For forestry research purposes, grid planting with uniform tree spacing is superior to planting with nonuniform spacing because it controls density across the plantation and facilitates accurate repeat measurements. The ability to cross-check tree positions in a grid-type plantation avoids problems associated with dead or missing trees and increases the efficiency and accuracy of data collection. Such features are particularly beneficial for long-term research plantations. The time and effort required to achieve an accurate grid plantation can be substantial, however, especially in large plantations. This article describes a new, efficient system for machine planting trees on a grid that is useful for a variety of forestry progeny tests—the "Wright-Michigan State University" (W-MSU) method developed by the late Dr. Jonathan Wright and others at Michigan State University. This study compared the W-MSU method with more labor-intensive and common methods of planting trees on a precise grid (direct seeding and planting into augered holes) and found the accuracy of spacing trees was statistically similar among the three methods.


In this study, we developed a digital game-based learning (DGBL) system, called the ToES, to foster students' creativity. Fifty-one fifth-grade students from two classes in a public school in Taipei, Taiwan, were recruited and consented to participate. Both classes consisted of students with mixed abilities studying a foundation unit entitled "Electrical Science" in a natural science course. One class was chosen to be the experimental group (EG) and the other class was the control group (CG). The goal of this study was to examine how different instructional strategies (i.e., traditional instruction and instruction using digital games) affected the students' creativity and their performance on manual skills. The analytical results indicated that the students' creativity and their performance on manual skills displayed positive growth when they were involved in acquiring knowledge and resolving tasks in a DGBL environment, which fostered their creativity and facilitated the generation of flow experiences. Moreover, there were three interesting findings related to the use of DGBL: (1) the ToES was an effective learning tool for cultivating the students' creativity; (2) there was a positive effect of creativity and their performance of manual skills; and (3) the ToES accelerated the improvement of practical behaviors regarding manual skills.

Highlights
We design a digital game with creativity called the ToES. We prove differences in creativity and manual skills between traditional classroom and digital game-based environment. Students were able to achieve better learning performances in DGBL environment. DGBL facilitates the generation of flow experience.


Developing a facile method to overcome the intrinsic shortcomings of g-C3N4 photocatalyst concerning its insufficient visible light absorption and dissatisfactory separation efficiency of charge carriers is of great significance but remains a challenge. In this work, we report, for the first time, a sapiential strategy for preparing highly efficient nitrogen-deficient g-C3N4 featuring bunchy microtubes [R-tubular carbon nitride (TCN)] via a KOH-assisted hydrothermal treatment of rodlike melamine-cyanuric acid (RMCA) supramolecular aggregates followed by heating the reconstructed RMCA, in which KOH serves as an all-rounder for breaking hydrogen bonds, accelerating hydrolysis of melamine and nitrogen defects forming. This approach endows R-TCN with unique bunchy microtube morphology, enriched nitrogen defects, textural properties, and electronic structure, which result in narrower band gap, higher electric conductivity, more active sites, more negative conductive band, significantly increased visible light harvesting capability, and improved separation efficiency of charge carriers. As a consequence, R-TCN shows 2.44 and 39 times higher hydrogen evolution rate (8.19 μmol h-1) than that of the pristine TCN from RMCA and bulk g-C3N4 from melamine. This new discovery may open a new avenue to fabricate highly efficient g-C3N4 catalysts.


AIM
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) represents at least 35% of vertigo cases and perhaps much more. The aim of this study was to review a proposed new type of BPPV which may be detected by using a mechanical assistance in BPPV diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers. MATERIELS AND METHODS: The prospective study extracted subjects from 465 patients who presented with some positional vertigo or unsteadiness. Only 152 dizzy patients, who presented with positional nystagmus but no true vertigo, were included. The TRV armchair permits rotation of patients wearing infrared video goggles in all semi-circular planes. Treatment effectiveness was defined as absence of symptoms or findings 3 days after the therapy sessions. If not initially successful, repeat therapeutic sessions were performed or patients underwent further vestibular examination and sometime MRI.

RESULTS
One hundred nine of the 152 patients demonstrated a low level canalithiasis showing nystagmus. Unusual data were collected: Ninety seven had a lateral canal and 12 had posterior canal conditions. The average of the patients was 62 and they had an average of 1.6 mechanical therapeutic maneuvres to reach the success end-point.

CONCLUSION
Some patients have persistent unsteadiness or drunkenness sensations after being treated by conventional maneuvers for BPPV. Often considered a post-BPPV otolithic syndrome an alternative possibility is BPPV with a very few otoliths in the lateral canal. The therapeutic technique using the mechanical chair permits to improved diagnosis of canalithiasis, especially that involving the horizontal canals. Some mild dizziness, which may be disabling and chronic can be better investigated and treated with mechanical assistance.


Dialogue is an interactive endeavour in which participants jointly pursue the goal of reaching understanding. Since participants enter the interaction with their individual conceptualisation of the world and their idiosyncratic way of using language, understanding cannot, in general, be reached by exchanging messages that are encoded when speaking and decoded when listening. Instead, speakers need to design their communicative acts in such a way that listeners are likely able to infer what is meant. Listeners, in turn, need to provide evidence of their understanding in such a way that speakers can infer whether their communicative acts were successful. This is often an interactive and iterative process in which speakers and listeners work towards understanding by jointly coordinating their communicative acts through feedback and adaptation. Taking part in this interactive process requires dialogue participants to have 'interactional intelligence'.

This conceptualisation of dialogue is rather uncommon in formal or technical approaches to dialogue modelling. This thesis argues that it may, nevertheless, be a promising research direction for these fields, because it de-emphasises raw language processing performance and focusses on fundamental interaction skills. Interactionally intelligent artificial conversational agents may thus be able to reach understanding with their interlocutors by drawing upon such competences. This will likely make them more robust, more understandable, more helpful, more effective, and more human-like.

This thesis develops conceptual and computational models of interactional intelligence for artificial conversational agents that are limited to (1) the speaking role, and (2) evidence of understanding in form of communicative listener feedback (short but expressive verbal/vocal signals, such as 'okay', 'mhm' and 'huh', head gestures, and gaze). This thesis argues that such 'attentive speaker agents' need to be able (1) to probabilistically reason about, infer, and represent their interlocutors' listening related mental states (e.g., their degree of understanding), based on their interlocutors' feedback behaviour; (2) to interactively adapt their language and behaviour such that their interlocutors' needs, derived from the attributed mental states, are taken into account; and (3) to decide when they need feedback from their interlocutors and how they can elicit it using behavioural cues.This thesis describes computational models for these three processes, their integration in an incremental behaviour generation architecture for embodied conversational agents, and a semi-autonomous interaction study in which the resulting attentive speaker agent is evaluated.

The evaluation finds that the computational models of attentive speaking developed in this thesis enable conversational agents to interactively reach understanding with their human interlocutors (through feedback and adaptation) and that these interlocutors are willing to provide natural communicative listener feedback to such an attentive speaker agent. The thesis shows that computationally modelling interactional intelligence is generally feasible, and thereby raises many new research questions and engineering problems in the interdisciplinary fields of dialogue and artificial conversational agents.


Mice homozygous for the mutation normoblastosis (gene symbol nb on chromosome 8) are deficient in erythroid ankyrin (ANK-1) and have a severe hemolytic anemia throughout life. Characteristic of the disease is a dramatic decrease in the level of expression of the Ank-1 gene (chromosome 8). The other major ankyrin transcript, brain ankyrin (Ank- 2 on chromosome 3) is expressed at normal levels in nb/nb mice. Surprisingly, nb/nb fetuses have normal erythrocyte counts despite the decreased levels of Ank-1 transcripts. We previously hypothesized that fetal-specific ankyrin-related proteins could exist in nb/nb fetuses to account for the lack of detrimental effects of ANK-1 deficiency. In the present report, Western and Northern blot analyses were performed on hematopoietic cells isolated from nb/nb and +/+ fetuses. An ANK-1- related protein (165 Kd) in fetal reticulocytes persisted in adult nb/nb but not in +/+ reticulocytes. An Ank-1-related transcript of 5.5 kb was found in fetal reticulocytes. This transcript appeared to be upregulated in nb/nb but not in +/+ adult reticulocytes. A fetal- specific ANK-2-related protein (155 Kd) was present in nb/nb and in +/+ fetal reticulocytes. Ank-2-related fetal liver mRNAs were present during the time the liver was actively generating erythrocytes. Neither the Ank-2-related transcripts nor the 155-Kd ANK-2-related protein were found in +/+ or mutant adult reticulocytes. The data indicate that (1) unique ankyrin-related proteins and mRNAs present in fetal erythrocytes may stabilize the ankyrin-deficient nb/nb erythrocytes and (2) adult nb/nb mice may upregulate fetal gene transcripts to compensate for the ANK-1 deficiency.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this work is to develop an inverse planning approach for Gamma Knife Perfexion that continuously delivers the dose over a path in the target.

METHODS
Our approach consists of two steps: finding a path in the target, and optimizing shot shapes for that path. To obtain the path, a set of well-positioned isocentres are selected in the target, and then a Hamiltonian path that visits all the isocentres exactly once is found by graph-theory and spiral-based approaches. Then, a linear optimization model is solved to obtain the optimal shot shapes and intensities by minimizing dose spillage from the target. The dose restrictions for the target and the organs-at-risk are constraints in the optimization. We additionally consider several criteria specific to continuous path, including machine speed constraints, delivery accuracy, preference for single/multiple paths, and smoothness of movement.

RESULTS
We tested our approach on seven clinical cases and compared against inverse step-and-shoot and manually-generated forward plans. The mean difference in Paddick CI compared to forward and inverse step-and-shoot was 0.04 and -0.04, respectively, while the Classic CI mean difference was -0.05 and 0.05, respectively. The mean dose difference to 1mm^ 3 brainstem was -0.5Gy (range: -1.6Gy to 0.1 Gy) and -0.24Gy (range: -1.9Gy to 0.9Gy) compared to forward and inverse step-and-shoot plans. However, the average beam-on time improved by 30min (range: -82.9min to -0.62min) and 103min (range: -304min to -9min) over forward and inverse step-and-shoot plans, respectively. The mean computational time for continuous path was 19.5min, a 198min improvement over inverse step-and-shoot plans.

CONCLUSION
The continuous path treatment plans showed comparable plan quality with forward and inverse step-and-shoot plans, while achieving better beam-on times. The computational time was also improved compared to the inverse step-and-shoot approach. This work was by part funded by Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden.


The aim of this work was to quantify the exposure of children to particle resuspension in school gyms. In fact, although moderate standard aerobic activity is suggested for good health, adverse health effects could affect people exercising in micro-environments with ambient pollution. Overall, 12 micro-environments were chosen and analyzed in a 3-month experimental campaign. The different fractions of particulate matter (PM) were measured by means of photometers, calibrated for the specific aerosols studied through gravimetric samplers, whereas particle number distributions in the 0.5–20 μm range were continuously measured using an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) spectrometer. High PM concentration levels were measured in school gyms compared to outdoor values. The dominant source is the particle resuspension produced by the activity of exercising pupils and, among the various PM fractions, the effect on coarse particles (PM10–2.5) was found to be the most important, with the related emissions factors measured in the range of 1.5–8.9 mg/min. During school activities, under natural ventilation conditions, the average coarse particle concentrations at the 12 school gyms investigated were found to be 4.8 ± 2.0 times higher than the background (outdoor) values. The key parameters are the number and intensity of the physical activities, which can be characterized by the total energy used by the students. Therefore, this study provides useful data on the exposure of students to airborne particles during periods of physical activity in gyms with natural ventilation.


Designers of austenitic stainless steel parts do not always specify in detail in what state the work material should be delivered, e.g. annealed or annealed with subsequent cold forming. When a final cold forming step is added there will be an increase in hardness and strength while ductility at the same time is reduced. The mechanical properties of austenitic steels can thus vary significantly and cause unplesant surprises in the machining processes if the delivery state is not clearly specified. The aim of his study is to investigate delivery state effects on two selected machinability criteria; cutting forces and chip breakability. Two different insert grades with the same chip breaker geometry are used, one with a thin physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating and the other one with a thicker chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coating. Both the annealed and the cold drawn delivery states are investigated, and it is shown that cold drawn material gives lower cutting forces for both tool types as well as better chip breakability when combined with the PVD coated tool.


Author(s): Lucas, Ryan Geoffrey | Advisor(s): Conklin, Martha H | Abstract: Meadows comprise less than 1 percent of the land area of the Sierra Nevada, however, they play an important role, often linking the forested hillslope to the stream, in hydrologic processes of Sierra Nevada catchments. This study investigates evapotranspiration and groundwater patterns in montane meadows in the Sierra Nevada, CA. The dissertation is divided into three sections. 1) The first section uses direct eddy covariance measurements and Applied Neural Network models in order to determine annual evapotranspiration (ET) from 2008 to 2014; annual ET rates in Long Meadow ranged from 321 to 392 mm and was higher in warm, dry years. Based on literature estimates of ET increases of 25-50%, due to meadow restoration, the overall increase in catchment ET, due to restoration efforts, would only amount to 0.03-0.05%. 2) The second section uses in situ measurements of groundwater table fluctuations and evapotranspiration in order to constrain soil specific yield. This study found that the variability of soil specific yield generally decreased with increasing depth to water; variability was also minimized when the surface slope was between 3-7 degrees. A method is proposed using these parameters for selecting monitoring well locations to estimated soil specific yield and, subsequently, ET for relatively low cost and impact. This method was demonstrated at 5 locations in two additional meadow systems. Average daily ET from July 1-31, 2013 ranged from 2.7 to 6.3 mm d-1 in these two meadows, compared to an average daily ET rate measured in Long Meadow of 4.6 mm d-1. 3) The third section investigates groundwater sources and patterns in a montane meadow and how the meadow links up-gradient hydrologic sources to the down-gradient stream. This was accomplished using a combination of physical measurements—including hydrostatic head, stream flow, snow depth, and soil moisture content, and analysis of water chemistry—including major ions, alkalinity, and stable and radioactive isotopes of water. Results show that meadow groundwater is comprised of two sources, a shallow subsurface flow with groundwater gradient signals dependent on snowpack, and a deeper subsurface flow that persists through the growing season—even after several years of drought. Individually and in combination, the studies in this dissertation significantly add to the knowledge of meadow hydrology in the Sierra Nevada. Both the first and third chapters found meadow systems still being supplied with groundwater, even after several years of the current drought in California. This suggests that meadow resilience in the face of drought is tied to significant groundwater storage capacity within a meadow catchment. Systems where deeper groundwater sources can be identified through analysis of stream chemistry or where significant groundwater storage capacity can be identified through geophysics or physiographic analysis should be prioritized for restoration efforts.


Vulnerability to lexical perturbation is a critical weakness of automatic evaluation metrics for image captioning. This paper proposes Perturbation Robust Multi-Lingual CLIPScore(PR-MCS), which exhibits robustness to such perturbations, as a novel reference-free image captioning metric applicable to multiple languages. To achieve perturbation robustness, we fine-tune the text encoder of CLIP with our language-agnostic method to distinguish the perturbed text from the original text. To verify the robustness of PR-MCS, we introduce a new fine-grained evaluation dataset consisting of detailed captions, critical objects, and the relationships between the objects for 3, 000 images in five languages. In our experiments, PR-MCS significantly outperforms baseline metrics in capturing lexical noise of all various perturbation types in all five languages, proving that PR-MCS is highly robust to lexical perturbations.


This paper presents a global model linking individual country vector error-correcting models in which the domestic variables are related to the country-specific variables as an approximate solution to a global common factor model. This global VAR is estimated for 26 countries, the euro area being treated as a single economy. This paper proposes two important extensions of previous research (see Pesaran, Schuermann and Weiner, 2004). First, it provides a theoretical framework where the GVAR is derived as an approximation to a global unobserved common factor model. Also using average pair-wise cross-section error correlations, the GVAR approach is shown to be quite effective in dealing with the common factor interdependencies and international comovements of business cycles. Second, in addition to generalised impulse response functions, we propose an identification scheme to derive structural impulse responses. We focus on identification of shocks to the US economy, particularly the monetary policy shocks, and consider the time profiles of their effects on the euro area. To this end we include the US model as the first country model and consider alternative orderings of the US variables. Further to the US monetary policy shock, we also consider oil price, US equity and US real output shocks.


Water efficiency in building makes good environmental, economic and social sense.There are improvements to water efficiency standards in new buildings – domestic andnon-domestic which is influenced by recent changes to building regulations, increase inenvironmental awareness, corporate social responsibility, delivering better lifetime valueto clients and customers etc. Retrofitting water efficiency in existing buildings however,can be more challenging due to uncertainties about the cost-benefits of certaintechnologies, existing building systems and products, existing and anticipated userresponse and engagement etc.This paper will present a retrofitting case study of a small to medium sized hotel inSussex, England. It will discuss the reason for the retrofit program from the hotel andwater company perspective. It will then discuss the methodological approach todetermining the potential and actual outcomes of the water efficiency retrofits, integratingthe client and user perspective where necessary. The paper will conclude with lessonslearned and recommendations to similar programmes on hotel sites.This project is carried out collaboratively by the Lodge at Winchelsea, ChandlersBuilding Supplies, Southern Water and the Water Efficiency Lab, University of Brighton.


Previous reports have suggested that the immune system is involved in the lung fibrogenic response to certain agents or treatments. In the present study, we have evaluated the impact of the athymic (nude) mutation on the development of pulmonary fibrosis in mice induced by a single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (0.75 units/animal). Histologic examination revealed that cellular infiltration, fibroblast proliferation, and connective tissue accumulation were diminished in the nude mice when compared with euthymic (het) control mice. In contrast to control animals treated with saline, total lung hydroxyproline in the nude mouse was not significantly increased at 14 and 30 days after bleomycin treatment. Net collagen synthesis, as assessed by measuring the rate of incorporation of tritiated proline in an organ culture system, was increased above control values in both nude and euthymic mice at 14 days after bleomycin treatment, although these values returned to normal at 30 days. However, lung collagen synthetic rates, normalized to dry lung weights, were significantly higher at 14 days in euthymic bleomycin-treated control mice than in the nude bleomycin-treated animals. The data indicate that the nude athymic mutation protects, at least partially, against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, thus suggesting a role for the cellular immune system in regulating the fibrogenic response to this drug.


OBJECTIVE
To define the risks of disseminated bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or disseminated Mycobacterium tuberculosis in adults with AIDS who were immunized with BCG in childhood.

DESIGN
HIV-infected patients with CD4 < 200 x 10(6)/l were enrolled from five study sites (New Hampshire, Boston, Finland, Trinidad and Kenya). Prior BCG immunization was determined and blood cultures for mycobacteria were obtained at study entry and at 6 months. Acid-fast bacilli were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) using DNA probes. MTBC isolates were then typed by both IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism and polymerase chain reaction/restriction enzyme analysis.

SETTING
Most patients in New Hampshire and Finland were outpatients; most patients in Trinidad were inpatients with terminal illness; and most patients in Kenya were outpatients, although 44 were inpatients with terminal illness.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 566 patients were enrolled, including 155 with childhood BCG immunization; 318 patients had a single study visit and culture, and 248 patients had two study visits and cultures.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Isolation and identification of mycobacteria from blood cultures.

RESULTS
Blood cultures were positive for MTBC in 21 patients; none were positive for M. bovis BCG, and 21 were M. tuberculosis-positive. In Trinidad, seven (87%) out of eight isolates of M. tuberculosis were indistinguishable by IS6110 typing; BCG immunization was associated with a decreased risk of bacteremic infection with M. tuberculosis (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The risk of disseminated BCG among adult AIDS patients with childhood BCG immunization is very low. Childhood BCG immunization is associated with protection against bacteremia with M. tuberculosis among adults with advanced AIDS in Trinidad.


A Primer for Teaching Digital History is a guide for college and high school teachers who are teaching digital history for the first time or for experienced teachers who want to reinvigorate their pedagogy. It can also serve those who are training future teachers to prepare their own syllabi, as well as teachers who want to incorporate digital history into their history courses. Offering design principles for approaching digital history that represent the possibilities that digital research and scholarship can take, Jennifer Guiliano outlines potential strategies and methods for building syllabi and curricula. Taking readers through the process of selecting data, identifying learning outcomes, and determining which tools students will use in the classroom, Guiliano outlines popular research methods including digital source criticism, text analysis, and visualization. She also discusses digital archives, exhibits, and collections as well as audiovisual and mixed-media narratives such as short documentaries, podcasts, and multimodal storytelling. Throughout, Guiliano illuminates how digital history can enhance understandings of not just what histories are told but how they are told and who has access to them.


This multi-day lesson involves grade 2-grade 4 students in exploring the life and achievements of Susan B. Anthony. It provides opportunities for students to investigate events associated with the Women's Rights Movement as well as issues related to women's right to vote, work, and to receive an education. This three-day learning cycle lesson will provide students with a better understanding of women's suffrage as well as the time period and contributions of women leaders. Day 1 begins with a simulation of gender bias and follows with a Quickwrite and read aloud. On the second day, students will participate in station activities. On the third day, students will use a Bio Cube to describe the activities of a current woman reformer and how those acts have impacted U.S. history.


Demographic studies generally use menses to indicate the return of fertility during breastfeeding. In a prospective study of 40 breastfeeding women in Manila, the resumption of ovarian activity was monitored by urinary hormone assays, and menstrual status was determined by weekly interview. For the women who menstruated before six months postpartum, first menses was not a good indicator of ovulation because there was a high proportion of anovular menses (67 percent), and the lag between anovular first menses and subsequent ovulation was 15.7 (+/- 4.4) weeks. After six months postpartum the proportion of anovular first menses declined to 22 percent, and the lag between anovular first menses and ovulation was 7.3 (+/- 4.6) weeks. If all anovular and ovulatory menstrual episodes are considered, the mean interval between first observed menses and first ovulation was 8.4 weeks during the first six months postpartum and only 0.1 week after six months. Thus, in breastfeeding women, menses is an inaccurate proxy measure for the timing of fertility return before six months postpartum, but a good indicator of the resumption of ovulation after six months.


Down syndrome (DS) is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21 (Hsa21) and presents a complex phenotype that arises from abnormal dosage of genes on this chromosome. However, the individual dosage-sensitive genes underlying each phenotype remain largely unknown. To help dissect genotype – phenotype correlations in this complex syndrome, the first fully transchromosomic mouse model, the Tc1 mouse, which carries a copy of human chromosome 21 was produced in 2005. The Tc1 strain is trisomic for the majority of genes that cause phenotypes associated with DS, and this freely available mouse strain has become used widely to study DS, the effects of gene dosage abnormalities, and the effect on the basic biology of cells when a mouse carries a freely segregating human chromosome. Tc1 mice were created by a process that included irradiation microcell-mediated chromosome transfer of Hsa21 into recipient mouse embryonic stem cells. Here, the combination of next generation sequencing, array-CGH and fluorescence in situ hybridization technologies has enabled us to identify unsuspected rearrangements of Hsa21 in this mouse model; revealing one deletion, six duplications and more than 25 de novo structural rearrangements. Our study is not only essential for informing functional studies of the Tc1 mouse but also (1) presents for the first time a detailed sequence analysis of the effects of gamma radiation on an entire human chromosome, which gives some mechanistic insight into the effects of radiation damage on DNA, and (2) overcomes specific technical difficulties of assaying a human chromosome on a mouse background where highly conserved sequences may confound the analysis. Sequence data generated in this study is deposited in the ENA database, Study Accession number: ERP000439.


Background/introduction Effective management of victims of sexual assault is important to encourage people to report abuse and receive care. BASHH provide guidance on management of sexually assaulted patients. We reviewed case notes of 36 patients who were treated for sexual assault. Aim(s)/objectives To identify demographic characteristics of sexually assaulted victims attending the clinic. To understand how we meet the BASHH guidance (2011) in the management of sexual assaults. To assess the usefulness of locally used template for cases of sexual assault Methods Case notes of 36 patients treated for sexual assault who attended the clinic from January 2013 to March 2014 were reviewed. A questionnaire was designed to collect data and the data was analysed using Microsoft excel. Results 44 case notes were identified but 36 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of the 14 auditable outcomes, only documentation of essential criteria (standard 1) reached the 100% standard and six achieved above 75% of the expected standard of 100%. These include documentation of physical injuries, self-harm risk assessment, offer of emergency contraception, offer of active vaccination against Hepatitis B and assessment of child protection need. Offer of baseline STI screening was documented in 72%. Poor documentation of BASHH criteria on further referral for physical injuries (33%) and repeat testing for STIs (36%) were identified. Discussion/conclusion Importance of complete documentation on sexual assault cases should be emphasised. Reviewing the sexual assault template to capture all necessary information was identified as a result of this audit.


Introduction: A large volume of residual haemodilute blood remains in the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit after termination of the bypass. It is common practice in many centres to process residual pump blood with an autologus cell salvage system (ACSS), thereby producing a re-suspended red blood cell (RBC) concentrate and attenuating the need for donor blood RBC concentrate. It has also become standard practice to wash donor pack red blood cells (PRBC) before adding it to neonate cardiopulmonary circuits (Swindell et al., 2007). Manufactures of ACSS recommend 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) as a wash solution for processing salvaged blood. Previous studies have demonstrated that washing PRBC with normal saline results in acid-base (Huber et al., 2013) and electrolyte derangements (Varghese et al., 2007). Infusion of normal saline in healthy volunteers also results in significant changes in osmolality (Williams et al., 1999). The use of normal saline as a wash solution in processing residual CPB blood requires investigation. Aims and Objectives: This was a prospective, quantitative in vitro investigation to analyze and compare the quality of residual pump blood post CPB that had been washed with either an unbalanced electrolyte solution (0.9% normal saline) or a balanced electrolyte solution (Balsol®). Both are crystalloid solutions. The primary objective of the present study was to measure and compare the pH, electrolytes, metabolites, osmolality and strong ion difference (SID) of residual pump blood to the pH, electrolytes, metabolites, osmolality and SID of processed cell saver blood, which was washed with either 0.9% normal saline or Balsol® solution. The secondary objective was to measure and compare protein levels (albumin and total protein) in residual pump blood to protein levels in processed cell saver blood, that is washed with either 0.9% normal saline or Balsol® solution. The final objective was to determine the volume, haematocrit and haemoglobin yield post cell saver processing, from the input volume of residual pump blood when washed with either 0.9% normal saline or Balsol® solution. This was the first study of this nature done in the South African population group. Methodology: In this investigation in a series of forty patients (n=40) undergoing elective cardiac surgery with CPB, the first twenty patients were allocated to the NaCl control group (n=20) and the second twenty patients were allocated to the Balsol® interventional group (n=20). The extracorporeal circuit consisted of a standard integral hollow fibre membrane oxygenator and tubing that was primed with 1500-1800 millilitres of balanced crystalloid solution (Balsol®), for both the control group and the interventional group, and addition of 5000 iu heparin. The balanced crystalloid solution (Balsol®) is the approved standard CPB priming solution for all cardiac procedures at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. This setup was used with the Stockert S5 roller pump heart lung machine. The operations were performed as per protocol with standard non-pulsatile CPB and hypothermia was maintained at 28 – 32 ºC (core) and haemodilution (haematocrit 20 % to 30 %). A standard flow rate of 2.4 L/min/m² was used. Cardio protection consisted of either cold Blood Cardioplegia using the Buckberg 4:1 ratio, being four parts blood to one part cardioplegia (with the 35ml of 20 % Dextrose + 1 gram Magnesium Sulphate added per 500ml), or 20ml/kg cold St Thomas II cardioplegia (with addition of 10ml of 8.5% NaHCO3 + 100mg lignocain per litre). Topical cooling was achieved with ice cold 0.9 % saline. Maintenance fluid used during CPB was Balsol® for both the control and the interventional groups. Calcium, potassium and sodium bicarbonate was administered as required during CPB to correct deficits for both groups. Weaning of CPB was performed after re-warming to a rectal temperature of at least 35 ºC for both study groups. Immediately on termination of CPB a blood sample was taken from the sampling manifold of the CPB circuit for pre wash analysis. Residual pump blood was then flushed out with one litre of Balsol® solution for both groups and collected into the Medtronic autolog cell saver reservoir to be processed. In the control study group 0.9% NaCl was used as the wash solution and in the interventional study group Balsol® solution was used as the wash solution. After processing of the salvaged blood is complete, a blood sample was taken for post wash analysis. Clinical data recorded for pre and post wash samples included: pH, pCO2, pO2, [K+], [Na+], [Cl-], [Ca2+], lactate, glucose, [HCO3-], TCO2, haematocrit, haemoglobin (GEM 4000® premier™ blood gas analyser) blood volume (Medtronic autolog) and SID (calculated as per equation). Inorganic phosphate, total magnesium, albumin, total protein (Siemens Advia 1800 blood gas analyser) and osmolality (Gonotech osmometer) were also measured. Results: There was a highly significant decrease (p < 0.05) within the NaCl group after washing with pCO2 (28.3 ± 2.9 vs. <6.0 ± 0.0), [K+] (4.5 ± 0.5 vs. 1.0 ± 0.7), total magnesium (1.7 ± 0.7 vs. 0.29 ± 0), ionized calcium (1.0 ± 0.09 vs. 0.1 ± 0.03), inorganic phosphate (0.9 ± 0.4 vs. 0.09 ± 0.04) and SID (27.1 ± 2.1 vs. 18.4 ± 2.2). There was a highly significant increase (p < 0.05) within the NaCl group after washing with pH (7.5 ± 0.1 vs. 7.7 ± 0.1), [Na+] (132.9 ± 3.2 vs. 146.3 ± 1.9), [Cl-] (107.8 ± 3.1 vs. 127.4 ± 2.1) and osmolaltity (256.9 ± 38.4 vs. 296.2 ± 57.5). There were highly significant decrease (p < 0.05) within the Balsol® group after washing with pCO2 (30.15 ± 6.0 vs. 18.9 ± 4.9), [Na+] (134.7 ± 2.2 vs. 125.6 ± 1), [Cl-] (108.8 ± 2.7 vs. 100.2 ± 1.4), ionized calcium (0.9 ± 0.1 vs. 0.02 ± 0.04), inorganic phosphate (0.8 ± 0.2 vs. 0.1 ± 0.024) and osmolality (288.8 ± 20.6 vs. 272.8 ± 19.9). There were highly significant increase (p < 0.05) within the Balsol® group after washing with pH (7.5 ± 0.1 vs. 7.7 ± 0.1), [K+] (4.2 ± 0.4 vs 4.6 ± 0.3). Total magnesium and SID were similar after washing within the Balsol® group. Albumin and total protein revealed similar significant decreases within both groups after washing. There was a highly significant difference (p < 0.05) in the change between groups after washing in all the variables measured, except for pH, inorganic phosphate, lactate, glucose, albumin, total protein, haematocrit, haemoglobin, and blood volume. Total carbon dioxide and [HCO3-] were not compared because they were incalculable by blood gas analyser in the NaCl group. Conclusion: This investigation concluded that the balanced electrolyte solution Balsol® used for washing residual CPB blood results in a re-suspended RBC concentrate, with an osmolality and electrolyte profile that is superior compared to washing residual CPB blood with 0.9% NaCl solution.


Get in-depth training and practice with the skills measured by the core exams for Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Windows Server 2008 Administrator certification all in one box! Covering Exams 70-640, 70-642, and 70-646, these three training kits include exam prep and practice tests to help you maximize your performance. You get official Microsoft study guides, plus practice tests on CD to help you assess your skills. They come packed with the tools and features that exam candidates want most including in-depth, self-paced training based on final exam content; rigorous, objective-by-objective review; exam tips from expert, exam-certified authors; and customizable testing options. They also provide case scenarios and exercises for skills and expertise that you can apply to the job.Work at your own pace through the lessons and hands-on exercises. Focusing on administering Windows Server 2008, these official study guides cover topics such as configuring, managing, and supporting user and comput er accounts, groups, Domain Name System zones, client settings, and group policy objects; the new Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service and Active Directory Rights Management Service; configuring remote access, Network Access Protection, Network Authentication, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, and Domain Name System (DNS) Replication; creating virtual machines; installing server core; planning server roles; maintaining server security; planning data storage, network load balancing, and server backups; managing software deployment and versioning; and scheduling server deployments.Then assess yourself by using more than 900 practice and review questions on the CD, featuring multiple, customizable testing options to meet your specific needs. Choose timed or untimed testing mode, generate random tests, or focus on discrete objectives or chapters. You get detailed explanations for right and wrong answers including pointers back to the book for further study. You also get a 90-day evaluation version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional and an exam discount voucher making this kit an exceptional value and a great career investment.Key Book Benefits:Excellent value: three official study guides covering the core requirements for MCITP: Windows Server 2008 Administrator all in one boxComprehensive exam prep study guide written by exam-certified authorsIn-depth coverage of exam objectives and sub-objectives plus instructive case studies and troubleshooting scenarios to enhance your performance on the job900+ practice and review questionsTest engine that enables customized testing, pre-assessment and post-assessment, and automated scoring and feedbackHandy exam-mapping gridEvaluation version of Windows Server 200815 percent exam discount voucher from Microsoft (limited-time offer)Entire study guide in searchable eBook format


Abstract:This paper describes the results of a survey of members of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (knowledge engineers) concerning their individual need for growth and their perceptions about their work environment. Responses are compared to those of software engineers whose qualifications are similar to those of knowledge engineers. Comparisons are made on 16 variables. The analysis shows that personnel in the two job categories are quite similar; both have quite high need for growth and therefore need jobs rich in the factors key to motivation. The survey also identified several problems that managers in the artificial intelligence (ai) area need to resolve.


Active video games that require whole body movement to play the game may be an innovative health promotion tool to substitute sedentary pastime with more active time and may therefore contribute to children's health. To inform strategies aimed at reducing sedentary behavior by replacing non-active by active gaming, opinions about active and non-active video games are explored among 8- to 12-year-old children and their parents. Six qualitative, semi-structured focus groups were held with 8- to 12-year-old children (n = 46) and four with their parents (n = 19) at three different primary schools in The Netherlands. The focus groups with children discussed game preferences, gaming context and perceived game-related parenting. The focus groups with parents addressed considerations in purchasing video games, perceived positive and negative consequences of gaming, and game-related parenting. Both children and their parents were very positive about active video games and preferred active games over non-active games. Active video games were considered more social than non-active video games, and active games were played more often together with friends and family than non-active video games. Parenting practices did not differ for active and non-active video games, although some parents were less strict regarding active games. Two conditions for practical implementation were met: children enjoyed active video games, and parents were willing to buy active video games. Active video games were preferred to non-active video games, illustrating that using active video games is a promising health promotion tool to reduce sedentary pastime in youth.


This chapter looks at the ways artists working with geomedia technologies have exposed and exploited the complex temporalities of digital mapping, dealing first with the trace of movement in locative media art practices of the early to mid 2000s, and secondly with the appropriation of remote sensing imagery and Street View imagery by artists. The aim is to challenge the idea that geomedia's only temporal effects are ones of timelessness; crucial to this challenge is a separation out of two different versions of timelessness that are often ascribed to cartography and new media respectively, and sometimes conflated. I argue that the stress on atemporality effects in studies of the aesthetics and cultural impact of geomedia, and the conflation of the cartographic and technological/cultural versions of timelessness in particular, moves too quickly to read a surfeit of temporal markers as a collapse of temporality as such.


Grounded in Halliday's systemic functional approach to the study of language and his three metafunctions of language, a new model called an Eclectic Model of Mind Style (EMMS) is presented in this thesis. Its building involved the examination of existing research on mind style and further systematic incorporation of some of the existing concepts, approaches and methodologies into one overarching model that could assist scholars in a more comprehensive understanding of the character's mind style. The goal of the model is to provide an analytical tool for stylistic analysis of the fictional characters' mind styles by demonstrating various stylistic effects used by authors in depiction of fictional characters in their novels.

The building of the model involved two stages: the first stage comprised the detailed review of the scholarly research on the notion of mind style with the focus on the workings of the deviant minds. During this process, the outlines of the new model including its major categories have gradually emerged and finally, the EMMS has been built to be used as an inclusive analytical tool for stylistic analysis.

Testing the proposed model by applying it to the analysis of the two selected fictional characters has become the next logical step bringing forth the second stage of the thesis writing process. During this stage, the two novels and their main characters have been chosen, namely: Christopher Boone in Mark Haddon's (2003) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Don Tillman in Graeme Simsion's (2013) The Rosie Project. The primary focus of the analysis has been on exemplifying application of the EMMS categories to identifying the foregrounded use of stylistic features by the two characters and testing the EMMS analytical potential.

The findings show the EMMS analytical potential for stylistic research and possible use in other areas of language studies, as well as the necessity for its further testing.


The multi-phase research programme 'Integrated Design in the Operating Room' aims to improve the integration and usability of operating room equipment. This paper focuses on a review and analysis of medical product development. Design methodology, internal and external communication, complexity of medical design, and operating room experience were investigated. Data collection was mainly by semi-structured interview with designers and managers in companies supplying operating room products. Design methodology and communication could be improved, most designers had minimal operating room experience, and the complexity of medical design led to the design process being centred on specific factors at the expense of an holistic design approach.


This thesis considers the design of PID controllers, the extensions of these controllers to improve their performance, and the applications of these design methods to industrial processes.

New tuning methods for PI and PID controllers have been presented. These methods uses a model of the process to be controlled, given as a transfer function. The methods captures essential requirements of a control system, such as: load disturbance response, robustness with respect to model uncertainties, measurement noise response, set point response. The primary design goal of the proposed design methods are to achieve good rejection of a load disturbance with the constraint on robustness to guarantee the stability of the closed loop system.

The use of PID control have been extended to bridge the gap between it and the theoretical H-infinity control. It is shown how the robustness constraint of the proposed design methods for PI and PID controllers should be chosen to guarantee that the weighted H-infinity norm of the transfer function from load and measurement disturbance to process inputs and outputs is less than a specified value gamma. A new way to determine for which class of systems a PID controller will be stabilizing is also presented.

Furthermore, the use of PID control have been extended to handle processes with undamped modes. A modular approach has been taken, where an active control system has been designed, which consists of an allpass filter and a bandpass filter. To determine the parameters of these two filters the only information needed is a few characteristics of the process frequency response.

The proposed design methods for PI and PID controllers have been evaluated in a benchmark for control of steam generator water level in a power plant, and at the pulp and paper company Modo Paper, in Husum, Sweden.


A high-voltage normally ON 4H-SiC vertical junction field-effect transistor (VJFET) of 0.143- cm2 active area was manufactured in seven photolithographic levels with no epitaxial regrowth and with a single masked ion-implantation event. The VJFET exhibits low gate-to-source p-n-junction leakage current with relatively sharp onset of breakdown. At a drain-current density of 1 mA/cm2, the VJFET blocks 1680 V at a gate bias of -24 V. A self-aligned floating guard-ring structure provides edge termination that blocks 77% of the 11.8-mum SiC drift layer's limit. At a gate bias of 2.5 V and a corresponding gate current of 2 mA, the VJFET outputs 53.6 A (375 A/cm2) at a forward drain voltage drop of 2.08 V (780 W/cm2). The transistor current gain is ID / IG = 26 800, and the specific on-state resistance is 5.5 mOmegamiddotcm2. To our best knowledge, this is the largest area SiC vertical-channel JFET reported to date and outputs more drain current than any 1200-V class vertical-channel JFET under identical heat-load and gate biasing conditions.


Effects of nickel coating on electrochemical properties of Mg2Ni hydrogen storage alloys were presented in this paper. X-ray diffraction ( XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to examine the crystal structure and surface morphologies of the as-obtained bare and Ni-coated Mg2Ni alloys and their electrochemical properties were characterized by cyclic voltammogram (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed that Ni coating not only decreased charge transfer resistance, but also decreased H atom diffusion resistance for Mg2Ni alloys. It was also found that Ni coating effectively improved the discharge capacity.


The most-watched NOVA documentary ever made and a revolution in the understanding of human development, The Miracle of Life (abbreviated Life) employs the most current developments in endoscopic and microscopic technology to capture the intricacies of human development. Narrated by Anita Sangiolo and vividly illustrating the most minute and hard-to-reach parts and processes of living systems, this film truly flexes the muscles of the newest photographic technology of its time, with esteemed photographer Lennart Nilsson [3] behind the camera. Aired in 1983, Life was the first documentary of its kind, clearly explaining, in under an hour, biological systems that many people had never seen before. The film was written and produced by Bebe Nixon and directed by Bo G. Erikson. What follows is a description of the film, along with a brief analysis of its impact.


The article examines the unexplored challenging role of youth in the traditional approaches of conflict resolution in Africa. Using Côte d'Ivoire as a case study, this article explores the relationship between intergenerational roles and conflict resolution. Traditionalist anthropologists tend to found the strength of the customary mechanisms on the dexterity and knowledge of elders, but serious doubt remains about the effectiveness of this traditional practice. In Côte d'Ivoire, as young Kroumen challenge their own traditions of peacemaking, they hinder the efficiency of customary approaches to resolve the 1999 conflict between the Kroumen and the Lobi-Dagara. In 2006 the Kroumen ritual of Bodior was performed and was supposed to seal reconciliation and social cohesion after the deadly conflict but, recent field work reveals lingering mistrust and tensions 10 years after this ritual.


For large computational grid systems, the Message Passing Interface (MPI) is one of the most widely used programming models for distributed computing. However, current MPI implementations cannot utilize all computing nodes on a grid as a result of network configurations that effectively hide nodes behind a frontend node or gateway. This work presents an approach called Hierarchical Virtual Clustering (HVC) that overcomes this problem in an efficient manner. The idea is to separate a grid into physical and hierarchically organized logical clusters, and to incorporate routing between these clusters at the MPI runtime library level. This approach has been implemented on an experimental grid-enabled runtime system called MPITH. Experiments have been conducted to compare the performance of MPITH with MPICH and found that a comparable speed can be obtained with a very little loss of performance. Hence, the approach presented here can be used to vastly increase grid computing resources available to MPI applications without impacting efficient utilization of those resources.


For most species, it is currently not known whether individual characteristics and population parameters affecting dispersal distances within the local population are also affecting dispersal of individuals emigrating longer distances. We evaluated this in the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus by analysing data of natal dispersal distances within (1) the local hatching area in southern Central Sweden and (2) the species' whole breeding range in Sweden. The different scales gave conflicting results. Site of birth was the main predictor of natal dispersal distance in the local census area, whereas in the larger census area the dispersal distance differed significantly between hatching years. Previous studies have shown that the recruitment rate of great reed warblers within the local study area differs between hatching years and also that it declines during the course of the breeding season. It was not known, however, whether these relationships reflected variation in survival or dispersal. The results from the present study suggest that the differences in local recruitment rate between hatching years is partly caused by annual variation in emigration rate, whereas the decline in local recruitment rate with season mainly reflects mortality of late-hatched nestlings. Our study shows a twofold advantage of a large census area when studying dispersal. First, predictors of longer-distance dispersal will be revealed and, second, the variation in local recruitment rate can be separated into the two components, survival and dispersal.


CONTEXT
Sore throat is a common complaint, and identifying patients with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat) is an important task for clinicians. Previous reviews have not systematically reviewed and synthesized the evidence.

OBJECTIVE
To review the precision and accuracy of the clinical examination in diagnosing strep throat.

DATA SOURCE
MEDLINE search for articles about diagnosis of strep throat using history-taking and physical examination.

STUDY SELECTION
Large blinded, prospective studies (having > or =300 patients with sore throat) reporting history and physical examination data and using throat culture as the reference standard were included. Of 917 articles identified by the search, 9 met all inclusion criteria.

DATA EXTRACTION
Pairs of authors independently reviewed each article and used consensus to resolve discrepancies.

DATA SYNTHESIS
The most useful findings for evaluating the likelihood of strep throat are presence of tonsillar exudate, pharyngeal exudate, or exposure to strep throat infection in the previous 2 weeks (positive likelihood ratios, 3.4, 2.1, and 1.9, respectively) and the absence of tender anterior cervical nodes, tonsillar enlargement, or exudate (negative likelihood ratios, 0.60, 0.63, and 0.74, respectively). No individual element of history-taking or physical examination is accurate enough by itself to rule in or rule out strep throat. Three validated clinical prediction rules are described for adult and pediatric populations.

CONCLUSIONS
While no single element of history-taking or physical examination is sufficiently accurate to exclude or diagnose strep throat, a well-validated clinical prediction rule can be useful and can help physicians make more informed use of rapid antigen tests and throat cultures.


The loss of a loved one to suicide is a devastating event that results in a complicated grief experience for those survivors left behind. This specific bereavement experience consists of three challenging obstacles: the unanswered question of why, the stigma concerning the manner of death, and the forced isolation of the grievers. These obstacles complicate the ability to make meaning of the loss, which is an important part of the healing process. Therefore, counselors can target meaning-making as an intervention by utilizing photovoice because it can provide survivors with the opportunity to create new meaning and thus work through these obstacles. This article discusses practical applications of a photovoice intervention with a loss by suicide support group and addresses the implications for clinical mental health counselors.


Abstract Background Inflammation and immune activation have been implicated in the pathogenesis of severe mental disorders and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite high level of comorbidity, many studies of the immune system in severe mental disorders have not systematically taken cardiometabolic risk factors into account. Methods We investigated if inflammatory markers were increased in schizophrenia (SCZ) and affective (AFF) disorders independently of comorbid CVD risk factors. Cardiometabolic risk factors (blood lipids, body mass index and glucose) and CVD-related inflammatory markers CXCL16, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), soluble CD14 (sCD14), macrophage inhibitory factor and activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) were measured in n = 992 patients (SCZ, AFF), and n = 647 healthy controls. We analyzed the inflammatory markers before and after controlling for comorbid cardiometabolic risk factors, and tested for association with psychotropic medication and symptom levels. Results CXCL16 (p = 0.03) and sIL-2R (p = 7.8 × 10−5) were higher, while sCD14 (p = 0.05) were lower in patients compared to controls after controlling for confounders, with significant differences in SCZ for CXCL16 (p = 0.04) and sIL-2R (p = 1.1 × 10−5). After adjustment for cardiometabolic risk factors higher levels of sIL-2R (p = 0.001) and lower sCD14 (p = 0.002) remained, also in SCZ (sIL-2R, p = 3.0 × 10−4 and sCD14, p = 0.01). The adjustment revealed lower ALCAM levels (p = 0.03) in patients. We found no significant associations with psychotropic medication or symptom levels. Conclusion The results indicate that inflammation, in particular enhanced T cell activation and impaired monocyte activation, are associated with severe mental disorders independent of comorbid cardiometabolic risk factors. This suggests a role of novel pathophysiological mechanisms in severe mental disorders, particularly SCZ.


The C/C composite was rapidly fabricated by Multi-factor coupling fields CVI in a home-made reactor with propylene as carbon source and carbon felt as porous preform. The effect of the temperature and pressure on microstructure and properties of the C/C composites was investigated. Microstructure and morphology of the C/C composites were characterized with optical microscopy, SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The results show the C/C composite has rough laminar pyrolytic carbon and higher density at conditions of 650°C and 12kPa in 12h. The observed regenerative cones were formed by amplified layers on defects. A new type of pyrocarbon was observed with graphitization degree 77.9% and crystallite size 30.5 nm and Optical and SEM morphologies reveal its peculiar structure. It is called "dot structure" pyrocarbon and its formation mechanism is simple proposed.


This essay examines the differing contexts and modes of encounter with Islamic culture in the travel writing of two contrasting women, the Prussian Countess Ida Hahn-Hahn and the Austrian Maria Schuber: both travelled to and wrote from the Middle East in the 1830s and 1840s and published their letters as collections. The encounters both women had with Islam were conditioned, at least in part, by their respective stance on religion, issues of gender and social class, and by the obligations of patronage and the expectations of distinct readerships. Whilst both women can be seen to write about Islam as a religion and culture defined by its difference to Christianity, both can also be seen in differing ways and to differing extents to represent Islam and Muslims as simultaneously belonging to a universal and inclusive notion of humanity and human religion. Thus, without embracing high philosophical discourse of Kant or Hegel, both women can be seen to demonstrate cosmopolitan impulses towards Islam, although these jostle for ascendancy with a more Eurocentric, Christian and indeed volkisch vision of the relationship between cultures.


A retrospective study was conducted of all 31 patients with liver abscess admitted to Shaare Zedek Medical Center between 1979, the year computed tomographic scan and ultrasound were introduced, and 1992. Fever and abdominal pain were the most common symptoms. Duration of symptoms was short: 81% of patients had symptoms for < or = 5 days and none had symptoms for more than 3 weeks. Amoebic abscess was found in one patient only, the remainder were pyogenic. Biliary tract pathology remains the most common cause of liver abscess (39%). The diagnosis was made by ultrasound in 22/31 (71%) and by computed tomographic scan in 9/31 (29%) of patients. Treatment consisted of intravenous antibiotics and percutaneous drainage under ultrasound guidance in 24/31 patients (77%). Four patients died (13%), three of whom had underlying malignancies. Clinical features were compared with those from a similar series of 36 cases with liver abscess reported from Jerusalem predating ultrasound and computed tomographic scan (1967-1977). Several major changes have occurred. First, the relative incidence of amoebic abscess has dramatically decreased. Second, ultrasound and computed tomographic scan have facilitated earlier diagnosis and percutaneous drainage, contributing to improved survival and lower morbidity.


Rakhmiyati, Maylia. 2018. "Simbol Alam dalam Lirik Lagu Banda Neira (Sebuah Kajian Semiotika)". Essay. Undergraduate Thesis Program in Indonesian Literature. Semarang. Faculty of Humanities. Diponegoro University. Supervisor I: Dr. M. Abdullah, M. A. Supervisor II: Dra. Mirya Anggrahini, M. Hum.

Song Lyric has a similiar thing as poem such as a high level of density and concentration. A song lyric is composed from sequence of poetic words and interrelated between each elements. The words used by the songwriter are figurative words. Those are used as indirect expression which are caused by three things, namely displacing, distorting and creating of meaning. The use of figurative words in song lyric should be observed thoroughly in order to get and understand the whole meaning.
This research discussed the indirect expression symbolized by natural sign and the theme of Banda Neira's song lyrics. The purpose of this research is describing the indirect expression and knowing the theme of Banda Neira's song lyrics.
This research is a library research which used qualitative method with note-taking technique. The data population of this research are all the song lyrics of Banda Neira, and then seven songs are selected by random sampling technique.
The result of this research showed that (1) the indirect expression of the data consist of simile, metaphor, personification, synecdoche, metonymy. Metaphor becomes the most dominant figurative word used in Banda Neira's song lyrics, (2) theme that is used in the song lyric tell about doubt, sincerity, reconciliation, loss, solitude, hope, feeling touched which used natural sign either soil or sea, and also flora or fauna.


Fuzzing embedded systems is hard. Their key components – microcontrollers – are highly diverse and cannot be easily virtualized; their software may not be changed or instrumented. However, we observe that many, if not most, microcontrollers feature a debug interface through which a debug probe (typically controllable via GDB, the GNU debugger) can set a limited number of hardware breakpoints. Using these, we extract partial coverage feedback even for uninstrumented binary code; and thus enable effective fuzzing for embedded systems through a generic, widespread mechanism. In its evaluation on four different microcontroller boards, our prototypical implementation GDBFuzz quickly reaches high code coverage and detects known and new vulnerabilities. As it can be applied to any program and system that GDB can debug, GDBFuzz is one of the least demanding and most versatile coverage-guided fuzzers.


Enabled by various sensing and data networking devices, modern buildings are beginning to generate extraordinary amounts of sensory data. The organization and availability of this data is currently a challenge, especially for researchers who seek to devise intelligent data-driven methods for energy efficient use of building systems. Most current solutions tend to be ad-hoc and proprietary, and thus do not support mechanisms for easy data acess and sharing. In this paper we present BuildingDepot, an extensible and distributed system for building-related data with scalable data storage, ease of data access, fine-grained data sharing and access control as first class design principles. We focus on the overall architecture and highlight how our own experiences running multiple building deployments have shaped our design decisions. We have implemented a prototype of BuildingDepot, along with connectors to several standard energy management systems, showing how it enables enterprises to incrementally deploy the system as well as Get and Put data into BuildingDepot using a REST-style API. We have released it as open source software to the building research community.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of clopidogrel on blood loss and blood and blood products usage following CABG. One hundred and ninety-six patients underwent urgent or emergent CABG, 182 of those met with inclusion criteria, 28 patients had clopidogrel exposure (group 1), 49 patients had both ASA and clopidogrel exposure (group 2), and 68 patients had ASA exposure (group 3) within a week of operation. The remaining 37 patients were on no antiaggregant therapy (group 4). Total chest tube drainage during the first 24 h, the incidence of reoperation for bleeding, blood and blood products usage, and the early outcome (duration of mechanical ventilation, the intensive care unit stay and total hospital stay), were assessed. Total chest tube drainage was significantly higher in the patients with clopidogrel exposure and increased amount of transfusions with blood products were also observed in those patients. The patients with clopidogrel exposure required significantly more reoperation for bleeding. The duration of controlled ventilation and intensive care unit stay were also significantly longer in the patients with clopidogrel exposure. Our results support the recent history of clopidogrel treatment associated with increased blood loss, transfusion and reoperation requirement after CABG. 2005 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.


Abstract. Hyperspectral remote sensing is an advanced remote sensing technology that enhances the ability of accurate classification due to presence of narrow contiguous bands. The large number of continuous bands present in hyperspectral data introduces the problem of computational complexity due to presence of redundant information. There is a need for dimensionality reduction to enhance the ability of users for better characterization of features. Due to presence of high spectral correlation in the hyperspectral datasets, optimum de-correlation technique is required which transforms the hyperspectral data to lower dimensions without compromising with the desirable information present in the data. In this paper, focus has been to reduce the spectral dimensionality problem. So, this research aimed to develop computationally efficient non-linear autoencoder algorithm taking the advantage of non-linear properties of hyperspectral data. The proposed algorithm was applied on airborne hyperspectral image of Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer - Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) over Anand region of Gujarat and the performance of the algorithm was evaluated. The Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) increased from 22.78 dB to 48.48 dB with increase in number of nodes in bottleneck layer for reconstruction of image. Spectral distortion was also measured using Spectral Angle Mapper Algorithm (SAM), which reduced from 0.38 to 0.05 with increase in number of nodes in bottleneck layer up to 10. So, this algorithm was able to give good reconstruction of original image from the nodes present in the bottleneck layer.


EARMARKINGWhen Congress earmarks federal funds for a specific institution or project, the process usually begins with the intended beneficiary bending the ear of a sympathetic legislator. But the 2000 budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF) that the Senate passed last week adds a new wrinkle to this already controversial practice: It allocates $25 million for arctic research logistics to an entity that did not request the money, doesn't want it, and says it isn't capable of administering it. NSF officials were also caught off guard by the earmark, which represents a direct assault on the agency's own activities.


Accumulation of copper and copper binding protein in periportal hepatocytes is generally considered to be an indicator of chronic cholestasis and a sign of chronic biliary pathology, particularly at an early stage when bilirubinostasis is lacking (1). Rhodanine and Orcein or Victoria blue staining methods detect copper and copper binding protein respectively. Cytokeratin 7 expression by periportal hepatocytes or hepatocyte-like cells (intermediate hepatobiliary cells) (2) is also considered an early marker of chronic cholestasis (1). It is referred to as "periportal Ker7" in the rest of this letter.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


On current helicopter designs, the rotor blades are commonly articulated at their root. This system is employed to ensure that the resultant force of the rotor disc acts through its hub, preventing a rolling moment from being produced in forward flight. The movement which the blades are allowed however, restricts control of the blade angle of attack and allows potential lifting capability to be lost. To address this problem, on-blade flow control using synthetic jets is suggested. Miniature synthetic jets show promise for the alleviation of a number of flow control problems. These may be especially suitable for helicopter application since proposed actuator designs are remotely activated and do not require a secondary jet fluid. These features mean that actuators may be located at large spanwise distances from the rotor hub. An investigation of the operation of synthetic jets and their ability to effect flow control is begun with a CFD study of a single synthetic jet actuator issuing into an otherwise still atmosphere. A jet flow is developed from a rapidly deforming cavity. Velocity profiles are compared with previously published data. Simulations are next extended to crossflow conditions. An alternative synthetic jet model is developed to improve computational efficiency. For this, the deforming cavity is removed and the flow to and from the actuator is simulated by means of an imposed sinusoidally varying velocity. Both approaches for the production of a synthetic jet flow are compared and the same essential features are found. Depending on conditions, different flow behaviours are observed. The actuator produces vortices on its blowing schedule which are either convected with the freestream, or become part of a recirculating system which becomes permanently established a short distance downstream of the actuator exit. When varying freestream and jet operating conditions, optimal mean reduction of surface pressures is found to coincide with the first occurrence of the latter flow behaviour. Using the simpler actuator model, a parameter study is performed to determine optimum jet operation across a range of conditions. The operation of a single synthetic jet on an aerofoil section is finally considered. The same flow behaviours are once again produced. On the aerofoil, the large velocity variation means that achieving the maximum pressure reduction requires operation at high values of reduced frequency. A single actuator makes only a small difference to the overall lift, but the improvement is encouraging and suggests that a number of actuators may make a more significant difference.


OBJECTIVES
Only limited risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have been identified to date. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether cardiovascular health (CVH) behaviours and factors are associated with the risk of developing AS.

METHODS
Patients with incident AS were identified in cohorts from two ongoing prospective studies. Assessments were made of the association of AS with individual baseline cardiovascular health lifestyle behaviours (including smoking status, body mass index, physical activity and diet) and cardiovascular health factors (including total cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels and fasting plasma glucose levels), and with a cardiovascular health metric determined by the number of ideal behaviours and factors. Cox regression analysis was used for the estimation of hazard ratios (HRs) for AS.

RESULTS
Among 124,303 participants, incident AS was identified in 53 individuals within the 8 years of follow-up. For participants with ideal physical activity (>80 min/week) the HR was 0.21 (95% CI 0.05-0.89) compared with participants without ideal physical activity after adjusting for potential confounders. No signi cant risk of developing AS was associated with baseline smoking, diet, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose or total cholesterol status, nor did cardiovascular health metrics.

CONCLUSIONS
Adherence to ideal physical activity may reduce the risk of developing AS.


How should we think about entrepreneurship? Should we focus on the psychology of people who become entrepreneurs or consider the groups that people belong to? Should we emphasize the incentives, context and environment that lead people to become entrepreneurial? This book presents different ways of thinking about entrepreneurship: instead of topics such as finance or opportunities, the book focuses on perspectives or ways of seeing. Written by leading experts, Perspectives in Entrepreneurship examines the emergence and development of entrepreneurship as an academic discipline. The book takes a critical look at the varying positions in the field and their overall contribution to entrepreneurship as a whole.

Perspectives in Entrepreneurship is an essential text for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students of entrepreneurship.


Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Middle East is gaining more importance than in the past. Although it still remains more about philanthropy and charity, it moves towards a more strategic approach which includes formalizing ways of giving, as a set of non-random actions, and focuses more on addressing social ills and environment, economic challenges, that are hindering development. However, the business in the region has not yet taken the step to fully integrate the CSR into their core business operations. The most common challenges that facing the CSR implementation are the lack of government requirements and incentives, spreading awareness, building CSR partnership model, going beyond the marketing and PR campaigns, and full integration of CSR into the business strategy. In this paper, we aim to introduce the current state of the CSR in the Middle East and its perspectives, besides reviewing its evaluation stages, motivations, and current challenges. Moreover, we aim to examine CSR common practices through examples from the financial sector. The research method applied in this research is based on secondary data sources and we have used desk research to illustrate most important points and findings on the topic. THE PUBLICATION IS SUPPORTED BY THE EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00003 PROJECT. THE PROJECT IS CO-FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION UNDER THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND


While time series momentum is a well-studied phenomenon in finance, common strategies require the explicit definition of both a trend estimator and a position sizing rule. In this paper, we introduce Deep Momentum Networks -- a hybrid approach which injects deep learning based trading rules into the volatility scaling framework of time series momentum. The model also simultaneously learns both trend estimation and position sizing in a data-driven manner, with networks directly trained by optimising the Sharpe ratio of the signal. Backtesting on a portfolio of 88 continuous futures contracts, we demonstrate that the Sharpe-optimised LSTM improved traditional methods by more than two times in the absence of transactions costs, and continue outperforming when considering transaction costs up to 2-3 basis points. To account for more illiquid assets, we also propose a turnover regularisation term which trains the network to factor in costs at run-time.


Abstract This article argues that the existence of adverse selection (worker heterogeneity) can explain the underprovision of general training by employers. High-ability workers value the option to entertain outside wage offers once their abilty becomes known to the market. Offering short-term contracts is, therefore, a way to screen high-ability types from low-ability types. A firm is not willing to train workers under short-term contracts. Hence, despite the positive returns to training, training may be underprovided in equilibrium. More generally, this article contributes to the literature that seeks to explain the puzzling phenomenon of short-term contracts governing long-term buyer-seller relationships.


God's Voice for the Digital Age: Biblical Authority in a Wikipedia World Garrett Brown Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2013 The present influence of new media and digital democracy in shaping information, requires the evangelical church to pioneer new approaches of framing biblical revelation and authority in order to engage in effective mission in the twenty-first century. As society confronts the implications of the Information Age, the Church faces societal shifts that intersect with its mission. The new digital media are changing how society communicates ideas and explores knowledge. Internet outlets, such as Google, Wikipedia, and Twitter, exert an increasing influence over epistemological issues concerning how knowledge is sought and deciphered, and how justified belief is distinguished from social construction. Such influence poses a challenge to the Church's mandate to proclaim the Word of God. The postmodern generation of Christian leaders finds its claim to revealed knowledge marginalized and dismissed as irrelevant and outdated. Members of the digital generation thrive on decentralized authority, democratic knowledge base, and truth as a process of discovery. The Church's traditional framing of authority and truth is in danger of missing the generative ethos of the time. This paper will offer an examination of these cultural reverberations and the challenge posed to the Church. As the heart of technological innovation, special emphasis will be given to California's Silicon Valley and the unique opportunity afforded to its churches to foster a practice of discovery and decentralized authority within their appeal to biblical truth. The paper will consist of three parts; the first will offer the context of this ministry challenge, looking at the philosophical and cultural factors involved. The second provides theological reflection of biblical authority and revelation from ancient through modern teaching of the Church. The third part explores a reframed ministry strategy for biblical dialog within the environment of digital natives, recognizing recent cultural influence, while maintaining the absolute and singular voice of God. Content Reader: Craig Detweiler, PhD


Those who use non-indigenous accented speech often experience prejudice and discrimination, and in the United States, those speaking with Spanish accents are likely to be impacted. In research on speaker perceptions by type of accent, however, the gender of the speaker or of the perceiver has received less attention. In the present study, the impact of accent (North American- vs. Spanish-accented English), gender of speaker, and gender of rater on perceptions of competence were investigated in a sample of U.S. undergraduates. Participants heard a recording by either a male or female speaker who spoke in English with either a North American or Spanish accent. As hypothesized, Spanish-accented speakers were more likely to be judged negatively, female speakers were more likely to receive negative assessments, and male participants were more likely to show bias related to accent. The neglect of gender in the study of accent bias is discussed.


Learning systems are widely adopted by institutions worldwide in the new millennium. The challenge on utilization of learning systems is switched from users' pre-acceptance behaviours (whether they are likely to adopt learning systems) to post-acceptance behaviours (whether they will continue to use the learning systems). It is commonly expected that successfully adopted learning systems that have, at one time, been perceived as being useful and easy to use would likely achieve a high rate of user continuance. However, reality can be different as user continuance is often not as high as expected. The continuance of learning systems draws our attention because the investment in institutionalizing a learning system is huge. There is also a theoretical gap between technology acceptance and system continuance for which continuance behaviour cannot be explained by traditional technology acceptance models. This study extends a post-adoption model on habit and IS continuance to investigate the effect of personalization (which includes personal content management, personal time management and privacy control) on learning system continuance. Empirical results suggest that personalization has a positive influence on perceived usefulness and habit, but does not directly influence continuance intention.


We present a novel modeling method to describe the steady-state and transient regimes of a continuous-wave pumped Raman laser emitting both Stokes and anti-Stokes photons. Our so-called "Stokes-anti-Stokes iterative resonator method" evaluates for every half round-trip time the longitudinal distribution of the intracavity pump, Stokes and anti-Stokes fields propagating in forward and backward directions. Although this Stokes-anti-Stokes iterative resonator method is widely applicable, its most important asset resides in its ability to accurately model Raman lasers that feature cavity enhancement of the pump power and that emit both Stokes and anti-Stokes photons. Important here is that our modeling method correctly incorporates the longitudinal intracavity field distributions, the generation of anti-Stokes photons, and the interference effects between incident and intracavity pump fields, and that it describes not only the lasers' steady-state operation but also their transient characteristics. We demonstrate for both a hydrogen-based and a silicon-based Raman laser with pump cavity enhancement that the Stokes-anti-Stokes iterative resonator method performs better than the modeling methods presently used for these categories of Raman lasers. Finally, to demonstrate the potentialities of our modeling method, we numerically simulate, for the first time according to our knowledge, the anti-Stokes emission generated by a silicon-based Raman laser


Objective Describe socioeconomic characteristics, functions assumed, and perceived morbidity of a group of caregivers to people with severe disabilities in Bogotá. Materials and Methods Descriptive transversal study with a sample of 2 557 caregivers to people with severe disabilities in 19 locations in Bogota, selected under saturation of information criteria. The instrument, Characterization of Severely Disabled Individuals- Caregiver Chapter, was designed and subjected to content validity based on expert review. The pilot test was carried out subsequently. The validated and adjusted version was applied to the sample in the context of interdisciplinary home visits. Each participant signed an informed consent form and the complete confidentiality of the data supplied has been assured. Results The study found the influence of gender variables on the work of caregivers as well as economic insecurity, fragility of support networks, self-rated health disorders, high dedication in time to informal care activities, and the multiplicity of functions performed. Conclusions The wellness and health conditions of caregivers to people with severe disabilities show alterations that urge responses, not only in professional duties in the light of cultural recognition and the strengthening of this work, but also from the field of public action.


This work studies reactive mechanisms involved in liquid Al infiltration of green preforms containing tailored amounts of Al2O3 and CuO. Infiltration reactions involving Al and copper oxides are expected to produce Al2O3, as fine particulate reinforcements, and Cu, as Al-matrix strengthener. Preforms with 75 mol%-CuO were infiltrated with Al at 1000°C and 1100°C in air. Under low PO2, copper oxides are reduced to Cu, blocking the opportunity for reactive infiltration. Also, the Al-Cu/Al2O3 contact angle is insufficiently low to drive spontaneous infiltration. At 1000°C, infiltration is incipient, indicating that CuO reaction with Al is not sufficiently vigorous to destabilize enveloping Al2O3. At 1100°C, CuO reduces to Cu2O and infiltration is triggered, although the process is incomplete due to formation of a compact Al2O3 layer which inhibits metal supply to the reaction front. At or behind the halted infiltration front consumption of starting Al2O3 particles and formation of CuAlO2 occur. The space among these phases is occupied by a Cu-rich matrix, rendering an almost totally densified microstructure. This study shows that liquid Al infiltration of Al2O3/CuO greens is possible at 1100°C, in air, due to destabilization of the Al2O3 enveloping film and reactive infiltration, promoted by the redox reaction between Al and copper oxide.


Fetal somatic cell gene therapy could become an attractive solution for some congenital genetic diseases or the disorders which manifest themselves during the fetal period. We performed adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to mice and guinea pig fetuses in utero and evaluated the efficiency of gene transfer by histochemical analysis and a quantitative TaqMan-polymerase chain reaction (TaqMan-PCR) assay. We first injected a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus containing the Escherichia coli LacZ gene driven by a CAG promoter (AxCALacZ) into pregnant mice through the amniotic space, placenta, or intraperitoneal space of the fetus. Histochemical analysis showed limited transgene expression in fetal tissues. We then administered AxCALacZ to guinea pig fetuses in the late stage of pregnancy through the umbilical vein. The highest beta-galactosidase expression was observed in liver followed by moderate expression in heart, spleen, and adrenal gland. The transgene expression was also present in kidney, intestine, and placenta to a lesser degree. No positively stained cells were observed in lung, muscle, or pancreas except in the vascular endothelium of these organs. Quantitative measurement of recombinant adenoviral DNA by the TaqMan-PCR assay showed that the vast majority of the injected viruses was present in liver. The current study indicated that adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into guinea pig fetus through the umbilical vein is feasible and results in efficient transgene expression in fetal tissues. The experimental procedures using pregnant guinea pigs might serve as a good experimental model for in utero gene transfer. Since our TaqMan-PCR assay detects the LacZ gene, one of the most widely used reporter genes, it may be generally applicable to adenovirus quantification in various gene transfer experiments.


When comparing strategies for coordinating home equity with portfolio distributions to generate retirement income, the tenure option fairs well and is an appealing option. As a way to fund retirement efficiency improvements, using the tenure payment option from the line of credit as an alternative to purchasing an income annuity (such as a single-premium immediate annuity – SPIA – or a deferred-income annuity – DIA) is worth exploring further.


This paper presents a modelling and control of conveyor belt type grain dryer plant using system identification and Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) technique. Modelling and control of grain dryer plant has been in dilemma due to the complexity in the process and uncertainty exists in the plant. Most existing models are inaccurate and consists of very complex equations which require considerable computational time to resolve. In this research, system identification is proposed as a method to model a conveyor belt type grain dryer. This approach is practically new as it has never been used as an identification method for conveyor belt type grain dryer. The process model is computed based on the input/output data collected from real-time experiment, instantaneously avoids inaccuracy in deriving model from first principle that normally involves assumptions and estimations. A robust controller, known as QFT has been used to control the complex grain drying process. Although QFT has been successfully applied to many plants with uncertainty, none of those applications involved any types of grain dryer. A comprehensive study on the application of QFT on a new plant, particularly grain dryer is beneficial in agricultural sector as well as control engineering. The non-linearity behaviour, delay and discrepancies of the process model are taken account as parameter uncertainty. Test results showed that the grain dryer plant with QFT-based controller meets the desired performance specifications. The superiority, efficiency and robustness of QFT-based controller are revealed when comparison test between QFT and PID controllers are performed.


| Aten Primaria 2002. 15 de septembe. 30 (4): 197-206 | 197 Aim. To determine whether primary care provides a suitable framework for integrated treatment aimed at smoking cessation with systematic minimal intervention or pharmacological treatment with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). To compare the results with those obtained in a specialized pneumology unit. Design. Prospective, quasi-experimental study. Setting. Primary and specialized care services. Participants. 357 smokers who were followed at a health center (166) or a specialized clinic (191) during a 6-month period. Interventions. Two types of intervention were used depending on the patients' degree of nicotine dependence: systematic minimal intervention for those with low dependence or who were still in the contemplation or precontemplation phase, and NRT for those with high dependence, in the preparation phase. Main outcome measures. Twelve months after the start of the study, abstinence among participants who received systematic minimal intervention was 36.5% in primary care patients and 41.8% in specialized care patients (P>.05). Among participants who received NRT abstinence was 37.1% in the former group and 35.5% in the latter (P>.05). The percentage of patients lost to follow-up was 8.6% in specialized care and 6.3% in primary care. Conclusions. The results lead us to recommend smoking cessation treatment integrated in the primary care setting, either with systematic minimal intervention or NRT.


Responding to a gap in literature regarding married students and undergraduate student engagement, this study explored the experiences of eight married undergraduate students at a faith-based, liberal arts institution in the Midwest. In an effort to answer the question, "What is the impact of marriage on undergraduate student engagement?," students shared their adjustments to married life in college; their interactions with peers, family, and university personnel; and their attitudes and behaviors in academic and social activities. In this qualitative study with a grounded theory approach, an original theory and a visual paradigm of the theory was derived from the data in order to represent the themes of marital adjustment and student engagement, which emerged from the findings of the study and connected with the literature. The results of this study suggested that marriage causes a number of factors, such as added responsibilities beyond academic studies; limited time; shifted priorities; and altered interactions with friends, family, and the campus environment. Students connected all of the factors with their student engagement, most often referring to limitation on available time and energy and/or a change of interest from which they invested in their coursework and social interactions.


Author(s): Nelson, Barry | Abstract: https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2017v15iss4art1 The goal of this paper is to analyze storage projects constructed and planned in California since 1980, in contrast with storage constructed before that date. As a result of California's highly variable climate, storage is an essential tool for agricultural and urban water users. Today, the state regulates approximately 1,250 reservoirs, with a combined storage of 42 million acre-feet. Federal agencies regulate approximately 200 additional reservoirs. The vast majority of this surface storage was constructed before 1978, when New Melones Dam, the last large on-stream water supply reservoir in California, was completed. The role of storage in meeting future needs remains a high-profile issue in the California water debate. For example, funding for new storage was the largest item in Proposition 1, the most recent water bond voters approved. This analysis included a review of existing literature, such as the California Department of Water Resources Division of Dam Safety database, California Water Commission documents about new storage proposals, water agency documents, and interviews with water agency staff and others. Water managers face dramatically different conditions today, in comparison to conditions before 1980. These conditions have led to new approaches to water storage that represent a dramatic departure from past storage projects. During the past 37 years, a wide range of new water storage strategies have been planned and implemented. These facilities have created a combined new storage capacity greater than that of Lake Shasta, California's largest reservoir. These new storage strategies suggest the need to revisit the fundamental definition of water storage. With limited potential for new storage drawing from the state's rivers, California must choose storage projects wisely. By learning from successful strategies in recent decades, decision-makers can make better storage investment decisions to help reverse declines in ecosystem health and improve water supply reliability.


Metastatic esophageal carcinoma is considered one of the worst prognosis cancersworldwide. The goals of treatment are usually symptoms palliation and possible lifeprolongation. In recent years, the field of immuno-oncology has shown promising treatmentresults and caused a paradigm shift in many types of cancer, as the response is quitelong-lasting. Anti-programmed cell death 1 (anti PD-1) is one of the immuno-oncologydrugs which has been investigated in many types of cancer and currently has beenapproved to be used in melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer and bladder cancer. Wereport a case of metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma which had been heavilypretreated but presented an almost complete response to the anti PD-1, pembrolizumab.


Online education has been growing in demand over the years. However, online learners frequently experience social isolation, which negatively impacts their learning experience and outcome. In this chapter, we investigate the design space of social matching systems to help foster social connections among online learners. Specifically, we seek to answer three core design questions: (1) What data should be collected? (2) How to design technology to support students' interactions with one another? (3) What are students' concerns about the ethics of AI-mediated social matching? We begin by exploring the feasibility, design, and concerns of AImediated social interactions through existing literature. We then present our ongoing work on the design and use of AI conversational agents as social matching systems in the online learning context. Finally, we outline future directions for research on designing human-centered social matching systems in online learning.