ABSTRACT Family caregivers may experience emotional and relational distress due to decreased intimacy and communication with their loved one at end-of-life. The purpose of the study was to examine intimacy behaviors in a family–patient relationship at the end-of-life with the central research question: Is there a difference in frequency of family caregivers' intimacy acts, defined and recorded as verbal intimacy, affective intimacy, and physical intimacy with their dying loved one when comparing music therapy and chaplaincy? Ten patient and family caregiver dyads participated in both a 15-min music therapy session, and a 15-min chaplaincy session in a randomized controlled crossover trial with AB/BA design. Sessions were video recorded and analyzed using the Family Intimacy Observation Scale, a researcher-developed tool. Intimacy behaviors were compared using the Wilcoxon Signed-rank Test. Music therapy resulted in statistically significant higher affective intimacy and physical intimacy behaviors toward a dying loved one when compared to chaplaincy. No statistically significant differences were found in overall verbal intimacy; however, the verbal behavior of "letting go of loved one" was significantly higher in music therapy versus chaplaincy. Music therapy may be an effective therapeutic modality to increase emotional and physical intimacy in a family–patient relationship at the end-of-life.


Tirapazamine (SR 4233; 3-amino-1,2,4-benzotriazine-1,4-di-N-oxide) is a bioreductive agent exhibiting up to 200 x greater toxicity for hypoxic cells as compared to oxygenated cells. In murine studies, a selective increase in tumor kill was observed when tirapazamine was coadministered with other agents, notably cisplatin. A Phase I study of single-agent tirapazamine administered i.v. every 3 weeks was conducted to determine the toxicity of a schedule for use with systemic chemotherapy. A total of 28 patients were given 50 courses of tirapazamine at doses ranging from 36-450 mg/m2. No tumor responses were observed. Reversible deafness and tinnitus were dose-limiting, with ototoxicity observed in 1 of 6 patients treated at 330 mg/m2, 1 of 4 patients treated at 390 mg/m2, and 3 of 3 patients treated at 450 mg/m2. Muscle cramps, nausea, and vomiting were also observed. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed a greater than dose-proportional increase in the area under the plasma concentration x time curve (AUCs) of the two major metabolites. Patients who developed ototoxicity generally showed higher plasma AUC values for the parent drug and metabolites. The mean plasma tirapazamine AUC at 330 mg/m2 was 1026.5 microgram/ml x min (range 863. 8-1252.3), but no pharmacokinetic data are available for the solitary patient who developed otoxicity at this dose level. These AUC values were in the (estimated) range required for therapeutic effect in murine studies. Ototoxicity was not observed when the AUC of tirapazamine was equal to or less than 1252 microgram/ml x min. The dose of 330 mg/m2 was therefore chosen as an appropriate level for combination chemotherapy studies.


In China, one of the world's largest powers, anti-corruption legislation is well defined. In this sense, a number of normative acts contain provisions regarding the fight against this harmful phenomenon, capable of shaking the economy and the rule of law at world level. Provisions related to the prevention and combating of corruption in the People's Republic of China are also found in other secondary legislation, judicial practice and the Code of Criminal Procedure of that state. In order to repress corruption, the Supreme Court of China and the Prosecutor General's Office in China have published a series of prior recommendations on the prevention, detection and sanctioning of these reprehensible acts committed by civil servants or by senior officials high. Also, such collaborations have also been carried out to prevent and combat corruption in the private sector. In order to meet this goal, China has ratified the provisions of several conventions on corruption. This paper aims to highlight the legislative framework on preventing and combating corruption in the People's Republic of China and the steps taken or to be taken by Beijing leaders for this purpose. Also, in the present paper will be listed the main normative acts related to the prevention and fight against corruption, existing at present in this state.


Smoke simulation is a key feature of serious gaming applications for fire-fighting professionals. A perfect visual appearance is not of paramount importance, the behavior of the smoke must however closely resemble its natural counterpart for successful adoption of the application. We therefore suggest a hybrid grid/particle based architecture for smoke simulation that uses a cheap multi-sampling technique for controlling smoke behavior. This approach is simple enough for it to be implemented in current generation game engines, and uses techniques that are very suitable for GPU implementation, thus enabling the use of hardware acceleration for the smoke simulation.


This study focuses on the efficiency measures of banking institutions from sixteen Eastern European countries, the Balkans and Turkey. Authors use a two-step approach to study the efficiency of banks at the regional level during the critical period 2007-2011. First, the study examines whether banks are actively operating differently at a regional level during the under-review period to focus on the development of the crisis. Secondly, authors use the performance measure (Technical Efficiency -TM) that was obtained from the analysis using basic banking accounting characteristics such as capital ratios, assets quality, leverage, liquidity, and operations financial ratio as independent variables. Authors also use Global Governance Indicators to describe the ability of the respective governments to formulate effectively and properly policies related to Political Stability and the Rule of Law.
Their results suggest that bank accountant and managers of all regions should focus upon profit efficiency, proper capitalization, in order to increase their banks' profitability. In all regions, there is a need for a benchmark in lowering Banks' operating expenses, in order for them to become more efficient. Finally, credit expansion in Eastern Europe and Balkans countries needs to be under a cautious umbrella in order banks should take the momentum for reaching their more efficient operational levels.


Introduction: Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of several genes associated with metabolic disorders. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between serum 25 (OH) D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, and insulin resistance in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: A case-control study was carried out among patients with NAFLD (n= 80) as cases and age-matched subjects without NAFLD (n= 80) as controls. After 8-12 h of fasting, serum 25 (OH) D, insulin and PTH levels were assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. Multivariate logistic regression model was applied to assess the relationship between vitamin D and PTH and insulin resistance in the development of NAFLD by adjusting for the confounders (sex, BMI and waist-to-hip ratio). Results: There was no significant difference in sunlight exposure between the two groups (p= 0.274). Patients with NAFLD had significantly lower serum 25(OH) D levels and higher PTH levels compared to subjects without NAFLD (p< 0.001). The association between NAFLD and low 25(OH) vitamin D levels was independent of confounders (adjusted OR: 8.78, CI 95%:1.71, 45.03). Homeostatic Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) as insulin resistance index was significantly high in the NAFLD group (adjusted OR: 1.80, CI 95%: 1.32, 2.47). Conclusion: Our findings showed that lower serum 25 (OH) D levels and higher HOMA indices were independently associated with increased odds of NAFLD and there was a direct but not significant relationship between PTH serum levels and the risk of NAFLD.


GeC thin films have been prepared by reactive pulsed laser ablation technique. Methane pressure (PCH4) was varied from 0 to 75 milli torrs (mT). Optical analysis of all the samples was performed by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The optical constants i.e. refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), absorption coefficient (α) and thickness of deposited film(s) were obtained by modeling and simulations of ellipsometric data. It was found that deposition parameter (change in pressure of methane) has a profound effect on the properties of the deposited films. To support our results of optical analysis, other important diagnostic techniques like atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) etc. were employed.


This report specifically examines certain encryption issues that have been raised in the investigation of the December 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino, CA. This report highlights certain issues that policymakers may examine as they follow the ongoing dispute between law enforcement and technology companies, and it focuses on questions related to the government's request.


Introduction: Authors (Turnbull, 1997, Northway et al, 2006, Griffiths
et al, 2007) indicated a dearth of nursing research relating to people with
learning disabilities, while a UK wide programme (Scottish Government,
2012) and subsequent collaborative activity recommended robust
clinically based nursing research was required.
Methods: A targeted literature review of five international nursing
journals from 2013 to 2017 was undertaken to establish the frequency and
content of published learning disability research. A total of 50 papers were
identified, 39 original articles were included.
Results: The review highlighted that 0.7% of papers published related
to people with a learning disability. Of these, 41% included people with
learning disabilities as subjects or participants of the research, while 46%
involved students or parent carers.
49% presented recommendations focused on nursing practice, 15%
made education recommendations, while 28% had implications for
practice and education and encouraged greater involvement of people
with learning disabilities in research.
Implications: This review posits a disproportionately low
representation of primary nursing research relating to people with
learning disabilities in international nursing literature. Specialist Learning
Disability journals could account for this disparity. A study is
recommended to establish the priorities for nursing research relating to
people with learning disabilities.


Background and purpose This randomized study compared clinical results after surgery for posttraumatic shoulder instability with either an anatomical repair or an older, less anatomical but commonly used method. The less anatomical procedure has been considered quicker and less demanding, but it has been questioned regarding the clinical result. We therefore wanted to compare the clinical outcome of the two different procedures. Our hypothesis was that the anatomical repair would give less residual impairment postoperatively. Methods Patients with anterior posttraumatic shoulder instability were consecutively randomized on the day before surgery to either a Bankart repair using Mitek GI/GII anchors combined with capsular imbrication (B) (n = 33) or a Putti-Platt procedure (P) (n = 33). Follow-up was performed by examination at 2 years and using a self-evaluation score at 10 years. Results At the 2-year follow-up, we found no difference in muscle strength between patients treated with the two surgical methods and there were no statistically significant differences in the Rowe scores (mean 90 units for both groups). Compared to preoperatively, the decrease in external rotation 2 years after surgery was 10 degrees in the P group and 3 degrees in the B group (p = 0.03). 10 years after surgery, 62 of 66 patients replied to a questionnaire sent by mail. It included a self-evaluating quality of life score for shoulder instability (WOSI) for evaluation of their shoulder function. In the P group 15 patients and in the B group 19 patients reported they had experienced either a redislocation or a subluxation with a new feeling of shoulder instability. Mean WOSI score was similar in the P and B groups: 80% and 83%, respectively. The WOSI score was 87% for patients with stable shoulders (n = 28) and 77% for those with unstable shoulders (n = 34) (p = 0.005). Interpretation With assessment of pain and general shoulder function, only a small difference was found between the two methods. The WOSI scores for stable shoulders indicated that some shoulders still had impaired function even though the shoulders had become stable.


In this paper, the latitude distribution of star-spots is analysed for the rapidly rotating G dwarf He 699. An image has been reconstructed from data taken with the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma on 2000 October 8. The predominant magnetic field structure is a decentred polar spot at high latitude, with smaller low-latitude features also present. This result is verified by independent reconstructions using even- and odd-numbered spectra. This work confirms and extends that of Barnes et al., and provides further evidence that there is a correlation between the presence of low-latitude features and the amplitude of the photometric light curve. It is also a further step in the search for activity cycles on young G dwarfs.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between isokinetic knee strength, anaerobic performance, sprinting ability, agility and vertical jump performance in first division basketball players. Twelve male first division basketball players participated in this study. The mean age was 25.1 ± 1.7 yrs; mean body height 194.8 ± 5.7 cm; mean body mass 92.3± 9.8 kg; mean PBF 10.1± 5.1; and mean VO2max 50.55 ± 6.7 ml/kg/min Quadriceps and hamstrings were measured at 60o and 180◦/s, anaerobic performance was evaluated using the Wingate anaerobic power test, sprint ability was determined by single sprint performance (10-30 m), jump performance was evaluated by countermovement (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) tests and agility performance was measured using the T drill agility test. Quadriceps strength was significantly correlated with peak power at all contraction velocities. However, for mean power, significant correlation was only found between the 60o left and 180o right knee quadriceps measurements. No measure of strength was significantly related to the measurements from/results of field tests. Moreover, strong relations were found between the performance of athletes in different field tests (p< 0.05). The use of correlation analysis is the limitation of the this study.


Currently, worldwide, there is a significant increase in the use of computer systems and various information technologies, both in the production system and in education. The use of information technologies leads to an increase in work and productivity efficiency, in a short period of time. The paper, presents a method of diversifying clothing product models, using graphic libraries, created by using Corel Draw software, which can be used as a teaching tool in education, for the course "Designing series and model systems". The method presented in the paper is based on an advanced study, theoretical and practical, of developing new models for designing clothing products in series and industrial systems. The method is based on the requirements imposed by the wearers. Also, this method may be introduced in the initial stage of creating new models, both within companies and in specialized institutions. The graphic library allows the use, modification and completion with new constructive-functional elements. As a further direction of development, it is proposed to complete the graphic library with functional-constructive elements that would allow obtaining new product model systems. Also here can be created 2D sketches, known as a technical drawing, which is an essential element of the garment. This method is suitable for any person working in the field of clothing design. She allows reducing the time for designing and manufacturing product series, reducing of costs for materials and work and increasing of flexibility and adaptability capacity of the design and manufacturing system, to changes in product requirements.


 ABSTRACT Various techniques, including standard bronchoscopy, transthoracic needle aspiration and mediastinoscopy, are used for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Minimiz-ing the number of invasive procedures for lung cancer diagnosis and staging is preferred, however, and a grow-ing number of bronchoscopic techniques are being used. Currently available techniques for the initial diagnosis of lung cancer include electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy with computed tomography mapping and sample collection, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) using radial or convex probe tips, and the combination of the two approaches. EBUS with transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is highly specifi c and sensitive for the examination of mediastinal lymph nodes. Several studies have demonstrated the utility of this approach for less invasive lung cancer mediastinal staging. EBUS-TBNA has also been used in the collection of tissue samples for the analysis of tumor biomarkers that signifi cantly infl uence the selection of cancer treatment strategies. Evidence suggests that EBUS-TBNA may be less useful for restaging patients with lung cancer after cytotoxic


We model the intercolloidal interaction by a hard-sphere Yukawa repulsion to which is added the long-range van der Waals attraction. In comparison with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek repulsion, the Yukawa repulsion explicitly incorporates the spatial correlations between colloids and small ions. As a result, the repulsive part can be expressed analytically and has a coupling strength depending on the colloidal volume fraction. By use of this two-body potential of mean force and in conjunction with a second-order thermodynamic perturbation theory, we construct the colloidal Helmholtz free energy and use it to calculate the thermodynamic quantities, pressure and chemical potential, needed in the determination of the liquid-liquid and liquid-solid phase diagrams. We examine, in an aqueous charged colloidal dispersion, the effects of the Hamaker constant and particle size on the conformation of a stable liquid-liquid phase transition calculated with respect to the liquid-solid coexistence phases. We find that there exists a threshold Hamaker constant or particle size whose value demarcates the stable liquid-liquid coexistence phases from their metastable counterparts. Applying the same technique and using the energetic criterion, we extend our calculations to study the flocculation phenomenon in aqueous charged colloids. Here, we pay due attention to determining the loci of a stability curve stipulated for a given temperature T0, and obtain the parametric phase diagram of the Hamaker constant vs the coupling strength or, at given surface potential, the particle size. By imposing T0 to be the critical temperature T(c), i.e., setting k(B)T0 (=k(B)T(c)) equal to a reasonable potential barrier, we arrive at the stability curve that marks the irreversible/reversible phase transition. The interesting result is that there occurs a minimum size for the colloidal particles below (above) which the colloidal dispersion is driven to an irreversible (reversible) phase transition.


The aim of the present papers was to evaluate the occurrence and development of weed species of current weed infestation maize crops in sustainable land management systems. The work has provided some partial objectives. To assess the impact of climate variables (temperature and precipitation) for the current weed infestation for the period 2005 – 2012. To assess the dynamics of individual weed species in ecological and integrated farming systems. To evaluate the influence of factors such as system management, manure and fertilizer grade on incidence of weeds in maize crop for 2005 – 2012. Evaluate the impact of the current crop of against weeds the main product of corn for the years 2005 – 2012. The objectives set were subjected to detailed statistical analysis and evaluation on which were drawn specific conclusions and recommendations for the implementation of integrated environmental and land management system in practice. The dynamics of individual weed species in crops of corn can be regarded as different in integrated and ecological farming systems. It stands for both land management system seedling in the total of 21 weed species of plants for the period from 2005 – 2012. We analyzed all occurring species: Amaranthus retroflexus L., Anagallis arvensis L., Atriplex spp. L., Avena fatua L., Cardaria draba Desv., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Convolvulus arvensis L., Datura stramonium L., Echinochloa crus galli (L.) P. Beauv., Galium aparine L., Chenopodium album L., Chenopodium hybridum L. Lamium spp. L., Persicaria lapathifolia (Raf.)S.F.Gray, Persicaria maculosa (Raf.) S.F.Gray, Polygonum aviculare L., Portulaca oleracea L., Sonchus arvensis L., Stellaria media (L.) Vill., Thlaspi arvense L., Tripleurospermum perforatum (L.) Schultz – Bip. Actual weed infestation proportionally is affecting the yield of corn only for ecological land management system. The integrated system management, although herbicide used to maintain crop harvest almost to no weeds, but not indirectly increase in yield because the yield is more of a statistically significant effect that had a rainfall for the growing season. Based on the analyzes it is possible to say that the rainfall for the period 2005 – 2012, had a statistically significant effect on actual weed infestation of corn crops in the spring, it also had no statistically significant effect on weed infestation before harvest. In applying preventive, direct and indirect measures of regulation weed infestation is environmentally friendly and integrated fully viable in the cultivation of corn as a separate system for sustainable land management.


Industrial processes are activities that produce large amounts of wastes. Often these wastes are disposed in dam or landfills, occupying large areas and causing environmental damage such as the contamination of water and soil. According to the Circular Economy concept, waste should be minimized and reused as raw material in a new process. This work describes two residues, namely red mud (bauxite residue) and waste foundry sand (WFS), whose chemical compositions indicate their suitability for use as protective coatings. These residues were used to obtain coatings on aluminum alloy by employing plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). The PEO process enables the creation of coatings that are durable, uniform, and strongly adherent on metallic components of different shapes. The mineralogical compositions of the coatings were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface wettability was determined by contact angle measurements and evaluation was made of the average surface roughness. Alumina was the main phase observed by XR, indicating good chemical stability and high thermal resistance. The coatings obtained with the red mud were thicker and less rough, compared to those obtained with the WFS. The results demonstrated the feasibility of using these wastes for coating metals in order to improve their properties and enable new applications. Keywords: Industrial Waste, Red Mud, Waste Foundry Sand, Circular Economy, Ceramic Coating.


Without stabilization, polycarbonate (PC)/poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) (ABS) blends are susceptible to a loss of mechanical properties after a few days of exposure to weathering conditions. ABS can be stabilized against terrestrial light by the use of hindered amines in combination with a UV absorber; such hindered amines cannot be used when PC is present in the polymer blend. The hydrolysis of PC is accelerated when a small amount of a hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) is incorporated into the resin and is exposed to elevated temperatures. In this study, three different HALSs (Tinuvin 123, Tinuvin 770, and Tinuvin 765, Ciba, Basel, Switzerland) were used as UV stabilizers for PC/ABS blends, and their effects on the PC phase were observed with online ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy on extruded flat films. These stabilizers were compounded with the blends in a corotating twin-screw extruder at 240°C. The molecular weight of the compounded samples was determined by gel permeation chromatography. The extent of degradation induced by the HALSs on the PC phase was found to be a function of its chemical structure. Tinuvin 123 with an amino ether functional group enhanced degradation in comparison with Tinuvin 770 and Tinuvin 765. Tinuvin 770, a secondary amine, was apt to be more reactive than Tinuvin 765, a tertiary amine, because less steric hindrance was experienced by the former. Accelerated aging of the compounded samples was performed. Decreased degradation was observed for the samples containing hindered amines; however, the HALSs alone were not effective in protecting the PC/ABS blends against harmful UV light. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


Two partial reptile skulls and six dentigerous fragments from the lower Permian Richards Spur locality of Oklahoma represent a new genus and species of small captorhinid reptile. Labidosauriscus richardi gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished from other captorhinids in the reduction of the height of the ridges forming the characteristic net‐like, ridge‐and‐pit cranial sculpturing of captorhinids, and the superimposition of a system of finer pits and furrows over the primary ridge‐and‐pit cranial ornamentation. Labidosauriscus richardi shares with C. laticeps a post‐caniniform tooth morphology characterized by convex mesial and distal carinae that form a distinctly asymmetrical apex in labial aspect. The description of L. richardi brings to six the number of captorhinid species known from the productive Richards Spur fissure‐fill locality. Each of these species exhibits a distinctive post‐caniniform tooth morphology (or multiplication of these teeth), which is consonant with the hypothesis of resource partitioning among the small faunivorous and omnivorous captorhinids at Richards Spur. As an 'exhumed early Permian hill', Richards Spur provides a unique window into early reptile diversification in a distinctive upland environment that is rarely preserved in the tetrapod fossil record.


The purpose of this report is to design bicycle storage facilities for rich and poor in the city of Rio de Janeiro, as part of a worldwide bicycle policy, supported by the NGO I-CE (interface cycling expertise). This is being performed by first analyzing the local state of cycling these days. After that there has been investigated in ways to improve the poor situation of the bicycle in this town by first looking at the ones that have been there before. Also there has been a look at product marketing, which has been carried out on the courses of 'Marketing for Industrial Design' of the University of Twente. This information has been used in the resuming part, in which a design solution has been created, being part of the task. This design has been modelled and rendered, by making use of graphical computer software.
In the beginning the main focus was on bicycle use as well as on public transport. But during the internship the decision has been made to only focus on bicycle use, since public transport was actually used a lot in town already. It had its points that were very suitable to undergo some improvements, but this was not being focused upon in the resuming part. The focus from that point on was to change people's attitude and behaviour towards cycling.
One of the findings is that it is quite hard to let people change their behaviour towards cycling. It therefore has been decided to make use of cyclers that are already making use of the bicycle. The idea is to enhance their position so that they will continue cycling. By keeping them satisfied, the expectation is that they will spread to word to other potential bicycle user.
The design needed to be something 'big', something recognizable and something that they, the local inhabitants and users, could be proud of when using it. This demand has been fulfilled in the design. A desire from Nanko van Buuren, director at host organization IBISS, was that users would get more aware of their spendings and the amount of money they were able to save, if they would use the bicycle every day instead of using the car or public transport. Therefore a solution to this has also been implemented into the design.
It is desirable if the storage facility would be combined with some kind of kiosk or local vender, so that the facility could be guarded, and so that the facility could be a major opportunity to the kiosk because customers of the facility could be customer of the kiosk as well.


In Coachella Valley, California, where rainfall averages only 3 inches annually, approximately 80,000 acres of crop land and 65 golf courses provide winter recreation and winter fruits and vegetables for much of the continent. This has been possible only through effective management of the ground water basin throughout the history of development in the area. Since 1973, a replenishment program has been underway to recharge the basin with Colorado River water through exchange and advance delivery agreements between Coachella Valley Water District, Desert Water Agency, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. So far, approximately 1 million acre-feet of imported water has been recharged.


This paper begins with a survey of both passive and active microfluidic mixers that have been implemented in recent years. It then describes a micromixing device based on dynamic self–assembly. This device is easy to fabricate and has excellent working characteristics in the continuous–flow mode. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of possible applications of self–assembly in microfluidics.


Ninety-eight isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. were obtained from barley and wheat grown in Erzurum, Turkey. Of these, 78% were Rhizoctoniasolani (AG-2 type 1, AG-3, AG-4, AG-5 and AG-11), 10% were binucleate Rhizoctonia (AG-I and AG-K) and the remainder were Waitea circinata var circinata (Rhizoctonia sp.). Among the binucleate Rhizoctonia, AG-I was not recovered from barley. In pathogenicity tests on barley and wheat, the highest disease severity was caused by isolates of AG-4 and AG-11, whereas isolates of AG-2 type 1, AG-3, AG-5 and W. c. var circinata were moderately virulent. Isolates of binucleate Rhizoctonia were all nonpathogenic. This is the first report of R. solani AG-11 and W. c. var circinata from Turkey.


A prompt penetration electric field (PPEF) usually manifests itself in the form of an equatorial ionospheric electric field being in correlation with a solar wind electric field. Due to the strong Cowling conductivity, a PPEF on the dayside can be inferred from Delta H (ΔH), which is the difference in the magnitudes of the horizontal (H) component between a magnetometer at the magnetic equator and one off the equator. This paper aims to investigate the performance of ΔH in response to a PPEF on the nightside, where the Cowling conductivity is not significant. We first examine the strongest geomagnetically active time during the 20 November 2003 superstorm when the Dst drops to −473 nT and show that the nightside ΔH can indeed manifest a PPEF but with local time dependence and longitude dependence. We then examine a moderately active time by taking advantage of the multiple‐penetration event during 11–16 November 2003 when the Dst remains greater than −60 nT. During this event, a series of PPEF pulses recorded in Peru, Japan, and India form a database, allowing us to examine PPEF effects at different local times and longitudes. The results show that (1) the nightside ΔH was caused by attenuation of the effects of the polar electric field with decreasing latitude; (2) the nightside ΔH can manifest a PPEF at least in the midnight‐dawn sector (0000–0500 LT), but not always; and (3) the magnitude of the nightside ΔH in the midnight‐dawn sector in Peru is on average only 1/18 of that of the dayside ΔH in response to a given PPEF.


Detailed information about the void fraction distribution in fuel assemblies is increasingly important with the development of high burn-up fuels. A numerical method has been developed for the steady cross-sectional void fraction profile in fuel assemblies using a marching method in the axial direction, considering cross-flows due to lift forces, void diffusion and momentum balance. Uniform pressure in a cross section was assumed under the dominant vertical flow and the secondary lateral flow condition in each subchannel. The merit of this simplified method is its high-performance computation using many BFC meshes for expression of complex void fraction and velocity distributions inside the subchannels. The calculated results were compared with the observed void distributions obtained with X-ray computed tomography in the NUPEC tests of full-scale advanced BWR fuels. The comparison showed the capability of this method for predictions of overall void fraction distributions inside the subchannels. This method will provide a good tool for void fraction profile prediction in high burn-up fuels, while future studies for reliable correlations of lift forces are required over a wide range of flow conditions.


This paper introduces a new set of compatible orbits, called the "two-way orbits", whose ground track path is a closed-loop trajectory that intersect itself, in some points, with tangent intersections. The spacecraft passes over these tangent intersections once in a prograde and once in a retrograde mode. The general mathematical model to design the two-way orbits is presented for the specific case where the tangent points are experienced at the orbit extremes: perigee and apogee. As for the general case, the two-way orbits conditions are formulated and numerically solved. Results show that, in general, two-way orbits could be formed at a general tangency point. Using these two-way orbits, this paper also introduces the two-way constellations, that have one spacecraft prograde and one retrograde, passing simultaneously over the tangent intersections.


> When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his experience. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstones of our judgement. The artist … faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an offensive state.
>
> John F Kennedy
The British government spends about £50 billion a year on health care and £300 million supporting the arts. My contention is that diverting 0.5% of the healthcare budget to the arts would improve the health of people in Britain. Such a move would of course be highly unpopular. When asked whether a tax financed increase in spending on health would be good for the country as a whole, 74% say yes.1 Only 7% say yes for increased spending on culture and the arts.

The first problem with advancing such an unpopular argument is to define health. It must be more than "the absence of disease," despite that being the working definition used by misnamed health services. Such a definition is inadequate not only because of its narrowness and negativity but also because "disease" itself is so hard to define.2 The World Health Organization's definition of health as complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing understandably …


This paper describes the design and evaluation of a dual channel 2-18GHz front-end module for Electronic Support Measures (ESM) applications. The module converts signals anywhere in the 2-18GHz frequency band to an IF suitable for digitisation. It includes limiting, filtering and amplification. The frequency conversion is realised by an intermediate transition to a frequency around 22-23GHz. The module contains 12 GaAs MMICs including 5 different designs 4 of which are full custom parts. It exhibits a gain of 10dB, a noise figure of around 7dB and a typical output 1dB compression point of - 10dBm.


Interferometry is a meterage technology which is based on light-wave interference theory. In the general interferometry measurements, the procedure of analyzing and studying interferogram depends on a processing system mostly based on PC. In this paper an image processing system based on DSP is conceived, and the entire system consists of a image collecting module, a digital data exchanging interface and a image processing module. A typical interferogram collected from experiments is processed by the system conceived above. Comparing the processed stripe with the ideal pattern, we found that the system is competent for interferometry.


We present the experimental and theoretical studies of the optical response from the single-crystal of bismuth to the excitation by the femtosecond laser pulse. The experimental results revealed a complex, first - positive and a few picoseconds later - negative, change in time-dependent reflectivity, which could not be explained in the light of the existing theories. It is shown that reflectivity oscillations are related to the excitation of coherent phonons by the pulse with duration shorter of all relaxation times. We demonstrate that swiftly heated electrons are responsible for the phonon excitation due to the fast modification of the attractive (electronic) part of inter-atomic potential. The electronic perturbation of potential is also responsible for the red shift of phonon frequency and for the increase in the amplitude of phonons. The coherent phonon excitation process as well as the change in the reflectivity is related mainly to the modification of the electron-phonon momentum exchange frequency. The comparison between the theory and experiments shows an excellent agreement. Moreover, the reflectivity measurements allow direct recovery of the electron-phonon coupling rate in bismuth crystal, which has not been measured before.


Commercialization of spectral imaging for color reproduction will require the identification and traversal of roadblocks to its success. Among the drawbacks associated with spectral reproduction is a tremendous increase in data capture bandwidth and processing throughput. Methods are proposed for attenuating these increases with data-efficient methods based on adaptive multi-channel visible-spectrum capture and with low-dimensional approaches to spectral color management. First, concepts of adaptive spectral capture are explored. Current spectral imaging approaches require tens of camera channels although previous research has shown that five to nine channels can be sufficient for scenes limited to pre-characterized spectra. New camera systems are proposed and evaluated that incorporate adaptive features reducing capture demands to a similar few channels with the advantage that a priori information about expected scenes is not needed at the time of system design. Second, proposals are made to address problems arising from the significant increase in dimensionality within the image processing stage of a spectral image workflow. An Interim Connection Space (ICS) is proposed as a reduced dimensionality bottleneck in the processing workflow allowing support of spectral color management. In combination these investigations into dataefficient approaches improve two critical points in the spectral reproduction workflow: capture and processing. The progress reported here should help the color reproduction community appreciate that the route to data-efficient multi-channel visible spectrum imaging is passable and can be considered for many imaging modalities.


Aims Following the introduction of national standards in 2009, most major paediatric trauma is now triaged to specialist units offering combined orthopaedic and plastic surgical expertise. We investigated the management of open tibia fractures at a paediatric trauma centre, primarily reporting the risk of infection and rate of union. Patients and Methods A retrospective review was performed on 61 children who between 2007 and 2015 presented with an open tibia fracture. Their mean age was nine years (2 to 16) and the median follow‐up was ten months (interquartile range 5 to 18). Management involved IV antibiotics, early debridement and combined treatment of the skeletal and soft‐tissue injuries in line with standards proposed by the British Orthopaedic Association. Results There were 36 diaphyseal fractures and 25 distal tibial fractures. Of the distal fractures, eight involved the physis. Motor vehicle collisions accounted for two thirds of the injuries and 38 patients (62%) arrived outside of normal working hours. The initial method of stabilisation comprised: casting in nine cases (15%); elastic nailing in 19 (31%); Kirschner (K)‐wiring in 13 (21%); intramedullary nailing in one (2%); open reduction and plate fixation in four (7%); and external fixation in 15 (25%). Wound management comprised: primary wound closure in 24 (39%), delayed primary closure in 11 (18%), split skin graft (SSG) in eight (13%), local flap with SSG in 17 (28%) and a free flap in one. A total of 43 fractures (70%) were Gustilo‐Anderson grade III. There were four superficial (6.6%) and three (4.9%) deep infections. Two deep infections occurred following open reduction and plate fixation and the third after K‐wire fixation of a distal fracture. No patient who underwent primary wound closure developed an infection. All the fractures united, although nine patients required revision of a mono‐lateral to circular frame for delayed union (two) or for altered alignment or length (seven). The mean time to union was two weeks longer in diaphyseal fractures than in distal fractures (13 weeks versus 10.8 weeks, p = 0.016). Children aged > 12 years had a significantly longer time to union than those aged < 12 years (16.3 weeks versus 11.4 weeks, p = 0.045). The length of stay in hospital for patients with a Gustilo‐Anderson grade IIIB fracture was twice as long as for less severe injuries. Conclusion Fractures in children heal better than those in adults. Based on our experience of deep infection we discourage the use of internal fixation with a plate for open tibial fractures in children. We advocate aggressive initial wound debridement in theatre with early definitive combined orthopaedic and plastic surgery in order to obtain skeletal stabilisation and softtissue cover.


Patient-derived inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ex-plants have potential for biomarker and therapy discovery. Vedolizumab (VDZ) is a monoclonal antibody targeting a4b47 integrin whose mechanism of action is the reduction of inflammatory immune cell trafficking to the intestinal tract. The association between VDZ exposure and treatment response is unclear and appears insufficiently explained by serum levels. For this reason it is hypothesised that VDZ may also have effects at the tissue level.

 We aimed to evaluate the effect of VDZ on inflammatory protein secretion profiles in ex-vivo human ulcerative colitis ex-plants (UC ex-plants).
 Patients with UC, undergoing endoscopy, were prospectively recruited. Endoscopic biopsies were collected and UC ex-plants generated as per previously described methods. UC ex-plants were then co-cultured for 24 hours with an IgG control vehicle or VDZ. After 24 hours tissue conditioned media (TCM) from UC ex-plants was collected. TCM secreted protein profiles were quantified using 54 V-plex ELISA (Meso Scale Diagnostics, USA). Secreted cytokine profile were compared between IgG vehicle (control) and VDZ treated ex-plants. P values < 0.05 were considered significant in analyses.

 Thirteen patients with UC were included; age (mean, [range]) 45.8 years [30–78], 54% male; disease duration (mean, [range]) 8 [1–24] years; 62% of patients were anti-TNF naïve. Baseline total Mayo score (median [range]) was 6 [0–9]; endoscopic Mayo score (median [range]) was 2 [0–3]. Comparing VDZ with control treatment, 5 of 54 ex-plant secreted proteins differed significantly. GMCSF, IL-16, IL-22, IL-23 and sVCAM-1 secretion were significantly decreased comparing VDZ and control treatments, p < 0.03 for all comparisons.

 The predominant mechanism of action of VDZ is the blocking of gut homing pro-inflammatory immune cell trafficking from the peripheral circulation to the intestinal tract. These data demonstrated that VDZ reduces pro-inflammatory protein secretions from UC ex-plants suggesting an additional local effect of this therapy. Further evaluation is required to determine whether a component of VDZ therapeutic effect occurs at the tissue level.


Adopting a Socio-Constructivist theoretical framework, this study investigated the
 French language discourse produced by a focal group of five intermediate learners of
 French while immersed in a virtual learning environment (VLE) and engaged in a
 problem-based activity. Adopting a mixed methods approach, this study analyzed both
 quantitative and qualitative data to examine the second language (L2) negotiation and
 co-construction of meaning process in this group's discourse; as well, it investigated
 these learners' emerging L2 critical thinking, problem solving, and technology literacy
 skills. Results indicated that the discourse produced by these students was significantly
 impacted by the problem-based activity itself, and characterized by a progressive trend
 towards higher levels of L2 critical thinking, with sustained episodes of negotiation
 and co-construction of meaning. Most notably, the discourse analysis indicated that it
 was during the consensus-building phase of the problem-based activity that most
 instances of higher level critical thinking occurred. Moreover, the 3-D representation
 of learners (as avatars) and space, as well as the immediacy of synchronous chat-based
 interactions in the VLE had a positive social, motivational, and linguistic impact on
 this process. These results lend support to the claim that VLEs, with an underlying
 problem-based and consensus-building component, provide optimal learning opportunities
 for learners to develop L2 critical thinking and problem solving abilities. Discussion is offered about the benefits of a mixed methods approach to research, as
 well as about the reliability and validity of Hull & Saxon's (2009) Interaction
 Analysis model for L2 discourse analysis. Implications for the L2 classroom as well as
 for future research on L2 negotiation of meaning are also provided.


Summary Environmental control of growth and flowering and the freezing tolerance of two Norwegian populations of Potentilla palustris (L.) Scop. were studied under controlled environment conditions. Under short day (SD; 10 h) conditions, the plants ceased growing and entered a semi-dormant state at temperatures ranging from 9° - 21°C, while under long day (LD; 24 h) conditions, growth was highly temperature-dependent. At 21°C, the plants continued to grow and remained vegetative in LD for at least 16 weeks. Flowering was induced at all temperatures in SD, while in LD at lower temperatures only.The critical photoperiods for floral induction at 21°C were 18 h and 20 h for the South Norwegian and the North Norwegian population, respectively. However, the initiation of floral primordia required a transition from SD to LD conditions. Three weeks of exposure to SD at an intermediate temperature was sufficient for floral induction in both cultivars, but flowering increased with increasing exposure, up to 7 weeks. SD-induced plants, that had ceased growing, resumed normal growth when returned to LD and high temperature in the absence of chilling, but only a few plants flowered without chilling. High-latitude P. palustris plants survived freezing at temperatures down to -30°C, whereas even the hardiest populations of the related wood strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) were killed at temperatures below -10°C.We conclude that, considering the relative ease with which the frost-susceptible garden strawberry can be crossed with the frost-resistant P. palustris, the latter represents a promising progenitor for breeding new, cold-resistant strawberry cultivars.


The accumulator ring of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at ORNL employs in its straight sections closely packed quadrupole doublet magnets with large aperture of R=15.1 cm and relatively short iron-to-iron distance of 51.4 cm. These quads have much extended fringe field, and magnetic interferences among them in the doublet assemblies is not avoidable. Though each magnet in the assemblies has been individually mapped to high accuracy of lower 10-4level, the experimental data including the magnet interference effect in the assemblies will not be available. We have performed 3D computing simulations on a quadrupole doublet model in order to assess the degree of the interference and to obtain relevant data for the SNS ring commissioning and operation.


Numerous news reports since September 11, 2001 have reviewed the shortcomings within the intelligence system that may have led to the failure to prevent the terrorist attacks on the United States. In response, oversight committees have focused on the need for revamping our intelligence operations and agencies.1 In contrast, there has been relatively little attention paid to the extent to which the U.S. government and unknowing U.S. taxpayers have actively supported the types of terrorist groups that orchestrated the terror attacks. The operation under tax-exempt status in the United States of organizations that actively fund terrorist activities abroad, has meant that the U.S. government, and all U.S. taxpayers, indirectly finance such organizations and the recipients of their funding dollars. This paper argues that the Service should take a more active stance in denying tax exemption to organizations that finance terrorist activities abroad. The paper explores the well-established principle that organizations granted U.S. tax-exemption must act consistently with national public policy, and the application of that principle to charitable organizations that send monies overseas. To foster that policy, the Service should apply special guidelines to charitable organizations that channel contributions abroad, similar to the special guidelines in effect for tax-exempt private schools. In addition, legislative changes should be made to advance such a goal in order to provide additional legal support for necessary changes in the Service's policy. Part I of this Article reviews some of the commonly advanced theories as to the purpose of the tax exemption provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code), and the reliance on such theories by the courts and by the Service to deny tax exemption to organizations operating in furtherance of an illegal purpose and organizations acting contrary to national public policy. Part II summarizes some of the publicly available information on the links between charitable organizations raising funds in the United States and individuals and organizations the U.S. government has classified as engaged in or supporting terrorism. Part III ends with concrete suggestions for a change in policy to prevent the continued operation of such organizations in the United States under tax-exempt status, including changes to the Code, changes to the Form 990, and the issuance of published guidance by the Service.


The diagnosis of letter-by-letter (LBL) dyslexia is based on the observation of a substantial and monotonic increase of word naming latencies as the number of letters in the stimulus increases. This pattern of performance is typically interpreted as indicating that word recognition in LBL dyslexia depends on the sequential identification of individual letters. We show, in 7 LBL patients, that the word-length effect can be eliminated if words of different lengths are matched on the sum of the confusability (visual similarity between a letter and the remainder of the alphabet) of their constituent letters. Additional experiments demonstrate that this result is mediated by parallel letter processing and not by any compensatory serial processing strategy. These findings indicate that parallel processing contributes significantly to explicit word recognition in LBL dyslexia and that a letter-processing impairment is fundamental in causing the disorder.


As chronic wounds, venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are costly and impact significantly on a patient's quality of life. This case study focuses on the key considerations for wound management of bilateral venous leg ulcers in a 45-year-old mother who had undergone multiple admissions with sepsis secondary to the ulcers and whose life was considered at risk. The primary concern was to stabilise the patient, and then to determine the aetiology of the leg ulcers and develop a treatment plan. Kerraboot (Crawford Healthcare) was chosen to dress the wound initially as it is relatively quick and easy to apply while being atraumatic, manages exudate and facilitates autolytic debridement (Harvey, 2006). After 12 days debridement was complete and granulation tissue was observed to the skin surface level. At this time, the patient's condition had stabilised and the wound aetiology could then be determined. The ulcers were confirmed as venous and were subsequently managed with compression bandaging. They continued to heal, reducing in size by 60% after a further 3 months. By agreeing a highly individualised wound treatment plan with the patient that was tailored to both her needs and those of the wound, and by continually reviewing and revising this plan, bilateral amputation was avoided in this previously non-concordant patient.


Chronic suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis is an important cause of ocular surface discomfort. Treatment with topical antibiotics is often inadequate and surgical treatment by canaliculotomy and canalicular curettage has been the mainstay of treatment in the past. The role of canalicular antibiotic irrigation has been inadequately studied. We report the clinical features, microbiological profile and treatment outcome in a series of 12 patients with suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis. Two patients had Actinomyces infection, five had Nocardia infection and seven patients had polymicrobial infection. Three patients had resolution of canaliculitis on combination broad-spectrum topical antibiotic therapy using ciprofloxacin and fortified cefazolin. In nine patients, topical antibiotic therapy was combined with canalicular irrigation using fortified cefazolin. All patients had excellent resolution of canaliculitis without the need for surgical treatment. Availability of broad-spectrum antibiotics and canalicular irrigation may offer an alternative to surgery in the management of suppurative lacrimal canaliculitis.


Pruning is a popular technique for compressing a neural network: a large pre-trained network is fine-tuned while connections are successively removed. However, the value of pruning has largely evaded scrutiny. In this extended abstract, we examine residual networks obtained through Fisher-pruning and make two interesting observations. First, when time-constrained, it is better to train a simple, smaller network from scratch than prune a large network. Second, it is the architectures obtained through the pruning process --- not the learnt weights ---that prove valuable. Such architectures are powerful when trained from scratch. Furthermore, these architectures are easy to approximate without any further pruning: we can prune once and obtain a family of new, scalable network architectures for different memory requirements.


Standard machine learning is unable to accommodate inputs which do not belong to the training distribution. The resulting models often give rise to confident incorrect predictions which may lead to devastating consequences. This problem is especially demanding in the context of dense prediction since input images may be only partially anomalous. Previous work has addressed dense anomaly detection by discriminative training on mixed-content images. We extend this approach with synthetic negative patches which simultaneously achieve high inlier likelihood and uniform discriminative prediction. We generate synthetic negatives with normalizing flows due to their outstanding distribution coverage and capability to generate samples at different resolutions. We also propose to detect anomalies according to a principled information-theoretic criterion which can be consistently applied through training and inference. The resulting models set the new state of the art on standard benchmarks and datasets in spite of minimal computational overhead and refraining from auxiliary negative data.


Internal erosion in granular soils may involve different steps: the detachment of solid particles
from the granular skeleton under the action of water seepage; the transport of the detached particles carried with
the water flow in the pore space; and eventually, for some erosion processes, such as suffusion, the possible
reattachment of some transported particles to the solid skeleton of the soil, acting as a filter. The first part
of this paper is devoted to the description and interpretation of the first step about the particle detachment. The
analysis is mainly based on direct numerical simulations performed with a fully coupled discrete element-lattice
Boltzmann method. Dynamics of the solid granular phase is represented thanks to the discrete element method
in which each solid particle is explicitly described, whereas dynamics of the interstitial water flow is solved
with the lattice Boltzmann method. Interactions between the solid phase and the fluid phase are handled at
the particle scale avoiding the introduction in the model of some phenomenological constituents to deal with
fluid-solid interactions. Numerical modellings of hole erosion can be interpreted similarly to laboratory hole
erosion tests where the erosion rate is linearly related to the hydraulic shear stress. Further investigations from
the numerical results suggest that the erosion rate for hole erosion in granular soil, can also be interpreted as a
function of the water flow power according to a power law. The latter interpretation is applied to experimental
data from suffusion tests on a cohesionless soil and glass bead mixtures. Here again, if change of erosion rate
due to filtration is discarded, erosion rate is correctly described by the water seepage power according to a power
law. Finally, a simple phenomenological model is suggested to describe the whole suffusion process, based on
the previous results, to describe the particle detachment, and completed to take also into account the transport
and filtration phases. Predictions of this model are compared with experimental results from suffusion tests on
glass bead mixtures.


Background: Self-esteem, a sublime mental feeling highly effective for improving physical and mental health, can be considered as one of the areas of vulnerability to depression disorders. The purpose of this study was to promote the self-esteem of students using the educational workshop held at Kashan university of medical sciences. Materials and Methods: This experimental study with a random-allocation block design was performed on 106 students (54 in the experimental group and 52 in control group) at Kahsan university of medical sciences. A six-hour training workshop was held for the experimental group and an Eysenck self-esteem questionnaire for one-month post-workshop follow up. Finally, the average scores of self-esteem in two groups, before and after the intervention, were reported. Results: The mean score of self-esteem in the experimental group was significantly increased from 20.50 to 23.22 (P=0.001). Moreover, The average test score for one-month post-workshop follow up was 22.60, signifying the difference in self-esteem promotion (P=0.001); however, the mean score in the control group was decreased from 21.29 to 21.24. In addition, the average follow up score was 21.27 and no significant difference was seen for self-esteem score. Conclusion: The results indicate that holding educational self-esteem workshop enhances students' self-esteem.


Systems of systems (SoS) are large-scale systems composed of complex systems with difficult to predict emergent properties. One of the most significant challenges in the engineering of such systems is how to model and analyze their Non-Functional Properties (NFP), such as security. In this review paper we identify, describe, analyze and categorize challenges to security engineering for SoS. This catalog of challenges offers a road-map of major directions for future research activities, and a set of requirements against which present and future solutions of security for SoS can be evaluated.


Abstract Monosaccharides are added to the hydrophilic face of a self‐assembled asymmetric FeII metallohelix, using CuAAC chemistry. The sixteen resulting architectures are water‐stable and optically pure, and exhibit improved antiproliferative selectivity against colon cancer cells (HCT116 p53+/+) with respect to the non‐cancerous ARPE‐19 cell line. While the most selective compound is a glucose‐appended enantiomer, its cellular entry is not mainly glucose transporter‐mediated. Glucose conjugation nevertheless increases nuclear delivery ca 2.5‐fold, and a non‐destructive interaction with DNA is indicated. Addition of the glucose units affects the binding orientation of the metallohelix to naked DNA, but does not substantially alter the overall affinity. In a mouse model, the glucose conjugated compound was far better tolerated, and tumour growth delays for the parent compound (2.6 d) were improved to 4.3 d; performance as good as cisplatin but with the advantage of no weight loss in the subjects.


Cigarette-smoke condensate, usually combined with a solvent such as acetone, reportedly produces various changes when applied to animal tissues. These changes cover a wide range from mild hyperplasia to gross, metastasizing cancer. Tissues so far studied include skin, oral mucosa, bronchial mucosa, epithelium of bladder, and uterine cervix.3,7,8,10,24Most studies have been in mice, a few in hamsters, rabbits, and rats. Histologic cancer from the condensate has been reported in skin, bladder, cervix, and mouth.4,7,8,24 Of the 18 or more polycyclic hydrocarbons22identified in the condensate, 8 are reported to be carcinogenic for animals.25While some investigators emphasize that concentrations of carcinogenic hydrocarbons in the condensate (predominately benzo[a]pyrene) are not sufficient to justify rating cigarettes as a major factor in human cancer,9others feel that the complexity of the condensate, varying with different conditions of combustion in its production and containing multiple carcinogens


Most mammalian non-nucleic acid methyltransferases share three sequence motifs. To gain insight into the S-adenosyl-methionine (AdoMet)-binding site of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase, we mutated several conserved residues that are found in or near motifs I and II. Conversion of either of two glycine residues of motif I (Gly67 and Gly69) to an alanine resulted in an inactive enzyme. These enzymes, although having UV absorption, fluorescence and far-UV CD spectra virtually identical with those of the wild-type enzyme, seem to be conformationally different from the wild-type enzyme as judged by near-UV CD spectra and the extent of urea denaturation, and are apparently not capable of binding AdoMet. Mutation of Tyr136 of motif II to a valine resulted in a decrease in Kcat/Km values for substrates. Changing this residue to a phenylalanine caused only a minor change in Kcat/Km for AdoMet. This suggests that the aromatic side chain stabilizes the binding of AdoMet. Mutagenic changes of Glu89, which is the residue corresponding to the conserved acidic residue on the C-terminal side of motif I, indicated its contribution to AdoMet binding. These results are consistent with the idea that both motifs I and II are crucial in forming the AdoMet binding site of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase.


This work synthesis the quality evolution as well as innovation and technological advances that have been proven in healthcare area and specifically in enteral nutrition field. Clarifying the most relevant landmarks and the best representative characteristics of these advances.


The continuous development of computer network technology has accelerated the pace of informatization, and at the same time, network security issues are becoming increasingly prominent. Networking technology with different network topologies is one of the important means to solve network security problems. The security of VPN is based on the division of geographical boundaries, but the granularity is relatively coarse, which is difficult to cope with the dynamic changes of the security situation. Zero trust network solves the VPN problem through peer to peer authorization and continuous verification, but most of the solutions use a central proxy device, resulting in the central node becoming the bottleneck of the network. This paper put forward the hard-Nat traversal formula based on the birthday paradox, which solves the long-standing problem of hard NAT traversal. A full mesh networking mechanism with variable parameter full-dimensional spatial peer-to-peer grid topology was proposed, which covers all types of networking schemes and achieve peer-2-peer resource interconnection on both methodological and engineering level


We consider an extension to the lost sale recapture model in a newsvendor framework developed earlier by the authors. As in real practice, we have considered that there may be an opportunity to backlog the lost sales, by offering some incentive for waiting. The back log fill rate is modelled as a log function of adding one to the proportion of rebate relative to the price. The retailer's decision includes selling price, order quantity and the rebate that will maximize its expected profit. Sensitivities of the demand errors in the form of beta distribution rather than the uniform and the normal distribution serve as an extension to the previous work by the authors.


Much scientometric research aims to be relevant to policy, but such research only rarely has a notable policy impact. In this paper, we examine four exemplary cases of policy impact from quantitative studies of science. The cases are analyzed in light of lessons learned about the use of evidence in policy making in health services, which provides very thorough explorations of the problems inherent in policy use of academic research. The analysis highlights key dimensions of the examples, which offer lessons for those aspiring to influence policy with quantitative studies of science.


Active flippers for tracked vehicles are very useful to improve traversability on uneven terrain. However it is widely known that control of flippers also increases the work-load for operators, particularly where the vehicle and the operator are far apart. To reduce the work-load, we aim to realize a sensor-based autonomous controller of flippers to enable a ldquosemi-autonomous operationrdquo of tracked vehicles. The ldquosemi-autonomous operationrdquo means that the only requirement for an operator is to indicate the robotpsilas direction. In this way, the robot is navigated autonomously through its sensors and actuators to surmount or avoid obstacles. In this research, two laser range sensors are used for terrain sensing, and gyro sensors are used for the measurement of the robotpsilas attitude. Based on such sensor system, we propose a strategy of simple sensor-based motion of active flippers for tracked vehicles to enable a semi-autonomous operation. In this paper, we introduce a strategy of motion of active flippers, and the stability analysis of tracked vehicles with active flippers. Finally, we report several experimental results to verify the validity of our approach.


SUMMARY: Long-chain paraffins, such as nonacosane, reach the soil from plants and are degraded by micro-organisms. The ability of one soil organism, Micro-coccus cerificans, to grow on cabbage paraffin (n-nonacosane) was studied. Unlike the pattern seen with hexadecane, waxy esters were not produced when nonacosane was the sole carbon source, but esters were formed when a co-oxidation technique of [14C] n-nonacosane with hexadecane was employed. The alcohol and acid portions of the radioactive esters formed were primarily of chain length C16 C17 and C18; neither nonacosanol nor nonacosanoic acid were detected. Thus the nonacosanol and nonacosanoic acid which might have been produced from n-nonacosane must have been oxidized to shorter-chain compounds which in turn were incorporated into waxy esters as well as other lipids.


Importance
There are limited data on which factors affect the critical and complex decision to withdraw life-supporting treatment (LST) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI).

Objective
To determine demographic and clinical factors associated with the decision to withdraw LST in patients with sTBI.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This retrospective analysis of inpatient data from more than 825 trauma centers across the US in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program database from January 2013 to December 2015 included adult patients with sTBI and documentation of a decision regarding withdrawal of LST (WLST). Data analysis was conducted in September 2019.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Factors associated with WLST in sTBI.

Results
A total of 37931 patients (9817 women [25.9%]) were included in the multivariable analysis; 7864 (20.7%) had WLST. Black patients (4806 [13.2%]; odds ratio [OR], 0.66; 95% CI, 0.59-0.72; P < .001) and patients of other race (4798 [13.2%]; OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76-0.91; P < .001) were less likely than white patients (26 864 [73.7%]) to have WLST. Patients from hospitals in the Midwest (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.20; P = .002) or Northeast (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.13-1.34; P < .001) were more likely to have WLST than patients from hospitals in the South. Patients with Medicare (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.43-1.69; P < .001) and self-pay patients (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.25-1.47; P < .001) were more likely to have WLST than patients with private insurance. Older patients and those with lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores, higher Injury Severity Scores, or craniotomy were generally more likely to have WLST. Withdrawal of LST was more likely for patients with functionally dependent health status (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.08-1.58; P = .01), hematoma (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12-1.27; P < .001), dementia (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.08-1.53; P = .004), and disseminated cancer (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 2.07-3.82; P < .001) than for patients without these conditions.

Conclusions and Relevance
Withdrawal of LST is common in sTBI and socioeconomic factors are associated with the decision to withdraw LST. These results highlight the many factors that contribute to decision-making in sTBI and demonstrate that in a complex and variable disease process, variation based on race, payment, and region presents as a potential challenge.


1. Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) - Mask/ Goggle/ Face shield
• Use PPE to avoid direct contact with patient's blood, body fluids, secretions (including respiratory secretions) and non-intact skin.
• Wear mask at all times; wear goggle, face shield as needed.
• Perform hand hygiene before putting on.
• Place the mask carefully, ensuring it covers the mouth and nose, adjust to the nose bridge, and tie it securely to minimize any gaps between the face and the mask.
• Avoid touching them while wearing it.
• Remove them using the appropriate technique: do not touch the front of the mask but untie it from behind.
• After removal or whenever a used mask/ goggles/ face shield are inadvertently touched, clean hands with an alcohol-based handrub, or soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
• Replace masks as soon as they become damp with a new clean, dry mask.
• Discard single-use masks after each use and dispose them immediately upon removal. Read more.....


This study examines the interplay between identity positions, dominant ideologies, and discursive practices on the Internet. The aim is to study how a culture like the art world is adapting to digital technology. The starting question is: How are artists' identities created today? To answer this question, I did an ethnographic study of art students at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm (KKH), focusing on their use of the Internet as a means of communication. During a five-month stay as a teacher at the school I studied how 50 students artist's identity was performed on the Web, and 10 students were interviewed about their views on marketing in general. The study shows a picture where two competing concepts of the artist create uncertainty about how an artist should be: like the romantic concept of the genial artist or like the institutional concept of the artist who is collectively created by the art world's institutions. This applies to someone who appears as an outsider but in practice is a networker. The ideology expressed isn't something new, however the discursive practices have changed. The artist is still an oracle that must be explained by others, but when the art world through globalization became more difficult to overview it is not enough to hang at gallery openings, a digital business card in the form of a website makes the curator's work easy. It must however still look as if someone else does the framing. The common denominator for the students who used the web more directly to communicate and collaborate was not that they were making "digital art" but that the that they appeared in various creative fields. Digital media can be seen here as a mean for the individual to more easily move between different art worlds, and thus as a possible means to change.


Averaging the estimates of a number of individuals has been shown to produce an estimate that is generally more accurate than those of the individuals themselves. Similarly, averaging responses from a single individual can also lead to a more accurate answer. How can we best combine estimates within and between individuals to create an accurate group estimate? We report empirical results from a general knowledge rankordering experiment and demonstrate that individuals that provide more consistent answers across repeated elicitations are also more accurate. We develop a consistency weighting heuristic and show that repeated elicitations within an individual can be used to improve group accuracy. We also develop a Thurstonian cognitive model which assumes a direct link between the process that explains the accuracy of an individual and response consistency and show how the model can infer accurate group answers.


Gravity wave emission by geostrophically balanced flow is diagnosed in numerical simulations of lateral and vertical shear instabilities. The diagnostic method in use allows for a separation of balanced flow and residual wave signal up to fourth order in the Rossby number (Ro). While evidence is found for a small but finite gravity wave emission from balanced flow in a single-layer model with large lateral shear and large Ro, a vertically resolved model with moderate velocity amplitudes appropriate to the interior ocean hardly shows any wave emission. Only when static instabilities generated by the shear instability of the balanced flow are allowed can a gravity wave signal similar to the ones reported in earlier studies be detected in the vertically resolved case. This result suggests a relatively small role of spontaneous wave emission in the classical sense of Lighthill radiation, and emphasizes the role of convective or symmetric instabilities during frontogenesis for the generation of internal gravity waves in the ocean and atmosphere.


Objective of the research is to develop a logical modeling variant of criteria for the feasibility assessment of intellectual products` potential in the venture financing system. Research methodology is based on synthesis of institutional and new institutional economics theory, theories of innovations, uncertainty and risk, management of innovations. Essential characteristics of venture financing are structured in the article, its treatment as an economic category is suggested. The structure of institutional field of venture financing (by the example of Russia) is elaborated with consideration of projected development and co evolution of formal and informal institutions as a favorable environment for drawing into economic turnover and commercialization of technological developments and projects. A logical model of institutional criteria for the assessment of intellectual products` potential feasibility in the system of venture financing is suggested.


Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive and endocrine disorder in females during their reproductive life. The syndrome is characterized by a constellation of symptoms and signs including menstrual disturbance, hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries. Other features of PCOS include obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Recently, PCOS has been recognized as a low grade inflammatory condition. Several inflammatory markers have been found to be raised in PCOS, such as interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and Interleukin-18. Low grade inflammation may potentially produce an insulin resistant state and promote the development of atherosclerosis. Insulin sensitzers such as metformin and pioglitazone have been shown to have a favourable effect not only on the symptoms of PCOS, but also on the hormonal and metabolic parameters in those subjects. In my thesis I primarily focussed on IL-18, B cells activating factor (BAFF), and the hepatokine, Fetuin-A, all linked to insulin resistance. IL-18 has a strong affinity towards its natural inhibitor, IL-18 binding protein (BP) and binding of IL-18 to IL-18 BP results in neutralization of IL-18, and consequently reduced free IL-18; the active form of the molecule. I have shown that PCOS women have a higher free IL-18, with hyperinsulinaemia the main factor that determines IL-18 in vitro. Furthermore, I have shown that Pioglitazone treatment for 12 weeks decreased both the total and free IL-18 in PCOS women. The reduction of IL-18 was accompanied by an improvement in IR. On the other hand, metformin treatment for six months failed to improve insulin sensitivity and did not influence IL-18 levels.
BAFF, a novel adipokine, was studied in PCOS subjects, and I found lower BAFF levels in this cohort of patients. In vivo, BAFF correlated negatively with androgens, and in vitro work revealed that androstenedione as a negative regulatory factor for BAFF production
Fetuin-A also known human protein α2-Heremans-Schmid glycoprotein, is a known natural inhibitor for insulin and abundantly expressed and secreted by the liver; fetuin-A has been suggested to act as a link between obesity, insulin resistance and MS. The circulating levels of Fetuin A are increased in women with PCOS, which is more pronounced when associated with MS. Metformin decreases Fetuin A in vivo, and also decreases both the expression and secretion of Fetuin A from HepG2 cells.


This paper briefly analyses the differentiation of the Green Building Assessment Scheme between America and China from the national environment angle to demonstrate the importance of government guidance in the development of green buildings. The establishment of LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) mainly complies with the regulation of market mechanisms. On the contrary, China's Green Building Assessment Scheme "GB/T 50738" cannot entirely rely on the market mechanism due to the national environment. In order to improve the GB/T 50738 to meet Green Building development in China, several suggestions have been proposed in the paper to increase the efficiency and practicality of GB/T 50738 implementations.


In this article, education policy is analysed from a welfare state perspective. The aim is to analyse the significance attributed to social‐inclusive aspects of education in contemporary education policies of the Nordic countries, and the extent to which education is regarded as an element in welfare policies. Four aspects are addressed: (1) access to education and measures to prevent social exclusion of young people, (2) comprehensiveness of education in terms of public/private, integration/segregation of e.g. minority children and children with special needs, (3) emphasis on democratic values and participation, (4) the importance of community and equality versus a focus on the individual. It is concluded that it is still justified to speak of the five Nordic countries as a rather distinct group. However, social‐inclusive policies have also clearly been reformulated and delimited, related to a strengthening of the economic‐utilitarian functions of education and a weakening of central education governance.


The institutional theory of strategy suggests that the external institutional environment of a firm has significant impact on its strategic behaviour and performance (Peng, Wang & Jiang 2008; Peng 2003; Ahn & York 2009). This theory argues that the institutional environment is a major determinant of the costs of exchange and production (North 1990). The current study contributes to the debate on institution-firm strategy-performance linkages in three folds. First, it attempts to measure four elements of the formal institutional environment of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in two cities in the Philippines, one of the major developing countries in Southeast Asia. The focus is on sub-national or city-level formal institutions. Second, the study will determine the impact of the four types of formal institutions on the level of innovativeness and overall performance of SMEs in the two cities. It is argued that the level of innovativeness of SMEs partly depends on the extent to which firms consider the formal institutional environment to be conducive and supportive for innovative endeavours. Innovative SMEs are more likely to have better economic performance than those which are non-innovative. Third, the study will attempt to offer an empirically-based explanation on how the formal institutions influence firm performance by examining the mediating role of firm innovativeness. The study posits that the formal institutional environment can potentially facilitate, support or nurture the firms' innovativeness which ultimately leads to better performance.
The paper starts with a discussion of the theoretical and conceptual basis of the study. This is followed by a discussion of the conceptual model and hypotheses that will be examined. The next section will be the empirical study and structural equation model analysis. The last part will be discussion of results and their research and practical implications.


with intranasal steroid aerosols was deliberately withheld from all subjects. It is now generally accepted that this form of treatment is so effective for seasonal allergic rhinitis that if it is allowed immunotherapy cannot produce a significant improvement in symptom scores. Nevertheless, for severe hay fever steroid aerosols are the standard treatment with which immunotherapy must be compared (together with its risks). To give suboptimal supportive treatment to patients treated with placebo might be acceptable in a trial of some exceedingly important new form of treatment, provided the position was made clear to the volunteers. In a trial of yet another formulation of conventional vaccine for hay fever the ethics seem dubious. The third point of criticism concerns the discussion of the reactions experienced by patients in the trial. Although 523 active injections were administered, there were only 21 actively treated patients. The necessary courses of injection that they received provoked an episode of anaphylaxis in one and generalised urticaria in another: a reaction rate of nearly 10%. The instances of fatal anaphylaxis following immunotherapy that led to the Medicines' Commission warning occurred as isolated events, nearly always after several previous injections that had been well tolerated. A much safer and more economical form of immunotherapy exists: the trial of enzyme potentiated desensitisation by Fell and Brostoff is open to none of the above criticisms.2 There were no reported side effects. The actively treated patients used about a third of the dose of intranasal beclomethasone aerosol required by the control group, making this method cost effective.


On 29 June 2017, the Dutch Competition Authority ("DCA") published the non-con dential version of a decision of 22 May 2017 imposing a €40.95 million fine on Dutch rail operator Nederlandse…


"Why can't software be more like hardware?" has been the software engineer's lament for nearly as long as there have been large software systems. In particular, why isn't there a software components industry to rival the existing hardware components industry? Hardware components come with the following attributes: an interface that hides detail that would only confuse or at least distract me; an unambiguous interface specification written in a language I can understand (in the case of the integrated circuit, this may be a fairly complex language, but it's one I expect to learn if I'm going to work with that hardware); a guarantee-the component has been tested and/or validated against its specification. All three items-especially the last one-are notably lacking for software components. Indeed, software tends to come with an antiguarantee, otherwise known as a disclaimer. All of the above points rely on a rigorous specification of the hardware component's interface. In a nutshell, programming by contract is about providing just such specifications for software components (that is, classes), and it provides the best hope of a basis for a true software component industry. The discussion focuses on object oriented software.


COVID-19, responsible for several deaths, demands a cumulative effort of scientists worldwide to curb the pandemic. The main protease, responsible for the cleavage of the polyprotein and formation of replication complex in virus, is considered as a promising target for the development of potential inhibitors to treat the novel coronavirus. The effectiveness of FDA approved drugs targeting the main protease in previous SARS-COV (s) reported earlier indicates the chances of success for the repurposing of FDA drugs against SARS-COV-2. Therefore, in this study, molecular docking and virtual screening of FDA approved drugs, primarily of three categories: antiviral, antimalarial, and peptide, are carried out to investigate their inhibitory potential against the main protease. Virtual screening has identified 53 FDA drugs on the basis of their binding energies (< -7.0 kcal/mol), out of which the top two drugs Velpatasvir (-9.1 kcal/mol) and Glecaprevir (-9.0 kcal/mol) seem to have great promise. These drugs have a stronger affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 main protease than the crystal bound inhibitor α-ketoamide 13B (-6.7 kcal/mol) or Indinavir (-7.5 kcal/mol) that has been proposed in a recent study as one of the best drugs for SARS-CoV-2. The in-silico efficacies of the screened drugs could be instructive for further biochemical and structural investigation for repurposing. The molecular dynamics studies on the shortlisted drugs are underway.


This synoptic paper gives descriptions of the hitherto unknown or poorly known larvae of Helicopsyche megalochari Malicky 1974 and H. revelieri McLachlan 1884 (Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae). We present information on the morphology of the larvae and illustrate the most important diagnostic features. This information is used for the construction of a comprehensive larval key to the five European species of family Helicopsychidae. In the context of this key, larvae can be easily diagnosed by setation patterns of the dorsal head capsule, submentum shape, and propleuron morphology. With respect to distribution, Helicopsyche megalochari has been reported from the Greek Islands of Andros, Euboea, Ikaria, and Naxos whereas H. revelieri is known from the islands of Capraia, Corsica, and Sardinia. In addition, ecological characteristics and distributions of the European species are briefly discussed.


Arlequin coupling coefficient is essential for concurrent FE-MD models with overlapping domains, but the calculation of its value is quite difficult when the geometry of the coupling region is complicated. In this work, we introduce a general procedure for the preprocessing of a concurrent FE-MD model, given that the mesh and atoms have already been created. The procedure is independent of the geometry of the coupling region and can be used for both 2D and 3D problems. The procedure includes steps of determining the relative positions of atoms inside the FE elements in the coupling region, as well as computing the Arlequin coupling coefficient for an arbitrary point inside the coupling region or on its boundary. Two approaches are provided for determining the coefficient: the direct approach and the temperature approach.


This article examines embodied double and triple consciousness expressed by African Americans who reflect Indigenous and transplanted African/Indian heritages while performing as Mardi Gras "Indians" in New Orleans. Moving beyond simplistic dichotomies of "Africanness" and "indigeneity," Black Indians produce sustained historical and cultural identities which reinforce Afro-indigeneity to overcome oppressive conditions while creating a foundation for resilience. Mardi Gras Indians perform ritual parades and complex acts of resistance and joy—playfully appropriating and adapting African, Indian and American cultures to interrogate hybrid identities beyond Black/White paradigms. The playful ambiguities—and mocking stereotypical images of savage Indians and Africans—continue to be displayed through music, art and pop cultural expressions well into the post-Katrina era. An examination of Black Indians through a cultural-historical analysis sets the stage for a reassessment of popular culture and the HBO TV series Treme (Simon, 2010–2013)—specifically its use of fictive, triple-conscious imaginaries which give life to vibrant, joyful expressions of resistance.


In the first decade of the new millennium, with the adoption at the UN of the 'responsibility to protect' as the organizing concept for intervention, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) emerge as increasingly important partners in international peacekeeping operations. Postmodernist analysts of liberal international security have critically addressed the growing role of international interventionism as well as NGOs. The literature, however, has overstated the effectiveness of liberal biopolitical rationalities in successfully inscribing all political actors, to include NGOs, into their script. Based upon the exploration of discourses of UN reform and integrated peacekeeping, this article argues that, while in the post-Cold-War world international security is reconceptualized in biopolitical terms and calculating rationalities are deployed, the implementation of the biopolitical liberal script is ridden with ambiguities, indecisions and stumbling blocks. International liberal mechanisms for governing disorder produce not only effects of domination and control but also spaces for political appropriation and contestation by NGOs and civil society.


This paper contributes data about women and part-time employment in Australia. "Part-time" is defined as one or more, but less than thirty-five hours per week. Findings from a survey conducted throughout the City of Waverley, Melbourne (1977) are given against a background of similar data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (1977-1996) and the Women and Employment Survey of Great Britain (1980). Aspects of part-time employment are reported for part-time working women and for women who had no paid work, but "would... like to work part-time now". These aspects include range of hours, pattern and number of hours by school level of youngest child, number of weekdays worked, trade union membership, casual work, travel time to work, work at home, employment benefits (including promotion) and work preferences.


PURPOSE
We assessed the feasibility of immediate sealing of nephrostomy tube wounds after percutaneous surgery using a tissue adhesive.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study represents a prospective series of 27 consecutive percutaneous procedures. After nephrostographic exclusion of infrarenal urinary obstruction the nephrostomy tubes were removed and the wound edges were glued together using 2-octyl cyanoacrylate. The wound was covered by gauze to assess the efficiency of sealing and the patients were followed clinically. Another consecutive series of 20 patients who had been treated during 6 months before the current study were used for comparison. The nephrostomy wound in this group was dressed and left to close spontaneously.

RESULTS
A total of 27 percutaneous procedures were performed in 25 patients with a median age of 51 years (range 9 to 77). There were 26 cases of percutaneous nephrolithotomy for an average stone burden of 32.6 mm. (range 16 to 70) and 1 pediatric case of percutaneous antegrade balloon dilation of ureteral stricture related to Cohen reimplantation. Median size of the nephrostomy tubes was 16Fr (range 12Fr to 24Fr) and they were maintained a median of 4 days (range 1 to 16) postoperatively. Urinary leakage ceased immediately after tissue adhesive application in all cases. One patient in whom renal colic developed secondary to edema of the ureteral orifice underwent temporary stenting in retrograde fashion. There were no additional complications at a median followup of 5 months (range 3 to 7). The study group had a significantly shorter hospital stay than the wound dressing group (p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Wound sealing following nephrostomy tube removal using 2-octyl cyanoacrylate appears to be a safe, simple and efficient method for immediate abolishment of urinary leakage. This novel approach avoids patient and medical personnel inconvenience, permitting early release from the hospital without physical and social limitations related to persistent wound urinary discharge.


Comparing Cournot and Bertrand Equilibria Revisited by Jim Y. Jin This paper compares Cournot and Bertrand equilibria with mixed products, linear demand and cost functions. It is found that a firm's price (output) need not be higher (lower) in Cournot equilibrium. However, given any number of firms and a mixture of complement and substitute products, every firm's price margin/output ratio is always higher in Cournot equilibrium, and the weighted squared outputs (price margins) are higher (lower) in Bertrand equilibrium. When price (quantity) competition is a supermodular game, consumer surplus (social welfare) is higher in price competition. Nevertheless, price competition results in more market concentration measured by Herfindahl index.


: Distribution power system has poor power quality and dynamic performance due to insufficient reactive power support during disturbances. Distribution Static Compensator (DSTATCOM) can improve the power quality and dynamic performance of distribution power system. Proportional and Integral (PI) controllers are often used to control the operation of the DSTATCOM for the distribution power system. However, since the power system is highly nonlinear and subject to various disturbances, the PI controlled DSTATCOM cannot provide optimal performance for different operating points. More robust controllers such as the one based on fuzzy logic approach are required for the DSTATCOM to provide adequate dynamic voltage control and to improve power quality and stability of the distribution power system. This thesis presents the design of a fuzzy logic based controller of a 3MVA DSTATCOM for improving the power quality and stability of a distribution power system. Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm has been used to tune the scaling factors of the fuzzy logic controllers. Comparison study of PI controlled, fuzzy logic and ANN controlled DSTATCOM for improving the power quality and dynamic performance of a distribution power system is simulated using Sim Power System in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The performances of the DSTATCOM controllers are evaluated during grid side voltage sag and load variation. The simulation results in MATLAB/Sim Power Systems show that the ANN controlled DSTATCOM controller provides better system dynamic response and hence improves power quality and stability for the distribution power system.


Framed in theories of social semiotics, this multiple case study describes and categorizes the actional-operational modes used by three middle school earth science teachers throughout the course of one school year. Data included fieldnotes, photographs, and video recordings of classroom instructions as well as periodic interviews with the teachers. A constant comparative analysis of the data resulted in the creation of a typology of actional-operational modes according to how they fulfilled the ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions of communication. Six categories of actional-operational modes were identified: gesture, embodied representation, moving objects on flat surfaces, moving objects through three-dimensional space, material representations, and observed phenomena. Multimodal concordance charts were used to identify the affordances and productive constraints of each of these modes. The study offers implications for how fundamental science literacy instruction might be reconceptualized to more rigorously account for actional-operational texts, including building students' multimodal representational competence and providing comprehension strategy instruction in ways that consider these modes' unique features. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 97:524–549, 2013


In wireless communications, the channel has a known manifold structure due to the sensor array response, pulse-shaping function, and sampling phase. By exploiting this information, the method presented in this article achieves improved performance over unstructured blind channel estimation schemes. The approach is subspace-based, and can take advantage of multiple channel estimates if available, e.g., from different time slots in TDMA systems. Its performance is numerically simulated and compared against the original unstructured channel subspace method.