Process-based separation has long been the prevalent model for providing security and isolation to protection domains in computer systems. However, the recent rise of component-based systems, which execute multiple plug-ins in the same process, has exposed a weakness of processes. At the same time, the recent spate of vulnerabilities in software has revealed the usefulness of language-based schemes to supplement the protections offered by processes. I propose a language-based protection model to replace processes as the basis for providing security and isolation.
In this thesis, I present three different language-based mechanisms which add particular operating system-style protection semantics to the language. Soft termination provides a mechanism for guaranteed, safe termination of a task without interfering with other modules. Garbage collector memory accounting provides an accurate accounting of the memory used by each individual task running in the language-based system. Soft boundaries is a set of static analyses to verify that a specified task separation policy is followed by a particular codebase. These mechanisms provide the security and isolation that process-based separation provides, while tackling the problems of component-based architectures and malicious code head-on.


Abstract Since the 1990s, the concept of 'state-building' has become the means by which intervenors have attempted to tackle 'state failure/fragility'. The 'ideal' referred to when attempting to do this – both theoretically and in practice – has been that of the classic 'nation-state' as developed by Max Weber. To answer the question posed by the title above, the article first looks generally at the evolution of the current state-building paradigm and global governance discourse. Second, a background of historical attempts at state-building in Afghanistan is given. Third, an assessment is made of the international community's approach to Afghanistan since 2001. Finally, the appropriateness of replicating a Weberian state-building model onto more traditional societies such as Afghanistan – where modes of governance and authority are often informal, complex, and characterized by historical and charismatic sources of legitimacy – is addressed. Until now, such contexts have barely been acknowledged, still less understood, by intervenors. Today, however, some academics are beginning to outline an alternative response to state fragility, recognizing more traditional sources of legitimacy and a hybridity of political order.


Patients with end‐stage lung disease complicated by cirrhosis are not expected to survive lung transplantation alone. Such patients are potential candidates for combined lung‐liver transplantation (CLLT), however few reports document the indications and outcomes after CLLT. This is a review of a large single‐center CLLT series. Eight consecutive CLLT performed during 2009‐2012 were retrospectively reviewed. One patient received a third simultaneous heart transplant. Mean age was 42.5 ± 11.5 years. Pulmonary indications included cystic fibrosis (CF) (n = 3), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n = 2), α1‐antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) (n = 1) and pulmonary hypertension (n = 2). Liver indications were CF (n = 3), hepatitis C (n = 2), AATD (n = 1), cryptogenic (n = 1), and cardiac/congestive (n = 1). Urgency was reflected by median lung allocation score (LAS) of 41 (36.0‐89.0) and median predicted FEV1 of 25.7%. Median donor age was 25 (20‐58) years with median cold ischemia times of 147 minutes and 6.1 hours for lung and liver, respectively. Overall patient survival at 30 days, 90 days and 1 year was 87.5%, 75.0% and 71.4% respectively. One patient had evidence of acute lung rejection, and no patients had liver allograft rejection. Early postoperative mortalities (90 days) were caused by sepsis in 2 recipients who exhibited the highest LAS of 69.9 and 89.0. The remaining recipients had a median LAS of 39.5 and 100% survival at 1‐year. Median length of stay was 25 days (7‐181). Complications requiring operative intervention included bile duct ischemia (n = 1) and bile leak (n = 1), ischemia of the bronchial anastomosis (n = 1), and necrotizing pancreatitis with duodenal perforation (n = 1). This series reflects a large single‐center CLLT experience. Sepsis is the most common cause of death. The procedure should be considered for candidates with LAS < 50. Liver Transpl 20:46–53, 2014. © 2013 AASLD.


Theories concerning the formation of bedded chert traditionally have emphasized either depositional or diagenetic processes. Major and rare earth element data from Franciscan assemblage (Mesozoic) and Claremont Formation (Miocene) bedded chert sequences, along with physical observations such as the presence of rare and highly corroded radiolarians in shale interbeds, are most consistent with a dominantly diagenetic origin of chert-shale couplets and are incompatible with many depositional theories. Chemical distributions between Franciscan and Claremont bedded chert-shale closely match chemical fractionations recorded by Monterey Formation and Deep Sea Drilling Project-sampled cherts formed by diagenetic SiO{sub 2} dissolution, transport, and reprecipitation, suggesting that diagenetic migration of SiO{sub 2} from proto-shale to proto-chert is also largely responsible for chert-shale couplets. Identical Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce*) found in immediately adjacent chert-shale layers indicate that turbidites or other transport mechanisms are not responsible for the alternating beds. Neither the chemistry of the chert-shale couplet nor the overall stratigraphy of the sequences is consistent with couplet formation being caused by productivity fluctuations. Chemical mass balance calculations reconstructing the total bulk sediment composition suggest that modern siliceous sequences do not contain enough labile biogenic SiO{sub 2} to form entire stratigraphies of bedded chert.


Abstract. Intercontinental long-range transport (LRT) events of NO2 relocate the effects of air pollution from emission regions to remote, pristine regions. We detect transported plumes in tropospheric NO2 columns measured by the GOME-2/MetOp-A instrument with a specialized algorithm and trace the plumes to their sources using the HYSPLIT Lagrangian transport model. With this algorithm we find 3808 LRT events over the ocean for the period 2007 to 2011. LRT events occur frequently in the mid-latitudes, emerging usually from coastal high-emission regions. In the free troposphere, plumes of NO2 can travel for several days to the polar oceanic atmosphere or to other continents. They travel along characteristic routes and originate from both continuous anthropogenic emission and emission events such as bush fires. Most NO2 LRT events occur during autumn and winter months, when meteorological conditions and emissions are most favorable. The evaluation of meteorological data shows that the observed NO2 LRT is often linked to cyclones passing over an emission region.


This is not the first time that the subject on which I intend to read a paper (namely, the Queen's Domain, and suggestions for its improvement) has been before your Society. I may mention that this matter was brought before your notice in the year 1875, when it was very warmly discussed by the public at that time, and several letters were read before your Society; still, I regret to say, very little has been done since
then to beautify a spot that is certainly so well adapted to be a park and recreation ground for the people, though in 1880 light was once more thrown on the subject, for a petition was numerously signed by many influential citizens, and laid before the House, when, through the exertions of members of
the same, the sum of £200 was voted for improvements in
the Domain; still nothing of any importance up to the
present time has been done to effect the desired improvements. I, therefore, feel it my duty to again attempt
to awake the interest of the public in this national undertaking, and hope that from any discussion which may
take place after the reading of this paper some practical and lasting results will follow.


'Twenty Thinking Tools' is designed to support the development of collaborative inquiry-based teaching and learning through class discussion and small group work. It introduces teachers to the theory and practice of collaborative inquiry, and provides an easy-to-follow guide to the tools that students will acquire as they learn to examine issues and explore ideas. Beginning with an Introductory Toolkit, 'Twenty Thinking Tools' shows teachers how to strengthen students' abilities to ask insightful questions, to look at problems and issues from various points of view, to explore disagreements reasonably, to make appropriate use of examples, to draw needful distinctions, and generally to develop their imaginative, conceptual and logical abilities in order to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of all kinds of subject matter. The Intermediate and Advanced Toolkits show teachers how to encourage students to make appropriate use of such things as counterexamples, criteria, generalisation, informal reasoning and elementary deductive logic. The Toolkits also include devices for distinguishing between different kinds of questions, for tracking disagreement and for recording discussion. 'Twenty Thinking Tools' takes students from the early years of schooling right through to the senior secondary school, and is illustrated throughout with examples from the classroom, supporting exercises and activities.


Transient bed profiles in alluvial channels are generally modeled using diffusion (or dynamic) waves and assuming equilibrium between detachment and deposition rates. Equilibrium sediment transport can be considerably affected by an excess (or deficiency) of sediment supply due to mostly flows during flash floods or floods resulting from dam break or dike failure. In such situations the sediment transport process occurs under nonequilibrium conditions, and extensive changes in alluvial river morphology can take place over a relatively short period of time. Therefore the study and prediction of these changes are important for sustainable development and use of river water. This study hence developed a mathematical model based on the kinematic wave theory to model transient bed profiles in alluvial channels under nonequilibrium conditions. The kinematic wave theory employs a functional relation between sediment transport rate and concentration, the shear‐stress approach for flow transport capacity, and a relation between flow velocity and depth. The model satisfactorily simulated transient bed forms observed in laboratory experiments.


Improved carbon-fiber-reinforced SiC ceramic-matrix composite (C/SiC CMC) materials, suitable for fabrication of thick-section structural components, are producible by use of a combination of raw materials and processing conditions different from such combinations used in the prior art. In comparison with prior C/SiC CMC materials, these materials have more nearly uniform density, less porosity, and greater strength. The majority of raw-material/processing-condition combinations used in the prior art involve the use of chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) for densifying the matrix. In contrast, in synthesizing a material of the present type, one uses a combination of infiltration with, and pyrolysis of, a preceramic polymer [polymer infiltration followed by pyrolysis (PIP)]. PIP processing is performed in repeated, tailored cycles of infiltration followed by pyrolysis. Densification by PIP processing takes less time and costs less than does densification by CVI. When one of these improved materials was tested by exposure to a high-temperature, inert-gas environment that caused prior C/SiC CMCs to lose strength, this material did not lose strength. (Information on the temperature and exposure time was not available at the time of writing this article.) A material of the present improved type consists, more specifically, of (1) carbon fibers coated with an engineered fiber/matrix interface material and (2) a ceramic matrix, containing SiC, derived from a pre-ceramic polymer with ceramic powder additions. The enhancements of properties of these materials relative to those of prior C/SiC CMC materials are attributable largely to engineering of the fiber/ matrix interfacial material and the densification process. The synthesis of a material of this type includes processing at an elevated temperature to a low level of open porosity. The approach followed in this processing allows one to fabricate not only simple plates but also more complexly shaped parts. The carbon fiber reinforcement in a material of this type can be in any of several alternative forms, including tow, fabric, or complex preforms containing fibers oriented in multiple directions.


Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed are valued for their protein and oil content. Soybean somatic embryos cultured in Soybean Histodifferentiation and Maturation (SHaM) medium were examined for their suitability as a model system for developing an understanding of assimilate partitioning and metabolic control points for protein and oil biosynthesis in soybean seed. This report describes the growth dynamics and compositional changes of SHaM embryos in response to change in the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the medium. It was postulated that at media compositions that were sufficient to support maximal growth rates, changes in the C:N ratio are likely to influence the partitioning of resources between the various storage products, especially protein and oil. As postulated, at steady-state growth rates, embryo protein content was strongly correlated with decreasing C:N ratios and increasing glutamine consumption rates. However, oil content remained relatively unchanged across the C:N ratio range tested, and resources were instead directed towards the starch and residual biomass (estimated by mass balance) pools in response to increasing C:N ratios. Protein and oil were inversely related only at concentrations of sucrose in the medium <88mM, where carbon limited growth and no starch was found to accumulate in the tissues. These observations and the high reproducibility in the data indicate that SHaM embryos are an ideal model system for the application of metabolic flux analysis studies designed to test hypotheses regarding assimilate partitioning in developing soybean seeds.


We describe a novel fiber-optic system that is able to detect both ultrasonic Lamb waves and the location of their source. The aim of the system is to detect damage in structures such as those found in aerospace applications. Our system involves the use of fiber Bragg gratings, which may be either bonded to the surface of the material or embedded within it in order to detect the linear strain component produced by the acoustic waves. Interrogation of the Bragg gratings is carried out using a laser, which is tuned to the wavelength that gives the maximum sensitivity on the grating response curve. An amplitude modulated signal is produced by the interaction of the Lamb wave with the grating. The well defined directional properties of the Bragg grating (compared to the isotropic response of the more commonly used piezoceramic disc transducers) are used to determine the direction of propagation of the acoustic waves by mounting three of the gratings in a rosette configuration. Two suitably spaced rosettes are used to locate the source of the ultrasound by taking the intersection of the directions given by each rosette. This will become important when we extend the technique to include the study of the use of changes in the propagation properties of Lamb waves as a method of damage detection. We will present both theoretical and practical results on the interaction of the Lamb waves with the grating and the extraction of directional information from the response of the rosettes.


'Perhaps that moment had been exceptional, but still, I felt alive. That pressure on my chest means being alive.' Forty-nine, with a kind face, no serious ailments (apart from varicose veins on his ankles), a good salary and three moody children, widowed accountant Martin Santome is about to retire. He assumes he'll take up gardening, or the guitar, or whatever retired people do. What he least expects is to fall passionately in love with his shy young employee Laura Avellaneda. As they embark upon an affair, happy and irresponsible, Martin begins to feel the weight of his quiet existence lift - until, out of nowhere, their joy is cut short. The intimate, heartbreaking diary of an ordinary man who is reborn when he falls in love one final time, this beloved Latin American novel has been translated into twenty languages and sold millions of copies worldwide, and is now published in Penguin Classics for the first time.


Abstract Brick veneer construction is a very common form for residential structures in Australia and is growing in popularity in New Zealand. The structural frame is made from steel or timber, and non-structural brick walls are attached to the frame via brick ties. Under earthquake loading there is a complex interaction between the frame and veneer walls, particularly in the out- of-plane direction, where there is risk of brick wall collapse. While there is a standard component test method for assessing the seismic capacity of brick ties, this method has been developed around brick veneer on timber studs. In order to realistically assess the overall performance of brick veneer construction with steel framing, a full scale one-room test structure "Test House" was tested on a shaking table. The Test House incorporated veneer walls with different geometries. It was subjected to varying levels of the El-Centro earthquake ranging from moderate serviceability limit state ground motion to well beyond the design maximum considered earthquake for New Zealand. These levels of shaking were selected in order to ascertain the response for specific limit states to the New Zealand Loading Standard and to compare against minimum performance requirements. Comprehensive measurements on the frame and veneer walls were taken, including acceleration, drift and differential movements between the frame and veneer. The Test House performed very well, with no brick loss up to 2.6 times El-Centro earthquake, which is well in excess of all performance requirements. This paper presents a summary of the outcomes from the experimental test program.


Objective: To report a case of a decreased international normalized ratio (INR) in a patient taking warfarin in addition to multiple complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) products. Case Summary: A patient on warfarin with a target INR of 2–3 presented to the clinic with an INR of 1.1. Approximately 3 months earlier, the patient had started taking several CAM products, including omega-3 fatty acids, butcher's broom, and hawthorn berry; aloe vera juice was added approximately 6 weeks later. She was not asked to discontinue these products; instead, the warfarin dose was increased to eventually achieve a stable INR of 2.5. Discussion: An objective causality assessment suggests that this interaction was probably related to use of one of the CAMs. However, it is unclear which of these caused the decreased INR. The most likely causative agent was aloe. Conclusions: Patients do not need to discontinue CAM products while taking warfarin. However, these products need to be taken in consistent doses. Any substantial changes in intake of these substances can necessitate a change in anticoagulant therapy.


Summary form only given. Prefetching has proven to be a useful technique for reducing cache misses in multiprocessors at the cost of increased coherence traffic. This is especially trouble some for snoop-based systems, where the available coherence bandwidth often is the scalability bottleneck. The bundling technique reduces the overhead caused by prefetching in two ways: piggybacking prefetches with normal requests, and requiring only one device to perform the snoop lookup for each prefetch transaction. This can reduce both the address bandwidth and the number of snoop lookups compared with a nonprefetching system. We describe bundling implementations for two important transaction types: reads and upgrades. While bundling could reduce the overhead of most existing prefetch schemes, the evaluation of bundling performed has been limited to two of them: sequential prefetching and Dahlgren's adaptive sequential prefetching. Both schemes have their snoop bandwidth halved for all commercial and scientific benchmarks in the study. The combined effect of bundling applied to these prefetch schemes lowers the cache miss rate, the address bandwidth and the snoop bandwidth, compared with a system with no prefetching, for all applications. Bundling, will not reduce the data bandwidth introduced by a prefetch scheme. However, we argue that the data bandwidth is more easily scaled than the snoop bandwidth for snoop-based coherence systems.


SUMMARY 1. The formation of Heinz bodies, after exposure of erythrocytes to hydrogen peroxide vapour, was significantly greater in cells from patients with plasma tocopherol levels of 11.6 ,umol/l(5 mg/l) or less than in those from subjects with plasma tocopherol levels greater than 11.6 ,umol/l. 2. Six patients with low plasma tocopherol levels received intramuscular or oral tocopherol for 3-14 days. In four cases, the abnormally great production of Heinz bodies by hydrogen peroxide was much reduced after tocopherol therapy. 3. The addition of tocopherol to suspensions of erythrocytes from such patients markedly reduced the Heinz body formation by hydrogen peroxide in two out of six cases. 4. In one case of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase deficiency, where the plasma tocopherol concentration was normal, exposure of the erythrocytes to hydrogen peroxide resulted in abnormally great Heinz body formation. On repeating the experiment after the patient had received daily tocopherol injections for 5 days, the production of Heinz bodies by hydrogen peroxide was then no greater than in erythrocytes from normal subjects. 5. The effect of phenylhydrazine in producing Heinz bodies in erythrocytes in uitro was significantly reduced by the addition of tocopherol to the erythrocyte suspension; tocopherol had no significant effect on Heinz body formation by other oxidant drugs tested.


Verification is an important instrument in the analysis of systems. Roughly, this means that requirements and designs are analyzed formally to determine their relationships. Various candidates for formalizing system development and integration have been proposed. However, a major obstacle is that these introduce non-standard objects and formalisms, leading to severe confusion. This is because these models often are unnecessarily complicated with several disadvantages regarding semantics as well as complexity. While avoiding the mathematical details as far as possible, we present some basic verification ideas using a simple language such as predicate logic and demonstrate how this can be used for defining and analyzing static and dynamic requirement fulfillment by designs as well as for detecting conflicts. The formalities can be found in the appendix.


Channa Striatus is known as snakehead fish or local name as haruan, has been always associated with its medical value especially in wound healing. This fish is rich in protein as well as others biochemical compounds such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. Usually, the haruan is extracted and marketed in the form of liquid concentrated as health food supplement. In this study, encapsulated haiuan extract were produced using spray drying process. The main purpose is for easy handling and the preservation of the biochemical compounds. The biochemical compound in the powder produced is expected to have properties such as more stable and longer shelf life. K-carrageenan was used as coating material for the encapsulzation during the spray drying process. The properties of encapsulated powder produced were observed in term of particle size distribution, Fish Protein Hydrolysates (FPH) and moisture content. The process parameters of spray drying process studied were hot air inlet flow rate, temperature and the liquid feed flow rate. The experimental run and optimization were designed using Box-Been method as suggested by Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The optimum operation conditions for highest protein extracted with lowest moisture content and smallest particle size distribution were obtained at hot air inlet temperature and flow rate of 144.51°C and 400 mL h-1, respectively; whereas, the liquid feed flow rate is at 47 m-3 h-1. The optimal properties of encapsulated powder obtained were 5.2850 pm, 91% of protein and 8.7% in moisture content. © 2010 Asian Network for Scientific Information.


Oklahoma is one of 16 states electing to use an A-F letter grade as an indicator of school quality. On the surface, letter grades are an attractive policy instrument for school improvement; they are seemingly clear, simple, and easy to interpret. Evidence, however, on the use of letter grades as an instrument to rank and improve schools is scant at best. We address the gap in the literature by using student test scores to evaluate the use of Oklahoma's A-F grades as a school quality indicator. Achievement differences between letter grades were small and in most cases not statistically significant when student and school characteristics were held constant. School grades did not reveal large achievement gaps in the highest ranked schools. Additionally, free/reduced lunch and minority students in D and F schools outperformed peers in A and B schools.


Electrospun scaffolds provide a dense framework of nanofibers with pore sizes and fiber diameters that closely resemble the architecture of native extracellular matrix. However, it generates limited three-dimensional structures of relevant physiological thicknesses. 3D printing allows digitally controlled fabrication of three-dimensional single/multimaterial constructs with precisely ordered fiber and pore architecture in a single build. However, this approach generally lacks the ability to achieve submicron resolution features to mimic native tissue. The goal of this study was to fabricate and evaluate 3D printed, electrospun, and combination of 3D printed/electrospun scaffolds to mimic the native architecture of heterogeneous tissue. We assessed their ability to support viability and proliferation of human adipose derived stem cells (hASC). Cells had increased proliferation and high viability over 21 days on all scaffolds. We further tested implantation of stacked-electrospun scaffold versus combined electrospun/3D scaffold on a cadaveric pig knee model and found that stacked-electrospun scaffold easily delaminated during implantation while the combined scaffold was easier to implant. Our approach combining these two commonly used scaffold fabrication technologies allows for the creation of a scaffold with more close resemblance to heterogeneous tissue architecture, holding great potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications of osteochondral tissue and other heterogeneous tissues.


This paper contributes to the literature on aid allocation by investigating whether export product upgrading (export product diversification and export quality improvement) in both donors and aid recipient-countries matters for donors' aid allocation. The analysis is conducted in a gravity type framework model over a panel dataset comprising 23 donor-countries and 126 recipient-countries over the period 1970-2010. The study uses both within fixed effects and fixed effects quantile regression estimators to perform the analysis. The empirical results suggest evidence that export product diversification in donor-countries does not influence their bilateral aid supply, but an improvement in their overall export quality does generate higher bilateral aid to recipient-countries. In the meantime, while export product diversification in recipient countries does not influence the bilateral aid these countries receive from donors, bilateral aid supplied by donors declines when recipient-countries experience higher overall export quality improvement. Finally, the impact of export upgrading in recipient-countries on the bilateral aid received from donors is dependent upon recipient-countries' level of economic development, proxied by their real per capita income.


This thesis uses the Canadian Drugs and Alcohol survey conducted in 1994 by Statistics Canada to explore how Agnew's (1992, 2001, 2006) general strain theory can help to understand drug and alcohol use in Canada. Agnew argues that experiences of strain, which include an array of negative life events, produce a negative emotional response which creates pressure for corrective action. In postulating why certain individuals are more likely to react to strain with deviant behaviour, Agnew (1992, 2001, 2006) emphasizes the importance of variables that condition the effects of strain on deviance. It is argued that people are less likely to respond to strain with deviant coping strategies depending upon their levels of social control, constraint, social support and deviant peers and values (Agnew 1992; Broidy and Agnew 1997; Agnew 2006). Results are very supportive of GST as measures of objective and subjective strains as well measures of the conditioning variables are consistently associated with drug and alcohol use in hypothesized directions; strain measures also tended to interact with conditioning variables in associations with substance use. Hypotheses surrounding gender differences were also supported as females generally scored higher than males on measures argued to protect against the effects of strain and lower on measures argued to encourage deviant coping. Additionally, objective financial strain tended to have a stronger effect on male substance use while subjective strains tended to be more important in the prediction of female substance use. Avenues for further research are discussed including ways to ameliorate the adaptation of GST to gendered substance use patterns.


Virtues beyond those that traditionally motivate live programming are needed to support lively and unbounded communities of authors collaborating by creating and using shared artefacts. We will argue for the importance of each element of an artefact's design to be externalizable, and introduce terms describing the function of parts of a fully capable live externalizable system (the res potentia and res extensa). We critique the standard presentation of live programming, situating it within a wider set of authorial values. We introduce the quantity of divergence of a programming language or system and explain the desirability of minimising it. We survey some existing systems through this taxonomy and speculate how future systems could improve on them.


Global energy consumption is expected to increase dramatically in the next decades, driven by the rising of the standards of living and by the growth of population worldwide. The increased need of energy will require enormous growth in energy generation capacity, more secure and diversified energy sources, and a successful strategy to control and to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. There is a huge challenge to provide an everyday product, energy – that is taken absolutely for granted – in a radically different, difficult, but fundamentally improved way, at accustomed and competitive cost.
Also on the demand side severe corrections have to be undertaken: product and associated waste flows have to be interpreted differently, efficiency and sustainability becoming key issues.
One of the most immediate, and effective, ways to tackle this challenge is to minimize losses and waste by maximizing the exploitation efficiency of the resources that are utilised. One valid way to reduce fossil fuels dependence and demand, for example, is the use of alternative or non-conventional fuels, derived from waste or biomass. These fuels, by nature of their transient origins, are generally poor in energy content, which imposes localized deployment and maximum efficiency in their utilization in order to obtain a useful amount of work and/or heat.
In the effort to maximize the energetic yield from alternative energy sources like waste or biomass, and wanting to minimize environmental impact in terms of polluting or CO2 emissions, the coupling of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFCs) to the fuel gas produced from these sources is an attractive option. Combining these resources with fuel cell applications would provide a significant contribution to environmentally friendly, efficient energy use.
Currently, biofuels from waste and biomass are mainly used in engines and turbines with fairly low efficiencies and generate significant amounts of regulated pollutants (NOx, SOx and particulates).
Replacement of these conventional heat engines with MCFCs would allow a more efficient use of biofuels but, more significantly, would reduce NOx, SOx and particulates to insignificant levels and increase CO2 benefits.
This work is part of an ambitious Research Project under the Agreement between ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) and MSE (Italian Ministry of Economic Development) on the MCFCs Research and Development. One of the main topic of this project is the use of MCFC with biofuels (biogas from anaerobic digestion and syngas from biomass gasification).
The current Ph.D. work is finalized towards the coupling of a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) to an anaerobic digestion process of organic residues or sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, and it has been carried out under the supervision of the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Project, Energy Technologies, Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Saving Department, ENEA, Rome, Italy.
The biogas produced through anaerobic digestion is ideally suited for electrochemical conversion in an MCFC thanks to the large content of readily reformable methane and the necessary diluent CO2.
The crucial link between these two technologies (anaerobic digestion and the MCFC), however, is formed by the gas clean-up step. This is because the raw produced biogas contains trace elements that originate from the organic nature of the feedstock, and that have detrimental effects on fuel cell performance and durability. The most common contaminant contained in the biogas is hydrogen sulphide (H2S), relevant for harmful effects, both on the fuel cell electrodes as on the reforming catalysts.
A large part of the current study was dedicated to the particular effects of H2S on the MCFC anode.
In the last years several studies on the effects of H2S on the MCFC anode are reported in the literature, but the knowledge is still incomplete and requires more in deep study. Based on this knowledge a full experimental study was performed looking at the accurate knowledge of the conditions which are deleterious to MCFC, in order to facilitate safe and reliable operation of the fuel cell.
A systematic experimental campaign was carried out, the results of which will be presented and discussed, showing the effects and implications of cell poisoning with H2S observed at several different levels of diagnosis (chemical, electrochemical, electrical, material).
The objective is to ultimately identify the true, effective tolerance limits of current MCFC materials, especially as regards different concentrations of H2S that can occur due to composition variations of the produced biogas.
In order to achieve this objective, many hours of long-term experimentation has been required and different single cells have been operated in MCFC Laboratory, at Center for Fuel Cell Research, Energy & Environment Research Division, KIST – Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea.
The results of this experimental study allow to identify the main effect on the MCFC anode side by H2S and also to evaluate the important role played by the Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) as added value for the interpretation of this results. The impedance measurements are carried out to identify the processes which take place in the anode and to better understand the reversibility of sulphur poisoning under the regeneration processes.
After the technical approach, it's relevant to consider also the economic feasibility to understand how and when the MCFC systems fed with biogas can be competitive with other technologies currently present on the market, as Internal Combustion Engine and Gas Turbine.
A Cost-Benefit model will be performed and, based on it, a technical-economical analysis will be illustrated and discussed, considering the use of biogas in a 1.4 MW MCFC plant, in order to identify the most important economic parameters that affect the use of biogas in MCFC.


Can a machine learn how to segment different objects in real world images without having any prior knowledge about the delineation of the classes? In this paper, we demonstrate that this task is indeed possible. We address the problem by training a Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) model with weakly labeled images, i.e., images in which the only knowledge assumed on each sample is the presence or not of an object. The model, trained in an one–vs-all scheme, learns representations that distinguish image patches that belong to the class of interest from those that belong to the background. The per-pixel segmentation is obtained by applying the model to the patch surrounding the pixel and assigning the inferred class to that pixel. Our system is trained using a subset of the Imagenet dataset. The experiments are validated on two challenging classes for segmentation: cats and dogs. We show both quantitatively and qualitatively that the model achieves good accuracy results for these classes on the Pascal VOC 2012 competition, without using any prior segmentation knowledge. This model is powerful in the sense that it learns how to segment objects without the use of costly fully-labeled segmentation datasets.


Background: Previous studies have evaluated high school and collegiate athletes in the pre–Zurich guidelines era; whether adolescent athletes demonstrate similar neurocognitive decrements in the current concussion management era remains unclear. Purpose: To assess for the presence of neurocognitive deficits in adolescents with a sport-related concussion at the time of self-reported symptom resolution. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 32 patients, aged 13 to 18 years, who sustained concussions during ice hockey and who were referred to 3 sports medicine clinics between September 1, 2012, and March 31, 2015. Demographic, anthropometric, and injury data were collected at the time of the initial postconcussion evaluation. To document symptoms, patients completed the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) at initial and follow-up visits. Baseline and postinjury neurocognitive function were assessed using computerized neurocognitive testing (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test [ImPACT]), and a reliable change index was used to determine significant changes in composite scores. Statistical comparisons were conducted using the Student t test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: A total of 9 of 32 athletes (28.1%; 95% CI, 14.8%-46.9%) demonstrated continued neurocognitive impairment on ≥1 composite score when no longer reporting concussion-related symptoms, while only 2 of 32 athletes (6.3%; 95% CI, 1.4%-23.2%) demonstrated continued neurocognitive impairment on ≥2 composite scores. Conclusion: Neurocognitive deficits persist in adolescent athletes who no longer report concussion-related symptoms, at rates similar to those of collegiate athletes but at longer time intervals. This finding provides further evidence that adolescent athletes with a sport-related concussion demonstrate a protracted recovery and resolution of neurocognitive deficits compared with collegiate and professional athletes. Computer-based neurocognitive testing as part of a multifaceted approach continues to play an important role in return-to-play decision making after a sport-related concussion in adolescent athletes. Test-taking strategies may erroneously identify asymptomatic athletes as exhibiting neurocognitive impairment.


Advances in digital fabrication have simultaneously created new capabilities while reinforcing outdated workflows that constrain how, and by whom, these fabrication tools are used. In this paper, we investigate how a new class of hybrid-controlled machines can collaborate with novice and expert users alike to yield a more lucid making experience. We demonstrate these ideas through our system, Turn-by-Wire. By combining the capabilities of a traditional lathe with haptic input controllers that modulate both position and force, we detail a series of novel interaction metaphors that invite a more fluid making process spanning digital, model-centric, computer control, and embodied, adaptive, human control. We evaluate our system through a user study and discuss how these concepts generalize to other fabrication tools.


BACKGROUND
Hyperalgesia or increased sensitivity to pain is often found in alcoholics during alcohol withdrawal and may contribute to relapse drinking. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA), through mechanisms involving opioid receptors, may reduce pain and substance dependence and withdrawal syndromes. The lateral habenula (LHb), an epithalamic structure rich in mu opioid receptors (MORs), is a critical target for both drugs of abuse and pain. We previously observed hyperalgesia in rats withdrawn from chronic ethanol (EtOH) drinking and found that EA at the acupoint Zusanli (ST36) reduced EtOH intake. This raised question of whether EA can alleviate hyperalgesia during alcohol withdrawal and, if so, whether the mechanism involves MORs in the LHb.

METHODS
We trained male rats to drink EtOH using the intermittent access 20% EtOH 2-bottle free-choice drinking paradigm for 8 weeks, after which the alcohol supply was discontinued. We measured pain sensitivity using radiant heat (a light beam directed at the hind paw of rats) and compared the paw withdrawal latencies (PWLs) with and without EA at ST36.

RESULTS
The PWLs were significantly shorter in rats at 24, 48, and 72 hours and 7 days after the discontinuation of EtOH when compared to EtOH-naïve rats. After a single administration of 2-Hz EA for 20 minutes at ST36, the PWLs at 24 hours after the withdrawal of EtOH were significantly greater than those of the sham group (2-Hz EA at the tail). Furthermore, the effect of EA on PWLs was significantly attenuated by bilateral intrahabenula infusion of the MOR antagonist naltrexone.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that EA can alleviate hyperalgesia during EtOH withdrawal through a mechanism involving MORs in the habenula. Based on this, EA could be of potential value as a therapy for hyperalgesia in alcohol dependence.


In today's capitalist production process, the liberalization of foreign direct investment has gained prominent ground in response to the demand of the global society. To meet up with the expectation, the Nigerian government since 1999, when the country embraced the wave of modern democracy strived to key into the globalization agenda of economic liberalization vis-à-vis foreign direct investment. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explore the impact of economic liberalization on foreign direct investment, as it affects the agarian economy in Nigeria. To achieve this, the theory of economic liberalization was employed for analytical purposes. The data for the study were generated mainly from the secondary source, where the examination of relevant documents and books were engaged. From the appraisal, it was established that economic liberalism which guarantees the removal of necessary obstacles to foreign direct investment, ensure the free flow of capital and investment from one country to another. The Nigerian experience in the agricultural sector as witnessed in this paper demonstrated that foreign direct investment, in the agricultural sector promotes entrepreneurship and job creation. The implication is that economic liberalization in the area of agricultural production enhances macro-economic activities and industrialization and subsequent economic growth and development in a developing economy like Nigeria.


A polymer/liquid crystal-based fiber Bragg grating (PLC-FBG) is fabricated with visible two-beam holography by photo-induced modulation of a prepolymer/liquid crystal solution infiltrated into the hollow channels of a solid core photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The fabrication process and effects related to the photonic bandgap guidance into the infiltrated PCF, and characterization of the PLC-FBG, are discussed. Experimental data presented here demonstrate that the liquid crystal inclusions of the PLC-FBG lead to high thermal and bending sensitivities. The microscopic behavior of the polymer/liquid crystal phase separation inside the PCF capillaries is examined using scanning electron microscopy, and is discussed further.


This paper argues that Ovdalian has the vocative case. Although the system of the four standard cases is not as strong as it used to be, there is a set of vocative forms that are still commonly used today, although they are restricted to a few categories of words. The system is not the one inherited from Proto-Indo-European, but must be a later innovation. However, there are interesting similarities between Ovdalian and other languages, suggesting universal tendencies for the vocative category.


Summary and Conclusions
The tropical rat mite, Liponyssus bacoti, was shown to harbor the Dallas M. B. strain of Coxsackie virus for as long as 16 days following an infective blood meal. Of 36 mice exposed to the bites of infected mites during this period only one mouse, which was bitten on the third day, developed Coxsackie infection. The possibility that this animal was infected by ingesting a mite rather than by being bitten by one cannot be excluded. The fact that other mice bitten on the same or closely adjacent days did not develop infection tends to suggest that such might have been the case. Limited tests with progeny from the infected mites did not indicate that transovarian passage of the virus occurred. Thus it would seem that the mite, Liponyssus bacoti, can play but a small role, if any, in the transmission of the strain of Coxsackie virus tested.


Nuclear fuel reprocessing schemes such as PUREX and UREX utilise HNO3 media. An understanding of the corrosion of process engineering materials such as stainless steel in such media is a major concern for the nuclear industry. Two key species are cerium and chromium which, as Ce(IV), Cr(VI), may act as corrosion accelerants. An on-line analytical technique for these quantities would be useful for determining the relationship between corrosion rate and [Ce(IV)] and [Cr(VI)]. Consequently, a strategy for simultaneous quantification of Ce(IV), Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in the presence of other ions found in average burn-up Magnox / PWR fuel reprocessing stream (Fe, Mg, Nd, Al) is being developed. This involves simultaneous UV-vis absorbance measurement at 620, 540, 450 nm, wavelengths where Ce and Cr absorb but other ions do not. Mixed solutions of Cr(VI) and Ce(IV) are found to present higher absorbance values at 540 nm than those predicted from absorbances recorded from single component solutions of those ions. This is attributed to the formation of a 3:1 Cr(VI)-Ce(IV) complex and we report on the complexation and UV-visible spectrophotometric characteristics of this species. To the best of our knowledge this is the first experimental study of this complex in aqueous nitric acid solution systems.


Background: Physical and psychological ill-health is strongly interlinked. Poor physical health can amplify psychological symptoms; whilst disabling physical symptomology and illnesses have been improved by the treatment of depression and/or anxiety. Currently, demand outstrips the supply of psychological treatments for common mental health problems. This is mainly due to the lack of trained therapists in the UK. Effective and less herapist-intensive interventions are required. The efficacy of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) has been demonstrated in routine primary care. However, service users in secondary care and those with physical and psychological co-morbidities have frequently been excluded from these studies. Further research, particularly qualitative research, focusing on service users' satisfaction with CCBT has also been called for by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reviewers. Concurrently,v ery little knowledge exists on what problems users bring to work on in CCBT sessions; whilst service user empowerment perspectives call for an increase in supported self help interventions and "patient as expert" quality of life outcome measures in order to improve accessibility to services and actively involve service users in the delivery of their care. Aims: The first reported piece of research was a naturalistic non-randomised study carried out to establish the effectiveness and acceptability of a CCBT programme, Beating the Blues, as an intervention for anxiety and depression in an NHS CBT specialist centre. The study also sought to identify whether physical co-morbidities altered the nature of the intervention's impact on clinical outcomes. The following two studies evaluated the psychometric properties of an electronic service user generated Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) measure. Methods: Five hundred and ninety service users were included in the study. Three groups, a control group, a standard intervention group, and a physical co-morbidity intervention group, were compared on pre- and post-BDI-11 scores. The two intervention groups were also compared on pre- and post-BAI scores. Qualitative feedback and satisfaction rating scores were analysed to establish the acceptability of Beating the Blues. Despina Learmonth DPsych. (Health Psychology) 2007 The validity of the SUDS measurew as assessedu sing the BDI-11B, AI, and CORE-OMa validated measures with which the SUDS could be correlated. The internal reliability and sensitivity of the SUDS measure were also evaluated. A conventional content analysis was carried out to explore what types of problems service users chose to work on when using Beating the Blues. Results: In completer and intention-to-treat analyses, statistically significant differences were found for mean score changes on the BDI-11 between the control group and both the intervention groups. No differences were found between the intervention groups on either the BDI-I I or BAL A quarter and one fifth of completers in each group achieved reliable and clinically significant change on the BDI-11 and BAI respectively. In terms of acceptability, most of the participants found Beating the Blues to be a useful therapeutic tool. The qualitative feedback indicated four active core categories regarding both the features of Beating the Blues that service users found useful, and the ways in which they felt the programme could be improved upon. Seven main categories emerged from a number of sub-categories focusing on the described problems that service users choose to work on when using Beating the Blues. Service users broadly described symptoms, and emotional and practical issues as problems. The SUDS appeared to be sensitive to clinical change and to provide some measure of wellbeing, problems, and functioning; however, further research into certain aspects of its validity is still required. Conclusion: The research findings provided compelling evidence that Beating the Blues may be of value to service users suffering with depression and/or anxiety and varied physical and psychological co-morbidities in secondary care CBT specialist centres. The electronic SUDS measure contained within the programme also demonstrated potential to successfully incorporate service users' perspectives into more comprehensive evaluations of their wellbeing and quality of life. Further research needs to focus on: factors affecting adherence to Beating the Blues and its effectiveness with anxiety, the incorporation of physical health outcome measures, the use of the programme - including the SUDS measure - with individuals from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, acceptability of the SUDS measure to practitioners, and reasons for its non-completion amongst service users.


Ro52/Trim21 is targeted as an autoantigen in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome. Polymorphisms in the Ro52 gene have been linked to these autoimmune conditions, but the molecular mechanism by which Ro52 may promote development of systemic autoimmune diseases has not been explored. To address this issue, we generated Ro52-null mice (Ro52−/−), which appear phenotypically normal if left unmanipulated. However, Ro52−/− mice develop severe dermatitis extending from the site of tissue injury induced by ear tags. The affected mice further develop several signs of systemic lupus with hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibodies to DNA, proteinuria, and kidney pathology. Ro52, which was recently identified as an E3 ligase, mediates ubiquitination of several members of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family, and the Ro52-deficient mice have an enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines that are regulated by the IRF transcription factors, including cytokines involved in the Th17 pathway (interleukin [IL] 6, IL-12/IL-23p40, and IL-17). Loss of IL-23/IL-17 by genetic deletion of IL-23/p19 in the Ro52−/− mice conferred protection from skin disease and systemic autoimmunity. These data reveal that the lupus-associated Ro52 protein is an important negative regulator of proinflammatory cytokine production, and they provide a mechanism by which a defective Ro52 function can lead to tissue inflammation and systemic autoimmunity through the IL-23–Th17 pathway.


In 2001 and 2003, the Bush administration engineered two enormous tax cuts primarily benefiting very wealthy taxpayers. Most Americans supported these tax cuts. I argue that they did so not because they were indifferent to economic inequality, but because they largely failed to connect inequality and public policy. Three out of every four people polled said that the difference in incomes between rich people and poor people has increased in the past 20 years, and most of them added that that is a bad thing—but most of those people still supported the regressive 2001 Bush tax cut and the even more regressive repeal of the estate tax. Several manifestly relevant considerations had negligible or seemingly perverse effects on these policy views, including assessments of the wastefulness of government spending and desires for additional spending on a variety of government programs. Support for the Bush tax cuts was strongly shaped by people's attitudes about their own tax burdens, but virtually unaffected by their attitudes about the tax burden of the rich—even in the case of the estate tax, which only affects the wealthiest one or two percent of taxpayers. Public opinion in this instance was ill informed, insensitive to some of the most important implications of the tax cuts, and largely disconnected from (or misconnected to) a variety of relevant values and material interests.Larry M. Bartels is the Donald E. Stokes Professor of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University (firstname.lastname@example.com). He directs the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics in Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. This article is a revised and abridged version of a paper originally presented at the 2003 annual meeting of the American Political Science Association and subsequently presented in seminars and conferences at the University of Michigan, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Brookings Institution, Harvard University, Demos, and Princeton University, and at the 2004 meeting of the Russell Sage Foundation's University Working Groups on the Social Dimensions of Inequality. The author is grateful to numerous seminar and conference participants, colleagues, students, and friends for their criticism and support. He is also grateful to the Russell Sage Foundation for generous financial support of his research through a grant to the Princeton Working Group on Inequality, and for additional support of the primary data collection on which the present report is based.


Randy Poynter Lake is a 650-acre reservoir that was constructed to meet the drinking water needs of Rockdale County. The Lake was formed following impoundment of Big Haynes Creek with the construction of Jack Turner Dam. Suspended sediment monitoring on Big Haynes Creek has indicated excessive sediment yields upstream of the reservoir. An accurate 3-dimensional model of the lake will provide the current storage capacity of the lake as well as establish a baseline for monitoring future sedimentation. In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Rockdale Water Resources collected topographic and bathymetric data at Randy Poynter Lake simultaneously using a marine-based mobile mapping unit to estimate storage capacity. Bathymetric data were collected using multibeam and singlebeam echo sounders. Topographic data were collected using a marine-based mobile mapping light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, real-time kinematic global positioning system (GPS), and conventional surveying methods. The mobile mapping unit was operated in conjunction with a position and orientation system and GPS base station. The datasets were combined and a 3-dimensional model was created for the reservoir to generate a stage-storage curve.


How does the brain translate information signaling potential rewards into motivation to get them? Motivation to obtain reward is thought to depend on the midbrain [particularly the ventral tegmental area (VTA)], the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), but it is not clear how the interactions among these regions relate to reward-motivated behavior. To study the influence of motivation on these reward-responsive regions and on their interactions, we used dynamic causal modeling to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from humans performing a simple task designed to isolate reward anticipation. The use of fMRI permitted the simultaneous measurement of multiple brain regions while human participants anticipated and prepared for opportunities to obtain reward, thus allowing characterization of how information about reward changes physiology underlying motivational drive. Furthermore, we modeled the impact of external reward cues on causal relationships within this network, thus elaborating a link between physiology, connectivity, and motivation. Specifically, our results indicated that dlPFC was the exclusive entry point of information about reward in this network, and that anticipated reward availability caused VTA activation only via its effect on the dlPFC. Anticipated reward thus increased dlPFC activation directly, whereas it influenced VTA and NAcc only indirectly, by enhancing intrinsically weak or inactive pathways from the dlPFC. Our findings of a directional prefrontal influence on dopaminergic regions during reward anticipation suggest a model in which the dlPFC integrates and transmits representations of reward to the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine systems, thereby initiating motivated behavior.


The Basel Convention was the outcome of negotiations between two primary groups: the industrialized Western countries who stood to benefit from hazardous waste exports and who already had regulations to control waste exports, and the developing countries, who believed they lacked the institutional ability to control such trade on their own terms. It was in this polarized atmosphere that representatives of 116 countries met in late March 1989 to conclude negotiations on the transboundary movements of hazardous waste. The conference was convened and administered by UNEP. In intense negotiations the assembled national delegations were able to reach general agreement on a number of issues that had proved contentious, and on March 22, 1989 voted to accept the document that became known as the 'Basel Convention.' The Final Act of the Conference was signed by 104 States and the EEC; the Convention itself was signed by 35 States. By the beginning of 1991, the convention had been ratified by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Switzerland and France; it will become binding upon ratification by 20 States. This paper provides stakeholder analysis and discusses the issues of representation and voting, science and politics, monitoring and enforcement, and linkage. It also outlines some prescriptive advice.


Objective: Social workers can help mitigate the human consequences of global environmental change but need an evidence base for appropriate response strategies. This scoping review assesses the state of empirical social work research on global environmental change to identify an agenda for advancing social work research and practice in this area. Method: We searched 5 electronic databases and selected issues/articles for "social work" plus a list of global environmental change topics. Inclusion criteria were: (a) published since January 1, 1985; (b) published in a peer-reviewed journal; (c) empirical; (d) is social work research; and (e) examines at least one topic related to global environmental change. From included studies, we extracted publication year, country setting, global environmental change topic(s), explicit/implicit examination of global environmental change, research design, and study focus. We extracted practice/policy implications as a subgroup. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were run in SPSS 23. Results: We identified 112 studies for inclusion. About 1/3 of studies examined hurricanes and typhoons, and most were conducted in U.S., Canadian, or Asian contexts. Many described consequences or coping with change, and although more than 1/3 of studies examined a formal response/intervention, rigorous outcomes-focused research is lacking. Conclusions: Scholars should diversify the topics and global settings that they study, and they should proactively engage with populations and systems before a crisis. There is a need for intervention research on global environmental change—with more rigorous methods of outcome measurement—by social work scholars.


The Advanced Photon Source (APS) linear accelerator has two thermionic cathode rf guns and one photocathode rf gun. The thermionic guns are used primarily for APS operations while the photocathode gun is used as a freeelectron laser (FEL) driver. With each gun requiring a different lattice and timing configuration, the need to change quickly between guns puts great demands on the accelerator operators. Using the Procedure Execution Manager (PEM), a software environment for managing automated procedures, we have made start-up and switchover of the linac systems both easier and more reliable. The PEM is a graphical user interface written in Tcl/Tk that permits the user to invoke 'machine procedures' and control their execution. It allows construction of procedures in a hierarchical, parallel fashion, which makes for efficient execution and development. In this paper, we discuss the features and advantages of the PEM environment as well as the specifics of our procedures for the APS linac.


It has been proposed that leukocytospermia has a role to play in male infertility. Leukocytes are considered to be the primary source for generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) re-sulting in oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oxidative stress created by leukocytospermia on sperm parameters and sperm function test. Specimens were divided into two groups: Group 1. Non-leukocytospermic WBC ≤106 /ml (N=60) Group 2. Leukocytospermic WBC>106 /ml (N=56). Leukocyte measurement was done by Peroxidase staining using Ortho-Toluidine (WHO, 2000). Semen parameters in group 1 and 2 infertility subjects were studied. Sperm concentration, sperm motility (%), normal sperm morphology (%), % Viability, HOS (%), MDA and NO concentration were compared in two groups i.e. non-leukocytospermic and leukocytospermic subjects. MDA and NO concentration were higher in leukocytospermic than nonleukocytospermic subjects and they had statistically significant difference (p<0.0001). Data from current study suggest a possible role of oxida-tive stress on sperm quality in leukocytospermic infertile men.


Excerpt] I want to suggest that differences in the attitudinal and material conditions determine disabled peoples' life opportunities, how dependent or independent we can become. I am not claiming that anyone – disabled or non-disabled can be completely independent. As human beings we all are inter-dependent on each other. My point is that persons with the exact same disabilities can have completely different lives depending on where they live. In some countries there are policies and attitudes that allow us to develop and follow our interests, get education and work, meet friends, marry and have children. In other countries, we may be confined to living in institutions, with little contact with the outside world, with no or only simple work.


This thesis describes the present situation of the Al-Hasa oasis, which is critically dependent on a single over-used water resource. Evidence is presented to show that water usage is inefficient, and that real improvements are possible, but only if the local farmers are provided with the means of determining the soil moisture levels of their fields. Simple tensiometers and soil moisture cells are considered for this purpose and both would be effective. Soil moisture cells are likely to be the better choice, but more work is needed to evaluate their response to saline soil moisture conditions. The thesis shows that the widely used pressure plate (for laboratory evaluations) is less accurate than is the simpler filter paper system. Such laboratory determinations will be needed to ensure that the chosen field instruments are as accurate as is wanted. An interesting, and still incompletely understood, phenomenon is that the soil grain sizes do affect the accuracy of results from the chosen field instruments. More work is planned on this subject. A crucial factor also affecting the long term security of the oasis is to improve near surface drainage and evidence is presented that details the adverse effects of the present inadequate drainage system. In view of the vast financial investment already made into the drainage of the oasis, improvements that allow a better drainage of each individual field are seen as sensible. Evaluations of more modern soil moisture measuring equipment (transducer and psychrometer systems) reveal that these are inappropriate for use at Al-Hasa. The emphasis of the thesis is on the positive contribution to water use efficiency that can be achieved by the individual farmer. If the thesis conclusions are accepted then the continued prosperity of Al-Hasa can be assured at a very small cost.


Growing demands for aquatic sources of animal proteins have attracted significant investments in aquaculture research in recent years. The crustacean aquaculture industry has undergone substantial growth to accommodate a rising global demand, however such large-scale production is susceptible to pathogen-mediated destruction. It is clear that a thorough understanding of the crustacean innate immune system is imperative for future research into combating current and future pathogens of the main food crop species. Through a comparative genomics approach utilising extant data from 55 species, we describe the innate immune system of crustaceans from the Malacostraca class. We identify 7407 malacostracan genes from 39 gene families implicated in different aspects of host defence and demonstrate dynamic evolution of innate immunity components within this group. Malacostracans have achieved flexibility in recognising infectious agents through divergent evolution and expansion of pathogen recognition receptors genes. Antiviral RNAi, Toll and JAK-STAT signal transduction pathways have remained conserved within Malacostraca, although the Imd pathway appears to lack several key components. Immune effectors such as the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have unique evolutionary profiles, with many malacostracan AMPs not found in other arthropod groups. Lastly, we describe four putative novel immune gene families, characterised by distinct protein domains, potentially representing important evolutionary novelties of the malacostracan immune system.


Tuvaluan is a Polynesian language spoken by the 9,000 inhabitants of the nine atolls of Tuvalu in the Central Pacific, as well as small and growing Tuvaluan communities in Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia. This grammar is the first detailed description of the structure of Tuvaluan, one of the least well-documented languages of Polynesia. Tuvaluan pays particular attention to discourse and sociolinguistics factors at play in the structural organization of the language.


Optimization models for California's hydropower system are designed to be decision-support tools and aids for climate adaptation decision-making. In practice, they fall short of this goal. One potential explanation is that optimization models are not more successful because they are built on, and depend on, a misrepresentation of law and politics. The legal reality of California's hydropower system is a web of networked jurisdictions of multiple federal and state agencies, with varying levels of coordination, long periods of legally obligated stability with rigid rules, and prone to conflict, but with multiple procedures for conflict resolution. Barriers to climate adaptation from that mix vary according to where a given dam is located. The virtual institutional arrangements represented in optimization models are not a simplification of existing arrangements. Instead, they are a dramatic replacement. That replacement is deliberate and reasoned. As seen in two optimization models supported by the state of California, CALVIN and INFORM, the operation of the optimization function of computer models depends on a virtual system of rules that are centrally controlled, coordinated, nimble, and without the possibility of conflict (let alone conflict resolution). But that smooth virtual system comes with a real cost. Institutional economics suggests that this mismatch between existing formal law and represented law may upend the results of models, since value is determined from institutional context.


ABSTRACT Sir Stewart Duke-Elder was probably the most influential ophthalmologist of the 20th century. One of his visionary pieces of work was his writing on myopia in the second edition of The Practice of Refraction, published in 1935. Many of his insights are now, 80 years later, supported by scientific proof. In terms of prognosis of myopia, he stated that this largely depended on the age of the patient. We now have epidemiologic evidence that age of onset is strongly related to final refractive error, and that high myopia carries a high risk of blindness. With respect to prophylaxis, he claimed that accessory risk factors were excessive near work, bad ocular hygiene, and physical debility in the early years of growth: "The régime of modern schools imposes far too much application to books upon young children at an age when they require all their available vitality for physical growth and development." He recommended open-air pursuits and avoidance of indoor activities, in particular for children with a hereditary tendency toward myopia. Current investigations indeed point to a crucial role for near work, although not all findings are consistent. The most established factor that is protective from myopia is outdoor exposure, more likely due to intense exposure to light rather than to "open-air." Ocular hygiene and physical activity have not been confirmed as protective factors, but Duke-Elder's views on gene–environment interactions are truly insightful. Concerning treatment, he suggested that adequate correction by glasses, intake of vitamin D, and restriction of education in "myope classes" could halt progression of myopia. Optical correction is considered helpful nowadays, but sound statistical evidence has only been provided for orthokeratology. High vitamin D serum levels are indeed related to low refractive error, but it is not yet clear whether high dietary intake is beneficial. Restriction of education does not meet current moral standards, but in China, "myopia classrooms" in the form of large cubes of windows, admitting lots of light, have been built. In this report, we highlight Duke-Elder's insights into the causes and clinical care of myopia, and discuss their merit for ophthalmic care today.


We studied the distribution and seasonal dynamics of five species from the genus Flavobacterium and one species from the genus Marinomonas over the course of a year along a northern Baltic Sea river‐marine transect. All of the species had been previously demonstrated as important consumers of riverine dissolved organic carbon. Quantitative DNA–DNA hybridization data showed that two of the Flavobacterium spp. and the Marinomonas sp. had highest abundance in the river water (maximum 20,000 cells ml−1), with maximum relative abundance of 0.5–2.5% of the bacterial community. These species declined in abundance from the river to the estuary and the offshore site. Abundance and dynamics in the estuarine environment suggested successful immigration of freshwater bacteria, accompanied by growth in the brackish water environment. Two of the three abundant species showed high cell numbers also during late autumn to early spring in the estuary, indicating a selective advantage when riverine dissolved organic carbon was the main carbon source. The remaining three species showed more episodic abundance close to the detection limit of the method, providing weaker evidence of occurrence in the freshwater environment. Some bacterioplankton consuming riverine organic carbon in the brackish water environment in the northern Baltic are therefore freshwater species, with a selective advantage during winter.


Transient radio jet from a black hole When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, it gets ripped apart by the gravitational forces. This causes a tidal disruption flare as the material falls into the black hole. van Velzen et al. monitored one such flare with radio telescopes and found evidence for a transient relativistic jet launched by the black hole (see the Perspective by Bower). Larger jets are a feature of active galactic nuclei and have a profound effect on their host galaxy, but are poorly understood. The results will aid our understanding of how black holes "feed" and of the processes governing jet formation. Science, this issue p. 62; see also p. 30 A supermassive black hole feeding on a star launches a transient relativistic jet. [Also see Perspective by Bower] The tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole leads to a short-lived thermal flare. Despite extensive searches, radio follow-up observations of known thermal stellar tidal disruption flares (TDFs) have not yet produced a conclusive detection. We present a detection of variable radio emission from a thermal TDF, which we interpret as originating from a newly launched jet. The multiwavelength properties of the source present a natural analogy with accretion-state changes of stellar mass black holes, which suggests that all TDFs could be accompanied by a jet. In the rest frame of the TDF, our radio observations are an order of magnitude more sensitive than nearly all previous upper limits, explaining how these jets, if common, could thus far have escaped detection.


In conflict situations, many people are displaced because of hostility and arms in the area. Displaced people are forced to leave behind their properties, and this in turn interrupts the relationship between people and their land. The emergency period in particular has been identified as a weak point in the humanitarian response to land issues in post-conflict situations. In addition, during this period of response, most post-conflict governments do not prioritize land administration as an emergency issue due to other social, economic, security, and political challenges, which countries face in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. In the longer run, this results in post-conflict illegal land occupation, secondary occupation, numerous disputes and claims over land, and dysfunctional government institutions that legalize these illegal and secondary occupations. This research explores the nexus between displacement and land administration in a post-conflict context. It uses empirical data from fieldwork in Rwanda, and discusses how government interventions in land administration in emergency and early recovery periods of post-conflict situations affect future land administration during the reconstruction phase. The post-conflict Rwandan government envisaged proper land administration as a contributor to sustainable peace and security as it enhances social equity and prevents conflicts. Thus, it embarked on a nationwide systematic land registration program to register land all over the country with the aim of easing land administration practices and reducing successive land-related claims and disputes. However, the program faced many challenges, among which were continuous land claims and disputes. Our research anticipates these continued land claims and disputes are due to how land issues were handled in the emergency and early recovery period of the post-conflict Rwanda, especially during land sharing initiatives and Imidugudu (collective settlement policy).


The signal to move or proliferate diverges at RAF1. Coordinating proliferation and migration with RAF1 The kinase RAF1 is the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) that sits at the top of the proliferative pathway activated by growth factors. Growth factors stimulate a transient increase in the kinase activity of RAF1 through a complex set of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events. Through a kinase-independent mechanism, RAF1 is also an inhibitor of the kinase ROKα, thereby coupling growth factor signaling to the cytoskeleton. Varga et al. identified how these two activities are controlled by the formation of specific phosphorylated forms of RAF1, as this kinase interacts with the signaling complex that activates the MAPK cascade. By combining the analysis of protein interactions detected by immunoprecipitation with computational modeling, the authors determined that the interaction with BRAF as part of the MAPK signaling complex stimulated the formation of the RAF1 phosphorylated form that signaled as a MAPKKK and also the formation of a distinct form that inhibited ROKα. Given the importance of RAF signaling in development, physiology, and various pathologies, such as cancer, this finding provides valuable insight into the molecular events controlling the output of this protein. Downstream of growth factor receptors and of the guanine triphosphatase (GTPase) RAS, heterodimers of the serine/threonine kinases BRAF and RAF1 are critical upstream kinases and activators of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) module containing the mitogen-activated and extracellular signal–regulated kinase kinase (MEK) and their targets, the extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) family. Either direct or scaffold protein–mediated interactions among the components of the ERK module (the MAPKKKs BRAF and RAF1, MEK, and ERK) facilitate signal transmission. RAF1 also has essential functions in the control of tumorigenesis and migration that are mediated through its interaction with the kinase ROKα, an effector of the GTPase RHO and regulator of cytoskeletal rearrangements. We combined mutational and kinetic analysis with mathematical modeling to show that the interaction of RAF1 with ROKα is coordinated with the role of RAF1 in the ERK pathway. We found that the phosphorylated form of RAF1 that interacted with and inhibited ROKα was generated during the interaction of RAF1 with the ERK module. This mechanism adds plasticity to the ERK pathway, enabling signal diversification at the level of both ERK and RAF. Furthermore, by connecting ERK activation with the regulation of ROKα and cytoskeletal rearrangements by RAF1, this mechanism has the potential to precisely coordinate the proper timing of proliferation with changes in cell shape, adhesion, or motility.


The effectiveness of a home based intervention on children's body mass index (BMI) at age 2 years was investigated. A randomised controlled superiority trial was used. The intervention consisted of eight home visits from specially trained community nurses in the first 24 months after birth. The aim of the intervention was to improve the health and wellbeing of parents and children. The intervention was in addition to the usual childhood nursing service from community health service nurses. The control group received the usual childhood nursing service alone. Participants were first time mothers and their infants.1

The primary outcome measures were children's anthropometric measures, including BMI, weight, and length, at age 2 years. Secondary outcomes comprised eight measures of dietary behaviour and four measures of physical activity and television watching for the child at age 2 years. These included eating habits (intake of fruit and vegetables, consumption of chips and snacks), having a meal in front of the TV, time spent watching TV, and active play time. Secondary outcomes also included seven measures of dietary behaviour, time spent watching TV, and physical activity for the mother 24 months after giving birth.

It was reported that mean BMI at age 2 years was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.04). At 24 months after birth, dietary behaviours and TV watching were significantly different for children in the intervention group compared with the control group. Children in the intervention group ate more vegetables (P=0.03), whereas using food as a reward (P=0.03), TV being on during mealtimes (P=0.02), eating dinner in front of the TV (P=0.01), and watching TV for more …


In recent years, there has been growing interest in the mechanisms that underlie online processing (comprehension and production) of units above the word level, known as multi-word expressions (MWEs). MWEs are a heterogeneous family of expressions that vary greatly in their linguistic properties but are perceived as highly conventional by native speakers. Extensive behavioural research has demonstrated that, due to their frequency and predictability, MWEs are processed differently from novel strings of language. At the very least, MWEs have been shown to be processed faster than matched control phrases. However, behavioural measures are limited in what they can tell us about MWE processing in the brain above and beyond the speed of processing. The present paper argues in favour of two powerful psycho- and neurolinguistic techniques — eye-tracking and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) — and presents a case for why these techniques are particularly suited for the investigation of phrasal frequency and predictive linguistic mechanisms. A number of studies that have drawn on these methods in their exploration of MWEs are reviewed, with a particular emphasis on the unique role of the method and its ability to tap into the underlying mechanisms implicated in MWE processing. It is argued that the two techniques complement, rather than duplicate each other, providing an ever richer account of the (psycho)linguistic phenomenon that MWEs are.


We use a numerical model describing cosmogenic nuclide acquisition in sediment moving through the upper Gaub River catchment to evaluate the extent to which aspects of source area geomorphology and geomorphological processes can be inferred from frequency distributions of cosmogenic 21Ne (21Nec) concentrations in individual detrital grains. The numerical model predicts the pathways of sediment grains from their source to the outlet of the catchment and calculates the total 21Nec concentration that each grain acquires along its pathway. The model fully accounts for variations in nuclide production due to changes in latitude, altitude and topographic shielding and allows for spatially variable erosion and sediment transport rates. Model results show that the form of the frequency distribution of 21Nec concentrations in exported sediment is sensitive to the range and spatial distribution of processes operating in the sediment's source areas and that this distribution can be used to infer the range and spatial distribution of erosion rates that characterise the catchment. The results also show that lithology can affect the form of the 21Nec concentration distribution indirectly by exerting control on the spatial pattern of denudation in a catchment. Model results further indicate that the form of the distribution of 21Nec concentrations in the exported sediment can also be affected by the acquisition of 21Nec after detachment from bedrock, in the diffusive (hillslope) and/or advective (fluvial) domains. However, for such post‐detachment nuclide acquisition to be important, this effect needs to at least equal the nuclide acquisition prior to detachment from bedrock. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.


A search is presented for anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings in vector-boson scattering. The data for the analysis correspond to $20.2$ fb$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV $pp$ collisions, and were collected in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The search looks for the production of $WW$ or $WZ$ boson pairs accompanied by a high-mass dijet system, with one $W$ decaying leptonically, and a $W$ or $Z$ decaying hadronically. The hadronically decaying $W/Z$ is reconstructed as either two small-radius jets or one large-radius jet using jet substructure techniques. Constraints on the anomalous quartic gauge boson coupling parameters $\alpha_4$ and $\alpha_5$ are set by fitting the transverse mass of the diboson system, and the resulting 95% confidence intervals are $-0.024<\alpha_4<0.030$ and $-0.028<\alpha_5<0.033$.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding ribonucleic acids (RNAs) which play key roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Direct identification of mature miRNAs is infeasible due to their short lengths, and researchers instead aim at identifying precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs). Many of the known pre-miRNAs have distinctive stem-loop secondary structure, and structure-based filtering is usually the first step to predict the possibility of a given sequence being a pre-miRNA. To identify new pre-miRNAs that often have non-canonical structure, however, we need to consider additional features other than structure. To obtain such additional characteristics, existing computational methods rely on manual feature extraction, which inevitably limits the efficiency, robustness, and generalization of computational identification. To address the limitations of existing approaches, we propose a pre-miRNA identification method that incorporates (1) a deep recurrent neural network (RNN) for automated feature learning and classification, (2) multimodal architecture for seamless integration of prior knowledge (secondary structure), (3) an attention mechanism for improving long-term dependence modeling, and (4) an RNN-based class activation mapping for highlighting the learned representations that can contrast pre-miRNAs and non-pre-miRNAs. In our experiments with recent benchmarks, the proposed approach outperformed the compared state-of-the-art alternatives in terms of various performance metrics.


The visualization of fluid flow and characterization of porous media, by means of Neutron Radiography (NRad), has been tested using the Safari-1 nuclear reactor in South Africa – the only neutron imaging facility available in South Africa for R & D purposes and yet not fully explored by scientists, engineers and researchers. This has been enhanced by the capabilities of neutron imaging equipment and the subsequent improvement of imaging software features that support this type of characterization and analysis.

A low light level CCD Camera that was converted into a neutron detection system was used to study the porosity and permeability features of laboratory scale porous sandstone and concrete samples and to compare the results obtained from conventional detection methods.

The study develops the theory of mensuration of water saturation fluid of porous media of various types, but specifically concrete and sandstone, using Nrad techniques. Examples of these are fully developed.

The study also investigated a number of often poorly understood situations of liquid with full and partial saturations of porous media, including concrete, sandstone aquifers and petroleum reservoir rocks. Never previously studied using NRad is the situation of two-phase fluid flow through oil-bearing rock inside a Hassler high-pressurized apparatus. The Hassler cell is used to reproduce deep reservoir pressure conditions, and is a standard petroleum petrophysical apparatus. For the present experiments, the Hassler cell was constructed of stainless steel (which is not optimum for neutron attenuation), and "heavy water" (D2O) was used instead of water in order to enhance the neutron attenuation contrast between petroleum and the resident liquid (normally water, but in this case deuterium). The heavy water and petroleum combination permitted sufficient contrast in neutron attenuation to enable resolution of D2O versus petroleum concentration within the pore volume to about 10% of the total concentration. Results were obtained of significant quality to suggest that NRad may supply valuable information on multi-phase fluid behaviour in such experimental apparatus.

This study shows the capability and ability of neutron radiation imaging to obtain information about porous media and to validate existing data obtained through conventional methods. Although this study concentrate only on 2D neutron imaging and its advantages, exciting new 3D tomography imaging equipment are envisaged at SAFARI-1 that will enhance these R & D capabilities through future studies.


This chapter looks at (re-)constructing clients' knowledge in coaching which represents an endemic interactive feature of this helping profession that aims to solve clients' business-related concerns by developing concrete solutions to their problems. The professional norm of enabling help for self-help locates all relevant information in the clients' territory of knowledge. A dilemma may arise for
professionals when clients dis-align in the construction of a solution, given that concrete plans of actions are required but should be developed co-actively based on the clients' own knowledge. The chapter tackles the interactive consequences of such dis-aligning forms in one coaching session between a coach in training and his client. Data excerpts, analyzed with the help of (applied) conversation
analysis, illustrate the coach's strategies when struggling with this professional dilemma and the client's strategies to resist the professional's attempts to non-directively keep her on track.


Scientists who are non-native speakers (NNSs) may receive inadequate training in the skills required to write scientific English, and may even be unaware of the various language and procedural issues involved in gaining acceptance from their own research community. Pedagogic materials exist for teaching these skills but, to date, there has been little interactive online assistance available. In addition, their own institutions may not even formally recognize this need by providing writing courses for doctoral students and practising researchers. This article describes how a new online writing tool can be used to raise awareness with regard to the writing of research article (RA) introductions in a multidisciplinary perspective. The tool is based on a corpus of NNS drafts and revised versions that have been processed pedagogically to highlight rhetorical and linguistic features. In this chapter, a series of communicative activities is described which progressively draws the learners' attention to some of the rhetorical, organisational and linguistic features common to RA introductions that they may use when writing their own texts. Keywords: research writing; online tool; genre analysis; expert writing; typical errors


Using ∼100 X-ray selected clusters in the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data, we constrain the luminosity function (LF) of cluster red-sequence galaxies as a function of redshift. This is the first homogeneous optical/X-ray sample large enough to constrain the evolution of the LF simultaneously in redshift (0.1 < z < 1.05) and cluster mass ($13.5 \le \rm {log_{10}}(M_{200crit}) \sim \lt 15.0$). We pay particular attention to completeness issues and the detection limit of the galaxy sample. We then apply a hierarchical Bayesian model to fit the cluster galaxy LFs via a Schechter function, including its characteristic break (m*) to a faint end power-law slope (α). Our method enables us to avoid known issues in similar analyses based on stacking or binning the clusters. We find weak and statistically insignificant (∼1.9σ) evolution in the faint end slope α versus redshift. We also find no dependence in α or m* with the X-ray inferred cluster masses. However, the amplitude of the LF as a function of cluster mass is constrained to ${\sim } 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ precision. As a by-product of our algorithm, we utilize the correlation between the LF and cluster mass to provide an improved estimate of the individual cluster masses as well as the scatter in true mass given the X-ray inferred masses. This technique can be applied to a larger sample of X-ray or optically selected clusters from the Dark Energy Survey, significantly improving the sensitivity of the analysis.


About three or four years ago I stuck my neck out and predicted that the day would come where the "deemed kilometre" method of claiming business travel against a travel allowance falls away, making it compulsory for travel allowance recipients to keep a logbook for claiming business travel. This year's Budget proved that prediction to be true, in that as from 1 March 2010 any claims for business travel must now be substantiated by a logbook - the deemed method will be no more.


The second edition of this award-winning textbook provides an accessible and engaging introduction to the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer psychology. Comprehensive in scope and international in outlook, it offers an integrated overview of key topical areas, from history and context, identities and fluidity, families and relationships, to health and wellbeing. The second edition has been extensively revised to address substantial developments and emerging areas, such as people born with intersex variations, transgender and non-binary genders, intersectionality, and gender-diverse children. It also includes new pedagogical features to support learning and to facilitate discussion and reflection, with feature boxes throughout that explain important concepts, provide concise overviews of cutting-edge research, and offer first-person narratives that bring topics to life. This pioneering textbook is an essential resource for undergraduate courses on sex, gender, and sexuality in psychology and related disciplines, such as sociology, health studies, social work, education, and counselling.


The role of lay magistrates in England and Wales has been progressively undermined by protracted processes of reform over the last two decades. Current government proposals aim to reorient and 'strengthen' their function through the creation of new magisterial responsibilities such as oversight of out of court disposals and greater involvement with local justice initiatives. This article argues that while these proposals embody necessary and important areas for reform, taken in isolation they will fail to consolidate the role of magistrates in summary justice unless they are enacted alongside other measures which aim to reaffirm the status of lay justices, and which seek to reverse the trend which has prioritised administrative efficiency at the expense of lay justice. Rapidly declining magistrate numbers together with continuous (and continuing) programs of court closures are irreconcilable with the future viability of a lay magistracy.


This article explores the cultural significance and interpretative potential of graffiti left by Soviet conscripts at Kummersdorf, a former military base in the German federal state of Brandenburg. The graffiti is framed as war art and its typology, distribution and content is studied in detail. In this way opportunities for further research are highlighted, as well as the potential for the graffiti to contribute to interpretative and conservation strategies. We demonstrate how the graffiti embodies multi-level interpretative narratives which can help to reveal hidden aspects of Soviet conscript life and cultural practices whilst alluding to global events and Soviet and Russian military policy. More generally, the article aims to promote the potential of graffiti and other forms of what is traditionally considered vandalism to contribute to the cultural significance and interpretation of heritage sites.