Testing plays a very important role for assuring the quality of developed software. In a modern vehicle, more and more of the functionality is controlled by software and the complexity of the software always increases. The expectations on automating the testing process are to save time and to reach an even higher quality. In this thesis, which was performed at ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a new tool for automated tests is studied. The tool is used for software in the loop simulation based system tests. The user specifies which outputs that shall be observed and which inputs that can be controlled. Based on these prerequisites, test cases are generated. It has been studied how to apply the tool, how the test case generation can be influenced, on which systems it successfully could be used and which results that could be reached with the tool. The tool has been evaluated on the hand of two real-life examples; the software of an automatic transmission and of a pressure controller, a module of this software. It was found that there are many interesting possibilities to apply the tool in order to support the present testing process.


This paper compares changes in relative and absolute wealth concentrations to establish if both processes have followed similar trajectories. The findings indicate that while the level of relative wealth concentration has increased recently, it is not extraordinarily high in an historical perspective. On the contrary, the level of absolute wealth concentration is most likely higher than that previously occurred because of the increase in the wealth holdings and population size of high net worth individuals. The sustainability of this on-going absolute concentration of wealth is questionable insofar as the resulting pressure of investor demand for safe securities poses a potential threat for financial stability.


Humanity today is confronted with what might be called the Great Capitalist Climacteric. In the standard definition, a climacteric (from the Greek klimaktēr or rung on the ladder) is a period of critical transition or a turning point in the life of an individual or a whole society. From a social standpoint, it raises issues of historical transformation in the face of changing conditions. In the 1980s environmental geographers Ian Burton and Robert Kates referred to "the Great Climacteric" to address what they saw as the developing global ecological problem of the limits to growth…. I will use the term the Great Capitalist Climacteric here to refer to the necessary epochal social transition associated with the current planetary emergency. It refers both to the objective necessity of a shift to a sustainable society and to the threat to the existence of Homo sapiens (as well as numerous other species) if the logic of capital accumulation is allowed to continue dictating to society as a whole. The current world of business as usual is marked by rapid climate change, but also by the crossing or impending crossing of numerous other planetary boundaries that define "a safe operating space for humanity."Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


Social media has become an indispensable tool in the face of natural disasters due to its broad appeal and ability to quickly disseminate information. For instance, Twitter is an important source for disaster responders to search for (1) topics that have been identified as being of particular interest over time, i.e., common topics such as "disaster rescue"; (2) new emerging themes of disaster-related discussions that are fast gathering in social media streams (Saha and Sindhwani 2012), i.e., distinct topics such as "the latest tsunami destruction". To understand the status quo and allocate limited resources to most urgent areas, emergency managers need to quickly sift through relevant topics generated over time and investigate their commonness and distinctiveness. A major obstacle to the effective usage of social media, however, is its massive amount of noisy and undesired data. Hence, a naive method, such as set intersection/difference to find common/distinct topics, is often not practical. To address this challenge, this paper studies a new topic tracking problem that seeks to effectively identify the common and distinct topics with social streaming data. The problem is important as it presents a promising new way to efficiently search for accurate information during emergency response. This is achieved by an online Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) scheme that conducts a faster update of latent factors, and a joint NMF technique that seeks the balance between the reconstruction error of topic identification and the losses induced by discovering common and distinct topics. Extensive experimental results on real-world datasets collected during Hurricane Harvey and Florence reveal the effectiveness of our framework.


Abstract The significant impact of extant carnivores, particularly spotted hyenas, on the depositional history and physical characteristics of archaeofaunal and paleontological assemblages is well recognized. We focus on the behavioral ecology of extant spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in relation to bone accumulations produced by one East African clan at communal dens. Limbs and skulls of prey animals more frequently appear at dens than do other carcass portions. These items reflect the relative abundance of prey species near dens; carnivore remains are poorly represented. Comparative analysis reveals that bones are deposited far more slowly (<7 carcass portions per month) and accumulations tend to be smaller at Crocuta dens than at dens of either brown (Parahyaena brunnea) or striped (Hyaena hyaena) hyenas. We propose that extant Crocuta bone accumulation rates and sizes are likely affected by prey species abundance, clan size, social interactions within the clan, and the type and availability of den sites. We also suggest that the potential for intraspecific behavioral variability in bone accumulation patterns is important when comparisons are made among spotted hyena populations and across hyena species. For example, accumulation patterns may be dramatically influenced by the temporal span, potentially ranging from days to hundreds or thousands of years, in which bones are collected, depending on the species-specific history of occupation at a given site. Understanding the behavioral and ecological variability likely to influence bone accumulation patterns at dens used by different hyaenids will allow taphonomists and zooarchaeologists to refine their knowledge of mechanisms underlying site formation processes and potential causes of variability in deeper-time den assemblages.


A Saying Which Is True. Hans Grimm's Treatment of a Motif from The Jews' Beech by Annette von Droste-Hulshoff
Hans Grimm's earliest colonial story, "Mordenaars Graf" is based on the South African folk legend of the father who kills his son out of love. This ties in with the Biblical story of the sacrifice of the son by the father. At the same time Grimm makes skilful use of a motif employed by Annette von Droste-Hulshoff in her 1842 novella Die Judenbuche (The Jews' Beech), where a Biblical saying is carved into the tree; in Grimm, a comparable quotation is hewn into stone. In both cases the notion of divine justice as expounded in the New Testament is raised critically. In "Mordenaars Graf" this central theme is expanded with the addition of questions of race, domination and survival as well as repressed areas of the unconscious.


The study of the electrical properties (EPs) of tissues, i.e. conductivity and permittivity, is of fundamental importance to understand the biophysical interactions and the effects of electromagnetic fields on our body, such as those produced by MRI scanners or by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulators (TMS). Knowledge on subject-specific tissue EPs is valuable for diagnostic purposes in oncology, and could allow more accurate specific-absorption-rate (SAR) estimations for RF patient safety. Additionally, tissue EPs measurements can provide better subject-specific guidance and dosimetry of TMS treatments. In this thesis, various methodologies to measure tissue EPs both at low frequencies (kHz) and high frequencies (radiofrequency RF range: hundreds MHz) were investigated, characterized and experimentally explored using MRI scanners. At low frequencies, fundamental and experimental problems hampering EPs reconstructions by means of MR compatible current induction methods were characterized. The first investigated methodology used the switching of MR gradients to induce electric currents in tissues. To increase the level of induced currents, in the second methodology electric currents were induced using a combined TMS-MRI setup. This setup included a 3T MRI system (Achieva, Philips) and a TMS stimulator (Rapid2, Magstim). To allow correct synchronization between devices, in-house hardware and a novel TMS-MRI measurement protocol were developed. Nevertheless, it has been shown that MRI measurements of the incident TMS magnetic field are feasible. These measurements are important to improve guidance of TMS dosimetry and to validate TMS coil models adopted in simulations to investigate TMS induced neuronal activation. Since EPs vary with the frequency, it has been also investigated the feasibility of accurately measuring EPs at RF frequencies by means of electromagnetic simulations and MR measurements (3T MRI scanners, Achieva and Ingenia, Philips). At RF frequencies, MR-Electrical Properties Tomography (MR-EPT) is widely employed to reconstruct tissue EPs. Although this technique is very appealing as it only requires an MR scanner, several issues affect the EPs reconstructions. In this thesis, it has been thoroughly analyzed the impact of numerical errors arising from the reconstruction process. It has been concluded that MR-EPT is not able to provide detailed EPs measurements on a voxel level for low field strengths MRI systems (1.5 T and 3 T). Still, MR-EPT can be used to investigate volumetric EPs changes, e.g. for better tumor characterization. Finally, a newly proposed MR-based technique was investigated: water-content EPT (wEPT). Although wEPT is built upon an empirical framework, it allows EPs reconstructions at RF frequencies for healthy brain tissues on a voxel level. In this thesis, the validity of the empirical framework employed by wEPT has been validated for conductivity reconstructions in the brain white matter brain. Future studies should focus on investigating the validity of wEPT in pathological situations. By correlating wEPT reconstructions with independent MR-EPT reconstructions and MRI sodium imaging, better understanding of the relationships between electrical conduction and tissue structure and composition may be obtained. Ultimately, correct understanding of the physiological background of tissue EPs will be fundamental before EPs measurements can be used as a new endogenous biomarker for diagnostic purposes.


This book examines different aspects of Asian popular culture, including films, TV, music, comedy, folklore, cultural icons, the Internet and theme parks. It raises important questions such as – What are the implications of popularity of Asian popular culture for globalization? Do regional forces impede the globalizing of cultures? Or does the Asian popular culture flow act as a catalyst or conveying channel for cultural globalization? Does the globalization of culture pose a threat to local culture? It addresses two seemingly contradictory and yet parallel processes in the circulation of Asian popular culture: the interconnectedness between Asian popular culture and western culture in an era of cultural globalization that turns subjects such as Pokemon, Hip Hop or Cosmopolitan into truly global phenomena, and the local derivatives and versions of global culture that are necessarily disconnected from their origins in order to cater for the local market. It thereby presents a collective argument that, whilst local social formations, and patterns of consumption and participation in Asia are still very much dependent on global cultural developments and the phenomena of modernity, yet such dependence is often concretized, reshaped and distorted by the local media to cater for the local market.

Contents:

Introduction: Asian Popular Culture: The Global (Dis)continuity Anthony Y.H. Fung Part 1: The Dominance of Global Continuity: Cultural Localization and Adaptation 1. One Region, Two Modernities: Disneyland in Tokyo and Hong Kong Micky Lee and Anthony Y.H. Fung 2. Comic Travels: Disney Publishing in the People's Republic of China Jennifer Altehenger 3. When Chinese Youth Meet Harry Potter: Translating Consumption and Middle Class Identification John Nguyet Erni 4.New Forms of Transborder Visuality in Urban China: Saving Face for Magazine Covers Eric Kit-Wai Ma 5. Cultural Consumption and Masculinity: A Case Study of GQ Magazine Covers in Taiwan Hong-Chi Shiau Part 2: Global Discontinuity: The Local Absorption of Global Culture 6. An Unlocalized and Unglobalized Subculture: English Language Independent Music in Singapore Kai Khiun Liew and Shzr Ee Tan 7. The Localized Production of Jamaican Music in Thailand Viriya Sawangchot 8. Consuming Online Games in Taiwan: Global Games and Local Market Lai-Chi Chen 9. The Rise of the Korean Cinema in Inbound and Outbound Globalization Shin Dong Kim Part 3: Cultural Domestication: A New Form of Global Continuity 10. Pocket Capitalism and Virtual Intimacy: Pokemon as a Symptom of Post-Industrial Youth Culture Anne Allison 11. Playing the Global Game: Japan Brand and Globalization Kukhee Choo Part 4: China as a Rising Market: Cultural Antagonism and Globalization 12. China's New Creative Strategy: The Utilization of Cultural Soft Power and New Markets Michael Keane and Bonnie Liu 13. Renationalizing Hong Kong Cinema: The Gathering Force of the Mainland Market Michael Curtin


Wind erosion and rising water tables are serious threats to the ecological sustainability of annual plant-based farming systems on deep, infertile sandplain soils in southwestern Australia. In this study, an annual cropping system was compared with two novel perennial plant-based systems designed to address these threats in terms of their use of renewable indigenous resource, their use of non-renewable indigenous resources, their purchased inputs of energy and materials, and profitability. The farming systems were an annual lupin/wheat (Lupinus angustifolius L./Triticum aestivum L.) crop rotation, a plantation of the fodder tree tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus L.) and an alley cropping system in which the lupin/wheat rotation was grown between spaced rows of tagasaste trees. Flows of energy and materials between the environment and the economy were identified for each farming system and the natural and human activity involved in generating inputs as goods or services then valued in terms of the equivalent amount of solar energy required for their production using the emergy method of Odum [Ecological and General Systems: An Introduction to Systems Ecology. University Press of Colorado, revised edition of Systems Ecology, 1983, Wiley, New York, 644 pp.; Environmental Accounting: Emergy and Environmental Decision Making. Wiley, New York, 370 pp.]. The results showed that the two largest energy flows in the conventional lupin/wheat cropping system were wind erosion and purchased inputs of phosphate. The renewable component of production was 15% of total flows in the lupin/wheat system, 30% in the alley cropping system and 53% in the tagasaste plantation. The annual net income from the plantation system was nearly four times higher, and from alley cropping 45% higher, than from the lupin/wheat rotation. This analysis suggested that once the two agroforestry systems were fully established, the tagasaste plantation was the most efficient at transforming natural resources into goods and services and the most profitable, while the lupin/wheat system was the least energy efficient and the least profitable.


Background Although underweight young women are targets for interventions to prevent low bone mineral density (BMD), the relationship between change in body mass index (BMI) from youth to older age and BMD has not been widely investigated in community dwellers. Methods In 749 healthy Japanese women aged 40–74 years, BMD was measured by quantitative ultrasound and anthropometric measurements, and BMI was calculated from body weight and height. The BMI of participants at age 20 years was estimated by self-reported body weight and their present height. They were classified into four groups according to the presence of underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) at 20 and/or at present. Logistic regression models were used to estimate multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of the presence of underweight at 20 and/or at present for osteopenia (BMD T score <−1 standard deviations) compared with participants with BMI ≥18.5 kg/m2 both at 20 and at present. Results The participants who were underweight both at 20 and at present had a higher OR for osteopenia compared with those with BMI ≥18.5 kg/m2 at 20 and at present (OR 3.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.97–7.89). Those underweight only at present also had significantly increased OR of developing osteopenia (OR 2.95; 95% CI, 1.67–5.24). The OR of those underweight only at 20 was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.51–1.48). Conclusions Current underweight was associated with increased risk for osteopenia among Japanese women, especially in those who were underweight both at 20 and at present. To prevent low BMD in the future, maintaining appropriate body weight might be effective for young underweight women.


In this paper we provide a critique of the Finkelstein and Tiffen argument for increased regulation of the press. By failing to incorporate recent advances in the economics of regulation into their argument they fail to provide a coherent and rigorous foundation for their position. This leads them to overlook more obvious policy solutions to the problems they perceive in regulating the press. The Finkelstein and Tiffen paper also neglects to incorporate the political context underlying press regulation in general, and the Finkelstein Inquiry in particular. By underplaying the importance of both the economics of regulation and the politics of press regulation the Finkelstein and Tiffen paper misdiagnoses the problem under consideration and leads to inappropriate policy advice.


Federal habeas corpus procedure involves an elaborate set of rules for when state criminal judgments may be reviewed by federal courts. One of these rules – the procedural default rule – forbids federal courts to review state judgments if the state rejected the proposed claim on procedural grounds. This bar may be overcome by a showing of cause and prejudice (a showing that the outcome of the trial would have been different absent the error.) In enforcing this rule, federal courts have failed to realize that there are some claims for which a showing of prejudice is never possible. These claims, sometimes called "structural errors," are exempt from harmless error review when they arise on direct appeal; in that context, courts have realized that demanding a showing that the error changed the outcome would in many cases be asking the impossible. A particularly troubling example is Batson claims; a prejudice requirement for such claims would mean that defendants would have to prove that a jury selected in the absence of racial discrimination would have reached a different verdict. Courts have realized that such a showing generally cannot be made, and granted relief anyway. What courts have not acknowledged is that the showing of prejudice is equally impossible in the habeas context. Instead, some courts have decided that prejudice can be presumed for structural errors in this posture, and other courts have required the impossible showing – meaning that such claims are doomed to fail under the procedural default rule in every instance, even where other, less serious claims can sometimes overcome the bar. This Note identifies and traces the two clashing strands of case law – the structural error cases and the procedural default cases – and explicates the underlying incompatibility. It then examines cases that have attempted to adjudicate such claims, and finally proposes a solution: that courts should modify their procedural default test to accommodate these claims.


This chapter is included in an edited collection which looks at a range of contemporary cultural phenomena through the lens of psychoanalytic theory.

Specifically, psychoanalytic theory is used to interpret the fashion system including discussion of trends; fashion imagery; the body in fashion and the reluctance for psychologists to engage with fashion as a subject.

Publisher's text about this book:

Synopsis:

The main purpose of this book is to look at a range of ubiquitous phenomena that make up our daily life and to ask not so much "whether" but "what" psychoanalytic thinking can add to our current understanding of these phenomena. Could there be another layer, below the obvious surface-layer, that needs to be explored further? And if so, can psychoanalytic light reflect upon and illuminate some of the new contours and shapes perhaps previously not fully seen or appreciated? What interim conclusions can we reach as a result of this reflection upon our modern world?

This book is linked to its immediate predecessor Psychoanalytic Perspectives on a Turbulent World but it differs significantly in tone, light and composition. This new book no longer addresses itself to the complex and troubling issues such as war, conflict, the global financial crisis and our struggle with leadership, instead, it tends to focus on the lighter side of life.
Description:

'We need all the help we can get in thinking about the unthinkable, and this kind of analysis goes below the surface of our fears and prejudices to explore the dynamics of some of the crises that facing our societies at this time. The contributors explore the delusional thinking that affects the world of work, the money markets, consumerism, traumatized societies, and climate change. A powerful response to this age of uncertainty.'
- Tim Dartington, PhD, author of Managing Vulnerability: The Underlying Dynamics of Systems of Care

'With this fascinating book, Halina Brunning demonstrates again her great ability to invite the reader to look underneath the surface of a range of ubiquitous phenomena that make up our daily organizational lives. The psychoanalytic perspective of the authors in this volume on what often seems obvious or even banal reveals disturbing and often frightening insights. There is, for example, murderousness in mergers, toxicity at the employee–customer interface, burnout even at the executive level, a perverse dynamic in the use of money and in the fashion industry, and apocalyptic fantasies behind our perception of climate change.'
- Dr Burkard Sievers, Professor of Organization Development, Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, Wuppertal, Germany; Past-President of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations


The two tractates forming the treatise of Plotinus, called rather misleadingly, to the modern mind, 'On Providence', have attracted attention mainly because of the remarkable stress laid in them on the doctrine of the Logos, which marks an interesting development of Plotinus' latest thought and brings the treatise into an apparently close relation to other systems with which the philosophy of Plotinus has little in common. I do not, however, in this article wish to discuss the Logos doctrine of these tractates, but rather to compare certain other aspects of the thought of the treatise with their probable sources in the work of earlier thinkers, and in particular to draw attention to a curious and unexpected parallelism of thought in one passage. I think that conclusions of some interest for the history of Greek thought in general can be drawn from such a comparison.


Procedure Appropriateness Category Relative Radiation Level Radiography foot Usually Appropriate ☢ US foot Usually Not Appropriate O MRI foot without and with IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate O MRI foot without IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate O CT foot with IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate ☢ CT foot without and with IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate ☢ CT foot without IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate ☢ Bone scan foot Usually Not Appropriate ☢☢☢


Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are rare or absent in actively eroding soils of the Sandhills. The objective of this study was to determine if 3 major Sandhills warm-season grasses used in reseeding eroded Sandhills sites are highly mycorrhizal dependent, and evaluate the response of VAM at different phosphorus (P) levels. In 2 greenhouse experiments, sand bluestem [Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilus (Nash) Fern.], switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and prairie sandreed [Calamovilfa longifolia (Hook) Scribn.] were grown in steam-sterilized sand in pots and inoculated with either indigenous Sandhills VAM, Glomus deserticola, or noninoculated. In the second experiment, VAM inoculated and control plants were treated with 5 P levels ranging from 5.4 to 27.0 mg P pot-1. Increasing levels of P fertilizer caused an initial increase, then dramatic decrease, in percentage colonization by Glomus deserticola but bad no effect on percentage colonization by indigenous Sandhills VAM. Mycorrhizal inoculated plants had a greater number of tillers, greater shoot weight, root weight, tissue P concentration and percentage P recovered, and a lower root/shoot ratio and P efficiency than noninoculated plants. Noninoculated sand bluestem had significantly lower shoot P concentration but greater P efficiency over all P levels thin any other grass-VAM treatment combination. Phosphorus fertilizer and VAM effects were often complementary at P levels up to 16.2 to 21.6 mg P pot-1, with no change or a decrease in plant responses at higher P levels. These 3 major Sandhills warm-season grasses were highly mycorrhizal dependent. Successful reestablishment of these on eroded sites in the Sandhills may be greatly improved if soil reinoculation with VAM occurred prior to revegetation.


The robustness of biological processes to perturbations has so far been mainly explored in unicellular organisms; multicellular organisms have been studied for developmental processes or in the special case of redundancy between gene duplicates. Here we explore the robustness of cell biological mechanisms of multicellular organisms in an evolutionary context. We propose that the reuse of similar cell biological mechanisms in different cell types of the same organism has evolutionary implications: (1) the maintenance of apparently redundant mechanisms over evolutionary time may in part be explained by their differential requirement in various cell types; (2) the relative requirement for two alternative mechanisms may evolve among homologous cells in different organisms. We present examples of cell biological processes, such as centrosome separation in prophase, spindle formation or cleavage furrow positioning, that support the first proposition. We propose experimental tests of these hypotheses.


We show that the system transfer function of magneto-optic data storage systems can be improved significantly by combination of optical filtering and electronic filtering. In our experiment, the relative high-frequency contrast improved from 10% to 40% after application of a combined optical and electronic filter. The carrier-to-noise ratio was slightly degraded at low frequencies but was improved by 2–3 dB at high frequencies. Measurements indicate that the combined system improves jitter by a factor of 3 at high frequencies.


Expansion joints and bearings of conventional bridges are easily damaged and this commonly incurs high maintenance costs. The concept of the integral bridge was to reduce the maintenance costs by removing those joints. However, the thermally induced expansion-contraction of the bridge superstructure is transferred through the integral bridge's abutments due to lack of expansion joints. Seasonal thermal cyclic displacement of the integral abutment cyclically loads the bridge backfill material. It has been observed that the lateral earth pressure behind an integral abutment increases as a result of the cyclic loading. Previous studies attribute this increase in lateral pressure to the densification of the backfill material. Granular flow was suggested to have occurred displacing the particles to form a denser and therefore stiffer matrix. An alternative suggestion was that the particles reoriented to form a stiffer matrix that wasn't necessarily denser. The objective of this research is to explore the behaviour of integral abutment backfill at a micromechanical level by utilising the discrete element method (DEM) and possibly verify these suggested causes of earth pressure build-up behind an integral abutment. DEM models of four granular materials consisting of different particle shapes were tested with 100 cycles of strain. The results indicate that densification occurred for all samples, but the build-up of horizontal pressure did not occur for the more rounded samples. It was further suggested that the particle shape in combination with the change in coordination number closely replicate the behaviour of the sample's horizontal stress. Particle reorientation and displacements were observed to be small for samples of non-circular particles. Particle activity is concentrated in the smallest particles within the material. It is concluded that the build-up of horizontal stress is caused by the increase in particle contacts due to particle reorientation and not densification.


In materials science and particularly electron microscopy, Electron Back-scatter Diffraction (EBSD) is a common and powerful mapping technique for collecting local crystallographic data at the sub-micron scale. The quality of the reconstruction of the maps is critical to study the spatial distribution of phases and crystallographic orientation relationships between phases, a key interest in materials science. However, EBSD data is known to suffer from distortions that arise from several instrument and detector artifacts. In this paper, we present an unsupervised method that corrects those distortions, and enables or enhances phase differentiation in EBSD data. The method uses a segmented electron image of the phases of interest (laths, precipitates, voids, inclusions) gathered using detectors that generate less distorted data, of the same area than the EBSD map, and then searches for the best transformation to correct the distortions of the initial EBSD data. To do so, the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES) is implemented to distort the EBSD until it matches the reference electron image. Fast and versatile, this method does not require any human annotation and can be applied to large datasets and wide areas, where the distortions are important. Besides, this method requires very little assumption concerning the shape of the distortion function. Some application examples in multiphase materials with feature sizes down to 1 $\mu$m are presented, including a Titanium alloy and a Nickel-base superalloy.


We present a lab-on-chip platform for the experimental evaluation of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods from the nanoscale to the scale of reservoir rock pore networks. We have employed semiconductor process technology to build lab-on-chip flow devices with features at the nanometer scale that allow us to perform controlled flow experiments for calibrating multiscale flow models. The platform built on silicon semiconductor technology is highly customizable and allows for design adaptation of different physical model representations. The approach enables us to experimentally investigate and validate liquid flow in porous media below the micrometer scale and to deploy calibrated, multi-scale flow simulations in a digital representation of a given rock pore network. The chip implementations of the nanoscale, porous rock network enable systematic flow studies covering various parameters (e.g. effective porosity, viscosity, surface properties) under controlled conditions of physical parameters (e.g. temperature, pressure). High resolution optical microscopy measurement techniques enable us to track individual nanometer size fluorescent tags which allow us to directly determine fluid flow speeds even in sub-micrometer constrictions. We introduce the architecture of the flow chip, discuss how the flow experiments are performed and how the experimental results are used to calibrate the flow simulations. Ultimately, the calibrated flow simulations will be used for predicting the efficiency of a specific EOR agent for improving oil displacement in a pore scale network of reservoir rock.


In this paper, the evolution of the electrical behaviour of GaN and AlGaN materials after high-temperature annealing and thermal oxidation is discussed. In particular, annealing above 1100°C, required for electrical activation of implanted species, increases the surface state density, reducing the metal/GaN Schottky barriers and increasing the leakage current. On the other hand, the thermal oxidation at 900°C of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures showed the formation of a thin oxide layer, which can be able to passivate surface defects and/or can serve as inter-device isolation. However, a decrease of the sheet carrier density in the two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) was observed when the material is subjected to such high thermal budgets. The results are discussed considering the possible optimizations and applications to GaN-devices technology.


Most sketch recognition systems are accurate in recognizing either text or shape (graphic) ink strokes, but not both. Distinguishing between shape and text strokes is, therefore, a critical task in recognizing hand drawn digital ink diagrams which commonly contain many text labels and annotations. We have found the 'entropy rate' to be an accurate criterion of classification. We found that the entropy rate is significantly higher for text strokes compared to shape strokes and can serve as a distinguishing factor between the two. Using entropy values, our system produced a correct classification rate of 92.06% on test data belonging to diagrammatic domain for which the threshold was trained on.  It also performed favorably on data for which no training examples at all were supplied.


The 107th Congress is considering trade issues with implications for the U.S. agricultural sector. Trade in agricultural commodities and food products affects farm income and rural employment, and it also generates economic activity beyond the farm gate. With agricultural export sales the equivalent of one-quarter of farm income, some policymakers view U.S. efforts to develop market opportunities overseas as vital to the sector's financial health. Decisions taken by the Bush Administration, and actions taken by Congress, thus will affect the outlook for agricultural trade.


Abstract. The size and composition of particles containing black carbon (BC) are modified soon after emission by condensation of semivolatile substances and coagulation with other particles, known collectively as "aging" processes. Although this change in particle properties is widely recognized, the timescale for transformation is not well constrained. In this work, we simulated aerosol aging with the particle-resolved model PartMC-MOSAIC (Particle Monte Carlo – Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry) and extracted aging timescales based on changes in particle cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). We simulated nearly 300 scenarios and, through a regression analysis, identified the key parameters driving the value of the aging timescale. We show that BC's aging timescale spans from hours to weeks, depending on the local environmental conditions and the characteristics of the fresh BC-containing particles. Although the simulations presented in this study included many processes and particle interactions, we show that 80% of the variance in the aging timescale is explained by only a few key parameters. The condensation aging timescale decreased with the flux of condensing aerosol and was shortest for the largest fresh particles, while the coagulation aging timescale decreased with the total number concentration of large (D >100 nm), CCN-active particles and was shortest for the smallest fresh particles. Therefore, both condensation and coagulation play important roles in aging, and their relative impact depends on the particle size range.


Flexural cracks are the most common problem in structural members which are subjected to bending moments. The introduction of steel fibres in concrete beam has been proposed as flexural cracks inhibitor. This research of steel fibres as flexural
cracks inhibitor in concrete beam under static loading was conducted focusing on simply supported beam to determine the crack propagations in flexure by varying the steel fibre content placement in the beam. The 25 kg/m3 steel fibre was chosen for this study since the optimum concrete strength (fcu) is achieved with this steel fibre dosage. Seven sets of concrete beams of 150 mm x 250 mm x 1000 mm in size consists of three RC beams with full steel fibrous concrete (SFRC), three RC beams with steel fibre
placed within tension zone of the beam, three RC beams with steel fibre placed at the half o f tension zone of the beam, two conventional RC beams (without steel fibre) as control sample, one unreinforced concrete beam with full steel fibre, one unreinforced concrete beam with steel fibre at tension zone only and one unreinforced concrete beam with steel fibre at half of tension zone. The variations in these seven sets of beams is
intended to find the optimum steel fibrous concrete placements towards inhibiting flexural cracks in the beam. Experiment was conducted through three points bending test. The results showed that addition of steel fibre in conventional reinforced concrete
beam increase the crack initiation load, yield load and ultimate load by 60%, 69% and 56% respectively. It also reduced the ratio of ultimate load over yield load by 46% and increased the ratio of ultimate load over theoretical load by 40%. The crack opening is
reduced by 11 %. The crack failure of all the beams are classified as flexure crack and occurred in the mid third span. The addition of steel fibre in the conventional RC beam showed that it inhibits the flexural cracks.


Atomic Oxygen is the dominant atmospheric specie at low earth orbit altitudes for spacecraft orbiting the earth. This altitude range of atomic oxygen dominance extends from 120 km to 900 km. Other species such as helium, molecular oxygen and nitrogen make up the bulk of the rest with the densities corresponding to high to ultrahigh vacuum levels. Spacecraft orbiting at this altitude need to travel at a velocity of 8 km/sec to maintain orbit and therefore spacecraft encounter a high fluence of impinging rarefied atmosphere in a short time period. This gas-surface interaction has several effects which affect the space vehicle. They include aerodynamic drag, surface reaction and surface glow. The need to model these effects on spacecraft surfaces has resulted in the design, development and construction of an advanced facility to simulate these L.E.O. atmospheric effects. This facility utilizing an arc heated source can produce high energy species of the common atmospheric species at a velocity of up to 4.5 km/sec with fluxes comparable to orbit. This particular type of source is unique in Europe with two similar types reported in the U.S.A. Considerable effort was expended in optimizing the source for atomic oxygen production via beam characterization and stagnation condition measurement. This has enabled the radial and axial temperature profiles in the source to be deduced, thus providing a clearer idea of the processes in the source and therefore benefits future users of this technique. In addition, alternative routes of producing atomic oxygen were pursued via nitrous oxide and nitrous oxide/nitrogen seeding. Extensive work on developing reliable beam characterization equipment resulted in the comparison of two methods of beam analysis. This involved the development of a new method of beam mass/energy analysis, which has several advantages over current instruments. Conclusions are made on the suitability of mass spectroscopic detection of reactive specie beams. Finally, atomic oxygen degradation tests were pursued on a variety of surfaces including the polyimide Kapton-H. It was concluded from these tests that Kapton-H erosion has a form of energy dependence, with an energy threshold to erosion of approximately 0.5 eV. The erosion rate above this energy rises rapidly to rates comparable to those of orbit. The Southampton results agree reasonably with the very few results on Kapton-H in this energy range. This has important implications on spacecraft material design.


Purpose: The molecular events that determine intestinal cell differentiation are poorly understood and it is unclear whether it is primarily a passive event or an active process. It is clinically important to gain a greater understanding of the process, because in colorectal cancer, the degree of differentiation of a tumor is associated with patient survival. SGK1 has previously been identified as a gene that is principally expressed in differentiated intestinal cells. In colorectal cancer, there is marked downregulation of SGK1 compared with normal tissue. Experimental Design: An inducible SGK1 viral overexpression system was utilized to induce reexpression of SGK1 in colorectal cancer cell lines. Transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses of these colorectal cancer lines was performed and validation in mouse and human cohorts was performed. Results: We demonstrate that SGK1 is upregulated in response to, and an important controller of, intestinal cell differentiation. Reexpression of SGK1 in colorectal cancer cell lines results in features of differentiation, decreased migration rates, and inhibition of metastasis in an orthotopic xenograft model. These effects may be mediated, in part, by SGK1-induced PKP3 expression and increased degradation of MYC. Conclusions: Our results suggest that SGK1 is an important mediator of differentiation of colorectal cells and may inhibit colorectal cancer metastasis.


Metallurgical pretreatment of As-bearing ores involves oxidation of sulphides (most often As-bearing pyrite, arsenopyrite or enargite) resulting in complex oxidized As-bearing products. We have evaluated roasting pretreatment of arsenic-bearing ores in a broad context and related this to the specific operations at the Giant mine, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada, which roasted arsenopyrite (FeAsS)-rich gold ore concentrates during 50 years of operations. A large portion of the As was collected and stored in underground vaults as As2O3 dust; however, some of the As was also released with tailings which contain concentrations between 1000 to 5000 ppm. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and sequential extractions have been completed on samples of mill products and various ages of tailings at the Giant mine. These data along with petrographic and synchrotron μXRD and μX-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (μXANES) indicate that the largely oxidized roaster products (calcine) and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) dust host most of the As in the tailings with a lesser component of sulphide arsenic. The fine-grained nature of these oxidized products has led to hydraulic sorting within the tailings impounds and dispersal to downstream creek and lake sediments.


The late Argentine novelist Manuel Puig (1932-1990), best known for a pastiche or bricolage-style in his fictions which combine a dizzying array of multiple narrative voices, references to B-grade movies and other forms of popular culture, epistolary documentation, and often arcane and ancillary footnotes, has been too little treated as a political and psychological writer who comments upon the seemingly disparate realms of the public and personal in intriguing ways, especially in terms of his native country and in reference to the oligarchic Peron regime of the 1970s and its aftermath. In his later novels in particular, such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1979), Eternal Curse on the Reader of These Pages (1982), and even the posthumously published last, Tropical Night Falling (1991), the issues of political exile (in fact, only Kiss takes place in Argentina and at a Buenos Aires prison for its principal setting) and psycho-sexual repression become increasingly intertwined for Puig's characters, to the point where what is objectively real and what is subjectively imagined or internalized by his fictional figures nearly coexist on the same narrative plane. Thus, Puig's fictions confront the reader with a decidedly non-authoritarian point-of-view, as if his very style of writing affronts the stiflingly oppressive societal milieu from which the author came and from which he, too, found himself self-exiled. So, while his novels are not blatantly "political" (at least thematically) by any means, it is through his ability to meld the individual consciousness with the Argentine collective unconscious of his characters that Puig succeeds in exposing and subtly critiquing the dominant ideologies of his time and place. As Suzanne Jill Levine, his primary translator into English, claims in her recent biography of the novelist, "In spite of his protestations, Manuel [Puig] was genuinely, intuitively political in his writing--and most explicitly in Kiss of the Spider Woman [1978], though he was not a public spokesperson like other [Latin American] writers" (257) of the 60s and 70s, such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, who voiced vehemently their support of leftist movements and the rejection of authoritarian governmental regimes. Yet "his novels can also," and maybe more accurately, "be regarded as" concerned with "the political nature of our sexual lives, or the sexual dynamic of the body politic" (Levine 257)--that is, as manifestations of just how personal, sexual repression is analogous to the public, overtly political repression afflicting Argentina at the time, first from Peron and then, after his death in 1974, from the right-wing military coalition or Junta that replaced him in 1976 (Levine 241). In Kiss, then, Puig focuses on an unlikely paired couple enclosed on a claustrophobically-small stage, or, rather, cage: Molina, an homosexual window-dresser imprisoned ostensibly for the "corruption of a minor," shares the same cell with Valentin, a Marxist revolutionary who seems the epitome of the stereotypical machismo ideal for the Latin male. Through their psycho-dramatic dialogue which dominates much of the book, though, we as readers, and they as well as the principal players, come to discover that they are not so far apart, philosophically or otherwise, as they both evolve into models for first questioning and ultimately freeing themselves, at least psychologically or emotionally, from the authoritative systems that oppress their sexual and political lives, respectively. Ironically, too, we discover that Molina, with the promise of his early release, has been intentionally placed with Valentin at the Buenos Aires prison to "soften him up," so to speak, so that the prison warden and his henchmen from the secret police can gain information about Valentin's clandestine group and its movements. Unfortunately for these fascist authorities, this plan backfires, as Molina falls in love with Valentin who, both emotionally and physically, is his definition of a "real man" (60), and then nurtures him back to health after the guards have poisoned his food in an attempt to weaken him and ultimately to get him to confess to some of his guerrilla cadre's activities. …


In the philosophy of music and in musicology, apart from ethnomusicology, there is a long tradition of focus on musical compositions as objects of inquiry. But in both disciplines, a body of recent work focuses on the place of performance in the making of music. Most of this work, however, still takes for granted that compositions, at least in Western art music, are the primary objects of aesthetic attention. In this paper I focus on aesthetic attention to the performing activity itself. I begin by roughly characterizing what is involved in attending to the performing activity of musical performers. I then argue that such attention is essential to the full appreciation of the central compositions of the Western art music canon. Finally, I argue that, often enough, recordings provide a suitable vehicle for this sort of attention; listeners to recordings can use them to listen to musical performance.


A major draw back to further development of low-head hydro power is that it usually uses run-of-the-river operations. The storage potential for peaking power production that large reservoirs and high head dams offer is not available at low-head sites. The low-head facilities are basically baseload facilities. In order to incorporate low-head plants into the grid system, electric utility companies must develop additional and often more costly peak power plants. The low-head plants are a further nuisance to power companies due to difficulties in defining pay back schedules and procedures for the run-of-river sequence. The economics and feasibility of developing low-head hydropower sites would be greatly enhanced if all the electrical power could be generated during peak demand hours. An alternative method for providing low-head hydropower sites with the versatility to be used strictly for peaking power is based on the use of hydrogen storage during off peak hours and both water turbine and hydrogen power generation during peak demand hours.


- This paper proposes a new precise macro-modeling for leakage current in BSIM4 65nm technology considering subthreshold leakage, gate tunneling leakage, stack effect, and fanout effect. Using the accurate macro-model, a heuristic algorithm is developed to estimate the leakage power and generate input test pattern for minimum leakage. The algorithm applies to ISCAS85 benchmark circuits, and the results are compared with the results of Hspice. The experimental result shows that the leakage power estimation using our macro-model is within 5% difference when comparing to Hspice results.


Wild species related to agricultural crops make agricultural systems around the world more resilient. Crop wild relatives (CWR) represent the largest pool of genetic diversity from which to draw when new variation for desired traits is required in domesticated varieties. They contribute towards the development of new crop varieties, particularly those adapted to predicted climate change scenarios. Although CWR are generally inedible, are not used for fuel or fodder, and very few have documented medicinal properties, they support global food production systems from behind the scenes. Placing an economic value on their contributions has had the effect of pulling CWR onto centre stage, and wild species are in fact beginning to garner international attention. The question is whether or not estimating their value in terms of the development of new varieties adequately represents their total value, and in particular the adaptive capacity they provide to agroecosystems. What are the implications of exclusively measuring their direct use value? This thesis explores the space where agrobiodiversity, climate change, advanced crop breeding and economics meet in order to address this question. Two distinct but related research questions are discussed in sequence. The first asks: to what extent are CWR being used today within crop improvement programs under the auspices Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)? The main findings are that CWR are being used to a greater extent today than ever before, and that a positive trend is likely to continue in light of both technological advancements and intensifying environmental pressures. Research findings are relevant to the conservation community advocating for increased investment and will help inform policy decisions involving trade-offs and priority setting among conservation objectives. The second question arises in light on the first: what are the implications of increased use of CWR in breeding? Implications include increased conservation investment and an emerging conservation paradigm that is focused exclusively on facilitating future use of selected species closely related to socio-economically important crops rather than the breadth of diversity that exists today. This diversity is threatened with extinction by range of environmental and anthropogenic forces. The positive feedback between use and conservation will continue to the extent that required genetic variation is available. This thesis argues that increased use will likely not incite sufficient levels of conservation. Conservation is a reflection of the way humans value biodiversity. CWR are valued for their instrumental use in crop breeding but less so for the resilience they lend to agroecosystems, and not at all for their intrinsic value. Understanding the dynamic between valuation and conservation is useful for making projections into the future and will help inform course corrections at the relatively early stage of the conservation investment game. Policy recommendations stem from a greater recognition of the resilience value provided by the breadth of CWR diversity, agrobiodiversity more broadly defined, and the importance of conserving it both in situ and ex situ. The availability of genetic variation for agricultural crops in the long term and by extension any meaningful contributions towards achieving sustained food production, depend upon it.


This thesis presents the results of an investigation of the glacial geomorphic processes associated with sediment production and deposition in the Nanga Parbat Massif, Pakistan Himalaya. Emphasis is placed on contemporary deposition mechanisms; the nature and timing of Quaternary glaciation; and the influence of tectonic uplift on the glacial record. The field study concentrated on the extensive valley glacier systems of the Nanga Parbat Massif (8125 m.a.s.l.), at the western end of the Himalayan mountain chain. Some 60% of the surface of this region is glacierized and has experienced rapid tectonic uplift and intense denudational processes throughout the Quaternary. The glaciers of the area are very active; they have high values of mass-flux and transport considerable volumes of surficial glacial debris. Past and present glacial activity has resulted in the extensive moraines and other glacier-related deposits which are found throughout the massif. Sampling was undertaken on both contemporary and Pleistocene glacial deposits. Systematic sampling of glacier sediments of the Rakhiot Glacier to the north of the massif and the Chungphar Glacier to the south was designed to sample down-glacier trends. Transport pathways, from sources areas to the glacier snout, were mapped and samples were collected for particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy. A similar study of the Glacier de Cheilon in the Swiss Alps was also completed so that the two glacier sediment systems could be compared. In the Nanga Parbat Massif, the Quaternary deposits of the Rupal, Astor, Rama and Rakhiot valleys were sub-divided into sedimentary units on the basis of geomoiphological mapping, logging of sedimentary sections and multi-parameter relative age dating techniques. Quaternary ELAs and glacial limits were reconstructed in an attempt to assess variations in the size and distribution of glaciers in the massif. Debris transport in the supraglacial zone is an important contributor to contemporary glacial sediment production. Transport of the thick supraglacial debris results in intense comminution producing large volumes of fine sediment. This is reflected in positive downglacier trends in sediment fining and increased particle weathering. This finding challenges the traditional view that the basal zone of traction is the only major source of fine sediment production in glacial environments. Fine sediment is also produced outside the immediate glacial zone, by intense weathering of the exposed mountain rockwaUs. Important contributions from supraglacial, subglacial and non-glacial sources explain the fines-rich nature of the glacial meltwaters which drain the massif. The importance of supraglacial debris transport is a striking characteristic of the contemporary glacial depositional system, the dominant mode of glacial deposition being the dumping of supraglacial debris in ice-marginal locations. Mass movement is an important mechanism in the depositional process as is resedimentation; resulting in complex suites of ice-marginal deposits. Broadly synchronous glacier expansion in the Pleistocene resulted in a maximum lowering of the ELA of between 900 and 1000 m, with glacier termini on the east of the massif being lowered to altitudes of 2100 m and those on the north descending to join the Indus valley at 1800 m. Mountain ice caps and piedmont valley glaciers were much thicker in the Pleistocene, filling the valley systems. Present day glaciers are a remnant of these much more extensive Pleistocene valley glacier systems. Retreat during the late Pleistocene was roughly synchronous throughout the massif with glaciers becoming increasingly confined to the floors of the valleys. The present steep relief is a result of the combination of Quaternary bedrock uplift, in the form of tectonic uplift and isostatic response to glacial unloading, and overdeepening by glacial erosion during the Pleistocene. It appears that the glacial sediment systems of the Nanga Parbat massif have changed markedly over the Quaternary with large low gradient piedmont glaciers giving way to small, steep glaciers with thick supraglacial debris covers. Retreat of Pleistocene glaciers exposed large areas of bedrock to rapid subaerial weathering with the supraglacial debris component became increasingly important in the sedimentary system.


Psoriasis is a skin condition characterised by raised, red, scaling patches that cover the body to varying degrees, with a prevalence of 1-3% in Caucasian populations. There is evidence that sufferers hospitalised for treatment of then psoriasis are more depressed and more anxious than controls (e.g. Fava et al, 1980; Lyketsos et al, 1985), but conflicting evidence about whether psoriasis outpatients are also more depressed and anxious. The research presented in this thesis examined depression and anxiety in a group of psoriasis outpatients and found statistically significantly higher depression and anxiety levels than in a group of matched controls. The relationship over tune between area of coverage of psoriasis, depression and anxiety was examined in another group of psoriasis outpatients. Using multiple regression analysis, change in area of coverage between two assessments was a significant predictor of depression and anxiety at the second assessment, once levels at the first assessment had been accounted for. Self- esteem was also examined in this way and was found to be significantly related to psoriasis area of coverage, where worsening psoriasis was associated with a lowering of self-esteem. There were statistically significant differences between males and females. Pain had not previously been examined systematically in psoriasis outpatients, but was higher than pain in matched controls in the first study reported in this thesis. Consequently the quality of pain was examined further, and found not only to be significantly related to psoriasis area of coverage, but also was described in terms which suggested a distinct character to psoriasis pain. Fluctuations in sleep quality were also found to be significantly associated with psoriasis area of coverage. Visual assessment of psoriasis area of coverage was shown to be unreliable, so a computer program (SKINMAP) was developed to allow psoriasis lesions to be mapped onto a computer which then calculates area of coverage. SKINMAP estimates were shown to be statistically significantly more accurate and reliable than visual estimates. Informal conversations with psoriasis sufferers suggested that they held firm views about their condition which often did not coincide with medical views. Lay beliefs about psoriasis in a group of sufferers were therefore investigated in detail. Sufferers showed quite high levels of knowledge about the condition, but the nature of some common misconceptions was investigated through the use of semi-structured interviews, and the results highlighted the need for better patient education.


Abstract The influence of hydrological conditions and the pH of the environment on chlorite and mica transformations in the acidic weathering zone of pyrite-bearing schists was studied. Phyllosilicate transformations were investigated in the area of the abandoned pyrite open-pit mine in Wiéciszowice (Lower Silesia, SW Poland) using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and chemical methods. (Mg,Fe)-chlorite, micas (muscovite and paragonite), quartz, feldspars and pyrite were reported to be the most abundant minerals occurring in pyrite-bearing schists. Phyllosilicate transformations were significantly stronger in dry conditions than in wet ones. This conclusion was supported by the fact that the inherited phyllosilicates predominated in the clay mineral fraction of waterlogged saprolites, whereas the secondary swelling minerals were minor components. In dry and extremely acidic saprolites (pH < 3), trioctahedral chlorite was dissolved and transformed into clay minerals (e.g. smectite and kaolinite), whereas swelling clays (smectite mainly) were formed at the expense of dioctahedral micas. The pH of water is an important factor influencing phyllosilicate transformations in waterlogged conditions. The phyllosilicate alterations under the influence of extremely acidic waters (pH < 3) were more advanced than in moderately acidic ones (pH of 4.6), as the secondary clay minerals seemed to be represented exclusively by smectite in the former, whereas HIMs and mixed-layer minerals such as R0 I-S-Ch, R0 I-S, as well as R1 Ch-V and/or R1 Ch-S occurred in the latter.


User frustration in the use of information and computing technology is a pervasive and persistent problem. When computers crash, network congestion causes delays, and poor user interfaces trigger confusion there are dramatic consequences for individuals, organizations, and society. These frustrations not only cause personal dissatisfaction and loss of self-efficacy, but may disrupt workplaces, slow learning, and reduce participation in local and national communities. We propose a Computing Frustration Model with incident specific and individual variables to guide research. Our study of 108 computer users shows high levels of frustration and loss of 1/3 to 1/2 of time spent. The importance of the users' goals and the severity of the disruption were correlated with frustration. Those who had strong self-efficacy, indicated by a willingness to stick to solving the problem, reported lower levels of frustration. Implications for users, software developers, managers, and policymakers are discussed.


ABSTRACT Fifty-nine men completed a VO2max test and a questionnaire to establish reasons for test termination, perceived exercise reserve (difference between actual test duration and the duration the individual perceived could have been achieved if continued until physical limitation), and perception of verbal encouragement. Participants gave between 1 and 11 factors as reasons for test termination, including leg fatigue, various perceptions of physical discomfort, safety concerns, and achievement of spontaneously set goals. The two most common main reasons were leg fatigue and breathing discomfort, which were predicted by pre-to-post test changes in pulmonary function (p = 0.038) and explosive leg strength (p = 0.042; R2 = 0.40). Median (interquartile range) perceived exercise reserve, was 45 (50) s. Two-thirds of participants viewed verbal encouragement positively, whereas one-third had a neutral or negative perception. This study highlights the complexity of exercise tolerance during VO2max testing and more research should explore these novel findings.


Abstract Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a progressive alternative to conventional waste-water treatment. However, membrane fouling is one of the most significant barriers to further development of the MBR technology since it has a detrimental effect on system performance and stability. Therefore, a number of studies have been developed to comprehend the fouling nature and distinguish the effective flux enhancers, so as to develop a highly effective fouling control strategy. Key findings of these studies are summarized in the current review. Polysaccharides, proteins and humic substances tend to play the prime role in inducing fouling. The main factors affecting fouling behaviour in MBRs are membrane characteristics, membrane operation conditions and activated sludge properties, and recent evidence points out that the modification of the biomass characteristics with the use of chemical agents and adsorbents is among the most efficient fouling-hindering techniques. The current review not only aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the up-to-date methods of fouling alleviation using membrane flux enhancers in MBR but also intends to shed light on the mechanisms of their action, which, together with the experience of previous findings, can be the basis for developing a new advanced fouling mitigation strategy.


Addiction is a major health problem in Indonesia. The prevalence and pattern of drugsaddiction shifted according to changes in personality, stressors, or increasing responsibilityas people grow. Individual personality will affect their tendency to develop drug addiction.Benzodiazepines abuse has steadily increased. Unlike other type drugs of abuse, thecharacteristics of benzodiazepine abusers are greatly varied. Therefore, the personalitytraits and social economic factors involved in the benzodiazepine addiction are unique.In this study we evaluated the personality traits of patient with benzodiazepine addictionin Yogyakarta using Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 2 test. Thisstudy was a descriptive analytic study with a cross sectional design. Subjects were 39benzodiazepine addicts obtained from private psychiatrist practices in Yogyakarta. Theinstruments used were questionnaire for personal information and MMPI 2. Statisticalanalysis was conducted with SPSS ver. 17 and significance level was defined at p<0.05.MMPI 2 test revealed a low total mental capacity index and a low basic personality index(OCEAN: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism).The clinical profiles examination showed profile of somatic symptoms due to psychologicaldisturbances, clinical symptoms of overt suspiciousness, overt negative emotionality,clinical symptoms of depression, symptoms of psychopathic behaviours (antisocial),emotional difficulty in interpersonal relationship, clinical symptoms related to overtemotion, and weird and bizarre psychological experiences. There are certain personalityvariables that may be important predictors for benzodiazepine addiction identified in thisstudy.


The ripening-impaired tomato mutant Never-ripe (Nr) is insensitive to the plant hormone ethylene. The gene that cosegregates with the Nr locus encodes a protein with homology to the Arabidopsis ethylene receptor ETR1 but is lacking the response regulator domain found in ETR1 and related prokaryotic two-component signal transducers. A single amino acid change in the sensor domain confers ethylene insensitivity when expressed in transgenic tomato plants. Modulation of NR gene expression during fruit ripening controls response to the hormone ethylene.


The seven families hypothesized by Sosa and Chase to comprise Crossosomatales possess relatively long vessel elements with scalariform perforation plates and scalariform to opposite vessel-ray pitting; tracheids; diffuse axial parenchyma; and heterogeneous rays. These and other primitive character states do not indicate relationships, but they do not offer any evidence against the idea that Crossosomatales are a natural order. Departures from the primitive character states are related to ecological adaptations. Crossosomataceae have simple perforation plates (scalariform briefly at the beginning of the secondary xylem), a feature correlated with the seasonal aridity of habitats occupied by the family, the sole family of the order to exhibit such an ecological shift. Presence of tracheids (which confer embolism resistance to a wood) in ancestors of Crossosomataceae probably pre-adapted the family for entry into highly seasonal habitats. Minimal vessel grouping in all other genera shows that tracheid presence deters vessel grouping; tracheid presence also deters shortening of vessel elements. Autapomorphies are shown by Aphloiaceae (tracheid dimorphism, rays of two distinct widths); Crossosomataceae (perforation plates predominantly simple, lateral wall pitting of vessels alternate); Geissolomataceae (wide rays); Ixerbaceae (fiber-tracheid tendency); Staphyleaceae (adjacence of axial parenchyma to vessels); Stachyuraceae (simplification of perforation plates); and Strasburgeriaceae (large cell size). Although tracheid presence seems plesiomorphic in Crossosomatales, a degree of lability in density and size of bordered pits on imperforate tracheary elements probably occurs within this order and in other dicotyledon groups.


The purpose of this research is to perform automated analysis of 4D dynamic contrast enhanced MRI datasets (DCE-MRI) of the habd and wrist relating to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) studies. In DCE-MRI, sequences of images are acquired from the joints over time, during which a contrast agent pre-injected into a patient enhances disease affected tissues. Measurement of this enhancement, which is specific to voxels representing particular tissue types, allows assessment of the patient's condition.

Currently, analysis of DCE-MRI data is performed using semi-automated or manula techniques, which are time-consuming and subjective. These approaches involve no pre-processing techniques that can compensate for patient motion and hardware instability, or locate the tissue of interest.

In this thesis we present a solution for fully automated objective assessment of DCE-MRI data acquired from RA patients. Analysis begins with application of a registration technique that permits compensation for patient motion. Secondly, independent automatic algorithms for accurate segmentation of both bone interiors, joint exteriors, and blood vessels from data volumes of the metacarpophalangeal joints are introduced.

Performance of the segmentation algorithms is evaluated with both state-of-the-art and novel techniques developed as a part of this thesis. We have utilised and enhanced a supervised approach and developed a family of unsupervised metrics for automated evaluation of segmentation outputs.

Lastly, the datasets are interpreted using a model-based approach, which permits understanding of the behaviour of tissues undergoing the medical procedure, and allows for a robust and accurate extraction of various parameters that quantify the extent of inflammation in RA patients. The algorithms proposed have been demonstrated on datasets acquired with both low and high field scanners, from different joints, using various pulse sequences. They are user-independent, time efficient, and generate easily reproducible and objective results. Expert observers found our results promising for possibly future diagnosis and monitoring of RA patients.


As a child psychiatrist, one of my missions in life has been to teach medical students that children have feelings. A simple point, which as part of my job I have also had to remind paediatric colleagues about at times. Why then, was I so shocked by my own son's response to surgery?

Last year at the age of 7, my younger son had to have a circumcision. We had not taken the decision lightly, but he had had several local infections as a result of not being able to retract his foreskin. Fortunately, when we explained what was needed, he responded well. After some initial anxiety he took matters into his own hands, and came back from school one day with a list of those boys who had had the "special" operation. This seemed to reassure him enormously.

The staff at the local hospital were excellent. Apart from embarrassment at having to wear a backless theatre gown, the preoperative preparation went well. The hospital had a power cut just as we were going to theatre, but contingency plans were quickly put in place. Once there, the anaesthetist delivered an obviously well rehearsed line about …


The deep branch of the medial femoral circumflex artery is vulnerable to injury during posterior approaches to the hip. We modified the posterior approach during hip resurfacing in 10 patients by dividing the short external rotators 2 cm from their insertion into the femur. The cefuroxime concentrations in bone samples from the femoral heads were compared with results for the extended posterolateral approach from previous published work. There was no difference between the concentration of cefuroxime in bone when using the modified posterior approach (mean 5.6 mg/kg; CI 3.6 - 7.8) compared to the extended posterolateral approach (mean 5.6 mg/kg; CI 3.5 - 7.8; p=0.95). The similarity in femoral head perfusion between approaches suggests that the blood supply may be impaired further by capsulotomy and capsulectomy rather than by damage to the deep branch of the MFCA alone.


Intracranial metastases are the most common form of intra-axial brain tumor. Management approaches to brain metastases include surgical resection, whole-brain radiotherapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). The management approach that is selected is based typically on algorithms that incorporate the number, size, and location of lesions. SRS is the treatment of choice when metastases detected on imaging are few (maximum, 3-5) and/or of small size (≤30 mm) and offers the advantages of noninvasiveness and the ability to treat inaccessible lesions compared with surgical resection. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the standard imaging technique for determining the number, size, and location of metastatic lesions. In SRS, the capability of MRI to delineate lesion borders precisely in 3 dimensions helps reduce recurrence rates and minimize radiation necrosis in surrounding tissue. Optimization of the MRI protocol, including selection of the appropriate gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA), is paramount for accurate lesion imaging. GBCAs differ in their safety, tolerability, and efficacy because of their diverse physicochemical properties. Gadobutrol and gadobenate dimeglumine are high-relaxivity GBCAs that demonstrate superior efficacy for imaging metastatic lesions compared with other GBCAs, whereas gadobutrol additionally provides macrocyclic stability. This article reviews recent comparative trials of GBCAs and discusses their relevance for optimizing MRI protocols in the management of brain metastases, with particular relevance to SRS.


The Richards retrograde femoral nail (Smith and Nephew 1997) is inserted into the medullary canal of the femur via an entry point in the intercondylar fossa, just anterior the anterior cruciate ligament. This particular implant requires insertion of both proximal and distal interlocking screws for maximal axial and rotational stability.

The distal screws are inserted lateral to medial in a relatively safe area of the lower thigh using an external guide. The proximal locking screws by contrast are inserted 'freehand' at the level of the lesser trochanter in an anteroposterior direction using X-Ray control. The proximal thigh contains many vital neurovascular structures and it is the proximity of the femoral nerves and vessels which is of significant concern due to the relative inaccuracy of the freehand technique (Riina et al 1998).

Hypothesis

This led me to my first null hypothesis that 'proximal anteroposterior locking screws of retrograde femoral nails can be inserted in the proximal end of the femur through the proximal thigh without damage to the nerves and vessels'.

To test this hypothesis we proposed to:

1). Dissect the main nerves and vessels of the thigh and describe their position and relation to the lesser trochanter.

2). Place investigative drill holes in a modified anatomical procedure to imitate insertion of the proximal anteroposterior locking screws.

3). Dissect the proximal thigh to determine whether important anatomical structures are at risk of being damaged by the proximal anteroposterior locking screws.

The preliminary results of this first investigation lead to a second null hypothesis:-

That the nerves and vessels of the upper thigh are at risk from proximal locking screws inserted in a lateral to medial direction in the upper thigh.

To test this hypothesis we propose to;

4). Plan dissections to compare lateral to medial locking with anteroposterior locking, for use with a redesigned nail.

5). Finally we proposed a modified clinical trial of the redesigned nail. This would involve attaching the redesigned nail to the side of a volunteer's thigh and taking X-Rays in theatre to determine whether the redesigned nail could be adequately screened to allow its use in practice.


Two slightly beige-pigmented, Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacterial strains, IMT-291T and IMT-297, were isolated from soil in a field located in Malvern, Alabama, USA. The source soil had been amended with humic acid and continuously used for the cultivation of worms used for fish bait. It is still conceivable that the source of the strains is from the humic acid amendment, although all attempts to isolate the novel phenotypes from the humic acid source have failed. The two strains were identical based on morphology, growth rate and subsequently by 16S rRNA gene sequences, but showed differences in genomic fingerprint patterns generated by rep-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed a placement of the strain in a distinct cluster with Xinfangfangia soli (97.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and in close proximity to the genus Falsirhodobacter with highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95.3 % to the type strain of Falsirhodobacter deserti . Sequence similarities to all other type strains were below 95.0 %. The chemotaxonomic analysis showed a clear similarity to the genus Xinfangfangia. The main cellular fatty acids of the strain were C18 : 1 ω7c, 11-methly-C18 : 1 ω7c and C16 : 0. The major quinone was ubiquinone Q-10. Phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine were predominant in the polar lipid profile. The polyamine pattern contained the major compound spermidine and moderate amounts of putrescine and cadaverine. The diamino acid of the peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. Based on phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses we propose a new species of the genus Xinfangfangia , with the name Xinfangfangia humi sp. nov. and strain IMT-291T (=LMG 30636T=CIP 111625T=CCM 8858T) as type strain.


We present a method for hiding video content inside audio files while preserving the perceptual fidelity of the cover audio. This is a form of cross-modal steganography and is particularly challenging due to the high bitrate of video. Our scheme uses recent advances in flow-based generative models, which enable mapping audio to latent codes such that nearby codes correspond to perceptually similar signals. We show that compressed video data can be concealed in the latent codes of audio sequences while preserving the fidelity of both the hidden video and the cover audio. We can embed 128x128 video inside same-duration audio, or higher-resolution video inside longer audio sequences. Quantitative experiments show that our approach outperforms relevant baselines in steganographic capacity and fidelity.


The University of Colorado at Boulder has been involved in a systematic program of upper-division undergraduate course transformations. The role of assessment has been critical at multiple, interconnected scales: (1) formative evaluation focused on the course itself in the design phase; (2) formative assessment focused on students in the instructional phase and (3) summative assessment to determine student performance and the success of course design. We summarize the role and nature of assessments at each of these levels. At the design scale, investigative measures include observations and surveys of students and student work. In the classroom, assessments to determine and address student difficulties include clicker questions and tutorials. At the summative scale, assessments include faculty interviews and course and tutorial-scale posttests. We discuss examples, affordances, outcomes, and challenges associated with these different layers of assessments at the upper-division level.


Water is essential for the proper functioning of the body. Even though a recommendation exists for adequate water intake for Koreans, studies identifying actual water intake from all beverages and foods consumed daily in the Korean population are limited. Thus, we estimated total water intake from both beverages and foods and its association with energy intake and eating behaviors in Korean adults. We used a nationally representative sample of 25,122 Korean adults aged ≥19 years, from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2012. We performed multiple regression analyses, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related variables to investigate the contribution of overall energy and dietary intakes and eating behaviors to total water intake. The mean total water intake excluding plain water was 1071 g (398 g from beverages and 673 g from foods) and the estimated plain water intake was 1.3 L. Among Korean adults, 82% consumed beverages (excluding plain water) and these beverages contributed to 10% of daily energy intake and 32% of total water intake from beverages and foods. For every 100 kcal/day in energy intake, water intake consumed through beverages and foods increased by 18 g and 31 g, respectively. Water intake from beverages and foods was positively associated with energy from fat and dietary calcium, but inversely associated with energy density and energy from carbohydrates. When there was a 5% increase in energy intake from snacks and eating outside the home, there was an increase in water intake from beverages of 13 g and 2 g, respectively. Increased daily energy intake, the number of eating episodes, and energy intake from snacks and eating outside the home predicted higher water intake from beverages and foods. Our results provide evidence suggesting that various factors, including sociodemographic status, dietary intakes, and eating behaviors, could be important contributors to the water intake of Korean adults. Findings from this cross-sectional analysis may provide insight into strategies for promoting adequate water intake among Koreans.


The presence of agents that prevent repair of DNA breaks caused by irradiation can induce more breaks than not. Cadmium is a factor that may cause DNA damage and also inactivate repair enzymes. This paper describes the investigation of chromosomal aberrations induced in human lymphocytes by the combined action of cadmium and gamma rays. Four groups were investigated: Cd alone, gamma radiation alone, Cd/gamma and gamma/Cd. In the combined treatments, there were clear differences in the frequencies of dicentrics and fragments in lymphocytes treated with variable cadmium concentrations with the same dose of gamma rays. Increasing the cadmium concentration at the same radiation dose, the frequency of dicentrics decreased but the frequency of fragments increased. The difference in frequency of chromosomal aberrations was not detected posttreatment at cadmium concentrations of 0.05/μg/ml and 0.10/μg/ml. This means that cadmium does not affect the induction of chromosomal aberrations after repair time. We thus suggest that cadmium does not directly cause chromosomal aberrations but affects the DNA damage-repair ability of lymphocytes. Cadmium can induce increasing fragments and decreasing dicentrics (blocking of cohesive free ends) by binding the blunt free-end of double strand breaks or creating near-site double-strand breaks (nonblunt free end), which leads to difficulty in rejoining the breaks.


This article evaluates the strategies of guaranteeing unconditional basic income against those of guaranteeing employment. It is argued that, moral justifications notwithstanding, an open-ended commitment to either policy requires a clear grasp of its macroeconomic effects and institutional aspects. The tax-driven approach to money (also known as 'modern money') reveals that, while government funding for either proposal is not 'operationally' constrained, it produces disparate economic outcomes, depending on the program design of the universal guarantee. A modern money critique of the basic income proposal demonstrates that, in a monetary production economy, the unconditional supply of the monetary unit is inherently inflationary. By contrast, job guarantees can provide an important safety net by simultaneously stabilising prices. Additionally, job guarantees offer an institutional vehicle for achieving other social goals that are important to all advocates of universal assurances. The paper concludes that, to provide for all members of society, a joint policy option is necessary and outlines the broad contours of such a policy.


We construct an extensive form game that captures competitive markets with adverse selection. It allows firms to offer any finite set of contracts, so that cross-subsidization is not ruled out. Moreover, firms can withdraw from the market after initial contract offers have been observed. We show that a subgame perfect equilibrium always exists. In fact, when withdrawal is costless, the set of equilibrium outcomes may correspond to the entire set of feasible contracts. We then focus on robust equilibria that continue to exist for small withdrawal costs. We show that the Miyazaki–Wilson contracts are the unique robust equilibrium outcome.


Based on the recent near-atomic structures of the PYRIN domain of ASC in the protein filament of inflammasomes and the observation that the active form of vitamin B6 (pyridoxal phosphate, P5P) modulates the self-assembly of ASC, we rationally designed an N-terminal capped nonapeptide (Nap-FFKKFKLKL, 1) to form supramolecular nanofibers consisting of α-helix. The addition of P5P to the solution of 1 results in a hydrogel almost instantly (about 4 seconds). Several other endogenous small molecules (for example, pyridoxal, folinic acid, ATP, and AMP) also convert the solution of 1 into a hydrogel. As the demonstration of correlating assemblies of peptides and the relevant protein epitopes, this work illustrates a bioinspired approach to develop supramolecular structures modulated by endogenous small molecules.


Water is becoming increasingly scarce. If recent usage trends continue, shortages are inevitable. Aquanomics discusses some of the instruments and policies that may be implemented to postpone, or even avoid, the onset of "water crises." These policies include establishing secure and transferable private water rights and extending these rights to uses that traditionally have not been allowed, including altering in-stream flows and ecosystem functions. The editors argue that such policies will help maximize water quantity and quality as water becomes scarcer and more valuable. Aquanomics contains many examples of how this is being accomplished, particularly in the formation of water markets and market-like exchanges of water rights. Many observers see calamity ahead unless water supplies are harnessed and effectively conserved, and unless water quality can be improved. It is also clear that declining water quality is a serious problem in much of the world, as increasing human activities induce high levels of water degradation. Those who voice these concerns, argue the contributors to this volume, fail to consider the forces for improvement inherent in market political-economic systems that can address water issues. The contributors see water quality in economically advanced countries as improving, and they believe this establishes the validity of market-based approaches.


Modern Hebrew for Intermediate Students offers high school, college, and independent-study students a state-of-the-art learning experience that takes full advantage of media technology and the World Wide Web. A sequel to Modern Hebrew for Beginners, this combination of text- and workbook is designed to be used with web-based audio, visual, and interactive materials to give students multiple learning opportunities suited to a variety of learning styles. The program provides for intense practice of all four language skills: reading, writing, listening comprehension, and conversation. Esther Raizen provides language training while focusing on a variety of general topics, such as geography and genetics, as well as on topics pertinent to Hebrew culture and Israeli realities. A dedicated website (www.laits.utexas.edu/hebrew/index.html) is rich with interactive tutorials, links to sites of interest that serve as virtual tours, short films based on contemporary Israeli life and society, and numerous interviews that provide listening and discussion opportunities. Raizen emphasizes the spoken language, while also paying attention to various aspects of normative grammar, of the written language, and of cultural elements associated with Hebrew. With this variety of materials and the capacity for continuous updating via the website, teachers and students will find this book endlessly adaptable and highly suitable for self-paced training and a variety of academic settings.


Fetish, Sacrifice and Tragic Freedom and in the Dardenne Brothers' La Promesse (Abstract) The purpose of this article is to begin drawing attention to the strong likelihood that Freud's Totem and Taboo (1913) contributed important ideas to the creation of La Promesse (1996) by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. In the current article, we take note of just two of its most important aspects: animism, and the childlike recurrence of totemism. In La Promesse, these concepts are elaborated in relationship to a small African statue present in the home of the West African illegal immigrants, Assita and Hamidou. The sculpture – which Freud would call a fetish – is a locus of mysterious spiritual forces (Freud's "animism"), which, together with Assita, contribute to bringing Igor to a greater personal and spiritual maturity. Igor eventually rejects his father's world (which casually includes the Christian God, whenever it suits the father's needs), and freely accepts affiliation with his new pseudo-mother Assita and the blend of African spirituality which is part and parcel of her world. The film's narrative is given considerable depth due to the inclusion of complex echoes of the sacrifice of Abraham from Biblical culture, and the oedipal structures of tragic self-discovery from Ancient Greece. The directors skillfully empower the West African statue as a catalyst activating all these layers of meaning.


Stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at double their pre-industrial levels (or lower) will require emission reductions far in excess of what can be achieved with current or projected levels of technology at a politically acceptable cost. Substantial technological innovation is required if the nations of the world are to come anywhere close to proposed emission reduction targets. Neither traditional federal support for research and development of new technologies nor traditional command-and-control regulations are likely to spur sufficient innovation. Technology inducement prizes, on the other hand, have the potential to incentivize and accelerate the rate of technological innovation in the energy sector. This paper outlines the theory behind the use of inducement prizes to encourage and direct inventive efforts and technological innovation and identifies several comparative advantages inducement prizes have over traditional grants and subsidies for encouraging the invention and development of climate-friendly technologies. While no policy measure guarantees technological innovation, greater reliance on inducement prizes would increase the likelihood of developing and deploying needed technologies in time to alter the world's climate future. Whatever their faults in other contexts, prizes are particularly well suited to the climate policy challenge.


Significant embryonic (<18%) loss occurs in the pig as the pre-implantation embryo undergoes a dramatic morphological change from ovoid (8-10 mm) at gestational Day 11 to a long, thin filament (<150 mm) by Day 12. Lines of pigs selected for increased uterine capacity have improved embryonic survival, whereas pigs selected for increased ovulation rate have decreased embryo survival. Alterations in the expression of genes that play key roles in embryo elongation and maternal recognition of pregnancy may reflect differences in embryo survival observed in these lines of pigs. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the expression level of transcripts involved in developmentally important processes, such as steroidogenesis, cellular differentiation, cell-cell interaction, and immune modulation, at the onset of porcine embryo elongation (gestational Day 11) in control animals and lines selected for increased ovulation rate or uterine capacity. Total RNA was isolated from Day 11 ovoid embryos, and gene expression was measured via real-time PCR. Data were analyzed for analysis of variance using GLM procedures. Expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein mRNA was decreased (P = 0.02) in embryos from the ovulation rate and uterine capacity lines compared with controls. Similarly, expression of cytochrome P450scc and aromatase mRNA were decreased (P < 0.003) in embryos from the ovulation rate and uterine capacity lines, compared with the control line. Interestingly, 17±-hydroxylase mRNA expression was decreased (P = 0.0004) only in embryos from the ovulation rate line compared with the control and uterine capacity lines. In contrast, expression of cytokeratin-8 and -18 mRNA were increased (P < 0.02) in embryos from the uterine capacity and ovulation rate lines, compared with controls. Expression of galectin 1 mRNA was increased (P = 0.02) in embryos from the uterine capacity line, compared with the ovulation rate line. Expression of interleukin-1 receptor type 1 mRNA was increased (P = 0.03) in embryos from the uterine capacity line, compared with both the control and the uterine capacity lines. Constitutive expression of 17²-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, stratifin, and interleukin-1² mRNA were observed in embryos from all lines. These results demonstrate altered gene expression in embryos from pigs selected for increased uterine capacity and ovulation rate compared with controls, and may contribute to differences observed in embryo survival between these lines of pigs.


The maintenance of a healthy liver is vital to overall health of the human beings. Since the liver is involved in almost all biochemical processes and there are many different diseases that will affect it. The liver is often abused by environmental toxins, which are eating habits, alcohol and overdose of certain drugs which can damage and weaken the liver and eventually lead to many diseases. Medicinal herbs are significant source of hepatoprotective drugs. Mono and poly-herbal preparations have been used in various liver disorders. According to one estimate, more than 700 mono and poly-herbal preparations in the form of decoction, tincture, tablets and capsules from more than 100 plants are in clinical use. From the literature review near about 178 medicinal plants are reported to possess a hepatoprotective activity. A drug having beneficial effect on the liver is known as hepatoprotective drug. On the other hand, drugs having toxic effect on the liver are better known as hepatotoxic drugs. The most commonly used parameters to assess the hepatoprotective activity are morphological e.g. Liver weight and volume, biochemical estimations, such as measurement of transaminase activity, SGPT, SCOT, alkaline phosphatase, serum bilirubin, total serum proteins, albumin, globulin and prothrombin time, functional parameters, pentobarbitone and hexobarbitone sleeping time and finally histopathological study regarding presence of necrosis, fatty degeneration and cirrhosis. In this review, we will briefly discuss hepatotoxicity and hepatoprotective agents.


This paper seeks to identify and explain the effects of major wars on U.S. Supreme Court decision-making in the context of taxation. At first cut, one might ask why we should even expect to observe a correlation between military activities and judicial fiscal policy. After all, the justices have no authority whatsoever to adopt funding laws intended to relieve the budgetary pressures that tend to emerge in times international crisis. The Court, however, is able to contribute to the wartime revenue-raising efforts indirectly by adopting a pro-government stance in the cases it decides in wartime periods. As the probability of a government win increases, the expected revenue to the federal fisc also increases. Relying on Supreme Court tax decisions issued between the years 1909 and 2000, this paper identifies a strong and positive correlation between major wartime activity and the probability that the government will prevail. This pro-government bias appears to operate through the judicial belief that Congress and the President are better suited to address national emergencies. This perceived imbalance of expertise, however, does not lead the Court to adopt a strategy of total deference, but rather a restricted form that involves accommodation only on issues that Congress and the President have signaled are important to the on-going war activities. These findings are robust and rule out the possibility that the Court is motivated by short-term irrational exuberance for federal policymakers associated with the so-called rally-effect that emerges when Americans feel threatened by forces abroad.