Of rights and wrongs. Assessing disability rights in Portugal in the era of austerity Long fought for by the global disability movement, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) held the promise of rights and a life with dignity for all people with disabilities worldwide. Portugal was amongst the fi rst States to sign and ratify the CRPD, thus committing to advance policy reforms and shift from a charity to a rightsbased approach to disability. Almost a decade has passed by now - Portugal has plunged into a deep economic recession and fi scal crisis and endured a strict austerity plan from 2011 to 2014. What has this done to disability rights? This paper examines this question and offers an overview of disability rights progression in Portugal. Assessing the impact of austerity and a neoliberal agenda on the fulfi lment at domestic level of international human rights commitments, we discuss the complex interplay of law, policy and politics in contemporary societies and the role of disability studies in advancing rights.


Despite 200 years of efforts to regulate safety in this occupation, chimney sweeps have increased mortality from cancer, ischaemic heart disease, and respiratory disease. Mortality and incidence of cancer were examined in a cohort of 5542 Swedish chimney sweeps employed through their national trade union at any time between 1918 and 1980. Previous studies of this cohort found increased risks of ischaemic heart disease, respiratory disease, accidental deaths, and various neoplasms. By increasing follow up, we sought to increase the power of the study and examine disease time trends. Mortality analysis was extended 7.5 years to cover the period 1951-90; cancer incidence analysis was extended six years to cover the period 1958-87. New findings include increased incidence and mortality of prostate cancer (SMR 169, 95% CI 106-256, 22 observed) and increased incidence of total haematolymphatic cancers (SIR 151, 95% CI 106-209, 36 observed). When only the most recent follow up period was analysed, previously observed risks persisted for total lung cancer (SIR 178, 95% CI 99-293), oat cell lung cancer (SIR 240, 95% CI 103-472), bladder cancer (SIR 247, 95% CI 131-422), and oesophageal cancer (Obs/Exp = 2/1.1). Mortality from ischaemic heart disease (SMR 98, 95% CI 76-123) and respiratory disease (SMR 111, 95% CI 56-199) declined during recent follow up, although significant excess mortality remained during analysis of the entire study period (ischaemic heart disease SMR 128, 95% CI 112-145; respiratory disease SMR 159, 95% CI 115-213). In analyses of the entire study period, risks of ischaemic heart disease and lung, bladder, and oesophageal cancer were adjusted for smoking; oesophageal cancer was also adjusted for use of alcohol. All risks remained significantly raised. Exposure-response analyses showed significant positive associations between duration of employment and risks for mortality from lung, oesophageal, and total cancer. Chimney sweeps remain at increased risk for cancers of the lung, oesophagus, and bladder. Our study supports a casual role for exposure to chimney soot, which contains carcinogens including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Extended follow up of this cohort now shows increased risks of prostate and haematolymphatic cancers.


Image segmentation is important with applications to several problems in biology and medicine. While extensively researched, generally, current segmentation methods perform adequately in the applications for which they were designed, but often require extensive modifications or calibrations before used in a different application. We describe a system that, with few modifications, can be used in a variety of image segmentation problems. The system is based on a supervised learning strategy that utilizes intensity neighborhoods to assign each pixel in a test image its correct class based on training data. In summary, we have several innovations: (1) A general framework for such a system is proposed, where rotations and variations of intensity neighborhoods in scales are modeled, and a multi-scale classification framework is utilized to segment unknown images; (2) A fast algorithm for training data selection and pixel classification is presented, where a majority voting based criterion is proposed for selecting a small subset from raw training set. When combined with 1-nearest neighbor (1-NN) classifier, such an algorithm is able to provide descent classification accuracy within reasonable computational complexity. (3) A general deformable model for optimization of segmented regions is proposed, which takes the decision values from previous pixel classification process as input, and optimize the segmented regions in a partial differential equation (PDE) framework. We show that the performance of this system in several different biomedical applications, such as tissue segmentation tasks in magnetic resonance and histopathology microscopy images, as well as nuclei segmentation from fluorescence microscopy images, is similar or better than several algorithms specifically designed for each of these applications. In addition, we describe another general segmentation system for biomedical applications where a strong prior on shape is available (e.g. cells, nuclei). The idea is based on template matching and supervised learning, and we show the examples of segmenting cells and nuclei from microscopy images. The method uses examples selected by a user for building a statistical model which captures the texture and shape variations of the nuclear structures from a given data set to be segmented. Segmentation of subsequent, unlabeled, images is then performed by finding the model instance that best matches (in the normalized cross correlation sense) local neighborhood in the input image. We demonstrate the application of our method to segmenting cells and nuclei from a variety of imaging modalities, and quantitatively compare our results to several other methods. Quantitative results using both simulated and real image data show that, while certain methods may work well for certain imaging modalities, our software is able to obtain high accuracy across several imaging modalities studied. Results also demonstrate that, relative to several existing methods, the template based method we propose presents increased robustness in the sense of better handling variations in illumination, variations in texture from different imaging modalities, providing more smooth and accurate segmentation borders, as well as handling better cluttered cells and nuclei.


The peatlands of Indonesia are an increasingly important land resource for the livelihood of the people and for economic development, but they turn rapidly into a carbon source when the peat forests are cleared and drained. Therefore, strategies are needed for the sustainable management of the peatlands and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This research was conducted on 464 642 ha of peatland varying in depth between 200 and 680 cm, in the districts of Kubu Raya and Pontianak, in the West Kalimantan province of Indonesia. It was aimed at: (i) evaluating land use changes in the peatland of the two districts and assessing the CO2 emissions these entail; and (ii) recommending options for mitigation of the CO2 emissions. Satellite images in the years 1986, 2002 and 2008 were used for the evaluation of land use changes. This was followed by ground-truthing of recent land cover in 2009. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders to develop emission reduction strategies. The results show that the peatlands were used for various purposes, including the traditional slash-and-burn agriculture for maize, pineapple plantations, intensive vegetable farming, and rubber and oil palm plantations. The peat forest area decreased by 16% from 393 000 ha in 1986 to 329 390 ha in 2008, while shrubland increased by 153% from 9427 ha to 23 814 ha over the same period of time. Oil palm plantations and paddy fields also increased rapidly in expansion. The main sources of emissions were from peat burning, especially for the slash-and-burn farming, peat decomposition due to drainage, and the loss of biomass depending on the land use trajectories. Emission reduction can be achieved through various scenarios. Scenario I, confining future agricultural land development to peatland with peat of <3 m thick, is expected to reduce by 6.8±2.9% the 2010 to 2035 cumulative CO2 emissions from the 127 million tonnes 'business as usual' (BAU) level. Scenario II, providing fertiliser subsidy to replace the traditional burning technique in addition to Scenario I, is expected to reduce emissions by as much as 11.5±4.9%. Scenario III, switching future agricultural expansion to mineral soils, is expected to lower the cumulative emissions by as much as 20.5±8.8%. These scenarios form the basis for sustainable peatland management and for a state of preparedness to reduce emissions from peatland.


Abstract Notolophus arquinotiensis, a new genus and species of the family Sparnotheriodontidae (Mammalia, Litopterna), is represented by several isolated teeth from the shallow-marine sediments of the La Meseta Formation (late Early-Late Eocene) of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, which have also yielded the youngest known sudamericids and marsupials. The new taxon belongs to the extinct order of 'South American native ungulate' Litopterna characterized by the convergence of the later forms with the equids and camelids. Notolophus arquinotiensis shows closest relationships with Victorlemoinea from the Itaboraian (middle Palaeocene) of Brazil and Riochican-Vacan (late Palaeocene-early Eocene) of Patagonia, Argentina. Although still poorly documented, this new taxon shows that the early Palaeogene Antarctic faunas might provide key data concerning the problems of the origin, diversity and basal phylogeny of some of the 'South American ungulates' (Litopterna). This new taxon shows the importance of Antarctica in the early evolution of the ungulates and illustrates our poor state of knowledge.


Purpose of Review: Classifications of epilepsies (1989) and seizures (1981) took a central role in epilepsy care and research. Based on nearly century-old concepts, they were abandoned in 2010, and recommendations for new concepts and terminology were made in accordance with a vision of what a future classification would entail. This review outlines the major changes, the ways these changes relate to the earlier systems, the implications for the practicing health care provider, and some of the recommendations for future classification systems.Recent Findings: New terminology for underlying causes (genetic, structural-metabolic, and unknown) was introduced to replace the old (idiopathic, symptomatic, and cryptogenic) in 2010. The use of generalized and focal to refer to the underlying epilepsy was largely abandoned, but the terms were retained in reference to mode of seizure initiation and presentation. The terms "complex" and "simple partial" for focal seizures were abandoned in favor of more descriptive terms. Electroclinical syndromes were highlighted as specific epilepsy diagnoses and distinguished from nonsyndromic-nonspecific diagnoses. The importance of diagnosis (a clinical goal focused on the individual patient) over classification (an intellectual system for organizing information) was emphasized.Summary: Accurate description and diagnosis of the seizures, causes, and specific type of epilepsy remain the goal in clinical epilepsy care. While terminology and concepts are being revised, the implications for patient care currently are minimal; however, the gains in the future of clear, accurate terminology and a multidomain classification system could potentially be considerable.


Objective: This study aimed to describe Discourses on vegetarian food in the Swedish school subject Home and Consumer Studies. Design: The study involved the observation of naturally occurring classroom talk, with audio recording and in some cases video-taping. Setting: The study was conducted during Home and Consumer Studies lessons in five different northern Swedish schools. Method: Fifty-nine students and five teachers were observed, recorded and in some cases video-taped. The resulting data were analysed with a focus on big 'D' Discourses. Results: Results indicated that gendered Discourses of absence, deviance and unattainability restricted some students' access to vegetarian food. The absence of meat was constructed as simultaneously healthy and unhealthy, a lack of cultural familiarity with vegetarian cooking made finding recipes difficult and students perceived the loss of taste as very negative. The vegetarian was seen as deviant, with vegetarianism being conceptually equated with sickness. Access to meat-free food required a commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle, and this was seen as a sacrifice and as too much work, not only for the individual but also for others. Conclusion: To counteract the restricted access to vegetarian food, Home and Consumer Studies teachers can redesign activities in the subject with the help of critical food literacy. For example, cooking could focus on popular plant-based dishes instead of 'empty' vegetarian themes, all students could be allowed to share vegetarian dishes instead of reserving them for vegetarians, the possibly strict rules of vegetarianism could be relaxed for those who do not wish to commit to them and vegetarian food could be deliberately connected to strength and masculinity. However, this presupposes sufficient economic resources and ample food storage space.


The first or 'bad' quarto of Hamlet is the subject of much debate. Is it an early
version of the play as some scholars suggest? Or is it corrupted memorial reconstruction, a product of 'fast writing' transcription, or just a pirated version of the play rushed into print? In this article I posit that the first quarto is indeed a valid text that deserves to be recognised for its unique, unfussy, playable brilliance. That the text provides clues (if one knows how to look), that elucidate answers to many of the questions that productions must contend with. I believe it to be a time-capsule version of sorts that is a product of what the actors truly performed, rather than a celebration of the poet's aspirationally complex verse.


Manuscript Type: Empirical
Research Question/Issue: To what extent can group faultlines and their potential value-destroying effects be detected on corporate boards? Task-related attributes of the type of directorship, education, board tenure, and financial background of board members are considered as directors' characteristics that give rise to the faultline phenomenon. The impact of task-related faultlines on firm performance as well as the moderating effects of busy boards, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)tenure, executive directors' (EDs) compensation structure, and the average non-executive directors' (NEDs) involvement in board committees are examined.
Research Findings/Insights: Using a panel of FTSE 350 companies from 1999 to 2008, we find a strong negative effect of task-related faultlines on firm performance. Further exploration of the moderating effects demonstrates that the condition of a busy board and CEO tenure exacerbate the negative effects of faultlines. At the same time, the executive pay contingency is found to have a remedying effect on boardroom cohesiveness, whereas the involvement of NEDs in board committee work is not likely to make the adverse effects of board faultlines less pronounced.
Theoretical/Academic Implications: Based on the arguments of social identity theory, this study shows that task-related faultlines on corporate boards have strong negative value-creating implications. The positive moderating impact of the executive compensation structure renders support to agency theory predictions about executive incentive alignment. This work also underlines the usefulness of the concept of faultlines in the corporate governance literature, because unitary boards, where NEDs and EDs share board responsibility, exhibit pre-existing factions, similar to top management teams of family-controlled firms and teams managing international joint-ventures.
Practitioner/Policy Implications: This research points to the importance of a careful selection process of directors by nomination committees. It also underlines the role for active leadership on boards, who should be aware of available strategies to ameliorate the negative consequences of board schisms, such as accentuating superordinate board identity and/or informal meetings


Aim: Heterogenous environments can contribute to maintain biodiversity. Traditionally beta diversity studies have focused on determining the effect of environmental variables on the total dissimilarity of species composition. However, decomposing beta diversity in species replacement and nestedness could give new insights on mechanisms affecting spatial patterns of biodiversity. We aimed to answer two main questions about spatial patterns of fish diversity in a Neotropical basin: 1) whether some regions contribute differently to fish diversity, and 2) whether species turnover and nestedness are explained by environmental gradients. Methods: Sampling sites in the main channel and tributaries of the Upper Paraná River were sampled between 2013 and 2015. We partitioned beta diversity and tested the relationship of turnover and nestedness with environmental variables. Results: 74 species were captured. Some of these species were restricted to different sites, contributing to variation in species composition. Hill numbers showed a trend for higher diversity in the tributaries than in Paraná River sampling sites, and the partition of beta diversity revealed that species replacement drove dissimilarity in species composition. Only total beta diversity and turnover were related to environmental variables, mainly conductivity and turbidity. Conclusions: Species diversity and composition of fish assemblages in the Upper Paraná River could be related to environmental gradients. Overall, our results suggest that Paraná River tributaries contribute to increase environmental heterogeneity, and hence to maintain a high diversity and variation in species composition. For that reason, we strongly recommend preserving highly heterogeneous habitats in the region.


More and more applications use the RDF framework as their data model and RDF stores to index and retrieve their data. Many of these applications require both structured queries as well as fulltext search. SPARQL addresses the first requirement in a standardized way, while fulltext search is provided by store-specific implementations. RDF benchmarks enable developers to compare structured query performance of different stores, but for fulltext search on RDF data no such benchmarks and comparisons exist so far. In this paper, we extend the LUBM benchmark with synthetic scalable fulltext data and corresponding queries for fulltext-related query performance evaluation. Based on the extended benchmark, we provide a detailed comparison of fulltext search features and performance of the most widely used RDF stores. Results show interesting RDF store insights for basic fulltext queries (classic IR queries) as well as hybrid queries (structured and fulltext queries). Our results are not only valuable for selecting the right RDF store for specific applications, but also reveal the need for performance improvements for certain kinds of queries.


Instructional technologies can be effective tools to foster student engagement, but university faculty may be reluctant to integrate innovative and evidence-based modern learning technologies into instruction. Based on Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory, this quantitative, nonexperimental, one-shot cross-sectional survey determined what attributes of innovation (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability) predict the probability of faculty adopting the audience response system (ARS) into instruction. The sample of the study consisted of 201 faculty at a university in the southeastern United States. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the attributes of innovation that predict the probability of faculty adopting the ARS into instruction. Out of the five attributes, compatibility and trialability made significant contributions to the model. The implication of the findings is that, in order to maximize adoption, the faculty needs to be given the opportunity to pre-test the ARS prior to implementation, and they need to know how the technology will assist them in achieving their pedagogical goals. Recommendations were made to leverage these attributes to foster faculty adoption of the ARS into instruction.


Background: Since 2012, Swiss inpatient dermatology is funded through a flat rate payment system based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs). Objective: To analyze the reimbursement of nonsurgically treated severe disorders of the skin under the system called SwissDRG. Methods: Three retrospective, cross-sectional cohort studies were performed. Data sets were received from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics (1,285,685 retained records), the five Swiss university hospitals (370,964 retained records) and our center (72,211 retained records). Results: Cases accounted for 0.04% of all hospitalizations nationwide, with 43.7% treated at university hospitals. Treatment at university hospitals produced a mean loss of USD 3,711 per case. Lyell syndrome cases were especially underfunded (mean loss USD 31,906). Extra-county admissions and direct referrals were significant predictors of total inpatient costs (p = 0.019 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: We suggest grouping Lyell syndrome cases into burn DRGs and evaluating extra-county admissions and direct inpatient referrals as DRG split criteria.


Although the somewhat enigmatic French philosopher Michel Foucault can be described as one of the most influential and debated French philosophers of the last four decades, and although the corpus of literature on his contributions is still growing, it can also be said that the literature that endeavours to interpret him through theological lenses, is still sporadic. 3 He himself seldom commented on actual religious phenomena. 4 However, several dimensions of Foucault's oeuvre hold potential for theological re-appropriation, for instance his understandings of power, aesthetics (space), and epistemology. 5 In this article, I briefly investigate Foucault's innovative notions of power, space, and knowledge, before offering some theological-aesthetical perspectives on Foucault's contribution to post-colonial theory.


The ancient capital of China is an important materialized carrier for ancient civilizations. Nowadays, the ancient Chinese capital lacks attention to the secularized space in the capital, especially the space related to the handicraft production. In addition, whether or not the space division method of the ancient urban planning land use can be measured by the spatial division theory of modern urban planning is an issue worthy of discussion. This research is based on archeological reports and the latest progress in archaeology. It targets different types of handicraft workshops in 18 ancient capitals from Three Dynasties (i.e. Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties) to Qin and Han Dynasties in China. The properties, scales, and location distribution of the workshops (including suspected relics) and other types of space are carried on the statistics and integrated application of multi-analysis methods, such as architectural spatial analysis and archeological database quantitative analysis. It also explores characteristics of handicraft workshops in different industries, including the spatial composition, distribution sites, spatial coupling and long-term spatial evolution. Meanwhile, it extracts the space land composition and attribute features, structural elements, distribution locus, planning methods, and the interaction process with other spaces. By the covariation analysis, the relationship between the evolution of inner space structure and civilization in the ancient capitals of China is put forward. The study has found:


Laparoscopic Ovum Pick-Up (LOPU) is the most reliable and efficient technique for collecting high quality oocytes from live animals in certain species or age groups, allowing its use for In Vitro Embryo Production (IVEP) and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). In order to maximize the number and quality of oocytes collected by donor, it is necessary to synchronize estrus and stimulate follicular growth using hormonal protocols that vary according to species. There are 2 big categories of applications for the LOPU-IVEP technology in production animals, those in which it acts as an alternative to MOET (competitive applications) and those in which it doesn't compete with MOET as it cannot be done in those categories (non competitive applications). In wild animals, LOPU can play an important role in conservation programs for endangered species when associated with effective IVEP and has been done in several species. It has commercial application in sheep, goats, cattle and buffaloes calves. Repeating LOPU procedures in the same female does not cause sequels with impact on the female's reproductive life, even when performed on prepubertal or wild animals.


Total electron content (TEC) fluctuation in the ionosphere is one of the main unresolved problems degrading ambiguity resolution and thus affect the reliability of satellite positioning. With regard to conditions prevailing at mid-latitudes, the impact of the upper atmospheric layers is primarily associated with the occurrence of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). This study contains the combined analysis involving MSTIDs patterns observed in raw phase data and their impact on rapid static positioning. The first part is aimed at discrepancies in wavelike MSTIDs signatures detected in time series of high elevated measurements. It was demonstrated that the differences in slant ionospheric delays at medium baselines often exceed 0.5 TEC units and more importantly, the detected MSTIDs patterns were highly mutable. The next section presents the impact of MSTIDs on double differenced ionospheric delays and performance of rapid static positioning. The positioning was executed using two approaches. The first one adopted as a benchmark strategy was the geometry-based relative positioning model with weighted ionosphere and troposphere parametrization. The second approach was the improved version of the former. It used the rate of TEC corrections, which allowed the mitigation of MSTIDs through the reduction of epoch-wise ionospheric delays to one parameter for each double-differenced arc. The comparison of results for both strategies indicated significant improvement of positioning performance after the application of proposed algorithm.


The Exploratory on Smart Care in a Homely Setting was arranged on the 4th May 2016 at Maxim park by the Digital Health and Care Institute. The aim of the event was to explore what care currently looks like in a homely setting, to identify citizens' and carers' needs as well as pin point potential areas for innovation to go forward. The theme covered both homes and care homes, and other home-like settings where care is being given. The findings from the Exploratory informed key themes for a follow up event, an Ecosystem organised on the 6th of June. The overall "Care in a homely setting" -program will yield Information to ideate alternatives for future home services. This document summarises the key outputs from the focus group activities arranged on the day.


Fever is one of the most common symptoms reported by patients seeking health care in low-resource areas in the tropics, where it may occur either in isolation or in association with other common symptoms such as cough or diarrhea (Feikin and others 2011; Prasad, Sharples, and others 2015). Fever without localizing features presents a particular challenge to health care workers and health systems because it may be caused by a wide range of bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections (Crump and others 2013; Mayxay and others 2013), as well as by noninfectious conditions. Clinical assessment has limited accuracy both for identifying the likely cause and for the early recognition of patients who will progress to serious or fatal disease. Compounding the limitations of clinical assessment is the dearth of available epidemiologic data on common causes of fever (Crump 2014) and absence of clinical laboratory services in many areas (Archibald and Reller 2001; Petti and others 2006). Given its prevalence and severity, malaria has been the common default diagnosis for fever without localizing features in the tropics for decades (WHO 2006). In countries historically highly endemic for malaria, fever is controlled and managed with vertical programs. However, a growing number of fever etiology studies (Prasad, Murdoch, and others 2015; Reyburn and others 2004) and more widespread use of malaria diagnostic tests (WHO 2010b) have served to unmask the problem of malaria overdiagnosis among febrile patients in many areas. Documented declines in malaria since 2004 (Murray and others 2014; WHO 2013) and expansion of nonmalarial infections such as dengue (Stanaway and others 2016), combined with widespread use of malaria diagnostic tests (WHO 2010b), mean that health care workers face a growing proportion of patients with fever and a negative malaria diagnostic test. This increase is troubling because patients presenting to hospitals with fever not due to malaria are as likely to die as those who have malaria (Reyburn and others 2004). Furthermore, vertical programs exist rarely for febrile illnesses other than malaria. This chapter identifies key challenges, issues for diagnosis and treatment of relevant infections, and data gaps for health care workers and policy makers regarding nonmalarial fever management and its costeffectiveness. We highlight the needs for increasing etiologic research, restructuring of burden-of-disease estimates to recognize nonmalarial fever, and development of approaches to evaluating clinical interventions to improve patient outcomes.


Education is an important thing for every child to get knowledge and formal education in school. Background of children who are from underprivileged families, not the least cause the children drop out of school. The government provides solutions through Kemenristek Dikti institution to hold a scholarship program BIDIKMISI for underprivileged and achieving children for education, especially from SMA / SMK or equivalent to university. In this research, a decision support system was developed using TOPSIS method (Technique for Order Performance by Equal with Ideal Solution) and SAW (Simple Additive Weighting) method for BIDIKMISI scholarship recipient. The policies used in determining scholarship recipients are generation, value, number of siblings, father education, and mother education. The results obtained by using 79 data of prospective recipients obtained by using the name of Nensy, 0.7394 of TOPSIS calculation and 81.7 from the calculation of SAW. Highest value parsing system according to priority.


With the advent of functional neuroimaging techniques, in particular functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we have gained greater insight into the neural correlates of visuospatial function. However, it may not always be easy to identify the cerebral regions most specifically associated with performance on a given task. One approach is to examine the quantitative relationships between regional activation and behavioral performance measures. In the present study, we investigated the functional neuroanatomy of two different visuospatial processing tasks, judgement of line orientation and mental rotation Twenty-four normal participants were scanned with fMRI using blocked periodic designs for experimental task presentation. Accuracy and reaction time (RT) to each trial of both activation and baseline conditions in each experiment was recorded. Both experiments activated dorsal and ventral visual cortical areas as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. More regionally specific associations with task performance were identified by estimating the association between (sinusoidal) power of functional response and mean RT to the activation condition; a permutation test based on spatial statistics was used for inference. There was significant behavioral-physiological association in right ventral extrastriate cortex for the line orientation task and in bilateral (predominantly right) superior parietal lobule for the mental rotation task. Comparable associations were not found between power of response and RT to the baseline conditions of the tasks. These data suggest that one region in a neurocognitive network may be most strongly associated with behavioral performance and this may be regarded as the computationally least efficient or rate-limiting node of the network.


Protein folding studies over the past 50 years have been largely focused on small proteins (< 200 residues) leading to a dearth of information about large protein folding. Regardless of protein size, research has generally lacked the structural tools with necessary temporal resolution to provide mechanistic insight into the process. This goal requires incisive information on transient kinetic intermediate conformations that describe the folding pathway. In this work special challenges that hinder large protein folding studies are addressed, and advancements to both HX NMR and HX MS experiments are described that provide unparalleled temporal resolution of structure formation than has been previously possible. These various advanced hydrogen exchange methods are used to study folding behaviors of the large, 370-residue, twodomain maltose binding protein from E. coli and provide a description of its folding pathway in structural detail. This work sheds light on two basic unresolved problems regarding the mechanisms of protein folding, the first being the enigmatic nature of the initial folding collapse event seen in many proteins, and the second concerning the nature of the folding pathway. We find that from an initially heterogeneous hydrophobic collapse, an obligatory intermediate emerges with a 7-second time constant followed by an apparent sequential pathway to the native state. These results add the largest protein studied at structural resolution todate to the list of proteins known to fold through obligatory, native-like intermediates in distinct pathways and this work highlights strategies that may be employed to interrogate other large systems in future work. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics First Advisor S. Walter Englander Second Advisor Feng Gai


PURPOSE
Adaptation to acutely intermittent hypoxic exposure appears to produce worthwhile enhancements in endurance performance, but the current 5-min duration of hypoxia and recovery intervals may not be optimal.

METHODS
Eighteen male competitive cyclists and triathletes were randomized to one of two intermittent-hypoxia groups, and nine similar athletes represented a control group. Athletes in the hypoxia groups were exposed to 60 min per day of intermittent hypoxia consisting of alternating intervals of hypoxia and normoxia lasting either 3 or 5 min. Exposures were performed at rest for 5 consecutive days per week for 3 wk. Oxygen saturation, monitored with pulse oximetry, was reduced progressively from 90% (day 1) to 76% (day 15). All athletes maintained their usual competitive-season training throughout the study. Incremental and repeated-sprint tests were performed pre, 3 d post, and 14 d postintervention. Venous blood at rest was sampled pre, mid-, and postintervention.

RESULTS
There were no clear differences between effects of the two hypoxic treatments on performance or various measures of oxygen transport, hematopoiesis, and inflammation. Compared with control, the combined hypoxic groups showed clear enhancements in peak power (4.7%; 90% confidence limits, +/-3.1%), lactate-profile power (4.4%; +/-3.0%), and heart-rate profile power (6.5%; +/-5.3%) at 3 d postintervention, but at 14 d the effects were unclear. Changes in other measures at 3 and 14 d postintervention were either unclear or unremarkable.

CONCLUSION
Acutely intermittent hypoxia produced substantial enhancement in endurance performance, but the relative benefit of 3- vs 5-min exposure intervals remains unclear.


According to specialized articles, the incidence of osteitis pubis among athletes is in a continuous growth. This condition has been creating problems for a long time, not only to the athletes, through the symptoms that they generate, but also to club teams, funders, sponsors, etc. Usually, it is confused with other ailments of the symphysis pubis, and thus, in order to be identified correctly, the practitioner must investigate all possible ways. Once that it is diagnosed correctly, the conservative treatment containing anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, alternative therapy and complementary therapies, may begin. According to specialized literature, there is no specific protocol in treating osteitis pubis and so a significant number of conservative treatments fail, finally leading to surgery. Due to the paricularities of the disease, by means of specific devices we can collect data at the foot map level, a map of pressures, the values obtained can be quantified and modeled. The results are used in comedones to determine certain mathematical correlations between various parameters specific to osteitis pubis. Through this mathematical model, a post-traumatic osteitis pubis evolution can be simulated, offering data necessary when deciding on a set of optimum parameters required in the treatment. Simulating and interpreting statistics using a graphical interface, easily maneuverable, educational type, gives the kinetotherapist the possibility to a better understanding of the disease and he can, thus, develop a treatment plan appropriate for the patient. A better understanding of osteitis pubis will lead to the development of a suitable protocol for its treatment and therefore, will reduce the number of surgical intervention,s as well as the costs associated with the process of recovery. All these issues may drive to the need for a program and a national strategy to prevent precocious occurrence of osteitis pubis, especially among athletes.


This paper presents an empirical study involving initiatives that encouraged students to log onto online courses in entrepreneurship delivered by the University of Glamorgan. The aim of the research was to explore items of interest to the online students that may increase participation in the forums and hence potentially enhanced engagement with the course module. The online tutor created additional forums within the discussion board of the virtual learning environment (VLE) that included a variety of online games and quizzes that were relative to the module topic. The rationale that underpinned this initiative was to reduce the possible blandness of the VLE as perceived by some students. The games and quizzes were carefully designed to enhance knowledge in the subject and thereby provided additional learning opportunities. The initiative was also thought to assist in the formation of an online learning community. The study involved experimentation by the online tutor with subsequent observation of the behavioural patterns of the students. In one module, the dedicated social and games forums attracted 54% of the total postings for the module. The findings suggest that including online quizzes and games that are relevant to the taught subject can increase the participation levels of the students and possibly enhance the learning process. The findings of this study may inform the design, development and delivery of online learning programmes. The findings also inform strategies of good practice in online moderation and may help to reduce withdrawal rates, which are typically high in the field of elearning (Potashnik and Capper, 1998).


Changes to client requirements are inevitable during construction. Industry discourse is concerned with minimizing and controlling changes. However, accounts of practices involved in making changes are rare. In response to calls for more research into working practices, an ethnographic study of a live hospital project was undertaken to explore how changes are made. A vignette of a meeting exploring the investigation of changes illustrates the issues. This represents an example from the ethnographic fieldwork, which produced many observations. There was a strong emphasis on using change management procedures contained within the contract to investigate changes, even when it was known that the change was not required. For the practitioners, this was a way of demonstrating best practice, transparent and accountable decision-making regarding changes. Hence, concerns for following procedures sometimes overshadowed considerations about whether or not a change was required to improve the functionality of the building. However, the procedures acted as boundary objects between the communities of practice involved on the project by coordinating the work of managing changes. Insights suggest how contract procedures facilitate and impede the making of changes, which can inform policy guidance and contract drafting.


Problem Statement: With the advancement of technology, energy as a concept has become part of the every aspects of life, and it becomes more and more important day by day. Since 2013, the concept of energy has become part of the updated physics education program in Turkey. Teaching the concept of energy is a significant undertaking; most students do not properly comprehend it because it is an abstract concept. In this respect, physics teachers play an important role in teaching this topic, and their views would contribute greatly to the field. Purpose of the Study: The aim of the research is to determine teachers' views on teaching the concept of energy; on the new physics program, which also includes the teaching of energy; on constructivist learning theory; and on the appropriateness of energy for this theory. Method: This research is designed as a case study, which is among the qualitative research methods, and there are three physics teachers in the study group. In the research, semi-constructed interview questions were used as a data gathering tool, and a researcher log for observing the participants was kept in order to support the obtained data. Data were analyzed using a descriptive analysis method, and the data were summarized under themes within the frame of the answers given to research questions. Findings: As a result of the research, we determined that the teaching of energy could not be done in accordance with the constructivist approach due to the teachers' lack of knowledge; however, we also determined that the teachers think that energy as a topic is applicable to the constructivist approach. Conclusion and Recommendations: We determined that when energy is taught, students can become more conscious of the concept of energy and can relate it to daily life. Moreover, our study revealed that if energy is taught by giving examples from daily life, by showing videos and simulations, and if it is supported with experiments in labs and with field trips, students can have a more effective learning experience. Furthermore, if the university entrance exam is made compatible with the curriculum, students can be more successful in learning the concept of energy. Keywords: Energy, physics education, physics education program, teachers opinions.


: Purpose: The aim of this article is to identify processes in the horses feed supply chains implemented for the needs of sporting stables, together with an indication of the factors determining their efficient management and to propose methods to improve the process. Design/Approach: The research was conducted using qualitative methods. As part of the research procedure, process analysis was carried out using the method of mapping processes in the horse feed supply chain . To analyse and evaluate the examined processes were presented in the form of graphical maps developed using the iGrafx software. Findings: The results of the study indicate that the coordination and integration of logistics processes has a significant impact on the efficiency of the feed supply chain. It is necessary to focus process management on building partnerships in the supply chain to ensure high quality horse nutrition. Practical Implications: The results can be used to improve the supply chain, which is important for owners, breeders, trainers, and animal caregivers - as well as sports, insurance, or veterinary institutions. Nutritional issues are subject to detailed analysis in the event of success and at the time of occurrence of health problems ending with surgical intervention or death of the horse. Originality/Value: Due to the growing importance of these issues for the efficient operation of the feed chain for horses, it is necessary to understand and promote the aspect of coherent, integrated process management in the scientific and practical dimension. An important element of breeding and training activities is the proper recognition of individual elements and relationships in feed supply chains, as well as the factors determining them.


The Arctic mutation causes early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), and makes amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides more prone to form Aβ protofibrils. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the mechanisms of the Arctic mutation in vivo, and to use transgenic models to determine the role of early intermediates of Aβ aggregation, like protofibrils, in the pathogenesis. In addition, we aimed to evaluate protofibrils as a therapeutic target.Transgenic models with Arctic and Swedish mutations (tg-ArcSwe), and with the Swedish mutation alone (tg-Swe) were created. The Arctic mutation favored amyloidogenic processing of amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) in transgenic mice and cultured cells. The observed shift in the subcellular location and processing of APP led to increased production of intracellular Aβ in vitro, and also partly explained the early accumulation of intraneuronal Aβ in tg-ArcSwe mice. The intraneuronal Aβ in combination with enhanced levels of protofibrils appeared long before extracellular plaques emerged. Elevated protofibril levels were associated with intraneuronal Aβ and linked to spatial learning deficits in young mice, suggesting that protofibrils cause AD-related cognitive deficits. The Arctic mutation also enhanced senile plaque pathology in aged tg-ArcSwe mice, and the accelerated plaque deposition was accompanied by decreased intraneuronal Aβ. This suggests a dynamic equilibrium between the early accumulation of intraneuronal Aβ and the later senile plaque pathology.Aβ protofibrils were evaluated as a therapeutic target in tg-ArcSwe mice with passive immunization using a protofibril-selective antibody. This treatment cleared protofibrils without removing senile plaques. However, plaque formation was prevented if treatment began early, indicating that protofibrils are intermediate species of Aβ fibrillization in vivo. Targeting senile plaques with immunotherapy requires early diagnosis and intervention, whereas protofibrils can be specifically cleared from brain despite substantial AD-like deposition of insoluble Aβ. The early and persistent presence of protofibrils throughout Aβ amyloidosis makes them a promising target for future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in AD.


This thesis explores the hybridity and distinctiveness of British American football. Sports have socio-historical links to specific nation-states, thus encoding them with culturally specific values. Despite a movement towards cultural convergence, especially of popular culture, aspects of sport have remained resistant to dominant globalization trends. My thesis reveals that the globalization of American football to Britain has been a process which makes concessions to the local, while still retaining many of its global characteristics. Through an ethnographic study of one team, I spent an entire season becoming an "insider" and understanding the British American football culture from the perspective of the participants themselves. Analysis of data collected through participant observation and interviews revealed a number of themes which defined British American football as a hybrid and distinctive sport. First, that British American football was distinctive within the domestic British sports space because of its unique combination of American characteristics. Second, that "glocalization" influences the structuring of British American football under the amateur code, in order for the sport to better fit within the British sporting habitus. Finally, that the two branches of American football in Britain, the NFL and the British grassroots, were found to be involved in a disparate relationship which involved each branch concentrating on their own separate agendas for the sport. In conclusion, the American football played in Britain is British American football and this study importantly demonstrates that while a sport can retain its roots in terms of its physical appearance and playing structure, in order for it to infiltrate a foreign sports space, concessions must be made to the local sporting culture. The single most important thread that ran throughout this thesis was that American football could, and has, taken on multiple meanings, which were dependent upon the national context in which it was being played. It emphasizes the idea of globalization as glocalization; that the local is important in the global aspirations of the sport of American football. British American football has placed a uniquely British stamp on an otherwise purely American pastime.


Today, patients' families in the West are regaining the access to hospitals that they lost when hospitals emerged as the primary site for medical treatment, research and training at the beginning of the twentieth century. In China, however, families were never excluded from American mission-run hospitals, in fact, they were indispensable. Families were in the waiting rooms, consulting rooms,wards and operating theatres. They provided more than reassurance and comfort: they fed and nursed their sick relatives, acted as advocates and middlemen and may even have lowered the incidence of cross-infection, the scourge of the contemporary hospital in the West.


Abstract The analysis of the fluctuations of signals coming from detectors in the vicinity of a subcritical assembly of fissile materials is commonly used for the control and safeguard of nuclear materials and might be used for the surveillance of an accelerator driven system. One of the stochastic techniques is the measurement of the probability distributions of counts in time intervals Δt (gates); the departure of the ratio of the variance and the mean value with respect to 1 (the correlation) is directly related to the amount of fissile material and its subcriticality. The measurement of this correlation is affected by dead-time effects due to count losses because of the finite-time resolution of the detection system. We present a theory that allows (a) the calculation of the probability of losing n counts (P(n)) in gate Δt, (b) the definition of experimental conditions under which P(2) << P(1), and (c) a methodology to correct the measured correlation because of losing one count in any gate. The theory is applied to the analysis of experiments performed in a highly enriched subcritical assembly.


The power cost of running a data center is a significant portion of its total annual operating budget. Although the hardware subsystems, namely, processors, memory, disk, and network interfaces of a server actually consume power, it is the software activities that drive the operations of the hardware subsystems leading to varying dynamic power cost. With the aim of reducing power bills of data centers, "Green Computing" has emerged with the primary goal of making software more energy efficient without compromising the performance. Developers play an important role in controlling the energy cost of data center software while writing code. Bearing green principles in mind during design and coding stages of the software life-cycle can have a great impact on the energy efficiency of the final software product. There are a number of ways to optimize application programs at their design stages but it is difficult for the developers to analyse their applications in terms of power cost on the real servers. Reading big data, moving large amount of data from one server to another, compressing data to gain storage space, and decompressing it back are some key operations that are performed extensively on large scale servers in data centers. In the first part of this thesis, we present the design of an automated test bench to measure the power cost of an application running on a server. We show how our test bench can be used by software developers to measure and improve the energy cost of two Java file access methods. Another benefit of our test bench has been demonstrated by comparing the energy footprint measurements of compression and decompression features provided by two popular Linux packages: 7z and rar. This information will be helpful in choosing a Green Software among others to perform a desired function. In the second part, we show how software developers can contribute to energy efficiency of servers by choosing energy efficient APIs (Application Programming Interface) with the optimal choice of parameters while implementing file reading, file copy, file compression and file decompression operations in Java. We performed extensive measurements of energy cost of those operations on a Dell Power Edge 2950 machine running Linux and Windows servers. Measurement results show that energy costs of various APIs for those operations are sensitive to the buffer size selection. The choice of a particular Java API for file reading with different buffer sizes has significant impact on the energy cost, giving an opportunity to save up to 76%. To save energy while copying files, it is important to use APIs with tunable buffer sizes, rather than APIs using fixed size buffers. In addition, there is a trade off between compression ratio and energy cost: because of higher compression ratio, xz compression API consumes more energy than zip and gzip compression APIs.


Background: The article underscores the process of knowledge retention for academics in select academic departments in the College of Human Sciences (CHS) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The knowledge economy is ubiquitous and necessitates that organisations foster innovation and improve efficiency, effectiveness, competitiveness and productivity through knowledge retention. In an academic setting, which is the focus of this article, the situation is no different because there seems to be an accord worldwide that the quality of higher education largely depends on the qualifications of staff and professorial capability in quality research, instruction and doctoral level certification. By implication, it is critical that the retention of knowledge should be prioritised to ensure the curtailment of the impact of knowledge attrition. Objective: The study intends to profile knowledge assets in CHS, determine retention strategies and offer suggestions about regenerating knowledge retention initiatives. Research methodology: A quantitative approach, more specifically the informetrics technique of data mining, was adopted to profile academics in CHS at UNISA. Results: The results confirm the assertion that there is a discrepancy between senior academics who are probably due to leave the university in the next few years, and entrants who will replace them. The issue is worsened by the lack of an institutional framework to guide, standardise, strengthen or prioritise the process of knowledge retention. Conclusion: The study recommends the prioritisation, formalisation and institutionalisation of knowledge retention through the implementation of a broad range of knowledge retention strategies.


This paper discusses the recent development of European level policies regarding wireless broadband services, and in particular those adopted by the European Union. We address three main policy strands, namely broadband service provision in general, spectrum allocation and policies addressing competition issues in mobile markets. We find that the European Commission has successfully promulgated good practice spectrum management and encouraged greater flexibility, which allows harmonisation at a technical level but potentially some national variations in use. There has been growing centralisation of European policy making. Assuming that the demand for broadband services justifies further release of spectrum an inventory approach is necessary to identify potential bands for mobile broadband, and further centralisation of activity at European level seems inevitable given the need for harmonised allocations. Despite this, the prospect of a EU spectrum regulator is some way off given the opposition demonstrated by some national regulators.


Intelligent agents need to select long sequences of actions to solve complex tasks. While humans easily break down tasks into subgoals and reach them through millions of muscle commands, current artificial intelligence is limited to tasks with horizons of a few hundred decisions, despite large compute budgets. Research on hierarchical reinforcement learning aims to overcome this limitation but has proven to be challenging, current methods rely on manually specified goal spaces or subtasks, and no general solution exists. We introduce Director, a practical method for learning hierarchical behaviors directly from pixels by planning inside the latent space of a learned world model. The high-level policy maximizes task and exploration rewards by selecting latent goals and the low-level policy learns to achieve the goals. Despite operating in latent space, the decisions are interpretable because the world model can decode goals into images for visualization. Director outperforms exploration methods on tasks with sparse rewards, including 3D maze traversal with a quadruped robot from an egocentric camera and proprioception, without access to the global position or top-down view that was used by prior work. Director also learns successful behaviors across a wide range of environments, including visual control, Atari games, and DMLab levels.


Hypertriglyceridemia and hyperlipidemia are common disorders associated with coronary artery disease and premature death. The proteins encoded by the apolipoprotein (apo) A-I/C-III/A-IV gene cluster are involved in the metabolism of both triglycerides and cholesterol. In a large sample of individuals from the ARIC study, six polymorphic markers were typed and plasma lipid values were measured to determine whether the well-established association between the Sst I S2 allele in the 3'-untranslated region of the apo C-III gene and hypertriglyceridemia was due to disequilibrium with variation in the 5' regulatory region of the apo C-III gene. The Sst I polymorphism was significantly associated with hypertriglyceridemia (P = .006) but not with carotid artery wall thickness, plasma apo C-III levels, or elevated cholesterol. The frequency of the S2 allele was 0.14 in those with high triglyceride levels and 0.05 in those with low triglyceride levels. None of the 5' flanking polymorphisms were significantly associated with any of the plasma lipids studied. There was substantial linkage disequilibrium between the Sst I polymorphism and each of the 5' apo C-III polymorphisms; however, the significant association between the apo C-III haplotypes and hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio, 4.0; P < .0001) was solely attributable to the effects of the Sst I polymorphism (odds ratio, 3.96). As a part of these analyses, we also defined a unique haplotype that is inversely associated with the occurrence of hypertriglyceridemia, suggesting further molecular analyses of this important gene region.


The standard normative account of international human rights law is that its overarching mission is to protect universal features of what it means to be a human being from the exercise of sovereign power. This article offers an alternative account of the field, one that locates its normative dimensions in its capacity to speak to distributive injustices produced by how international law brings legal order to international political reality. On this account, human rights possess international legal significance not because they correspond to abstract conceptions of what it means to be human but because they monitor the distributive justice of the structure and operation of the international legal order itself. This account both draws on and departs from cosmopolitan conceptions of distributive justice in contemporary international political theory. It sheds normative light on why some human rights merit international legal protection despite the fact that they might lack some of the properties required by a universal account of the field. It illustrates these claims by describing how indigenous rights, minority rights, and rights to international cooperation and assistance mitigate some of the adverse consequences of how international law distributes sovereign power among a variety of legal actors it recognizes as states.


This document is about Peruvian Japanese migration. Peru was the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with Japan, and the tenth in the world. At that time just 14 countries had this kind of links with Japan. The Japanese migration started in 1899. Peru was also the first country in Latin America to receive those migrant Japanese citizens. The first Japanese foreign investment venture took place in Peru in 1889.


We develop a new, custom-built hardware for emulating contactless smartcards compliant to ISO 14443. The device is based on a modern low-cost microcontroller and can support basically all relevant (cryptographic) protocols used by contactless smartcards today, e.g., those based on AES or Triple-DES. As a proof of concept, we present a full emulation of Mifare Classic cards on the basis of our highly optimized implementation of the stream cipher Crypto1. The implementation enables the creation of exact clones of such cards, including the UID. We furthermore reverse-engineered the protocol of DESFire EV1 and realize the first emulation of DESFire and DESFire EV1 cards in the literature. We practically demonstrate the capabilities of our emulator by spoofing several real-world systems, e.g., creating a contactless payment card which allows an attacker to set the stored credit balance as desired and hence make an infinite amount of payments.


Masonry load bearing wall subjected to vertical concentric and eccentric loading may collapse through instability. In this Paper the buckling behavior of masonry load bearing wall of different slenderness ratio were investigated via testing a series of scale masonry wall subjected to concentric and eccentric vertical loading. A total of thirty six masonry walls were tested in the Laboratory of Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), which was the basis of the numerical study. A numerical finite element model was developed based on the simplified micro model approach and calibrated by using those results found from experimental study. The influence of nonlinear behavior of interface element, slenderness ratio and various end conditions have been investigated together with the effect of different end eccentricity of vertical load. However, a series of analytical studies were conducted in order to access the accuracy and performance of formulations provided by EUROCODE 6 and ACI-530 for vertical capacity of masonry wall.


Digital network technologies aid the socioeconomic prosperity of rural communities, particularly through agricultural innovation to improve productivity and competitiveness. However, internet access is imperative to benefit from the full functionality of digital technologies and connect to wider markets and services. To date, Australia's national broadband plans have not ensured parity in service provision between urban and rural areas, which results in uneven opportunities based on remoteness and regionality. Forms of connectivity fundamentally shape the activities pursued online and areas with higher quality broadband hold a competitive advantage. Rural users of Australia's satellite and mobile wireless connections are constrained by poor coverage, unreliability and slow speeds, which are compounded by high costs, limited consumer choice of providers, and restricted data allowances. These constraints mean the potential of digital technologies for rural socioeconomic development remain largely unrealised. This article argues that rural Australia must be prioritised in broadband infrastructure developments to narrow the digital divide and provide the connectivity necessary to increase rural participation in the digital economy. It suggests greater flexibility in policy would encourage investment in and support for local infrastructure solutions that address different demands and market environments.


This study quantifies the technical, economic and environmental performance of hybrid systems that use either a tidal stream or wind turbine, alongside short-term battery storage and back-up oil generators. The systems are designed to partially displace oil generators on the island of Alderney, located in the British Channel Islands. The tidal stream turbine provides four power generation periods per day, every day. This relatively high frequency power cycling limits the use of the oil generators to 1.6 GWh/year. In contrast, low wind resource periods can last for days, forcing the wind hybrid system to rely on the back-up oil generators over long periods, totalling 2.4 GWh/year (50% higher). For this reason the tidal hybrid system spends £0.25 million/year less on fuel by displacing a greater volume of oil, or £6.4 million over a 25 year operating life, assuming a flat cost of oil over this period. The tidal and wind hybrid systems achieve an oil displacement of 78% and 67% respectively (the same as the reduction in carbon emissions). For the wind hybrid system to displace the same amount of oil as the tidal hybrid system, two additional wind turbines are needed. The ability of the battery to store excess turbine energy during high tidal/wind resource periods relies on opportunities to regularly discharge stored energy. The tidal hybrid system achieves this during slack tides. Periods of high wind resource outlast those of high tidal resource, causing the battery to often remain fully charged and excess wind power to be curtailed. Consequently the wind hybrid system curtails 1.9 GWh/year, whilst the tidal turbine curtails 0.2 GWh/year. The ability of the tidal stream turbines to reduce curtailment, fuel costs and carbon emissions may provide a case for implementing them in hybrid systems, if these benefits outweigh their relatively high capital and operating expenditure.


The distribution of the rare and endangered perennial herb Primulina tabacum Hance is restricted to eight karst caves in southern China. To conserve P. tabacum and to evaluate possible reintroduction, we studied its historical distribution and conducted field surveys of both its biotic and physical environment. We used detrended correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis to investigate the plant community structure and to identify the major environmental factors associated with its presence at eight sites and absence from three other sites where it formerly grew. The results revealed differences in community structure among sites and close correlations between species composition and environmental conditions. The data indicate that P. tabacum has special ecological requirements, including alkaline soil, low soil content of N, P, K and organic matter, low light, a high soil water content and high relative humidity, and a high atmospheric CO2 concentration. Soil K content, relative humidity and atmospheric CO2 concentration were the three variables most strongly associated with the vegetation composition and structure of the 11 sites. It appears that as a result of reductions in humidity, some of the historical localities of P. tabacum may no longer be suitable for reintroduction. Pilea notata, Pteris cretica var. nervosa and two moss species, Heteroscyphus coalitus and Gymnostomiella longinervis, were strongly associated with P. tabacum. The first two plants could be useful as indicators of suitable environments for P. tabacum, and the moss species could be useful as nurse plants for the reintroduction of P. tabacum into wild habitats.


Changes in Fruit and Vegetable Household food Availability Among Low-income Families Over a One-Month Period Ann Wells Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, BYU Master of Science Objective: There is little evidence of how fruit and vegetable (FV) household food availability changes over a one-month period among low-income households. The objective of this study was to analyze how FV variety and sustainability changes over a 4-week period. Design: Inventories were conducted in low-income family households (n=49) once a week over a 4-week period. Trained researchers gathered the weights of all FV, including legumes, within the home. Previously determined mean container weights were subtracted to obtain the estimated weight of the FV. All weights were then converted to edible cups of FV, taking into account the weight that is removed when stems, peels, skins, and canning liquid are removed. Analysis: Variety was measured by analyzing the number of kinds of FV within the USDA subgroups (100% fruit juice, citrus fruits, other fruits, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, dry beans and peas, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) found in the home. In addition, sustainability was analyzed by the number of days into the future at which households can meet 100% of the FV recommendations. Data were combined for all households, according to the time points with the most amount of FV (HFV), the second-most amount of FV, the third-most amount of FV, and the least amount of FV (LFV) available in the household. Results: Vegetables, specifically canned vegetables, comprised the majority of all measurements taken throughout all inventories. When combined, the kinds of total FV decreased significantly from 25±1.1 kinds on HFV to 21.2±1.1 kinds on LFV (p<.0001). Days into the future at 100% of the fruit recommendation fell significantly from 11.4±0.1 days on HFV to 7.1±0.1 days on LFV (p<.0001). Total vegetables decreased significantly from 25.3±0.1 days on HFV to 19.1±0.1 days on LFV (p<.0001). Even at the peak of FV availability, dark green vegetables remained the lowest subgroup at 2.1±0.1 days and decreased to 1.6±0.1 days at LFV (p=0.01). Conclusions and Implications: Low-income households have greater variety of FV during the times when they have the most food resources compared to when they have the least food resources. The days into the future that the household FV supply could be maintained at 100% of the USDA's subgroup recommendation varies widely between subgroups, from about two days up to more than one month. Further research is needed to determine how to maintain subgroup variety and constancy of a FV supply throughout the month for low-income FV.


Atherosclerosis is a disease of chronic inflammation, characterized by a dysfunctional interplay between the immune apparatus and lipids. Immune cells, as well as nonim mune cells, drive plaque inflammation through a complex crosstalk of inflammatory mediators. The cells are activated by risk factor–induced triggers, which are present in the circulation and in the vessel wall, such as shear stress, oxidized lipoproteins and oxi - dative stress. Without relief from risk factors, the activation of inflammatory processes persists, resulting in a chronic nonresolving inflammation. Inflammation is associated with severity of disease, and complex lesions, which are prone to rupture and cause acute events, are characterized by extensive inflammation. Thus, inflammation is an active driver of atherosclerotic plaque development and a risk factor for atherosclerotic events. It is therefore of utmost importance to understand the mechanisms behind these inflam - matory processes and to be able to develop new diagnostics and treatment modalities for atherosclerotic disorders. This chapter provides a brief overview of the most important inflammatory players and processes during atherosclerotic plaque development and of possible therapeutic targets to combat atherosclerotic disease.


Abstract Worldwide, gender-sensitive justice and legal reform has been acknowledged as an important component in improving the status and security of female citizens; in recent decades, such reform has begun in a number of states in the Middle East/North Africa region. In the Palestinian Territories, governmental and non-governmental organizations that render services to women and girls have acknowledged the need to address gender inequality in Palestinian legislation, primarily within the personal status and penal codes by way of reform. This paper (2) presents some findings from working group sessions with Palestinian service providers conducted by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in the West Bank between April and May 2010 for a project entitled "Palestinian Women and Security. (3) Service providers discussed the impact of the Palestinian legal framework on the (in)security of women and girls and their ability to render services. Working group sessions revealed gaps in current legislation addressing gender-based violence, as well as service providers' views on women's awareness of their rights and the obstacles to reform. Recommendations from service providers are also presented. Keywords: Service provision; Palestinian women; legal reform; gender-based violence Introduction In recent years, a number of states in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region have addressed gender inequality in their legislation by way of reform. In the Palestinian Territories, governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that render services to Palestinian women and girls have acknowledged the need for such an effort locally in recent years. In fact, during 2009, the Palestinian Authority (PA) committed itself to "enable women's participation in policy and decision-making processes," and to "fight violence against women" through the Ministry of Women's Affairs in its Program of the Thirteenth Government, (3) however, legislative efforts have yet to occur. On International Women's Day (8 March) of that same year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas enacted Presidential Decree No. (19) Concerning the Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that was viewed by many as a symbolic signing of CEDAW. (4) During the same period, the Ministry of Women's Affairs advocated for an amendment to or repeal of Articles 340 and 98 of the Penal Code in the West Bank that justify the murder of a wife in the case of adultery and reduce the penalty for such murder if it is regarded as a 'crime of passion.' In a speech delivered later that year during the Campaign to Combat Violence against Women in Ramallah, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad stated that, "Both official institutions and NGOs have the duty to work on an equal footing and jointly shoulder the responsibility to set forth all that is required to ensure protection and equity for women, by formulating a national strategy to combat violence against women," and that, "This requires radical developments and modifications in the structure of our legislations to sustain the principle of equality stipulated in the Basic Law, which should include the personal status law and the penal code, as well as issuing a code criminalizing violence against women in all its forms, to ensure justice and equality, including at the level of political participation in pursuance to the UN resolutions 1325 and 1889." These statements and gestures indicate a strong willingness on the part of the current West Bank-based PA government to address gender-based inadequacies in the current legal framework and to address violence against women and girls. However, many obstacles stand in the way of reform and the ability of governmental organizations and NGOs to render services to Palestinian women and girls affected by violence and insecurity. This paper presents some findings from working group sessions with Palestinian service providers conducted by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in the West Bank between April and May 2010 for a project entitled "Palestinian Women and Security. …


A systematic asymptotic investigation of a pair of coupled nonlinear one–dimensional amplitude equations, which provide a simplified model of solar and stellar magnetic activity cycles, is presented. Specifically, an αΩ–dynamo in a thin shell of small gap–to–radius ratio &b.epsi; (≪ 1) is considered, in which the Ω–effect (the differential rotation) is prescribed but the α–effect is quenched by the finite–amplitude magnetic field. The unquenched system is characterized by a latitudinally θ–dependent dynamo number D, with a symmetric single–hump profile, which vanishes at both the pole, θ = π/2, and the equator, θ = 0, and has a maximum, D, at mid–latitude, θM = π/4. The shape D(θ)/D is fixed, so that there is only a single driving parameter D. At onset of global instability, D = DL(ϵ): = DT + O(ϵ), a travelling wave, of frequency ω = ωL(ϵ): = ωT+ O(ϵ) and wavelength O(ϵ), is localized at a low latitude θPT(< θM); DT and ωT are constants independent of ϵ. As a consequence of the spatial separation of θPT and θM, the squared field amplitude increases linearly with the excess dynamo number D – DL in the weakly nonlinear regime, as usual, but with a large constant of proportionality dependent on some numerically small power of exp(1/ϵ). Whether the bifurcation is sub– or supercritical is extremely sensitive to the value of ϵ. In the nonlinear regime, the travelling wave localized at θPT at global onset expands and lies under an asymmetric envelope that vanishes smoothly at a low latitude θP but terminates abruptly on a length O(ϵ) – comparable to the wavelength – across a front at high latitude θF. The criterion of Dee and Langer, applied to the local linear evanescent disturbance ahead of the front, determines the lowest order value of the frequency close to the global onset value ωT. The global transition is characterized by the abrupt shift of θF from θPT to θM; during that passage, D executes O(ϵ-1) oscillations of increasing magnitude about DL. Fully developed nonlinearity occurs when θF > θM. In that regime, Meunier and co–workers showed that the O(1) quantities θF – θM and (ω – ωT)/ϵ2/3 increase together in concert with D – DT. By analysing the detailed structure of the front of width O(ϵ), we obtain ω correct to the higher order O(ϵ) and show improved agreement with numerical integrations performed by Meunier and co–workers of the complete governing equations at finite ϵ.


Several BCR‐ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are approved for the first‐line treatment of chronic phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Disease control is achieved in the vast majority of patients and disease‐specific survival is excellent. Consequently, there is now emphasis on managing comorbidities and minimising treatment‐related toxicity. Second‐generation TKIs have cardiovascular risks that are greater than with imatinib treatment, but these risks must be balanced against the superior CML responses encountered with more potent TKIs. Cardiovascular risk should be assessed at baseline using a locally validated model based on the Framingham risk equation. Clinicians involved in the care of CML patients should be aware of the vascular complications of TKIs and manage cardiovascular risk factors early to mitigate treatment‐related risks. Reversible risk factors, such as dyslipidaemia, smoking, diabetes and hypertension, should be addressed. We summarise the available data on cardiovascular complications in CML patients treated with TKIs. Using the latest evidence and collective expert opinion, we provide practical advice for clinicians to assess, stratify and manage cardiovascular risk in people with CML receiving TKI therapy.


The battle of ideas has raged in Russia since the times of Peter the Great and Catharine the Great and continues even today. The front line is between the liberals (Westernisers, Europhiles) and a camp that could broadly be called conservatives (Slavophiles, Eurasianist). Today's Russia faces a new challenge, having emerged from a rigid communist system, as before in history the country is faced with soul-searching. In today's Russia there are three broad ideological camps: liberals, conservatives and realists. Beyond this division they can be defined as systemic and non-systemic, according to whether they are recognised as legitimate by the Kremlin and whether they themselves see the state as a legitimate actor. Liberals and conservatives can be in or out of the system, but not the realists, who because of their centrist position are voluntarily locked in to the system. In this article, I explore the dynamics between the three camps, the attitude of the state towards them and their representation in institutions such as universities and the media. I also determine their positions through a set of test questions pertaining to the 1993 Constitution, the Russian Central Bank and the conflict in Ukraine. I also want to explain the position of conservatives, the only camp striving to create a new ideological formula, as well as the attitude of the state to conservatism in the atmosphere of the new Cold War. Or is the state deploying its spin-doctors and only using these divisions as a tool for creation of a never-ending political reality show? The symbol of this political reality show in Russia is the Kremlin's spin-doc-tor-in-chief, Vladislav Surkov, who used sovereign democracy as a syncretic term and a temporary ideological placeholder to balance the ideological camps. Finally, I contemplate what might lie ahead for Russia and whether the state, currently ever balancing between the three camps, could swing towards conservatism.


Background: People with diabetes are at risk of developing foot ulcers (DFUs), which accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. Damage caused from repeated foot loading and temperature changes during walking may go undetected by patients due to loss of lower-extremity sensations (peripheral neuropathy). Clinical assessment on the other hand needs considerable time. Therefore, a feasible assessment of pressure and temperature is vital to measure pre-ulcerative inflammation and predict DFUs. Current study is aimed to validate effectiveness of an innovative smart textile based on fiber optics which allows measuring simultaneously plantar pressure, plantar temperature, and lower extremity joint angles. Methods: The proposed technology is based on optical fiber glass that propagates of light. Multiple sensors were juxtaposed on the length of the fiber which was integrated in a comfortable sock -SmartSox (Novinoor LLC, IL, USA) - Figure 1. Based on changes in wavelength of light, mechanical changes in environment including changes in temperature, pressure and joint angles are measured. The sensors were integrated in anatomical regions of interest including heel, mid-foot, 1st and 5th metatarsal heads, and under and over big toe. The later sensor allows measuring hallux range of motion in addition to temperature and pressure. To validate the accuracy of the designed prototype, 21 volunteers diagnosed with diabetes were recruited. Subjects were asked to walk a predetermined route of 200 steps in their normal or prescribed shoes. Plantar foot thermal images were taken by a thermal camera system twice: once at baseline after a five-minute temperature acclimation period and once after each walking trial. To determine the number of steps taken, subjects were asked to wear a gait analyzer system (LEGSys™, Biosensics LLC, MA, USA) in addition to SmartSox. To validate the accuracy of plantar pressure, a computerized pressure insole, F-scan (TekScan® Inc, MA, USA) was used as a gold standard. Results: Twenty-one patients with diabetes were recruited (Age: 57.8±7.9 years, BMI: 31.6±8.0 kg/m2, VPT: 26.8±15 volt, 68% diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy). All subjects perceived the SmartSox as comfortable and no problems were observed during walking assessment. Some fibers were however broken during wearing the socks in particular for patients who worn removable cast walker. A significant correlation was observed between the pressure profile measured by SmartSox and F-Scan under different anatomical regions of interest (r>0.6, p<0.05). A similar agreement between SmartSox and thermal camera was observed for changes in plantar temperature during walking. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the proofs of concept of an innovative smart textile for assessing simultaneously the key parameters associated with risk of foot ulcer in patients with diabetes. Fragility of the current prototype is considered as one of its major weakness for routine clinical assessment and thus further improvement in design of fiber and sock is needed. Additional study is required to address whether the measured parameters can be used to predict and better management of diabetic foot ulcer.


In 2012, approximately 3700 million tons of cement is produced all around the world. Iran by producing 65 million tons cement in 2012 is ranked in fifth. Production process of the cement requires a huge amount of energy and it is approximated that 25% to 35% (based on efficiency of factories) of total costs in cement industries belong to required heat energy in production process. To produce 65 million tons of cement in Iran, about 56×1012 kcal of heat energy is consumed. Thus applying the new and cheep sources of energy could play an important role in reducing energy costs. On the other hand one of the important environmental problems is the absolutely huge amount of used tire of vehicles and the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and they should be appropriately destroyed. As a result they can easily change to Tire-Derived Fuel (TDF) and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) to provide the required heat energy in cement industries.In this study the available amount of RDF and TDF for cement industry are estimated. The evaluation results show that in Iran TDF can only provide about 1.77 percent of this need. Also using RDF, whose production has large potential in Iran, can cover about 27.96 percent. It is concluded that reduction of 29.73 percent of fossil fuel consumption in cement industries stem from applying both of these fuels simultaneously, leading to gas saving about two billion cubic meters per year. It is determined that the export value of such volume of gas is equal to one billion and ten million dollars with current gas price. However there is no tendency for using the alternative energy by cement factories because of low price of oil and natural gas inside Iran than global rate. In fact at the moment applying RDF and TDF doesn't have any benefit for cement factories.The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of using alternative fuels in the cement industry in Iran and to show that for persuading and encouraging the cement factories to apply RDF and TDF, instead of increasing the energy prices, the revenue from fuel savings in global rate should be paid directly to cement industries.© 2014 ASME


Bestselling language courses now with audio CDs!From Catonese to Thai, Gaelic to Modern Persian, learning the languages of the world is attainable for any beginning student. Learners can use the Teach Yourself Language Courses at their own pace or as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are based on the very latest learning methods and designed to be enjoyable and user-friendly.Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including: - Up-to-date, graded interactive dialogues- Graded units of culture notes, grammar, and exercises- Step-by-step guide to pronunciationThe new editions also feature: - Clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout- Self-assessment quizzes to test progress- Practical vocabulary- Regular and irregular verb tables- Plenty of practice exercises and answers- Bilingual glossary- Website suggestions to take language study further


This easy-to-use guide to drafting patterns for individual designs is aimed at anyone who wants to learn how to make patterns, from taking the measurements to constructing the foundations to drafting the actual pattern. The book concentrates on teaching the principles of pattern drafting and will equip the reader with the knowledge to draft any pattern for any design. All the methods can be applied to men, women and children, whatever their shape or size, and the contents include skirts, dresses, bodices, collars, lapels, sleeves, trousers, culottes and shorts.


Witness noncooperation is the single greatest reason why the prosecution loses meritorious cases. Lamentably, the Supreme Court has been making matters worse. In Crawford v. Washington and its progeny, the justices have ruled that the Sixth Amendment confrontation clause bars admission of 'testimonial hearsay' - an out of court statement accusing the defendant - unless the declarant testifies, or is unavailable and the defense had a prior opportunity to cross-examine the declarant concerning the statement. The consequence has been a loss for truth across the board, but the loss is especially pronounced in domestic violence cases. This symposium challenges the contributing authors to propose some concrete, feasible reform of the criminal justice system. Political and economic constraints limit many prospects for reforming criminal justice. Changes in the evidence rules that might advance the search for truth in criminal cases are, quite possibly, an exception. Such changes require no financial appropriations. They appeal to the same alliance of law-enforcement agencies and women's groups that has achieved such political successes as the rape shield laws, anti-stalking statutes, and civil protection orders. In broad terms I call for a nationwide reexamination of the evidence rules in light of Crawford's impact. More particularly, I call on the Advisory Committee, the Supreme Court, and Congress to amend the Federal Rules of Evidence. Although the federal role in prosecuting domestic violence cases is modest compared to that of the states and localities, the Federal Rules have been adopted by a majority of the states. We might, with some confidence, expect amendments to the Federal Rules to become models for reform in the states - especially if those reforms proved salutary in practice. The literature already includes some important proposals for reform. Building on some of these proposals, and without opposition to other changes the Advisory Committee, the Court, or the Congress might find more attractive, I propose three specific amendments to the Federal Rules. As set forth in more detail below, the proposed changes are as follows: Amend FRE 801(d)(1)(A) to permit the substantive use of unsworn prior inconsistent statements in criminal cases, as is done now under the California Evidence Code section 1235. The practical effect of the change would be to permit the prosecution to get to the jury when the sole witness recants an accusation at trial. Adopt a new FRE 804(b)(5), which would permit the substantive use of a declarant's statement taken by the police officer in the presence of the accused, as long as the accused had the chance to explain or deny that statement. The objective of the amendment is to restore the admissibility of statements of the type routinely admitted at the founding. As will be explained in more detail below, the proposal analogizes a police officer called to the scene of an alleged offense to the justice of the peace, who took depositions from witnesses at pretrial examinations under the so-called Marian committal statutes. Revise FRE 804(b)6, which would make it easier for a court to find that the accused had forfeited his right to confront an witness by creating a permissive presumption that an otherwise unexplained unavailability of a witness previously injured or threatened by the accused is probably the result of improper pressure brought by the accused. I propose these amendments to control the harm Crawford v. Washington and its progeny have done to the prosecution of violent crime, especially domestic violence. Part II of the article summarizes the Supreme Court's new confrontation clause doctrine. Part III reports the damage the new law has done, and Part IV explains why alternative damage-control strategies are unpromising. Part V argues that the proposed changes to the evidence rules would go far toward undoing Crawford's mischief, and that each should survive constitutional challenge.


Processing fluid (PF) is a sample type composed of fluids obtained from testicles and tails as the product of piglet processing. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is a bacterium that colonises the respiratory tract of pigs and has rarely been detected in tissues outside the respiratory system. No data exist in the literature regarding detection of M hyopneumoniae in PF or its use for herd monitoring of this pathogen. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of detecting M hyopneumoniae in PF. Testicles and tails of 21 conveniently selected litters from a commercial sow farm were collected, by litter, and tested for M hyopneumoniae by real time-PCR. Daily aggregated processing tissues were collected for a two-month period to assess the detection of M hyopneumoniae in PF. The comparison in the percentage of positive samples in fluids from testicles (38 per cent, 8/21) or tails (4.8 per cent, 1/21) was significantly different (P=0.023). The percentage of daily aggregated PF with cycle threshold values up to 37 was 52.9 per cent (9/17) and 26.7 per cent (4/15) for December and January, respectively. Overall, these data show detection of M hyopneumoniae in PF for the first time and points at the potential use of this sample for monitoring of this bacterium in breeding farms.


Lipospheres in Drug Targets and Delivery: Approaches, Methods, and Applications presents an overview of the most recent applications of lipospheres primarily in the field of medicine, pharmaceutics, and biotechnology. It includes chapters on preparation, characterization, delivery (of peptides, proteins, vaccines, nucleic acids), therapeutic applications to different systems, and suggestions for further research. Including numerous illustrations, tables, and photos, this book provides procedures for specific applications and biological systems and presents lipospheres as a technical solution to various problems associated with the controlled release of biochemicals.


Some of the work carried out within the European integrated project Integrated Photonic mm-Wave Functions for Broadband Connectivity (IPHOBAC) on the development of photonic components and radio-over-fiber technologies for broadband wireless communication is reviewed. In detail, 60 GHz outdoor radio systems for >10 Gbits/s and 60 GHz indoor wireless systems offering >1 Gbit/s wireless transmission speeds are reported. The wireless transmission of uncompressed high-definition TV signals using the 60 GHz band is also demonstrated.


The land topic has generally become a major socioeconomic issue that currently attracts attention globally. To explore the issue, various countries devote much attention to land use planning. This paper searches the Core Collection of the Web of Science and collects 1771 land use planning articles published between 1990 and 2019. The R software, biblioshiny package, and CiteSpace are applied in this paper. The results show the following: (1) the number of papers related to land use planning has shown an overall growth trend, which can be divided into the following four stages: initial exploration, preliminary growth, stable development, and rapid development; (2) the United States is in an absolute leading position as the primary research force among developed countries. The top 3 countries related to international cooperation are the United States, China, and Italy; (3) land use planning, land use, GIS, urban planning, China, spatial planning and climate change are some high-frequency keywords used in land use planning; (4) the current research hot spots mainly focus on the relationship between land use spatial planning and regional planning, land informatization development, public participation, urban sprawl, and sustainable development; (5) the themes show 8 evolutionary paths related to the following four topics: ecosystem protection, climate and natural change, urban sprawl and agricultural development, and GIS development; (6) this paper proposes that strengthening integration within disciplines, introducing new theories and methods, and sustainable land use will become future research directions requiring more land use planning attention.


Following the analytic approach to thermodynamics developed by Stuckelberg, we study the evolution equations of a closed thermodynamic system consisting of point particles in a fluid. We obtain a system of coupled differential equations describing the mechanical and the thermal evolution of the system. The coupling between these evolution equations is due to the action of a viscous friction term. Finally, we apply our coupled evolution equations to study the thermodynamics of an isolated system consisting of identical point particles interacting through a harmonic potential.