The purpose of this thesis is to examine the intra-organisational processes used by businesses operating in the United Kingdom to narrow the gap between their socially and environmentally responsible procurement (SERP) policy and its implementation in buyer-supplier relationships. This is a response both to the wide variety of recent human/labour rights and environmental violations in corporate supply chains as well as to concerns that the corporate policies developed in response to stakeholder pressure regarding such violations may not be sufficient for the effective implementation of their remedy. This examination of corporate efforts to implement SERP policy initiates a line of research aimed at building a theory of internal SERP policy implementation. The theoretical lens used in the component studies of this thesis is a combination of organisational culture and the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm. The former is used to assess how top managers and procurement departments show support for SERP implementation. This is to say that aspects of their cultures are used to perceive this support. The organisational and human resources made available to the procurement department are considered to be the capabilities needed to translate this support into practice. Drawing on data from a survey of 340 buyer-supplier relationships and from two in-depth case studies of businesses operating in the United Kingdom, this thesis contributes both theoretically and empirically to the literature. Prime examples of this thesis" contributions include the mapping of commercial processes used to connect stakeholder rights and pressures to procurement activity; the identification of internal subgroups that affect SERP implementation; and the conceptual reconsideration of two core capabilities theorised to facilitate this process. Further research includes the replication of case studies; the consideration of supplier capabilities to implement buyer requirements; and how this research can be more aligned with extant supply chain strategy research.


A quadrature oscillator based on a coupling between the bulk and the source of MOS transistors is proposed. Since the resonator load is not directly involved in the coupling process, the oscillation frequency is very close to the resonant frequency, hence a good phase noise characteristic. The developed theory matches very well to the simulations.


Thomandersia is an isolated genus that is currently unplaced in Lamiales. In the past it has been classified in Acanthaceae or Pedaliaceae, on the basis of intuitive assessments of a limited number of morphological characters. Recent molecular sequenced-based phylogenies have suggested a relationship to Bignoniaceae, Schlegeliaceae or Verbenaceae. Here we present new observations of the floral anatomy of Thomandersia, with particular emphasis on the structure of the retinaculum, a character shared with Acanthaceae, and calyx nectaries, which may be shared with other families in Lamiales. The morphological and anatomical characters of Thomandersia are discussed in the context of recent phylogenetic hypotheses for Lamiales, with the aim of identifying potential primary and secondary homologies between Thomandersia and related families in Lamiales. We find that Thomandersia shares a range of characters with each of the families to which it might be sister-group, and that some of these primary homologies must therefore be homoplastic. In particular, if the topology based on molecular sequence data is correct, the retinacula of Thomandersia and Acanthaceae are homoplastic and represent an example of parallel morphological evolution. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 149, 469–482.


This study reviews the scale and nature of the problem of early school leaving in the EU. It examines in detail how countries are trying to tackle this problem and identifies characteristics of effective policies, leading to a range of recommendations for European and national level actors in the future. The study is based on in-depth country research in nine Member States, as well as analysis of international and national literature. IP/B/CULT/IC/2010-079 June 2011


Two Victorian Era intellectual movements changed the course of American legal thought: Darwinian natural selection and marginalist economics. The two movements rested on fundamentally inconsistent premises. Darwinism emphasized instinct, random selection, and determinism. Marginalism emphasized rational choice. Legal theory managed to accommodate both, although to different degrees in different disciplines. The two movements also developed mutually exclusive scientific methodologies. Darwinism emphasizing external indicators of welfare such as productivity, education or health, while marginalists emphasized market choice. Historians have generally exaggerated the role of Darwinism in American legal thought, while understating the role of marginalist economics. This book explores these issues in several legal disciplines. One is Progressive Era movements for redistributive policies about taxation and public goods. Darwinian science also dominated the law of race relations, while criminal law reflected an inconsistent mixture of Darwinian and marginalist incentive-based theories. The common law, including family law, contract, property, and tort, moved from emphasis on correction of past harms to management of ongoing risk and relationship. A chapter on Legal Realism emphasizes the Realists' indebtedness to institutional economics, a movement that powerfully influenced American legal theory long after it fell out of favor with economists. Five chapters on the corporation, innovation and competition policy show how marginalist economics transformed business policy. The ironic exception was patent law, which developed in relative insulation from economic concerns about innovation policy. The book concludes with three chapters on public law, emphasizing the role of institutionalist economics in policy making during and after the New Deal. A lengthy epilogue then explores the variety of postwar attempts to reconstruct a defensible and more market-oriented rule of law after the decline of Legal Realism and the New Deal. Available in OSO: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/law/9780199331307/toc.html


Social enterprises are long-standing agents of inclusive growth and democratisation of the economic and social spheres, and they have proved resilient to economic adversity all the while addressing socio-economic challenges in innovative ways, re-integrating people back to the labour market, and contributing to overall social cohesion. This compendium derives policy lessons for boosting social enterprises from the analysis of 20 initiatives in several EU member-countries, covering a range of policy areas from legal frameworks, finance, market access, and support structures, to education and skills.


This thesis was developed with a twofold aim in mind. In first place, to study some of the components that are required to achieve long term sustainability of standalone PV systems for community services. This means, to put in place the necessary ingredients to ensure that standalone PV systems that power schools, health centers or administration offices, among other public institutions, are able to last for their typical life time (20-25 years).In particular, the focus of this theoretical part of the thesis is mainly set on both the technical and socio-technical dimensions of long term sustainability. As part of the first one, the study delves into aspects related to PV system design and quality in installations, sustainable system use and operation, as well as maintenance theory. As part of the socio-technical dimension, research in the literature has been done mainly about those social concepts related to the community surrounding a PV system, aspects related to system operation from a user's perspective, as well as maintenance seen from a socio-technical point of view. Complementarily to the previous two, other dimensions such as the financial, governmental, environmental and related to project management are also introduced.The second part of this thesis is based on work done during a one month trip to Rwanda. During this time three main case studies were developed around two schools and one health center, in order to assess the degree of fulfilment of the different dimensions of long-term sustainability in these sites, setting most of the efforts on both the technical and the socio-technical dimensions. Additionally, three complementary (and shorter) visits to two administration offices and an additional school also took place. These visits plus some interviews to several Rwandan companies completed the picture of long-term sustainability of standalone PV systems in the Rwandan context.Although the components and the installation of standalone PV systems in recent national Rwandan programs were of high quality, there was generally a lack of adequate direct and indirect lightning protections, in spite of the fact that Rwanda is one of the places with highest keraunic levels in the world. In some cases, previous systems had poor designs, used low quality wiring or installed low quality batteries, not in compliance with international standards. In terms of maintenance and component replacements, these elements were almost never taken into account as part of any original project plan, including financial and human resources. However, although maintenance structures only started to be defined in national programs after system installation, they all lacked the actors and instruments to properly trace quality in maintenance.In socio-technical terms, efforts to engage or transfer system operation and energy efficiency knowledge, in the form of trainings for end-users, did not seem to be sufficient. Therefore, some sites experimented a notable load increase or a load shift. In most situations, energy consumption could be optimized, either by using energy efficient appliances (e.g. namely thin clients, energy efficient fridges) or by optimizing the frequency and total time of their use (i.e. autoclaves in health centers). Simple but yet effective operation strategies could also be easily adopted in order to adequate energy use to energy generation, as per the examples included in this thesis. Last but not least, remote monitoring solutions should be considered in the future as means to improve operation and maintenance, especially in wide national projects.


Islam has a centuries long tradition of inspiring its adherents to contribute to humanity based on conviction in its tenets. Previous generations of Muslims were on the forefront of contributing to medicine, philosophy, architecture, and governance among other areas. With the rise of Islamophobia, Islam has been cast as irrational, incompatible with modern civilization, and inherently violent. This has put Western Muslims in a defensive position in which they constantly have to justify their convictions, and fight off the doubts and insecurities that arise in such a climate. One of the most understudied and underestimated impacts of Islamophobia is the ingestion of problematic notions about the religion by Muslims themselves, particularly those of the younger generation who are experiencing multiple attacks against their faith. This paper documents the harmful effects of Islamophobic rhetoric on the religious identity and perceptions of Muslim youth in an urban American setting. Using qualitative interviews and expert analysis, it also explores solutions for how to counter Islamophobic narratives.


OBJECTIVE
It was found that some E. coli strains previously identified as entero SLTs-producing and invasive E. coli (ESIEC), harboring HPI pathogenicity island of Yersinia enterolitica. This research was designed to reveal prevalence, susceptible group and clinical features it caused.

METHODS
All of the diarrhea patients were from the out-patient units of four hospitals in Shandong province from June to November of 1997. Stool specimen were collected before administration of antibiotics for isolation of enteric bacterial pathogen. Clinical symptoms were recorded at the same time.

RESULTS
A total number of 449 enteric pathogenic bacteria strains were detected among stool samples from 671 patients, with isolation rates of Shigella species and diarrheagenic E. coli 25.48% and 15.05% respectively. When irp-2 and ipaB gene fragments were used as DNA probes, 42 of 176 un-identifiable strains were found irp-2(+) and ipaB(-), which were identified as HPI-harboring E. coli. Typical symptoms of the diarrhea caused by HPI-harboring E. coli were described as mild, including abdominal pain, shiver and vapidity. Temperature of the patients was usually normal. Over 6 times of bowel movements per day was frequently observed, of which most were unformed stools with mucous.

CONCLUSION
HIP-harboring E. coli was an important diarrheagenic pathogen identified from 671 patients with diarrhea. Shigella was found to be the majority strain.


Abstract The objective of this paper is to identify the key spatial and environmental housing related challenges facing Amman and to consider them in the context of past, present and future planning policies. The paper reports on face-to-face, in-depth interviews conducted with planning professionals based in Amman, designed to explore their concerns regarding current planning issues and their proposals for addressing them. Information from local and international literature has been used to contextualize the findings. The study revealed that current planning legislation, poorly implemented, has resulted in uncontrolled land use, water shortages, increased energy consumption, road congestion, air pollution, and ineffective waste management. The research identified a range of policies proposed by planning professionals for ameliorating past errors and providing a more sustainable and healthy environment. These proposals include: an enforceable legal framework, updated planning and design regulations, private/public partnerships, the enhancement of public participation and greater professionalization of the planning sector. The paper concludes by benchmarking these against the aims of the latest planning policy document, Amman 2025.


A major question that has surfaced in the changing context of world agriculture is whether the smallholders would ride the wave of globalization or be swept away. This paper addresses the debate with a four-fold objective: (1) it maps different factors that are likely to impinge on developing country smallholders as a result of globalization in general and of agriculture in particular (2) it briefly reviews literature and summarizes different approaches and methodology used to study this question (3) it identifies areas which have been the focus of attention so far and those that are relatively under-researched (4) it attempts to draw some conclusions regarding the impact of globalization on the smallholders from the literature review, and then suggests some policy implications if globalization is to benefit the smallholders. The paper finds, among others, that studies that focus on trade liberalization alone (operating through price changes) and those that address broader issues of globalization (such as changing structure of food industry and new relationships in the interface of farm and firm, SPS issues, etc.) have run somewhat parallel to each other where a greater integration of the two would be more valuable. Methodological approaches may have something to do with this apparent dichotomy. An important part of this study is to find out from the existing literature whether smallholders have benefited or adversely affected by from the globalization process. There appears to be no clear evidence that smallholders in one region may have done better than those in another. However, even while acknowledging the significant differences within regions themselves, it is evident that whether smallholders have benefited or have been hurt is determined by a fairly narrow range of issues – vertical coordination with processors or exporters, access to infrastructure and finance (credit), role of public sector and international involvement in capacity building, alternatives available in non-farm sector, etc. Based on this, the paper concludes that policy interventions vis-a-vis smallholders should essentially have a twin focus (1) removing the shackles that currently constrain smallholders from exploiting opportunities that globalization presents and (2) ensuring minimum adverse impact, both being two sides of the same coin. While the former can be accomplished through enabling policies, the latter would have to be tackled through coping policies. Particular areas identified as critical enabling factors are greater vertical coordination, removing credit constraints, reducing transactions costs, building social capital, greater role for public sector in providing infrastructure and facilitating institutions and also greater initiatives for international capacity building. On the other hand, coping strategies would include provision of credible safety nets and risk coping instruments, promoting exit options particularly through promotion of opportunities in the rural non-farm sector, guarding against harmful monopolistic competition, and focused research on technologies for small farmers. Needless to say, the relative importance of these factors would vary across regions. It is thus important to identify which battery of policies is appropriate depending on the unique circumstances of each region. It is equally important to draw lessons from the several success stories to be able to replicate these successes on a larger scale in a meaningful way. Only then can small farmers make big gains from globalization.


This section of the JOURNAL is published in collaboration with the two abstracting Journals, ABSTRACTS OF WORLD MEDICINE and OPHTHALMIC LITERATURE, published by the British Medical Association. The abstracts are divided into the following sections: Syphilis (Clinical, Therapy, Serology, Pathology, Experi-s are divided into the following sections: Syphilis (Clinical, Therapy, Serology, Pathology, Experimental), Gonorrhoea, Non-Gonococcal Urethritis and Allied Conditions, Chemotherapy, Public Health and Social Aspects, Miscellaneous. After each subsection of abstracts follows a list of articles that have been noted but not abstracted. All subsections will not necessarily be represented in each issue.


Multigrid methods are analyzed in the style of standard iterative methods. A basic error bound is derived in terms of residuals on neighboring levels. The terms in this bound derive from the iterative methods used as smoothers on each level and the operators used to go from a level to the next coarser level. This bound is correct whether the underlying operator is symmetric or nonsymmetric, definite or indefinite, and singular or nonsingular. This paper allows any iterative method as a smoother (or rougher) in the multigrid cycle.While standard multigrid error analysis typically assumes a specific multigrid cycle (e.g., a V, W, or F cycle), analysis for arbitrary multigrid cycles, including adaptively chosen ones, is provided. This theory applies directly to aggregation-disaggregation methods used to solve systems of linear equations.


The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic and critical appraisal of the quality of previous publications and describe diagnostic methods, diagnostic criteria and definitions, repeatability, and agreement among methods for diagnosis of vaginitis, cervicitis, endometritis, salpingitis, and oophoritis in dairy cows. Publications (n = 1,600) that included the words "dairy," "cows," and at least one disease of interest were located with online search engines. In total, 51 papers were selected for comprehensive review by pairs of the authors. Only 61% (n = 31) of the 51 reviewed papers provided a definition or citation for the disease or diagnostic methods studied, and only 49% (n = 25) of the papers provided the data or a citation to support the test cut point used for diagnosing disease. Furthermore, a large proportion of the papers did not provide sufficient detail to allow critical assessment of the quality of design or reporting. Of 11 described diagnostic methods, only one complete methodology, i.e., vaginoscopy, was assessed for both withinand between-operator repeatability (κ = 0.55–0.60 and 0.44, respectively). In the absence of a gold standard, comparisons between different tests have been undertaken. Agreement between the various diagnostic methods is at a low level. These discrepancies may indicate that these diagnostic methods assess different aspects of reproductive health and underline the importance of tying diagnostic criteria to objective measures of reproductive performance. Those studies that used a reproductive outcome to select cut points and tests have the greatest clinical utility. This approach has demonstrated, for example, that presence of (muco)purulent discharge in the vagina and an increased proportion of leukocytes in cytological preparations following uterine lavage or cytobrush sampling are associated with poorer reproductive outcomes. The lack of validated, consistent definitions and outcome variables makes comparisons of the different tests difficult. The quality of design and reporting in future publications could be improved by using checklists as a guideline. Further high-quality research based on published standards to improve study design and reporting should improve cow-side diagnostic tests. Specifically, more data on intraand interobserver agreement are needed to evaluate test variability. Also, more studies are necessary to determine optimal cut points and time postpartum of examination.


The paper studies the problem of recovering a spectrally sparse object from a small number of time domain samples. Specifically, the object of interest with ambient dimension $n$ is assumed to be a mixture of $r$ complex multi-dimensional sinusoids, while the underlying frequencies can assume any value in the unit disk. Conventional compressed sensing paradigms suffer from the {\em basis mismatch} issue when imposing a discrete dictionary on the Fourier representation. To address this problem, we develop a novel nonparametric algorithm, called enhanced matrix completion (EMaC), based on structured matrix completion. The algorithm starts by arranging the data into a low-rank enhanced form with multi-fold Hankel structure, then attempts recovery via nuclear norm minimization. Under mild incoherence conditions, EMaC allows perfect recovery as soon as the number of samples exceeds the order of $\mathcal{O}(r\log^{2} n)$. We also show that, in many instances, accurate completion of a low-rank multi-fold Hankel matrix is possible when the number of observed entries is proportional to the information theoretical limits (except for a logarithmic gap). The robustness of EMaC against bounded noise and its applicability to super resolution are further demonstrated by numerical experiments.


A 24-year old male sulfur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) was presented with a subacute perforation of the cornea without involvement of the lens. The bird was treated conservatively and the eye remained quiescent up to a second traumatic corneal perforation associated with a lens capsule rupture 15 months later. Due to the second perforating trauma of an already blind eye involving the lens, evisceration of the eye was performed. Two months after surgery the cosmetic result was excellent. Treatment options for perforating ocular traumas in captive birds are discussed in detail.


Adaptive control strategies utilizing preview information of upstream velocity are promising approaches for enhancing performance and reducing loads on hydrokinetic turbines. A control scheme relating a turbine's characteristic performance curve and rotation rate to an optimal torque setpoint is implemented experimentally and in simulation for a laboratory‐scale helical cross‐flow turbine. Energy extraction performance for schemes employing adaptive/preview techniques is compared to performance under constant speed and non‐adaptive control. Results in simulation indicate significant improvement over constant speed operation and modest improvement over non‐adaptive strategies. Experimental results for adaptive strategies are comparable to non‐adaptive strategies, due to uncertainty in instantaneous performance curves.


The CAMLR Scientific Committee in 2016 reviewed three scientific background documents in support of the development of a CCAMLR MPA in the Weddell Sea. Germany was asked to carry out further work, in particular regarding the issues and questions raised at WG-EMM-16 and SC-CAMLR-XXXV.

Here, the authors intend to update the CCAMLR Working Groups on the current state of the work carried out during the 2016/2017 intersessional period. Chapter 1 of this working group paper informs on the new data retrieval process. Chapter 2 presents the updated analyses of relevant data layers, including an update on the Antarctic toothfish habitat model. Chapter 3 provides a sensitivity analysis of the level of protection for Antarctic toothfish and other demersal fish that explores a range of protection-level scenarios. In this context, we show how the cost layer works. Subsequently, a revised Marxan approach based on the updated data layer is shown. In Chapter 4 we outline the way we transferred the results of the scientific analyses into the WSMPA borders and management zones.


The
use of
dynamical
system models
is
commonplace
in
many areas of science and
engineering.
One is
often
interested in
whether
the
attracting solutions
in these
models are
robust
to perturbations of
the
equations of motion.
This
question
is
extremely
important
in
situations where
it is
undesirable
to have
a
large
response
to
perturbations
for
reasons
of safety.
An
especially
interesting
case occurs when the
perturbations are aperiodic and
their
exact
form is
unknown.
Unfortunately,
there is
a
lack
of
theory in the literature that
deals
with
this
situation.
It
would
be
extremely useful to have
a practical
technique that
provides
an upper
bound
on the size of the
response
for
an arbitrary perturbation of given
size.
Estimates
of
this form
would allow the
simple
determination
of safety criteria
that
guarantee
the response
falls
within some pre-specified safety
limits. An
excellent area
of application
for this technique
would
be
engineering systems.
Here
one
is frequently
faced
with
the
problem of obtaining safety criteria
for
systems
that in
operational use are
subject
to unknown, aperiodic perturbations.
In this thesis I
show
that
such safety criteria are easy to obtain
by
using
the
concept
of persistence
of
hyperbolicity. This
persistence result
is
well
known in the theory
of
dynamical systems.
The formulation I
give
is functional
analytic
in
nature and
this has
the
advantage
that it is
easy
to
generalise and
is
especially suited to the
problem of
unknown,
aperiodic perturbations.
The
proof
I
give of
the
persistence
theorem
provides
a
technique
for
obtaining
the
safety estimates we want and
the
main part of
this thesis is
an
investigation into how this
can
be
practically
done.
The
usefulness of
the technique is illustrated through two
example systems,
both
of
which are
forced
oscillators.
Firstly, I
consider
the
case where
the
unforced oscillator
has
an asymptotically stable equilibrium.
A
good application of this is the
problem of
ship stability.
The
model
is
called
the
escape equation and
has been
argued to
capture
the relevant
dynamics
of a ship at sea.
The
problem is to find
practical criteria
that
guarantee
the
ship
does not capsize or go
through large
motions when there are external
influences like
wind and waves.
I
show
how
to
provide good criteria which ensure a safe
response when
the
external
forcing is
an arbitrary,
bounded function
of
time. I
also
consider
in
some
detail the
phased-locked loop. This is
a periodically forced
oscillator
which
has
an attracting periodic solution that is
synchronised
(or
phase-locked) with
the
external
forcing. It is interesting to
consider the
effect of small aperiodic variations
in the
external
forcing. For hyperbolic
solutions
I
show that the
phase-locking persists and
I
give
a method
by
which one can
find
an upperbound
on
the
maximum size of
the
response.


It is said that we are what we eat. It is advertised that vitamin supplements, of one kind or another, may invigorate us, our lives, and our health. Advertising has been so effective that in the year 2000, more than half of the adult population in the United States was taking dietary vitamin supplements.1 This review examines the evidence linking vitamin supplementation with the incidence and prevention of stroke.

### Search Strategy and Selection Criteria

References for this review were identified by searches of the PubMed database from 1970 until February 2012 using the following search terms: vitamins, antioxidants, folic acid, B-vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, diet, nutrition, stroke, prospective cohort study, randomized controlled trial (RCT), systematic review, and meta-analysis. Articles were also identified through searches of reference lists and my own files. Studies were selected for inclusion on the basis of a judgment about the quality of the evidence according to 4 key elements: study design, study quality, consistency, and directness, as proposed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluating (GRADE) working group (www.gradeworkinggroup.org).2,3 For each vitamin, the studies with the highest level of evidence based on the GRADE criteria2 were included. Only articles published in English were included.

### Antioxidant Vitamins

The oxidative modification hypothesis of atherosclerosis is that oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (lipid peroxidation) allows it to accumulate in artery walls and promote atherosclerosis.4 This has prompted several studies of the effect of reducing oxidative stress by means of antioxidant vitamins (beta-carotene; vitamins A, C, and E) in preventing stroke.

#### Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene

Beta-carotene is a fat-soluble antioxidant and the biologically active metabolite of vitamin A.

A meta-analysis of 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of beta-carotene in a total of 82 483 participants showed no effect of beta-carotene on the rate of stroke compared with control (OR, …


In this thesis we study the global fluctuations of random matrices (i.e., the covariance of two traces) from a second-order free probability perspective, putting a particular emphasis on block Gaussian matrices. Our main contributions are threefold. First, we provide a formula for the second-order Cauchy transform of block Gaussian matrices in terms of the corresponding (matrix-valued) Cauchy transform. In order to do this, we introduce a (matrix-valued) second-order conditional expectation, in the spirit of the conditional expectations in operator-valued free probability theory. Second, we establish a criterion, based on the positivity of a cluster function, that guarantees the existence of a particular integral representation for the second-order Cauchy transform. This approach is based on some relations between the moments and fluctuation moments of a measure on the plane. Finally, we prove that under some conditions the covariance of resolvents converges to the second-order Cauchy transform. In fact, these conditions also ensure the convergence of the covariance of analytic linear statistics to a certain contour integral depending on the second-order Cauchy transform. In this context, we make explicit the relation between the notion of second-order limit distribution and the asymptotic Gaussianity of continuously differentiable linear statistics.


The contact theory of racial integration is examined in this survey of the behaviors and attitudes of secondary school students and student-athletes. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 1,082 subjects in the urban upstate New York area. Subjects were evaluated on two behavioral (race of students talked to, race of students phoned) and three attitudinal (like more friends of other races, choose interracial school, or races smarter than others) dependent variables. Dependent measures were evaluated relative to their correlations with a number of independent variables (athlete/nonathlete, individual or cooperative sport played, sport experience, won-lost record, exposure to minorities, sex, social status). Results of the study argue for consideration of the contact theory's applicability to the sport situation.


In this thesis a methodology to synthesize anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino esters possessing olefins has been investigated. The developed procedures originate from two already established procedures in which α-amido-β-keto esters, which do not contain olefins, has been stereoselectively reduced to the corresponding anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino alcohols via asymmetric transfer hydrogenation coupled with dynamic kinetic resolution. Both established methods, one solvent free and one emulsion procedure, have been investigated on the expanded substrate scoop. Four different α-amido-β-keto ester containing olefins were tested and it was found that the ketones were reduced to desired anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino esters in both procedures, but also side products were formed where the olefins were reduced. The ratio of the different products was dependent on the structure of the starting α-amido-β-keto ester, ligand used on the catalyst and reaction conditions such as number of equivalents of base and reaction temperature. The diastereoselectivity for the desired products was in favor of the anti stereoisomer, however, the dr was worse than in the established procedures. The usefulness of this methodology was then demonstrated by a formal total synthesis of Sphingosine.


ABSTRACT The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the central nervous system (CNS) by restricting the passage of molecules and microorganisms. Despite this barrier, however, the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans invades the brain, causing a meningoencephalitis that is estimated to kill over 600,000 people annually. Cryptococcal infection begins in the lung, and experimental evidence suggests that host phagocytes play a role in subsequent dissemination, although this role remains ill defined. Additionally, the disparate experimental approaches that have been used to probe various potential routes of BBB transit make it impossible to assess their relative contributions, confounding any integrated understanding of cryptococcal brain entry. Here we used an in vitro model BBB to show that a "Trojan horse" mechanism contributes significantly to fungal barrier crossing and that host factors regulate this process independently of free fungal transit. We also, for the first time, directly imaged C. neoformans-containing phagocytes crossing the BBB, showing that they do so via transendothelial pores. Finally, we found that Trojan horse crossing enables CNS entry of fungal mutants that cannot otherwise traverse the BBB, and we demonstrate additional intercellular interactions that may contribute to brain entry. Our work elucidates the mechanism of cryptococcal brain invasion and offers approaches to study other neuropathogens. IMPORTANCE The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans invades the brain, causing a meningoencephalitis that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. One route that has been proposed for this brain entry is a Trojan horse mechanism, whereby the fungus crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as a passenger inside host phagocytes. Although indirect experimental evidence supports this intriguing mechanism, it has never been directly visualized. Here we directly image Trojan horse transit and show that it is regulated independently of free fungal entry, contributes to cryptococcal BBB crossing, and allows mutant fungi that cannot enter alone to invade the brain. IMPORTANCE The fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans invades the brain, causing a meningoencephalitis that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. One route that has been proposed for this brain entry is a Trojan horse mechanism, whereby the fungus crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) as a passenger inside host phagocytes. Although indirect experimental evidence supports this intriguing mechanism, it has never been directly visualized. Here we directly image Trojan horse transit and show that it is regulated independently of free fungal entry, contributes to cryptococcal BBB crossing, and allows mutant fungi that cannot enter alone to invade the brain.


During the past few years a methodology has been developed for processing data collected by GPS networks consisting of a mixed set of single-frequency and dual-frequency receivers. The strategy is to deploy a few permanent, 'fiducial' GPS stations with dual-frequency, geodetic-grade receivers surrounding an 'inner' network of low-cost, single-frequency GPS receivers. Such a configuration offers considerable flexibility and cost savings for geodynamic applications such as volcano deformation monitoring, which require a dense spatial coverage of GPS stations, and where it is not possible, nor appropriate, to establish permanent GPS networks using dual-frequency instrumentation.
This configuration has recently been tested at the Mt. Papandayan volcano in West Java, Indonesia. The two-stage network design consists of an inner network of four single-frequency Canadian Marconi (CM) GPS receivers surrounded by three dual-frequency Leica CRS1000 GPS receivers. The inner network logged and transmitted GPS data from the 'slave' stations located on the volcano, to a base station. The combined processing of the CM and Leica receiver data was performed offline so as to investigate the performance of such a mixed-mode system. The basis of the processing methodology is to separate the dual-frequency, 'fiducial' station data processing from the baseline processing involving the single-frequency receivers on the volcano. The data processing for the former was carried out using a modified version of the Bernese software, to generate a file of 'corrections' (analogous to Wide Area DGPS correction models for the distance dependent biases -- primarily due to atmospheric refraction). These 'corrections' will then be applied to the double-differenced phase observations from the inner receivers to improve the baseline accuracies (primarily through empirical modelling of the residual atmospheric biases that otherwise would be neglected). A description of the field testing (and its challenges) during February-March 2000, together with a discussion of the results are presented.


This paper describes the implementation of an e-learning strategy at a single higher education institution in terms of the levers used to promote effective uptake and ensure sustainable embedding. The focus of this work was at the level of the academic school using a range of change practices including the appointment of school-based learning technologists and e-learning champions, supporting schools to write their own strategies, a pedagogical framework of engaging with e-learning, and curriculum development and evaluation of school-supported projects. It is clear that the implementation of the e-learning strategy has led to a large and increasing proportion of our students experiencing blended learning. In addition, there are initial indications that this has enhanced some learning and teaching processes. Where there has been sustainable embedding of effective e-learning, the following levers were identified as particularly important: flexibility in practices that allow schools to contextualise their plans for change, the facilitation of communities of key staff and creating opportunities for staff to voice and challenge their beliefs about e-learning. DOI: 10.1080/09687760600668503


With the recent completion of several very large pumped storage projects, the perception of a hydroelectric pumped storage project in some power industry circles may be that of a project over 1000 MW in capacity, costing over a billion dollars, and with a licensing and construction schedule of over 10 years. The purpose of this paper is to focus attention on small and low head pumped storage projects. These projects may be defined as having a capacity of less than 200-300 MW and down to about 20 MW, with heads of 1200 ft (365 m) to about 300 ft (90 m) or less. Many advantages of these smaller pumped storage projects include more flexibility in siting of a project, considerably shorter licensing and construction period, adaptability to closed system design concept to reduce adverse environmental impacts, considerably reduced risks of delays and substantial cost over-runs, better suited to meeting peaking capacity requirements for individual utilities, and much less transmission inter-connection requirements. An overall licensing and construction schedule of about 3 to 3 1/2 years is realistic for many smaller pumped storage projects, and competitive costs in terms of dollars per kW installed can be achieved. Technical data for storage requirements, penstock sizing, and equipment characteristics for various heads and installed capacities are presented.


The cardiac sympathetic nerve plays an important role in regulating cardiac function, and nerve growth factor (NGF) contributes to its development and maintenance. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate NGF expression and sympathetic innervation of the heart. In an effort to identify regulators of NGF in cardiomyocytes, we found that endothelin-1 specifically upregulated NGF expression in primary cultured cardiomyocytes. Endothelin-1-induced NGF augmentation was mediated by the endothelin-A receptor, Gibetagamma, PKC, the Src family, EGFR, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38MAPK, activator protein-1, and the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein delta element. Either conditioned medium or coculture with endothelin-1-stimulated cardiomyocytes caused NGF-mediated PC12 cell differentiation. NGF expression, cardiac sympathetic innervation, and norepinephrine concentration were specifically reduced in endothelin-1-deficient mouse hearts, but not in angiotensinogen-deficient mice. In endothelin-1-deficient mice the sympathetic stellate ganglia exhibited excess apoptosis and displayed loss of neurons at the late embryonic stage. Furthermore, cardiac-specific overexpression of NGF in endothelin-1-deficient mice overcame the reduced sympathetic innervation and loss of stellate ganglia neurons. These findings indicate that endothelin-1 regulates NGF expression in cardiomyocytes and plays a critical role in sympathetic innervation of the heart.


Abstract Learning how to comprehend while listening to a second language is often considered by learners to be a difficult process that can lead to anxiety when trying to communicate (Graham, 2006; Graham & Macaro, 2008). Computer-mediated communication (CMC) can be used to assist in increasing access to native speakers and opportunities to listen. This study investigates the effectiveness of the use of Second Life and Skype as part of facilitation techniques and the affordances of these online tools for developing listening comprehension. Participants in the study were learning either English or Croatian and were located in Sydney and Brisbane in Australia, Split in Croatia, and Mostar in Bosnia and Hercegovina. A mixed-methods approach was utilised incorporating pre-tests and post-tests (quantitative data) to gain information on the effectiveness of the techniques for developing listening comprehension and in-depth interviews (qualitative data) to gain the participants' views on the perceived effectiveness of the techniques and the affordances of Second Life or Skype. The results of the study indicate that both techniques resulted in positive gains in the development of listening comprehension. Based on the analysis of the interview data, a more in-depth perspective on the affordances of each online tool was developed, which informed the creation of a new facilitation technique utilising both tools. The study demonstrates how online tools can be used to facilitate interaction between learners and illustrates the need for the selection of online tools for language learning to be based on pedagogy. It is recommended that the selection of tools should be carefully considered in alignment with task aims and the affordances of online tools.


The community of Qamanittuaq, like many communities in Nunavut, suffers from disproportionate levels of youth suicide and substance related deaths (statistics Canada, 2016, Tootoo, 2018). This uncharacteristically high suicide rate in Nunavut has been described by Kral (2019) as a phenomenon that is a direct response to colonial disruption. The territory has begun to address the challenge strategically with the Inuusivut Anninaqtuq (IA) 2017-2022 action plan (United for Life, 2017). One key feature of the plan is to support community-led action for suicide prevention. This article presents the results from the first phase of a Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded Participatory Action Research Project designed to empower youth as leaders and change agents in their community. Within phase one, we sought to answer to the following research question: what factors impact youth identity development and consciousness about traditional and contemporary Inuit values, culture, and knowledge systems? Through focus groups held with Grade 10-12 youth within the context of the Aulajaagtut course offering at the local High School, we wanted to learn how youth defined their Inuk identity in the face of pressures from school, community and media. Through an analysis of the thoughts and products shared within the focus groups conducted in February 2019, we were able to gather insights into factors that helped or hindered pride in identity, resilience in the face of challenges and a sense of wellbeing/belonging in community. This article gives voice to the youth who are often unheard in discussions of curriculum development and solutions to complex community issues.


The goal of this research is to apply direct-driven hydraulics (DDH) to the concept of zo‐ nal (i.e., locally and operation-focused) hydraulics, which is an essential step in the hy‐ bridization and automation of machines. DDH itself aims to combine the best properties of electric and hydraulic technologies and will lead to increased productivity, minimized energy consumption and higher robust performance in both stationary and mobile ma‐ chines operating in various environments. In the proposed setup, the speed and position control of a double-acting cylinder is implemented directly with an electric motor drive in a closed-loop system without conventional control valves and an oil tank. The selection of the location of the hydraulic accumulator and connection of the external leakage lines will also be part of this study. Simulations and experimental research to study the details of the hydromechanical and electrical realization of the DDH are performed.


There is an increasing demand for oils and proteins of marine origin for human consumption. Marine lipids are rich in the long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n-3), that have documented beneficial health effects. Marine proteins contain all the essential amino acids and are an excellent protein source, and recent studies have shown that marine protein hydrolysates possess desirable bioactive properties.The main objective of this work was to utilize Norwegian spring spawning herring by-products for production of oil and protein for human consumption. The strategy was to carry out the studies on a semi-industrial scale in order to achieve more easy knowledge transfer between research and industrial implementation. Oil and protein fractions were produced in a mobile production plant by two different methods, thermal treatment (wet-rendering) or enzymatic hydrolysis. The focus of the trials has been on the influence of production method and processing conditions on the compostion, quality and stability of the oil, and on the quality and properties of proteins. Oxidation of marine lipids will occur during storage and processing of the by-products. Thus, different strategies were tested to try to minimize lipid oxidation. A better understanding of how hemoglobin promotes lipid oxidation will provide valuable information on how Hb-mediated lipid oxidation can be prevented. Another approach is addition of antioxidants to the by-products, prior to oil and protein production, in order to minimize oxidation during processing.The work in this thesis has shown that high quality oil and proteins can be produced from herring by-products. Both thermal treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis were well-suited processes for production of low oxidized herring oil, resulting in oils with low peroxide value (PV 1.2). Early addition of antioxidants to the by-products resulted in decreased oxidation during processing (up to 70 % reduction in total oxidation). In addition, higher oil stability was achieved because of added antioxidants present in the crude oil.The water soluble herring proteins (stick water and hydrolysate) contained all the essential amino acids required for a balanced diet in adults. Thus, herring by-products can be a valuable protein source for human consumption. The processing method affected the colour of the proteins, dried protein powders produced by thermal treatment were more lighter and less yellow compared to dried hydrolysates. Process conditions and enzymes played an important role in the formation of bitterness in the hydrolysates, and can be used as a tool for controlling bitter taste in the product.


The underlying goal of this Master's thesis is of laying down, in so far as possible, the foundations for later work in Geometric Stochastic Mechanics. The first part is a presentation of symplectic reduction, going through the momentum map and culminating with an explicit construction of a symplectic form on orbits of the coadjoint action of a Lie group. I have made an effort to be as explicit and precise as possible, reviewing many fundamental concepts so that this paper should be readable by anyone who knows the fundamentals of Hamiltonian mechanics as presented, for example, in chapters 5-7 of "Introduction to Mechanics and Symmetry" by Marsden and Ratiu. The second part conveys an introduction to Brownian motion, presenting some of its fundamental properties, defining the Wiener measure and discussing the weak and strong Markov properties.


A short duration-high intensity grazing trial was conducted in spring of 1985 to determine whether shrub establishment in crested wheatgrass pastures could be enhanced through spring grazing by cattle, or by fertilization of shrub seedlings. Data was collected on diet selection by cattle during spring grazing, and on subsequent shrub growth and survival. Shrubs studied were transplants of sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, fourwing saltbush, Atriplex canescens, bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata, and one year old bitterbrush seedlings. Cattle did not browse sagebrush or fourwing saltbush transplants, but utilization of bitterbrush transplants and seedlings averaged 15 and 42 percent, respectively. Shrub selection by cattle was unaffected by grazing pressure or fertilization. Fertilization increased growth of sagebrush transplants but had no effect on survival. Trampling of shrubs was greater than anticipated. Trampling reduced growth in sagebrush, and reduced survival of both bitterbrush and sagebrush transplants. Browsing reduced growth of bitterbrush seedlings, but increased growth and survival of bitterbrush transplants. Despite adverse effects from trampling and browsing on some shrubs, the overall effect of spring grazing of crested wheatgrass by cattle was to enhance establishment of fourwing saltbush and bitterbrush transplants. Spring grazing had no measurable effect on establishment of sagebrush transplants or on survival of one year old bitterbrush seedlings.


Following the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japan gradually shut down all its nuclear power plants, causing a country-wide power shortage. In response, the government launched large-scale campaigns that aimed to reduce summer electricity consumption by as much as 15% in some regions. Because electricity use plays a key role in mitigating climate impacts, such policies could potentially damage the population's health. Exploiting the different electricity-saving targets set by different regions, we show that the reduction in electricity consumption indeed increased heat-related mortality, particularly during extremely hot days. This unintended consequence suggests that there exists a trade-off between climate adaptation and energy saving.


This practice led research is focused on encapsulating complex flameworked glass components
within the interior and on the surface of sandcast glass objects. This research develops new
techniques and enhances old methods associated with hot glass inclusion processes to achieve
consistent and repeatable results. The practical problems associated with the encapsulation
process are smearing, elongation and cracking. Further undesirable effects caused to inclusions
whilst casting are misplacement, contamination and breakage.
The technical investigation is built on the methods of two artists, Jose Chardiet and Paul
Stankard. The research concentrates on the adaptation of the pre-heated mould technique and
paperweight inclusion techniques. Through mould pre-heating a new process called the
'transitional' inclusion has been developed. This technique negates misplacement of inclusions
during casting, breakage from exposure to cold or distortion.
Paperweight techniques are utilised for the 'floating' inclusion, a historical technique. The
'floating' inclusion in conjunction with paperweight encapsulation techniques allowed for the
creation of detailed inclusions floating between the glass strata. Paperweight techniques
counteracted undesirable encapsulation reactions between the flameworked elements and the
negative effects of heat, contamination and the flow of molten glass during the casting process.
A second new technique called the 'partial' inclusion is developed using a metal mandrel to
create negative holes in the cast during sandcasting. These holes can be used to add
flameworked inclusions to the surface of the annealed sandcast with a glass post. This
technique negated the need to find compatible glass for casting.
A series of artworks are produced to demonstrate and further develop the new technical
processes. The themes behind the artworks are unraveled through three case studies. The
inclusion can be used within the body of the sandcast in diverse ways and their relative
placement generates potential for a rich new visual language in glass art. These new
techniques offer a conceptual opportunity for the artist to articulate the human condition. In
conclusion this investigation contributed to new knowledge by generating new encapsulation
methods for use in glass industrial design, studio production and to enhance the individual glass
artists' palette.


A theory is proposed to account for the color discrimination in the eye which does not require three different kinds of photochemicals or three different kinds of cones. Color discrimination is accomplished by at least three identical receptors positioned at appropriate positions along the outer segment of each cone. Some examples of color matching diagrams that can be obtained with this theory are compared with the CIE color matching diagram. Some comments are made indicating how it might be possible to get three separate signals from three receptors which all are within one cone.


Solid oxide fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert chemical energy directly to electricity. The extreme environments in which these devices operate require the use of expensive components to withstand degradation. To lower operating temperatures and therefore cost, materials discovery efforts have targeted new electrodes with high ionic and electronic conductivity, but these studies often convolute electrode morphology and performance, masking the inherent activity of electrode materials. In this work, a high-throughput experimental technique utilizing a robotic scanning impedance probe is applied to materials libraries to rigorously compare the performance of electrode materials and characterize fundamental electrode properties. Two cathode materials libraries are studied in-depth: the perovskite material La1-xSrxCo1-yFeyO3-δ (LSCF) and the double perovskite material PrBa0.5Sr0.5Co2-xFexO5+δ (PBSCF). Each materials library is investigated through the entire regime of cobalt and iron doping and results are obtained on both oxide-ion- and proton-conducting electrolyte materials. For LSCF, a four-fold increase in electrochemical resistance is observed from the cobalt-dominant endmember LSC64 to the iron-dominant endmember LSF64 on an oxygen-ion conducting substrate, concurrent with a decrease in chemical capacitance indicating lower oxygen vacancy concentration. For PBSCF, proton conductivity is observed through the bulk of the film, leading to its use in a real proton-conducting ceramic fuel cell that demonstrates exceptional performance at low temperatures (> 500mW/cm2 at 500°C) while remaining stable over hundreds of hours of testing. These results demonstrate the power and robustness of this high-throughput approach in characterizing both well-known and novel materials, and show great promise for future targeted searches of high-performance materials.


The present study aims to investigate the effect of e-management on customer service performance for a group of business organizations in Alexandria - Egypt. The directory of Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry was surveyed in order to randomly select the participating organizations. 485 businesses randomly selected representing 25% of the total population, of which only 391 organizations expressed their willingness to participate. 263 questionnaires were distributed, but only 226 were collected representing 30% of the study population. Experts comments were used to check the validity of the study instrument, and the reliability of questions was calculated as 93% using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. The statistical methods used for data analysis are frequencies, relative frequencies, percentages, averages, order of the responses, Pearson correlation coefficient, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, confirmatory factorial analysis, central tendency (mean), dispersion (standard deviation), Pearson coefficient, simple linear regression, T-Test, determinant coefficient, and one-way ANOVA. The probability level for a test of statistical significance for the study is p<.05, to ensure a 95% confidence in generalization of the findings. Study findings assert research hypothesis that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between e-management and customer service performance.


Climatic change. modelling and measurement The background of coal's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is summarised briefly and the main factors involved in climatic change are outlined. Information published in 1996-97 is reviewed on modelling and measurement of climatic change as well as its detection and attribution. The validation and evaluation of climate models is discussed with respect to representation of the climatic system and its variability. The observation of climatic change includes directly measured temperature trends, temperatures derived from proxy records, sea level, cloud cover and precipitation measurements. Improved and more widespread long term observations are required on climatic change. There is confidence that a global warming trend is in progress. However there is little confidence in the regional effects projected by models. Climatic change modelling and measurement Irene Smith, Deborah Adams . IEAPERJ38, ISBN 92-9029-299-7, December 1997 £255 (non-member countries) £85 (member countries) £42.50 (educational establishments within member countries)


The lavas of the Semail ophiolitic nappe of Oman, which formed at and very near a late Cretaceous oceanic spreading axis, are intercalated with, and overlain by a range of metalliferous sediments including cupriferous sulphides, ferruginous ochres and ferro-manganiferous umbers. The lava sequence is divisible into lower and upper informal units. The 'lower' lavas contain small massive sulphides and ochres which either formed by sea-floor oxidation of sulphides or were directly precipitated. In one area the basal 'upper' lavas contain mounds of ferruginous oxide sediments associated with umbers. The mounds may have resulted from bacterial precipitation of sulphides and/or Fe-oxy-hydroxides. Localized umbers deposited from hydrothermal solutions occur throughout and immediately above the 'upper' lavas, including areas where sea-floor faulting produced thick accumulations of volcaniclastic breccias. The uppermost umbers are overlain by radiolarites and foraminiferal chalk. Non-calcareous radiolarites are restricted to successions above umbers in some hollows suggesting that dissolution of calcareous pelagic sediment by acid hydrothermal solutions occurred during their ponded accumulation. Most of the metalliferous deposits and pelagic sediments can be related to a spreading ocean ridge affected by sea-floor fault zones. Others are associated with extrusives which have island-arc affinities and built up as discrete volcanic centres on the sea-floor.


Soy foods have been reported to have protective effects against premenopausal breast cancer in Asian women. No studies have been reported on potential physiological effects of dietary soy consumption on breast gland function. We evaluated the influence of the long-term ingestion of a commercial soy protein isolate on breast secretory activity. We hypothesized that the features of nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) of non-Asian women would be altered so as to resemble those previously found in Asian women. At monthly intervals for 1 year, 24 normal pre- and postmenopausal white women, ages 30 to 58, underwent nipple aspiration of breast fluid and gave blood and 24-h urine samples for biochemical studies. No soy was administered in months 1-3 and 10-12. Between months 4-9 the women ingested daily 38 g of soy protein isolate containing 38 mg of genistein. NAF volume, gross cystic disease fluid protein (GCDFP-15) concentration, and NAF cytology were used as biomarkers of possible effects of soy protein isolate on the breast. In addition, plasma concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, sex hormone binding globulin, prolactin, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured. Compliance was assessed by measurements of genistein and daidzein and their metabolites in 24-h urine samples. Excellent compliance with the study protocol was obtained. Compared with NAF volumes obtained in months 1-3, a 2-6-fold increase in NAF volume ensued during months 4-9 in all premenopausal women. A minimal increase or no response was found in postmenopausal women. No changes were found in plasma prolactin, sex hormone binding globulin, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations. Compared with concentrations found in months 1-3 (no soy), plasma estradiol concentrations were elevated erratically throughout a "composite" menstrual cycle during the months of soy consumption. No significant changes were seen in plasma progesterone concentrations. No significant changes were found in plasma estrogen levels in postmenopausal women. A moderate decrease occurred in the mean concentration of GCDFP-15 in NAF in premenopausal women during the months of soy ingestion. Of potential concern was the cytological detection of epithelial hyperplasia in 7 of 24 women (29.2%) during the months they were consuming soy protein isolate. The findings did not support our a priori hypothesis. Instead, this pilot study indicates that prolonged consumption of soy protein isolate has a stimulatory effect on the premenopausal female breast, characterized by increased secretion of breast fluid, the appearance of hyperplastic epithelial cells, and elevated levels of plasma estradiol. These findings are suggestive of an estrogenic stimulus from the isoflavones genistein and daidzein contained in soy protein isolate.


Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare serum irisin, trace elements (Zn, Cu, Mg) levels between the group of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and healthy pregnant group. Material and methods: Sixty pregnant women with GDM and 30 healthy pregnant women. The two groups were matched for maternal age, gestational age. Maternal serum irisin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit at 24-28 weeks of gestation. An association between maternal serum irisin levels and clinical and biochemical parameters was evaluated. Body mass index, serum levels of glucose, OGTT, insulin, HbA1C, HOMA IR, HOMAβ, Hb%, and irisin were investigated and analyzed in the study group and controls. Results: Pregnant women with GDM had significantly higher fasting blood glucose FBG (p = 0.004), first-houEr OGTT glucose (p = 0.001), second-hour OGTT glucose (p = 0.001), fasting insulin FI (p = 0.001) levels, HOMA IR (p = 0.001), HOMAβ (p = 0.001), HbA1C(p = 0.001), Hb% (p = 0.017), as compared to controls. serum irisin levels were significantly lower (p =0.001) in women subsequently developed GDM (mean ± SD =71.65±8.03) than healthy pregnant controls (mean ± SD 136.54±22.56). Correlation analysis between irisin levels and anthropometric and biochemical parameters in patients with gestational diabetes revealed that none of the investigated parameters correlated with serum irisin level. Conclusions: The present results suggest that serum irisin levels might presented as a novel marker for GDM, with decreased levels of irisin being symptomatic of GDM. (www.actabiomedica.it)


This paper analyses the emergence of the cellulose industry in Portugal, confronting the technological innovations achieved at an international level with the backwardness of this industrial sector in Portugal. After characterizing the Portuguese paper sector in the 1930's, we will analyse the State's role in the implementation of the wood-based paper pulp industry. A new juridical framework was established to overcome the industry's limitations through a new process of primary industry organization. The Companhia Portuguesa de Celulose (Portuguese Cellulose Company) emerges as a result of theses concerns, but it is only able to achieve adequate organization very late, first with support from the Marshall Plan and, later, from the State Financial Plans (Pianos de Fomento). The CPC, initially dedicated to the production of pinewood pulp and different types of paper, comes to the discover the potential of a new product - eucalyptus pulp obtained by the kraft process, which will become its major activity, especially after winning the international market. The CPC became a reference in product marketing and in the training of skilled workers and the 1960's witnessed a boom in the requests for the creation of new factories. In 1975, this sector was nationalised and led to a phenomenon of concentration, translated in the creation of Portucel, Public Company.


In this paper, the authors describe a classroom inquiry by a newly graduated English language teacher on the explicit teaching of vocabulary with one class of 40 pupils at the upper primary levels through the Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS) (Haggard, 1982, 1986; Ruddell, 2008a). Findings from this inquiry reveal that the VSS strategy designed primarily for the development of vocabulary in academic or content areas in learners was also suitable for the learning of thematically-related words in fiction texts as well. In addition, it is argued that since the strategy was new to this class of pupils, prioritising word study skills over the identification of key words in a text is a useful primer to the use of the strategy. The article ends with the implications of the strategy implementation on the pupils, the teacher and her own classroom practice as an English language teacher.


The growth and development of the aragonitic CaCO3 otoliths of teleost fish could be vulnerable to processes resulting from ocean acidification. The potential effects of an increase in atmospheric CO2 on the calcification of the otoliths were investigated by rearing Atlantic cod Gadus morhua L. larvae in 3 pCO2 concentrations—control (370 µatm), medium (1800 µatm) and high (4200 µatm)—from March to May 2010. Increased otolith growth was observed in 7 to 46 d post hatch (dph) cod larvae at elevated pCO2 concentrations. The sagittae and lapilli were usually largest in the high pCO2 treatment followed by the medium and control treatments. The greatest difference in mean otolith surface area (normalized to fish length) was for sagittae at 11 dph, with medium and high treatments being 46 and 43% larger than the control group, respectively. There was no significant pCO2 effect on the shape of the otoliths nor were there any trends in the fluctuating asymmetry, defined as the difference between the right and left sides, in relation to the increase in otolith growth from elevated pCO2.


The precise specification of reward functions for Markov decision processes (MDPs) is often extremely difficult, motivating research into both reward elicitation and the robust solution of MDPs with imprecisely specified reward (IRMDPs). We develop new techniques for the robust optimization of IRMDPs, using the minimax regret decision criterion, that exploit the set of nondominated policies, i.e., policies that are optimal for some instantiation of the imprecise reward function. Drawing parallels to POMDP value functions, we devise a Witness-style algorithm for identifying nondominated policies. We also examine several new algorithms for computing minimax regret using the nondominated set, and examine both practically and theoretically the impact of approximating this set. Our results suggest that a small subset of the nondominated set can greatly speed up computation, yet yield very tight approximations to minimax regret.


MORAL PURPOSES OF SUCCESSFUL TEACHERS by Richard H. Aubrey The purpose o f this study was to describe the moral purposes of successful teachers. Moral purpose was defined as the values and beliefs associated with serving society and serving individuals other than oneself Key informant interviews were conducted with the IS finalists for Tennessee Teacher o f the Year. Interviewees were asked four basic questions: I) Why did you choose teaching as a career? 2) How would you describe your moral purpose in teaching? 3) Has your moral purpose changed over time? 4) How would you describe the teacher's role in society? Data were analyzed qualitatively. Detailed profiles o f each of the informants and reports of each interview are included. Conclusions were generally consistent with the literature. Teachers expressed several reasons for entering the profession: 1) working with people; 2) serving society; 3) continuing successful school experiences; and 4) desiring to emulate a significant teacher. Teachers described their moral purposes as related to caring, community awareness, lifelong learning, efficacy, and ethics. The teacher's role in society was described in similar terms. Several other important conclusions are described. First, these successful teachers had a sense of destiny with regard to entering the profession. This sense of destiny demonstrated the degree to which these successful teachers value the profession. Second, they described the importance of teachers serving others as role models. Third, most o f the teachers suggested that their moral purposes have not changed very much over time even though students and methodologies have changed. Finally, they described community service as an important activity of the successful teacher. Again, these findings were consistent with the literature describing the dispositions o f effective teachers. Recommendations for further research are included along with implications for teacher education and for in-service teachers. A model for devising a moral development plan for teacher education units is presented. Another model describes the process whereby inservice teachers can work to describe and develop their moral purposes. This study provides a detailed analysis of how successful teachers described their profession. The attitudes and beliefs underlying these descriptions are of significance to teachers and to teacher educators. dluzi'r : Dr. GunafbJa. E d t ri~Scoritjc^


A new method of irrigation was designed for increasing water use efficiency (WUE) and yield of field grown soybean during dry season. This experiment consisted of four treatments , namely (1) the whole root zone system was irrigated with 4 L m-2; (2) the partial root zone system was irrigated with 4 L m-2; (3) the partial root zone system was irrigated with 3 L m-2; and (4) the partial root zone system was irrigated with 2 L m-2. Partial root zone irrigation treatments were done by daily watering one side between two plants row while the other side was allowed to dry and irrigation was shifted to the dry side while the wet side was allowed to dry every 7 days irrigation interval, respectively. The experiment was designed as a randomized complete block design with four replications and a 2.6 m x 2.4 m plot size. The results showed that the partial root zone irrigation treatment maintained growth, biomass, nodule, relative leaf water content, relative leaf chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content and yield at the level of fully irrigated treatment and increased leaf ABA content and water use efficiency, but the effect depended on volume of water applied. Partial root zone irrigation with 2 L m-2 and 3 L m-2 irrigation decreased yield by 2.97% and 16.91%, respectively, however, those treatments increased water use efficiency by 29.97% and 23.63%, respectively, compared to those with fully irrigated plots. Keywords: ABA, irrigation, soybean, root zone, water use efficiency


In this paper, we introduce a novel material point method for heat transport, melting and solidifying materials. This brings a wider range of material behaviors into reach of the already versatile material point method. This is in contrast to best-of-breed fluid, solid or rigid body solvers that are difficult to adapt to a wide range of materials. Extending the material point method requires several contributions. We introduce a dilational/deviatoric splitting of the constitutive model and show that an implicit treatment of the Eulerian evolution of the dilational part can be used to simulate arbitrarily incompressible materials. Furthermore, we show that this treatment reduces to a parabolic equation for moderate compressibility and an elliptic, Chorin-style projection at the incompressible limit. Since projections are naturally done on marker and cell (MAC) grids, we devise a staggered grid MPM method. Lastly, to generate varying material parameters, we adapt a heat-equation solver to a material point framework.


Weakly electric fish use their electrosensory systems for electrocommunication, active electrolocation and low-frequency passive electrolocation. In electric fish of the family Mormyridae, these three purposes are mediated by separate classes of electroreceptors: electrocommunication by Knollenorgan electroreceptors, active electrolocation by Mormyromast electroreceptors and low-frequency passive electrolocation by ampullary electroreceptors. The primary afferent fibres from each class of electroreceptors terminate in a separate central region. Thus, the mormyrid electrosensory system has three anatomically and functionally distinct subsystems. This review describes the sensory coding and initial processing in each of the three subsystems, with an emphasis on the Knollenorgan and Mormyromast subsystems. The Knollenorgan subsystem is specialized for the measurement of temporal information but appears to ignore both intensity and spatial information. In contrast, the Mormyromast subsystem is specialized for the measurement of both intensity and spatial information. The morphological and physiological characteristics of the primary afferents and their central projection regions are quite different for the two subsystems and reflect the type of information which the subsystems preserve. This review also describes the electric organ corollary discharge (EOCD) effects which are present in the central projection regions of each of the three electrosensory subsystems. These EOCD effects are driven by the motor command that drives the electric organ to discharge. The EOCD effects are different in each of the three subsystems and these differences reflect differences in both the pattern and significance of the sensory information that is evoked by the fish's own electric organ discharge. Some of the EOCD effects are invariant, whereas others are plastic and depend on previous afferent input. The mormyrid work is placed within two general contexts: (a) the measurement of time and intensity in sensory systems, and (b) the various roles of motor command (efferent) signals and self-induced sensory (reafferent) signals in sensorimotor systems.


Through a survey of 125 long-term resident households in Pima County, Arizona, this study finds that an immigration arrest costs each household an average of more than $24,000. These costs accumulate through the value of assets seized and not recovered, out-of-pocket costs for hiring an attorney, immigration bond, and other expenses involved in supporting an immediate family member as they navigate the immigration court system. But they also include lost income due to disruptions to employment resulting from the arrest, and a physical inability to work while in detention, appearing in court, and immediately following deportation. In this article, we discuss how, when measured at the scale of the household, these financial costs fail to discriminate according to immigration or citizenship status, and accumulate to affect issues of poverty, education, housing security, health and development, and generational wealth inequality — all matters of sustained interest to state and local government. In the second half of the article, we draw on our research findings to evaluate various policies that states, counties, and municipalities can implement to mitigate these financial burdens while promoting the overall well-being of their constituents. Policies considered include: The "Immigrant Welcoming City" paradigm The limitation of routine cooperation and custody transfer between local and federal law enforcement Expanding access to permissible forms of identification Universal representation for immigration defendants The cultivation of community bond funds The promotion of worker-owned cooperatives Although these kinds of state or local initiatives cannot replace meaningful federal action on immigration reform, they can do much to provide relief and promote economic security for established immigrant and mixed-status families living in the United States, while contributing to overall community well-being and economic vitality.


In this demo we show an open source software (SW) program designed to facilitate the execution of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) intervention with low-functioning autistic children. The SW is based on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Discrete Trial Training (DTT). The SW automatically records data extractable from the session (times, success/error, etc.), while the tutor inserts subjective data such as type and level of prompt provided to a child, along with comments. The SW adapts the trial to the child's abilities (receptive/verbal) to make it accessible (comprehensible and operable). To offer the child a simple and accessible interaction environment, the tutor and child user interfaces are kept separate and offered on mobile devices. Using a laptop, the tutor sets the exercise that appears on the child's tablet. Synchronization between devices offers the tutor a real-time summary of actions performed by child, freeing up his/her cognitive resources needed to memorize this information and possibly favoring the decision-making process for the ABA intervention.


One frequently hears the question posed in the title to this report, but there is little systematic analytical literature on the issue. Fragmented evidence or anecdotes dominate debates among EU regulatory decision-makers and in European business, insofar as there is a genuine debate at all. This CEPS Special Report focuses on the multi-faceted, ambiguous and complex relationship between (EU) regulation and innovation in the economy, and discusses the innovation-enhancing potential of certain regulatory approaches as well as factors that tend to reduce incentives to innovate. It adopts an 'ecosystem' approach to both regulation and innovation, and study the interactions between the two ecosystems. This general analysis and survey are complemented by seven case studies of EU regulation enabling and disabling innovation, two horizontal and five sectoral ones. The case studies are preceded by a broader contextual analysis of trends in EU regulation over the last three decades. These trends show the significant transformation of the nature as well as improvement of the quality of EU regulation, largely in the deepened internal market, which tend to have a favourable and lasting effect on the rate of innovation in the EU (other things being equal). Among the findings include the following: Regulation can at times be a powerful stimulus to innovation. EU regulation matters at all stages of the innovation process. Different types of regulation can be identified in terms of innovation impact: general or horizontal, innovation-specific and sector-specific regulation. More prescriptive regulation tends to hamper innovative activity, whereas the more flexible EU regulation is, the better innovation can be stimulated. Lower compliance and red-tape burdens have a positive effect on innovation. The authors recommend incorporating a specific test on innovation impacts in the ex-ante impact assessment of EU legislation as well as in ex-post evaluation. There is ample potential for fostering innovation by reviewing the EU regulatory acquis.


Abstract Abundance estimation is central to avian ecology. For replicated counts, Royle (2004) developed a model to estimate abundance adjusted for detectability. Hitherto, it was unknown whether the same covariate was allowed to affect both abundance and detectability. This situation was disconcerting, because relationships between abundance and such covariates describing, for example, habitat, lie at the heart of ecology. I test this by simulation and provide additional guidelines on the model as well as code to fit it in a Bayesian mode of analysis. I simulated 1,000 data sets mimicking the Swiss breeding-bird survey "Monitoring Häufige Brutvögel" (three surveys in each of 268 quadrats). Elevation affected abundance negatively and detectability positively, resulting in a hump-shaped relationship between counts and elevation. I used WinBUGS to fit the model and estimate parameters, including quadrat-specific abundance and total abundance, across all 268 quadrats. For every parameter, the model recovered estimates that showed no indication of bias. The mean error in the estimated total population size across all quadrats was only 2%, whereas the summed maximum counts, a conventional abundance estimate, underestimated total population size by 43%. In contrast to maximum counts, the binomial mixture model revealed the true negative relationship between abundance and elevation. This model is a promising new alternative to capture–recapture or distance sampling methods to estimate bird abundance free of distorting effects of detectability. It has perhaps the fewest requirements, needing neither individual identification nor distance information to "convert" simple counts ("relative abundance") into estimates of true abundance. It ought to be seriously considered in future bird-survey schemes.


Abstract The Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) facility has been established to provide a laboratory infrastructure for the fusion community to study tritium science associated with the development of safe fusion energy and other technologies. STAR is a radiological facility with an administrative total tritium inventory limit of 1.5g (14,429 Ci)[1]. Research studies with moderate tritium quantities and various radionuclides are performed in STAR. Successful operation of the STAR facility requires the ability to receive, inventory, store, dispense tritium to experiments, and to dispose of tritiated waste while accurately monitoring the tritium inventory in the facility. This paper describes tritium accountancy in the STAR facility. A primary accountancy instrument is the tritium Storage and Assay System (SAS): a system designed to receive, assay, store, and dispense tritium to experiments. Presented are the methods used to calibrate and operate the SAS. Accountancy processes utilizing the Tritium Cleanup System (TCS), and the Stack Tritium Monitoring System (STMS) are also discussed. Also presented are the equations used to quantify the amount of tritium being received into the facility, transferred to experiments, and removed from the facility. Finally, the STAR tritium accountability database is discussed.


A subspace supervised learning algorithm named discriminant non-negative matrix factorization (DNMF) has been recently proposed for classifying human facial expressions. It decomposes images into a set of basis images and corresponding coefficients. Usually, the algorithm starts with random basis image and coefficient initialization. Then, at each iteration, both basis images and coefficients are updated to minimize the underlying cost function. The algorithm may need several thousands of iterations to obtain cost function minimization. We provide a way to significantly improve the speed of the algorithm convergence by constructing initial basis images that meet the sparseness and orthogonality requirements and approximate the final minimization solution. To experimentally evaluate the new approach, we have applied DNMF using the random and the proposed initialization procedure to recognize six basic facial expressions. While fewer iteration steps are needed with the proposed initialization, the recognition accuracy remains within satisfactory levels


The paper analyzes the peculiarities of the duties to "take case of health" in respect of the person and the state in the legal acts of Lithuania. The duties of the person apply both in respect of the person as the resident of Lithuania and in respect of the person as the patient. As the patient, the person, according to the Law on the rights of patients and compensation for the damage to their health and the internal regulations of health care institutions, is obliged to take care of own health. As the resident of the Republic of Lithuania, the person according to the Law on the health system has to fulfill the duty to take care not only of his/her own, but also of the health of the parents and under age children. The conclusion is made that the requirement for the person who has the legal status of the person is more important, because in case of the failure to fulfill it, certain legal consequences may arise. Meanwhile, the duty of the resident to take care of own health is evaluated as declarative. The general peculiarity that complicates the implementation of the duty "to take care of own health", and at the same time, the legal assessment, is the lack of clarity and wideness of the concept of "health". This also applies with the aim of assessing the possibilities of the implementation of the resident's duties to take care of the health of "own under age children" and "own parents." Nevertheless, the analysis of provisions of the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania and other legal acts that provide the duty of the parents to maintain their under age children and adequately, the duty of adult children to maintain parents who are in need of the support (fulfilling the health care needs in both cases) allows to claim that both the duty of the parents and the duty of the children to take care of each other's health under the Law on the health system of the Republic of Lithuania, are not only declarative norms. The second part of the paper is aimed at analysis of the provision "the state shall take care of people's health" of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. It has been established that the crucial presumption of the duty – the implementation of the rights to health care established under international human rights documents (that Lithuania adhered to or ratified). It has been revealed that this duty under the constitutional doctrine of Lithuania is treated more as the function of the state, the public interest, and not the individual right to achieve certain health care services guaranteed by the Constitution. In consideration of the constitutional doctrine, it has to be recognized that the implementation of this duty cannot be separated from the state's social and economic situation, the needs and possibilities of the society and the state, and other factors. However, it can be claimed that in certain cases it is possible to argue whether the state which has established a certain requirement really does not infringe the rights of the specific patient/ resident in the field of health care.


Carbon Nanotubes are researched to develop for new technology of transporting electrons in one dimension and have commercial potential as nanoscale transistors. Carbon Nanotubes need to be made by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This CVD technique is used to deposit thin film on substrates. As the gas decomposes, it frees up carbon atoms, which can recombine in the form of nanotubes. The conditions for the controlled and directed CVD growth of Nanotubes are planed being established with the use of thin film metal catalyst by using RIT's CVD Reactor. This CVD reactor was designed and made for growing the specific, high yield, possibly phase pure, and multi-wall carbon nanotubes in RIT.


Distribution patterns of stress-tolerant coral symbionts suggest that maximum habitat temperatures can drive local scale adaptation of symbiont populations, but at regional scales other processes can dominate. We assayed clade membership for symbionts of 2 closely related corals from American Samoa, Fiji, the Philippines and Palmyra Atoll. Temperature stress-tolerant Clade D symbionts occur more frequently in American Samoa (83%) than in Palmyra, Fiji or the Philippines (<1%). In American Samoa, Clade D symbionts dominate habitats with higher maximum temperatures, while Clades C and D are both common under lower maximum temperatures. While corals in American Samoa show more stress-tolerant symbionts, this region does not exhibit higher sea surface temperatures, a greater record of heating anomalies or more bleaching than the other 3 regions. That these local patterns do not hold regionally suggests the importance of other factors, including host responses, other environmental correlates, within-clade physiological diversity and dispersal limitation, in driving the distribution of coral symbionts.


BACKGROUND
Documentation of the clinical course of a compartment syndrome is critical to effective treatment; however, such documentation often is found to be inadequate.

METHODS
Notes and consent forms for thirty consecutive patients with adequate follow-up who had undergone fasciotomy for the treatment of compartment syndrome were reviewed for legibility, notation of the time and date, and documentation of the presence of core physical examination and history findings, including pain, paresthesias, tenseness, pain on passive stretch, sensory deficit, motor deficit, pulses, compartment pressures, and diastolic blood pressure.

RESULTS
Documentation was inadequate for twenty-one patients (70%): the notes and consent forms were not timed or not dated (or both) for nine patients (30%), and the notes were at least partially illegible for sixteen patients (53%). The documentation was incomplete with regard to the presence of paresthesias in eleven patients, pain on passive stretch in ten, sensory deficit in nine, motor deficit in eight, pulses in seven, pain in five, and tenseness in three. The documentation was incomplete with regard to the blood and compartment pressures for sixteen and six patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The documentation of the core history and physical examination findings was inadequate in this series of patients with compartment syndrome. On the basis of the results of this study, and through an organizational systems approach, we have instituted for our residents, nursing staff, and faculty an educational program on the documentation of compartment syndrome in patients who are at risk for this condition.


In this paper we present a procedure for the estimation of the Fekete points on a
wide variety of non-regular objects in $R^3$. We understand the problem of the Fekete
points in terms of the identification of good equilibrium configurations for a potential energy that depends on the relative position of N particles. Although the procedure that we present here works well for different potential energies, the examples showed refer to the electrostatic potential energy, that plays an special role in Potential Theory and Physics. The objects for which our procedure has been designed can be described basically as the finite union of piecewise regular surfaces and curves. For the determination of a good starting configuration for the search of the Fekete points on such objects, a sequence of approximating regular surfaces must be constructed.
The numerical experience carried out until now suggests that the total computational
cost of the obtaining of a nearly optimal configuration with the procedure
introduced here is less than $N^3$ independently of the object considered.


Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/starch nanocomposite films were prepared by melt extrusion process. The first step includes the preparation of starch–clay nanocomposite by solution intercalation method. The resultant product was then melt mixed with the main matrix, which is LDPE. Maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (MAgPE), produced by reactive extrusion, was used as a compatibilizer between starch and LDPE phases. The effects of using compatibilizer, clay, and plasticizers on physico-mechanical properties were investigated. The results indicated that the initial intercalation reaction of clay layers with starch molecules, the conversion of starch into thermoplastic starch (TPS) by plasticizers, and using MAgPE as a compatibilizer provided uniform distribution of both starch particles and clay layers, without any need of alkyl ammonium treatment, in LDPE matrix. The nanocomposite films exhibited better tensile properties compared to clay-free ones. In addition, the transparency of LDPE film did not significantly change in the presence of TPS and clay particles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013


Energy sustainability is the main motive behind the evolution of the concept of well integrity in the oil and gas industry. The concept of well integrity adopts technical, operational, environmental, organizational, and safety measurements to secure the energy supply throughout the life of the well. Technically, a high quality well performance can be maintained by establishing robust barrier systems that are responsible for preventing, controlling, and mitigating potential risks that could arise during the well life cycle. A barrier system is conventionally nested from one or multiple elements that act individually or collectively to scaffold the well integrity. The protection layers in a wellbore can be lost if the integrity of the barrier system is compromised according to the failure of one or all of its elements. Failure can be triggered by technical or non-technical factors. In this study, technical aspects that drive barrier failure mechanisms have given more emphasis. The failure mechanisms of the key mechanical barrier systems, such as casing strings, cement, diverters, blowout preventers (BOPs), production stream valves, and seal assemblies, have been thoroughly investigated. In this study, a comprehensive review of barriers failure mechanisms has been conducted to identify the roots of failures and to outline some of the essential safety measures adopted to avoid the loss of well control. The major findings of this paper revealed that well barrier systems are highly susceptible to failure in unconventional reservoirs, deep and ultra-deep offshore wells, and geothermal wells. The predominant failures identified are casing collapse resulting from cyclic loads, cement percolation by gas migration, cement carking by hoop stress, BOPs wear and tear promoted by frequent tests, and elastomeric materials disintegration caused by acidic gases. Considering these failure mechanisms while designing a wellbore can help the engineers improve the construction quality. In addition, it can assist the operation and maintenance crews in optimizing safe operation boundaries.