The influence of iPad compared to computer-based active and collaborative learning activities on academic performance, along with student attitudes toward technology, engagement, and perceived learning were examined between two one-semester undergraduate-level Human Anatomy classes. Student attitudes and perceived learning were assessed using pre- and post-semester surveys between two simultaneous classes: iPad-integrated (n = 24) and no-iPad (n = 21). No-iPad users reported higher attainment of course objectives (human anatomy factual knowledge, principles and theories, and application of material) than iPad users. IPad users also reported lower levels of course engagement following fifteen weeks of usage whereas no-iPad users reported higher levels of engagement. Both groups showed similar learning gains based on test scores, and final grades. This article explores potential explanations for discrepancies with some previous research by highlighting the importance of consistent instructional methods, regardless of media, in undergraduate education.


The flow harmonics $v_{2,3}$ for charged hadrons, are studied for a broad range of centrality selections and beam collision energies in Au+Au ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 7.7 - 200$ GeV) and Pb+Pb ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 2.76$ TeV) collisions. They validate the characteristic signature expected for the system size dependence of viscous damping at each collision energy studied. The extracted viscous coefficients, that encode the magnitude of the ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density $\eta/s$, are observed to decrease to an apparent minimum as the collision energy is increased from $\sqrt{s_{NN}}= 7.7$ to approximately 62.4 GeV; thereafter, they show a slow increase with $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ up to 2.76 TeV. This pattern of viscous damping provides the first experimental constraint for $\eta/s$ in the temperature-baryon chemical potential ($T, \mu_B$) plane, and could be an initial indication for decay trajectories which lie close to the critical end point in the phase diagram for nuclear matter.


E. coli cause greater than 90% of urinary tract infections (UTI) in childhood. The capacity to adhere to urinary tract epithelial cells characterizes E. coli strains that cause acute pyelonephritis. Galactose alpha 1-4Galactose beta is the minimal receptor for adhering uropathogenic E. coli. Gal alpha 1-4Gal beta-binding bacteria caused significantly higher body temperature, C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), pyuria, and lower renal concentrating capacity than E. coli lacking this specificity. The binding bacteria thus appeared to be more potent inducers of acute inflammation. Since inflammation may lead to tissue damage, we examined the relationship of infection with Gal alpha 1-4Gal beta-positive bacteria to renal scarring. The frequency of renal scarring was 5% in boys with Gal alpha 1-4Gal beta-positive and 40% in boys with Gal alpha 1-4Gal beta-negative E. coli. Analysis of binding capacity with the help of a newly developed latex agglutination assay can thus be used as an effective predictor of risk for renal scarring.


The use of biological control agents (BCAs) is regarded as a promising measure to control important foliar strawberry diseases such as grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) and powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis) in the organic strawberry cultivation. However, the use of biological control agents (BCAs) in the phyllosphere is still challenging as this environment is very harsh and dynamic, in particular under field conditions. In this thesis, the simultaneous use of BCAs was studied for its potential to overcome the challenges biological control in the phyllosphere imposes and, thereby, to achieve more consistent efficacies against B. cinerea and P. aphanis. In vitro tests revealed that inhibitory interactions can basically occur between two BCAs and that these are affected by nutritional factors. Leaf disc assays demonstrated that the simultaneous use of BCAs can result in improved suppression of P. aphanis, depending on the BCA constituents. Furthermore, several BCAs were applied as single or multiple strain treatments against B. cinerea in three years of field experiment and microbial interactions in the phyllosphere were investigated within these experiments. The simultaneous use of BCAs did not result in consistent B. cinerea control under field conditions. In the field experiment 2010, none of the tested single or multiple BCA treatments reduced B. cinerea. In the field experiments 2011 and 2012 B. cinerea incidence was significantly suppressed by simultaneously applied BCAs as opposed to single BCA treatments. Efficient BCA treatments, however, differed in 2011 and 2012. Microbial analyses on leaves from field grown strawberries by means of plate counts and 454 pyrosequencing revealed that the culturable and the non-culturable resident leaf microbiota considerably varied between different years of experiment but also in dependence on the strawberry's development stage. Likewise, the interactions between the resident microbial communities and introduced BCAs varied as well, which have shown to be associated with inconsistent efficacies of the tested BCAs in 2011 and 2012. Also, microbial investigations revealed shifts in fungal communities after introducing fungal BCAs, which however can be regarded as neglible due to the overall considerable dynamics of the phyllosphere microbiota.


Predicting adaptive evolutionary trajectories is a primary goal of evolutionary biology. One can differentiate between forward and backward predictability, where forward predictability measures the likelihood of the same adaptive trajectory occurring in independent evolutions and backward predictability measures the likelihood of a particular adaptive path given the knowledge of starting and final states. Recent studies have attempted to measure both forward and backward predictability using experimental evolution in asexual haploid microorganisms. Similar experiments in diploid organisms have not been conducted. Here we simulate adaptive walks using Fisher's Geometric Model in haploids and diploids and find that adaptive walks in diploids are less forward- and more backward-predictable than adaptive walks in haploids. We argue that the difference is due to the ability of diploids in our simulations to generate transiently stable polymorphisms and to allow adaptive mutations of larger phenotypic effect. As stable polymorphisms can be generated in both haploid and diploid natural populations through a number of mechanisms, we argue that inferences based on experiments in which adaptive walks proceed through succession of monomorphic states might miss many of the key features of adaptation.


Osteoblastoma is a bone forming tumor with histological features highly similar to osteoid osteoma; the discrimination between the tumor types is based on size and growth pattern. The vast majority of osteoblastomas are benign but there is a group of so-called aggressive osteoblastomas that can be diagnostically challenging at the histopathological level. The genetic aberrations required for osteoblastoma development are not known and no genetic difference between conventional and aggressive osteoblastoma has been reported. In order to identify recurrent genomic aberrations of importance for tumor development we applied cytogenetic and/or SNP array analyses on nine conventional and two aggressive osteoblastomas. The conventional osteoblastomas showed few or no acquired genetic aberrations while the aggressive tumors displayed heavily rearranged genomes. In one of the aggressive osteoblastomas, three neighboring regions in chromosome band 22q12 were homozygously deleted. Hemizygous deletions of these regions were found in two additional cases, one aggressive and one conventional. In total, 10 genes were recurrently and homozygously lost in osteoblastoma. Four of them are functionally involved in regulating osteogenesis and/or tumorigenesis. MN1 and NF2 have previously been implicated in the development of leukemia and solid tumors, and ZNRF3 and KREMEN1 are inhibitors of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. In line with deletions of the latter two genes, high beta-catenin protein expression has previously been reported in osteoblastoma and aberrations affecting the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway have been found in other bone lesions, including osteoma and osteosarcoma.


High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a prototypical danger-associated molecular pattern molecule that is considered a late mediator of neuro-inflammation after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prior studies have suggested that targeting HMGB1 may lead to neuroprotective effects, but none of these studies have reported cognitive outcomes. We hypothesized that loss of HMGB1 before and after TBI would markedly attenuate post-traumatic brain edema, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, improve functional deficits and long-term neuropathology versus control mice. Using the controlled cortical impact model and conditional global HMGB1 knockout (HMGB1 KO) mice, we demonstrate that there was a neuroprotective effect seen in the HMGB1 KO versus wild-type control evidenced by a significant reduction in contusion volume. However, two surprising findings were 1) the lack of benefit on either post-traumatic brain edema or BBB permeability, and 2) that spatial memory performance was impaired in HMGB1 KO naïve mice such that the behavioral effects of HMGB1 deletion in uninjured naïve mice were similar to those observed after TBI. Our data suggest the possibility that the role of HMGB1 in TBI is a "double-edged sword"; that is, despite the benefits on selected aspects of secondary injury, the sustained absence of HMGB1 may impair cognitive function, even in naïve mice. Given the pleiotropic actions of extracellular and intracellular HMGB1, when evaluating the potential use of therapies targeting HMGB1, effects on long-term cognitive outcome should be carefully evaluated. It also may be prudent in future studies to examine cell-specific effects of manipulating the HMGB1 pathway.


Background: Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Lower uptake of mammography screening is associated with higher rates of late-stage breast cancers. This study aims to show geographic patterns in the United States, where rates of late-stage breast cancer are high and persistent over time, and examines factors associated with these patterns. Materials and Methods: We examined all primary breast cancers diagnosed among all counties in 43 U.S. states with available data. We used spatial cluster analysis to identify hot spots (i.e., spatial clusters with above average late-stage diagnosis rates among counties). Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were compared between persistent hot spots and those counties that were never hot spots. Results: Of the 2,599 counties examined in 43 states, 219 were identified as persistent hot spots. Counties with persistent hot spots (compared with counties that were never hot spots) were located in more deprived areas with worse housing characteristics, lower socioeconomic status, lower levels of health insurance, worse access to mammography, more isolated American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, or Hispanic neighborhoods, and larger income disparity. In addition, persistent hot spots were significantly more likely to be observed among poor, rural, African American, or Hispanic communities, but not among poor, rural, White communities. This analysis includes a broader range of socioeconomic conditions than those included in previous literature. Conclusion: We found geographic disparities in late-stage breast cancer diagnosis rates, with some communities experiencing persistent disparities over time. Our findings can guide public health efforts aimed at reducing disparities in stage of diagnosis for breast cancer.


ABSTRACT The present study focuses on the intersection between Islamic jurisprudence, poetics, and manuscript culture in the secret Muslim communities (moriscos) of sixteenth-century Aragon. Using as a theoretical rubric the Islamic legal concept of curf ("custom"), I argue that early modern Aragonese Muslims made use of handwritten Islamic legal texts, and the physical books that contained them, to incorporate specific and adaptive local innovations into their religious and cultural practice. At the center of such innovation is the practice of translation and the specific forms that Aljamiado legal texts took within the space of the manuscript folio. All of these features and practices, I argue, revolve around a broader concern with closeness at the physical, social, linguistic, and ultimately metaphysical levels.


: Epidemiological survey was conducted, according to diagnostic standard from WHO-MONICA project, on stroke events in 16 provinces of China. There were significant differences in geographical distribution of morbidity and mortality of stroke events. The morbidity and mortality were higher in northern China than in southern China (P < 0.001). The differences of morbidity varied from 11 to 14 times. The morbidity and mortality were higher in man than in woman (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) and were higher in rural areas than in cities. The geographical differences in the morbidity and mortality for stroke may be related to many factors, and may be in parallel with the hypertension prevalence rate, which was higher in northern China than in Southern China. The age of patients with stroke was younger in northern China than in southern China (P < 0.01). The frequency of cerebral hemorrhage was higher in southern China than in northern China.


Abstract Background: Cryptoccocal meningitis continues to present high incidence among AIDS patients. The treatment of choice is the synergistic combination of flucytosine (5-FC) with amphotericin B deoxycholate (AmBd) or its lipid formulations. However, 5-FC is unavailable in many countries and AmB demands hospitalization. The combination of AmB with the fungistatic fluconazole (FLC) or the use of high FLC daily doses alone became the choice. Nonetheless, sterilization of cerebrospinal fluid is delayed with FLC monotherapy, mainly with high fungal burden. These findings suggest the search for new antifungal compounds, such as liriodenine. Methods: Liriodenine antifungal activity was evaluated by three procedures: determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) on 30 strains of the Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) complex and 30 of the Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) complex, using EUCAST methodology and amphotericin B deoxycholate as control; performing the time-kill methodology in two strains of the C. neoformans complex and one of the C. gattii complex; and injury to cryptococcal cells, evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Liriodenine absorption and safety at 0.75 and 1.50 mg.kg-1 doses were evaluated in BALB/c mice. Results: Liriodenine MICs ranged from 3.9 to 62.5 μg.mL-1 for both species complexes, with no differences between them. Time-kill methodology confirmed its concentration-dependent fungicidal effect, killing all the strains below the limit of detection (33 CFU.mL-1) at the highest liriodenine concentration (32-fold MIC), with predominant activity during the first 48 hours. Liriodenine induced severe Cryptococcus alterations - cytoplasm with intense rarefaction and/or degradation, injury of organelles, and presence of vacuoles. Liriodenine was better absorbed at lower doses, with no histopathological alterations on the digestive tract. Conclusion: The fungicidal activity confirmed by time-kill methodology, the intense Cryptococcus injury observed by TEM, the absorption after gavage administration, and the safety at the tested doses indicate that the liriodenine molecule is a promising drug lead for development of anticryptococcal agents.


Attention can facilitate multisensory perception. The impact of visual attention on audio-visual perception was investigated using an established cueing paradigm which has revealed facilitatory effects of attention at short (100 ms) stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), and inhibitory effects at longer (e.g., 500 ms) SOAs. White disk(s) were presented within a cued (i.e., congruent) or uncued (i.e., incongruent) location, 100 or 500 ms after the cue. The congruent location was considered attended at the 100 ms SOA, but inhibited at the 500 ms SOA. The disk flashed (F) either once or twice. Auditory beeps (B) were presented that were consistent (i.e., 1F1B) or inconsistent with the number of flashes (i.e., 1F2B or 2F1B). Typically, the number of perceived flashes is biased towards the number of beeps (i.e., multisensory perception). If attention facilitates multisensory perception, the beeps should elicit the strongest bias 100 ms after the cue, and a reduced bias at the 500 ms SOA. At the 100 ms SOA, the 1F2B condition yielded a greater number of flashes at the congruent relative to the incongruent location (i.e., increased auditory bias). In the 2F1B condition, more flashes were reported in the congruent relative to the incongruent location (i.e., reduced auditory bias). At the 500 ms SOA, the beep's influence was comparable for congruent and incongruent trials. The results suggested that following attentional orienting, multisensory perception was biased towards stimuli that occurred more often within a trial, regardless of modality. In addition, inhibitory orienting mechanisms did not significantly influence audio-visual perception. influence audio-visual perception.Acknowledgments: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI); University of Toronto Graduate Student Bursary


Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of prefabricated foot orthoses for the prevention of lower limb overuse injuries in naval recruits. Methods This study was a participant-blinded and assessor-blinded, parallel-group randomised controlled trial. Three-hundred and six participants aged 17–50 years who undertook 11 weeks of initial defence training at the Royal Australian Navy Recruit School (Cerberus, Australia) were randomised to a control group (flat insoles, n=153) or an intervention group (contoured, prefabricated foot orthoses, n=153). The combined incidence of medial tibial stress syndrome, patellofemoral pain, Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis/plantar heel pain during the 11-week training period were compared using incidence rate ratios (IRR). Data were analysed using the intention-to-treat principle. Results Sixty-seven injuries (21.9%) were recorded. The control and intervention group sustained 40 (26.1%) and 27 (17.6%) injuries, respectively (IRR 0.66, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.11, p=0.098). This corresponds to a 34% reduction in risk of developing medial tibial stress syndrome, patellofemoral pain, Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis/plantar heel for the intervention group compared with the control group. Participants in the prefabricated orthoses group were more likely to report at least one adverse event (20.3% vs 12.4%; relative risk (RR) 1.63, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.76; p=0.068; number needed to harm 13, 95% CI 6 to 253). The most common adverse events were foot blisters (n=20, 6.6%), arch pain (n=10, 3.3%) and shin pain (n=8, 2.6%). Conclusion Prefabricated foot orthoses may be beneficial for reducing the incidence of lower limb injury in naval recruits undertaking defence training. Trial registration number Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12615000024549.


Malaria is a communicable disease which is still be a problem of public health in the world, including Indonesia. There are 42 districts / cities in Indonesia which  endemic of malaria. One of them is District of Nias. Annual Malaria Parasite in Nias reached 30.97 per 1000 population. This study used cross-sectional design with 64 samples of households. Sample was choosen based on specific criteria, that were who had cattle sheds. Data was analized using univariate and bivariate with Chi Square test or Fisher Exact. This study aims to determine the relationship between the condition of cattle sheds with malaria incidence at the community of Lauri village in sub-district of Gido Nias district in 2013. The results were b ased on bivariate analysis with a level of 95% and statistical tests showed that the ρ value of cattle sheds distance was 0.742 (ρ> 0.05),  ρ value of cattle sheds hygiene was 0.206 (ρ> 0.05), ρ value of puddles existence was 0.051 (ρ> 0.05) and ρ value of cage maintenance action was 0.97 (ρ> 0.05). that means there is no relationshipbetween the variables with malaria incidence. Based on the research results, it can be concluded that there is no relationship between the condition of cattle sheds with malaria incidence. Lauri village communities who have cattle sheds should pay more attention to the cleanliness of cattle sheds and surrounding areas.


We introduce a modal logic, called Cone Logic, whose formulas describe properties of points in the plane and spatial relationships between them. Points are labelled by proposition letters and spatial relations are induced by the four cone-shaped cardinal directions. Cone Logic can be seen as a weakening of Venema's Compass Logic. We prove that, unlike Compass Logic and other projection-based spatial logics, its satisfiability problem is decidable (precisely, PSPACE-complete). We also show that it is expressive enough to capture meaningful interval temporal logics - in particular, the interval temporal logic of Allen's relations "Begins", "During", and "Later", and their transposes.


Complete cell reprogramming can be achieved by the introduction of specific transcription factors, Oct4 [also known as POU class 5 homeobox 1 (Pou5f1)]; sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box 2 (Sox2); Kruppel-like factor 4 (Klf4); and myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (c-Myc), into terminally differentiated mouse somatic fibroblasts. This reprogramming process may be accelerated or suppressed by various factors, including microRNAs (miRNAs). Introduction of these transcription factors or miRNAs considerably modifies the malignant phenotype of cancer cells. We studied the effect of introducing these transcription factors into two distinct colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines, HCT116 and DLD-1, in the presence and absence of Dicer 1, ribonuclease type III (Dicer1), a critical miRNA processing enzyme. We assessed cell reprogramming based on the number of cells exhibiting alkaline phosphatase staining and an increase in embryonic stem cell-like gene expression, indicating the return of cells to an immature state. Dicer1-deficient CRC cells showed a reduced number of alkaline phosphatase-positive reprogrammed cells than wild-type (WT) cells. Before reprogramming, endogenous expression of an immature carbohydrate epitope, TRA-1-60, was high in Dicer1-deficient CRC cells, whereas after reprogramming, the expression of this epitope was increased in Dicer1-sufficient more than in Dicer1-deficient CRC cells. Our data demonstrate the critical role of miRNAs in the reprogramming process and determination of a differentiated phenotype of CRC cells.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore consumers' views and expectations on circular clothing. This paper also clarifies how the remanufacturing process should be communicated and circular fashion marketed to consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology consisted of consumer interviews, utilising an online innovation platform (Owela) to involve consumers and workshops with project partners and with external stakeholders.

Findings

Consumers' interest towards recycling and sustainable solutions has increased. They appreciate the idea of recycling textile waste to produce new clothes; circular products should become "the new normal". Consumers are asking for more visible and concrete information about circular clothing and how their behaviour has affected the environmental aspects of textile production. The communication should be timed correctly by using multiple communication channels and also paying attention to the shopping experience. In addition, digital services alongside circular clothing could create additional value for consumers.

Research limitations/implications

In this study, only consumers from Finland were involved. The results might be different in different parts of Europe and especially worldwide.

Originality/value

This study focusses on circular clothing – an area that has not been studied much before. Also, consumers involved in this study were of a different age compared to most of the previous studies, where the focus has been mainly on young college students.


Objectives A major obstacle to be overcome for oral drug delivery is that drug absorption/release must be avoided before the drug reaches the target site. In an attempt to overcome this challenge, we selected synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) as a drug carrier for the hydrophobic drug indomethacin (IDM) used in local treatment of the colon, exploring the loaded drug and in vitro release characteristics of IDM/HA. Methods An easy one-step hydrothermal method was employed to prepare micro-hydroxyapatite (HA) spheres. Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy further confirmed the composition, structure and morphology of the obtained sample. In vitro release of the anti-inflammatory drug (IDM) was performed successively under simulated conditions. The loading and release profiles of the drug were analysed by UV-spectrophotometry. Results The use of ethanol enhances solubilization, and the drug loading rate is about 62.21% at 37° C for 12 hours when the mass ratio of IDM/HA is 2:1. The in vitro release of IDM/HA is dependent on solution pH. There is almost no release of IDM (only 0.159%) at pH 1.0, poor release (about 10.55%) at pH 6.8, and a cumulative release rate of up to 84.95% at pH 7.8. These results suggest that HA particles can be used as a pH responsive vehicle for delivering drugs. Conclusions The as-synthesized micro-hydroxyapatite spheres may act as a promising drug delivery system due to their good biocompatibility, pH sensitivity and high drug loading/release efficiency. The IDM/HA drug delivery system satisfies the basic demand of oral site-specific delivery. Acknowledgments This work was financially supported by a college students' innovative training project (Grant No. 4041906168).


To respond effectively in the event of a public health emergency, careful analysis of preparedness plans is essential. This note describes a linear programming model of the Center for Disease Control Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) supply chain for distributing medical supplies under emergency conditions. The purpose of the model is to evaluate the effects that a specified collection of planned resource availabilities would have on the efficacy of the distribution network. This efficacy is measured in terms of the number of patient-hours waited during the emergency response time horizon. The model's constraints describe the physical system, including the relationships between the SNS, the regional distribution warehouse, and the medical supply distribution clinics. In the following note all model constraints and variables are described in detail, and AMPL code implementing the model is given.


In the last two decades, as the importance of soil has been recognized as a key component of any ecosystem, there has been an increased global demand to establish criteria for determining soil quality and to develop quantitative indices that can be used to classify and compare that quality in different places. The preliminary estimation of the attributes involved in soil quality was made taking into account the opinion of the experts and our own experience in a semi-arid ecosystem. In this study, 16 soil properties have been selected as potential indicators of soil quality, in a region between Campo de Montiel and Sierra de Alcaraz (Spain): sand and clay percentage, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (OC), extractables bases of change (Na, K, Ca and Mg), cationic exchange capacity (CEC), carbonate calcium equivalent (CCE), bulk density (BD), water retention at 33 kPa field capacity and 1500 kPa permanent wither point (GWC33 kPa and GWC1500 kPa), coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) and factor of soil erodibility (K). The main objective has been to develop an adequate index to characterize the quality of the soils in a semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystem. The preliminary estimation of the attributes involved in soil quality was made considering the opinion of the experts and our own experience in semi-arid ecosystems. Two indicator selection approaches have been used to develop the Soil Quality Index (SQI) (total data set -TDS- and minimum data set -MDS-), scoring functions (linear -L- and nonlinear -NL-) and methods (additive -A-, additive weighted -W- and Nemoro -N-. The quality indices have been calculated, considering the properties of the soil control section (between 0 and 100 cm depth), using 185 samples, belonging to horizons A, B and C of 51 soil profiles. The results have shown that the election of the soil properties, both of the topsoil and subsoil, is an important help in establishing a good relationship between quality, soil functions and agricultural management. The Kriging method has been used to determinate the spatial distribution of the soil quality grades. The indices that best reflect the state of soil quality are the TDS-L-W and TDS-L-A should go as sub-indices, as they are the most accurate indices and provide the most consistent results. These indices are especially indicated when carrying out detailed or semi-detailed studies. However, the MDS-L-W and MDS-L-A should go as sub-indices, which use only a limited number of indicators, are best for large-scale studies. The indicators with the greatest influence on soil quality for different land uses and those developed on different rocks, using linear scoring functions, are the following: (Clay), (GWC1500 kPa) and (Ca). These results can also be expressed as follows: the best soils in this region are deep soils, with a clay texture, with high water retention and a neutral or slightly basic pH. However, the indicators with the greatest influence on soil quality, using nonlinear scoring functions, are: (OC Stock), (Ca) and (CaCO3). In other words, the most important indicator is the organic carbon content, which is not logical in the case of a region in which the soils have an excessively low SOC content (0.86%).


In the early days of underground coal mining, the use of explosives to break coal resulted in a large number of disastrous methane and coal dust explosions and consequential loss of life. Research by the British, French, US authorities, amongst others, introduced many practices that significantly reduced the occurrence of such incidences. The use of explosives designed to be safe in a methane atmosphere, plus the creation of a second free face were two such practices which became commonly used in coal mines all over the world including southern Africa. With its associated coal cutting equipment and labour, the cost of creating a second free face is significant and this, together with the constant drive to reduce mining costs in a competitive market, causes mine management to regularly question the need for the second free face. Also, the safety and nature of permitted explosives has changed considerably since the days of black powder and nitroglycerine-based explosives with the introduction of water-based explosives. In southern Africa mining regulations pertaining to the blasting of coal has its origins in British research which was largely done in the first half of the twentieth century. More recent research by the US Bureau of Mine has resulted in a deeper understanding of some of the mechanisms of methane ignition by explosives and suggests that some of the earlier regulations can be relaxed to a certain extent without compromising safety. This paper gives an overview of the original research done in Europe and the more recent work in the USA, to give mine management and regulatory authorities a deeper understanding of the important safety issues when using explosives in a methane atmosphere. It also suggests that blasting off the solid is no less safe than using a second free face providing certain safety procedures are followed.


Rural land use and management is a well studied subject, however there is a need for tools that will support policy making, that will empower local experts and educate farmers towards sustainable farming activity. Earth Systems Engineering and Management is a new approach that accepts that the Earth is already highly engineered and that there are a range of proactive interventions that can take place within the landscape that can create an environment that benefits everyone. Here, two recently developed tools are used to visualise and prioritise the opportunities we have to both understand the sources of nutrient enriched runoff and also control runoff flow pats. Strategic locations within the landscape afford us many opportunities to target and remediate flows under varying conditions. Hence, a high resolution terrain analysis toolkit is presented, TOPMANAGE, that can highlight likely runoff flow paths, the operation of Critical Source Areas and depict the potential locations to control nutrient runoff loss whilst maintaining the economic viability of the farmer. Equally, a policy tool is presented that integrates many hydrologic/agronomic/policy factors into a clear problem solving framework. Thus, a Decision Support Matrix is presented that allows both farmers and policy makers to visualise and prioritise strategies to reduce nutrient pollution through proactive land management.


Committee-designed languages such as those of the OMG consor-tium are widely used in both industry and academia. These lan-guages seem to be used increasingly by users with no technical background for the visualization, documentation and specification of workflows, data and software systems. However, according to several studies on these languages, the used visual notations do not seem to convey any particular semantics and the recognition of such notations is not perceptually immediate. This lack of se-mantic transparency increases the cognitive load to differentiate concepts from each other and slows down recognition and learning of the language constructs. This paper proposes a process, which leverages the crowd-sourcing to improve the semantic transparency of such languages. We believe that involving end-users in the de-sign process of the languages visual notations should increase the expressiveness of these languages and then their acceptance for a wide range of novice-users.


Modern processes influencing sediment composition in the endorheic lake Laguna de Medina, southern Spain, are disentangled by analysis of 46 lake surface sediment and 32 catchment soil samples. Based on statistical analysis of the mineralogical, geochemical, elemental, and granulometric compositions of all samples, the lake surface sediments can be divided into six provinces of individual composition and depositional processes. High quartz contents and coarse grain sizes, reflecting input from ancient terraces of the Guadalete River that are exposed in the adjacent hinterland, characterize the lake sedimentation close to the northern shore. At the south-eastern shore, sedimentation is characterized by terrestrial input of the Triassic Keuper facies via the most important inlet, the Arroyo Fuente Bermeja, as reflected by high relative intensities of Ti, K, Al, Fe, Mg, Rb. Sediments close to the northern shore are characterized by high calcite contents, reflecting predominant sediment supply from the adjacent Cretaceous 'capas rojas', a series of Subbetic deep-water marlstones and limestones. Close to the western shore, relatively high gypsum contents presumably are due to precipitation from upwelling ground water. Anthropogenic influence is only indicated in the north-western and central eastern parts of the lake, where the surface sediments are significantly enriched in TOC and TN, reflecting enhanced primary production due to terrestrial organic matter supply from anthropogenic areas in the respective catchment. The central part of the lake is characterized by distal hemipelagic sedimentation, with high concentrations of clay and silt and a chemical and mineralogical composition that reflects a mixture of the sediment sources characterizing individual parts of the lake shores. The results of this study shed new light on the depositional processes and their potential spatial heterogeneity in small endorheic lakes. Furthermore, they will provide important information concerning the interpretation of the climate-controlled sedimentary processes through time, which are reflected in a 25.7 m long sediment record (Co1313) that was recovered in the lake centre in 2014 and 2015.


We investigate the leverage of hedge funds in the time series and cross section. Hedge fund leverage is counter-cyclical to the leverage of listed financial intermediaries and decreases prior to the start of the financial crisis in mid-2007. Hedge fund leverage is lowest in early 2009 when the market leverage of investment banks is highest. Changes in hedge fund leverage tend to be more predictable by economy-wide factors than by fund-specific characteristics. In particular, decreases in funding costs and increases in market values both forecast increases in hedge fund leverage. Decreases in fund return volatilities predict future increases in leverage.


Tonsil excision is a common surgery for both children and adults. Prior studies have consistently shown that the rate of malignancy in tonsil specimens is low and that the possibility of true, occult malignancy is remote. Practice trends accept triage of pediatric tonsillectomies for exemption or gross exam only. However, for adults, despite a low malignancy rate, routine histological evaluation of tonsillectomy specimens is standard of care at most health care facilities. The authors performed a retrospective review of all tonsil specimens received in their department over 45 months with categorization of pathological diagnosis and surgical indication. Of 1746 adult tonsillectomy specimens removed during this time, there were no incidental/occult malignancies. These data indicate that gross examination of adult tonsillectomy specimens excised for chronic tonsillitis or sleep apnea is sound practice, and this, taken together with other published data, provides a basis for consensus-derived practice guidelines.


Laser-cooled trapped ions can be strongly coupled and form crystalline states. In this paper we review experimental studies that measure the spatial correlations of Be+ ion crystals formed in Penning traps. Both Bragg scattering of the cooling-laser light and spatial imaging of the laser-induced ion fluorescence are used to measure these correlations. In spherical plasmas with more than 2×105 ions, body-centered-cubic (bcc) crystals, the predicted bulk structure, are the only type of crystals observed. The orientation of the ion crystals can be phase locked to a rotating electric-field perturbation. With this "rotating wall" technique and stroboscopic detection, images of individual ions in a Penning trap are obtained. The rotating wall technique also provides a precise control of the time-dilation shift due to the plasma rotation, which is important for Penning trap frequency standards.


English Learners as a student population are increasing in US Schools and migrating to new areas. A review of research shows that teachers are underprepared to meet the unique linguistic and cultural needs and leverage the strengths of this student population. This memo explores the problem space, reviews relevant research and current practices in pre-service education and in-service professional development. Guiding the research and current practices are two essential questions: Is this preparation method effective in changing teacher practice and improving student outcomes? Is this method permeating the educational sphere enough to produce change? The memo details a three prong solution to addressing the teacher preparation gap and concludes by discussing limitations of the memo and approach.


At present, there are mainly two ways to accelerate the self-healing of bitumen materials, namely electromagnetic induction heating or microwave heating, and capsules encapsulating rejuvenator. In this paper, a kind of multi-responsive composite fiber (MRF) was synthesized, which combined the advantages of the two ways. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersion spectrum (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) tests were conducted and confirmed the successfully synthesis of MRF. Graphene oxide (GO) was evenly distributed in the fiber wall. Rejuvenator was encapsulated in MRF in the form of droplets. In addition, MRF met temperature requirement when mixed with bitumen. Microwave response behavior of MRF was studied and shown that MRF had excellent microwave heating effect. The temperature of bitumen containing MRF had a significant increase under the induction of microwave. Meanwhile, bitumen containing MRF could generate a large amount of energy under the action of microwave, which provides a basis for accelerating the self-healing of bitumen by microwave heating. Crack response behavior of bitumen containing MRF was monitored and revealed that rejuvenator that was encapsulated in MRF could flow out and accelerate self-healing of bitumen under the induction of cracks. Modified ductility test was conducted and shown that the self-healing ability of bitumen containing MRF was significantly improved under the synergistic action of rejuvenator and microwave heating. This work provides a new direction for the research of self-healing of bitumen materials.


An attenuated, recombinant Salmonella typhimurium mutant, chi 4072(pYA2905), expressing the surface protein antigen A (SpaA) of Streptococcus sobrinus was investigated for its effectiveness in inducing protective immune responses against S. sobrinus-induced dental caries in an experimental caries model. Fischer rats were orally immunized with either 10(8) or 10(9) CFU of S. typhimurium chi 4072(pYA2905). Persistence of salmonellae in Peyer's patches and spleens and the induction of immune responses were determined. Maximum numbers of salmonellae were recovered from Peyer's patches of rats within the first week of immunization, with higher numbers recovered from rats given 10(9) CFU than from those given 10(8) CFU. Serum anti-Salmonella and anti-SpaA responses increased more rapidly in rats given 10(9) CFU than in rats given 10(8) CFU. The salivary antibody response to SpaA increased with time, but the response varied in the two groups. In a separate study, rats were orally immunized with the recombinant Salmonella mutant and then challenged with cariogenic S. sobrinus 6715. The levels of serum and salivary antibody and caries activity were assessed at the termination of the experiment. Higher levels of salivary immunoglobulin A antibody to SpaA and Salmonella carrier were detected in rats given 10(9) CFU than in those given 10(8) CFU, and these responses were higher than those in nonimmunized controls. Mandibular molars from immunized rats had lower numbers of recoverable streptococci and less extensive carious lesions than those from nonimmunized, control rats. These data indicate that oral immunization with an attenuated recombinant S. typhimurium expressing SpaA of S. sobrinus induces the production of antigen-specific mucosal antibody and confers protection against dental caries.


Abstract. The effects of eleven pulsed reduction-oxidation cycles (20 and 2 days, respectively) on soil phosphorus (P) dynamics are compared for 12 soils having contrasting properties and overfertilised with respect to P. Incubation conditions simulated transient waterlogging of the soil profile and involved repeated sampling and analysis of both the solution and solid phase P forms. An initial increase in P concentration occurred upto and including the fourth full cycle was followed by a sharp decline in concentration for all but one soil. Accompanying changes in the main extractable forms of P, which appeared to be cumulative, could be summarised as a general decline in the organic P fraction and an overall increase in amorphous associated inorganic forms of P. The fact that up to 60% of the total soil P was demonstrated to change its sensitivity for a particular extractant suggests that these operationally defined P forms can experience substantial transformations. There was also a suggestion that certain changes in P forms may not be reversible. While the laboratory conditions represent an extreme situation changes in timing and frequency of intense precipitation events, as predicted in many climate change scenarios, may increase the risk of episodic soil waterlogging. The potential onset of reducing conditions even for periods of less than twenty days will influence soil P dynamics and short-term bioavailable P. Various mechanisms are involved but the robustness of sequential extraction procedures and general soil test methods (e.g. Olsen) for quantifying and reliably distinguishing specific soil P forms/associations are questioned.


7 this study we aimed to identify how the harvest period of the stems from 5 sweet sorghum cultivars 8 influences the production of sugar and ethanol under rainfed conditions in the municipality of Itambé, 9 state of Pernambuco. Subsequently we evaluated the ethanol production from juice and bagasse of 10 the different cultivars. The field experiment was evaluated in a factorial arrangement with two factors 11 (5 cultivars and 3 harvest periods) and fours replications. The fermentation experiments, pretreatment 12 and enzymatic hydrolysis were delineated in a completely randomized design in quadruplicate. Data 13 obtained for all variables evaluated were submitted to an Analysis of Variance and the means 14 compared by the Tukey test at 5% of probability. Results showed that the harvest period influenced 15 the total soluble solids, and the harvest period of soft dough was chosen for assessments of ethanol 16 production of first and second generation. Ethanol production from juice differed among cultivars with 17 the best performance by cultivar SF 15. Significant differences were observed for the chemical 18 composition of bagasses between cultivars, but there where no difference in efficiencies of enzymatic 19 hydrolysis. The average conversion of cellulose in glucose was 64.87%. The cultivars of sweet 20 sorghum biomass developed and adapted for the Northeastern region of Brazil showed potential for 21 ethanol production from the juice and bagasse. 22 23


Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was the investigation of a treatment role of Artemisia annua L. (AA) on liver dysfunction and oxidative stress in high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic (HFD/STZ) mice. Methods. Sixty mice were divided into 12 groups including control, untreated diabetic, and treated diabetic ones with metformin (250 mg/kg), and doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of water (hot and cold) and alcoholic (methanol) extracts of AA. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was induced in mice by high-fat diet for 8 weeks and STZ injection in experimental animals. After treatment with doses of 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg of AA extracts in HFD/STZ diabetic mice for 4 weeks, oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and free radicals (ROS) were determined in the liver tissue in all groups. Results. Diabetic mice treated with metformin and AA extracts showed a significant decrease in ROS and MDA concentrations and a notable increase in GSH level in the liver. Effectiveness of higher doses of AA extracts (200 and 400 mg/kg), especially in hot-water and alcoholic ones, were similar to and/or even more effective than metformin. Conclusion. Therapeutic effects of AA on liver dysfunction showed that antioxidant activity of hot-water and alcoholic AA extracts were similar or higher than of metformin.


In this groundbreaking book, Sheridan Blau introduces the literature workshop as the most effective approach to solving many of the classic instructional problems that perplex beginning and veteran teachers of literature. Through lively re-creations of actual workshops that he regularly conducts for students and teachers, Blau invites his readers to become active participants in workshops on such topics as: helping students read more difficult texts than they think they can read where interpretations come from the problem of background knowledge in teaching classic texts how to deal with competing and contradictory interpretations what's worth saying about a literary text balancing respect for readers with respect for texts and intellectual authority ensuring that literary discussions are lively and productive how to develop valuable and engaging writing assignments. Each workshop includes reflections on what transpired and a discussion of the workshop's rationale and outcomes in the larger context of an original and practice-based theory of literary competence and instruction.


In an area of the Apulian Tavoliere (southern Italy), the effects of three levels of nitrogen fertilization (0, 50 and 100 kg N ha‐1) on root development, growth analysis and yield parameters of durum wheat were evaluated. The research was conducted over a four-year period (1994-97). The non-destructive mini-rhizotron method was used to study the root system at stem extension and at the beginning of heading and ripening stages. At the end of tillering and at boot and flowering stages, samples of wheat biomass were taken and subjected to growth analysis. Yield data and the main biometric parameters were collected at harvest time. The doses of nitrogen (N) fertilizer 50 and 100 kg N ha‐1had a greater effect on root development in the 20-30 cm soil layer and on epigeal biomass than the control test (N0) without nitrogen fertilization. In the test (N0) the growth of root and epigeal biomass was slower during the first vegetative phases, however, afterwards both of them recovered and the root system was mainly developed in the 30-40 cm soil layer. A better development of root system in deeper soil layers, without nitrogen supply, has allowed the plant to overcome more easily the water-deficit and thermal stresses during the ripening stage. The results of this research have shown that the production of grain with 50 kg ha‐1 of N is similar to those of 100 kg ha ‐1 of N doses and higher than the test without nitrogen fertilization. In this kind of environment can be recommended a nitrogen dose of 50 kg ha‐1 for obtaining an increase in grain production with low


The removal of diesel exhausts by non-thermal plasma technology has been investigated focused on the simulation gas experiment at atmospheric pressure and room temperature for many years. However, the research for real diesel engine is need to be further studied. In the experiments, a non-thermal plasma (NTP) reactor was designed based upon dielectric barrier discharge. NO/NO2 conversion was studied as a function of the specific input energy (SIE) by varying the frequency and voltage applied on the NTP reactor through bench test. Results showed that NTP SIE was increased with the voltage at each frequency. The conversion of NO to NO2 was increased at higher NTP SIE. However, NO will further be converted to other active species but not only NO2.


The home learning environment as mediated by parental education and income is an important determinant of child learning outcomes. As part of a longitudinal study on teaching effectiveness in Ghana, this paper examines the joint effects of multiple variables related to home learning environment that interconnect to impact on child academic performance in mathematics. A representative sample of 73 primary schools in Ghana was selected and written tests in mathematics were administered to all grade 6 students of the school sample both at the beginning and end of the school year 2013–2014. Data on student background factors were also collected. Our analytical techniques (i.e., multilevel modelling) take into account the hierarchical structure of schools (i.e., students nested within classes, and within schools). Controlling for the more basic student background factors, we find that the provision of learning resources at home, whiles ensuring that children are offered learning opportunities after school time were important. Implications of findings are drawn.


BACKGROUND
Rapid intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) measurements are an important prerequisite for minimally invasive parathyroidectomy, serving as a feasible marker for "cure" because of the short half-life of PTH. Because automated analysis may facilitate monitoring, two automated PTH assays were compared with an established manual method.

METHODS
We collected 109 plasma samples during minimally invasive surgery on 20 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and single-gland disease. PTH was analyzed manually with a test from Nichols and by two automated assays from Diagnostic Product Corporation (DPC) and Roche, respectively. PTH half-life and residual concentrations were calculated by two kinetic models.

RESULTS
Despite good overall correlations between methods [DPC = 1.07(Nichols) - 12 ng/L; r = 0.95, S(y/x) = 26 ng/L and Roche = 1.16(Nichols) - 2.82 ng/L; r = 0.98; S(y/x) = 16 ng/L], marked interindividual differences were observed. The iterative kinetic model failed with a nonuniform PTH decrease, but the interpolative model produced valid results. The mean (SD) half-life of 3.7 +/- 1.4 min with DPC differed significantly (P <0.05) from the 4.3 +/- 1.6 min with Roche (Nichols, 4.0 +/- 1.6 min). DPC produced significantly lower mean residual PTH (15 ng/L) vs Roche (27 ng/L); Nichols results were between them (20 ng/L). However, these differences were clinically irrelevant.

CONCLUSIONS
Automated methods are as suitable as the manual test. The preoperative baseline PTH is necessary but is insufficient for kinetic calculations.


29 The use of digital therapeutics (DTx) in the prevention and management of medical conditions 30 has increased through the years with an estimated 44 million people using one as part of their 31 treatment plan in 2021, nearly double the amount from last year. DTx are commonly accessed 32 through smartphone apps, but offering these treatments through an alternative input can improve 33 the accessibility of these interventions. Voice apps are an emerging technology in the digital 34 health field, and may be an appropriate alternative platform for some patients. This research 35 aimed to identify the acceptability and feasibility of offering a voice app as an alternative input 36 for a chronic disease self-management program. The objective of this project was to design, 37 develop, and evaluate a voice app of an already existing smartphone-based heart failure self-38 management program, Medly , to be used as a case study. A voice app version of Medly was 39 designed and developed through a user-centered design process. We conducted a usability study 40 and semi-structured interviews with representative end users (n=8) at the Peter Munk Cardiac 41 Clinic in Toronto General Hospital to better understand the user experience. A Medly voice app 42 prototype was built using a software development kit in tandem with a cloud computing 43 platform. Three out of the eight participants were successful in completing the usability session, 44 while the rest of the participants were not due to various errors. Almost all (7 out of the 8) 45 participants were satisfied with the voice app and felt confident using it. Half of the participants 46 were unsure about using the voice app in the future, though. With these findings, design changes 47 were made to better improve the user experience. With rapid advancements in voice user 48 interfaces, we believe this technology will play an integral role when providing access to DTx 49 for chronic disease management.


This is not a detective story , but concerns the chance discovery of an archive collection which - having miraculously survived the vicissitudes of time - has apparently become forgotten and, effectively, lost to scholarship. Between 1882 and 1884, the Report of the Royal Commission on Technical Instruction (the Samuelson Report) was published. 1 Its terms of reference were: 'To inquire into the instruction of the industrial classes of certain foreign countries in technical and other su bjects for the purpose of comparison with that of the corresponding classes in this country ; and into the influence of such instruction on manufacturing and other industries at home and abroad '.


Abstract Objective To investigate whether polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) had further deteriorating influence on endothelial function or cardiometabolic parameters in women with vitamin D deficiency during reproductive age. Study design The study group was composed of women with PCOS and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency between the ages of 18 and 35 years. Age and body mass index (BMI)-matched women were chosen as controls. Serum 25(OH) Vit D levels below 20 ng/mL were considered as vitamin D deficiency. The cutoff level of vitamin D insufficiency was suggested at 30 ng/mL. Serum FSH, LH, estradiol, testosterone, DHEA-S, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride levels were analyzed. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured, and the flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) was calculated. Results CIMT and FMD values in both vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency subgroups showed no significant difference between PCOS and non-PCOS groups. There was a weak negative correlation between BMI, waist/hip ratio, CRP, and 25(OH) Vitamin D. Conclusion PCOS is a heterogeneous disease with different combinations of the diagnostic components. Vitamin D is an important variable for a healthy cardiovascular system. We did not find any difference in early atherosclerotic markers and cardiometabolic features between PCOS and non-PCOS group with Vitamin D deficiency.


A magnetically recoverable biocatalyst has been effectively prepared through the immobilization of α-amylase onto the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized by a sol–gel method in an aqueous system. The MNPs' surfaces were modified with sodium silicate and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS). The adsorptive immobilization of α-amylase was attempted onto the APTS–SiO2–Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of the biocatalysts were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The magnetic properties of the biocatalyst were analyzed by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The activity of free and immobilized α-amylase was also evaluated by direct measurement of the absorbance of starch solution at 620 nm using UV-vis spectrophotometry. The prepared particles exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. The mass saturation magnetization (Ms) of the bare Fe3O4 nanoparticles and the biocatalyst was 175.7 and 50.4 emu g−1 respectively. A biocatalyst was produced with a loading capacity of α-amylase of about 235 mg g−1. The enzymatic activity of the immobilized enzyme was 882 U g−1 which is about 79.53% of the free enzyme activity when not involved in the immobilized system. The immobilized enzyme exhibited significant thermal stability (stable up to 70 °C) and good durability (recycled 3 times without any obvious loss of enzymatic activity). This synthetic method provides a possible industrial route for the use of enzyme catalysts which eliminate the high operational costs and complicated recycle/reuse problems in the conventional enzyme catalysis process.


ABSTRACT The classification of roundwood is inextricably linked to the measurement of a particular single wood defect. The appearance, location, and number of defects are important in the quality evaluation of logs and sawn timber, and the most important defects are knots. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the appearance of branch scars and features of the related knot inside oriental beech logs, and to model the relationship between well-defined branch-scar and knot parameters. One hundred and fifty knots in 15 stems of oriental beech trees were studied. Image analysis software was used to measure the branch-scar and knot features. The results showed a significant positive correlation between the branch-scar parameter "moustache length" and the knot length. The ratio of branch-seal length to width was found to be a good estimator of the stem diameter at the time of knot occlusion and the amount of clear wood between the knot occlusion and the bark. The relationship obtained for the oriental beech stem radius at time of knot occlusion confirms relationship reported for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.).


Abstract The region of the gold-rich Ashanti belt in southern Ghana was chosen as the subject for a detailed regional thermal modelling study. Geological studies, in addition to laboratory measurements of thermal properties and heat-production rates, allow us to constrain a finite-element thermal modelling. Scenarios intergrating variations of the structure of the crust and various chronological settings were examined. We calculated the thermal regime before and after the thrust tectonism that affected the region during the Eburnean orogeny (2130–2095 Ma), just before ore deposit formation. This gives a new insight into the regional thermal state of the crust before the mineralizing events. To satisfy the thermobarometric observations, the most probable mantle heat flow must be 60 mW m−2, which is at least three times greater than the present-day value. At shallow depths, our results also indicate anomalies of lateral heat flow reaching 25 mW m−2, focused on the margins of each lithological unit, including the Ashanti belt. These anomalies are related to the distortion of the isotherms in the first few kilometres that can be explained mostly by lateral contrasts in thermal conductivity. Such anomalies could be of importance for the mineralizing events, as they would favour fluid circulation locally.


Landfill leachate is one kind of the most harmful types of high-concentration organic waste water. The effective processing method is necessary to improve the treating efficiency of landfill leachate. In this study, the microwave-Fenton oxidation process was conducted to treat aged landfill leachate with the catalytic effect of Fe2+ loaded on granular activated carbon (GAC). The removal ratios of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH3-N were adopted as the indexes to analyze the influence of several factors, like the amount of loading Fe2+, the GAC dosage, the microwave irradiation time, the microwave power, the H2O2 dosage, and the pH value of the water sample on the efficiency of the Fenton reagent oxidation to landfill leachate. The corresponding microanalysis and kinetics were also performed. The results indicate that microwave energy can enhance the Fenton oxidation reaction and promote colloidal flocculation in the leachate. The removal ratio of COD is mainly because of oxidation, whereas that of NH3-N is mainly because of the flocculation and adsorption. Under the optimal conditions, loading Fe2+ amount = 33.32 mg/g, GAC dosage = 10 g/l, microwave power = 720 W, microwave irradiation time = 30 min, H2O2 (concentration of 30 %) dosage = 0.10 mol/l, and initial pH value = 3, the maximum remova1 ratios of COD and NH3-N are, respectively, up to 93.01 % and 85.76 %. The characteristic peaks of the organic pollutants in treated landfill leachate disappear or significantly weaken, which means that the proposed process is effective. In addition, according to the experiment results, a kinetics model of microwave-Fenton oxidation reaction is established preliminarily.


Background Identification of immunodominant T cell epitopes of autoantigens is crucial to understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and developing disease-specific diagnostic and therapeutic tools. A subset of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) exhibit autoantibodies and CD4+ T cells specific for topoisomerase-I (topo-I), which are quantitatively associated with the presence and severity of lung fibrosis.1 Mapping of immunodominant topo-1 T cell epitopes has been difficult due to poor sensitivity, high cost of experimental protocols, and has mainly been based on in silico prediction. Objectives To develop a new method for mapping immunodominant topo-I T cell epitopes using the natural processing and presentation of HLA-DR-restricted topo-I peptides by monocyte derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) from SSc patients. Methods MoDCs from 6 anti-topo-I positive SSc patients were pulsed with whole topo-I protein. Following overnight exposure, immunoprecipitation was performed to isolate HLA-DR/peptide complexes. Peptides were eluted, identified by mass spectrometry, and matched to the known Topo-I sequence. These were then synthesised and used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from these patients in the presence of anti-CD40 antibody. Topo-I-reactive CD4+ T cells were identified by flow cytometry based on activation status (CD40L upregulation). PBMCs from 8 HLA-matched healthy donors and 8 additional randomly selected anti-topo-1-positive patients were stimulated using the same protocol. Results Ten different naturally processed topo-I specific peptides were identified by mass spectrometric analysis. The median number of distinct peptides presented by each individual patient was 4 (range 1–8), with 60% being presented by two or more individuals. Interestingly, four out of six patients presented two peptides with contiguous sequences. All topo-I peptides were able to stimulate CD4+ T cells from at least one of the patients tested, and 45% of patients responded to one or both of the contiguous peptides. Conclusions Through characterisation of naturally processed topo-1 peptides, we have identified immunodominant topo-1 epitopes capable of stimulating CD4+ T cells from patients with SSc. This method represents a cost-effective and dependable way to identify immunodominant epitopes and can provide novel targets for disease monitoring and eventually, designing peptide-targeted immunotherapy.


Turfgrass management best management practices (BMPs) encompass a wide variety of activities, including fertilization, irrigation, mowing, pest control, and soil management. Little attention is given to determining just how effective information regarding BMPs is being assimilated and used by professional turfgrass managers. The objectives of this study were to assess the current perception and implementation of selected turfgrass BMPs and to determine whether or not those perceptions and implementations differed 1) between turfgrass advisors and managers and 2) between general and sports turfgrass managers. Professionals from the turfgrass industry, with an average of 13 years of experience and largely comprised of decision-makers (88%), were surveyed at the University of California, Riverside, Turfgrass Research Conference and Field Day in Fall 1998 and 1999. Turfgrass managers, especially sports turfgrass managers, were found to be the most committed to implementing the BMPs in the survey. Overall, survey respondents considered BMPs to be important and not highly difficult to implement. Limitations to the adoption of BMPs were a lack of financial backing, employee education, and necessary time—all of which could be remedied with a sufficient commitment of resources by the turfgrass industry.


We describe Richard Schwartz's development of the Internal Family Systems model (IFS) from his position as a Structural/Strategic family therapist. Four decades ago, Schwartz struggled to help clients who exhibited serious risk of harm to self and others. Through a process of inquiry, he began to work with the positive intentions behind his most challenging clients' harmful thoughts and behaviors. He applied foundational ideas from family systems thinking to patterns of internal experiences. As he experimented with ways of applying these ideas, he created an approach to healing. We summarize the IFS model delineating ways a range of family systems theory and practice inform its development and contribute to its best practice. Our purposes are to inform IFS practitioners who are not trained in foundational family systems models as well as to acknowledge the significant contributions family therapy theories made in the development and best practice of the IFS model.


The establishment of the permissible levels for the use of additives in foods must be based on the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). A method that may be applied for this purpose is the Danish Budget Method which estimates the maximum amount of the additive that may be added to the food based on the functional properties of the additive, and on the categories of the food in which the additive will be used. Based on the latest information Bar and Wurtzen propose some modifications to the original Budget Method, one of which is the addition of a correction factor which takes into account the competition between different food additives with the same functional properties. In the present paper, both the Budget Method and the Bar and Wurtzen-modified method were applied to evaluate whether the maximum levels of food colours use exceeded their ADI or not. Applying the original Budget Method, the results showed that the colours Sunset Yellow, Amaranth, Erythrosine, Ponceau 4R and Cochineal possibly exceeded the ADI; while applying the modified method only the colours Erythrosine and Cochineal would exceed the ADI. Brazilian regulatory authorities should be advised to establish maximum limits of use for the following categories of colours: Caramel, Inorganic, Natural and Artificial Colours Identical to the Natural Ones, where ADIs have been evaluated by JECFA.


Abstract. Terrestrial photogrammetry nowadays offers a reasonably cheap, intuitive and effective approach to 3D-modelling. However, the important choice, which sensor and which software to use is not straight forward and needs consideration as the choice will have effects on the resulting 3D point cloud and its derivatives. We compare five different sensors as well as four different state-of-the-art software packages for a single application, the modelling of a vegetated rock face. The five sensors represent different resolutions, sensor sizes and price segments of the cameras. The software packages used are: (1) Agisoft PhotoScan Pro (1.16), (2) Pix4D (2.0.89), (3) a combination of Visual SFM (V0.5.22) and SURE (126.96.36.1996), and (4) MicMac (1.0). We took photos of a vegetated rock face from identical positions with all sensors. Then we compared the results of the different software packages regarding the ease of the workflow, visual appeal, similarity and quality of the point cloud. While PhotoScan and Pix4D offer the user-friendliest workflows, they are also "black-box" programmes giving only little insight into their processing. Unsatisfying results may only be changed by modifying settings within a module. The combined workflow of Visual SFM, SURE and CloudCompare is just as simple but requires more user interaction. MicMac turned out to be the most challenging software as it is less user-friendly. However, MicMac offers the most possibilities to influence the processing workflow. The resulting point-clouds of PhotoScan and MicMac are the most appealing.


My main reason for wanting to read this book was to find out what a well-known publicist from the world of OO would have to say about the state of the art of domain specific languages (DSLs), in particular when it comes to type error feedback, functional programming, and the combination. As most readers will be aware, languages like Scheme and Haskell are very well suited to embed DSLs in: Scheme can be considered a core language to which new language facilities can be easily added by means of hygienic syntax macro's (Abelson et al. 1998), and there are so many papers on embedded DSLs in Haskell (Hudak, 1998), that any realistic selection would aggravate more people than I would please. Great was my disappointment when I read on page XXV that these topics were not discussed at all in the book. Although I can imagine that Fowler does not feel comfortable writing about subjects he is not sufficiently at home with, the question does arise whether the title of this book is sufficiently covered by its contents.


We study the effects of volatility on the probability of financial crises by constructing a cross-country database spanning 211 years. We find that volatility is not a significant predictor of crises whereas unexpected high and low volatilities are. Low volatility leads to banking crises and both high and low volatilities make stock market crises more likely, while volatility in any form has little impact on currency crises. The volatility-crisis relationship becomes stronger when financial markets are more prominent and less regulated. Finally, low-risk environments are conducive to greater buildup of risk-taking, providing empirical support for the Minsky hypothesis.


This paper presents abundances for 12 red giants of the old open cluster Collinder 261 based on spectra from the Very Large Telescope UVES. Abundances were derived for Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zr, and Ba. We find that the cluster has a solar-level metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.03 dex. However, most α- and s-process elements were found to be enhanced. The star-to-star scatter was consistent with the expected measurement uncertainty for all elements. The observed rms scatter is as follows: Na = 0.07, Mg = 0.05, Si = 0.06, Ca = 0.05, Mn = 0.03, Fe = 0.02, Ni = 0.04, Zr = 0.12, and Ba = 0.03 dex. The intrinsic scatter was estimated to be less than 0.05 dex. Such high levels of homogeneity indicate that chemical information remains preserved in this old open cluster. We use the chemical homogeneity we have now established in Cr 261, the Hyades, and the HR 1614 moving group to examine the uniqueness of the individual cluster abundance patterns, i.e., chemical signatures. We demonstrate that the three studied clusters have unique chemical signatures and discuss how other such signatures may be searched for in the future. Our findings support the prospect of chemically tagging disk stars to common formation sites in order to unravel the dissipative history of the Galactic disk.


Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors carried out the whole reaction process in the same solution, which would limit the sensitivity and selectivity of detection in the sensing system. Herein, we reported a promising new cathode-anode spatial division PEC platform based on the two-electrode synergistic enhancement strategy. With the photoanode and photocathode integrated in the same current circuit, the platform exhibited an increased photocurrent response, as well as an improved anti-interference ability led by separating the two electrodes spatially. In this proposal, red light-driven AgInS2 nanoparticles (NPs) served as the photoanode to build biometric steps and amplify the signal, whereas p-type PbS quantum dots were selected as the photocathode to increase the signal. With the participation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) labeled on Au NPs-DNA, ascorbic acid 2-phosphate was catalyzed to produce ascorbic acid as an electron donor, resulting in the enhancement of the PEC signal. Interestingly, in the presence of miRNA-21 and T7 Exo, the one-step DNA walker amplification can be triggered to reduce the PEC signal by releasing ALP-Au NP-DNA. The constructed PEC biosensor exhibited a detection limit of as low as 3.4 fM for miRNA-21, which was expected to be applied to early clinical diagnosis. Also, we believe that the proposed cathode-anode spatial division PEC platform can open up a new view for the establishment of other types of PEC biosensors.


Justine Howe provides a rich ethnographic account of the Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb Foundation in the western Chicago suburbs from 2010 to 2014. Howe argues that the Webb Foundation functions as a third space, an in-between space that critiques local masjids and "engenders possibilities for new ways of being" (9). The organization was founded by and specifically targets university educated, culturally American, "unmosqued" Muslims who feel like outsiders to mainstream American culture and Chicago masjids that have increasingly become influenced by Salafis. Their religion (and often race) marks Webb members as not fully American and local masjids privilege cultural Islam over "true" Islam, forcing them to exist on the margins.


Employing 90,000 firm-level observations from 13 countries over a seven year period, and controlling for an extensive set of firm-level characteristics, industry effects and country-level institutional variables, we provide a conceptual framework and empirical analysis of how culture influences capital structure in SMEs. We document hitherto unreported effects. Uncertainty avoidance and individuality are negatively related with long-term debt, highlighting SME owners desire to avoid heightened business risk, reduce interference from debt providers, and maintain autonomy and independence. Negative relationships between power distance and debt suggest a more consultative role with financial institutions, facilitating greater access to debt. Policy makers should take account of the deep and powerful consequences of cultural influences when designing and implementing SME financing initiatives.


This study examined the experiences of family members caring for a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia in Ethiopia. Previous studies indicated that family members providing care for their loved one with schizophrenia experienced many challenges in the course of care-giving. Though family members experience both enrichments and challenges in caring for their loved one with mental illness little attention is paid to the comprehensive experiences of family members. This study addressed the aforementioned issue and contributed to limited studies on psychiatric conditions in Ethiopia where there are limited services, community service organizations, or legal frame-works on mental illness. The study used a qualitative case study approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight purposely selected participants. Content analysis was used to analyze the data and identify themes. The study indicated a variety of impacts of caregiving such as psycho-social and economic as well as enrichments such as progress on the illness, teaching their experiences, deriving hope from the situation, and satisfaction from sharing experiences with others. Understanding caregivers' experiences may be useful in prompting governments and service providers to invest in education and support programs aimed at helping caregivers to cope with this stress and deal with the problem behaviours associated with the illness


Celiac Disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder caused by gluten and related prolamins in genetically susceptible individuals, characterized by the presence of a variable combination of gluten-dependent clinical manifestations, CD-specific antibodies, HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 haplotypes and enteropathy. CD-specific antibodies comprise autoantibodies against TGt2, including endomysial antibodies (EMA) and antibodies against deamidated forms of gliadin peptides (DGP). To diagnose children and adolescents without intestinal biopsy, the following conditions are imperative: signs or symptoms suggestive of CD, high anti-TG2 levels (>10 times UNL), verified by EMA and positive HLA-DQ2 and/or DQ8. Only then the intestinal biopsy can be avoided, the CD diagnosis made and the child started on a gluten-free diet (GFD). In childhood and adolescence, intestinal biopsy can be omitted in symptomatic subjects with high anti-TG2-IgA levels (>10 times normal values), verified by EMA and positive HLA-DQ2 and/or HLA-DQ8. In these cases, a GFD can be started. In all other cases, intestinal biopsies should be perform first before starting a GFD to avoid misdiagnosis.


This paper focuses on the shrinkage of concrete, influenced by the different mixing amount of super absorbent polymer—SAP and extra-water. The experiment showed that the SAP-cement-mortar shrinkage is reduced greatly by mixing SAP. Extra-water can improve the function of reducing shrinkage of SAP. When the amount is 20, the shrinkage is lest, account for 57% of blank group's. The SAP has well effect on the cement mortar shrinkage. Besides, we found that the strength of this group account for 89% of blank group. So the proper amount of SAP and extra-water has poorly influence on the strength of concrete.


The buccal space is a potential anatomical space bounded by the buccinator muscle medially and the parotid space posteriorly. This space chiefly consists of adipose tissue named the Buccal fat pad. Other contents are the parotid duct, facial nerve, accessory parotid gland, buccinator lymph nodes, facial artery and vein. Here we report a case of malignant lymphoma arising in the Buccal space.A 78-year-old woman presented with a painless tumor in her left cheek. The tumor had been present for approximately nine months and was slowly enlarging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of the head and neck demonstrated a 32mm×30mm×27mm tumor in the left buccal space. We surgically removed this tumor through the transoral approach. The pathologic diagnosis was follicular lymphoma grade 2 and there was no lesion in other organizations, therefore, she was not treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. No sign of recurrence or metastatic lesion has so far been found postoperatively.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the style of psychotherapy portrayed in the film "Antwone Fisher". The rationale for this examination is that prospective patients often have little idea about what the process of psychotherapy may involve; depictions of therapy in popular films and on television serve to "prime" our patients' expectations in this regard.

CONCLUSIONS
The film in question shows a psychiatrist who might be readily perceived as unambiguously good by a lay audience, despite a number of clear therapeutic boundary violations occurring throughout the film. Although such positive depictions might enhance the public image of psychiatry, they have the potential to create unreal expectations within patients and to promote the acceptability of boundary violations.


This Thesis describes applications of standing-waveultrasonic traps for sensitive biomedical analysis. Two majorapproaches have been investigated where functionalizedmicroparticles are employed in bioaffinity assays. In the firstapproach, a longitudinal flow-through capillary ultrasonic trapis used for size selective separation and retention ofdifferently sized microparticles. This device may be used fordetection of particle pairs, which are formed during theinitial stage of microparticle immunoagglutination. Theperformance of the capillary ultrasonic trap for enrichment andcounting of particle pairs is characterized by a model systemof differently sized homogeneous fluorescent microparticles.The selectivity of this detection method relies on thecharacteristics of the force field inside the narrow borecapillary, which is formed by the competition between acousticradiation forces and viscous drag forces from the fluidflow. The second approach is an investigation of the potential forsensitive protein quantification by combining ultrasonicenrichment and confocal laser-scanning fluore-scence detection.Here, the design of the ultrasonic trap is tailor-made for theimaging properties of a confocal microscope, resulting inrearrangement and concentration of suspended microparticlesinto single, dense layers that is scanned by a focused laserbeam. The bioaffinity assay employed is based on detecting thetarget molecules via fluorescent tracer antibodies immobilizedon the surface of each single particle. The final part of the work presented in this Thesis is athorough investigation of both the biochemical and the physicalproperties that determine the performance and potentialsensitivity of the particle doublet assay. In thisinvestigation, a novel approach is presented for doubletdetection, namely fluorescence-microscopy-based classificationof doublets and singlets by a pattern recognition algorithm.The experimental results are also compared with the resultsfrom flow cytometry analysis. Furthermore, the initial stage ofimmuno-agglutination is theoretically investigated by a modelbased on diffusion-limited agglutination combined with a stericfactor determined by the geometry of the bio-molecules and theamount of specific and non-specific binding that is present inthe particular assay. To conclude, the Thesis presents several approaches wherestanding-wave ultrasonic fields may be used for sensitiveparticle-based biomedical analysis. The best prospect for highsensitivity was found for the confocal laser-scanningfluorescence detection system, with a detection limit of theorder of 10-14M. On the other hand, the agglutination-basedassay may give sensitivity of the order of 10-11-10-10M with very simple and inexpensiveequipment.


Ultralong cerium-based coordination polymer (Ce-CP) nanobelts have been prepared from benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (1,3-H2BDC) and Ce(NO3)3via a facile solvothermal method, employing a cheap and non-toxic mixture of ethanol and water as solvent. The products were well characterized and analyzed. The nanobelts are dozens of micrometers in length, 50–200 nm in width, and 20–40 nm in thickness. Reaction parameters such as molar ratio of reactants, reaction temperature and time of preparation were also investigated in detail. CeO2 nanobelts were obtained after calcining the CP nanobelts in air at 400 °C for 4 h. The activity of the catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol by the 1 wt% Pt loaded CeO2 nanobelts was investigated. Furthermore, other rare earth-based CP micro/nano structures were also prepared using this method.


Rural tourism has become a significant economic activity in Spain, contributing also to the social revitalisation of rural areas. However, rural tourism destinations face particular challenges with respect to commercialisation and promotion. Because rural tourism industry remains highly fragmented, comprising a large number of relatively small and generally family-run businesses, the participation of tourism intermediaries in the marketing process is limited. To ensure that rural tourism businesses are properly marketed numerous organisations, based on joint local initiatives, have arisen. Such cooperative groups are labelled as Rural Tourism Associations. The purpose of this paper is to present the main characteristics of Rural Tourism Association's movement in Spain, making to do it a census of these organisations. Secondly, we estimate the contribution of Rural Tourism Associations to the income of rural tourism business owners. The sample, made of Catalan rural tourism promoters, shows the relevant role that rural tourism organisations play on the viability of rural tourism business.


We demonstrate optical pulling of single light-absorbing particles and smut spores in air over a meter-scale distance using a single collimated laser beam based on negative photophoretic force. The micron-sized particles are pulled towards the light source at a constant speed of 1–10 cm/s in the optical pulling pipeline while undergoing transverse rotation at 0.2–10 kHz. The pulled particles can be manipulated and precisely positioned on the entrance window with an accuracy of ∼20 μm, and their chemical compositions can be characterized with micro-Raman spectroscopy.


This bulletin represents a tool that can help producers, consultants, educators, and agribusinesses working with producers estimate costs of production and expected profit based on "typical" onion management strategies found in Michigan. Because sorting and packing practices differ widely throughout the industry, this budget DOES NOT include the costs of sorting, packing and bagging. It represents the cost to produce onions up to their delivery to a packing facility. The budget included in this bulletin will allow users to revise inputs based on their management strategies and calculate their expected cost and profit. This flexibility provides a decision aid to search for systems that generate higher net returns to the farm's resource base.


Adaptive histogram equalization has become well-established as a technique for enhancing contrast in images. This paper investigates an alternative formulation of histogram equalization. An implementation of this is presented. The resulting algorithm involves the application of a filter to a set of image fields, and the potential for filtering these fields differently is illustrated through the restoration of a deliberately degraded image. Hence the alternative algorithm is shown to be effective and to provide a framework for improved estimation of the optimal gray-level mappings over standard methods.


Indigenous peoples' concept of sovereignty is intimately linked to their culture, their language, and their land. These three essential components of their self-determination have been, and remain, under existential threat. This essay explores how international law has responded to Indigenous peoples' demands for cultural survival, appraises progress made and suggests further improvements to the international legal regime. In doing so, the essay focuses on the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, overwhelmingly passed by the UN General Assembly, as well as pertinent treaty and customary international law.


There is a growing need for a real-time, noninvasive technique to determine the extent and geometry of treated tissue during thermal therapy. We have developed an analog-digital hybrid system which measures the phase and amplitude of the ultrasonic echoes returned from a heated tissue at multiple depths. Two distinct types of echo modulations were observed in our in-vitro studies using beef muscle irradiated with an 810 nm diode laser. Type 1 modulation showed small and slow variations in amplitude and phase, whereas type 2 modulation demonstrated much larger and faster variations in both amplitude and phase. Our study suggests that type 1 modulation is consistent with tissue coagulation, whereas type 2 modulation is associated with tissue evaporation and explosive events.


SUMMARY The number of novel antimalarial candidates entering preclinical development has seen an increase over the last several years. Most of these drug candidates were originally identified as hits coming from screening large chemical libraries specifically targeting the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Indeed, a large proportion of the current antimalarial arsenal has mainly targeted the asexual blood stage which is responsible for clinical symptoms of the disease. However, as part of the eradication agenda and to address resistance, any next-generation antimalarial should have additional activity on at least one other parasite life stage, i.e. gametocytocidal and/or tissue schizonticidal activity. We have applied this approach by screening compounds with intrinsic activity on asexual blood stages in assays against sexual and liver stages and identified two new antimalarial chemotypes with activity on multiple parasite life stages. This strategy can be expanded to identify other chemical classes of molecules with similar activity profiles for the next generation antimalarials. The following review summarizes the discovery of the spiroindolones and imidazolopiperazine classes of antimalarials developed by the NGBS consortium (Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, Genomic Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, Biomedical Primate Research Center, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute) currently in clinical trials.


Integrating low-altitude earth orbit (LEO) satellites (SATs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within a non-terrestrial network (NTN), we investigate the problem of forwarding packets between two faraway ground terminals through SAT and UAV relays using either radio-frequency (RF) or free-space optical (FSO) link. Towards maximizing the communication efficiency, the associations with orbiting SATs and the trajectories of UAVs should be optimized, which is challenging due to the time-varying network topology and a huge number of possible control actions. To overcome the difficulty, we lift this problem to multi-agent deep reinforcement learning with a novel action dimensionality reduction technique. Simulation results corroborate that our proposed SAT-UAV integrated scheme achieves 1.99x higher end-to-end sum throughput compared to a benchmark scheme with fixed ground relays. While improving the throughput, our proposed scheme also aims to reduce the UAV control energy, yielding 2.25x higher energy efficiency than a baseline method only maximizing the throughput. Lastly, thanks to utilizing hybrid FSO/RF links, the proposed scheme achieves up to 62.56x higher peak throughput and 21.09x higher worst-case throughput than the cases utilizing either RF or FSO links, highlighting the importance of co-designing SAT-UAV associations, UAV trajectories, and hybrid FSO/RF links in beyond-5 G NTNs.


Oxide films have been produced on the AM60B magnesium alloy using micro-arc oxidation process in an environmentally friendly alkaline solution with and without addition of titania nanoparticles. The surface morphology and cross-section of anodized samples were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with EDS and the phase composition was investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Hardness tests were performed by means of a micro-hardness tester and the corrosion resistance was evaluated in 3.5% NaCl solution using potentiodynamic polarization tests. Addition of titania nanoparticles doesn't affect corrosion resistance significantly, but the oxide films produced in titania-containing solution are denser, thicker and have more uniform morphology. In the oxides produced at 130V-140V in presence of titania (4g dm-3) a spinel (MgAl2O4) was observed. Spinel phase increases the hardness up to 550 HV (10mN, 10 s). The addition of titania nanoparticles in the solution could be an interesting way to synthesize hard coatings on magnesium alloy AM60B by micro-arc oxidation in a short process time (10 minutes).


Responsibilities to protect and prevent elite crimes are best energized by enforcement that walks through many doors. Effective deterrence is rarely delivered by the International Criminal Court. Yet deterrence is possible when it patiently cumulates through many doors. Likewise truth, justice, and reconciliation can achieve little through one door and much through many. Opening more doors to the complexly cross-cutting character of survivor guilt with mass atrocities can better open possibilities for future prevention and reconciliation than simply doors to courtrooms that find a criminal on one side of complex sequences of atrocity. The Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crimes Trials opened quickly after World War II. They did not prove to hold keys to truth and reconciliation for Germany until the Eichmann trial finished in Jerusalem in 1962. Why? Still today, non-confession by the U.S. to Hiroshima/Nagasaki as war crimes has meant truncated Japanese reconciliation. Different kinds of doors are needed with crimes like the Dresden and Tokyo fire bombing, the rape of Nanjing and the "comfort women" issue. These have included citizens tribunals, truth commissions, and indigenous justice in cases like Bougainville that rejected the truth commission model. When we reflect upon door diversity, transitional justice turns out not to be very focused on justice or international criminal law, and not to be at all transitional, but rather a maze of doors to justice of diverse kinds that open or close across the longue duree (as developed in the work of Susanne Karstedt).1


(NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the Nation's measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL's responsibilities include the development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of non-national security-related information in federal information systems. This Interagency Report discusses ITL's research, guidelines, and outreach efforts in information system security, and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations. Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose.


Big Data in the form of streaming, the data stream mining, has re- ceived a great deal of attention for some time. With disparate multiple sensors, sensors are able to gentrify the information they want to acquire. In this paper, the ways to encode a wide range of sensor data that is continuously reported is proposed. These encoding methods enable higher level analysis than identify the frequent pattern or association rules. It is essential that sensors are distribut- ed and extract various and detailed information about the context that was sensed. This study suggests that it is essential that the sensor data is encoded in a reasonable and valid way for inferring context and extracting a variety of quality information even in the data stream environment for on-off analysis of the large amount of sensor data that continuously flow in through the sensor da- ta encoding method.