In an exploratory study of nurses' approach to elderly people with a diagnosis of long-term schizophrenia, the aim was to investigate nurses' views of the care of an elderly fictitious person with long-term schizophrenia. All the nurses in one municipality in northern Sweden working at seven different units were investigated. A vignette, which was based on a case description in a previous study of an 84-year-old woman with severe dementia and problematic behaviour, was used after a minor alteration. In this study, the woman's age in the case description was changed from 84 to 68 years and the diagnosis was changed from severe dementia to long-term schizophrenia; otherwise, the description was the same as in the original case. The main finding was the nurses' inability to see the resident as anything other than what the 'label', the diagnosis, said. The nurses are interpreted as being caught in a dilemma of loyalty - on the one hand, the loyalty to the organization with its traditional goals and means and, on the other hand, the loyalty to the resident with her wishes in the forefront of their minds.


Purpose:0 We analyzed various modes of presentation of chyluria in our patients. Various treatment options available and associated complications were also studied. Materials and methods:0 Retrospective review of records of patients of chyluria treated at our institute between January1987 to June 2005 was done. Chyluria was diagnosed by urine examination. Treatment was tailored according to severity of chyluria, which included dietary modification, antifilarial drugs and sclerotherapy. Those not responding to two sessions of sclerotherapy were taken up for chylolymphatic disconnection. Results:0 A total of 600 patients were treated between January 1987 and June 2005. Before 1999 we routinely used 1% silver nitrate. Between January 1999 and June 2003, povidone iodine (0.2%) and dextrose (50%) were also used besides silver nitrate (1%). Instillation of dextrose was used in 21 patients only and its use was discontinued because of high immediate failure (57%) and recurrence rate (38%). Instillation of povidone iodine was as effective as silver nitrate. 91% of the patients in the silver nitrate and 98% in the povidone group showed immediate clearance. The chyluria recurred in 21 and 22% in two groups, respectively. The cumulative success rate after two courses of sclerotherapy was 82% in the silver nitrate and 83% in the povidone group. Side effects were much less with povidone iodine. Those who did not responded to two courses of sclerotherapy did well after chylolymphatic disconnection. Conclusion:0 Presenting symptoms of chyluria vary according to severity of the disease. Most patients respond to dietary modifications, antifilarial drugs and sclerotherapy. Those not responding to sclerotherapy do well after chylolymphatic disconnection.


To determine the effect of diabetes mellitus on ketone removal rates, Na DL-β-hydroxybutyrate was administered as a continuous three-hour infusion (3 mg./kg./min.) to healthy volunteers and insulin-dependent diabetics in the postabsorptive state. An additional group of healthy controls received intravenous glucose (50 gm.) or glucose and insulin during the ketone infusion to determine the effect of hyperinsulinemia on ketone removal. Following ketone infusion, total blood ketone levels in the diabetics were twofold greater than in controls (p < 0.001). The metabolic clearance rate of ketones (MCRk) in the diabetics was reduced by 4per cent from that of controls (p < 0.001). In contrast, the calculated production rate of ketones (PRk) in diabetics was not consistently different from that observed in controls. In diabetics with normal PRk, MCRk remained significantly below control values (p < 0.001). The ketone infusion resulted in a fall in plasma glucose and alanine levels in the normals as well as diabetics. However, the decline in plasma glucose induced by the ketone infusion was five- to sixfold greater in the diabetics than in controls (p < 0.005) and correlated linearly with the decline in plasma alanine (p < 0.02). Administration of intravenous glucose during an ongoing ketone infusion in normal subjects resulted in 37 ± 5 per cent reduction in β-hydroxybutyrate, but no change in acetoacetate concentration. The decline in β-hydroxybutyrate was two- to threefold greater than would be expected if glucose had acted solely to inhibit endogenous ketone production. Similar results were observed when hyperinsulinemia without hyperglycemia was produced by simultaneous administration of insulin and glucose. It is concluded that (1) ketone disposal is reduced in diabetes even when ketone production is normal, suggesting the rate of ketone utilization may be a more sensitive index of insulin deficiency than is ketone production; (2) hyperinsulinemia stimulates β-hydroxybutyrate utilization without influencing acetoacetate concentration; and (3) increased blood ketone levels induced by infusion of Na DL-β-hydroxybutyrate reduce plasma glucose and alanine concentrations in diabetes. These findings thus support a role for insulin in influencing ketone disposal in normal as well as diabetic man and a role for ketones in influencing substrate availability for gluconeogenesis in diabetes.


Although critical for development, immunity, wound healing, and metastasis, integrins represent one of the few classes of plasma membrane receptors for which the basic signaling mechanism remains a mystery. We investigated cytoplasmic conformational changes in the integrin LFA-1 (αLβ2) in living cells by measuring fluorescence resonance energy transfer between cyan fluorescent protein–fused and yellow fluorescent protein–fused αL and β2 cytoplasmic domains. In the resting state these domains were close to each other, but underwent significant spatial separation upon either intracellular activation of integrin adhesiveness (inside-out signaling) or ligand binding (outside-in signaling). Thus, bidirectional integrin signaling is accomplished by coupling extracellular conformational changes to an unclasping and separation of the α and β cytoplasmic domains, a distinctive mechanism for transmitting information across the plasma membrane.


Abstract:A recent scandal involving a colossal theft from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has shaken Malaysia to its core. Filings by the U.S. Justice Department allege that more than US$4.5 billion was stolen between the creation of 1MDB in 2009 and 2015, with some reportedly going to pay for such luxury purchases as a $260 million superyacht. Intimidation and personnel changes worked to stifle investigations by domestic enforcement agencies, and Prime Minister Najib Razak, facing heavy criticism over the scandal, is seeking to shield himself through dangerous identity politics and purges of detractors in his party. The 1MDB affair has also revealed the continued complicity of global financial institutions, including major international banks, in kleptocratic money laundering. Fighting kleptocracy will require a new cross-border legal mechanism and far stiffer due-diligence requirements for financial institutions.


In this report the bachelor assignment of Emma Knijn will be described. The bachelor assignment is the final project of the bachelor studies Industrial Design Engineering. The assignment will be executed independently over the time of three months.
The goal of Emma's assignment is to design a seating fitting the location, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the target group, the hipsters. The design will have to transfer a sense of comfort and luxury. It was of great importance to involve the target group with the project. The research question of project is: How can a seating be optimized so it fits the context and target group perfectly?
The context, user and envisioned appearance were researched at the start of the project. Mood boards were used as a tool to help this research. The Congo Square at the North Sea Jazz Festival was picked as the context of the project. The buff and cool guy, with the beard and the tattoos, but still dressed in a neat shirt was picked as the user. Next, two people who fit this image were questioned on their vision of the perfect festival terrace.
Subsequently ideas were generated that led to the production of four small mock-ups. Three members of the target group were asked to give their feedback on these mock-ups. This feedback was used to create a new idea generation. Two final concepts originated from this idea generation. Thereafter, the concepts were again showed to the members of the target group. A concept was chosen existing out of a wooden frame and a rope ladder functioning as seating and back. The sports of the rope ladder can be disconnected. Spread around the festival there will be stalls where different sports can be collected. After collecting the sports, the user can build the frame at home, using a manual.
Thereafter, the strength of the frame was investigated. This investigation showed the strength of the frame was insufficient. Thus, the design of the frame was changed to ensure sufficient strength.
The concept was then elaborated. A decision was made to place a permanent terrace on the Congo Square. The user can visit this terrace, see the chairs and decide to collect the sports of the rope ladder. Next to every stage there will be a stall, selling sports with the name of the river belonging to that stage and an image of this river. The user can also choose to stamp the names of the band he has visited at this stage. The collected sports can be attached to two ropes to bring the rope ladder into existence. At the end of each rope a hook will be attached, these hooks facilitate the connection between the frame and the rope ladder. These hooks also facilitate a connection between the rope ladder and two shoulder straps. A coiled rope ladder in combination with the straps will make the rope ladder easier to carry. With a help from the manual the user can construct the frame, once arrived home.
After this was determined, the methods of attachment were chosen. The manual was written and a user test was conducted to determine points of improvement.
Finally the research question was answered. To make sure a seating is optimized in a way it fits the context and target group it is important to analyze both carefully. It is also of importance to question the target group and keep them involved in the process. Their demands and wishes should be valued and processed in the design. Nearly all demands of this project were actualized.


OF PROJECT Student organizations have been a part of the college experience for many years. The same is true for graduate students. Currently, Buffalo State College does not offer any graduate student organizations, therefore I have researched and developed a proposal for an Emerging Graduate Student Leadership Organization (EGSL) at Buffalo State College. This project is broken into two sections. Part 1 is The Emerging Graduate Student Leaders proposal and it will identify five main components: (1) Why form EGSL? (2) What will EGSL do? (3) Who will be involved in EGSL? (4) How will EGSL work and (5) How much will EGSL cost? (see Appendix B). Part 2 is the submission of a proposal for a mini-grant of $2,000.00. Part 2 includes eight components (1) Abstract (2) Fit with College Mission (3) Project description (4) Expected outcomes (5) Products/Deliverables (6) Project Timeline (7) Future partnership plans and (8) budget (see Appendix D). ___________________________________ Elissa Mittendorf _________________________________ Date


Diffie and Hellman introduced the concept of public-key cryptography and in 1978, McEliece introduced the first public-key cryptosystem based on error correcting codes. Since that time, several methods have been proposed to use error correcting codes for cryptography either directly or indirectly. In this work we propose the use of cascaded codes in McEliece algorithm where cascading here means that one code is used after the other. Two or more codes are used in cascade to get high error correcting capabilities even with moderate length codes. This makes the system more useful over noisy channels. The structure of cascaded codes is in itself a good way to secure the data. Binary block codes are only considered in this work although other types of codes can be used. We discuss two different encryption schemes where normal and Tensor products of matrices are used to form the codes. The proposed schemes are more adequate for block encryption. Decoding is also performed in cascade to make use of the existing fast decoding algorithms available for each of the used codes. Therefore, the decryption process will be fast too compared with other schemes based on number theory. The selection of proper code parameters is discussed and the probability of correct recovery of transmitted messages is also found.


The following sequences have been submitted to the Nomenclature Committee since the July 2008 nomenclature update and, following agreed policy, have been assigned official allele designations. Full details of all sequences will be published in a forthcoming report. The newly assigned sequences are listed in Table 1 and the confirmations of previously reported sequences in Table 2. The accession number of each sequence is given and this can be used to retrieve the sequence files from the EMBL, GenBank or DDBJ data libraries. Although accession numbers have been assigned by the data libraries and most sequences are already available, there is still the possibility that an author may not yet have allowed the sequence to be released, in such a case you will have to contact the submitting author directly. All new and confirmatory sequences should now be submitted directly to the WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System via the IMGT/HLA Database using the sequence submission tool provided. The IMGT/ HLA Database may be accessed at www.ebi.ac.uk/imgt/hla.


This thesis studies the acceleration of particles to super-thermal energies in explosive solai" events as well as the magnetic changes in connectivity that may be responsible for changes in the morphology of quiescent filaments. Firstly a review of some of the observations of solar flare dynamics js given, as well as an introduction to the competing theories attempting to explain both particle acceleration and filament formation. An explanation of the numerical FORTRAN code that is used to calculate the tra jectories of particle distribution functions in prescribed electromagnetic fields is given. Examples of known fields are used to test the accuracy of the code and the simple exam ple of the well-known Litvinenko current sheet field is investigated. The results of chai'ged particle orbit calculations in prescribed electric and magnetic fields motivated by magnetic reconnection models are then presented. The electromag netic fields are chosen to resemble a current sheet with a localised reconnection region. The dependence of the model on the important physical parameters is considered. An introduction to the mathematical formulation of a collapsing magnetic trap is given. The same numerical code is used to calculate single electron orbits in this more complicated time dependent electromagnetic field. Consideration of important previous work is given before describing the best attempts to model the movement of fiaie loops in a realistic fashion. Finally the process of flux cancellation and filament formation is studied using a range of data including ground-based H a and SoHO MDI magnetograms. It is found that the cancellation occurs at the ends of H a sections of the filament and is accompanied by a noticeable increase in the H a intensity and linkage of the sections. Measurements of the amount of flux cancelled at each site show it is in agreement with an estimate of the axial flux contained in the filament.


Modeling travel demand by time of day is gaining increasing attention in travel demand forecasting practice. This is because time of day choice has important implications for mode choice and for quantifying potential modal and time of day shifts in response to traffic congestion and peak period travel demand management strategies. In this context, understanding the causal relationship between time of day (departure time) choice and mode choice behavior would be useful in the development of time of day based travel demand modeling systems both within the four-step modeling paradigm and within newer tour-based and activity-based microsimulation paradigms. This thesis investigates the relationship between departure time choice and mode choice for non-work trips as work trips tend to be constrained with respect to time of day choice.
Two alternative causal structures are considered in this thesis: one structure in which departure time choice is determined first and mode choice is subsequently influenced by departure time choice and a second structure in which mode choice is determined first and affects departure time choice. These two causal structures are analyzed in a recursive bivariate probit modeling framework that allows random error covariance. The estimation is performed separately for worker and non-worker samples drawn from the 1999 Southeast Florida Regional Household Travel Survey. For workers, model estimation results show that the causal structure in which departure time choice precedes mode choice performs significantly better. For non-workers, the reverse causal relationship in which mode choice precedes departure time choice is found to be a more suitable joint modeling structure.
These two findings can be reasonably explained from a travel behavior perspective and have important implications for advanced travel demand model development and application.


PURPOSE
To elucidate histopathologic features of the lacrimal gland in chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

METHODS
Lacrimal gland specimens from five patients who had dry eye as part of the symptoms of chronic GVHD were examined by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. Lacrimal gland specimens from five patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) were used as control samples.

RESULTS
Lymphocytes, predominantly T cells, were found primarily in the periductal areas of the lacrimal gland from patients with chronic GVHD, whereas B cells were the dominant infiltrating cells in the acinar areas of the lacrimal gland from patients with SS. Notable findings in the lacrimal gland from patients with chronic GVHD were marked fibrosis of the glandular interstitium and an increase in the number of CD34(+) stromal fibroblasts. These findings were more prominent in patients with severe dry eye than in those with mild dry eye. Electron microscopic observations of the lacrimal gland from patients with chronic GVHD revealed that stromal fibroblasts were attached to various inflammatory cells, especially T cells, through primitive or rudimentary contacts. In addition, the presence of a well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum in the fibroblasts and newly synthesized collagen fibrils in the extracellular matrix indicated an active production of extracellular matrix components. Electron micrographs revealed multilayered and thickened basal laminae of blood vessels, ducts, and lobules in the lacrimal gland of patients with chronic GVHD; however, these observations were infrequently observed in the lacrimal glands of patients with SS.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest substantial differences in the lacrimal gland histopathology of patients with chronic GVHD and SS. In addition, it is likely that stromal fibroblasts are actively involved in the pathogenic process of chronic GVHD in the lacrimal gland by producing excessive extracellular matrix components.


Zinc sulfate is a known olfactory toxicant, although its effects on the olfactory epithelium of zebrafish have not been examined. Previous observations utilizing Triton X-100 found selective retention of some olfactory sensory neurons and loss of others. Based on those findings, we hypothesized that the retention of the ability to sense amino acids, detected by microvillous olfactory sensory neurons, and loss of the ability to perceive bile salts, detected by ciliated olfactory sensory neurons, is a universal response to chemical ablation. Fish were treated with zinc sulfate and survived for 2, 5, 10 and 14 days post treatment and processed for histological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and behavioral analysis. Severe morphological changes to the olfactory organ were observed 2 days following exposure, accompanied by a significant decrease in anti-calretinin staining in the olfactory epithelium. Lamellae of the olfactory organ appeared fused, and there was obvious inflammation of the epithelium, with large vacuoles within the cells. The structure of the olfactory organ returned to near-control morphology with a lamellar arrangement by 5 days after chemical exposure; however, the amount of anti-calretinin labeling in the olfactory epithelium did not return to control levels until 10 days after exposure. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the sensory region was absent of ciliated structures, but microvilli could be seen on the apical surface at 2 days after zinc sulfate exposure. Sensory ciliated structures began to return 5 days after exposure, though the population was scarce and the structures appeared thinner. Treated organs returned to near control structure by 10 days following exposure. An assay quantifying the fish response to an amino acid mixture or a bile salt mixture was utilized to examine olfactory-mediated behavior. Behavior before and after odor exposure was recorded and number of turns was compared. Unlesioned controls responded by significantly increasing their turning behavior in response to both amino acids and bile salt mixtures. At 2 days following exposure, the fish appeared to detect amino acids but their turning behavior was not significantly different from pre-odor behavior. The ability to perceive amino acids returned 10 days after exposure, while the ability to perceive bile salts remained lost. When given 14 days of recovery, the ability to perceive bile salts returned. Thus, chemical ablation of the olfactory epithelium with zinc sulfate results in degeneration of the olfactory organ and removal of most olfactory sensory neurons within 2 days. The ability to perceive amino acids was regained prior to the ability to detect bile salts. Thus, zinc sulfate appears to have a greater affect on ciliated olfactory sensory neurons than on microvillous olfactory sensory neurons.


In the first part of this Thesis the structural and superconducting properties of some Yttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxides (YBCO) superconducting materials have been examined. These materials, which were discovered only about three years ago, have the important property that they become superconducting at temperatures below about 86K. Because this transition temperature (T(_c)) is well above the temperature (77K) of liquid nitrogen- a readily available refrigerant- there is very considerable interest in potential technological applications. The nominal composition of YBCO material is YBa(_2)Cu(_3)O(_7) and for superconductivity the value of x must be near 7-x = 7.0. X-ray diffraction methods have been used to determine the lattice parameters and values of x for a range of oxides prepared from different starting materials by different routes. These structural studies were extended by Scanning Electron Microscopy which gave information about the grain size and microstructure of the materials. A major part of the work considered the development of an inductance probe technique for examining the superconducting properties. This technique was based on the Meissner effect and involved measuring the inductance of a small coil which was filled with superconducting material as a function of temperature and magnetic field. From these measurements several superconducting properties have been determined. These included the transition temperature (T(_c)), the percentage of superconducting material present in a given sample, the first critical field (H(_c1), and hysteresis. The critical field is the value at which an external magnetic field penetrates into the superconductor to a depth known as penetration depth (A) which corresponds to a non-superconducting layer. The values of H(_c1) were all found to be about 15 gauss, rather smaller than those previously reported in the Uterature. The variation of A with temperature was also examined and shown to be in excellent agreement with theory based on a Type II model. In an attempt to correlate these superconducting properties with the structural studies it was shown that the most promising superconductors were those in which the grain size was relatively large (greater than lOpm) and in which the grains were closely packed together. In the second part of the Thesis some non-superconducting oxides were examined by magnetic resonance methods. In the first group of experiments the epr linewidths of the M= + l/2 ↔ -1/2 transition of the Cr(^3+) spectrum of Cr/MgO single crystals and powders have been measured at 9GHz before and after annealing. The nominal chromium concentrations ranged from 800 to 15,000 ppm. Specimens were annealed at 500 C in oxygen for up to 150 hours. Annealing produced reductions in peak-to-peak linewidth (∆H(_pp)) which occurred in two stages. Each followed an exponential [∆ H pp] (_t) = [∆ H pp] (_0)exp(^-at)and the initial (a(_1)) and final (a(_2_) decay rates were determined from the slopes of Ln[∆ H pp] (_t) versus time plots. For single crystals all the values of a(_1) were about 0.04 h(^-l); the smaller values of a(_2) were concentration dependent ranging from 0.9 x 10(^-3) to 1.25 X lO(^-3)h(^-1) for the two sources of strain. The rapid decay rate is associated with cationic vacancy strain relief and the slower decay with removal of lattice distortion brought about when the Mg(^2+) ions are replaced by Cr(^3+) dopant ions. Similar effects were observed with powders but in these both types of lattice strain were relieved at a slower rate in the powder than in the corresponding single crystal, e.g. for 3600 ppm Cr, a(_1) = 0.016h(^-1) and a(_2) = 1.0 x 10(^-3)h(^-1) In the second group of experiments the mechanisms of magnesiochromite formation were studied and the effect of this on epr linewidth was examined. The results of both groups of experiments were related to the more general problem of the dipolar mechanisms responsible for the variation of epr linewidth with concentration in the Cr/MgO system.


1. Seasonal changes in the weights of fat body, gonads and liver, liver-glycogen content, and blood sugar have been followed by observations on monthly samples of Rana temporaria which had been kept in captivity for 3 days without food. 2. Three periods during which the blood sugar was high (from 54 to 62 mg./100 ml. of blood) were observed during the year: at the spawning season in March, in June and July, and in November. 3. The hyperglycaemia of June and July was accompanied by the rapid development of the fat body. This phase was succeeded by that of gonad regeneration, during which there was no further storage of fat or liver glycogen, and the blood sugar was low (about 40 mg./100 ml. of blood). 4. When gonad regeneration was nearing completion glycogen storage in the liver became the dominant feature, and the blood sugar tended to rise again. 5. A sex difference in blood sugar was observed at certain periods. From June to September the female blood sugar was higher than that of the male, but from September to January the relationship was reversed. This may be correlated with the differing rates of gonad regeneration in the two sexes. 6. During the winter months, when the food intake was reduced, the frogs utilized some of their stored fat and glycogen and the blood sugar was low (about 40 mg./100 ml.). The hyperglycaemia found at the spawning season was accompanied by the rapid depletion of the fat and glycogen stores. 7. In April and May, after the breeding season, when the frogs were feeding actively, the blood sugar was low and apparently neither fat nor glycogen was being accumulated. It is suggested that this was a period of tissue repair and possibly of growth.


This paper focuses on the rate estimation in radio frequency identification (RFID) reader receivers, which plays a significant role for the stability and the efficiency of RFID systems. RFID readers have to estimate the rate of the tag reply, i.e. the so-called backscatter link frequency (BLF). According to the focused EPCglobal Class-1 Gen-2 standard, the BLF can have a variation of up to +/−22%. Most literature uses time domain algorithms to estimate this BLF. However, the proposed techniques are not suitable to estimate the rate when multiple tags reply simultaneously to the reader. In case of such tag collision we utilized the frequency domain representation of the replies to estimate the BLF. The performance is tested with different rates and the both supported modulation techniques, i.e. FM0 and Miller. Simulation results show the high performance of utilizing the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Multiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm for estimating the BLF. This especially holds in case of collisions that cannot be easily estimated by means of time domain algorithms.


Guinea pig T lymphocyte responses to the octapeptide antigen angiotensin II (NH(2)-Asp(1)-Arg(2)-Val(3)-Tyr(4)-Ile(5)-His(6)-Pro(7)-Phe(8)-OH; AII) were examined using various synthetic peptide analogues and homologues. Each peptide antigen was assessed for immunogenicity and antigenicity in strain 2 and strain 13 guinea pigs as determined by in vitro T cell proliferative responses. The genetic control of T cell responses to these peptides was found to be highly specific and capable of distinguishing subtle differences in the antigens. For example, strain 2 guinea pigs responded to AII and were low responders to [Val(5)]-AII, whereas strain 13 animals responded to [Val(5)]-AII but not to AII. The genetic control in this case involved the difference of one methyl group between Val(5) and Ile(5). Differences in T cell responsiveness by strain 2 and strain 13 guinea pigs were also observed with analogues involving para substitutions on the phenyl ring of Tyr(4) and of Phe(8). However, the genetic regulation of T cell responses did not seem to be based on a single peptide residue. For example, removal of Asp(1) allowed strain 13 animals to respond to the Ile(5)-containing analogue, but eliminated responsiveness to the Val(5)-containing analogue. Thus, the first and fifth AII residues are both involved in the regulation of strain 13 T cell responses. Substitutions for Tyr(4) and Phe(8) suggested that the same residue may serve to alter the specificity of T cell responses in one strain, and determine responsiveness or unresponsiveness in the other strain. One of the most striking observations is that T cell responsiveness to the various AII analogues and homologues randomly fluctuates between strain 2 and strain 13 guinea pigs, and in general neither strain responds to the same peptide antigens. This suggests that strain 2 and strain 13 T cell responses are rarely directed against the same antigenic determinants, and that the T cell antigen-combining diversity is usually exclusive between these two strains. These results are discussed with respect to the specificity of Ir gene control and the relationship between Ir gene function and antigen recognition by T cells. Note added in proof: More recent experiments using a new lot of [Val(5)]- AII have indicated that [Val(5)]-AII-immune strain 2 T cells show significant stimulation with AII but remain relatively low responders with [Val(5)]-AII, as shown in Table I. The difference in priming for cross-reactivity for AII with the different lots of [Val(5)]-AII is at present unknown.


A strain of mutant S. equisimilis ZC-95, which can produce high molecular weight (HMW) hyaluronic acid (HA), was obtained from compound mutation breeding of S. equisimilis ZC-0 using 5-Bromouracil, UV rays and nitrosoguanidine as mutagenic agents. After inoculation for 20 generations, S. equisimilis ZC-95 showed inheritance stability, but not hemolysis. The culture conditions for producing HMW-HA were optimized in a 5-L fermentor through single-factor and multi-factor orthogonal tests. Results showed that cheap corn steep liquor was an appropriate nitrogen source for S. equisimilis ZC-95, and the optimum ratio of fermentation medium comprised 50 g/L sucrose, 80 g/L corn steep liquor, 10 g/L glucose, 2 g/L MgSO4, 2 g/L NaHCO3, 2 g/L Na2HPO4, and 0.1 g/L UTP. Under these fermentation conditions, the molecular weight of the produced HA was 2.76 × 106Da, and HA yield reached 4.12 g/L.


Abstract. A retrospective analysis is carried out to investigate the importance of the vertical fluxes of nitrogen to the marine sea surface layer in which high chlorophyll a levels may cause blooms of harmful algae and subsequent turn over and oxygen depletion at the bottom of the sea. Typically nitrogen is the limiting factor for phytoplankton in the Kattegat Strait during summer periods (May to August) and the major nitrogen inputs come from the atmosphere and deep-water entrainment. The extreme reoccurrence values of nitrogen from atmospheric wet and dry deposition and deep-water flux entrainments are calculated by the periodic maximum method and the results are successfully compared to a map of chlorophyll return periods based on in-situ observations. The one-year return of extreme atmospheric wet deposition is around 60 mg N m -2 day -1 and 30 mg N m -2 day -1 for deep-water entrainment. Atmospheric nitrogen dry deposition is insignificant in the context of algal blooms. At longer time-scales e.g. at 10-year return, the nitrogen deep-water entrainment is larger than the extreme of atmospheric wet deposition. This indicates that the pool of nitrogen released from the sea bottom by deep-water entrainment forced by high winds greatly exceeds the atmospheric pool of nitrogen washed out by precipitation. At the frontal zone of the Kattegat Strait and Skagerrak, the nitrogen deep-water entrainment is very high and this explains the high 10-year return chlorophyll level at 8 mg m -3 in the Kattegat Strait. In the southern part, the extreme chlorophyll level is only 4 mg m -3 according to the statistics of a multi-year time-series of water samples. The chlorophyll level varies greatly in time and space as documented by a series of SeaWiFS satellite maps (OC4 v 4 algorithm) of chlorophyll ScanFish and buoy observations from an experimental period in the Kattegat Strait. It is recommended to sample in-situ chlorophyll observation collocated in time to the satellite overpasses of e.g. SeaWiFS and ENVISAT MERIS to ensure improved mapping of the chlorophyll levels in the Danish waters.


Fertilizer consumption rates in Nigeria remains among the lowest in the world despite decades of aggressive subsidization. The extension service in Nigeria has a double-edged impact on fertilizer use in the country; not only can their activities increase farmers' demand for fertilizer, but also the organizational framework of the service, Agricultural Development Programs, is the major source of fertilizer for farmers. To provide insights on the reasons for the low fertilizer use in Nigeria, this paper presents an analysis of the extension service as well as some perspectives of village extension agents. We find that the reach of the extension service is severely limited by low staff. The main technology transmitted is the use of improved seeds. Fertilizer technology is seldom transmitted and very rarely is irrigation taught. Furthermore, extension agents are found to have gaps in their knowledge of fertilizer technology. Extension agents routinely distribute agricultural inputs and many see their advisory role as secondary to this function. Extension agents identified the primary constraint to fertilizer use in Nigeria as the physical absence of the product at the time that it is needed, rather than lack of affordability or farmers' lack of knowledge about the benefits or the use of fertilizer.


This paper presents a framework for the theoretical analysis of Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDA). Using this framework, derived from the VC-theory, we propose non-asymptotic bounds which depend on: 1) the population size, 2) the selection rate, 3) the families of distributions used for the modelling, 4) the dimension, and 5) the number of iterations. To validate these results, optimization algorithms are applied to a context where bounds on resources are crucial, namely Design of Experiments, that is a black-box optimization with very few fitness-values evaluations.


The relative importance of recruitment and post-recruitment processes in determining adult density among marine species varies considerably between species and populations. This study aimed to investigate the relative effects of variation in recruitment and survival rates on the density dynamics of 3 spatially separated natural populations of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides (Isle of Man, SW Ireland and west Sweden). We analysed 2 different data-based stochastic matrix models of open populations with space-limited recruitment. Assumption testing supported the application of matrix-model theory for studying and comparing population variables of open populations. Recruit- ment was found to be partly dependent on free space, and mortality was size-specific and indepen- dent of other vital rates. Model simulations showed that the relative importance of recruitment and survival in shaping adult density depends on the existing variation of these vital rates at each loca- tion. In the Isle of Man the variation in density was primarily caused by variability in recruitment, while in SW Ireland the variability in survival induced the most variation. In west Sweden variation was high due to variability in both recruitment and survival. A life-cycle elasticity analysis across locations indicated that the population dynamics were generally more sensitive to changes in sur- vival than to changes in recruitment. Also, locations with high variability in vital rates seemed better able to buffer sudden changes in vital rates. In addition, differences in survival and growth produced population structures that varied between populations. In the Isle of Man and west Sweden the populations consisted of mainly Size Category 1 individuals, while the population in SW Ireland had a linear relationship between size category and the proportion of individuals.


Children with pre- or perinatal brain injury (PL) exhibit marked plasticity for language learning. Previous work has focused mostly on the emergence of earlier-developing skills, such as vocabulary and syntax. Here we ask whether this plasticity for earlier-developing aspects of language extends to more complex, later-developing language functions by examining the narrative production of children with PL. Using an elicitation technique that involves asking children to create stories de novo in response to a story stem, we collected narratives from 11 children with PL and 20 typically developing (TD) children. Narratives were analysed for length, diversity of the vocabulary used, use of complex syntax, complexity of the macro-level narrative structure and use of narrative evaluation. Children's language performance on vocabulary and syntax tasks outside the narrative context was also measured. Findings show that children with PL produced shorter stories, used less diverse vocabulary, produced structurally less complex stories at the macro-level, and made fewer inferences regarding the cognitive states of the story characters. These differences in the narrative task emerged even though children with PL did not differ from TD children on vocabulary and syntax tasks outside the narrative context. Thus, findings suggest that there may be limitations to the plasticity for language functions displayed by children with PL, and that these limitations may be most apparent in complex, decontextualized language tasks such as narrative production.


Recent investigations of the neuroanatomy of complex social behaviors suggest that the underlying brain circuits involve multiple cortical and subcortical structures. The neuroanatomic origins of agreeableness have not yet been clearly elucidated. However, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients can evidence dramatic alterations in agreeableness arising from frontal and temporal lobe damage. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that agreeableness would be negatively correlated with left medial orbitofrontal cortex size and positively correlated with right amygdala volume. First-degree relatives of 27 FTD patients (diagnosed according to the Lund-Manchester criteria) were asked to fill out the NEO-Five Factor Inventory to assess the patients' current level of agreeableness, a construct comprised of the facets trust, straightforwardness, altruism, compliance, modesty, and tender-mindedness. These patients underwent T1-weighted MRI imaging, and gray matter volumes for right and left orbitofrontal lobes and amygdalas were derived via segmentation and region of interest tracing, normalizing for total intracranial volume. Regression analysis revealed that 38% of the variance in the NEO agreeableness score was predicted by a model in which right orbitofrontal volume (β = 0.731) was positively correlated with agreeableness, and left orbitofrontal lobe volume (β = –0.638) was negatively correlated with agreeableness (p < 0.01). Contrary to our hypothesis, amygdala volume did not significantly predict agreeableness. This finding partly replicates a previous study that used a different measure of social functioning, the Interpersonal Adjective Scale, to delineate a left frontal-right amygdala circuit for agreeableness. These data support the hypothesis that regulation of agreeableness arises from a balanced, mutually inhibitory circuit involving both hemispheres.


The number partitioning problem is to divide a given set of n positive integers into k subsets, so that the sum of the numbers in each subset are as nearly equal as possible. While effective algorithms for two-way partitioning exist, multiway partitioning is much more challenging. We introduce an improved algorithm for optimal multiway partitioning, by combining several existing algorithms with some new extensions. We test our algorithm for partitioning 31-bit integers from three to ten ways, and demonstrate orders of magnitude speedup over the previous state of the art.


A modern budget reform, performance-based budgeting (PBB) emphasizes the measurement of government performance by agencies and public servants. In this article we define PBB as requiring strategic planning regarding agency mission, goals and objectives, and a process that requests quantifiable data that provide meaningful information about program outcomes. Performance-based budgeting requirements are now pervasive in the states. Of forty-seven states with PBB requirements, thirty-one have legislated the process to be conducted, while sixteen have initiated the reform through budget guidelines or instructions. What remains unknown, yet of vital interest to state administrators, their staff, legislators, and citizens, regards implementation status of PBB systems. How many states are utilizing a PBB process as prescribed by law or administrative directive? And if PBB has been implemented, has it been successful regarding improvement of agency effectiveness and decision making about spending? Perhaps most importantly, has PBB influenced appropriation decisions?. This research is based on responses to a mail survey of executive and legislative budgeters regarding the PBB system established in their state. Results discussed in this article consider budgeters' response about PBB implementation status and effectiveness as conducted. We find that there are differing perceptions across the branches of government regarding both the extent of PBB implementation as well as its success. Results show that states with better-known PBB systems have not necessarily realized greater success in terms of effectiveness from this budget reform than states with less popularly known systems, at least as perceived by the budgeters included in this article.


Inverter nonlinearities and machine spatial harmonics yield unwanted machine current harmonics, causing control loop instabilities, additional losses and torque ripples. In this paper a method is presented that allows online identification and compensation of both effects for anisotropic permanent magnet synchronous machines with nonlinear magnetics. The method requires no additional sensors and only fundamental component machine model parameters. It can be implemented easily in existing inverter systems by software updates. Test bench measurements show significant improvements in the whole operational area. Measurements at nominal operation result in a motor current total harmonic distortion of 0.28 % which is less than a seventh of the uncompensated value. The functional principle is transferable to other machine types or grid applications enabling the mitigation of current harmonics in a wide field of applications. [1


As mobile internet growth continues to bring New Internet Users (NIUs) online, technology has adapted to fit this user segment. User barriers like devices and connectivity have declined as mobile phone prices have become more affordable and infrastructure has continued to develop, connecting more communities globally. App development has also evolved to better suit users on low-cost Android devices. Lite apps have entered the space as a solution for users in constrained environments. While there are many benefits to lite app designs, their effectiveness is unclear for their likely target beneficiaries: NIUs coming online. In this mixed-method study we explore the experience for NIUs trying out a smartphone with lite apps for a month in Brazil and India (n=62). We conducted this research by collecting diary data and follow-up in-person interviews. Results found that three phases of challenges occurred in the first 28 days with a lite smartphone: 1) getting started with accounts, 2) learning how to use the mobile platform and apps, and 3) meeting expectations and mastering the internet. Through understanding the friction points in each phase, insights surfaced design principles for future NIU technology.


The ability to build effective collaborative research activities is no longer a secondary skill for scientists. It is a skill critical to the development of a successful career. Without a demonstrated capacity to deliver on projects that mandate collaboration, a competitive position cannot be sustained. The importance of collaboration in delivering efficient, effective and high impact advances in research and innovation is well documented. See for example the position paper entitled "Australian Science in a Changing World: Innovation requires Global Engagement" published by the Australian Academy of Science in 2011. A scant search of the research literature also shows numerous studies highlighting that collaboration is essential (plug – collaboration, research and innovation into your search engine). A simple survey of high profile publications shows multiple authors from different backgrounds and research organisations are usually involved. Disciplines Engineering | Physical Sciences and Mathematics Publication Details Gordon Wallace, Collaborate or Commiserate !,ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, AIIM Facility, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, 2013, 3p. This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/aiimpapers/586


Extracted from text ... Moneyweb's TAX BREAKS
Coopers. ??
as interest.
TAX COLLECTIONS
SARS exceeds its
expectations but wants more
By MONIQUE VANEK
THE SOUTH African Revenue
Service has not only met its "417
challenge", but exceeded it. The
"417 challenge" was the R417bn tax
collection target set by SARS for the
2005/06 tax year.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel
announced that by midnight on
Friday, March 31 2006, SARS had
collected R418.116bn from taxpayers.
This, said Manuel, "is more than
R1bn above the revised 2006 Budget
estimate of R417bn and R45.3bn
more than the original printed estimate
of R372.8bn."
To do this, SARS had ..


"Radiation Oncology: Rationale, Technique, Results", by James D. Cox, MD and K. Kian Ang, MD, PhD, provides you with authoritative guidance on the latest methods for using radiotherapy to treat patients with cancer. Progressing from fundamental principles through specific treatment strategies for the cancers of each organ system, it also addresses the effects of radiation on normal structures and the avoidance of complications. This 9th edition covers the most recent indications and techniques in the field, including new developments in proton therapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). It also features, for the first time, full-color images throughout the text to match those that you see in practice, and uses new color-coded treatment plans to make targets, structures, and doses easier to read at a glance. Evidence from randomized clinical trials is included whenever possible to validate clinical recommendations. The state-of-the-art coverage inside this trusted resource equips you to target cancer as effectively as possible while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.


[ This chapter discusses the possible innovations, re-use and transformations of pagan mythological models within the educated milieu of medieval historiography, and asks whether one can discern ideological changes within this type of mythological material from the Viking to the Middle Ages. There are two general types of origin myths: those that focus on the origins of an individual ruling dynasty and its territorial conquests, and those that describe the gestation of peoples. The chapter focuses on the first type of myths. It discusses a number of central origin myths in eddaic and skaldic poetry and in the sagas. The chapter begins with medieval historiography, especially with Snorri's presentation of the Ynglingar-dynasty in his Ynglinga saga in Heimskringla . It then shows that when Nordic culture encountered the European, Christian ideology of rulership, it showed a high degree of independence by retaining native pagan traditions on rulership long into the Middle Ages. Keywords:Christian ideology; eddaic poetry; Heimskringla ; medieval historiography; Nordic culture; skaldic poetry; Viking Age; Ynglinga saga , This chapter presents some concluding remarks on the book's aim to contribute something new to the wide field of Nordic viking and medieval studies: a consideration of Nordic viking and medieval history of ideas. Viking Age power was based on an ideology deeply grounded in pagan religion and the pagan religious ideology of rulership played an exceedingly important role in Nordic societies from the Viking Age to the early Middle Ages. Three ideological elements can be distilled from these mythological and legendary patterns. Firstly, the old marriage-myth of the union with the (giant) utgarðr woman underlines the special character of the dynasty. Secondly, these tales might then have been transformed into an ideological representation of the forceful conquest. Thirdly, the myth could be adapted to represent the inclusion of lower social classes into the ruling elite. Keywords:adaptation; Christian ideologies; pagan ideologies; rulership; Viking Age ]


Received 09.01.2014 Accepted 08.04.2014 Published 08.05.2014 Multilayer Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) with the backpropagation algorithm were used to estimate the decrease in relative saturated conductivity due to an increase in sodicity and salinity. Data from the literature on the relative saturated hydraulic conductivity measured using water having levels of sodicity and salinity in different types of semiarid soils were used. The clay content of these soils is predominantly montmorillonite. The input data consisted of clay percentage, cation exchange capacity, electrolyte concentration, and estimated soil exchangeable sodium percentage at equilibrium stage with the solution applied. The data was divided into three groups randomly to meet the three phases required for developing the ANNs model (i. e. training, evaluation, and testing).The activation function selected was the TANSIG layer in the middle, while the exit function was the PURELIN layer. The comparisons between the experimental and predicted data on relative saturated hydraulic conductivity during training and testing phases showed good agreement. This was evident from the statistical indicators used for the evaluation process. For the training phase, the values of mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), the correlation coefficient (r) and the determination coefficient (R2) were 0.08, 0.13, 0.91, and 0.83, respectively. The performance of the ANNs model was evaluated against a part of the data selected randomly form the whole set of data collected (i. e. data not used during the model testing phase). The resultant values for MAE and RMSE, r and R2 were 0.12, 0.16, 0.82 and 0.68, respectively. It should be noted that many factors were not considered, such as soil pH, type of clay, and organic matter, due to the limitations of the data available. Using these factors as input in ANNs might improve model predictions. However, the results suggested that the ANNs model performs well in soils with very low levels of organic matter. Sodicity Salinity Soil Hydraulic Conductivity Artificial Neural Networks Journal of Natural Resources and Development 2014; 04: 27 33 27


In this paper, I formulate a Deweyan argument for school gardening that prepares students for a specific type of gardening activism: community gardening, or the political activity of collectively organizing, planting and tending gardens for the purposes of food security, education and community development. Though not identical, a related type of gardening activism, guerrilla gardening, or the political activity of reclaiming unused urban land, sometimes illegally, for purposes of cultivation and beautification, is also implicated. Historically, community gardening in the U.S. has been associated with relief projects during periods of economic downturn and crisis, urban blight and gentrification, as well as nationalism, nativism and racism. Despite these last few unfortunate associations, the American philosopher John Dewey detached school gardening from the nativist's tool-kit, portraying it as a gateway to more enriching adult experiences, not as a technique for assimilating immigrant children to a distinctly American way of life. One of those experiences that school gardening can prepare children for is environmental political activism, particularly involvement in gardening movements. Dewey did not mention this collateral benefit. Nevertheless, an argument can be made that garden advocacy—or, more specifically, participation in politically-motivated gardening movements—is an acceptable interpretation, or elaboration, of what Dewey meant by "a civic turn" to school gardening.


Photoisomerization of norbornadiene (N) to its metastable isomer quadricyclane (Q) has attracted interest as a strategy for harvesting and storing solar energy. For this strategy to mature the absorption maximum of N has to be moved from the UV to the visible region. Here we show that functionalization of the system with dithiafulvene (DTF) electron donors causes remarkable redshifts of various N derivatives. Thus, some derivatives were found to absorb light with an absorption onset up to 556 nm. The incorporation of DTF units comes, however, with a drawback with regard to achieving reversible N-to-Q and Q-to-N isomerizations. For some derivatives, the photoisomerization was completely quenched. The compounds were subjected to a computational study to shed light on the underlying reason for this reluctance to undergo photoisomerization. The computational study revealed that in these systems, the first excited state (S1) is positioned close to or lower than the transition state for photoconversion, effectively blocking a possible conversion to Q, thus revealing a practical challenge for the future design of N-Q energy storage systems with an improved solar spectrum match.


The uprisings of 2011 have radically altered the political, economic, and social landscapes of the Middle East and North Africa. A clearer view of the recent past now provides greater perspectives on the causes and the consequences of these events. This collection of essays challenges the common tendency of applying the dominant frame of Arab Spring to explain contemporary politics of the Middle East. Numerous debates about the utility of the Arab Spring metaphor already exist, contesting such issues as its foreign origins or its temporal and optimistic implications. It further has the negative and significant side effect of implying a singularity to these events in a manner that often defies the varied conditions on the ground. This is why the term Arab Uprisings is used here as the organizing frame to address numerous socio-cultural, economic, political, experiential, and communicative aspects of the uprisings.

This text is organized around three themes: origins, experiences, and trajectories. The first section addresses catalyzing factors that help explain the emergence of the uprisings from various political, economic, and socio-cultural perspectives. The second section examines the functions and responses of diverse people, institutions, and ideologies during the initial years of the uprisings. It includes an in-depth case study on womens changing political situation in the catalyzing country of Tunisia, as well as discussions about the roles of political Islam, new mass media, and social networks in these rapidly changing contexts. The third section discusses cross-national implications and the multitude of repercussion the uprisings are having on the global system.

Using an interdisciplinary approach with contrasting theoretical and methodological orientations, the global experts who contributed the chapters explore various theoretical approaches, juxtaposing them with comparative surveys and in-depth case studies. They show that after the initial eu


It is widely assumed that the perception of the musical work changed radically around the beginning of the 19th century. Not only aestheticians and music theorists, but listeners too, started to listen to music as if the sounds heard were the aural signs of autonomous musical works. Works became heard as structurally unified wholes represented by composers in scores—the works, once created, were assumed to exist like Platonic entities after their creators had died, irrespectively of whether they were performed or listened to at any given time. This picture of 19th century listening can be questioned on many grounds. Here it is done by studying the music criticism of the daily press in Stockholm during the years 1835, -55, -85, and 1905. Although Stockholm can be considered peripheral on both geographical and cultural grounds, as such it may nevertheless give a reasonable idea of what the lay listener of the average audience may have heard. To this end, it is argued, examination of the daily criticism may be a more plausible source of information than the scholarly journals more commonly examined by musicologists and music historians. Should the Stockholm case turn out to be an anomaly among the cities of Europe (a question not answered here), this in itself would call for an explanation. Here the no less challenging question is limited to asking if, and if so by which terms, the Stockholm audience of the 19th century listened to musical works?


Several studies have found that adult caretakers usually hyperarticulate to infants by modifying their voice in ways that promote and sustain infants' attention. This articulation when engaging in infant directed speech (IDS) can result in "clear speech" by the expansion of the vowel space area. The degree of speech clarity produced by caregivers appears to provide advantages for young language learners to promote lexical perception and learning. However few studies have ever examined whether infants are able to perceive the difference between hyperarticulation and normal speech. In this study, 7-to 12-month-olds' (n=17) speech discrimination when hearing hyperarticulated and non-hyperarticulated words in mothers' natural speech production was examined. The degree of speech clarity was determined by the relations of the first (F1) and second formant frequencies (F2) of the vowel. The result showed that there was no discrimination between listening to hyperarticulated and non-hyperarticulated words, indicating that the benefit accrued by exposure to clear speech may require no selective attention on the part of the infant. Thus the advantages of hyperarticulation might be related to other characteristics.


A series of measurements of trailing vortices behind lifting hydrofoils is described. These measurements were made in the Caltech Free-Surface Water Tunnel, using a laser-Doppler velocimeter to measure two components of velocity in the vortex wake. Two different model planforms were tested, and measurements were made at several free-stream velocities and angles of attack for each. Velocity profiles were measured at distances downstream of the model of from five to sixty chord lengths. These measurements are the first results of a continuing experimental programme. In § 3 of this paper, the theory of trailing vortices is discussed. The effects of 'vortex wandering' upon the measurements are computed, and the corrected results are seen to be in reasonable agreement with the theory.


CompuGe is an user-friendly interface which has been used for educational purposes in computational geometry courses. This computer-assisted learning software is intended to assist students at graduate and undergraduate levels in learning and visualizing basic concepts behind Computer Aided Geometry Design. CompuGe is an example of how using cognitive tools we may achieve a more effective learning process. The user-friendly interface not only provides students the opportunity to learn rapidly but also enables them to explore a wide range of abstract concepts with a significant control of the learning process. This paper presents the efforts in implementing CompuGe and applying it in the learning process.


This study was an attempt to investigate the effects of Instagram application on learning grammatical accuracy of word classes of Iranian undergraduate TEFL students as well as to find out Iranian undergraduate TEFL students' perceptions of using Instagram application for learning grammatical accuracy of word classes. In doing so, an Oxford Placement Test was administered among 120 TEFL students, and based on the results, 92 students, studying in Islamic Azad University of Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran, were randomly selected. Then they were divided into two equal experimental and control groups (N=46).Their age ranged between 19 and 26 years old. Gender of participants was not considered as a variable in the study. The experimental group was taught grammatical accuracy of word classes via Instagram application, whereas the control group only followed conventional treatment. Analyzing the data through the independent sample t-test revealed that with the help of Instagram application, the experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of learning grammatical accuracy of word classes. Furthermore, Iranian TEFL undergraduate students had a positive attitude toward utilization of Instagram application.


This thesis argues that the scope of metonymy throughout history remains severely reduced to a process of word substitution and the signifying potential of the trope is limited to lexical representation. The study therefore proposes a semiotic approach to take the trope beyond this limitation and to develop a textual theory to the trope. A background study related to how metonymy is treated in previous studies is therefore necessary. This review of literature covers a long period starting from ancient Greece and going up to the present day. Chapters one and two of this thesis, which give this general background, show that the hypothesis is to a large extent valid. The thesis then examines another related hypothesis which is that metonymy is semiotic in nature and a semiotic approach to metonymy will solve the problem of reductionism in the treatment of this trope. Chapter three is devoted to an examination of this hypothesis. It shows that a semiotic approach to metonymy is not only possible but also crucial. The semiotic approach to metonymy basically concerns the treatment of metonymy as a sign which cuts across three domains of representation. These are the domain of words, the domain of concepts and the domain of things or objects. The last domain is itself treated from a semiotic perspective to stand for the domain of context at large. on the basis of this semiotic approach to metonymy a textual model of metonymic relations in text is constructed. this model is put to the test in chapter four. here the metonymic relations of form for form, form for concept, form for thing, thing for form and concept for form are brought to bear on the formal and semantic connectedness of text. in chapter five the metonymic relations of concept for concept, concept for thing, thing for thing and thing for concept are used to explain how these metonymic relations interact to provide a linkage between language, cognition and context.


Abstract Loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta are globally endangered. The population nesting in Cabo Verde is genetically distinctive and numerically important in a global context. In Cabo Verde, the majority on the nesting takes place on the island of Boavista, but recent work suggests that other important nesting sites may exist. Santa Luzia is the only large uninhabited island in Cabo Verde. In this study, beach surveys revealed 289 nests in 2011, 1817 nests in 2012, and 563 nests in 2013, which means that Santa Luzia may host more than 1% of the loggerhead nesting population in the Atlantic. The sex ratio of turtle hatchlings currently being produced on Santa Luzia is female biased, but there is still a good production of males. The results highlight the importance of the island of Santa Luzia for the conservation of loggerhead turtles, particularly considering that unlike other islands in Cabo Verde, this is a nature reserve where no beach development is taking place and where nest and female poaching is well controlled by the activities of conservation organizations, such as the nongovernmental organization Biosfera 1.


AIMS
To identify the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires employed by the physicians and surgeons who manage patients with head and neck cancer. Also, to gain an impression of the perceived difficulties and advantages of their use.

METHODS
A national survey was performed of active UK consultant clinicians on the mailing list of the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists.

RESULTS
Of 267 questionnaires, there were 191 replies (71.5%) from clinical oncologists (40), ENT surgeons (53), general surgeon (1), oral and maxillofacial surgeons (59), and plastic surgeons (38). Fifty-five consultants (29%) used HRQOL questionnaires and the most popular questionnaire was the University of Washington Head and Neck Cancer (65%). Questionnaires were most likely to be used both before and after treatment (67%) and administered in clinic by either nursing staff or consultants. The main reasons for not using HRQOL questionnaires included lack of resources and proven value.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite the vast amount of literature on the importance of HRQOL in head and neck cancer, this survey shows that there is still a substantial amount of work required before HRQOL measurement becomes an established part of routine practice.


Moving dust is full of life, but this life is not what makes it move. Since the establishment of the germ theory of disease, dust has mainly been viewed as being invisibly threatening and visibly distressful. In this article, the author emphasizes that there has been another view on dust all along: This view both links the presence of dust in the atmosphere to meteorological events crucial for life and acknowledges its vital impact on the global ecology of land, water and air in a deep-time perspective. Moving dust is a planetary force of inseparable organic and nonorganic matter that shelters, transports, feeds but also kills life. Recently the force of dust, which has yet to be fully comprehended, has been employed in controversial geoengineering practices.


After the assessment targets on concrete performance of anti-sulfate erosion were optimum designed rationally to be assessment parameters, the course on performance deterioration of concrete was characterized using designed assessment parameters. The results show that, every performance deterioration degree of concrete can be compared on the same coordination axis by assessment parameters. The assessment parameters were applicable the same determination criterion, and the determination principle is simple and convenient. The comparing the deterioration course and sensitivity degree of concrete performance is much easy. It is better to judge concrete performance state that the GHPC performance of anti-sulfate erosion has been assessed with assessment parameter designed in the paper.


Early-life health shapes cognitive skills and human capital. In India, widespread open defecation without using a toilet is an important source of childhood disease. We study the effects on childhood cognitive achievement of early-life exposure to India's Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), a large government program that encouraged local governments to build latrines and promote their use. We find that the TSC caused six-year-olds exposed to it in their first year of life to be more likely to recognize letters and simple numbers. Our results suggest that open defecation is an important threat to human capital in India.


In a very simple form a Mobile Agent is an independent piece of code that has mobility and autonomy behavior. One of the main advantages of using Mobile Agent in a network is it reduces network traffic load. In an, ad hoc network Mobile Agent can be used to protect the network by using agent based IDS or IPS. Besides, to deploy dynamic software in the network or to retrieve information from network nodes Mobile Agent can be useful. But in an ad hoc network the Mobile Agent itself needs some security. Security services should be guaranteed both for Mobile Agent and for Agent Server. In this paper to protect the Mobile Agent and Agent Server in an ad hoc network we have proposed a solution which is based on Threshold Cryptography, a new vibe in the cryptographic world where trust is distributed among multiple nodes in the network.


Biotechnology is a platform technology that may significantly contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Yet biotechnology is hardly ever referred to as a 'clean technology'. This paper investigates why biotechnology tends to be ignored in this context. A global stakeholder survey on biotechnology and climate change was conducted with 55 representatives of 44 institutions. The results of a perception pattern analysis show that the majority of stakeholder representatives had a neutral or positive attitude towards the use of biotechnology and regarded its potential to address climate change problems as significant. The survey results further reveal a significant relationship between a representative's institutional and disciplinary background and his or her attitude. To a considerable extent, a person's background appears to determine whether biotechnology is framed as a risk or an opportunity for sustainable development.


An approximate method for determining the elastic flexural torsional buckling loads of laterally continuous structures is developed. The method is a refinement of that proposed by Nethercot and Trahair and can be applied to structures loaded at braced points. The braces and supports are assumed to prevent lateral deflection and twisting. The procedure locates a critical segment and adjacent restraining segments which together form a substructure. The elastic critical load is obtained by determining the effective length of the critical segment. Charts of effective length factors, k, are presented and are shown to depend on the end restraint parameters, ga and gb, the segment beam parameter, k, and the end moment ratio, beta. The proposed method is applied to a number of worked examples. The results are in close agreement with accurate numerical solutions. The paper has been written with the design engineer in mind and does not presuppose a detailed knowledge of buckling theory (a).


Durvalumab, a monoclonal antibody, is an immune checkpoint inhibitor. By blocking PD-L1 (programmed cell death-1) from binding to PD-1 and CD80 receptors, durvalumab restores T-cell activation, enabling the effective detection and destruction of tumour cells. In July 2017, the FDA granted durvalumab breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whose disease had not progressed following platinum-based chemoradiotherapy. Currently, durvalumab is not approved in Europe. In the phase III, PACIFIC study, 713 patients with stage III, unresectable NSCLC, without progression following platinum-based chemotherapy, were randomised 2:1 to durvalumab (10 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks) or matching placebo for up to 12 months. At a median follow-up of 14.5 months, durvalumab increased the median progression-free survival (PFS) by 11.2 months, compared to placebo, irrespective of PD-L1 expression level prior to chemoradiotherapy. Durvalumab also increased the overall response rate (ORR) by 12.4%, duration of response (DOR) (>13.8 months), time to death or distant metastasis (TTDM) by 9 months, and reduced the incidence of new brain metastases by 5.5% compared with placebo. Immune-mediated, treatment-related adverse events (AEs) requiring glucocorticoids or endocrine therapy were more commonly reported in the durvalumab group; pneumonitis and pneumonia resulted in discontinuation in 6.3% and 1.1% of durvalumab recipients, respectively. Overall, durvalumab increases PFS, ORR, DOR, and TTDM in patients with stage III NSCLC, regardless of PD-L1 expression level prior to chemoradiation or histology, compared to placebo. However, overall survival (OS), quality of life (QoL) and long-term safety data are awaited, and study participants may not be representative of those in clinical practice. Direct comparison trials are lacking, to other immunotherapies (e.g. pembrolizumab), and cross-trial comparisons are cautioned due to differences in patient selection based on different PD-L1 assays. Further research is needed regarding the duration and timing of immunotherapy, the best regimen of chemoradiation for combination, and patient selection for greatest benefit based on predictive markers of efficacy and resistance.


Every summer, around the time the monsoon rains begin to fall in late June, a killer stalks the rugged highlands of Yunnan Province in southwest China. For more than 30 years, people of all ages have been dropping dead from sudden cardiac arrest in northern Yunnan. The vast majority of deaths occur during the rainy season, from June to August. Yunnan Unknown Cause Sudden Death, as it is called, often strikes in clusters, so the first victim in a village instills dread in the rest of the inhabitants. Since 1978, more than 400 deaths and several dozen nonfatal cardiac cases have been attributed to the syndrome. But this summer, people across Yunnan may be able to rest easy. After a 5-year investigation, a team led by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention believes it has uncovered the syndrome9s chief cause. CDC and Yunnan Provincial Health Department have embarked on a campaign to warn against eating an innocuous-looking mushroom deemed so trifling that most villages don9t even have a name for it. If they have fingered the real culprit—known for lack of a better description as the "little white mushroom"—then this summer could be the first in decades without a death from the syndrome. The case is not closed, however. Some researchers believe that a substantial percentage of syndrome deaths may be from another cause.


Background/Context Over the past decade, scholars of teaching and teacher education have concluded that the field lacks a common conceptual vocabulary to undergird systematic investigation of practice. Absent a shared language, we can neither articulate common questions nor establish common tools—essential elements for building knowledge and advancing practice. Thus, despite the failure of earlier attempts, scholars agree that the quest for a shared language and "grammar of practice" must be taken up anew if the field is to move forward. Objective In this article, I argue that succeeding in this quest requires not only refocused lines of research but also the cultivation of scholarship that makes visible the interplay of reasoning and action underlying skilled work of professional preparation. Such scholarship should provide well-articulated and examined models and tools to support the development of prospective and practicing teachers—resources that can be evaluated and built upon. Products of this work may well diverge in form from other, more conventional scholarly products and so may demand new mechanisms for peer review and dissemination. The goal of this article is to establish a conceptual framework to support such a system. Research Design Drawing on philosophical and empirical inquiries into the nature of practice and practical reasoning, as well as the efforts to expand definitions of scholarship spearheaded by Boyer, Shulman, and others at the Carnegie Foundation, I conceptualize this distinct form of work as "scholarship in practice." I then posit a set of criteria by which scholarship in practice might be assessed, illustrating these through two extended examples and considering implications for peer review. Conclusions/Recommendations Advancing scholarship that capitalizes on the expertise and talent of faculty who not only understand but also skillfully enact the work of preparing teachers is vital to the progress of the field. Moving forward with this agenda requires that faculty in schools of education take the time to establish shared understandings of the nature and possibilities of this kind of scholarship, clear expectations regarding quality, and infrastructure to support development, review, and feedback. The enactment of a fair and systematic review process demands thoughtful discussion grounded in specific examples, within and across institutions.


Applying the technology of option pricing and contingent claims modeling to credit risk is one of the major growth areas in derivatives research these days. It is an old idea to treat default as a firm's management rationally exercising the shareholders' option to go bankrupt rather than to make a required payment to the debtholders. But only in the last few years has this insight been extended and widely applied to practical bond valuation problems. Convertible bonds have also become much more popular in recent years, as the weak and volatile stock market has combined with low interest rates to create an environment in which the conversion option can be very attractive. One critical uncertainty in credit risk analysis that may not be fully appreciated by those who have not worked in this area, is what the payoff to bondholders will actually be in the event of a default. In this article, Ayache, Forsyth, and Vetzal explore the interactions among the multiple options embedded in convertibles that are subject to default risk, call provisions, and put provisions, in addition to the conversion option. Along with results that illustrate the interactions among these multiple options, the authors provide a straightforward valuation technique for convertibles, by applying principles of linear complementarity to the discretization of the fundamental PDE of contingent claims pricing.


Roshdy AbolAzayem El-Sayed AbdelRassoul A High-Speed Analog Comparator in 0.5 ?m CMOS Technology This paper describes a design of a high-speed analog comparator that is realized in 0.5-um CMOS technology. A response time of 1.62 ns was recorded at an average power consumption of 0.58 mW and a supply voltage of 3V. The comparator has been employed in the realization of an 8-bit flash type ADC where a maximum sampling rate of 300Mb/s was reached.


Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are a common cause of intracranial hemorrhage in children. Exploring outcomes of treatment and factors that predict recurrence may help guide the management of pediatric AVMs. In this study, the authors review a single-center experience with pediatric AVMs, aiming to identify factors contributing to recurrence and areas for improvement in treatment.A single-center retrospective review of patients ages 0–18 years with AVMs in the period from 2005 to 2018 was conducted. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic data were collected and examined to compare the clinical and functional outcomes of patients managed with and those managed without open microsurgical resection.One hundred five patients were diagnosed and treated during the study period. Fifty (47.6%) had been treated surgically and 35 (33.3%) nonsurgically, and 20 (19%) had been treated primarily at an outside institution and thus were excluded from further analysis. Of the 50 treated surgically, 92% had complete obliteration on postoperative imaging, with the remaining patients having residual AVM and undergoing re-resection or SRS, ultimately resulting in a 96% radiographic cure rate. The surgically treated patients were followed up for an average of 3.34 years. Eighty-two percent had a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2. There was a recurrence rate of 12%, with the time to recurrence averaging 327.86 days (range 85–596 days). Of the 35 patients managed without open surgery, 77% underwent serial imaging surveillance, 20% underwent endovascular embolization, and 3% underwent stereotactic radiosurgery. Radiographic cure was seen in 6% of those treated nonsurgically, and all had undergone endovascular treatment alone. The nonsurgically treated patients were followed up for an average of 2.14 years. Eighty percent had an mRS score of 0–2.The data revealed that patients with lower-grade AVMs treated surgically and those with higher-grade AVMs managed without surgery have good functional and clinical outcomes. A high rate of recurrence was noted, and the possible contributing factors were explored. The authors encourage further study into mechanisms to reduce AVM recurrence in pediatric patients and look forward to advances in the medical management of lesions that are considered unresectable.


In early 2018, North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump were not on the best of terms, publicly lashing out at each other and threatening the destruction of the other's state. And yet, within the year they were smiling and handshaking in Singapore, followed not long after by a second summit in Vietnam. These summits, focused on the prospect of North Korea's denuclearization, have in fact raised important questions concerning the legitimacy of North Korea's nuclear weapons program: Does the willingness of a sitting U.S. President to meet with the North Korean leader constitute de facto recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-weapon state? Has North Korea joined India, Pakistan, and Israel as a member of the "Final Four" — the nuclear-weapon states that exist outside of the framework promulgated by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons?

International law does not offer clear answers to these questions, but the importance of defining de facto nuclear-weapon state (DNWS) status is paramount, lest the United States or another member of the international community continues to engage with North Korea and unwittingly offers the legitimacy that it desires. Consequently, this Note sets out to identify a "nuclear recognition threshold" — the point at which a nuclear-armed state can accurately be considered a DNWS. In this respect, the law on diplomatic recognition serves as a valuable reference point in formulating a "working test" to identify states that have crossed (or are likely to cross) this threshold. By articulating a working test for DNWS status, this Note hopes to encourage members of the international community to be more cognizant of their relationships with would-be nuclear proliferants, as such relationships may lead to those states attaining this status, gaining unintended legal and diplomatic benefits, and threatening the long-term efficacy of the global nonproliferation regime.


This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic selection of a minimal subset of tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using an estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA). The EDA stochastically searches the constrained space of possible feasible solutions and takes advantage of the underlying topological structure defined by the SNP correlations to model the problem interactions. The algorithm is evaluated across the HapMap reference panel data sets. The introduced algorithm is effective for the identification of minimal multi-marker SNP sets, which considerably reduce the dimension of the tagging SNP set in comparison with single-marker sets. New reduced tagging sets are obtained for all the HapMap SNP regions considered. We also show that the information extracted from the interaction graph representing the correlations between the SNPs can help to improve the efficiency of the optimization algorithm. keywords: SNPs, tagging SNP selection, multi-marker selection, estimation of distribution algorithms, HapMap.


This thesis addresses the statistical modeling of turbulence, focusing on three main aspects: the critical transition from laminarity to turbulence, the effects of the so-called intermittency and the energy dynamics of a turbulent flow.
The central part of the thesis consists of six papers, divided into two parts.
In Part I we develop two new indices to quantify the proximity to critical transitions in stochastic dynamical systems, with particular attention to the transition from laminarity to turbulence in fluids (Paper A). The two indices are tested on two toy models and then applied to the detection of critical events in a magnetised fluid and in financial time series.

We define a third index Y, which quantifies the effects of intermittency and does not require very long time series. This index turns out to be effective in recovering the structure of the turbulent flow (Papers B, C). In Paper D we show that Y is also sensitive to the turbulent behavior of financial markets, providing a possible early warning indicator of the proximity to critical events.
In Part II we introduce a new local observable as the arrival times of tracer particles at a particular point in the fluid as a proxy of the turbulent velocity field.
We model the universal self-organising structure of this observable in an effective and parsimonious way.
In the second paper of Part II, we model the continuous-time dynamics of the energy budget of the turbulent field. We show that this observable can be characterised as the exponential of a stochastic integral on a Levy basis, under the assumption that the energy transmission across time scales is a multiplicative cascade process.


Application of dimethyl sulfoxide to proliferating L8 myoblasts (an established cell line of rat skeletal muscle) for 72 hr completely prevented fusion and induction of creatine phosphokinase (EC 126.96.36.199) activity (an indicator of muscle differentiation). The growth pattern changed from the usual sheets of randomly oriented cells to flattened, whorled monolayers of elongated fibroblast-like cells. By electron microscopy, rough endoplasmic reticulum increased and extracellular material appeared that had the morphologic and staining characteristics of collagen. After 120 hr in dimethyl sulfoxide-containing medium, the cells secreted about 6 times more collagen than untreated controls. Dimethyl sulfoxide was ineffective when applied to L8 cells just prior to fusion, and effects of dimethyl sulfoxide were not readily reversible unless treated cells were subcultured at low density.


A field research, commissioned by the Dutch Foundation for Management Studies, on the state of the application of the concept of business unit-organization (M-form) in the Netherlands, has produced some noteworthy results. Through interviews with 36 organizations, most for-profit companies (including Dutch subsidiaries of multinationals), two non-profit institutions and two government agencies, the following was found. The concept of unit management, that is to organize the firm in a number of self-contained business units as profit centers, is still very strong in the theory-in-use of managers and as a basis for accounting systems. However virtual no business unit any longer is self-contained organized, contrary to the definition of the M-form. All business units, in varying degree, depend on resources outside the unit to achieve their objectives. In at least five cases the mental anchoring to the unit-concept has resulted in debilitating problems with respect to account management and with project management, organizational entities which are needed to satisfy the Chandlerian criteria of fit-to-market and fit-to-strategy. A small number of companies have overcome this problem and similar dilemmas by defining accountability for turnover and profit & loss simultaneously over multiple dimensions (product, region, account, market segment, industry), for each dimension a separate manager is accountable, contrary to what is assumed in the literature on economic organization theory, accounting theory and management control. Examples of firms doing so are ABN AMRO, IBM, Microsoft, ASML, PwC and some others. Those companies have commensurate multidimensional management reporting, management information, and coordination & control processes, and are successful companies (except ABN AMRO which is unbundled by three other banks). The reason to operate a multidimensional organization seems to be the emergence of multidimensional markets, to need to exploit economies of scope, especially with respect to knowledge, to have higher effectiveness in management control, to be more flexible, to reduce resource biased risk averse target setting, and to appropriate more value from the market in the case of network industries. The concept of the multidimensional organization was presaged by Ackoff (1977) and Prahalad & Doz (1979) and Prahalad (1980) but has virtual disappeared from the literature since then. Its present emerging can be explained by using Arrow's (1974) The Limits of Organization, especially Arrow's prediction of the consequences of a fall in costs of information for the agenda of the firm. This paper will describe the multidimensional organization as an empirical phenomenon, explaining its workings and its raison d'etre in operational terms. In addition to that, using Williamson's efficiency hypothesis, the efficiency of the multidimensional organization is discussed whether the multidimensional organization is more efficient as is the M-form. This paper does not in the first place aim, as is common, to make a contribution to existing literature. Its first purpose is to report on a new empirical phenomenon.


We demonstrate the first (to our knowledge) general purpose full-field reflection-mode extreme ultraviolet (EUV) microscope based on coherent diffractive imaging. This microscope is capable of nanoscale amplitude and phase imaging of extended surfaces at an arbitrary angle of incidence in a noncontact, nondestructive manner. We use coherent light at 29.5 nm from high-harmonic upconversion to illuminate a surface, directly recording the scatter as the surface is scanned. Ptychographic reconstruction is then combined with tilted plane correction to obtain an image with amplitude and phase information. The image quality and detail from this diffraction-limited tabletop EUV microscope compares favorably with both scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope images. The result is a general and completely extensible imaging technique that can provide a comprehensive and definitive characterization of how light at any wavelength scatters from a surface, with imminent feasibility of elemental imaging with


Climate change induced drying and flooding may alter the redox conditions of organic matter decomposition in peat soils. The seasonal and intermittent changes in pore water solutes (NO 3 − , Fe 2+ , SO 4 2− , H 2 S, acetate) and dissolved soil gases (CO 2 , O 2 , CH 4 , H 2 ) under natural water table fluctuations were compared to the response under a reinforced drying and flooding in fen peats. Oxygen penetration during dryings led to CO 2 and CH 4 degassing and to a regeneration of dissolved electron acceptors (NO 3 − , Fe 3+ and SO 4 2− ). Drying intensity controlled the extent of the electron acceptor regeneration. Iron was rapidly reduced and sulfate pools ~ 1 mM depleted upon rewetting and CH 4 did not substantially accumulate until sulfate levels declined to ~ 100 μmol L −1 . The post-rewetting recovery of soil methane concentrations to levels ~ 80 μmol L −1 needed 40–50 days after natural drought. This recovery was prolonged after experimentally reinforced drought. A greater regeneration of electron acceptors during drying was not related to prolonged methanogenesis suppression after rewetting. Peat compaction, solid phase content of reactive iron and total reduced inorganic sulfur and organic matter content controlled oxygen penetration, the regeneration of electron acceptors and the recovery of CH 4 production, respectively. Methane production was maintained despite moderate water table decline of 20 cm in denser peats. Flooding led to accumulation of acetate and H 2 , promoted CH 4 production and strengthened the co-occurrence of iron and sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. Mass balances during drying and flooding indicated that an important fraction of the electron flow must have been used for the generation and consumption of electron acceptors in the solid phase or other mechanisms. In contrast to flooding, dry-wet cycles negatively affect methane production on a seasonal scale, but this impact might strongly depend on drying intensity and on the peat matrix, of which structure and physical properties influence moisture content.


Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is a relatively new meshless numerical approach which has attracted significant attention in the last 15 years. Compared with the conventional mesh-dependent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods, the SPH approach exhibits unique advantages in modeling multiphase fluid flows and associated transport phenomena due to its capabilities of handling complex material surface behavior as well as modeling complicated physics in a relatively simple manner. On the other hand, as SPH is still a developing CFD tool, it is vital to investigate its attributes, namely, advantages or potential limitations in modeling different multiphase flow problems to further understand and then improve this technique. Toward this end, this work aims to design a computational code using SPH method for the simulation of multiphase flows. In this work, we present numerical solutions for flow over an airfoil and square obstacle using both weakly compressible and incompressible SPH method with an improved solid boundary treatment approach, referred to as Multiple Boundary Tangents (MBT) method. It is shown that the MBT boundary treatment technique is very effective for tackling boundaries of complex shapes. Also, we have proposed the usage of the repulsive component of the Leonard Jones Potential (LJP) in the advection equation to repair particle fracture occurring in SPH method due to the tendency of SPH particles to follow the stream line trajectory. This approach is named as the artificial particle displacement method. Furthermore, the proposed method is totalized for the multiphase uid systems and implemented accordingly. The presented model is validated by solving Laplace's law, and square bubble deformation without surface tension whereby it is shown that the implemented SPH discretization does not produce any artificial surface tension. Then, the problem descriptions and solutions for two important hydrodynamic instabilities namely, Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, are provided along with their brief analytical linear stability analysis to describe the accuracy and the limitation of the numerical scheme. The long time evolution for both cases are investigated and the comparison between the simulation results and existence theories are provided in details. Finally, we have presented a model to study the deformation of a droplet suspended in a quiescent fluid subjected to the combined effects of surface tension and electric field forces. The electrostatics phenomena are coupled to hydrodynamics through the solution of a set of Maxwell equations. The relevant Maxwell equations and associated interface conditions are simplified relying on the assumptions of the so called leaky dielectric model. All governing equations and the relevant jump and boundary conditions are discretized in space using the SPH method with improved interface and boundary treatments. Numerical results are validated by two highly credential analytical results which are frequently cited in the literature.