The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have commenced a process of reviewing the Merger Guidelines that were last subject of a comprehensive revision in 1993. The agencies are holding a series of workshops and have solicited comments on a number of questions that they have formulated. The questions and the workshops, however, fail to take account of a major development in the assessment of mergers: their impact on the buying side of the market. Empirical data show that buying side effects can be quite substantial; yet the Guidelines devote only two sentences to discussing the analysis of this topic. These comments present a review of the central issues that ought to be included in comprehensive merger guidelines concerning buyer power: appropriate definition of the buying side product and geographic dimensions of the relevant markets, the likely competitive effects including the potential for such effects in various levels of market concentration, and the resulting thresholds above which more serious evaluation of mergers creating increased buyer power ought to be investigated. The basic point of these comments is that the revised Merger Guidelines should directly and clearly address the issue of buyer power resulting from mergers and provide appropriate standards for the evaluation of such effects.


What can neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and cognitive linguistics tell us about the probable origins of play? What was the likely order of the emergence of play, performance, and ritual in evolutionary time? As new scientific discoveries challenge older traditions and truisms of scholarship in performance studies, these questions take on new urgency and reshape key definitions in the field.


The random phase approximation (RPA) is attracting renewed interest as a universal and accurate method for first-principles total energy calculations. The RPA naturally accounts for long-range dispersive forces without compromising accuracy for short range interactions making the RPA superior to semi-local and hybrid functionals in systems dominated by weak van der Waals or mixed covalent-dispersive interactions. In this work we present plane wave-based RPA calculations for a broad collection of systems with bond types ranging from strong covalent to van der Waals. Our main result is the RPA potential energy surfaces of graphene on the Cu(111), Ni(111), Co(0001), Pd(111), Pt(111), Ag(111), Au(111), and Al(111) metal surfaces, which represent archetypical examples of metal-organic interfaces. Comparison with semi-local density approximations and a non-local van der Waals functional show that only the RPA captures both the weak covalent and dispersive forces which are equally important for these systems. We benchmark our implementation in the GPAW electronic structure code by calculating cohesive energies of graphite and a range of covalently bonded solids and molecules as well as the dissociation curves of H2 and H2+. These results show that RPA with orbitals from the local density approximation suffers from delocalization errors and systematically underestimates covalent bond energies yielding similar or lower accuracy than the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional for molecules and solids, respectively.


This work focuses on the production of F-T diesel from wood biomass, considering three different systems: production of wood pellets, bioslurry via fast pyrolysis, and use of untreated biomass.
This study aims to find the most energy efficient way in which the wood biomass can be transformed into synthetic diesel, and the importance of every step taking part in the entire system. The assessment of these routes considers the whole chain: extraction of biomass, transport of raw material to a local plant, pre-treatment if necessary, transport to the central gasification plant, gasification process and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
The three BTL routes are compared by means of Primary Energy Factors (PEF). In order to obtain reliable results, the transport distance from the local plant to the central gasification plant and the moisture content of biomass have been modified. Primary energy factors, only taking into account the non-renewable part, have also been calculated.
The results show that gasification process and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are the decisive steps. At the moment, the use of untreated biomass seems to be the best option in spite of the high transport energy. However, when the moisture content is high (about 60%) and only the non-renewable part is considered then, the second route, which is based on bioslurry production, is the most energy efficient.


Abstract Domestic opportunity structures and political actors' positions are widely regarded as the most important explanatory factors for EU politicisation. The euro crisis, however, has revealed cleavages across rather than within countries, suggesting structural factors as a potential explanation for politicisation. Based on the political economy literature on Europe's Economic and Monetary Union, this contribution develops a structural approach to politicisation with respect to countries' power and variety of capitalism. Using a content and claims analysis of business papers in Germany, France, Austria and Ireland before and during the crisis, the findings reveal a differentiated pattern of politicisation. While an expansion of actors indicates that EMU became more politicised during the crisis, polarisation remained low within countries. Countries' variety of capitalism and their perceived power in the EU largely explain the substance and objects of politicisation. The findings encourage further research considering structural explanations for differentiated politicisation in less elite-centred settings of politicisation.


The development of industrial producer prices is commonly observed as one of the important leading indicators of consumer price inflation. Nevertheless, there was no apparent relationship between total inflation and producer prices in the Czech Republic from 1993 to 1997. This paper is an attempt to find a possible explanation of the above mentioned paradox using statistical end econometric analyses. The main idea is that the prices of industrial producers do not have a straightforward relationship to the development of prices in the entire consumer goods basket, but only to its particular subset. Indeed, the performed correlation and regression analyses did show a relation between producer prices and the corrected inflation (with a lag of 3 to 5 months), i.e. inflation net of changes in regulated prices end food prices. As a by-product, the paper also provides some support for the importance of money supply M2 and the nominal exchange rate as explanatory variables of inflation.


This chapter provides some aspects to probabilistic modelling in solving analytical problems of system engineering. The historically developed system of the formation of scientific bases of engineering calculations of characteristics of strength, stability, durability, reliability, sur- vivability and safety is considered. The features of deterministic and probabilistic problems of evaluation of the characteristics of strength, stiffness, steadiness, durability and surviv- ability are considered. Probabilistic problems of reliability, security, safety and risk assessment of engineering systems are formulated. Theoretical bases and methods of probabilistic modelling of engineering systems are stated. The main directions of solving the problems of ensuring security and safety according to the accident risk criteria are determined. The possibilities of probabilistic modelling methods in solving the problems of strength, reliability and safety of engineering systems are shown in practical examples.


The electronic and magnetic properties of Ag-doped Fe3O4 films were studied by x-ray absorption near-edge structure XANES , extended x-ray absorption fine structure EXAFS , and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism XMCD measurements. A comparison between the Ag K-edge EXAFS Fourier transform spectra of Ag-doped Fe3O4 and the Ag metal shows that Ag atoms aggregate into Ag granules. The O K-edge and Ag L3-edge XANES spectra consistently indicate an electron transfer from the Fe3O4 host into Ag granules. The Fe L3,2-edge XMCD spectra and hysteresis measurements reveal that Ag granules reduce the average magnetic moment of Fe ions and the saturation magnetization of Fe3O4. © 2006 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2338889


Summary: Cultures were labelled with l-[35S]methionine for 5 min periods immediately after resuspension in sporulation medium (t
0) or at hourly intervals thereafter (t
1, t
2 or t
3). Cells were harvested and lysed very rapidly at low temperature in the presence of inhibitors of protease, cell extracts were subjected to high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and radioactive proteins were revealed by fluorography. Comparisons of fluorograms from wild-type cells labelled at various times after resuspension showed that 35 proteins were synthesized at t
1 that were not seen at t
0, ten at t
2 that were not seen at t
1, and seven at t
3 that were not seen at t
2. Conversely, nine proteins ceased to be synthesized in the first hour of resuspension, eight in the second hour and five in the third hour. Experiments with the same protocol were done with cells of a strain carrying spo-43, a mutation that blocks sporulation at a very early stage. The results show that the mutation prevents about two-thirds of the total number of changes that occur in the wild-type in the first hour, about one-third of those that occur in the second hour, but only two out of 12 of those that occur in the third hour.


Achyranthes aspera is a herb in amaranthaceae family, traditionally used in treatment of several diseases (inflammation, diabetes, hypertension, wounds, pain, pneumonia, diarrhea, dysentery, asthma, cough, dropsy, ulcers, piles, rheumatism, scabies and other skin diseases. and fever etc). The present study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial activities of the methanolic extract and to investigate phytochemical profile of aqueous extract of vegetative parts of Achyranthes aspera. The methanol extracts were screened for antifungal activity against four fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria solani, Athelia rolfsii and Rhizoctonia solani by food poisoning method. The extracts of fresh Achyranthes aspera showed a significant and remarkable activity against all these four fungal species when compared to standard. The observed IC50 values for these funguses are 43.75μg/ml for Fusarium oxysporum, 27.5μg/ml for Alternaria spp., 19.37μg/ml for Sclerotium rolfsii. And 18.75μg/ml for Rhizoctonia solani. The phytochemical screening of the aqueous extract indicates that the fresh plant contain tannin, phlobatannin, terpenoid, flavonoid, cardiac glycoside, phenol and alkaloid. Phytochemical screening indicate the absence of saponin, steroid, free anthraquinone, and carbohydrate.


The three-dimensional (3D) seismic survey is a relatively new technique used in the exploration and development of petroleum resources. It is well known that precise navigation (positioning) is required for the 3D seismic operation. However, it is not well understood why this high level of precision is required. In addition, few, if any, attempts have been made to discuss actual positioning achievements while performing a 3D seismic survey. This paper attempts to fill both these voids.

In this paper, the 3D seismic survey is simply explained from basic principles and the position accuracy requirements are developed. State-of-the-art techniques and equipment are presented for positioning both the seismic vessel and the towed streamer containing an array of hydrophones.

Results are presented for vessel positioning using the 450 MHz Syledis system in conjunction with a 2 MHz Argo system. A direct comparison of these two systems is given from data obtained during a 3D seismic survey. In addition, operational results are presented for the positioning of a towed hydrophone array.

New techniques under development for positioning the seismic vessel and the towed hydrophone arrays are presented. The possible use of GPS technology for 3D seismic surveys is discussed and the system's impact for future work is evaluated.

Conclusions are presented summarizing current 3D seismic accuracy requirements, the techniques and equipment required, results that can be expected, and what positioning technology can be expected in the future.


Abstract Platelet function in neonates is sparsely investigated. The majority of previous studies investigated platelets in umbilical cord (UC) blood rather than in peripheral blood. We included 20 term neonates and sampled UC blood and peripheral blood within 20 min and 24 h after birth. Platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were measured. Platelet surface glycoproteins (GP) and platelet activation (bound fibrinogen, CD63 and p-selectin) after agonist stimulation were examined by flow cytometry. Platelet aggregation was evaluated by impedance aggregometry. The significance level was set after Bonferroni correction. Platelet count and MPV did not differ between UC and peripheral blood (p-values >0.08). Expression of platelet surface GP was similar in UC and peripheral blood (all p-values >0.02). Platelet activation was lower in UC blood than in peripheral blood for bound fibrinogen (four out of eight p-values <0.001) but did not differ for CD63 (all p-values >0.01) or P-selectin (all p-values >0.01). Platelet aggregation was significantly higher in UC than in peripheral blood (p-values <0.001). In conclusion, platelet count, MPV and expression of platelet surface GP measured in term neonatal UC blood represented that of peripheral blood. Platelet activation and aggregation in UC blood did not reflect that of peripheral blood.


Abstract Mechanisms of immune response associated with immunotherapy remain controversial, and the role of the antibody response in the efficacy of immunotherapy has largely been ignored. By the use of immunohistochemistry to search for the presence of antibodies and antibody-secreting plasma cells, the role of antibody response immunotherapy was examined. By the use of an antimouse immunoglobulin antibody reactive against all isotypes, cells consistent with plasma cell morphology and immunophenotype were observed more frequently in the tumor (but not normal brain) of vaccinated mice. Additionally, high levels of what appeared to be nonspecific and diffuse localization of secondary antibody also were observed. This staining is absent, however, in B/plasmacell-deficient mice, suggesting that secreted antibodies are present in the tumors of wild-type mice. Animals deficient for B/plasma cells did not respond to immunotherapy when compared with vaccinated wild-type animals. Thus, the use of immunohistochemistry has guided the experimental design and clarified mechanisms of immune system response to immunotherapy, demonstrating that tumor-infiltrating plasma cells or circulating antibodies account for the endogenous reactivity to antibodies observed in brain tumors. (The J Histotechnol 32(4):175–178, 2009)


This paper presents an on-off keying (OOK) human body communication (HBC) transceiver design method for wireless body-area network (WBAN). The HBC channel in shield chamber by adopting floating ground experiment setup is analyzed and the optimal carrier frequency of 30 MHz is chosen. A FPGA and a direct-digital synthesizer (DDS) are applied to achieve OOK modulation in the HBC transmitter. In the receiver part, the signal is firstly filtered by a band pass filter, and then converted to voltage through a logarithmic amplifier. Finally a comparator and a clock data recover (CDR) circuit are used to recovery the data. The proposed HBC transceiver is implemented in a PCB board and validated in human body. The result shows that the transceiver can transfer 2-Mbps none return zero (NRZ) data from forearm to finger through the human body successfully.


or more fibroids. Mean size of the fibroids was 23.7 mm (range 14-37 mm). All fibroids were type 2 (FIGO) except one type 0 and one type 1. Hysterosonography and hysteroscopic score was 4.22 in both groups with no statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). Hysterosonography score was low (group I) in 4 patients (44.4%) and intermediate (group II) in 5 women (55.5%), ranging from 1-6. Hysterosocopy score was identical but ranging from 0-6. There were no statistically significant differences between both groups (p < 0.001). Hysterosonography prediction of complexity was well correlated with hysteroscopy except for one case. Conclusions: 3D Hysterosonography is a good diagnostic tool for evaluating submucosal fibroids that can help in the decision-making of these patients. Hysterosonography can be used to predict the complexity of hysteroscopic resection of fibroids. More studies are needed to confirm these findings.


An experimental framework for assessing process formalisms from project members' points of view is proposed. This framework is based on the goal/question/metric paradigm and uses role definitions to state the assessment goals. The assessment goals are then used to identify the information that must be supplied by a formalism to support a project role. The feasibility of this framework is demonstrated using the ISPW-6 software process example. A number of example roles are identified, and example hypotheses are derived for some of the formalisms used.<<ETX>>


T he highest level of protein structure is quaternary structure, formed by the noncovalent association of protein subunits. Usually the associating protein subunits have a folded, or tertiary, structure, although there are cases where unfolded proteins with only secondary structure directly associate to form folded multisubunit complexes (e.g., trimeric glucagon). Protein complexes can range from simple symmetrical homodimers formed of identical subunits to highly complex multisubunit structures such as viral capsids.


Three borehole sections in the Traboe area provide a partial section through a layered basic-ultrabasic complex, previously referred to as the Traboe hornblende schists. This complex, though dismembered into thrust sheets, shows an overall NE-dipping stratigraphy with a generalized upward sequence from dunite and pyroxenite to gabbro and anorthosite. The bulk composition of the ultramafic rocks is quite different from the dominantly lherzolitic composition of the main Lizard peridotite. The composition of the basic rocks is also markedly different from that of the Landewednack hornblende schists with which they have previously been correlated. The deformation and recrystallization of the rocks has been complex and locally intense, producing a fine granular fabric in many rock types. Amphibolitization has affected many rock types to give assemblages dominated by hornblende. Mineral composition varies with position in the stratigraphic sequence and is consistent with crystallization of the complex from differentiating basic magma pulses.


A possible structural and functional organization of the antenna chromophore protein complexes (CPC) in the Rhodopseudomonas viridis membranes was considered in terms of structural models proposed by Zuber and Brunisholz (in Chlorophylls, ed. H. Scheer (Boca Raton: CRC Press, 1991):626-703). Analysis of the absorption spectra led to the conclusion that the number of the antenna bacteriochlorophyll molecules per reaction center (RC) is 30 +/- 3 both for chromophores and quantasomes of Rps. viridis. It implies a multicentral organization of the CPCs around RCs, when the CPC of cyclic structure is formed by (alpha beta gamma)4 polypeptides. A multicentral model predicts an almost linear dependence of the antenna fluorescence yield on the oxidized primary donor concentration if the antenna fluorescence lifetimes are assumed to be 60-70 and 110-120 ps for the open and closed RCs, respectively, which is in agreement with the experimental observations. We conclude that the Rps. viridis membrane domain consists of 4-6 RCs surrounded by 6-22 CPCs, and both of these protein subsystems are packed into a hexagonal array.


The unprecedented bushfires from September 2019 to January 2020 in south eastern Australian resulted in 34 deaths and destroyed homes, farmland, infrastructure, crops and conservation land. Even though most of the capital damaged was away from urban areas, substantial impacts resulted in urban areas including Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong and Canberra, due to smoke pollution. Now the recovery phase is being hindered by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses an aggregation of TERM-WINE, a multi-regional, dynamic model of Australia, to examine the impacts of bushfires and the pandemic on the Australian economy. It places some emphasis on the grape and wine industry. In a number of respects, the industry is a loser in the crisis, due to direct destruction of vineyards and wineries from bushfires, and in some regions from smoke taint. On-premise consumption of wine will be curtailed by social isolation responses to COVID-19. At the same time, the response to the crisis may increase off-premise wine consumption. It would appear that the modelled duration of the COVID-19 induced economic crisis in this study is optimistically short. Nevertheless, the bushfires plus a severe disruption for four months due to the pandemic are sufficient to reduce national economic welfare by $105 billion in net present value terms. This excludes estimates of the value of conservation land and fauna destroyed by bushfires. This provides a context for the magnitude of the appropriate fiscal response of the Federal Government.


: Different variants of vagotomy in combination with pyloroantrumectomy or operations draining the stomach are regarded to be expedient for the treatment of duodenal ulcer instead of the classical resection of the stomach. The selective proximal vagotomy vagotomy is thought to be perspective when used without a drainage of the stomach as an intervention preventing the threat of the development of complications with a chronic course of the disease. In the surgery of complicated duodenal ulcers, specially with high operative risk, it is quite justifiable to use sparing operative interventions such as vagotomy combined with operations draining the stomach. An individual approach to choosing the operative method in the ulcer disease resulting in lower postoperative lethality and better remote results of the treatment may be ensured in specialized gastroenterological hospitals only.


The non-destructive testing (NDT) industry is reviewed, the major techniques being described and current development directions and challenges identified. One of the most common techniques (ferroscan) is explained briefly below. Ferroscan is a non-destructive measuring method based on the generation and detection of electromagnet ic fields in conductive materials. In concrete structures, the strength of this induced field depends on the diameter and the cover of the reinforcement. The techniques has been shown to find location and orientation of reinforcement bars, stirrup, or other metal pipe, in the concrete, measure thickness of concrete cover over reinforcement bar, and to determine the bar diameter. In this paper Ferroscan FS 10, a portable detection, was used for measuring and mapping system which provides an immediate liquid crystal image of the reinforcement within a survey area which include reinforcement concrete beam (1000*200*120)mm. The great advantage of measurements with ferroscan, compared to existing detection systems, is that the measurements can be carried out far quicker and more accurately, accurate mapping out of reinforcement and verification of reinforcement in old building.


Steel slag is by-product formed in the process of steel manufacturing. In Europe, USA, Japan, China, Korea, and Hawai steel slag has been utilized in agriculture as a liming material for improving acid soil or as Si source for paddy rice and sugar cane plants. Currently, Indonesia produces annually about 540,000 ton of electric furnace (EF) – one kind of steel slag; however none of this is being used in agriculture. Results of researches indicated that Indonesian steel slag could be utilized as a liming material, Si source, as well as peat soil amendment. As a liming material, effect of Indonesian steel slag on growth of plant was slightly better than those of calcite and dolomite. In combination with phosphatic guano, Indonesian steel slag increased effectiveness of phosphatic guano for direct application as P fertilizer. Phosphatic guano was significantly more effective when it was combined with steel slag than be combined with dolomite or calcite. As Si source for paddy rice plant, Indonesian steel slag improved growth and yield of paddy rice both grown on mineral soil containing low available Si on peat soil. The effect of Indonesian steel slag on paddy rice grown on peat soil was significantly better than that of on mineral soil. As peat soil amendment, Indonesian steel slag enhanced growth and bole volume of Acacia cracicarpa grown on peat soil. Keywords: agriculture, Indonesian steel slag, utilization


Human bifunctional glutamyl-prolyl-tRNA synthetase (EPRS) contains three tandem repeats linking the two catalytic domains. These repeated motifs have been shown to be involved in protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. The single copy of the homologous motifs has also been found in several different aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. The solution structure of repeat 1 (EPRS-R1) and the secondary structure of the whole appended domain containing three repeated motifs in EPRS (EPRS-R123) was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. EPRS-R1 consists of two helices (residues 679-699 and 702-721) arranged in a helix-turn-helix, which is similar to other RNA binding proteins and the j-domain of DnaJ, and EPRS-R123 is composed of three helix-turn-helix motifs linked by an unstructured loop. When tRNA is bound to the appended domain, chemical shifts of several residues in each repeat are perturbed. However, the perturbed residues in each repeat are not the same although they are in the same binding surface, suggesting that each repeat in the appended domain is dynamically arranged to maximize contacts with tRNA. The affinity of tRNA to the three-repeated motif was much higher than to the single motif. These results indicate that each of the repeated motifs has a weak intrinsic affinity for tRNA, but the repetition of the motifs may be required to enhance binding affinity. Thus, the results of this work gave information on the RNA-binding mode of the multifunctional peptide motif attached to different ARSs and the functional reason for the repetition of this motif.


We write in reply to the letter of Dr. Y.F. Liaw. In our original article we included all the relevant studies mentioned in the metaanalyses of Sung et al. and Yang et al. The study of Benvegnu et al. was excluded because the main conclusion of the study was on hepatitis C-related cirrhosis. Concerning the two studies from Taiwan, Dr. Liaw misses our point about the conflicting conclusions. Briefly, the first study showed no reduction in the development of new cirrhosis after interferon treatment. The second study showed that interferon was effective in prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) only in patients with preexisting cirrhosis at study recruitment. In the second study, presumably some of the treated patients with no cirrhosis on recruitment would have developed new cirrhosis if the first study was correct. This did indeed occur, mainly but not solely, in the "nonresponders" But interferon did not decrease HCC in this group of patients despite the shorter duration of the newly developed cirrhosis. This is the basic paradox of the studies. Dr. Liaw mentions the differences in the results obtained from two "studies" from Hong Kong with our published article on interferon treatment. However, he is citing two preliminary abstracts with incomplete patient follow-up (n 5 48 and 138). The database of our interferon studies was exhaustively reviewed. In the final article we included all interferon-treated patients (n 5 208). A control group (n 5 203), recruiting all patients who fulfilled the treatment criteria during the study period but were not treated, was added to demonstrate the effectiveness or otherwise of interferon treatment. Furthermore, Dr. Liaw erroneously quotes that the interferon-treated group was found to have a high risk for HCC. Our conclusion was that interferon treatment did not lower the risk of development of HCC, there being no statistical difference between the treated and untreated patients. Dr. Liaw also mentioned that our study mostly recruited immunotolerant patients, and therefore it was excluded from one metaanalysis. However, of the 278 patients in the four original trials, only 89 were in the children cohort. 14.3% of the adult population was cirrhotic. The hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion rates of the treated population and the control group were comparable to each other as well as to other studies in the review. Dr. Liaw mentions that the proportion of patients with cirrhosis in his study of lamivudine in cirrhosis patients should be 60% and 65% for the lamivudine-treated group and control group, respectively. In our review article the respective proportions quoted were 31% and 39%. These were the proportions of patients with Ishak fibrosis score of 6; that is, patients with established, and therefore definite, cirrhosis. The proportions mentioned by Dr. Liaw included patients with Ishak fibrosis score 5, which were patients with incomplete cirrhosis. There is in fact debate as to whether an Ishak fibrosis score of 5 should or should not be included as "cirrhosis" under the more recent METAVIR system of fibrosis scoring. We therefore quoted only those with Ishak fibrosis score of 6. Finally, for the study showing entecavir is superior to lamivudine, it was published after we submitted and proof-read our review.


Autosomal dominant osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) caused by glycine substitutions in type I collagen is a paradigmatic disorder for stem cell therapy. Bone marrow transplantation in OI children has produced a low engraftment rate, but surprisingly encouraging symptomatic improvements. In utero transplantation (IUT) may hold even more promise. However, systematic studies of both methods have so far been limited to a recessive mouse model. In this study, we evaluated intrauterine transplantation of adult bone marrow into heterozygous BrtlIV mice. Brtl is a knockin mouse with a classical glycine substitution in type I collagen [alpha1(I)-Gly349Cys], dominant trait transmission, and a phenotype resembling moderately severe and lethal OI. Adult bone marrow donor cells from enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) transgenic mice engrafted in hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic tissues differentiated to trabecular and cortical bone cells and synthesized up to 20% of all type I collagen in the host bone. The transplantation eliminated the perinatal lethality of heterozygous BrtlIV mice. At 2 months of age, femora of treated Brtl mice had significant improvement in geometric parameters (P < .05) versus untreated Brtl mice, and their mechanical properties attained wild-type values. Our results suggest that the engrafted cells form bone with higher efficiency than the endogenous cells, supporting IUT as a promising approach for the treatment of genetic bone diseases.


Background The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and complications of rigid endoscopy (RE) and flexible endoscopy (FE) for the extraction of esophageal foreign bodies (FB) in adults. Material/Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 216 adult patients with esophageal FB impaction treated at Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China, between January 2008 and December 2012. Results The success rate of FB extraction was 100% (142/142) in patients treated with RE compared to 97.3% (72/74) in those treated with FE (P=0.045). The total incidence of complications in RE-treated patients was lower than that in FE-treated patients (28.2% vs. 45.9%, P=0.009), but the perforation rate was higher (5.6% vs. 1.4%, P=0.135). The incidences of total complications and perforation were associated with the duration of FB impaction in patients who underwent RE (both P<0.05) but not in patients who underwent FE. RE was more frequently used in extraction of FBs located in the upper esophagus (88.7%, 126/142) compared to FE (60.8%, 45/74) (P<0.05). The size of extracted FB was significantly larger in patients treated with FE compared to those treated with RE (P<0.05). Conclusions Both RE and FE were effective in the extraction of esophageal FB. However, the perforation rate and the need for general anesthesia were higher in RE-associated extraction. FE may be the preferred endoscopic treatment for the extraction of esophageal FB, except possibly for those impacted in the upper esophagus. FB extraction may produce better outcomes if endoscopy is employed early.


ABSTRACT
 A new Middle Triassic archosaur, Diandongosuchus fuyuanensis, gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of a skeleton from the Zhuganpo Member (Ladinian) of the Falang Formation, eastern Yunnan Province, China. It is primarily characterized by the nasal process of the premaxilla extending posteriorly well beyond the external naris, the super-sized coracoid foramen laterally bordered by the scapula, the ischium with a strongly expanded medial portion anteroposteriorly longer than the proximodistal height of the bone, and anteriorly notched cervical osteoderms. D. fuyuanensis is a pseudosuchian on the basis of the crocodile-normal tarsal joint and other features, such as the distal end of the ulna in posterolateral view squared off, osteoderms with a distinct anterior process, the presacral vertebrae dorsally covered by more than one osteoderm, dorsal osteoderm alignment dorsal to presacrals 10–24 staggered, the pubis-ischium contact reduced to a thin proximal contact, and the medial contact of the ischia extensive but the dorsal margins separate. It is from a marine deposit but shows few morphological adaptations of the postcranial skeleton for a semiaquatic way of life when compared with Qianosuchus from the Anisian limestone of the same area. A phylogenetic analysis derived from an existing data matrix suggests that the new archosaur occupies the basal-most position in Poposauroidea and further confirms the poposauroid status of Qianosuchus. On the basis of current information, the discovery of Diandongosuchus does not firmly underscore the affinity of the semiterrestrial vertebrate faunas between the eastern and western regions along the northern coastline of the Tethys.


The workshop was organised to improve the understanding of the dialectic between water-related infrastructures and institutional frameworks in West Africa. Papers address a multiplicity of issues on water governance: water, wetlands and international environmental agreements; legal aspects of transboundary water resources; water resources management at the local level: customary and modern institutions; Integrated Water Resources Management, environment, economy, and equity in national water policies; and river basin organisations in West Africa.


Analysis of National Diabetes Audit data from 2011-2012 of newly diagnosed people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) found low initial success rates in much of the UK at 20% on initial training, while an unusually high success rate of 75% achieving target HbA1C<58 mmol/mol (< 7.5%) was found in Cheshire (England average=40.8%). We present a review of the approach taken by the Cheshire Diabetes team in the 12 months following diagnosis. Between 2012 and 2013, 15 consecutive newly diagnosed people with type 1 DM were followed up for 18 months. All received support and advice by community Diabetes Specialist Nurses (DSNs) and Dieticians covering Central and Eastern Cheshire, UK. Mean±SD age at diagnosis was 23±3 years. The period of contact with the DSN service varied from 7-12 weeks. Baseline HbA1C of 99 mmol/mol [11.2%] (95% CI: 86-111 mmol/mol [10.0-12.3%]) declined by ~50% to 49 mmol/mol [6.6%] (41-57 mmol/mol [5.9-7.4%]; F=16.9, p<0.001) at 6 months and did not change between 6-12 months. Of those newly diagnosed with type 1 DM, 84.6% achieved a target HbA1C<58 mmol/mol (<7.5%) and 61.5% met a target<48 mmol/mol (<6.5%). There was no significant weight change during the study. The key elements of this bio-psycho-social approach by the DSN team included providing psychological support, patient engagement, demonstrating positive regard, gaining trust, identifying health-seeking behaviour, providing key decision-making skills and developing a self-management plan. This resulted in improvements in overall glycaemic control well above the national average without untoward weight gain. The UK National Diabetes Audit (2011-2012) in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics in Cheshire, UK, showed a success rate at 6 months post-diagnosis of 75% achieving a target HbA1C<58 mmol/mol (<7.5%) compared with the national average of 40.8%. Initially thought to be erroneous, these excellent results were confirmed. The approach taken to achieve them is herein described.


First-order, second-moment (FOSM) approximations of limit equilibrium slope stability equations can be combined with digital elevation models to perform spatially distributed probabilistic landslide hazard analyses. This is most easily accomplished using the infinite slope idealization, which is the basis of many published reconnaissance-level slope stability assessments. Comparisons of FOSM and Monte Carlo results show that FOSM approximations yield accurate results when input distributions are symmetric, or nearly symmetric, probability density functions. Contrary to the assumptions of previous authors, however, the Monte Carlo results suggest that factors of safety may be better represented by log-normal distributions than by normal distributions. A 3- × 2-km area near Wheeling, West Virginia, covered by a pre-existing landslide hazard map was used to illustrate the application of the spatially distributed FOSM approach. This area was chosen specifically because it includes active translational landslides as well as several map units that likely violate the infinite slope idealization to one degree or another: large dormant landslides, actively moving cove landforms, and areas deemed susceptible to sliding by virtue of underlying bedrock lithology. Using a 50 percent probability of sliding threshold to delineate unstable areas, the FOSM model predicted 74 percent of the mapped active landslide area to be unstable and 77 percent of the area without mapped slope hazards to be stable (both on a raster-by-raster basis). The overall degree of correspondence for all hazard map units was 54 percent if dormant landslides were considered to be unstable and 65 percent if considered to be stable. The degree of correspondence varies as a function of the threshold probability but is similar to values reported for pairs of landslide inventory maps prepared by different geologists.


Nickel-titanium alloy wires are widely applied in manufacturing biomedical devices; however, it is difficult to be micro-fabricated. Chemical etching process can successfully micro-fabricate the Ni-Ti alloy. The surface morphology, the etching products and the mechanical properties of the fine NiTi wires after the chemical etching process are investigated in the paper. After etching process, the characteristics of the wire surface are studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) phase identification analysis is used to identify the etching products on the side surface of the etched wire. The Vickers Micro-hardness Test shows that the micro-hardness in peripheral surface is slightly higher than that in bulk. Mechanical properties of NiTi alloy fine wires after etching were studied by means of tensile tests.


The current as well as the future industrial market for Aluminium (Al) is huge and various research is being under work regarding the usability of Aluminium. However, during the deep drawing of Aluminium several issues can be developed and some of them are originated from the fundamental material properties. One of these factors is the material texture, which is the preferred orientation of the constituent polycrystalline Al, and the characteristic texture is affected by different rolling and annealing schedules. To investigate the material texture, symmetric and asymmetric rolling trials were performed on a commercially available Al 1050 sample. Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) scanning has performed to determine the material composition and the crystallographic orientations of the investigated samples.


Dr Joseph Juran is well known to most quality scholars. With a productive career spanning over three quarters of a century, his leadership and service in the field of quality management is measured in decades, not years. He has taught or consulted in at least 34 countries. He has written or contributed to hundreds of papers, speeches and dozens of books. His books have been translated into 12 or more languages. Among other things, he has pushed the concepts of the Pareto principle and Juran trilogy, and has increased the role of the human dimension in quality.1

Juran currently lives with his wife in Rye, New York, USA. He was born in Braila, Romania on 24 December 1904. His father was a shoemaker. At the age of 8 years, he and his family moved to Minneapolis, USA. The relocation was motivated by a desire to escape poverty and anti-Semitism. His mother died from tuberculosis about 8 years later. As a child and young adult, Juran was no stranger to hard work, and he reported that he had about 16 jobs, including selling newspapers, being a grocery store clerk, book-keeping and being a janitor, in the 12 years that he lived in Minneapolis. He learnt from all his work experiences, but he also pursued a formal education in addition to his demanding work schedule.1,2 In 1924, he obtained a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota. He married Sadie Shapiro in 1926. He later went on to obtain a law degree from Loyola University in 1936, perhaps motivated by the economic uncertainty of the Depression.

With a starting salary of $27/week, Joseph Juran worked at the Western Electric Hawthorne plant in Cicero, Illinois, USA, from 1924 to 1941. There, he was influenced by Walter A Shewhart. …


Urticarial rash observed in cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) caused by nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain–leucine-rich repeats containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) mutations is effectively suppressed by anti–interleukin (IL)-1 treatment, suggesting a pathophysiological role of IL-1β in the skin. However, the cellular mechanisms regulating IL-1β production in the skin of CAPS patients remain unclear. We identified mast cells (MCs) as the main cell population responsible for IL-1β production in the skin of CAPS patients. Unlike normal MCs that required stimulation with proinflammatory stimuli for IL-1β production, resident MCs from CAPS patients constitutively produced IL-1β. Primary MCs expressed inflammasome components and secreted IL-1β via NLRP3 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain when stimulated with microbial stimuli known to activate caspase-1. Furthermore, MCs expressing disease-associated but not wild-type NLRP3 secreted IL-1β and induced neutrophil migration and vascular leakage, the histological hallmarks of urticarial rash, when transplanted into mouse skin. Our findings implicate MCs as IL-1β producers in the skin and mediators of histamine-independent urticaria through the NLRP3 inflammasome.


The evidence of a large diffusive turbulent contribution to the radial impurity transport in Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) plasmas has been experimentally inferred during the first campaigns and numerically confirmed by means of gyrokinetic simulations with the code stella. In general, the absence of strong impurity accumulation during the initial W7-X campaigns is attributed to this diffusive term. Given the large variety of possible stellarator configurations, in the present work the diffusive contribution is also calculated in other stellarator plasmas. In particular, a numerical cross-device comparison is presented, where the diffusion (D) and convection (V) coefficients of carbon and iron impurities produced by ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) turbulence are obtained. The simulations have been performed for the helias W7-X, the heliotron LHD, the heliac TJ-II and the quasi-axisymmetric stellarator NCSX at the radial position r/a = 0.75. The results show that, although the size of D and V can differ across the four devices, inward convection is found for all of them. For W7-X, TJ-II and NCSX the two coefficients are comparable and the turbulent peaking factor is surprisingly similar. In LHD, appreciably weaker diffusive and convective impurity transport and significantly larger turbulent peaking factor, in comparison with the other three stellarators, are predicted. All this suggests that ITG turbulence, although not strongly, would lead to negative impurity density gradients in stellarators. Then, considering mixed ITG/trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence for the specific case of W7-X, it has been quantitatively assessed to what degree pellet fueled reduced turbulence scenarios feature reduced turbulent transport of impurities as well. The results for trace iron impurities show that, although their turbulent transport is not entirely suppressed, a significant reduction of the convection and a stronger decrease of the diffusion term are found. Although the diffusion is still above neoclassical levels, the neoclassical convection would gain under such conditions a greater specific weight on the dynamics of impurities in comparison with standard ECRH scenarios without pellet fueling.


About the book:
There has been a huge surge of interest in reptiles and amphibians over the past few years in both scientific research and common interest. This superbly designed and illustrated encyclopedia has brought together a wealth of new and fascinating information on amphibians and reptiles in one volume. Written by a stream of distinguished zoologists and brought together by internationally renowned experts, Tim Halliday and Kraig Adler, the encyclopedia gives an excellent andauthoritative overview of reptiles and amphibians. Vividly illustrated with excellent colour photographs on all reptiles and amphibians, it manages to combine scientific research with easy to read essays thus appealing simultaneously to a general audience interested in natural history and to specialistsrequiring an accurate up to date reference work. The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians builds on the success of its first edition, published in 1986, to produce an up-to-date, authoritative and hugely readable species by species guide to all the reptiles and amphibians of the world.


A conceptual framework for the design of PILE for animation design is sketched out. PILE for animation design takes the concept of project as principal axis and focuses on interaction, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. Three main modules (VLMS, PCLP and PFS) of PILE run synergistically under the cooperation of six types of instruction technologies. The application of these elements makes the important aspect of PILE for animation design. In order to center on improving learning, the model of learning is changed from unilateral and close model to multilateral and open model. Accordingly, the framework of PILE for animation design provides a implementation of learning theories, including interactions, Hill's learning theory and projected-based learning model.


Abstract In 2013, the U.S. government announced that its nuclear war plans would be "consistent with the fundamental principles of the Law of Armed Conflict" and would "apply the principles of distinction and proportionality and seek to minimize collateral damage to civilian populations and civilian objects." If properly applied, these legal principles can have a profound impact on U.S. nuclear doctrine. The prohibition against targeting civilians means that "countervalue" targeting and "minimum deterrence" strategies are illegal. The principle of distinction and the impermissibility of reprisal against civilians make it illegal for the United States, contrary to what is implied in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, to intentionally target civilians even in reprisal for a strike against U.S. or allied civilians. The principle of proportionality permits some, but not all, potential U.S. counterforce nuclear attacks against military targets. The precautionary principle means that the United States must use conventional weapons or the lowest-yield nuclear weapons that would be effective against legitimate military targets. The law of armed conflict also restricts targeting of an enemy's leadership to officials in the military chain of command or directly participating in hostilities, meaning that broad targeting to destroy an enemy's entire political leadership is unlawful.


A supportive environment is critical to the realization of the full potential of any child, not excluding orphans. Being institutionalized – although much better than living on the streets or with abusive relatives – can never substitute for the benefits of being raised by caring parents. The surest way of providing a child with a simulation of an experience of parental care and affection is by ensuring a supportive environment for the child right in the midst of institutionalization, and the way to achieve this is by putting the necessary support facilities in place. This paper examined the support facilities needed to create a supportive environment for institutionalized orphans; as well as the adequacy of such support facilities in institutions/orphanages in Nigeria. Recommendations for improvement were further made.


Existing literature on the topic of religiosity and violent behaviour is still underdeveloped and much of the research is concentrated on Christian religiosity. Most of the literature on the topic suggests that religiosity acts as a protective factor for violent behaviour. The mechanisms through which this effect is seen however, are still poorly understood, though there are a wealth of criminological theories to provide a foundation upon which to hypothesize. The present study employs a quantitative approach to investigate the relationship between religiosity, alcohol consumption and violent behaviour. Explanatory, self-report questionnaires were distributed to 226 undergraduate students at one university in North West England in the year 2016 and unlike most previous studies on the topic, the present study did not exclude participants based on their religion, additionally including those who do not have a religion to act as a control group of sorts. Overall, findings were largely consistent with those of previous research, with religiosity being found to have negative correlations with both violent behaviour and alcohol consumption. The relationships between religiosity and nine risk factors for violent behaviour and were additionally investigated, the results of which were varied. Furthermore, the present study concludes that religiosity does not have consistent effects across all religious groups, and that any findings concerning religiosity cannot be generalised to any religious group other than those investigated.


The key parts are the stator and the rotor to realize the function of single screw hydro-mechanical. Along with the further improvement of performance requirement of mechanical product, it's obvious that the general screw mechanical with rubber bushing stator can't meet the requirement. So the process technology of inner helical curved surface with metal stator becomes the key technology to improve the screw mechanical property in the world. Considering the special structure of single-screw pump stator bush, a new method enveloping boring without instantaneous velocity center was presented in this paper. Based on motion principle of screw bush pairs and practical theory of enveloping boring without instantaneous velocity center, this method realizes the boring machining for inner spiral surface of stator on NC machine. In this paper, the motion regular pattern of screw in bush was studied, and the basic principle of enveloping boring without instantaneous velocity center was represented. In the end, the feasibility of this method was proved. The new method provides a theoretical basis for the machining of stator inner helical curved surface and the development of machine tool.


Background Gingival recession may result in aesthetically unfavourable effects, difficulty in plaque control, increased susceptibility to root caries, and dentin hypersensitivity. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the use of modified semilunar techniques with connective tissue and subepithelial connective tissue grafts (Langer) for denuded root surface coverage. Methods In this randomized clinical trial, fourteen localized recessions of Miller class I to II were treated in 5 subjects. Recessions were randomly treated with modified semilunar techniques (test group) and a subepithelial connective tissue graft (control group). Clinical parameters such as clinical attachment level (CAL), keratinized tissue width (KTW), probing pocket depth (PPD), vertical recession depth (VRD) and recession width (RW)were recorded at base line, 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery and healing index and the subject's satisfaction was evaluated. The repeated measure test and paired-sample t-test were used for statistical analyses by SPSS. Results Both methods showed significant improvement in clinical parameters. The healing index (HI) in the test group was a slightly more than the control group in Day 10. Aesthetic VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) levels in the test group were more than the control group in 1, 3 and 6 months (test group, in 1 month 6.57±1.13, in 3 month 7.86±1.07, in 6 month 8.00±0.81. control group in 1 month 5.57±1.13, in 3 month 7.00±1.00, in 6 month 7.14±0.90). The KTW, CAL, VRD and RW level's difference in the test and control group was significant in 6 month compared to the base line (p=0.000). Conclusions The present study shows that treatment of Miller Class I and II gingival recession by the modified semilunar technique is acceptable. Clinical trial registration The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT201512021760N43. Date registered: December 27, 2015. Funding The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.


Tau-P linear noise attenuation filter (TPLNA) was applied on the 3D seismic data of Al-Samawah area south west of Iraq with the aim of attenuating linear noise. TPLNA transforms the data from time domain to tau-p domain in order to increase signal to noise ratio. Applying TPLNA produced very good results considering the 3D data that usually have a large amount of linear noise from different sources and in different azimuths and directions. This processing is very important in later interpretation due to the fact that the signal was covered by different kinds of noise in which the linear noise take a large part.


This article describes the trajectory of the CATI team – a team of Greek arts therapists who work in Greece
and the UK. In addition to a historic documentation of the team's work since 2011, personal experiences and
reflections of the team members are described, as these emerged through an artistic inquiry process.
Drawing from the work and experiences of the CATI team, the authors set questions and offer suggestions
regarding interdisciplinary collaboration while considering the broader field of arts therapies not only in
Greece but also internationally.


We analyze the effect of the potential shape on the ground state energy of the off-axis neutral donor in GaAs/Ga 1−x Al x As cylindrical nanotube in the presence of the uniform magnetic field applied along the symmetry axis. To take into account the mixing of the low lying subbands we express the wave function as a product of combination of 1s and 2p x,y wave functions with an unknown envelope function that depends only on electron-ion separation. By using variational principle and the functional derivative procedure we derive a one-dimensional differential equation for the envelope function, which we solve numerically by using of the trigonometric sweep method. Results of calculation of the ground state binding energy dependencies on the distance from the donor position to the axis and on the strength of the external magnetic field for square-well, soft-edge-barrier and parabolic bottom potentials are presented. It is shown that the additional peaks in the curves of the density of impurity states appear due to the presence of the repulsive core is nanotube.


Oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), a monocotyledonous plant belonging to the Arecaceae family, is one of the most important oil crops in the world. In Nigeria, oil palm has benefited immensely from conventional breeding efforts resulting in high yields that have been achieved with this breeding material. However, oil palm breeding is slow and time-consuming due to a breeding cycle of about 10 years. In addition, the process of outcrossing leads to high variation in yield components and vegetative traits. Although DNA marker technologies offer great possibilities for plant breeding through marker-assisted selection, there are so far no reports of its application to oil palm breeding in Nigeria. In this study, 32 SSR markers were used for the assessment of marker application in an oil palm breeding population coming from the extensive breeding program at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR). Seven SSR markers out of the 32 tested (22%) segregated in the progeny 12 ( tenera x Deli dura ). SSR markers mEgCIR0059, mEgCIR1917, mEgCIR3260, mEgCIR3275, mEgCIR3533 and mEgCIR3557 proved to be fully informative markers following a segregation ratio of 1:1:1:1, while marker mEgCIR0074 segregated in a 1:1 ratio. Keywords: Oil palm, microsatellite marker, marker-assisted selection, NIFOR African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(14), 1529-1540


This essay focuses on the experiences of female returnees in rural–urban migration in contemporary China. Based on in-depth interviews with women migrants, returnees, their family members, friends and fellow villagers in both sending and receiving areas, the research examines rural migrant women's return migration process. It investigates rural migrant women's decision-making in the process, the ways women returnees construct their lives in the countryside, their identity negotiation as returnees and the impact of patriarchy on women's experiences of the return and resettlement process. The author argues that despite women's active involvement in migration and the 'empowerment and agency' gained through migration, the patriarchal power relations within rural households remain intact and continue to shape rural female returnees' life in their villages.


Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the concept of value self-creation and provides a formal definition for this concept. The paper suggests that it sits within an overall continuum of value creation that includes value delivery and value co-creation.

Design/methodology/approach

A proposed model of value self-creation was developed and empirically tested in a health care self-service, bowel screening. An online, self-completion survey was administered to Australian men and women aged 50 years and above, as this represents the primary target population for bowel screening.

Findings

The results of the structural equation modelling in AMOS suggest that consumers can self-create value, leading to desired outcomes of satisfaction with the consumption experience and behavioural intentions to engage with the self-service again in the future. The findings provide empirical evidence to suggest that consumers' behavioural contributions represent the most important consumer contributions in self-service, followed by cognitive contributions.

Originality/value

The study provides an empirically validated model of value self-creation in health care self-service. Much of the existing research on value co-creation has concentrated on traditional service types and is ill-placed to explain the value creation processes in self-services. This study offers originality by addressing this gap and demonstrating to service managers how they can manage consumer contributions towards a self-service and facilitate value-self creation, even though they are not present during the consumption stage of the consumption process.


Modern discretizations of time-dependent PDEs consider the full problem in the space-time cylinder and aim to overcome limitations of classical approaches such as the method of lines (first discretize in space and then solve the resulting ODE) and the Rothe method (first discretize in time and then solve the PDE). A main advantage of a holistic space-time method is the direct access to space-time adaptivity and to the backward problem (required for the dual problem in optimization or error control). Moreover, this allows for parallel solution strategies simultaneously in time and space. Several space-time concepts where proposed (different conforming and nonconforming space-time finite elements, the parareal method, wavefront relaxation etc.) but this topic has become a rapidly growing field in numerical analysis and scientific computing. In this workshop the focus is the development of adaptive and flexible space-time discretization methods for solving parabolic and hyperbolic space-time partial differential equations.


Customer satisfaction with regard to user interfaces becomes increasingly more important and is, eventually, decisive for the selection of systems within a competitive market. End-users demand benefits and a clear increase in value. They expect efficient and optimum support in their work with their interfaces. One possible method to achieve this is User-Centered Design, which means to incorporate end-users in the interface development from scratch. Essential is the knowledge about the end-user, which in return, will lead to better insights into their thinking and behavior, consequently resulting in better user interfaces. The challenge is to combine complex back-end functionalities with a well operated, attractive, effective and efficient user interface. Thinking Aloud (THA) is one of the most valuable usability engineering methods to address this challenge. In combination with the use of paper mock-ups and appropriate tasks software engineers are able to gain insight into the thinking and behaviour of their end users. Videos taken during the THA sessions can be analyzed and the insights integrated into redesign. THA was first used by psychologists during research in problem solving.


Three classes of inflation models are discussed: Standard Phillips curves, New Keynesian Phillips curves and Incomplete Competition models. Their relative merits in explaining and forecasting inflation are investigated theoretically and empirically. We establish that Standard Phillips-curve forecasts are robust to types of structural breaks that harm the Incomplete Competion model forecasts, but exaggerate forecast uncertainty in periods with no breaks. As the potential biases in after-break forecast errors for the Incomplete Competition model can be remedied by intercept corrections, it offers the best prospect of successful inflation forecasting.


Ba ckground: Although it is widely accepted that the pre-school age is a critical period  in  the  development of  obesity,  there  are  few  published data  on  factors contributing to variation of total energy expenditure in this age group.To investigate the contribution of body composition, gender and activity on total energy expenditure (TEE) in pre-school children. M ethods: The total energy expenditure of 89 children (2-6 years old) was measured using  the doubly  labelled  water  (DLW)  technique.  Total  and  regional  body composition were also measured using deuterium dilution and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) respectively. Physical activity and sleep patterns were evaluated using an accelerometer. Principal components analysis (PCA) were performed on regional fat mass (FM), regional fat free mass (FFM) and behavioural variables (activity, inactivity and sleep patterns), to generate orthogonal predictors for regression analyses. Results: No significant difference was found between boys and girls for, log weight, height, BMI sds, total FFM and log FM measured by DXA and total FFM and log obtained with deuterium dilution. No significant gender difference was found for regional traits of FFM and FM except for trunk' FFM (p=0.02) and legs' FFM (p=0.04), which were higher in boys.  FFM and FM measured by DXA explained 70.9% of the variation in TEE, and TEE was significantly lower amongst girls after adjustments for body composition were made (p<0.01). The first component of FFM (PC1-FFM), FM (PC1-FM) and behavioural variables (PC1-BV) were positively (p<0.01) related to TEE and there was a significant negative relationship with PC2- FM (p<0.05) and PC4-BV (p<0.01). Conclusion: Most variation in TEE in this group was explained by difference in FFM and FM. Behavioural factors, particularly time spent in high activities could make an additional contribution of 20.9% in variation of free-living TEE. More research is needed to confirm these findings in other population.


Context. High-energy photons emitted by flaring active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been used for many years to constrain modified dispersion relations in vacuum encountered in the context of quantum gravity phenomenology. In such studies, done in the GeV–TeV range, energy-dependent delays (spectral lags) are searched for, usually neglecting any source-intrinsic time delay.
Aims. With the aim being to distinguish Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) effects from lags generated at the sources themselves, a detailed investigation into intrinsic spectral lags in flaring AGNs above 100 GeV is presented in the frame of synchrotron-self-Compton scenarios for their very-high-energy (VHE) emission.
Methods. A simple model of VHE flares in blazars is proposed, allowing to explore the influence of the main physical parameters describing the emitting zones on intrinsic delays.
Results. For typical conditions expected in TeV blazars, significant intrinsic lags are obtained, which can dominate over LIV effects, especially at low redshifts, and should therefore be carefully disentangled from any extrinsic lags. Moreover, two main regimes are identified with characteristic spectral lags, corresponding to long-lasting and fast particle acceleration.
Conclusions. Such intrinsic spectral lags should be detected with new-generation instruments at VHE such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array which begins operation in a few years. This will provide original constraints on AGN flare models and open a new era for LIV searches in the photon sector.


Building on previous research, this note examines the results of a study of firms on the Fortune 1000 list from 1996 to 2004. The note brings those studies up to date by introducing more recent industry return data and extends the analysis to include a discussion of how profitability within and across industries may and does vary over time, as well as the implications of such a phenomenon. The note also details the impact of competition--specifically, the level of a given industry's concentration among its top firms--on profitability. Profitability in the study uses three metrics: return on equity (ROE), return on sales (ROS), and return on assets (ROA) to compare the firms on the Fortune 1000 list to uncover key findings.


The objective of this paper was to investigate general private education in Sudan with the main focus on the geography, gender and money profits in Khartoum state based on fieldwork and data published by Administration of Non Governmental Education of Khartoum state in 2011. Results depict that private education contribute by 41.7% in the total number of schools in the state. In number of schools in basic education, private schools hold 35.7% while in secondary education it holds 58.1%. There are statistical significant difference into distribution of private secondary schools by locality and there is less dispersion into secondary schools compared to basic schools. There is no compliance into school numbering by locality in private basic and secondary education. the calculated value of chi-square for private secondary schools is less than the private basic schools indicating to less dispersion into secondary schools compared to basic schools. Rank Spearman's correlation value of – 0.4 and Kendal's of – 0.5 depict to distribution of number of private basic schools as not to be necessarily correlated with number of private secondary schools. From the total number of basic private students males constitute 53.7% and females 46.3% which gives 7.4% excess males. In gender concerns, there is 7.4% excess males. There is significant statistical difference between numbers of males and females in private basic education while there is no statistical significant difference between both sex in private secondary education. There appears to be close correspondence between number of schools and number of students in basic private education contrary to private secondary education. Private education employs 14.33% of teachers involved in basic education and 13.92% of teachers involved in secondary education. Male teachers dominate private secondary education and almost equal to female teachers in basic private education. The total net income of private education is estimated as 39.4% of the total annual income. The author suggests some strategies to recruit government free education to decelerate private schooling to exclude poor Sudanese to save payment on private education to meet the increasing basic life demands in situation of increasing inflation.


We explain how to compute in the algebraic closure of a valued field. These computations heavily rely on the Newton Polygon Algorithm. They are made in the same spirit as the dynamic algebraic closure of a field. They give a concrete content to the theorem saying that a valued field does have an algebraically closed valued extension. The algorithms created for that purpose can be used to perform an effective quantifier elimination for algebraically closed valued fields, which relies on a very natural geometric idea.


The FLR framework (Fisheries Library for R) is a development effort directed towards the evaluation of fisheries management strategies. The overall goal is to develop a common framework to facilitate collaboration within and across disciplines (e.g. biological, ecological, statistical, mathematical, economic, and social) and, in particular, to ensure that new modelling methods and software are more easily validated and evaluated, as well as becoming widely available once developed. Specifically, the framework details how to implement and link a variety of fishery, biological, and economic software packages so that alternative management strategies and procedures can be evaluated for their robustness to uncertainty before implementation. The design of the framework, including the adoption of object-orientated programming, its feasibility to be extended to new processes, and its application to new management approaches (e.g. ecosystem affects of fishing), is discussed. The importance of open source for promoting transparency and allowing technology transfer between disciplines and researchers is stressed.


Many of the recently popular shape based category recognition methods require stable, connected and labeled edges as input. This paper introduces a novel method to find the most stable region boundaries in grayscale images for this purpose. In contrast to common edge detection algorithms as Canny, which only analyze local discontinuities in image brightness, our method integrates mid-level information by analyzing regions that support the local gradient magnitudes. We use a component tree where every node contains a single connected region obtained from thresholding the gradient magnitude image. Edges in the tree are defined by an inclusion relationship between nested regions in different levels of the tree. Region boundaries which are similar in shape (i. e. have a low chamfer distance) across several levels of the tree are included in the final result. Since the component tree can be calculated in quasi-linear time and chamfer matching between nodes in the component tree is reduced to analysis of the distance transformation, results are obtained in an efficient manner. The proposed detection algorithm labels all identified edges during calculation, thus avoiding the cumbersome post-processing of connecting and labeling edge responses. We evaluate our method on two reference data sets and demonstrate improved performance for shape prototype based localization of objects in images.


ABSTRACT The turning point for 'languages for all' is widely associated with the end of compulsory language learning up to age 16 in England (2004). Uptake has since dropped dramatically at both GCSE and A-Level where these examinations are used, i.e. in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (henceforth NI). There is also significant evidence that languages uptake is characterised by socio-economic inequalities but the evidence is strongest in England and particularly poor in NI. This paper opens by outlining the broad picture for languages around the UK, including the differing policy contexts and levels of uptake in England, Wales and NI relative to the size of the cohort in each jurisdiction. The core of the article uses new school-level entry data for NI in 2018 to explore the question of variations in uptake at GCSE and A-Level in relation to school-type and social deprivation indicators, notably 'free school meal entitlement' (FSME). Our findings show that stark inequities in access to language learning at Key Stages 4 and 5 are indeed attested in NI and take a very clear shape that is related both to school type and socio-economic profile. The paper also discusses the nature of these inequities and their implications for policy-makers in the devolved government.


Dynamic components of central nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems in the conditions of present functional state of the body were evaluated on the basis of analysis of these system parameters registered simultaneously in the real-time regime. Power distributions of amplitude fluctuations of alpha-activity, cardio-intervals and respiratory periods were analyzed. It was shown that all the subjects in all the power distributions have periodical fluctuations in all three frequency ranges described for cardiac rhythm variability (CRV). The studied spectrums have different structure. In power distributions of amplitude fluctuations of alpha-activity, slow and very slow waves are prevailing and fast waves constitute only 10%. In the spectrum of cardiac rhythm variability, fast and slow waves take half of all the power distributions, while another half is taken by very slow waves. In the spectrum of respiration rhythm, fast waves prevail (more than 60%), along with this there are very slow waves (30%) and slow waves which take just 10%.


Developers experience a wide range of emotions during programming tasks, which may have an impact on job performance. In this paper, we present an empirical study aimed at (i) investigating the link between emotion and progress, (ii) understanding the triggers for developers' emotions and the strategies to deal with negative ones, (iii) identifying the minimal set of non-invasive biometric sensors for emotion recognition during programming tasks. Results confirm previous findings about the relation between emotions and perceived productivity. Furthermore, we show that developers' emotions can be reliably recognized using only a wristband capturing the electrodermal activity and heart-related metrics.


Abstract:  An 80‐year‐old female with a history of osteoporosis was evaluated for sudden onset axial low back pain with bilateral lower extremity weakness, hyperreflexia, pain, urinary retention, and decreased rectal tone. Computed tomography of the lumbar spine revealed L1 compression fracture, retropulsion of bone causing spinal canal compromise with associated severe central canal stenosis. Following cement kyphoplasty of L1 with polymethyl methacrylate, the patient developed tachycardia and dyspnea. Chest radiograph and computed tomographic pulmonary angiogram revealed a large collection of hyperdense material within the right lower lobe pulmonary artery, consistent with pulmonary cement emboli. Management and imaging are discussed.


The terrain acquisition problem deals with the acquisition of the complete obstacle terrain model by a mobile robot placed in an unexplored terrain. This is a precursory problem to many well-known find-path and related problems which assume the availability of the complete terrain model. In this paper, we present a method for terrain acquisition by a finite-sized robot operating in plane populated by an unknown (but, finite) number of polygonal obstacles; each obstacle is arbitrarily located and has unknown (but, finite) number of vertices. The robot progressively explores newer vertices of the obstacles using sensor equipment. We show that the complete terrain model will be built by the robot in a finite time. We also show that at any point of time the partially acquired terrain suffices for the navigation of the robot during the exploration. Hence we conclude that the navigation techniques for known terrains can be applied for the robot navigation during exploration.


The exponential growth of traffic in mobile networks is leading to increased pressure on the infrastructure of mobile networks and in particular on their backhaul networks. It is more critical than ever to carefully plan backhaul networks. In this paper, we formulate and solve the problem of hierarchical wireless backhaul network design. In formulating our problem, we cover different requirements, namely: topology simplicity, network resiliency, and link reliability. We formulate the problem as an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) problem, allowing us to solve the problem to optimality. Furthermore, we provide a graph theory-based algorithm that allows solving the problem over a large scale. The proposed algorithm exploits the properties of the graph that represents the network. The results of our evaluations in various network scenarios demonstrate the efficiency of our ILP formulation and the proposed algorithm in keeping the backhaul network simple, resilient, and reliable. Using a practical channel propagation model and different node densities that are representative of small-scale and large-scale urban environments, our results also show that even with high resiliency requirements, the network traffic can be backhauled with only 5-10% of the nodes for the considered densities. Our results also demonstrate that our algorithm leads to near-optimal solutions in different scenarios.


Whereas much literature has documented difficulties in making probabilistic inferences, it has also emphasized the importance of task characteristics in determining judgmental accuracy. Noting that people exhibit remarkable efficiency in encoding frequency information sequentially, we construct tasks that exploit this ability by requiring people to experience the outcomes of sequentially simulated data. We report two experiments. The first involved seven well-known probabilistic inference tasks. Participants differed in statistical sophistication and answered with and without experience obtained through sequentially simulated outcomes in a design that permitted both between- and within-subject analyses. The second experiment involved interpreting the outcomes of a regression analysis when making inferences for investment decisions. In both experiments, even the statistically naive make accurate probabilistic inferences after experiencing sequentially simulated outcomes and many prefer this presentation format. We conclude by discussing theoretical and practical implications.


We present SL♢, a Separation Logic that allows controlling the heap space consumption of a program in the presence of dynamic memory allocation and garbage collection. A user of the logic works with space credits, a resource that is consumed when an object is allocated and produced when a group of objects is logically deallocated, that is, when the user is able to prove that it has become unreachable and therefore can be collected. To prove such a fact, the user maintains pointed-by assertions that record the immediate predecessors of every object. Our calculus, SpaceLang, has mutable state, shared-memory concurrency, and code pointers. We prove that SL♢ is sound and present several simple examples of its use.


Street light, a raised source of light that is commonly used along walkways and streets when the surrounding turns dark. Currently, various street lighting control systems technology have been developed to control and maintain these systems more economically. However, most of these systems developed have contributed some drawbacks. They have been considered to be outdated due to lack of communication capabilities, not allowing a system feedback. Hence, Zigbee communication technology is deployed so as to ensure a higher efficiency and overcome current drawbacks. The system will be able to detect fault and apprise the control room about it. Keywords— outdated communication, feedback, Zigbee


Advances in communication technology have led to a remarkable increase in the tradability of services, resulting in a substantial increase in offshoring of services over the last two decades. Research investigating how this surge in service offshoring affects employment, has been largely hampered by the paucity of suitable microdata. This paper tries to fill this gap by using a newly constructed database of Belgian firms that combines individual transaction-level data on international trade in goods and services with annual financial accounts. This unusually rich dataset allows us to produce fresh evidence on the impact of goods and service offshoring on total employment and employment by educational levels for both manufacturing industries and the service sectors. Our results show that: (i) goods offshoring has a positive impact on employment growth among workers with both low and high levels of education in the manufacturing industry but this effect disappears when controlling for scale effects; and (ii) service offshoring has a negative impact on employment growth among highly educated workers in the service sectors. This novel evidence suggests that globalization may threaten job security of higher educated workers too.


We derive an analytical expression for extracting the gravitational waveforms at null infinity using the Weyl scalar $\psi_4$ measured at a finite radius. Our expression is based on a series solution in orders of 1/r to the equations for gravitational perturbations about a spinning black hole. We compute this expression to order $1/r^2$ and include the spin parameter $a$ of the Kerr background. We test the accuracy of this extraction procedure by measuring the waveform for a merging black-hole binary at ten different extraction radii (in the range r/M=75-190) and for three different resolutions in the convergence regime. We find that the extraction formula provides a set of values for the radiated energy and momenta that at finite extraction radii converges towards the expected values with increasing resolution, which is not the case for the `raw' waveform at finite radius. We also examine the phase and amplitude errors in the waveform as a function of observer location and again observe the benefits of using our extraction formula. The leading corrections to the phase are ${\cal O}(1/r)$ and to the amplitude are ${\cal O}(1/r^2)$. This method provides a simple and practical way of estimating the waveform at infinity, and may be especially useful for scenarios such as well separated binaries, where the radiation zone is far from the sources, that would otherwise require extended simulation grids in order to extrapolate the `raw' waveform to infinity. Thus this method saves important computational resources and provides an estimate of errors.


Using the nowadays available therapeutic means for patients with chronic obstructive lung diseases it is, even with severe forms of emphysema, possible to obtain excellent results. This is mainly due to elimination of increased flow resistance in the airways. These great advances should not conceal that the common life expectancy is not yet obtained in this group of patients. In spite of the fact that an acceptable quality of life can be provided during long-term therapy these patients are ill. It is hoped that with the available knowledge on prevention, early treatment and new therapeutic approaches progress to chronic disease may be avoided.


This paper proposes multi-layered reinforcement learning by which the control structure can be decomposed into smaller transportable chunks and therefore previously learned knowledge can be applied to related tasks in a newly encountered situation. The modules in the lower networks are organized as experts to move into different categories of sensor output regions and to learn, lower level behaviors using motor commands. In the meantime, the modules in the higher networks are organized as experts which learn higher level behavior using lower modules. We apply the method to a simple soccer situation in the context of RoboCup, show the experimental results, and provide a discussion.


This research is research survey conducted at Surya Alam "Bakery" which is located at Jl. Erlangga No.88, Kanigoro, Kras, Kediri. Surya Alam "Bakery" is engaged in the production of cakes and bread-making with research titles are : Pengaruh Konflik Terhadap Produktivitas Karyawan pada Surya Alam Bakery, Kras – Kab Kediri". The purpose of this study is to determine the level of conflict in Surya Alam "Bakery" and to know the level of employee productivity at Surya Alam "Bakery". Analysis tools used in this research is by using a range of scales and multiple linear regression. Results Scale analysis shows that the average figures obtained by the scale range of 128.83, which means that the conflict between individuals that occurred in the company's entry in the low category. Based on the calculation of the average range of the variable scale conflict between groups obtained registration number 124 which means that conflicts between groups that occurred in the company included in the low category. Employee productivity calculated the average figures obtained by the scale range of 172 which means that the productivity of employees who happen to employees in Surya Alam "Bakery" Kediri entered in the high category. Based on test results simultaneously and partially proved that the conflict variables, including conflicts between individuals and the conflicts among the groups together and individually have a significant impact on employee productivity. Based on the comparison of regression coefficients of each variable of conflict can be seen that conflicts between groups have more influence on the productivity of employees in the Surya Alam "Bakery. This is evidenced by the conflict between the individual variables that is equal to 0.233 and conflicts between groups of 0.726. Some suggestions are given to companies which are companies are required to handle conflict, thereby increasing productivity levels of employees. Real business that can be done is to immediately reconcile the groups that make the conflict and take a fair policy that does not undermine one of the parties in conflict.


The Final Degree Project (FDP) is a module that, although intended for the completion of a bachelor thesis (BT), consists of theoretical and clinical teaching. Therefore, introducing service learning (SL) can support student adjustments to the real-world professional role. This study plans to evaluate a teaching innovation project that combines BT and SL through Kirkpatrick's four-level model (reaction, learning, behaviour and results). It takes the form of a convergent parallel mixed-methods design study. The participants were 15 final-year students obtaining a Bachelor of Nursing degree, 4 BT supervising mentors and 4 nurses. At the request of a hospital institution, in their BT, students completed a review of evidence-based nursing protocols. For data collection, the researchers used: an SL questionnaire, student narratives, mentor field diaries and nurse interviews. According to student opinion, the results showed high satisfaction rates (4.44 out of 5), the most developed skills were Independent Work and Information Management, but they signal the need to reinforce the research methodology skills. Finally, positive feedback from all participants is that using SL promotes both the opinion that the BT is useful and also promotes a collaboration between academic and clinical settings.


Secretagogin, a recently cloned member of the EF‐hand family of calcium binding proteins, was localized in the mouse, rat, and rabbit retina using immunofluorescence immunohistochemistry. Secretagogin is expressed in subpopulations of ON and OFF cone bipolar cells; however, no immunoreactivity was observed in rod bipolar cells in any of these species. Using subtype‐specific markers and mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) within specific cell classes, we found that secretagogin is expressed in Types 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and possibly Type 8 cone bipolar cells in the mouse retina. The expression pattern in the rat retina differs slightly with expression in cone bipolar cell Types 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Evaluation of secretagogin in the developing mouse retina revealed expression as early as postnatal day 6, with OFF cone bipolar cells showing secretagogin expression prior to the ON cone bipolar cells. Secretagogin is a useful marker of cone bipolar cells for studying alterations in bipolar cell morphology during development and degeneration. Further work will be necessary to elucidate the functional role of this protein in bipolar cells. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:513–525, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We build a cold atom interferometer to be used as high precision inertial sensor. Our setup is sensitive both to rotations and accelerations. The interferometer configuration is similar to an optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and it uses stimulated Raman transitions to manipulate the atomic wave packets (total interferometer time of 90 ms).


This study was conducted to visually investigate flows related to fixed-wing vertical-takeoff-and-landing micro air vehicles, using the smoke-wire technique. In particular, the study examines transition between forward flight and near-hover. The experimental model consists of a rigid Zimmerman wing and a propulsion system with contra-rotating propellers arranged in a tractor configuration. The model was pitched about the wing's aerodynamic center at approximately constant rates using a five-axis robotic arm. Constant-rate pitching angles spanned 20° to 70°. No-pitching and four pitching-rates were used, along with three propulsive settings. Several observations were made during no-pitching tests. Turbulent wakes behind blades and laminar flow between them produces pulsations in the boundary layer. These pulsations alter the boundary layer from a laminar to turbulent state and back. An increase in lift and drag in the presence of a slipstream is a result of competing effects of the propulsive slipstream: (a) suppression of flow separation and increased velocity over the wing and (b) decrease of the effective angle of attack. Higher nose-up pitching-rates generally lead to greater trailing-edge vortex-shedding frequency. Nose-up pitching without a slipstream can lead to the development of a traditional dynamic-stall leading-edge vortex, delaying stall and increasing wing lift. During nose-up pitching, a slipstream can drive periodically shed leading-edge vortices into a larger vortical-structure that circulates over the upper-surface of a wing in a fashion similar to that of a traditional dynamic-stall leading-edge vortex. At lower nose-up pitching-rates, leading-edge vortices form at lower angles of attacks. As a slipstream strengthens, a few things occur: separation wakes diminish, separation occurs at a higher angle of attacks, and downward flow-deflection increases. Similar effects are observed for nose-up pitching, while nose-down pitching produces the opposite effects.


An ensemble-based approach is proposed for the short-term prediction. The proposed approach includes the selection of the inputs using Fuzzy Similarity Analysis (FSA), Probabilistic Support Vector Re-gression (SVR) model as the single model of the ensemble, and the derivation of the Prediction intervals as-sociated with the predicted value. A case study is shown, regarding the prediction of a drifting process param-eter of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) component.


The microspheres constituted by proteinoids synthesized from Fox's simulation experiments. They had peptide bond structure and weak catalysis, as well as proliferated themselves. Such microspheres were believed the models for primitive life. Due to lack of metabolism and self-reproduction, the microspheres could not meet requirements of life. Thus, how microspheres could evolve into primitive life remain unsolved mysteries. The microspheres were supposed a dissipative structure and the processes of absorption and hydrolysis could be balanced to maintain their stability by consuming proteinoids. Proteinoid molecules differed in their life spans, which were mainly determined by their multi-space structures. Consequently, molecule selection and retention could occur spontaneously in microspheres and lead to a more organized and stabilized structure of the whole microsphere with time through dissipative process. More complex chain network of chemical reactions could happen in microspheres because the proteinoid with complex, ordered multi-space structure and relatively high catalytic activity would retain. In such microspheres, nucleotides could produce and further aggregate into RNA. The synthesis of real proteins could take place with RNA as the template catalyzed by proteinoids or RNA inside microspheres. When template-based protein molecules replaced the proteinoid inside the microspheres, a protein-based self-catalyzed network of chemical reactions could take place. It is plausible if Fox's proteinoids microspheres is to dawn on a dissipative structure, then molecule selection could occur spontaneously by "dissipative" proteinoids, and the microspheres would acquire catalytic activity due to preserved the proteinoid with a large molecular weight and relatively complex and ordered multi-space structure, and relatively high catalytic activity. Thus the microspheres would spontaneously go to self-organizing, and evolve into primitive life.


Model-based system analysis techniques provide a means for determining desired system performance prior to actual implementation. In addition to specifying desired performance, model-based analysis techniques require mathematical descriptions that characterize relevant behavior of the system. The developments of this dissertation give ex. tended formulations for control- relevant model estimation as well as model-based analysis conditions for performance requirements specified as frequency domain inequalities. A model estimation algorithm is proposed on the basis of identifying approximately normalized coprime factorizations from closed-loop system input-output measurements. In the proposed method a particular model structure is chosen such that a linear regression in the measurement data is formed, thus sanctioning the use of numerically efficient algorithms in computing the parameter estimates. Furthermore, methods based on closed-loop experimental data support model estimates that are accurate in the frequency region relevant for control design. Specifications for performance and robustness of dynamical systems are commonly expressed in terms of frequency domain inequalities, which due to infinite dimensionality are not directly tractable for analysis and design. A pair of linear matrix inequality conditions are proposed that relate to checking frequency domain inequalities over finite frequency intervals. The proposed conditions introduce an alternative formulation of the Kalman- Yakubovich-Popov Lemma in that the proposed conditions encompasses the lemma for the case when the coefficient matrix of the frequency domain inequality does not depend on frequency. Furthermore, the coefficient matrix can be made affine on the frequency variable at no extra computational cost, which can be significant in reducing conservatism in applications such as robustness analysis. Extensions for the proposed conditions are developed via transformations on the frequency variable. The extensions have many applications including positivity analysis for matrix polynomials, robustness analysis of discrete-time linear systems, as well as analysis conditions on finite frequency intervals that transform to infinite intervals. Application of the alternative conditions and extensions are illustrated with numerical examples in the analysis of robustness