The improved element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method of elasticity is used to solve the topology optimization problems. In this method, the improved moving least-squares approximation is used to form the shape function. In a topology optimization process, the entire structure volume is considered as the constraint. From the solid isotropic microstructures with penalization, we select relative node density as a design variable. Then we choose the minimization of compliance to be an objective function, and compute its sensitivity with the adjoint method. The IEFG method in this paper can overcome the disadvantages of the singular matrices that sometimes appear in conventional element-free Galerkin (EFG) method. The central processing unit (CPU) time of each example is given to show that the IEFG method is more efficient than the EFG method under the same precision, and the advantage that the IEFG method does not form singular matrices is also shown.


Four cases of this carcinoma have been examined by cytologic and histologic methods and electron microscopy. The tumor may be diagnosed by light optics, and electron microscopy is highly effective here too. Examinations of the tumor and metastases puncture biopsy specimens permit the detection of undifferentiated small-cell carcinoma before the treatment.


Cooperation among individual caches has proven to be an effective strategy to improve the scalability and performance of edge cache networks delivering dynamic Web content. To date, research in the area of cooperative edge caching has mainly focused on serving client requests and maintaining freshness of cached documents. However, designing mechanisms to effectively manage the available resources is an important challenge that can have significant impact on the performance of an edge cache network. In this paper we propose a novel data placement scheme, called the utility-based placement scheme, which is not only sensitive to the ongoing cooperation in the edge cache but also takes into account the various costs and benefits of storing a data-item at an individual edge cache. At the heart of proposed scheme is a utility function that quantifies the usefulness of storing a data-item at a particular edge cache. Experiments show that the proposed scheme provides significant performance benefits


This study uses data on consumer credit provided by a German retail and trading company along with generalized additive models to analyze nonlinear relationships and their effect on predicting the probability of default in the context of consumer credit scoring. In particular, this study examines which aspects of the contract and which characteristics of the debtor are nonlinearly related to the probability that specific debtors will default on the loans they are seeking to obtain. The findings of our analysis provide clear empirical evidence that certain contract and debtor characteristics have nonlinear and nonmonotonic effects on the probability that a specific debtor will default on their consumer credit. The results of our analysis and the forms that these nonlinear relationships take are interpreted with regard to their economic relevance. Specifically, the study shows that the nonlinear relationships identified are economically relevant because they take into account the costs of a range of misclassification errors. On the basis of this evidence, the study recommends that analysts include nonlinear relationships in the models they design to predict consumer default, although including such relationships increases the complexity of the models that are applied for this purpose.


Today, it is said that the participation women's labor force has been increased. According to the last announced statistics of Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI), the participation of labor force in higher graduates (university) rate is 83.9% in men, 70.7% in women. Although, the numbers indicate a brilliant picture, the problems of women's labor force are continuing enduringly. Women's working life is interrupted by discrimination and segregation which made an impression in whole society and pushed them back. This case, especially, is found its counter in top level management in the public institutions. Discrimination and segregation can be seen both in the public sector and private sector. It is thought that discrimination and segregation may be seen lesser in public sector. However it is not true. Maybe these circumstances can be seen in the public sector, especially in the art sector, one of which is very dependent on government's applications. Due to the fact that the government's political aspects directly affects the working conditions and managerial positions. While doing this study, it will try to put forward a picture of Ankara State Opera and Ballet (ASOB), if those concepts mentioned (discrimination & segregation) have not occurred in this institution's top-level management. This study will be analyzed starting with discrimination and segregation concepts why women face some difficulties in working life. Then, it will be examined by the relationship between discrimination and segregation and hegemony and ideology concepts. Consequently, it will try to understand why women entrepreneurship comes in the most important place in ASOB rather than the top managerial positions.


AbstractThe pulsating combustion process has attracted interest in current research because its application in energy generation can offer several advantages, such as fuel economy, reduced pollutants formation, increased rate of convective heat transfer and reduced investment, when compared with other new techniques of combustion. An experimental study has been conducted with the objective of investigating the effects of combustion driven acoustic oscillations in the emission rates of combustion gases, especially carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and soot presence in partial premixed flames in confined partially premixed liquefied petroleum gas flames. The results basically showed that a more uniform fuel/air mixture due to the presence of an acoustic field increases the NOx emissions in operations close to stoichiometric equivalence ratios and the frequency is the most important parameter. Carbon monoxide and soot reduced significantly.


This paper is focused on the Residual Distribution (RD) interpretation of the Do-4 brev et al. scheme [Dobrev et al., SISC, 2012] for the numerical solution of the Euler equations 5 in Lagrangian form. The first ingredient of the original scheme is the staggered grid formulation 6 which uses continuous node-based finite element approximations for the kinematic variables and cell-7 centered discontinuous finite elements for the thermodynamic parameters. The second ingredient of 8 the Dobrev et al. scheme is an artificial viscosity technique applied in order to make possible the 9 computation of strong discontinuities. The aim of this paper is to provide an efficient mass matrix 10 diagonalization method in order to avoid the inversion of the global sparse mass matrix while keep-11 ing all the accuracy properties and to construct a parameter-free stabilization of the scheme to get 12 rid of the artificial viscosity. In addition, we study the conservation and entropy properties of the 13 constructed RD scheme. To demonstrate the robustness of the proposed RD scheme, we solve several 14 one-dimensional shock tube problems from rather mild to very strong ones. This paper also illus-15 trates a general technique that enables, from a non conservative formulation of a system that has a 16 conservative formulation, how to design a numerical approximation that will provably give sequences 17 of solution converging to a weak solution of the problem. This enable to use directly variables that 18 are more pertinent, from an engineering point of view, than the standard conserved variables: here 19 the specific internal energy. 20


Abstract The aim of this work was to assess how forest ecosystems dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) or European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) affect snow water equivalent (SWE) in relation to aspect and elevation. The research plots were established in a small headwater watershed of the Hučava flow belonging to the Poľana Biosphere Reserve (Central Europe, Inner Western Carpathians). The SWE values in this watershed (approximately 580–1270 m a.s.l.) were monitored during the three winter seasons starting from 2012–2013 to 2014–2015. The results revealed high variability in SWE and in snow cover duration between the studied seasons. The spatial variability was significantly affected by the forest ecosystem, aspect and elevation. The seasonal mean SWE value was lower by about 50–60% in the spruce forests and by about 21–30% in the beech forests compared to the open areas (100%). Over the whole seasons, the whole watershed mean SWE value on the slopes with the northern aspect was mostly higher compared to the slopes with the southern aspect. The effect of aspect was significant mainly in the open areas and in the forests dominated by European beech during the ablation periods of every season. In the case of the sufficient snow cover, the mean SWE value always increased with elevation. The elevation gradient of SWE was steepest at the open areas of the watershed in the peaks of the winter seasons. The three-season mean value of SWE elevation gradient (per 100 m) at the time of snow accumulation peak was equal to 16 mm in the spruce forests, 20 mm in the beech forests and 26 mm in the open areas. The research revealed that SWE is significantly affected by the forest ecosystem whilst its effect is dependent on the occurrence of dominant deciduous or coniferous tree species. However, the effect of forests is closely related to topographic characteristics (aspect and elevation) of a locality.


The majority of inactivating mutations of p53 reside in the central core DNA binding domain of the protein. In this computational study, we investigated the structural effects of a novel p53 mutation (G389E), identified in a patient with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which is located within the extreme C-terminal domain (CTD) of p53, an unstructured, flexible region (residues 367–393) of major importance for the regulation of the protein. Based on the three-dimensional structure of a carboxyl-terminal peptide of p53 in complex with the S100B protein, which is involved in regulation of the tumor suppressor activity, a model of wild type (WT) and mutant extreme CTD was developed by molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulation. It was found that the G389E amino acid replacement has negligible effects on free p53 in solution whereas it significantly affects the interactions of p53 with the S100B protein. The results suggest that the observed mutation may interfere with p53 transcription activation and provide useful information for site-directed mutagenesis experiments.


3D face recognition is becoming a viable alternative to traditional 2D face recognition. It is more robust in terms of changed lighting and rotation of the face. The RealSense SR300 is a depth camera which makes use of structured light. It acquires the depth data using an infrared projector and camera. This paper presents a method to create a 3D point cloud of a face using this camera. Several settings in the software environment are treated to obtain an image with the best quality. Measurements are done on the depth resolution and the per-pixel depth deviation. A Face verification algorithm is used to assess the quality of the generated point cloud and determine a relation between False Accept Rate and Verification Rate using two depth images of 22 subjects. The effects of lighting conditions and the distance between a subject and the camera are tested. The depth resolution is very dependent on the distance between subject and camera and is optimal at 25 cm. The perpixel depth deviation is deemed too small to have a large impact at close distances. At larger distances averaging of multiple frames is suggested. Using the verification algorithm, a VR of 0.991 is found at FAR=0. At FAR=0.05 the VR = 1. The camera performs very poorly in outside conditions but can achieve acceptable results when increasing the projector brightness. Inside, the best results are achieved with a lower projector brightness. The maximum distance between the camera and the subject is 40 cm. Beyond this length, the face model becomes unreliable in terms of verification. This method enables the RealSense SR300 to be used as a reliable, cheap face recognition system for any indoor applications. As this camera comes built into various laptops and tablets, it can be used for various security applications. Several potential recommendations for further research are given to increase the performance of the camera.


We propose a subspace-based blind channel estimation method for space-time coded OFDM system. Using only the redundancy induced by OFDM modulation and space-time block coding (STBC), channel state information (CSI) can be blindly estimated up to two scalar ambiguities, even with single receiving antenna. Compared with other blind channel estimation method for space time OFDM systems, this method needs neither pre-coding nor over-sampling, and thus has higher system data rate and lower complexity


OBJECT
The surgical approach and treatment of thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral collapse with neurological deficit have not been documented in detail. Anterior surgery provides good decompression and solid fusion, but the surgery-related risk is relatively higher than that associated with the posterior approach. In posterior surgery, the major problem after posterior correction and instrumentation is failure to support the anterior spinal column, leading to loss of correction of kyphosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of reinforcing short-segment posterior fixation with vertebroplasty and to compare the outcome with those of posterior surgery without vertebroplasty and anterior surgery, retrospectively.

METHODS
The authors studied 83 patients who underwent surgical treatment for a single thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral collapse with neurological deficit. Twenty-eight patients treated by posterior surgery combined with vertebroplasty (Group A), 25 patients treated by posterior surgery without vertebroplasty (Group B), and 30 patients treated by anterior surgery (Group C) were followed up for a mean postoperative period of 4.4 years. Neurological outcome, visual analog scale pain score, and radiographic results were compared in the 3 groups.

RESULTS
Postoperative (4-6 weeks) and follow-up neurological outcome and visual analog scale scores were not significantly different among the 3 groups. Postoperative kyphotic angle was significantly reduced in Group B compared with Group C (p = 0.007), whereas the kyphotic angle was not significantly different among the 3 groups at follow-up. The mean ± SD loss of correction at follow-up was 4.6° ± 4.5°, 8.6° ± 6.2°, and 4.5° ± 5.9° in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. The correction loss at follow-up in Group B was significantly higher compared with Groups A and C (p = 0.0171 and p = 0.0180, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that additional reinforcement with vertebroplasty reduces the kyphotic loss and instrumentation failure, compared with patients without the reinforcement of vertebroplasty. Vertebroplasty-augmented short-segment fixation seems to offer immediate spinal stability in patients with thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral collapse; the effect seems equivalent to that of anterior reconstruction.


We describe a kinetic immunonephelometric method for the determination of fibronectin in human plasma, used with the Beckman ICS rate nephelometer. The method is rapid and cost-effective. Two commercially available controls stated by the manufacturer to contain 200 and 295 mg/L were found to contain 198 and 290 mg/L, respectively. Mean analytical recovery was 104%. Within-run precision (CV) for normal samples was 3.8%, between-day precision 5.1%. For samples containing subnormal concentrations of fibronectin, these figures were 3.8% and 6.7%, respectively. Results by the method described here agreed and correlated well with those by a commercially available turbidimetric assay. With appropriately diluted samples, the range of measurement is 40 to 1000 mg/L. Normal values for women and men were 286 (SD 84) and 340 (SD 55) mg/L, respectively, in good agreement with values published by others.


Although in the last few decades scholars have dedicated much attention to the juridical world and the academic environment of Bologna and its flourishing university in the second half of the thirteenth century, totally uncharted territory are the connections between Guido Guinizzelli di Magnano (1230s–1276), judge, prosecutor, and one of the main literary references of the upcoming Dolce Stilnovo, and the professional activity of Taddeo Alderotti (1206/1215–1295), the catalyst of the new scientific trends of the Bolognese medical school. Guido Guinizzelli's canzone "Al cor gentil" offers a groundbreaking theory of nobility that philosophically conflates love with nobility. This article argues that the philosophical progress of the canzone presents an understanding of medical and scientific terminology that must be put in contact with Taddeo and his interest in Avicenna's medical philosophy. Guinizzelli's correspondence between love and nobility is nurtured by Avicenna's increasingly popular doctrine of forma specifica, which structures the reasoning and the examples of the vernacular poem. Guinizzelli therefore frames the idea of nobility in the heart of the lover as the forma specifica of the noble man, and conceives the lady as the divine intelligence that reduces to act his potentiality.


Human heartbeat can be measured using several different ways appropriately based on the patient condition which includes contact base such as measured by using instruments and non-contact base such as computer vision assisted techniques. Non-contact based approached are getting popular due to those techniques are capable of mitigating some of the limitations of contact-based techniques especially in clinical section. However, existing vision guided approaches are not able to prove high accurate result due to various reason such as the property of camera, illumination changes, skin tones in face image, etc. We propose a technique that uses video as an input and returns pulse rate in output. Initially, key point detection is carried out on two facial subregions: forehead and nose-mouth. After removing unstable features, the temporal filtering is applied to isolate frequencies of interest. Then four component analysis methods are employed in order to distinguish the cardiovascular pulse signal from extraneous noise caused by respiration, vestibular activity and other changes in facial expression. Afterwards, proposed peak detection technique is applied for each component which extracted from one of the four different component selection algorithms. This will enable to locate the positions of peaks in each component. Proposed automatic components selection technique is employed in order to select an optimal component which will be used to calculate the heartbeat. Finally, we conclude with comparison of four component analysis methods (PCA, FastICA, JADE, SHIBBS), processing face video datasets of fifteen volunteers with verification by an ECG/EKG Workstation as a ground truth.


Macro-operators (macros) are a well-known technique for enhancing performance of planning engines by providing "short-cuts" in the state space. Existing macro learning systems usually generate macros by considering most frequent action sequences in training plans. Unfortunately, frequent action sequences might not capture meaningful activities as a whole, leading to a limited beneficial impact for the planning process.
In this paper, inspired by resource locking in critical sections in parallel computing, we propose a technique that generates macros able to capture whole activities in which limited resources (e.g., a robotic hand, or a truck) are used. Specifically, such a Critical Section macro starts by locking the resource (e.g., grabbing an object), continues by using the resource (e.g., manipulating the object) and finishes by releasing the resource (e.g., dropping the object). Hence, such a macro bridges states in which the resource is locked and cannot be used. We also introduce versions of Critical Section macros dealing with multiple resources and phased locks. Usefulness of macros is evaluated using a range of state-of-the-art planners, and a large number of benchmarks from the deterministic and learning tracks of recent editions of the International Planning Competition.


Abstract Late in his life Rodin produced many thousand "instant drawings." He asked models to make natural energetic movements, and he would draw them at high speed without looking at his hand or paper. To help understand his "blind drawing" process, the authors tracked the eye and hand movements of art students while they drew blind, copying complex lines presented to them as static images. The study found that line shape was correctly reproduced, but scaling could show major deficiencies not seen in Rodin's sketches. The authors propose that Rodin's direct vision-to-motor strategy, coupled with his high expertise, allowed him to accurately depict in one sweep the entire model, without "thoughts arresting the flow of sensations."


In the context of future scientific oceanic observatories, this work concerns the development of a UHF radio antenna compatible with deep underwater transmissions. It aims to allow rapid transmission of large size files and real-time video. The solution under development is based on a radiating excitation isolated from the sea water by a buffer. The system presents several advantages: lack of sensitivity to sea water variability, robustness to axial rotation and to alignment between emitter and receiver, and ease of integration into classic underwater equipment. First measurements on a simple prototype present a bandwidth of 70 MHz around 2.4 GHz, appropriate for Wi-Fi communications.


A Bouguer anomaly map of Raguba oil field and the surrounding areas is presented and interpreted. The main features of the map are: (1) A belt of positive anomalies approaching Bouguer values of 3 mgal in the field area then increasing up to 9 mgal toward the northwest. (2) Negative Bouguer values of −20 mgal on the east and west sides and a negative value of −13 mgal on the northeast side of the field. (3) Steep anomaly gradients trending north‐south on both sides of the field. To the north, the trend takes a northwest direction. (4) All these anomalies are superimposed on a regional trend of 0.16 mgal/km negative toward the south. The positive belt is interpreted as a horst structure characterized by crystalline basement at shallow depths. The negative anomalies are due to the density contrast between the sediments and the basement. Structural sections along certain profiles are presented and used for constructing gravity models calculated by computer.


"Statistical observation of success (monitoring) has gained importance again in recent years; in the case of some providers of further vocational training this has arisen under the influence of quality management, and in labour administration as a result of the trend towards final programming, which is to be supported in future by 'integration results'. On the basis of a data record of the people leaving day measures of occupational rehabilitation in Bavaria from 1988 to 1995, a report is made of methods and results from the internal statistical monitoring of the further vocational training centres of the Bavarian employers' association (bfz e.V.). When the results are aggregated to yearly figures a connection can be seen between the rates of subsequent unemployment and integration rates on the one hand and the indicators of the labour market situation on the other hand. The level of integration is equivalent to that for further training and retraining, in spite of the participants' health impairments and their more unfavourable age structure. The analysis at individual level in the framework of logistical regression models separates the influence of the participant features, the year of completing the measure and the spatial area categories on integration, premature termination of the measure and subsequent unemployment. Main effect models show that the participant features outline relatively clearly the risk of premature termination, but that they are less suitable for distinguishing the integration prospects and the risk of subsequent unemployment. Of the individual predictors the most significant is the participants' age. Main effect models are, however, insufficient for explaining the destination of the participants. It is more the case that some participant features influence the particular dependent variables (integration, termination, subsequent unemployment) in statistical interaction with context conditions. Interactions which are of importance for the monitoring of success can be seen for example between the participant features and the development of unemployment. This result is not only relevant for the internal monitoring of success within an establishment. It also draws attention to the problems linked with the interpretation of integration results in accordance with § 11 of the Employment Promotion Reform Act. The differentiation of the success indicators according to different groups of people who are particularly in need of support means that employment office areas with different target group orientation can only be more easily compared if the limitation criteria do not interact statistically with context factors. This type of interaction can, however, be detected. This is a point in favour of the precedence of longitudinal comparisons over cross-sectional comparisons of the employment office areas; furthermore it even draws attention to the fact that the quantification and observation of degrees of target attainment should be embedded in a more comprehensive evaluation which includes qualitative procedures and individual case studies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))


This talk will provide current research perspectives on shading systems, on how their performance can be evaluated and on what the implications are on comfort and health. In particular, the latest results from an ongoing research project conducted at the LIPID to create a ranking system that applies to any facade system that is considered to be a complex fenestration system will be presented. This evaluation process currently relies on three metrics, each being associated to one aspect of the potential benefits of a window system that usually get very variable priority levels depending on the system and the space use, namely energy conservation potential, visual comfort potential and potential for view.


The sea cucumber Holothuria fuscocinerea is among the most common holothurian species widely distributed in the Tropical Eastern Pacific Region and is becoming a potentially important fishery in Mexico. Nevertheless, there are no studies about its reproductive biology. This study analyzed several reproductive traits of H. fuscocinerea based on monthly time-series samples taken from April 2008 to March 2009 at La Entrega Bay, Oaxaca, in the Mexican tropical Pacific. Sex ratio, gonad development stages (GDS), reproductive cycle, diameter and distribution of oocytes, and fecundity were determined. Reproductive indices (the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and maturity index (MI)) were calculated, and their relationship with some environmental factors (temperature, rainfall, salinity, and pH) was evaluated. H. fuscocinerea is a gonochoric holo - thuroid, and its annual ratio of males to females was not significantly different from 1:1. Four GDS (i.e. gametogenesis, mature, spawning, post-spawning) as well as one period of gonadal recovery, which is 'sexually undifferentiated', were established. Spawning occurred from June to October in females and from April to September in males. Post-spawning of females and males and recov- ery stages coincided from October to January. Mean fecundity was 2.9 ± 2.8 million oocytes per female, with ovaries exclusively comprised of vitellogenic oocytes from June to September. GSI and MI values showed similar variations in accordance with the reproductive cycle, and GSI showed a relationship with rainfall season. Seasonal rainfall may act as a cause of the seasonal reproductive pattern observed in H. fuscocinerea.


Given as a peroral premedicant for geriatric patients having cataract surgery under regional block, a butyrophenone neuroleptic melperon (15–30 mg, n = 50) ranked equally with diazepam (4–10 mg, n = 50), assessed using a qualitative subjective estimation of the patients' anxiety. The patients treated with melperon needed significantly fewer supplementations with intravenous drugs, to withstand the surgery, compared to those medicated with diazepam. Melperon is a compatible alternative, but its possible propensity to cause occasional arterial hypotension must be noticed.


INTRODUCTION Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has developed from an intriguing research project initially conceived in 1973 to an essential diagnostic method in the armamentarium of clinical radiologists. An estimated 26.6 million MRI procedures were performed in 2006 in the United States that generated approximately $20 billion in service revenue. The demand for clinical MRI diagnoses is expected to increase by 30% by 2020. This projected growth is due in part to the rising prevalence of age-related pathologies of soft tissues that can be conveniently monitored with MRI, such as the anatomy of pathologies in the cardiopulmonary system (e.g., regions of myocardial infarcts), neurological system (e.g., regions of cerebral infarcts, morphological changes during multiple sclerosis), and musculoskeletal system (e.g., tears in ligaments, tendons, and cartilage). MRI offers advantages relative to optical imaging methods limited to making diagnoses only near tissue surfaces, and relative to PET, SPECT, CT, and X-ray imaging methods that use potentially harmful ionizing radiation. Unlike these other imaging modalities, MRI also provides excellent spatial resolution at or smaller than 1 mm 3 for clinical diagnostics and approaching 0.1 mm 3 for small-animal research studies. MRI can also assess physiological function, such as the function of the cardiopulmonary system (e.g., MR angiography of vasculature), neurological system (e.g., fMRI of brain activity), renal system (e.g., perfusion imaging of kidney function), musculoskeletal system (e.g., MR elastography of connective tissues), and cancer lesions (e.g., dynamic contrast enhancement MRI of angiogenic tumors).


We have investigated two major questions related to the molecular basis of interactions between the three-dimensional fibrin network and thrombin-stimulated human platelets. First, what are the roles played by glycoproteins (GP) Ib and IIb:IIIa in linking the fibrin clot tightly to the platelet surface? Second, does von Willebrand factor (vWF) modulate the extent of platelet-fibrin interactions? Quantitative fluorescence microscopy (microfluorimetry) has been used to determine the quantity of fluorescein-labeled fibrin bound to the surface of thrombin-stimulated, gel-filtered platelets (the supernatants of which contained small quantities of vWF) in the presence/absence of receptor- specific and vWF-specific monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), as well as exogenous vWF. A MoAb specific for the GPIIb:IIIa complex exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of fibrin binding, whereas a MoAb specific for GPIb was ineffective in this regard. Similarly, a MoAb that recognizes the N-terminal region of vWF involved in GPIb binding did not influence fibrin binding. In contrast, a MoAb that binds to a C- terminal region of vWF involved in GPIIb:IIIa recognition caused a specific, concentration-dependent increase in the quantity of platelet- bound fibrin. We also found that exogenous vWF caused a concentration- dependent decrease in fibrin binding. These results support the hypothesis that vWF and fibrin, both of which are multimeric adhesive ligands, compete for occupancy of the GPIIb:IIIa complex on thrombin- stimulated platelets.


Maximum life span differences among animal species exceed life span variation achieved by experimental manipulation by orders of magnitude. The differences in the characteristic maximum life span of species was initially proposed to be due to variation in mass-specific rate of metabolism. This is called the rate-of-living theory of aging and lies at the base of the oxidative-stress theory of aging, currently the most generally accepted explanation of aging. However, the rate-of-living theory of aging while helpful is not completely adequate in explaining the maximum life span. Recently, it has been discovered that the fatty acid composition of cell membranes varies systematically between species, and this underlies the variation in their metabolic rate. When combined with the fact that 1) the products of lipid peroxidation are powerful reactive molecular species, and 2) that fatty acids differ dramatically in their susceptibility to peroxidation, membrane fatty acid composition provides a mechanistic explanation of the variation in maximum life span among animal species. When the connection between metabolic rate and life span was first proposed a century ago, it was not known that membrane composition varies between species. Many of the exceptions to the rate-of-living theory appear explicable when the particular membrane fatty acid composition is considered for each case. Here we review the links between metabolic rate and maximum life span of mammals and birds as well as the linking role of membrane fatty acid composition in determining the maximum life span. The more limited information for ectothermic animals and treatments that extend life span (e.g., caloric restriction) are also reviewed.


The notch signalling pathway is essential for the development and growth of all mammalian cells. The canonical pathway works by cell to cell communication and influences gene expression directly. Notch signalling plays an important role in cell differentiation processes in the embryo as well as in adult tissues. In Drosophila, signalling requires a single notch receptor and two ligands (delta and serrate). However, in mammals signalling is more complex and there are four notch receptors (NOTCH1-4), three delta like ligands (DLL1, DLL3, DLL4) and two jagged ligands (JAG1, JAG2). The interaction between a notch receptor at the cell surface and its ligand on a neighbouring cell, leads to sequential proteolytic cleavages which release the notch intracellular domain (NICD) from the cell surface receptor (Estrach et al., 2008). The NICD enters the nucleus and forms a complex with CSL and Mastermind to activate target genes (HES and HEY family members). Notch receptors have modified EGF-like repeats where fucose has been added to a serine or threonine residue and this O-linked fucose can be elongated by the action of an enzyme (fringe), enhancing or blocking ligand binding. There have been extensive studies on notch signalling in embryos but less is known in adult tissues, especially with regard to non-canonical pathways.

The aim of this project was to examine the expression of notch receptors, ligands and specific target genes during epidermal differentiation in human skin. This was examined both in human epidermis (in vivo) as well as in culture models using HaCaT, a keratinocyte cell line. Examining notch signalling activity at different stages of keratinocyte differentiation could help to understand the precise role of notch signalling in cell fate determination during normal cutaneous epithelial cell growth and development, and may indicate what role, if any notch signalling might play in the pathology of skin disease.

Most of the work on delta ligands has been done in embryonic tissues with little work on adult skin. Thus, our approach focused on expression of DLL1, DLL3 and DLL4 in human epidermis and cultured HaCaT cells. DLL1 expression was confirmed (mRNA and protein level including sequence) but no convincing evidence of DLL3 or DLL4 expression was found. Evidence was also obtained for JAG1 and JAG2 expression in human epidermis and cultured cells, and there was some indication that differential expression might occur during terminal differentiation.

RT-PCR results indicated possible changes in notch ligand levels with calcium-induced differentiation in HaCaT cells and these were quantitated by real time PCR (qPCR). Expression levels could not be normalised to a housekeeping gene (β-Actin, human ARP, human TF2H, GRP58, B2H, RPL13 and TBP) as all those tested were not stable enough. Thus, cDNA probes for two notch receptors (N1 and N3), three ligands (DLL1, JAG1 and JAG2), six responsive genes (HES1, HES5, HES7, HEY1, HEY2 and HEYL) and two keratin genes (KRT14, KRT10) were cloned and used to construct standard curves. This allowed quantitative estimation of expression levels in terms of copy number and fold change in both HaCaT cells and human epidermis. K14, Notch1 and DLL1 changed very little in HaCaT cells but K10, Notch3, JAG1, JAG2 and HES1 levels increased with differentiation. It was also concluded that signalling via Notch3 and JAG1 may influence the progress of terminal differentiation in human keratinocytes.


How do emerging technologies that erode governments' near-monopolies on intelligence information affect public support for leaders and their foreign policies? Technologies—like imagery satellites—that were once the domain of state governments are now increasingly available to commercial and private actors. As a result, non-government entities can now exercise the disclosure decision, publicly divulging information whose release was once controlled by states. We argue that non-government entities with access to these technologies serve as alternative information sources that can verify government claims or reveal activities governments have not previously acknowledged. Using original survey experiments we find that commercial satellite imagery can serve as an informational cue that shifts public opinion, and, depending on its content, either attenuates or bolsters the effect of similar cues from government sources. The findings advance debates over secrecy in international relations and on the effect of emerging technologies in the security domain.


This paper proposes a new approach based on an unsupervised deep learning (DL) model for landslide detection. Recently, supervised DL models using convolutional neural networks (CNN) have been widely studied for landslide detection. Even though these models provide robust performance and reliable results, they depend highly on a large labeled dataset for their training step. As an alternative, in this paper, we developed an unsupervised learning model by employing a convolutional auto-encoder (CAE) to deal with the problem of limited labeled data for training. The CAE was used to learn and extract the abstract and high-level features without using training data. To assess the performance of the proposed approach, we used Sentinel-2 imagery and a digital elevation model (DEM) to map landslides in three different case studies in India, China, and Taiwan. Using minimum noise fraction (MNF) transformation, we reduced the multispectral dimension to three features containing more than 80% of scene information. Next, these features were stacked with slope data and NDVI as inputs to the CAE model. The Huber reconstruction loss was used to evaluate the inputs. We achieved reconstruction losses ranging from 0.10 to 0.147 for the MNF features, slope, and NDVI stack for all three study areas. The mini-batch K-means clustering method was used to cluster the features into two to five classes. To evaluate the impact of deep features on landslide detection, we first clustered a stack of MNF features, slope, and NDVI, then the same ones plus with the deep features. For all cases, clustering based on deep features provided the highest precision, recall, F1-score, and mean intersection over the union in landslide detection.


Abstract:Ulwa, a Papuan language spoken in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, has nominative-accusative morphosyntactic alignment. In addition to a typologically unusual passive construction, Ulwa exhibits two other valency-reducing phenomena, both of which resemble antipassivization. One of these constructions involves a special verbal prefix, but differs from canonical antipassive constructions in that it disallows the overt expression of a demoted object. In the other construction, however, which exhibits no special verbal morphology, the logical direct object is expressed with obligatory oblique marking. Although antipassives are often explained as syntactic operations that are motivated by pragmatic considerations, the situation in Ulwa appears to be different. Rather, antipassive constructions in Ulwa are generally motivated by syntactic constraints. These constraints have nothing to do with the requirements of some ergative languages to enable an actor to serve as a pivot, but rather depend on surface word order. This paper examines the relationship between syntax and pragmatics in valency-reducing strategies. It also suggests how the facts of Ulwa pose challenges for case-absorption analyses of antipassives.


This Article evaluates the procedural protections given to police officers facing disciplinary interrogations about alleged misconduct. It demonstrates that state laws and collective bargaining agreements have insulated many police officers from the most successful interrogation techniques.

The first part of this Article builds on previous studies by analyzing a dataset of police union contracts and state laws that govern the working conditions of a substantial cross-section of large and medium sized municipal police departments in the United States. Many of these police departments provide officers with hours or even days of advanced notice before a disciplinary interrogation. An even larger percentage of these police departments require internal investigators to provide officers with copies of incriminating evidence before any interrogation. These protections exist in departments of all sizes, regardless of geographical location.

The second part of this Article relies on a national survey of American law enforcement leaders to evaluate whether these regulations frustrate officer accountability efforts. The overwhelming majority of the survey respondents claimed that these interrogation regulations substantially burden legitimate investigations into officer behavior. Virtually all survey respondents agreed that these protections do little to reduce the likelihood of false confessions.

Combined, this data paints a troubling picture of the internal procedures used to investigate and respond to officer misconduct. This data suggests that some states and municipalities have given police officers procedural protections that thwart internal investigations, thereby limiting officer accountability. This Article concludes by offering normative recommendations on how communities can reform interrogations of police officers so as to balance the community interest in accountability with officers' interests in due process.


Author(s): Rojas, Clarissa A. | Advisor(s): Pinderhughes, Howard | Abstract: This dissertation considers violence in the lives of 5 young Latinas in San Francisco's Mission District. Through critical ethnography, longitudinal interviews and phenomenological case narratives, this dissertation traces the ways these young Latinas endure violence in the streets and in their homes through intimate violence, gang violence, military invasion, family separation, and more. The community based research approach applies grounded theory, decolonizing and liberatory research methodologies intent on doing justice through the research process. A nexus of transdisciplinary theoretical frameworks including Chicana and Black feminisms, feminisms of color, postcolonial, and neo-Marxian theories and feminisms anchor this dissertation.Whereas the substantial body of research on this issue posits violence as an (pathologized) aberrant behavior occasionally encountered, these young women concur that violence is a daily reality they experience everywhere, coming from multiple directions and appearing in multiple ways, spanning from state violence to intimate violence. These findings lead to a proposed model to consider the social "architecture of violence" from the vantage point of Latinas and women of color. The model addresses the core roots of manifestations of violence, including physical, ideological and spiritual manifestations of violence. I argue that individualizing, racialized, colonial and heteropatriarchal narratives of medicalization and criminalization inform the dominant approaches to the study of violence and to corresponding movements and policy interventions, thereby reproducing violence against women of color and people of color. Instead, I propose we consider the intersecting social forces of inequality, state and economic arrangements, institutional violence and individual complicity with said social violences to better understand and therefore prevent violence. The model situates the social "structuration of violence" in order to facilitate the interrogation and accountability of all parties responsible in the deployment of violence, including the macro-structural and institutional conditioning and conjuring of intimate and interpersonal violence. This approach to the study of violence against women builds on models of state and structural violence, and furthers them by introducing intersectional analytical frameworks that consider the ways violence is produced at all levels through what I call the "archetypes of violence," that is the intersecting deployment of racial, colonial, class, and sex/gendering/heteronormative violence that are endemic and co-constitutive of social processes of inequality.


Breeding based on molecular marker has become a routine activity in the current rice research. The development of an early maturity of rice variety with high yield is needed to increase national rice production. This study aimed to determine the pattern of alleles for loci controlling total spikelet number and number of days to heading, as well as agronomic performances of the BC1F1 Code x qTSN4 and Code x qDTH8 populations. The study was conducted at the Indonesian Center for Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research and Development from January to August 2014. The plant materials used were Code (a national variety with bacterial blight resistance gene [Xa7]), IR64-Nils-qTSN4[YP9] (qTSN4 that contains a locus controlling the number of spikelet), IR64-Nils-qDTH8[YP1] (qDTH8 that contains a locus controlling the number of days to heading), BC1F1 Code x qTSN4, and BC1F1 Code x qDTH8. A total of 250 BC1F1 plants of each crosses were selected using molecular markers of RM20582 for Xa7 gene, RM17483 and RM6909 for QTL position of qTSN4, RM5556 and RM6838 for QTL position of qDTH8. Based on molecular analysis, there were 63 BC1F1-qTSN4 lines and 65 BC1F1-qDTH8 lines showing heterozygote alleles for qTSN4 or qDTH8 loci and were homozygote for Xa7 locus (HHA pattern). Five plants from each locus target were backcrossed to the recurrent parent, Code, to obtain BC2F1 seeds. The remaining BC1F1 plants were self-pollinated to obtain BC1F2 seeds. Observations on some agronomic characters demontrated that the BC1F1 plants showed higher yield potential than Code and the flowering time of the BC1F1 progenis were also earlier than Code. These results indicated that the yield potential of Code could be improved by introgression of qTSN4 and qDTH8 loci into the Code genome.


Current approaches to measuring the cyclic peptide oxytocin in plasma/serum are associated with poor selectivity and/or inadequate sensitivity. We here describe a high performance nano liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry platform for measuring OT in human plasma/serum. The platform is extremely robust, allowing laborious sample clean-up steps to be omitted. OT binds strongly to plasma proteins, but a reduction/alkylation procedure breaks this bond, allowing ample detection of total OT. The method showed excellent quantitation properties, and was used to determine total OT levels to 0.5-1.2 ng/mL (evaluated with human plasma and cord serum). The method is compatible with accessible mass spectrometry instrumentation, finally allowing selective and easily comparable oxytocin measurements.


This study proposes that metonymy is fundamental to visual meaning making and develops a social semiotic framework to elucidate how conceptual metonymies are realized in both static and moving images. While we all accept that visual images are iconic, this study demonstrates systematically that they are also indexical (i.e. metonymic), in terms of their representation of both objects/events and abstract concepts. Based on the social semiotic visual grammar of Kress and Van Leeuwen's Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design (2006), systems of metonymy in actional, reactional, classificational and analytical processes are developed to map out the types of metonymies in visual representation. The metonymy systems bring a wide array of resources under a coherent framework for analysts to scrutinize the choices of representation in visual media such as comics, film and TV commercial. This study develops current theories of multimodal metaphor and metonymy, on the one hand, and provides new insights into the process of visual meaning making, on the other.


This paper introduces an algorithm for calculating all discrete point symmetries of a given partial differential equation with a known nontrivial group of Lie point symmetries. The method enables the user to determine the discrete symmetries with little more effort than is used to find the Lie symmetries. It is used to obtain the discrete point symmetries of Burgers' equation, the spherical Burgers' equation, and the Harry–Dym equation. The method can be extended to some types of nonlocal symmetry; we derive the quasi-local discrete symmetries of a system of PDEs from gas dynamics.


Purpose: To establish comparable reporting of surgical results in pediatric liver surgery, the recently introduced composite outcome measures Textbook Outcome (TO) and Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) are applied and validated in a pediatric surgery context for the first time. In a representative cohort of pediatric patients undergoing liver resection, predictive factors for TO and CCI are investigated, and outcomes are compared to available literature on surgical outcomes of pediatric liver resection. Methods: All liver resections for patients under 21 years of age performed at the Department of General, Visceral, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery of the University of Heidelberg between 2009 and 2020 were included in the analysis. Criteria for TO were defined prior to the analysis. Univariate and Multivariate regression was applied to identify factors associated with TO and CCI. Results: Fifty-three pediatric patients underwent liver resections during the observation period. No 30- or 90-day mortality occurred. Twenty-three patients (43.4%) had a TO. CCI and TO showed highly significant correlation (b = −30.33, 95% CI [−37.44; −23.22], p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed significant association between intraoperative blood loss (adjusted for circulating blood volume) and CCI (b = 0.70, 95%CI [0.22; 1.32], p = 0.008) and failure to achieve TO (OR = 0.85, 95%CI [0.69; 0.97], p = 0.048). Conclusion: TO and CCI are suited outcome measures in pediatric surgical studies and offer objective comparability of results. Their application in clinical studies will be a major step forward to establish evidence-based therapies in pediatric surgery. Systematic utilization of TO and CCI can aid in generating comparable studies on surgical techniques and outcomes in pediatric liver resection.


1. The rates of detoxification of cycloheximide (33 mug/g fresh wt.), puromycin (167 mug/g fresh wt.) and actinomycin D (1 mug/g fresh wt.) were assessed in vivo on the basis of acid-insoluble [14C]leucine incorporation in the sheep blowfly, Lucilla cuprina; these were compared with quantitative estimates which took account not only of incorporation data but also of leucine pool size and turnover. Quantitatively, cycloheximide and puromycin were still at least 50% effective in inhibiting protein synthesis after 6.5 and 24.5h of exposure respectively, whereas values based only on incorporation data suggested that cycloheximide was 83% effective and puromycin completely ineffective after the respective periods. Quantitative estimates also showed that actinomycin D effectiveness increased with increasing exposure over 24.5h, in contrast with values based only on incorporation data, which suggested that it was completely ineffective after 24h.2. All inhibitors affected the dynamic state of the amino acid pool; there was a marked decrease in the rate of leucine-pool turnover as well as an increase in the half-life of leucine in the pool. 3. Inhibition of protein synthesis resulted in changes in leucine-pool size; the most pronounced increase occurred with cycloheximide and puromycin and the most pronounced decreases with actinomycin D. 4. Evidence is presented which suggests that proteolysis is functionally linked to protein synthesis, which determines its rate indirectly.


New initiatives are needed to increase the effectiveness of the trade policy instruments the EU uses in its policy of development cooperation with the ACP countries. Merely giving non-reciprocal preferences has not worked very well. The main reason for this failure is that non-reciprocal preferences have not improved supply conditions in developing countries. FTAs in the shape of EPAs can give a new impetus to production and trade. For this strategy to succeed, the ACP and EU should avoid trade diversion and deflection and create as much trade as possible. This requires MFN liberalisation together with regional integration. This paper shows that EPAs could have important benefits for ACP economies by creating competitive market conditions, leading to dynamic welfare effects and by reinforcing economic reforms.

The success or failure of the new approach depends on a number of factors that have been analysed in this paper. This paper argues that the expectation underlying the Cotonou Agreement that effective negotiating partners in the shape of ACP RIAs will develop in the short term will not come true, with the exception of the Caribbean region. In the Pacific region, no ACP RIA is in the making. In SSA, regional integration suffers from overlapping membership, lack of commitment and small or negative economic effects. As a result, the EU will have to use EPAs as an instrument to stimulate viable RIAs among ACP countries in SSA. This puts a number of responsibilities on the EU in order to create successful EPAs. For the full benefits of regional free trade to arise, deep integration is necessary. Harmonisation of competition policy, of regulations with respect to product norms and standards is called for. Second, substantial funds will have to be provided by the EU for social safety nets, for capacity building in order to improve the implementation of public functions that are required if markets are to function for the benefit of the citizens at large and for retraining. In order to make EPAs successful, the market access for sensitive ACP export products should be improved. Third, the EU will have to be willing to act as the hegemon in EPAs, sanctioning infringements on obligations and supporting ACP countries that have run into externally caused difficulties threatening their participation in EPAs. If EPAs are to work as commitment mechanisms that effectively lock in ACP policy reforms, ACP countries should run the risk of losing substantial benefits if they do not meet their obligations, and feel secure that they will be supported in case of external shocks. As the negotiations on EPAs have not started at the moment of writing, there is no certainty about the willingness of the EU to take up this role. However, given the trends in sanctioning human rights violations, in supporting regional integration among developing countries, the relative size of the EDF and given the high stake the EU has set on EPAs, the new role that the EU will have to play to make EPAs successful, is not completely unrealistic.


The aim of the present study is to determine whether testosterone (T) administration changes the expression profile of androgen- and insulin-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). To this end, we evaluated the gene expression profile of 19 genes (AKT2, CCND1, GSK3ALPHA, IGF1, GSK3BETA, FOXO3, IL6, IGFBP2, UGT2B17, ARA55, CREBBP, CYP11A, HSD17B1, HSD17B7, UGT2B7, SELADIN 1, CLU, PGC1, AKR1C1) selected according their function in the androgen pathways, in a series of 11 hypogonadal men pharmacologically treated with T. We noted that 7 genes were differentially expressed, five of them were up-regulated (AKT2 FC=2.39, CREBBP FC=11.2, GSK3beta FC=5.6, UGT2B7 FC=4.49, UGT2B17 FC=2.88) and two were down-regulated (ARA55 FC= -2.0, CYP11A FC= -2.47). This experience suggests that androgen- and insulin-related genes can be considered useful blood genomic biomarkers for specific steroid drugs.


Background Injury burden is disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but the healthcare systems are least prepared to meet the challenge. Significant gaps exist in emergency care, with most preventable deaths occurring in the pre-hospital phase due to lack of emergency medical services (EMS). There are no tools to define gaps and prioritise interventions in pre-hospital care. Realising this gap, our study was conducted to: i) develop a rapid assessment tool to define the structures, resources and processes comprising EMS; ii) pilot test the tool in Kampala, Uganda; and iii) identify gaps and provide recommendations for the improvement of EMS in Uganda. Methods The study comprised of three phases: in Phase I rapid assessment tool was developed using the health systems framework with six building blocks; in Phase II a 3600 evaluation was performed by conducting relevant document review, objective assessment of ambulance services representing various levels of pre-hospital care and qualitative assessment through key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Phase III, data analysis is underway. Results The data was collected using the structured tool. Three study personnel reviewed 15 documents for the study. Three data collectors simultaneously performed 20 purposefully sampled KIIs and objective assessment. In addition, 4 FGDs will be completed by November 2015. The pilot study of the rapid assessment tool demonstrated the reliability, accuracy and completeness of the tool; further analysis after FDGs will allow us to describe the current state of EMS in Kampala. Based on the findings, context-specific interventions will be recommended. Conclusions There is an immediate need to understand the contextual barriers of providing systematic emergency care in LMICs. The study has successfully developed an EMS assessment tool, which will also help establish strategies for improvement of pre-hospital care in similar settings.


Automatic visual quality control of manufactured objects is a large industry in today's world, where a global market often means automatic production and inspection systems is a way to keep up with the competition. There already exists numerous systems for various tasks, but it's always possible to adapt methods to new areas. The process of visual inspection includes detection, feature extraction, classification and fault inspection of objects. This paper will focus on classification as a way to approve or reject objects, and will examine the applicability of neural networks with simple features as input vectors for this use with regards to chocolate. From the theory on the subject, a neural network has been implemented as a prototype in C#. The neural network itself seems suited for the task, but the success rate is highly dependent on the input features.


Benzimidazole is a bicyclic heterocycle system consisting of two nitrogen atoms and fused phenyl ring shows wide range of biological activities. Benzimidazole can be synthesized using ophenylenediamine and carboxylic acid. Benzimidazole posses wide spectrum of biological activities like including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, antihypertensive, analgesic, and hypoglycemic properties. The present reviews attempted to gather the various developments in synthesis and biological activities of Benzimidazole derivatives.


We present an efficient discriminative training procedure utilizing phone lattices. Different approaches to expediting lattice generation, statistics collection, and convergence were studied. We also propose a new discriminative training criterion, namely, minimum phone frame error (MPFE). When combined with the maximum mutual information (MMI) criterion using I-smoothing, replacing the standard minimum phone error (MPE) criterion with MPFE led to a small but consistent win in several applications. Phone-lattice-based discriminative training gave around 8% to 12% relative word error rate (WER) reduction in SRI's latest English Conversational Telephone Speech and Broadcast News transcription systems developed for DARPA's EARS project.


The United Nations Convention on contracts for International Sale of Goods, 1980 (CISG) applies to international sales contracts. According to provisions of CISG, the aggrieved buyer or seller may recover damages if there is breach of contract or obligations under articles 74-77 of CISG. Article 74 of CISG allows recovering all losses caused by the breach. In respect of recovery of attorney's fees as a part of damages by the successful party, there are dividing decisions. The analysis of case law leads to the conclusion that CISG deals with substantive rules, claiming legal costs is a procedural matter, hence, this has to be determined by procedural law of the state. de range of applications. Transportation systems are facing newer challenges; there is an unceasing demand for maximum vehicle safety, decreasing the environmental impact. Newer services like the vehicle to vehicle communication and real time data processing have been introduced into ITS, thereby alleviating the aforementioned challenges. As a fundamental premise, a sufficient communication infrastructure has to meet all demand criteria along with typical conditions and aspects of the transportation System. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has fabulous drive in wireless technology. With promising evaluation of wireless technology as on well as mobile technology, the mobile commerce has been emerged greatly. transportation system. We also present system architecture of mobile commerce based on RFID. In mobile commerce the product ordering product transportation management and products receiving are of great challenge. Our paper will demonstrate how efficiently the product ordering handled by using RFID technology in order to enhance consumer's satisfaction. This article would introduce the Dedicated Short-Range communication (DSRC) as a suitable communication technology for this purpose and also how RFID technology is being utilized in M-commerce scenarios.


We report ionization cross section measurements for electron impact single ionization (EISI) of Fe11+ forming Fe12+ and electron impact double ionization (EIDI) of Fe11+ forming Fe13+. The measurements cover the center-of-mass energy range from approximately 230 eV to 2300 eV. The experiment was performed using the heavy-ion storage ring TSR located at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik in Heidelberg, Germany. The storage ring approach allows nearly all metastable levels to relax to the ground state before data collection begins. We find that the cross section for single ionization is 30% smaller than was previously measured in a single-pass experiment using an ion beam with an unknown metastable fraction. We also find some significant differences between our experimental cross section for single ionization and recent distorted wave (DW) calculations. The DW Maxwellian EISI rate coefficient for Fe11+ forming Fe12+ may be underestimated by as much as 25% at temperatures for which Fe11+ is abundant in collisional ionization equilibrium. This is likely due to the absence of 3s excitation–autoionization (EA) in the calculations. However, a precise measurement of the cross section due to this EA channel was not possible because this process is not distinguishable experimentally from electron impact excitation of an n = 3 electron to levels of n ⩾ 44 followed by field ionization in the charge state analyzer after the interaction region. Our experimental results also indicate that the EIDI cross section is dominated by the indirect process in which direct single ionization of an inner shell 2l electron is followed by autoionization, resulting in a net double ionization.


This paper shows a new concept to generate medium voltage (MV) in wind power application to avoid an additional transformer. Therefore, the generator must be redesigned with additional constraints and a new topology for the power rectifier system by using multiple low voltage (LV) power rectifiers connected in series and parallel to increase the DC output voltage. The combination of parallel and series connection of rectifiers is further introduced as DC-cascade. With the resulting DC-cascade, medium output voltage is achieved with low voltage rectifiers and without a bulky transformer. This approach to form a DC-cascade reduces the effort required to achieve medium DC voltage with a simple rectifier system. In this context, a suitable DC-cascade control was presented and verified with a laboratory test setup. A gearless synchronous generator, which is highly segmented so that each segment can be connected to its own power rectifier, is investigated. Due to the mixed AC and DC voltage given by the DC-cascade structure, it becomes more demanding to the design of the generator insulation, which influences the copper fill factor and the design of the cooling system. A design strategy for the overall generator design is carried out considering the new boundary conditions.


This paper examines whether openness to international trade plays any role in reducing poverty in Bangladesh through its impact on economic growth. First, the paper examines the causal relationship between trade openness and economic growth and then examines the structure of international trade to see whether it is conducive to generate employment and income sufficient to reduce poverty in Bangladesh. Granger-causality test is employed to ascertain the direction of causality between trade openness and economic growth. The paper finds that there is long-run equilibrium relationship between trade openness and economic growth and there is unidirectional causality from trade openness to economic growth. But the structure of trade was not such that helps reducing poverty in Bangladesh. I. INTRODUCTION International trade is thought to be an important ingredient of economic growth, which is reflected in rapid globalization during the last couple of decades. The crux of the argument in favor of globalization is that openness to international trade accelerates growth and development. In the literature of international economics it is argued that trade openness leads to economic growth by increasing a country's specialization and productivity level. International trade is even better for small countries that do not have large internal market and a diverse and abundance resource base, because they can produce efficiently only by specializing in a very few goods which is not possible without trading with other countries (Lee 2004). This positive relationship between trade and growth has been evidenced in many empirical research works (for example Baldwin 1963; Keesing 1974; Krueger 1980; Meier 1984; Frankel and Romer 1999; Gallup, Radelet and Warner 1999 and Irwin and Tervio 2002). Being motivated by this argument that more trade stimulates economic growth, developing countries started undertaking reforms in their trade policy regime in the form of reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers to boost their international trade since the eighties, which is frequently dubbed as 'trade liberalization'. For poor countries trade liberalization and the resultant increase in the trade openness is thought to be an instrument of reducing poverty through its poverty-reducing impact on growth. Trade-poverty relationship is both direct and indirect. Trade affects directly through its impact on cost of living, employment and wages. Trade also increases government revenue that can be spent on welfare activities like health and education. The indirect link between trade and poverty takes place through development and utilization of productive capacities, such as accumulation of physical, human and organizational capital, structural transformation and technological progress (UNCTAD, 2004). Thus, the indirect channel through which trade-poverty relationship is realized is economic growth. Trade accelerates growth and growth increases income and reduces poverty. This indirect trade-poverty link is most important for sustained poverty reduction in most developing countries in the long run. In other words, for sustained poverty reduction in poor countries through trade, there should be a long run equilibrium relationship between trade and economic growth. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over the last decade Bangladesh has made little progress in reducing poverty. Population below national poverty line has been decreased from 51.00% in 1995-96 to 49.80% in 2000. Compared with the magnitude of poverty this progress is insignificant. As per international poverty line, 36% of its population still lives on $l/day or less and nearly half of its population lives below national poverty line. Moreover, share of the poorest quintile in the national income decreased from 9.5% in 1988-89 to 9.00 in 2000 (see Table 1). Bangladesh is one of the countries that have failed to make reasonable progress in achieving target to reduce hunger (one of the dimensions of poverty) within 2015 as one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (UNCDAT, 2004). …


A key challenge in AI is the development of algorithms that are capable of cooperative behavior in interactions involving multiple independent machines or individuals. Of particular interest are social dilemmas, which are situations that raise tension between an individual's best choice and the desirable outcome in terms of the group. Although such scenarios have been studied increasingly within the AI community recently, there are still many open questions on which aspects drive cooperative behavior in a particular situation. Based on the in- sights from behavioral experiments that have suggested positive effects of penalty mechanisms towards cooperation, in this work we adopt the notion of penalties by enabling independent and adaptive agents to penalize others. To that end, we extend agents' action spaces with penalty actions and define a negative real-valued punishment value. We utilize reinforcement learning to simulate a process of repeated interaction between independent agents, learning by means of trial-and-error. Our evaluation considers different two player social dilemmas, and the N-player Prisoner's Dilemma with up to 128 independent agents, where we demonstrate that the proposed mechanism combined with decentralized learning significantly increases cooperation within all experiments.


The dynamic development of multiservice cellular networks has resulted in significant changes in the system architecture, which, in turn, has led to a broad distribution of many mechanisms and functions responsible for traffic management. These mechanisms take advantage of appropriate algorithms and analytic dependencies to ensure optimal quality of service that can be tailored to the objectives of the network operator. This paper proposes a new analytical model of a cellular network that supports multicast connections in a distributed environment. It is assumed that, in the cells participating in multicast connections, it is possible to apply different and independent traffic management mechanisms such as, for example, threshold mechanisms and resource reservation mechanisms. The proposed method can be used in an evaluation and scientific methods of research in the traffic effectiveness of multicast connections in given load conditions of a cellular network. An application of the method can have a particular significance in designing high-bit-rate multicast services to users in 4G networks. The analytical model proposed in this paper is verified on the basis of simulation examinations of cellular networks with multicast connections. The investigations confirm high accuracy of the model and the correctness of all theoretical assumptions adopted in the study.


The paramount question this study seeks to answer is why, in the midst of massive and
contentious commercial property reform and a flood of accessible printed matter about
it, did the leading cultural form of mid-nineteenth century England, the novel, and
above all some of the most popular, widely-read, best-selling novels of this time and
place—Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, No Name, Armadale and The
Moonstone—centre on inheritance, a post mortem and long established mode of
property transfer, and along with it the related instrument of the marriage settlement,
rather than commercial transactions. The thesis seeks to find an answer by working
within the following overarching research question: what is the precise relationship
between the novel during the 1860s and the revolutionary reconceptualization of
property effected by the Companies Acts of 1844-1862.
The textual and contextual investigation of the four novels serialised between 1859
and 1868, which traces the interconnections between inheritance plot motifs within
each novel in turn, shows that the texts describe transfers of property that fail to follow
anticipated paths; protagonists and reader alike trace property passing with ease and
speed through numerous, unfamiliar and unknown hands. It is here, the thesis
demonstrates, that the novels display their most immediate connection with the new
property forms authorised in response to the cyclical crises that convulsed British
economic life during the very years Collins consolidated his career as a novelist; and
it is here that we can begin to understand the novelistic qualities for which Collins is
best known and celebrated: his plotting. Despite many decades of scholarly attention,
critical acclaim for skilful plotting, and the recognition of the centrality of inheritance
in Collins's novels, the integral relationship between novelistic form and property has
not been recognised.
The novels further deal with problematic, contested, threatened and unstable identity,
and concomitant to that, and linked with the new commercial phenomenon of limited
liability, fluctuating degrees of responsibility through mental states affected by fever,
derangement, idiocy, trauma, drugs and sleep. The study as a piece of literary history
is weighed towards determining the manner in which and the extent to which new
modes of capital formation leave their impress on Collins's novels.


An electronic tongue which composed of selective electrodes is applied to mineral water recognition (optimization of sensor array). The task of the system is to distinguish among five brands of mineral water. For this purpose, various pattern recognition (PARC) procedures are employed: principle components analysis (PCA), independent component analysis, linked-like adaptive genetic algorithm (LAGA), et al. LAGA networks are proved to exhibit the best performance both in array optimization and mineral water recognition. Their further advantages, such as fast training and robustness, make them the suggested pattern classifiers for sensor array data.


This paper presents a method for reliable matching of position and orientation measurements from a standard GPS receiver to a digital map. By incorporating road network topology in the matching process using a hidden Markov model, an optimum position and orientation history can be computed from a sequence of GPS measurements. Increased robustness is achieved by introducing constraints for vehicular motion in an extended Kalman filter and by reconstructing the original road network from the digital map using cubic spline interpolation. The proposed method delivers robust matching results for standard inner-city scenarios and gives a reliable estimate of the optimal position history even for severely disturbed GPS measurements.


Object and relational technologies are grounded in different paradigms. Each technology mandates that those who use it take a particular view of a universe of discourse. Incompatibilities between these views manifest as problems of an object-relational impedance mismatch. In this paper we propose a conceptual framework for the problem space of object-relational impedance mismatch and consequently distinguish four kinds of impedance mismatch. We show that each kind of impedance mismatch needs to be addressed using a different object-relational mapping strategy. Our framework provides a mechanism to explore issues of fidelity, integrity and completeness in the design and implementation of existing and new strategy choices. Our framework will be of benefit to standards bodies, tool vendors, designers and programmers as it will provide them with new insights into how to address problems of an object-relational impedance mismatch both at the most appropriate levels of abstraction and in the most appropriate way.


In the present clinical study, total 65 patients of oligozoospermia (< 40 mil/ml – three successive weekly semen analyses) were managed in two groups viz. study (Kshiravidari) group (n=35) and placebo group (n=30). In Kshiravidari group, Kshiravidari (Ipomea digitata Linn.) tuber was administered in the tablet form (each 500 mg) in a dose of 6 gm per day in divided doses, and in placebo group, Bhrista Godhuma Churna (fried wheat powder) in capsule form [4 capsules / day (each 500 mg)] was administered, in both therapy with milk as Anupana. In both the groups, therapy was given for one and half month (45 days), further 45 days of follow-up. Semen examination was carried out after completion of therapy i.e. on 45th day. During follow up period semen examination was done 15 days after completion of therapy i.e. on 60th day, and second examination was done 45 days after completion of treatment i.e. on 90th day. Clinical study has shown that Kshiravidari (Ipomea digitata Linn.) increases the sperm count (mil/ml) (mild to moderate degree) and also total sperm count (mil) in patients of oligozoospermia. This proves Vrishya property of Kshiravidari as potent spermatogenic agent. However, due to the increase in the viscosity and liquefaction time, the drug decreases the RLP (Rapid Linear Progressive) and SLP (Slow Linear Progressive) motility (%), and simultaneously increases the NP (Non-Progressive) and IMM (Immotile) motility (%) of sperm. Three patients of oligozoospermia were able to impregnate their partners within total of 60 days of duration of follow-up period, which also shows the fertility enhancing effect of Kshiravidari.


Abstract:Australian union support for the development of an organised labour movement in independent Timor-Leste has received scant attention. Looking to address this gap in the literature, this article focuses on the contributions of two individual activists between 2002 and 2003: Didge McDonald, from the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union; and the Maritime Union of Australia's Michael Killick. Their role in the development of Timorese unions was a crucial counterweight to the exploitation of domestic workers by foreign businesses – a phenomenon expedited by the macroeconomic implications of the broader United Nations state-building mission. Considered through the prism of nation-building at the civil society level, Australian union assistance to Timor-Leste is presented as a valuable example of how cross-border partnerships following the model of New Labour Internationalism can help workers challenge the growing reach of transnational capital.


A first-degree relative (FDR) with colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most important risk factors for the disease. Adherence to CRC screening recommendations can help mitigate this risk; however, adherence has historically been low. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with CRC screening. The study used data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. CRC screening rates were compared between FDRs and their peers without a family history of CRC. Participants were considered to be adherent if they had undergone any of the following: fecal immunochemical test within the prior 1 year, sigmoidscopy or computed tomography colongraphy within 5 years, or colonoscopy within 10 years. The analysis included 11,381 participants age 50-75 at time of survey. Overall, 62% of participants were adherent to screening recommendations. Seventy-six percent of FDRs of individuals with CRC were adherent to guidelines; they were 86% more likely to be adherent than their peers. Race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic variables were all associated with adherence. Models were largely similar between FDRs of individuals with CRC and the general public. Nearly one-quarter of FDRs of individuals with CRC are not adherent to screening recommendations. Further outreach is needed for members of minority races and the Hispanic community and additional efforts are needed to increase the accessibility of CRC screening for those with more limited finances and the uninsured.


Our aim is to assess the safety and potential efficacy of a novel treatment paradigm in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), immunomodulation by blocking Interleukin-6 (IL6) signaling with the IL6 receptor antagonist, tocilizumab. Inflammation and autoimmunity are established as important in PAH pathophysiology. One of the most robust observations across multiple cohorts in PAH has been an increase in IL6 both in the lung and systemically. Tocilizumab is an IL-6 receptor antagonist established as safe and effective, primarily in rheumatoid arthritis, and has shown promise in scleroderma. In case reports where the underlying cause of PAH is an inflammatory process such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD) and Castleman's disease, there have been case reports of regression of PAH with tocilizumab. TRANSFORMUK is an open label study of intravenous (IV) tocilizumab in patients with group 1 PAH. The co-primary outcome measures will be safety and the change in resting pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Clinically relevant secondary outcome measurements include 6 Minute Walk Distance, WHO functional class, quality of life score and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). If the data supports a potentially useful therapeutic effect with an acceptable risk profile, the study will be used to power a Phase III study to properly address efficacy.


This paper describes a summary of info flows and technology, allowing the supply chain within the automotive industry. The supply base of many motorized manufacturers is being restructured, with great consequence for the way dealers connect with their automotive partners. Electronic data interchange (EDI) is by far the most common communication technique used in automotive manufacturing, though new approaches are used as well. All these methods and how they support the information flows are explained in more detail. Companies attempt to companies are trying to find ways to recover their elasticity and responsiveness and in turn competitiveness by changing their operations plan, methods and skills that include the implementation of Supply Chain Management (SCM) paradigm. Hence, Blockchain can enhance the agility of SCM. However, blockchain's impact on SCM is not equivalent. In this paper, we specify the areas that are blockchain effects on the automotive supply chain and evaluate it.


The article presents an anthropological study of local representations of the changes in a cultural landscape and the relationships between the actors of the landscape's reproduction in the Trenta Valley. These representations reflect an integral experience of space (place and landscape) in which spatial perceptions, values and practices are inseparably linked. The locals incorporate their fears about the valley's future in their perception of landscape changes and in their wishes to preserve the cultural landscape. The local representations of the cultural landscape are also expressed in their judgement of the roles of the key actors of the landscape's reproduction: the locals themselves, weekend cottage owners, and the Triglav National Park.


This paper explores how the propensity of social workers to make a direct and unmitigated connection between good intentions, rationale thought and good outcomes forms a white noise barrier that substantially interferes with our ability to see negative outcomes resulting directly or indirectly from our works. The paper begins with outlining the harm experienced by Aboriginal children before moving to explore how two fundamental philosophies that pervade social service practice impact Aboriginal children: 1) an assumption of pious motivation and effect and 2) a desire to improve others. Finally, the paper explores why binding reconciliation and child welfare is a necessary first step toward developing social work services that better support Aboriginal children and families.


Abstract. 3D high resolution models can be produced both using range-based and image-based techniques. In this work, we evaluate the performance of the Photoscan commercial software in a challenging project: the digitization of an earthenware frieze of about 36 m in length. In order to choose the most effective technique and to define the best workflow for on-the-field data acquisition and the subsequent data elaboration, some tests were performed on a portion of the frieze. We discuss the results and compare the models resulting from different workflows with a reference data set taken from the scan data.


Bergfelt Lennmyr, E. 2020. Registry-Based Studies in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Sweden. Survival and Quality of Life. Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine 1630. 69 pp. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. ISBN 978-91-513-0853-1. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a common child malignancy, also constitutes a minor fraction of adult cancer with approximately 50 new cases per year in Sweden. While the fiveyear overall survival (OS) in pediatric ALL is more than 90%, the prognosis in adults is dismal. Using the Swedish ALL quality registry, this thesis investigates treatment and outcome of adult ALL according to national guidelines. In addition, the introduction of patient-reported outcome in the ALL and Acute Myeloid Leukemia registries is evaluated. In Paper I, measurement of minimal residual disease by flow cytometry was found to be feasible but not consistently applied in the 35 patients with Philadelphia (Ph)-negative B-ALL investigated. In Paper II, treatment, toxicity and outcome of 155 patients, 55-85 years (y) with ALL diagnosis between 2005 and 2012 were studied in detail by patient charts review. An ageadopted protocol recommended from 2009 did not result in better outcome. In Paper III, disease recurrence in the same cohort as Paper II was studied. The median overall survival (OS) after ALL relapse was 3.6 months. In Paper IV, the whole ALL registry was studied and OS was estimated in 930 adult patients diagnosed in the periods 1997-2006 and 2007-2015. Five year OS improved in patients 18-45y from 50% to 65%, in patients 46-65y from 25% to 46%, and in patients >65y from 7% to 11%. This demonstrates that young patients have the best prognosis, in part due to the introduction of a dose-intense "pediatric-like" chemotherapy protocol. Compared to women, middle-aged men were found to have a worse outcome. Historically, Philadelphia-positive (Ph-pos) ALL has a poor prognosis compared to Phnegative ALL. In this material, the frequency of Ph-pos ALL was 34% of examined BALL. Analysis of the whole registry revealed that in 2007-2015, i.e. after the introduction of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib, Ph-pos ALL was no longer associated with inferior OS. In Paper V, ALL and Acute Myeloid Leukemia patients, six months after diagnosis, completed a web or paper questionnaire regarding quality of life, symptoms and experience with care. The response rate was 64%. Depression symptoms were frequent (18%), especially in young women who reported worrying about fertility. In summary, although OS in adult ALL has improved, more effective and less toxic therapies in upfront treatment are highly warranted. Collection of patient-reported outcome in a national quality registry is feasible and can add important aspects of cancer care that are not usually addressed.


It has been decades since women of color first turned feminism upside down, exposing the 70s feminist movement as exclusive, white, and unaware of the concerns and issues of women of color from around the globe. Now a new generation of brilliant, outspoken women of color is speaking to the concerns of a new feminism, and to their place in it. Daisy Hernandez of Ms. magazine and poet Bushra Rehman have collected a diverse, lively group of emerging writers who speak to their experienceto the strength and rigidity of community and religion, to borders and divisions, both internal and externaland address issues that take feminism into the twenty-first century. One writer describes herself as a "mixed brown girl, Sri-Lankan and New England mill-town white trash," and clearly delineates the organizing differences between whites and women of color: "We do not kick ass the way the white girls do, in meetings of NOW or riot grrl. For us, it's all about family. " A Korean-American woman struggles to create her own identity in a traditional community: "Yam-ja-neh means nice, sweet, compliant. I've heard it used many times by my parents' friends who don't know shit about me. " An Arab-American feminist deconstructs the "quaint vision" of Middle-Eastern women with which most Americans feel comfortable. This impressive array of first-person accounts adds a much-needed fresh dimension to the ongoing dialogue between race and gender, and gives voice to the women who are creating and shaping the feminism of the future. "


Heat pipes have been recently in use for cooling purposes in various fields, including electronic circuit boards and vehicle parts that generate large amounts of heat. In order to minimize the loss of heat transferred, there is a need to maximize the contact area of the working fluid. This study produced a square tube multi-channel heat pipe to replace the existing circular pipe type to maximize the internal surface area thereof. This expands the surface, allowing the working fluid to come into contact with a wider area and enhancing thermal radiation performance. A mold for the production for such a product was designed, and finite element simulation was performed to determine whether production is possible.


The tectonic and paleoceanographic setting of the Great Australian Bight (GAB) and the Mentelle Basin (MB; adjacent to Naturaliste Plateau) offered an outstanding opportunity to investigate Cretaceous and Cenozoic climate change and ocean dynamics during the last phase of breakup among remnant Gondwana continents. Sediment recovered from sites in both regions during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 will provide a new perspective on Earth's temperature variation at subpolar latitudes (60°-62°S) across the extremes of the mid-Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and the cooling that followed. The primary goals of the expedition were to: * Investigate the timing and causes for the rise and collapse of the Cretaceous hot greenhouse climate and how this climate mode affected the climate-ocean system and oceanic biota; * Determine the relative roles of productivity, ocean temperature, and ocean circulation at high southern latitudes during Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs); * Identify the main source regions for deep-water and intermediate-water masses in the southeast Indian Ocean and how these changed during Gondwana breakup; * Characterize how oceanographic conditions at the MB changed during the Cenozoic opening of the Tasman Passage and restriction of the Indonesian Gateway; * Resolve questions on the volcanic and sedimentary origins of the Australo-Antarctic Gulf and Mentelle Basin and provide stratigraphic control on the age and nature of the prebreakup successions. Hole U1512A in the GAB recovered a 691 m thick sequence of black claystone ranging from the early Turonian to the early Campanian. Age control is primarily based on calcareous nannofossils, but the presence of other microfossil groups provided consistent but low-resolution control. Despite the lithologic uniformity, longand short-term variations in natural gamma ray and magnetic susceptibility intensities show cyclic alternations that suggest an orbital control of sediment deposition that will be useful for developing an astrochronology for the sequence. Sites U1513-U1516 were drilled between 850 and 3900 m water depth in the MB and penetrated 774, 517, 517, and 542 meters below seafloor (mbsf), respectively. Under a thin layer of Pleistocene-upper Miocene sediment, Site U1513 cored a succession of Cretaceous units from the Campanian to the Valanginian. Site U1514 sampled an expanded PleistoceneEocene sequence and terminated in the upper Albian. The Cenomanian-Turonian interval at Site U1514 recovered deformed sedimentary rocks that probably represent a detachment zone. Site U1515 is located on the west Australian margin at 850 m water depth and was the most challenging site to core because much of the upper 350 m was either chert or poorly consolidated sand. However, the prebreakup Jurassic(?) sediments interpreted from the seismic profiles were successfully recovered. Site U1516 cored an expanded Pleistocene, Neogene, and Paleogene section and recovered a complete Cenomanian/Turonian boundary interval containing five layers with high total organic carbon content. The Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks and underlying Jurassic(?) sediments cored in different parts of the MB provide information on the timing of different stages of the Gondwana breakup. The recovered cores provide sufficient new age constraints to underpin a reevaluation of the basin-wide seismic stratigraphy and tectonic models for the region. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Huber, B. T., Hobbs, R. W., Bogus, K. A., Batenburg, S. J., Brumsack, H., Do Monte Guerra, R., Edgar, K. M., Edvardsen, T., Harry, D. L., Hasegawa, T., Haynes, S. J., Jiang, T., Jones, M. M., Kuroda, J., Lee, E., Li, Y., MacLeod, K. G., Maritati, A., Martinez, M., O'Connor, L. K., Petrizzo, M. Rose., Quan, T. M., Richter, C., Riquier, L., Tagliaro, G. T., Tejada, M. Luisa Garcia., Wainman, C. C., Watkins, D. K., White, L. T., Wolfgring, E. & Xu, Z. (2018). International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 Preliminary Report: Australia Cretaceous Climate and Tectonics: Tectonic, paleoclimate, and paleoceanographic history of high-latitude southern margins of Australia during the Cretaceous. United States: International Ocean Discovery Program. http://publications.iodp.org/preliminary_report/369/ Authors Brian T. Huber, Richard W. Hobbs, Kara A. Bogus, Sietske Batenburg, H-J Brumsack, Rodrigo Do Monte Guerra, Kirsty Edgar, Trine Edvardsen, Dennis Harry, Takashi Hasegawa, Shannon Haynes, Tao Jiang, Matthew M. Jones, Junichiro Kuroda, Eun-Young Lee, Y-X Li, Kenneth MacLeod, Alessandro Maritati, Mathieu Martinez, Lauren O'Connor, Maria Petrizzo, Tracy Quan, Carl Richter, Laurent Riquier, Gabriel Tagliaro, Maria Tejada, Carmine Wainman, David K. Watkins, Lloyd T. White, Erik Wolfgring, and Zhaokai Xu This report is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/5293 International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 369 Preliminary Report Australia Cretaceous Climate and Tectonics Tectonic, paleoclimate, and paleoceanographic history of high-latitude southern margins of Australia during the Cretaceous 26 September–26 November 2017 B.T. Huber, R.W. Hobbs, K.A. Bogus, and the Expedition 369 Scientists


In present study, we clarify the micro- to mesoscopic deformation behavior of semicrystalline polymer unit cell by using large deformation finite element homogenization method. Crystalline plasticity theory with penalty method for enforcing the inextensibility of chain direction and nonaffine molecular chain network theory were applied to the representation of the deformation behavior of crystalline and amorphous phases, respectively, in composite microstructure of semicrystalline polymer. The different directional tension and compression are applied to the 2- dimensional plane strain semi-crystalline unit cell model. A series of computational simulation clarified highly anisotropic deformation behavior of microstructure of semi-crystalline polymer, which is caused by rotation of chain direction and lamella interface, and manifests as a substantial hardening/softening. This anisotropy for tensile deformation is higher than that for compressive deformation.