Emerging evidence has demonstrated that intestinal homeostasis and the microbiome play essential roles in neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss of motor neurons and muscle atrophy. Currently, there is no effective treatment. Most patients die within 3–5 years due to respiratory paralysis. Although the death of motor neurons is a hallmark of ALS, other organs may also contribute to the disease progression. We examined the gut of an ALS mouse model, G93A, which expresses mutant superoxide dismutase (SOD1G93A), and discovered a damaged tight junction structure and increased permeability with a significant reduction in the expression levels of tight junction protein ZO‐1 and the adherens junction protein E‐cadherin. Furthermore, our data demonstrated increased numbers of abnormal Paneth cells in the intestine of G93A mice. Paneth cells are specialized intestinal epithelial cells that can sense microbes and secrete antimicrobial peptides, thus playing key roles in host innate immune responses and shaping the gut microbiome. A decreased level of the antimicrobial peptides defensin 5 alpha was indeed found in the ALS intestine. These changes were associated with a shifted profile of the intestinal microbiome, including reduced levels of Butyrivibrio Fibrisolvens, Escherichia coli, and Fermicus, in G93A mice. The relative abundance of bacteria was shifted in G93A mice compared to wild‐type mice. Principal coordinate analysis indicated a difference in fecal microbial communities between ALS and wild‐type mice. Taken together, our study suggests a potential novel role of the intestinal epithelium and microbiome in the progression of ALS.


Barbero 1 nicely details the difficulty undoing the incorrect diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and the, apparently paradoxical, great lengths required to lift the burden of severe chronic disease from families. He observes that the sources of incorrect diagnosis include reliance on screening tests for diagnosis, difficulty of standardization of diagnostic testing, and reliance on clinical diagnosis alone. Not mentioned, however, is another recognized source of false diagnosis and family resistance to reversing the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis has been reported by Orenstein and Wasserman 2 to be the presenting symptom of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP). In that study, the child's mother went to great lengths to fabricate laboratory evidence to corroborate her false history (MSBP is a syndrome in which the caretaker fabricates history, signs, or symptoms of illness in a child to gain ongoing medical interaction). Among my personal case consultation series of 90 MSBP victims


Abstract The sulfentrazone is regularly applied to sugarcane crop harvest residue for PRE control of weedy species, especially in the dry season during the year, but little is known about how rainfall timing or crop residue mass affect the release of sulfentrazone into the soil and its subsequent effectiveness. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of sugarcane residue mass (5, 10, 15, and 20 t ha−1) and rainfall timing (1, 30, and 60 d after herbicide application) on sulfentrazone retention. Rainfall volumes were simulated at 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 35, 50, and 100 mm. A 20-mm rainfall volume was simulated at 7 and 14 d after the first simulated event. The water passing through the straw was collected after each rainfall simulation. The concentration of sulfentrazone was measured by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The initial 20 mm of rain released the maximum mass of sulfentrazone from the sugarcane residue. The mass of sugarcane residue affected the amount of sulfentrazone recovered. The amount of sulfentrazone released from the residue was significantly reduced by the persistence on the residue surface for long periods before the occurrence of rain. During periods of low rainfall, recommendations for sulfentrazone rate must take into account losses that occur when applied over the harvest residues to design a weed-management plan that does not compromise efficacy and duration of the residual effects. Nomenclature: Sulfentrazone; sugarcane; Saccharum interspecific hybrids


In recent years, Chile has been the Chinese market's main supplier of fresh sweet cherries. The aim of this study was to develop a relational model with two working hypotheses to model Chinese consumer satisfaction with sweet cherries as a result of the quality perceived by intrinsic and extrinsic attributes. One hundred and ninety-three buyers in the Sanyuanli Market in the Chaoyang District, Beijing, were surveyed using closed-ended questions on a Likert scale. To develop a model that fulfilled the indicated objective, an exploratory factor analysis and a subsequent system of structural equations were used to confirm the relationships, presenting an adequate goodness-of-fit test to accept the model according to the literature. Among the main results, it was determined that consumer satisfaction with sweet cherries is explained by the perceived intrinsic quality, where medium size and color are the determining attributes, and the product price, Chilean origin and delivery time explain the perceived extrinsic quality (critical ratio of 2.937 and p-value of 0.003). Finally, the intrinsic quality positively and significantly influences Chinese consumer satisfaction with sweet cherries, in contrast to the results for perceived extrinsic quality, which are not statistically significant.


The HEPAVAC Consortium aims to develop a highly innovative, novel cancer vaccine approach for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The international project consortium consists of 9 European Partners from academia and the biotech industry with complementary and substantial expertise in developing immunotherapeutic strategies to treat cancer. The project has started in September 2013 and is supported by the European Commission9s 7th Framework Program (www.hepavac.eu). HCC/normal adjacent tissue matched samples have been collected for HLA immunopeptidome analysis. 17 HCC samples from HLA-A*02+ patients and 15 samples from HLA-A*24+ patients have been analysed by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). RNA-expression profiles have been established for 12 HCC samples. HLA-presentation/expression of peptides and mRNA on primary HCC samples are compared to n>140 normal tissue samples from relevant organs (including heart, brain, lung, kidney, liver, nerve, skin etc.) from Immatics9 database. A total of 9051 HLA-A*02-restricted different tumor-associated peptides (TUMAPs) have been identified from HLA-A*02+ samples, while a total of 3286 different HLA-A*24-restricted TUMAPs have been identified from HLA-A*24+ samples. Of these, 33 HLA-A*02+ TUMAPS and 33 HLA-A*24+ TUMAPs are currently in the process of validation, including peptide synthesis, immunogenicity testing and pharmaceutical evaluation. Most promising TUMAP candidates show selective expression only in HCC samples and no expression in normal tissues. In parallel, more than 6600 HLA-DR TUMAPs have been identified in Hep3B cells transfected with CIITA as well as an average of 1500 HLA-DR TUMAPs have been identified in HCC samples. Additional HLA-DR TUMAPs derived by distinct CIITA-transfected cell lines with different HLA-DR haplotypes are under scrutiny. The discovery phase of the HEPAVAC project is proceeding according to the proposed timelines. HCC-specific epitopes to be included in the vaccine cocktail will be selected in the coming weeks for GMP production. In parallel, preclinical studies assessing the formulation and combination of the immunological RNA-based adjuvant (RNAdjuvant®) with peptide cocktails are underway. Citation Format: Luigi Buonaguro, Sarah Kutscher, Roberto Accolla, Yuk T. Ma, Regina Heidenreich, Francesco Izzo, Alfred Koenigsrainer, Markus Loeffler, Phillip Mueller, Andrea Mayer, Hans-Georg Rammensee, Bruno Sangro, Sven Francque, Danila Valmori, Toni Weinschenk, Harpreet Singh-Jasuja. Cancer vaccine development for hepatocellular carcinoma – HEPAVAC. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A115.


Since buildings are one of the major contributors to global warming, efforts should be intensified to make them more energy-efficient, particularly existing buildings. This research intends to analyze the energy savings from a suggested retrofitting program using energy simulation for typical existing residential buildings. For the assessment of the energy retrofitting program using computer simulation, the most commonly utilized residential building types were selected. The energy consumption of those selected residential buildings was assessed, and a baseline for evaluating energy retrofitting was established. Three levels of retrofitting programs were implemented. These levels were ordered by cost, with the first level being the least costly and the third level is the most expensive. The simulation models were created for two different types of buildings in three different climatic zones in Palestine. The findings suggest that water heating, space heating, space cooling, and electric lighting are the highest energy consumers in ordinary houses. Level one measures resulted in a 19–24 percent decrease in energy consumption due to reduced heating and cooling loads. The use of a combination of levels one and two resulted in a decrease of energy consumption for heating, cooling, and lighting by 50–57%. The use of the three levels resulted in a decrease of 71–80% in total energy usage for heating, cooling, lighting, water heating, and air conditioning.


OBJECTIVE
Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is defined histopathologically by distinctive abnormalities of cellular maturation and differentiation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional properties of VIN related to expression of p16(INK4a) protein as well as to detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis.

METHODS
A total of 49 vulvar biopsy samples were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining from benign/reactive lesions, condyloma acuminatum, VIN, and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). JC8 mouse monoclonal antibodies were used that recognize p16(INK4a) epitope at a dilution of 1:25. The reaction pattern for p16(INK4a) was graded in each sample between 0 and 3+. RT-PCR analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections determined positivity for HPV type 16.

RESULTS
p16(INK4a) immunoreactivity was different in VIN 1, VIN 2, VIN 3, and squamous cell carcinoma. Strong expression of p16(INK4a) protein was observed in 92% (22 of 24) of VIN 2 and VIN 3 lesions and 100% (4 of 4) of invasive SCCs. Two (67%) of 3 VIN 2 lesions, 17 (81%) of 21 VIN 3 lesions, and 4 (100%) of 4 SCCs were positive for HPV type 16 by PCR analysis. Two (20%) of 10 VIN 1 lesions were immunoreactive for p16(INK4a), with only 1 lesion positive for HPV type 16. No p16(INK4a) immunoreactivity was observed in any of the benign/reactive and condyloma acuminatum lesions. In addition, none of the benign/reactive or condyloma lesions were positive for HPV type 16 by RT-PCR analysis.

CONCLUSIONS
Upregulation of INK4a gene occurs in vulvar carcinogenesis. p16(INK4a) is not a sensitive marker for differentiation of benign vulvar squamous epithelium from condyloma acuminatum or VIN 1 lesions because most VIN 1 lesions are p16(INK4a) negative. Expression of p16(INK4a) may aid in the diagnosis of HPV-related lesions and as such may be of value as a surrogate marker in the diagnosis of vulvar premalignant and malignant lesions.


An embedded HVDC system is a dc link with at least two
ends being physically connected within a single synchronous ac
network. The thesis reviews previous works on embedded HVDC,
proposes a dynamic embedded HVDC model by PSCAD program, and
compares the transient stability performance among AC, DC and
embedded HVDC. The test results indicate that by installing the
embedded HVDC, AC network transient stability performance has been
largely improved. Therefore the thesis designs a novel frequency
control topology for embedded HVDC. According to the dynamic
performance test results, when the embedded HVDC system equipped
with a frequency control, the system transient stability will be
improved further.


The need for conflict resolution in our society is crucial. It is imperative because no two people perceive a particular thing exactly in the same way. Efforts to curb conflict and crisis-situations have often times been unsuccessful; occasioned not only by the complex nature of humanity, but also by the methods and means employed by those on mediation. It is the position of this paper that a factor that has not received sufficient attention in this regard is the culture, tradition and biblical frameworks or paradigms determining our understanding of conflicts, their causes and appropriate tools for reconciliation. This paper will locate and explore these necessary basic tools and frameworks on peace initiatives and conflict resolutions as the symbolical rites of procedure. It will argue that all of them have to be taken seriously if we really have to move from rhetorics and good intentions to sustainable behaviour change that leads to solid reconciliation and peace
that will finally lead to decreased rates of conflict situations and socio-political rascalities in Nigeria today.


For the texture image inpainting of jacquard fabric with a large damaged region but complete data information around it, traditional exemplar-based image inpainting algorithms are not only have rapid falling traditional confidence value, but also the matching precision is greatly limited due to the lack of robustness, which results in a wrong guided direction and an unsatisfactory inpainting effect. To solve the above-mentioned problems, a novel digital image acquisition system for damaged fabric was designed and one set of texture image inpainting algorithms of jacquard fabric based on non-single vision was developed. In this image inpainting method, the images to be inpainted and target images were obtained through the non-single-vision imaging method. By using the image registration and Poisson image blending technology, the damaged region was filled by block matching first and then patches from the target image to the data missing region were copied. The experimental results clearly showed that the proposed method achieves better results in visual appearance and inpainting quality, compared with traditional approaches for inpainting. In addition, this method shows broad potential application prospects in the virtual restoration of ancient fabrics using image inpainting technology.


Numerous studies have attested to the importance of the extreme C terminus of G protein α subunits in determining their selectivity of receptor recognition. We have previously reported that a highly conserved glycine residue within linker I is important for constraining the fidelity of receptor recognition by Gαq proteins. Herein, we explored whether both modules (linker I and extreme C terminus) interact cooperatively in switching G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-to-effector specificity and created as models mutant Gαq proteins in which glycine was replaced with various amino acids and the C-terminal five Gαq residues with the corresponding Gαi or Gαs sequence. Coupling properties of the mutated Gαq proteins were determined after coexpression with a panel of 13 Gi-and Gs -selective receptors and compared with those of Gα proteins modified in only one module. Gα proteins modified in both modules are significantly more efficacious in channeling non-Gq -selective receptors to Gq-mediated signaling events compare with those containing each module alone. Additive effects of both modules were observed even if individual modules lacked an effect on GPCR-to-effector specificity. Dually modified Gα proteins were also superior in conferring high-affinity agonist sites onto a coexpressed GPCR in the absence, but not in the presence, of guanine nucleotides. Together, our data suggest that receptor-G protein coupling selectivity involves cooperative interactions between the extreme C terminus and linker I of Gα proteins and that distinct determinants of selectivity exist for individual receptors.


This study examined outcomes from an information and communication technology (ICT) course designed on the basis of the meaningful learning framework and general cyberwellness issues. It also examined the relationships among Singaporean preservice teachers' perceptions of the constructs pertaining to technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and their perceived ability to integrate cyberwellness knowledge when designing web-related learning. Two questionnaires were administered to 668 and 628 preservice teachers before and after the ICT course to elicit the relationships. Five TPACK knowledge constructs (PK, CK, Web 2.0-related TK, TPK, TPACK) and the teachers' cyberwellness knowledge were identified from factor analysis results. The pre-post course surveys indicate that the preservice teachers perceived strong gain in 5 out 6 constructs measured. Additionally, the structural equation model analysis revealed that cyberwellness knowledge contributes significantly to TPK and TPACK, based on the preservice teachers' perception. As such, the study argues that the preservice teachers' confidence to integrate their cyberwellness knowledge into their teaching may play an important role in influencing how they plan and design web-based learning. Cyberwellness knowledge may be an important knowledge component to foster when considering the future development of teachers' TPACK for web-based learning.


An overmodulation algorithm is applied to four recently proposed space vector-based synchronised PWM strategies, to extend their range of operation and enhance the DC bus utilisation. The waveform symmetries and the proportionality between the reference magnitude and the fundamental voltage generated are also maintained in the overmodulation zone. It is shown that the relationship between the control variable and the fundamental voltage generated differs widely with the strategy and the pulse number used in low switching frequency PWM techniques unlike that at high switching frequencies. As a result the boundaries between any two consecutive zones of modulation and the maximum modulation index also vary with the strategy and the pulse number used. Cases where operation is possible up to the six-step mode are distinguished from those cases where it is not. The performance of the different strategies is evaluated. It is shown theoretically as well as experimentally that the bus-clamping PWM strategies perform better than the conventional space vector strategy in the overmodulation zone.


The television quiz program Letters and Numbers, broadcast on the SBS network, has recently become quite popular in Australia. This paper explores the potential of this game to illustrate and engage student interest in a range of fundamental concepts of computer science and mathematics. The Numbers Game in particular has a rich mathematical structure whose analysis and solution involves concepts of counting and problem size, discrete (tree) structures, language theory, recurrences, computational complexity, and even advanced memory management. This paper presents an analysis of these games and their teaching applications, and presents some initial results of use in student assignments.


Soft tissue sarcoma of the tongue represents a very rare head and neck cancer with connective tissue features, and the genetics underlying this rare cancer are largely unknown. There are less than 20 cases reported in the literature thus far. Here, we reported the first whole-exome characterization (>×200 depth) of an undifferentiated sarcoma of the tongue in a 31-year-old male. Even with a very good sequencing depth, only 19 nonsynonymous mutations were found, indicating a relatively low mutation rate of this rare cancer (lower than that of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancer). Yet, among the few genes that are somatically mutated in this HPV-negative undifferentiated tongue sarcoma, a noticeable deleterious frameshift mutation (with a very high allele frequency of >93%) of a gene for DNA replication and repair, namely (DNA polymerase delta interacting protein 2), and two POLDIP2 recurrent mutations of the adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation gene (retinol saturase), were identified. Thus, somatic events likely RETSAT affecting adipogenesis and differentiation, as well as potential stem mutations to , may be implicated in the formation of this rare cancer. This POLDIP2 identified somatic whole-exome sequencing profile appears to be distinct from that of other reported adult sarcomas from The Cancer Genome Atlas, suggesting a potential unique genetic profile for this rare sarcoma of the tongue. Interestingly, this low somatic mutation rate is unexpectedly found to be accompanied by multiple tumor protein p53 and germline mutations NOTCH1 of the patient's blood DNA. This may explain the very early age of onset of head and neck cancer, with likely hereditary predisposition. Our findings are, to our knowledge, the first to reveal a unique genetic profile of this very rare undifferentiated sarcoma of the tongue. 1 2 3 1 2 4 3 5


: The study was made of 52 patients with various morphological forms of glomerulonephritis and history of allergy versus 22 healthy subjects. Mean age of the patients was 28.5 +/- 7.2 years. High IgE levels occurred in 37 cases (71.1%). Most of the patients had lipoid nephrosis. Normal levels of IgE were more frequently associated with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome characterized by a progressive decline of renal function and severe damage to the glomeruli. A correlation existed between high IgE level and activation of antistreptococcal immunity. Two cases are reported of nephrotic syndrome onset following immediate allergic reaction to food allergen (1 case) and insect sting (1 case).


We study the design of measurement rules when banks engage in loan transfers in secondary credit markets. Our model incorporates two standard frictions: 1) banks' monitoring incentives decrease in loan transfers, and 2) banks have private information about loan quality. Under only the monitoring friction, we find that the optimal measurement rule sets the same measurement precision regardless of bank characteristics, and strikes a balance between disciplining banks' monitoring efforts vs. facilitating efficient risk sharing. However, under both frictions, uniform measurement rules are no longer optimal but induce excessive retention, thus inhibiting efficient risk sharing. We show that the optimal measurement rule should be contingent on the amount of loan transfers. In particular, measurement decreases in the amount of loan transfers and no measurement should be allowed when banks have transferred most of their loans. We relate our results to current accounting standards for asset transfers.


1. Neurons from a horizontal slice of adult rat brainstem were examined using intracellular recording techniques. Investigations were restricted to a region within the nucleus tractus solitarii, medial to the solitary tract and centred on the obex (mNTS). Previous work has shown this restricted area of the NTS to contain the greatest concentration of aortic afferent baroreceptor terminal fields. Electrical stimulation of the tract elicited short‐latency excitatory postsynaptic potentials in all neurons. 2. mNTS neurons were spontaneously active with firing frequencies ranging between 1 and 10 Hz, at resting potentials of ‐65 to ‐45 mV. These neurons did not exhibit spontaneous bursting activity. 3. Depolarizing current injection immediately evoked a finite, high‐frequency spike discharge which rapidly declined to a lower steady‐state level (i.e. spike frequency adaptation, SFA). Increasing depolarizations produced a marked increase in the peak instantaneous frequency but a much smaller increase in the steady‐state firing level. 4. Conditioning with a hyperpolarizing prepulse resulted in a prolonged delay of up to 600 ms before the first action potential (i.e. delayed excitation, DE) with an attendant decrease in peak discharge rates. DE was modulated by both the magnitude and duration of the prestimulus hyperpolarization, as well as the magnitude of the depolarizing stimulus. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) eliminated spike discharge but had little effect on the ramp‐like membrane depolarization characteristic of DE. 5. We have developed a mathematical model for mNTS neurons to facilitate our understanding of the interplay between the underlying ionic currents. It consists of a comprehensive membrane model of the Hodgkin‐Huxley type coupled with a fluid compartment model describing cytoplasmic [Ca2+]i homeostasis. 6. The model suggests that (a) SFA is caused by an increase in [Ca2+]i which activates the outward K+ current, IK,Ca, and (b) DE results from the competitive interaction between the injected depolarizing current and the hyperpolarization‐activated transient outward K+ currents, IA and ID. 7. We conclude that our ionic current model is capable of providing biophysical explanations for a number of phenomena associated with brainstem neurons, either during spontaneous activity or in response to patterned injections of current. This model is a potentially useful adjunct for on‐going research into the central mechanisms involved in the regulation of both blood pressure and ventilation.


System capacity and service coverage are the most critical performance metrics in cellular wireless communication networks. Usually, system capacity enhancements are at the expense of service coverage degradations, and vice versa. This capacity-coverage tradeoff and the associated joint optimization problem becomes very challenging in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems, due to a large amount of antenna tilt values to be configured and very sophisticated inter-cell interference conditions, under massive antenna scenarios. This paper proposes a novel approach, namely group alignment of user signal strength (GAUSS), to efficiently support the user scheduling for the massive MIMO system, and thus serve as an effective parameter for the coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) problem. Together with a unified threshold of Quality of Service, i.e. the minimum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio ( $\textit {SINR}_{min}$ ) for user satisfaction, GAUSS can effectively control the variance of signal strengths of multiple users in the neighborhood. Moreover, an intelligent and efficient deep-learning enabled coverage and capacity optimization (DECCO) algorithm is proposed and evaluated, which adopts a pre-trained deep policy gradient-based neural network to dynamically derive GAUSS and  $\textit {SINR}_{min}$  during CCO. Furthermore, an inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) is proposed to enhance the CCO performance. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed DECCO algorithm can effectively achieve a much better performance balance between system capacity and service coverage than traditional fixed optimization (FO) and proportional fair optimization (PFO) algorithms. Specifically, DECCO significantly increases the overall spectrum efficiency by 24% and 40%, respectively, than FO and PFO in a typical massive MIMO system.


Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are widely applied nowadays for classification, identification, control, diagnostics, recognition, etc. They can be implemented for identification of dynamic systems. The concept of ANN is highly used in design and simulation of control system of Rotorcraft-based Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (RUAVs). Controller design for UAV is subject to time varying and non-linear model parameters. The objective of this paper is to simulate the non-linear identification of a dynamic system which is based on its response to standard signals. The non-linear identification is based on model reference control (MRC). For MRC, the controller is a neural network that is trained to control a plant so that it follows a reference model. The neural network plant model is used to assist in the controller training. This paper simulates the modeling capabilities of a state space neural network, to act as an observer for a non-linear process allowing a simultaneous estimation of parameters and states.


In an attempt to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in interleukin-9 (IL-9) activities, representational difference analysis (RDA) was used to identify messages that are induced by IL-9 in a murine T-helper-cell clone. One of the isolated genes encodes for the newly described M-Ras or R-Ras3, which is part of the Pas gene superfamily. M-Ras expression was found to be induced by IL-9 but not IL-2 or IL-4 in various murine T-helper-cell clones, and this induction seems to be dependent on the JAK/STAT pathway. Contrasting with the potent upregulation of M-Ras expression, M-Ras was not activated by IL-9 at the level of guanosine triphosphate/guanosine diphosphate (GTP/GDP) binding. However, IL-3 increased GTP binding to M-Ras, suggesting that M-Ras induction might represent a new mechanism of cooperativity between cytokines such as IL-3 and IL-9, Constitutively activated M-Ras mutants induced activation of Elk transcription factor by triggering the MAP kinase pathway and allowed for IL-3-independent proliferation of BaF3 cells. Taken together, these results show that cytokines such as IL-9 can regulate the expression of a member of the RAS family possibly involved in growth-factor signal transduction. (C) 1999 by The American Society of Hematology.


The purpose of this paper is to give reduced complexity algorithms in order to compute linear models in situations of non-stationnary signals. The case of impulse response identification is examined as well as the case of pure AR-modeling. Both problems lead to a linear system which must be solved to give the unknown AR-model or the unknown impulse response. Furthermore the linear systems that occur in both cases have an identical left hand side member characterized by a symmetric matrix having the supplementary property of being the product of two non-symmetric Toeplitz matrices. The "near to Toeplitz" structure of this matrix permits the fast solution of the system with specially adapted algorithms to this situation. Many properties of the near to Toeplitz matrices are outlined as the key formulas for the derivation of all fast schemes. Order, time and order-time recursive methods are derived using a unified theoretical framework. The methodology used here is similar to that used by Morf et al. The algorithms presented are new and can be converted to efficient and automated computer packages.


A scheme of the superimposing additional data signal in the time domain for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system is proposed. The proposed scheme has a tradeoff between the degree of freedom for data transmission and inter-carrier interference (ICI), which provides the flexibility of data rate decision when the finite number of modulation and coding levels are available for the given channel condition. A performance analysis of the bit error rate (BER) confirms this tradeoff. In simulation on the practical environment which experiences multipath fading and error of channel estimation, the results show that much improvement of spectral efficiency has been achieved while keeping as nearly good bit error rate as the conventional OFDM. Moreover, the single carrier transmission of the superimposed additional data in the time domain also gives an opportunity of boosting the signal power up to the peak to average power ratio (PAPR) margin of the OFDM system.


The tensile stress relaxation behavior of two NiCoCrAlY bond coat alloys was examined at several temperatures between 25 and 899°C (1650°F) and at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8% strain. One alloy was made from Praxair's CO211 powder and served as the reference alloy, while the other was a Westinghouse-developed, oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy. The specimens were loaded to the desired tensile strain at a constant strain rate, and the elastic modulus, yield strength, and yield strain were determined as a function of temperature for the two alloys using the stress/strain information from this loading segment. There was not a statistically significant difference in the high temperature elastic properties between the two alloys, although the oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy tended to exhibit larger yield strengths. The relaxation data for both alloys were reduced into a form in which instantaneous stressing rate during relaxation was examined as a function of stress and temperature using an Arrhenius power-law model. The oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy exhibited a larger stress exponent and activation energy than the reference alloy between 677–899°C (1250–1650°F), and was generally more creep resistant. The results from this study demonstrate that bond coat relaxation should occur during engine operation. Bond coatings fabricated from the oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy have the potential to reduce residual stresses in the TBC ceramic top coating.Copyright © 1998 by ASME


ABSTRACT Hwang, J.S.; Yun, H.S.; Suh, Y.C.; Lee, J., and Kang, S.C., 2014. Rip current research using a CCTV image analysis including swimmer detecting techniques at Haeundae Beach, Korea. In this study, a rip current analysis method using images from a CCTV installed on a beach was investigated. A method that automatically calculates the absolute coordinates of a swimmer captured via CCTV by combining image recognition technology and single photo-based photogrammetry was developed, and a method by which the analysis of many calculated absolute coordinates could be used for the monitoring of rip current occurrence, studies on rip current occurrence trend, and the measurement of stream velocity at the surface of a rip current was suggested. The image captured during the occurrence of a rip current at Haeundae Beach was analyzed as an example. Based on this analysis, it was found that the method suggested in this study was appropriate for the research and monitoring of a rip current.


Abstract Eocenomyrma ukrainica sp. n. and E. breviscapa sp. n., two new ant species of the extinct genus Eocenomyrma Dlussky et Radchenko, are described from the Rovno amber (Late Eocene, Priabonian, 34–38 Ma). E. ukrainica (described based on the male and gyne) differs from the previously known species of this genus by the shorter propodeal spines and by the sculpture of the head and mesosoma. E. breviscapa is described based on the single worker and differs from all known Eocenomyrma species by the punctated head, mesosoma and waist, by another shape of the petiole, by the shorter propodeal spines, and by the distinctly shorter antennal scape. Additional data on the record of E. rugosostriata (Mayr) and E. orthospina Dlussky et Radchenko is provided. A key for the identification of six known Eocenomyrma species is compiled. The character of the forewing venation of the male and gyne of E. ukrainica supports our idea about relation of this genus and the genus Temnothorax Mayr, and placing Eocenomyrma to the tribe Formicoxenini.


Remote robotic surgery is one of the most interesting Tactile Internet (TI) applications. It has a huge potential to deliver healthcare services to remote locations. Moreover, it provides better precision and accuracy to diagnose and operate on patients. Remote robotic surgery requires ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability. The aforementioned stringent requirements do not apply for all the multimodal data traffic (i.e., audio, video, and haptic) triggered during a surgery session. Hence, customizing resource allocation policies according to the different quality-of-service (QoS) requirements is crucial in order to achieve a cost-effective deployment of such system. In this paper, we focus on resource allocation in a softwarized 5G-enabled TI remote robotic surgery system through the use of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). Specifically, this work is devoted to the joint placement and scheduling of application components in an NFV-based remote robotic surgery system, while considering haptic and video data. The problem is formulated as an integer linear program (ILP). Due to its complexity, we propose a greedy algorithm to solve the developed ILP in a computationally efficient manner. The simulation results show that our proposed algorithm is close to optimal and outperforms the benchmark solutions in terms of cost and admission rate. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that splitting application traffic to multiple VNF-forwarding graphs (VNF-FGs) with different QoS requirements achieves a significant gain in terms of cost and admission rate compared to modeling the whole application traffic with one VNF-FG having the most stringent requirements.


In the past few years, neuroimaging has entered the Big Data era due to the joint increase in image resolution, data sharing, and study sizes. However, no particular Big Data engines have emerged in this field, and several alternatives remain available. We compare two popular Big Data engines with Python APIs, Apache Spark and Dask, for their runtime performance in processing neuroimaging pipelines. Our evaluation uses two synthetic pipelines processing the 81GB BigBrain image, and a real pipeline processing anatomical data from more than 1,000 subjects. We benchmark these pipelines using various combinations of task durations, data sizes, and numbers of workers, deployed on an 8-node (8 cores ea.) compute cluster in Compute Canada's Arbutus cloud. We evaluate PySpark's RDD API against Dask's Bag, Delayed and Futures. Results show that despite slight differences between Spark and Dask, both engines perform comparably. However, Dask pipelines risk being limited by Python's GIL depending on task type and cluster configuration. In all cases, the major limiting factor was data transfer. While either engine is suitable for neuroimaging pipelines, more effort needs to be placed in reducing data transfer time.


Recent proof-of-concept research has appeared showing the applicability of Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology in combination with the human visual system, to classify images. The basic premise here is that images that arouse a participant's attention generate a detectable response in their brainwaves, measurable using an electroencephalograph (EEG). When a participant is given a target class of images to search for, each image belonging to that target class presented within a stream of images should elicit a distinctly detectable neural response. Previous work in this domain has primarily focused on validating the technique on proof of concept image sets that demonstrate desired properties and on examining the capabilities of the technique at various image presentation speeds. In this paper we expand on this by examining the capability of the technique when using a reduced number of channels in the EEG, and its impact on the detection accuracy.


In this paper, a recently developed Bayesian method called ensemble learning is applied to independent component analysis (ICA). Ensemble learning is a computationally eecient approximation for exact Bayesian analysis. In general, the posterior probability density function (pdf) is a complex high dimensional function whose exact treatment is diicult. In ensemble learning, the posterior pdf is approximated by a more simple function and Kullback-Leibler information is used as the criterion for minimising the misst between the actual posterior pdf and its parametric approximation. In this paper, the posterior pdf is approximated by a diagonal Gaus-sian pdf. According to the ICA-model used in this paper, the measurements are generated by a linear mapping from mutually independent source signals whose distributions are mixtures of Gaussians. The measurements are also assumed to have additive Gaussian noise with diagonal covariance. The model structure and all parameters of the distributions are estimated from the data.


s 12th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Lyon, France S63 combined traumas were in similar proportions. The children with the crush syndrome were the most severely compromised patients. Most often, the crush injury was localised to the ankle (30%), thigh (28.6%), head (23.8%), or forearm (7%). Of all children with crush syndrome, 12.6% required amputations. Positive results were seen in children who had fasciotomy with early plastic surgery procedures to the skin. Acute renal insufficiency has been reported in 27% of children with crush syndrome. Despite generally positive results of treating child victims, we could have had even better results if all children had been concentrated in one hospital, and had had, from the beginning, qualified pediatric help.


Ternary Co-Fe-Cu thin films with 78.5-92.4 at.% Co, 4.1-17.9 at.% Fe, and 3.1-3.6 at.% Cu were electroplated at ambient temperature from electrolytes with different relative Fe ion concentrations with respect to the Co ion concentration on the glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide (ITO). It was revealed that the Fe is more easily deposited than Co for all electrolyte conditions. The phase structure of the films changed from a mixture of hcp Co and fcc/hcp Co to a mixture of fcc/hcp Co and bcc Fe and the mean crystallite size diminished with increasing Fe content within the deposits. A shift in the peak position of the fcc/hcp Co phase towards lower 2 θ " role="presentation"> θ θ \theta angles with increasing Fe content within the deposits was observed and the reason for that was discussed. There was also a transition in the surface morphological structure of the films from an acicular-like type structure to a cauliflower-like type structure. The changes that appeared in the surface morphology were related to phase structure, which was affected considerably by the deposit composition.


Abstract The aspect ratios of common clay minerals have been determined from conductometric titrations. The sample set comprises 11 Na-saturated bentonites, 16 smectites with different interlayer cations, three illites/muscovites and two talc dominated specimens. It is shown that the aspect ratios of smectites saturated with divalent cations are lower than those of the same smectite saturated with a monovalent cation. This observation is discussed in terms of the number of smectite layers making up a particle.


BACKGROUND
Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a rare benign liver epithelial tumour that can require surgery. This retrospective study reports a 23-year experience of open and laparoscopic resections for HCA.

METHODS
Patients with a histological diagnosis of HCA were included in this analysis. Surgical resection was performed in all symptomatic patients and in those with lesions measuring >5 cm.

RESULTS
Between 1989 and 2012, 62 patients, 59 of whom were female, underwent surgery for HCA (26 by open surgery and 36 by laparoscopic surgery). Overall, 96.6% of female patients had a history of contraceptive use; 54.8% of patients presented with abdominal pain and 11.2% with haemorrhage; the remaining patients were asymptomatic. Patients who underwent laparoscopy had smaller lesions (mean ± standard deviation diameter: 68.3 ± 35.2 mm versus 91.9 ± 42.5 mm; P = 0.022). Operatively, laparoscopic and open liver resection did not differ except in the number of pedicle clamps, which was significantly lower in the laparoscopic group (27.8% versus 57.7% of patients; P = 0.008). Postoperative variables did not differ between the groups. Mortality was nil. Two surgical specimens were classified as HCA/borderline hepatocellular carcinoma. At the 3-year follow-up, all patients were alive with no recurrence of HCA.

CONCLUSIONS
Open and laparoscopic liver resections are both safe and feasible approaches for the surgical management of HCA. However, laparoscopic liver resections may be limited by lesion size and location and require advanced surgical skills.


In drawing up the negotiating stance of the Philippines in light of the Philippine-European Union, it is important to articulate its offensive and defensive interests. Indications of the offensive and defensive interests can be gleaned from standard measures of competitiveness as well of complementarities of the partners. However, in operational terms, negotiators would require analysis that is carried out at more specific tariff levels. This paper proposes the framework to generate different offensive and defensive lists of commodities in the non-agricultural sector as input to the Philippine negotiators. Because the criteria that is used in generating the offensive and defensive lists is purely economic in nature, the negotiators are expected to weigh in the political and non-economic criteria to determine the final lists of for negotiations in the PH-EU FTA.


Each year at ETH Zurich, around 100 students collectively build and operate their very own Internet infrastructure composed of hundreds of routers and dozens of Autonomous Systems (ASes). Their goal? Enabling Internet-wide connectivity. AB@We find this class-wide project to be invaluable in teaching our students how the Internet infrastructure practically works. Among others, our students have a much deeper understanding of Internet operations alongside their pitfalls. Besides students tend to love the project: clearly the fact that all of them need to cooperate for the entire Internet to work is empowering. AB@In this paper, we describe the overall design of our teaching platform, how we use it, and interesting lessons we have learnt over the years. We also make our platform openly available.


Counterfeiting drugs has been a global concern for years. Considering the lack of transparency within the current pharmaceutical distribution system, research has shown that blockchain technology is a promising solution for an improved supply chain system. This study aims to explore the current solution proposals for distribution systems using blockchain technology. Based on a literature review on currently proposed solutions, it is identified that the secrecy of the data within the system and nodes' reputation in decision making has not been considered. The proposed prototype uses a zero-knowledge proof protocol to ensure the integrity of the distributed data. It uses the Markov model to track each node's 'reputation score' based on their interactions to predict the reliability of the nodes in consensus decision making. Analysis of the prototype demonstrates a reliable method in decision making, which concludes with overall improvements in the system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The result indicates that the decision protocol must be significantly considered in a reliable distribution system. It is recommended that the pharmaceutical distribution systems adopt a relevant protocol to design their blockchain solution. Continuous research is required further to increase performance and reliability within blockchain distribution systems.


Despite overall improvements in life expectancy, rates of premature male mortality, particularly for men in areas of deprivation, remain an important issue of concern in the United Kingdom (UK). Interventions to engage men and promote their health and wellbeing have developed, albeit sporadically, over recent decades in response to this health inequity. This paper provides a ten year update on the state of men's health promotion in the UK. It begins by highlighting changes in male life expectancy, and possible explanations for these shifts, including a relative failure to address mental health promotion and male suicide, before providing detail about how practice approaches to men's health promotion have evolved over the period 2005 ‐ 2016. Such changes are not removed from the wider socio ‐ economic context. The paper therefore then considers movements in the policy context and possible influences of this before exploring the challenges that remain in men's health promotion in the UK. We suggest that, despite certain improvements in the practice of men's health promotion and in men's health outcomes, issues remain in terms of premature mortality particularly for certain groups of men. We further suggest that many of the difficulties in improving and promoting the health of men further lie with a market ‐ driven neoliberal policy context that engenders inequality through the inequitable distribution of and access to material resources and through individualistic approaches to health promotion that serve men from economically and socially disadvantaged locations least well.


BACKGROUND:
Issues of food security and nutrition have wide reaching implications for people and their environments, particularly in low and middle-income countries. One proposed solution is urban agriculture, which has been widely upheld as a solution to the food-crisis facing increasingly metropolitan populations. It is believed to provide the urban poor with food and a source of potential income, whilst improving the urban environment and reducing pressure on finite farmland. Although it faded from many development agendas in the 1990's, urban agriculture has seen a resurgence since a peak in global food prices in the late 2000's. There are, however, potential disadvantages to this increasing drive for urban agriculture including associated urban health risks and implications for the environment. The usage of waste-water, for example, may contaminate produced food and intensive irrigation might lead to the spread of malaria and water borne diseases, as well as threatening already limited water supplies. Soil erosion and the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides might also present health risks to urban populations and damage the environment. Despite the potential benefits and harms of urban agriculture, the evidence-base is not well understood. Given the current policy drive to promote urban agriculture, there is an urgent need to understand its effects on urban populations and their environments.

METHODS/DESIGN:
This review will seek out, select, appraise and synthesise evidence on the impacts of urban agriculture on food security and nutrition. We will employ systematic review methodology to ensure that our review of the evidence is comprehensive, transparent and replicable. In addition to searching electronic databases, we will examine websites and contact academics, practitioners and policy-makers for relevant research. All potentially relevant literature will be screened against pre-specified criteria and assessed for risk of bias using established critical appraisal tools. This is to ensure that we only include the evidence in which we have confidence. Depending on the nature of the available data, we will then synthesise the available evidence using statistical meta-analysis and/or narrative synthesis. Our findings will be disseminated in a variety of ways to ensure that the evidence is available for policy-makers and practitioners.


The growth of e-health system has influenced the way health organizations conduct their business. Communication between these systems is one of the most significant factors since a more efficient communication system can improve an organization performance. Nowadays the health organizations make a lot of investments to deploy a suitable information and communication technology to meet their goals. This study investigates the health information exchange within different health information systems. We first carried out a theoretical study to find out the relevant concepts by reviewing the related literature and analyzing them. As a result of our theoretical study we investigate and redesign the basic model of the "Super Clinic" as a new model for health information exchange system. Then we conducted an empirical study to validate the result from the theoretical study which helped us to narrow down our research area. We revised our proposed theoretical model by the lesson learnt from our empirical study results. Three interviews were conducted with experts and the outcomes were analyzed using comparative analysis. These interviews allowed us to outline the most important factors of successful health information exchange systems (i.e. "Super Clinic"). They also helped us to design a central hub (i.e. "health Hub") for communication and information exchange between different information systems. This revised model of Super Clinic (with the central hub) could be going under more investigation in future works.


Owing to its scope, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission is an excellent window for understanding the evolution of urban governance in India, despite its closing in 2014. The JNNURM's aspirations were belied by its realities of progressive centralisation, degraded local capacities, commercially-oriented infrastructure development, and intercity and intra-city inequalities. We identify and discuss three signatures that shaped its conceptualisation, operationalisation, and outcomes: flexible networks of policy actors and advisors; mobile policy ideas, best practices, and norms; and the pervasive role of consultancies. These signatures appear to endure, to varying degrees, in new urban programmes, with potentially far-reaching ramifications for urban governance.


Background Ensuring undergraduate healthcare students are work ready graduates who possess real-world experiences and realistic expectations of their professional environment is essential for Australian universities. This is becoming increasingly more difficult to accomplish with ongoing difficulties on sourcing appropriate clinical placement learning opportunities. We developed and piloted a simulated paramedic night shift investigating if undergraduate paramedic students perceived the experience to be realistic and to what extent they felt it contributed toward their learning. Methods A total of 24 undergraduate paramedic students were recruited to participate in a simulated 13-hour paramedic night shift held on university campus. Student satisfaction and perceived value towards learning was measured using an online survey the day after the simulation. Results 23 of 24 participants completed the online survey. Survey data suggested 22 participants felt the simulated night shift to be realistic of real-life paramedic practice, provided a valuable learning experience and should be made a mandatory component of undergraduate paramedicine curricula. Conclusion Given the difficulties associated with providing clinical placement opportunities for students and the perception among health professionals that on entering the workforce many graduates often lack the adaptability required to undertake shift-work and the professional role of a paramedic, educators should consider the merits of providing overnight simulated experiences to undergraduate students to better prepare and acclimatise students to overnight shift work.


The effect of o,p'-DDT on the binding of 3H-estradiol to DMBA-induced rat mammary tumor cytosolic estrogen-binding protein (EBP) was examined in vitro. Scatchard plot analysis indicated that o,p'-DDT competitively inhibited 3H-estradiol binding and sucrose density gradient analysis demonstrated that o,p'-DDT displaced estradiol from specific 4S and 8S proteins. As estrogens have been shown to affect the development and growth of these tumors, our experimental findings suggest that o,p'-DDT may possibly influence DMBA-induced tumors in an estrogenic manner.


to be more likely, in these two cases, that the delayed reaction would have set in whether the operation had taken half an hour or one hour, and that the death from heart failure was a direct result of the strain of the reaction on a weakened myocardium. As after a blood transfusion of one pint the haemoglobin percentage only rises by 8 to 12, it seems unlikely that "a further factor complicating transfusion reactions is the sudden raising of the haemoglobin percentage of the blood," according to Dr. Leigh Silver's theory. Professor Baker and Professor Dodds, in connexion with a statement of mine on " our ignorance in regard to the renal changes" in cases of uraemia following blood transfusion, refer me to their experimental and chemical study of the question in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology (1925, 6, 247). I had previously studied this excellent work with great interest, and I regret that lack of space did not allow amplification of my statement with reference to their article. It seems to me, however, that the exact nature of the substance in the renal tubules still has to be determined, for -although by experimental work in rabbits they produced a similar appearance in the kidney their exact analyses were concerned with a substance in the urine. Moreover, as these authors themselves say, a similar condition should often occur in paroxysmal haemoglobinuria-an objection which they explain in the following words: " It is reasonable to suppose that in paroxysmal haemoglobinuria and blackwater fever the amount of haemoglobin set free during any one attack is, as a rule, small compared with that liberated in a patient transfused with incompatible blood." To my mind this is an unreasonable assumption. Further, in some cases of death from uraemia folowing transfusion, showing the typical appearance of pigmented debris in the tubules, there is no evidence of haemolysis as shown by jaundice, or, in one case, even by van den Bergh tests (Witts, L. J.: Lancet, 1929, 1, 1297; De Gowin, E. L., and Baldridge, C. W.: Amer. J. med. Sci., 1934, 188, 555; Bordley, J.: Arch. intern. Med., 1931, 47, 288). -I am, etc., London, W.1, Jan. 4. N. S. PLUMMER.


ABSTRACT This paper outlines a theoretical framework to study collective social capital at the local scale using social network analysis. To do so, it develops a review on empirical research that found evidence regarding the impact of networks on the performance of cities and regions. Eight network topologies are identified with collective social capital: size and composition, connectivity, closeness, clustering, small world, openness, centralization and heterophily. The paper inquires into the effects of these properties concluding that they influence two aspects that are highly relevant for territorial development: they facilitate the diffusion of information and they foster cooperation among actors. Results help tracing roots among three different academic fields: literature on social capital, local and regional economics, and social network analysis. Furthermore, the article suggests a framework to obtain relevant conclusions regarding political and economic aspects of territorial capacities.


In addition to eosinophilic granuloma, chondroma, osteochondroma, aneurysmatic bone cyst, and osteomyelitis, the differential diagnosis of primary costal tumors in children must also include Ewing's sarcoma. Radiologic diagnostic problems in localizing the tumor, in differential diagnosis, and the importance of imaging procedures are discussed with reference to a 16-year-old female patient.


Abstract: Although the evaluation of public policies is a subject of growing interest in Latin America, there are problems with the design and implementation of evaluations, as well as with the limited use of their results. In many cases, the evaluations have more to do with generating descriptions and less with assessing these activities and using those assessments to improve planning and decision making. These points are explored in a case study of the evaluation of a rural development program in Argentina, emphasizing the process of negotiation and consensus building between the evaluators and the official in charge of approving the evaluation report. The lessons learned from the experience point to the generation and consolidation of a culture of evaluation in the region.


Optical trapping, discovered in the 70's, allows moving and stabilizing small objects which sizes varies from atoms to particles of several microns. This technique, based on momentum conservation, is particularly well suited for manipulating biological matter (cells, organelles, vesicles, functionalized particles, etc.) and offers interesting potentialities for research in biotechnologies and biochemistry. The possibility to individually immobilize large numbers of microscopic objects opens new ways for the downscaling of analysis tools for drug screening, particles sorting or assessing statistical data. The combination of optical trapping with microfluidics greatly increases the prospect of the method. This PhD work takes place in a research aiming at creating large arrays of optical traps compatible with microfluidic devices in order to realize so-called lab-on-a-chip. These miniaturized systems allow recreating at smaller time scale, reduced resources and lower cost, experiments usually performed in a macroscopic environment. This study proposes solutions based on light interference and on landscaping of light intensity. Setups combining several laser beams are proposed to create interference patterns and various configuration of light potential wells. Increasing the number of interfering beams, in particular by using a multiple beams interferometer (Fizeau-Tolansky interferometer) leads to a raise of the light intensity gradient, further increasing the trapping efficiency. The quality of the optical traps is studied and discussed in comparison with conventional laser tweezers. More complex and original solutions using interference of electromagnetic fields are suggested. Namely, the light diffracted by the objects themselves is used to form new potential wells. Diffractive structures are devised to generate three-dimensional arrays of traps. The periodicity of those planar structures creates a self-imaging phenomenon, known as Talbot effect. The modulation of the field in the Fresnel zone, i.e. some tens of micrometers behind the diffractive element, reveals interesting properties for optical trapping, in particular local intensity amplification and gradient enhancement. When several particles are simultaneously immersed in an electromagnetic field, interaction effects arise, that link the particles. This phenomenon of optical binding, is studied and demonstrated here in the case of bidimensional optical crystals.


Content analysis has dominated computer-mediated communication and educational technology studies for some time, and a review of its practices applied to online corpus of data or messages is overdue. We are confronted with complexity given the various foci, nuances and models for theorising learning and applying methods. One common suggestion to deal with the complexity in content analysis is a call for standardisation by replication or systematic research studies. This article presents its 'discontent' with content analysis, discussing the issues and concerns that surround the analysis of online transcripts. It does not attempt to resolve nor provide a definitive answer. Instead, it is an open inquiry into another way of looking at online content. It presents an alternative or perhaps an extension of what we have come to know as content analysis. It argues for the notion of genres as another way of conceptualising online transcripts. It proposes two things: first that in performing transcript analysis, it is worthwhile to think how messages relate to a system of interactions that persists even beyond the online environment; secondly, there is an emergent and recurring metastructuring that is at work in online environments that is worth exploring, instead of imposing structures – models and frameworks that do not fit the emerging communicative practices of participants. Keywords: genre analysis; content analysis; online transcripts; computermediated communication; educational technology research DOI: 10.1080/09687760903033066


Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), a Gram-negative opportunistic rod with ubiquitous presence in a panoply of different environments, secretes a wide array of virulence determinants that have established it as one of the leading nosocomial pathogens. Many of these virulence factors are regulated by the quorum sensing (QS) system that responds to environmental cell density variations. PA can ultimately trigger the onset of severe acute and chronic infections, especially in immunosuppressed subjects.
The QS network in PA is comprised of at least four multi-layered interconnected subsystems with hierarchical organisation. From these, three (las, rhl and pqs) play a pivotal role in the production of virulence factors (e.g., lectins and pyocyanin) with relevant participation in the development and maintenance of biofilm matrices. The QS network is divided in two major signaling pathways, the one driven by N-acylhomoserine lactone signals and the one driven by 2-alkyl-4-quinolone molecules. Two alkyl quinolones of core importance exist in PA, the 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)quinolone, typically recognised as the "Pseudomonas quinolone signal" (PQS) and its precursor 2-heptyl-4(1H)-quinolone (HHQ). In addition to the regulatory involvement of the las and rhl quorum sensing systems, the biosynthesis of PQS production is also positively regulated by PqsR-dependent transcription of the pqsABCDE operon (a multivirulence factor regulator also known as MvfR). For that reason, the alkyl quinolone (AQ) signalling pathway, and more specifically its major regulator PqsR, are widely seen as promising targets for novel antimicrobial approaches.
Because of the growing presence of multidrug resistant PA in the clinical setting, representing both an immediate menace to immunocompromised patients and a heavy burden on hospital budgets, the development of more rapid and affordable screening strategies for detection of the pathogen are required. Thus, new screening strategies adapted to clinical samples and successful novel synthetic small PqsR antagonists can lead the way to a new Era in the battle against hyper-virulent/-resistant PA strains.
Primarily focusing on the AQ system, this research project investigated three inter-related areas, namely: (a) the highthroughput screening of novel synthetic small molecule antagonists of the PqsR protein, designed for suppression of virulence-associated phenotypes, (b) the development of a luminescent PQS-based screening bioreporter to be applied in the clinical setting, and finally (c) the optimisation of a methodology combining liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA) and mass spectrometry (MS) for screening PQS-related AQs from in vivo bacterial extracts, and also intended for future screening of a variety of clinical samples (e.g., blood plasma, urine and saliva).
A large number of synthetic small molecules with putative PqsR antagonism were obtained from our French partner GreenPharma, and studied for their capacity to interfere with expression of the key player of the pqs system, PqsR. By applying a rational selection strategy, based on the inhibitory effects on pqsA expression, assessment of metabolical exertion, and assay studies on the ultimate repression of key virulence-associated phenotypes (lectins LecA and LecB, pyocyanin, PQS-associated AQs) and impact on biolfilm formation, a final selection comprised of the four best antagonists was obtained. Compounds GPZ002966, GPZ004927, GPZ824390 and GPZ273902 had their cytotoxicity subsequently studied keeping in mind their applicability in pre-clinical studies.
Overall, these PqsR antagonists promoted very strong inhibition of pqsA and lecA expression, strongly reduced production of pyocyanin and PQS-related AQs (HHQ, HQNO and C7-PQS itself), showed a strong degree of biofilm inhibition, with IC50 scores sitting at the nanomolar level, and no signs of metabolical arrest was reported by the test strains used. Some explanations, focusing on the functional and structural organisation/composition of these compounds are also offered based on a comparative analysis against a number of the most prolific PqsR antagonists recently developed.
The bioluminescent PQS-based biosensor for the detection of PA was engineered to respond to the presence of exogenous PQS that forms a complex with the regulatory PqsR protein, ultimately stimulating the expression of a luxCDABE-fused pqsA promoter. The biosensor was subsequently inserted in a non-pathogenic E. coli recipient by means of chromosomal integration, devoid of the sdiA LuxR homolog that could potentially interfere with the recognition of PqsR. A silent reporter was observed when in E. coli, but further assessments to its genetic integrity did not reveal any single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). In addition, after further testings to its activity in different established PA mutants, devoid of genes that constituted the bioreporting system or to it directly associated, a fully functional bioreporter was confirmed. Finally, a few possible explanations as to what might be in the origin of a defective bioreporter in E. coli are discussed.
Lastly, a new LESA-MS protocol based on the surface sampling of dried bacterial extracts, envisaging its potentialities as a rapid and cheap screening method for detection of AQs, was designed and optimised. Even though the method has been widely used in a variety of research scenarios, this is the first time LESA-MS is applied as a screening methodology in the context of bacterial extract screening. Overall, the optimisation process showed that LESA-MS is an approach with numerous potentialities and immediate advantages, where one emphasises sampling simplicity, fast delivering of results, sensitivity to AQs at the nanomolar level (especially for C7-PQS and the precursor HHQ). But simultaneously, this methodology also revealed limitations inherent to its setting up that constrain an effective screening. The most emphatic ones being the volatility of the preparations to intra-sampling variability, and to a certain degree, an unexpected insensitivity to important QS N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), namely C4-HSL and 3-oxo-C12-HSL. Nevertheless, such limitations do not present themselves as an insurmountable barrier, and based on results from available studies making use of the LESA-MS a number of possibilities to work around these are also presented.


Heat treatment is an important method for improving the mechanical properties of industrial parts that are made through the powder metallurgy. Most PM steels are subjected to hardening and tempering, and it is due to this treatment that tempered martensite is formed. After heat treatment, these steel's mechanical properties are affected by the heat treatment parameters and the initial density. In this paper, in order to make an evaluation of the effect of the above parameters, FN-0205 PM steel with various densities is heat treated in different austenite conditions and tempering time. Their mechanical properties are then evaluated and recorded. Afterwards, this data obtained by experimental procedure are predicted for various conditions. The method employed here is the well-known feedforward Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with the Back Propagation (BP) learning algorithm. Comparison between predicted values and experimental data, in the present study, indicate that the predicted results from this model are in good agreement with the experimental values.


Abstract U–Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions of zircons from the Chencai complex in Zhejiang Province have been determined to provide constraints on mechanisms of migmatization and tectonic evolution related to the early Palaeozoic orogeny in the Cathaysia Block, South China. Zircons from leucosome samples of migmatites are characterized by nebulous overgrowths enclosing inherited cores or occur as newly formed grains with weak zoning. Five samples gave weighted mean ages ranging from 438±3 Ma to 432±4 Ma, which are interpreted as recording the time of anatexis of a regional tectono-thermal event. Their εHf(t) values range from −21.4 to −4.8 (with peak at −11), with corresponding TDM2 ages of 1.73–2.77 Ga (with peak at c. 1.9–2.3 Ga), suggesting that the protoliths formed by reworking of ancient crust evolved from Late Palaeoproterozoic – early Archaean crust–mantle differentiation. The migmatization was spatially and temporally associated with reported 460–435 Ma metamorphism with a clockwise pressure–temperature (P–T) path and was most likely controlled by crustal thickening driven by the early Palaeozoic orogenesis. The TDM2 ages of the Chencai complex are consistent with those of the Wuyi–Yunkai structural belt in the Cathaysia Block, but distinct from those (with peak at 2.7–3.0 Ga) of the Badu complex which lacks early Palaeozoic tectono-thermal records. The data support the suggestion that a postulated geological entity, instead of the east domain (the Badu complex being its main part) of the Cathaysia Block, was probably involved in the early Palaeozoic orogeny.


Recent evidence indicates that the activation of a calcium-dependent proteinase, calpain, results in the formation of new glutamate receptors in the hippocampus (Lynch, Halpain, & Baudry, 1982), a brain area commonly thought to play a crucial role in mammalian memory formation. In vitro, this effect is correlated with a long-lasting enhancement of efficacy in synaptic transmission (long-term potentiation, LTP) following brief pulses of electrical stimulation in the hippocampus (Dunwiddie & Lynch, 1979). Because the induction properties of LTP are similar to the behavioral properties of memory, it has been proposed to be the physiological basis of memory (Lynch & Baudry, 1984). If the calcium-dependent activation of calpain is responsible for the induction of LTP and ultimately memory formation, then pharmacologically blocking the calcium-calpain interactions should block those forms of memory dependent on this mechanism. Three experiments were conducted to assess the effects of leupeptin, a proteinase (calpain) inhibitor on aversively motivated spatial memory in rats. In Experiment One, either leupeptin (8 mg/ml isotonic saline) or isotonic saline was infused continuously into the cerebrospinal fluid, and rats were trained in a one-way avoidance task with one-hour intertrial intervals, three trials per day, for 11 days. Leupeptin significantly impaired rats' acquisition of this task. Experiment Two assessed rats' performance in a win-stay or a win-shift avoidance task, and it was found that rats in the win-shift group learned the task more efficiently. This winshift avoidance task was then used in Experiment Three to assess the temporal dependence of leupeptin's behavioral effects by introducing a delay of 1 min, 15 min, or 30 min between the information and choice trials. Leupeptin impaired choice performance at the 30 min delay only. In addition, leupeptin significantly impaired previously-acquired avoidance responding. Because a time-dependent memory deficit was observed, these data are considered to be consistent with the biological model of memory formation advanced by Lynch & Baudry (1984), however no adequate explanation of leupeptin's deleterious effects on previously acquired responding presently exists.


Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the desensitizing effects of an Er:YAG laser (KEY IIA, KaVo, Germany) and Dentin ProtectorA (Vivadent, Germany) on cervically exposed hypersensitive dentine. Method: A group of 30 patients showing a total of 104 contralateral pairs of hypersensitive and caries-free teeth was selected and randomly allocated in a splitmouth design to either (1) Er:YAG laser (80 mJ/pulse, 3 Hz), or (2) the application of Dentin ProtectorA (polyurethane-isocyanate 22.5%; methylenechloride 77.5%) whereat one pair served as an untreated control in each patient. The degree of sensitivity to a thermal stimulus was determined qualitatively with an evaporative stimulus defined as a 3-s air blast at a distance of 2 mm from each site to be tested. A qualitative registration of the degree of discomfort was determined according to an arbitrary pain scale in 4 degrees. Recordings were assessed before treatment, immediately after, 1 week, 2 and 6 months after treatment by 1 blinded examiner. Results: Both treatment forms resulted in significant improvements of discomfort immediately after and 1 week post treatment. After 2 months, the discomfort in the Dentin ProtectorA group increased up to 65% of the baseline score and even up to 90% after 6 months, whereas the effect of the laser remained at the same level that was achieved immediately after treatment. The differences immediately after, 1 week, 2 and 6 months post treatment between both groups were statistically high significant (p<0.001; respectively). Compared to the untreated control group, both treatment forms resulted in a significant reduction of dis


In this paper, we determine how to minimize energy consumption per information bit in a single link, with the consideration of packet retransmission and overhead. This is achieved by deriving expressions for the optimum target bit error probability and packet length at different transmission distances. Furthermore, the energy consumptions of different modulation schemes are compared over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Finally, it is shown that the optimum target bit error probability and packet length converge to a constant value for long distances. Numerical results show that at short distances, it is optimum to use bandwidth efficient modulation with large packets and low target BER, and at long distances, it is optimum to use energy efficient modulation with short packets and high target BER.


After intraarticular injection of TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 2, marked swelling and erythema of the injected joints were apparent within 12-24 h. On a scale of 0 to 4, by day 3, the TGF-beta-treated joints had articular indices (AI) of 3.6 +/- 0.5 to 4.0 +/- 0.0 compared with no response for the vehicle-injected contralateral joints. Histopathologic evaluation revealed a predominantly mononuclear phagocyte infiltrate with some neutrophils and T lymphocytes, consistent with active inflammation. The monocytic pattern of leukocyte infiltration at 2-3 d was comparable to that seen in animals with antigen-induced arthritis after 2-3 wk. Extensive synovial fibroblast hyperplasia became apparent within 48 h, likely as a result of TGF-beta induction of growth factor synthesis by the accumulating monocytes. TGF-beta 2, a homologue of TGF- beta 1, was found to induce a similar level of synovitis and synovial hyperplasia consistent with its parallel monocyte and fibroblast chemotactic properties and ability to induce transcription and translation of monocyte/macrophage-derived growth factors. These data suggest that TGF-beta, released by platelets and activated inflammatory cells, may play a direct role in leukocyte recruitment and activation in arthritic and other chronic inflammatory lesions.


: Surgical treatment of 276 patients with uncomplicated (71.7%) and complicated (28.3%) injuries of the spine of the thoracic and lumbar localization was taken as the material for the article. The authors propose a rational strategy and tactics of operative treatment of patients with traumas of the spine and also they make an assessment of efficiency of some new surgical technologies. The volume and optimum terms of the decompressive-stabilizing operations on the spine are determined depending on the kind of the vertebral injury and the general state of the patient. The effectiveness of the present-day systems of stabilization of the spine (transpedicular constructions and plates for the frontal fixation of the spine) was demonstrated.


Adaptive supply voltage and adaptive body bias may be used to control the frequency and leakage distribution of fabricated microprocessor dies. Testchip measurements show that adaptive VCC is effective in reducing the impact of parameter variations on frequency, active power, and leakage power of microprocessors when 20 mV VCC resolution is used. Using adaptive VCC together with adaptive VBS or WID-VBS is much more effective than using any of them individually.


type="main"> This study jointly examines herding, momentum trading and performance in real estate mutual funds (REMFs). We do this using trading and performance data for 159 REMFs across the period 1998–2008. In support of the view that Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) stocks are relatively more transparent, we find that stock herding by REMFs is lower in REIT stocks than other stock. Herding behavior in our data reveals a tendency for managers to sell winners, reflective of the "disposition effect." We find low overall levels of REMF momentum trading, but further evidence of the disposition effect when momentum trading is segregated into buy–sell dimensions. We test the robustness of our analysis using style analysis, and by reference to the level of fund dividend distribution. Our results for this are consistent with our conjecture about the role of transparency in herding, but they provide no new insights in relation to the momentum-trading dimensions of our analysis. Summarizing what are complex interrelationships, we find that neither herding nor momentum trading are demonstrably superior investment strategies for REMFs.


Testate amoebae (Protozoa) living in Sphagnum peatlands are important environmental and paleoecological indicators. The distribution of these animals is closely related to soil moisture variables. This study examines the ecology of sphagnicolous testate amoebae near the southern limit of bogs in Europe. A total of 64 samples were collected for analysis of testate amoebae from six peatlands in the Jura region of Switzerland and France. Eleven site-specific ecological variables, six of which were soil-moisture related variables, were measured at each site. The data were subjected to weighted averaging, jack-knifing, cluster analysis, canonical correspondence analysis, and the indicator value method to model relationships between testate amoebae distributions and environmental variables. Testate amoebae abundance showed a direct relationship with pear pH and depth to water table. Strong relationships were with sites that had a water table less than 41 cm deep. In drier sites with water table depth greater than 41 cm, other factors such as soil porosity and water holding capacity were more important compared to the wetter sites. Though there was a strong relationship between restate amoebae faunas and soil moisture content and porosity, these two variables could not be confidently predicted. Testate amoebae in peatlands in this region appear to be sensitive to peat pH and water tables. Further work is needed to explore relationships between restate amoebae, soil moisture, and porosity.


Bridges constitute a substantial and vital part of any transport infrastructure system. The functionality of the system is therefore reliant on the asset management strategies adopted for its bridges. To understand and manage bridge performance, data of appropriate quality has to be collected in a cost-efficient way and closely linked to the decisions made with it. To ensure a coherent approach, a data collection strategy for asset management of road bridges has been developed in this study. In the strategy, a combined risk and criticality-based approach is used to prioritise each bridge and to assign it to one of three data collection levels comprising core, intermediate and advanced. For each collection level, the strategy provides guidance on the type of data to collect, the accuracy and precision required in the data collection process, the frequency of inspections, and the recommended collection techniques to be used, including visual inspection, non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring. The strategy will help asset managers to develop a deeper level of knowledge on the bridges that have the greatest impact on the system functionality and to collect data of the required quality needed for the decisions they make.


Memristive nanodevices can feature a compact multilevel nonvolatile memory function, but are prone to device variability. We propose a novel neural network-based computing paradigm, which exploits their specific physics, and which has virtual immunity to their variability. Memristive devices are used as synapses in a spiking neural network performing unsupervised learning. They learn using a simplified and customized "spike timing dependent plasticity" rule. In the network, neurons' threshold is adjusted following a homeostasis-type rule. We perform system level simulations with an experimentally verified model of the memristive devices' behavior. They show, on the textbook case of character recognition, that performance can compare with traditional supervised networks of similar complexity. They also show that the system can retain functionality with extreme variations of various memristive devices' parameters (a relative standard dispersion of more than 50% is tolerated on all device parameters), thanks to the robustness of the scheme, its unsupervised nature, and the capability of homeostasis. Additionally the network can adjust to stimuli presented with different coding schemes, is particularly robust to read disturb effects and does not require unrealistic control on the devices' conductance. These results open the way for a novel design approach for ultraadaptive electronic systems.


We propose a minimally supervised method for multilingual paraphrase extraction from definition sentences on the Web. Hashimoto et al. (2011) extracted paraphrases from Japanese definition sentences on the Web, assuming that definition sentences defining the same concept tend to contain paraphrases. However, their method requires manually annotated data and is language dependent. We extend their framework and develop a minimally supervised method applicable to multiple languages. Our experiments show that our method is comparable to Hashimoto et al.'s for Japanese and outperforms previous unsupervised methods for English, Japanese, and Chinese, and that our method extracts 10,000 paraphrases with 92% precision for English, 82.5% precision for Japanese, and 82% precision for Chinese.


Cell-cell fusion is an indispensable process in the conception, development and physiology of multicellular organisms. Here we demonstrate a direct and noncanonical role for dynamin, best known as a fission GTPase in endocytosis, in cell-cell fusion. Our genetic and cell biological analyses show that dynamin colocalizes within the F-actin-enriched podosome-like structures at the fusogenic synapse, which is required for generating invasive membrane protrusions and myoblast fusion in vivo, in an endocytosis-independent manner. Biochemical, negative stain EM and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) analyses revealed that dynamin forms helices that directly bundles actin filaments by capturing multiple actin filaments at their outer rim via interactions with dynamin's proline-rich domain. GTP hydrolysis by dynamin triggers disassembly of the dynamin helix, exposes the sides of the actin filaments, promotes dynamic Arp2/3-mediated branched actin polymerization, and generates a mechanically stiff actin network. Thus, dynamin functions as a unique actin-bundling protein that enhances mechanical force generation by the F-actin network in a GTPase-dependent manner. Our findings have universal implications for understanding dynamin-actin interactions in various cellular processes beyond cell-cell fusion.


Executive courage is an important cultural variable that influences the survival of a business organization in an increasingly competitive global business environment. This study presents the results of an empirical cross‐cultural investigation of executive courage. Forty American and 29 Arab executives participated in the study. Nine hypotheses were tested. Results indicated that the two samples exhibited significant differences with regard to their perceptions of the dimensions of executive courage, the role of executive courage in today's business organization, the relative importance of personal growth and personal courage, and the interaction between executive courage and the organizational reward system. It is concluded that executive courage is a positive cross‐cultural force, deserving careful consideration by researchers and practitioners. It is also concluded that business organizations can best serve their need for survival by rewarding those who seek to do the right things, rather than those who do the expected things right.


Women's self-defense training has been excluded from sexual violence prevention efforts for a variety of reasons, including concerns that it is ineffective, encourages victim blaming, neglects acquaintance assault, and does not target the underlying factors that facilitate sexual violence. In this article, I argue that these critiques are misguided, founded on (1) misunderstandings of self-defense training, (2) stereotypes about gender, and (3) individualistic assumptions about the impact of self-defense. Further, I assert that empowerment-based self-defense training helps to change the root conditions that allow violence against women to flourish. For all these reasons, and because recent research has built a case for its effectiveness, I argue that women's empowerment-based self-defense training should be part of any sexual violence prevention effort.


Deoxyribonuclease II (DNASE2) is a lysosomal enzyme responsible for degrading DNA released from cells during erythropoiesis or apoptosis.1 DNASE2 mouse knockouts develop chronic polyarthritis similar to human rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including rheumatoid factor (RF).2 Association has been reported between three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs11085823 , rs12609744 and rs249143 ) in tight linkage disequilibrium within the DNASE2 promoter and RA in German Caucasian samples, with differential association according to RF status.3

With the aim of replicating the previous findings,3 rs12609744 , chosen because HapMap data were available for imputation, was genotyped using a TaqMan assay (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California, USA) in New Zealand and UK Caucasian case-control samples,4 5 and imputed genotype data retrieved from a genome-wide scan (table 1).6 No evidence for association was found in any of the sample sets (OR 0.93–0.99, p = 0.27–0.97) (table 1). In meta-analysis using a …


Goals: The goal of this study is to evaluate the association between early life infections and subsequent adult onset irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Background: Infections during adulthood are a known risk factor for adult-onset IBS. This investigation examined the role of childhood infections and infection risk factors in the development of IBS symptoms. Study: In total, 1010 subjects (509 outpatients with IBS, 501 matched controls) were mailed questionnaires regarding early-life infections during infancy (0 to 12 mo), toddler years (1 to 3 y), and child years (4 to 18 y). Comparisons between cases and controls were performed using logistic regression adjusting for age, gender, and somatization score. Results: Around 648 (64.2%) subjects responded. The median age was 51.3 years (range, 18.0 to 70.7 y) and 535 (83%) were female. Childhood (below 18 y) infections were common in cases and controls (98% vs. 98%; P=0.465), with no differences between cases and controls during infant, toddler, and child-age periods. For gastrointestinal infections experienced below 18 years, no differences were observed by infection type (bacterial, viral, or parasitic) or age group. Cases were more likely to report bronchitis by age 18 [43% vs. 25%; P=0.003; odds ratio, 1.73 (1.20-2.51)], but not other common infections. Regular antibiotic exposure was greater amongst cases (43%) than controls (30%) [P=0.09; odds ratio, 1.37 (0.96-1.96)]. The association between bronchitis and IBS case status remained significant after adjusting for antibiotic use (P=0.01). Conclusions: Greater early childhood gastrointestinal infections rates were not observed in adult individuals with IBS compared with adult controls. The study does not support a statistically significant link between early life infections and IBS aside from bronchitis.


The remarkable breadth of Erasmus' contacts throughout his life is reflected in this unique, informative three-volume biographical dictionary. Together, these fully illustrated volumes will contain information about more than 1900 people mentioned in his correspondence and other writings. Differing substantially from the national biographical dictionaries which restrict themselves to major figures, these volumes combine the famous with the obscure: the Dutch pope, Adrian VI, appears next to Adrianus, a messenger who carried letters between Erasmus in Paris and Jacob Batt, a tutor in Toumehem. A random sampling includes the infamous Pope Alexander VI; Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn; Andrea Alciati, the interpreter of Roman law, whose chief fame rests on the creation of the Renaissance emblem book; Luther's wife, Katharine von Bora; Albrecht Durer, portraitist of Erasmus; Emperor Charles V; and Etienne Dolet, accused of blasphemy and sedition, who was tortured and hanged and his books burned publicly. Biographies of loyal friends of Erasmus, like Pieter Gillis, clerk of the city of Antwerp, are interspersed with those of his critics and enemies, such as Guillaume Farel, whom Erasmus characterized as insane and a seditious liar. The famous and infamous ? Henry VIII, Machiavelli, Francis I, Pope Julius II, Isabella of Castille, and many more ? appear next to the not so familiar, but no less intriguing. Cassandra Fedele, implicated in a scandal involving counterfeit money, who survived shipwreck in the Mediterranean and ended life as the superintendent of a hospital in Venice. The cast of characters is a Who's Who of the period: painters like Holbein and Metsys; the printer Aldo Manuzio; Bishop John Fisher, martyred for opposition to Henry VIII's divorce; Martin Luther and his parents; the knight Ulrich von Hutten; and dynastic families such as the wealth Fuggers of Bavaria and the Medicis, including Lorenzo the Magnificent (patron of Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci), the petulant Alessandro, the extravagant Cardinal Ippolito, and Lorenzo II, Duke of Urbino (to whom Machiavelli dedicated The Print. A fascinating array of characters brings this turbulent period of history vividly to life. Contemporaries of Erasmus will not only intrigue the general reader; it will be indispensable for those who have searched in vain for a biographical dictionary covering this period.


Equations are developed which accurately describe the characteristic impedance and signal propagation delay for narrow microstrip transmission lines. Differences in signal propagation delay for microstrip, strip line, and coaxial cables are compared as a function of dielectric constant. The characteristic impedance equation is verified through comparison with experimental results for impedance values from 40 to 150 ohms. The sensitivity of characteristic impedance to variations in physical parameters, such as dielectric constant, line width, and board thickness, is presented. Finally the equation is shown to yield exceptionally accurate results when the inherent inaccuracies of the physical measurements are considered.


The drawn simplified P H2O-T-projection and crystallization scheme of the q-ne-kp-fo-mo-aq system reflect the process of the magmatic rock crystallization. The rocks are compositionally marginal between the normal series and the alkaline one, and from the normative quartz group to the normative montichellite one.


As a type of ultra-light and super thermal insulation solid state porous materials, aerogels have attracted increasing attention for aerospace, transportation, and building insulation applications. However, when aerogels are applied in these fields, resistance to high temperature is a prerequisite for them. The most traditional silica aerogels can resist up to 600 °C, but their porous structures are destroyed at higher temperatures and no longer possess the excellent thermal insulation capacity and low density. Though a great number of new aerogels have been reported in the past two decades, the number of aerogels that could resist to ultra-high temperature, e.g. >800 °C, is relative few. Nevertheless, it's exciting to see that more and more aerogels that can resist to temperatures higher than 1000 °C, and even up to 1500 °C, have been reported in the past few years. This paper gives an overview of aerogels that could resist to more than 800 °C, and they defined as high temperature resistant aerogels (HTRAs) in this review. The synthetic strategies, mechanisms, chemical compositions, and specific applications of the HTRAs will be reviewed and discussed. This paper would be a timely review to summarized the most recent progress in the HTRAs, and provide insights into the designing of various HTRAs.


In 1 year, the Geriatric Orthopaedic Hip Fracture Program saw various positive results. The accomplishments are as follows: Appropriate use of consulting services. Reduction in the mortality rate. Increase in the number of patients (76%) who returned to home versus skilled nursing facilities. Reduction of LOS. Fifty-seven percent of patients are independent with ADLs at 6 months after hip fracture repair. Sixty-four percent remain independent ambulators and use aids on an as needed basis. Our team has learned that we need to improve certain areas of the program. We need to reinforce to the staff the importance of following skin care and toileting guidelines. Other research articles looking at the overall condition of the geriatric patient have used the Apache score or the Anesthesia Rating score and we plan to follow suit. The Apache and Anesthesia ratings have been used to predict outcomes; the higher the score, the less successful the outcome. Within the cost structure, we needed to become more aware of the comorbidity costs and identify opportunities to address these issues.