Our aim is to identify an extraction method and the source of mouse tissue(s) that could allow a high-resolution genomic scan from a living mouse. We compared and optimized two methods for yield, purity of DNA, and their use in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of DNA extracted from different mouse tissues. In addition to whole blood, tissue samples from the brain, liver, testis, and tail were included in this study. The Rapid Method (RM) is preferable for the whole blood samples and testis and brain tissue samples because it is quicker, less toxic, and more cost-effective than the proteinase K method (PM). For liver the PM produced higher yields of DNA with less degradation than the RM. For tail tip, the PM produced a higher yield of DNA, but the RM resulted in a higher yield of PCR product. From a living mouse, a tail snip generated a sufficient amount of DNA for several hundred PCRs but not a complete genomic scan. We suggest that the RM can be used to extract genomic DNA for a complete genomic scan which requires either testicular tissues or repeated blood samples from the suborbital sinus over several months without sacrificing the animal.


Evidence on the efficacy of standardised phytoterapic extracts for the prevention of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in children is reviewed. Echinacea extracts are widely used in European countries and in the United States as immune-stimulating agents. However, further prospective, appropriately powered clinical studies are required to confirm their benefits in reducing duration and severity of RRTIs.


-While education is expected to change the behaviour of learners positively by moulding them into self-respecting and selfreliant individuals, discipline related issues have been at the fore of educational debates as students encounter challenges associated with adolescence. Cases of truancy, drug abuse, immorality, destruction of property and loss of life, are however, indicators of the existence of a conflict between educational aims and discipline among secondary school students despite the provision of guidance and counselling services in schools. The objective of study was to establish the hindrances to effective delivery of guidance and counselling services towards enhancing discipline among secondary school students in Olokurto Division, Narok County, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was employed in the study and questionnaires used obtain data from respondents. Person centred theory advanced by Carl Rogers guided the study. The study population comprised 861 students, 12 teacher counsellors and 6 deputy principals drawn from the six public secondary schools in the division. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed to sample 129 students for the study. Schools, deputy principals and teacher counsellors in the division were purposively sampled. Using test-retest method, the instruments yielded a reliability coefficient of r = 0.76, thus acceptedfor the study. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 20.0 and presented in tables, charts, graphs, means, frequencies and percentages. The study established that there was no guidance and counselling policy, teacher counsellors had very low training levels and heavy workloads, poorly established guidance and counselling departments that lacked resources and facilities. The study recommends training of counselling personnel, reduction of teaching load for counsellors and strengthening of guidance and counselling departments by providing resources and facilities.Findings and recommendations of this study, if implemented will be useful to policy makers in the Ministry of Education, heads of secondary schools, counselling personnel and students through improved services from more informed teacher counsellors.


The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is one of the EU's seven institutions. It consists of two courts of law: the Court of Justice proper and the General Court. It is responsible for the jurisdiction of the European Union. The courts ensure the correct interpretation and application of primary and secondary Union law in the EU. They review the legality of acts of the Union institutions and decide whether Member States have fulfilled their obligations under primary and secondary law. The Court of Justice also provides interpretations of Union law when so requested by national judges.


This study will present two new transformations that are applied to the water content (?) form of Richard's Equation: 1) a reference soil transformation and 2) a constant "relative gradient ratio" transformation. The reference soil transformation enables a model to simulate water flow in a given soil in terms of ? for a reference soil. The main advantage of this transformation is that it provides a continuous ? profile across soil layers. However, the choice of a reference soil could also provide some numerical advantages by, for example, minimising the effect of sharp wetting fronts. An analytical expression will be derived that approximates the effect a transformation has on the gradients within a system. This approximation is based on the notion of relative gradients and will assist in analysing, which reference soils are appropriate for the problem. In addition, the analytical approximation can be used to derive general transformations for partial differential equations (PDEs). For this study, we will derive a constant "relative gradient ratio" transformation that will decrease relative gradients within the system by a constant factor (e). Using the Method of lines (MOL), numerical solutions will be generated for a test case from the literature for both transformed and non-transformed equations. By comparing these solutions, this paper will analyse whether the new transformations improve the efficiency and/or accuracy of the numerical solution for the test case problem.


Congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava (IVC) are not unusual and may complicate the placement of caval interruption devices. A duplicated IVC was demonstrated by venography in a patient with left iliofemoral venous thrombosis. A Greenfield filter was placed in each cavum from a right internal jugular vein approach. Because anomalies of the IVC are common, ascending venograms should be obtained in all patients who undergo caval interruption to document the number and position of the IVC, the location of the caval bifurcation, and the diameter of the IVC, as well as to identify the presence of thrombus within the lumen of the IVC. Unrecognized anomalies of the IVC may contribute to the incidence of recurrent pulmonary embolus after Greenfield filter placement.


Credit scoring is a mathematical means of summarizing a consumer's credit and financial history into a three-digit number. This number provides an easy means of identifying and sorting consumer behavior into categories based on their financial history. To select applicants for loans and to set interest rates on loans, banks and financial institutions routinely use credit scoring. Auto insurance companies also use scoring to decide which consumers will be offered auto insurance and to set the price for auto insurance. Despite success in these two industries, scoring does not appear to be effective in the apartment rental industry in picking desirable applicants for apartment rental.
The first phase of this research analyzed the results of using six commercially available credit scores applied in one apartment complex to the task of selecting applicants. This part of the analysis answered the research question: How effective are commercially available credit scores in predicting applicant financial behavior when renting an apartment? This research determined that these six scores are not predictive and possible explanations are given.
Phase two of this research used neural networks to develop a new model using both credit data and other lifestyle data about the applicant. The hypothesis was that the addition of this lifestyle data would improve accuracy in selecting apartment rental applicants over currently available models based only on credit data. This part of the analysis answered the research question: How is the prediction accuracy of a new neural network based credit scoring model improved by adding lifestyle data to the credit report data? This research indicates that accuracy is greatly improved. Three variables were found to be most predictive for the apartment rental decision and these were (a) percentage of satisfactory accounts in the applicant's credit file, (b) total applicant income, and (c) driving record of the applicant.
Four areas were suggested for future study and these are (a) understanding the underlying human behavior differences that influence apartment financial decisions, (b) addition of "fuzzy logic" techniques to the neural network, (c) expanding the number of commercial credit models tested and size of the data set, and (d) effect of geography on model prediction accuracy. This dissertation also examined U.S. information policy and addressed consumer privacy considerations when using non-credit data to select applicants.


The Arctic tundra is undergoing many environmental changes in addition to increasing temperatures: these changes include permafrost degradation and increased shrubification. Disturbances related to infrastructure can also lead to similar environmental changes. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is an example of infrastructure that has made a major imprint on the Alaskan landscape. This paper assesses changes in shrub presence along the northernmost 255 km of the TAPS. We used historical satellite imagery from before construction of the TAPS in 1974 and contemporary satellite imagery from 2010 to 2016 to examine changes in shrub presence over time. We found a 51.8% increase in shrub presence adjacent to the pipeline compared to 2.6% in control areas. Additionally, shrub presence has increased significantly more in areas where the pipeline is buried, indicating that the disturbances linked to pipeline burial have likely created favorable conditions for shrub colonization. These results are important for predicting potential responses of tundra vegetation to disturbance, which will be crucial to forecasting the future of Arctic tundra vegetation.


Abstract. This paper presents the algorithm for the operational near real time retrieval of total and tropospheric NO2 columns from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME-2). The retrieval is performed with the GOME Data Processor (GDP) version 4.4 as used by the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring (O3M-SAF). The differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) method is used to determine NO2 slant columns from GOME-2 (ir)radiance data in the 425–450 nm range. Initial total NO2 columns are computed using stratospheric air mass factors, and GOME-2 derived cloud properties are used to calculate the air mass factors for scenarios in the presence of clouds. To obtain the stratospheric NO2 component, a spatial filtering approach is used, which is shown to be an improvement on the Pacific reference sector method. Tropospheric air mass factors are computed using monthly averaged NO2 profiles from the MOZART-2 chemistry transport model. An error analysis shows that the random error in the GOME-2 NO2 slant columns is approximately 0.45 × 1015 molec cm−2. As a result of the improved quartz diffuser plate used in the GOME-2 instrument, the systematic error in the slant columns is strongly reduced compared to GOME/ERS-2. The estimated uncertainty in the GOME-2 tropospheric NO2 column for polluted conditions ranges from 40 to 80 %. An end-to-end ground-based validation approach for the GOME-2 NO2 columns is illustrated based on multi-axis MAXDOAS measurements at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP). The GOME-2 stratospheric NO2 columns are found to be in good overall agreement with coincident ground-based measurements at OHP. A time series of the MAXDOAS and the GOME-2 tropospheric NO2 columns shows that pollution episodes at OHP are well captured by GOME-2. Monthly mean tropospheric columns are in very good agreement, with differences generally within 0.5 × 1015 molec cm−2.


Flow cytometry (FCM) bioinformatics is a sub-field of bioinformatics, aimed at developing effective and efficient computational tools to store, organize, and analyze highthroughput/dimensional FCM data. Flow cytometers are capable of analyzing thousands of cells per second for up to 40 features. These features primarily signal the presence of different proteins on cells in the bloodstream. Hence contributing large amounts of data towards the big biological data paradigm. The data that a flow cytometer outputs from a biological sample, is called a FCS file. The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) is a collaboration between 23 international institutions and funding organizations. Its aim is to decipher the function of 20,000 mouse genes. IMPC is doing so by breeding mice with a certain gene knocked out (KO), cancelling the function of that gene. In turn, FCM is used to measure the immunological changes correlated to this knockout. Many tools exist to classify FCS files. However, there is a lack of tools to conduct unsupervised clustering of FCS files. One goal of IMPC is to compare and contrast KO genes, hence IMPC becomes a prime motivation for this problem. As such, this thesis outlines a data processing pipeline used to isolate features for each FCS file. We then test the different types of features extracted on a benchmark data set from the FlowCAP-II challenge, containing data from healthy persons and patients with AML (acute myeloid leukemia). We then evaluate how well these features separate out FCS files of different origin (i.e. healthy vs AML).


Assessing the trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in cetaceans is difficult because of age and gender influences on accumulation. Persistent organic pollutants bioaccumulate and are poorly metabolized; hence, concentrations may increase with age in males while females reduce their POP burden through parturition and lactation. Age and gender effects on contaminant concentrations are species specific because of life history and reproductive strategies. These influences must be understood in order to elucidate and assess lifetime POP exposure. The objectives of this study were to determine baseline POP concentrations in blubber samples from the Atlantic white‐sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) and to investigate life history and other influences, such as metabolism, on these concentrations. Forty‐seven L. acutus blubber samples collected from mass stranding events in Massachusetts, USA (1993–2000), and archived in the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) were analyzed for 55 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCB; 55 congeners), five polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, and organochlorine pesticides (toxaphene, DDT and metabolites, mirex, dieldrin, chlordanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes, hexachlorobenzene, and endosulfans) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Ages for 19 animals were determined from growth layer groups on decalcified, stained thin tooth sections. Total PCBs (ΣPCB; sum of 55 congeners) were the contaminants present in the highest concentrations in all age classes (0.5–63 μg/g wet mass) followed by sum of DDTs (0.50–43 μg/g wet mass), toxaphene (0.055–31 μg/g wet mass), chlordanes (0.30–24 μg/g wet mass), and PBDEs (0.12–4.0 μg/g wet mass). Body length had a greater statistical influence than age on contaminant burdens in L. acutus. Contaminant burdens decreased with length in both male and female L. acutus, suggesting metabolic elimination and/or growth dilution in males and off‐loading via lactation in females.


Three-phase PWM converters are widely used as they can operate at low harmonic distortion and high input displacement power factor. However, these features are achieved by means of modern control techniques which require many electrical variables in order to be properly implemented. This constraint makes these techniques less attractive and simpler control techniques are preferred. On the other hand, virtual sensors have become an alternative to provide the electrical variables without sensing them. They use the already available information to estimate the missing measurements; however, their design uses several parameters that are usually manually tuned. This paper presents a general virtual sensor and defines performance tests in order to evaluate and design optimum operating parameters of the virtual sensor applied to three-phase static power converters. Simulated and experimental results in a 2 kVA prototype are presented to illustrate the proposed approach.


Ecosystem-based adaptation as a concept of adapting to the adverse effects of climate change has become a popular approach that enjoys a good reputation. However, the evidence base for it is rather thin. This thesis sets out to explore the challenges and limitations linked to projects that engage in the concept, in order to estimate the potential threat that may lie in the ignorance of them. Timescales of projects related to the concept shall be the second major focus of this thesis as it has not been sufficiently examined yet by the literature. Empirical material has been gathered and analyzed in the form of interviews with people who have been and are currently working in projects related to ecosystem-based adaptation. The results allow recommendations for the implementation of future projects, as lessons learned were identified.


Worldwide, invasive species are a leading driver of environmental change across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments and cost billions of dollars annually in ecological damages and economic losses. Resources limit invasive‐species control, and planning processes are needed to identify cost‐effective solutions. Thus, studies are increasingly considering spatially variable natural and socioeconomic assets (e.g., species persistence, recreational fishing) when planning the allocation of actions for invasive‐species management. There is a need to improve understanding of how such assets are considered in invasive‐species management. We reviewed over 1600 studies focused on management of invasive species, including flora and fauna. Eighty‐four of these studies were included in our final analysis because they focused on the prioritization of actions for invasive species management. Forty‐five percent (n = 38) of these studies were based on spatial optimization methods, and 35% (n = 13) accounted for spatially variable assets. Across all 84 optimization studies considered, 27% (n = 23) explicitly accounted for spatially variable assets. Based on our findings, we further explored the potential costs and benefits to invasive species management when spatially variable assets are explicitly considered or not. To include spatially variable assets in decision‐making processes that guide invasive‐species management there is a need to quantify environmental responses to invasive species and to enhance understanding of potential impacts of invasive species on different natural or socioeconomic assets. We suggest these gaps could be filled by systematic reviews, quantifying invasive species impacts on native species at different periods, and broadening sources and enhancing sharing of knowledge.


This paper presents a comparative analysis of the three widely used parallel sorting algorithms: Odd-Even sort, Rank sort and Bitonic sort in terms of sorting rate, sorting time and speed-up on CPU and different GPU architectures. Alongside we have implemented novel parallel algorithm: min-max butterfly network, for finding minimum and maximum in large data sets. All algorithms have been implemented exploiting data parallelism model, for achieving high performance, as available on multi-core GPUs using the OpenCL specification. Our results depicts minimum speed-up19x of bitonic sort against odd-even sorting technique for small queue sizes on CPU and maximum of 2300x speed-up for very large queue sizes on Nvidia Quadro 6000 GPU architecture. Our implementation of full-butterfly network sorting results in relatively better performance than all of the three sorting techniques: bitonic, odd-even and rank sort. For min-max butterfly network, our findings report high speed-up of Nvidia quadro 6000 GPU for high data set size reaching 2^24 with much lower sorting time


It is important to develop a system to express therapeutic genes in tumor cells with sufficient selectivity for cancer gene therapy. Midkine (MK) is a newly identified heparin-binding growth factor that is transiently expressed in the early stages of retinoic acid-induced differentiation of embryonal carcinoma cells. It has been reported that many human malignant tumors express high levels of MK mRNA or protein. However, no MK expression is detected in human or mouse liver. These interesting features of MK led us to examine the MK promoter as a candidate for tumor-specific gene expression. We thus developed new recombinant adenoviral (Ad) vectors containing either luciferase reporter gene (AdMKLuc) or herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene (AdMKTK) under the control of the human MK promoter. AdMKLuc achieved relatively high activity in Wilms' tumor (G-401) and neuroblastoma (SK-N-SH) cell lines. In addition, AdMKTK induced marked cell death in response to ganciclovir (GCV) in these same lines. Conversely, very low activity of the MK promoter was observed in mouse liver in vivo compared with the cytomegalovirus promoter. Importantly, AdMKTK + GCV did not induce liver toxicity, whereas substantial toxicity was seen with AdCMVTK + GCV treatment. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the MK promoter is a candidate tumor-specific promoter for Wilms' tumor or neuroblastoma.


The focus of this thesis is developing a framework for designing correct-by-construction controllers using control certificates. We use nonlinear dynamical systems to model the physical environment (plants). The goal is to synthesize controllers for these plants while guaranteeing formal correctness w.r.t. given specifications. We consider different fundamental specifications including stability, safety, and reach-while-stay. Stability specification states that the execution traces of the system remain close to an equilibrium state and approach it asymptotically. Safety specification requires the execution traces to stay in a safe region. Finally, for reach-while-stay specification, safety is needed until a target set is reached.
The design task consists of two phases. In the first phase, the control design problem is reduced to the question of finding a control certificate. More precisely, the goal of the first phase is to define a class of control certificates with a specific structure. This definition should guarantee the following: "Having a control certificate, one can systematically design a controller and prove its correctness at the same time." The goal in the second phase is to find such a control certificate. We define a potential control certificate space (hypothesis space) using parameterized functions. Next, we provide an inductive search framework to find proper parameters, which yield a control certificate.
Finally, we evaluate our framework. We show that discovering control certificates is practically feasible and demonstrate the effectiveness of the automatically designed controllers through simulations and real physical systems experiments.


Scholars have questioned the veracity of F. Scott Fitzgerald's table of contents in Tales of the Jazz Age, especially with respect to his writing habits and creative process. Many contemporary critics thought his assertions were true, only weakening his authority; yet recent critical approaches recognize the pose Fitzgerald assumed. I argue that the table of contents falls within a line of authorial self-fashioning exercised by several past writers, and whether frivolous or satirical, lazy or self-critical, it places Fitzgerald within a significant authorial continuum, allowing his authority to function on a variety of planes. I aim to position this piece as a crucial nexus in the trajectory of Fitzgerald's professional writing career; by understanding the authorial means by which such a piece is created, one can trace the resulting effect it has on that text and the author's canon. Given the editorial considerations and market demands placed upon Fitzgerald in 1922, the table of contents for Tales of the Jazz Age shows an author at a turning point. This table of contents changes the way we read the fiction, and inevitably, the way we read Fitzgerald.


Abstract There are five basic ways to resolve disagreements: keep arguing until capitulation, compromise, locate an ambiguity or contextual factors, accept Pyrrhonian skepticism, and adopt relativism. Relativism is perhaps the most radical and least popular solution to a disagreement, and its defenders generally think the best motivator for relativism is to be found in disputes over predicates of personal taste. I argue that taste predicates do not adequately motivate relativism over the other possible solutions, and argue that relativism looks like the most promising approach when disputants cannot even agree on the meta-evidence for a contested proposition.


Obesity is becoming a global epidemic. Around 1.1 billion adults and 10% of the world's children are currently overweight or considered obese. Generally associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as Diabetes Mellitus and systemic arterial high blood pressure, the obesity has been more and more seen as an independent risk factor for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Coronary arteriosclerosis comprises a series of inflammatory responses at cellular and molecular level, whose reactions are stronger in obese patients. In the past, the adipose tissue was regarded as a mere fat deposition. Now it is seen from a totally different standpoint, as an active endocrine and paracrine organ that produces several inflammatory cytokines, such as the adipokines. This article aims to raise awareness about obesity as an increasingly significant public health issue over the past decades, as well as to relate the intense inflammatory process in obese individuals with an increased tendency for this group of individuals to develop CAD.


Fifty-two Acacia koa trees with wilt/dieback disease symptoms in Hawaii were sampled for associated Fusarium spp. within their roots, stems and branches. Fusarium oxysporum was isolated from nearly 35% of all sampled roots and was especially common on healthy-appearing fine feeder roots. Fusarium solani was isolated most frequently from stem and branch tissues, but also occurred on more than 10% of sampled roots. A total of fourteen Fusarium spp. were detected within diseased trees; we suspect that most of these were probably non-pathogenic fungal endophytes. We found that F. oxysporum commonly colonized diseased trees, especially roots. Coupled with our results from pathogenicity testing, we believe that this fungal species is probably important in koa wilt/dieback disease etiology.


Peripheral neuropathy may remain for some time after 1,1,1-trichloroethane exposure. A variety of Ca2+ channels gives sensory neurons many kinds of transmitting sensory information. We measured calcium currents in sensory neurons from neonatal rat dorsal root ganglion using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Trichloroethane reversibly reduced the low-voltage-activated (LVA) and high-voltage-activated (HVA) calcium. The half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the HVA and LVA currents was 5.76 x 10(-3) M and 3.99 x 10(-3) M, respectively. The Hill coefficient of the HVA and LVA currents was 0.61 and 1.04, respectively. In assessing voltage dependence for activation and inactivation of calcium currents, only the HVA calcium current was inactivated at greater negative potentials. This may be one of the mechanisms to reduce HVA current. However, activation and inactivation of the LVA currents were not affected by trichlorothane, so inhibition of the LVA currents may have other mechanisms. Calcium currents are thought to be involved in the control of neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release. The inhibitory effect of trichloroethane on calcium currents may be involved in trichloroethane-induced sensory discomfort.


Background: Long-term alcohol use leading to frontal lobe impairment has been a cause of concern for many decades. However, there are very few studies from India of evaluation of frontal lobe executive dysfunction among alcoholics. Hence, this study was undertaken to evaluate the frontal executive dysfunction using Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and perfusion deficits by Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) among alcohol-dependent patients. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the frontal executive dysfunction using WCST and frontal lobe perfusion deficits by SPECT among alcohol-dependent patients. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 20 alcohol dependence syndrome patients in a tertiary care center. After ethical clearance and informed consent, all were evaluated using WCST and SPECT. Results: About 45% patients had impairment on WCST, and it was related to the duration of drinking. About 55% showed reduced frontal lobe perfusion on SPECT scan and they had a long duration of drinking compared to controls. Among the patients showing impairment on WCST subscores, more than 50% had reduced frontal lobe perfusion on SPECT. Conclusion: This study not only confirmed the executive function impairment and frontal lobe perfusion deficits in alcohol-dependent patients but also showed a concomitant presence of both in patients with chronic alcohol abuse.


This is a fascinating study of the life and work of Karl Kraus, brilliant Austrian writer, satirist and personality of fin de siecle Vienna. This encyclopaedic study of his life, his work and his generation will be of great interest to both the enthusiast and the general student of European culture. Drawing on unfamiliar sources, Edward Timms analyses Kraus's involvement in the fundamental ideological issues of his time, and shows that Kraus's political position - caught between traditional Habsburg loyalties and new democratic commitments - was far more complex than has previously been suspected. 'A major landmark in Kraus studies, and an important contribution to our understanding of the culture of the early twentieth century. It abounds in discoveries and insights.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'Timm's lucid prose, his masterly organization of the voluminous material he treats, his excellent translations of the documents he cites and his broad, readable portrayal of Viennese fin-de-siecle culture makes this study accessible to the average reader and a pleasure for the literary professional ...An example of German studies at its best.' European Studies Journal 'This study, which takes us to the end of the Great War, is unquestionably the most detailed and thoughtful book about him in amy language. Edward Timms' account skilfully interweaves his life, times and work.' The Listener 'Timms successfully weaves a colourful, and thoroughly researched and documented account of essential cultural currents in Habsburg Vienna around his central figure. Copious illustrations and photographs enhance a most enjoyable text, making this an ideal introduction to Kraus and his work.' Choice Edward Timms is lecturer in German at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Gonville and Caius College.


Ventilated discs have gained significant attraction for automobile disc brake due to enhanced thermal performance, but the optimal choice needs careful analysis of thermal and structural behaviors. Following the previous studies on solid and straight ventilated discs, the present study considers discs with three new ventilation patterns namely curved vents, curved vents with holes and curved vents with holes and slots. Three-dimensional modeling was done by SOLIDWORKS 15, and finite element simulation was performed by ANSYS 15. In the thermal analysis, the temperature history during one braking cycle was studied for each model, and the structural parameters analyzed include total deformation, Von Mises stress and contact pressure. The study shows that changing from straight vents to curved vents improves thermal performance without affecting the mechanical behavior. Moreover, the thermo-mechanical behavior is further improved by adding holes and slots on the surface, along with curved vents.


All universities need to connect to the global knowledge backbone in order to enhance
research, innovation, teaching and learning. Yet most African countries lack reliable
access to this backbone as a result of the nascent state of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their institutions. African institutions face many challenges – infrastructural, technical, organizational and political – and are making concerted efforts to address them. This chapter examines the status and potential of ICTs in institutions in
eight African countries, and offers a set of recommendations on ways to promote ICTs, as
well as the development of institutions and countries in general.


This study develops and empirically tests the idea that the impact of structural complexity on perfective maintenance of object-oriented software is significantly determined by the team strategy of programmers (independent or collaborative). We analyzed two key dimensions of software structure, coupling and cohesion, with respect to the maintenance effort and the perceived ease-of-maintenance by pairs of programmers. Hypotheses based on the distributed cognition and task interdependence theoretical frameworks were tested using data collected from a controlled lab experiment employing professional programmers. The results show a significant interaction effect between coupling, cohesion, and programmer team strategy on both maintenance effort and perceived ease-of-maintenance. Highly cohesive and low-coupled programs required lower maintenance effort and were perceived to be easier to maintain than the low-cohesive programs and high-coupled programs. Further, our results would predict that managers who strategically allocate maintenance tasks to either independent or collaborative programming teams depending on the structural complexity of software could lower their team's maintenance effort by as much as 70 percent over managers who use simple uniform resource allocation policies. These results highlight the importance of achieving congruence between team strategies employed by collaborating programmers and the structural complexity of software.


The syntheses of distorted tetrahedral bis(pyridine)bis(trihalophenolato)cobalt(II) complexes from an aqueus solution were achieved and their characterization by FT-IR, X-ray, DSC, UV-visible and elemental analysis in solid state or in melt form is reported. Polymerizations of these complexes were accomplished either at constant temperature, employing different time intervals or constant decomposition times while varying the temperature range. The slow decomposition at constant temperature leads to long chain products, whereas long chains formed at higher temperatures were during a constant time. The resulting poly(dihalophenylene oxide)s were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectral analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and molecular weight determinations by viscometric method.

© 2001 Society of Chemical Industry


Purpose: We have initiated a phase I/II prostate SBRT trial using doses up to 50 Gy delivered in 5 fractions. With the small requisite margins, intrafraction prostate motion may compromise target coverage and/or dose to organs at risk. The purpose of this study is to investigate CTV coverage and dose to normal tissues, in the presence of intrafraction prostate motion, when different PTV margins and rectal immobilization strategies are employed. Methods: Nine prostate cancer patients treated with a rectal balloon and stereotactic body frame were selected for this study. Patients received 50 Gy in five fractions delivered with 13 coplanar 10 MV photon beams. The SBRT plans used 0, 1,2, and 3mm PTV margins. The tracking data from the Calypso Localization System were used to calculate motion probability density functions(PDFs). Calypso tracking data from conventionally fractionated prostate patients, treated without rectal balloons, were used to generate another set of PDFs. The planned static dose distributions were convolved with the PDFs to generate the delivered dose distributions. The planned and delivered doses were evaluated. Results: The mean planned dose to the CTV, PTV and bladder was slightly higher than the delivered dose. The CTV volume covered by the prescription dose decreased when intrafraction motion is accounted for, but remains 100% with 3mm margins and greater than 97% for no PTV margin. The mean planned dose to anterior rectal wall was less than the delivered dose and the conventionally fractionated group was higher than the SBRT group. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the dosimetric impact of intrafraction motion during prostate SBRT delivery with 3mm margins is not clinically significant with or without a rectal balloon. Use of a rectal balloon can reduce the delivered dose to the rectum and the severity of early bowel toxicity.


Field measurements of oceanic turbidity currents, especially diluted currents, are extremely rare. We present a dilute turbidity current recorded by instrumented moorings 14.5 km apart at 1300 and 1860 m water depth. The sediment concentration within the flow was 0.017%, accounting for 18 cm/s gravity current speed due to density excess. Tidal currents of ∼30 cm/s during the event provided a "tailwind" that assisted the down-canyon movement of the turbidity current and its sediment plume. High-resolution velocity measurements suggested that the turbidity current was likely the result of a local canyon wall slumping near the 1300 m mooring. Frequent occurrences, in both space and time, of such weak sediment transport events could be an important mechanism to cascade sediment and other particles, and to help sustain the vibrant ecosystems in deep-sea canyons.


An analysis is made of 134 patients treated by a single dose half body irradiation at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Singapore General Hospital. A total of 149 fields were treated with 15 patients receiving both upper and lower half treatments. This technique achieved a more than 70% subjective pain relief in the patients who had widespread bony metastases. Side effects were minimal and this technique has been used on an outpatient basis since the first preliminary study in 1986. There was a dose response, more than 75% (75 out of 97 patients) with pain relief using doses of 700 cGy and above. Sensitive tumours also produced better results with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, prostate and breast having pain relief in more than 70% of patients. The largest group of patients (51 cases) treated was nasopharyngeal carcinoma, as this tumour is fairly common locally and often presents with bony metastases as the first site of spread.


Contents: H.S.H. Princess Caroline; Opening Address; C. George Sandulescu, Preface; A. Norman Jeffares, Address on Yeats the European; Alasdair D.F. Macrae, When Years Summoned Golden Codgers To His Side; Helen Vendler, Yeats As A European Poet: The Poetics of Cacophony; Patrick Rafroidi, Yeats's France Revisited; Denis Donoghue, Yeats and European Criticism; Jacqueline Genet, Villiers De l'Isle Adam and W.B. Yeats; Warwick Gould, A Crowded Theatre: Yeats and Balzac; Birgit Bramsb%ock, Yeats and The 'Bounty of Sweden'; Peter R. Kuch, A Few Twigs From The Wild Bird's Nest; C.K. Stead, Yeats The European; Michael Sidnell, The Presence of The Poet: Or What Sat Down At The Breakfast Table; Ronald Schuchard, Yeats, Titian and The New French Painting; John Kelly, Caelum Non Animum Mutant; William M. Murphy, Lily Yeats, W.B. Yeats, and France; Ann Saddlemyer, Georgie Hyde Lees: More Than A Poet's Wife; Michael Alexander, Savants and Artists: Pound and Yeats; Bernard Hickey, Lady Gregory: Coole and Ca'Cappello Layard; Andrew Parkin, W.B. Yeats and Other Europeans; Masaru Sekine, Four Plays For Dancers: Japanese Aesthetics and A European Mind; George Watson, Yeats, Ibsen and The 'New Woman'; Toni Cerutti, Yeatsian Studies In Italy Today; Heinz Kosok, Yeats In Germany; A. Norman Jeffares; Contributors; Index^R


Cks1 was originally identified based on genetic interactions with CDC28, the gene that encodes Cdk1 in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Subsequent work has shown that Cks1 binds Cdc28 and modulates its activity against certain substrates. However, the Cks1/Cdc28 complex also has a role in transcriptional chromatin remodeling not related to kinase activity. In order to elucidate protein networks associated with Cks1 transcriptional functions, proteomic analysis was performed on immunoaffinity-purified Cks1, identifying a physical interaction with the Paf1 complex. Specifically, we found that the Paf1 complex component Rtf1 interacts directly with Cks1 and that this interaction is essential for efficient recruitment of Cks1 to chromatin in the context of GAL1 gene induction. We further found that Cks1 in this capacity serves as an adaptor allowing Rtf1 to recruit 19S proteasome particles, shown to be required for efficient RNA production from some rapidly inducible genes such as GAL1.


The Aptian to Albian Cedar Mountain Formation of the western San Rafael Swell in east-central Utah contains two members, the Buckhorn Conglomerate and an unnamed upper main member. The Buckhorn Conglomerate disconformably overlies the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation and is an indurated, discontinuous braided stream deposit composed mainly of coarse clast-supported conglomerate that often grades upward into a matrix-supported conglomerate and coarse sandstone. The Cedar Mountain main member rests conformably upon the Buckhorn Conglomerate and may be paraconformable with the upper Morrison Formation where the Buckhorn is absent. The main member is largely unconsolidated floodplain silts and clays that generally were pedogenically altered to semi-arid alfisols in the lower part of the member and were less altered, to inceptisols, in the upper part. Inceptisols and fossiliferous deposits suggest shorter hiatuses in the upper main member. Channel and overbank siltstones and sandstones in the main member indicate a sluggish high-sinuosity fluvial regime. The Cenomanian Dakota Sandstone disconformably overlies the main member of the Cedar Mountain Formation. The Dakota Sandstone varies by locality from thin shoreline-sandstone facies to thicker channel-dominated delta depocenters. The delta depocenters contain some interdistributary deposits. Recent studies indicate that widespread Lower Cretaceous gravels, including the Buckhorn, were generally distributed eastward from the Sevier Belt hinterland across the Western Interior. Sometime during deposition of the Buckhorn Conglomerate, initial thrusting in the Sevier Belt loaded the hinterland, which resulted in eventual isostatic lowering of the uplift, and deposition shifted closer to the thrust belt. This aggradational trend began with the appearance of matrix-supported conglomerate in the Buckhorn and continued throughout deposition of the Cedar Mountain main member. The Dakota Sandstone exhibits fluvial characteristics in the lower parts of the thicker deposits, but an increase in marine influence by encroachment of the Mancos Sea is demonstrated in the upper parts of the thicker sections and in the thinner deposits by the appearance of marine fossils and marine sedimentary features. The Dakota represents transgressively overprinted delta depocenters connected by shoreline deposits. Twenty - three measured sections of the Cedar Mountain-Dakota Sandstone sequence demonstrate its variable thickness in the western San Rafael Swell. The variation in thickness suggests secondary depositional control was exerted by paleotopography that formed during the hiatus between the Morrison and Cedar Mountain formations.


Abstract : The coherence of three dimensional position locations determined from a splicing together of positions generated by contiguous short baseline tracking arrays is quite sensitive to the orientations of the individual arrays. These orientations can be checked with the use of long baseline methods applied to the signal arrival times at a triplet of sensors, each from a different array, but representing the same sound source. The report presents a sharp algorithm for accomplishing this. It operates in three dimensions and tests out well in the cases attempted.


The emergence of an associational world is often regarded as fundamental to the development of civil society, urban cultural life, and political consciousness in early America. The financial roles of voluntary associations, however, remain less well explored. This article draws on a case study of the St Andrews Society of Philadelphia to examine the credit functions of a voluntary association and to consider the relationship between ethnicity and economic practice in the urban Atlantic world. Through focus on the Society's charitable, social and money-lending activities, it argues that associations had a crucial function in colonial communities as providers of credit in its entangled economic and social forms. In placing the Society within the context of both early American associational culture and the history of the Scottish Diaspora, the article considers why 'Scottishness' functioned as a basis for trust. Through its various activities, the Society manufactured and enforced a sense of Scottishness based upon the notion of good credit. Ethnicity was a flexible and fluid concept that incorporated the components of credit and individual worth based on social, occupational, and gender identities, providing a framework for interaction within Philadelphia's particular public sphere and a wider Atlantic economy.


In response to the need for research on the contextualized use of CALL resources, the authors conducted a survey on instructor use of a popular online Spanish language learning resource to provide insight into how foreign language instructors' use of online resources are influenced by socio-institutional factors and instructor motivational factors such as personal background and teaching philosophy. From the 118 survey participants, the authors used quantitative techniques to choose three case studies that represented the diversity of respondents who use the resource in their teaching. They present overall trends and qualitative profiles of the three instructors with the intent to gain an overall understanding of the nature of how the resource is used, not only to provide direction for future quantitative research, but also to illustrate the utility of qualitative research in providing such understanding. Upon analysis of the case studies, the authors conclude that the actual use of a CALL resource may be far from the ideal use the designer intended, and that the use of CALL resources is highly contingent on the sociocultural context of the implementation of the resource. Instructor comments seem to point not towards the physical CALL infrastructure of an instructor's workplace as a determining factor of resource use, but towards the CALL culture and collegiality of the environment. Most revealing of the nature of an instructor's use of a resource seems to be the congruence of site features with the instructor's teaching philosophy, itself the product of a variety of factors.


Neuroendocrine control of physiological functions needs a complex developmental organisation of the hypothalamic parvicellular neurons, which synthesise and release hypophysiotropic hormones. Among the hypothalamic neuroendocrine cells, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons represent a unique class; they are generated in the olfactory placode and, during embryonic life, migrate to the septo/hypothalamic region along terminal and vomeronasal nerves. At this level GnRH neurons undergo terminal differentiation and start to release GnRH to modulate the secretion of pituitary gonadotropins. All these steps are under the strict control of several developmental cues and their defect might represent a cause of clinical disorders. A number of factors have been proposed to be involved in the migration of GnRH neurons, but their role is still unclear. By using gene knockout techniques it has been found that mice carrying a targeted deletion of Ebf2 gene, a component of Olf/Ebf bHLH transcription factors, show a defective migration of GnRH neurons, providing the first evidence of a mouse model of such defect. Since the investigation of GnRH neurons is hindered by their peculiar anatomical distribution, other studies has been forwarded by the availability of immortalized GnRH-expressing neurons (GN11 cells) that retain a strong chemomigratory response "in vitro". Among the factors analysed, we found that hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induce specific chemotaxis of GN 11 neurons, suggesting that migratory signals can arise from nasal mesenchyme and from the concomitant vasculogenesis. Finally, anosmin-1 (the product of the gene responsible of the X-linked form of Kallmann's disease) was found to induce a significant chemotactic response of GN11 cells, confirming a permissive/instructive role of KAL1 gene product in the migratory behaviour of GnRH neurons. In conclusion, the migration of the GnRH neurons appears to be a complex process, which involves the interplay of multiple molecular cues. These studies may provide new insights on the etiopathogenesis of the large proportion of reproductive dysfunctions that affect humans and could provide novel insights on common biochemical events controlling neuronal development and migration.


Metallothionein is defined as a low molecular weight protein of high cysteine and heavy metal contents. Although metallothionein does not show any enzymic activities, multifunctional roles in the body have been proposed such as a chelator to harmful heavy metals and excessive essential metals, a scavenger to various radicals and active oxygen species, and a regulator in the cell proliferation process. These biological roles are manifested through the mercaptide bond (metal-sulfurbond) that characterize metallothionein. All metals bound to metallothionein are coordinated tetrahedrally by cysteinyl sulfurs and this coordination structure forms two clusters consisting of 11 cysteinyl residues and 4 cadmium and/or zinc (cluster alpha), and 9 cysteinyl residues and 3 metals (cluster beta). Metallothionein can be induced by metals, organic chemicals and various kinds of stress and non-chemical stimulation. The gene structure and the regulation mechanisms for its expression are well understood and the regulator region is widely used to control fused structure genes. The biological roles of metallothionein are now studied using transgenic and MT-gene knock out mice.


P27

 The 5-HT1B receptor has been recently implicated in mediating arterial contraction to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT).The 5-HT1B receptor is unmasked/enabled by depolarizing stimuli. It is possible that 5-HT1B receptors in arteries from hypertensive animals, arteries reported to have a depolarized resting potential in smooth muscle cells, are enabled and participate in the supersensitivity observed to 5-HT in hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we utilized an isolated tissue bath apparatus and examined the response of thoracic aorta from normotensive sham rats [systolic blood pressure (SBP) 123 +2 mmHg] and hypertensive deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt rats [SBP 194 + 10 mmHg]. The 5-HT1B agonist RU24969 and the 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist sumatriptan (10-9 -10-5 M) caused a maximal contraction [50 % + 12 of phenylephrine (10-5 M) contraction] in tissues from DOCA-salt rats; no contraction was observed in normotensive arteries. The 5-HT1B antagonist
 SB216641
 (30 nM) was unable to block the RU24969-induced contraction as well as the 5-HT (10-9 -10-4 M)-induced contraction in aorta from both DOCA-salt and normotensive rats. Tissues from normotensive rats were incubated with 15mM KCl as a depolarizing stimulus, and then curves were performed to 5-HT, RU24969, and sumatriptan. These studies were performed in the presence of ketanserin (10 nM, 5-HT 2A receptor antagonist) to remove the contribution of the 5-HT2A receptor. The 5-HT-induced contraction was not changed in the presence of the KCl stimulus. High concentrations (10-5 M) of RU24969 did result in a 30% + 9 contraction. However, the presence of a depolarizing stimulus was unable to produce a leftward shift of the response to resemble that of aorta from DOCA-salt rats. These data support the conclusions that 5-HT1B receptors do not contribute significantly to the 5-HT-induced contraction in the rat aorta or to the hypersensitivity to 5-HT observed in DOCA-salt hypertension. In addition, these data support the conclusion that the arterial hypersensitivity to 5-HT in hypertension is not due to membrane depolarization alone.


In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of people throughout the world participated in remote meetings in online groups using videoconferencing systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on group synergy of a series of instructions based on constructive controversy delivered during online collaboration. After performing a decision-making task individually, 125 participants were randomly assigned to online groups to collaborate and reach a consensus using a videoconferencing system, either in "free discussion" or "instructed discussion" groups. Results revealed that groups with instructions outperformed their best members (strong synergy) at higher rates than groups without instructions. Moreover, participants reported higher epistemic conflict regulation when they received instructions than when they did not. These findings suggest that providing instructions based on constructive controversy during a collaborative task can boost synergy and epistemic conflict regulation in online groups. [ FROM AUTHOR]


Understanding how evolutionary changes happen requires connecting genotype and phenotype level concepts. This study uses a form of concept map, called Knowledge Integration Map (KIM), as a learning and assessment tool to support and assess connecting concepts within and across levels. KIMs visualize clusters and cross-links by dividing the drawing area into subject-specific spaces. A technology-enhanced curriculum on evolution has been developed and implemented in four high school science classrooms (number of students n=94). Pre- and posttests consisting of multiple choice items, short essays, and concept maps triangulated changes in students' integration of concepts related to evolution and their understanding of evolutionary changes of different organisms. Network analysis of concept maps identified changes in prominence of selected concepts and in cross-links between levels. Findings indicate that both low and high performing students made significant gains integrating concepts about the mechanisms of evolution. Results suggest that network analysis can be used to identify, compare, and track changes in concept maps over time.


Abstract At the turn of the previous century, Thorstein Veblen used Darwinian evolutionary principles to explain the macro-historical evolution of human societies, as well as the institutional structure of the modern pecuniary culture. Even if Veblen had a strong intuitive grasp of the evolutionary forces operating in society, he was not always clear and explicit in developing his ideas towards a full-fledged, consistent evolutionary social theory. This paper argues that a relatively recent theoretical approach, gene-culture coevolution theory, has the conceptual apparatus to remedy this problem and thus make Veblen's ideas an important part of contemporary evolutionary thinking in social theory.


This work aimed to determine the effect of biodegradable superabsorbent hydrogel based on cellulose derivatives on the growth and yield of sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata Sturt) on dry land. The design used was a completely randomized design (CRD). The applied treatments consisted of four levels of hydrogel: without
hydrogel (control), 2, 4, and 6 g per plant, respectively. Each treatment was repeated six times in this experiment, yielding a total of 24 experimental pots. Each experiment pot contained 3 plants, thus all 72 plants. The results showed that the hydrogel would significantly increase soil moisture, relative water content, growth of the plant height, stem diameter, and ear cobs without corn husk. Likewise, on the length of the ear without ear cobs and wet ear weights without corn husk. As the hydrogel preserves soil moisture, allowing water to be available for the plant, it might also temporarily store soil from the water and gradually remove it into the soil. Further investigations should be performed to completely characterize the interaction between the superabsorbent hydrogel and the dry land soil.


Children of Military Service Members Commemorative Lapel Pin Act - Requires a lapel button, to be known as the children of military service members commemorative lapel button, to be designed, as approved by the Secretary of Defense (DOD), to identify and recognize child dependents of members of the Armed Forces who serve on active duty for more than 30 days. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should expedite the design and manufacture of the button, as well as mechanisms to facilitate its issuance. Makes such button available retroactively to the child of any member satisfying such eligibility conditions before the enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to notify members with qualifying service since September 11, 2001, of the availability of the button.


The main aim of this report is to review existing information on key taxa or functional groups identified in eight study catchments; River Becva (Czeck Republic), River Vechte (Netherlands/Germany), River Dinkel (Germany), River Eman (Sweden), River Lambourn (UK), River Neajlov (Romania), River Waldaist (Austria), River Lahn (Germany), River Eder (Germany), River Orco (Italy) and River Chiusella (Italy) . Data relating to the distribution in space and time of characteristics taxa (mainly macroinvertebrates) were collated and these biological data will be used in subtasks 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5. Data sources including existing literature, other ecological studies and data collected by water authorities and other organisations were evaluated. The analyses were aimed at addressing two key questions:

i) What are the relations between hydrology/hydromorphology and species composition?
ii) Which species or biological parameters are good indicators of change in hydrology/hydromorphological conditions


A novel geometry of unit cells relying on printed technology and featuring full dispersion diagram (DD) exhibiting an unusual large number of electromagnetic band-gaps (EBGs) is proposed. The printed patch consists of a filter-like geometry, meandered around the symmetry center of the unit cell and connected to the ground plane by three aligned vias, locally increasing the loading inductances; the multiple resonances shown by the structure determine the limits of the band-gaps. In particular, the DD of the unit cell presents an EBG between every two consecutive modes of propagation within the first eight modes in the case of one-directional propagation. The same phenomenon has been demonstrated for 2-D propagation, where four EBGs are proven to exist between the first five modes, in the case of arbitrarily directed propagation in the main plane of the structure. The 2-D scanning needed for building up the full DDs is realized by computer simulation with dedicated software. The small differences in band limits between the 1-D and 2-D cases reflect a small amount of anisotropy. The wide range of mono-modal behavior allows the structure to be used in applications requiring selective filtering, e.g., direct incorporation into antenna feeding systems, self-collimation, super lens, etc.


This paper reports on enhanced educational outcomes that have been achieved at Trinity College by introducing complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) and the hardware description language VHDL in the first course in digital design. Using Altera's Max+Plus II package and concurrent engineering practices, a team of eight students implemented a fully operational four-bit "tiny" CPU as a three-week final design project. Such successes demonstrate that modern CAD tools and use of CPLDs encourage creativity and system-level thinking in a first course.


Background: In Chile, there is no information about the prevalence of smoking among basic and high school students. Aim: To study the prevalence of smoking among school age population. Material and Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted during 2001, assessing tobacco use and smoking habit in a representative sample of 15.119 randomly selected students. Results: Sixty four percent of students had smoked at least once in their lifetime. Eighteen percent of students smoked daily and 15%, occasionally. The figures for women were higher (19 and 18% respectively). The mean age for the first contact with smoking was 12.3 years and, for starting the smoking habit, 13.2 years. Smokers increased the amount of cigarettes during weekends. Higher prevalence rates of smoking were observed in students from the Southern region of the country and of lower socioeconomic levels. From the 3rd grade on, there is an increased risk of having contact with tobacco and smoking for the first time and from 6th grade on, this risk becomes permanent. The adjusted Odds Ratio to be a smoker is significantly higher when the mother is a current or irregular smoker (OR 1.9 95 CI; 1.7-2.0). Conclusions: High smoking prevalence rates were detected in this survey, mainly in women. The risk for smoking starts early during school life. Therefore, health promotion programs must include elementary and high school students (Rev Med Chile 2004; 132: 171-82)


This paper examines whether exchange rate misalignment negatively affects agricultural trade, compared to other industry sectors. Nominal exchange rate misalignment is obtained from the percentage deviation of real exchange rates from their long-run equilibrium based on the theory of purchasing power parity. In order to explore this issue, a bilateral trade matrix involving trade flows between 10 developed countries is constructed. Using panel data analysis, a gravity model is estimated for 4 industry sectors over the period 1974-1999. The study finds that over-valuation (under-valuation) of the nominal exchange rate negatively (positively) affects export performance of the agricultural sector in particular. In the large-scale manufacturing sectors considered in this paper, exports are not significantly affected by exchange rate misalignment.


According to the Lambert-Beer laws, the fluorescence spectra of oil in water were investigated by measuring excitation-emission matrixes with FS920 fluorescence spectrometer. On the basis of the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of oil in water, the excitation wavelength of 290nm and emission wavelength of 324nm were chosen for the quantitative analysis of oil in water. The results show that the concentration of oil in water is linearly proportional to the fluorescence intensity in the range of 1ppm-100ppm, and the measurement model of concentration is obtained with the linear correlation coefficient of 0.9993. The artificial samples has also been tested and the results are satisfactory. The recovery is in the range of 92%-106%. The research provides experimental basis for the quantitative analysis of multi-component oil in water.


Many examples of epidermal pseudocarcinomatous proliferations associated to CD30+ lymphoid infiltrates are described in literature. Most of them have been interpreted as epidermal proliferations secondary to the lymphoid infiltrate. In this study, our purpose was to investigate the CD30+ cell population in keratoacanthomas of patients with no other cutaneous or hematological conditions. We randomly selected 21 cases of KA from our archives and performed an immunohistochemical study for CD30 in all of them. The quantity of CD30+ cells was graded according to a 5-tier system (from non-existent to evidence of groups of three or more CD30+ cells each: 0-4). In four cases, the inflammatory infiltrate could not be studied, since the lesions had been enucleated. From the other 17 cases, in 94.12% of them, the infiltrate was graded as 3 or 4. Only one case was graded as 1, and interestingly, this case corresponded to a keratoacanthoma in regression. We also studied the percentage of CD30+ cells in the infiltrate in each case, obtaining a mean of 2.89%. We conclude that CD30+ cells are a common component of the inflammatory infiltrate of normal keratoacanthoma. We also wonder if the cases described as either lymphomas or lymphomatoid papulosis with keratoacanthomatous changes are nothing more but simple keratoacanthomas. Lastly, we see this CD30+ infiltrate as a source of investigation to understand why keratoacanthomas spontaneously regress, instead of progressing to a metastasizing squamous cell carcinoma.


Quesada, Carlos R. M.S., Purdue University, December 2013. Effects of Selected Pesticides on Calico Scale and its Natural Enemies. Major Professor: Clifford S. Sadof, College of Agriculture Calico scale (Eulecanium cerasorum) is an exotic pest of shade and ornamental trees. It feeds on phloem sap, reduces tree vigor and can ultimately kill trees. We observed effects of four foliar applied (bifenthrin, pyriproxyfen, chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole) and two soil applied pesticides (dinotefuran, imidacloprid) on calico scales and their natural enemies on infested thornless honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) over three years. Bifenthrin, dinotefuran and cyantraniliprole provided the largest reductions in scale populations when they were applied to egg laying females on branches early in the season. In contrast, bifenthrin and pyriproxyfen provided the most consistent reductions in scales when they were applied to settled scales on leaves later in the season. None of the insecticides reduced natural enemy abundance when they were applied to egg laying females. In contrast, bifenthrin and pyriproxyfen reduced natural enemy abundance when they were applied to settled scales on leaves. Laboratory assays indicated that foliar applications of bifenthrin were highly toxic to larval Chrysoperla rufilabris (Chrysopidae: Neuroptera), 4 DAT but not 50 DAT. In contrast, toxicity of pyriproxyfen and chlorantraniliprole were moderately toxic to C. rufilabris at 4 DAT and 50 DAT. This suggests physiological selectivity of a pesticide


A feature of language teaching in recent decades has been the development of process-oriented approaches. This orientation towards processes encourages us to facilitate learner choice and individual development. However, it is challenged by the current educational climate, which prioritizes accountability and assessment. In this situation, a new perspective on process orientation has emerged. This perspective focuses not on the processes which occur as part of learning but on the processes which are the intended outcomes of this learning. Discrete features of the communication and learning processes become pre-specified 'learning outcomes', which are to be observed and assessed. Outcomes-based education is promoted as a means of empowering learners with the knowledge and skills required for living. However, it is also a powerful instrument for effecting compliance with centralized conceptions of education and can minimize the voices of learners and teachers in the process of education.


The current research study aimed to explore the role of radio clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Swat. The study was a content analysis based and radio programs were examined that how radio programs are playing role in creating awareness among the public about the coronavirus and what sort of information is disseminating to educate the people to save themselves from this hazardous disease. Data of one month from April 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020, was collected about radio programs about the public health of Radio Pakistan Swat. Furthermore, researchers made codding sheet to categorize the data. The findings of the study showed that almost all the programs emphasized keeping social distance, regular hand washing, wearing face masks, and stay home to secure themselves from being infected from coronavirus. The overall study concluded that community radio is playing a vital role in public awareness and education especially in rural and remote areas of Pakistan.


"Sustainability and Green Buildings are the key words in the discussion of future orientated properties. Even the EXPO REAL, which is a ground-breaking and important International Commercial Property Exposition, attracts with the headline iSustainability and real estatei last year. Therefore it is shown, that this subject becomes more important and of course split views which are heating up discussions about the future of properties. In case of old commercial buildings it is either the question to demolish or to refurbish them. In Frankfurt, Germany, Europeis greatest refurbishment of a commercial building is taking place at the moment and will create one of the most eco-friendly high-rise buildings in the world. Overall this refurbishment will become a leading property in the sustainability sector. In this session an example will be given on how an office building can be redeveloped and which steps have to be taken to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the building by at least 50 per cent. Implemented during the refurbishment is a multiple measure to save energy and not only costs, but to reduce the required heating energy by 67 per cent. Suffering from the delusion only users can influence the CO2 emission of a property, also the building itself is responsible for its emission. Therefore the use of renewable energies, technical building intelligence, fire prevention and protection, energy saving and of course the efficient use of all kind of resources are just a few items to guarantee ideal working conditions and to make a significant contribution to protect the environment in the long term.""


We present B and R CCD images and optical spectroscopy in the range 3700–8900 A for the galaxy NGC 5666, which until now was considered as a low-luminosity elliptical. The high-resolution images show a conspicuous spiral pattern which is limited to the inner region ($r \le 5\arcsec$, or 1/6 of the isophotal radius) and a faint (presumably tidal) outer feature dotted with small knots resembling star clusters or tidal dwarf galaxies. The patchy spiral structure and the luminosity profiles suggest a late-type morphological type, but the disk is of high central surface brightness and the bulge weak and very extended. The nuclear spectrum reveals typical emission lines found in late-type galaxies, but the underlying nuclear stellar population and continuum only match that of an elliptical galaxy combined with a young (<1 Gyr) stellar population. These and other properties of the galaxy suggest that this could be a minor merger, at an intermediate stage, between a gas-rich dwarf and a small early-type disk galaxy. If this is the case, the galaxy NGC 5666 will provide important constraints to the theory of hierarchical galaxy formation.


Objectives Peroxiredoxin (PRDX) thiol-based antioxidant enzymes have been identified in several neurological diseases. Astrocytes, multifunctional supporting cells, become activated during pathological processes and develop reactive and/or scarring phenotypes featuring characteristic changes in protein expression. Astrocyte activation can be beneficial although scarring astrocytes inhibit repair. Little is known about astrocytes expression of the PRDX family. However altered expression or inactivation of PRDXs could contribute to pathology. This preliminary study investigated PRDXs and related redox enzymes in a human astrocyte culture system that mimics the phenotypes of quiescent, reactive/scarring astrocytes in vivo. Methods Human astrocytes, isolated from post mortem subventricular deep white matter were grown in conditions inducing quiescence or activation. RNA was extracted and cDNA obtained by reverse transcription PCR. Expression levels of PRDXs 2,3,5, sulfiredoxin (SRX), thioredoxin (TRX) and thioredoxin reductase (TR) in quiescent and activated astrocytes was assessed by qPCR. Results Quiescent astrocytes expressed low basal PRDX 2, 3 and 5 mRNA. Following activation, PRDX 3 mRNA levels were unchanged. However, a threefold increase of PRDXs 2 and 5 expression was seen. Conversely high basal levels of SRX, TRX and TR mRNA in quiescent astrocytes, were decreased in activated astrocytes. Changes in PRDX expression are linked to astrocyte phenotype.


Aim and Objective: To evaluate the effect of dental caries, fluorosis and temporo-mandibular joint disorders on quality of life.
Material and Methodology: Total sample size was categorized into three groups: Group A-Participants 3-10 y: for assessment of fluorosis and dental caries. Group B-Participants of age 11-18 y: for assessment of fluorosis and dental caries. Group C-Participants of age 18 y and above for assessment of TMD, fluorosis and dental caries. These age groups were studied for the validity and reliability of oral health related quality of life in different oral and dental conditions as per their respective age groups. Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) was used to assess the oral cavity and hygiene in first group. For fluorosis assessment, TSIF Score is used in the study.
Results: 4.5% patients in this study have minor scores for dental caries. 19% participants out of these were observed to have fair score of OHI-S (i.e. 1.3 to 3.0). 6% participants were found with TSIF score 3 fluorosis in Group A. 30% participants had TSIF score of 1 or greater and 13% have scores of 2 or greater while 70% patients in Group B have TSIF score more than 0. TMD was assessed in Group C and in this study participated patients were 33 males and 17 females. The test-retest reliability was satisfactory in the Group C samples.
Conclusion: Signs and symptoms of TMD, fluorosis and caries in different age groups helped to validate and to find reliability of OHRQoL.


Burnout syndrome and depression are prevalent mental health problems in many societies today. Most existing methods used in clinical intervention and research are based on inventories. Natural Language Processing (NLP) enables new possibilities to automatically evaluate text in the context of clinical Psychology. In this paper, we show how affective word list ratings can be used to differentiate between texts indicating depression or burnout, and a control group. In particular, we show that depression and burnout show statistically significantly higher arousal than the control group.


It is critical for a numerical scheme to obtain numerical results as accurate as possible with limited computational resources. Turbulent processes are very sensitive to numerical dissipation, which may dissipate the small length scales. On the other hand, dealing with shock waves, capturing and reproducing of the discontinuity may lead to non-physical oscillations for non-dissipative high-order schemes. In the present work, a new high-order mixed weighted compact and non-compact difference scheme (MWCS hereafter) is proposed for accurate approximation of the derivatives in the governing Euler equations. The basic idea is to recover the non-dissipative high-order weighted compact scheme (WCS) in smooth regions, while linearly combine the WCS with a non-compact scheme, the weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme, for near-shock areas, by using a shock-detecting function. The proposed formulation does not involve any case-dependent adjustable parameter. A detailed Fourier and local truncation error analysis are used for assessing the dispersion and dissipation characteristics of the scheme. Numerical tests are performed for the one- and two-dimensional case and the results are compared with the well-established WENO scheme and the WCS.


First-principle (especially density functional theory)-based simulations are of paramount importance in studying biological reactivity and photophysics, as well as in the investigation of transition metal ions in biology and pharmacy. Either embedded in implicit (continuum models) or explicit molecular mechanics-based framework (the so-called quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods), they are used to investigate problems, where the consideration of the electronic structure is indispensable. Here we briefly review some of the principles of these methods, with particular emphasis on hybrid Car–Parrinello/molecular mechanics, which has been developed by one of us (U.R). A brief survey of recent applications is also provided. We close this paper with a rather detailed discussion of continuum-based methodologies.


This work addresses the problem of generating 3D holistic body motions from human speech. Given a speech recording, we synthesize sequences of 3D body poses, hand gestures, and facial expressions that are realistic and diverse. To achieve this, we first build a high-quality dataset of 3D holistic body meshes with synchronous speech. We then define a novel speech-to-motion generation framework in which the face, body, and hands are modeled separately. The separated modeling stems from the fact that face articulation strongly correlates with human speech, while body poses and hand gestures are less correlated. Specifically, we employ an autoencoder for face motions, and a compositional vector-quantized variational autoencoder (VQ- VAE) for the body and hand motions. The compositional VQ-VAE is key to generating diverse results. Additionally, we propose a cross-conditional autoregressive model that generates body poses and hand gestures, leading to coherent and realistic motions. Extensive experiments and user studies demonstrate that our proposed approach achieves state-of-the-art performance both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our dataset and code are released for research purposes at https://talkshow.is.tue.mpg.de/.


Abstract : Coal-fired power plants produce approximately 80 million tons of fly ash each year. Efforts to use fly ash have reached only a twenty to thirty percent reutilization rate. A literature review was performed to provide a consensus of the available information regarding fly ash. Fly ash is highly variable depending on the coal source, plant operations, and several other parameters. The various fly ash characteristics are discussed including classifications, physical characteristics, chemical properties and chemical compositions. Although extensive research has been performed on the use of fly ash, very little of this research has monitored any environmental impacts. The environmental concerns addressed include mobilization of toxic elements, biota impact, microbial impact, handling dangers, and pertinent regulations. Finally, the various disposal and reutilization options for fly ash are examined. A recommendation is provided for further research to cover deficiencies found in the literature.


Autonomic computing programming models explicitly address self management properties by introducing the notion of "Autonomic Element. However, most of currently developed systems do not employ autonomic self-managing programming paradigms. Thus, a current challenge is to find mechanisms to identify the self-tuning behavior and self-tuning parameters which have implicitly been declared using non-autonomic elements, and to expose them for monitoring or to an analysis framework. Static analysis, although it shows a good potential, it results in many false positives. In this paper, we provide a mechanism to identify the tuning parameters more accurately through dynamic analysis.


In this thesis, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) of woodpolymers dissolved in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide(LiCl/DMAc) has been used to characterize the molar massdistributions (MMD) of wood polymers in pulp fibers afterchemical degradation.Characterization of birch kraft pulps subjected to ozonedegradation and acid hydrolysis, respectively, rendereddifferent changes in the MMD. Ozone degradation resulted inlarge redistributions of the original MMD, observed as thedevelopment of a distinct fraction of cellulose withintermediate molar mass. Acid hydrolysis resulted in minorchanges of the original MMD compared to ozonation. Fiberssubjected to acid hydrolysis were considerably weaker thanozonated fibers. These results indicated that there aredifferences in how the two chemicals degrade the fiber.The solubility of softwood kraft pulp fibers was enhanced byderivatization of the fiber polymers with ethyl-isocyanateduring simultaneous dissolution in LiCl/DMAc. Thederivatization made it possible to achieve reliable estimationsof the MMD, and hence molar masses, of softwood kraft pulps.The derivatization procedure made it possible to dissolve 90 %of softwood kraft pulps with kappa numbers over 50.Severe alkaline degradation of birch and Norway spruce woodchips was studied both by varying the pulping time and byvarying the initial alkali concentration. Differences werefound in the MMD of the two fiber types, and the alkalinedegradation was found to affect polymers in the entire MMD.Multi-angular laser light scattering (MALLS) was used as adetection technique with SEC on cellulosic samples. The MMD andaverage molar masses obtained through directstandardcalibration with commercial standards were compared with MMDand molar masses as obtained by MALLS-detection. Largediscrepancies were found, and two methods of correcting forthese discrepancies were developed.Theoretical simulations of polymer degradation wereperformed. Random, or homogeneous degradation was used as amodel for alkaline cellulose chain scission, and a resemblancewith experimental data was observed. End-wise depolymerizationof cellulose was also simulated and the results are discussedin the light of experimentally observed MMD.Keywords:cellulose, kraft pulp, birch, spruce,ozonation, acid hydrolysis, degradation, MMD, sizeexclusionchromatography, light scattering, molar mass, chainscission


Endogenous and environmental oxidation is increasingly becoming an important factor associated with numerous disorders in both children and adults. The lung is particularly prone to oxidation, as the gas exchange organ is continuously exposed to a great deal of airborne oxidants. Lung oxidation-induced toxicity is a critical clinical problem that is currently lacking cure. For example, treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a common type of acute diffuse lung injury, is strictly supportive. Alkylating chemotherapeutics and many methyl chemicals can cause acute or chronic lung injury, which is also difficult to treat. Many new approaches are being tried to improve the treatment of lung oxidation and alkylation; one of these is the use of DNA repair proteins, such as base excision repair proteins that are largely involved in repairing DNA damage caused by oxidation and alkylation. Recent advances have revealed their promising potential for treating oxidation toxicity. Here we discuss discoveries that have led to this possibility, including pioneering research into the cellular signaling transduction and molecular mechanisms of DNA repair proteins. In conclusion, when combined with other therapeutic measures such as anti-oxidant chemicals and enzymes, DNA repair proteins may have great potential for treating acute and chronic lung toxicity induced by oxidation and alkylation.


The post-Soviet economic development has been predominantly explained through transition paradigm, where countries are assessed to what extent authoritarian and centralized economies have been liberalized and privatized towards a market economy. Its underlying normative assertion is that economic growth and development are achieved through market mechanisms, and poor economic performance and stagnation are outcomes of lack of political will for reforms and domestic conditions (Heatherhaw and Cooley 2015). This chapter examines the economic development trajectory of Central Asian countries, and argues that the 'economic transition' paradigm is flawed because it fails to discern the complexity of neoliberalism-led capitalism (see Soederberg 2012; Robison 2006). In particular, there is little scrutiny between 'market reforms' and high levels of indebtedness, socio-economic inequality, corruption and unsustainable development in the region. This chapter will examine how Western-led international financial institutions pursued two neoliberal economic strategies of extraction-based and debt-led growth in Central Asia, and their negative impact on society. It will also examine the emergence of two alternative economic imaginaries that counter the US neoliberal global hegemony.


This chapter starts with an theoretical exploration of the nature of computerized practices of Law application. Then four generations of Law are identified in which the last generation can be understood as a form of legal mass customization. Characteristic for this fourth generation law is interactivity at a large scale. The theoretical discussion of the control of large-scale computerized policy implementation is illustrated by a case study of the use of large-scale information systems in Dutch and European immigration policies. It is argued that modern, western states, need a type of power that forms an addition to the existing Trias Politica. This because the Trias Politica is falling short on its promise of providing a check on the application of law because the fourth generation law offers the legislating power new instruments to limit the power of judges and the administration. As a result, there is no formal power which is concerned with supervising and correcting of the large scale exertion of power. As a way to restore the necessary balance of power a Tetras Politica is suggested.


Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are typically short courses offered free to anyone with Internet access, provide opportunities for online education regardless of participants' gender, professional status, qualifications, age or location. Since the international introduction of MOOCs in 2008 in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, they have attracted public attention and online learning researchers have already made headway in investigating their essence. However, although MOOCs were introduced to Saudi Arabia in 2013 and have gained the attention of Saudi government sectors such as the Ministry of Labour, little research has been published on the effects of MOOCs in the country. Therefore, this research, to the best of my knowledge, is the first to explore Saudi participants' perceptions of MOOCs.
As a Saudi teaching assistant at King Saud University in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), I can see a clear trend in Saudi education towards online learning. The use of online learning is perhaps one of the most important current developments in the education system (Algahtani, 2011) and it would be difficult to dispense with this kind of learning now. Therefore, after consulting with several Saudi professors in educational technology, I concluded that investigating Saudi participants' perceptions of MOOCs could make a significant contribution to the evolution of Saudi education generally and online learning in particular, thus contributing to improving Saudi people's culture.
This study aimed to explore the cultural implications of MOOCs for Saudi participants with the main objective being to identify Saudi participants' perceptions of MOOCs, specifically the impact of MOOCs on participants' lives, their pedagogy and learning design, and their social environment. The data was collected using mixed methods through conducting surveys, observation, and interviews with participants. Consequently, participants' perceptions are linked to the literature review and discussed in detail in relation to the Saudi Arabian context. Furthermore, recommendations are offered on how to maximise the potential of MOOCs alongside suggestions for further research.
The conclusion of this study asserts that MOOCs are widely used by Saudi participants, especially women, due to MOOC flexibility and their contribution to the development of educational cultures. MOOCs contributed to improving participants' knowledge and personalities, as well as developing their educational and professional lives; however, the study revealed that the benefits participants gained from MOOCs varied depending on their positions and aims. In addition, the findings showed that participants' views regarding the effectiveness of the pedagogy and learning design of MOOCs differed. Moreover, the study highlighted several factors that affected participants' learning in terms of course design and the rules of participation, and some insights are provided that could address the concerns participants raised. MOOCs can contribute to attaining Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 by providing courses that focus on educating Saudis and imparting the skills required for future employment and for effectively carrying out the jobs recently allocated to citizens.


With the advancements in high volume, low precision computational technology and applied research on cognitive artificially intelligent heuristic systems, machine learning solutions through neural networks with real-time learning has seen an immense interest in the research community as well the industry. This paper involves research, development and experimental analysis of a neural network implemented on a robot with an arm through which evolves to learn to walk in a straight line or as required. The neural network learns using the algorithms of Gradient Descent and Backpropagation. Both the implementation and training of the neural network is done locally on the robot on a raspberry pi 3 so that its learning process is completely independent. The neural network is first tested on a custom simulator developed on MATLAB and then implemented on the raspberry computer. Data at each generation of the evolving network is stored, and analysis both mathematical and graphical is done on the data. Impact of factors like the learning rate and error tolerance on the learning process and final output is analyzed.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of zinc gluconate, either associated or not to dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), as a contraceptive method for the canine male population. Twenty-nine sexually mature male dogs were divided into five groups: Group I (control, saline solution); Group II (zinc gluconate 13.1 mg); Group III (zinc gluconate 26.2 mg); Group IV (zinc gluconate 13.1 mg and DMSO 0.5%); Group V (zinc gluconate 26.2 mg and DMSO 0.5%). Chemical injection was directly administered into the dorsal cranial portion of each testicle once. Animals were examined for testicular size and spermogram 15 days before chemical injection, on Day 0, and then every 15 days for 6 months. Pain and sensitivity were observed in one animal of Group III at the first day after treatment. Signs of eosinophilia were observed 120 days after drug injection in Groups II and III. Dogs did not become azoospermic, but it was observed that from the second collection on, Group V sperm cell number per mm 3 values were significantly lower than control group. Individual group analysis showed a significant cell motility decrease for Groups III, IV and V. Group V motility values were significantly lower than control group for collections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. Twelve months after chemical injection, two dogs of the control group and four from the group with more spermatic alterations (Group V) were surgically neutered and their testicles were examined through histopathological staining, revealing testicular degeneration, decreased number of germ cells, areas of atrophy, disruption of seminiferous tubule architecture, and loss of germ and Sertoli cells. The association of DMSO (0.5%) to zinc gluconate (26.2 mg) may be indicated as a contraceptive method for male dogs.


Background: Action Identification Theory holds that every action has different 'levels' of meaning. High levels confer greater meaning and are preferentially sought but when the action is interrupted lower level identities with reduced meaning are elicited. The primary aim of this research was to develop a measure of action identification to investigate the hypothesis that interference to activity caused by chronic pain 'down regulates' levels of action identification thus effectively draining meaning from life. An additional aim was to investigate other factors which influence action identification in chronic pain.

Methods: A measure of action identification for pain (AIP) was developed. The AIP was psychometrically evaluated in samples of students. It was administered to 47 chronic pain patients using a forced choice card-sort method. The chronic pain sample also completed the Meaningful Life Measure and measures of pain intensity, pain interference, depression, withdrawal from activity, acceptance and optimism.

Results: The AIP demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability over 2 to 3 weeks.
Data on the inter-correlations between variables are reported. Pain interference negatively correlated with meaning in life and action identification level positively correlated with meaning in life. Multiple regression analyses found that depression and negative mood, acceptance and optimism significantly contributed to variance in meaning in life. Interference and action identification did not. Possible explanations for the results are discussed.

Conclusions: The AIP is a promising measure of action identification. Further work is necessary to overcome methodological limitations of the current research to reliably understand the process of action identification in chronic pain. Interventions aimed at increasing acceptance of pain and training optimism may help increase perceived meaning in life in chronic pain.


According to data given by the Australian Council of Trade Unions there are about 1.5 million Australian children under the age of five. Every year 250,000 new babies are born and by the time a child is in his or her second year, 57% of mothers are back in the workforce and by the time children turn three, 68% of mothers are back in the workforce. Many new childcare facilities have recently been constructed in the built environment in many parts of Australia and New Zealand to cater for this growing demand. The proposed location of childcare facilities is highly important because of the noise impact they will have on the surrounding neighbours. However, in many cases childcare facilities are being proposed in normal residential roads with as many as five neighbouring residential properties at their boundaries. Often childcare proprietors would like to accommodate as many children as practicable. This can be as many as 50 to 60, or even 90 children in the age group 2 to 5 years.


The formation of calciumcarbonate and calciumsulphate scales in cooling water wasmitigated by adding poly(maleicanhydride-co-methacrylic acid) polymer.Maleic anhydride- methacrylic acid copolymer (Man-MAA) was synthesized by adopting bulk polymerization procedure. The synthesized Man-MAA copolymer was characterized through Ultraviolet-visible (Uvvisible) spectroscopy and Fourier transformation Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy methods. The viscosity of the polymer was only 1.1CPS, which is more responsible for the antiscaling property of the polymers. Antiscaling performance of this polymer was evaluated by performing chemical screeing test, constant potential electrolysis and electrochemical impedance techniques. The addition ofMan-MAA polymer is not altered the crystal structure of the either CaCO3 or CaSO4 crystals, it affects only the crystal growth and thus much reduced size was the result, which is evident from the SEM andXRD results. TheMan-MAApolymer has offered very good antiscaling property in both of the brines.


We study the formation of social networks that are based on local interaction and simple rule following. Agents evaluate the profitability of link formation on the basis of the Myerson-Shapley principle that payoffs come from the marginal contribution they make to coalitions. The NP-hard problem associated with the Myerson-Shapley value is replaced by a boundedly rational 'spatially' myopic process. Agents consider payoffs from direct links with their neighbours (level 1) which can include indirect payoffs from neighbours' neighbours (level 2) and up to M-levels that are far from global. Agents dynamically break away from the neighbour to whom they make the least marginal contribution. Computational experiments show that when this selfinterested process of link formation operates at level 2 neighbourhoods, agents selforganize into stable and efficient network structures that manifest reciprocity, equity and segregation reminiscent of hunter gather groups. A large literature alleges that this is incompatible with self-interested behaviour and market oriented marginality principle in the allocation of value. We conclude that it is not this valuation principle that needs to be altered to obtain segregated social networks as opposed to global components, but whether it operates at level 1 or level 2 of social neighbourhoods. Remarkably, all M>2 neighbourhood calculations for payoffs leave the efficient network structures identical to the case when M=2.