We systematically reviewed English-language publications arising from prospective cohort studies of the association between coronary heart disease risk and body mass index. Eighty published articles from 46 studies were identified. Two thirds of the studies, including all 14 studies with at least 500 cases ("larger" studies), reported a positive or J-shaped association. Among these 14 larger studies, the average increase in coronary heart disease risk for each 2 kg/m2 higher body mass index was 14%. There was only limited evidence of effect modification by age, sex, ethnicity, or other variables. Evidence from many studies, including randomized controlled trials, implies that the association between coronary heart disease risk and body mass index is partly (or perhaps wholly) mediated by high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and impaired glucose tolerance.


Multicultural classrooms provide the intercultural pragmatist with a breeding ground to get firsthand information on intercultural communication. In such a context, if English is used as a lingua franca, these classrooms also become an ideal setting to observe the pragmatics of this relatively unknown variety. The present article aims to analyze qualitatively a sample of data produced by a multicultural group of masters students in which English is used as the lingua franca. More specifically, I intend to answer the following research question: In a multicultural class where English is the medium of instruction and students' peer to peer communication, whose pragmatic "rules" are followed? In other words, do these speakers stick to their own cultural pragmatic rules or follow nativelike ones? More specifically, I focus on the speech act of disagreement given its face-threatening nature and its disruptive potential if carried out in what interlocutors might perceive as the "wrong" way. Disagreement was also chosen given the relative paucity of studies on this speech act – as opposed, for example, others like requests or compliments. For this purpose, the 10 students – from very different cultural backgrounds – were asked to carry out a group assignment. Their negotiation and discussion process, however, was computer-mediated via the use
of forums rather than face-to-face. This allowed the researcher to collect naturally occurring, spontaneous data in a relatively easy way (without the need for transcription). It also gave the students the opportunity to interact in a more democratic way. In fact, by being an asynchronous discussion online, they did not have to fight for the conversational turn, but all of them had the chance to contribute to the discussion at their own pace. The sample so collected consists of 15,598 words. The limitation of the sample calls for a qualitative rather than a quantitative approach but is valuable insofar as it represents naturally occurring data. Disagreement expressions were classified according to two main categories: strong and mitigated disagreement (following Kreutel 2007; Pomerantz 1984 and Rees-Miller 2000).Inspection of the data reveals that students on the whole show a tendency to avoid strong disagreement whilst favoring mitigated disagreement of different sorts (e.g., use of hedges, asking for clarification, giving explanations, etc.). Moreover, students with high linguistic proficiency displayed a wider range
of strategies, following a more nativelike pattern – specifically; they seemed to follow the pragmatic rules of British English. On the other hand, students whose linguistic proficiency was lower also showed a tendency to avoid strong disagreement but were much more limited with regard to their mitigating strategies, favoring the nonnative overuse of expressions of regret and hedges. Other variables, such as familiarity with their partners and their linguistic proficiency, as well as the nature of the task at hand, also played a central role in the students' choice of the common rules of a native variety.


A cloud-resolving model is used to study the effects of a vertical temperature dipole on convective cloud development. Such dipole anomalies, with a warm-above-cool structure in the troposphere, are known to be forced by mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in the Tropics. The experiments involve letting convection develop in perturbed initial soundings with open lateral boundary conditions. Convection is driven solely by surface fluxes. In the control run, a field of deep convection ensues. With a strong dipole anomaly that is warm in the upper troposphere, no clouds ascend beyond the middle troposphere. In this case, cumulus congestus clouds strongly moisten the midtroposphere with relative humidity increases by up to 24% by the end of the 6-h simulation. With a half-strength anomaly, a mixed population results: mainly middle-topped congestus clouds, but with some intermittent deep cells. The partitioning between cloud types is somewhat sensitive to model resolution, with a change from 1- to 0.5-km grid spacing resulting in relatively more congestus clouds and fewer deep cells.


With world affairs so troubled, what kind of foreign policy should the United States pursue? Benjamin Page and Marshall Bouton look for answers in a surprising place: among the American people. Drawing on a series of national surveys conducted between 1974 and 2004, Page and Bouton reveal that contrary to conventional wisdom Americans generally hold durable, coherent, and sensible opinions about foreign policy. Nonetheless, their opinions often stand in opposition to those of policymakers, usually because of different interests and values, rather than superior wisdom among the elite. "The Foreign Policy Disconnect" argues that these gaps between leaders and the public are harmful, and that by using public opinion as a guideline policymakers could craft a more effective, sustainable, and democratic foreign policy. Page and Bouton support this argument by painting a uniquely comprehensive portrait of the military, diplomatic, and economic foreign policies Americans favor. They show, for example, that protecting American jobs is just as important to the public as security from attack, a goal the current administration seems to pursue single-mindedly. And contrary to some officials unilateral tendencies, the public consistently and overwhelmingly favors cooperative multilateral policy and participation in international treaties. Moreover, Americans foreign policy opinions are seldom divided along the usual lines: majorities of virtually all social, ideological, and partisan groups seek a policy that pursues the goals of security and justice through cooperative means. Written in a clear and engaging style, "The Foreign Policy Disconnect "calls, in an original voice, for a more democratic approach to creating such a policy. "


We study the kinetics of the liquid-to-crystal transformation and of gel formation in colloidal suspensions of oppositely charged particles. We analyse, by means of both computer simulations and experiments, the evolution of a fluid quenched to a state point of the phase diagram where the most stable state is either a homogeneous crystalline solid or a solid phase in contact with a dilute gas. On the one hand, at high temperatures and high packing fractions, close to a substitutionally-ordered/substitutionally-disordered solid-solid coexistence line, we find that the fluid-to-crystal pathway does not follow the minimum free energy route. On the other hand, a quench to a state point far from the substitutionally-ordered/substitutionally-disordered crystal coexistence border is followed by a fluid-to-solid transition through the minimum free energy pathway. At low temperatures and packing fractions we observe that the system undergoes a gas–liquid spinodal decomposition that, at some point, stops, giving rise to a gel-like structure. Both our simulations and experiments suggest that increasing the interaction range favours crystallization over vitrification in gel-like structures.


Saccharin is a cyclic sulfimide whose sodium salt, commercially available under the trade name "Sweet'N Low", is one of the most commonly used artificial low-calorie sweeteners and is also the main sugar substitute in the diet of diabetics. Being an acid (pKa = 1.6), it is readily deprotonated in solution and affords solid ionic salts or coordination compounds with transition metals where its conjugate base (saccharinate ion) displays a wealth of coordination modes. Here we report the first two examples of ionic cocrystals of molecular saccharin where saccharin exists as a neutral species and an ion in the same crystal. With rubidium and cesium cations, saccharin forms isomorphous solid hemihydrate salts. When saccharin is supplied in excess to the reaction mixture, neutral saccharin molecules are stoichiometrically incorporated into both crystals and stable isomorphous ionic cocrystals are obtained. The formation of ionic cocrystals is unprecedented and adds a new aspect to the rich crystal chemistry of this artificial sweetener.


This thesis aims to identify aspects of Luce Irigaray's work which are of significance for feminist discourses of art, including art practices and critical analyses of art works by women. Her writings have been analyzed and employed in academic fields, such as Literature, Philosophy, and Theology, but rarely to date from
within art history, criticism or theory. This thesis establishes the wide-ranging implications of her work for these disciplines.

The thesis is in two parts. Part 1 outlines Luce Irigaray's analyses of phallocentrism's representational structures, and her arguments for developing representational structures appropriate for women. It aims to outline Luce Irigaray's philosophy of sexual difference in so far as it impacts upon the production of meaning in the realm of
the visual, and visual aesthetics. The first two chapters focus upon mimetic practices, including mimesis, masquerade and hysteria. They identify the maintenance mimesis in phallocentrism, and the productive mimesis which develops structures of resistance. Chapters 3 and 4 attend to Luce Irigaray's analyses of the visual, including phallocentric structures of sight and visible representation. The possibility of a syntax in the Symbolic appropriate to women is explored. Building upon this, Part 2 engages moments of contemporary art practice by women with further aspects of Luce Irigaray's thinking. Her concept of morphology is explored in relation to work by Laura
Godfrey-Isaacs, Jenny Saville, Bridget Reilly and Rachel Whiteread, in order to establish possible mediative function of art works. Luce Irigaray's understandings of gesture are read in conjunction with work by Louise Bourgeois. Finally, Luce Irigaray's arguments about
women's genealogies, and concepts of the divine, the universal, and the transcendental appropriate to women, are tested against the representation, `woman', in Irish visual culture, and moments of resistance in works by Irish artists
Rita Duffy, Louise Walsh, Pauline Cummins, and Fran Hegarty.

The thesis concludes that, through careful attention to the
structures and use of terminology developed by her, it is possible to identify areas where Luce Irigaray's work can be productively juxtaposed with and interrogated by current feminist theories of art in order to develop those practices, increase the legibility of art works by women, and provide spaces of discourse in which artists can work in the future.


We present the results of indirect searches for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with 1679.6 live days of data from the Super-Kamiokande detector using neutrino-induced upward through-going muons. The search is performed by looking for an excess of high energy muon neutrinos from WIMP annihilations in the Sun, the core of the Earth, and the Galactic Center, as compared to the number expected from the atmospheric neutrino background. No statistically significant excess was seen. We calculate flux limits in various angular cones around each of the above celestial objects. We obtain conservative model-independent upper limits on WIMP-nucleon cross-section as a function of WIMP mass and compare these results with the corresponding results from direct dark matter detection experiments.


The interaction between gas-phase nitric acid and the graphite surface is taken as a simple model of interactions occurring at the surface of atmospheric soot particles. In particular, we study the heterogeneous processes that lead to the dissociation of the nitric acid and the production of nitrous acid. The atomistic details of the reaction mechanisms are reproduced by use of the new metadynamics method. The binding interactions of the HNO3 molecule and its fragments with the graphite surface are calculated, and the role of the surface in catalyzing the reaction is taken into account. From the reactive trajectory generated by the metadynamics, it is seen that the path goes through several different intermediate states. We analyze in detail the electronic structures and spin density distributions of the relevant products and report on the mechanisms and the main features of the transition regions relative to all the activated processes observed.


— Compatibility between sulfonated acetone-formalehyde superplasticizer (SAF) and copolymer-based grinding aids (GA) were studied by fluidity, Zeta potential, setting time of cement pasts, initial slump and slump flow of concrete and compressive strength of concrete. ESEM, MIP, and XRD were used to investigate the changing of microstructure of interior concrete. The results indicated that GA could noticeably enhance the dispersion ability of SAF. It was found that better fluidity and slump-keeping ability of cement paste were obtained in the case of GA. In addition, GA together with SAF had a certain retardation effect on hydration of cement paste. With increasing of the GA dosage, the dispersion ability and retardation effect of admixture increased. The compressive strength of the sample made with SAF and GA after 28 days was higher than that of the control sample made only with SAF. The initial slump and slump flow of concrete increased by 10.0% and 22.9%, respectively, while 0.09 wt.% GA was used. XRD examination indicated that new products were not found in the case of GA. In addition, more dense arrangement of hydrates and lower porosity of the specimen were observed by ESEM and MIP, which contributed to higher compressive strength.


Two cell types, HL60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells and CD34+ human bone marrow progenitor cells, were used as model systems to explore a possible role for apoptosis in the myelotoxicity of the phenolic metabolites of benzene. HL60 cells were treated with either phenol, catechol, hydroquinone, or 1,2,4-benzenetriol and then stained with Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide and subjected to fluorescent microscopy. Cells with nuclear condensation and fragmentation were scored as apoptotic, and etoposide (40 microM) was used as a positive control. Catechol, 1,2,4-benzenetriol, and hydroquinone induced marked time- (0-24 hr) and concentration- (25-100 microM) dependent apoptosis, whereas phenol (750 microM) did not. Under these conditions, no significant necrosis was observed. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed by internucleosomal cleavage of DNA, assessed by agarose gel electrophoresis. CD34+ cells treated with etoposide (40 microM) or hydroquinone (50 microM) for 18 hr were stained and subjected to fluorescent microscopy as above. The percentage of cells exhibiting nuclear condensation and/or fragmentation as well as high intensity staining significantly increased in both cases. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase assay. These data show that apoptosis can be induced in both HL60 and CD34+ human bone marrow progenitor cells by benzene metabolites. The ability of phenolic metabolites of benzene to induce apoptosis in human bone marrow progenitor cells may contribute to benzene myelotoxicity.


Solvent polymeric membrane electrodes incorporating p-t-butyl hexaethyl ester and hexaethyl ester calix[6 ]arene as neutral carriers have been constructed for use in caesium selective electrodes. The potentiometric sensing electrodes including 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether as solvent mediator exhibit near-Nernstian behaviour in the range 1x10 M to 1x10 M CsCl. The pattern of selectivity encountered for a range of common interferents is not modified by the inclusion of potassium tetrakis(p-ch!orophenyl)borate as ion-exchanger in the case of the hexaethyl ester although some improvement in sensitivity is obtained in the case of the hexaethyl ester. The hexaethyl ester is superior with respect to rubidium and potassium selectivities, with the coefficients being of the order of 3x10 and 2.7x10 respectively. Both electrodes are relatively stable and responses are essentially complete within seconds.

Different types of sodium electrodes have also been constructed using twomeric calixarene ionophores, namely methyl p-t-butylcalix[4]aryl acetate and the methyl tetraketone derivative of p-t-butylcalix[4]arene. The selectivity of both electrodes is similar although discrimination against ammonium ions is improved by a factor of ten in the case of the methyl tetraketone based electrode. The selectivities against lithium, potassium and hydrogen ions are improved in comparison to other commercially available ionophores. Response times, stability, reproducibility and life time characteristics agree well with the requirements made of these devices for clinical applications. On the assessment of a large number of blood plasma samples, the methyl ester tetrameric based electrode exhibits excellent correlation when compared to two hospital based auto-analysers and to flame photometry. The residual standard deviation is typically within 1 to 3 mmol/1 and highly influenced by the dipping method employed for the determination. Optimisation of the selective membrane in the case of methyl tetraketone based electrodes also give excellent results for the analysis of sodium in plasma samples, although in this case correlation with the above mentioned reference methods is higher and the residual standard deviation is lower. The incorporation of the methyl ester calix[4]arene electrode in a flow injection system has proven advantageous in improving both precision and accuracy in comparison to the dipping technique.

Solid-state monomeric and polymeric calixarene based electrodes have been constructed and found to exhibit promising features to varying degrees. Thus, platinum coated electrodes based on the methyl tetraketone calix[4]arene gave similar performance to the conventional sort in terms of Nernstian response, selectivity and response time, although the electrodes are less stable. Another chemically modified tetrameric calixarene (monomer VI) has been found to be responsive to potassium ions. Copolymerisation of two monomeric calixarenes with methyl methacrylate carried out have led to non-responsive electrodes while other polymers exhibited sub-Nernstian slopes to sodium and caesium.

Amperometric studies have been also carried out to assess the voltammetric behaviour of pipemidic acid. The drug has been investigated by linear sweep, differential pulse and square wave voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode. Two reduction processes were observed in Britton-Robinson buffer in acidic solutions, whereas only one or two processes were observed in alkaline solutions, depending on the pH of the b u ffer employed. Adsorptive effects have been used to accumulate the drug onto the electrode and linear calibration graphs were obtained in the range 2.5x10 to 1x10" M. A simple procedure of extraction has been employed for the determination of pipemidic acid in urine samples.


Let's conduct what Charles Murray might call "a thought experiment." Imagine it's 1993 and Newt Gingrich has been sworn in as president. In his Inaugural Address, he pledges to "dismantle the welfare state and replace it with an Opportunity Society." He appoints a task force of the party's most creative conservatives to ensure that citizen action will fill the void left by the withdrawal of government. There is, by no means, unanimity. The Cato Institute's Doug Bandow argues that as government recedes, charities and volunteer groups will naturally fill the gap. Arianna Huffington says that the nonprofit sector must become more effective and less bureaucratic. Gingrich agrees and advises the task force to look at Habitat for Humanity as a model for truly effective compassion -- inexpensive, nongovernmental, and faith-based. From Switzerland, William F. Buckley Jr. faxes in a chapter from his book Gratitude calling for a national-service program to engage young people in solving problems outside of government bureaucracies. Jim Pinkerton urges the re-creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps on a massive scale. Colin Powell reminds the group that the most successful race- and class-mixing program has not been busing or quotas but service in the U.S. Army. William Bennett argues that all government benefits ought to require something of the beneficiaries in turn, shattering the entitlement mentality created by years of Democrat-created welfare programs. Senator Dan Coats suggests that government's role should be confined to helping local community-based institutions solve their own problems. The task force decides unanimously that there should be no big federal program, with armies of Washington bureaucrats telling communities what to do. Instead, Washington would give money to states to help local community groups help themselves. And, inspired by Buckley, the members of the task force hit on an innovative idea. Instead of just giving grants to nonprofit groups, thereby creating nonprofit bureaucracies, they could model it after programs like the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, to which committed young people devote themselves for a year or two of service. The federal government would in turn provide that young person with a "service scholarship." This would, someone points out, establish a principle that the "educrats" in the higher-education lobby have always opposed: financial aid awarded not on need but merit, merit in this case defined as a willingness to serve one's country. Pollster Frank Luntz tells Gingrich that even though it's a decentralized, community-based program, the young people it engages should be linked together with a national spirit -- and name. Haley Barbour suggests "RepubliCorps" but Gingrich believes that might deprive it of bipartisan support. He asks his advisors to come up with a better name and gives them one bit of advice, "Don't be afraid to make it sound patriotic. Unlike the other party, we are not embarrassed to be Americans." So Luntz has a brainstorm: Let's call it "AmeriCorps." The reality, of course, is that Bill Clinton thought of AmeriCorps first, and most Washington Republicans ended up opposing it as typical Big-Government liberalism. Republicans in Congress are now on the wrong side not only of the politics -- AmeriCorps is popular with voters -- but of their own ideology. There is, however, a striking difference between the comments of Beltway Republicans and those in the rest of the country. New Hampshire governor Steve Merrill has called AmeriCorps "a great success in the state of New Hampshire." Michigan governor John Engler has said AmeriCorps "captures the promise found in all citizens." Arizona governor Fife Symington said he was "enthusiastic and impressed with the work of AmeriCorps." And Massachusetts governor William Weld called it "one of the most intelligent uses of taxpayer money ever." Let us explain why we think these Republican governors are right. …


With risk of cardiological, renal, respiratory and haematological complications,1–5 it is best practice to follow steady resumption of training, paying attention to physical and psychological factors after COVID-19 infection.

This guidance takes into account public health guidelines in the UK (although we hope its content is relevant more widely) and available expert opinion at time of publication and is for use by healthcare practitioners. It is applicable to performance athletes who have had mild to moderate illness. Those requiring hospital admission merit further assessment.

If an athlete develops an illness with symptoms of COVID-19, they should follow national guidance, speak to their sports medicine doctor, and undertake …


Background Drug-loaded microspheres are used for chemoembolization of liver tumours and metastases. Prior to their administration, the drug-loaded microsphere suspension is mixed with non-ionic contrast media to guide the delivery via a transarterial catheter. Purpose To evaluate the compatibility of irinotecan-loaded DC Beads (bead size M1) with different types and volumes of non-ionic contrast media over a maximum period of 24 h and storage at room temperature. Material and methods 2 mL DC Beads were loaded with 100 mg irinotecan within 2 h. After removal of the excess solutions, and addition of 2 mL of water for injection to each syringe, the concentrations of irinotecan loaded were determined by using a reversed phase HPLC assay with ultraviolet detection. To study the compatibility of irinotecan-eluting beads (IEBs) with different types and volumes of contrast media, IEBs were mixed with up to four different volumes of seven contrast media and the samples were withdrawn after 30, 60, 120, 240, 480, and 1,440 min. The concentrations of eluted irinotecan were measured in triplicate by HPLC. Admixtures of IEBs-contrast medium were stored light-protected at room temperature over a period of 24 h. Results Irinotecan release was different in rate and quantity relying on the type and volume of contrast medium admixed. Mixing of irinotecan-loaded beads with non-ionic contrast media decreased the irinotecan loading efficiency by 2.5–18% over a maximum period of 24 h. Because of the initial rapid release (1–9%) it is not recommendable to prepare admixtures of IEBs with contrast medium in advance in centralised cytotoxic preparation units. Conclusion IEBs are not compatible with typically used non-ionic contrast media. Admixtures should be performed by the interventional radiologists immediately prior to the delivery procedure. Reference Kaiser J, Krämer I. Physiochemical stability of irinotecan injection concentrate and diluted infusion solutions in PVC bags No conflict of interest.


Microfluidic impedance cytometry (MIC) provides a non-optical and label-free method for single cell analysis. However, the cleanroom intensive infrastructure required for MIC electrode fabrication limits its implementation. As an alternate technique that enables rapid prototyping, we fabricated Field's metal 'in-contact' (icFM) coplanar microelectrodes in multilayer elastomer devices with a single photolithography step and characterised them for microfluidic impedance cytometry. Our icFM microelectrodes matched performance of the conventional platinum electrodes in the detection of single human erythrocytes and water-in-oil droplets in a feedback-controlled suction-flow MIC setup. Finally, to facilitate droplet based single cell analysis, we demonstrate detection and quantification of single erythrocytes entrapped in water-in-oil droplets.


Lignocellulosic carbohydrates, i.e. cellulose and hemicellulose, have abundant potential as feedstock for production of biofuels and chemicals. However, these carbohydrates are generally infiltrated by lignin. Breakdown of the lignin barrier will alter lignocelluloses structures and make the carbohydrates accessible for more efficient bioconversion. White-rot fungi produce ligninolytic enzymes (lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, and laccase) and efficiently mineralise lignin into CO2 and H2O. Biological pretreatment of lignocelluloses using white-rot fungi has been used for decades for ruminant feed, enzymatic hydrolysis, and biopulping. Application of white-rot fungi capabilities can offer environmentally friendly processes for utilising lignocelluloses over physical or chemical pretreatment. This paper reviews white-rot fungi, ligninolytic enzymes, the effect of biological pretreatment on biomass characteristics, and factors affecting biological pretreatment. Application of biological pretreatment for enzymatic hydrolysis, biofuels (bioethanol, biogas and pyrolysis), biopulping, biobleaching, animal feed, and enzymes production are also discussed.


In the late eighteenth century, Hawai'i's ruling elite employed sophisticated methods for resisting foreign intrusion. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, American missionaries had gained a foothold in the islands. Jennifer Thigpen explains this important shift by focusing on two groups of women: missionary wives and high-ranking Hawaiian women. Examining the enduring and personal exchange between these groups, Thigpen argues that women's relationships became vital to building and maintaining the diplomatic and political alliances that ultimately shaped the islands' political future. Male missionaries' early attempts to Christianize the Hawaiian people were based on racial and gender ideologies brought with them from the mainland, and they did not comprehend the authority of Hawaiian chiefly women in social, political, cultural, and religious matters. It was not until missionary wives and powerful Hawaiian women developed relationships shaped by Hawaiian values and traditions--which situated Americans as guests of their beneficent hosts--that missionaries successfully introduced Christian religious and cultural values.Incisively written and meticulously researched, Thigpen's book sheds new light on American and Hawaiian women's relationships, illustrating how they ultimately provided a foundation for American power in the Pacific and hastened the colonization of the Hawaiian nation.


In this work, a base-station design is proposed for passive UHF RFID tags that use pulse-width modulation (PWM) in backscattering communication. The theoretical analysis of the PWM backscattering is presented along with the challenges it creates in the base-station design. The self-jamming issue in the base station is analyzed with a numerical case study. The theoretical analysis of the reverse communication channel is presented. A method is proposed for wired backscattering measurements, which models the path loss and reflection from the tag eliminating the need for wireless measurements in an anechoic chamber. It is shown by measurements that the base-station is capable of measuring the pulse-width of the backscattered signal with an error less than 1% at a distance of 2 meters.


In contrast to other vertebrate hemoglobins (Hbs) whose high intrinsic O2 affinities are reduced by red cell allosteric effectors (mainly protons, CO2, organic phosphates, and chloride ions), crocodilian Hbs exhibit low sensitivity to organic phosphates and high sensitivity to bicarbonate (HCO3(-)), which is believed to augment Hb-O2 unloading during diving and postprandial alkaline tides when blood HCO3(-) levels and metabolic rates increase. Examination of α- and β-globin amino acid sequences of dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus) revealed a unique combination of substitutions at key effector binding sites compared with other vertebrate and crocodilian Hbs: β82Lys→Gln, β143His→Val, and β146His→Tyr. These substitutions delete positive charges and, along with other distinctive changes in residue charge and polarity, may be expected to disrupt allosteric regulation of Hb-O2 affinity. Strikingly, however, P. palpebrosus Hb shows a strong Bohr effect, and marked deoxygenation-linked binding of organic phosphates (ATP and DPG) and CO2 as carbamate (contrasting with HCO3(-) binding in other crocodilians). Unlike other Hbs, it polymerizes to large complexes in the oxygenated state. The highly unusual properties of P. palpebrosus Hb align with a high content of His residues (potential sites for oxygenation-linked proton binding) and distinctive surface Cys residues that may form intermolecular disulfide bridges upon polymerization. On the basis of its singular properties, P. palpebrosus Hb provides a unique opportunity for studies on structure-function coupling and the evolution of compensatory mechanisms for maintaining tissue O2 delivery in Hbs that lack conventional effector-binding residues.


Many bodybuilders use anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) to potentiate muscle mass gain as a result of specific resistance training and nutrition. The case we describe hereafter outlines alterations in body composition of an amateur bodybuilder during his pre-competitive period (11 weeks). The Participant was a 28-year old Caucasian male who was aiming to participate in his first bodybuilding competition under the "Men's Physique" category. The Participant self-administered AAS for the whole pre-competitive period, followed a 13 set-meal plan consisting of 10 daily meals interspersed by approximately 2 h, and performed six high-volume resistance-training sessions a week. Body mass and anthropometric variables were measured at the beginning, during and at the end of his pre-competitive period. Dietetic analysis revealed a reduction in protein intake at the 10th (% decrease: −51.3%) and 11th weeks (% decrease: −64.5%) and in calorie intake at the 10th (% decrease: −57.9%) and 11th weeks (% decrease: −59.5%) in comparison to the 1st week. As a result, the Participant reduced both total body mass and fat percentage. However, there was a reduction in absolute fat free mass, despite the use of AAS. Apparently, the combination of excessive volumes of training with inadequate protein consumption was responsible for this outcome.


Aim/Purpose: This paper proposes a new approach to developing a deep learning-based prototyping wearable model which can assist blind and visually disabled people to recognize their environments and navigate through them. As a result, visually impaired people will be able to manage day-to-day activities and navigate through the world around them more easily.

Background: In recent decades, the development of navigational devices has posed challenges for researchers to design smart guidance systems for visually impaired and blind individuals in navigating through known or unknown environments. Efforts need to be made to analyze the existing research from a historical perspective. Early studies of electronic travel aids should be integrated with the use of assistive technology-based artificial vision models for visually impaired persons.

Methodology: This paper is an advancement of our previous research work, where we performed a sensor-based navigation system. In this research, the navigation of the visually disabled person is carried out with a vision-based 3D-designed wearable model and a vision-based smart stick. The wearable model used a neural network-based You Only Look Once (YOLO) algorithm to detect the course of the navigational path which is augmented by a GPS-based smart Stick. Over 100 images of each of the three classes, namely straight path, left path and right path, are being trained using supervised learning. The model accurately predicts a straight path with 79% mean average precision (mAP), the right path with 83% mAP, and the left path with 85% mAP. The average accuracy of the wearable model is 82.33% and that of the smart stick is 96.14% which combined gives an overall accuracy of 89.24%.

Contribution: This research contributes to the design of a low-cost navigational standalone system that will be handy to use and help people to navigate safely in real-time scenarios. The challenging self-built dataset of various paths is generated and transfer learning is performed on the YOLO-v5 model after augmentation and manual annotation. To analyze and evaluate the model, various metrics, such as model losses, recall value, precision, and maP, are used.

Findings: These were the main findings of the study:
• To detect objects, the deep learning model uses a higher version of YOLO, i.e., a YOLOv5 detector, that may help those with visual im-pairments to improve their quality of navigational mobilities in known or unknown environments.
• The developed standalone model has an option to be integrated into any other assistive applications like Electronic Travel Aids (ETAs)
• It is the single neural network technology that allows the model to achieve high levels of detection accuracy of around 0.823 mAP with a custom dataset as compared to 0.895 with the COCO dataset. Due to its lightning-speed of 45 FPS object detection technology, it has become popular.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners can help the model's efficiency by increasing the sample size and classes used in training the model.

Recommendation for Researchers: To detect objects in an image or live cam, there are various algorithms, e.g., R-CNN, Retina Net, Single Shot Detector (SSD), YOLO. Researchers can choose to use the YOLO version owing to its superior performance. Moreover, one of the YOLO versions, YOLOv5, outperforms its other versions such as YOLOv3 and YOLOv4 in terms of speed and accuracy.

Impact on Society: We discuss new low-cost technologies that enable visually impaired people to navigate effectively in indoor environments.

Future Research: The future of deep learning could incorporate recurrent neural networks on a larger set of data with special AI-based processors to avoid latency.


This study examines the relations between the work of the Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad and the French Nobel Prize winner Andre Gide. Gide's translation of Conrad's Typhoon is read as a work belonging paradoxically to the oeuvres of both writers, where their respective preoccupations meet with illuminating results. Focusing also on other major works by Conrad and Gide, the study suggests that the intertextual and personal interaction between these two masters of 20th Century fiction was governed by processes of identification and projection, conflict between master and disciple and a consequent resistant reading of texts, and confrontation with linguistic and cultural heterogeneity. Issues of translation theory, psychoanalysis and intertextuality are brought together to offer a glimpse of a possible dialogue between literature and ethics. This study will be of interest to students and researchers in English, French and Comparative Literature.


In addition to prominent constitutional theories relating to the importance of political speech, the Supreme Court on countless occasions has stated that political speech, or speech relating to the conduct of self-government, is the kind of speech with which the First Amendment is most concerned and should most protect. Under current First Amendment jurisprudence, however, not only do some constitutional doctrines fail to favor political speech, but at times political speech actually receives more disadvantageous treatment than does indecent commercial media entertainment. This Essay examines some ways in which this has occurred, along with the reasons for such disadvantageous treatment. Such an examination will involve the legacy of First Amendment doctrines born nearly a century ago and under a much different media environment than what exists today. Using the marketplace metaphor that was first articulated by Justice Holmes nine decades ago in his dissent in Abrams v. United States, this Essay argues that the Court has articulated First Amendment doctrines that end up greatly benefiting nonpolitical media entertainment - sometimes at the expense of political speech.Current First Amendment doctrines can give the illusion, by protecting the vilest and most vulgar of speech, that speech in general is overly protected, which in turn results in a backlash that can spill over to political speech.


Low-power wireless networks deployed in indoor environments inevitably encounter high-power Cross Technology Interference (CTI) from a wide range of wireless devices operating in the shared RF spectrum bands. This severely reduces the performance of such networks and possibly causes loss of connectivity, which affects their availability and drains their resources. In this work, to address the channel uncertainty, a consequence of CTI, we propose a novel channel metric that (i) harnesses the local knowledge of a node about the wireless channel to discern the presence of persistent high-power interferers, and (ii) assists the node in inferring its proximity to the dominant interference sources in the physical space. In order to motivate and validate the necessity of such a metric, we empirically characterize the impact of the interaction between high/low-power cross technology interferers and IEEE 802.15.4.


This paper investigates the influence of physical track conditions in the vicinity of a rail joint on the fatigue life of the joint bars. Recent derailments due to broken joint bars, such as the Minot, ND accident in January 2002, have highlighted the need for better understanding of the effects of joint conditions on premature joint bar failure. Fatigue life estimates can be used to guide the selection of inspection intervals for joint bars in service. Engineering approximations are used to infer the dynamic load factor at a rail joint due to joint characteristics including: • rail end gap; • joint efficiency (looseness); • track stiffness (vertical foundation modulus). A three-dimensional finite element analysis of a rail joint is conducted and the dynamic load is applied to develop an estimate of the live (bending) stresses at the joint due to passing wheels. These stresses are then used to estimate the fatigue life of the joint bars. The methodology is demonstrated for 132RE rail with companion joint bars. The effect of thermal expansion (or the temperature difference below the rail neutral temperature) is investigated. Typical wheel loads and railcar speeds are considered and results are presented for a baseline a joint condition.


While farmers' markets are a colourful addition to urban shopping, they are periodic, relatively expensive and provide for a very limited range of consumer requirements. In fact, they are the antithesis of supermarket ubiquity, price sensitivity, wide product/service range and extended opening hours. So, despite their small role in total food retail sales, why are they a growing presence and what do farmers' markets say about the consumer needs that supermarkets do not satisfy? This article reports the findings of a questionnaire-based survey of 391 farmers' market customers in five Scottish towns during 2006. Customers were seeking high quality food products, even if that meant premium prices, and put a particular value on direct transactions with the producer. Although these data have a specific geographic context, they have resonance for the growing schism between producer and customer in the UK and other countries.


We compared four automated methods for hippocampal segmentation using different machine learning algorithms: 1) hierarchical AdaBoost, 2) support vector machines (SVM) with manual feature selection, 3) hierarchical SVM with automated feature selection (Ada-SVM), and 4) a publicly available brain segmentation package (FreeSurfer). We trained our approaches using T1-weighted brain MRIs from 30 subjects [10 normal elderly, 10 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 10 Alzheimer's disease (AD)], and tested on an independent set of 40 subjects (20 normal, 20 AD). Manually segmented gold standard hippocampal tracings were available for all subjects (training and testing). We assessed each approach's accuracy relative to manual segmentations, and its power to map AD effects. We then converted the segmentations into parametric surfaces to map disease effects on anatomy. After surface reconstruction, we computed significance maps, and overall corrected p-values, for the 3-D profile of shape differences between AD and normal subjects. Our AdaBoost and Ada-SVM segmentations compared favorably with the manual segmentations and detected disease effects as well as FreeSurfer on the data tested. Cumulative p-value plots, in conjunction with the false discovery rate method, were used to examine the power of each method to detect correlations with diagnosis and cognitive scores. We also evaluated how segmentation accuracy depended on the size of the training set, providing practical information for future users of this technique.


In the world of communication, nobody can be out of the fray! Since many years science communication and more in general the ability of a researcher to communicate his/her work to founding agency, policy makers, entrepreneurs and public at large, starts to be a fundamental skill of the researchers job. This skill is needed and requested to access funds and successfully disseminate the research outcome, as well as to engage society in understanding science and its benefits. Moreover, due to the large decrease of research funds and of people starting scientific carrier, researchers must be in the front line to promote the scientific culture in order to invert the dreadful trend of last years. Where are we and where are we going to? We try to answer such questions introducing successful models that can be used without huge overloads for our job. This paper reports on the experience of one of the largest and oldest project in Europe of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions European Researchers' Night and describes how this project followed the evolution in science communication.


This study shows some generic characteristics from sports that are of relevance to samhandling structures under risk. The findings are based on a case study of the concept of "Total Football" and the Rosenborg Football Club (RBK) in Norway. Football is a dynamic sport with several factors that come into play and where flexible solutions are demanded. The case is also of relevance for organizations in handling risk. RBK's samhandling is based on "Total Football" and flow theory. In analyzing RBK, we also apply theories of improvisation. RBK created a platform that gave both direction to choices and a clear playing pattern. This platform further ensured that tasks could be executed at high speed and high intensity, described as "flow". Flow contributed to both speed and precision in the playing pattern. It is concluded that the following is relevant for other organizations: 1) Forming a deeper understanding of samhandling and ensuring top management commitment; 2) Creating, establishing and maintaining samhandling in a manner that suits the organization; and 3) Minimal structures can be of great importance for organizations in unforeseen and risky situations.


The observed image texture for a rough surface has a complex dependence on the illumination and viewing angles due to effects such as foreshortening, local shading, interreflections, and the shadowing and occlusion of surface elements. We introduce the dimensionality surface as a representation for the visual complexity of a material sample. The dimensionality surface defines the number of basis textures that are required to represent the observed textures for a sample as a function of ranges of illumination and viewing angles. Basis textures are represented using multiband correlation functions that consider both within and between color band correlations. We examine properties of the dimensionality surface for real materials using the Columbia Utrecht Reflectance and Texture (CUReT) database. The analysis shows that the dependence of the dimensionality surface on ranges of illumination and viewing angles is approximately linear with a slope that depends on the complexity of the sample. We extend the analysis to consider the problem of recognizing rough surfaces in color images obtained under unknown illumination and viewing geometry. We show, using a set of 12,505 images from 61 material samples, that the information captured by the multiband correlation model allows surfaces to be recognized over a wide range of conditions. We also show that the use of color information provides significant advantages for three-dimensional texture recognition.


The Church's interpretation of the current ecological crisis as a moral crisis is the catalyst for this essay, which proposes a newly constructed faith-based model for ecological dialogue and education. The exploration and reinterpretation of the traditional Church doctrine of the Virgin Mary as the new Eve provides a theme from which an ecological theology of Mary is constructed. Papal and Episcopal statements that call for a moral concern and response to the growing urgency of the ecological crisis are discussed in order to promote awareness of the involvement of the Church's leadership in the issue. Analyses and interpretations by scholars in the second century Church on the doctrine of Mary as the new Eve are presented and reinterpreted to create a viable model with the potential to nurture ecological awareness and responsibility in the contemporary Church. The construction of an ecological Marian theology is approached through review and analysis of the 1974 visionary pastoral letter of Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus (To Honor Mary), the writings of Catholic feminist theologian and Sister of St. Joseph Elizabeth Johnson, Catholic Ecuadorian-American theologian Jeanette Rodriguez, and those of other major feminist, womanist, and liberationist theologians.


Latin America and the Caribbean have achieved significant economic, labour market and social progress in recent decades. However, progress has begun to slow on a number of fronts that will challenge the ability of policy-makers to sustain these gains. In this context, active labour market policies (ALMPs) can play a central role by improving workers' employability, contributing—directly or indirectly—to productive employment creation. A number of Latin American countries have embraced this policy shift. This report, part of the Studies on Growth with Equity series, examines the effectiveness of ALMPs implemented in Latin America, notably policies carried out in Argentina, Colombia and Peru.


This paper makes a first attempt to estimate the evolution of income inequality in Africa from 1990 to 2017 by combining surveys, tax data and national accounts in a systematic manner. The low quality of the raw data calls for a lot of caution. Results suggest that income inequality in Africa is very high, and stands at par with Latin America or India in that respect. Southern and Central Africa are particularly unequal. The bulk of continent-wide income inequality comes from the within country component, and the between country component was even slightly reduced in the two last decades, due to higher growth in poorer countries. Inequality was rather stable over the period, with the exception of Southern Africa. Dualism between agriculture and other sectors and mining rents seem to be important determinants of inequality.


The studies described in this paper sought to investigate several forms of online learning and assessment methods in terms their efficacy in facilitating student learning. The studies also sought to investigate how participants rated each method. Attitudes toward computer-assisted learning were not related to performance on each of the online methods employed, whereas some relationships were noted between cognitive styles and online learning and assessment. Finally, evaluation feedback from participants indicated that each online task was rated positively. Implications of the findings for further implementation of online instructional methods are discussed.


The most high profile transboundary water dispute to ever reach the International Court of Justice – the Gabcikovo–Nagymaros case – remains unresolved 18 years after the delivery of the judgement. This article suggests that there are at least three structural causes that prevent the parties – Hungary and Slovakia – from coming to an agreement. First is the judgement of the Court itself that has created an ambiguous legal situation that actually helped the parties to reinforce their pre-litigation positions. Second, the Gabcikovo–Nagymaros dam complex gained an unexpectedly powerful symbolic value in both countries whose antagonistic nature still holds a strong grip on the two governments. Finally, these circumstances have given rise to a negotiating dynamic that is characterised by mutual distrust and dominated by the fear of loss. Consequently, while both countries are aware of what the final outcome should and could be, they are unable to get there as the lack of consensus on the starting conditions of the negotiations and the domestic political domain leaves almost no space for rational concessions. The Gabcikovo–Nagymaros case is therefore likely to remain unresolved, unless the parties manage to find a new positive negotiating paradigm that subsumes the old rivalry of the underlying dam dispute.


Chromosomal aberrations are common cause of early miscarriage. Possible presence of chromosomal aberration may be assessed by cytogenetic examination of the aborted fetus tissue. In our study from the Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics of the First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague we analysed tissue sample from 233 early spontaneous or missed abortions. In 212 cases the cultivation process was successful. Among those – we identified 52 cases with chromosomal aberration (24,5 %). Most common aberrations were – trisomy 21, monosomy X, triploidy and trisomies of chromosomes 16 and 22. Our overall incidence of aberrations was lower – compared to similar studies. According to other indicators we suppose that this may be caused by the higher incidence of maternal cells contamination – but this phenomenon cannot be completely excluded while using classical karyotyping. We also confirmed higher incidence of chromosomal aberrations in the miscarriage cases in elder mothers and furthermore we found higher incidence of aberrations in cases from higher gestation weeks. Both trends were statistically significant.


We report a novel fabrication process of a cMUT array based on the electrostatic effect and realized by silicon micromachining technique. Several fabrication technologies for 1D and 2D cMUT have been presented in the last ten years, differing from each other in the materials used and the process steps involved. They all have in common the presence of micro-holes on the surface of the transducer necessary to evacuate the cavities under the membranes or, in the 2D array, to electrically connect upper to lower pads and to allow the electrical connection to external circuits. The authors of the present work designed and realized a cMUT transducer using a new concept. In the standard process, successive layers are deposited on the silicon wafer up to the silicon nitride structural layer of the micro membranes; our different approach consists in inverting the function of each layer and to build the cMUT capacitive cell starting from the membrane, made of LPCVD silicon nitride coating the silicon wafer, up to the bottom electrode and the backplate. By working on the back of the device, there is no need to use holes in the structural silicon nitride layer to evacuate the cavities and the pads for the electrical connections are on the bottom surface of the device.


−− Reducing the use of fresh water can lead to energy savings when this is properly planned and executed. Chemical process simulation has proven to be an effective tool for performing a global analysis of water systems to identify routes for maximizing the process efficiency concerning to water recovery. System closure has been introduces in pulp mills resulting in simultaneous buildup of nonprocess elements (NPEs). This buildup generates operational problems in the bleach plant, the biggest consuming stage of water. This paper describes how to use computer simulation tools to carry out a global analysis of a bleach mill plant in Brazil, using WinGEMS and CADSIM simulators, and the NICADonnan Model to predict NPE (Mn, Fe, Mg, Ca) distribution. Results obtained from simulation in this paper show which changes in the Kraft pulp process in order to implement water savings should be associated to new advanced technologies. The simulated value results for the NICA–Donnan model have been satisfactorily compared with the measurement value. The model made a good description of NPE behavior, and might assist the pulp mill in operating problems caused by the buildup of those elements. Keywords−− simulation process; fresh water; pulp mill; NPEs.


ABSTRACT The study provides a qualitative analysis of 300 real estate agent responses to telephone calls from researchers posing as convicted felons and inquiring about renting an apartment. Telephone calls were made to real estate agents in New York State and primarily in New York City. Criminal conviction type was manipulated across callers who revealed three types of prior convictions: child molestation, statutory rape, or drug trafficking. Analyses indicate that decisions about renting fall within a continuum of responses, including overt rejection, deferral of rental decision to landlords, ambivalence on the part of the agent, concerns about financial ability to pay rent, and concealing the caller's offense from the landlord. Reasons for acceptance and rejection of renting an apartment are explored. The stigmatized status of offenders appears to have contributed to the variations in the real estate agents responses.


Summary
The transfer of R factors in the human gastro-intestinal tract and the conditions under which it occurs was studied in healthy persons, who ingested derivatives of Escherichia coli containing chromosomal and R-factor-mediated resistance determinants that had been prepared from strains isolated from their own faeces. The experiments were designed to obtain presumptive evidence of survival and transfer of R factors by studying resistance-marker patterns of organisms isolated from the faeces. To prove conclusively that R-factor transfer had occurred and that the observed marker patterns were not fortuitous, studies of resistance-marker patterns in one of these subjects were supplemented by further detailed investigations including serological and molecular studies, which will be described in the succeeding paper.
An incidental finding was a significant positive correlation between the mean number of antibiotic-resistance determinants in resistant organisms and the age of an individual, although these studies were limited to a small and highly selected group of subjects.
No evidence of R-factor transfer was obtained in the absence of chemotherapy in four subjects, even though the plasmids concerned could be freely transferred in vitro from the potential donors to a wide range of faecal organisms, including the genetically marked ingested potential recipients. However, treatment of three subjects with a five-day course of a relevant antibiotic after ingestion of R factor bearing organisms led to the appearance in the faeces of large numbers of resistant coliform bacilli with antibiotic-resistance patterns consistent with transfer of the R factor either to an ingested potential recipient organism (one subject) or to endogenous strains of E. coli (two subjects).
Chemotherapy greatly prolonged the persistence of ingested R factors in the faecal flora long after the antibiotics were withdrawn and caused the number of R-factor bearing organisms in the faeces to increase. No evidence was obtained in limited studies of fragmentation or loss of R factors from ingested E. coli.


ABSTRACT Aim: Cetuximab treatment in mCRC is restricted to pts with KRAS and NRAS wt tumors. Recent data suggest that low levels of KRAS mutant alleles might confer resistance to anti-EGFR therapies. Methods: In the CAPRI GOIM trial, KRAS exon 2 wt mCRC pts received first line cetuximab plus FOLFIRI. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Tumor samples were assessed by next generation sequencing (NGS) with the Ion AmpliSeq™ Lung and Colon Cancer Panel that covers over 500 mutations in hot spot regions of 22 genes. The allelic frequency of mutant KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA was normalized for the neoplastic cell content and multiplied by 2 to obtain the Heterogeneity Score (HS), which corresponds to the fraction of neoplastic cells carrying a specific mutation. Results: NGS analysis was performed in 182 cases. Forty-five cases (24.7%) had mutations in KRAS, 24 (13.2%) in PIK3CA, 15 (8.2%) in BRAF, and 13 (7.1%) in NRAS. KRAS and NRAS mutations were mutually exclusive, whereas PIK3CA and BRAF mutations were detected in RAS mutant tumors. The KRAS HS ranged between 12 and 260, indicating a wide heterogeneity of KRAS mutant alleles content in CRC. However, the KRAS HS mean value of 90,93 and median value of 84,44 suggested that in most CRC the majority of neoplastic cells carry a mutant KRAS allele. Similar findings were observed for NRAS (HS range 35,5-146,67; mean 102,77; median 117,14). In contrast, in BRAF (HS range 17,14-120; mean 54,82; median 54,29) and PIK3CA (HS range 14,29-120; mean 54,82; median 54,29) mutant cases only a fraction of neoplastic cells seem to carry the mutant allele. The RR was 70% in KRAS mutant pts with an HS 40 pts (high KRAS; n.35); mPFS were 7,97 and 8,37 months for low KRAS and high KRAS subgroups, respectively. Importantly, 7/10 low KRAS tumors had additional mutations in PIK3CA (n.6), TP53 (n.4), BRAF (n.2), ERBB2 (n.1), FGFR3 (n.1), and/or FBXW7 (n.1). Conclusions: Pts carrying low levels of mutant KRAS alleles showed a mPFS similar to pts with high KRAS mutant allele frequency. However, this phenomenon could be due to the complex mutational profile of CRC rather than to the KRAS mutational status. Disclosure: N. Normanno: Advisory Boards: Merck Serono, Amgen; F. Ciardiello: Advisory Boards: Roche, Merck Serono, Astellas, Bayer. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Non-trivial bidirectional transformations (BXs) are inherently ambiguous, as there are in general many different ways to consistently translate an update from one side to the other. Existing BX languages and frameworks typically satisfy fundamental first principles which ensure acceptable and stable (well-behaved) translation. Unfortunately, these give little insight about how a particular update translation is chosen among the myriad possible. From the user perspective, such unpredictability may hinder the adoption of BX frameworks. The problem can be remedied by imposing a "principle of least change" which, in a state-based framework, amounts to translating each update in a way such that its result is as close as possible to the original state, according to some distance measure. Starting by formalizing such BXs focusing on the particular framework of lenses, this paper discusses whether such least-change lenses can be defined by composition, an essential construct of BX frameworks. For sequential composition, two (dual) update translation alternatives are presented: a classical deterministic one and a nondeterministic. A key ingredient of the approach is the elegant formalization of the main concepts in relation algebra, which exposes several similarities and dualities.


Ecological engineering involves the design, construction and management of ecosystems that have value to both humans and the environment. It is a rapidly developing discipline that provides a promising technology to solve environmental problems. "Ecological Engineering" covers the basic theory of ecological engineering as well as the application of these principles in environmental management. It provides an overview of the theory and application of environmental engineering. International focus and range of ecosystems makes "Ecological Engineering" an indispensable resource to scientists. It is based on the best-selling "Encyclopedia of Ecology". Full-color figures and tables support the text and aid in understanding.


The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all teachers in core academic subjects to be "highly qualified" by the end of the 2005-06 school year. New teacher leave the profession at an alarming rate--research indicates that 50% have left within five years of their first job. This article explores the personality types of pre-service teachers and non-education majors. The authors suggest that more appropriate screening procedures should be used by teacher preparation programs. Personality types may relate to teacher success and length of service. ********** The teaching profession is a very stressful occupation, and beginning teachers leave the profession at a rate far above the attrition rate experienced in private industry. Norton (1999) reported that 25% of teachers have left the profession by the end of their first year and only 50% of beginning teachers remain on the job after five years. In an earlier study, Karge (1993) reported that up to 40% of new teachers leave the profession by the end of two years. In contrast, private sector corporations lose approximately 6% of staff per year. This ongoing attrition of educators has a significant impact on efforts to place a quality teacher in every classroom. Thus, an issue of paramount importance is how to increase the long-term success of new teachers. One approach would be to determine if personality profiles of pre-service teachers could be helpful in this regard. Several questions related to pre-service teachers and future successes arise. What are the personality profiles of people who elect to become teachers? Are the personality profiles of potential teachers different from the profiles of other undergraduate students? Can personality profiles of pre-service teachers be used to determine future success and longevity of classroom teachers? The following section presents a brief summary of relevant research related to the above questions. Summary of Research Ducharme and Ducharme (1996) identified the need to study the psychological characteristics of pre-service teachers and suggested that the psychological traits of pre-service teachers may be predictive of future success. Studies have been conducted to establish relationships between teacher characteristics and students' learning. Early studies by Doyal and Forsyth (1973) and Zimmerman (1970) found that teachers' psychological states, particularly teacher anxiety, affected the psychological states of their students. Mackiel (1979) found that students tend to model the psychological and physical states of their teachers. More recent research indicates that personality traits of teachers relate to effective classroom performance (Czubaj, 1996; Fisher & Kent, 1998; Hawkes, 1991; Howey & Strom, 1982). For example, teacher personality profiles have been linked to many characteristics associated with effective schools: classroom management style (Martin, 1998); types of learning environments and patterns of teacher and student interactions (Fisher & Kent, 1998); student achievement (Lessen & Frankiewicz, 1992); and teacher attrition (Marso & Pigge, 1997). Unfortunately, common practice within schools and colleges of education is to allow open enrollment into most teacher preparation programs. Colleges tend to establish minimal entry requirements such as grade point average and interviews by faculty. As a result, prospective teachers in colleges of education make significant life decision with limited data. Colleges of education could improve the quality of new teachers by developing better selection processes for pre-service teachers. Personality type may be an important factor to consider if more restrictive entry requirements are put in place. Personality type may also relate to teachers' decisions to leave the profession early in their careers. Personality Temperaments" Carl Jung (1923), the renowned Swiss psychologist, developed a theory of personality types based on individual preferences. …


We develop a modal decomposition technique to describe wave propagation in dynamically varying waveguides such as those predicted to occur in photosensitive materials. In particular, we use this method to examine the self-writing of a channel waveguide in a slab of photosensitive glass. This method is up to two orders of magnitude faster than the numerical technique used previously, which is based on a conventional beam-propagation treatment. Hence it is a powerful tool for exploring the waveguides that form under a wide range of conditions.


In Tunisia, like in any other country in the world, the employability of graduates remains always a big challenge. A deep look at the situation will reveal that because our local government fails to offer jobs for graduates they decide to continue their studies. Yet, their chance to get jobs decreased because of their over qualifications, sometimes the market does not need someone who has higher degrees. In fact, except for medicine, computer science, telecommunications, and architecture where opportunities to get a job increase, the other branches suffer from a bad fate: un-employability. For this reason, it is legitimate, to question the educational system in Tunisia and propose some solutions. Based on some authentic statistics which shall be depicted, the present study will seek methods to increase the employability of graduates. It is not then the problem of students but rather the problem of the educational system which does not take into consideration the link between what is theoretical and what is practical. The present paper aims to achieve two basic goals. First, it will be shown in detail the statistics of unemployed graduates in merely all the disciplines. Second, it will propose some practical solutions which are possible and might help in decreasing the un-employability of graduates.


Modern Chinese Pseudo-Possessive-Object Constructions (shortened as Modern Chinese PPO constructions; e.g. ta shuo le wo de haohua (他说了我的好话) 'he has put in a good word for me' and ta chi le wo de doufu (他吃了我的豆腐) 'he has taken advantage of me') are actually constructions displaying possessor-affectee syncretism. They derive from Early Modern Chinese Real-Possessive-Object constructions in bridging contexts, some examples being wo ye quande liewei daren de jiu (我也劝得列位大人的酒), 'I also urged all the magistrates here to finish drinking your wine' and shi nage zai jie wo de duan li (是那个在揭我的短哩) 'who is uncovering my demerits'. Di-transitive constructions in Middle Chinese and Early Modern Chinese (e.g. Changxing! quan er yibei jiu (长星,劝尔一杯酒) 'Comet! I urge you (to finish drinking) a cup of wine' and shuru gan jie wu duanchu (竖儒敢揭吾短处) 'how dare the Confucius scholar uncover my demerits') have provided structural templates for the formation of Modern Chinese PPO constructions. They also have led to a condition in which there are more examples of a maleficiary Modern Chinese PPO construction than examples of a beneficiary Modern Chinese PPO construction (e.g. ta chi le wo de doufu (他吃了我的豆腐) 'he has taken advantage of me' vs. ta shuo le wo de haohua (他说了我的好话) 'he has put in a good word for me'). The grammaticalization pathway can also explain the formation of other constructions including another Modern Chinese PPO construction (e.g. ta chi le wo de kui (他吃了我的亏) 'he has suffered the loss caused by me'), a Modern Chinese pseudo-object construction (e.g. wo ganxie ni de haoxin (我感谢你的好心) 'I thank you for your kindness'), and a Modern Chinese pseudo-modifier construction (e.g. wo pa le yi xiawu de shan (我爬了一下午的山) 'I did mountain-climbing for the whole afternoon').


The article focuses on the human individual as a signifying and communicating self whose properties can be detected or assumed on the basis of its language in verbal communication through texts and text-processing activities or, more broadly, in both verbal and non-verbal communication through signs and sign-processing activities in the semiotics of culture. The point of departure is the distinction between the observable self and the inferable self, i.e., a concrete person who transmits and receives verbal and/or non-verbal messages, and a mental subject who is engaged in creating and comprehending them. As a consequence of this distinction, it can be stated that the communicative network of the human life-world consists of two types of collectivities. On the one hand, there are speakers and listeners of particular languages who form interpersonal collectivities of those transmitting and receiving perceivable meaning bearers through physical-acoustic sound waves in the communication channel; on the other hand, there are intersubjective collectivities of those who process and understand intelligible meaning bearers while referring them to an extra-linguistic reality through acts of reasoning and interpreting. Exposing the notion of polyglotism, this paper argues that a multiaspectual typology of selves is possible on the basis of the linguistic and cultural texts that characterize the social roles and pragmatic goals of communication participants in the various domains of the human life-world. Finally, it supports the conviction that interdependencies between language and culture must be primarily explained in terms of psychological, or rather, psycho-semiotic conditionings of humans. Since particular languages are products and components of social and cultural life, constantly being shaped and changed due to personal and subjective activities of human selves, polyglotism as both multilingualism and multiculturalism also implies an inquiry into their multicultural competence and multicultural identity.


Introduction: Identifying issues of importance for patients with lung cancer is critical in individualizing care and developing effective quality of life instruments based on evidence. This study was conducted to provide enhanced content validity for measures assessing quality of life and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Methods: We conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional, electronic web-based survey of 660 lung cancer patients. The survey asked patients to rank 20 quality of life issues on a 5-point scale ranging from "not important at all" to "very important". Analysis was obtained using key factors such as stage of disease, performance status, and gender. Results: The survey was completed by 297 males and 363 females (median age 62 years). The top five rated issues were: quality of life, maintaining independence, ability to perform normal activities, ability to sleep, and not being fatigued. The issues of importance were all ranked, using the two highest categories ("very important" and "important") by at least 90% of patients. Although symptoms are important to patients, they were not the most highly ranked issues of concern; instead, global issues illustrating the effect of the symptoms on the patient, such as quality of life, maintaining independence, and performing normal activities were ranked highest. Conclusions: This is the largest analysis of evidence-based data determining content validity for quality of life and PROs as indicated by patients. These results provide greater confidence that the content of lung cancer quality of life measures is appropriate. In addition, the survey clearly demonstrates that PRO measures that only evaluate symptoms are not fully responding to patient-expressed needs.


Abstract. This paper describes a numerical experiment to test the ability of the proposed geoCARB satellite to estimate emissions of trace gases (CO2, CH4 and CO) in the polluted urban environment of Shanghai. The meteorology over Shanghai is simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for a 9-day period in August 2010. The meteorology includes water and ice clouds. The chemistry version of WRF (WRF-Chem V3.6.1) is used to predict the chemical composition, mass density and number density of aerosol species. Spectra in the bands measured by geoCARB are calculated, including the effects of polarisation and multiple scattering of radiation by clouds, aerosols and molecules. Instrument noise is added, and column-averaged trace-gas mole fractions are estimated from the noisy spectra using an algorithm based on that for the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) but adapted to geoCARB. As expected, the high aerosol loadings are challenging. However, when the retrieval algorithm is provided with regionally adjusted aerosol optical properties, as might be determined from observations of dark targets within the field of regard, the accuracies of retrieved concentrations are comparable to those reported earlier for geoCARB. Statistics of the errors in the retrieved column-averaged concentrations are used to predict the reduction in uncertainty of surface emissions possible with remotely sensed data.


In recent years an increasing effort was made to reduce the energy consumption in digital subscriber line equipment. Dynamic spectrum management (DSM) has been identified as one promising method to achieve energy-efficiency in discrete multitone based systems. An open research question is how to ensure system robustness when applying highly optimized energy-efficient spectrum management. In this paper, we study the problem of uncertainty in crosstalk noise and parameters, the knowledge of which is indispensable for many DSM algorithms. We introduce robust optimization for spectrum balancing as a technique to achieve feasibility of the optimal power-allocation under a deterministic parameter uncertainty model. This can be seen as an extension of current schemes for spectrum balancing. As a special case we consider the simple strategy of scaling the crosstalk parameters to their worst-case values, which corresponds to a specific uncertainty model and entails no changes to current DSM algorithms. Finally, we quantify the benefit in worst-case performance and the price in terms of energy by simulations.


Written by the originators and leaders of the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) movement itself, this short, practical guide offers an approach to organizational change based on the possibility of a more desirable future, experience with the whole system, and activities that signal "something different is happening this time." That difference systematically taps the potential of human beings to make themselves, their organizations, and their communities more adaptive and more effective. AI, a theory of collaborative change, erases the winner/loser paradigm in favor of coordinated actions and closer relationships that lead to solutions at once simpler and more effective.


A study was performed to analyze the signal obtained from a noninvasive photo-plethysmographic device from four subjects in different clinical conditions. With the help of the theory of nonlinear dynamics, it is verified that the cardiovascular dynamics is dominated by an underlying chaotic attractor. A new robust and computationally efficient method is presented for the detection of the hidden deterministic structure of a time series. It is shown that the degree of chaos as well as the underlying determinism is directly related to the subject's clinical stability.


Butterflies and moths were studied in regions of Wadi Gaza, extending from Salahe El-deen bridge west to Wadi AboQatron near Wadi Gaza village to the east. The research is based on studying the diversity of butterflies and moths in terms of taxa diversity, Genera compositions, and family abundance. In terms of family abundance, the survey showed that all recorded butterflies are belonging to five main families (Pieridae, Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae). The recorded moths are also belonging to five families (Arctiidae, Crambidae, Geometridae, Noctuidae, Sphingidae). In terms of species and genera compositions and diversity, the survey revealed that butterflies are more abundant concerning diversity and richness than moths. The five families of butterflies are consisting of (19 genera) and (25 species) while the five families of moths are consisting of only (10 genera) and (11species).The butterflies represented (69 %) of recorded species in the area of study while the moths were represented in (31 %) of the findings. The most abundant family of butterflies is Pieridae with (36%) of all recorded butterflies, followed by Lycaenidae (32%). As for moths, the abundant families are Noctuidae, Geometridae, and Crambidae were each family was represented by (3 species), and they form (82%) of recorded moths. In this study all genera, in both moths and butterflies are represented only by one specie except six genera of butterflies and one genus of moths as each one is represented with two species, these six genera of butterflies are zizeeria,Vanessa, Colias, Pieris, Carcharodus, and Pointa and that genues of moths is Stemorrhages.


BACKGROUND
Health information systems for monitoring chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa (SA) are relatively less advanced than those for infectious diseases (particularly tuberculosis and HIV) and for maternal and child health. NCDs are now the largest cause of premature mortality owing to exposure to risk factors arising from obesity that include physical inactivity and accessible, cheap but unhealthy diets. The National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2013 - 17 developed by the SA National Department of Health outlines targets and monitoring priorities.

OBJECTIVES
To assess data sources relevant for monitoring NCDs and their risk factors by identifying the strengths and weaknesses, including usability and availability, of surveys and routine systems focusing at national and certain sub-national levels.

METHODS
Publicly available survey and routine data sources were assessed for variables collected, their characteristics, frequency of data collection, geographical coverage and data availability.

RESULTS
Survey data sources were found to be quite different in the way data variables are collected, their geographical coverage and also availability, while the main weakness of routine data sources was poor quality of data.

CONCLUSIONS
To provide a sound basis for monitoring progress of NCDs and related risk factors, we recommend harmonising and strengthening available SA data sources in terms of data quality, definitions, categories used, timeliness, disease coverage and biomarker measurement.


Summary Acute alcohol intoxication during encoding can impair subsequent identification accuracy, but results across studies have been inconsistent, with studies often finding no effect. Little is also known about how alcohol intoxication affects the identification confidence–accuracy relationship. We randomly assigned women (N = 153) to consume alcohol (dosed to achieve a 0.08% blood alcohol content) or tonic water, controlling for alcohol expectancy. Women then participated in an interactive hypothetical sexual assault scenario and, 24 hours or 7 days later, attempted to identify the assailant from a perpetrator present or a perpetrator absent simultaneous line‐up and reported their decision confidence. Overall, levels of identification accuracy were similar across the alcohol and tonic water groups. However, women who had consumed tonic water as opposed to alcohol identified the assailant with higher confidence on average. Further, calibration analyses suggested that confidence is predictive of accuracy regardless of alcohol consumption. The theoretical and applied implications of our results are discussed.© 2017 The Authors Applied Cognitive Psychology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.


Control of taste and odour compounds in drinking water supplies represents a key treatment objective for many municipalities. Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) represent the primary compounds responsible for taste and odour present in surface waters throughout the world. This research evaluated the ability of membrane systems to control taste and odour when treating a highly organic surface water source and also when challenge tested with MIB and geosmin stock solutions. Reduction of taste and odour compounds by conventional coagulation-sedimentation-filtration treatment, microfiltration (MF), or ultrafiltration (UF) was only significant when oxidation and coagulation were employed. Solely using porous filtration in the form of MF or UF membrane systems resulted in variable removal between 5 and 40%. None of the three treatment technologies could consistently meet the USEPA threshold odour number (TON) secondary standard of 3 units. The cellulose acetate nanofilter consistently removed 35–50% of TON, MIB and geosmin; however, this would still not provide assurance of compliance with the TON standard of 3 units. A polyamide nanofilter provided over 99% removal of MIB and geosmin, representing the most capable system evaluated. Application of the homogeneous solution diffusion equation indicated that size exclusion drives removal of taste and odour compounds.


The liver contains hepatocytes with varying ploidy and gene expression. To isolate cells on the basis of ploidy for analyzing mechanisms concerning cell proliferation and differentiation, we used Percoll gradients to separate F344 rat hepatocyte subpopulations. Specific fractions were enriched in polyploid (H2 fraction) or diploid (H3 and H4 fractions) hepatocytes containing glycogen and glucose-6-phosphatase. H4 cells were relatively smaller with greater nuclear/cytoplasmic ratios, less complex cytoplasm, and higher serum albumin or ceruloplasmin biosynthetic rates. H2 fraction cells were larger with lesser nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, more complex cytoplasm, and more cytochrome P450 activity. Phenotypic marking showed that H4 cells originated in zone one and H2 cells in zones two or three of the liver lobule. H4 cells showed much greater mitogenic responsiveness to human hepatocyte growth factor. Retroviral gene transfer, which requires both viral receptors and cellular DNA synthesis, was significantly more efficient in H4 cells. The findings indicated that small diploid and large polyploid hepatocytes show unique biological differences. The ability to isolate hepatocytes of varying maturity is relevant for mechanisms concerning liver growth control and hepatic gene expression.


Integration of modern technology in enhancing learner-centered approach to instruction is increasingly being encouraged in higher education. Cloud computing has enhanced the way data is shared and stored. Learning resources can be stored in cloud computers thus, enabling groups of students to collaborate and edit shared materials. In addition, it also provides a number of advantages such as reduce storage cost, enhanced security, accessibility of learning materials and easy communication. Tutorial classes can take advantage of cloud computing to have the tutorial learning resources stored in the cloud. This will allow learners to collaborate online and edit tutorial materials regardless of the physical location of the participants. This book chapter discusses how cloud computing technologies can be utilized in education sector and proposes a cloud computing model which can be incorporated in a tutorial class to improve learner-centered teaching pedagogies in a tutorial class.


Abstract As with any class of feature, it is important to be able to view woodland or forest at multiple levels of detail. At the detailed level, a map can show clusters of trees, tree types, tracks and paths; at the small scale, say 1:250 000, we can discern broad patterns of forests and other land use, which can inform planners and act as input to land resource models. Rather than store such information in separate databases (requiring multiple points of maintenance), the vision is that the information has a single point of storage and maintenance, and that from this detailed level, various, more generalised forms can be automatically derived. This paper presents a methodology and algorithm for automatically deriving forest patches suitable for representation at 1:250 000 scale directly from a detailed dataset. In addition to evaluation of the output, the paper demonstrates how such algorithms can be shared and utilised via 'generalisation web services', arguing that the sharing of such algorithms can help accelerate developments in map generalisation, and increase the uptake of research solutions within commercial systems.


We analyze the role of risk-sharing institutions in transitions to modern economies. Transitions requires individual-level risk-taking in pursuing productivity-enhancing activities including using and developing new knowledge. Individual-level, idiosyncratic risk implies that distinct risk-sharing institutions – even those providing the same level of insurance – can lead to different growth trajectories if they differently motivate risk-taking. Historically, risk sharing institutions were selected based on their cultural and institutional compatibility and not their unforeseen growth implications. We simulate our growth model incorporating England's and China's distinct pre-modern risk-sharing institutions. The model predicts a transition in England and not China even with equal levels of risk sharing. Under the clan-based Chinese institution, the relatively risk-averse elders had more control over technological choices implying lower risk-taking. Focusing on non-market institutions expands on previous growth-theoretic models to highlight that transitions can transpire even in the absence of exogenous productivity shocks or time-dependent state variables. Recognizing the role of non-market institutions in the growth process bridges the view that transitions are due to luck and the view that transitions are inevitable. Transitions transpire when 'luck' creates the conditions under which economic agents find it beneficial to make the choices leading to positive rates of technological change. Luck came in the form of historical processes leading to risk-sharing institutions whose unintended consequences encouraged productivity-enhancing risk-taking.


Reflecting a traditional bias against defendants' trial testimony, the modern American criminal justice system, which now recognizes a constitutional right to testify at trial, unabashedly encourages defendants to waive that right and remain silent. As a result, a large percentage of criminal defendants decline to testify, forcing juries to decide the question of the defendant's guilt without ever hearing from the person most knowledgeable on the subject. This Article contends that the inflated percentage of silent defendants in the American criminal trial system is a needless, self-inflected wound, neither required by the Constitution nor beneficial to the search for truth. Consequently, the Article proposes two alternative reforms designed to eliminate, or at least minimize, the legal inducements to remaining silent at trial. The reforms, if adopted, would encourage a greater number of defendants to testify (and be cross-examined), funneling more factual information into the crucible of the adversary process, and thereby increasing the reliability of trial outcomes.


The magnetic energy balance and magnetic energy flows for plasma disruptions in which runaway plateau plasmas are formed and terminated at JET has been analysed and compared with that of runaway-free disruptions. The analysis shows that the energy loss processes during runaway plateau plasma termination are qualitatively different from those of a runaway-free disruption because of the pre-existence of a runaway population in the first case. As a consequence, a significant fraction of the runaway plateau plasma magnetic energy is directly converted into runaway electron kinetic energy during the runaway plateau termination phase. This leads to the fluxes being deposited by runaway electrons onto in-vessel components during the termination of runaway plateaus to be significantly larger than those expected from the initial kinetic energy of the runaway electrons in the runaway plateau plasma.


This paper suggests an instrument that can be used by export advisors and other export development practitioners to determine whether or not food and beverage processing firms that have not yet actively exported have, in fact, a high probability of ever doing so. The instrument is developed from an empirically based, logistic regression model relating to the management and firm-specific determinants of a firm's export orientation. This model was able to predict the probability of a firm being an "active exporter" with an accuracy of over 84%. The major management attitudes and attributes that appeared to strongly influence whether or not a firm became an active exporter were its management's willingness to commit resources to export development, their attitudinal commitment to export, their recognition of the significance of product price in the firm's market competitiveness, the firm's access to export-specific management skills, and whether or not the manager was tertiary educated. Four of these constructs were then used to develop the suggested instrument.


Bone-metastasized breast cancer cells secrete a protein that alters the regulatory microRNA network, promoting the formation of destructive osteoclasts. Breast cancer commonly metastasizes to the bone, where tumor cells cause pathological bone loss by activating osteoclasts, cells that degrade bone. Ell et al. found that a protein secreted by metastatic cancer cells decreased the abundance of microRNAs (miRNAs) that inhibited osteoclast development. Mouse pre-osteoclast RAW264.7 cells cultured with conditioned media from highly metastatic breast cancer cells showed increased differentiation into osteoclasts compared with those cultured in conditioned medium from weakly metastatic cells. Differentiated cells had an altered miRNA expression profile that correlated with those induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) ligand (RANKL), which promotes osteoclast differentiation. A subset of miRNAs that were increased in RAW264.7 cells exposed to conditioned medium from metastatic cells was also increased in the serum of mice with bone-metastatic tumors. Two of these increased miRNAs, miR-16 and miR-378, were also increased in the serum and bone metastases from breast cancer patients compared with their abundance in either healthy donor serum or the patients' primary tumors. Of the 45 miRNAs that were decreased in abundance, miR-33a, miR-133a, miR-141, miR-190, and miR-219 were also decreased in differentiated primary human osteoclasts and specifically targeted osteoclast-related mRNAs. Ectopic expression of these five miRNAs inhibited RANKL-induced differentiation of pre-osteoclasts and reduced their bone-resorbing capacity when seeded onto bovine bone. Systemic injection of miR-141 or miR-219 increased hind limb bone density and decreased the number of osteoclasts in healthy mice without affecting that of osteoblasts (the bone-forming cell type). Injection of miR-141 or miR-219 also decreased bone lesions in mouse models of bone metastasis, indicating that the repression of key miRNAs is critical to metastatic bone colonization and destruction. Among a panel of growth factors and cytokines, only the abundance of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM1) was consistently increased in both the conditioned medium from metastatic breast cancer cells and the serum of bone-metastatized breast cancer patients compared with sICAM1 abundance in nonmetastatic cells and serum of metastasis-free breast cancer patients, respectively. sICAM1 had an additive effect on RANKL-induced maturation of RAW264.7 cells and repression of miR-33a, miR-133a, miR-141, miR-190, and miR-219 abundance in RAW264.7 cells. Conversely, antibodies against ICAM1 or β2-integrin (an ICAM1 receptor) inhibited NF-κB activation and the bone-resorbing capacity of RAW264.7 cells exposed to conditioned medium from metastatic cell lines. Consistent with a role for NF-κB, pharmacological inhibition of the NF-κB activating kinase IKK abrogated sICAM1-induced miRNA repression. Thus, by secreting sICAM1, metastatic tumor cells activate NF-κB signaling that silences miRNA-mediated inhibition of osteoclast maturation, which results in pathological bone destruction (see Waning et al.). B. Ell, L. Mercatali, T. Ibrahim, N. Campbell, H. Schwarzenbach, K. Pantel, D. Amadori, Y. Kang, Tumor-induced osteoclast miRNA changes as regulators and biomarkers of osteolytic bone metastasis. Cancer Cell 24, 542–556 (2013). [PubMed] D. L. Waning, K. S. Mohammad, T. A. Guise, Cancer-associated osteoclast differentiation takes a good look in the miR(NA)ror. Cancer Cell 24, 407–409 (2013). [PubMed]


Knowledge coproduction that draws on local and scientific knowledge presents opportunities for more holistic understanding of environmental change. We describe our use of a multiple-evidence based approach to investigate the causes and consequences of environmental change in a community-protected grassland and its surrounding landscape in the Ethiopian highlands. We explore the interaction of biophysical change (precipitation and vegetation) and social change (political and management institutions), and discuss potential impacts for ecosystem service provisioning. We quantified current distributions of locally defined land use/cover classes using a supervised classification, with an overall accuracy of 87.1%. Local community members then described and ranked the ecosystem services associated with each land class according to their perceived importance for society. Vegetation and precipitation changes were assessed using satellite time series beginning in the early 1980s, while local narratives describe changes back to the 1970s. The knowledge coproduction process brought together ethnographic and remote sensing approaches, revealing both complementary and contradictory findings across knowledge systems. Results with high agreement across knowledge systems clarify and reinforce understanding of certain threats and changes to the area, such as the rapidly declining native forests, the disappearing belg rainy season (p = 0.01), and the impact of insecure land tenure on natural resource extraction. Compelling areas of disagreement point to topics in need of further investigation, including increased attention to the spatial and temporal variability of change across a seemingly homogeneous cultural landscape, and the process of shrub encroachment into the protected grassland.