Page-oriented data storage systems incorporate optical detector arrays [such as complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) arrays] in order to read data images. For laboratory demonstrations the detector array is typically pixel matched to the data image [Opt. Lett. 22, 1509 (1997)]. This approach requires exceedingly high-performance optics and mechanics for the simultaneous alignment of each data-bearing pixel image to a detector element to be achieved. Systems intended for commercialization are designed with detector arrays that spatially sample the image at or above the Nyquist rate in order to read poorly aligned and distorted images [S. Redfield, Holographic Data Storage (Springer-Verlag, 2000), pp. 347-349]. However, for data page sizes exceeding a megapixel this approach becomes prohibitive in terms of detector bandwidth, size, power, cost, and processing requirements. We have instead developed a sub-Nyquist oversampling methodology that can recover arbitrarily aligned and distorted megapixel data page images with pixel-matched fidelity by using fewer than double the number of detector pixels. Features required for practicable implementation are described, including fiducials for alignment determination.


Aim/Purpose: Social media platforms have been increasingly incorporated into teaching and learning. However, studies using mixed methods to explore WhatsApp's potential to broaden online teaching and learning remain limited.

Background: This study reports the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate students in terms of their WhatsApp usage patterns and preferences during COVID-19 using a sequential mixed method.

Methodology: Through a quantitative survey of undergraduate students from the Education Faculty in one South African university, quantitative data were collected from 92 participants. Qualitative interviews were followed with ten willing participants to further explore their perceptions and preference.

Contribution: This study addresses the literature gap identified by Klein et al. (2018, p. 2) that "few studies that explore WhatsApp use in the natural environment of higher education" and the methodology gap Hashim identifies (2018) that the majority of the literature adopts a quantitative research methodology while only 10% use the mixed method.

Our intention is set specifically on WhatsApp's potential to broaden online teaching as the new norm beyond merely as a supplement teaching platform before COVID-19 or emergency remote teaching mode that WhatsApp serves since the onset of COVID-19.

We triangulated the behaviors and perceptions of first-time WhatsApp users (scarcely separately discussed in the literature) and gender to ascertain lessons for more targeted strategies for more effective WhatsApp use.
Another unique feature and novelty of this study is our separate analysis of active (e.g., initiating query or discussion) and passive use (e.g., receiving information).

Findings: Our findings confirm that COVID-19 has accelerated universities' digital transition as WhatsApp's usage has undergone a great expansion from informal to formal spaces. However, informal use among students remains strong, particularly among first-time WhatsApp users. Communication remains one of the primary functions of WhatsApp in teaching and learning, but content-related functions and student discussion activities are clearly feasible and prevalent. However, passive use remains slightly more prevalent than active use even amongst frequent WhatsApp users. WhatsApp's assignment-related usage is high but mainly limited to queries rather than assessment submissions or marking. Both WhatsApp's usage and perceived usefulness has surpassed that of e-mail and of the university's learning management system (LMS) where WhatsApp group functions seem to have contributed greatly to the perceived usefulness. Articulated advantages and challenges of WhatsApp largely corroborate with those identified in the literature, although our participants show some ambiguity concerning WhatsApp's low cost as its main benefit.

Recommendations for Practitioners: WhatsApp's usages are versatile. So are its perceived benefits. However, practitioners need to consciously encourage its usage beyond passive use and also consider how WhatsApp can be incorporated into marking.

Recommendation for Researchers: We found inconsistency regarding perceived benefits related to WhatsApp's cost. Cost is important in low resource context and this inconsistency merits further examination. Our finding regarding WhatsApp's limitation in terms of marking is not consistent with some literature. As marking functionality impacts broadening WhatsApp's usage in teaching and learning, how WhatsApp has and potentially can be incorporated into LMS should be further explored.

Impact on Society: WhatsApp has great potential to broaden online learning in higher education. However, it also has its limitation. This study demonstrates that WhatsApp can serve most teaching and learning functions in higher education. However, how these benefits and limitations impact different groups of users (e.g., 1st-time users, frequent users, gender, etc.) should be more consciously thought of, so is how more active use can be encouraged.

Future Research: Further studies should examine whether the low cost is an important consideration in students' preference for WhatsApp. Further studies should also explore how WhatsApp can be better used for marking.


Using a mixed methods design, we examine the role of self-evaluations in influencing support for environmental issues. In Study 1—an inductive, qualitative study—we develop theory about how environmental issue supporters evaluate themselves in a mixed fashion, positively around having assets (self-assets) and negatively around questioning their performance (self-doubts). We explain how these ongoing self-evaluations, which we label "situated self-work," are shaped by cognitive, relational, and organizational challenges individuals interpret about an issue from a variety of life domains (work, home, or school). In Study 2—an inductive, quantitative, observational study—we derive three profiles of environmental issue supporters' mixed selves (self-affirmers, self-critics, and self-equivocators) and relate these profiles to real issue-supportive behaviors. We empirically validate key constructs from Study 1 and show that even among the most dedicated issue supporters, doubts play an important role in their experiences and may be either enabling or damaging, depending on the composition of their mixed selves. Our research offers a richer view of both how contexts shape social issue support and how individuals' self-evaluations play a meaningful role in understanding the experiences and, ultimately, the issue-supportive behaviors of individuals working on social issues.


The purpose of this study was to develop a single method to analyse drugs in hair and to apply this to case samples received from The Security Forces Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

First of all, mass fragments and retention times for amfetamines and cannabinoids were identified by GC-MS using derivatization agents, PFPA/ethyl acetate (2:1 v/v) and PFPA / PFPOH (1:0.75 v/v) for amphetamines and cannabinoids, respectively. The results showed good peak shape, good chromatographic resolution and good sensitivity for amfetamine (AF), methamphetamine (MA), 3,4-Methylenedioxyamfetamine (MDA), 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamfetamine (MDMA), 3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamfetamine (MDEA), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and 11-nor-9-carbody- Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC-COOH) compounds.

The comparison of the efficiency of four different pre-treatment methods (enzymatic, alkaline, acid and methanol) to extract AF, MA, MDA, MDMA, MDEA, Δ9THC and Δ9-THC-COOH from hair samples obtained from known amfetamines and cannabinoid abusers was investigated.

The preliminary results demonstrated difficulty with the cannabinoids recovery and the lower concentration of standards were not detected using any of the pre-treatment methods.

As a result of the poor cannabinoids recovery, only the amfetamines were investigated. For the comparison study, only one hair sample positive for amphetamine was available so the pre-treatment comparison study was based on the recovery of AF using the four pre-treatment methods.

The positive hair sample was separated into portions and pre-treatment methods, alkaline (1M NaOH), β-Glucuronidase (helix pomatia), methanol (MeOH) and acid (0.1M HCI) were used on these and compared. The best recovery for amphetamine was obtained using the β-glucuronidase pre-treatment method and this extract was also found to be cleaner than the alkaline and methanol pre-treatments. Β-glucuronidase pre-treatment was selected as the method of choice for the extraction of amphetamine content in hair. The method was validated to include linearity, recovery, intra- and inter-day precision, limit of quantitation (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) for all five amphetamine compounds. The method was shown to be reliable and robust for these substances.

The stability of AF in hair was investigated to assess the validity of analysing hair samples for the presence of AF in victims of drowning. Ten amphetamine positive hair samples were submerged in fresh and sea water for different periods of time. The drug concentrations in the samples were monitored over a period of 8 weeks. Hair samples were analysed using the validated method. The results showed a significant decrease of amphetamine in hair with the time submerged in sea water. Fresh water had a much less significant effect over the study period.

The validated method was successfully applied to 16 case samples obtained for living volunteers with a known history of fenethylline (AF precursor) abuse and 6 post-mortem case samples where amfetamines had been detected in the post-mortem blood.


Background: Aflatoxin, a potent fungal toxin, contaminates 25% of crops worldwide. Since 2004, 477 aflatoxin poisonings associated with eating contaminated maize have been documented in Eastern Kenya, with a case-fatality rate of 40%. Objective: We characterized maize aflatoxin contamination during the high-risk season (April–June) after the major harvests in 2005, 2006 (aflatoxicosis outbreak years), and 2007 (a non-outbreak year). Methods: Households were randomly selected each year from the region in Kenya where outbreaks have consistently occurred. At each household, we obtained at least one maize sample (n = 716) for aflatoxin analysis using immunoaffinity methods and administered a questionnaire to determine the source (i.e., homegrown, purchased, or relief) and amount of maize in the household. Results: During the years of outbreaks in 2005 and 2006, 41% and 51% of maize samples, respectively, had aflatoxin levels above the Kenyan regulatory limit of 20 ppb in grains that were for human consumption. In 2007 (non-outbreak year), 16% of samples were above the 20-ppb limit. In addition, geometric mean (GM) aflatoxin levels were significantly higher in 2005 (GM = 12.92, maximum = 48,000 ppb) and 2006 (GM = 26.03, maximum = 24,400 ppb) compared with 2007 (GM = 1.95, maximum = 2,500 ppb) (p-value < 0.001). In all 3 years combined, maize aflatoxin levels were significantly higher in homegrown maize (GM = 17.96) when compared with purchased maize (GM = 3.64) or relief maize (GM = 0.73) (p-value < 0.0001). Conclusions: Aflatoxin contamination is extreme within this region, and homegrown maize is the primary source of contamination. Prevention measures should focus on reducing homegrown maize contamination at the household level to avert future outbreaks.


Responding to the substantial finance gap for achieving Sustainable Development Goals 6.1 and 6.2, the water and sanitation sector has mobilized to launch new blended finance vehicles with increasing frequency. The sustainability and scale-up of financial solutions is intended to support increased access to unserved, marginalized populations. However, without addressing foundational issues in the sector, any finance mechanism, whether public, private or blended, will be a short-term, band-aid solution and the sector will continue the cycle of dependency on external assistance. This paper presents the results of a collaborative effort of Water.org; the IRC water, sanitation and hygiene sector (WASH); and the World Bank Water Global Practice. Drawing from the latest research on effective public financial management and based on evidence from the countries where these organizations work, the paper demonstrates that sustainable success in mobilising finance on a large scale is dependent on a reasonable level of performance across 10 foundational areas. The paper presents evidence on the 10 foundational areas and discusses why other aspects of finance and governance, while necessary, are not sufficient. Better coordination amongst all development partners and governments, including a collective commitment to and prioritization of working on these foundational issues, is a necessary first step.


Poly(fluorene)s (PFs) containing functional monomers as building blocks that can interact via their end-functionalities with optically active species such as semiconductor nanocrystals are of increasing interest in the modern light-emitting and display technology. Incorporation of carbazole-based building blocks in the backbone of PFs can contribute to a higher hole-transporting mobility and to a raise of the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital. A new trend in the materials' design is the combination of fluorene derivatives with inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals in hybrid structures or the preparation of conjugated polymers in the form of nanoparticles. In the last case, groups with amphiphilic character like phosphonates can play a significant role, due to their strong chemical affinity to quantum dots allowing the preparation of nanocomposite systems.
Within the framework of this thesis, fluorene- and carbazole-based building blocks were synthesized and incorporated in Yamamoto or Suzuki polymerizations, targeting to post-modified copolymers, polymer microparticles or hybrids. Aim of this approach was the development of poly(fluorene)-nanocrystal composite systems and the subsequent performance of energy transfer investigations in order to gain insight in a phenomenon, which still remains a subject of extensive research. For this purpose, in addition to fabricating composites by simply mixing the synthesized fluorene-based copolymers with inorganic quantum dots, two more sophisticated approaches, namely, the 'grafting-from' and the 'microparticle' methodology were applied as well. The blending strategy was performed with copolymers possessing amino-functionalized side-chains, which render an interconnection with nanocrystals like CdTe feasible. The 'grafting-from' approach represents an innovative but simple way in order to grow oligo(fluorene) or poly(fluorene) moieties from the surface of nanocrystals via a facile polymerization protocol. In this way, direct linkage between the two counterparts is created and the consequence of this environmental circumstance on the energy transfer process can be investigated. Finally, PFs with phosphonate-functionalized side-chains were targeted. Their bringing-together with water-stable nanocrystals via a precipitation methodology would be to the best of our knowledge the first time that such microparticulate composites in an aqueous medium would be reported, exhibiting excellent stability and optical properties.


ACP improves end-of-life care and patient/family satisfaction. ACP was implemented in the nephrology department of a university hospital in 2010. Patient and ACP activity data was collected prospectively to audit the ACP process and assess its impact on patient outcome. Data was collected from 1/2/2010 to 1/8/2011, including review of deceased patients' files. 197 nephrology patients were seen (median age 69 (21-91), 68% male). 81% were receiving dialysis, 8% pre-dialysis, 7% post-transplant and 4% were non-dialysis patients. 63% completed documentation: 16% appointed a substitute decision maker only, 3% an advance care plan only, or 81% did both. Of those who completed an advance care plan 69% stated they did not want CPR, 17% did not want life-prolonging treatment at all, and 78% only wanted life-prolonging treatment other than dialysis if their specified minimal outcome was anticipated. 31/197 (16%) patients (median age 80) died: 29/31 were dialysis patients (median dialysis duration prior to death 4.2 years). 72 % of deceased dialysis patients had dialysis electively ceased prior to death (median time withdrawal to death 2 days), 7% patients died suddenly outside of hospital, 7% patients specifically requested dialysis continue, but died, and 14% patients had a cardiac arrest during dialysis and died. Deceased patients wishes were known and respected in 68%, unknown in 19%, or known and not respected in 13%. Whilst ACP facilitates patient-initiated dialysis withdrawal it usually occurs late and too many patients are receiving unwanted treatment.


We propose a hybrid contextual fire detection algorithm for airborne and satellite thermal images. The proposed algorithm essentially treats fire pixels as anomalies in images and can be considered a special case of the more general clutter or background suppression problem. It utilizes the local background around a potential fire pixel and discriminates fire pixels based on the squared Mahalanobis distance in multispectral feature space. It also employs the normalized thermal index to identify background fire pixels that should be excluded from the calculation of the statistical properties of the local background. The use of the squared Mahalanobis distance naturally incorporates the covariance of the multispectral image into the decision and requires the setting of a single detection threshold. By contrast, previous contextual algorithms only incorporate the statistical properties of individual bands and require the manual setting of multiple thresholds. Compared with the latest Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer fire product (version 4), our algorithm improves user accuracy and producer accuracy by 1.5% and 2.6% on average, respectively, and up to 28% for some images. In addition, the novel use of the squared Mahalanobis distance allows us to create fire probability images that are useful for fire propagation modeling. As an example, we demonstrate this use for the airborne data.


Few issues are both more central to and more elusive for the project of international law than identifying the conditions under which the use of armed force is justified. In Defending Humanity (Oxford, 2008), Fletcher & Ohlin join the debate on this issue with the provocative claim that international law has been impoverished by its neglect of the more developed doctrines of self-defense existing in domestic criminal law. The authors argue for and elaborate upon a six-part model of "legitimate defense" that justifies the defensive use of force against attacks that are (1) overt, (2) unlawful, and (3) imminent; provided the defense is (4) necessary, (5) proportional, and (6) knowing or intentional. The authors' approach is especially effective when it reveals how international law scholarship has either ignored the lessons of criminal law principles or misread them to defend an overly narrow doctrine of self-defense. Too often, however, the authors' argument is weakened by confusion surrounding how best to analogize the "self" of domestic self-defense for the international context. The authors' approach to the problem of humanitarian intervention is especially troublesome: they argue that the international community may intervene when a state attacks its own population, but only if the attacked people are a "nation." The authors are too quick to reject a more inclusive theory of humanitarian intervention rooted in respect for human rights. This path too, is fraught with difficulty, but it better aspires to the promise of the book's title: that of defending humanity, and not contested social constructs.


To provide a scientific basis for artificial culture, the effects of different breeding densities, feeding cycles, and light environments on the growth regulation of Poecilobdella manillensis were studied. After P. manillensis were cultured at breeding densities of 250 ~ 3250 leeches m -2 ; feeding cycles of 2 ~ 16 days; and a light environment with noise or a light-free environment without noise, the weight gain rate (RWG), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion rate (FCR), and total content of the effective component (TCEC) were measured for 64 days. The results showed that the RWG and SGR presented the same growth indexes, which decreased with the increase in breeding density and the lengthening of the feeding cycle. In the light environment, the RWG and SGR of P. manillensis were lower than in the dark environment. The TCEC of groups 2 d and 4 d were significantly higher than in the other feeding cycle experiment groups. From these results, we advise that the optimal breeding density for artificial culture is 1750 leeches m -2 and the feeding cycle is 4 days; in the dark and quiet environment, P. manillensis grew better.


The purpose of this work is to improve the throughput of step-and-scan lithography equipment to shorten the production time of a wafer. For this purpose, we propose a method for solving the MSOP (Movement Sequence Optimization Problem), which is the problem of computing the fastest schedule for visiting all shots on a wafer. It is well-known that the MSOP on step-and-repeat lithography equipment can be modeled as a traveling salesman problem. In contrast to step-and-repeat lithography equipment, a schedule for step-and-scan lithography equipment must also indicate the scanning direction of each shot, in addition to the sequence of the shots. For this reason, the traveling salesman problem formulation for step-and-repeat lithography equipment cannot be applied to solve the MSOP on step-and-scan lithography equipment directly. We overcame this difficulty by introducing auxiliary vertices to model the scanning directions in the traveling salesman problem formulation. By this method, we were able to compute exact optimal sequences considering the scanning directions of shots for several MSOP instances. Our numerical experiments demonstrated that our proposed method was capable of computing exact optimal solutions for real-world MSOP instances having up to 232 shots on a wafer. These optimal solutions gave a 0.25% to 4.66% improvement in productivity over solutions computed by previously known methods.


Recent advances in in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture technology allowed progress in an increasing the number of off springs produced from genetically superior females but this progress still has important factors affect the yielding and quality of the oocytes. It was referred that, there is a distinct similarity in season profile between an in vitro and in vivo reproductive traits. The influence of season on oocyte quality has been largely considered, as a factor of high impact. The purpose of this paper was to study the effects of season on the quality of oocytes and its relationship with cumulus cells expansion, maturation and developmental rates of in vitro maturation of Egyptian buffalo oocytes. The main goal of our investigation was shown to evaluate the role of change in the temperature during the year on the buffalo and consequently affecting the quality of their oocytes. The results showed significant differences between the four seasons. In spring and winter, the percentage of good quality oocytes was (71 and 74.6%), denuded oocytes was (12.8 and 9.1%) and the fair type of oocytes was (16.3 and 16.3%) respectively. Consequently the maturation rate was 85.5 and 92.5% respectively. While in summer and autumn, the percentage of good quality oocytes was (50 and 56.9%) instead of denuded oocytes was (25.5 and 18.5%) and the fair type of oocytes was (24.4 and 21.5%) respectively. Consequently the maturation rate was 59.6 and 74.5% respectively. The results revealed that, when the percentage of good oocytes increased, cumulus expansion and the maturation rate had increased. The higher degeneration of oocytes in the hot period reflects their lower developmental competence of oocytes compared with recovered in the cool environmental conditions.


Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are groups of educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006). Researchers and practitioners agree that PLCs are critical to the overall success of schools. The problem is that implementing PLCs with fidelity to an inquiry process is a real challenge. Most school districts do not have a systematic or comprehensive approach to guide their PLC process. School leaders are in need of quality tools and resources to assist them in implementing PLCs. As a possible solution to this problem, a design team of four Estacada School District principals and one vice principal was convened to create, field-test and refine a handbook for PLC leadership. The handbook was field-tested in four schools and evaluated to determine its usefulness. The study's primary research questions were: (a) Is the PLC handbook a useful resource for school leaders? and (b) What are the handbook's strengths and weaknesses? Secondary research questions focused on specific topics and sections of the handbook: (a) How do school leaders organize and support a PLC framework? (b) How can PLCs support school change initiatives? (c) How can PLCs gather and analyze student data? (d) How can PLCs plan for future action? and (e) How can PLCs troubleshoot challenges? ii The design team relied on a problem-based learning approach (Bridges & Hallinger, 1995) and the use of a research and development process (Borg & Gall, 1989) to design an educational product ready for operational use in their schools. The design team met weekly for regularly scheduled meetings. They used the Critical Friends Consultancy Protocol (Harmony Education Center, 2013) as a systematic way to problem solve and collect qualitative data. The data collected from these sessions were transcribed, coded for themes, and analyzed. Other data sources that were used included the review of institutional documentation, structured interviews with teacher leaders, and survey results. The design team then refined its PLC handbook through the first seven steps of the research and development process: (a) Research and information collecting; (b) Planning objectives, learning activities, and small scale testing; (c) Developing a preliminary form of the product; (d) Preliminary field-testing; (e) Main product revision; (f) Main field-testing; and (g) Operational product revision. The design team determined that the handbook was in fact a useful resource for school leaders, and it helped move PLC work forward in each of the four schools. The team found that the handbook had a number of strengths, including the clarification of key terminology and the establishment of a common language for PLCs. Another noted strength was that the activities included in the handbook were user-friendly. A noted opportunity was that the field-tested handbook did not create viable ways to involve parents, families, and community members in PLC work alongside educators. This opportunity is being addressed by the design team in future handbook revisions. iii The handbook helped school leaders organize and support a PLC framework. The design team confirmed that the handbook assisted PLCs in completing the work required of major school change initiatives, including Differentiated Instruction/Sheltered Instruction, Response to Intervention/Positive Behavioral Intervention Support, Common Core State Standards, and Proficiency-Based Learning. The design team also found the PLC handbook to be useful as an orientation tool for new staff members, as well as a valuable review tool for PLC veterans, particularly regarding how to collect and analyze student assessment data. The handbook also helped PLCs plan future action relative to providing intervention and enrichment opportunities for students. Finally, the handbook provided tools to help educators troubleshoot challenges that surfaced during their PLC work. The design team will continue to refine its handbook and provide support for the Estacada School District and community as mutually-beneficial PLC-related activities, grants, and projects are pursued. The optimal next step for future use of the handbook would be for several schools and districts throughout Oregon, particularly from small, rural areas, to pilot the handbook. The piloting schools and districts could then share the roadblocks and success stories pertinent to their use of the handbook, which would in turn support the design team in making a quality final product revision.


i. Background Recent gains in child survival are being threatened by the RN epidemic. Monitoring child mortality rates is essential to understanding the impact of the epidemic, but is constrained by a lack of data. A community-based survey was used to determine child mortality rates in a rural area with high RN prevalence, located in the Rlabisa subdistrict of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. ii. Methods The study was conducted between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2002 on deaths in children under the age of 15 years. Children were followed up through 4-monthly home visits. Cause of death was ascertained by verbal autopsy. Rates were calculated using Poisson methods. iii. Results Infant and under-5 mortality ratios were respectively, 59.6 and 97.1 deaths per 1000 live births. Infant and under-5 mortality rates were, respectively, 67.5 and 21.1 deaths per 1000 child-years. RN/AIDS was attributed to 41 % of deaths in the under-5 age group, with a mortality rate of 8.6 per 1000 person years. Lower respiratory infections caused an estimated 24.9 deaths per 1000 person years in children under 1 year of age. iv. Discussion In rural South Africa, infant and child mortality levels are high, with RN/AIDS estimated as the single largest cause ofdeath. Improving the coverage of interventions known to impact on child mortality is required urgently.


We present a numerical model that simulates ballistic impact of a rigid spherical projectile into a plain weave fabric target. The code, which runs in MATLAB on a highend PC or laptop, allows one to vary projectile radius, mass and velocity, as well as various fabric mechanical and geometric parameters. These include yarn spacing, stiffness and density, non-linear slip viscosity between fabric and projectile, non-linear viscoelastic contact stiffness (compressibility) at yarn crossovers together with viscoelastic shear stiffness resisting yarn sliding, and the angle of yarn crimp out-ofplane. The model accommodates a progressively spreading contact zone on the fabric, as occurs with an impacting spherical projectile. Fabric dimensions are chosen large enough to avoid any tension wave reflections at the boundary. After providing some details on the finite difference formulation of the model, we present a sampling of results obtained at various times after impact. The results include contour plots of out-of-plane displacements, out-of-plane and in-plane velocities and yarn strain distributions at a given time, as well as plots, over time, of maximum local strain level, and out-of-plane velocities and displacements in the contact region of the projectile. Some parameters will be varied to provide insight into the rich behavior possible.


The widespread but virtually invisible problem of pesticide drift -- the airborne movement of agricultural pesticides into residential areas -- has fueled grassroots activism from Maine to Hawaii. Pesticide drift accidents have terrified and sickened many living in the country's most marginalized and vulnerable communities. In this book, Jill Lindsey Harrison considers political conflicts over pesticide drift in California, using them to illuminate the broader problem and its potential solutions. The fact that pesticide pollution and illnesses associated with it disproportionately affect the poor and the powerless raises questions of environmental justice (and political injustice). Despite California's impressive record of environmental protection, massive pesticide regulatory apparatus, and booming organic farming industry, pesticide-related accidents and illnesses continue unabated. To unpack this conundrum, Harrison examines the conceptions of justice that increasingly shape environmental politics and finds that California's agricultural industry, regulators, and pesticide drift activists hold different, and conflicting, notions of what justice looks like. Drawing on her own extensive ethnographic research as well as in-depth interviews with regulators, activists, scientists, and public health practitioners, Harrison examines the ways industry, regulatory agencies, and different kinds of activists address pesticide drift, connecting their efforts to communitarian and libertarian conceptions of justice. The approach taken by pesticide drift activists, she finds, not only critiques theories of justice undergirding mainstream sustainable-agriculture activism, but also offers an entirely new notion of what justice means. To solve seemingly intractable environmental problems such as pesticide drift, Harrison argues, we need a different kind of environmental justice. She proposes the precautionary principle as a framework for effectively and justly addressing environmental inequities in the everyday work of environmental regulatory institutions.


In patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), loss of left ventricular (LV) stimulation occurs chiefly because of LV lead dislodgement. The occurrence rate of LV lead dislodgement in different reports is between 2% and 12% of patients. LV lead dislodgement precludes clinical improvement. We describe 2 patients with heart failure, fulfilling the criteria for CRT implantation. In both patients, right ventricular and right atrial leads were implanted via the left subclavian vein in the right ventricular apex and the right atrial appendage, respectively. Repeated LV lead implantation was unsuccessful and each time after the fixation, the LV lead was dislodged with the heart motion during systole and diastole. In order to stabilize the LV lead, we decided to benefit from coronary sinus stenting and lead entrapment behind the deployed stent. LV lead stabilization was accomplished by the deployment of bare-metal stents (Multi-Link 3.5 × 8 mm and Multi-Link 3 × 8 mm, Abbott Vascular) in order to entrap the LV lead. The stents were deployed at a nominal pressure (10 atm). The pacing performance of the LV leads was satisfactory and stable at midterm in our experience. Stenting within the coronary sinus seems to be a safe method for LV lead stabilization and can substantially boost the success rate of CRT. Our device analysis during short- and midterm follow-up (4 months after implantation) revealed acceptable LV lead threshold and impedance.


Bistorta macrophylla, B.vaccinifolia and Persicaria polystachya are used for the treatment and prevention of many ailments including tuberculosis, inflammation, pyretic, fever, flue, lungs disorders, diarrhea, vomiting, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity and hypertension. This study was aimed to evaluate the possible in vitro antioxidant activity and phytochemical screening of B. macrophylla, B.vaccinifolia and P. polystachya. The results of antioxidant activity study of B. macrophylla showed maximum activity in the methanolic extracts at different concentration of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 μg/ml. The percent inhibition of writhing response by the extract was 36.18%, 44.72%, 59.21%. 67.08% and 83.39% respectively. In the present work a potent anti-oxidant activity of methanolic extract of the whole plants of B. macrophylla were demonstrated, validating the ethno pharmacological claims. These experimental findings would further establish the scientific basis of the traditional uses of the plant in the management of different conditions as well as control of different disease.


In this paper, a new high-gain three-port operational amplifier (OA) circuit is used to replace the single OA in single amplifier biquads (SAB's). The resultant biquads will have the first-order effect of the OA's finite gain-bandwidth products (GB) completely eliminated from their dominant pole frequencies. Then, the widely used bandpass filter will be considered, where the remaining dominant second-order effects of the OA's GB products will be minimized by choosing appropriate element spreads satisfying the technology. This results in a bandpass filter which has better performance than any other actively compensated filters. The comparison of the results and experimental results follow to prove some of the conclusions made in this paper.


Background: The Arabic coffee is commonly used in Qatar and the Gulf region as a traditional drink. It is prepared by boiling roasted coffee in water after being milled. Coffee contains more than 1,000 compounds that are mostly produced during the roasting process (Parliament and Stahl, 2005).However, lipids and caffeine remain virtually unchanged, while sugars and proteins decrease significantly. In general, there is a difference in coffee consumption between Gulf and Western countries in that it is unfiltered drink. One study has shown that Arabic coffee significantly increased the low density lipoprotein (LDL) level of plasma in rats. This increase might be due to the direct consumption of infiltrated Arabic coffee as several studies showed that filtration in Drip-filtered coffee is important in holding the Chlorogenic acids Kahweol, and Cafestol "coffee Diterpenes" which in turn increase the total cholesterol (TC) and LDL. The Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the lipid profile in the four main types of beans used in the market: Yemeni, Indian, Brazilian, and American coffee in the form of green and roasted beans using the LC/QQQ (Liquid chromatography triple quadrupole) and HRAM MS and MS/MS techniques. Research Methods: Lipids extraction was performed using Dionex ASE-350 (accelerated solvent extraction at high pressure and temperature) instrument for all coffee beans after grinding. The LC/QQQ was an Agilent 6490 using AJS-ESI ion source was used to analyze lipids in coffee extracts while HRAM MS experiment were performed on a Thermo Q-Exactive at a mass resolution of 70,000. The column used was ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C18 1.8µX2.1X100mm (Agilent) and with Acetonitrile (0.1% Formic Acid) and Isopropanol (10mM Ammonium acetate) as the mobile phase. Results & Conclusion: Using this method TAGs profile was analyzed in all coffee types and the most abundant were: LPS, LPP. Vastly different composition of TAGs was derived using MS/MS. The percentage of lipids was the highest in Roasted Brazilian beans with 9.24%, while the lowest was in Roasted Indian beans with 1.48%. The lipid profiles are comprehensively described and differences among the specimens discussed. These results imply that intake of Arabic coffee can subject the consumer to unforeseen levels of lipids in their dietary intake.


This paper is concerned with the design of linear-phase finite impulse response (FIR) digital filters for which the weighted least square error is minimized, subject to maximum error constraints. The design problem is formulated as a semi-infinite quadratic optimization problem. Using a newly developed dual parameterization method in conjunction with the Caratheodory's dimensional theorem, an equivalent dual finite dimensional optimization problem is obtained. The connection between the primal and the dual problems is established. A computational procedure is devised for solving the dual finite dimensional optimization problem. The optimal solution to the primal problem can then be readily obtained from the dual optimal solution. For illustration, examples are solved using the proposed computational procedure.


Conducting robust research in a conflict or post-conflict area is complicated by concern for the researcher"s safety and the difficulty of reaching remote areas. In this paper we open a new frontier in mixed methods (MM) research by demonstrating how it can be used to address safety concerns. We used qualitative and quantitative work carried out in and outside the conflict zone to overcome the challenges of conducting Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) research in Zimbabwe. To minimise a researcher"s vulnerability we used the exploratory findings from each phase to focus the design of subsequent confirmatory and explanatory phases on appropriate phenomena. A rare four-phase sequential mixed methods design consisting of novel capability maps, focus groups, survey and in-depth telephone interviews is discussed. Using these methods in sequential phases proved to be safer and more robust than using mono methods in Zimbabwe at the time. Their ability to foster the collection of relevant data while reducing the researchers" exposure to danger is given as a key success factor towards the innovative use of MM to address safety concerns and it is presented as one of the exciting opportunities that MM offers.


The present research intends to identify the effects of urban sprawl of metropolis on tourism-climate index oscillation. To do this research, two types of data have been used. The first type includes climate data such as minimum monthly temperature average, monthly temperature average, minimum relative humidity rate and monthly relative humidity average, average of wind speed, duration of sunshine and monthly rainfall, and the second component includes parameters related to urban sprawl components of Tehran city such as number of population, density, expansion and number of automobiles per 100 persons. In this research in order to identify climate-tourism range for different months TCI coefficient has been used. Based on the results taken from the average of three 18-year periods using TCI index, it has been concluded that time oscillation is seen for the majority of months in qualitative and quantitative range of climate-tourism coefficient. In a way that these time oscillations of TCI has positive trend for some months and negative for others. In the next step after making correlation between the components of urban sprawl of Tehran city with TCI index, it has been concluded that in April, May, September and November, the results show that the components of urban sprawl of the city has direct effect on providing more suitable climate-tourism conditions, however in June, July, August and September, the components of urban sprawl of the city has had a negative effect on TCI index. But in general, considering the outcome results for annual statistics, we can conclude that urban sprawl of metropolis of Tehran has had a negative effect on TCI index and this factor can be followed by undesirable conditions for Tehran in view of climate comfort in future and it will be considered as a difficulty in view of biologic conditions for tourists.


Background: Effective cough treatments are a significant unmet need. Aprepitant blocks substance P at NK-1 receptors and is licensed for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. We assessed Aprepitant in vagal tissue and a proof of concept trial in lung cancer patients with cough. Methods: In vitro, isolated vagus nerve sections were placed in grease gap recording chambers and depolarization to test solutions measured. A randomised double-blind crossover trial enrolled lung cancer patients with cough who received aprepitant (125mg day 1, 80mg day 2&3) or matched placebo; following a 3 day wash out, patients crossed over. The primary endpoint was awake cough frequency (coughs/hr(c/h)) and patients reported cough severity and impact. Results: Substance P depolarised guinea pig (0.083mV±0.0066, n=5) and human vagus (0.0875mV, n=2). Aprepitant (10µM) reduced substance P depolarisation by 78% in guinea pig (0.0180mV±0.0080) and 94% in human vagus (0.0050 mV). Twenty lung cancer patients enrolled: mean age 66yrs(±7.69); 60% female; 70% ex, 25% current and 5% non-smokers; performance status 0=25%, 1=55% and 2=25%. 80% had non-small cell cancer, 50% advanced stage and 20% were on cancer therapy. Awake cough frequency improved with aprepitant [baseline 15.9c/h(95%CI 10.1-28.3), aprepitant 12.8(8.7-18.8), placebo 16.2(11.3-23.0), p=0.03]. Patients reported improved cough severity [VAS baseline 57.0mm (95% CI 47.4-67.2), aprepitant 40.8(34.3-47.3), placebo 49.8(44.2-55.4), p=0.008] and impact [Manchester Cough in Lung Cancer Scale, p Conclusions: This is the first study to show NK-1 antagonism has anti-tussive effects in lung cancer, with only 3 days treatment. Vagal inhibition may mediate this effect.


Cole-Cole Measurement of Dispersion Properties for Quality Evaluation of Red Wine In order to evaluate the quality of red wine, measurement of the complex relative permittivity was conducted in the frequency range from 100 MHz to 40 GHz with a network analyzer. Results showed that the Cole-Cole plot of red wine consists of a semicircle at frequencies above 1 GHz and a straight line at frequencies below 1 GHz, which come from the dispersion properties for the water solution of alcohol and ingredients peculiar to red wine, respectively. Based on the Cole-Cole plots measured for seven kinds of red wines made from the same brand of Merlot in different production years, we estimated Debye dispersion parameters to reveal that the alcohol concentration and ingredient property can simultaneously be evaluated from the parameters for the semicircle and straight line, respectively.


With the mass timber industry taking off in 2015 in Oregon, when DR Johnson Lumber in Riddle, OR started producing CLT panels, government officials were eager to support it for its promise of economic development in rural communities and also had hopes of addressing the state's affordable housing crisis using mass timber modular construction. While mass timber modular housing has had some success in Europe, the different construction standards and building culture in the United States make it more challenging. With few areas in Oregon in which housing is likely to be built over six stories tall or in large-scale developments, it did not seem possible that mass timber could solve the affordable housing crisis where it cannot compete in cost with standard light wood-frame construction. However, it did seem feasible that mass timber panels, which are so well-suited to customizable pre-fabrication through digital manufacturing, might be successful in an alternative building type for modular construction: classrooms. In successful models of mass timber modular classrooms in Austria and Germany, schools were built in much shorter timeframes and for 25% less cost than steel or concrete construction. The authors are now working with a modular building manufacturer in Oregon, Modern Building Systems (MBS), that produces custom-designed modular light wood-frame classrooms. While mass timber classrooms cannot compete in price with light wood-frame, particularly in single-story applications, they could be competitive for two story (or taller) schools, which are usually built using steel braced-frame and concrete block. Because MBS is 18 miles west of Freres Lumber, which is newly producing Mass Plywood Panels (MPP), and the MBS facility needs no modifications to use MPP instead of wood-frame, the authors are working with them to design an economically competitive mass timber module, with several potential clients interested in testing a prototype in 2019.


In 2004, the representatives of Latin American countries, gathered in Mexico City, devised a multilateral Plan of Action (MPA) in order to foster an improvement on refugee protection mechanisms in the region. Among its many proposals, the document advanced the idea of borders of solidarity. The proposal calls attention to new forms of thinking about border zones and border lives and how different actors might dialogue to improve the reception, assistance, and protection of displaced groups in a region marked by deep social inequalities and political violence. This paper is an attempt to make sense of these assumed new modes of governance of borders, trying to elucidate multiple perspectives and mechanisms of dealing with life in displacement in border contexts. The paper follows the narratives stemming from national and international officials, NGO and assistance workers, and displaced families' associations, in the context of the Tri-Border area between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The paper aims to unveil how each discourse deals with the (dis)connections between borders, displacement, and protection. I argue that perceptions of the role of borders, as both bridges and barriers, and as spaces of life, vary according to how each group appropriates and interferes in the political dialogue. Some focus on the management of mobility; others on the improvement of life conditions for marginal groups; still others try to interrupt the political processes that make such marginalization possible in the first place. I propose three varying understandings of solidarity that speak to each of these perspectives— managerial, faith-based, and autonomous—stressing the problems and also the positive aspects that might be learned from approaching borders through the lenses of solidarity.


Free piston Stirling engines with integrated linear alternators have the compact size and high conversion efficiency for the sake of the simplicity of mechanical movements. These engines have been developed with the conversion efficiency of 25 %. The material property of ceramics heater is critical in order to achieve such high efficiency. In this paper, the successful design process of the ceramics heater is described. Temperature and stress of the ceramic heater have been calculated by the method of thermo-fluid dynamical analysis and the proper dimensions were decided. Several types of test products have also been designed and manufactured for the evaluation of actual efficiency. Heater efficiency of 63% was estimated from the analysis and the actual test data on free piston engine. It was concluded that the use of ceramics heater in Stirling engine is promising and the high performance of the engine can be realized.


Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterised by pancreatic cell autoimmunity and inflammation, resulting in cell islet destruction and insulin deficiency. Prospective studies from different continents have shown that insulin resistance is independently associated with risk for the development of T1D. We wanted to investigate the role of adiponectin in mediating this link. Adiponectin is a circulating adipokine whose anti-inflammatory and insulin sensitising actions appear to be mediated via two related receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2. We began by characterising adiponectin receptor expression on PBMC by flow cytometry. We showed that monocytes express both receptors abundantly, that this expression correlates with insulin sensitivity in both health and diabetes. Furthermore, expression can be increased with lifestyle intervention. Adiponectin receptor expression on monocytes is reduced in T1D, and we demonstrate this leads to an apparent resistance in the ability of adiponectin to inhibit the stimulatory capacity of antigen presenting cells (APC). Specifically, we show that adiponectin inhibits the stimulatory capacity of APCs through down-regulation of CD86 expression, and that this effect is decreased in T1D. In this way, the release from the regulatory effects of adiponectin is one potential mechanism by which immune tolerance is lost in T1D.


The paper identifies the literature that deals with adaptation to climate change in the transport sector by means of an extensive search, and presents a systematic review of the publications. Although it is frequently claimed that this socially and economically important sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change, there is comparatively little research into adaptation by industry, utilities and settlements. The 63 sources we found are analysed following an action theory of adaptation that distinguishes different adaptational functions. A very heterogeneous set of adaptations is identified and the actors and means of adaptation are classified by an open coding procedure. The paper shows that a broad diversity of actors is relevant for adaptation in the transport sector – ranging from transportation service providers to public and private sector actors and private households. Most adaptations discussed in the literature require inputs in the form of technical means, institutional means, and knowledge. The review shows that the existing literature either focuses on overly general and vague proposals, or on detailed technical measures. The paper concludes that the knowledge on adapting transport to climate change is still in a stage of infancy and suggests fields for further research.


When Duncan Fallowell was left some money by a friend he decided to put into practice a long held idea - to travel as far as possible from home so that he need never travel again and could relax. For him this meant travelling to New Zealand, where another fantasy soon asserted itself - 'to find the place of perfect exile'. Fallowell's curiosity leads him onto the strangest paths and he found himself in pursuit of unknown painters and lost buildings and sex underground, of Karl Popper and a creature with the third eye and rose wine, of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier who'd toured the country in the year of Fallowell's birth, of suicidal writers and nuns and elusive answers to impossible questions. The faraway paradise gradually turns into a glittering stranger on the Pacific rim, filled with the uncertainties of our times - but also a wonderful place to breathe. The result is a moving encounter with the past, an anxious gaze into the future, but most of all a vivid voyage through the contemporary world, by turns profound, comical and erotic.


Undoubtedly, reducing power consumption is at the top of the priority list for system vendors, data center managers who are challenged by customers, analysts, and government agencies to implement green initiatives. Hardware and software vendors have developed an array of power preserving techniques. On-demand-driven clock speeds for processors, energy efficient power supplies, and operating-system-controlled dynamic power modes are just a few hardware examples. Software vendors have contributed to energy efficiency by implementing power efficient coding methods, such as advanced compression and enabling applications to take advantage of large memory caches. However, adoption of these power-preserving technologies in data centers is not straightforward, especially, for large, complex applications such as data warehouses. Data warehouse workloads typically have oscillating resource utilizations, which makes identifying the largest power consumers difficult. Most importantly, while preserving power remains a critical consideration, performance and availability goals must still be met with systems using power-preserving technologies. This paper evaluates the tradeoffs between existing power-saving techniques and their performance impact on data warehouse applications. Our analysis will guide system developers and data center managers in making informed decisions regarding adopting power-preserving techniques.


1.: Freshwaters are among the most globally threatened habitats and their biodiversity is declining at an unparalleled rate. In an attempt to slow this decline, multiple approaches have been used to conserve, restore or enhance waterbodies. However, evaluating their effectiveness is time‐consuming and expensive. Identifying species or assemblages across a range of ecological conditions that can provide a surrogate for wider freshwater biodiversity is therefore of significant value for conservation management and planning. 2.: For lakes and ponds in three contrasting landscapes of Britain (lowland agricultural, eastern England; upland, north‐west England; urban, central Scotland) we examined the link between macrophyte species, macrophyte morpho‐group diversity (an indicator of structural diversity) and the richness of three widespread aquatic macroinvertebrate groups (molluscs, beetles, and odonates) using structural equation modelling. We hypothesised that increased macrophyte richness and, hence, increased vegetation structural complexity, would increase macroinvertebrate richness after accounting for local and landscape conditions. 3.: We found that macrophyte richness, via macrophyte morpho‐group diversity, was an effective surrogate for mollusc, beetle, and odonate richness in ponds after accounting for variation caused by physical variables, water chemistry, and surrounding land use. However, only mollusc richness could be predicted by macrophyte morpho‐group diversity in lakes, with no significant predicted effect on beetles or odonates. 4.: Our results indicate that macrophyte morpho‐group diversity can be viewed as a suitable surrogate of macroinvertebrate biodiversity across diverse landscapes, particularly in ponds and to a lesser extent in lakes. This has important implications for the restoration, conservation, and creation of standing water habitats and for assessing their effectiveness in addressing the decline of global freshwater biodiversity. Management actions prioritising the development of species‐rich and structurally diverse macrophyte assemblages will be likely to benefit wider freshwater biodiversity.


This paper explores the relevance and opportunities for the application of mature Formal Techniques - techniques based on mathematical theories and supported by industry-ready tools and methods - to build technical solutions for Electronic Governance. The paper proceeds in four steps: (1) establishes the basic need for Formal Techniques in Electronic Governance, (2) identifies the challenges peculiar to Electronic Governance development, (3) presents the salient features and various application scenarios for Formal Techniques in general, and (4) carries out a mapping between the challenges to Electronic Governance and various application scenarios of Formal Techniques as part of solutions to such challenges. In the second part, the paper presents an overview of the tutorial and workshop on Formal Engineering Methods for Electronic Governance. The tutorial follows the fourstep program, as above, and the workshop includes the presentations of four papers that exemplify various elements of the mapping, particularly: the use of formal, precise modeling techniques; the importance of security risk assessment; modeldriven development of software systems; and the provision of semantic frameworks to coordinate development within and across major programs and initiatives. In the last part, the paper discusses how Formal Techniques can contribute to establishing a solid foundation for Electronic Governance.


The change in the English computing curriculum and the shift towards computer science (CS) has been closely observed by other countries. Female participation remains a concern in most jurisdictions, but female attainment in CS is relatively unstudied. Using the English national pupil database, we analyzed all exam results (n = 5,370,064) for students taking secondary school exams in 2016, focusing on those students taking GCSE CS (n = 60,736), contrasting this against ICT (n = 67,359). Combining gender with ethnicity and the IDACI poverty indicator, we find that females from the poorest areas were more likely to take CS than those from the richest areas and that CS was more popular among ethnic minority females than white females. ICT was far more equitable for females and poorer students than CS. CS females typically got better grades than their male peers. However, when controlling for average attainment in other subjects, males got 0.31 of a grade higher. Female relative underperformance in CS was most acute among large female cohorts and with girls studying in mixed-gender schools. Girls did significantly better than boys in English when controlling for CS scores, supporting theories around female relative strengths lying outside STEM subjects. The move to introduce CS into the English curriculum and the removal of the ICT qualifications look to be having a negative impact on female participation and attainment in computing. Using the theory of self-efficacy, we argue that the shift towards CS might decrease the number of girls choosing further computing qualifications or pursuing computing as a career. Computing curriculum designers and teachers need to carefully consider the inclusive nature of their computing courses.


Can the study of new religious movements be extended historically towards a longue duree history of religious innovation? Several sociological theories suggest that fundamental differences between premodern and modern religious configurations preclude this, pointing to a lack of religious diversity and freedom of religion in premodern centuries. Written from a historical perspective, this article questions this view and suggests historical religious movements within Christianity as possible material for a long-term perspective. Using the Franciscans and the Family of Love as examples, it points out possible themes for productive interdisciplinary research. One suggestion is to study the criticisms surrounding premodern new religious movements, which might be used to analyze the historical differentiation of religion. Another avenue is the study of premodern terminologies and concepts for religious communities, which could provide a historical horizon for the ongoing debate about the typology of new religions.


To reduce power consumption, approximate computing is an efficient approach for error-tolerant applications such as image processing. Approximate arithmetic adders can be used for the approximate computing, and can trade off accuracy for power. CMA, a dynamically accuracy-configurable approximate adder, had been proposed. CMA can sharply reduce power consumption compared with other accuracy-configurable approximate adders, while allowing it to change accuracy-setting at run-time. In this paper, we evaluate CMA with error corrector that needs only two gates for each digit in actual image processing circuit. By increasing slight extra power, the proposed value corrector can improve PSNR quality of output images by up to 73.71%.


Changes in climate conditions are expected to significantly alter food production patterns and increase food price volatility, leading to challenges for food and nutrition security. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the extent to which climate factors contribute to the volatility of maize price in Benin, using monthly data from 7 markets. To this end, an autoregressive condi tional heteroskedasticity in mean (ARCH-M) model is estimated. Mean and variance equations of monthly maize price are specified as functions of temperature, rainfall of the growing season and a set of control variables including a policy variable and the international price of maize with an ARCH(1) term in the variance equation. The findings from the mean equation sug gest that rainfall has a negative effect on maize prices. Moreover, the estimation results from the variance equation indicate that rainfall and temperature are negatively associated with price volatility. Therefore, the findings indicate that climate change will affect maize price volatility.


The Occupy movement in Spain, locally known as the May 15 movement (15M), singularly developed throughout 2011 into a network of local neighborhood "popular assemblies." Over one hundred assemblies cropped up in Madrid alone. This article explores the conceptual and infrastructural work invested by the assemblies in the production of a particular experience of neighborhood (barrio). The barrio has become the centerpiece of the assemblies' political and geographical imagination. We offer here an ethnographic account of how the work of assembling is constitutive of a new experience of relationality, which assembly-goers refer to as "making neighbors." One makes neighbors through processes of deambulation and through an investment in the rhythmic and atmospheric production of space. The neighbor fares thus as an atmospheric person. Further, in this guise it has become both a model of and a model for political citizenship expressive of a right to the city. People's exploration of the question, "What is a neighbor?" offers an ethnographic case study on the invention of novel forms of social relations and political values in an urban commons—on the rise of the urban persona of the neighbor as a socialcum-political experimenter. Value, then, as an experimental form.


A theoretical investigation is made of the airfoil profile for minimum pressure drag at zero lift in supersonic flow. In the first part of the report a general method is developed for calculating the profile having the least pressure drag for a given auxiliary condition, such as a given structural requirement or a given thickness ratio. The various structural requirements considered include bending strength, bending stiffness, torsional strength, and torsional stiffness. No assumption is made regarding the trailing-edge thickness; the optimum value is determined in the calculations as a function of the base pressure. To illustrate the general method, the optimum airfoil, defined as the airfoil having minimum pressure drag for a given auxiliary condition, is calculated in a second part of the report using the equations of linearized supersonic flow.


This paper reports on the results of underwater observations of bottlenose dolphin feeding behaviour in a marine fin fish farm on the Sardinian coast in Italy from 2000 to 2005. During the study period, 178 underwater encounters were noted during 79 sightings of bottlenose dolphins at a fish farm. Total time spent underwater in the presence of dolphins was 284 min, with a mean encounter duration of 1.6 ± 1.3 min. Bottlenose dolphins were primarily observed hunting both schooling and solitary prey around the fish farm cages, using seven cooperative and individual feeding strategies throughout the water column. The underwater observations suggest that the use of different feeding strategies is consistent with the hypothesis that bottlenose dolphins apply common decision rules in relation to prey availability, resulting in the use of different foraging techniques. The observed frequency of the feeding strategies employed by dolphins preying directly on farmed fish could be worrisome for aquaculture.


Erin Manning's concept of an art that 'entertains the environment', proposes a 'minor' practice that might be capable of provoking reconnection with a wide field of non-subjective forces. Rather than a concentration on a replicating of human/object hierarchies, it implies a focus on how various assemblages of human and nonhuman, concrete and abstract, virtual and actual forces have the potential to be realigned through the artistic process. Drawing on recent writing and artwork by Manning, this essay will propose the potential of such a shift in focus in the art event as a tactical approach towards development of a new conception of a political art. This might be seen as an ecological approach to art, which reconnects us with lively worlds and non-human agencies. This essay also explores the entertainment of the environment through an examination of Lygia Clark's propositional art work  'Caminhando' (1963), concentrating on the transductive potential of the opening of the body to a wider field of distributed agency to produce a sensation of being 'always more than' a subject.


We have used flow-visualization and spectral techniques to study the spatial and temporal properties of the flow that precedes the onset of weak turbulence in a fluid contained between concentric cylinders with the inner cylinder rotating (the circular Couette system). The first three flow regimes encountered as the Reynolds number is increased from zero are well-known – Couette flow, Taylor-vortex flow, and wavyvortex flow. The present study concerns the doubly periodic regime that follows the (singly periodic) wavy-vortex-flow regime. Wavy-vortex flow is characterized by a single frequency f1, which is the frequency of travelling azimuthal waves passing a point of observation in the laboratory. The doubly periodic regime was discovered in studies of power spectra several years ago, but the fluid motion corresponding to the second frequency f2 was not identified. We have found that f2 corresponds to a modulation of the azimuthal waves; the modulation can be observed visually as a periodic flattening of the wavy-vortex outflow boundaries. Moreover, in addition to the previously observed doubly periodic flow state, we have discovered 11 more doubly periodic flow states. Each state can be labelled with two integers m and k, which are simply related to physical characteristics of the flow: m is the number of azimuthal waves, and k is related to the phase angle between the modulation of successive azimuthal waves by Δϕ = 2πk/m. This expression for the phase angle was first conjectured from the flow-visualization measurements and then tested to an accuracy of 0·01π in spectral measurements. Recently Rand (1981) has used dynamical-systems concepts and symmetry considerations to derive predictions about the space–time symmetry of doubly periodic flows in circularly symmetric systems. He predicted that only flows with certain space–time symmetries should be allowed. The observed flow states are in agreement with this theory.


The question whether production flexibility payments to farmers are likely to be minimally trade distorting is considered in an inter-temporal and economy wide context. Our contribution lies in showing the circumstances, over time, under which a minimally trade distorting result is likely to obtain. If agricultural capital markets are complete, we find that payments have long run effects on land values and land rental rates, but they have no effect on production. If capital markets are not complete, we find production effects, but they are small (0.2 percent) in the short run and disappear in the long-run. The only permanent effects are on land rental rates and land values that increase by about 10 percent in the short run tapering off to slightly above 8 percent in the long run.


The new era of digitization increases the impact of IT on the overall success of organizations. Even though the business generally recognizes the importance of IT, business-IT alignment is still considered a major challenge by IT executives. A widely adapted Enterprise Architecture Management tool addressing this challenge is the business capability map. However, there are only few approaches specifying the creation of business capability maps. This paper presents a case study describing the initiation of a business capability map at a medium-sized, state-controlled organization following an approach to business capability map implementation presented by The Open Group. Based on the case study, we detail each phase of the approach presenting necessary activities and resulting artifacts. Additionally, lessons learned are presented with the major finding being that an involvement of the whole business leadership leads to a better business-IT alignment, a common language, and a better understanding between all business units. Furthermore, a business capability map provides a suitable tool for structuring strategy development.


The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of semiconductors like TiO2 and ZnO used to remove a hazardous Alizarin red-S a textile dye from aqueous solution. The adsorption of the Alizarin red-S was selected as a reference molecule for the adsorption studies. The experimental results show that TiO2 and ZnO can remove the Alizarin red-S from wastewater. The factor affecting rate process involved in the removal of dye for initial dye concentration, effect of various process parameters like initial dye concentration, contact time, dose of catalyst and pH. The adsorption rate data were analyzed using the pseudo first order of kinetics of Lagergren and Pseudo second order model to determine adsorption rate constant. The optimum contact time was fixed at 120 minutes for both TiO2 and ZnO. The well known Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm equation were applied for the equilibrium. Beside the above the semiconducting materials have also been irradiated with Alizarin red-S before and after studied for SEM, EDX and XRD.


This article assesses the reviewability of non-statutory powers in the United Kingdom after the House of Lords' decision of R (on the application of Bancoult) v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (No. 2) (2008), which rejected the application of former residents of the Island of Diego Garcia for repatriation. Considered a groundbreaking decision due to the principled readiness to review orders in council, it is argued that the case is in fact an "unfortunate regression" as far as reviewability is exercised. Considering both prerogative powers and other types of non-statutory powers exercised in the UK (and elsewhere), the article offers, instead of deference and avoidance of review for non-justiciability, a model of "anxious review" similar to the model applied in the review of ihuman-rights context. The adoption of this model is justified inter alia due to the democratic deficit inherent to the exercise of such powers.


There has been increasing political and media attention given to the issue of social mobility in recent times. The interest has been sparked by research which suggests that social mobility may have stalled or even declined in the UK during the post-war period. Various factors have been identified as inhibiting social mobility including early years experiences in the home and at school, education and health along with area based influences. Employment and labour market experiences are also key factors contributing to social mobility with the importance of 'getting a job' and 'sustainable progression' increasingly recognised as an important means of improving social mobility. There now appears consensus that occupational mobility and career development is a key factor in overcoming social mobility, and the extent to which organisations develop pathways and support careers is a critical element in pursuing social mobility. This exploratory study has been commissioned by Morrisons to investigate the factors which impact on progression in the workplace and the effect of these on the social mobility of research participants. The study adopts the framework of 'career development' as a construct to explore sustainable progression, drawing on the employment and labour market experiences of employees at Morrisons who, having started on the 'shop floor' have progressed to senior management levels in the company. The study is based on their 'life stories' to identify the key factors associated with a successful career at Morrisons.


In a study to decrease medication administration errors (MAEs), nurses wore brightly colored sashes as a symbol that they were performing the important task of giving medications and were not to be interrupted. Situated within Watson's (2005a) caritas theory, the study gave nurses the opportunity to "center" themselves to enhance focus and concentration on medication administration. While nurses appreciated the opportunity to concentrate on administering medications without interruptions by other staff or phone calls, they worried that patient care coordination, for which they were responsible, was suffering. Interventions focused on enhancing safety of a single task may be incongruent with total patient-centered care.


The contents of this thesis give an archaeological
picture of the civilization of Palestine (the land of
Canaan) in the middle-Bronze II Period c.1800-1550 B.C.
The citizens of this part of the world were sharing in the
general civilization of the coastal area of Syria. They
had, of course, close connections with the rest of the
Near East.
The Geographical formation of the land tended to
accentuate local differences, a condition which is favourable
to a political organization based on the city-state. We may
presume that each city-state had its chieftain, sheikh, or
tribal leader, as in the period of the Amarna Letters.
To call these chieftains, sheikhs, and tribal
leaders "Hyksos" is a misnomer, because they were not
foreigners to Palestine. The basic culture of Palestine in
the Middle-Bronze II Period (the so-called Hyksos) does not
reveal any break in the continuity of the preceding phase.
It has always been stated that the Hyksos are bands
of warriors. By the available archaeological evidence they
impress us rather as a Peace-loving-people ruled by their
chieftains, sheikhs or tribal leaders.
They had never used the horse and the chariot as
a war technique in Palestine and Egypt until possibly in their last struggle against the Egyptians before they were expelled
from the country, i.e. our Phase V or the XVIII Dynasty.
Their daggers were not as efficient as those of earlier and
later periods. They hardly used the spear (if at all) at the
very early period of our Phase IIA i.e. 1750 B.C., though it
was in comaon use in the Middle-Bronze I Period. The use of
the bow and arrow in the early Phases of our period is also
uncertain. However, in Phase V there is slight evidence of
their use but they are not as comaon as in the Late Bronze
Period.
The archaeological evidence from a number of sites
suggests that there was a state of instability. This was
most probably one of the main reasons for the decline in their
standard of living recognized in every aspect of their life.
This feature of decline, with-a quantitative prosperity, could
be compared with Palestine nowadays.


In this paper, a low-power single-phase clock multiband flexible divider for Bluetooth, Zigbee, and IEEE 802.15.4 and 802.11 a/b/g WLAN frequency synthesizers is proposed based on pulse-swallow topology and is implemented using a 0.18-μm CMOS technology. The multiband divider consists of a proposed wideband multimodulus 32/33/47/48 prescaler and an improved bit-cell for swallow (S) counter and can divide the frequencies in the three bands of 2.4-2.484 GHz, 5.15-5.35 GHz, and 5.725-5.825 GHz with a resolution selectable from 1 to 25 MHz. The proposed multiband flexible divider is silicon verified and consumes power of 0.96 and 2.2 mW in 2.4- and 5-GHz bands, respectively, when operated at 1.8-V power supply.


A rigorous electromagnetic theory of the diffraction of light by blazed lamellar gratings has been developed. It is applied to calculate the diffracted power distribution of four gratings (R1 − R4) whose grooves have the following depths and widths (b,l) in units of grating period a: (0.433, 0.750), (0.333, 0.667), (0.250, 0.500), and (0.200, 0.400). All four gratings are theoretically blazed in the minus-first order for 30° incidence and for the wavelength equal to the grating period. The blaze is, however, broad band, and the minus-first-order theoretical power-conversion efficiency (P−1) for the most interesting grating, R3, exceeds 0.8, 0.9, 0.95, and 0.98 in the wavelength bands 0.84 a−1.49 a, 0.85 a−1.47 a, 0.87 a−1.43 a, and 0.98 a−1.31 a, respectively, for linearly polarized light. These surprising performances, which far exceed those obtainable with echelette gratings insofar as the incident light is linearly polarized, have been experimentally verified with the help of a microwave interference spectrometer, and point to the potential usefulness of blazed lamellar-reflection gratings in far-infrared spectroscopy.


From creative minds worldwide have come fantasy coin issues never listed in any other comprehensive reference. Unusual Coins includes thousands of issues spawned from the non-circulating legal tender boom, but not fitting into the realm of legitimate coinage. Here you'll find coins used by the inhabitants of Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings. These are real coins, created by Tom Maringer of Scottsdale, Ark., based on reference to coins in the trilogy. Unusual World Coins features: *Expanded Page Count: to accommodate over 7,000 photos * Clear images of coins * Detailed descriptive listings *Over 12,000 accurate market values About the Author George Cuhaj is an experienced and accomplished numismatist and researcher. An avid collector with a passion for this hobby, he is closely aligned with leaders in the field. A past president of the American Medalic Sculpture Association, he is a frequent instructor at the American Numismatic Association's Summer Seminars. George is also editor for The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money series. Thomas Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Master of Arts degree in economics. He has more than 20 years of experience researching and reporting on world coin prices and market trends.


Abstract. Imja Tsho, located in the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park of Nepal, is one of the most studied and rapidly growing lakes in the Himalayan range. Compared with previous studies, the results of our sonar bathymetric survey conducted in September of 2012 suggest that its maximum depth has increased from 90.5 to 116.3 ± 5.2 m since 2002, and that its estimated volume has grown from 35.8 ± 0.7 to 61.7 ± 3.7 million m3. Most of the expansion of the lake in recent years has taken place in the glacier terminus–lake interface on the eastern end of the lake, with the glacier receding at about 52 m yr−1 and the lake expanding in area by 0.04 km2 yr−1. A ground penetrating radar survey of the Imja–Lhotse Shar glacier just behind the glacier terminus shows that the ice is over 200 m thick in the center of the glacier. The volume of water that could be released from the lake in the event of a breach in the damming moraine on the western end of the lake has increased to 34.1 ± 1.08 million m3 from the 21 million m3 estimated in 2002.


The authors of this paper propose an approach to studying risk management in the most vulnerable monotowns that would account for the relations between major stakeholders and use the tools developed in the framework of the new institutional economic theory. Having compared the existing definitions of the "monotown" concept, the authors present their own approach. They identify key reasons behind monotown vulnerability and systematize stakeholders' risks. The authors then posit that a study of monotown-related issues would be incomplete without accounting for stakeholders' interests and relations. Monotown problems become apparent in the context of institutional agreements carried out with high transition costs and increased risks of opportunistic behaviour encountered by the institutional agreement stakeholders. Solving these problems through the methods proposed in the article would help to identify a wider range of alternatives while still taking into account all the typical scenarios. The authors analyse the process of risk management in monotowns from the viewpoint of international practices; and identify structural alternatives of outweighing these risks by considering key relations affecting the implementation of each alternative.


This dissertation describes certain developments in computer techniques for managingmathematical knowledge. Computers currently assist mathematicians in presenting and archiving mathematics, as well as performing calculation and verification tasks. MathLang is a framework for computerising mathematical documents which features new approaches to these issues. In this dissertation, several extensions to MathLang are described: a system and notation for annotating text; improved methods for annotating complex mathematical expressions; and a method for creating rules to translate document annotations. A typical MathLang work flow for document annotation and computerisation is demonstrated, showing how writing style can complicate the annotation process and how these may be resolved. This workflow is compared with the standard process for producing formal computer theories in a computer proof assistant (Isabelle is the system we choose). The rules for translation are further discussed as a way of producing text in the syntax of Isabelle (without a deep knowledge of the system), with possible use cases of providing a text which can be used either as an aid to learning Isabelle, or as a skeleton framework to be used as a starting point for a formal document.


'An aspirin a day keeps the heart attack away', is this also true in the prevention of thrombotic events associated with COVID19? The rising COVID19 pandemic has led to much work in the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. COVID19 infection is thought to be an endothelial disease. Supporting this concept, it has been suggested that infection with SARSCoV2, the aetiological agent for COVID19 infection, leads to a state mimicking Virchow's triad, that is, vascular endothelial injury, blood stasis and clotting in concert with systemic inflammation resulting in systemic thrombosis. In keeping with this concept, moderately and critically ill patients with COVID19 have been found to have thrombotic and thromboembolic events during the acute and convalescent state. Accordingly, there has been much interest in treating patients with COVID19 with anticoagulants. In an analysis of several large series of critically ill patients in multiple studies (534 therapeutic anticoagulation, 564 usual care thromboprophylaxis), therapeutic anticoagulation did not improve survival or the number of days free of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support. On the other hand, among 2244 noncritically ill patients (1190 therapeutic anticoagulation, 1054 thromboembolic prophylaxis), therapeutic anticoagulation improved rates of hospital survival and reduced the use of cardiorespiratory organ support. Since there is intense platelet activation secondary to endothelial injury and inflammation, there is also interest in the use of antiplatelet drugs in patients with COVID19. Currently, recommendations for antiplatelet agents to treat or prevent COVID19related thrombotic events are lacking due to absence of data from prospective clinical trials. With multiple mechanisms of tissue protection besides inhibition of platelet aggregation, aspirin may have unexplored potential to treat/prevent COVID19 complications. To evaluate the benefit of antiplatelet therapy, Santoro et al selected 7824 patients from the HOPECOVID19 registry; 730 (9.3%) received at least one antiplatelet agent (645 aspirin, 33 clopidogrel, 1 ticlopidine and 1 ticagrelor; 35 aspirin and clopidogrel, 10 aspirin and ticagrelor, 5 aspirin and prasugrel). Among 730 patients, 68% were males, 80% had a history of hypertension, 16% had cancer and 68% had an elevation of Ddimer, and inhospital concomitant anticoagulation was administered in 66% of patients. The multivariate analysis revealed a dramatic reduction in mortality risk (risk ratio 0.29, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.38, p<0.0001) in patients receiving antiplatelet agents—principally aspirin. No difference was identified for inhospital mortality or the use of invasive ventilation or bleeding whether patients were given antiplatelet drugs or not. Several other investigators have evaluated the role of antiplatelet agents in patients with COVID19 (table 1). Viecca et al and Liu et al demonstrated potential benefits in terms of patient mortality and severity of ventilation abnormality. The clinical outcomes measured in each of these studies varied considerably. Viecca et al measured Aa O2 gradient and Liu et al measured concentrations of Ddimer and blood cell counts, hospital discharge rate and mechanical ventilation use to conclude that patients who received aspirin had improved outcomes. Extreme caution should be maintained while extrapolating these results to improved mortality. Russo et al observed an insignificant decrease in mortality or risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients given antiplatelet drugs. Sivaloganathan et al identified no benefit in terms of mortality in patients with COVID19, and Pan et al observed no benefit in terms of disease severity of antiplatelet drug therapy based on the Modified Ordinal Scale (MOS). It is of note that the value of these studies is limited by small sample size, retrospective cohorts and lack of homogeneity in the outcomes measured and antiplatelet agent/s used. Furthermore, a study (preprint) by the RECOVERY collaborative group (Horby et al) randomised 14 892 patients with COVID19 (7351 aspirin and 7541 usual care). This is the only randomised controlled study on aspirin use in patients with COVID19, which observed that aspirin did not reduce 28day mortality or the risk of progressing to invasive mechanical ventilation or death. There was a small increase in the rate of being discharged alive within 28 days, bleeding risk and slight reduction in the thrombotic events and duration of hospitalisation among the aspirin group. The findings of Santoro et al reported in this issue of the journal is the largest retrospective study on aspirin use among patients with COVID19. However, there are some limitations of the study. Whether or not to give antiplatelet agent and the choice of antiplatelet agent (aspirin, clopidogrel, ticlopidine, prasugrel, ticagrelor, either with single or dual antiplatelet therapy) was at the discretion of the treating physician, and the mention of major bleeding episode relied on the diagnosis codes. All this brings in the issue of bias. The patients who are admitted are usually elderly with significant comorbidities. Administering aspirin to these patients is subjected to bias, that is, 'confounding by indication', where the real benefits or risks of aspirin may not be truly representative of the whole population. The study by Santoro et al is a step in the right direction to improve the outcomes of patients with COVID19. The use of an antiplatelet agent, mainly aspirin, might improve clinical outcomes without increasing the risk of side effects such as bleeding. Aspirin is a safe, cheap, universally available and welltolerated medication. Using this drug in patients with COVID19 should be encouraged unless contraindicated. Further, while the most common antiplatelet drug used in these studies was aspirin, a significant number of patients received other antiplatelet agents alone or with aspirin. Thus, it is difficult to state with certainty whether the beneficial effects were related to the use of aspirin with its multiple mechanisms Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA Department of Cardiology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Palermo, Palermo, Sicilia, Italy


Spatial modulation of magnetization (SPAMM) is a well established imaging technique which superimposes a tagging pattern on conventional magnetic resonance (MR) images, allowing movement to be visualized. A modification to the SPAMM technique, called complementary spatial modulation of magnetization (CSPAMM), which improves the contrast of the tagging pattern is explained. The application of CSPAMM to the visualization of pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid flow (CSF) using an 8 frame cardiac-gated cine sequence is described. Various combinations of binomial pulses, up to the fifth order, were investigated to see which produces the optimum tagging pattern in the CSPAMM images. The flip angles of the imaging RF pulses were studied to see which would give equal maximum CSF signal intensity in all the cine images. The optimized cine CSPAMM technique was compared in vivo with SPAMM and CSF motion was found to be more easily visualized in the CSPAMM images.


Hipparcos observations of some variable stars, and especially of long-period (e.g. Mira) variables, reveal a motion of the photocenter correlated with the brightness variation (variability-induced mover - VIM), suggesting the presence of a binary companion. A re-analysis of the Hipparcos photometric and astrometric data does not confirm the VIM solution for 62 among the 288 VIM objects (21%) in the Hipparcos catalogue. Most of these 288 VIMs are long-period (e.g. Mira) variables (LPV). The eect of a revised chromaticity correction, which accounts for the color variations along the light cycle, was then investigated. It is based on "instantaneous" V I color indices derived from Hipparcos and Tycho-2 epoch photometry. Among the 188 LPVs flagged as VIM in the Hipparcos catalogue, 89 (47%) are not confirmed as VIM after this improved chromaticity correction is applied. This dramatic decrease in the number of VIM solutions is not surprising, since the chromaticity correction applied by the Hipparcos reduction consortia was based on a fixed V I color. Astrophysical considerations lead us to adopt a more stringent criterion for accepting a VIM solution (first-kind risk of 0.27% instead of 10% as in the Hipparcos catalogue). With this more severe criterion, only 27 LPV stars remain VIM, thus rejecting 161 of the 188 (86%) of the LPVs defined as VIMs in the Hipparcos catalogue.


We quantify how social detachment (measured as neither working nor attending school) of low-income African-American and Latino young adults relates to their teen neighborhood conditions. Data come from retrospective surveys of Denver Housing Authority (DHA) households. Because DHA household allocation mimics quasirandom assignment to neighborhoods throughout Denver County, this program represents a natural experiment for overcoming geographic selection bias. Our multilevel, mixed-effects logistic analyses found significant relationships between neighborhood safety and population composition and odds of social detachment of low-income, minority young adults that can be interpreted as causal effects. The strength of these relationships was often contingent on gender and ethnicity, however. We draw conclusions for macroeconomic, income-support, subsidized housing and community development policy.


This book is a collection of research studies in the cross-section of maritime studies, information and communication technologies, and operations research. It contains a "layer" of topics that are more technical, and a "layer" of topics that are more managerial and business oriented. The fields of research are related to the author's quite diverse interests in certain periods of time, and her success in applying for some research grants.

The manuscript can serve as valuable material for educational and research purposes. This is especially important if we keep in mind that digitalization in maritime sector lags behind other business and industry sectors.


Profound changes to scholarly communications have been taking place since the advent of the World Wide Web and changes are continuing. Publishers and librarians are facing a new generation of students, researchers and scientists. The Pew Internet and American Life Project The Internet goes to College (Jones, 2002)found that 73% of students use the Internet more than the library for information searching. The Survey also revealed a danger for publishers of scholarly journals - that of losing readers. To quote from the survey: "Many students are likely to use information found on search engines and various Web sites as research material ... and faculty often report concerns about the number of URLs included in research paper bibliographies and the decrease in citations from traditional scholarly sources." In order to counter these trends, publishers and librarians must work together to make it easy for users to access authoritative scholarly sources online. This can be difficult to do since users' expectations of online journals have increased dramatically over the last 8 years and continue to increase. For most users these days content must be online and it must be linked. If it's not linked, it doesn't exist. Linking on the web works very well in conjunction with traditional references in journals. The practice of citing other articles has been around since the first journals appeared in the 17th century and it's a crucial part of the scientific process. So naturally, with online journals there is immense value in users being able to go to a cited item with one or two clicks. Another important trend is the development of the article economy - journal issues are becoming less important. Most publishers now post articles online, "ahead of print", without volume, issue and page number, and for many journals the e-article is the article "of record". Because of this trend and the need for reference links, uniquely identifying each article, creating standardized metadata and creating a system to link references are of critical importance for publishers.


Due to water shortages in most parts of the world, alternative water sources are required for daily activities, such as agriculture and domestic uses. Treated domestic wastewater reuse is gaining acceptance around the world, mainly for non-human contact use. Research is being conducted in using treated domestic effluent to grow edible food crops. However, one of the major concerns with wastewater reuse for food production is the risk of pathogen contamination to the edible parts of the food and to the people exposed to irrigation.

Wastewater application in horticulture using hydroponics technology should minimise the exposure and contamination risk to the workers. Since the edible parts of the plant, with the exception of root crops, may not be in direct contact with the wastewater, contamination to the edible parts may also be reduced. This chapter examined two hydroponics systems, nutrient film technique and water culture (without aeration), for their efficiency in causing pathogen die-off. Three treatments, secondary treated domestic wastewater, control medium (commercial hydroponics medium) and pathogen spiked control medium were tested in triplicate. S.typhimurium (ATCCI4028) and E.coli (WACC4) were used to spike one of the treatments (spiked control medium). The experiment was conducted over four months with the medium changed every fortnight. The results showed that there was a general decrease of pathogens over seven days (>40%) in the medium and complete die-off was observed after 14 days (99%), in both types of hydroponics systems. In both systems, there were no pathogens detected in the fruits. The hydroponics techniques for domestic effluent reuse, is a viable option for edible crop production as it reduces the risks of bacterial pathogen contamination.