This study focuses on the emergence of Multimedia technology and its subsequent application and effects on Computer Aided Learning. The growing interest in the pedagogical possibilities offered by Multimedia technology has highlighted the need for research in order to investigate those properties of Multimedia that may have an impact on instructional outcomes. The review of the literature indicated the key research issues as being the design, implementation and evaluation of courseware using the new technology.
It is these key issues that form the core of the research presented here. More specifically the overall outcome of the research has been the proposal of a holistic model for the design, implementation and evaluation of hypermedia learning tools. The main objectives supported by appropriate hypotheses were defined as:
Proposing a design process model for hypermedia courseware.
Developing Market Research by Multimedia (MRM).
Evaluating MRM as a means of course delivery.
Evaluating the MRM design.
MRM was developed based on the proposed Design and Development Process Model (DDPM) and subsequently evaluated. Using a summative method of evaluation based on observation and pre/post tests, 186 students from Kingston University's BIT and BABS courses were selected and randomly divided into the following four experimental groups. Group A - traditional lectures and tutorials, Group B- MRM only, Group C combined traditional lectures and Multimedia tutorials, and Group D - the Open Learning group .
. A holistic model for the design, implementation and evaluation of Multimedia based courseware is proposed. The resultant model proposes the following four stages in the development of hypermedia learning tools as:
1. Defining the Learning Objectives - this research provides strong evidence to indicate that hypermedia offers flexibility as a learning tool and could be successfully implemented in a variety of learning programmes including: delivering courses, used as a tutorial tool, or replace open learning modes of delivery. This study has provided empirical support to suggest that MRM as a means of course delivery is as effective as traditional lectures and tutorials and significantly better than the Open Learning mode.
2. Defining the Design Strategy - the design issues are addressed by the DDPM and deal with systems specification, design specification, implementation and evaluation. Based on the research findings it is recommended that ease of use should be the key objective of the design.
3. Defining the Implementation Strategy - this research recommends that prtor to use directives to hypermedia courseware users both in terms of their time management and their navigational style should be offered.
4. Defining the Evaluation Strategy - two main forms of evaluations could be considered Le. formative and summative depending on the evaluation objectives. This research recommends that 'observation' of learners using hypermedia learning tools through built-in tracking systems could provide educators with invaluable information about the way the system is used.
This research makes three important contributions to the body of knowledge on hypermedia aided learning. Firstly it proposes a holistic model for design, implementation and evaluation of hypermedia learning tools, secondly it proposes the DDPM as a specific hypermedia design model and thirdly it evaluates HAL as a means of course delivery.


Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould, is considered as a major burden on greenhouse tomato production. In heated greenhouses, where leaf pruning is a routine practice and microclimatic conditions are favourable for grey mould development, infections of the pruning wounds result in stem cankers that can rapidly kill the plants. Chemical control is not always sufficiently effective and growers face increasing demands for reducing their dependency on pesticides. Several techniques can be used for the removal of leaves. They differ mainly on the presence or absence and the size of petiole stubs remaining on the stems after pruning. In this study, leaf pruning techniques were compared in an experimental greenhouse and the results validated in four commercial greenhouses, in a variety of agronomic conditions and in various situations of inoculum pressure. All experiments clearly showed that a careful removal of the leaves without leaving any petiole stubs on the stems can significantly decrease the incidence of stem cankers even under high disease pressure. As up to 10-fold differences were observed, this suggests the possibility of improving pruning practices in tomato greenhouses by removing leaves systematically close to the stem. This environmentally-friendly cultural practice appears compatible for integration with other preventative methods for the objective of sustainable crop protection in greenhouse tomatoes.


Security is an important issue, especially in today"s technologically advanced society. Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a world-wide standard for digital wireless communication. GSM uses A5/1 stream cipher in order to provide privacy on air communication. This paper introduce new improvements to the A5/1 stream cipher in order overcome the weakness that appear in clocking mechanism that used in A5/1 stream cipher. New S-box generation is proposed to increase the efficient for A5/1 majority function and improve randomness features. The randomness results confirm that the output bit-stream generated by the proposed stream cipher has improved the randomness performance.


Defining an operation strategy for a Split Parallel Architecture (SPA) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is accomplished through calculating powertrain component losses. The results of these calculations define how the vehicle can decrease fuel consumption while maintaining low vehicle emissions. For a HEV, simply operating the vehicle's engine in its regions of high efficiency does not guarantee the most efficient vehicle operation. The results presented are meant only to define a literal strategy; that is, an understanding as to why the vehicle should operate in a certain way under the given conditions. The literature review gives a background of hybrid vehicle control publications, and without the SPA HEV addressed or a hybrid analysis based on loss calculations between engine only and hybrid modes, there is a need for this paper. Once the REVLSE architecture and components are understood, the hybrid modes are explained. Then the losses for each hybrid mode are calculated, and both the conversion and assist efficiencies are detailed. The conversion efficiency represents the amount of additional fuel required to store a certain amount of energy in the battery, and this marginal efficiency can be higher than peak engine efficiency itself. This allows electric only propulsion to be evaluated against the engine only mode, and at low torques the electric motor is more efficient despite the roundtrip losses of the hybrid system.


[1] The effects of prescription burning on watershed balances of major ions in mixed conifer forest were examined in a 16-year paired catchment study in Sequoia National Park, California. The objective was to determine whether fire-related changes in watershed balances persist as long as estimated low-end natural fire-return intervals (≤10 years), and whether cumulative net export caused by fire could deplete nutrient stocks between successive fires. Inputs (wet + dry deposition) and outputs (stream export) of N, S, Cl−, HCO3−, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, H+, and SiO2 were measured for 7 years preceding, and 9 years following, a prescribed burn of one of the catchments. After fire, runoff coefficients increased by 7% (in dry years) to 35% (in wet years). Inorganic N was elevated in stream water for 3 years after fire. Increased export of water, SO42−, Cl−, SiO2, and base cations continued through the end of the study. Pools and processes attributed to fire led to the cumulative loss, per hectare, of 1.2 kg N, 16 kg S, 25 kg Cl−, 130 kg Ca2+, 19 kg Mg2+, 71 kg Na+, 29 kg K+ and 192 kg Si, above that predicted by prefire regression equations relating export in the paired catchments. This additional export equaled <1% of the N, up to one-third of the Ca and Mg, and up to three-fourths of the K, contained in the forest floor prior to combustion. Changes in watershed balances indicated that low-end natural fire-return intervals may prevent complete reaccumulation of several elements between fires.


Native Grasses: Identification Handbook for Temperate Australia is an easy-to-use tool for identifying some of the most common native grasses in temperate Australia. The text describes 17 species in detail, covering general features as well as specific distinguishing features. Full-colour photographs of the whole plant, as well as close-ups of significant parts of the plants such as the seedhead, leaf blade, seed and ligule, accompany each species description.

The handbook provides advice on grassland management as well as highlighting the benefits of native grasses to the environment, agriculture, landscaping and upland hydrology.

Please note that this book is spiral-bound.


OBJECTIVE: The incidence of nosocomial infections, predominantly gastrointestinal and respiratory, in children in developed countries is high, ranging from 5% to 44%. There is no effective strategy for preventing these infections. The objective of our study was to investigate the role of Lactobacillus GG (LGG) in preventing nosocomial gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections at a pediatric hospital. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 742 hospitalized children. They were randomly allocated to receive for their hospitalization LGG at a dose of 109 colony-forming units in 100 mL of a fermented milk product (LGG group, n = 376) or placebo that was the same postpasteurized fermented milk product without LGG (placebo group, n = 366). RESULTS: In the LGG group, compared with the placebo group, we found a significantly reduced risk for gastrointestinal infections (relative risk [RR]: 0.40 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25–0.70]; number needed to treat: 15 [95% CI: 9–34)], respiratory tract infections (RR: 0.38 [95% CI: 0.18–0.85]; number needed to treat: 30 [95% CI: 16–159]), vomiting episodes (RR: 0.5 [95% CI: 0.3–0.9]), diarrheal episodes (RR: 0.24 [95% CI: 0.10–0.50]), episodes of gastrointestinal infections that lasted >2 days (RR: 0.40 [95% CI: 0.25–0.70]), and episodes of respiratory tract infections that lasted >3 days (RR: 0.4 [95% CI: 0.2–0.9]). Groups did not differ in hospitalization duration (P = .1). CONCLUSIONS: LGG administration can be recommended as a valid measure for decreasing the risk for nosocomial gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections in pediatric facilities.


Purpose: To develop and assess the accuracy of a novel repositioning scheme based on implanted gold markers and orthogonal films to reduce the treatment margins in fast neutronradiotherapy. This repositioning scheme corrects for both translational and rotational deviations due to set up error and/or patient organ movement. Method and Materials: The proposed repositioning scheme involves five gold markers that are implanted into the structure to be localized. Geometric errors are estimated based on relative differences in the positions of the gold markers between the CT locations and 3D coordinates reconstructed from two orthogonal films. An in‐house developed computer software automatically calculates the six correction parameters (three translation and three rotation) using a PointSet‐to‐PointSet co‐registration algorithm that iteratively finds the optimal solution. All gold marker coordinates and shifts are referenced to the isocenter. The accuracy of the repositioning scheme was evaluated using phantom experiments. A phantom containing five gold markers was moved and rotated to 23 different positions and the repositioning scheme was applied to each case. These positions include translational and rotational movements in different directions with magnitude ranging from 1–15 mm and 2–10 degrees for translation and rotation, respectively. The calculated correction parameters were compared to the known movements to assess the accuracy of the repositioning method. Results: In all 23 cases, the repositioning scheme was able to very accurately correct the induced geometric errors. The mean correction error, defined as the difference between the calculated correction values and known movements, was 0.37 mm for translation and 0.74 degrees for rotation. Conclusion: The proposed repositioning scheme and software corrects for both translational and rotational geometric errors and achieved very high accuracy in the phantom experiment. Its application in clinical fast neutronradiotherapy will serve to reduce the irradiated volume and associated normal tissue complications.


Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell generating most of the energy for cellular mechanisms in form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Another important role of mitochondria is the regulation of programmed cell death, apoptosis. Apoptosis, in turn, is regulated by a complex protein network, the Bcl-2 protein family. There is a fine balance within the about 25 Bcl-2 proteins between pro- and antiapoptotic proteins. If control gets lost, cells may gain resistance to apoptosis, they can divide in an uncontrolled manner resulting in tumors and diseases like cancer may develop. The second leading cause of cancer deaths in women is cervical cancer. For proving that human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the causative agents of cervical cancer, Harald zur Hausen, a scientist of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008. In this study, one aim is to find out which antiapoptotic proteins are responsible for cervical cancer cells to become resistant to apoptosis. Using a specific method called BH3 profiling, Bcl-xL upregulation in cervical cancer cells is suggested to be responsible for apoptosis resistance. This data is supported by knock-down of Bcl-xL in cervical cancer cells finding them to regain apoptosis sensitivity. Furthermore, Bcl-2 proteins have been shown to control Ca2+ influx from ER (endoplasmic reticulum) into mitochondria and thus regulate apoptosis since high mitochondrial Ca2+ levels lead to the induction of apoptosis. Ca2+ transfer takes place at very tight interaction sites between mitochondria and ER called ER-mitochondria contact sites or mitochondria associated membranes (MAMs). More and more proteins are becoming evident to play a role in keeping those two organelles in close contact. However, the structural organization of those proteins is unknown. Since the distance between mitochondria and ER at their contact sites is only between 10 and 25 nm, it is impossible to resolve those structures with conventional confocal microscopy. This is why in this study the high resolution microscopy technique STED (stimulated emission depletion) is used to visualize MAMs. Thus, the second aim of this thesis is to image ER-mitochondria contact sites via STED microscopy to gain a deeper structural insight of these sites. A labeling strategy was established for the used STED microscopy setup to image ER, mitochondria and, as an example for a MAM protein of interest, Grp78. High resolution images could be obtained for mitochondria and Grp78 and the distribution of Grp78 with respect to the ER could be visualized. Using the here established MAM labeling strategy for STED microscopy and studying further MAM proteins in the future will enable the structural analysis of ER-mitochondria contact sites in more detail. In summary, this study provides insights into mitochondrial function and structure. 1) apoptosis regulation in cancer cells via the Bcl-2 protein network is studied, and 2) the interaction of mitochondria and the ER is visualized via high resolution STED microscopy to gain a deeper insight into the structural organization of the MAMs.


Pentachlorophenol (PCP) has been used worldwide as a wood preservative and pesticide. PCP toxicity and extensive use has placed it among the worst environmental pollutants, and therefore its microbiological degradation to develop bioremediation techniques has been intensively studied.
The current study, part of a wider bioremediation project, is a long-term evaluation of the remediation ability of naturally selected microorganisms versus PCP in laboratory-scale experiments. The main aims of this thesis were: i) to define PCP sensitivity, adsorption and degradation of Byssochlamys nivea (Westling 1909), Scopulariopsis brumptii (Samson and Klopotek 1972) and Anthracophyllum discolor (Mont. Singer 1951) in microbiological culture media; ii) to test B. nivea and S. brumptii as antagonists against two Oomycetes: Phytophthora cinnamomi and Phytophthora cambivora; iii) to evaluate the response of an agricultural soil to PCP, with or without compost (biostimulation) and B. nivea and S. brumptii (bioaugmentation), in terms of effects of the contaminants on the main chemical, biochemical and biological soil properties.
B. nivea and S. brumptii showed a good PCP tolerance (12.5 and 25 mg PCP L-1) although hyphal size, biomass, patulin and spore production decreased for increasing concentrations of PCP. It was shown that these two fungi can completely deplete 12.5 and 25 mg PCP L-1 in a submerged culture after 28 days of incubation at 28 °C. Electrolyte Leakage Assays showed that the fungi have a good tolerance at 25 mg PCP L-1. B. nivea and S. brumptii were able to inhibit the growth of P. cinnamomi and P. cambivora on solid media and in liquid culture. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) did not produce growth reduction of oomycetes strains.
The PCP that was adsorbed by A. discolor pellets was >80% compared to pH values of 5 and 5.5, which were the two concentrations being analyzed. PCP adsorption significantly decreased in a medium of pH > 6.0. The Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed that amides, alkanes, carboxylates, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups may possibly be important to the PCP adsorption for pellets of A. discolor .
In microcosm soil experiment, the addition of PCP severely depressed some of the tested biochemical properties (i.e. microbial biomass, soil respiration, dehydrogenase activity and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis) suggesting an inhibitory effect on microbial activity. The compost had a buffer effect against the PCP, limiting the decrease of soil biochemical activity vs. of the control. After 28 day of incubations the compost and the fungal strains reduced of 95% the extractable PCP. The natural fresh soil showed a good capacity of reduction of extractable PCP (88%). The main soil processes (i.e. microbial degradation, biostimulation by compost and sorption to organic matter) were likely occurred in the contaminated soil when was added PCP and are involved in PCP depletion.
Our results indicate that B. nivea and S. brumptii have an interesting potential for bioremediation and biocontrol strategy. A. discolor may be used as a natural biosorbent for liquid solutions which are contaminated by PCP.


We propose a consistency model for a data store in the Cloud and develop a framework towards the goal of deploying Database as a Service over the Cloud. This includes consistency across the data partitions and consistency of any replicas that exist across different nodes in the system. We target applications which need stronger consistency guarantees than the applications currently supported by the data stores on the Cloud. We propose a cost-effective algorithm that ensures distributed consistency of data without really compromising on availability for fully replicated data. This paper describes a design in progress, presents the consistency and recovery algorithms for relational data, highlights the guarantees provided by the system and presents future research challenges. We believe that the current notions of consistency for databases might not be applicable over the Cloud and a new formulation of the consistency concept may be needed keeping in mind the application classes that need to be supported.


The hydroamination reaction of alkynes has been widely studied, but has not been developed as a powerful tool for polymer synthesis. Herein, a novel Cu(I)-catalyzed polyhydroamination has been developed for the facile preparation of nitrogen-containing polymers. This polymerization proceeded smoothly in bulk with 100% atom utilization in a regio-specific and stereo-selective fashion, producing polyenamines with well-defined structures and high molecular weights (up to 13 470) in high yields (up to 97%). Thus, this polymerization is a kind of amino-yne click polymerization. The resulting polymers possess excellent solubility, high thermal stability, strong UV-light shielding efficiency, and good visible light transparency. Considering the high efficiency, ready monomer availability and excellent performance of the products, this Cu(I)-catalyzed amino-yne click polymerization opens up enormous opportunities for preparing functional polymers.


The Himalayan Malayan molasses sediments of the Siwalik Group, which range in age from Pliocene to Pleistocene is the Thatti-Nasrati and Shanawah-Godi Khel of Trans Indus areas were studied in order to understand their nature, origin chemical and petrotectonic investigations helped to understand the genesis of uranium mineralization in the Dhok Patthan Formation of the study area.

The Siwalik Group is comprised of four formations i.e. Chinji, Nagri, Dhok Pathan and Soan. The Rawalpindi Group is absent in this area. The Chinji age. This formation consists of maroon and reddish brown colored shale and subordinate sandstone horizons. The thickness of the Chinji Formation varies from 1160 m to 1400 m. The nagri formation is marked by a thick sequence of massive sandstone with a lot of palaeochannels. Shales are present as rare thin patches. The thickness of the Nagri Formation varies from 1050m to 2075m. The Dhok Pathan Formation exhibits excellent development of cyclic deposition of shale and sandstone. the thickness of this formation varies from 950m to 1200m. The soan formation consists of conglomerates sandstone, siltstone and shale horizons. The thickness of this formation varies from 300 to more than 500m.

A number of uranium bearing mineralized horizons are present in the upper part of the Dhok Pathan Formation. These horizons have secondary uranium mineral carnotite in the study area. Uranium mineralization is widely distributed throughout the Siwaliks. A few uranium deposits of small size source nor indeed the control of mineralization were properly understood. The size, of the discovered deposits are very small as compared to the regional surface showings.

The study of lateral and vertical accretion deposits, presence of scouring, channel abandonment behaviour, facies association and channel fill of the Siwalik Group sow that it was deposited by a braided river system. The Siwalik Group of the Shinghar-Surghar ranges were deposited from 12.M.a to 0.5M.a as compared to the siwaliks of the potwar plateau, where these sedimentation rates of the siwalik group were generally higher in the trans-indus ranges than that of the potwar plateau area. The entire molasse sequence covering the time span of 12M.a to 0.5 M.a is conformable. There was no tectonic activity other than subsidence of the basin till folding began about 0.5 Ma, which stopped the siwalik sedimentation in the study area. These molassic sediments were deposited by high velocity streams are indicated by the presence of pebbles, cobbles and boulders. Poor sorting and angularity of fragments as well as their compositional immaturity suggests that the sediments are texturally as well as compositionally immature. Within uranium bearing horizons the sandstone is subarkose to lithic arenite. The mineralized palaeochannels contain bentonitized volcanic clasts, which still retain 11 ppm uranium such volcanic clasts provided the indigenous and subtropical climatic conditions as it contains plant fragments and vanadium rich minerals. In some areas the formation contains considerable amount of humic acid and pyrite, formed during diagenesis. These served as important reductants for uranium deposition.

Studies based on nature, origin and conditions of deposition coupled with petrographic, chemical and petrotectonic investigations strongly suggest a potential for sandstone type uranium deposit in the Dhok pattan formation of the thatti nasrati and shanawah godi kehl area.

This potential deposit may be similar in characters to those of baghalchur. Nanagar nai and qabul khel areas. As a large number of surface samples of the study area have more than 0.05% chemical U3O8, further integration of data and exploration work particularly core drilling may prove the existence of a uranium deposit.


Ecosystems protected from heavy grazing impacts, such as national parks and refuges, are generally considered to sustain higher plant species diversity and better ecosystem composition and structure compared to heavily grazed areas. To evaluate the impact of livestock grazing, we sampled vegetation characteristics from two areas having different grazing intensity levels. The first site has high protection from grazing and is located inside the Bou Hedma National Park in Southern Tunisia. The second site has a low protection from grazing and is situated within an open area located immediately outside the park boundary where human populations and their livestock have unrestricted access to ecosystem resources. Total plant cover, density, perennial species cover and their contribution were compared between the two grazing level sites. Results show that considerable positive effects occur in the areas protected from grazing. As compared to the overgrazed (open) sites. Several species known for their high palatability, such as Cenchrus ciliaris L., Salvia aegyptiaca L., Echiochilon fruticosum Desf. and Helianthemum sessiliflorum Desf., are more abundant inside the park than outside. These results are very important for managers to apply this technique as a tool for increasing the resilience of arid ecosystems, qualified very vulnerable to climate change. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Mechanical stability of Ag and Cu printed and evaporated metallization lines on polymer substrates is investigated by means of monotonic tensile and cyclic bending tests. It is shown that lines which demonstrate good performance during monotonic tests fail at lower strains during a cyclic bending tests. Evaporated lines with the grain size of several hundreds of nanometers have good ductility and consequently good stability during monotonic loading but at the same time they fail at low strains during cyclic bending. Printed lines with nanocrystalline microstructure, in contrast, demonstrate more intensive cracking during monotonic loading but higher failure strains during cyclic bending. Apart from the grain size effect, the effect of film thickness on the saturation crack density after cyclic bending is also demonstrated. Thinner films have higher crack density in accordance with the shear lag model.


It has repeatedly been shown that properly constructed monetary aggregates based on index number theory (such as Divisia money) vastly outperform traditional measures of money (i.e. simple sum money) in empirical models. However, opponents of Divisia frequently claim that Divisia is "too complex" for little gain. And indeed, at first glance it looks as if simple sum and Divisia sum exhibit similar dynamics. In this paper, we want to build deeper understanding of how and when Divisia and simple sum differ empirically using monthly US data from 1990M1 to 2007M12. In particular, we look at how they respond differently to monetary policy shocks, which seems to be the most essential aspect of those differences from the perspective of the policy maker. We use a very rich, fairly agnostic setup that allows us to identify many potential nonlinearities, building on a smoothed local projections approach with automatic selection of the relevant interaction terms. We find, that—while the direction of change is often similar—the precise dynamics differ sharply. In particular in times of economic uncertainty, when the proper assessment of monetary policy is most relevant, those existing differences are drastically augmented.


We consider a state-of-the-art system that uses layered source coding and forward error correction with Reed-Solomon codes to efficiently transmit 3-D meshes over lossy packet networks. Given a transmission bit budget, the performance of this system can be optimized by determining how many layers should be sent, how each layer should be packetized, and how many parity bits should be allocated to each layer such that the expected distortion at the receiver is minimum. The previous solution for this optimization problem uses exhaustive search, which is not feasible when the transmission bit budget is large. We propose instead an exact algorithm that solves this optimization problem in linear time and space. We illustrate the advantages of our approach by providing experimental results for the compressed progressive meshes (CPM) mesh compression technique.


The talk was given as part of a discussion 'Dialogues on Conflict: Feminist Perspectives and Art Practice,' organized by Artes Mundi at Swansea University. Other speakers were Holly Ingleton, Emely Neu, Heather Phillipson and Sue Williams. Following their presentations the speakers took part in a panel discussion.

'Do You Wish To Direct Me?' took its cue from an issue of the queer feminist collective LTTR's journal of that name. The journal issue, in turn, riffed on the 1973 video 'Now' by Lynda Benglis.

This prompted a discussion about the response of contemporary artists to the queer/feminist past. The lecture touched on the rediscovery of neglected female, feminist and queer artists; the invention of fictional artists and avatars; intergenerational queer feminist lineages and inheritances; Catherine Grant's discussion of artists as 'fans' of feminism; Elisabeth Freeman's concept of 'temporal drag; and how the unintentional mis-telling or mis-hearing of certain iconic artworks can have a generative effect on future artistic and scholarly efforts so that they operate in a manner akin to memes.

Artists discussed included Sarah Pucill; Louise Fishman; Sonia Boyce; Faye Green; LTTR; Ridykulous; Roee Rosen; Janine Antoni; Sharon Hayes; Allyson Mitchell.


Extended Abstract Introduction After a period of instability and conflict with various problems in the 1990s, Russian foreign relations have reached a relatively balanced situation since 2000. With the arrival of Vladimir Putin, many analysts estimate Russian foreign policy is that Moscow seeks to revive itself as a major power by using its geopolitical advantages. With the indexation of Russian foreign policy, the present study attempts to explain why analysis of Russian foreign policy can be considered in terms of the components of geopolitics using the framework of neoclassical realism, without resorting to more macroeconomic views on geopolitics and international relations. Neoclassical realism has more power not only to weigh the components that affect Russian foreign policy, but also to explain the motives, goals, decision-making processes and foreign policy behaviors.  Methodology The choice of a specific theoretical framework in this research suggests that this research has been done by collecting library resources as a data analysis technique as well as using conceptual elements and the authors' theoretical and experimental backgrounds. Result and discussion The most important estimates of this research are as follows: 1) The theory of neoclassical realism, which takes into account the number and ratio of variables affecting the state's foreign policy and behavior more carefully, is a more appropriate theoretical model for analyzing Russian foreign policy. 2) Russian foreign policy should be analyzed both within the framework of its historical and traditional policy during the Soviet era, and also in the framework of a new foreign policy inspired by historical experiences and adapted to the new conditions of Russia and the international system of implementation. 3) Moscow's experiences of the international system after the collapse of the Soviet Union has led to the fact that, although all the Russian political and security documents emphasize the priority of the former Soviet Union (the former geographical zone of the Soviet Union), but since 2011, and in particular since 2015, Russia has expanded its field of engagement with the United States into the Middle East and more issues. 4) Russian foreign policy, especially in the last decade, with Vladimir Putin's leadership; contains security perspectives on unilateral US actions in the world arena and the enlargement of NATO to the East; orientation toward the East; and strategic competition and interaction with China. Political-security-economic domination on the "Near Abroad", which fully reflects geopolitical components on all three axes. The reason for the significance of these components is also influenced by various components such as the restructuring and the degradation of Russian position after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the systematic results, internal factors in Russia such as the perception of the leaders about a systematic stimulus, socio-political domains such as relations between the society and government, strategic culture, internal institutions, foreign policy responses and their international outcomes. Conclusion While Russian leaders have a security perception of structural changes and their systematic results, geopolitics not only has its own senses, that is, it depends on the territorial features and geographical location, but also is important in the outcome of the systemic developments and its implications in Russian foreign policy. From of Russian leaders' point of view, the security interests of this country with geopolitical priorities should be secured using political-economic and even military means. At the same time, it looks at new international crises as opportunities and threats. The total of such factors makes the foreign policy approach a set of interactive and contradictory strategies, and the spread of the areas of these interactions and contradictions to various regions is expanding and reinforces the notion that geopolitical factors are very important in Russian foreign policy. The result of this paper is that new classical realism is the appropriate theory to analyze Russian foreign policy.


The article examines the correctness and style of the language of the new Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania. In the light of the analysis of the lexis of the document, the paper proposes to take out uncommon or unnecessary international words and to define their meanings more precisely, to consider using suitable Lithuanian expressions, and to look for more accurate substitutes for the incorrectly coined concepts. Furthermore, the article discusses the mistakes of word formation, morphology and syntax, and highlights the impact of the incorrectly used forms and cases on the clarity of the text. The paper also elaborates on some flaws of the style and form; e. g., the growing tendency to use verb abstracts, lengthy sequences of genitives, unnecessary repetition, enormously bulky paragraphs consisting of one sentence etc. Finally, the concluding part of the article suggests the ways of improving the language of the Criminal Code, emphasises the urgent need to compile an explanatory dictionary of legal terms, and proposes mobilisation of the relevant specialists for preparation of important and long-lasting documents of the state.


Layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) exhibits rich electronic and optical properties and possesses vastly differing characteristic dimensions. A multi-layer MoS2 membrane represents the critical hierarchical structure which bridges the length-scale of monolayer and bulk material architectures. In this study, the in-plane mechanical properties of MoS2 membranes were investigated by in situ SEM tensile testing. Under the uniaxial tensile loading, brittle fracture caused failure in a highly localized region of the MoS2 membranes and their mechanical properties showed a thickness effect: the strengths of the relatively thicker MoS2 membranes (thickness around hundreds of nanometers) distribute from ∼100 to ∼250 MPa, while the corresponding values of the MoS2 nanosheets (thickness around tens of nanometers) increase significantly to more than 1 GPa. Upon molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the fractures of MoS2 with various thicknesses/layers, the thicker MoS2 membranes show interplanar fracture, and the typical MoS2 nanosheets demonstrate the transition from interplanar to intraplanar fractures, while monolayer and few-layer MoS2 are dominated by intraplanar fracture. Our study provides some critical insights into the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of layered MoS2 2D materials, which could be of value for their flexible electronic, optoelectronic and nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) applications.


Georgetown University Press supports the academic mission of Georgetown University by publishing scholarly books and journals for a diverse, worldwide readership. These publications, written by an international group of authors representing a broad range of intellectual perspectives, reflect the academic and institutional strengths of the university. We publish peer-reviewed works of academic distinction, with exceptional editorial and production quality, in five subjects: bioethics; international affairs & human rights; languages & linguistics; political science, public policy & public management; and religion & ethics.


Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctiva, and other mucous membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in blood beyond normal levels (hyperbilirubinemia). Jaundice occurs in neonates in 2 forms: Pathological and Physiological Jaundice. In Pathological Jaundice, high bilirubin levels can result in severe neurotoxicity, brain damage, hearing loss, muscular disorders and physical abnormalities. So measuring the exact level of bilirubin in blood in neonates is very crucial. In the past, serum bilirubin has been the preferred method of detecting hyperbilirubinemia in newborns. The ordering of serum bilirubin in neonates is based on visual evaluation by either physicians or nursing staff. Skin puncture collection of blood exposes the neonate to trauma and risk of infection. A noninvasive device for predicting serum bilirubin levels in newborns diminishes the need to do skin punctures. There are numerous studies demonstrating the transcutaneous bilirubin measurements reasonably close to serum bilirubin performed by clinical laboratories. These devices use spectrophotometry (light absorption measurements at standardized wavelengths of light) to calculate measurements. All existing methods involve transcutaneous detection of bilirubin, which is not error free, as there are various factors affecting its accuracy, like presence of hemoglobin and melanin, and maturity of skin tissue and fibres. So this gave an urge for us to develop a new technique of quantitating bilirubin level noninvasively. This study was done by analyzing conjunctival images that would imitate the blood level of bilirubin by calculating the intensity of yellow color. Machine learning techniques were applied in order to develop a system capable of predicting the bilirubin level.


This paper proposes a simulation-based active policy learning algorithm for finite-horizon, partially-observed sequential decision processes. The algorithm is tested in the domain of robot navigation and exploration under uncertainty. In such a setting, the expected cost, that must be minimized, is a function of the belief state (filtering distribution). This filtering distribution is in turn nonlinear and depends on an observation model with discontinuities. These discontinuities arise because the robot has a finite field of view and the environment may contain occluding obstacles. As a result, the expected cost is nondifferentiable and very expensive to simulate. The new algorithm overcomes the first difficulty and reduces the number of required simulations as follows. First, it assumes that we have carried out previous simulations which returned values of the expected cost for different corresponding policy parameters. Second, it fits a Gaussian process (GP) regression model to these values, so as to approximate the expected cost as a function of the policy parameters. Third, it uses the GP predicted mean and variance to construct a statistical measure that determines which policy parameters should be used in the next simulation. The process is then repeated using the new parameters and the newly gathered expected cost observation. Since the objective is to find the policy parameters that minimize the expected cost, this iterative active learning approach effectively trades-off between exploration (in regions where the GP variance is large) and exploitation (where the GP mean is low). In our experiments, a robot uses the proposed algorithm to plan an optimal path for accomplishing a series of tasks, while maximizing the information about its pose and map estimates. These estimates are obtained with a standard filter for simultaneous localization and mapping. Upon gathering new observations, the robot updates the state estimates and is able to replan a new path in the spirit of open-loop feedback control.


Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of TB, possesses a cholesterol catabolic pathway implicated in pathogenesis. This pathway includes an iron-dependent extradiol dioxygenase, HsaC, that cleaves catechols. Immuno-compromised mice infected with a ΔhsaC mutant of M. tuberculosis H37Rv survived 50% longer than mice infected with the wild-type strain. In guinea pigs, the mutant disseminated more slowly to the spleen, persisted less successfully in the lung, and caused little pathology. These data establish that, while cholesterol metabolism by M. tuberculosis appears to be most important during the chronic stage of infection, it begins much earlier and may contribute to the pathogen's dissemination within the host. Purified HsaC efficiently cleaved the catecholic cholesterol metabolite, DHSA (3,4-dihydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione; k cat/K m = 14.4±0.5 µM−1 s−1), and was inactivated by a halogenated substrate analogue (partition coefficient<50). Remarkably, cholesterol caused loss of viability in the ΔhsaC mutant, consistent with catechol toxicity. Structures of HsaC:DHSA binary complexes at 2.1 Å revealed two catechol-binding modes: bidentate binding to the active site iron, as has been reported in similar enzymes, and, unexpectedly, monodentate binding. The position of the bicyclo-alkanone moiety of DHSA was very similar in the two binding modes, suggesting that this interaction is a determinant in the initial substrate-binding event. These data provide insights into the binding of catechols by extradiol dioxygenases and facilitate inhibitor design.


This contribution reports the results of the archaeometric study of 51 marble sculptures and decorative elements from the capital of Roman Lusitania , Augusta Emerita (Merida, Spain). These artefacts found on display at the Spanish National Museum of Roman Art comprise a representative record of archaeological pieces from different decorative programmes dated from the end of the 1 st century BC to the end of the 2 nd century AD. A multi-method approach combining polarized-light microscopy, cathodoluminescence, X-ray powder diffraction, and stable C and O isotope analysis was applied to identify the marble provenance. The comparison of the results with the available databases confirms the use of different white marble varieties from the Estremoz Anticline (Portugal) as well as some Carrara and well-known marbles from Greece and Turkey. Another outcome of the study is the highlight of the most relevant parameters that serve to discriminate Estremoz Anticline marbles from other Iberian and classical marbles.


Background: Several factors have been identified as related to mental health in adolescence, such as competences, behavioural/emotional problems, self-esteem, and sense of coherence. Studies also emphasise the importance of family func-tioning and cultural factors. Objectives: This study investigates and compares the mental health of adoles-cents in relation to family functioning and socio-cultural variables in Sweden and Greece. Furthermore, Swedish and Greek adolescents' attitudes about life issues are studied. For Greek youths, mental health and gender variations in attitudes were studied as well. Populations and Methods: The study included 583 Swedish and 238 Greek school-aged adolescents aged 13 through 18 years. The Swedish sample was recruited from students at a Junior High and a High School in the town of Lycksele close to the University town of Umea and the Greek sample was se-lected from three High schools and three Lyceums in Patras. The two samples were selected to represent the socio-demographic strata in the study areas. Achenbach's Youth Self Report (YSR), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem, An-tonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), and Beavers (SFI) scales were used. Out of the large sample, adolescents who reported either high or low on Achenbach's Youth Self Report–47 Greeks and 47 Swedes–were selected for semi-structured interviews. An interview guide with semi-structured questions was created to gather in-formation about life attitudes. The questions addressed a broad spectrum of everyday life issues to understand how youths orient themselves to life–the central themes of an adolescent life and the basic codes of behaviour related to mental health, family, and culture. Results and discussion: Results revealed significant differences and some simi-larities between Swedish and Greek adolescents. According to YSR, the Swed-ish adolescents had fewer mental health problems than the Greek adolescents. Although this difference was most evident for internalized problems, it was also evident for externalized problems. These differences were seen for both sexes in most problem areas identified by YSR. In both countries, girls had higher prob-lem scores than boys. Age group comparisons followed the same national differ-ences mostly obvious for the two oldest age groups. As for sense of coherence, all of the Greek groups had higher scores. For self-esteem, no differences were found in the comparison between total group scoring, but Greek girls and Swed-ish boys had better self-esteem compared to their counterparts. Greek adoles-cents scored their families higher on family health competence. With respect to attitudes about life issues, Greek youths reported more prob-lems related to self, more fears of social dangers, losses, and illness. In addition, they turned more often to their family for support during difficult times. More Greek youths believed in God than their Swedish counterparts. The two groups identified similar family problems. The Swedes reported more fear about their future and tended to trust public authorities more during times of difficulty. Greek adolescents revealed social concerns, fears about the future and social dangers, and using own coping and family support to face these issues. Mental-health and gender patterns influenced some attitudes. Greek adolescents' atti-tudes about education, and messages sent to their parents are also presented. Both groups' attitudes about faith and homosexuality are shown. They both emphasised the importance of social and career position. Swedes, however, more often expressed a desire to have a family within five years. We recommend that counselling be offered in schools to provide students with life skills and to improve communication with their parents. This support should help parents and children face relational and behavioural issues of children. In addition, we recommend educational support be provided to Greek youths.


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We study universal consistency and convergence rates of simple nearest-neighbor prototype rules for the problem of multiclass classification in metric paces. We first show that a novel data-dependent partitioning rule, named Proto-NN, is universally consistent in any metric space that admits a universally consistent rule. Proto-NN is a significant simplification of OptiNet, a recently proposed compression-based algorithm that, to date, was the only algorithm known to be universally consistent in such a general setting. Practically, Proto-NN is simpler to implement and enjoys reduced computational complexity.
We then proceed to study convergence rates of the excess error probability. We first obtain rates for the standard $k$-NN rule under a margin condition and a new generalized-Lipschitz condition. The latter is an extension of a recently proposed modified-Lipschitz condition from $\mathbb R^d$ to metric spaces. Similarly to the modified-Lipschitz condition, the new condition avoids any boundness assumptions on the data distribution. While obtaining rates for Proto-NN is left open, we show that a second prototype rule that hybridizes between $k$-NN and Proto-NN achieves the same rates as $k$-NN while enjoying similar computational advantages as Proto-NN. We conjecture however that, as $k$-NN, this hybrid rule is not consistent in general.


The paper uses recently created datasets measuring legal change over time in a sample of 28 developed and emerging economies to test whether the strengthening of shareholder rights in the course of the mid-1990s and 2000s promoted stock market development in those countries. It finds only weak and equivocal evidence of a positive effect of shareholder protection on market capitalisation, the value of stock trading, and the turnover ratio, and a negative impact on the number of listed companies. There is stronger evidence of reverse causality, in the sense of stock market development at country level generating changes in shareholder protection law. We conclude, firstly, that legal reforms were at least in part an endogenous response to stock market development and not simply a reaction to the generation of global standards; but, secondly, that the laws passed in response to the demand for shareholder empowerment did not consistently have the expected impact on financial markets, and may have had some negative and perverse results.


The term security network intelligence is widely used in the field of communication security network. A number of new and potentially concepts and products based on the concept of security network intelligence have been introduced, including smart flows, intelligent routing, and intelligent web switching. Many intelligent systems focus on a specific security service, function, or device, and do not provide true end-to-end service network intelligence. True security network intelligence requires more than a set of disconnected elements, it requires an interconnecting and functionally coupled architecture that enables the various functional levels to interact and communicate with each other.


It was a great honor for both Authors to participate in this Symposium together with Professor Juan Linz. (1) Although Professor Linz favors parliamentary government and we both favor presidential separation of powers systems, we agree on one absolutely crucial point. We think it is a disastrous mistake to combine the French semipresidential constitutional system with a proportional representation electoral regime as some countries have unfortunately done. (2) We both think American-style presidential separation of powers regimes are exportable and desirable under some carefully controlled circumstances. Like Professor Linz, we would not recommend such a regime for a country polarized into two hostile religious or ethnic camps. (3) We also would not recommend a presidential separation of powers regime for third-world countries suffering from a history of dictatorship or rule by caudillos or strongmen like Russia. But we do recommend a presidential separation of powers regime for federal polities that have multiple cross-cutting cleavages, a recent history of democratic rule, a majoritarian electoral system, strong member states within the federation, and a need for a more assertive federal foreign policymaking apparatus. We want in this Essay to make the perhaps startling argument that the European Union is such a polity and that it needs a presidential separation of powers system like the one in the United States if it is to become a successful federation rather than merely a confederation. (4) In so arguing, we realize of course that there is no chance at all of such a presidential separation of powers system being adopted. Nonetheless, if we can show that it would be a good thing for the people of the European Union to elect a president directly that would surely be relevant to the question of whether it is ever desirable for a presidential separation of powers system to be exported. The European Union is a confederation of twenty-seven member states with a population of almost five hundred million citizens that generates more gross domestic product than the United States. (5) The EU has an annual budget of 141 billion Euros and 24,000 employees serving as career civil servants. (6) The EU, in effect, has a bicameral legislature like the United States. There is a Parliament (7) with 785 members (8) chosen by proportional representation from closed party lists in elections where turnout is low. (9) There is also a Council of the European Union (10) with twenty-seven members--one from each state--that votes by a qualified majority and in which more populous nations cast more votes than less populous ones. (11) The executive power is in the hands of a twenty-seven member European Commission (12)--one member from each nation state--and the Commission is headed by a President who is picked by the Council and Parliament. (13) The Commission is subject to substantial direction and control by the Council, which is the most powerful entity in the EU. (14) Finally, there is a judicial branch headed by the European Court of Justice. (15) The European Union suffers from a severe democracy deficit because the cumbersome twenty-seven member Council and Commission and their presidents only imperfectly control the 24,000 or so civil servants of the European Union. (16) More important, the people of Europe do not get to vote directly either for the members of the Council or for the President of the Commission, so they rightly feel that they have little say in EU policymaking. (17) This leads to low turnout in elections to the EU Parliament, and the splintering effects of proportional representation and a closed ballot further delegitimize that body. (18) The EU is unable to make its weight felt in foreign policy, and it is almost completely dependent on the United States to provide for its national defense. (19) In short, the governance structure of the EU is a mess. It is suitable for the governance of a confederation but not for the federation that many hope Europe will become. …


We present a technique for using content-based video labeling as a CAPTCHA task. Our CAPTCHAs are generated from YouTube videos, which contain labels (tags) supplied by the person that uploaded the video. They are graded using a video's tags, as well as tags from related videos. In a user study involving 184 participants, we were able to increase the human success rate on our video CAPTCHA from roughly 70% to 90%, while keeping the success rate of a tag frequency-based attack fixed at around 13%. Through a different parameterization of the challenge generation and grading algorithms, we were able to reduce the success rate of the same attack to 2%, while still increasing the human success rate from 70% to 75%. The usability and security of our video CAPTCHA appears to be comparable to existing CAPTCHAs, and a majority of participants (60%) indicated that they found the video CAPTCHAs more enjoyable than traditional CAPTCHAs in which distorted text must be transcribed.


Barrier islands are ecosystems that border coastal shorelines and form a protective barrier between continental
shorelines and the wave action originating offshore. In addition to forming and maintaining an array of coastal and
estuarine habitats of ecological and economic importance, barrier island coastlines also include some of the greatest
concentrations of human populations and accompanying anthropogenic development in the world. These islands
have an extremely dynamic nature whereby major changes in geomorphology and hydrology can occur over short
time periods (i.e. days, hours) in response to extreme episodic storm events such as hurricanes and northeasters. The native vegetation and geological stability of these ecosystems are tightly coupled with one another and are
vulnerable to storm-related erosion events, particularly when also disturbed by anthropogenic development. (PDF contains 4 pages)


Health presents a great challenge for all nations. Improving the health of a nation's citizens can directly affect the economic growth. Even developed countries, where government spend huge amount of money for establishing medical care units, are found more or less in the custody of various hazardous diseases. Similarly, developing countries particularly like India is facing widespread occurrence of non-communicable disease such as diabetes. Almost 60 million people are diabetic in India. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes took 0.9 million deaths in 2015 in comparison to other non-communicable diseases. In order to combat the situation, healthy diet plan & physical activity followed by regular check- ups are required to prevent and control diabetes. If not, then the raised blood glucose concentration which is the main cause of diabetes imposes a severe damage to nerves & blood vessels. Among its effects, Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the common complication among 10-20% of diabetic subjects. An intervention of Computer Aided Design (CAD) & computer vision technique opens new dimension for medical practitioners in the diagnosis of various abnormalities. The main objective of this literature is to be acquainted with non-invasive methods or procedures for the determination of blood glucose level and screening of DR. Emphasis has been put on mentioning experimental data, applied methodology, clinical applications, and shortcomings.


This paper presents an overview of ac power electronic system modeling and analysis methods. Characteristics of such systems are first discussed, and their applications and significance in renewable energy and distributed generation (DG), transportation, and other mobile and autonomous power systems are highlighted. Typical stability and power quality problems encountered in these systems are demonstrated by measurements from several practical systems. Small-signal analysis methods, such as phasor-based analysis, transformation into dq reference frame, reduced-order modeling, and harmonic linearization that are applicable to ac power electronic systems, are then reviewed and compared in terms of their applicability and limitations. Small-signal impedance modeling of rectifiers and inverters by harmonic linearization is reviewed in some detail. Limitation of the existing impedance-based system criterion when applied to current-source systems is identified and an extension of the theory is presented for application to grid-parallel inverters.


Chinese media in the context of China's rise have puzzled many scholars who used to

understand media and communications phenomena by employing the theories generated

from a few affluent Western democracies, notably the US. As a result, a complex but more

accurate picture has been ignored. Under numerous theoretical polarizations, the

contemporary social world seems little changed but polarized. This thesis aims to propose

a different approach endeavoring to 'de-Westernize' or 'internationalize' media and

communications studies. As a starting point, this study focuses on the globalization debate,

Chinese media and news agency studies.

The thesis has investigated the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, by employing Fuzzy Logic

which captures the complexity of the change in the agency's business structure and

journalistic practices over last 25 years. The change is also examined by scrutinizing the

role of journalists in the interrelations of Xinhua with its news sources, media and nonmedia

clients, and other news agencies. A combination of archive study and 94 semistructured interviews conducted in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau and

London provides an inclusive account of the Chinese news institution.

The key research findings drawn from the empirical research into Xinhua have justified the

central argument of this thesis: Crisp Logic or the 'either/or' approach has failed to explain

the dynamics of the change to the media system based in a 'non-Western' society. The

numerous theoretical polarizations generated by Crisp Logic to a large extent have

distorted the understanding of the contemporary social world by polarizing it. Fuzzy Logic

serves better(though it is not the only choice)than the traditional approach to reflect on the

set of variables existing between the two poles created by Crisp Logic.

This thesis is the first doctorate research in the UK and other English-speaking countries to

investigate Xinhua by 'going inside' the news institution's headquarters, local branches

and overseas bureaus. This is the first comprehensive academic study of the agency, which

not only examines the agency's recent change in business structure and journalistic

practices, but also provides a historical account of the agency and its relationship with

other social institutions. This is the first media study that employs Fuzzy Logic to

understand the globalization theory, Chinese media and news agencies.


A crucial step in any successful threat management process is knowledge of the players involved. Some individuals truly intend violence (known as hunters), while others merely want to threaten or draw attention to themselves (howlers). Threat Assessment and Management Strategies: Identifying the Howlers and Hunters helps those who interact with questionable populations to identify problem behaviors and determine the appropriate preventative action.A successful threat management process does not necessarily depend on large staffs or huge resource commitments, but, instead, on attention to detail and a thoughtful approach. Through actual case studies and case analyses, this volume explains the best practices for assessing problem individuals and recommends the optimal protective response and management strategy. The authors provide key indicators of hunters and howlers, comparing and contrasting their behaviors and motivations. An entire chapter is devoted to analyzing the intimacy effect and demonstrating how it applies to law enforcement, specifically to interpersonal relationships involving targets of intended violence.Frederick S. Calhoun, Ph.D. was the principal architect in developing the threat-assessment process used by the U.S. Marshals Service for analyzing risks to federal judicial officials. Currently, he manages a national workplace violence prevention program for a large federal agency. Stephen J. Weston is a 32-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol. From 1991 to 2006, he managed the unit responsible for the investigation of threats against California state officials. Their combined expertise provides anyone who is involved in managing potentially violent situations with the guidance needed to contain the threat posed by these would-be predators.


Toward the end of the last century a better knowledge of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and their associations led investigators to propose the existence of a unique pathophysiological condition called "metabolic" or "insulin resistance syndrome". Among all, insulin-resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia are considered its most important treatment targets. Different definitions have been provided by World Health Organization (WHO) and by The Third Report of The National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III). In particular, abdominal obesity, hypertension, low HDL cholesterol and hyperglicemia are the most common items used for its definition. The presence of MetS is effective in predicting the future risk of diabetes and coronaropathies. The evidence of a higher CV risk rate among different rheumatic inflammatory diseases has recently been associated with high prevalence of MetS in some cases. Rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis have the large series among arthritis, whereas systemic lupus erythematosus among connective tissue disorders. This review analyses all most important studies about the evidence of MetS in rheumatic patients and the main clinical and prognostic significance of this relation.


A new arrangement for the stator laminations of electric motors is presented which improves machine cooling. The arrangement is illustrated with static and dynamic comparisons between the new and the old arrangements of a four-phase switched reluctance motor. The stator laminations, all of one design, are designed to provide either radially or axially oriented external cooling fins when stacked. The effective increase in the heat dissipative surface area increases the full load output capacity, for a given copper winding temperature rise above ambient. The static test, with the rotor held stationary and a DC current fed to all phases, shows that for the same temperature increase of the copper parts above the ambient, the RMS phase current can be increased. When the motor is mechanically loaded, keeping the speed constant such that windage and friction losses are fixed, an improvement in the efficiency has been obtained for a given copper temperature rise.


We propose a simple model for approximate scaling of spherical functions in the Fourier domain. The proposed scaling model is analogous to the scaling property of the classical Euclidean Fourier transform. Spherical scaling is used for example in spherical wavelet transform and filter banks or illumination in computer graphics. Since the function that requires scaling is often represented in the Fourier domain, our method is of significant interest. Furthermore, we extend the result to higher-dimensional spheres. We show how this model follows naturally from consideration of a hypothetical continuous spectrum. Experiments confirm the applicability of the proposed method for several signal classes. The proposed algorithm is compared to an existing linear operator formulation.


In order to improve the functional layout of hospital environment and to cope with modern changes, this paper aimed at examining the current architectural conditions in a public hospitals, and clarifying the requirements of spatial planning from the architectural standpoint.  Recently, the initiative by the Iranian government to reduce the energy consumption in public buildings including hospitals is seen as the notion for sustainability in the built environment. On the other hand, designing a hospital building is architecturally accepted as a complex task both functionally and psychologically. Therefore, creating a healing environment with functional physical spaces (for example daylight utilization) to achieve sustainable hospital seems relevant and in tandem with sustainability. Many previous studies suggest that adequate and appropriate exposure to natural elements and daylight can provide a positive impact on human health and well-being of patients and medical staff in a hospital environment. This paper reviewed the role of natural elements focusing on daylight utilization as one of the physical aspects in hospital design to create a healing environment, and the effects of physical aspects on patients' outcomes were investigated. Pilot studies on several public hospitals in different cities of Iran, was carried out to investigate the design and utilization of lighting (i.e. artificial and natural light) and its relationship to other environmental factors. Keywords : architecture, environment, hospital, sustainability.


PURPOSE
To develop recommendations for management of patients with breast cancer (BC) with germline mutations in BC susceptibility genes.

METHODS
The American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society for Radiation Oncology, and Society of Surgical Oncology convened an Expert Panel to develop recommendations based on a systematic review of the literature and a formal consensus process.

RESULTS
Fifty-eight articles met eligibility criteria and formed the evidentiary basis for the local therapy recommendations; six randomized controlled trials of systemic therapy met eligibility criteria.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Patients with newly diagnosed BC and BRCA1/2 mutations may be considered for breast-conserving therapy (BCT), with local control of the index cancer similar to that of noncarriers. The significant risk of a contralateral BC (CBC), especially in young women, and the higher risk of new cancers in the ipsilateral breast warrant discussion of bilateral mastectomy. Patients with mutations in moderate-risk genes should be offered BCT. For women with mutations in BRCA1/2 or moderate-penetrance genes who are eligible for mastectomy, nipple-sparing mastectomy is a reasonable approach. There is no evidence of increased toxicity or CBC events from radiation exposure in BRCA1/2 carriers. Radiation therapy should not be withheld in ATM carriers. For patients with germline TP53 mutations, mastectomy is advised; radiation therapy is contraindicated except in those with significant risk of locoregional recurrence. Platinum agents are recommended versus taxanes to treat advanced BC in BRCA carriers. In the adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting, data do not support the routine addition of platinum to anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (olaparib and talazoparib) are preferable to nonplatinum single-agent chemotherapy for treatment of advanced BC in BRCA1/2 carriers. Data are insufficient to recommend PARP inhibitor use in the early setting or in moderate-penetrance carriers. Additional information available at www.asco.org/breast-cancer-guidelines.


Some scientists suggest that it might be possible to reflect a portion of incoming sunlight back into space to reduce climate change and its impacts. Others argue that such solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering is inherently incompatible with democracy. In this article, we reject this incompatibility argument. First, we counterargue that technologies such as SRM lack innate political characteristics and predetermined social effects, and that democracy need not be deliberative to serve as a standard for governance. We then rebut each of the argument's core claims, countering that (1) democratic institutions are sufficiently resilient to manage SRM, (2) opting out of governance decisions is not a fundamental democratic right, (3) SRM may not require an undue degree of technocracy, and (4) its implementation may not concentrate power and promote authoritarianism. Although we reject the incompatibility argument, we do not argue that SRM is necessarily, or even likely to be, democratic in practice.


The rapid growth in data availability has led to modern large scale convex optimization problems that pose new practical and theoretical challenges. Examples include classification problems such as customer segmentation in retail and credit scoring in insurance. Classical optimization and machine learning techniques are typically inadequate to solve these large optimization problems because of high memory requirements and slow convergence guarantees. This thesis develops two research threads to address these issues. The first involves improving the effectiveness of a class of algorithms with simple computational steps for solving convex optimization problems arising in machine learning, data mining, and decision making. The second involves the refinement of conditioning and geometry of convex optimization problems via preconditioning. I elaborate on these two threads below. 1. The main theme of this thesis focuses on the class of elementary algorithms for solving convex optimization problems. These algorithms only involve simple operations such as matrix-vector multiplications, vector updates, and separation oracles. This simplicity makes the computational cost per iteration and memory requirement of these algorithms low. Thus, elementary algorithms are promising for solving emerging big data applications in areas such as classification, pattern recognition, and online learning. A major hurdle that needs to be overcome is the slow convergence of these algorithms. We develop new elementary algorithms that are enhanced via smoothing and dilation techniques. These enhancements yield algorithms that retain the attractive simplicity of the elementary algorithms while achieving substantially improved convergence rates. Thus, these enhanced algorithms are better suited for solving modern large scale convex optimization problems. 2. A significant difficulty when solving large convex optimization problems is poor conditioning caused by the existence of flat and nearly flat geometries. This thesis shows that a combination of two simple preprocessing steps generally improve the geometric structure of problem instances. We improve instances' geometric structure by reconciling the properties of three different but related notions of conditioning. More precisely, when one of these measures is large, in which case the problem instance is certainly poorly conditioned, our procedure reduces it without making the remaining measures worse. Our preconditioning procedures can be potentially useful for the convergence properties of a large class of iterative methods without changing their ultimate solution.


The research assumes the definition of Education for Citizenship proposed by the Council of Europe: "is a set of practices and principles that aim to make young people and adults better equipped to participate actively in democratic life by assuming and exercising their rights and responsibilities in society" . The main questions of the research are borrowed from the area 'Curriculum Teaching and Learning' of the 'Tool for quality assurance of EDC in schools' :
- Is there evidence of an adequate place for EDC in the school's goals, policies and curriculum plans?
- Is there evidence of students and teachers acquiring understanding of EDC and applying EDC principles to their everyday practice in schools and classrooms?
- Are the design and practice of assessment within the school consonant with EDC?
The information/data-base is –mainly- the on-line documentation of schools (good) practices, collected by National Institute for the Documentation of Innovation and Research in Education and by other organizations.
Evidences. In italian schools, according to the examinated documents, EDC seems to be
- an educational principle firmly sustained
- a teaching content relevant in specific educational activities
- carried on already from nursery schools; developed by the whole school within compulsory education; mainly an initiative of one or few teachers in secondary school, added to social studies classes
- developed thanks to the "meeting and melting" of different interests:
- from inside (specific problems or care)
- from external institutions (ministerial or international, mainly european)
- from external organizations and groups (local authorities, non-profit organizations, lobbies)
- focused on the development of an active, participate, overnational citizenship that leads to a social and political status more than a legal one
- crosscurricolar and interdisciplinary activity in nursery and primary schools; while in secondary schools it often moves from one specific subject to the others (pluridisciplinary approach)
- carried on by active teachers working together and with experts and militants from outside the school too.
- Developed through active teaching/learning strategies including discussions, teamworks, workshops, researchs and scientific, literary and artistic productions (monographs, exhibitions, shows, multimedia), simulations and fieldworks
- aimed to the dissemination, implementation and sharing of values and awareness, information and knowledge of citizenship; the practice of skills and competences is focused on specific activities or on daily life
- evaluated more by qualitative appreciations on the experience, its contents and values, than using structured and formal instruments
- concluding, it's more a teaching/learning topic than a daily school practice
Suggestions. The report suggests that EDC is a complex, multilevel and integrated action strategy within the school and in interaction with society. So, starting from daily school practice and rules, EDC should be developed throught crosscurricolar activity and as social and civics studies subject and with specific projects, together.
Concluding, the author proposes a plan of action-researches aimed to develop EDC practice in italian schools, using the strategy and methodology suggested by the Council of Europe in the quoted 'Tool for quality assurance of EDC in schools'. That is a bottom-up approach and not only a top-down one.


Background: The respiratory mass spectrometer is the current gold-standard technique for performing multiple-breath inert gas washout (MBW), but is expensive and lacks portability. A number of alternative techniques have recently been described. Objectives: We aimed to validate, using an in vitro lung model, an open-circuit MBW system that utilises a portable photoacoustic gas analyser, with sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) as the inert tracer gas. Methods: An acrylic glass lung model was utilised to assess the accuracy of functional residual capacity (FRC) measurements derived from MBW. Measurements were performed in triplicate at 20 combinations of simulated FRC, tidal volume and respiratory rate. FRC measured using MBW (FRCmbw) was compared to FRC calculated from the known dimensions of the model (FRCcalc). MBW was also performed in 10 healthy subjects and 14 patients with asthma. Results: The MBW system measured FRC with high precision. The mean bias of FRCmbw with respect to FRCcalc was -0.4% (95% limits of agreement of -4.6 and 3.9%). The mean coefficient of variation of triplicate FRC measurements was 4.0% in vivo and 1.0% in vitro. MBW slightly underestimated low lung volumes and overestimated high lung volumes, but this did not cause a significant error in lung clearance index except at lung volumes below 1,500 ml. Conclusions: The open-circuit MBW system utilising SF6 as the inert tracer gas and a photoacoustic gas analyser is both accurate and repeatable within the adult range of lung volumes. Further modifications would be required before its use in young children or infants.


Cattle grazing an orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) pasture were self-fed corn plus fat, molasses plus urea, or no supplement, at three stocking rates within each supplement treatment. Forage availability, supplement consumption, and the interaction between them accounted for 87% of the variability in ADG. Gain/ha increased linearly with stocking rate, until stocking rate became too high to permit grazing all season. Molasses increased ADG and gain/ha, and corn increased these still more. Supplements increased slaughter and carcass grades, overall meat desirability, and all components of desirability except color. Supplement will increase return to land, labor, and management, unless beef prices are unusually low and supplement prices are unusually high; feeding corn will usually be more profitable than feeding molasses.


A low speed, open circuit, laboratory wind tunnel has been
redesigned for use in turbine blade cooling experiments. The two dimensional contraction was designed using a sixth order polynomial. This paper outlines the process of design
optimisation, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to
model the contraction. The parameters that were varied were the location of the point of inflection and the curvature at the contraction inlet. The optimisation was based on flow uniformity at the working section midplane, prevention of separation in the contraction and minimising the boundary layer thickness at entrance to the working section. Calibration of the wind tunnel after construction has demonstrated the value of the design process and validated the CFD predictions.


Smart domestic robots are poised to revolutionise the way household chores and everyday tasks are carried out in the home of the future. At the heart of the "intelligence" and behaviour of these robots will be complex machine learning (ML) systems that, in addition to extensive training at the manufacturing stage, will most likely require further on-site adjustments to adapt to customers and their environments. Drawing from the robotics literature on Learning fromDemonstration andHuman Robot Interaction, we review relevant techniques which we hypothesise customers could realistically use to perform these adaptation and customisation steps as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.


European countries (CEECs) to the European Union in 2004 will bring some important benefits. The new members will gain from reduced barriers to trade and investment. By 2010, the movement of labor will also be freed. But accession to the EU is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for economic growth. The combined effects of market access and economic liberalization, not EU membership, optimize economic growth. Unfortunately, the incoming EU members had to choose between the common market on the one hand and economic liberty on the other. Instead of concluding free-trade agreements with the EU, the CEECs were cajoled into an increasingly centralized superstate, in which most of their comparative advantages will be legislated out of existence. As a result, economic growth in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will continue to be suboptimal. The loss of potential future economic growth will be only partly offset by the CEEC's access to the European single market. Following the collapse of communism, the CEECs searched for a quick way to prosperity, and EU accession seemed like a rational step forward. Unfortunately, the geopolitical aim of the European elites to rival the United States enjoys clear precedence over the developmental needs of the CEECs. Compliance with centralized EU regulations in three areas—labor, agriculture, and the environment—will impose the most significant costs on the CEECs. Western European labor regulations will make many workers in the less-productive CEECs less competitive; agricultural subsidies will favor current EU members over future ones; and stringent environmental regulations will impose a cost of up to 120 billion euros on CEECs. Accession members should be wary of future EU initiatives, such as harmonization of taxes, which will further reduce their competitiveness. Once the CEECs join the EU, they should pursue a strategy that seeks to introduce economic dynamism to the region by forging an alliance with more economically liberal governments to prevent further centralization in Brussels, working to prevent the adoption of costly welfare entitlements in the new EU constitution, guarding the national veto system within the EU, and working to abolish or substantially reform the unfair Common Agricultural Policy. To the extent that the accession countries can continue to unilaterally liberalize, their economic performance could provide a useful example for other EU countries. EU Enlargement Costs, Benefits, and Strategies for Central and Eastern European Countries


Over 100,000 have HIV in the UK. However, while effective treatment exists, there is neither a cure nor a preventive vaccine, so 500+ people die from AIDS every year with many others dying undiagnosed. Health policy focuses on prevention and support, but it is necessary to increase the number of early diagnoses and reduce the rate of spread (Public Health England, 2014). Approximately 25% of HIV positive individuals do not know their status however, and almost half of all UK diagnoses occur late. It is vital therefore, to understand and address barriers to early testing and diagnoses to address this trend.

Clinical data for 240 patients diagnosed with HIV in 3 trusts in Kent and Medway over 5 years were analysed in relation to clinical, social, demographic and psychosexual factors likely to affect knowledge of HIV and their decision to seek a test. Fifty-three semi-structured interviews were also conducted with patients and healthcare professionals to elicit experienced and perceptions about barriers to testing and ways to increase uptake.

Patients were aged 19-81 (mean 40 years) and 67.5% were men. Women were more likely to be diagnosed late however (67.9% versus 56.8%), and late diagnosis was higher than the national average for both sexes (60.4%) with the highest rates in Medway (66.1%) and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (64.6%). Patients diagnosed late were 4 years older than those diagnosed early, and late diagnosis was higher in ethnic minority groups (70.2%) compared to white British (53.0%). Those born outside the UK were also generally diagnosed later (69.8%). The most frequent categories affected were heterosexuals (56.2%), men who have sex with men (36.6%) and intravenous drug users (2.0%). Patients diagnosed during an acute hospital admission were far more likely to be diagnosed late (89.1%) compared to other settings (49.6% - 57.1%). Qualitative data suggested that outmoded notions of HIV as a 'gay' disease still prevailed and heterosexuals did not generally consider themselves to be at risk. Healthcare professionals sometimes failed to acknowledge risks in 'non-traditional' groups and often overlooked HIV as a likely cause of symptoms until they were seriously unwell.

Clearer public health messages should be targeted at the general population and there is a need to better educate healthcare professionals, especially GPs about the clinical indicators of HIV which also needs to be de-stigmatised.


Near-infrared fluorophores are emerging as promising molecular tools for cancer theranostics because of their inherent biodegradability, low toxicity, and synthetic flexibility. However, they still suffer from several limitations, such as poor photostability and insufficient organelle-targeting stability during photothermal therapy. In this work, we introduce an "aldehyde functionalization" strategy for simultaneously enhancing photostability and mitochondria-immobilization of near-infrared fluorophores for the first time. Based on the proposed strategy, representative near-infrared organic molecules, namely AF-Cy, were rationally designed and synthesized. Upon aldehyde modification, the AF-Cy dyes displayed both remarkable photostability and mitochondrial-targeting stability. The strong absorption in the near-infrared region confers the AF-Cy dyes with outstanding fluorescent/photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy capabilities. Finally, in vitro and in vivo studies revealed the enhanced performance in inhibiting the growth of breast tumors under NIR laser radiation, and these results suggested the strong potential of AF-Cy dyes as efficient multimodal imaging-guided photothermal therapy agents, further highlighting the value of this simple strategy in the design high performance near-infrared fluorophores for tumor theranostics.


We investigated the influence of geographic distance, environmental variables, and water mass origin on picoeukaryote (phytoplankton and other protists <3 µm) assemblages to assess the presence of biogeographic patterns. The study region was an area of converging Arctic and Atlantic currents where several distinct water masses were overlain and intersecting. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles of assemblages revealed 42 distinct band types overall, with minimum richness (8 band types) in Arctic surface water and Atlantic deep water, and maximum richness (22 band types) in regions of water mass mixing. Sequencing of DGGE bands revealed that most sequences (78 of 98) matched uncultured clones from major taxonomic marine groups, including the Acantharea, Bacillariophyceae, Cercozoa, Chrysophyceae, Dinophyceae, Prasinophyceae, Prymnesiophyceae, and stramenopiles, as well as the novel marine stramenopiles (MAST), alveolate groups I and II, and picobiliphytes. Multivariate statistical analysis of DGGE profiles revealed that picoeukaryote assemblage composition was positively correlated with geographic proximity, abiotic environmental conditions (salinity, photosynthetically active radiation, and transmissivity), and biotic community structure (total phototrophic biomass and size class). Picoeukaryote assemblage similarity was also strongly associated with water mass origin; assemblages in close spatial proximity (horizontally or vertically) showed less similarity if located in different water masses, while spatially distant assemblages showed higher similarity if located within the same water mass. This study highlights that ocean hydrodynamics must be considered to fully explain the distribution and diversity of microbes in this fluid realm.


Abstract The ratio between observed surface and geostrophic wind speed has been investigated from observations at the German Bight, taking geostrophic wind and the air-sea temperature difference as parameters. The ratio decreases with increasing geostrophic wind and increasing stability. While stability is an important parameter for light to moderate winds, variation of the ratio with geostrophic wind speed cannot be neglected, taking the full range of geostrophic wind speeds into consideration. From the Navier-Stokes equations, such a variation is to be expected. For light winds, the (local) surface wind may exceed the (mesoscale) geostrophic wind. Both effects together can be described approximately by a linear relation between the surface wind and geostrophic wind, with a slope of 0.56 and a constant term b>0 varying with stability. The residual error was 2 m/s. Variation with latitude is inferred from the Navier-Stokes equations.


Article 53 of the Vienna Convention on the law of Treaties provides that a treaty is void if it conflicts with jus cogens. It is theoretically possible that two or more states would conclude such a treaty, yet this is not very likely in practice. The question thus arises how jus cogens operates outside of Article 53 situations and outside of treaty law in general. A 'trumping effect' of jus cogens over all other norms of international law has been proposed in some writings and judicial decisions. Such views have been shattered by the ICJ, most recently (but not exclusively) in Germany v. Italy. Jus cogens seems to be back to Article 53 and its (rather theoretical) voiding powers. Considering the latest judicial decisions, this article aims to place jus cogens within the international legal system. It demonstrates that jus cogens is not a futile concept; but it is wrong to see it as a trump card.


Bacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SS) mediate interbacterial conjugative DNA transfer and transkingdom protein transfer into eukaryotic host cells in bacterial pathogenesis. The sole bacterium known to naturally transfer DNA into eukaryotic host cells via a T4SS is the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Here we demonstrate T4SS-mediated DNA transfer from a human bacterial pathogen into human cells. We show that the zoonotic pathogen Bartonella henselae can transfer a cryptic plasmid occurring in the bartonellae into the human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 via its T4SS VirB/VirD4. DNA transfer into EA.hy926 cells was demonstrated by using a reporter derivative of this Bartonella-specific mobilizable plasmid generated by insertion of a eukaryotic egfp-expression cassette. Fusion of the C-terminal secretion signal of the endogenous VirB/VirD4 protein substrate BepD with the plasmid-encoded DNA-transport protein Mob resulted in a 100-fold increased DNA transfer rate. Expression of the delivered egfp gene in EA.hy926 cells required cell division, suggesting that nuclear envelope breakdown may facilitate passive entry of the transferred ssDNA into the nucleus as prerequisite for complementary strand synthesis and transcription of the egfp gene. Addition of an eukaryotic neomycin phosphotransferase expression cassette to the reporter plasmid facilitated selection of stable transgenic EA.hy926 cell lines that display chromosomal integration of the transferred plasmid DNA. Our data suggest that T4SS-dependent DNA transfer into host cells may occur naturally during human infection with Bartonella and that these chronically infecting pathogens have potential for the engineering of in vivo gene-delivery vectors with applications in DNA vaccination and therapeutic gene therapy.


Studies on the optimisation of enzyme peeling of citrus fruits were carried out on musk
lime (Citrus mitis B.). The time taken to peel musk lime by enzyme (Peelzym II) was
minimised with increasing enzyme concentration and application of vacuum pressure.
The optimum enzyme concentration and optimum vacuum pressure for peeling musk
lime peel was 1.0% (v/w) and 700 mm Hg, respectively. The effect of vacuum pressure
in physico-chemical changes of peeled fruits of musk lime (Citrus mitis B.) during
enzymatic peeling was studied. The pH, total soluble solids, citric acid, ascorbic acid,
moisture, total pectin, tannin and sugar contents in the puree of peeled musk lime were
not significantly affected by the vacuum pressure, except, total pectin content and 'b'
value of puree colour at very high vacuum pressure (700 mm Hg). The naringin content
has also been analysed in the puree, seeds and peel (discarded) of peeled musk lime. The lime. The naringin content in the puree and seeds of peeled musk lime were not
significantly affected by the vacuum pressure, however, naringin content in the peel was
significantly affected at very high vacuum pressure. The development of candied musk
lime peel was carried out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and ECHIP®
software. In this study, the RSM method was found to be effective in making a new
product when the developed product (candied musk lime peel) had matched the sensory
profile of a target product (commercial candied peel). This method was then confirmed
by a verification process between the experimental value from the developed product
(candied musk lime peel) with the target value obtained from the overlapping contour
maps of ingredients in the making of optimum candied musk lime peel. Results from
sensory evaluation also showed that most of the panelists liked the taste of the product
compared to other sensory attributes tested. In comparison, the developed candied musk
lime peel has a similar profile in terms of appearance, odour and taste of sourness and
bitterness to that of commercial candied peel. Therefore, the candied musk lime peel
developed in this study has the potential to be commercialised.


Background: Ischemia, followed by reperfusion (I/R) is one of the major causes of acute renal failure (ARF). The pathogenesis of I/R is multifactorial .Nitric Oxide(NO) proved to be closely related to the pathogenesis of I/R-induced ARF .Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the role of NO-dependent mechanisms in the renal response to I/R by providing a source of(NO) precursor (L-Arginine) in the presence or absence of N- acetylcysteine (NAC)which protect NO from interacting with oxygen free radicals that may contribute to the pathogenesis of ischemia reperfusion injury. Materials and Methods: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were submitted to right nepherectomy and divided into four groups: control, renal I/R, renal I/R withL-Arginine, renal I/R withL-Arginine and NAC, I/R injury was induced by 45 min of left renal artery ischemia followed by60 min of reperfusion. After reperfusion, 24 hours urine was collected to measure creatinine and para amino hippuric (PAH) clearance and urinary nitrites. Blood samples were collected to measure blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine. All animals are scarified, the left kidney are removed to measure protein content, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and glutathione in the renal tissue, histopathological examination for the left kidneys were performed. Results: Renal I/R resulted in significant elevation in blood urea, serum creatinine and renal tissue malondialdehyde and significant lowering in superoxide dismutase, kidney glutathione, PAH clearance, creatinine clearance and urinary nitrites secretion. L-Arginine alone result in significant improvement in renal function parameters when compared to I/R group but this improvement is still insignificant when compared to control group also parameters of oxidative stress and urinary nitrites secretion does not significantly affected., but in the renal I/R+ L-Arginine and NAC, all biochemical results and histopathological parameters were significantly improved as compared to control group. Conclusions: Combined treatment with antioxidant (NAC) and nitric oxide precursors (L-Arginine)attenuates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, by direct scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus protecting NO from reaction with it (Abeer A.Abo Zeid, Mervat H. El Saka, and Noha M Shafik. Effect of Combination of L-Arginine and N- Acetylcysteine in Rat Model of Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury. J Am Sci 2012;8(11):642-649). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org . 95