Title of dissertation: THE RESPONSE OF MOLECULAR GASES AND MODULATED PLASMAS TO SHORT INTENSE LASER PULSES Andrew James Pearson Doctor of Philosophy, 2011 Dissertation directed by: Professor Thomas Antonsen Department of Physics In this thesis we study the response of two systems to short, intense laser pulses. The first system is a gas of diatomic molecules whose ensemble-averaged alignment features rotational revivals. We analyze the effect of a background plasma on the revival peaks. Both the revivals and the plasma are the result of a laser pulse passing through the gas. The second system is a density-modulated plasma channel. We study the generation of electromagnetic radiation by a laser pulse passing through this structure. The molecules in the gas are modeled as rigid rotors that interact first with the cycle-averaged electric field of the laser pulse, and second with the fluctuating electric field of the background plasma. The laser pulse generates a broad superposition of angular momentum eigenstates, resulting in the transient alignment of the molecules. Because of the time evolution properties of the angular momentum states, the alignment re-occurs periodically in field-free conditions. The alignment is calculated using a density matrix, and the background plasma is modeled using dressed particles. The result is decoherence between the phases of the basis states of the wavefunction, which causes decay of subsequent alignment peaks. We find that field-induced decoherence is competitive with collisional decoherence for small ionization fractions. The corrugated plasma channel is modeled using linear plasma theory, and the laser pulse is non-evolving. Corrugated channels support EM modes that have a Floquet dispersion relation, and thus consist of many spatial harmonics with subluminal phase velocities. This allows phase matching between the pulse and the EM modes. Since the pulse bandwidth includes THz frequencies, significant THz generation is possible. Here we consider realistic density profiles to obtain predictions of the THz power output and mode structure. We then estimate pulse depletion effects. The fraction of laser energy converted to THz is independent of laser pulse energy in the linear regime, and we find it to be around one percent. Extrapolating to a pulse energy of 0.5 J gives a THz power output of 6 mJ, with a pulse depletion length of less than 20 cm. THE RESPONSE OF MOLECULAR GASES AND MODULATED PLASMAS TO SHORT INTENSE LASER PULSES


Models have become important decision making aids. Model evaluation (i.e., global sensitivity analysis, calibration and uncertainty analysis), is crucial to improve their prediction accuracy and reduce the likelihood of making decisions that could lead to undesirable policy outcomes. The conventional approach assumes that model parameters are insensitive to season irrespective of the temporal variability of input forcings such as rainfall. This assumption could significantly compromise model performance for low flow seasons and/or high flow seasons depending on the calibration method pursued. This study will demonstrate the advantage of dynamic (seasonal) model evaluation in improving performance compared to the traditional approach. In addition, the impact of the goodnessof-fit criteria (e.g., mean of sum of square of residuals, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency criteria, volume based efficiency criteria, etc) used as an objective function during automatic calibration on model performance has been examined. Objective functions that would improve the accuracy of simulating high flows as well as low flows were identified. The added values of using multiobjective calibration, over the more widely used single objective calibration, has also been explored. The Little River Experimental Watershed, one of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's experimental watersheds, has been used to illustrate the approaches tested in the study. Soil and Water Assessment Tool is the watershed simulation model used for the work. Results show that the season based model calibration approach significantly improved model performance, and calibration is sensitive to the efficiency measure used as object function. As such, multiple efficiency criteria should be used to report model performance as no single efficiency measure performed consistently well in describing goodness of model results. Another important finding is that parameter values that are significantly divergent from their "true" values may lead to model performance that may be considered near perfect even when judged using multiple efficiency measures underlining the challenge of parameter identifiability.


This paper aims to research how intercultural exchanges contributed for the development of the short story in Portugal, notably to consider interference especially by English-language literary systems through the indirect channel of translation. For this purpose, it focuses on the external history of the translation into Portuguese of the short story in English, taking its publication in anthologies as a form of creative rewriting, adaptation or manipulation, as Andre Lefevere put it. The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, it provides answers to questions such as whose and which short stories, when, where, by whom, why and how short stories in English were selected, translated and presented to the Portuguese reader. The cartography of such a territory is based on the presentation and analysis of a selection of data (available at the Portuguese National Library archives) regarding the introduction of the short story in English through translations published in anthologies. Secondly, resorting to Gerard Genette's definition of peritext, i.e. paratextual elements pertaining to the book, this paper analyses the role played by peritextual discourses in a selection of anthologies. This analysis is expected to yield insights into how such anthologies introduced the short story in English to a public reading it in Portuguese version.


This paper presents a normative task model for modelling user interactions with online grocery stores. It is envisaged that using task models will aid system developers in building better systems to meet users' needs, and hereby creating better system design processes. This paper will discuss the three main areas of user experience when completing the process of adding a product to an online trolley: attempting to retrieve the product, receiving the results of the retrieval attempt, and adding the product to the trolley. The normative task model presented is expected to help in the future design of online grocery systems by identifying the possible errors that users can encounter, and methods to reduce the occurrence of these errors.


Consumers worldwide are now strongly demanding agricultural products grown with few or no chemicals. Many farmers are aware of the dangers of excessive use of chemicals and are now trying to replace chemicals with natural enemies or organic pesticides. Predatory mites deserve special mention in an agricultural country like India, where agriculture is always under the threat of constant pest attack. Among the different families of predatory mites, family Phytoseiidae includes members that have received maximum attention globally. They have been successfully employed in the control of agricultural pest population below economic injury level. Despite their importance in the suppression of pest population below economic injury level in varied ecosystems, predatory mites have not acquired adequate recognition so far in India, particularly in Kerala. Considering the above lacuna, a survey was conducted (October 2015 to March 2016) to unravel the predatory mite fauna on vegetable crops from various districts of North Kerala. The result of the survey yielded an adult female of predatory mite of the family Phytoseiidae viz., Amblyseius manasi nov. sp. is described and illustrated here.


Calibration of brain-machine interfaces exploiting event-related potentials has to be performed for each experimental paradigm. Even if these signals have been used in previous experiments with different protocols. We show that use of signals from previous experiments can reduce the calibration time for single-trial classification of error-related potentials. Compensating latency variations across tasks yield up to a 50% reduction the training period in new experiments without decrease in online performance compared to the standard training.


Natural organic matter (NOM) found in soil, sediment and water has diverse mixture and molecular structural complexity. This complexity has been simplified by number-average molecular models, but the documental validity of these models decreases as the heterogeneity of the mixture increases, coupled with chemical and physical alterations that occur during NOM extraction and analysis. NOM models based on assumptions of extensive condensation and oxidative coupling reactions in humification processes portrayed NOM as macromolecular random-coil shapes, but more recent NOM models based on analytical evidence indicate that NOM is an aggregate of small molecules. Various organic matter fractionation approaches have been developed that separate NOM molecules into relatively homogeneous compound classes. Compound-class model structures developed from data synthesis of elemental, titrimetric, and nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, and mass spectral analyses are better approximations of chemical structures than obtained previously on unfractionated NOM. The progression from model structures to molecular structures of NOM requires improved purification and fractionation methods, application of complementary and quantitative spectral characterizations, and ultra-high resolution mass separations combined with tandem spectral analyses. Syntheses of standards are required for final confirmation of NOM molecular components.


Objective: Drug is beneficial for the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of disease. However, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with the use of drugs are also very common. Due to the lack of knowledge and awareness, many adverse incidents due to a drug remain unnoticed. Present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Method: Present study was an observational study based on the reports collected during July 2014 to June 2015 from different departments of a tertiary care hospital, with prior consent. The reports comprised of patients of age group ranging from 1 month to 85 years, of either sex. The causality assessment was done on the basis of "Naranjo's Assessment Scale" and severity assessment was done in accordance with "Hartwig and Siegel scale". Result: During the study period, among 529 prescriptions, adverse drug reactions was suspected in 287 patients. This comprised of 144 (50.17%) females and 143 (49.83%) males. According to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System, the drug mostly associated with adverse drug reactions was anti-infective agents (63.07%). The causality assessment according to Naranjo Scale showed 5% ADRs have definite, 40% probable and 55% possible correlation. Conclusion: In order to ensure a better treatment regimen and improve patients' compliance, it is essential to reduce and prevent adverse drug reaction. Implementation of pharmacovigilance programs in the hospitals is thus essential to enhance the awareness regarding early detection, reporting, management and further prevention of Adverse Drug Reactions. Key words: Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR), Pharmacovigilance, Tertiary care hospital, Anti-infective agents, Causality assessment.


Extractive speech summarization approaches select relevant segments of spoken documents and concatenate them to generate a summary. The extraction unit chosen, whether a sentence, syntactic constituent, or other segment, has a significant impact on the overall quality and fluency of the summary. Even though sentences tend to be the choice of most the extractive speech summarizers, in this paper, we present the results of an empirical study indicating that intonational phrases are better units of extraction for summarization. Our study compared four types of input segmentation: sentences, two pause-based segmentation, and intonational phrases (IP). We found that IPs are the best candidates for extractive summarization, improving over the second highest-performing approach, sentence-based summarization, by 8.2% F-measure.


This book explains how the performance of modern cellular wireless networks can be evaluated by measurements and simulations With the roll-out of LTE, high data throughput is promised to be available to cellular users. In case you have ever wondered how high this throughput really is, this book is the right read for you: At first, it presents results from experimental research and simulations of the physical layer of HSDPA, WiMAX, and LTE. Next, it explains in detail how measurements on such systems need to be performed in order to achieve reproducible and repeatable results. The book further addresses how wireless links can be evaluated by means of standard-compliant link-level simulation. The major challenge in this context is their complexity when investigating complete wireless cellular networks. Consequently, it is shown how system-level simulators with a higher abstraction level can be designed such that their results still match link-level simulations. Exemplarily, the book finally presents optimizations of wireless systems over several cells. This book: * Explains how the performance of modern cellular wireless networks can be evaluated by measurements and simulations * Discusses the concept of testbeds, highlighting the challenges and expectations when building them * Explains measurement techniques, including the evaluation of the measurement quality by statistical inference techniques * Presents throughput results for HSDPA, WiMAX, and LTE * Demonstrates simulators at both, link- level and system-level * Provides system-level and link-level simulators (for WiMAX and LTE) on an accompanying website (https://www.nt.tuwien.ac.at/downloads/featured-downloads) This book is an insightful guide for researchers and engineers working in the field of mobile radio communication as well as network planning. Advanced students studying related courses will also find the book interesting.


Many segments of the population are disproportionately affected by the health consequences of physical inactivity and poor nutrition. However, local governments can respond by planning and designing communities that facilitate healthy lifestyles for all residents. This guide describes how local managers, department heads and local government staff can design healthy communities for all residents, regardless of income, race, or ethnicity, age, ability or gender. The guide explains the connections between active living and social equity, provides a toolbox of local government strategies for promoting active living equitably, and highlights notable examples of local initiatives from around the country. A focus on active living and social equity also can serve as a lens through which local governments can address livability needs more generally by removing barriers to economic opportunity, transportation services and amenities, and overall health and safety. This guide includes: an introduction to the connections between active living and social equity in key issue areas such as walkability and pedestrian safety, bicycling, open space, land use, transportation infrastructure, economic development, school-based strategies, and nutrition access; case studies of successful local initiatives from around the country; and implementation strategies, such as funding regionally collaboration, engaging partners, and promoting awareness of active living and social equity.


The tropical rainforest of Malaysia is considered as one of the most evolved and complex ecosystems in the world that serves a vast untapped biodiversity of natural resources. Exploitation of medicinal plants for bioactive compounds is of great potential and could be an imperative source of providing new vistas for novel drug discovery and development. The study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro pharmacological properties of Artabotrys crassifolius including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer and antioxidant activities of the plant. The leaves and bark of Artabotrys crassifolius were extracted sequentially using hexane, chloroform and ethanol. The prepared crude extracts were subjected to phytochemical screenings for the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins, tannins and terpenoids. Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay was conducted to examine the antibacterial and antifungal activities of crude extracts against ATCC and clinical strains. The anticancer effect of crude extracts was investigated against human breast and colorectal carcinoma cell lines using MTT assay whereas the antioxidant potential of crude extracts was assessed using TPC, TFC, ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assays. Among the crude extracts studied, hexane and chloroform extracts of bark exhibited pronounced antibacterial activities against ATCC and clinical strains with zones of inhibition ranging from 8.23±0.25 mm to 13.70±0.26 mm and 7.75±0.25 mm to 13.68±0.28 mm respectively. However, all the crude extracts were found to be devoid of antifungal activity except for hexane extract of bark which was able to inhibit the growth of the tested Candida species with zones of inhibition ranging from 7.81±0.27 mm to 9.77±0.25 mm. In addition, chloroform extract of bark was highly active against all of the tested carcinoma cell lines with GI50 values ranging from 4.23 µg/mL to 9.45 µg/mL, while hexane extract of bark potently inhibited the growth of MDA-468 breast and HCT-116 colorectal carcinoma cell lines with respective GI50 values of 6.10 µg/mL and 16.45 µg/mL. Furthermore, ethanol extract of bark that possessed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents (268.29±12.36 mg GAE/g and 179.54±4.98 mg CE/g) was shown to demonstrate prominent scavenging activities against ABTS cation and DPPH radicals with IC50 values of 16.50 µg/mL and 16.54 µg/mL respectively, as well as exceptionally high antioxidant power with FRAP value of 1884.35±83.78 µmol Fe(II)/g. The chromatographic separation of chloroform extract of bark led to the isolation of four alkaloids, namely artabotrine, liridine, atherospermidine and lysicamine. Among the compounds isolated, artabotrine displayed high antibacterial properties with respective MIC and MBC values ranging from 1.25 µg/mL to 5 µg/mL and 1.25 µg/mL to 20 µg/mL against all of the tested ATCC and clinical bacterial strains, with the exception of Actinobacillus sp. and Klebsiella sp.. Moreover, artabotrine was highly active in HCT-116 colorectal and MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell lines with GI50 values of 3.34 μM and 3.49 μM respectively. In conclusion, exploration of the in vitro pharmacological properties of Artabotrys crassifolius revealed that artabotrine with dual antibacterial and anticancer activities may represent a new generation of potential drug candidates for the treatment of bacterial infections and cancer. Hence, further in vivo studies and clinical trials are required to ascertain the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of action of artabotrine prior to application in the pharmaceutical industry as natural therapeutic agents.


Paying for performance (P4P) provides financial incentives for providers to increase the use and quality of care. P4P can affect health care by providing incentives for providers to put more effort into specific activities, and by increasing the amount of resources available to finance the delivery of services. This paper evaluates the impact of P4P on the use and quality of prenatal, institutional delivery, and child preventive care using data produced from a prospective quasi-experimental evaluation nested into the national rollout of P4P in Rwanda. Treatment facilities were enrolled in the P4P scheme in 2006 and comparison facilities were enrolled two years later. The incentive effect is isolated from the resource effect by increasing comparison facilities' input-based budgets by the average P4P payments to the treatment facilities. The data were collected from 166 facilities and a random sample of 2158 households. P4P had a large and significant positive impact on institutional deliveries and preventive care visits by young children, and improved quality of prenatal care. The authors find no effect on the number of prenatal care visits or on immunization rates. P4P had the greatest effect on those services that had the highest payment rates and needed the lowest provider effort. P4P financial performance incentives can improve both the use of and the quality of health services. Because the analysis isolates the incentive effect from the resource effect in P4P, the results indicate that an equal amount of financial resources without the incentives would not have achieved the same gain in outcomes.


Introduction. Part I: Leadership Is All in Your Head. Chapter 1: Connecting Brain Science to Leadership Principles. Chapter 2: The Science behind the Brain. Chapter 3: Discovering the Elements of Learning and Memory. Chapter 4: Leaders Are Made, Not Born. Chapter 5: Linking Leadership and the Brain. Part II: Tapping Into the Brain of a Leader. Chapter 6: Becoming the Leader You Want to Be. Chapter 7: Harnessing Multiple Intelligences. Chapter 8: Assessing and Applying Your Emotional Intelligence. Chapter 9: Thinking Your Way to the Top: Decision-Making. Part III: Working with the Brains You Have. Chapter 10: Enabling Your Current Employees to Excel. Chapter 11: Hiring the Best Brain for the Job. Chapter 12: Optimizing Working Conditions. Chapter 13: Understanding Male and Female Brains at Work. Chapter 14: Making Teams Work. Chapter 15: Overcoming the Digital Divide. Part IV: Training and Developing Brains. Chapter 16: No Train, No Gain: Understanding the Value of Training. Chapter 17: Ensuring that Employees Are Fit to Be Trained. Chapter 18: Holding Sticky Training Sessions. Chapter 19: Changing Minds: Training by Redesigning Brains. Chapter 20: Conducting Meetings That Matter. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 21: Debunking Ten Brain Myths. Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Brain-Based Leadership. Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Build a Better Brain. Index.


Abstract. Soils contain the largest terrestrial carbon pool and thus play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Grassland soils have particularly high soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. In Europe (EU 25), grasslands cover 22 % of the land area. It is therefore important to understand the effects of grassland management and management intensity on SOC storage. City lawns constitute a unique study system in this context, since they provide a high functional diversity and thus a wide range of different management intensities per unit area. In this study we investigated frequently mown (on average eight times per season) utility lawns and rarely mown (once per season) meadow-like lawns at three multi-family housing areas in each of three Swedish cities: Uppsala, Malmo, and Gothenburg. The two different lawn types were compared regarding their aboveground net primary production (NPP) and SOC storage. In addition, root biomass was determined in Uppsala. We found significantly higher aboveground NPP and SOC concentrations and significantly lower soil C : N ratio for the utility lawns compared with the meadow-like lawns. On average, aboveground NPP was 24 % or 0.7 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 higher and SOC was 12 % or 7.8 Mg ha−1 higher. Differences in SOC were well explained by differences in aboveground NPP (R2 = 0.39), which indicates that the increase in productivity due to more optimum CO2-assimilating leaf area, leading to higher carbon input to the soil, was the major driver for soil carbon sequestration. Differences in soil C : N ratio indicated a more closed N cycle in utility lawns, which might have additionally affected SOC dynamics. We did not find any difference in root biomass between the two management regimes, and concluded that cutting frequency most likely only exerts an effect on SOC when cuttings are left on the surface.


The Florentine musician Jacopo Peri (1561-1633) is known as the composer of the first operas--they include the earliest to survive complete, "Euridice "(1600), in which Peri sang the role of Orpheus. A large collection of recently discovered account books belonging to him and his family allows for a greater exploration of Peri's professional and personal life. Richard Goldthwaite, an economic historian, and Tim Carter, a musicologist, have done much more, however, than write a biography: their investigation exposes the remarkable value of such financial documents as a primary source for an entire period.This record of Peri's wide-ranging investments and activities in the marketplace enables the first detailed account of the Florentine economy in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, and also opens a completely new perspective on one of Europe's principal centers of capitalism. His economic circumstances reflect continuities and transformations in Florentine society, and the strategies for negotiating them, under the Medici grand dukes. At the same time they allow a reevaluation of Peri the singer and composer that elucidates the cultural life of a major artistic center even in changing times, providing a quite different view of what it meant to be a musician in late Renaissance Italy.


Millimeter wave (mmWave) communication is one solution to provide more spectrum than available at lower carrier frequencies. To provide sufficient link budget, mmWave systems will use beamforming with large antenna arrays at both the transmitter and receiver. Training these large arrays using conventional approaches taken at lower carrier frequencies, however, results in high overhead. In this paper, we propose a beam training algorithm that efficiently designs the beamforming vectors with low training overhead. Exploiting mmWave channel reciprocity, the proposed algorithm relaxes the need for an explicit feedback channel, and opportunistically terminates the training process when a desired quality of service is achieved. To construct the training beamforming vectors, a new multi-resolution codebook is developed for hybrid analog/digital architectures. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves a comparable rate to that obtained by exhaustive search solutions while requiring lower training overhead when compared to prior work.


Abstract : Vision and space are prominent modalities in our experiences as humans. We live in a richly visual world, and are constantly and acutely aware of our position in space and our surroundings. In contrast to this seemingly precise awareness, we are also able to reason abstractly, use language, and construct arbitrary hypothetical scenarios In this position paper, we present an AI system we are building to work towards human capability in visual spatial processing. We use mental imagery in processing as our psychological basis and integrate it with symbolic processing. To design this system, we are considering constraints from the natural world (as described by psychology and neuroscience), and those uncovered by AI research. In doing so, we hope to address the gap between abstract reasoning and detailed perception.


Oblique images enable three-dimensional (3d) modelling of objects with vertical dimensions. Such imagery is nowadays systematically taken of cities and may easily become available. The documentation of cultural heritage can take advantage of these sources of information. Two new oblique camera systems are presented and characteristics of such images are summarized. A first example uses images of a new multi-camera system for the derivation of orthoimages, facade plots with photo texture, 3d scatter plots, and dynamic 3d models of a historic church. The applied methodology is based on automatically derived point clouds of high density. Each point will be supplemented with colour and other attributes. The problems experienced in these processes and the solutions to these problems are presented. The applied tools are a combination of professional tools, free software, and of own software developments. Special attention is given to the quality of input images. Investigations are carried out on edges in the images. The combination of oblique and nadir images enables new possibilities in the processing. The use of the near-infrared channel besides the red, green, and blue channel of the applied multispectral imagery is also of advantage. Vegetation close to the object of interest can easily be removed. A second example describes the modelling of a monument by means of a non-metric camera and a standard software package. The presented results regard achieved geometric accuracy and image quality. It is concluded that the use of oblique aerial images together with image-based processing methods yield new possibilities of economic and accurate documentation of tall monuments.


Magnetic fields in stellar atmospheres are believed to play the major role in stellar activity such as flares and atmospheric heating. However, the spatial scales on which conversion of magnetic energy to other forms takes place are small and cannot be resolved in stellar observations. Solar observations of the magnetic fields in the atmosphere and the physical processes that lead to energy release remain our best prospect for advancing our understanding of stellar activity. This white paper summarizes the current state of observations of magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere, describes prospects for much improved measurements with new instruments, and discusses the connections to stellar science.


Abstract. Shrinking the linewidth of resonances induced by multiple coupled resonators is comprehensively analyzed using the coupled-mode theory (CMT) in time. Two types of coupled resonators under investigation are coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) and side-coupled resonators with waveguide (SCREW). We examine the main parameters influencing on the spectral response such as the number of resonators (n) and the phase shift (φ) between two adjacent resonators. For the CROWs geometry consisting of n coupled resonators, we observe the quality (Q) factor of the right- and left-most resonant lineshapes increases n times larger than that of a single resonator. For the SCREW geometry, relying on the phase shift, sharp, and asymmetric resonant lineshape of the high Q factor a narrow linewidth of the spectral response could be achieved. We employ the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to design and simulate two proposed resonators for practical applications. The proposed coupled resonators in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) slotted two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystals (PhCs) filled and covered with a low refractive index organic material. Slotted PhC waveguides and cavities are designed to enhance the electromagnetic intensity and to confine the light into small cross-sectional area with low refractive index so that efficient optical devices could be achieved. A good agreement between the theoretical CMT analysis and the FDTD simulation is shown as an evidence for our accurate investigation. All-optical switches based on the CROWs in the SOI slotted 2-D PhC waveguide that are filled and covered by a nonlinear organic cladding to overcome the limitations of its well-known intrinsic properties are also presented. From the calculations, we introduce a dependency of the normalized linewidth of the right-most resonance and its switching power of the all-optical switches on number of resonator, n. This result might provide a guideline for all-optical signal processing on a silicon PhC chip design.


During the past few years, the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) examined and characterized conditions at a majority of the underground stone mines in the United States. Observations at these mines revealed a limited degree of roof monitoring beyond visual inspection and sounding. When monitors are used, they typically require the miner to measure movement at the roof. If conditions are unstable, the miner may be in a hazardous situation while recording data. Based on this scenario, researchers surmised that a simple, inexpensive monitor with the capability of recording data at a distance from the mine roof would be a safer way to gain the information. Additionally, more widespread use of monitors could potentially lead to better understanding of roof movement in general. A monitor to meet this need was designed, tested, and subsequently improved as experience was gained in its' use at a number of underground stone mines. The Roof Monitoring Safety System (RMSS) can provide an initial indication of movement in roof beams. By understanding and measuring roof movement in underground mines, the potential for injuries and fatalities to mine workers from falls of ground can be reduced. Also, officials at a mine with a history of data are better prepared to make a decision on remedial actions in the event of ground falls. This paper will outline the evolution of the RMSS and how it can be used in a comprehensive proactive ground control safety program. Also included is a case history describing how the RMSS was used in an evaluation of the effectiveness of a mechanical impact scaling machine at an operating limestone mine.


Introduction A discussion of African American adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) must be devised within a cultural context. Cultural factors define specific parameters of African American ideological unity and response to mainstream constructs of behavior. African American experiences summarize the uniqueness of the population that make them a culturally identifiable entity (Anderson, 1986). Butler (1992) described the experiences of African Americans along two dimensions: "one in terms of interactions and responses to interactions with European Americans and the other in terms of their own internal dynamics, both as individual personalities and as a collective group" (p. 25). African American experiences include environmental displacement, psychological disorientation, racism, and socio-cultural disruption (Butler, 1992; Mosley, Atkins, Klein, 1988; Wright, 1988). While African American ACOAs are not a homogeneous group, they do exhibit a cluster of characteristics that systematically define addiction-related problems with unique cultural attributes that are pivotal in facilitating an exploration of cultural functioning and influences. While there is some given to alcoholism and addiction among African Americans, little specific focus has been given to the role of culture in behavior among African American ACOAs. The paucity of on African American ACOAs and cultural influences on their functioning and behaviors serve as a requisite for this article. The purpose of this article is to examine cultural factors that influence the functioning of African American ACOAs. This will be done with specific focus on survival roles, identity development, kinship bonds, and community perception of alcohol use. Implications for rehabilitation also will be provided. Survival Roles Survival roles refer to behavioral strategies employed by children in alcoholic homes as a manner of coping with the alcoholic's behavior and its effects on others. As children grow older, they continue to perform the same strategies in adulthood that they used as children. Survival roles include the family hero, scapegoat, lost child, and mascot (Wegscheider, 1981). In addition to the characteristics of these roles, the significance of culture for African American ACOAs have a substantial impact on family functioning. The family hero is typically the eldest or only child in an alcoholic family. This child is respected and held in high regard because of the ability to take care of everything and perform well. African American ACOAs in this role earn respect in the community (Hill, 1972). Alston and Turner (1994) asserted that the feeling of being responsible is a source of satisfaction for those providing assistance or support to the family. Brisbane (1988) pointed out that the African American female, because of culture, will also assume the role of hero in healthy family functioning and is unlikely to seek help for her problem because of the rewards of praise from the family for being responsible. The scapegoat behaves in a destructive manner and serves as a sponge who absorbs all of the adversities within the family. Based on this information it can be hypothesized that African American ACOAs continue to play this role as a result of accusations from within and without the family. For example, the family may continue to blame the scapegoat for all of its problems, or for individual lack of achievement which violates the sense of excellence which governs the necessity to achieve the highest honor in African American families. Likewise, racism, oppression, and other deviant forms of social interaction interrupted the transitional stages from childhood to adulthood through the delegation of African Americans as lazy, unmotivated, and less intelligent. The lost child avoids trouble and is ignored by the family and' left to face problems alone. The individual avoids making close connections in the family or friends with other people, and lacks adequate social skills (Murphy, 1984). …


There is a strong intergenerational correlation in welfare participation, but this does not imply that parental welfare receipt induces child receipt. While there are a few quasi-experimental studies that provide estimates of the causal effect of parental welfare participation for children from marginal welfare participants, we know very little about intergenerational spillovers of welfare participation onto the children of average welfare participants. By combining rich administrative data from Norway with weak mean-monotonicity assumptions, we estimate nonparametric bounds around the average causal effect of parental welfare participation on children's welfare participation in the general population, as well as the average causal effect for children growing up in welfare-dependent families. We find that these average causal effects are considerably lower than the intergenerational correlation in welfare participation, and substantially below available local average treatment effect estimates in the literatu . We further find important differences between intergenerational spillovers of disability insurance and intergenerational spillovers of financial assistance, a traditional means-tested welfare program.


Discovery of knowledge from geometric graph databases is of particular importance in chemistry and biology, because chemical compounds and proteins are represented as graphs with 3D geometric coordinates. In such applications, scientists are not interested in the statistics of the whole database. Instead they need information about a novel drug candidate or protein at hand, represented as a query graph. We propose a polynomial-delay algorithm for geometric frequent subgraph retrieval. It enumerates all subgraphs of a single given query graph which are frequent geometric epsi-subgraphs under the entire class of rigid geometric transformations in a database. By using geometric epsi-subgraphs, we achieve tolerance against variations in geometry. We compare the proposed algorithm to gSpan on chemical compound data, and we show that for a given minimum support the total number of frequent patterns is substantially limited by requiring geometric matching. Although the computation time per pattern is larger than for non-geometric graph mining, the total time is within a reasonable level even for small minimum support.


Denitrification is the main process that remove nitrate from the water in wetlands. Plants can supply denitrifying bacteria with organic carbon and suitable attachment surfaces (Weisner et al. 1994). They also promote the development of anaerobic conditions through litter accumulation and decomposition, which would favour denitrification. The presence of plants has been shown to enhance nitrate removal in field studies (Bachand and Horne 2000). Toet et al. (2005) found a higher nitrogen removal in wetland compartments with emergent plants than with submersed plants. Results from microcosm studies have shown that the potential for denitrification is specific for different plant species (Bastviken et al. 2005).Wetlands may typically exist in alternative states, dominated by different kinds of vegetation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of alternative state on nitrogen removal under controlled conditions in experimental wetlands.


"'If I were called upon to state in a few words the essence of everything I was trying to say both as a novelist and as a preacher, it would be something like this: Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.'"


Maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in building portfolios becomes increasingly challenging as systems become more complex, and as the number of systems increases across a managed portfolio. Data-driven maintenance approaches employ multiple data sources to analyze the system's operation and maintenance (O&M) status, and hence can effectively support decision making for complex systems' maintenance. Automated fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) tools are used to identify abnormal operations and resolve the types and locations of problems in HVAC systems. Data generated by FDD tools contain essential information in terms of the system's abnormal operation such as fault causes, fault location, fault occurrence, and duration. Therefore, the integration of FDD tools' output data into data-driven maintenance tools can significantly support the maintenance decision-making procedure, and streamline HVAC system's O&M processes. However, the semantic heterogeneity and the structural heterogeneity in FDD data lower data interpretability and interoperability, and hence hinder the integration of the data by other maintenance tools. In this paper, we propose a framework to organize and integrate FDD data, so that the data can be efficiently queried by or integrated into other maintenance tools. The framework includes the FDD data model, the fault taxonomy library, and organized FDD data structure. The case study demonstrates that the FDD data reorganized under the framework can be efficiently analyzed to assist HVAC system maintenance.


GENERAL DESCRIPTION In this course, students perform and analyze physical experiments in the context of an advanced mathematics course. This capstone course integrates the students' experience with mathematical modeling, mathematical analysis, numerical methods, computation, engineering and communication. In the first semester, students have short modules (2-4 weeks) that include relatively simple experiments and numerical simulations. This prepares students for the second semester, when students work in teams to perform and analyze experiments of greater complexity using more advanced mathematical skills. At the end of the second semester, students present their research results both orally and in writing. FALL SEMESTER Texts Haberman, Mathematical Models: Mechanical Vibrations, Population Dynamics and Traffic Flow Farlow, Partial Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers Experimental Apparatus Vernier LabPro--Data acquisition and analysis software, Accelerometer, Photogates, Temperature probe, Masses, Springs, Pendulum, Cycloid track, Power supply, voltmeter, conductive paper and pens Syllabus Unit I: Introduction--Math Modeling, Gravity and Newton's Law of Cooling Week 1: Review of Differential Equations, Introduction to Mathematical Modeling and Applied Problems Physical Experiment 1: Newton's Law of Cooling--is the power really 1? Week 2: Equilibrium and Stability in one dimension (1st order), Newton's Law of Cooling Review vector calculus, Newton's laws, conservative systems Week 3: Least squares fitting for realistic data Project 1: Mathematical modeling and Newton's Law of Cooling experiment analysis Unit II: Mechanics I--The Brachistochrone Week 4: Calculus of Variations Week 5: Derivation of the Nonlinear Differential Equation governing the Brachistochrone (Curve for which a ball travels from one point to another in the fastest time under the influence only of gravity), Solution to the Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equation (Parametric Equations) Physical Experiment 2: Timing a trajectory: the Brachistochrone vs. the line Week 6: Tautochrone property of the Solution, Analysis for the line and of the cycloid for different height/length ratios Project 2: Calculus of variations, Brachistochrone experiment and analysis of the cycloid Week 7: Review and Midterm and Going over Midterm Unit III: Mechanics II--Mass-Spring Systems Week 8: Review Midterm, Second order ODEs and harmonic motion, Dimensional Analysis Week 9: Derivation and solution of undamped and damped single mass-spring systems Physical Experiment 3: Single vertical mass-spring setup Week 10: Phase plane analysis, Double mass-spring system, Non-linear oscillations and the Pendulum Project 3: Measuring the spring constant, frequency and evaluating linearity of a spring and other mass-spring analysis Week 11: Linear Stability and Linearization (higher order), Energy Conservation and Energy Curves, Numerical Methods for ODEs Physical Experiment 4: Double mass-spring and its frequencies Project 4: Double mass-spring and its frequencies; how initial conditions influence the dynamics of the double mass-spring; nonlinear springs Week 12: Phase curves for the damped pendulum, The Spring Pendulum Project + Physical Experiment 5: Timing the pendulum, analysis of the nonlinear pendulum and linearized pendulum equations Unit IV: Electrostatics and Incompressible Fluids Week 13: Derivation of Laplace equation for potential flow, Electrostatic potential, Properties of the Laplace equation, Elliptic PDEs Week 14: Separation of Variables, Solutions in Rectangular and Cylindrically symmetric regions Week 15: Finite difference methods, Review Physical Experiment 6: Electrostatic Field Mapper experiment Project 6: Analytic and Experimental Solution of Laplace's equation for electrostatics problems (equipotential and flux lines) Grading Policy The final grade in this course will be determined as follows: Homework/Projects: 66% Midterm and Final Exams: 34% SPRING SEMESTER General Description In the spring semester, students learn more advanced methods from classical mechanics and use them to study problems that have attracted more recent interest: dynamical bias in coin tosses, as shown by Diaconis et al. …


Indoor scene recognition is a multi-faceted and challenging problem due to the diverse intra-class variations and the confusing inter-class similarities that characterize such scenes. This paper presents a novel approach that exploits rich mid-level convolutional features to categorize indoor scenes. Traditional convolutional features retain the global spatial structure, which is a desirable property for general object recognition. We, however, argue that the structure-preserving property of the convolutional neural network activations is not of substantial help in the presence of large variations in scene layouts, e.g., in indoor scenes. We propose to transform the structured convolutional activations to another highly discriminative feature space. The representation in the transformed space not only incorporates the discriminative aspects of the target data set but also encodes the features in terms of the general object categories that are present in indoor scenes. To this end, we introduce a new large-scale data set of 1300 object categories that are commonly present in indoor scenes. Our proposed approach achieves a significant performance boost over the previous state-of-the-art approaches on five major scene classification data sets.


Background: The global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is forecast to increase, and anticoagulants will remain important medicines for its management. Coroners' Prevention of Future Death reports (PFDs) provide valuable insights that may enable safer and more effective use of these agents. Objective: To identify CVD-related PFD reports highlighting the use or lack of anticoagulants as having caused or contributed to deaths. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of coronial case reports in England and Wales between 2013 and 2019. We screened 3037 PFDs for inclusion and used content analysis to assess concerns raised by coroners and who responded to them. Results: We identified 113 CVD-related PFDs (113 deaths) involving anticoagulants. Warfarin (36%), enoxaparin (11%), and rivaroxaban (11%) were the most common anticoagulants reported. In 14 cases, the coroner mentioned that the administration of an anticoagulant may have prevented the death. Concerns most frequently raised by coroners included poor systems (31%), poor communication (25%), and failures to keep accurate medical records (25%). These concerns were most often directed to NHS trusts (29%), hospitals (10%), and general practices (8%), but had national importance. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of PFDs had not received responses from such organisations, which are mandatory under regulation 28 of the Coroners' (Investigations) Regulations 2013. Conclusions: We created a tool (https://preventabledeathstracker.net/) that bring together coroner reports to identify important lessons related to preventable deaths. Here we examined instances of premature deaths from CVD involving anticoagulants. National organisations, healthcare professionals, and prescribers should take actions to address these concerns, to improve the use of anticoagulants in patients with CVD.


Sometimes the government compels people to pay money to organizations they oppose. A lawyer may be forced to fund a bar association, a college student to fund student group activities, a public employee forced to fund a labor union. Unsurprisingly, people may bristle at such compulsion. Nobody likes having their money taken, and knowing that it will be spent on causes one opposes seems to add insult to injury. But when is it unconstitutional? For forty years, the Court has unanimously concluded that being required to pay money to a union, or to a state bar, is a serious burden on one's First Amendment rights. This burden, the Court has held, is generally unconstitutional when the money is used for most kinds of political advocacy. In Janus v. AFSCME, a majority of the Court went further, and held that requiring public employees to pay union agency fees is categorically unconstitutional, even when the money is used for collective bargaining. Such public-sector collective bargaining, the majority held, is itself inherently political. And the government interests in mandating such payments don't suffice to justify such requirements. There was a strong dissent by four Justices, but as we discuss in Part I, we think the majority had the better argument on both of these two points. But we think the majority — and for that matter the dissent, and the unanimous opinions in Abood v. Bd. of Ed. and Keller v. State Bar — erred on the preliminary point. The better view, we think, is that requiring people only to pay money, whether to private organizations or to the government, is not a First Amendment problem at all. The employees in Janus were not compelled to speak, or to associate. They were compelled to pay, just as we all are compelled to pay taxes; our having to pay taxes doesn't violate our First Amendment rights, even when the taxes are used for speech we disapprove of — likewise with having to pay agency fees. If we are right, as we argue in Part II, then the result in Janus was wrong. In Part III, we turn from evaluating the decision to anticipating its consequences. We doubt Janus will have significant effects on government speech rights (Part III.A), but it will likely bar the funding of other forms of private speech. Janus will likely extend to a prohibition on state bar dues, at least so long as the bar is seen as sufficiently removed from other government agencies (Part III.B). It might also include constraints on public university student governments' use of student activity fees, though universities can create accounting workarounds that will practically allow such student activity funding to continue (Part III.C). Finally, and perhaps most consequentially, Janus may lead to massive liability for unions that have collected the agency fees that are now viewed as unconstitutional. (Part III.D). Though the fees were seen as valid when collected, the Supreme Court's precedents say that constitutional reversals in civil cases are generally retroactive, so everyone in Janus's shoes can get agency fee refunds just as Janus himself could (at least so long as the statute of limitations has not lapsed). Moreover, private organizations such as unions are generally not entitled to qualified immunity or similar defenses. While the unions do have some possible arguments to mitigate the damages or try to claim a special form of good faith, those defenses are speculative, and cannot be counted on.


Characteristic electrocardiogram (ECG) features of posterior myocardial infarction (PMI) do not include typical ST-segment elevation and, therefore, carries the risk of delayed diagnosis and management. The aim of this study was to investigate how well PMIs are recognised and whether a lack of recognition translates to a larger infarction. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients sourced from a cardiac catheterisation database. Based on ECG analysis, patients included in this study included those meeting PMI criteria and those meeting ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) criteria as the control group. Door-to-balloon times were used as an outcome measure for differences in recognition between PMIs and other STEMIs. Troponin was used as a surrogate marker to measure degree of myocardial damage. There were 14 patients meeting PMI criteria and 162 meeting STEMI criteria. PMI patients had significantly longer door-to-balloon times. There was no statistically significant difference between PMI and STEMI group initial troponins t(169)=1.05, p=0.30, or peak 24-hour troponins t(174)=-1.73, p=0.09. In conclusion, using door-to-balloon times as a marker for recognition, this study illustrated that patients suffering PMI experience delayed recognition and management compared with non-PMI STEMIs. This did not, however, result in a significantly larger size of infarction as shown by peak troponin levels.


After the economic reforms that followed the National Revolution of the 1950s, Bolivia seemed positioned for sustained growth. Indeed, it achieved unprecedented growth from 1960 to 1977. The rapid accumulation of debt due to persistent deficits and a fixed exchange rate policy during the 1970s led to a debt crisis that began in 1977. From 1977 to 1986, Bolivia lost almost all the gains in GDP per capita that it had achieved since 1960. In 1986, Bolivia started to grow again, interrupted only by the financial crisis of 1998–2002, which was the result of a drop in the availability of external financing. Bolivia has grown since 2002, but government policies since 2006 are reminiscent of the policies of the 1970s that led to the debt crisis, in particular, the accumulation of external debt and the drop in international reserves due to a de facto fixed exchange rate since 2012.


Local translation allows for a spatial control of gene expression. Here, we used high-throughput smFISH to screen centrosomal protein-coding genes, and we describe 8 human mRNAs accumulating at centrosomes. These mRNAs localize at different stages during cell cycle with a remarkable choreography, indicating a finely regulated translational program at centrosomes. Interestingly, drug treatments and reporter analyses revealed a common translation-dependent localization mechanism requiring the nascent protein. Using ASPM and NUMA1 as models, single mRNA and polysome imaging revealed active movements of endogenous polysomes towards the centrosome at the onset of mitosis, when these mRNAs start localizing. ASPM polysomes associate with microtubules and localize by either motor-driven transport or microtubule pulling. Remarkably, the Drosophila orthologs of the human centrosomal mRNAs also localize to centrosomes and also require translation. These data identify a conserved family of centrosomal mRNAs that localize by active polysomes transport mediated by nascent proteins.


BACKGROUND
The clinical presentation of Juvenile Huntington's Disease (JHD) can be very different from adult-onset HD with little evidence to guide symptomatic management.

AIM
To survey the current use of pharmacological treatments for JHD.

METHODS
Patients were identified through the HD Association, Hospital Doctors and the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study.

RESULTS
The most commonly prescribed agents were anti-psychotics (24/45), anti-depressants (17/45) and anti-parkinsonian medications (15/45). 5 patients were taking more than 8 medications.

CONCLUSIONS
The most commonly prescribed group of medication was the anti-psychotic. Many patients were on multiple therapies, highlighting the need to rationalise medications.


In 2009, equipped with a camera, Manthia Diawara followed Édouard Glissant on the Queen Mary II in a transatlantic journey from South Hampton, United Kingdom, to Brooklyn, New York. This extraordinary voyage, six days and five nights, resulted in an intellectual biography in which Glissant elaborates on his theory of Relation and the concept of "Tout-monde." This conversation is from that film: Édouard Glissant: One World in Relation (2009).


Theorized links between science and secularism are prevalent in classic sociological thought. More recently, scholars have critiqued these frameworks as oversimplified and empirically untenable. In response to such criticisms, contemporary researchers typically overlook or actively argue against links between science and secularism. This study analyzes data from a random, national survey of adults to examine the empirical connections between perceptions of science and secular identities in the United States. Analyses demonstrate that perceptions of science correlate strongly with American secularism, particularly among atheists and agnostics. Additionally, politicized views of science help account for the previously documented relationship between political and secular identities in the United States. A perspective drawing on the sociology of culture and perceived knowledge provides a more useful framework for understanding these patterns than theories of secularization.


Many patients with the rare kidney disease FSGS require dialysis in the course of the disease, despite anti-inflammatory corticosteroid therapies. The DAPA-CKD study showed a significant benefit in renal outcomes for chronic kidney disease patients with and without diabetes mellitus, following treatment with dapagliflozin, an SGLT-2 (sodium dependent glucose co-transporter 2) inhibitor [1]. A subgroup analysis of the DAPA-CKD study [2] suggests that the beneficial effect of dapagliflozin extends to patients with FSGS. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a rare form of kidney inflammation (glomerulonephritis) in which the glomeruli become increasingly scarred (sclerotic), leading to progressive loss of kidney function. Dysregulation of the immune system plays a role in pathogenesis, which is why immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticoids can be successful, alongside supportive therapy (especially blocking of the renin-angiotensin system with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers). Many patients nevertheless require dialysis in the course of the disease. New therapeutic approaches that stabilize or protect kidney function are therefore needed. In patients with type 2 diabetes, who often have concomitant kidney damage, treatment with an oral antidiabetic agent from the group of SGLT2 inhibitors (gliflozins) results in stabilization of renal function and improvement of clinical (renal and cardiovascular) outcomes. These medications inhibit SGLT-2 (sodium-dependent glucose co-transporter 2) in the proximal renal tubule, thereby increasing urinary glucose excretion. The DAPA-CKD study showed that the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin markedly reduces the risk of progressive loss of renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), both in the presence and in the absence of diabetes mellitus [1]. A pre-specified subgroup analysis specifically investigated safety and efficacy in study patients with FSGS [2]. The trial included 115 participants with FSGS randomized to receive either 10 mg dapagliflozin (n=53) or placebo (n=62) on top of standard treatment. The combined primary endpoint included a ≥50% decrease in eGFR, reaching dialysis requirement, or cardiovascular death. In the present analysis, the course of kidney function (eGFR) was specifically investigated during the median 2.4-year follow-up. The FSGS patients were 53.7±13.9 years old, had a glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 41.6±11.6 ml/min/1.73 m and a median urinary protein excretion of 1553 (758-2257) mg/g. The results showed that four out of 53 patients on dapagliflozin (7.5%) and nine out of 62 patients on placebo (14.5%) reached the primary endpoint (HR 0.54). In the first two weeks after the start of the study, the familiar phenomenon of initial eGFR decline occurred (eGFR dip of -4.5 ml/min/1.73m in the dapagliflozin group compared to -0.8 ml/min/1.73m in the placebo group). Over the remainder of the study, the annual eGFR loss was -1.9 versus 4.2 ml/min/1.73 m. Tolerability and safety of dapagliflozin were good, and discontinuations due to side effects were similar in both groups. The results of several previous studies have demonstrated that SGLT2 inhibitors improve cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. We know that for dapagliflozin, these benefits extend to patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease who do not have diabetes. New data from this subgroup analysis suggest that FSGS patients also gain benefit,' said Professor David Wheeler. 'SGLT2 inhibitors offer a promising new therapeutic option in the field of nephrology and are likely to be used more extensively in future, both in diabetic and non-diabetic kidney diseases. Not only do these agents slow progression of kidney disease, but they also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which are important comorbidities in this patient population.' [1] Wheeler DC, Stefánsson BV, Jongs N et al. Effects of dapagliflozin on major adverse kidney and cardiovascular events in patients with diabetic and non-diabetic chronic kidney disease: a prespecified analysis from the DAPA-CKD trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021; 9 (1):22-31 [2] 2479 David Wheeler, London. Effects of Dapagliflozin on major adverse kidney events in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a prespecified analysis of the DAPA-CKD trial. About ERA-EDTA With more than 7,000 active members, the ERA-EDTA is one of the biggest nephrology associations worldwide leading European nephrology and one of the most important European Medical Associations. It organizes annual congresses and other educational and scientific activities. ERA-EDTA also collects data, and performs epidemiological studies through its Registry. The Society supports fellowships and educational/research projects through its committees and working groups. Its publications are NDT, CKJ (Open Access journal), and the online educational portal NEP. The 59th Congress will take place in May 19-22, 2022, both virtual and live in Paris (France). Website: www.era-edta.org


Abstract We report on the newly discovered almandine garnet phenocrysts in rhyolitic ignimbrites (Sukhda Tuff) in the Precambrian Churtela Shale Formation of the Chhattisgarh Supergroup in central India. SHRIMP ages of igneous zircon from the ignimbrites range from 990 Ma to 1020 Ma. These ignimbrites exhibit characteristic eutaxitic texture with compacted curvilinear glass shards with triple junctions. Quartz (commonly embayed; bluish cathodoluminescence) and albite (altered but retaining ghosts of twinning) are common phenocrysts; others are apatite, ilmenite, rutile, magnetite, zircon, monazite and garnet. There are no metamorphic or granitic xenoliths in the ignimbrites. Garnet grains occur as isolated broken isotropic crystals with sharp or corroded boundaries in a very fine-grained groundmass of volcanic ash that consists principally of albite, quartz, magnetite and glass. They do not have any systematically distributed inclusions. A few have penetratively intergrown phenocrysts of apatite, ilmenite, rutile and zircon, which we interpret as subophitic texture. Extensive SEM-BSE imaging of more than 100 grains and electron microprobe traverses across about 30 grains showed no zoning or systematic compositional variability. Common (metamorphic) garnets are usually zoned with respect to Fe–Mg–Mn and typically have mineral inclusions. We infer, therefore, that these observed garnets are not metamorphic xenocrysts. The average major oxide composition of analysed garnets from five different horizons within the Sukhda Tuff, spanning approximately 300 m of the stratigraphic section, have very small standard deviation for each element, which is suggestive of a single magmatic source. Phenocrysts of quartz, including those in contact with coexisting garnets, show blue scanning electron CL, indicating rapid cooling from high temperature; this suggests that adjacent coexisting garnets are not slowly cooled restites. We conclude, on the basis of texture, mineral chemistry and absence of any indicative xenoliths or xenocrysts, that these almandine garnets (Al78.7Py12.3Gr7.4Sp1.6) are phenocrysts within the Sukhda Tuff. Almandine of such composition is stable under high pressure. We infer that almandine crystallized at lower crustal depths in a magma that ascended very rapidly and may have erupted explosively.


This Article will trace the origin, growth and enforcement of nonsolicitation and cease and desist orders. Part II outlines the federal framework for dealing with discriminatory practices by real estate brokers. Section A focuses on "steering" the target of cease and desist orders-and illustrates the dilemma of both the victims and the brokers. Section B details blockbusting-the target of nonsolicitation orders. In discussing its genesis, financial operation, and sociological implications, this section also considers whether solicitation by brokers constitutes "commercial speech" protected by the first amendment. Section C briefly explores the effectiveness of section 1982 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 as a remedy against racial discrimination in housing. Section D examines whether subtle behavior, language, and mannerisms employed by brokers in steering and blockbusting are elements that establish intent to discriminate. Part III considers the New York response to steering and blockbusting. Section A outlines the various applicable laws, rules, and codes and demonstrates the difficulty in pursuing a cause of action or complaint. Section B discusses hearings, license suspensions, and revocations by the Secretary of State, and examines Article 78 proceedings that provide judicial review of the determination of the Secretary of State. Section C reviews Article 15 (the Human Rights Law) of the Executive Law, which is New York's comprehensive counterpart to the federal Fair Housing Act. Section D examines the Secretary's statutory authority to impose penalties. This Section compares the effectiveness of these penalties with that of nonsolicitation and cease and desist orders. This Article concludes that while nonsolicitation and cease and desist orders do not mitigate the effects of racial tension, they do effectively target local brokers who victimize neighborhoods.


A graphene–silver nano composite (G–Ag NPs) has been identified and prepared by a simple one-pot redox method using ascorbic acid as the catalytic reagent. After its structure was characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, the absorption spectral properties were investigated in detail. The characteristic absorption peak of the as-prepared G–Ag NPs at ca. 420 nm could be selectively quenched upon addition of Hg2+ in the presence of ascorbic acid, owing to the formation of a specific amalgam between mercury and silver nano particles. Under pH 5.0, the response possessed an excellent selectivity and sensitivity to Hg2+ over the linear range of 2.0 × 10−7 to 3.25 × 10−6 M with a detection limit of 3.1 × 10−8 M. Other commonly existing metal ions had almost no influence on the absorption response. Importantly, the proposed low-toxicity G–Ag NPs were successfully applied to detect trace Hg2+ in three real environmental water samples with a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of less than 4.6% (n = 5) and with little secondary pollution.


This chapter provides an overview of the valuation methods and methodological approaches used to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of natural resource management (NRM) interventions. First, the multiple agro-ecosystem services associated with NRM are summarized. The core issues involved in the valuation of agro-ecosystem services are then discussed. This is followed by a presentation of the theoretical foundations of valuation methods along with some examples of applications in the area of natural resources. The next part summarizes how economic and environmental impacts can be integrated to provide an assessment of the social net benefits from NRM interventions, and the conclusion highlights the major issues and most promising valuation methods


Effective support to carers of people with dementia can be critical to maintain quality of life for people with dementia and their families and to sustain the future of health and care systems. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 14 carers of people with dementia across Scotland, and the data were analysed to identify the outcomes important to the carers. The importance of relationships emerged as the core theme, including relationship with the person with dementia, family members, other carers, and professionals. Although not evident in the literature, the authors noted that the concept of self-relationship was important to carers in the context of changing relationships with others. A multilayered approach to understanding relationships, and an approach to engagement that enables carers to define and express their priorities, is necessary to fit with the relational nature of care.


Based on three case studies of artifacts from 18th century collections preserved in Swiss cultural institutions, I attempt to rethink the use of the word "colonial" before the 19th century, and to apply it to describe collections from the modern period. I attempt to shed light on how these collections could be exhibited to provide critical perspective on these artefacts and the stories they are allowed to tell, in view of the upcoming exhibition entitled Exotic Switzerland? A Global History of the Enlightenment to open in 2020 at the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne.


Introduction
The vast majority of apple production in Europe takes place in intensive orchards, this implies the need for intensive capital investment for support structures which then have to be used for a number of generations of trees. Consequently new orchards have to be replanted in the same place as previous plots. This causes soil sickness or yield decline of which "replant disease" is the main biological component. Resulting yield losses are difficult to assess; a recent study in South Tyrol, where 12% of total EU apple is produced, showed that growth reduction can vary from 20 to 60% in replanted orchard compared to fallow control. Severity of this etiology is mediated by plant vigour, physiological state of plants and abiotic factors. Therefore, its occurrence is actually an indicator for fruit growers of the degraded status of biological soil processes. The only effective strategy to control replant disease and crop decline in organic fruit tree orchards is to increase soil diversity, and consequently, the various microbial processes involved in controlling soil borne pathogens, enhancing root growth and mediating plant nutrition.

Methods
BIO-INCROP, an European transnational project on organic farming, aims to increase knowledge about agro-management practices based on the study of microbial factors involved in soil suppressiveness and biological soil fertility. Project activities are planned on two reference crops: apple and citrus, which represent two main European agro-environments: apple growing areas of Central Europe (Switzerland, Germany, South Tyrol in Italy and Styria in Austria) and Mediterranean citrus growing areas (Valencia region in Spain and the East Mediterranean region of Turkey).

Research Actions of the project focus on exploitation of two main categories of natural resources in order to develop innovative cropping practices which will enable soil biodiversity preservation and exploit its biological features. They are:
1. Biological resources indigenous to the orchard soil represented by microbial communities and wild plants of natural vegetative covers.
2. Natural resources exogenous to the orchards; in particular, recycled organic materials and cover crops chosen from local germoplasm collections and wild plants.
Early evaluation of soil health based on plant response in greenhouse bioassay tests and culture-based and molecular methods for microbial response evaluation, are the integrated methodologies used to identify natural resources and techniques capable of increasing microbial biomass and diversity and selectively affecting beneficial and pathogenic microbial populations. Each country's activities is planned in close cooperation with regional agricultural research centres working on organic farming and laboratories with specific expertise.

Expected results
The main objectives and expected results of the project are:
1. To provide indicators of degradation status and risk for replant disease occurrence in the orchards.
2. To promote the use of indigenous or external resources for developing innovative management options aimed at i) selectively increasing the components of soil suppressiveness, ii) preserving and increasing soil microbial biomass and diversity.
3. To integrate the national guidelines for certified organic production with agro-management strategies based on eco-functional intensification of organic cropping systems.
4. To provide knowledge for supporting: i) critical adoption by farmers and local extension services of available organic amendments and bio-products ii) the development of soil management practices aimed at increasing soil suppressiveness according to available natural resources and environmental conditions.

Financial support for BIO-INCROP project provided by the CORE Organic II Funding Bodies, being partners of the FP7 ERA-Net project, (project no. 249667)


We determined spatial and temporal variation in abundance, distribution, and genetic composition of the planktonic marine diatom Ditylum brightwellii in 21 water samples collected between February and June from five locations in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington. Four blooms with cell abundances of >1,000 cells L‐1 were detected during the sampling period. The blooms were comprised of two genetically distinct populations identified by analyzing up to three microsatellite loci from 707 individual cells. One population was detected at all locations from February to April and comprised three blooms. In May and June, it was gone, replaced by a second, genetically distinct population that comprised a different bloom. Both populations had high levels of diversity: on average, 94% of cells in each sample were genetically distinct. The two populations contained cells with identical 18S and 5.8S rDNA sequences and 1.1% sequence divergence at the internal transcribed spacer regions, which suggests that both populations were members of the same species. The populations detected in early and late spring were composed of cells with average valve diameters of 22 and 69 mm, respectively. The population sampled in late spring, comprised of large‐diameter cells, had a distinct genetic composition, indicating that it did not arise from a sexual reproduction event in the population sampled in early spring. Both populations were associated with significantly different exposures to solar irradiance and silicic acid concentrations, suggesting that environmental selection may regulate bloom dynamics of distinct populations.


Although land plays a crucially important role in economic development and structural transformation, the causes and consequences of the evolution of farming land have only been paid scant attention in recent decades. In this paper I document changes in the extent of global farming land and in average farm sizes. I show that the spatial distribution of global farming land has changed dramatically, with developed countries substantially reducing their share and landabundant developing countries substantially increasing their share. In per capita terms we see a rather different pattern, with average farm sizes increasing rich and more commercialized agricultural systems, and generally declining or staying constant in poorer and less commercialized systems. These outcomes are the result of complex processes that are not always well understood. I conclude the paper by suggesting new, or neglected, areas of research that would help us better understand these critically important developments.


Over ten million tonnes of solid residues are generated yearly from coffee agro-industry worldwide, along with larger amounts of wastewaters and cultivation residues. Both wastewaters and solid residues, such as defective coffee beans and spent coffee grounds, along with coffee husks (pulp and mucilage) that constitute around 60% of the wet weight of the fresh fruit, represent a relevant source of pollution and environmental threat, particularly from the widely adopted wet processing of coffee berries. Several attempts have been done to re-use the coffee processing solid residues, which include direct use as fuel in farms, animal feed, fermentation studies, adsorption studies, biodiesel production, briquetting, pelletizing, tannin extraction and production of specialty commodities. For the re-use of wastewaters, biogas production and direct delivery on plantations have been proposed or adopted, along with the treatment through infiltration, irrigation or (anaerobic) lagooning, reed bed and aerobic lagooning. In this study, the possible alternatives for the re-use and valorisation of the coffee processing and plantation are critically reviewed, taking into account the experiences with other agro-industrial residues and wastewaters, in the frame of a sustainable agro-industrial development.


First Nano-Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging Measurements of Single Phospholipid Bilayers. Scattering-mode Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (sSNOM) allows one to obtain absorption spectra in the mid-IR region for samples as small as 20 nm in size. This configuration has made it possible to measure FTIR spectra of the protein complement of membranes. (Amenabar 2013) We now show that mid-IR sSNOM has the sensitivity required to measure spectra of phospholipids in individual bilayers in the spectral range 800 cm -1 –1400 cm -1 . We have observed the main absorption bands of the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine headgroups in this spectral region above noise level. We have also mapped the phosphate absorption band at 1070 cm -1 simultaneously with the AFM topography. We have shown that we could achieve sufficient contrast to discriminate between single and multiple phospholipid bilayers and other structures, such as liposomes. This work opens the way to further research that uses nano-IR spectroscopy to describe the biochemistry of cell membranes and model systems. Abstract Scattering-mode Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (sSNOM) allows one to obtain absorption spectra in the mid-IR region for samples as small as 20 nm in size. This configuration has made it possible to measure FTIR spectra of the protein complement of membranes. (Amenabar 2013) We now show that mid-IR sSNOM has the sensitivity required to measure spectra of phospholipids in individual bilayers in the spectral range 800 cm -1 – 1400 cm -1 . We have observed the main absorption bands of the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine headgroups in this spectral region above noise level. We have also mapped the phosphate absorption band at 1070 cm -1 simultaneously with the AFM topography. We have shown that we could achieve sufficient contrast to discriminate between single and multiple phospholipid bilayers and other structures, such as liposomes. This work opens the way to further research that uses nano-IR spectroscopy to describe the biochemistry of cell membranes and model systems. Abstract Scattering-mode Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (sSNOM) allows one to obtain absorption spectra in the mid-IR region for samples as small as 20 nm in size. This configuration has made it possible to measure FTIR spectra of the protein complement of membranes. (Amenabar 2013) We now show that mid-IR sSNOM has the sensitivity required to measure spectra of phospholipids in individual bilayers in the spectral range 800 cm -1 – 1400 cm -1 . We have observed the main absorption bands of the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine headgroups in this spectral region above noise level. We have also mapped the phosphate absorption band at 1070 cm -1 simultaneously with the AFM topography. We have shown that we could achieve sufficient contrast to discriminate between single and multiple phospholipid bilayers and other structures, such as liposomes. This work opens the way to further research that uses nano-IR spectroscopy to describe the biochemistry of cell membranes and model systems.


Self-replication and evolution under selective pressure are inherent phenomena in life, but few artificial systems exhibit these phenomena. We have designed a process and a system of DNA origami tiles that exponentially replicate a seed pattern, doubling the copies in each diurnal-like cycle of temperature and UV illumination, producing more than 7 million copies in 24 cycles. We use this system to demonstrate exponential selection: two similarly-growing sub-populations, one with a "red" dye incorporated, the other with a "green" dye, can be controlled by colored light. The light heats one species reducing its replication rate. The progeny of the non-absorbing species replicate preferentially and take over the system. The species selection is enhanced by competition for a resource, critical crosslinking strands required for replication. This addressable selectivity of different constituents in the same solution should be adaptable to the selection and evolution of multi-component nanoscopic-microscopic self-replicating materials. Materials that multiply exponentially and can be selected for specific properties may provide a new paradigm for design from the nanoscopic to the microscopic. Further such systems can provide insights into diverse problems ranging from the origin of life to information, computation and materials science.


This paper explores the experiences of the students who opted to take this module as part of their combined English Language/Media/Literature/Linguistics degree in the School of Humanities. Details of the findings from a research project are interspersed with a narrative from one of the guest speaker sessions. The actor, Paul Moriarty came in to talk about the history of political theatre and led a workshop where students pitched an idea for a play with a social theme. The rationale behind presenting the paper in this way is to give readers a three dimensional account of the module and provide an example of a teaching and learning method that was successful in this scenario. Paul's talk is indented and in italics to distinguish his voice from the voice of the author.


Northern Australia has been identified as the last stronghold for the dwarf sawfish Pristis clavata, green sawfish P. zijsron, and largetooth sawfish P. pristis, making these populations key in global conservation efforts for each species. This research assesses the levels of genetic diversity in these 3 sawfishes in Australian waters, testing for the presence of population bottlenecks using data at microsatellite loci. Levels of observed heterozygosity in each species from the west coast of Australia and the north-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria were generally high. M ratio tests suggest that assemblages of P. zijsron and P. pristis on the west coast and P. clavata and P. zijsron in the Gulf of Carpentaria may have experienced population bottlenecks. The bottlenecks are especially pronounced in P. zijsron populations and in P. clavata from the Gulf of Carpentaria. Demographic analyses, based on mtDNA data, indicate relatively recent (evolutionarily) range expansions in Pristis sawfishes in northern Australian waters, which could account for the population bottlenecks. A more recent range expansion in each of P. clavata and P. zijsron, as evidenced by more recent population divergence and more recent/higher rates of historic maternal gene flow, could account for the more pronounced bottlenecks in these species when compared to P. pristis. Given that Pristis sawfishes in Australian waters have experienced population bottlenecks, whether they be historic, contemporary or both, the preservation of remaining genetic diversity should be a high conservation priority.


For over 40 years the formalism known as the Drake equation has helped guide speculation about the likelihood of intelligent extraterrestrial life contacting us. Since the equation was formulated there have been significant advances in astronomy and astrophysics, sufficient to merit a review of the significance of the Drake equation. The equation itself is as a series of terms which, when combined, allow an informed discussion of the likelihood of contact with an alien intelligence. However, whilst it has a mathematical form (i.e. a series of terms multiplied together to give an overall probability) it is best understood not as an equation in the strictly mathematical sense. Some of the terms have a physically quantifiable, numerically based meaning (e.g. obtainable from astronomy) and some are more social in content in that they describe the behaviour and evolution of societies and thus are more social science in nature and not truly estimable without observation of a set of societies. Initially, almost all the terms had to be estimated based on informed guesswork or belief. However, in the intervening period since the early 1960s, many of the a priori scientific terms which were themselves initially so uncertain as to require estimation by guess work or belief are now, or will soon be, directly measurable from current or planned astronomical projects. This leaves the non-scientific terms as a distinct class of their own, still subject to analysis only by discussion. Thus observational astronomy has nearly caught up with parts of the Drake equation and will soon quantify the purely physical science parts of the equation. The social parts (concerning intelligent societies, etc.) are still a priori unknowable. In addition, the growth of the subject called astrobiology (i.e. the study of life in the Universe) has developed so fast that communicating with intelligent life is now increasingly seen as just one small part of a much larger discipline. The knowledge as to whether there is life per se (apart from on Earth) in our galactic neighbourhood may be obtainable in the near future directly from observation. Such knowledge will have a profound impact on mankind and will be obtained without the form of communication envisaged by the Drake equation.


From the earliest hardware and software through the latest, complexity has been something computer engineers, scientists and programmers have had to fight. Important fields of research and technology have originated, developed, or matured as side-effects of this fight. Some of these fields, such as computational complexity and planar graphs, address fundamental theories of broad significance. Others, such as reduced instruction set architectures, compiler-compilers, and high-level languages, are more applied. Other advances have actually contributed to complexity. In the area of building predictable real-time systems, for example, advances in computer performance (direct memory access, hierarchical storage, multiprocessing, and so on1) have led only to statistical performance improvements. But predictable, deterministic performance is still elusive. Some would argue that the easy availability of generic OS services may be responsible for a very significant increase in application complexity, not to mention a decrease in program robustness and correctness. Fighting complexity is not a futile task. Despite chronic lack of attention (and thus funding), much-needed complexity-fighting methods and tools will emerge. Eventually, a new generation of computer scientists, engineers, and programmers will emerge who are skilled at using these methods and tools. One day, the invention of a supertool will be as well-received as the construction of a supercomputer. Until that day, we have quite a bit of work to do. rom forest to finished product, wood moves through a series of stages that are little changed from sawmill practices of a hundred years ago. Many of the subjective decisions workers make along the way directly affect the quality and yield of the wood products. Wood grows more valuable and labor more expensive every day. At the same time, technology now exists to provide more complete information to decision makers.


The debate on international migration and development currently focuses on South-North migration, transnationalism, remittances and knowledge transfer. The potential positive role of migration for countries and regions the emigrants originate from has recently been acknowledged by, among others, the World Bank, United Nations Commissions and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). This volume addresses the question: to what extent and under what conditions does international migration contribute to local and national development? By presenting novel insights and themes on the basis of new empirical evidence from various countries, this volume is an indispensable addition to the international discussion on migration.


Deploying an application onto a target platform for high performance oftentimes demands manual tuning by experts. As machine architecture gets increasingly complex, tuning becomes even more challenging and calls for systematic approaches. In our earlier work we presented a prototype that combines efficiently expert knowledge, static analysis, and runtime observation for bottleneck detection, and employs refactoring and compiler feedback for mitigation. In this study, we develop a software tool that facilitates \emph{fast} searching of bottlenecks and effective mitigation of problems from major dimensions of computing (e.g., computation, communication, and I/O). The impact of our approach is demonstrated by the tuning of the LBMHD code and a Poisson solver code, representing traditional scientific codes, and a graph analysis code in UPC, representing emerging programming paradigms. In the experiments, our framework detects with a single run of the application intricate bottlenecks of memory access, I/O, and communication. Moreover, the automated solution implementation yields significant overall performance improvement on the target platforms. The improvement for LBMHD is up to 45\%, and the speedup for the UPC code is up to 5. These results suggest that our approach is a concrete step towards systematic tuning of high performance computing applications.


CONTEXT
Low bone mass may increase risk of fracture. Several chronic medical conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors affect bone mineral accrual. Appropriate reference values are essential for identification of children with bone deficits.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to establish reference curves for bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) in children.

DESIGN AND SETTING
The Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study is an ongoing longitudinal study in which measurements are obtained annually at five clinical centers in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS
Participants included 1554 healthy children (761 male, 793 female), ages 6-16 yr, of all ethnicities.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Scans of the whole body, lumbar spine, hip, and forearm were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Percentile curves based on three annual measurements were generated using the LMS statistical procedure.

RESULTS
BMC of the whole body and lumbar spine and BMD of the whole body, lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, and forearm are given for specific percentiles by sex, age, and race (Black vs. non-Black). BMC and BMD were higher for Blacks at all skeletal sites (P < 0.0001). BMC and BMD increased with age, and a plateau was not evident by age 16 (girls) or age 17 (boys). The variation in BMC and BMD also increased with age.

CONCLUSIONS
Age-, race-, and sex-specific reference curves can be used to help identify children with bone deficits and for monitoring changes in bone in response to chronic diseases or therapies.


Equivariant representation is necessary for the brain and artificial perceptual systems to faithfully represent the stimulus under some (Lie) group transformations. However, it remains unknown how recurrent neural circuits in the brain represent the stimulus equivariantly, nor the neural representation of abstract group operators. The present study uses a one-dimensional (1D) translation group as an example to explore the general recurrent neural circuit mechanism of the equivariant stimulus representation. We found that a continuous attractor network (CAN), a canonical neural circuit model, self-consistently generates a continuous family of stationary population responses (attractors) that represents the stimulus equivariantly. Inspired by the Drosophila's compass circuit, we found that the 1D translation operators can be represented by extra speed neurons besides the CAN, where speed neurons' responses represent the moving speed (1D translation group parameter), and their feedback connections to the CAN represent the translation generator (Lie algebra). We demonstrated that the network responses are consistent with experimental data. Our model for the first time demonstrates how recurrent neural circuitry in the brain achieves equivariant stimulus representation.


This paper presents a general framework for norm-based capacity control for $L_{p,q}$ weight normalized deep neural networks. We establish the upper bound on the Rademacher complexities of this family. With an $L_{p,q}$ normalization where $q\le p^*$, and $1/p+1/p^{*}=1$, we discuss properties of a width-independent capacity control, which only depends on depth by a square root term. We further analyze the approximation properties of $L_{p,q}$ weight normalized deep neural networks. In particular, for an $L_{1,\infty}$ weight normalized network, the approximation error can be controlled by the $L_1$ norm of the output layer, and the corresponding generalization error only depends on the architecture by the square root of the depth.