Academic literature on the topic 'Use Case Backbone'

The clinical case of the patient after operational treatment of a backbone and a rehabilitation course in the conditions of a day hospital is described. For assessment of efficiency of the held events pain scales YOURS, Rivermead Motor Assessment Scale were used. The program of a rehabilitation for by classical techniques of treatment included reflexotherapy methods with pharmakopunktura, trainings on the system of "Ekzart", electrostimulation. The patient received 2 rehabilitation courses: in 3 and 5 months after operational treatment, as a result of the executed treatment, at the patient at control survey from the moment of the beginning of therapy reduction of a pain syndrome, increase in independent daily activity, increase in insistence, normalization of indicators of the mental status is noted. The first rehabilitation course allowed to adapt the patient to house conditions, and returned her a possibility of partial self-service. The second year of rehabilitation set the reached effect and allowed the patient to move independently out of the room that significantly increased her standard of living. On the term of 4 months after an operative measure on a backbone at the patient the pain syndrome and restriction of life activity remained. The held complex of rehabilitation actions after backbone operation significantly improved indicators of quality of life and functional independence of rather initial level that speaks about its efficiency in ensuring earlier social reintegration of the patient.

Introduction. New questions of indications and methods of surgical treatment of children with congenital spinal deformity are covered in detail. However, straightening deformed segment of the spine and fixing with metal construction is not sufficient, and conditions for its retention and prevention of migration must be created. The expediency of the study is relevant because of lack of systematic review of the results of orthotic support as complex treatment of this group of patients, both in Russia and abroad. The problems faced by vertebral surgeons are the following: the tendency of deformation relapse as the child grows, tendency of deformation of unfixed (lower and upper) segments of the vertebral column. Clinical case. For observation, we selected an 11-year-old patient. The diagnosis was congenital scoliosis on posterolateral hemivertebra Th4, dysplastic course of congenital spinal deformity. The surgical treatment performed was extirpation of hemivertebra Th4(S) and the correction of local congenital deformity with multicore corrective system in combination with bone grafting. We achieved complete correction of congenital local curve at the level of the posterior lateral hemivertebra and reduction of compensatory curves in the thoracic and lumbar spine. In the postoperative period, the patient was provided with corrective brace, with the aim of influencing on the compensatory curve. Discussion. This clinical observation aimed to determine the different approaches to treatment of children with congenital deformities of the thoracic spine, which consists of surgical correction of local congenital curvature curve with subsequent correction of compensatory curves by using a correcting brace. Conclusion. As a result of the surgical intervention, correction of congenital spinal deformity was achieved, and the use of a corrective brace in the postoperative period allowed the correction of compensatory curves and maintained the achieved result until the end of the patient’s growth.

Control-based continuation (CBC) is a means of applying numerical continuation directly to a physical experiment for bifurcation analysis without the use of a mathematical model. CBC enables the detection and tracking of bifurcations directly, without the need for a post-processing stage as is often the case for more traditional experimental approaches. In this paper, we use CBC to directly locate limit-point bifurcations of a periodically forced oscillator and track them as forcing parameters are varied. Backbone curves, which capture the overall frequency-amplitude dependence of the system’s forced response, are also traced out directly. The proposed method is demonstrated on a single-degree-of-freedom mechanical system with a nonlinear stiffness characteristic. Results are presented for two configurations of the nonlinearity — one where it exhibits a hardening stiffness characteristic and one where it exhibits softening-hardening.

The satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) needs a clear view of sky for determining a geodetic position and hence it is particularly suitable in overall projects of open-pit recovery and landscape restoration. The purpose of such measurements is to make highly accurate topographic maps thus forming the backbone of a project. In the work presented here geodetic measurements are combined with advanced visualisation techniques and GIS applications in a possible recovery plan of the abandoned excavations of Bonucoro in the mining district of Orani, central Sardinia, Italy. Considering the naturalistic and geographic settings of the mining area and its surroundings, a few proposals concerning the re-utilisation of these excavations are presented. The preparatory work consisted of the area characterisation by carrying out a topographic survey followed by a geodetic control network establishment by the GPS to describe the morphological features of the landscape and for the subsequent three-dimensional analysis and geoprocessing. The final step involved the use of VueInfinite, a computer program capable to integrate graphical data with geological and morphological attributes. It was also able to create a virtual 3D scene of a present, past, or future landscape required for visual impact assessment.

AbstractDespite harsh climate, agriculture on the northern margins of Russia still remains the backbone of food security. Historically, in both regions studied in this article – the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – agricultural activities as dairy farming and even cropping were well adapted to local conditions including traditional activities such as horse breeding typical for Yakutia. Using three different sources of information – official statistics, expert interviews, and field observations – allowed us to draw a conclusion that there are both similarities and differences in agricultural development and land use of these two studied regions. The differences arise from agro-climate conditions, settlement history, specialization, and spatial pattern of economy. In both regions, farming is concentrated within the areas with most suitable natural conditions. Yet, even there, agricultural land use is shrinking, especially in Karelia. Both regions are prone to being affected by seasonality, but vary in the degree of its influence. Geographical location plays special role, and weaknesses caused by remoteness to some extent become advantage as in Yakutia. Proximity effect is controversial. In Karelia, impact of neighboring Finland is insignificant compared with the nearby second Russian city – Saint Petersburg.

Polymers constitute a group of materials having a wide-ranging impact on modern pharmaceutical technology. Polymeric components provide the foundation for the advancement of novel drug delivery platforms, inter alia orodispersible films. Orodispersible films are thin, polymeric scraps intended to dissolve quickly when put on the tongue, allowing them to be easily swallowed without the necessity of drinking water, thus eliminating the risk of choking, which is of great importance in the case of pediatric and geriatric patients. Polymers are essential excipients in designing orodispersible films, as they constitute the backbone of these drug dosage form. The type of polymer is of significant importance in obtaining the formulation of the desired quality. The polymers employed to produce orodispersible films must meet particular requirements due to their oral administration and have to provide adequate surface texture, film thickness, mechanical attributes, tensile and folding strength as well as relevant disintegration time and drug release to obtain the final product characterized by optimal pharmaceutical features. A variety of natural and synthetic polymers currently utilized in manufacturing of orodispersible films might be used alone or in a blend. The goal of the present manuscript was to present a review about polymers utilized in designing oral-dissolving films.

Buildings in coastal cities are susceptible to chloride ion attack and the seismic performance of these buildings can be impaired due to corrosion of reinforcements. In this study, a regional seismic damage simulation method that considers the influence of corrosion-induced seismic performance degradation is proposed. Firstly, the framework of the method is introduced, and the simulation process is presented. Secondly, experimental data of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) components are collected to obtain the reduction rules of component level backbone curve parameters (i.e., initial stiffness, peak carrying capacity, peak displacement, and ultimate carrying capacity). Afterwards, pushover analyses of typical RC frames in different corrosion conditions (i.e., degree of corrosion of components and proportion of corroded components) are conducted to acquire the reduction rules of interstory backbone curve parameters of corroded RC frame structures. Finally, RC frame structures, in Shenzhen city, are simulated using different corrosion scenarios. Simulated results indicate that some buildings along the coastline are affected by airborne chloride-induced corrosion and severe seismic damage can be observed. Moreover, some buildings that are far from the coastline can also experience severe seismic damage due to irregular use of sea sand as constructional material. The proposed method can be used to simulate the seismic performance of corroded RC structures and the outcomes of this study are expected to provide a useful reference for the seismic risk management of coastal cities.

We evaluated the performance of an experimental teleradiology system based on a high-speed ATM backbone network. Image acquisition, transmission and the disk-to-display processing times were measured. Computerized tomography CT scans printed on 14inch x 17inch (36cm x 43cm) films were digitized and transferred over the network. The average time for the entire process was 1 min 30 s. Three radiologists interpreted 20 cases. For CT image interpretation, the reading time for one case ranged from 2 to 12 min mean 6 min 46 s on a monitor, and from 1 to 3 min mean 1 min 31 s with the original film. The ATM backbone network operating at 156 Mbit/s provided sufficient speed for remote consultation. However, further improvements in the operability of the system, especially the image viewing station, are necessary before it will be satisfactory for clinical use.

Higher education forms the backbone of any country's economic performance and sustainable development, university institutions in Iraq tried to adopt university quality improvement systems at the forefront of these systems is the international standard (ISO9001) with its various versions, and quality assurance system in higher education according the standards of the of association of Arab Universities, and Iraqi standards, However, the picture was not completed due to the circumstances that faced the development movement for higher education in Iraq, Therefore, it has become necessary for research and studies to be directed towards activating methods of improving university quality, and searching for the most important tools that contribute to implementing this improvement successfully,, That improving the performance of university education in general depends on the level of performance of the comprehensive university educational process, and Good selection and use of tools to improve their quality, On this basis, the main objective of the research was (improving the performance of the comprehensive university educational process in Iraqi colleges using: cause-and-effect analysis technique), Whereas private colleges (the private sector) are more in need of such improvement, so a sample of private colleges in Basra is chosen as an area of study, For this reason, a sample of private colleges in Basra was chosen as a field of study, the research problem was summarized by bellow question: (to what extent can cause and effect analysis be used to determine the fundamental causes affecting the overall university educational process, and improve its performance in private colleges? Whereas the sample of the study is one college (Alknooz university college), So use the deductive approach which depend on (Analysis, discussion and logical reasoning) in its theoretical aspect), and the case study approach in the field study side, The literature of the university educational process was used to collect theoretical information, And developed a special checklist to collect field data related to the evaluation of the causes of the problem, the research reached a set of results, the most important of which is to identify the most fundamental reasons for the problem of improving the educational process in all private colleges in Basra.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare cause of chronic liver disease. The backbone of treatment is immunosuppressive medication, typically prednisolone as induction therapy and azathioprine as a maintenance therapy. Side effects of the long-term use of systemic corticosteroids are well known and have led to the use of alternative induction regimens. An attractive alternative is budesonide, a nonhalogenated glucocorticosteroid characterized by a high first-pass effect in the liver (90%), resulting in a high topical anti-inflammatory activity and a low systemic activity. It should be stressed that budesonide is contraindicated in patients with established cirrhosis with portal hypertension and portocaval shunting. In this case report, we present the first case of adrenal insufficiency following treatment with budesonide for AIH.

Doutoramento em Bioquímica
Os polissacarídeos são os componentes maioritários dos grãos de café verde e torrado e da bebida de café. Os mais abundantes são as galactomananas, seguindo-se as arabinogalactanas. Durante o processo de torra, as galactomananas e arabinogalactanas sofrem modificações estruturais, as quais estão longe de estar completamente elucidadas devido à sua diversidade e à complexidade estrutural dos compostos formados. Durante o processo de torra, as galactomananas e arabinogalactanas reagem com proteínas, ácidos clorogénicos e sacarose, originando compostos castanhos de alto peso molecular contendo nitrogénio, designados de melanoidinas. As melanoidinas do café apresentam diversas atividades biológicas e efeitos benéficos para a saúde. No entanto, a sua estrutura exata e os mecanismos envolvidos na sua formação permanecem desconhecidos, bem como a relação estrutura-atividade biológica. A utilização de sistemas modelo e a análise por espectrometria de massa permitem obter uma visão global e, simultaneamente, detalhada das modificações estruturais nos polissacarídeos do café promovidas pela torra, contribuindo para a elucidação das estruturas e mecanismos de formação das melanoidinas. Com base nesta tese, oligossacarídeos estruturalmente relacionados com a cadeia principal das galactomananas, (β1→4)-Dmanotriose (Man3), e as cadeias laterais das arabinogalactanas, (α1→5)-Larabinotriose (Ara3), isoladamente ou em misturas com ácido 5-Ocafeoilquínico (5-CQA), o ácido clorogénico mais abundante nos grãos de café verde, e péptidos compostos por tirosina e leucina, usados como modelos das proteínas, foram sujeitos a tratamento térmico a seco, mimetizando o processo de torra. A oxidação induzida por radicais hidroxilo (HO•) foi também estudada, uma vez que estes radicais parecem estar envolvidos na modificação dos polissacarídeos durante a torra. A identificação das modificações estruturais induzidas por tratamento térmico e oxidativo dos compostos modelo foi feita por estratégias analíticas baseadas principalmente em espectrometria de massa, mas também em cromatografia líquida. A cromatografia de gás foi usada na análise de açúcares neutros e ligações glicosídicas. Para validar as conclusões obtidas com os compostos modelo, foram também analisadas amostras de polissacarídeos do café obtidas a partir de resíduo de café e café instantâneo. Os resultados obtidos a partir dos oligossacarídeos modelo quando submetidos a tratamento térmico (seco), assim como à oxidação induzida por HO• (em solução), indicam a ocorrência de despolimerização, o que está de acordo com estudos anteriores que reportam a despolimerização das galactomananas e arabinogalactanas do café durante a torra. Foram ainda identificados outros compostos resultantes da quebra do anel de açúcares formados durante o tratamento térmico e oxidativo da Ara3. Por outro lado, o tratamento térmico a seco dos oligossacarídeos modelo (individualmente ou quando misturados) promoveu a formação de oligossacarídeos com um maior grau de polimerização, e também polissacarídeos com novos tipos de ligações glicosídicas, evidenciando a ocorrência de polimerização através reações de transglicosilação não enzimática induzidas por tratamento térmico a seco. As reações de transglicosilação induzidas por tratamento térmico a seco podem ocorrer entre resíduos de açúcares provenientes da mesma origem, mas também de origens diferentes com formação de estruturas híbridas, contendo arabinose e manose como observado nos casos dos compostos modelo usados. Os resultados obtidos a partir de amostras do resíduo de café e de café instantâneo sugerem a presença de polissacarídeos híbridos nestas amostras de café processado, corroborando a ocorrência de transglicosilação durante o processo de torra. Além disso, o estudo de misturas contendo diferentes proporções de cada oligossacarídeo modelo, mimetizando regiões do grão de café com composição distinta em polissacarídeos, sujeitos a diferentes períodos de tratamento térmico, permitiu inferir que diferentes estruturas híbridas e não híbridas podem ser formadas a partir das arabinogalactanas e galactomananas, dependendo da sua distribuição nas paredes celulares do grão e das condições de torra. Estes resultados podem explicar a heterogeneidade de estruturas de melanoidinas formadas durante a torra do café. Os resultados obtidos a partir de misturas modelo contendo um oligossacarídeo (Ara3 ou Man3) e 5-CQA sujeitas a tratamento térmico a seco, assim como de amostras provenientes do resíduo de café, mostraram a formação de compostos híbridos compostos por moléculas de CQA ligadas covalentemente a um número variável de resíduos de açúcar. Além disso, os resultados obtidos a partir da mistura contendo Man3 e 5-CQA mostraram que o CQA atua como catalisador das reações de transglicosilação. Por outro lado, nas misturas modelo contendo um péptido, mesmo contendo também 5-CQA e sujeitas ao mesmo tratamento, observou-se uma diminuição na extensão das reações transglicosilação. Este resultado pode explicar a baixa extensão das reações de transglicosilação não enzimáticas durante a torra nas regiões do grão de café mais ricas em proteínas, apesar dos polissacarídeos serem os componentes maioritários dos grãos de café. A diminuição das reações de transglicosilação na presença de péptidos/proteínas pode dever-se ao facto de os resíduos de açúcares redutores reagirem preferencialmente com os grupos amina de péptidos/proteínas por reação de Maillard, diminuindo o número de resíduos de açúcares redutores disponíveis para as reações de transglicosilação. Além dos compostos já descritos, uma diversidade de outros compostos foram formados a partir dos sistemas modelo, nomeadamente derivados de desidratação formados durante o tratamento térmico a seco. Em conclusão, a tipificação das modificações estruturais promovidas pela torra nos polissacarídeos do café abre o caminho para a compreensão dos mecanismos de formação das melanoidinas e da relação estrutura-atividade destes compostos.
Polysaccharides are the major components of green and roasted coffee beans, and coffee brew. The most abundant ones are galactomannans, followed by arabinogalactans. During the roasting process, galactomannans and arabinogalactans undergo structural modifications that are far to be completely elucidated due to their diversity and complexity of the compounds formed. During the roasting process, galactomannans and arabinogalactans react with proteins, chlorogenic acids, and sucrose, originating high molecular weight brown compounds containing nitrogen, known as melanoidins. Several biological activities and beneficial health effects have been attributed to coffee melanoidins. However, their exact structures and the mechanisms involved in their formation remain unknown, as well as the structure-biological activity relationship. The use of model systems and mass spectrometry analysis allow to obtain an overall view and, simultaneously, detailed, of the structural modifications in coffee polysaccharides promoted by roasting, contributing to the elucidation of the structures and formation mechanisms of melanoidins. Based on this thesis, oligosaccharides structurally related to the backbone of galactomannans, (β1→4)-D-mannotriose, and the side chains of arabinogalactans, (α1→5)-Larabinotriose, alone or in mixtures with 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, the most abundant chlorogenic acid in green coffee beans, and dipeptides composed by tyrosine and leucine, used as models of proteins, were submitted to dry thermal treatments, mimicking the coffee roasting process. The oxidation induced by hydroxyl radicals (HO•) was also studied, since these radicals seem to be involved in the modification of the polysaccharides during roasting. The identification of the structural modifications induced by thermal and oxidative treatment of the model compounds was performed mostly by mass spectrometry-based analytical strategies, but also using liquid chromatography. Gas chromatography was used in the analysis of neutral sugars and glycosidic linkages. To validate the conclusions achieved with the model compounds, coffee polysaccharide samples obtained from spent coffee grounds and instant coffee were also analysed. The results obtained from the model oligosaccharides when submitted to thermal treatment (dry) or oxidation induced by HO• (in solution) indicate the occurrence of depolymerization, which is in line with previous studies reporting the depolymerization of coffee galactomannans and arabinogalactans during roasting. Compounds resulting from sugar ring cleavage were also formed during thermal treatment and oxidative treatment of Ara3. On the other hand, the dry thermal treatment of the model oligosaccharides (alone or when mixed) promoted the formation of oligosaccharides with a higher degree of polymerization, and also polysaccharides with new type of glycosidic linkages, evidencing the occurrence of polymerization via non-enzymatic transglycosylation reactions induced by dry thermal treatment. The transglycosylation reactions induced by dry thermal treatment can occur between sugar residues from the same origin, but also of different origins, with formation of hybrid structures, containing arabinose and mannose in the case of the model compounds used. The results obtained from spent coffee grounds and instant coffee samples suggest the presence of hybrid polysaccharides in these processed coffee samples, corroborating the occurrence of transglycosylation during the roasting process. Furthermore, the study of mixtures containing different proportions of each model oligosaccharide, mimicking coffee bean regions with distinct polysaccharide composition, subjected to different periods of thermal treatment, allowed to infer that different hybrid and non-hybrid structures may be formed from arabinogalactans and galactomannans, depending on their distribution in the bean cell walls and on roasting conditions. These results may explain the heterogeneity of melanoidins structures formed during coffee roasting. The results obtained from model mixtures containing an oligosaccharide (Ara3 or Man3) and 5-CQA and subjected to dry thermal treatment, as well as samples derived from spent coffee grounds, showed the formation of hybrid compounds composed by CQA molecules covalently linked to a variable number of sugar residues. Moreover, the results obtained from the mixture containing Man3 and 5-CQA showed that CQA acts as catalyst of transglycosylation reactions. On the other hand, in the model mixtures containing a peptide, even if containing 5-CQA and subjected to the same treatment, it was observed a decrease in the extent of transglycosylation reactions. This outcome can explain the low extent of non-enzymatic transglycosylation reactions during roasting in coffee bean regions enriched in proteins, although polysaccharides are the major components of the coffee beans. The decrease of transglycosylation reactions in the presence of peptides/proteins can be related with the preferential reactivity of reducing residues with the amino groups of peptides/proteins by Maillard reaction, decreasing the number of reducing residues available to be directly involved in the transglycosylation reactions. In addition to the compounds already described, a diversity of other compounds were formed from model systems, namely dehydrated derivatives formed during dry thermal treatment. In conclusion, the identification of the structural modifications in coffee polysaccharides promoted by roasting pave the way to the understanding of the mechanisms of formation of melanoidins and structure-activity relationship of these compounds.

A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is the most widely used method whereby information systems interact with users. According to ACM Computing Surveys, on average, more than 45% of software code in a software application is dedicated to the GUI. However, GUI testing is extremely expensive. In unit testing, 10,000 cases can often be automatically tested within a minute whereas, in GUI testing, 10,000 simple GUI test cases need more than 10 hours to complete. This thesis effectively addresses the challenges of existing GUI testing methods and provides a unified solution to GUI testing automation. The three main contributions of this thesis are the proposal of the Graphic User Interface Testing Automation Model (GUITAM), the development of GUI Defect Classification and the proposal of the Long Use Case Closure Envelope Model.

Volume 10, Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry, a posthumous publication of twenty-one case histories of children and adolescents taken over a ten-year period, is introduced by the Florentine analyst and child and adolescent psychiatrist, Marco Armellini. It concerns the application of psychoanalysis to child psychiatry. The technique in these reported cases usually takes the form of what Winnicott describes as the Squiggle Game. Winnicott states that what happens in the game and in the whole interview depends on the use made of the child’s experience, including the material that presents itself. In these consultations, unlike what happens in ongoing intensive analytic cases, interpretation of the unconscious is not the main feature. The backbone of all the work described here is the theory of the emotional development of the individual.

This chapter focuses on the US intervention in Nicaragua from 1981 to 1988, as a contribution to the state practice on the law on the use of force and the right to self-defence under both UN Charter and customary law. After an overview of the background of the so-called ‘contra war’ and of the salient facts regarding the US intervention in that conflict, it discusses the positions of the two parties on the facts and law, and takes note of the reaction of the international community, focusing on the debates at the UN. The next section focuses on the legality of the operation; the ICJ’s holdings in its 1986 Nicaragua judgment form the backbone of that discussion, while taking note of dissent and comment both inside and outside the Court. The contribution concludes by discussing the precedential value and effect of this conflict, and of the ICJ case.

Unambiguous and homogeneous geodetic reference frames are essential to the proper determination of locations and heights. The reference frames used in the Netherlands are the Rijksdriehoekmeting (RD) for locations and the Normaal Amsterdamse Peil (NAP) for heights. The RD has traditionally been managed by the Kadaster; the NAP by Rijkswaterstaat. The emergence of satellite positioning has resulted in drastic changes to these geodetic reference frames. A surveyor is now offered one instrument, GPS (the Global Positioning System), capable of the simultaneous determination of locations and heights. This is possible by virtue of one three-dimensional geodetic reference system - the European Terrestrial Reference System (ETRS89) - which in the Netherlands is maintained in a collaborative arrangement between the Kadaster and Rijkswaterstaat. GPS has been advanced as a practical measurement technique by linking the definition of the RD grid to ETRS89. Nevertheless the introduction of GPS also revealed distortions in the RD grid, which are modelled in the RDNAPTRANSTM2004 transformation. Furthermore, the use of the geoid model has become essential to the use of GPS in determining the height in comparison to NAP. Subsidence that has disrupted the backbone of the NAP gave cause to the need for a large-scale adjustment of the heights of the underground benchmarks and, in so doing, of the grid. Consequently new NAP heights have been introduced at the beginning of 2005; a new definition of the RD grid that had already been introduced in 2000 was once again modified in 2004. During the past few years two NCG subcommissions have devoted a great deal of time to these modifications. This publication lays down ETRS89, the RD and the NAP, together with their mutual relationships. In addition to reviewing the history of the reference frames and the manner in which they are maintained (including, for example, the use of AGRS.NL as the basis for the Dutch geometric infrastructure), the publication also discusses the status of the frames as at 1 January 2005. This encompasses the realisation of ETRS89 via AGRS.NL, the revision and new definition of the RD grid in 2004, and the new NAP publication in 2005. The publication also describes the mutual relationships between the frames in the modernized RDNAPTRANSTM2004 transformation consisting of the new NLGEO2004 geoid model and a model for the distortions of the RD grid. In conclusion, the publication also devotes attention to the future maintenance of the ETRS89, RD and NAP. The continuity of the link between the traditional frames and the three-dimensional frames is of great importance, and ETRS89 will continue to fulfil this linking role. The GPS base network and AGRS.NL reference stations will increasingly assume the leading role in the maintenance of the RD frame. The maintenance of the NAP will continue to be necessary, although during the coming decades the the primary heights will not need revision. In so doing the high quality of the geodetic reference frames required for their use in actual practice will continue to be guaranteed.

AbstractFolk names that form the backbone of folk biological classifications are coined using traditional knowledge and linguistic mechanisms. In the process, traditional knowledge on the salient characteristics of the denoted taxa gets encoded in their respective names. In this chapter, we present 132 folk names used by the Vaie community of Sarawak, Malaysia to denote the fish known to them. Based on the apparency of traditional knowledge encoded by these names, we classify them into barefaced and cryptic. We found 61 Vaie fish names encoding traditional knowledge related to ecology, morphology, quality, and utility values of the respective taxa. Of these, 21 names were found to be cryptic (metaphors—11; metonyms—10), and the rest barefaced. Cryptic names such as metonyms and metaphors often encode traditional knowledge that spans beyond the taxon denoted. Folk names encoding traditional knowledge are indicative of the larger body of traditional knowledge held by local communities.

AbstractThe treatment of locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA-HNSCC) is reviewed, highlighting the milestones in systemic therapy in that setting, with focus on the role of induction chemotherapy (ICT). The road to what is now considered the standard ICT regimen, i.e. the TPF (docetaxel/cisplatin/5-FU) regimen is described, and the differences between the European and the American TPF are discussed. The article describes the respective roles of ICT for larynx preservation, for treatment intensification, its role in patients with borderline resectable or unresectable oral cavity cancer, its role as a selection tool for radiotherapy dose de-escalation in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) and its potential future role in strategies aiming at synchronous oligometastatic disease.ICT has an established role for organ preservation in advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer and the TPF regimen has been validated in that setting. This approach is presently being compared in a randomized controlled trial to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), which in many parts of the world is considered the standard organ preservation procedure. There remains uncertainty about the benefit of the sequential approach of ICT followed by CCRT, despite the fact that ICT significantly reduces the occurrence of distant metastases. It is advised that future studies should include patients who have the highest risk to develop distant metastases, in particular patients with low neck nodes and matted nodes. Moreover, further studies in patients with HPV-associated OPSCC at risk for distant failure (T4 or N3 disease) should be considered for that also. These approaches still need to be confirmed in adequately sized randomized controlled trials. Outside clinical trials, the utility of ICT is restricted to uniquely pragmatic clinical scenarios, such as unavoidable delay in radiation or in the situation that RT is not tolerated or feasible. This can happen when there is severe pain from advanced disease or there is impending airway compromise or neurologic dysfunction that necessitates rapid initiation of treatment. In all those circumstances whether within the context of trials or outside trials, it is imperative that the present backbone of ICT, the TPF regimen, is being administered by experienced oncologists, familiar with the necessary protocols and supportive care requirements to ensure patient safety and maximize adherence throughout the treatment.Future areas of research are the role of ICT in strategies whereby ICT is combined with upfront metastases-directed treatments and the usefulness of targeted agents or immune checkpoint inhibitors in the induction setting. Studies in that direction have already started. Finally, the application of radiographic, proteomic and genomic biomarkers will get attention to further define prognostic groups and guide treatment selection with greater precision.

The backbone of every research project is the collection of data that a researcher has identified as worthy of analysis. Interviews, survey questionnaires, publically available information and audio-visual material are all potential sources of data to a researcher. However, collecting data can be a daunting experience, either because you have too little data or because what looked like a rich dataset has turned into a nightmarish sense of data-overload. It is therefore helpful to spend time thinking about where you will look for data. Evaluating data sources will save valuable time and resources but also tends to lead to better analysis and more robust results. What constitutes good practice when collecting data is very much dependent on the research tradition within which your project is placed. How do different research traditions define and use data? For those scholars whose work you are engaging with closely, where did they source data? The chapter will help you evaluate data quality, consider ways in which different sources of data be combined and will provide practical advice on data collection. Additionally, a great part of this chapter is dedicated to case studies as an example of a methodology that can be based on different types of data. By following the advice offered here, you will be able to collect data that are relevant to your research methodology and build high quality insights.

Machine learning (ML) is prevalent across the globe and applied in almost all domains. This chapter focuses on implementation of ML with real-time use cases. Day-to-day activities are automated to ease the task and increase the quality of decision. ML is the backbone of the perfect decision support system with a plethora of applications. The use case described in this chapter is ML & Security, which is implemented in R Script. Adversaries took advantages of ML to avoid detection and evade defenses. Network intrusion detection system (IDS) is the major issue nowadays. Its primary task is to collect relevant features from the computer network. These selected features can be fed into the ML algorithms to predict the label. The challenge in this use case is what type of feature to consider for intrusion and anomaly detection (AD). This chapter focuses on end-to-end process to get insight into the stream of data from the network connection with priority given to forecasting mechanism and prediction of the future. Forecasting is applied to the time series data to get sensible decisions.

The Arab Republic of Egypt has a long history of battling jihadism in the region, and as such presents an interesting case study of counter-terrorism (CT) practices in a non-Western setting. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that reduces the Egyptian state's response to the indiscriminate use of repressive measures, the current case study offers a more nuanced analysis of Egyptian state responses to terrorism that spans the country's history since its independence. Despite repressive measures constituting the backbone of Egyptian state responses to terrorism, their use is much more strategic than is often implied in the literature. As this chapter will demonstrate, a comprehensive CT approach including select soft measures does exist in Egypt, albeit with the goal of maintaining regime interests, as opposed to necessarily eliminating the phenomenon. On the contrary, the analysis that follows suggests that regime longevity is highly dependent on the existence of an extremist opposition, and that a strategy of extremism in moderation is perhaps the most prominent, underlying strategic trend that has emerged from Egyptian CT state practices over the past six decades.

The malware can threaten personal privacy by opening backdoors for attackers to access user passwords, IP addresses, banking information, and other personal data, whilst some malware extracts personal data and sends them to people unknown to the users. In this chapter, the authors will present recent case studies and discuss the privacy and security threats associated with different types of malwares. The small medium enterprises (SMEs) have a unique working model forming the backbone of the UK economy and malware affects SMEs’ organizations. Also, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as both an offense and defense mechanism, for the hacker, and the end user will be investigated further. In conclusion, finding a balance between IT expertise and the costs of products that are able to help SMEs protect and secure their data will benefit the SMEs by using a more intelligent controlled environment with applied machine learning techniques and not compromising on costs will be discussed.

To compete successfully in today’s retail business arena, senior management are often demanding fast and responsive Information Systems that enable the company not only to manage its operations but to provide on-the-fly performance measurement through a variety of tools. Use of (ERP) systems have been slow in responding to these needs, despite the wealth of the internally generated business databases and reports as a consequence of functional integration. The specific nature and demands by those senior management staff require the congregation of many external data elements and use data mining techniques to provide fast discovery of performance slippages or changes in the business environment. Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (BI) applications, evolved during the past few decades, have been implemented to respond to these needs. In this case write-up, we present how the ERP system was utilized as the backbone for use by BI tools and systems to provide Sales and Marketing units in a transnational company subsidiary in Egypt to actively respond to the demands for agile information services. The Egypt subsidiary is the HQ of the African region’s operations of several franchises and distributers of the company products, in addition to operating a beverage concentrate manufacturing plant in Egypt, which services the entire region’s beverage products needs.

Machine intelligence is a backbone of self-driving automotive (SDA) systems. Presently, ResNet, DenseNet, and ShuffleNet V2 are excellent convolution choices, whereas object detection focuses on YOLO and F-RCNN design. This study discovers the uniqueness of methods and argues the suitability of using each design in SDA technology. Real-time object detection is imperative in SDA technology, for CNN, as well as to object detection algorithms, an architecture that is a balance between speed and accuracy is important. The most favorable architecture in the scope of this case study would be ShuffleNetV2 and YOLO since both are networks that prioritize speed. But the drawback of speed prioritization is that they suffer from slight inaccuracies. One way to overcome this is to replace the neural network with a more accurate (albeit slower) model. The other solution is to use reinforcement learning to find the best architecture, basically using neural networks to create neural networks. Both approaches are resource-intensive in the sense of capital, talent, and computational budget.

The goal of this chapter is twofold. First, it provides a comprehensive overview of two key notions: risk and regulation. In the case of risk this includes the following. An explanation of risk and risk management, including an appraisal and description of the technical notion of risk as it appears in ISO Standards. It also provides for a discussion of some of the key methods for assessing and managing risks, including some of the main drawbacks and criticisms that have been raised against the use of risk management. In the case of regulation, it includes a more in-depth analysis of the notion, and of its constitutive elements; a discussion on the conflation between law and regulation; and a discussion on what exactly the object of regulation is. These discussions of key caveats pertaining to these two notions serve as the backbone of many of the analyses carried out in later chapters (e.g. understanding data protection in the light of the constitutive elements of regulation, discussing various methods for data protection risk management, etc). Second, beyond these caveats, this chapter also shows and contrasts how both risk and regulation can be analysed as a matter of two balancing exercises with associated safeguards, and hence, as variations around the proportionality principle. A grid at the end of the chapter summarises this, with reference to the European Convention on Human Rights proportionality test.

Reconfiguration-Based Fault-Tolerance is one approach for developing dependable safety-critical embedded applications. This approach, compared to traditional hardware and software redundancy, is a promising technique that may achieve the required dependability with a significant reduction in cost in terms of size, weight, price, and power consumption. Reconfiguration necessitates using proper checkpointing protocols to support state reservation and task migration. One of the most common approaches is to use Communication Induced Checkpointing (CIC) protocols, which are well developed and understood for large parallel and information systems, but not much has been done for resource limited embedded systems. This paper implements four common CIC protocols in a resource constrained distributed embedded system with a Controller Area Network (CAN) backbone. An example feedback control system implementation is used for a case study. The four implemented protocols are described and performances are contrasted. The paper compares the protocols in terms of network bandwidth consumptions, CPU usages, checkpointing times, and checkpoint sizes in additional to the traditional measures of forced to local checkpoint rations and total number of checkpoints.

Elevators, a vital means for urban transportation, are generally lacking proper emergency call systems besidesan emergency button. In the case of unconscious or otherwise incapacitated passengers this can lead to lethalsituations. A camera-based surveillance system with AI-based alerts utilizing an elevator state machine can helppassengers unable to initiate an emergency call. In this research work, the applicability of RGB-D images asinput for instance segmentation in the highly reflective environment of an elevator cabin is evaluated. For objectsegmentation, a Region-based Convolution Neural Network (R-CNN) deep learning model is adapted to use depthinput data besides RGB by applying transfer learning, hyperparameter optimization and re-training on a newlyprepared elevator image dataset. Evaluations prove that with the chosen strategy, the accuracy of R-CNN instancesegmentation is applicable on RGB-D data, thereby resolving lack of image quality in the noise affected andreflective elevator cabins. The mean average precision (mAP) of 0.753 is increased to 0.768 after the incorporationof additional depth data and with additional FuseNet-FPN backbone on RGB-D the mAP is further increased to0.794. With the proposed instance segmentation model, reliable elevator surveillance becomes feasible as firstprototypes and on-road tests proof.

As the use of information technology becomes more ubiquitous, the need for data processing and storage capabilities increases. This results in the construction and operation of large data centers—facilities that house thousands of servers and serve as the backbone for all types of computational processes. Unfortunately, as processing power and storage capacity increases, so does the corresponding power and cooling requirements of the data centers. Several studies have examined the efficiency of data centers by focusing on server and cooling power inputs, but this fails to capture the data center’s entire impact. To accomplish this, the use of a lifetime exergy (available energy) analysis is proposed. This study first details the development of a lifetime exergy consumption model designed specifically for data center analysis. To create a database of computer components, a disassembly analysis was performed, and the results are detailed. By combining the disassembly analysis of a server with the aggregation of energy and material data, a more rigorous and useful assessment of the server’s overall impact is demonstrated. The operation of the lifetime exergy consumption model is demonstrated by case studies examining the effects of variance in transportation and cooling strategies. The importance of transportation modes and material mass, which are greatly affected by supply chain parameters, is shown. The impact of static and dynamic cooling within data centers is also demonstrated.

Abstract A blowout preventer (BOP) is a large valve that encases an oil well on the surface. The valve may be closed while drilling if overpressure from a reservoir causes formation fluids such as oil and natural gas to back up within the wellbore and endanger the rig. A pipe ram is one of the critical components in the BOP system, which is designed to seal around a drill pipe, restricting the flow in the annulus between the outside of the drill pipe and the wellbore. The pipe ram design family, which contains hundreds of pipe ram designs, intends to cover different configurations to suit a variety of dill pipe sizes. To assure their structural integrity under service loads, these pipe rams need to be designed to meet the stress requirements per the American Petroleum Institute (API) Specification 16A and ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, Division 2. With a conventional manual design workflow, it would take a significant amount of time and effort to complete all the designs for the product family with code compliance. Therefore, a scalable solution is highly desirable for delivery of customer-needed ram blocks with much shorter lead time. MDO (Multi-Disciplinary Optimization) involves multi-code integration, CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) workflow automation, design space exploration, and optimization. MDO-enabled, automated design optimization is becoming increasingly popular in both scientific and engineering communities. In this paper, a methodology for integration of CAD (Computer Aided Design), FEA (Finite Element Analysis), cost, and optimization packages to enable FEA automation and design optimization is presented. A BOP pipe ram is adopted as the use case. The ram block geometry was parameterized before being imported into an FEA package. The FEA workflow was automated such that once a set of geometric parameters are given, the preprocessing, solving, and postprocessing steps can be automatically completed. As part of the FEA postprocessing, stress linearization analysis per the API and ASME BPVC codes has also been automated, which had never been done in the past. A manufacturing cost analysis package can also be used to consume the parameterized geometry for automatic manufacturability assessment and cost predictions. The stress analysis and cost analysis workflows are conducted separately but also orchestrated by an MDO package. Reports that contain the analysis results are sequentially generated for various design permutations. The MDO-enabled automated design and cost analysis approach could substantially enhance efficiency and consistency in performing FEA and cost studies and producing analysis reports. It is also the backbone for automated design optimization, which could significantly improve the product performance and reliability and, meanwhile, minimize the development and product cost.

Dynamic analysis of jack-up platforms is generally carried out using approximated linear foundation springs and equivalent viscous damping. Advanced geotechnical analysis of foundations of jack-up platforms results in load-dependent stiffness and damping. Such analyses are often based on the finite element method as used for detailed site specific analyses with proper nonlinear soil models to generate nonlinear response curves, the so-called backbone curve, for the relevant loading conditions. The same FE model can be used to compute the strain energy in the soil elements and assign the corresponding energy losses in the elements based on lab tests or literature data, and integrate over the domain to compute the foundation hysteretic damping as function of loading. The state of the art method of using the backbone curve together with a kinematic hardening model to account for the hysteretic foundation response does not provide a good match between the simulated and computed damping. The hysteresis model proposed in this paper is a kinematic hardening model enhanced with a non-linear spring. It is an engineering solution to implement both a given load-dependent stiffness and load-dependent damping of a complex element subject to an irregular loading signal for purposes of time domain simulation. This model combines a kinematic hardening model which provides the required hysteresis with a non-linear elastic spring which provides the required stiffness. This model is suitable for time domain simulation of irregular loads and yields a propeller-like shape in the load-displacement plane. This paper introduces the problem of load-dependent stiffness and damping through a case study considering time domain simulation of the dynamic behavior of a jack-up platform. The paper presents a validation of the proposed model and a comparison between the common practice model and the enhanced kinematic hardening model.

Manipulators have been considered the backbone of industrial world for decades. The main aspect of industrial robotic arm is its ability to track a certain path in the 3D space. Using liner actuators to drive multi degrees of freedom robot offers high load capacity, but path generation algorithm of such robot is relatively complicated and computationally expensive. Furthermore, limitations in the joints workspace are existed. In this work, five degrees of freedom robotic arm is constructed to guaranty suitable workspace. Forward and inverse kinematic algorithms are evaluated. Moreover, path generation algorithm in Cartesian space is held using three different motion planning techniques. Sim-Mechanics toolbox under MATLAB is used to verify the introduced forward kinematics, inverse kinematics, and path generation algorithms. Thus, a comparison between the three introduced motion planning techniques is illustrated. Finally, the generated paths are experimentally applied on the case study. The work aims to illustrate the importance of simulation in the field of robotic arm algorithms verification.

Multiscale modeling is used to investigate the mechanical characteristics of ionic polymers with the intent of ultimately expanding understanding of the interplay between multiscale stiffness and electromechanical response. Strategies for manipulating electromechanical transduction of ionic polymers include, but are not limited to: variation of hydration and/or the equivalent weight. In general, variations resulting in increased electroactive response also result in decreased mechanical stiffness and can decrease to the point of limiting mechanical integrity. This effort begins with the supposition that a better understanding of the ionic polymer multiscale material stiffness will enable bypass of this perceived trade-off. Rotational Isomeric State (RIS) theory is used to predict the conformation of a typical polymer hydrophobic backbone for a fully hydrated, sodium exchanged, Nafion 1200 EW case. The RIS method generates a large number of crosslink-to-crosslink chain lengths. The distribution is assessed via Johnson distributions and in turn, employed in a Boltzmann statistical thermodynamics framework to assess mechanical stiffness. The approach explores the impact of morphology on stiffness via imposing as assumed morphology a priori.

Peripheral nerve injury can cause lifelong pain, loss of function, and decreased quality of life. The gold standard of repair is a nerve autograft; however this requires additional surgeries and can cause donor site morbidity. As an alternative, nerve growth conduits are being developed to guide he existing nerves to cross these injured gaps. Electrospinning has emerged as a popular method to produce fibrous scaffolds for use in tissue engineering applications. However, limited work has been done electrospinning Hyaluronic Acid (HA) a major component of the extra cellular matrix. Cells respond to several factors in their environment including chemical, mechanical, topographical and adhesion cues.1 Using electrospinning along with microspheres allows us to control mechanical, topographical, and chemical signals within our scaffold. Axons are known to respond to topographical cues, prefer ‘soft’ substrates and grow faster in the presence of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). We can precisely control the mechanics of our scaffold by conjugating methacrylates to the HA backbone and crosslinking under UV light. We also use the rotation speed of the collection mandrel to create fibers that are aligned along one axis. Adhesivity is achieved by coating the finished scaffold with fibronectin. Microspheres are included to release protein and create a chemical signal. These characteristics combined mimic the natural environment of nervous tissue.

<p>Road and railway infrastructure networks form the backbone of European transportation systems, carrying more than 80% of passenger and 50% of goods transport in Europe. Bridges and tunnels which are critical elements of the transport infrastructure networks, have in many cases reached their design service life and keep ageing, with the maintenance needs constantly increasing. Besides, transport infrastructure currently carry significantly more traffic loads than what it has been originally designed for and the topology of traffic keeps changing e.g. due to introduction of platooning or autonomous vehicles. Such conditions bring safety risks to bridges and tunnels. In the last two decades there have been nearly 30 major failures of road and railway bridges and tunnels in Europe, with hundreds of people killed and injured. At the same time, resources and capacity for conservation and care are too limited and should be used in an optimised way to counteract the growing backlog of maintenance. There is a strong conviction that use of novel technologies for condition survey may aid the task of managing the safety risks to transport infrastructure. Despite increasing amount of good practise, uniform approach to data-informed safety and risk assessment, and maintenance decision-making is however missing.</p><p>This contribution presents the review of the current state of standardisation on monitoring, data- informed safety assessment and maintenance policies of bridges and tunnels in the European countries. This forms an essential step in the development and implementation of harmonised standards across Europe, which is believed to be a key strategy to increase the safety level of the transport infrastructure.</p>