Through 5 practical steps, Dr. Judith Orloff's guide will show you how to recapture, nurture, and affirm your intuitive ability, so that you can utilize it to help heal yourself. In her groundbreaking book, Dr. Orloff leads readers to the heart of a radical revolution in health care: the union of medicine and intuition, of body, mind, and soul. Intuition plays an indispensable role in selfdiagnosis, pain control, immune response, and recovery from acute and chronic illness; it can lead you to breakthroughs in anxiety, panic, depression, and other emotional blockages, even when traditional psychotherapy has failed. Intuition also offers insights into the use of medications and the selection of the right healer for your needs. Further, it is integral for sexual healing, since sexuality is a potent connector and energy source for clarifying spirituality and improving vitality. With Dr. Orloff's five practical steps, you'll learn to clarify your beliefs, listen to your body's messages, access inner guidance, sense subtle energy, and interpret your dreams. Practicing the steps, you'll recognize early warning signals and act on them to help prevent illness. You'll have skills to uncover important information from meditation and remote viewing (a way of intuitively tuning in) to make sense of confusing signals. The insights you'll gain from these tools will lend reason, compassion, and meaning to events such as illness, loss, or despair. Following Dr. Orloff's simple, clear instructions, illustrated with examples from her own experience and psychiatric practice, you'll recapture a sense of vision that will bring vibrance to all that you do. "Our intuition can open us up to our spirituality and show us how to be more healthy and whole," writes Dr. Orloff. "If you're in good health, you'll want to know about intuition because it can help you stay well and recognize messages that prevent illness. If you or your loved ones need healing, you'll also want intuition to show the way." Written with abundant warmth, humor, and compassion, this guide is your companion to a healthier, more fulfilling life.


The problem of optimization of multilevel combinational logic to achieve low power dissipation as well as low area is considered wherein it is assumed that static CMOS gates are used. Given a multilevel Boolean network as a collection of functions, the system determines a new function at a time, adds it to the collection and expresses the existing functions in terms of it. In selecting the new function the effect on power dissipation as well as area are considered. The authors describe an efficient implementation of a general algorithm to compute expected number of transitions per unit time at circuit nodes. These numbers are in turn used to compute power dissipation. A prototype multilevel logic optimization system has been implemented. Results are given for a selection of benchmark examples.<<ETX>>


Book synopsis: This book critically examines the effects of language specificity on phonological acquisition and disorder through a collection of empirical studies of children learning typologically very different languages. The studies address many theoretical, clinical and methodological issues, such as: What role do developmental universals and the ambient language play in language acquisition? How should one account for the similarities and differences in the phonological development between normally and atypically developing children, between monolingual and bilingual children, and between bilingual children sharing one language? What implications do these similarities and differences have for clinical assessment and diagnosis? The book provides much-needed baseline information for clinical assessment and diagnosis.


Mobile robots are well suited for environmental surveys because they can travel to any area of interest and react to observations without the need for pre-existing infrastructure or significant setup time. However, vehicle motion constraints limit where and when measurements occur. This is challenging for a single vehicle observing a time-varying phenomenon, such as coastal waves, but the ability to generate a spatiotemporal map would have immediate scientific and engineering applications. In this paper, an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) was used to measure waves on the coast of Lake Ontario, Canada. Data were collected from a low-cost inertial measurement system onboard the USV and processed in an offline Gaussian process regression (GPR) workflow to create a spatiotemporal wave model. Frequency analysis of raw sensor data was used to best select and design kernel functions, and to initialize hyperparameters. The relative speed of the waves limited the ability to make complete wave reconstructions, but GPR captured the dominant periodic components of the waves despite irregularities in the signals. After optimization, the hyperparameters indicate a dominant signal with a wave period of 0.87 $\mathbf{s}$, which concurs with ground truth estimates.


ABSTRACT Candida lusitaniae is an emerging human pathogen that, unlike other fungal pathogens, frequently develops resistance to the commonly used antifungal agent amphotericin B. Amphotericin B is a member of the polyene class of antifungal drugs, which impair fungal cell membrane integrity. Here we analyzed mechanisms contributing to amphotericin B resistance in C. lusitaniae. Sensitivity to polyenes in the related fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans requires the ergosterol biosynthetic gene ERG6. In an effort to understand the mechanisms contributing to amphotericin B resistance in C. lusitaniae, we isolated the ERG6 gene and created a C. lusitaniae erg6Δ strain. This mutant strain exhibited a growth defect, was resistant to amphotericin B, and was hypersensitive to other sterol inhibitors. Based on the similarities between the phenotypes of the erg6Δ mutant and clinical isolates of C. lusitaniae resistant to amphotericin B, we analyzed ERG6 expression levels and ergosterol content in multiple clinical isolates. C. lusitaniae amphotericin B-resistant isolates were found to have increased levels of ERG6 transcript as well as reduced ergosterol content. These changes suggest that another gene in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway could be mutated or misregulated. Further transcript analysis showed that expression of the ERG3 gene, which encodes C-5 sterol desaturase, was reduced in two amphotericin B-resistant isolates. Our findings reveal that mutation or altered expression of ergosterol biosynthetic genes can result in resistance to amphotericin B in C. lusitaniae.


OBJECTIVES
Patients with clinically evident autoimmune disease are at increased risk for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Markers of serological autoimmunity such as anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) are found in approximately 25% of the general population. Yet, the vast majority will not develop clinical autoimmune disease. Serological autoimmunity is a risk factor for CVD death in individuals without autoimmune disease; however, the mechanisms mediating this excess CVD risk have not been elucidated.

METHODS
We examined associations of ANA with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, inflammatory mediators, and vascular biomarkers in the Dallas Heart Study - a large, representative multiethnic population-based cohort. Plasma ANA were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 3,488 Dallas Heart Study participants aged 30 to 65 years who do not have known rheumatologic disease. Associations of ANA with demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, and biomarkers were assessed using univariable and multivariable linear regression.

RESULTS
Factors independently associated with higher ANA include female sex, African-American race/ethnicity, soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble CD40 ligand, chemokine CXCL-2, and Cystatin C (p<0.05 for each). ANA was not associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, coronary artery calcium scores, or aortic wall thickness.

CONCLUSION
ANA are associated with inflammatory mediators and biomarkers of vascular activation, but not with traditional cardiovascular risk factors in a multiethnic population-based cohort. These findings suggest that the cardiovascular risk associated with ANA may involve pathways distinct from traditional risk factors and include dysregulation of endothelial cells and the immune system.


: The inhibiting effects of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and its 4-substituted derivatives in reactions of linoleyl acid or linoleyl alcohol oxidation catalyzed by potato tuber 5-lipoxygenase were investigated. Inhibiting properties of stable nitroxyl radicals in presence of lubrol and SDS were reduced at the transition from TEMPO to 4-hydroxy-TEMPO or 4-amino-TEMPO and increased at use of adamantane-1-carboxylic or 3-methyladamantane-1-carboxylic acid 1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-4-yl esters. Enzyme activity at saturating concentrations of inhibitor was not suppressed completely, and decreased up to the certain level determined by the substrate nature. The dependence of partial inhibition efficiency on rotational correlation time of stable nitroxides in model micellar systems were analysed. It was supposed that 5-lipoxygenase inhibition includes the interaction of hydrophobic nitroxide with radical intermediate formed in enzymatic process.


This study aimed to evaluate a gas-liquid membrane contactor for recovering the dissolved gases of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from model aqueous anaerobic effluents. For this purpose, synthetic effluents were prepared by using the gas mixtures of SE-1: 100/0, SE-2: 0/100 and SE-3: 50/50 CH4/CO2 vol.% as well as DI water. The units in which the synthetic effluent was prepared were coupled with a dense hollow fiber membrane module by employing argon gas at atmospheric pressure. The desorption of the gases CH4 and CO2 dissolved in the effluents was investigated with a countercurrent flow of the liquid on the lumen side. The effect of the sweep gas flow rate on the removal rate was also investigated. The results showed that the recovery rate of CH4 was slightly affected by increasing the sweep gas flow rate, while the recovery rate of CO2 was enhanced considerably. By applying a sweep gas flow rate of 20 mL/min, the recovery rate of both gases from SE-3 exceeded 50%.


Fashion psychology is an emerging discipline, recognising the potential of clothing to enhance well-being in an era when mental health issues are increasing in the Western world. Well-being is important to the individual and on a wider societal level, with the Office for National Statistics monitoring the well-being of UK inhabitants and the World Health Organisation stating that depression will be the most common health issue in the world by 2030. As comfort is a key aspect of well-being, this study explores meanings associated with comfort and discomfort in everyday, non-elite clothing. Comfort in clothing can by physical, physiological and psychological, and the psychological comfort gained from clothing is identified in literature as under-researched. Psychological theory was explored, revealing individuals perform multiple identities, dependent on the reaction of others and filtered by previous, lived experience. Fashion was found to be a recognized method of communicating identity in the social space and research suggests the physical response to psychological constructs or meanings associated with certain garments can be used to change or enhance mood. As psychological comfort can only be measured subjectively, this study employed an interpretive paradigm and qualitative methodology. In keeping with fashion's location within visual culture, participant-produced visuals, described as a form of photo elicitation were collected, accompanied by short narratives. Fashion Management students, as a key informant sample, were briefed to create photographic fashion images styled on a 'Comfort in Clothing' or 'Discomfort: Fashion Victim' theme, accompanied by 100-word narratives, providing rich data. The study was longitudinal, over a three-year period, to negate the influence of short-term fashion trends and groupthink. Multimodal textual analysis was used to explore comfort and discomfort associated with clothing and fashion in the participant-styled images and narratives. Four identities emerged; the private self, the unrestricted self, the body-conscious self and the confident self.


The article presents the EU legislative procedure and decision-making processes with a special emphasis on decisions regarding energy policy. It has been pointed out that most of the energy related legal acts, including the renewable energy directive and those aimed at the gradual reduction of emissions of harmful substances, are adopted according to the ordinary legislative procedure. However, special legislative procedures apply in the case of international agreements between the European Union and third countries. The trilogues, i.e. meetings of the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council, aimed at reaching a common position before the first reading in the EP, are of great importance in decision making. The article also discusses the problem of energy policy and its impact on the environment, recalling the relevant articles of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union. The most important paths of influence of the Member States on new legal acts in the context of energy policy have also been shown. This is an extremely important issue from the investors' point of view, since projects related to the energy industry have a very long payback period, so the stability and predictability of the Community's energy policy is of paramount importance to them. The possibilities of shaping new laws related to energy at the stage of preparing a regulation are discussed later in the article. The work of parliamentary committees, especially those related to energy, i.e. the ITRE (The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy) Committee and ENVI (The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety) has also been discussed. In addition, the article


Cell to cell communication is critical for the survival of an organism. Cells can communicate through a process called signal transduction pathway. When sending a signal, different molecules, such as hormones, can bind to a receptor on or inside the cell membrane, leading to chemical reactions in the cell ultimately reaching the target. Cells use a second messenger to transmit these messages. This article will be discussing the different types of receptors, focusing specifically on dopamine receptors, the different types of dopamine receptors, and what function each receptor has. The article will also go into different illnesses and medications that target these receptors. The dopamine receptors affect many various functions, ranging from hypertension and hormonal regulation to voluntary movement and reward.


This paper reports on a large scale study of pitch range variation across speakers. The experiment examined the relation between a model of pitch range based on pitch level and pitch span with the perception of speaker characteristics. The key to our measure of range is that it is based on clearly defined linguistic targets in speech. These targets included sentence initial peaks, accent peaks, post-accent valleys and sentence final lows. Our data are based on the ratings of 48 listeners judging 32 speakers of British English. The results show that a pitch range model based on linguistic dimensions of variation better captures variation in listeners' judgements than the well established measures based on speakers' long term distributional properties of f0, such as 2sds mean, 95th-5th percentile and 90th-10th percentile.


Medication with sunflower seed oil can clearly be expected to increase the plasma linoleate. The macrophage electrophoretic mobility test is unlikely to give a high degree of inhibition by linoleic acid if the macrophages have been taken from blood which is rich in linoleic acid itself. Perhaps the only way to resolve the issue would be to relate electrophoretic mobility to plasma linoleate content.-We are, etc.,


The polyamine content of the circulating erythrocyte population in the embryonic chick was studied during its development. Total cellular polyamine content fell dramatically between 5 and 7 days of development, paralleling the decrease in metabolic activity exhibited by these cells. Nuclei were isolated from the erythrocytes by a non-aqueous technique, which not only eliminated the polyamine loss that occurred with aqueous isolation, but also prevented redistribution of the polyamines from the cytoplasm. Nuclear spermidine and spermine contents decreased markedly between 5 and 6 days of development from 31 to 10 pmol/microgram of DNA and from 33 to 18 pmol/microgram of DNA respectively. Thereafter the spermine content remained constant, but the spermidine content continued to decline. Good correlations between spermidine and RNA contents were observed in both cells and nuclei, and similarly between spermine and RNA contents in cells, but no such correlation was observed between spermine and RNA in nuclei.


This report is one of a series issued in cooperation with the ANC-17 panel on plastics for aircraft of the departments of the Air Force, Navy, and Commerce.


The finite element method is adopted to analyze the pre-loaded cylindrical roller bearings according to the theory of contact mechanics. The effects of hollow ratio on the radial stiffness of bearings, the maximum contact stress of rollers, and the maximum radial load of bearing are analyzed. The analysis results show that the smaller the hollowness is, the larger the radial stiffness of pre-loaded cylindrical roller bearings, the maximum contact stress of the rollers, and the maximum radial load of the bearing would be. Under different magnitude loads, the reasonable combination of interference magnitude with the hollowness can not only increase the stiffness of roller bearings, but also decrease the maximum stress of rollers, which provides a reference for the design and manufacture of pre-loaded cylindrical roller bearings.


Drawing on original, ethnographic research in India and the UK, in this article we discuss the impact of transnational activity on the Doaba region of East Punjab, India. We argue that some recent studies have underplayed some of the less progressive consequences of Indian transnationalism. In particular, we contend that they have underestimated the extent of division between transnational migrants and Indian non-migrants and downplayed the relationship between transnationalism and caste inequality. This empirical study of transnationalism, when placed in the context of the dynamic caste relations of East Punjab, supports those who contend that access to international migration is becoming an increasingly significant component of contemporary global social stratification, with the 'broad' transnational processes of capitalist globalization driving the 'narrow' transnationalism studied here. In this article, we question any straightforwardly progressive relationship between transnationalism and 'development' within East Punjab, and suggest that the arguments presented have a resonance beyond northwest India.


Atmospheric turbulence and atmospheric diffusion on atmospheric environment impact assessment have influence on the job. Only use existing theoretical model to the actual situation and formulation. Therefore, the prediction practical results were biggish error. Starting from the model, this paper discusses related by complex pollutant in topographic influence, atmospheric diffusion regularity in. Through the contrast analysis of 1993 technical guideline and 2008 edition of atmospheric air, in technical guideline for atmospheric diffusion parameters, stability, principle and model, building under complicated topography and the processing, 2008 edition of atmospheric technical guideline of 1993 than the technical guideline for air superiority, advanced. While the future of atmospheric environmental impact assessment work will play a positive role in promoting.


In modern day society, many elderly people now live independently in the community, whether it is in their own homes or in sheltered accomodation. They may live apart from their families or carers, perhaps in a different country, county or just 20 minutes away in the same city. This separation can lead to the elderly themselves to feel vulnerable and unsafe and the families to feel a sense of concern.

The product in this project is called Safe & Sound which is a system for that can ensure the safety of elderly people, by contacting their family members or emergency contacts quickly if a disturbance occurs. Raspberry Pi sensors will detect if movement has occured once the system has been turned on through the Alexa skill command. If movement is detected an Alarm will be sounded through Alexa. If the user is unable to tell Alexa to turn the alarm off, this in turn informs the system that they may be in trouble and their contacts are alerted via their phone.

I hope that this system can give elderly people a sense of safety in their own homes while keeping their independence and also give their families peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are being monitored.


Product line models (PLM) are important artifacts in product line engineering. Due to their size and complexity, it is difficult to detect defects in PLMs. The challenge is however important: any error in a PLM will inevitably impact configuration, generating issues such as incorrect product models, inconsistent architectures, poor reuse, difficulty to customize products, etc. Surveys on feature-based PLM verification approaches show that there are many verification criteria, that these criteria are defined in different ways, and that different ways of working are proposed to look for defect. The goal of this paper is to systematize PLM verification. Based on our literature review, we propose a list of 23 verification criteria that we think cover those available in the literature.


Due to the ultrafine grains (or domains or particles) and a high density of grain boundaries (or generally interfaces) in nanostructured materials, many properties and performance of the materials are expected to be significantly varied with respect to their coarse-grained counterparts. Extensive investigations over the past decays indicated that the nanostructured metals do possess some novel properties that may find technological applications in industry. In this talk, a brief survey of current status of investigations on properties of nanostructured metals will be summarized with emphasis on the following properties.


Do independent directors add value to emerging market firms? Using a natural experiment that provides exogenous changes in independent directors together with unique data on all director resignations, we find that the answer to this question is "Yes!" The natural experiment we exploit is provided by the recent Satyam fiasco in India. Following the disclosure of extensive accounting fraud by the promoter family in Satyam, several independent directors resigned from other Indian firms. Since these resignations were motivated by an unexpected shock external to the firm, they were unaffected by firm- and director-specific factors coinciding with the time of the resignation. Using the extraordinarily large number of such resignations in January 2009, we find the four-day cumulative abnormal return surrounding director resignations to be -1.3%. This effect is robust even after controlling for unobserved firm and director characteristics using fixed-effects and is also reflected in ex-post firm performance as measured by Tobin's Q. Consistent with the monitoring role of independent directors, we find that the effect is disproportionately greater for those independent directors that sit on the audit committee and possess business expertise; while the effect of being in the audit committee is greater for smaller firms, the effect of business expertise is felt more in large firms. Finally, the departing independent directors are missed less in family owned firms.


Social skill impairments and executive dysfunctions caused by epilepsy adversely affect the social, psychological, and cognitive wellbeing of children and their families. Studies show that children with epilepsy are exposed to social, emotional, academic, personality, and behavioral problems when compared to healthy peers. This study focused on identifying the gaps between social skills and executive functioning among children with PCDH-19. The researcher relied on the responses from the sampled population to create reliable findings, discussions, conclusions, and recommendations for this project. The study used quantitative design and self-report approach whereby the participants completed survey that was comprised of various rating scales. The study sample consisted of 25 participants. Results demonstrated a close correlation between social skills and executive functions among the children with PCDH-19 epilepsy. SSIS assessment indicated that children exhibited problems in social skills, academic competence, and behaviors. BRIEF2 rating showed planning, attention, problem-solving, cognitive and emotional problems. The findings exhibited that the significant challenges encountered by girls with PCDH-19 include low levels of social competence which affect decision making in friendships, communicating, and interaction.


While high resolution images contain semantically more useful information than their lower resolution counterparts, processing them is computationally more expensive, and in some applications, e.g. remote sensing, they can be much more expensive to acquire. For these reasons, it is desirable to develop an automatic method to selectively use high resolution data when necessary while maintaining accuracy and reducing acquisition/run-time cost. In this direction, we propose PatchDrop a reinforcement learning approach to dynamically identify when and where to use/acquire high resolution data conditioned on the paired, cheap, low resolution images. We conduct experiments on CIFAR10, CIFAR100, ImageNet and fMoW datasets where we use significantly less high resolution data while maintaining similar accuracy to models which use full high resolution images.


The articles in this special issue report on up-to-date advances in the broad area of information processing over graphs. Due to the highly cross-disciplinary nature of complex networks, the technical articles in this April 2013 issue of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing are coupled with valuable tutorial articles that appear in a second special issue, organized by the same Guest Editors, and which is published as the May 2013 issue of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine. The survey articles in the magazine are meant to introduce readers to the main tools and concepts, while the more focused technical articles in J-STSP cover state-of-the-art results. Through this combination of tutorial and technical articles in both journals, readers will become better acquainted with the challenges and opportunities that the broader field of network science has to offer across the domains of information sciences, system science, computer science, social sciences,machine learning, and optimization theory. Complex networks represent a typical paradigm that helps demonstrate well how barriers among seemingly different disciplines are becoming more transparent.


Seed vigor in sweet corn (Zea mays L.) was compared among cultivars with the triple recessive endosperm mutant gene combination amylose-extender (ae), dull (du) and waxy (wx), the shrunken-2 (sh2) gene, their sugary (su) counterparts and an open-pollinated cultivar of normal genotype. Dry weight was significantly lower for F2 kernels of the high-sugar genotypes ae du wx and sh2 than for their su counterparts or the normal cultivar. The endosperm:embryo dry weight ratio was also low in the high-sugar lines due primarily to their small endosperm. Seedling dry weight at 10 days was correlated with endosperm:embryo ratio. Comparisons were made among the cultivars for shoot, radicle, and seminal lateral root growth from intact seeds and from excised embryos on nutrient agar. The normal genotype showed superior seed vigor when evaluated by seedling growth from intact kernels, but not when embryos were grown on agar, suggesting that vigor in normal was due to large endosperms. Respiration rate (μl O2 uptake/kernel·hr) of the germinating seeds did not account for growth differences among the genotypes. Respiration at 24 hr after imbibition was negatively correlated with seedling dry weight at 10 days. Respiration at 48 and 72 hr showed no significant correlations with growth rates. Low seed vigor in high-sugar genotypes apparently was related to their small endosperms. The genotype of the embryo also was important in seedling vigor, but low vigor in high-sugar cultivars could not be attributed wholly to genetic inferiority of the embryo.


Using the command line interface can be intimidating for novice users. Primarily designed for seasoned users, others who could potentially benefit from using it get stuck in its awkward and unfamiliar interface. The addition of "training wheels" has the potential to help such learners begin to "ride" the command line without "falling off" and getting discouraged. This paper proposes a "training wheels" interface, designed to support novice users in the stepby-step construction of executable commands, and so ease their transition to becoming a seasoned user of the command line. We created a "Command Line Training Wheels" system where the command line is augmented with various GUI features to support novice users. These features helped the user explore the functionality available; reduced memory load by providing visible, clickable options; provided task-relevant documentation at appropriate times; provided feedback during the composition of commands; and prevented some common errors. 22 lowerdivision computer science students were given a number of simple Unix tasks to complete using this system or using a Unix book and the naked command line. Most of the subjects preferred using the system and they tended to learn more when doing so.


The coordinated and efficient distribution of limited resources by individual decisions is a fundamental, unsolved problem. When individuals compete for road capacities, time, space, money, goods, etc., they normally make decisions based on aggregate rather than complete information, such as TV news or stock market indices. In related experiments, we have observed a volatile decision dynamics and far-from-optimal payoff distributions. We have also identified ways of information presentation that can considerably improve the overall performance of the system. In order to determine optimal strategies of decision guidance by means of user-specific recommendations, a stochastic behavioural description is developed. These strategies manage to increase the adaptibility to changing conditions and to reduce the deviation from the time-dependent user equilibrium, thereby enhancing the average and individual payoffs. Hence, our guidance strategies can increase the performance of all users by reducing overreaction and stabilizing the decision dynamics. These results are highly significant for predicting decision behaviour, for reaching optimal behavioural distributions by decision support systems, and for information service providers. One of the promising fields of application is traffic optimization.


In this dissertation, we present four application-driven robotic manipulation tasks that are solved using a combination of feature-based, machine learning, dimensionality reduction, and optimization techniques. First, we study a previously-published image processing algorithm whose goal is to learn how to classify which pixels in an image are considered good or bad grasping points. Exploiting the ideas behind dimensionality reduction in general and principal component analysis in particular, we formulate feature selection and search space reduction hypotheses that provide approaches to reduce the algorithm's computation time by up to 98% while retaining its classification accuracy. Second, we incorporate the image processing technique into a new method that computes valid end-effector orientations for grasping tasks, the combination of which generates a unimanual rigid object grasp planner. Specifically, a fast and accurate three-layered hierarchical supervised machine learning framework is developed, where the robot is kinesthetically taught a set of valid end-effector orientations by a human-in-the-loop. Third, we solve the challenge of bimanual regrasping, where a pick-and-place operation requires an object transfer from one manipulator to another, by casting it as an optimization problem where the objective is to minimize execution time. The optimization problem is supplemented by the image processing and unimanual grasping algorithm that jointly identify two good grasping points on the object and the proper orientations for each end-effector. Fourth, we target deformable objects by solving the problem of using cooperative manipulators to perform towel folding tasks. We solve this problem with a new learning algorithm that combines both imitation and reinforcement learning in such a way that human demonstrations are used to reduce the search space of the reinforcement learning algorithm, resulting in quick convergence and fast learning capabilities. Collectively, the tasks solved in this dissertation establish application-oriented feature-based and machine learning techniques in robotics. Although the tasks are different from each other, ranging from unimanual to bimanual manipulation and handling both rigid and deformable objects, the mathematical frameworks and design principles behind their implementations are similar. In addition to their common use of features, machine learning, and dimensionality reduction, the tasks are commonly designed to be general, efficient, modular, anthropomorphic, and manipulator-, end-effector-, and sensor-independent. These properties not only affect choices made during the algorithms' development but also alleviates the problem of sharing contributions amongst roboticists, each with their own sensors, hardware platforms, and research agendas. With all of these considerations, the algorithms are experimentally validated in offline and online scenarios, respectively consisting of synthetic and real data. The real scenarios are executed on a dual manipulator torso equipped with two Barrett WAM manipulators, two Barrett Hands, and a single stereo camera. Furthermore, the algorithms presented were all successfully executed and validated on the real robot under numerous differing conditions. This essential element of the dissertation bridges the gap between the algorithms' theory and applicability.


There are many questions for which prospective or current engineering and computer science students are seeking or should be seeking answers. These critical questions cover many areas including: why a BS in engineering, why engineering, how is an engineering discipline chosen, how is an undergraduate degree in engineering financed, why pursue an engineering degree at a particular institution, how important is a mentor, how important is research, what important skills are required of an engineer, how important is graduate school, what is an MS thesis, why get a PhD, how is a company started, and what factors should be considered in choosing a job. Each of these areas includes many sub-questions. A list of 136 questions was compiled to begin the project of providing answers to the critical engineering student questions. The answers to these questions will eventually be posted on the website of an engineering transfer student program sponsored by the National Science Foundation under an NSF-STEP grant. Since it will take some time to compile all of these answers, in this paper we sought to identify the most critical questions for these students as the starting point for providing the answers. An assignment relative to these 136 questions was given to the students in two academic success programs. The students were asked to read through the 136 questions and then to select and to rank the top 20 questions critical to them. The rankings of the top twenty questions were then analyzed as a whole to determine the most critical and then by the various populations: by academic standing, by transfer or non-transfer status, by scholarship status, by gender, and by ethnicity. The results of this analysis are presented in the paper. By reviewing the results of this study, educators who are working with engineering students are alerted to these critical questions and can bring up these issues in discussions with their students and help to provide answers. These actions are designed to help retention, to increase the interest of students in engineering, and to have more engineering graduates go on to graduate school. In this paper, the term "engineering" will also include computer science, a major within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.


A generic M-ary continuous phase modulation (CPM) scheme, with a modulation index of h=1/M, can be decomposed into a continuous-phase encoder (CPE) followed by a memoryless modulator (MM), where the CPE is linear over the ring of integers modulo M. By using a channel encoder (CE), which is a convolutional encoder, to operate over the same ring of integers modulo M, the CE and the CPE can be combined to create another convolutional encoder called an extended CE, so called, as the CPE is now an extension of the CE. A 1/2 rate CE over the ring of integers modulo 4 is combined with the CPE of a quaternary CPM scheme whose modulation index h= 1/4 . Using this trellis coded modulation design, the paper compares the performance of soft and hard decision decoding of a serially concatenated channel coded system, where the inner encoder is the quaternary extended CE and the outer encoder is another quaternary convolutional encoder. Although simulations show the superiority of soft decision decoding, good results were obtainable from hard decision decoding.


The lysis of infected cells by disease-causing microorganisms is an efficient but risky strategy for disseminated infection, as it exposes the pathogen to the full repertoire of the host's immune system. Cryptococcus neoformans is a widespread fungal pathogen that causes a fatal meningitis in HIV and other immunocompromised patients. Following intracellular growth, cryptococci are able to escape their host cells by a non-lytic expulsive mechanism that may contribute to the invasion of the central nervous system. Non-lytic escape is also exhibited by some bacterial pathogens and is likely to facilitate long-term avoidance of the host immune system during latency. Here we show that phagosomes containing intracellular cryptococci undergo repeated cycles of actin polymerisation. These actin 'flashes' occur in both murine and human macrophages and are dependent on classical WASP-Arp2/3 complex mediated actin filament nucleation. Three dimensional confocal imaging time lapse revealed that such flashes are highly dynamic actin cages that form around the phagosome. Using fluorescent dextran as a phagosome membrane integrity probe, we find that the non-lytic expulsion of Cryptococcus occurs through fusion of the phagosome and plasma membranes and that, prior to expulsion, 95% of phagosomes become permeabilised, an event that is immediately followed by an actin flash. By using pharmacological agents to modulate both actin dynamics and upstream signalling events, we show that flash occurrence is inversely related to cryptococcal expulsion, suggesting that flashes may act to temporarily inhibit expulsion from infected phagocytes. In conclusion, our data reveal the existence of a novel actin-dependent process on phagosomes containing cryptococci that acts as a potential block to expulsion of Cryptococcus and may have significant implications for the dissemination of, and CNS invasion by, this organism.


Most in vivo models of ischaemic stroke target the middle cerebral artery and a spectrum of stroke severities, from mild to substantial, can be achieved. This review describes opportunities to improve the in vivo modelling of ischaemic stroke and animal welfare. It provides a number of recommendations to minimise the level of severity in the most common rodent models of middle cerebral artery occlusion, while sustaining or improving the scientific outcomes. The recommendations cover basic requirements pre-surgery, selecting the most appropriate anaesthetic and analgesic regimen, as well as intraoperative and post-operative care. The aim is to provide support for researchers and animal care staff to refine their procedures and practices, and implement small incremental changes to improve the welfare of the animals used and to answer the scientific question under investigation. All recommendations are recapitulated in a summary poster (see supplementary information).


The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has accumulated a total of 318 billion cosmic-ray induced muon events between May 2009 and May 2015. This data set was used for a detailed analysis of the sidereal cosmic-ray arrival direction anisotropy in the TeV to PeV energy range. The observed global sidereal anisotropy features large regions of relative excess and deficit, with amplitudes on the order of 10−3 up to about 100 TeV. A decomposition of the arrival direction distribution into spherical harmonics shows that most of the power is contained in the low-multipole (` ≤ 4) moments. However, higher multipole components are found to be statistically significant down to an angular scale of less than 10◦, approaching the angular resolution of the detector. Above 100 TeV, a change in the morphology of the arrival direction distribution is observed, and the anisotropy is characterized by a wide relative deficit whose amplitude increases with primary energy up to at least 5 PeV, the highest energies currently accessible to IceCube. No time dependence of the largeand small-scale structures is observed in the six-year period covered by this analysis. The high-statistics data set reveals more details on the properties of the anisotropy and is potentially able to shed light on the various physical processes that are responsible for the complex angular structure and energy evolution. ar X iv :1 60 3. 01 22 7v 2 [ as tr oph .H E ] 2 J un 2 01 6 2 M. G. Aartsen et al.


In this paper, we develop a modified version of explicit scheme based on finite difference method for the one-dimensional parabolic partial differential equations with nonlocal time weighting initial conditions. The dominancy of the Saulyev's schemes based on finite difference, over the previous explicit FTCS, Duke-Frankel, as well as implicit BTCS, Crandal's technique and Crank Nicholson's scheme has already been established, which proved to be unconditionally stable, use less CPU time and computational effort. However, in this paper a modification of Saulyev's first kind formula is developed. Main focus was to reduce error of the Saulyev's formula using proposed method. The comparison has been carried out between both methods to observe errors in different conditions and step sizes. The new modified scheme is proved to be satisfactory and unconditionally stable.


Objective: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of malignant clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by bone marrow failure, ineffective hematopoiesis, peripheral blood cytopenias, atypic cytological profile, increased apoptosis, and increased likelihood of evolution to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Cytogenetic findings are major determinants in the diagnosis, classification, pathogenesis, prognosis, and treatment in patients with MDS. Cytogenetic analysis is a mandatory step in the full evaluation of a newly diagnosed patient. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate the cytogenetic findings of 221 MDS patients in Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Medical Biology and Genetics Department. Material and Methods: Cytogenetic analyses of 221 patients (89 female, 132 male) were performed on bone marrow cells using a trypsin-Giemsa banding technique. Metaphase cells were obtained from short- term unstimulated cultures. When possible, at least 20 metaphases were analyzed and 10 of them were fully karyotyped. Results: Among the 221 patients, 122 had no karyotype anomalies (55.20%) and 99 (44.80%) had clonal cytogenetic abnormalities; with 46 (20.81%) having one, 19 (8.59%) having two and 34 (15.38%) having complex (≥3) abnormalities. According to the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) cytogenetic categories, 130 (58.82%) patients presented with a good karyotype, 54 (24.44%) patients with intermediate karyotype and 37 (16.74%) patients with poor karyotype. Conclusion: Although some cases appear to have a normal karyotype, the technical failures such as inability to obtain sufficient analyzable metaphases may reduce the actual proportion of abnormal cases. The examination of 20 or more metaphases could further increase the sensitivity of cytogenetic analyses with clinical impact in individual cases by identifying additional abnormal clones or subclones. a


Abstract Sites of past human activity were investigated to assess the visual recovery of the desert pavement following impacts from human trampling and vehicle traffic. Visually disturbed and nearby control sites were assessed using comparative photographic records, a field-based Visual Site Assessment, and Desert Pavement Recovery Assessment. Sites included: vehicle and walking tracks at Marble Point and Taylor Valley; a campsite, experimental treading trial site, and vehicle tracks in Wright Valley; and vehicle and walking tracks at Cape Roberts. The time since last disturbance ranged from three months to over 50 years. This investigation also attempted to determine what has the greatest lasting visual impact on soil surfaces in the Ross Sea region: dispersed trafficking or track formation? Walking tracks remained visible in the landscape (due to larger clasts concentrating along track margins) long after the desert pavement surface had recovered. However, randomly dispersed footprints were undetectable within five years. For many sites, allowing widespread trampling will give lower medium-term visible impact than concentrating traffic flow by track formation. For steep slopes and sites where repeated visits occur, use of a single track is recommended. Some 1950s vehicle tracks remain visible in the Antarctic landscape, but where visually obvious impacts were remediated, evidence of former occupation was almost undetectable.


This study describes the use of a Direct Search (DS) meta-heuristic algorithm for solving the toll design problem, in terms of finding the optimum toll level, in private roads. The problem is formulated as a nonconvex, bilevel nonlinear mathematical program which seeks to maximize toll revenues while taking into account the travel responses of network users, through a multi-class stochastic user equilibrium traffic assignment model with elastic demand. The algorithm is implemented onto a real-life urban subnetwork which includes a private highway. The results show the ability of the DS algorithm to relatively quickly find an optimal solution and signify its potential to provide a competitive alternative to the currently used genetic algorithm (GA) approach for solving such types of nonconvex bilevel programs in the sector of road transport services.


Based on the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) approach, this paper presents a decomposition analysis of China's energy-related industrial CO 2 emissions from 1985 to 2007, as well as a comparative analysis of differential influences of various factors on six sectors. Via the decomposition, five categories of influencing factors are included: (1) Per capita GDP ( PCG ) was the largest positive driving factor for industrial CO 2 emissions growth for all sectors in China, with the largest cumulative contribution value; Population ( P ), economic structure ( YS ) and energy structure ( ES ) also played a positive driving role, but with weak contributions. As the only negative inhibiting factor, energy intensity ( EI ) significantly reduced the energy-related CO 2 emissions from industrial sectors. Meanwhile, CO 2 emissions reduction based on the efficiency of energy use still held a large space. (2) Various influencing factors imposed differential impacts on CO 2 emissions of six sectors.


Many young refugees face significant difficulties in securing support from social services providers. This study invited 21 young refugees aged 16 to 21 to take part in focus groups and follow-up interviews about their experiences of accessing this support. The findings reveal that young refugees may deliberately conform to expectations about their vulnerability in order to benefit from greater support from service providers. Social workers may fail to consider young refugees' abilities and understand the ways in which each individual is vulnerable. The study suggests that group work may be an effective way to engage young refugees to overcome this.


The global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in poultry, wild birds and humans, poses a significant panzootic threat and a serious public health risk. An efficient surveillance and disease control system requires a deep understanding of their spread mechanisms, including environmental factors responsible for the outbreak of the disease. Previous studies suggested that H5N1 viruses occurred under specific environmental circumstances in Asia and Africa. These studies were mainly derived from poultry outbreaks. In Europe, a large number of wild bird outbreaks were reported in west Europe with few or no poultry infections nearby. This distinct outbreak pattern in relation to environmental characteristics, however, has not yet been explored. This research demonstrated the use of logistic regression analyses to examine quantitative associations between anthropogenic and physical environmental factors, and the wild bird H5N1outbreaks in Europe. A geographic information system is used to visualize and analyze the data. Our results indicate that the H5N1 outbreaks occur in wild birds in Europe under predictable environmental conditions, which are highly correlated with increased NDVI in December, decreased aspect and slope, increased minimum temperature in October and decreased precipitation in January. It suggests that H5N1 outbreaks in wild birds are strongly influenced by food resource availability and facilitated by the increased temperature and the decreased precipitation. We therefore deduce that the H5N1 outbreaks in wild birds in Europe may be mainly caused by contact with wild birds. These findings are of great importance for global surveillance of H5N1 outbreaks in wild birds.


We found that the bacteriorhodopsin (bR) film has a special property of complementary suppression modulated transmission (CSMT). The yellow and the blue beams can be suppressed mutually when both the beams illuminate the bR film simultaneously. When the blue beam carrying an image with a bright-background noise illuminates on the bR film and then a yellow beam with uniform intensity distribution illuminates the same area, the bright-background can be removed due to the CSMT. In our demonstration, the pattern model is letters ``VLSI'' with ground noise of small words and the ground noise is removed from the pattern by the new optical filter.


T cell epitopes of the 65-kDa heat shock protein (HSP) were mapped in patients with Behçet's disease (BD), by stimulating T cells with the overlapping synthetic peptides derived from the sequences of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis 65-kDa HSP. Significant lymphoproliferative responses were stimulated with four HSP peptides in BD, as compared with the related disease (recurrent oral ulcers), unrelated disease, and healthy controls (p < 0.05 to 0.005). In order to assess the relative frequency of sensitized lymphocytes by these peptides, 7353 short term cell lines were generated from the lymphocytes of patients and controls. Peptides 111-125, 154-172, and 311-325 (p < 0.001) and peptide 219-233 (p < 0.02) yielded significantly greater frequency of STCL in BD than in healthy and disease controls. All but peptide 154-172 stimulated only the CD4+ subset of T cells, although there was no evidence that reactivity to the selected peptides is restricted by DR2 to DR7 Ag. HLA-B51 is significantly associated with BD, but there was no evidence that B51 was a restricting element, when B51+ patients were compared with B51- patients with BD, and with B51+ healthy control subjects. A comparative investigation was then carried out between the corresponding mycobacterial and human HSP peptides. Similar or higher lympho-proliferative responses were stimulated by the human peptides compared with the mycobacterial peptides. These results suggest that the four peptide determinants within the 65-kDa HSP might be involved in the pathogenesis of BD. Whereas the high microbial load and associated stress proteins found in oral ulceration of BD may initiate an immune response to these conserved epitopes, expression of autoreactive T cell clones might be stimulated by immunodominant T cell epitopes of endogenous HSP which may induce immunopathologic changes.


:  Existing literature has noted how a disproportionate percentage of Filipina women are employed in personal care and service positions, especially within caregiving positions (Ezquerra, 2007). Their relative invisibility and lack of access to adequate economic and labor protections potentially feeds into a black market of caregiving positions (Ezquerra, 2007). Due to their precarious status, these women are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and various types of harassment. While globalization certainly plays a role in Filipina women's participation within this labor sector, this study explores the concept that colonial gender hierarchies are being reinforced through Philippine media, thus affecting how Filipina caregivers perceive their identities and their position in the caregiving work sector. Filipina women's contributions to the economy of the Philippines is substantial given current remittances rates. In popular media representations, the recurring image of the maternal OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) portrayed in TV campaigns and advertisements is testament to Filipina workers' contributions. In this essay, I argue that these depictions may be amplified by a historical colonial mentality that has idealized life abroad, and simultaneously, idealized the role of caregivers. For this study, I conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with eight current or former Filipina caregivers born in the Philippines to examine to what extent colonial mindframes inform Filipina caregivers' identity formation in the United States. Results from this qualitative study suggest that participants derive empowerment from their work and familial duties, which reframe capitalistic ideas of caregiving. Drawing from Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales' concept of Pinayism, I suggest the importance of amplifying how Filipina caregivers account for experiences of newfound agency and independence within their context in the United States, regardless of the nature of their work. The gender disparity among Filipino migrants is rooted in the demand for labor in the reproductive labor sector, which includes housekeepers and caregivers. While these


OBJECTIVE
To critically review and evaluate the proposed mechanisms and documented results of the therapeutics currently in active clinical drug trials for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss.

DATA SOURCES
US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Trials registry, MEDLINE/PubMed.

STUDY SELECTION & DATA EXTRACTION
A review of the NIH Clinical Trials registry identified candidate hearing loss therapies, and supporting publications were acquired from MEDLINE/PubMed. Proof-of-concept, therapeutic mechanisms, and clinical outcomes were critically appraised.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Twenty-two active clinical drug trials registered in the United States were identified, and six potentially therapeutic molecules were reviewed. Of the six molecules reviewed, four comprised mechanisms pertaining to mitigating oxidative stress pathways that presumably lead to inner ear cell death. One remaining therapy sought to manipulate the cell death cascade, and the last remaining therapy was a novel cell replacement therapy approach to introduce a transcription factor that promotes hair cell regeneration.

CONCLUSION
A common theme in recent clinical trials registered in the United States appears to be the targeting of cell death pathways and influence of oxidant stressors on cochlear sensory neuroepithelium. In addition, a virus-delivered cell replacement therapy would be the first of its kind should it prove safe and efficacious. Significant challenges for bringing these bench-to-bedside therapies to market remain. It is never assured that results in non-human animal models translate to effective therapies in the setting of human biology. Moreover, as additional processes are described in association with hearing loss, such as an immune response and loss of synaptic contacts, additional pathways for targeting become available.


Patchy Polar Cap Patches of enhanced density plasma in the polar ionosphere (or polar cap patches) disturb radio communications and satellite positioning at high latitudes during magnetospheric storms. Using data from Global Positioning System satellites and a high-frequency radar network, Q.-H. Zhang et al. (p. 1597) analyzed a magnetospheric storm driven by a strong coronal mass ejection from the Sun and followed the evolution and motion of a patch of ionization throughout the polar cap. The localized dayside flow response to the solar disturbance allowed a patch to be stored and grow in the dayside polar cap, and the gaps between patches were controlled by the onset of magnetic reconnection in the magnetosphere's tail. Observations of ionospheric perturbations after a solar burst hit Earth show how a patch of ionization formed and evolved. Patches of ionization are common in the polar ionosphere, where their motion and associated density gradients give variable disturbances to high-frequency (HF) radio communications, over-the-horizon radar location errors, and disruption and errors to satellite navigation and communication. Their formation and evolution are poorly understood, particularly under disturbed space weather conditions. We report direct observations of the full evolution of patches during a geomagnetic storm, including formation, polar cap entry, transpolar evolution, polar cap exit, and sunward return flow. Our observations show that modulation of nightside reconnection in the substorm cycle of the magnetosphere helps form the gaps between patches where steady convection would give a "tongue" of ionization (TOI).


Abstract Field experiments were conducted in 1999 and 2000 to determine if (1) seed predation of redroot pigweed plants occurred in agricultural fields, (2) corn-cropping patterns could be manipulated to influence the quantity of weed seed predation, and (3) alterations in corn canopies affected the microenvironment, possibly influencing predator populations. Corn was planted in standard (75 cm) or narrow (37.5 cm) rows with corn population densities ranging from low to very high (2.5 to 10 plants m−2). The extent of seed predation occurring on terminal weed inflorescences in the treatments was evaluated. Predation levels of redroot pigweed were highly variable spatially and temporally. Coleophora lineapulvella Chambers (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae) was the dominant predator of redroot pigweed seed. Seed predation was higher in 2000 than in 1999 (P < 0.05). On average, C. lineapulvella larvae attacked 11% of the inflorescences in 2000 and 3% of inflorescences in 1999. The proportion of damaged seeds per attacked inflorescence was as high as 93% in 2000 but only 42% in 1999. Row spacing and corn density did not affect levels of weed seed predation (P > 0.05). But canopies of closely spaced corn increased shading to redroot pigweed plants growing below the canopy, consequently decreasing total weed biomass and seed production. Nomenclature: Coleophora lineapulvella Chambers; corn, Zea mays L. 'Pride X2650 LL'; redroot pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus L. AMARE.


Background: The effort to explore antimicrobial agents isolated from an endophytic fungus of Coleus amboinicus resulted in the finding of a potential aromatic compound having methoxy, hydroxyl, and methyl groups produced by Athelia rolfsii. This compound exhibited antibacterial activities with IC50 values of <2 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus mutans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study was aimed to determine the effect of varying fermentation conditions (types of media, carbon sources, nitrogen sources, temperature, and pH) on biomass, total metabolites, and bioactive compound production. Materials and Methods: The fungal cultures were subjected to various treatment conditions and incubated for 12 days at 25°C 160 rpm followed by analyzing the biomass, metabolite, and bioactive compound production. Results and Conclusion: The study found that although the maximum total metabolite production was achieved in the Tryptic Soy Broth medium, both biomass and bioactive compound production accumulated at the highest amount in Potato Dextrose Broth and Sabouraud Dextrose Broth media. Adding 1% of different types of carbon sources did not significantly enhance biomass, total metabolite, and bioactive compound production. Three types of organic nitrogen sources used in this study did not significantly affect biomass and total metabolite production, but adding peptone produced the highest amount of bioactive compound. Supplementing inorganic source of nitrogen to the culture medium decreased the production. While pH 5.5 was found to be the optimum condition for total metabolite production, pH 6–7 resulted in higher productivity of the bioactive compound. The total metabolite production was best produced at 25°C, whereas higher temperatures were needed to get optimum bioactive and biomass production. This study found that the total metabolite production was 7.8 times higher when the culture was grown in PDB medium supplemented with 1% sucrose and 1% peptone and incubated at 27°C at pH 6.5; whereas a 15% increase was observed in the bioactive compound production.


This cost-effective textbook/workbook/handbook presents a streamlined, no-nonsense approach to business communication that includes comprehensive Web resources and unparalleled author support for instructors and students. ESSENTIALS provides a three-in-one learning package: (1) authoritative text, (2) practical workbook, and (3) self-teaching grammar/mechanics handbook. Especially effective for students with outdated or inadequate language skills, ESSENTIALS offers extraordinary digital and printed exercises to help students build confidence as they review grammar, punctuation, and writing guidelines. Textbook chapters teach basic writing skills and then apply these skills to a variety of e-mails, memos, letters, reports, and resumes. Realistic model documents and structured writing assignments build lasting workplace skills. The Seventh Edition of this award-winning favorite features increased coverage of employment communication, communication technology, and professionalism in the workplace.


This paper proposes a method to estimate the probability density of a variable of interest in the presence of model ambiguity. In thefirst step, each candidate parametric model is estimated minimizing the Kullback-Leibler 'distance' (KLD) from a reference nonparametric density estimate. Given that the KLD represents a measure of uncertainty about the true structure, in the second step, its information content is used to rank and combine the estimated models. The paper shows that the resulting parameters estimator is root-n consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. The KLD between the nonparametric and the parametric density estimates is also shown to be asymptotically normally distributed. This result leads to determine the weights in the model combination, using the distribution function of a Normal centered on the average performance of all plausible models. As such, this combination technique does not require that the true structure belongs to the set of competing models and is computationally simple. I apply the proposed method to estimate the density function of daily stock returns under different phases of the business cycle. The results indicate that the double Gamma distribution is more adequate than the Gaussian distribution in modeling stock returns, and that the models combination outperforms in- and out-of-sample each individual candidate model. I also explore the model's implications for the optimal share to invest in the risky asset.


BACKGROUND
Early detection of decreased kidney function can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure and cardiovascular events. Potentially significant associations between kidney function and periodontal disease have been reported in cross-sectional studies. However, no longitudinal study has been performed and no study has been performed in Japan. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the effect of periodontal disease on kidney function in community-dwelling Japanese elderly.

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective cohort.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS
Members of this cohort were drawn from a longitudinal interdisciplinary study of aging. Included for this analysis were 317 participants (166 men, 151 women) aged 75 years in 2003.

PREDICTOR
The periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA), reflecting the amount of inflamed periodontal tissue, was calculated for each participant. Participants were classified in quartile groups according to PISA, then divided into 2 groups (highest quartile vs the other 3 groups combined).

OUTCOMES
The primary outcome for the analysis was decreased kidney function, defined as a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate at follow-up.

MEASUREMENTS
Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to predict decreased kidney function on the basis of periodontal status, risk factors for kidney disease, and other potentially relevant covariates.

RESULTS
During the 2-year follow-up (2003-2005), 45 participants (14.2%) developed decreased kidney function. The highest PISA quartile was associated significantly with a greater cumulative incidence of decreased kidney function (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.05-4.79) than the referent group (the other 3 quartiles) after adjusting for covariates.

LIMITATIONS
Extension of interpreting the findings to other age groups is limited.

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that periodontal disease may be a risk factor for decreased kidney function in Japanese elderly.


The article seeks to identify the historical roots of food culture in hospital settings. It assumes that diet is not merely the result of technical and scientific concerns but is also historically constructed, created, and recreated in response to economic and sociocultural elements. The study conducted a preliminary survey of university, municipal, and hospital archives in Campinas, Sao Paulo, and included interviews with food service workers at three hospital institutions. Our conclusion is that more value has been placed on initiatives and actions related to technology than on initiatives identified with the domestic world; this may have contributed to a certain tendency for hospitals to neglect the issue of food, deemed of minor importance.


The authors describe the design of ISHYS, an intelligent software hypertext system, and discuss novel applications that such a system can support. In designing ISHYS, they sought to support the software life cycle from a 'web of computing' framework, which necessarily requires the consideration of sociotechnical factors influencing and influenced by the software life cycle. ISHYS supports functionalities that include influencing work interactions on the basis of social interactions and determining tools and their options on the basis of project status information. Implementation of required enhancements to DIF (documents integration facility), the authors' current software hypertext system, has been completed using Prolog, C, and X Windows.<<ETX>>


In the current work, by using various additives, the spray cooling in the transition boiling regime is significantly augmented due to the vapor film instability enhancing, which helps to overcome the disadvantages reported in the open literature for the attainment of high heat flux in the aforesaid boiling regime. Saline water containing dissolved carbon dioxide produces two favorable conditions for high heat transfer rate: (1) controlled vapor bubble nucleation and (2) low entrapped vapor bubbles coalescence rate. These phenomena are the parameters defining the step-up in the heat transfer rate. Systematic spray cooling (from 900 °C) experiments were conducted on a 6-mm thick AISI 304 steel plate (100 mm × 100 mm). The heat transfer analysis indicates that the heat removal rate in case of soda added water depicts an increasing trend with the rising of the soda concentration up to 40% in water, and further increment in soda water concentration declines the heat removal rate due to the formation of the uncontrolled vapor bubbles undergoing early coalescence. In case of salt added carbonated water spray cooling, the quenching performance indicates step-up in critical heat flux up to 1.7 MW/m2. In addition to the above, the spray cooling performance of the above-stated coolant is compared with other potential coolants such as soda–surfactant–water, soda–alcohol–water and soda–salt–surfactant–water mixtures.


Most high-rise buildings are erected in downtown areas, where on-site storage space for construction materials is typically insufficient due to limited spaces. Just-In-Time (or JIT) concept has been adopted so that necessary stock materials and storage spaces can be reduced; for high-rise buildings, however, transporting materials vertically using lifts still poses significant efficiency because its efficiency drops exponentially as the building height grows. Most of current efforts to counter this problem mainly focus on developing smart tower cranes, whereas lift has gathered less attention in this respect. This research aims to develop a robotic lift capable of autonomous operations at night time, based on the intelligent lift development toolkit which was previously developed by the authors. It is now in a preliminary study phase. This study proposes a concept model of the robotic lift system and its operation plans, utilizing several technologies such as an optimized material dispatch algorithm and ubiquitous sensor networks (USNs). The proposed system can be relayed to the horizontal transportation robots located in each floor to move the lifted materials to their destinations. The outcome from this study will contribute to the improvement of the overall efficiency of the high-rise building construction logistics and space constraints of the construction site. It is also expected that the mechanical performance of the existing lift system can be benefited from this research. When overall system development, including optimized operation planning model and monitoring subsystem, is finished, it will contribute to innovation of the construction technology.


The most common tunings for the TMD in the field of vibration suppression are H∞ and H2. However, regenerative machine tool chatter is a complex problem with many variations, which therefore requires a new tuning for the optimum chatter suppression. The real part based tuning is investigated numerically by employing the minimax numerical approach, which aims to maximize the minimum real part of the primary structure under the harmonic excitation. The performances of multiple TMDs system are discussed. A face milling case is employed to verify the benefits of multiple TMDs in increasing the chatter free depth of cut. It is concluded that multiple TMDs configuration are more effective than single TMD in chatter control.


To determine the prevalence of family care, we measured the extent to which a subset of 732 families, from those enrolled in the Rand Health Insurance Experiment, perceive and use a single primary care physician. Although only 16.7% of these families had all members with a majority of their visits to the same physician, 45.4% identified a single primary care physician for all family members. (For older couples, this percentage reached 73.5%). An intermediate proportion of families had visits by all family members to a single physician. Children received less family care, but as families matured, family care increased for both children and parents. Our results suggest an inverse relationship between family care and education level. The availability of general-family practitioners, family income, insurance coverage, and population size were not significant determinants of family care. We conclude that family members share the perception of having a single "family physician," which is reflected in their patterns of utilization.


In the third study of development options for Livani, a town of 11,000 in south-western Latvia, the development strategies are examined. Both the municipality project ideas and project proposals from the inhabitants, from two brain storming events, have been collected and evaluated. In addition the future plans of many individuals were collected in questionnaires. Key elements in a strategy for sustainable development for Livani are discussed. The role of information, management of natural resources and democratisation are underlined. A database of resource people have been established, with individuals prepared to contribute to the development of their society. The key role of a local identity is stressed.


This thesis examines the explanatory power of two distinct theories, culture-conflict theory and resource abundance-conflict theory, on the occurrence of conflict. With statistical methods this thesis has aimed to investigate which of the two theories in question has the better explanatory power on interstate and intrastate conflicts active in the years 2012-2013. By engaging in the latest conflict data available and a number of country characteristics during the time period 2009-2010, an analytical framework was created. By operationalizing the theories in question into valid variables, a logistic regression analysis on the occurrence versus nonoccurrence of war was conducted. The results indicate that, in accordance with the culture-conflict theory, a higher degree of cultural characteristics (here linguistic diversity) do increase the probability of conflict occurrence. However, for the resource abundance-conflict theory the result showed no statistical significance, leading to the conclusion that the argument that countries with a high abundance of resources are more likely to experience conflict is not supported in this thesis.


Modern multimedia applications use an increasing number of sensors including cameras, microphones and microphone arrays. These applications must acquire and process data from sensors in real-time, which is usually beyond the capabilities of single machines. We present our distributed sensor data transport middleware, the NIST data flow system II, which offers network transparent services for data acquisition and processing across a local network of computers. An application is thus represented as a data flow graph, with streaming media flowing between the different computational components. This is highlighted by presenting a multimedia application tracking persons using a sensor fusion of audio and video streams.


Myocardin (Myocd) is a potent transcriptional coactivator that has been implicated in cardiovascular development and adaptation of the cardiovascular system to hemodynamic stress. To determine the function of myocardin in the developing cardiovascular system, Myocd(F/F)/Wnt1-Cre(+) and Myocd(F/F)/Pax3-Cre(+) mice were generated in which the myocardin gene was selectively ablated in neural crest-derived SMCs populating the cardiac outflow tract and great arteries. Both Myocd(F/F)/Wnt1-Cre(+) and Myocd(F/F)/Pax3-Cre(+) mutant mice survived to birth, but died prior to postnatal day 3 from patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Neural crest-derived SMCs populating the ductus arteriosus (DA) and great arteries exhibited a cell autonomous block in expression of myocardin-regulated genes encoding SMC-restricted contractile proteins. Moreover, Myocd-deficient vascular SMCs populating the DA exhibited ultrastructural features generally associated with the SMC synthetic, rather than contractile, phenotype. Consistent with these findings, ablation of the Myocd gene in primary aortic SMCs harvested from Myocd conditional mutant mice caused a dramatic decrease in SMC contractile protein expression. Taken together, these data demonstrate that myocardin regulates expression of genes required for the contractile phenotype in neural crest-derived SMCs and provide new insights into the molecular and genetic programs that may underlie PDA.


Sammon's (1969) nonlinear projection method is computationally prohibitive for large data sets, and it cannot project new data points. We propose a low-cost fuzzy rule-based implementation of Sammon's method for structure preserving dimensionality reduction. This method uses a sample and applies Sammon's method to project it. The input data points are then augmented by the corresponding projected (output) data points. The augmented data set thus obtained is clustered with the fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm. Each cluster is then translated into a fuzzy rule to approximate the Sammon's nonlinear projection scheme. We consider both Mamdani-Assilian and Takagi-Sugeno models for this. Different schemes of parameter estimation are considered. The proposed schemes are applied on several data sets and are found to be quite effective to project new points, i.e., such systems have good predictability.


Nitrogen deficit affects both crop production and composition, particularly in crops requiring an optimal fruit N content for aroma development. The adaptation of cultural practices to improve N use efficiency (NUE) (i.e. N uptake, assimilation and partitioning) is a priority for the sustainable production of high-quality crops. A trial was set on potted grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chasselas) to investigate the potential of crop limitation (via bunch thinning) to control plant NUE and ultimately fruit N composition at harvest. A large crop load gradient was imposed by bunch thinning (0.5-2.5 kg m-2) and N traceability in the plant was realised with an isotope-labelling method (10 atom % 15N foliar urea). The results indicate that the mobilisation of root reserves plays a major role in the balance of fruit N content. Fertiliser N uptake and assimilation appeared to be strongly stimulated by high-yielding conditions. Fertilisation largely contributed to fulfilling the high fruit N demand while limiting the mobilisation of root reserves under high yield conditions. Plants were able to modulate root N reserve mobilisation and fertiliser N uptake in function of the crop load, thus maintaining a uniform N concentration in fruits. However, the fruit free amino N profile was modified, which potentially altered the fruit aromas. These findings highlight the great capacity of plants to adapt their N metabolism to constraints, crop thinning in this case. This confirms the possibility of monitoring NUE by adapting cultural practices.


: Venous hypertension of lesser circulation was used as a criterion for differential diagnosis of diffuse lesion of the myocardium and exudative pericarditis. In 57 patients (31 with diffuse myocardial lesion and 26 with exudative pericarditis) the results of assessment of common x-ray symptoms were compared with signs of venous hypertension in this disease. The presence or absence of venous hypertension in the recognition of exudate into the pericardial cavity was emphasized.


Our project aims at detecting any abnormal behaviour in CCTV footage to solve many accidents, crimes, security issues, etc. CCTV footage gives the best information to detect any real-time abnormal behaviour and hence the CCTV footage is incorporated in the proposed project. Dataset is prepared by adding abnormalities by the use of Gaussian blur/noise, to replace the training set of normal images with abnormal images and to make sure that there is no bias in the dataset. To get better performance from our dataset, feature normalization is harnessed. Moreover, we used a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) as our model to convolute and predict the images in our dataset, which achieves better performance than any other neural network existing today. The proposed neural network performs optimization based on Nadam and the experimental outcomes show that the proposed neural network offers superior results compared to that of its peers. Therefore, it has been observed that the proposed neural network obtains better accuracy than conventional neural networks.


A series of new poly(amic acid) (PAA) surface-modified cerium oxide (CeO2) nanocomposites were prepared by sonochemical-assisted method. In the first step, treatment of the surface of CeO2 nanoparticles with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane as a surface modifier was achieved. In the second step, the partially surface-treated nanoparticles were incorporated into PAA by different weight from 4% to 12%. PAA was synthesized by polycondensation reaction of benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride and 3,5-diamino-N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) benzamide in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. The chemical structure of PAA was confirmed by 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The polymer had an inherent viscosity of 0.38 dL/g. Three PAA/CeO2 nanocomposite formulations were prepared from the PAA matrix and the 4, 8, and 12 wt% of surface modified nanoparticles of cerium oxide. Characterization with FTIR, powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy confirmed the successful synthesis of nanocomposites with good dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Both field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope analyses showed that the cerium oxide was well dispersed in the PAA matrix; it was dispersed in the PAA matrix on a nanometer scale. Moreover, the thermal and topological properties of PAA and nanocomposites were also investigated, respectively.


A commercial phenol formaldehyde based resole thermosetting resin supplied by Borden Chemical Australia Pty. was filled with ceramic-based fillers (Envirospheres or SLG) to increase its flexural strength. By performing flexural tests at a range of filler addition levels, the optimal addition level of SLG was able to be determined in terms of workability, cost and performance. The composites obtained were post-cured in conventional oven and in microwaves respectively. It was found that the maximum flexural strength of the microwave cured composites were only 5% lower than those cured in conventional oven when the percentage by weight of SLG was 24%. However, the time required for post-curing was also reduced from 10 hours (in conventional oven) to 40 minutes (in microwaves).


This study aims to determine the consumer perception towards safety and quality of unprocessed organic food. A total of 400 respondents were selected randomly from two metropolitan areas, Klang Valley and Kota Kinabalu. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face using a verified questionnaire. Majority of the respondents (68.0%) perceived organic foods are safer and of better quality than their non-organic counterparts. Only some of the respondents (13.0%) perceived organic food are not much safer than conventional counterparts as they were concerned with the contamination of organic food by the environmental pollutants and bacteria from organic fertilizer. Seventy percent respondents distrust the integrity of organic food. Significant association (p<0.05) was found between
gender, age, marital status and income with consumer trust on organically grown foods in which young, single female with lower income groups are the most prevailing. More information about the organic agriculture production and
certification and strict organic labeling and certification by authorized certification bodies or government is needed to build up consumer trust. Most of the respondents consumed organic food; with more than half of them consumed
occasionally, while only 23.5% consumed at least once in a week. Principal component analysis demonstrated that consumer purchase intention is influenced by three main components including naturalness and freshness of organic food, health concern and environmental awareness. Higher price, doubt on the integrity of organic food and low availability of organic food are the major hindrances in
purchasing organic food. Especially in Kota Kinabalu, 41.8% of the respondents facing the problem of low availability as compared to Klang Valley (25.7%). The percentage of premium that can be accepted is between 1-20%. In conclusion,
most of the consumers have positive perceptions towards the safety and quality of organic food. However, more information on organic product should be provided to
increase their knowledge and develop consumer trust towards organic food which can lead to an increase in organic food consumption.


We prove that the infinite components of the Free Uniform Spanning Forest of a Cayley graph are indistinguishable by any invariant property, given that the forest is different from its wired counterpart. Similar result is obtained for the Free Minimal Spanning Forest. We also show that with the above assumptions there can only be 0, 1 or infinitely many components. These answer questions by Benjamini, Lyons, Peres and Schramm. Our methods apply to a more general class of percolations, those satisfying "weak insertion tolerance", and work beyond Cayley graphs, in the more general setting of unimodular random graphs.


Understanding the malleability of gender norms is crucial to address gender inequalities. We study the effect of parenting daughters on a gender role attitude relating to the traditional male breadwinner model: whether the husband should earn and the wife stay at home. We control for other covariates that capture alternative explanations for gender role perceptions. Our results suggest evidence of a positive effect of parenting daughters on acceptance of less traditional gender roles. The effect is only robust among fathers and driven by parenting school age rather than younger daughters, which is consistent with a social identity explanation. Results suggest that parenting daughters of school age (as opposed to parenting only sons) increases the probability to disagree with the statement that 'husband should earn and wife stay at home' by over 5 percentage points. We conclude that gender role attitudes can be shaped by events that occur later in life.


The immediate motive for organizing the Belgrade symposium "Socialism and
 Culture" held in late 1969 were prohibitions. After June 1968 there were
 about forty political interventions in Serbia (while there had been none in
 the previous twenty years), considerably more than in other Yugoslav
 republics. The conclusion that was reached was that cultural life was
 provincialized and underdeveloped. The author in this paper extends the topic
 to a more global level since the intentions of the dialogue allowed for that.
 Data on Goli Otok, provided by Milovan Đilas, fit well with these facts. The
 Otok was the most drastic and dramatic prohibition in the entire history of
 the Second Yugoslavia. From both contemporary and presentday perspectives,
 the symposium may be interpreted as a cry for freedom. In this conversation,
 the members of the Belgrade wing of the Praxis group played a crucial role.
 Some of these same people would later participate in the events infamously
 marking the 1990s, above all the civil and religious wars. The Zagreb
 "headquarters" of Praxis was, on the contrary, never affected by the
 nationalist virus. Finally, arguments are proposed about Dobrica Cosic as the
 Serbian Faust, and the thesis of this writer being the Father of the Nation
 is contested.


MKT-077, a rhodacyanine dye, was shown to produce cancer specific cell death. However, complications prevented the use of this compound beyond clinical trials. Here we describe YM-1, a derivative of MKT-077. We found that YM-1 was more cytotoxic and localized differently than MKT-077. YM-1 demonstrated this cytotoxicity across multiple cancer cell lines. This toxicity was limited to cancer cell lines; immortalized cell models were unaffected. Brief applications of YM-1 were found to be non-toxic. Brief treatment with YM-1 restored tamoxifen sensitivity to a refractory tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 cell model. This effect is potentially due to altered estrogen receptor alpha phosphorylation, an outcome precipitated by selective reductions in Akt levels (Akt/PKB). Thus, modifications to the rhodocyanine scaffold could potentially be made to improve efficacy and pharmacokinetic properties. Moreover, the impact on tamoxifen sensitivity could be a new utility for this compound family.


Antimicrobial drugs are fed to hogs at sub-therapeutic levels to prevent disease and promote growth. However, there is concern that the presence of antimicrobial drugs in hog feed is a factor promoting the development of antimicrobial drug-resistant bacteria. This study uses a sample-selection model to examine the impact that use has on the productivity of U.S. hog operations. The analysis did not find a relationship between productivity and sub-therapeutic antibiotics fed during finishing, but productivity was significantly improved when fed to nursery pigs. Restrictions on feeding antimicrobial drugs during the nursery phase would likely impose significant economic costs on U.S. hog producers.


Zones of high strength are common in irrigated soils. Root penetration may be reduced if soil strength exceeds 1 to 3 MPa, resulting in a decreased supply of water and nutrients to the plant. On sandy soil this may allow plant water stress to develop between irrigations. Bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are particularly sensitive to high soil strengths. A study was conducted on two soils to determine the effect of subsoiling on soil strength, bean root development, and plant reaction to different irrigation regimes. On a rigid uncemented matrix sandy soil, subsoiling reduced soil strength from >3 to <1 MPa, promoted deep rooting, and increased foliage. Without subsoiling, plants frequently suffered water stress between irrigations applied at 4-d intervals. This resulted in blossom drop and delayed maturity by about 2 weeks. The deeper rooting associated with subsoiling reduced water stress and bean plants grew and matured normally. On a loam soil subsoiling also reduced strength to about 1 MPa or less and increased rooting depth and foliage density compared to normal tillage. With the dense foliage, 65 to 80% of the bean plants were infected with Sclerotinia white mold and dry bean yields were low. Because of the Sclerotinia injury, results were inconclusive.


An abrupt environmental disruption occurred in the photic zone and at the seafloor during the mid-Paleocene biotic event (MPBE). Calcareous nannoplankton, planktic foraminifer, and benthic foraminifer assemblages at Zumaia section (western Pyrenees) underwent a rapid and remarkable transformation. The major calcareous plankton assemblage changes suggest a shift from relatively cooler mesotrophic to warmer, more oligotrophic conditions, indicating a disturbed environment due to the warming of the ocean. Benthic foraminifer assemblages were also significantly affected by the MPBE; diversity of the assemblages and buliminids show net decline and the low food and opportunistic taxa increase in abundance. The reorganization of the planktic ecosystem possibly involved changes in the food flux (type and quantity) to the seafloor, thus triggering changes in the benthic communities. A 1‰ negative δ 13 C shift and a 30% carbonate content decrease are recorded in connection with the biotic event. This suggests that during the MPBE, as in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), an input of a large mass of isotopically depleted carbon into the ocean and atmosphere could have lowered the deep-sea pH, triggering a rapid shoaling of the lysocline and contributing to greenhouse warming. The MPBE was short lived: according to the counting of limestonemarl couplets, the stratigraphic expression of precession cycles throughout the Zumaia section, the MPBE lasted for ∼52–53 k.y., with the core of the event representing ∼10–11 k.y. The Zumaia section is the first land-based locality in which the MPBE is recognized and described in detail. Due to its expanded character and excellent paleontological record, this section may prove to be a global reference section for the study of this short-lived event.


These posters were created to make students aware of library resources during the month of October's "Library Horror Stories" media campaign.


Sir: We read with interest the report by Parnell,' on cervical intradural disc protrusion, and describe a new case in which severe myelopathy followed spinal manipulation. A 31 year old man developed torticollis followed by right cervico-brachial neuralgia at C8-TI level. Cervical spine manipulation was performed on 7 May and 14 May 1985. On 17 May he developed a sensory-motor deficit in the lower limbs, then the upper limbs, and sphincteric dysfunction. There was a spastic tetraparesis, worse in the lower limbs, with a bilateral Babinski sign. The response of the right triceps reflex was reversed. There was hypoaesthesia below the T6 level and superficial sensation was blunted at the extremities of the upper limbs. There was also bladder paralysis and retention of urine. Myelography with contrast showed a lateral defect of extra-dural type at C5-C6 disc level and a complete block in front of the lower part of the C6 body. A CT scan, performed immediately afterwards, confirmed a posteromedial protrusion of the C5-C6 disc. At that level, the premedullary space was not visible. At C6-C7 level (fig), the subarachnoid spaces were interrupted by a right postero-lateral disc herniation which pushed back the spinal cord. After myelography, the spasticity of the lower limbs and the motor deficit in the upper limbs increased. Surgical treatment was performed urgently through an anterior approach. At C5-C6 level, the protrusion was curetted; at C6-C7 level, there was an extra-intradural stud-like herniated disc; removal of this was


This paper describes a framework to automatically identify air traffic flows from a set of trajectories by using a clustering algorithm. The framework offers two methods to cluster trajectories, each one using a different distance/similarity measure between trajectories. Results and performance characteristics of both methods are compared by applying them to real trajectories over a French Area Control Center. The framework can output statistics and figures for flow analysis and its use is facilitated by the relatively low number of parameters to be provided by the user. Its aim is to help support the SESAR vision of flow-centric operations by being integrated into Air Traffic Management tools, e.g. for airspace design/management or for analysis of traffic patterns in a free route environment.


Development bots are used on Github to automate repetitive activities. Such bots communicate with human actors via issue comments and pull request comments. Identifying such bot comments allows to prevent bias in socio-technical studies related to software development. To automate their identification, we propose a classification model based on natural language processing. Starting from a balanced ground-truth dataset of 19,282 PR and issue comments, we encode the comments as vectors using a combination of the bag of words and TF-IDF techniques. We train a range of binary classifiers to predict the type of comment (human or bot) based on this vector representation. A multinomial Naive Bayes classifier provides the best results. Its performance on a test set containing 50% of the data achieves an average precision, recall, and F1 score of 0.88. Although the model shows a promising result on the pull request and issue comments, further work is required to generalize the model on other types of activities, like commit messages and code reviews.


Career services and interventions based on research and empirical evidence are progressively considered mechanisms for quality assurance in higher education. We present a study on the effectiveness of a career self-management seminar designed for help undergraduates prepare for next life career changes and goal attainment. Four hundred and twenty eight students with an age mean of 22 years old (n=208 experimental group; n=220 control group) attending university and polytechnic higher institutions in the northwestern Portugal, were assessed by the Career Exploration Survey, the Career Development Inventory and My Vocational Situation according to a pretest and posttest design. The Seminar is research based and comprises nine weekly small group sessions of 120 minutes each which facilitate students' career planning, in-depth exploration, goal implementation and feedback competences. Results indicate significant differences between experimental and control groups, with increase in most of the career dimensions, among the experimental group. The career seminar produced a medium mean effect size of .53. The intervention positively affected undergraduates' career self-management processual behaviors.