Little is known about gastrointestinal parasite infections in large carnivores in Africa and what is available is largely from East Africa. We collected faecal samples from nine spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta), 15 lions (Panthera leo) and 13 African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) from Luangwa Valley, Zambia. The most common gastrointestinal parasites found were Isospora spp., Spirometra sp., Taeniidae and Sarcosystis spp. Twenty-eight per cent of all samples were co-infected with Spirometra sp. and Taeniidae, with co-infection rates highest among lions (67%). Thirty-three per cent (3/9) of spotted hyaenas were infected with Isospora sp. Ninety-two per cent (12/13) of wild dog were infected with Sarcocystis, similar to results from studies in South Africa. One lion was infected with a parasite whose morphology suggested Strongyloides sp., not previously been reported in lions. Samples from one lion and two spotted hyaenas yielded no gastrointestinal parasites. Overall, parasite species were consistent with those found from studies in other regions of Africa and are likely a result of ingesting infected prey. To our knowledge this study provides the most comprehensive survey of gastrointestinal parasite infection in large carnivores from this region of Africa to date and provides baseline data for future studies.


The aim of this study was to compare physical fitness of high performance canoeists, rowers, Greek-Roman style wrestlers, basketball players and skiers during their competition period. Indices of physical development, muscle and fat mass and their ratios were obtained. Single muscular contraction power (SMCP) and anaerobic alactic muscular power (AAMP) were also measured. The anaerobic glycolytic power (AGP) was estimated by ergometer. The Bosco methodology was used to estimate the activity of fast twitch fibres (FTF). The psychomotor response time (PRT) and movement frequency (MF) per 10 s were estimated and Roufier index (RI) was applied to measure functional capacity of circulatory and respiratory systems. The examination of athletes specialising in five different sports allowed for identification of the peculiarities of sports specialisation. The distinctive height, highest body weight and static hand power values characterised rowers and basketball players; while canoeists had the highest muscle mass. Only canoeists achieved high SMCP during the competition period. The SMCP of rowers and skiers was optimal, whereas the basketball players and wrestlers demonstrated an insufficient single muscular contraction power. The highest anaerobic alactic muscle power was observed in basketball players and canoeists, whereas in the muscles the basketball players and wrestlers the activity of FTF was insufficient. Though its parameters were approximate to endurance-trained rowers, they considerably fell behind those of canoeists. The functional capacity of circulatory and respiratory system of skiers was highest. The research revealed that the majority of indices of skiers and wrestlers' physical fitness were lowest among the other studied athletes. Such results reflect their limited potential to achieve high results in international competitions.


1. Habitat fragmentation is a major threat to biodiversity and can lead to the loss of both species and ecosystem services, but fragmentation effects vary greatly between studies and studied organisms. Understanding the distinct effects of habitat amount and isolation at the patch and landscape scale may account for some of this variation. 2. We studied biodiversity in 30 traditional orchards that were selected for independent variation in habitat amount and habitat isolation at the patch and landscape scale. We analysed species richness and abundance of snails, beetles, true bugs, spiders and breeding birds that avoid open farmland but occur in woody vegetation types. Additionally, the abundances of nine single species were analysed using specific habitat definitions. 3. Surprisingly, the effects of habitat isolation were more important than the effects of habitat amount. Effects at the patch scale were more frequent than landscape-scale effects. 4. Spider species richness decreased with increasing patch-scale habitat amount. Abundance of the weevil Phyllobius oblongus increased with landscape-scale habitat amount. Negative effects of patch isolation were greater for predatory birds and spiders, while the predominately herbivorous beetles, true bugs and snails were less affected. Species richness of birds, spiders and beetles, and abundance of birds, Cyanistes caeruleus, Parus major and Fringilla coelebs, decreased with increasing patch-scale habitat isolation. In contrast, species richness of spiders and beetles increased with increasing landscape-scale habitat isolation. 5. Synthesis and applications. The effects of habitat fragmentation differed between taxonomic groups, with stronger and more consistent responses in birds than invertebrates. Our understanding of fragmentation effects may be biased due to the dominance of bird studies in the literature, and further invertebrate studies are encouraged. Landscape management to improve biodiversity or ecosystem services requires a group-specific approach and coordinated priority setting. High habitat connectivity benefited wood-preferring birds, spiders and beetles, lending support to national initiatives for increased habitat connectedness. The negative effects of patch isolation were greater for natural pest regulators, birds and spiders than for herbivorous beetles and bugs.


Activation of the protein kinase Raf can lead to opposing cellular responses such as proliferation, growth arrest, apoptosis, or differentiation. Akt (protein kinase B), a member of a different signaling pathway that also regulates these responses, interacted with Raf and phosphorylated this protein at a highly conserved serine residue in its regulatory domain in vivo. This phosphorylation of Raf by Akt inhibited activation of the Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway and shifted the cellular response in a human breast cancer cell line from cell cycle arrest to proliferation. These observations provide a molecular basis for cross talk between two signaling pathways at the level of Raf and Akt.


There is a great need for rethinking the relationship between culture and future urbanism in the age of sustainable development. Existing discourses of creative cities have been dominated by a neoliberal agenda regarding culture as an engine of growth and an industrial policy for global competition. This chapter asks how a genuine appreciation of cultural economy, including the social construction of aesthetic meanings, the social structure and spatiality, can enable a new rationale of urbanism in Chinese context. We believe this inquiry is at the heart of the New Urban Agenda which regards culture as the central thesis to address sustainability challenges. We develop a multi-level framework of "creative capital" and attempt to use this framework to uncover the potential of Beijing as a creative city with rich historical cultural heritage, especially the Chinese discourses on modernity and the associated aesthetic values. We then draw lessons from such analysis in China and show ways of contributing to the creative cities theories by deploying the creative capital framework into more structured research projects in future.


In today's sophisticated environment demand by restaurant customers for the highest
levels of efficiency, quality, flexibility and dependability in the service delivery system
has increased tremendously. Many restaurant businesses recognize that attaining
customer satisfaction through efficient service delivery is a key to their business survival
and they are well aware that having a loyal base of satisfied customers increases sales,
reduces costs and builds market shares. This study examines to what extent the service
delivery system influences customers' patronization. It also examines the customers'
perceptions, through their dining experiences, of the service delivery systems in two
types of ethnic restaurants (Mamak and Malay restaurants) in the city of Shah Alam, as
well as their intention of re-patronization. Sample populations for this study were from
restaurant customers who had experienced dining at Malay and Mamak restaurants.
Respondents were randomly chosen at three popular supermarkets in Shah Alam city,
Giant, Tesco and Macro and three shopping complexes, SACC Mall, Plaza Alam Central
Mall and PKNS complex. Through personally administered questionnaires a significant
amount of data was gathered. A series of analyses looking at frequencies, mean scores,
standard deviation through descriptive and parametric statistics was undertaken.
Overall, some useful insights or predictors were obtained. Results revealed that as well
as food elements (taste, variety and quality of food), service attributes such as efficient
and fast service were also found to be important in influencing customers to dine. In
fact, other service delivery components such as operating environment (concept, layout,
pleasant ambience and conducive dining environments, hygiene and cleanliness as well
as entertainment) and human elements (friends and word of mouth) also moderate their
patronization. In comparing customer views of the service delivery system (food,
service, operating and human) and intention of re- patronization in Malay and Mamak
restaurants some significant differences appeared in respondents' evaluation.
Respondents professed that Malay restaurants offered more variety and versatility and
displayed better presentation of food compared to Mamak restaurants: Nevertheless,
their view changed with regard to service and other dimensions. Respondents strongly
agreed that the majority of Mamak restaurants offered slightly better services and
provided more conducive operating elements and this influenced their intention to repeat
patronization. In addition, social influences also slightly moderated their intention to go
to a particular restaurant. In this case again, Mamak restaurants were preferred by most
of the respondents compared to Malay restaurants. The different perceptions especially
among the restaurant customers of service and operating environment attributes have
provided significant impact and implications especially for Malay restaurant operators.
Malay restaurants are perhaps least able to attract more customers at all periods and
consequently this probably will lead to an inability to increase their business prosperity
as opposed to Mamak restaurants. This scenario highlights several important points,
which should be acted on by most of the Malay restaurants operators to better
understand customer needs. Then they can be well positioned to take advantage of the
growing trends in eating habits of customers in Malaysia.


The northern latitudes are experiencing disproportionate warming relative to the mid-latitudes, and there is growing concern about feedbacks between this warming and methane production and release from high-latitude soils. Studies of methane emissions carried out in the Arctic, particularly those with measurements made outside the growing season, are underrepresented in the literature. Here we present results of 5 yr (2006–2010) of automatic chamber measurements at a high-Arctic location in Zackenberg, NE Greenland, covering both the growing seasons and two months of the following freeze-in periods. The measurements show clear seasonal dynamics in methane emission. The start of the growing season and the increase in CH 4 fluxes were strongly related to the date of snowmelt. Within each particular growing season, CH 4 fluxes were highly correlated with the soil temperature ( R 2 > 0.75), which is probably explained by high seasonality of both variables, and weakly correlated with the water table. The greatest variability in fluxes between the study years was observed during the first part of the growing season. Somewhat surprisingly, this variability could not be explained by commonly known factors controlling methane emission, i.e. temperature and water table position. Late in the growing season CH 4 emissions were found to be very similar between the study years (except the extremely dry 2010) despite large differences in climatic factors (temperature and water table). Late-season bursts of CH 4 coinciding with soil freezing in the autumn were observed during at least three years. The cumulative emission during the freeze-in CH 4 bursts was comparable in size with the growing season emission for the year 2007, and about one third of the growing season emissions for the years 2009 and 2010. In all three cases the CH 4 burst was accompanied by a corresponding episodic increase in CO 2 emission, which can compose a significant contribution to the annual CO 2 flux budget. The most probable mechanism of the late-season CH 4 and CO 2 bursts is physical release of gases accumulated in the soil during the growing season. In this study we discuss possible links between growing season and autumn fluxes. Multiannual dynamics of the subsurface CH 4 storage pool are hypothesized to be such a link and an important driver of intearannual variations in the fluxes, capable of overruling the conventionally known short-term control factors (temperature and water table). Our findings suggest the importance of multiyear studies with a continued focus on shoulder seasons in Arctic ecosystems.


As a consequence of the increasing digitization, massive amounts of data are created every day. While scholars and practitioners suggest that organizations can use this data to develop new data-driven business models, many organizations struggle to systematically develop such models. A fundamental challenge in this regard is presented by the limited research on data-driven business models. Accordingly, the goal of this research is to better understand data-driven business models by identifying key dimensions that can be used to distinguish them and to develop a taxonomy. As our taxonomy aims to guide future studies in a way that ultimately serves organizations, it is based on dimensions regarded to be most relevant from the practitioners' perspective. To develop this taxonomy, we utilize an established empirical approach based on a combination of multidimensional scaling (MDS), property fitting (ProFit), and qualitative data. Our results reveal that the most important dimensions distinguish data-driven business models based on the data source utilized, the target audience, and the technological effort required. Based on these dimensions, our taxonomy distinguishes eight ideal-typical categories of data-driven business models. By providing an increased understanding regarding the topic, our results form the foundation for subsequent investigations in this new field of research.


Residential heating with wood is an important source of ambient air pollution. Evidence links air pollution to serious health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to wood smoke pollution causes morphological changes in the development of the rat lung, leading to altered lung structure and function during later life. We presumed that analysis of the fetal lung stereology provides novel insights into the underlying processes mediating particulate matter associated developmental changes and damage. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of exposure during gestational period to wood smoke pollution on lung fetal morphology. To test this, pregnant rats were exposed during pregestational and gestational periods to wood smoke pollution. Complete lungs samples were obtained from 24 fetus from healthy female G3 rats subjected to cesarean at 19 days post-fecundation. The lungs were prepared for histological and stereological analysis. The volume fraction of terminal bronchioles VV [tb, lung] and volume fraction of parenchyma VV [par, lung], surface density of terminal bronchioles SV [tb, lung] as well as numerical density of bronchiolar exocrinocytes NA [ec,lung] were calculated by light microscopy. Statistical analysis detected significant differences between groups in volume density VV [tb, lung; %] (p=0.0012) and surface density SV [tb, lung; mm2/mm3] (p<0.0001) of the terminal bronchioles. However, it did not show differences between groups in the stereological parameter volume density VV [par, lung; %] (p=0.0838) and numerical density of bronchiolar exocrinocytes NA [ec,lung; no/mm2] (p=0.0705). The analysis of the evidence obtained indicates that exposure to environmental pollution was affects lung maturation, and particularly the proportion and area of terminal bronchioles in the fetal lung. In conclusion, maternal exposure to wood smoke pollution during pregnancy was associated with a decrease in the lower conducting airways of lungs, which, according to urban pollution studies, could be related to early childhood lower respiratory illness. The public health implications of this study are that reducing or avoiding exposure to wood smoke is important before and during pregnancy.


Leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) and drought vulnerability in terms of leaf water potential inducing 50% loss of Kleaf (P50), were assessed in four genotypes of Coffea arabica L. We tested three hypotheses: (1) leaf P50 is lower in small leaves with higher vein densities; (2) lower P50 translates into lower Kleaf, limiting gas exchange rates and higher leaf mass per unit area (LMA); (3) P50 values are coordinated with symplastic drought tolerance. We found partial support for Hypotheses 1 and 3, but not for Hypothesis 2. Significant correlations existed among leaf size, vein network and drought resistance. Smaller leaves displayed higher major vein density, higher Kleaf and more negative P50. Kleaf was correlated with leaf gas exchange rates. A negative relationship was observed between Kleaf and LMA, whereas P50 was found to be positively correlated with LMA. Across coffee genotypes, reduced leaf surface area and increased vein density shifts P50 towards more negative values while not translating into higher LMA or lower Kleaf. Breeding crop varieties for both increased safety of the leaf hydraulic system towards drought-induced dysfunction and high gas exchange rates per unit of leaf area is probably a feasible target for future adaptation of crops to climate change scenarios.


Abstract: Schwann cell biosynthesis of the major myelin glycoprotein, P0, was investigated in the crush‐injured adult rat sciatic nerve, where there is myelin assembly, and in the permanently transected nerve, where there is no myelin assembly. Endoneurial fractions from desheathed rat sciatic nerves distal to the crush were compared with similar fractions from the permanently transected nerves at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after injury. The Schwann cell expression of this asparagine‐linked glycoprotein was evaluated after sodium dodecyl sulfatepore gradient electrophoresis by Coomassie Blue and silver stain and by autoradiography after direct overlay of radioiodinated lectins [wheat germ agglutinin, gorse agglutinin, and concanavalin A (Con A)]. As evaluated by these parameters, the concentration of P0 after crush decreased and subsequently increased as a function of time after injury, corresponding to the events of demyelination and remyelination. After permanent transection, the Po concentration decreased following the same time course found after crush. At subsequent time points, P0 could not be detected with Coomassie Blue stain, silver stain, or wheat germ agglutinin. Both gorse agglutinin and Con A, however, showed binding to P0. Radioactive precursor incorporation studies with [3H]fucose or [3H] mannose into endoneurial slices at 35 days posttransection revealed active oligosaccharide processing of P0 glycoprotein by Schwann cells in this permanent transection model. Compared with other Schwann cell glycoproteins in the transected nerve, the highest level of incorporation of [3H]mannose was found in P0 which accounted for 42.7% of the incorporated label. In contrast, incorporation of [3H]mannose into endoneurial slices at 35 days after crush accounted for only 13.3% in Po. In addition, higher levels of Con A binding were observed in P0 in the transected nerve compared with the contralateral control or the crushed nerve. Both the [3H]fucose incorporation and gorse agglutinin binding to P0 in the transected nerve suggest posttranslational processing of this glycoprotein in the Golgi apparatus; however, the absence of wheat germ agglutinin binding, the high level of mannose incorporation, and the high level of binding by Con A imply that additional processing steps are required prior to its assembly into myelin.


Silicon-based nanoporous particles as biodegradable drug carriers are advantageous in permeation, controlled release, and targeting. The use of biodegradable nanoporous silicon and silicon dioxide, with proper surface treatments, allows sustained drug release within the target site over a period of days, or even weeks, due to selective surface coating. A variety of surface treatment protocols are available for silicon-based particles to be stabilized, functionalized, or modified as required. Coated polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains showed the effective depression of both plasma protein adsorption and cell attachment to the modified surfaces, as well as the advantage of long circulating. Porous silicon particles are micromachined by lithography. Compared to the synthesis route of the nanomaterials, the advantages include: (1) the capability to make different shapes, not only spherical particles but also square, rectangular, or ellipse cross sections, etc.; (2) the capability for very precise dimension control; (3) the capacity for porosity and pore profile control; and (4) allowance of complex surface modification. The particle patterns as small as 60 nm can be fabricated using the state-of-the-art photolithography. The pores in silicon can be fabricated by exposing the silicon in an HF/ethanol solution and then subjecting the pores to an electrical current. The size and shape of the pores inside silicon can be adjusted by the doping of the silicon, electrical current application, the composition of the electrolyte solution, and etching time. The surface of the silicon particles can be modified by many means to provide targeted delivery and on-site permanence for extended release. Multiple active agents can be co-loaded into the particles. Because the surface modification of particles can be done on wafers before the mechanical release, asymmetrical surface modification is feasible. Starting from silicon wafers, a treatment, such as KOH dipping or reactive ion etching (RIE), may be applied to make the surface rough. This helps remove the nucleation layer. A protective layer is then deposited on the wafer. The protective layer, such as silicon nitride film or photoresist film, protects the wafer from electrochemical etching in an HF-based solution. A lithography technique is applied to pattern the particles onto the protective film. The undesired area of the protective film is removed, and the protective film on the back side of the wafer is also removed. Then the pattern is exposed to HF/surfactant solution, and a larger DC electrical current is applied to the wafers for a selected time. This step removes the nucleation layer. Then a DC current is applied to generate the nanopores. Next, a large electrical current is applied to generate a release layer. The particles are mechanically suspended in the solvent and collected by filtration or centrifuge.


The aim of this study was to determine how newspapers in Nigeria report the impact of COVID-19 on Nigerian economy A total of four national daily newspapers were randomly selected for the study These are Leadership, Guardian, Nation and Punch newspapers The study was anchored on agenda setting theory The quantitative research design was used for the study The duration of the study was February 27 2020 to October 30 2020 The code sheet served as the instrument for data collection while descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the results of the study It was found that newspapers mainly utilized official sources Additionally, straight news format was used to report the impact of COVID-19 on Nigerian economy It was also found that newspapers in Nigeria neither made suggestions on how to manage the economy in times of the pandemic nor post pandemic The researcher examined the implications of these results on health communication © 2021


Despite the proven efficacy of biological drugs for inflammatory bowel disease, these therapies are costly and do carry some risks, providing incentive for exploring strategies to discontinue therapy in patients with prolonged remission. We presently review multiple cohort studies indicating the overall risk of relapse after stopping an anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in inflammatory bowel disease patients is roughly 40% at 12 months after therapy cessation. Despite methodological differences across studies, it appears that patients without deep remission (ie, patients with endoscopic or biomarker evidence of inflammation) are at increased risk of relapse after stopping anti-TNF, as are those with high-adequate levels of anti-TNF before stopping. In patients who relapse after anti-TNF cessation, retreatment with the same biological seems to reinduce clinical response in most patients. Immunological reasons responsible for this high success rate for retreatment are elucidated, but resorting to retreatment also implies a small but finite risk of a severe flare leading to surgery, which should be borne in mind. Thus, stopping attempts should probably be reserved for patients with low risk for severe outcome should a relapse occur. Proactive endoscopic monitoring after drug cessation is imperative to reduce these risks. The recently introduced concept of treatment-cycles is discussed, along with a pragmatic algorithm of decision tree for therapy discontinuation in the selected appropriate patients.


Neuroimaging studies play a pivotal role in the evaluation of pre- vs. post-interventional neurological conditions such as in rehabilitation and surgical treatment. Among the many neuroimaging technologies used to measure brain activity, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) enables the evaluation of dynamic cortical activities by measuring the local hemoglobin levels similar to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Also, due to lesser physical restriction in fNIRS, multiple variants of sensorimotor tasks can be evaluated. Many laboratories have developed several methods for fNIRS data analysis; however, despite the fact that the general principles are the same, there is no universally standardized method. Here, we present the qualitative and comparative analytic methods of data obtained from a multi-channel fNIRS experiment using a block design. For qualitative analysis, we used a software for NIRS as a mass-univariate approach based on the generalized linear model. The NIRS-SPM analysis shows qualitative results for each session by visualizing the activated area during the task. In addition, the non-invasive three-dimensional digitizer can be used to estimate the fNIRS channel locations relative to the brain. To corroborate the NIRS-SPM findings, the amplitude of the changes in hemoglobin levels induced by the sensorimotor task can be statistically analyzed by comparing the data obtained from two different sessions (before and after intervention) of the same study subject using a multi-channel hierarchical mixed model. Our methods can be used to measure the pre- vs. post-intervention analysis in a variety of neurological disorders such as movement disorders, cerebrovascular diseases, and neuropsychiatric disorders.


Missing attributes are ubiquitous in causal inference, as they are in most applied statistical work. In this paper, we consider various sets of assumptions under which causal inference is possible despite missing attributes and discuss corresponding approaches to average treatment effect estimation, including generalized propensity score methods and multiple imputation. Across an extensive simulation study, we show that no single method systematically out-performs others. We find, however, that doubly robust modifications of standard methods for average treatment effect estimation with missing data repeatedly perform better than their non-doubly robust baselines; for example, doubly robust generalized propensity score methods beat inverse-weighting with the generalized propensity score. This finding is reinforced in an analysis of an observations study on the effect on mortality of tranexamic acid administration among patients with traumatic brain injury in the context of critical care management. Here, doubly robust estimators recover confidence intervals that are consistent with evidence from randomized trials, whereas non-doubly robust estimators do not.


In this paper, we address the problem of synthesizing novel views from a set of input images. State of the art methods, such as the Unstructured Lumigraph, have been using heuristics to combine information from the original views, often using an explicit or implicit approximation of the scene geometry. While the proposed heuristics have been largely explored and proven to work effectively, a Bayesian formulation was recently introduced, formalizing some of the previously proposed heuristics, pointing out which physical phenomena could lie behind each. However, some important heuristics were still not taken into account and lack proper formalization. We contribute a new physics-based generative model and the corresponding Maximum a Posteriori estimate, providing the desired unification between heuristics-based methods and a Bayesian formulation. The key point is to systematically consider the error induced by the uncertainty in the geometric proxy. We provide an extensive discussion, analyzing how the obtained equations explain the heuristics developed in previous methods. Furthermore, we show that our novel Bayesian model significantly improves the quality of novel views, in particular if the scene geometry estimate is inaccurate.


My written thesis modifies George Romero's zombie in an effort to exhume the critical potential of melancholia. The notion of melancholia as a dissenting condition has been rendered obsolete within contemporary culture. I equate the shift from melancholia to depression with the emergence of the postmodern climate that collapses radical opposition from the outside by assimilating dissent within its own operations. The subversive qualities of melancholia are superseded by the classification of depression as a dysfunctional inability to assimilate the logic of capitalist production.

I initially formulate my own psychoanalytical term – undead melancholia – to describe the figure of the zombie. I then use the notion of sublimation to rewrite undead melancholia as a utopian phantasy of transgressive subjectivity in which life willingly acquiesces to an emancipatory marriage with death. This fiction of a radical new strain of zombie is understood as a melancholic phantasy of an oppositional critical strategy that has now been lost within contemporary homogeneity.

I then discuss the zombie as an abject walking corpse that collapses Symbolic meaning altogether. This reading of the zombie undoes my own formulation of undead melancholia as a transgressive subject position, and re-articulates it as a haptic materiality beyond subjectivity instead.

I finally propose a performance practice that might ape the materiality of undead melancholia by interrupting the formal and normalised protocols of contemporary culture. This performative melancholia, as a haptic antagonism, would refuse to consent absolutely to the status quo, asserting that the homogenous procedures determining contemporary cultural production are contingent negotiations rather than essential conditions.

My recent performance practice involves staging unexpected musical interventions at various conferences, symposia, art events and exhibitions to which I have been invited as a guest speaker. This work confounds the professional protocols and the normalised codes of behaviour associated with these events.


In aquaculture, the crustaceans are classified among the most dreadful parasites due to their high potential contamination hazards. Some parasitic copepods are responsible for a massive mortality of stocks, however, there has been a lack of knowledge on the Algerian freshwater fish. Therefore, the present work aimed to study the infestation of copepod ectoparasites of 499 fish, including 257 individuals of Luciobarbus callensis (Valencienne ,1842) and 242 of Carassius carassius (Linnaeus, 1758) species found in Beni Haroun Dam (Mila, Algeria). The fish were subjected to some morphometric measurements, and thereby, a gill dissection was measured, harvested, preserved and identified, as well the parasitic indices were calculated. The effect of some parameters (size, sex season, and microhabitat) on the parasite infestation was tested by using χχ2 test. The gill examination of the individuals of the two host populations led to an inventory of eight parasitic species in Luciobarbus callensis and six species in Carassius carassius. Also, the study of epidemiologic indices of host species revealed that the higher recorded values were found in Luciobarbus callensis (P= 12,84%; I=2.33; A=0.29) (Tab.1). Nevertheless, the seasonal evaluation of the parasite indices of copepods obtained from the same species revealed that the most important values were noted in summer (P=23,63%; A=0,61; I=2,61). Moreover, Carassius carassius provided high infestation rates and parasite infestation charges, respectively during spring (I=1.77; A=0.21) and summer (P=12.76%). The χ2 values showed the effect of season (χχ2 obs = 18.833 > χχ2 0.05 = 6.251 ddl=3) and the size (χχ2 obs =14,639 > χχ20,05 =4.605; ddl=2) on the parasite infestation of the two host species, since there was no effect due to the microhabitat and sex.


The European FP7 project PEPPHER is addressing programmability and performance portability for current and emerging heterogeneous many-core architectures. As its main idea, the project proposes a multi-level parallel execution model comprised of potentially parallelized components existing in variants suitable for different types of cores, memory configurations, input characteristics, optimization criteria, and couples this with dynamic and static resource and architecture aware scheduling mechanisms. Crucial to PEPPHER is that components can be made performance aware, allowing for more efficient dynamic and static scheduling on the concrete, available resources. The flexibility provided in the software model, combined with a customizable, heterogeneous, memory and topology aware run-time system is key to efficiently exploiting the resources of each concrete hardware configuration. The project takes a holistic approach, relying on existing paradigms, interfaces, and languages for the parallelization of components, and develops a prototype framework, a methodology for extending the framework, and guidelines for constructing performance portable software and systems-including paths to migration of existing software-for heterogeneous many-core processors. This paper gives a high-level project overview, and presents a specific example showing how the PEPPHER component variant model and resource-aware run-time system enable performance portability of a numerical kernel. © 2012 The authors and IOS Press. All rights reserved.


This project describes our approach for automating the calibration stage needed by the Factorial Switching Linear Dynamical System (FSLDS) for neonatal condition monitoring. Using observations collected by the monitoring equipment, the FSLDS proposed by Prof Christopher Williams and Dr John Quinn [22] is highly successful in inferring the probability distributions of both physiological and artifactual hidden factors affecting the measurements. The detection of these factors presents vital importance to clinicians. However, the FSLDS must be calibrated using manually selected data segments corresponding to normal dynamics. Our goal is to automatically find such intervals. The proposed solution uses a binary classifier able to discriminate normal sections from a set of fixed length measurement intervals. A "channel-based" classification is justified, together with a new labeling for the data, feature extraction solutions and a performance criterion especially developed for the task. Experimental results have demonstrated that our classifiers are able to correctly extract normality sections from the observations on hand. More importantly, a number of comparative tests between the autoand manually-calibrated FSLDSs provide evidence that our approach is indeed successful in uncovering the hidden factors influencing the observational data.


In response to regulatory policies on environmental and consumer safety, firms implement various initiatives to enhance their environmental compliance to enter or stay in the markets where those regulatory policies are present. Using firm-level data from Japan, this paper examines the impact of ISO14001 adoption and internationalisation status of firms on their compliance with product-related environmental regulations (PRERs) imposed by the European Union. We apply a bivariate probit model to estimate the relationship between adoption of ISO14001 and compliance with the European Union's RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation, taking into account the potential simultaneity between ISO adoption and PRER compliance. Also, the effect of internationalisation status such as participation in global value chains on PRER compliance is examined. The results indicate that the effect of ISO14001 on those PRERs may occur only when firms operate in a stringent regulatory environment.


This paper highlights the increasing importance of intangibles in the international dealings of multinational enterprises. Focussing on fiscal regulations in the United States and in OECD member countries, particulary Australia, it critically reviews the arm's length principle and related issues in their application to intangible property. It examines the complexities associated with the various methodologies that have been developed for determining arm's length consideration for transfers of intangibles, and puts forward some suggestions for developing an appropriate typology.


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The detection of a weak signal in additive Cauchy noise is of great importance in many applications. A locally optimum detector (LOD) exists for such a scenario; however, it is non-linear in nature. In general, implementation of non-linear detectors is difficult in practice, and linear detectors with good properties, such as high asymptotic relative efficiency (ARE) with respect to the LOD, are often desirable. In this paper, we propose a linear detector for a weak signal in additive Cauchy noise. The proposed test statistic is a linear combination of order statistics. For the special case of a constant signal in additive Cauchy noise, we prove the asymptotic normality of the trimmed linear detector, and show that the ARE of the trimmed linear detector with respect to the LOD is unity. Extensive simulation results are provided to demonstrate that the loss in the performance of the linear detector is very small compared with the non-linear LOD. We also discuss the hardware complexities of the LOD and the linear detector, and demonstrate the advantages of the linear detector over the LOD, in terms of hardware implementation.


The record of both dinoflagellate cysts and benthic foraminifera across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at El Kef, Tunisia, reveals a brief expansion of the Boreal bioprovince into the western Tethys, suggesting that an ∼2 k.y. cooling occurred during the earliest Danian. We show that this prolonged cooling phase is consistent with the oceanographic response to an impact winter.


Although Nabokov criticism has long identified Despair with Dostoevski, critics have for the most part addressed Despair in terms of how it either attacks or validates Dostoevski and thus have understood Nabokov to be speaking primarily about Dostoevski's achievement as a novelist. As I argue, Despair revises Dostoevski as a sly assertion of Nabokov's paradoxical aesthetic independence, and does so through the medium of Marcel Proust. It predicts the more obvious Proustian influence that critics have noticed in Nabokov's later works. In Despair Proust gives Nabokov the fundamental modernist narrative that makes an artist's coming to consciousness coincident with the narrative the reader reads. Nabokov borrows Proust's narrative pattern and lends it to Hermann to mishandle, but neither author of Despair keeps it as his own. Despair is a failed Proustian novel, one that Nabokov arranges so that the failure is not technically his. Paying ironic and even humble tribute to the author to whom he was closest, Nabokov imprisons Hermann and his Dostoevskian fantasies within his own aesthetic universe and thereby separates Hermann's derivative Dostoevskian one from Nabokov's peculiarly original novel. Although Nabokov implies Proust is his ideal artist, the truth is that Nabokov, as always, points to himself. After Hermann disappears from the novel, one world remains, named Despair, and it belongs to Vladimir Nabokov and, perhaps, the reader.


Conservation goals at the start of the 21st century reflect a combination of contrasting ideas. Ideal nature is something that is historically intact but also futuristically flexible. Ideal nature is independent from humans, but also, because of the pervasiveness of human impacts, only able to reach expression through human management. These tensions emerge in current management rationales because scientists and managers are struggling to accommodate old and new scientific and cultural thinking, while also maintaining legal mandates from the past and commitments to preservation of individual species in particular places under the stresses of global change. Common management goals (such as integrity, wilderness, resilience), whether they are forward looking and focused on sustainability and change, or backward looking and focused on the persistence and restoration of historic states, tend to create essentialisms about how ecosystems should be. These essentialisms limit the options of managers to accommodate the dynamic, and often novel, response of ecosystems to global change. Essentialisms emerge because there is a tight conceptual coupling of place and historical species composition as an indicator of naturalness (e.g., normal, healthy, independent from humans). Given that change is increasingly the norm and ecosystems evolve in response, the focus on idealized ecosystem states is increasingly unwise and unattainable. To provide more open‐ended goals, we propose greater attention be paid to the characteristics of management intervention. We suggest that the way we interact with other species in management and the extent to which those interactions reflect the interactions among other biotic organisms, and also reflect our conservation virtues (e.g., humility, respect), influences our ability to cultivate naturalness on the landscape. We call this goal a natural practice (NP) and propose it as a framework for prioritizing and formulating how, when, and where to intervene in this period of rapid change.


The amounts of Fe, and Zn were measured in maize seedlings infected by smut gall tumour (Ustilago maydis Dc. Cda.) and in healthy seedlings five days after infection. The amount of elements was also measured under different stress intensities. Due to the infection, as a biotic stress, the amount and distribution of examined elements have been changed. On the bases of the differences in the Fe distribution between the symptoms less and tumorial leaf parts, we have come to the conclusion that the infection also effects the mobilisation of Fe and Zn inside the plants. The Fe uptake was much higher in the infected plants and the tumour development also had an effect on the uptake and distribution of the examined elements. The experiments of infecting maize seedlings by monosporidial strain of crown gall tumour showed no tumour development. We found that the monosporidial strain also acts as a biotic stress and has an effect of iron and zinc distribution. We observed a slight difference in the iron and zinc contents in the roots of corn seedlings infected by different monosporidial sporidium concentrations, while the iron and zinc contents in the shoots were increased by the intensity of the infection. The roots do not form tumours. There is no difference between the roots of the infected and healthy corn seedlings. Since the Fe and Zn contents of the shoots of infected plants depend on the intensity of the infection, we have come to the conclusion that there must exist a "special" communication system regulating the transportation of the examined elements. In the experiments with infected maize seedlings, it became necessary to get the iron chlorosis before the disease reaches the lethal phase. Although most of the iron reserves are located in the embryo, to accelerate the chlorosis, the endosperm was removed, and it was observed, that the iron chlorosis appears later in maize seedlings when the endosperm is removed. The relative chlorophyll content of the first and second leaves was measured in iron efficient and iron deficient maize seedlings at different times. The higher IAA content of tumorial plant tissues is already known. The treatment with IAA decreases the iron concentration in the shoots and in the roots of +Fe precultured plants and increases at -Fe precultured ones. The TIBA retards the shoot-toroot transport of IAA. When the seedlings were treated simultaneously with IAA and TIBA, higher iron concentrations were observed in the shoots and in the roots of corn seedlings. We found extremely high iron concentrations in the roots of infected seedlings and, in line with this, serious damage to the roots was observed that this can be caused by the high iron content generated free radicals. The results demonstrate that IAA has a role in the shoot to root communication.


The primary task of the lungs is to maintain oxygenation of the blood and eliminate carbon dioxide through the network of capillaries alongside alveoli. This is maintained by utilising ventilatory reserve capacity and by changes in lung mechanics. Induction of anaesthesia impairs pulmonary functions by the loss of consciousness, depression of reflexes, changes in rib cage and haemodynamics. All drugs used during anaesthesia, including inhalational agents, affect pulmonary functions directly by acting on respiratory system or indirectly through their actions on other systems. Volatile anaesthetic agents have more pronounced effects on pulmonary functions compared to intravenous induction agents, leading to hypercarbia and hypoxia. The posture of the patient also leads to major changes in pulmonary functions. Anticholinergics and neuromuscular blocking agents have little effect. Analgesics and sedatives in combination with volatile anaesthetics and induction agents may exacerbate their effects. Since multiple agents are used during anaesthesia, ultimate effect may be different from when used in isolation. Literature search was done using MeSH key words 'anesthesia', 'pulmonary function', 'respiratory system' and 'anesthesia drugs and lungs' in combination in PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar filtered by review and research articles sorted by relevance.


The effects of irrigation treatments with applied water amounts at various fractions of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) on productivity of Chardonnay grapevines grafted onto two rootstocks were determined across eight years. Irrigation treatments during the first four years were applied water amounts at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25 of ETc while those in subsequent years were a no applied water treatment and applied water amounts at 0.5 and 1.0 of ETc. Grapevine water use was determined using the soil water balance method. Year had a significant effect on all measured parameters (berry weight, soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, and yield and its components). The highest (21.9 t/ha) and lowest (11.6 t/ha) yields differed almost two-fold across years. While rootstock had a significant effect on some of the above parameters, they were not consistent among years and there were only a few instances in which there was a rootstock by irrigation interaction. Yield per unit applied water averaged 4.43 and 13.7 t/ML for the 1.25 and 0.25 irrigation treatments while yield per unit ETc averaged 4.28 and 6.45 t/ML for the 1.25 and 0.25 treatments, respectively. The high and low water footprint values per unit ETc ranged from 130 to 400 m3 of water/t across the duration of the study. The large difference in the water footprint from year to year was due to differences in yield. The water footprint for the no applied water treatment was 166 m3/t in 1998 and 228 m3/t in 1999. The fact that the water footprint reported here is lower than published values for grapevines may have been due to higher yields and better estimates of vineyard ETc.


The purposes of this dissertation were to determine the constitutional rights of parents to shield their children from exposure to parts of the public school curriculum that the parents find objectionable on religious, moral, or other grounds and to determine the statutory rights of parents to remove, or opt-out, their children from objectionable parts or all of the public school curriculum as set forth in the statutes of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Many pivotal federal court cases dealing with parent rights and curricular issues, including Mozert v. Hawkins County Board of Education (1987), Vandiver v. Hardin County Board of Education (1987), Brown v. Hot, Sexy, & Safer Productions, Inc. (1995), Leebaert v. Harrington (2003), and Parker v. Hurley (2008) were surveyed using legal research methods. Specific types of curriculum opt-outs (e.g., sex education, comprehensive health programs, HIV/AIDS instruction) granted by each state were ascertained. States' statutes and regulations were categorized as non-existent, restrictive, or permissive based on the scope and breadth of each state's curriculum opt-out statute or regulation. A long list of federal court rulings have provided public schools the right to teach what school boards and administrators determine is appropriate. Parents did not have any constitutional right to opt their children out of public school curriculum. Many states' legislatures have granted parents a statutory right to opt their children out of certain parts of school curricula. In this study, 7 states had non-existent statutes or regulations, 18 states had restrictive statutes or regulations, and 26 states had permissive statutes or regulations.


Examines the developments in information literacy in Europe and provides an overview of the concepts used and discussed by European authors. Some examples of information literacy initiatives in schools and the higher education sector, as well as of institutions and organizations, projects and conferences concerned with information literacy, are given. Some research initiatives are also introduced. The overview is based on literature reviews and personal observations and involvement and presents a selective review.


One of the most intriguing questions about the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt is the origin of the Hyksos—the foreign people who ruled over northern Egypt during this time. Their Levantine origin was conclusively demonstrated by archaeological evidence from Tell el-Dab'a, yet the evidence establishing the particular region they came from (i.e., the northern or southern Levant) is inconclusive, and the question is still the subject of debate. In view of the scarcity of textual sources from this period and the inconclusive archaeological evidence, the significance of the large number of scarabs associated with this period from both Egypt and the Levant is generally recognized. this paper presents evidence based on recent studies of scarabs of this period from both regions, and argues for the southern Levant as the place of origin of the Second Intermediate Period foreign rulers in Egypt. DOI:10.2458/azu_jaei_v01i1_ben_tor


Echoing the spatial turns across the humanities, this chapter applies post-Bergsonian conceptions of space via Deleuze & Guttari, Massumi and Massey, to explore how a spatial conception might provide novel perspectives to conceive and understand the audiovisual.

Spatial concepts embrace subjectivity, multiplicity, movement, haptics and tactility, and afford readings of audiovisual practice that frame sound and image associations, not in abstract conceptual terms – synchronisation, difference or contrast – but in terms of embodied experience, movement and potentiality.

Critiqued via practice research, this chapter brings together spatial ideas with established concepts from electroacoustic music and audiovisual composition, to build a novel framework for representing the audiovisual. One which has the potential to be applied to a wide range of sound & image media, from experimental audiovisual film, to sound design and narrative film soundtracks.

The primacy of temporal sync is challenged, established concepts of gesture and texture reframed in light of the spatial and potentiality and anticipation positioned as terminologies to superseded established notions of tension and resolution.

Through spatiality we have the potential to dissolve the binarism between sound and image and access an understanding of audiovisual affect, which underpins both audience experience and composition of sound and image works.


This paper examines whether restructuring in the public sector contributed to the slower cyclical recovery in Canada than in the United States during the 1990s. Changes in public sector employment are used to investigate this question. The pressures that led up to the restructuring are explored and the resulting changes in employment are documented. A standardized definition of the public sector is proposed that allows for a consistent comparison of changes in employment in Canada with those of the United States. These changes are examined by level of government and by function. The analysis reveals that, in Canada, changes in employment in the "standardized" public sector were negative during much of the 1990s, in contrast to the continued, steady expansion of this sector in the United States. Evidence presented from longitudinal surveys indicates that certain workers who were displaced from the public sector in Canada experienced difficulties regaining employment. A key conclusion is that public sector restructuring contributed to the slower recovery in employment in Canada in the 1990s.


In Secrets of Pinar's Game, Roger Boase deciphers a card game completed in 1496 for Queen Isabel, Prince Juan, her daughters and her 40 court ladies. This book reveals information about the court culture that cannot be found in official sources.


This paper studies Learning from Observations (LfO) for imitation learning with access to state-only demonstrations. In contrast to Learning from Demonstration (LfD) that involves both action and state supervisions, LfO is more practical in leveraging previously inapplicable resources (e.g., videos), yet more challenging due to the incomplete expert guidance. In this paper, we investigate LfO and its difference with LfD in both theoretical and practical perspectives. We first prove that the gap between LfD and LfO actually lies in the disagreement of inverse dynamics models between the imitator and expert, if following the modeling approach of GAIL. More importantly, the upper bound of this gap is revealed by a negative causal entropy which can be minimized in a model-free way. We term our method as Inverse-Dynamics-Disagreement-Minimization (IDDM) which enhances the conventional LfO method through further bridging the gap to LfD. Considerable empirical results on challenging benchmarks indicate that our method attains consistent improvements over other LfO counterparts.


Cyclin D1 immunostaining of non‐neoplastic cells has been a source of diagnostic confusion especially in lymphoproliferative lesions. This study has reviewed these in two hundred and thirty‐one haematopathological samples stained for cyclin D1. Most cases were formalin‐fixed except for a few bone marrow trephines, which were B‐5 fixed, and EDTA decalcified. Overall, 94% (216/231) of cases showed one or more types of non‐neoplastic cells expressing Cyclin D1 of variable intensity. Endothelial cells and histiocytes were the most commonly identified Cyclin D1 positive cells being positive in 92% (214/231) of cases. Other normal cell types identified included fat cells, stromal fibroblasts, glial cells, spermatocytes, smooth muscle cells, osteoblasts and where present epithelial cells. Many normal cell types can express cyclinD1. Knowledge of these is useful to prevent misinterpretation of cyclin D1 positive tumours.


This paper argues that, in the presence of nominal wage rigidities, the existence of Rule-of-Thumb agents and price rigidities does not cause a change in the Taylor Principle as suggested by Gali et al. (2004), and that the only rigidity relevant for this result is that faced by Rule-of-Thumb consumers. For doing so, a New-Keynesian model with Rule-of-Thumb agents is proposed. The model discriminates between both type of agents when defining wage rigidities, thus al- lowing to identify and measure the factors that affect the Taylor Principle, this also allows to drop complete markets for Rule-of-Thumb agents, and the simple use of non-separable utility functions in order to determine the incidence of the wealth effect when facing staggered wages.


In an earlier paper, the authors have developed a new method, the mobile block Hessian (MBH), to accurately calculate vibrational modes for partially optimized molecular structures [J. Chem. Phys. 2007, 126 (22), 224102]. The proposed procedure remedies the artifact of imaginary frequencies, occurring in standard frequency calculations, when parts of the molecular system are optimized at different levels of theory. Frequencies are an essential ingredient in predicting reaction rate coefficients due to their input in the vibrational partition functions. The question arises whether the MBH method is able to describe the chemical reaction kinetics in an accurate way in large molecular systems where a full quantum chemical treatment at a reasonably high level of theory is unfeasible due to computational constraints. In this work, such a validation is tested in depth. The MBH method opens a lot of perspectives in predicting accurate kinetic parameters in chemical reactions where the standard full Hessian procedure fails.


Haplomylus specimens from Lower Eocene rocks of the Powder River Basin can be assigned to four species based on morphology. One of these is the generotypic species, H. speirianus, and a second is a similar-sized, but morphologically distinct new species, H. bozemanesnsis. These two species occur together, in apparent stasis, for over 120 meters of section. Two other species replace them after an interval represented by approximately 20 meters of deposits. These latter species are larger, but each resembles one of the earlier forms. The co-occurrence of two closely related species with total overlap in metric characteristics shows the need for caution in using an exclusively measurement-based stratophenetic approach to lineage evaluation through time.


A comparative study of the attitudes and performances of graduates from an innovative medical school and a conventional one in relation to primary health care [PHC] was conducted. The aim was to identify the impact of a community-oriented medical education. The results showed that both groups were aware of PHC but those of the innovative school had received practical training in PHC centres, had skills to approach solving community problems, and gave due emphasis to promotional and preventive aspects of patient management. The study concludes that a community-oriented medical education is more appropriate to community needs


Adaptation to climate change in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries is particularly relevant because of the strong expected effects on the region and the sensitivity of important sectors like agriculture and tourism to climate change. This work analyses qualitative scenarios with the support of insights from the theoretical literature and information collected from case studies about Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. We deal with several dimensions of adaptation, including the role of the government, equity, uncertainty and linkages with mitigation. In general, we conclude that inaction is not a viable option and this report shows how adaptation policy should be designed. We identify major areas of intervention, from removing barriers to private adaptation to the fostering of international cooperation.


This paper estimates the economic costs and benefits of implementing teams among highly-skilled technicians in a large regional telecommunications company. It matches individual survey and objective performance data for 230 employees in matched pairs of traditionally-supervised and self-managed groups. Multivariate regressions with appropriate controls show that teams do the work of supervisors in 60-70% less time, reducing indirect labor costs by 75 percent per team. Objective measures of quality and labor productivity are unaffected. Team members receive additional overtime pay that represents a 4-5 percent annual wage premium, which may be viewed alternatively as a share in the productivity gains associated with innovation or as a premium for learning skills.


The Weyssenhoff fluid is a perfect fluid with spin where the spin of the matter fields is the source of torsion in an Einstein–Cartan framework. Obukhov and Korotky showed that this fluid can be described as an effective fluid with spin in general relativity. A dynamical analysis of such a fluid is performed in a gauge-invariant manner using the 1 + 3 covariant approach. This yields the propagation and constraint equations for the set of dynamical variables. A verification of these equations is performed for the special case of irrotational flow with zero peculiar acceleration by evolving the constraints.


Lynne E. Hewitt, Advisor Rapid learning of novel vocabulary is crucial to overall success in language acquisition. While the exact mechanisms underlying the acquisition of the lexicon remain under investigation, it is well known that children are able to form rapid initial associations between novel words and their referents during everyday experiences. This ability is referred to as incidental word learning, a process by which a learner makes a sparse initial representation of a word in lexical memory, following only a brief exposure. The cognitive abilities needed to succeed at this task were investigated, specifically by examining the role of working memory and phonological sensitivity in novel word learning by 4-year-olds who were typically developing. It evaluated two competing models, the phonological loop model proposed by Baddeley and colleagues (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974), and the lexical restructuring model of Metsala (Metsala & Walley, 1998; Metsala, 1999). Forty 4 year olds were administered a test of nonword repetition (to investigate phonological working memory), rhyming and phoneme alliteration tasks (to investigate phonological sensitivity), and an incidental word learning task, via a computer-based presentation of a cartoon story. A multiple regression analysis revealed that nonword repetition scores did not contribute significantly to incidental word learning. Phonological sensitivity scores were significant predictors of incidental word learning. These findings provide support for a model of lexical acquisition in which phonological knowledge plays an important role.


This article offers a dialogical exploration of "race" and national identity. The argument is developed along three trajectories: 1) theoretical, drawing on the insights of Anderson, Appiah, Gilroy, Mama, Nussbaum, Ratele and others; 2) empirical, drawing on narrative interviews with black participants of different national origin, and on practical development work with South African youth; 3) personal, reflecting dynamism and oscillation in our individual positions in dialogue with one another. Bradbury's initial position that in a society like South Africa, the "imagined community" (Anderson, 1983) of the nation may serve to undercut divisions based on "race" (and class), is challenged by the emergence of xenophobic difference. Ndlovu's initial position that black identity is fragmented and multiple, is challenged by the possibilities for identifications based on "race" to overcome lines of difference drawn by national or other dimensions of identity. By juxtaposing our positions, we argue that neither "race" nor national identity can be simply erased and that, although there are both theoretical difficulties and political dangers entailed in these identifications, fluid and contingent interpretations may offer emancipatory possibilities.


We have developed a generally applicable method based on CRISPR/Cas9-targeted ultra-long read sequencing (CTLR-Seq) to completely and haplotype-specifically resolve, at base-pair resolution, large, complex, and highly repetitive genomic regions that had been previously impenetrable to next-generation sequencing analysis such as large segmental duplication (SegDup) regions and their associated genome rearrangements that stretch hundreds of kilobases. Our method combines in vitro Cas9-mediated cutting of the genome and pulse-field gel electrophoresis to haplotype-specifically isolate intact large (200-550 kb) target regions that encompass previously unresolvable genomic sequences. These target fragments are then sequenced (amplification-free) to produce ultra-long reads at up to 40x on-target coverage using Oxford nanopore technology, allowing for the complete assembly of the complex genomic regions of interest at single base-pair resolution. We applied CTLR-Seq to resolve the exact sequence of SegDup rearrangements that constitute the boundary regions of the 22q11.2 deletion CNV and of the 16p11.2 deletion and duplication CNVs. These CNVs are among the strongest known risk factors for schizophrenia and autism. We then perform de novo assembly to resolve, for the first time, at single base-pair resolution, the sequence rearrangements of the 22q11.2 and 16p11.2 CNVs, mapping out exactly the genes and non-coding regions that are affected by the CNV for different carriers.


This article explores competing interpretive frames regarding shale gas in Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania. These countries face the choice of embracing shale gas as a potential revolutionizing domestic source of energy, against the backdrop of Russia serving as the dominant gas supplier. This makes them interesting cases for studying how policy narratives and discourses coalesce around a novel technology. The findings, which are based on sixty-six semistructured research interviews, point to differing and indeed competing frames, ranging from national security, environmental boons to economic sellout and authoritarianism, with different sets of institutions sharing those frames. This suggests that enhancing energy security by way of deploying novel energy technologies such as shale gas fracking is not simply a function of resource endowments and technological progress. Instead, it is the result of complex dynamics unfolding among social stakeholders and the related discursive processes, which eventually will determine whether—or not—shale gas will go global.


Metformin, the most widely prescribed drug for treatment of type 2 diabetes, has been shown to exert significant anticancer effects. Hyperthermia has been known to kill cancer cells and enhance the efficacy of various anti-cancer drugs and radiotherapy. We investigated the combined effects of metformin and hyperthermia against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell, and MIA PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cells. Incubation of breast cancer cells with 0.5–10 mM metformin for 48 h caused significant clonogenic cell death. Culturing breast cancer cells with 30 µM metformin, clinically relevant plasma concentration of metformin, significantly reduced the survival of cancer cells. Importantly, metformin was preferentially cytotoxic to CD44high/CD24low cells of MCF-7 cells and, CD44high/CD24high cells of MIA PaCa-2 cells, which are known to be cancer stem cells (CSCs) of MCF-7 cells and MIA PaCa-2 cells, respectively. Heating at 42°C for 1 h was slightly toxic to both cancer cells and CSCs, and it markedly enhanced the efficacy of metformin to kill cancer cells and CSCs. Metformin has been reported to activate AMPK, thereby suppressing mTOR, which plays an important role for protein synthesis, cell cycle progression, and cell survival. For the first time, we show that hyperthermia activates AMPK and inactivates mTOR and its downstream effector S6K. Furthermore, hyperthermia potentiated the effect of metformin to activate AMPK and inactivate mTOR and S6K. Cell proliferation was markedly suppressed by metformin or combination of metformin and hyperthermia, which could be attributed to activation of AMPK leading to inactivation of mTOR. It is conclude that the effects of metformin against cancer cells including CSCs can be markedly enhanced by hyperthermia.


The Riva River is located on the Anatolian (Asian) side of Istanbul by the Black Sea coast, with a wonderful sandy beach and delta formation which has been selected as the study area. The Riva is the largest river in this region, which flows into the Black Sea and also gives its' name to the area. The river carries some amount of sediments to the Black Sea. These particles cause considerable changes not only in the bed bathymetry and coastal boundaries of the river but also along the coastline of the Black Sea. The aim of this study is to determine these variations by means of satellite data and GIS. In the study, satellite images dated 1975, 1984, 1992 and 2001 have been used. At the end of the study, the possibility of observing bathymetric changes in front of the coastline by means of satellite data has been investigated and results were evaluated and visualised by means of GIS.


Healthcare organizations are facing increasing competition in the Jordanian marketplace and must find ways to increase customer loyalty and trust to stay relevant in the healthcare marketplace. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of the physical environment factors in emergency department effect on beneficiaries' loyalty. The study population consisted of all Jordanian beneficiaries who visited the emergency department in any hospital whether government, private, or university hospitals. The researchers sent out a questionnaire for 400 Jordanian subjects who visited the emergency department. In total, 333 questionnaires were retrieved. The study concluded that physical environment factors of the emergency department can have a positive impact on patient loyalty through the interaction of four dimensions (ambient factors, design factors, equipment and staff members factors, medical management factors). When analyzed separately, the design factors had no positive impact on patient loyalty. The study also concluded that medical Management Factors had the highest impact on patient loyalty. With respect to demographic variables, 59.2% of individuals visited the emergency department 2-5 times/year and 44.4% of the sample visited private hospitals for emergency cases. The study recommends healthcare organizations to focus on physical environment factors to attract patients and make them loyal.


I enjoyed The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr more than the novels of [Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham]. There is a tinge of black magic that gives it a little of the interest of a horror story, and the author has a virtuosity at playing with alternative hypotheses that makes this trick of detective fiction more amusing than [detective fiction] usually is. --Edmund Wilson JOHN DICKSON CARR IS KNOWN FOR having written clever puzzle-plotted mystery novels, mainly in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s-more precisely, from 1930 to 1972. A number of these novels, particularly those with Dr. Gideon Fell as detective, invoke the supernatural only to dispel it in a natural (if often highly unusual) solution. For example, two of the Gideon Fell novels play with the suggestion of vampires, the undead as they are often called--The Three Coffins (1935) and He Who Whispers (1946). In these mysteries' natural resolutions, they belong to the tradition of Ann Radcliffe among the Gothic novelists. But one of Carr's novels has the supernatural as central to the plot and does not explain it away. In writing this, I am presenting what is usually called a SPOILER in detective-fiction criticism, but one can hardly discuss a novel without mentioning a central element. To state the final twist at the beginning prepares one to actually analyze what the fiction says. In this essay, first, I want to discuss The Burning Court as a detective story; second, I want to consider in one instance how the plotting affects the characterization; and finally I want to discuss The Burning Court as a Gothic novel of the supernatural kind, with a closing suggestion of its meaning. To start, then: The Burning Court is a detective novel--more particularly, a puzzle-plotted mystery. Four puzzles are presented to the reader, the first three tied to seemingly supernatural events. I use the word seemingly because, in a consideration of the book as detective fiction, a critic has to ignore the final reversal in the Epilogue. These are the three main puzzles: first, a woman, who in an ancient costume is seen administering a poison to a sick man, thereafter is seen walking out of the room through a door in a doorway that has been bricked up for two hundred years; second, the body of the poisoned man vanishes from a thoroughly sealed underground tomb; and, third, the body is thereafter seen in a rocking chair rocking and raising its hand to a visitor as if to shake his hand. The fourth puzzle has to do with how a second poison is administered, but it does not affect the seemingly supernatural events. The third of the three puzzles rests on the description of one person and, if he is believed, on the question of how the dead man's appearance was gimmicked. The first of the three is more elaborate and more elaborately developed. I will not go into the question of the costume, with members of the poisoned man's family going to a costume ball, etc., but the walking through a sealed doorway is obviously a variant of the locked-room puzzle for which Carr is famous. The other doors to the room were known to be locked, of course. The amateur detective of the novel, an elderly true-crime writer named Gaudan Cross, explains it with a highly unlikely but possible use of a mirror and one of the supposedly locked doors, but only after a hole has been knocked through the walled-up door, to show there is no secret passageway. More elaborate, and perhaps even more unlikely, is the vanishing corpse. The family vault on the estate is under ground, with the entrance to the vault dug up before each interment and buried again afterwards. The path with cemented stones is removed and replaced each time since it runs over the entrance. That entrance to the vault has a stone slab, weighing "over half a ton," on it, which has to be moved, after a thin covering of gravel and soil under the cemented stones is also removed. …


This guide focuses on primary sources for the study of past Canadian elections. If you need secondary materials, e.g. commentaries on or analyses of elections, use the Shared Library Catalogue. Also use databases to find articles in journals, magazines,


Meta stable embedded nano-sized -particles within a single grain extracted from an alloy having the nominal composition have been examined with X-ray diffraction. By applying the orientational and metric relationships that exist between the hexagonal unit cell of the -particles and the cubic unit cell of the Al-matrix, it has been proven possible to directly collect diffracted intensity data from the -particle ensemble. This has been done using synchrotron radiation and a -diffractometer having a scintillator point detector setup. The approach has resulted in improved data quality compared to previous experiments. The interpretation of the data set, based on a combination of Patterson syntheses, direct methods and geometrical restraints, yielded two possible average structural representations: one Al-rich with the approximate stoichiometric composition and one Al-depleted with approximate stoichiometric composition . Both structures are realized in the same space group, , and are most probably superimposed in the crystalline system examined. The geometries are discussed within the atomic environment approach where icosahedral or near-icosahedral configurations are encountered. Comparison with previous published models and the equilibrium structure reveals a main difference related to the distribution of the Zn-sites in the unit cell. A possible transformation path is also suggested. Various aspects and challenges regarding data collection, data reduction and data quality are specifically addressed.


Exercise is impaired in hot, compared with moderate, conditions. The development of hyperthermia is strongly linked to the impairment and as a result various strategies have been investigated to combat this condition. This meta-analysis focused on the most popular strategy: cooling. Precooling has received the most attention but recently cooling applied during the bout of exercise has been investigated and both were reviewed. We conducted a literature search and retrieved 28 articles which investigated the effect of cooling administered either prior to (n=23) or during (n=5) an exercise test in hot (wet bulb globe temperature >26°C) conditions. Mean and weighted effect size (Cohen's d) were calculated. Overall, precooling has a moderate (d=0.73) effect on subsequent performance but the magnitude of the effect is dependent on the nature of the test. Sprint performance is impaired (d=−0.26) but intermittent performance and prolonged exercise are both improved following cooling (d=0.47 and d=1.91, respectively). Cooling during exercise has a positive effect on performance and capacity (d=0.76). Improvements were observed in studies with and without cooling-induced physiological alterations, and the literature supports the suggestion of a dose–response relationship among cooling, thermal strain and improvements in performance and capacity. In summary, precooling can improve subsequent intermittent and prolonged exercise performance and capacity in a hot environment but sprint performance is impaired. Cooling during exercise also has a positive effect on exercise performance and capacity in a hot environment.


While ever higher resolution temperature sensing is of demand in research and industry, the cost of sensors in the sub-milli-Kelvin (mK) range can be restrictive. Furthermore, as the majority of commercial temperature sensor measurements are transmitted via electrical circuits, significant post-processing is required to obtain a high-resolution due to phenomena such as electromagnetic interference, self-heating, electrical noise, etc. Consequentially, research in recent years has focused on the development of several technologies which overcome this issue, with optical fibre sensors proving to be a viable option. Owing to this, the following chapter will aim to review the current state-of-the-art in liquid filled optical fibre temperature sensing and the underlying methods.


In this paper, we study the effective use of gaze information for human-computer interaction based on a stereo-based vision system which can track the 3D position and orientation of a user in real-time. We have integrated our face-tracking system into the X Window interface system, and conducted experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed framework for using gaze information for window interfaces.


The data curation community has long encouraged researchers to document collected research data during active stages of the research workflow, to provide robust metadata earlier, and support research data publication and preservation. Data documentation with robust metadata is one of a number of steps in effective data publication. Data publication is the process of making digital research objects 'FAIR', i.e. findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable; attributes increasingly expected by research communities, funders and society. Research data publishing workflows are the means to that end. Currently, however, much published research data remains inconsistently and inadequately documented by researchers. Documentation of data closer in time to data collection would help mitigate the high cost that repositories associate with the ingest process. More effective data publication and sharing should in principle result from early interactions between researchers and their selected data repository. This paper describes a short study undertaken by members of the Research Data Alliance (RDA) and World Data System (WDS) working group on Publishing Data Workflows. We present a collection of recent examples of data publication workflows that connect data repositories and publishing platforms with research activity 'upstream' of the ingest process. We re-articulate previous recommendations of the working group, to account for the varied upstream service components and platforms that support the flow of contextual and provenance information downstream. These workflows should be open and loosely coupled to support interoperability, including with preservation and publication environments. Our recommendations aim to stimulate further work on researchers' views of data publishing and the extent to which available services and infrastructure facilitate the publication of FAIR data. We also aim to stimulate further dialogue about, and definition of, the roles and responsibilities of research data services and platform providers for the 'FAIRness' of research data publication workflows themselves.


"Visualizing Race: Neoliberal Multiculturalism and the Struggle for Koreanness in Contemporary South Korean Television" investigates visual representations of multicultural subjects in both celebrity culture and the reality television genre to examine the struggle for Koreanness in contemporary Korean television. My aim is to explain the transformation from a modern monoracial Korea to a multicultural, global Korea as a national project of what I call "neoliberal multiculturalism" and to problematize the implicit tie between the two words, "neoliberal" and "multiculturalism." Using the category of mixed-race as an analytical window onto this cultural shift, I attempt to link the recent explosion of multiculturalism discourse in Korea to the much larger cultural, institutional, and ideological implications of racial globalization. To illustrate this shift, the dissertation analyzes both black and white mixed-race celebrities as well as ordinary multicultural subjects appearing on Korean reality programs. I examine historical archives, popular press sources, policy documents, and television programs in order to analyze them as an inter-textual network that is actively negotiating national identity. Utilizing the concept of neoliberal multiculturalism as an overarching framework, the dissertation explicates how concepts such as nationality, race, gender, class, and the television genre are intricately articulated; it also critically deconstructs the hegemonic notion of a multicultural, global Korea presented by the Korean media. I argue that Korean television deploys racial representations as a way to suture national anxiety over an increasing number of racial others and projects a multicultural fantasy towards Koreans. This interdisciplinary project contributes to several fields of study by explicating the changed cultural meaning of mixed-race in the age of globalization, defining the organic relation between the medium of television and racial representation, broadening our understanding of Asian multiculturalism and the racial politics in the region, and examining the particulars of ethnic nationalism appearing in the Korean media and popular culture.


Uber manages a large, disaggregated workforce through its ridehail platform, one that delivers a relatively standardized experience to passengers while simultaneously promoting its drivers as entrepreneurs whose work is characterized by freedom, flexibility, and independence. Through a nine-month empirical study of Uber driver experiences, we found that Uber does leverage significant indirect control over how drivers do their jobs. Our conclusions are twofold: First, the information and power asymmetries produced by the Uber application are fundamental to its ability to structure control over its workers; second, the rhetorical invocations of digital technology and algorithms are used to structure asymmetric corporate relationships to labor, which favor the former. Our study of the Uber driver experience points to the need for greater attention to the role of platform disintermediation in shaping power relations and communications between employers and workers.


In this document a novel nuclear fuel production method is suggested. It combines previously developed approaches and improvements of the internal gelation process, which was used over decades to produce sphere-pac fuel for minor actinide transmutation. And modern 3D printing of ceramics. The improvements to the internal gelation, which were developed in two CCEM.CH projects in the recent years comprise the two following aspects • Change of the heating media from silicon oil to microwave fields • Application of in-situ preparation of the feed solution, with the sparing of any need in cooling The internal gelation together with these improvements can be used to implement a new 3D printing technique for ceramics, and especially nuclear fuels, with the following advantages: • Almost powder-less process up to the formation of the fuel body in complex shapes • Any local composition change in metal or enrichment can be achieved • Pore-formers can be introduced locally, allowing the formation of buffer regions/layers


We present a theoretical study on the possibilities to achieve nonlinear frequency conversion in plasmonic slot waveguides having a χ(2) nonlinear medium as its core. Second-harmonic generation is used as a referential process to discuss the possibilities in achieving strong nonlinear interactions. We show that geometrical dispersion allows for the possibility of modal phase matching without resorting to other mechanisms like birefringence phase matching or periodic poling of the nonlinear medium. We disclose that in strongly dissipative systems two effects, the damping of individual modes and the phase-matching condition, have to be carefully balanced to assure an efficient energy conversion. Besides second-harmonic generation, emphasis is put on exploring the application of potentially more importance: the parametric amplification in the waveguide with the purpose to enhance its propagation length.


The effective integration of CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) is a cornerstone of automation progress. The 'islands of automation' such as CAD, CAPP (Computer Aided Process Planning) and CAM are facing the ineffective communication problem. The CAM cannot be integrated directly into CAD due to the lower level geometrical data in CAD and the higher level manufacturing data in CAM. It is important that each 'island of automation' be linked together in order to
achieve the goal of integrated CAD/CAM systems. For the past decades, feature-based representation has become a basic part of research in the CAD/CAM integration. The work on feature-based modelling has developed two main approaches, namely, design by features and feature recognition. The feature recognition approach is developed to extract the manufacturing information that is recognized from the CAD database into the CAM database. The features can be used to subtract higher level manufacturing data
from lower level or geometrical computer aided data. The Hole Recognition System is developed to solve the communication problem between CAD and CAM. Kappa-PC expert system is used in developing the rule of holes. In this work, the Hole Recognition System is retrieves the geometrical data from the UniGraphics (UG) CAD/CAM system
indirectly. The Hole Recognition System is designed to generalise and recognise the feature from neutral format file such as Data Exchange File (DXF), Initial Graphics
Exchange Specification (IGES) and Standard for the Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP). The neutral format file can be created hy CAD/CAM system such as UG, CATIA, ProEngineer, etc. For this work, the neutral data transfer standards, namely STEP is used. The STEP file is post processed by UG CAD/CAM system after the solid model has been created. A filtering program is developed to extract the geometrical data feature recognition process. The filtering program has been developed because the Kappa-PC expert system cannot read the STEP file directly. The output from the filtering program is fed to the Hole Recognition System. The rule-based technique is applied to recognise holes. There are two features, namely, blind hole and through hole to be considered. The work presented in this thesis and the Hole Recognition System developed is able to overcome the communication problem in CAD/CAM. The output from the Hole Recognition System is useful for multiple downstream manufacturing activities such as machine tool selection and cutting tool selection.


Shrinkage tests and unconfined compression tests were carried out in this research. Four soil with different percentages of fines were used. Three possibilities to measure the matric suction of a soil are shown in this tesis – Tempe pressure cell test – pressure plate test and null-type-axis-translation test.


In the present paper an attempt has been made to study water quality parameters and pollution status of Tapi River (Gujarat). This is river situated 72o 38' to 78o 17' E longitudes and 20o 5' to 22o 3' N latitudes. For this study the water samples were collected from pre-selected sampling stations during January to June 2011 and important physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, turbidity, conductivity, pH, total alkalinity, DO, BOD, COD, chloride, total hardness, phosphate, Nitrate-N, Nitrite-N, ammonia, sodium and potassium were analyzed. Present study revealed that temperature (20-28oC), conductivity (0.08-2.71 μmhos /cum), total alkalinity (72-170 mgl-1), chloride (29.90-194.94 mgl-1) total hardness (20-192 mgl-1), Nitrate-N (0.05-0.90 mgl- 1), Nitrite-N (0.02-0.82 mgl-1) and sodium (50-178 mgl-1) were within the permissible limits of WHO and BIS while pH (7.9-8.6), Turbidity (20.0-33.3 NTU), dissolved oxygen (4.40-8.50 mgl-1),biological oxygen demand (0.40-8.40 mgl-1), chemical oxygen demand (24-152 mgl-1), phosphate (0.10-0.73 mgl-1), ammonia (0.03-1.04 mgl-1) and potassium (50.5-178.0 mg1-1) were observed beyond the permissible limits. On the basis of this study it was concluded that water of Tapi River is moderately polluted due to discharges of industrial waste, domestic sewage and agricultural run-off in river water, which require more efficient management to conserve this river.


Effect of yarn linear density on moisture management and wicking properties of polyester-cotton plated knit structures has been studied. Linear density of yarns used in inner and outer layer as well as the difference in the yarn linear density for the two layers have been found to affect the liquid transfer from inner to outer layer, liquid spreading in the outer layer and hence the drying ability of the designed fabrics. Wetting time increases, while decrease in absorption rate and spreading speed is observed with the increase in inner and outer layer yarn linear density. The fabrics are graded and classified based on the obtained moisture management indices. Trans planar wicking is found higher for fabrics with greater difference in linear density between inner and outer layers as a result of selection of finer yarns in inner layer.


Fluxes of the three main greenhouse gases (GHG) CO2, CH4 and N2O from peat and other soils with high or- ganic carbon contents are strongly controlled by water ta- ble depth. Information about the spatial distribution of water level is thus a crucial input parameter when upscaling GHG emissions to large scales. Here, we investigate the potential of statistical modeling for the regionalization of water lev- els in organic soils when data covers only a small fraction of the peatlands of the final map. Our study area is Germany. Phreatic water level data from 53 peatlands in Germany were compiled in a new data set comprising 1094 dip wells and 7155 years of data. For each dip well, numerous possible predictor variables were determined using nationally avail- able data sources, which included information about land cover, ditch network, protected areas, topography, peatland characteristics and climatic boundary conditions. We applied boosted regression trees to identify dependencies between predictor variables and dip-well-specific long-term annual mean water level (WL) as well as a transformed form (WLt). The latter was obtained by assuming a hypothetical GHG transfer function and is linearly related to GHG emissions. Our results demonstrate that model calibration on WLt is su- perior. It increases the explained variance of the water level in the sensitive range for GHG emissions and avoids model bias in subsequent GHG upscaling. The final model explained 45 % of WLt variance and was built on nine predictor vari- ables that are based on information about land cover, peat- land characteristics, drainage network, topography and cli- matic boundary conditions. Their individual effects on WLt and the observed parameter interactions provide insight into natural and anthropogenic boundary conditions that control water levels in organic soils. Our study also demonstrates that a large fraction of the observed WLt variance cannot be explained by nationally available predictor variables and that predictors with stronger WLt indication, relying, for exam- ple, on detailed water management maps and remote sensing products, are needed to substantially improve model predic- tive performance.


Recently, lifelong learning has been essential in knowledge-based economy and learning society. Thai laws and policies indicated lifelong learning was one of the ways to sustain community development. Thus the non-formal educators had to acquire knowledge and skill by self-development in lifelong learning management. The purpose of this study was to find the main components of Self-development program to enhance educators' potential in lifelong learning management. The design of this research was qualitative study, which was triangulated by systematic reviewing, best lifelong learning management center observation, key person interviewing. The findings were self-development consisted of 1) design to learn 2)self-diagnosis 3)set goal 4)finding appropriate resources 5)recruit of other people 6)attempt to do 7)self-evaluate and lifelong learning management of Thai non-formal educators comprised of services, fundamental education, career and life education, society and community development, Thai wisdom conservation. The process should start from social capital and Thai wisdom. Self-development may be Thai wisdom application such as meditation and inside self-seeing. In conclusion, there were 7 main components of Self-development in lifelong learning management, which should start from social capital and Thai wisdom led to human, monetary capitals and resources using as necessary. That meant sustainable development and reciprocity between self-development and lifelong learning management especially Thai wisdom.