Many software systems operate across different geographically distributed hardware platforms, operating systems and programming languages. Publish/subscribe based Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) provides loose coupling and an efficient, asynchronous and scalable way of communication. However, as the complexity of such systems increase, manual verification of reconfiguration policies becomes unrealistic. The task calls for automated means of proof-checking configuration information in order to improve the reliability of large-scale MOM systems. This paper proposes a new model checking approach with temporal logic specifications to design and verify a system configuration. Model checking is a powerful technique, however the creation of appropriate finite state models for the systems being checked are complex and difficult to use in practice by non-formalists. The research presented in this paper finds suitable abstractions that reduce the system to a finite state model. The tools we developed for the generation of such models can be easily used by non-formalists. The systems models created using our techniques manages state explosion thanks to the choices of our abstractions. An example of the use of our tools and techniques is presented for a 50 node MOM, where the reachability of all topics and the presence of loops are proof-checked.


This article examines the economic effects of prizes with implications for the diversity of market positions, especially in cultural fields. Many prizes have three notable features that together yield an emergent reward structure: (1) consumers treat prizes as judgment devices when making purchase decisions, (2) prizes introduce sharp discontinuities between winners and also-rans, and (3) appealing to prize juries requires costly sacrifices of mass audience appeal. When all three conditions obtain, winning a prize is valuable, but seeking it is costly, so trying and failing yields the worst outcome—a logic we characterize as a Tullock lottery. We test the model with analyses of Oscar nominations and Hollywood films from 1985 through 2009. We create an innovative measure of prize-seeking, or "Oscar appeal," on the basis of similarity to recent nominees in terms of such things as genre, plot keywords, and release date. We then show that Oscar appeal has no effect on profitability. However, this zero-order relationship conceals that returns to strong Oscar appeals are bimodal, with super-normal returns for nominees and large losses for snubs. We then argue that the effect of judgment devices on fields depends on how they structure and refract information.


This report is a terminal evaluation of a UN Environment project implemented between 2016 and 2015 entitled "Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management Secretariat SAICM". The Secretariat was established in June 2006 with the explicit purpose of facilitating the implementation of SAICM – an international, multi-stakeholder, voluntary agreement – and the achievement of the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle so that chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health. The aim of the Secretariat was to maximise the number of countries and stakeholders participating in the implementation of SAICM. The Secretariat was also mandated to administer the Quick Start Programme (QSP) Trust Fund – a fund designed to provide seed money to (mainly) governments from low income countries, countries in economic transition, and small island states, to enable them to build initial capacities for managing chemicals sustainably.

The evaluation assesses the project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and the outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote learning, feedback, and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UN Environment and partners in the project participating countries.


PURPOSE
To investigate the cytologic findings of superior bulbar conjunctiva in superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis (SLK) using laser scanning confocal microscopy and impression cytology in a prospective controlled study.

METHODS
Twenty-one eyes of 11 SLK patients (9 women, 2 men; mean age, 49.3 +/- 17.9 years) and 18 eyes of 9 control subjects (6 women, 3 men; mean age, 46.4 +/- 8.7 years) underwent tear function tests including vital stainings, Schirmer test, tear clearance test, digital confocal laser scanning microscopy, and conjunctival impression cytology. After confocal microscopy and impression cytology images were obtained, the mean individual epithelial cell area (MIECA), nucleocytoplasmic (N/C) ratio, and inflammatory cell density were analyzed. The correlation between confocal microscopy and impression cytology parameters was investigated.

RESULTS
The MIECA of SLK patients and control subjects in confocal microscopy was 786.54 +/- 463.88 microm(2) and 311.50 +/- 78.30 microm(2), respectively. The mean N/C ratio was 0.356 +/- 0.090 and 0.490 +/- 0.038, respectively. The MIECA and N/C ratio in impression cytology showed significant correlation with the corresponding confocal microscopy parameters (MIECA, P = 0.0028; N/C, P = 0.0051). The inflammatory cell density in confocal microscopy significantly correlated with superior bulbar conjunctival Rose-Bengal scores (P = 0.0264).

CONCLUSIONS
Laser scanning confocal microscopy seems to be an efficient noninvasive tool in the evaluation of phenotypic alterations of the conjunctival epithelium in SLK and may serve as an alternative for impression cytology. N/C ratio and inflammatory cell density appear to be two new promising parameters of in vivo confocal microscopy in the assessment of ocular surface disease in SLK.


Silicon nitride - silicon carbide composite was developed by using an abrasive SiC powders as a raw material. The composites were prepared by mixing abrasive SiC powder with silicon, pressing and sintering at 1400°C under nitrogen atmosphere in atmosphere controlled vacuum furnace. The proportion of silicon in the initial mixtures varied from 20 to 50 wt%. After sintering, crystalline phases and microstructure were characterized. All composites consisted of α- Si3N4 and β-Si3N4 as the bonding phases in SiC matrix. Their physical and mechanical properties were also determined. It was found that the density of the obtained composites increased with an increase in the Si3N4 content formed in the reaction.


In this article, the physical and chemical properties of pulverized, vinegar treated waste from fish scale remains of fish from Lake Ngami in Sehitwa near Maun, Botswana, were investigated for a possibility of being employed as an environmentally friendly and cheap sorbent material for reducing or removing excess, toxic, heavy metal ions from wastewater before different uses. Lead (II) and Zinc (II) ions were selected as model ions to demonstrate the potential of fish scale waste remains in removing excess toxic heavy metal ions. The pulverized size of the waste was found to be 60 µm, with round and smooth morphology, which are excellent characteristics usually associated with superior sorbents. Furthermore, the fourier transform infrared spectrometer spectrum showed multiple functional groups such as amines, carboxylic, hydroxyl, and carbonyls which are well known to bond well with metals through hydrogen and oxygen bonding. The X-ray diffractogram of the fish scales showed the presence of hydroxyapatite, which has an excellent ion-exchange performance, which exchanges calcium ion site with metals. Multivariate methodologies statistical software, Minitab, were employed for the simultaneous optimization factors that affect sorption studies; initial ions concentration which was found to be 24.45 mg/L, the sorbents dose which was found to be 76.99 mg/L, contact time, which were found to be 62.37 min and solution pH 7.52. The fish scales waste also exhibited high percentage removal efficiencies toward Lead (II) and Zinc (II) removal from real wastewater samples at 81.97% and 80.37% with percentage relative standard deviation of 1.34% and 1.02% respectively.


Top-down methods dominate the field of 3D human pose and shape estimation, because they are decoupled from human detection and allow researchers to focus on the core problem. However, cropping, their first step, discards the location information from the very beginning, which makes themselves unable to accurately predict the global rotation in the original camera coordinate system. To address this problem, we propose to Carry Location Information in Full Frames (CLIFF) into this task. Specifically, we feed more holistic features to CLIFF by concatenating the cropped-image feature with its bounding box information. We calculate the 2D reprojection loss with a broader view of the full frame, taking a projection process similar to that of the person projected in the image. Fed and supervised by global-location-aware information, CLIFF directly predicts the global rotation along with more accurate articulated poses. Besides, we propose a pseudo-ground-truth annotator based on CLIFF, which provides high-quality 3D annotations for in-the-wild 2D datasets and offers crucial full supervision for regression-based methods. Extensive experiments on popular benchmarks show that CLIFF outperforms prior arts by a significant margin, and reaches the first place on the AGORA leaderboard (the SMPL-Algorithms track). The code and data are available at https://github.com/huawei-noah/noah-research/tree/master/CLIFF.


Corporate Governance and Financial Reform in China's Transition Economy, by Jing Leng. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2009. xvi + 304 pp. HK$390.00/US$52.50 (hardcover), HK$220.00/US$29.95 (paperback). The improvement of corporate governance in China, especially in its generally inefficient but still large and protected state sector, is important for the country's economic future and vital if China is going to succeed in creating multinational companies capable of holding their own against their tough competitors in the global Fortune 500. The big challenge for China is to change from being a passive producer for foreign global giants to having successful, high income companies of its own that can compete successfully in world markets. So far, China's cautious, step-by-step approach to corporate governance reform, just as with its post-Mao economic reforms across the board, has worked much better than the "shock therapy" of rapid mass privatization pursued by Russia, despite many problems. That is the core message of this book by Jing Leng, a Hong-Kong-based law expert educated in China, Japan and Canada. The way in which privatization was carried out in Russia resulted in incentives to loot, massive self-dealing by insiders and widespread asset stripping by managers - all of which was enabled by an institutional vacuum which imposed few restraints on corporate boards, whose governance record was appalling. While China has not been immune to such abuse, Leng says that Beijing made use of the trend towards globalization and its entry into the WTO in 2001 to implement gradual structural reforms in its state enterprise and financial sectors, of which corporate governance reforms were a key element. WTO entry was, for China, an external lever to constrain the policy options of government and to push forward market-oriented reforms, in particular corporate governance reforms of SOEs and state banks, through shareholding restructuring and public listing in domestic and overseas markets. For the major SOEs, this was a process of corporatization rather than privatization, Leng argues, as Beijing's goal for these companies was mixed ownership in order to harness market disciplines to improve their performance, while retaining majority ownership for the Party-state (in some 30 per cent of Chinese listed companies overall). Mixed ownership was a way for the state to manage its assets better and to improve the performance of its SOEs as "national champions" so that they could compete globally, while retaining state and Party control over core national assets. She points out, however, that the split share structure necessitated by this approach has caused fundamental problems in the Chinese stock market, including a catalogue of corporate governance failures, many of which are listed in her book. It was not appropriate for China simply to import global best practices from developed market economies, Leng says, because the operating foundations for such practices were not yet present. Instead, China made use of local solutions or local "institutional innovations" which, though transitional and imperfect, were useful in the early stages of the reform - and a manifestation of Deng Xiaoping's axiom of "crossing the river by feeling the stones". From China's experience, Leng develops in this book a dynamic theory of corporate governance that stresses proper sequencing and pacing of reform at different stages of development in an economy in transition. She concludes, however, that the path towards a market economy is not a universal "one-size- fitsall" prescription. Policy-makers must accommodate country-specific conditions in designing their transition strategies. Leng reviews the history of China's enterprise reform, the "zhua da, fang xiao" policy of keeping state control over the larger companies while selling off the smaller SOEs, and the bitter debate over management buyouts in 2004 which resulted in tougher oversight and greater transparency to avoid the under-pricing of state assets. …


Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are commonly associated with hypertension in the obese. The nature of this association is obscure. An hypothesis is developed that attributes obesity-related hypertension to sympathetic stimulation. The relationship between insulin and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has its origins in the mediation of dietary thermogenesis. Fasting suppresses while carbohydrate and fat feeding stimulate sympathetic activity. Insulin-mediated glucose metabolism within critical central neurons links dietary intake and central sympathetic outflow. The sympathetic nervous system, in turn, contributes to changes in metabolic rate that accompany alterations in dietary intake. It is hypothesized that insulin resistance is a mechanism recruited in the obese to limit further weight gain and stabilize body mass. Insulin-mediated sympathetic stimulation is one mechanism that may restore energy balance in the obese since the obese are not resistant to the stimulatory effect of insulin on the SNS. Sympathetically mediated stimulation of the heart, vasculature and kidney contributes, in genetically predisposed individuals, to the development of hypertension. Viewed in this light, obesity-related hypertension is the unfortunate by-product of an adaptive mechanism (insulin resistance) recruited to restore energy balance in the obese. Possible implications of this formulation are discussed.


Background and Objectives: Stress is a ubiquitous aspect of modern life that affects both mental and physical health. Clinical care settings can be particularly stressful for both patients and providers. Kindness and compassion are buffers for the negative effects of stress, likely through strengthening positive interpersonal connection. In previous laboratory-based studies, simply watching kindness media uplifts (elevates) viewers, increases altruism, and promotes connection to others. The objective of the present study is to examine whether kindness media can affect viewers in a real-world, pediatric healthcare setting. Methods: Parents and staff in a pediatric dental clinic were studied. Study days were randomized for viewers to watch either original kindness media or the standard televised children's programming that the clinic shows. Participants scored self-rated pre-media emotions in a survey, watched either media type for 8 min, and then completed the survey. All participants were informed that they would receive a gift card for their participation. After completion of the survey, participants were asked if they wanted to keep the card or donate it to a family in need. Results: Fifty (50) participants completed the study; 28 were parents and 22 were staff. In comparison to viewers of children's programming, participants who watched kindness media had significant increases in feeling happy, calmer, more grateful, and less irritated (p < 0.05), with trends observed in feeling more optimistic and less anxious. Kindness media caused marked increases in viewers' reports of feeling inspired, moved, or touched (p < 0.001). No change was observed in self-reported compassion, although baseline levels were self-rated as very high. People who watched kindness media were also more generous, with 85% donating their honoraria compared to 54% of Standard viewers (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Kindness media can increase positive emotions and promote generosity in a healthcare setting.


Variable-speed drives have reduced voltage requirements when operating below the base speed. In a modular-multilevel-converter-based (M2C-based) motor drive, it is then possible to operate with reduced voltage in the submodule capacitors, than at the base speed. In this sense, a greater capacitor-voltage ripple can be accommodated, without exceeding the maximum peak-capacitor voltage. This paper presents an analytical investigation for the optimal selection of the average capacitor voltage for M2Cs, when the motor is operating with rated torque, below the base speed. This method does not require any power exchange between the converter arms, so it keeps the conduction losses at the minimum level. Additionally, the method decreases the switching losses, due to the decreased capacitor-voltage level. The overall ratings of the converter remain the same as in the base-speed operation. It is shown that this method can be applied at a speed range between the base speed and down to approximately one third of it, i.e., an operating range that covers the requirements for typical pump- and fan-type applications. The results obtained from the analytical investigation are experimentally verified on a down-scaled laboratory prototype M2C.


Abstract : The purpose of the informal test, reported in this QSTR, was to analyze Northrop Corporation's interpretation and use of the CALS standards in transferring technical publication data. Northrop used their CALS Technical Data Interchange System to produce data, in accordance with the standards, and delivered it to the AFCTN technical staff on a 9-track magnetic tape.


In Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, salt stress induces the accumulation of proline and a specific isoform of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase) prior to the switch from C(3) to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). To determine whether plant growth regulators initiate or imitate these responses, we have compared the effects elicited by NaCl, abscisic acid (ABA), and cytokinins using PEPCase and proline levels as diagnostic tools. Exogenously applied ABA is a poor substitute for NaCl in inducing proline and CAM-specific PEPCase accumulation. Even though ABA levels increase 8- to 10-fold in leaves during salt stress, inhibition of ABA accumulation does not affect these salt-induced responses. In contrast, the addition of cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine, zeatin, 2-isopentyladenine) mimic salt by greatly increasing proline and PEPCase amounts. Endogenous zeatin levels remain unchanged during salt stress. We conclude: (a) The salt-induced accumulation of proline and PEPCase is coincident with, but is not attributable to, the rise in ABA or zeatin concentration. (b) For the first time, cytokinins and NaCl are implicated as independent initiators of a sensing pathway that signals leaves to alter PEPCase gene expression. (c) During stress, the sensing of osmotic imbalances leading to ABA, proline, and CAM-specific PEPCase accumulation may be mediated directly by NaCl.


: This paper investigates the relationships between individual creativity, social network position, and knowledge sharing in a heterogeneous team with personnel from four different companies to complete a software outsourcing project. Our research model is based on a theoretical construction attained from the analysis of previous frameworks proposed in the literature. Based on the survey data of the team members, we construct the advice social network, extract employee network centrality, and obtain employee behavioural variables. We find that a positive and strong relationship between knowledge sharing and creativity. The relationship between network centrality and creativity is also positive, but the relationship is moderated by knowledge sharing. Based on the findings, we propose measures and strategies for the hosting company to effectively coordinate the heterogeneous team.


In the Turkey of the 1930s, the peasants and villages had been a major concern and interest for the Republican intellectuals. As a matter of fact, a peasantist discourse, the so-called koyculuk, was widely accepted and disseminated by the Republican elites. This phenomenon could be observed in the activities and publications of the People's Houses, in the Village Institutes experience and in the ideological debates concerning the attempts at land reform during the interwar era. (1) In a nutshell, the ideology of peasantism denied class-based ideologies; aspired to a static, undifferentiated society; attempted to find a mass base for nationalism in a predominantly agrarian country while preempting grass-roots movements; feared and vilified socialist revolution; recognized the need to respond to the demands of the agrarian population in the troubled times of the Great Depression; aimed to consolidate the conservatism of the regime by relying on the supposedly conservative fabric of the Turkish peasants; and inspired a nationalist myth-making process that sought the "real" Turk in villages. Any inquiry into the intellectual history of peasantism, though, requires also taking into account peasantist leanings in Turkish literature. The main reason for this is that literature used to play a more significant role in Turkish intellectual life than it did in many other countries. For one thing, the omnipresent and restrictive censorship during the single-party era made it difficult to support and spread ideological positions through any medium other than literary works. The widespread perception among the intellectuals was that it was safer to express thoughts of opposition via literary works. Besides, the Turkish intelligentsia, like their nineteenth-century Russian counterparts, loved using literature as a way of expressing, defending and spreading their own ideological and historical views. (2) This tendency was complemented by the availability of readers who enjoyed picking up political and historiographical standpoints from literary works, especially from novels. The first literary work which focused on village themes and chose villagers and village life as its topic goes back to the early 1890s. Nabizade Nazim's Kara Bibik, in fact a story of around forty pages, is the first fictional narrative which deals with the rural social problems of ignorance, poverty, landowner exploitation and usury, as well as the emotional and sexual behavior of the villagers. (3) Ebubekir Hazim Tepeyran's Kucuk Papa, published in 1910, presents the heavy tax burden of the peasants, the indifference of the officials and medical doctors towards the peasantry, the "backwardness" of Anatolia, the wretched conditions of the schools and roads, the problems of the draft and the like. (4) After the establishment of modern Turkey, the number of literary works increased considerably; however, it should be noted that the so-called "peasantist literature" as a genre reached its peak not only in the single-party era, but from the early 1950s onwards. Nevertheless, despite their relative weakness, the early Republican literary works paved the way for this later flourishing of the peasantist genre. Novels and short stories from the single-party era offer rich opportunities for analyzing elite perceptions of the peasantry and village life. Many outstanding Turkish literary figures wrote on these issues and helped create a body of literary works that reflected their own worldviews rather than the actual conditions in the Turkish countryside. Especially important among these writers were Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu, Sabahattin Ali, and Memduh Pevket Esendal. They were not, however, simply complying with peasantist ideology, nor were they directly inspired by it. Moreover, each of these authors represented different agendas, concerns and perspectives on the same issues. In this article I shall examine these distinguished authors from the single-party era who represented different styles and perspectives as they related to village themes and the peasantry. …


Studying the impact of climate variability is important for the rational utilization of water resources, especially in the case of intensified global climate variability. Climate variability can be caused due to natural climate variability or human-caused climate variability. The analysis of Jinghe River Basin (JRB) may not be comprehensive because few studies have concentrated on natural climate variability. Therefore, the primary goal is to explore natural climate variability impact on runoff. Modified Mann–Kendall test method was adopted to analyze the aberrance point to determine the natural condition period during which runoff was only influenced by natural climate variability. Then, Monte Carlo method was employed to extract segments of monthly runoff in the natural condition period and combine them to construct a long series to reduce the instability. Results indicate that the percentage of runoff variability affected by natural climate variability is 30.52% at a confidence level of 95%. Next, a topography-based hydrological model and climate elasticity method were used to simulate runoff after the aberrance point without considering the impact caused by local interference. Through a comparison of the measured and simulated runoff, we discovered that local interference has the greatest impact on runoff in the JRB.


Vascular Tissue engineering has drawn high interest due to its high demand in its vascular graft applications. We tissue-engineered a hybrid vascular graft consisting of tissues layers and non-biodegradable ePTFE by in vitro cell culture. Tissue formation was obtained by culturing vascular smooth muscle cells on the biodegradable polylactide scaffolds on the ePTFE surfaces. The fabricated hybrid ePTFE graft consisted of three layers, i.e. two biodegradable polylactide layers and a non-biodegradable ePTFE layer. The biodegradable layer was fabricated to have a porous structure with 30-60 µm pore sizes. Connection of biodegradable layers and ePTFE was obtained by filtering the polylactide solution through the porous ePTFE wall. For a better tissue formation coating of gelatin was performed on the luminal polylactide scaffolds. The generated tissues replaced the biodegradable layers on both inside and outside surfaces of the ePTFE.


This paper proposes a dynamic strategic planning methodology using Scrum Agile Methodology to help small and medium-sized high technology enterprises (SMET) to strategizing. This paper provides a brief review of the issues involved in the strategizing perspective into the Scrum Agile methodology, while analyzing 13 SMET companies and how they do strategies into the community of practice. The proposed model allows the SMET innovative managers to scale up their business models swiftly and then to protect themselves from competitive attacks, in these cases happen to the advice is a quick adaptation of strategies and also evolving Technological advances rapidly, uncertainties of the environment and deliver real value to customers in a cost-efficient and a profitable way. The strategic planning model proposed is based on agile development methodologies, in which, each step is divided into a cycle, which removes the necessity to finalize a particular stage of planning before starting another one, and it seeks a SMET to minimize the risk of elaborating a plan. This paper is valuable to a SMET manager, by developing actions for the long term and disseminating relevant information to the company employees in a dynamic way.


Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that is sensitive to the dielectric permittivity property of an object. Conventional ECT systems have a circular/cylindrical or rectangular geometry, in which the electrode plates are usually spaced equally around the tank. It is the most common configuration as it can be easily applied to industrial pipelines. However, under some circumstances, the full access to the imaging geometry may not be applicable due to the limitation of the process area. In those cases, and with limited access, planar ECT sensors can fit the process structure if access to only one side is possible. A single-plane ECT configuration has been proposed for such applications. However, the planar array often suffers from a lack of sensitivity and difficulty with depth detection. To better understand these limitations we investigate the imaging performance from the single-plane ECT to dual-plane ECT structure. The limitations and constraints of the planar configuration will also be discussed. Several experiments were conducted using both single-plane and dual-plane configurations to evaluate the potential applications. The initial results are promising, and the quality of the reconstructed images are compared with the real condition for process validation.


A key resistance mechanism to platinum-based chemotherapies and PARP inhibitors in BRCA-mutant cancers is the acquisition of BRCA reversion mutations that restore protein function. To estimate the prevalence of BRCA reversion mutations in high-grade ovarian carcinoma (HGOC), we performed targeted next-generation sequencing of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) extracted from pretreatment and postprogression plasma in patients with deleterious germline or somatic BRCA mutations treated with the PARP inhibitor rucaparib. BRCA reversion mutations were identified in pretreatment cfDNA from 18% (2/11) of platinum-refractory and 13% (5/38) of platinum-resistant cancers, compared with 2% (1/48) of platinum-sensitive cancers (P = 0.049). Patients without BRCA reversion mutations detected in pretreatment cfDNA had significantly longer rucaparib progression-free survival than those with reversion mutations (median, 9.0 vs. 1.8 months; HR, 0.12; P < 0.0001). To study acquired resistance, we sequenced 78 postprogression cfDNA, identifying eight additional patients with BRCA reversion mutations not found in pretreatment cfDNA. SIGNIFICANCE: BRCA reversion mutations are detected in cfDNA from platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory HGOC and are associated with decreased clinical benefit from rucaparib treatment. Sequencing of cfDNA can detect multiple BRCA reversion mutations, highlighting the ability to capture multiclonal heterogeneity.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 151.


During the last 20 years, improved critical care techniques have enhanced the probability that the condition of patients with respiratory failure will stabilize sufficiently to allow long-term mechanical ventilation. Patients undergoing the transition to prolonged ventilatory support benefit from a timely application of tracheotomy guided by a clear understanding of its risk and benefits. Although numerous investigations since 1970 compare patient outcome from tracheotomy with that after prolonged translaryngeal intubation, limitations of study design and varying results among institutions prevent absolute recommendations for timing tracheotomy. A critical review of the available data, however, allows individualization of care and an anticipatory approach to institution of the surgical airway.


Facilitating affordable housing to a growing urban population is a challenge that governments and organisations all over the world face. This thesis aims to illuminate and analyse strategies used by the pro-poor non-governmental organisation GHAFUP in Ashaiman, Ghana to tackle the problem with inadequate housing. A further aim is to deepening an understanding of the maintenance and consequences of transnational networking carried out by the organisation and to see how actors outside the traditional planning profession are given room to influence spatial development. This is done by interviewing actors involved in urban planning and housing development in Ghana and members of the Amui Djor saving group of GHAFUP. By analysing the material through the theoretical concepts of space and participation the results show that GHAFUP's strategies of organising and networking have been successful both for facilitating an affordable housing complex and influencing socio-spatial processes in Ashaiman beyond the project. The study moreover demonstrates how power relations are constantly present and re-negotiated in urban development projects and discusses how organisations working to improve the situation for the urban poor also can act as an excluding force.


The aim of the research was to discover who meets the needs of children at risk of exclusion, an interest sparked by meeting vulnerable children and listening to their stories. The research team wanted to discover whether strategies used do meet policy and best practice guidance. Are multi-agency teams successful? How do children feel about those who provide their care?

Semi-structured interviews were used, as well as discussion groups, with the following professionals and young people:
• one Further Education administrator
• two Further Education programme co-ordinators
• one primary school Pastoral Support team member
• one primary school head teacher
• two secondary school Pastoral Support team members
• three social workers
• one sports coach
• one sports coach assistant
• three foster carers
• seven young people.

In addition, we carried out a literature review to discover that when schools work in conjunction with a range of other professionals, in a manner which includes children and parents and makes the process comfortable and child-led, results are good. Children feel supported and are able to achieve. The research also identified that our agencies appear, at times, to misinterpret the guidance, or simply ignore it – allowing egos, personalities and inconsequential agendas to interfere with pastoral care. Examples of good practice to share with others have been identified, as have a few challenges, the avoidance of which might make the difference for some children. The research discovered that behaviour support personnel in schools appear to have a valuable role to play for vulnerable children, as do many others however; also, excitingly there are instances of good practice which may limit incidents of exclusion. This PLR project has provided opportunity to discover how outcomes for children can be improved by working together, also that one person alone can make all the difference.


The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) is a redox-sensitive transcription factor that plays a critical role in inflammation among other biological functions. This ROS Protocol article describes an in vivo bioluminescence imaging assay for assessing NF-κB activation using the commercially available transgenic mice carrying NF-κB response element-luciferase reporter gene (NF-κB-RE-Luc). Using the highly sensitive Berthold NightOwl LB981 in vivo bioluminescence imaging system, we are able to visualize the NF-κB activation in live mice under basal conditions, suggesting constitutive activation of NF-κB as a part of its fundamental biology. Treatment of mice with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) results in a drastic increase in bioluminescence, proving the validity of the model in assessing inflammatory stress. Treatment of mice with 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T), an activator of nuclear factor E-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), led to a significant reduction in both basal and LPS-induced activation of NF-κB in the live mice, suggesting a value of this model in assessing drug efficacy in suppressing NF-κB activation and inflammatory stress. The protocols of this valuable model are detailed in this article along with a discussion of its potential use in studying disease conditions involving inflammatory and oxidative stress mechanisms and in assessing therapeutic modalities targeting the NF-κB signaling for disease intervention.


Africa is a continent grappling with many challenges, but it is also alive with possibility and booming with optimism. To some, Africa is the birthplace of humankind, a place with exceptional beauty, brimming with amazing wildlife and human ingenuity. To others, its narrative has evolved from yesterday's story, a story of everything gone wrong, a history of extractive resource utilisation by foreign interests, a 'dark continent', to an Africa Rising. A place "not so dark', to a continent with significant foreign direct investment that has increased over time.
 Africa is one of the most megadiverse continents in the world. It boasts a substantial share of the world's biodiversity, including one-fifth of all mammal species and one-quarter of all bird species. Despite this, African species are dramatically underrepresented in the world's freely-accessible biodiversity information resources. It was reported that only 4% of the >1 billion records available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) concern African biodiversity, the majority of which were published by non-African institutions. Even within Africa, distributional biodiversity databases exhibit strong spatial bias due to uneven efforts in sampling, storing and sharing data, which may, in turn, reflect high regional variation in capacity, funding and political will.
 The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is a knowledge-based organisation, where biodiversity information is the key resource that drives research and innovation, informs planning and policy development processes, informs decisions and is the basis for evaluating progress and impact. It is therefore important that biodiversity and biodiversity information are managed as strategic assets that will leverage shared value, supporting sustainable decisions towards the broader developmental objectives. In light of this, SANBI-GBIF has developed a regional engagement strategy and has been identified to lead the regional African Coordinating Mechanism (ACM) for biodiversity informatics on the African continent. The ACM is the ultimate vision for a formal regional structure for biodiversity information management and has been identified as far back as 2010, by the GBIF Africa Nodes, as a requirement to foster the implementation of the GBIF strategic plan in Africa.
 Six strategic priority areas to advance the biodiversity informatics efforts (driven by the GBIF-Africa Nodes and strategically identified partners) have been identified, across the value chain to support the generation, management, publication and use of biodiversity information for conservation, decision-making and sustainable development in Africa. These strategic areas include: 1. data mobilisation, 2. the data-science-policy interface 3. capacity building in biodiversity information management, 4. leveraging science technology and innovation, 5. regional engagement 6. growing the community of practice. Capacity development has also been identified as critical to ensure advancement of the biodiversity informatics agenda.


We present a method for the calculation of electrical potentials at the surface of realistic head models from a point dipole generator based on a 3D finite-difference algorithm. The model was validated by comparing calculated values with those obtained algebraically for a three-shell spherical model. For a 1.25 mm cubic grid size, the mean error was 4.9% for a superficial dipole (3.75 mm from the inner surface of the skull) pointing in the radial direction. The effect of generator discretization and node spacing on the accuracy of the model was studied. Three values of the node spacing were considered: 1, 1.25 and 1.5 mm. The mean relative errors were 4.2, 6.3 and 9.3% respectively. The quality of the approximation of a point dipole by an array of nodes in a spherical neighbourhood did not depend significantly on the number of nodes used. The application of the method to a conduction model derived from MRI data is demonstrated.


We explore the salient features of the 'Kitaev ladder', a two-legged ladder version of the spin-1/2 Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice, by mapping it to a one-dimensional fermionic p-wave superconducting system. We examine the connections between spin phases and topologically non-trivial phases of non-interacting fermionic systems, demonstrating the equivalence between the spontaneous breaking of global Z2 symmetry in spin systems and the existence of isolated Majorana modes. In the Kitaev ladder, we investigate topological properties of the system in different sectors characterized by the presence or absence of a vortex in each plaquette of the ladder. We show that vortex patterns can yield a rich parameter space for tuning into topologically non-trivial phases. We introduce and employ a new topological invariant for explicitly determining the presence of zero energy Majorana modes at the boundaries of such phases. Finally, we discuss dynamic quenching between topologically non-trivial phases in the Kitaev ladder and, in particular, the post-quench dynamics governed by tuning through a quantum critical point.


A practical technique is presented for evaluating the reliability of cascaded radial and looped interconnected power systems using frequency and duration concepts. The modeling approach represents systems by positive and negative assisting subunits. The approach is explained using radial systems and a triangular structure system, and is illustrated using IEEE reliability test systems. A set of recursive formulae are presented for computing the cumulative probabilities and frequencies for parallel, series, generation complement and line complement operations. >


We report on the growth and doping of InAs by atomic layer epitaxy (ALE). The InAs layers were grown using ALE cycles in a metal organic chemical vapor deposition reactor, and Si doping of the films was studied for different SiH4 flow sequences. When SiH4 was added to trimethylindium during the group-III step, the silicon concentration in the film was above 5 × 1019 cm−3. When SiH4 was added to tertiarybutylarsine during the group-V step, much lower incorporation of Si was observed. Conformal Si doped InAs layers were selectively grown by ALE on In0.47Ga0.53As patterned layers made on silicon substrates, demonstrating the suitability of the growth method for III-V device technology on silicon.


High speed long range millimetre-wave (mm-wave) links can be achieved by using wideband hybrid antenna arrays of sub-arrays. Due to the array architecture difference, conventional wideband angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation and beamforming techniques are not applicable to such wideband hybrid arrays. Targeted at point-to-point line-of-sight wireless transmission in the 70/80 GHz E bands, a unified frequency-domain AoA estimation and beamforming algorithm suitable for large scale wideband hybrid arrays of both interleaved and side-by-side sub-arrays is proposed in this paper. The AoA estimation performance is analyzed by deriving a recursive modified Cramér-Rao bound (MCRB). The effect of mutual coupling among antenna elements on the estimation performance is also considered for the hybrid array of side-by-side sub-arrays. The analytical results can be used to determine system parameters according to required system specifications. Simulation results show that the proposed AoA estimation algorithm is robust against practical impairments, and the frequency dependency of the array pattern is significantly reduced after digital beamforming. Simulated mean square errors of AoA estimation are also compared with the analytical bounds, showing that the derived recursive MCRB provides a meaningful indication to the AoA estimation performance.


This review address a number of areas of safety concern in MRI, emphasizing those that gain increased importance for high‐field (≥ 3 Tesla) MRI systems. First, the effects of magnetic fields on the patient will be discussed, including the main, Bomagnetic fields. Topics shall include physiological concerns and regulatory guidelines applicable to the magnitude of the magnetic field strength. Second, the biological effects of radiofrequency (RF) magnetic fields will be addressed, introducing the concepts of eddy currents, specific absorption rate (SAR) and the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) guidelines that deal with this topic. Finally, physiological consequences of pulsed gradient fields will be covered, including the audible noise generated by the gradient coils, nerve stimulation experienced in gradient‐intense pulse sequences and the FDA's guidelines regarding limitations and control of dB/dt. This presentation will also include a discussion on approaches to managing the MRI system's magnetic fieldseffects on the environment, including unanticipated flying objects (UFOs), the ACR Zone system for MRI suite plans and a detailed review of patient contraindications for MRI studies. Patient safety issues also include the description of the risks of using gadolinium (Gd)‐based and superparamagneticiron oxide (SPIO) contrast agents. A brief discussion of the risks to pregnant patients and clinical MRI workers will also be included. Finally, the causes and dangers of superconducting magnet malfunction, focusing on cryogen boil‐off, safety switch design, spontaneous quenches and controlled quenches will be undertaken. At the end of this presentation the attendee should be able to: ▪ discuss the major biological effects that can be arise from the magnetic fields produced by high‐field MRI systems. ▪ enumerate the safety concerns engendered by the used of exogenous contrast agents in MRI. ▪ explain the safety features that should be incorporated in the design of the MRI suite to reduced adverse events due to UFOs, patient heating and magnet quenches.


Because of the new definition, the status of an agricultural holding was lost by holdings of natural and legal persons not running agricultural activity (both of 0-1 ha of UAA and 1 ha of UAA and more) and by private farms (of natural persons) up to 1 ha of UAA running agricultural activity, but executing agricultural production below the set production thresholds. This reduced the number of agricultural holdings and also caused changes, varied in degree, in the level of their provision with land, labour and capital resources. Hence, what changed were the indices illustrating the agriculture development level, including the very universal ones like average farm area, labour inputs per 100 ha, productivity of labour, land and capital, etc. Consequently, majority of data on farms presented in the publications of the Central Statistical Office of Poland until 2013 is not directly comparable with the data drawn up with the use of the new definition. The presented study attempted to analyse the changes in the number and structure of agricultural holdings in 1990-2013 and in their provision with land resources, considering the new definition of an agricultural holding and regional differentiation regarding these changes.


BACKGROUND
Abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of fatal head injuries and are responsible for more than half of serious or fatal traumatic brain injury cases in children younger than 2 years of age. Long-term outcomes of AHT are death, spastic hemiplegia or quadriplegia, intractable epilepsy, microcephaly with corticosubcortical atrophy, visual impairment, language disorder and cognitive, behavioral and sleep disorders.

CASES
Herein we present two cases of AHT (7-month-old boy, 7-month-old girl) according to forensic analysis, and discuss them in light of the current literature and share our experience. Inconsistency between the presenting history and the clinical findings were typical in both cases; follow-up histories and detailed workup revealed the diagnosis of AHT. The first case was deceased; the second case was discharged with neurological deficits.

CONCLUSION
A multidisciplinary approach is critical for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of AHT.


We propose a novel scheme for run-time management of mixed-grained reconfigurable fabric for the purpose of simultaneous multi-tasking in multi-core reconfigurable processors. Traditionally, reconfigurable fabrics are allocated to distinct tasks in order to improve the overall performance without considering quality of service of the entire application (e.g. 30 fps in video conferencing application). We employ a new concept of task criticality that is based on performance constraints of each task at functional block level. Our scheme significantly reduces the number of deadline misses by dynamically evaluating the criticality of each task and performing an efficient load balancing of a mixed-grained reconfigurable fabric at run-time. We use a comprehensive video conferencing application as a benchmark to evaluate our scheme. Compared to the state-of-the-art our scheme reduces the number of deadline misses by 6× (on average) and improves the performance by 1.3× (on average).


Image matching is an essential task in many computer vision applications. It is obvious that thorough utilization of all available information is critical for the success of matching algorithms. However most popular matching methods do not incorporate effectively photometric data. Some algorithms are based on geometric, color invariant features, thus completely neglecting available photometric information. Others assume that color does not differ significantly in the two images; that assumption may be wrong when the images are not taken at the same time, for example when a recently taken image is compared with a database. This paper introduces a method for using color information in image matching tasks. Initially the images are segmented using an off-the-shelf segmentation process (EDISON). No assumptions are made on the quality of the segmentation. Then the algorithm employs a model for natural illumination change to define the probability of two segments to originate from the same surface. When additional information is supplied (for example suspected corresponding point features in both images), the probabilities are updated. We show that the probabilities can easily be utilized in any existing image matching system. We propose a technique to make use of them in a SIFT-based algorithm. The technique's capabilities are demonstrated on real images, where it causes a significant improvement in comparison with the original SIFT results in the percentage of correct matches found.


Research employing X-ray powder diffraction shows that clinoatacamite as the phase which should be predominant in the chloride-induced corrosion of ancient bronzes is not necessarily the dominant copper trihydroxychloride species at all, since mixtures are common, and other phases such as paratacamite or the dubious mineral phase anarakite have relevance to the corrosion products or patina of bronze antiquities. The potential reasons for this are discussed and related to the compositional parameters of ancient bronzes as well as the burial environment. Paratacamite is still identified, even in the absence of zinc, which is supposed to be the major stabilizing influence on the paratacamite lattice. X-ray power diffraction has been employed in the examination of a range of ancient bronzes from Chinese, Egyptian, Ecuadorian, Lydian, Albanian, Palestinian, and Greek contexts. This study has revealed that, far from being exotic novelties, the occurrence of both sampleite and connellite as important corrosion products of ancient bronzes has been underestimated in the published literature. Many occurrences of sampleite are related to the decomposition of contiguous human remains rather than to arid environmental factors which is the explanation for the occurrence in a geological environment, but in a burial environment other factors come into consideration.


Visual recognition of human actions in video clips has been an active field of research in recent years. However, most published methods either analyse an entire video and assign it a single action label, or use relatively large look-ahead to classify each frame. Contrary to these strategies, human vision proves that simple actions can be recognised almost instantaneously. In this paper, we present a system for action recognition from very short sequences (ldquosnippetsrdquo) of 1-10 frames, and systematically evaluate it on standard data sets. It turns out that even local shape and optic flow for a single frame are enough to achieve ap90% correct recognitions, and snippets of 5-7 frames (0.3-0.5 seconds of video) are enough to achieve a performance similar to the one obtainable with the entire video sequence.


Apoptosis is a mechanism of programmed cell death used in organ remodelling during development and for eliminating unnecessary or dangerous cells. In the immune system, apoptosis maintains homeostasis by limiting lymphocyte responses. Genetic defects in apoptosis leads to disturbed lymphocyte homeostasis and, potentially, autoimmunity or neoplasia. An important apoptosis disorder in humans involves the death receptor Fas. However, recently, disorders in the apoptosis pathways triggered by trophic factor withdrawal or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage have also been described. Dual roles of certain molecules for both apoptotic and normal nonapoptotic lymphocyte function can account for combined apoptosis and immunodeficiency disorders.

Key concepts

Lymphocytes undergo propriocidal regulation, in which the cells that are actively proliferating are most susceptible to programmed cell death. This form of negative regulation limits the maximal intensity of immune responses and establishes the basal state of homeostasis after an immune response.

Apoptosis occurs when T lymphocytes become activated to express death receptors, undergo repeated antigenic stimulation through the T-cell receptor, or cease to produce growth factors such as IL-2. Apoptotic pathways stimulated by death receptors, and those stimulated by intracellular derangements, are both utilized.

Mice and humans who have defective apoptosis display progressive accumulation of lymphocytes, systemic autoimmunity and a predisposition to lymphoid malignancy.

Most genetic lesions responsible for the prototypical disease in humans, autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), involve the Fas death receptor that mediates extrinsic apoptosis. ALPS can also result from a mutation in NRAS that impairs Bim-mediated apoptosis during cytokine deprivation.

Humans with caspase-8 or SH2D1A (SAP) deficiencies have lymphoproliferative disease and immunodeficiency, illustrating the dual roles of these molecules for lymphocyte apoptosis and nonapoptotic lymphocyte function.

p53 mutations responsible for cancer susceptibility in the Li–Fraumeni syndrome impair genotoxic stress-induced apoptosis, through effects on Puma and other Bcl-2 family members.

Keywords:

apoptosis;
autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome/ALPS;
caspase-8 deficiency state/CEDS;
X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome/XLP;
Li–Fraumeni syndrome


Selling nowadays is highly depending on large markets or what is called Malls. These Malls include a high number of properties that are added and sold at the same time. Most Malls are facing problems in managing these properties and security as well. In this study a Market Management and Security System (MMSS) is proposed. This system allows the digital friendly interactive monitoring of the available properties. The system consist of electronic trays accompanied with digital strain gauge, that gives a continuous instantaneous digital signal to the monitoring system which record the state of the tray, it shows how many parts are missing from the try. Whenever the property passes the payment disc it record selling and neutralise again. This system allows for security control, it gives signal if the tray looses more than the expected selling rate at a time, it can give the selling rate of each property, time that this property is most required, the total balance of the market properties and many others.


This study is to explore the reality of gendered work time and its policy implications. With the dual-earner model of family, the amount and manner in which time is spent for paid work, as opposed to unpaid work, constructs gender relations in Korea. This article raises the following questions. What is the impact of exceptionally long working hours on gender relations in the workplace and the family in Korea? In terms of time spent, to what extent are there changes in the unquestioned exclusive care responsibility by women and traditional notions of fatherhood? To what extent has the Confucian dichotomy of public (workplace) and private (family) been altered, in terms of the workplace practice of long working hours? In doing so, this study applies quantitative and qualitative data from various sources. The findings show that, despite moving towards a dual-earner reality, the Confucian dichotomy of unpaid work and fatherhood is still tenacious. Furthermore, the practice of extremely long working hours provides a 'good' reason for a father's absence in unpaid work, which in turn reflects the Confucian fatherhood. Also, this prevents mothers from achieving fuller integration into the labour market. Given these findings, we can see that the practices of long working hours and Confucian traditions combine to generate a vicious circle of gender inequality in the labour market and the family. The policy implications of these practices are discussed.


In all vertebrates, eighth nerve fibres from the inner ear distribute to target nuclei situated in the dorsolateral wall of the rhombencephalon. In amniotes, primary auditory and vestibular nuclei are readily delineated in that acoustic nuclei lie dorsal and sometimes rostral to vestibular nuclei. Fishes and aquatic amphibians have, in addition to labyrinthine organs, hair cell receptors in the lateral line system. Eighth nerve and lateral line fibres from these sense organs project to the octavolateralis region of the rhombencephalon. In this region, the primary nuclei cannot be easily divided into functionally distinct units. However, modality-specific zones seem to be present for auditory as well as lateral line projections lie dorsal and sometimes rostral to those from vestibular organs. Projections from the primary auditory and vestibular nuclei to higher order centres follow pathways which are conservative in their architecture among vertebrates. Ascending auditory fibres project either directly or via relay nuclei to a large midbrain center, the torus semicircularis (inferior colliculus) and hence to the forebrain. In fishes and aquatic amphibians, the lateral line system also sends a projection to the midbrain and information from this system may be integrated with auditory input at that level. The organization of vestibulospinal and vestibulo-ocular pathways shows little variation throughout vertebrate phylogeny. The sense organs of the inner ear of all vertebrates and of the lateral line system of anamniotes receive an efferent innervation. In anamniotes and some reptiles, the efferent supply originates from a single nucleus (Octavolateralis Efferent Nucleus) while that of "higher" vertebrates arises from separate auditory and vestibular efferent nuclei. The biological significance of this innervation for all vertebrates is not yet understood. However, an important feature common to all is the association of the efferent system with the motor centres of the hindbrain.


This paper argues that there is a need to move beyond an abstract discussion of skills and universally applicable skills sets when considering the development of sustainable communities and, more specifically, the eco-economy. The analysis suggests that the current skills and knowledge debate needs to be more closely related to both the process of creating sustainable communities, and the everyday lives of people in place. Skills and knowledge cannot be un-problematically imported from elsewhere through formal education channels alone. The transfer of skills and knowledge is also more dependent on relational and spatially embedded 'learning by doing' and 'learning by seeing'. These provide important channels for developing meaning and personal value which cannot be easily separated from the actual involvement in a sustainability initiative. Equally important is the recognition of the heterogeneity within communities where sustainability is prioritised differently by different people. Policies to promote sustainable communities consequently need to acknowledge how skills are a product of social and spatial relations, and how these interconnect with the multiple, relational and embedded nature of the evolving eco-economy. Incorporating a 'situated learning' approach offers a creative way of reviewing the role of skills and knowledge for sustainable community on two counts. Not only does it acknowledge the role of the individual learner, it also recognises the importance of the dynamic social context in which learning takes place


This study aims to analyse the influencing factors for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) ablation in treatment of uterine fibroids. Fifty-one uterine fibroids patients with 76 uterine fibroids were enrolled in this study. All patients received the HIFU ablation of uterine fibroids. The treatment efficacy was evaluated. The residual rate of ablation was calculated. The influencing factors related to the treatment outcome of HIFU ablation were analysed. Results showed that, in 76 uterine fibroids, 25 (32.9%) cases obtained effective treatment outcome, with residual rate ≥ 50%, and 51 (67.1%) cases obtained remarkably effective treatment outcome, with residual rate<50%. The treatment outcome had significant difference among subserous, submucous and intramural fibroid type (χ2=6.614, P=0.037), among fibroid position of posterior wall, fundus uteri and anterior wall (χ2=11.410, P=0.003), between fibroid size of <5 cm and ≥ 5 cm (χ2=4.259, P=0.039), and among low, equal and high contrast enhancement (χ2=6.153, P=0.046). The logistic regression analysis showed that, the fibroid position was the independent risk factor of treatment outcome, with odds ratio of 2.545 (1.175-5.513). In conclusion, the fibroid type, fibroid position, fibroid size, and contrast enhancement are significantly related to the outcome of HIFU ablation in treatment of uterine fibroids. The fibroid position is the independent risk factor for treatment outcome.


SIR,-We think that the conclusions that Dr A S Hutchison and Dr A C MacCuish draw from the data that they have presented (23 June, p 1914) on the storage of developed Visidex II blood glucose testing strips are incorrect. They claim that stored Visidex II strips "reading >8 mmol/l (>144 mg/100 ml) stored in white envelopes are stable for at least 5 days." They base this claim on one set of measurements taken at the beginning and one after five days. Yet any claim of stability should be based 6n a series of observations and our work presented such a series of observations (19 May, p 1535). We found a disturbing rise and then a gradual fall in the blood glucose concentration indicated by a similar group of stored strips. Dr Hutchison and Dr MacCuish's data cannot refute or even "be at variance" with our findings since they have not published a comparable series of observations. We have shown that the magnitude of the early rise of indicated blood glucose concentration occurring in stored Visidex II strips is dependent on the initial blood glucose concentration of each strip. If the two groups of strips compared in Dr Hutchison and Dr MacCuish's graphs were not exactly matched for their initial blood glucose concentrations then the effect of storage on the two groups would be different. This may explain the discrepant results between their two groups of higher range strips-rather than any effect of the desiccant in the storage container. We maintain that developed Visidex II blood glucose testing strips, particularly in the higher range, are not stable on short term storage. Dr Hutchison and Dr MacCuish's results appear to complement our study and show continuing problems of stability on long term storage. JOHN ANDERSON EVA KOHNER


In this research, several block copolymers were synthesized and characterized with regard to possible pharmaceutical applications. All block copolymers were thermosensitive and self-assembled at 37 °C into structures like micelles and hydrogels, which can be used for innovative drug delivery purposes. Some of the synthesized polymers were biohybrid, in the sense that they contained peptide segments which enabled their cleavage by enzymes that are upregulated in diseased tissues. First, methods were explored for the synthesis of polymer (bio)conjugates. One suitable and popular reaction for synthesizing such conjugates is the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition 'click' reaction. A novel method was developed to introduce a reactive azide functionality on polymers after their synthesis by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP). The newly developed reaction is catalyzed by the ATRP copper catalyst and can be followed by a 'click' conjugation reaction using again the same catalyst. Another, relatively new, method to synthesize polymer bioconjugates is to grow a polymer from a peptide or protein. In this research, a peptide containing an enzymatic cleavage site for the tumor-associated matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) 2 and 9 was functionalized at its C-terminus with an ATRP initiator, followed by the polymerization of a hydrophilic polymer block, poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether metharcrylate).Then, another ATRP initiator was conjugated to the N-terminus of the peptide followed by the polymerization of a thermosensitive block, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). At 37 °C in water, all polymers formed micelles with a favorable size for drug delivery purposes. It was shown that the coronas of the micelles could be cleaved off enzymatically. This system may function as a long-circulating drug delivery vehicle with enzyme-triggered destabilization in the target tissue to release e.g. a cytotoxic payload. Subsequently, a study of the physico-chemical differences between 'star-like' micelles and 'flower-like micelles' was performed. Star-like micelles are formed from amphiphilic diblock copolymers, whereas flower-like micelles are formed from triblock copolymers that consist of two hydrophobic blocks separated by a hydrophilic block. Both Static Light Scattering and 1H NMR T2 relaxation measurements indicated that hydrophilic polymer blocks in flower-like micelles are less flexible than in star-like micelles. The last part of this research focused on a particular property of flower-like micelles, namely the fact that at high concentration they are in equilibrium with a hydrogel. When a thermosensitive triblock copolymer hydrogel was brought into water, flower-like micelles were released. When the hydrogel was pre-loaded with the cytostatic drug paclitaxel, this was co-released with the micelles. The system was tested in a tumor xenograft mouse model: paclitaxel-loaded hydrogels were injected i.p., after which paclitaxel was slowly released and could be measured in the circulation for two days. Furthermore, the released paclitaxel was able to inhibit tumor growth for at least three weeks


We present the first Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) UV images of the well-known interacting group of galaxies, Stephan's Quintet (SQ). We detect widespread UV emission throughout the group. However, there is no consistent coincidence between UV structure and emission in the optical, Hα, or H I. Excluding the foreground galaxy NGC 7320 (Sd), most of the UV emission is found in regions associated with the two spiral members of the group, NGC 7319 and NGC 7318b, and the intragroup medium starburst SQ-A. The extinction-corrected UV data are analyzed to investigate the overall star formation activity in SQ. We find that the total star formation rate (SFR) of SQ is 6.69 ± 0.65 M☉ yr-1. Of this, 1.34 ± 0.16 M☉ yr-1 is due to SQ-A. This is in excellent agreement with that derived from the extinction-corrected Hα luminosity of SQ-A. The SFR in regions related to NGC 7319 is 1.98 ± 0.58 M☉ yr-1, most of which (68%) is contributed by the disk. The contribution from the "young tail" is only 15%. In the UV, the young tail is more extended (~100 kpc) and shows a looplike structure, including the optical tail, the extragalactic H II regions recently discovered in Hα, and other UV emission regions discovered for the first time. The UV and optical colors of the "old tail" are consistent with a single stellar population of age t ≃ 108.5±0.4 yr. The UV emission associated with NGC 7318b is found in a very large (~80 kpc) disk, with a net SFR of 3.37 ± 0.25 M☉ yr-1. Several large UV emission regions are 30-40 kpc away from the nucleus of NGC 7318b. Although both NGC 7319 and NGC 7318b show peculiar UV morphology, their SFR is consistent with that of normal Sbc galaxies, indicating that the strength of star formation activity is not enhanced by interactions.


There is a rich theory of so-called (strict) nearly Kähler manifolds, almostHermitian manifolds generalising the famous almost complex structure on the 6–sphere induced by octonionic multiplication. Nearly Kähler 6–manifolds play a distinguished role both in the general structure theory and also because of their connection with singular spaces with holonomy group the compact exceptional Lie group G2: the metric cone over a Riemannian 6–manifold M has holonomy contained in G2 if and only if M is a nearly Kähler 6–manifold. A central problem in the field has been the absence of any complete inhomogeneous examples. We prove the existence of the first complete inhomogeneous nearly Kähler 6–manifolds by proving the existence of at least one cohomogeneity one nearly Kähler structure on the 6– sphere and on the product of a pair of 3–spheres. We conjecture that these are the only simply connected (inhomogeneous) cohomogeneity one nearly Kähler structures in six dimensions.


Detailed stratigraphic data have been used to backstrip seven sections from the Carboniferous South Wales coal basin. Resulting tectonic subsidence curves for the interval 319–305 Ma (Namurian–Westphalian D) are convex‐up, indicating increasing subsidence rate with time, with rates between 130 and 250 m Ma−1, suggesting a foreland basin setting. Forward modelling of subsidence due to flexural loading in front of a propagating orogenic wedge shows that an orogenic load migrating in a north‐northeasterly direction across SW England between 319 and 305 Ma could have generated the backstripped subsidence patterns. Sensitivity tests show that while many of the forward model parameters are poorly constrained, and the model results non‐unique, backstripped subsidence patterns allow reasonable constraint on the different model cases, so that model predictions can be treated as one possibility in a limited range. The predicted load evolution is consistent with current knowledge of tectonic and stratigraphic features of SW England. These results suggest that subsidence in other Late Carboniferous UK basins may also have been influenced by flexure due to a propagating orogenic load.


Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes are important for many cellular functions but their prevalence has not been systematically investigated. We developed a proteome-wide fractionation-mass-spectrometry strategy called differential fractionation (DIF-FRAC) to discover RNP complexes by their sensitivity to RNase A treatment. Applying this to human cells reveals a set of 115 highly-stable endogenous RNPs, and a further 1,428 protein complexes whose subunits associate with RNA, thus indicating over 20% of all complexes are RNPs. We show RNP complexes either dissociate, change composition, or form stable protein-only complexes upon RNase A treatment, uncovering the biochemical role of RNA in complex formation. We combine these data into a resource, rna.MAP (rna.proteincomplexes.org), which demonstrates that well-studied complexes such as replication factor C (RFC) and centralspindlin exist as RNP complexes, providing new insight into their cellular functions. We apply our method to red blood cells and mouse embryonic stem cells to demonstrate its ability to identify cell-type specific roles for RNP complexes in diverse systems. Thus the methodology has the potential uncover RNP complexes in different human tissues, disease states and throughout all domains of life. Summary An exploration of human protein complexes in the presence and absence of RNA reveals endogenous ribonucleoprotein complexes


Accurate high‐resolution simulation of cloth is a highly desired computational tool in graphics applications. As single‐resolution simulation starts to reach the limit of computational power, we believe the future of cloth simulation is in multi‐resolution simulation. In this paper, we explore nonlinearity, adaptive smoothing, and parallelization under a full multigrid (FMG) framework. The foundation of this research is a novel nonlinear FMG method for unstructured meshes. To introduce nonlinearity into FMG, we propose to formulate the smoothing process at each resolution level as the computation of a search direction for the original high‐resolution nonlinear optimization problem. We prove that our nonlinear FMG is guaranteed to converge under various conditions and we investigate the improvements to its performance. We present an adaptive smoother which is used to reduce the computational cost in the regions with low residuals already. Compared to normal iterative solvers, our nonlinear FMG method provides faster convergence and better performance for both Newton's method and Projective Dynamics. Our experiment shows our method is efficient, accurate, stable against large time steps, and friendly with GPU parallelization. The performance of the method has a good scalability to the mesh resolution, and the method has good potential to be combined with multi‐resolution collision handling for real‐time simulation in the future.


Contrary to the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation of 10-15%, Canada's caesarean section (C-section) rate is presently greater than 27%, making it the most common surgical procedure performed each year (CIHI 2015b). This thesis seeks to establish a link between the risk discourses present in popular sources of pregnancy-related information and the alarming national C-section rate. This is achieved using a mixed methods approach. Data from the Maternity Experiences Survey (MES) is used to assess the sociodemographic context of C-section in Canada. This is followed by a qualitative description analysis of the risk discourses present in several popular sources of pregnancy-related information. Notably, findings suggest that the type of care provider and the type of birth have an impact of women's satisfaction with the information they received leading up to labour and delivery. The implications of these findings within the broader context of the Canadian maternity care culture are explored.


We investigate the initiation and early-stage propagation of an axi-symmetric hydraulic fracture from a wellbore drilled in the direction of the minimum principal stress in an elastic and impermeable formation. Such a configuration is akin to the case of a horizontal well and a hydraulic fracture transverse to the well axis in an open hole completion. In addition to the effect of the wellbore on the elasticity equation, the effect of the injection system compressi‐ bility is also taken into account. The formulation accounts for the strong coupling between the elasticity equation, the flow of the injected fluid within the newly created crack and the fracture propagation condition. Dimensional analysis of the problem reveals that three di‐ mensionless parameters control the entire problem: the ratio of the initial defect length over the wellbore radius, the ratio between the wellbore radius and a length-scale associated with the fluid stored by compressibility in the injection system during the well pressurization, and finally the ratio of the time-scale of transition from viscosity to toughness dominated propagation to the time-scale associated with compressibility effects. A fully coupled nu‐ merical solver is presented, and validated against solutions for a radial hydraulic fracture propagating in an infinite medium. The influence of the different parameters on the transi‐ tion from the near-wellbore to the case of a hydraulic fracture propagating in an infinite me‐ dium is fully discussed.


Context. The gravitational wave (GW) background in the range 0.01−30 mHz has been assumed to be dominated by unresolved radiation from double white dwarf binaries (DWDs). Recent investigations indicate that, at short periods, a number of DWDs should be resolvable sources of GW. Aims. We characterize the GW signal which would be detected by LISA from DWDs in the Galaxy. Methods. We have constructed a Galactic model in which we consider distinct contributions from the bulge, thin disc, thick disc, and halo, and subsequently executed a population synthesis approach to determine the birth rates, numbers, and period distributions of DWDs within each component. Results. In the Galaxy as a whole, our model predicts the current birth rate of DWDs to be 3.21 × 10 −2 yr −1 , the local density to be 2.2 ×10 −4 pc −3 and the total number to be 2.76 ×10 8 . Assuming SNIa are formed from the merger of two CO white dwarfs, the SNIa rate should be 0.0013 yr −1 . The frequency spectra of DWD strain amplitude and number distribution are presented as a function of galactic component, DWD type, formation channel, and metallicity. Conclusions. We confirm that CO+He and He+He white dwarf (WD) pairs should dominate the GW signal at very high frequencies (log f Hz −1 > −2.3), while CO+CO and ONeMg WD pairs have a dominant contribution at log f Hz −1 ≤− 2.3. Formation channels involving two common-envelope (CE) phases or a stable Roche lobe overflow phase followed by a CE phase dominate the production of DWDs detectable by LISA at log f Hz −1 > −4.5. DWDs with the shortest orbital periods will come from the CE+CE channel. The Exposed Core plus CE channel is a minor channel. A number of resolved DWDs would be detected, making up 0.012% of the total number of DWDs in the Galaxy. The majority of these would be CO+He and He+He pairs formed through the CE+CE channel.


AIMS AND BACKGROUND: K562 cells are growth factor independent and neither function as stem cells nor differentiate into functional end cells. They are blast cells. There is evidence that the constitutively expressed bcr-abl tyrosine kinase might be responsible for the maintenance of the blast state of CML cells. We have studied the effect of two tyrosine kinase inhibitors, quercetin and genistein, on K562 cells. METHODS: K562 cells were treated with quercetin/genistein for a period of 72 hrs and then subjected to staining for apoptosis and erythroid differentiation and Western blotting with c-abl and phosphotyrosine monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: The IC50 value was found to be 9.2 micrograms/ml for quercetin and 11.8 micrograms/ml for genistein. Quercetin-treated cells did not show any differentiation but showed 68% apoptosis as compared to 7% in control. Genistein-treated cells showed 16% apoptosis and 15% erythroid differentiation. Quercetin reduced the level of p210 by 74% and its phosphotyrosine content by 67.6%. Genistein reduced p210 by 77.8% and its phosphotyrosine content by 16%. CONCLUSION: Both quercetin and genistein are able to down-modulate the tyrosine kinase activity of p210 as well as bring about a decrease in the content of the protein with different effects: quercetin induced apoptosis while genistein brought about both differentiation and apoptosis.


Despite the widespread notion that animal-mediated seed dispersal led to the evolution of fruit traits that attract mutualistic frugivores, the dispersal syndrome hypothesis remains controversial, particularly for complex traits such as fruit scent. Here, we test this hypothesis in a community of mutualistic, ecologically important neotropical bats (Carollia spp.) and plants (Piper spp.) that communicate primarily via chemical signals. We found greater bat consumption is significantly associated with scent chemical diversity and presence of specific compounds, which fit multi-peak selective regime models in Piper. Through behavioural assays, we found Carollia prefer certain compounds, particularly 2-heptanol, which evolved as a unique feature of two Piper species highly consumed by these bats. Thus, we demonstrate that volatile compounds emitted by neotropical Piper fruits evolved in tandem with seed dispersal by scent-oriented Carollia bats. Specifically, fruit scent chemistry in some Piper species fits adaptive evolutionary scenarios consistent with a dispersal syndrome hypothesis. While other abiotic and biotic processes likely shaped the chemical composition of ripe fruit scent in Piper, our results provide some of the first evidence of the effect of bat frugivory on plant chemical diversity.


This article explores the various and important ways in which film stars can function within mother–daughter relations over the life cycle of their relationship. Drawing on detailed qualitative material from an interdisciplinary audience study of mothers' and daughters' shared relations to film stars, it demonstrates how a significant shift can be identified with regard to the kinds of roles that stars play in dyadic relations as a daughter experiences various developmental and transitional phases to adulthood. Necessitating an alternative approach to those previously employed within star and celebrity studies, the article takes a significant new perspective on the study of audiences for stars from the work of art anthropologist Alfred Gell and proposes a move away from semiotic, 'textualist' readings of stars towards an 'action'-centred exploration of the ways in which film stars are used and function in social interactions over the life cycle of personal relationships.


This study was carried out in a bus transportation company named "Ticket Center" in Delicias,Chihuahua, which offers services such as, sale of tickets to different destinations through the United States, consultancy for the laser visa process, transportation to the American consulate in Ciudad Juarez. The purpose was to implement the Moderniza quality program, which is supported by SECTUR (Ministry of Tourism in MA©xico), in order to introduce the company the process of formalization and professionalism to increase its performance and growth to the competitive market. To achieve the above was necessary a training course to employees which the purpose of learning more about the tools to focus a better performance, personally and collectively. In addition a Strategic Planning was conducted and declared the mission, values and quality policy. Other significant result is to establish the quality manual, necessary to obtain the accreditation known as the distinctive "M", which was submitted by the Secretary of commercial and tourist development of the Government of Chihuahua. Since its implementation it has a control of the goals and indicators which improve the performance of the company: profit increase, satisfaction of customers and productivity.


Ray tracing is a fast and effective general purpose method for propagating seismic waves through a geological model. According to Snell's law, rays bend relative to the gradient vector that is produced by the local velocity contrast. Velocity model smoothing allows for a more accurate computation of the gradient directions close to discontinuities in the velocity model. However, smoothing also changes the velocity gradient at points farther away from these boundaries. Care must be taken when smoothing a velocity model to ensure the rays refract in the right direction without changing the position of the reflector interface. We describe possible strategies to compute accurate gradient directions so as to minimize the need for velocity model smoothing. A simple, special purpose method for computing more accurate gradient vectors at a dipping interface while removing the artifacts produced by smoothing is presented.


Aims. We investigate the physical and morphological properties of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at redshift ~2.5 to ~3.5, to determine if and how they depend on the nature and strength of the Lyα emission. Methods. We selected U-dropout galaxies from the z-detected GOODS-MUSIC catalog by adapting the classical Lyman break criteria on the GOODS filter set. We kept only those galaxies with spectroscopic confirmation, mainly from VIMOS and FORS public observations. Using the full multi-wavelength 14-bands information (U to IRAC), we determined the physical properties of the galaxies through a standard spectral energy distribution fitting procedure with the updated Charlot & Bruzual (2009) templates. We also added other relevant observations of the GOODS field, i.e. the 24 μm observations from Spitzer/MIPS and the 2 MSec Chandra X-ray observations. Finally, using non parametric diagnostics (Gini, Concentration, Asymmetry, M 20 and ellipticity), we characterized the rest-frame UV morphologies of the galaxies. We then analyzed how these physical and morphological properties correlate with the presence of the Lyα emission line in the optical spectra. Results. We find that unlike at higher redshift, the dependence of physical properties on the Lyα line is milder: galaxies without Lyα in emission tend to be more massive and dustier than the rest of the sample, but all other parameters, ages, star formation rates (SFR), X-ray emission and UV morphology do not depend strongly on the presence of the Lyα emission. A simple scenario where all LBGs have intrinsically high Lyα emission, but where the dust and neutral hydrogen content (which shapes the final appearance of the Lyα) depend on the mass of the galaxies, is able to reproduce the majority of the observed properties at z ~ 3. Some modification might be needed to account for the observed evolution of these properties with cosmic epoch, which is also discussed.


Three-tiered kinase modules, such as the Raf-MEK-ERK mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, are widespread in biology suggesting that this structure conveys evolutionary advantageous properties. Here, we show that the three-tiered kinase amplifier module combined with negative feedback recapitulates the design principles of a negative feedback amplifier (NFA), which is used in electronic circuits to convey robustness, output stabilization, and linearization of nonlinear signal amplification. With mathematical modelling and experimental validation, we demonstrated that the ERK pathway has properties of a NFA that (i) converts intrinsic switch-like activation kinetics into graded linear responses; (ii) conveys robustness to changes in rates of reactions within the NFA module; and (iii) stabilizes outputs in response to drug-induced perturbations of the amplifier. These properties determine biological behavior, including activation kinetics and the response to drugs.


A study was conducted to compare the effects of an antibiotic growth promoter (flavomycin) and two herbal natural feed additives (garlic and thyme) with and without a xylanase-based enzyme complex in wheat-based diets on growth performance, carcass parameters, total plasma cholesterol concentration, intestinal traits and the dry matter content of excreta of broiler chickens. A total of 112 day-old male broiler chicks was randomly assigned to eight groups containing 14 chicks each and raised from 1 to 42 days of age. The control group received the wheat-soyabean meal basal diet. In the treatment groups the basal diet was supplemented with one of the following: an antibiotic, thyme, garlic, an enzyme, the antibiotic plus the enzyme, thyme plus the enzyme or garlic plus the enzyme. During the 42-d growth period there were no significant differences in body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of the broilers between dietary treatments. Feeding the diet supplemented with the antibiotic plus the enzyme significantly increased hot and cold carcass yields compared to the diets supplemented with thyme, garlic, enzyme and garlic plus enzyme. Total plasma cholesterol concentration, the dry matter content of excreta and the relative weights of the heart, pancreas, liver, gizzard and spleen were not significantly influenced by dietary treatments. The relative weight of the small intestines of the broilers receiving the diets supplemented with the antibiotic, antibiotic plus enzyme, thyme plus enzyme and garlic plus enzyme were significantly less than those of the broilers fed the basal diet and the diets supplemented with thyme, garlic and enzyme. The basal diet and garlic supplemented diet significantly increased the length of the small intestine compared to the other dietary treatments. Broilers receiving the diet supplemented with antibiotic had significantly lower total aerobic bacterial counts in the small intestines compared to those on the other dietary treatments. The combined supplementation of the antibiotic and enzyme resulted in a significantly lower E. coli concentration in the small intestines compared to the basal diet and the other dietary treatments.


A comprehensive review will be given about the rich mathematical structure of mean field spin glass theory, mostly developed, until now, in the frame of the methods of theoretical physics, based on deep physical intuition and hints coming from numerical simulation. Central to our treatment is a very simple and yet powerful interpolation method, allowing to compare different probabilistic schemes, by using convexity and positivity arguments. In this way we can prove the existence of the thermodynamic limit for the free energy density of the system, a long standing open problem. Moreover, in the frame of a generalized variational principle, we can show the emergency of the Derrida-Ruelle random probability cascades, leading to the form of free energy given by the celebrated Parisi Ansatz. All these results seem to be in full agreement with the mechanism of spontaneous replica symmetry breaking as developed by Giorgio Parisi.


The present paper deals with the effect of linearly temperature on transverse vibration of non-homogeneous orthotropic trapezoidal plate of parabolically varying thickness. The deflection function is defined by the product of the equations of the prescribed continuous piecewise boundary shape. The non homogeneity of the plate is characterized by taking linear variation of the Young's modulus and parabolically variation of the density of the material. The non homogeneity is assumed to arise due to the variation in the density of the plate material and it is taken as parabolically. Rayleigh Ritz method is used to evaluate the fundamental frequencies. The equations of motion, governing the transverse vibrations of orthotropic trapezoidal plates, are derived with boundary condition clamped-simply supported-clamped-simply supported. Frequencies corresponding to first two modes of vibration are calculated for the trapezoidal plate for various combinations of the parameters of the non-homogeneity, thermal gradient, taper constant and for different values of the aspect ratios and shown by figures. All The results presented here are entirely new and are not found elsewhere. Comparison can only be made for homogeneous plates, and in that cases the results have been compared with those found in the existing literatures and are in excellent agreement.


Iron deficiency anaemia is a global health concern affecting children, women and the elderly, whilst also being a common comorbidity in multiple medical conditions. The aetiology is variable and attributed to several risk factors decreasing iron intake and absorption or increasing demand and loss, with multiple aetiologies often coexisting in an individual patient. Although presenting symptoms may be nonspecific, there is emerging evidence on the detrimental effects of iron deficiency anaemia on clinical outcomes across several medical conditions. Increased awareness about the consequences and prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia can aid early detection and management. Diagnosis can be easily made by measurement of haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels, whilst in chronic inflammatory conditions, diagnosis may be more challenging and necessitates consideration of higher serum ferritin thresholds and evaluation of transferrin saturation. Oral and intravenous formulations of iron supplementation are available, and several patient and disease‐related factors need to be considered before management decisions are made. This review provides recent updates and guidance on the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency anaemia in multiple clinical settings.


The international community recognizes the rise in theft and illicit trafficking of nuclear materials and radioactive sources—for malicious use and nuclear terrorism—as a serious threat. That is why a well-developed nuclear forensics capability is an integral part of a robust nuclear security program and a key element of nuclear security infrastructure. Both pre- and post-detonation nuclear forensics are vital for controlling theft and illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, as well as identifying and tracing their sources. Nuclear forensics analysis and interpretation processes for nuclear security is a systematic process that includes: (1) sample collection and categorization techniques and (2) detailed nuclear forensics analytical plans, which are a laboratory analysis of physical and chemical properties of the collected or seized nuclear and radioactive materials. Besides nuclear materials, the non-nuclear and biological materials present in seized nuclear materials can also provide important information about the source and origin of nuclear materials. Upon complete analysis of the seized materials, the data interpretation to trace the origin of the nuclear and radiological materials is one of the most critical steps to identifying the origin of the materials, which depends on the availability of similar data to compare. So, each country should have its own incident register system (IRS) and collaborate with the International Technical Working Group (ITWG), Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB), and IAEA for data sharing and interpretation.


Humans turn abstract referents and discourse structures into gesture using metaphors. The semantic relation between abstract communicative intentions and their physical realization in gesture is a question that has not been fully addressed. Our hypothesis is that a limited set of primary metaphors and image schemas underlies a wide range of gestures. Our analysis of a video corpus supports this view: over 90% of the gestures in the corpus are structured by image schemas via a limited set of primary metaphors. This analysis informs the extension of a computational model that grounds various communicative intentions to a physical, embodied context, using those primary metaphors and image schemas. This model is used to generate gesture performances for virtual characters.


Bed bugs are ectoparasites of humans and require a blood meal for their growth and reproduction. Since humans consume Ibuprofen as pain medication and drink coffee (caffeine), bed bugs are likely to acquire these drugs through blood feeding. In this study, we determined the biological effects of Ibuprofen and caffeine on bed bug feeding, fecundity and egg hatch. Five concentrations of Ibuprofen and caffeine were incorporated into reconstituted human blood (RHB). Control treatment had no Ibuprofen or caffeine. Each treatment had six replications. Groups of 20 adult bed bugs (10 males: 10 females)/treatment/replication were pre-weighed, allowed to feed for 45 minutes, and then reweighed. After feeding, bed bugs were transferred into a glass jar equipped with harborage and all the jars were placed in an environmental chamber undisturbed for three 7-day intervals to determine fecundity and nymph emergence. Ibuprofen data showed that the mean mass of the 20 adult bed bugs increased by 0.1074 g (125.65%) in the control but by 0.1336 g (157.30%) at 200 ppm after feeding. After 7 days, 306 and 146 eggs were laid by the 60 female bed bugs fed on 0 and 200 ppm Ibuprofen, respectively. After 2 weeks, 94% eggs hatched with no significant differences amongst treatments. In the caffeine experiments, the bed bug mean mass increases were 0.1219 g (163.90%) in control and 0.0790 g (104.62%) at 50 ppm caffeine. After 7 days, 264 eggs were laid by 60 female bed bugs in control but only 81 eggs were laid at the 50 ppm. Nymph emergence was >80% for all caffeine concentrations after 2 weeks. These results demonstrated that increasing Ibuprofen concentrations had positive effects on mass gain but negative effects on egg laying capacity of bed bugs. Caffeine concentrations had negative effects on bed bug feeding, fecundity and egg hatch.