In Cambodia, fish provide a major source of animal protein for rural households. Capture fisheries have declined and aquaculture has been identified as playing an important role in food and nutritional security and rural income generation. In 2011, WorldFish, in partnership with the Stung Treng Fishery Administration Cantonment and the Culture and Environment Preservation Association, aimed at improving the uptake of small-scale aquaculture by communities with limited experience in fish culture in Stung Treng Province in northeast Cambodia. The system was given the name "WISH ponds,†derived from the combination of the words "water" and "fish" to reflect the integration of fish cultivation with water for storage and vegetable growing. It was targeted towards households with limited space to construct large aquaculture ponds, such as peri-urban households. The study indicated that WISH ponds can create an important learning platform for communities to address challenges associated with small-scale aquaculture development by using scientific data generated and owned by the participants. Results from this 2011 study provided important insights into the challenges and constraints for introducing small-scale aquaculture into rural households in Cambodia. In mid-2013, WorldFish won a Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation grant, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, to build upon its successful engagement with communities in northeast Cambodia where WISH ponds had already been introduced and investigate scaling this technology to establish more WISH ponds in these communities.


Background:The absence of evidence-based guidelines for prostate cancer treatment led the Institute of Medicine to include localized prostate cancer treatment among the 25 most important topics for comparative effectiveness research. Objective:This study compared prostate cancer treatment and survival in men with and without prevalent comorbid conditions. Research Design:The sample comprised elderly men, aged 66 years and older, extracted from SEER-Medicare data, between 2004 and 2009 (N=73,563). Treatment and survival for men with at least 1 of 4 prevalent comorbid conditions were compared with men who did not have any of the 12 Charlson comorbid conditions. The sample was stratified by comorbid condition and low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk disease. Results:Over half of men received some form of cancer-directed treatment, irrespective of comorbid condition. Men who have congestive heart failure (CHF) or multiple comorbid conditions were less likely to be treated, whereas men with diabetes were more likely to be treated. With the exception of men with CHF, men with comorbid conditions and low-risk disease received no survival benefit from any type of treatment. Conclusions:Most men received treatment, particularly radiation therapy, regardless of comorbid condition. The evidence suggests more caution should be used when treating men with low-risk disease and comorbid conditions as they are at risk for adverse events and additional medical costs, without a survival benefit.


Selection for feed efficiency is of increasing interest for cattle breeders, and countries are combining data to develop genomic breeding values to be used across feeding systems. Also a classical question is if we should breed cows with a higher feed intake (capacity) so they can convert more roughage into milk, or should we breed cows that are efficient and have a lower feed intake for a given yield, i.e. that are more profitable (milk yield feed intake). To answer this question genotype by environment (GxE) was investigated. Experiments with a total of 1,602 cows recorded for dry matter intake (DMI), fat-protein corrected milk (FPCM) and liveweight) (LW) were grouped into a high, medium and low nutritional environment to estimate genetic parameters. Heritability for DMI and LW were constant across the environments, for milk yield there was a decrease in h2 from high to low environment. Genetic correlations between the environments ranged between 0.68 to 0.90 for DMI, and were slightly lower for FPCM, and higher for LW. Selection index calculations demonstrated that selection for higher intake gave heavier cows, and when selecting for a higher intake relatively to milk yield on a higher density diet there was no benefit in terms of profit on lower density diets. Therefore, the breeding goals should always be for profit (FPCM – DMI) independent of the nutritional environment.


Raman spectroscopy, together with multivariate statistical analyses, has proven to be a near real-time analytical technique capable of phenotyping cells, tissues and organs. This dissertation will show exclusively the application of the Raman spectroscopy phenotypic profiling method to; (i) microbial toxicity, (ii) ex-vivo organ perfusion, and (iii) subcellular location targeting. Real-time analytical methods for monitoring living biological systems will enable study of the physiological changes associated with growth, genetic manipulations, and adverse environmental conditions. Most existing analytical methods (NMR exempt), though highly accurate, must be performed off-line and most require destruction of the studied sample. These attributes make these methodologies less desirable to the study of physiological changes of cells, tissues, and organs. In this work, Raman spectroscopy has been identified and shown to be a good candidate for real-time analysis mainly because it can be performed: (i) in near realtime, (ii) non-destructively and with minimal sample preparation, (iii) through a glass barrier (i.e., can be performed in situ), and (iv) with minimal spectral interference from water. Here, Raman spectroscopy was used in combination with multivariate statistics to analyze the differing toxic effects of 4-C chain alcohols on E. coli. Good correlations were established between Raman spectra and off-line analytical techniques used to measure: (i) saturated, unsaturated, and cyclopropane fatty acids; (ii) amino acid composition of total protein; and (iii) cell membrane fluidity. Also, Raman "fingerprint" analysis was used to discriminate among different phenotypic responses of cells. In addition, this methodology was applied to analyze perfusates of organs maintained by the VasoWave organ perfusion system. Raman fingerprints can be used to assess organ health, and it is believed this data can be used to inform decisions such as whether or not to transplant an organ. Finally, molecular biology techniques were used to design and produce specific protein targets harboring a silver binding domain fusion, which upon release migrate to specific subcellular locations. By employing the related technique of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which produces a highly amplified Raman signal in the presence of metallic nanoparticle substrates (e.g., silver nanoparticles), different regions of the E. coli cell structure were studied. The target regions studied by the technique included: (i) outer cell membrane, (ii) periplasm, and the (iii) cytoplasm.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative sub-cortical neurological disorder primarily involving morphologic and neurochemical changes in the human brain, particularly the basal ganglia. Basal ganglia is a term used to identify areas of the basal forebrain and midbrain known to be involved in the control of movement and some higher cortical functions. Cardinal motor symptoms in PD include muscle rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia, a loss of postural reflexes and, in extreme cases, akinesia. These symptoms can be experienced either unilaterally or bilaterally. Non-motor symptoms in PD include cognitive decline, depression, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, and apathy. Changes in cognitive functioning in PD can range from mild cognitive impairment to Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). While studies investigating a potential relationship between motor symptom phenotype and cognitive decline in PD exist, results have been equivocal to date. Additional research has been recommended and this was the aim of the current studies. Participants (n = 88) were recruited from the Royal Hobart Hospital and administered a comprehensive assessment battery that included demographic and mood measures, a range of cognitive measures covering immediate and delayed memory, executive functioning, visuospatial functioning, and language, as well as several tests of motor functioning. Study One examined the link between current motor functioning and cognitive performance. Despite no significant between groups differences on demographic variables such as age, years of education, pre-morbid cognitive functioning, mood, and disease duration, participants in the lower motor functioning group consistently performed more poorly on all cognitive tasks included in the assessment battery. Study Two examined the impact of side of motor symptom onset, comparing the current cognitive functioning of participants who experience left sided, right sided, or bilateral motor symptoms at time of initial diagnosis. While no significant differences were found between those with left sided and right sided motor symptom onset, those with bilateral motor symptom onset were significantly (p < .001) more likely to achieve the poorest cognitive results. Study Three examined the potentially confounding impact of motor functioning and side of onset when assessing anxiety and depression in a PD population using the two-factor Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as well as a three-factor model of the HADS that separated anxiety, depression, and psychomotor symptoms. Results cautioned against reliance on the traditional HADS for detecting mood symptoms in people with PD. Overall results indicate that motor symptom presentation can provide valuable information regarding cognitive functioning and mood in PD populations.


In this paper, we propose a procedure that makes it possible to create a virtual multibank agent that will assist potential banking customers in their decision making, who are demanding with respect to the level and quality of the banking services that they would like to receive, particularly when it comes to deciding to invest their savings or apply for financing for their expenses. The virtual multibank agent would act on two levels: first, it would optimize navigation through an online banking website; and secondly, it would sort through the banking information available online and refine this information in order to offer the best option among those available. Tabu search algorithms and the use of intelligent agents based on fuzzy logic by means of prior categorization are techniques that have proven to be useful in applications for the optimum distribution of information in the shortest amount of time possible, and the search for the best solution among all those available.


We explore how the joint modeling of financial assets can utilize methodologies from geostatistical modeling. The considered approach is essentially based on modeling data as realizations of a (Gaussian) random field. This allows for a parsimonious representation of the dependence structure by means of a covariance function taken to be a function of the distance between observations. A key benefit of this ansatz is the possibility to include new data points, i.e. to consider new companies in financial applications. Consequently, geostatistical modeling has appealing benefits in the contexts of covariance matrix estimation and missing data imputation. We thoroughly discuss the necessary adjustments when applying geostatistical methods to the high-dimensional framework that entails the modeling of financial data, instead of the 2D/3D coordinate space encountered in original applications of the method. We illustrate the two use cases of covariance matrix estimation and missing data imputation on a data set of CDS spreads of constituents of the iTraxx universe.


Magnesium (Mg) is an important nutrient for oil palm growth and Mg
fertilization is recommended during immature stage to ensure no early growth
limitation. Most Malaysian acid soils are low in exchangeable Mg and inadequate
for optimum plant performance. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of
Mg fertilization on the growth of oil palm seedlings using two types of Mg
fertilizers; kieserite and CIMA-Mg (a local synthetic industrial Mg sulphate).
Two studies were carried out, a nursery experiment with two types of acid
soils and a nutrient solution experiment. In both studies, the growth of oil palms
seedlings was evaluated by recording plant height, trunk girth, and plant tops and
roots dry weight. Chlorophyll content in fronds number 3 and 9 were measured
using chlorophyll meter SPAD-502. Nutrient tissue analysis was performed to
determine the concentrations of magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K)
and calcium (Ca) in fronds number 3 and 9. Analysis of total and exchangeable
Mg in soil was also conducted to determine the Mg status of the soil after the
experiment.
In both experiments, oil palm fertilized with Mg showed a significant
increased in trunk girth, plant top and root dry weight when compared to control.
Magnesium deficiency symptom was observed at the age of 8 months in nutrient
solution experiment, while 10 months in acid soils. The symptom was observed in
frond number 9 with the reading of chlorophyll content dropped to 22.90 SPAD at
the time of harvesting. The critical value for chlorophyll content in frond number
9 was 42.78 SPAD. All palms treated with Mg fertilizers had Mg concentrations
in frond number 9 ranged between 0.28% - 0.34% for nursery experiment and
0.22% - 0.34% for nutrient solution experiment. The mean concentrations of Mg
in frond number 9 for control palms were between 0.03% - 0.08%. An
antagonistic effect was observed between Mg and both K and Ca in all
experiments. However, the synergistic effect between Mg and P was only
observed in the nursery experiment but not obvious in the nutrient solution
experiment.
Both soils treated either with kieserite or CIMA-Mg was rated as relatively
sufficient in term of exchangeable Mg status except for Prang series fertilized with
kieserite that was rated as relatively high. In soils fertilized with kieserite, most of
the Mg was in the exchangeable form, 178 ug Mg kg-1 and 412 ug Mg kg-1 for
B ungor and Prang series soil, respectively, while for soil treated with CIMA-Mg
were 126 ug Mg kg-1 for Bungor series and 196 ug Mg kg-1 for Prang series soil.
The study suggested that both kieserite and CIMA-Mg were suitable as a source of
Mg fertilizers in oil palm nursery to supply Mg for the growth of the seedlings.
The Ca content present in the CIMA-Mg, probably help to improve root
proliferation especially during the early growth of the oil palm seedlings.


With the renewed emphasis in recent years on profitability as the the key corporate metric, "forgotten" functions such as finance, human resources, procurement and IT are back in the spotlight. They are not only being viewed as sources of cost efficiency, which has been the traditional focus, but also as tools for corporate strategy and competitive advantage. But turning these functions into strategic value drivers can be as difficult as spinning straw into gold. Indeed companies have adopted a variety of approaches, form simple cost reduction and consolidation to discrete outsourcing and offshore strategies. However inconsistent approaches have led to equally inconsistent results. Benefits are available, but, in many instances, they are less than ideal and frequently short lived. In this paper, we will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the newly implemented Anglo Coal Financial Shared Services Centre to determine if the inherent benefits of introducing a shared services environment is being realised. We will benchmark the current "AS-IS" state of the SSC to best practice in order to assess the gap and recommend a set of possible initiatives that, if implemented, will help improve the performance of the SSC. A broad, systematic approach was used in the diagnosis of the SSC that incorporated the three primary elements of a system the processes, the technology that enables the processes and the people that drive the process. The research methodology is divided into two phases. Face-to-Face interviews were utilised to assess the process and technology aspects while a rating questionnaire was used to evaluate the people aspects. The study then makes several recommendations to help correct the most critical findings on process, technology and people of the study.


From the germination of seeds of Euchile mariae in modified MS medium , the formation of pro- tocorms was achieved. Once these reached an average size from 2 to 5 mm long and the formation of his first leaf primordium, they were used like explants to induce a morphogenetic response. Through in vitro culture of top and bottom protocorms sections, were obtained differentiated structures from asexual origin. Their morphology was similar to protocorms obtained from the germination of seeds, in this way we call them protocorm like bodies (PLB's). Through of the histological analysis of these structures it was possible to reveal that these PLB's turned out to be somatic embryos. The histochemical tests demonstrate the pres- ence of cellular contents like: proteins, lipids and starch; both in the cells of the embryos as well as in the cells of initial tissues.


Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer, but only a part of smoking subjects develop these respiratory pathologies. Therefore, it is necessary to find sensible parameters to detect early lung alterations due to chronic tobacco smoke exposure. Long-term cigarette smoking is associated with a persistent inflammatory response in the lung that leads to tissue injury and dysfunction. Bronchoscopy and bronchial biopsies are the gold standard techniques for assessing pulmonary inflammation, but are invasive and not routinely used. Cellular analysis of induced sputum and measurement of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (F(E)NO) are validated non-invasive techniques for assessing respiratory inflammation. Measurement of biomolecules in sputum supernatants and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) are used as a research tool, but require standardization of procedures and, generally, analytical validation. Electronic nose differentiates healthy smokers from healthy nonsmokers based on breath volatile organic compounds (VOC) patterns. These techniques are potentially useful for identifying biomarkers of pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress. Induced sputum, F(E)NO, EBC and electronic nose are suitable for longitudinal sampling, thereby facilitating monitoring of lung damage process. This approach could enable an early identification of subgroups of healthy smokers at higher risk for tobacco-induced lung damage and prompt planning of secondary prevention strategies.


Objective Age-related changes in the central auditory system, particularly auditory temporal processing abilities, were considered among most important factors affecting speech understanding performance in older adults. Once these factors are identified, clinical management procedures could be developed for prevention and treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of short-term auditory training on the behavioral and electrophysiological measurements of auditory function in individuals with age-related temporal processing deficit. Participants and methods A prospective study of 20 individuals aged 60–67 years with either normal or bilateral symmetric high-frequency hearing loss was conducted. Evaluations of auditory temporal processing using behavioral tests (Pitch Discrimination Test, Pitch Pattern Sequence Test, Auditory Fusion Test-Revised, and Time Compressed Speech Test), P300 potential, and the administration of 'Amsterdam inventory for auditory disability and handicap' were performed before and after short-term auditory training. Results All participants demonstrated poor pretraining Pitch Pattern Sequence Test results which were significantly improved after remediation. All patients showed normal pretraining performance on Pitch Discrimination Test, Auditory Fusion Test-Revised, and Time Compressed Speech Test tests. There was a statistically significant increase in P300 amplitude and shortening in latency after remediation. Conclusion Short-term auditory training in older adults with auditory temporal processing deficit led to improvements in temporal sequencing skills and communication in noisy environments. P300 potential has been proved to be an objective indicator of neurophysiologic changes in the central auditory system resulting from auditory experience. Recommendation Short-term auditory training is an efficient rehabilitative tool for elderly people with auditory temporal processing deficit. However, maintenance of treatment effects over time should be evaluated.


Abstract Using the data from over 8000 wells augmented by seismic and thermal response information, a comparison of McMurray Formation (Cretaceous) and Grosmont C member (Devonian) thermal recovery reservoirs of northeastern Alberta is provided along with a discussion of reservoir performance to date. Fluvial-estuarine McMurray Formation reservoirs perform best where bitumen-charged homogeneous lenticular sandstones at least 20 metres thick are found. These deposits are relatively rare as the formation is characterized by endemic heterogeneity mainly in the form of inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS). Most of the best McMurray steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) reservoirs appear to be currently on-line and produce approximately 113 000 m3/day of bitumen from fourteen projects. Platform carbonate Grosmont C successions are blanket deposits 32–35 metres thick, with bitumen columns typically 15–24 metres thick, and are characterized by consistent reservoir properties facilitated by pervasive multi-scale fracturing. Although no reserves have yet to be assigned to Alberta's bitumen-bearing carbonates by the province, recent pilot results derived from cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) operations suggest that Grosmont C reservoir performance could ultimately prove to be competitive with superior McMurray SAGD reservoirs. Under current technological and economic conditions, McMurray SAGD reservoirs appear incapable of providing the 15.9 billion m3 of in-situ bitumen reserves (59% of Canada's total oil reserves) ascribed to this formation by the province of Alberta as only circa 6 billion m3 of oil-in place appears to reside within optimal reservoirs (i.e. those reservoirs at least 20 metres thick with average porosity and oil saturation values of 33% and 80%, respectively). Barring future technological breakthroughs and, or, economic improvements, future commercial development of both the Grosmont C and other carbonate reservoirs might be needed to make up for some of the potential reserve shortfall associated with McMurray Formation SAGD reservoirs.


In the paper the scale of investment in agricultural equipment in Poland in the years 2009-2012 is investigated. The research concentrates on FADN region 785 as it has on average the largest farms in Poland. Thus its agriculture is the most advanced in terms of convergence with EU-15 agriculture and presents the highest potential to compete on the European Union (EU) market. Investment in machinery, equipment and means of transport is the most common kind of investment projects and the first that is undertaken by farmers who wish to develop their farms. The results show that although the average scale of investment is growing it is still insufficient given the average level of usage of fixed assets in Polish agriculture. The EU co-financed support for investment can be seen as an additional source of investment finance, with only about 12 per cent of farms making use of public support in their investment projects. The average value of such investment is several times higher than in the case of farms using other sources of financing their investments. Most investment projects are financed from own resources – retained profits.


Abstract A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of direct academic motivation enhancement interventions (interventions with students as the primary beneficiaries). Seventeen studies were included, the total sample size being 3720 (91.85% of the participants in the studies were university/college students). The overall weighted effect size (Cohen's d) for all studies was 0.33 (95% confidence interval = [0.26, 0.40]), a significant, but small to moderate effect. Interventions were coded as achievement motivation training program or attributional retraining. Analyses based on these subgroups suggested that intervention type played a moderating role, with achievement motivation training programs producing larger effects. The examination of outcome variables as moderators did not reveal significant variations in effect size, although the effects were largest for motivation measures. Keywords: academic motivation, meta-analysis, intervention program Introduction Considering that in the 21st century, formal education has become an essential prerequisite of professional progress, thus indirectly influencing social status and standard of living, it is vital to identify the psychological factors which determine academic achievement. Recent research conducted in this field emphasizes the importance of different motivational constructs (e.g., Bruinsma, 2004; Johnson, Johnson, & Tauer, 1979; Moenikia & Babelan, 2010; Zimmerman, Bandura, & Martinez-Pons, 1992). For example, Steinmayr and Spinath (2008) conclude that some of these constructs contribute to the variance of academic achievement above and beyond intelligence. It is all the more worrisome that, according to recent findings, academic motivation seems to decline gradually along the academic career (e.g., Martin, 2009). Haynes, Perry, Stupinsky and colleagues (2009), summarizing the data related to the mentioned problem, note some alarming facts concerning college enrollment and graduation. For example, they mention that students from the US are taking longer time to graduate, or drop out from university, only 8% of German students with ages between 18 and 21 enroll in university and 30% drop out before obtaining a degree, most of them during their first year, and that studies from Austria, France and the Netherlands show the same pattern of academic failure and withdrawal. As a possible explanation, the mentioned authors make reference to Perry's work, according to which the novel, unfamiliar learning environment in the first year of college may negatively influence achievement motivation, aspirations and persistence. Examples of such novel circumstances are: increased pressure to excel, more frequent failures, unfamiliar learning tasks, critical decisions regarding career and new social networks. Thus, the need for elaborating effective academic motivation enhancement programs is indisputable. However, this endeavor is a rather difficult one, considering the proliferation of motivation terms used in the study of academic achievement and development (Murphy & Alexander, 2000). Academic motivation and academic motivation enhancement Academic motivation has been defined in various ways, for example as learning and development taking place in academic settings (Murphy & Alexander, 2000), or "a student's willingness, need, desire and compulsion to participate in, and be successful in the learning process" (Moenikia & Babelan, 2010, p. 1538). As emphasized by several researchers in the field (e.g., de la Fuente, 2004; Murphy & Alexander, 2000) numerous terms are being used and several constructs investigated, without consensus regarding the main components of academic motivation. In recent years, there have been attempts to identify and summarize the motivation constructs relevant to academic achievement (Martin, 2008; Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003,). Summarizing the conclusions of these reviews, it appears that academic motivation and engagement can be characterized by 11 constructs: - goals (Martin, 2008; Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003;) - intrinsic/extrinsic motivation (Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003) - interest (Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003) - self-efficacy (Martin, 2008; Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003) - agency/control beliefs (Martin, 2008; Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003;) - attributions (Martin, 2008; Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003) - perceptions of competence (Murphy & Alexander, 2000; Pintrich, 2003) - valuing (Martin, 2008; Pintrich, 2003) - need achievement and self-worth (reflected in the failure avoidance, anxiety, self-handicapping and disengagement dimensions; Martin, 2008) - self-regulation (reflected in the planning, task management, persistence dimensions; Martin, 2008) Many of these constructs (for example, goals) have been defined and classified in different ways by a number of approaches, the resulting differences raising further issues. …


Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) play a critical role in malignant progression. Loss of TGF-β receptor II (TGFβR2) in the prostate stroma is correlated with prostatic tumorigenesis. To determine the mechanisms by which stromal heterogeneity because of loss of TGFβR2 might contribute to cancer progression, we attenuated transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling in a subpopulation of immortalized human prostate fibroblasts in a model of tumor progression. In a tissue recombination model, loss of TGFβR2 function in 50% of the stromal cell population resulted in malignant transformation of the nontumorigenic human prostate epithelial cell line BPH1. Mixing fibroblasts expressing the empty vector and dominant negative TGFβR2 increased the expression of markers of myofibroblast differentiation [coexpression of vimentin and alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA)] through elevation of TGF-β1 and activation of the Akt pathway. In combination, these two populations of stromal cells recapitulated the tumor inductive activity of CAFs. TGFβR2 activity in mixed stromal cell populations cultured in vitro caused secretion of factors that are known to promote tumor progression, including TGF-β1, SDF1/CXCL12, and members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) families. In vivo, tissue recombination of fibroblasts overexpressing TGF-β1 and SDF1/CXCL12 not only induced transformation of BPH1 cells, but also promoted a robust growth of highly invasive cells, similar to effects produced by CAFs. While the precise nature and/or origin of the particular stromal cell populations in vivo remain unknown, these findings strongly link heterogeneity in TGF-β signaling to tumor promotion by tumor stromal cells.


All Optimist Clubs are required to pay a $15 processing fee for new Members added to their rosters. The processing fee for adding transfer members is $5. The Club Secretary-Treasurer needs to provide the Member's prior Club and Member number. The Member must be deleted from the previous Club and added to the new Club within a year. Club Secretary-Treasurers, when submitting checks and Club Roster Adjustment forms to Optimist International for new members, should indicate that the check is for processing fees. If a new Member previously became a Life Member, indicate this and the name of the Club(s) in which the Life Member has held Memberships.


Nanoparticle (NP) stability in aqueous environments is dependent upon many parameters including environmental conditions, NP concentrations as well as NP intrinsic characteristics. In this study, the effects of pH and surface modifications on the colloidal and chemical stabilities of nanosized magnetite (Fe3O4), maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) and hematite (α-Fe2O3) are investigated. Because changes in surface charge affect the size distribution of NP, pH plays a key role in driving the colloidal stability. More NP aggregation is observed at pH values close to the pH of zero point of charge (pHzpc). Coating of magnetite with humic acid (HA) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) affects the electrostatic interactions and then the colloidal behavior of NP. The rapid transformation of magnetite into maghemite through air oxidation results in significant modification of both surface charge and specific surface area of NP. Because the maghemite almost exclusively formed μm-scale aggregates, the colloidal stability of magnetite is expected to be hindered in oxic environments. For hematite, the particle size distribution data emphasize the influence of both pH and intrinsic surface properties in colloidal stability. These findings may have strong implications for an accurate prediction of the transformation and mobility of Fe-nanoparticles under environmentally relevant conditions and thus their fate in nature.


1. The acute haemodynamic and hormonal effects of 100 mg of captopril (SQ 14.225) orally were tested in twelve healthy men in the sodium replete state before and after indomethacin pretreatment. 2. Without indomethacin, mean arterial blood pressure was reduced at 30 and 60 min after captopril (P less than 0.02). Heart rate did not change during the whole experiment. Although plasma renin activity (PRA) increased (P less than 0.002), plasma and urinary aldosterone and plasma 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH-B) decreased after captopril (P less than 0.02). Prostaglandin (PG) E2, sodium and potassium excretion rates remained constant after captopril. 3. Under indomethacin pretreatment, the fall in mean arterial blood pressure was less than without indomethacin at 30 and 60 min after captopril (P less than 0.05). Heart rate was constantly lower than without indomethacin during the whole experiment (P less than 0.05). Indomethacin pretreatment decreased basal PGE2 excretion (P less than 0.02) and baseline PRA as well as the increase in PRA after captopril (P less than 0.05). Control mineralocorticoid levels were significantly lower than without indomethacin. In indomethacin-pretreated subjects, aldosterone did not further decrease after captopril, and 18-OH-B fell only slightly. 4. Without indomethacin pretreatment a significant, positive correlation was found between PRA values before captopril and the maximum decrease of mean arterial blood pressure after captopril. Under indomethacin pretreatment this correlation was no longer demonstrable. The results suggest that prostaglandins may contribute to the haemodynamic and hormonal actions of captopril.


Landfill emissions are the major environmental impact associated with the landfilling of solid wastes. These emissions which are mainly gases and leachate are a result of the anaerobic biochemical breakdown of the waste in landfills. The long term emissions from these solid wastes in landfills can be significantly reduced by Mechanical Biological Pretreatment of the waste prior to landfilling. Mechanical Biological Pretreatment of solid wastes is aimed at reducing the long term polluting potential from landfills through accelerated stabilization of the organic constituent material present in the waste body by biological degradation before the waste is placed in landfills. This research is part of a broader investigation on the applicability of Mechanical Biological Pretreatment of solid wastes prior to disposal in the South Africa Waste Management context. General waste disposed at Bisasar Road Landfill Site in Durban which has been pretreated for 16 weeks in passively aerated windrows was collected and screened using a rotatory drum screen to generate an over-sieved waste fraction with particles of diameter greater than 50mm and an under-sieved waste fraction characterized by particles diameter less than 50mm. The long term behavior of these heavily pretreated wastes was then simulated using large anaerobic reactors (Lysimeter) in relation to grain size distribution. A third lysimeter containing general waste without pretreatment collected from Bisasar Road Landfill Site was also set up in order to study the effect of pretreatment on solid waste samples. The results of this research were then used to make recommendation on the appropriateness of Mechanical Biological in the South Africa Waste Management context.


Preface. Acknowledgments. List of Notation. Introduction. Some Probability and Statistics Revision. Generating Uniform Random Variables. Particular Methods of Non-Uniform Random Variables. General Methods for Non-Uniform Random Variables. Testing Random Numbers. Variance Reduction and Integral Estimation. Model Construction and Analysis. Further Examples and Applications. Appendices. Solutions and Comments for Selected Questions. Bibliography. Author Index. Subject Index.


Investment in reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in developing countries relies on the ability to guarantee effective maintenance of forest cover over long timeframes, while also avoiding negative social and environmental repercussions. Given the complex and often unpredictable drivers of deforestation in developing countries, risk reduction is therefore of paramount importance. This paper looks at how REDD transaction mechanisms between buyers and sellers might be established and the implications that risk reduction mechanisms might have for different stakeholders in developing countries. It focuses on the likely implications for the interests and welfare of the forest-dependent poor.


Exam Board: Salters Nuffield Level: A level Subject: Science / Biology First teaching: September 2015 First exams: June 2017 * An ActiveBook is included with every Student Book, giving your students easy online access to the content in the Student Book. They can make it their own with notes, highlights and links to their wider reading. Perfect for supporting revision activities. * Student Book 1 supports a standalone AS course and provides the first year of a two-year A level course; Student Books 1and 2 together support the full A level course. * A cumulative approach to learning constantly builds on what has previously been learnt. * Each topic is introduced within a wider context. Concepts are revisited and developed in later topics. * Integrated math sand stats support directs students to online maths resources. * Thinking Bigger spreads require students to use knowledge in new contexts and think about connections and develop essential assessment skills throughout course. * Real-life articles engage students with current biological writing and develop scientific literacy skills needed for A level and beyond. * Checkpoints consolidate knowledge through summarizing tasks * Practical activities provide opportunities for students to practise their skills and develop understanding of practical requirements. * Material has been updated to reflect revisions, additions and deletions to changes in the subject content.


Background: The oral diacetylmorphine (DAM) prescription in tablet form in the Swiss heroin-assisted treatment (sHAT) was regularly approved after positive experiences with galenic forms of DAM in single patient cases already in the middle of the 1990ties und after a thorough scientific evaluation study that resulted in high retention rates and comparatively low side effects in 2010.
Aims: The present report aims at the summary of the pharmacologic characteristics of oral DAM, the analysis of the variation of oral DAM prescriptions in the sHAT in time and the description of practice experiences of the oral DAM prescription.
Results: The percent of exclusively intravenous DAM prescribed patients decrease from 59.0% to 26.6% between 1999 and 2012. The oral DAM prescription (exclusively or in combination with otherwise dispensed DAM) doubled since 1999 (1999: 10.6%, 2012: 23.8%). Similarly, did the exclusively oral dispensary (2000: 7.1%, 2012: 13.3%). These trends are predominantly supported by the manufactures´ selling numbers of distributed immediate release DAM to the sHAT dispensary sites. Compared to the intravenous DAM, the oral DAM form is appropriate particularly for the harm reduced application in case of bad vein conditions due the omission of infection risks, in the existence of respiratory reductions (e.g. as a result of COPD) or as an alternative to the intramuscular application. Moreover, oral DAM possesses benefits compared to other opioids with undesirable side effects (there is no QTc-time-prolongation under the influence of DAM) or reduces sHAT dispensary site contacts in the presence of limited physical mobility. Exactly polymorbid and older sHAT patients can profit of the oral DAM prescription.
Conclusions: The oral DAM application doubled in the sHAT in the investigated time frame and will presumably reach the one of exclusively parenteral application. The oral DAM prescription could improve the sHAT service by the omission or reduction of various complications that can occur during the intravenous DAM dispensary.


This article is based on an ethnographic study of the young activists of a South African poor people's movement. It questions the finding that some of the young poor people in the Global South are trapped by a boredom linked to their socioeconomic incapacity to fully enter into adulthood. Young people are here apprehended through their position within the collective, but also in the framework of the activism they deploy daily in their neighborhoods. The article shows that even though uncertainty has its place there, the lives of these young people cannot be reduced to idleness. Partly built on emotional bonds, their commitment structures their days and gives them access to a politicization that helps them to put their condition into perspective. Above all, it provides them with a valued role within the "community" and, therefore, helps them to fit into their most immediate social environment: their neighborhood.


Abstract With the increasing frequency of large‐scale restoration efforts, the need to understand the adaptive genetic structure of natural plant populations and their relation to heavily utilized cultivars is critical. Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama) is a wind‐dispersed, perennial grass consisting of several cytotypes (2n = 2×–6×) with a widespread distribution in western North America. The species is locally dominant and used regularly in restoration treatments. Using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and cpDNA analyses, we assessed the genetic variability and adaptive genetic structure of blue grama within and among 44 sampling sites that are representative of the species' environmental and habitat diversity in the southwestern United States. Five cultivars were also included to investigate genetic diversity and differentiation in natural versus cultivated populations. Three main findings resulted from this study: (a) Ninety‐four polymorphic AFLP markers distinguished two population clusters defined largely by samples on and off the Colorado Plateau; (b) substructure of samples on the Colorado Plateau was indicated by genetic divergence between boundary and interior regions, and was supported by cytotype distribution and cpDNA analysis; and (c) six AFLP markers were identified as "outliers," consistent with being under selection. These loci were significantly correlated to mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, precipitation of driest quarter, and precipitation of wettest quarter in natural populations, but not in cultivated samples. Marker × environment relationships were found to be largely influenced by cytotype and cultivar development. Our results demonstrate that blue grama is genetically variable, and exhibits genetic structure, which is shaped, in part, by environmental variability across the Colorado Plateau. Information from our study can be used to guide the selection of seed source populations for commercial development and long‐term conservation management of B. gracilis, which could include genetic assessments of diversity and the adaptive potential of both natural and cultivated populations for wildland restoration.


OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the association of treatment preferences with treatment initiation, adherence, and clinical outcome among nonsenior adult and senior primary care patients with depression.

METHODS
Sixty primary care participants meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression were randomly assigned to receive treatment congruent or incongruent with their primary stated preference. Participants received either 20 weeks of escitalopram, with monitoring by a care manager, or 12 weekly sessions of interpersonal psychotherapy followed by two monthly booster sessions. Adherence to treatment and depression severity were reassessed at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 24.

RESULTS
Participants expressed stronger preferences for psychotherapy than for antidepressant medication. Preference strength was a more sensitive measure of outcome than was congruence versus incongruence of preference with the assigned treatment. Across age groups, preference strength was significantly associated with treatment initiation and 12-week adherence rate but not with depression severity or remission.

CONCLUSIONS
A continuous measure of preference strength may be a more useful measure in clinical practice than preferences per se. Future research should focus on whether and how greater facilitation of the treatment decision-making process between patient and clinician influences clinical outcome.


In this paper, we develop a decision tool to help managers make more accurate decisions about their investments in advanced manufacturing technologies. Since selection of a new technology is an innately multidimensional problem and there exist interdependent relationships among different dimensions of the system, the analytic network process (ANP) method is used to consider interdependencies among the quantitative and qualitative factors. We identified several technology alternatives and selection criteria and compared them through pair wise evaluation to determine local priorities. These priorities were then used to determine the overall priorities for the alternatives. Our model provides decision makers with a tool for evaluating several competitive technology alternatives and selecting the most appropriate technology for adoption.


One of the respected Princeton Architectural Press series (est. 1977), the 80-page co-authored essay,Fathoming the Unfathomable, was the winner of a Pamphlet Architecture competition to identify the architects and theorists whose work represented the most exciting design and research in the field. Chard and co-author Kulper speculate on how architecture might discuss indeterminate conditions of production through a generative agency of representation. Drawing acts as a tactical and conversational medium, providing the architects with new opportunities for the confluence of the uncertain. The drawing instruments in the final section were designed and constructed over a two-year period.


The Globus Pallidus is a bilateral grey matter nucleus found at the medial part of the basal ganglia. Whilst a single physical structure it is split into two distinct functional nuclei, which are in adjacent and complementary regulatory circuits involving the striato-thalamic and striato-tegmental systems. The connections of the Globus Pallidus make it a critical structure in controlling both motor systems and midbrain dopamine systems, potentially having a key role in controlling dopamineregulated psychosis in schizophrenia and other disorders. Imaging studies have shown contradictory findings in Globus Pallidus size and shape, and it is unclear to what extent this is due to disease burden or antipsychotic medication. Whilst the Globus Pallidus is a little-studied structure in schizophrenia research but has important roles in striatal, thalamic and dopaminergic regulation, and could potentially be a key part in further development of drug therapies.


We report a case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection of the stomach in an elderly male patient who was on corticosteroids for six months. The patient presented with epigastric pain associated loss of appetite and loss of weight. The patient underwent upper endoscopy, and his gastric antral biopsy showed superficial ulcerations of the gastric mucosa with adult worms of Strongyloides stercoralis in the crypts of the gastric antrum. Stool sample showed the larval forms of Strongyloides. The patient was treated with Ivermectin in a dose of 200μg/kg/day PO for two days, same treatment was repeated after two weeks. Prednisone was tapered and stopped.


Over the past decades, clinical research has increasingly been subjected to ethical requirements and legal regulation. The specific focus of ethical and legal frameworks on competent adults (which serve as the paradigmatic research subject), however, has created an ambivalent attitude towards pediatric clinical research. On one hand, minors are regarded as a vulnerable population that deserves additional protection against the risks and burdens involved in clinical research. On the other hand, the population of minors should not be denied (or not get timely) access to the benefits of clinical research. In this chapter, we will explore the legal regulation and ethical guidance that currently governs pediatric clinical research in the European Union and discuss the future challenges in this field. In addition, we will discuss major ethical concerns in pediatric clinical research, with a focus on the acceptability of research risks and the informed consent process. In the discussion, we will address key concerns in both regulating pediatric clinical research and implementing ethical and legal requirement in the actual pediatric research conduct. 2 Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam


Abstract Language and culture are interconnected and teaching a language should also be concerned with offering learners a wide range of opportunities to gain insights into other cultures. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approaches have an invaluable contribution to make towards developing learners' intercultural understanding (ICU), by making the content culturally relevant to the language of instruction. Within this paradigm, this paper presents the findings of an action-based research project seeking to develop ICU among secondary learners of French in England, through the teaching of a series of lessons following a CLIL approach. Stemming from its findings, it is proposed here that a renewed understanding of CLIL be defined, in which CLIL would stand for Content and Language Intercultural Learning. Within this framework, the content would be conceptualised through the lens of culture, to offer learners opportunities to compare and contrast experiences and viewpoints, to develop their cultural knowledge, as well as their intercultural skills and attitudes – by means of exposure, independent exploration and collaborative work. The language, still driven by the content, would encompass both the language of learning, and the language required through the learning processes - and would be language that is both accessible and cognitively challenging. Learning would occur through cognitively demanding content that is real, relevant and engaging, yet accessible to all.


The international tax system needs a paradigm shift. The rules devised over 80 years ago treat the different parts of a multinational enterprise as if they were independent entities, although they also give national tax authorities powers to adjust the accounts of these entities. This creates a perverse incentive for multinationals to create ever more complex groups in order to minimise taxes, exploiting the various definitions of the residence of legal persons and the source of income. While states may attempt to combat these strategies, they also compete to offer tax incentives, many of which facilitate such techniques to undermine other countries' taxes. Several alternative approaches have been identified, which start from the economic reality that multinationals operate as unitary firms. These include residence-based worldwide taxation, under which the ultimate home country of a multinational taxes its worldwide profits but with a credit for equivalent foreign taxes paid; a destination-based cash flow tax, which attributes the tax base to the country of ultimate sales to third parties; and unitary taxation with formulary apportionment, which apportions the firm's consolidated profits according to factors reflecting its real presence in each country. This volume outlines the nature of the problem and discusses attempts to resolve it, including the recent G20/OECD project on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). It then explores unitary taxation with formulary apportionment. The contributions discuss how to move towards such a system starting from the current rules; the role of accounting in defining the consolidated tax base; lessons from the experience of existing formulary systems, especially in the USA; evidence from quantitative studies of tax base misalignment under current rules and the possible effects of different apportionment formulas; specific issues in the finance and extractive industries sectors; and the prospects for regional adoption.


Continuous-wave action is obtained at 2.07 microns from a 2-mm-long Tm-sensitized Ho:YLiF4 crystal at room temperature when longitudinally pumped by a pair of diode-laser arrays. Laser output power at 300 K is 26 mW, with a 30-percent slope efficiency and a lasing threshold of 108 mW. A maximum output power of 187 mW is obtained from a 4-mm-long crystal at 77 K, with a 67 percent slope efficiency. A preliminary demonstration of cavity Q switching produced 165 microJ of pulse energy at a repetition rate of 100 Hz.


Background: Herpes zoster occurs at all CD4 cell counts in HIV-infected adults. It was hypothesized that even in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), zoster risk is higher in HIV-infected than uninfected women. Methods: Generalized estimating equations modeled self-reported occurrence of zoster between semiannual visits among 1832 HIV-infected and 489 HIV-uninfected women in the Women's Interagency HIV Study followed for up to 7.5 years. Results: A total of 337 (18.4%) HIV-infected and 7 (1.4%) HIV-uninfected women reported zoster at some time during follow-up. Using HIV-infected women with CD4 >750 cells/μL as the reference category, the odds ratios for reporting zoster since the prior visit were: 1.43 (95% CI 0.86-2.37) for CD4 500-749 cells/μL, 2.07 (95% CI 1.27-3.38) for CD4 350-499 cells/μL, 2.72 (95% CI 1.66-4.46) for CD4 200-349 cells/μL, and 3.16 (95% CI 1.92-5.18) for CD4 <200 cells/μL, compared with 0.11 (95% CI 0.046-0.26) for HIV-uninfected women. In multivariate analyses using visits from all HIV-infected women and only those who initiated HAART, lower CD4 cell count was more strongly associated with zoster incidence than were other clinical indicators. Conclusions: Herpes zoster is associated with degree of immunosuppression in HIV-infected women, but even women with high CD4 counts are at greater risk of zoster than HIV-uninfected women.


The Large Hadron Collider or LHC is the world's biggest particle accelerator, but it can only get particles moving very quickly. To make measurements, scientists must employ particle detectors. There are four big detectors at the LHC: ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. In this video, Fermilab's Dr. Don Lincoln introduces us to these detectors and gives us an idea of each one's capabilities.


Separation of different signal components, produced by one or more sources, is a problem encountered in many signal processing applications. This paper proposes a fully automatic undetermined blind source separation method, based on a peak detection and extraction technique from a signal time-frequency distribution (TFD). Information on the local number of components is obtained from the TFD Short-term Rényi entropy. It also allows to detect components time supports in the time-frequency plane, with no need for predefined thresholds on the components amplitude. This approach allows to extract different signal components without prior knowledge about the signal. The method is also used as a quality criterion to compare Quadratic TFDs. Results for synthetic and real data are reported for different TFDs, including the recently introduced Extended Modified B distribution.


End-to-end route control spanning a set of networks can provide opportunities to both end users to optimize interdomain control and network service providers to increase business offering. BGP, the de facto interdomain routing protocol, provides no programmable control. Recent proposals for interdomain control, such as MIRO, ARROW and SDX, provide more mechanisms and interfaces, but they are only either point or incremental solutions. In this paper, we provide the first, systematic formulation of the software-defined internetworking (SDI) model, in which a network exposes a programmable interface to allow clients to define the interdomain routes of the network, just as a traditional SDN switch exposes Openflow or another programmable interface to allow clients to define its next hops, extending SDN from intra-domain control to generic interdomain control. Different from intradomain SDN, which allows complete client control, SDI should also maximize network autonomy, such as by allowing a network to maintain the control of its interdomain export policies, to avoid fundamental violations such as valley routing. We define the optimal end-to-end SDI routing problem and conduct rigorous analysis to show that the problem is NP-hard. We develop a blackbox optimization algorithm, which leverages Bayesian optimization theory and important properties of interdomain routing algebra, to sample end-to-end routes sequentially and find a near-optimal policy-compliant end-to-end route with a small number of sample routes. We implement a prototype of our optimization algorithm and validate its effectiveness via extensive experiments using real interdomain network topology. Results show that in an interdomain network with over 60000 ASes and over 320000 AS-level links, in 80% experiment cases, the blackbox optimization algorithm can find a near-optimal policy-compliant end-to-end route by sampling less than 33 routes.


The objective of this in vitro study was to investigate the effects of viscosity changes of different acidic solutions on dental erosion. Bovine enamel samples (n = 240, Ø = 3 mm) were embedded in acrylic resin and were allocated to 30 groups (n = 8). Citric acid (CA) and phosphoric acid (PA) solutions at pH 2.5, 3, and 3.5 were prepared in de-ionized water (titratable acidity to pH 5.5: 31 ± 0.6 mmol OH-/l). The kinetic viscosities of the acidic solutions were adjusted to 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 24 mm2/sec by the addition of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) at different concentrations. Solutions were pumped over the enamel surface from a reservoir with a drop rate of 1 mL/min. Each specimen was eroded for 10 min at 20°C. Erosion of enamel surfaces was measured by profilometry. Data were analyzed by analyses of variance and logarithmic regression analyses (p < 0.05). Enamel loss was dependent on viscosity, pH, and the kind of acid. The regression analyses showed that higher viscosity caused lower enamel erosion for both acids and all pH levels. Dental erosion is dependent not only on chemical factors of the acid, like pH and acid type, but also on acid viscosity.


Mobile underwater networks with acoustic communications are confronted with several unique challenges such as long propagation delays, high transmission power consumption, and node mobility. In particular, slow signal propagation permits multiple packets to concurrently travel in the underwater channel, which must be exploited to improve the overall throughput. To this end, we propose the delay-aware opportunistic transmission scheduling (DOTS) protocol that uses passively obtained local information (i.e., neighboring nodes' propagation delay map and their expected transmission schedules) to increase the chances of concurrent transmissions while reducing the likelihood of collisions. Our extensive simulation results document that DOTS outperforms existing solutions and provides fair medium access even with node mobility.


Does the effect of monetary policy depend on the macroeconomic information released by the central bank? Because differences between central bank's and private agents' information sets affect private agents' interpretation of policy decisions, this paper aims to investigate whether the publication of macroeconomic information by the central bank modifies private responses to monetary policy. We assess the non-linear effects of monetary shocks conditional on the Bank of England's macroeconomic projections on UK private inflation expectations. We find that inflation projections modify the impact of monetary shocks. When contractionary monetary shocks are interacted with positive(negative) projections, the negative effect of policy on inflation expectations is amplified (reduced). This suggests that providing guidance about central bank future expected inflation helps private agents' information processing, and therefore changes their response to policy decisions.


Which e-businesses will prevail? New research on e-fulfillment may hold the key. After all, getting a customer's online order is not enough: E-businesses also must show that they can deliver products quickly and efficiently. Hau L. Lee and Seungjin Whang, professors of operations, information and technology at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, have studied a few successful online companies and their innovative ways of applying order-fulfillment strategies. Although the principles are not new, Internet technologies enable them to be applied in new and expanded ways.

The two core concepts for improving e-fulfillment efficiency are making more use of information flows instead of physical product flows and capitalizing on existing pipelines and infrastructures. Those concepts underlie five key e-fulfillment strategies: logistics postponement, dematerialization, resource exchange, leveraged shipments and clicks-and-mortar. Whether the strategy expands on time-tested models or is a breakthrough, the trick is to determine the best one for a given situation.

A computer company might use logistics postponement. By capturing more-accurate information, it could assemble final goods on demand and thereby save money by postponing delivery decisions until after receiving the final word on what the customer wants. Other companies might use dematerialization, converting physical products into information flows, just as a music CD can be converted to MP3 format or Egreetings.com substitutes digital flows for paper greeting cards sent by regular mail.

With resource exchange, an e-company that needs to move a load from Hong Kong to San Francisco might borrow a ship from another company that needs a cost-effective way to return its empty vessel to California. Webvan uses the leveraged-shipment strategy, making the most of existing networks. With its clicks-and-mortar model, CVS covers the last mile by having customers pick up their online orders. Some online purchasers in Japan do the same: 7dream.com utilizes the ubiquitous 7-Eleven stores to enable a group of Japanese companies to do bulk deliveries.

Pointing out ways that companies are extending e-fulfillment value beyond cost containment, the authors also demonstrate how secondary opportunities are taking companies beyond the last mile.


Entrepreneurial culture and financial education stand out as two fundamental issues on the international agenda, since these elements are considered in favor of the efficient use of financial resources, as well as the identification of opportunities for the development of self-employment projects, contributing to local economic growth.According to the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Financial Services Users (CONDUSEF, 2012), financial education can be defined as the set of actions that imply learning to manage money better, being foresighted, consuming in a rational way, And learn to invest, know how to take care of your assets and use financial products and services with responsibility.Similarly, Smyth (2011) points out that financial education is the process by which consumers improve the understanding of financial products and acquire a greater understanding of financial risks and market opportunities, by making economic decisions with Information. In addition, he points out that an important part of our decisions is associated with financial behavior, which directly impacts his personal and family environment, from the search for funding for studies to planning for retirement. Thus, having an adequate financial education will favor an intelligent selection of financial products, based on well-informed decisions.


I must admit when I first saw the title of this book, I was a little skeptical as to whether anything much "new" could be said about poetry and poetics, especially in respect to an analysis of how the latest neuroscience findings can be applied to the creative poetic impulse. However, the book covers a huge amount of ground and does discuss some new and important aspects of the nature of poetry creation. New Guide to Poetry and Poetics has 19 chapters and an excellent index and extensive bibliography. It is, in one sense, a truncated history of modern poetry that brings to the reader's attention some quite obscure writings and quotations from famous poets. Chapters are arranged so they discuss all aspects of poetry making and appreciation, starting with creative impulses and how poems begin, and assessing the relevance of the conscious and unconscious mind. It then moves on to imagination, poetic vision, madness, emotion and thought in poetry. These are followed by Chapter Nine, "Meaning in Poetry" (p. 147), which, in my view, is the most important chapter in the book. I discuss this chapter later on in this review. Then the book covers discussions on imagery, rhyme, rhythm, technique, and poetry and reality, and finishes with a chapter on how reading poetry engages and then connects the reader and the poet. Aitchison set for himself a mammoth, ambitious task in writing this book. Given the scope and complexity of the issues involved, he has managed to achieve his goal fairly successfully, and the resultant book is an important addition to the literature. I have two criticisms of the book: The first, perhaps a subjective one, is that he concentrates too much on the traditional, famous "greats" of poetry—Wordsworth, Keats, Yates, Coleridge, Eliot and so on. The very little attention Aitchison pays to contemporary avant-garde, postpost-modernist poets gives the book a kind of "been there, done that" feel. Poets such as Charles Simic and Les Murray and poetry of non-English origin—Japanese haiku, for example—do not get a mention. The second criticism is more important: The book purports to show how the latest findings in neuroscience, involving as they do both brain and mind, inform the process of poetics and how and why the poet produces a poem. This area is discussed fairly narrowly and superficially. Again a few of the popular gurus in this discipline—Damasio, Sacks and Dennett—are discussed, and I suspect other readers will gain no real in-depth insights into how the brain actually works in the process of artistic creation. For example, Aitchison does not mention the cholinergic-aminergic neurotransmitter system of the brain discovered by Hobson. I have done fairly extensive research in this area myself, and I believe Aitchison's understanding of how the brain functions in creative mode would have benefited from a reading of my published papers in this regard [1]. My unpublished thesis "The Myth of the Freudian Unconscious and its Relationship with Surrealist Poetry" [2] would also have been quite an eye opener for Aitchison, especially as he discusses Freud in some detail and, to his credit, shows the absurdity of certain aspects of Freud's doctrine regarding literature and creative writers. In Chapter Nine, "Meaning in Poetry," Aitchison engages his finest analytical powers in indicating just how absurd much of modern literary theory and theorists are. Aitchison writes: "Literary theorists' fear of meaning and the language in which they express that fear, show that much of modern literary theory editor-in-chief Michael Punt . managing editor Bryony Dalefield associate editors Martha Blassnigg, Hannah Drayson, Dene Grigar, John Vines A full selection of reviews is published monthly on the LR web site: <leonardoreviews.mit.edu>. leonardo reviews


Maize (Zea mays L.) crops were grown at Coimbatore in the years 2009 and 2010 during the kharif season. The treatments imposed were three soil moisture levels: 100% irrigation water supply (0.8 IW/CPE ratio), 75% irrigation water supply (0.6 IW/CPE ratio) and 50% irrigation water supply (0.4 IW/CPE ratio). The plant density treatments adopted were normal spacing (60 × 20 cm), narrow spacing (30 × 30 cm) and reduced narrow spacing (45 × 20 cm) levels. Increasing the plant density, i.e., changing the plant population per unit area increased the yield of maize, even with some reduction in soil moisture levels. But further reduction in soil moisture and narrow spacing caused yield decrease. The individual treatments of normal irrigation practice, narrow plant spacing and their combinations registered better performance in terms of kernel and stover yield. From the correlation studies, the relative water content of leaves (90.7%), followed by yield components such as fi lled kernel number (67.0%) and 100-kernel weight (66.9%) were highly correlated with the kernel yield of maize.


Conflict is an essential element of interesting stories, but little research in computer narrative has addressed it directly. We present a model of narrative conflict inspired by narratology research and based on Partial Order Causal Link (POCL) planning. This model informs an algorithm called CPOCL which extends previous research in story generation. Rather than eliminate all threatened causal links, CPOCL marks certain steps in a plan as non-executed in order to preserve the conflicting subplans of all characters without damaging the causal soundness of the overall story.


We quantify the link between the timing of state-level implementations of political reservations for women in India with the role of women in India's manufacturing sector. While overall employment of women in manufacturing does not increase after the reforms, we find significant evidence that more women-owned establishments were created in the unorganized/informal sector. These new establishments were concentrated in industries where women entrepreneurs have been traditionally active and the entry was mainly found among household-based establishments. We measure and discuss the extent to which this heightened entrepreneurship is due to channels like greater finance access or heightened inspiration for women entrepreneurs.


There is growing recognition that the post-Cold War era demands new conceptions of global and human security. In this highly readable account of international security issues, Peter Stoett begins by disussing four principal security threats: state violence, environmental degradation, population displacement, and globalization. Employing a minimalist-maximalist framework - the minimalist interpretation applies to conventional and restricted legal definitions of a term, while the maximalist interpretation refers to broader conceptions of problems, often global in effect - Stoett argues that the acceptance of either perspective has profound conceptual and immediate praxiological implications. While the latter may tend to see security in terms of the state and governance within an international system, it is the former, more specific, interpretation that is suitable for policy analysis. Only varied understandings of the basic terms of global security, Stoett reasons, allow for widespread critical debate among both generalists and specialists. The concluding chapter on globalization, with its attendant implications for the environment and population displacement, situates human and global security within the larger context of the historical process of expansionism. Human and Global Security provides a sophisticated, yet eminently readable account of contemporary security issues set against a backdrop of international relations theory. Its approach will appeal to a general audience as well as students and scholars.


Well defined poly(ethylene oxide)s were prepared using yttrium isopropoxide as an initiator. End group analysis using 1H- and 13C NMR spectroscopy revealed that only polymers with isopropyl ether and hydroxyl end groups were produced. The molecular weight is controlled by the initial amount of initiator added and low polydispersity polymer (Mw/Mn ≈ 1.1) was isolated. Sequential polymerization indicated the suitability of this initiator for macromolecular engineering.


What are the implications for planning and policing America's cities in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 ("September 11" or "9/11") and Oklahoma City? These events represent terrible tragedies, and planning and the other disciplines represented at the Fordham Urban Law Journal's 2005 Symposium must contribute to preventing future terrorist acts and minimizing the human and economic costs of such acts if they do occur. It is equally important, however, to avoid imposing possibly greater costs, even inadvertently, in the name of fighting terrorism. Unintended but serious collateral damage to American society from antiterrorism policies, such as the potential threats to civil liberties, the benefits of international tourism, and the intellectual and economic contributions of foreign students and scholars, is already the subject of considerable debate. If not carefully thought through, policies that modify the way in which we plan for growth and change in America's cities in order to fight terrorism may seriously undermine these cities' ability to compete as places to live, work, and play. In the process of combating terrorism, these measures may undermine the general goals of urban planning, such as enhancing quality of life and economic opportunity for tens of millions of Americans, counteracting the negative environmental and public health impacts of sprawl, promoting community and diversity in a society increasingly marked by economic and racial fragmentation, and creating buildings and public spaces that convey the values of a free and open society. A number of antiterrorism measures enhance the quality and character of urban life, or at least leave it undamaged. Well-conceived urban design initiatives that add trees, fountains, benches, and well-designed bollards to protect buildings are enhancing Washington, D.C., and other cities. Requirements that buildings be built to better withstand bomb blasts and offer greater protection to inhabitants in the event of fire or potential collapse are making America's buildings safer in the face of a wide range of potential disasters. New technologies that sense threats to air and water quality improve public health. Nevertheless, a different set of antiterrorism measures represents a serious challenge at a time of potentially historic economic and social regeneration for America's cities. Buildings and spaces that promote the free exchange of ideas and shared experiences provide the bedrock of urban life and play a central role in cities' newfound ability to compete for jobs, housing, and other types of investment. Yet these urban qualities have been among the first casualties across the United States of the post-9/11 quest for security that has taken the form of blank walls and locked doors along public streets; large activity-free perimeters around public buildings; jobs transferred out of downtowns to remote locations; parking forced from beneath public buildings into garages that line public streets with cars instead of people; and similar measures taken without regard to the full range of values that should shape America's cities. A RECENT HISTORY OF SINGLE-MINDED URBAN INITIATIVES Since World War II, single-purpose initiatives to reshape urban environments, each a response to one apparently overriding issue, have repeatedly undermined the character and quality of American communities. One striking example of a blinkered solution that produced a generation of buildings hostile to basic human and community values was the 1973 oil embargo, which created a profound sense of vulnerability in America. A colleague of mine recalls, without fondness, her quaint Connecticut community's response to the embargo: deciding, like hundreds of other communities, to banish windows from new schools. (1) To a society unwaveringly focused on conserving energy, that windowless school represented patriotism and civic responsibility. In retrospect, it also symbolized an aberration, a sense that energy conservation required doing away with the qualities that make schools nurturing places for learning. …


ABSTRACT Since the 1980s in Sweden, children's violent actions in schools have been reported to the police as criminal offences more frequently than before. This increasing trend is analysed against the background of a general increased cultural sensitivity to violence and slowly developing social changes that affect the propensity to report every form of violent incident to the police. This project analyses 1,239 police reports of assault, unlawful threat, molestation and insulting behaviour committed in schools by 7- to 14-year olds in ten municipalities in the Stockholm area. The time period studied is from 2000 to 2010. Regression analysis shows systematic differences among schools in different areas and social contexts. Average merit ratings, which are a measure of the educational quality of schools, explain most of the variance and correlate negatively with reported incidents. There are also significant differences among municipalities and school forms in terms of police reports. So-called resource schools, which are designed to serve children with special needs, report extremely high numbers of incidents per child. Reporting seems to have been routinised in many schools, including resource schools. Our results can be interpreted as suggesting that increased cultural sensitivity generates a bias against children in less affluent contexts.


Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells that activate T cells. More recently, signaling from the T cell to the dendritic cell has been reported for the dendritic cell B7 receptor and the T cell negative regulatory protein CTLA-4 (see Logue and Sha). Orabona et al. extend these findings and show that interaction between the dendritic cell B7 receptor and the T cell costimulatory receptor CD28 also delivers a signal to the dendritic cell. A soluble form of CD28 [a fusion of CD28 and immunoglobulin (Ig) (CD28-Ig)] bound to splenic dendritic cells and the production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interferon γ (IFN-γ) were stimulated. IL-6 was produced in greater amounts than IFN-γ and the amount of IFN-γ was approximately half that produced in response to CTLA-4. Using cells deficient in B7-1 or B7-2, both B7 receptors were determined to be required for maximal response to CD28. Using reporter gene expression, CD28, and not CTLA-4, was found to stimulate p38-regulated gene expression (fos promoter), whereas nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-regulated gene expression was stimulated by both CD28 and CTLA-4. The balance between an immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory response of dendritic cells involves SOCS3 (suppressor of cytokine signaling 3), and CD28 stimulated the transcription of SOCS3, thereby allowing the immunostimulatory effects of IL-6 to dominate. In vivo, the immunostimulatory effects of CD28 were observed in mice injected with CD28-Ig-treated dendritic cells that were also exposed to various antigens. This effect required activation of the IL-6 receptor and was blocked if the dendritic cells were simultaneously exposed to an antibody against the IL-6 receptor along with CD28-Ig. Injection of dendritic cells exposed to CD28-Ig with the yeast Candida albicans (as a source of antigen) resulted in enhanced immunity against the yeast. Finally, administration of CD28-Ig to mice harboring P1.HTR tumor cells, which evade immune elimination, caused tumor regression. Thus, the T cell:dendritic cell interface is a bidirectional signaling complex and the B7 binding partners on the T cells triggers either immunosuppressive (CTLA-4) or immunostimulatory (CD28) responses in the dendritic cells as well as the T cells. E. C. Logue, W. C. Sha, CD28-B7 bidirectional signaling: A two-way street to activation. Nat. Immunol. 5, 1103-1105 (2004). [Online Journal] C. Orabona, U. Grohmann, M. L. Belladonna, F. Fallarino, C. Vacca, R. Bianchi, S. Bozza, C. Volpi, B. L. Salomon, M. C. Fioretti, L. Romani, P. Puccetti, CD28 induces immunostimulatory signals in dendritic cells via CD80 and CD86. Nat. Immunol. 5, 1134-1142 (2004). [Online Journal]


The recent many-fold increase in the size of deep neural networks makes efficient distributed training challenging. Many proposals exploit the compressibility of the gradients and propose lossy compression techniques to speed up the communication stage of distributed training. Nevertheless, compression comes at the cost of reduced model quality and extra computation overhead. In this work, we design an efficient compressor with minimal overhead. Noting the sparsity of the gradients, we propose to model the gradients as random variables distributed according to some sparsity-inducing distributions (SIDs). We empirically validate our assumption by studying the statistical characteristics of the evolution of gradient vectors over the training process. We then propose Sparsity-Inducing Distribution-based Compression (SIDCo), a threshold-based sparsification scheme that enjoys similar threshold estimation quality to deep gradient compression (DGC) while being faster by imposing lower compression overhead. Our extensive evaluation of popular machine learning benchmarks involving both recurrent neural network (RNN) and convolution neural network (CNN) models shows that SIDCo speeds up training by up to 41:7%, 7:6%, and 1:9% compared to the no-compression baseline, Topk, and DGC compressors, respectively.


The Mt Carbine quartz-wolframite-scheelite sheeted vein deposit is located ~80 km NW of Cairns, Northern Queensland. It was the largest vein type W deposit in Australia and accounted for 43% of Australia's annual W production in 1986, prior to closure because of international Sn-W market crash. The hard rock resources at Mt Carbine include indicated resources of 18 Mt at 0.14% WO3 and inferred resources of 29.3 Mt at 0.12% WO3 (Carbine Tungsten Limited Annual Report 2014). The vein system in Mt Carbine is hosted in Ordovician to Devonian Hodgkinson Formation metasedimentary rocks, which include turbiditic metasediments composed mainly of greywacke, siltstone-shale, slate, basalt, conglomerates and chert. There are four 30-40 m wide vein zones in the open pit with different orientations, with Zones 1 - 3 being ~300°/80° (strike/dip) with dip direction of 210°, 210° and 20°, respectively, and Zone 4 270°/65° with dip direction of 180° to 185°. Based on drill core logging and open pit observation, the paragenesis sequence has been established. Stage 0 is represented by deformed curvy and discontinuous quartz-dominant veins with minor to none W mineralization. Stage I continuous quartz-dominant veins have straight and continuous margin, and are composed of wolframite±scheelite± K-feldspar±biotite±tourmailine±apatite. Stage II veins are straight & continuous, quartz-dominant with sharp boundaries, and contain chlorite±scheelite±wolframite± cassiterite±muscovite. Stage III is represented by undeformed straight and continuous quartz±chlorite± muscovite±molybdenite±arsenopyrite±chalcopyrite±pyrite±
pyrrhotite±sphalerite veins, without W mineralization. Stage IV veins are featured by the undeformed straight and continuous shape and quartz ± calcite ± fluorite mineralogy without any W mineralization. The W mineralization is mostly in stage II quartz veins, with less economic W mineralization in the other 3 stages of veins. Ore minerals are wolframite and scheelite. Wolframite is typically euhedral and occurs in quartz veins, while the occurrences of scheelite are: (1) euhedral grains in quartz vein and, (2) pseudomorphing wolframite grains or cutting across wolframite grains as veinlets. There are at least 3 felsic igneous rock types in the mining district, including porphyritic biotite granite, equigranular coarse-grained biotite granite and fine-grained felsic dykes that cuts across the ore body. There is no observable contact between granite and the W veins, thus their relationship is unclear. Mineralized quartz veins and chlorite alteration occur in the porphyritic biotite granite, whereas no quartz vein and alteration are present in the fine-grained felsic dyke, indicating that the porphyritic biotite granite was earlier than mineralization and the felsic dyke later than mineralization. This observation is consistent with the latest dating results: the LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of the porphyritic biotite granite is 298±3 Ma and the felsic dyke 261±7 Ma, whereas the molybdenite Re-Os age from the mineralized quartz vein is 28 ±1 Ma, and the muscovite 40Ar-39Ar ages are 282-277 (±1-2) Ma. There is no overlap between the 2 muscovite 40Ar-39Ar ages, probably indicates there was some post-mineralization tectono-thermal activities. Preliminary fluid inclusion studies reveal that most of them are primary, with sizes up to 26 μm. The homogenization temperatures range from 210 to 290°C, final ice-melting temperatures are between 0 and −3.7°C. Laser Raman analysis identified CH4 in the vapor bubble. The δ34S values of sulphides range from -9.1 to -6.0‰, and O-H isotopes largely overlap with metamorphic water.


Abstract The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide authoritative guidance for states and businesses on how to prevent and address business-related human rights harms, including in conflict-affected areas. States need to explore a more innovative range of policy and regulatory options in such situations, whether they are engaging with cooperating companies or dealing with uncooperative ones. Companies need to be able to know and show that they can operate with integrity – and avoid being involved in gross abuses of human rights – and that their risk assessment, mitigation, and remediation processes take full account of the potential risks to affected stakeholders, not just risks to the business.


A significant number of patients who present for cataract surgery have pupils that do not respond adequately despite several pharmacological attempts with different mydriatic agents. Most of the current available surgical maneuvers for enlarging the pupil and preventing its intraoperative constriction are not safe enough. They can lead to an increased risk of iris sphincter tear, bleeding, iris damage, posterior capsule tears, and loss of the vitreous body. The postoperative complications can include an atonic pupil of irregular shape leading to poor visual and cosmetic result. Large pupils postoperatively are associated with glare and a reduced depth of focus. We present our innovative technique "Push and pull method "for small incision cataract surgery in small pupils. This push and pull method of pupillary dilatation minimizes the likelihood of iris sphincter tears, thereby leading to no postoperative irregular dilated pupil and glare and better visual outcome.


Background: Existing evidence examining the effects of image based interventions provides contrasting findings in terms of the impact of visual stimuli on illness cognitions, motivation and behaviour. Aims: This thesis aimed to explore the impact of a variety of visual stimuli of a general and personalised nature on healthy participants' and patients' outcomes such as illness cognitions, affect, pain and behavioural intentions. Method: The thesis consists of 5 randomised controlled trials and 1 qualitative interview study. Study 1 assessed the impact of generalised visual imagery of student's perceptions of their moles in the context of skin cancer. Studies 2 and 3 examined the impact of different post operative dressings, which offered different visual information about the wound on patients' cognitions in the context of laparoscopic surgery. Study 4 assessed the impact of viewing the screen during a hysteroscopy procedure on patient outcomes. Study 6 explored the impact of viewing retinal images during screening for the effects of diabetes. Study 6 involved an exploration of how patients experienced seeing images of their retina. Results: The results of Study 1 indicated that generalised visual information about moles had no impact upon participants' outcomes. Studies 2 and 3 indicated that personally relevant visual information, in the form of post-operative dressings, altered patients' illness cognitions, mood, pain and recovery from laparoscopic surgery. Study 4 indicated that viewing hysteroscopy on a screen was detrimental for patients' mood, beliefs about treatment effectiveness and doctor-patient communication; however it also provided patients with reassurance and engaged them on an intellectual level. The findings of Study 5 indicated that viewing retinal images improved patients understanding about the link between diabetes and eye health but by the same token evoked defensive tactics and beliefs preventing patients taking control of their illness. Study 6 indicated that retinal images were beneficial in their facilitating role in doctor-patient communication and positively impacted upon patients' mood but also presented a challenge to the way patients evaluated the information conveyed by the images. Conclusions: The findings illustrated that generalised visual images have no effect on illness perceptions; however personalised, visual information has been identified as an important factor of the patient experience. The role of visual cues available in medical settings should be considered in clinical decisions due to their ability to affect patients' psychological wellbeing and recovery from surgery.


This dissertation studies the effects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the banking sector and the payments system. It provides insight into how technology-induced changes occur, by exploring both the nature and scope of main technology innovations and evidencing their economic implications for banks and payment systems. Some parts in the dissertation are descriptive. They summarise the main technological developments in the field of finance and link them to economic policies. These parts are complemented with sections of the study that focus on assessing the extent of technology application to banking and payment activities. Finally, it includes also some work which borrows from the economic literature on banking. The need for an interdisciplinary approach arises from the complexity of the topic and the rapid path of change to which it is subject. The first chapter provides an overview of the influence of developments in ICT on the evolution of financial services and international capital flows. We include main indicators and discuss innovation in the financial sector, exchange rates and international capital flows. The chapter concludes with impact analysis and policy options regarding the international financial architecture, some monetary policy issues and the role of international institutions. The second chapter is a technology assessment study that focuses on the relationship between technology and money. The application of technology to payments systems is transforming the way we use money and, in some instances, is blurring the definition of what constitutes money. This chapter surveys the developments in electronic forms of payment and their relationship to the banking system. It also analyses the challenges posed by electronic money for regulators and policy makers, and in particular the opportunities created by two simultaneous processes: the Economic and Monetary Union and the increasing use of electronic payment instruments. The third chapter deals with the implications of developments in ICT on relationship banking. The financial intermediation literature explains relationship banking as a type of financial intermediation characterised by proprietary information and multiple interactions with customers. This form of banking is important for the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises. We discuss the effects of ICT on the banking sector as a whole and then apply these developments to the case of relationship banking. The fourth chapter is an empirical study of the effects of technology on the banking business, using a sample of data from the Spanish banking industry. The design of the study is based on some of the events described in the previous chapters, and also draws from the economic literature on banking. The study shows that developments in information management have differential effects on wholesale and retail banking activities. Finally, the last chapter is a technology assessment study on electronic payments systems in Spain and the European Union. It contains an analysis of existing payment systems and ongoing or planned initiatives in Spain. It forms part of a broader project comprising a series of country-specific analyses covering ten European countries. The main issues raised across the countries serve as the starting point to discuss implications of the development of electronic money for regulation and policies, and in particular, for monetary-policy making.


Background: Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secretion by T cells is a key correlate of immune protection against many pathogens including tuberculosis and the neglected tropical disease melioidosis. Clinical studies in tropical regions of immune responses to pathogens and vaccine monitoring studies require the collection of samples in resource-limited rural areas and subsequent shipment to central laboratories for downstream assays and long-term storage. Here, we studied the impact of two different shipping temperatures on the viability, composition and function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using multi-colour flow cytometry and IFN-g enzyme-linked immunospot assay (IFN-g ELISpot), in order to provide guidance on sample shipment conditions for future clinical studies. Methods: Paired peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples from recovered melioidosis patients were stored in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) and then shipped from Bangkok, Thailand to Oxford, UK at either -80°C (dry ice) or -196°C (dry shipper). After thawing, cell viability and composition were assessed by flow cytometry and antigen specific responses to Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP) were measured using IFN-g ELISpot. Results: We observed modest lowering of viability in the majority of samples and a reduction in IFN-g responses to BP which correlated to a decrease of monocytes and natural killer cells in samples shipped at -80°C compared to -196°C. Despite being lower in magnitude antigen-specific responses remained detectable in the majority of samples. Conclusions: Here we demonstrate that shipment of cryopreserved PBMC at -196°C has a benefit on cell viability, recovery and T cell responses to bacterial antigens, although useful information can still be obtained from samples shipped at -80°C, thus providing important guidance for sample management in future clinical trials.


Abstract Cryogenic inertial confinement fusion targets at the National Ignition Facility and the Laser Megajoule will be protected from thermal infrared radiation by a cold shroud. As the shroud is removed just before the laser pulse, infrared radiation will heat and possibly degrade the symmetry of the solid hydrogen fuel layer. A lumped component mathematical model has been constructed to calculate how long an indirect drive target can be exposed to thermal radiation before the fuel layer degrades. The allowed exposure time sets the maximum shroud removal time and therefore has important implications for the design of the cryogenic shroud systems. The model predicts that the maximum exposure time is approximately 0.18 s for plastic capsules inside hohlraums with transparent laser entrance holes. By covering the laser entrance holes with a partially reflective coating, the exposure time can be increased to approximately 1 s. The exposure time can be increased to about 2 s by using beryllium capsules. Several other design concepts could increase the exposure time even further. Lengthening of the allowed exposure time to 1 s or longer could allow a significant cost savings for the shroud system.


Susceptibility of anthurium cultivars to systemic infection by the bacterial blight pathogen, Xanthomonas campestris pv. dieffenbachiae, was examined using a bioengineered bioluminescent strain (V108LRUH1) and compared with susceptibility to foliar infection. Eight cultivars with different levels of susceptibility to foliar infection were evaluated for their susceptibility to systemic infection. Petioles of second youngest leaves cut near the main stem were inoculated with strain V108LRUH1, and subsequent movement of this bacterium into other petioles was monitored by observing bioluminescence from the plants. The actual extent of systemic movement was determined by reisolating V108LRUH1 from dissected segments of the remaining petioles. In susceptible cultivars, the pathogen advanced very rapidly and nearly reached the distal end of petioles. In resistant cultivars, the pathogen was detected in none (or very few) of the petiole segments. However, the susceptibility ranking among the tested cultivars for systemic infection did not always correspond to the ranking determined for foliar infection: i.e., one cultivar that was susceptible to foliar infection was highly resistant to systemic infection, and vice versa. This suggests that cultivar susceptibility of anthuriums to bacterial blight may differ depending on the phase of disease progression, and thus evaluation for both disease phases is essential for complete understanding of cultivar susceptibility.