Prior expectations can be used to improve perceptual judgments about ambiguous stimuli. However, little is known about if and how these improvements are maintained in dynamic environments in which the quality of appropriate priors changes from one stimulus to the next. Using a novel sound-localization task, we show that changes in stimulus predictability lead to arousal-mediated adjustments in the magnitude of prior-driven biases that optimize perceptual judgments about each stimulus. These adjustments depend on task-dependent changes in the relevance and reliability of prior expectations, which subjects update using both normative and idiosyncratic principles. The resulting variations in biases across task conditions and individuals are reflected in modulations of pupil diameter, such that larger stimulus-evoked pupil responses correspond to smaller biases. These results suggest a critical role for the arousal system in adjusting the strength of perceptual biases with respect to inferred environmental dynamics to optimize perceptual judgements.


The coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)via the coronavirus receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the host cell to facilitate entry into the lungs Over activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the down regulation of ACE2 expression are involved in SARS-CoV induced lung injury RAS is the main system that has a regulatory roleinmaintaining electrolyte balance, blood pressure, vascular tone and cardiovascular remodeling in the body Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and Inhibitors (ACEIs) are vital medications that are widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) The question which now arises is: It is possible to continue using either ARBs or ACEIsor both medications in patients with SARS-CoV2? Both ARBs and ACEIs can facilitate COVID-19 entry into the host cell due to increase expression of ACE2 On the other hand, ARBs have a greater potential to reduce downstream pathogenicity of the SARS-CoV2 via different cell signaling pathways including free radical generation, up regulation of NF-κB pathway, toll-like receptors (TLRs) and pro-apoptotic protein by blocking the renin-angiotensin system more severely compared to the effect of ACEIs The current hypothesis is that ARBs can perform better therapeutically compared to ACEIs in respiratory disorders such as ARDS which is induced by viral infection especially since more than 40 % of angiotensin II can be synthesized by other enzymes such as chymase, cathepsin ARBs treatment can increase the levels of both angiotensin II (Ang II) and the ACE2 enzyme making Ang II a target substrate for hydrolysis by ACE2 into Ang 1-7 which in turn exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant activities These effects are achieved by the binding of Ang 1-7 to both angiotensin-type 2 receptor (AT2) and receptor mas' axis (Mas) and also by its ability to block Ang II/AT1 receptor-induced TLR4/MyD88 signaling thereby highlighting the potential therapeutic use of ARB sin preventing injury induced by COVID-19 virus It is concluded that patients who are already on ARBs medications must continue to use them daily since ARBs have protective effects against COVID-19 virus Moreover, ARB sexert their beneficial effects via their anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidant and anti-fibrotic properties On the other hand, those patients who are on ACEIs medications must change to other safe drugs since ACEIs can facilitate an increase in COVID-19 virus entry into the body as well as reducing levels and protecting effect of Ang 1-7 © 2020 Ubiquity Press All rights reserved


In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of a wind turbine under blade pitch angle and shaft speed sensor faults as well as pitch actuator faults. A land-based NREL 5MW variable speed pitch reg- ulated wind turbine is considered as a reference. The conventional collective blade pitch angle controller strategy with independent pitch actuators control is used for load reduction. The wind turbine class is IEC-BII. The main purpose is to investigate the severity of end effects on structural loads and responses and consequently identify the high-risk components according to the type and amplitude of fault using a servo-aero-elastic simulation code, HAWC2. Both transient and steady state effects of faults are studied. Such information is useful for wind turbine fault detection and identification as well as system reliability analysis. Results show the effects of faults on wind turbine power output and responses. Pitch sensor faults mainly affects the vibration of shaft main bearing, while generator power and aerodynamic thrust are not changed significantly, due to independent pitch actuator control of three blades. Shaft speed sensor faults can seriously affect the generator power and aerodynamic thrust. Pitch actuator faults can result in fully pitching of the blade, and consequently rotor stops due to negative aerodynamic torque.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the level of friction resistance (FR) of conventional and silica-insert ceramic brackets using various bracket-wire combinations and angulations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four types of ceramic brackets were examined: (1) polycrystalline alumina bracket (PCA-C), (2) polycrystalline alumina bracket with a stainless steel (SS) slot (PCA-M), (3) polycrystalline alumina bracket with a silica layer (PCA-S), and (4) monocrystalline sapphire bracket (MCS). A conventional SS bracket was used as the control. The static and kinetic FR in four bracket-wire angulations (0 degrees, 5 degrees, 10 degrees, and 15 degrees) was examined using SS and beta-titanium (beta-Ti) orthodontic wires, 0.019 x 0.025 inches in size, under elastic ligature in the dry state.

RESULTS
The FR generated by the PCA-S bracket was significantly lower than that generated with the other ceramic brackets, and was similar to that of the SS bracket. The PCA-S bracket showed the lowest FR with both the SS and the beta-Ti wires at zero bracket angulation. The FR to sliding increased rapidly and nonlinearly when the bracket wire angulation was >5 degrees. The PCS-S bracket showed the lowest FR from 5 degrees to 15 degrees of angulation. The MCS bracket demonstrated the highest increase in FR from 0 degrees to 15 degrees of angulation, showing the highest FR at 15 degrees of angulation.

CONCLUSION
PCA-S showed minimal FR among the ceramic brackets, and was comparable to the conventional SS bracket. The silica layer and rounded edges of the ceramic slot lowered FR considerably.


Frontotemporal dementia and Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP‐17) is a neurological disorder associated with tau pathology. Tau deposits in FTDP‐17 brains consist of polymerized filaments of hyperphosphorylated tau, the morphology of which is determined by the nature of the tau gene mutation observed in each case. A number of mutations associated with FTDP‐17 have been identified in the 5'splice site of exon 10 and in exons 9–13 of the tau gene. The exon 10 5'splice site mutations disrupt alternative splicing and thus alter the ratio of 4R and 3R Tau isoforms. The majority of Tau missense mutations decrease its ability to bind tubulin and promote microtubule assembly. The extent of reduction varies depending on the site and nature of the mutation. Some Tau missense mutations also have a direct effect on the rate and the extent of tau filament formation. In the presence of polymerization‐inducing agents such as heparin or arachidonic acid, mutant tau forms polymers more efficiently than wild type tau in vitro. Tau mutations affect polymerization at both nucleation and elongation phases. One mutation (R406W) is also known to alter the susceptibility of tau to phosphorylation. Expression of mutant tau in cultured cells changes the cytoskeletal integrity of CHO and COS‐7 cells, but none of the tau transfected cells display tau filament inclusions. These findings suggest involvement of at least two mechanisms in the pathogenesis of FTDP‐17.


Most of the Ivorian areas designated as protected were trickled in for various agricultural activities. For these last few decades, the situation worsened in Ivory Coast because these protected areas were not guarded during the armed conflict of the years 2002-2011. The objective of this study is to assess the condition in which the floristic diversity of the National park of Marahoue (NPM) is after the armed conflicts of the years 2000. To achieve our purpose, a sampling has been conducted along five transects that go through different environments: inner the park, the edge of the park and the non-domanial property. A 20 × 20 m plot square has been settled in each of these environments along each transect and each one separated from one another by 200 m. Four (4) other pilots plots of 20 × 20 m have been built up inside the park, relatively in the protected areas. Regarding these surveys, 303 plant species have been identified among which the most important are Fabaceae (6.27%), Euphorbiaceae (5.28%) and Rubiaceae (5.28%) families. Twenty-four (24) species have a particular status according to the International Union for the Nature Conservation among which nineteen (19), and about 79.16% have been seen in the relatively protected areas. One of these species, Baphia Bancoensis Aubrev, is endemic in Ivory Coast. In the park, the agricultural activities have reduced the number of trees which diameter is over 30 cm. Although the infiltration of clandestines in the NPM started long before the beginning of the conflicts, our work nevertheless permitted to point out them. During this period, these infiltrations were accelerated mainly because these people were looking for new lands to cultivate cocoas trees.


The integration of socio-economically marginalized areas into regional systems in the context of post-communist transformation has been an important subject of social science research in general. The military training areas (MTA), as specific type of peripheries, have been so far little explored. Based on the results of an extensive questionnaire survey (N = 1,362), the authors of this study analyze local community perceptions of MTA in the Czech Republic, assess positive and negative impacts of MTA on the quality of life, and discuss possible future development scenarios of the areas. The results show that local communities in the hinterland of MTA perceive similar problems as those living in other peripheral and/or rural areas, particularly unemployment, limited options of obtaining own housing, maintenance of road infrastructure, limited options of leisure activities, etc. Ensuring a harmony between local development and MTA activities is considered a specific issue. Problems are perceived more likely by older and highly educated people, and those living in smaller municipalities with higher unemployment and municipalities located closer to MTA. On the other hand, young and less educated people living in larger municipalities with higher unemployment rates, which are located at a greater distance from county seats, perceive more likely positive impacts of MTA.


Until recently, brands and branding were used almost exclusively in a commercial context as tools employed in the promotion and sales of different goods and services. The extension of the scope of marketing to the societal level has expanded the area of branding applicability from economic to social, from profit to non-profit, and from individuals to nations. Valuable elements, an important part of them having a solid cultural background, can be identified and employed nowadays to build and capitalize on brands not only for products and services but also for individuals and communities, respectively organizations and nations. Does cultural heritage matter, and if so, to what extent, in the endeavors of building, promoting, and capitalizing on a nation's brand? Can cultural heritage contribute to the nation's branding effort and act together as a marketing driver to enable a country's sustainable development? These are the questions this paper aims to answer from a marketing perspective, after assessing the secondary data on cultural heritage, nations' branding, and dimensions of sustainable development for a group of selected countries.


Establishing appropriate lines of evidence enables us to resolve the challenges faced in engineering geological practice. When considering the lines of evidence used to derive a conceptual site model (CSM), three interlocking themes are (1) multi-disciplinary working, (2) knowledge and experience and (3) lessons from the past. This is explored through case histories. There may be no standard approach and conventional engineering geological skills are not always sufficient – as during the decommissioning of cryogenic gas storage tanks at Canvey Island. Alternatively, there may be reservations about using a standard approach; which led to the unconventional use of chalk fill at Port Solent Marina. In the case of a major oil leak into the Permo-Triassic aquifer, understanding the basic science of the problem explained why the original CSM was too simplistic and informed a change of remedial strategy. Obtaining permits for an underground gas storage facility on a landslide complex on the Isle of Portland required numerous lines of evidence to assess the stability of the slope. Furthermore, new lines of evidence can be added to old datasets as technology develops, such as the use of LiDAR in mapping Cotswolds landslides.


Objective: If adolescent mothers are the subject of much research, little interest has concentrated upon their lives following an early entry into motherhood – especially with regard to their subsequent fertility. In this study I aim to analyse how the fertility of adolescent mothers over the life course varies from that of older first-time mothers. I compare the situations in France, where adolescent motherhood is rare, and England and Wales, which has traditionally had one of the highest rates of adolescent motherhood amongst industrialised countries. Methods: I study the reproductive trajectories of more than 72,000 women born between 1959 and 1976 following the birth of their first child using the Insee Permanent demographic sample (EDP) in France and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Longitudinal Study (LS) in England and Wales. Results: In both countries, the sooner a woman experiences her first birth, the more children she will have, and the youngest first-time mothers resist the norm of a two-child family. However, a higher quantum of fertility does not correspond to a rapid rhythm of childbearing. Adolescent mothers have their subsequent children at wider spaced intervals which, coupled with a higher number of children, lengthens their reproductive career. Contribution: This study contributes to the literature on adolescent childbearing by taking a longitudinal view of the fertility of women having become mothers during their adolescence. Comparing adolescent mothers to three groups of older first-time mothers offers a more nuanced approach than the traditional binary adolescent versus non-adolescent mother dichotomy.


International media assistance took off during a time where the ideological extremes of USA vs. USSR were set to disappear. Following the Cold War, international relations focused on democracy building, and nurturing independent media was embraced as a key part of this strategy. Fukayama called it the 'End of History', the fact that all other ideologies had fallen and Western style democracy was set to become the one common ideology. The US and UK led the way in media assistance, with their liberal ideas of a free press, bolstered by free market capitalism. America was the superpower, and forged the way around the globe with its beacon of democracy. Under that guiding light they would bring truth, accuracy, freedom of expression and independent reporting to the countries which had so long lived under the shadow of communism, or authoritarian media systems. This is what propelled and justified American foreign policy, and their media assistance, for many years. Much work was thus carried out in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet satellites, but many now question the impact and legacy of these projects. When the US and UK spoke of media assistance they seemed to mean 'free market'. These days, the 'democracy promoters' focus has turned more to Africa and the Middle East. The ideology is apparently the same: to help establish and support democracy with a stronger and more independent media. But with Western economies, and their media systems, in crisis, the relevance of this media assistance model is questioned. This essay looks at the history of media assistance and the ongoing debate on the impact of media assistance over the long term, its motives and the new balance of power appearing in international media development.


This article reviews the pharmacology of antidepressants, particularly focusing on those that act acutely by blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine (NE) and/or serotonin (5-HT). Such drugs have a very wide range of potencies, measured in vitro, to inhibit the reuptake of these biogenic amines. As a group, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most potent at inhibiting the reuptake of 5-HT. Some tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), such as desipramine and nortriptyline, are much more potent at blocking NE reuptake than 5-HT reuptake, as is the new non-TCA drug reboxetine. Among SSRIs, paroxetine is most potent at blocking the reuptake of NE. When considering whether such potencies measured in vitro translate into pharmacologic effects clinically, it is necessary to know how much drug gets to its site of therapeutic action, presumably the brain. Most, but not all, antidepressants are extensively bound to plasma proteins, and this binding limits considerably the penetration of these drugs across the blood-brain barrier. The amount of drug present in the extracellular fluid (ECF) of brain approximates the non-protein-bound drug concentration in plasma. Comparison of the concentration of antidepressants in ECF with their potencies to inhibit the reuptake of 5-HT and/or NE reveals why some drugs block the reuptake of these biogenic amines in either a selective or nonselective manner. This analysis reveals that venlafaxine may be unique among antidepressants in having a dose-dependent nonselectivity; at low doses it acts primarily as an SSRI, but at higher doses it inhibits the reuptake of NE as well.


The repair of DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination commences by nucleolytic degradation of the 5′-terminated strand of the DNA break. This leads to the formation of 3′-tailed DNA, which serves as a substrate for the strand exchange protein Rad51. The nucleoprotein filament then invades homologous DNA to drive template-directed repair. In this review, I discuss mainly the mechanisms of DNA end resection in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which includes short-range resection by Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2 and Sae2, as well as processive long-range resection by Sgs1-Dna2 or Exo1 pathways. Resection mechanisms are highly conserved between yeast and humans, and analogous machineries are found in prokaryotes as well.


The need is expressed for mathematical models which describe the cutting tool-workpiece interaction and for accurate on-line monitoring of tool-state. These are
essential requirements for the achievement of unmanned and computerized machining
processes.
Techniques are used to design the experiments which substantially reduce the
number of tests while providing all the essential information for statistical analysis
and for the development of mathematical models. The testing conditions are chosen
to reasonably conform with the practical requirements. Multi-coated carbide tool inserts [Sandvik GC435] are used to cut an alloy steel [EN 19] under normal cutting
conditions and for a wide range of operating parameters. An accurate and sensitive
three-component dynamometer was designed, manufactured and used to measure the
tool forces through a BBC microcomputer. Continuous records of the tool vibration
have been collected in two different co-ordinate directions simultaneously together with
measurements of tool wear and cutting forces.
Linear and non-linear regression techniques are used to develop mathematical
models for the experimentally measured responses: cutting forces, tool vibration, and
tool wear. Special attention is devoted to the identification of the most appropriate
models. Each model being capable of representing the tool state throughout its working
lifetime.
Tool life wear-based models are developed to relate the expected tool lifetime to
the operating parameters: speed, feed, and depth of cut. A robust regression analysis
technique, used in conjunction with iteratively re-weighting least-squares, has been found to improve the accuracy of the models, and to stabilize its computed residuals
through the elimination of the effect of influential observations having high experimental
error. Response surface methodology RSM has been used to signify the non-linear
nature of tool life response.
The force variation has been shown to correlate strongly with the wear progress so
that it can be used for accurate in-process determination of tool wear and for monitoring
tool state. It has been shown that the variation in the ratio between force components
correlates with wear and is independent of the effect of other machining parameters;
this enables the approach to be used for a wider range of materials and more extensive
operational domain.
Study of the power spectral analysis of the tool vibration indicates that among the
tool's vibration modes, the first fundamental natural frequency of vibration in the feed
direction exhibits a consistent correlation with wear-progress. The Vibration amplitude
decreases with the increase of the wear level until it reaches a limit after which it tends
to reverse its characteristic. The time at which the characteristic changes is found to
closely correspond with the practical end of the tool lifetime. Based on this fact, an
in-process approach is investigated to determine the tool life on-line. Also, a model has
been developed for tool wear estimation based on a combination of vibration and force;
and, very good agreement has been obtained with the experimental data.
The validity of the models; their feasibility; and, their industrial significance are
confirmed for adaptive control AC systems, and for machinability data base systems
MDBS.


The outcome of the Durban Climate Conference in December 2011 will lead to a more fragmented climate regime after 2012. While a few countries may continue with the Kyoto Protocol, its governance and its rules, the majority of countries will proceed with the bottom-up approach of voluntarily proposing and reviewing reduction targets at least until 2020 when a new global treaty may come into force. Designing this transition period will be a major challenge. This ICPIA synthesis paper includes lessons from other ICPIA work packages in order to draw conclusions for improving the design of the climate regime for the time after 2012 and after 2020. The paper concludes that finding a common ground on important design features, such as accounting or new market mechanisms, in the short term will impact the ability to create a comprehensive agreement in the long term.


This research focuses on human capacity development in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The need for local capacity building in this industry is imperative because oil and gas proceeds are the major source of foreign exchange earnings for the country. Oil has been exploited in Nigeria for over five decades and there is still relatively poor local participation and hence the need for this research. The idea is to encourage local participation so as to promote economic growth and industrial development. This research identifies reasons for the ineffective implementation of the Nigerian content policy and will develop a framework that will address holistically the factors needed to ensure industrial growth through proper implementation and particular attention is paid to specific factors that enhance participation of local firms in the oil and gas industry. The experience of Norway will be used as a case study to demonstrate the means by which they were able to achieve domestically based industrial competence while exploiting their petroleum resources and also the necessary conditions that was in place that encouraged proper exploitation of their resources.


Anti-Sm antibodies are highly specific markers for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This specificity suggests that the immunoregulation of these autoantibodies would reflect fundamental immune abnormalities in this disorder. As a clue to this immunoregulation, we have investigated the isotype distribution of anti-Sm antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We have found that the anti-Sm response is markedly restricted to the IgG1 heavy chain isotype. On the other hand, the light chain distribution reflects that in normal serum, while isoelectric focusing analysis fails to show an oligoclonal pattern. The related specificity, anti-ribonucleoprotein, is also restricted to IgG1, while the SLE-specific antibody anti-double-stranded DNA is mostly IgG1 with a lesser contribution by IgG3. These results suggest that antinuclear antibodies that are strongly associated with SLE are produced by a T cell-dependent response, probably driven by antigen. The immunoregulation of the response to several autoantigens may be quite similar.


The vanished ways of colonial America's skilled craftsmen are vividly reconstructed in this superb book by Edwin Tunis. With incomparable wit and learning, and in over 450 meticulous drawings, the author describes the working methods and products, houses and shops, town and country trades, and individual and group enterprises by which the early Americans forged the economy of the New World. In the tiny coastal settlements, which usually sprang up around a mill or near a tanyard, the first craftsmen set up their trades. The blacksmith, cooper, joiner, weaver, cordwainer, and housewright, working alone or with several assistants, invented their own tools and devised their own methods. Soon they were making products that far surpassed their early models: the American ax was so popular that English ironmongers often labeled their own axes "American" to sell them more readily. In the town squares a colonist could have his bread baked to order, bring in his wig to be curled, have his eyeglasses ground, his medicine prescription filled, or buy snuff for his many pocket boxes. With the thriving trade in "bespoke" or made-to-order work, fine American styles evolved; many of these are priceless heirlooms now-the silverware of Paul Revere and John Coney, redware and Queensware pottery, Poyntell hand-blocked wallpaper, the Kentucky rifle, Conestoga wagon, and the iron grillework still seen in some parts of the South. The author discusses in detail many of the trades which have since developed into important industries, like papermaking, glassmaking, shipbuilding, printing, and metalworking, often reconstructing from his own careful research the complex equipment used in these enterprises. The ingenious, liberty-loving artisans left few written records of their work, and only Mr. Tunis, with his painstaking attention to authentic detail and his vast knowledge, could present such a complete treasury of the way things were done before machines obliterated this phase of early American life.


As part of the theme 13 and 14, our group have to realize a project in the field of the renewable energy. This project consist of the design of a bio-digester for the canteen of Zernikeplein. Gert Hofstede is our client. To produce energy, a bio-digester uses the anaerobic digestion, which is made of many processes where bacteria break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The organic garbage, like kitchen waste, are fed into the bio-digester with a small amount of water. We designed the bio-digester according to the specifications of our client, our teachers, some companies we met, and our own ideas. The bio-digester is built by ourselves, even if we ordered some parts of it. Therefore, this project made us creative because we had to design and to build. It also permitted us to use our skills gained the previous years of our studies.


The purpose of this article is to provide a justification for the value of comparative common law and to demonstrate instances of the utility of its practical application. In the case of comparative common law, most of the legal systems where comparative studies can be appropriately made have the same historical roots in the law of England. At the same time, despite common historical origins, solutions to common problems, even in geographically adjacent jurisdictions, are frequently very different. Furthermore, it is submitted that there are positive merits, from the points of view of the academic, the legislator and the law reform agency, in the study of comparative common law.


This paper investigates a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technique for the detection of accidental disbonds of stiffeners in fuselage panels. The method relies on the perturbation introduced by disbonded areas in the propagation of flexural Lamb waves emitted by a piezoelectric PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) disc. A quantitative threshold based on the energy of captured signals is proposed for detection. Both PZT discs and Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) are studied as potential receiver sensors for signal collection. Finally, the possibility of using Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) data to evaluate the sensitivity of the method for a particular sensor position, and excitation frequency is emphasized and discussed. doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/12


As key global accounting regulators, the FASB and the IASB have accorded much importance to the concept of decision-usefulness, especially in the context of the capital providers as a specific user group. However, a vague reference to the usefulness of accounting information means nothing unless the utility being sought is properly defined. This paper reflects on the relevancy of decision-usefulness as a key financial reporting objective from two perspectives. Firstly, the ontology of accountancy with specific reference to decision-usefulness and utility versus ophelimity are considered. Secondly, epistemological issues around the quantification of accounting data and its predictive abilities are discussed. The article does not deny the importance of the usefulness criterion, but rather argues against a vacuous concept of decision-usefulness, which, as a key accounting and financial reporting objective, is devoid of any substantive meaning. Instead, a more realistic key objective of accounting should be to provide factual economic and financial information, which, since it presents any user with information in a unique companyspecific context, can be considered judgement-useful, rather than decision-useful.


We present a detailed study of the optical second harmonic (SH) generated in samples of centrosymmetric muscovite mica. Samples with thicknesses ranging from 30 to 300 μm have been investigated in a transmission normal-incidence geometry. We found a strong dependence of the polarization-dependent SH signal on the sample thickness. In particular, in some of the thickest samples, the SH signal is strongly enhanced. This signal amplification is not monotonically increased with thickness, but it varies erratically. These findings show that under the present experimental conditions, quadrupolar bulk second harmonic generation in mica becomes dominant on the SH generated from the surfaces. The large variability of the SH signal with the variation in thickness is then ascribed to partial optical phase-matching effects, controlled by the mica birefringence. In order to corroborate this hypothesis, a detailed theoretical model accounting for the nonlocal response and anisotropy of a generic birefringent crystal has been developed. The predictions of our model are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental data.


Abstract. Measurements of aerosol chemical composition made on the island of Lampedusa, south of the Sicily channel, during years 2004–2008, are used to identify the influence of heavy fuel oil (HFO) combustion emissions on aerosol particles in the Central Mediterranean. Aerosol samples influenced by HFO are characterized by elevated Ni and V soluble fraction (about 80% for aerosol from HFO combustion, versus about 40% for crustal particles), high V and Ni to Si ratios, and values of Vsol>6 ng m−3. Evidence of HFO combustion influence is found in 17% of the daily samples. Back trajectories analysis on the selected events show that air masses prevalently come from the Sicily channel region, where an intense ship traffic occurs. This behavior suggests that single fixed sources like refineries are not the main responsible for the elevated V and Ni events, which are probably mainly due to ships emissions. Vsol, Nisol, and non-sea salt SO42− (nssSO42−) show a marked seasonal behaviour, with an evident summer maximum. Such a pattern can be explained by several processes: (i) increased photochemical activity in summer, leading to a faster production of secondary aerosols, mainly nssSO42−, from the oxidation of SO2 (ii) stronger marine boundary layer (MBL) stability in summer, leading to higher concentration of emitted compounds in the lowest atmospheric layers. A very intense event in spring 2008 was studied in detail, also using size segregated chemical measurements. These data show that elements arising from heavy oil combustion (V, Ni, Al, Fe) are distributed in the sub-micrometric fraction of the aerosol, and the metals are present as free metals, carbonates, oxides hydrates or labile complex with organic ligands, so that they are dissolved in mild condition (HNO3, pH1.5). Data suggest a characteristic nssSO42−/V ratio in the range 200–400 for HFO combustion aerosols in summer at Lampedusa. By using the value of 200 a lower limit for the HFO contribution to total sulphates is estimated. HFO combustion emissions account, as a summer average, at least for 1.2 μg m−3, representing about 30% of the total nssSO42−, 3.9% of PM10, 8% of PM2.5, and 11% of PM1. Within the used dataset, sulphate from HFO combustion emissions reached the peak value of 6.1 μg m−3 on 26 June 2008, when it contributed by 47% to nssSO42−, and by 15% to PM10.


The CLIC damping rings are designed to produce unprecedentedly low-emittances of 500 nm and 5 nm normalized at 2.86 GeV, in all beam dimensions with high bunch charge, necessary for the performance of the collider. The large beam brightness triggers a number of beam dynamics and technical challenges. Ring parameters such as energy, circumference, lattice, momentum compaction, bending and super-conducting wiggler fields are carefully chosen in order to provide the target emittances under the influence of intrabeam scattering but also reduce the impact of collective effects such as space-charge and coherent synchrotron radiation. Mitigation techniques for two stream instabilities have been identified and tested. The low vertical emittance is achieved by modern orbit and coupling correction techniques. Design considerations and plans for technical system, such as damping wigglers, transfer systems, vacuum, RF cavities, instrumentation and feedback are finally reviewed.


Clinical audit can be a powerful tool for change, but is often perceived as externally-imposed time-wasting. Focusing on applications of clinical audit in psychoanalytic psychotherapy NHS services, the authors examine why audit is resented, how it can be 'reconstructed' as a useful tool for clinicals, and provide real-life examples of good practice. More than a simple 'how-to', this book provides new rnderstanding of a persistent problem in health-care organisations and will be of interest to all mental health staff, trainees and service managers.


Electron microscopy of myosin-II molecules and filaments reacted with monoclonal antibodies demonstrates directly where the antibodies bind and shows that certain antibodies can inhibit the polymerization of myosin-II into filaments. The binding sites of seven of 23 different monoclonal antibodies were localized by platinum shadowing of myosin monomer-antibody complexes. The antibodies bind to a variety of sites on the myosin-II molecule, including the heads, the proximal end of the tail near the junction of the heads and tail, and the tip of the tail. The binding sites of eight of the 23 antibodies were also localized on myosin filaments by negative staining. Antibodies that bind to either the myosin heads or to the proximal end of the tail decorate the ends of the bipolar filaments. Some of the antibodies that bind to the tip of the myosin-II tail decorate the bare zone of the myosin-II thin filament with 14-nm periodicity. By combining the data from these electron microscope studies and the peptide mapping and competitive binding studies we have established the binding sites of 16 of 23 monoclonal antibodies. Two of the 23 antibodies block the formation of myosin-II filaments and given sufficient time, disassemble preformed myosin-II filaments. Both antibodies bind near one another at the tip of the myosin-II tail and are those that decorate the bare zone of preformed bipolar filaments with 14-nm periodicity. None of the other antibodies affect myosin filament formation, including one that binds to another site near the tip of the myosin-II tail. This demonstrates that antibodies can inhibit polymerization of myosin-II, but only when they bind to key sites on the tail of the molecule.


In this paper, closed-form analytical bounds on PMD-induced symbol error rate and outage probability in high-speed long-haul optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) systems are derived, evaluated, and verified experimentally in order to assess the PMD tolerance of this modulation format. To obtain the analytical results, the PMD channel is modeled as a linear time-invariant system, whose end-to-end transfer function is used to upper-bound symbol error and outage probabilities in IM/DD optical OFDM transmission. The symbol error rate bounds predicted by the general analytical model are verified experimentally on a 10-Gb/s OFDM system with instantaneous DGD ranging between Deltatau = 0 and 120 ps . The outage probability bounds indicate that, if no RF guard bands are required, OFDM enables high-speed transmission with at least twice the PMD tolerance provided by an equivalent uncompensated OOK-based system at system outage probabilities Pout, sys <10-5 . If RF guard bands are required to mitigate effects of other distortions, it is shown that a penalty in the system PMD tolerance proportional to the intermediate RF subcarrier frequency, f RF, is exerted. Consequently, a tolerance tradeoff exists in IM/DD OFDM systems, wherein f RF as well as baseband constellation size may be viewed as design parameters that can be optimized depending on specific system requirements.


In 2008, Europeana was launched as a service platform for digital cultural heritage and content from libraries, archives, galleries and museums from all over the European Union. The aim was to make Europe's rich cultural heritage accessible for all. Since its launch, the number of records in the Europeana database, of Europeana Network members and of visitors to its website have grown rapidly. At the end of 2014, project funding that supports Europeana provided under the ICT-PSP programme by the European Union will end. The aim is that this will be replaced by a more sustainable funding model under the new multi-annual framework, Connecting Europe Facility. Discontinuation of EU funding would mean that the Europeana Foundation would have to abandon its investments. As part of a proposal for continued funding in the years 2015-2020, Europeana has asked Atlas voor gemeenten and SEO Economic Research to assess the social-economic value of this investment. Hence the research question this report aims to answer: What is the social economic value of continued investment in Europeana to maintain and extend its current ambition level in terms of services and infrastructure in the years 2015-2020? This report presents the result of this assessment. Cost estimates are based on Europeana's Strategic Business Plan 2015-2020 (v0.7) and amount to a net present value of € 57.3 million per 1-1-2015 (using a real discount rate of 5.5 %). This includes necessary funds to maintain the current network of partners.


Nowadays, there is a large amount of research aimed at improving the multifunctional behavior of the biomaterials for bone contact, including the concomitant ability to induce apatite formation (bioactivity), fast and effective osteoblasts colonization, and antibacterial activity. The aim of this study is to develop antibacterial and bioactive surfaces (Ti6Al4V alloy and a silica-based bioactive glass) by chemical doping with strontium and/or silver ions. The surfaces were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). To better focus on the cells–bacteria competition for the implant surface, in addition to the standard assays for the evaluation of the bacteria adhesion (ISO22196) and for single-cell cultures or biofilm formation, an innovative set of co-cultures of cells and bacteria is here proposed to simulate a competitive surface colonization. The results suggest that all the bioactive tested materials were cytocompatible toward the bone progenitor cells representative for the self-healing process, and that the doped ones were effective in reducing the surface colonization from a pathogenic drug-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. The co-cultures experiments demonstrated that the doped surfaces were able to protect the adhered osteoblasts from the bacteria colonization as well as prevent the infection prior to the surface colonization by the osteoblasts.


This is a comprehensive and richly illustrated textbook on the astrophysics of the interstellar and intergalactic medium--the gas and dust, as well as the electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays, and magnetic and gravitational fields, present between the stars in a galaxy and also between galaxies themselves. Topics include radiative processes across the electromagnetic spectrum; radiative transfer; ionization; heating and cooling; astrochemistry; interstellar dust; fluid dynamics, including ionization fronts and shock waves; cosmic rays; distribution and evolution of the interstellar medium; and star formation. While it is assumed that the reader has a background in undergraduate-level physics, including some prior exposure to atomic and molecular physics, statistical mechanics, and electromagnetism, the first six chapters of the book include a review of the basic physics that is used in later chapters. This graduate-level textbook includes references for further reading, and serves as an invaluable resource for working astrophysicists. * Essential textbook on the physics of the interstellar and intergalactic medium * Based on a course taught by the author for more than twenty years at Princeton University * Covers radiative processes, fluid dynamics, cosmic rays, astrochemistry, interstellar dust, and more * Discusses the physical state and distribution of the ionized, atomic, and molecular phases of the interstellar medium * Reviews diagnostics using emission and absorption lines * Features color illustrations and detailed reference materials in appendices * Instructor's manual with problems and solutions (available only to teachers)


Introduction This chapter is motivated by the fact that wide-area monitoring, control and protection (WAMPAC) are becoming increasingly important in the vision for future smart grid operations [1]. Technological advances in sensing, communication, and computation could enable smart grid operations with improved situational awareness. This improved situational awareness could lead to more reliable and economical integration of renewable energy resources, as well as to the prevention of potential blackouts [1]. Given the need for improved situational awareness in large interconnected power systems, a key research challenge is to develop fast and robust state-estimation techniques for wide-area monitoring. State estimation converts redundant measurements into reliable estimates of the state of an interconnected electric power system [2]. For wide-area state estimation, which involves multiple system operators or utilities, it is more desirable to develop distributed approaches to obtaining the system-wide states through limited information exchange among the system operators [3, 4]. In our recent work [5], a fully distributed and fast state-estimation method is proposed with provable convergence with centralized state-estimation results. One essential function of a state estimator is to detect, identify, and eliminate measurement errors if possible. Such functions in power system operations are defined as 'bad-data processing' [6]. The main objective of this chapter is to review the bad-data processing techniques and propose a fully distributed bad-data detection algorithm for wide-area state estimation. In particular, the focus of this chapter is to (i) formulate the bad-data processing problem in a fully distributed manner; and (ii) design an information-exchange scheme among different control centres for provable distributed bad-data detection performance.


ABSTRACT The equine athlete undergoes significant musculo-skeletal changes during conditioning and competition. Unfortunately, lameness and losses are higher than desirable and the industry is challenged to use field- and laboratory-based principles for improving the well-being of race and performance horses. Body condition can be adjusted to delay fatigue and influence thermal regulation. Body weight estimates can aid in feeding horses more effectively. Preride checks and adequate warm-up are vital to the initial conditioning and specificity of training phases horses must undergo to be competitive. Heart rate provides a good monitor of how horses respond to exercise and can be used to minimize injury through effectively regulated overloading techniques. Diet plays a major role in conditioning and energy can be provided in a fashion to increase time to fatigue and improve heat dissipation. Cardiovascular fitness remains with horses longer than skeletal strength during off-periods and both ground surfaces and exercise schedules impact the length of time needed to prepare for the rigors of competition.


Media violence is related to media presentation of aggressive and violent behaviour directed at characters in the media story. Specifically, researchers have identified evidence that children's exposure to television violence is directly related to immediate and later aggressive behaviour. The relationship between television exposure and students; aggression behavior has not been studied extensively in Iranian elementary students. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative effects of television exposure on aggression behaviour among elementary students in Iran.A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 424 primary school students (aged 7-12 years) in the five provinces of Iran which selected trough a multi-stage random sampling from different geographical areas comprising of North, South, West, East and central area of Iran. This survey investigated whether exposure to television program was related to children's use of social aggression that explored using Buss- Perry standard questionnaire. The results of the study revealed a significant relationship between amount of exposure to television program and aggressive behaviours among primary school students (p<0.05). In addition, students' aggression was positively associated with watching movies with action genre (p<0.05). Furthermore students' leisure time filling with television was moderately correlated with their aggression level. The findings suggest that young people's aggressive behaviours may be related to their frequent exposure to television programs and its violent contents. Results of this study suggested the need for further attention on television children's program production to protect them from antisocial behaviours and interventions for violence-exposed children in order to reduce negative outcomes.


At first sight, and against certain counterparties, cyber warfare has appeared and proved to be a phenomenally low-cost and low-risk tool of adversarial foreign policy. But while questions increasingly arise about exposure to reciprocal risk to the most heavily digitized knowledge- and data-based economy and society, it has become clear that the genie will never again return into its bottle. Strategic, legal, and political questions will not be dodged much longer. The very advantages of cyber warfare may easily and all too quickly be turned against a first mover, especially one as vulnerable as a highly digitized industrial state. Its use for asymmetric warfare increases attractiveness to non-state actors. And one of its arguably greatest potential, the disruption of enemy economic functionality by disruption of payment systems has regularly been vetoed in the interest of the integrity of the global system. It may appear that the philosophy underlying the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as well as treaties banning use of chemical and biological weapons may provide even stronger rationales in an understanding to ensure mutual non-aggression by digital electronic means between major and even mid-size powers.


In January 2016 the Whitechapel Gallery presents Electronic Superhighway (2016-1966) a landmark exhibition that brings together over 100 artworks to show the impact of computer and Internet technologies on artists from the mid-1960s to the present day.

It features new and rarely seen multimedia works, together with film, painting, sculpture, photography and drawing by over 70 artists, including works by Cory Arcangel, Roy Ascott, Jeremy Bailey, Judith Barry, James Bridle, Douglas Coupland, Constant Dullaart, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Vera Molnar, Albert Oehlen, Trevor Paglen, Nam June Paik, Jon Rafman, Hito Steyerl, Ryan Trecartin, Thomson & Craighead, Amalia Ulman and Ulla Wiggen.

The exhibition title Electronic Superhighway (2016-1966) is taken from a term coined in 1974 by South Korean video art pioneer Nam June Paik, who foresaw the potential of global connections through technology. Arranged in reverse chronological order, Electronic Superhighway (2016-1966) begins with works made between 2000 – 2016, and ends with Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T), an iconic, artistic moment that took place in 1966. Spanning 50 years, from 2016 to 1966, key moments in the history of art and the Internet emerge as the exhibition travels back in time.

As the exhibition illustrates, the Internet has provided material for different generations of artists. Oliver Laric's painting series Versions (Missile Variations) (2010) reflects on issues surrounding digital image manipulation, production, authenticity and circulation. Further highlights include a series of photographs from conceptual artist Amalia Ulman's four-month Instagram project Excellences & Perfections (2014-15), which examines the influence of social media on attitudes towards the female body. Miniature works by Celia Hempton painted live in chatrooms go on display alongside a large scale digital painting by Albert Oehlen and manipulated camera-less photography by Thomas Ruff. The dot-com boom, from the late 1990s to early millennium, is also examined through work from international artists and collectives.

The exhibition is curated by Omar Kholeif with Emily Butler, Mahera and Mohammad Abu Ghazaleh Curator, Whitechapel Gallery and Seamus McCormack, Assistant Curator, Whitechapel Gallery.


This paper reports the results of the first systematic attempt at quantitatively measuring the seminar culture within economics and testing whether it is gender neutral. We collected data on every interaction between presenters and their audience in hundreds of research seminars and job market talks across most leading economics departments, as well as during summer conferences. We find that women presenters are treated differently than their male counterparts. Women are asked more questions during a seminar and the questions asked of women presenters are more likely to be patronizing or hostile. These effects are not due to women presenting in different fields, different seminar series, or different topics, as our analysis controls for the institution, seminar series, and JEL codes associated with each presentation. Moreover, it appears that there are important differences by field and that these differences are not uniformly mitigated by more rigid seminar formats. Our findings add to an emerging literature documenting ways in which women economists are treated differently than men, and suggest yet another potential explanation for their under-representation at senior levels within the economics profession.


Water authorities in West Java, Indonesia have difficulties in implementing water improvement programs due to lack of tools for prioritisation of water-related issues and their respective programs. To facilitate more efficient management of the water resources, the West Java Water Sustainability Index (WJWSI) was recently developed. This paper outlines the tasks for developing WJWSI and highlights the results of its application in one of West Java catchments, Citarum catchment. The results showed that five out of the thirteen indicators and sub-indicators, namely 'Water Availability, Water Quality, Education, Water Loss and Poverty', had low sub-indices and thus had poor performances. Then, the sub-indices were aggregated using the geometric aggregation method to produce the final index. The results of the aggregation indicated that the overall condition of water resources in Citarum catchment was considered poor, with a final index value of 20.04. Based on the WJWSI application, recommendations are suggested to the relevant authorities in the Citarum catchment. It is expected that the implementation of these recommendations will improve the performance of these five indicators and sub-indicators from Poor to at least the next higher level of Poor–Medium, thus improving the value of the final index from 20.04 to 37.19.


Image optimization problems encompass many applications such as spectral fusion, deblurring, deconvolution, dehazing, matting, reflection removal and image interpolation, among others. With current image sizes in the order of megabytes, it is extremely expensive to run conventional algorithms such as gradient descent, making them unfavorable especially when closed-form solutions can be derived and computed efficiently. This paper explains in detail the framework for solving convex image optimization and deconvolution in the Fourier domain. We begin by explaining the mathematical background and motivating why the presented setups can be transformed and solved very efficiently in the Fourier domain. We also show how to practically use these solutions, by providing the corresponding implementations. The explanations are aimed at a broad audience with minimal knowledge of convolution and image optimization. The eager reader can jump to Section 3 for a footprint of how to solve and implement a sample optimization function, and Section 5 for the more complex cases.


reportedly from Bangkok, has been offered for sale in recent years. Although the producers claimed that these stones were red diffusion-treated corundum (i.e., a shallow coloration induced by the lattice diffusion of chromium), the surface layer is actually a synthetic ruby overgrowth on natural colorless to near-colorless corundum. The overgrowth layer, after recutting, typically ranged from < 0.1 to 0.3 mm thick. This material can be distinguished from red lattice diffusion–treated corundum by the presence of a boundary plane and two different types of inclusion features: those that occur in the natural corundum core and those present only in the synthetic overgrowth. This product demonstrates that as treatment techniques continue to evolve, the distinction between natural, treated, and synthetic corundum may become increasingly difficult to define.


The complexity of the seismic model around most reservoirs poses significant challenges for ray methods, even for 1D model structures. Scattering, waveguide, and near-field effects potentially create waveforms that can only be modeled adequately by the full elastic wave equation. Finite-difference modeling can form the basis of a new class of interpretation tool for these scenarios. Although used extensively in reverse time migration and full-waveform inversion algorithms, it is not commonly used in microseismic applications. Microseismic modeling places more stringent demands on the finite-difference method than its more conventional applications in surface seismic imaging. A finite-difference scheme can meet these requirements by carefully accounting for the main potential sources of error in modeled results. We examine the accuracy of finite-difference seismograms through comparisons with analytical results in a dip-slip modeling example. The value of this approach as an interpretation tool in microseismic modeling is demonstrated in a survey design example from the Fayetteville Shale, where scattering and waveguide phenomena have a significant effect on the observed amplitudes. We advise placing arrays at locations where amplitudes are robust to these effects when deploying real-time ray-based inversion methods in the field.


Sublimation-grown 3C-SiC crystals were implanted with 2 atomic percent of boron ions at elevated temperature (400 °C) using multiple energies (100 to 575 keV) with a total dose of 8.5×1016 atoms/cm2. The samples were then annealed at 1400, 1500 and 1600 °C for 1h at each temperature. The buried boron box-like concentration profile can reach ~2×1021 cm-3 in the plateau region. The optical activity of the incorporated boron atoms was deduced from the evolution in absorption and emission spectra, indicating possible pathway for achieving an intermediate band behavior in boron doped 3C-SiC at sufficiently high dopant concentrations.


Buildings account for over 40% of the energy consumption in the United States, nearly 40% of which is attributed to lighting. The selection of a fenestration system for a building is a critical decision as it offsets electric lighting use as well as impacts energy performance through heating and cooling systems. Further, the fenestration system contributes to both occupant comfort and ambiance of the space. Complex Fenestration Systems (CFS) address these factors with a variety of innovative technologies but the language to describe, discuss, and compare them does not exist. Existing traditional metrics for fenestration systems are unable to reveal the benefits that characterize complex fenestration systems because they are rigid, do not reflect annual performance, and were developed for a different purpose. The framework presented in this research offers a solution to this problem by using an annual climate-based methodology to provide a comprehensive evaluation of a system by incorporating three of the most relevant performance aspects: energy efficiency, occupant visual comfort, and ability to view through. Three metrics, the Relative Energy Impact (REI), the Extent of Comfortable Daylight (ECD), and the View Through Potential (VTP), were derived from these three criteria to express, in relative terms, a facade's contribution to building energy use, comfortable daylight conditions, and the degree of transparency, respectively. Several practical matters were considered when developing a policy-relevant set of metrics, including both ease of calculation for manufacturers and usability for consumers. As such, the calculation methodology evolved from its initial proposal into a simplified approach, analytical where possible, and into a label-like concept for visual representation. These metrics are intended to exist as a mechanism by which manufacturers can evaluate and compare facade systems, provide high-level intuition of relative performance for designers and contractors, and enable the balance of performance objectives based on user preference. Ultimately, the creation of this comprehensive language is intended to stimulate innovation in fenestration systems and encourage their use in both new and retrofit building applications.


Picosecond pulses from semiconductor lasers are chirped (have time-dependent wavelengths) due to the effect of free carriers on the refractive index of the laser material. For optically pumped ultrashort-cavity semiconductor film lasers, the chirp is large (>1 nm/psec) and nonlinear in time because of the very high carrier concentration (> 1020 carriers/cm3) present during the operation of the laser. Experimentally, the chirp of film lasers is measured by optical upconversion sampling of the laser pulse followed by spectral filtering. This paper presents a mathematical model of this detection scheme which is used to extract the instantaneous time-dependent laser wavelength λ(t) from the measured data. Coefficients for the linear and quadratic terms of a power-series expansion of λ(t) are obtained for two InGaAsP film lasers. These parameters are used to compute time-averaged pulse spectra, which are compared with measured spectra. A formula is presented for the compression of chirped pulses in dispersive optical media which is used for comparison with experimental pulse compression results obtained by passing the film laser pulse through a short dispersive optical fiber. Finally, the time-dependent wavelength is related to the instantaneous carrier concentration in semiconductor material.


Around the first half century B.C. the first Roman school of philosophy arose, which was called School of Sextii. The known members of the School were: Quintus Sextius the Elder, founding father of the School, Sextius Niger, Quintus' son, who became scholarch of the School after his father's death, Sotion, Papirius Fabianus (both teachers of Seneca the Younger), Crassicius Pasicles, a grammarian, and Celsius Cornelius, an expert doctor. The School followed the footsteps of the Hellenistic schools, and similar to these, t he pursuit of happiness was its purpose. T he school of the Sextii had taken to heart that part of the philosophy called physical, characterizing itself mainly as a philosophical-medical school, blending in its philosophy Pythagorean, Platonic, Cynic, and Stoic elements. The purpose of this paper is to underline the main features of the philosophical thought of the school, searching for possible new elements in its doctrine.


In this paper some function theoretic properties of an open Riemann surface are related to a condition on the exhaustion of the surface by finite Riemann surfaces. The class of Myrberg surfaces is introduced; these are certain branched covering surfaces of the unit disc. The exhaustion condition is used to distinguish those Myrberg surfaces on which the bounded analytic functions separate points. A complete description is given of the ways in which the space of bounded analytic functions on a Myrberg surface can de-generate. The exhaustion condition is stated in terms of the Green's function; it is already known to be equivalent to a function theoretic condition on the fundamental group of the surface. This latter condition is shown to imply that the surface is an open subset of the spectrum of its Banach algebra of bounded analytic functions.


Arctic winter, spring and autumn surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies and associated sea level pressure (SLP) fields have decidedly different spatial patterns at the beginning of the 21st century (2000–2007) compared to most of the 20th century; we suggest calling this recent interval the Arctic warm period. For example, spring melt date as measured at the North Pole Environmental Observatory (2002–2007) is 7 d earlier than the records from the Russian North Pole stations (1937–1987) and statistically different at the 0.05 level. The 20th centurywas dominated by the two main climate patterns, the Arctic Oscillation/Northern Annular Mode (AO/NAM)and the Pacific North American-like (PNA*) pattern. The predominately zonal winds associated with the positive phases of these patterns contribute to warm anomalies in the Arctic primarily over their respective Eastern andWestern Hemisphere land areas, as in 1989–1995 and 1977–1987. In contrast, SAT in winter (DJF) and spring (MAM) for 2000–2007 show an Arctic-wide SAT anomaly of greater than +1.0◦C and regional hot spots over the central Arctic of greater than +3.0◦C. Unlike the AO and PNA*, anomalous geostrophic winds for 2000–2007 often tended to blow toward the central Arctic, a meridional wind circulation pattern. In spring 2000–2005, these winds were from the Bering Sea toward the North Pole, whereas in 2006–2007 they were mostly from the eastern Barents Sea. A meridional pattern was also seen in the late 1930s with anomalous winter (DJFM) SAT, at Spitzbergen, of greater than +4◦C. Both periods suggest natural atmospheric advective contributions to the hot spots with regional loss of sea ice. Recent warm SAT anomalies in autumn are consistent with climate model projections in response to summer reductions in sea ice extent. The recent dramatic loss of Arctic sea ice appears to be due to a combination of a global warming signal and fortuitous phasing of intrinsic climate patterns.


Objectives
Low-protein diets are reported to induce hyperphagia to fulfil protein needs but at the expense of energy balance with a risk to gain in adiposity. However, different studies did not show body fat gain because an increased energy expenditure partly compensated the increase in energy intake and prevents the gain in adiposity. The present study evaluated in mice the consequence of protein restricted diets combined with protein quality (milk protein versus soy protein with slight methionine deficiency) on energy balance and adiposity and the role of FGF21 in the response to the protein restricted diets.

Methods
The study investigated in female BalbC mice the behavioural, metabolic and phenotypic responses to 8 weeks feeding a very low (3% energy - P3), moderately low (6% - P6) or adequate (20% - P20) dietary protein diet and evaluated if methionine scarcity, using soy protein (S) vs casein (C), affected these responses. Food intake, body weight, adiposity (assessed by DEXA), were measured throughout the study and body composition determined at the end of the study. Plasma, liver, muscle, adipose tissue and hypothalamus samples were collected for nutrient, hormones and gene expression measurements.

Results
Decreasing dietary casein from 20% to 3% increased energy intake, slightly increased adiposity, and this was exacerbated with methionine-deficient soy protein (figure 1). Lean body mass was reduced in 3% casein fed mice but preserved in all 6% fed mice. The effect on fat mass was limited because energy expenditure was also increased (figure 2). In plasma, low protein diets decreased IGF-1 and increased FGF21 that was related to protein level, protein to carbohydrate ratio and methionine content in the diet (figure 3). Insulin response to an oral glucose test was reduced in soy and low-protein fed mice. Low-protein diets did not affect Ucp1 but increased Fgf21 in brown adipose tissue and Fgf21, Fas, and Cd36 in the liver. In the hypothalamus, Npy was increased and Pomc was decreased only in 3% casein fed mice.

Conclusions
Reducing dietary protein and protein quality increases both energy intake and energy expenditure resulting only in slight increase in adiposity. In this process FGF21 is probably a signal that responds to a combination of protein restriction and carbohydrate content of the diet.

Funding Sources
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, AgroParisTech.

Supporting Tables Images and/or Graphs


Background: In today's modern and fast moving, hectic life style the common man has no time to take care of his health. People are habituated to various bad habits such as alcohol, smoking, tobacco chewing etc. of these, alcoholism is the most commonly occurring addiction that affects not only the physical and mental status of an individual but also his family and social life. Aim: To study the efficacy of Drakshadi Panaka in Pittaj Madatyaya . Methodology: Selected 40 patients for the clinical trials were divided into 2 groups. The signs and symptoms of Madatyaya described by the classics were used as the tools for assessment of the variables. Conclusion : On the basis of the observations of symptoms it can be said that the trial drug was clinically effective and found to be statistically . Drakshadi Panaka is easy to prepare, administer, palatable and cost effective. Drakshadi Panaka is one of the kalpas which is elicited in the specific treatment of Pittaj Madatyaya . It was statistically significant in reducing alkaline phosphate levels


A long time ago most economists would have limited themselves to stating that agreements should be individually rational and efficient and that selecting a specific agreement from that set depends on bargaining and negotiation power whatever that may be. Nowadays hardly any economist will argue that way. The change has been brought about by the strategic approach to bargaining and cooperation and the parallel experimental studies of bargaining and negotiation. When arguing what should be explored more thoroughly, we will point out directions where previous efforts may have been misdirected, where importing new methods may be helpful or even needed, and where new research questions need to be asked and answered.


The capability of linear optics to generate entangled states is exploited in photonic quantum information processing, however, it is challenging to obtain entangled logical qubit states. We report, to the best of our knowledge, the most compact scheme producing the dual-rail-encoded Bell states out of four single photons. Our scheme requires a five-mode interferometer and a single photon detector, while the previously known schemes use six-mode interferometers and two photon detectors. Using computer optimization, we have found a decomposition of the five-mode interferometer with a minimum number of beam-splitters and phase-shift elements. Besides compactness, our scheme also offers a success probability of 1/9, which is higher than 2/27 provided by the six-mode counterparts. The analysis suggests that the elevated success probability is connected to higher order of photon interference realized by our scheme, in particular, four-photon interference is implemented in our scheme, while three-photon interference was implemented in previous counterparts.


Most economic interactions happen in a context of sequential exchange in which innocent third parties suffer information asymmetry with respect to previous " originative " contracts. The law reduces transaction costs by protecting these third parties but preserves some element of consent by property right holders to avoid damaging property enforcement—e.g., it is they, as principals, who authorize agents in originative contracts. Judicial verifiability of these originative contracts is obtained either as an automatic byproduct of transactions or, when these would have remained private, by requiring them to be made public. Protecting third parties produces a legal commodity which is easy to trade impersonally, improving the allocation and specialization of resources. Historical delay in generalizing this legal commoditization paradigm is attributed to path dependency—the law first developed for personal trade—and an unbalance in vested interests, as luddite legal professionals face weak public bureaucracies.


There are different approaches to the problem of assigning a part of speech (POS) tag to each word of a natural language sentence. We present a comparison of the different approaches of POS tagging for the Bangla language and two other South Asian languages, as well as the baseline performances of different POS tagging techniques for the English language. The most widely used methods for English are the statistical methods i.e. n-gram based tagging or Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based tagging, the rule based or transformation based methods i.e. Brill's tagger. Subsequent researches add various modifications to these basic approaches to improve the performance of the taggers for English. Here, we present an elaborate review of previous work in the area with the focus on South Asian Languages such as Hindi and Bangla. We experiment with Brill's transformation based tagger and the supervised HMM based tagger without modifications for added improvement in accuracy, on English using training corpora of different sizes from the Brown corpus. We also compare the performances of these taggers on three South Asian languages with the focus on Bangla using two different tagsets and corpora of different sizes, which reveals that Brill's transformation based tagger performs considerably well for South Asian languages. We also check the baseline performances of the taggers for English and try to conclude how these approaches might perform if we use a considerable amount of annotated training corpus.


For grid-connected inverter, phase-locked loop (PLL) is a common method to synchronize the output current with the grid voltage. However, in weak grid, as the grid impedance cannot be ignored, the inverter tends to be unstable. Besides, the grid impedance can vary in the actual application, using fixed PLL parameters designed for specific grid condition cannot guarantee the inverter robustness against the grid impedance varying. Hence, this paper aims to propose an improved method to improve the typical single-phase delay-based PLL. At first, the impedance model of the inverter is established and the reason for the system stability deterioration is analyzed in detail. Then, an adaptive PLL is proposed based on the quasi-passive method for grid-impedance measurement. The PI parameters of the PLL have been adaptively adjusted online according to the measured grid impedance so as to achieve the high phase margin (PM, not less than 40°) in the weak grid. Simulation results have proved that the proposed adaptive PLL can ensure the system stability, maintain the high quality of grid current and robustness in the weak grid.


I. Introduction As indicated rightly by Chastain (1988), students arrive at their language class bearing a number of preconceptions that affect their attitude and performance in the class. These preexisting conceptions have to do with the speakers' previous experience, with the actual language classes, with the teacher, with language learning ability and also with complex set of attitudes and expectations that language learners bring to the classroom. These opinions may facilitate learning or inhibit it In short; a central role is attributed to learner beliefs. For example, Richards and Lockhart (1994) put forward that learner belief can influence their willingness to participate, their expectations about language learning, their perceptions about what is easy or difficult about a language and finally their learning strategies. Chastain (1988), on the other hand, asserts justifiably that teachers' beliefs need also be investigated since their ideas might not match with those of students'. For instance, if students conceive of a language class as consisting primarily of studying grammar and memorizing vocabulary, the teacher might be more likely to accomplish the course goals if objectives and classroom procedures are clearly explained and justified at the beginning of the course as done in many parts of the world even today. Additionally, Horwitz (1987) correctly points out that it is always possible to find instances of student dissatisfaction whenever instructional activities are inconsistent with students' preconceived ideas about language learning. In such a situation, learners will lose confidence in the instructional approach and their ultimate achievement will be limited. Considering their influence on many aspects of learning, the beliefs of learners and teachers need to be investigated in depth before the classroom procedures, activities and tasks are chosen. Inspired by Horwitz (1985, 1987, 1988), many researchers such as Brown (1994), Ellis (1994) and Hutchinson (1987) have investigated the roles of teachers and learners in language learning and stated that learners, as well as teachers, have their own attitudes and beliefs which are likely to influence the way they set their roles and within these roles, beliefs and attitudes deeply influence the whole educational process. Thus, on the basis of these claims and findings, the main concern of this study hopes to expand previous understandings by analyzing of 70 freshmen students of the Electric-Electronics Engineering Department and of 28 instructors of English language at Dumlupinar University. Aim of the Study The aim of this study is to find out what beliefs about language learning Turkish students at Dumlupinar University (DPU), Engineering Faculty have and whether there are significant differences between their beliefs and those of their teachers'. Further, knowledge of student and teacher beliefs can play a facilitative role for learning through establishing pedagogic parameters. The following research questions form the basis of this study: 1. What are the students' and their teachers' beliefs about language learning at Engineering Faculty in DPU? 2. Do the student' and teachers' beliefs match? If there is a significant difference between the students' and their teachers' beliefs about language learning, then research hypothesis which is in fact the null-hypothesis will be rejected. Otherwise, the null-hypothesis will be supported to the conclusion that students' and teachers' beliefs concerning language learning match. II--Review of Literature Stern (1983:339) regards learner characteristics as one of the determiners of the learning process and learning outcome. Several learner variables such as age, sex, cognitive variables, affective factors, and personality have been previously considered as irrelevant for the attainment of proficiency. However, at the present state of research findings, all these and more of learner characteristics and traits can be regarded as relevant to language learning. …


In this paper, we present a theoretical framework for information technology supported knowledge management in hybrid supply channels. The framework has been applied to IBM in an exploratory case study. The study supports the framework. The framework characterises the competitive environment of companies and describes the resulting need for hybrid channelling and effective partnering. For hybrid channelling three types of knowledge are important: contextual, operational and functional knowledge. For partners situated upstream in the channel, contextual knowledge is the hardest to acquire. One needs its partners situated downstream in the channel to provide this knowledge. These partners on the other hand need their upstream partners to provide functional and operational knowledge. Information technology is a powerful tool for knowledge management in supply chains by providing four functions: adviser, assistant, librarian and teacher.


MABENA model is a complementary model in comparison with traditional models such as HCMS, CM S and etc. New factors, which have effects on preparation of s trategic plans and their sequential order in MABENA model is the platf orm of presented road map in this paper.Study review shows , factors such as emerging new critical success factors for strategic planning, improvement of international strategic models, incr easing the maturity of companies and emerging new needs leadin g to design a new model which can be responsible for new critical factors and solve the limitations of previous strategic managem ent models. Preparation of strategic planning need more factors than introduced in traditional models. The needed factors includes termining future Critical Success Factors and competencies, defining key processes, determining the maturity of the processes, consider ing all aspects of the external environment etc. Description of aforem entioned requirements, the outcomes and their order is devel oping and presenting the MABENA model's road map in this pape r. This study presents a road map for strategic planning of the I ranian organizations. Keywords—Competitive Advantage, Process Maturity, Strategic Planning, Strategic potential


Grandmamma called planes— her palms spoke like engines; fingers, wings. White dust parted air and followed hands like a voice lingering still, always gripping for a field sign: the edge of a broken fingernail, cracked knuckle mound. Woman played the signs of Mason men she knew she shouldn't have known, remembering, Big Daddy taught me, and Not a sign for little girls. Yes, Woman turned plain men and their topdressing into her own—plucking precise the signs of something infinite, exact as handfuls of chicken down. This was her potency, her feat of will: the ability to direct movement away from the white husk of heaven and weigh it to a dive clap to ground. But what did we know skirted and scampered around the summer yard in winter stocking, puffing cigarette candies—rings of sugar smoke, that saccharine satisfaction? What did we learn for that matter, those Julys away from home, clambering uphill, tumbling mannish after each other? It used to be that this was no more than carved time for summer family, that there was nothing to be learned hiding behind magnolias and blossoming to base. It used to be that hide-n-seek was all we knew, lips to cheeks our only retribution.


Abstract A new species of castorids, Propalaeocastor irtyshensis, n.sp., from the Burqin Basin of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, is described. The new species, represented by a right maxilla with well-preserved P4–M3, is the earliest and northernmost occurrence of castorids in China. It is characterized mainly by the cheek tooth crown being higher than that of P. butselensis but lower than that of Steneofiber aff. dehmi (probably a new species of Propalaeocastor), and by lingual confluence of the mesoflexus to the lingual fossette of the premesoflexus. Comparison with known species previously assigned to Steneofiber from Europe and Kazakhstan leads to the conclusion that the early Oligocene forms previously assigned to the genus, such as "S. butselensis" and "S. kazachstanicus", differ significantly from those represented by S. eseri from the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of Europe. We consider Propalaeocastor a valid genus, provide an emended diagnosis for it, and discuss its evolutionary trend in relation to Steneofiber. Preliminary analysis of Burqin fauna suggests an age of early Early Oligocene. Faunal transformations across the Eocene–Oligocene boundary in the Burqin region are comparable to those of Europe and the Mongolian Plateau and suggest linkage of faunal turnovers and global climate changes.


The lattice Boltzmann method exhibits excellent scalability on current supercomputing systems and has thus increasingly become an alternative method for large-scale nonstationary flow simulations, reaching up to a trillion ($10^{12}$) grid nodes. Additionally, grid refinement can lead to substantial savings in memory and compute time. These savings, however, come at the cost of much more complex data structures and algorithms. In particular, the interface between subdomains with different grid sizes must receive special treatment. In this article, we present parallel algorithms, distributed data structures, and communication routines that are implemented in the software framework waLBerla in order to support large-scale, massively parallel lattice Boltzmann-based simulations on nonuniform grids. Additionally, we evaluate the performance of our approach on two current petascale supercomputers. On an IBM Blue Gene/Q system, the largest weak scaling benchmarks with refined grids are executed with almost 2 mi...


A cross-shelf transect o f three petroleum platforms and a coastal rock jetty (another hardsubstrate, artificial habitat) in the northcentral Gulf were sampled to examine the role that oil and gas platforms (hard substrate habitat) may play in the early life history stages o f reef-dependent and reefassociated fishes. The ichthyoplankton and juvenile fish assemblages were sampled at Green Canyon 18 (GC 18; 230 m depth, shelf slope); Grand Isle 94 (Gl 94; 60 m depth, mid-shelf); and South Timbalier 54 (ST 54; 20 m depth, inner shelf) with passive plankton nets and light-traps and at a coastal rock jetty (Belle Pass; 3-5 m depth) with a light-trap and a plankton pushnet. At all sites clupeiforms dominated samples, comprising 59-97% o f the total catch. Results o f Kolmogorov-Smimov length-frequency comparisons o f fish collected in plankton nets vs. light-traps (platforms) indicated light-traps generally collected significantly larger individuals. At the jetties, greater overlap in size distributions was observed for comparisons o f the pushnet and light-trap. Reef-dependent (e.g., pomacentrids. scarids, chaetodontids and labrids) and reef-associated (e.g., serranids. lutjanids, blenniids and holocentrids) taxa were relatively rare in our collections compared to coastal pelagic (scombrids and carangids) and demersal taxa (sciaenids), which are also ofren associated with petroleum platforms. Taxonomic richness and diversity was highest at mid-shelf platform (GI 94), possibly a result o f its proximity to a high density o f upstream and surrounding platforms which may create generally favorable conditions for the recruitment o f reef taxa. Preflexion and early larval stages o f reef-dependent and reef-associated fishes were collected at the outer shelf platform (blenniids. holocentrids, serranids, lutjanids and scarids), mid-shelf platform (pomacentrids. blenniids, holocentrids, lutjanids and serranids), and inner shelf platform (blenniids and lutjanids), suggesting nearby spawning or local supply. Similarly, presettlement and settlement-sized reef-dependent and reef-associated fishes were collected at the outer shelf (pomacentrids. scarids, blenniids, serranids, lutjanids and holocentrids). mid-shelf (pomacentrids, blenniids, serranids, lutjanids and holocentrids), and inner shelf (labrids, blenniids, serranids and lutjanids) platforms. With the limited amount o f hard-substrate habitat available in the northern Gulf, the addition o f artificial habitats (platforms) may increase the chances o f finding suitable spawning or settlement habitat.


The present study aimed to identify attitudes of students of Sultan Qaboos University towards the inclusion of disabled peers. To achieve the objective of the study, the researchers used a scale to measure students' attitudes towards inclusion. The final version of the scale consisted of 34 items after verification of validity and reliability. The results showed no significant difference between students of colleges of science and humanities in their attitudes towards the inclusion of their disabled peers. However, there were statistically significant differences in attitudes towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in terms of gender; in favor of females domain and the total score. There were differences in attitudes towards the inclusion of students with disabilities among males and females in the college of science, and in favor of females on all domains of the scale. Also, there was significant interaction effect (gender by academic level). Meanwhile, the results of the study did not show statistically significant differences in attitudes between male and female students in the College of Humanities The exception was in behavioral domain, where female students' attitudes were more positive towards inclusion than male students. In light of these results, the study recommended to study the attitudes of both administration and academic staff towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in Sultan Qaboos University.


The authors previously (1996) presented a model of nonprehensile manipulation, using two one-degree-of-freedom palms. Under the assumptions of low friction and quasistatic motion, we developed a planning method for part reorientation with our model, starting from a known initial state. Our method finds feasible paths through the space of equivalent state configurations of the object in the palms, without requiring that the palms maintain stable support of the object over the entire path. We have shown that such a device can reliably orient parts in the plane. In this paper we extend our method to the case of reorienting a part to a desired goal from an unknown initial state. In addition to the all sliding contacts case which the model is based upon, we look at extensions to rolling contacts. We include the results of tests with example plans.


Chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) occurs as a consequence of injury to the nervous system. Despite recent advances, CNP lacks objective diagnostic criteria, is often unrelenting and refractory to treatment. The primary aims of this thesis are twofold; the identification of CNP biomarkers using both human cohorts and an animal model (spinal nerve ligation; SNL) of neuropathic pain, and to provide clarity on the role of GTP cylcohydrolase I (GCH1) in CNP.

Analysis of GCH1 and related genes and metabolites was conducted. As biomarkers, nitrite/nitrate and neopterin did not differentiate controls from CNP patients. However, significant differences were observed with biopterins, whilst correlations were observed between GCH1, nitrite/nitrate and neopterin, which were notably stronger in patients than controls. Analysis in human cohorts and in the SNL model also inferred that downregulation of GCHFR may contribute to BH4 synthesis.

In order to provide clarity on the role of the GCH1 pain protective haplotype, reporter gene assays were used. This demonstrated a potential regulatory role for the GCH1 5' SNP (rs8007267). In silico prediction of transcription factor binding sites suggested that this may be mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator. The use of electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed strong specific binding with probe pertaining to the major allele. Further analysis is required to elucidate transcription factor binding, potentially facilitated by 2D-PAGE and mass spectrometry.

In order to further elucidate potential CNP biomarkers, microarray analysis and qRT-PCR were performed using blood obtained from CNP patients. Data refinement led to the isolation of 27 potential CNP biomarkers, of which several cross-validated between cohorts. Microarray data, literature evidence, and correlations with previous microarrays provided evidence suggestive of a role for TIMP1. Multiple other genes, including CASP5, TLR4, TLR5, MC1R and CX3CR1, were differentially regulated in CNP. Genes surviving microarray data refinement were subsequently analysed in the dorsal horn of Sprague Dawley and Wistar Kyoto rats after SNL. Several genes, including Dpp3, Mc1r and Timp1, were similarly differentially expressed in the rodent SNL model, which suggests that these genes may be involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of CNP, and may also function as potential translational biomarkers of CNP.

This work provides multiple avenues for expansion and further investigation. Clearly, the challenges associated with biomarker discovery in CNP states are considerable, though it is hoped that this thesis provides valuable insight and the necessary foundation for future work.


Games are an increasingly useful tool for training and testing learning algorithms. Recent examples include GANs, AlphaZero and the AlphaStar league. However, multi-agent learning can be extremely difficult to predict and control. Learning dynamics even in simple games can yield chaotic behavior. In this paper, we present basic mechanism design tools for constructing games with predictable and controllable dynamics. We show that arbitrarily large and complex network games, encoding both cooperation (team play) and competition (zero-sum interaction), exhibit conservation laws when agents use the standard regret-minimizing dynamics known as Followthe-Regularized-Leader. These laws persist when different agents use different dynamics and encode long-range correlations between agents' behavior, even though the agents may not interact directly. Moreover, we provide sufficient conditions under which the dynamics have multiple, linearly independent, conservation laws. Increasing the number of conservation laws results in more predictable dynamics, eventually making chaotic behavior formally impossible in some cases.


AgTcO(4) reacts with R(3)ECl compounds (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; R = Me, (i)Pr, (t)Bu, Ph), (t)Bu(2)SnCl(2), or PhMgCl under formation of novel trioxotechnetium(VII) derivatives. The carbon and silicon derivatives readily undergo decomposition, which was proven by (99)Tc NMR spectroscopy and the isolation of decomposition products such as [TcOCl(3)(THF)(OH(2))]. Compounds [Ph(3)GeOTcO(3)], [(THF)Ph(3)SnOTcO(3)], [(O(3)TcO)Sn(t)Bu(2)(OH)](2), and [(THF)(4)Mg(OTcO(3))(2)] are more stable and were isolated in crystalline form and characterized by X-ray diffraction.


The large-scale distribution of arrival directions of high-energy cosmic rays carries major clues to understanding their origin. The Pierre Auger Collaboration have implemented different analyses to search for dipolar and quadrupolar anisotropies in different energy ranges spanning four orders of magnitude. A common phase ≈ 270◦ of the first harmonic modulation in right-ascension was found in adjacent energy intervals below 1 EeV, and another common phase ≈ 100◦ above 4 EeV. A constancy of phase measurements in ordered energy intervals originating from a genuine anisotropy is expected to appear with a smaller number of events than those needed to achieve significant amplitudes. This led us to design a prescribed test aimed at establishing whether this consistency in phases is real at 99% CL. The test required a total independent exposure of 21,000 km2 sr yr. We report on the status of this prescription. We also report the results of the search for a dipole anisotropy for cosmic rays with energies above 4 EeV using events with zenith angles between 60◦ and 80◦. Compared to previous analyses of events with zenith angles smaller than 60◦, this extension increases the size of the data set by 30%, and enlarges the fraction of exposed sky from 71% to 85%. The largest departure from isotropy is found in the energy range above 8 EeV, with an amplitude for the first harmonic in right ascension r1 = (4.4±1.0)×10−2, that has a chance probability P(≥ r1) = 6.4×10−5, reinforcing the hint previously reported with vertical events alone.


Since the 1990s, there have been trends in Central and Eastern European countries to reduce water consumption. This phenomenon is closely related to the political, social and economic changes in these countries and the introduction of economic instruments in water management. The article presents the changes in water consumption in households in the years 1950–2019 depending on the degree of equipping buildings with sanitary facilities, and the structure of water consumption for particular purposes. For the same period, the quality of sewage generated in households is presented on the basis of bibliography. The content of total suspended solids was the main analysed parameter. The last part of the article presents the quality of wastewater discharged to fourteen Polish wastewater treatment plants. The majority of the analysed plants show an increase in the concentration of total suspended solids in the domestic sewage discharged to them. This phenomenon may be influenced by the decreasing water consumption in households.

http://www.jeeng.net/pdf-118300-48025?filename=Changes in the Quality of.pdf


Abstract:Terence, celebrated author of six comedies, has been studied in many classrooms during Antiquity. A witness of this fact is the extensive commentary by Donatus. Among most fathers of the Church, Terence had a bad press. For Lactantius, the eloquence displayed in comedy is altogether pernicious. Augustine singles out a well-known passage from the Eunuch for censure on several occasions.In Renaissance education, nonetheless, Terence remained a prerequisite for mastering eloquence. Erasmus strongly recommended him to teachers of his age. Melanchthon's belief in Terence as a master of excellence in everyday Latin and a model of rhetorical skill was strengthened by his positive appraisal of Terence's moral intentions. In the theological philosophy he developed, ancient ethics acquired a prominent place. Disciples of the praæceptor Germanice published extensive commentaries on Terence's comedies. J. Willich carefullv defined the moral issues of each individual scene in his surprisingly detailed analysis of Terence's comedies. His commentary (1550) enjoyed considerable fame.


Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) deployments are expected to grow significantly in emerging mobile systems as they offer a plethora of services and mobile applications. In current systems, network access servers (NAS) periodically report the service usage of mobile users located within their coverage areas. The periodic reports are used by the billing systems to minimize the incurred capital losses if the serving NAS fails. While shorter reporting intervals are desired for lower losses, they can potentially result in undesirably high signaling load. Because it is prohibitively difficult to obtain optimal reporting intervals in mobile systems due to multitudes of services with different mobility profiles, current accounting standards offer no quantitative measures for selecting a proper reporting interval and AAA systems are typically designed via over provisioning. To address this issue, we propose an adaptive optimization mechanism in multiservice AAA systems which limits the potential loss without excessively generating unnecessary usage reports. Our optimization mechanism embraces the current AAA IETF standards RADIUS and its successor Diameter and does not require any modifications to the AAA protocols nor to the network access servers' implementation, and its implementation scope is limited to the AAA systems. The results demonstrate that our mechanism is robust under various operational conditions, easy to implement, and offers considerable potential for loss control compared to the current static approaches.