In a tightly-packaged helically wound cable axial strain in both multimode and monomode optical fibers was measured at all manufacturing stages. The results were combined with incremental strains measured for a standard installation process. The results show that on average fiber remained in compression of 0.10 percent after installation and thus would suffer no static fatigue. Some processess gave rise to variations about this average to give a peak strain of 0.09 percent over short lengths of cable, but even this is well inside the limit below which proof-tested fibers should survive for 20 years.


AIM
To study regeneration of damaged human and murine muscle implants and the contribution of added xenogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

METHODS
Minced human or mouse skeletal muscle tissues were implanted together with human or mouse MSCs subcutaneously on the back of non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. The muscle tissues (both human and murine) were minced with scalpels into small pieces (< 1 mm(3)) and aliquoted in portions of 200 mm(3). These portions were either cryopreserved in 10% dimethylsulfoxide or freshly implanted. Syngeneic or xenogeneic MSCs were added to the minced muscles directly before implantation. Implants were collected at 7, 14, 30 or 45 d after transplantation and processed for (immuno)histological analysis. The progression of muscle regeneration was assessed using a standard histological staining (hematoxylin-phloxin-saffron). Antibodies recognizing Pax7 and von Willebrand factor were used to detect the presence of satellite cells and blood vessels, respectively. To enable detection of the bone marrow-derived MSCs or their derivatives we used MSCs previously transduced with lentiviral vectors expressing a cytoplasmic LacZ gene. X-gal staining of the fixed tissues was used to detect β-galactosidase-positive cells and myofibers.

RESULTS
Myoregeneration in implants of fresh murine muscle was evident as early as day 7, and progressed with time to occupy 50% to 70% of the implants. Regeneration of fresh human muscle was slower. These observations of fresh muscle implants were in contrast to the regeneration of cryopreserved murine muscle that proceeded similarly to that of fresh tissue except for day 45 (P < 0.05). Cryopreserved human muscle showed minimal regeneration, suggesting that the freezing procedure was detrimental to human satellite cells. In fresh and cryopreserved mouse muscle supplemented with LacZ-tagged mouse MSCs, β-galactosidase-positive myofibers were identified early after grafting at the well-vascularized periphery of the implants. The contribution of human MSCs to murine myofiber formation was, however, restricted to the cryopreserved mouse muscle implants. This suggests that fresh murine muscle tissue provides a suboptimal environment for maintenance of human MSCs. A detailed analysis of the histological sections of the various muscle implants revealed the presence of cellular structures with a deviating morphology. Additional stainings with alizarin red and alcian blue showed myofiber calcification in 50 of 66 human muscle implants, and encapsulated cartilage in 10 of 81 of murine muscle implants, respectively.

CONCLUSION
In mouse models the engagement of human MSCs in myoregeneration might be underestimated. Furthermore, our model permits the dissection of species-specific factors in the microenvironment.


[1] Channel geometry in tidally influenced river deltas can show a mixed scaling behavior between that of river and tidal channel networks, as the channel forming discharge is both of river and tidal origin. We present a method of analysis to quantify the tidal signature on delta morphology, by extending the hydraulic geometry concept originally developed for river channel networks to distributary channels subject to tides. Based on results from bathymetric surveys, a systematic analysis is made of the distributary channels in the Mahakam Delta (East Kalimantan, Indonesia). Results from a finite element numerical model are used to analyze the spatial variation of river and tidal discharges throughout the delta. The channel geometry of the fluvial distributary network scales with bifurcation order, until about halfway the radial distance from the delta apex to the sea. In the seaward part of the delta, distributary channels resemble funnel shaped estuarine channels. The break in morphology, which splits the delta into river- and tide-dominated parts, coincides with a break in the ratio between tidal to fluvial discharges. Downstream hydraulic geometry exponents of the cross-sectional area show a transition from the landward part to the seaward part of the delta. The numerical simulations show that the tidal impact on river discharge division at bifurcations increases with the bifurcation order, and that the variation of river discharge throughout the network is largely affected by the tides. The tidal influence is reflected by the systematic variation of downstream hydraulic geometry exponents.


Objectives In spite of preventive efforts, organizations and employees face several challenges related to working life and occupational health, such as a substantial prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, social inequality in health and physical capacity, multi-morbidity, an obesity epidemic and an aging workforce. We argue that a new approach to occupational ergonomics and health is required, going beyond prevention of harm caused by work. We propose the "Goldilocks Principle" for how productive work can be designed to promote health and physical capacity. Methods Physical (in)activity profoundly influences health and physical capacity, with effects depending on the extent and temporal structure of the (in)activity. Like the porridge, chair and bed that needed to be "just right" for Goldilocks in the The Three Bears fairytale, physical activity during productive work needs to be "just right" for promoting rather than deteriorating health and capacity. In many jobs, physical activity is, however, either too much/high/frequent or too little/low/infrequent to give positive biomechanical and cardiometabolic stimuli. Results This paper presents the rationale, concept, development, application and prospects of the Goldilocks Principle for how productive work can be designed to promote health and physical capacity. Conclusions We envision a great potential to promote health and physical capacity by designing productive work according to the Goldilocks Principle, thus leading to benefits with respect to the current challenges related to working life and occupational health for society, organizations and employees.


Real-time simultaneous localization and dense mapping is very helpful for providing virtual reality and augmented reality for surgeons or even surgical robots. In this letter, we propose MIS-SLAM: A complete real-time large-scale dense deformable SLAM system with stereoscope in minimal invasive surgery (MIS) based on heterogeneous computing by making full use of CPU and GPU. Idled CPU is used to perform ORB-SLAM for providing robust global pose. Strategies are taken to integrate modules from CPU and GPU. We solved the key problem raised in the previous work, that is, fast movement of scope and blurry images make the scope tracking fail. Benefiting from improved localization, MIS-SLAM can achieve large-scale scope localizing and dense mapping in real time. It transforms and deforms current model and incrementally fuses new observation while keeping vivid texture. In-vivo experiments conducted on publicly available datasets presented in the form of videos demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of MIS-SLAM for potential clinical purpose.


Occupational Choice Across Generations There are few studies on occupational choices in Germany, and the second generation occupational choice and mobility is even less investigated. Such research is important because occupations determine success in the labor market. In a country like Germany occupations also reflect a general socio-economic standing. This paper looks at the patterns of employment in Germany, analyzes how individual men and women access jobs given their family background, and investigates why men and women have different occupational distributions. Based on the German Socio-Economic Panel we estimate multinomial logit models of occupational choice for the children of immigrants as well as for the natives. Our findings are surprisingly similar for both natives and immigrants. For both Germans and immigrants, we find that gender significantly and differentially affects occupational choice, and that individuals with more education choose higher ranking jobs. The role of experience is important for natives and qualified individuals only. Germans are more likely to choose occupations similar to their fathers' occupation when their father is in the white collar or professional category. In stark contrast, the immigrants' occupational choice is more influenced by their mother's education and not by their fathers' occupation. JEL Classification: D90, F22, J24, J61, J62


To improve the cycle-life and efficiency of an energy storage system for HEV, a dynamic control system consisted of a switch between a battery and an ultracapacitor module is proposed, which is appropriate for mild hybrid vehicle with 42V power net. The switch can be controlled based on the status of the battery and the ultracapacitor module, and a control algorithm that could largely decrease the number of high charging current peak is also implemented. Therefore the cycle life of the battery can be improved such that it is suitable for a mild hybrid vehicle with frequent engine start-stop and regenerative-braking. Also, by maximizing the use of the ultracapacitor, the system efficiency during high current charging and discharging operation is improved. Finally, this system has the effects that improves the efficiency of energy storage system and reduces the fuel consumption of a vehicle. To verify the validity of the proposed system, this paper presented cycles test results of different energy storage systems: a simple VRLA battery, hybrid energy pack (HEP, a VRLA battery in parallel with Ultracapacitor) and a HEP with a switch that controlled by energy management system (EMS). From the experimental result, it was proved the effectiveness of the algorithm.


Turbulence is believed to be of importance in molecular cloud formation as well as the star formation processes within them, such as accretion of matter onto young stars from the surrounding accretion disk. The kinetic viscosity associated with differentially rotating accretion disks is not believed to be strong enough to account for observed accretion rates. Turbulent motion, driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI), may provide an anomalous viscosity well in excess of the kinetic viscosity
alone leading to enhanced transport of angular momentum, resulting in a higher rate of accretion onto the forming star.

We perform large-scale 3D multifluid simulations of a weakly ionised accretion disk and examine the development and saturation of the turbulence driven by the MRI. This numerical study is carried out using the multifluid MHD code HYDRA. An important effect of multifluid MHD is diffusion of the magnetic field. Simulations which isolate ambipolar and Hall diffusion are studied individually and comparisons between these and ideal MHD and full multifluid simulations are presented. The stresses (magnetic and kinetic) and an estimation of the anomalous viscosity are calculated for all models. From this information we can determine how accretion is affected by the multifluid physics in the presence of the MRI.


Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, and northern corn rootworm, D. barberi Smith and Lawrence, are sympatric species and serious pests of corn cultivation in North America. Comparison of nucleotide sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and II was used to design polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers that discriminate immature stages of the two species based on differences in amplicon size. Multiplex PCR can be used to give a positive test for each species in a single amplification reaction. This provides a method to identify field caught larvae and facilitates investigations of larval interaction and competition between the species.


Antisera raised against vegetative and gametic flagella of Chlamydomonas reinhardi have been used to probe dynamic properties of the flagellar membranes. The antisera, which agglutinate cells via their flagella, associate with antigens that are present on both vegetative and gametic membranes and on membranes of both mating types (mt+ and mt-). Gametic cells respond to antibody presentation very differently from vegetative cells, mobilizing even high concentrations of antibody towards the flagellar tips; the possibility is discussed that such "tipping" ability reflects a differentiated gametic property relevant to sexual agglutinability. Gametic cells also respond to antibody agglutination by activating their mating structures, the mt+ reaction involving a rapid polymerization of microfilaments. Several impotent mt+ mutant strains that fail to agglutinate sexually are also activated by the antisera and procede to form zygotes with normal mt- gametes. Fusion does not occur between activated cells of like mating type. Monovalent (Fab) preparations of the antibody fail to activate mt+ gametes, suggesting that the cross-linking properties of the antisera are essential for their ability to mimic, or bypass, sexual agglutination.


The central Arabian graben and trough system is a 560 km arcuate intraplate fault zone cutting gently tilted Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary rocks in eastern Saudi Arabia. The mesoscopic fracture pattern in the 150 km Dhruma-Nisah segment provides an excellent example of extensile brittle deformation, and is also of interest because palaeostress trajectories inferred from it suggest that the segment evolved as a result of early Cenozoic stretching of the Mesozoic cover above a major fault zone in the crystalline basement. The ten sets of vertical or high-angle joints, veins, and small faults are arranged symmetrically about the en echelon graben. During the development of the five sets comprising System 1 there was elongation perpendicular to graben and the formation of a single set of extension fractures, and two subsystems of small dihedral angle sets in the shear-extension fracture transition. System 2 resulted in elongation parallel to graben, and consists of a single set of extension fractures plus a pair of small dihedral angle sets. Conjugate shear sets enclosing a large dihedral angle form System 3. All sets developed during several episodes of fracturing. The range of conjugate angles is attributed to variations in rock strength, differential stress and fluid pressure.


This essay sketches out a virtue ethics/virtue jurisprudence approach to biotechnology intellectual property policy. The debate over biotechnology intellectual property policy seems intractable. Instrumentalists dicker about how to tweak incentives in order to produce the best mix of innovation and disclosure, without stepping back to ask whether the consequentialist approach is best on a broad scale. Hegelians seem to have little to say about biotechnology, given that researchers seem to bear little resemblance to the artists and poets who most obviously pour their personalities into their work. Postmodern critics offer some trenchant critiques of the current system, but suggest few alternatives that could be realized in contemporary biotechnology. Perhaps the biotechnology "thicket" has as much to do with these conflicting underlying philosophies of intellectual property as it does with individual patent rights that must be cleared to conduct research in this field. Virtue ethics may illuminate a path forward. By situating biotechnology as a community dedicated to human flourishing, and focusing on the practices that move that community ever towards its goal, the assumptions and language we use to describe biotechnology intellectual property policy may begin to change. As these assumptions begin to change, perhaps a move towards a more open community of biotechnological science will also become more tractable.


The rapid emergence and explosive growth of China's middle class have enormous consequences for that nation's domestic future, for the global economy, and for the whole world. In China's Emerging Middle Class , noted scholar Cheng Li and a team of experts focus on the sociopolitical ramifications of the birth and growth of the Chinese middle class over the past two decades. The contributors, from diverse disciplines and different regions, examine the development and evolution of China's middle class from a variety of analytical perspectives. What is its educational and occupational makeup? Are its members united by a common identity uby a shared political vision and worldview? How does the Chinese middle class compare with its counterparts in other countries? The contributors shed light on these and many other issues pertaining to the rapid rise of the middle class in the Middle Kingdom. Contributors: Jie Chen (Old Dominion University), Deborah Davis (Yale University), Bruce J. Dickson (George Washington University), Geoffrey Gertz (Brookings), Han Sang-Jin (Seoul National University), Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao (National Taiwan University), Homi Kharas (Brookings), Li Chunling (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Jing Lin (University of MarylanduCollege Park), Sida Liu (University of Wisconsinu Madison), Lu Hanlong (Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences), Joyce Yanyun Man (Peking UniversityuLincoln Center), Ethan Michelson (Indiana UniversityuBloomington), Qin Chen (Hohai University), Xiaoyan Sun (Beijing Foreign Studies University), Luigi Tomba (Australian National University), Jianying Wang (Yale University), and Zhou Xiaohong (Nanjing University).


Extracellular vesicles (EV) for the therapeutic application are of growing scientific interest. But even though the number of clinical trials on EVs almost doubled from 29 to 52 within 2017, the number of trials with therapeutically applied EVs was only two. In this project, the performance of folate receptor alpha (FRα) presenting EVs as drug vehicles in neuropediatric disorders was investigated. FRα was proven to be the key player for the transport of folates to the brain. On that account, FRα-presenting EVs are predestined to be used as vehicles for therapeutics which are naturally not processed across the blood-cerebrospinal fluid-barrier. The application of EVs as carriers is hampered by the complex nature of this biological material and a still strongly evolving field of methodology. In this project, central questions of the production of EV therapeutics were addressed: preparation, cargo loading and biological screening. For a reliable purification of large amounts of highly pure EVs, a unique fast performance liquid chromatography purification method for his-tagged vesicles was established. This method is made up by size exclusion chromatography followed by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The preparation was comprehensively characterized and verified as exosome-like vesicles. In the second phase, the loading of therapeutic cargo was performed. While artificial loading of therapeutic cargo based on the introduction of pores into the vesicles and addition of the drug protein had low efficiency, better results could be achieved by endogenous loading by means of a membrane targeted drug protein. In choroid plexus cells from rat an increased uptake of these modified EVs in comparison to native vesicles could be proven. This uptake tendency could not be manifested for the brain in in vivo experiments using adult mice. Finally, the neuronal drug delivery capacity of these promising vehicles was screened in a mouse model of a biopterin disorder. In these experiments, an enzyme replacement therapy delivered by EVs could be realized for the first time. The mice had a significant improvement in their health status and performed better in a behavioral assay in comparison to not exosome-treated animals. By this successful treatment, evidence for an EV based drug delivery to the central nervous system of an enzyme replacement therapy was given.


The complexity of modern NDE (nondestructive evaluation) arises from four main factors: quantitative measurement, science, physical models for computational analysis, realistic interfacing with engineering decisions, and direct access to management priorities. Recent advances in the four factors of NDE are addressed. Physical models of acoustic propagation are presented that have led to the development of measurement technologies advancing the ability to assure that materials and structures will perform a design. In addition, a brief discussion is given of current research for future mission needs such as smart structures that sense their own health. Such advances permit projects to integrate design for inspection into their plans, bringing NDE into engineering and management priorities. The measurement focus is on ultrasonics with generous case examples. Problem solutions highlighted include critical stress in fasteners, residual stress in steel, NDE laminography, and solid rocket motor NDE.<<ETX>>


This report presents the findings of a national survey of service providers, advocates, and attorneys who work with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence regarding policing. More than 900 people responded to the survey. Respondents reported significant levels of police hostility to domestic violence and sexual assault victims and police bias on the basis of race, gender, class, immigration status, youth, mental health disability, drug use, sexual orientation, and sexual identity. Respondents also noted negative collateral consequences that often flow from involving law enforcement in the areas of immigration consequences, child welfare involvement, economic deprivation, and arrest or other punitive responses to the victim.


Modern Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) show increasing levels of automation, intelligence, and optimization capabilities. Both creators and adopters of these technologies emphasize the benefits: safety, cost-savings, and efficiencies. Existing literature under-represents the potential risks associated with the adoption of individually complex systems and interconnected Systems-of-Systems (SoS). Research primarily focuses on the potential benefits, and many recent deployments of new technology have received little rigorous scrutiny. The studies that do explore issues, such as cyber-attacks on CPS, often lack an analysis of the potential impact based on the way cyber-physical risks are communicated. Due to high levels of interaction and inter dependencies in CPS, disruptions in one sector can propagate to other sectors. The initial economic impacts may start locally but will often lead to global effects if response mechanisms prove insufficient. This case study aims to address a research gap in modeling, and quantifies how a cyber-attack, with physical consequences, can affect local and global trade if a single maritime port is affected. Additionally, to further understanding of the public's perception of risk about cyber-attacks and its emergent threat to global supply chains, members of the public were asked to react to the potential econometric losses. This study produced the five-part CyPEM (Cyber Physical Econometric Model) that has the capability to translate a cyber-attack to an econometric loss. Each framework part may also be swapped out to analyze different CPS. With this, we discovered a gap in the perceptions of cyber-physical risk regarding maritime transport.


We have used a design science approach to study collaborative modeling of business processes. Following this we have first designed a collaborative modeling architecture based on the empirical findings in a modeling study using conventional tools. A specific tool for this architecture was then developed and used as a vehicle to collect data for the consolidation of the architecture and for further theorizing on modeling problems that can be solved in this way.


Implicit authentication consists of a server authenticating a user based on the user's usage profile, instead of/in addition to relying on something the user explicitly knows (passwords, private keys, etc.). While implicit authentication makes identity theft by third parties more difficult, it requires the server to learn and store the user's usage profile. Recently, the first privacy-preserving implicit authentication system was presented, in which the server does not learn the user's profile. It uses an ad hoc two-party computation protocol to compare the user's fresh sampled features against an encrypted stored user's profile. The protocol requires storing the usage profile and comparing against it using two different cryptosystems, one of them order-preserving; furthermore, features must be numerical. We present here a simpler protocol based on set intersection that has the advantages of: i) requiring only one cryptosystem; ii) not leaking the relative order of fresh feature samples; iii) being able to deal with any type of features (numerical or non-numerical).


BACKGROUND Breast cancer is an important health problem in the world. Uncontrolled cell proliferation represents a malignant characteristic of neoplasia such as breast cancer, and can be examined immunohistochemically by measuring the Ki-67 proliferative marker. The objective of this study was to determine the role of Ki-67 for classification of the degree of malignancy in women with invasive ductal breast cancer. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 20 women with invasive ductal breast cancer. The samples were immuno-histochemically tested for Ki-67 using anti-Ki-67 primary antibody. The Ki-67 proliferative index was determined by enumerating the proportion of Ki-67 positive nuclei among the total number of cells in ten areas observed at 400x magnification, using a 20% cut-off value to distinguish between low and high proliferative indices. Statistical analysis was by means of the chi-square test. RESULTS Seventy five persent of the high grade malignancies had a high Ki-67 proliferative index (>20%), while only 12.5% of the low grade malignancies had a high Ki-67 index (>20%). The difference in grade malignancy was statistically significant (p=0.022), whereas tumor size was not associated with a statistically significant difference in Ki-67 index (p=0.648). CONCLUSION The study showed that invasive ductal breast cancer with high Ki-67 index was significantly associated with high grade of malignacy. The high Ki-67 marker index can be used for classification of the grade of malignancy of invasive ductal breast cancer.


PURPOSE
To prospectively and directly compare the capability of whole-body diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging, whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with and that without DW imaging, and integrated fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for M-stage assessment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The institutional review board approved this study; informed consent was obtained from patients. A total of 203 NSCLC patients (109 men, 94 women; mean age, 72 years) prospectively underwent whole-body DW imaging, whole-body MR imaging, and FDG PET/CT. Final diagnosis of the M-stage in each patient was determined on the basis of results of all radiologic and follow-up examinations. Two chest radiologists and two nuclear medicine physicians independently assessed all examination results and used a five-point visual scoring system to evaluate the probability of metastases. Final diagnosis based on each of the methods was made by consensus of two readers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to compare the capability for M-stage assessment among whole-body DW imaging, whole-body MR imaging with and that without DW imaging, and PET/CT on a per-patient basis. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were compared with the McNemar test.

RESULTS
Area under ROC curve (A(z)) values of whole-body MR imaging with DW imaging (A(z) = 0.87, P = .04) and integrated FDG PET/CT (A(z) = 0.89, P = .02) were significantly larger than that of whole-body DW imaging (A(z) = 0.79). Specificity and accuracy of whole-body MR imaging with (specificity, P = .02; accuracy, P < .01) and that without DW imaging (specificity, P = .02; accuracy, P = .01) and integrated FDG PET/CT (specificity, P < .01; accuracy, P < .01) were significantly higher than those of whole-body DW imaging.

CONCLUSION
Whole-body MR imaging with DW imaging can be used for M-stage assessment in NSCLC patients with accuracy as good as that of PET/CT.


The Act regarding Waste Management was enacted in Indonesia in December 2008, requiring all citizens of Jakarta to segregate their waste for recycling. However, "social capacity" is required to achieve sound waste recycling. This refers to the people's cooperation and participation in waste management, which is vitally important for establishing a 3R society. The purpose of this research is to determine the level of social capacity in Jakarta for becoming a 3R society, and to propose some effective policies to the government of Jakarta. This research was conducted via interviews with stakeholders of waste management in Jakarta, and a questionnaire survey with a sample of Jakarta citizens. In 2004, Professor Kimura of Nagoya University interviewed the stakeholders of the waste management of Jakarta. This investigation was followed-up in 2007 by us, and the results were compared. The results showed that the social capacity of Jakarta was improving. The following year, in 2008, a questionnaire survey with more than 300 Jakarta citizens was conducted, in order to gauge attitudes towards waste management policy, and the role of big business and individual citizens in waste management. The survey results indicate that the social capacity of Jakarta is gradually increasing. There is a clear hope expressed by the citizens of Jakarta that the city will address the issue of waste management seriously, through such policies as new rules for waste management, educating the people through a media campaign, and the collection of recyclable waste from the front of supermarkets, for example. We propose to examine the introduction of the 'deposit system' versus the 'penalty system', with citizens' participatory conference.


The attainment of a satisfied human ecology is characterized by both subjective and objective view that depicts life satisfaction in its specific dimensions and arising from the hierarchical fulfillment of human's existence (E), relatedness (R), and growth (G) needs fulfillment. This research looked into these life sustaining facets, ERG, and the interaction of subjective and objective life satisfaction among Filipino adults. The endeavor is a preliminary exploration of the humanity's basic and higher needs attainment and its association with both subjective and objective life satisfaction. A sample of 116 Filipino adults participated in the study. Correlations and regressions were employed to prove the hypothesized relation between the dimensions of ERG needs fulfillment as well as interaction between subjective and objective life satisfaction. Interestingly, results confirmed the hypotheses that ERG needs fulfillment as a whole, associates with both subjective and objective life satisfaction. Specifically, existence needs fulfillment positively relates with body built and literacy dimensions, while relatedness needs fulfillment negatively relates with adherence to moral norms. On the other hand, relatedness needs fulfillment relates negatively with trust in others while growth needs fulfillment relates positively with leisure time utilization and perceived discrimination. There is also an interaction between subjective and objective life satisfaction herein explaining the dynamics of life satisfaction among the sampled adults.

 Key words: Existence, growth, relatedness, objective and subjective life satisfaction.


This paper presents a violation detection and collision avoidance system to vehicles at road intersections. The system relies on secure messages to assist vehicles in a constant size neighborhood by detecting traffic rule violations and finding trajectory conflicts at intersections. Each vehicle is modeled as an automaton that, regardless of its visual range, can see the states of other vehicles through on-board sensors and/or by using wireless communications. Traffic rules are encoded in the program of a vehicle and guide the changing state of the vehicle in traffic. Each vehicle can autonomously decide if the vehicles in its neighborhood comply with the traffic rules by observing the movements of the vehicles on the road and then anonymously reporting the observed violations to a traffic authority be further processed. Each vehicle periodically generates shared secrets which are then used as part of messages it sends to achieve security and privacy. The location of these messages is not traceable by any single traffic authority in the system, including the authentication parties and the road infrastructure. Yet, the proposed system is able find the location and real identity of any vehicle whenever it commits a rule violation in traffic with a lightweight protocol. Further, the security analysis is provided and the performance simulation results show that the system allows no false positives.


LAK cell activity of peripheral blood from normal donors was induced by interleukin 2 (IL-2). Optimal induction of LAK cells was obtained by 3-4 day incubation of PBMC in the presence of 30-40 units/ml of IL-2. Several cell lines Raji, CEM, HeLa, 109 (esophageal carcinoma) and OC (ovarian carcinoma) which were NK cell resistant tumor cells could be lysed by LAK cells. PHA was unable to markedly induce the LAK cell activity. Although both LAK and NK cell activity was decreased by mitomycin C treatment, their degree of susceptibility to such treatment was quite different. NK cells were more sensitive to mitomycin C than LAK cells. In contrast to the significant inhibition of the NK cell-mediated lysis by the addition of anti-CD 2 monoclonal antibody during cytotoxicity assay LAK cell-mediated lysis was not affected. These results indicate that LAK cells are capable of lysing a variety of tumor cells that are resistant to NK cells and their biological characteristics are also different.


Objective: In vitro antidiabetic activity of plant leaf extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol) of Merremia hederacea (Burm. f.) Hallier f. was investigated and also, in vivo antidiabetic activity of an active extract was evaluated against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats. Materials and Methods: In vitro studies were performed using α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay. Based on the in vitro studies, the active ethanol extract was selected for the in vivo antidiabetic activity. STZ (60 mg/kg body weight [BW], i.p.) was used to induce type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats. The rats were divided into different groups and orally administered with active extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) and glibenclamide (5 mg/kg) for 21 days. Blood samples were collected from overnight fasted rats at 0, 7, 14, and 21 days of treatment and analyzed. Results: It was found that ethanol extract shows good antidiabetic activity compared to other extracts. At 320 μg, ethanol extract shows greater percentage inhibition of 91.44% and 85.50% for alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, respectively. The standard acarbose also shows greater percentage inhibition of 95.44%. Parameters such as BW changes, fasting blood glucose level, serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were measured. On day 21, rats were sacrificed and pancreas was excised for the histopathological studies of pancreatic tissues. Conclusion: From the present study, it is evident that the ethanol extract on leaves of M. hederacea showed good α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition and also exerted a significant effect on lowering of blood glucose level against STZ-induced diabetic rats and significant reduction on serum LDL and significant increase serum HDL level. It suggests that the plant may have therapeutic value in diabetes and related complications.


Indo-European Documentation Center web pages are designed as a service to scholars and as educational resources for students and members of the public interested in Indo-European languages and culture.


Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) replication origins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are known to function inefficiently, both in the context of the tandem rDNA repeats in the chromosome and as single copy autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs) in plasmids. Here we examined components of the rDNA ARS that might contribute to inefficient extrachromosomal replication. Like the efficient H4 ARS, the rDNA ARS requires a match to the 11 bp ARS consensus sequence (ACS) and a broad non-conserved region that may contain multiple elements, including a DNA unwinding element (DUE). Using a single-strand-specific nuclease hypersensitivity assay and by determining the superhelical density required for stable DNA unwinding, we found that the DNA of the rDNA ARS is not as easily unwound as the H4 ARS. Unwinding of the rDNA ARS required additional energy, similar to the unwinding of mutations in the H4 ARS that stabilize the double helix in the DUE region and impair replication. In vivo extrachromosomal replication of the rDNA ARS was cold sensitive, like H4 ARS mutants that require additional energy to unwind the DUE region but unlike the easily unwound, wild-type H4 ARS. Impairment of replication function at reduced temperature suggests that the elevated energy requirement for DNA unwinding inherent in the wild-type rDNA ARS contributes to inefficient replication function. We also examined the essential ACS match in the rDNA ARS, which is known to be imperfect at one position. A point mutation in the essential ACS that corrects the imperfect match increased the efficiency of extrachromosomal replication. Our results reveal that the essential ACS element and DNA unwinding in the rDNA ARS are naturally impaired, suggesting that inefficient function of the rDNA replication origin has a biological purpose.


Viral proteins localize within subcellular compartments to subvert host machinery and promote pathogenesis. To study SARS-CoV-2 biology, we generated an atlas of 2422 human proteins vicinal to 17 SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins using proximity proteomics. This identified viral proteins at specific intracellular locations, such as association of accessary proteins with intracellular membranes, and projected SARS-CoV-2 impacts on innate immune signaling, ER-Golgi transport, and protein translation. It identified viral protein adjacency to specific host proteins whose regulatory variants are linked to COVID-19 severity, including the TRIM4 interferon signaling regulator which was found proximal to the SARS-CoV-2 M protein. Viral NSP1 protein adjacency to the EIF3 complex was associated with inhibited host protein translation whereas ORF6 localization with MAVS was associated with inhibited RIG-I 2CARD-mediated IFNB1 promoter activation. Quantitative proteomics identified candidate host targets for the NSP5 protease, with specific functional cleavage sequences in host proteins CWC22 and FANCD2. This data resource identifies host factors proximal to viral proteins in living human cells and nominates pathogenic mechanisms employed by SARS-CoV-2. Author Summary SARS-CoV-2 is the latest pathogenic coronavirus to emerge as a public health threat. We create a database of proximal host proteins to 17 SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins. We validate that NSP1 is proximal to the EIF3 translation initiation complex and is a potent inhibitor of translation. We also identify ORF6 antagonism of RNA-mediate innate immune signaling. We produce a database of potential host targets of the viral protease NSP5, and create a fluorescence-based assay to screen cleavage of peptide sequences. We believe that this data will be useful for identifying roles for many of the uncharacterized SARS-CoV-2 proteins and provide insights into the pathogenicity of new or emerging coronaviruses.


Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is a heterogeneous subclassification of urothelial carcinoma with significant variation in individual risk of recurrence and progression to muscle-invasive disease. Risk stratification by American Urological Association (AUA) and European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines or by using nomograms/risk calculators developed from clinical trial data can help inform patient treatment decisions but may not accurately classify all patients. Risk-adapted adjuvant (post-transurethral resection of bladder tumor [TURBT]) treatment strategies using intravesical therapies are an important means of balancing disease control with potential adverse effects. Adjuvant intravesical instillation with various chemotherapy agents and bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is well studied and associated with excellent outcomes for most patients. However, upwards of 40% of patients recur within 2 years and roughly 10% progress to muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Novel approaches and agents that aim to reduce the treatment burden associated with NMIBC are increasingly needed. We review the current landscape of NMIBC as it pertains to the use of and rationale for emerging neoadjuvant chemoablative therapies.


Objective: Caffeine is one of the oldest natural substances consumed by people. Its consumption in Poland has not been well described. The aim of this study was to design and validate an online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) on caffeine intake and to use it to estimate caffeine consumption in Polish adults.Method: The FFQ was prepared and validated in a pilot study. The intake assessment was conducted in 2019-2020 on 372 respondents, aged 18 to 60 years. The FFQ included products such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, and carbonated drinks, as well as supplements and chocolate.Results: We showed good repeatability of the FFQ and it was considered a valid tool. The mean total caffeine intake among all participants was 426.7 mg ± 283.4 mg/day of all sources; in women, it was 446.4 mg ± 306.2 mg/day, while in men, it was 394.1 ± 236.4 mg/day. Forty-three percent of the respondents consumed more than 400 mg of caffeine/day. Coffee was the main source of caffeine and contributed to 65% of total caffeine consumption. Women consumed 90% more green tea than men (p < 0.01). Overweight and obese people have 20% greater total caffeine intake (p = 0.01) and consumed 20% more coffee (p = 0.02) and 30% more black tea (p = 0.01) than people of normal weight.Conclusions: Average caffeine consumption among Polish adults slightly exceeds the safe consumption dose established by the European Food Safety Authority. Body weight status can differentiate caffeine intake.


Recognizing what makes an image aesthetically pleasing is crucial to the effectiveness of many multimedia systems. Several works have attempted to build image aesthetic appeal predictors, and created their own set of ground truth data for the purpose, either by using rated images from photo sharing websites, or by asking a pool of users to rate images in lab or crowdsourcing experiments. Literature has shown that the way these experiments are conducted can influence their results: poor experimental setup can result in poorly reliable outcomes (i.e., highly imprecise aesthetic appeal measures). A question then arises whether the different choices made to collect ground truth of aesthetic appeal data are appropriate. In this paper, we propose a systematic study that looks into how different experimental environments and rating scales used to collect image aesthetic appeal ground truth data influence the reliability and repeatability of aesthetic appeal assessments. Our findings show that discrete and continuous scales with five-point absolute category rating labels yield more reliable results, with the continuous scale being more reliable for abstract images. We also show that image aesthetic appeal assessments could be repeatable across different experimental environments (i.e., lab and crowdsourcing). We finally formulate concrete recommendations to guide the collection of large sets of ground truth data for training models of aesthetic appeal appreciation.


The gene encoding the fusogenic spike protein of the coronavirus causing feline infectious peritonitis was recombined into the genome of vaccinia virus. The recombinant induced spike-protein-specific, in vitro neutralizing antibodies in mice. When kittens were immunized with the recombinant, low titers of neutralizing antibodies were obtained. After challenge with feline infectious peritonitis virus, these animals succumbed earlier than did the control group immunized with wild-type vaccinia virus (early death syndrome).


Fifty two children in whom coeliac disease was confirmed by persistent enteropathy while they were taking gluten were monitored to assess the effects of compliance with a gluten free diet (GFD). Between the ages of 17.8 and 18.5 years height (in 45 patients followed up for a mean of 14.9 years) and weight (in 43 followed up for a mean of 15.2 years) were significantly lower in those complying poorly with a GFD compared with those complying well. Of the 37 patients still attending the clinic after a mean of 25 years, having been followed up for a mean of 18.4 years, 16 who had complied well with the diet had normal or only slightly abnormal mucosal morphology whereas all 10 who had not complied had abnormal morphology. In these 10 lactase, sucrase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly less than values in those who complied well. Mucosal sucrase and alkaline phosphatase activities in those who complied well were no different from those in a control population, whereas lactase activity was significantly lower. It is concluded that failure to comply with a GFD during childhood results in decreased adult stature and in persisting active enteropathy with depressed brush border enzyme activity.


Research in the last 20 years has shown that chlorine undergoes transformations between inorganic and organic forms as part of a complex biogeochemical cycle in terrestrial systems. Natural organochlorine production appears to be associated with the decomposition of plant material on the soil surface, though the chlorine cycle budget implies that a proportion of natural organochlorine enters soil through plant litter and atmospheric deposition as well. Organochlorine compounds may form through biotic and abiotic pathways, but the rates and magnitude of production in the field remain undefined. We have performed a time‐dependent trace of chlorine concentration through forest ecosystems, revealing distinct fractions of naturally produced organochlorine in plant biomass. Aliphatic organochlorine constitutes an intrinsic component of healthy leaves that persists through senescence and humification of the plant material, making a substantial contribution to the pool of soil organochlorine. Plant leaves also contain soluble aromatic organochlorine compounds that leach from leaf litter during early decay stages. As decay progresses, high concentrations of insoluble aromatic organochlorine accrue in the humus, through de novo production as well as adsorption. The rates of aromatic organochlorine production and degradation vary seasonally and conversely. This study presents the first unambiguous evidence that there exist multiple pools of chlorinated organic matter in the soil environment and that leaf litter deposition makes a significant and refractory contribution to the soil organochlorine pool, providing key insights into the biogeochemical chlorine cycle.


Ecotourism is an important niche market in the world tourism industry. It is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to mass tourism. The data were collected using documentation and library techniques, field methods, questionnaires, note-taking, observation, and conducting interviews with people, tourists, and authorities in charge of ecotourism development. The study examines the economic impact of ecotourism in the villages of Sikkim, which are full of rich and pristine biodiversity and other natural resources. Ecotourism provides the tourist with a quality nature experience, generates funds and support for conservation efforts, has a minimal environmental impact, and provides socioeconomic benefits to local host communities. Tourism can contribute significantly to rural development, agricultural transformation, community enrichment and social empowerment. . The main thrust of this study is to examine the impact of ecotourism as sustainable development focused on the potential of the tourist as an agent of sustainable development possibility framed in terms of a tourist "connecting to nature". With an objective to identify and quantify the impacts of ecotourism on environmental conservation, cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and enhancement of livelihoods, this study was carried out to focus on the way tourists can live harmoniously with the planet and has been identified as an important strategy for balancing economic growth and conservation. The study is intended to enhance the capacity of ecotourism to generate benefits for both the local communities and destinations (mainly the protected areas), and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the region more generally. The primary problem of the study was to examine the relationships among acculturation, ecotourism, and cultural impacts to understand the ecotourism acculturation mechanism that shapes ecotourism cultural impacts. Keyword: Connect to nature, ecotourism, sustainable development, economic growth, conservation


The nature of the tetrahedral H42+ stationary point (minimum or triply degenerate saddle) depends remarkably upon the theoretical level employed. Harmonic vibrational analyses with, e.g., the 6‐31G** (and 6‐31 + +G**) and Dunning's [4s2p1d;2s1p] [D95(d,p)] basis sets using the standard p exponent suggest (erroneously) that the Td geometry is a minimum at both the HF and MP2 levels. This is not the case at definitive higher levels. The C3H42+ structure with an apical H is another example of the failure of the calculations with the 6‐31G**, 6‐311G**, and D95(d,p) basis sets. Even at MP2/6‐31G** and MP2/ cc‐pVDZ levels, the C3v structure has no negative eigenvalues of the Hessian. Actually, this form is a second‐order saddle point as shown by the MP2/6‐31G** calculation with the optimized exponent. The D4h methane dication structure is also an example of the misleading performance of the 6‐31G** basis set. In all these cases, energy‐optimized hydrogen p exponents give the correct results, i.e., those found with more extended treatments. Optimized values of the hydrogen polarization function exponents eliminate these defects in 6‐31G** calculations. Species with higher coordinate hydrogens may also be calculated reliably by using more than one set of p functions on hydrogen [e.g., the 6‐31G(d,2p) basis set]. Not all cases are critical. A survey of examples, also including some boron compounds, provides calibration. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Abstract The aircraft industry, along with other industries, is considered responsible these days regarding environmental issues. Therefore, the performance evaluation of aircraft propulsion systems should be conducted with respect to environmental and ecological considerations. The current paper aims to present the ecological coefficient of performance calculation methodology for aircraft propulsion systems. The ecological coefficient performance is a widely-preferred performance indicator of numerous energy conversion systems. On the basis of thermodynamic laws, the methodology used to determine the ecological coefficient of performance for an aircraft propulsion system is parametrically explained and illustrated in this paper for the first time. For a better understanding, to begin with, the exergy analysis of a turbojet engine is described in detail. Following this, the outputs of the analysis are employed to define the ecological coefficient of performance for a turbojet engine. At the end of the study, the ecological coefficient of performance is evaluated parametrically and discussed depending on selected engine design parameters and performance measures. The author asserts the ecological coefficient of performance to be a beneficial indicator for researchers interested in aircraft propulsion system design and related topics.


The authors present a numerical model for three-dimensional unsteady wake calculations for tidal turbines. Since wakes are characterised by the shedding of a vortex sheet from the rotor blades, the model is based on the vorticity transport equations. A vortex sheet may be considered a jump contact discontinuity in tangential velocity with, in inviscid hydrodynamic terms, certain kinematic and dynamic conditions across the sheet. The kinematic condition is that the sheet is a stream surface with zero normal fluid velocity; the dynamic condition is that the pressure is equal on either side of the sheet. The dynamic condition is explicitly satisfied at the trailing edge only, via an approximation of the Kutta condition. The shed vorticity is the span-wise derivative of bound circulation, and the trailed vorticity is the time derivative of bound circulation, and is convected downstream from the rotors using a finite-volume solution of vorticity transport equations thus satisfying the kinematic conditions. Owing to an absence in the literature of pressure data for marine turbines, results from the code are presented for the NREL-UAE Phase IV turbine. Axial flow cases show a close match in pressure coefficients at various spanwise stations; however, yawed flow cases demonstrate the shortcomings of a modelling strategy lacking viscosity.


Despite its vast agriculture potential, Africa is increasingly dependent on food imports from the rest of the world to satisfy its consumption needs. Food output has not kept pace with population growth, and more than 80 percent of production gains since 1980 have come from the expansion of cropped areas rather than from greater productivity of areas already cultivated. This paper looks at the current requirements for seed trade in Africa, the obstacles, status of ongoing plans for regional harmonization, challenges of harmonization, and opportunities for near-term improvement. With Africa increasingly dependent on food imports, regional economic communities have been discussing harmonized seed policies for many years. While agreement on key regulations pertaining to variety release, seed certification, and phytosanitary control is now falling into place, improved farmer access to quality seeds are many years away due to capacity limitations and legal obstacles. Without relying on complex rules, experience elsewhere shows there are many simple options for improved seed trade that African governments can implement directly while continuing to work towards full harmonization.


Restructuring the US electricity industry has become the nation`s central energy issue for the 1990s. Restructuring proposals at the federal and state levels focus on more competitive market structures for generation and the integration of transmission within those structures. The proposed move to more competitive generation markets will expose utility costs that are above those experienced by alternative suppliers. Debate about these above-market, or transition, costs (e.g., their size,who will pay for them and how) has played a prominent role in restructuring proceedings. This paper presents results from a project to systematically assess strategies to address transition costs exposed by restructuring the electricity industry.


The Child and Adolescent Trauma Treatments and Services Consortium (CATS) was the largest youth trauma project associated with the September 11 World Trade Center disaster. CATS was created as a collaborative project involving New York State policymakers; academic scientists; clinical treatment developers; and routine practicing clinicians, supervisors, and administrators. The CATS project was established to deliver evidence-based cognitive-behavioral trauma treatments for children and adolescents affected by the September 11 terrorist attack in New York City and to examine implementation processes and outcomes associated with delivery of these treatments. Referrals were obtained on 1,764 children and adolescents; of these, 1,387 were subsequently assessed with a standardized clinical battery and 704 found to be eligible for services. Ultimately 700 youth participated in the project. Treatments were delivered in either school or clinic settings by clinicians employed in 9 provider organizations in New York City. All participating clinicians were trained on the cognitive behavioral therapy models by the treatment developers and received case consultation for 18 months by expert clinician consultants and the treatment developers. The challenges of mounting a large trauma treatment project within routine clinical practices in the aftermath of a disaster and simultaneously evaluating the project have been significant. We outline the major challenges, describe strategies we employed to address them, and make recommendations based on critical lessons learned.


This paper examined seven teachers' interpretations of the terms 'at risk' and resilience, their preceived influential role, and universal teaching methods that were perceived to promote resilient behaviours in the classroom. 'At risk' was described as a more familiar term than resilience, with a stronger focus in schools on academic 'at risk'. Resilience was viewed to be predominantly a result of internal attributes. Four themes emerged from the one-on-one interviews with elementary school teachers. Responsibilities, high expectations, consistency, and social competence were perceived by the teachers as leading to resilience development among their students. This study adds to the growing body of research which aims at uncovering the processes leading to the development of resilience.


Article history: Received January 20, 2013 Received in revised format 28 March 2013 Accepted 16 April 2013 Available online April 18 2013 Education is one of the most important parts of every one's life, higher education helps people get better job offers and build their future, more successfully. Any failure in educational programs could possibly hurt society as well as country's economy. Therefore, we need to find the major causes of educational failure and setup appropriate plans to reduce the undesirable consequences. In this study, we perform a comprehensive study on previous studies on finding major causes of educational failure in different provinces of Iran and try to focus on major factors influencing this problem. The results of our survey have concluded that there are three common factors including little interest in learning, working along with education and living status. The implementation of some statistical tests has revealed that these factors have some moderate impacts on educational failure. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


Predicting the motion of multiple agents is necessary for planning in dynamic environments. This task is challenging for autonomous driving since agents (e.g. vehicles and pedestrians) and their associated behaviors may be diverse and influence one another. Most prior work have focused on predicting independent futures for each agent based on all past motion, and planning against these independent predictions. However, planning against independent predictions can make it challenging to represent the future interaction possibilities between different agents, leading to sub-optimal planning. In this work, we formulate a model for predicting the behavior of all agents jointly, producing consistent futures that account for interactions between agents. Inspired by recent language modeling approaches, we use a masking strategy as the query to our model, enabling one to invoke a single model to predict agent behavior in many ways, such as potentially conditioned on the goal or full future trajectory of the autonomous vehicle or the behavior of other agents in the environment. Our model architecture employs attention to combine features across road elements, agent interactions, and time steps. We evaluate our approach on autonomous driving datasets for both marginal and joint motion prediction, and achieve state of the art performance across two popular datasets. Through combining a scene-centric approach, agent permutation equivariant model, and a sequence masking strategy, we show that our model can unify a variety of motion prediction tasks from joint motion predictions to conditioned prediction.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To examine the integrity of sleep-promoting neurons of the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) in postmortem brains of narcolepsy type 1 patients.

METHODS
Postmortem examination of five narcolepsy and eight control brains.

RESULTS
VLPO galanin neuron count did not differ between narcolepsy patients (11,151 ± 3,656) and controls (13,526 ± 9,544).

CONCLUSIONS
A normal number of galanin-immunoreactive VLPO neurons in narcolepsy type 1 brains at autopsy suggests that VLPO cell loss is an unlikely explanation for the sleep fragmentation that often accompanies the disease.


This paper considers Vassilikos' Γλαύκος Θρασάκης (written in 1973–4) and Axioti's Η Κάδμω (written in 1971–2) as postmodern narratives of exile, against the politics of their time. What is essentially new about my reading is that it is informed by the theoretical discourse of autofiction — a term devised by Serge Doubrovsky in 1977. Αutofiction encompasses fictional texts that are at the crossroads between the autobiography and the novel. Both texts oscillate between the two aforementioned writing tropes and are based on the authors' experience of exile. I shall investigate why two politically engaged writers produced "autofictions" during the final years of the dictatorship. Building upon existing argumentation suggesting that the political condition in Greece encouraged postmodern literary modes (Papanikolaou, 2005), I shall argue that Axioti and Vassilikos formulated a Greek version of autofiction avant la lettre in order to articulate the identity of the writer in exile.


SUMMARY: Methylotrophic growth of Eubacterium limosum, a fermentative anaerobe, necessitates the production of butyric acid in quantities proportionate to the methanol dissimilatory flux in order to balance the reducing equivalent status of the cell. Supplementing the medium with low concentrations (<100mM) of butyrate decreased the quantity of methanol dissimilated and brought about a corresponding shift in organic acid production in favour of acetic acid. At higher supplement concentrations the growth rate decreased and synthesis of caproic acid and an unidentified compound, most likely a biopolymer, occurred. In fed-batch cultures similar levels of butyrate were necessary to bring about these biotransformations. The addition of a C2-unit to supplemented organic acids was not restricted to those acids normally involved in the acidogenic metabolism of E. limosum, a finding, which may be of potential biotechnological importance.


The impact of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies on inducible TNF-dependent activity in humans has never been evaluated in vivo. We aimed to test the hypothesis that patients responding to anti-TNF treatments exhibit attenuated TNF-dependent immune responses at the site of an immune challenge. We developed and validated four context-specific TNF-inducible transcriptional signatures to quantify TNF bioactivity in transcriptomic data. In anti-TNF treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, we measured the expression of these biosignatures in blood, and in skin biopsies from the site of tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) as a human experimental model of multivariate cell-mediated immune responses. In blood, anti-TNF therapies attenuated TNF bioactivity following ex vivo stimulation. However, at the site of the TST, TNF-inducible gene expression and genome-wide transcriptional changes associated with cell-mediated immune responses were comparable to that of RA patients receiving methotrexate only. These data demonstrate that anti-TNF agents in RA patients do not inhibit inducible TNF activity at the site of an acute inflammatory challenge in vivo, as modeled by the TST. We hypothesize instead that their therapeutic effects are limited to regulating TNF activity in chronic inflammation or by alternative non-canonical pathways.


A new approach is given for scheduling a sequential instruction stream for execution "in parallel" on asynchronous multiprocessors. The key idea in our approach is to exploit the fine grained parallelism present in the instruction stream. In this context, schedules are constructed by a careful balancing of execution and communication costs at the level of individual instructions, and their data dependencies. Three methods are used to evaluate our approach. First, several existing methods are extended to the fine grained situation considered here. Our approach is then compared to these methods using both static schedule length analyses, and simulated executions of the sched- uled code. In each instance, our method is found to provide significantly shorter schedules. Second, by varying parameters such as the speed of the instruction set, and the spedparallelism in the interconnection structure, simulation techniques are used to examine the effects of various architectural considerations on the executions of the schedules. These results show that our approach provides significant speedups in a wide-range of situations. Third, schedules produced by our approach are executed on a two- processor Data General shared memory multiprocessor system. These experiments show that there is a strong correlation between our simulation results (those parameterized to "model" the Data General system), and these actual executions, and thereby serve to validate the simulation studies. Together, our results establish that fine grained parallelism can be exploited in a substantial manner when scheduling a sequential instruction stream for execution "in parallel" on asynchronous multiprocessors. Index rems- Concurrency, parallelism, multiprocessor, he grained parallelism, schedule, asynchronous.


MICRONUTRIENT FORTIFICATION FOR OLDER ADULTS IN LONG-TERM CARE: SENSORY CONSIDERATIONS Katherine Field Advisor: University of Guelph, 2016 Dr. Lisa M. Duizer Micronutrient fortification can improve nutrient intake in older adults residing in longterm care (LTC). However, previous studies indicate that micronutrient fortification can alter food sensory attributes. This thesis investigates a potential micronutrient fortification program for older adults in LTC, with a focus on food sensory properties. A micronutrient powder containing 9 vitamins and 3 minerals was sourced from Calico Ingredients (ON, Canada). Four foods were identified as potential carriers: tomato soup, mushroom soup, mashed potatoes and oatmeal. The micronutrient powder was added to the selected foods in varying amounts to produce samples with different fortification levels. Preparation methods used in LTC were also taken into consideration during the initial screening of these foods. Napping® with ultra-flash profiling (UFP) was first used as a screening tool to identify sensory differences present in each of the four selected foods. Descriptive Analysis was then completed for two foods – tomato soup and oatmeal. Sensory differences with fortification were identified in both foods. The acceptability and perception of these foods by younger (age 18-40, n=64) and older (age 65+, n=65) adults was completed using hedonic scales and check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions. Subgroups of participants with different patterns of liking were identified using agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis (AHC). This was completed separately for each age group and for each of the two foods evaluated. In each case, three distinct consumer subgroups with different patterns of liking were identified. CATA and hedonic liking results were evaluated separately for each subgroup; differences in the way these subgroups described and rated food samples were identified. Finally, sensory acuity was evaluated in all participants to determine whether differences in taste and smell sensitivity existed between liking subgroups. Olfactory sensitivity was found to differ between older adult (OA) tomato soup subgroups. Mean olfactory score was lower for the subgroup that disliked fortified foods compared to the subgroup that experienced no change in liking. This research provides information about the sensory properties of selected fortified foods, and their acceptability to older adult consumers. The role of age and sensory acuity on liking of these foods was also evaluated.


The gene Bcl11b, which encodes zinc finger proteins, and its paralog, Bcl11a, are associated with immune-system malignancies. We have generated Bcl11b-deficient mice that show a block at the CD4-CD8- double-negative stage of thymocyte development without any impairment in cells of B- or gammadelta T cell lineages. The Bcl11b-/- thymocytes showed unsuccessful recombination of V(beta) to D(beta) and lacked the pre-T cell receptor (TCR) complex on the cell surface, owing to the absence of Tcrb mRNA expression. In addition, we saw profound apoptosis in the thymus of neonatal Bcl11b-/- mice. These results suggest that Bcl11b is a key regulator of both differentiation and survival during thymocyte development.


As diversity and populations increase within cities worldwide, there is also growing urban disadvantage for marginalised populations. In this paper, South-East Queensland, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, is referred to as a case of traditional development in which the patterns of growth which are largely dominated by land developers and top-down processes and mechanisms, have resulted in uneven urban development socio-spatial disadvantage. This paper argues that traditional development methodologies will not be sufficient to face the existing and future challenges this presents. This study focuses on the larger contributing factors affecting the participation of marginalised people in the urban design process, and is focused on the topic of creative placemaking as a method for empowering people to contribute to their community in meaningful ways. Through a critical analysis of current literature, a theoretical framework is proposed to ground a new approach to urban development with a strong focus on people's participation and engagement. There is a broad area of research to draw upon, but for the purpose of this paper, the discussion is limited to literature that supports a place-based approach to engaging marginalised people in the urban design process. Using theoretical paradigms typical of Interior design, such as the concept of Interiority, in conjunction with established theories such as ecology and heterotopia, new tools and a new approach to urban design could be developed, re-centring the focus of the design process on people's experiences and needs into designs so to enhance their right to the city and produce vibrant and inclusive public spaces.


Abstract Anthropological research has long theorized that emergent food-producing economies catalyzed high levels of inequality in human societies, as evident in the earliest use of jewelry made from gold, copper, and other precious minerals among early agricultural populations. Although the US Southwest appears to have been an exception, we report the discovery of two Basketmaker II period necklaces constructed of green iridescent scarab beetle femora, which suggests a homologous association between emergent agriculture and inequality. Drawing insight from ethnography, archaeology, entomology, and evolutionary ecology, we hypothesize that these and other jewelry items of Basketmaker II culture were visually prominent, honest signals of socioeconomic capital that emerged during a period of surplus food production and incipient wealth accumulation. It appears that Basketmaker II societies—like other emergent food-producing economies around the world—grappled with the opportunities and challenges that arise with surplus production, albeit in a distinct way that involved visually striking insect and feather adornments as status signals. Archaeologists may have previously overlooked this behavior due to Western biases that privilege precious metals and minerals as prestige objects and archaeological biases that tend to view insects as food or agents of site disturbance.


Excitations induced by three-dimensional unsteady flows of ordinary water coolant through a string of CANDU fuel bundles in a fuel channel are investigated in this thesis. Several comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are developed and solved by means of large eddy simulation (LES), high performance computers and parallel processing scheme. The 12-bundle flow model is the first ever developed concerning flow in a very complex CANDU fuel channel. The lateral fluid flow and flow-induced excitations on every fuel bundle are obtained and analyzed for various combinations of bundle angular positions. The coherent nature of the flow through the multiple bundles inside the fuel channel exhibiting fluid excitations of frequencies spreaded over a wide band in the power spectra is a source of bundle lateral vibration. The flow features of different bundle regime are correlated both in time and frequency domain and they are sensitive to the bundle-to-bundle angular position. This finding directs that, to study the flow and flow-induced excitations and vibrations of a bundle string, it is necessary to include all bundles for fluid-structure interactions. Results from the computational model reveal that the misaligned interface changes the flow pattern in the fuel channel. The mean lateral fluid forces increase by an order of magnitude and their RMS values raise about 3 to 4 times at some configurations compared to fully aligned situation. Experiments are also performed using the simulated CANDU bundles in an out-reactor setup to verify the computational results. An analysis of a complete fuel channel of a nuclear reactor using LES is at the forefront of current research worldwide and this study is a major step forward towards understanding and unfolding the fuel bundle vibration phenomenon.


This paper identifies and develops the class of Gaussian copula models for marginal regression analysis of non-normal dependent observa- tions. The class provides a natural extension of traditional linear regression models with normal correlated errors. Any kind of continuous, discrete and categorical responses is allowed. Dependence is conveniently modelled in terms of multivariate normal errors. Inference is performed through a like- lihood approach. While the likelihood function is available in closed-form for continuous responses, in the non-continuous setting numerical approx- imations are used. Residual analysis and a specification test are suggested for validating the adequacy of the assumed multivariate model. Methodol- ogy is implemented in a R package called gcmr. Illustrations include simu- lations and real data applications regarding time series, cross-design data, longitudinal studies, survival analysis and spatial regression.


Homing endonucleases (HE) have emerged as precise tools for achieving gene targeting events. Redesigned HEs with tailored specificities can be used to cleave new sequences, thereby considerably expanding the number of targetable genes and loci. With HEs, as well as with other protein scaffolds, context dependence of DNA/protein interaction patterns remains one of the major limitations for rational engineering of new DNA binders. Previous studies have shown strong crosstalk between different residues and regions of the DNA binding interface. To investigate this phenomenon, we systematically combined mutations from three groups of amino acids in the DNA binding regions of the I-CreI HE. Our results confirm that important crosstalk occurs throughout this interface in I-CreI. Detailed analysis of success rates identified a nearest-neighbour effect, with a more pronounced level of dependence between adjacent regions. Taken together, these data suggest that combinatorial engineering does not necessarily require the identification of separable functional or structural regions, and that groups of amino acids provide acceptable building blocks that can be assembled, overcoming the context dependency of the DNA binding interface. Furthermore, the present work describes a sequential method to engineer tailored HEs, wherein three contiguous regions are individually mutated and assembled to create HEs with engineered specificity.


The (Ba0.6Sr0.4)TiO3 (BST) thin films were formed on a Pt bottom electrode/glazed-Al2O3 substrates by a chemical solution deposition (CSD) method. The BST films were annealed at temperatures between 600 and 800°C in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process and grown at each temperature with a random orientation. The grain size of the BST films enlarged and the electrical properties of the BST films improved as the annealing temperature rose. The grain size of the film annealed at 800°C enlarged to be 80 nm. The averaged surface roughness Ra was 2.927 nm, which resulted in a favorable degree of planarity. The dielectric constant and loss tangent of the film at 1 MHz were 403 and 0.049, respectively. The film also displayed a high degree of tunability, which was 58.3% (at 429 kV/cm). These results indicated that high-quality BST thin films could be formed on an extremely cheap glazed-Al2O3 substrates.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
The pacemaker mechanism that underlies the cyclic generation of colonic migrating motor complexes (CMMCs) is unknown, although studies have suggested that release of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) from enterochromaffin cells in the mucosa is essential. However, no recordings of 5-HT release from the colon have been made to support these suggestions.

METHODS
We used real-time amperometry to record 5-HT release directly from the mucosa in mouse isolated colon to determine whether 5-HT release from enterochromaffin cells was required for CMMC generation.

RESULTS
We found that 5-HT was released from mucosal enterochromaffin cells during many, but not all, CMMC contractions. However, spontaneous CMMCs still were recorded even after removal of the mucosa, and submucosa and submucosal plexus when all release of 5-HT had been abolished. CMMC pacemaker frequency was slower in the absence of the mucosa, an effect reversed by focal application of exogenous 5-HT onto the myenteric plexus. Despite the absence of the mucosa and all detectable release of 5-HT, ondansetron significantly reduced CMMC frequency, suggesting that 5-HT(3) receptor blockade slows the CMMC pacemaker via a mechanism independent of 5-HT release from enterochromaffin cells.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that 5-HT can be released dynamically during CMMCs. However, the intrinsic pacemaker and pattern generator underlying CMMC generation lies within the myenteric plexus and/or muscularis externa and does not require any release of 5-HT from enterochromaffin cells. Endogenous release of 5-HT from enterochromaffin cells plays a modulatory role, not an essential role, in CMMC generation.


Having reached an interim accord in Geneva, two governments with a tortured political history must now work to sell it and the diplomatic strategy they have laid out to their own constituencies back home. In this paper, the role of the United States Congress in the process of developing American foreign policy in general and, in the current matter of Iran's nuclear file in particular will be examined. To do so, it describes the history of the relationship between the White House and Congress and then examines the difficult task of the Obama administration to garner support for its strategy in Congress. It reviews the reservations voiced by many in Congress regarding the Geneva nuclear interim accord as well as their misgivings regarding a final agreement. As the matter at hand involves high stake politics in the Middle East, it may carry grave consequences for the status quo in the region. The possible ramifications and the way this effects the position of those in Congress will also be explored. Lastly, since lobby groups have historically had a major role in American foreign policy towards the Middle East, their extensively-discussed role in this case as well as challenges they face will also be touched upon. In general, this paper proposes to describe specifically the way the US policy towards Iran is being formulated and what role Congress plays in the process. Effort will be made to find out to what extent the domestic politics has an impact on the approach of Congress towards Iran and how Congress may be influenced by Middle East regional powers.


Nowadays the critical sector of transport becomes progressively more dependent on digital technologies to perform essential activities and develop novel efficient transport services and infrastructure to empower economic and social cohesion exploiting the economic strengths of the European Union (EU). However, although the continuously increasing number of visitors, entering the EU through land-border crossing points or seaports, brings immense economic value, novel border control solutions, such as mobile devices for passenger identification for land/sea border control, are essential to precisely identify passengers "on the fly" ensuring their comfort. Nevertheless, these devices are expected to handle highly confidential personal data and thus, it is very likely to become an attractive target to malicious actors. Therefore, to ensure high level of device security without interrupting border control activities, strong secure and usable user authentication mechanisms are required. Towards this direction, we, firstly, discuss risk-based and adaptive authentication for mobile devices as a suitable approach to deal with the security vs. usability challenge and a novel risk-based adaptive user authentication mechanism is proposed to address this challenge. Afterwards, a set of popular Machine Learning (ML) classification algorithms for risk-based authentication was tested and evaluated on the HuMIdb (Human Mobile Interaction database) dataset to identify the most appropriate ones for the proposed mechanism. The evaluation results demonstrated impact of overfitting (i.e., accuracy: 1,0000) and therefore, we considered novelty detection algorithms to overcome this challenge and demonstrate high performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that novelty detection algorithms have been considered for risk-based adaptive user authentication showing promising results (OneClassSVM 0,9536, LOF 0,9740, KNN_average 0,9998).


Abstract. LS factor plays a key role in soil erosion risk assessment using widely adopted empirical models such as RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation). The study was carried out to estimate the impact of varying DEM resolutions on LS factor values in a small hilly watershed near Dehradun, India. The impact of various computational algorithms as well as varying slope exponents on LS factor values were also estimated. DEMs of different resolutions such as ASTER (30 m), CARTOSAT (10 m and 30 m), SRTM (30 m) and UAV generated DEM (18 cm) were used for comparison. On comparison, LS factor generated using varying resolution DEMs including UAV generated DEM yielded similar results indicated by similar mean values, even though the maximum values in the study area varied slightly. Use of spatially distributed slope exponent values resulted in higher mean LS factor values from all the DEMs, except UAV generated one, when compared to the use of a constant, slope exponent value. All DEMs except UAV generated DEM, yielded lower LS factor values when multi-flow direction (MFD) algorithm was used for computation instead of single flow direction (SFD). The variations in results when using UAV DEM may be due to its ability to capture the micro topographical variations on the ground, which affects the various computational procedures. The LS factor results obtained using different computational procedures and algorithms needs to be validated using ground collected information of LS factor, for wider acceptability and use by soil erosion and geospatial modelling communities.


The age of marriage is always a polemic in the household. This is based on the view that the age of marriage that is not mature mentally, physically, psychologically, and education is susceptible to unstable attitudes in taking policies or decisions. So that it is feared that they have not been able to respond to problems in the marriage. Indonesia is a country with Muslims as a major population regulating the minimum age of marriage, as well as Muslim countries in the world. The research method used is the juridicalnormative approach. There are someconclusions obtained. First, the Shari'a does not explicitly set a minimum age for marriage, but legal age and understanding are elements that must be fulfilled for prospective brides, and especially for husbands who are positioned as heads of families. Second, every Islamic country, including Indonesia, has different rules regarding the minimum age of marriage, but the purpose of the restriction remains the same, which is to form a partner who is physically and resourcefully ready to build a sakinah household.Keywords: Rules; Age; Marriage


Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the interaction of two solid surfaces, namely the (00.1) hematite and (10.4) calcite surfaces, in contact with aqueous electrolyte solutions containing different concentrations of dissolved NaCl. The structure and a number of properties of the interface were investigated. The size and amount of statistics needed for convergence of these calculations required the use of high performance computers. The two surfaces show different bonding mechanisms with the water, but both result in a distinctive layering of the water, which in turn modifies a range of surface behaviour including diffusivity and charge distribution. We find that the resulting charge distribution from the solvent has a greater control of the disposition of dissolved ions than either surface charge or ionic strength, within reasonable limits. Thus we see a characteristic double layer at neutral surfaces and the charge distribution oscillates into the bulk. Finally, preliminary work on calculating the free energy of dissolution of ions from the surface to the aqueous solution suggests that the presence of dissolved ions makes a small but significant reduction to the dissolution free energies.


The application of natural polysaccharides obtained from plant mucilages as an
excipient has proven to be effective in pharmaceutical dosage forms having various
characteristics that contribute to different functions in the drug delivery system. In this
study, okra gum which was extracted from the pods of Hibiscus esculentus was
evaluated on its application as a natural binder in the development of sustained release
tablets of propranolol hydrochloride, an antihypertensive drug. Unripe Hibiscus
esculentus fruits were obtained freshly from the local market, sliced and soaked
immediately in distilled water and filtered to extract out the mucilage, precipitated
using acetone as a drying agent, further dried in a desiccator and grounded and sieved
to produce okra powder. Its physical characterization such as solubility, pH, moisture
content and viscosity were studied. Its nature and morphology were observed using XRay
Diffraction Analysis (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope
(FESEM). Its thermal characteristics were determined using Differential Scanning
Calorimetry (DSC) and its infrared spectrum had been developed using Fourier
Transform Infra-red (FTIR). Okra powder was then used as a binder and retarding
polymer and sodium bicarbonate was used as an effervescent agent to produce floating
sustained release tablets of propranolol hydrochloride. Seven formulations (F1-F7)
were finalized and the best formulation (F5) of floating sustained release tablet that
made up consistent and smoothest release pattern throughout the 24 hours was
identified. These floating sustained release tablets were developed to create a uniform
drug therapy that is specifically released in the upper part of gastrointestinal tract. Its
floating behavior shows that tablet was able to float successfully throughout the whole
24 hours and more. In vitro dissolution profile studies indicated that okra gum was able
to control drug release by retarding its release in a moderate and consistent manner up
iv
to 24 hours. Tablet was also compared to the commercial conventional propranolol
immediate release tablet and it was found that propranolol sustained release tablet
could release drug at a moderate rate throughout the prolonged duration as compared
to the conventional propranolol tablet that was completely released within the first 15
minutes. The swelling index study shows that higher amount of okra in tablets causes
higher swelling index. Its tensile strength was evaluated by conducting hardness and
friability tests. Results indicate that tablets with higher okra concentration increases the
hardness of tablets and decrease its friability. This explains that okra is able to improve
the durability and strength of tablets. Hence, okra gum was affirmed as an effective
binder to produce favourable propranolol hydrochloride sustained release tablets.


The purpose of our study was to discover who researches functional literacy. This study was situated within a larger systematic literature review. We searched seven electronic databases and identified 90 sources to answer our larger question regarding how functional literacy is defined and conceptualized as well as the specific question pertinent to this paper. An analytic template guided our data collection. The analysis was completed by using a spreadsheet to examine two levels of institutional affiliation: 1) the larger institution such as a university or government unit, and 2) the department, program, or division within the institution. Findings showed the 209 authors of these 90 sources represent a diverse set of fields. Further, it appears that multidisciplinary research is being conducted. We discuss implications of these findings and call for more interdisciplinary research.


Positive psychology is the study of positive subjective experience and individual traits. Identifying deficits in positive psychology regarding fibromyalgia may inform targets for management. Therefore, the aim of the present case–control study was to compare the levels of positive affect, negative affect, satisfaction with life, optimism and emotional repair in a large sample of women with fibromyalgia (cases) and age-matched peers without fibromyalgia (controls). This case–control study included 437 women with fibromyalgia (51.6 ± 7.1 years old) and 206 age-matched women without fibromyalgia (50.6 ± 7.2 years old). Participants self-reported their levels of (i) subjective well-being on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, (ii) dispositional optimism on the Life Orientation Test-Revised and (iii) emotional repair on the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. Women with fibromyalgia showed lower levels of positive affect, satisfaction with life, optimism and emotional repair and higher levels of negative affect. Large effect sizes were found for positive affect, negative affect and satisfaction with life (all, Cohen's d ≥ 0.80) and small-to-moderate for emotional repair and optimism (both, Cohen's d ≥ 0.50). Women with fibromyalgia experience deficits of positive psychology resources. Thus, developing tailored therapies for fibromyalgia focusing on reducing deficits in positive psychology resources may be of clinical interest, though this remains to be corroborated in future research.


SIR,-There is growing evidence that male hormone action at the target site is not initiated by the circulating androgens but by products of the reductive and oxidative metabolism of these steroids in the responsive tissue. Recent work carried out in our laboratory on the estimation of the endogenous levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and androstenedione in the plasma and prostatic tissue of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy and carcinoma of the prostate suggests that the pathological changes within the prostate gland may be the outcome of a number of biochemical factors manifested exclusively at the target organ level. Although our studies did not reveal any significant differences in the plasma hormone levels of patients with either type of prostatic disease when compared with normal subjects of comparable age it was evident from the preliminary results (see table below) that the concentrations of testosterone and androstenedone were significantly greater in the malignant tissue than in the hypertrophied glands while those for dihydrotestosterone were considerably lower. While the mechanism responsible for the pathological changes in the prostate gland remains unexplained, there is evidence that the progress of carcinoma of the prostate in some patients is hormone-dependent. However, in contrast to your leading article (5 July, p 2) and the subsequent letter from Mr F J Bramble and Dr H S Jacobs (2 August, p 307), our data suggest tlhat tumours in the prostate gland are not associated with changes in levels of steroids in the perip'heral pool but are associated with a decrease in the 5a-reductase activity in the prostate. This is evidenced by the low levels of dihydrotestosterone and the accumulation of telstosterone demonstrated in the malignant tissues. Measurement of the various androgens in the plasma pool would appear unlikely to be of value either in the diagnosis of carcinoma of the prostate or in predicting the response to subsequent orchidectomy or hormonal therapy. F K HABIB S R STITCH Division of Steroid Endocrinology, University Department of Chemical Pathology, Leeds


We discuss the construction of perfect fluid stellar objects having optical geometries with multiple necks corresponding to spatially closed unstable lightlike geodesics. We prove that physically reasonable equations of state can give rise to stellar equilibria with arbitrarily many necks. We also show how a first-order phase transition can give rise to quite pronounced secondary necks. The analysis is carried out using a modification of a recent dynamical systems formulation of the TOV equations due to Nilsson and Uggla. Our reformulation allows for a very general family of equations of state including, for example, phase transitions.


In the UK, HIV disproportionately affects gay men. Even in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART), social stigma surrounding HIV has persisted, generating adverse consequences for both prevention and care. First, the science and epidemiology of HIV among gay men are presented. Second, social representations theory and identity process theory are outlined as tools for exploring awareness, understanding and behaviour in relation to HIV. Third, some of the psychosocial challenges associated with HIV prevention and care are outlined and the potential coping strategies among gay men are discussed. Fourth, patient engagement with care and adherence to ART are considered in relation to psychosocial factors. Fifth, a model for enhancing HIV prevention and care is presented. It is argued that greater focus on psychosocial factors can enhance health outcomes among gay men living with, or at risk of, HIV.


In recent years, processing in memory (PIM) based mixedsignal designs have been proposed as energy- and area-efficient solutions with ultra high throughput to accelerate DNN computations. However, PIM designs are sensitive to imperfections such as noise, weight and conductance variations that substantially degrade the DNN accuracy. To address this issue, we propose a novel algorithm-hardware co-design framework hereafter referred to as HybridAC that simultaneously avoids accuracy degradation due to imperfections, improves area utilization, and reduces data movement and energy dissipation. We derive a data-movement-aware weight selection method that does not require retraining to preserve its original performance. It computes a fraction of the results with a small number of variation-sensitive weights using a robust digital accelerator, while the main computation is performed in analog PIM units. This is the first work that not only provides a variation-robust architecture, but also improves the area, power, and energy of the existing designs considerably. HybridAC is adapted to leverage the preceding weight selection method by reducing ADC precision, peripheral circuitry, and hybrid quantization to optimize the design. Our comprehensive experiments show that, even in the presence of variation as high as 50%, HybridAC can reduce the accuracy degradation from 60 - 90% (without protection) to 1 - 2% for different DNNs across diverse datasets. In addition to providing more robust computation, compared to the ISAAC (SRE), HybridAC improves the execution time, energy, area, power, area-efficiency, and power-efficiency by 26%(14%), 52%(40%), 28%(28%), 57%(45%), 43%(5x), and 81%(3.9x), respectively