NMR cannot exclude small cartilaginous lesions and partial tears of anterior cruciate ligament. According to these results and the known qualities of NMR (non invasive), we propose that this type of investigation should be more largely included in diagnostic attitude for acute injured knee. Emergency diagnostic arthroscopy could be efficiently replaced by NMR knee examination.


In cross-device Federated Learning (FL), the communication cost of transmitting full-precision models between edge devices and a central server is a significant bottleneck, due to expensive, unreliable, and low-bandwidth wireless connections. As a solution, we propose a novel FL framework named QSFL, towards optimizing FL uplink (client-to-server) communication at both client and model levels. At the client level, we design a Qualification Judgment (QJ) algorithm to sample high-qualification clients to upload models. At the model level, we explore a Sparse Cyclic Sliding Segment (SCSS) algorithm to further compress transmitted models. We prove that QSFL can converge over wall-to-wall time, and develop an optimal hyperparameter searching algorithm based on theoretical analysis to enable QSFL to make the best trade-off between model accuracy and communication cost. Experimental results show that QSFL achieves state-of-the-art compression ratios with marginal model accuracy degradation.


As business translator trainers we have to encourage our students to practice translation into their mother tongue and into the foreign language. The aim of this paper is to present various types of exercises that we use in our classes in order to develop strategies in the practice of translation into the foreign language. These kinds of tasks are based on work previously carried out by translator trainers and researchers. First, references on teaching translation into the foreign language) will be reviewed. Then we show the kind of tasks focusing on mother tongue proficiency and translation technologies. Our experience tells us that our students seem to feel comfortable with the exercises and find them useful to face the practice of translation into non-mother tongue.


Public trust in science depends on honest and factual communication of scientific papers. However, recent studies have demonstrated a tendency of news media to misrepresent scientific papers by exaggerating their findings. Given this, we present a formalization of and study into the problem of exaggeration detection in science communication. While there are an abundance of scientific papers and popular media articles written about them, very rarely do the articles include a direct link to the original paper, making data collection challenging, and necessitating the need for few-shot learning. We address this by curating a set of labeled press release/abstract pairs from existing expert annotated studies on exaggeration in press releases of scientific papers suitable for benchmarking the performance of machine learning models on the task. Using limited data from this and previous studies on exaggeration detection in science, we introduce MT-PET, a multi-task version of Pattern Exploiting Training (PET), which leverages knowledge from complementary cloze-style QA tasks to improve few-shot learning. We demonstrate that MT-PET outperforms PET and supervised learning both when data is limited, as well as when there is an abundance of data for the main task.


On-orbit servicing missions will rely on space robots; however their complexity requires prior careful studies. Among these, robotic docking is especially challenging. In this work, the robotic impact docking between two space systems is considered. The impedance properties required to design an impedance controller are studied. These properties include the ratio of the masses between the systems under impact, the relative stiffness between the bodies of each space system and the associated damping factor. The velocity of the probe tip to be commanded is calculated aiming at successful latch at first impact. Simulation results validate the proposed approach.


Author(s): Huang, Ching-Ling | Advisor(s): Sengupta, Raja | Abstract: We address the interesting question of how multiple dynamical systems should track each other in real-time over a shared channel. This dissertation covers a wide spectrum of results on this topic: our theories, engineering designs, computer simulations, prototype implementation and real-world evaluations. This research is motivated by the V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) communications for active roadway safety, which is an important application in Intelligent Transportation Systems. Our theoretical work is presented in Chapter 2. Two formulations of real-time tracking are analyzed. In the first formulation, we assume a scalar continuous-time continuous-state source and an AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise) channel without feedback. The analysis shows the MMSE (minimum mean-squared error) optimality of the innovation encoder and its tracking performance. In the second formulation, we assume a discrete-time continuous-state LTI (linear time-invariant) source and a G/G/1-infinity queueing network to deliver the information flow of the source from the encoder to the decoder. We derived a necessary and sufficient condition for real-time tracking stability in the form of a bound on the entropy rate of the LTI source. This bound is a function of the queueing server capability and other performance parameters. In both formulations, we extend the analysis to a multiple-access channel to understand the basic principle of designing encoders for real-time tracking multiple dynamical systems over a shared channel. Our engineering designs for multiple dynamical systems to track each other over a shared channel are presented in Chapter 3. To model packet-switched networks, we assume that the source process state, e.g., a real scalar or a real vector, can be delivered in a message with negligible distortion. This assumption is valid since practical applications usually do not require infinite precision of the source state. In the analysis, we further assume a slotted ALOHA channel for tracking multiple scalar LTI systems. First, non-adaptive channel access schemes are analyzed for tracking stability and MSE (mean squared-error) performance. Adaptive transmission control schemes are then proposed for each node to adjust its message rate based on the tracking error of its own state at other nodes. With preliminary Matlab simulations, a comparison is made and a transmission rate control is proposed for vehicles to broadcast state information and track each other in real-time. This rate control has an on-demand nature and considers both tracking error and channel congestion. A microscopic traffic simulator and a network simulator are used to show that tracking performance of the proposed design is robust to variations in different traffic conditions. We start Chapter 4 by stating our understanding of the V2V safety communications problem and our design approach. The error-dependent message generation control from Chapter 3 is then enhanced with a transmission power allocation for each out-going safety message. This power control uses sensed channel utilization as side-information used by each vehicle to infer the condition of the shared channel. Our proposed rate/power control responds to channel congestion by maintaining the same information intensity, i.e., the same message rate, to as many neighboring vehicles as possible while temporarily stopping communication to farther vehicles by reducing transmission power. The robustness of the proposed design is verified by large-scale network simulations. Its real-time tracking accuracy is shown to outperform the currently proposed 100-millisecond beaconing of messages with 20-dBm transmission power. In Chapter 5, we present implementation and real-world evaluations of the V2V transmission rate and power control proposed in Chapter 4. The implementation details are described as message generation and power assignment functional blocks. We also summarize results from outdoor vehicle mobility and scalability evaluations conducted at the General Motors Technical Center. In addition, updated performance measures and simulation results are provided for challenging highway and intersection scenarios. Overall, the prototype evaluations and simulation results show the superior tracking performance of our design over the currently proposed 100-millisecond beaconing with 20-dBm power. Our design has been adopted by General Motors RaD and serves as a candidate for a national standard defining how vehicles should track each other for active roadway safety.


Formal and relational governance mechanisms are used in strategic alliances to coordinate resources and mitigate the risk of opportunistic behavior. While recent work has shown that these approaches are not mutually exclusive, we understand little about when one approach is superior to the other. Using data on the governance choices and subsequent performance of alliances in the German telecommunications industry, we find that the optimal configuration of formal and relational governance mechanisms depends on the assets involved in an alliance, with formal mechanisms best suited to property‐based assets and relational governance best suited to knowledge‐based assets. Furthermore, a mismatch between governance mechanisms and asset type can harm the performance of the alliance. Our findings contribute to transaction cost economics, the literature on relational governance, and recent work studying their interaction. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Werner syndrome (WS) is a hereditary premature aging disorder in which various signs of accelerated aging develop after puberty. These signs include gray hair, cataracts, diabetes, myocardial infarction, and malignant tumors. Patients with WS frequently show severe insulin resistance, visceral fat accumulation, and subcutaneous fat atrophy, leading to myocardial infarction due to atherosclerosis. However, the mechanism of accelerated aging and its effect on adipose tissue dysfunction and glucose intolerance remain unclear.
 Materials and Methods: We evaluated visceral fat area and insulin resistance using the glucose clamp method in four Japanese patients with WS. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) was obtained from the subcutaneous adipose tissue of WS patients (WSVF) . Healthy individuals and phenotypes were examined.
 Results: The median glucose infusion rate (GIR) was 3.78 mg/kg/min (interquartile range 3.05, 4.25; insulin infusion rate=1.25 mU/kg/min; normal range >6 mg/kg/min) . All Japanese patients showed severe insulin resistance, sarcopenia, and visceral fat accumulation. The visceral fat area and GIR were inversely correlated (R2=0.72) . In vitro analysis of WSVF revealed early replicative senescence and an increase in SAβgal staining. A significant increase was observed in the expression of senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP) , such as IL1B, IL6, and CXCL8 (p<0.01) , and the senescence marker CDKN2A (p=0.094) . RNA-seq analysis showed that genes related to cell adhesion and cell structure were upregulated in WSVF, whereas genes related to chromosomes, nuclear division, and cell cycle were downregulated. Adipose differentiation was suppressed in WSVF.
 Conclusions: SVF from the adipose tissue of WS patients exhibited cellular senescence and increased inflammatory cytokine production. Cellular senescence and chronic inflammation of adipose tissue induced by SASP may exacerbate insulin resistance in WS patients.

 D.Sawada: None. T.Takatani: None. H.Hamada: None. K.Yokote: None. H.Kato: n/a. Y.Maezawa: None. D.Kinoshita: None. S.Funayama: None. H.Kaneko: None. T.Minamizuka: None. M.Koshizaka: None. T.Shiohama: None.

 JSPS (20K17485) , AMED (21bm0804016h0005)


As circuit density increases and high-power applications are facilitated, thermal considerations become paramount a design concern. In this paper, a high power monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) is modeled by the fREEDA multi-physics simulator and measured for validation. While validation is the crux of any simulation model, it is known that thermal measurements accurate to a high resolution are problematic. As such, the thermal profile of integrated circuits cannot be measured directly with infrared thermal imaging due to unequivalent emissivities of materials. It becomes necessary to use an absorptive ink to approximate a blackbody so that the infrared emissions can be used to infer temperature. The impact and effect of this thermal imaging technique is investigated in this work by comparing measurements with detailed thermal simulations with and without the surface treatment. Thermal analysis uses the finite element method and a reduced-order model based on cuboids with effective thermal conductivities. The end goal is to provide a simulation tool to designers, which can be extended to any project which requires attention to thermal preference.


In 2015, Guglielmi and Badia discussed optimal strategies in a particular type of service system with two strategic servers. In their setup, each server can be either active or inactive and an active server can be requested to transmit a sequence of packets. The servers have varying probabilities of successfully transmitting when they are active, and both servers receive a unit reward if the sequence of packets is transmitted successfully. Guglielmi and Badia provided an analysis of optimal strategies in four scenarios: where each server does not know the other's successful transmission probability; one of the two servers is always inactive; each server knows the other's successful transmission probability and they are willing to cooperate. Unfortunately, the analysis by Guglielmi and Badia contained some errors. In this paper we correct these errors. We discuss three cases where both servers (I) communicate and cooperate; (II) neither communicate nor cooperate; (III) communicate but do not cooperate. In particular, we obtain the unique Nash equilibrium strategy in Case II through a Bayesian game formulation, and demonstrate that there is a region in the parameter space where there are multiple Nash equilibria in Case III. We also quantify the value of communication or cooperation by comparing the social welfare in the three cases, and propose possible regulations to make the Nash equilibrium strategy the socially optimal strategy for both Cases II and III.


M. Tamulaitiene, M. Jaramaviciene, J. Jaramavicius, V. Alekna. Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania Objectives: To analyze the methods of treatment and outcome of hip fractures in Lithuania. Methods: This population-based retrospective study was performed collecting the data from all orthopaedic inpatient departments in Lithuania. The records of subjects, who were hospitalized because of primary hip fracture (ICD-10 codes S72.0, S72.1 and S72.2) at the age over 40 years in 2010, were examined. Methods of treatment were conservative and surgical, while the latter was divided into fixation by screws, plate or intramedullary nail (IN), and total hip arthroplasty (TA). The outcomes included death, transfer to another department, discharge home or long-term hospital, and rehabilitation. Results: In 2010, 2626 hip fractures occurred in Lithuania. The most common method used was osteosynthesis: fixation by plate accounted for 41.4%, screw – 21.1%), and by IN – in 3.4% of cases. TAwas used in 25.9% and conservative treatment – in 8.1% of patients. After fixation by screws, plates and IN, the majority of patients were discharged home (42.5%, 35.8% and 37.8%, respectively) or to long-term care hospital (24.5%, 22% and 32.2%, respectively). Otherwise, after TA, 70.1% of patients underwent rehabilitation. Among patients treated conservatively, 39.7% were transferred to another department, ant their mortality rate was highest (4.2%). Number of deaths was lowest after treatment with screws (0.7%). Conclusion: In 2010, in Lithuania, the majority of patients with hip fracture were treated with osteosynthesis using the external fixation. Rehabilitation was more often outcome of treatment using total hip arthroplasty, as compared to osteosynthesis.


The traditional geometric modeling is generally described by means of Euclidean geometry, and objects for the geometric modeling are usually artificial work-pieces with smooth and regular contour. However in real world, there are so many irregular geometric objects(such as cavernous body, geological body, rough surface body and so on) with extremely complicated structure that the constructing method based on Euclidean geometry equation has been already helpless, while the process constructing method based on fractal geometry can. Taking rough surface body as examples, in order to explore a method for non-rule geometric modeling based on step-by-step subdivision. Research shows that such methods can preferably represent structure characteristics of non-rule geometric modeling, consequently opening up a new way for expanding the scope of geometric modeling and enhancing the capability of CAD.


Background/Aims: Extracellular volume (ECV) overload is a mortality risk factor in hemodialysis patients, but no standard approach exists to objectively assess this clinically. We aimed to quantify relationships between slopes of repeated intradialytic blood pressure (BP) measurements and ECV. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 71 hemodialysis patients, we calculated BP slopes from all intradialytic measurements using Gaussian regression. We measured extracellular and total body water (TBW) with bioimpedance spectroscopy. We analyzed unconditional and conditional associations between BP slope and volume metrics with mixed linear models and sensitivity analyses using non-linear intradialytic BP trajectory. Results: Mean systolic intradialytic BP slope (IBPS) was –0.06 (0.1) mm Hg/min. Post-dialysis extracellular water (ECW)/weight was the volume metric mostly strongly associated with slope (r = 0.34, p = 0.007 for unconditional analysis; β = 1.45, p = 0.001 for conditional analysis). Among subjects with post-dialysis systolic BP ≥130 mm Hg, the association strengthened (r = 0.40, p = 0.006; β = 1.42, p = 0.003). ECV was more strongly associated with the BP slope than with pre-dialysis, post-dialysis, or delta systolic BP (r = –0.07, 0.19, 0.28; p = 0.6, 0.1, 0.03). In nonlinear models, BP trajectory also had the strongest association with post-dialysis ECW/body weight (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In hypertensive hemodialysis patients, measurements of ECV excess are more strongly associated with IBPSs than with pre-dialysis, post-dialysis, or change in systolic BP. Among varying volume metrics, post-dialysis ECW/weight has the strongest association with these slopes. Determining IBPS is a novel method to optimize clinical assessment of ECV in hemodialysis patients.


3-Keto-l-gulonate 6-phosphate decarboxylase (KGPDC) and d-arabino-hex-3-ulose 6-phosphate synthase (HPS) are members of the orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) suprafamily [Wise, E., Yew, W. S., Babbitt, P. C., Gerlt, J. A., and Rayment, I. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 3861-3869], a group of homologous enzymes that share the (beta/alpha)(8)-barrel fold. KGPDC catalyzes a Mg(2+)-dependent decarboxylation reaction in the catabolic pathway of l-ascorbate utilization by Escherichia coli K-12 [Yew, W. S., and Gerlt, J. A. (2002) J.Bacteriol. 184, 302-306]; HPS catalyzes a Mg(2+)-dependent aldol condensation between formaldehyde and d-ribulose 5-phosphate in formaldehyde-fixing methylotrophic bacteria [Kato, N., Ohashi, H., Hori, T., Tani, Y., and Ogata, K. (1977) Agric. Biol. Chem. 41, 1133-1140]. Our previous studies of the KGPDC from E. coli established the occurrence of a stabilized cis-enediolate intermediate [Yew, W. S., Wise, E., Rayment, I., and Gerlt, J. A. (2004) Biochemistry 43, 6427-6437; Wise, E., Yew, W. S., Gerlt, J. A., and Rayment, I. (2004) Biochemistry 43, 6438-6446]. Although the mechanism of the HPS-catalyzed reaction has not yet been investigated, it also is expected to involve a Mg(2+)-stabilized cis-enediolate intermediate. We now have discovered that the KGPDC from E. coli and the HPS from Methylomonas aminofaciens are both naturally promiscuous for the reaction catalyzed by the homologue. On the basis of the alignment of the sequences of orthologous KGPDC's and HPS's, four conserved active site residues in the KGPDC from E. coli were mutated to those conserved in HPS's (E112D/R139V/T169A/R192A): the value of the k(cat) for the promiscuous HPS activity was increased as much as 170-fold (for the E112D/R139V/T169A/R192A mutant), and the value of k(cat)/K(m) was increased as much as 260-fold (for the E112D/R139V/T169A mutant); in both cases, the values of the kinetic constants for the natural KGPDC activity were decreased. Together with the structures of mutants reported in the accompanying manuscript [Wise, E. L., Yew, W. S., Akana, J., Gerlt, J. A., and Rayment, I., accompanying manuscript], these studies illustrate that large changes in catalytic efficiency can be accomplished with only modest changes in active site structure. Thus, the (beta/alpha)(8)-barrel fold shared by members of the OMPDC suprafamily appears well-suited for the evolution of new functions.


Comparing learned representations is a challenging problem which has been ap-proached in different ways. The CKA similarity metric, particularly it's linear variant, has recently become a popular approach and has been widely used to compare representations of a network's different layers, of similar networks trained differently, or of models with different architectures trained on the same data. CKA results have been used to make a wide variety of claims about similarity and dissimilarity of these various representations. In this work we investigate several weaknesses of the CKA similarity metric, demonstrating situations in which it gives unexpected or counterintuitive results. We then study approaches for mod-ifying representations to maintain functional behaviour while changing the CKA value. Indeed we illustrate in some cases the CKA value can be heavily manipulated without substantial changes to the functional behaviour.


We formulate a block-iterative algorithmic scheme for the solution of systems of linear inequalities and/or equations and analyze its convergence. This study provides as special cases proofs of convergence of (i) the recently proposed component averaging (CAV) method of Censor, Gordon, and Gordon [Parallel Comput., 27 (2001), pp. 777--808], (ii) the recently proposed block-iterative CAV (BICAV) method of the same authors [IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging, 20 (2001), pp. 1050--1060], and (iii) the simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) of Andersen and Kak [ Ultrasonic Imaging, 6 (1984), pp. 81--94] and generalizes them to linear inequalities. The first two algorithms are projection algorithms which use certain generalized oblique projections and diagonal weighting matrices which reflect the sparsity of the underlying matrix of the linear system. The previously reported experimental acceleration of the initial behavior of CAV and BICAV is thus complemented here by a mathematical study of the convergence of the algorithms.


Background People with schizophrenia are at high risk of psychotic relapse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity and temporal link of early signs to this. Methods A study sample of 60 out-patients with schizophrenia was examined every second week over a period of six months. The study design included self-reporting (Early Signs Scale) and objective assessment (General Psychopathology of Positive and Negative Symptom Scale) of behavioural and phenomenological changes (early signs). Criterion cut-off points were based on a comparison to the subjects' individual baseline scores. Results Twenty-seven subjects (45%) experienced a relapse. Composite increased score ($ 10 points) of self-reported/objectively assessed early signs predicted the relapse with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 79%. Thus the predictive validity of early signs of relapse was considerable, particularly self-reporting of early signs of relapse: sensitivity 74% and specificity 79%. The inclusion of objective assessment added only marginally to the prediction. Early signs were detected most often (70%) within the four weeks immediately before the individuals' relapse. Conclusion Psychotic relapse is most often preceded by early signs. Clinical practice should integrate this knowledge by an ongoing monitoring including self-reporting.


Despite considerable feminist critiques of British health visiting work which have pointed to its gendered nature, this issue has received very little attention within the professional literature. The emphasis has been upon the 'health' focus, often highlighting the needs of marginalized groups. The recent professional interest in women experiencing domestic violence draws upon a long-standing feminist concern which has established the extent and nature of domestic violence, and the difficulties facing women in seeking help about their situation. The present paper reports some findings from a study of British health visiting practice in relation to women experiencing domestic violence. Drawing upon interview data from 24 health visitors, this paper focuses specifically upon health visitors' accounts of their practice in relation to both children and men when they were aware women were experiencing domestic violence. Their concerns, which include child welfare and personal safety illustrate some of the complexities facing practitioners when faced with domestic violence situations. The analysis also highlights the gendered practices inherent within health visiting work.


This paper is a discussion of some themes from Justice: Rights and Wrongs, by Nicholas Wolterstorff. The paper begins with a discussion of Wolterstorff's distinction between justice as inherent rights and justice as inherent worth. It is suggested that what especially distinguishes Wolterstorff's position is his grounding of rights in divine love. An elucidation and defence of an Aristotelian eudaimonist grounding for rights is offered. The paper ends with a critique of the ideas that human well-being can be understood in terms of what God desires for us and that our worth depends on God's love.


Many approaches to learning in games fall into one of two broad classes: reinforcement and belief learning models. Reinforcement learning assumes that successful past actions have a higher probability to be played in the future. Belief learning assumes that players have beliefs about which action the opponent(s) will choose and that players determine their own choice of action by finding the action with the highest payoff given the beliefs about the actions of others. Belief learning and (a specific type of) reinforcement learning are special cases of a hybrid learning model called Experience Weighted Attraction (EWA). Some previous studies explicitly state that it is difficult to determine the underlying process (either reinforcement learning, belief learning, or something else) that generated the data for several games. This leads to the main question of this thesis: Can we distinguish between different types of EWA-based learning, with reinforcement and belief learning as special cases, in repeated 2 x 2 games? In Chapter 2 we derive predictions for behavior in three types of games using the EWA learning model using the concept of stability: there is a large probability that all players will make the same choice in round t +1 as in t. Herewith, we conclude that belief and reinforcement learning can be distinguished, even in 2 x 2 games. Maximum differentiation in behavior resulting from either belief or reinforcement learning is obtained in games with pure Nash equilibria with negative payoffs and at least one other strategy combination with only positive payoffs. Our results help researchers to identify games in which belief and reinforcement learning can be discerned easily. Our theoretical results imply that the learning models can be distinguished after a sufficient number of rounds have been played, but it is not clear how large that number needs to be. It is also not clear how likely it is that stability actually occurs in game play. Thereto, we also examine the main question by simulating data from learning models in Chapter 3. We use the same three types of 2 x 2 games as before and investigate whether we can discern between reinforcement and belief learning in an experimental setup. Our conclusion is that this is also possible, especially in games with positive payoffs and in the repeated Prisoner's Dilemma game, even when the repeated game has a relatively small number of rounds. We also show that other characteristics of the players' behavior, such as the number of times a player changes strategy and the number of strategy combinations the player uses, can help differentiate between the two learning models. So far, we only considered "pure" belief and "pure" reinforcement learning, and nothing in between. For Chapter 4, we therefore consider a broader class of learning models and we try to find under which conditions, we can re-estimate three parameters of EWA learning model from simulated data, generated for different games and scenarios. The results show low rates of convergence of the estimation algorithm, and even if the algorithm converges then biased estimates of the parameters are obtained most of the time. Hence, we must conclude that re-estimating the exact parameters in a quantitative manner is difficult in most experimental setups. However, qualitatively we can find patterns that pinpoint in the direction of either belief or reinforcement learning. Finally, in the last chapter, we study the effect of a player's social preferences on his own payoff in 2 x 2 games with only a mixed strategy equilibrium, under the assumption that the other player has no social preferences. We model social preferences with the Fehr-Schmidt inequity aversion model, which contains parameters for "envy" and "spite". Eighteen different mixed equilibrium games are identified that can be classified into Regret games, Risk games, and RiskRegret games, with six games in each class. The effects of envy and spite in these games are studied in five different status scenarios in which the player with social preferences receives much higher, mostly higher, about equal, mostly lower, or much lower payoffs. The theoretical and simulation results reveal that the effects of social preferences are variable across scenarios and games, even within scenario-game combinations. However, we can conclude that the effects of envy and spite are analogous, on average beneficial to the player with the social preferences, and most positive when the payoffs are about equal and in Risk games.


BACKGROUND The broader use of high-throughput technologies has led to improved molecular characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AIM To comprehensively analyze and characterize all publicly available genomic, gene expression, methylation, miRNA and proteomic data in HCC, covering 85 studies and 3355 patient sample profiles, to identify the key dysregulated genes and pathways they affect. METHODS We collected and curated all well-annotated and publicly available high-throughput datasets from PubMed and Gene Expression Omnibus derived from human HCC tissue. Comprehensive pathway enrichment analysis was performed using pathDIP for each data type (genomic, gene expression, methylation, miRNA and proteomic), and the overlap of pathways was assessed to elucidate pathway dependencies in HCC. RESULTS We identified a total of 8733 abstracts retrieved by the search on PubMed on HCC for the different layers of data on human HCC samples, published until December 2016. The common key dysregulated pathways in HCC tissue across different layers of data included epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and β1-integrin pathways. Genes along these pathways were significantly and consistently dysregulated across the different types of high-throughput data and had prognostic value with respect to overall survival. Using CTD database, estradiol would best modulate and revert these genes appropriately. CONCLUSION By analyzing and integrating all available high-throughput genomic, transcriptomic, miRNA, methylation and proteomic data from human HCC tissue, we identified EGFR, β1-integrin and axon guidance as pathway dependencies in HCC. These are master regulators of key pathways in HCC, such as the mTOR, Ras/Raf/MAPK and p53 pathways. The genes implicated in these pathways had prognostic value in HCC, with Netrin and Slit3 being novel proteins of prognostic importance to HCC. Based on this integrative analysis, EGFR, and β1-integrin are master regulators that could serve as potential therapeutic targets in HCC.


Layer 2 Virtual Private Network (L2VPN) is widely deployed in both service provider networks and enterprises. However, legacy L2VPN solutions have scalability limitations in the context of Data Center (DC) interconnection and networking which require new approaches that address the requirements of service providers for virtual private cloud services. Recently, Ethernet VPN (EVPN) has been proposed to address many of those concerns and vendors started to deploy EVPN based solutions in DC edge routers. However, manual configuration leads to a time-consuming, error-prone configuration and high operational costs. Automating the EVPN deployment from cloud platforms such as OpenStack enhances both the deployment and flexibility of EVPN Instances (EVIs). This paper proposes a Software Defined Network (SDN) based framework that automates the EVPN deployment and management inside SDN-based DCs using OpenStack and OpenDaylight (ODL). We implemented and extended several modules inside ODL controller to manage and interact with EVIs and an interface to OpenStack that allows the deployment and configuration of EVIs. We conclude with scalability analysis of our solution.


Both orange and grapefruit juice contain significant amounts of organic acids. Two, malic and citric acid, are present in large quantity. The third one, isocitric acid, is present in the juice in very small amounts but is particularly important in determining the authenticity of citrus juices. In the present study, samples of orange and grapefruit juices were collected between October 2000 and June 2001 and analyzed for organic acids by capillary electrophoresis with conductivity detection with a method developed previously. Changes in organic acid levels were compared to the variations in Brix/ acid ratio and acidity. For isocitric acid, the same pattern was found for each of the three orange varieties: the ratio varies in opposite manner as compared with isocitric acid. High acid levels and low ratios are found in the early fruit and the opposite become true for mature oranges. In the case of grapefruit juice, the same inverse relation between isocitric acid levels and ratio was also seen. However, since there are no varieties maturing successively, the high level of acid recorded early in the season fell rapidly.


Antiseptics and disinfectants are important substances for medical care. However, the needs for new antiseptics have increased in the last few years, due to multi-drug resistant pathogens. In this study we aimed to evaluate, the efficacy of 2-aminoindanbiguanide chloride (2-AIB.HCI) and 2-aminoindanbiguanideacetate (2-AIB.HOAc) salts that were synthesized against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) (Acinetobacter spp, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae). According to our resultsat70 mg/mL concentrations of 2-AIB.HCI and 2-AIB.HOAc salts have been confirmed to be effective against hospital infection causing MDR-GNB. It was shown that 2-AIB.HCI and 2AIB.HOAc salts have antibacterial efficacy against MDR-GNB.


Common data bases are now trumpeted as providing companies deliverance from a variety of information systems maladies. The author presents a down-to-earth manager's perspective of these data bases in answering the basic questions: What is the structure of a data base? What are its potential benefits, and which companies can and cannot secure these benefits? The role of general managers in data-base development is also discussed.


Even if the airflow in the upper airway is insignificant, tracheal sounds emitted during apnea and just at the resumption of ventilation have their origin in the inspiratory depression created around the pharyngeal collapse. We aimed to establish a link between the characteristics of chocking sounds (CS) and the nature of the apnea characterized using polysomnography (PSG) with AASM 2012 criteria. Tracheal sounds were sampled at 4 kHz with 16 bits. The PSG recordings used for this study have a signal-to-noise ratio high enough to recognize the pulse signal. We studied the last 10 seconds of apneas and the resumption of ventilation. We characterize mixed or obstructive apneas by the presence of CS and central apnea by the absence of CS. The CS are characterized by their mid-inspiration snoring spectrum that can occur in any hyperventilation following an apnea. The detection of CS from the intermittent (during apnea) or permanent (at the end of apnea) clearing of the temporary obstacle is optimized using ROC curves. The study was conducted on 12 PSG recordings containing 342 obstructive, 240 mixed and 137 central apneas. The optimization criteria require a minimum CS above the background noise of 32 dB during apnea and 34 dB at the end of apnea. Mixed and obstructive sleep apneas are recognized with a sensitivity of 95.5% and a specificity of 95.5%. CS at the end of apneas correctly characterize obstructive events. Their absence indicates that the apneas are central. This study confirms the role of efforts that generate CS during arousal. Finally, compared to qualitative assessment of respiratory efforts using the thoracoabdominal movements, this method introduces a quantitative assessment of respiratory efforts.


NK cells respond to infected and transformed cells using germline-encoded NK receptors (NKRs). Collectively, these NKRs combine to form distinct repertoires that tune the NK cell response. To provide a framework for understanding how perturbations in expression of NKRs influence disease pathogenesis, we defined the phenotypic heterogeneity of NK cells in 22 healthy individuals (ages 21-62; M=10, F=12), including 5 sets of monozygotic twins. Using mass cytometry, surface expression of 38 markers specific for NKRs and lineage markers to identify B cells, T cells and myeloid cells were examined. KIR and HLA class I genotypes were determined by Luminex, and KIR gene content was further assessed using pyrosequencing. NK cell populations, as defined by inhibitory NKRs, were highly concordant between twins (R2 = 0.90) in comparison to unrelated individuals (R2 = 0.66), indicating that the inhibitory repertoire is highly genetically determined. However, when analyzing all twenty-five NKRs, including activating receptors, the concordance in twins (R2=0.34) and in unrelated individuals (R2=0.11) was greatly decreased, indicating significant environmental influence in determining the overall NK cell repertoire. Overall, these analyses reveal tremendous diversity within the NK repertoire that is both genetically and environmentally determined, and offer the ability to examine the functional capacity of NK cells with far greater resolution.


Eighteen patients with essential hypertension uncontrolled by hydrochlorothiazide alone were randomly assigned to receive additional therapy with either guanadrel sulfate or guanethidine sulfate. The frequencies of morning orthostatic faintness, other orthostatic faintness, and diarrhea were twice as high in eight patients treated with guanethidine as in ten patients treated with guanadrel in a six-month comparison. The two drugs reduced blood pressure about equally well. In light of the efficacy without severe side effects, guanadrel may be an agent for step II therapy of hypertension.


The taxonomic status of Jalmenus eubulus Miskin stat. rev. is revised and considered to be specifically distinct from J. evagoras (Donovan) based on fundamental differences in morphology, ecology and genetics. Miskin's holotype is fixed by monotypy and illustrated, with type locality Rockhampton, Queensland. Fixed differences in the mitochondrial genomes of J. eubulus and J. evagoras in which the mean pairwise divergence is only 0.85% indicate absence of matrilineal gene flow, whereas allozyme data show significant structure within and between populations of both species consistent with recent diversification. Underlying causes for the observed genetic patterns are investigated. The two species are parapatric, with a narrow range of overlap along the Great Escarpment in south-eastern Queensland. Jalmenus eubulus is restricted to vegetation communities comprising brigalow-dominated old-growth open-forests and woodlands in the Brigalow Belt (with larvae monophagous on Acacia harpophylla F. Muell. Ex Benth), whereas J. evagoras occurs in a range of disturbed eucalypt woodlands/open-forests predominantly in montane and coastal areas east of this bioregion (with larvae polyphagous on Acacia species other than A. harpophylla). The conservation status of J. eubulus is considered to be vulnerable nationally and critically endangered in New South Wales according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria. Nationally, the geographic range has an estimated area of occupancy of less than 2000 km2, is severely fragmented, and the extent or quality of its habitat, which is poorly conserved, continues to decline. It is recommended that the taxon be used as an indicator for identification of remnant old-growth forest for conservation planning, as well as a flagship for the conservation of invertebrate biodiversity associated with this threatened ecological community.


Black Americans tend to die at younger ages than white Americans. Black Americans are also more likely than white Americans to experience the premature death of mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and other relatives and friends. In this brief, PRC director Debra Umberson presents a conceptual framework for how disparities in loss launch a lifelong cascade of psychological, social, behavioral, and biological consequences that undermine social connections, health, and well-being over the life course for black Americans.


More than 100 years after the death of designer William Morris, the Arts and Crafts Movement is enjoying a revival, becoming more popular than it was during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Attracted by its attention to quality and design, admirersfrom Hollywood stars to young people furnishing their first homeare appreciate the designs from Morris, De Morgan, Dresser, Tinworth, Marshall, Barlow, Pearson, Bell, and many more. This new book celebrates the very best designs in ceramics, furniture, metalwares, and the fine arts. With over 250 color photographs it is a treasure trove of visual information. Some of the worlds most renowned experts have contributed their scholarship, including Stephen Calloway, Francis King, Andrew Barlow, John Catleugh, Max Donnelly, Mark Golding, Harry Lyons, Barbara Morris, and Peter Rose. Honesty of purpose, fine craftsmanship, and respect for good design are as valued now as when they first became the tenets of Arts & Crafts philosophy in late-Victorian England. This book is a source of inspiration and education for collectors around the world.


Multibeam maps and high-resolution seismic images from the Maldives reveal that a late Miocene to early Pliocene partial drowning of the platform was linked to strong sea-bottom currents. In the upper Miocene to Holocene, currents shaped the drowned banks, the current moats along the bank edges, and the submarine dune fields. Bottom currents in the Maldives are driven by the monsoon. It is proposed that the onset and the intensification of the monsoon during the Neogene provoked platform drowning through injection of nutrients into surface waters. Since the late Miocene, topographically triggered nutrient upwelling and vigorous currents switched the Maldives atolls into an aggradational to backstepping mode, which is a growth pattern usually attributed to episodes of rising sea level.


HR Wallingford was commissioned by The Rural Research Institute of the Korea Agricultural and Rural Infrastructure Corporation to carry out various studies relating to the final closure of the Saemangeum project offshore dikes currently under construction on the western coastline of South Korea. In addition to the numerical modelling of the complete closure works, reported separately, a schematised physical model of one of the closure gaps was constructed to investigate the flow regime during the final 100m of dike closure.