Clouds and precipitation systems are fundamental features in the global climate cycle and are one focus aspect of recent high resolution, cloud resolving simulations and measurement modalities. Highly resolved data sources allow for more precise methodologies to extract and track cloud features on different scales and enable novel evaluation tasks such as life-cycle tracking, feature-based statistics, and feature-based comparison of simulation and measurements.
However, their complex dynamics and highly variable shape morphology makes extraction and tracking of clouds a challenging task with respect to stable and reliable algorithms. In this work we will present our efforts on establishing an community-wide inter-comparison study to provide an overview of state-of-the-art algorithms for cloud extraction and tracking. We propose a set of 2D and 3D benchmark data sets (from simulations and measurements) that are used as a common basis for comparison. In addition we describe a joint feature-based evaluation framework and provide an in depth analysis and comparison of those algorithms.
The goal is to systematically compare and assess numerical extraction and tracking techniques for cloud features in meteorological data and provide a comprehensive overview of suitable application scenarios, describe current strengths and limitations, and derive statements about their variability for feature-based analysis tasks.


This study of the wholesale electricity market compares the efficiency performance of the auction mechanism currently in place in U.S. markets with the performance of a proposed mechanism. The analysis highlights the importance of considering strategic behavior when comparing different institutional systems. We find that in concentrated markets, neither auction mechanism can guarantee an efficient allocation. The advantage of the current mechanism increases with increased price competition if market demand is perfectly inelastic. However, if market demand has some responsiveness to price, the superiority of the current auction with respect to efficiency is not that obvious. We present a case where the proposed auction outperforms the current mechanism on efficiency even if all offers reflect true production costs. We also find that a market designer might face a choice problem with a tradeoff between lower electricity cost and production efficiency. Some implications for social welfare are discussed as well.


We present an analysis of the main systematic effects that could impact the measurement of CMB polarization with the proposed CORE space mission. We employ timeline-to-map simulations to verify that the CORE instrumental set-up and scanning strategy allow us to measure sky polarization to a level of accuracy adequate to the mission science goals. We also show how the CORE observations can be processed to mitigate the level of contamination by potentially worrying systematics, including intensity-to-polarization leakage due to bandpass mismatch, asymmetric main beams, pointing errors and correlated noise. We use analysis techniques that are well validated on data from current missions such as Planck to demonstrate how the residual contamination of the measurements by these effects can be brought to a level low enough not to hamper the scientific capability of the mission, nor significantly increase the overall error budget. We also present a prototype of the CORE photometric calibration pipeline, based on that used for Planck, and discuss its robustness to systematics, showing how CORE can achieve its calibration requirements. While a fine-grained assessment of the impact of systematics requires a level of knowledge of the system that can only be achieved in a future study phase, the analysis presented here strongly suggests that the main areas of concern for the CORE mission can be addressed using existing knowledge, techniques and algorithms.


Catm has been estimated as 420 ± 80‰ (IntCal09) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) compared to preindustrial times (0‰), but mechanisms explaining this difference are not yet resolved. Catm is a function of both cosmogenic production in the high atmosphere and of carbon cycling and partitioning in the Earth system. 10Be-based reconstructions show a contribution of the cosmogenic production term of only 200 ± 200‰ in the LGM. The remaining 220‰ have thus to be explained by changes in the carbon cycle. Recently, Bouttes et al. (2010, 2011) proposed to explain most of the difference in pCO2atm and 13C between glacial and interglacial times as a result of brine-induced ocean stratification in the Southern Ocean. This mechanism involves the formation of very saline water masses that contribute to high carbon storage in the deep ocean. During glacial times, the sinking of brines is enhanced and more carbon is stored in the deep ocean, lowering pCO2atm. Moreover, the sinking of brines induces increased stratification in the Southern Ocean, which keeps the deep ocean well isolated from the surface. Such an isolated ocean reservoir would be characterized by a low 14C signature. Evidence of such 14C-depleted deep waters during the LGM has recently been found in the Southern Ocean (Skinner et al. 2010). The degassing of this carbon with low 14C would then reduce Catm throughout the deglaciation. We have further developed the CLIMBER-2 model to include a cosmogenic production of 14C as well as an interactive atmospheric 14C reservoir. We investigate the role of both the sinking of brine and cosmogenic production, alongside iron fertilization mechanisms, to explain changes in Catm during the last deglaciation. In our simulations, not only is the sinking of brine mechanism consistent with past 14C data, but it also explains most of the differences in pCO2atm and Catm between the LGM and preindustrial times. Finally, this study represents the first time to our knowledge that a model experiment explains glacial-interglacial differences in pCO2atm, 13C, and 14C together with a coherent LGM climate.


In a confined, silty sand aquifer of low transmissivity, constant-rate pumping can rapidly dewater the pumping well without creating measurable drawdown at nearby observation wells. To overcome this difficulty, a constant-head test is performed by overflowing the test well by water injection. The difference between the injection rate and the overflow rate directly gives the cumulative volume Vw(t) entering the aquifer, which is characteristic of the aquifer hydrogeologic properties and can be used for parameter estimation. The field experiments include two constant-head injection tests, CHIT1 and CHIT2, performed at two different wells, respectively. Semilog plot of t/Vw(t) of CHIT2 indicates little or no skin, and the two unknown parameters of the storage coefficient and transmissivity can be uniquely determined in a similar way by the well-known Jacob semilog method. Semilog plot of t/Vw(t) of CHITl, however, shows the ex istence of well skin, and a curve matching method is developed for estimatiog the four pertinent parameters. Among them, the aquifer transmissivity can be uniquely determined while the skin transmissivity, the skin thickness, and the storage coefficient are obtained in appropriate ranges. To avoid non-unique estimates of aquifer parameters, therefore, the test well should be carefully constructed with complete and thorough well development to prevent skin region from happening. Due to the limitation of the site hydrogeology, only slug tests can be performed for the sake of validating transmissivity. The transmissivity values determined from the CHITs and from the slug tests are in good agreement, supporting the usefulness of the CHIT. The aquifer transmissivities estimated from CHITl and CHIT2 are within 14% difference, indicating that the aquifer is relatively homogeneous in the neighborhood of the two test wells.


Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists have long considered it a worthwhile endeavour to try to quantify the value of the contribution of I/O psychology to organizational effectiveness. Utility analysis is a technique that attempts to achieve this objective by providing a way to forecast the net financial benefits of scientifically-based human resource (HR) initiatives. More generally, utility analysis "provides a way of thinking about HR decisions that makes facts, assumptions, and beliefs behind decisions more explicit, systematic, and rational" (Boudreau, 1991, p. 126). As such, utility analysis is considered by many to be a useful tool for management in deciding whether to implement HR decisions and initiatives (Kendrick, 1984; Kopelman, 1986). Although studies of utility analysis have been applied most frequently to selection procedures (e.g., Cascio, 1991; Cascio & Ramos, 1986; Cascio & Sibley, 1979; Cronshaw, 1986; Cronshaw & Alexander, 1985; Schmidt, Hunter, McKenzie, & Muldrow, 1979), researchers have applied similar cost/benefit analyses to other HR interventions, including performance feedback (Florin-Thuma & Boudreau, 1987; Landy, Farr, & Jacobs, 1982), training (Cascio, 1991; Mathieu Leonard, 1987; Schmidt, Hunter, & Pearlman, 1982), promotion (Cascio & Ramos, 1986), recruitment (Boudreau & Rynes, 1985), and turnover/layoff management (Boudreau & Berger, 1985; Cascio, 1991). These and other studies purport to identify with a high degree of precision the financial payback to be realized through investments designed to improve employee productivity. Few firms, however, appear to use utility analysis in deciding whether to implement new HR policies. A primary objective of this article is to identify reasons why utility analysis is used infrequently as a managerial decision-making aid. To accomplish this objective, this article first identifies intractable issues that have arisen as utility analysis has evolved. Second, if utility analysis is to be used by managers, they must be convinced that it is relatively accurate. Hence, the reliability and validity of utility analysis is discussed. Specifically, this section examines data that are either included or excluded in the calculation of utility, such as the standard deviation of human performance (SDy) in the former case or information concerning external labour markets and the nonhuman contributions to performance in the latter. Assumptions and implications underlying the concept of human performance measured as an "asset" of the firm are also discussed. Finally, research on decision making is reviewed as it relates to managerial perceptions of the usefulness of utility estimates for decision making. This section identifies reasons why managers are likely to discount the results of a utility analysis when making decisions. THE EVOLUTION OF UTILITY ANALYSIS Cost/benefit analyses of HR initiatives first appeared in the scientific literature over forty years ago. Yet a review of research on the intellectual ancestry of utility analysis, namely, the dollar criterion and human resource accounting, reveals issues that continue to be unresolved to this day. These issues were, in part, responsible for the eventual abandonment of both the dollar criterion and human resource accounting, and continue to plague utility analysis as a direct descendant of these two techniques. THE DOLLAR CRITERION Utility analysis has its roots in the pioneering research of Brogden and Taylor (1950) on the dollar criterion. They argued that the ultimate criterion for any business firm in evaluating an employee's effectiveness is financial. Dollars and cents were said to be a meaningful metric that is common to employees in most if not all organizations. As Blum and Naylor (1968) noted, however, there are at least two difficulties with this approach. First, many indices of job effectiveness do not lend themselves to a monetary value. …


The mutual-intensity function plays a major role in characterizing quasi-monochromatic, partially coherent optical signals. We demonstrate an optical system for displaying the mutual intensity of a one-dimensional input beam. The experimental system is based on the fact that the mutual intensity of a signal can be expressed as the ensemble averaging of a cross-correlation operation between two related optical signals. The setup consists of a Sagnac interferometer followed by an optoelectronic joint transform correlator. Experimental results demonstrate the capabilities of the mutual-intensity analyzer.


CMAJ | MAY 27, 2019 | VOLUME 191 | ISSUE 21 © 2019 Joule Inc. or its licensors A previously healthy 40-year-old man presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of swelling and changes in colour and sensation in his right middle finger. On physical examination, we found a subcutaneous hematoma and swelling, with normal capillary refill and sensation (Figure 1A). Results from laboratory tests showed normal platelet counts and coagulation function. The hematoma and associated symptoms had disappeared by the 1-week follow-up (Figure 1B). We diagnosed Achenbach syndrome. Achenbach syndrome is usually observed in women aged 40 years or older, and its cause is unknown.1 It involves a sudden abnormal sensation (pain, numbness or stiffness) in the fingers and palms, despite the absence of obvious causes such as trauma or coagulopathy; a hematoma forms at the symptom site.2 The locations most likely to be affected are the middle and base regions of the second or middle finger.1 The differential diagnosis for Achenbach syndrome is diverse.2,3 The most urgent alternative would be acute limb ischemia, which would present with sudden onset of poorly demarcated pain with distal coldness and blue discolouration. Other possible diagnoses include Raynaud phenomenon, Buerger disease, acrocyanosis, Gardner–Diamond syndrome and frostbite,2,3 supported by a relevant history that may include arteriosclerosis, systemic symptoms exposure to cold and trauma.3 In the absence of other diagnoses, the only investigations that are necessary are a blood count, coagulation function, immunological assay and inflammatory markers (sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein).2 With rest and cooling, the condition should resolve without sequelae after several days.2 A prompt diagnosis helps address patient concerns and avoids unnecessary referrals and invasive investigations. Achenbach syndrome may recur. References


PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of different resistance training intensities on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses. METHODS: 12 males and 12 females (19-28 age) participated in the study (5 sessions). On the first day, initial screening, anthropometric measures, cycle ergometer seat height, leg extension/leg curl machine setting, and familiarization with testing procedures were completed. On the second day, one-repetition maximum (1RM) testing was completed in 2 trials for each machine, starting with 10 min warm up on the cycle ergometer. Following general warm up, subjects performed specific warm up at 50% of subject's body weight (BW) for leg extension. Weight was increased to 100% of subject's BW and subjects were then asked to lift with proper technique until failure. Subjects were stopped if they could lift more than 10 reps and weight was adjusted based on RPE level after 1st trial by multiplying BW by 1.3 or 1.5 for the 2nd trial. For leg curls, warm up was 25% of BW, weight was adjusted based on RPE level by increasing the weight by 40-60 lbs. for trial 1 and 2. Rest period between trials was 5 mins. The prediction of the 1RM was based on the number of reps and weight lifted for both machines. Subjects performed the following three randomized testing sessions on three different occasions: 40%RM (2 sets of 25 reps with 30 sec rest), 65% RM (2 sets of 15 reps with 30 sec rest), 80%RM (3 sets of 8 reps and 90 sec rest). After each session, subject was required to sit comfortably on a chair for 40 mins while BP and HR were recorded at 5 min intervals. RESULTS: There were condition*time and time*gender interactions (p<.01) as well as condition and time main effects for HR (p<.01). HR values for the 65%RM session were significantly greater than those recorded for the 80%RM session (p<.01). Significantly lower values of DBP were detected following the 40%RM session compared to the 80%RM session (p<.05). CONCLUSION: The significant increase in HR for the 65%RM session could be explained by the shorter rest period between sets for recovery, placing a greater demand on cardiovascular system. It is also safe to speculate that lower sympathetic nervous system activity during the 40%RM session compared to other sessions was one of the responsible mechanisms for the significant differences detected in DBP.


In a fundamental paradigm shift in system design, entire systems are being built on a single chip, using multiple embedded cores. Though the newest system design methodology has several advantages in terms of time-to-market and system cost, testing such core-based systems is difficult due to the problem of justifying test sequences at the inputs of a core embedded deep in the system, and propagating test responses from the core outputs. In this paper, we present a design for testability and symbolic test generation technique for testing such core-based systems on a chip. The proposed method consists of two parts: (i) core-level DFT to make each core testable and transparent, the latter needed to propagate test data through the cores, and (ii) system-level DFT and test generation to ensure the justification and propagation of the precomputed test sequences and test responses of the core. Since the hierarchical testability analysis technique used to tackle the above problem is symbolic, the system test generation method is independent of the bit-width of the cores. The system-level test set is obtained as a by-product of the testability analysis and insertion method without further search. Besides the proposed test method, the two methods that are currently used in the industry were also evaluated on two example systems: (i) FScan-BScan, where each core is full-scanned, and system test is performed using boundary scan, and (ii) FScan-TBus, where each core is full-scanned, and system test is performed using a test bus. The experiments show that the proposed scheme has significantly lower area overhead, delay overhead, and test application time compared to FScan-BScan and FScan-TBus, without any compromise in the system fault coverage.


The prevalence of koala retrovirus (KoRV) provirus (DNA) and the average number of proviral insertions per cell vary in different free-ranging koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations across Australia. Populations in the northern states of Queensland and New South Wales have 100% proviral prevalence and mean proviral copy number of 140-165 per cell. In contrast, the proviral prevalence in the southern states of Victoria and South Australia differs among populations, with a mean prevalence in these states' mainland populations of 73% and 38%, respectively and with the prevalence on southern island populations ranging from 0-50%. The proviral load in southern populations is comparatively low, with some populations having an average of less than 1 proviral copy per cell. The KoRV RNA load in plasma shows a similar discordance between northern and southern populations, with consistently high loads in northern koalas (103 to 1010 RNA copies per ml plasma), and loads ranging from 0 to 102 copies per ml in southern KoRV provirus-positive koalas. The variation in KoRV proviral prevalence and the disparity in proviral and viral loads between northern and southern koalas may reflect different types of infection in the two populations (endogenous versus exogenous). Alternatively, it is possible that KoRV has been present for a longer time period in northern populations resulting in differences in the host-virus relationship.


This study evaluates the use of the Roper, Logan and Tierney model in an orthopaedic setting using a practitioner research approach. The aims of the study are to explore how the model influences the patients' needs, what staff are doing when giving care and how they plan and evaluate care. A qualitative phenomenological methodology was used, with inductive code development. Thirty-six patients participated in the study. The data was gathered by observing twelve patients, interviewing another twelve patients and analysing twelve care plans. Initial analysis was carried out by using the twelve activities of living as a framework to code the accumulated textual data. Comparison of this indicated where the model and practice differed. Exploratory diagramming was used in the analysis, resulting in the creation of frequency hierarchies. These were used to analyse the codes. They were presented in three areas, the data as a whole, the staff and patients' perspective and the long and short stay patients. The results support four themes emerging from the data, a hierarchical element exists in care, a common core of needs is found between the long and short stay patients, patients and staff perceive care differently and the identification of partnership as a key theme for effective care. The partnership theme has been explored by developing further themes from the data. The formation of partnerships between patients and staff are shown to be important in negotiating care. Frequency hierarchies in this study are found to be a powerful method of identifying themes, and an excellent tool for the exploration of qualitative data. The unique role of the research practitioner is also discussed and recognized as a valuable perspective for the critical evaluation of nursing models.


Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) is a contract model where an energy service provider – ESCO – map and implement profitable energy efficiency measures in buildings or installations. The ESCO guarantees reduction in energy use, and the reduced costs will finance the investments. The report describes the EPC markets in the Nordic countries, their characteristics, similarities and differences as well as the success factors and barriers. Many successful EPC projects have been implemented and positive experiences have been made. However, there is a large potential for further development of the EPC model with resulting energy savings and CO2 reductions in the Nordic countries. The report aim to provide recommendations for action for the successful development of the EPC market in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland and possible cooperation to promote EPC in and between these countries.


Virtual learning environments (VLEs) present us with unprecedented opportunities in bringing together students and educators from widely disparate geographical locations, as well as diverse cultures and backgrounds to participate in a learning experience that should take into cognizance the affordances of these novel arenas in the design of both content and the environment(s) in which this content is to be implemented/enacted. While VLEs do seem to address the requirements of well-structured learning endeavours, the boundaries of which are clearly defined, they are challenged where complex learning material in which boundaries are less easily defined, as is the case in art/creativity education, are concerned. Given that the learning content of the creative fields is 'open ended' by its very nature and as such does not seem to readily lend itself to an implementation within the structure of present-day, two dimensional virtual learning environments, can such an environment/methodology be developed in the open-ended three-dimensional structure of a metaverse, based upon the critical examination of a real-life, historic precedent?


1. Quantitative subtidal surveys of fishes, macro-invertebrates and sessile organisms at 33 sites within the Lord Howe Island Marine Park revealed a rich fauna and. ora, including 164 fishes, 40 mobile invertebrate taxa, 53 coral and other sessile invertebrate taxa, 32 algal taxa, and two seagrasses. The biota in this newly-zoned marine park was overwhelmingly tropical when species lists were tabulated; however, species with distributions centred on temperate coasts of eastern Australia and New Zealand occurred in disproportionately high densities compared with the tropical species.

2. Lord Howe Island reefs were generally in good condition. Virtually no bleached coral was observed (0.2% of the reef surface; 0.8% of total hard coral cover). Living scleractinian coral comprised the predominant group of organisms growing on reef surfaces, with 25.5% cover overall. Other major taxa observed were brown algae (18.8% cover) and red algae (16.9% cover).

3. Three distinctive community types were identified within the marine park-coral reefs, macroalgal beds and an offshore/open coast community. The distribution of these community types was strongly related to wave exposure, as indicated by an extremely high correlation with the first principal coordinates axis for biotic data (R-2 = 50.80).

4. The close (<3 km) proximity of tropical coral and temperate macroalgal community types off Lord Howe Island is highly unusual, with localized patterns of nutrient enrichment suggested as the primary cause. The macroalgal community type is only known from a small area off the south-western coast that is not protected from fishing. This community is considered highly susceptible to threats because of potential impacts of global warming and the possibility of expansion of sea urchin barrens. Coral bleaching and ocean acidification associated with global climate change also threaten the coral reef community, which includes relatively high numbers of endemic and near endemic fish species. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A cellular automata (CA)-like model of mutually imitating agents, called imitating cellular automata (ICA), is presented. An agent of the model either imitates a behavior of neighboring agents or takes a random action to compute the next state of its own, based on elementary cellular automata (ECA) rules. When combined with another dynamic that determines an interaction distance to the neighborhood agents, ICA show complex spatiotemporal patterns and travel around between ordered and chaotic phases without being trapped in a fixed state. The patterns were robustly observed across a wide range of parameter values and also found to follow a power-law relationship.


Mesoscale ocean eddies transport heat, salt, energy, and nutrients across oceans. As a result, accurately identifying and tracking such phenomena are crucial for understanding ocean dynamics and marine ecosystem sustainability. Traditionally, ocean eddies are monitored through two phases: identification and tracking. A major challenge for such an approach is that the tracking phase is dependent on the performance of the identification scheme, which can be susceptible to noise and sampling errors. In this paper, we focus on tracking, and introduce the concept of multiple hypothesis assignment (MHA), which extends traditional multiple hypothesis tracking for cases where the features tracked are noisy or uncertain. Under this scheme, features are assigned to multiple potential tracks, and the final assignment is deferred until more data are available to make a relatively unambiguous decision. Unlike the most widely used methods in the eddy tracking literature, MHA uses contextual spatio-temporal information to take corrective measures autonomously on the detection step a pos- teriori and performs significantly better in the presence of noise. This study is also the first to empirically analyze the relative robustness of eddy tracking algorithms.


Solomon-like, the Delaware legislature in 2015 split the baby by amending the Delaware General Corporation Law to authorize forum-selection bylaws and to prohibit charter or bylaw provisions that would shift to the plaintiff defense costs incurred in connection with shareholder suits that were not successfully concluded. The legislature acted after the Boilermakers Local 154 Retirement Fund. v. Chevron Corp ATP Tour, Inc. v. Deutscher Tennis Bund, broadly empowered the board vis-a-vis the shareholders through the board's power to amend the bylaws. Repeatedly the analysis used by each court referenced the contractual relationship the shareholders had through the articles of incorporation and the bylaws with their corporation. The action of the Delaware legislation hardly puts the important question raised by each opinion to bed: are there limits on the board of directors to act through the bylaws to alter the rights shareholders customarily enjoy? Stated differently, can the board of directors' authority to amend the bylaws extend to changing both the procedural and substantive relationship shareholders have with the corporation. In examining this question, the article develops two broad points: the shareholder's relationship is more than just a contract and, even if the relationship was contractual, bedrock contract law does not support the results reached in Boilermakers and ATP Tour, Inc. The article also develops two broad points: the shareholder's relationship is more than just a contract and, even if the relationship was contractual, bedrock contract law does not support the results reached in Boilermakers and ATP Tour, Inc. In conclusion, the article also uncovers an issued overlooked in the debate over the relative prerogatives of shareholders and the board of directors, namely that bylaws proposed by the board of directors carry a strong presumption of propriety whereas those proposed by shareholders do not.


Background The polycystic kidney disease-like ion channel PKD2L1 and its associated partner PKD1L3 are potential candidates for sour taste receptors. PKD2L1 is expressed in type III taste cells that respond to sour stimuli and genetic elimination of cells expressing PKD2L1 substantially reduces chorda tympani nerve responses to sour taste stimuli. However, the contribution of PKD2L1 and PKD1L3 to sour taste responses remains unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings We made mice lacking PKD2L1 and/or PKD1L3 gene and investigated whole nerve responses to taste stimuli in the chorda tympani or the glossopharyngeal nerve and taste responses in type III taste cells. In mice lacking PKD2L1 gene, chorda tympani nerve responses to sour, but not sweet, salty, bitter, and umami tastants were reduced by 25–45% compared with those in wild type mice. In contrast, chorda tympani nerve responses in PKD1L3 knock-out mice and glossopharyngeal nerve responses in single- and double-knock-out mice were similar to those in wild type mice. Sour taste responses of type III fungiform taste cells (GAD67-expressing taste cells) were also reduced by 25–45% by elimination of PKD2L1. Conclusions/Significance These findings suggest that PKD2L1 partly contributes to sour taste responses in mice and that receptors other than PKDs would be involved in sour detection.


On 30 June 2021, the European Commission adopted a communication on its long-term vision for the EU's rural areas. The communication identifies areas of action with a view to creating new momentum for the EU's rural areas, while recognising their diversity. In recent decades, in many Member States rural areas have experienced depopulation. Such regions face a range of environmental and socio-economic challenges. These include, for example, lower income per capita, a higher percentage of the population at risk of poverty and social exclusion, a lack of access to basic infrastructure and services, and lower levels of access to fast broadband internet. The EU's rural development policy has sought to help address these challenges. Evaluation evidence is emerging on the impact of the common agricultural policy (CAP) on the territorial development of the EU's rural areas. Measures relating to village renewal and LEADER (Liaison entre Actions de Développement de l'Économie rurale) measures are considered to be well-targeted and relevant to local needs, although they represent a small proportion of CAP financing. Administrative burdens have been raised as an issue that can impact on the developmental process. Recommendations from this evaluation evidence point to the need for better integration of funding streams, the need to maintain a dialogue across the European structural funds, and all the implications this may have for the new CAP strategic plans. The Commission's recommendations to Member States on their CAP strategic plans highlight a number of recurring themes relating to the employment, education and training needs of rural areas, including the need to address rural depopulation, promote generational renewal, improve connectivity, and address the role played by action taken at local level. The Commission's communication on a long-term vision for rural areas includes provision for a 'rural pact' to engage actors at EU, national, rural and local levels and an EU rural action plan, setting out a range of initiatives and actionable projects. The vision and its supporting analyses will provide a framework for addressing the future of the EU's rural areas.


Elizabeth B. Pinson shares with us her memories of Alaska's emergence into a new and modern era, bearing witness to history in the early twentieth century as she recalls it. She draws us into her world as a young girl of mixed ethnicity, with a mother whose Eskimo family had resided on the Seward Peninsula for generations and a father of German heritage. Growing up in and near the tiny village of Teller on the Bering Strait, Elizabeth at the age of six, despite a harrowing, long midwinter sled ride to rescue her, lost both her legs to frostbite when her grandparents, with whom she was spending the winter in their traditional Eskimo home, died in the 1918 influenza epidemic. Fitted with artificial legs financed by an eastern benefactor, Elizabeth kept journals of her struggles, triumphs, and adventures, recording her impressions of the changing world around her and experiences with the motley characters she met. These included Roald Amundsen, whose dirigible landed in Teller after crossing the Arctic Circle; the ill-fated 1921 British colonists of Wrangel Island in the Arctic; trading ship captains and crews; prospectors; doomed aviators; and native reindeer herders. Elizabeth moved on to boarding school, marriage, and the state of Washington, where she compiled her records into this memoir and where she lived until her death in 2006.


In view of the visit to Hull of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in September, 1922, it was thought that as nearly seventy years had elapsed since the last meeting of the Association in Hull, it would be interesting to show the changes suffered by the Holderness Coast during that period. The plan adopted has been to measure easily found lines on the six-inch ordnance map made in 1852. Such portions as remain of these lines have been measured in the field, and compared with the lengths as shown on the map. On this plan 66 measurements have been plotted on a map, and the approximate new coast-line drawn, so that the strip of land, lost by erosion since 1852, may be visualized. The losses are reckoned from the edge of the cliff in 1852 to the edge of the new cliff, 1922. Schedules of the measurements and localities are printed as appendices to this paper.

Starting the survey at the end of the sea-wall south of Bridlington, we find for a short distance a considerable inroad which gradually becomes less pronounced as we approach Wilsthorpe Farm. At Auburn, just to the south of the site of the old village of Wilsthorpe, erosion has ceased for more years than I know. Instead of loss, we find that for some distance there has been, since the erosion ceased, a gain of land about thirty yards in width.

Approaching Barmston Drain and leaving the sand-hills, erosion is again evident, …


The two methods for determining N-fertilizer recommendations for rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Arkansas are the standard N recommendation (SR) based on soil texture, previous crop, and rice cultivar, and the Nitrogen-Soil Test for Rice (N-STaR) which quantifies the potentially mineralizable-N of the soil and provides a site-specific N recommendation. The N-STaR program has recently been developed, and the validation of N-STaR for clay soils is an important step in ensuring that N-STaR predicts correct N-fertilizer rates for rice under a delayed-flood production system. Small-plot trials located across Arkansas compared the N-STaR 95 and 100% relative grain yield (RGY) N rates applied as a single preflood (SPF) and a 2-way split (2-WS) application to the SR. The N-STaR N-fertilizer rate recommendations were equal to or less than the SR at all locations with differences ranging from -224 to 0 kg N ha. At all 13 sites, rice receiving the N-STaR 100% RGY N-fertilizer treatments yielded equal to or greater than the SR. Similar results were seen for the N-STaR 95% RGY fertilizer-N treatments, although rice receiving the 95% RGY SPF fertilizer-N rate yielded lower than the SR at three locations. The second objective was to examine potential sampling tools for their accuracy in collecting NSTaR soil samples while having the greatest ease-of-use. Alkaline hydrolyzable-N (AH-N) from soil samples collected by the N-STaR bucket and drill (BD), Kleen Hole Spade dry (KHS-D), Kleen Hole Spade lubricated with water (KHS-W), and Kleen Hole Spade lubricated with WD40 (KHS-40) were compared against the dutch auger (DA) control. The alternative sampling methods were not statistically different in AH-N concentration from the DA, although all alternative methods had a tendency to overestimate AH-N compared to the DA and a correction value should be considered. The KHS-D showed the greatest utility in sampling clay soils and would be the best alternative method for encouraging the use of N-STaR in rice production on clay soils. In conclusion, this research validates the N-STaR N rate recommendations for rice on clay soils in Arkansas and highlights alternative sampling methods that may be employed in NSTaR soil sampling.


Study was conducted on different cereals (wheat, rice, sorghum) and oil seeds (sunflowerseed, cottonseed, groundnut) to correlate bright greenish yellow fluorescence (BGYF) of the seeds under longwave (366 nm) ultraviolet light with aflatoxin presence.

Correlation between BGYF, aflatoxin and kojic acid contents and peroxidase units indicated that samples showing BGYF were not always contaminated with aflatoxins but those which contained aflatoxins, always exhibited BGYF. It was further noticed that all the samples, that showed BGY fluorescence and aflatoxin presence were loaded with spores of Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxin positive samples also had high moisture contents. Storage of the BGYF and aflatoxin positive samples showed that storage in the dark increased the aflatoxin content and in the light, the aflatoxin content was reduced.

Some varieties of cereals and oil seeds were contaminated with toxic strain of A. flavus. Results showed positive relationship between BGYF and aflatoxin production. Varieties with high quantities of aflatoxin also showed high quantities of kojic acid. Some varieties showed profused growth which was accompanied by increased production of aflatoxin and BGYF units. Activity-of enzyme peroxidase varied from variety to variety.

In case of naturally contaminated cotton seed (Indian variety), a direct relationship was recorded between the number of BGYF kernels and aflatoxin content. Thin layer chromatography of the extracted BGYF material from cotton seed and standard BGYF material prepared chemically showed the same Rf. and fluorescence characteristics. It is concluded from the results that a positive relationship existed between A flavus infection, BGY fluorescence and aflatoxin content and thereby supported the use of UV induced BGY fluorescence as a presumptive indicator of aflatoxins in different agricultural commodities.


Rich behavioral biases, mistakes and limits on rational decision-making are often thought to make equilibrium analysis much more intractable. We show that this is not the case in the context of the neoclassical growth model (potentially incorporating incomplete markets and distortions). We break down the response of the economy to a change in the environment or policy into two parts: a direct response at a given vector of prices, and an equilibrium response that plays out as prices change. We refer to a change as a "local positive shock" if the direct response, when averaged across households, increases aggregate savings. Our main result shows that under weak regularity conditions, regardless of the details of behavioral preferences, mistakes and constraints on decision-making, the long-run equilibrium will involve a greater capital-labor ratio if and only if we start with a local positive shock. One implication of this result is that, from a qualitative point of view, behavioral biases matter for long-run equilibrium if and only if they change the direction of the direct response. We show that these aggregate predictions are coupled with individual-level "indeterminacy": nothing much can be said about individual behavior.


The hit-miss transform serves as a region-of-interest locator for cells from cervical smear images that show abnormal changes, which are indicative of malignancy, in their nuclei. An optical implementation of the hit-miss transform algorithm uses an analog spatial light modulator for gray-scale modulation at the filter plane of a 4f optical correlator. Gray-scale modulation at the filter plane improves correlator performance in comparison with a binary phase-only filter (BPOF) by reduction of the edge enhancement of kernels used in morphological detection of cancerous cervical cells. The hit-miss transform with a gray-scale amplitude and binary phase optical filter (GABPOF) for the hit filter and a BPOF for the miss filter shows a 47% reduction in total error versus the use of only BPOF filters to locate abnormal cells.


Controlling the symmetry of an array of subwavelength apertures as well as the aperture aspect ratio and relative orientation, surface plasmon polariton transmission peaks can be enhanced relative to the spectra. Two arrays with high aspect ratio apertures were milled on top and normal to each other creating color-switching structures.


Gierull provides a statistical analysis of multilook synthetic aperture radar interferograms. Various expressions for the probability density function, cumulative distribution function, and the moments of associated statistics are derived. It appears, however, that most of these expressions are based on some approximation. In this letter, the corresponding expressions are derived in their exact form, including some elementary representations for certain expressions given by Gierull. A numerical comparison of the exact and approximate expressions is provided


This paper seeks to analyse the issues emerging from the imposition of certain antitrust remedies, such as the obligation to grant intellectual property licenses regarding key inventions covered by patent or copyright and to stipulate contracts with other firms, including competitors, as a means to remedy the consequences of antitrust infringements. It will consider the extent to which Article 7 remedies can be reconciled with other important tenets of the market economy, such as the freedom to contract and the right to peacefully enjoy one's possessions. After briefly examining the rationale for the application of certain human rights' guarantees to competition investigations and decisions, the first part of the paper will consider the questions of whether and to what extent the European Convention on Human Rights protects economic freedom and compare the current position with that adopted by the US Supreme Court. The second part will illustrate the notion of competition remedies and consider whether the principles governing them are compatible with current human rights standards as well as with the concept of the rule of law as a tool to protect 'everyone' from the arbitrary or disproportionate use of public power. The final part of the paper will argue that although antitrust remedies pursue a legitimate objective, i.e. the preservation of economic well-being through competitive markets, they must also comply with basic human rights safeguards, such as the protection of property and of freedom to contract, by striking a "fair balance" between the common good and the legitimate interests of the affected undertakings. It will be concluded that the practice in this area should conform to standards consistent with the principles enshrined in the ECHR and to the substantive concept of 'rule of law', i.e. accuracy, administrability, consistency, objectivity, applicability and transparency.


Feature subset selection (FSS) has received a great deal of attention in statistics, machine learning, and data mining. Real world data analyzed by data mining algorithms can involve a large number of redundant or irrelevant features or simply too many features for a learning algorithm to handle them efficiently. Feature selection is becoming essential as databases grow in size and complexity. The selection process is expected to bring benefits in terms of better performing models, computational efficiency, and simpler more understandable models. Evolutionary computation (EC) encompasses a number of naturally inspired techniques such as genetic algorithms, genetic programming, ant colony optimization, or particle swarm optimization algorithms. Such techniques are well suited to feature selection because the representation of a feature subset is straightforward and the evaluation can also be easily accomplished through the use of wrapper or filter algorithms. Furthermore, the capability of such heuristic algorithms to efficiently search large search spaces is of great advantage to the feature selection problem. Here, we review the use of different EC paradigms for feature selection in classification problems. We discuss details of each implementation including representation, evaluation, and validation. The review enables us to uncover the best EC algorithms for FSS and to point at future research directions. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2013, 3:381–407. doi: 10.1002/widm.1106


This paper pays attention to the processes of increase in value of urban systems, and represents the first phase of a wider research.
The processes of increase in value of urban system are the result of a supplemented set of actions directed to create the conditions so that the different components of urban system can acquire or increase their value.
This research intends to arrive at the construction of a methodological path, to individualize strategies of increase in value of urban system, and at its application on a concrete case. For this reason, the research sets up a cognitive outline of the most significant national and international experiences about the increase in value of urban system, and individualizes different typologies of interventions that can increase the value and whole quality of the urban system.
In the light of the carried out work, the paper presents a first result of research: the reading of the most significant experiences of the increase in value of urban ambits that already have been realized or are being carried out in Italy and Europe. This paper is articulated in an introduction to the theme and a review of some cases study.


Everyday language use overflows with discourse-pragmatic features. Their frequency, form and function can vary greatly across social groups and change dramatically over time. And yet these features have not figured prominently in studies of language variation and change. The Structure of Discourse-Pragmatic Variation demonstrates the theoretical insights that can be gained into both the structure of synchronic language variation and the interactional mechanisms creating it by subjecting discourse-pragmatic features to systematic variationist analysis. Introducing an innovative methodology that combines principles of variationist linguistics, grammaticalisation studies and conversation analysis, it explores patterns of variation in the formal encoding of I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T THINK and negative polarity tags in a north-east England interview corpus. Speakers strategically exploit the formal variability of these constructions to signal subtle meaning differences and to index social identities closely linked to the variables' and their variants' functional compartmentalisation in the variety. The methodology, results and implications of this study will be of great interest to scholars working throughout variationist sociolinguistics, grammaticalisation and discourse analysis.


Deception has been a useful tool in the study of human behavior, and for that reason has been employed frequently in psychological research. However, a number of authors have suggested that the long term use of deception in psychological research might be creating a negative attitude toward the discipline in the participant pool. Attitude toward the use of deception as a method in psychological research was assessed in both experienced and naive participants. The results indicated that experienced participants were significantly less likely to be willing to volunteer for a subsequent study than were naive participants and that college students were more likely than any other age-group surveyed to be unwilling to participate again. These findings suggest that the long-term use of deception in the discipline might be creating the "reputational spillover effect" described by Ortmann and Hertwig (1997). ********** Deception has a long history of use in social science research. The first psychology study reporting the deliberate use of deception of study participants was published in 1925 (Cason, 1925; Nicks, Korn, & Mainieri, 1997). By the 1960's, 66% of the published studies in a leading social psychology journal involved the use of deception (Sieber, Iannuzzo, & Rodriquez, 1995). The use of deception in research peaked in the 1970's and remained a commonly used technique through the 1980's and 1990's, with roughly 50% of published studies in social and personality journals using deception in their designs (Nicks, Korn, & Mainieri, 1997). The advent of the use of deception, and the popularity of its use in social psychology has been attributed to a shift away from field studies and towards the laboratory, and the introduction of scientific control in the experimental setting (Nicks, Korn & Maineier, 1997; Seeman, 1969). Deceiving the research participant was justified as necessary in keeping the participant unaware of the true nature of the experiment to minimize bias. Often, as Diane Baumrind (1971) points out, the decision to use deception in research is discussed in terms of the long-term benefits to science and the greater good for society that knowledge obtained from the study would provide. The worthy goals are often seen to outweigh the potential for harm to an individual that deception might cause. Concern over the ethics and consequences of the use of deception in research began with its introduction to the methodological toolbox. For example, Baumrind (1964) expressed great concern that deceptive practices like the ones used in the Milgram obedience studies (Milgram, 1963) violated the trust that should exist between experimenter and participant and risked damaging the public image of psychologists. Kelman (1967) suggested that the extensive use of deception risked creating the reputation of psychologists, as a group, as deceitful. Seeman (1969) suggested that the continued use of deception in research would mean that a growing segment of the pool of participants for future studies would now have a potentially biased expectation of experiments and experimenters. Experimental psychology might find itself at the point where "we no longer have naive subjects, but only naive experimenters" (p. 1026). Holmes & Applebaum (1970) found that experience as a participant in previous research settings significantly influenced attitude toward future participation. Negative past experiences created negative attitudes toward participation but did not affect perceived effort in subsequent experiments. In addition, past experience, either positive or negative, did not influence willingness to participate in a future experiment. Several authors have asserted that deception has allowed psychology to investigate aspects of human behavior that would not be accessible to the experimenter without deceit (Broder, 1998; Kimmel, 1998; Korn, 1998). Others point out that deception can be unethical, even immoral, if used to deprive the research participant of his/her right to refuse participation in the experiment, or if that deception violates the implied social contract between experimenter and participant (Baumrind, 1971; 1972; 1985). …


Abstract Objectives: Music-thanatology is a palliative modality that uses harp and voice to provide bedside vigils, particularly for terminally ill or actively dying. We sought to determine the benefits of music vigils for terminally ill patients. Methods: Survey of 55 family members, whose terminally ill loved one experienced a music vigil during hospitalization, regarding effects on the patient's breathing, relaxation, comfort, pain and ability to sleep. Written comments on negative and positive results of the vigils were coded using content analysis. Results: Family members perceived that the vigils resulted in modest improvement in the patients' breathing, relaxation, comfort, and ability to sleep, with fewer positive effects on pain, and almost no negative effects. Open ended comments focused on the positive benefit in increasing calm, relaxation, comfort. Comments on the positive effects for the family were almost as common as comments on the positive results for the patient. Significance of Results: The use of music-vigils in palliative care should be investigated more extensively as our study supports that this intervention has benefits, almost no risk, minimal cost, and may improve patient-family experience of the dying process.


Scent-marking behaviour and inter-pack aggression were studied in wild Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis , packs. Raised-leg urinations, followed by ground scratching, were the most frequently deposited scent-mark. Scent-marking rates were highest along or near territory boundaries, where distances between scent-marking sites were reduced and the proportion of multiple marks was increased, relative to other areas. Marking rates increased with wolf numbers during patrols but not during other activities. Although all adult members of a pack contributed to scent-marking, the dominant pair marked most frequently. Subadult males scent-marked occasionally but subadult females never did. Wolves vigorously over-marked neighbours' scent-marks. Most direct encounters between neighbouring wolves at territory borders were aggressive and involved repeated chases, and the larger group was most likely to win. Resident wolves were more tolerant of opposite-sex than same-sex neighbours. Resident wolves therefore signalled pack composition and status at home range borders by olfactory and auditory cues and by aggressive contests. Such signalling may reduce the occurrence of potentially costly inter-pack aggressive encounters at territory borders and provide information on reproductive status.


In this paper, we study the statistical distribution of the accumulated polarization-dependent loss (PDL) in a recirculating loop. The distribution is studied both via numerical simulations and with analytical theory and very good agreement is found between the two. In addition, we have experimentally obtained the probability density distribution for the PDL and, even in this case, we find good agreement with the predicted one. The mean accumulated PDL is found to grow linearly with the number of circulations N in contraposition to a straight-line system. Moreover, the statistical distribution tends to become uniformly distributed as N is increasing. Finally, the statistics of the PDL for a recirculating loop, when considering small values of PDL, is found to be equal to the statistics of the differential group delay for recirculating loops.


A size-structured, time and vertically-dependent model was used to investigate the effects of water column structure on the distribution of larvae of the oyster Crassostrea virginica. Formulations used to model larval growth and behavior are based upon laboratory studies. Simulated vertical larval distributions obtained for conditions representative of a well-mixed, partially stratified and strongly stratified water column illustrate the effect that salinity and temperature gradients have on moderating larval swimming and hence on larvae vertical location. For well-mixed conditions, smaller larvae are dispersed throughout most of the water column. For strongly stratified conditions, the smaller-sized larvae cluster within the region of strong salinity change. Intermediate-sized larvae cluster within or directly below the region of strong salinity change. The oldest larvae are found near the bottom for all salinity conditions since their location is determined primarily by sinking rate. Additional simulations show that diurnal salinity changes interact with larval behavioral responses to create patchy larval distributions Finally, simulations show that the inclusion of an upwelling or downwelling velocity can overwhelm the behavioral responses of smaller larvae and result in much different vertical distributlons. The simulated vertical larval distributions show that changes in larval migratory behav~or which are brought about by changes in the vertical sal~nity gradient can significantly alter larval distribution patterns. These, when combined with horizontal advective flows, have important implications for larval dispersal.


Background/Context Over the past 5 years, there has been a growing body of scholarship that examines the intersections of hip-hop culture and classroom pedagogy. Although recent scholarship has persuasively demonstrated the classroom potential of hip-hop texts for promoting student engagement, scaffolding sanctioned forms of knowledge, and nurturing critical consciousness and activism, little work has been done to unpack the complex relations of power that emerge in such classrooms. In particular, we know very little about the ways in which students and teachers are (re)positioned within classrooms that engage in hip-hop-centered pedagogy. This article contributes to the current literature in hip-hop based education, culturally relevant pedagogy, and critical pedagogy by examining the some of the issues and tensions that emerge when teachers engage in hip-hop-centered classroom pedagogy. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study details how the articulation of personal narratives within Hip-Hop Lit, a hip-hop-centered high school English literature course, produced a practice of "wounded healing," in which people bearing the scars of suffering shared their stories in ways that provided a form of release and relief for themselves and others. This article highlights the complex relationships that students forged with the course's hip-hop texts, many of which resonated with their own lived experiences. I then illustrate how these relationships enabled the classroom discussions and interactions from which the practices of wounded healing emerged. Finally, I highlight some of the dilemmas and tensions that emerged as my coteacher and I attempted to privilege the stories and experiences of our students and ourselves within the classroom. Setting Data for this study were collected at "Howard High School," a small comprehensive urban high school in the northeastern United States. Research Design Data for this 1-year ethnography were collected using field notes, formal and informal interviews, document analysis, and video data. Conclusions/Recommendations This article shows how Hip-Hop Lit operated as a space in which members offered and responded to various types of individual and group narratives through the practice of "wounded healing." Through this practice, students were able to recognize the commonality of their experiences, challenge various ideologies, and produce new knowledge. In doing this, the members of the class forged a cohesive community replete with multiple roles and relations of power. This article points to the need for critically interrogating the ostensible virtues of hip-hop-based education, as well as critical and culturally relevant pedagogies more broadly. This article also underscores the need for more ethnographic research that unpacks the complexities, contours, and contradictions of curricula, and pedagogy that responds to the lived experiences of students.


When speakers utter conflicting moral sentences ("X is wrong"/"X is not wrong"), it seems clear that they disagree. It has often been suggested that the fact that the speakers disagree gives us evidence for a claim about the semantics of the sentences they are uttering. Specifically, it has been suggested that the existence of the disagreement gives us reason to infer that there must be an incompatibility between the contents of these sentences (i.e., that it has to be the case that at least one of them is incorrect). This inference then plays a key role in a now-standard argument against certain theories in moral semantics. In this paper, we introduce new evidence that bears on this debate. We show that there are moral conflict cases in which people are inclined to say both (a) that the two speakers disagree and (b) that it is not the case at least one of them must be saying something incorrect. We then explore how we might understand such disagreements. As a proof of concept, we sketch an account of the concept of disagreement and an independently motivated theory of moral semantics which, together, explain the possibility of such cases.


In 1978, Louise Brown, the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), changed the world. Doctors first considered fertilization outside a woman's body in 1934, and it has since become a medical mainstay. Since 1978, around five million children worldwide have been born through assisted reproductive technology (ART). In IVF, eggs are retrieved from a woman's ovaries and fertilized in a lab. The resulting embryos are transferred into the uterus of either the woman who produced the eggs or of another woman. This procedure has had drastic implications on the law of surrogacy contracts. Surrogacy provides a pathway to genetic parenthood for people who cannot achieve a successful pregnancy on their own. A surrogate


Abstract A comparison of Rietveld refinement results for a bauxite-bearing regolith and its clayey cover in the Amazon region was made with stoichiometric calculations from chemical analysis and partly from thermogravimetric results. For this investigation a profile in the bauxite-bearing regolith occurrence in the ALCOA bauxite mine at Juruti, Brazil was studied. The different minerals, their compositions and their low crystallinity in the different horizons were investigated and the contents determined. It is evident that some minerals show several generations and some chemical composition changes that must be included in the Rietveld refinement. Al-rich hematites and goethites are common along the bauxite profile. Amorphous contents were determined with rutile added as an internal standard and shown to have gibbsite- or kaolinite-like composition. The minerals could be quantified in the different horizons and the difficulties were mainly related to variable crystalline aspects of the phases. Rietveld refinement can be a powerful tool in bauxite prospecting, quality control and during mining and beneficiation of ore minerals using the adapted refinement strategies.


Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is one kind of blood cancer that has a very heterogeneous biological background, which results in diverse stages of the CLL and complex treatment strategies. However, a small part of the tumor may disappear without receiving any treatment. This condition is known as "spontaneous regression" and occurs as a result of a poorly investigated mechanism. Exposing the underlying causes of this condition can lead to a novel treatment approach for CLL and other types of cancer. While most such mechanisms have been assumed to be directly linked to protein coding genes, a recent approach was aimed to carry out more comprehensive studies by focusing on non-protein coding genes as well as protein-coding genes at the RNA level. In this article, we applied in-silico analysis of total RNA expression data from 24 CLL samples to determine possible regulatory mechanisms of spontaneous regression in CLL. These were selected by comparing spontaneous regression with progressive samples of CLL at the transcriptional level. As a result, 33 lncRNAs were found to be significantly differentially expressed among these conditions based on differential gene expression analysis. Current study suggested lncRNAs, PTPN22-AS1, PCF11-AS1, SYNGAP1-AS1, PRRT3-AS1 and H1FX-AS1 as potential therapeutic targets to trigger spontaneous regression. Eventually, the results presented here reveal new insights into the spontaneous regression and the relation with the non-coding RNAs, particularly lncRNAs.


The 20th Century has been marked by enormous change in terms of how we define race. In large part, we have thrown out the antiquated notions of the 1800s, giving way to a more realistic, sociocultural view of the world. The United States is, perhaps more than any other industrialized country, distinguished by the size and diversity of its racial and ethnic minority populations. Current trends promise that these features will endure. Fifty years from now, there will most likely be no single majority group in the United States. How will we fare as a nation when race-based issues such as immigration, job opportunities, and affirmative action are already so contentious today? In America Becoming, leading scholars and commentators explore past and current trends among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in the context of a white majority. This volume presents the most up-to-date findings and analysis on racial and social dynamics, with recommendations for ongoing research. It examines compelling issues in the field of race relations, including: * Race and ethnicity in criminal justice. * Demographic and social trends for Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. * Trends in minority-owned businesses. * Wealth, welfare, and racial stratification. * Residential segregation and the meaning of "neighborhood." * Disparities in educational test scores among races and ethnicities. * Health and development for minority children, adolescents, and adults. * Race and ethnicity in the labor market, including the role of minorities in America's military. * Immigration and the dynamics of race and ethnicity. * The changing meaning of race. * Changing racial attitudes. This collection of papers, compiled and edited by distinguished leaders in the behavioral and social sciences, represents the most current literature in the field. Volume 1 covers demographic trends, immigration, racial attitudes, and the geography of opportunity. Volume 2 deals with the criminal justice system, the labor market, welfare, and health trends. Both books will be of great interest to educators, scholars, researchers, students, social scientists, and policymakers.


The Genotoxic effect of the carbafuran pesticide was evaluated in the metaphasic chromosomes of bone marrow cells of female Swiss albino mice, Mus musculus . Six week old mice were put into different groups(six mice per group) and treatment were done according to experimental plan (CLD15 i.e. lower dose =30ppm or 0.03mg/ml and CHD30 i.e. higher dose =300ppm or 0.3mg/ml).The test material was administered orally for 15 days in CLD15 and for 30 days in CHD30 test groups of female mice. The result revealed that the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities i.e. structural and numerical changes were11.5% in control, 74.0%in CLD15 and 99.0%in CHD30, respectively in bone marrow cells of female mice.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(2): 169-173


Many applications in preference learning assume that decisions come from the maximization of a stable utility function. Yet a large experimental literature shows that individual choices and judgements can be affected by "irrelevant" aspects of the context in which they are made. An important class of such contexts is the composition of the choice set. In this work, our goal is to discover such choice set effects from raw choice data. We introduce an extension of the Multinomial Logit (MNL) model, called the context dependent random utility model (CDM), which allows for a particular class of choice set effects. We show that the CDM can be thought of as a second-order approximation to a general choice system, can be inferred optimally using maximum likelihood and, importantly, is easily interpretable. We apply the CDM to both real and simulated choice data to perform principled exploratory analyses for the presence of choice set effects.


Learning to fly an aircraft is a complex task that requires the development of control skills and goal achievement strategies. This paper presents a behavioural cloning system that learns to successfully fly manoeuvres, in turbulence, of a realistic aircraft simulation. A hierarchical decomposition of the problem is employed where goal settings and the control skill to achieve them are learnt. The benefit of this goal-directed approach is demonstrated in the reuse of the learnt manoeuvres to a flight path that includes novel manoeuvres. The system is based on an error minimisation technique that benefits from the use of model tree learners. The model trees provide a compact and comprehensible representation of the underlying control skill and goal structure. The performance of the system was improved by compensating for human reaction times and goal anticipation. We conclude that our system addresses current limitations of behavioural cloning by producing robust, reusable and readable clones.


Abstract This paper explores the interaction of British medical practitioners with the nascent intellectual property system in the nineteenth century. It challenges the generally accepted view that throughout the nineteenth century there was a settled or professionally agreed hostility to patenting. It demonstrates that medical practitioners made more substantial use of the patent system and related forms of protection than has previously been recognised. Nevertheless, the rate of patenting remained lower than in other fields of technical endeavour, but this can largely be explained by the public nature of medical practice during this period. This paper therefore seeks to retell the history of the exclusion of medical methods from patent protection, an exclusion whose history has produced a substantial body of scholarship. However, its aims go beyond this in that it also seeks to illuminate how medical practitioners engaged with the broader political and policy landscape in order to secure financial remuneration for their inventions. Through an exploration of how prominent doctors interacted with Parliament around claims for a financial reward, it demonstrates that doctors sought to use reputational advantage to leverage financial success and the important role that Parliament could play in that process.


A new treatment of the phase behaviour of a colloid + nonadsorbing polymer mixture is described. The calculated phase diagrams show marked polymer partitioning between coexisting phases, an effect not considered in the usual effective-potential approaches to this problem. We also predict that under certain conditions an area of three-phase coexistence should appear in the phase diagram.


In this paper, we propose a novel Virtual Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (VMIMO) architecture based on the concept of Spatial Modulation (SM). Using a dual-hop and Decode-and-Forward protocol, we form a distributed system, called Dual-Hop Hybrid SM (DH-HSM). DH-HSM conveys information from a Source Node (SN) to a Destination Node (DN) via multiple Relay Nodes (RNs). The spatial position of the RNs is exploited for transferring information in addition to, or even without, a conventional symbol. In order to increase the performance of our architecture, while keeping the complexity of the RNs and DN low, we employ linear precoding using Channel State Information (CSI) at the SN. In this way, we form a Receive-Spatial Modulation (R-SM) pattern from the SN to the RNs, which is able to employ a centralized coordinated or a distributed uncoordinated detection algorithm at the RNs. In addition, we focus on the SN and propose two regularized linear precoding methods that employ realistic Imperfect Channel State Information at the Transmitter. The power of each precoder is analyzed theoretically. Using the Bit Error Rate (BER) metric, we evaluate our architecture against the following benchmark systems: 1) single relay; 2) best relay selection; 3) distributed Space Time Block Coding (STBC) VMIMO scheme; and 4) the direct communication link. We show that DH-HSM is able to achieve significant Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) gains, which can be as high as 10.5 dB for a very large scale system setup. In order to verify our simulation results, we provide an analytical framework for the evaluation of the Average Bit Error Probability (ABEP).


The secretion or the scent gland or adults and nymphs or Carlisis wahlbergi was analysed by gas chromatography, and the compenents were identified by mass spectrometry. No difference was observed between the secretions or males and females and between those or nymphs and adults. The relative amounts of the components did not differ significantly in samples analysed during a nine-month period. The major components were acetic acid (66%), trans-2-hexenal (17%) and 3-hydroxybutanal (14%). A minor component was 2-hexanol (I %). Traces or carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water and even naphthalene were detected in some samples. The presence and functions or all the components are briefly discussed.


This study begins by identifying a new genre in writing for young people which has developed rapidly since the millennium, namely that of children's literature about refugees. It questions whether these books have a role to play in understanding and validating the circumstances of refugees in the primary classroom. Taking as my starting point the UNHCR definition of a refugee as one who has a "well-founded fear" of persecution (1951), I consider the consequences of this position for children and its depiction in two commonly used books in primary schools: Mary Hoffman's The Colour of Home (2002) and Beverley Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth (2000). Making a vertical case study of each book, through an author/ teacher/ child trajectory, I trace the motivations and aims of the two writers, how the books are mediated by teachers in the primary classroom, and how refugee and non-refugee children read, understand and respond to them.

Using a variety of qualitative methods, I present data suggesting that pupils in five classes gained valuable insight into a complicated and controversial issue. However viewing children through a refugee/non-refugee binary was reductive, not recognising the multi-layered nuances of meaning which were constructed at all ages. Furthermore, while the primary curriculum in England does not promote reading for socio-political understanding, but focuses on literacy rather than literature goals, teachers played a powerful role in mediating the texts when sharing them in the classroom, and devised a selection of stimulating resources to aid with planning for reader response and some "critical literacy". I also conclude that, as the genre becomes ever more popular with authors, writers need to engage in robust research, give "voice to the voiceless", and have a responsibility to their readers to present positive images of refugees' resilience.


Terrigenous sediment supply, marine transport, and depositional processes along tectonically active margins are key to decoding turbidite successions as potential archives of climatic and seismic forcings. Sequence stratigraphic models predict coarse-grained sediment delivery to deep-marine sites mainly during sea-level fall and lowstand. Marine siliciclastic deposition during transgressions and highstands has been attributed to sustained connectivity between terrigenous sources and marine sinks facilitated by narrow shelves. To decipher the controls on Holocene highstand turbidite deposition, we analyzed 12 sediment cores from spatially discrete, coeval turbidite systems along the Chile margin (29°–40°S) with changing climatic and geomorphic characteristics but uniform changes in sea level. Sediment cores from intraslope basins in north-central Chile (29°–33°S) offshore a narrow to absent shelf record a shut-off of turbidite deposition during the Holocene due to postglacial aridification. In contrast, core sites in south-central Chile (36°–40°S) offshore a wide shelf record frequent turbidite deposition during highstand conditions. Two core sites are linked to the Biobio river-canyon system and receive sediment directly from the river mouth. However, intraslope basins are not connected via canyons to fluvial systems but yield even higher turbidite frequencies. High sediment supply combined with a wide shelf and an undercurrent moving sediment toward the shelf edge appear to control Holocene turbidite sedimentation and distribution. Shelf undercurrents may play an important role in lateral sediment transport and supply to the deep sea and need to be accounted for in sediment-mass balances.


This paper evaluates the results of a study highlighting the effect of rigid scheduling on crop water use and soil water extraction patterns, crop coefficients, crop response functions and water-use efficiency (WUE). The cumulative Penman potential evapotranspiration (Etp) at the end of the season reached around 400 mm and the total depth of water applied between planting and harvest through irrigation (I) and rainfall (P) varied from 68 mm in rain-fed treatments to 670 mm in the wettest treatment. Crop water-use (Etc) varied from about 120 mm to around 280 mm corresponding to a daily mean value of Etc at the maximum stage of growth (55 days after planting) from about 1.3 mm to around 5.6 mm for fully irrigated crops. Maximum crop coefficients (Kc) ranged from 0.46 for rain-fed crops to 1.2. Crop yield reached ca. 9.1 t ha-1; for rain-fed treatments and ca. 31.1 t ha-1; for irrigated crops. The relationship between the total tuber fresh weight (t ha-1;) and total water applied (P+I) yielded a polynomial quadratic function (r?=75%). By contrast, the relationship between the total tuber fresh weight (t ha-1;) and total water-use displayed a linear function (r?=66%). The WUE for total water applied ranged from ca. 0.14 t ha-1; mm-1; in rain-fed crops to ca. 0.04 t ha-1; mm-1; for well irrigated crops following a linear function (r?=84%). These results indicate that rigid scheduling under small scale irrigation affects productivity, water-use and water-use efficiency of potatoes with a considerable waste of resources.


Studies suggest that the southern United States is an area of primary concern with regards to the spread of nonnative invasive plant species. Recent data show that species such as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and Nepalese browntop (Microstegium vimineum) are invading forests and displacing native species throughout the southern United States. Monitoring on large spatial scales is among the most important mechanisms for the detection and prevention of the spread of nonnative species. Accurate assessments of on-going biological invasions are a primary research priority in the Southeast. As one method for addressing this need, the US Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS), in partnership with State forestry agencies across the South, initiated a southern region survey of 33 invasive plant taxa in 2001 on all forest ownerships as part of the SRS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Currently in the southern United States, presence-absence data is collected for select invasive flora throughout the calendar year. Little is known about the impacts of year-round sampling on the quality of invasive flora data collection. In this study we investigate the implications of year-round sampling on presence-absence data collected by the southern FIA program for states east of the Mississippi river. Chinese and European privets (Ligustrum spp) are observed on FIA plots most often between February and May, and least often between September and December. Exotic roses (Rosa spp) and Japanese honeysuckle follow a similar trend. Nepalese browntop, however, is observed more often between August and October. Moreover, Nepalese browntop is observed more than four times as often during peak months than it is during the period between December and April. These results suggest that plant apparency may be impacting the quality of presence-absence data collected by the SRS-FIA program. While the systematic nature of the FIA sampling design minimizes the impact to population estimates of sampled invasive flora, year-round sampling may be impacting attempts to accurately portray the geographical distribution of a given plant.


Continental rift deposits contain critical clues concerning the evolution of extensional tectonics, yet such evidence is often obscure due to poor geochronology, burial by younger deposits, or later tectonic overprinting. We revisit Corinth rift development, which began as distributed extension created synrift depocenters with rivers flowing into shallow (<50 m) lakes. Subsequent focused deformation initiated a "Great Deepening" event, evidenced by fan deltas prograding into 300–600-m-deep water. A chronology is provided for the event from 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Xylocastro ash by single-crystal CO2 laser fusion, yielding a precise age of 2.550 ± 0.007 Ma (1σ, full error propagation). Sedimentological data indicate that the ash-bearing sediments were deposited as turbidites and hemipelagites on sublacustrine fans fed from the Mavro fan delta at the faulted south-central rift margin. The ash age and turbidite provenance data enable stratigraphic constraints for an estimate of central rift climax occurring between 3.2 and 3.0 Ma. This is some 0.8–1.0 m.y. earlier than radioisotopic- and magnetostratigraphic-constrained estimates for the eastern Corinth rift. Central rift climax was probably triggered by initial counterclockwise rotation of the Peloponnesus block with respect to central Greece. The rotation pole of this block subsequently migrated to its present position as rift climax moved eastward in an "unzipping" action, with the southern active margin also migrating northward. These events are unlikely to be due to local or regional fault kinematics, but rather to the consequences of deep-seated interactions between the rapidly southward-moving Aegean continental forearc and the slowly northward-subducting African oceanic plate. A possible scenario involves forearc "pushback" with decollement on a low-angle subducting lower plate. This causes acceleration and counterclockwise rotation of Peloponnesus with respect to central Greece and strain localization across the boundary; the Corinth rift.


We considers the project not only as producing practice but also as knowledge creator. Each project, from a tea house in a sacred Taoist mountain to a new city master plan, always interacts with local specificity to create a new context. Through the prism of their practice we proposes a certain way of understanding of the Chinese reality.


A Review of:
Knowlton, S. A., Sales, A. C., & Merriman, K. W. (2014). A comparison of faculty and bibliometric valuation of serials subscriptions at an academic research library. Serials Review, 40(1), 28-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00987913.2014.897174

Abstract

Objective – To compare faculty choices of serials subscription cancellations to the scores of a bibliometric tool.

Design – Natural experiment. Data was collected about faculty valuations of serials. The California Digital Library Weighted Value Algorithm (CDL-WVA) was used to measure the value of journals to a particular library. These two sets of scores were then compared.

Setting – A public research university in the United States of America.

Subjects – Teaching and research faculty, as well as serials data.

Methods – Experimental methodology was used to compare faculty valuations of serials (based on their journal cancellation choices) to bibliometric valuations of the same journal titles (determined by CDL-WVA scores) to identify the match rate between the faculty choices and the bibliographic data. Faculty were asked to select titles to cancel that totaled approximately 30% of the budget for their disciplinary fund code. This "keep" or "cancel" choice was the binary variable for the study. Usage data was gathered for articles downloaded through the link resolver for titles in each disciplinary dataset, and the CDL-WVA scores were determined for each journal title based on utility, quality, and cost effectiveness.

Titles within each dataset were ranked highest to lowest using the CDL-WVA scores within each fund code, and then by subscription cost for titles with the same CDL-WVA score. The journal titles selected for comparison were those that ranked above the approximate 30% of titles chosen for cancellation by faculty and CDL-WVA scores.

Researchers estimated an odds ratio of faculty choosing to keep a title and a CDL-WVA score that indicated the title should be kept. The p-value for that result was less than 0.0001, indicating that there was a negligible probability that the results were by chance. They also applied logistic regression to quantify the association between the numeric score of CDL-WVA and the binary variable of the faculty choices. The p-value for this relationship was less than 0.0001, also indicating that the result was not by chance. A quadratic model plotted alongside the previous linear model follows a similar pattern. The p-value of the comparison is 0.0002, which indicates the quadratic model's fit cannot be explained by random chance.

Main Results – The authors point out three outstanding findings. First, the match rate between faculty valuations and bibliometric scores for serials is 65%. This exceeds the 50% rate that would indicate random association, but also indicates a statistically significant difference between faculty and bibliometric valuations. Secondly, the match rate with the bibliometric scores for titles that faculty chose to keep (73%) was higher than those they chose to cancel (54%). Thirdly, the match rate increased with higher bibliometric scores.

Conclusions – Though the authors identify only a modest degree of similarity between faculty and bibliometric valuations of serials, it is noted that there is more agreement in the higher valued serials than the lower valued serials. With that in mind, librarians might focus faculty review on the lower scoring titles in the future, taking into consideration that unique faculty interests may drive selection at that level and would need to be balanced with the mission of the library.


The site survey for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope concluded recently after more than 2 years of data gathering and analysis. Six locations, including lake, island, and continental sites, were thoroughly probed for image quality and sky brightness. The present paper describes the analysis methodology employed to determine the height stratification of the atmospheric turbulence. This information is crucial, because daytime seeing is often very different between the actual telescope aperture (∼30 m) and the ground. Two independent inversion codes have been developed to simultaneously analyze data from a scintillometer array and a solar differential image monitor. We show here the results of applying them to a sample subset of data from 2003 May that was used for testing. Both codes retrieve a similar seeing stratification through the height range of interest. A quantitative comparison between our analysis procedure and actual in situ measurements confirms the validity of the inversions. The sample data presented in this paper reveal a qualitatively different behavior for the lake sites (dominated by high‐altitude seeing) and the rest (dominated by near‐ground turbulence).


Target localization using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and planar imaging is being investigated for guiding radiation therapy delivery. Previous studies on SPECT‐based localization have used computer‐simulated or hybrid images with simulated tumors embedded in disease‐free patient images where the tumor position is known and localization can be calculated directly. In the current study, localization was studied using scanner‐acquired images. Five fillable spheres were placed in a whole body phantom. Sphere‐to‐background  99mTc radioactivity was 6:1. Ten independent SPECT scans were acquired with a Trionix Triad scanner using three detector trajectories: left lateral 180°, 360°, and right lateral 180°. Scan time was equivalent to 4.5 min. Images were reconstructed with and without attenuation correction. True target locations were estimated from 12 hr SPECT and CT images. From the 12 hr SPECT scan, 45 sets of orthogonal planar images were used to assess target localization; total acquisition time per set was equivalent to 4.5 min. A numerical observer localized the center of the targets in the 4.5 min SPECT and planar images. SPECT‐based localization errors were compared for the different detector trajectories. Across the four peripheral spheres, and using optimal iteration numbers and postreconstruction smoothing, means and standard deviations in localization errors were 0.90±0.25 mm for proximal 180° trajectories, 1.31±0.51 mm for 360° orbits, and 3.93±1.48 mm for distal 180° trajectories. This rank order in localization performance is predicted by target attenuation and distance from the target to the collimator. For the targets with mean localization errors < 2 mm, attenuation correction reduced localization errors by 0.15 mm on average. The improvement from attenuation correction was 1.0 mm on average for the more poorly localized targets. Attenuation correction typically reduced localization errors, but for well‐localized targets, the detector trajectory generally had a larger effect. Localization performance was found to be robust to iteration number and smoothing. Localization was generally worse using planar images as compared with proximal 180° and 360° SPECT scans. Using a proximal detector trajectory and attenuation correction, localization errors were within 2 mm for the three superficial targets, thus supporting the current role in biopsy and surgery, and demonstrating the potential for SPECT imaging inside radiation therapy treatment rooms. PACS numbers: 87.55.Gh, 87.57.qp, 87.57.uh


This paper describes error compensation methods for parallel kinematics machines (PKMs). First, joint errors and link deformations caused by external forces and heat are discussed. Because a linear scale unit is connected to each spherical joint located at both ends of an extensible limb through two rods, the scale unit can measure not only displacement of the prismatic joint but also the limb's deformation. Moreover, the scale unit also measures the joint's runout and its deformation in the limb's direction because the rod end is in contact with the sphere of the spherical joint. Consequently, the unit accurately measures any change in the distance between the spherical joints independent of the external force. Further, temperature fluctuation has little effect on measured distance because the rods are made of a low expansion alloy. This device was built using experimental limbs and tested for use with coordinate measuring machines. Results showed that, without any additional sensor, the device acquired the same effect; it improved the stiffness and the thermal coefficient of expansion of the whole limb. Secondly, another compensation method for elastic and thermal deformations of the machine frame supporting the mechanism is proposed. Nine displacement sensors with Super-Invar rods measure the distance between the surface place and three joint supports or the base platform of the PKM. Then, the forward kinematics of the hexapod mechanism calculates displacement and orientation variations of the base platform during operation from these measured displacements. Consequently, coordinates of the PKM's end-effector can be compensated by the dimensions, the displacement, and the orientation of the base platform during operation. This device was installed in the experimental coordinate measuring machine. Coordinate measurements using a master ball mounted on the surface plate showed that this device decreased the influences of temperature fluctuation and external force on machine accuracy.


In this paper, the question is raised as to what extent language awareness can contribute to second-language acquisition. It is argued here that adults (without skills in any other language than their mother tongue) acquiring a second language undergo a process of increasing language awareness when they learn a second language without any formal instruction. Confronted with an unknown language the code of which they have to crack without any help, these learners seem to become aware of the features of their own language before they focus on the structure of the new language. There is no direct access to this process of language awareness, but I believe that double constructions and self-corrections produced by these learners provide evidence that they become aware of differences between L1 and L2. Finally, it is suggested that noticing and input enhancement, even some explicit contrastive information on L1-L2 differences (which spontaneous learners try out to find for themselves) might benefit L2 learners who are unaware of the fact that they still use an L1 grammatical system.


This paper presents an experimental investigation of the ignition and burning behaviours ofintumescent coatings and nanoparticles applied on flaxboard using three standard tests: the cone calorimeter, single burning item (SBI) and reduced scale (1/3rd) ISO room. Results in the cone calorimeter and SBI, both representing open burning, showed that the intumescent coating is effective in delaying ignition and reducing the heat release rate (HRR). With nanoparticles, further delay in ignition and reduction in the HRR were observed owing to an increase in the thermal stability of the char in the presence of nanoparticles. In the 1/3rd ISO room tests, the reduction in the HRR is found to be less substantial than that in the cone calorimeter or SBI. This finding highlights the important difference between burning in an open condition or in an enclosure, because in an enclosure the sample is heated not only by the flame but, more importantly, by the hot smoke layer and surrounding walls. Furthermore, in an enclosure the maximum HRR is limited by the amount of oxygen entering the enclosure through the opening. In order to examine the performance of intumescent coatings inventilation-controlled condition, tests were performed in the 1/3rd ISO room with reduced opening sizes (50 and 75 % of the standard opening size). It is found that in the case of 50 % opening size, for which a ventilation-controlled condition was attained, the maximum HRRs for the materials w/wo intumescent coatings were found to be the same.


Molybdenum-vanadium oxide (Mo-V-O) has been constantly reported as an active and selective catalyst for the direct propane transformation to acrylic acid. In this study, crystalline molybdenum-vanadium oxide catalysts have been successfully synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method using urea hydrolysis. A new approach was taken whereby the solid obtained were further refluxed in the presence of additives which are adipic acid (AA), maleic acid (MA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The precursors which upon drying were subjected to various calcination temperatures.
The effect of additives and calcination temperatures on the formation and properties of Mo-V-O characteristics were monitored by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Photon Cross Correlation Spectroscopy (PCCS), Inductively Couple Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), BET Surface Area Measurements (SBET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Hydrogen-Temperature Programmed Reduction (H2-TPR).
It was found that without the presence of additives, the precursor was in a semicrystalline form of ammonium molybdate anorthic phase. However, in the presence of additives, the precursors were highly crystalline with the presence of desirable orthorhombic, monoclinic and tetragonal MoVOx species. Heat treatment that imposed on the materials has successfully transformed the precursor into a more stable phase. The desirable orthorhombic phase was found to be achieved when sample was calcined at 873 K in nitrogen atmosphere.
SEM analysis showed a rather randomly distributed particle with defined size and shape. Total surface area, SBET for sample prepared by complexing MoV salts with PVA (MoVPVA873) was found to be the highest, i.e. 20.5 m2 g-1. This property consequently contributed to the highest total amount of oxygen species removed from the oxide, hence an indication of the highly active and selective characteristics borne by the oxide. This is further confirmed by catalytic test of propane oxidation to acrylic acid which done on the sample. The test showed that samples treated with organic species (AA, MA, PVA) give better acrylic acid selectivity and yield.