The humidity-sensing electrical properties of heterocontacts between p -type La_2CuO_4 and n -type ZnO semiconductors, and of the single oxides, as a comparison, were studied. The heterocontacts was prepared by mechanically pressing sintered disks of the two oxides. The electrical characterization of the heterocontacts was carried out using dc and ac measurements at various relative humidity (RH) values, in order to evaluate the sensing mechanisms and the electrical properties of these p-n junctions. Their humidity sensitivity was explained in terms of the variation of the barrier height at the p-n junctions, due to the saturation of the original interface states by physisorbed water, which leads to the release of trapped electrons, resulting in an increase in the forward current. The higher the number of interface states, the higher the RH-sensitivity of the heterocontacts. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements showed, at 90% RH, a distribution of capacitances with different relaxation times, which may be caused by the electrolysis of water molecules at p-n junction sites. For their use as humidity sensors, they showed a response of 4 orders of magnitude in the whole RH range tested, and a fast response time. The response of the heterocontacts was bias-dependent, tunable by externally applied electric field. They also have stand-by capability and a self-cleaning mechanism, which allow them to be described as intelligent materials.


Capsule endoscopy (CE) enables evaluation of the entire mucosal surface of the small bowel (SB), which is one of the most important steps for evaluating obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Although the diagnostic yield of SB CE depends on many clinical factors, there are no reports on quality indicators. Thus, the Korean Gut Image Study Group (KGISG) publishes an article titled, "Quality Indicators for Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy" under approval from the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (KSGE). Herein, we initially identified process quality indicators, while the structural and outcome indicators are reserved until sufficient clinical data are accumulated. We believe that outcomes of SB CE can be improved by trying to meet our proposed quality indicators.


The invention provides a variety of techniques for accelerating and optimizing network traffic, such as HTTP based network traffic. The invention provides techniques in the areas of proxy caching, protocol acceleration, domain name resolution acceleration as well as compression improvements. In some cases, the invention provides various prefetching and/or prefreshening techniques to improve intermediary or proxy caching, such as HTTP proxy caching. In other cases, the invention provides techniques for accelerating a protocol by improving the efficiency of obtaining and servicing data from an originating server to server to clients. In another cases, the invention accelerates domain name resolution more quickly. As every HTTP access starts with a URL that includes a hostname that must be resolved via domain name resolution into an IP address, the invention helps accelerate HTTP access. In some cases, the invention improves compression techniques by prefetching non-cacheable and cacheable content to use for compressing network traffic, such as HTTP. The acceleration and optimization techniques described herein may be deployed on the client as a client agent or as part of a browser, as well as on any type and form of intermediary device, such as an appliance, proxying device or any type of interception caching and/or proxying device.


This paper presents an approach for register allocation and scheduling which relies on three main ideas: global optimization, solution space exploration and on-the-fly generation of a symbolic state machine. To allow global optimizations while preserving semantics, the traditional notion of control dependence is replaced by the notion of predicate. In our approach, predicates are used not only as attributes of operations during scheduling (predicated execution), but also as attributes of values during register allocation. Experimental results show that this global approach improves the chances of reaching high-quality solutions in high-level synthesis.


This article analyzes a RuPaul's Drag Race contestant, Valentina, and the ways her trans/queer of color and Latinx performance strategies obfuscate neoliberal, colonial-capitalist logics. Drawing on trans of color theory, television studies, and Latinx studies, this article argues that Valentina's queer nonbinary racialized televisual persona—which includes, for instance, her iconic lip-synch, mask-wearing faux pas, or campy telenovela moments—enacts aesthetic and performative tactics that defy demands for capitalist productivity, minoritized respectability and professionalism, and racial uplift. The article examines how a trans/queer Mexican American drag queen like Valentina, herself a televisual spectacle, defies discourses structured around debating good versus bad representation, a binary that hamstrings much of the scholarship on Latinx people on television by remixing Latinx stereotypes such as the Latina spitfire with trans/queer possibilities. This torquing of stereotypes centers trans/queer racialized Latinx joy, pleasure, and humor, activating worlds hospitable to trans/queer of color living and thriving.


Abstract. In this paper, we first present a novel hierarchical clustering algorithm named Pairwise Linkage (P-Linkage), which can be used for clustering any dimensional data, and then effectively apply it on 3D unstructured point cloud segmentation. The P-Linkage clustering algorithm first calculates a feature value for each data point, for example, the density for 2D data points and the flatness for 3D point clouds. Then for each data point a pairwise linkage is created between itself and its closest neighboring point with a greater feature value than its own. The initial clusters can further be discovered by searching along the linkages in a simple way. After that, a cluster merging procedure is applied to obtain the finally refined clustering result, which can be designed for specialized applications. Based on the P-Linkage clustering, we develop an efficient segmentation algorithm for 3D unstructured point clouds, in which the flatness of the estimated surface of a 3D point is used as its feature value. For each initial cluster a slice is created, then a novel and robust slicemerging method is proposed to get the final segmentation result. The proposed P-Linkage clustering and 3D point cloud segmentation algorithms require only one input parameter in advance. Experimental results on different dimensional synthetic data from 2D to 4D sufficiently demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed P-Linkage clustering algorithm and a large amount of experimental results on the Vehicle-Mounted, Aerial and Stationary Laser Scanner point clouds illustrate the robustness and efficiency of our proposed 3D point cloud segmentation algorithm.


We identify and overcome two key obstacles in extending the success of BERT-style pre-training, or the masked image modeling, to convolutional networks (convnets): (i) convolution operation cannot handle irregular, random-masked input images; (ii) the single-scale nature of BERT pre-training is inconsistent with convnet's hierarchical structure. For (i), we treat unmasked pixels as sparse voxels of 3D point clouds and use sparse convolution to encode. This is the first use of sparse convolution for 2D masked modeling. For (ii), we develop a hierarchical decoder to reconstruct images from multi-scale encoded features. Our method called Sparse masKed modeling (SparK) is general: it can be used directly on any convolutional model without backbone modifications. We validate it on both classical (ResNet) and modern (ConvNeXt) models: on three downstream tasks, it surpasses both state-of-the-art contrastive learning and transformer-based masked modeling by similarly large margins (around +1.0%). Improvements on object detection and instance segmentation are more substantial (up to +3.5%), verifying the strong transferability of features learned. We also find its favorable scaling behavior by observing more gains on larger models. All this evidence reveals a promising future of generative pre-training on convnets. Codes and models are released at https://github.com/keyu-tian/SparK.


The West Orkney Basin developed in Devonian times, as the western part of the Orcadian intermontane basin. It has been studied using commercial speculative seismic reflection data and the MOIST deep seismic data. The NW edge of the West Orkney Basin is formed by listric faults which are also strongly arcuate in plan, while the SE part is composed of straight domino-type faults which formed parallel to earlier (Caledonian) layering in the basement. Fault restoration and balancing suggest that initial extension in the basin occurred on low-angle reactivated Caledonian thrust faults. Steeper breaching faults cut the low-angle set, forming planar (domino-type) faults in the centre of the basin but listric faults at the NW margin. The maximum extension is about 45% in the basin centre, most of this being taken up on the later breaching fault system. This extension decreases to the SW, where fault tips occur on-shore, but some may transfer to fault systems in the Minches. The faults apparently decouple at a depth of 18-20 km and the extension suggests an initial post-Caledonian crustal thickness of up to 40 km. However, the sedimentary thickness is an average of only 3 km in the basin centre, much less than would be expected had the lithosphere thinned homogeneously, and there is no evidence of a thermal subsidence phase to the basin. This suggests that the extension shown by the West Orkney Basin was transferred to lower lithospheric levels to the east along the deep decoupling zone. The Devonian sediments on-land show facies changes and periods of uplift and erosion which may be related to extension during basin development. They also show a phase of pre-Late-Permian tectonic inversion where the beds are locally folded and thrusted, probably related to the Hercynian events further south. The West Orkney Basin is capped by Mesozoic sediments and was probably reactivated during Mesozoic basin development in the Minches and Moray Firth. The shape of the faults, their orientation and decoupling levels are strongly controlled by the earlier Caledonian structure, in particular by the layering and crustal anisotropy developed along and above the Moine thrust. The West Orkney Basin with its 20 km deep decoupling level formed by extension of Caledonian thickened crust. It is notable that the major basin-bounding faults to the NW, the Outer Isles and Flannan faults, which developed where the crust was thinner and hence less ductile at depth, decoupled at much deeper structural levels, at the Moho or below.


There is a general feeling that Internet crime is an advanced type of crime that has not yet infiltrated developing countries like Kenya. The major assumption is that Cybercrime is silent and growing and that most Internet users have at one point fallen victim of Cybercrime. The victims suffer in silence, while the perpetrators continually hide under the invisibility of cyber space. The study was aimed at revealing the extent of the crime in Kenya and examined the levels, types, intensity and span of Cybercrime in Kenya. The research questions addressed are; what types of Cybercrimes internet users in Kenya experience, what are the incidences of Cybercrime, what are the specific major cases of Cybercrime that have occurred in Kenya, is Kenya a target of cyber criminals and what measures can be put in place to curb Cybercrime in Kenya. The data for this study was gathered through both primary and secondary sources. These included documented data and survey through questionnaires. The data analysis is both qualitative and quantitative. The study found that cybercrime is indeed a major problem in Kenya. Though it is yet to manifest itself in Kenya to the proportions observed in the western world, it is worth noting that incidence of these is likely to go unreported due to lack of confidence in the law enforcers as shown by the research. The conclusion of this study will form the basis of recommendations to ICT policy makers to realise the magnitude of Cybercrime and formulate policy to fight it, and also to Internet users and institutions on steps to take to avoid being victims of Cybercrime.


BACKGROUND
Most epidemiologic studies of the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk over the past decade have shown that persons who consume a moderate amount of alcohol are at 40%-100% greater risk of breast cancer than those who do not consume alcohol. Dose-response effects have been observed, but no causal relationship has been established.

PURPOSE
This study examines the hypothesis that alcohol consumption affects levels of reproductive hormones.

METHODS
A controlled-diet study lasting for six consecutive menstrual cycles was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups, and a crossover design was used. During the last three menstrual cycles, alcohol consumption of the two groups was reversed. Thirty-four premenopausal women, aged 21-40 years, with a history of regular menstrual cycles, consumed 30 g of ethanol (equivalent to approximately two average drinks) per day for three menstrual cycles and no alcohol for the other three. All food and alcohol consumed were provided by the study. Caloric intake was monitored to ensure that each woman would maintain body weight at approximately the baseline level. Hormone assays were performed on pooled plasma or 24-hour urine specimens collected during the follicular (days 5-7), peri-ovulatory (days 12-15), and mid-luteal (days 21-23) phases of the third menstrual cycle for subjects on each diet.

RESULTS
Alcohol consumption was associated with statistically significant increases in levels of several hormones. Plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were 7.0% higher in the follicular phase (P = .05). In the peri-ovulatory phase, there were increases of 21.2% (P = .01) in plasma estrone levels, 27.5% (P = .01) in plasma estradiol levels, and 31.9% (P = .009) in urinary estradiol levels. In the luteal phase, urinary estrone levels rose 15.2% (P = .05), estradiol levels increased 21.6% (P = .02), and estriol levels rose 29.1% (P = .03). No changes were found in the percent of bioavailable estradiol, defined by the sum of percent free estradiol and percent albumin-bound estradiol. However, increased total estradiol levels in the peri-ovulatory phase suggest elevated absolute amounts of bioavailable estradiol.

CONCLUSION
This study has shown increases in total estrogen levels and amount of bioavailable estrogens in association with alcohol consumption in premenopausal women.

IMPLICATION
This possible explanatory mechanism for a positive association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk merits further investigation.


In Physarum polycephalum, uninucleate, haploid amoebae develop into multinucleate syncytial plasmodia. Plasmodium development is controlled by the mating-type locus matA. Sexual development involves the fusion of pairs of amoebae carrying different alleles of matA; fusion between amoebae carrying the same allele of matA does not lead to plasmodium formation. Apogamie development is caused by mutations at this locus. Time-lapse cinematographic analysis of matA-heteroallellc and matA-homoallelic cultures indicated that amoebae were able to fuse at any age. In matA-heteroallelic cultures, amoebal fusion was followed by nuclear fusion, in interphase, to give a diploid zygote. The zygote underwent an extended period of growth before forming a binucleate plasmodium by mitosis unaccompanied by cytokinesis. During this cell cycle, the cells lost the ability to transform into flagellates and became irreversibly committed to development. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that the change from amoebal to plasmodial microtubule organisation began during this cell cycle. In matA-homoallelic fusion cells, the cell cycle was not extended and there were no alterations in microtubule organisation. In apogamie strains, single haploid amoebae could develop into haploid plasmodia; developing amoebae entered an extended cell cycle ending in the formation of a binucleate plasmodium. As in sexual development, growth continued during this cell cycle, ability to undergo the amoeba-flagellate transformation was lost, the developing cell became committed to development and microtubule organisation began to alter. Development was analysed in two apogamie strains carrying additional mutations blocking plasmodium development. In both strains, development began with an extended cell cycle, leading to the formation of a binucleate plasmodium; development became abnormal shortly after this time. In one strain, the mutation had apparently affected the cytoskeleton or the cell membrane. In the other strain, nuclear structure appeared to be affected by the mutation.


BACKGROUND
The effects of ethanol on brain function are thought to be partly because of altered activity of ion channels that regulate synaptic activity. Results from previous studies from this lab and others have shown that ethanol inhibits the function of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, a calcium-permeable ion channel activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Factors that influence the acute sensitivity of NMDA receptors to ethanol may be critical in determining how neurons and neuronal networks respond to the presence of ethanol. In this study, we have examined the effect of physiologically relevant concentrations of magnesium on the ethanol sensitivity of recombinant NMDA receptors and how ethanol inhibition under these conditions is influenced by the NR3A subunit.

METHODS
Recombinant cDNAs encoding NMDA receptor subunits were expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology was used to measure currents induced by rapid application of glutamate in the absence and presence of ethanol.

RESULTS
In magnesium-free recording solution, ethanol inhibited glutamate-mediated currents in cells transfected with NMDA receptor subunits. The magnitude of ethanol inhibition was significantly enhanced when recordings were carried out in media containing 1 mM magnesium. This effect was reversible and required magnesium-sensitive receptors. Magnesium did not enhance ethanol inhibition of glycine-activated NR1/NR3A/NR3B receptors. However, NR3A co-expression prevented the enhancement of ethanol's inhibitory effect on receptors composed of NR2A but not NR2B subunits.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that under physiological conditions, NR3A may be an important regulator of the acute ethanol sensitivity of brain NMDA receptors.


We will first suggest that costs of meeting ambitious climate targets capable to stabilize global warming below 2°C or 3°C temperature increase have been underestimated so far. The first reason is the underestimation of baseline emission scenarios, the second is the magnitude of transition costs towards a low carbon development profile in emerging economies. Second we will show that this pessimistic diagnosis does not lead to inaction but to a reframing of discussions on future international coordination of climate action. We will insist on the necessity of complementing the conventional approaches relying on the emergence of a world carbon price by a serious consideration of main drivers of the development dynamics at work, including urban planning, infrastructure policies, rural development, trade policies and reforms of international funding. Third we will show the necessity of finding innovative tools for an early redirection of international aid and capital flows towards energy, transportation and building infrastructures in emerging economies.


This dissertation consists of three essays that
broadly deal with the international economics and development. The
first chapter provides empirical evidence of the prevalence and
importance of intangible capital transfer within multinational
corporations (MNCs). Using a unique data set of Korean
multinational foreign affiliates, I find that most of the foreign
affiliates have managers transferred from their parent, while
almost half are isolated from the parent in terms of physical
trade. Furthermore, the transferred managers are positively
associated with labor productivity, while physical trade from the
parent is less so. I consider two possibilities for this
productivity effect: (1) the managers transferred from the parent
are simply more efficient than native managers; and (2) they
provide knowledge that increases the productivity of all inputs. I
find that the latter is consistent with the data. My findings
provide evidence that transferring managers from the parent is a
main source of benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI) to
foreign affiliates because the managers transfer firm-specific
knowledge. The second chapter analyzes importance role of service
or other sectors for economic growth of manufacturing. Productivity
in agriculture or services has long been understood as playing an
important role in the growth of manufacturing. In this paper we
provide an endogenous growth model in which manufacturing growth is
stimulated by the non-manufacturing sector that provides goods used
for both research and final consumption. The model permits to
evaluatation of two policy options for stimulating manufacturing
growth: (1) a country imports more non-manufacturing goods from a
foreign country with a higher productivity; or (2) the country
increases productivity of domestic non-manufacturing. We find that
both policies increase welfare of the economy, but depending on the
policy the manufacturing sector responses differently.
Specifically, employment and value added in manufacturing rise with
policy (1), but contract with policy (2). Therefore, specialization
through importing non-manufacturing goods explains how some Asian
economies experience fast growth in the manufacturing sector
without progress in the other sectors. The third chapter tests for
the importance of composition effects in affecting levels and
changes of education wage premiums. In this paper I revisit
composition effects in the context of Korea. Korea's large and
rapid expansion of education makes it an ideal place to look for
composition effects. A large, policy-induced increase in attainment
in the 1980s offers additional scope for identifying composition
effects. I find strong evidence that the policy-induced expansion
of education lowered education wage premiums for the affected
cohorts, but only weak evidence that the trend expansion of
education lowered education wage premiums.


Abstract The experimental results show that a small dead region is seen in front of the rake face during cutting with a rounded-edge cutting tool. Although this fact was accepted, metallographic analysis of the dead metal zone had never been conducted. A quick stop device was used to obtain chip root samples that are representative of the deformation taking place during dynamic (actual) cutting conditions. A metallographic analysis was performed on selected specimens to identify the microstructure and formation. The photomicrographs were analyzed and an effort made to explain the dead metal zone microstructure.


Background. Call centres (CCs) are among the most rapidly growing forms of workplaces in Sweden. The purpose of the study was to describe and compare working conditions between operators at internal and external CC companies and work tasks of different complexity. Method. A questionnaire was answered by 1183 operators, 848 women and 335 men, from 28 different CCs. The questionnaire covered background factors, employment, working hours and remuneration, call logging and monitoring, duties, computer work and workplace design during the previous month. Results. Operators at external companies and operators with low-complexity work tasks were younger, more often employed by the hour and worked on a varying roster. They spent longer time on customer calls and had less varied tasks. Additional remuneration, call logging and monitoring were more common at external companies and among operators with low-complexity work tasks. Conclusion. The working conditions varied between internal and external CCs. There was also a variation in working conditions between work tasks of different complexity. There were aspects of supervision style and organization of work at CCs, especially at external ones and those with low-complexity tasks that could introduce stress and lack of well being among the staff.


This article investigates the influence of the design parameters on the performance of an aeroelastic micropower generator with the goal of minimizing its cut-in wind speed and maximizing its output power. The generator, which mimics the basic physics of music-playing harmonicas, transforms wind energy into electricity via the self-excited oscillations of a piezoelectric reed embedded within a cavity. Previously, the authors have presented and validated an analytical aeroelectromechanical model describing the response behavior of the generator. By utilizing the proposed model, this study implements a stability analysis and numerical optimization algorithms to delineate the influence of the design parameters on the device's response. The effect of the electric load, chamber volume, and aperture size on the cut-in wind speed is investigated. The results illustrate that the cut-in wind speed can be reduced significantly if the device is designed with an optimal chamber volume, which is shown to be inversely proportional to the square of the beam's first modal frequency. Minimizing the aperture width is also shown to significantly reduce the cut-in speed. However, due to the reduced strain rate in the piezoelectric layer, it is observed that minimizing the wind speed does not always yield an increase in the output power. As such, a numerical investigation of the influence of the design parameters on the output power is utilized to generate design charts that assist in the selection of the optimal parameters for a known average wind speed. Several qualitative verifications of the theoretical trends are also presented through an experimental case study.


The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is formed by specialized endothelial cells lining capillaries in the central nervous system (CNS). We previously demonstrated that exposure to very low concentrations of the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) decreased electrical resistance across the BBB in vitro, indicating a loss of BBB integrity. The present study examined the transient effects of CPF on expression of genes contributing to tight junctions of the BBB. Rat brain endothelial cells (RBE4) were co‐cultured with rat astrocytes on membrane inserts to form an in vitro BBB. The RBE4 cells in the BBB were then exposed to CPF for 2, 4 and 12 h. Total RNA was extracted from RBE4 cells and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) was used to quantify levels of gene expression of tight junction proteins claudin5, scaffold proteins zona occludens (ZO1) and transient receptor potential (canonical) channels (TRPC4). Gene expression decreased 2 h after exposure to CPF, especially TRPC4, but the effects were reversed 12 h later. CPF exposure for only 15 min caused less effect than longer exposures, with TRPC4 gene expression above the control at 4 h. These results suggest that altering gene expression for claudin5, TRPC4 and ZO1 by CPF may directly contribute to BBB disruption, and that the alteration is reversible upon removal of CPF. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract This study focuses on gender-specific determinants of remittances in Germany. The conceptual approach considers gender roles and naturalization to be crucial in the immigrant's decision to remit. For the empirical investigation, the authors use data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study for the years 2001–6. The findings show, first, that individual income differences in the country of residence cannot sufficiently explain why foreign national women remit less than men in absolute terms. Second, men who are naturalized citizens remit far less than men who are foreign nationals. Thus, in the group of naturalized German citizens, gender differences in the amount of remittances disappear. This can be explained by the fact that acquisition of citizenship makes family reunification in Germany more likely. Third, network structures in the country of origin might help to explain differences between men and women and between foreign nationals and naturalized citizens in the amount remitted.


This work studies the aggregation of an synthetic ultraviolet absorbent, named 2-hydroxy-4-perfluoroheptanoate-benzophenone (HPFHBP), in the interface between two solvents which can not completely dissolve each other. The aggregation is studied by computer simulations based on a dynamic density functional method and mean-field interactions, which are implemented in the MesoDyn module and Blend module of Material Studios. The simulation results show that the synthetic ultraviolet absorbent diffuse to the interface phase and the concentration in the interface phase is greater than it in the solvents phase.


Using Rhythm to Teach Spelling to a Child with Autism Celina Marie Cerf, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Li Sheng Co-Supervisor: Jessica Franco The purpose of this study was to develop a multimodal spelling acquisition program (MSAP) for children with autism that capitalizes on sensory perception skills that may be intact with this population to teach early spelling skills. Progress was monitored through seven phases: pre-assessment, baseline probe, acquisition probe, instruction sessions, post-assessment, and maintenance probes of the treatment. MSAP provides for three spelling instructional conditions: (1) instruction with rhythmic auditory feedback in the form of Morse Code presented via speakers at 450 Hz, (2) instruction with rhythmic tactile feedback of Morse Code presented via a bone oscillator, and (3) instruction without feedback. The MSAP program recorded the child's performance for spelling accuracy and rate for each word during the assessment probes. Although the child acquired spelling knowledge of the target words, the statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in the spelling acquisition between the instruction conditions. The computerized instruction did generalize to untaught words. This study's limitations and future directions are discussed. Table of


This article is primarily bidirectional in that it is concerned with two fields of cognitive styles of field-dependence/independence on the one hand and breadth of vocabulary knowledge on the other hand. In other words, this research is primarily intended to investigate the nature of the students' vocabulary knowledge in the field of passive and active knowledge of L2 words as a whole with regard to their preferred cognitive style of field – dependency/independency. The research method was that 60 juniors were selected. They were then bisected to two groups on the basis of their preferred cognitive styles of field-dependency / independency. Three types of tests, the passive version of vocabulary Levels Test, the Productive Version of the Vocabulary Levels Test, and the Group Imbedded Figures Test were administered to a group of 60 undergraduate students majoring in the field of English Language Teaching. The conclusion drawn after the analysis of the data was that the field-independent group outperformed their field-dependent counterparts in dealing with both passive and productive vocabulary levels. Finally, the findings of this research could be interpreted as being supportive of the idea that the fielddependent/independent cognitive style could be considered as an effective factor influencing the learners' vocabulary learning in the field of second language acquisition.


Most of the sustainable design principles work to reduce the cost of housing over the building life cycle (BLC) especially in housing development projects. As the concept emphasizes on the economy in the infrastructure or (basic structure), in the resources used for work, in the housing facilitating and its affordability for users. From here, the research shows its research problem" the absence of a strategic vision of adopting sustainable economic housing indicators in the local housing projects" assuming its effective role in creating economically sustainable housing projects through the needs approving, the quality performance improving and the cost reducing indicators, (or need approval, the quality performance improvement and the cost reduction), highlighting the importance of these indicators on the planning, design, and implementation level in local housing project to achieve an economic sustainable residential environment. In order to achieve the research aim, it has been shaded the light on the basic triple in the housing projects (housing-economic, sustainable) through an analytical review of the global experiences, Arabic and the local housing projects, (environmentally, economically, socially), to define the sustainable economic housing concept, and identify the planning, designing and operation factors & constituents affecting the sustainable economic housing standards. To reach the conclusions that show the indicators effective role in the sustainable economic housing (needs approval-quality performance improvement- and cost reduction), which included many of the secondary indicators that can be derived from the proposed plan and designing standard in Iraqi housing projects (housing density and structure and space housing unit area).


BACKGROUND
Diagnosis of portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is based on endoscopic criteria. I-scan technology, a new technique of virtual chromoendoscopy, increases the diagnostic accuracy for lesions in the gastrointestinal tract.

AIM
To establish the role of i-scan endoscopy in the diagnosis of PHG.

METHOD
In this prospective study, endoscopic examination was conducted first by using white light and after that i-scan 1 and i-scan 2 technology in a group of 50 consecutive cirrhotic patients. The endoscopic diagnostic criteria for PHG followed the Baveno criteria. The interobserver agreement between white light endoscopy and i-scan endoscopy was determined using Cohen's kappa statistics.

RESULTS
Forty-five of the 50 patients met the diagnostic criteria for PHG when examined by i-scan endoscopy and 39 patients were diagnosed with PHG by white light endoscopy. The strength of agreement between the two methods for the diagnosis of PHG was moderate (k=0.565; 95%CI 0.271-0.859; p<0.001). I-scan 1 classified the mosaic pattern better than classic endoscopy; i-scan 2 described better the red spots.

CONCLUSION
I-scan examination increased the diagnostic sensitivity of PHG. The diagnostic criteria (mosaic pattern and red spots) were easier to observe endoscopically using i-scan than in white light.


Gait dysfunction is an early problem identified by patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Alterations in gait may result in an increase in the energy cost of walking (i.e., walking economy). The purpose of this study was to determine whether walking economy is atypical in patients with PD when compared with healthy controls. A secondary purpose was to evaluate the associations of age, sex, and level of disease severity with walking economy in patients with PD. The rate of oxygen consumption (V̇O2) and other responses to treadmill walking were compared in 90 patients (64.4 ± 10.3 years) and 44 controls (64.6 ± 7.3 years) at several walking speeds. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were calculated to determine relationships of age, sex, and disease state with walking economy in PD patients. Walking economy was significantly worse in PD patients than in controls at all speeds above 1.0 mph. Across all speeds, V̇O2 was 6 to 10% higher in PD patients. Heart rate, minute ventilation, respiratory exchange ratio, and rating of perceived exertion were correspondingly elevated. No significant relationship of age, sex, or UPDRS score with V̇O2 was found for patients with PD. The findings suggest that the physiologic stress of daily physical activities is increased in patients with early to mid‐stage PD, and this may contribute to the elevated level of fatigue that is characteristic of PD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society


The shift from teacher-centred to learner-centred teaching approaches is one of the aspects embarked on to address quality issues in delivery of secondary education in Tanzania. The basis for a shift in teaching paradigm has been motivated by the need for learners to effectively engage in the knowledge construction process.This thesis reports the findings about Learner-Centred Teaching (LCT) in Tanzania from the perceptions and experiences of secondary school geography teachers. Applying a lens of a critical perspective (CP) approach as a theoretical framework, the study sought to respond to the major question: how do geography teachers perceive and experience regarding Learner-Centred Teaching in Tanzania's secondary school? The main question was guided by four sub-research questions which included: how do geography teachers in Tanzania understand LCT?; how does a teacher's pedagogical reasoning and decision-making during the planning process reflect LCT beliefs?; how does a teacher's teaching practice reflect LCT beliefs?; and how does a teacher's evaluation of classroom instructional practices place the learner at the centre of instruction? The research focus was to assess the implementation of LCT approach as advocated by the educational policy and the mandated curriculum documents.  The study utilised the interpretive and constructivist qualitative case study approach involving nine case studies purposely selected from three research sites. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and detailed reviews of teachers' own teaching portfolios. Applying an interpretive generative inductive data analysis approach, data were analysed based on the specific meaning patterns that were emerging from individual case studies. Themes were developed by comparing and contrasting meaning patterns within and across case studies.  Findings presented aspects which influence teachers' practices of LCT including: the constructivist view of knowledge construction, role of language and cultural context in LCT, teacher-students' power relation, and the nature of the curriculum. Other aspects raised include: teachers' substantive and syntactic knowledge and classroom organisation and management. The study also presents some dilemmas against implementation of LCT. These dilemmas include language barrier, class sizes; curriculum design; and teacher shortage, and shortage of instructional resources. Other dilemmas include: lack of both inservice training for LCT and cultural-context specific curriculum relevance.  The researcher recommends the need to address dilemmas in the implementation of LCT approaches such as: class sizes, curriculum design, and teacher shortage; shortage of instructional resources and facilities; and the medium of instruction; geography curriculum should be designed to allow teachers' flexibility; and teachers' need of mastery in the substantive and syntactic knowledge. Other recommendations include: teachers' need of in-service training regarding the conceptual and theoretical understanding of LCT, its approaches, and application in geography classrooms; teachers' use of an integrated-formative evaluation and assessment approaches; and the need of further research on aspects around the same topic, taking into consideration different theoretical orientations and methodological approaches.  The study contributes knowledge to the international literature regarding LCT and its implementation complexities from the developing economy's perspectives. In particular, the study contributes to the understanding of LCT from a CP theoretical framework. It also provides an avenue for debate and consideration on the importance of initial and in-service teacher education, the curriculum, and the need to integrate learners' culture for effective implementation of LCT. The researcher has developed three models to support the practice of LCT. These are: the constructivist learning process; an integrated LCT based curriculum; and the classroom organisation and management framework models.


In almost every respect, Daniel Webster was larger than life, an intellectual colossus, a statesman of the first rank, and a man of towering and finally unfulfilled ambition. In this new biography, Webster is seen as a major player in American politics in the era between the War of 1812 and the beginning of the Civil War, involved with every significant issue confronting the new nation. Webster had no equal as an orator, then or since. Whether in the Senate, before the Supreme Court, or on the political stump, he was a golden-tongued spellbinder, often holding audiences in thrall for hours. In his lifelong defense of the Constitution, and as a constant upholder of the Union, Webster won love and respect. He was often referred to as "the Godlike Daniel". But he was also referred to as "Black Dan" because of his questionable dealings with men of wealth and power, his political conniving, his habitual nonpayment of debts, and perhaps even his somewhat roving eye.


Abstract. In the last few years, French West Indies observatories from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), in collaboration with The UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC, University of West Indies), have modernized the Lesser Antilles Arc seismic and deformation monitoring network. 15 new, permanent stations have been installed that strengthen and expand its detection capabilities. The global network of the IPGP-SRC consortium is now composed of 20 modernized stations, all equipped with broadband seismometers, strong motion sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) sensors and satellite communication for real-time data transfer. To enhance the sensitivity and reduce ambient noise, special efforts were made to improve the design of the seismic vault and the original Stuttgart shielding of the broadband seismometers (240 and 120s corner period). Tests were conducted for several months, involving different types of countermeasures, to achieve the highest performance level of the seismometers. GPS data, realtime and validated seismic data (only broadband) are now available from the IPGP data centre ( http://centrededonnees.ipgp.fr/index.php?&lang=EN ). This upgraded network feeds the Caribbean Tsunami Warning System supported by UNESCO and establishes a monitoring tool that produces high quality data for studying subduction and volcanic processes in the Lesser Antilles arc.


Although IT has penetrated into nearly every aspect of the work and life of human beings, music professionals still stick to the traditional way of carrying out rehearsals and concerts. Music performance in this way requires physical presence of the participants and has a number of inherent limitations. We introduce in this paper a prototype of a novel networked music performance system that enables the music professionals and enthusiasts to play with each other through cyberspace. An application like this is bandwidth demanding, highly delay-sensitive and requires the synchronization of the audio streams. Hence, the support from underlying end-systems and networks is critical. However, the current source coding mechanisms and the best-effort nature of the Internet poses many challenges to achieve the desired quality of service. We have implemented the prototype in a local area network environment on Linux PCs. The system contains four major interactive components and enables two different application scenarios of real-time rehearsal and rehearsal on-demand multi-channel audio transport and different audio compression schemes are supported. Our evaluation results based on both subjective and objective measurements show that the system suffices the audio quality level for the target application. In the future, we extend our system to larger scale and consider more realistic network conditions in the Internet. Moreover, the support for MPEG-4 AAC codec for even better quality of multi-channel audio streaming and enhanced audio quality under the same bandwidth constrains are added.


Mismatches in the morphosyntactic features of controllers and targets in the Eleme (Ogonoid, Niger-Congo) participant reference system allow for a subject agreement paradigm in which the person of the grammatical subject is indicated by a verbal prefix, while plural number is marked by a suffix on different targets — either lexical verbs or auxiliaries — based on the person value of the controller. I examine the distribution of Eleme 'Default Subject' agreement affixes and the intra-paradigmatic asymmetry found between second-person plural and third-person plural subjects in Auxiliary Verb Constructions (AVC) and Serial Verb Constructions (SVC). I argue that the criteria by which the various agreement affixes select an appropriate morphological host can be modelled in terms of agreement prerequisites even when distributional variation is paradigm internal.


BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects are prominent members of the third Fermi Large Area Telescope catalog of γ-ray sources. Half of the members of the BL Lac population (∼300) lack redshift measurements, which is due to the absence of lines in their optical spectra, thereby making it difficult to utilize spectroscopic methods. Our photometric dropout technique can be used to establish the redshift for a fraction of these sources. This work employed six filters mounted on the Swift-UVOT and four optical filters on two telescopes, the 0.65 m SARA-CTIO in Chile and 1.0 m SARA-ORM in the Canary Islands, Spain. A sample of 15 sources was extracted from the Swift archival data for which six filter UVOT observations were conducted. By complementing the Swift observations with the SARA ones, we were able to discover two high-redshift sources: 3FGL J1155.4-3417 and 3FGL J1156.7–2250 at z = 1.83 − 0.13 + 0.10 and z = 1.73 − 0.19 + 0.11 , respectively, resulting from the dropouts in the power-law template fits to these data. The discoveries add to the important (26 total) sample of high-redshift BL Lacs. While the sample of high-z BL Lacs is still rather small, these objects do not seem to fit well within known schemes of the blazar population and represent the best probes of the extragalactic background light.


The rapid succession of discoveries of short-duration hard-spectrum gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has led to un-precedented insights into the energetics of the explosion and nature of the progenitors. Yet short of the detection of a smoking gun, such as a burst of coincident gravitational radiation or a Li-Paczyn´ski minisupernova, it is unlikely that a definitive claim can be made for the progenitors. As was the case with long-duration soft-spectrum GRBs, however, the expectation is that a systematic study of the hosts and locations of short GRBs could begin to yield fundamental clues as to their nature. We present an aggregate study of the host galaxies of short-duration hard-spectrum GRBs. In particular, we present the Gemini-North and Keck discovery spectra of the galaxies that hosted three short GRBs and a moderate-resolution ( R (cid:1) 6000) spectrum of a fourth host. We find that these short-hard GRBs originate in a variety of low-redshift ( z < 1) environments that differ substantially from those of long-soft GRBs, both on individual galaxy scales and on galaxy-cluster scales. Specifically, three of the bursts are found to be associated with old and massive galaxies with no current ( < 0.1 M (cid:2) yr (cid:3) 1 ) or recent star formation. Two of these galaxies are located within a cluster environment. These observations support an origin from the merger of compact stellar remnants, such as double neutron stars or a neutron star–black hole binary. The fourth event, in contrast, occurred within a dwarf galaxy with a star formation rate exceeding 0.3 M (cid:2) yr (cid:3) 1 . Therefore, it appears that like supernovae of Type Ia, the progenitors of short-hard bursts are created in all galaxy types, suggesting a corre-sponding class with a wide distribution of delay times between formation and explosion.


SUMMARY: The intracellular concentrations of citric and isocitric acids were very low for most of the growth cycle of Saccharomycopsis lipolytica on alkanes. They increased linearly during the phase of acid excretion and the intracellular concentration was similar to the extracellular concentration (for citric acid) or a little below (for isocitric acid). The high ratios of isocitric to citric acid observed in the external medium (0.73) and in the internal pool (0.42) may be explained by compartmentalization of the metabolism of these acids which probably involves a selective transport of isocitric acid from the mitochondrion to the cytoplasm. The results suggest that acid excretion from the cytoplasm to the external medium takes place by diffusion.


Political discourse in contemporary Scotland increasingly revolves around the vision of a 'New Scotland', more prosperous and meritocratic than the rest of the United Kingdom. This has a convoluted relationship with Scotland's industrial past, and specifically the social dislocation experienced through deindustrialisation. This article analyses the deployment of this narrative within regeneration efforts in former industrial communities in Lanarkshire and Inverclyde, West Central Scotland, before counterpoising it with the reflections of former industrial workers and their families. It does so through an analysis of monuments to the industrial past, comparing those erected as part of regeneration schemes by local authorities with community efforts to commemorate past struggles and industrial disasters. This examination is accompanied by the use of oral history narratives to argue that there are two distinct understandings of the nature of place, space, struggles over social justice and communal identities within these localities, which lean heavily on the memory of the industrial past in contrasting ways.


BACKGROUND In New Zealand, the family practice certification examination includes an assessment that uses simulated patients. In 1990, for the first time, consumers participated in evaluating the performance of examinees in the simulated-patient section of the examination. METHODS The consumer examiners and medically trained examiners observed the candidates during interactions with simulated patients. The consumers, medical examiners, and simulated patients independently scored the candidates' performances. One hundred and nine examination candidates participated in two simulations each, and the scoring behavior of each rater was compared. RESULTS Consumer and medical examiners showed significant differences in their scoring behaviors, disagreeing on whether the candidate should pass or fail in 7.8% of interviews. In comparing the scores given by consumers, medical examiners, and the simulated patients, low inter-observer correlations were noted. CONCLUSION Medical personnel, consumer observers, and simulated patients all provide a different perspective on the communication skills of physicians.


The exact axisymmetric and static solution of the Einstein
equations coupled to the axisymmetric and static gravitating
scalar (or phantom) field is presented. The spacetimes modified
by the scalar field are explicitly given for the so-called
gamma-metric and the Erez-Rosen metric with quadrupole moment
q, and the influence of the additional deformation parameters
gamma* and q* generated by the scalar field is studied. It is
shown that the null energy condition is satisfied for the
phantom field, but it is not satisfied for the standard scalar
field. The test particle motion in both the modified
gamma-metric and the Erez-Rosen quadrupole metric is studied;
the circular geodesics are determined, and near-circular
trajectories are explicitly presented for characteristic values
of the spacetime parameters. It is also demonstrated that the
parameters gamma* and q* have no influence on the test particle
motion in the equatorial plane.


Connective tissue remodeling is achieved by a complex process involving several cell types, a plethora of growth factors, cytokines, chemokines and turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM). The main enzymes that degrade ECM molecules are matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their activities are regulated by endogenous inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Recent studies have indicated that endothelins and their receptor expression affects tissue remodeling and repair. Endothelins are rapidly produced by endothelial cells in response to tissue injury and they have potent vasoconstrictive properties. They also promote tissue remodeling through activation of resident connective tissue cells and controlling the production of MMPs and TIMPs by the activated cells. In this review we present the cross-talk between the endothelins and the MMP-TIMP system and their implications in controlling the normal and abnormal tissue remodeling.


Within museological studies, the changing relations between anthropology museums and their differentiated
publics, which intensified in the second half of the twentieth century, are typically apprehended
through material cultures, through objects, collections and exhibitions. From a different perspective, this
thesis argues that the shifting politics and relations–engaging anthropology museums, source communities
and the broader sphere of cultural production–are equally, if not more, pronounced in performance
culture. Such collaborative frictions are concentrated, enacted and iterated in 'museum acts,' which
frame and centre human actors, rather than objects. Based on a critical and diachronic ethnography of
the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) (1976–2008), this analysis
focuses on a diverse range of museum acts covering: artists' residencies, exhibition openings, unveilings,
cultural performances, memorial services and symposia. It demonstrates that, despite their ephemerality,
such acts or intangible representational practices are crucial indices and constituents of museum space,
discourses and histories. Central to this argument is the theory of performative acts, which is drawn
from the disciplinary folds of linguistics and philosophy. Like their linguistic counterparts, it is argued,
museum acts are intersubjective media that possess a dual agency; an illocutionary force that enables
them concurrently to signify and constitute social 'realities.' Or to be more specific, as the case studies
illustrate: through their intersubjectivity and "performative parallax" (Hastrup 1995, 97–8), museum
acts operate to index and iterate relations and identities; to enact and validate artefacts and memories; to
mediate and assert or alternatively contest and reclaim cultural knowledge and knowledge of culture. In
this way, museum acts are central to the production of the anthropology museum as highly textured and
sedimented, hybridized and indigenized, political and contested monumental space.


The diagnostic value of a fast multislice gradient-echo sequence was compared with that of conventional spin-echo sequences in a prospective study of 76 patients. With the multislice gradient-echo sequence, the entire liver can be examined in less than 3 minutes since five sections can be imaged during one breath-holding period. The strongly T1-weighted gradient-echo sequence (GRE 100/5/80 degrees) yields a significantly better T1-contrast than the T1-weighted spin-echo sequence (SE 500/15) (p less than 0.01) and thus improves the visualization of liver lesions. Another major advantage of the fast gradient-echo sequence is the pronounced reduction of motion artefacts.


Si-based high-temperature ceramics are attractive materials for power microelectromechanical systems (power MEMS), such as microscale gas turbines, micro-combustors and micro-reactors. This presentation introduces a novel process for the microfabrication of Si3N4 ceramics, which mainly consists of pre-sintering of Si powder compacts, micromachining of pre-sintered Si preforms and reaction sintering of the micromachined Si preforms. The present process has its high potential for Si3N4 3-dimensional microfabrication because it combines the machinablity of pre-sintered Si powder compacts and near-net shaping characteristic of S3N4 reaction sintering. Si3N4 micro-components such as micro nozzle arrays and micro-rotor were fabricated by using the present process.


The Prince of Wales Fort, in Churchill Manitoba, was constructed in the early 18th century by the Hudson Bay Trading Company (HBC) in an effort to secure the fur trade in northern Canada. The fort is a Vauban style rubble masonry construction, and is the most northerly fortification of this kind. In the 1920's the fort received recognition as a National Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, at which time monitoring and repairs began under the leadership of Parks Canada. As a result of the fort's northern latitude it has been subjected to extreme temperatures and freeze thaw cycles causing a gradual break down of the mortar within the escarp walls. Recently, climate change has led to an increase in the average local temperature shifting the thermal gradient within the earth rampart. During spring and summer, high volumes of ground water have drained through the walls washing out much of the degraded mortar. The result is a partially grouted rubble wall, encased with ashlar face stones. These deteriorating core conditions have caused significant lateral deflections in several areas and failure in others. The core wall material will be analyzed by modeling it as an irregular granular material. Using this approach, different levels of cohesion can be used to determine the in-situ mortar conditions and the strength of the structure.


Abstract Background HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer (BC) comprises all the intrinsic molecular subtypes, with the HER2-enriched (HER2-E) usually being the most represented. Data coming from neoadjuvant trials of HER2+ BC treated with anti-HER2 containing regimens, with or without chemotherapy (CT), have shown that HER2-E tumors are more likely to achieve pathologic complete response (pCR) than non-HER2-E tumors. We decided to perform a meta-analysis combining all the available data in attempt to validate the ability of the HER2-E signature to predict pCR. Methods A systematic literature search was performed to identify clinical studies exploring the correlation between BC subtypes and pCR after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) with anti-HER2 containing regimens in patients affected by HER2+ early BC. Primary analysis compared the association of gene signatures with pCR. Secondary analyses compared the association of gene signatures with pCR within hormone receptor (HR) positive (+) or negative (-) BC. Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for pCR were extracted from each trial. A random-effect model was applied. The Higgins' I2 was used to quantify heterogeneity. Results Sixteen studies (2,857 patients) were included; 4 investigated CT-free regimens. Various methods for assessing BC intrinsic subtypes were used across all trials. HER2-E subtype was significantly associated with pCR in all patients (OR: 3.32, 95% CI: 2.70-4.07, p  Conclusions HER2-E subtype identifies patients with a higher likelihood of achieving a pCR following anti-HER2-based NAT, with or without CT. In the latter case, albeit limited by small casuistry, the association seems stronger in HR+ tumors. This suggests that strategies to escalate or de-escalate systemic therapy in HER2+ tumors would benefit from incorporating intrinsic subtypes. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure F. Schettini: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Pfizer and Celgene. T. Pascual: Advisory / Consultancy: Roche. P.F. Conte: Honoraria (self): BMS, Roche, EliLilly, Novartis, AstraZeneca; Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis, EliLilly, AstraZeneca, Tesaro; Research grant / Funding (self): Novartis, Roche, BMS, Merck-KGa; Research grant / Funding (self): Italian Ministry of Health, Veneto Secretary of Health, University of Padua. S. De Placido: Honoraria (self): Roche, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Celgene, Lilly and Eisai. L. Carey: Research grant / Funding (institution): Genentech / Roche, Novartis, Seattle Genetics, G1 Therapeutics, Immunomedics, Innocrin. C.M. Perou: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: BioClassifier LLC; Advisory / Consultancy: BioClassifier LLC; Licensing / Royalties: Breast PAM50. A. Prat: Full / Part-time employment, An immediate family member employed: Novartis; Honoraria (self): Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, MSD Oncology, Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo; Advisory / Consultancy: NanoString Technologies, Amgen, Roche, Novartis, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb; Research grant / Funding (self): Roche, Novartis; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Daiichi Sankyo. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Few arguments echo as strongly throughout United States constitutional history as those related to the role of the states in the federal union. Shifting across time, the role of the states in general has moved from a model of dualism — characterized by a strict separation of federal and state dominion — to a model of overlapping and concurrent powers. In the modern context of overlapping powers, the preemption doctrine manages the intricate areas of overlap, with topics ranging from antitrust to immigration.Yet the concept of federalism, as applied by the circuit courts in relation to patents, has traveled far from its roots. Using weak foundational logic, the courts have taken concepts intended to protect citizens from the chilling effects of antitrust law and stretched them to conclude that states may not pass laws related to behavior with patents, unless that behavior relates to remediation of fraud. If allowed to flourish, this fraud fallacy would prevent state laws from affecting a wide range of behavior, from transparency, to disclosure, to protection against pressure sales.Most important, the theory applied to patent preemption questions threatens to bleed into a wide range of preemption issues, as well as to issues related to corporate speech. From this perspective, the fraud fallacy, and its wide-ranging language, threaten to have a lasting effect on the ability of state law to reflect and respond to local democratic demands, as well as even the federal government ability to legislate effectively.


Abstract. We describe several remote sensing research projects supported with small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) operated by the NGA Basic and Applied Research Office. These sUAS collections provide data supporting Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR), NGA University Research Initiative (NURI), and Cooperative Research And Development Agreements (CRADA) efforts in addition to inhouse research. Some preliminary results related to 3D electro-optical point clouds are presented, and some research goals discussed. Additional details related to the autonomous operational mode of both our multi-rotor and fixed wing small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) platforms are presented.


Basically, Allah creates the all human being on the earth to know each other and to create love between them without any differences of religion, tribes, cults, and others. Islam as the universal religion teaches its adherents to avoid the violence between Muslim brothers as well as non-Muslim; therefore, Islam accentuates dialogue to realize the tolerance and co-existence in unity and diversity of life. However, nowadays, the values and ethic of Islam on Ukuhuwah Islamiyah have left by the majority of Muslims. The difference on the framework of viewing concept of Islam is occurred crucial controversy among Muslim brothers in understanding of Islam its self. As the result, among Muslims, they judge infidel to fellow Muslim and destroy each other, even though, they still believe to one God of Allah and His messenger, and also one Qibla of Ka'ba in Macca. Finally, Islam is stagnant in its realizing of its mission and vision in development of human life. This study use analytical descriptive mathode in order to relevantize Abdullah bin Nuh's thought in current issues of Islamic thought. Abdullah bin Nuh is one of Muslim scholar that has great concern and deep attention to regrow of brotherhood among Muslims with the concept of Ukuhwah Islamiyyah. According to him, Ukhuwwah Islamiyyah applies to the whole of Muslim world without any distinction of countries, sects, tribes, as long as they still on one of Shahadah of Allah and His messenger. The concept of Abdullah bin Nuh on Ukhuwwah Islamiyyah is relevance to Muslim problematical today, when the majority of Muslim countries collapse with one issue of sects, for example, the controversy of Sunni and Shia. Abdullah bin Nuh devoted throughout his life to avoid the issues of furu'iyyah and controversy between Sunni and Shia. Moreover, he always cooperates with Iran scholar in term of academic research to encounter modern ideologies.


The Kongsberg terrane consists of amphibolite to granulite-facies ortho- and para-gneisses formed during one or more Mesoproterozoic orogenies, in which the Sveconorwegian orogeny is the most important. The possible existence of a suture zone within the Sveconorwegian belt has been a long-lasting and still ongoing discussion. Here a possible candidate of such a suture zone, the ultramafic Sarasasen intrusion in the Kongsberg terrane, is investigated by combining field mapping, structural analysis, geochemical and geophysical studies. The study documents that the Sarasasen intrusion is not affected by high-grade metamorphism and that it post-dates the development of regional tectonic foliation. It is thus interpreted to be a late- to post-Sveconorwegian intrusive event and not part of a suture zone-related ophiolite complex. Field mapping reveal the presence of a major shear zone along the shores of Lake Vaeleren, named the Vaeleren Shear Zone (VSZ). The VSZ consists of a steeply dipping sheared foliation and mylonites with south-plunging steep stretching lineations, that are associated with sinistral kinematics. The shear zone has later been affected by large scale steeply plunging isoclinal folding. The mylonitic fabric is cut at a high angle by a lamprophyric dyke that has been dated to 1032 Ma. This age represents a minimum age for the development of the VSZ.


Probabilistic numerical solvers for ordinary differential equations compute posterior distributions over the solution of an initial value problem via Bayesian inference. In this paper, we leverage their probabilistic formulation to seamlessly include additional information as general likelihood terms. We show that second-order differential equations should be directly provided to the solver, instead of transforming the problem to first order. Additionally, by including higher-order information or physical conservation laws in the model, solutions become more accurate and more physically meaningful. Lastly, we demonstrate the utility of flexible information operators by solving differential-algebraic equations. In conclusion, the probabilistic formulation of numerical solvers offers a flexible way to incorporate various types of information, thus improving the resulting solutions.


The protein DDX3 is a member of the DEAD box family of RNA helicases, which have the ability to unwind complex RNA secondary structures and hereby facilitate RNA related cellular processes, like mRNA translation. DDX3 is a DEAD box RNA helicase that plays an oncogenic role in several cancer subtypes. RK-33 is developed as a small molecule inhibitor of DDX3. In this thesis we evaluate different aspects of DDX3 and the effect of inhibition with RK-33 in cancer cells. First, we studied why cancer cells are dependent on DDX3 for performing oncogenic tasks by using (phospho-)proteomics. We found that DDX3 inhibition reduces mitochondrial translation activity in cancer cells, which is increasingly recognized as a viable target for anti-cancer therapeutics. The mitochondria have their own translational machinery for synthesis of oxidative phosphorylation proteins. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that irradiated cancer cells increase oxidative phosphorylation to facilitate DNA repair and hereby induce resistance to radiation therapy. We found RK-33 to antagonize the increase in oxygen consumption and ATP production observed after exposure to ionizing radiation, and to reduce DNA repair in breast cancer cells. Our results explain the selective anti-cancer activity observed after RK-33 treatment, especially in combination with radiation therapy, and put inhibition of mitochondrial translation forward as a novel radiosensitization strategy. In addition, RK-33 was found to sensitize cells to treatment with PARP inhibitors. Next, we evaluated DDX3 sensitivity in different (sub)types of cancer. DDX3 inhibition reduces oncogenic Wnt-signaling and DDX3 seems to be a promising therapeutic target in a subset of colorectal cancers. DDX3 expression is also upregulated in breast cancer metastases, when compared to the corresponding primary tumor. In addition, we found that both cytoplasmic and nuclear DDX3 expression of the tumor correlate with shorter survival of breast and colorectal cancer patients, suggesting that they may serve as biomarkers to select patients that would benefit most from DDX3 inhibition. Last, we put DDX3 inhibitors in a broader perspective by reviewing the literature on the all DEAD/H box RNA helicase family members as potential therapeutic targets in oncogenic mRNA translation. Overall we conclude that DDX3 inhibition can be a promising therapeutic strategy in cancer cells.


In 2011, three satellites—the Solar-Terrestrial RElations Observatory A & B, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)—were in a unique spatial alignment that allowed a 360° view of the Sun. This alignment lasted until 2014, the peak of solar cycle 24. Using extreme ultraviolet images and Hovmöller diagrams, we studied the lifetimes and propagation characteristics of coronal holes (CHs) in longitude over several solar rotations. Our initial results show at least three distinct populations of "low-latitude" or "equatorial" CHs (below latitude). One population rotates in retrograde direction and coincides with a group of long-lived (over sixty days) CHs in each hemisphere. These are typically located between 30° and , and display velocities of ∼55 m s−1 slower than the local differential rotation rate. A second, smaller population of CHs rotate prograde, with velocities between ∼20 and 45 m s−1. This population is also long-lived, but observed ±10° from the solar equator. A third population of CHs are short-lived (less than two solar rotations), and they appear over a wide range of latitudes (±65°) and exhibit velocities between −140 and 80 m s−1. The CH "butterfly diagram" we developed shows a systematic evolution of the longer-lived holes; however, the sample is too short in time to draw conclusions about possible connections to dynamo-related phenomena. An extension of the present work to the 22 years of the combined SOHO–SDO archives is necessary to understand the contribution of CHs to the decadal-scale evolution of the Sun.


This paper explores the behaviour of the primary and secondary hot spots in homogeneous and two-dimensional inhomogeneous medium. Circular arrays are considered with a radius of up to five wavelengths. The number of sources and their positions in the array are varied, and the influence of these variations on the primary and secondary hot spots is observed. It is found that the primary hot spot reaches its final shape with the addition of a very small number of sources to the array. An increase in the number of sources results in a reduction of the normalized magnitude of the secondary hot spots, but the size of the normalized primary hot spot remains the same. An upper limit of sources in the array exists after which no further reduction of the secondary hot spots is observed. The finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD) is used to obtain the electric-field distribution in the inhomogeneous medium. A genetic algorithm is then applied to find the optimal positions of the antennae in the array.


We present the results of a narrow-band infrared imaging survey of a narrow strip (12 � wide) around the Galactic equator between 6 ◦ and 21 ◦ of galactic longitude aimed at detecting field stars with strong CO absorption, mainly late-type giants and supergiants. Our observations include follow-up low resolution spectroscopy (R = 980) of 191 selected candidates in the H and K bands. Most of these objects have photometric and spectroscopic characteristics consistent with their being red giants, and some display broad, strong absorption wings due to water vapor absorption between the H and K bands. We also identify in our sample 18 good supergiant candidates characterized by their lack of noticeable water absorption, strong CO bands in the H and K windows, and HKS photometry suggestive of high intrinsic luminosity and extinction reaching up to AV � 40 mag. Another 9 candidates share the same features except for weak H2O absorption, which is also observed among some M supergiants in the solar neighbourhood. Interesting differences are noticed when comparing our stars with a local sample of late-type giants and supergiants, as well as with a sample of red giants in globular clusters of moderately subsolar metallicity and to a sample of bulge stars. A large fraction of the stars in our sample have CaI and NaI features markedly stronger than those typical in the local reference sample (both giants and supergiants), whereas the equivalent widths of the CO bands are similar or weaker. In this regard, our stars in the inner Milky Way disk display differences very similar to those identified by other authors between cool giants and supergiants near the galactic center and their counterparts in the solar neighbourhood. We propose that the systematic spectroscopic differences of our inner Galaxy stars are due to their higher metallicities that cause deeper mixing in their mantles, resulting in lower surface abundances of C and O and higher abundances of CN, which contribute to the strength of the CaI and NaI features at low resolution. Our results stress the limitations of using local stars as templates for the study of composite cool stellar populations such as central starbursts in galaxies.


This paper continues a wider debate about the interpretation and operationalisation
of s 96 of the Australian Constitution. That debate began in this journal over 30 years
ago with the critical analysis of the orthodox interpretation of the section by
Cheryl Saunders. Despite this, and recent political controversies about the use of
s 96 by the Commonwealth, there is yet to be a direct constitutional assault on the
orthodox interpretation of the provision. However, there has been increasing incidental
consideration of the section as a result of greater scrutiny on the financial provisions
of ch IV of the Australian Constitution. This jurisprudence significantly advances our
understanding of the role and function of s 96 and assists us to resolve many of the
outstanding questions first raised here. This paper will explore that jurisprudence and
suggest an approach to the section that ensures it can operate within the constitutional
system of federal fiscalism, rather than outside of it.


Hepatectomy is a complex procedure with high morbidity and mortality. Early prediction/prevention of major complications is highly valuable for patient care. Surgical APGAR score (SAS) has been validated to predict post-surgical complications (PCs). We aimed to define a simple complications classification following hepatectomy based on a therapy-oriented severity Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC). 119 patients undergoing liver resection were included. PCs were determined at follow-up based on CDC. Clinicopathological factors were used to calculate SAS. A receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis estimated the predictive value of SAS for PCs. Circulating markers levels of liver injury were analyzed as critical elements on PCs. SAS (P=0.008), estimated blood-loss (P=0.018) and operation time (P=0.0008) were associated with PCs. SAS was reduced in patients with (+) compared to those without (−) complications (6.64±1.84 vs 5.70±1.79, P=0.0079). The area-under-the-curve was 0.646 by ROC, indicating an acceptable discrimination with 65% possibility to distinguish (−) and (+) groups (P=0.004). Best cutoff value for SAS was ≤6/≥7, at which sensitivity and specificity were maximal. ALT/ASL levels were significantly different within the group with 9-10 SAS points (P=0.01 and 0.02). In conclusion, SAS provides accurate risk stratification for major PCs after hepatectomy, and might help improving the overall patient outcome.


Tissue factor (TF) protein was overexpressed by macrophages and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and deposited in the extracellular matrix of atherosclerotic intimas, probably resulting in enhanced procoagulant activity and the intimate participation in either thrombus formation or intimal fibrin deposition after the exposure of flowing blood and permeated fibrinogen to TF in atherosclerotic lesions. On the other hand, APO(a) was localized both in the stroma and within some macrophages. Fibrin deposition, which was more frequently detected in the matrix of advanced lesions than in that of early lesions, occasionally colocated with cell- and matrix-associated TF and APO(a) deposited in the matrix. These findings further support the hypothesis that the coagulation and fibrinolysis systems can play an essential role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis through fibrin deposition both in atherosclerotic plaques and on the arterial surface by neointimal hypercoagulability and a hypofibrinolytic state, which can also participate in SMC proliferation due to the decreased activation of TGF-beta by embedded and deposited APO(a). The clinical implications of these phenomena may thus contribute to future investigations in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic diseases.


The degradation and mineralization of the nonionic surfactant octylphenol ethoxylate (OPEO), commercially known as Triton™ X-45, by the peroxymonosulfate (PMS)/UV-C process were investigated. Three different toxicity tests ( Daphnia magna , Vibrio fischeri and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata ) as well as the Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) bioassay were undertaken to evaluate the potential toxic and estrogenic effects of OPEO and its oxidation products. OPEO removal was very fast and complete after 7 min via PMS/UV-C treatment under the investigated reaction conditions (OPEO = 20 mg L^−1 (47 μM); TOC = 12 mg L^−1; PMS = 2.5 mM; initial reaction pH = 6.5; applied UV-C dose = 21 Wh L^−1). TOC removal also proceeded rapidly; a gradual decrease was observed resulting in an overall TOC removal of 84%. The toxic responses of PMS/UV-C treated OPEO solutions varied according to the test organism used in the bioassay. Daphnia magna was found to be most sensitive to aqueous OPEO, whereas Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata appeared to be the least sensitive one. Daphnia magna and Vibrio fischeri tests revealed that the inhibitory effect of OPEO decreased significantly during the course of treatment. On the other hand, PMS/UV-C oxidation products exhibited a high toxic effect towards Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (around 60%). YES test results underlined the need for improving the PMS/UV-C treatment performance to remove the estrogenic activity of OPEO and its oxidation products.


The β‐D‐glucuronides of 2,3‐, 3,4‐, and 2,6‐dichlorophenol (1—3) were prepared by a modified Koenigs‐Knorr synthesis. As the alkaline hydrolysis of perpivaloylated methyl (2,3‐dichlorophenyl)‐ glucuronate 1a led to a dehydrated glucuronide, the preparation of peracetylated methyl dichlorophenylglucuronates with subsequent cleavage of the ester bindings under mild conditions was preferred.


An interactive intelligent learning system in mathematics is the trend of educational technology, where users can practice homework problems and take practice tests online. However, developing such a desirable online environment is still an open research area and far from perfect. In this paper, we will present a Mathematics Intelligent Learning Environment (MILE) that provides an automatic theorem proving for geometry and automatic equations solving for algebra. Initial design is focused to provide an interactive intelligent learning environment for junior high schools mathematics www.ihomework.com.cn. The MILE can automatically check if a student's homework is correct step by step. The system not only can determine the correctness for each step, but also provide assistance on each step if student chooses option for help. It is therefore a powerful learning tool for students working as a personal tutor.


"Last night Mel and I were talking about some of the adjustments we'll have to make to our husbands' return. I must admit I'm not exactly the same girl you left-I'm twice as independent as I used to be and to top it off, I sometimes think I've become 'hard as nails'. . . . Also more and more I've been living exactly as I want to . . . I do as I damn please." [These tough words from the wife of a soldier show that World War Ii changed much more than just international politics.] "From a fascinating collection of letters, filled with wonderfully distinctive human stories, Judy Barrett Litoff and David C. Smith have shpaed a rare and brilliant book that transports the reader back in time to an unforgettable era." Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys" and "Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream." "This is a wonderful volume, full of admirable women struggling in a difficult situation, doing their best for their families and their country. Ah, the memories it brings back! Highly recommended for those who lived through the war, and for those who want to understand it." Stephen E. Ambrose, author of "Eisenhower and D-Day, June 6, 1944" "Offering a remarkable view into the lives of ordinary women during wartime, this book will enlighten and catch at the hearts of general readers and cause historians to reconsider how women experienced World War II."-Susan M. Hartmann, author of "The Home Front and Beyond." "From among 25,000 of an estimated six billion letters sent overseas during World War II, Litoff and Smith have culled and skillfully edited a sampling by 400 American women. These letters, starting with one to a seaman wounded at Pearl Harbor, are compelling documents of home-front life in varied ethnic, cultural, and financial milieus. Tragic, touching, and funny, the correspondence is full of prosaic news and gossip about jobs and neighbors, along with accounts of births and intimate allusions to love-making. The stress of separation was intensified for women whose loved ones were hospitalized, or imprisoned as either conscientious objectors or security risks. Some women wrote General MacArthur and others for news of missing men or to obtain details of their deaths. Many of these heartrending documents also express acceptance-and even pride-in the sacrifices required by war." "Publishers Weekly." "Other scholars of WW II have published letters written home by servicemen, but this is the first collection sampling the letters written by sisters, sweethearts, wives, and mothers, saved by thousands of servicemen. Chapters are organized around themes that were important to these women: courtship, marriage, motherhood, work, sacrifices. . . . What women tell readers in these letters about their concerns and their wartime feelings will cause historians [readers?] to rethink what has been written about the homefront." "Choice." "Despite the popular appeal of Rosie the Riveter, nine out of ten mothers with children under six were not in the labor force, which helps to account for the vast outpouring of mail from the home front to 'our boys' in the European and Pacific theaters. Some couples wrote every day for four years. This is the rich historic documentation that the authors have drawn upon to create a panoramic pastiche of indefatigable, energetic, patriotic female letter writers in the war years. . . . One is struck by the hard-headed practicality of many of the letters-stories of plucky, sometimes even grumpy, coping. There are letters of growing independence, with strong and at times explicit indication that the boyfriend or husband will be facing a very different woman upon his return from the one he 'knew' when he disembarked for his own, often terrible, venture. . . . Every war leaves mothers with broken hearts. What this volume most remarkably demonstrates is just how prepared American women on the home front were for that dread eventuality." Jean Bethke Elshtain in the "Journal of American History." "Fascinating and often heartbreaking letters. . . . The letters illuminate a time when sex roles were first showing the changes that would culminate in the women's movement. 'I must admit I'm not exactly the same girl you left, ' Edith Speert wrote to her husband, Victor, in 1945. 'I'm twice as independent as I used t be, and I sometimes think I've become hard as nails. I don't think my changes will affect our relationship.'. . . In the end, it is the small human dramas in these letters that stand out. Anne Gudis, miffed to distraction by her soldier-swain Sam Kramer, writes what may be the shortest Dear John on record: 'Mr. Kramer: Go to hell! With love, Anne Gudis.' A woman working at a Honolulu nightclub assures a pilot that she'll wait for him-until she's 20. The wife of an Air Corps navigator reads in a news story that only 15 of 1,500 Allied bombers were lost in a raid over Europe and later learns that her husband died in one of the 15. And a grieving mother whose son died in the Pacific asks Gen. Douglas MacArthur, in desperation, 'Please general he was a good boy, wasn't he? Did he die a hard death?'" "Smithsonian." "'They made it possible for me to retain my sanity in an insane world, ' wrote one pilot about the letters his wife sent him throughout World War II. The letters contained in this collection explain the soldier's sentiments. Whether full of passionate longing for a missing sweetheart or merely detailing domestic gossip, the letters offer a rich introduction to how American women experienced the war. Since military authorities ordered soldiers not to keep any letters written them by their loved ones, the authors have done a magnificent service in obtaining letters that soldiers either surreptitiously hid or whose authors copied them before sending them on." "Library Journal.""


Petroleum, both as a source of fuel and as a means of
locomotion, has become one of the chief commodities vitally
necessary to our civilisation. Australia is particularly
unfavoured by nature, in that she is totally dependent upon
outside sources for her supply of it, and, therefore, it is
apparent that, living as we do in the fear of international
strife, the need for research into this all-important element
of our nation is very great. In a time of warfare, we would
be wholly dependent upon the Imported supply, which, in the
year 1936-37 amounted to 282 million gallons of petroleum
spirit valued at £4,525,939. It can be seen that the need
for adequate internal resources of fuel is a very pressing
question. As it appears that well-petroleum does not occur
to any great extent in Australia, we should turn to the
nearest substitute, i.e. the oil obtained during the distillation
of oil-shale. The "Shale Bounty Act" was passed
in 1917 in order to stimulate the production of this oil,
and allows payment up to £67,500 per year based on a gallon
production.
Shales occur in several regions in Australia, the chief
of which are around the Newnes district in New South Wales
and also in isolated patches in Queensland and Western
Australia.


The transplantation of tissues raises many yet unsolved problems of fundamental interest, and is of potentially great clinical importance, especially in endocrinology. The present investigation is concerned with three main problems: the immunological reactions associated with the growth of homografts in the anterior chamber of the eye and subcutaneously; the role of the reticulo-endothelial system in the resistance to homografts; and the applicability of Halsted's principle to auto- and homografts of endocrine tissue, and the mechanism involved. Four groups of experiments are described. In group I, a preliminary study of auto- and homografts of thyroid in the guinea-pig, it is shown that, if a total thyroid deficiency is produced in the host, autografts are uniformly successful both in the anterior chamber and subcutaneously, whereas homografts are usually successful in the anterior chamber but rarely so when made subcutaneously. Halsted's principle holds good for anterior chamber grafts whether auto- or homografts, i.e. the proportion of successful grafts increases pari passu with the degree of thyroid deficiency produced in the host, but appears to be less applicable to subcutaneous autografts. Some light is thrown on the mechanism of Halsted's principle by the observation that successful anterior chamber grafts can be obtained in non-thyroidectomized hosts if injections of pituitary thyrotrophic hormone are given. The experiments of group II are concerned with the immunological phenomena relating to thyroid homografts. It is shown that a subcutaneous homograft of thyroid in the guinea-pig is demonstrably antigenic and the same is true of a homograft in the anterior chamber provided this is undergoing destruction. The state of immunity induced is general and extends to the anterior chamber. The existence of a state of immunity induced by a homograft is shown by the diminished chance of a subsequent homograft 'taking', but 'immunization' (by means of a subcutaneous graft) of an animal which already has a homograft established in the anterior chamber does not appear to modify the behaviour of the latter. In group III it is shown that a homograft transferred after some months from the anterior chamber to a subcutaneous site is more likely to survive than a primary subcutaneous homograft. It thus appears that when a homograft is established in the anterior chamber for a sufficiently long time a process of adaptation occurs as between graft and host. The experiments of group IV relate to the behaviour of auto- and homografts of spleen in the anterior chamber, and of simultaneous thyroid and splenic grafts. It is shown that the chances of success of a thyroid homograft in the anterior chamber are greatly reduced if the latter is provided with reticulo-endothelial tissue in the shape of a simultaneous autograft of spleen, but that a simultaneous homograft of spleen from the same donor has little or no deleterious effect. The mechanism of this phenomenon has not been fully elucidated but would appear to be either cellular, humoral or a combination of the two.


This article presents some new results on an unexplored dataset on hedge fund performance. The results indicate that hedge funds follow strategies that are dramatically different from mutual funds, and support the claim that these strategies are highly dynamic. The article finds five dominant investment styles in hedge funds, which when added to Sharpe's (1992) asset class factor model can provide an integrated framework for style analysis of both buy-and-hold and dynamic trading strategies. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.


Optimal remedies should be grounded in consumer harm. The caselaw interpreting the FTC's ability to obtain equitable monetary relief, however, has strayed far from this benchmark. Rather than requiring the FTC to show the marginal impact of deception, courts presume that everyone exposed to deception is harmed based on the fiction that the FTC has proven materiality. This approach is likely to overstate consumer harm in most circumstances involving a legitimate product, which will reduce the amount of beneficial marketplace information available to consumers. Several cases that challenge the FTC's legal authority to use 13(b) to obtain equitable monetary relief are awaiting certiorari determinations, which have led some to call for Congressional intervention to fix the statutory problem. Regardless of the outcome of this process, we see this turn of events as an opportunity for the FTC to recalibrate its consumer protection remedies to more closely mirror consumer harm. It should do so by focusing on the marginal impact of deception, a task that could be accomplished through Congressional action or on the FTC's own initiative. Regardless of the path, this marginal improvement would be an important one for consumers.


Aiming at the problem that the traditional plunged-bar method is difficult to meet the measurement requirement of spatial location of thin and small through-hole, in this paper, the digital image processing technique combined with sub-pixel detection technique is employed, and a new method is proposed to detect the tiny through-holes. The evaluating function method based on the "roundness" of the image of hole is presented to find out the posture parameters of CCD where the optical axis of CCD is parallel to the centerline of hole. Therefore, the spatial location of hole can be easily obtained by these posture parameters. Meanwhile, the diameter of hole can be achieved by means of image measuring technology at calculated posture of CCD. Owing to the non-contact measurement, this method is particularly suitable for those small through-holes drilled on the soft and easy-deformed object. The experiment results on the experimental platform illustrate the feasibility and validity of this method.


What we eat, where it is from, and how it is produced are vital questions in today's America. We think seriously about food because it is freighted with the hopes, fears, and anxieties of modern life. Yet critiques of food and food systems all too often sprawl into jeremiads against modernity itself, while supporters of the status quo refuse to acknowledge the problems with today's methods of food production and distribution. Food Fights sheds new light on these crucial debates, using a historical lens. Its essays take strong positions, even arguing with one another, as they explore the many themes and tensions that define how we understand our food—from the promises and failures of agricultural technology to the politics of taste. In addition to the editors, contributors include Ken Albala, Amy Bentley, Charlotte Biltekoff, Peter A. Coclanis, Tracey Deutsch, S. Margot Finn, Rachel Laudan, Sarah Ludington, Margaret Mellon, Steve Striffler, and Robert T. Valgenti.


Fully decentralized systems avoid bottlenecks and single points of failure. Thus, they can provide excellent scalability and very robust operation. The DecentVM is a fully decentralized, distributed virtual machine. Its simplified instruction set allows for a small VM code footprint. Its partitioned global address space (PGAS) memory model helps to easily create a single system image (SSI) across many processors and processor cores. Originally, the VM was designed for networks of embedded 8-bit processors. Meanwhile, it also aims at clusters of many core processors. This paper gives a brief overview of the DecentVM architecture.


In today's technical World people always concern with security of data before sending it over the internet. Security of data provides protection to data from unauthorized access. There is large no. of algorithms are available to secure the data. Cryptography plays a key role in data security. In modern cryptographic system encryption techniques are most widely in use. It provides security to data so that it can be used in confidential area like military, net banking, online transactions, medical, scientific etc. In this paper we mainly focus on some existing encryption techniques. Every technique comes with its good and bad features. It gives a brief review to researcher to choose a particular type of encryption scheme for some selected type of data so that it can be efficient and more secure.


The last installment of the "Summer Series of Conversations" took place Wednesday, August 1, with guest Shashi Buluswar, the executive director of the LBNL Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies (LIGTT). The Institute seeks to foster the discovery, development and deployment of a generation of low-carbon, affordable technologies that will advance sustainable methods to fight global poverty. The event, was hosted by Public Affairs Head Jeff Miller.


Background: A good number of psychiatric patients continue to stay in psychiatric hospitals for longer period of time despite their recovery. Inevitably, they tend to experience limitations to their freedom, personal choice and social isolation, and loss of self. It is important to assess the characteristics of these patients and the challenges in social integration. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a mental health hospital from May 2018 to January 2023. The data were collected from a retrospective review of 101 case files of all the long-stay patients (LSPs) who were admitted to psychiatric closed wards. Furthermore, cases were utilized to analyze the psychosocial situations of LSP. Results: This study reveals that the majority of the subjects were unmarried, females, unemployed, and hailing from rural background. Nearly 50% of the patients' families are untraceable. About three-fourths of those patients had the wrong address and lacked community psychiatric rehabilitation facilities and employment opportunities in their neighborhood. Caregivers' burden and poverty are major causes for prolonged or long-term hospitalization of patients in the mental hospital and barriers to community reintegration. Conclusion: Facilitating the transition of patients from the psychiatric hospital to community care is the need of the hour.