In the wake of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in Northern Uganda, both the local and international community struggle to define the "victims" and "perpetrators" of a conflict that transformed ordinary civilians into combatants. Made up primarily of child soldiers, the LRA forcefully abducted and conscripted children across Northern Uganda to fight in a guerilla war against the Ugandan government. LRA members were forced to murder their own families and terrorize their home villages in an attempt to disorient and desensitize them to lives of violence. Some became willing, even eager fighters; others struggled daily to live with their actions. Nearly ten years after the guns went silent in Northern Uganda, various methods of transitional justice have been employed to resolve the ambiguity of victims and perpetrators. Most recently, the International Criminal Court indicted Dominic Ongwen, a high-ranking LRA commander abducted at the age of ten. As the date of his trial nears, debates over his victimhood and perpetrator-hood intensify. The stakes of the trial are high both for the affected communities promised reparations and for the future of child soldiers in international law; Dominic Ongwen is the first person to be tried for a war crime of which he is also a victim. This research examines the complex victimhood and perpetrator-hood of former LRA members and how this complexity is constructed by members themselves, local communities, and the ICC. Data was collected over the period of four weeks from November to December 2016 in Gulu district and Kampala through case studies with former LRA members, focus group discussions, and interviews with local opinion leaders. This research concluded the following: (1) former LRA members exhibit overlapping factors of victimhood and perpetrator-hood, and thus cannot be categorized as solely victims or solely perpetrators; (2) most former LRA members construct themselves as victims when faced with the risk of punishment, but in risk-free environments recognize their complex victimhood and perpetrator-hood; (3) most local community members recognize the complexity of former LRA members, but their constructions are influenced by self-interest; and, (4) the ICC struggles to recognize the complexity of Dominic Ongwen's victimhood and perpetrator-hood, instead constructing VICTIMHOOD AND PERPETRATOR-HOOD IN N. UGANDA v him as a perpetrator to legitimize its method of retributive justice. This paper concludes with recommendations to the International Criminal Court, the Government of Uganda, local opinion leaders, and future researchers based on findings. VICTIMHOOD AND PERPETRATOR-HOOD IN N. UGANDA vi


The study focuses on whether and to what extent advertisers influence the editorial content of free newspapers in the German part of Switzerland. The contribution analyzes, grounded on an historic approach, the most competitive period in Switzerland, 2008, when not less than five freesheets were competing for advertisers and public attention. By using Altmeppen's (2006) organizational theory, the paper offers a theoretical frame able to describe the vanishing co-orientation between the media management and the newsroom, a trend that aggravates commercialization processes in news organizations. In a situation of economic turmoil, so the hypothesis, newsrooms are more inclined to positively adapt the valence of their coverage about their main advertisers in order to keep them in the portfolio. Using a content analysis, the author examined the editorial coverage of six among the most important advertisers of Swiss free newspapers, carrying out an aggregated statistical analysis based on logistic regression. The study revealed that free newspapers with a strong market orientation display a higher chance to publish positive facts and evaluations about advertisers with a high advertising expenditure.


Revolutionary developments taking place in the field of light generation show promise of providing a means for transmitting digital information over vast distances in space at extremely high rates. These developments stem from the generation of coherent light by devices called LASERS (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). This paper gives a brief description of LASER operation and discusses the applicability of the device to certain aerospace vehicular digital communications requirements. An earth-moon link is an alyzed from the standpoint of beamwidth, power, and aiming requirements. It is shown that a system utilizing a coherent optical transmitter of less than 1 w and a conventional photodetector would be capable of transmitting digital information over this link at megacycle rates. The bandwidth limitation here is imposed by lack of a suitable modulator rather than by any theoretical bound, and the power level is dictated by earth background noise and a usable transmitter and receiver beam angle. Improvements which can be made on this rather simple system by increasing bandwidth and improving detection efficiency, tracking accuracy, and LASER techniques are pointed out. Curves showing basic limitations and interdependence of system parameters are plotted.


A management plan for the boat seines, called sonsera , used in Catalonia to target sand eels ( Gymanammodytes cicerelus and G. semisquamatus ) and transparent gobies was drawn up in accordance with European Union rules. A Sand Eel Co-Management Committee was formally created with the specific mission of ensuring a sustainable fishery. The Committee is composed of public administrations, fishermen's associations, researchers and NGOs. The process has two phases: first, a comprehensive study of the fishery and subsequent advice for the establishment of a management plan and, second, the implementation and monitoring of the management plan. The study of the fishery included the analysis of the ecosystem impacts of the fishery (mainly stock status, impact on sensitive habitats and by-catch) and was carried out in the wider context of an adaptive co-management process to respond to the requirements of an ecosystem approach to fisheries.


Despite many innovative advances in cardiology over the past 50 years, heart disease remains a major killer. The steady progress that continues to be made in diagnostics and therapeutics is offset by the cardiovascular consequences of the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Truly innovative approaches on the horizon have been greatly influenced by new insights in cardiovascular development. In particular, research in stem cell biology, the cardiomyocyte lineage, and the interactions of the myocardium and epicardium have opened the door to new approaches for healing the injured heart.


A new scheme for the integration of small semiconductor transducer chips with microfluidic structures on printed circuit board (PCB) is presented. The proposed approach is based on a packaging technique that yields a large and flat area with small and shallow (∼44 µm deep) openings over the chips. The photocurable encapsulant material used, based on a diacrylate bisphenol A polymer, enables irreversible bonding of polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic structures at moderate temperatures (80 °C). This integration scheme enables the insertion of transducer chips in microfluidic systems with a lower added volume than previous schemes. Leakage tests have shown that the bonded structures withstand more than 360 kPa of pressure. A prototype microfluidic system with two detection chips, including one inter-digitated electrode (IDE) chip for conductivity and one ion selective field effect transistor (ISFET) chip for pH, has been implemented and characterized. Good electrical insulation of the chip contacts and silicon edge surfaces from the solution in the microchannels has been achieved. This integration procedure opens the door to the low-cost fabrication of complex analytical microsystems that combine the extraordinary potential of both the microfluidics and silicon microtechnology fields.


In 1991, Gratzel and co-workers published promising results from dye-sensitized, nanocryst., photoelectrochem. solar cells (DNSCs), with huge internal surface areas. A Gratzel cell consists of a dye-sensitized TiO2-electrode, a platinized counter electrode and an electrolyte contg. a redox pair of iodide/triiodide ions. Room-temp. molten salts have qualities, such as high cond., ionic mobility, thermal stability and negligibly volatility, which make them suitable as electrolytes for solar cells. Two systems of potential electrolytes have been successfully synthesized and analyzed, based on the redox pair I-/I3- using different cations: 1. trialkylsulfonium iodides, (R2R'S)I 2. trialkylsulfonium iodides with addn. of metal iodides The capability to act as electrolytes in DNSCs was investigated by measuring the overall light-to-elec. energy conversion efficiency in 100-1000 W/m2 illumination (AM 1.5) using a solar simulator, and also the incident monochromatic photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE). Results showed that liq., iodine-doped trialkylsulfonium iodide-salts work very well as electrolytes in DNSCs.


This book draws attention to two neglected areas in the growing body of research on welfare in China: subnational variation and the changing mix of state and non-state provision. The contributors to this volume demonstrate the diversity of local welfare provision that lies behind broad national policies and programmes. Their focus on local diversity is particularly relevant to understanding the welfare system in China because national state programmes are so often organized by local governments in line with the specifics of their economic and social development. At the same time that social and economic development is itself independently creating an array of different conditions that shape non-state (family, business and third sector) welfare roles .

Through chapters that draw on original research in eight provinces, the book adopts a 'local' perspective to illustrate and explain some of the transformations that are under way and discuss not only local government initiatives and programmes, but also the services and support provided by families, informal social networks and community or third sector organizations, as well as those delivered by private businesses on a commercial, for-profit basis.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Chinese society, social policy, and Chinese studies more widely.


Few studies have documented temporal changes in bacterial communities in multiple habitats in streams. In this year long study in the West Branch of the Mahoning River in Northeast Ohio, USA, bacteria in water, leaves, and sediments were examined. Bacteria were enumerated using 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using taxon-specific probes for the Domain Bacteria and Burkholderia cepacia. Physical and chemical variables were also monitored. Total bacterial abundance in water (based on DAPI staining) peaked during October 2000 and July 2001; while on leaves, total abundance peaked in January then declined through April with a second June peak. The peak in sediments was during October 2000 and numbers did not differ significantly between a pool and a riffle. Domain Bacteria numbers also exhibited significant temporal changes but the seasonal patterns differed from those based on DAPI staining. Abundance of B. cepacia varied temporally on leaves but not in water and sediments. Contrary to other studies, no significant correlations were seen between bacteriological and physical/chemical variables measured. However, spring run off seems to have been a factor in temporarily reduced numbers on leaves and sediments and increasing bacterioplankton numbers, likely due to allochthonous inputs. Based on prior studies, we expected the pattern of temporal change in bacterial numbers to vary among habitats. However, there were no differences between pool and riffle sediments and no significant correlations between bacteriological and abiotic variables. This may reflect the ability of bacteria to persist under varying temperature/nutrient conditions and flow regimes. The ability of B. cepacia to maintain fairly constant populations, in contrast to the overall assemblage, likely reflects the extreme versatility of this organism.


Abstract. Measurements of equivalent black carbon (EBC) in aerosols at the high Arctic field site Villum Research Station (VRS) at Station Nord in North Greenland showed a seasonal variation in EBC concentrations with a maximum in winter and spring at ground level. Average measured concentrations were about 0.067 ± 0.071 for the winter and 0.011 ± 0.009 for the summer period. These data were obtained using a multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP). A similar seasonal pattern was found for sulfate concentrations with a maximum level during winter and spring analyzed by ion chromatography. Here, measured average concentrations were about 0.485 ± 0.397 for the winter and 0.112 ± 0.072 for the summer period. A correlation between EBC and sulfate concentrations was observed over the years 2011 to 2013 stating a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.72. This finding gives the hint that most likely transport of primary emitted BC particles to the Arctic was accompanied by aging of the aerosols through condensational processes. BC and sulfate are known to have only partly similar sources with respect to their transport pathways when reaching the high Arctic. Aging processes may have led to the formation of secondary inorganic matter and further transport of BC particles as cloud processing and further washout of particles is less likely based on the typically observed transport patterns of air masses arriving at VRS. Additionally, concentrations of EC (elemental carbon) based on a thermo-optical method were determined and compared to EBC measurements. EBC measurements were generally higher, but a correlation between EC and EBC resulted in a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.64. Model estimates of the climate forcing due to BC in the Arctic are based on contributions of long-range transported BC during spring and summer. The measured concentrations were here compared with model results obtained by the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model, DEHM. Good agreement between measured and modeled concentrations of both EBC/BC and sulfate was observed. Also, the correlation between BC and sulfate concentrations was confirmed based on the model results observed over the years 2011 to 2013 stating a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.74. The dominant source is found to be combustion of fossil fuel with biomass burning as a minor, albeit significant source.


Purpose Intravitreal injection of antiangiogenic agents is becoming a standard treatment for neovascular retinal diseases. Sustained release of therapeutics by injecting colloidal carriers is a promising approach to reduce the injection frequency, which reduces treatment burdens and the risk of complications on patients. Such sustained release often requires carriers to have micrometer-scale dimension that, however, can potentially promote glaucoma and inflammation. Small, polycationic particles can be immobilized in vitreous through multiple cooperative ionic interactions with hyaluronic acid of the vitreous interior, but such particles are generally toxic. Here, we synthesized and examined a biocompatible dextran-based nanocarrier (<50 nm in diameter) conjugated with cationic peptides containing L-arginine with minimal toxicity, aiming to provide sustained release of therapeutic drugs in vitreous. Methods We synthesized the nanocarriers with condensed cholesteryl dextran (CDEX) as core material. Cationic peptides containing 1 to 4 arginine groups, along with fluorescence tags, were conjugated to the CDEX surface. We monitored the carrier diffusion rate ex vivo and half-lives in vivo in rodent vitreous using fluorescence imaging. We evaluated the toxicity by histological examinations at the second, third, eighth, and thirty-sixth week. Results The diffusion rate of nanocarriers was inversely related to zeta potential values in freshly isolated vitreous humor. We observed increased half-lives in vivo with increasing zeta potential (up to 240 days). Histological examinations confirmed no adverse effects on ocular morphology and organization. Conclusions We demonstrated the potential of L-arginine peptide-conjugated nanocarriers toward safe and sustained therapeutic release system for posterior eye diseases.


High demographic dynamics and greater poverty in developing countries carry the urgent need to provide low cost housing to the poorest in urban regions. In Colombia the development of social housing settlements is characterized by two deficits, a quantitative one (related to urban density) and a qualitative one (related to indoor building conditions). It is therefore imperative to identify solutions that may lead to the adequate development of social housing in Colombia. This paper studies the relation between urban density and indoor thermal conditions of buildings of a social housing neighbourhood located in Bogota, with the help of an urban energy simulator. The particular location of the case study, close to the Equator, brought up many challenges. At first, remarkable differences were found when comparing the simulation results with the international norm CEN (EN 13790). The thermal model had to be slightly adapted for a good dynamic behaviour of the room temperatures. Moreover, as the constructional model of social housing is realised without any insulation, the thermal behaviour is very sensitive to the infrared exchanges with the environment, and as such the estimation of the ground temperature had to be refined. This latter point reinforces the idea of the importance of the infrared exchanges between adjacent buildings. Finally, satisfactory results were obtained from the models' improvements leading to an increase of confidence on the simulation results. With the optimised performance of the simulation tool, numerical simulations of radiatively interacting shelters were carried out heading to an analysis of the relation between different urban variables (such as site coverage, plot ratio, building and urban forms) and the thermal comfort of buildings' occupants. The study comprises the verification of the thermal model for simulations, the definition of a thermal discomfort indicator, and finally simulations of a social housing neighbourhood in Bogota, the capital of Colombia. Results show that it is possible to maintain the same high human density and to improve thermal behaviour of the settlement by combining lower site coverage with higher buildings, which can provide architects and urban developers with helpful insights to improve social housing planning in Colombia.


A nascent neutron star may be exposed to fallback accretion soon after the proto-neutron star stage. This high-accretion episode can submerge the magnetic field deep in the crust. The diffusion of the magnetic field back to the surface will take hundreds to millions of years depending on the amount of mass accreted and the consequent depth the field is buried. Neutron stars with large kick velocities will accrete less amount of fallback material leading to shallower submergence of their fields and shorter time-scales for the growth of their fields. We obtain the relation tau(Ohm) proportional to nu(-1) between the space velocity of the neutron star and Ohmic time-scale for the growth of the magnetic field. We compare this with the relation between the measured transverse velocities, nu(perpendicular to), and the field growth time-scales, mu/(mu)over dot, inferred from the measured braking indices. We find that the observational data are consistent with the theoretical prediction though the small number of data precludes a strong conclusion. Measurement of the transverse velocities of pulsars B1509-58, J1846-0258, J1119-6127 and J1734-3333 would increase the number of the data and strongly contribute to understanding whether pulsar fields grow following fallback accretion.


Contemporary intelligent systems are isolated problem-solvers. They accept particular classes of problems, reason about them, perhaps request additional information, and eventually produce solutions. By contrast, human beings and other intelligent animals continuously adapt to the demands and opportunities presented by a dynamic environment. Adaptation plays a critical role in everyday behaviors, such as conducting a conversation, as well as in sophisticated professional behaviors, such as monitoring critically ill medical patients. To make intelligent systems similarly adaptive, we must augment their reasoning capabilities with capabilities for perception and action. Equally important, we must endow them with an attentional mechanism to allocate their limited computational resources among competing perceptions, actions, and cognitions, in real time. In this paper, we discuss functional objectives for "adaptive intelligent systems." an architecture designed to achieve those objectives, and our continuing study of these objectives and architecture in the context of particular tasks.


Transport layer evolution is stuck. A proliferation of middleboxes in the Internet has shifted the waist of the hourglass upward from IP to include legacy transports [10, 13, 23]. While popular for many different reasons, middleboxes deviate from the Internet's end-to-end design, creating large deployment "black-holes"—singularities where legacy transports get through, but any new transport technology or protocol fails—severely limiting protocol evolution. To restore the Internet's openness to innovation at the ends, we propose the minion suite: a protocols suite that uses legacy transports—UDP, TCP, and SSL—to provide a generic unordered datagram service between communicating endpoints, as a substrate atop which more sophisticated transports, such as those supporting partial-ordering, can be built and deployed. These minions are modified forms of the legacy transports where the protocols appear unmodified on the wire, thus making deployability through middleboxes possible. Our minions provide the basis for a much richer set of services that can be offered to the ends, thus recognizing the shifting waist of the Internet hourglass, and creating a powerful new substrate at the new waist.


Abstract The prevalence of MRSA in the nosocomial setting has been well studied, and its control remains a challenge for infection control professionals. Complicating this problem is the increasing number of reports on the spread of community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA strains differ from hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) strains in that they are generally susceptible to most antibiotics. These strains share the presence of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCwec) type IV in their genomes, are frequently virulent, and predominantly cause skin and soft tissue infections. The genome sequence of the prototypic CA-MRSA strain, MW2, revealed the presence of additional virulence factors not commonly present in other S. aureus strains. We determined the genetic relatedness of 30 geographically diverse CA-MRSA isolates clustered based on SCCmec type IV by sequence analysis of the polymorphic repeat region of the protein A gene (spa typing). These results indicated that most strains shared a common spa type (131), identical to MW2. Because this group tends to infect healthy individuals with no known risk factors for nosocomial acquisition of MRSA, we refer to it as CA-MRSA without risk factors. A second group, CA-MRSA with risk factors, consists of two related genotypes, spa types 1 and 7, which differ by one nucleotide change. These strains have caused severe infections in HIV-positive patients in Los Angeles and New York. Although CA-MRSA strains share genetic determinants, they are not clonal but rather are derived from different genetic backgrounds. The genetic characteristics and the epidemiology of CA-MRSA with and without risk factors are discussed.


This paper describes the development of a multidimensional self-report measure of interoceptive body awareness. The systematic mixed-methods process involved reviewing the current literature, specifying a multidimensional conceptual framework, evaluating prior instruments, developing items, and analyzing focus group responses to scale items by instructors and patients of body awareness-enhancing therapies. Following refinement by cognitive testing, items were field-tested in students and instructors of mind-body approaches. Final item selection was achieved by submitting the field test data to an iterative process using multiple validation methods, including exploratory cluster and confirmatory factor analyses, comparison between known groups, and correlations with established measures of related constructs. The resulting 32-item multidimensional instrument assesses eight concepts. The psychometric properties of these final scales suggest that the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) may serve as a starting point for research and further collaborative refinement.


This paper reports a tool that ranks work place destinations in accordance with their sustainability based on their location's capacity to minimise transportgenerated carbon emissions within the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). To measure the transport-related CO2 emissions the following datasets were used: (i) Central Statistics Office (CSO) 2006 Place of Work Census of Anonymised Records (POWCAR) and (ii) CO2 emissions per mode of transport. These datasets were combined in a model with a 250 metre grid square coding of the GDA. The model calculations produced a carbon emissions value for every person travelling to work in each of the work destination grid squares within the GDA. The spatial data analysis was performed with a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software package ArcGIS which conveyed both a visual and numerical representation of the model's resulting calculations. The results reveal a link between the location of workplace destination and the carbon emissions generated per person to travel to that location. It is shown that those destinations within close proximity to public transport options in city centre locations demonstrate a lower CO2 emissions reading than those in more out-oftown locations without the range of public transport options. This outcome of the model forms the basis of a tool that could potentially assist in the environmental component of decision making for the location of work place developments. The implication of the tool is that it can allocate a ranking to locations based on their sustainability from a transport perspective. Byrne, Donnolly :CO2 from Transport 29-30th August 2012 University of Ulster Proceedings of the ITRN2012


The majority of school-leavers over two years from two special schools for pupils with severe learning disabilities were individually interviewed (N=34), as were their parents (N=38). Parental reports stressed the amount of care and supervision required by these young people. They viewed them as vulnerable to various different hazards such as crossing roads and only a minority are prepared to take the risk of teaching them. However more of the young people felt they were capable of certain tasks. Parents had a particular fear that their son or daughter may be taken advantage of sexually even though the bigger risk - going by the young people's reports - is verbal abuse and bullying from peers. A model is proposed of the influences on parental assessments of risks. This might be used in arriving at 'shared risk-taking' strategies with professionals and the young people during the later years of schooling


This article examines Swedish asylum deliberations regarding families with children with severe apathy, a condition where the child gradually loses all bodily function. The paper outlines the political context and medical evidence that has evolved since the beginning of the 2000s. It uses case studies and frequencies drawing from a case file inventory covering 24 families, many with minority belonging. The asylum process, case law and the decision makers' role in reiterating and interpreting the families' asylum narratives, is explored, analysed and discussed using discourse analysis and interpreted using intersectional theory. Findings suggests that the asylum narratives are greatly reduced and reformulated in a way that seem detrimental to state obligations towards for example rape victims. Findings also suggest that political persecution should be taken more seriously by Swedish migration authorities. Finally, evidence indicates a need for a feminist perspective, and overall strategy, at authority level that does not discriminate.


This work introduces a novel principle we call disentanglement via mechanism sparsity regularization, which can be applied when the latent factors of interest depend sparsely on past latent factors and/or observed auxiliary variables. We propose a representation learning method that induces disentanglement by simultaneously learning the latent factors and the sparse causal graphical model that relates them. We develop a rigorous identifiability theory, building on recent nonlinear independent component analysis (ICA) results, that formalizes this principle and shows how the latent variables can be recovered up to permutation if one regularizes the latent mechanisms to be sparse and if some graph connectivity criterion is satisfied by the data generating process. As a special case of our framework, we show how one can leverage unknown-target interventions on the latent factors to disentangle them, thereby drawing further connections between ICA and causality. We propose a VAE-based method in which the latent mechanisms are learned and regularized via binary masks, and validate our theory by showing it learns disentangled representations in simulations.


A study into the application of nonresonant slots for impedance matching in microwave circuits is presented based on an evaluation of the performance of a low noise microwave transistor amplifier. Results show improved gain and noise figure characteristics for a slot matched amplifier compared to a microwave amplifier designed using transmission line stubs. Since the slots that are proposed appear in the ground plane of the active circuits, the size of the overall circuit is lower compared to that of an amplifier designed using transmission line stubs.


Hume claims that education is 'disclaimed by philosophy, as a fallacious ground of assent to any opinion' (T 18.104.22.168) and that it is 'never . . . recogniz'd by philosophers' (T 18.104.22.168). He is usually taken to be referring here to indoctrination. I argue, however, that his main concern is with association and those philosophers who emphasize the epistemic dangers of the imagination. These include Locke, Hutcheson and Descartes, but not Hume himself. Hume praises education, highlighting its role in the formation of general rules, and in fostering social conditions that encourage the growth of knowledge and moral virtue.


We investigate the quality factor Q for electrically small current distributions and practical antenna designs radiating the TE10 magnetic dipole field. The current distributions and the antenna designs employ electric currents on a spherical surface enclosing a magneto-dielectric material that serves to reduce the internal stored energy. Closed-form expressions for the internal and external stored energies as well as for the quality factor Q are derived. The influence of the sphere radius and the material permeability and permittivity on the quality factor Q is determined and verified numerically. It is found that for a given antenna size and permittivity there is an optimum permeability that ensures the lowest possible Q, and this optimum permeability is inversely proportional to the square of the antenna electrical radius. When the relative permittivity is equal to 1, the optimum permeability yields the quality factor Q that constitutes the lower bound for a magnetic dipole antenna with a magneto-dielectric core. Furthermore, the smaller the antenna the closer its quality factor Q can approach the Chu lower bound. Simulated results for the TE10-mode multiarm spherical helix antenna with a magnetic core reach a Q that is 1.24 times the Chu lower bound for an electrical radius of 0.192.


BEING A FINAL YEAR PROJECT SUMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (B.ENG.)
DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL AND BIO-RESOURCE ENGINEERING,
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY,MINNA, NIGER STATE


Considering the importance of nitric oxide generation in the regulation of vessel tone, reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in alveolar macrophages exposed to short-term silica (Si) suggests the possibility of Si-induced changes in endothelial functions. In this experimental study, the functional changes of the endothelial cells were investigated in the aortic rings of rats subjected to 50 mg Si/kg body weight in their drinking water for 8 days. Norepinephrine elicited contractility and dilation response to acetylcholine (ACh) was significantly high in the aortic rings of Si-treated group. Alteration in receptor-independent endothelial response to A23187 in the aortic rings of Si-exposed rats was less obvious, but sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-elicited dilation was reduced significantly. A23187-induced relaxation was fully eliminated with N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) pretreatment, whereas 19.24 +/- 4.36% of ACh response was L-NAME resistant and eliminated with 10-5 M tetraethylammonium (TEA). Despite a significant reduction in the share of NO, the contribution of indomethacine (IND)-sensitive relaxation to ACh response remained unchanged in Si group. As a result, our findings demonstrated that Si both modifies the characteristics of endothelial relaxants and attenuates smooth muscle cell responsiveness to NO. Si-induced reduced NO association with elevated endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in response to ACh, together with reduced NO sensitization, might have clinical importance in cardiovascular pathology.


Based on a solution of the problem of creating structures similar to point and line television rasters, a method has been developed for forming an ordered hexagonal fiber structure, based on the simplest transformations of the classical shape of assembly elements. The resulting shapes can be used in an assembly process with an unlimited number of stages. The proposed method serves as a solution of the main problem of the technology of fiber and capillary items used for image transport and transformation.


On most continents food production has surpassed the growth in population (Knudsen et al. 2006). Still it is estimated that approximately 1 billion people are undernourished (FAO 2011) and the greatest number of people suffering from chronic hunger are living in South and East Asia (FAO 2012a). More than half (3.1 billion people) of the developing world's population live in rural areas. Of these, approximately 2.5 billion derive their livelihoods from agriculture (FAO 2012a). The majority of small scale farmers in the global south lack financial and natural resources to be able to improve production and food security (Knudsen et al. 2006).
A United Nations' report on organic agriculture and food security concludes that organic agriculture increases the availability and access of food in the location where hunger and poverty are most severe (FAO 2007). According to UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) non-certified organic practices in Africa outperforms conventional industrialized agriculture and provides improved soil fertility, retention of water as well as resistance to drought (UNEP 2008). The Millennium Development Goals are targeting sustainable agriculture specifically (United Nations 2009) and in the report by the IAASTD panel, focus on small scale farmers and the use of sustainable agricultural practices are recommended (IAASTD 2008).
Organic farming emerged in the 1920s with the concept of an inextricable link between soil, plant and animal health and of the composting process as an important element to obtain this. Hence artificial fertilizer was looked upon with great concern. In the 1960s and 1970s organic farming faced a turning point due to the negative consequences of industrial farming methods including the use of chemical substances. The work of many volunteers, heavily engaged in organic farming, led to the foundation of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) in 1972 (Kristiansen & Merfield 2006).
IFOAM has formulated four basic principles: Principle of health, ecology, fairness and care. They serve to inspire the organic movement, are the basis from where standards are developed and are presented with a vision of world-wide adoption (IFOAM 2005). According to IFOAM organic agriculture is: "A production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved" (IFOAM 2008).
Frequently, in the global south, the meaning of organic agriculture is confused with "farming without chemical inputs", "traditional farming" or "certified organic farming for export purposes" (Vaarst 2010). In this assignment organic agriculture is defined by the above mentioned four basic principles and description of organic farming. This includes the use of agro-ecological methods in agricultural systems which do not necessarily have to be certified organic.
2
Agro-ecological methods include the use of compost and legumes to improve soil fertility. Mulching conserves soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Intercropping increases yields and keeps the soil covered, hence preventing soil erosion and promoting soil moisture. Crop rotation with high species diversity prevents pests and diseases from building up as well as contributing to a diversified diet. Agroforestry is less affected by drought (deep root system). At the same time it increases soil porosity, reduces runoff and increases soil cover leading to increased water infiltration and retention in soil (Nakasi et al. Unknown; Vaarst 2010).
Livestock are an integrated part of organic agriculture supporting biological cycles within the system, in particular nutrient recycling (Hermansen 2003). Another important aspect is that organic farming does not rely on input of costly artificial fertilizers and chemicals. High inputs can force farmers to borrow money from private lenders with high interest rates. Hence farmers are vulnerable if the harvest fails (Halberg et al. 2006). Also pesticides can lead to poisoning when applying it and through accidents (Pretty 1995 cf. Halberg et. al. 2006).
Conscious use of agro-ecological methods requires many skills, a lot of knowledge, assessment and planning (Vaarst et al. 2012). Therefore it is relevant to create a situation where knowledge can be exchanged, developed and debated (Vaarst et al. 2011). Organic farming is labour intensive, for example it requires labour to make compost, dig trenches, mulch and weed (Vaarst et al. 2011). Farmer Family Learning Groups (FFLG) creates a situation where farmers and their families go together to share their knowledge and experiences as well as help each other perform labour demanding tasks (Vaarst et al. 2011). Organic farming and Farmer Field Schools (FFS) is a way to assist vulnerable groups to empower themselves to claim their rights and have access to resource mechanisms (FAO 2007).
The objective of this assignment is to evaluate the benefits and barriers of introducing farmer group learning and development into organic small holder farming systems in the global south. The farmer group learning is exemplified by the concepts of FFS and FFLG. The first section describes the concept of FFS and FFLG. Afterwards benefits and barriers of introducing FFS and FFLG are presented. Finally a case study from three districts in Madhya Pradesh, India is reviewed and analysed in terms of introducing farmer group learning.


Soil infiltration plays an important role in the transformation of precipitation into surface water, soil water, and groundwater. Forest fires significantly alter soil quality and hydrological processes. Identifying a method to accelerate the restoration of soil infiltration capacity after forest fires is of major interest. Vegetation restoration may greatly influence soil infiltration capacity by altering soil and vegetation properties. However, little is known about the relationships among root biomass, soil properties, and infiltration capacity after severe forest fires. The objectives of this research were to assess soil infiltration capacity during vegetation restoration and to identify the strongest predictors of infiltration among various soil properties and the biomass of roots of different diameter classes. The influences of vegetation restoration approaches (planted regeneration and natural regeneration [NR]) on root biomass, soil properties, and infiltration rates in burnt areas were observed. Total root biomass increased each year following the burn (3.808 to 56.690 t hm–2). The soil physical and chemical properties improved more after 24 years of restoration than after other restoration durations. The initial infiltration rate (IIR), steady infiltration rate (SIR), and average infiltration rate (AIR) of the soils increased as vegetation restoration progressed. The IIR, SIR, and AIR after 24 years of restoration were higher than those under NR. Correlation analysis showed that IIR, SIR, and AIR correlated significantly and positively with coarse root biomass (biomass of >2 cm diameter roots, RDcoarse), total root biomass (RDtotal), and soil organic matter (SOM). The conceptual path model demonstrated that among the studied properties, RDcoarse and SOM most strongly affected soil infiltration, which increased as vegetation restoration progressed. Coarse roots (>2 cm diameter) played a more important role in improving soil infiltration than other root types. Planted regeneration is more conducive to accelerating the restoration of soil infiltration than NR in Daxing'anling, northeast China.


Sarcomeric disarray is a hallmark of gene mutations in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, it is unknown when detrimental sarcomeric changes first occur and whether they originate in the developing embryonic heart. Furthermore, Rho kinase (ROCK) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that is critical for regulating the function of several sarcomeric proteins, and therefore, our aim was to determine whether disruption of ROCK signaling during the earliest stages of heart development would disrupt the integrity of sarcomeres, altering heart development and function. Using a mouse model in which the function of ROCK is specifically disrupted in embryonic cardiomyocytes, we demonstrate a progressive cardiomyopathy that first appeared as sarcomeric disarray during cardiogenesis. This led to abnormalities in the structure of the embryonic ventricular wall and compensatory cardiomyocyte hypertrophy during fetal development. This sarcomeric disruption and hypertrophy persisted throughout adult life, triggering left ventricular concentric hypertrophy with systolic dysfunction, and reactivation of fetal gene expression and cardiac fibrosis, all typical features of HCM. Taken together, our findings establish a mechanism for the developmental origin of the sarcomeric phenotype of HCM and suggest that variants in the ROCK genes or disruption of ROCK signaling could, in part, contribute to its pathogenesis.


SUMMARY 1. Stream reaches found to be impaired by physical, chemical or biological assessment generally are associated with greater extent of urban and agricultural land uses, and lesser amount of undeveloped lands. However, because stream condition commonly is influenced by multiple stressors as well as underlying natural gradients, it can be difficult to establish mechanistic relationships between altered land use and impaired stream condition. 2. This study explores the use of Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) to model presumed causal relationships between stressors and response variables. A BBN depicts the chain of causal relationships resulting in some outcome such as environmental impairment and can make use of evidence from expert judgment as well as observational and experimental data. 3. Three case studies illustrate the flexibility of BBN models. Expert elicitation in a workshop setting was employed to model the effects of sedimentation on benthic invertebrates. A second example used empirical data to explore the influence of natural and anthropogenic gradients on stream habitat in a highly agricultural watershed. The third application drew on several forms of evidence to develop a decision support tool linking grazing and forestry practices to stream reach condition. 4. Although data limitations challenge model development and our ability to narrow the range of possible outcomes, model formulation forces participants to conceptualise causal mechanisms and consider how to resolve data shortfalls. With sufficient effort and resources, models with greater evidentiary strength from observational and experimental data may become practical tools to guide management decisions. 5. Such models may be used to explore possible outcomes associated with a range of scenarios, thus benefiting management decision-making, and to improve insight into likely causal relationships.


With the present trend toward increasing output, raising efficiency and improving design in order to do the most with available materials, the problem of heat transfer and a better understanding of it has become an important one. While other techniques may tell one how much heat has to be transferred (or prevented from being transferred), heat transfer principles tell whether it is possible and, if possible, how to do it.Paper published with permission.Compilation Copyright © 2018 ASME


Because haul trucks are used extensively in mining, the operators of these trucks are exposed to various risks and hazards inherent to this occupation. The objective of this work was to profile injuries sustained during haul truck operations, to identify priorities for further investigation, and to determine potential injury prevention strategies. Data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) annual administrative database were sorted and reviewed to select records identifying a subset of injuries sustained during haul truck operations. Records covering a 5-year period (2004–2008) involving haul trucks were reviewed. The majority of the injury records were for injuries classified as "struck against moving object" (STRUCK) (N=613) and "slip or fall of person from an elevation or on the same level" (SLIPFALL) (N=359). Each injury narrative was read to determine the activity being performed during the injury (such as ingress, egress, driving, maintenance), the incident results (such as operator impact and truck impact), contributing factors to the event, and environmental factors. The nature of the injury, body parts affected, as well as lost work days were also quantified. The average lost work days for STRUCK and SLIPFALL injuries was 60 and 62, respectively. The majority of the total incidents resulted in sprain and strain injuries; the back was the most frequently injured body part injured. For STRUCK injuries, the majority of activities being performed at the time of the injuries involved driving (63%). More than one-third of the total incidents resulted in vertical jarring of the haul truck (36%), and the majority of the total incidents caused jolting and jarring to the operator (75%). For SLIPFALL injuries, the majority of incidents occurred during egress from the vehicle (46%), and of the total incidents, 32% resulted in the worker falling. Almost one-third of the total incidents were due to the operator's foot slipping (32%). Further investigation should focus on the factors contributing to haul truck operators being struck against a moving object and those related to operators slipping and falling.


This study examined the toxicity potential of total suspended particulate in the airshed of a haulage vehicle park located in a major highway connecting Lagos, the commercial centre of Nigeria to its other parts. It has an approximate area of 0.6 km2. Ambient air total suspended particulates (TSP) were monitored at five different sub- parks using the GT331 particulate monitor. A control sampling point was also set at about a kilometer southward of the sub-parks. The average measured particulate concentrations within the park ranged between 197.07 and 653.28 μg m-3 with an average of 334.5 μg m-3 but at the control point, it was between 18.5 and 46.6 μg m-3 with an average of 36.23 μg m-3. An assessment of toxicity potential of these particulates shows unhealthy air conditions at the haulage park. It was between 0.58 and 6.00 at the park's sampling points but ranged between 0.11 and 0.33 at the control location. This study establishes that haulage vehicles may contribute significantly to its host airshed degraded air quality thus calls for appropriate regulatory measure to protect commuters plying the major highway around the park.


Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the execution of emergency preparedness procedures of the west central Ohio region during a radiological event. Preparedness plans were generated by the Dayton Metropolitan Medical Response System and Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County, which would later be disseminated to eight counties in west central Ohio. Methods: Two live scenarios, a region-wide functional exercise and a Medical Reserve Corps training exercise, were used to test different procedures and protocols for a radiological event relevant to various first response agencies (public health, law enforcement, emergency medical systems, hospitals, etc.). Exercise evaluation guidelines were used as metrics to determine exercise effectiveness for public health, emergency management agencies, and hospitals. Results: Establishment of partnerships and resources among first responders was established and recognized as major strengths. Areas for improvement from each exercise includes providing assistance and emergency information to populations with special needs and updating of guideline materials. Establishment of a community reception center response was also recognized for population monitoring purposes. Conclusions: Overall, both exercise opportunities yielded strengths and areas for improvement to better prepare for a radiological event. Further review of other local, state, and federal bestpractice guidelines will improve overall preparedness planning for future scenarios. Improving communication, knowledge of resources and establishing connections among sister agencies and other first response agencies will be needed in the future to ensure a meaningful understanding of the regional radiological response preparedness plan.


4-42 Element C4 | The Storage, Handling and Processing of Dangerous Substances © RRC Training TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES Carrying goods by road or rail involves the risk of traffic accidents. If the goods carried are dangerous, there is also the risk of an incident, such as spillage of the goods, leading to hazards such as fire, explosion, chemical burn or environmental damage. Most goods are not considered sufficiently dangerous to require special precautions during carriage. Some goods, however, have properties which mean they are potentially dangerous if carried. Dangerous goods are liquid or solid substances and articles containing them that have been tested and assessed against internationally-agreed criteria (a process called classification) and found to be potentially dangerous (hazardous) when carried. Dangerous goods are assigned to the following different classes depending on their predominant hazard: 1. Explosive substances and articles 2. Gases 3. Flammable liquids 4.1. Flammable solids, self-reactive substances and solid desensitized explosives 4.2. Substances liable to spontaneous combustion 4.3. Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases 5.1. Oxidizing substances 5.2. Organic peroxides 6.1. Toxic substances 6.2. Infectious substances 7. Radioactive material 8. Corrosive substances 9. Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles There are regulations to deal with the carriage of dangerous goods which are discussed briefly below. Their purpose is to protect everyone either directly involved (such as consignors or carriers), or who might become involved (such as members of the emergency services and public). Regulations place duties upon everyone involved in the carriage of dangerous goods to ensure that they know what they have to do to minimise the risk of incidents and guarantee an effective response. Carriage of dangerous goods by road or rail is regulated internationally by agreements and European Directives, with biennial updates of the Directives to take account of technological advances. New safety requirements are implemented by Member States via domestic regulations which, for Great Britain, directly reference the technical agreements.


Unions and the Labor Market for Managers We examine the relationship between the employment and compensation of managers and CEOs and the presence of a unionized workforce. We develop a simple efficiency wage model, with a tradeoff between higher wages for workers and more monitoring, which requires more managers. The model also assumes rent sharing between workers, managers and the owners of the firm. Unions, by redistributing rents towards the workers, lead to lower employment and lower pay for managers. Using a variety of data sets, we examine the implications of the model for the relationship between the employment and wages of managers and unionization. We find several results generally consistent with our model. (1) Both a higher fraction of unionization in an industry and region and a higher union wage differential are associated with fewer managers. (2) Managers wages are about 5 to 7 percent lower in unionized firms. (3) For CEOs the effects are larger: a 10 percent increase in unionization reduces the pay of CEOs by 2.5 percent or more. JEL Classification: J31, J44, J51


Summary Innate immunity relies entirely upon germ-line encoded receptors, signalling components and effector molecules for the recognition and elimination of invading pathogens. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with its powerful collection of genetic and genomic tools has been the model of choice to develop ideas about innate immunity and host–pathogen interactions. Here, we review current research in the field, encompassing all layers of defence from the role of the microbiota to systemic immune activation, and attempt to speculate on future directions and open questions.