The rapid development in life science research requires continually new methods for the analysis of biomolecular interactions. Optical detection systems based on evanescent field sensing for biomolecular binding studies are marked by a fast increase of their applications in fields like diagnostics, health care, screening or assay development. For a successful implementation the optical biosensors need to be highly sensitive, selective and accurate while allowing a wide range of applications. In this thesis a highly sensitive label-free detection method based on the optical principle of a Young interferometer and a description of the design and realization of the system is presented including an experimental characterization and a validation of the biosensor system by application measurements. In chapter 2, the theoretical basis of the propagation of light in planar waveguides and a background of evanescent field sensors is provided as well as calculations concerning the optimization of waveguide sensitivity for the interferometric biosensor proposed in this thesis. One section is devoted to the theoretical basis of interferometry, especially the optical principle of the Young interferometer since the proposed design for the interferometric biosensor is based on the Young configuration. For signal evaluation, algorithms based on Fast Fourier Transform are described and the implementation in the biosensor system proposed along with system principles and relationships and signal filtering methods for noise reduction. Chapter 3 is devoted to theoretical considerations on the biochemistry for waveguide surface functionalization. The kinetic theory of biochemical interactions such as antibody-antigen binding events is described in detail with respect to the evaluation of the application measurements in chapter 5. Furthermore a biochemical background on the application measurement reagents is given. The design of the interferometric biosensor is presented in chapter 4, describing two different readout schemes: a flow-cell system implementing a two-channel flow cell as fluidic element, and a system setup designed for the readout of microtiterplate (MTP)-formatted wellplates. The system components and system designs of the interferometric biosensor and their performance are discussed in detail. From the analysis of system components several conclusions can be made, such as the choice of waveguide chip materials, the light source and the CCD detector. The characteristics of the chosen components influence the final design and setup, leading to an optimal set of parameters for the interferometric biosensor. Further a detailed system characterization by refractometric test measurements is provided including an evaluation of the experimental results compared to theoretical calculations and simulations. Initial refractometric test measurements on the flow-cell system with glycerin show an effective refractive index resolution of ≈ 6. 0 · 10-8, corresponding to a refractive index resolution of ≈ 7. 5 · 10-7 for TE mode and ≈ 2. 7 · 10-7 for TM mode, respectively, at a sampling rate of 1 Hz. It is also found that the CCD sensor is the limiting system component concerning phase noise, whereas the phase noise is approximately equal for all three light sources tested and therefore the light source can be excluded as limiting factor. Signal filtering methods such as average filters are described and analyzed concerning their suitability for phase noise reduction. The experimentally derived sensitivity constants of the interferometer system are in very good accordance with the theoretical values derived from waveguide theory in chapter 2. The flow-cell system shows a good long-term stability with a typical drift of < 1 · 10-6/h in neff. This chapter also presents the system design and describes the realized setup of the interferometric biosensor with an MTP-formatted 8-well frame as fluidic element and newly introduced system components that are different from the flow cell system are discussed. Suitable system components are chosen for an optimal set of design parameters for the interferometric biosensor. The proposed biosensor system is characterized by refractometric test measurements with ethanol solutions and the experimental results are evaluated and compared to theory and the results obtained with the flow cell system. The refractometric test measurements on the microplate system show an effective refractive index resolution of ≈ 1. 0 · 10-7, corresponding to a refractive index resolution of ≈ 1. 2 · 10-6 for TE mode and ≈ 4. 5 · 10-7 for TM mode, respectively, at a sampling rate of 1 Hz. We found that, apart from the CCD sensor being the limiting system component concerning phase noise, the resolution of the microplate system is finally limited by the repeatability of the recorded data values. The experimentally derived sensitivity constants of the microplate interferometer system are also in good accordance with the theoretical values derived from waveguide theory in chapter 2. The system shows a long-term stability with a typical drift of < 5 · 10-5/h in neff and a repeatability of < 2 · 10-7 in neff. Chapter 5 presents a validation of the interferometric biosensor by biological application measurements on both systems and their discussion. In this chapter a detailed description of the materials and methods used for application and test measurements, a characterization of the surface chemistry on the Ta2O5 waveguide chips and finally application measurements on different affinity systems is provided. Differently functionalized surfaces are characterized by contact angle measurements and compared to literature values. Experiments with fluorescently labeled streptavidin allow a detailed characterization of different surface modifications and a direct comparison to measurements with the interferometric biosensor with the aim to find a stable and robust surface functionalization for the immobilization of biotinylated reagents. The immunoassay protein G -IgG is tested on the flow-cell system as well as on the microplate system, yielding affinity rate constants that are in good agreement with values found in literature. Experimental data obtained with the two-channel flow-cell system allow an evaluation of the reaction kinetics, while the microplate system is suited for the parallel detection of several analyte concentrations. Furthermore the direct detection of IgG by immobilized protein A is shown and the affinity rate constants determined. Test measurements with biotinylated cytochrome c on a streptavidin-functionalized surface compared directly to the same assay performed on the commercial biosensor system BIACORE 1000 show the suitability of the developed surface chemistry for the Ta2O5 waveguide chips implemented in the interferometric biosensor. The interferometric biosensor has been successfully used for the detection of the affinity system -NPT IgG -E2-NPT developed at Novartis in Basel. We tested the assay on both the interferometric biosensor (flow-cell system) and the commercial BIACORE 2000 system provided by Novartis. A comparison of the surface chemistries used on both biosensor systems is presented, and a series of measurements to detect the analyte from different sample buffers. We found that the performance of the interferometric biosensor system proposed in this thesis is approximately equal to the BIACORE system with a detection limit for the analyte in the low picomolar range. Measurements in cell lysate as sample matrix show that with the interferometric biosensor the analyte can be detected even out of a complex sample matrix without significant unspecific binding. In chapter 6, conclusions concerning the development of the interferometric biosensor and the results from the experimental characterization and validation are presented. A comparison between the proposed interferometric biosensor and other label-free biosensors is given. The chapter concludes with an outlook concerning further improvements of the resolution and surface chemistry and further possibilities for developments to adapt the sensor design to high throughput applications.


Conical intersection could influence nuclear motion through geometric phase effects. The nuclear Schrodinger equation acquires a vector potential term in the adiabatic representation when the geometric phase effects are considered. After combining the nuclear Schrodinger equation in the adiabatic representation with the theoretical treatment in the diabatic representation, a new equation is derived for the nuclear motion. The traditional nuclear motion equation has ignored the geometric phase in the diabatic representation whereas the new equation incorporates both the geometric phase effects and other nonadiabatic factors in the diabatic representation.


ABSTRACT . The purpose of this stady is not indentifiying the cluster and economic strategic development cluster for economic growth supported at Aceh Tengah residence. The study conducted in the Aceh Tengah residence using direct primary data and secondary data. Primary data collection was based of observasing through the objective of stady. Secondary data was taken from literature study and the data from similar institution like Dinas Badan Pusat Statistik Aceh Tengah which has correlation with this study. Analysis that used in this study is the analysis that using Location Quotient (LQ) technical and SWOT analysis. The result of this study show based on Location Quotient (LQ) analysis tekhnical, could identified the comodities that has value LQ>1 showed production Existing Condition and Coffe Development Potencial in Linge district, Atu Lintang, Jagong Jeget, Bintang, Lut Tawar, Kebayakan, Pegasing, Bies, Bebesan, Kute Pinang, Silih Nara, Celala, Rusip Antara, while sugar cane just in Ketol District as a strategic comodities for advance development at Aceh Tengah residence. Meanwhile the strategic position of coffee and sugar cane investors placed at aggressive strategic position which supported investors policy, this strategy could be used if the investors has chances and strengths until they could used it coith the strengtht they have, bicause both of it has different value that cunted as positive such about 1,34 and 1,31.


Many people — perhaps most — want to make money and lower their taxes, but few want to unabashedly break the law. These twin desires have led to a range of strategies, such as the use of "paper corporations" and offshore tax havens, that produce sizable profits with minimal costs. The most successful and ingenious plans do not involve shady deals with corrupt third parties, but strictly adhere to the letter of the law. Yet the technically legal nature of the schemes has not deterred government lawyers from challenging them in court as "nothing more than good old-fashioned fraud." In this Article, we focus on government challenges to corporate financial plans — often labeled "corporate shams" — in an effort to understand how and why courts draw the line between legal and fraudulent behavior. The scholars and commentators who have investigated this question nearly all agree: Judicial decision making in this area of the law is erratic and unpredictable. We build on the extant literature with the help of a new, large dataset, and uncover important and heretofore unobserved trends. We find that courts have not produced a confusing morass of outcomes (as some have argued), but instead have generated more than a century of opinions that collectively highlight the point at which ostensibly legal planning shades into abuse and fraud. We then show how both government and corporate attorneys can exploit our empirical results and explore how these results bolster many of the normative views set forth by the scholarly and policymaking communities.


Several access control systems are based on the users' physical location/proximity to the access point. DistanceBounding (DB) protocols constitute a classical solution to calculate the distance between a trusted verifier (e.g., an access point) and an untrusted prover (e.g., a pervasive device). The main limitation of DB is that the prover and the verifier need to lie in each other's communication range. In this paper, we introduce the concept of Multi-Hop Distance-Estimation (MHDE) protocols, which enable a verifier to authenticate a possibly far-away prover and estimate its distance to this prover, when they are not in the communication range of each other, using an ad-hoc network of pervasive devices. More precisely, our contributions are three-fold, since we provide: (1) a formal definition for MHDE; (2) a threat model for MHDE that considers a powerful and distributed adversary; and (3) implementation of MHDE protocols with different settings. Additionally, we demonstrate our protocol to be secure in the considered threat model, and we provide a performance analysis regarding the accuracy of the distance estimation and the tolerance of limited mobility of the nodes. The results are promising in order to adopt MHDE in a distributed setting.


Mice deficient for the fibulin-5 gene (Fbln5−/−) develop pelvic organ prolapse (POP) due to compromised elastic fibers and upregulation of matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-9. Here, we used casein zymography, inhibitor profiling, affinity pull-down, and mass spectrometry to discover additional protease upregulated in the vaginal wall of Fbln5−/− mice, herein named V1 (25 kDa). V1 was a serine protease with trypsin-like activity similar to protease, serine (PRSS) 3, a major extrapancreatic trypsinogen, was optimum at pH 8.0, and predominantly detected in estrogenized vaginal epithelium of Fbln5−/− mice. PRSS3 was (a) localized in epithelial secretions, (b) detected in media of vaginal organ culture from both Fbln5−/− and wild type mice, and (c) cleaved fibulin-5 in vitro. Expression of two serine protease inhibitors [Serpina1a (α1-antitrypsin) and Elafin] was dysregulated in Fbln5−/− epithelium. Finally, we confirmed that PRSS3 was expressed in human vaginal epithelium and that SERPINA1 and Elafin were downregulated in vaginal tissues from women with POP. These data collectively suggest that the balance between proteases and their inhibitors contributes to support of the pelvic organs in humans and mice.


Hedge funds have generated significant absolute returns (alpha) in the decade between 1995 and 2004. However, the level of alpha has declined substantially over this period. We investigate whether capacity constraints at the level of hedge fund strategies have been responsible for this decline. For four out of eight hedge fund strategies, capital inflows have statistically preceded negative movements in alpha, consistent with this hypothesis. We also find evidence that hedge fund fees have increased over the same period. Our results provide support for the Berk and Green (2004) rational model of active portfolio management.


How is it that in America the image of Jesus Christ has been used both to justify the atrocities of white supremacy and to inspire the righteousness of civil rights crusades? In "The Color of Christ," Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey weave a tapestry of American dreams and visions--from witch hunts to web pages, Harlem to Hollywood, slave cabins to South Park, Mormon revelations to Indian reservations--to show how Americans remade the Son of God visually time and again into a sacred symbol of their greatest aspirations, deepest terrors, and mightiest strivings for racial power and justice. "The Color of Christ" uncovers how, in a country founded by Puritans who destroyed depictions of Jesus, Americans came to believe in the whiteness of Christ. Some envisioned a white Christ who would sanctify the exploitation of Native Americans and African Americans and bless imperial expansion. Many others gazed at a messiah, not necessarily white, who was willing and able to confront white supremacy. The color of Christ still symbolizes America's most combustible divisions, revealing the power and malleability of race and religion from colonial times to the presidency of Barack Obama.


Electron temperature profiles have been measured by the main Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic on the RFX-mod reversed field pinch experiment in Padova, Italy. The increased accuracy and spatial and temporal resolution permits one to measure in detail the improvements in Te profiles, obtained with the active saddle coil system, which allows one to obtain core temperature 30% higher and scaling stronger with plasma current, steeper gradients in the core (+30%) and at the edge (+60%). 1D power balance calculations show that the active control of MHD modes largely reduces the values of electron heat diffusivity along the whole plasma radius, with ∼50% reduction at the edge and ∼30% in the core. The resulting electron energy confinement time is doubled. Further improvements occur during quasi-single helicity (QSH) states: the new TS allows one to study in detail the hot island that develops in the core. A characterization of the island electron thermal profile is presented, in terms of width, temperature increase, gradients and asymmetry; the effect on density profile is also discussed. A 2D transport code has been applied to calculate the heat diffusivity inside the magnetic island corresponding to the QSH state, also considering the correlation between temperature increase and pressure gradient with the chaos level around the island. Finally, electron energy confinement time during QSH states is compared with that in MH states.


Adenosine has a major regulatory function in the heart and many tissues. Our previous work showed that a cytosolic (not a membrane, as previously hypothesized) 5'-nucleotidase from dog heart has the kinetic properties consistent with it being the enzyme responsible for adenosine formation from adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) in response to hypoxia or ischemia. In the present study, we evaluated the spatial distribution of AMP-specific cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase in dog heart using electron microscopic immunogold localization. Polyclonal antibodies raised against purified cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase recognized the 43-kd subunit of the enzyme on Western blots of both purified enzyme and the soluble fraction of dog heart homogenates but did not react with proteins extracted from the membrane fraction. Purified cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase and 5'-nucleotidase activity present in the soluble fraction of heart homogenates were inhibited by anti-cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase, but the membrane fraction was not. The monospecific antibodies against the cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase were used for electron microscopic immunogold localization of cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase in dog heart tissue sections. Cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase was found in the cytoplasm of red blood cells, cardiac myocytes, and endothelium; the plasma membrane and interstitium were devoid of gold label. These results are the first to document the presence cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase in specific cell types in the heart and demonstrate the potential for these cell types to produce adenosine via cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase.


The prevailing dogma is that heterotrimeric G proteins exclusively transduce signals from the seven-transmembrane motif–containing cell surface receptors, also known as G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). New evidence indicates that Gα13, the α subunit of the G protein G13, breaks away from this traditional exclusive signaling alliance with GPCRs to transmit signals from receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), such as platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). Gα13 is involved in cell migration in response to GPCRs activated by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) or thrombin. A new report indicates that Gα13 is also required for cell migration induced by the growth factors, such as PDGF, EGF, or VEGF. GPCR coupling is not required for such RTK-to-Gα13 signaling. This new identity for Gα13 as a signal transducer for both GPCRs and RTKs may be a forerunner for similar findings involving other Gα subunits. This expanding role of G proteins in both GPCR signaling and RTK signaling is likely to have a great impact not only on our understanding of cell signaling in general, but also more specifically where the dysregulation of signaling by GPCRs, RTKs, and G proteins cause pathophysiological changes such as in the case of tumorigenesis, tumor progression and/or metastasis.


In contrast to adult heart failures, the pediatric heart failure is diverse if both the etiologies and management point of view are considered. If a child gets hospitalized for heart failure, the costs are more compared to adults because of the frequent need for catheter-based interventions or surgery. The medical care can adversely affect the family structure and function due to affection of the parental economic productivity. Besides this, the morbidity also considerably increases because of an increasing survival secondary to the successful application of medical and surgical therapies. That's why clinicians need an up-to-date knowledge about the pediatric heart failure. The present review describes all the aspects of pediatric heart failure including the recent understandings comprehensively.


Specific power output from a Low Pressure (LP) steam turbine can be enhanced by increasing the stage efficiency or raising its pressure ratio; both methods are interlinked and must be dealt with together. The latter is achieved by connecting to the exhaust diffuser; space and cost constraints often insist the use of an axial-radial diffuser with high levels of diffusion. The present study aims to investigate the interaction between the last-stage blade and the axial-radial diffuser, which can influence the diffuser performance and thus the total work output from the stage. This work is carried out using CFD simulations of a generic last stage low pressure (LP) turbine and axial-radial exhaust diffuser attached to it. In order to determine the validity of the computational method, the CFD predictions are first compared with data obtained from an experimental test facility. A computational study is then performed for different design configurations of the diffuser and rotor casing shapes. The study focuses on typical flow features such as effects of rotor tip leakage flows and subsequent changes in the rotor-diffuser interactions. The results suggest that the rotor casing shape and diffuser configurations influences the rotor work extraction capability and yields significant improvements in the static pressure recovery.


A border of a string x is a proper (but possibly empty) prefix of x that is also a suffix of x. The border array β = β[1..n] of a string x = x[1..n] is an array of nonnegative integers in which each element β[i], 1 ≤ i ≤ n, is the length of the longest border of x[1..i]. In this paper we first present a simple linear-time algorithm to determine whether or not a given array y = y[1..n] of integers is a border array of some string on an alphabet of unbounded size. We state as an open problem the design of a corresponding and equally efficient algorithm on an alphabet of bounded size α. We then consider the problem of generating all possible distinct border arrays of given length n on a bounded or unbounded alphabet, and doing so in time proportional to the number of arrays generated. A previously published algorithm that claims to solve this problem in constant time per array generated is shown to be incorrect, and new algorithms are proposed. We state as open the design of an equally efficient on-line algorithm for this problem.


Purpose: At present, the Central Government of China pays more attention to the synergistic innovation, and the national strategy policy of "innovation driven development" are made to implementations. Thus, the university plays an important role in the national innovation system, so that how the university gets involved in innovative activities becomes the primary problem of innovation strategy. This paper utilizes Chinese university spin-offs survey data to identify the influence process from institutional innovation and organizational learning to synergistic effect of organization. Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, we found that following the procedural view, each one of these three elements can be divided into two parts. Then, we established structural equation modeling with the connections between these six subdivisions. Secondly, by taking 270 university Spin-offs in China as samples, we verified the fit of the model through statistical data on the questionnaire survey. Thirdly, we analyzed the relationship and influence path of the institutional innovation, organizational learning and synergistic effect. Findings: The results of empirical research show that institutional implementation process is positive correlation on both sides of synergistic effect, and, the intermediary role is obvious that external organizational learning played a regulatory role between institutional innovation synergistic effects. Research limitations/implications: A large-scale questionnaire survey showed that the influence path of "institutions -organization-innovation performance" are existed. Therefore, the system analysis framework should be introduced to the emergence and development of University spin-offs, and further explored the synergistic process of institutional change and organizational evolution. Practical implications: University spin-offs are a mode of university - industry cooperation, and it takes participation in market competition also as enterprise. This result of study pointed that. "Institutions" and "organizations" are the two important factors in synergistic innovation, so the synergy mechanism design should be followed by the interaction relationship between these two above. Originality/value: Synergistic innovation is the guidance theory which leads the development trend of university-industrial cooperation in China. In this paper, the "institution" and "organization", as the two primary elements, are introduced to analyze the process of synergistic innovation. Then, the authors discussed the role of the "institutional innovation" and "organizational learning" in the process of synergistic innovation, aimed at study on the operational mechanism of the influence factors.


Clients in therapy are typically diagnosed with mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression. However, recent statistics show that romantic relationship difficulties are one of the most common reasons for people to seek counselling in the first place. A series of 15 semi-structured interviews with psychologists around Australia revealed that romantic relationship difficulties are under-recognised in the counselling context and sometimes diagnosed and treated as anxiety or depression. Interviews also revealed that most psychologists prefer to use a nonevidenced-based approach in relationship counselling. Consequently, there is a major gap in the literature regarding the effect of romantic relationship breakdown on the mental health of individuals. Further, there are few evidence-based interventions for individual and couples experiencing romantic relationship difficulties. Therefore, it is important that psychologists explore the core issues the client is experiencing that trigger presentation for therapy prior to diagnosis.


Chemical functionalization of graphene is achieved by hyperthermal reaction with azopyridine molecular ions. The one-step, room temperature process takes place in high vacuum (10(-7) mbar) using an electrospray ion beam deposition (ES-IBD) setup. For ion surface collisions exceeding a threshold kinetic energy of 165 eV, molecular cation beams of 4,4'-azobis(pyridine) covalently attach to chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene. A covalent functionalization degree of 3% of the carbon atoms of graphene is reached after 3-5 h of ion exposure of 2 × 10(14) azopyridinium/cm(2) of which 50% bind covalently. This facile approach for the controlled modification of graphene extends the scope of candidate species that would not otherwise react via existing conventional methods.


Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) delta endotoxins represent the most successful use of biological control agents targeting crop pests to date.  Studies  have  shown  that  Bt  produces  a  wider  range  of  toxins  targeting  a  variety  of  unrelated  pests  than  was  initially documented. This further  increases  the prospects  for  its wider use as a microbial biopesticide.  In  this view  the study sought  to isolate  and  characterize  native  Bt  from  two  different  ecological  regions;  Kenya  coastal  intertidal  brackish  sediments  and farmlands  in Machakos  district. Twenty  eight Bt  isolates were  isolated  and  identified. Distinctions  between  the  isolates were based on their morphological appearances, presence of parasporal inclusions and biochemical characteristics. Results for staining tests revealed  that the isolates were Gram positive, rod shaped cells, with  the spores  terminally  located. The cells from the two ecological regions did not have significant variation in average size. The rods had length ranging between 2.0 μm and 3.0 μm on average while the width was approximately 1 μm on average. Parasporal inclusions had varied shapes (i.e. bipyramidal, circular, squared,  oval  and  rhomboid). Both  biochemical  tests  (Proskauer  (VP)  test  and  catalase  test) were  positive. Average  optimum temperature range for growth was between 28°C and 35°C while the optimal pH growth range was between 5.5 and 7.5. Both the morphological and biochemical results provided evidence that the isolates were different forms of Bacillus thuringiensis. Out of the fifty six soil and sediment samples, 28 samples  (50%) yielded Bacillus  thuringiensis . 53.6% of  the  isolates were recovered from  samples  from  farms  in Machakos  district  and  46.4% from  the intertidal  brackish  sediments  from  the Gazi  coastal mangroves of Kenya. This shows that Bt is also present in soils which are under constant cultivation and those lying fallow within the intertidal brackish sediments. Key Words: Intertidal Brackish Sediments; Bacillus thuringiensis ; Characterization; δ-crystal.


The growth rate hypothesis (GRH) proposes that variation in organism C: P and N: P ratios reflects variation in P content associated with altered allocation to P‐rich ribosomal RNA under different growth rates. We tested the GRH by examining the effects of food quantity and stoichiometric quality (differing carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus [C :N: P] ratios) on juvenile growth and chemical composition (C :N: P, RNA, and DNA contents) of two species of Daphnia (D. galeata, D. pulicaria). Daphnia in P‐limited experiments were fed saturating and limiting concentrations of food (Scenedesmus acutus) of high P (C: P = 110 ± 7.3), medium P (456 ± 20.7), and low P (934 ± 23.6), and in an N‐limited experiment D. pulicaria was fed saturating concentrations of high N (C:N = 6.31 ± 0.35), medium 1 and medium 2 (9.0 ± 0.42; 15.0 ± 0.49, respectively), and low N (18.22 ± 0.56) food. In P‐limited experiments, both Daphnia species grew fastest under P‐rich, high food conditions and grew slowest under P‐deficient, low food conditions, showing effects of both food quality and quantity. Daphnia body percentage P, C: P, N: P, and percentage RNA were tightly correlated with growth rates, and RNA contributed a significant fraction of total body P (48.8% [62.0%]). This strong three‐way (growth‐RNA‐P) set of correlations supports the GRH. In the N‐limited experiment, food C:N had a moderate effect on Daphnia growth. While there was a good linear correlation between P and RNA, growth rate was uncorrelated with RNA content and P content, suggesting that the three‐way coupling of growth, RNA, and P content is broken under N limitation of growth, but more data for these conditions are needed. These data help in delineating the physiological conditions under which the GRH holds and may be useful in interpreting variation in body stoichiometry of zooplankton from field and lab studies.


In order to study the distribution of meiobenthos (Metazoa and Foraminifera) at bathyal depths along a west-east productivity gradient in the Mediterranean Sea, stations along the continental slopes of the Balearic Sea, west Ionian and east Ionian Seas were sampled during the DESEAS Trans-Mediterranean Cruise in June-July 2001. Standing stock of total meiobenthos differed considerably among the sampling stations, with marked differences occurring between sampling depths and sites. At 600 m depth, meiobenthic abundances were slightly higher over the Balearic continental slope, whereas at the deeper stations (800 m and 1500-1700 m), abundances were significantly higher in the west Ionian Sea. Significant relationships were found between the abundances of major groups and the chloroplastic pigments, indicating that food availability is a major factor controlling the distribution of meiobenthos. Apart from the overall differences in productivity between the western and eastern Mediterranean Sea, local hydrographic features and topographic differences greatly influence the spatial variability of the environmental parameters within each sub-basin and thus the distribution of meiobenthos in the bathyal zone.


In this study, the synthesis and structural properties of a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) and a Nonimprinted Polymer (NIP) bearing Fe-porphyrin moiety and amino acid moieties including Histidine (His), Tryptophan (Trp) and Arginine (Arg) are presented. The imprinted and nonimprinted polymeric beads were synthesized by suspension polymerization technique and characterized by using FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, BET and TGA techniques, and Zeta potential measurements. SEM images indicated that the MIP beads have more porous surface than that of the NIP beads. The BET analysis showed that the surface area of MIP is 147.01 m2/g, which is larger than that of NIP (49.50 m2/g). The effects of initial concentration and contact time for the adsorbtion veratryl alcohol on the polymeric beads were investigated on a batch system. Adsorption isotherms fit better in Langmuir isotherm than Freundlich isotherm and the adsorption capacities of the NIP and the MIP were calculated as 19.42 mg/g and 10.52 mg/g, respectively.


The incidence of dengue disease in the world is estimated at 390 million cases per year. In Indonesia, during 2013 there were 35-40 cases per 100.000 population, with a mortality rate of 0.73%. This study aimed to determine the suitability and the percentage of RT-PCR, RDT NS1, and RDT IgM detection examination. Samples were obtained from hospitals in Aceh province during 2012. The research samples reached 100 collected samples, it was only 82 samples that fulfill the analysis criteria. Cohen's Kappa test result showed there was moderate suitability between RT-PCR and RDT NS1 (K=0,404, p = 0,000), and weak suitability between RT-PCR began RDT IgM (K=0,139, p = 0,046). While the percentage of detection for RT-PCR, RDT NS1, dan RDT IgM were 16%, 10%, and 60%. RDT IgM is the best alternative for laboratory examination in the hospital.


Guilt, mercy and praise in the liturgy This article argues that guilt, mercy and praise do not always receive the attention they merit in the liturgy. The article aims to enhance the liturgical meaning of the confession of sin and the absolution. The liturgical meaning of these acts is determined by the theological function of the confession of sin and the absolution. A place in the liturgy is assigned to the Kyrie eleison, the Gloria and the Agnus Dei. This article demonstrates that their proper place is as part of Holy Communion.


GPUs have been widely used to accelerate big-data inference applications and scientific computing through their parallelized hardware resources and programming model. Their extreme parallelism increases the possibility of bugs such as data races and un-coalesced memory accesses, and thus verifying program correctness is critical. State-of-the-art GPU program verification efforts mainly focus on analyzing application-level programs, e.g., in C, and suffer from the following limitations: (1) high false-positive rate due to coarse-grained abstraction of synchronization primitives, (2) high complexity of reasoning about pointer arithmetic, and (3) keeping up with an evolving API for developing application-level programs. In this paper, we address these limitations by modeling GPUs and reasoning about programs at the instruction level. We formally model the Nvidia GPU at the parallel execution thread (PTX) level using the recently proposed Instruction-Level Abstraction (ILA) model for accelerators. PTX is analogous to the Instruction-Set Architecture (ISA) of a general-purpose processor. Our formal ILA model of the GPU includes non-synchronization instructions as well as all synchronization primitives, enabling us to verify multithreaded programs. We demonstrate the applicability of our ILA model in scalable GPU program verification of data-race checking. The evaluation shows that our checker outperforms state-of-the-art GPU data race checkers with fewer false-positives and improved scalability.


Eco-design is a new approach to products design; it has emerged as a key approach for manufacturing firms seeking to become environmentally sustainable and globally competitive. The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of adoption of Eco-design practices on organizational performance of manufacturing firms in Mombasa County, Kenya. A cross sectional survey research design was adopted for this study. It targeted a population a population of manufacturing firms in Mombasa County listed by Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM, 2014). A sample of 65 firms was taken and data was collected using questionnaires. The results obtained indicated that Eco-design practices adoption was at the planning/ implementation stage as most of the manufacturing firms had considered adoption. The study also established that the major challenges of adopting Eco-design practices are Unsuccessful integration of Eco-design, Lack of knowhow in managing changes in design procedures, and Lack of technical knowledge about Eco-design. Lastly the findings show that Eco-design practices have positive influence on organization performance with greatest impact being on environmental impact reduction and financial performance. The study recommends that manufacturing firms should get enough training and empowerment on how to implement Eco-design practices so as to ensure success, reduce fear of failure and encourage environmental sustainability. They should also act fast and implement Ecodesign practices since there are potential benefits after implementation such as improvement in environmental impact reduction and financial performance. Lastly the researcher recommends that since government rules and legislations and organization capabilities are the major drivers of adoption of Eco-design practices they should review their policies and allocate more resources to ensure effective adoption and implementation of Eco-design practices. This is because the bedrock of economic and social development in Kenya is the environment; hence environment sustainability should be given first priority.


This study examines the dependence of aerosolprecipitation interactions on environmental humidity in a mesoscale cloud ensemble (MCE) which is composed of convective and stratiform clouds. The author found that increases in aerosol concentration enhance evaporative cooling, which raises not only the intensity of vorticity and entrainment but also that of downdrafts and low-level convergence. The increase in vorticity tends to suppress precipitation. The increase in low-level convergence tends to enhance precipitation by generating more secondary clouds in a muptiple-cloud system simulated here. At high humidity, the effect of the increased vorticity on cloud-liquid mass and, thus, precipitation is outweighed by that of the increased low-level convergence. This leads to the precipitation enhancement induced by the increase in aerosol concentration. When humidity lowers to mid humidity, the effect of aerosol on low-level convergence still dominates that on entrainment, leading to the precipitation enhancement with the increased aerosol concentration. With the lowest humidity in the current work, the effect of aerosol on entrainment dominates that on low-level convergence, leading to the precipitation suppression with the increased aerosol concentration. Hence, there is not only a competition between the effect of evaporation on vorticity and that on low-level convergence at a given humidity level but also the variation of the competition with the varying humidity. This competition and variation are absent in a single-cloud system where the effect of low-level convergence on secondary clouds is absent. This exemplifies a difference in the mechanism which controls aerosol-precipitation interactions between a singlecloud system and a multiple-cloud system. Correspondence to: S. S. Lee (email@example.com)


Abstract The establishment of the Converrucosisporites confluens Oppel Zone in the Canning Basin of Australia in cored intervals from the Calytrix No. 1 Borehole was considered to be an advance in Gondwana Carboniferous‐Permian palynostratigraphy. This was because the zone is associated with a marine fauna that suggests a correlation with the standard Russian Early Permian stages. Moreover the index species has a wide occurrence in Gondwana outside Australia, for example Antarctica, Argentina, Brazil, India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. The zone was originally considered middle to late Asselian in age, but this was later revised to latest Asselian to Early Sakmarian. Converrucosisporites confluens is reported here from the Ganigobis Shale Member of Namibia in a well‐preserved and diverse assemblage including four of the fourteen specified accessory taxa for the Converrucosisporites confluens Oppel Zone. Ash layer IIb of the Ganigobis Shale Member is radiometrically dated as 302.0 ±3.0 Ma (i.e. Pennsylvanian; Gzhelian or Kasimovian) thus the Converrucosisporites confluens Oppel Zone may range earlier than previously thought. Preliminary study of the range top of Converrucosisporites confluens in Argentina and Uruguay suggests that it ranges younger there than in Western Australia with the possibility that the Converrucosisporites confluens Oppel Zone may also be younger than previously thought.


A German patrol wiggles through Russian lines to return with details of Soviet defenses. An expert Luftwaffe interrogator teases secret information from downed Allied airmen. Two spies steal ashore in Maine and make their way into New York City. Filled with episodes of intrigue and adventure, Hitler's Spies reveals the workings of German intelligence--the famed Abwehr, the dreaded SD, the codebreakers, the spies, and the intelligence gatherers of the Foreign Office--and explains its failure to best the Allies. Draws on original documents and extensive interviews.


Vertical shafts are used for ventilation, access for equipment/personnel, or stormwater transmission to underground cavities. Larger diameter vertical shafts are traditionally lined using either concrete or flat steel forms. This paper introduces flanged deep corrugated plate (FDCP) as an economical vertical shaft liner. For safety and accessibility reasons, shaft liners typically require installation be conducted from only one side of the liner. Shallow corrugated steel liner plates, which enables one side assembly, has been used for decades. However, shallow corrugated liner plate's strength has limited their use to smaller (less than 6 m) diameters. FDCP, commonly referred to as The Edge, was first introduced to the marketplace in 2012 and is five times stronger and nine times stiffer than traditional steel liner plate. FDCP is available in two-flange and four-flange configurations and is best suited for applications: 1. required to resist ground/hydrostatic pressures or ground movements greater than the capacity of shallow corrugated liner plate; 2. needing to resist unbalanced loads; 3. where greater flowable fill pour heights are desired; 4. with diameters > 6 m. FDCP is designed to the same structural limit states as traditional overlap plates with the additional consideration of shear load at bolted connections. AASHTO LRFD Section 12.13 may be used as a guideline when determining loads and structural limit states for vertical shaft liners. FDCP is well suited for vertical shaft liners. Vertical shafts with diameters > 6 m and depths < 40 m are generally more economical and faster to construct when lined with FDCP. Product and construction innovations are required to increase advancement rate and shaft depth for which FDCP compares favourably to traditional concrete liner.


Cement-based materials have complex multi-component, multiscale structures that first form through chemical reaction and then continue to change with time. As with most classes of materials, the porosity of cement paste strongly influences its properties, including strength, shrinkage, creep, permeability and diffusion. Pores in cement paste range in size from nanometers to millimeters, and numerous investigations and models have been reported in the literature. This paper reviews some key concepts and models related to our understanding of the pore system and surface area. A major reason for the complexity of cement-based materials is that the principal reaction product, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), forms with a significant volume fraction of internal, nanometer-scale pores. This gel pore system contains water that is also adsorbed to the solid surfaces, blurring the distinction between the solid phase and pores. The gel pore system changes not only with the chemical composition and extent of reaction, but also with changes in relative humidity, temperature, and applied load. Pores can be characterized by their surface area, size, volume fraction, saturation, and connectivity, but precise quantitative models are still not available. A useful approach for characterizing the structure of cement paste is to document the influence of time and external factors on structural changes. Scientific progress will be facilitated by the development of models that accurately describe the structure and use that structure to predict properties. This is particularly important because the composition and chemistry of commercial concretes is changing more rapidly than laboratory experimentation can document long-term properties such as durability. Some of the possible models are discussed.


Globalization, either directly or indirectly (e.g. through structural adjustment reforms), has called for profound changes in the previously existing institutional order. Some changes adversely impacted the production and market environment of many coffee producers in developing countries resulting in more risky and less remunerative coffee transactions. This paper focuses on customization of a tropical commodity, fair-trade coffee, as an approach to mitigating the effects of worsened market conditions for small-scale coffee producers in less developed countries. fair-trade labeling is viewed as a form of "de-commodification" of coffee through product differentiation on ethical grounds. This is significant not only as a solution to the market failure caused by pervasive information asymmetries along the supply chain, but also as a means of revitalizing the agricultural-commodity-based trade of less developed countries (LDCs) that has been languishing under globalization. More specifically, fair-trade is an example of how the same strategy adopted by developed countries' producers/ processors (i.e. the sequence product differentiation - institutional certification - advertisement) can be used by LDC producers to increase the reputation content of their outputs by transforming them from mere commodities into "decommodified" (i.e. customized and more reputed) goods. The resulting segmentation of the world coffee market makes possible to meet the demand by consumers with preference for this "(ethically) customized" coffee and to transfer a share of the accruing economic rents backward to the Fair-trade coffee producers in LDCs. It should however be stressed that this outcome cannot be taken for granted since investments are needed to promote the required institutional innovations. In Italy FTC is a niche market with very few private brands selling this product. However, an increase of FTC market share could be a big commercial opportunity for farmers in LDCs and other economic agents involved along the international coffee chain. Hence, this research explores consumers' knowledge of labels promoting quality products, consumption coffee habits, brand loyalty, willingness to pay and market segmentation according to the heterogeneity of preferences for coffee products. The latter was assessed developing a D-efficient design where stimuli refinement was tested during two focus groups.


We present a method to analyze daily activities, such as meal preparation, using video from an egocentric camera. Our method performs inference about activities, actions, hands, and objects. Daily activities are a challenging domain for activity recognition which are well-suited to an egocentric approach. In contrast to previous activity recognition methods, our approach does not require pre-trained detectors for objects and hands. Instead we demonstrate the ability to learn a hierarchical model of an activity by exploiting the consistent appearance of objects, hands, and actions that results from the egocentric context. We show that joint modeling of activities, actions, and objects leads to superior performance in comparison to the case where they are considered independently. We introduce a novel representation of actions based on object-hand interactions and experimentally demonstrate the superior performance of our representation in comparison to standard activity representations such as bag of words.


One form of partisan bias is the tendency to more readily accept the validity of information that affirms one's political beliefs than information that challenges those beliefs. Both liberals and conservatives accuse their political opponents of partisan bias, but is there empirical evidence that one side of the political aisle is indeed more biased than the other? To address this question, we meta-analyzed the results of 41 experimental studies of partisan bias involving over 12,000 participants who identified their political ideology. Based on previous literature, two hypotheses were tested: an asymmetry hypothesis (predicting greater partisan bias in conservatives than liberals) and a symmetry hypothesis (predicting equal levels of partisan bias in liberals and conservatives). Overall partisan bias was robust (r = .254) and there was strong support for the symmetry hypothesis: liberals (r = .248) and conservatives (r = .247) showed nearly identical levels of bias across studies. Several methodological features moderated the degree of overall bias, and the relative magnitude of bias in liberals and conservatives differed across political topics. Implications of the current findings for the ongoing ideological symmetry debate, and partisan bias' role in scientific discourse and political conflict are discussed.


In 1915, the California Commission of Immigration and Housing (CCIH) unveiled a bold new experiment: the Home Teacher Program. In Los Angeles, this program sent volunteers into Mexican communities to teach immigrant women new, more "American" ways of homemaking and childrearing. The lesson plans, sample dialogues, teacher testimonies, and photographs featured in CCIH publications provide a fascinating window on to the tense interactions between home teachers and immigrant women. Scholars have long explored different ways of mining institutional records and other forms of writing by Americanization advocates for insights into the experiences of those who participated in the programs. This essay contributes to the discussion of California9s Americanization curricula in two ways: First, I provide a close reading of CCIH texts in order to uncover and analyze three layers of recorded experience: (1) teacher biases confronted by immigrant women; (2) immigrant women9s difficult material realities; and (3) immigrant women9s complex responses to Americanization. Second, I provide further evidence for the view that Mexican immigrant women responded to Americanization efforts in a variety of ways, from outright resistance to milder forms of pushback and, at times, conditional acceptance of the "American" customs presented to them. In light of the evidence, I argue that Mexican immigrant women were "doing the impossible" by laying claim to a piece of California through the complex relationship they negotiated with the home teachers. Although Americanization programs intended to flatten Mexican women9s ethnic affiliations, the immigrant women found subtle ways to assert their agency, survive hardship and prejudice, and forge a new Mexican American ethnic community in the process.


Research Summary:
The prevalence of AIDS infection is approximately four times higher in state and Federal prisons than among the general U.S. population. It is also apparent that high-risk HIV transmission behaviors occur inside prison; however, data that validly document cases of HIV transmission in prison are rare. This study uses data from a large sample of state prison inmates and logistic regression to determine what inmate characteristics are associated with contracting HIV inside prison. Findings indicate that inmates who are nonwhite and younger and who have been convicted of sexual crimes and have served longer sentences are more likely to contract HIV inside prison.

Policy Implications:
Documenting that HIV is transmitted inside prisons justifies the need for additional research and effective prevention strategies. Modeling what types of inmates might be at risk for contracting HIV inside prison can help public and correctional health researchers and officials improve their current prevention practices and ultimately reduce or prevent HIV transmission both inside and outside prison.


This paper provides test procedures to determine whether the probability distribution underlying a set of non-negative valued samples belongs to the Increasing Failure Rate Average (IFRA) class or the New Better than Used (NBU) class. Membership of a distribution to one of these classes is known to have implications which are important in reliability, queuing theory, game theory and other disciplines. Our proposed test is based on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) distance between an empirical cumulative hazard function and its best approximation from the class of distributions constituting the null hypothesis. It turns out that the least favorable distribution, which produces the largest probability of Type I error of each of the tests, is the exponential distribution. This fact is used to produce an appropriate cut-off or p-value. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to check small sample size (i.e., significance) and power of the test. Usefulness of the test is illustrated through the analysis of a set of monthly family expenditure data collected by the National Sample Survey Organization of the Government of India.


Digital image processing is exploited in many diverse applications but the size of digital images places excessive demands on current storage and transmission technology. Image data compression is required to permit further use of digital image processing. Conventional image compression techniques based on statistical analysis have reached a saturation level so it is necessary to explore more radical methods. This thesis is concerned with novel methods, based on the use of fractals, for achieving significant compression of image data within reasonable processing time without introducing excessive distortion. Images are modelled as fractal data and this model is exploited directly by compression schemes. The validity of this is demonstrated by showing that the fractal complexity measure of fractal dimension is an excellent predictor of image compressibility. A method of fractal waveform coding is developed which has low computational demands and performs better than conventional waveform coding methods such as PCM and DPCM. Fractal techniques based on the use of space-filling curves are developed as a mechanism for hierarchical application of conventional techniques. Two particular applications are highlighted: the re-ordering of data during image scanning and the mapping of multi-dimensional data to one dimension. It is shown that there are many possible space-filling curves which may be used to scan images and that selection of an optimum curve leads to significantly improved data compression. The multi-dimensional mapping property of space-filling curves is used to speed up substantially the lookup process in vector quantisation. Iterated function systems are compared with vector quantisers and the computational complexity or iterated function system encoding is also reduced by using the efficient matching algcnithms identified for vector quantisers.


Banking crises are rare events, but when they occur their consequences are often dramatic. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the toolkit of early warning models available to policy makers by exploring the dynamics and non-linearities embedded in a panel dataset covering several countries over four decades (from 1970Q1 to 2010Q4). The in-sample and out-of-sample forecast performance of several dynamic probit models is evaluated, with the objective of developing a common vulnerability indicator with early warning properties. The results obtained show that adding dynamic components and exuberance indicators to the models substantially improves the ability to forecast banking crises.


Embryonic stem (ES) cells are cell lines isolated from the embryo at a time just prior to implantation into the uterus. In the right cocktail of medium and cytokines, these cell lines can be maintained indefinitely in vitro in a self-renewing state. Initially it was assumed that these cells represented a homogeneous population however, more recently it has been shown that there are a great number of genes that are expressed heterogeneously. ES cell cultures are therefore a mix of different subpopulations, some of which have distinct functional properties including a bias or 'lineage priming' towards a particular cell fate. These populations are also dynamic in nature, converting from one state to another with fairly rapid kinetics. The main focus of this thesis was to gain a more in depth understanding of the mechanisms regulating heterogeneity and lineage priming in murine ES cells by asking which signalling pathways play a role in this phenomenon and how the switch between states is regulated at a transcriptional level. These questions were asked using an ES cell line containing a sensitive reporter for the endoderm marker Hex. This reporter, developed by a previous lab member, allowed the identification and separation of a population of ES cells primed towards a primitive endoderm fate. Primarily, I assessed the effect of a defined culture system (2i) on the Hex-expressing population. This culture system contains inhibitors that block FGF signalling and the Wnt pathway component GSK3. Culturing ES cells in 2i has been suggested to generate a more homogeneous culture. Here, I have shown that culturing ES cells or pre-implantation embryos in 2i did not eliminate heterogeneity but maintained them in an early state prior to lineage segregation. When ES cells were cultured in standard serum-containing medium, Hex was expressed in a mutually exclusive manner with the embryonic marker NANOG, while in 2i a subpopulation of cells coexpressed both Hex and NANOG. This population was functionally primed towards extraembryonic endoderm and trophoblast. Furthermore, these ES cells could efficiently contribute to 2-cell embryos in chimaera assays. LIF signalling promoted this population through the JAK/STAT pathway. I then asked how transcription was regulated during the switch between unprimed ES cells to those primed towards a primitive endoderm fate, as well as how regulation changes during further differentiation. To ask this, Hex positive (primed) and negative (unprimed) ES cell populations were sorted as well as a Hex positive differentiated sample. These samples were analysed by GRO-seq to determine the location, density and orientation of RNA-polymerase throughout the genome. Changes in gene expression between primed and unprimed states were regulated primarily through elongation whereas genes upregulated during differentiation were regulated at the point of de novo initiation.


The chemical stability of solid cubane under high-pressure was examined with in situ Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) up to 60 GPa. The Raman modes associated with solid cubane were assigned by comparing experimental data with calculations based on density functional perturbation theory, and low-frequency lattice modes are reported for the first time. The equation of state of solid cubane derived from the PXRD measurements taken during compression gives a bulk modulus of 14.5(2) GPa. In contrast with previous work and chemical intuition, PXRD and Raman data indicate that solid cubane exhibits anomalously large stability under extreme pressure, despite its immensely strained 90° C-C-C bond angles.


Most currently available fake news datasets revolve around US politics, entrainment news or satire. They are typically scraped from fact-checking websites, where the articles are labeled by human experts. In this paper, we present FA-KES, a fake news dataset around the Syrian war. Given the specific nature of news reporting on incidents of wars and the lack of available sources from which manually-labeled news articles can be scraped, we believe a fake news dataset specifically constructed for this domain is crucial. To ensure a balanced dataset that covers the many facets of the Syrian war, our dataset consists of news articles from several media outlets representing mobilisation press, loyalist press, and diverse print media. To avoid the difficult and often-subjective task of manually labeling news articles as true or fake, we employ a semi-supervised fact-checking approach to label the news articles in our dataset. With the help of crowdsourcing, human contributors are prompted to extract specific and easy-to-extract information that helps match a given article to information representing "ground truth" obtained from the Syrian Violations Documentation Center. The information extracted is then used to cluster the articles into two separate sets using unsupervised machine learning. The result is a carefully annotated dataset consisting of 804 articles labeled as true or fake and that is ideal for training machine learning models to predict the credibility of news articles. Our dataset is publicly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2607278. Although our dataset is focused on the Syrian crisis, it can be used to train machine learning models to detect fake news in other related domains. Moreover, the framework we used to obtain the dataset is general enough to be used to build other fake news datasets around military conflicts, provided there is some corresponding ground-truth available.


Young drivers aged 16 to 24 years are over-represented in crashes worldwide. A better understanding of young driver behaviour and the circumstances leading to crash involvement might assist in reducing young driver road trauma. The Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) has conducted three in-depth studies investigating rural and metropolitan crashes in South Australia over the last decade. In-depth investigation of crashes provides detailed information on crashes that otherwise could not be obtained from aggregate police-reported crash data. This paper uses the comprehensive information collected from in-depth crash investigation to examine the causes and contributing factors leading to young driver crashes. Analyses by age group (16-19 years, 20-24 years) and level of experience (P-plates less than 1 year, P-plates 1 year or more) were undertaken to determine whether the incidence of specific driver errors varied over the first few years of driving and could account for the substantial decline in crashes during that time. Detailed information for 256 drivers aged between 16 and 24 years was examined to identify behaviours contributing to young driver crash involvement. Based on the findings from the analysis, measures that might reduce the number of young driver crashes and moderate the injury severity of such crashes are discussed with reference to safe system principles.


In this study, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used to check the integrity of the Global Positioning Recommended Minimum (GPRMC) sentences. The GPRMC sentences are the most common sentences transmitted by the Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. This sentence contains nearly every thing a GPS application needs. The data integrity is compared on the basis of the classification accuracy and the minimum error obtained using the ANN. The ANN requires data to be presented in a certain format supported by the learning process of the network. Therefore a certain amount of data processing is needed before training patterns are presented to the network. The data pre processing is done by the design and development of different algorithms in C# using Visual Studio.Net 2003. This study uses the BackPropagation (BP) feed forward multilayer ANN algorithm with the learning rate and the momentum as its parameters. The results are analyzed based on different ANN architectures, classification accuracy, Sum of Square Error (SSE), variables sensitivity analysis and training graph. The best obtained ANN architecture shows a good performance with the selection classification of 96.79 % and the selection sum of square error 0.2022. This study uses the ANN tool Trajan 6.0 Demonstrator.


The internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 of the nuclear rDNA were sequenced for 41 Helichrysum species (Gnaphalieae), focusing on the Mediterranean group of species, together with eight representatives of other genera of the Gnaphalieae, in order to check the hypothesised monophyly of the Mediterranean Helichrysum group and the correspondence of the sequence data with its traditional sectional classification. The cladistic analysis of sequence data supports monophyly of the Mediterranean Helichrysum excluding H. frigidum and H. montelinasanum. The traditional classification of the Mediterranean species into two sections, Helichrysum and Virginea, is not supported, whereas a group constituted by species from the west Mediterranean area is shown as a moderately supported monophyletic clade in the strict consensus tree. Other results also show and confirm the complexity, still not satisfactorily resolved, of the Helichrysum generic delimitation: Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum appears merged in Helichrysum whereas Helichrysum dasyanthum appears more related to Anaxeton laeve than to any Helichrysum species.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Mental health professionals have reported that they have limited knowledge, skills, and confidence in the area of intellectual disability mental health. This article aims to learn from the experiences of people with intellectual disability about the attributes that may assist mainstream mental health professionals to provide them with a quality mental health service. Methods: Six people with intellectual disability participated in an interview or focus group. Thematic analysis was undertaken applying the Intellectual Disability Mental Health Core Competencies Framework. Results: The findings supported previous research for the need for mental health professionals to be adaptable, able to communicate, and work with a person's support network. The study reinforced the need for professionals to undertake professional development in the area but also suggested that people with intellectual disability be included as educators and as peer workers. New attributes were identified, including the need for mental health professionals to be able to build rapport and trust through demonstrating their experience and respect for working with people with intellectual disability, and their ability to understand trauma and how it may influence mental health needs. Conclusions: The attributes identified in the study could be used to inform an intellectual disability mental health workforce development framework.


Objective To ascertain the relationship between prelacteal feeding, early formula feeding and adverse health outcomes, especially hospitalisation during the first year of life. Design Multicentre prospective cohort study. Setting Six hospitals across three cities in Vietnam. Patients A total of 2030 pregnant women were recruited at 24–28 weeks of gestation and followed up at hospital discharge, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post partum. Main outcome measures Rates of infant hospitalisation, diarrhoea and lower respiratory tract infection during the first 12 months. Results For the final complete sample (n=1709, 84%), about one-quarter of the infants experienced diarrhoea (25.5%) or were admitted to hospital with at least one episode (24.8%), and almost half (47.6%) the cohort contracted lower respiratory tract infection by 12 months. The prevalence of prelacteal feeding was high (56.5%) while formula feeding was common (79.5%) before hospital discharge, both of which increased the risks of adverse health outcomes particularly hospitalisation by approximately 1.5-fold, with adjusted OR (95% CI) 1.43 (1.09 to 1.88) and 1.48 (1.07 to 2.05), respectively for these infants by 12 months, when compared with others who were exclusively breast fed. Conclusions Prelacteal feeding and early formula feeding before hospital discharge are associated with higher risks of infection and hospital admission in Vietnamese infants. Support for exclusive breast feeding should be provided to mothers to avoid the adverse consequences of giving formula milk and prelateal foods.


The Lycocerus hanatanii species group is revised, with the addition of seven taxa: L. araticollis (Fairmaire, 1897) , L. nigripennis (Pic, 1938), L. griseopubens (Pic, 1928), L. aurantiacus sp. nov., L. evangelium sp. nov., L. kintaroi sp. nov., and L. yitingi sp. nov. Supplementary descriptions of the males of L. araticollis and L. griseopubens are provided. Lycocerus nigripennis (Pic, 1938) and L. pictus (Wittmer, 1983) are redescribed in detail. Each species is provided with photos or illustrations of genitalia of both sexes and abdominal ventrite VII of the female if available. Distribution maps and a key to the species of the L. hanatanii species group are presented. In addition, the monophyly of the L. hanatanii species group is supported based on a morphological phylogenetic analysis.


ABSTRACT:  An explanation for the depositional history of the Gosport Sand has proven to be as puzzling as its diverse mollusk fossils is beguiling. We propose that shifting delta lobes produced patchy environments which accumulated to form the Gosport Sand and likely other glauconite- and fossil-rich shell beds of the Gulf Coastal Plain of the Paleogene. We present facies and mineralogical data to suggest glauconite in the Gosport Sand was deposited during relatively stable environmental conditions. Increased glauconite maturity and taphonomic alteration in the Gosport Sand are attributed to eustatic transgression, resulting in decreased deposition, enhanced winnowing, and increased exposure at the sediment–water interface. Increased fossil diversity and abundance likely result from time-averaging and accumulation of shells from ancient patchy habitats analogous to modern "inner shallow shelf" and "open sound" environments. Delta progradation and subsidence would have determined the migration of these environments. We evoke a similar depositional model for glauconite-rich shell beds distributed throughout the Paleocene and Eocene of the Gulf Coastal Plain based on their transgressive nature and roughly equivalent facies. These shifting environmental conditions may have played a partial role in generating the high molluscan diversity of the Gulf Coastal Plain of the Paleogene.


Auxin regulates the interaction of the transcription factor ETTIN (also known as ARF3) with other developmentally important transcription factors. The hormone auxin controls plant development at all stages and in most, if not all, tissues. The best characterized pathway for auxin-mediated regulation of gene expression is through inhibition of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, which binds to auxin and related chemicals, to alleviate repression of the PB1 domain–containing members of the ARF family of transcriptions factors. ETTIN (ETT, also known as ARF3) lacks a PB1 domain and thus cannot be regulated in the same manner as other ARFs because ETT does not interact with the repressive partner proteins Aux/IAAs. ETT functions in many of the developmental processes that are regulated by auxin, such as the female reproductive organ, lateral root formation, and establishment of leaf polarity. Simonini et al. found that ETT and INDEHISCENT (IND), encoding another transcription factor, were expressed in the same region of the developing gynoecium (a part of the female reproductive organ). IND, along with another transcription factor SPATULA (SPT), regulate auxin polarity by inhibiting expression of the gene encoding PINOID (PID), a kinase controlling auxin transport, a process important in the developing gynoecium. The PID gene contained two auxin response elements (AuxREs), and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments and yeast one-hybrid assays showed that ETT interacted with these sequences in a manner dependent on the conserved AuxRE motif. Plants with the ett-3 mutation had an expanded region of PID expression in the developing gynoecium, and this was further expanded in ett-3, ind-2 double mutants, indicating that ETT and IND may function together to repress PID expression. Four different interaction assays indicated that ETT and IND directly interacted, and a region specific to ETTIN, not present in other ARFs, was necessary and sufficient for the interaction. Unlike the E3 ligase component that binds to natural auxin (indole 3-acetic acid, IAA) and synthetic analogs, only IAA disrupted the interaction between ETT and IND. A screen for point mutants of IND or targeted mutation of cysteines in ETT identified residues critical for the IAA-dependent regulation of the ETT-IND interaction. Expression of the INDD30G mutant that bound to ETT in the presence and absence of IAA resulted in abnormal female reproductive organ development, but this mutant rescued the indehiscent phenotype (inability of a fruit or seed pod to open), suggesting that the role of IND in the gynoecium, but not the fruit, depended on IAA and ETT. Because ETT is involved in the development of several tissues in which IND is not, the authors screened for other transcription factor partners for ETT and identified five additional potential interacting partners in addition to IND and two others that were previously reported. Yeast two-hybrid analysis of these transcription factors revealed that IAA disrupted the interaction between ETT and each of them. Indeed, expression of the ETT2C-S mutant that is not regulated by IAA resulted in abnormal development of lateral roots, primary branch fusion and ovule development, processes that are controlled by one or more of the transcription factors identified as IAA-regulated partners of ETT. Thus, ETT appears to serve as the auxin-regulated partner in various transcription factor complexes, providing evidence for a second auxin signaling mechanism. S. Simonini, J. Deb, L. Moubayidin, P. Stephenson, M. Valluru, A. Freire-Rios, K. Sorefan, D. Weijers, J. Friml, L. Østergaard, A noncanonical auxin-sensing mechanism is required for organ morphogenesis in Arabidopsis. Genes Dev. 30, 2286–2296 (2016). [Abstract]


Waste is a symbol of inefficiency in modern society and represents misallocated resources. This paper outlines an on-going interdisciplinary research project entitled "Integrated ETWW demand forecasting and scenario planning for low-carbon precincts" and reports on first findings and a literature review. This large multi-stakeholder research project develops a shared platform for integrated ETWW (energy, transport, waste and water) planning in a low-carbon urban future, focusing on synergies and alternative approaches to urban planning. The aim of the project is to develop a holistic integrated software tool for demand forecasting and scenario evaluation for residential precincts, covering the four domains, ETWW, using identified commonalities in data requirements and model formulation. The authors of this paper are overseeing the waste domain. A major component of the project will be developing a method for including the impacts of household behavior change in demand forecasting, as well as assessing the overall carbon impacts of urban developments or redevelopments of existing precincts. The resulting tool will allow urban planners, municipalities and developers to assess the future total demands for energy, transport, waste and water whilst in the planning phase. The tool will also help to assess waste management performance and materials flow in relation to energy and water consumption and travel behavior, supporting the design and management of urban systems in different city contexts.


Inappropriate behaviors of elementary and middle school students are many times extremely difficult to change. These behaviors tend to be supported by reinforcement within the environment. When manifested in the classroom, these undesirable actions become the focus of negativity which translates into disciplinary problems and ultimately discipline referrals by the teacher. This longitudinal study will investigate the potential impact of a program designed to reduce the discipline referral rate of students displaying negative behaviors in the classroom. The influx of disruptive behaviors is causing quite a stir throughout classrooms in America. Research indicates that many of these problems are related to increases in emotional and behavioral issues among students (Stanley, Canham, & Cureton, 2006). The consequences of these emotional and behavioral issues often result in many students being reprimanded, in an attempt to discourage the unwanted behavior, to protect peers, and to inform parents of their children's conduct. Unfortunately, these consequences do not address the underlying factors that cause these students to behave in a negative manner which translates to school systems experiencing a pattern of repetitive discipline referrals and suspensions among the same groups of students. This type of behavior becomes an impediment to the learning process for the behaviorally challenged students and their counterparts, as well (Warren, Bohanon-Edmonson, Tumbull, Sailor, Wickham, Grigg, & Beech, 2006). Positive Behavior Support (PBS) With a growing emphasis on improving the nation's schools and eliminating school discipline problems, Utley, Kozleski, Smith, and Draper (2002) note the relationship between and among those variables. Edward Carr and Robert Homer (2007) discovered the primary concern of discipline as problem contexts, not problem behavior or problem people. Cheryl Utley et al., (2002) communicated the notion that, "Researchers and practitioners must examine issues related to classroom discipline, cultural diversity, and culturally responsive teaching to develop successful approaches for teaching prosocial skills and reducing antisocial behavior" (p. 197). Research indicates that peer relations may be an underlying factor of students' negative behaviors. In a recent qualitative research study involving a variety of problem situations commonly faced among African-American urban youth (Farrell, Erwin, Bettencourt, Mays, Vulin-Reynolds, Sullivan, Allison, Kliewer, & Meyer, 2008), the theoretical framework of developing positive social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral skills was employed to address aggressive emotional behavior. Within this framework, the researchers emphasized appropriate social interaction by interviewing and transcribing students' perceptions of situation-response sets dealing with peer relationships. This intervention was infused with the school's Positive Behavior Support (PBS) system (Farrell et al., 2008). It is well documented about the use of school-wide PBS systems as a possible solution for addressing problem behavior, increasing academic achievement, and reducing discipline referral rates (Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, & Feinberg, 2005). School-wide PBS, as defined by Warren et al. (2006), is a prevention-oriented approach to student discipline characterized by its focus on defining and teaching behavioral expectations, rewarding appropriate behaviors, continual evaluation of its effectiveness, and the integration of supports for individuals, groups, the school as a whole, and school, family community partnerships. PBS interventions are based on the premise of applied behavior analysis and should be proactive. Preventative measures that diminish problem situations before they escalate while concurrently teaching students how to make better choices during these situations (Safran & Oswald, 2003, as cited in Carr et al., 1999). Kincaid, Childs, Blase, and Wallace (2007) reiterate, The process of school wide positive behavior support includes the application of evidence-based strategies and systems to help schools increase academic performance, increase safety, decrease problem behavior, and establish positive school cultures. …


This chapter presents an analysis of pricing (and taxation) of agricultural and industrial goods in LDCs. We identify and explain the central tradeoffs involved in changing prices, in reforming prices, and in setting optimal prices. Our analysis is based on a general equilibrium model of a dual (agricultural-industrial) economy in which there is a multitude of goods and income groups in each sector. We present a number of results on price reforms and optimal pricing. For instance, we show how Pareto improving price reforms (which do not hurt anyone in the society, and make the society better off) can be conducted for cash crops and production inputs, based on extremely limited information. Our analysis also leads us to argue that there is a case against taxing some cash crops or agricultural inputs, while subsidizing others, no matter what the society's aversion to inequality is. Our framework of analysis is not only consistent with a variety of alternative institutional features of LDCs, but it also shows that these features have a marked influence on what the prices should be. An understanding of these influences is important because there is enormous diversity among LDCs in their institutional structures, and in the set of policy instruments they can use. For the same reason, some of the basic prescriptions of the standard tax theory (which is based on special assumptions reflecting the structure of developed economies) turn out to be misleading in the context of LDCs. We also discuss in this chapter some of the issues of political economy from which the standard tax theory has abstracted but which, we believe, may be central in the analysis of taxation and pricing policies.


Colorization in monochrome-color camera systems aims to colorize the gray image IG from the monochrome camera using the color image RC from the color camera as reference. Since monochrome cameras have better imaging quality than color cameras, the colorization can help obtain higher quality color images. Related learning based methods usually simulate the monochrome-color camera systems to generate the synthesized data for training, due to the lack of ground-truth color information of the gray image in the real data. However, the methods that are trained relying on the synthesized data may get poor results when colorizing real data, because the synthesized data may deviate from the real data. We present a new CNN model, named cycle CNN, which can directly use the real data from monochrome-color camera systems for training. In detail, we use the colorization CNN model to do the colorization twice. First, we colorize IG using RC as reference to obtain the first-time colorization result IC. Second, we colorize the de-colored map of RC, i.e. RG, using the first-time colorization result IC as reference to obtain the second-time colorization result R′C. In this way, for the second-time colorization result R′C, we use the original color map RC as ground-truth and introduce the cycle consistency loss to push R′C ≈ RC. Also, for the first-time colorization result IC, we propose a structure similarity loss to encourage the luminance maps between IG and IC to have similar structures. In addition, we introduce a spatial smoothness loss within the colorization CNN model to encourage spatial smoothness of the colorization result. Combining all these losses, we could train the colorization CNN model using the real data in the absence of the ground-truth color information of IG. Experimental results show that we can outperform related methods largely for colorizing real data.


Accumulating evidence has indicated the importance of cancer stem cells in carcinogenesis. The goal of the present study was to determine the effect of low-dose cisplatin on enriched liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs). Human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells were treated with concentrations of cisplatin ranging from 1 to 5 μg/mL. Cell survival and proliferation were evaluated using a tetrazolium dye (MTT) assay. LCSCs were identified using specific markers, namely aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH1) and CD133. The percentage of ALDH1+ or CD133+ cells was examined by flow cytometric analysis. The expression of ALDH1 and/or CD133 in HepG2 cells was determined by immunocytochemical analysis. Low-dose cisplatin treatment significantly decreased cell survival in HepG2 cells after 24 or 72 h. However, the percentage of LCSCs in the surviving cells was greatly increased. The percentage of ALDH1+ or CD133+ cells was increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner after treatment with 1-4 μg/mL cisplatin, whereas 5 μg/mL cisplatin exposure slightly reduced the number of positive cells. These findings indicate that low-dose cisplatin treatment may efficiently enrich the LCSC population in HepG2 cells.


DSL broadband access suffers from crosstalk among different lines within the same cable bundle. Dynamic spectrum management (DSM) refers to a set of techniques to mitigate the impact of crosstalk leading to spectacular performance gains. DSM research has mainly aimed at physical layer performance metrics, such as data rates and transmit powers. However, for many applications higher-layer performance metrics, such as throughput and delay, may be much more important to improve user satisfaction. In this paper, we provide a cross-layer DSM framework to study throughput and delay performance by looking at scheduling and DSM together. We show how optimal scheduling can be combined with both optimal and suboptimal DSM and provide throughput-optimal scheduling algorithms which require only polynomial complexity. We analytically study the impact on delay performance of achieving throughput-optimality with suboptimal DSM compared to optimal DSM. We then present extensions that significantly improve delay performance by exploiting the specific structure of the problem, such as the temporal-spectral correlation property. Furthermore, we propose a second cross-layer DSM framework that achieves throughput-optimal scheduling with suboptimal DSM, but in addition also significantly reduces overall power consumption. Finally, we analyze and quantify the tradeoff between throughput, delay and power consumption for concrete DSL scenarios.


Background To better understand the ability of physicians to predict the need for endoscopic therapy and to accurately predict specific endoscopic lesions, we performed a prospective, nonrandomized, observational cohort study in patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) who were undergoing endoscopy. Aim We aimed to evaluate the pre-endoscopy diagnostic accuracy and the correct prediction of high-risk lesions in patients with UGIH according to the level of clinical expertise. Methods One hundred twenty-one patients presenting with hematemesis and/or melena within 48 hours were studied. A questionnaire was given to primary physicians, gastroenterology fellows, and gastroenterology faculty, asking them to predict the need for endoscopic therapy and the cause of the bleed. Results The need for endoscopic therapy was predicted accurately by 68% of the primary physicians, 70% of the fellows, and 74% of the faculty physicians (P = 0.61). The faculty were able to predict which patients did not need therapy more accurately than the fellows and the residents: 85%, 78%, and 68%, respectively (P = 0.03). The diagnostic accuracy of the clinicians—that is, the ability to accurately predict the bleeding lesion among the primary physicians, fellows, and faculty physicians, was similar at 46%, 52%, and 48%, respectively (P = 0.65). Conclusions The accuracy of predicting the need for endoscopic therapy and the culprit cause of UGIH, based on clinical evaluation, was similar across levels of expertise. However, the faculty gastroenterologists were better than the gastroenterology fellows and the primary providers in predicting which patients do not require endoscopic treatment. We conclude that the relative inability of any group of physicians to accurately predict the presence of high-risk lesions requiring endoscopic therapy suggests that most patients with UGIH should undergo upper endoscopy for diagnosis and possible therapy.


This paper addresses why Robert Bork's The Antitrust Paradox appears to have had such influence on the Supreme Court, leading the Court to largely adopt the Chicago School analysis of antitrust issues. It attributes this influence to Bork's endorsement of the per se prohibition of price fixing — not embraced by others of the Chicago School — which Bork claimed required the Court to rethink its treatment of vertical restraints. The paper also attributes the influence to Bork's emphasis on neutral principles for judicial decisionmaking, to Bork's service as Solicitor General, to the delayed publication of his book until after that service, and to the appointment of John Paul Stevens to the Court. Though it has not been generally publicized, Stevens, like Bork, was heavily influenced by Aaron Director and was well aware of the many economic criticisms of Court antitrust opinions published in this Journal.


The calculation of an accurate dose of chemotherapy for oncological patients reduces the possible medication errors and the toxicity of the body and so it improves the outcome of the treatment (survival). In oncological practice for the calculation of the dose of chemotherapy the human body surface area (BSA) is used. The human body surface area is determined by derived formulas, but it is not directly linked to the pharmacokinetics of the drugs. Pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that for the calculation of the chemotherapy dose the actual body weight should be taken into account rather than the ideal one. In the therapeutic dose determination the body fat mass has essential significance. 202 patients aged from 19 to 83 years with various tumor localizations underwent anthropometric measurements (height, weight, circumferences, fatfold thickness, the distance between the hills above the joint), the body mass index (BMI) and the BSA (according to the Mosteller formula). The average weight of 99 men was 78.5 ± 16.4 kg and the mean body weight of 103 women was 70.1 ± 14.6 kg, statistically non-significantly different (F = 0.358, p = 0.551), but the independent-sample t-test arithmetical mean differed statistically significantly (t = 3.839, p <0.001). The oncological patients in the absolute and relative distribution of groups according to the body mass index in relation to the patients gender differed statistically significantly (χ2 =11.510, df = 4, p = 0.021). Half of the men had ideal weight (body mass), but only about 1/3 of women were with the ideal body weight. The men's average body mass index was 25.41 ± 4.73 kg/m2 and the women's average body massindex was 26.20 ± 5.90 kg/m2. After arithmetic calculation of the body surface area using a variety of formulas, men's BSA differs less than 1% compared to the calculated area of Mosteller formula. For women the differences are more than 1%. Distribution of patients in groups body fat content (%) of the patients shows that male and female patients were primarily from the group with excessive fat in the body, the body fat for men is 25% or more of the total body weight, but for the women it is over 32% of the total body weight. Correlation analysis showed that the body fat for men correlates with the body surface area, calculated using the Mosteller formula (r = 0.663, p <0.001) and the fat content for women correlates with the body surface area, calculated using the Mosteller formula (r = 0.760, p <0.001). The male body volume of the mean value was 75, 0 ± 17.1 dm3, the female body volume of the mean value was 68,6 ± 15.6 dm3. After the independent samples t-test between men and women in body volume arithmetical means differed statistically significantly (t = 2.437,p = 0.016). Anthropometric measurements are suitable for the calculation of the doses of chemotherapy, but taking into account the correlation, it cannot be excluded that they reflect the same body surface area. The BMI does not feature the percentage of the fat mass of the whole body. Consequently, it is possible that the patient's body density is a more physiological parameter, which could be determined for comparison by using abdominal computer tomography. The body volume index (BVI) could be one of the most recent parameters for the more accurate calculation of chemotherapy for cancer patients. The Body Volume Index (BVI) is a new measurement for human obesity that has been proposed as an alternative to the Body Mass Index (BMI).


Focus misses are common in image capture, such as when the camera or the subject moves rapidly in sports and macro photography. One option to sharpen focus‐missed photographs is through single image deconvolution, but high‐frequency data cannot be fully recovered; therefore, artifacts such as ringing and amplified noise become apparent. We propose a new method that uses assisting, similar but different, sharp image(s) provided by the user (such as multiple images of the same subject in different positions captured using a burst of photographs). Our first contribution is to theoretically analyze the errors in three sources of data—a slightly sharpened original input image that we call the target, single image deconvolution with an aggressive inverse filter, and warped assisting image(s) registered using optical flow. We show that these three sources have different error characteristics, depending on image location and frequency band (for example, aggressive deconvolution is more accurate in high‐frequency regions like edges). Next, we describe a practical method to compute these errors, given we have no ground truth and cannot easily work in the Fourier domain. Finally, we select the best source of data for a given pixel and scale in the Laplacian pyramid. We accurately transfer high‐frequency data to the input, while minimizing artifacts. We demonstrate sharpened results on out‐of‐focus images in macro, sports, portrait and wildlife photography.


The aim of the present study is to elucidate the protective effect of Carissa Carandas fruit extract (CCE) on skin carcinogenesis induced by a single topical application of 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (100 €g/100 €l of acetone) and after 2 weeks repe ated application of croton oil (1% in acetone/three times a week) till the end of the experiment (i.e. 16 weeks). Oral administration of CCE at a dose of 50 mg/kg b.wt./day during Peri initiational stage (i.e. 7 days before & 7 days after DMBA application followed by croton oil till the end of experiment; Group IV) and Post initiational stage (from the day of croton oil treatment till the end of the experiment; Group V) reduced tumor burden, tumor yield, cumulative number of papilloma as compared to DMBA/croton oil treated group (Group III) . Group IV and V showed a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation along with an elevation in antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase), non -enzymatic antioxidant (reduced glutathione) and total proteins levels in the liver and skin of mice when compared to carcinogen treated control (Group III).