As we observe diminishing returns for multi-core CPUs, especially when considering power budgets, FPGAs are becoming increasingly important in the HPC world. To push the limits of performance and energy efficiency, more general-purpose hardware, i.e. multi-core and GPU systems are often not sufficient, and we need to create specialised hardware systems. FPGAs are specialised hardware devices that allow us to create systems that are optimized for a given application. However, development and integration is generally difficult and time-consuming. In this thesis we explore harnessing the power of FPGA acceleration through Maxeler's FPGA-based Multiscale Dataflow Computing system by accelerating miniAMR, a proxy application for adaptive mesh refinement developed by Mantevo project. Proxy applications are minimal applications, which mimic the performance characteristics of full applications and are meant for testing and benchmarking. The applications are easier to work with than full applications and as they are meant to test both hardware and software, they contain a lot of options and runtime arguments, which makes FPGA acceleration challenging. Using the Maxeler system, we create arithmetic kernels for the core 7-point and 27-point stencil computations of miniAMR. By rearranging the data used, properly managing memory, and moving the core 3D stencil calculations onto dataflow engines, we achieve a maximum speedup of 2.52 while maintaining the functionality of miniAMR. Because of the flexibility of the Maxeler system and since the application mimics characteristics of full applications, our kernels can potentially be used to accelerate full adaptive mesh refinement or other stencil-driven applications with minimal effort.


4 Gb/s/pin 32 bit 512 Mb GDDR4 (Graphics Double Data Rate 4) SDRAM was implemented by using an 80 nm CMOS process. It employs a data bus inversion (DBI) coding to overcome the bottleneck of a parallel single-ended signaling, a power consumption of I/O, power supply noise, and crosstalk. Both DBI AC and DC modes are combined to a single circuit by eliminating the feedback path of a conventional DBI AC circuit while achieving high-speed operation. The proposed DBI circuit uses an analog majority voter insensitive to mismatch for small area and delay. Ronmiddot tuning further improves the voltage and time margin by adding a user-supplied offset to auto-calibrated Ronmiddot. In addition, a dual duty cycle corrector (DCC) is used to reduce duty error and jitter by averaging two outputs of two DCCs. Measured results show that DBI DC coding reduces the peak-to-peak jitter from 65.5 ps to 44.5 ps and the voltage fluctuation from 183 mV to 115 mV at the data rate of 4 Gb/s with the 2 V.


This study discusses the role of teachers in improving students' cognitive competency in Islamic education lessons through the recitation method. This study uses qualitative methods, and the data was gathered through field observation, in-depth interviews, and written document analysis. Direct observation was conducted during the teaching and learning process, while in-depth interviews were carried out with teachers and students. Document analysis was conducted to see teaching material preparation and student learning performance scores. The results of this study show that the teacher's role in improving students' cognitive abilities in Islamic religious education subjects through the recitation method has been well implemented in every meeting. The teacher's role includes the use of the recitation method in every meeting of Islamic religious lessons. The impact of using the recitation method can improve students' cognitive abilities in mastering Islamic religious subject matter. Besides that, students' motivation and interest in studying Islam are also improving because the recitation method gives them the freedom to master Islamic religious education material. In conclusion, the recitation method is very suitable for learning Islamic religion because it is related to mastering the verses of the Koran and hadith. For this reason, teachers and Islamic education institutions need to think about applying the recitation method in Islamic religious learning when the material is mostly related to the Al-Quran and hadith.


This paper deals with the effect of fertilization systems on weed infestation degree and grain yield of some small grains on the vertisol soil type. The trial was set in random complete block design with three replications. The trial included control variant and three variants fertilized by mineral fertilizers, lime and manure (1. NP1K, 2. NP2K, and 3. NP1K + CaCO3 + manure). Small grain crops involved in the trial were wheat, barley, triticale and rye. Results of the study showed significant effect of fertilization on decreasing weed infestation degree of the all investigated small grain crops. The highest degree of infestation by weeds (average 2.2) was observed at the variant without fertilization, while the lowest one (1.2) was found at the variant fertilized by the combination of mineral fertilizers, lime and manure. The highest degree of infestation by weeds was observed in wheat, and the lowest one in rye. Grain yield at fertilized variants was significantly higher comparing with the control variant. The highest average grain yield of the all small grains (3961 kg ha -1 ) was reached at the variant with combined application of mineral fertilizers, lime and manure, while the lowest one was observed at the unfertilized variant (1378 kg ha -1 ). Combined application of mineral fertilizers, lime and manure gave high-significantly greater grain yield in regard to mineral fertilizers alone with lower phosphorus dose. The difference between the variant with combined NPK, lime and manure and the variant NP2K was not statistically significant. The highest average grain yield in the all variants of 3884 kg ha -1 was given by wheat, and it was high-significantly greater than in the other crops, while the lowest one (2290 kg ha -1 ) was observed in rye. The difference between grain yields of barley and triticale was not significant. The highest grain yield of 4770 kg ha -1 was given by wheat at the variant with combination of NPK, lime and manure. The lowest grain yield was observed in rye and it was significantly lower than in other crops at every variant, which was expected. Triticale had greater grain yield than barley at the all variants, but the difference at the variant with combination of NPK, lime and manure was not significant.


This study analyzes the influence of fragmentation and concentration variables on per capita direct expenditures for all counties in the United States from 1982 to 2002. Building on recent research, fragmentation and concentration variables are developed to incorporate the horizontal as well as the vertical dimensions. This analysis explicitly takes into account the potential simultaneity between individual preferences for the spatial arrangement of local governments and the size of the local public sector using the element of time. The findings suggest that increased levels of fragmentation lead to an enlargement of the local public sector; however, the results are more complex than expected. Similarly, the concentration of service delivery responsibilities into counties and single purpose districts tends to increase the size of the local public sector.


The requirement of a sharp notch or precrack to cause environmental crack initiation of metastable β-titanium alloys exposed to 0.6 M NaCI has been observed. The causal relationship has not been thoroughly examined, however. This paper seeks to explain the sharp notch requirement by examining notch acuity effects on a variety of parameters that affect HEAC susceptibility. These include the effects of a sharp notch on cation accumulation - hydrolysis - acidification, potential drop in solution and resulting hydrogen production, and localization of dynamic strain. It is shown that solution resistance down a sharp crack is two orders of magnitude larger for a fatigue precracked compact tension specimen than for a smooth bar. The potential drop down a sharp crack is severe enough to enable hydrogen production even when the applied potential is more positive than the reversible potential for hydrogen production. It also shown that a fatigue precrack results in an acidified crack tip chemistry (approximately pH 1) which is deleterious to HEAC resistance. The effects of a sharp notch on the interplay of mechanics, film rupture and hydrogen uptake are also examined. It is shown that the slip behavior at a sharp crack tip promotes localized film rupture and localized hydrogen uptake. Localization of hydrogen uptake may be critical for HEAC susceptibility in light of the large hydrogen concentration required to cause crack initiation (ca. 1000 wt. ppm) and the lack of significant hydrogen uptake on filmed surfaces.


Thin films of n-type γ-Cu3V2O8 are prepared with high phase purity via reactive co-sputtering deposition. Complementary X-ray spectroscopic methods are used to reveal that the valence band maximum consists of O 2p states, while the conduction band minimum is primarily composed of Cu 3d states. Therefore, γ-Cu3V2O8 is classified as a charge transfer insulator, in which the 1.80 eV indirect band gap corresponds to the O 2p → Cu 3d transition. Through photoelectrochemical measurements, the surface of γ-Cu3V2O8 photoanodes is found to display intrinsic activity for catalyzing water oxidation that is stable with time. The combination of a small optical band gap, suitable valence band energy, and excellent photoelectrochemical stability suggests that γ-Cu3V2O8 could be a promising photoanode material. However, it is found that the charge extraction efficiency from these semiconductor photoanodes is strongly limited by a short (20−40 nm) hole diffusion length. Characterization of the electronic structure and transport properties of γ-Cu3V2O8 photoanodes suggests strategies for improving energy conversion efficiency and provides fundamental insights that can be used for understanding and evaluating function in a broader class of emerging ternary metal oxides.


Simulations of the nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation method is an important part of a digital laboratory developed by Numerical Rocks. The laboratory is used to model petrophysical properties and simulating fluid flow in the pore scale of reservoir rocks. The nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation method can be simulated on a computer using a method involving random walkers. This computer simulation can be parallelized to reduce computational time. The aim of this study has been to examine how overlapping boundaries affects speed-up and communication in a parallel simulation of random walkers. Several parallel algorithms have been proposed and implemented. It was found that an overlapping partitioning of the problem is recommended, and that communication decreases exponentially with increasing overlap. However, increased overlap resulted only in a small negative impact on memory usage and speed-up.


Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background: Long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (LA-PrEP) formulated as implants and injections are promising prevention method strategies offering simplicity, discretion, and long dose duration. Men are important end users of LA-PrEP, and early assessment of their preferences could enhance downstream male engagement in HIV prevention. Methods: A discrete-choice experiment survey was conducted with 406 men, aged 18–24, in Cape Town, South Africa, to assess preferences for 5 LA-PrEP attributes with 2–4 pictorially-depicted levels: delivery form, duration, insertion location, soreness, and delivery facility. Latent class analysis was used to explore heterogeneity of preferences and estimate preference shares. Results: The median age was 21 (interquartile range 19–22), and 47% were men who have sex with men. Duration was the most important product attribute. Latent class analysis identified 3 classes: "duration-dominant decision makers" (46%) were the largest class, defined by significant preference for a longer duration product. "Comprehensive decision makers" (36%) had preferences shaped equally by multiple attributes and preferred implants. "Injection-dominant decision makers" (18%) had strong preference for injections (vs. implant) and were significantly more likely to be men who have sex with men. When estimating shares for a 2-month injection in the buttocks with mild soreness (HPTN regimen) vs. a 6-month implant (to arm) with moderate soreness (current target), 95% of "injection-dominant decision makers" would choose injections, whereas 79% and 63% of "duration-dominant decision makers" and "comprehensive decision makers" would choose implant. Conclusions: Young South African men indicated acceptability for LA-PrEP. Preferences were shaped mainly by duration, suggesting a sizeable market for implants, and underscoring the importance of product choice. Further research into men's acceptability of LA PrEP strategies to achieve engagement in these HIV prevention tools constitutes a priority.


The minor in legal studies requires six courses (18 graded units), at least three of which must be upper-division (300or 400-level) courses. Two of the six courses may be drawn from the student's major, but, as in all College of Arts & Sciences programs, they can not be double-counted (i.e., applied to both the major and the minor). The six courses also must be distributed across three of four thematic subject areas. For details, please visit the Legal Studies website (https://legalstudies.wustl.edu/) or consult the Director of Legal Studies.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The advent of modern neuroendovascular techniques has highlighted the need for a simple, effective, and reliable brain arteriovenous malformation endovascular grading scale. A novel scale of this type has recently been described. It incorporates the number of feeding arteries, eloquence, and the presence of an arteriovenous fistula component. Our aim is to assess the validity of this grading scale. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all suspected brain arteriovenous malformations at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2005 to 2013, identifying 126 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Spearman correlations between endovascular and Spetzler-Martin grading scales and long-term outcomes were performed. Median endovascular grades were compared between treatment modalities and endovascular outcomes. Binary regression analysis was performed with major endovascular complications as a dichotomized dependent variable. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for interobserver reliability of the endovascular grading scale. RESULTS: A significant Spearman correlation between the endovascular grade and the Spetzler-Martin grade was demonstrated (ρ = 0.5, P < .01). Differences in the median endovascular grades between the endovascular cure (median = 2) and endovascular complication groups (median = 4) (P < .05) and between the endovascular cure and successful multimodal treatment groups (median = 3) (P < .05) were demonstrated. The endovascular grade was the only independent predictor of complications (OR = 0.5, P < .01). The intraclass correlation coefficient of the endovascular grade was 0.71 (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Validation of a brain arteriovenous malformation endovascular grading scale demonstrated that endovascular grades of ≤II were associated with endovascular cure, while endovascular grades of ≤III were associated with multimodal cure or significant lesion reduction and favorable outcome. The endovascular grade provides useful information to refine risk stratification for endovascular and multimodal treatment.


This article compares two experiences of group-based student projects in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) degree and in Geography degree modules. The two authors adopted group projects from similar motivations, and used available materials to guide them through this process. Subsequently, they have come to reflect on the experience and to examine the theoretical dimensions of such an approach in more detail. There seems to be a discrepancy between the literature, which emphasises a growing interest in the socio-educational value of group-based and active learning, and the concerns voiced by both students and academics regarding the practical implications of such approaches. Analysis of grades and questionnaires tends to support the literature and belie the criticisms, which the authors see as 'myths', possibly motivated by a defensive attitude to the whole learning process. The conclusions are that, if care is not taken in the design and execution of such projects, then the problems that may ensue can reinforce the 'myths'. However, if carefully and appropriately designed and managed, team-based learning is a valuable experience.


In the present paper, we have studied the Finslerian hypersurfaces and generalized β−conformal change of Finsler metric. The relations between the Finslerian hypersurface and the other which is Finslerian hypersurface given by generalized β−conformal change have been obtained. We have also proved that generalized β−conformal change makes three types of hypersurfaces invariant under certain conditions.


Expertise locator systems have been designed to help find experts within organizations. While there are many examples of these systems in the literature, there has not been any systematic analysis of the factors that predict whether a particular expertise search result will be selected for further exploration. This paper describes a study of 67 employees from 21 countries that performed a specific expertise search to find an expert using an expertise locator system. Rank order and social connection information displayed in snippets of search results were found to significantly predict whether a user considers a particular search result for further exploration. Implications for the design of expertise location systems and future research directions are discussed.


9039 Background: Immunotherapy aiming the induction of tumor cell specific immune responses controlling the tumor growth, has emerged as a promising treatment modality in lung cancer(LuCa). Autologous DCVAC can present tumor antigens to elicit a durable immune response. We hypothesized that adding DCVAC to the standard of care chemotherapy (ct) could prolong overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Methods: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of DCVAC/LuCa (active cellular immunotherapy based on dendritic cells) concomitantly added to ct (carboplatin/paclitaxel) - Arm A (A) vs DCVAC/LuCa + immune modulators (IFN-α and hydroxychloroquine) - Arm B (B)+ct vs ct - Arm C (C) in NSCLC patients (pts). Randomization 1:1:1; pts in A and B received up to 15 doses of DCVAC, ct was given 4-6 cycles in A and C. Stage IV NSCLC was confirmed histologically or cytologically, ECOG 0-1 pts were eligible. Stratification was done by histology subtype and smoking history. Primary efficacy analysis compared A vs C only as enrollment to B was closed early based on Sponsor's assessment of further clinical development potential, there were no safety concerns or signals. Results: 112 pts at 12 sites were randomized (A/45 B/29 C/38). Patients characteristics were comparable across the study groups with the exception of gender (m/f, %: 65/35 (A) and 74/26 (C) and smoking history (75 % of smokers in A, 97 % in C). Median follow up time was 25.8 months, range 0.1-41.8. Median OS was 15.5 months in A compared to 11.8 months in C, hazard ratio (HR) 0.55, p-value 0.0232, 95% CI [0.33, 0,93], data maturity 77%. Median PFS was 6.74 in A and 5.63 months in C, HR 0.59, p-value 0.0415, 95% CI [0.36, 0.99], data maturity 86%. Overall response rate was 45% in A vs 34% in C. Most TEAEs were related to ct (anemia [35%-A, 32%-C], neutropenia [48% in A, 21%-C], thrombocytopenia [25% in A, 27% in C]). There were no grade ≥ 3 TEAEs solely related to DCVAC. Most common leukapheresis (lp)-related AE was vomiting in 2 pts out of 67 pts undergone lp. Conclusions: Addition of DCVAC-based immunotherapy to the standard of care chemotherapy significantly improved OS in stage IV NSCLC. Clinical trial information: NCT02470468.


Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based tissue regeneration is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating damaged tissues. However, the inflammatory microenvironment that exists at a local injury site might restrict reconstruction. Low-power laser irradiation (LPLI) has been widely applied to retard the inflammatory reaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of LPLI on human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) in an inflammatory environment. We showed that the hADSCs expressed Toll-like Receptors (TLR) 1, TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR6 and that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly induced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-8 (IL-8)). LPLI markedly inhibited LPS-induced, pro-inflammatory cytokine expression at an optimal dose of 8 J/cm2. The inhibitory effect triggered by LPLI might occur through an increase in the intracellular level of cyclic AMP (cAMP), which acts to down-regulate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) transcriptional activity. These data collectively provide insight for further investigations of the potential application of anti-inflammatory treatment followed by stem cell therapy.


Challenges, such as requirements of resources, limited availability of storage space on devices, and mobile bandwidth spectrum, inhibit unconstrained and ubiquitous video consumption. We propose a first-of-its-kind methodology to compress videos that stream human faces. We detect facial landmarks on-the-fly and compress the video by storing a sequence of distinct frames extracted from the video, such that the facial landmarks of a pair of successively stored frames are significantly different. We use a dynamic thresholding technique to detect the significance of difference and store meta-information for reconstructing the missing frames. To reduce glitches in the decompressed video, we use morphing technique that smoothens the transition between successive frames. We measure the objective goodness of our technique by evaluating the time taken to compress, the entropy per frame, the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), and compression ratio. For subjective analysis, we perform a user study observing user satisfaction at different compression ratios.


ABSTRACT The importance of addressing implications of racism has reached a critical point at colleges and universities across the United States, and schools of social work are no exception. This study uses grounded theory methods to thematically analyze data from student participants (N=30) on their thoughts and reactions during a 2 1/2-day Undoing Racism workshop sponsored by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. Qualitative data were collected to answer the research question, How do students experience an intensive Undoing Racism workshop, and what are the implications for integrating antiracism into social work education? Findings imply that workshop-based learning may be more effective than solely using course content to teach antiracism material and also indicate the importance of activity-based learning, as well as an emphasis on developing concrete strategies to combat racism.


The goals and objectives of this research concentrate on the art of different cultures living together in harmony and warm hospitality in the area of Nine Units Market Village at Bangplama district, Supanburi province. The architectural studies present the various characteristics of shophouses which can be categorized by age and function. The paper also reviews the statement of cultural heritage significance according to the Australian ICOMOS charter for the conservation of places of cultural significance. Beginning with the floating market and the appointed market on the river bank, then evolved to a permanent market in addition to the timber shophouses around the market place where water transportation still plays a major role for all kinds of goods. As land transportation networks improve, change is coming to local markets. Improved land transportation changes the identity of markets that once traded in agricultural product and household supplies, native to the particular area, by introducing general goods that can be found anywhere. Lastly the local timber shops, houses and markets are being replaced by modern brick and concrete ones. The future trend of preserving these built vernacular heritages has been rather hopeless. There are only two conditions for preserving: one is that the owners and community understand the values of their heritages and the other is that the development must be appropriate and effective to ensure that the end results will go straight to the heart of problem. The management of community tourism and cultural heritage should help strengthen the community and make it really self-dependent before bringing tourism into such an area.


Public health emergencies are becoming more commonplace every year. Naturally occurring public health emergencies, such as hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, and floods cause significant devastation to property and people. Although these emergencies are becoming more and more common, response is still very challenging. A root cause of failed response is a lack of coordination between national, regional, and local public health agencies. These failed and unsuccessful responses are seen with naturally occurring public health emergencies, including pandemics. This chapter addresses coordination, its barriers and challenges, with a focus on the role of leadership in response to public health emergencies. Coordination leadership is a critical aspect of successful and effective response to emergencies. Leadership styles will be discussed and examples of effective leadership. Lessons learned will be presented, as well as research findings. Examples discussed include Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami of 2004 in Thailand, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Development Goals.


The quest for sustainable development has been a subject discourse across the globe. Sustainable development has been deemed to be the pathway to all that is good and desirable in the society. Undoubtedly, social and economic infrastructure desirability in any economy is second-to-none and its sustainability needs to be prioritised. The worsened state of infrastructures and wide gap in its supply in developing economy have warranted this study. The study identified the sustainable tool (PPP) through which infrastructural supply can be enhanced and sustained and it revealed through literature review the major barriers to the tool performance in delivering infrastructures in developing country. Among the major challenges identified from literatures include inadequate consultation of stakeholders for greater acceptance of PPP, conflict of interest among PPP stakeholders, negative behaviour of the people towards PPP, lack of confidence and mistrust in PPP by stakeholders, poor enabling environment for PPP, weak or poor regulatory frameworks, law and regulation changes and weak and poor enabling policies. The barriers identified are due to more to the public than the private and the people. Therefore, the study recommends that beyond the need for stronger collaboration between the public and private sector, government should integrate the people in planning phase of the sustainable tool adoption for public infrastructures delivery. Also, government should build confidence and trust in the parties to PPP by creating enabling environment that can guarantee investors security.


Objective. To represent how a new identity is being constructed by nurses initiating their activities as teachers. Methodology. In 2010, a descriptive-interpretative qualitative research was conducted of four cases of nurse teachers from Nursing Schools. Aspects of teacher identity and management of critical incidents in the classroom were reviewed. The information was obtained through a structured survey and the data underwent analysis of contents. Results. The nurses surveyed state that the teaching exercise is a culmination stage of clinical nursing. Teaching confers them stability in their professional life; however, they report that the complexity of the educational practice poses a big challenge. They feel responsible for the formation of future nursing professionals. In spite of defining themselves as constructivists in the way of teaching, they are governed by a technical conception on the way of approaching the educational practice. They attribute the critical incidents to which they are exposed to the types of students entering the universities; these turn out uncomfortable and do not feel responsible for their development. These incidents are lessons to better face similar situations in the future. Conclusion. The nurses participating in this study are facing their new role as teachers of human resource, seeking to construct a new identity different from what they had when working in direct care of individuals. Key words: faculty, nursing; nurse's role; critical period (Psychology).


Our exposure to non-ionizing radiation (NIR) has been increasing steadily with our use of electricity, electronic equipment and-more recently-with our use of wireless technology. Concurrently, epidemiological studies have been documenting an increased cancer risk for people who use cell phones for 10 years or more and for those who live near cell phone base stations, broadcast antennas, radar installations, or powerlines. Health care authorities and physicists dismiss these studies because non-ionizing radiation doesn't have enough energy to break chemical bonds and, hence cannot cause cancer. Right? Wrong!


Epigenetic programming facilitates the adaptation of an organism to changes in the environment through lasting alterations in gene expression that underlie certain physical and behavioral phenotypes. Exposure to adverse events in early postnatal life is known to increase the risk for stress-related psychiatric disorders later on. Our previous studies showed that early-life stress (ELS) in mice caused by periodic infant-mother separation (MS) leads to increased hyperactivity of the HPA axis, reduced glucocorticoid feedback inhibition, and depressive-like behavior. Moreover, our work revealed ELS-induced hypomethylation of the arginine vasopressin (Avp) gene enhancer and pro-opiomelanocortin (Pomc) promoter.
The aim of the study was to investigate whether ELS can also lead to epigenetic programming of the mouse glucocorticoid receptor (GR, Nr3c1). GR is a major feedback regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) stress axis and its expression is regulated by multiple promoters associated with its5' untranslated first exons. Given the fact that the mouse GR promoter was only partly characterized, we aimed to determine its genomic structure. In addition, tissue distribution and absolute quantification of newly identified alternative first exon transcripts were analysed. Although most of the first exon transcripts were found to be widely expressed, some of them are shown to be differentially regulated by growth factor- and depolarization-induced signaling.
In the present work we show also that mice with a history of maternal separation display up-regulated GR mRNA levels. This observation was confined to Crh-producing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), which are principal effectors of the stress response. Moreover, elevated levels of GR are shown to be responsible for stronger induction of its downstream target genes (Fkbp5, Sgk1, and DUSP1), which suggests an enhanced transcriptional activity of the GR in ELS mice. This effect is supported by a higher occupancy of the GR at the glucocorticoid response elements (GREs), following corticosterone injection (i.p.).
Finally, we report here that an enhanced level of GR expression in ELS mice is accompanied by an increased methylation of specific CpG residues at the CpG island shore region of the GR promoter. These ELS-responsive CpGs comprise a DNA binding site for the transcriptional repressor Yin Yang 1 (YY1). Given the high homology of the mouse and human GR promoter, and the conservation of the YY1 binding site, we conducted a methylation analysis of the hGR CpG island shore region in peripheral tissues and post mortem brain samples. Our findings might serve as a basis for comparing the methylation patterns in tissues from control subjects and patients with stress-related brain disorders.


Nowadays, health hazard have been increased in human species. So, more concentration is to be given on awareness of regular exercises and workouts. Since, a user of any gym equipment feels tiredness after a wild being because of fatigue. Therefore, some cooling devices should be installed to provide comfort to the user. Therefore, we have installed mechanically driven fan on gym bicycle prototype to give more comfort to the user. Lots of calories have been burned by the person while working out on gym equipments. We have utilized these human burn calories to convert it into electrical energy. Therefore, we have installed DC motor which runs as a generator. Smallest air-cooler available in market is not economical to give comfort to single user. Hence a low cost air-cooler has been developed for the single user which runs when the person is peddling on the developed gym bicycle.


ABSTRACT Fourier grain shape analysis of quartz sand grains from a vertical section of the St. Peter Sandstone at St. Paul, Minn., has detected a vertical pattern of non-random variation in the relative proportions of 2 shape families. The shape families consist of "mature," highly abraded sand, and irregularly shaped, "immature," sand respectively. Changes in the proportion of mature and irregular sands define large-scale (7, 19 foot) zones characterized by a decrease upwards in irregular sand content, and within each zone smaller scaled units of interbedded mature and irregular sands which form cycles approximately 1 foot thick. In light of studies of Recent shelf environments (Brown and Ehrlich, 1980) the large-scale zones are interpreted as a record of individual transgressive phases with a resultant movement of the littoral energy fence (and concomittantly the shoreline) away from the area. Two and, perhaps, three such zones occur in the uppermost 30 feet studied. If their repetition is due to regressive pulses, this corroborates Sloss' (1963) observations that the middle Ordovician transgression was interrupted by numerous partial regressions. The small-scale cycles within each zone are interpreted to record the breaching of the littoral energy fence; each thin layer of irregular sand is likely storm-generated. Detection of such a detailed record in an otherwise homogeneous, featureless orthoquartzite ind cates that the Fourier grain shape technique, applied on a regional scale to the St. Peter Sandstone, may reveal a clearer record of its accumulation.


A depth estimation algorithm proposed by A.P. Pentland (1987) is generalized. In the proposed algorithm, the raw image data in the vicinity of the edge is used to estimate the depth from defocus. Since no differentiation operation on the image data is required before the optimization process, the method is less sensitive to the noise disturbance of measurements. Furthermore, the edge orientation that was critical in Pentland's approach will not be required in the case. This algorithm is then applied to synthetic images containing various amounts of noise to test its performance. Experimental results indicate that the depth estimation errors are kept within 5% of true values on the average when it is applied to real images. >


Abstract An abnormal elongation of cells occurred when Lactobacillus bulgaricus B5b was cultivated in milk heated at 100°C for 15min. Nuclear staining revealed that the elongated cells were multinucleate, and septum staining indicated that the septum had not yet formed. Similar cell elongation was confirmed using other strains of L. bulgaricus . Extent of cell elongation varied with strains and heating conditions of milk; severe heating shortened the cell length. This cell elongation was not observed in autoclaved milk (121°C, 15min), milk containing added formic acid and heated to 100°C for 15min, and in mixed culture with Streptococcus thermophilus . The formate added to the milk was incorporated into purines of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid of the cells. Addition of formic acid or adenine stimulated ribonucleic acid synthesis in the cells cultivated in milk heated to 100°C for 15min. The cell elongation was always accompanied by a remarkable depression of ribonucleic acid synthesis. Lactobacillus bulgaricus cells grown in milk heated to 100°C for 15min are not able to produce adequate amounts of formic acid required for synthesis of purines de novo.


The classification of internet traffic has become increasingly important due to the rapid growth of today's networks and application variety. The number of connections and the addition of new applications in our networks causes a vast amount of log data and complicates the search for common patterns by experts. Finding such patterns among specific classes of applications is necessary to fulfill various requirements in network analytics. Supervised deep learning methods learn features from raw data and achieve high accuracy in classification. However, these methods are very complex and are used as black-box models, which weakens the experts' trust in these classifications. Moreover, by using them as a black-box, new knowledge cannot be obtained from the model predictions despite their excellent performance. Therefore, the explainability of the classifications is crucial. Besides increasing trust, the explanation can be used for model evaluation to gain new insights from the data and to improve the model. In this paper, we present a visual and interactive tool that combines the classification of network data with an explanation technique to form an interface between experts, algorithms, and data.


BACKGROUND: Optimal management of bilateral vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms (bi-VDAs) causing subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the treatment methods and outcomes of bi-VDA causing SAH. METHODS: Seven patients were treated endovascularly for bi-VDA causing SAH. Treatment methods and outcomes were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Two patients were treated with 2 overlapping stents for both ruptured and unruptured VDAs, 2 with 2 overlapping stents and coiling for ruptured VDA and with conservative treatment for unruptured VDA, 1 with internal trapping (IT) for ruptured VDA and stent-assisted coiling for unruptured VDA, 1 with IT for ruptured VDA and 2 overlapping stents for unruptured VDA, and 1 with IT for ruptured VDA and a single stent for unruptured VDA. None had rebleeding during follow-up (range, 15-48 months). All patients had favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score, 0-2). On follow-up angiography at 6 to 36 months, 9 treated and 2 untreated VDAs revealed stable or improved state, whereas 3 VDAs in 2 patients showed regrowth. Of the 3 recurring VDAs, 1 was initially treated with IT but recurred owing to retrograde flow to the ipsilateral posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), the second was treated with single stent but enlarged, and the last was treated with 2 overlapping stents and coiling but recurred from the remnant sac harboring the PICA origin. All 3 recurred VDAs were retreated with coiling with or without stent insertion. CONCLUSION: Bilateral VDAs presenting with SAH were safely treated with endovascular methods. However, endovascular treatment may be limited for VDAs with PICA origin involvement.


1. Delayed K+‐currents and displacement currents were studied with a voltage‐clamp technique. 2. In normal fibres, the conductance of the delayed channel grows e‐fold per 3 millivolts at sufficiently negative potentials and reaches a limiting value of 2‐10 m‐mho/cm2 (mean 5‐8 m‐mho/cm2) at positive potentials. Adding tetracaine (2 mM) reduces the limiting conductance, shifts the voltage‐dependence of the delayed channel to +25 mV more positive potentials and slows the kinetics fourfold. 3. By contrast, the displacement currents are virtually unaltered by 2 mM tetracaine. Their voltage‐dependence is shifted by less than 5 mV and their kinetics are unaffected. 4. Tetraethylammonium ions (TEA) are known to slow the kinetics of delayed K+‐channels fivefold but fail, like tetracaine, to change the kinetics of the displacement currents. 5. Both tetracaine and TEA have thus large effects on the 'gating' of the delayed channel, yet little or none on the displacement currents. This suggests that the displacement currents in skeletal muscle are for the most part unrelated to the opening and closing of delayed channels. It is estimated that 'gating' the delayed channel in muscle may require no more than 1 or 2% of the observed charge displacement.


Non-renewable resources, which include natural resources, are now being much rare and are being depleted in the recent decades as these are not being replenished naturally. In Indonesia, there is a need to see and manage the factors that utilize the maximum amount of non-renewable energy in the state. Thus, our study investigates the factors that characterize for the increased use of non-renewable resources that include inflation, poverty, debts, etc. This research has gathered data over 28 years of time to get a time-series analysis. The independent variables are inflation, poverty, and debts of the nation. The dependent variable is non-renewable energy consumption and the control variables are population growth and GDP of Indonesia. For this purpose, we have used Autoregressive distributed time lag (ARDL) model and Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) technique along with unit root tests. Further, the co-integrating among the variables is also tested for observing the relationship of variables in the long-run. The results show that all the inflation, poverty, and debts have significantly being the culprits for increased non-renewable energy consumption in both short-run and long-run analysis. However, population growth has been insignificant in the long run. The research gives useful directions for the policy-makers and people as how to reduce the increased rate of debts, inflation and poverty.


Summary Low frequency seismic data down to 2/3 Hz is required if seismic inversion to absolute rock and reservoir properties is aimed. Presently about 3/4 Hz offshore and 4/5 Hz land seismic data are feasible using specially arranged receiver and source arrays. The missing low frequencies in these cases can be obtained using background models derived from the seismic interval velocity field without having to rely on models from well log data. Seismic bandwidth extending to high frequencies is also important in getting reliable rock and reservoir property estimations from seismic data. Influence of low and high frequencies in seismic inversion are illustrated with synthetic and field data.


AbstractThe paper deals with the transient semi-analytical solution of linearized Boussinesq equations characterizing the development of groundwater mound in an unconfined two-dimensional heterogeneous aquifer under vertical recharge conditions. The finite aquifer consists of two rectangular basins surrounded by open water bodies and shares a common impermeable or permeable boundary at the mid plane. The governing equations are solved by applying the Laplace transform and finite Fourier sine transform techniques. Accordingly, analytical expressions for water heads for two rectangular basins are obtained for various scenarios. The applicability of the solutions has been illustrated with the help of a case study and numerical examples, considering various cases. The region wise development of the groundwater mound indicates that the effect of heterogeneity becomes significant for small time duration whereas for long time it becomes insignificant. This result can have application in land reclamation problems...


The availability of natural food that meets the needs can improve the quality and quantity of seeds and ensure the sustainability of seeds production produced. One of the most important natural feeds in aquatic ecosystems is phytoplankton which is the main producer that contributes the most to the total primary water products. One type of phytoplankton commonly cultivated is Chaetoceros calcitrans. Nutrient enrichment in growing media can be done through the provision of several types of fertilizers. One type of fertilizer commonly used in phytoplankton cultivation is KW21 fertilizer. Silicate is an essential macro nutrient needed for microalgae growth in the formation of its cell walls to have high resistance to environmental stresses such as extreme conditions. One type of fertilizer that contains silicates which is a fertilizer for local products (Lombok) namely Nutrisil. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of Nutrisil fertilizer and KW21+S on growth and double time of Chaetoceros calcitrans. This study uses a completely randomized design with treatment A= concentration of Nutrisil 1,0 mL/L, B= concentration of Nutrisil 0,75 mL/L, C = concentration of  Nutrisil 0,5 mL/L, D = concentration of  Nutrisil 0,25 mL/L dan E = concentration of  KW21 1 mL/L + Si 1 mg/L.  .The data obtained were analyzed using Anova with level 5%. The results showed that the administration of Nutrisil and KW21+Si fertilizer had a significant effect on the growth of Chaetoceros calcitrans.


Purpose of reviewConventional perioperative care includes a period of semistarvation before bowel function returns and adequate oral intake is allowed. It has been clearly shown that there is no need for restriction in oral intake after, at least lower, gastrointestinal surgery, and that early oral feeding does not increase the risk for dehiscense of the anastomosis. In contrast, early feeding reduces postoperative complications. Even if early oral intake is allowed, however, it is common that side effects such as nausea and vomiting prevent patients from reaching the target energy intakes. Thus, developing routines and treatments that promote sufficient early oral intake after surgery and maintain adequate energy intake in the postoperative period are probably of great importance for the outcome from surgery. Recent findingsThere are a number of factors which may facilitate early oral intake after gastrointestinal surgery including effective pain relief using epidural anaesthesia while avoiding opioids, minimizing sodium and fluid administration perioperatively and substantially reducing preoperative fasting. In addition, sufficient preoperative information, intensive mobilization, energy-dense hospital food and oral supplements may all contribute to improved energy intake after surgery. SummaryIn general, there is a great need for randomized controlled trials examining factors important for the regulation of oral intake after surgery and also the effects of early oral intake after upper gastrointestinal surgery. Future areas of research may also include regulation of appetite and use of peripherally acting opioid antagonists.


The main goal of the present thesis was to study some harmful algal species which cause blooms in Italian coastal waters, leading to consequences for human health, coastal ecosystem, fishery and tourism.
In particular, in the first part of this thesis the toxicity of Adriatic strains of the raphidophyte Fibrocapsa japonica was investigated. Despite several hypotheses have been proposed for the toxic mechanism of the raphidophytes, especially for the species Chattonella antiqua and C. marina, which have been studied more extensively, just a few studies on the toxic effects of these species for different organisms were reported. Moreover, a careful reading of the literature evidenced as any ichthyotoxic events reported worldwide can be linked to F. japonica blooms. Although recently several studies were performed on F. japonica strains from the USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, and France in order to characterize their growth and toxicity features, the work reported in this thesis results one of the first investigation on the toxic effects of F. japonica for different organisms, such as bacteria, crustaceans and fish. Mortality effects, together with haemolysis of fish erythrocytes, probably due to the relatively high amount of PUFAs produced by this species, were observed. Mortality for fish, however, was reported only at a high cell density and after a long exposition period (9-10 days); moreover a significant increase of H2O2 obtained in the tanks where sea basses were exposed to F. japonica was also relevant. This result may justify the absence of ichthyotoxic events in the Italian coasts, despite F. japonica blooms detected in these areas were characterized by high cell densities. This work reports also a first complete characterization of the fatty acids produced and extracellularly released by the Adriatic F. japonica, and results were also compared with the fatty acid profile of other strains. The absence of known brevetoxins in F. japonica algal extracts was also highlighted, leading to the hypothesis that the toxicity of F. japonica may be due to a synergic effect of PUFAs and ROS.
Another microalgae that was studied in this thesis is the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata. This species was investigated with the aim to investigate the effect of environmental parameters on its growth and toxicity. O. cf. ovata, in fact, shows different blooming periods along the Italian coasts and even the reported toxic effects are variable. The results of this work confirmed the high variability in the growth dynamic and toxin content of several Italian strains which were isolated in recent years along the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas. Moreover, the effects of temperature and salinity on the behaviour of the different isolates are in good agreement with the results obtained from field surveys, which evidence as the environmental parameters are important factors modulating O. cf. ovata proliferation. Another relevant result that was highlighted is the anomaly in the production of palytoxin-like compounds reported by one of the studied isolate, in particular the one isolated in 2008 in Ancona (Adriatic Sea). Only this strain reported the absence of two (ovatoxin-b and –c) of the five ovatoxins so far known in the toxin profile and a different relative abundance of the other toxins.
The last aspect that was studied in this thesis regards the toxin biosythesis. In fact, toxins produced (palytoxin-like compounds) or supposed to be produced (brevetoxin-like compounds) by O. cf. ovata and F. japonica, respectively, are polyketides, which are highly oxygenated compounds synthesized by complex enzymes known as polyketide synthase (PKS) enzymes. These enzymes are multi-domain complexes that structurally and functionally resemble the fatty acid synthases (FASs). This work reports the first study of PKS proteins in the dinoflagellates O. cf. ovata, C. monotis and in the raphidophyte F. japonica. For the first time some PKSs were identified in these species, confirming the presence of PKS proteins predicted by the in silico translation of the transcripts found in K. brevis also in other species. The identification of O. cf. ovata PKSs and the localization of the palytoxin-like compounds produced by this dinoflagellate in a similar location (chloroplast) as that observed for other dinoflagellate and cyanobacterial toxins provides some indication that these proteins may be involved in polyketide biosynthesis. However, their potential function as fatty acid synthases cannot be ruled out, as plant fatty acid synthesis also occurs within chloroplasts. This last hypothesis is also supported by the fact that in all the investigated species, and in particular in F. japonica, PKS proteins were present. Therefore, these results provide an important contribution to the study of the polyketides and of the involvement of PKS proteins in the toxin biosynthesis.


: The relationship linearity criterion and its derivatives were used in processing the mass of official statistical data on typhoid morbidity throughout the whole territory of the USSR and in the union republics during the period 1950-1976. In the majority of the union republics (the RSFSR, the Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Georgian, Armenian, Moldavian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian SSR) the time course of typhoid morbidity was found to have a linear character and could be adequately described by the exponential function. The calculation of the average rate of annual decrease in typhoid morbidity in the above-mentioned union republics and the extrapolation of the tendencies of morbidity decrease for the last 20 years indicated that the morbidity level in the USSR would decrease by 6.14%, varying from 3.09% to 9.89% in individual union republics. The authors believe that similar rates of decrease in typhoid morbidity in different regions of the country can be attributed to reduced circulation of the causative agent of this infection and to the constant radical improvement of the sanitary and hygienic conditions of the Soviet people.


Animal models represent a key tool for Huntington's disease (HD) research. Dur ing the last decade large animal models of HD have been established to improve knowledge of HD under large brain conditions. Transgenic minipig expres s ing N‐terminal part of human huntingtin with 124 CAG/ CAA repeats seems to be very promis ing HD model. Its previous characterization has shown various phenotypes af ect ing subcel lular, cel lular as wel l as organ systems level. The goal of this study was to detect and analyze a pathological patter in physical activity of transgenic (TgHD) boars at the age of three years us ing telemetry approach. Into the study we have included five TgHD and five wild type (WT) animals for comparison. The physical activity was measured by the telemetric sys‐ tem rodentPACK2 whereas transmitter was placed into the col lar. The analysis have shown signifi‐ cant decrease of total acceleration represent ing physical activity in TgHD boars between 4:40 and 5:30 a. m. (after night sleep – before morn ing feeding) in comparison with WT ones which could be explained with disturbed energy metabolism. Telemetry approach wil l play an important role in the study of physical activity and bio potentials es sential for deeper characterization of large animal HD models in their preclinical and clinical phase.


OBJECTIVE
Precise detection of ventricular fibrillation (VF), reliable prediction of defibrillation success and adjustment of the discharge waveform to the patient's transthoracic impedance may contribute to a reduction of electricity-associated myocardial injury caused by unnecessary counter shocks. Specifically, asystole thresholds distinguish between VF and asystole, and thus prevent unnecessary defibrillation attempts. We reviewed various studies and manufacturer characteristics regarding the parameters and algorithms for analyzing arrhythmia ECG signals.

METHODS
Asystole threshold values of several defibrillator manufacturers were collected and a literature review was performed including the following parameters: amplitude, frequency, bispectral analysis, amplitude spectrum area, wavelets, nonlinear dynamics, N(alpha)histograms, and combinations of various parameters.

RESULTS
The manufacturer dependent asystole thresholds vary substantially. We show ways to optimize an ECG-based analysis for the next technological generation of defibrillators. During advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) the probability of defibrillation success should be estimated. Optimal defibrillation waveform, depending on transthoracic resistance, should be individually determined. In case of prolonged VF with a low ECG amplitude defibrillation should not be attempted unless coronary perfusion has been improved by further measures of ACLS. The combined evaluation of VF amplitude and frequency is effective in predicting defibrillation success. Estimation of further parameters is potentially useful for guiding optimal timing of defibrillation. At present, the implementation of most parameters in out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is limited by the lack of technical feasibility of online computing.

CONCLUSION
Analysis of VF ECG signals should allow adequate VF detection as well as prediction of defibrillation success. Suitable asystole thresholds for analysis of ECG signals have to be determined, and the adverse effects of CPR associated artefacts on data analysis have to be reduced. Analysis of VF ECG signals is a precondition of individually optimized defibrillation and may contribute substantially to an increased quality of CPR.


High-fidelity telepresence is considered to be a key subject for the development of advanced space and surgery robotic systems. The emphasis of this paper are the key challenges like multimodal data servicing, bilateral and shared control concepts, and kinesthetic feedback devices. These technologies are the basic principles in the development of advanced space and surgery applications. Beside these technologies, advanced mechatronic systems are required as shown within this paper. The applicability of the high-fidelity telepresence concept is explored by selected space and surgery scenarios.


Noncommutative algebra in planar quantum mechanics is shown to follow from 't Hooft's recent analysis on dissipation and quantization. The noncommutativity in the coordinates or in the momenta of a charged particle in a magnetic field with an oscillator potential are shown as dual descriptions of the same phenomenon. Finally, noncommutativity in a fluid dynamical model, analogous to the lowest Landau level problem, is discussed.


The rigor versus relevance debate of management research is ongoing. We contribute to this discussion by contrasting alternative assumptions about generating management knowledge and linking knowledge generation to academic governance. Specifically, we show that knowledge-by-representation dominates the field and is reinforced by the governance structures and processes guiding our academic management journals, peer review, and business school practices. We propose governance changes in academic publishing to encourage innovative research that may also generate knowledge-by-exemplification with strong ties to management practice.


The role of facilitators in distance learning environments is of substantial importance in supporting the learning process. This article specifically discusses the role of the facilitator in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), which are characterized by their stimulation of learning connections. The study analyzes the experiences of 135 facilitators in hybrid courses (cMOOC + xMOOC) where the following are explored: (1) the strategies used by the facilitators to encourage learning connections, (2) the challenges they faced in their activities, and (3) the basic skills required. A mixed method was used with a convergent design, through the application of a questionnaire qualitative and quantitative data were collected simultaneously. It was found that the collaborative construction of knowledge is the most widely used strategy to promote learning connections in MOOCs and that its design is the biggest challenge that facilitators faced while carrying out their activities.


Abstract. To better understand the size-segregated chemical composition of aged organic aerosols in the western North Pacific rim, day- and night-time aerosol samples were collected in Sapporo, Japan during summer 2005 using an Andersen impactor sampler with 5 size bins: Dp 7.0 μm. Samples were analyzed for the molecular composition of dicarboxylic acids, ketoacids, α-dicarbonyls, and sugars, together with water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and inorganic ions. Based on the analyses of backward trajectories and chemical tracers, we found that during the campaign, air masses arrived from Siberia (a biomass burning source region) on 8–9 August, from China (an anthropogenic source region) on 9–10 August, and from the East China Sea/Sea of Japan (a mixed source receptor region) on 10–11 August. Most of the diacids, ketoacids, dicarbonyls, levoglucosan, WSOC, and inorganic ions (i.e., SO42−, NH4+ and K+) were enriched in fine particles (PM1.1) whereas Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cl− peaked in coarse sizes (>1.1 μm). Interestingly, OC, most sugar compounds and NO3− showed bimodal distributions in fine and coarse modes. In PM1.1, diacids in biomass burning-influenced aerosols transported from Siberia (mean: 252 ng m−3) were more abundant than those in the aerosols originating from China (209 ng m−3) and ocean (142 ng m−3), whereas SO42− concentrations were highest in the aerosols from China (mean: 3970 ng m−3) followed by marine- (2950 ng m−3) and biomass burning-influenced (1980 ng m−3) aerosols. Higher loadings of WSOC (2430 ng m−3) and OC (4360 ng m−3) were found in the fine mode, where biomass-burning products such as levoglucosan are abundant. This paper presents a case study of long-range transported aerosols illustrating that biomass burning episodes in the Siberian region have a significant influence on the chemical composition of carbonaceous aerosols in the western North Pacific rim.


Insulin resistance (IR) and systemic hypertension are independently associated with heart failure. We reported previously that nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) has a beneficial effect on left ventricular (LV) remodeling and function after pressure-overload in mice. The aim of our study was to investigate the interaction of IR and NOS3 in pressure-overload-induced LV remodeling and dysfunction. Wild-type (WT) and NOS3-deficient (NOS3(-/-)) mice were fed either a standard diet (SD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce IR. After 9 days of diet, mice underwent transverse aortic constriction (TAC). LV structure and function were assessed serially using echocardiography. Cardiomyocytes were isolated, and levels of oxidative stress were evaluated using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. Cardiac mitochondria were isolated, and mitochondrial respiration and ATP production were measured. TAC induced LV remodeling and dysfunction in all mice. The TAC-induced decrease in LV function was greater in SD-fed NOS3(-/-) mice than in SD-fed WT mice. In contrast, HFD-fed NOS3(-/-) developed less LV remodeling and dysfunction and had better survival than did HFD-fed WT mice. Seven days after TAC, oxidative stress levels were lower in cardiomyocytes from HFD-fed NOS3(-/-) than in those from HFD-fed WT. N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester and mitochondrial inhibitors (rotenone and 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone) decreased oxidative stress levels in cardiomyocytes from HFD-fed WT mice. Mitochondrial respiration was altered in NOS3(-/-) mice but did not worsen after HFD and TAC. In contrast with its protective role in SD, NOS3 increases LV adverse remodeling after pressure overload in HFD-fed, insulin resistant mice. Interactions between NOS3 and mitochondria may be responsible for increased oxidative stress levels in HFD-fed WT mice hearts.


When auditory neurons are stimulated with a pair of sounds, the preceding sound can inhibit the neural responses to the succeeding sound. This phenomenon, referred to as 'forward suppression', has been linked to perceptual forward masking. Previous studies investigating forward suppression typically measured the interaction between masker and probe sounds using a fixed sound location. However, in natural environments, interacting sounds often come from different spatial locations. The present study investigated two questions regarding forward suppression in the primary auditory cortex and adjacent caudal field of awake marmoset monkeys. First, what is the relationship between the location of a masker and its effectiveness in inhibiting neural response to a probe? Second, does varying the location of a masker change the spectral profile of forward suppression? We found that a masker can inhibit a neuron's response to a probe located at a preferred location even when the masker is located at a non‐preferred location of a neuron. This is especially so for neurons in the caudal field. Furthermore, we found that the strongest forward suppression is observed when a masker's frequency is close to the best frequency of a neuron, regardless of the location of the masker. These results reveal, for the first time, the stability of forward masking in cortical processing of multiple sounds presented from different locations. They suggest that forward suppression in the auditory cortex is spectrally specific and spatially broad with respect to the frequency and location of the masker, respectively.


This study used real-time fMRI-based neurofeedback (NF) to modulate functional connectivity patterns in the emotional regulation networks in a sample of adolescent girls. Adolescence is a developmental period which brings along changes at multiple levels, such as hormonal changes, improvements in socio-emotional processing, as well as ongoing brain maturation and functioning. It has been suggested that these changes increase the risk for the individual. For example, early, difficulties with emotion regulation have been linked to a range of mental health problems, such as anxiety. Here we successfully trained participants to modulate the functional coupling of the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala towards a more negative connectivity pattern, which resembles the connectivity pattern found in the mature brain. These brain-based changes were related to changes at the behavioural level. We also found that the modulation largely depends on the specific neurofeedback implementation, which provides important insights for future NF training approaches.


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Cilia are complex organelles involved in a broad array of functions in eukaryotic organisms. Nematodes employ cilia for environmental sensing, which shapes developmental decisions and influences morphologically plastic traits and adaptive behaviours. Here, we assess the role of cilia in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, and determine their importance in regulating the developmentally plastic mouth-form decision in addition to predatory feeding and self-recognition behaviours, all of which are not present in Caenorhabditis elegans. An analysis of a multitude of cilia-related mutants including representatives of the six protein subcomplexes required in intraflagellar transport (IFT) plus the regulatory factor X transcription factor daf-19 revealed that cilia are essential for processing the external cues influencing the mouth-form decision and for the efficient detection of prey. Surprisingly, we observed that loss-of-function mutations in the different IFT components resulted in contrasting mouth-form phenotypes and different degrees of predation deficiencies. This observation supports the idea that perturbing different IFT subcomplexes has different effects on signalling downstream of the cilium. Finally, self-recognition was maintained in the cilia deficient mutants tested, indicating that the mechanisms triggering self-recognition in P. pacificus may not require the presence of fully functional cilia.


The unemployment rise in EU countries has been particularly strong for low-skilled workers. This observation has often been explained in terms of biased technical change and relative wage rigidities. More attention has been paid recently to an alternative mechanism, the crowding-out of low-skilled workers by over-qualified workers. The objective of this paper is both methodological and empirical. We construct a dynamic general equilibrium model with two types of jobs and two types of workers and with search unemployment. The model is calibrated and simulated to examine the interactions between the "skill bias" and "crowdingout" mechanisms. When such interactions are accounted for, the model reproduces quite well the observed unemployment changes.


The proper function of the nervous system is dependent on the appropriate timing of neuronal firing. Synapses continually undergo rapid activity-dependent modifications that require feedback mechanisms to maintain network activity within a window in which communication is energy efficient and meaningful. Homeostatic synaptic plasticity (HSP) and homeostatic intrinsic plasticity (HIP) are such negative feedback mechanisms. Accumulating evidence implicates that Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its cleavage product amyloid-beta (Aβ) play a role in the regulation of neuronal network activity, and in particular HSP. AD features impaired neuronal activity with regional early hyper-activity and Aβ-dependent hyperexcitability has also been demonstrated in AD transgenic mice. We demonstrate similar hyper-activity in AD transgenic neurons in culture that have elevated levels of both human APP and Aβ. To examine the individual roles of APP and Aβ in promoting hyperexcitability we used an APP construct that does not generate Aβ, or elevated Aβ levels independently of APP. Increasing either APP or Aβ in wild type (WT) neurons leads to increased frequency and amplitude of calcium transients. Since HSP/HIP mechanisms normally maintain a setpoint of activity, we examined whether homeostatic synaptic/intrinsic plasticity was altered in AD transgenic neurons. Using methods known to induce HSP/HIP, we demonstrate that APP protein levels are regulated by chronic modulation of activity and show that AD transgenic neurons have an impaired response to global changes in activity. Further, AD transgenic compared to WT neurons failed to adjust the length of their axon initial segments (AIS), an adaptation known to alter excitability. Thus, we present evidence that both APP and Aβ influence neuronal activity and that mechanisms of HSP/HIP are disrupted in neuronal models of AD.


The Federal Home Minister of the government of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Rajnath Singh, unveiled a plan in April 2015, to settle tens of thousands of non-Kashmiri Hindus in the Muslim dominated disputed territory of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). BJP has long vowed to settle 200,000 to 300,000 Hindus in IOK. The three disclosed and two undisclosed composite Hindu townships for the non-Kashmiris, to be made on the acquired lands of the farmers would be self-contained and heavily guarded. IOK enjoys an independent constitutional status. Article 370 does not allow non-Kashmiris to own land in Kashmir. Modi is well aware that demographics can reshape politics by redrawing the boundaries of population. The decision is akin with the Israeli style settlements in Palestine. It perpetuates the cycle of vicious and unlawful politics. In an ideologically polarised society, the identity-based animus would further gratify the Indian policy of human rights violations and denial to the right of self-determination. Muslims, by far, are a majority with 68.3 per cent of the total population followed by Hindus and Buddhists in IOK. The power of numbers entrenched in democracy would clearly enjoy alliance with prevalent black laws and gradual erosion of Article 370, if settlements are encouraged. Consequently, it would generate more instability in an effort to incorporate IOK politically, ideologically and territorially. With demographics as a crucial factor in any peace building effort, Indo-Pak peace would face uphill struggle even further.


Total and ultrafilterable calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) values were determined for Shetland pony stallions, stallions, and pregnant and diestrous mares, using a simple, inexpensive, quick procedure to obtain an ultrafiltrate of serum. There was no significant difference between horses and ponies, between stallions and mares, or between pregnant and nonpregnant mares. The percentage of total serum Ca that was ultrafilterable was 63.4+/-1.7 for horses and 64.8+/-2.2 for ponies. The percentage of total serum Mg that was ultrafilterable was 75.6+/-1.5 for horses and 77.0+/-1.7 for ponies. Total serum Ca was 12.56+/-0.26 mg/dl for horses and 12.43+/-0.32 mg/dl for ponies. Total serum Mg was 2.18+/-0.29 mg/dl for horses and 2.49+/-0.60 mg/dl for ponies. This technique can be coupled with specific assays for ionized forms of the cations or with ion electrodes to obtain values for protein-bound, ionized, or complexed and chelated Ca and Mg in equine serum.


The authors describe a 45-year-old female patient suffering from rapid-progressing myocarditis with growing disorders in conduction, repolarization alterations and heart dilatation seen for 3 days. The patient died on the 10th day of the disease which started from fever and catarrhal phenomena. Attack-like pains in the right half of the chest and abdomen, removable by narcotics, were a remarkable disease manifestation. The diagnosis of myocarditis was verified morphologically. The disease may be interpreted as infection with Coxsackie B virus associated with myocarditis and pleurodynia.


Abstract The author reviews results of 20-yr in-space and laboratory investigations into the effects of hypergravity (2 g) and hypokinesia (immobilization, suspension, water deprivation). It was found out that the compensatory and adaptive potentials of mammalians (Wistar rats) in microgravity are sufficient to let proceed pregnancy, and activate anabolic processes associated with fetus growth and water-salt homeostasis maintenance. In a number of aspects effects of microgravity on the mother-fetus systems appear to be less significant than of various factors on Earth including the conventional models of microgravity. In all types of experiments, fetus state was determined by mother's well-being, compensatory and adaptive potentials. Under the disadvantageous conditions, survival of fetus cost dramatic shifts in mother's organism. Outlined is a long-range program of research on the problem and feasibility of an experiment in which mammalians will pass the overall life cycle in space flight.


This paper describes a framework for applying design for environment (DfE) within an industry setting. Our aim is to couple implicit design knowledge such as redesign/process constraints with quantitative measures of environmental performance to enable informed decision making. We do so by integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) and multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). Specifically, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used for prioritizing various levels of DfE strategies. The AHP network is formulated so as to improve the environmental performance of a product while considering business-related performance. Moreover, in a realistic industry setting, the onus of decision making often rests with a group, rather than an individual decision maker (DM). While conducting independent evaluations, experts often do not perfectly agree and no individual expert can be considered representative of the ground truth. Hence, we integrate a stochastic simulation module within the MCDA for assessing the variability in preferences among DMs. This variability in judgments is used as a metric for quantifying judgment reliability. A sensitivity analysis is also incorporated to explore the dependence of decisions on specific input preferences. Finally, the paper discusses the results of applying the proposed framework in a real-world case. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4025701]


Eva Clausen was a Danish botanist, known for her experimental work with the tolerance of liverworts; many of her collections that contribute to the knowledge of liverwort flora of Denmark, the Faeroes and Greenland, were donated to herbarium C after her death. One of those are collections from her trip to the west coast of Greenland in summer 1955. Only an minor part of them were worked up by Eva Clausen herself, and she never published the results of her expedition. The author of 'The liverworts of Greenland' (2013), Kell Damsholt has identified ca 700 specimens and examined three note books written by Eva Clausen on the trip. He found about 80 taxa of hepatics in the collections. Most of the species collected by Eva Clausen are found within their known distribution range in Greenland. Though her collections of Lophozia rubescens R. M. Schust. & Damsh. from Frederikshåb, Egedesminde and Disko Island fill in the gab in the known species distribution (the species was known only from two localities in the southernmost Greenland and one on Disko Island). The collection of Apomarsupella revoluta (Nees) R. M. Schust. at Holsteinsborg is the southernmost on the west coast of Greenland and seems promising for future records from south Greenland, from where collections are missing, probably because of too few collections from areas close to the inland ice. The record of Cephaloziella grimsulana (J. B. Jack ex Gottsche et Rabenh.)Lacout. at Disko, God-havn adds to the distribution of this rather rare, northern species in Greenland and so does the record of Cephaloziella massalongi (Spruce) Müll. Frib. at Disko, Godhavn, Blæsedalen. A female plant of Odontoschisma elongatum (Lindb.) A. Evans was found at Disko, Godhavn, for the first time from Greenland.


Background: Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is of proven benefit in reducing cardiovascular (CV) events in both acute and chronic CV conditions. However, the role of ASA for the primary prevention of CV disease remains controversial, compounded by the risk of major hemorrhage with ASA therapy. Despite this, ASA remains frequently used in primary prevention. Methods: The PARADIGM study is an observational registry of 3015 healthy, middle-age Canadians, free of CV disease or diabetes, who underwent CV risk stratification. The present analysis assessed the use of ASA in this primary prevention cohort. Results: A total of 406 subjects (13.5%) were prescribed ASA by their primary care physician. Those prescribed ASA, compared with those who were not, were more likely to be older, of male sex, white Caucasian, past/current smokers, hypertensive and to have a family history of premature CV disease. Blood pressure, renal function, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, waist circumference and body mass index were all discriminators of ASA use. The mean modified Framingham risk score was significantly higher for those prescribed ASA compared with those who were not. Importantly, only 44% of those prescribed ASA were at high risk according to Framingham risk score. Conclusions: The contemporary use of ASA in primary prevention remains high. Several clinical and laboratory factors influence the decision to prescribe ASA. However, the majority of ASA use was noted in individuals at low and intermediate risk (versus those at high risk).


Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Colletotrichum musae cause the postharvest crown rot disease complex of banana. In vitro experiments evaluated the effect of twelve isolates of Trichoderma spp. from the soil of organic banana orchards ('native isolates') and eight isolates of Trichoderma spp. from culture collections ('introduced isolates') on the two pathogens. The native and introduced Trichoderma spp. had varied antagonistic effects against the two pathogens. Eight Trichoderma spp. isolates effective in the in vitro assays were evaluated singly on fruits both at room temperature and in cold storage. Single antagonists did not satisfactorily control crown rot on the fruits as compared with the fungicide carbendazim. However, two isolates of T. viride , one of T. harzianum and one of T. koningii performed well when applied singly, and these were selected for evaluation in isolate mixtures. There was very little antagonism between these isolates. Of 11 two-way, three-way and four-way mixtures of these isolates, the four-way and a three-way mixtures reduced crown rot incidence, both at room temperature and in cold storage, giving better control than carbendazim. The study identified consortia of compatible Trichoderma antagonists with superior biocontrol potential for the management of the postharvest crown rot complex of banana.


This study investigates how lighting influences consumer evaluations of packaged food products. Fifty-eight participants evaluated two identical packaged meals (alternated between subjects) in a laboratory setting. The products were stored in a freezer with cold light (blue light-emitting diode [LED]) on one side and warm light (yellow LED) on the other side. A three-way mixed multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that, independent of package color and gender, food products were evaluated more negatively in the cold light than in the warm light in terms of quality, attractiveness and inferred taste. Therefore, lighting may influence consumers' overall evaluations of packaged meals. This finding also highlights the managerial problem whereby the lighting standards that exist at print agencies in order to eliminate ambiguities when making decisions about package design are rare for in-store lighting. Consequently, products that look attractive at the print agency may look unappealing in a store. The results are discussed in terms of processing fluency and cross-modal correspondences.


The author proposes a conceptual model of the relationship between leisure and spiritual well-being based on current theoretical speculation and empirical study. The development of a model that relates leisure and spiritual well-being is important as spiritual wellness may be viewed as a benefit of leisure. It is possible that recreation and park practitioners in the areas of therapeutic recreation, camping, public land management, outdoor/experiential/adventure/environmental education, tourism, and community recreation could contribute to the spiritual wellness of recreators if they had a better understanding of the relationships between leisure and spirituality. The proposed model of leisure and spiritual well-being is based on the assumption that leisure experiences may either consciously or unconsciously provide opportunities for "grounding" or "working through" spiritual difficulties as well as "sensitizing" one to the spiritual. Leisure experiences, which involve an interplay of time, activity, motivation and setting, can provide contexts in which the spiritual is explored rather than repressed, and where spiritual preoccupation due to a spiritual emergency can be addressed, while a leisure style provides repeated opportunities to translate leisure experiences of a spiritual nature into spiritual development. In addition to the techniques of "grounding," "working through" and "sensitizing," the model of leisure and spiritual well-being incorporates a number of theories that suggest processes that may link leisure and spiritual well-being. Leisure and well-being theories (personal growth, "keeping idle hands busy," buffer and coping, identity affirmation) offer suggestions of how leisure may influence spiritual development. Restorative environments theory is helpful in explaining how specific activities and settings may move a person toward spiritual well-being. The proposed model suggests that leisure may play both a positive and a negative role in spiritual well-being and development. This model provides a conceptual framework for future research and theory development as well as for recreation practice. Practical implications include the importance of recognizing: the complexity of leisure and spiritual well-being relationships; individual differences in spiritual wellbeing; the role of all the dimensions of leisure style (activity, motivation, setting, time) in enhancing spiritual well-being; the variety of ways that leisure may enhance spiritual well-being; the effect of different leisure experiences on different characteristics of spiritual well-being; how consistent patterns of leisure experiences, or leisure style, may have a greater influence on spiritual development than an individual leisure experience; and that some of the ways that leisure may enhance spiritual well-being are also associated with other dimensions of well-being.


This article examines the process by which economic globalization and the Internet have facilitated the proliferation and mobilization of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and social movements that are challenging the negotiation of trade rules through the World Trade Organization (WTO). Our focus, however, is not on the WTO per se but on the impact that globally-articulated local networks are having on the national trade policy processes of Canada, Australia, and the European Union (EU), all members of the WTO. We discuss how local networks of NGOs and social movements are inserted into, and relate to, larger global coalitions and global information networks from which they draw support and sustenance. Finally, we compare how local institutions, processes, and histories have shaped the dialogue and interaction of NGOs with trade departments that are occurring at the level of these nation-states and the European Union.


BACKGROUND
Various attributes of nucleoli, including abundance of the nucleolar product (rRNA), correlate with cell-proliferative status and are useful markers for tumor diagnosis and prognosis. However, there is a paucity of methods that can quantitatively probe nucleolus. The aim of the present study was to utilize the morphometric capacity of the laser scanning cytometer (LSC) to analyze nucleoli and measure expression of the nucleolar protein nucleolin (NCL) in individual cells and correlate it with their state of proliferation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Human lymphocytes were mitogenically stimulated, and at different time points their nucleoli were detected immunocytochemically using NCL Ab. The frequency of nucleoli per nucleus, their area, and the level of expression of NCL, separately in the nuclear and nucleolar compartments, were estimated in relation to the G(0) to G(1) transition and the cell cycle progression.

RESULTS
During the first 24 h of stimulation, when the cells underwent G(0) to G(1) transition, their RNA content was increased nearly 8-fold, the level of NCL per nucleus also increased 8-fold, the NCL per nucleolus increased 12-fold, nucleolear area increased 3-fold, and NCL/nucleolar area increased nearly 4-fold. During the subsequent 24-48 h of stimulation, when cells were progressing through S, G(2), and M and reentering the next cycle, the number of nucleoli per nucleus was increased and a massive translocation of NCL from nucleoli to nucleoplasm was observed; its overall level per nucleus, however, still remained high, at 6-fold above of that of G(0) cells.

CONCLUSIONS
While high expression of NCL in the nucleolar compartment correlates with the rate of rRNA accumulation in the cell and is a sensitive marker of the G(0) to G(1) transition, the cells progressing through the remainder of the cycle are better distinguished from G(0) cells by high overall level of NCL within the nucleus. Such an analysis, when applied to tumors, may be helpful in obtaining the quantitative parameters related to the kinetic status of the tumor-cell population and tumor prognosis. The capability of LSC to measure the protein translocation between nucleolus and nucleoplasm can be used to study the function and regulatory mechanisms of other proteins that reside in these compartments.


Incorporation of cortizol-3H and its uptake by the tissues and media of the eye was studied to expose the target tissue for the given hormone. Cortizol distribution was investigated in the sclera, ciliary body, cornea, iris, the lens capsule, aqeous humour, and the vitreous body. It was shown that the eye tissues and media had different intensity of cortizol incorporation, as well as different character of its elimination. The sclera, cornea, ciliary body and the lens capsule proved to be the target tissues for cortizol.


The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a next-generation long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, is a powerful tool to perform low energy physics searches. DUNE will be uniquely sensitive to the electron-neutrino-flavour component of the burst of neutrinos expected from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova, and also capable of detecting solar neutrinos. DUNE will have four modules of 70-kton liquid argon mass in total, placed 1.5 km underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the USA. These modules are being designed exploiting different liquid argon time projection chamber technologies and based on the physics requirements that take into account the particularities of the low energy physics searches.


Current Information Retrieval systems use inverted index structures for efficient query processing. Due to the extremely large size of many data sets, these index structures are usually kept in compressed form, and many techniques for optimizing compressed size and query processing speed have been proposed. In this paper, we focus on versioned document collections, that is, collections where each document is modified over time, resulting in multiple versions of the document. Consecutive versions of the same document are often similar, and several researchers have explored ideas for exploiting this similarity to decrease index size. We propose new index compression techniques for versioned document collections that achieve reductions in index size over previous methods. In particular, we first propose several bitwise compression techniques that achieve a compact index structure but that are too slow for most applications. Based on the lessons learned, we then propose additional techniques that come close to the sizes of the bitwise technique while also improving on the speed of the best previous methods.


Obesity is a global pandemic that has been linked to the progression of several different cancers including: breast, pancreatic, and endometrial. The presence of excessive amounts of adipose tissue leads to increased production and circulation of leptin, a 16kDa protein adipokine. Leptin mediates several signaling pathways that are essential to angiogenesis, proliferation, migration, and cancer cell survival. Chronically high levels of circulating leptin have been shown to increase proliferation of cancer cells. Obese African American patients suffering from triple negative breast TNBC or pancreatic cancer have worse clinical outcomes than Caucasian women. Leptin could be a survival factor for these cancers, which lack specific therapies and are treated with chemotherapeutic drugs, which show several undesirable effects. Moreover, these cancers show notable development of chemoresistance and recurrence. We have designed and tested a potent leptin antagonist LPrA2 that inhibits leptin-induced proliferation, invasion, and migration of several cancer cell types. Recently, new LPrA2- like antagonists have been produced. We hypothesize that the new peptide antagonists could be more effective inhibitors of leptin signaling when treating cancer cells in comparison to LPrA2. LPrA2-like antagonists showed no toxicity in non-malignant cells. Minimally invasive and a highly metastatic TNBC and pancreatic cell lines were treated with leptin and antagonists for 24 and 48 hours. Cellometer analysis and MTT assay were used to determine cell cycle staging and cell proliferation, respectively. Additionally, apoptosis rate was determined after combinatory treatments with leptin antagonists and chemotherapeutics were applied to the cancer cells. Our results show that LPrA2-like antagonists were more effective inhibitors of leptin induced S-phase, proliferation and survival than LPrA2. Results from this investigation could lead to the development of new therapeutic regimens for obesity-related cancers, which could help eliminating the gap of cancer health disparity in African American patients. Citation Format: Crystal C. Lipsey, Adriana Harbuzariu, Courtney Dill, Ruben R. Gonzalez-Perez. Tackling obesity-related cancer health disparity, new inhibitors of leptin signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B96.


Information can be acquired from the angiogram that would aid the surgeon in his approach. Such problems as the site of biopsy, the size and extent of the growth, and variant anatomical situations can be known beforehand. The extent of major vessel involvement is also important. Knowledge that a tumor may be difficult to excise without compromising a vital neuromuscular structure is worthy of consideration. We have endeavored to summarize our experience as it relates to mass lesions of the musculoskeletal system. Certain signs -- arteriovenous shunting, hypervascularity -- appear to indicate that the mass is malignant, whereas five other features can be seen in any of the conditions reviewed. As with any invasive procedure, the risks must be weighed against the information gained. At the time of this writing we consider angiography to be a worthwhile procedure.


The popular fuzzy c-means algorithm based on Euclidean distance function converges to a local minimum of the objective function, which can only be used to detect spherical structural clusters. Gustafson-Kessel clustering algorithm and Gath-Geva clustering algorithm were developed to detect non-spherical structural clusters. However, Gustafson-Kessel clustering algorithm needs added constraint of fuzzy covariance matrix, Gath-Geva clustering algorithm can only be used for the data with multivariate Gaussian distribution. In GK-algorithm, modified Mahalanobis distance with preserved volume was used. However, the added fuzzy covariance matrices in their distance measure were not directly derived from the objective function. In this paper, an improved Normalized Supervised Clustering Algorithm Based on FCM by taking a new threshold value and a new convergent process is proposed. The experimental results of real data sets show that our proposed new algorithm has the best performance. Not only replacing the common covariance matrix with the correlation matrix in the objective function in the Normalized Supervised Clustering Algorithm.


Additive manufacturing processes, such as direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), enable creation of novel turbine cooling internal passages and systems. However, the DMLS method produces a significant and unique surface roughness. Previous work in scaled passages analyzed pressure losses and friction factors associated with the rough surfaces, as well as investigated the velocity profiles and turbulent flow characteristics within the passage. In this study, the heat transfer characteristics of scaled additively manufactured surfaces were measured using infrared (IR) thermography. Roughness panels were CNC machined from plates of aluminum 6061 to create near isothermal roughness elements when heated. Fluid resistance differences between the aluminum roughness panels and roughness panels constructed from ABS plastic using the same roughness patterns from McClain et al. (2020) were investigated. Finally, the overall thermal performance enhancements and friction losses were assessed through calculation of surface averaged "global thermal performance" ratios. The global thermal performance characterizations indicate results in-line with those found for traditional commercial roughness and slightly below traditional internal passage convection enhancement methods such as swirl chambers, dimples, and ribs. The passages investigated in this study do not include compressibility effects or the long-wavelength artifacts and channel geometric deviations observed by Wildgoose et al. (2020). However, the results of this study indicate that, based on the roughness augmentation alone, artificial convective cooling enhancers such as turbulators or dimples may still be required for additively manufactured turbine component cooling.


By researching and investigating the structure of capacitive gyroscopes, A novel capacitive micromachined gyroscope is proposed and the structure is designed. The method of electrostatic comber drive, capacitive detection of bar structure is used for the structure, and these make the gyroscope high sensitivity. The main air damping of the drive mode and detection mode is slide film damping, it is possible to make the gyroscope achieve high Q-values at atmospheric pressure. The decoupled gyroscope is designed, too. By large numbers of simulation analysis, frequencies of the first six steps mode are gained, nature frequencies of drive mode and sense mode of gyroscope are a close match, and rationality of the structure is validated. At last, the structure encapsulated is presented.


Rail vehicles have the particularity in that pluralities of vehicles are operated as a set of connected units. This particularity is to be considered in the crashworthiness design of the coupling end structure of the vehicles in a train unit. In the case of a collision between long trains that are composed by a rigid coupling end structure, a large space for energy absorption in the structure of the cab end of the leading car will be needed. However, there is the possibility that the appropriate energy absorption characteristics of the coupling end can reduce the load of energy absorption at the cab end. Calculations of a collision between train units using a mass-spring model were conducted to study the force-displacement characteristic of a coupling end structure that can absorb more crash energy. The collision scenario applied to the calculation was that of a stationary 8-car train unit colliding with another identical train unit traveling at a speed of 36km/h based on EN15227. The results showed that the deformation of the cab ends in the leading cars can be greatly reduced by adjusting the force displacement characteristics of the coupling end to be lower than the reaction force of the cab end and achieve a progressive profile.