Data redundancy has been used by companies for many year to protect their data. The price for disk space was high and you often needed additional hardand software which was even more expensive. This has changed in the course of time and data redundancy has become more and more interessting also for private users. But most standard redundancy schemes are designed for commercial users and not for private ones. In this thesis we want to present a redundancy scheme designed for the needs of private users. This user group is often more price-sensitive, needs less disk space, has often less experience with storage systems and has no need for increased availability. Another group of users our redundancy scheme is designed for are mobile users. Most common redundancy schemes need additional storage devices which are often impractical for mobile usage due to their size and weight. Our scheme consists of three devices, a main device, a backup device which holds a copy of all data from the main device and a log or delta device which stores all data, that has been modified since the last backup, in a log structure. Our scheme is designed to use a flash memory device like a USB memory stick as log device and therefore we have named it "Flashlog". Such a USB memory stick has a small form factor, is leightweight and consumes very little energy. That makes it perfect for mobile usage. For desktop users the USB flash device can be replaced by faster and bigger flash devices like SSDs.


Many researchers and policy makers have often emphasized the importance of adequate and regular electricity supply towards increasing manufacturing productivity in Nigeria. In line with this, this study was carried out to evaluate the impact of electricity crisis on the manufacturing productivity growth in Nigeria.The variables in the model include, manufacturing productivity index (as dependent variable) while electricity generation, capacity utilization rate, government capital expenditure on infrastructures and exchange rate (represent the independent variables). The study employed the ordinary least square multiple regression to analyze the time series data between 1980 and 2008. The result of the study shows that electricity generation and supply in Nigeria under the reviewed period impacted negatively on the manufacturing productivity growth, due to unnecessary government's spending on non-economic and unproductive sectors.In view of the findings,  the study suggest among others, a reverse of the ugly trend of poor electricity supply through the initiative of independent power project, as proposed by some states in Nigeria. Keywords: Electricity Crisis, Manufacturing, Productivity, Nigeria, 1980-2008.


Context: Mandible is the lower jaw bone providing attachment of muscles of mastication and facial expression and provides pathway for inferior alveolar nerve and vessels. The mandibular ramus is almost vertical in adult but more oblique in old age. The anterior part of ramus can be used as the donor site for reconstruction of small bone defects in the oral and maxillofacial region. A relatively short mandibular ramus may be an important unfavorable anatomic factor in difficult laryngoscopy. The aim of this study was to determine the morphometry of mandibular ramus from various anatomical landmarks in one hundred eighty five dry adult human mandibles. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical type of study was conducted in the department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from July 2010 to June 2011. Morphometry of mandibular ramus was measured with the help of digital sliding calipers. Results: The mandibular ramus was at the same distance from each landmark on both sides demonstrating symmetry. There was no significant difference in the values on the right and left sides of the mandibles. Conclusion: Anatomical knowledge of this study might be useful in certain surgical procedure. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bja.v12i1.22612 Bangladesh Journal of Anatomy, January 2014, Vol. 12 No. 1 pp 14-16


Reduction of the engine vibration and the dynamic forces transmitting from engine to the automotive body structure has always been an important part of automotive research. Automobile engineers face the task of creating a mechanism to absorb these vibrations and provide a smooth ride. The usage of Motor Mounts is the best solution for dampening the effects of vibrations and oscillations. This paper deals with the material selection and finite element analysis for the engine accessory component. This main objective of the analysis is to minimize the weight of the mount bracket. This paper also deals with overall weight reduction of vehicle's engine mounting bracket using different types of materials. The main parameter considered for variation in the behavior of the bracket is material variations. For different materials, the stresses are computed and compared to arrive for the best model under prescribed conditions. In the process of simulation, first the CAD model is created using CATIA V16 tool. The model will be imported to Comsol Multiphysics Software for performing F.E.A. analysis on the model for suitable loading conditions and constraints. The results obtained are used for evaluation of best suitable material for the engine's mounting bracket using the D.F.M.A. methodology.


Humans contain an "organ" composed of 2-6 pounds of bacteria, primarily residing in the gastrointestinal tract, which has gone largely unappreciated until recently. The gastrointestinal microbiome is a dynamic "organ" that performs important physiological functions for its host and can also be a factor in disease. Like almost all living organisms, the gut microbiota regulate many of their changes in cellular activity and behavior over 24-hour cycles known as the circadian clock or rhythm. The microbiome has been shown to rhythmically fluctuate in both community composition and gene expression in a circadian-dependent manor with respect to host feeding schedules. Disruption of the microbiome circadian rhythm is associated with metabolic disease in mice. Furthermore, host immune cells have been shown to respond to the resident microbiota in a circadian-fashion. These findings provide insight to a microbiome feature that may be important for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in the management of metabolic diseases and potentially many others, as well as being involved in how frequent flyers cope with changes in sleep patterns. The microbiome circadian rhythm is a largely underexplored field that will likely have profound implications to both the understanding of how bacterial symbiosis affects human physiology and how manipulation of the microbiome may be translated into therapeutic treatment or diagnostic for human disease(s).


When major incidents occur, whether in the form of natural disasters (for example, Tsunamis, hurricanes) or man-made incidents (such as acts of terrorism or war), there
is an impact on travel flows and patterns. These impacts can be in the form of the volume of tourists that flow to a particular area, the characteristics of those tourists
and/or the expenditure they make whilst there. The time required for destinations to recover from such incidents and the loss of tourism receipts depends upon a variety of
factors such as the nature of the incident, the response of the destination to the incident and the impact that such events have on the travel risk perceptions of tourists. The purpose of this research is to examine the nature,magnitude and direct impacts of a selection of incidents and the time recovery period. Case studies of high profile events such as those that occurred in Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Spain, the UK and the USA have been selected because of the relative importance of the events and, to include a broad range of destination types. The incidents that have occurred will be examined through secondary data drawing
heavily on related journal articles and the analyses of data that are published by the UNWTO, the World Bank and the relevant national governments. The literature analyses will look at the research that academics have undertaken when looking at specific incidents that occurred in the case study areas and in terms of their effects on
tourism in general and to the areas involved. Data from published statistics will be used to examine tourist arrival trends prior to the incidents, immediately following. the incidents and the time period needed for the level of tourism activity to be restored to where it was likely to have been if the incident had not happened. Although the incidents are examined as individual case studies the analyses will also take a chronological approach to examine whether the impacts of major incidents diminishes with exposure to such events. That is, did the earlier terrorist attacks have a greater impact because of their novelty and therefore enhanced shock effect compared with later events even though the latter may have been of greater magnitude? The secondary analyses will also examine aspects such as whether there is a difference in impact if the incidents are specifically targeted at tourists in general rather than tourists of a particular nationality.
Whenever events occur they may influence the perception of travellers in terms of the potential risks they face, related risks and how they may impact on the travel decisions of tourists, particularly non-business or discretionary tourists. There is a variety of risks that may influence the travel decisions of tourists including those relating to physical harm, financial loss and also the risk of dissatisfaction from their travel experience. The different types of risks that may influence travel decisions will be examined together with demographic
characteristics of the travellers in order to explore whether there are differences in risk averseness between travellers from different countries of origin, age groups, gender, education and occupation. This aspect of the analysis will be driven by primary data analysis in the form of a questionnaire (physical and on-line) that uses both quantitative and qualitative instruments to determine travellers' travel-related risk perceptions and identify regions and countries that are felt to be high risk destinations by type of risk. The perceived risks will also be compared with actual risks as identified by insurance company claims data. Although limited in scope, this aspect of analysis will seek to identify whether travel-related risk perceptions mirror actual risks or whether they are driven by other factors such as media coverage of events. Using the man-made risks as the identifier, the regional aspects of travel-related risk will then be focused to one region of the planet in particular. This region is the Middle East plus some selected countries that share the same issues in relation to tourism development. Countries in this area have been beset by man-made incidents that have deterred the development of tourism in spite of the attractiveness of the region in terms of climate, heritage and culture. A comparative analysis is undertaken to look for commonalities and factors that explain the lack of tourism development in some countries. Using the findings from the secondary and primary data analyses the potential future of the region in general and Iran in particular will be examined using the Delphi technique by drawing upon the collective wisdom of some experts in tourism who have an understanding of tourism development in difficult political areas. Finally the research will attempt to pull all of these strands together to see if there are any identifiable guidelines that may help our understanding of travel related risks and whether there are any lessons that can be learned to inform the policy makers in troubled areas.


How do poor nations become rich, industrialized, and democratic? And what role does democracy play in this transition? To address these questions, Jongryn Mo and Barry R. Weingast study South Korea's remarkable transformation since 1960. The authors concentrate on three critical turning points: Park Chung Hee's creation of the development state beginning in the early 1960s, democratization in 1987, and the genesis of and reaction to the 1997 economic crisis. At each turning point, Korea took a significant step toward creating an open access social order.The dynamics of this transition hinge on the inclusion of a wide array of citizens, rather than just a narrow elite, in economic and political activities and organizations. The political economy systems that followed each of the first two turning points lacked balance in the degree of political and economic openness and did not last. The Korean experience, therefore, suggests that a society lacking balance cannot sustain development. "Korean Political and Economic Development "offers a new view of how Korea was able to maintain a pro-development state with sustained growth by resolving repeated crises in favor of rebalancing and greater political and economic openness.


In this chapter, after summarizing the concept and diagnosis of the Joint Hypermo‐ bility (Hyperlaxity), we review case control studies in two directions: Anxiety in Joint Hypermobility and Joint Hypermobility in Anxiety disorders, studies in non‐ clinical samples, review papers, and one incidence study. Collected evidence tends to confirm the strength of the association described two and a half decades ago. Common mechanisms involved include genetics, autonomic nervous system dys‐ functions, and interoceptive and exteroceptive processes. Considering clinical and nonclinical data, pathophysiological mechanisms, and present nosological status, we suggest a new Neuroconnective phenotype in which together around a common core Anxiety-Collagen hyperlaxity, it includes five dimensions: behavioral, psycho‐ pathology, somatic symptoms, somatosensory symptoms, and somatic illnesses. So‐ matic illnesses include irritable bowel, dysfunctional esophagus, multiple chemical sensitivity, dizziness or unsteadiness (central vestibular pattern), chronic fatigue, fi‐ bromyalgia, glossodynia, vulvodynia, hypothyroidism, asthma, migraine, temporo‐ mandibular dysfunction, and intolerances or food and drug hypersensitivity. It is envisaged that new descriptions of anxiety disorders and also of some psychoso‐ matic conditions will emerge and different nosological approaches will be required. prolapse syndrome, interstitial cystitis, sexual dysfunction, dyspepsia, esophageal disorder, irritable syndrome, chronic and annexes;


Chapter one begins with a theoretical description of the electronic structure of the various compounds studied in this thesis, which includes group VI Fischer carbenes, ferrocene and meso-substituted porphyrins. This is followed by an introduction to the principles of photophysics and non-lmear optics. Chapter one finishes with an outline of the experimental techniques of laser flash photolysis and electric field induced second harmonic generation (EFISHG).

Chapter two opens with a literature survey of the photochemistry of Fischer carbene complexes covering the areas of photoinduced CO loss, syn-anti isomerisation and ketene formation. The synthesis of some ferrocenyl chromium and tungsten methoxy Fischer carbene complexes, (CO)5M=C(OMe)Fc and l,r-[(CO)5M=C(OMe)]2Fc (M = Cr, W), is then presented and their photochemistry is investigated m cyclohexane using the techniques of steady state and laser flash photolysis Electrochemical, X-ray crystallographic and EFISHG data are also presented.

An investigation into the photochemistry of some additional ferrocenyl. Fischer carbene complexes containing a vmyl spacer is presented in chapter three Photoinduced CO loss of the complexes (CO)5M=C(OMe)C2H2Fc and (CO)sM=C(Pyrrolidine)C2H2FC (M = Cr, W) is investigated in cyclohexane using the techniques of steady state and laser flash photolysis. The results of photoinduced cistrans isomerisation of the complexes (CO)5M=C(OMe)C2H2Fc and (CO)5M=C(OMe)C2H2Ph (M = Cr, W) are also discussed Electrochemical, X-ray crystallographic and EFISHG data are also included.

Chapter four contains a literature survey of the synthetic techniques for the synthesis of meso-substituted porphyrin compounds covering the development of the area from the early methods of Rothemund and Adler to the modern stepwise techniques of Lindsey et al. The experimental details for the synthesis of some novel thienyl and ferrocenyl porphyrins are reported and their methods discussed.

A photophysical investigation of some novel meso-substituted thienyl porphyrins is presented in chapter 5 using the techniques of electronic absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, laser flash photolysis, time correlated single photon counting and cyclic voltammetry. These novel meso-substituted thienyl porphyrins show some characteristic photophysical properties in contrast to conventional mesosubstituted tetra-aryl porphyrins and may find interesting applications in non-lmear optical materials and other photonic devices.

Chapter six opens with a literature survey of ferrocenyl porphyrins followed by an investigation into the photophysical properties of some novel meso-substituted ferrocenyl/ferrocenmm porphyrins using the techniques of fluorescence spectroscopy, spectro-electrochemistry, laser flash photolysis, time correlated single photon counting and cyclic voltammetry. Efficient quenching of the porphyrin luminescence was observed due to the appended ferrocenyl moiety, which acts as an electron-donor and quenches the Si, S2 and Tt excited states of the porphyrins by an electron-transfer mechanism. On decreasing the electron-transfer efficiency of the iron centre by oxidising the ferrocene moiety to the ferrocemum ion the luminescent properties of the porphyrin ring are switched on again.

Finally chapter seven discusses future work for chapters 2,3,5 and 6. Also the synthesis and properties of some novel thiophene ligands and their ruthenium complexes are presented and their potential applications as non-lmear optical materials for second and third harmonic generation are discussed.

The overall aim of this thesis was to study the photochemistry/photophysics of organometallic donor-acceptor compounds, which incorporated the Fischer carbene unit as an acceptor moiety Ferrocene and porphyrin units were chosen as the donor moieties. The synthesis of porphyrin systems containing the Fischer carbene acceptor group was unsuccessful.


Various approaches have been proposed to detect the R-waves in the ECG. From the derivative-based to more complicated wavelet transform methods, the main goal of these approaches is to extract the R-waves from the perturbations present in the ECG. Our study aims at proposing a simple preprocessing tool that suppresses perturbations and enhances the R-waves in the ECG. Using sliding windows, short- and long-term signal energies are calculated for each sample in the ECG. A coefficient signal is then created as the ratio between the corresponding short- and long-term energies. The enhanced ECG is then calculated by multiplying the coefficient signal and the original ECG. The MIT-BIH database was used for evaluation and the proposed method was tested against synthetic white and EMG noises. Using the proposed method as a preprocessing tool to the classic Pan-Tompkins approach lead to a significant decrease over the number of false positive and false negative QRS complexes, when synthetic noise is added to ECG.


The tentmakers of Cairo or khayamin (derived from the Arabic word for tent, khayam), can demonstrate ongoing engagement with changes in the usage, composition and production of their traditional craft: khayamiya (Egyptian tentmaker appliqué). These changes have resulted in new patronage from quilters, moving khayamiya from a locally marginalised folk product to global recognition as a spectacular Egyptian craft. This collaboration highlights the long-term engagement of nonEgyptian audiences by the tentmakers, who have responded to changing local conditions and attitudes by directing their work to the interests of foreign collectors, rather than the local Egyptian market. In turn, this has prompted new evaluations of their largely unexplored history.1 By reviewing these changes, it will be shown that contemporary khayamiya serve longstanding cultural imperatives that are both Egyptian and nonEgyptian. For over a century the tentmakers have engaged with orientalist imaginations without losing their cultural foundations. Their collaboration with quilters presents a logical continuation of their adaptability to exigencies that has enabled them to sustain their distinctive and diverse craft. In turn, this mutual engagement has resulted in the deeper contextualisation and reappraisal of khayamiya as contemporary craft.


Vanilla ice cream was made with a mix composition of 10.5% milk fat, 10.5% milk SNF, 12% beet sugar, and 4% corn syrup solids. None of the batches made contained stabilizer or emulsifier. The control (treatment 1) contained 3.78% protein. Treatments 2 and 5 contained 30% more protein, treatments 3 and 6 contained 60% more protein, and treatments 4 and 7 contained 90% more protein compared with treatment 1 by addition of whey protein concentrate or milk protein concentrate powders, respectively. In all treatments, levels of milk fat, milk SNF, beet sugar, and corn syrup solids were kept constant at 37% total solids. Mix protein content for treatment 1 was 3.78%, treatment 2 was 4.90%, treatment 5 was 4.91%, treatments 3 and 6 were 6.05%, and treatments 4 and 7 were 7.18%. This represented a 29.89, 60.05, 89.95, 29.63, 60.05, and 89.95% increase in protein for treatment 2 through treatment 7 compared with treatment 1, respectively. Milk protein level influenced ice crystal size; with increased protein, the ice crystal size was favorably reduced in treatments 2, 4, and 5 and was similar in treatments 3, 6, and 7 compared with treatment 1. At 1 wk postmanufacture, overall texture acceptance for all treatments was more desirable compared with treatment 1. When evaluating all parameters, treatment 2 with added whey protein concentrate and treatments 5 and 6 with added milk protein concentrate were similar or improved compared with treatment 1. It is possible to produce acceptable ice cream with higher levels of protein.


Recently, methods for Control Configuration Selection (CCS) using weighted graphs have been introduced. These methods were integrated in a software tool which allows systematic CCS in industry processes by choosing a simplified model with a reduced structure on which control will be based. This paper addresses the extension of these graph-based methods to be applied to integrating systems, which often appear in industry processes, e.g. at storage vessels. The extension is based on restricting the analysis to a set of frequencies of interest which omits the infinite DC-gain. The results are validated and illustrated using a real-life case, namely the secondary heating system of a pulp & paper mill.


Sanquin is a Dutch blood bank. At Sanquin whole blood donors come on walk-in basis. In the near future it is
planned to make an online agenda system. Not all donors will come with an appointment. The aim is to have about
80% of the whole blood donors coming with an appointment, the remaining 20% keeps coming on walk-in basis.
For the agenda system it has to be decided which time slots should be open for donors to make an appointment.
Low waiting times are important to keep the donors satisfied. Therefore two waiting time models are made. The
donation process of whole blood donors and plasma donors is partly the same, the donor streams are mixed. So
plasma donors are also incorporated in the waiting time models. Plasma donors only come with appointment,
this will stay the same in the feature. The first waiting time model models each phase of the donation process
as a non-preemptive M/M/c queue with priorities. Plasma donors already have priority on whole blood donors.
To stimulate appointment making whole blood donors with appointment will have priority on whole blood donors
without appointment. The first waiting time model uses the Laplace-Stieltjes transform of the waiting time. To
get the waiting time distribution the inverse Laplace-Stieltjes transform has to be calculated. This has to be done
numerically, which gives a high computation time. This will be a problem when used in practice. Therefore a
second waiting time model is made, that models each donor class per phase (of the donation process) as an M/M/1
queue. To keep the priorities capacity reservation is done. The results of the waiting time models are used to rate an
appointment schedule. The lower the rate, the better the schedule. To find a good appointment schedule a heuristic
is made to generate schedules. Appointment schedules are generated and evaluated until a good enough schedule
has been found. For both waiting time models the assumption is made that the phases of the blood donation
process are independent, which is not the case in practice. A simulation model is made to verify how good/bad this
assumption is. Also a simulation model is made to get an indication of how the determined appointment schedule
will work out in practice.


In this paper, we describe new methodologies for reinforcing the social consensus building of the multicultural coexistence assistance using participatory simulation in civil societies. In this methodology, both human and intelligent software agents participate in a participatory gaming simulation. They have mutual interactions on the computer network, and accumulate decision-making steps. This simulation, which has mutual interaction between humans and agents, can achieve the gathering and analyzing of beneficial information to solve problems in multicultural civil societies. This type of simulation will help to provide knowledge for the formulation of social consensus, and to create new opportunities for discussion with people with different cultures and social backgrounds.


Proanthocyanidins have a series of heteroflavan-3-ols, (+)-catechin/(−)-epicatechin units, which are linked through a single B-type linkage and a doubly linked A-type linkage. Recently, we have performed the structural characterization of seed shells of the Japanese horse chestnut and fruits of blueberry and cranberry. The molecular sizes of them were higher in the order of blueberry > cranberry > seed shells of the Japanese horse chestnut between the respective fractions. For the analysis of terminal and extension units in those proanthocyanidins, the isolated fractions were subjected to the thiolytic cleavage of the B-type linkages using 1-dodecanethiol, and the resulting degradation products were identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry. These analyses provided fast and good resolution of the degradation products and revealed higher proportions of A-type linkages compared with B-type linkages in both isolated fractions in the order of the seed shells > cranberry > blueberry. Moreover, the isolated fractions with higher molecular sizes and those more abundant in the proportions of A-type linkages were found to be more effective in the inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity. The results suggest that A-type highly polymeric proanthocyanidins are promising for the attenuation of lipid digestion as dietary supplements.


For a brief post-Cold War moment, it seemed as if global division would yield to connectivity as marginal regions would be rewired into the world economy. Instead, the post–9/11 years have seen the spread of ever-larger "no-go zones," seen as constituting a danger especially to Western states and citizens. Contact points are reduced as aid workers withdraw, military operations are conducted from above, and few visitors, reporters, or researchers dare venture beyond the new red lines. Casting an eye on this development while building on anthropology's critical security agenda, this article draws an ethnographic map of "global danger" by showing how perceived transnational threats—terrorism, drugs, and displacement—are conjured, bundled, and relegated to world margins, from the sub-Saharan Sahel to the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Mali, it shows how a relationship by remote control has developed as Western interveners seek to overcome a fundamental dilemma: their deep concern with threats emanating from the danger zone set against their aversion toward entering it. As ambivalent sites of distance and engagement, I argue, such zones are becoming invested with old fantasies of remoteness and otherness, simultaneously kept at arm's length and unevenly incorporated into a world economy of risk.


Air pollution can be a local, regional, or international phenomenon, but when can someone have standing in court to complain about emissions that change the world's climate? The question of standing in a climate change context focuses on one of the central conceptual disputes within standing jurisprudence, namely what should be the role of courts in reviewing action or inaction by administrative agencies when the harm complained of is widely, if not universally, shared. Since everyone breathes and lives in the earth's climate, who can claim particular enough injury to seek redress in court when either the government fails to fulfill its international regulatory obligations mandated by treaty or statutes implementing that treaty, or when members of the regulated community fail to comply with the law?This article will attempt to answer whether, under Supreme Court jurisprudence, a citizen can have standing to challenge a government rule on climate change grounds or challenge a government order approving an emission credit project approval or to enforce project requirements. The answer to this question depends on how the recent Supreme Court standing jurisprudence is understood to define the meaning of "injury in fact," causation and redressability. Must the plaintiff be directly harmed by the pollutant itself, as is the case in the classic nuisance and pollution cases? Or, may the plaintiff complain about the impact of climate change that will be widespread and suffered by all persons where the threatened impact is only a statistical artifact rather than a particular event or effect that is harmful to the plaintiff? Thus, the climate change standing problem goes to the central question of what is injury, how particularized it must be, and is standing to be essentially a constitutionalization of the special injury rule in public nuisance?


Watermarking, the process of embedding data into a multimedia element, can be used primarily for copyright protection and other purposes. The schemes that have recently been proposed modify the pixel values or transform domain coefficients. The Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is a practical numerical tool with applications in a number of signal processing fields including image compression. In an SVD-based watermarking scheme, the singular values of the cover image are modified to embed the watermark data. We propose an optimal SVD-based watermarking scheme that embeds the watermark twice. In the first layer, the cover image is divided into smaller blocks and a piece of the watermark is embedded in each block. In the second layer, the cover image is used as a single block to embed the whole watermark. Layer 1 allows flexibility in data capacity, and Layer 2 provides additional robustness to attacks.


Primary effusion-based lymphoma (EBL) presents as a malignant effusion in a body cavity. The clinicopathologic features and prognosis of primary human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8)-negative EBL remain unclear. We therefore conducted a retrospective study of 95 patients with EBL, regardless of HHV8 status, in Japan. Of 69 patients with EBL tested for HHV8, a total of 64 were negative. The median age of patients with primary HHV8-negative EBL at diagnosis was 77 years (range, 57-98 years); all 58 tested patients were negative for HIV. Primary HHV8-negative EBL was most commonly diagnosed in pleural effusion (77%). Expression of at least 1 pan B-cell antigen (CD19, CD20, or CD79a) was observed in all cases. According to the Hans algorithm, 30 of the 38 evaluated patients had nongerminal center B-cell (non-GCB) tumors. Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNA was positive in 6 of 45 patients. In 56 of 64 HHV8-negative patients, systemic therapy was initiated within 3 months after diagnosis. Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP) or CHOP-like regimens with or without rituximab (n = 48) were the most common primary treatments. The overall response and complete response rates were 95% and 73%, respectively. Three patients did not progress without systemic treatment for a median of 24 months. With a median 25-month follow-up, the 2-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 84.7% and 73.8%. Sixteen patients died; 12 were lymphoma-related deaths. Thus, most EBL cases in Japan are HHV8-negative and affect elderly patients. The non-GCB subtype is predominant. Overall, primary HHV8-negative EBL exhibits a favorable prognosis after anthracycline-based chemotherapy.


An important class of active labor market policy has received little rigorous impact evaluation: immigration barriers intended to improve the terms of employment for domestic workers by deliberately shrinking the workforce. Recent advances in the theory of endogenous technical change suggest that such policies could have limited or even perverse labor market effects, but empirical tests are scarce. We study a natural experiment that excluded almost half a million Mexican 'bracero' seasonal agricultural workers from the United States, with the stated goal of raising wages and employment for domestic farm workers. We build a simple model to clarify how the labor market effects of bracero exclusion depend on assumptions about production technology, and test it by collecting novel archival data on the bracero program that allow us to measure state-level exposure to exclusion for the first time. We reject the wage effect of bracero exclusion required by the model in the absence of induced technical change, and fail to reject the hypothesis that exclusion had no eect on US agricultural wages or employment. Important mechanisms for this result include both adoption of less labor-intensive technologies and shifts in crop mix.


Modern heavy duty industrial gas turbines in combined cycle configuration, with rated efficiencies (at ISO base load) above 60% net LHV, are expected to play a significant role in reducing the carbon footprint of utility scale electricity generation. Even without post-combustion capture, simply switching from coal-fired generation to natural gas-fired generation reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 60% (on a kg per MWh of generation basis). In simple cycle mode, with efficiencies above 40% net LHV and startup times around 20 minutes, 300 to 400+ MW gas turbines can easily serve as peakers to support variable renewable resources, i.e., wind and solar. In this paper, a close quantitative look is taken at the capabilities of gas turbines firing natural gas, hydrogen, or a blend thereof, both in simple and combined cycle configurations. Furthermore, using published data, first-principles calculations, and software simulations, it will be shown that the gas turbine constitutes an efficient and cost-effective technology, with and without carbon capture, as a key player in decarbonization of the electric power sector.


Using panel data from childless respondents of the German Family Panel (pairfam, n=3,802 respondents), this paper investigates whether fertility orientations (biographical orientations with respect to fertility) influence the risk of different partnership transitions among German men and women over the age of 18 (for n=14,572 observation periods between two panel waves). Significant influences are found for both gender and partnership transition types, and are generally stronger among men than women and for the transition to a coresidential as opposed to a romantic partnership. Uncertainty about anticipated fertility has a stronger negative impact on transition risks among men than among women.
Results strongly suggest that the early stages of the partnership formation process are instrumental in terms of future fertility in Germany, at least to some degree. This indicates that a more comprehensive conceptualisation and analysis of fertility within the life course paradigm (as suggested by Huinink/Kohli 2014) should consider the impacts of fertility orientations on life course events in other dimensions, especially among men. Viewed more broadly, the results also underline two factors: the role of agency in coordinating life course dimensions in time and space in order to maximise individual welfare; and the importance of considering the impacts that anticipation of future life course events will have, as suggested by different theoretical approaches.


In a survey carried out in tissue specimens from 638 necropsied cats, 13 cases (2.03%) of feline infectious peritonitis were found. Eight of those (61.53%) were of the effusive or wet form and five had the dry non-effusive form of the disease. Ages of affected cats varied from 2-months to 3 yeas. Twelve affected cats (92.30%) were purebreds, five of these cats (38.47%) came from households with more than one cat and three of them came from the same comercial cat raising facility. The duration of clinical courses were 7-45 days and clinical signs included loss of weight, anorexia, diarrhea, jaundice, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, and neurological disturbances. Necropsy findings, in the wet form included excess of yellowish viscous tanslucent or slightly opaque fluid (50ml-1 liter) in the peritoneal cavity and (in one case) thoracic cavity. Fibrinous exudate covered the serosal surfaces of abdominal organs imparting a whitish, granular, frost-like appearance to them. In the dry form there were multiple granulomatous foci underneath the serosal surface, which extended into the parenchyma of abdominal organs; these findings were particularly prominent in the kidneys. Corneal opacity was observed in one cat. Histologically, there were variable degrees of disseminated piogranulomatous vasculitis and perivasculitis particularly in arterioles. Pyogranulomatous meningitis or meningoencephalitis were observed in three cats with the dry form of feline infectious peritonitis.


The Textile Landscape: A Journey through the Structure of Landscape This is a study in which landscape architecture is theoretically related to the "textile art." It establishes a theoretical analogy of the landscape as a kind of textual manifestation, "the landscape is a textile," and aims to establish new resemblances that show how the landscape and textile arts are related, not only with regards to the elements of composition, or to similarities between the elemental relationships that exist in both these arts, but to how the study of structure and form in the production of textiles may influence our understanding of the textile nature of the landscape. The first part of the research is developing a theoretical analogy between landscape and fabric. The process of making textiles is based on weaving and knitting, operations in which knots obviously play a most important role. The context of the urban landscape can also be viewed as a woven fabric of different threads, where knots are the summit of this interwoven textile. This study shows that the goal of landscape is to knit together the clusters of meaning so that the person can experience the unity that binds up these different qualities. Based on this theoretical analogy, the second part uses the "action research" method which in the context of this study would be a scholarly practice of design, "design-research." Both parts of the research are qualitative inquiry in nature and the qualitative manner of the investigation calls for an inductive investigation rather than a deductive one; theoretical discussions and the design section rely heavily on interpretation of the researcher. Mandana Parvinian


"Jed Johnson: Opulent Restraint "is the first book to" "chronicle the fascinating career, work and times of an interior design superstar whose life was cut short in 1996 by the disastrous explosion of TWA Flight 800. From humble beginnings in Minnesota, Johnson rose to prominence in nineteen-seventies New York, via the Warhol Factory, to the highest echelons of the rarified world of design and decoration. His impressive celebrity client list included Pierre Berge, Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, Richard Gere, and Barbara Streisand. Yet, with success and acclaim, he never lost his shy humility, generous spirit and quiet grace. Through a series of essays, project photographs and personal pictures we trace the influences on his nascent career, his special relationship with Andy Warhol and his magical affect on others. Many never-before-seen photographs are included by important photographers, among them: Cecil Beaton, Francesco Scavullo, Billy Name, Jack Mitchell, John Hall, Elizabeth Heyert and Warhol himself. "Opulent Restraint" is a must have book for every interior design office and for those interested in the fascinating Warhol years in New York. "Interior Design "magazine called Johnson "a great talent" whose "spirit lives on in a stunning legacy of interior design."


Self-assembly is a pervasive natural phenomenon that gives rise to complex structures and functions. It describes processes in which a disordered system of components form organized structures as a consequence of specific, local interactions among the components themselves, without any external direction. Biological self-assembled systems, evolved over billions of years, are more intricate, more energy efficient and more functional than anything researchers have currently achieved at the nanoscale. A challenge for human designed physical self-assembled systems is to catch up with mother nature. I argue through examples that DNA is an apt material to meet this challenge. This work presents:
1. 3D self-assembled DNA nanostructures.
2. Illustrations of the simplicity and power of toehold-mediated strand displacement interactions.
3. Algorithmic constructs in the tile assembly model.


This thesis addresses the key challenge of improving multi-threat RF environment simulator capability and fidelity to the level where most, if not all electronic warfare receiver performance could be adequately proven on ground-based test facilities rather than by expensive and difficult to repeat flight trials. For over 25 years the author has investigated his claim that this could be achieved, enabled by suitably enhanced RF threat simulators. The author's technology development and management leadership has significantly influenced high-fidelity, multi-threat RF emitter scenario simulation capabilities during this period.
The published works and this thesis demonstrate this claim to be justified via the many simulator technology developments he has managed to fruition, those many potential enhancements he has identified, and four further research directions he has proposed. Many prior limitations have been overcome by technological developments and the author considers it likely that most remaining ones will be overcome within the next decade, leaving only those receiver performance verification tests that can only be done in flight to be done via flight test.

When taken as a whole, the 12 published works represent a significant contribution to the body of aerospace knowledge across the domains of survivability, electronic warfare systems and their test and evaluation, and radio/radar frequency threat simulation. Synthesis of those works demonstrates a coherent theme that links improved multi-threat RF environment simulation capability to more affordable, shorter and less risky receiver development programmes, which thereby also offers improved air platform survivability. The key importance of defence sector affordability is also recognised via development, described in the thesis, of a technology prioritisation assessment method to aid decision making on threat simulation fidelity enhancements.

Originality is also demonstrated in the works' and this thesis' development of public release reference material in the sensitive topic area of electronic warfare and test and evaluation, for the education of novices of graduate level and upwards, for the advisement of technical professionals, experienced testers and academics, and for the guidance of programme managers.


The pharmacokinetics of indocyanine green (ICG) following intravenous administration was compared between normal rats and rats with experimentally induced acute hepatic diseases; namely D-galactosamine-intoxicated (GAL) rats, CDl4-intoxicated (CCl4) rats and rats with obstructive jaundice (OJ). The total body clearance of ICG was decreased in all rats with these hepatic diseases, especially in the rats with OJ. Hepatic plasma flow was also decreased in all rats with the three hepatic diseases. The profile of biliary excretion of ICG was characteristic of rats with each hepatic disease. The cumulative biliary excretion of ICG was markedly low in GAL rats, almost unchanged in CCl4 rats and the appearance of ICG was markedly delayed in rats with OJ. The pharmacokinetic analysis of these data showed that the decreased total plasma clearance of ICG in GAL and CCl4 rats results from both lowered influx across the sinusoidal plasma membrane of hepatocytes and the decreased hepatic plasma flow. In rats with OJ, the decreased total plasma clearance results only from a markedly lowered influx across the sinusoidal plasma membrane of hepatocytes without any relation to the decreased hepatic plasma flow. The decreased biliary recovery in GAL rats might relate to the decreased bile flow. The time lag of the appearance of ICG into the bile of rats with OJ was due to its slow efflux across the bile canalicular membrane, in addition to its slow influx across the sinusoidal membrane of the hepatocyte and its remarkably long period of stay in the hepatocyte.


We present a novel crystal structure of the IlvD/EDD family enzyme, l-arabinonate dehydratase from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii (RlArDHT, EC 188.8.131.52), which catalyzes the conversion of l-arabinonate to 2-dehydro-3-deoxy-l-arabinonate. The enzyme is a tetramer consisting of a dimer of dimers, where each monomer is composed of two domains. The active site contains a catalytically important [2Fe-2S] cluster and Mg2+ ion and is buried between two domains, and also at the dimer interface. The active site Lys129 was found to be carbamylated. Ser480 and Thr482 were shown to be essential residues for catalysis, and the S480A mutant structure showed an unexpected open conformation in which the active site was more accessible for the substrate. This structure showed the partial binding of l-arabinonate, which allowed us to suggest that the alkoxide ion form of the Ser480 side chain functions as a base and the [2Fe-2S] cluster functions as a Lewis acid in the elimination reaction.


1 - This paper provides an overview of some of the research activities carried out in the Oristano Lagoon-Gulf system (western Sardinia, Italy) aimed at assessing the ecological quality of a complex transitional-coastal system renowned for its naturalistic and economical value, but subject to an increasing anthropogenic pressure.
2 - Numerical models concerning physical and ecological processes have been applied, including a fully coupled hydrodynamic-ecological model based on the finite element method, suited for application to lagoons and coastal seas. Different scenarios characterized by modified settings of the hydraulic balance between the Gulf of Oristano and the Cabras Lagoon have been considered and numerical simulations have been carried out to predict the evolution of both hydrological and ecological variables within the system under different meteorological forcing.
3 - Parallel investigations on the physical and chemical characteristics of the sediments and macrobenthic assemblages have been conducted in the Cabras Lagoon and the adjacent coastal area of the Gulf of Oristano. These studies have shown a close link between the distribution of organic-C bounding fine sediments (<8 µm grain size fractions) and benthic macroinvertebrates, and the water residence times computed from the model. In the Gulf, the structural and functional importance of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows in sustaining a high biodiversity and as a natural trapping of fine particles is highlighted.
4 - Studies on the effect of hypoxia on ecophysiology, energetics and behaviour have been carried out on the various species of lagoon fishes (Liza aurata, Mugil cephalus and Dicentrarchus labrax), with the specific goal of identifying the thresholds for the effects of hypoxia, a common phenomenon occurring in coastal lagoons, on various physiological and behavioral traits (e.g. swimming energetics, escape performance). The results show that these thresholds ranged from 10 to 50% of air saturation, and were species- and variable-specific.
5 - Our multidisciplinary and ecosystemic approach, applicable to other similar systems, is aimed at supporting local administrations in decision making with regard to the management of the transitional and coastal waters of the Oristano Lagoon-Gulf system within the context of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD; EC, 2000).


We present a formal approach to implement fault-tolerance in real-time embedded systems. The initial fault-intolerant system consists of a set of independent periodic tasks scheduled onto a set of fail-silent processors connected by a reliable communication network. We transform the tasks such that, assuming the availability of an additional spare processor, the system tolerates one failure at a time (transient or permanent). Failure detection is implemented using heartbeating, and failure masking using checkpointing and rollback. These techniques are described and implemented by automatic program transformations on the tasks' programs. The proposed formal approach to fault-tolerance by program transformations highlights the benefits of separation of concerns. It allows us to establish correctness properties and to compute optimal values of parameters to minimize fault-tolerance overhead. We also present an implementation of our method, to demonstrate its feasibility and its efficiency.


Using SPS measures obtained from the SPS Information Management System of the WTO and controlling for zero trade flows, we find that SPS concerns reduce the probability of trade in agricultural and food products consistently. However, the amount of trade is positively affected by SPS measures conditional on market entry. This suggests that SPS measures constitute an effective market entry barrier. Additionally, we split SPS measures into requirements related to (i) conformity assessment, and (ii) product characteristics. Both types of measures are implemented by policy makers to achieve a desired level of health safety, yet, entail diverse trade costs. We find that conformity assessment measures hamper not only the likelihood to trade but also the amount of trade, while measures related to product characteristics do not affect the market entry decision, but have a strong positive impact on the trade volume. This suggests that trade outcomes crucially depend on the measure policy makers decide to implement.


To control the formation process of polymer thin films from polymer solution droplets using inkjet printings, internal flows of the droplets on substrates are studied. In our previous study [1], internal flow of polymer solution droplets receding on a lyophobic surface was experimentally visualized. It was found that the direction of the circulation flow in the droplet depended on the solvent and the initial solute concentration. In particular, the flow direction of polystyrene-anisole solution was reversed as the initial solute concentration increased. In this study, to clarify this reason, the conservation equations of momentum, energy and mass on two-dimensional cylindrical coordinate are numerically solved using a finite element method. The mathematical model considers the free convections derived by the dependencies of the density and surface tension on the solute concentration. As a result, the dependences of the calculated velocities on the initial solute concentration agree qualitatively with the experiments. The mathematical model predicts that double circulation flows appear after a single flow develops at high initial solute concentrations, while double circulations do not develop at low concentrations. It is concluded that the difference between the flow directions investigated experimentally is due to such a change of the flow structure. The distribution of the surface tension on the free surface is also discussed. When a local minimum of the surface tension appears on the free surface, the double circulations develop. According to the result for a low contact angle, the local minimum point shifts toward the axis of symmetry with a lapse of time, and finally erases the double circulations.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Market-driven firms adopt an outside-in management that goes far beyond a simple observation of competitors and understanding of customers' needs, in order to grasp new market opportunities. In this sense, strategic alliances have become increasingly important to the firms' external knowledge access and innovation; firms enter into global networks to share both knowledge and costs and to increase their innovativeness. In this way, as shown in the Philips case, being open to the outside, market-driven firms expand their innovation potential and open innovation becomes a valuable strategy to improve the firm's competitiveness.


In 2011, Somaliland celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its unilateral declaration of independence from Somalia. Though often considered to be the only part of Somalia to be peaceful and have a fully functioning government, the secessionist North-Western region of Somalia has failed to gain full international state recognition. This paper will focus on a number of legal arguments, based both on historical and current events, that will demonstrate that the moment has now arrived for Somaliland to acquire statehood. Specific events relating to Somalia's post-colonial creation as a state will substantiate the argument that Somaliland cannot just be considered an ordinary secessionist state. In addition, the recent independence of South Sudan, Kosovo's unilateral claim for statehood, as well as the 'Arab spring' will provide evidence that the people's right to self-determination has become prevalent under current international law.


Background: REACT-1 is a community survey of PCR confirmed swab-positivity for SARS-CoV-2 among random samples of the population in England. This interim report includes data from the fifth round of data collection currently underway for swabs sampled from the 18th to 26th September 2020. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional surveys of random samples of the population aged 5 years and over in England with sample size ranging from 120,000 to 160,000 people in each round of data collection. Collection of self-administered nose and throat swab for PCR and questionnaire data. Prevalence of swab-positivity by round and by demographic variables including age, sex, region, ethnicity. Estimation of reproduction number (R) between and within rounds, and time trends using exponential growth or decay model. Assessment of geographical clustering based on boundary-free spatial model. Results: Over the 9 days for which data are available, we find 363 positives from 84,610 samples giving a weighted prevalence to date of 0.55% (0.47%, 0.64%) in round 5. This implies that 411,000 (351,000, 478,000) people in England are virus-positive under the assumption that the swab assay is 75% sensitive. Using data from the most recent two rounds, we estimate a doubling time of 10.6 (9.4, 12.0) days covering the period 20th August to 26th September, corresponding to a reproduction number R of 1.47 (1.40, 1.53). Using data only from round 5 we estimate a reproduction number of 1.06 (0.74, 1.46) with probability of 63% that R is greater than 1. Between rounds 4 and 5 there was a marked increase in unweighted prevalence at all ages. In the most recent data, prevalence was highest in the 18 to 24 yrs age group at 0.96% (0.68%, 1.36%). At 65+ yrs prevalence increased ~7-fold between rounds 4 and 5 from 0.04% (0.03%, 0.07%) to 0.29% (0.23%, 0.37%). Prevalence increased in all regions between rounds 4 and 5, giving the highest unweighted prevalence in round 5 in the North West at 0.86% (0.69%, 1.06%). In London, prevalence increased ~5-fold from 0.10% (0.06%, 0.17%) to 0.49% (0.36%, 0.68%). Regional R values ranged from 1.32 (1.16,1.50) in Yorkshire and the Humber to 1.63 (1.42, 1.88) in the East Midlands over the same period. In the most recent data, there was extensive clustering in the North West, Midlands and in and around London with pockets of clustering in other regions including the South West, North East and East of England. Odds of swab-positivity were ~2-fold higher in people of Asian and Black ethnicity compared with white participants. Conclusion: Rapid growth has led to high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in England among all regions and age groups, including those age groups at highest risk. Although there is evidence of a recent deceleration in the epidemic, current levels of prevalence will inevitably result in additional hospitalisations and mortality in coming weeks. A re-doubling of public health efforts is needed to return to a declining phase of the epidemic.


Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Guignardia laricina, a well‐defined and distinguishable fungal species of the family Phyllostictaceae. The pathogen is regulated in Council Directive 2000/29/EC (Annex IAI) as a harmful organism whose introduction into the EU is banned. G. laricina is native to East Asia and causes a shoot blight disease of Larix spp. Major hosts of G. laricina are European larch (Larix decidua) and two North American larch species (Larix laricina (tamarack) and Larix occidentalis (Western larch)). Larix kaempferi (Japanese larch) is reported as susceptible. The only other host in nature is Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), which is reported as an incidental host, but various other conifers have been reported as susceptible following artificial inoculation, including Picea abies. The fungus is not known to occur in the EU but could enter via plants for planting (including artificially dwarfed plants) and cut branches of Larix spp. It could establish in the EU, as hosts are present and climatic conditions are favourable. The pathogen would be able to spread following establishment by natural dissemination of ascospores and pycnospores and by human movement of infected plants for planting. Should the pathogen be introduced in the EU, impacts can be expected in larch forests, plantations and nurseries, leading to reduced tree growth and ecosystem service provision. The key uncertainties concern the current distribution and level of impacts in the native range of the pathogen. The criteria assessed by the Panel for consideration as a potential quarantine pest are met. As the pest is not present in the EU, not all criteria for consideration as a regulated non‐quarantine pest are met.


Vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis involve the change of the rigidity in the blood vessel wall. There is evidence that the changes in the blood vessel rigidity may affect the various functions of the cells in the blood vessel, including endothelial cells (ECs) and the smooth muscle cells. On the other hand, blood vessel-on-a-chip has become an emerging research field for dis-ease modeling. However, the effect of material rigidity on blood vessel remodeling is not well understood. Hereby, an in vitro culture system with the culture substrates matching the rigidity of vessel wall mimicking the condition of healthy (normal) or lipid deposition (soft) were prepared. The stiffness of the substrates was confirmed by atomic force microscope. Although no significant difference was observed in EC morphology, the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL1β), were dramatically induced by soft substrate. Consistently, the inflammation-related JNK signaling was also activated. In addition, the expression level of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) was significantly decreased. Accordingly, mRNA expression level of TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6), the direct target of miR-146a, was significantly increased. In summary, these findings provide new insight into the matrix rigidity effect on ECs; while engineering the blood vessel model in vitro, matrix with proper rigidity can be carefully tailor to mimic ECs either in a quiescent or an inflammation state.


The 1990s has seen an increased awareness of possible environmental effects of corrosion-induced metal release from outdoor constructions. Considerable efforts have been initiated to perform critical assessments of possible risks of selected metals. Gaps of knowledge have been identified and research investigations started. This doctoral thesis is the result of an interdisciplinary research effort in which scientific insight into corrosion, soil chemistry and ecotoxicology has been integrated. The work comprises atmospheric exposure of pure metals and commercial materials for outdoor use. The focus is on release of four metals, copper, zinc, chromium and nickel. Their chemical speciation and bioavailable fraction in metal runoff were determined, both at the release moment and after environmental interaction with, e.g., soil and limestone. Total metal concentrations in runoff are influenced both by material properties (e.g., corrosion product solubility, and specific surface area) and by exposure parameters (e.g., rain volume, intensity, contact time and pollutants). Long-term runoff rates of copper, zinc, chromium and nickel were based on exposures (4-8 years) at standardized conditions (45o inclination facing south) in Stockholm, Sweden. Runoff rates for pure copper range from 1.2 to 1.5 g m-2 yr-1, depending on year. At the copper release moment the potential environmental effect was evaluated using 72 hours growth inhibition test with the green algae Raphidocelis subcapitata. This resulted in a mean value of 15 μg L-1 causing a 50% growth reduction (EC50). Long-term runoff rates for pure zinc range from 1.9 to 2.5 g m-2 yr-1. A considerable variation in average annual runoff rates (0.07-2.5 mg zinc m2yr-1) was observed between different investigated commercial zinc-based materials. An average 72 hour (EC50) value of 69 μg L-1 towards Raphidocelis subcapitata was found for runoff water from zinc-based materials. Long-term runoff rates from stainless steel of grade 304 and 316 range from 0.23 to 0.30 chromium and 0.28 to 0.52 nickel mg m-2 yr-1, with corresponding concentrations in the runoff at the release moment far below reported ecotoxic concentrations for chromium and nickel. Two predictive runoff rate models were successfully developed for transforming copper runoff rate data from Stockholm to other exposure sites. One model is based on rain pH, yearly precipitation and building geometry, and the other on average annual SO2 concentration, yearly precipitation and building geometry. In addition to total metal concentration, adequate effect assessments also require information on chemical speciation of the released metal and its bioavailability. Metal chemical speciation in runoff was determined experimentally through an ion selective electrode (for copper), and also modelled with the Windermere Humic Aquatic model (WHAM (V)). Bioavailability assessments were generated through bioassay tests. At the moment of metal release, all methods show that the majority (60-99%) of the metal in runoff exists in its most bioavailable form, the hydrated metal ion. During subsequent environmental entry the metal undergoes major reductions in concentration and bioavailability. This was evidenced by model column studies of the capacity of soil to retain and immobilize the metal in runoff water, and by model and field column studies of the capacity of limestone to retain copper. The retention by soil of all metals investigated is very high (96-99.8%) until each materials retention capacity is reached. Limestone also exhibits a substantial capacity (5- 47%) to retain copper. The capacity is significantly increased by increased amount and decreased fraction of limestone particles. Any outer or inner surface with significant retention ability and with low possibility of subsequent mobilization is an excellent candidate for neutralizing metal release and its potential ecotoxic effects. This was demonstrated through computer modelling (WHAM(V)) and biosensor tests (Biomet™), which showed the most bioavailable and ecotoxic metal species to be reduced during passage through soil and limestone. Predictions based on the computer model HYDRUS-1D suggest a time-period of between 4 and 8000 years, depending on runoff water and soil characteristics, before saturation in soil retention capacity of copper and zinc is reached. A significant fraction of the retained metal is extractable towards the strong complexing agent EDTA, indicating possible future mobilisation. It is also available for plant uptake, as shown by DGT- (Diffuse Gradients in Thin films-) analysis of copper and zinc in soil. The data generated, presented and discussed are all believed to be important for risk assessment work related to corrosion-induced metal release from outdoor constructions. As evidenced from this doctoral thesis, such work requires a complete set of data on annual runoff rates, concentrations, chemical speciation and bioavailability and its changes during environmental entry, together with knowledge on, e.g., type of material, service life of coating, building geometry, and dewatering system.


Though political theorists have emphasized the importance of political discussion in non-political spaces, past study of online political discussion has focused on primarily political websites. Using a random sample from Blogger.com, we find that 25% of all political posts are from blogs that post about politics less than 20% of the time, because the vast majority of blogs post about politics some of the time but infrequently. Far from being taboo topics in those non- political blogs, political posts got slightly more comments than non-political posts in those same blogs, and the comments overwhelmingly engage the political topics of the post, mostly agreeing but frequently disagreeing as well. We argue that non-political spaces devoted primarily to personal diaries, hobbies, and other topics represent a substantial place of online political discussion and should be a site for further study.


A simple model has been developed that accounts for the excitation signal to the transducer, the transducer characteristics, and the diffraction of the sound for the purpose of flaw sizing. The goal has been to seek the ramp response that is the second integral of the impulse response. The ramp response yields volume and cross‐sectional area information about the flaw. This research has demonstrated that all of the above mechanisms are high‐pass frequency filters whereas the frequency content needed for the ramp response is low, namely ka<2. Unfortunately the physical mechanisms reduce the low‐frequency content well below the noise levels and it is impossible to extract the information required even though the transducer is driven with a signal that contains a large amount of low‐frequency content.


With the epidemic of childhood obesity, it is not uncommon for prescribers to puzzle over an appropriate drug dose for an obese child. Defining the optimum therapeutic dose of a drug relies on an understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Both these processes can be affected by body composition and the physiological changes that occur in obese children. As a rule of thumb, 75% of excess weight in obese subjects is fat mass, and the remainder lean mass. Although it is reasonable to assume that increases in fat mass alter the distribution of lipophilic drugs and increases in lean mass alter drug clearance, good quality and consistent clinical data supporting these assumptions are lacking for the majority of drugs. The relatively few clinical studies that have evaluated the impact of obesity have often been limited by poor design and insufficient sample size. Moreover, clinical studies conducted during drug development rarely include (or are required to include) obese subjects. Guidance on dosing obese children ought to be provided by drug manufacturers. This could be achieved by including obese patients in studies where possible, enabling the effect of body size on pharmacotherapy to be evaluated. This approach could be further augmented by the use of physiologically based-pharmacokinetic models during early (preclinical) development to predict the impact of obesity on drug disposition, and subsequent clinical studies later in development to provide confirmatory proof. In the meantime, for the majority of drugs already prescribed in children, particularly those where the therapeutic range is narrow or there is significant toxicity, the lack of a validated body size descriptor to use at the bedside means the choice of dose will rely on empirical experience and application of the precautionary principle.


Large-scale bleaching events are major disturbances to coral health and community structure, but may also affect other coral reef taxa, such as fishes. In 1997-1998, wide-spread coral bleaching and mortality occurred across the Great Barrier Reef, caused by increases in sea surface temperatures resulting from El Nino Southern Oscillation. As part of this event, in February-March 1998, there was extensive bleaching within One Tree Island lagoon (southern Great Barrier Reef), such that almost 12 mo later there Was a significant reduction of live coral cover at some sites. We monitored the distribution of adults and recruitment of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) to sites within One Tree Island in 1993-1995 and in 1999. Fish species that normally associate with live corals showed relatively lower recruitment at bleached sites compared to the same sites pre-bleaching or to recovered sites and, as a result, species diversity and assemblage structure of recruits changed. Compared to 1993/1995 densities, adult Pomacentrus wardi, P. moluccensis and Chrysiptera rollandi densities dropped at bleached sites, but not at unbleached sites. While P. moluccensis directly associate with live corals, the other 2 species do not. This study has demonstrated that indirect effects of bleaching can include changes in-assemblage structure of reef fish adults and recruits.


The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between attachment styles, love attitudes and sensitivity to rejection in a sample group of young adults from Lithuania. The main idea behind the research was to understand how attachment security and rejection sensitivity play important roles in the functioning of a romantic relationship. The sample was comprised of 65 men and 65 women, all of whom were currently in a romantic relationship of three months or more. The mean age of the respondents was 22 years (SD = 2,22), and the age range was 20-28 years; all respondents were single. RSQ (Griffin and Bartholomew, 1994), LAS (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1984) and SRS (Mehrabian, 1994) were used in the study. The final results indicate that insecure attachment styles were related to love attitudes: fearful and preoccupied attachment styles were found to be associated with a stronger Mania style, while positive correlation with a dismissing attitude and negative correlation with a preoccupied attitude are more of the Ludus style. Secure attachment is not related to any love attitude. Correlation analyses indicated though that rejection sensitivity is related to attachment styles: there was significant positive association between sensitivity to rejection and preoccupied attachment and significant negative association between secure and dismissive attachment styles. The expected negative correlation between scores on secure attachment and subjective relationship satisfaction was not found. The results of the research indicate that young adults with a stronger Mania love style have higher scores in rejection sensitivity. Love styles were significantly related to subjective relationship satisfaction: a higher level of satisfaction was associated with the Eros, Agape and Storge styles, while the Ludus style was associated with the lowest relationship satisfaction.


Reward function specification, which requires considerable human effort and iteration, remains a major impediment for learning behaviors through deep reinforcement learning. In contrast, providing visual demonstrations of desired behaviors often presents an easier and more natural way to teach agents. We consider a setting where an agent is provided a fixed dataset of visual demonstrations illustrating how to perform a task, and must learn to solve the task using the provided demonstrations and unsupervised environment interactions. This setting presents a number of challenges including representation learning for visual observations, sample complexity due to high dimensional spaces, and learning instability due to the lack of a fixed reward or learning signal. Towards addressing these challenges, we develop a variational model-based adversarial imitation learning (V-MAIL) algorithm. The model-based approach provides a strong signal for representation learning, enables sample efficiency, and improves the stability of adversarial training by enabling on-policy learning. Through experiments involving several vision-based locomotion and manipulation tasks, we find that V-MAIL learns successful visuomotor policies in a sample-efficient manner, has better stability compared to prior work, and also achieves higher asymptotic performance. We further find that by transferring the learned models, V-MAIL can learn new tasks from visual demonstrations without any additional environment interactions. All results including videos can be found online at \url{https://sites.google.com/view/variational-mail}.


A COMPARISON OF THE KENOTIC TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY OF HANS URS VON BALTHASAR AND SERGEI BULGAKOV Katy Leamy Marquette University, 2011 Vital to Balthasar's own articulation of the dogmas of the Incarnation and the Trinity is the kenotic Trinitarian theology of Sergei Bulgakov. The ways in which Balthasar both incorporates and modifies Bulgakov's Trinitarian theology provide an insight into his overarching theological agenda. My dissertation argues that Sergei Bulgakov, a 20th century Russian Orthodox theologian, is an important resource for Balthasar, directly and indirectly influencing key doctrinal points as well as the overall shape and direction of his theological project. This dissertation explores how Balthasar employs and adapts the thought of Sergei Bulgakov, with the Trinitarian theology of Thomas Aquinas to form a kenotic Trinitarian theology that is based on the notion of Personhood as a relation of self-donating love. It is a Trinitarian theology that is descriptive of both the Divine life as relation and human nature made in the image of God. The structure of this Trinitarian theology leaves a sphere for genuine human and Divine freedom and agency that can be characterized as a real drama. When we look at Balthasar's Trinitarian theology in light of Bulgakov, and particularly as a re-reading of Bulgakov in light of a Thomistic Trinitarian theology, we are not only able to more clearly understand the implications of Balthasar's own Trinitarian theology, but also to highlight the beauty and relevance of Bulgakov's Trinitarian contribution. Finally, this reading of Balthasar's Trinitarian theology, read in light of a Thomistic adjustment of Bulgakov, provides an excellent point of integration for an ethics that takes into account, not only individual virtues and perfection, but also the social/relational context of human personhood. This ethics is based in a concept of human nature bearing the imago trinitatis, and fulfilling that nature through sacramental participation and ethical extension of Christ's self-offering love.


Not every treatment for mood disorders works for every patient, and for the 60% of depressed patients whose first treatment is ineffective, this wrong guess can translate into months of suffering, wasted money, lost productivity, and risk of suicide. An important trend in treatment research is the search for biomarkers, that is, biological indicators that can predict which patients might be likely (or unlikely) to respond to a particular treatment. A 2013 study by McGrath et al. in the journal JAMA Psychiatry suggests that brain glucose metabolism is one such biomarker. Patients with untreated major depressive disorder had their brain glucose metabolism measured and then were randomized to receive 12 weeks of treatment either with the SSRI antidepressant escitalopram oxalate (trade name Lexapro) or with cognitive behavior therapy. Low glucose metabolism in a part of the brain called the anterior insula (compared to the rest of the brain) predicted that patients would reach remission on cognitive behavior therapy and respond poorly to escitalopram, while high metabolism in the same area predicted the opposite, that patients would reach remission while taking escitalopram and respond poorly to cognitive behavior therapy. Researchers will want to test this finding with patients over the long term, but the data from this study suggest that anterior insula glucose metabolism may be a successful biomarker that can guide initial treatment selection for patients with depression.


Graft and block copolymers were synthesized using multifunctional and monofunctional macroinitiators to produce the copolymers. The process involved hydroboration of commercially available unsaturated rubbers and chain-end unsaturated macromonomers with 9-borabicyclo [3.3.1] nonane (9-BBN). The resulting secondary alkyl 9-BBN moieties in the starting materials were subsequently exposed to oxygen in the presence of free radical polymerizable monomers to facilitate the formation of graft and block copolymers. This research was initiated by first studying the hydroboration of a model compound, 2-hexene, in order to determine the optimal conditions for the graft reactions. The model compound was subsequently used as a macroinitiator to initiate the polymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA). The same borane chemistry was extended to the synthesis of polystyrene (PS) block copolymers. Chain-end unsaturated PS macromonomers, synthesized by anionic polymerization, were effectively hydroborated and then polymerized to produce PS-b-PMMA block copolymers. The synthesis of polyolefin graft copolymers was subsequently achieved by hydroboration. Several commercial rubbers with different levels of unsaturated segments were efficiently grafted with vinyl monomers MMA and styrene (St) following the "graft from" approach. The grafted reactions were carried out under various reaction conditions to determine the effect of the following factors: concentration of oxygen, amount of borane and monomer concentration. By controlling these factors, different graft densities were achieved with high graft efficiencies. All reactions produced mixed products including unreacted (non-functional) macroinitiator, homopolymer, graft copolymer and in case of the highly unsaturated polymer a crosslinked gel. Finally, the chemical compositions as well as the molar mass distribution of the graft copolymers were fully characterized by different chromatographic techniques. H-NMR and FTIR were also used to confirm the structure of these copolymers. Gradient HPLC was developed and extensively used to characterize the graft copolymers.


A recent study has reported that the successful implementation of cognitive regulation of emotion depends on higher-level cognitive functions, such as top-down control, which may be impaired in stressful situations. This calls for "cognition free" self-regulatory strategies that do not require top-down control. In contrast to the cognitive regulation of emotion that emphasizes the role of cognition, traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine views the relationship among different types of emotions as promoting or counteracting each other without the involvement of cognition, which provides an insightful perspective for developing "cognition free" regulatory strategies. In this study, we examined two hypotheses regarding the modulation of anger and aggressive behavior: sadness counteracts anger and aggressive behavior, whereas fear promotes anger and aggressive behavior. Participants were first provoked by reading extremely negative feedback on their viewpoints (Study 1) and by watching anger-inducing movie clips (Study 2). Then, these angry participants were assigned to three equivalent groups and viewed sad, fear-inducing, or neutral materials to evoke the corresponding emotions. The results showed that participants displayed a lower level of aggressive behavior when sadness was later induced and a higher level of anger when fear was later induced. These results provide evidence that supports the hypothesis of mutual promotion and counteraction relationships among these types of emotions and imply a "cognition free" approach to regulating anger and aggressive behavior.


Reverence for the dead is a defining human characteristic. Pyramids are no longer in style, but a variety of memorials mark the American landscape, commemorating lives lost in war, exploration, storms, and most recently, lives taken by acts of terrorism. The study of American memorials differs as widely as do the reasons for building memorials. The development of a conceptual model lends insight to the nature of memorials and informs future scholars who may want to investigate this very human phenomenon. A literature review identified 10 constructs that appeared to be universal to memorials: visitors, memory and meaning, grieving, education, artifacts, names, architecture, costs, sense of place, and a website. These constructs were tested through analysis of 16 memorials that encompass wide temporal and geographic ranges, including the Alamo, Gettysburg, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Wounded Knee, Galveston 1900 Hurricane, USS Arizona, World War 11, United States Marine CorpsAwo Jirna, Korean War, Martin Luther King, Jr., Vietnam, National Fallen Firefighters, Space Shuttle Challenger, Oklahoma City, September 11, and Virginia Tech. An analysis of these memorials, beginning with a literature-based case study and supported by interviews with memorial experts, allowed for the construct-based hypotheses to be accepted or rejected. One of the constructs, cost was rejected, but the remaining constructs, with the possible addition of a memorial champion, the role of the media, social change, and an event or individual to be memorialized, resulted in a conceptual model to the study of memorials and inform those who might wish to develop a memorial.


Sampling and variational inference techniques are two standard methods for inference in probabilistic models, but for many problems, neither approach scales effectively to large-scale data. An alternative is to relax the probabilistic model into a non-probabilistic formulation which has a scalable associated algorithm. This can often be fulfilled by performing small-variance asymptotics, i.e., letting the variance of particular distributions in the model go to zero. For instance, in the context of clustering, such an approach yields connections between the k-means and EM algorithms. In this paper, we explore small-variance asymptotics for exponential family Dirichlet process (DP) and hierarchical Dirichlet process (HDP) mixture models. Utilizing connections between exponential family distributions and Bregman divergences, we derive novel clustering algorithms from the asymptotic limit of the DP and HDP mixtures that features the scalability of existing hard clustering methods as well as the flexibility of Bayesian nonparametric models. We focus on special cases of our analysis for discrete-data problems, including topic modeling, and we demonstrate the utility of our results by applying variants of our algorithms to problems arising in vision and document analysis.


I outline the development of economic and political thought in Mexico, with an emphasis on the fortunes of liberalism. Since its independence in 1821 Mexico struggled to establish background conditions — a national identity, a stable polity, a broad cultural allegiance to liberal principles, and a corresponding sense of law — that are conducive to a liberal market order. Some of the thinkers treated here emphasize the basic liberal formulas and formulations, such as individual liberty or mutual gains from voluntary exchange. Others favored statist policies to realize the background conditions and thereby arrive at a state in which liberalism can be more meaningfully advanced. I discuss the leading figures in 19th century Mexican economic and political thought, and focus in the 20th century on issues of the economics profession, reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, and disputes about 'neoliberalism.' Finally, I list individuals and organizations in Mexico who represent current aspiration for a more classical-liberal state.


The paper examined the work of Franki Raffles (1955-1994), a feminist social documentary photographer, drawing on research from The Raffles Archive Project which gathered together Raffles' complete photographic practice, together with her notebooks, diaries and press cuttings (Dr Alistair Scott, Edinburgh Napier University); and the recent exhibition 'Franki Raffles: Observing Women at Work' at The Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, the first solo exhibition of her work in the twenty-three years since her untimely death (Jenny Brownrigg, curator).

Scott's section of this paper examined Raffles' approach to documenting the lives of women working under two opposing political systems, namely communist and capitalist, to compare the differences of depiction, and reflect on how the images provide evidence of the strength and resilience of women in both types of society.

Brownrigg outlined her curatorial methodology employed for interpreting Raffles work for display and situate Raffles' practice within a context of UK feminist photography in the 1970s' and '80s.

Throughout her career Raffles photographed women's lives and work. She was a feminist and Marxist who stated that she hoped that her images would help people see and understand the world more clearly. For 'To Let You Understand...' (1988) she photographed women in workplaces across the city of Edinburgh at the time of the Thatcher Conservative government. In the accompanying publication, the photographs were shown alongside text captions with employment and childcare statistics which highlighted aspects of inequality researched by The Women's Unit Edinburgh District Council, at a time of economic and social insecurity. This project was followed by 'Soviet Women Workers' (1989), the result of a three month stay in Russia, Georgia and Ukraine at the time of perestroika. These images captured the communist vision that women could do any type of work – from state farm labourers, road builders and plasterers, to surgeons. The paper will examine how Raffles' political views shaped her photography and also discuss her approach to representing women as her subject.

This paper also situated Raffles' work within a wider feminist context comparing her approach to two other studies of women's working situations to highlight and fight the inequality of women's pay and conditions ('Women and Work' (1975), The Hackney Flashers Collective; and 1973-75 project 'Women at Work' by Harrison, Hunt and Kelly).

Franki Raffles was born in Salford and studied at University of St Andrews. Following graduation she moved to Lewis, then to Edinburgh. She documented the lives of women and their work during travels with her family in the 1980s across Russia, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Hong Kong and the Philippines. In 1992-93 she secured a Wingate Trust Scholarship to travel to Israel. In Edinburgh she also worked as a freelance photographer with schools and women's groups. She exhibited in Stills Gallery, Edinburgh; Mercury Gallery, London; The Corridor Gallery, Fife; Pearce Institute, Glasgow; and First of May Gallery, Edinburgh.

The paper was selected from open submission for 'Fast Forward: Women in Photography' Lithuanian edition 3-4 Nov 2017 at National Gallery of Arts, Vilnius. The conference was organised by: University for the Creative Arts (UCA), UK; Photography and The Archive Research Centre (PARC) at University of the Arts London, UK; Lithuanian Photographers Association, Lithuania; and Vitas Luckus Photography Centre, Lithuania.

'Fast Forward: Women in Photography' is an on-going initiative founded and led by Anna Fox, Professor of Photography at The University College for the Creative Arts in Farnham with Maria Kapajeva, an Estonian artist who is based in London. The aim of the initiative is to promote and engage with women in photography across the globe. The first conference 'Fast Forward: Women in Photography' was held at Tate Modern, London (2015).

The conference was delivered in partnership with: National Gallery of Arts, Lithuania; and supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania; and Lithuanian Council for Culture.

Other conference speakers included: Dr Adam Mazur,(University of the Arts, Poznan Poland); Prof. Val Williams, (UAL, London UK); Prof. Sigrid Lien, (University of Bergen, Norway); Ella Murtha (The Tish Murtha Archive, Newcastle Upon Tyne UK); and Dr. Agnė Narusytė, (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania).


This book grew out of years of reflections on real women's experiences. From them, Ann Ulanov states, "a common voice emerged speaking about each woman's struggle to receive all of herself. Each was trying to find and put together different parts of herself into a whole that was personal, alive, and real to herself and to others." This book focuses on helping women "receive themselves" by rejecting stereotypes and categories and seeking out their own individuality.


The study of the development of the mammary gland at the molecular level in the animal is difficult because of the complex tissue organization of the gland. We have previously developed an in vitro system for genetic analysis of mammary cell differentiation, based on the cell line LA7 clonally derived from a rat mammary adenocarcinoma. This cell line, after induction with DMSO, differentiates forming structures called domes. This process is under strict gene regulation, and we have previously identified several of the genes involved. In the present paper, we have defined the meaning of dome formation in relation to mammary development, by showing that treatment of LA7 cells with the lactogenic hormones hydrocortisone and prolactin induces dome formation; in the animal, these hormones precede and accompany milk production. Moreover, dome formation is accompanied by expression within the cells of the milk protein genes WDMN1 and β-casein, which are differentiation markers for the gland during pregnancy and lactation. We also show that two proteins, highly expressed in the mammary gland during lactation, HSP90-β and annexin I, are strongly expressed in DMSO-induced LA7 cells. Both proteins are essential in the formation of domes because when their synthesis is blocked by antisense RNA oligonucleotides, dome formation is abolished. Thus our in vitro system is a model for lobulo-alveolar development, and the genes identified in the pathway of dome formation are likely to be involved in the early differentiation steps occurring in the rat mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation.


Electrospun nanofibers can be effectively used as a surrogate for extracellular matrices (ECMs). However, in the context of cellular mechanobiology, their mechanical performances could be enhanced by using nanofibrous materials with a high level of structural organization. Herein, we developed multifibrillar yarns with superior mechanical performance based on biocompatible polyacrylonitrile as surrogate ECM. Nearly-perfect aligned nanofibers along with the axis of the multifibrillar yarn were prepared. These highly aligned yarns exhibit high strength, high toughness, good stress relaxation behavior, and are robust enough for technical or medical applications. Further, we analyzed the influence of the highly aligned-hierarchical topological structure of the material on cell proliferation and cell orientation using cells derived from epithelial and connective tissues. Compared to non-oriented electrospun multifibrillar yarns and flat films, the well-ordered topology in the electrospun polyacrylonitrile multifibrillar yarns triggers an improved proliferation of fibroblasts and epithelial cells. The fibroblast acquired an elongated morphology analogous to their behavior in the natural ECM. Hence, this heterogeneous multifibrillar material could be used to restore or reproduce the ECM for tissue engineering applications, notably in the skeletal muscle and tendon. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Prophylactic vaccines have been a major advance in preventing the development of infections after exposure to pathogens. When contemplating an effective approach to cancer prevention, vaccines offer unique advantages over other more standard approaches: First, once appropriately stimulated, antigen-specific T cells will travel to all sites of disease and eradicate cells bearing the proteins to which the T cells have been primed by vaccination. Second, successful immunization will further result in the development of immunologic memory, providing lifelong immunologic surveillance. There is evidence of an adaptive tumor immune infiltrate even at the earliest stages of breast and colon cancer development. Furthermore, there is measurable immunity to lesion-associated antigens present in patients who will eventually develop malignancy even before cancer is clinically evident. Recent studies are beginning to unmask the preinvasive antigenic repertoire for these two malignancies. Preliminary experiments in transgenic mouse models of mammary and intestinal tumors suggest that immunization against antigens expressed in preinvasive and high-risk lesions may be effective in preventing the development of invasive malignancy. Cancer Prev Res; 8(4); 266–70. ©2015 AACR.


The green-lipped mussel, Perna viridis, is considered to be an ideal indicator for marine environmental pollution. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), a typical persistent organic pollutant, is extensively distributed in marine environments. However, little is known about the toxic effects of DDT on the embryo of marine animals, particularly in marine bivalves. Using next-generation sequencing technology, we studied P. viridis embryo after DDT stress at the transcriptome level. A total of 99 202 unigenes were obtained based on the 2383 bp of unigene N50. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) participated in the various molecular pathways of biological effects, including oxidative stress, detoxification, innate immunity and neurobehavioral disease. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to verify the mRNA expression of several genes identified by differential gene expression (DGE) analysis. The results indicated that DDT was in induced a dose-dependent manner in the embryo of P. viridis, and most genes involved in oxidative stress and detoxification were up-regulated by DDT exposure; however, the immunity-related genes were down-regulated, except the genes involved in phagocytosis. Gene expression changes in embryo from P. viridis provide a preliminary basis to better understand the molecular toxic response mechanisms of embryo to DDT.


A survey of contemporary fine art printmaking.

Printmaking: A Contemporary Perspective is a solid overview of current work in this exciting area, taking into account the history and the different techniques available for artists working today. Using the work of contemporary artists, Printmaking tells the story of the progression of this art form and highlights the most important technological advances and influential artists.

Key artists that have produced prints are involved to show their influence on contemporary artists. The book includes the work of contemporary artists from all over the world, profiling some of the most innovative examples of printmaking in the art world today.

Artists featured include Grayson Perry, Thomas Kilpper, Patrick Caulfield, Marko Blazo, Chuck Close, Masami Teraoka, Michael Craig-Martin, Kara Walker, Willie Cole, Banksy and many others.


A new three-dimensional tomographic velocity model and depth-converted reflection images of the melt sills beneath the 9°03′N overlapping spreading center on the East Pacific Rise show that the upper crustal construction at this ridge discontinuity is highly asymmetric with reference to the bathymetric ridge crests of the overlapping limbs. Despite the similarly curved ridge crests, the asymmetries are markedly different under the two limbs and appear to be related to the contrasting evolutionary history of the limbs. The overlap basin is closely related to the propagating eastern limb in terms of its seismic structure. By contrast, the western limb forms a distinct morphologic region that displays little structural relationship to the adjacent overlap basin and other relict basins. As the overlapping spreading center is migrating southward, the differential development of melt sills and ridge crests may be inferred from the results of this study. Ridge propagation appears to involve two major processes: the advancement of the melt sill at the ridge tip and the development of ridge-crest morphology and the neovolcanic axis to the north of the overlap basin region near the existing propagating limb. The latter process may result in the abandonment of the current neovolcanic axis, leading to the self-decapitation of the propagating limb. By contrast, the self-decapitation of the western limb is related to the receding melt sill, which lags behind the anticlockwise rotational motion of the ridge crest.