Induction of Mutation of Red Chili (Capsicum Annuum L.) Using Ethyl Methanesulfonate at Several Soaking Periods. One way to increase genetic variation is through induced mutation usingchemical mutagen. Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) is a chemical compound that can cause mutationsand commonly used in plant. In this study seeds of red chili were treated using EMS 1% through seedsoaking. Seeds of red chili were soaked with EMS 1% in phosphate buffer pH 7 for 6, 9, 12 and 15hours at room temperature. As control, seeds were soaked in phosphate buffer pH 7. This study aimsto evaluate, physiological and reproductive characters of plants after treated with EMS. Experimentwas conducted in an open field with 5 replicates for each treatment. Results showed that concentrationof chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll increased in plants derived from seed treated with EMS 1% for9 hours compared to control and other soaking periods. Soaking seeds with EMS 1% for 12 hoursincreased viability of pollen compared to control and other treatments. The first time of floweringoccurred earlier at 6 and 9 hours soaking period.


To master the heat transfer rule of phase change material(PCM) wall, two kinds of hollow boxes was made with different material, one was made of pure EPS granule,the other one was made of EPS and PCM, temperature of cavum was measured during thermal translation process experiment. The hollow boxes was separated into 4 nodes finite element, the experiment time was divided into finite time point, the diathermanous process of boxes was simulated by finite element software system. The result indicated that simulation process by computer was inosculated with experiment, there was obvious temperature flateform during heat transfer of PCM wall, duration of different direction of phase change process was different, during ascendant process and descent process, change rate and distributing characteristic were contrary on the two sides of phase change point temperature.


Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is a form of congestive hepatopathy resulting from Fontan palliation procedures in patients with single ventricle physiology. Although there is variation between pediatric centers, the surveillance for FALD may include liver biopsies for assessment of degree of fibrosis. Our report describes a 7-year-old girl with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who underwent Fontan palliation at age 2, and presented with disproportionate hepatomegaly, elevated liver enzymes, and increased stiffness on liver elastography. Liver biopsy showed diffuse hepatocellular cytoplasmic glycogenation, leading to the diagnosis of glycogen storage disease IX. This case demonstrates the importance of investigating unexpected physical exam findings and the potential for serendipitous benefit of liver biopsy in FALD.


Abstract The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon affects the atmosphere and ocean over much of the globe. The resultant atmospheric and oceanic anomalies can produce a variety of biological and societal impacts. Three examples of impacts that may be predictable by monitoring simple indices of ENSO are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of such "direct" prediction of impacts are considered.


This study presents a basic description and analysis of 20 common health disorders/diseases monitored in 289 802 dairy cows in the Czech Republic. The data were provided by farmers on a one-time basis from 1 183 herds and were collected between July 2015 and June 2016. In 55 % of cows, no disorders/diseases were treated, while in 45 % of cows, at least 1 of 20 monitored disorders/diseases was recorded. The most frequent disease was mastitis (19.8 % treated lactations, i.e., lactational incidence risk, LIR), followed by metritis (LIR 11.3 %) and foot and claw diseases (LIR 11.0 %). Treatment of metabolic disorders was rather seldom (LIR 1-3.2 %). Not all farms recorded all diagnoses; while almost 90 % of farmers reported the incidence of mastitis, less than 50 % of them recorded the incidence of metabolic diseases. Additionally, the comparison of the incidence of foot and claw diseases with studies based on hoof trimmer records showed possible under-reporting. Despite those limitations, our basic analysis is important for intended genetic evaluation of health traits and gave us an idea about the health conditions and disease recording in Czech dairy cattle.


29. Looking back upon 19th century work in American fiction, closing accounts on it, on that cabalistic summa, obsessed with the Letter, completely caught up with glossing it, with exploding it into a rainbow of multi-colored fragments, deciphers, as does Moby Dick, in one compact hieroglyphic sign the great encyclopedic wheel [whale/wheel] of documents and fables of the times.


In 69 artificially ventilated patients the clinical, bacteriological and pharmacological effects of endotracheally administered tobramycin were studied in comparison to a control group. In the therapy group, 52% of all specimens were sterile, in the control group only 25%. During the first 4 days these changes were significant (p < 0.05). In the therapy group the endotracheal colonisation with ps. aeruginosa was significantly lower between the 4th and 14th day (p < 0.05). The incidence of secondary pneumonia was reduced from 42% to 17.5% (not significant). Systemic administration of antibiotics, e.g. of aminoglycosides, was significantly more often necessary in the control group. No increasing of growth of fungi in the upper respiratory tract was observed, but these was a non-significantly higher incidence mainly of staph. epidermidis. The application of 80 mg tobramycin four times a day as an aerosol was well tolerated by the patients. Under there conditions, tobramycin could not be measured in the serum. No allergic reactions, increased respiratory pressures or bronchoconstrictions were observed.


One potential use for alkaline, dry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) by-products is in reclamation of acidic minespoils. Greenhouse column studies of 8-mo duration investigated growth and tissue composition of plants grown on three acidic minespoils amended with two dry FGD by-products (lime injection multistage burners, LIMB ; and, pressurized fluidized bed combustion, PFBC). Amendment amounts ranged from 0 to 320 g kg -1 by dry weight. Two minespoils also were amended with sewage sludge at 60 g kg -1 by dry weight. Column mixes were planted with Kentucky 31 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea schreb.). After 92 d of growth, fescue was harvested every 30 d for a total of six harvests. Tissue composition was determined on material from the sixth harvest. Root growth was measured at the end of the experiment. Fescue growth was improved by FGD amendments of 30 to 120 g kg -1 , but larger amendments caused high pH and cementation, which decreased fescue growth and limited rooting volume. Plant tissue composition was generally within sufficiency ranges for the elements analyzed. Tissue Ca, Mg, and S were increased by FGD amendment, while tissue concentrations of most trace elements were decreased. There was no increase in tissue B from PFBC, however, LIMB application caused B concentrations >100 mg kg -1 , which could be toxic to less tolerant species. These results indicate that when applied in amounts equivalent to spoil neutralization needs, dry FGD by-products can benefit acidic spoil revegetation with little potential for introduction of toxic elements into the food chain.


We analyze the ability of a stochastic coverage algorithm to achieve both accurate threat-based coverage and effective information capture. When mobile sensors are used to cover the region over time, the goal of threat-based coverage is to allocate the sensors' coverage time between the subregions in proportion to their threat levels. We show that, in contrast to prior results on mobile coverage for maximizing simple event capture, limiting mobility by strategically pausing the sensor is important for threat-based coverage of physical world monitoring. Besides being energy efficient, pausing has two desirable effects. First, it can improve the accuracy of the threat-based coverage, in particular, the accuracy increases monotonically with a pause time parameter, and a large enough parameter will ensure exact matching of the sensor's coverage profile with the region's threat profile. Second, diverse natural phenomena require a non-negligible sensing time to overcome statistical uncertainties posed by the random nature of the phenomena. Suitable pausing allows a subregion to be observed long enough for reliable results.


The objective of this study is to identify the factors that affect the high prevalence of goiter among elementary school students in goiter endemic area.  The specific objective are to identify the socio-economic characteristics of the sample family, to analyze food consumption related to goiter, to identify the variety of food contains of goitrogenic substances, to measure the iodium salt concentration, to analyze the correlation between mother knowledge about IDD, food consumption and the quality of salt with the goiter status. This research was designed with cross sectional study with purposive method.  This research was conducted at Kabupaten Tasikmalaya, West Java from April to May 2005. The respondent consisted of 60 elementary school students, which 30 of them classified as normal group and the rest of them belong to the goiter group. The two sample groups were analyzing by the t-test and Mann Whitney test. The correlation variables were analyzed by the Spearman test. There were significant difference between the income on the normal group and the goiter group; the normal group had higher income than the rest. There were significant difference between the adequacy level of energy on the normal group (73.5%) and the goiter group (55.8%) and the average of the variety of goitrogenic food consumption. The Mann Whitney test showed there were also significant differences for the quality of salt. There were significant correlations between mother knowledge about IDD with the adequacy of iodium, and between the cases of goiter with the quality of salt consumed by the family. Intensive nutrition education of IDD is needed to improve the nutrition knowledge of the mothers, as well as the availability of the accessible iodized salt.


A new method to access alpha-arylated benzamides has been enabled by metallaphotoredox catalysis. This system allows for non-directed C–H functionalization of N-alkyl benzamides using a dual nickel/iridium catalytic system to form tertiary stereocenters in good enantiomeric excess and moderate yields. This reaction shows excellent functional group compatibility and can be performed using a number of sterically and electronically different aryl bromides and secondary benzamides.


Young people spend a lot of time online, a fact which influences how they learn and follow political and economic developments. This empirical study based on a survey conducted as part of the JUNIOR project examines how young people in Germany use the Internet for learning, focusing particularly on their criteria for selecting videos for educational and information purposes. The results show that personal networks are the most important source of video recommendations, while boys are more strongly influenced than girls by the number of times a video has been viewed and the video platform's suggestions. This shows the importance of digital, and especially media, literacy in ensuring that teenagers have the information necessary to select videos from trusted sources and with fact-based content. Additionally, the study uses 2018 PISA data to analyse the extent to which students' online behaviour at home is discussed in school lessons and how well they are taught to deal confidently with digital media. This two-pronged analysis compares the demand and supply sides of digital teaching. The resulting policy recommendations, such as teaching media skills to both students and teachers, are given additional urgency by recent experience with digital learning during the Corona crisis.


To the goal of multiple degree of freedom (M-DOF) prosthetic hand control by characterizing events in surface electromyograms (sEMG), a system of sEMG acquisition, detection and recognition is built. It can classify commonly used eighteen kinds of hand gestures with six channels. The dynamic cumulative sum (DCS) is applied for on-line detection. Energy changes are detected with this approach, corresponding to finding the beginning and end of movements. In classification strategy, the sample means value (s.m.v) is used for extracting signal features, and three parallel back propagation(BP) neural networks are used for pattern recognition. For the system to be efficient and simple, we don't classify eighteen kinds of hand gestures directly, instead, to reasonably plan these movements according to fingers conditions. Then hand gestures are obtained according to fingers states. This method makes the recognition dimension reduced from eighteen to three and decreases recognition complexity. The results show that, in average, over 96% of the movements are correctly detected and classified. The proposed system may facilitate the development of prosthetic hand control strategies using sEMG.


Petalonema alatum (Borzì ex Bornet & Flahault) Correns is a nitrogen fixing, subaerial cyanobacterium characterized by a blue-green trichome surrounded by a very broad, lamellated mucous sheath. It typically grows on dripping limestone rocks in temperate regions, but it has also been observed in some calcareous lakes and limestone springs. Although the species is known to be present in the Americas, Europe and Asia, no records could be found for its presence in Africa. In the last decade, it was sampled twice from rock surfaces in cave overhangs in the Free State Province of South Africa, representing a first record of its presence in Africa. A taxonomic description, microscope images as well as detailed geographical distributions of P. alatum are provided.


Diffuse villous hyperplasia of the choroid plexus ( DVHCP ) and choroid plexus papilloma ( CPP ) are rare benign choroid plexus tumors that are usually diagnosed as a result of progressive hydrocephalus, especially in childhood. Here, we present the case of a boy who was diagnosed with progressive hydrocephalus before birth. He was born by caesarean section at 38 weeks, because of progressive hydrocephalus. We performed a cisterna magna (cid:514) peritoneal shunt procedure at 1 month after birth. Postoperatively, cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF ) leak under the scalp, progressive ascites and hydrocele testis were observed, which were considered a result of CSF overproduction. Endoscopic coagulation of the right choroid plexus was carried out, and DVHCP was diagnosed pathologically and clinically. Following an initial improvement in the CSF leak under the scalp, the ascites, and hydrocele testis, all recurred two months after micro-scopic surgery. An endoscopic plexectomy of the left choroid plexus was performed at the age of 11 months with subsequent CSF control. There are few case reports of bilateral DVHCP and CPP in the literature. Herein, we provide a detailed clinical course of our case and previous cases focusing on surgical pro-cedures.


Cedille is a relatively recent tool based on a Curry-style pure type theory, without a primitive datatype system. Using novel techniques based on dependent intersection types, inductive datatypes with their induction principles are derived. One benefit of this approach is that it allows exploration of new or advanced forms of inductive datatypes. This paper reports work in progress on one such form, namely higher-order abstract syntax (HOAS). We consider the nature of HOAS in the setting of pure type theory, comparing with the traditional concept of environment models for lambda calculus. We see an alternative, based on what we term Kripke function-spaces, for which we can derive a weakly initial algebra in Cedille. Several examples are given using the encoding.


The goal of this study was to determine which adenosine receptor subtype mediates growth stimulation by adenosine in arterial endothelial cells. In porcine coronary artery and rat aortic endothelial cells, 2-chloroadenosine (Cl-Ad), a metabolically stable analog of adenosine, stimulated DNA synthesis ((3)H-thymidine incorporation), cellular proliferation (cell number), collagen synthesis ((3)H-proline incorporation), and cell migration. The growth effects of adenosine and Cl-Ad were mimicked by the adenosine receptor agonist 5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine but not by the adenosine receptor agonists N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine, 4-aminobenzyl-5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine or CGS21680, an agonist profile consistent with an A(2B) receptor-mediated effect. The adenosine receptor antagonists KF17837 and 1,3-dipropyl-8-p-sulfophenylxanthine but not 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine blocked the growth-stimulatory effects of Cl-Ad and 5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine, an antagonist profile consistent with an A(2) receptor-mediated action. Treatment of endothelial cells with erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine plus iodotubericidin (inhibitors of adenosine deaminase and adenosine kinase, respectively) induced endothelial cell growth, and these effects were blocked by 1,3-dipropyl-8-p-sulfophenylxanthine and KF17837 but not 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, suggesting that endothelial cell-derived adenosine induces growth via A(2) receptors. The growth-stimulatory effects of Cl-Ad, 5'-N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine, and erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine plus iodotubericidin were abolished by antisense but not scrambled or sense oligonucleotides to the A(2B) receptor. Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that adenosine induces endothelial cell growth by activating A(2B) receptors. Thus, A(2B) receptors may play a critical role in regulating vascular remodeling associated with endothelial cell proliferation in angiogenesis, collateral vessel development, and recovery after vascular injury. Pharmacological or molecular biological activation of A(2B) receptors may be useful in modulating vascular remodeling.


Using samples from bycaught finless porpoises, cytochrome b sequences were analysed and phylogenetic trees were constructed. The aims were to: (1) determine genetic divergences within the genus Neophocaena; (2) examine interspecific divergences between N. asiaeorientalis and N. phocaenoides; and (3) examine intraspecific divergence between N.a. asiaeorientalis and N.a. sunameri. For this purpose, complete cytochrome b sequences for 12 N.a. sunameri specimens, collected from fishery markets at Pohang in southeastern Korea, were obtained, and these sequences were compared to the corresponding partial (402bp) and complete (1,140bp) sequences of Neophocaena, obtained from GenBank. From a maximum likelihood tree with the partial sequences of the two Neophocaena species, two clades were detected, corresponding to the two species, with average genetic distance of 1.64%, four fixed site differences (1.00%), and a Gst value of 0.64, although we did not examine the specimens from Southeast Asia and contiguous South China Sea. Furthermore, from the complete sequences, we recognised a lack of genetic divergence between the two subspecies of N. asiaeorientalis, with a Gst value of 0.06 and two pairs of identical sequences between them, indicating that our results do not support current subspecies classification. Thus, we newly found that our cytochrome b sequencing results are useful for the examination of interspecific and intraspecific divergences in Neohpocaena, although further genetic analyses with additional specimens of Neophocaena across its distributional range are necessary to confirm the findings in this study.


Herein, three novel 9,9′-bifluorenylidene derivatives containing thiophenyl, terthiophenyl, and tetrathiophenyl groups at the 2- and 2′-positions of the 9,9′-bifluorenylidene skeleton were synthesized and characterized. Their photophysical and electrochemical properties were investigated systematically. The ground state geometries and electronic distributions of the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the 9,9′-bifluorenylidene derivatives were calculated by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level.


Multiple pricing strategies have grown to be the major pricing strategy practiced by major telecom operators in Tanzania. The study is on the impact of multiple pricing strategies to consumers purchasing behavior and looking at the role of this strategy to company performance. Tigo and Airtel Tanzania were used as a case study. Various literatures were consulted to get the theoretical and empirical thoughts of prominent authors about the subject to help the researcher craft and refine his methodology. Questionnaires and documentation were the key methods of data collection supported by interviews. Both primary and secondary data were collected and were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques.
The findings shows that both operators do not actually plan the pricing strategy to deploy but they just react from the market force. The finding prove a significant impact of the practiced multiple pricing strategy to on consumer behavior where during the initial stage the strategy show a positive impact to consumer and company performance. Looking at the year 2007, which was mainly the beginning of this strategy, Tigo increase customer base by almost 127%, this was a remarkable performance. However, as the time goes consumer create a strong onnet community as a family and friends, the evidence to this is the decline in offnet traffic contribution from 31% in 2006 to only 4% in 2011. This has results into revenue decline in among the operators. The researcher recommends that this strategy can only be used as a short-term strategy for quick results or it should be supported by other pricing strategies or consumer loyalty schemes for long-term results.


To improve the transition from research to development a critical evaluation of the individual project by research and disease area teams is required to include input from pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, galenics, clinical pharmacology, clinical as well as regulatory experts and marketing. Decisions on the individual development strategy should be made prior to the start of development and all projects should be reviewed at predefined stages throughout the product development life cycle. This ensures consistency of decision-making not only during the development of individual products but throughout the entire development pipeline. Studies in the exploratory stage of drug development should be designed for decision making in contrast to later clinical trials in the confirmatory stage that require power for proof-of-safety and proof-of-efficacy. The more thorough and profound studies have been carried out during this exploratory stage of drug development, the earlier a decision can be made on the continuation or discontinuation of further development, thus saving development time and money and assessing and considerably reducing the risk for the patients and increasing the success rate of the project in the later confirmatory effectiveness trial with an adequate number of subjects receiving the new therapy under typical conditions of use. Strategies which may be helpful to improve the quality of decisions in drug discovery and drug development are: discovery experiments should be done to critically evaluate the compound, the "killer" experiments should be done as early as possible, continuous effort on preclinical disease models is necessary to improve predictability of efficacy in patients ("humanized" research): genomic technology should be used to identify novel, disease-related targets and to characterise preclinical test systems, improvement of knowledge and experience concerning the relevance of new technologies for the clinical picture, genotyping of clinical trial patients to select patient groups which are likely to respond to treatment (pharmacogenomics), modelling and simulation of preclinical and clinical trials, integration of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles into drug development, assessment of the interaction potential (CYP-450, trasporter proteins and others), increasing use of biomarker/surrogate marker for rapid clinical feedback, involvement of the target population as soon as possible, applying statistical data analysis techniques for proving effectiveness, co-operation with high quality centers. To reach this goal clinical pharmacology must be fully integrated in the whole process from the candidate selection to its positioning within the market.


In this paper, we perform the first large-scale study of how people spend time on the web. Our study is based on anonymous, aggregate telemetry data from several hundred million Google Chrome users who have explicitly enabled sharing URLs with Google and who have usage statistic reporting enabled. We analyze the distribution of web traffic, the types of websites that people visit and spend the most time on, the differences between desktop and mobile browsing behavior, the geographical differences in web usage, and the most popular websites in regions worldwide. Our study sheds light on online user behavior and how the research community can more accurately analyze the web in the future.


Opioid effects on the development of long-term potentiation (LTP) were investigated at the lateral perforant path (LPP)-dentate granule cell synapse of the hippocampal slice. High frequency stimuli were delivered to the outer molecular layer of the dentate to tetanize the LPP. Significant LTP was induced in the amplitude of the orthodromic population spike and the slope of the population excitatory postsynaptic potential recorded from the granule cell layer and molecular layer. Bath application of naloxone (0.1-10 microM), an opioid antagonist, induced a dose-dependent reduction in the potentiation of both orthodromic population spike and excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked in the LPP, but not in adjacent medial perforant path. PLO17 ([N-MePhe3-D-Pro4]morphiception; 0.3 or 1 microM), a mu opioid agonist, reduced the threshold for LTP and increased the amount of LTP in the LPP. PLO17 also reduced recurrent inhibition and enhanced an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated component in single pulse-evoked field potentials in the LPP. The effects of PLO17 were antagonized by 1 microM naloxone and the NMDA receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (100 microM). These findings suggest that endogenous opioids released during high frequency stimulation play an important role in the induction of LTP at the LPP synapses. A mu receptor-mediated disinhibition which increases current flow through NMDA channels may contribute to the opioid enhancement of LTP in the dentate gyrus.


A Mg-rich palygorskite sample from phosphorite deposits of Ganntour (Morocco) with the structural formula $${\rm{S}}{{\rm{i}}_8}\left( {{\rm{M}}{{\rm{g}}_{2.6}}{\rm{A}}{{\rm{l}}_{1.19}}{\rm{Fe}}_{{\rm{0}}{\rm{.33}}}^{{\rm{III}}}{\square_{0.88}}} \right){\rm{C}}{{\rm{a}}_{0.056}}{\rm{N}}{{\rm{a}}_{0.024}}{{\rm{K}}_{0.104}}{{\rm{O}}_{20}}{\left( {{\rm{OH}}} \right)_2}{\left( {{\rm{O}}{{\rm{H}}_2}} \right)_{4 \cdot }}4{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}$$Si8(Mg2.6Al1.19Fe0.33III□0.88)Ca0.056Na0.024K0.104O20(OH)2(OH2)4⋅4H2O, was studied by FTIR spectroscopy. In both OH-stretching and OH-bending regions, there is evidence of dioctahedral Al2□OH, AlFe□OH and trioctahedral Mg3OH features, leading to a di-trioctahedral crystallochemical model of octahedral site occupancies in ribbons of Ganntour palygorskite.This model, established through the IR spectroscopy study of a Mg-rich palygorskite, seems to be appropriate for many other palygorskites with lower Mg content in the octahedral sheet.


Two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) pointing mechanisms, including the gimbal structure, the 1-RR&2-RRR spherical parallel mechanism and the Omni-wrist III are increasingly applied in tracking devices, mechanical transmission and artificial joint. Though they share the same number of degree-of-freedom at any given configuration, they will exhibit and transfer different motion characteristics, such as rotation and rolling, when moving continuously. Thanks to the concept of operation mode, these three mechanisms' distinct continuous motion characteristics can be identified and further compared through Euler parameter quaternions, Euler-angles, algebraic geometry and axodes so that the appropriate mechanism for tracking or transmission can be selected. At first, elementary operation modes are numerated based on the number of zero components in a quaternion. In order to acquire all possible operation modes, a set of constraint equations relating to each mechanism are formulated, and an algebraic geometry method is adopted to solve the constraint equations that are much too complicated. For rotation, namely 1-DOF operation mode, its continuous rotation axes are investigated. As to rolling, namely 2-DOF operation mode, allowing for the fact that the difference in 2-DOF operation mode of the three mechanisms is not intuitive, axode characteristics of the three mechanisms are investigated and compared. It is found that from the above process of identification and comparison on rotation and rolling, the three mechanisms' distinctive motion characteristics can be effectively obtained.


This article emphasizes two underappreciated aspects of hyperconjugation in hydrocarbons, two-way hyperconjugation and hyperconjugation in tight spaces. Nonplanar polyenes [e.g., cyclooctatetraene (D2d), biphenyl (D2), styrene (C1)], the nonplanar rotational transition states (TSs) of planar polyenes (e.g., perpendicular 1,3-butadiene), as well as the larger nonplanar Hückel or Möbius annulenes, are stabilized by effective σ-electron delocalization (involving either the C–C or C–H bonds) via two-way hyperconjugation. The collective consequence of two-way hyperconjugation in molecules can be nearly as stabilizing as π-conjugation effects in planar polyenes. Reexamination of the σ- vs. π-bond strength of ethylene results in surprising counterintuitive insights. Strained rings and cages (e.g., cyclopropane and tetrahedrane derivatives, the cubyl cation, etc.) can foster unexpectedly large hyperconjugation stabilizations due to their highly deformed ring angles. The thermochemical stabilities of these species rely on a fine balance between their opposing destabilizing geometrical features and stabilizing hyperconjugative effects in tight spaces (adjustable via substituent effects). We hope to help dispel chemists' prejudice in viewing hyperconjugation as merely a "mild" effect with unimportant consequences for interpreting the structures and energies of molecules.


As innovative cancer treatments emerge, more people are surviving cancer. Cancer survivors have multiple and unique healthcare needs due to their cancer and cancer treatments. Communication among those treating the cancer, primary care providers, and cancer survivors is necessary to coordinate care once treatment is finished. The development of a survivorship care plan that is reviewed with the cancer survivor is intended to facilitate communication among all stakeholders. This quality improvement project examined current practice in a survivorship clinic in a Midwestern health system cancer center that cares for a variety of types of cancer patients. By reviewing evidence in the literature regarding cancer survivorship care, a quality improvement project was designed and implemented to standardize cancer survivorship care. Clinician education led to increased knowledge regarding Commission on Cancer requirements for survivorship care (p-Value 0.0016), and 100% were able to identify time parameters for survivorship care. Overall, a low rate of survivorship care and care plans were found. An 18% increase in patients being offered survivorship care (p-Value 0.18) occurred post education and identification of need for care. A survey of patients who received survivorship care found patients used the survivorship care plan and reported more support with symptom management when a plan was mailed and reviewed over the phone.


Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can contribute significantly to plant nutrition, especially in the phosphorus (P) assimilation. Wild agave populations are overexploited due to the intensive production of mezcal, causing the decline of natural populations. The effect of the inoculation with commercial mycorrhizal fungi and the application of different doses of P on the growth and total soluble solids content (SST) of two wild agaves: tobala agave (Agave potatorum Zucc) and coyote agave (Agave spp.) in protected conditions was evaluated. The commercial mycorrhizal products used were Glomus cubense (M1) and Glumix (M2) and four doses of P: 0, 14.4, 29 and 43.5 mg kg-1. The assay was established into a 3 × 4 bifactorial experiment in a completely randomized design. The response variables were plant height (AP), number of leaves (NH), stem diameter (DT), root volume (VR), root density (DR), leaf fresh weight (PFH), stem fresh weight (PFT), root fresh weight (PFR) and SST. In regard to the control, M2 increased NH by 18.2%, PFH by 53.5%, PFT by 38.1% and DT by 36% in tobala agave; whereas in coyote agave, AP increased by 12% and SST by 21.3%. In tobala agave the dose of 43.5 mg kg-1 of P improved the AP by 13.2%, PFH by 34.9%, PFT by 36.1%, DT by 21.5% and VR by 20.4%. In coyote agave, the dose of 29 mg kg-1 of P favored the AP by 16.4%, PFT by 44.4% and DT by 18.6%. SST increased 40% with 43.5 mg kg-1 of P and the PFH increased 51% with 29 mg kg-1 of P. In tobala agave, M2 + 43.5 mg kg-1 of P improved the PFH, PFT and DT. In coyote agave, M2 + 29 mg kg-1 of P, M2 + 14.4 mg kg-1 of P and M2 + 43.5 mg kg-1 of P promoted AP, DT and SST. The promotion of growth in both agaves was rather due to the individual application of mycorrhizal fungi and P than the interaction of both factors.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that promotes the involvement of memory-related functions, characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques formed by the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ), and hyperphosphorylated Tau protein neurofibrillary tangles. Evidence suggests that the use of low doses of Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, possibly promotes a modulation of the immune system and consequent neuroprotective effect. The present study uses the animal model of induction with β-amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42) to verify the behavioral, neurochemical and histological effects of the use of low doses of Naltrexone. Male wistar rats (250-300g) divided into five groups (N = 8) were used: Control, Sham, Aβ1-42 subdivided into three groups: treated with water, 05 mg Donepezil and 4.5 mg Naltrexone, orally during the 30-day period. Behavioral tests demonstrated the efficacy of induction to the experimental model with reduced memory of Aβ1-42-treated animals as well as reversal of damage in animals treated with Naltrexone. In the structural analysis, observed that the animals induced by Aβ1-42 treated with water alone presented alterations in the pyramidal forms of the hippocampal cells and that the animals treated with Naltrexone presented possibly a reversal of the neuronal damages. In conclusion, treatment with Naltrexone promoted a reversal in the memory impairment of rodents induced to the Alzheimer's model with Aβ1-42 in the behavioral and histological response.


Contact tracing is an important tool for controlling the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Here, we investigate the spread of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of contact tracing in a university population, using a data-driven ego-centric network model constructed with social contact data collected during 2020 and similar data collected in 2010. We find that during 2020, university staff and students consistently reported fewer social contacts than in 2010, however those contacts occurred more frequently and were of longer duration. We find that contact tracing in the presence of social distancing is less impactful than without social distancing. By combining multiple data sources, we show that University-aged populations are likely to develop asymptomatic COVID-19 infections. We find that asymptomatic index cases cannot be reliably back-traced through contact tracing and consequently transmission in their social network is not significantly reduced through contact tracing. In summary, social distancing restrictions had a large impact on limiting COVID-19 outbreaks in universities; to reduce transmission further contact tracing should be used in conjunction with alternative interventions.


Methane produced in wetland soil generally is thought to be emitted to the atmosphere primarily via diffusion through pore water, release of gas bubbles (i.e., ebullition), and gas phase diffusion through the aerenchyma of herbaceous plants. The role of trees as a conduit for methane export from soil to the atmosphere has received limited attention despite evidence from mesocosm experiments showing that seedlings and saplings of wetland trees have a significant capacity to transport soil-produced gases. Notably ~60% of global wetlands are forested.

We present in situ measurements of methane flux from a temperate carr (swamp) composed of alder ( Alnus glutinosa ) and birch ( Betula pubescens ) situated in the United Kingdom and a tropical forested peat swamp located in Borneo. The in situ data are complemented by a mesocosm experiment in which methane emissions were measured from alder saplings subjected to two water-regime treatments. In both the in situ and mesocosm studies, emissions from trees are compared to methane flux from the ground surface, the latter occurring via pore water diffusion, ebullition or the aerenchyma of herbaceous plants. We show that tree stem emissions are controlled by a number of factors including tree species, soil pore-water concentration and stem lenticel density. Our results demonstrate that the omission of tree-mediated methane fluxes from measurement campaigns conducted in forested wetland can significantly underestimate total ecosystem flux of methane.


Increasingly complex scientific applications require massive parallelism to achieve the goals of fidelity and high computational performance. Such applications periodically offload checkpointing data to file system for post-processing and program resumption. As a side effect of high degree of parallelism, I/O contention at servers doesn't allow overall performance to scale with increasing number of processors. To bridge the gap between parallel computational and I/O performance, we propose a portable MPI-IO layer where certain tasks, such as file caching, consistency control, and collective I/O optimization are delegated to a small set of compute nodes, collectively termed as I/O Delegate nodes. A collective cache design is incorporated to resolve cache coherence and hence alleviates the lock contention at I/O servers. By using popular parallel I/O benchmark and application I/O kernels, our experimental evaluation indicates considerable performance improvement with a small percentage of compute resources reserved for I/O.


Fibre composites have been a viable option in replacing traditional pile materials such as concrete, steel and timber in harsh environmental conditions. On the other
hand, the emergence of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite tubes as a structural component and their corrosion-resistant characteristics made these materials potential in piling application. Driving these piles, however, requires more careful consideration due to their relatively low stiffness and thin walls. The possibility of damaging the fibre composite materials during the process of impact driving is always a concern. Research has therefore focused in understanding the impact behaviour of these materials in order for them to be safely and effectively driven into the ground.
This study investigated the behaviour of composite tubes subjected by repeated axial impact. The effects of impact event (incident energy and number of impact) on the instantaneous response and the residual properties of composite tubes were examined. Tubes made of glass/vinyl ester, glass/polyester, and glass/epoxy materials of different cross sections were considered. The impact behaviour of the tubes was experimentally and analytically investigated. An experimental study on the repeated impact behaviour of square composite tube was conducted. The result showed that the dominant failure mode of the tube
repeatedly impacted was characterised by progressive crushing at the upper end. This failure was manifested by inter and intra laminar cracking and glass fibre ruptures
with simultaneous development of axial splits along its corners. It was found that the drop mass and impact velocity (or drop height) have pronounced effects on the
collapse of the tubes at lower incident energies. Their effects, however, gradually decrease at relatively higher energies. The result also indicated that the incident
energy is the major damage factor in the failure of tubes for lower number of impacts. On the contrary, the number of impacts becomes the key reason as soon as the value of incident energy decreases.
The effects of the damage factors such as the level of impact energy, the impact repetitions, and the mass impactor on the residual (post-impact) properties
were also examined. The result of the investigation revealed that these factors significantly influenced the residual strength degradation of the impacted tubes. In
contrast, the residual modulus was found to be less affected by these factors since the damage brought by them is localised in most of the cases. The maximum reduction
on the residual moduli is roughly 5%. On the other hand, the residual strengths degraded by up to 10%. The flexural strength of the tube was the most severely affected by the impact damage than its compressive and tensile strengths. This result was due to the fact that the impact damage on matrix and fibre both contributed on the flexural strength degradation. Moreover, the presence of matrix cracks or
delamination lead to an increase in buckling instability during the flexural test, resulting to a much higher degradation compared to the other strengths. The comparison of the residual compressive strengths sourced at different locations along the height of the tube revealed that the strength reduction varied with its location. The degradation of the compressive strength of the impacted tube decreased when its location from the top of the tube increased. This result indicated that the influence of
impact damage on the degradation of residual compressive strength of the tube is concentrated only in region closer to the impact point.
Finally, theoretical prediction using the basic energy principle was performed to gain additional understanding on the damage evolution behaviour of composite tubes subjected by repeated axial impact. The damage evolution model was verified through experimental investigation on a 100 mm square pultruded tube. The model was applied to composite tubes of different cross sections and materials made from
vinyl ester/polyester/epoxy matrix reinforced with glass fibres. It was found that the experimental results on a 100 mm square pultruded tube and the proposed damage model agreed well with each other. The variation is less than 10% indicating that the model predicted reasonably the damage evolution of the tube subjected by repeated impact loading. It was also found that the energies describing the low cycle, high cycle, and endurance fatigue regions of the composite tubes are largely dependent on their corresponding critical energy Ec. The higher the Ec values, the higher the range of energies characterising these regions. The repeated impact curves (or Ec) of tubes
made from glass/epoxy is higher compared to the other matrix materials. Similarly, circular tubes have greater Ec values of comparable square and rectangular tubes. From this study, an improved understanding of the behaviour of glass fibre FRP composite tubes under repeated axial impact can be achieved. The information provided in this study will help in developing efficient techniques and guidelines in driving composites piles.


In this paper, a set of small-scale laboratory single flexible pile model was conducted in a medium dense Toyoura sand environment under the effect of cyclic lateral loads. Digital images were captured for the plastic deformations of the soil during the lateral loading from the top of the testing chamber. Combination of photo image analysis and analytical cyclic p-y curve methods was implemented for estimating the three dimensional (3D) failure zone adjacent to pile shaft. The 3D failure pattern of the soil around single pile shaft was investigated through two steps, including: (1) determination of the range of lateral plastic deformations at the top of ground surface in perpendicular and parallel directions of cyclic loads; and (2) determination of the point of rotation (zero displacement) along the pile shaft. Experimental results showed that a conical passive zone of plastic deformations is established around pile shaft due to applying two-way lateral cyclic loading at pile head. Based on the findings, design considerations for piles subjected to lateral cyclic loading have been introduced.


Nanocrystalline diamond films have been synthesized by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition using H2/CH4 as the reactant gas. Nanocrystalline diamond thin films with surface roughness of 11.8 nm were obtained on silicon substrates. The nanocrystallinity, surface roughness and hardness were characterized by the Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy and Nano Indentation, respectively. The Raman spectra of the films exhibit a band near 1145 cm-1 and XRD patterns indicate the presence of nanocrystalline diamond. The hardness value of individual test point is approximately 102 GPa and the average hardness of thin film could reach 86 GPa.


It has been a long history in testing whether a mean vector with a fixed dimension has a specified value. Some well-known tests include the Hotelling $T^2$-test and the empirical likelihood ratio test proposed by Owen [Biometrika 75 (1988) 237-249; Ann. Statist. 18 (1990) 90-120]. Recently, Hotelling $T^2$-test has been modified to work for a high-dimensional mean, and the empirical likelihood method for a mean has been shown to be valid when the dimension of the mean vector goes to infinity. However, the asymptotic distributions of these tests depend on whether the dimension of the mean vector is fixed or goes to infinity. In this paper, we propose to split the sample into two parts and then to apply the empirical likelihood method to two equations instead of d equations, where d is the dimension of the underlying random vector. The asymptotic distribution of the new test is independent of the dimension of the mean vector. A simulation study shows that the new test has a very stable size with respect to the dimension of the mean vector, and is much more powerful than the modified Hotelling $T^2$-test.


In this paper, we present a framework for improving the ranking function training and the re-ranking process for web search personalization. Our method is based on utilizing clickthrough data from several users in order to create multiple ranking functions that correspond to different topic areas. Those ranking functions are combined each time a user poses a new query in order to produce a new ranking, taking into account the similarity of the query with each of the topic areas mentioned before. We compare our method with the traditional approaches of training one ranking function per user, or per group of users and we show preliminary experimental results.


The role of nitrogen as an environmental pollutant has long been established, but the significance and amount of ammonia emitted from livestock production has not been well-characterized in the United States. In order to better characterize the impacts of ammonia as an air pollutant and its role in the formation of fine particulate matter, we have used a semi-empirical process-based model to estimate ammonia emissions from beef cattle, swine, layer chickens, and broiler chickens in the United States. The semiempirical model is used so that the ammonia emissions can be simulated using a mass balance on nitrogen through the farm, tracking nitrogen from housing, storage, and application of manure, in addition to being constrained by a number of tuned parameters which ensure that the resulting emission factors are realistic. In addition, model inputs, including manure pH, manure volume, manure nitrogen content and manure dry matter content are taken from the existing literature. These previous studies were the first means by which the FEMs were evaluated, with the FEMs able to capture 20-70% of the variability in reported emissions. Next, observations from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study were used to further test and evaluate the model, including the evaluation in its performance to characterize seasonal as well as day-to-day variability in emissions of ammonia; here again, seasonal variability was well-characterized with slightly more mixed results for daily variability in ammonia emissions. Then, emissions from these single farms were summed over the entire populations of cattle, swine and poultry in the US, using data from the National Climate Data Center and USDA National Animal Health Monitoring Survey for appropriate meteorology and manure management practices in different locations. Emissions total 1.7 Tg from our model: 723 Gg from swine, 435 Gg from beef, 202 Gg from dairy, and 357 Gg from poultry. These inventories were compared to the National Emissions Inventory which estimates 1.9 Tg of ammonia emissions from livestock in 2011. This work has demonstrated the model's ability to characterize the variability in ammonia emissions from livestock and can be used to understand the air quality impacts of this variability.


Management of public lands, and who should have access to them, is often contentious. Most ranches in the western US rely upon seasonal grazing access to public lands, and conflict over biodiversity management has led to proposals to restrict grazing access on public lands. We evaluate whether grazing restrictions on public rangelands could have the unintended effect of increasing the conversion of private rangeland to cropland, causing habitat loss for sage‐grouse, a species of conservation concern. Using a model parameterized with empirical observations of land use change and ranch versus cropland profitability, we explore how changes to public lands grazing policy could affect ranch profitability and consequently land use on private lands across the western US. We predict that restricting grazing of public lands by 50% would result in the loss of an additional 171,400 ha of sage‐grouse habitat on private lands by 2050, on top of the 842,000 ha predicted to be lost under business as usual. Most of this conversion would affect sage‐grouse mesic habitat, 75% of which occurs on private land and is vital to the species during brood rearing. Under such policy changes, we estimate that an additional 105,700 ha (3.24%) of sage‐grouse mesic habitat held on private land in the study region would be directly lost by 2050, and the cumulative area affected by fragmentation would be much higher. By considering the human and ecological links between public and private land, we show that attempts to improve habitat on public lands via grazing restrictions could result in greater system‐wide fragmentation of sage‐grouse habitat from unintended habitat loss on private lands. Synthesis and applications. Policy interventions on public lands can affect private landholders. Landholders' responses can result in unintended consequences, both for habitat on private land and community support for conservation. Restricting grazing on US public lands is likely to increase habitat loss on private lands and reduce community support for sage grouse conservation. Policy that manages resources on public lands while also supporting sustainable, economically viable ranching operations on private lands is a promising approach to maximizing sage grouse habitat.


CONTEXT
Weight regain (WR) after bariatric surgery is emerging as a common clinical problem due to the increase in the number of procedures performed. Early interventions are necessary to curtail the potential recurrence of comorbid conditions. However, it is often difficult to recognize WR early enough to introduce mitigating measures because there are no current guidelines for timely diagnosis and assessment of the severity of this condition.

OBJECTIVE
We present a practical approach for the early recognition of WR, based on 11-year follow-up data from our multiethnic bariatric surgery patient population.

METHODS
We classify WR according to the rate of increase in weight relative to nadir weight, normalized per 30-day interval. We also review pertinent literature about the etiologic factors contributing to WR after bariatric surgery.

RESULTS
According to our algorithm, mild, moderate, and rapid WR are defined as weight increases of 0.2% to <0.5%, 0.5% to 1.0%, and more than 1.0% of nadir weight per 30 days, respectively. Treatment options, including dietary counseling, use of antiobesity medication, and consideration of surgical revision, are described. A case is presented to illustrate the utility of timely identification of WR and the importance of collaboration between bariatric surgeons, obesity medicine specialists, and dietitians.

CONCLUSION
Our approach emphasizes the importance of regular long-term follow-up for all bariatric surgery patients.


During extrusion-cooking of starchy products, the molten material is forced through a die so that the sudden pressure drop causes part of the water to vaporize giving an expanded, porous structure. The moisture is lost due to evaporation and heat transfers, as the material cools down. Thus the material crosses glass transition and becomes solid. No deterministic model is available to describe satisfactory dynamic, multiphysic and multiphase phenomena during expansion. Current models are too complex to be coupled with Ludovic (software for simulation of co-rotating twin-screw extrusion process), in order to predict the cellular structure of the starchy foams.The objective of this work is to elaborate phenomenological model of expansion and couple it with Ludovic mechanistic model. This model of bubble growth in a viscoelastic biopolymer matrix in the transition state from rubbery to solid phase takes also into account bubbles nucleation, coalescence, setting and shrinkage. The input variables are the shear viscosity η, temperature T and moisture content MC at the die exit, computed by Ludovic , and the material storage moduli E'( T>Tg), available from litterature 1,2. The output variables are the macrostructural and cellular structural features of starchy foams. The macrostructure is described by bulk expansion indices (density, anisotropy). The mean cell size, mean cell wall thickness and cell fineness, defining the cellular structure, are determined by Xray tomography (ESRF). Starting from experimental results obtained in a large range of thermo-mechanical conditions, a conceptual map of influence relationships between these variables has been built and a general mathematical expression of the model is suggested: VEI = K. (η/η0)^n in which K and n depend on T, MC and E' whereas VEI is the volumetric expansion index of the extruded material, for instance. Predicted data are then compared to experimental ones


Incomplete information is present in many engineering domains, hindering traditional and non{traditional simulation techniques. This paper describes SQPC (semi{quantitative physics compiler), an implemented approach to modelling and simulation that can predict the behavior of incompletely speciied systems, such as those that arise in the water control domain. SQPC is the rst system that uniies compositional modeling techniques with semi{quantitative representations. We describe SQPC's foundations, QSIM and QPC, and how it extends them. We demonstrate SQPC using several examples from the water supply domain. Abstract Incomplete information is present in many engineering domains, hindering traditional and non{traditional simulation techniques. This paper describes SQPC (semi{quantitative physics compiler), an implemented approach to modelling and simulation that can predict the behavior of incompletely speciied systems, such as those that arise in the water control domain. SQPC is the rst system that uniies compositional modeling techniques with semi{quantitative representations. We describe SQPC's foundations, QSIM and QPC, and how it extends them. We demonstrate SQPC using several examples from the water supply domain.


Copper and brass are used in many economic sectors as electrical, construction, transport and others. From common household electrical wiring to boat propellers and from photovoltaic cells to saxophones, copper and its alloys are employed in a variety of end-uses. Copper tubing is now the standard material for potable water and heating systems in most developed countries. This is in part due to its bacteriostatic properties, or in other words due to the ability of copper to inhibit the growth of bacterial and viral organisms in water. Therefore, the corrosion resistance of copper and brass are important in defining the field of use as construction parts. This paper aims at investigating the comparative corrosion behavior of pure copper and brass in 3.5 % NaCl solution. The corrosion behavior of both type samples in 3.5% NaCl solution was investigated by the use of electrochemical methods as open circuit potential and linear polarization resistance measurements. The results show an improved corrosion resistance of pure copper sample in 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution as compared with brass sample.


New educational kit and methodological instructions are presented in the paper. Methodological approaches and the kit design are improved and extended on the base of 10 years experience of the use of previous version of equipment. Basic approaches are the following: modular structure of the equipment with multifunctional blocks which are easily replaced; simplicity and unity of training equipment; diversity of light sources; possibility to rearrange the equipment and techniques both for universities and for high school; modified optical schemes for some experiments. The set of equipment includes: compact desk holographic installation, Hartle device, focal monochromator on the base of holographic lens, optical bench, prisms, lenses, gratings, collimator, several light sources (laser, LEDs, lamp), etc. Methodological instructions provided with this set include the list of demonstrations and laboratory works as well as links between various experiments and phenomena. Methodological instructions give recommendations for more than 50 demonstrations and practical works in various domains: light diffraction, interference of light, holography, geometric optics, Fourier optics, polarization effects, optics of spectrums, fiber optics, as well as a combination of the effects.


In order to support the pratice of oral presentation, we developed PresentationTrainer which includes (1) a presentation impression prediction system and (2) a presentation slide analysis system. For the presentation impression prediction system, we proposed two methods, using Support Vector Machine and Markov Random Field, or using multimodal neural network, to predict audiences' impressions for speech videos. For the slide analysis system, we used Convolutional Neural Network and Global Average Pooling to evaluate the design of slides. We then used Class Activation Mapping to provide visual feedback for showing which areas should be modified.


Most organophosphorus pesticide (OP) sensors reported in the literature rely on the inhibition effect of OPs on the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which suffer from the drawbacks of lack of selective recognition of OPs, high cost, and poor stability. Herein, we proposed a novel chemiluminescence (CL) strategy for the direct detection of glyphosate (an organophosphorus herbicide) with high sensitivity and specificity, which is based on the porous hydroxy zirconium oxide nanozyme (ZrOX-OH) obtained via a facile alkali solution treatment of UIO-66. ZrOX-OH displayed excellent phosphatase-like activity, which could catalyze the dephosphorylation of 3-(2'-spiroadamantyl)-4-methoxy-4-(3'-phosphoryloxyphenyl)-1,2-dioxetane (AMPPD) to generate strong CL. The experimental results showed that the phosphatase-like activity of ZrOX-OH is closely related to the content of hydroxyl groups on their surface. Interestingly, ZrOX-OH with phosphatase-like properties exhibited a unique response to glyphosate because of the consumption of the surface hydroxyl group by the unique carboxyl group of glyphosates and was thus employed to develop a CL sensor for direct and selective detection of glyphosate without using bio-enzymes. The recovery for glyphosate detection of cabbage juice ranged from 96.8 to 103.0%. We believe that the as-proposed CL sensor based on ZrOX-OH with phosphatase-like properties supplies a simpler and more highly selective approach for OP assay and provides a new method for the development of CL sensors for the direct analysis of OPs in real samples.


The High Intensity and Energy (HIE) project represents a major upgrade of the ISOLDE (On-Line Isotope Mass Separator) nuclear facility at CERN with a mandate to significantly increase the energy, intensity and quality of the radioactive nuclear beams provided to the European nuclear physics community for research at the forefront of topics such as nuclear structure physics and nuclear astrophysics. The HIE-ISOLDE project focuses on the upgrade of the existing Radioactive ion beam EXperiment (REX) post-accelerator with the addition of a 40 MV superconducting linac comprising 32 niobium sputter-coated copper quarter-wave cavities operating at 101.28 MHz and at an accelerating gradient close to 6 MV/m. The energy of post-accelerated radioactive nuclear beams will be increased from the present ceiling of 3 MeV/u to over 10 MeV/u, with full variability in energy, and will permit, amongst others, Coulomb interaction and few-nucleon transfer reactions to be carried out on the full inventory of radionuclides available at ISOLDE. In this thesis the beam dynamics of the superconducting linac is studied with a focus on identifying and mitigating the sources of beam emittance dilution. Highlights include the suppression of a parametric resonance, compensation of the beam-steering effect intrinsic to quarter-wave cavities and a study of the energy change in the cavities well below their geometric velocity using second-order transit-time factors. The studies lead to the specification and tolerances for the linac components. An extensive investigation of REX was also carried out involving rf and beam measurements that facilitated the benchmarking of the beam dynamics codes that were used to design the matching sections and ensure the compatibility of the upgrade. In addition, a solid-state diagnostics system was developed as a tool to aid the quick and eventually automated tuning of the large number of cavities that will accompany the upgrade.


Introduction and objectives Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood (GINA 2015). For pre-school children whose asthma symptoms are not well controlled on inhaled corticosteroids, limited options are available for further treatment. Here, we evaluated the safety of once-daily (QD) tiotropium Respimat® (tioR) in patients aged 1–5 years with symptomatic persistent asthma. Methods A Phase II/III, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (NCT01634113) of tioR 5 μg, tioR 2.5 μg or placebo Respimat® (pboR), administered QD in the afternoon for 12 weeks, each as add-on to usual maintenance therapy. Safety data, including post hoc analysis of a composite exacerbation end point derived from adverse events (AEs), are reported. Results No AEs leading to treatment discontinuation or death were reported. The proportion of patients with any AEs was higher with pboR (73.5%) than with tioR 5 μg (58.1%) and 2.5 μg (55.6%). Two patients each in the tioR 5 μg (6.5%) and pboR (5.9%) groups were reported with drug-related AEs. Three patients, all in the pboR group, were reported with serious AEs. Asthma exacerbation/worsening was reported by fewer patients in the tioR 5 μg and tioR 2.5 μg groups compared with the pboR group (Table). Conclusion Once-daily tiotropium Respimat® add-on to maintenance therapy is well tolerated and may reduce exacerbations in pre-school children with symptomatic persistent asthma.


Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen which causes a range of infections. Satureja khuzestanica essences have antibacterial effect. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of S. khuzestanica essential oil against housekeeping fabD and exo A genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from hospital isolates using RT-PCR technique. Material and Methods: The inhibition effect was conducted according to the CLSI 2013 standards and instructions. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of essence was determined according to CLSI. Isolates were collected of burn patients in the Motahari hospital, Tehran and cultured on proper media and confirmed using microbiology and biochemical. Susceptibility and MIC of S. khuzestanica were determined against P. aeruginosa. Expressions of exoA and Housekeeping fabD genes were evaluated using RT-PCR in presence and lack tests of S. khuzestanica essence. Results: Diameter of inhibition zone of S. khuzestanica essence against P. aeruginosa was 25 mm. MIC of essence was 0.31 μl/ml. Gene expression of exo A under inducing with essential oil of S. khuzestanica reduced but gene expression of housekeeping gene DNA gyraseA not changed before and after exposure. Conclusion: Our results showed that S. Khuzestanica could cause reduction in drug resistance and inhibition of gene expression of exoA in P. aeruginosa. Also, RTPCR is an effective technique for evaluation of gene expression.


The string shooter experiment uses counter-rotating pulleys to propel a closed string forward. Its steady state exhibits a transition from a gravity-dominated regime at low velocity towards a high-velocity regime where the string takes the form of a self-supporting loop. Here we show that this loop of light string is not suspended in the air due to inertia, but through the hydrodynamic drag exerted by the surrounding fluid, namely air. We investigate this drag experimentally and theoretically for a smooth long cylinder moving along its axis. We then derive the equations describing the shape of the string loop in the limit of vanishing string radius. The solutions present a critical point, analogous to a hydraulic jump, separating a supercritical zone where the wave velocity is smaller than the rope velocity, from a subcritical zone where waves propagate faster than the rope velocity. This property could be leveraged to create a white hole analogue similar to what has been demonstrated using surface waves on a flowing fluid. Loop solutions that are regular at the critical point are derived, discussed and compared to the experiment. In the general case, however, the critical point turns out to be the locus of a sharp turn of the string, which is modelled theoretically as a discontinuity. The hydrodynamic regularisation of this geometrical singularity, which involves non-local and added mass effects, is discussed on the basis of dimensional analysis.


Strong empirical evidence points towards an extremely skewed distribution of exporters, corresponding to a few "superstar" firms operating alongside a fringe of small competitors. Superstars are characterised by superior efficiency, increased access to financial capital and, unlike fringe firms, by the ability to internalise the impact of their behaviour on the market. We develop a model in order to examine how productivity differences result in different abilities to invest in cost-reducing innovation which, in turn, allows firms to expand to the extent that they can exploit their market power. We then introduce international trade into this model and calculate the impact of increasing trade openness on aggregate welfare. We show that incorporating productivity heterogeneity jointly with differences in strategic behaviour generates a composition effect that dampens the pro-competitive effect of trade liberalisation. This effect materialises through a market share reallocation from smaller towards larger rivals. We find that, although trade always increases welfare by reducing the average markup and markup heterogeneity, gains from trade are lower when market power distortions are more severe. Consequently, in the presence of such distortions, size-dependent policies could have a welfare-enhancing role to play. We then use an appropriately augmented version of our model to account for the role of credit constraints differences between superstars and smaller enterprises. We examine how an economy's financial development affects the welfare gains from trade and explore the role of large firms. We show that trade benefits less financially developed countries more and that the oligopolistic inefficiency resulting from the presence of large firms crucially alters theoretical predictions of the gains from trade. We go on to investigate the effect of trade with a more financially developed partner and find that it could act as a substitute for financial development by diminishing the impact of domestic credit market and oligopolistic inefficiencies.


Pursuing an evidence based approach we summarize the key elements of the European Commission's proposal of July 2015 for a reform of the EU Emissions Trading System and offer facts about the current state of EU ETS that underline the needs for such a reform. We supply key data for understanding the current state of EU ETS and report in particular the share of freely allocated allowances in emissions for the various sectors since the start of EU ETS in 2005. This is the most relevant parameter for evaluating the stringency and cost impacts of the EU ETS on sectors and installations. We provide propositions for enhancing the allocation procedure of both free and auctioned allowances, the fundamental element in the cap and trade design of this system. We link this procedure closely to the relevant suggestions of the Commission proposal and offer extensions that can make in particular the allocation of free allowances more targeted and effective. We indicate how the impacts of free allowances can be calculated both for sectors and installations and conclude that these reform steps could reduce the administrative burden of the system.


Whelks in the sister-genera Enigmaticolus and Thermosipho (Gastropoda: Buccinidae) commonly inhabit deep-water hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbon seeps. Thermosipho desbruyeresi, originally described from the Lau Basin, was thought to occur in vents across the western Pacific, with Eosipho desbruyeresi nipponensis described from the Okinawa Trough treated as its junior synonym. However, new material collected from vents in the Okinawa Trough and seeps in the South China Sea exhibit key characteristics of Enigmaticolus. Re-examination of the types revealed that Eosipho d. nipponensis is actually morphologically distinct from Thermosipho desbruyeresi. A molecular phylogeny reconstructed using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene confirmed the placement of both taxa in Enigmaticolus and supported their distinctiveness at the species level. We, therefore, rehabilitate E. d. nipponensis as Enigmaticolus nipponensis comb. nov. and transfer T. desbruyeresi to the same genus, as Enigmaticolus desbruyeresi comb. nov. Our results also revealed that Enigmaticolus monnieri described from east Africa and E. inflatus described from the South China Sea are in fact conspecific with E. nipponensis. We discuss the distribution and biogeography, as well as morphological variability, of Enigmaticolus in the light of these new findings. Thermosipho is then left with only its type species, T. auzendei from the East Pacific vents. We have revised the diagnosis for the two genera, as well as the species included in them.


A simple analytical model for calculating the nonlinear deformations of a corrugated core (fluting) during out-of-plane compression is developed. The results from the analytical model are compared to a more comprehensive finite-element model and to experiments. A connection between the boundary conditions and the damage state of the corrugated board is discussed. Including a modified set of boundary conditions gives an almost perfect match of the initial stiffness to the experimental results, indicating that the core might be significantly damaged as a result of the manufacturing process. Possibly, the strength of corrugated boards might be increased about 20% if one could avoid damaging the fluting during the manufacturing process.


In this research, the writer wants to find out the Locutions, Illocutions and Perlocutions that cause conflict which occurred in the conversation between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in the Gilmore Girls film. In any conversation, there must be a conflict; no matter it is small or big, because a conversation happens between two or more persons. Each person must have different opinion, this triggers dispute or conflict. The writer applies the theory of Pragmatic written by George Yule (1996) and Stephen Levinson (1983). This theory is supported by theory of Discourse written by Guy Cook (1994); Speech Acts theory written by Brown and Yule (1984); the theory of Locution, Illocution and Perlocution written by Austin (1970); and the last is the theory of conflict written by Peg Pickering (2001). The writer used descriptive approach in doing this research. The writer only observed the scenes which contain the conflict between Lorelai and Rory; the writer ignored other characters? conflict. The result shows that the verbs that cause conflict are contained in Directives and Representatives. The verbs like asking and complaining might trigger a conflict in the conversation.


: Accurate self-evaluation is central to a family physician's professional growth both during and after the residency training period. Self-evaluations of residents' interviewing skills, as demonstrated in videotaped interviews with simulated patients, were compared to multiple faculty evaluations as part of an annual assessment. Means for resident evaluations were lower and showed greater variations than faculty ratings but correlated significantly in several areas. Inter-rater reliability coefficients were highest when criteria were most specific. Residents benefited from the opportunity to compare and discuss their perceptions with those of objective and competent raters.


In this paper, we present the implemented denoising section in the coding strategy of cochlear implants, the technique used is the technique of wavelet bionic BWT ( Bionic Wavelet Transform). We have implemented the algorithm for denoising Raise the speech signal by the hybrid method BWT in the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), Xilinx (Virtex5 XC5VLX110T). In our study, we considered the following: at the beginning, we present how to demonstrate features of this technique. We present an algorithm implementation we proposed, we present simulation results and the performance of this technique in terms of improvement of the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). The proposed implementations are realized in VHDL (Very high speed integrated circuits Hardware Description Language). Different algorithms for speech processing, including CIS ( Continuous Interleaved Sampling) have been implemented the strategy in this processor and tested successfully.


This study presents for the first time summarized data on 759 species/taxa (628 species at least) of six classes of Quaternary vertebrates of Bulgaria: Chondrichthyes (1); Actinopterygii (34); Amphibia (18); Reptilia (33); Aves (299); and Mammalia (374). The richest fauna has been recorded in the Late Pleistocene (285 species), followed by the Calabrian (255). Bulgaria has lost 32.3% of its former total Quaternary vertebrate fauna. The number of the lost taxa is as follows: species (245), genera (80), families (16), orders (5), of them three mammalian (Perissodactyla, Proboscidea, and Primates), and two avian (Otidiformes and Pteroclidiformes). Extinct families are: one amphibian (Palaeobatrachidae); two reptilian (Varanidae and Elapidae); three avian (Gruidae, Otididae, and Pteroclididae), and ten mammalian (Dipodidae, Eomyidae, Hystricidae, Ochotonidae, Hyaenidae, Phocidae, Equidae, Rhinocerotidae, Elephantidae, and Cercopithecidae). After the small mammals (mainly Cricetidae; 52 taxa), the composition of bovids (27 taxa) and canids (13 taxa) impoverished in a higher extent. The biggest number of recorded vertebrate families is found in the Meghalayan (79), followed by the Greenlandian (63) and the Late Pleistocene (62). At order and family levels, the most varied was the vertebrate fauna in the Meghalayan (39 orders, 79 families). In the Calabrian, the number of genera was a three times greater than in the Northgrippian, which indicates more diversified paleoenvironment. One genus, 25 species, and one subspecies have been described as new to the science from the Quaternary localities in Bulgaria.


In this report we summarize an extension of Fourier analysis for the solution of the wave equation with a non-constant coefficient corresponding to an inhomogeneous medium. The underlying physics of the problem is exploited to link pseudodifferential operators and phase space path integrals to obtain a marching algorithm that incorporates the backward scattering into the evolution of the wave. This allows us to successfully apply single-sweep, one-way marching methods in inherently two-way environments, which was not achieved before through other methods for this problem.


Background Rib stress injury (RSI) is the development of pain due to bone oedema caused by overload along the rib shaft and is commonly seen in rowers. Often clinicians who manage this injury are experienced with the condition at the elite level. There may, however, be a lack of confidence in diagnosing and managing this condition by clinicians who are not regularly exposed to this injury. As a result, an evidence-based guideline has been developed to aid diagnosis and management of RSI. Methods A detailed literature search was conducted reviewing the diagnosis and management of RSI. Detailed discussions were held by the Great Britain Rowing Medical Team to identify key issues in diagnosis and management of RSI. An up-to-date, evidence-based approach to managing RSI was created using both expert knowledge and current literature to formulate a functional guideline outlining best practice in management of RSI in rowers. Results A clinical guideline has been created incorporating 5 key areas: diagnosis, severity grading, investigation, management and associated risk factors for RSI. Important indicators for each key area are incorporated within the guideline using relevant literature where possible alongside expert opinion. The guideline has deliberately been kept concise and tailored for use in the clinical setting. Conclusions A new clinical guideline for management of RSIs has been developed to facilitate clinicians in identifying RSI, aiding accurate diagnosis and providing effective management. This guideline is to be disseminated to clinicians, rowing coaches and clubs throughout the UK.


In distributed object-oriented computing, a complex set of requirements has to be considered for maintaining the required level of reliability of objects to give higher level of performance. The authors proposed a mechanism to analyze the complexity of these underlying environments and design a dynamically reconfigurable architecture according to the changes of the underlying environment. The replication should have a suitable architecture for the adaptable fault tolerance so that it can handle the different situations of the underlying system before the fault occurs. The system can provide the required level of reliability by measuring the reliability of the underlying environment and then either adjusting the replication degree or migrating the object appropriately. It is also possible to improve the reliability with shifting to a suitable replication protocol adaptively. However, there should be a mechanism to overcome the problems when "replication protocol transition period" exists. This will also find a client-server group communication protocol that communicates with objects under both different environmental conditions and different replication protocols.


Laptops have become an indispensable asset in today's digital age. They often contain highly sensitive information, such as credentials and confidential documents. As a result, the value of a laptop is an accumulation of the value of both the physical device itself and the cyber assets it contains, making it a lucrative target for theft. Educational institutions have a large population of potential victims of laptop theft. To mitigate this risk, we investigate whether a simple warning sign can reduce the opportunity for potential offenders. To this end, we have conducted an empirical study to observe the prevalence of students/staff leaving their laptops unattended at a university study hall at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, both with and without a warning sign. We observed 148 out of 220 subjects leaving their laptops unattended in just three weeks. The results also showed that without the warning banner, 75.5% (83 out of 110) of subjects left their laptops unattended and with the warning, only 59.1% (65 out of 110) of subjects showed the same behavior, which is a significant reduction of 16.4%. In addition, a qualitative analysis was performed on the responses of subjects who left their laptops unattended after the warning banner was placed. The results showed a mix of convenience, and a blind trust on the safety of the faculty. In conclusion, a simple banner was effective in reducing the opportunity for laptop theft. However, the percentage of laptops left unattended was still high even after the introduction of the banner.


The paper examines the labour quality explanation of the employer size-wage gap: larger firms pay higher wages because they employ more skilled workers. Most previous studies control for unobserved skills of workers using longitudinal data and the fixed effects estimator thus relying on a questionable assumption of time-invariant unobserved individual heterogeneity. This paper releases this assumption by using a sample of workers who simultaneously hold two jobs; hence, identification is achieved by differencing across two jobs held at the same time rather than in different periods. A caveat of this approach is possible heterogeneity of the two jobs; this issue is discussed in details in the paper. Based on data from the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey, this study finds little support for the labour quality explanation: controlling for unobserved skills in the sample of moonlighters does not reduce the estimate of the wage gap.


OBJECTIVE
The epidemiology of cognitive decline over 11.5 years was investigated in a large community-residing population, with a special emphasis on the relationship between education and cognitive decline.

METHOD
The study was an 11.5-year follow-up of a probability sample of the adult household residents of east Baltimore. From the Baltimore cohort of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, 1,488 participants completed the Mini-Mental State during three study waves in 1981, 1982, and 1993-1996. For each study participant, the difference in scores on the Mini-Mental State between waves 2 and 3 was calculated.

RESULTS
Over a median interval of 11.5 years, the study participants' scores on the Mini-Mental State declined a mean of 1.41 points, and the scores of 68% of the participants declined by at least 1 Mini-Mental State point. With and without adjustment for age, greater declines were associated with having 8 years or less of formal education and with being African American.

CONCLUSIONS
Over a long time period, cognitive decline occurred in all age groups. Having more than 8 years of formal education was associated with less decline. However, beyond 9 years, additional education was not associated with a further reduction in cognitive decline. This suggests that a minimal amount of education during early critical periods might confer protection against cognitive decline later in life.


A new computationally efficient 2-D model of the beam-wave interaction in coupled-cavity traveling-wave tubes (CC-TWTs) has been developed. The model provides self-consistent time-dependent solutions of Maxwell's equations together with a fully relativistic solution of the electron equations of motion. The model is based on different treatments of the RF fields in the region occupied by an electron beam and in the region of the coupled-cavity structure. The RF fields inside the beam tunnel are represented as a sum of eigenmodes of the local cross section of the beam tunnel. The fields outside the beam tunnel are represented as a superposition of modes of an equivalent circuit with lumped capacitors, inductors, and resistors. The model has been implemented in the TESLA-CC code. The results of the code predictions agree well with measured data for a wideband CC-TWT operating in the Ka-band. The code also shows good agreement with predictions of the 1-D code CHRISTINE-CC in regimes in which a 1-D approximation is applicable. A numerical study of CC-TWT operation shows that, in the small-signal regime, the code is able to predict a gain enhancement due to transverse motion at focusing magnetic fields comparable with Brillouin equilibrium values, which is the major 2-D effect. In the large-signal regime, the code is also capable of treating cases in which the transverse displacement of electrons becomes large and of determining the dependence of the spent beam energy distribution on radial position.


This thesis is about space, law and control: how their relationship unfolds in the contemporary city, and how normative orderings emerge out of the urban mess, with particular attention to how this occurs in the extraordinary spatio-temporal context of mega events. The work is premised on the elaboration of an original spatial ontology through the notions of life, materiality and event, which culminates with the introduction of the notion of atmosphere and rhythm, and their folding into the concept of urban tuning. This understanding allows for re-thinking the spatiality and materiality of the urban from a non-dichotomous, immanent perspective, thus providing a novel way to investigate the spatiolegal configurations and the form they assume in the present-day city. Consequently, the thesis explores the exceptional relation between law, space and justice in modern and 'post-modern' times, by looking at contemporary forms of control and their on-going reformulation of urban space according to the twin requirements of consumption and immunity. Through this approach, I wish to push forward the urban and legal geographical debate, exploring the evolution of the spatiolegal into new, potentially oppressing logics of control, as well as delineating a radically material, ethico-politically worthwhile and strategically adequate concept of justice. Since I conceive urban mega events as paradigmatic contexts to investigate urban processes, I employ the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the empirical testing ground for my conceptualisations.


A numerical study of steady burning of spherical ethanol particles in a spray environment is presented. A spray environment is modeled as a high temperature oxidizer stream where the major products of combustion such as carbon dioxide and water vapor will be present along with reduced amounts of oxygen and nitrogen. The numerical model, which employs variable thermophysical properties, a global single-step reaction mechanism, and an optically thin radiation model, has been first validated against published experimental results for quasi-steady combustion of spherical ethanol particles. The validated model has been employed to predict the burning behavior of the ethanol particle in high temperature modified oxidizer environment. Results show that based on the amount of oxygen present in the oxidizer the burning rate constant is affected. The ambient temperature affects the burning rate constant only after a sufficient decrease in the oxygen content occurs. In pure air stream, ambient temperature variation does not affect the evaporation constant. Results in terms of burning rates, maximum temperature around the particle, and the evaporation rate constants are presented for all the cases. The variation of normalized Damkohler number is also presented to show the cases where combustion or pure evaporation would occur.


This paper introduces a global path planning method for autonomous systems. Global path planning finds a feasible and collision-free path in an environment in which various kinds of regions and objects exist. However, the most planning methods use information such as collision-free space and obstacles in the environment. Interactions at each region (e.g., sidewalk and pavement) would be different. In this paper, we propose a method for global path planning taking semantic scene context into account. In contrast to conventional path planning methods which use collision-free and obstacle regions, the proposed method represents an environment as a cost map. The cost map is estimated from demonstrated human behaviors and feature maps derived from semantic scene context. To find a path on the cost map, we define a path cost and leverage an optimal rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT*) algorithm. We evaluate the proposed method regarding accuracy and computational efficiency with two public datasets and our contributed dataset. Experimental results show that our method successfully reproduces paths like human behaviors in short computational time.


The foci of this chapter are the many troubling issues associated with indigenous student deaths at US and Canadian boarding/residential schools. These institutions were organized to strip students of their cultural traditions and loyalties, in preparation for assimilation into mainstream society. The cemetery of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School is used here as both case study and synecdoche, to address the larger geo-political and historical questions connected with this educational program of cultural genocide. By interweaving an investigation of physical changes to the cemetery with scrutiny of archival documents, the analysis reveals that behind the neat lines of cemetery stones stands a powerful but covert narrative of Native exclusion, segregation, and dispossession. The chapter argues that ongoing scrutiny of both the past and current physical site of the cemetery can supply information that is able (in part) to mitigate the silences, gaps, and pervasive deficiencies of the historical record.


Fall risk assessments provide a useful tool to prevent morbidity and mortality provoked by falls. Nowadays, these assessments are usually performed manually by the medical staff. This approach has three main drawbacks: i) it is time consuming, so it is only performed a few times per volunteer during their rehabilitation process; ii) it requires supervision by medical staff, so assessment at home or preferred environments is not feasible; and iii) fall risk is evaluated in a global way, so imminent fall risk is not available for decision making in assistive navigation. In this paper we propose an imminent fall risk estimator for rollator's users that can be automatically obtained on the fly. Its main advantages are: i) it can be used in everyday conditions in any environment; ii) it does not require assistance of medical staff; and iii) it is suitable for a variety of users with minimal configuration changes. We have validated our estimator with a set of volunteers (n=10) presenting different physical and cognitive disabilities. Although the number of volunteer is limited, results show that our estimator is coherent to two traditional, well accepted assessments: the Tinetti Mobility Test and the walking speed.


Drug delivery systems have become important tools for the specific delivery of a large number of drug molecules. Since their discovery in the liposomes were recognized as models to study biological membranes and as versatile DDS of both hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules. Liposomes are artificially prepared vesicles made of lipid bilayer. Liposomes can be filled with drugs, and used to deliver drugs for cancer and other diseases. Liposomes are composite structures made of phospholipids and may contain small amounts of other molecules. Though liposomes can vary in size from low micrometer range to tens of micrometers, unilamellar liposomes, as pictured here, are typically in the lower size range with various targeting ligands attached to their surface allowing for their surface-attachment and accumulation in pathological areas for treatment of disease. Liposomes are used as models for artificial cells. Liposomes can also be designed to deliver drugs in other ways. Liposomes that contain low (or high) pH can be constructed such that dissolved aqueous drugs will be charged in solution. Liposomes are artificial vesicles comprised  of lipid and aqueous compartments where the lipid exists in the bilayer form. Such vesicles can be composed solely of phospholipids or in combination with other amphipathic molecules such as sterols, long chain organic bases or acids. When phospholipids are suspended in an excess of aqueous solution they spontaneously form multilamellar concentric bilayers with lipid layers separated by layers of aqueous medium. Water soluble substances such as drugs, proteins, nucleic acids and dyes, present in the aqueous phase during the formation of liposomes, can be encapsulated into the aqueous compartments of the vesicles. This unique property of liposomes has made them a versatile tool for an increasing number of studies in biology and medicine.


With biosynthetically derived human growth hormone (hGH) available in large quantities, attempts will be made to promote growth in short children who do not fulfill the 'classical' criteria for growth hormone deficiency (GHD). By these criteria, GHD is excluded if hGH levels to pharmacological stimuli exceed a definite level. Several studies have shown that a variety of short children, who are not growth hormone deficient by these criteria, will demonstrate an increased growth rate with hGH treatment. A subpopulation of children with clinical features of GHD, delayed bone age and low somatomedin levels, have low levels of spontaneously secreted growth hormone or 'bioinactive' growth hormone. These children increase their growth rates to substitution doses of hGH. In other children whose growth disorder is not likely to be caused by a disorder in the growth hormone-somatomedin axis, growth increments are occasionally seen on higher hGH doses. Future long-term studies--carefully considering the ethics of such approaches--will have to evaluate the relationships between hGH dose and both metabolic and growth responses and side effects in children with short stature in order to define more specifically further target groups of short children who will benefit from hGH therapy.


In this work, we introduce LEAD, an approach to dis-cover landmarks from an unannotated collection of category-specific images. Existing works in self-supervised landmark detection are based on learning dense (pixel-level) feature representations from an image, which are further used to learn landmarks in a semi-supervised manner. While there have been advances in self-supervised learning of image features for instance-level tasks like classification, these methods do not ensure dense equivariant representations. The property of equivariance is of interest for dense prediction tasks like landmark estimation. In this work, we introduce an approach to enhance the learning of dense equivariant representations in a self-supervised fashion. We follow a two-stage training approach: first, we train a network using the BYOL [13] objective which operates at an instance level. The correspondences obtained through this network are further used to train a dense and compact representation of the image using a lightweight network. We show that having such a prior in the feature extractor helps in landmark detection, even under drastically limited number of annotations while also improving generalization across scale variations.