Summary 1. Savannas throughout the world are characterized by spatial gradients of resources created by scattered overstorey trees. These gradients are important for maintenance of understorey biodiversity; however, they may be disrupted by woody encroachment, resulting in alterations to understorey vegetation. Little is known about the status of understorey gradients in encroached savannas, or whether they redevelop during restoration and if so, by what mechanism. 2. We used a large-scale restoration experiment with Midwestern oak savannas (USA) to address these issues. We established understorey transects radiating from overstorey Quercus alba L. trees to inter-canopy gaps in four control and four restoration treatment sites. Along each transect, we sampled understorey vegetation over three field seasons and we recorded physical factors in the final year of study. 3. Restoration produced a strong relationship between visible sky (e.g. light penetrating to the understorey) and distance from overstorey trees, while none existed in control sites. Restored sites had greater variability in soil moisture due to higher levels immediately after rain at all distances from trees, coupled with greater drying rates, particularly at farther distances from overstorey trees. With restoration, a positive relationship between cover by understorey vegetation and distance from overstorey trees developed and strengthened over time, whereas no relationship existed in control sites. Cover by each of the major functional groups, forbs, graminoids, and woody species, contributed to this pattern. Furthermore, after restoration, species richness increased with distance from overstorey trees in the final year of study. 4. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) showed that common understorey species were correlated with gradients of canopy cover and soil moisture, which were associated with restoration plots, and gradients of soil texture and N, which were associated with both restoration and control plots. Furthermore, restoration strengthened correlations between NMS plot scores and distance from overstorey trees. 5. Synthesis and applications. Re-establishing overstorey structure was an important step during restoration of the oak savannas in this study. While encroached savannas contained a homogenized understorey, restored sites contained understorey patterning typical of intact savannas. The timeframe for re-establishment ‐ within years of restoration, after decades of degradation ‐ demonstrates high resiliency and suggests restorability of other highly degraded sites; however, we recognize the importance of prescribed fire for maintaining open savanna structure and, probably, promoting further understorey pattern development.


One of UNESCO's overriding aim is to ensure that all tertiary institutions both colleges of education/polytechnics, and universities have access to the best of educational facilities necessary to prepare young people to play full roles in modern society and to contribute to a knowledge nation. They maintain a capacity to advise national government on the use of technology in schools and in particular on the use of institutional delivery tools. It defines ICTS, classified four basic institutional uses of such as retrieval of new knowledge and integration of evolving technologies for the management of teaching and learning. E-learning, blended learning, open and distance learning, learner centered environment as well as to improve quality of education were highlighted challenges confronting institutional delivery were examined. Recommendations were made which include the parliamentarian should pass a bill on stabilizing the price of educational tools in the markets to make it affordable for students to acquire at a reduced rate. Also conferences, workshops and symposium should be organized to train people and enlighten them on the need for instructional delivery in schools.


Purpose: The article evaluates Vietnam's Energy Development Strategy to 2030 and vision to 2045, according to Vietnam Credit, 2019 and Base on Ref. 55-NQ/TW Resolution of the politburo On Orientations of the Viet Nam's National Energy Development Strategy to 2030 and outlook to 2045. Viet Nam 's Energy company need to reset up the strategy and review long term plan to adapt resolution No 55-NQ/TW. Approach/Methodology/Design: This study conducted a systematic review of various documents and secondary data from various sources. Findings: the paper shows that it is vital to balance the energy supply-demand in terms of oil and gas, coal, renewable energy, and other energy sources. The gap between the supply and demand is the framework to setup strategy. Practical Implications: The result of the paper is towards an overview formulate and implement the Vietnam power sector development strategy for the new period. Enable the rapid and sustainable development of power sources, with well-designed structure and allocation, to ensure safety, reliability, stability towards diversification, an increased active power factor, and proper power reserve; and to meet the requirements for the protection of the ecological environment.


We present a neural semantic parser that translates natural language questions into executable SQL queries with two key ideas. First, we develop an encoder-decoder model, where the decoder uses a simple type system of SQL to constraint the output prediction, and propose a value-based loss when copying from input tokens. Second, we explore using the execution semantics of SQL to repair decoded programs that result in runtime error or return empty result. We propose two model-agnostics repair approaches, an ensemble model and a local program repair, and demonstrate their effectiveness over the original model. We evaluate our model on the WikiSQL dataset and show that our model achieves close to state-of-the-art results with lesser model complexity.


The article discusses the film Feast directed by Alexey Krasovsky (2018). The analysis focuses on the use of the comic genre to portray the tragic events of the Siege of Leningrad. It is shown that the director of Feast intentionally chose such comically charged, 'non-realistic' poetics to satisfy the audience's demand for alternative ways of depicting war, different from those employed by Russian mainstream cinema. For the director, comedy becomes an attempt to break the stereotypical depictions of war-related events in Russian cinema. By choosing an unconventional genre, Feast challenges the viewers to form their own opinions about history and art. The semantics of Feast is not limited to its underlying political message but produces a deeper aesthetic message about the fundamental impossibility of an unbiased and truthful commentary on war: whatever we try, such commentary would always remain a construct geared towards the needs, worldviews or demands of certain audiences.


The Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attack is one of the most well known attacks in computer security, representing one of the biggest concerns for security professionals. MITM targets the actual data that flows between endpoints, and the confidentiality and integrity of the data itself. In this paper, we extensively review the literature on MITM to analyse and categorize the scope of MITM attacks, considering both a reference model, such as the open systems interconnection (OSI) model, as well as two specific widely used network technologies, i.e., GSM and UMTS. In particular, we classify MITM attacks based on several parameters, like location of an attacker in the network, nature of a communication channel, and impersonation techniques. Based on an impersonation techniques classification, we then provide execution steps for each MITM class. We survey existing countermeasures and discuss the comparison among them. Finally, based on our analysis, we propose a categorisation of MITM prevention mechanisms, and we identify some possible directions for future research.


Nowadays, the productions of biodiesel from renewable sources such as palm oil
have been extensively studied due to the depletion of fossil fuel. The difficulties
during the separation and purification of the homogeneous catalyst used in the
production of biodiesel product led to the development of a heterogeneous catalyst.
In this study, heterogeneous Cu-based catalyst was successfully synthesized using
impregnation associated with sonochemical method. Two types of catalysts support
(A1203 and MgO) were optimized and activated under two different activation
conditions (air and nitrogen). Four parameters were optimized which are i)
sonication time, ii) activation procedure (time and gas), iii) catalyst support (Al₂O₅
and MgO) and iv) metal loading (5 to 20 wt. %). Throughout the characterization
data, it was confirmed that the optimized activation condition was at 90 minutes
sonication time either 3 hours under nitrogen activation condition or 4 hours under
air activation condition. From the XRD analysis, it was revealed the formation of
CuO phase under air condition (20CuAA(4h)) produced smaller average crystal size
of 23.6 nm compared to Cu phase produced under nitrogen condition
(20CuAN(3h)), 30.1 nm. Moreover, effect of catalyst support has confirmed the
MgO catalyst (10CuMA) produced highly dispersed of CuO phase with an average
crystal size smaller than Ah03 catalyst (10CuAA), 8.5 and 24.7 nm respectively.
FESEM and TEM analysis also confirmed the MgO catalyst (10CuMA) produces small
CuO nanocatalyst with lamella-like structure. The selected catalyst (5 to 20 wt. %
of CuO/MgO catalyst) was performed under the transesterification reaction with a
fixed parameter: 1 % w/w catalyst, temperature (65°C), molar ratio of methanol
to oil (10:1) and 6 hours reaction time. Throughout the study, 10 wt. % of
CuO/MgO catalyst (10CuMA) showed a high catalytic activity with high conversion
and high selectivity of palmitic acid, 97.2 % and 51.5 % respectively. From the XRD
analysis, it was observed an average crystal size of CuO for 10CuMA catalyst was
8.5 nm. While from the BET analysis, it showed the 10CuMA catalysts is a
mesoporous nanocatalyst (133.9 cm³ g⁻¹) with an average pore diameter is less
than 5 nm. FESEM and TEM analysis observed the 10CuMA catalyst consist of
nanoparticles with lamella-like structure. From the thermal analysis, it was
determined the 10CuMA catalyst consists of three stages of thermal decomposition
with 29.4 % of weight loss and 70.6 % of ash residue. Overall the biodiesel
produced by the 10CuMA catalyst meet the requirement of EN14214 standards with
the acid value of less than 0.5 mg' KOH g-l and low iodine value.


Progress in superconducting bulk materials has been somewhat overshadowed by the considerable effort required to produce practical long-length conductors. There has, however, been steady progress in both the materials science of bulk superconducting materials and the technologies required to use them effectively in engineering applications. In particular, magnetised bulk superconductors are capable of acting as quasi-permanent magnets with the potential of providing magnetic fields of several tesla or greater from a small volume of material, they can act as magnetic shields and they can provide self-stabilised levitation. This roadmap, based on a workshop which involved the participation of a wide range of academic and industrial participants (see doi: 10.17863/CAM.586 for details of the workshop methodology), aims to explore some of the key potential domains of application of bulk superconductors. Detailed technological roadmaps are presented for four key applications that were identified as providing both good market opportunity and feasibility. These are: portable systems for bulk superconductivity; portable, high-field magnet systems for medical devices; ultra-light superconducting rotating machines for next-generation transport & power applications; and magnetic shielding applications for electric machines, equipment and other high-field devices.


This is a new and fully updated edition of the Paperback Oxford English Dictionary, offering over 120,000 words, phrases, and definitions. It covers all the words you need for everyday use, carefully selected from the evidence of the Oxford English Corpus, a databank of 21st century English, containing hundreds of millions of words. For the new edition the definitions are clearer than ever before and there are extra usage notes to help with tricky points of grammar. Brand-new spelling notes give quick and easy help on commonly misspelled words, such as exaggerate and necessary. A brand-new Factfinder centre section gives quick-reference entries on people, places, and events, as well as useful lists of, for example, the world's seas and oceans, presidents and prime ministers, and countries and currencies. This portable and affordable dictionary is ideal for puzzle and crossword-solving, but also perfect for general reference at home, at school, or in the office. A new open design ensures that this dictionary is even more accessible and easier to use than ever before. The dictionary includes 3 months' access* to Oxford's premium online dictionary and thesaurus service, Oxford Dictionaries Pro, updated regularly with the latest developments to words and meanings, so you will have the most accurate picture of English available. Find out more about our living language using Oxford Dictionaries Pro. Hear how words are spoken with thousands of audio pronunciations, and access over 1.9 million real English example sentences to see how words are used in context. Improve your confidence in writing with helpful grammar and punctuation guides, full thesaurus information, style and usage help, and much more. *Available in selected markets (UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, and South Africa). Terms and conditions apply; please see www.oxforddictionaries.com/access for information.


Aphids are among the most severe invertebrate pests of crops and cause high economic losses. The control of aphids by natural enemies is an essential ecosystem service with high relevance to management strategies applied in agricultural plant production and horticulture. However, the current knowledge on the effectiveness of specialist and generalist predators in aphid control with respect to host plants and climatic conditions has not yet been summarized in a meta-analytical approach. We collected 60 studies providing 168 independent cases of predator exclusion experiments to analyse how predator and host plant group and climatic conditions affect aphid control by natural enemies. Effects of natural enemies on aphid populations were strongest in assemblages that included specialist predators, either alone or with generalist predators. Generalists alone also reduced aphid numbers significantly, but not to the same extent as specialists. Effects of natural enemies were weaker on aphid populations feeding on legumes compared with aphids on grasses or herbs. The percentage reduction of aphids feeding on grasses, herbs or legumes was higher in treatments with assemblages or specialists alone compared with generalists with the largest difference on grasses. According to all field studies from the temperate zone, effects of natural enemies on aphid populations were strongest in areas with high precipitation seasonality. A relationship between predator effects and temperature seasonality was only found for the USA. Synthesis and applications. Specialist predators alone or assemblages of specialists and generalists had the strongest effect on aphid populations, especially when either feeding on grasses and herbs or when exposed to extreme weather events. The control of aphids by natural enemies is most promising in grass and herb crops, whereas it is less suited for controlling aphids in legume crops. Facing climate change, the effect of extreme weather events on aphid control by natural enemies will have further implications for developing management strategies for aphid control in the future. (Less)


In 1970 Katharine Briggs published in four volumes the vast and authoritative Dictionary of British Folktales and Legends to wide acclaim. This sampler comprises the very best of those tales and legends. Gathered within, readers will find an extravagance of beautiful princesses and stout stable boys, sour-faced witches and kings with hearts of gold. Each tale is a masterpiece of storytelling, from the hilarious 'Three Sillies' to the delightfully macabre 'Sammle's Ghost'.


Lean Management applies to production when healthcare service organizations face situations arising from a variety of stakeholders.
As a result, simple thinking is more often applied to healthcare to increase productivity and reduce unnecessary time, as well as to improve customer and employee satisfaction. Lean Management in Health Services offers leaders a lot of opportunities to set up process-based health-based professional organizations. Before starting to apply simple thinking to health services, it is important to analyze the current state of the hospital and assess the suitability of the planned activities of simple thinking.
Lean Management essentially aims to create value without waste. The activities that add value to the client are expanded and coordinated in the best way. Non-added value or unnecessary activities are eliminated. This results in efficient and efficient processes with a strong focus on customers. This basic principle of Lean Management can also be applied to the specific conditions of a hospital or a clinic and thus to the needs of patients. Therefore, based on this knowledge, optimization goals, project timing, methods and accompanying change management can be tailored to the specific needs of a hospital.
In conclusion, the Lean Management authorities keep the promise of reducing or eliminating time, money and energy lost to healthcare, creating a system that is effective.


A heat exchanger, and method of manufacture of a scalp cooling cap configured to be placed into contact with an object to regulate the temperature of the especially human head to prevent hair loss caused by certain chemotherapy drugs during cancer treatment. The heat exchanger comprises a layer of material defining a passage through which a heat transfer fluid may flow. The material layer has a first side for contact with the object; and a second side which, in use, will face away from the object. The first side has a relatively high coefficient of thermal conduction. The second side has a relatively low coefficient of thermal conduction compared to the first side.


We analysed data of a globally distributed model organism (brown trout, Salmo trutta) in an attempt to understand relationships among biogeography, prey communities, and climate on diet composition at regional spatial scales (Scandinavia) and thereafter explored whether diet patterns remained the same at global scales. At regional scales, we uncovered comprehensive patterns in diet composition among neighbouring freshwater ecoregions, with site-specific prey communities as the best predictor of the observed prey utilization patterns. Thus, we posit that environmental gradients altering site-specific prey communities and consequently the trophic niche of the predator through bottom-up mechanisms are key in understanding spatial dietary patterns. Proximity was also important for the revealed biogeographic patterns at global scales. We suggest that geographic location (latitude and elevation) as a proxy of environmental heterogeneity is key at small spatial scales, and climate at global extents, to understand spatial dietary patterns. Our findings support the hypothesis that future shifts in prey communities due to climate change will strengthen biographical patterns in feeding of freshwater fishes, with consequences for invasiveness assessment and nature management and conservation.


Introduction Grief among bereaved parents is known to cause psychological distress and physical illness, but knowledge concerning factors that can contribute to health promotion after bereavement is scarce. Childhood cancer remains the most common non-accidental cause of death among children in Norway. The aim of the present study was to explore if resilience factors among cancer-bereaved parents could predict whether they will be able to come to terms with their grief 2–8 years following the loss. Methods A Norwegian cross-sectional national survey was conducted among 161 cancer-bereaved parents using a study-specific questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to explore whether resilience factors predicted parents' grief outcome 2–8 years after their loss. Results On the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), three of the resilience factors contributed significantly in predicting whether the parents in the present study would come to terms with their grief 2–8 years after the loss their child: "Perception of self "(OR 2.08, p = .048), "Social resources" (OR 2.83, p = .008) and "Family cohesion" (OR .41, p = .025). The results showed a negative relationship between time since loss (2–6 years) and whether the parents answered that they had come to terms with their grief (p = < .05). The loss of a parent (OR .30, p = .030) combined with the loss of their child had a negative and significant effect on whether they indicated that they had processed their grief. Conclusion The total score of RSA and three of the six resilient factors contributed significantly in predicting whether cancer-bereaved parents in the present study indicated that they had come to terms with their grief to a great extent. The present study supports hypotheses that regard resilience as an important contribution in predicting healthy outcomes in people exposed to adverse life events.


We aimed to evaluate the technical efficiency and economic viability of the implementation and use of four cattle identification methods allowed by the Brazilian traceability system. The study was conducted in a beef cattle production system located in the State of Mato Grosso, from January to June 2012. Four identification methods (treatments) were compared: T1: ear tag in one ear and ear button in the other ear (eabu); T2: ear tag and iron brand on the right leg (eaib); T3: ear tag in one ear and tattoo on the other ear (eata); and T4: ear tag in one ear and electronic ear tag (eael) on the other. Each treatment was applied to 60 Nelore animals, totaling 240 animals, divided equally into three life stages (calves, young cattle, adult cattle). The study had two phases: implementation (phase 1) and reading and transfer of identification numbers to an electronic database (phase 2). All operating expenses related to the two phases of the study were determined. The database was constructed, and the statistical analyses were performed using SPSS® 17.0 software. Regarding the time spent on implementation (phase 1), conventional ear tags and electronic ear tags produced similar results, which were lower than those of hot iron and tattoo methods, which differed from each other. Regarding the time required for reading the numbers on animals and their transcription into a database (phase 2), electronic ear-tagging was the fastest method, followed by conventional ear tag, hot iron and tattoo. Among the methods analyzed, the electronic ear tag had the highest technical efficiency because it required less time to implement identifiers and to complete the process of reading and transcription to an electronic database and because it did not exhibit any errors. However, the cost of using the electronic ear-tagging method was higher primarily due to the cost of the device.


A system study of a combined cycle MHD-steam thermal power plant electrical station with zero stack emission through recirculation of CO/sub 2/, is presented. The design of the MHD generator of the topper is done by means of a quasi-one dimensional optimization model. The technology of the components is conventional. An overall efficiency larger than 40% for power plants with thermal power inputs above 1000 MWth, is obtained.


Study Design. Multi-institution retrospective review. Objective. To determine the surgical revision rates of hook, hybrid, anteroposterior, and total pedicle screw constructs for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Summary of Background Data. Much debate continues on the safety, efficacy, and cost of thoracic pedicle screws. Nonetheless, there are no large series that have evaluated the revision rate of various constructs in AIS to determine the need for repeat surgery, and therefore, the added indirect costs and risks of additional procedures. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the surgical case logs of 1428 patients with AIS at 2 institutions from 1990 to 2004, and the clinical records and radiographs of revision cases. Patients were classified into 1 of 4 groups: hook, hybrid hook and screw, all pedicle screw, and combined anteroposterior fusion constructs. Overall, there were 65 (4.6%) returns to the operating room, or 55 (3.9%) cases after excluding infections without concomitant pseudarthrosis. Results. Of the 65 revision cases, there were 52 females and 13 males, at an average age at first surgery of 13.9 years (range, 9–18 years), and an average age at revision of 14.7 years (range, 12–23 years). For the revision cases, the average initial Cobb was 61.9° (range 44°–110°), and this was not statistically different within the cohorts (P > 0.05). In terms of revision rate, all hook constructs had a higher revision rate secondary to instrumentation failure when compared with screws, while both hook and hybrid constructs had an overall higher surgical revision rate when compared with screw constructs or anteroposterior constructs (all P ≤ 0.05). The pseudarthrosis rate trended toward, but did not meet, statistical significance between these same groups. Conclusion. All pedicle screw and anteroposterior constructs have a lower surgical revision rate when compared with hook and hybrid constructs. The hidden patient and financial costs of these findings should be considered when evaluating overall instrumentation efficacy.


Strategic decision making as a salient dimension of a firm's strategy shapes the plausible attainment of organization goals. Private school managers are therefore expected to possess strategic thinking skills and competency so as to articulate a firm's vision. While many researches have focused on antecedents of strategic decision making, there is minute empirical substantiation on emotional self-regulation as key predictor of a private school managers strategic thinking. Many researches on the effect of emotional self-regulation on strategic decision making have also focused on emotional self-regulation in marketing, military, manufacturing firms with little reference to private school enterprises which engage in tuition pricing, social and production unit enterprise strategies to gain competitive advantage hence the need for this study that researched on the effect of emotional self-regulation and strategic decision making; the moderating role of organization commitment in private school enterprise in Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objectives were; (i) to examine the effect of emotional self-regulation on strategic decision making and (ii) to study the moderating role of organizational commitment in effect of emotional self-regulation on strategic decision making. The research was grounded on emotional intelligence theory, Bandura social cognitive theory and decision theories. The study employed explanatory research design and collected data using a structured questionnaire. The target population was 1130 respondents from which a sample size of 504 respondents was drawn. Stratified sampling technique was used to select school directors, principals, deputy principals and heads of departments then simple random sampling was used to select respondents that participated in the study. A pilot study was carried out in private school enterprises in Kiambu County, Kenya and all the instruments reliability had a Cronbachs alpha above 0.6. Data was coded and entered into SPSS 20 program for computation. Factor analysis was done to ensure content, construct and discriminant validity. Multiple regression results indicated that emotional self-regulation significantly influenced strategic decision making (beta=.119, p=.014) and organization commitment significantly moderated the relationship between emotional self-regulation and strategic decision making (beta=.101, p=.041). In conclusion, emotional self-regulation and organization commitment of a manager plays a prediction and moderation role respectively in strategic decision making. The findings are vital to the private school enterprises in relation to development of emotional self-regulation of the managers which play significant roles in strategic decision making in a firm. The findings as well inform practitioners and investors in the private school enterprises to utilize organization commitment models in the development of private school managers.


Outlier gene expression patterns identify abnormal gene behavior, possibly indicating the deviation in gene function for certain tumor types. It may also reveal novel gene-tumor relations, as well as novel tumor types. This is important in designing drugs for tumors as well as in studying the functional relations between genes. Apart from identifying outliers, associating outliers to the clusters in a gene expression dataset can reveal information about the source of outliers, i.e. to which tumors they are related. This work proposes a fuzzy approach which combines outlier detection and clustering results, to analyze gene expression outliers based on their relations to clusters. Both outlier detection and clustering are done based on a connectivity-based clustering algorithm, and the results are then combined using an iterative technique that propagates fuzzy memberships from patterns to their neighbors. Experimental results on leukaemia expression patterns are used to illustrate the proposed approach.


Real world experiments are expensive, and thus it is important to reach a target in a minimum number of experiments. Experimental processes often involve control variables that change over time. Such problems can be formulated as functional optimisation problem. We develop a novel Bayesian optimisation framework for such functional optimisation of expensive black-box processes. We represent the control function using Bernstein polynomial basis and optimise in the coefficient space. We derive the theory and practice required to dynamically adjust the order of the polynomial degree, and show how prior information about shape can be integrated. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for short polymer fibre design and optimising learning rate schedules for deep networks.


This work examines the evolution of the planning field in five Central American countries [1] in the last 15 years in order to discuss different approaches to promote urban resilience and its implications for planning governance at the multinational, national, and metropolitan levels. Study focuses on how these countries have incorporated comprehensive risk management and climate change adaptability as major planning policy goals in the context of a vulnerable region with diverse institutional frameworks. For this, research examines a series of regional, national, and metropolitan planning instruments and corresponding organizations to focus attention on their coherence with sustainability principles and detect the emergence of innovative planning practices.
The study of Central American planning cases permits to identify four tensions which are relevant for the discussion of the linkages between resilience implementation, planning, and governance. First, despite official discourses based on global climate change agreements and carbon neutrality goals, numerous contradictions persist with ongoing strategic economic ventures and large infrastructure projects as coordination between environmental and economic ministries is still incomplete. Second, new issues incorporated into national and metropolitan development plans, such as: gender equality, human rights, and civil society participation pose diverse implementation challenges for traditional planning organizations and professionals. Third, the achievement of social, environmental, and economic development objectives is limited by conservative legal frameworks as legal disputes around private property and plan implementation continue. Finally, numerous stakeholders such as multilateral organizations, local governments, private investors, and grassroots organizations have not been fully involved into planning processes preventing multiple interests to be considered in the decision making process. As a result, effective planning governance and lack of flexible institutional arrangements appear to be the main limitations for effective resilience implementation in Central America.
[1] Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala


The cell-surface glycoprotein CD36 interacts with a large variety of ligands, including collagen types I and IV, thrombospondin, erythrocytes parasitized with Plasmodium falciparum, platelet-agglutinating protein p37, oxidized low density lipoprotein, and long-chain fatty acids. Its expression is restricted to platelets, monocytes, adipocytes, and some endothelial and epithelial cells and is regulated during cell activation, differentiation, and development. CD36 belongs to a novel gene family of structurally related glycoproteins that includes CLA-1 and the lysosomal membrane glycoprotein LIMPII. To advance our knowledge on the genomic organization and the regulation of the cellular expression of the genes of this family, we have investigated the structural organization of the human CD36 gene and of its 5'-proximal flanking region. The CD36 gene is encoded by 15 exons that extend more than 32 kilobases on the human genome. Interestingly, the CD36 mRNA 5'-untranslated region is encoded by three exons. The 3'-untranslated region is contained in two exons, whose expression pattern can originate two mRNA forms. The cytoplasmic and transmembrane regions predicted at both terminal ends of the polypeptide chain are encoded by single exons, while the extracellular domain is encoded by 11 exons. The transcription initiation site of the CD36 gene is located 289 nucleotides upstream from the translational start codon. Sequence analysis of the proximal 5'-flanking region of the gene reveals the existence of a TATA box appropriately located with respect to the transcription initiation site and several potential cis-regulatory elements that might contribute to the transcriptional regulation of the CD36 gene. Delineation of the structural organization of the CD36 gene may help in defining the boundaries of relevant structural and/or functional domains in CD36 and, by extension, in the other members of the family.


Venous thromboembolism (VTE) increases the morbidity and mortality of the hospitalized patients. VTE can be seen in two different groups of people admitted to the hospitals. One group of patients is at very high risk of bleeding and the second group of patients is those without or with minimal risk of bleeding. When we plan thromboprophylaxis or treatment for VTE with the anticoagulants we are concerned about the risk of bleeding in special patients. Therefore, one should be aware of the number needed to harm (NNH) while considering the anticoagulation. In one population-based cohort of Coumadin patients 2% experienced a fatal bleeding event (NNH =50) and the overall major bleeding rate was 12% (NNH =8) (1).


Background Despite improvement in recent decades, maternal and newborn mortality in Bangladesh remain high. A community-based intervention package was initiated in 2009 in Netrokona, a rural district in Bangladesh, to engage individuals, families and communities to improve maternal and newborn health. In this article, we present the effect of the intervention package on improvement of women's capacities with regard to maternal and newborn health, their husbands' capacities to effectively support them and use of skilled services during pregnancy, childbirth and after childbirth. Methods We adopted a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effect of the intervention package. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in the intervention and comparison sites at baseline in 2014 and at endline in 2016. A total of 725 women were interviewed at baseline (intervention n = 444; comparison n = 281) and 737 at end-line (intervention n = 442; comparison n = 295). A total of 317 of their husbands were interviewed at baseline (intervention n = 178; comparison n = 139) and 731 at endline (intervention n = 440; comparison n = 291). Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed and the subsequent analysis was restricted among 235 matched women at baseline and 217 matched women at endline. Descriptive analyses were performed for the covariates for matching. Bivariate analyses between baseline and endline were done for reporting women and their husbands' knowledge regarding pregnancy and childbirth, birth preparedness and complication readiness practices and utilization of health services. Results There was significant increase in awareness of danger signs during pregnancy, childbirth and following childbirth among women and their husbands, as well as increase in awareness of rights related to maternal and newborn health. There was also significant increase in birth preparedness and complication readiness practice among pregnant women and their husbands in the intervention site. Regarding use of skilled health services, there was significant increase in early initiation of antenatal care, attending at least one antenatal care contact and attending at least four antenatal care contacts. No notable improvement was observed in giving birth in the presence of skilled attendant or use of postnatal care. Conclusions We conclude that the intervention package was effective in building the capacities of women and in engaging their husbands positively in maternal and newborn health. This may have translated into increased use of skilled care during pregnancy.


Electronic Government initiatives, such as seamless public services delivered at one-stop government portals, require establishing collaborative networks among publicand private-sector organizations. However, semantic interoperability problems emerge as these organizations may differ in the terms and meanings they use to communicate, express their needs and describe resources they make available to each other. This paper describes typical semantic interoperability problems and presents a middleware solution to address them, called Semantic Interoperability Middleware (SIM). The paper illustrates the problems through three case studies in a collaborative network for the delivery of welfare benefits. Subsequently, the requirements for SIM are presented, and the architecture and design of the solution are specified using UML. SIM assumes organizations have agreed on ontologies that reflect the meaning of terms they use in communicating. It comprises three services: Mediation – resolves differences in terms and meaning; Validation – detects inconsistent terms and meaning; and Discovery – mediates and matches need with resource descriptions. Finally, the case studies are resolved applying SIM.


Contact us: email@example.com The advancement of medicine owes in large measure to a German engineer Ernst Ruska, whose invention of transmission electron microscope in 1931 won him the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics, when it comes to infectious diseases. Encouraged by his physician brother Helmut Ruska to use the prototype instrument for the study of viruses, the course of virology was shifted to a different and unprecedented level. Virus could then be seen, identified and imaged. The University of Maryland happened to acquire an American model of transmission EM, the RCA EMU, using which the first structural study was done for the first known coronavirus (then was simply known as infectious bronchitis virus) in 1948. The virus was described as rounded bodies with filamentous projections. The magnification was not great and the resolution was poor. The study was followed by a series of studies using improved techniques and better EM spanning the next decade. An upgraded version RCA-EMU2A gave better images in 1957 and the virus was described as doughnut-like structure. Using Siemens Elmiskop, D.M. Berry and collaborators made the first high-resolution pictures in 1964. The thick envelope which gave doughnut-like appearance and filamentous projections reported before could be discerned as discrete pear-shaped projections called the spikes. These spikes form a corona-like halo around the virus, which were also seen in novel human viruses (B814 and 229E) that caused common colds. The discoverer of B814, David Tyrrell and his aid June Almeida, a magnificent electron microscopist, established that IBV, B814 and 229E were of the same kind of virus in 1967, which prompted to create the name coronavirus in 1968. This article further highlights the detail structural organisation of coronaviruses emanating from these pioneering research.


Introduction: The community-based approach to the management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a cost effective and scientifically sound method of mitigating the soaring burden of under-five malnutrition in resource constrained countries. However, since the adoption of this novel intervention in Nigeria, local studies that have evaluated its overall effectiveness are sparse. Methodology: This longitudinal observational study was designed to assess at discharge, the nutritional status, as well as the nutritional related co-morbidities of 494 children enrolled into the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme. It is part of an impact evaluation study. The parameters evaluated at enrolment and at discharge included the anthropometry, presence of common morbidities and immunization status. Data were captured electronically with the aid of CSPro software. The study was carried out across 10 randomly selected CMAM clinics in Jigawa state, North West Nigeria. Result: Out of the 494 malnourished children recruited, 410 were discharged, the remaining were reported as absconded or died, with an average duration of stay of 7.3±1.6 weeks in the clinics, and a discharge cure rate of 63.4%. There was improvement in the mean weight (6.0kg at enrolment vs 7.3kg at discharge, p=0.000), mean occipito-frontal circumference (44.1cm at enrolment vs 45.3cm at discharge, p=0.000) and Weight-for-Height z score (-2.65 at enrolment vs 0.75 at discharge, p=0.000 ). A significant discordance in the nutritional outcome at discharge, as assessed independently by Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) and Weight-for-Height z score (WHZ), was documented; 9% and 28% still had SAM at discharge based on MUAC and WHZ respectively (p=0.000). The burden of nutritional related morbidities (diarrhoea dysentery, refusal to eat) reduced significantly at discharge (p=0.000) while immunization coverage increased by 7%. Conclusion: The CMAM programme in Jigawa, Nigeria has undoubtedly yielded positive outcomes. However, proactive measures should be taken to achieve the Sphere standards recommended minimum discharge cure rate. This may be achieved by ensuring that health care workers continually adhere to the guiding principles of CMAM. There is also a need for introduction of HIV and tuberculosis screening as non-responders maybe infected by any of these diseases.


A method is proposed to measure transverse blood flow by using photoacoustic Doppler broadening of bandwidth. By measuring bovine blood flowing through a plastic tube, the linear dependence of the broadening on the flow speed was validated. The blood flow of the microvasculature in a mouse ear and a chicken embryo (stage 16) was also studied.


Forty Army volunteers were given a synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compound similar in structure and physiological activity to the active component of marihuana. Significant relationships were found between the personalities of these volunteers as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Army General Intelligence Test (GT), and performance on objective tests following administration of this compound. Several MMPI scales and the GT score appeared to be as strongly correlated with performance as was the dose level. MMPI and GT test interpretation of subjects resistant to the performance impairment caused by this compound showed them to be more intelligent, adventurous, and more hostile and aggressive than sensitive subjects. A possible explanation for continued use of marihuana by certain personality types is offered.


Increasing drought frequencies due to climate change, pose a serious threat to rain-fed farmers in rural Africa where the policy thrust points to improving efficiency of these farmers. This article uses cross sectional data collected from 411 randomly selected farmers and applies the stochastic frontier method (SFM) to investigate the extent to which drought influences technical efficiency of smallholder farmers in Hurungwe, Zimbabwe. First, technical efficiency of smallholder farmers is computed using the SFM. Second, two groups of farmers, one from drought prone areas and the other from wet ecological zones, are compared with regards to their technical efficiency levels using a binary covariate which classifies the farmers into two groups. The findings show a low level of technical efficiency of maize farmers in Hurungwe. The average technical efficiency level is 45.3%. Drought is found to be detrimental to technical efficiency, with farmers in drought prone areas being 19% less efficient than those in wet ecological zones given their different demographic characteristics. Drought experience, education, farming experience, modern  methods of forecasting and access to credit contribute positively to technical efficiency. The findings point to the need for improving technical efficiency of maize farmers. Negative effects of drought on efficiency could be reduced by building  irrigation infrastructure in drought prone areas or by reallocating farmers to wet ecological areas. In addition to construction of irrigation infrastructure and  reallocation of farmers, we also recommend increased education support, financial inclusion of rural farmers through the development of rural financial institutions and publication of drought related information for farmers' consumption. Key words : Farmers, Drought, Technical efficiency, Hurungwe


A growing number of municipalities are using parking as a planning tool in order to create more attractive cities with fewer cars. Effectively designed parking strategies could contribute to a more equitable urban environment with cleaner air and higher degree of accessibility. The purpose of the study is to examine why visitor parking is used for workplace parking and how this situation can change. The basis for the study is fifty qualitative interviews conducted in a medium-sized Swedish town in strategically located car parks. Five different types of mobility styles are identified: the sustainable traveler, the comfortable motorist, the stressed motorist, the country side-motorist and the motorist that needs the car during work days. The groups that are most vulnerable to changes that make it more difficult or expensive to park in the city are the groups with complex everyday life mobility patterns, as well as groups that lives in remote places with limited access to public transport. The study also confirms that many of the informants are not habitual motorists, but use public transport or bicycles when possible. It is of relevance to support parking measurements that encourage individuals to use public transport or cycle when possible, rather than measurements that legitimize habitual car driving.


Effect of pluviosity and sun shine on sperm production and seminal characteristics of the fish Brycon henni (Pisces: Characidae). In Colombia the fish Brycon henni is a protected endemic species. It inhabits water bodies in coffee producing areas (700-1900 ma.s.l.; 4 degrees 35'56" N - 74 degrees 04'51" W; 18-28 degrees C). Insufficient knowledge of its basic biology and behavior prevent the commercial culture of this promising fish. We studied the production and sperm physiology of captive males. Along a year 20 samples were taken from each of 10 males. The sample was obtained by abdominal cefalo-caudal massage and transported to the laboratory at 4 degrees C. Except for September and October (maximum rainfall), sperm was always obtained in at least 50% of the males. Color, osmolality and pH were similar in all the samples. Volume, concentration, viability, motility and activation time were variable: sunshine had a positive effect on volume (Spearman p < 0.05) and on sperm concentration (Spearman p < 0.05) while pluviosity had a negative effect on volume and viability. The proportion of ions (Na, K, Mg, Ca) was constant along the year; Na being 10-fold higher than K and 100-fold higher than Mg and Ca; however the absolute concentration of all ions was slightly higher in April and in July (with no apparent relation with the other variables analyzed).


Field X produces dry gas from a carbonate reservoir with moderate aquifer support consisting of 16 wells most of which were drilled between 1986 to 1987. Up until 2021, these wells would have been in service for approximately 35 years, past its theoretical design life. Based on production forecast, the field is expected to continue producing for another 10 to 18 years. In view of the prolonged life extension, there is a need to review the integrity status of the well to ensure safe production until the end of field life. Wellhead preventive maintenance are conducted on a six-monthly basis to assure safety critical equipment (SCE) functionality and performance. Maintenance data collected since 2008 provides a good view on surface and subsurface valve integrity.
 In recent years, observations on external corrosion have received some attention. At the same time, there were efforts in determining and verifying the corrosion rates for production tubing, wellhead and x-mas tree. For well tubing and production casing, load based assumptions were used to estimate the minimum allowable tubular thickness to establish a basis for remaining life estimates. To verify the remaining life estimates, in 2019, a multi-finger caliper log was ran across the tubing of Well B to measure actual metal loss around the pipe. A magnetic log was also run in Well B in the same year to obtain quantitative measurement of remaining metal thickness in 13-3/8", 9-5/8" and 7" tubing. The observations from these exercises indicate that calculated estimates are more conservative as they do not account for the impact of the highly dynamic conditions downhole. While logging provided an independent view of the condition of the tubing and casing, no inspection of the x-mas tree cavity was carried out. An opportunity to close this gap and obtain information on the internal condition of the x-mas tree body is presented to Field X with the abandonment campaign on two idle wells in quarter three of 2021. The x-mas tree was retrieved, and internal inspection was conducted. The same is done for retrieved tubing from the abandoned wells.
 This study and its findings will enhance understanding on well design life, especially for vintage wells of over 30 years and provide assurance that wells are safe to produce.


Since the enactment of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) in 1996, the statute's impact on jail and prison litigation has been extremely substantial. In two articles about a decade ago, I presented descriptive statistics showing the PLRA-caused decline in civil rights filings and plaintiffs' victories, and the likewise declining prevalence of court-ordered regulation of jails and prisons. More up-to-date information has not been published, so here I update those statistics for use by policymakers, judges, and other researchers, and discuss them briefly. I look in Parts I through III at damage actions, using primarily the data compiled by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (the AO) for each federal district court case "terminated." Part I examines prisoner filings over time and by state; it demonstrates first sharp decline in both filings numbers and rates, and then a more recent plateau. There is substantial variation by state. Part II examines outcomes over time and compares outcomes in other case categories. The trends span the past 15 years: in civil rights cases brought by prisoners, government defendants are winning more cases pretrial, settling fewer matters, and going to trial less often. Those settlements that do occur are harder fought; they are finalized later in the litigation process. Plaintiffs are, correspondingly, winning and settling less often, and losing outright more often. And Part III looks at litigated damages. Because the AO's data on damages are error-ridden, I supplement the AO database with docket-based research into individual cases. Like my similar study over 10 years ago, that research indicates that when prisoners do litigate all the way to victory, they tend to win pretty small. In Part IV, I move to the topic of injunctive prison and jail litigation — cases in which prisoner plaintiffs seek a change in policy or other aspects of prison conditions. The PLRA was motivated in large part by Republican discontent with plaintiffs' successes in such litigation, and Part IV demonstrates more comprehensively than prior data that it has succeeded in radically shrinking — but not eliminating — the coverage of such orders.


Purpose: The goal of this study is to evaluate seven similarity measure functions for an intensity‐based rigid‐body 3D/3D image registration. The registration method was specifically designed to localize prostates on cone‐beam CT(CBCT)images, acquired for the use of daily patient setup, accomplished by maximizing the similarity from the corresponding simulation CT in an iterative fashion. Methods and Materials: Registrations were conducted with seven different similarity measure functions (NCC‐normalized cross‐correlation, EOD‐entropy of difference, MI‐mutual information, CR‐correlation ratio, GC‐gradient correlation,GD‐gradient difference, and PI‐pattern intensity), three different transformations (translation only, translation plus couch rotation, and translation plus three rotations), and two preprocessing methods (window‐leveling and histogram equalization). For accuracy and robustness estimation, prostate calcifications were identified on the images from four prostate patients (4 simulation CTs + 27 CBCTs), and the average calcification distances (errors) were measured after registrations. Each registration was marked as "converged" if it had less than 5 mm error, and the average distance was used as an accuracy index. Results: In general the histogram equalization and higher degree of transformation freedom improved the accuracy. The only exception was NCC, which performed better without histogram equalization. In the order of better performance, we found the convergence rate and accuracy were (96%, 1.7±1.0mm) for GC, (96%, 1.8±1.0mm) for GD, (96%, 1.8±1.0mm) for PI, (93%, 2.0±1.0mm) for NCC, (81%, 2.9mm) for CR, (78%,2.5mm) for MI, (44%, 2.1mm) for EOD. Conclusions: Among the seven similarity measure functions, registrations utilizing GC, GD, and PI showed the least prostate localization error on daily CBCTimages. Such 3D‐3D image registration will be critical in order to make the future use of CBCT more objective, efficient, and accurate.


An attitude estimation was examined in fractioned free-flying spacecraft. Instead of a single, monolithic spacecraft, a fractionated free-flying spacecraft uses multiple spacecraft modules. These modules are connected only through wireless communication links and, potentially, wireless power links. The key advantage of this concept is the ability to respond to uncertainty. For example, if a single spacecraft module in the cluster fails, a new one can be launched at a lower cost and risk than would be incurred with onorbit servicing or replacement of the monolithic spacecraft. In order to create such a system, however, it is essential to know what the navigation capabilities of the fractionated system are as a function of the capabilities of the individual modules, and to have an algorithm that can perform estimation of the attitudes and relative positions of the modules with fractionated sensing capabilities. Looking specifically at fractionated attitude estimation with startrackers and optical relative attitude sensors, a set of mathematical tools has been developed that specify the set of sensors necessary to ensure that the attitude of the entire cluster ( cluster attitude ) can be observed. Also developed was a navigation filter that can estimate the cluster attitude if these conditions are satisfied. Each module in the cluster may have either a startracker, a relative attitude sensor, or both. An extended Kalman filter can be used to estimate the attitude of all modules. A range of estimation performances can be achieved depending on the sensors used and the topology of the sensing network.


The radioactive tracer microsphere method is applicable to the study of the hemodynamics of bone. As observed previously by others, areas of predominantly cancellous bone produce higher blood flow measurements than do areas of predominantly cortical bone. Bone containing fatty marrow has lower blood flow rates than does bone containing hematopoietic marrow. Blood flow to the femoral neck was the greatest measured (26.74 +/- 1.95 ml/min/100 gm), while the diaphyseal region was the area with the lowest flow (4.67 +/- 0.46 ml/min/100 gm). There was no significant difference between consecutive measurements using up to five differently labeled radioactive microspheres. This enabled observations of the effects of an experimental procedure on bone blood flow in the same animal. Additionally, there was no statistically significant differences between regional blood flows measured 40 days apart in the same animal. Bone blood flow measurements were slightly lower in anesthetized than in conscious dogs. The RTM method is the one most suitable for the estimation of bone blood flow under either acute or chronic conditions.


Integration of economic and ecological considerations with engineering ones in new vehicle concepts presents many challenges, not least of which is overcoming long established expectations of vehicles and their performance. Design choices are not only influenced by clear rational factors but also by many imperfectly rational ones, which interact in a complex way to shape the final vehicle artefact. It should therefore be of interest to model and explore how such factors interact and influence the design process, particularly when it comes to targeting limited resources towards achieving the maximum improvement in the design. The aim is to find out under what circumstances can specific improvements penetrate into the established vehicle design and where are the critical phase boundaries over which significant advancement may be achieved. This is especially relevant in light of the on-going adoption of new technologies aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of vehicles. This insight may enable the design and adoption of radically different vehicles that represent a tipping point for sustainable transportation. A methodology is introduced to dynamically explore the trade-offs in vehicle design. The engineered vehicle is recognised as being a sub-system within a much wider surrounding world. A broad model is introduced to include both rational performance properties and imperfectly rational forces, and the system is stepped forward in time. The methodology is applied to a case study in which new knowledge is introduced into the established design paradigm and its adoption is tracked under a number of starting conditions and assumptions. The results illustrate where a targeted improvement that compensates for inherent inertia may lead to greater adoption that is beneficial from a broader long-term perspective. The model behaves reasonably in the vicinity of boundary conditions but more work is needed to explore and refine the behaviour across multiple variables.


This thesis addresses questions of interfacial ordering in hard-rod fluids at coexistence of the isotropic and nematic phases and in their contact with simple model substrates. It is organized as follows.

Chapter II provides some background information about the relation between the statistical mechanical and thermodynamical level of descriptions of bulk hard-rod fluids, as well as introduces the asymptotically exact Onsager model, and some basic facts of interfacial thermodynamics.

Chapter III represents studies of the simplest free IN interface in a fluid of monodisperse Onsager hard rods. For the analysis of this system we develop an efficient perturbative method to determine the (biaxial) one-particle distribution function in inhomogeneous systems.

Studies of the free planar isotropic-nematic interfaces are continued in Chapter IV, where they are considered in binary mixtures of hard rods. For sufficiently different particle shapes the bulk phase diagrams of these mixtures exhibit a triple point, where an isotropic (I) phase coexists with two nematic phases (N1 and N2) of different composition. For all explored mixtures we find that upon approach of the triple point the IN2 interface shows complete wetting by an intervening N1 film. We compute the surface tension of isotropic-nematic interfaces, and find a remarkable increase with fractionation.

These studies are complemented by an analysis of bulk phase behavior and interfacial properties of nonadditive binary mixtures of thin and thick hard rods in Chapter V. The formulation of this model was motivated by recent experiments in the group of Fraden, who explored the phase behavior of a mixture of viruses with different effective diameters. In our model, species of the same types are considered as interacting with the hard-core repulsive potential, whereas the excluded volume for dissimilar rods is taken to be larger (smaller) then for the pure hard rods. Such a nonadditivity enhances (reduces) fractionation at the isotropic-nematic (IN) coexistence and may induce (suppress) a demixing of the high-density nematic phase into two nematic phases of different composition (N1 and N2). Studies of their interfaces show an increase of the surface tension with fractionation at the IN interface, and complete wetting of the IN2 interface by the N1 phase upon approach of the triple point coexistence. In all explored cases bulk and interfacial properties of the nonadditive mixtures exhibit a surprising similarity with the properties of additive mixtures of larger diameter ratio.

In Chapter VI we consider properties of a monodisperse hard-rod fluid in contact with the single wall (W). Studies of surface properties of a fluid of Onsager hard rods represent significant numerical difficulties, therefore we consider a simpler model fluid of hard rods with a restricted number of allowed orientations. Within this model, known as the Zwanzig model, we explore the thermodynamic properties of a fluid of monodisperse hard rods in contact with a model substrate represented by a hard wall with a short-ranged attractive or repulsive ``tail''. The attraction enhances the orientational ordering near the wall in both isotropic and nematic phases, and shifts the transition from uniaxial (U) to biaxial (B) symmetry in the isotropic surface layer to lower chemical potentials, whereas the wetting properties of the substrate remain similar to those of the pure hard wall. The soft repulsion reduces the density in the surface layer, which leads to the shift (or even suppression) of the UB transition, and strong modification of wetting properties. At the WI interface one always finds the wetting transition at sufficiently large repulsion, whereas a drying transition at the WN interface is observed only for sufficiently long-ranged potentials.

In Chapter VII we explore some limitations of models of hard-rod fluids with a finite number of allowed orientations. Within Onsager's second virial theory we construct their bulk phase diagrams. For a one-component fluid, we show that the discretization of the orientations leads to the existence of an artificial (almost) perfectly aligned nematic phase, which coexists with the (physical) nematic phase if the number of orientations is sufficiently large, or with the isotropic phase if the number of orientations is small. Its appearance correlates with the accuracy of the sampling of the nematic orientation distribution within its typical opening angle. For a binary mixture this artificial phase also exists, and a much larger number of orientations is required to shift it to such high densities that it does not interfere with the physical part of the phase diagram.


BACKGROUND
Diet modification is an important part of self-management for patients with diabetes and/or heart disease (including coronary artery disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation). Many health care providers and community-based programs advise lifestyle and diet modification as part of care for people with these conditions. This report synthesizes qualitative information on how patients respond differently to the challenges of diet modification. Qualitative and descriptive evidence can illuminate challenges that may affect the success and equitable impact of dietary modification interventions.

OBJECTIVES
To (a) examine the diet modification challenges faced by diabetes and/or heart disease patients; and (b) compare and contrast the challenges faced by patients who are members of vulnerable and nonvulnerable groups as they change their diet in response to clinical recommendations.

DATA SOURCES
This report synthesizes 65 primary qualitative studies on the topic of dietary modification challenges encountered by patients with diabetes and/or heart disease. Included papers were published between 2002 and 2012 and studied adult patients in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand.

REVIEW METHODS
Qualitative meta-synthesis was used to integrate findings across primary research studies.

RESULTS
Analysis identified 5 types of challenges that are common to both vulnerable and nonvulnerable patients: self-discipline, knowledge, coping with everyday stress, negotiating with family members, and managing the social significance of food. Vulnerable patients may experience additional barriers, many of which can magnify or exacerbate those common challenges.

LIMITATIONS
While qualitative insights are robust and often enlightening for understanding experiences and planning services in other settings, they are not intended to be generalizable. The findings of the studies reviewed here--and of this synthesis--do not strictly generalize to the Ontario (or any specific) population. This evidence must be interpreted and applied carefully, in light of expertise and the experiences of the relevant community.

CONCLUSIONS
Diet modification is not simply a matter of knowing what to eat and making the rational choice to change dietary practices. Rather, diet and eating practices should be considered as part of the situated lives of patients, requiring an individualized approach that is responsive to the conditions in which each patient is attempting to make a change. Common challenges include self-discipline, knowledge, coping with everyday stress, negotiating with family members, and managing the social significance of food. An individualized approach is particularly important when working with patients who have vulnerabilities.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY
Health care providers often encourage people with diabetes and/or heart disease to change their diet. They advise people with diabetes to eat less sugar, starch, and fat. They advise people with heart disease to eat less fat and salt. However, many patients find it difficult to change what they eat. This report examines the challenges people may face when making such changes. It also examines the special challenges faced by people who are vulnerable due to other factors, such as poverty, lack of education, and difficulty speaking English. Five themes were common to all people who make diet changes: self-discipline, knowledge, coping with stress, negotiating with family members, and managing the social aspect of food. Members of vulnerable groups also reported other challenges, such as affording fresh fruit and vegetables or understanding English instructions. This report may help health care providers work with patients more effectively to make diet changes.


Affirmative action policies (AAP) polarise the public debate in Western democracies as they involve favouring one candidate at the cost of others because of their group membership. Against this backdrop, we ran a factorial survey experiment in Denmark, France and Germany on the introduction of a hypothetical regulation favouring women and immigrants with equal qualifications in the recruitment process for a management position (N = 4264; YouGov online panel). Our data show that support for AAP for women is significantly greater than for immigrants in all three countries. Moreover, support for AAP is much higher in France than in Germany and Denmark. Germans and Danes show similar low support for AAP for immigrants, while support for AAP for women is higher in Germany than Denmark. We conducted multilevel regression models to investigate the power of several attitudinal factors in explaining target group and country differences. Results show that respondents' varying levels of ethnic and gender prejudice and perceived disadvantage entirely explain target group differences in support for AAP. Furthermore, differences between Germany and Denmark in the support of AAP for women are explained by different levels of prejudices and perceived disadvantage, and attitudes towards state intervention. However, these attitudinal variables cannot explain why support for AAP is much higher in France.


The supermarket refrigeration system typically has a distributed control structure, which simple and flexible, however, neglects interactions between its subsystems. Practice shows that these interactions lead to a synchronous operation of the display cases. It causes excessive wear on the compressors and increased energy consumption. The paper focuses on the synchronization analysis and de-synchronization control. The supermarket refrigeration system is modeled as a piecewise-affine switched system. The system behavior is decomposed such that synchronization analysis can be completed by using the Poincare map. A new de-synchronization scheme is proposed, which includes two steps: the synchronization monitoring and the de-synchronization control. Thus, the early warning of the synchronization can be given and then the de-synchronization controller can be activated. The scheme achieves better control performance and can deal with the large scale refrigeration system with different system parameters in the display cases.


This IBM Redbook presents an overview of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Version 5.3, giving detailed descriptions of the changes provided in this new release. This book also covers the cumulative changes in the releases after Version 5.1. This book is intended for customers, consultants, IBM Business Partners, and IBM and Tivoli staff who are familiar with earlier releases of Tivoli Storage Manager and who want to understand what is new in Version 5.3. It should be used in conjunction with the manuals and readme files provided with the products and is not intended to replace any information contained therein. Narrated screen recordings in QuickTime format:


Before there was an art of abstract painting, it was already widely believed that the value of a picture was a matter of colors and shapes alone. Music and architecture were constantly held up to painters as examples of a pure art which did not have to imitate objects but derived its effects from elements peculiar to itself. But such ideas could not be readily accepted, since no one had yet seen a painting made up of colors and shapes, representing nothing. If pictures of the objects around us were often judged according to qualities of form alone, it was obvious that in doing so one was distorting or reducing the pictures; you could not arrive at these paintings simply by manipulating forms. And in so far as the objects to which these forms belonged were often particular individuals and places, real or mythical figures, bearing the evident marks of a time, the pretension that art was above history through the creative energy or personality of the artist was not entirely clear. In abstract art, however, the pretended autonomy and absoluteness of the aesthetic emerged in a concrete form. Here, finally, was an art of painting in which only aesthetic elements seem to be present.


The paper presents an original filter approach for effective feature selection in microarray data characterized by a large number of input variables and a few samples. The approach is based on the use of a new information-theoretic selection, the double input symmetrical relevance (DISR), which relies on a measure of variable complementarity. This measure evaluates the additional information that a set of variables provides about the output with respect to the sum of each single variable contribution. We show that a variable selection approach based on DISR can be formulated as a quadratic optimization problem: the dispersion sum problem (DSP). To solve this problem, we use a strategy based on backward elimination and sequential replacement (BESR). The combination of BESR and the DISR criterion is compared in theoretical and experimental terms to recently proposed information-theoretic criteria. Experimental results on a synthetic dataset as well as on a set of eleven microarray classification tasks show that the proposed technique is competitive with existing filter selection methods.


In the recent years, the studies on the mechanical behaviors of various materials subjected to biaxial loading have been worked since they are more complicated and intrinsically different from those under the simple uniaxial condition. The cruciform specimen without any slots has been commonly used for the goal so far. We prepare improved biaxial specimen with slots and make sure its validity by means of finite element analysis and photoelastic experiment. Even though the equal load biaxiality was applied to the specimens, as the results, we found that the stress biaxiality ratios in central region of specimen differ according to the position from the center of them, the specimen with slots in the arms is more effective to make state stress uniform than the specimen without slot.


Classical or M1 activity of microglia/macrophages has been described in several neurodegenerative and brain inflammatory conditions and has also been linked to expansion of ischemic injury in post-stroke brain. While different pathways of M1 polarization have been suggested to occur in the post-stroke brain, the precise underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Using a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model, we showed a progressive M2 to M1 polarization in the perilesional brain region with M1 cells becoming one of the dominant subsets by day 4 post-stroke. Comparing key receptors involved in M1 polarization (CD8, IFNγR, Clec4, FcγR, TLR3 and TLR4) and their signal transducers (Syk, Stat1, Irf3, and Traf6) at the day 4 time point, we showed a strong upregulation of CD8 along with SYK transducer in dissected perilesional brain tissue. We further showed that CD8 expression in the post-stroke brain was associated with activated (CD68+) macrophages and that progressive accumulation of CD8+CD68+ cells in the post-stroke brain coincided with increased iNOS (M1 marker) and reduced Arg1 (M2 marker) expression on these cells. In vitro ligand-based stimulation of the CD8 receptor caused increased iNOS expression and an enhanced capacity to phagocytose E. coli particles; and interestingly, CD8 stimulation was also able to repolarize IL4-treated M2 cells to an M1 phenotype. Our data suggest that increased CD8 signaling in the post-stroke brain is primarily associated with microglia/macrophages and can independently drive M1 polarization, and that modulation of CD8 signaling could be a potential target to limit secondary post-stroke brain damage.


Abstract. In the framework of the project Integrated approach for the development across Europe of user oriented climate indicators for GFCS high-priority sectors: agriculture, disaster risk reduction, energy, health, water and tourism (INDECIS 2017–2020), around 610K climate station-based observations were rescued over European regions for the main climate variables (maximum and minimum temperature, rainfall, sunshine duration and snow depth) along the 20th century at daily scale. Rescued data will constitute, together with other gathered regional datasets, the INDECIS-Raw-Dataset, which will expand current European data coverage contained in the European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D). An extensive examination of the ECA&D dataset was conducted to find spatial-temporal data gaps or stations with low percentage of daily data as prior candidates for data recovery in European regions. This exercise led us to focus our efforts on the Central European region and the Balkans. Digitizing was carried out by using a rigorous key as you see method, meaning that the digitizers type the values provided by data images, rather than using any coding system. Digitizers carefully cross-checked the typed values against original sources for the 10th, 20th and 30th day of each month to make sure that no days were skipped or repeated during the digitizing process. Monthly totals and statistical summaries were computed from transcribed data and were compared with monthly totals and summaries provided by data sources to check accuracy as preliminary quality control. The digitizing method and the quality control of the digitizing process applied in this study ensured an accurate data transcription according to the obtained statistics. The daily dataset rescued in this study across Europe is available at: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.896957


This paper analyses the vowel system of the dialect spoken in the city of Zurich, which shows a systematic use of distinctive length contrasts. In order to ascertain the acoustic correlates of the quantity feature, an experimental study has been done, during which three speakers produced a corpus of carefully designed read speech. The duration of 162 vowels and 162 consonants has been measured, as well as the first two formants of 54 high vowels.
The results indicate duration as the only relevant correlate of vowel quantity in this dialect, with a mean V/V: ratio of 0.56. The duration of the following consonants does not vary significantly, nor are there any striking spectral differences between short and long high vowels. From a look at some intensity contours it appears that short vowels are not 'cut' - a finding in line with a recent areal typology of German dialects.


The data collection process for risk assessment highly depends on the security experience of security staffs of an organization. It is difficult to have the right information security staff, who understands both the security requirements and the current security state of an organization and at the same time possesses the skill to perform risk assessment. However, a well defined knowledge model could help to describe categories of knowledge required to guide the data collection process. In this paper, a knowledge framework is introduced, which includes a knowledge model to define the data skeleton of the risk environment of an organization and security patterns about relationships between threat, entity and countermeasures; and a data integration mechanism for integrating distributed security related data into a security data repository that is specific to an organization for information security modelling.


Abstract. In this paper we investigate results from a three-dimensional middle-atmosphere aerosol-climate model which has been developed to study the evolution of stratospheric aerosols. Here we focus on the stratospheric background period and evaluate several key quantities of the global distribution of stratospheric aerosols and their precursors with observations and other model studies. It is shown that the model fairly well reproduces in situ observations of the aerosol size and number concentrations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS). Compared to measurements from the limb-sounding SAGE II satellite instrument, modelled integrated aerosol quantities are more biased the lower the moment of the aerosol population is. Both findings are consistent with earlier work analysing the quality of SAGE II retrieved e.g. aerosol surface area densities in the volcanically unperturbed stratosphere (SPARC/ASAP, 2006; Thomason et al., 2008; Wurl et al., 2010). The model suggests that new particles are formed over large areas of the LS, albeit nucleation rates in the upper troposphere are at least one order of magnitude larger than those in the stratosphere. Hence, we suggest that both, tropospheric sulphate aerosols and particles formed in situ in the LS are maintaining the stability of the stratospheric aerosol layer in the absence of direct stratospheric emissions from volcanoes. Particle size distributions are clearly bimodal, except in the upper branches of the stratospheric aerosol layer where aerosols evaporate. Modelled concentrations of condensation nuclei (CN) are smaller than measured in regions of the aerosol layer where aerosol mixing ratios are largest. This points to an overestimated particle growth by coagulation. Transport regimes of tropical stratospheric aerosol have been identified from modelled aerosol mixing ratios and correspond to those deduced from satellite extinction measurements. We found that convective updraft in the Asian Monsoon region significantly contributes to both stratospheric aerosol load and size. The timing of formation and descend of layers of fine mode particles in the winter and spring polar stratosphere (CN layer) are well reproduced by the model. Where temperatures in the stratosphere increase with altitude, nucleation is unlikely to occur. Nevertheless, in these regions we find a significant concentration of fine mode aerosols. The place of origin of these particles is in the polar stratosphere. They are mixed into the mid-latitudes by planetary waves. There enhanced condensation rates of sulphuric acid vapour counteract evaporation and extend aerosol lifetime in the upper branches of the stratospheric aerosol layer. Measured aerosol precursors concentrations, SO2 and sulphuric acid vapour, are fairly well reproduced by the model throughout the stratosphere.


April 12, 2017 marked a significant day in the evolution of digital pathology in the United States, when the US Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution for primary diagnosis in surgical pathology. Although this event is expected to facilitate more widespread adoption of whole slide imaging for clinical applications in the United States, it also raises a number of questions as to the means by which pathologists might choose to incorporate this technology into their clinical practice. This article from the College of American Pathologists Digital Pathology Committee reviews frequently asked questions on this topic and provides answers based on currently available information.


By using luxAB as the report genes, 3.2 kb parCBA/DE gene fragment from pTR102 was inserted into pLAFR3 which contained a 3.7 kb enhancing fragment and deleted its cos site. Recombinant plasmids pHN155 and pHN156 were obtained. Contrasted plasmids pHN157 and pHN158 which contained cos site were also constructed. These four plasmids were transferred into Sinorhizobium fredii HN01 by tri-parental mating, and plasmid pHN155 and pHN158 were introduced into Bradyrhizobium japonicum TA11 by two-parental mating. The stability of the above plasmids was compared under free-living conditions and the results showed that the parCBA/DE could obviously enhance plasmid stability both in S. fredii and B. japonicum, and deletion of cos site showed only less effect.


Organizations that are able to integrate their applications and data sources have a distinct competitive advantage: strategic utilization of company data and technology for greater efficiency and profit. But IT managers attempting integration face daunting challenges--disparate legacy systems; a hodgepodge of hardware, operating systems, and networking technology; proprietary packaged applications; and more.Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) offers a solution to this increasingly urgent business need. It encompasses technologies that enable business processes and data to speak to one another across applications, integrating many individual systems into a seamless whole.Enterprise Application Integrationprovides a comprehensive examination of EAI. You will find an overview of EAI goals and approaches, a review of the technologies that support it, and a roadmap to implementing an EAI solution. You will also find an in-depth explanation of the four major types of EAI: data-level, application interface-level, method-level, and user interface-level. The book describes in detail the middleware models and technologies that support these different approaches, including: Application servers, including the use of Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) and ActiveX Message-oriented middleware (MOM) and remote procedure calls (RPCs) Distributed objects, looking at CORBA and COM Database-oriented middleware and standards, including ODBC, JDBC, and OLE DB Java middleware standards Message brokers New process automation and workflow technologyThis practical guide to implementing an EAI solution leads you through all the major steps, including identifying sources of data, building the enterprise metadata model, process integration, identifying application interfaces, mapping information movement, selecting and applying the technologies, testing, and maintenance. Other key topics include integrating packaged applications such as SAP R/3 and PeopleSoft, integrating the supply chain using EAI, the role of XML, and process automation. Comprehensive, practical, and clearly written, this essential resource will help anyone involved in this important business area understand the nature of EAI, its tools and techniques, and how to apply it for a significant business advantage. 0201615835B04062001


An experimental investigation of the effect of inlet flow conditions and improved geometries on the performance of modern axial exhaust diffusers of gas turbines has been completed. The first article in the two-part series [1] leveraged a scaled model to examine parametric variations in both diffuser geometry and inlet flow conditions with the latter having significant consequences for diffuser performance. This second article pivots on the conclusions of the companion article and offers findings and physical insight on diffuser performance for on- and off-design inlet flow conditions. Using a high-performing diffuser design from the companion article, an experimental investigation is carried out with tailored distributions of inlet Mach distribution, inlet swirl angle, and inlet radial flow angle which are designed to replicate conditions of an industry diffuser at various loads. Six different inlet distributions were investigated including a design condition and five other conditions which feature mass flows both greater than and less than the design condition. The measurements were taken at near full-scale turbine exit Reynolds number (ReH roughly 39% of the value for an H-class diffuser) and at full-scale turbine exit Mach number. The study was accomplished in a blow-down, cold-flow wind tunnel facility, and measurements included 5-hole probe traverses at planes of interest, axial pressure distributions, strut pressure distributions, and oil-flow visualization. Over the range of inlet conditions studied, pressure recovery at the exit varied by up to 68.5% from that of on-design operation. Tracking of performance coefficients along the axial direction suggested the existence of flow phenomena which were in some cases able to be confirmed with on-strut pressure measurements and flow visualization. In addition to physical insight, the results presented here offer an experimental benchmark for the sensitivity of diffuser performance to inlet flow conditions.


Current conveyors are unity gain active elements exhibiting high linearity, wide dynamic range and better high frequency performance compared with their voltage mode counterparts. In this study a set of single positive-type second generation current conveyor based all-pass filters is presented and a catalogue of canonical topologies is given with some properties in tabular form. In contrast with single topology presentations, 22 different topologies are presented which exhibit identical transfer functions but differ in the number of passive components, component matching constraints, possibility of gain adjustment and other properties.


The use of resin sealants has shown partial infiltration of White-Spot Enamel Lesions in vitro (WSEL). The aim of the present study was to perform a morphological evaluation of natural WSEL when infiltrated using a commercially available sealant (Concise, 3MESPE). 20 bicuspids extracted for orthodontic reasons from patients ranging 18 to 30 years old, which had WSEL, were used in this study. The patients agreed to donate their teeth by signing a written consent. Every WSEL was assessed microscopically (Stereo Zeiss Axiscop) and then photographed (ProScope HR microscope). Prior to applying the sealant the lesion was etched using phosphoric acid at 37 % (3M-ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA.) for 30 seconds, washed for 40 seconds and then air-dried. The sealant was marked with rhodamine B (1mg/ml) and was applied according to the manufacturer directions. A specimen of approximately 100 mm was obtained for every WSEL by cutting perpendicularly through the lesion (Isomet 1000, Buehler Co.) and grinding (600 grit). The specimens were evaluated using: clear camp, polarized light, and epifluorescence microscopy. Images were taken of each specimen for every microscopic evaluation using a slide film (Kodak Ektachrome film 400 ASA). The images were digitalized by scanning at 1200 dpi resolution (Epson Filmscan 200) and then saved as JPEG and TIFF files. The sealant infiltration into The WSEL was assessed by means of analysis, processing and digital superimposing using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and Matrox Inspector 1.07. It was concluded that the sealant infiltrated the whole body zone of the lesion. The depth of penetration of sealants into White Spot Enamel Lesion plays an important role in the control of caries lesion progression. KEYS WORDS: histopathological analysis, sealant, white-spot enamel lesion, microscopy


Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent and frequently co-morbid conditions. The ionotropic glutamate receptors N-methyl-D-aspartate and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) mediate actions of monoaminergic antidepressants and have been directly targeted by novel fast-acting antidepressants. Less is known about the role of these receptors in anxiety-like states. Here we investigate how two distinct anxiolytic agents, buspirone, a partial 5-HT(1A) agonist, and diazepam, a benzodiazepine, influence phosphorylation of GluA1 subunits of AMPA receptors at the potentiating residue Ser(845) and Ser(831) in corticolimbic regions. To test the functional relevance of these changes, phosphomutant GluA1 mice lacking phosphorylatable Ser(845) and Ser(831) were examined in relevant behavioural paradigms. These mutant mice exhibited a reduced anxiety-like phenotype in the light/dark exploration task and elevated plus maze, but not in the novelty induced hypophagia paradigm. These data indicate that reduced potentiation of the AMPA receptor signalling, via decreased GluA1 phoshorylation, is specifically involved in approach-avoidance based paradigms relevant for anxiety-like behaviours.


This paper highlights the impact of credit supply and aggregate demand sensitivity on 91 US industries' stock performance during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. We account explicitly for changes in the market model and investigate, next to stock returns, the changes in systematic risk and idiosyncratic return induced by the financial crisis. The results show that leverage has a significantly positive effect on systematic risk changes during the financial crisis. After accounting for the change in systematic risk, the crisis induced idiosyncratic return is significantly related to industry leverage and the industry's sensitivity to aggregate demand. A subsequent analysis shows that both leverage and demand sensitivity have economically large effects on industry performance during the crisis.


This report presents experiences from a research project carried out by members of IFFSocial Ecology in conjunction with researchers from Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia. It demonstrates the application of Material Flow Accounting (MFA) tools in the region of Amazonia. The tools are tested for their ability to generate data in a series of cases, but also for their explanatory power of making a meaningful contribution to information systems on sustainability in the region. The concept and approach are briefly discussed, followed by a lengthy presentation of research results and data gaps for each of the studies. The research follows a multi-level approach by applying the MFA methodology to the national level as well as to local-level case-studies. While both perspectives generate results in their own right, the combination of insights leads to a fuller understanding of issues involved when assessing sustainability policies in such a diverse area. While national studies provide structural reasons for the relative de-linking of material intensity and industrial growth in wealthy nations, Amazonian economies are identified as extractive economies, structurally unable to decrease exporting materially intensive raw materials. Local-level studies investigate micro-structures producing their own sustainability issues. Subsistence societies coping with rapid change and approaching industrialization show distinct characteristics in their material resource management, depending on respective histories, geographical place or position in the wider national/political economy.


We conducted a field experiment and tested how employers can use socioemotional resources, such as appreciation and recognition, in order to signal intentions and create positive reciprocal relationships with employees. Results showed that these resources led to a significant gain in productivity. The study was extended to account for relative wage concerns both with and without appreciation treatment. Efficiency gains with appreciation appeared to be robust even after including information regarding relatively disadvantageous wage discrimination. However, workers' without socioemotional resources exhibited strong resentment toward relatively lower wages by showing a significant systematic decrease in their labour supply. Our results suggest that workers not only compare their wages, as pointed out in previous literature, but also compare the socioemotional resources provided by their employer. This provides important evidence against one-dimensional comparisons of relative wages relevant to worker productivity.


BACKGROUND Intramural pregnancy is the rarest form of ectopic pregnancy. The diagnosis depends upon the sonographic finding of intramural gestational sac-like growth and persistent high beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) levels after dilatation and curettage. No authors mentioned negative beta-hCG result in such situation. Rarely has the literature contained preoperative sonograms and photographs of postoperative gestational tissue. CASE A 31-year-old woman presented with vaginal spotting for five months. Six months earlier she underwent dilatation and curettage for blighted ovum at 8 weeks' gestation. Since then, incidental vaginal spotting was noted. Sonography demonstrated an intramural cyst with fetal pole-like growth. Serum beta-hCG, diagnostic dilatation and curettage, and hysteroscopic examination were negative. Laparotomy for excision of the cyst confirmed an intramural pregnancy. CONCLUSION Because of the long period after fetal wastage, negative serum beta-hCG was noted in this case. Negative serum beta-hCG was unreliable in the exclusion of intramural pregnancy. With the sonographic appearance of intramural gestational sac-like growth, in spite of a negative serum beta-hCG the clinician should be alert to the possibility of intramural pregnancy.