This thesis examines music composed since 1960 which has a high degree of audible repetition. The principle aims of the research are to identify common repetitive techniques in repetitive music from a performance practice point of view. This is achieved through a study of the models and processes contained in individual works and the extent to which they determine and shape the repetition. A large sample of works are examined according to set style criteria which serves as a basis for comparison and generalisation about the genre as a unit.


ABSTRACT The main task for heavy haul railway operators is to reduce the cost of exported minerals and enhance the long-term viability of rail transport operations through increasing productivity by running longer and heavier trains. The common opinion is that this is achievable by means of implementation of high adhesion locomotives with advanced AC traction technologies. Modern AC high adhesion locomotives are very complex mechatronic systems and can be designed with two alternative traction topologies of either bogie or individual axle controls. This paper describes a modelling approach for these two types of AC traction systems with the application of an advanced co-simulation methodology, where an electrical system and a traction algorithm are modelled in Matlab/Simulink, and a mechanical system is modelled in a multibody software package. Although the paper concentrates on the analysis of the functioning for these two types of traction control systems, the choice of reference slip values also has an influence on the performance of both systems. All these design variations and issues have been simulated for various adhesion conditions at the wheel–rail interface and their influence on the high traction performance of a locomotive equipped with two three-axle bogies has been discussed.


This paper investigates technical inefficiency in four of the major wheat-producing states in the US. The findings show that the inefficiency of wheat production varied widely in these states and has a mean value of 16 percent. Increase moisture level has positive impact on the mean efficiency while wheat's share acreage has negative impact on efficiency.


T cell receptors consist either of an alpha-chain combined with a beta-chain or a gamma-chain combined with a delta-chain. alphabeta T cells constitute the majority of T cells in human blood throughout life. Flow cytometric analyses presented in this study, which focus on the representation of the developmental (naive and memory) subsets of gammadelta T cells, show by function and phenotype that this lineage contains both naive and memory cells. In addition, we show that the representation of naive T cells is higher among alphabeta than gammadelta T cells in adults and that the low frequency of naive gammadelta T cells in adults reflects ontological differences between the two major gammadelta subsets, which are distinguished by expression of Vdelta1 vs Vdelta2 delta-chains. Vdelta1 cells, which mirror alphabeta cells with respect to naive representation, predominate during fetal and early life, but represent the minority of gammadelta cells in healthy adults. In contrast, Vdelta2 cells, which constitute the majority of adult gammadelta cells, show lower frequencies of naive cells than Vdelta1 early in life and show vanishingly small naive frequencies in adults. In essence, nearly all naive Vdelta2 cells disappear from blood by 1 year of life. Importantly, even in children less than 1 year old, most of the nonnaive Vdelta2 cells stain for perforin and produce IFN-gamma after short-term in vitro stimulation. This represents the earliest immunological maturation of any lymphocyte compartment in humans and most likely indicates the importance of these cells in controlling pathology due to common environmental challenges.


Wavelength-selective infrared multiple-photon photodissociation (WS-IRMPD) was used to study isotopically-labeled ions generated by McLafferty rearrangement of nicotinyl-glycine-tert-butyl ester and betaine-glycine-tert-butyl ester. The tert-butyl esters were incubated in a mixture of D(2)O and CH(3)OD to induce solution-phase hydrogen-deuterium exchange and then converted to gas-phase ions using electrospray ionization. McLafferty rearrangement was used to generate the free-acid forms of the respective model peptides through transfer of an H atom and elimination of butene. The specific aim was to use vibrational spectra generated by WS-IRMPD to determine whether the H atom remains at the acid group, or migrates to one or more of the other exchangeable sites. Comparison of the IRMPD results in the region from 1200-1900 cm(-1) to theoretical spectra for different isotopically-labeled isomers clearly shows that the H atom is situated at the C-terminal acid group and migration to amide positions is negligible on the time scale of the experiment. The results of this study suggest that use of the McLafferty rearrangement for peptide esters could be an effective approach for generation of H-atom isotope tracers, in situ, for subsequent investigation of intramolecular proton migration during peptide fragmentation studies.


Structural design of multimode graded-index fibers in the long-wavelength region around 1.3 μm is described. Suitable fiber parameters for operating with a laser source for determined: outer diamter 125 μm, core diameter 50 μm, and refractive-index difference 0.015 (relative-index difference ~1%), for transmission systems around 100 Mb/sec. These values agree with the optimum values for short-wavelength transmission systems.


A radio network (RN) is a distributed system where each station or node is a small hand-held commodity device called a station. Typically, each station has access to a few channels for transmitting and receiving messages. By RN(p, k), we denote a radio network with p stations, where each station has access to k channels. In a single-hop RN, every station is within the transmission range of every other station. Each station consumes power while transmitting or receiving a message, even when it receives a message that is not destined for it. It is extremely important that the stations consume power only when it is necessary since it is not possible to recharge batteries when the stations are on a mission. We are interested in designing an energy-efficient protocol for permutation routing, which is one of the most fundamental problems in any distributed system. An instance of the permutation routing problem involves p stations of an RN, each storing n/p items. Each item has a unique destination address which is the identity of the destination station to which the item should be sent. The goal is to route all the items to their destinations while consuming as little energy as possible. We show that the permutation routing problem of n packets on an RN(p, k) can be solved in 2n/k+(p/k)/sup 2/+p+2k/sup 2/ slots and each station needs to be awake for at most 6n/p+2p/k+8k slots. When k/spl Lt/p/spl Lt/n, our protocol is more efficient, both in terms of total number of slots and the number of slots each station is awake compared to a previously published protocol by Nakano et al. (2001).


: The suggested scheme of laboratory tests helped identify the etiology of viral encephalitides in 65.9% of cases. Diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis was confirmed by laboratory findings in 93.6% of cases. Patients with Californian encephalitis were detected in the Sverdlovsk region for the first time. A rather high rate of detection of antibodies to Tahyna virus was revealed in the examined population: up to 60%. Influenza origin of encephalitis was recognized in 6.2% of cases, Lyme's disease was diagnosed in 9.3%.


A new early middle Anisian (Bithynian) gastropod fauna is described from the Mahmudia quarry in North Dobrogea, Romania. At least 22 species are reported, nearly all of them from Tubiphytes‐limestones which represent a microbial buildup. Twenty species from Tubiphytes‐buildup limestones are characterized, ten of which in open nomenclature due to insufficient preservation. One genus (Murchisonietta gen. nov) and ten species are described as new. The new species are Euryalox applanatus, Rasatomaria multistriata, Sisenna inaequistriata, Worthenia (Worthenia) dobrogeana, Worthenia (Humiliworthenia) microstriata, Worthenia (Humiliworthenia) anisica, Marmolatella iordanae, Ladinaticella simionescui, Murchisonietta acuta and Coelostylina micropunctata. The present fauna is one of the most diverse Anisian gastropod faunas known to date and sheds light on the pattern of ongoing recovery from the end‐Permian mass extinction event. It is dominated by Neritimorpha, Caenogastropoda and Pleurotomariida both in abundance and number of species. Diversity of Pleurotomariida strongly exceeds that of any known Early Triassic gastropod fauna and suggest a pronounced rebound of this group. High‐spired smooth caenogastropods (Omphaloptycha and Polygyrina) are relatively abundant but for the most part not enough well preserved for species identification. The present gastropod fauna is part of a diverse invertebrate fauna probably comprising more than 50 species with gastropods being the most diverse followed by bivalves and brachiopods. They were microbial‐buildup dwellers while metazoan frame‐builders, especially corals, were still absent as consequence of the end‐Permian mass extinction event. The Mahmudia fauna suggests that metazoan reefs recovered more slowly than benthic faunas.


Most large organizations have dedicated departments that monitor the media to keep up-to-date with relevant developments and to keep an eye on how they are represented in the news. Part of this media monitoring work can be automated. In the European Union with its 23 official languages, it is particularly important to cover media reports in many languages in order to capture the complementary news content published in the different countries. It is also important to be able to access the news content across languages and to merge the extracted information. We present here the four publicly accessible systems of the Europe Media Monitor (EMM) family of applications, which cover between 19 and 50 languages (see http://press.jrc.it/overview.html). We give an overview of their functionality and discuss some of the implications of the fact that they cover quite so many languages. We discuss design issues necessary to be able to achieve this high multilinguality, as well as the benefits of this multilinguality.


We study some low-lying physical states in a superstring theory based on the quadratically nonlinear SO(N)-extended superconformal algebra. In the realization of the algebra that we use, all the physical states are discrete, analogous to the situation in a one-scalar bosonic string. The BRST operator for the N = 3 case needs to be treated separately, and its construction is given here.


Beauty and business seem opposite terms but in fact have had an important and consequential relationship that business historians are only now exploring. This paper sketches several major themes and approaches to the topic. The first is the emergence of a large sector of the economy devoted to selling beauty aids, fashions, bodily care, and style to American women and men. Another is the deployment of beauty as a business strategy—in creating brands, sales, and marketing; in managing the workplace; and in projecting corporate identities. A third considers the sale of beauty itself, as a value added and attached to a wide range of goods, from art to bodies. These broad approaches suggest new directions for future research.


The relationship between race and jury decision making is a controversial topic that has received increased attention in recent years. While public and media discourse has focused on anecdotal evidence in the form of high-profile cases, legal researchers have considered a wide range of empirical questions including: To what extent does the race of a defendant affect the verdict tendencies of juries? Is this influence of race comparable for jurors of different races? In what ways does a jury's racial composition affect its verdict and deliberations? The present review examines both experimental and archival investigations of these issues. Though the extant literature is not always consistent and has devoted too little attention to the psychological mechanisms underlying the influence of race, this body of research clearly demonstrates that race has the potential to impact trial outcomes. This is a conclusion with important practical as well as theoretical implications when it comes to ongoing debates regarding jury representativeness, how to optimize jury performance, jury nullification and racial disparities in the administration of capital punishment. Language: en


Wave propagation is a fundamental property of all physical systems. The wave speed is directly related to the compressibility of the system and determines the rate at which local disturbances are propagated into the bulk of the material. The wave propagation characteristics of conventional forms of matter are well understood and well documented. In contrast, waves in granular materials are more complex due to the heterogeneous nature of these systems. The key element of the mechanics of a granular system is the force chain. It is along these preferentially stressed chains of particles that waves are transmitted. These nonlinear chains are heavily dependent on the geometry of the bed and are prone to rearrangement even by the slightest of forces.

Results from both experiments and simulations on wave propagation in granular materials are presented in the current study. The experiments measure the pressures at two points within the granular bed that result from the motion of a piston at one end of the bed. The simulations are a two-dimensional version of the experiments and use a discrete, soft-particle method to detect the wave at both the output of the simulated bed and at any point within it. In addition to examining wave propagation in a granular bed at rest, simulations and experiments are also performed for a granular bed undergoing agitation perpendicular to the direction of the wave input. Imposed agitation increases the granular temperature of the bed and allows for the exploration of the effect of granular state changes on the wave propagation characteristics. Such information may provide a means to diagnose the state of a flowing granular material.

Measurements of the wave speed and attenuation in the bed reveal the unique properties of waves in granular systems that result from the nonlinearity of the bed and the heterogeneity of the force chains. Sinusoidal waves demonstrate the nondispersive nature of a granular bed and show the transient effects of force chain rearrangement. Pulsed waves display a semi-permanent shape qualitatively similar to predictions from nonlinear wave theory. In an agitated granular bed, measurements of the wave characteristics were found to be possible even in the presence of significant agitation. The prevailing confining pressure, which changes throughout the agitation cycle, was determined to be the system parameter that correlates best with changes to the wave speed.


It is widely assumed that language in some form or other originated by piggybacking on pre-existing learning mechanism not dedicated to language. Using evolutionary connectionist simulations, we explore the implications of such assumptions by determining the effect of constraints derived from an earlier evolved mechanism for sequential learning on the interaction between biological and linguistic adaptation across generations of language learners. Artificial neural networks were initially allowed to evolve "biologically" to improve their sequential learning abilities, after which language was introduced into the population. We compared the relative contribution of biological and linguistic adaptation by allowing both networks and language to change over time. The simulation results support two main conclusions: First, over generations, a consistent head-ordering emerged due to linguistic adaptation. This is consistent with previous studies suggesting that some apparently arbitrary aspects of linguistic structure may arise from cognitive constraints on sequential learning. Second, when networks were selected to maintain a good level of performance on the sequential learning task, language learnability is significantly improved by linguistic adaptation but not by biological adaptation. Indeed, the pressure toward maintaining a high level of sequential learning performance prevented biological assimilation of linguistic-specific knowledge from occurring.


We consider a regression problem, where the correspondence between input and output data is not available. Such shuffled data is commonly observed in many real world problems. Taking flow cytometry as an example, the measuring instruments are unable to preserve the correspondence between the samples and the measurements. Due to the combinatorial nature, most of existing methods are only applicable when the sample size is small, and limited to linear regression models. To overcome such bottlenecks, we propose a new computational framework - ROBOT- for the shuffled regression problem, which is applicable to large data and complex models. Specifically, we propose to formulate the regression without correspondence as a continuous optimization problem. Then by exploiting the interaction between the regression model and the data correspondence, we propose to develop a hypergradient approach based on differentiable programming techniques. Such a hypergradient approach essentially views the data correspondence as an operator of the regression, and therefore allows us to find a better descent direction for the model parameter by differentiating through the data correspondence. ROBOT is quite general, and can be further extended to the inexact correspondence setting, where the input and output data are not necessarily exactly aligned. Thorough numerical experiments show that ROBOT achieves better performance than existing methods in both linear and nonlinear regression tasks, including real-world applications such as flow cytometry and multi-object tracking.


Irregular and exponential growth of urban/suburban commercial and residential zones has resulted in improper and irreversible land transformation and use. The lack of data regarding the driving forces to sprawl and densification of suburban areas, identification of the pressures created by unplanned sprawl over time and inadequate information to measure, monitor and understand the sprawl and structure of a demography has resulted in an imbalanced sustainable development leading to numerous adverse impacts on a demography's natural, human, physical, social and financial capital. In the present study, patterns of spatiotemporal growth, sprawl and structure of three cities, namely, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara (Gujarat-India) were studied over the past decade with the help of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems. Ground surveys regarding the inferences from the processed GIS images were performed in order to understand the impacts of climate change on health and economy, due to non monitored urban sprawl over the past decade. The driving forces to the sprawl have been accounted and related to the financial development of the cities over time of study. The temporal pressures hence created have been related to resultant impacts of climate change due to improper environmental planning and management. The study also compares the growth rate and sprawl patterns of the three cities on the basis of Sustainability Pentagon Analysis, by distributing relatively equal weights to the driving forces of the change in urban structure and their resultant effects. It ultimately suggests the ways in which the sprawl of urban and suburban centers of the cities could be planned and moderated for achieving sustainable development.


: A simple model of secondary structure of large native RNAs is proposed. The recurrence approach is described allowing to investigate helix-coil transition for this model by computer simulations. "Broken like" behavior of molecules of geometrical size has been observed upon changing the stability of helices at smooth changing of the helix fraction. Such behavior may be explained by the fact that helices formed by interactions between remote parts of the chain melt cooperatively by the mechanism of the second order phase transition. At the same time, helices formed by interactions between proximate segments in the chain melt practically independent of each other.


Following the four-year Bonn Agreement implementation period, from December 2001 to December 2005, the London Conference on Afghanistan was convened, 31 January–1 February, to reaffirm the commitment of world leaders to the next phase of statebuilding and reform in Afghanistan. The central document of this gathering, the Afghanistan Compact, sets forth a number of time-bound benchmarks for the next five years in the areas of security, governance and development. This article examines key aspects of the compact and what will be required for the government of Afghanistan to meet the various targets, along with the support of the international community. Policy recommendations are further advanced to facilitate reconstruction efforts and to sustain a sufficient level of international engagement to avert failure in Afghanistan.


Recent studies have found that mimicking the verbal and nonverbal behavior of strangers enhances their liking of the individual who mimicked them. An experiment was carried out in two bars during six sessions of speed dating for which young women confederates volunteered to mimic or not some verbal expressions and nonverbal behaviors of a man for 5 minutes. Data revealed that the men evaluated the dating interaction more positively when the woman mimicked them, and that mimicry was associated with a higher evaluation score of the relation and the sexual attractiveness of the woman. Mimicry appears to influence perceptions of physical attributes in addition to personal and social attributes.


This essay argues that the biblical image of the peaceable kingdom offers a useful filter through which to examine and contemplate the passion and fervor for interspecies friendship in the digital era. I argue that the digital medium of the animal video (more specifically, animal videos that document and record interspecies friendships) can be read as an alternate spacetime: one alleged to be outside of predation. But I also argue that, when we look closer at both the biblical context of this passage as well as visions of interspecies kinship that derive from, or resonate with, the biblical text, the dystopian underside of this almost utopian image can be rendered with more clarity. Perhaps, however, this biblical image—with its messianic undertones—can also help us to set in sharper relief the non-predational, creaturely, potentialities that might still emerge from these digital peaceable kingdoms.


This paper analyzes the effect of competition on product demonstration decisions. Pre-purchase product demonstration enables marketers to differentiate products that are ex-post differentiated but are judged according to perceived fit, rather than actual fit, due to pre-purchase consumer uncertainty. Imbalanced competition accompanied by fit uncertainty motivates the follower to offer demonstrations to avoid a price war. This paper explores the conditions that lead the leader to retaliate. In addition to effects on quantity, competition may increase the quality of demonstrations offered by the leader. We analyze a business case, showing that competition may increase the demonstration intensity and that the leading manufacturer's response to changes in competition is stronger than the responses of the followers. Our research has the potential to aid mangers in formulating demonstration strategies and in responding to competitors' demonstration efforts.


A platform with more than 2.2 billion users, Facebook has found itself at the epicentre of many of the ongoing conversations about digital media, technology policy, and democracy. Following multiple controversies in the past two years, Facebook is seeking to implement much needed processes for self-regulation and governance to help regain the trust of the public, politicians, and regulatory authorities. Facebook has thus entered a new era of cautious glasnost, inviting researchers to look 'under the hood' of various aspects of its operations, and understand how it formulates and implements its policies. This short report aims to build on these developments by identifying some specific issues concerning political information and speech on Facebook, providing an overview of the major changes that Facebook has made in recent years in response to public criticism, and critically assessing these changes, offering suggestions as to what more the company should do.


"We are facing the biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time. Above all, this is not just a crisis of numbers; it is also a crisis of solidarity." –Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary General The intersection of trafficking, forced labor, and refugees is well-cited in the international human rights community yet is rarely studied academically, especially in the Middle East. Given the massive Syrian refugee crisis that began in 2011, which increased the total global population of refugees to the largest total in history, it is more important than ever to study and better understand how refugees are vulnerable to trafficking and forced labor, particularly in impacted countries. The purpose of this research is to answer the question why refugees are vulnerable and how anti-trafficking and anti-forced labor initiatives can use vulnerability indicators as a tool of prevention. This thesis incorporates research from various academic disciplines to analyze potential vulnerability to labor exploitation of refugees in Jordan, one of the most impacted countries. I find that health, mobility, work status or income, demographics including age and gender, access to community, access to aide, and legal or registered status are significant indicators of vulnerability among refugees. An analysis of Jordanian government, IGO, and civil society prevention strategies provides context on how vulnerability indicators can be better implemented in these initiatives. I argue that this indicates Jordan is a good model for applying this prevention research. Borrowing from political science and international relations, I find that prevention occurs through levels of analysis including individual, group, state, and international approaches. A key conclusion of this thesis is the suggestion to separate prevention efforts into a distinct timeframe of direct and indirect prevention initiatives through these levels of analysis to better incorporate vulnerability indicators. I find that addressing vulnerability in these ways proves viable to prevent trafficking and forced labor of Syrian refugees in Jordan. This thesis thus demonstrates the importance of incorporating vulnerability indicators in prevention initiatives to dismantle the "greenhouse of human trafficking" that currently exists in the Middle East due to the Syrian refugee crisis.


We present an analysis of K2 light curves (LCs) from Campaigns 4 and 13 for members of the young (∼3 Myr) Taurus association, in addition to an older (∼30 Myr) population of stars that is largely in the foreground of the Taurus molecular clouds. Out of 156 of the highest-confidence Taurus members, we find that 81% are periodic. Our sample of young foreground stars is biased and incomplete, but nearly all stars (37/38) are periodic. The overall distribution of rotation rates as a function of color (a proxy for mass) is similar to that found in other clusters: the slowest rotators are among the early M spectral types, with faster rotation toward both earlier FGK and later M types. The relationship between period and color/mass exhibited by older clusters such as the Pleiades is already in place by Taurus age. The foreground population has very few stars but is consistent with the USco and Pleiades period distributions. As found in other young clusters, stars with disks rotate on average slower, and few with disks are found rotating faster than ∼2 days. The overall amplitude of the LCs decreases with age, and higher-mass stars have generally lower amplitudes than lower-mass stars. Stars with disks have on average larger amplitudes than stars without disks, though the physical mechanisms driving the variability and the resulting LC morphologies are also different between these two classes.


Forty patients with plasma cell dyscrasias underwent high-dose chemoradiotherapy and either anti-B-cell monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-treated autologous, anti-T-cell MoAb-treated HLA-matched sibling allogeneic or syngeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The majority of patients had advanced Durie-Salmon stage myeloma at diagnosis, all were pretreated with chemotherapy, and 17 had received prior radiotherapy. At the time of BMT, all patients demonstrated good performance status with Karnofsky score of 80% or greater and had less than 10% marrow tumor cells; 34 patients had residual monoclonal marrow plasma cells and 38 patients had paraprotein. Following high-dose chemoradiotherapy, there were 18 complete responses (CR), 18 partial responses, one non-responder, and three toxic deaths. Granulocytes greater than 500/microL and untransfused platelets greater than 20,000/microL were noted at a median of 23 (range, 12 to 46) and 25 (range, 10 to 175) days posttransplant (PT), respectively, in 24 of the 26 patients who underwent autografting. In the 14 patients who received allogeneic or syngeneic grafts, granulocytes greater than 500/microL and untransfused platelets greater than 20,000/microL were noted at a median of 19 (range, 12 to 24) and 16 (range, 5 to 32) days PT, respectively. With 24 months median follow-up for survival after autologous BMT, 16 of 26 patients are alive free from progression at 2+ to 55+ months PT; of these, 5 patients remain in CR at 6+ to 55+ months PT. With 24 months median follow-up for survival after allogeneic and syngeneic BMT, 8 of 14 patients are alive free from progression at 8+ to 34+ months PT; of these, 5 patients remain in CR at 8+ to 34+ months PT. This therapy has achieved high response rates and prolonged progression-free survival in some patients and proven to have acceptable toxicity. However, relapses post-BMT, coupled with slow engraftment post-BMT in heavily pretreated patients, suggest that such treatment strategies should be used earlier in the disease course. To define the role of BMT in the treatment of myeloma, its efficacy should be compared with that of conventional chemotherapy in a randomized trial.


blind, to better concentrate on the patients' words. And in doing so, we have surely rendered a disservice, not only to ourselves, but to Duchenne. Even ifhe was wrong about the particular laws, in testing his hypotheses, we might today have had an exact science of physiognomy to inform ourselves with far greater confidence and exactitude about the emotional states of our patients. It is not sufficient to assert that expressions can deceive, because words themselves offer far better opportunities for deceit. The labour to produce this book must have been enormous, and may be one reason why others did not continue his work. Today, we have the technology to take up the challenge of studying the living movements of the face and to do so in a far more systematic way than desultory research occasionally recalling modem journals. This is a book of more than historical importance, containing as it surely must the seeds of many a rich thesis. Sadly, for the present, its relevance and interest to the ordinary psychiatrist remains in question.


Our main objective is to analyse whether we have a problem of parameter heterogeneity across countries and over time in the estimation of the relationship between infrastructure investments and economic growth. The research approach concerning causality and the estimating of the long-run equilibrium is based on the error-correction model. The problem of parameter heterogeneity is handled by the use of interaction terms. The result indicates that residential construction Granger causes Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the short and long run and it seems likely that the interaction term indicating high unemployment do add some explanation power to the model. This is not true when it comes to infrastructural and other building construction and its impact on economic growth. A high housing stock per capita seems to reduce the short-run effect. This implies that residential construction seems to have a larger effect if the accumulated residential stock is on a low level. The speed of adjustment to long-run equilibrium differs considerably between a country with a low residential capital stock and a country with a high-capital stock. Moreover, high owner occupation rates seem to be associated with a stronger relationship between residential construction and economic growth.


Cognitive load and emotional states may impact for designing an assistive navigation aid for the Visually Impaired Peoples (VIPs). In this study, electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were captured from participants with different degree sight loss peoples (DDSLPs). EEG signals were then used to measure various cognitive loads and emotions to test the usability of an intelligent navigation aids. To support the argument of testing the usability of a navigation aids, the complexity of the tasks in terms of cognitive load and emotions were quantified considering diverse factors by extracting features from various well established entropies when DDSLPs will navigate unfamiliar indoor environments with different obstacles. Experimental results show that classification accuracy for narrow space is 97.61% for cognitive load. Moreover, the experiment achieves that 90.40% and 50.60% classification accuracy for arousal and valence in the open space and stairs, respectively.


Senescence is the final event in the life of many plant tissues. It is concerned with remobilisation of metabolites from the senescing organ and is distinct from other forms of cell death. It is a highly regulated process involving structural, biochemical and molecular changes. Gene expression is tightly regulated, with many genes down regulated and others induced. Conversely, ageing is a passive degradation. Petals and leaves are good model organs for developmental studies, as petal development is irreversible and tightly controlled, and leaves are an extensively studied senescent system. Similarities between these organs allow direct comparison of late developmental events to establish whether petals senesce, as leaves do, or age however, important differences in function lead to the hypothesis that petal deterioration and leaf senescence are distinct. Wallflowers were chosen as they are closely related to Arabidopsis and Brassica spp., have large petals, and are commercially relevant ornamental plants. Changes in wallflower morphology and physiology were examined over development. A high degree of gene homology was shown between wallflowers and Arabidopsis by northern blotting. 1632 genes upregulated in old wallflower tissues were cloned using subtractive selective hybridisation and a microarray of these genes, along with 91 Arabidopsis senescence associated genes, was constructed. Probing the microarray with RNA from different leaf and petal developmental stages identified 298 common genes significantly upregulated during both leaf senescence and late petal development, and expression patterns were compared between the two tissues. The expression patterns of selected genes were confirmed by RT-PCR. Late development in petals was shown to be an active process, and was tentatively concluded to be senescence due to upregulation of genes involved with nutrient remobilisation and the strong upregulation of the SAG 12 gene---a molecular marker for leaf senescence that is not upregulated during other forms of death in leaves.


Tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) is a valuable clinical parameter e.g. for intensive care applications or monitoring during surgery. Studies showed that near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) based tissue oximeters of different brands give systematically different readings of StO2. Usually these readings are linearly correlated and therefore StO2 readings from one instrument can easily be converted to those of another instrument. However, it is interesting to understand why there is this difference. One reason may be that different brands employ different spectra of hemoglobin. The aim here was to investigate how these different absorption spectra of hemoglobin affect the StO2 readings. Therefore, we performed changes in StO2 in a phantom experiment with real human hemoglobin at three different concentrations (26.5, 45 and 70 μM): desaturation by yeast consuming the oxygen and re-saturation by bubbling oxygen gas. The partial pressure of O2 in the liquid changed from at least 10 kPa to ~0 kPa and ISS OxiplexTS, a frequency-domain NIRS instrument, was used to monitor changes of StO2. When we employed two different absorption spectra for hemoglobin, StO2 values were comparable in the normal physiological range. However, particularly at high and low StO2 values, a difference of >6% between these two spectra were noticed. Such a difference of >6% is substantial and relevant for medical applications. This may partly explain why different brands of NIRS instruments provide different StO2 readings. The hemoglobin spectra are therefore a factor to be considered for future developments and applications of NIRS oximeters.


The issue of the circulation of luxury commodities and of the evolution through which it is going becomes fully meaningful when addressed within the context of an anthropology of globalization that analyzes the nature and impact of flows on contemporary societies. In this article, I explore the ways in which globalization not only affects the luxury economy but also reshapes its cultural and political dimensions. The first part of this essay examines the definition of luxury and its close link with such notions as scarcity, superfluity, and expenditure, and reviews the theoretical debate on luxury and the development of capitalism. The second part is focused on the global expansion of the luxury market, especially its opening to Chinese consumers. A consequence of this appropriation of luxury goods on a large scale is the permanent threat of banalization in a domain in which scarcity and exceptionality are so essential. In this context, the close connection between luxury firms and contemporary art can be interpreted as an antidote against this process of banalization.


Government Authorities have been becoming increasingly active in attempts to assist employers to improve fleet and corporate driver safety. Some private insurance companies and brokers are also beginning to offer their clients tools to assist with risk data collection and analysis. Separately, a number of commercial and non-commercial organisations have introduced fleet safety and organisational driving safety programs. These programs were instigated for a variety of reasons and take a variety of shapes. This paper analyses results from interviews with over 40 organisations with an interest or involvement in corporate driving or fleet safety. Similarities and differences in corporate driver safety programs are examined. Some lessons about the evolution of these programs and ways to best support them are drawn out and discussed. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E206143.


Background
Despite the centrality of addiction in academic accounts of smoking, there is little research on smokers' beliefs about addiction to smoking, and the role of nicotine in tobacco dependence. Smokers' perspectives on nicotine's role in addiction are important given the increasing prevalence of nontobacco nicotine products such as e-cigarettes. We conducted a systematic review of studies investigating smokers' understandings and lay beliefs about addiction to smoking and nicotine.

Method
We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO for studies investigating lay beliefs about addiction to smoking. Twenty-two quantitative and 24 qualitative studies met inclusion criteria. Critical interpretive synthesis was used to analyze the results.

Results
Very few studies asked about addiction to nicotine. Quantitative studies that asked about addiction to smoking showed that most smokers believe that cigarettes are an addictive product, and that they are addicted to smoking. Across qualitative studies, nicotine was not often mentioned by participants. Addiction to smoking was most often characterized as a feeling of "need" for cigarettes resulting from an interplay between physical, mental, and social processes. Overall, we found that understandings of smoking were more consistent with the biopsychosocial model of addiction than with more recent models that emphasize the biological aspects of addiction.

Conclusion
Researchers should not treat perceptions of addiction to smoking interchangeably with perceptions of addiction to nicotine. More research on lay beliefs about nicotine is required, particularly considering the increasing use of e-cigarettes and their potential for long-term nicotine maintenance for harm reduction.

Implications
Quantitative studies show that most smokers believe that smoking is addictive and that they are addicted. A feeling of "need" for cigarettes was central to qualitative accounts of addiction, but nicotine was not often discussed. Overall, smokers' understandings of addiction reflect a biopsychosocial model rather than a neurobiological one. Given the growing market for e-cigarettes and therapeutic nicotine, more research is required on lay beliefs about nicotine and addiction.


This is the first article to use a detailed dataset of the 2010 - 2015 Parliamentary Conservative Party (PCP) to identify the drivers of MPs' positions on legally enshrining a commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on foreign aid. We position every Conservative parliamentarian into three different categories on international aid - (1) aid critics, who openly opposed and/or voted the 0.7% target; (2) aid sceptics, who abstained in parliamentary divisions on the 0.7 target and (3) aid advocates, who voted for the 0.7% and spoke out for it. We then draw on a range of political and ideological variables to determine drivers of support or opposition to aid. By doing so we identify that Cameron achieved remarkable success in transforming opinion towards aid amongst Conservative parliamentarians. This article represents a quantitative challenge to the prevalent qualitative assumption in the academic literature, which claims Cameron's modernistion project was a failure.


Like many other cataclysmic events September 11, a day now popularly believed to have 'changed the world', has become a topic taken up by children's writers. This thesis, titled The Whole World Shook: Ethnic, National and Heroic Identities in Children's Fiction About 9/11, examines how cultural identities are constructed within fictional texts for young people written about the attacks on the Twin Towers. It identifies three significant identity categories encoded in 9/11 books for children: ethnic identities, national identities, and heroic identities. The thesis argues that the identities formed within the selected children's texts are in flux, privileging performances of identities that are contingent on post-9/11 politics.

This study is located within the field of children's literature criticism, which supports the understanding that children's books, like all texts, play a role in the production of identities. Children's literature is highly significant both in its pedagogical intent (to instruct and induct children into cultural practices and beliefs) and in its obscurity (in making the complex simple enough for children, and from sometimes intentionally shying away from difficult things). This literary criticism informed the study that the texts, if they were to be written at all, would be complex, varied and most likely as ambiguous and contradictory as the responses to the attacks on New York themselves.

The theoretical framework for this thesis draws on a range of critical theories including literary theory, cultural studies, studies of performativity and postmodernism. This critical framework informs the approach by providing ways for: (i) understanding how political and ideological work is performed in children's literature; (ii) interrogating the constructed nature of cultural identities; (iii) developing a nuanced methodology for carrying out a close textual analysis.

The textual analysis examines a representative sample of children's texts about 9/11, including picture books, young adult fiction, and a selection of DC Comics. Each chapter focuses on a different though related identity category. Chapter Four examines the performance of ethnic identities and race politics within a sample of picture books and young adult fiction; Chapter Five analyses the construction of collective, national identities in another set of texts; and Chapter Six does analytic work on a third set of texts, demonstrating the strategic performance of particular kinds of heroic identities. I argue that performances of cultural identities constructed in these texts draw on familiar versions of identities as well as contribute to new ones. These textual constructions can be seen as offering some certainties in increasingly uncertain times. The study finds, in its sample of books a co-mingling of xenophobia and tolerance; a binaried competition between good and evil and global harmony and national insularity; and a lauding of both the commonplace hero and the super-human. Being a recent corpus of texts about 9/11, these texts provide information on the kinds of 'selves' that appear to be privileged in the West since 2001.

The thesis concludes that the shifting identities evident in texts that are being produced for children about 9/11 offer implicit and explicit accounts of what constitute good citizenship, loyalty to nation and community, and desirable attributes in a Western post-9/11 context. This thesis makes an original contribution to the field of children's literature by providing a focussed and sustained analysis of how texts for children about 9/11 contribute to formations of identity in these complex times of cultural unease and global unrest.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have recently attracted a lot of attention in the research community because it is easy to deploy them in the physical environment and collect and disseminate environmental data from them. The collected data from sensor nodes can vary based on what kind of application is used for WSNs. Data confidentiality and access control to that collected data are the most challenging issues in WSNs because the users are able to access data from the different location via ad-hoc manner. Access control is one of the critical requirements to prevent unauthorised access from users. The current access control models in information systems cannot be applied straightforwardly because of some limitations namely limited energy, resource and memory, and low computation capability. Based on the requirements of WSNs, we proposed the Break-The-Glass Access Control (BTG-AC) model which is the modified and redesigned version of Break-The-Glass Role-Based Access Control (BTG-RBAC) model. The several changes within the access control engine are made in BTG-RBAC to apply and fit in WSNs. We developed the BTG-AC model in Ponder2 package. Also a medical scenario was developed to evaluate the BTG-AC model for medical data in WSNs. In this paper, detail design, implementation phase, evaluation result and policies evaluation for the BTG-AC model are presented. Based on the evaluation result, the BTG-AC model can be used in WSNs after several modifications have been made under Ponder2 Package.


Intracranial saccular aneurysms are focal dilatations of the arterial wall that usually occur in or near the circle of Willis. Two-to-five percent of the population in the western world likely harbors such an aneurysm, rupture of which is the leading cause of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. It is widely thought that these lesions rupture when wall stress exceeds wall strength. Given that aneurysms experience multiaxial stress and strain fields in vivo, there is a pressing need for data on their multiaxial mechanical properties. In this paper, we report the first multiaxial data on human saccular aneurysms. Lesions were obtained at autopsy, cannulated, and subjected to cyclic pressurization using a triplane video-based experimental system. The latter recorded the pressures and associated motions of multiple markers that were affixed to the surface of the lesion. Finally, a new sub-domain inverse finite element method was used to estimate the best-fit material parameters in a Fung-type pseudostrain energy function. It was found that the lesions were much stiffer than previously thought, which in turn will affect significantly any estimation of wall stress. There remains a need, however, to collect data on additional specimens, to evaluate different descriptors of the multiaxial behavior, and to correlate these findings with direct measures of the underlying histology.


Full waveform inversion suffers from the high non-linearity in the misfit function, which causes the convergence to a local minimum. In the other hand, traveltime tomography has a quasi-linear misfit function but yields low- resolution models. Wave equation tomography (WET) tries to improve on traveltime tomography, by better adhering to the requirements of our finite-frequency data. However, conventional (WET), based on the crosscorelaion lag, yields the popular hallow banana sensitivity kernel indicating that the measured wavefield at a point is insensitive to perturbations along the ray theoretical path at certain finite frequencies. Using the instantaneous traveltime, the sensitivity kernel reflects more the model-data dependency we grown accustom to in seismic inversion (even phase inversion). Demonstrations on synthetic and the Mamousi model support such assertions.


Sir, I would like to thank Dr. John Schou for his comments on our article concerning complications and late sequelae following nasotracheal intubation. As stated in our article, the trend in newer investigations favours oro-tracheal intubation ( 0 1 ) for naso-tracheal intubation (NI) , and furthermore, the trend is to advocate early tracheostomy (TR) . It is not our impression that the need for sedation is much greater with 01 compared to NI and the same is the case with muscular paralysis. However, these are some of the unsolved questions. Concerning TR, maybe something has happened since newer investigations accept it as a "safe" operation. With the introduction of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy, it will perhaps improve further, but randomized clinical studies still need to be done. It is true that some of the complications and late sequelae could be caused by the


Ethics and the Daily Language of Medical Discourse Medicine is and always has been a profession that relies heavily on narrative. [1] Considerable writing has been done about the psychiatric case study as literature, but the medical case report can also be approached from a literary perspective and studied with many of the same methodologies that one would apply to a literary genre. [2] The work of the French theoretician Jacques Derrida is especially applicable to medical discourse. In Of Grammatology, Derrida States that words, either written or spoken, are an alteration of an actual presence, that is, the immediate event or experience that is being put into words. [3] Language appropriates and inevitably alters reality by representing it and making it a reflection of the speaker's (or writer's) perspective. In this way, Derrida considers the use of language to be an activity of violence. The French word, with less of a physical connotation than the English cognate, serves to suggest the artificiality of language and the ways it can manipulate reality. (*1) This sense of violence can be seen in the creation of the medical report. At the moment of the medical event, the patient (in most cases) tells his or her "story" to a physician. The physician--for example, a physician in the emergency room--begins to manipulate that narrative by posing certain questions and organizing information to conform to the format of the medical report. If the patient is admitted to the hospital, the ER physician will probably present the "case" at morning report. A new physician, armed with the patient's medical record, sees the patient and adds to that record. The "case" is then "presented" repeatedly at morning rounds or attending rounds--often in the absence of the patient. With each retelling, the presence of the patient is further abstracted. The above description assumes the presence that is verbalized for the first time is the encounter of physician and patient. The presence, however, could also be seen as the experience that brings the patient-to-be, voluntarily or not, to the physician. Distinguishing between these two events, one centered in the consciousness of the patient and the other in the consciousness of the physician, raises an issue central to the theory and practice of medicine: Is the story being told in the medical report the story of the patient's life or of the physician's relationship with the patient's illness? The tension between these two possibilities is a frequent factor in various ethical dilemmas. Derrida remarks that when speech or writing replaces an actual presence, it becomes a "symbolic reappropriation" of reality that can "make one forget the vicariousness of its own function." [4] This raises particular challenges for medicine. The case report, by the very nature of its purposeful, carefully ordered creation, runs the danger of displacing (or replacing) in a reduced form the unorganized, overwhelming amount of information contained in the very presence of the patient. This reduction, in turn, can lead to the depersonalization of the patient. The common criticisms of physicians who refer to "the gall bladder in Room 204" clearly reflect an awareness of the dangers that threaten when words replace reality. Derrida indicates that this symbolic reappropriation is an attempt to organize, and hence "master" the present with words. In the medical report, that present can be either the patient or the patient's illness. In this process, the details of the patient's life that are chosen to be reported by the physician reflect the methods--and values--of medicine, which emphasize diagnosis and treatment and support a belief in the system and objectivity of medical "science." When this happens, the genre or text begins to control its writers. As Derrida observes: [T]he writer writes in a language and in a logic whose proper system, laws and life his discourse by definition cannot dominate absolutely. …


This paper is an attempt to measure the economic efficiency of Dedza smallholder Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) farmers in Malawi using a translog cost frontier, inefficiency effect model and input Elasticities from Seeming Unrelated Regression Model for asystem of cost share equations for labour, fertilizer, seed and land. A sample of 200 farmers has been considered from Dedza district in Malawi. Results indicate that the mean economic efficiency of Irish potato production in Dedza District is 0.61 with scores ranging between 0.12 and 0.94. The economic efficiency differences are significantly explained by non-farm employment, education, credit access, farm experience, degree of specialization, household size and frequency of weeding. The highest input substitution existed between labour and fertilizer, followed by seedfertilizer.


In order to evaluate the robustness performance of process control system with uncertainties, four quantified stochastic robustness indices are introduced upon some typical stochastic variable ranking criteria. Based on them, four kinds of stochastic robust controller optimization problems are presented to meet the system requirements. To solve the multi-objective stochastic programming problems, NSGA-II algorithm combined with Monte-Carlo experiments are utilized to obtain the Pareto robustness solutions. The methods are applied to a steam-turbine generator set control system design. The simulation results demonstrate better robustness performance compared with those obtained under nominal parameter condition. Further more, detailed comparison among the four methods reveals their unique character, in which pessimistic value criterion method is considered to be relatively the best.


- A person's face provides a lot of information such as age, gender and identity. Faces play an important role in the prediction of gender. In this research, an attempt is made to classify human gender using two level decision based on Neural Networks. In this paper a feed forward propagation neural networks are constructed for human gender classification system for male and female. The performance of the system is further improved by employing second level decision using three sigma control limits applied on the output of the neural network classifier. The efficiency of the system is demonstrated through the experimental results using benchmark database images.


This paper addresses the question whether and how co-benefits, through disaster resilience building, can be further promoted. Co-benefits are defined as positive externalities that arise deliberately as a result of a joint strategy that pursues several objectives synergistically at the same time, such as disaster risk management and development goals, or disaster risk management and climate change adaptation. Of particular interest is the question of how the economic and broader benefits of disaster risk management can be recognized and realized by those in charge of fiscal policy decisions. The paper considers the interplay between public disaster risk management investment and fiscal policy, and provides an overview of the current debate as well as assessment methods, tools, and policy options. In fiscal budgeting, it has been standard practice to focus on direct liabilities and recurrent spending. Costs of disasters are often dealt with after the fact only, rather than being considered as contingent liabilities. As a consequence, the full costs of disasters have often not been budgeted for, and, with a price signal missing, there is lack of clear incentives for investing in disaster risk management. Overall, the paper identifies four steps and three dividends to be harnessed: (i) understanding fiscal risk; (ii) protecting public finance through risk financing instruments, the first dividend; (iii) managing disaster risk comprehensively, the second dividend; and (iv) pursuing a synergistic, co-benefits strategy of concurrently managing disaster risks and promoting development, the third dividend.


Background: Quality of life differs for different people in different situations and is related to one's self-satisfaction with life. Quality of life is affected by health status. Objectives: The current study examined the relationship between quality of life and depression in pregnant women in Kashan city. Patients and Methods: A Case - control study was performed on 112 depressed pregnant women (Case Group) and 353 Non-depressed pregnant women (Control Group) who referred to the prenatal health care centers of Kashan University of Medical Sciences .They completed Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) to assess the quality of life and the Beck Depression Inventory to assess the level of depressive symptoms. T-test, chi-square and Pearson correlation coefficient statistical tests were used for data analysis. Results: The findings showed that there was an inverse relationship between quality of life and depression in pregnancy (P = 0.0001). Average scores in all eight domains of quality of life were significantly lower in depressed pregnant women compared to non- depressed women. The strongest relationship was observed between depression and vitality (r =-0.52, P = 0.0001), mental health (r = -0.50, P = 0.001) and social functioning (r =-0.38, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Depressed pregnant women had a lower quality of life. The proper management of depression during pregnancy can improve the quality of life in women. It is recommended that antenatal services integrate screening for depression into routine antenatal care.


Model-based offline reinforcement learning approaches generally rely on bounds of model error. While contemporary methods achieve such bounds through an ensemble of models, we propose to estimate them using a data-driven latent metric. Particularly, we build upon recent advances in Riemannian geometry of generative models to construct a latent metric of an encoder-decoder based forward model. Our proposed metric measures both the quality of out of distribution samples as well as the discrepancy of examples in the data. We show that our metric can be viewed as a combination of two metrics, one relating to proximity and the other to epistemic uncertainty. Finally, we leverage our metric in a pessimistic model-based framework, showing a significant improvement upon contemporary model-based offline reinforcement learning benchmarks.


This paper interrogates and rejects the effectiveness of consensus building as a mechanism for conflict resolution in Africa. Drawing from the conflict/consensus theoretical debates of the 1960s, the paper argues that because of the inherent character of power, and considering the nature of the state in Africa which is subordinated to private interests, the political leaders will not readily bend to consensus. Instead of consensus the paper suggests a reform of the state. But beyond the reform, the paper points out the compelling need for the development of a virile civil society and a corresponding need for the re-invention of a nationalist ideology both of which will induce as well as facilitate the relative autonomy of the state. Thereafter, a reformed state in Africa will be better placed to adequately manage power and conflict.


Genital mycoplasmas are implicated in pelvic inflammatory diseases, puerperal infection, septic abortions, low birth weight, nongonococcal urethritis and prostatitis as well as spontaneous abortion and infertility in women. There is paucity of data on colonisation of genital mycoplasma in women and their drug sensitivity patterns. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of genital mycoplasmas (Ureaplasma urealiticum and Mycoplasma hominis) infection and their drug sensitivity patterns in women. A mycofast kit was used for biochemical determination of mycoplasma infection in 100 randomly selected female patients aged 19–57 years, attending the University of Yaoundé Teaching Hospital (UYTH) from March to June 2010. Informed consent was sought and gained before samples were collected. Genital mycoplasmas were found in 65 patients (65%) [95% CI=55.7–74.3%] and distributed as 41 (41%) [95% CI=31.4–50.6%] for U. urealiticum and 4 (4%) [95% CI=0.20– 7.8%] for M. hominis while there was co-infection in 20 women (20%) [95% CI=12.16–27.84%]. In our study, 57 (57%) [95% CI=47.3–67%] had other organisms, which included C. albicans (19 [19%]), G. vaginalis (35 [35%]) and T. vaginalis (3 [3%]). Among the 65 women with genital mycoplasma, the highest co-infection was with G. vaginalis (33.8%). Pristinamycine was the most effective antibiotic (92%) and sulfamethoxazole the most resistant (8%) antibiotic to genital mycoplasmas. We conclude that genital mycoplasma is a problem in Cameroon and infected women should be treated together with their partners.


Osteomas are the most common fibro-osseous lesions in the paranasal sinus. They are benign tumours characterized by slow growth and are often asymptomatic. Treatment is indicated in sphenoid osteomas that threaten the optic canal or orbital apex and in symptomatic cases. The choice of surgical management depends on the location, size and experience of the surgeon. An open approach allows tumour removal with direct visual control and remains the best option in large tumours, but the continued progression in endoscopic approaches is responsible for new indications in closed techniques. Immediate reconstruction allows aesthetic and functional restoration of neighbouring structures, which should one of the goals in the treatment of this benign entity. We report a case of a giant ethmoid osteoma with orbital invasion treated by a combined open craniofacial approach with reconstruction of the anterior cranial base and orbital walls. The literature is reviewed and aetiopathogenic theories, diagnostic procedures and surgical approaches are discussed.


Effects of the polychaetes Nereis diversicolor and Arenicola marina on the distribution, metabolism and removal of [ 14 C-4,5, 9 ,10]-pyrene in sediment microcosms were studied over 42 and 53 d, respectively. Unmetabolized pyrene, water- and organic-soluble pyrene metabolites were quantified in sediment, interstitial water and overlying water, and 14 CO 2 production was also assessed. Both N. diversicolor and A. marina enhanced fluxes of sediment-associated pyrene and metabolites into overlying water but to different extents. The major pathway of pyrene removal from sediments with N. diversicolor was release of water-soluble metabolites, probably formed by metabolism in N. diversicolor. In contrast, flushing of unmetabolized pyrene due to bioturbation was the major removal route from sediments with A. marina. Additionally, increased 14 CO 2 production and concentrations of water-soluble metabolites were also observed in overlying water indicating that A. marina also stimulated the metabolism of pyrene. The high production of water-soluble metabolites was probably due to endogenous metabolism in the lugworm itself, whereas the increased 14 CO 2 production indicated a stimulation of microbial metabolism. After 42 d, only 75 % of the originally added amount of pyrene remained associated to sediment particles in microcosms inhabited by N. diversicolor, whereas no significant reduction was observed in microcosms with A. marina due to the necessity of using large amounts of sediment in the lugworm experiment. The actual flux of pyrene and metabolites to overlying water was higher in microcosms with A. marina than with N. diversicolor. Both A. marina and N. diversicolor significantly enhanced the removal pyrene from the sediment, but differences in feeding and life strategies resulted in different removal paths and extents.


Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT), one of the virulence factors produced by the bacteria, exerts its toxicity by up-regulating various signaling cascades downstream of the heterotrimeric GTPases Gq and G12/13 in an unknown fashion. Here, we present the crystal structure of the C-terminal region (residues 575–1,285) of PMT, which carries an intracellularly active moiety. The overall structure of C-terminal region of PMT displays a Trojan horse-like shape, composed of three domains with a "feet"-,"body"-, and "head"-type arrangement, which were designated C1, C2, and C3 from the N to the C terminus, respectively. The C1 domain, showing marked similarity in steric structure to the N-terminal domain of Clostridium difficile toxin B, was found to lead the toxin molecule to the plasma membrane. The C3 domain possesses the Cys–His–Asp catalytic triad that is organized only when the Cys is released from a disulfide bond. The steric alignment of the triad corresponded well to that of papain or other enzymes carrying Cys–His–Asp. PMT toxicities on target cells were completely abrogated when one of the amino acids constituting the triad was mutated. Our results indicate that PMT is an enzyme toxin carrying the cysteine protease-like catalytic triad dependent on the redox state and functions on the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane of target cells.


Background: Nucleoside transport is an important therapeutic target against cancer. Results: Cell-based studies show that a metal-containing nucleoside displays anti-cancer effects and diagnostic properties against adherent cancers. Conclusion: A metal-containing nucleoside functions as a biophotonic substrate for a nucleoside transporter. Significance: A novel nucleoside with combined therapeutic and diagnostic activities provides a tool to treat cancer. Nucleoside transport is an essential process that helps maintain the hyperproliferative state of most cancer cells. As such, it represents an important target for developing diagnostic and therapeutic agents that can effectively detect and treat cancer, respectively. This report describes the development of a metal-containing nucleoside designated Ir(III)-PPY nucleoside that displays both therapeutic and diagnostic properties against the human epidermal carcinoma cell line KB3-1. The cytotoxic effects of Ir(III)-PPY nucleoside are both time- and dose-dependent. Flow cytometry analyses validate that the nucleoside analog causes apoptosis by blocking cell cycle progression at G2/M. Fluorescent microscopy studies show rapid accumulation in the cytoplasm within 4 h. However, more significant accumulation is observed in the nucleus and mitochondria after 24 h. This localization is consistent with the ability of the metal-containing nucleoside to influence cell cycle progression at G2/M. Mitochondrial depletion is also observed after longer incubations (Δt ∼48 h), and this effect may produce additional cytotoxic effects. siRNA knockdown experiments demonstrate that the nucleoside transporter, hENT1, plays a key role in the cellular entry of Ir(III)-PPY nucleoside. Collectively, these data provide evidence for the development of a metal-containing nucleoside that functions as a combined therapeutic and diagnostic agent against cancer.


: E-Learning has become an integral part of educational settings because of the advancements in information and communication technologies. Despite the fact that E-Learning has been implemented successfully, many programs fail to meet their objectives. E-Learning scholars and practitioners have been inspired to investigate the aspects that influence the success or failure of the program. Specifically, this study aims to analyze the elements that impact the introduction and growth of E-Learning and the most suitable framework for secondary schools in Iraq. E-effectiveness learning's in Iraqi and Arab education systems is the focus of this study, since this field of research is lacking in both theoretical and empirical investigations. A conceptual framework for integrating the important components and demographic data is proposed in the study. Using the conceptual framework offered, educational institutions and governments may better design and execute new E-Learning programs, as well as analyze the effectiveness of current ones.


Most windowing systems follow the independent overlapping windows approach, which emerged as an answer to the needs of the 80s' application and technology. Advances in computers, display technology, and the applications demand more functionality from window management systems. Based on these changes and the problems of current windowing appraoches, we have updated the requirements for multiwindow systems to guide new methods of window management. We propose elastic windows with improved spatial layout and rapid multi-window operations. Multi-window operations are achieved by issuing operations on window groups hierachically organized in a space-filling tiled layout. Sophisticated multi-window operations and spatial layout dynamics helps users to handle fast task-switching and to structure thier work environment to their rapidly changing needs. We claim that these multi-window operations and the improved spatial layout decrease the cognitive load on users. Users found our prototype system to be comprehensible and enjoyable as they playfully explored the way multiple windows are reshaped.


Ballistic Josephson junctions are studied in the presence of a spin-splitting field and spin-orbit coupling. A generic expression for the quasi-classical Green's function is obtained and with its help we analyze several aspects of the proximity effect between a spin-textured normal metal (N) and singlet superconductors (S). In particular, we show that the density of states may show a zero-energy peak which is a generic consequence of the spin-dependent couplings in heterostructures. In addition we also obtain the spin current and the induced magnetic moment in a SNS structure and discuss possible coherent manipulation of the magnetization which results from the coupling between the superconducting phase and the spin degree of freedom. Our theory predicts a spin accumulation at the S/N interfaces, and transverse spin currents flowing perpendicular to the junction interfaces. Some of these findings can be understood in the light of a non-Abelian electrostatics.


Summary Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of and tolerability to sustained-release bupropion, in smokers with cardiovascular diseases treated in a smoking cessation service, as well as to investigate variables predictive of success or failure in smoking cessation. Methods: Sustained-release bupropion was prescribed to 100 current smokers with cardiovascular disease for 12 weeks. Patients were followed for 52 week. The variables studied were gender, age, number of cigarettes, exhaled carbon monoxide, nicotine dependence (Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), alcohol consumption (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), number of diagnoses other than smoking, adverse events, and use of medications concomitantly with sustainedrelease bupropion. Results: Abstinence rate was 50% at week 12 and 25% at week 52. The logistic regression analysis showed that ageing was positively associated with success, whereas the worsening of the condition, as verified by the presence of a higher number of other health conditions associated with smoking, was negatively associated with success. Conclusion: We conclude that the prescription of bupropion for smokers with cardiovascular diseases proved to be safe and effective, especially during the treatment period (week 12).


The role and characteristics of the innovation process have undergone changes throughout the history of industrial capitalism. In the contest of an emerging systemic complexity, technological innovation is able to generate a positive impact on the economic performances of companies by improving their internal efficiency, which allows to increase the market competitiveness. Innovation is, in fact, the leverage to gain competitive advantages that are the source of value creation and sustainable growth, to preserve and celebrate as one of the key components of the intangible assets of companies. Starting from Schumpeter's process of creative destruction, which considers innovation as "the engine of economic development" and "a continuous process of change and accumulation of knowledge". The paper analyzes the variables at the center of innovation studies, the innovative approach and the impact of technological positioning as early-mover or follower in the market. Peculiarities will be described related to the definition of the project portfolio mix, the process of designing and developing of a new product, as well as the relationship between innovation and competitive advantage. Further attention will be placed on the targets of innovation and on the factors, objective and context, which hinder the willingness by the entrepreneur to "break" the stationary balance by introducing new combinations production factors as an essential condition for the maintenance of competitive advantage and the creation of value. The research approach is based on a qualitative methodology. The data retrieval was carried out through secondary sources.


Alternative splicing (AS) is now emerging as a major mechanism contributing to the expansion of the transcriptome and proteome complexity of multicellular organisms. The fact that a single gene locus may give rise to multiple mRNAs and protein isoforms, showing both major and subtle structural variations, is an exceptionally versatile tool in the optimization of the coding capacity of the eukaryotic genome. The huge and continuously increasing number of genome and transcript sequences provides an essential information source for the computational detection of genes AS pattern. However, much of this information is not optimally or comprehensively used in gene annotation by current genome annotation pipelines. We present here a web resource implementing the ASPIC algorithm which we developed previously for the investigation of AS of user submitted genes, based on comparative analysis of available transcript and genome data from a variety of species. The ASPIC web resource provides graphical and tabular views of the splicing patterns of all full-length mRNA isoforms compatible with the detected splice sites of genes under investigation as well as relevant structural and functional annotation. The ASPIC web resource-available at http://www.caspur.it/ASPIC/--is dynamically interconnected with the Ensembl and Unigene databases and also implements an upload facility.


An electrical model which is known to characterize a reactive discontinuity on a lossless transmission line is used to determine the maximum signal reflection from a bend in a printed microstrip transmission line. For printed wiring board applications using the usual FR4 dielectric, the maximum signal reflection from a simple 90 degrees bend is shown to be approximately 4.5% at an 80% signal risetime of 0.123 ns. Scaling laws for other risetimes and dielectrics are developed. A 180 degrees bend and a mitered 45 degrees bend are also treated. The electrical model yields signal reflections which agree well with corresponding experimental results. for bit rates as high as a few gigabits per second and suitable dielectrics, simple 90 degrees bends are still adequate. For much higher bit rates and more gradual bends, other parasitics also become important and limit the performance of electrical interconnections. >


BACKGROUND Since the beginning of the conflicts in the Middle East, US Army physicians have noted a high rate of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections among US soldiers wounded and initially treated in Iraq. In this study, we investigated the use of ultraviolet C (UVC) light for prevention of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii wound infections using mouse models. METHODS Partial-thickness skin abrasions and full-thickness burns in mice were infected with a multidrug-resistant A. baumannii isolate recovered from a wounded US soldier deployed to Iraq. The luxCDABE operon, which was contained in plasmid pMF 385, was cloned into the A. baumannii strain. This allowed real-time monitoring of the extent of infection in mice using bioluminescence imaging. UVC light was delivered to the mouse wounds at 30 minutes after the inoculation of A. baumannii. Groups of infected mouse wounds without being exposed to UVC served as the controls. RESULTS In vitro studies demonstrated that A. baumannii cells were inactivated at UVC exposures much lower than those needed for a similar effect on mammalian cells. It was observed in animal studies that UVC (3.24 J/cm2 for abrasions and 2.59 J/cm2 for burns) significantly reduced the bacterial burdens in UVC-treated wounds by approximately 10-fold compared with nontreated controls (p = 0.004 for abrasions, p = 0.019 for burns). DNA lesions were observed by immunofluorescence in mouse skin abrasions immediately after a UVC exposure of 3.24 J/cm2; however, the lesions were extensively repaired within 72 hours. CONCLUSION These results suggested that UVC may be useful in preventing combat-related wound infections.


In this article we present a method for 3D segmentation which is optimized for the recordings of a focused plenoptic camera. Since, caused by the imaging concept of a plenoptic camera, depth information is only received for regions of high contrast our approach is based on retrieving 3D edge segments out of the RGB-D data acquired from a plenoptic camera. In our method the depth data is filtered by a nonlinear filter. Afterwards, a 2D edge segmentation is performed to the RGB image. The 2D segments are projected to the 3D space by applying a weighted least squares estimate to the filtered depth data.


SURGICAL relief of mitral obstruction may now be said to have become an established practice. In sharp contrast to the insurmountable difficulties which beset the attempts to apply this form of therapy in the 1920's, current procedures have the advantage of advances in surgical technique, in anesthetization, in preoperative and postoperative care, and in the control of infection with chemotherapy and antibiotics. Furthermore, it is now possible, with techniques of cardiac catheterization and tests of circulatory and pulmonary function, to appraise, in more or less quantitative terms, the physiological changes consequent upon the obstruction at the mitral valve. Finally, changes in pressure in the pulmonary circulation and even in the left auricle may also be checked at the time of operation. Not only have such measurements served to confirm deductions, based on symptoms and physical signs, with regard to the dynamic consequences of mitral stenosis, but they have demonstrated the


Solar wind plasma interaction with lunar crustal magnetic fields is different than that of magnetized bodies like the Earth. Lunar crustal fields are, for typical solar wind conditions, not strong enough to form a (bow)shock upstream but rather deflect and perturb plasma and fields. Here we study the global effects of protons reflected from lunar crustal magnetic fields on the lunar plasma environment when the Moon is in the unperturbed solar wind. We employ a three‐dimensional hybrid model of plasma and an observed map of reflected protons from lunar magnetic anomalies over the lunar farside. We observe that magnetic fields and plasma upstream over the lunar crustal fields compress to nearly 120% and 160% of the solar wind, respectively. We find that these disturbances convect downstream in the vicinity of the lunar wake, while their relative magnitudes decrease. In addition, solar wind protons are disturbed and heated at compression regions and their velocity distribution changes from Maxwellian to a non‐Maxwellian. Finally, we show that these features persists, independent of the details of the ion reflection by the magnetic fields.


The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a structured technique for dealing with complex decision- making and is already used to solve many group decision problems. This paper used the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality to improve the AHP algorithm that was developed by Escobar et al. (2004). They provided an upper bound for the group geometric consistency index in order to prove that the group geometric consistency index is less than the maximum of each individual geometric consistency indexes. Although they proposed a useful and novel AHP method, the upper bound estimation still could be improved to provide better group consistency estimation accuracy. This paper proposed a new upper bound estimation that would be able to function in a situation where there are some individual decision makers, whose geometric consistency indexes are greater than the threshold that is proposed by Aguaron and Moreno-Jimenez. The experiment results showed that this paper provided a robust and better estimation. The purposes of this study are as follow; first, this study used Cauchy-Schwarz inequality to improve the synthesized method in AHP method, and to achieve better upper bound estimation. Second, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the findings. Our relative error is 7% of that by Escobar and others to indicate the accuracy. Third, this paper showed that even if the weights changed, the proposed method is still robust with different combinations for decision makers. This study modified one entry of the comparison matrix. The results showed that our estimation performed well on most cases (16 of 17, about 94%) by the sensitivity analysis. Finally, two existing papers with group decision problem were examined with our findings to indicate 6 of 9 are predictable by our upper bound. We also provide a reasonable explanation why the other 3 of 9 cannot be predicted by ours.

 Key words: Analytic hierarchy process, group decisions, geometric consistency index.


The relevance of the planning approach for innovative and for young entrepreneurial firms had been subject to debate. It has been argued that planning dampens the realisation of entrepreneurial vision. This study examines the enacted strategy approaches of entrepreneurs who had studied on a Graduate Enterprise programme that aimed to help them to start a business. The approaches they used to strategy formation were compared to the planning approach that had been emphasised to them seven to 12 years earlier. Data were gathered through non‐directive interviews, and were analysed using survey and case study methods. The formation of strategy by these entrepreneurs relied more on emergent than planning approaches, but some elements of the planning approach were strongly associated with growth. Some key resources were essential for the firms and their strategy formation processes. These were key personal relationships, with whom and through whom the entrepreneurs found ways of enacting their visions – the essence of their strategy process. Implications for curriculum and course development are given.


The conventional least-squared-distance method of fitting a line to a set of data points is unreliable when the amount of random noise in the input (such as an image) is significant compared with the amount of data correlated to the line itself. Points which are far away from the line (outliers) are usually just noise, but they contribute the most to the distance averaging, skewing the line from its correct position. The author presents a statistical method of separating the data of interest from random noise, using a maximum-likelihood principle. >


This paper is focused upon the issue of the nature of political theorising. The paper presents four different conceptions of political theorising derived from literature on the subject written by those concerned with the nature of political theory or philosophy. These four different conceptions constitute alternative practices for those who designate themselves political theorists. They constitute alternative practices because they are based upon different understandings of the nature of thinking, the role of the intellectual, the function of language or the character of social science. The intention behind this paper is to map the intellectual terrain occupied by those who engage in political theorising. The final recommendation is that each of the four conceptions be accepted as legitimate alternative practices and any temptation toward designating one conception as true political theorising be resisted.


Design is a creative activity whose aim is to establish the multi-faceted qualities of objects, processes, services and their systems in whole life cycles. Therefore, design is the central factor of innovative humanization of technologies and the crucial factor of cultural and economic exchange. Design can include a wide range of activities aimed at planning and designing procedures, technical specifications and other user and functional characteristics for new products and processes. The current financial crisis and economic slowdown have made the need to find complementary innovation drivers and models even more acute. As external funding becomes more difficult to obtain for companies, it is important that innovation does not come to a halt. R&D should be encouraged, as should innovation activities that are close to the market and have low capital requirements. Existing knowledge must be used in new ways to bring about innovation, incremental or radical, and products and services that are better adapted to user. The palm bears its fruit in bunches varying in weight from 10 to 40 kg. The individual fruit, ranging from 6 to 20gm, are made up of an outer skin (the exocarp), a pulp (mesocarp) containing the palm oil in a fibrous matrix; a central nut consisting of a shell (endocarp); and the kernel, which itself contains an oil, quite different to palm oil, resembling coconut oil. The fresh fruit bunch consists of fruit embedded in spikelets growing on a main stem. Manual threshing is achieved by cutting the fruit-laden spikelets from the bunch stem with an axe or machete and then separating the fruit from the spikelets by hand. Children and the elderly in the village earn income as casual labourers performing this activity at the factory site. In a mechanized system a rotating drum or fixed drum equipped with rotary beater bars detach the fruit from wjert, 2018, Vol. 4, Issue 1, 473-493. World Journal of Engineering Research and Technology WJERT www.wjert.org ISSN 2454-695X Original Article SJIF Impact Factor: 4.326 *Corresponding Author Rufus Ogbuka Chime Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, State, Nigeria. Chime et al. World Journal of Engineering Research and Technology www.wjert.org 474 the bunch, leaving the spikelet's on the stem Modern methods of stripping have greatly improved production rates and reduced stripping time. The machine consists of stripping unit, gear system frame, and discharge outlets for stripped fruitlets The Brower and empty bunches. The results of the improvements carried out on the design of this stripping machine shows that maintenance cost and stripping time are reduced, operation of the machine does not require special skill, the machine is easy and safe to operate, it is noise and vibration free, the energy required for loading and unloading have reduced since stripping chamber and discharge outlet are enlarged. Environmentally sustainable design (also referred to as  ̳green design' or  ̳eco-design') aims to ensure that products, services and systems are produced and provided in a way that reduces the use of non-renewable resources and minimizes environmental impact The scope of this research are to design, model ,simulate: optimize and sustain the analysis of Palm Fruit Stripper.


BACKGROUND
Human milk banking has been available in many countries for the last three decades. The milk provided from milk banking is predominantly term breast milk, but some milk banks provide preterm breast milk. There are a number of differences between donor term and donor preterm human milk.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the effect of banked preterm milk compared with banked term milk regarding growth and developmental outcome in very low birth weight infants (infants weighing less than 1500 g).

SEARCH STRATEGY
We used the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, including a search of the Cochrane Neonatal Group specialized register and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, January 2010). We searched the computerised bibliographic databases MEDLINE (1966 to February 2010), EMBASE (1988 to February 2010) and Web of Science (1975 to February 2010). We searched reference lists of all selected articles, review articles and the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials. We also searched abstracts from neonatal and pediatric meetings (PAS electronic version from 2000 to 2009, ESPR hand search from 2000 to 2009). We applied no language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing banked donor preterm milk with banked donor term milk regarding growth and developmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We planned to perform assessment of methodology regarding blinding of randomisation, intervention and outcome measurements as well as completeness of follow-up. We planned to evaluate treatment effect using a fixed-effect model using relative risk (RR), relative risk reduction, risk difference (RD) and number needed to treat (NNT) for categorical data and using mean, standard deviation and weighted mean difference (WMD) for continuous data. We planned an evaluation of heterogeneity.

MAIN RESULTS
No studies met the inclusion criteria.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There are no randomised trials that compare preterm banked milk to banked term milk to promote growth and development in very low birth weight infants.


Hot stamping of ultra high strength steel offers the possibility to reduce the weight of automobiles, while meeting the safety requirements. In hot stamping processes, the blank is hot formed and quenched in a water-cooled tool to achieve high strength. Hence, the temperature distribution of the blank during the process is very important for designing the tools with necessary cooling capability. In this paper, PAM—Stamp software was employed to build the hot stamping FE model of the B pillar reinforcement of passenger cars. Through the thermo-mechanical coupling analysis, the temperature distribution of the blank was obtained. The results show that the temperature in the holding area of the blank decreases quickly, whereas the side wall and bottom are cooled slowly. The inhomogeneous temperature distribution of the blank will cause the material unevenly flow during the forming process. Therefore, maintaining uniform temperature distribution and fast cooling of the blank are crucial for the cooling system of the tools.


To support IT change automation in cloud-native deployments, we propose to discover change actions from IT change requests. Traditional approaches to discover actions rely on a pre-established set of actions. However in practice, the catalog dictionaries rarely cover a sufficient portion of the IT change requests, resulting in missed automation opportunities. To this end, supervised and semi-supervised approaches have been proposed to detect change actions, but fall short in covering new action discovery as the IT environment evolves. We propose an ensemble technique of parametric and non-parametric grammar-based methods to discover change actions from IT change requests. We evaluate our approach on an IT dataset and find our approach provides significant coverage of actions compared to baseline approaches.


Abstract Background and Objectives To address the unique characteristics of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) that complicate end-of-life (EOL), we created, refined, and validated a dementia-focused EOL planning instrument for use by healthy adults, those with early-stage dementia, family caregivers, and clinicians to document EOL care preferences and values within the current or future context of cognitive impairment. Research Design and Methods A mixed-method design with four phases guided the development and refinement of the instrument: (1) focus groups with early-stage ADRD and family caregivers developed and confirmed the tool content and comprehensiveness; (2) evaluation by content experts verified its utility in clinical practice; (3) a sample of healthy older adults (n = 153) and adults with early-stage ADRD (n = 38) completed the tool, whose quantitative data were used to describe the psychometrics of the instrument; and (4) focus groups with healthy older adults, family caregivers, and adults with early-stage ADRD informed how the guide should be used by families and in clinical practice. Results Qualitative data supported the utility and feasibility of a dementia-focused EOL planning tool; the six scales have high internal consistency (α = 0.66–0.89) and high test–rest reliability (r = .60–.90). On average, both participant groups reported relatively high concern for being a burden to their families, a greater preference for quality over length of life, a desire for collaborative decision-making process, limited interest in pursuing life-prolonging measures, and were mixed in their preference to control the timing of their death. Across disease progression, preferences for location of care changed, whereas preferences for prolonging life remained stable. Discussion and Implications The LEAD Guide (Life-Planning in Early Alzheimer's and Dementia) has the potential to facilitate discussion and documentation of EOL values and care preferences prior to loss of decisional capacity, and has utility for healthy adults, patients, families, providers, and researchers.


The paper examines the existing economic situation and how it operates following the introduction of cage culture. It assesses the challenges facing major fishing communities along the Volta Lake and describes government's role. Using a participatory rural appraisal, questionnaire administration and participant observation, data were gathered from two districts in the Volta Basin of Ghana. Key areas of the study included, limited accesses to information, ownership control of the means of production, financial institutions, decision making with regards to resource use, and management and investments in fishery. The result shows that soaring prices of fishery implements due to high exchange rates, coupled with declining fish stocks have reduced the profitability of the processing and sale of fish. About 60% of fishers interviewed agreed that the bulk of fishers have contributed to the decline in fish stock in the Volta Lake. Fishers also outlined three challenges namely the lack of access to information on best practices, high interest rates on loans (10% - 40%) and lack of proper structural and institutional arrangements that account for the poorly regulated and managed fishery sector. It is expected that the introduction of cage culture innovation will promote sustainable production, distribution and improvement in fishery services and help to address the basic problems of fishing communities in the Volta Basin of Ghana. However, a review of local and national institutional arrangements for regulation and management of the fisher sector are crucial for long-term sustainability.