Six farms using different types of dried manure solid (DMS) strategies, including a farm that had side-by-side pens using sand and DMS, participated in a study to assess the impact on herd health of using DMS as bedding on dairy farms in the Northeast. Samples of unused and used bedding were taken over the course of a year and analyzed for bacterial content and physical properties. Mastitis and somatic cell count (SCC) records were analyzed in relation to those properties. Although mastitis differed among farm/bedding strategies (FBS), bacteria levels and properties of bedding had no effect on mastitis incidence. Lactation number, stage of lactation and SCC were the significant variables. Decreased levels of Klebsiella in the used bedding increased the odds of having an abnormal SCC for one FBS, and decreased moisture and fine particles in the used bedding increased the odds of having an abnormal SCC for a different FBS. For all others, abnormal cell counts were affected only by season, lactation number and milk production. Economic analysis showed a savings of between 1 and 26 cents per hundred weight of milk produced through the use of manure solids as bedding on five farms. This study suggests that properly managed DMS can provide an economic benefit without compromising herd health.


In Birth of an Industry , Nicholas Sammond describes how popular early American cartoon characters were derived from blackface minstrelsy. He charts the industrialization of animation in the early twentieth century, its representation in the cartoons themselves, and how important blackface minstrels were to that performance, standing in for the frustrations of animation workers. Cherished cartoon characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat, were conceived and developed using blackface minstrelsy's visual and performative conventions: these characters are not like minstrels; they are minstrels. They play out the social, cultural, political, and racial anxieties and desires that link race to the laboring body, just as live minstrel show performers did. Carefully examining how early animation helped to naturalize virulent racial formations, Sammond explores how cartoons used laughter and sentimentality to make those stereotypes seem not only less cruel, but actually pleasurable. Although the visible links between cartoon characters and the minstrel stage faded long ago, Sammond shows how important those links are to thinking about animation then and now, and about how cartoons continue to help to illuminate the central place of race in American cultural and social life.


Anthony Cohen makes a distinct break with earlier approaches to the study of community, which treated the subject in largely structural terms. His view is interpretive and experiential, seeing the community as a cultural field with a complex of symbols whose meanings vary among its members. He delineates a concept applicable to local and ethnic communities through which people see themselves as belonging to society. The emphasis on boundary is sensitive to the circumstances in which people become aware of the implications of belonging to a community, and describes how they symbolise and utilise these boundaries to give substance to their values and identities.


There is growing support for Temporal Difference (TD) Learning as a formal account of the role of the midbrain dopamine system and the basal ganglia in learning from reinforcement. This account is challenged, however, by the fact that realistic implementations of TD Learning have been shown to fail on some fairly simple learning tasks — tasks well within the capabilities of humans and non-human animals. We hypothesize that such failures do not arise from natural learning systems because of the ubiquitous appearance of lateral inhibition in the cortex, producing sparse conjunctive internal representations that support the learning of predictions of future reward. We provide support for this conjecture through computational simulations that compare TD Learning systems with and without lateral inhibition, demonstrating the benefits of sparse conjunctive codes for reinforcement learning.


Classical bulk temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels were prepared via free radical polymerization in the presence of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAAm) as a crosslinker. Two different initiation methods were studied: redox and photoinitiation. It was demonstrated that the desired final properties of resulting hydrogels, i.e., high monomer conversion and adjustable swelling were only achieved by selecting best suited initiation conditions. For redox polymerization, this was done by tuning the ratio of accelerator N,N,N',N'-tetramethylenediamine to initiator ammonium persulfate. The key parameters for achieving optimum photopolymerization conditions were photoinitiator concentration and UV irradiation time. With the help of in situ rheological measurements, optimum conditions could be further verified and quantified by monitoring the liquid-to-gel transition. Overall, photoinitiated crosslinking copolymerization was postulated to offer better options for in situ preparation of tailored functional hydrogels. Therefore the classical photopolymerized bulk PNIPAAm hydrogels were characterized in more details (swelling and mesh size, swelling recovery, volume expansion factor relative to synthesis state, morphology and partitioning of test solutes) as compared to redox hydrogels (swelling and mesh size). Rheology was also used to investigate the hydrogel after ex situ preparation, revealing "perfect" soft-rubbery behaviour. A good correlation between the mesh sizes determined from swelling and rheology was also found. Rheology has been found to be a powerful tool because it provides valuable data on polymerization and gelation kinetics as well as information about the hydrogels microstructure based on their viscoelastic character. The resulting optimum conditions from this part were utilized towards preparation and characterization of smart hydrogels that can respond to multiple stimuli and also functional pore-filling composite membranes.
Temperature-responsive PNIPAAm hydrogels were imprinted with lysozyme via in situ photoinitiated crosslinking copolymerization. The three-dimensional network of the hydrogels was tailored by tuning the ionic content through methacrylic acid (MAA) as template-binding comonomer while keeping the ratio between crosslinker (MBAAm) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) fixed. The rheological data demonstrated that the onset of gelation was delayed with increasing MAA content. Moderate salt concentrations (0.3 M NaCl) were found to be suited for template removal without phase separation of the hydrogel. Swelling and protein (lysozyme and cytochrome C) binding were investigated for molecularly imprinted (MIP) and non-imprinted polymers (NIP) gels at temperatures below and above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAAm (32 °C). MIP gels showed a much higher affinity, selectivity and binding capacity for lysozyme compared to the NIP reference materials. Protein binding capacity was strongly reduced above 32 °C, to zero for NIP and to small values for imprinted gels. Most important, specific lysozyme binding to the MIP gels caused a large concentration dependent deswelling. This effect was much smaller for NIP gels, and the response could be modulated by the content of the comonomer methacrylic acid. It is envisioned that the alteration of swollen state of stimuli-responsive MIP hydrogels as functions of specific protein or temperature may govern the recognition-ability and binding-specificity towards establishment of novel biomimetic materials.
A copolymer of PNIPAAm and 4-vinylbenzo-18-crown-6 (vCE) was synthesized via redox-initiation polymerization. The influence of vCE content on the copolymerization efficiency and also on the ion-recognition properties was investigated. The copolymerization was relatively efficient in a more loosely crosslinked network (rheology and Fourier transform infrared analyses). The swelling of PNIPAAm-co-vCE at 37 °C was higher in the presence of cations; i.e. Ba2+ > K+ than in pure water. The hydrogel copolymers were more sensitive at the higher ion concentration (0.02 M). The cation recognition and selectivity were further enhanced by the increase of vCE content in the hydrogel copolymers. Overall, this approach is interesting for the development of novel sensors or materials for controlled release applications.
Hydrogel pore-filled composite membranes (HPFCM) based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) track-etched membranes with pore diameters between 200 and 5000 nm and temperature-responsive PNIPAAm hydrogels were successfully prepared. A prefunctionalization of the pore walls by grafted linear PNIPAAm lead to stable anchoring of crosslinked PNIPAAm prepared in a subsequent step. Proper tuning of photopolymerization conditions resulted in desired microstructure of the hydrogels and thus tailored barrier properties of the composite membranes. The very interesting separation performance of HPFCM was due to diversification of the hydrogel network as function of its composition that caused adjustable sieving properties via synthesis conditions and also largely switchable barrier properties in response to the temperature. The interplay between the immobilized hydrogel and various pore sizes of the membrane support was also investigated. The base membrane provides mechanical support and confines the hydrogel within its pores, and it thus allows using the hydrogel mesh size for size-selective solute transport. Completely stable and selective HPFCM were only obtained with base pore sizes of about 2 µm or smaller. The size-selectivity (molecular weight cut-off) of the same HPFCM was higher under diffusive than under convective flow conditions; this is presumably mainly caused by elastic deformation of the hydrogel network. The cut-off from diffusion experiments was well correlated to mesh-size of the hydrogel determined from the Darcy model applied to permeability data obtained under convective flow conditions. Upon temperature increase beyond 32 °C, flux increased and rejection decreased very strongly; this remarkable change between macromolecule-size selective ultrafiltration and microfiltration/filtration behaviour was fully reversible. The smart performance of HPFCM could be interesting for the separation of multi-component mixtures or for controlled release due to the tunability of the sieving coefficient by changing the temperature.


In this thesis I analyse the concept of consent to medical treatment. I explore its ethical basis in autonomy and examine how other principles and ethical approaches might interact with the rules derived from autonomy. I then situate the relevant ethical obligations within the context f the healthcare professional-patient relationship which subsequently allows me to develop a textured model of consent.

The model is predicated on the theory that consent is a secondary right, derivative on the underlying right which it controls. By giving or withholding consent, the autonomous person determines who may justifiably infringe the primary right. Importantly, however, the context of the professional-patent relationship highlights the relevance of consent, not just as permission, but also as agreement.

I subsequently utilise the model of consent to analyse the current law, which is found to be deficient. I explore the conceptual difficulties of the split regulation between the torts of battery and negligence. I examine the current standard of disclosure and conclude that while it seems to be moving towards more autonomy respecting prudent patient standard, the courts may still be affording expert witnesses too much say in determining which risks should be disclosed. Most importantly I expose the thin and unsatisfactory conception of autonomy that appears to ground the current legal approach.

Some of the common law's deficiencies lie in tort law's focus on the outcome rather than the process of the interaction between healthcare professional and the patient. There are three responses to these deficiencies. The common law could be allowed to continue its piecemeal development. The deficiencies of the common law could be patched up by developing professional regulation, or new legislation could be drafted to deal specifically with consent to medical treatment. If there is a genuine commitment to patient autonomy and patient centred care then I submit that legislation is justified.


The existence of four different interpretations of that extraordinary assemblage of erosional and depositional land forms of eastern Washington, the "Channeled Scabland", indicates that rigorously definitive diagnostic characters had not been found. This study, dealing with new data, largely from extensive excavations and detailed topographic maps made by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation in developing the great Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, returns to the earliest of the four interpretations: that channeled scabland is almost wholly the consequence of catastrophic flooding of glacial water across this part of the Columbia Plateau which remade preglacial valleys into an anastomosing complex of great river channels with huge cataracts, deep rock basins, and bars attaining magnitudes unknown elsewhere on earth. The new evidence is held to establish firmly the following points: (1) Some structural basins of the region did not have exterior drainage prior to arrival of glacial water. (2) The gravel hills called bars by Bretz (1928a) have the shapes, surface markings, structures, and topographic situations possible only for subfluvial constructional deposits. In magnitudes and bouldery composition, they are sui generis. (3) Several episodes of catastrophic discharge have occurred across this part of the Columbia Plateau. (4) The Columbia Valley skirting the plateau has had comparable floods in which the scabland complex did not share. (5) Successive floods have been differentiated only by topographic relations of their records, not by differential weathering and erosion. (6) Bretz did not overestimate the magnitude of the erosion by glacial waters. (7) The existing scabland features contradict the three later interpretations.


Cities pose environmental challenges but also offer possibilities to close material and energy loops and connect multiple societal and ecologic services. This article reviews and brings together the literature on two important new research directions that address urban sustainability by integrating functions or material flows: Circular Urban Metabolism (CUM) and Multifunctional Land Use (MLU). We focus on challenges to MLU and CUM and strategies to facilitate their realization. The review shows that although MLU and CUM differ in what they integrate, they face partly similar integration challenges. In both fields, the collaboration between actors related to particular functions (water safety, recreation), high investment costs and uncertainties about costs and benefits, and legislation that hampers integration are identified as challenges. In both fields, strategies are proposed to facilitate the collaboration between actors. However, other challenges and strategies are specific. Whilst MLU scholars mostly highlight socio-economic aspects of realizing integration, CUM scholars focus more on technical aspects. We find limited cross-fertilization between both fields so far. To stimulate discussion and knowledge exchange, we introduce 'integration of urban functions' as a shared idea for a sustainable urban system. To find further solutions for integration challenges, we propose conceptualizing MLU or CUM initiatives as processes of change, which requires connecting across previously separate 'worlds' and changing previously established monofunctional ways of working.


Nowadays, the study of dispersion of solid wastes through a porous media is very important in order to estimate the ecological impact that, in particular a radioactive solid waste, could produce when it spreads in the soil. There are some models available in literature which can help us to simulate the dispersion of contaminants through a porous media, taking into account the physicochemical properties of the waste and its effect over the mobility, the adsorption-desorption equilibrium and the irreversible adsorption over the walls that constitute the channel where it diffuses. However, the majority of these models do not consider the cooperative behavior given by the presence of other species competing each other for the substrate and the consequences that this competition produces in the thermodynamic equilibrium of the system. In this sense, the mesoscopic simulations have shown to be a viable alternative to study these kinds of systems. This work presents the study of the adsorption-desorption process for different components in a contaminated fluid by electrostatic mesoscopic molecular simulation using the dissipative particle dynamics method (DPD). Also it shows how the presence of different components modifies the adsorption-desorption equilibrium, this result suggests the importance of including, in the simulation of contaminated fluid in a porous media, the presence of all species in order to obtain results closer to reality.


While the wind energy resources of northern China are quite abundant, the abandoned wind rate keeps up at a high level due to the electric energy and heat coupling of the cogenerator during heating period. Consuming abandoned wind power heating facilitates degrading the abandoned wind power amount of northern China, developing consuming wind power ability and reducing the pollution. Whilst the economical efficiency of wind power heating is relatively poor due to the high construction costs, the pollutant discharge amount is low. The environmental costs are calculated, shifted into monetary costs, and then added with economic costs. The costs of consuming abandoned wind power heating include the decrement of the generation cost of wind power plant and the economic and environmental costs of thermal storage type electric heating. Taking the Environmental conservation of wind power and the decrement of the generation cost of wind power plant into consideration, not only the comparison between consuming abandoned wind power heating and cogeneration heating is more comprehensive and reasonable, but also the joint programming of wind power heating and traditional modes of heating.


In a context where "African identity" is a category that is often homogenised across a vast and diverse continent and beyond, there is a need to interrogate and better understand the concept. The prevalence of migration and cultural exchange in our interconnected world makes it imperative to look beyond race and space as a way of understanding identity, speaking both to sameness and difference. Acknowledging the complexities and the contested nature of identities and in particular, African identity/identities, this paper argues against an essentialised approach to identities in a global context. It explores and builds on arguments for plural identities, mobilising concepts of heterogeneity and plurality, agency and public deliberation from the Capability Approach in order to advance a way of understanding and negotiating identities that allows for a reasoned, flexible and inclusive approach. The Capability Approach is proposed as a generative normative framework which provides an important way to explain and negotiate identities in Africa based on human development grounded in social justice. In doing so, the paper acknowledges an understanding of identity as multifaceted and fluid, and when informed by human development and capabilities, is able to strengthen values like tolerance and accommodation of the "other" on the basis of recognition, respect and equality. I focus on the freedoms, opportunities and choices available for individuals to deliberate on the type of identities or African identities that they value on the assumption that identity is an object of reasoned choice, even though subject to constraints, and that more than one identity choice is possible.


The proliferation of smartphone ownership, the diffusion of applications (apps), and the growth of mobile travel bookings have stimulated hoteliers to develop mobile strategies to satisfy customers' needs. In addition to making their website mobile responsive, hoteliers need to consider deploying and developing apps specific to their property and customer needs. A quantitative approach was applied to identify and rate the most commonly available features and functions on hotel chain apps. The results showed that the most common features and functions are; the contact details, booking & reservation function, directions and maps. Hoteliers are recommended to include more 'At Hotel' functions in hotel apps to capture data and differentiate the app experience.


The first faunal inventory of Satyrinae butterflies of the subtribes Pronophilina and Erebiina is presented for the Ampay massif (Apurimac, Peru). It comprises 19 species, a low value compared to other sampled areas of the Andes in Peru. The low local diversity is possibly due to the relative isolation of the Ampay massif, and the small area of cloud forests, main habitat of most butterflies studied, restricted to patches within a narrow 2800-3600 m altitude band. However, the ratio of endemism is high. Eight new taxa are described, six of which are endemic to Ampay. A short comparative study fauna of Ampay and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is presented. Similarity to the fauna of Machu Picchu is also evaluated. It is suggested to enlarge the Ampay National Sanctuary to the northern slopes of the massif in order to preserve three geographically extremely restricted endemic taxa found in that area.


Introduction Musculoskeletal disorders and cognitive diseases are prevalent, and they are significant determinants of morbidity and mortality in older adults. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal and cognitive diseases and their risk factors and also to assess their associations during future follow-ups. Methods and analysis Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) programme is a population-based prospective cohort study being conducted in Bushehr, a southern province of Iran. A total of 3000 older people aged ≥60 years participated in the first stage from which 2772 were eligible to participate in the second stage, which started after 2.5 years. Data including demographic status, lifestyle factors, general healthandmedical history, and mentalandfunctional health are collected through a questionnaire. Anthropometric measures, performance testsandmuscle strength, blood pressure and and body composition measurements are done. A total 25 cc venous blood is taken, and sera are stored at –80°C for possible future analyses. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Science as well as the Research Ethics Committee of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. A written informed consent was signed by all the participants. The study findings will show the prevalence of musculoskeletal disease, cognitive impairment and their risk factors in an elderly population. The participants will be followed during the study to measure the occurrence outcomes. This study will also have the potential to inform the development of beneficial interventions to improve the management of musculoskeletal and cognitive impairment in Iran and other countries in the Middle East. Our findings will be disseminated via scientific publication as well as presentation to stakeholders, including the patients, clinicians, the public and policymakers, via appropriate avenues.


We describe the differential multipole method, an extended multipole method used to calculate the modes of microstructured optical fibers with noncircular inclusions. We use a multipole expansion centered on each inclusion and a differential method to calculate the scattering properties of the individual inclusions. Representative results for a fiber with one ring of elliptical inclusions are presented, and a direct comparison is made with an existing method. The new method is also applied to a microstructured optical fiber with seven rings of elliptical inclusions, which is found, in effect, to support a single polarization of the fundamental mode.


In this paper we deal with biomedical applications of wireless sensor networks, and propose a new quality of service (QoS) routing protocol. The protocol design relies on traffic diversity of these applications and ensures a differentiation routing using QoS metrics. It is based on modular and scalable approach, where the protocol operates in a distributed, localized, computation and memory efficient way. The data traffic is classified into several categories according to the required QoS metrics, where different routing metrics and techniques are accordingly suggested for each category. The protocol attempts for each packet to fulfill the required QoS metrics in a power-aware way, by locally selecting the best candidate. It employs memory and computation efficient estimators, and uses a multi-sink single-path approach to increase reliability. The main contribution of this paper is data traffic based QoS with regard to all the considered QoS metrics. To our best knowledge, this protocol is the first that makes use of the diversity in the data traffic while considering latency, reliability residual energy in the sensor nodes, and transmission power between sensor nodes as QoS metrics of the multi-objective problem. The proposed algorithm can operate with any MAC protocol, provided that it employs an ACK mechanism. Performance evaluation through a simulation study, comparing the new protocol with state-of-the QoS and localized protocols, show that it outperforms all the compared protocols.


This article analyzes a simple method for the enhancement of laser radiation coupled into deep layers of turbid samples. This is accomplished by using a multilayer dielectric bandpass filter that acts as a unidirectional mirror and reflects photons re-emerging from the sample back into it. The research establishes a theoretical framework, and a very basic feasibility study is performed. In this study, laser intensity, delivered through a 14 mm slab of tissue, and a 3.9 mm pharmaceutical tablet were enhanced by factors of 1.6 and 3.8, respectively. Potential applications include photothermal and photodynamic cancer therapies of subsurface tissue, deep optical spectroscopy and imaging of biological tissue and powders, as well as thermal and optical subsurface treatment of powder materials, colloids, and catalysts.


We introduce a system based on dual-core nonlinear waveguides with the balanced gain and loss acting separately in the cores. The system features a "supersymmetry" when the gain and loss are equal to the inter-core coupling. This system admits a variety of exact solutions (we focus on solitons), which are subject to a specific subexponential instability. We demonstrate that the application of a "management", in the form of periodic simultaneous switch of the sign of the gain, loss, and inter-core coupling, effectively stabilizes solitons, without destroying the supersymmetry. The management turns the solitons into attractors, for which an attraction basin is identified. The initial amplitude asymmetry and phase mismatch between the components transforms the solitons into quasi-stable breathers.


The history of criminal justice in modern Germany has become a vibrant field of research, as demonstrated in this volume. Following an introductory survey, the twelve chapters examine major topics in the history of crime and criminal justice from Imperial Germany, through the Weimar and Nazi eras, to the early postwar years. These topics include case studies of criminal trials, the development of juvenile justice, and the efforts to reform the penal code, criminal procedure, and the prison system. The collection also reveals that the history of criminal justice has much to contribute to other areas of historical inquiry: it explores the changing relationship of criminal justice to psychiatry and social welfare, analyzes representations of crime and criminal justice in the media and literature, and uses the lens of criminal justice to illuminate German social history, gender history, and the history of sexuality.


This chapter summarizes the most recent results obtained in the plastic waste pyrolysis-reforming strategy for hydrogen production. An original two-reactor configuration consisting of a conical spouted bed reactor for the pyrolysis step and a fluidized bed reactor for the pyrolysis volatile reforming is proposed. The fundamen-tal aspects and challenges of this joint process are discussed in detail, and the prospects for the full-scale implementation of this valorization route are assessed. Thus, the influence the main reforming parameters (temperature, space time and steam/ plastic ratio) have in the pyrolysis-reforming of HDPE on product yields and catalyst stability are reported. Moreover, the role played by plastic composition on process performance is also described by studying the influence of following polymers: high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS). The operating conditions used for the valorization of different plastics have been as follows: pyrolysis temperature of 500°C, reforming temperature of 700°C, space time of 16.7 g catalyst min g plastic − 1 and steam/plastic ratio of 4.


The aim of the Numeracy Centre at the University of Cape Town is to develop students' quantitative literacy (QL) in a manner consistent with their programmes of study and intended roles in the community. Our theoretical perspective on the nature of QL is in line with that of the New Literacies Studies and sees academic QL as practices in different academic disciplinary contexts. This means that for us the ideal curriculum structure for developing QL would fully integrate it into the teaching of the disciplines. This is in practice not achievable in most cases, especially since many students do not have the necessary foundations of mathematical and statistical knowledge and skills. The unavoidable deviation from the ideal curriculum structure presents challenges to the design of QL interventions. Two illustrative examples which display different degrees of separation from the disciplinary teaching are described and discussed. This discussion is based on lecturers' reflections on the teaching experience and on student evaluations. The 'stand-alone' QL course for Humanities and Law students, which uses a context-based approach, is the least integrated with the disciplinary curriculum, and presents challenges in terms of tensions in the classroom between the contexts and the mathematical and statistical content, as well as challenges in terms of student motivation. The QL intervention for medical students is more closely integrated into the medical curriculum and presents fewer challenges. Both interventions are intended to provide 'foundations' in terms of QL and suffer from difficulties in providing students with authentic motivation.


The choice of the right techniques is critical to achieving a good return on the test investment. Some tests happen before we can even run the software. Some tests involve analyzing the structure of the system, while others involve analyzing the system's behavior. Each technique can involve special skills and particular participants, and might appropriately entail the use of tools—or not.


Marine renewable energy is a significant resource for generating electricity, and if some conversion technologies have already reached a certain level of maturity, others are emerging.
The originality of this multidisciplinary book is to offer a broad spectrum of knowledge from academic and industry experts of various origins. It deals with general aspects such as the specificities and constraints of the marine environment, the concepts of hydrodynamics and ocean engineering, as well as the industrial and economic sides necessary for the assembly of projects.
It also discusses conversion technologies such as offshore wind, tidal power plants, tidal stream turbines, wave energy converters and ocean thermal energy plants. Finally, two chapters are devoted to power electronic conversion and power transmission cables.


The ability to genetically transform and modify Drosophila melanogaster was originally made possible through the use of transposable elements (TEs). These proved to be efficient mutagens leading to the generation of many libraries containing TE-tagged genes and enhancers throughout much of the genome. TEs were also efficient at introducing genes into this insect. A limitation of this technology was the inability to direct where transposons insert in the genome. However, recent advances made with the development of targeting systems based on protein-based and RNA-based guidance of endonucleases to specific target sites have provided a solution to this problem. As a consequence, the genetic toolbox of Drosophila geneticists have considerably expanded and will have a dramatic impact on our ability to understand genetic pathways in this insect.

Key Concepts:

Class II transposable elements form the basis of versatile genetic technology.

Homologous recombination technologies have been problematic but progress has been made.

Site-specific recombinases add an additional dimension to the genetic toolbox.

Homologous recombination technologies have been problematic but progress has been made.

Zinc finger nucleases provide an alternate approach to site-specificity.

TALENs facilitate another approach to directed integration into the genome.

CRISPRs will lead to a new generation of approaches to site-specific medication in Drosophila.

Keywords:

transposable element;
homologous recombination;
zinc finger nucleases;
TALENs;
CRISPR/Cas9


Emerging Europe was particularly hard hit by the global financial crisis, but a concerted effort by local policymakers and the international community staved off impending financial meltdown and laid the foundations for renewed convergence with western Europe. This book, written by staff of the IMF's European Department that worked on the region at the time, provides a unique account of events: the origins of the crisis and the precrisis policy setting; the crisis trigger and the scramble to avoid the worst; the stabilisation and recovery; the remaining challenges; and the lessons for the future. Five regional chapters provide the analytics to put events into perspective. Dedicated chapters for all 19 countries of the region dig deeper into the idiosyncrasies of each economy and provide extensive economic data. A final chapter distills the lessons from the overall regional experience and the wide intraregional diversity. Taken together, they make this book an indispensable reference for economic scholars of the region and beyond.


Maternal and child-health and health education are three major concerns of public health organisations and researchers throughout the world. Health education for mothers is a strategy many countries have adopted to improve maternal and child-health. The present study was carried out in Uganda with the objective of exploring the factors influencing the utilisation of postnatal services at Mulago and Mengo hospitals, a government and private hospital. Both hospitals are located in Kampala district in Uganda. The survey, was completed by 330 women who responded to a structured questionnaire that was given to them six to eight weeks after delivery. Questions that were asked generated demographic information about the mothers; mothers' knowledge about postnatal services; mothers' socio-economic status and barriers to utilisation of the postnatal services. The participants included all women who delivered in Mulago and Mengo hospitals in November 2003 except for those who had had a neonatal death. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Some of the key findings of the study were that most women lacked awareness about postnatal services and those who knew about these services only knew about immunisation and family planning services. The majority of the mothers did not know about other services, such as physiotherapy, counselling, growth monitoring, and physical examination. Lack of money for transport or service costs, distance from the health care facility, not being aware of the services, lack of somebody to take care of the child at home were some of the main barriers to utilisation of postnatal services. Others included, lack of education, lack of employment, lack of decision-making powers, and lack of time to go back for the service. The ministry of health should educate women and communities about the importance of postnatal care, its availability, and the importance of women having decision-making power over their own health. The health service organization should improve on the quality of care by ensuring that services are provided at convenient hours with privacy, confidentiality and respect and it should evaluate the services periodically from the users perspective to maintain the quality of service.


This article looks into the damaging effect of the disintegrated relationship between humanity and nature. The current relationship we have with nature is hierarchal and fragmented because it is rooted in a culture of separation created by a 'masculine' modernity. The patriarchal values of rationality and power have othered the natural environment and women. In order to prevent irreparable ecological destruction, we need to change the relationship between humanity and nature to one that is ecologically responsive. I examine how ecofeminist literature enables us to challenge the hierarchical structure created by dualisms thereby uprooting the current patriarchal oppressive system. It reveals how an ethic of care approach can transcend the modern patriarchal structures that have promoted dominion over nature and contextually and narratively recreate the human and nature relationship. The value of this research lies in the fact that central to an ethic of care is the respect and care for all earthly beings, an ethic which listens to, and is responsive to the diversity of all 'environmental voices'.


Abstract. Dust emission is initiated when surface wind velocities exceed the threshold of wind erosion. Most dust models used constant threshold values globally. Here we use satellite products to characterize the frequency of dust events and surface properties. By matching this frequency derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue aerosol products with surface winds, we are able to retrieve a climatological monthly global distribution of wind erosion threshold (Vthreshold) over dry and sparsely-vegetated surface. This monthly two-dimensional threshold velocity is then implemented into the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory coupled land-atmosphere model (AM4.0/LM4.0). It is found that the climatology of dust optical depth (DOD) and total aerosol optical depth, surface PM10 dust concentrations, and seasonal cycle of DOD are better captured over the dust belt (i.e. North Africa and the Middle East) by simulations with the new wind erosion threshold than those using the default globally constant threshold. The most significant improvement is the frequency distribution of dust events, which is generally ignored in model evaluation. By using monthly rather than annual mean Vthreshold, all comparisons with observations are further improved. The monthly global threshold of wind erosion can be retrieved under different spatial resolutions to match the resolution of dust models and thus can help improve the simulations of dust climatology and seasonal cycle as well as dust forecasting.


This article presents a novel approach to the diagnosis of unbalanced faults in a trolling motor under stationary operating conditions. The trolling motor being typically of that used as the propulsion system for an unmanned surface vehicle, the diagnosis approach is based on the use of discrete wavelet transforms as a feature extraction tool and a time-delayed neural network for fault classification. The time-delayed neural network classifies between healthy and faulty conditions of the trolling motor by analysing the stator current and vibration. To overcome feature redundancy, which affects diagnosis accuracy, several feature reduction methods have been tested, and the orthogonal fuzzy neighbourhood discriminant analysis approach is found to be the most effective method. Four faulty conditions were analysed under laboratory conditions, where one of the blades causing damage to the trolling motor is cut into 10%, 25%, half and then into full to simulate the effects of propeller blades being damaged partly or fully. The results obtained from the real-time simulation demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed methodology in classifying the different faults faster and accurately.


The mid to lower cervical spine is a common site for compression related injury. In the present study, we determined the patterns of localized strain distribution in the anterior aspect of the vertebral body and in the lateral masses of lower cervical three-segment units. Miniature strain gages were mounted to human cadaveric vertebrae. Each preparation was line-loaded using a knife-edge oriented in the coronal plane that was moved incrementally from anterior to posterior to induce compression-flexion or compression-extension loading. Uniform compressive loading and failure runs were also conducted. Failure tests indicated strain shifting to "restabilize" the preparation after failure of a component. Under these various compressive loading vectors, the location which resulted in the least amount of deformation for a given force application (i.e., stiffest axis) was quantified to be in the region between 0.5- 1.0 cm anterior to the posterior longitudinal ligament. The location in which line-loading produced no rotation (i.e., balance point) was in this region; it was also close to where the vertebral body strains change from compressive to tensile. Strain values from line loading in this region produced similar strains as recorded under uniform compressive loading, and this was also the region of minimum strain. The region of minimum strain was also more pronounced under higher magnitudes of loading, suggesting that as the maximum load carrying capacity is reached the stiffest axis becomes more well defined.


Fluorescent sensors for Hg2+ that combine aggregation-induced emission (AIE) activity of tetraarylethylenes with metal chelating 1,1-bis(2-pyridylethylene) fragments and thiophene/bithiophene substituents have been prepared and characterized. The sensors exhibit red-shifted and enhanced emission in the presence of Hg2+ in aqueous solution while exhibiting little to no change in fluorescence in the presence of other metal ions. Job plot analyses indicate 2 : 1 sensor : Hg2+ binding stoichiometries in solution. 1H-NMR spectroscopy was also employed to investigate solution phase binding interactions between the sensors and Hg(ClO4)2, and a chelated HgI2–bis(pyridyl) complex has been characterized by X-ray crystallography. The limit of detection for Hg2+ was determined to be 48 nM. In contrast, the fluorescence of structurally analogous materials possessing quinoline rings in place of pyridine groups is completely quenched in the presence of Hg(ClO4)2. The high sensitivity and selectivity displayed by these sensors for Hg2+ over other metal ions may enable monitoring of mercury in aqueous environments.


ABSTRACT The protective efficacy of Mycobacterium bovis BCG can be markedly augmented by stable integration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genomic region RD1. BCG complemented with RD1 (BCG::RD1) encodes nine additional proteins. Among them, 10-kDa culture filtrate protein (CFP-10) and ESAT-6 (6-kDa early secreted antigenic target) are low-molecular-weight proteins that induce potent Th1 responses. Using pools of synthetic peptides, we have examined the potential immunogenicity of four other RD1 products (PE35, PPE68, Rv3878, and Rv3879c). PPE68, the protein encoded by rv3873, was the only one to elicit gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing cells in C57BL/6 mice infected with M. tuberculosis. Anti-PPE68 T cells were predominantly raised against an epitope mapped in the N-terminal end of the protein. Importantly, inactivation of rv3873 in BCG::RD1 did not modify CFP-10 and ESAT-6 secretion. Moreover, the generation of IFN-γ responses to these antigens following immunization with BCG::RD1 was independent of PPE68 expression. Taken together, these results show that PPE68 is an immunogenic product of the RD1 region, which does not interfere with the secretion and immunogenicity of CFP-10 and ESAT-6.


The vigorous collision between the Eurasian plate and Philippine Sea plate in Taiwan causes a series of imbricate fold and thrust belts to develop at the deformation front. The Chukou Fault (CKF), characterized by a thrust type fault, located in Chiayi County, southwest (SW) Taiwan, is a prominent boundary between the fold-thrust belts and the Western Coastal Plain. Most of the seismicity in SW Taiwan is associated with this fault and its neighboring fault systems. The seismotectonic structures in the CKF zone, especially in the east, are complex due to the interactions among fault systems with distinct slip motions. To gain better insights into the seismogenic characteristics in the CKF zone, we used 1661 microearthquakes recorded by a temporary dense broadband seismic network and the Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network (CWBSN) between 2003 and 2004 to investigate the physical properties of the crust in the CKF zone. A waveform cross-correlation technique was applied to 143086 pairs of waveform data to determine the relative differential travel time between the P- and S-waves. By combining both the absolute and relative differential travel time data, we were able to obtain a new 3-D crustal P-wave velocity structure and Vp/Vs ratios. This study suggests that by using both absolute and relative differential travel time data in tomographic inversion can obtain precise 3-D velocity images and also gain better correlation between seismic events and fault structures, which is crucial for understanding the seismogenic process in our study area.


"Re-powering" refers to the process of replacing older power stations with ones that are more efficient and more powerful, but the term also lends itself to market design. To facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy, electricity markets will need to be "re-powered": older market frameworks must be replaced with ones suitable for decarbonisation while ensuring a secure electricity supply. Market rules need to be modernised and better matched with lowcarbon policies while keeping the same overall market architecture.
Re-powering electricity markets can be done in several ways, depending on the existing market design or regulatory framework. Changes can be as limited as increasing the temporal or geographical resolution of existing markets or putting a price on scarcity, or as extensive as creating short-term markets and incorporating policies to increase renewables and reduce carbon emissions as part of a consistent market framework.
Re-Powering Markets brings together today's best practices in new electricity market design and details the most effective and efficient ways for re-powering electricity markets to address the 21st century challenges of transitioning to low-carbon electricity.


This paper analyses the costs and benefits of a fiscal reform designed to simultaneously increase environmental quality and employment. The investigation is carried out using an econometric general equilibrium model in which the labour market is unionised and segmented, i.e. in which demand, supply and the wages formation process for skilled and unskilled workers are explicitly modelled. This allows us to simulate the implementation in European countries of a harmonised carbon tax whose fiscal revenue in each country is re-cycled to reduce the gross wages of unskilled workers only rather than those of the whole labour force. This paper describes first the theoretical features of the segmented labour market which have been developed and then shows the estimates of the labour market equations. The effects of the double-dividend policy reform previously described are analysed and then compared with those of the traditional and simpler environmental fiscal reform in which the fiscal revenue is used to reduce the gross wages of all workers. We will show that (i) the "green" fiscal reform is more effective, in terms of employment gains, when the fiscal revenue is used to reduce gross wages of all employed workers as a mild substitutability relationship among skilled and unskilled workers is identified, (ii) the employment dividend increases when the tax reform is carried out in a co-operative way i.e. equalising through international co-operation its marginal benefits and costs among countries, (iii) if an "employment double dividend" is feasible in the short-run, a trade-off employment/environment remains in the longer term.


Major limitations of our present knowledge of the global distribution of CO2 in the atmosphere are the uncertainty in atmospheric transport and the sparseness of in situ concentration measurements. Limb viewing spaceborne sounders such as the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE-FTS) offer a vertical resolution of a few kilometres for profiles, which is much better than currently flying or planned nadir sounding instruments can achieve. After having demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining CO2 vertical profiles in the 5-25 km altitude range with an accuracy of about 2 ppm in a previous study, we present here the results of five years of ACE-FTS observations in terms of monthly mean profiles of CO2 averaged over 10 degrees latitude bands for northern mid-latitudes. These results are compared with in-situ aircraft measurements and with simulations from two different air transport models. Key features of the measured altitude distribution of CO2 are shown to be accurately reproduced by the ACE-FTS retrievals: variation in altitude of the seasonal cycle amplitude and extrema, seasonal change of the vertical gradient, and mean growth rate. We show that small but significant differences from model simulations could result from an over estimation of the model circulation strength during the northern hemisphere spring. Coupled with column measurements from a nadir viewing instrument, it is expected that occultation measurements will bring useful constraints to the surface carbon flux determination.


Context. A majority of massive stars are part of binary systems, a large fraction of which will inevitably interact during their lives. Binary-interaction products (BiPs), that is, stars affected by such interaction, are expected to be commonly present in stellar populations. BiPs are thus a crucial ingredient in the understanding of stellar evolution.
Aims. We aim to identify and characterize a statistically significant sample of BiPs by studying clusters of 10 − 40 Myr, an age at which binary population models predict the abundance of BiPs to be highest. One example of such a cluster is NGC 330 in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Methods. Using MUSE WFM-AO observations of NGC 330, we resolved the dense cluster core for the first time and were able to extract spectra of its entire massive star population. We developed an automated spectral classification scheme based on the equivalent widths of spectral lines in the red part of the spectrum.
Results. We characterize the massive star content of the core of NGC 330, which contains more than 200 B stars, 2 O stars, 6 A-type supergiants, and 11 red supergiants. We find a lower limit on the Be star fraction of 32 ± 3% in the whole sample. It increases to at least 46 ± 10% when we only consider stars brighter than V = 17 mag. We estimate an age of the cluster core between 35 and 40 Myr and a total cluster mass of 88−18+17 × 103 M⊙.
Conclusions. We find that the population in the cluster core is different than the population in the outskirts: while the stellar content in the core appears to be older than the stars in the outskirts, the Be star fraction and the observed binary fraction are significantly higher. Furthermore, we detect several BiP candidates that will be subject of future studies.


In this thesis a novel multiresolution approach for note detection in a polyphonic mix is proposed. The idea is to use a set of wavelets whose lengths are adapted to the theoretical fundamental period of musical notes. Using the typical wavelet dyadic decomposition we can generate a set of wavelets that match the fundamental frequency (F0) of a given note in every octave. Therefore, using a set of 12 different wavelets, one per each semitone, we can represent the fundamental frequency of every note in every octave using one wavelet scale per each octave. The magnitude and phase continuity of wavelet coefficients across temporal frames is exploited to draw a special kind of spectrogram, namely Pitch-Synchronous Wavelet Spectrogram (PSWS). When the corresponding F0 and harmonics of a note are present in the signal, a special DC pattern appears in the PSWS, due to the aforementioned continuity. Any other harmonic signal or noise produces pseudo-periodic or random AC patterns. This way, by filtering the AC components, we can identify the DC patterns in the PSWS and state the presence of a given musical note at some moment in time, even if the signal is polyphonic. For the moment, the method only works satisfactorily when the harmonic peaks in the music signal are close to the theoretical position of the frequencies of the musical notes. Some techniques are suggested in order to improve the system and extend it to non-stable pitch musical instruments.


The combination effect of photodegradation-adsorption using the immobilized TiO2 and chitosan supported on glass (TiO2-Chitosan/Glass) under the illumination of light with suitable energy ( hν > Ebg ) as a new method for the treatment or pre-treatment of dye-containing wastewater has been studied. The prepared photocatalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface area and porosimetry analysis and thermogravimetric analysis.
Methyl orange (an anionic dye of the monoazo series) removal was studied based on the effect of TiO2 : Chitosan ratio, photocatalyst loading, initial concentration, light intensity, different light source, temperature and pH. Comparison was also made to dyes with different characteristics, namely methylene blue (a cationic dye) and mixed dyes (a mixture of methyl orange and methylene blue). Methyl orange removal was optimum when the experiment was run using 5 pieces of 4 dip-coated TiO2-Chitosan/Glass (45 mm X 80 mm X 2 mm) and 500 ml of 20 ppm methyl orange solution at 40 °C under the illumination of a 230 V near UV lamp for 6 hours.
About 87.0 % of 20 ppm methyl orange can be removed successfully with approximately 9.2 % removal efficiency attributable to photodegradation process and another 77.8 % attributable to adsorption process. Comparatively, approximately 93.8 % or 18.51 ppm of methylene blue can be removed by applying the same condition with approximately 43.7 % removal efficiency attributable to photodegradation process and another 50.1 % attributable to adsorption process.
The solution pH was found to have a significant and yet complex effect. Solutions with pH 4.0 – 6.0 and 10.0 – 12.0 were found to be the optimum range for methyl orange and methylene blue respectively. In view of the electrostatic attraction between the catalyst and substrates, the ionic characteristic of the dyes is suggested to play an important and selective role in both the photodegradation and adsorption processes. The adsorption of model pollutant solutes on the prepared TiO2-Chitosan photocatalyst surface leads to the effective photodegradation process.
Removal rate of methyl orange and methylene blue were studied based on the integrated form of Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic equations. The photodegradation-adsorption process obeys first order kinetics for the first 60 minutes. After that, it was most likely to be affected by the solution pH and the nature of the photocatalyst. This is obvious based on the effect of pH for MO and MB removal, in which the obtained data cannot fit nicely into the kinetic model or its linearized form.
Although Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GS/MS) coupled with Direct Insertion-Mass Spectrometry (DI/MS) analyses had confirmed the successful break up of methyl orange and methylene blue 'parent molecule', successful destruction of methylene blue aromatic rings is quite difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, the combined photodegradation-adsorption system still appears to be an efficient accelerated removal process of organic pollutants from waste water.


: 16 Context : The pituitary-adrenal axis had historically been considered a representative model for 17 circadian rhythms. A recently developed portable collection device provided the opportunity to 18 evaluate free cortisol profiles using the microdialysis approach in individuals free to conduct their 19 day-to-day activities in their own surroundings. Methods: Two separate experiments were conducted in healthy male volunteers – ten-minutely total 22 and subcutaneous free cortisol were measured for 24-hour period in one and twenty-minutely 23 subcutaneous free cortisol for 72 consecutive hours in free-living individuals in the other experiment. Results : The characteristic circadian rhythm was evident in both serum total and subcutaneous free cortisol with the lowest levels being achieved and maintained in the hours surrounding sleep onset with peak levels occurring in every individual around waking. In all free-living individuals, the circadian rhythm was consistent across 72-hours despite a wide range of activities. All participants also showed increased cortisol following the consumption of lunch. The lowest levels during all 24 30 hour periods were observed during the hours following lights switch-off, at the onset of sleep Conclusions : This is the first study to show up to three consecutive 24-hour measurements of subcutaneous free cortisol in healthy individuals. This, we believe is a landmark study that paves the way for ambulatory monitoring of free cortisol profiles continuously up to a period of 72 hours in a free-living individual going about their day to day activities whether in health or in diseases involving the HPA axis.


Abstract. High local groundwater flow into rock tunnels may lead to a potential hazard and is an important factor influencing construction time and costs. Geological features such as fault zones and open fractures can be the source of very high local groundwater inflows. Having a reliable estimation of location groundwater inflows is essential before excavation of tunnels. To reduce the costs and time of field works, remote sensing investigations can be a good solution. The main aim of the present study is to propose a methodology for detecting the geomorphic markers of cuesta in the high local groundwater inflow to Nosoud tunnel using the satellite imagery data. For this purpose, a reflectance image from the ASTER satellite sensor was used. Our Experiments show that cuesta springs, caused by hydraulic fracturing, can be detected using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) map, computed on the ASTER image, and analyzing the topographic and morphometric features of the area. Moreover, observations in tunnel excavation stage showed that crossing through open fractures in hard and thick layers is the major cause of water inflow into the tunnel, which corresponds to the surface hydrogeological evidences obtained from the ASTER image.


Transcriptional activation in eukaryotic organisms normally requires combinatorial interactions of multiple transcription factors. In most cases, the precise role played by each transcription factor is not known. The upstream activating sequence (UAS) elements of glycolytic enzyme genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are excellent model systems for the study of combinatorial interactions. The yeast protein known as Rap1p acts as both a transcriptional repressor and an activator, depending on sequence context. Rap1p-binding sites are found adjacent to Gcr1p-binding sites in the UAS elements of glycolytic enzyme genes. These UAS elements constitute some of the strongest activating sequences known in S. cerevisiae. In this study, we have investigated the relationship between Rap1p- and Gcr1p-binding sites and the proteins that bind them. In vivo DNA-binding studies with rap1ts mutant strains demonstrated that the inability of Rap1p to bind at its site resulted in the inability of Gcr1p to bind at adjacent binding sites. Synthetic oligonucleotides, modeled on the UAS element of PYK1, in which the relative positions of the Rap1p- and Gcr1p-binding sites were varied prepared and tested for their ability to function as UAS elements. The ability of the oligonucleotides to function as UAS elements was dependent not only on the presence of both binding sites but also on the relative distance between the binding sites. In vivo DNA-binding studies showed that the ability of Rap1p bind its site was independent of Gcr1p but that the ability of Gcr1p to bind its site was dependent on the presence of an appropriately spaced and bound Rap1p-binding site. In vitro binding studies showed Rap1p-enhanced binding of Gcr1p on oligonucleotides modeled after the native PYK1 UAS element but not when the Rap1p- and Gcr1p-binding sites were displaced by 5 nucleotides. This work demonstrates that the role of the Rap1p in the activation of glycolytic enzyme genes is to bind in their UAS elements and to facilitate the binding of Gcr1p at adjacent binding sites.


We address nonlocal nonlinear solitons in a lattice consisting of two different semi-infinite periodic lattices imprinted in a nonlocal nonlinear medium. We study in detail the existence and stability of these solitons using bandgap structures. We discover that surface solitons are unstable when modulation has a step on the heterointerface of two different semi-infinite periodic lattices, and there are different types of solitons for "no modulation step" when the input beam exists at different positions.


Background: Self-medication is a common practice worldwide, particularly among adolescents and University students, and the irrational use of medicines is a cause of concern Objectives: To assess students' practices, knowledge, awareness and the reasons behind self-medication at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 June until 31 August (2015) at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The study recruited 503 students of all academic years (349 medical and 154 non-medical students). The data were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data and data about students' practice, attitude and reasons behind the use of self- medication. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. The level of statistical significance was defined as P ≤ 0.05. Results: The prevalence of self-medication among the studied students was 64.8% (326 out of 503 students), and there was significant difference by students' faculty, study year and family structure. The prevalence was higher among medical (66%), final years (75%), female (65.5%), and students living alone (77.8%). The selfmedication students reported that they used un-prescribed medication to treat headache (35.9%), sore-throat and upper respiratory tract infections (42.9%), fever (14.1%), GIT problems (5.9%), and skin problems 91.2%). The most important self- medications used by students were analgesics (60.3%), antibiotics (30.6%), antipyretics (5.6%), vitamins (3.4%), and antihistamines (1.1%). The main source of information about medicines was the study books and learning experiences. The experience in self-medication was the most important reason of using self-medication in the studied students. However, most of the students (medical and non medical) reported non-favorable attitude towards self-medication and suggested health education and legislation to stop this phenomenon among university students. Conclusions: The study finding revealed a high prevalence rate of self-medication among the studied students. The study findings address the crucial need to develop structured health education programs to prevent growing


This paper aimed to assess quality of colonoscopy reports and determine if physicians in practice were already documenting recommended quality indicators, prior to the publication of a standardized Colonoscopy Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS) in 2007. We examined 110 colonoscopy reports from 2005-2006 through Maryland Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. We evaluated 25 key data elements recommended by CO-RADS, including procedure indications, risk/comorbidity assessments, procedure technical descriptions, colonoscopy findings, specimen retrieval/pathology. Among 110 reports, 73% documented the bowel preparation quality and 82% documented specific cecal landmarks. For the 177 individual polyps identified, information on size and morphology was documented for 87% and 53%, respectively. Colonoscopy reporting varied considerately in the pre-CO-RADS period. The absence of key data elements may impact the ability to make recommendations for recall intervals. This paper provides baseline data to assess if CO-RADS has an impact on reporting and how best to improve the quality of reporting.


Although very different in many respects, the EU and Canada nevertheless confront common problems in certain areas. One such common problem is how to manage inter-state regulatory diversity within a federal (or federal-like), multinational system. This paper compares the different ways in which the EU and Canada have chosen to address the problem of national barriers to trade within their internal markets, and the consequences of these choices. It is somewhat counterintuitive for EU lawyers that a full-fledged state may have an internal market that is less integrated than that of the EU; and yet that is the case in Canada. The comparison is illuminating as to the different possible approaches of federal polities to the problem of state regulatory choices and barriers to trade, the paramount importance of institutional choice, and the significance of historical and political circumstances.


The internalizing and externalizing dimensions of psychopathology have been shown to
effectively identify groups that are at higher risk for experiencing certain forms of
psychopathology. Many studies have shown that chronic physical health conditions are a
risk factor for psychological distress, yet there has been very little research examining the
association between chronic physical health conditions and dimensional models of
psychopathology to date. In the present study we examined the factor structure of
internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of adults with postural orthostatic
tachycardia syndrome (POTS; n =172) and in a sample of adults without any chronic
illness diagnoses (n = 199). Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that psychological
distress in individuals with POTS can be effectively characterized by an internalizing
dimension composed of distress and fear subcomponents as well as an externalizing
dimension. Tests of measurement invariance allowed for the examination of latent means,
which showed that individuals with POTS tend to have higher scores on the internalizing
dimension and lower scores on the externalizing dimension than healthy controls.
Regression analyses suggested that within the sample of people with POTS, those who
were more accepting of their illness and had higher health related quality of life tended to
have lower scores on the internalizing dimension. Findings suggest that individuals with
POTS are at heightened risk for experiencing internalizing symptoms of psychopathology. A dimensional conceptualization of psychopathology seems like an
effective way to identify symptoms of psychopathology that are separate from symptoms
of autonomic nervous system dysfunction.


I recently published this essay on CircleID on my thoughts on ICANN's recent decision to launch .XXX and the larger new gTLD program this year. Among other observations, I describe how .XXX marks a historical inflection point, where ICANN's board formally abandoned any responsibility to present an understanding of the ramifications of probable negative externalities ("harms") in setting its policies. That ICANN chose to relinquish this responsibility puts the U.S. government in the awkward position of trying to tighten the few inadequate controls that remain over ICANN, and leaves individual and responsible corporate citizens in the unenviable yet familiar position of bracing for the consequences.


We report on modeling, development, and optical characterization of fused silica photonic crystal fiber with germanium doped microinclusion placed in the middle of the core. The fiber is designed to efficiently couple and guide LP02 mode. It offers high optical density in the center region, large mode separation, low losses, and small dispersion with relatively flat profile for both LP01 and LP02 modes in 1-1.6 µm wavelength range. We demonstrate that by changing geometrical and material parameters of the inclusion partially independent tuning of propagation constants of individual modes is possible, what might be found is a variety of potential applications, e.g., in nonlinear optics. We also show that diffraction-limited propagation of LP02 mode in free space can be exploited in microscopy or lab-on-a-chip systems, where the proposed fiber can be used for light delivery.


With the growing applications of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in many areas, their recycling becomes a necessary task. Although great effort has been made in LIB recycling, there remains an urgent need for green and energy-efficient approaches. Here we report a non-destructive approach to regenerate cathode materials by hydrothermal treatment of cycled electrode particles followed by short annealing. Unlike the conventional chemical leaching or solid-state synthesis approach, which either requires complicated steps of leaching, precipitation and waste treatment or relies on the chemical analysis of the Li/Co ratio from cell to cell, our non-destructive approach is much simpler and more environmentally friendly, and can easily process batteries with different capacity degradation conditions. In addition, the regenerated LiCoO2 particles can retain their original morphology and structure, and provide high specific capacity and cycling stability. Importantly, they show much better rate capability than particles regenerated through the solid-state synthesis approach. Our work demonstrates a greener, simpler and more energy-efficient strategy to recycle and regenerate faded LiCoO2 cathode materials with high electrochemical performance. This approach can be widely used to recycle and regenerate LiCoO2 cathodes on a large scale, and can be potentially applied to other types of cathode materials in LIBs and mixed cathode chemistry.


An increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) has been associated with acute, prolonged bouts of strenuous of exercise, as well as with strenuous training and overtraining syndrome. It has been assumed that the increased incidence of infection is associated with high volume/intensity training, resulting in immunosuppression. Although many aspects of immune function have been monitored, no cohesive pattern concerning alterations in immune function has emerged. The purpose of the present paper is to propose that the recent understanding of the dichotomy of T-helper (Thp) precursor lymphocytes into Th1- and Th2-effector lymphocytes may be applied to this field of research to provide a comprehensive explanation of alterations that may occur in response to strenuous exercise and the increased incidence of URTI. The dichotomy of Th-lymphocytes into Th1- or Th2- lymphocytes is dependent on the prevailing cytokine pattern. Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-4 drives Tp-lymphocytes to a Th2/humoral response (HI), while IL-12 and interferon (IFN)γ drives Tp-lymphocytes to a Th1/cell mediated (CMI) response. The up-regulation of Th2/HI results in suppression of Th1/CMI, which would place the athlete at risk for URTI. Information gleaned from several exercise studies is suggestive of a post-exercise Th 2-lymphocyte response, with elevated levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-4, and an absence of type 1 cytokines (IL-12 and IFNγ ). The scenario of increased HI and suppressed CMI would provide an explanation for increased incidence of URTI after strenuous exercise. Recommendations are made to examine this postulate.


The long geological history of passive margin evolution is complex yet typified by an initial ramp‐like tilting of the subaerial surface toward the continent‐ocean boundary, followed by episodic uplift and subsidence at a smaller wavelength. We argue that this behavior is due to changes in margin structure brought about by buoyancy‐driven lithospheric flow. Continental lithosphere is melt‐depleted, buoyant, and thick. It will resist convective breakdown into the asthenosphere below, but will be prone to lateral flow due to horizontal density contrasts. Changes in lithosphere thickness at the transition between continent and ocean will nucleate convection cells. Using a numerical model of viscous upper mantle flow, we show that stability or instability of the continental lithosphere at a passive margin is a function of the lithospheric rheology and composition. Increased compositional buoyancy leads to oceanward lateral flow of the continental lithosphere whereas decreased buoyancy has the opposite effect, causing landward lateral flow of the continental lithosphere. In model simulations, a continental lithosphere thought typical of Phanerozoic continental platforms experiences first a margin‐wide ramp‐like tilting, followed by topographic fluctuations due to an evolving array of convection cells in the mantle. The timing and magnitude of predicted changes in topography are similar to those observed at the eastern North American margin, suggesting that the tilting and episodic uplift and subsidence at continental passive margins are a natural consequence of the evolution of continental lithosphere after breakup and during mature seafloor spreading.


This chart shows the evolution of political party systems in the U.S. from 1896 to 1929. Each "party system" is a roughly defined time period in which two major political parties, each with fairly consistent supporters and beliefs, dominated the political scene. The colored lines represent organized parties that had a significant impact on national politics, electing members of Congress or receiving more than 1% of the vote for President. Where the lines merge and split, parties split or party affiliations changed dramatically in a short period of time. Presidential candidates are also listed for each party.


In reactive synthesis, the goal is to automatically generate an implementation from a specification of the reactive and non-terminating input/output behaviours of a system. Specifications are usually modelled as logical formulae or automata over infinite sequences of signals (ω-words), while implementations are represented as transducers. In the classical setting, the set of signals is assumed to be finite. In this paper, we consider data ωwords instead, i.e., words over an infinite alphabet. In this context, we study specifications and implementations respectively given as automata and transducers extended with a finite set of registers. We consider different instances, depending on whether the specification is nondeterministic, universal or deterministic, and depending on whether the number of registers of the implementation is given or not. In the unbounded setting, we show undecidability for both universal and nondeterministic specifications, while decidability is recovered in the deterministic case. In the bounded setting, undecidability still holds for nondeterministic specifications, but can be recovered by disallowing tests over input data. The generic technique we use to show the latter result allows us to reprove some known result, namely decidability of bounded synthesis for universal specifications.


We study correlations in fermionic systems with long-range interactions in thermal equilibrium. We prove a bound on the correlation decay between anti-commuting operators based on long-range Lieb-Robinson type bounds. Our result shows that correlations between such operators in fermionic long-range systems of spatial dimension $D$ with at most two-site interactions decaying algebraically with the distance with an exponent $\alpha \geq 2\,D$, decay at least algebraically with an exponent arbitrarily close to $\alpha$. Our bound is asymptotically tight, which we demonstrate by numerically analyzing density-density correlations in a 1D quadratic (free, exactly solvable) model, the Kitaev chain with long-range interactions. Away from the quantum critical point correlations in this model are found to decay asymptotically as slowly as our bound permits.


The comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) has been identified as an effective strategy for increasing opportunities for physical activity (PA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). The goal of a CSPAP is to provide a variety of schoolbased PA opportunities that enable students to meet the daily recommendation of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA (NASPE, 2008; SHAPE America, 2015a). Although recent research has provided preliminary insight into the implementation of CSPAP components, it is still unclear how much of the CSPAP is being implemented in schools and the extent to which CSPAP contributes to student PA outcomes (Hunt & Metzler, 2017). Guided by three theoretical frameworks: (a) the CSPAP model (CDC, 2013), (b) the social ecological model (Sallis, Owen, & Fisher, 2008) and (c) the diffusion of innovations theory (Rogers, 2003), the overarching purpose of this study was to provide additional insight into CSPAP adoption in P-12 schools within the United States and gain a better understanding of the factors inhibiting or facilitating the process. Physical education (PE) teachers (N = 72) from 28 states responded to an electronic survey assessing CSPAP adoption trends in relation to a myriad of contextual variables. Many teachers reported successful implementation of the CSPAP components, but similar to a previous baseline CSPAP survey (AAHPERD, 2011), very few schools provided the full five component CSPAP. Effective CSPAP programming was most commonly reported to be facilitated (and inhibited) at the organizational (school) level. Relevant facilitators consisted of having sufficient resources, having support from administration and staff, as well as teaching in a positive climate and culture conducive to promoting PA programming. The most salient inhibitors consisted of a perceived lack of support, buy-in, and accountability from stakeholders at various levels, and insufficient resources to effectively run programming. Findings related to common facilitators and inhibitors can be used to inform teachers, as well as assist in training and professional development for CSPAP. The results of this exploratory study contribute additional empirical support for establishing CSPAP as a viable conceptual framework and provide a foundation for future related research endeavors. INDEX WORDS: Comprehensive school physical activity program, Physical activity, Physical education, Public health A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOPTION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM IN


The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has established a suite of methods that use coastal invertebrate species as bioassay organisms to test industrial and domestic effluent as well as coastal waters for potential toxicity. Although these methods are used globally, the potential of such toxicity tests has not been adequately explored for South African coastal waters. This study serves to describe a simple, cost-effective and relatively quick testing procedure using the development of Haliotis midae larvae as a bioassay of coastal water quality. This test is based on the sensitivity of these larvae to low concentrations of zinc (Zn). Its performance in a field trial demonstrates not only that this test has the potential to identify coastal waters of poor quality, but also that such identification could be of value in attempts to restock natural abalone populations, which are under extreme pressure from legal and illegal exploitation. Further work in this line should focus on the refinement of the methodology for this and other local species and should aim to contribute to the development of suitable criteria for the management of coastal water quality in South Africa.


In order to explore phylogenetic relationships among six Mediterranean species of theMugilidae family namely,Mugil cephalus, Chelon labrosus, Liza aurata, Liza ramada, Liza saliens and Oedalechilus labeo, polymorphismsequence ofmitochondrial (16S rRNA, COI, CytB and 12S rRNA) and nuclear (5S DNA and Rhodopsin) gene were analysed. Phylogenetic trees built are in agreement with previous studies but the overall data set provide the finest picture of phylogenetic relationships among these species. Mugil appear as the most derivative genus among studied genera (Liza, Chelon, Oedalechilus) which is in agreement with morphometric specificity of Mugil. In contrast, our data disagree with a close relationship of Oedalechilus with Chelon. Last, our results using as well the mitochondrial as the nuclear markers corroborate previous studies that question the validity of Chelon labrosus and confirm that this species belong to the Liza genus.


The present study focuses on applying Pinch Analysis to an industrial milk evaporator case study. Modern milk evaporators are typically integrated using both mechanical and thermal vapour recompression technologies as the primary means for attaining a high level of energy efficiency. A significant step change in energy efficiency for milk evaporators is achieved in this study by modifying the set-up of the concentration processing pathway in combination with an improved heat exchanger network design. To effectively perform the Pinch Analysis, a validated mass and energy balance model of the milk evaporator case study has been implemented in an Excel spreadsheet from which appropriate stream data may be extracted. In particular the Grand Composite Curve plays a critical role in identifying where vapour recompression units, which are a type of heat pump, may be applied to reduce thermal energy use by as much as 67 %, which represents an annual utility cost saving between 640 – 820 k$/y.


In the study reported in this thesis sociological theories were used to underpin an investigation into the organisation and delivery of community mental health care. Set against a background of accelerating change in the wider, macro-level, system of mental health work ethnographic data were first generated relating to the meso-level organisation of interagency services in two contrasting study sites. In each site interviews, observations and documentary analysis were also used to generate data relating to the micro-level care delivered to three exemplar service user case study subjects over a four to five month period. Macro-level public services modernisation was triggering sustained upheaval at the meso-level at which local services were planned, commissioned and provided. Complex structural, historical and people-related factors combined together to both help and hinder efforts to reconstitute local systems of work. Case study data were drawn on to examine the micro-level roles and responsibilities of paid and unpaid workers and the unfolding of complex service user trajectories, as these were played out in the two contrasting meso-level contexts. Findings exemplify the degree to which roles are realised in specific, interactive, workplaces. The work of psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, clinical psychologists, general practitioners, pharmacists, health and social care assistants and unpaid lay carers and service users was found to be highly sensitive to local particularities and to the 'lines of impact' running between macro, meso and micro-levels. Features with consequences for the work of particular groups included: team composition and history relative resource availabilities and arrangements for the funding of particular types of work progress on the agreement of formal policies and procedures spatial and temporal organisational factors the localised exercise of occupational jurisdictional authority differentiations and non-differentiations of roles and responsibilities made by recipients of services and personal factors, including individual practitioners' levels of knowledge and skill.


The flow and fracture of engineering materials is controlled by microstructural features as well as the imposed stress state. This paper reviews ongoing work on a number of Nb based systems where the effects of systematic changes in microstructure and stress state on the flow, fracture, and fatigue behavior are being determined. Experiments utilizing notched and fatigue precracked specimens, as well as smooth specimens tested over a range of temperatures from 77K to 773K are described. In-situ fracture experiments conducted inside a scanning electron microscope are also described in order to delineate the sequence of deformation and fracture events occurring in both intermetallic and metallic glass composites, which utilize Nb or a Nb phase as a toughening constituent. In particular, Nb-Nb Silicide composites will be covered and a comparison to the behavior of some other high temperature systems will be provided to highlight some of the potential benefits and problems provided by using Nb/Nb alloys as a toughening constituent. The paper concludes with a summary of more recent work where Nb/Nb alloys have been used to beneficially change the properties of bulk metallic glasses.


Most common property resource (CPR) collection in developing countries occurs in imperfect market environments, in which endogenous prices link the economic returns in non-resource activities (i.e., agriculture) with effort supplied to CPR collection. A model of an imperfectly integrated rural household demonstrates the theoretically ambiguous connection between agricultural productivity and resource collection. Using unique panel data from rural Mexico, we find evidence that households with higher agricultural efficiency supply less labor to CPR collection. Interventions that raise agricultural productivity thus may complement resource conservation efforts.


For decades, the American criminal justice system has been engaged in a "war on drugs" that critics say cannot be won. The enthusiasm for that war has been flagging for some time; a 1989 issue of the Quarterly (then called QQ) featured an article by Claudia Mills titled "The War on Drugs: Is it Time to Surrender?" In amateur and professional sports, however, the war on performance-enhancing drugs has been steadily escalating in recent years. Major doping scandals have roiled several sports, and drug testing has become ever more stringent. Yet at the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where concerns about doping were pervasive, a few voices called for surrender. Some commentators argued that the war on doping was futile, since the technological sophistication of the dopers would always outstrip, if only for a few critical weeks or months, the capacity to detect their work. Others, however, argued that even if the war could be won, it wouldn't be worth fighting. As John Tierney wrote in the New York Times, "We all know the body can be improved. We all know Olympic athletes have the highest-functioning bodies in the world. They can call themselves natural, just as they used to call themselves amateur, but at some point that claim may seem the most unnatural thing of all." To bolster his case, Tierney noted that the fans themselves include people "with laser-corrected eyes, chemically whitened teeth and surgically enhanced anatomies. Not to mention the pharmacopeia coursing through our veins." These are still minority opinions. Just a year before the Olympics began, Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's lifetime home run record to a chorus of denunciation from sports pundits for his reported steroid use. Several months later, that chorus grew even more strident with the release of the Mitchell Report on doping in professional baseball, which gave Bonds lots of company and his detractors a surfeit of new targets. Along with cycling, the subject of frequent scandals involving widespread steroid use, baseball has now submitted itself to an intensive regime of drug testing and monitoring. But even in the unlikely event that anti-doping measures are successful in their narrow objective of deterring illegal drug use, they are ill-equipped to deal with a wider range of biotechnological interventions, which may bring far more significant changes in the performance capabilities of athletes. Unlike steroids, whose possession is illegal and whose use is widely regarded as unhealthy, these new technologies, genetic modification in particular, may at some point become legal and safe. Also unlike steroids, these technologies won't all be intended to confer a competitive advantage. Some, like the prosthetic limbs of runner Oscar Pistorius, will be designed to restore function lost to disease or disability; others, especially genetic modifications, will be intended for more general enhancement purposes. And in some cases, such as germline genetic engineering, the interventions will be undertaken not by the athletes themselves, but by their parents. To ban such technologies would be to ban whole classes of athletes, including some who would be incapable of compliance and others who would not be responsible for their enhancements. Moreover, a ban on biotechnological enhancement would be hard to justify or maintain without a ban on other technological enhancements, like the performance-boosting swimsuits that predominated at the Beijing Olympics, and whose cost is bankrupting many small high school and college teams. The attempt to distinguish forbidden from permitted modifications on the basis of their external or internal location, or their natural or artificial character, has proven a particularly futile exercise in casuistry. Rather than criticize recent efforts to make such distinctions, I will just observe that the continuing uncertainty about the grounds for distinguishing forbidden and permitted modifications is likely to undermine the moral authority and practical efficacy of any regulatory regime. …


In France all of the nuclear power plant facilities in service today are pressurized water reactors (PWR). Some parts of the PWR in contact with the primary circuit medium, such as the steam generator tubes (fabricated in nickel base alloy A600) and some reactor core internal components (fabricated in stainless steel 316L), can fall victim to environmental degradation phenomena such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC). In the late 1950's, H. Coriou observed experimentally and predicted this type of cracking in alloys traditionally renowned for their SCC resistance (A600). Just some 20 to 30 years later his predictions became a reality. Since then, numerous studies have focused on the description and comprehension of the SCC phenomenon in primary water under reactor operating conditions. In view of reactor lifetime extension, it has become both critical and strategic to be capable of simulating SCC phenomenon in order to optimize construction materials, operating conditions, etc. and to understand the critical parameters in order to limit the damage done by SCC. This study focuses on the role hydrogen plays in SCC phenomenon and in particular H-material interactions. Hydrogen, from primary medium in the form of dissolved H gas or H from the water, can be absorbed by the alloy during the oxidation process taking place under reactor operating conditions. Once absorbed, hydrogen may be transported across the material, diffusing in the interstitial sites of the crystallographic structure and interacting with local defects, such as dislocations, precipitates, vacancies, etc. The presence of these [local defect] sites can slow the hydrogen transport and may provoke local H accumulation in the alloy. This accumulation could modify the local mechanical properties of the material and favor premature rupture. It is therefore essential to identify the nature of these H-material interactions, specifically the rate of H diffusion and hydrogen trapping kinetics at these defects. Concerning these H-trap site interactions, literature presents very few complete sets of kinetic data; it is therefore necessary to study and characterize these interactions in-depth. This work is composed of two interdependent parts: (i) the development of a calculation code capable to manage these H-material interactions and (ii) to extract the kinetic constants for trapping and detrapping from experimental results in order to fuel the simulation code and create a solid database. Due to the complexity of industrial materials (A600 and SS316L), \enquote{model materials} were elaborated using a series of thermomechanical treatments allowing for the study of simplified systems and the deconvolution of the different possible trapped and interstitial hydrogen contributions. These \enquote{model} specimens were charged with deuterium (an isotopic hydrogen tracer) by cathodic polarization. After charging, specimens were subjected to thermal desorption mass spectroscopy (TDS) analysis where the deuterium desorption flux is monitored during a temperature ramp or at an isotherm. Interstitial diffusion and kinetic trapping and detrapping constants were extracted from experimental TDS spectra using a numerical fitting routine based upon the numerical resolution of the McNabb and Foster equations. This study allowed for the determination of the hydrogen diffusion coefficient in two alloys, Ni base alloy 600 and stainless steel 316L, and the kinetic trapping and detrapping constants at two trap site types, chromium carbides and dislocations. These constants will be used to construct a kinetic database which will serve as input parameters for a numerical model for the prediction and simulation of SCC in PWRs


CXCR4 is a G protein-coupled receptor with excellent potential as a therapeutic target for a range of clinical conditions, including stem cell mobilization, cancer prognosis and treatment, fibrosis therapy, and HIV infection. We report here the development of a fully human single-domain antibody-like scaffold termed an "i-body," the engineering of which produces an i-body library possessing a long complementarity determining region binding loop, and the isolation and characterization of a panel of i-bodies with activity against human CXCR4. The CXCR4-specific i-bodies show antagonistic activity in a range of in vitro and in vivo assays, including inhibition of HIV infection, cell migration, and leukocyte recruitment but, importantly, not the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells. Epitope mapping of the three CXCR4 i-bodies AM3-114, AM4-272, and AM3-523 revealed binding deep in the binding pocket of the receptor.


The notion of interaction is essential to human-computer interaction, yet rarely studied. We use quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how this notion has been used across 35 years of proceedings from the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing (CHI). Using natural language processing, we extract 53,568 occurrences of the word "interaction" across 4,604 papers. In these occurrences, we categorize 2,668 unique words that modify how "interaction" is used in a sentence. We show that the use of "interaction" is both increasing and diversifying, suggesting the importance of the notion, but also the difficulty in developing theory about interaction. Our findings show that styles of interaction are closely associated with changes in technology and that modalities and characteristics of interaction are becoming more of a topic than specific devices or widgets. Interaction qualities, relating to structure, feel, effectiveness, and efficiency, are consistently prominent, and the quality of novelty is increasingly frequent. From this analysis, we identify open questions about interaction, including how to build knowledge across changing technologies, how to work toward a model of quality for interaction, and what the core of a science of interaction could be.


U.S. farmland managed under organic farming systems expanded rapidly throughout the 1990s, and that pace has continued as farmers strive to meet consumer demand in both local and national markets. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented national organic standards on organic production and processing in October 2002, following more than a decade of development, and the new uniform standards are expected to facilitate further growth in the organic farm sector. USDA's organic standards incorporate an ecological approach to farming-cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, ecological balance, and protection of biodiversity. An increasing number of U.S. farmers are adopting these systems in order to lower input costs, conserve nonrenewable resources, capture high-value markets, and boost farm income. This report updates USDA estimates of land farmed with organic practices during 1997 with estimates for 2000 and 2001, and provides new estimates on the number of certified organic operations in each State.