This dissertation explores the feasibility of an ecumenical joint statement on the sola scriptura principle. Through study of the crucial elements of this principle (the nature and the scope of the authority of the Word of God, the nature of the relationship between revelation, tradition and the Holy Scriptures, and biblical hermeneutics) this work attempts to create a possible basis for an ecumenical dialogue between Protestant/Evangelical and Catholic theology. It defines and evaluates the sola scriptura principle in the Protestant Reformation (Martin Luther and John Calvin specifically), contemporary Evangelical theology, traditional Catholic theology and post-Vatican II progressive Catholic theology, with special emphasis on the theology of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) with regard to the Word of God. Apart from the current biblical dialogue on sola scriptura between Evangelicals and Catholics, based on identifiable presuppositions, this research also offers a unique list of indispensable requirements for redrawing the emphasis in the theology of Scripture, for both Evangelical and Catholic communities of faith, in order to create a viable ecumenical joint statement. Evangelicals have to become more aware of the role and authority of the community of faith as a "deeper author" in the origin, preservation and interpretation of Scripture, while Catholics must recognize that tradition(s) and authoritative interpretations of the magisterium are subject to the scrutiny of the Word of God/Holy Scripture as norma normans of ecclesial tradition. Based on these assumptions the research finally offers an ecumenical joint statement that transcends both traditional and some progressive formulas of sola scriptura.


The fine structure of the intraerythrocytic asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum is described before and during treatment with chloroquine (CQ) in the venous blood of 27 Saudi patients whe were heavily infected with the parasite. Before treatment, the "pear" shaped merozoite was rapidly transformed into a ring-shaped trophozoite. This was enclosed in a parasitophorous vacuole bounded by a single membrane derived from the host erythrocyte. The parasite feeding mechanism involves several previously undescribed endocytic organelles that function to internalize the erythrocyte haemoglobin into the central food vacuole (FV). Crystalline pigment particles, the trophozoite final metabolic product, accumulated in residual membrane-bound vacuoles. Fully mature schizonts releasing newly produced merozoites were seen for the first time at the electron microscopy level. During treatment, the parasite cytoplasm appeared divided into a vacuolated, electron-dense, ribosomal region and a less dense FV. The feeding mechanism was apparently inhibited; this was indicated by severe damage to the FV and absence of the endocytic organelles, seen in the healthy parasite, causing its starvation and death.


Fretting and/or fretting corrosion fatigue have been observed on such parts as main rotor counterweight tie rods, fixed-pitch propeller blades, propeller blade clamps, pressure regulator lines, and landing gear support brackets. Microcracks started from severe corrosion pits in a failed control rotor spar tube assembly made of cadmium-plated AISI 4130 Cr-Mo alloy steel. Inadequate design was responsible for the failure. A lower tine of the main rotor blade cuff failed in fatigue. The rotor blade cuff was forged of 2014-T6 aluminum alloy. Initial stages of crack growth displayed features typical of low stress intensity fatigue of aluminum alloys. The fatigue resulted from abnormal fretting owing to inadequate torquing of the main retention bolts. Aircraft maintenance engineers and owners were advised to adhere to specifications when torquing this joint.


Introduction: Obesity results from an imbalance in the intake and expenditure of calories that leads to lifestyle-related diseases. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed many obesity-related genetic factors, the interactions of these factors and calorie intake remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate interactions between calorie intake and the polygenic risk score (PRS) of BMI. Methods: Three cohorts, i.e., from the Korea Association REsource (KARE; n = 8,736), CArdioVAscular Disease Association Study (CAVAS; n = 9,334), and Health EXAminee (HEXA; n = 28,445), were used for this study. BMI-related genetic loci were selected from previous GWAS. Two scores, PRS, and association (a)PRS, were used; the former was determined from 193 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 5 GWAS datasets, and the latter from 62 SNPs (potentially associated) from 3 Korean cohorts (meta-analysis, p < 0.01). Results: PRS and aPRS were significantly associated with BMI in all 3 cohorts but did not exhibit a significant interaction with total calorie intake. Similar results were obtained for obesity. PRS and aPRS were significantly associated with obesity but did not show a significant interaction with total calorie intake. We further analyzed the interaction with protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake. The results were similar to those for total calorie intake, with PRS and aPRS found to not be associated with the interaction of any of the 3 nutrition components for either BMI or obesity. Discussion: The interaction of BMI PRS with calorie intake was investigated in 3 independent Korean cohorts (total n = 35,094) and no interactions were found between PRS and calorie intake for obesity.


We study cosmology in a class of minimally modified gravity (MMG) with two local gravitational degrees of freedom. We classify modified gravity theories into type-I and type-II: theories of type-I have an Einstein frame and can be recast by change of variables as general relativity (GR) with a non-minimal matter coupling, while theories of type-II have no Einstein frame. Considering a canonical transformation of the lapse, the 3-dimensional induced metric and their conjugate momenta we generate type-I MMG. We then show that phenomenological deviations from GR, such as the speed of gravitational waves cT and the effective gravitational constant for scalar perturbations Geff, are characterized by two functions of an auxiliary variable. We study the phenomenology of several models all having cT=1. We obtain a scenario with cT=1 in which the effective equation-of-state parameter of dark energy is different from −1 even though the cosmic acceleration is caused by a bare cosmological constant, and we find that it is possible to reconstruct the theory on choosing a selected time-evolution for the effective dark energy component.


The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are promoting point/nonpoint trading as a way of reducing the costs of meeting water quality goals while giving nonpoint sources a larger role in meeting those goals. Farms can create offsets or credits in a point/nonpoint trading program by implementing management practices such as conservation tillage, nutrient management, and buffer strips. To be eligible to sell credits, farmers must first comply with baseline requirements. The EPA defines a baseline as the pollutant control requirements that apply to a seller in the absence of trading. EPA guidance recommends that the baseline for nonpoint sources be management practices that are consistent with the water quality goal. A farmer would not be able to create credits until the minimum practice standards are met. An alternative baseline is those practices being implemented at the time the trading program starts. The selection of the baseline has major implications for which farmers benefit from trading, the cost of nonpoint source credits, and ultimately the number of credits that nonpoint sources can sell to regulated point sources. We use a simple model of the average profit-maximizing dairy farmer operating in the Conestoga (PA) watershed to evaluate the implications of baseline requirements on the cost and quantity of credits that can be produced for sale in a water quality trading market, and which farmers benefit most from trading.


Gate leakage current densities on the order of nA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ at operating voltage levels have been observed in MOSFET's that were processed in a high-density plasma (HDP) oxide etch tool, yet these transistors have performance parameters that are within 10% of controls. These high gate leakage currents seen in the HDP etched devices were not observed in controls. Direct observation shows that these HDP exposed devices have light emission at higher voltages in the region where the gate poly-Si crosses the birds beak. Light emission in this region is also not observed in controls.


Total lipid concentration was elevated in the seminal plasma of oligo- and azoospermic men. The total cholesterol content was comparatively more in the seminal plasma of azoospermic men than in that of normo- and oligospermic men. In general, infertility was associated with increased seminal concentrations for most of the neutral lipid classes. However, total phospholipids and most of the phospholipid classes were diminished in the seminal plasma of oligo- and azoospermic men and in the spermatozoa of oligospermic men. We suggest that there is a positive correlation between seminal phospholipids and fertility and a negative correlation between seminal neutral lipids and fertility.


Aim: Although the laparoscopic approach is increasingly being used in colorectal surgery, it is anticipated that the technical problems caused by previous abdominal open surgery (PAOS) will adversely affect the outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of previous abdominal surgery in patients with colorectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic surgery for treatment. Material and Methods: Among the patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer between January 2015 and December 2018, those who had a history of previous abdominal surgery and those who did not were compared. Those with a history of laparoscopic abdominal surgery are not included in the PAOS group and short-term postoperative complications, conversion to open surgery, reoperations, hospital readmissions, and mortality rates were analyzed between the groups. Results: 21 of 140 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer had PAOS. The groups with and without PAOS were similar in terms of age, sex, body mass index, ASA score, and comorbid disease. No difference was observed regarding conversion to open surgery (p = 0.513), postoperative complications (p> 0.05), reoperations (p = 0.162), unplanned hospital readmissions (p = 0.154), and perioperative mortality (p = 0.136) between the two groups. Conclusion: We believe that laparoscopy can be safely performed in patients with colorectal cancer who had previous abdominal open surgery with similar clinical and postoperative complication rates as in patients without a history of PAOS.


"Impulsivity" has been consistently identified as a key personality predictor of alcohol-related problems and subsequent alcohol use disorder. Multiple prior studies have demonstrated impulsivity is an individual difference factor that strengthens the effects of some risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms, on alcohol problems. However, recent research indicated common measures of impulsivity actually reflect multiple dispositions toward rash action, and that alcohol problems were most consistently related to one of those dispositions, negative urgency. Little research has examined how specific dispositions to rash action may act as putative moderators of other risk factors for alcohol problems. The goal of the current study was to test which dispositions to rash action moderated the effects of concurrent alcohol use or depressive symptoms on alcohol problems. Using a large cross-sectional sample of college students (n = 573), the current study utilized semicontinuous regression models, which allow prediction of both the likelihood and level of alcohol problems. Negative urgency was found to be the main predictor of alcohol problems, above and beyond other dispositions to rash action, which replicates prior research. However, each of the other dispositions exhibited risk-enhancing effects on the relations between either depressive symptoms or alcohol use and concurrent alcohol problems. Specifically, lower levels of premeditation enhanced the association between depressive symptoms and alcohol problems, while lower perseverance and higher sensation seeking were related to more alcohol problems at higher levels of alcohol use. Results suggest that multiple dispositions to rash action were related to problematic alcohol use both directly and via their interaction with other risk factors.


Premise of research. Discoveries of fossil flowers in Cretaceous rocks offer improved evidence for relationships with living clades, but for more secure inferences formal phylogenetic analyses are desirable. We extend previous analyses of magnoliids, monocots, and basal eudicots to Aptian, Albian, and Cenomanian fossils related to the basal "ANITA" lines and Chloranthaceae. Methodology. We performed parsimony analyses of a morphological data set of Recent angiosperms and published fossils, with the arrangement of Recent taxa constrained to backbone trees based primarily on molecular data. Pivotal results. Not only Monetianthus (as previously inferred) but also Carpestella is nested within Nymphaeaceae, while Pluricarpellatia may be a stem relative of Cabombaceae or Nymphaeaceae. Anacostia (with Similipollis pollen) is nested within Austrobaileyales. The position of Couperites (with Clavatipollenites pollen) is ambiguous: it may be on the stem lineage of Chloranthaceae (and Ceratophyllum, if this extant aquatic is related to Chloranthaceae), nested in Chloranthaceae, or more basal. Plants with Asteropollis pollen and reduced tepals are related to the chloranthaceous genus Hedyosmum. Zlatkocarpus, which also has a reduced perianth, may be either a stem relative or a crown group member of Chloranthaceae. Plants that produced loosely reticulate Pennipollis pollen are more likely related to Chloranthaceae and/or Ceratophyllum than to monocots. We confirm that Canrightia, with bisexual flowers and a reduced perianth, is a stem relative of Chloranthaceae. Despite similarities to Piperales, Appomattoxia (with Tucanopollis pollen) is more likely near the base of the ANITA grade or related to Chloranthaceae and/or Ceratophyllum. Conclusions. The Cretaceous rise of angiosperms involved the radiation not only of magnoliids, eudicots, and monocots but also of basal ANITA lines, including both aquatic Nymphaeales and woody groups. Our results reaffirm the early diversity of Chloranthaceae and clarify their floral evolution, in which a shift to unisexual flowers preceded loss of the perianth.


OBJECTIVE
A pre-column derivation reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the determination of biogenic amines (tryptamine, phenylethyamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, spermidine, and spermine) in wines with fluorescecse detector (FLD) and ultraviolet detector (UVD).

METHODS
Liqiud-liqiud extraction (LLE) was used to clean up wine samples with chloroform/butanol prior to derivatization with dansyl chloride, biogenic amines were separated using gradient elution. Mobile phase A was methanol and mobile phase B was water with the flow rate 1.5 ml/min. The column used was a CAPCELL PAK C18 MG (4.6 mm I.D. x 150 mm, 5 microm) and gradient elution at constant column tempereture with 30 degrees C under fluorescence detector with Ex 350nm and Em 520nm, The method and ultraviolet detector with 254nm. 1,7-Diaminoheptane was used as the internal standard (IS).

RESULTS
was linear for the amines studied at concentration ranging from 0.05 to 25 mg/L, except for spermidine and spermine, which ranging from 0.05 to 15 mg/L. The average recoveries ranged from 79.2% to 127.5% for all amines, The RSDs were less than 10%. With this method, 5 wine samples were determined, the results were favorable.

CONCLUSION
method can be applied for determination of biogenic amines in wines.


Abstract Xuite, Ca3Fe2[(Al,Fe)O3(OH)]3, is a new member of the garnet supergroup discovered in basaltic scoria from Menan Volcanic Complex, Idaho, U.S.A. Oxidation of Fe-bearing pyroclasts at high temperatures led to the formation of xuite, together with luogufengite, valleyite, and hematite. The measured crystal size of xuite ranges from ~200 to 800 nm. The empirical chemical formula of xuite is (Ca0.92Mg0.08)3(Fe0.96Ti0.04)2[(AlO4H)0.44(FeO4H)0.33 (SiO4)0.05(◻O4H4)0.18]3. Xuite has a space group of Ia3d; its unit-cell parameter refined from high-resolution synchrotron X‑ray diffraction (XRD) data is a = 12.5056(5) Å, with Z = 8 (calculated density = 3.53 g/cm3). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum of xuite shows absorption bands at 3682 and 3579 cm−1, indicating the presence of OH– in the hydrogarnet structure. In situ high-temperature synchrotron XRD combined with thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry reveals that xuite undergoes dehydroxylation to form brownmillerite (Ca2FeAlO5) from ~236 to ~396 °C. Xuite occurs in the form of nanocrystals with a soft magnetic property, which provides important insights into the origin of basaltic scoria and associated paleomagnetism. Xuite was also found in Wyoming paralava, suggesting the possibility of its wide occurrence in various geological environments. The mineral was named after Huifang Xu and Hongwu Xu in honor of their sustained contributions to mineral sciences.


ABSTRACT Maps are a primary method of displaying statistical data that comes from a geographical frame. Maps are esthetically appealing and make it easier to identify geographic patterns in a dataset. However, few introductory statistical texts and courses explicitly present maps as a way to display data. In this article, we will present examples of different types of statistical maps and illustrate how these maps can be used in the instruction of an introductory statistics course.


Abstract. The Earth's potential information is important for exploration of the Earth's gravity field. The techniques of measuring the Earth's gravity using the terrestrial and ship borne technique are time consuming and have limitation on the vast area. With the space-based measuring technique, these limitations can be overcome. The satellite gravity missions such as Challenging Mini-satellite Payload (CHAMP), Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and Gravity-Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer Mission (GOCE) has introduced a better way in providing the information on the Earth's gravity field. From these satellite gravity missions, the Global Geopotential Models (GGMs) has been produced from the spherical harmonics coefficient data type. The information of the gravity anomaly can be used to predict the bathymetry because the gravity anomaly and bathymetry have relationships between each other. There are many GGMs that have been published and each of the models gives a different value of the Earth's gravity field information. Therefore, this study is conducted to assess the most reliable GGM for the Malaysian Seas. This study covered the area of the marine area on the South China Sea at Sabah extent. Seven GGMs have been selected from the three satellite gravity missions. The gravity anomalies derived from the GGMs are compared with the airborne gravity anomaly, in order to figure out the correlation (R2) and the root mean square error (RMSE) of the data. From these assessments, the most suitable GGMs for the study area is GOCE model, GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIMR4 with the R2 and RMSE value of 0.7899 and 9.886 mGal, respectively. This selected model will be used in the estimating the bathymetry for Malaysian Seas in future.


The basic aim of the sprinkler irrigation method, as in other irrigation methods, is to apply irrigation water as uniformly as possible to the root zone. The uniform distribution of the applied water in sprinkler irrigation depends on factors such as sprinkler type, number and size of nozzles, arrangement of sprinklers, working pressure and the speed and direction of the wind. Sprinkler and lateral spacing should be determined by also taking the speed and direction of the wind into consideration. The aim of this study was to determine the application limits and the curves of water distribution under different working pressures, spatial arrangement and nozzle diameters under field conditions of some irrigation sprinklers which are widely used in Turkey. The objective was to determine the most appropriate system arrangement by using a computer program called CATCH3D. Five sprinklers were tested in the experimental area of Ondokuz Mayis University Campus and their water distribution characteristics identified. The most suitable operating parameters for Bereket 3: 12 x 18 m, Bereket 2: 12 x 18 m, Egeyildiz 6 x 18m, Goktepe 6 x 12 m and for Atesler sprinkler 12 x 18 m arrangement type were determined.


A distinctive and pervasive problem arises when government regulation designed to diminish one health risk actually increases other health risks. For example, bans on the use of asbestos may lead companies to use other, more dangerous substitutes. This essay explores health-health tradeoffs, including those that arise because regulatory expenditures increase poverty and unemployment and in that way increase poor health. The essay proposes institutional changes designed to ensure aggregate risk reduction rather than mere risk redistribution. It includes some general remarks about individual and collective rationality in the context of health risks.


This essay explores the way Australians have approached motoring journeys from the early to late twentieth century through analysis of both published and unpublished non-fiction travel narratives. It argues that an increasing tension is evident between the desire to embrace an emerging modern urban industrial Australia and its representative technology, including the motor vehicle, and nostalgia for an earlier, fading rural-pastoral era. While travellers embraced the motor car as the ideal means by which to discover the 'real' Australia in outback and rural regions, many also expressed ambivalence and resistance towards the new technology and the transformations it wrought. That ambivalence was manifested in a tendency to look backwards, continually seeking to perpetuate national foundation mythologies such as the bush and pioneer 'frontier' legends in the face of modernising modes and conditions of travel. Australia's history as a settler colonial society has strongly shaped experiences and representations of road travel in the motoring era. A study of road narratives provides an insight into the relationship between travellers, vehicles and the road, revealing changing attitudes towards modernity, landscape and nation.


The effect of enterosorbents of natural origin, zoosterol and sodium alginate, on the main types of metabolism and the macro- and microelement composition (calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper) of the renal tissues was studied in animals with experimental nephrocalcinosis. Increased complex-forming ability of zoosterol, related to a higher absorption activity of low-molecular-weight fragments of this enterosorbent, favors retention of large molecules in the form of calcium salts in the parenchyma. Sodium alginate favors the elimination of calcium compounds and compensates for calcification of the renal tissue, which allows this this enterosorbent to be used as a crystal-inhibiting complex-forming agent for correcting metabolic dysbalance in cases of nephrocalcinosis.


This study investigated the impact of EFDs on the VAT compliance in Kilimanjaro Tax Region. Specifically, the study examined the attitude of taxpayers on EFDs, whether the use of EFDs has impact on VAT compliance, challenges associated with the use of EFDs, and the strategies to improve the use of EFDs and VAT compliance. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through interviews and questionnaires while secondary data were obtained through documentary review. The sample of the study consisted of 20 taxpayers who are VAT registered taxpayers, 2 leaders of TCCIA Kilimanjaro, 10 general public who are buying goods and services, 15 Tax officials and 3 Government officials at RC's office. Data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches and computer software programs such as Excel. Overall findings of the study indicate that there is low strategic business management education among most traders in Moshi and other parts of Kilimanjaro Region. There is also poor implementations skill among TRA officials in Kilimanjaro Region which have jointly resulted into low compliances of traders to implement fully EFDs program which aims to improve tax revenues collection performances. The use of EFD machines in business is highly emphasized. It is also recommended that the price of EFD machines and maintenance cost be reduced and the government should involve people in the whole process of tax collection.


This paper analyses the Indo-Fijian public's responses to the suspected kidnapping and possible murders of three Indo-Fijian sisters from the Rakiraki area. It considers some of the cultural dynamics that shape young Indo-Fijian women's domestic lives. Focusing on the disappearances of Aashika, Renuka, and Radhika Lata in June 2005. The paper examines how middle-class Indo-Fijians imaginatively reconstructed the events surrounding the fate of the three girls. My interest is in both what the events surrounding their disappearance as well as the public's speculations over them tell us about familial and community concerns over young women's freedom of movement. I also consider related issues of women's agency and measures for empowering young women against violence.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this review was to describe how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown affected the self-care behaviors of people living with type 2 diabetes.

Methods
A systematic rapid review was conducted using four electronic databases. Studies reporting on the lockdown's impact on at least one of the self-care behaviors that were published from January 2020 through October 2021 were included. Findings were synthesized narratively, using the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists ADCES7 Self-Care Behaviors as a framework. The methodological level of evidence and quality ratings of the articles were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Appraisal Checklist.

Results
Fifteen articles were included. Most studies reported on at least five of the self-care behaviors. There were reported increases in diabetes-related stress, as well as in increases in dietary intake and changes in the timing of meals. Physical activity was reported to decrease. Overall, taking medications and glycemic self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) were unaffected by the lockdown. Of the studies reporting glycemic outcomes, the lockdown appeared to have little negative effect. None of the articles assessed all the self-care behaviors. The self-care behavior of SMBG was the least assessed. Most articles had a medium level of evidence and a medium to high quality rating (scores >60%).

Conclusion
The findings from this review found the COVID-19 lockdown had a variable impact on diabetes self-care behaviors. Because the potential for future COVID-19 surges and/or other virulent transmissible diseases remains a concern, health care providers should continue to address the importance of self-care behaviors to mitigate the risk of poor health outcomes in people with diabetes.


The Sudan, population 18.2 million, in area the largest country in Africa is traversed by the White and Blue Niles meeting at Khartoum and blessed with rain. It has the potential to be a breedbasket for Africa and the Middle East. Of an estimated 200 million agricultural acres, only 17 million are now cultivated---4 million irrigated. Essential expansion is needed of an existing sparse and far-flung transport system to develop agricultural areas and bring food to population centers and export outlets.

The ADAR Corporation developed an adaptive matter transport plan under direction of the author, based on Wharton econometric models of the economy under four scenarios: the Reference Projection, Agriculture for Export, Balanced Regional Growth, and Arab African Interface. Using an emerging operations research theory of hierarchies and priorities, the scenarios were combined to generate a Composite Scenario. UN Food and Agriculturists estimated Sudan's supply and demand under Composite Scenario assumptions with 4.3%, 6%, and 7.3% GNP rates.

Air, road, rail, river, and port transport projects 103 in all were identified and prioritized, satisfying economic, social and political constraints. Investment is currently under way along the lines suggested by the plan, with nearly $6 billion committed for transport and agricultural projects by several agencies including the Kuwait Fund, the Arab Fund, the World Bank, the Saudi Government, and the newly formed Arab Authority for Development and Agricultural Investment, a group of Arab investing countries.


This article focuses on challenges in the commemoration of war dead for peace education, drawing on modes of remembrance of the war dead in Germany as an informative case: In Germany's official remembrance culture 'all victims of war' are mourned. Yet in public and in private divided narratives and interpretations have been cultivated. In this 'memory competition,' the vanishing of the contemporary witnesses of World War II entails challenges but it also offers opportunities for peace education. To take advantage of these, questions must be tackled publicly about what the (different) war dead may mean to us today, and to future generations. A reflective remembrance culture requires historical accuracy but also recognition of the complexity that belies the notion of there being one collective memory.


Transport planning has been under criticism, and has changed in
nature and approach since the 1960's. This thesis attempts to
describe these changes and relate the Hobart experience to them.
The thesis is arranged in three chapters.
Chapter 1, the Introduction, documents the increasing recognition of
the interactions between the transport system and other elements of
the urban environment, a recognition that is reflected in the
changes in transport planning described in Chapters 2 and 3.
In Chapter 2 the view is documented that the engineering dominated
transportation study approach has recently been replaced by a more
comprehensive approach to transport planning. The demand orientation
has been (or is in the process of being) replaced by an approach that
recognises supply limitations and the environmental and social
implications of transport decisions. It is proposed that transport
planning should be concerned with environmental and social goals
rather than impacts, and four planning themes are introduced.
These are:
1. Optimum accessibility to opportunity and resources for all sections of society while
promoting a land use configuration consistent with these and other community aims.
2. A transport system that does not impinge upon the perceived positive aspects of the urban
environment and is instrumental towards
enhancing them.
3. The means for all sections of society to satisfy their transport needs whether or not
they have the use of a private motor vehicle.
4. A transport system that makes good use of existing resources and can adapt to meet
demands imposed by changing resource availabilities.
Chapter 3 is concerned with the Hobart experience, and after
reviewing the relevant publications five watersheds in the development
of transport planning in Hobart are identified:
- The Hobart Area"Transportation Study, 1964.
- The Hobart Transportation Revision, 1970.
- The Review of Northside Freeway, 1972.
- The considerations of the Traffic Management Conunittee, 1977.
- The Derwent Region Transportation Study, 1978-79.
The 1964 study was typical of the transportation study genre, and
one of the first to be conducted in Australia. The 1970 Revision
recognised the existence of associated issues: the cracks were
beginning to appear in the functional approach. The Northside
Freeway Review contained investigations of environmental and social
impacts of freeway alternatives. The organisation of low cost
changes to the transport system within the current policy framework,
termed Transportation Systems Management, was illustrated in Hobart
by the considerations and recommendations of the Traffic Management
Committee, 1977, although admittedly this was only in response
to a particular conceived problem (traffic congestion after the
reopening of·the Tasman Bridge). Since the Derwent Region Transportation
Study has not yet been completed, it is impossible
to comment on anything other than the study specification. This
indicates a complete change in approach, and the themes proposed
in Chapter 2 are shown to be represented in the Derwent Region
Transportation Study. It may well be that as it was in 1964,
in 1979 transport planning in Hobart will be at the forefront of
the development of transport planning in Australia.
Thus the material presented in Chapter 3, including evidence of
the effect of accessibility on residential development, of the
destruction of low cost housing, of the ignored implications of
generating and meeting parking demand, is an illustration that the
evolution of transport planning in Hobart has been a reflection of
the trends described in Chapter 2.
The explicit adoption of the four themes is proposed as a recognition
of the role of transport planning in environmental management.


Homogeneous carbon nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from acetylene with zeolite as template in an atmosphere of argon. The microstructure of the products was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the as-synthesized products were quasi-spherical carbon nanoparticles with diameter of ca.150 nm and the interplanar distance of 0.3477 nm, and their purity was above 90%. The thermal stability of carbon nanoparticles was relatively stable. They can maintain their structure over 600°C in air or over 1000°C in argon atmosphere. In addition the formation mechanism of carbon nanoparticles was discussed briefly. Carbon source firstly filled into the template, then pyrolyzed and finally took the form of the product in consequence of template deformation.


In this article, we propose the design of sensory motor level as part of a three-layered agent architecture inspired from the Multilevel Process Theory of Emotion (Leventhal 1979, 1980; Leventhal and Scherer, 1987). Our project aims at modeling emotions on an autonomous embodied agent, Petra, a more robust robot than our previous prototype Cherry. Our robot has been equipped with sonar and vision for obstacle avoidance as well as vision for face recognition, which are used when she roams around the hallway to engage in social interactions with humans. The sensory motor level receives and processes inputs and produces emotion-like states without any further willful planning or learning. We describe: (1) the psychological theory of emotion which inspired our design, (2) our proposed agent architecture, (3) the needed hardware additions that we implemented on the commercialized ActivMedia's robot, (4) Petra's multimodal interface designed especially to engage humans in natural (and hopefully pleasant) social interaction, and finally (5) our future research efforts.


It was generally believed by top regulators that credit derivatives make
 banks sounder. After the international financial crisis, the positive view of
 the role of credit risk transfer has changed and credit derivatives have been
 blamed as one of the responsible of the subprime credit crisis. Our purpose
 is to analyze whether the risk taken by European banks is affected by the use
 of credit derivatives. There are very few empirical works regarding this subjec
 and, in particular, in the European banking sector. We use as measures of risk
 the Z-score and other proxies of credit risk like the risk-weighted assets and
 non-performing loans (NPL) ratio. In summary, our results show that European
 banks that use credit derivatives for hedging experience an improvement in
 their level of financial stability, while those who opt for a speculative position
 test negative. Accordingly and based on these data, the cause of the current
 crisis in Europe could not be directly attributed to the use of credit derivatives


The main aim of the present investigation was to study the flow behaviour of two medium carbon microalloyed steels under hot forming conditions, and to analyse its microstructural evolution. The dependence of recrystallized grain size (Drec) on the Zener-Hollomon parameter Z shows a bimodal behaviour with transition from single to cyclic dynamic recrystallization. Also we observed that the variation of Drec normalized by Burgers vector (b) with sss normalized by shear modulus ( µ) shows the same bimodal behaviour cited above. The Derby's universal equation cited in literature for recrystallized grain sizes was not followed; it seems that the presence of fine precipitated particles has a clear effect on this disagreement.


While stigma experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) is well documented, intersectional stigma and additional stigmatized identities have not received similar attention. The purpose of this metasynthesis is to identify salient stigmatized intersections and their impact on health outcomes in PLWH in sub-Saharan Africa. Using Sandelowski and Barroso's metasynthesis method, we searched four databases for peer-reviewed qualitative literature. Included studies (1) explored personal experiences with intersecting stigmas, (2) included ≥1 element of infectious disease stigma, and (3) were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Our multinational team extracted, aggregated, interpreted, and synthesized the findings. From 454 screened abstracts, the 34 studies included in this metasynthesis reported perspectives of at least 1258 participants (282 men, 557 women, and 109 unspecified gender) and key informants. From these studies, gender and HIV was the most salient stigmatized intersection, with HIV testing avoidance and HIV-status denial seemingly more common among men to preserve traditional masculine identity. HIV did not threaten female identity in the same way with women more willing to test for HIV, but at the risk of abandonment and withdrawal of financial support. To guard against status loss, men and women used performative behaviors to highlight positive qualities or minimize perceived negative attributes. These identity management practices ultimately shaped health behaviors and outcomes. From this metasynthesis, the Stigma Identity Framework was devised for framing identity and stigma management, focusing on role expectation and fulfillment. This framework illustrates how PLWH create, minimize, or emphasize other identity traits to safeguard against status loss and discrimination. Providers must acknowledge how stigmatization disrupts PLWH's ability to fit into social schemas and tailor care to individuals' unique intersecting identities. Economic security and safety should be considered in women's HIV care, while highlighting antiretrovirals' role in preserving strength and virility may improve care engagement among men.


Examination of historical climate records indicates a significant relation between the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and seasonal temperature and precipitation in Louisiana. In this study, a 40 yr record of twice daily (06:00 and 15:00 h local time) weather types are used to study the effects of ENSO variability on the local climate at New Orleans, Louisiana. Tropical Pacific seasurface temperatures (SSTs) for the NINO3.4 region are used to define ENSO events (i.e. El Niño and La Niña events), and daily precipitation and temperature data for New Orleans are used to define weather-type precipitation and temperature properties. Data for winters (December through February) 1962–2000 are analyzed. The 39 winters are divided into 3 categories; winters with NINO3.4 SST anomalies < –1°C (La Niña events), winters with NINO3.4 anomalies > 1°C (El Niño events), and neutral conditions (all other years). For each category, weather-type frequencies and properties (i.e. precipitation and temperature) are determined and analyzed. Results indicate that El Niño events primarily affect precipitation characteristics of weather types at New Orleans, whereas the effects of La Niña events are most apparent in weather-type frequencies. During El Niño events, precipitation for some of the weather types is greater than during neutral and La Niña conditions and is related to increased water vapor transport from the Tropics to the Gulf of Mexico. The changes in weather-type frequencies during La Niña events are indicative of a northward shift in storm tracks and/or a decrease in storm frequency in southern Louisiana.


Systems engineering is currently characterized by conflicting and contradictory opinions on its nature. The paper begins by describing the evolution of systems engineering in the National Council on Systems Engineering (NCOSE)/ International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and the difficulty in defining and differentiating systems engineering as a discipline. The paper then identifies and discusses six different and somewhat contradictory camps or perspectives of systems engineering. After identifying the cause of the contradictions the paper suggests one way to reconcile the camps is to dissolve the problem to distinguish between the activity known as systems engineering and the role of the systems engineer with a return to the old pre-NCOSE systems engineering paradigm. The paper then continues by testing the hypothesis and shows that systems engineering is a discipline that can be differentiated from other disciplines. However, it is not a traditional engineering discipline.


Solving multicriteria decision problems, like choice and ranking, requires the use of decision maker's DM's (Decision Maker's) preference model. In this paper, we investigate some issues of equivalence between the preference model in terms of "if..., then..." decision rules and a concordance-discordance preference model based on the use of the outranking relation. The decision rule model is attractive for at least two reasons: (i) it is intelligible and speaks the language of the DM, (ii) the preference information coming from the DM is a set of decision examples. The decision rules are induced from rough approximations of the preference relation specified in decision examples. Then, from the set of decision rules representing the DM's preferences, criteria weights and veto thresholds are inferred, setting up an equivalent preference model following from concordance-discordance tests proposed in ELECTRE methods. A simple example will illustrate the interest of such an equivalence.


The aim of the present study was to differentiate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) from concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (CLVH) and to compare their echodopplercardiography measurements in random bred domestic cats. After owners consent cats of any sex or age with no history of heart disease were randomly submitted to physical examination and echocardiogram. When left ventricular hypertrophy was present on the echocardiogram, cats were further examined by chest X-rays, ultrasonography and laboratory work. Those presenting cardiac hypertrophy with the diagnosis of any disease that could cause left ventricular hypertrophy were allocated into one group (CLVH) and those presenting hypertrophy without any concomitant detectable disease were allocated to another group (HCM). Cats with ventricular hypertrophy cats were included (n=10), among which five were classified as secondary CLVH, with hyperthyroidism being the main cause and five characterized as HCM. Considering the diagnosis of concentric ventricular hypertrophy, other diseases should be investigated and ruled out, such as hyperthyroidism. It is also necessary to consider and monitor cardiac changes more closely, since their phenotypic manifestation was severer than those observed in the animals with HCM. However, to determine whether disease progression in these animals is faster severer than in others, further epidemiological studies are necessary.


Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is implicated in cisplatin ototoxicity. Activation of this channel by cisplatin increases reactive oxygen species generation, which contribute to loss of outer hair cells in the cochlea. Knockdown of TRPV1 by short interfering RNA protected against cisplatin ototoxicity. In this study, we examined the mechanism underlying TRPV1-mediated ototoxicity using cultured organ of Corti transformed cells (UB/OC-1) and rats. Trans-tympanic injections of capsaicin produced transient hearing loss within 24 h, which recovered by 72 h. In UB/OC-1 cells, capsaicin increased NOX3 NADPH oxidase activity and activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1). Intratympanic administration of capsaicin transiently increased STAT1 activity and expression of downstream proinflammatory molecules. Capsaicin produced a transient increase in CD14-positive inflammatory cells into the cochlea, which mimicked the temporal course of STAT1 activation but did not alter the expression of apoptotic genes or damage to outer hair cells. In addition, trans-tympanic administration of STAT1 short interfering RNA protected against capsaicin-induced hearing loss. These data suggest that activation of TRPV1 mediates temporary hearing loss by initiating an inflammatory process in the cochlea via activation of NOX3 and STAT1. Thus, these proteins represent reasonable targets for ameliorating hearing loss.


: Failure to test for glaucoma is a leading cause of malpractice claims against optometrists. The standard of care expected of optometrists has been influenced by legal decisions involving ophthalmologists, beginning with Helling v. Carey, and has resulted in the routine use of tonometry as a fundamental aspect of glaucoma detection by optometric clinicians.


The decay of sunspot plays a key role in magnetic flux transportation in solar active regions (ARs). To better understand the physical mechanism of the entire decay process of a sunspot, an α-configuration sunspot in AR NOAA 12411 was studied. Based on the continuum intensity images and vector magnetic field data with stray light correction from Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, the area, vector magnetic field and magnetic flux in the umbra and penumbra are calculated with time, respectively. Our main results are as follows: (1) The decay curves of the sunspot area in its umbra, penumbra, and whole sunspot take the appearance of Gaussian profiles. The area decay rates of the umbra, penumbra and whole sunspot are −1.56 MSH day−1, −12.61 MSH day−1 and −14.04 MSH day−1, respectively; (2) With the decay of the sunspot, the total magnetic field strength and the vertical component of the penumbra increase, and the magnetic field of the penumbra becomes more vertical. Meanwhile, the total magnetic field strength and vertical magnetic field strength for the umbra decrease, and the inclination angle changes slightly with an average value of about 20°; (3) The magnetic flux decay curves of the sunspot in its umbra, penumbra, and whole sunspot exhibit quadratic patterns, their magnetic flux decay rates of the umbra, penumbra and whole sunspot are −9.84 × 1019 Mx day−1, −1.59 × 1020 Mx day−1 and −2.60 × 1020 Mx day−1, respectively. The observation suggests that the penumbra may be transformed into the umbra, resulting in the increase of the average vertical magnetic field strength and the reduction of the inclination angle in the penumbra during the decay of the sunspot.


This paper describes a natural language parsing algorithm for unrestricted text which uses a probability-based scoring function to select the "best" parse of a sentence. The parser, Pearl, is a time-asynchronous bottom-up chart parser with Earley-type top-down prediction which pursues the highest-scoring theory in the chart, where the score of a theory represents the extent to which the context of the sentence predicts that interpretation. This parser differs from previous attempts at stochastic parsers in that it uses a richer form of conditional probabilities based on context to predict likelihood. Pearl also provides a framework for incorporating the results of previous work in part-of-speech assignment, unknown word models, and other probabilistic models of linguistic features into one parsing tool, interleaving these techniques instead of using the traditional pipeline architecture. In preliminary tests, Pearl has been successful at resolving part-of-speech and word (in speech processing) ambiguity, determining categories for unknown words, and selecting correct parses first using a very loosely fitting covering grammar.


There is a growing interest in applying machine learning techniques to healthcare. Recently, federated learning (FL) is gaining popularity since it allows researchers to train powerful models without compromising data privacy and security. However, the performance of existing FL approaches often deteriorates when encountering non-iid situations where there exist distribution gaps among clients, and few previous efforts focus on personalization in healthcare. In this article, we propose FedAP to tackle domain shifts and then obtain personalized models for local clients. FedAP learns the similarity between clients based on the statistics of the batch normalization layers while preserving the specificity of each client with different local batch normalization. Comprehensive experiments on five healthcare benchmarks demonstrate that FedAP achieves better accuracy compared to state-of-the-art methods (e.g., 10% accuracy improvement for PAMAP2) with faster convergence speed.


SOI-Multifin-FET shows excellent transistor characteristics, ideal sub-threshold swing, low drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL) without pocket implantation and negligible body bias dependency. In this work, we analyzed this combination by a three-dimensional numerical device simulator to investigate the influence of fins number on corner effect by analyzing its electrical characteristics and potential distribution in the oxide and the silicon in the section perpendicular to the flow of the current for SOI-single-fin FET, three-fin and five-fin, and we provide a comparison with a Trigate SOI Multi-FinFET structure.


INTRODUCTION
Our study aimed to investigate the performance of deep learning (DL)-based diagnostic systems in alerting against COVID-19, especially among asymptomatic individuals coming from overseas, and to analyze the features of identified asymptomatic patients in detail.

METHODOLOGY
DL diagnostic systems were deployed to assist in the screening of COVID-19, including the pneumonia system and pulmonary nodules system. 1,917 overseas returnees who underwent CT examination and rRT-PCR tests were enrolled. DL pneumonia system promptly alerted clinicians to suspected COVID-19 after CT examinations while the performance was evaluated with rRT-PCR results as the reference. The radiological features of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases were described according to the Nomenclature of the Fleischner Society.

RESULTS
Fifty-three cases were confirmed as COVID-19 patients by rRT-PCR tests, including 5 asymptomatic cases. DL pneumonia system correctly alerted 50 cases as suspected COVID-19 with a sensitivity of 0.9434 and specificity of 0.9592 (within 2 minutes per case); while the pulmonary nodules system alerted 2 of the 3 missed asymptomatic cases. Additionally, five asymptomatic patients presented different characteristics such as elevated creatine kinase level and prolonged prothrombin time, as well as atypical radiological features.

CONCLUSIONS
DL diagnostic systems are promising complementary approaches for prompt screening of imported COVID-19 patients, even the imported asymptomatic cases. Unique clinical and radiological characteristics of asymptomatic cases might be of great value in screening as well.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE
DL-based systems are practical, efficient, and reliable to assist radiologists in screening COVID-19 patients. Differential features of asymptomatic patients might be useful to clinicians in the frontline to differentiate asymptomatic cases.


The autoregressive moving average (ARMA) method is used to speed up the finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation. Adaptive technique proposed as adaptive s- parameter method, is applied for the selection of ARMA model parameters, specifically the selection of training sequence. It is shown that the proposed method is more practically useful in that it is not model-dependent. It has made the signal predictor more stable and feasible for general-purpose use in combined FDTD simulation and signal processing.


The technique of erythrocyte-mediated microinjection has been successfully adapted for use with cultured muscle cells. Erythrocytes were fused with primary chick myotube cultures with poly(ethylene glycol), and fluorescent antibodies to haemoglobin demonstrated that this protein was injected into the sarcoplasm of myotubes. The microinjection treatment did not significantly alter protein metabolism in the muscle cells as monitored by rates of synthesis and degradation of muscle proteins. 125I-labelled ribonuclease A and bovine serum albumin were degraded with the expected exponential decay kinetics after microinjection into muscle cells, and the half-life of ribonuclease A (40 h) was approximately twice that of bovine serum albumin (17 h). The degradation of ribonuclease A in the muscle cells was enhanced 1.6-fold in the absence of horse serum and chick-embryo extract, whereas the degradation of bovine serum albumin was not altered during deprivation. These results are characteristic of the breakdown of microinjected ribonuclease A and bovine serum albumin in other cell types. Therefore, our experiments indicate the erythrocyte-mediated microinjection is a valid technique to study protein degradation in primary chick muscle cultures.


Genome-wide scans for deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) are commonly applied to detect genotyping errors. In contrast to the autosomes, genotype frequencies on the X chromosome do not reach HWE within a single generation. Instead, if allele frequencies in males and females initially differ, they oscillate for a few generations towards equilibrium. Several populations world-wide have experienced recent sex-biased admixture, namely, their male and female founders differed in ancestry and thus in allele frequencies. Sex-biased admixture makes testing for HWE difficult on X, because deviations are naturally expected, even under random mating post-admixture and error-free genotyping. In this paper, we develop a likelihood ratio test and a χ2 test that detect deviations from HWE on X while allowing for natural deviations due to sex-biased admixture. We demonstrate by simulations that our tests are powerful for detecting deviations due to non-random mating, while at the same time they do not reject the null under historical sex-biased admixture and random mating thereafter. We also demonstrate that when applied to 1000 Genomes project populations (e.g., as a quality control step), our tests reject fewer SNPs (among those showing frequency differences between the sexes) than other tests.


The broad Mg ii line in quasars has distinct variability properties compared with broad Balmer lines: it is less variable and usually does not display a "breathing" mode, the increase in the average cloud distance when luminosity increases. We demonstrate that these variability properties of Mg ii can be reasonably well explained by simple locally optimally emitting cloud (LOC) photoionization models, confirming earlier photoionization results. In the fiducial LOC model, the Mg ii-emitting gas is on average more distant from the ionizing source than the Hα/Hβ gas and responds with a lower amplitude to continuum variations. If the broad-line region (BLR) is truncated at a physical radius of ∼0.3 pc (for a 108.5 M⊙ BH accreting at Eddington ratio of 0.1), most of the Mg ii flux will always be emitted near this outer boundary and hence will not display breathing. These results indicate that reverberation mapping results on broad Mg ii, while generally more difficult to obtain owing to the lower line responsivity, can still be used to infer the Mg ii BLR size and hence black hole mass. But it is possible that Mg ii does not have a well-defined intrinsic BLR size–luminosity relation for individual quasars, even though a global one for the general population may still exist. The dramatic changes in broad Hα/Hβ emission in the observationally rare changing-look quasars are fully consistent with photoionization responses to extreme continuum variability, and the LOC model provides natural explanations for the persistence of broad Mg ii in changing-look quasars defined on Hα/Hβ and the rare population of broad Mg ii emitters in the spectra of massive inactive galaxies.


Spin Wave Functions (SPWFs) realize computation with spin waves, offering several benefits and new features over CMOS. SPWF technology potentially opens up new directions for designing microprocessors with increased capabilities over current implementations. Towards this end, as a preliminary work an 8-bit embedded processor is explored here using SPWFs and evaluated in terms of its power, area and performance using analytical estimates. A CMOS 8-bit processor implemented in an equivalent technology node is synthesized with CAD tools for comparison. Estimates show that the SPWF processor can have up to 40x lower power and 27× smaller area, thus showing great potential for realizing game-changing microprocessors in future.


Not far from the BMJ, near the entrance hall of University College London, sits Jeremy Bentham, the great 18th century educator and benefactor—and the father of utilitarianism. His body was preserved on his own instruction as an "auto-icon" but his head, damaged in the preservation process and for a long time stored under his chair, is now locked away safe from student pranks. The head on his body is made of wax. Why do I mention all this? Because this week's journal echoes Bentham's philosophy—that our aim should be to acheive the greatest good for the greatest number of people. It's a philosophy that seems hard to argue against. But as articles in this week's journal show, the devil is in the detail. This week we publish the final two articles in the series on cost effective strategies for achieving the millennium development goals (p 1431, p 1457). As a means of deciding how to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number, you won't get much better than this—cost effectiveness analyses based on systematic reviews of randomised trials, in which the authors uniquely take into account the fact that interventions don't act in isolation. The good news is that there is no shortage of highly cost effective strategies for developing countries. The bad news is that there is a dire shortage of funds: $18.5bn, to be precise. Given this funding crisis, the authors have done the world an important service in identifying what to prioritise when resources are tight. As they say, governments and others will be more willing to give money if they think it will be used effectively. As a strategy for acheiving rational use of limited resources, it's hard to beat well trained and motivated generalists (p 1462). Broadly based diagnostic skills are, say Iona Heath and Kieran Sweeney, "a uniquely valuable healthcare commodity." The subtext of their article is that we undervalue these skills at our peril. And indeed, the United Kingdom's primary care led healthcare system is the envy of much of the world, as was confirmed to me at a meeting of our US advisers in Phoenix, Arizona, last week. Sadly though, the inverse care law is still with us (p 1449)—those in need are least likely to receive the best care—which means that interventions aimed at improving health for the poor tend to help the better off more. One solution for UK primary care, say Mackay and colleagues (p 1449), is to create the most attractive career opportunities where the need is greatest. For the wider world, there is no magic bullet for tackling inequity (the unrestrained market is certainly not one, p 1464, p 1483), but a new report from the World Bank provides many examples of how to reach the poor in different settings (p 1417). I started out on this column feeling rather gloomy, but summarising all this encouraging stuff has left me more optimistic. With all these good people arguing on the side of right, sense will surely prevail. Which means I can, with some relief, put aside the rather complicated picture I had in mind when I started—of Jeremy Bentham with his head in his hands.


Consumers are increasingly reluctant to share their personal data with businesses due to mounting concerns over privacy and control. Emerging privacy-enhancing technologies like multi-party computation (MPC), which allows generating insights while consumers retain data control, are challenging the current understanding of why consumers share their data. In this research-in-progress paper, we develop and evaluate an instrument and experimental design to investigate the impact of MPC on consumers' willingness to share data and its antecedents. Preliminary analysis from a pre-study (N=300) indicates a good fit for our model. Also, MPC enhances consumers' control and trust while reducing privacy concerns and risk, ultimately increasing data sharing willingness. The findings suggest that privacy-enhancing technologies significantly affect both the willingness to share data itself and its typical antecedents. The next step will conduct a large-scale online experiment using the developed instruments to evaluate further the impact of MPC on consumers' willingness to share data.


Observations were made on 65 species of Tipulidae found on the Moor Nature Conservancy Reserve, Westmorland, between 1953 and 1956. The larval habitats were recorded and a study was made of the abundance and seasonal distribution of adults. Particular attention was paid to the biology of two common species of Tipulidae namely Tipula subnodicornis Zett. which lives on peat moors and Tipula paludosa Meigen which lived in mineral soils, while a comparison was made between the latter species and the closely related species, Tipula oleracea, Meigen. A study of the egg production and mortality of the Meadow Pipit was carried out by means of ringing recoveries and nest record cards, particular attention being paid to the change in clutch size, nest mortality and time of breeding with an increase in altitude. The Meadow Pipit was studied at Moor House and particular attention was paid to its food supply. A study was made of feeding areas and the food which was brought to the young. It was concluded that the predation by the Meadow Pipit had little influence on the population of T. subnodicornis although this species and T. paludosa foiled the major part of the food brought to the nestlings.


The Central Dogma of Biology does not allow for the study of glycans using DNA sequencing. We report a "Liquid Glycan Array" (LiGA) platform comprising a library of DNA 'barcoded' M13 virions that display 30-1500 copies of glycans per phage. A LiGA is synthesized by acylation of phage pVIII protein with a dibenzocyclooctyne, followed by ligation of azido-modified glycans. Pulldown of the LiGA with lectins followed by deep sequencing of the barcodes in the bound phage decodes the optimal structure and density of the recognized glycans. The LiGA is target agnostic and can measure the glycan-binding profile of lectins such as CD22 on cells in vitro and immune cells in a live mouse. From a mixture of multivalent glycan probes, LiGAs identifies the glycoconjugates with optimal avidity necessary for binding to lectins on living cells in vitro and in vivo; measurements that cannot be performed with canonical glass slide-based glycan arrays.


Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is a complex viral agent that causes a variety of clinical manifestations in cats, commonly known as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). It is recognized that FCoV can occur in two different serotypes. However, differences in the S protein are much more than serological or antigenic variants, resulting in the effective presence of two distinct viruses. Here, we review the distinct differences in the S proteins of these viruses, which are likely to translate into distinct biological outcomes. We introduce a new concept related to the non-taxonomical classification and differentiation among FCoVs by analyzing and comparing the genetic, structural, and functional characteristics of FCoV and the FCoV S protein among the two serotypes and FCoV biotypes. Based on our analysis, we suggest that our understanding of FIP needs to consider whether the presence of these two distinct viruses has implications in clinical settings.


Purpose: To correlate sonographic findings of fetal developmental abnormalities resulting from chromosomal aberrations and structural anomalies in 2nd trimester. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Tertiary care centre.
Patients and Methods: Amid the reporting period from August 2007 to July 2014, prenatal fetal anomaly diagnosis in 9524 fetuses/babies were inspected and contrasted with post-natal diagnosis.
Results: Overall, 233 fetuses/babies had affirmed anomalies, prevalence 2.45%. Out of those fetuses/ babies, 22.31% (52/233) had chromosomal anomalies, prevalence 0.55%, and 78% (181/233) had ordinary chromosomes along with structural anomalies (major (43.64%; 79/181) and minor (56.35%; 102/181)), prevalence 1.9%. The affirmed anomalies distinguished prenatally were 102, giving a total sensitivity for prenatal fetal anomaly detection of 43.78% (102/233; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 37.31-49.98), specificity of 99.95%, PPV of 95.33% and NPV of 98.61%. The aggregate detection rate prior to 22 gestation weeks was 40.34% (94/233; 95% CI 33.99-46.95). The pre-natal detection rate of chromosomal anomalies was 61.5% (32/52) and for structural anomalies, 38.7% (70/181).
Conclusion: In a routine clinical setting at a hospital, half of major structural anomalies in fetuses with normal chromosomes are identified by standard ultrasound exam in 2nd trimester. Chromosomal anomalies have the greatest probability for prenatal detection; the greater part is diagnosed by amniocentesis prior to standard ultrasound exam in high-risk women.


The purpose of this paper is to analyse the findings of a study designed to prepare students, from a range of disciplines, to study for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in Higher Education (HE) for the first time. The paper draws upon data from open ended questionnaires with students, interviews with tutors and also on relevant secondary sources to demonstrate the importance of making use of pre-entry communication with students to support their transition. The notion of habitus can serve as a useful mechanism for understanding issues associated with transition. Bourdieu notes that when habitus encounters a social world of which it is the product, it finds itself 'as a fish in water'. Reversing Bourdieu's analogy, in their initial encounter with HE, some students may feel like a fish out of water. This study involved pre-entry students engaging in a module designed to allow them to begin to experience the new context, both academic and school, in which they would be immersed. It offered the opportunity for them to engage in academic assessment tasks and school based tasks to prepare them for the demands of the first year of their HE ITT degree Programme. The paper concludes that students undertook the module for specific personal and professional reasons and that engagement in the module impacted upon both their academic and school based learning. It raises the importance of students having access, in this case, to both the academic and professional habitus of their chosen degree programme and the paper is of relevance to all providers of HE and ITT.


As the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding, a surge in scams was registered across the globe. While COVID-19 poses higher health risks for older adults, it is unknown whether older adults are also facing higher financial risks as a result of COVID-19 scams. Here, we examined age differences in vulnerability to COVID-19 scams and individual difference measures (such as impulsivity, ad skepticism, and past experiences with fraud) that might help explain them. A lifespan sample (M = 48.03, SD = 18.56) of sixty-eight younger (18–40 years, M = 25.67, SD = 5.93), 79 middle-aged (41–64 years, M = 49.86, SD = 7.20), and 63 older adults (65–84 years, M = 69.87, SD = 4.50) recruited through Prolific completed questions and questionnaires online. In a within-subjects design, each participant responded to five COVID-19 solicitations, psychological measures, and demographic questions. Age group comparisons revealed that older adults were marginally less likely to perceive COVID-19 solicitations as genuine than middle-aged adults were. In addition, older adults perceived significantly fewer benefits than both younger and middle-aged adults did and perceived marginally higher risks than younger adults did. Hence, older adults did not exhibit greater vulnerability to COVID-19 scams. Regardless of age, intentions to respond to COVID-19 solicitations were positively predicted by higher levels of educational attainment, being married, past fraud victimization, and higher levels of positive urgency. As expected, stronger genuineness and benefit perceptions positively predicted action intentions, whereas stronger risk perceptions negatively predicted action intentions As such, COVID-19 scam susceptibility appears to be the result of a impulse control issue that is not easily inhibited, not even by past experiences of scam victimization.


The author proposes a technique called control and definition modularization (CDM), which derives a systematic program layout from a given structure chart using the concepts of 'control' and 'definition' modules. A control module includes processes for handling a conceptual data object not directly implementable. A definition module defines operations associated with a concrete data object implementable using a primitive or derived data type of a programming language. Grouping the operations available for each concrete data object, and keeping them separated from execution flow, improves programs maintainability. This technique extends the structured design methodology and provides designers with a systematic way of deriving informational strength modules as well as a structured physical layout from the structure chart. A program based on the CDM technique is easier to understand and maintain. This research makes a significant contribution toward bridging the gap between structured design and object-oriented concepts. >


The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of three‐dimensional (3D) scanning technologies for design and engineering courses. This paper will provide a comparative discussion of the current 3D scanning technologies; and then describes three experimental studies in engineering, transport design and fashion design. Using 3D scanner technology the experiments tested the transferral of a variety of different data from scanned organic 3D shapes to 3D CAD packages for learning and teaching in undergraduate education. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 263–271, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20213


Due to the increasing number of natural and technogenic disasters the development of geological environment monitoring system is actual one using modern mathematical tools and information technology. The local monitoring of potentially dangerous objects is an important part of the overall environment monitoring system.

The complex geophysical research was conducted on Rivne NPP area. The monitoring observations radioisotope study of soil density and humidity near the perimeter of buildings is of the greatest interest among these.

In this case a problem occurred to supplement simulated data that were received at the control of chalky strata density changes at the research industrial area with use of radioisotope methods on a grid that included 29 wells.

This problem was solved in this work by statistical simulation method that provides the ability to display values (the random field of a research object on a plane) in any point of the monitoring area. The chalk strata averaged density at the industrial area was simulated using the built model and the involvement optimal in the mean square sense Whittle-Matern type correlation function.

In this paper the method is used and the model and procedure were developed with enough adequate data for Whittle-Matern type correlation function.

The model and algorithm were developed and examples of karst-suffusion phenomena statistical simulation were given in the problem of density chalk strata monitoring at the Rivne NPP area. The statistical model of averaged density chalk strata distribution was built in the plane and statistical simulation algorithm was developed using Whittle-Matern type correlation function on the basis of spectral decomposition. The research subject realizations were obtained with required detail and regularity at the observation grid based on the developed software. Statistical analysis of the numerical simulation results was done and tested for its adequacy.


In this article author makes comparison of prices on electric power between middle industrial enterprises and popularity in Russia and EU countries and USA. Comparison is made in euro at the exchange rate of the Central Bank considering purchasing power parity of average currency of EU and USA in accordance with economic science. The author also compares ruble prices for EU countries and USA. The article indicates comparable energy prices for Russian thermal power stations is significantly lower than for European stations. In this way gas price for Russian consumers is lower by 60 % and price on energy coal is 10% lower. And at the same time electricity price for industrial enterprises in Russia is by 33% higher than in EU countries and in 2,5 higher than in USA (excluding VAT and other special taxes on electricity for the end consumers).


The monthly/seasonal variability in net community production (NCP) is controlled by the monsoon either through increasing nutrients to the euphotic zone or an increase in river runoff in the northern Indian Ocean. Net autotrophy was found during the southwest monsoon (SWM) in the Arabian Sea, and heterotrophy was found during the spring and fall intermonsoon periods. Large spatial variability in NCP occurs in the Arabian Sea, with dominant autotrophy in the west and heterotrophy in the eastern Arabian Sea. Differential monsoon forcing in these two regions might cause such variability. In contrast to the Arabian Sea, net heterotrophy is noticed during the SWM in the Bay of Bengal when peak river discharge occurs. The bacterial biomass and production rates were found to be higher during the SWM in the northern Bay of Bengal and strongly suggest that enhanced bacterial respiration could be possible during the SWM, resulting in net heterotrophy. On the basis of the sediment trap data, it was suggested that enhanced river discharge increases particles sinking rates to the deep sea, therefore, removing atmospheric CO 2 . On the contrary, increased river discharge leads to heterotrophy because of enhanced community respiration, resulting in higher surface pCO 2 above the atmospheric levels and thus flux to the atmosphere during the SWM in the Bay of Bengal. The annual mean NCP to the northern Indian Ocean estimated by different models amounts to 300―318 Tg C. If the entire NCP sinks to the aphotic zone, on an annual scale, it is sufficient to support bacterial carbon demand in the deep ocean.


This article assesses the implications of the EU Biofuels Directive (BFD) using a computable general equilibrium framework with endogenous land supply. The results show that, without policy intervention to stimulate the use of biofuel crops, the targets of the BFD will not be met. With the BFD, the enhanced demand for biofuel crops has a strong impact on agriculture globally and within Europe, leading to an increase in land use. On the other hand, the long-term declining trend in real agricultural prices may slow down or even reverse.


We describe the origin and the transformation of a single neuron, the H cell, which assumes two different roles during grasshopper embryogenesis. The H cell originates from the single cell division of midline precursor 3 (MP3). In the metathoracic (T3) segment, the H cell first appears as one of a pair of central pioneer fibers and later transforms into an unpaired identified neuron. During the course of its transformation, the H cell loses its original morphology and acquires new morphological and physiological properties. The H cell acquires many of the same phenotypes as the first progeny of the median neuroblast (MNB); the processes of the first MNB progeny contact the soma of the H cell and these cells are electrically coupled prior to the H cell transformation.


Nearly 75% of marine fish stocks are overexploited and management based on sound science is needed to promote stock recovery and sustainability. Understanding recruitment, the number of fish entering the fishable stock every year, is key to sustainable management strategies. This thesis addressed the need for investigation of the spatial and temporal variability of the processes driving recruitment variability of commercially important fish species in the North Sea. In Chapter 4, a solid basis for analyses of the spatial and temporal variability of North Sea hydrography was produced. A physical-statistical model (Adjusted Hydrography Optimal Interpolation, AHOI) was developed to produce gridded hydrography based on available oceanographic observations. The AHOI was applied to produce high-resolution (0.2° x 0.2°) monthly maps of temperature and salinity in the North Sea for the period between 1948 and 2013. The accuracy of 0.3 °C for temperature and 0.1 for salinity maps was assessed. The AHOI dataset was made freely available for the scientific community to promote its use in ecosystem-related studies.
In Chapter 5, the AHOI maps were used to explore how the environment influences the biomass and reproduction of nine commercially important fish species in the North Sea. The stocks examined were: Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), Norway Pout (Trisopterus esmarkii), whiting (Merlangius merlangus), common sole (Solea solea), and saithe (Pollachius virens). Spatially-explicit cross-correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between water temperature in the north-western North Sea and herring spawning stock biomass, and a negative correlation between temperature in the southern North Sea and the pre-recruitment survival index of sole. A positive correlation was found between water salinity and the spawning stock biomass and recruitment of sprat. Moreover, the results of Chapter 5 confirmed known relationships between recruitment of cod and plaice with water temperature. Plaice recruitment was found to correlate with temperature in the southern North Sea, whereas the strongest correlation between log-transformed cod recruitment and water temperature was found in the north-western North Sea, in the region of the Atlantic Water inflow. These findings pointed out the importance of the Atlantic Inflow for the recruitment dynamics of North Sea cod. A novel statistical method of incorporation of environmental covariates into stock-recruitment models used in fishery management was proposed using an example of North Sea cod.
Starvation and predation during cod early-life stages (ELSs) have been previously suggested to be the main regulators of cod recruitment in the North Sea. It was tested in Chapter 6 whether temperature-induced changes in the consumption rate of the main predators on cod ELSs can cause the observed relationships between recruitment and temperature. A biophysical model was developed to study the interplay between temperature-dependent growth and mortality rates of cod ELSs. It was demonstrated that cod early-life stages profit from warmer ambient temperatures only if the ratio between the temperature coefficients for the rate of growth and the rate of predator consumption exceeds 1. The findings of Chapter 6, even though being obtained only for North Sea cod, contributed to the "growth-survival" paradigm, one of the main hypotheses of the fish early-life stages biology.
In Chapter 7, the biophysical model was further developed to study other factors controlling the strength of predation mortality of cod ELSs in the North Sea. A spatially-explicit predator consumption was included in the mortality term based on the observed abundance, diet and distribution of the predators listed above. The model results showed that including realistic predation in the biophysical model altered substantially not only the spatial pattern of cod ELS survival but also the mean survival and its temporal variability. The sensitivity experiments showed that the variability of the spatiotemporal overlap between cod ELSs and their predators is an important driver of the inter-annual variability of the survival of cod ELSs in the North Sea.
Developing a biophysical model with realistic predator fields was an important step towards understanding how variability in predation mortality of ELSs may control the stock dynamics of Atlantic cod in the North Sea. The tools and concepts developed here are readily transferable to other data-rich systems and stocks. The results of this thesis will form a useful contribution to the scientific advice for cod fishery management and marine spatial planning in the North Sea.


Colorectal cancer is a serious health problem in which screening is capable of reducing both the mortality and the incidence of the disorder. Colonoscopy, the mainstay of this type of screening, allows to establish an early diagnosis and also to eliminate malignant precursor lesions. The screening test which is performed in Spanish programs is the determination of fecal occult blood using the immunochemical method which gives around 70% of positive values for colonoscopy for any type of neoplasia. As a result, in 2009 the National Health System set as an objective that these programs cover 50% of the population by 2015. It is well known that colon screening is highly cost effective with a ratio of around 2500€ per QALY, much lower than ratios of other programs. Only the direct costs of colon and rectal cancer in Spain can be estimated at more than one thousand million euros per year. Early diagnosis and the cancers avoided thanks to screening can reduce these costs by 40%. The impact that the introduction of this screening has on health services can be lessened if the indications for colonoscopy are followed adequately. In conclusion, there is no justification for not acting to prevent CRC and this is especially so in times of crisis as there is no better social cost invested than that which saves suffering, deathsand even money.


Luoranen, J., Rikala, R., Konttinen, K. & Smolander, H. 2005. Extending the planting period of dormant and growing Norway spruce container seedlings to early summer. Silva Fennica 39(4): 481–496. In order to make mechanized planting economically viable, the present spring planting period for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings in Scandinavia needs to be extended. To evaluate the possibilities to extend the planting period, six field experiments were established in four years during which frozen-stored, dormant seedlings and actively growing seedlings targeted for spring planting were planted regularly from mid-May to mid-July or the end of August. The survival of actively growing seedlings did not differ between planting dates from mid-May to mid-July. For dormant seedlings, however, the later in summer they were planted the lower was the survival. Oversized seedlings grown in the nursery in containers of too small volume, which were usually planted after mid-June, resulted in reduced growth of seedlings after planting. Root egress (growth of roots from root plugs into the surrounding soil) was most rapid in July and early August and slowest in May and September. Results showed that with dormant seedlings the planting period can be extended from May to mid-June without increasing mortality or reducing growth. The planting period for seedlings stored outdoors and those seedlings that were already growing in June for the purpose of spring plantings can be extended even longer, but it must be kept in mind that the risk of mechanical damage and reduced growth increase due to brittleness of the shoot and increased height. Further research is needed to evaluate the risks in practical scale plantings and with seedlings that are specially targeted for


The international space community, including National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japanese National Space Agency (NASDA) and others, are committed to using the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) recommendations for low earth orbiting satellites. With the advent of the CCSDS standards and the availability of direct broadcast data from a number of current and future spacecraft, a large number of users could have access to earth science data. However, to allow for the largest possible user base, the cost of processing this data must be as low as possible. By utilizing Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), pipelined data processing, and advanced software development technology and tools, highly integrated CCSDS data processing can be attained in a single desktop system. This paper describes a prototype desktop system based on the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus that performs CCSDS standard frame synchronization, bit transition density decoding, Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) error checking, ReedSolomon decoding, data unit sorting, packet extraction, annotation and other CCSDS service processing. Also discussed is software technology used to increase the flexibility and usability of the desktop system. The reproduction cost for the system described is less than 1/8th the current cost of commercially available CCSDS data processing systems.


Diabesity is a modern epidemic, which indicates the co-existence of both diabetes and obesity. Linked by various pathophysiological mechanisms, revolving around insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia, diabesity has important diagnostic and therapeutic implications. This review describes the important associations of diabesity, and highlights the various ono-pharmacological and pharmacological methods of management. It makes a strong call for utilising indigenous, low cost means of enhancing healthy dietary and physical activity habits.


The effect of glucagon on the results of intravenous cholangio-cholecystography (IVC) was studied in a randomised trial on 246 patients. The injection of 1 mg. glucagon increased the speed of contrast excretion from the liver. This led to a significantly quicker demonstration of the gallbladder, with a tendency to more rapid filling of the biliary ducts. In patients with hyperbilirubinaemia there were somewhat fewer negative cholangiograms and significantly fewer negative cholecystograms. Considering the patients as a whole, the use of glucagon has the advantage of reducing the time taken for the examination and of a reduction of negative IVCs. Since glucagon has practically no side effects, our experience suggests that it can be recommended as an adjuvant to IVC. Improvements in IVCs are particularly significant since they are now only used for special indications.


This article discusses the use of OpSite Plus (formerly known as OpSite Post-Op ) in the community setting. This semi permeable film dressing with an absorbent pad was evaluated by the community hospital and by practice and district nurses within Plymouth's NHS Primary Care Trust.


Objective To examine the effect of COVID-19 on treatment adherence and self-reported sleep duration among patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) treated with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. Methods Retrospective review of medical records of patients seen in Sleep and Circadian Clinic at Brigham Health during the immediate period of one month after the national lockdown was announced on March 15, 2020. Patients with OSA were included only if PAP adherence data was available in the 12- months prior and in the month after the lockdown. Patients with other sleep disorders and OSA patients without the adherence data were excluded. Results Mean age was 63.5 +/- 13.9 years, 55% of the participants were men, and mean BMI was 31.8 +/- 7.9 kg/m2. Severe OSA was noted among 59.5% compared to 29.3% moderate, and 11.2% mild OSA. Increased number of patients reported insomnia after the lockdown (41% vs 48%, p= 0.02). Gender stratification noted worsening insomnia only among women. There was no significant difference in PAP adherence as measured by the hours of use, self-reported sleep duration or in the use of sleep medications. Conclusion Post COVID-19 lockdown had a negative impact on sleep as evidenced by increased reporting of insomnia particularly among women, but no impact on PAP adherence or self-reported sleep duration.


To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the association between poorer working memory performance and higher body mass index (BMI) in children. We employed structural-(sMRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a 2-back working memory task to examine brain abnormalities and their associations with BMI and working memory performance in 232 children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) and 244 normal weight children (NW) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development dataset. OW/OB had lower working memory accuracy, which was associated with higher BMI. They showed smaller gray matter (GM) volumes in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG_L), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbital frontal cortex, and medial superior frontal gyrus, which were associated with lower working memory accuracy. During the working memory task, OW/OB relative to NW showed weaker activation in the left superior temporal pole, amygdala, insula, and bilateral caudate. In addition, caudate activation mediated the relationship between higher BMI and lower working memory accuracy. Higher BMI is associated with smaller GM volumes and weaker brain activation in regions involved with working memory. Task-related caudate dysfunction may account for lower working memory accuracy in children with higher BMI.


This research is motivated by the efforts of the Bandung City Government in improving the quality of health services that have been conducted conventionally, citizens must visit a health facility to be served. The problems of a city, especially the city of Bandung have developed so complex that conventional solutions are often not able to overcome the problems in health care, so more innovative solutions are needed to solve health service problems in Bandung. The innovation was named Layad Rawat. Through this program, Bandung City has sought to improve health services and facilitate community needs. Data collection techniques, carried out by in-depth interviews with the Department of Health and UPT P2KT, official regulations. The results showed the Layad Rawat program was accordance with best practice criteria, seen from the results of the program, partnerships with the private sector, the role of mayor Bandung city, equality to access services, sustainability, and adoption by other regions . Through Layad Rawat, people in Bandung City no longer have difficulty in getting access to health services, only calling the Call Center 119. Layad Rawat innovation practices in improving the quality of health services in Bandung City is the best solution in responding the problems.
Keywords: Innovation, Health Service, Layad Rawat


Recent times have seen data analytics software applications become an integral part of the decision-making process of analysts. The users of these software applications generate a vast amount of unstructured log data. These logs contain clues to the user intentions, which traditional recommender systems may find difficult to model implicitly from the log data. With this assumption, we would like to assist the analytics process of a user through command recommendations. We categorize the commands into software and data categories based on their purpose to fulfill the task at hand. On the premise that the sequence of commands leading up to a data command is a good predictor of the latter, we design, develop, and validate various sequence modeling techniques. In this paper, we propose a framework to provide intent-driven data command recommendations to the user by leveraging unstructured logs. We use the log data of a web-based analytics software to train our neural network models and quantify their performance, in comparison to relevant and competitive baselines. We propose a custom loss function to tailor the recommended data commands according to the intent provided exogenously. We also propose an evaluation metric that captures the degree of intent orientation of the recommendations. We demonstrate the promise of our approach by evaluating the models with the proposed metric and showcasing the robustness of our models in the case of adversarial examples, where the intent input is misaligned with the user activity.


The main purpose of this Study is to recognize and evaluate the environmental impacts of aquifer depletion in Jiroft plain in Kerman Province, Iran, during several past years and Prediction of the future status. In this regard, all relevant data, including meteorological, hydrological, hydrogeological, geological, and geographical data have been gathered and evaluated. Isocheimal maps and groundwater table maps of this plain were drawn using ArcGIS software. Accordingly the over-extraction, water table decline rate, excess discharge, as well as chemical changes of aquifers has been determined. Assuming that the past and present trends would continue in the future, the status of aquifers fot the next 10 years has been determined. Results indicated that the overdraft has led to several environmental impacts including groundwater quality variation, increase in energy consumption for groundwater extraction, enhancement of susceptibility to drought, ground subsidence, the occurrence of cracks and joints in buildings, etc. If no drastic actions are taken, the plain will not only be faced with much more severe environmental impacts, but will also encounter economical and social problems.


Mycobacteria cause a variety of diseases, such as tuberculosis, leprosy, and opportunistic diseases in immunocompromised people. The treatment of these diseases is problematic, necessitating the development of novel treatment strategies. Recently, β-carbonic anhydrases (β-CAs) have emerged as potential drug targets in mycobacteria. The genomes of mycobacteria encode for three β-CAs that have been cloned and characterized from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and the crystal structures of two of the enzymes have been determined. Different classes of inhibitor molecules against Mtb β-CAs have subsequently been designed and have been shown to inhibit these mycobacterial enzymes in vitro. The inhibition of these centrally important mycobacterial enzymes leads to reduced growth of mycobacteria, lower virulence, and impaired biofilm formation. Thus, the inhibition of β-CAs could be a novel approach for developing drugs against the severe diseases caused by pathogenic mycobacteria. In the present article, we review the data related to in vitro and in vivo inhibition studies in the field.


Topics include: NASA TU Services; New Product Ideas; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Life Sciences Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences.


The existing modern conceptual approaches to the formation of an assessment of the natural gas consumption strategy in the steel industry do not allow assessing comprehensively all the processes that occur in the enterprise affecting the efficiency of natural gas consumption. Due to the fact that natural gas acts an important role as a universal energy resource, both in the economy and in international politics, the modern strategy for assessing the consumption of natural gas in the steel industry is becoming a key factor in increasing competitiveness and guaranteeing sustainable economic growth of the country's steel industry.
The article proposes a conceptual approach to the development of the model in order to assess the strategy of natural gas consumption at iron and steel enterprises, which allows timely management decisions to be taken to increase the organization of efficient energy consumption at the enterprise.
Based on the proposed conceptual approach to assessing the strategy of natural gas consumption at the iron and steel industry, it can be stated that this assessment is interconnected with the assessment of the integral criterion for the implementation of the goals of organizing effective energy management.