This thesis describes the development and testing of NbN/MgO/NbN tunnel junctions for use as superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers. SIS mixers are the most sensitive heterodyne detectors in the millimeter wavelength region. Most SIS mixers use Pb alloy tunnel junction. These tunnel junctions have several problems associated with the soft nature of Pb and its low superconducting transition temperature. NbN-based tunnel junctions are being developed to overcome these difficulties. These devices are intended to be used as mixers at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. This thesis describes the fabrication process involved in making NbN junctions, and the results of measurements on these devices. The purpose of these measurements is to determine the future possibilities of NbN tunnel junctions as high-frequency mixers.

The first chapter is an introduction to SIS mixers and explains how tunnel junction properties affect mixer performance. The basic theory of tunneling and mixing in SIS mixers is first presented. A description of quantum mixer theory is included in this presentation. This theory makes several interesting predictions that cannot be explained using classical theories. This is followed by a description of how real SIS tunnel junctions differ from ideal junctions. The physical origin of these differences is discussed, along with how they affect SIS mixer performance. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of the various superconducting materials available are discussed. The decision to develop NbN devices is based on these material properties.

The second chapter describes the methods used to fabricate small-area NbN/MgO/NbN tunnel junctions. The chapter begins with a description of the various methods that have been used to deposit NbN films. Reactive magnetron sputtering is chosen as the best method for tunnel junction fabrication. Details on the vacuum systems and the methods used for depositing superconducting NbN are discussed. Next, the process used for depositing junction trilayers (NbN/MgO/NbN) is described. The probable growth mode of MgO on NbN is presented. The importance of this growth mode to the junction quality is explained in some detail. Next, standard junction processing steps are reported. The details and limitations of each step are put forth. The standard process allows for the fabrication of 1 [square micron] tunnel junctions. Finally, this chapter discusses several methods of fabaricating submicron junctions that are being pursued. The status of this work is given.

The third chapter describes the characterization of NbN films and NbN/Mg0/NbN tunnel junctions. Film properties are described first. The correlation of these properties to deposition conditions is discussed in some detail. Next, values for the various features of the I-V characteristic are given; typical and exceptional values are noted. How these features limit mixer results is described in detail. Several important device attributes were measured using superconducting-quantum-interference-devices (SQUIDs). These attributes are the junction's specific capacitance and the film's magnetic penetration depth. The theory and results of measuring specific capacitance and penetration depth are presented. Following the SQUID results is a large section on RP testing. Mixer tests were made at 205 GHz. The receiver design used, integral inductive tuning circuit used and results are discussed. These results are well understood, with the exception of the temperature dependence of the mixer performance. Finally, measurements of the uniformity of many junctions on a single wafer are presented. The importance of junction uniformity is also described.

The final chapter discusses the ultimate limits on NbN mixers, and tells what future work must be done to achieve these limits. The primary high-frequency limit on NbN junctions is the capacitance of NbN/MgO/NbN junctions. The limit imposed by the junction capacitance and circuits used to tune out this capacitance are discussed. Also, the low-frequency limits on NbN junctions are discussed. The status of submicron devices is presented. Junction area is the most immediate limitation on NbN mixer results. The possibility of using other barrier materials to increase the RC speed of NbN junctions is presented. Finally, the possibility of operating NbN junctions at temperatures above 4.2 K is discussed.


In this paper we present four simple expressions for the relativistic first and second order fractional density perturbations for ΛCDM cosmologies in different gauges: the Poisson, uniform curvature, total matter and synchronous gauges. A distinctive feature of our approach is the use of a canonical set of quadratic differential expressions involving an arbitrary spatial function, the so-called comoving curvature perturbation, to describe the spatial dependence, which enables us to unify, simplify and extend previous seemingly disparate results. The simple structure of the expressions makes the evolution of the density perturbations completely transparent and clearly displays the effect of the cosmological constant on the dynamics, namely that it stabilizes the perturbations. We expect that the results will be useful in applications, for example, studying the effects of primordial non-Gaussianity on the large scale structure of the universe.


This panel was convened at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, March 24, by its moderator, Orde Kittrie of Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, who introduced the speakers: Asli U. Bali of UCLA School of Law; Rose Gottemoeller of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance; Ken Handleman of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Global Strategic Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense; David Huizenga of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration; and Leonard S. Spector of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies. ** BACKGROUND The two facets of nuclear trafficking--trafficking in weapons-usable materials that might enable a nuclear attack by terrorists and trafficking in sensitive nuclear commodities (i.e., equipment and technology) to support the development of nuclear weapons by additional states--remain grave concerns of the international community. The two dimensions of nuclear trafficking are intimately related, since it is trafficking in nuclear commodities that is enabling Pakistan and North Korea to expand production of weapon-grade nuclear materials and that is giving Iran the ability to produce them. The presence of terrorist organizations in Pakistan, and reportedly of their sympathizers in some parts of Pakistan's military and intelligence services; North Korea's unrestrained nuclear export policies; and Iran's divided governing organizations and extensive support for terrorist groups could each lead to nuclear-weapon materials falling under the control of violent, anti-Western groups or factions. Over the past twenty-five years, a complex web of international conventions, UN Security Council resolutions, and domestic criminal laws (often adopted to comply with such international mandates) has evolved, and today many aspects of nuclear trafficking are criminal offenses in the great majority of states. In addition, UN Security Council resolutions sanctioning North Korea and Iran for their nuclear activities now require all states to impose quasi-criminal penalties, namely asset freezes and travel bans, on individuals deemed to be engaged in or providing support for proliferation-sensitive nuclear and related missile activities in either country. (1) Nonetheless, important challenges persist. Prosecuting nuclear commodity trafficking networks operating in multiple states, for example, has proven to be a daunting task. Similarly, although weapons-usable nuclear material seized in western Europe and the Republic of Georgia is widely understood to have been stolen from Russian facilities, Russian authorities have undertaken few, if any, prosecutions of the individuals responsible for these thefts. Nor has it proven possible for the international community to punish Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan for his transfers of highly sensitive nuclear equipment and technology to North Korea, Iran, and Libya. CURRENT STATUS Conventions, Treaties, and Nuclear Trafficking as an International Crime Some forms of nuclear material smuggling have already achieved the status of international crimes. (2) I use this term in the sense that the relevant offenses are set out in multilateral treaties, and treaty parties are required to criminalize the offenses in domestic law and cooperate with other parties in prosecuting wrongdoers, for example, by accepting the obligation to extradite or prosecute them at the request of a state with jurisdiction over the alleged offender. (3) The key treaties and conventions are: * the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which entered into force in 2007 and now has 76 parties; * the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, which entered into force in 1987 and has 145 parties; and * the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, not yet in force, 45 ratifications (100 ratifications needed for entry into force). …


Optical frequency combs generated from semiconductor modelocked lasers are used to realize a broad range of optical communication and signal processing functions. This presentation will discuss recent results on the stabilization of optical frequency combs and their use in dense WDM coherent communication architectures and in photonic arbitrary waveform generation.


The algorithm for constructing control models of complex systems should be based on the hypothesis that the research and control processes of complex systems are subject to a single technology. A comprehensive study of objects is needed, starting with preliminary study, obtaining adequate models, process algorithms, and ending with the creation of effective control systems. Therefore, the algorithmization of control processes using modern computer technology requires not only improved management at all levels, but also the creation of new effective methods for the rational and adequate description of objects of research, optimization and construction of a control algorithm. The general scheme of such an algorithmic approach is described below. In this paper, we give methods and models of algorithms that are of particular importance in the automation of all stages of system research and the construction of control algorithms. From this point of view, the research process of various objects should be divided into seven consecutive stages, which are a cybernetic chain with feedback. The paper also gives a formalized standard description based on function tables, an algorithmic method for solving the problems of managing complex systems based on algebra over function tables, and methods for synthesizing workplace complexes using production systems as an example.


The ability of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) neurons to express the oncogene c-fos was examined during the estrous cycle in rats. The immunocytochemical localization of the c-fos-encoded antigen, Fos, was coupled with the immunocytochemical localization of LHRH. LHRH neurons showed no Fos immunoreactivity during diestrus-1, diestrus-2, estrus, or the morning of proestrus. However, Fos was expressed in LHRH neurons from 1600 to 2200 hours during proestrus. The timing of onset of Fos expression in LHRH neurons during proestrus suggests a strong correlation with increased LH secretion. Pentobarbital, which blocks the preovulatory LH surge, blocked Fos expression in LHRH neurons, but the LHRH neurons expressed Fos on the following afternoon at the time of the expected delayed LH surge. Not all LHRH neurons expressed Fos during the LHRH surge. Approximately half of the LHRH neurons were activated in the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus; more anteriorly positioned LHRH neurons did not express Fos, resulting in an overall stimulation of 40% of the LHRH neurons. These data provide direct evidence that stimulation of LHRH neurons during proestrus takes place at the LHRH cell bodies, and identify the specific population of LHRH neurons which are activated.


s of Papers, 1978, Second Canadian Congress on Leisure Research. Ontario Research Council on Leisure, 77 Bloor Street West, 8th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 183p. $5. This report presents 85 abstracts in French and English of papers given at the Second Canadian Congress on Leisure Research. An index of program participants is also included. Canadian Catalogue of Leisure Research Completed in 1976 and 1977. Ontario Research Council on Leisure, 77 Bloor Street West, 8th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 1978. 262p. $6. Abstracts of 360 studies completed in Canada during 1976 and 1977 with indices of funding agencies, institutional affiliation, investigators, and subjects by keywords are included in this report. Park and Recreation Futures in Canada. Ontario Research Council on Leisure, 77 Bloor Street West, 8th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 1978. 192p. $6. Discusses the application of futures research techniques to long-range planning and management recreation participation and growth limits and its implications. Proceedings of the Second Canadian Congress on Leisure Research 1978. Ontario Research Council on Leisure, 77 Bloor Street West, 8th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. November 1978. Presents full papers and presentations of all 89 plenary and workshop sessions at the Second Canadian Congress on Leisure Research. All plenary papers are translated, and workshop papers are presented in the original language with French and English abstracts. National Tourism Facts, 1978. English Tourist Board, 4 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DU, United Kingdom. No date. Unpaged. This brochure provides information on British and overseas residents' tourism in England, British tourist spending in Britain and abroad, accommodation of tourists in England, occupancy of hotels in England, holiday tourism in England, and tourist spending. British Home Tourism Survey 1977. English Tourist Board, 4 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DU, United Kingdom. 1978. 18p. Approximately $3.50. This report gives a comprehensive description of tourism by British residents. It is based on a survey commissioned by the English Tourist Board on behalf of the national tourist boards for England, Scotland, and Wales and the British Tourist Authority. Data provided include number of trips-abroad and in Britain, purpose of trip, accommodation used, month trip started, length of trip, origin of trip, and data on holiday, business, and conference tourism. PAR As Applied to County Economy. Jack Gray. Recreation Resources Center, University of Wisconsin— Extension, 1815 University Avenue-327, Madison, Wisconsin 53706. July 1978. 16p. This paper discusses PAR, a method to capsulize the economic activity within a county or tourism region. PAR means simply a common level or an amount taken as an average or norm. To determine a county's par, comparisons are made by computing the percentage of the nation's Consumer Spendable Income for that county and assigning it a 100% of par. The percentage of the national activity in all of the remaining categories is then computed and divided by the percentage of consumer spendable income. If above 100, the activity is above average and conversely, if below 100, below aver-


The molecular interactions between BSA and Testosterone have been successfully investigated. The absorption, distribution and metabolism of many molecules can be altered based on their affinity to BSA. BSA is often increases the apparent solubility of hydrophobic ligands in plasma and modulate their delivery to cells. In this study, the interaction between Testosterone and BSA has been investigated using UVabsorption spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the binding constant. From UVabsorption spectrophotometry which showed a decreasing in the absorption intensity with increasing of the molecular ratios of testosterone to BSA, it is found that the value of the binding constant of testosterone to BSA, K equals 0.415*10 M at 293 K. While from the Fluorescence spectroscopy there was a quenching in the intensity with increasing of the molecular ratios of testosterone to BSA and it gave the same value of the binding constant as uv-absorption spectroscopy.


Introduction The ability to achieve rapid and homogeneous mixing at microscales is one of the essential requirements for various lab-on-a-chip applications [1]. The flow at microscales is characterized by low Reynolds number, resulting in laminar flow patterns. Thus, the mixing at microscales is dominated by slow diffusion process. Recently, an rapid and homogeneous mixing was demonstrated using an oscillating sharp-edge based acoustic micromixer which utilized the phenomenon of the nonlinear interaction of acoustic waves with fluid, resulting in fluid motion called as acoustic streaming [2],[3]. Fig.1 shows the schematic of the sharp-edgebased acoustofluidic micromixer consisting of a single-layer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channel with sharp edges on its sidewall and bonded onto a glass slide. Upon the excitation of acoustic waves via a piezoelectric transducer, the sharp edges are oscillated, resulting in acoustic streaming. This acoustic streaming motion of the fluid was used to mix two different incoming streams of fluids to achieve rapid and homogeneous mixing. In this work, we present a finite element model created in COMSOL Multiphysics® software to numerically study the mixing phenomenon in acoustically oscillating sharp-edge based micromixer by solving Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with the convection-diffusion equation. These equations were solved successively using the Weak Form PDE interface along with the Transport of Diluted Species interface. Use of COMSOL Multiphysics We model the fluid motion using the compressible NavierStokes equations and the concentration profile using the convection-diffusion equation. To circumvent the numerical challenges associated with obtaining a direct solution of these equations [3], we utilize a perturbation approach to compute acoustic streaming flow along with the convection-diffusion equation to investigate the mixing, resulting in governing equations shown in Fig. 2. The flow equations are solved first to calculate the mean Lagrangian velocity, vL (which can be calculated using v1 and v2) which is then used to solve the concentrationdiffusion equation. Results Figure 3 shows the numerical results for (a) the laminar flow pattern in the absence of acoustic streaming, (b) the acoustically perturbed flow patterns in the presence of acoustic actuation, and (c) the concentration profile inside the acoustically oscillated sharp-edge based micromixer. The numerical model was also qualitatively validated using the experimental results. Further results on the design and operational optimization of the sharp-edge based micromixer will be presented and some strategies for improving the performance will be discussed using our


Geological fluids affect deformation of rocks both physically and chemically. The presence of fluids can lead to faulting (earthquakes) or enhance flow, depending on the level of stress. At higher stresses, fluids with a density less than their host generate Mode I microcracks, whereas fluids with a density greater than their host generate Mode I microanticracks; both can self-organize and cause faulting. At lower stresses, fluids segregate to grain boundaries at small strains and, at large strains, fluid-enriched zones develop that experience a higher strain rate than the bulk. Dissolved H 2 O enhances flow (e.g., by water-weakening). Consequences include earthquakes, differentiation, melt separation/volcanism, and seismic anisotropy.


We report the potential application of 6% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-doped poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly (4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS) as a low cost and broadband terahertz (THz) antireflection coating based on the impedance matching effect. The reflected pulses from the quartz and silicon substrates are observed to change with the thickness of the PEDOT/PSS layer. Theoretical analysis based on an equivalent transmission line circuit model and FDTD computational simulations have been used to understand the experimental results. Excellent impedance matching is achieved by a ∼39-nm-thick 6% DMSO-doped PEDOT/PSS layer on quartz, and a ∼101-nm-thick 6% DMSO-doped PEDOT/PSS layer on silicon due to the almost-frequency-independent conductivity of the thin film between 0.3 and 2.5 THz. In the critical conditions, the normalized main pulse transmission remains as high as 74% and 64%, for the quartz and silicon substrates, respectively, significantly higher than the existing state of the art THz antireflection coatings.


Background/Context In recent years, college attendance has become a universal aspiration. These rising ambitions have been attributed to the "college-for-all" norm, which encourages all students to aim for college attendance; however, not all students are prepared for the college application process or college-level work. Research Questions This research examines how students interpret the pressure to attend college, particularly four-year schools, when not all students have the same resources needed to negotiate the college process. The study focused on the following questions: What are students' future educational and work aspirations? Is the college-for-all culture salient for them, and if so, how do they interpret it within the specific context of their high schools? How do they reconcile the pressure to attend college with a lack of economic resources, college knowledge, and college preparation? Research Design Qualitative methods were used to examine how students experienced the college-for-all norm and how this affected their college application behaviors and decisions. Semistructured interviews with 89 juniors and seniors were conducted across two racially and socioeconomically diverse high schools, and a subsample of students was followed over time to see how aspirations and plans changed and evolved. School counselors and other school faculty were also interviewed. Observations were conducted at the schools over two years, and a short survey was administered to students in the sample. Findings/Results The findings indicate that the "college-for-all" norm was interpreted as "four-year college-for-all" in the two high schools, contributing to the development of a stigma surrounding community college attendance. Less advantaged students displayed just as high aspirations as their more advantaged peers but were forced to deal with the community college stigma to a greater degree. Students developed a number of stigma management strategies that varied by race, gender, and class. Conclusion/Recommendations Social structures and inequalities can be reproduced by stigmatizing processes that tend to affect those who lack power and social resources the most. These social structures influence the ways in which people manage stigma, leading to multiple strategies that can both reify and question that stigma. The community college stigma can be problematic if students avoid such schools in favor of expensive four-year colleges that they may not be academically prepared for. Understanding the pressure students feel to attend four-year schools may help school counselors and teachers present alternatives to students in more positive ways and encourage schools to focus more on adequate college preparation, along with college encouragement.


Through the influence on the conditions and factors it is possible to affect the dynamic processes occurring in the territorial entities. Such entity is sports tourism which constitutes a kind of active recreation and tourism activity carried out in the natural environment and involves passing of tourist sport routes and overcoming various obstacles. The external environment in terms of sports tourism can be presented in the form of two constituents: natural and social. Natural geosystem serves as a base substrate system of sports tourism and is represented by the natural surrounding and ecological macroenvironment. General geosystem is represented by social, political, economic, cultural macroenvironments. Social and economic conditions of forming the demand for sports tourism in the world include an assessment of geographical location, transportation availability, and degree of provision of tourism with industries necessary for its service, degree of infrastructure development and completeness of package of services. Among the social conditions of tourism development it is necessary to emphasis on the increase of leisure time duration for population which in combination with rising standards of life means increasing the number of potential tourists interested in active forms of tourism. Based on research of Russian geographer L. Y. Mazhar, we identified factors forming the demand for sports tourism which can be grouped into two types: no localizing factors, that is tourist and recreational needs, organizational, managerial, economic, material and domestic, social, psychological, health care, environmental, innovation factors, staff assistance factors; localizing factors – geotorical, geopolitical, natural and recreational, historical and cultural, infrastructural, recreation and activity. The combined effect of determined conditions and factors form a stable growing demand for sports tourism in the world.


Spherical Near-Field (SNF) systems using a swing arm gantry configuration have been the "go to" solution for automotive measurement systems. Recent advances in the automotive industry have warranted a need for SNF systems with high mechanical positioning accuracy supporting measurements up to 40 GHz and beyond. This paper presents the design and implementation of a new swing arm gantry positioner having an 8-meter radius and a radial axis to support high frequency SNF measurements. We first define the relation of the gantry axis to the global coordinate system and discuss primary sources of error. Next, a robust mechanical design is presented including design considerations and implementation. We then present errors measured using a tracking laser interferometer for probe position through the range of gantry axis travel. Static corrections for probe positioning errors are implemented in the control system using the radial axis. The resultant residual error for the swing arm gantry is then shown to have the accuracy required for high frequency SNF measurements.


Boolean matrix has been used to represent digital information in many fields, including bank transaction, crime records, natural language processing, protein-protein interaction, etc. Boolean matrix factorization (BMF) aims to find an approximation of a binary matrix as the Boolean product of two low rank Boolean matrices, which could generate vast amount of information for the patterns of relationships between the features and samples. Inspired by binary matrix permutation theories and geometric segmentation, we developed a fast and efficient BMF approach called MEBF (Median Expansion for Boolean Factorization). Overall, MEBF adopted a heuristic approach to locate binary patterns presented as submatrices that are dense in 1's. At each iteration, MEBF permutates the rows and columns such that the permutated matrix is approximately Upper Triangular-Like (UTL) with so-called Simultaneous Consecutive-ones Property (SC1P). The largest submatrix dense in 1 would lies on the upper triangular area of the permutated matrix, and its location was determined based on a geometric segmentation of a triangular. We compared MEBF with other state of the art approaches on data scenarios with different sparsity and noise levels. MEBF demonstrated superior performances in lower reconstruction error, and higher computational efficiency, as well as more accurate sparse patterns than popular methods such as ASSO, PANDA and MP. We demonstrated the application of MEBF on both binary and non-binary data sets, and revealed its further potential in knowledge retrieving and data denoising.


This chapter provides the first descriptive account of valence-changing devices in Zaniza Zapotec, an under-documented language from the Papabuco branch of Zapotec. As in the other Zapotec varieties, the number of valence-increasing mechanisms in Zaniza Zapotec outnumbers that of valence-lowering options. While the former include several valence-increasing morphemes, incorporation of the comitative marker, inflectional means of raising valence and analytical causatives, the latter are confined to the anticausative morpheme du- and object incorporation. With the exception of versives and conversives, non-directional (equipollent) valence-related derivation is of limited occurrence in this variety.


Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways where bacteria may act as protagonists of chronic inflammation. Little is known about the relation of airway inflammation to the presence of specific bacterial taxa. We sought to describe the sputum microbiome in adults with poorly controlled asthma. DNA was extracted from induced sputum and microbial communities were profiled using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. Bacterial species were characterised, and the relationship between microbial populations, asthma inflammatory subtypes and other covariates was explored. Real-time PCR was used to identify Tropheryma whipplei and Haemophilus influenzae in sputum. Adults with neutrophilic asthma had reduced bacterial diversity and species richness. Tropheryma was identified and confirmed with real-time PCR in 12 (40%) participants. Haemophilus occurred most often in a group of younger atopic males with an increased proportion of neutrophils. PCR confirmed the presence of H. influenzae in 35 (76%) participants with poorly controlled asthma. There are phenotype-specific alterations to the airway microbiome in asthma. Reduced bacterial diversity combined with a high prevalence of H. influenzae was observed in neutrophilic asthma, whereas eosinophilic asthma had abundant T. whipplei. There are phenotype-specific alterations to the airway microbiome in asthma which may modulate local inflammation http://ow.ly/UbB9k


Ten years ago I wrote a personal view about how I gave patients dates for their gynaecological operations at the time of their outpatient consultation. As well as helping patients plan their lives this helped me to plan the surgical training of the junior staff. To ensure that no patient really in need of surgical investigation or treatment waited more than a few weeks I indulged in what would now be called rationing--that is, I restricted surgery to the patients in most need and to the most effective interventions. There were problems, but it seemed good NHS practice at the time. A decade on my system is just about extant, but surprisingly incompatible with a changed NHS.

One of the most specific requirements of the patient's charter is for every patient to be seen within 30 minutes of the appointment time. Making a good job of arranging operation dates in the clinic can be time consuming. The most appropriate phase of the menstrual cycle, the patient's other commitments, what else is already on the operation list for that day, preoperative investigations, and treatment all require consideration. It takes only one or two more patients than average to need an operation and either the requirement of the patient's charter or something else has to be sacrificed. Communication and clinic procedures, such as …


The adaptive immune system relies on B and T lymphocytes to ensure a specific and long-lasting protection of an individual from a wide range of potential pathogenic hits. Lymphocytes are highly potent and efficient in eliminating pathogens. However, lymphocyte activation must be tightly regulated to prevent incorrect activity that could result in immunopathologies, such as autoimmune disorders or cancers. Comprehensive insight into the molecular events underlying lymphocyte activation is of enormous importance to better understand the function of the immune system. It provides the basis to design therapeutics to regulate lymphocyte activation in pathological scenarios. Most reported defects in immunopathologies affect the regulation of intracellular signaling pathways. This highlights the importance of these molecules, which control lymphocyte activation and homeostasis impacting lymphocyte tolerance to self, cytokine production and responses to infections. Most evidence for these defects comes from studies of disease models in genetically engineered mice. There is an increasing number of studies focusing on lymphocytes derived from patients which supports these findings. Many indirectly involved proteins are emerging as unexpected regulators of the immune system. In this mini-review, we focus in proteins that regulate plasma membrane (PM) compartmentalization and thereby impact the steady state and the activation of immunoreceptors, namely the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). Some of these membrane proteins are shown to be involved in immune abnormalities; others, however, are not thoroughly investigated in the context of immune pathogenesis. We aim to highlight them and stimulate future research avenues.


Praise for The Handbook of Conflict Resolution

 "This handbook is a classic. It helps connect the research of academia to the practical realities of peacemaking and peacebuilding like no other. It is both comprehensive and deeply informed on topics vital to the field like power, gender, cooperation, emotion, and trust. It now sits prominently on my bookshelf."
 —Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

 "The Handbook of Conflict Resolution offers an astonishing array of insightful articles on theory and practice by leading scholars and practitioners. Students, professors, and professionals alike can learn a great deal from studying this Handbook."
 —William Ury, Director, Global Negotiation Project, Harvard University; coauthor, Getting to Yes and author, The Third Side

 "Morton Deutsch, Peter Coleman, and Eric Marcus put together a handbook that will be helpful to many. I hope the book will reach well beyond North America to contribute to the growing worldwide interest in the constructive resolution of conflict. This book offers instructive ways to make this commitment a reality."
 —George J. Mitchell, Former majority leader of the United States Senate; former chairman of the Peace Negotiations in Northern Ireland and the International Fact-Finding Committee on Violence in the Middle East; chairman of the board, Walt Disney Company; senior fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

 "Let's be honest. This book is just too big to carry around in your hand. But that's because it is loaded with the most critical essays linking the theory and practice of conflict resolution. The Handbook of Conflict Resolution is heavy on content and should be a well-referenced resource on the desk of every mediator—as it is on mine."
 —Johnston Barkat, Assistant Secretary-General, Ombudsman and Mediation Services, United Nations


SynopsisSection I of this communication contains a very brief summary of previous work of the author on the application of the method of the critical frequency of flicker to the determination of the primary color sensations. Attention is specially directed to the fact that former investigations were conducted in a dark room, so that while the right eye was stimulated by light from the spectrum, the left eye was in darkness adaptation. It was generally believed that darkness adaptation of one eye had no influence upon the other.Section II contains descriptions of experiments made in a room illuminated by ordinary daylight. The right eye was in daylight adaptation while the left eye was fatigued with spectral lights. All measurements of the critical frequency of flicker were made with the right eye. It was found that the stimulus applied to the left eye was transferred to the right eye by some reflex process resulting in an enhancement of the brightness of three colors, which were always red, green, and violet. Six colors were found, viz., .660μ, .570μ, .520μ, .505μ, .480μ. and .425μ, which produced no effect. The reflex and normal curves always coincided in two places which averaged about .653μ and .50μ. The magnitude of the reflex effect is greatest for the violet color, and seems to vary as some inverse function of the wave length.Section III contains the description of experiments performed when the right eye was fatigued and the left was always in daylight adaptation.It was found that fatigue produced both a direct and a reflex effect. The red, green, and violet colors showed one elevation of the fatigue curve above the normal in the part corresponding to the color used, and two reflex depressions in parts corresponding to the remaining primary colors. The compound colors, yellow and blue, produced two elevations in the parts of the curves corresponding to the color sensations of which they are compounded, and one reflex depression in the part corresponding to the remaining color. The number of elevations or depressions in each curve was always three, corresponding to red, green, and violet.The six colors mentioned above produced no effect, and are termed equilibrium colors.The effect of darkness adaptation of one eye upon the other is shown to cause a diminution of brightness of the whole spectrum. This is applied to explain Fechner's paradox.Section IV contains theoretical applications to explain the cause of the whiteness underlying all color sensations, successive contrast, binocular contrast, non-saturation of colors, saturation of colors in after images, the duplicity theory of von Kries, complementary colors and to theories of color vision.Section V contains anatomical and physiological considerations which render it probable that the effects discovered are due to a new kind of physiological reflex which is termed a sensory reflex.


Here we review the current knowledge about the mutations of the gene encoding the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) that cause cardiac arrhythmias. Similarities between the mutations identified in the RyR2 gene and those found in the gene RyR1 that cause malignant hyperthermia and central core disease are discussed. In vitro functional characterization of RyR1 and RyR2 mutants is reviewed, with a focus on the contribution that in vitro expression studies have made to our understanding of related human diseases.


This research represent descriptive research which done at Monetary Body Organizer of Area Sub-Province of Jombang with title "Analysis Retribution Area And Contribution To Earnings Of Genuiness Area In Sub-Province of Jombang". Target of this research is to measure efficiency storey; level, effectiveness, along with improvement and contribution of area retribution in Sub-Province of Jombang and upon which input to Local Government Of Sub-Province of Jombang in improving effectiveness and efficiency acceptance of area retribution utilize to improve area independence in penyelenggaraaan of government and development of area. Analyzer used to measure efficiency storey;level and effectiveness acceptance of area retribution is to use efficiency ratio, effectiveness, growth rate and contribution. Yardstick to determine do acceptance of area Iease have effective if obtained effectiveness ratio minimize to reach 1 or 100%, while told efficient if obtained efficiency ratio below/under 1 or below/under 100%. Result of calculation by using effectiveness analysis of year 2004-2006 sub-province area retribution of Jombang can be told effective with result of service retribui 674,31% becoming 646, 53%. From result of efficiency analysis obtained among others service of year 2004-2006 obtained result 4,99% and 5%. Result of contribution analysis acceptance of area retribution during year 2004-2006 at PAD in Sub-Province of Jombang as a whole always experience of improvement. Last with analysis make-up of earnings also always experience of the make-up of the same as with its contribution ratio. Pursuant to result of research, hence Monetary Body Organizer Area of Jombang expected more is improving is quality of service of public, gone into effect sanction need diperketat again to be perda which have been made not easy to deviated, require to perform a counselling retribution is obliged to more obedient again in paying retribution as according to existing regulation, and for research hereinafter shall use newest data result of research more date to up.


Recently I presented, with others, a general statement of the sequence of social and intellectual processes which characterize the emergence, growth and final decline of specific areas of scientific endeavour. A central concern of my own research has been to examine the extent to which scientific activity in one particular area, that associated with research into the pulsar phenomenon, corresponds to the sequence of processes described in the theoretical statement. An obvious preliminary objective of my research was to write an outline history of the intellectual development of the pulsar area. Although many of the methodological problems relating to the investigation of the social development of scientific specialities have already been examined it is less widely realized that methodological problems of equal difficulty occur in the analysis of the intellectual development of specialities, even though much of the basic data can be obtained without intervention in the on-going social process. In this paper I report my attempt to describe the intellectual history of pulsar astronomy. When I began this part of my study I was unaware of any special methodological problems. As I progressed, I not only became acutely aware that there were such problems, but I also realized they would prevent me from carrying out my original intention of providing a straightforward chronological history of this particular intellectual development.


We consider the problem of minimum-variance excitation design for frequency response estimation based on finite impulse response (FIR) and output error (OE) models. The objective is to minimize the power of the input signal to be used in the system identification experiment subject to a model accuracy constraint. For FIR and OE models this leads to a finite dimensional semi-definite programming optimization problem. We study, in detail, how to apply this approach to the estimation of the frequency response at a given frequency, . The first case concerns minimizing the asymptotic variance of the estimated frequency response based on an FIR model estimate. We compare the optimal input signal with a sinusoidal signal with frequency that gives the same model accuracy, and show that the input power can, at best, be reduced by a factor of two when using the optimal input signal. Conditions are given under which the sinusoidal signal is optimal, and it is shown that this is a common case for higher order FIR models. Next, we study FIR model based estimation of the absolute value and phase of the frequency response at a given frequency, . We derive the corresponding optimal input signals and compare their performances with that of a sinusoidal input signal with frequency . The relative reduction of input power when using the optimal solution is at best a factor of two. Finally, we discuss how to extend the FIR results to OE system identification by using an input parametrization proposed by Stoica and Söderström (1982).


What does it take to build well-engineered Android applications? Explore Android's core building blocks and APIs in depth with this authoritative guide, and learn how to create compelling apps that work on a full range of Android devices. You'll work with proven approaches to app design and implementation--including application frameworks that you can use as a starting point for your own projects. Delve into sensors, native development, 3D graphics, and many other topics, and discover how to build apps on the platform of your choice. If you're an intermediate to advanced programmer, you'll learn how to make great Android apps.Learn how to use the Android SDK with the Eclipse IDE Apply advanced Java concepts regardless of your experience with the language Create an Android user interface that's captivating and easy to navigateUse the Fragment API for tablet user interfacesMake your application compatible with Honeycomb and earlier versionsUnderstand Android's unique database design issues and the role of SQLite Use sensors and gestures to expand your app's input beyond just tapping and scrolling Explore Android APIs for multimedia, location, communication, NFC, and other applications


It ought to be the best of times for cultural geography. Culture, it seems, is at the heart of everything. Economic geography, political geography, social geography, various environmental geographies, feminism, Marxism, post-structuralism, have all had their "cultural turns." Cultural studies is where people now turn for theoretical insight. Anyone not on the cultural bandwagon is left in the dust. Formerly hardnosed economic geographers dilate on the "culture of the firm;" political geographers enthuse about the power of discourse to shape geopolitics; urban geographers are fascinated by the new cultural economy of the city. But anyone who really takes culture seriously knows that all these cultural turns are often little more than a theoretical and political dodge (even as some of the new topics that have been developed are important). It is a dodge because a radically under-theorized "culture" has come to be a catchall explanation, while, as anyone who studies culture seriously knows, culture can never be an explanation: it is what must be explained. So perhaps these are not the best of times for cultural geography--for those in geography who have made it their business to take culture deadly seriously and always and everywhere have sought to explain its manifestations. It is not the best of times because so much hard, difficult theorizing about how best to understand culture and its geographies is rapidly being undone by the rather sloppy cultural turn in human geography that is rapidly looking more and more like a cultural wipeout, a wipeout that might have some serious implications for the power of geography and geographers to intervene in the radically unjust world in which we live. That is to say: this is a time of unparalleled opportunity for cultural geographers. It is an opportunity to assert what we know about culture and to assure that the cultural turn is neither a wipeout nor a dodge, but is rather something politically important. It is an opportunity to draw on the wealth of research in the field that has so convincingly shown that: * The invocation of culture is always an assertion of power. This is true whether culture is invoked affirmatively or pejoratively. To assert culture as a site for identification, an explanation for behavior or process, or even as a special realm of meanings and values, is to assert power over how ways of life are to be defined and lived--a point well-understood, if not well-executed, by the architects of America's current wars on terror and Iraq. The true question for analysis, then, is how best to analyze assertions of power, their effectiveness, the ways they are resisted or thwarted, and so forth. Answering that question requires a careful, materialist, historically sensitive focus on real social processes. * Focusing on real social processes is the only way to get at how, when, and especially, in particular circumstances, why "culture" operates as ideology. * "Ways of life," "maps of meaning," "systems of signification," or "habits and norms" (all typical definitions of culture) are never natural or neutral. They are fought over, negotiated, imposed. Culture wars are real and they are important. While it is true that culture is sometimes not thought about (by those acting within, through, around, and over it), it is never true that culture is "unthought" (as the current jargon has it). Culture is strategy. …


In Chinese culture those who are born in the year of the Dragon under the zodiac calendar are believed to be destined for good fortune and greatness, and parents prefer their kids to be born in a Dragon year. Using provincial level panel data, we first show that the number of marriages goes up during the two years preceding a Dragon year and that births jump up in a Dragon year. Using three recently collected micro data sets from China we show that those born in a Dragon year are more likely to have a college education, and that they obtain higher scores at the university entrance exam. Similarly, Chinese middle school students have higher test scores if they are born in a Dragon year. We show that these results are not because of family background, student self-esteem or students' expectations about their future. We find, however, that the "Dragon" effect on test scores is eliminated when we account for parents' expectations about their children's educational and professional success. We find that parents of Dragon children have higher expectations for their children in comparison to other parents, and that they invest more heavily in their children in terms of time and money. We also show that girls are about six cm shorter than boys, but that this height disadvantage is cut by about half if a girl is born in the year of the Dragon and that effect is twice as strong in rural areas. Given that childhood nutrition is related to adolescent height, this suggests that parents may also be investing in Dragon girls in terms of nutrition. The results are insensitive to model specification and estimation strategy, including using an RD design. These results show that even though neither the Dragon children nor their families are inherently different from other children and families, the belief in the prophecy of success and the ensuing investment become self-fulfilling.


The reaction of the imidazolyl-4(5)-phosphane ligands 2-isopropylimidazol-4(5)yl-diphenylphosphane (4-MIP(iPr)) and tris(2-isopropylimidazol-4(5)yl)phosphane (4-TIP(iPr)) towards gold(I) has been explored and compared to those of analogous 1-methylimidazol-2-ylphosphane ligands. The structure of [(4-MIP(iPr))AuCl] () shows a linear P-Au-Cl coordination, whereas the 4-TIP(iPr) ligand forms a dinuclear complex [{(4-TIP(iPr))Au}(2)]Cl(2) (). Here, 4-TIP(iPr) bridges two gold(I) atoms in a head-to-tail P,N fashion. Complex forms in the presence of the hard Lewis acid ZnCl(2) the bimetallic complex [AuCl(4-TIP(iPr))ZnCl]Cl (), in which 4-TIP(iPr) bridges the two metal centers. In accordance with the HSAB concept the Au(I) atom is coordinated by the P atom and the zinc(II) by three N atoms in a N,N,N fashion. The solid-state structures of the complexes have been elucidated by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The Au(I)-Au(I) contact in is 2.8821(15) A. The biological activities of all imidazol-2-yl- and imidazol-4(5)-ylphosphane gold(I) complexes towards nine human cancer cell lines including seven ovarian cancer cell lines of different sensitivity towards cisplatin and two leukemia cell lines have been explored.


ABSTRACT: Firms frequently attempt to increase profits by replacing some existing workers with new lower-wage workers. However, this strategy may be ineffective in an incomplete-contract environment because the new workers may provide lower effort in response to their lower wages, and hiring new lower-wage workers may damage the remaining original workers' reciprocal relationship with the firm. We conduct an experiment to examine this issue and find that when new lower-wage workers become available, firms hire them to replace original higher-wage workers and pay the new workers lower wages. However, these lower wages do not improve firm profit because the decision to hire new lower-wage workers causes both the new and remaining workers to provide lower effort. Moreover, hiring lower-wage workers reduces new workers' payoffs and, thus, decreases social welfare. These unintended consequences suggest that firms should consider both the wage savings and the potential costs when deciding whether to replace som...


Statistics is a science that deals with variability in data. The presence of variation in natural processes means that statistics has a central role within a discipline such as ecology. Thus, any technique that determines the sources of variability will play a prominent part in the statistical modelling of ecological data. My thesis addresses one popular approach, a mixed model analysis. The practical use of mixed models in ecological research had at one time been limited to occasions in which experiments involved balanced data. Given the infrequent occurrence of such events, there were few practical applications of mixed models in the ecological literature. The development of methods for fitting mixed models to unbalanced data and the wider availability of the software to fit them were the seeds for the now growing trend in mixed model analysis among ecologists. During my PhD I focused on the development and novel application of mixed models in ecology. The work presented in this thesis was motivated by four examples, each involving unbalanced data with complex correlation structures. The intention of each example, motivated by specific questions of interest, was to explore the extent to which mixed model methodology could be practically applied in ecology. Features of a mixed model analysis were manipulated in each example to address a number of general issues in ecological statistics: how to develop efficient sampling designs; the effect of using estimated variances in power calculations; ways to handle correlated explanatory variables in a regression analysis and how to correctly model reproductive success. An additional issue concerned the estimation of a change point location in a simple change point model.


In today's Web, many functionality-wise similar Web services are offered through heterogeneous interfaces (operation definitions) and business protocols (ordering constraints defined on legal operation invocation sequences). The typical approach to enable interoperation in such a heterogeneous setting is through developing adapters. There have been approaches for classifying possible mismatches between service interfaces and business protocols to facilitate adapter development. However, the hard job is that of identifying, given two service specifications, the actual mismatches between their interfaces and business protocols. In this paper we present novel techniques and a tool that provides semi-automated support for identifying and resolution of mismatches between service interfaces and protocols, and for generating adapter specification. We make the following main contributions: (i) we identify mismatches between service interfaces, which leads to finding mismatches of type of signature, merge/split, and extra/missing messages; (ii) we identify all ordering mismatches between service protocols and generate a tree, called mismatch tree, for mismatches that require developers' input for their resolution. In addition, we provide semi-automated support in analyzing the mismatch tree to help in resolving such mismatches. We have implemented the approach in a tool inside IBM WID (WebSphere Integration Developer). Our experiments with some real-world case studies show the viability of the proposed approach. The methods and tool are significant in that they considerably simplify the problem of adapting services so that interoperation is possible.


This dissertation argues that an interactive and dialectical model best explains the political economy of central-provincial relations in contemporary China. It rejects the "centrist" perspective of the state capacity paradigm so dominant in the existing literature on central-provincial relations in China. The centrist perspective, it is argued, disables analysts from explaining prevalent bargaining activity and discretionary behaviour by the provinces, other than in its precarious speculation on the disintegration of the Chinese state. It also precludes any hypothetical possibility of qualitative change within the central-provincial relationship, and is biased towards a static interpretation. This dissertation employs a concept of power originated by Talcott Parsons, and discusses the process whereby the Centre and the provinces- Guangdong and Shanghai as two case studies-bargain with and manipulate one another. I thus adopt a rational-choice-institutional approach that emphasizes the coexistence of institutional constraints and actors' choice. The case data shows that whilst provincial discretionary behaviour is heavily influenced by central policies, the provinces are by no means merely the passive respondents to central stimuli. They exercise discretionary behaviour and multiple compliance strategies. The Centre and provinces constrain one another and are locked in a perpetual positive-sum game of bargaining. This dissertation suggests that the central-provincial interface is like all of decision "points" in the Chinese political system-fluid and prone to pertpetual bargaining. However, central-provincial interdependence compels both parties to compromise in order that their own interests can be maximized and advanced. The central-provincial relationship is not, therefore, a zero-sum game. As conflicts between the Centre and the province become more intense since the reform, each is obliged to acknowledge that the only way to enhance its own interests is through recognizing the legitimacy of the other's interests. Normative interactive behaviour in spatial politics is thus forged, and a devolution of power is cast.


We propose a nonlinear, quasi-geostrophic, baroclinic model of Jovian atmospheric dynamics, in which vertical variations of velocity are represented by a truncated sum over a complete set of orthogonal functions obtained by a separation of variables of the linearized quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity quation. A set of equations for the time variation of the mode amplitudes in the nonlinear case is then derived. We show that for a planet with a neutrally stable, fluid interior instead of a solid lower boundary, the barotropc mode mxesents motions in the interior, and is not affected by the baroclinic modes. One consequence of this is that a normalmode model with one baroclinic mode is dynamically equivalent to a one layer model with solid lower topography. We also show that for motions in Jupiter's cloudy lower troposphere, the stratosphere behaves nearly as a rigid lid, so that the nonnal-mode model is applicable to Jupiter. We test the accuracy of the normal-mode model for Jupiter using two simple problems: forced, vertically propagating Roasby waves, using two and three baroclinic modes, and baroclinic instability, using two baroclinic modes. We find that the normal-mode model provides qualitatively correct results, even with only a very limited number of vertical W s of freedom.


Public support is an important and necessary condition for the successful introduction of a new technology and its applications in society. If nutrigenomics technology can be used to predict diseases and prescribe preventive diets based on a person's genetic profile, it is important to understand the people's intention to adopt such personalized diets. In this dissertation research, intentions regarding the adoption of nutrigenomics were examined next to the role of potentially influential psychological determinants of a person's decision to adopt applications of nutrigenomics technology. A systematic review revealed the key determinants, which were than tested in three different models using different structural equation modeling methodologies and different research designs. The public perception research in the field of the emerging technology genomics is, as yet, not well advanced. This dissertation is one of the first attempts to fill the gap of our understanding of the socio-psychological process that leads to the intention to adopt applications of the emerging food technology nutrigenomics. The findings support the affect heuristic: an individual tends to rely more on his or her affective response when forming an intention to adopt, for example, personalized nutrition, as compared to a cognitive process linked to rationality. Involvement or personal relevance of the technology is an important predictor for both the affective and cognitive processes. Trust, a determinant frequently studied in the last decade, is a good predictor of cost and benefit perceptions, and, has less influence on the intention to adopt an emerging technology than was expected. When introducing a new technology, under the conditions of public support, the personal relevance of the applications of the new technology should be addressed. A proactive policy approach can stimulate the development of applications of a technology that are personally relevant for individuals and therefore are positively valued.


Software and systems architecture is a success-critical issue in software projects. Changing nonfunctional quality requirements, e.g., performance, modifiability, and maintainability, can have strong impact on software architecture and can result in a high rework effort in case of changes. Architecture reviews help evaluating architectural design with scenarios in early stages of product development. Quality-sensitive scenarios represent a set of software requirements (including non-functional quality attributes). In this paper we empirically investigate the impact of potentially important factors on the number and quality of scenarios elicited in an architecture evaluation workshop: (a) scoring schemes for scenario quality, (b) workshop participant experience, and (c) team size for workshop group work. We report data analysis results from an empirical study where 24 reviewers at different experience levels identified over 100 scenarios. Main findings are: (a) results of different scoring approaches (frequency-based and expert scoring) agree very well regarding critical scenarios, (b) the scenario elicitation method was more important than individual experience, and (c) adding a new person to a team of size 3 or more increases scenario coverage by less than 10%.


This thesis presents some experimental work in the area of manipulation of microparticles. Manipulation of both magnetic and non magnetic beads as well as microorganisms are addressed. The work on magnetic bead manipulation is focused on controlled transport and release, on a micrometer level, of proteins bound to the bead surface. Experimental results for protein transport and release using a method based on magnetization/demagnetization of micron-sized magnetic elements patterned on a modified chip-surface are presented. Special attention has been placed on minimizing bead-surface interactions since sticking problems have shown to be of major importance when protein-coated beads are used. The work with non-magnetic microparticles is focused on the dielectrophoretic manipulation of microorganisms. Preliminary experimental results for trapping and spatial separation of bacteria, yeast and non-magnetic beads are presented. The overall goal was to investigate the use of dielectrophoresis for the separation of sub-populations of bacteria differing in, for example, protein content. This was, however, not possible to demonstrate using our methods.Within the non-magnetic microparticle work, a method for determining the conductivity of bacteria in bulk was also developed. The method is based on the continuous lowering of medium conductivity of a bacterialsuspension while monitoring the medium and suspension conductivities.


Behaviours that challenge in dementia, often described and diagnosed as behavioural psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) are experienced by over 90% of people living with dementia, and 75% of those admitted to hospital, with 43% of nurses reporting these behaviours as severely distressing to them. During behaviours that challenge moments in dementia there is an intersubjective relationship between the person living with dementia and the nurse. This can lead to both the nurse and the person living with dementia experiencing a variety of emotions. I suggest that much of the emotion that exists is created by interactions between our lived stories, which also have the potential of influencing the intersubjective experiential outcome. The study aims to make sense of my (first-person) experiences of intersubjectivity in medias res (Latin for in the midst) of behaviours that challenge in dementia, and also consider how I as a nurse can manage that intersubjective moment to achieve a positive outcome. I used layered autoethnography as my study's methodology to gather retrospective personal and professional experiential data in moments where 'I' as a nurse have faced personal and professional challenges, and in doing so made relational connections between the two. To explore these connections my study was framed within a Deleuzian theory of time, where the pure past, meets the living present, creating a transient becoming future synthesis. Data was managed and analysed through rhizoanalytical methods, including Deleuzian-Guattarian rhizomatic mapping. The study established that although the ability to remain intersubjective remains for people living with dementia, interactions are often on an emotional level and not always based in the living present. It is therefore my role as a nurse to consider the story of other, whilst also evaluating self during moments of challenge by engaging in metacognitive and empathically curious nursing practice.


Down syndrome remains the most common chromosomal abnormality in live-born infants in the world today. The association between Down syndrome and congenital heart disease (CHD) is well known, and it is widely recognized that CHD contributes sig- nificantly to the morbidity of children with Down syndrome. The reported incidence of CHD in Down syndrome patients is between 40 and 60%. The most commonly described defect is complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), which comprises 30–40% of all cardiac defects. Complex genetic factors are involved. Routine cardiac screening of all newborn babies with Down syndrome is recommended. Expert groups suggest that the cardiac status of all children with Down syndrome should be established by 6 weeks of age to permit appropriate and timely treatment avoiding the establishment of irrevers ible pulmonary vascular disease that would make corrective surgery impossible. we discuss the incidence and main types of CHD occur ring in the setting of Down syndrome. We focus mainly on atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), which accounts for 30–40% of all cardiac defects in Down syndrome patients. We review genetic consideration and also discuss the principles of surveillance for cardiac disease in this population.


This research addresses the serious issue of plastic waste in the Pacific. Using Samoa as a case study, we hypothesise that distributed recycling combined with 3D printing offers an opportunity to re-purpose and add new value to this difficult waste stream. It is also an opportunity to engage diverse local communities in Samoa by combining notions of participatory design, maker-spaces and 'wikis' of parts with traditional Samoan social concepts such as 'Fa'a Samoa', or 'the Samoan way' and sense of community.  The project seeks to explore creative and innovative solutions to re-purposing plastic waste via a range of design research methods. Field work in Samoa has established the scope of the issue through interviews with different stakeholders such as Government, waste management businesses, the arts and crafts community and education. The field work has also helped identify potential product areas and collaborative partners. The different types of plastic in the waste stream have been identified and material experiments such as plastic shredding and filament extrusion are underway using low cost open source processing equipment to transform plastic waste into usable 3D printing filament. From this filament, potential 3D printed end products are explored through a hands-on researching by making process.  The experiments inform the design of workable, economically viable, socially empowering and sustainable scenarios for re-purposing and up-cycling plastic waste; printed in the form of useful and culturally meaningful 3D printed objects, artifacts and products.Applications range from creating greater awareness of the issue by way of tourism and the Samoan notion of 'mea alofa' or 'gifting', through to functional utensils and parts. It is an opportunity to expand Samoa's traditional forms of craft into new self-sustaining communities, maker-spaces and small scale local industries. The outputs of the initial project are intended to provoke discussion and invite participation in the implementation of these different scenarios of production.


This investigation evaluates existing teacher competency statements in the literature in both developed and developing countries. This research was used to develop an appropriate and accessible set of teacher competencies for use in the Sri Lankan context, in particular for use in the National Colleges of Education where primary teacher training is undertaken. Competency statements from numerous sources, and theories of competency-based teaching and learning reviewed within a theoretical framework of teacher epistemology. This research conducted within a qualitative paradigm and includes some quantitative analysis. Teachers in primary education were surveyed in Sri Lanka to ascertain their beliefs and values about competencies for primary teaching. The responses highlighted two issues: one was that some deep-seated beliefs about what teachers should be able to do emerged; the other issue was that some of the beliefs identified were inconsistent with each other and perhaps reflected some uncertainties about the meaning of teacher competencies in certain themes. In addition, some 51-research participants including teacher educators, master teachers, policy makers and other key stakeholders were interviewed. Qualitative analysis of responses informed the research, with some quantitative analysis of the questionnaires to analyse trends. Classroom observations with field notes provided additional data for understanding existing teacher competencies and perceived needs for developing teachers' professional behaviour, attitudes and values, skills and knowledge in the future. The outcomes from this research were included the following: the development of a set of teacher competencies relevant to the context of primary teaching in Sri Lanka; a greater understanding of teacher beliefs about competencies; an identification of needs for the preservice training of teachers; and recommendations for the application of the findings to teacher competency-based pre-service training.


Self-supervised learning techniques are celebrating immense success in natural language processing (NLP) by enabling models to learn from broad language data at unprecedented scales. Here, we aim to leverage the success of these techniques for mental state decoding, where researchers aim to identify specific mental states (e.g., the experience of anger or joy) from brain activity. To this end, we devise a set of novel self-supervised learning frameworks for neuroimaging data inspired by prominent learning frameworks in NLP. At their core, these frameworks learn the dynamics of brain activity by modeling sequences of activity akin to how sequences of text are modeled in NLP. We evaluate the frameworks by pre-training models on a broad neuroimaging dataset spanning functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data from 11,980 experimental runs of 1,726 individuals across 34 datasets, and subsequently adapting the pre-trained models to benchmark mental state decoding datasets. The pre-trained models transfer well, generally outperforming baseline models trained from scratch, while models trained in a learning framework based on causal language modeling clearly outperform the others.


In view of the Aichi international policy targets to expand areas under conservation, we analyze to what extent conservation has become an inherent element of extraction. We scrutinize the Land Sparing versus Land Sharing debate by explicitly incorporating environmental justice issues of access to land an d natural resources. We contend that dominant conservation regimes, embedded within Land Sparing, legitimize the displacement of local people and their land use to compensate for distant, unsustainable resource use. In contrast, the Land Sharing counternarrative, by promoting spatial integration of conservation in agroecological systems, has the potential to radically challenge extraction. Common ground emerges around the concept of sustainable intensifi cation. We contend that if inserted in green economy's technocentric and effi ciency-oriented framework, sustainable intensifi cation will contribute to undermining diversifi ed peasant agroecological systems by transforming them into simplifi ed, export-orientated ones, thereby stripping peasant communities of the capacity to provide for their own needs.


Pair trading is a statistical trading strategy based on the concept of mean reverting; investors select two related assets and establish a relation between them buying the underpriced asset and selling the overpriced. When the market returns to the equilibrium the strategy create profit from the short and long position. The empirical application of this paper proposes the evaluation of three methodologies for the implementation of the pair trading strategy using the information of Colombian public debt bonds. Finding that after applying two methodologies of backtesting stochastic stochastic approach show
the best perfomance.


Motor development is an important factor affecting the health status physically, psychologically and socially in both childhood and adulthood. It is important to develop motor skills starting from childhood and to participate in a variety of physical activities for this. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the motor development of 7-10 years old boys who receive multi-skill movement training outside of school and to examine the developmental differences. 61 volunteer college students participated in the study, the sample was divided into 31 students as a control group and 30 students as an intervention group receiving multi-skill movement training outside of school. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 test, which includes locomotor and object control skill subtests, was applied to monitor the motor development of the children participating in the study. Gross motor skill scores from these two subtests were evaluated. At the end of the 12-week movement program, the study group showed a statistically significant improvement in gross motor skills, object control and locomotor sub-skills compared to the control group. A statistically significant improvement was found only in the object control sub-skill in the control group, whose in-school movement education continued. As a result, physical education activities at schools should be evaluated in terms of their duration and content, and children's participation in physical activities that show diversity should be evaluated in terms of motor development.


We studied the variability of dry and wet spell frequency over Zambia during the core of the rainy season (December to February, DJF), and associated circulation anomalies. Zambia's large rural population depends critically on rain-fed agriculture; in general, the southern part of Zambia is prone to a high number of dry spells during DJF, and to wet spells of short duration, while the northern regions of the country more typically have a large number of wet spells during DJF, which can lead to flooding. Good rainfall over southern Zambia is typically associated with low level convergence of moisture emanating from the tropical southeast Atlantic Ocean and the tropical western Indian Ocean. During seasons with increased numbers of dry spells over Zambia, low level easterly anomalies typically exist over Zambia, thereby reducing moisture from the tropical southeast Atlantic. Seasons with reduced dry spell frequency and more wet spells tend to be characterised by low level westerly anomalies over southern Angola and western Zambia. Furthermore, DJF seasons occurring during the mature phase of El Niño (La Niña) events tend to show above (below) average dry spell frequency. All El Niño seasons during the period of study showed reduced frequency of wet spells over Zambia, but not all La Niña events were associated with above average wet spell frequency. In fact, wet spell frequency over Zambia during several neutral seasons was greater than that observed during some La Niña events. A relatively strong relationship between anomalies in dry spell frequency and Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature (SST) was found. Relationships with Indian Ocean SST anomalies were also explored, but these were weaker than those found for Niño 3.4 SST.


Peta-scale scientific applications running on High End Computing (HEC) platforms can generate large volumes of data. For high performance storage and in order to be useful to science end users, such data must be organized in its layout, indexed, sorted, and otherwise manipulated for subsequent data presentation, visualization, and detailed analysis. In addition, scientists desire to gain insights into selected data characteristics 'hidden' or 'latent' in these massive datasets while data is being produced by simulations. PreDatA, short for Preparatory Data Analytics, is an approach to preparing and characterizing data while it is being produced by the large scale simulations running on peta-scale machines. By dedicating additional compute nodes on the machine as 'staging' nodes and by staging simulations' output data through these nodes, PreDatA can exploit their computational power to perform select data manipulations with lower latency than attainable by first moving data into file systems and storage. Such intransit manipulations are supported by the PreDatA middleware through asynchronous data movement to reduce write latency, application-specific operations on streaming data that are able to discover latent data characteristics, and appropriate data reorganization and metadata annotation to speed up subsequent data access. PreDatA enhances the scalability and flexibility of the current I/O stack on HEC platforms and is useful for data pre-processing, runtime data analysis and inspection, as well as for data exchange between concurrently running simulations.


Pet-attachment among the pet owners total 91 those
were admitted in a government hospital for COVID-19 was studied in two wards,
one ward was for patients with mild symptoms and other ward was for moderate
symptoms, the researcher talked to the patients on intercom from where she
could see them also and asked two questions from them, do you have a pet, yes or no and do you miss your pet, very strongly,
strongly, sometimes, occasionally, and never? It was assumed that the
pet attachment may vary due to the nature of symptoms and related ailment
stress among pet owners in the two wards? The findings revealed that pet owners
remembered possession of their pets similarly(r=.012, p<</i> .001) in both wards(r=-.016, p<.001) with strongly correlated remembering. It emerged that
stressful situations do not effect pet attachment and pet attachment continues
in mild and moderate levels of stress. The study provided useful information
about pet-attachment in stressful situations.


We attempt to replicate for the UK the Corrado, Hulten and Sichel (2005, 2006) work on spending on intangible assets in the US. Their work suggests private sector expenditure (investment) on intangibles is about 13% (11%) of US GDP 1998-2000, with intangible investment about equal to tangible capital investment. Our work, using a similar method, suggests the UK private sector spent, in 2004, about £127bn on intangibles, which is about 11% of UK GDP. The implied investment figure is around £116bn (10% of GDP) which is about equal to UK investment in tangible assets. Of the £127bn expenditure, (in round numbers) about 15% is spent on software, about 10% on scientific R&D, almost 20% on non-scientific R&D (design, product development etc.), about 14% on branding, about 20% on training and the rest on organisational capital.


Soybeans contain various components with potential health benefits effects, but the impact of soy foods and processed soy foods on human health has gone progressively characterized. Soy foods are the traditional Asian diets; however because of their intended health benefits they have gone popular in Westerners, especially postmenopausal women. There are lots of biologically active soybean constituents that might lead to the possible health benefits of soy, and almost consideration has concentrated on the isoflavones, which have both hormonal and nonhormonal activities. The various other constituents of soybeans (saponins, soy protein or peptides, lecithin, and flavonoids) have differing biological activities. These include hormonal, immunological, bacteriological and digestive effects. This review is the broad assessment of the literature comprehensive the health effects of soy constituents that are of superlative interest. The health benefits of soy foods on four diseases-cardiovascular disease (CVD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and diabetes-are the focus of the review.


Professor Christina Bohannan's IP Misuse as Foreclosure enlightens the debate over the patent misuse doctrine's role in regulating intellectual property owners' ever-expanding claims. Presently, courts scrutinize licensing restrictions under the antitrust laws only after determining that the IP holder has exceeded what the Federal Circuit has called the "exclusionary zone" of the IP right. Professor Bohannan wisely rejects this question-begging inquiry, explaining that "[e]very licensing agreement contains terms that are not express in the [IP] grant, and the beyond-the-scope test does not provide a meaningful way to determine which of these terms lies 'within the scope'" To bring coherence to this area, Professor Bohannan would eschew the existing two-step test in favor of an exclusive focus on "the core IP values of promoting innovation and protecting access to the public domain." Commenting on her piece, Professor Thomas Cotter points out that antitrust law and IP policy cannot be distinguished so easily. IP holders simultaneously possess both (1) a property right to foreclose competition; and (2) a privilege to compete in an open market. As Professor Cotter recognizes, antitrust law, no less than IP policy, seeks to mediate these rights and privileges. He suggests broadening antitrust doctrine, if necessary, rather than using IP policy to condemn licensing restrictions as misuse that antitrust doctrine would otherwise permit. The misuse problem, however, is more fundamental than either Professors Bohannan or Cotter suggest. IP policy and antitrust law seek precisely the same objectives — an optimal melding of a property-rights regime that insulates owners from competition, and a competitive regime in which everything that might constitute property is up for grabs. A coherent solution will not come from tweaking either IP or antitrust. Both already serve as syntheses of society's dual commitment to property rights and competitive markets. Instead, the law must step back and focus directly on how one structures a legal regime that commits itself to these conflicting goals.Part I summarizes existing law and Professor Bohannan's proposal. Part II explains that since IP policy and antitrust doctrine share common goals, her approach essentially replicates what modern courts do in misuse cases. Part III suggests a potentially more fruitful path.


Abstract In microvascular surgery when local recipient vessels are inadequate, vein grafting is required. There are several potential inherent disadvantages of immediate vein grafting, including the development of graft thrombosis or leakage, an increased opportunity for technical errors, and an increased number of anastomoses in series. All of these may contribute to a higher failure rate for composite-tissue transplantation requiring vein grafts. The authors hypothesized that in cases where vein grafting is obviously required, the creation of a temporary, looped, arteriovenous fistula (AVF) would reduce the morbidity of vein grafting, by allowing the detection of thrombosis or technical errors predisposing to thrombosis prior to free-tissue transplantation. Since delaying the division of an AVF for 5 or more days may allow time for healing of the endothelium at the AVF anastomotic site, the hypothesis was that composite-tissue transplantation whose vein grafts were installed as an AVF divided in a delayed manner, might have better patency than those in which vein grafts were installed at the time of reconstruction. This study reviews the results of 16 patients (8 females, 8 males) who underwent 17 microvascular reconstructions using AVFs. Patient courses and outcomes were compared between those undergoing immediate (8 patients) and delayed (7 patients) AVF construction, division, and free-tissue transplantation. There was a low patency rate for AVFs which were divided in a delayed fashion (2 of 7 patients, 29 percent), compared with those which were immediately divided (10 of 10, 100 percent). These results suggest that, in spite of a strong theoretical basis for delayed division of the AVF, delayed harvesting of the AVF is empirically associated with a higher thrombosis rate ( p = 0.0048, Fishers exact test).


Abstract In the radio-frequency (rf) power transmission system of an electron cyclotron heating and current drive (EC H&CD) system, the gyrotron power should couple with the fundamental mode of the corrugated waveguide (HE11 mode) because unwanted higher-order modes affect the beam radiation characteristics, which is a problem in the quasi-optical launcher design. To achieve high HE11 mode purity, a beam coupling method that measures the transmission mode in the waveguide was examined using a 170-GHz high-power gyrotron for the first time. In beam coupling, the offset and tilt angle of the input beam at the waveguide inlet were minimized by controlling the angles of the mirrors in the matching optical unit (MOU) to minimize unwanted LP11 modes in the waveguide. The rf field profile in free space after 1.3 m of the waveguide from the MOU was measured, and the transmission mode content was analyzed. According to the analyzed mode content, the HE11 mode content was optimized by remote adjustment of the mirror angles with a digital controller. The optimization procedure of beam coupling achieved 95% of HE11 mode purity at the entrance of transmission line, which is the first demonstration that meets the criteria of the ITER EC H&CD system.


Increased startle has been associated with increased levels of anxiety. Auditory stimuli facilitate startle suggesting that the auditory stimuli increase levels of anxiety. We have found that presentation of a moderate intensity (60 dB) tone facilitates startle in C57BL/6J mice and the facilitation persists after the offset of the tone. Because auditory stimuli activate neural regions related to anxiety, such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), we investigated whether the persistent elevation in startle after the offset of a tone is due to a tone-induced anxiety state. In these three experiments, we examined if it was the tone that induced the elevation of inter-trial interval (ITI) startle amplitudes, whether this effect persisted over multiple tone presentations, and the effects of administering the anxiolytic drug buspirone on the ITI startle enhancement. The experimental session used for assessing the nature of the ITI startle elevations consisted of a series of consecutive startle stimuli (pre-tones, 20 msec noise burst) for measuring baseline startle followed by 27 tones (12 kHz, 60 dB, 30 sec) intermixed with 27 startle stimuli (same as pre-tones). Startle amplitude after the offset of tones was significantly higher than startle amplitude to the initial pre-tone stimuli. The elevation in startle after the offset of the tones was reduced by pre-test administration of the anxiolytic buspirone (4mg/kg). These data suggest that in mice, a moderate intensity tone produces a persistent elevation in startle that may be related to a tone-induced anxious state. Dedication I dedicate this to my younger sister. Thanks for always believing in me.


The equations of mathematical physics, which describe actual processes, are defined on manifolds (tangent or others) that are not integrable. The solutions of equations on such manifolds cannot be functions since the derivatives of such solutions do not made up a dierential. The exact solutions (functions), which are possible only on integrable structures, can be realized only discretely under the realization of additional conditions. The process of realization of discrete solutions reveals the mechanism of generation of integrable structures, which format integrable manifolds, and emergence of physical structures, which made up physical fields and an occurrence of waves, eddies and so on.


We consider an infinitely-repeated oligopoly in which at each period firms not only serve the spot market by either competing in prices or quantities but also have the opportunity to trade forward contracts. Contrary to the pro-competitive results of finite-horizon models, we find that the possibility of forward trading allows firms to sustain collusive profits that otherwise would not be possible. The result holds both for price and quantity competition and follows because (collusive) contracting of future sales is more effective in deterring deviations from the collusive plan than in inducing the previously identified pro-competitive effects.


Penetrating cortical trauma frequently results in delayed development of epilepsy. In the rat undercut model of neocortical posttraumatic hyperexcitability, suppression of neuronal activity by exposing the injured cortex to tetrodotoxin (TTX) in vivo for approximately 2 weeks prevents the expression of abnormal hypersynchronous discharges in neocortical slices. We examined the relation between neuronal activity during the latent period after trauma and subsequent expression of hyperexcitability by varying the timing of TTX treatment. Partially isolated islands of rat sensorimotor cortex were treated with Elvax polymer containing TTX to suppress cortical activity and slices obtained for in vitro experiments 10 to 15 days later. TTX treatment was either started immediately after injury and discontinued after a variable number of days or delayed for a variable time after the lesion was placed. Immediate treatment lasting only 2 to 3 days, and treatment delayed up to 3 days prevented hyperexcitability. Thus a critical period exists for development of hyperexcitability in this model that depends on cortical activity. We propose that the hyperexcitability caused by partial cortical isolation may represent an early stage of posttraumatic epileptogenesis. A hypothetical cascade of events leading to subsequent pathophysiologic activity is likely initiated at the time of injury but remains plastic during this critical period.


Chronic respiratory disorders are important contributors to the global burden of disease. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of lung function measures have identified several trait-associated loci, but explain only a modest portion of the phenotypic variability. We postulated that integrating pathway-based methods with GWASs of pulmonary function and airflow obstruction would identify a broader repertoire of genes and processes influencing these traits. We performed two independent GWASs of lung function and applied gene set enrichment analysis to one of the studies and validated the results using the second GWAS. We identified 131 significantly enriched gene sets associated with lung function and clustered them into larger biological modules involved in diverse processes including development, immunity, cell signaling, proliferation and arachidonic acid. We found that enrichment of gene sets was not driven by GWAS-significant variants or loci, but instead by those with less stringent association P-values. Next, we applied pathway enrichment analysis to a meta-analyzed GWAS of airflow obstruction. We identified several biologic modules that functionally overlapped with those associated with pulmonary function. However, differences were also noted, including enrichment of extracellular matrix (ECM) processes specifically in the airflow obstruction study. Network analysis of the ECM module implicated a candidate gene, matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP10), as a putative disease target. We used a knockout mouse model to functionally validate MMP10's role in influencing lung's susceptibility to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema. By integrating pathway analysis with population-based genomics, we unraveled biologic processes underlying pulmonary function traits and identified a candidate gene for obstructive lung disease.


The design of a radiation driven capsule suitable for use in a heavy ion beam driven inertial confinement fusion reactor system is discussed. Numerical simulations of compression, ignition and burn of the capsule are presented. These simulations have been carried out using the one-dimensional, three-temperature, Lagrangian radiation hydrodynamic computer code MEDUSA-KAT. The capsule consists of a 4 mg cryogenic spherical DT shell surrounded by an ablator shell made of a mixture of 90% Li and 10% Au atoms. Inside the fuel shell there is a low density DT gas. It has been found that an input radiation energy of 5.00 MJ is needed to implode the capsule, and the implosion yields about 660 MJ output thermonuclear energy. The capsule energy gain is thus about 130, which may be sufficient to operate a heavy ion beam driven reactor system because of the relatively high efficiency of the heavy ion driver. A study of the capsule gain as a function of the input parameters has also been carried out. It is found that the gain is not sensitive to a variation in the prepulse temperature and prepulse duration of up to 50%


Background: Uterine carcinosarcoma is rare neoplasm that mostly presents as metastatic disease. Stage is one of the most important prognostic factor, however, the management of the early stage uterine carcinosarcoma is still controversial. Aims: To evaluate prognostic factors, treatment options, and survival outcomes in patients with surgically approved stage I uterine carcinosarcoma. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Data of 278 patients with uterine carcinosarcoma obtained from four gynecologic oncology centers were reviewed, and 70 patients with approved stage I uterine carcinosarcoma after comprehensive staging surgery were studied. Results: The median age of the entire cohort was 65 years (range; 39-82). All patients underwent both pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. Forty-one patients received adjuvant therapy. The median follow-up time was 24 months (range; 1-129). Nineteen (27.1%) patients had disease failure. The 3-year disease-free survival and cancer-specific survival of the entire cohort was 67% and 86%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, only age was significantly associated with disease-free survival (p=0.022). There was no statistical significance for disease-free survival between observation and receiving any type of adjuvant therapy following staging surgery. Advanced age (<75 vs ≥75 years) was the only independent prognostic factor for recurrence (hazard ratio: 3.8, 95% CI=1.10-13.14, p=0.035) in multivariate analysis. None of the factors were significantly associated with cancer-specific survival. Conclusion: Advanced age was the only independent factor for disease-free survival in stage I uterine carcinosarcoma. Performing any adjuvant therapy following comprehensive lymphadenectomy was not related to the improved survival of the stage I disease.


Abstract We have performed a safety assessment of mercury and lead as possible hohlraum materials for Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) targets, including for the first time a comparative analysis of the radiological and toxicological consequences of an accidental release. In order to calculate accident doses to the public, we have distinguished between accidents at the target fabrication facility and accidents at other areas of the power plant. Regarding the chemical toxicity assessment, we have used the U.S. DOE regulations to determine the maximum allowable release in order to protect the public from adverse health effects. Opposite to common belief, it has been found that the chemical safety requirements for these materials appear to be more stringent than the concentrations that would result in an acceptable radiological dose.


Numerous studies have compared the efficiency of different types of traps for the survey of small mammals in temperate countries, but such comparative studies are strikingly fewer in tropical habitats. We com- pared the efficiency of three types of traps for sampling small mammals in an African rainforest : one type of inter- ception trap (pitfall traps with drift fences) and two types of baited traps (Sherman live trap and metal snap trap). We captured 1884 individuals belonging to 9 shrew and 11 murid rodent species. Pitfall traps were more efficient (higher number of species trapped and higher trap success) than baited traps for capturing shrews. In contrast, they were less efficient for capturing rodents, even if some rare species were captured in pitfall traps only. Sherman and snap traps have complementary qualities for the capture of rodents. Sherman traps are more effective for trapping smaller rodent species, while snap traps tend to be more effective for trapping larger ones. Moreover, light individ- uals of the largest species are better captured than heavy ones in Sherman, while no significant difference was observed for small species. No sex ratio difference was detected between populations sampled by each of the three types of traps. The three types of traps used in this study have complementary effects onto the capture of small mammals in African rainforest. An assortment of traps should always be employed in studies of small mammal communities in African rainforest in order to obtain a wider range of taxa, and thus a better representation of the community.