When Prince Oroonoko's passion for the virtuous Imoinda arouses the jealousy of his grandfather, the lovers are cast into slavery and transported from Africa to the colony of Surinam. Oroonoko's noble bearing soon wins the respect of his English captors, but his struggle for freedom brings about his destruction. Inspired by Aphra Behn's visit to Surinam, Oroonoko (1688) reflects the author's romantic view of Native Americans as simple, superior peoples 'in the first state of innocence, before men knew how to sin'. The novel also reveals Behn's ambiguous attitude to African slavery - while she favoured it as a means to strengthen England's power, her powerful and moving work conveys its injustice and brutality.


Measurements revealed the contribution of multiple traveling waves to the flutter vibrations of bladed disks. Saturated flutter vibration, whether in this multi-wave or in its better-understood single-wave form, is a nonlinear phenomenon. However, it is still not understood of what physical origin the relevant nonlinearities are, and under what conditions single-wave or multi-wave flutter vibration occurs. Recent theoretical work suggests that multi-wave flutter vibration can be explained by strongly nonlinear frictional interblade coupling. The verity of this hypothesis is strictly limited by the simplicity of the considered model, namely, a cyclic chain of seven oscillators with frictional coupling and rather unrealistic aeroelastic behavior. In this work, it is demonstrated that nonlinear dynamical contact interactions at tip-shrouds are a likely cause for the observed multi-wave flutter vibration. To this end, a more realistic structural turbine blade row model with a more realistic aeroelastic behavior is considered. Some insight into its intriguing dynamics, dependence of limit states on initial conditions, and eigenvalue placement is provided. For instance, it is shown that there is an intimate relation between internal combination resonance conditions of certain traveling wave modes and the spectral content of single- and multi-wave flutter oscillations.


1. Ten patients with essential hypertension and ten normotensive control subjects were investigated before and after an isotonic volume load. 2. The increases in the clearances of lithium and of sodium were greater in the hypertensive than in the normotensive subjects ( P r s = 0.68, P 3. An increase in glomerular filtration rate in the hypertensive patients correlated positively with the increase in proximal output ( r s = 0.70, P 0.05), but did not correlate with the change in sodium excretion. 4. The exaggerated natriuresis was accompanied by a significant rise in the absolute rate of sodium reabsorption in the distal segments, but distal fractional reabsorption decreased. 5. It is concluded that the exaggerated natriuresis can be accounted for by an increase in the proximal output of sodium and water.


Measurements with an atomic force microscope (AFM) offer a direct way to probe elastic properties of lipid bilayer membranes locally: provided the underlying stress-strain relation is known, material parameters such as surface tension or bending rigidity may be deduced. In a recent experiment a pore-spanning membrane was poked with an AFM tip, yielding a linear behavior of the force-indentation curves. A theoretical model for this case is presented here which describes these curves in the framework of Helfrich theory. The linear behavior of the measurements is reproduced if one neglects the influence of adhesion between tip and membrane. Including it via an adhesion balance changes the situation significantly: force-distance curves cease to be linear, hysteresis and nonzero detachment forces can show up. The characteristics of this rich scenario are discussed in detail in this paper.


Algorithms are described and analyzed for the efficient evaluation of the primitive operators of a relational algebra on a proposed non-von Neumann machine based on a hierarchy of associative storage devices. This architecture permits an O(log n) decrease in time complexity over the best known evaluation methods on a conventional computer system, without the use of redundant storage, and using currently available and potentially competitive technology. In many eases of practical import, the proposed architecture may also permit a significant improvement (by a factor roughly proportional to the capacity of the primary associative storage device) over the performance of previously implemented or proposed database machine architectures based on associative secondary storage devices.


Judicial temperament is simultaneously the thing we think all judges must have and the thing that no one can quite put a finger on. Extant accounts are scattered and thin, and either present a laundry list of desirable judicial qualities without articulating what (if anything) unifies the list or treat temperament as a fundamentally mysterious quality that a judge either does or does not have. Resting so much—selection, evaluation, discipline, even removal—on such an indeterminate concept is intellectually and practically intolerable. Polarized debates over Justice Kavanaugh's fitness to sit on the Supreme Court made clear just how badly we need a common vocabulary to guide our discourse on judicial temperament.

This Article—the first extended scholarly treatment of the topic—posits that, because judicial temperament is a psychological construct, we ought to draw upon psychology to understand it. It therefore taps a deep well of scientific research to construct a new psycho-legal theory of judicial temperament. It conceives judicial temperament as a deep-seated, relatively stable set of specific personal traits—separable from intellect, training, and ideology—that, in dialectic with specific judicial environments and the predictable demands of judging, drive behaviors that affect how justice is delivered and perceived. The critical trait dimensions of a judge's temperament are positive emotionality, negative emotionality, kindness, and self-regulation. The combination of these traits determines how well or poorly her temperament will fit with any given judicial assignment. Although judicial temperament is somewhat malleable, potential for change is constrained. This scientifically grounded theory shows why some seldom-mentioned attributes—like courage—are temperamental, and other commonly-cited ones—such as commitments to equality and diversity—are not. This Article provides a principled alternative to the folk-wisdom manner in which judicial temperament traditionally has been defined and assessed. Setting the theoretical terms for empirical testing of its claims—and with the potential to transform processes for judicial selection, evaluation, and support—the psycho-legal theory posited here shows what we should be talking about when we talk about judicial temperament.


This work performed a comparative analysis between the construction process carried out when building the dome at the Temple of Santa Lucia, in Ambalema-Colombia and the typical process of an octagonal dome. Additionally, the structural stability is assessed of the dome of the case study against service and dynamic loads. To compare with the case study, known domes were taken as examples from structures in Italy and Spain. The analysis includes a study on the dome's geometry and the constructive errors found. Methodology: The dome's stability was evaluated through structural analysis software for which the dome was simplified into a system of four articulated arches. Conclusions: As a result, it was found that the dome of the temple of Santa Lucia does not have a system to counteract lateral thrusts (a drum or its similar), which permitted the appearance and widening of meridional cracks. These cracks propagate from the base to the crown, but do not compromise the structure's stability for service loads. The analysis for seismic loads indicates that the dome is at risk of collapse upon seismic events, even of moderate magnitudes. Originality: The study is aimed at architects and engineers interested in the theme of restoration of historical structures.


As part of the National Transition Board Practice Research Raak/SIA program, the INTRALOG (intelligent Truck Application in Logistics) project investigated the practical application of zero emission Automatic Guided Trucks (AGTs) for the transport of containers in the Harbour Industrial Cluster (HIC) in the port of Rotterdam. The introduction of zero emission autonomous trucks is facing a couple of barriers and challenges which are discussed in this paper. Autonomous driving is still under development and the application of batteries in heavy trucking is not yet feasible, because of their relatively low energy density versus fossil fuels. Carrying heavy batteries reduces the payload and therefore complicates the financial feasibility of electric propulsion with batteries. Analysis of the container flows at the port area of Rotterdam has shown a big difference based on distance, closed track or open road, type of energy, and energy distribution. In terms of organization, five different situations can be distinguished: (i) Central Exchange Route (CER), (ii)Inter-terminal, (iii) DCs (Distribution Centres) in HIC, (iv) (intermodal) inland terminals in the Netherlands and (v) the long-distance transport. The CER proves to be an ideal solution to start the introduction of zero emission AGTs. In terms of innovative technology all lights for actual implementation have been switched into green. However, the major challenge now emerging at the Port of Rotterdam is how to mobilize all key stakeholders in such a way that the estimated benefits outweigh estimated costs and really leads to the implementation of this new autonomous and zero emission system in practice.


BACKGROUND
It has been proposed that dyslipidemic hypertension is part of a distinct metabolic syndrome related to insulin resistance. This paper describes the prevalence and cross-sectional relations of dyslipidemic hypertension in a population-based sample of men and women.

METHODS
In two southeastern New England communities, 11,199 randomly selected participants were evaluated as part of a cross-sectional surveillance program of coronary heart disease risk factors between 1981 and 1990.

RESULTS
The frequency of dyslipidemia was 38% and of hypertension was 26.5%; the conjoint frequency (dyslipidemic hypertension) was 15.0%, which is 1.49 times the expected value if the two diseases were independent P < .05). Using a discrete multivariate model, dyslipidemia and hypertension were associated with sex, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. The excess association of dyslipidemic hypertension, compared with individual effects of dyslipidemia and hypertension, was not related to these factors.

CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that dyslipidemic hypertension is common but may not be a unique entity associated with a distinct metabolic syndrome.


This study examines bilinguals' gender use strategies in code-switched agreement (i.e. the moon is bonita) and concord (i.e. la moon) structures. Thirty-five L1 Spanish-L2 English adult bilinguals and 43 L1 English-L2 Spanish adults with an intermediate (N=18) or advanced (N=25) level of proficiency in Spanish completed an acceptability judgment task in which they rated code-switched Adjectival Predicates and DPs. The results show that only the L1 Spanish-L2 English bilinguals prefer the Adj (in the case of agreement) or the D (in the case of concord) to be marked for the gender of the Spanish translation equivalent of the English N, but that all groups rate agreement structures higher than concord structures. Both of these findings corroborate previous work on intrasentential code-switching, however, this is the first study to offer an account for the contrast in processing difficulty between agreement and concord structures. We argue that this difference can be explained in terms of the way in which the features are valued in agreement and in concord. Under the double-feature valuation mechanism (Liceras et al., 2008) in agreement both features are valued in a single direction, while in concord the features are valued in two different directions. It is this unidirectionality of the feature valuation mechanism in agreement that makes code-switched agreement structures such as Adjectival Predicates easier to process.


In this paper I give an overview of tendencies in the research on grammatical gender within the Western linguistic tradition. More specifically, I focus on the recurring claims concerning the supposed semantic arbitrariness, and formal and non-functional character of this category. Representative examples are given from every period of linguistic activity, from the ancient Greek scholars up to contemporary descriptive and typological studies. Particular attention is given to the most influential works, e.g. those of the Neogrammarians and European as well as American structuralists within 19th and 20th century scholarship. While examples have been drawn mainly from the research on Indo-European, the tendencies described are also indicative of the research on other families and on systems traditionally referred to as "noun classes". Finally, I consider these claims in the light of the evidence that is now available of the semantic regularity of gender, its discourse functions and cognitive correlates.


Cluster is a geographical location (5 km radius) having 50 or more manufacturing or service providing units of interrelated and interdependent firms along with their backward and forward linkage industries. Manufacturing or service providing firms are co-located and experience unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a cluster. Clusters could be naturally grown due to the availability of raw materials, skilled labor, historically inherent professional uniqueness etc. reasons. On the other hand government or concerned agencies may establish a pre-planned co-located cluster of a particular sub-sector in a specific place. Where firms are co-located and linked with each other through the value chain of a particular product. Clusters, either naturally grown or man-made, require development interventions in different phases to perform better than its existing situation. Cluster development interventions could be different based on specific needs of a cluster. Implementation modalities of cluster development interventions could be different due to the explicit features of a cluster. There are several models for cluster development offered by different international bodies, expert groups, practitioners to guide clusters into a particular benchmark of development. The J.M. Model for cluster development was offered by both the authors to guide cluster managers toward success in a challenging environment. This model was initially offered by the authors through their publication titled "Cluster Development Models: Challenges and Opportunities" published by the International Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Sciences. It comprises of five phases and twenty one steps for comprehensive development of a selected cluster. The J.M. Model for Cluster Development is described elaborately here in this article for better understanding of the cluster managers, practitioners, academicians and other relevant stakeholders.


The primary objective of this study was to determine what effect astronomy teaching experience has on the astronomy concepts of elementary school teachers by comparing their conceptions to those held by cohort teachers who had not taught astronomy. In addition, this investigation sought to determine (1) whether teacher interest in astronomy increased as a result of instruction, (2) if interest increased, what kind of relationship exists between interest gains and conceptual change, (3) what astronomy misconceptions are held by teachers who teach astronomy, and (4) how do these misconceptions compare to those held by elementary teachers who do not teach astronomy.

A static group comparison design was used to examine the astronomy concepts held by two groups of elementary school teachers in a suburb of Boston, MA. After controlling for prior interest in astronomy and previous astronomy teaching experience, the experimental group consisted of 12 second grade teachers who were using an extensive, activity-based astronomy unit designed to address student misconceptions. The unit, which typically took over ten weeks to complete and was described by a 110 page teacher's guide, was introduced into the second grade science curriculum in 1987. The control group consisted of 10 first, second and third grade teachers who were not required to teach astronomy and had not done so in the past. Both groups completed a demographic questionnaire, an astronomy interest assessment, and a multiple choice astronomy concepts survey.

Although teachers who taught the astronomy unit showed significant gains in their astronomy interest compared to the controls, teachers in the experimental group did not have higher astronomy concept scores. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the types of astronomy misconceptions held by the two groups. The results of this study suggest that while extensive, "hands-on," astronomy teaching experience may increase the astronomy interest of elementary school teachers, this experience does not appear to affect their astronomy conceptions.


The effectiveness of footballer technology application depends on the specific situation of the sensitive degree of the football players, which can reflect the basic qualities of the football player. In view of this context, in the study of footballer technical sensitivity training, the related training model should be constructed to make the footballer technical sensitivity training better. In this area, first of all, the research objects of the model construction must be chose effectively. By carrying out the specific sensitivity training process to fully reflect the value of the model. Secondly, according to the fields involved in the football technical sensitivity training, the appropriate construction process must be given to the structure of its model, so that the model construction can reflect the improvement of the power and quality of player in various aspects. After that, based on the playersÂ' technical sensitivity training methods, the study carries out the specific inquiry and experiment to insure the efficient data for the application process of the model. Finally, the corresponding verification model construction should be carried out for this model, so as to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the application of footballer sensitivity structure model and the verification results can provide the effective information feedback for the specific application of the model. This is the main idea of this research, which is also able to reflect the specific research process and research steps, and research purposes have also been reflected more clearly.


Summary
The sterile male release technique is reviewed as an approach to population control of certain Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes. Formulas for the sterile male release technique are presented to illustrate the concepts behind the method, and the usefulness of insect sterilization as a biological tool in determining the dynamics of populations which are needed to determine requirements for controlling populations.
Recent field experiments on the release of sterile males into a population of Culex p. quinquefasciatus are reviewed. In these experiments essential elimination of a natural population occurred as a result of the release of sterile insects. Calculations demonstrated the numbers and dynamics of the population, and approximate maximum of a 10-fold rate of increase of the population from generation to generation when the population density was reduced by total population control.


Control system modelling is difficult and delicate process. In most cases, the model cannot be obtained directly from the plant due to the complexity of the system components or the internal structure of the system is not sufficiently understood to allow analytical formulation of equations. On the other hand, the model can be proposed by investigating the dynamic characteristics of the system experimentally.
In this study, a model of a liquid level system is to be derived. The experimental data was obtained by applying a step input and measuring the output response of the system. A transfer function was estimated by using curve fitting technique. This estimated model has been refined by tuning the parameters e.g. gain, time constant, natural frequency and damping ratio. Control design has also been carried out based on the model obtained through simulation. PD control has found to be superior compared to PID. The same parameter settings of the controllers was applied to the real plant and performance of the system under PD control was satisfactory. This also proved that the model derived was a good estimate of the real plant and it can be used for
further control design.


PURPOSE. Although some of the factors and signaling pathways that are involved in induction of fiber differentiation have been defined, such as FGF-mediated MAPK/ERK and PI3-K/Akt signaling, the factors in the vitreous that regulate this differentiation process in vivo have yet to be identified. The purpose of this study was to better understand the role of growth factors in vitreous that regulate this process by further characterizing the signaling pathways involved in lens fiber differentiation. METHODS. Rat lens epithelial explants were used to compare the ability of vitreous, IGF-1, PDGF-A, EGF, and FGF-2 to stimulate the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt leading to fiber differentiation, in the presence or absence of selective receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors. RESULTS. Similar to vitreous, FGF induced a sustained ERK1/2 signaling profile, unlike IGF, PDGF, and EGF, which induced a more transient (shorter) activation of ERK1/2. For Akt activation, IGF was the only factor that induced a profile similar to vitreous. IGF, PDGF, and EGF potentiated the effects of a low dose of FGF on lens fiber differentiation by extending the duration of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In the presence of selective RTK inhibitors, although the sustained vitreous-induced ERK1/2 signaling profile and subsequent fiber differentiation was perturbed, the results also showed that, although prolonged ERK1/2 phosphorylation was necessary, it was not sufficient for fiber differentiation to proceed. CONCLUSIONS. These results are consistent with FGF's being the key growth factor involved in vitreous-induced signaling leading to lens fiber differentiation; however, they also indicate that other vitreal growth factors such as IGF may be involved in fine-tuning ERK1/2- and Akt-phosphorylation to the level that is necessary for initiation and/or maintenance of lens fiber differentiation in vivo.


Research conducted in the past decade on families with young chidren concentrated on 5 broad topics: (a) the transition to parenthood,' (b) the importance of maternal sensitivity for children's attachment security and subsequent adjustment and social competence; (c) the effectiveness of particular parenting styles and practices; (d) interparental, familial, and broader societal factors influencing parenting behaviors and child adjustment; and (e) the impact of family structure and household composition on children's well-being. Our review documents substantial diversity in family structures, parenting arrangements, and childrearing values and practices both within and across ethnic and racial groups. Collectively, the evidence suggests that in most families with young children, parents and children seem to be doing well. We conclude that substantial work is required to expand the study of families with young children beyond mother-child dyads in White, middle-class, two-parent, first-marriage families.


Treatment guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations to assist professionals in clinical decision making. They are a major tool to assure and improve treatment quality and to overcome existing disparities. In the following article, we will attempt to summarize the therapeutic recommendations in major depressive disorder from a pharmacological stand point. The present synthesis of psychopharmacological recommendations in depression is based primarily on the 2009 version, updated in 2018, of the Guide to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2009), the third edition of the American Psychiatric Association Guidelines (APA, 2010), the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments Guidelines, (CANMAT, 2016), Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Guidelines (RANZCP, 2015) and the recommendations proposed by the World Federation of Biological Psychiatric Societies (WFSBP 2013, 2015).


The Italian Stratigraphic Commission of the Societa Geologica Italiana is currently working to clarify and simplify the rather confused lithostratigraphic nomenclature of Italy, by publishing the «Quaderni CARG», devoted to a new catalogue of the lithostratigraphic units. Referring to this effort, the Priabonian limestones of the Pradelgiglio Fm. and Santa Giustina Limestone Fm. (both formalized lithostratigraphic units) represent a clear example of the proliferation of formation names during last decades. The examination and description of a new stratigraphic succession near Crespano del Grappa, located just midway between the small outcrop of the Santa Giustina Limestone Fm. (close to Possagno, Treviso province) and the easternmost outcrops of the Pradelgiglio Fm. (neighbouring of Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza province), allowed to confirm the hypothesis that these two formational names refer indeed to a single Priabonian carbonate platform extending throughout the whole area between the Astico Creek and the Piave River. Therefore, we suggest abandoning the name «Santa Giustina Limestone», which is a junior partial synonym of the older «Pradelgiglio Formation».


Before the days of molecular phylogenies, the standard way of viewing microbial evolution was as process of physiological evolution: the ordering of the sequence of events in which different pathways that microbes use to harness carbon and energy arose. The physiological view of microbial evolution was, of course, replaced in the 1980s by a gene centered view of microbial evolution that was built around the ribosomal RNA tree of life, also called the universal tree or the three domain tree. The universal tree installed long sought order into microbial systematics, but left physiological evolution out in the cold, because physiology never mapped properly onto the rRNA tree. That was not because the universal tree had an incorrect branching pattern. Rather it was because physiological characters have never mapped neatly onto any phylogenetic tree for prokaryotes, regardless of its topology. The reason is that prokaryotes, though they have an undeniable tendency to vertically inherit their ribosome, distribute the physiological traits that enable synthesis of ribosomes via lateral gene transfer (LGT). Geochemical isotope evidence harbors evidence for the existence of physiological processes, not for phylogeny, because LGT decouples physiology from phylogeny in prokaryotes. If we want a fuller picture of microbial evolution, we will have to incorporate aspects of physiology, phylogeny, and the geological record. The issue of how physiology got started has always been interesting. Non-fermentative substrate level phosphorylations as they occur in some acetogens and methanogens now look like good candidate reactions for that starting point, helping to put chemical roots on life's tree.


This article argues that Haiti's French-dominant school system is an impediment to the nation's development, whereas Haitian Creole-dominant education will lay the foundation for long-term development. In that Caribbean country, 95% of the population is monolingual in Haitian Creole while the portion that additionally speaks French does not exceed 5% with an additional 5–10% having some receptive competence (Valdman 1984: 78; Dejean 2006). Even though French is the language of the school system, as many as 80% of Haiti's teachers control it inadequately and only a minority of students completes school (Dejean 2006). Economic, historical, sociolinguistic, and demographic factors are a part of the explanation for Haiti's low educational achievement. Another important but often ignored factor is educational language policy. Data on educational language policy compared internationally show that the use of a second language in schools correlates with high illiteracy rates and poverty (Coulmas 1992). I reject arguments in favor of maintaining French-dominant education in Haiti (Lawless 1992; Youssef 2002; Francis 2005; Ferguson 2006, etc.) because the resources for it are woefully lacking. I argue that the progressive promotion of Haitian Creole throughout Haitian education will lead to improved learning, graduation, and Creole literacy, in addition to a more streamlined and coherent State, economy, and society (Efron 1954; De Regt 1984; DeGraff 2003; Dejean 2006). As Haiti rebuilds after the earthquake of January 12th, 2010, aid workers, government employees, and researchers who get involved in the recovery also unsuspectingly perpetuate French, English, and Spanish hegemony in development work (DeGraff 2010). The long history of suppressing Haitian Creole and promoting French in education and administration — and French, English, or Spanish in development work — form underlying obstacles in the nation's struggle to produce an adequate class of educated citizens, to achieve universal literacy, and to make socioeconomic progress.


The Chatanika radar has been used to measure the ratio of atomic (O+) ions to molecular (O2+, NO+) ions in the high-latitude ionosphere. The radar results agreed well with simultaneous in situ rocket data, giving confidence in the radar method of deducing ion composition. Measurements made over long periods of time show seasonal variations, diurnal variations, and variations due to auroral processes. The transition altitude, where the number densities of atomic and molecular ions are equal, is a convenient parameter for describing the composition variation with altitude or 'composition altitude profile.' The transition altitude occurs at ∼190 km at night and ∼170 km during the day, in agreement with midlatitude results. During the winter the daytime transition altitude is 15 km lower than in summer, a seasonal variation similar to that at midlatitudes. Energetic particle precipitation results in the lowering of the transition altitude, by 10 km in one case when energetic particles deposited ∼20 ergs/cm² s in the atmosphere. The largest variations in ion composition were found during periods of large joule heat input resulting from electric fields on the order of 50 mV/m. The transition altitude increased by 50 km in a case where the joule heat input rate was 30 ergs/cm² s. These observations were compared to calculations from a simple steady state model involving the principal consituents and reactions. The results indicate that the transition altitude during particle precipitation is most influenced by the increased ion production. There do not appear to be significant effects from possible increases of N2 vibrational temperature. A number of interrelated effects contribute to the increase in transition altitude during joule heating. The most important effect is the electric field contribution in raising the effective ion temperature. In addition, it appears that increased N2 density is also required to account for the observed change.


Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) has been considered as a revolutionary technology to address current healthcare needs. However, before the extensive deployment of WBAN, one main challenge to be met is how to balance the trade-off between data transmission rate and energy efficiency. In this paper, we utilize WBAN's spatial correlation characteristics during movement and propose an efficient cross-layer scheme, named A3NC, which combines analog network coding (ANC) and MAC layer channel allocation. Our simulation results show that the A3NC scheme achieves significant improvement in upload throughput and energy efficiency compared to the conventional approaches. Meanwhile, our scheme also maintains a better balance between correlated sensors' upload throughput.


The effectiveness of a population-based disease prevention or screening program depends in part on the prevalence of the risk factor or condition in the population, the characteristics of the test used to identify persons who are at risk for or have the disease, the availability of proven interventions that can lead to improvements in clinically important health outcomes without causing undue harm, and the program's associated costs. These and related issues were raised in recent discussions and debates about the usefulness of several established and new screening initiatives, including mammography for breast cancer, prostate-specific antigen testing for prostate cancer, and chest computed tomography for lung cancer. On the basis of an updated evidence review (1) and in agreement with other organizations (2, 3), the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has reaffirmed its previous recommendation against screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CAS) in the general adult population (4). The estimated prevalence of asymptomatic severe CAS (70%) in the general adult population ranges from 0% to 3.1%, with a point estimate of 0.9% for persons older than 60 years (calculated from data in the meta-analysis by de Weerd and colleagues [5]). This includes persons with total, asymptomatic carotid artery occlusion and those with hemodynamically significant tandem intracranial disease who would not be candidates for carotid intervention. After assuming a relative risk of 1.8 associated with asymptomatic CAS (calculated from data from the Cardiovascular Health Study; 0.5% of 5441 persons had CAS 70%, among whom 5% had ipsilateral stroke over 5 years, compared with 2.0% of those with CAS <70% [6]), the population-attributable risk (PAR) for stroke related to asymptomatic CAS is approximately 0.7%. This is dwarfed by other risk factors, such as hypertension (PAR >95%), atrial fibrillation (PAR, 1.5% to 24%, depending on age and other risk factors), cigarette smoking (PAR, 12% to 14%), and hyperlipidemia (PAR, approximately 9%) (2). The prevalence of asymptomatic CAS would need to be 14 times greater than the 0.9% estimate to reach a PAR for stroke similar to hyperlipidemia. As the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force mentioned, there is no validated risk-stratification tool that can reliably identify a subpopulation of persons with a prevalence of asymptomatic CAS approaching this level (4). Carotid duplex ultrasonography is the primary means of noninvasive screening for asymptomatic CAS. The most recent high-quality meta-analysis of the test characteristics of carotid duplex ultrasonography included 47 reports. Forty percent of them were performed in symptomatic persons, and 4% were obtained for other indications (7). The reason for the test was not provided in 55% of the studies. Therefore, the application of the results of this analysis for population screening programs is uncertain. In addition, because of variation in equipment and the operator dependence of the test, the meta-analysis found significant heterogeneity among studies and the possibility of publication bias. The reported sensitivity of 90% (95% CI, 84% to 94%) and specificity of 94% (CI, 88% to 97%) for the detection of stenosis of 70% or greater are, therefore, probably overestimates that may not accurately reflect real-world test characteristics in population-based screening. Even with the use of these optimistic sensitivity and specificity estimates, given a population prevalence of 0.9%, the positive predictive value (the proportion of persons with a positive test result who have stenosis 70%) would be 12%, with the others having unnecessary further evaluations or interventions. The premise underlying population-based screening is that it can identify persons with an unrecognized condition who would derive significant health benefits from a treatment they would not have otherwise received. Randomized trials found a statistically significant benefit of carotid endarterectomy versus medical therapy in persons with asymptomatic CAS (relative risk, 0.71 [CI, 0.55 to 0.90], over a mean of 3.3 years), but the absolute risk reduction was small (average of 1% per year) (8). Of importance, medical therapy was not standardized and the trials enrolled participants 11 to 31 years ago. Observational studies suggest that the rate of stroke with medical therapy has decreased considerably over time and may now be near or below the 1% annual rates found in the trials' surgical groups (9). No trials compared carotid endarterectomy (or angioplasty and stenting) with current best medical therapy. Indirect comparisons are hazardous, and the use of historical controls is not appropriate. Ongoing trials are reassessing the benefit of carotid revascularization in persons with a background of contemporary medical therapy (10). If current estimates of event rates with medical therapy are correct, as suggested by recent guidelines, complication rates associated with interventional procedures (either endarterectomy or carotid angioplasty and stenting) will need to be considerably below the previously recommended ceiling of 3% (2). The cost-effectiveness of a screening program implies that it is effective. Currently, the effectiveness of the interventions compared with medical therapy are uncertain. All risk factors should be managed aggressively, regardless of the presence or absence of asymptomatic CAS. As a result, a discussion of cost-effectiveness of screening is moot. The available data clearly support the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against population screening for asymptomatic CAS. However, such screenings are offered throughout the country in health fairs and other settings. The Choosing Wisely initiative from the American Board of Internal Medicine and other physician specialty societies aims to reduce the use of unnecessary tests that can lead to patient harm and increase health care costs. Among these recommendations is one from the American Academy of Neurology: Don't recommend endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis unless the complication rate is low (<3%). Although this may need to be revised in the future, an appropriate additional recommendation could be, Don't perform population screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. In the interim, potential consumers of these services should be aware that the test is unlikely to prevent them from having a stroke or to lead to improvements in their health.


Importance Celiac disease is caused by an immune response in persons who are genetically susceptible to dietary gluten, a protein complex found in wheat, rye, and barley. Ingestion of gluten by persons with celiac disease causes immune-mediated inflammatory damage to the small intestine. Objective To issue a new US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for celiac disease. Evidence Review The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the accuracy of screening in asymptomatic adults, adolescents, and children; the potential benefits and harms of screening vs not screening and targeted vs universal screening; and the benefits and harms of treatment of screen-detected celiac disease. The USPSTF also reviewed contextual information on the prevalence of celiac disease among patients without obvious symptoms and the natural history of subclinical celiac disease. Findings The USPSTF found inadequate evidence on the accuracy of screening for celiac disease, the potential benefits and harms of screening vs not screening or targeted vs universal screening, and the potential benefits and harms of treatment of screen-detected celiac disease. Conclusions and Recommendation The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for celiac disease in asymptomatic persons. (I statement)


Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a transmittable RNA retrovirus that inhibits feline immune systems and predisposes its host to infections and diseases. Much is unknown about FeLV, including the nature and location of its insertion sites. Identifying insertion sites of the provirus can provide information about mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identif Y new protooncogenes. To search for insertion sites, gene-specific primers were designed and a genome walking method was optimized for our application. Using the optimized process, blood and tissue samples were examined for FeLV provirus. The cat from which we received samples showed neurological symptoms before death; therefore, we hypothesized FeLV sequences would be present in brain tissue. We also hypothesized that brain sequences and insertion sites would differ from specific sequences found in blood and other tissue samples. Exogenous FeLV-B sequences were successfully amplified from blood, brain and lymph tissues and no differences were found between sequences. Exogenous sequences in the brain indicate the presence of cellular receptors recognizable by FeLV-B. This is significant because previous research suggested that brain cells have a resistance to the virus. Furthering knowledge of mechanisms and locations of insertion can lead to a more complete understanding of FeLV disease progression, ultimately leading to the development of more effective treatments, conserving the health of domesticated and large endangered feline species. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department Chemistry First Advisor Heather Holmes, Ph.D. Second Advisor Hedeel Evans, Ph.D.


This manuscript proposes a novel viewpoint on computing systems' modelling. The classical approach is to consider fully functional systems and model them, aiming at closing some external loops to optimize their behaviour. On the contrary, we only model strictly physical phenomena, and realize the rest of the system as a set of controllers. Such an approach permits rigorous assessment of the obtained behaviour in mathematical terms, which is hardly possible with the heuristic design techniques, that were mainly adopted to date. The proposed approach is shown at work with three relevant case studies, so that a significant generality can be inferred from it.


During the past few years, more than a score of municipalities (and the State of New York) have brought suit against gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers, seeking to hold them accountable for the consequences of gun violence within the municipalities' jurisdiction. This article critically assesses whether the theory of public nuisance is an appropriate vehicle for bringing such suits. Inasmuch as public nuisance theory is itself only dimly understood, the article begins with an historical summary of public nuisance law. It then considers contemporary objections to the continued vitality of public nuisance, and concludes that, properly defined and limited, public nuisance can be appropriately employed to hold gun sellers responsible for truly outrageous conduct, typically in cases involving the subversion or avoidance of legislative will. As to remedy, however, the article takes the position that, consistent with a proper understanding of public nuisance's appropriate role in the safeguarding of public health, only such relief as is likely to work toward abatement of the nuisance should be granted. As a practical matter, this means that courts should be sympathetic to requests for practical steps such as requiring persistently defiant dealerships to close down and forcing manufacturers to seriously monitor distributors and dealers. On the other hand, courts should not, at least under a theory of public nuisance, award damages that will repay municipalities for the costs incurred in dealing with gun violence, such as increased police and hospital costs.


What explains the type of electoral campaign run by political parties? We provide a new perspective on campaigns that focuses on the strategic use of emotive language. We argue that the level of positive sentiment parties adopt in their campaigns depends on their incumbency status, their policy position, and objective economic conditions. We test these claims with a novel data set that captures the emotive language used in over 400 party manifestos across eight European countries. As predicted, we find that incumbent parties, particularly incumbent prime ministerial parties, use more positive sentiment than opposition parties. We find that ideologically moderate parties employ higher levels of positive sentiment than extremist parties. And we find that all parties exhibit lower levels of positive sentiment when the economy is performing poorly but that this negative effect is weaker for incumbents. Our analysis has important implications for research on campaign strategies and retrospective voting.


In this paper we present an adaptive linear programming based algorithm to exploit the multi-user diversity present when communicating to multiple users on a multicarrier CDMA (MC-CDMA) downlink. Utilising the received channel characteristics as the adaptation criteria, we adaptively allocate subcarriers to groups and thereafter adaptively assign users to those groups (the grouping is done to allow the use of a maximum likelihood multi-user detector (ML-MUD)). The objective in performing this adaptive grouping and allocation is to improve the quality of service (QoS) - in terms of bit error rate (BER) - seen by users in the system. Employing a simulation study, we compare the results of the proposed linear programming algorithm with the results of other approaches from the literature. These results show that the proposed algorithm gives better QoS performance, for more users in the system, than previous approaches.


Background. The incidence, risks, and outcomes associated with pulmonary hypertension (P-HTN) in the kidney transplant (KTx) population are not well described. Methods. We linked US transplant registry data with Medicare claims (2006–2016) to investigate P-HTN diagnoses among Medicare-insured KTx recipients (N = 35 512) using billing claims. Cox regression was applied to identify independent correlates and outcomes of P-HTN (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 95%LCLaHR95%UCL) and to examine P-HTN diagnoses as time-dependent mortality predictors. Results. Overall, 8.2% of recipients had a diagnostic code for P-HTN within 2 y preceding transplant. By 3 y posttransplant, P-HTN was diagnosed in 10.310.6%11.0 of the study cohort. After adjustment, posttransplant P-HTN was more likely in KTx recipients who were older (age ≥60 versus 18–30 y a HR, 1.912.403.01) or female (aHR, 22.214.171.124), who had pretransplant P-HTN (aHR, 4.384.795.24), coronary artery disease (aHR, 1.051.151.27), valvular heart disease (aHR, 1.221.321.43), peripheral vascular disease (aHR, 1.051.181.33), chronic pulmonary disease (aHR, 1.201.311.43), obstructive sleep apnea (aHR, 1.151.281.43), longer dialysis duration, pretransplant hemodialysis (aHR, 1.171.371.59), or who underwent transplant in the more recent era (2012–2016 versus 2006–2011: aHR, 1.291.391.51). Posttransplant P-HTN was associated with >2.5-fold increased risk of mortality (aHR, 2.572.843.14) and all-cause graft failure (aHR, 2.422.642.88) within 3 y posttransplant. Outcome associations of newly diagnosed posttransplant P-HTN were similar. Conclusions. Posttransplant P-HTN is diagnosed in 1 in 10 KTx recipients and is associated with an increased risk of death and graft failure. Future research is needed to refine diagnostic, classification, and management strategies to improve outcomes in KTx recipients who develop P-HTN.


Congested traffic corridors in dense urban areas are key contributors to the degradation of urban air quality. While waiting at bus stops, transit patrons may be exposed to greater amounts of vehicle-based pollution, including particulate matter (PM), because of their proximity to the roadway. Current guidelines for the location and the design of bus stops do not take into account air quality or exposure considerations. This study compared the exposure of transit riders waiting at three-sided bus stop shelters that either faced the roadway traffic or faced away from the roadway traffic. Shelters were instrumented with air quality monitoring equipment, sonic anemometers, and vehicle counters. Data were collected for 2 days at three shelters during both the morning and the afternoon peak periods. Bus shelter orientation was found to significantly affect concentration of four sizes of PM: ultrafine particles, PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. Shelters with an opening oriented toward the roadway were consistently observed to have higher concentrations inside the shelter than outside the shelter. In contrast, shelters oriented away from the roadway were observed to have lower concentrations inside the shelter than outside the shelter. The differences in PM concentration were statistically significant across all four sizes of particulate matter studied. Traffic flow was shown to have a significant relationship with all sizes of particulate concentration levels inside bus shelters. Microscale anemometer measurements were made next to bus shelters. Both wind speed and direction were shown to affect particulate concentrations differently, depending on shelter orientation.


Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, with renewable water resources currently capable of providing only 75 m3 per capita per year – well below the water scarcity threshold. And this volume is steadily dropping. The agricultural sector in Yemen is the dominant user of groundwater resources, accounting for around 90 percent of total consumption. Due to the current crisis, fuel required for pumps has become scarce and very expensive; as a result, solar energy has begun to play a role in the extraction and supply of groundwater for irrigation. However, there is concern about the misuse of this new technology. This study examines the current trend of solar-powered irrigation system (SPIS) use in Sana'a Basin, identifying the pros and cons of this approach. It presents the perspectives of farmers and experts in terms of what is happening and what should be done to maximize the benefits and minimize the negative impacts of SPIS. The incidence of SPIS installation is increasing at a rate of more than 4 percent annually. Farmers spoken to as a part of this study expressed enthusiasm to use SPIS and cited capital cost as the biggest obstacle to their acquiring this technology. This paper proposes governance and policy recommendations for overall water management and, in particular, for future studies and regulation of SPIS-driven groundwater use. Setting appropriate policies for water-pumping powered by renewable energy will help to conserve groundwater sources and sustainably preserve livelihoods. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY By Musaed M. Aklan & Helen Lackner


Public schools are faced with an array of requests seeking permission to distribute material on school property. These requests may come from students, teachers or outside organizations. To respond to these requests, some school districts have adopted written policies to guide their determinations while others lack formal policies and respond on an ad hoc basis. Whether based on formal or informal policies, in deciding whether to permit distribution school officials typically take into account a variety of factors including the content of the material, the identity of the individual or group seeking permission and the time, place or manner of the requested distribution. This decision making is at its most vulnerable when it treats similarly situated groups differently and/or discriminates based on the viewpoint of the material at issue. When crafting a distribution policy, schools cannot freely pick and choose material to distribute. They must weigh their interest in being good citizens of the community by providing community groups with the opportunity to distribute literature in the public schools against the possibility that groups with messages the school would rather exclude will also seek to use those opportunities. Distribution policies require a careful weighing of competing policy interests as well as the crafting of a distribution policy that will pass constitutional muster.


Engineering management research undertaken at the University of Canterbury's Electric Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre) in Christchurch, New Zealand, looks at entities which are fast becoming common place among many institutions internationally, called Centres of Excellence (COE). These strive to bridge the gap between public sector and private sector capabilities, including academia and industry, in the pursuit of knowledge and enterprise. COE are physical or virtual centres of research which concentrate existing capacity and resources, in order to enhance the pursuit of excellence, typically on Research and Development (R&D). These enable personnel to collaborate across disciplines and institutions / on programmes or projects, either long-term or short-term, that are locally relevant and/or internationally significant. The first phase of the research takes a 'big picture' overview on what organisations need in terms of culture and practice to enable successful operation in a wider context. It applies current practices of successful organisations and business leaders to the COE concept in New Zealand. A range of organisations have been studied, including the writings of both academics and managers, to look at factors that make organisations successful in three dimensions, namely strategy, culture, and operation. Some areas examined include bridging the knowing-doing gap, flexibility, attitudes, interdependence and independence. The ultimate objective of the research is to develop a definitive conceptual model for COE, linking both strategic and organisational factors in an engineering context that could potentially serve as a 'global guide' to assist with the establishment, operation, and growth of seemingly boundary-less (national or international) COE


A woman and a man ...words of love whispered on a summer night. Later, there is a child, but no wedding-ring. And then the man leaves the first woman, finds a younger woman, marries her ...It's an old story. Yes, it's an old, old story. It happens all the time - today, tomorrow, a hundred years ago. People don't change. But this story, set among the green hills of southern England, has something different about it. Perhaps it is only a dream, or perhaps it is magic - a kind of strange dark magic that begins in the world of dreams and phantoms ...


Fair Governance: The Enforcement of Morals is a study of legal interference with individual preferences and will canvass the interdisciplinary literature in economics, psychology, philosophy, and law. It discusses the particular conditions necessary for the state to legally interfere with our freedom of choice, whether it be to either satisfy our individual pursuit of happiness (perfectionism) or to prevent us from making immoral choices (paternalism). Relatively few philosophers know much of the parallel literature on this central problem of ethics; while many legal scholars are acquainted with the psychological literature on judgment biases, they are frequently unfamiliar with the philosophical literature on perfectionism. Francis H. Buckley carefully links these two notions of state power with recent empirical literature on judgment biases and happiness studies and surveys the literature, arguing for a nuanced form of social perfectionism, one which seeks to promote the kind of liberal nationalism found in the United States.


Business is experiencing an ongoing fundamental shift in the competitive environment, which highlights the need for knowledge development and the interdependence between users and producers, including universities, government, and society. This interdependence is specifically accentuated by the transfer of intellectual property from universities to corporations that are intent on developing sustainable competitive strategies. This paper presents a conceptual framework and research questions and the results of an exploratory study which focused upon the interaction between pivotal universities and business in a society-government context. Among other findings, the paper concludes that the economic and contractual imperatives of business may not conform to the traditional research, instructional, and service roles of universities. The implications of the study findings for business and university interactions are discussed.


This report assesses the pharmaceutical sector in India, particularly focusing on four key issues related to the production, procurement, and distribution of drugs in India: a) availability, b) affordability; c) quality, and d) the rational use of drugs. The results of a survey of three states indicate considerable variation across states in the above four areas in both public and private sectors. The report concludes that problems with the availability, affordability, and rational use of good quality, cost-effective, essential drugs have persisted in most parts of India, and that these health-related issues need be addressed as a priority. An overarching recommendation is the need to focus on strengthening the implementation and regulation of the pharmaceutical sector at the state level, rather than on simply introducing new regulations. Adequate pharmaceutical quality assurance needs to be particularly emphasized as, in its absence, other reform measures could be rendered moot. Similarly, the rational use of drugs needs to be emphasized as it is likely to yield significant cost savings to the government and to consumers, in addition to its positive impact on health.


Accurately detecting subcellular particles in fluorescence microscopy is of primary interest for further quantitative analysis such as counting, tracking, or classification. Our primary goal is to segment vesicles likely to share nearly the same size in fluorescence microscopy images. Our method termed adaptive thresholding of Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) images with autoselected scale (ATLAS) automatically selects the optimal scale corresponding to the most frequent spot size in the image. Four criteria are proposed and compared to determine the optimal scale in a scale-space framework. Then, the segmentation stage amounts to thresholding the LoG of the intensity image. In contrast to other methods, the threshold is locally adapted given a probability of false alarm (PFA) specified by the user for the whole set of images to be processed. The local threshold is automatically derived from the PFA value and local image statistics estimated in a window whose size is not a critical parameter. We also propose a new data set for benchmarking, consisting of six collections of one hundred images each, which exploits backgrounds extracted from real microscopy images. We have carried out an extensive comparative evaluation on several data sets with ground-truth, which demonstrates that ATLAS outperforms existing methods. ATLAS does not need any fine parameter tuning and requires very low computation time. Convincing results are also reported on real total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy images.


This study sets out to contribute to the understanding of current practices in digitization projects at small and medium-sized cultural heritage institutions by interviewing digitization project managers at four of these institutions and analyzing their responses as case studies. The overarching theme of this study is the necessary transition from project to program at these institutions, and what these institutions are doing to make this transition. Additionally, this study looks at digital storage media and repository management at these institutions, which is an under-documented area of current practices. Through the use of a literature review and four case studies, several recommendations are made for improving the state of the art of digital preservation at these institutions and preparing them for the transition of digitization projects to digital programs.


A medium-sized (forty thousand service population) public library digitized a substantial number of local history documents and posted them to its Web site. The materials selection process, digitization process, and resultant products are reviewed. Relevant Web-use statistics are analyzed to assess use frequency, one measure of the digital products" value, and to further determine which products and methods were most frequently used. This case study illustrates that digitization and Web publication of local history materials is within the technical and financial capabilities of even small libraries, and that such projects are valuable at several levels: by adding to the historical record, by providing exemplary service to a library's patrons, and by affording opportunities for library collaboration with organizations and individuals within a community. ********** Digitizing local history has become a growth industry as national and grassroots efforts have moved rare items from archives and basements to the Web. (1) While national initiatives such as the Making of America (MOA) Project and the Library of Congress American Memory project have been well documented, many local projects fly below the radar of appreciation and critical analysis. (2) While MOA, American Memory, and similar projects digitize with the goal of true preservation--to produce extremely high-quality digital files intended to be suitable and available for later use as master copies--grassroots efforts have aimed for what Lee calls "rescue digitization"--the creation of high-quality digital surrogates that will satisfy most users' demands and therefore reduce the need to look at and handle source items themselves. (3) The increase in access to local history information provided by digitization, regardless of the degree to which preservation is achieved, is a great public service and public relations opportunity for libraries that themselves have or can obtain from others material worth digitizing. How important is local history to libraries? One rough measure is the degree to which libraries self-identify themselves through their interest in local history, genealogy, and other collections. Take as an example the state of Wisconsin, which ranks close to the United States median in size, population, and affluence: among all Wisconsin public libraries with listings in the American Library Directory 2002-2003, eighty specifically reference local history, local genealogy, or the local history of part or all of their service area as a subject interest or special collection. An additional twenty-seven libraries make reference to Wisconsin history, a Wisconsin collection, or history as an interest or collection. Fifteen more Wisconsin public libraries, while not making specific references to history, note long back-files of local newspapers in print and microfilm formats or collections related to a famous native, or make general reference to local authors and materials. (4) If at least 122 public libraries in a single mid-sized state have sufficient interest in local history, genealogy, and collections to publicize that interest to the rest of the library community, nationwide interest in this subject by libraries large and small can be comfortably characterized as broad and deep. By reviewing the case of one local digitization effort and measuring its impact, this study intends to share lessons learned and seeks to benefit other libraries anticipating, planning, or implementing similar projects. Methodology Library and information science research methods instructors and other academics have long frowned upon the case study in a field where "how I run my library good" articles too often stand in for research. Yet case studies arguably have a place in the library literature. Yin notes that the case study allows an investigation to retain the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real-life events. (5) Stake identifies case studies as a choice of what is to be studied, as compared to a research method per se; in this context, the case study is one of several approaches to qualitative analysis, one that allows researchers to draw attention to what can be learned from the single case. …


This study presents a stratigraphic investigation of the marine sediment core MD042822 from the Rockall Trough (56° 50.54' N, 11° 22.96' W; 2344 m water depth). This core is currently the only available high resolution record for the calibration of Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences of the British (Hebridean) margin. It therefore offers an unprecedented archive of changing sedimentological and climatological conditions for the last 175,000 years. The high resolution, multi-proxy records have enabled surface and deep water conditions within the Rockall Trough to be reconstructed. In addition, the fluctuating nature of ice-rafted debris (IRD) inputs to the MD04-2822 site allowed a first order attempt of BIS dynamics for the entirety of the last glacial period (i.e. from the demise of the last interglacial to the decay of the Devensian/Weichselian ice sheet) as well as the majority of the penultimate (Saalian/MIS 6) glaciation. Sediment core MD04-2822 is ideally located to capture the dynamics of the British Ice Sheet (BIS) via a continuous record of IRD and fine-grained terrigenous inputs. Fundamental to this is the construction of a robust chronology. This was achieved via: the correlation of the benthic δO record to a global δO stack (SPECMAP); the correlation of the surface proxies (% N. pachyderma (sinistral) and XRF Ca) to the Greenland δO and Antarctic methane ice core records; and radiocarbon dating. This chronology was validated using both radiocarbon dating and tephra horizons. An evaluation of the event stratigraphy approach used in the construction of the MD042822 chronology is presented. The marine record provides a valuable archive of past ice sheet dynamics as much terrestrial evidence is removed or obscured by subsequent ice sheet oscillations. MD04-2822 provides the first direct evidence for the expansion of the BIS onto the Hebridean Margin during MIS 6 (thereby confirming previous long-range seismic correlations). The continuous sedimentation at MD04-2822 enabled the first insights into the early dynamics of the last BIS. Increases in IRD and fine grained terrigenous material delivered to the MD04-2822 at ca. 72 kyr represent the first significant delivery of material from the BIS across the continental shelf to the core site. The BIS would therefore have attained a marine calving margin by this time. A multi-proxy investigation of provenance was undertaken, however, unequivocal provenance determinations remain problematic. The location of the core suggests the proximal BIS as the most likely source of terrigenous inputs. The expanded nature of the MD04-2822 sediments during the penultimate deglacial (Termination II) provide the first details of BIS dynamics for this period: the interplay of large inputs of freshwater from the decay of the Saalian (MIS 6) ice sheets (including the BIS) upon the surface and deep water circulation of the North Atlantic is investigated. In addition, sub-orbital climatic variability is documented at this location throughout the last interglacial (MIS 5e) and appears to be an intrinsic feature of the both N.E. Atlantic surface and deep water circulation of the last 175 kyr.


The continuous development of the remote controlled high-pressure pipeline isolation technology has resolved a range of operational problems caused by faulty pipeline valves and fittings. Recent applications include change of a faulty insulation joint on a 42" pipeline in Georgia, rerouting of the Frigg and Heimdal to St. Fergus pipelines during Frigg Decommissioning, repair of a faulty subsea clamp on a 26 inch pipeline in GOM, all on live pressurized gas pipelines. The piggable high-pressure isolation train can include a pressure test barrier allowing leak test or pressure test upon completed repair work. Other recent applications include protection of pressurized pipelines during heavy lift operations. This paper describes a range of application focusing on the time and cost saving achieved by the operator whilst minimizing environmental impact.


Short stature and ovarian failure are the main features in Turner syndrome (TS). To optimize GH and estrogen treatment, we studied 68 previously untreated girls with TS, age 2-11 yr, who were randomly assigned to one of three GH dosage groups: group A, 4 IU/m2 day (approximately 0.045 mg/kg x day); group B, first yr 4, thereafter 6 IU/m2 x day (approximately 0.0675 mg/kg/day); group C, first yr 4, second yr 6, thereafter 8 IU/m2 x day (approximately 0.090 mg/kg x day). In the first 4 yr of GH treatment, no estrogens for pubertal induction were given to the girls. Thereafter, girls started with 17beta-estradiol (5 microg/kg bw x day, orally) when they had reached the age of 12 yr. Subjects were followed up until attainment of adult height or until cessation of treatment because of satisfaction with the height achieved. Seven-year data of all girls were evaluated to compare the growth-promoting effects of three GH dosages during childhood. After 7 yr, 85% of the girls had reached a height within the normal range for healthy Dutch girls. The 7-yr increment in height SD-score was significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A. In addition, we evaluated the data of 32 of the 68 girls who had completed the trial after a mean duration of treatment of 7.3 yr (range, 5.0 - 8.75). Mean (SD) height was 158.8 cm (7.1), 161.0 cm (6.8), and 162.3 cm (6.1) in groups A, B, and C, respectively. The mean (SD) difference between predicted adult height before treatment and achieved height was 12.5 cm (2.1), 14.5 cm (4.0), and 16.0 cm (4.1) for groups A, B, and C, respectively, being significantly different between group A and group C. GH treatment was well tolerated in all three GH dosage groups. In conclusion, GH treatment starting in relatively young girls with TS results in normalization of height during childhood, as well as of adult height, in most of the individuals. With this GH and estrogen treatment regimen, most girls with TS can grow and develop much more in conformity with their healthy peers.


The application of resonance acoustic spectroscopy (RAS) for the purpose of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of various properties of a clad rod is investigated in this paper. RAS is the study of the resonances of an elastic object, which are excited by an incident wave, for characterization of the material properties of the elastic object. The equations for the backscattered pressure field from an elastic/viscoelastic clad rod at both normal and oblique incident angles are derived. Numerical studies show how RAS can effectively help in monitoring the variations of the cladding thickness and cladding delamination. Experimental measurements, conducted on copper‐clad aluminum rods, are found to be consistent with numerical results obtained from the mathematical model. It is demonstrated that there exists a potential for using RAS for NDE and on‐line monitoring of various properties of clad rods.


Social graphs derived from online social interactions contain a wealth of information that is nowadays extensively used by both industry and academia. However, as social graphs contain sensitive information, they need to be properly anonymized before release. Most of the existing graph anonymization mechanisms rely on the perturbation of the original graph's edge set. In this paper, we identify a fundamental weakness of these mechanisms: They neglect the strong structural proximity between friends in social graphs, thus add implausible fake edges for anonymization.

To exploit this weakness, we first propose a metric to quantify an edge's plausibility by relying on graph embedding. Extensive experiments on three real-life social network datasets demonstrate that our plausibility metric can very effectively differentiate fake edges from original edges with AUC (area under the ROC curve) values above 0.95 in most of the cases. We then rely on a Gaussian mixture model to automatically derive the threshold on the edge plausibility values to determine whether an edge is fake, which enables us to recover to a large extent the original graph from the anonymized graph. We further demonstrate that our graph recovery attack jeopardizes the privacy guarantees provided by the considered graph anonymization mechanisms.

To mitigate this vulnerability, we propose a method to generate fake yet plausible edges given the graph structure and incorporate it into the existing anonymization mechanisms. Our evaluation demonstrates that the enhanced mechanisms decrease the chances of graph recovery, reduce the success of graph de-anonymization (up to 30\%), and provide even better utility than the existing anonymization mechanisms.


This work evaluates a previously introduced algorithm called Particle-Based Rapid Incremental Smoother within the framework of state inference and parameter identification in Jump Markov Non-Linear System. It is applied to the recursive form of two well-known Maximum Likelihood based algorithms who face the common challenge of online computation of smoothed additive functionals in order to accomplish the task of model parameter estimation. This work extends our previous contributions on identification of Markovian switching systems with the goal to reduce the computational complexity. A benchmark problem is used to illustrate the results.


The Eurozone banking and sovereign debt crisis has brought the fragility of the European monetary union into sharp focus and exposed the lack of effective instruments at the European level to maintain financial stability. As a response to the crisis, the Member States and the institutions of the Union adopted in short succession several financial assistance measures that have given rise to much political and legal controversy. The European Central Bank (ECB) played an active role in the institutions' efforts to contain the crisis and prevent the disintegration of the Eurozone by deploying a number of so-called non-standard or unconventional monetary policy measures, namely its Securities Markets Programme, Long-Term Refinancing Operations, and in September 2012 the Outright Monetary Transactions Programme (OMT Programme). The OMT Decision envisages unlimited purchases by the ECB of specific types of sovereign bonds issued by Member States participating in an EFSF/ESM macroeconomic adjustment or precautionary program in the secondary market. Without the program having been activated, i.e. without the ECB actually implementing the decision and without any purchases of government bonds, yields on bonds of the affected Eurozone countries decreased markedly after the announcement of the OMT Decision. The OMT Programme has accordingly been credited with having been instrumental in restoring financial stability and preventing a breakup of the Euro area and with being one of the most effective announcements any central bank has ever made.


As we move into the next century, photonics will play a significant role in the exploration of the frontiers of science. Photonic materials have the ability to control the flow and generation of photons, and offer greater control over material properties, which can potentially provide solutions to the optoelectronics industry, i.e. improving the current limit in the speed and the capacity of optoelectronics devices.
In 1987, a novel class of artificial structures named as 'photonic crystal' (PhC), was invented for the inhibition of spontaneous emission and the localisation of photons, which offers control on absorption, emission and propagation of light.. Photonic crystals are long-range periodic materials with a periodicity of the order of the wavelength of light. It is the periodicity in refractive index, which determines the allowed and forbidden bands for the light frequency in the photonic crystals. This periodic structure generate Bragg diffractions which result in forbidden frequency in specific propagation directions, so called photonic stop bands. When light propagation is forbidden in a specific range of frequencies in any direction inside the crystal and polarization a complete photonic bandgap is achieved.
There are three types of photonic crystals: one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals, which depend upon the periodic modulation of the dielectric constant i.e. either created in one, two or three dimensions. This thesis deals with the fabrication and analysis of 3D photonic crystals which shows strong confinement of light in three dimensions.
In this thesis, we will introduce two different types of 3D photonic crystals i.e. pristine (undoped) and infiltrated (doped) with different nanomaterials fabricated by soft lithographic method i.e. self-assembly.
The fabrication 3D photonic crystal is very challenging task, one need to build up high-quality 3D photonic crystals environments. By 1991, Yablonovitch had demonstrated the first three-dimensional photonic band-gap in the microwave regime by drilling an array of holes in a transparent material, where the holes of each layer form an inverse diamond structure – today it is known as Yablonovite. Over the years state-of-the-art fabrication technologies have been developed to fabricate 3D photonic crystals operating in different range of electromagnetic spectrum ranging from near-infrared to visible wavelength ranges. However, these sophisticated fabrication techniques are expensive and time consuming. Soft lithography is another inexpensive versatile route to fabricate photonic structures.
The research conducted in this thesis targets building up a solid and comprehensive study on the fabrication of 3D photonic crystals in the technically important visible wavelength range.
This project revolves around the fabrication of undoped photonic crystals (pristine) and in-filled photonic crystals with two dimensional layered nanomaterials such as graphene and boron nitride and 1-dimensional materials (single walled carbon nanotubes). Natural gravitational sedimametaion method has been used to fabricate photonic crystals using latex polymer as a 3D template.
Despite potential advantages, there are hardly any reports concerning layered nano-filler based photonic crystals (PhCs). In particular, layered two-dimensional based carbon (Graphene), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs: Molybdenum disulphide, Tungsten disulphide) and one dimensional materials such as carbon nanotubes are of particular interest due to the high level of optoelectronic functionality they can impart. One of the biggest issues is to produce large quantity of these nano-fillers and, at the same time maintain the quality as well. Once a stable source of nanoparticles is established achieving a homogenous and controlled distribution of these fillers within a polymer matrix is still an obstacle commonly encountered in the fabrication of nanostructures.
To overcome this problem self-assembly of latex particles has been used to fabricate two and one dimensional based photonic crystals. During the self-assembly process the individual polymer particles deform into rhombic dodecahedra, due to capillary forces as the polymer dries. Highly ordered polymeric crystals can be produced by this novel technique. This dodecahedra assembly of polymer particles act as a template to assemble nano-fillers, by forcing the nanoparticles to fill the interstitial sites and create three-dimensional, hexagonal patterns. This assembly technique generates a highly uniform distribution of the filler throughout the polymer matrix. One of the key features of our fabricated photonic crystals is the preparation technique i.e. natural, gravitational, sedimentation which makes it very cost effective and efficient.
In this thesis, for the first time, colloidal photonic crystals, embedded with such nano- fillers have been fabricated using a novel and facile latex technology. We also propose that this technique is general and can be applied for a range of other two-dimensional and one-dimensional materials. Critically it is demonstrated that the choice of filler influences the optical and mechanical properties of the resultant crystals.
This thesis also demonstrates that the optical properties can also be manipulated mechanically , post-processing, using stretching, compression and humidity, demonstrating their potential as sensors and visual indicators which will greatly extend their applications in various fields such as optical sensing materials and various optical devices.


A multi-variable optimization program has been developed to investigate the performance of Wet Organic Rankine Cycles for low temperature heat recovery applications. This cycle model contains a detailed thermodynamic model of the twin-screw expander, and the methods used to match the operation of the expander to the requirements of the cycle are described. The capability of the cycle model has been demonstrated for the case of heat recovery from a
source of pressurized hot water at 120°C. There are two main findings from the paper. Firstly, power output can be increased by up to 50% by correct selection of the expander inlet and discharge conditions, compared to the case with dry vapour admission. Secondly, the maximum power output occurs at an expander inlet dryness of around 20%, but for lower dryness fractions the gain in net power output falls off due to the decreasing pressure ratio required to maintain good expander efficiency.


Abstract Introduction: Of the various devastating diseases triggered by necrotrophic fungi, the diseases caused by following fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Rhizectonia solani are of particular economic significance in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) growing countries. Undoubtedly date palm is the most important fruit tree cultivated in Arabian Peninsula. Unfortunately date palm cultivation encounter many challenges, such as fungal diseases. It has been reported that Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Rhizectonia solani are the major causative of various diseases in Date palm. For successful colonization of host, necrotrophic pathogens secrete an arsenal of effector proteins that facilitates infection by manipulating host cell structure and function. Thus secretory proteins (SPs) are critical for both short and long range intercellular signaling during infection and colonization. The present study is conducted on three date palm pathogens, which causing diseases like bayoud disease and other necrotrophic diseases including root rot. This study focused on molecular genetics of necrotrophic pathogenicity in date palm by following an in silico approach to mine putative secreted elicitors from publically available Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Rhizectonia solani ESTs. Methodology: Methodology involved mining of 25213 Fusarium oxysporum ESTs, 12433, Fusarium solani ESTs and 22324 Rhizectonia solani ESTs for protein sequence based features characteristic of SPs (signal peptides). All the ESTs were collected from NCBI. With using ORF predictor (http://proteomics.ysu.edu/tools/OrfPredictor.html) algorithm, found out all the six frame ORF. Predisi (http://www.predisi.de/) and SignalP (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/SignalP/) algorithms was exploited to infer signal peptide within the ORF. Followed by scanning of transmembrane domain performed with TMHMM (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/TMHMM/) to discard the transmembrane sequences. 0 TM/1TM proteins were selected for further CD (conserved domain) search. Before going to the mining experiment, the pathogenicity of soil isolated (from northern part of Qatar) fungal pathogen on Date palm was confirmed with detached leaf inoculation method. All the three fungi, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Rhizectonia solani showed necrosis in date palm leaf after three days of infection. Result and conclusion: Out of 25213 Fusarium oxysporum ESTs 24890 have ORF. 12176 ORF found in Fusarium solani ESTs. Above 60% of all the three fungal ESTs had signal peptide. Number of sequences narrowed down by transmembrane topology search and the sequence doesn't containing transmembrane domain were selected for conserved domain identification. Subsequent to our searches with sequences lacking transmembrane domains, we could catalog candidate effector sequences based on conserved features common to characterized fungal effectors. In Fusarium oxysporum following protein found to be extracellular secretory protein, this include cellulose binding protein, which possibly involved in in host cell adhesion, qaq like polyprotein: a virulent associated protein, lysin motif: an effector protein, extracellular peptidase, cell wall hydrolase, 150 amino acid cerato platanin sequence (elicitor), alpha amylase, beta 1,3 glucanase and 165 amino acid necrosis inducing protein. These effector proteins have the ability to degrade plant derived compound, this suggest the role of the effectors in pathogenicity. In addition to these high amount of lipid targeting enzymes and glycoside hydrolase found in all the three phyto pathogenic ESTs. Presents of secretory protease detected in Fusarium solani. Peptidase like superfamily domain found in Rhizectonia solani. To date, none of these effectors have been cloned and thus we propose that the catalogued effectors will in future be useful for isolation and characterization of these identified proteins. Expression studies are already underway and we expect that the results will provide insights into mechanisms underlying host-Pythium interactions and thereby help in generating new strategies for effective date palm disease control.


Case-based reasoning utilizes past experiences as a key data resource for future problem solving and is considered an innovative technique in the development of Artificial Intelligence. However, the large storage requirements needed for such procedures result in a heavy load in the ease base and indeed, problems of efficiency arise in case retrieval. The proposed method aims to improve case retrieval through reducing the case memory load. The authors propose a cognitive notion as a framework for reducing case match. Using a cognition framework, objective knowledge is represented in the rule-based part of the systems and subjective knowledge in the case-based reasoning part. In this way, the comparisons in case match can be significantly reduced. A loan authorisation system, ECLAS, demonstrates the feasibility of the cognitive framework, the significance both of the efficiency of system performance and the reduction in the calculation of the case matches.


Americans spend a great deal of time and money trying to help teens who are not top students become better performers--providing tutoring/test preparation (a $3.5 Billion industry that has doubled in the past five years), diagnosing learning disabilities, or simply seeking new ways to "motivate" better school performance. We have developed many labels to identify what is wrong with students who are not in the top of their classes-for example, learning disabilities, motivation issues, and processing problems--but we have not asked, "What's right with these kids?" That is the question I raised in this study. The answer was surprising: many things are right with these students. What's wrong is the way we view and structure education. I found that the students' capabilities are remarkable and well-suited to thriving in adulthood, but are not capitalized upon in school. I also demonstrated that our approach to education as a society--from a systems view--is a cause of depression and anxiety in students of at all levels of performance. I concluded that appreciating beauty in the gifts and strengths of adolescents who are not top students – the majority will significantly increase student, parent, and teacher well-being. Moreover, we can enhance adolescent well-being (at all performance levels) by refuting three myths of education: Myth #1: Not being a "top student" means not: intelligent, hardworking, or gifted; Myth #2: Being a "top student" leads to a great life; Myth #3: Our approach to education is good for adolescents. Through a combination of interviews and literature review, I identified strengths and gifts in secondary school students who were not in the top 20% of their classes, "The Bottom 80," and examined them in the context of education objectives and future prospects. Interviewees were a representative sample of eleven parents, three educators, and two experts. Information from additional experts was obtained as part of a wide-ranging literature review that included multiple intelligences, positive psychology, education practices, and leadership. In addition, through Abduction, the form of reasoning that leads to new knowledge, this study demonstrated that as a society we reinforce an approach to education that causes depression and anxiety and that by changing this approach--with proven practices--we can increase well-being in adolescents, parents, and educators.


Archaeological evidence for wind musical instruments made by modern humans has been well established from the Upper Palaeolithic in Europe. Musical instruments evidently made by Neanderthals have not been found so far. The most controversial object is a juvenile cave bear femur with two complete holes, found in 1995 in the Middle Palaeolithic layers of the Cave Divje babe I, Slovenia. The bone was interpreted as a possible Neanderthal 'flute', but some scholars have firmly rejected this hypothesis on the basis of taphonomic observations, suggesting a carnivore origin for the holes. Here, we show the results of X-ray computed micro-tomography (mCT) performed on the Divje babe I 'flute'. Our analyses demonstrate that there were originally four holes, possibly made with pointed stones and bone tools. Most surface modifications near the holes, previously interpreted as effects of carnivore gnawing, are post-depositional marks. Furthermore, a thin layer has been removed around one of the complete holes, producing a flat surface, possibly to facilitate perforation. The new data show that a Neanderthal manufacture of the object cannot be ruled out.


In this article, Elżbieta Ostrowska employs categories of postcolonialism to examine two novels by Henryk Sienkiewicz,With Fire and Sword and Fire in the Steppe, and their filmic adaptations by Jerzy Hoffman. Her aim is to reconstruct their ideological discourse regarding Polish national identity and its positioning within Europe. Located between east and west, Poland was both a colonizing power (of Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belorussia) and a colonized country (by Russia, Prussia, and Austria-Hungary). These two novels, written during the time of partitions, offer a nostalgic vision of the country's past power and its colonizing aspirations. Ostrowska argues that various textual efforts aimed at solidifying the notion of national identity and its positioning within a geopolitical order of Europe are disrupted by structures of female desire implicitly present in both the novels and films. These structures puncture the solid fabric of the national historical epic and undermine the hegemonic notion of Polish masculinity.


On 10 April 2009, a military backed regime wrested total control of the Fiji Islands in what was arguably a fifth coup and imposed martial law. The then President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, abrogated the 1997 Constitution and dismissed the judiciary in response to a Court of Appeal ruling-by a bench of three Australian judges-that the interim government of Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama established after the fourth coup in December 2006 was illegal. Bainimarama was reinstated, emergency regulations-including state censorship-were decreed and elections were deferred until 2014. Earlier, in the first five months of 2008, two expatriate publishers of the leading daily newspapers, the Murdoch-owned Fiji Times and the local Fiji Sun, were deported amid an international furore. In January 2009, a second Fiji Times publisher was expelled. Other journalists have been detained, threatened and harassed. Ironically, the military imposed censorship in the Easter putsch followed two reviews of Fiji's self-regulatory mechanisms in an attempt to strengthen the media landscape. One controversial report has since been used by the military regime as a justification for a plan to consolidate all existing media laws under a single 'Media Promulgation' law. During a parallel time frame, the New Zealand Press Council also conducted an independent review. With reference to the media accountability systems (M*A*S) model developed by the late Claude-Jean Bertrand, this article analyses the public right to know discourse in Fiji in the context of an authoritarian regime.


Homosexual still pertained thing not atypical and common in our public and in general always gets focus " negativity". Because homosexual is a psychological disparity where a who is taking a fancy to type humanity and in Indonesia the like this still have not can fully received by public. Development the gay or often also is called as homosexual, realized or no, experiences improvement that is enough signifikan from year to year. Though men status that is emotionally and sexual interested to men until so far still generating pro- counter, but this permanent group of excise in the middle of public. This research constituted to murder case news Ryan " Butchers from Jombang in mass media. Murder case to Heri Santoso on 17 Julies 2008 in Depok becomes news ' temperature'. From the accused confession, Very Idam Henyansah or Ryan which is a gay has been exploited by mass media and many party(sides to load news in diffraction at problem of orientation of sexual. Increasingly the hoisterous of this news makes some of communities gay which is not received because to mass blow-up of murder news of this psychopath ala in various medias makes a real opinion hurts their create. Based on above phenomenon, researcher feels interesting description Kesan case news observer student Ryan to " Butchers from Jombang" in mass media about the homosexual This research applies qualitative descriptive type, where type this only limited to description, gives presentation or depiction of detailed answer to research problems in detail as expressed by informan. researcher applies in-depth interview and documentation to get data. Where retrieval of informan is done in snowball sampling to get data from informan and bergulir, until felt to be enough and there is no and other answer becoming informan is nine mahasiswa/i majors Psikologi Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang generation 2005 has followed news Ryan " butchers from jombang" in mass media. Result of research indicates that impression about the homosexual in this student eye expressly and stall is not to equalize between behavior and personalities of Ryan with behavior and personality the other homosexual. position of Social the homosexual proper value and acceptable by student. Any is activity the homosexual basically aim to show their existence or existence as part of our publics. Mean, impression of case news observer student Ryan " Butchers from Jombang" in mass media about the homosexual, not far differed from impression the homosexual before existence of the news. This thing is caused existence of impressive difference between figures Ryan as murderer that is coincidently a homosexual with the other homosexual. Sits problems between Ryan with the homosexual basically unegual. Keyword : Kesan; Kaum Homoseksual Link terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/342/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2009-inairnawat-17079-1.+Penda-n.pdf


Regulatory documents are prepared in a highly collaborative process within tight timelines. The time and the resources required for collecting input, organising document review, and processing the reviewers' responses often dwarf those invested in the actual writing. In our company, I have developed Microsoft Word® macros to manage and document the review process. This solution, combined with the modifications of the review workflow, is efficient and, as it relies on the features already contained within Microsoft Word, does not require additional software.


Stringent specifications for sulfur compounds content and the need to use oils with large amount of nitrogen compounds are challenges for fuel producers. Adsorption is an alternative process to remove sulfur and nitrogen compounds and clays are promising adsorbents for this removal. In this work, the adsorption performance of different commercial clays—Clay A (attapulgite), Clay B (bentonite), and Clay C (bentonite)—for the removal of sulfur and nitrogen compounds from a real diesel stream was studied through kinetic and isothermal experiments. The bentonite clays showed the best adsorptive capacity for the removal of sulfur and nitrogen compounds, probably due to the presence of Bronsted acid sites. The highest adsorption capacity was observed for Clay B: 0.174 mol kg–1 for sulfur compounds and 0.127 mol kg–1 for nitrogen compounds. Clay A was more selective to the removal of nitrogen compounds. Equilibrium data showed that adsorbate–absorbate and adsorbate–surface interactions predominate for sulfur and...


AIM
Develop green wound dressings which exhibit enhanced wound-healing ability and potent antibacterial effects.

METHODS
Honey, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan nanofibers were electrospun and loaded with bee venom, propolis and/or bacteriophage against the multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and examined for their antibacterial, wound-healing ability and cytotoxicity.

RESULTS
Among different formulations of nanofibers, honey, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan-bee venom/bacteriophage exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains (Gram-positive and -negative strains) and achieved nearly complete killing of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. In vivo testing revealed enhanced wound-healing results and cytotoxicity testing proved improved biocompatibility.

CONCLUSION
The developed biocompatible nanofibers represent competitive wound-healing dressings with potent antibacterial and wound-healing activity.