BACKGROUND
Serum activity of paraoxonase (PON1) decreases during inflammation in many species. Little information is available on paraoxon-based tests and the possible role of PON1 in dogs.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the study were to validate an automated paraoxon-based assay to measure PON1 activity in canine serum, to determine its stability under different storage conditions, to determine a reference interval (RI) in healthy dogs, and to assess whether PON1 is of comparable diagnostic value as C-reactive protein (CRP) and α2-globulins.

METHODS
Intra-assay and inter-assay imprecision, linearity under dilution (LUD), interference, and storage artifacts were evaluated. A PON1 RI was determined for healthy dogs, and PON1 activity, sensitivity, and specificity were compared with CRP and α2-globulins.

RESULTS
Intra- and inter-assay CVs were below 1.6% and 7.8%, respectively. The LUD test fitted the linear model. PON1 activity measurements were increased after addition of hemolysates and lipids, and after storage for 12 hours at room temperature, 72 hours at 4°C, and 6 months at -20°C. PON1 activity and CRP or α2-globulins did not correlate well. PON1 activity decreased significantly only in dogs with very high CRP concentrations. In contrast to CRP and α2-globulins, PON1 activity was not significantly different between dogs with and without inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS
The automated paraoxon-based method to assess serum canine PON1 activity was accurate and precise, but it was influenced by hemolysis, lipemia, and standard storage conditions. In this study, contrarily to CRP and α2-globulins, PON1 activity did not provide diagnostic value as a negative acute phase protein in dogs.


The Internet offers a quick, easy, and more convenient way for purchasing medicinal and health care products. The high number of websites and social network sites selling online medicines shows that there is high public interest to purchase online medicines despite the educational campaigns and programmes actively implemented across Malaysia. Public also lack the awareness to check the registration status of the products sold on the Internet. Therefore, this study is aimed to explore the practices and experiences of purchasing medicines over the Internet among Malaysian adults. Findings were emerged from one-to-one semi-structured interview guided with 16 participants in Klang Valley using convenience and snowball sampling procedures at three respective community pharmacies. Three categorical themes were identified: factors that influence public"s purchasing behaviour (with sub-themes of perceived benefits, convenience, privacy, perceived ease of use and availability), ignorance in checking product registration (with sub-themes of online trust and poor health literacy) and strategies to improve current promotional campaign "Buying Medicine Online: Beware" (with sub-themes of education and promotion, equitable access to knowledge, consistency and monitoring of social media and websites). This study concluded that public still having poor health literacy about the risks of buying online medicines. Majority of the participants believed that this problem can be combated if more focus is given on making the public understand the bad impacts or adverse effects of online medicines. The results indicate that the management of online medicines needs the involvement of the public and all organization. The findings of this study can be used by other researchers as a foundation for further exploratory or conclusive research pertaining online medicines in Malaysia.


We report on extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopic observations of the B bright giant epsilon Canis Majoris made during the ORFEUS-SPAS II mission. We assess the performance of the instrument in the EUV and find that the effective area is roughly 3 times that of the Extreme-Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) long-wavelength spectrometer and that the spectral resolution is lambda/Delta(lambda) = 1250. We identify most of the features, qualitatively compare different models, and examine the wind-broadened O V and Si IV lines, which display blue edge velocities up to 800 km/s.


By exploring a series of videos by Stuart Marshall entitled Mouth Works (1975/76), this 20-minute paper considered the tensions underlying research that traces ephemeral contexts involving performance and recorded audio-visual material, modernist discourses, physicality and obsolescence in relation to archival research. Each of the three, short, black-and-white videos in Marshall's series depicts a fixed close-up of a mouth whose words speak phrases over and again, in and out of sync, in a living loop that shatters understanding of technology, time, space and the circumstances through which we watch them. The paper referred to theories of the voice and 'split' conditions of recorded utterance as discussed by Steven Connor (2000) and Mladen Dolar (2006). These concepts were used to frame examination of queer archives and the antiphonal dynamics of the artists' recorded voice as a catalyst for the evolving afterlife of works and what Simon Reynolds describes as the shared quests of the 'avant-garde' and the 'retro-grade' (2011, p.263). Analyses considered how history is translated by the mediums – whether written or technological – through which they reach us today, what Katherine Hayles calls the 'material metaphor, a term that foregrounds the traffic between words and physical artifacts' (2002, p.22).


The archaeobotanical record of Britain in the Roman period is reviewed. The data are plotted against area of the country, phase of occupation, type of site, and mode of preservation. Lacunae in the dataset are identified and research priorities formulated. More data are needed, especially from South-Western and North-Western England, Wales and Scotland, from major towns (especially from waterlogged deposits), from rural sites with waterlogged preservation (all parts of the country), and from burials and temple/shrine sites. Matters of concern are the identification of a downward trend in the average number of samples analysed from the 1990s onwards, and poor access to unpublished archaeobotanical reports (grey literature). Possible solutions to redress these are offered.


The paper investigates the role of real exchange rate misalignment on long-run growth for a set of ninety countries using time series data from 1980 to 2004. We first estimate a panel data model (using fixed and random effects) for the real exchange rate, with different model specifications, in order to produce estimates of the equilibrium real exchange rate and this is then used to construct measures of real exchange rate misalignment. We also provide an alternative set of estimates of real exchange rate misalignment using panel cointegration methods. The variables used in our real exchange rate models are: real per capita GDP; net foreign assets; terms of trade and government consumption. The results for the two-step System GMM panel growth models indicate that the coefficients for real exchange rate misalignment are positive for different model specification and samples, which means that a more depreciated (appreciated) real exchange rate helps (harms) long-run growth. The estimated coefficients are higher for developing and emerging countries.


Minimally invasive (MIS) two-incision total hip arthroplasty (THA) was initially described as a revolutionary approach to total hip replacement in which no muscles or tendons were cut. Surgeon-developers of the MIS two-incision THA reported rapid recovery with few complications in highly selected groups of patients. However, there were no comparative studies reported by the surgeon-developers comparing the two-incision approach to any other method of THA in similar groups of patients using the same advanced anesthetic and rehabilitation protocols. At the Mayo Clinic our step-by-step research approach concerning MIS two-incision THA has included anatomical and clinical studies evaluating muscular damage, intraoperative and postoperative complications, subjective results, and functional results based on objective measurements including comprehensive gait analysis and strength testing. Our analysis of the accumulated data suggests that there are no scientific data that the two-incision technique provides better functional results than other approaches to THA, for many surgeons the prevalence of complications is high, the technique cannot be done without routinely damaging the abductor muscles, and patients who have had a THA with both techniques preferred a miniposterior THA to the two-incision THA.


ABSTRACT Understanding the sustainability of land use systems over time requires an accounting of the diversity of land uses and their varying influences on the environment. Here we present a standardized review of land use systems in the Peloponnese, Greece, from the Neolithic to the Roman period (~6500 BC–AD 300). Using a combination of sources, we synthesize the fundamental information required to characterize and quantify the spatial requirements of land use. We contextualize our results in a discussion of temporal trends, the probable drivers of change, and how these changes can be integrated with the general knowledge of these societies and the overall effect of land use across time. While our review concentrates on the Peloponnese, our methodology is widely applicable where suitable archaeological and historical records are available, and is broadly representative of the prehistoric and early historical evolution of agricultural land use systems in the eastern Mediterranean.


In early Visean times subsidence began in the Ballina area, and a basin of sedimentation developed whose form and nature were largely controlled by the caledonoid structural lines of the basement. During the first phase of deposition most of the sediments which entered the basin were derived from the north-west, and accumulated in a large delta. Sedimentation and subsidence were greatest near Ballycastle where about 2,000 feet of sandstones, siltstones, shales and limestones are preserved. At Dromore West and Keenagh only a few hundred feet of deltaic deposits occur, and farther east, at Skreen only a few tens of feet. The beds of this delta are referred to the Carboniferous Sandstone. The fauna which they contain indicates a Visean age, probably C2S1. The beds succeeding the deltaic sediments are referred to the Ballina Limestone, and are a series of bedded limestones with thin shale partings. The lateral variation in the thickness of the deltaic beds suggests that the Ballina Limestone facies spread northwestwards when the rate of supply of terrigenous material tb the delta diminished. A sandy-oolitic facies of the Ballina Limestone which occurred near what is now the Ox Mountains Range suggests that a contemporary anticlinal axis was located there. The fauna of the Ballina Limestone consists mainly of corals and brachiopods, and these indicate a lower Visean age, also probably C2S1. Armorican earth movements caused the development of faults and folds in a pattern which was in large measure controlled by the Caledonoid structures of the underlying rocks. Structurally the Ballina Syncline is an area of Carboniferous rocks preserved by downthrow between large faults. In the western part folding is slight, but the rocks have been dislocated by large faults. In the east there are several folds, usually broad with low dips, but occasionally with dips as steep as 50


The oil and gas industry is increasingly concerned with achieving and demonstrating good performance with regard occupational health and safety (OHS) issues, through the control of its OHS risks, which is consistent with its core policy and objectives. There are standards to identify and record workplace accidents and incidents to provide guiding means on prevention efforts, indicating specific failures or reference, means of correction of conditions or circumstances that culminated in an accident. Therefore, events recognition is central to OHS, since the system can selectively start proper prediction services according to the user current situation and past knowledge taken from huge databases. In this sense, a fusion framework that combines data from multiples sources to achieve more specific inferences is needed. In this paper we propose a machine learning algorithm to learn from past anomalous events related to accident events in time and space. It also uses additional knowledge, like the contextual knowledge: user profile, event location and time, etc. Our proposed model provides the big picture about risk analysis for that employee at that place in that moment in a real world environment. Our main contribution lies in building a causality model for accident investigation by means of well-defined spatiotemporal constraints in the offshore oil industry domain.


The objective of this paper is to present the implementation and process evaluation of the first computer tailored program for smoking cessation among Romanian smokers. The program targeted adult smokers who declared the intention to quit smoking in the next six months. The intervention consisted of a letter tailored to several respondent characteristics: gender, cognitive variables (attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy), intention to quit smoking, goal and relapse prevention strategies (action and coping plans), and smoking behaviour. The first 80 participants entered into the program filled in a process evaluation questionnaire one month after the intervention. The results of our study confirmed that the participants had read and remembered the letter. Moreover, new for Romania, this approach was positively appreciated by the participant and the score received for the tailored letter was high. The opinions of the participants confirmed that the tailored letter provided information that was useful, trustworthy and relevant for the individual. At the same time, the participants appreciated the polite, easy to understand content of the letter. These data underlined the premises for continuing the program and for using the information and communication technologies for healthy lifestyle promotion among Romanian population.


This thesis presents and introduces an empirical model of idea generation for textile
design in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) through the integration of brainstorming
techniques required for teaching textile design. This model is called I-BRAINTEX (Integrated
Brainstorming for Textile Design Ideation) acting as a procedure for textile design idea
generation thus helps teaching and learning process (T&L). I-BRAINTEX has two objectives,
namely the idea generation for creative design ideas and problem solving in textile design
process. Through I-BRAINTEX, these ideas can be generated with an emphasis on the quantity
and quality of ideas thus facilitating the construction of the project design theme.
Three brainstorming techniques were applied as an idea generation technique
specifically for textile design. At the first stage, individual brainstorming and mind map
techniques were used as preparation to stimulate initial ideas related to research subject that
suitable with design project theme. Individual brainstorming was intended as pre-knowledge
enrichment before undergoing group brainstorming session.
In the second stage of idea generation, group brainstorming techniques used for the
generation, development and exploration of ideas through the contribution of ideas from group
members. The objective of this technique was divided into two, namely the generation of ideas
in large quantities and refinement of quality ideas. Group brainstorming is also known as
creativity in groups that also to promote collaborative Teaching and Learning approach (T&L).
Group brainstorming technique is very practical to be applied together with sketching skills to
strengthen the ideas.
In the third stage of idea generation, group brainwriting technique was used for the
purpose of improvement of group brainstorming by determining the quantity of ideas that need
to be achieved without compromising the quality of ideas. All the proposed brainstorming
(individual brainstorming, group brainstorming and brainwriting) was viewed as idea generation and comprehensive problem solving for textile design. The results of this study show
that the three brainstorming techniques have a high significance towards creativity achievement
through T-Test analysis and it is practical approach for teaching and learning textile design. This study was also found that I-BRAINTEX is managed to achieve the objective of quantity
and quality of ideas and suitable to serve as idea generation model for textile design.


The development of new aza-bicyclic structures with potential applications as ligands synthesised via an aza-Diels-Alder cycloaddition has been studied. The studies are concerning the i) development of large scale aza-Diels-Alder reaction, ii) development of a fast and simple route to bicyclic diamine ligands, iii) development of new aza-Diels-Alder adducts from different dienes, iv) development and application of bicyclic N,P ligands for catalytic Michael additions and v) development of robotized asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions.i) Development of large-scale aza-Diels-Alder reaction giving up to 110 g pure product, in ordinary laboratory equipment without the need of any flash chromatography.ii) Development of a new synthetic route to bicyclic diamine ligands highly useful for asymmetric rearrangement of olefin oxides to allylic alcohols and thereby shortening the ligand synthesis dramatically and moreover providing with a faster access to those ligands.iii) Expanding the scope of the aza-Diels-Alder reaction by the use of spirodienes and anthracene as dienes.iv) Development and application of a new bidentate ligands for catalytic Michael addition to cyclic enones using 5 mol % ligand giving the product in 71 % ee.v) Utilisation of Chemspeed ASW 2000 in catalytic transfer hydrogenation and solving of problems regarding use of highly air sensitive reactions in an automated environment.


An integrated video output amplifier intended to drive the cathode ray tube (CRT) in IDTV sets and monitors is described. The circuit is realized in a high-voltage (250 V) DMOS/bipolar process and operates with a 200-V power supply. Bandwidth reaches 20 MHz for a 100 Vpp output signal, and slew rate is better than 4 V/ns for a 100 Vpp output square wave. Black level control is provided by a cathode current monitoring system. Special protections to prevent any ESD and CRT flashover overvoltages are built in. >


A coordinated control of distributed generators (DG) and distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM) in a microgrid is proposed in this paper. With high penetration of distributed sources and single-phase operation of the system, voltage unbalance can often go beyond the acceptable limit. With the feeders geographically spread out, it is not always possible to achieve reactive compensation at optimum location with the three-phase devices. In this paper, a simple control strategy for DSTATCOM with communication in loop is proposed. The proposed reactive compensation technique is based on the voltage sag and the power flow in the line. The power flow and the voltage at different locations of the feeders are communicated to the DSTATCOM to modulate the reactive compensation. The single-phase DSTATCOM compensates for the reactive power deficiency in the phase while the DGs supply "maximum available active power." During reactive power limit of the DG, the "maximum available active power" is fixed to a value lower than maximum active power to increase reactive power injection capability of the DGs. A primary control loop based on local measurement in the DSTATCOM always ensures a part of reactive compensation in case of communication failure. It is shown that the proposed method can always ensure to achieve acceptable voltage regulation. The data traffic analysis of the communication scheme and closed-loop simulation of power network and communication network are presented to validate the proposed method.


Background and Aim: The first Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) case in India was detected in the year 1986. Seldom studies have been conducted correlating Cluster of Differentiation-4 cell counts (CD4 cell counts) and complete blood picture including platelet counts in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected and AIDS patients in the Indian population. The present study was carried-out with the same intent to evaluate the CD4 cell counts and complete blood picture including platelet counts in the HIV infected and AIDS patients and correlate them with the sero-negative controls.

Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional, hospital-based study on the HIV infected and AIDS patients. Evaluation of complete blood picture including platelet counts was done using Sysmex XP 100- (Sysmex Corp., Hyogo, Japan), a fully automated analyzer while CD4 cell counts were evaluated using Partec Cyflow Counter- (Partec GmbH, Munster, Germany).

Statistical Analysis Used: The data was analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Comparison of the said parameters was done using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Games-Howell test. p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The levels of hemoglobin (Hb), white cell counts (WBCs) and platelet counts showed statistically significant results (p <0.001) with the levels of Hb and platelet counts significantly decreased and levels of WBCs significantly increased in the HIV infected and AIDS groups as against the sero-negative controls.

Conclusion: Hb, WBCs and platelet counts were significantly altered in the HIV infected and AIDS groups when compared with the sero-negative controls.


Within the last three decades, information modelling and knowledge bases have become essential subjects, not only for academic communities related to information systems and computer science, but also for businesses where information technology is applied. This book presents the proceedings of EJC 2014, the 24th International Conference on Information Modelling and Knowledge Bases, held in Kiel, Germany, in June 2014. The main themes of the conference were: conceptual modelling, including modelling and specification languages, domain specific conceptual modelling, and validating and communicating conceptual models; knowledge and information modelling and discovery, including knowledge representation and knowledge management, advanced data mining and analysis methods, as well as information recognition and information modelling; linguistics modelling; cross-cultural communication and social computing; environmental modelling; and multimedia data modelling and systems, which includes modelling multimedia information and knowledge, content-based multimedia data management, content-based multimedia retrieval as well as privacy and context enhancing technologies. This book will be of interest to all those who wish to keep abreast of new developments in the field of information modelling and knowledge bases.


ICFAR PhD Workshops were a series of two-day events for doctoral students and artists from University of the Arts London, Roehampton, Birkbeck and Queen Mary Universities. In each case a guest artist leads a participatory exploration of methodologies between art, writing and performance employing a range of practices.


ABSTRACT Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NNRTIs) are important components of current combination therapies for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. In screening of chemical libraries, we found 6-azido-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl)uracil (AzBBU) and 6-amino-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl)uracil (AmBBU) to be highly active and selective inhibitors of HIV-1 replication in vitro. To determine the resistance profiles of these compounds, we conducted a long-term culture of HIV-1-infected MT-4 cells with escalating concentrations of each compound. After serial passages of the infected cells, escape viruses were obtained, and they were more than 500-fold resistant to the uracil derivatives compared to the wild type. Sequence analysis was conducted for RT of the escape viruses at passages 12 and 24. The amino acid mutation Y181C in the polymerase domain of RT was detected for all escape viruses. Docking studies using the crystal structure of RT showed that AmBBU requires the amino acid residues Leu100, Val106, Tyr181, and Trp229 for exerting its inhibitory effect on HIV-1. Four additional amino acid changes (K451R, R461K, T468P, and D471N) were identified in the RNase H domain of RT; however, their precise role in the acquisition of resistance is still unclear. In conclusion, the initial mutation Y181C seems sufficient for the acquisition of resistance to the uracil derivatives AzBBU and AmBBU. Further studies are required to determine the precise role of each mutation in the acquisition of HIV-1 resistance.


Mathematicians and quilters share common contents, processes, and principles. The areas of overlap between these two disciplines include: number and operation; computation; algebra; geometry; measurement; problem solving; reasoning and proof; communication; connections; representation; and technology. This paper will illustrate many of the similarities between both areas of discipline, as both are concerned with patterns and relationships.


Multiaxial fatigue data from 233 welded test specimens taken from eight different studies have been evaluated based on three published interaction equations for normal and shear stress. The interaction equations were obtained from SFS 2378, Eurocode 3 and International Institute of Welding (IIW) recommendations. Fatigue classes for normal and shear stress were obtained directly from the design guidance documents. Additionally, mean fatigue strengths were determined by regression analysis of bending only and torsion only data for different specimen types. In some cases, the S-N slopes assumed by the different standards were not appropriate for the test data. Specimens that showed significantly different cracking locations or cracking mode between bending and torsion were not easily correlated by the interaction equations. Interaction equations work best in cases where both the normal stress and the shear stress tend to produce crack initiation and growth in the same location and in the same direction. The use of a damage summation of 0.5 for non-proportional loading as recommended by IIW was consistent with experimental observations for tube-to-plate specimens. Other codes used a damage sum of unity.


Adaptive experiments have been gaining traction in a variety of domains, which stimulates a growing literature focusing on post-experimental statistical inference on data collected from such designs. Prior work constructs confidence intervals mainly based on two types of methods: (i) martingale concentration inequalities and (ii) asymptotic approximation to distribution of test statistics; this work contributes to the second kind. The current asymptotic approximation methods however mostly rely on first-order limit theorems, which can have a slow convergence in a data-poor regime. Besides, established results often rely on conditions that noises behave well, which can be problematic when the real-world instances are heavy-tailed or asymmetric. In this paper, we propose a higher-order asymptotic expansion formula for inference on adaptively collected data, which generalizes normal approximation to the distribution of standard test statistics. Our theorem relaxes assumptions on the noise distribution and benefits a higher-order approximation in the distributional distance to accommodate small sample sizes. We complement our results by promising empirical performances in simulations.


This comprehensive A-Z guide to the history of Britain and its peoples will be indispensable reading for general readers and students. It contains some 1400 pages packed full of fascinating detail on everything from Hadrian's Wall to the Black Death to Tony Blair. The Companion to British History was assembled over more than thirty years and was first published in 1996 by Longcross Press to great acclaim. The author has comprehensively updated it for the paperback edition.


This paper introduces polynomial impulse response time-varying FIR filters for reconstruction of two-periodic nonuniformly sampled signals. The main advantages of using these reconstruction filters are that on-line filter design is avoided, and filters with fixed dedicated multipliers can be used in an implementation (except for a few general multipliers). This is in contrast to existing filters that require on-line design as well as general multipliers in the implementation. By using the proposed filters, the overall implementation cost can therefore be reduced dramatically in applications where the s ampling pattern changes now and then


Spontaneous speech and linguistic skills at age 6 1/2 years were studied in 284 children who required neonatal intensive cam (NIC) in 1980-1985 (cohort 1) and 40 healthy controls and in 230 NIC children born in 1986-1989 (cohort 2) and 71 neonatally healthy children born at term.Eight aspects of the children's spontaneous speech in a conversation were evaluated: Information, speech motor function, sound pattern, word finding, word selection, grammar, interaction and motivation, and ten linguistic skills were assessed according to a protocol including imitation tasks, comprehension tasks and auditory functions, phonemes and word fluency. The results within each assessed area were ranked on a scale from 0 (no ability) to 5 (good ability; no errors). Mental age was assessed with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. The NIC children were grouped by gestational age.Most NIC children of both cohorts had well developed spontaneous speech. Obvious deviations (grade 3) in one or more aspect of spontaneous speech were more common in all groups of NIC children than in controls. No or hardly any ability (grade 0 or 1) in an aspect of spontaneous speech was only found in children born at >32 gestational weeks.The score of the 10th percentile of controls was identified in each linguistic area of each control group and used for the analyses. In the first cohort 70% of the controls and 6 years.A pathological finding at cerebral ultrasound examination and being small for gestational age were associated with deficiencies in spontaneous speech and linguistic skills in NIC children.


Certificate issued to Timothy L. Kimble from the U.S. Air Force Academy. The text reads, "The Preparatory School Commander takes great pleasure in announcing the selection of Mr. Timothy L. Kimble to attend the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School for the Class of 1989." The certificate is in a blue folder with the Air Force logo on the front; a photograph of the U.S. Air Force Academy and falcon mascot is inside, opposite from the certificate.


A refusal to talk about race and gender in a clear and coherent manner, the "post-politics" of the Obama era not only signified a shift in Black politics, but a crisis in Black feminist politics where radical Black women, who are pushed into political outer space, are compelled to employ risky political maneuvers to become realized. My paper asks the following questions: How does Hillary Clinton's campaign against sexism authenticate certain sources of gendered knowledge while simultaneously naming non-white gendered perspectives immaterial? How does the language that frames 2008 Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney and Vice Presidential Candidate Rosa Clemente's radical political vision give Clinton and her supporters the "license" to dismiss their radical political agenda? Furthermore, how has the transnational and global backdrop further marginalized the importance of U.S. minority based struggles in the current moment and in many ways assisted Clinton and her supporters? Through a discourse analysis of McKinney and Clemente's 2008 Green Party nomination acceptance speeches I argue that their radical political visions aim to "talk back" to discourses of American nationalism. By recentering their oppositional consciousness as a form of knowledge production in a "transnational" context, these Black women resist the notion that the US minority experience is passe, but rather embrace the transformative necessity that their oppositional politics call for in declining urban areas within the United States. In doing so, McKinney and Clemente highlight the ways that American politics and a number of feminist academics have welcomed the erasure of US minority based struggles for the "transnational." I identify this approach as a risky political maneuver that functions both for and against them as they attempt to make marginal populations within the US legible within national and transnational political discourses. Finally, I allude to the ways that these Black women transform oppositional knowledge production in a "transnational" context into an organized politics — a risky tactic of survival where only by risking ones livelihood thru "radical oppositional knowledge production," do their distinct "angle of vision" become realized.


Introduction. We report on a research study that uses the vaccination debate as a case to understand the information worlds of conspiracy theories. We pay specific attention to the information behaviours of the believers of anti-vaccination theories through self-reports of people who have since converted to pro-vaccination and examine the circumstances under which this belief revision occurred. Method. We used publicly available data, mainly from a curated portal for personal blogs where converts from anti-vaccination to pro-vaccination post the stories of their information journeys. Analysis. Text from blog posts about the personal experiences from twelve different individuals on the topic were manually coded and analysed by two researchers using content analysis, and informed by a constructive grounded theory approach. Results. All twelve individuals moved from a paradigm of passionate belief in antivaccination, primarily based on online and social media information, and toward a more informed understanding, only when the issue affected them in a very personal manner. This prompted them to seek authoritative information from a healthcare professional, after which they shed their fears and reservations about vaccines, and proceeded to vaccinate their children. Conclusion. People trust their primary health care professionals, but they do not often hear such trusted and authoritative voices on social media and the Internet, which has become the first point of information seeking for many. Social media and many other open online forums


One may consider that the child with hydrocephalus complicating a primary brain tumor has two distinctly different diseases: 1) a neoplasm, and 2) hydrocephalus. The hydrocephalus may be obstructive, communicating, or (in the case of choroid plexus papilloma) hypersecretory. This paper presents the incidence, symptomatology, and management of hydrocephalus associated with infratentorial brain tumors in 156 children and with pineal tumors in 21 children, all treated by the first author during the period 1967 to 1979. Medulloblastoma was the most commonly encountered tumor. Of 117 children with cerebellar-fourth ventricle tumors, 110 had hydrocephalus, whereas 11 of 34 with brain-stem tumors and all 21 with pineal tumors presented with hydrocephalus. Of the total 143 patients with hydrocephalus, shunts were inserted before craniotomy in 123, with the interval between shunt insertion and craniotomy for tumor removal ranging from 1 to 21 days. Eighteen of these children required shunt revisions after craniotomy; 36 of 80 patients followed for 6 months or more had their shunts permanently removed, but it was necessary to reinsert the shunt from 5 days to 13 months later in 30% of these patients. Only 25 patients remained permanently shunt-free. It is considered that the placement of shunts before craniotomy is justified by the extraordinarily high incidence of papilledema and visual impairment associated with hydrocephalus. "Upward herniation" and dissemination of neoplastic cells through the shunting system are theoretical contraindications to precraniotomy shunt insertion, although the former is rare (3%), and there is no statistical evidence to support the latter.


Changes in network state are a common source of instability in networks. An update event typically involves multiple flows that compete for network resources at the cost of rescheduling and migrating some existing flows. Previous network updating schemes tackle such flows independently, rather than as the entity of an update event. They only optimize the flow-level metrics for the flows involved in an update event. In this paper, we present an event-level abstraction of network update that groups flows of an update event and schedules them together to minimize the event completion time (ECT). We then study the scheduling problem of multiple update events for achieving high scheduling efficiency and preserving fairness. The designed least migration traffic first (LMTF) method schedules all update events in the FIFO order, but it avoids head-of-line blocking by randomly fine-tuning the queue order of some events. It can considerably reduce the update cost, the average, and tail ECTs of update events. In addition, we design a general parallel-LMTF (P-LMTF) method to guarantee fairness and further improve scheduling efficiency among update events. This improves the LMTF method by opportunistically updating multiple events simultaneously. The comprehensive evaluation results indicate that the average ECT of our approach is up to $10 \times $ faster than the flow-level scheduling method for network update events, and its tail ECT is up to $6 \times $ faster. Our P-LMTF method incurs a 75% reduction in the average ECT compared with FIFO when the network utilization exceeds 70%, and it achieves a 42% reduction in tail ECT.


Terrestrial bioacoustics, like many other domains, has recently witnessed some transformative results from the application of deep learning and big data (Stowell 2017, Mac Aodha et al. 2018, Fairbrass et al. 2018, Mercado III and Sturdy 2017). Generalising over specific projects, which bioacoustic tasks can we consider "solved"? What can we expect in the near future, and what remains hard to do? What does a bioacoustician need to understand about deep learning? This contribution will address these questions, giving the audience a concise summary of recent developments and ways forward. It builds on recent projects and evaluation campaigns led by the author (Stowell et al. 2015, Stowell et al. 2018), as well as broader developments in signal processing, machine learning and bioacoustic applications of these. We will discuss which type of deep learning networks are appropriate for audio data, how to address zoological/ecological applications which often have few available data, and issues in integrating deep learning predictions with existing workflows in statistical ecology.


Network-on-chip-based multiprocessor systems-on-chip are considered as future embedded systems platforms. One of the steps in mapping an application onto such a parallel platform involves scheduling the communication on the network-on-chip. This paper presents different scheduling strategies that minimize resource usage by exploiting all scheduling freedom offered by networks-on-chip. Our experiments show that resource-utilization is improved when compared to existing techniques


This article describes, analyses, and reflects on the conceptualisation and establishment of a Writing Lab at a South African university's Faculty of Health Sciences. Drawing on the theoretical framework of New Literacy Studies, the academic literacies approach, and South African writing centre scholarship, the analysis revealed that the conceptualisation of the Writing Lab was primarily informed by the academic socialisation model but has since shifted to encompass a more transformative ideology; opening spaces where students' own knowledges and literacies practices could contribute to new forms of thinking and representation in the academy. We argue that the shift was facilitated by collaboration with disciplinary lecturers, the faculty's Primary Health Care ethos, and the Writing Lab's engagement with a large postgraduate population, leading to the Writing Lab's participation in new forms of knowledge-building that could contribute to the creation of decolonised spaces and shifts in institutional culture.


This study provides a conceptual discussion on the use of performance measures in transportation. Performance measures are needed to assist decision makers in setting priorities, generating financial resources, and allocating funds. They are also required for assessing needs, evaluating system performance, and simply communicating with customers and other stakeholders. To be effective in their purpose, performance measures need to be linked to the goals and objectives that guide transportation decisions. The goals and objectives of transportation systems are inherently an expression of the various stakeholders affected by the system. This includes not only the providers of transportation but also the customers and the communities that house the transportation infrastructure. Therefore, performance measures must include metrics that address the interests of all stakeholders. In response to federal mandates and guidelines of the last decade, much research has been done on this subject, and a lot of information has been disseminated through the various professional media. This study investigates the key aspects of performance measurement, recommends a framework for the application of performance measures, and highlights some of the major issues that need to be resolved in implementing performance measures for decision making.


The banks acquired the capacity to efficiently cut costs through the introduction of E-banking technologies, to extend its reach to manage its everyday banking needs by way of the use of online banking platforms. This paper analyses Indian bank customer's attitudes towards e-banking. A big part of why people tend to do banking at home or the ATM is that they feel like they should go at a time that is more convenient for them, rather than coming to the branch. This paper found how the impression of banking facilities that students get is affected by choice of banks they use. The researcher has used a proportionate stratified random sampling method, which is more effective for correctly selecting respondents. The data were obtained 120 individuals applying for a bank loan in India through online banking. In this category of 120, only those who replied are cited by the report. Then the data processing was performed using the Multivariate Analysis Test, the NSQ, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov analyses. Through this research, it was determined that youth, ethnicity, and income play a major role in online banking.


At the end of the beach in the tiny Greek village Skala Eressos, Lesvos, Sappho's birthplace, stands the main blue-stuccoed building of Zorba the Buddha - the beachfront cafe where The Skala Women's Rock Group gather every morning at 10 am for their daily swim and breakfast. From this place, springs a series of spaces where lesbian women bath together.Through short fictional meditations on specific situations encountered within this context, this paper looks at how our most vulnerable, passionate and empowering moments affect and transform the spaces we inhabit. Key theoretical references are bell hooks' writing on spirituality and community building, Sara Ahmed's ideas on orientation and inhabitation in describing systems of social norms, and Monique Wittig's The Lesbian Body as an important fictional source of inspiration.This work explores affect in the inhabitation of separatist space and fictional modes of writing as a critical methodology, to examine contemporary sites of study in an ethically responsible way.


Given the increased interest in character education across the world, educators are seeking guidance for their practice. This paper seeks to add to the evidence base about if and how character can be taught by discussing the results of a pilot evaluation (n 527) of a curriculum intervention designed to enhance two components of character: virtue perception and virtue reasoning. After the intervention the participants had improved virtue perception and reasoning scores compared to the control group. Further, female students scored higher in the pilot than their male counterparts. The results demonstrate how educating these components of character might be possible, providing evidence for a debate that goes back to Aristotle and today is keenly debated in academic, policy and practice circles. The findings are significant as they provide evidence as to how character might be taught through and within the programmes of study of existing curriculum subjects.


We demonstrate an actively mode-locked dispersion-managed erbium fiber laser and a Raman soliton wavelength converter that use photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) as the nonlinear medium. The high nonlinearity and large anomalous dispersion of the PCF resulted in a significant reduction in the length. We generated 1.0-ps pulses tunable over 1535-1560 nm at a 10-GHz repetition rate and 1.3-ps pulses at a 40-GHz repetition rate from a laser that was only 36 m long. Furthermore, we obtained 10-GHz femtosecond solitons, tunable over a 90-nm range, by means of soliton self-frequency shift of the mode-locked laser pulses in a 12.6-m-long PCF.


Total polyphenolic and anthocyanin- and proanthocyanidin-rich fractions from wild blackberry genotypes (WB-3, WB-7, WB-10, and WB-11), a domesticated noncommercial breeding line (UM-601), and a commercial cultivar (Tupy) were evaluated for inhibition of pro-inflammatory responses [nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)] in RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). At 50 microM [cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) or catechin equivalent], most fractions significantly (P<0.05) inhibited all markers. The anthocyanin-rich fraction from WB-10 and the proanthocyanidin-rich fraction from UM-601 exhibited the highest NO inhibitory activities (IC50=16.1 and 15.1 microM, respectively). Proanthocyanidin-rich fractions from the wild WB-10 showed the highest inhibition of iNOS expression (IC50=8.3 microM). Polyphenolic-rich fractions from WB-7 and UM-601 were potent inhibitors of COX-2 expression (IC50=19.1 and 19.3 microM C3G equivalent, respectively). For most of the extracts, antioxidant capacity was significantly correlated with NO inhibition. Wild genotypes of Mexican blackberries, as rich sources of polyphenolics that have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, showed particular promise for inclusion in plant improvement programs designed to develop new varieties with nutraceutical potential.


1. Two cases of hemophilia are presented in whom the development of a circulating anticoagulant was detected. This anticoagulant was demonstrated in the whole blood, plasma, and serum of both patients. 2. Both patients became refractory to treatment with either fresh whole blood, plasma, or antihemophilic globulin (Fraction I of Cohn). In fact, the anticoagulant apparently made its appearance as a result of repeated transfusions or injections of antihemophilic globulin. 3. The anticoagulant in each case was shown not to inhibit any of the elements participating in the classical theory of clotting, i.e., prothrombin, thromboplastin, thrombin or fibrinogen. It was also demonstrated that this anticoagulant was not related to heparin in its mechanism of action. 4. Electrophoretic fractionation of the plasma was carried out, and it was found that the anticoagulant was associated with the gamma globulin fraction of plasma. 5. The demonstration of specific precipitin titres in the serum of each of these patients against antihemophilic globulin seemed to indicate that the mechanism of action of the anticoagulant was to inhibit the action of antihemophilic globulin. This was further substantiated by the in vitro inhibition of the ability of antihemophilic globulin to accelerate the coagulation time of ordinary hemophilic blood. 6. A hypothesis is presented to explain the appearance of the anticoagulant. It is believed that these two hemophiliacs are deficient in or lack antihemophilic globulin in their blood, and hence repeated injections of the globulin either in the form of whole blood, plasma, or Fraction I of Cohn results in "isoimmunization" against the injected globulin. The resulting antibodies inhibit any antihemophilic globulin which may then be injected and hence explain the refractory state exhibited by these two cases. Blood from these patients containing these antibodies likewise exerts an anticoagulant influence when added to normal blood by the same mechanism. 7. A discussion of the implications of this phenomenon in the development of a refractory phase in hemophilia is presented.


This study was aimed at screening differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and exploring the potential immune mechanism induced by the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine in a humanized mouse model.

Candidate DEGs between mice vaccinated with BCG or injected with PBS were identified through transcriptomics, and their biological functions, signaling pathways, and protein interaction networks were analyzed through bioinformatics.

A total of 1035 DEGs were identified by transcriptomics: 398 up-regulated and 637 down-regulated. GO analysis indicated that these DEGs were significantly enriched in cell adhesion, oxygen transport, receptor complex, carbohydrate binding, serine-type endopeptidase activity, and peroxidase activity terms. KEGG analysis indicated that these DEGs were involved in the Rap1 signaling pathway, axon guidance, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Protein interaction network analysis demonstrated that the Myc, Vegfa, and Itgb3 proteins had the highest aggregation degree, aggregation coefficient, and connectivity.

The BCG vaccine induced 1035 DEGs in humanized mice. Among them, the differentially expressed down-regulated genes myc and itgb3 involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway may play essential roles in the immune mechanism of the BCG vaccine.


The determinants of job satisfaction are estimated from difference equations using four waves of the British Household Pane 工 Study. We find that those moving into union jobs report a drop in overall job satisfaction and those moving into the public sector an increase. This finding 多 reduces the likelihood that cross-sectional results showing lower 可令rall job satisfaction for union members and higher satisfaction for p... 弓 ector workers reflect individual-specific effects (endogeneity). However , we find that cross-sectional results on satisfaction with the wo玄king environment and with pay do , indeed , reflect individual-specific effects. Our difference equations indicate that while union workers complain more about these aspects , they would complain more in either sector. Further , our results suggest public sector workers are by nature more satisfied with their pay.


This paper will provide an assessment of the factors involved in the development of sustainable platforms and processes for institutional repositories, drawing on the experience of the team at the University of Southampton and from project initiatives in the UK. It will look at the fundamental integration of repositories into the cultural, financial and technical structures of institutions to promote healthy repository growth. How do we effectively link repository development to institutional strategies, develop value-added services to meet the needs of users and contribute to an interoperable global infrastructure? Can we develop supportive policies to breed user-confidence and promote open access whilst recognising the importance of intellectual property and copyright issues? We will explore these questions looking at advocacy tools and techniques and advancements in software development. We will also look at the diversity of research communities and ways librarians can work effectively with researchers to move from "advocacy" models to a genuine partnership approach.


Layered neural networks (LNNs) have realized high recognition performance for various real datasets, however, it is difficult for human beings to understand their training results. Conventionally, we have proposed network analysis methods for extracting simplified structure of a trained LNN, by detecting communities of units based on the similarity of connection patterns. In this work, we propose a new method for representing the community structure in a LNN, by using connection weights between pairs of communities. By experiment using the dataset of diagram recognition, we show that our new method provides clues for interpreting the roles of each community in a LNN, in terms of which community in input-side adjacent layer is the most important for it in prediction.


Recently, we have proposed a model for the development of ovarian surface epithelial tumors. In this model, all histologic types of surface epithelial tumors are divided into 2 categories designated type I and type II which correspond to 2 pathways of tumorigenesis. Type I tumors include low-grade serous carcinoma, mucinous carcinoma, endometrioid carcinoma, malignant Brenner tumor, and clear cell carcinoma which develop slowly in a stepwise fashion from well-recognized precursors, namely atypical proliferative (borderline) tumors. Type II tumors are high-grade, rapidly growing tumors that typically have spread beyond the ovaries at presentation. They include high-grade serous carcinoma ("moderately" and "poorly" differentiated), malignant mixed mesodermal tumors (carcinosarcomas), and undifferentiated carcinoma. These tumors are rarely associated with morphologically recognizable precursor lesions and it has been proposed that they develop "de novo" from ovarian inclusion cysts. This model implies that the pathogenesis of type I and type II tumors are separate and independent but it is not clear whether some type II tumors develop from type I tumors. In this study, we attempted to address this issue by determining the clonality of 6 cases of high-grade serous carcinomas that were closely associated with atypical proliferative serous (borderline) tumors and invasive low-grade micropapillary serous carcinomas. We reviewed 210 ovarian serous tumors from the surgical pathology files of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and identified 3 high-grade serous carcinoma that were directly associated with atypical proliferative serous (borderline) tumors and 3 that were associated with invasive low-grade micropapillary serous carcinomas. A morphologic continuum between the high-grade carcinoma and the low-grade tumors was observed in 4 cases whereas in the remaining 2 cases the high-grade and low-grade components were separate. Mutational analyses for KRAS, BRAF, and p53 genes were performed on microdissected samples from the high-grade and low-grade tumor areas for each case. All 6 tumors demonstrated wild-type BRAF and p53 genes. Only 2 of the 6 cases were informative from a molecular genetic standpoint. In those 2 cases we found the same mutations of KRAS in both the atypical proliferative serous (borderline) tumor and the high-grade serous carcinoma component of the tumor, indicating a clonal relationship. The above results suggest that the majority of high-grade and low-grade carcinomas develop independently but in rare cases, a high-grade serous carcinoma may arise from an atypical proliferative serous (borderline) tumor.


In four neonates, two boys and two girls, congenital cystic malformation of the lung was diagnosed. Two cases were diagnosed during prenatal ultrasound investigation. One of the patients recovered by a wait-and-see policy, one after antibiotic treatment and two following surgical removal of the diseased lung sections. Congenital pulmonary cysts are rare; congenital cystadenomatoid malformation (CCAM) is the most prevalent form. The most common presentation of CCAM is respiratory distress immediately following birth. Some children are asymptomatic at birth, but present with recurrent respiratory infections later in childhood. With the increasing use of antenatal ultrasound, an increasing number of cystic lung lesions are diagnosed antenatally. The prognosis of these mostly asymptomatic lesions is not clear and indications for prenatal and postnatal interventions must be determined by a multidisciplinary approach. Recently, malignant pulmonary tumours were found to be associated with CCAM. This finding necessitates long-term follow-up, even of asymptomatic CCAM lesions.


Current therapeutic strategies for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) have focused on developing topical healing agents, but few agents have controlled prospective data to support their effectiveness in promoting wound healing. We tested a stem cell mobilizing therapy for DFU using a combination of AMD3100 and low-dose FK506 (tacrolimus) (AF) in streptozocin-induced type 1 diabetic (T1DM) rats and type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats that had developed peripheral artery disease and neuropathy. Here, we show that the time for healing back wounds in T1DM rats was reduced from 27 to 19 days, and the foot wound healing time was reduced from 25 to 20 days by treatment with AF (subcutaneously, every other day). Similarly, in GK rats treated with AF, the healing time on back wounds was reduced from 26 to 21 days. Further, this shortened healing time was accompanied by reduced scar and by regeneration of hair follicles. We found that AF therapy mobilized and recruited bone marrow–derived CD133+ and CD34+ endothelial progenitor cells and Ym1/2+ M2 macrophages into the wound sites, associated with enhanced capillary and hair follicle neogenesis. Moreover, AF therapy improved microcirculation in diabetic and neuropathic feet in GK rats. This study provides a novel systemic therapy for healing DFU.


Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have far-reaching application potentials in the intelligent transportation system (ITS) such as traffic management, accident avoidance and in-car infotainment. However, security has always been a challenge to VANETs, which may cause severe harm to the ITS. Sybil attack is considered as a serious security threat to VANETs since the adversary can disseminate false messages with multiple forged identities to attack various applications in the ITS. RSSI-based Sybil nodes detection is an efficient scheme against Sybil attacks, which adopts position estimation, distribution verification or similarity comparison to identify Sybil nodes. However, when Sybil nodes conduct power control to deliberately change transmission powers, the received RSSI values would change correspondingly, which leads to inaccurate localization or different RSSI time series of these Sybil nodes. Thus, it is very difficult to differentiate Sybil nodes from normal nodes via conventional RSSI-based methods. This paper first discusses potential power control models (PCMs) for launching Sybil attacks in VANETs, then presents two simple Sybil attack models and three sophisticated Sybil attack ones with or without power control in detail, finally proposes a power control identification Sybil attack detection (PCISAD) scheme to find anomalous variations in RSSI time series, which are then used to identify Sybil nodes via a linear SVM classifier. Extensive simulations and real-world experiments prove that the proposed scheme can effectively deal with Sybil attacks with power control.


E-learning is a tool use to deliver continued professional education to health professionals. However, distance- or E-learning provides the lecturer with a challenging task: to provide a similar environment in the on-line classroom as that provided on-campus. The aim was to provide distance learners with a stimulating and interesting learning environment, to enhance the learning process and provide them with a forum for discussion and self-directed learning.New lectures were designed using a Virtual Learning Environment (WebCT) including animated diagrams, hyper-linked web addresses, self-assessment quizzes, communication tools (email and discussion boards). To determine how well the new format was received 3 student questionnaires were employed in addition to group and telephone interviews. Results indicate that the new method of presentation was very well received by the majority of students; however a minority of students made no use of the interactive component.


Objective: Gout is a common arthritis caused by deposition of monosodium urate crystals. Macrophage is crucial in the process of monosodium urate (MSU) -induced inflammation. Although it has been reported that adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in nature can be used to cure urarthritis, the mechanism concerning macrophage is still not clear. This study aims to explore how natural ACTH can alleviate urarthritis through functional changes in macrophage. Methods: We analysed the variations in VAS pain scores of five patients, knowing the time of action, and detecting the level of cortisol and ACTH in patients 24 hours after the application of ACTH. The effect of natural ACTH on joint inflammation and the level of cortisol in blood in mouse model was evaluated by studies in vivo. In vitro studies we evaluated the effect of natural ACTH on macrophage and revealed different functions of ACTH and dexamethasone on macrophage in the transcriptional level. Results: In patients with acute gout, natural ACTH can quickly alleviate pain and has no effect on the level of cortisol and ACTH. Natural ACTH is able to ease the swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration caused by arthritis, without changing the level of cortisol. Besides, natural ACTH in vitro can alleviate acute gouty inflammation by regulating phagocytosis and polarization of macrophage, which also exert different effects on the transcription of some related genes.Conclusion: Natural ACTH is able to alleviate acute gouty inflammation by regulating macrophage, and this effect differs from that of dexamethasone in the transcriptional level.


Professor Lionel Tarassenko has been the Chair in Electrical Engineering at Oxford University since October 1997, and the Director of the Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering since 2008. He became a Fellow of the IEE in 1996, when he was also awarded the IEE Mather Premium for his work on neural networks. In 2000 he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. His work on mobile phones for healthcare was awarded the E-health 2005 Innovation Award for 'best device to empower patients'. He was awarded the 2006 Silver Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering for his contribution to British engineering leading to market exploitation, and he also won the IET's IT Award for 'Data Fusion Software for Early Detection of Patient Deterioration'.


Obtaining the side-by-side probabilities accurately is a very important procedure during two lane loaded live load factor analysis. To calculate the load factors properly, side-by-side loading events should be investigated very carefully. This study presents a statistical method to investigate the side-by-side events on the Oregon bridges. Numerical simulations were performed for this investigation. These simulations were developed in MATLAB. Gross vehicle weights (GVW) of the trucks were used during the analysis. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to analyze side-by-side loading events. Degree of correlation coefficient of GVW for side-by-side trucks were also obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. 290 bridges located at the prescribed mile markers on Interstate-5 (I-5) southbound on Oregon highways and 1-year of Oregon state-specific weigh-in-motion (WIM) data were used. 75,000 trucks were randomly selected from 1,787,612 trucks that correspond to 1-year WIM data from Woodburn NB traffic site that is located in Oregon. Inverse standard normal distribution functions and cumulative distribution functions of the truck data were generated. With respect to the statistical analysis, side-by-side loading probabilities were found to be smaller than the ones presented in American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials LRFD calibration.


The present study investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of dietary protocatechuic acid (PCA), a simple hydrophilic phenolic compound commonly found in many edible vegetables, on dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis and its associated hepatotoxicity in rats. PCA was administered orally at 10 mg kg(-1) to dextran sulphate sodium exposed rats for five days. The result revealed that administration of PCA significantly (p < 0.05) prevented the incidence of diarrhea and bleeding, the decrease in the body weight gain, shortening of colon length and the increase in colon mass index in DSS-treated rats. Furthermore, PCA prevented the increase in the plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, markers of liver toxicity and markedly suppressed the DSS-mediated elevation in colonic nitric oxide concentration and myeloperoxidase activity in the treated rats. Administration of PCA significantly protected against colonic and hepatic oxidative damage by increasing the antioxidant status and concomitantly decreased hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation levels in the DSS-treated rats. Moreover, histological examinations confirmed PCA chemoprotection against colon and liver damage. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PCA significantly inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in the colon of DSS-treated rats. In conclusion, the effective chemoprotective role of PCA in colitis and the associated hepatotoxicity is related to its intrinsic anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties.


A numerical simulation is performed to comprehend the effects of axial back conduction in the solid substrate in a conjugate heat transfer having steady and laminar flow. A heat flux with constant magnitude is applied at the lower end of the substrate and the remaining surfaces were insulated. Working fluid used is water having slug velocity profile at the inlet of the channel. The thermal conductivity ratio (ksf) has been varied in a wide range of 0.33 to 702, thickness of the substrate has been changed for varying thickness ratio (dsf) of 1 to 4, keeping the width of substrate unchanged to quantify its effect on the axial back conduction and simultaneously, the Reynolds number is varied from 100 to 500. Simulations have been carried out with converging microchannel along with the straight microchannel with the dimension of inlet and outlet of the converging microchannel and the result is compared with converging microchannel and a systematic study was done to comprehend the effect of axial back conduction by varying all the parameters as mentioned above.


The concept of collective efficacy within virtual teams has yet to be studied. This study developed and rigorously validated a domain-specific measure of collective efficacy, entitled virtual team efficacy, within a comprehensive research framework. Over a two-year period we collected field study data from multiple samples of information systems project teams—in all, 52 virtual teams comprising 318 students from the United States, Great Britain, and Hong Kong. As we hypothesized, group potency and computer collective efficacy act as antecedents to virtual team efficacy, and virtual team efficacy is in turn predictive of perceptual and objective measures of performance. Further, consistent with efficacy theory, we also find that virtual team efficacy acts on performance outcomes through specific mediating processes. This paper contributes to the academic and practitioner communities by providing a comprehensive model of virtual team efficacy and performance and by providing validated instrumentation that can be immediately applied during further research in this area.


Globus is a powerful toolkit but lacks location transparency in its naming system, due to a reliance on URLs. In practical terms, this means that a Grid user (or software running on behalf of the user) must know precisely where Grid entities are. The problem is that hardware reconfiguration, file system reorganization, and changes in organizational structure can often result in dangling links. At the University of Virginia, we are designing and implementing a comprehensive project that combines the best aspects of Globus and Legion into Legion-G - roughly an "applications-level" interface from Legion to Globus, whereby Legion "runs on" key Grid functionality of Globus such as GSI. Among the capabilities already supported in Legion, and thus will be delivered to the Globus user, are: end-user tools for transparent remote execution and parameter-space studies; support for dynamic, transparent remote instantiation of transient Grid services, with integrated scheduling support; fine-grained access control for Grid services; and the Legion programming model which supports arbitrary, asynchronous, data-flow-style, secure Grid computations. This poster describes the Legion-G support for location-transparent naming in Grid Computing and illustrates its value in the context of Globus MPI computations that accesses LegionFS which is a location-transparent, Grid-enabled distributed file system.


To study the various legal aspects of Section 154, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, and whether telephonic information comes under the umbrella of the said provision' We have, so far, attempted a detailed and searching analysis on the legal issues with regard to the statutory duty of an officer-in-charge of a police station in registering the First Information Report and commencing the investigation thereon as well the principles relating to the exercise of extra-ordinary and inherent powers of the High Court in quashing either the FIR or the entire criminal proceedings as the case may be; and bearing in mind the enunciations of law, we have given our anxious consideration and careful thought to all the related legal issues emerge therewith. We shall also focus on the evidentiary value of FIR, its validity when it is unreliable and ingenuine and the legality of mere oral intimation or telephonic information. To begin any investigation, it is quite obvious that the police need to know that an offence has been committed. This can be possible if someone approaches the police station and gives the details of the offence committed. This is often called as the First Information Report (in short, FIR) and has been contemplated under Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1973 (hereinafter referred to as "Cr.P.C."). The basic requirements of FIR as per the section are that, in case of a cognizable offence, if information is given to an officer-in-charge of the police station orally, then, 1. It shall be reduced to writing by such officer; 2. Such information shall then be read out to the informant; 3. The signature of the informant shall be received on the written information; 4. And. finally, it shall be entered in the diary \book meant for this purpose, by such officer. 5. A copy of the report is also to be handed over to the informant under clause (2) of the section.


An experimental study has been conducted into the effects of package related
failures in plastic encapsulated semiconductors. As a result of an extensive literature
survey particular emphasis was placed on thermal and moisture related failure
mechanisms. A number of accelerated life testing techniques including Highly
Accelerated Stress Testing (HAST) were used to induced parameter drift and
catastrophic failures. Examples of both insertion and surface mount package types
were studied.
Observations were made on the parameter drift and catastrophic failure
mechanisms of plastic encapsulated Bipolar Junction Transistors in dual in line
packages. Gain degradation was observed to be the most sensitive parameter of those
measured. It is proposed that this is a result of an increase in the extended surface
depletion region area due to a degradation in the surface cleanliness. A theoretical
analysis of the build up these traps is presented.
Package performance test chips were used to monitor the moisture resistance
properties and thermal performance of Quad Flat Pack packages. Surface leakage path
effects, corrosion onset and thermally induced stresses were monitored using this
technique. A computer controlled measurement system was assembled for data
acquisition and logging.
It is believed that these techniques will be of use in the investigation into the
suitability of different package plastic styles for high reliability applications such as
military and aerospace systems.


Integrated models are a popular tool for analyzing species of conservation concern. Species of conservation concern are often monitored by multiple entities that generate several datasets. Individually, these datasets may be insufficient for guiding management due to low spatio-temporal resolution, biased sampling, or large observational uncertainty. Integrated models provide an approach for assimilating multiple datasets in a coherent framework that can compensate for these deficiencies. While conventional integrated models have been used to assimilate count data with surveys of survival, fecundity, and harvest, they can also assimilate ecological surveys that have differing spatio-temporal regions and observational uncertainties. Motivated by independent aerial and ground surveys of lesser prairie-chicken, we developed an integrated modeling approach that assimilates density estimates derived from surveys with distinct sources of observational error into a joint framework that provides shared inference on spatio-temporal trends. We model these data using a Bayesian Markov melding approach and apply several data augmentation strategies for efficient sampling. In a simulation study, we show that our integrated model improved predictive performance relative to models for analyzing the surveys independently. We use the integrated model to facilitate prediction of lesser prairie-chicken density at unsampled regions and perform a sensitivity analysis to quantify the inferential cost associated with reduced survey effort.


Two putative ribonucleases have been isolated from the secondary granules of mouse eosinophils. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers inferred from peptide sequence data were used in reverse transcriptase-PCR reactions of bone marrow-derived cDNA. The resulting PCR product was used to screen a C57BL/6J bone marrow cDNA library, and comparisons of representative clones showed that these genes and encoded proteins are highly homologous (96% identity at the nucleotide level; 92/94% identical/similar at the amino acid level). The mouse proteins are only weakly homologous (approximately 50% amino acid identity) with the human eosinophil-associated ribonucleases (i.e., eosinophil-derived neurotoxin and eosinophil cationic protein) and show no sequence bias toward either human protein. Phylogenetic analyses established that the human and mouse loci shared an ancestral gene, but that independent duplication events have occurred since the divergence of primates and rodents. The duplication event generating the mouse genes was estimated to have occurred < 5 x 10(6) years ago (versus 30 to 40 x 10(6) years ago in primates). The identification of independent duplication events in two extant mammalian orders suggests a selective advantage to having multiple eosinophil granule ribonucleases. Southern blot analyses in the mouse demonstrated the existence of three additional highly homologous genes (i.e., five genes total) as well as several more divergent family members. The potential significance of this observation is the implication of a larger gene subfamily in primates (i.e., humans).


This paper considers largeN and large T panel data models with unobservable multiple interactive effects, which are correlated with the regressors. In earnings studies, for example, workers' motivation, persistence, and diligence combined to influence the earnings in addition to the usual argument of innate ability. In macroeconomics, interactive effects represent unobservable common shocks and their heterogeneous impacts on cross sections. We consider identification, consistency, and the limiting distribution of the interactive-effects estimator. Under both large N and large T , the estimator is shown to be √ NT consistent, which is valid in the presence of correlations and heteroskedasticities of unknown form in both dimensions. We also derive the constrained estimator and its limiting distribution, imposing additivity coupled with interactive effects. The problem of testing additive versus interactive effects is also studied. In addition, we consider identification and estimation of models in the presence of a grand mean, time-invariant regressors, and common regressors. Given identification, the rate of convergence and limiting results continue to hold.


A large part of the building stock in seismic-prone areas worldwide are masonry structures that have been designed without seismic design considerations. Proper seismic assessment of such structures is quite a challenge, particularly so if their response well into the inelastic range, up to local or global failure, has to be predicted, as typically required in fragility analysis. A critical issue in this respect is the absence of rigid diaphragm action (due to the presence of relatively flexible floors), which renders particularly cumbersome the application of popular and convenient nonlinear analysis methods like the static pushover analysis. These issues are addressed in this paper that focusses on a masonry building representative of Southern European practice, which is analysed in both its pristine condition and after applying retrofitting schemes typical of those implemented in pre-earthquake strengthening programmes. Nonlinear behaviour is evaluated using dynamic response-history analysis, which is found to be more effective and even easier to apply in this type of building wherein critical modes are of a local nature, due to the absence of diaphragm action. Fragility curves are then derived for both the initial and the strengthened building, exploring alternative definitions of seismic damage states, including some proposals originating from recent international research programmes.


With the development of mobile devices, researchers pay more and more attention to application software based on it. Currently, most animation making software is oriented for professional people, which are tedious and complex on operation. It is difficult for novices to understand the making animation process. Aimed at removing the complexity barrier and allowing nonprofessional users to create a wide variety of animations quickly, this paper proposes a sketching animation system. Besides of basic action editing, we also focus on animation synchronization which is crucial in making animation. Experiments show that the time of making animation has been reduced. In addition, for the sake of making users have better experience in creating animation at all times and places, the system design pattern and interaction way have been improved based on pen in order to be used in any running platform. Especially for mobile devices, the easy-extended system architecture and pen-based interaction way are approved by users. Simplifying the making animation process has been proved to be able to reduce users' cognitive burden effectively.


The modern theoretical approaches to definition of essence of social activity of enterprises are analyzed. The directions of development of social activity of commercial banks are determined. The expedience of formulation of mission of commercial banks and general requirements it must meet to is grounded.


Mesozoic basin development with in the North-west European Continental Shelf took place in belts peripheral to old Palaeozoic massifs. The area was dominated by vertical tectonic movements from the end of the Hercynian orogeny, and basin development along characterized by intermittent marginal faulting and graben formation dated as Permian, Triassic, and Lower, Middle and Upper Jurassic. On a world scale the Mesozoic basin development and the subsequent late-Mesozoic separation of the elements of the North Atlantic and Gondwanaland was the final episode of a long-continued subsidence, peripheral to ancient blocks defined during Palaeozoic times. Marine transgression on or close to the later sutures is recognized in the Lower Palaeozoic in eastern America, West Africa, South Africa and Western Australia. Faulted basin development along what were to become the world's Atlantic-type ('aseismic') margins became widespread by the Permian, and continued intermittently until the Middle Cretaceous. Widely around the world the long-established Mesozoic regime of synsedimentary graben formation and intermittent major faulting ended with an Aptian transgression, and was replaced by a regime of simple miogeosynclinal subsidence with prograding sedimentation which has continued to the present day. In Greenland and the Grand Banks of Canada, in Gabon and Australia, the history is strikingly similar to that of Northwest Europe, on what are now open ocean coasts. Thick earlier sediments are related to fault-controlled subsidences and rifts, a regime which was replaced worldwide within a very short period, by prograding basinal sedimentation in which faulting played a minor or very local role, and in which beds of Middle Cretaceous or somewhat earlier date transgress the planed-off structures of the previous regime. Although this relationship is not universal, there is a broad uniformity in the dating of the fundamental change in the style of aseismic marginal basins despite the different dates ascribed to opening of adjoining oceans. This requires a world-wide mechanism, not yet understood.


In order to develop efficient visible light driven photocatalysts for environmental applications, novel polymeric g-C3N4 layered materials with high surface areas are synthesized efficiently from an oxygen-containing precursor by directly treating urea in air between 450 and 600 °C, without the assistance of a template for the first time. The as-prepared g-C3N4 materials with strong visible light absorption have a band gap around 2.7 eV. The crystallinity and specific surface areas of g-C3N4 increases simultaneously when the heating temperatures increases. The g-C3N4 materials are demonstrated to exhibit much higher visible light photocatalytic activity than that of C-doped TiO2 and g-C3N4 prepared from dicyanamide for the degradation of aqueous RhB. The large surface areas, layered structure and band structure in all contributed to the efficient visible light photocatalytic activity. The efficient synthesis method for g-C3N4 combined with efficient photocatalytic activity is of significant interest for environmental pollutants degradation and solar energy conversion in large scale applications.


The aetosaur Stagonolepis robertsoni was the first reptile to be named from the Late Triassic Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation of Morayshire. Its characteristic rectangular armour plates have been reported in isolation and in association with skeletal remains. Here we present for the first time a three-dimensional reconstruction of the armour plates around the tail in association with caudal vertebrae and a chevron, to give direct evidence of the body outline. The caudal vertebral column was surrounded by eight bony osteoderms, paired paramedian dorsal and ventral plates, and a pair of lateral osteoderms on right and left. The tail shape was subcircular, broader than high. The osteoderms overlap like roofing tiles, the posterior margin of each overlapping the osteoderm following behind. The success of these scans suggests that computed tomography scanning could reveal excellent detail of all the Elgin reptiles in the future. Supplementary material: Three-dimensional models of the two fossil specimens are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4824183


Acute hydrops is a well-known complication of keratoconus. It usually manifests as sudden onset loss of vision. Mostly presents in the pubertal age group. Allergic conjunctivitis associated with eye rubbing is the most substantial risk factor. Primary pathology being stromal lysis, which triggers the progression of cone, causing an undue stretch on Descemet Membrane, eventually resulting in its splitting and stromal imbibition of aqueous through these ruptures. Clinical signs are circum-cillary congestion and thick/edematous cornea with obscuration of the anterior segment. Conservative therapy delays wound healing; hence early surgical intervention is recommended globally for faster resolution of stromal edema. Long-standing corneal edema mounts to corneal perforation and neovascularisation of cornea. Compressive suture, non expansile intracameral gas injection, Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, and mini Descemet membrane keratoplasty are various management modalities reported in literature. Acute hydrops could be well prevented with early identification of progressive keratoconus and halting its progression.


The paper discusses the cognitive mechanics of metaphorical name-giving with a focus on place names, following an overview of cognitive metaphor theory and the questions of metaphorically used proper nouns. In cognitive linguistics, the use of metaphors is a cognitive mechanism that plays a fundamental role in human thought and understanding, and the creation of our social, cultural and psychological reality. A particular form of this also manifests in name-giving, creating a small but influential category of names. The category of place names also influences the application of this name-giving method: it is generally used in more informal names and name types. The creation of such a name requires the speaker to detach themselves from the conventional norms of direct descriptionand metonymic name-giving, and relies on their lingual creativity and ability to detach themselves from dominant name-giving models. However, names in the category can also be divided into subcategories. Beyond the typical common-noun-based metaphorical name-giving, more complex parallels can also be found, resulting in the associations connecting the names of several nearby locations. Place names can also serve as the base of metaphorical name-giving, supporting the complex meaning of these names. Despite the fact that the majority of metaphorical names are available from contemporary data collection, it is obviously a long-standing and ancient method of name-giving, as it is based on a cognitive mechanics that seem to be as old as humanity itself.


Bilateral segmental neurofibromatosis is a rare subtype of neurofibromatosis type 1 defined by lesions affecting a single segment of the body and crossing the midline, with no systemic involvement. We present a case diagnosed during pregnancy because of the characteristic increase in size of the lesions during this period.


A technique for withdrawal of patients physically dependent upon barbiturates and other sedativehypnotics is described. The technique involves substituting phenobarbital, a long-acting barbiturate, for the addicting agent and subsequent withdrawal of the phenobarbital. The longer action of phenobarbital provides a more constant barbiturate blood level than the shorter-acting barbiturates which are the classical withdrawal agents. The more constant blood level allows the safe utilization of smaller daily doses of barbiturates during withdrawal. WHEN barbiturates were first introduced into medical practice, their ability to produce physical dependence was not immediately recognized. Later, a definite withdrawal syndrome was described. It usually included a progression of symptoms such as muscular weakness, systolic postural hypotension, nausea, insomnia, major motor seizures, hyperpyrexia, and, in some cases, death. Also occurring in some cases —usually on the third to seventh day of withdrawal—was a psychotic reaction which could mimic either delirium tremors or a schizophrenic reaction. A similar abstinence syndrome has been described for many of the newer sedative-hypnotics such as meprobamate and glutethimide (Doriden). In the San Francisco area we are seeing an increasing number of individuals who are physically dependent upon the short-acting and intermediate-acting barbiturates, such as secobarbital (Seconal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), and a mixture


Abstract We present localization with stimulated emission depletion (LocSTED) microscopy, a combination of STED and single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). We use the simplest form of a STED microscope that is cost effective and synchronization free, comprising continuous wave (CW) lasers for both excitation and depletion. By utilizing the reversible blinking of fluorophores, single molecules of Alexa 555 are localized down to ~5 nm. Imaging fluorescently labeled proteins attached to nanoanchors structured by STED lithography shows that LocSTED microscopy can resolve molecules with a resolution of at least 15 nm, substantially improving the classical resolution of a CW STED microscope of about 60 nm. LocSTED microscopy also allows estimating the total number of proteins attached on a single nanoanchor.


It has been shown recently that a cascaded dc/dc converter system can be stabilized via amplitude compensation (SAC) or phase compensation (SPC) for the input impedance of the load converter. In this letter, it is shown that the cascaded system when adopting the SAC is unconditionally stable but conditionally stable when adopting the SPC, that is, SAC is more stable than SPC. Then, the comparison is carried out for the parallel-virtual-impedance (PVI) and series-virtual-impedance (SVI) control strategies that are adopted to implement the SAC, and it is found that only the SVI control strategy can achieve the SAC for the whole load and input voltage range of the load converter without limitation. Therefore, SVI is in general better than PVI when realizing SAC. Following on this, an adaptive mechanism is introduced to improve the traditional SVI control strategy so that the load converter can be stably connected to different source converters such as LC input filters and traditional dc/dc converters. Finally, a load converter cascaded with three different source converters is fabricated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive SVI control strategy.


New exposures of fossiliferous sedimentary rocks at Cape Framnes, Jason Peninsula (65°57′S, 60°33′W) are assigned to the Middle–Late Jurassic Latady Formation of the south-eastern Antarctic Peninsula region. A sequence of fine to coarse-grained sandstones of unknown thickness has yielded a molluscan and plant macrofossil assemblage rich in the following elements: perisphinctid ammonites, belemnopseid belemnites, oxytomid, trigoniid and astartid bivalves, and bennettitalean fronds and fructifications. The overwhelming age affinities are with the Kimmeridgian–early Tithonian part of the Latady Formation, as exposed on the Orville and Lassiter coasts. The Cape Framnes sedimentary rocks help to constrain the age of a major sequence of acid volcanic rocks on Jason Peninsula, and show that the Latady Basin was geographically much more extensive than recognized previously. It was the principal depositional centre of Middle–Late Jurassic sedimentation in the Antarctic Peninsula back-arc region and in areal extent may have rivalled the essentially Cretaceous Larsen Basin.


Channel bends are one of the most important characteristic features of natural streams. These bends often create the conditions for a hyporheic zone, which has been recognized as a critical component of stream ecosystems. The streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity (Kv), vertical hydraulic gradient (VHG) and Darcian flux (DF) in the hyporheic zone were estimated at 61 locations along a channel bend of the Beiluo River during July 2015 and January 2016. All the streambed attributes showed great spatial variability along the channel bend. Both upward fluxes and downward fluxes occurred during the two test periods, most of studied stream sections were controlled by downwelling, indicating stream water discharge into the subsurface. The average downward flux was higher at the downstream side than at the upstream side of the channel bend, especially in July 2015. The distribution of streambed sediment grain size has a significant influence on the variability of Kv; high percentages of silt and clay sediments generally lead to low Kv values. Higher Kv at the depositional left bank at the upstream site shifted toward the erosional right bank at the downstream site, with Kv values positively correlated with the water depth. This study suggested that the variabilities of Kv and VHG were influenced by the stream geomorphology and that the distribution of Kv was inversely related, to a certain extent, to the distribution of VHG across the channel bend. Kv and VHG were found to have opposite effects on the DF, and the close relationship between Kv and DF indicated that the water fluxes were mainly controlled by Kv.


As of May 5, the Surinamese authorities confirmed a total of 10 COVID-19 cases, including 1 COVID-19 related death and 9 people who have recovered. Sixty-nine people are in quarantine. The country confirmed its first imported COVID-19 case on March 13, 2020. The authorities acted swiftly to contain further importation of the virus by closing all borders—land, sea, and air— indefinitely. The authorities also limited social gatherings, closed all schools and universities, and restricted in-restaurant and bar dining services to prevent community spread. While these measures would have contributed to "flatten ing the curve, " they are having adverse socioeconomic implications. This note examines the forecasted macroeconomic impact and the vulnerability of households and firms to the ongoing shock.


Abstract Highly metasomatized parts of peridotite xenoliths from Avacha volcano, Kamchatka, Russia, characteristically contain calcic amphiboles, especially tremolites. They are rich in metasomatic pyroxenes with high Mg-number (= Mg/(Mg+Fe) atomic ratio), up to 0.94–0.98, and contain Cr-poor aluminous spinels. They have the spinel lherzolite mineral assemblage and equilibrium temperatures of 900–1000 °C or higher, beyond the stability field of tremolite. The tremolite was therefore retrogressively formed after the peak of high-temperature metasomatism. The high-Mg-number, low-alkali environment facilitates the formation of tremolite instead of Al-rich calcic amphiboles. A sulphur-bearing silicic melt derived from a slab is a probable agent involved in the metasomatism. High fO2 recorded in the highly metasomatized peridotites is consistent with this process. This type of metasomatism can produce high-Mg-number peridotites and pyroxenites with low-Cr-number spinel within the mantle wedge where the Mg-number of silicates is positively correlated with the Cr-number of spinel in ambient peridotites.