Africa is blessed with an abundance and rich diversity of freshwater fishes, reflecting its Gondwanan history and geographical position astride the equator. Africa is, however, relatively poorly serviced scientifically, in this respect presenting a challenge to the tension between conserving biodiversity and sustainable development. Biosystematics has experienced several paradigm shifts in the past half century, including the rise of cladistics and more recently the adoption of molecular DNA applications to taxonomy and phylogeny and the assembly and manipulation of large data sets in an era of major development of bioinformatics. The richness of African biodiversity is a magnet to the global systematic community that, to a degree, offsets the disadvantage of an impoverished indigenous scientific capacity. Conservation biology, however, is rooted more closely to the local situation and therefore requires indigenous taxonomic services that are inevitably scarce. Balancing this network of tensions between scientific knowledge generation and application is like walking a tightrope for existing African scientific resources, and to cope it is essential to embrace modern innovative approaches such as barcoding to identify organisms. This paper considers the historical development of African freshwater ichthyology, presents a suite of recent examples illustrating trends in systematic ichthyology in Africa and draws conclusions to suggest that both traditional and new-age approaches to taxonomy are necessary for a complete understanding and appreciation of African freshwater fish diversity and its conservation. The chosen examples also suggest that the tensions between the approaches can be effectively managed provided exponents work collaboratively. The emerging evidence indicates that the combined skills and insight of complex scientific teams including systematists, ecologists, molecular biologists and earth scientists are needed to resolve the deep complexity of evolution in terms of space, time and form.


A critical part of a scientific activity is to discern how a new idea is related to what we know and what may become possible. As the number of new scientific publications arrives at a rate that rapidly outpaces our capacity of reading, analyzing, and synthesizing scientific knowledge, we need to augment ourselves with information that can effectively guide us through the rapidly growing intellectual space. In this article, we address a fundamental issue concerning what kinds of information may serve as early signs of potentially valuable ideas. In particular, we are interested in information that is routinely available and derivable upon the publication of a scientific paper without assuming the availability of additional information such as its usage and citations. We propose a theoretical and computational model that predicts the potential of a scientific publication in terms of the degree to which it alters the intellectual structure of the state of the art. The structural variation approach focuses on the novel boundary-spanning connections introduced by a new article to the intellectual space. We validate the role of boundary-spanning in predicting future citations using three metrics of structural variation—namely, modularity change rate, cluster linkage, and Centrality Divergence—along with more commonly studied predictors of citations such as the number of coauthors, the number of cited references, and the number of pages. Main effects of these factors are estimated for five cases using zero-inflated negative binomial regression models of citation counts. Key findings indicate that (a) structural variations measured by cluster linkage are a better predictor of citation counts than are the more commonly studied variables such as the number of references cited, (b) the number of coauthors and the number of references are both good predictors of global citation counts to a lesser extent, and (c) the Centrality Divergence metric is potentially valuable for detecting boundary-spanning activities at interdisciplinary levels. The structural variation approach offers a new way to monitor and discern the potential of newly published papers in context. The boundary-spanning mechanism offers a conceptually simplified and unifying explanation of the roles played by commonly studied extrinsic properties of a publication in the study of citation behavior. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


A resource may be abused if its users incur little or no cost. For example, e-mail abuse is rampant because sending an e-mail has negligible cost for the sender. It has been suggested that such abuse may be discouraged by introducing an artificial cost in the form of a moderately expensive computation. Thus, the sender of an e-mail might be required to pay by computing for a few seconds before the e-mail is accepted. Unfortunately, because of sharp disparities across computer systems, this approach may be ineffective against malicious users with high-end systems, prohibitively slow for legitimate users with low-end systems, or both. Starting from this observation, we research moderately hard functions that most recent systems will evaluate at about the same speed. For this purpose, we rely on memory-bound computations. We describe and analyze a family of moderately hard, memory-bound functions, and we explain how to use them for protecting against abuses.


The study examined the perceptions of scientific literacy and elementary teacher preparation held by science professors and science education professors. Participants were 31 professors, including 16 life and physical science professors and 15 elementary science education professors, from nine state universities in a southeastern state. Data were collected through telephone interviews and course documents. Professors, as a group, tended to define scientific literacy and its components in a comprehensive manner, which was generally consistent with the National Science Education Standards and Project 2061. However, science professors emphasized science knowledge more strongly than other components of scientific literacy; whereas, science education professors emphasized science inquiry. Although both groups indicated that elementary school teachers were generally unprepared to teach science, science professors often attributed teachers' lack of preparation to teachers themselves; whereas, science education professors often attributed it to universities. Implications for promoting scientific literacy in elementary schools are discussed.


Abstract Yield estimates of fibre in Jute plants (Capsulanes) are usually obtained on the basis of random samples of plants. These estimates are required by the government for the purpose of planning and policy formulation. Due to time and resource constraint, it becomes quite often difficult to compute yield estimates from samples of large size. In this paper an attempt has been made to propose a method based on Gaussian quadrature to estimate the fibre yield from smaller samples. Identification of plants comprising a smaller sample and corresponding weights to be assigned to the yield of plants included in the smaller sample is done with the help of information on auxiliary variables relating to biometrical characteristics (such as plant height and base diameter) of the Jute plants in full sample. Computational experience reveals that the proposed method leads to about 80% reduction in sample size with an absolute percentage error of 1.5%. Performance of the proposed method has been compared with that of simple random sampling on the basis of the values of average absolute percentage error and standard deviation of the estimates of fibre yield. Interestingly, for the proposed method, values of average absolute percentage error as well as standard deviation based on forty samples are found to be smaller than those obtained from simple random sampling scheme. The proposed method is quite general and it can be applied for other crops as well provided information on auxiliary variables relating to yield contributing biometrical characteristics is available.


As the use of power electronics and inductive loads on electrical supplies increases, the requirement to monitor power system quality becomes an increasingly common practice. The negative effects these loads have on supply balance and frequency can be reflected in the efficiency, and therefore the running costs, of said loads. With demand for analysis techniques in industry increasing, and the PC becoming a more popular tool for such applications, a low-cost PC-based electrical system analyser was proposed to demonstrate a cost-effective, accurate alternative to the expensive market-leading products. This study researches the problem at hand, the technology available, and the development and testing of the analyser in a laboratory environment. The success of this study was determined by the accuracy, cost, functionality and features of the analyser compared with those of an existing product. The final product was to be a virtual instrument (VI) PC application implemented using the industry-leading LabVIEW software package by National Instruments. Two major challenges of the study were the correct measurement of the fundamental voltage and current waveforms, and the appropriate/accurate reconstruction, manipulation and display of these signals within the software. Identification, and minimisation or correction, of measurement errors was an important factor in achieving maximum accuracy prior to software interpretation of the data. Testing and calibration were carried out with the aim of providing the most accurate signal measurement prior to data acquisition and rescaling by the software program. Industry-standard design and manufacture techniques were implemented to produce a high-quality hardware package featuring a printed circuit board, ingress protection (IP) rated enclosure and screened multicore signal cabling. The potential uses and benefits of the analyser include monitoring loads in factory floor or manufacturing environments where production costs are of significant importance; in this instance, multiple analysers could be in place over the floor to aid operators. Smaller companies using smaller amounts of large machinery may implement a PC-based system as a cheaper alternative to an expensive all-in-one unit. The study concluded that a reasonably accurate PC-based analyser could be produced on a small budget; it also highlighted the many advantages of a PC-based system in terms of usability, customisation and flexibility. A critical evaluation of the system's performance compared to a benchmark model and further suggestions for improvement are included.


: Nano-robots are an innovated and advanced field in which medical, biomedical, bio-methodological, technological, and other applied and basic sciences need scientific and technical expertise. Nano-robots vary, especially in their nano-sized structures, from macro related field robots. Montage and implementation of nano-robots are dependent on molecular nano-technologies and mechanosynthesis. Such systems are basically nano-electromecanical devices capable of performing preprogrammed functions with pre-installed nano-motor/nano-machine, which is reliable and accurate. Nano-robots have exceptional prospects for medical, biomedical and drug applications because they are small and functional in large numbers. Although the artificial nano-robots cannot be built using any technology at present but it is possible now by using of biological methods allows the creation of nano-robots. The review is given that nano-robotics can be used in medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical studies.


Normally the sum of ratios problems are reduced into a sequence of single-ratio problems and then solved by existing methods. Because of their combinatorial nature, the computational complexity grows exponentially. A sum of non-linear fractional function optimization problem with several fractions is proved to be a NP-complete problem indicating that an efficient algorithm may not exist. The non-linear sum of fractional functions are linearized by piecewise linearization technique and converted into a linear sum of fractional programming problem. Optimal solution is found at for the new problem. The number of iterations depends on the contribution of decision variables to objective function value


The lands of the Naparima Peneplain, Trinidad and Tobago, are an invaluable resource with multiple land use characteristics including agricultural diversification. Sections are classified as Class V soils, non-resilient with minimum recovery over the medium term, and as Class IV soils, slightly resilient with improvements in medium term resulting in significant land management and land use changes. These lands were under sugarcane cultivation for centuries, from the colonial era until the closure of the sugar factory in 2003. Since then, as in so many other Caribbean territories, the land has been ear-marked for agricultural diversification and made available to small farmers for the production of commodities for the domestic market. Land use changes in the post-sugarcane era have resulted in approximately 14,000 hectares becoming available for possible agricultural diversification. However, the positive impact on domestic food supply that was anticipated has not materialized.A land resource study was conducted in 2012–2014 in the La Gloria and Cedar Hill sections of Caroni (1975) Ltd lands on the Naparima Peneplain, to determine the effect of long-term sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivation on land degradation and soil resilience by comparison with data from historical records and to make recommendations on the way forward. Assessment of land use, chemical and physical soil properties, and extent of soil erosion, comprised the study.The most severe land management factor was identified as chronic and widespread soil erosion, especially in Cedar Hill, with additional problems of subsoil exposure, soil slumping and movement. Soil erosion studies (Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)) indicate estimates of 35–74 t/ha affecting 75% of the lands. Historical records on soil physical indices such as bulk density, clay percentage in the profile and available water, revealed that these parameters were stable over the period 1977–2014. However, chemical indices, inclusive of organic carbon, nitrogen and pH, reflect significant decline correlated with reduced soil fertility and land abandonment. While identifying stable soil resilience indices is valuable, the immediate problem is the correction of soil erosion, which results in considerable land abandonment. Therefore, it is recommended that the land be restored to an acceptable level of soil fertility, specifically with respect to its organic matter content, and that infrastructural adjustments be made to stop or greatly minimize soil erosion so that these lands could be used to contribute to national food security as envisaged.


Received: April 07, 2018 Accepted: May 05, 2018 Published: May 30, 2018 Volume: 1 Issue: 2 This paper throws a spotlight at an uncharted territory in the field of translation and grammatical analysis. The semantic functions of the preposition ب in Arabic has been the cynosure of all linguists' and translators' and rhetoricians' eyes for decades. The paper channels efforts into establishing a meeting-ground as a point of departure for the topic. The paper devotes considerable efforts to explore the semantic functions, expressed by the preposition ب, and then they are analyzed. The different realizations in English of the same preposition in Arabic are meant to enrich translators' and linguists' appreciation and critical understanding of the different semantic functions of the preposition ب. Some alternative solutions are provided to put things in the right perspective. Failure to perfectly understand the semantic functions inherent in the preposition ب in different contexts definitely washes away meaning, and causes translators to bog down in unanswered questions pertaining to the exact meaning intended. This paper tries hard to clear away any fog of long-standing misunderstanding in relation to this topic which has long been a bone of contention. KEYWORDS


Aim/Purpose: For the purpose of better understanding the reasons of their withdrawal and experiences, this study seeks to elicit the voices of Chinese international students who have withdrawn from doctoral studies in Canada.

Background: This study used Tinto's institutional departure model as a framework. His model illustrates that the experience of individuals in that institution modifies their initial intentions and commitments. The scholarly literature on degree completion of graduate students and existing studies on experiences of international students in the North American context also guided the inquiry of this study.

Methodology: This is a qualitative study with narrative inquiry as a means for investigation and exploration. Four participants were recruited by purposive sampling, and in-depth interview was used as the approach to collect data. Data were collected in Mandarin and were transcribed into texts. Two rounds of analysis were applied and then the findings were translated into English.

Contribution: This study added information to the literature on international doctoral students' experiences and explained how socio-cultural factors could impact doctoral students' decision-making.

Findings: The themes included: experiences with doctoral supervisors; partnership and the perception of gender roles; family of origin and the importance of education; and educational differences between China and Canada.

Recommendations for Practitioners: At a practice level, universities could consider delivering series of workshops to help international graduate students start their journey. Departmental administrative bodies could consider building community for doctoral students and tracking their study paths to better assist students. Given the increased number of international students on campuses, it is time for university staff and faculties to become more aware of what a more diverse student population means. Professional development workshops would help to develop professors' cultural awareness.

Recommendation for Researchers: My research is an example of addressing translation issues in cross-language and cross-cultural settings. Qualitative research is considered valid when the distance between the meanings as experienced by the participants and the meanings as interpreted in the findings is as close as possible. Therefore, I would recommend in the condition that if the researcher and the participant(s) share the same language, the best practice would be to transcribe and analyze data in the original language to shorten the distance from the meanings that are made by participants and the meanings that are interpreted by the researcher(s). Language meanings do lose during the translation process; as researchers, we should try our best to present our participants as truly as possible.

Impact on Society: The number of international students who choose to conduct doctoral studies is increasing every year. They are making contributions to the host countries in various ways such as contribution to the enrichment of higher education, the development of research, the promotion of global understanding etc. However, their study status and overall well-being may not be getting enough attention from both the scholarly research and in real practice. Thus, the experiences shared by my research participants who used to be doctoral students and left their studies halfway could add value and knowledge to the understanding of this group of students and to better assist the internationalization of higher education institutions.

Future Research: Future studies could probe more on other ethnicities and cultures. Also, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between doctoral students and their supervisors; however, the incompatibility between doctoral students and their supervisors and coping strategies in that situation is still an area that needs more investigation.


[1] The circulation and water mass transformation processes in the Persian Gulf and the water exchange with the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz are studied using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Model results show that the Indian Ocean Surface Water (IOSW) propagates in two branches into the gulf, one along the Iranian coast toward the northern gulf and the other one onto the southern banks driven by the Ekman drift due to the prevailing northwesterly winds. These two branches of inflow form two cyclonic gyres in the northern and in the southern gulf. A salinity front separates the fresher intruding IOSW from the saltier waters in the gulf. Eddies with size of about 100 km are fully developed along the salinity front in summer. The intrusion of the IOSW in the model extends much farther into the gulf in summer than in winter. By analyzing the salt balance in the basin and conducting sensitivity experiments, we show that it is the balance between the advection of IOSW and vertical salt flux induced by mixing that mainly controls the seasonal variation of the surface salinity. Surface wind stress plays a secondary role in modulating the seasonal intrusion of the IOSW. High-frequency atmospheric forcing produces more realistic surface temperatures than obtained from climatological forcing, as a result of increased heat loss in winter. However, the high-frequency forcing does not change significantly the general features of the circulation.


With the current and upcoming applications of beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), there will be the need to generate beams and measure their OAM spectrum with high accuracy. The instrumental OAM spectrum distortion is connected to the effect of its optical aberrations on the OAM content of the beams that the instrument creates or measures. Until now, the effect of the well-known Zernike aberrations has been studied partially, assuming vortex beams with trivial radial phase components. However, the traditional Zernike polynomials are not best suitable when dealing with vortex beams, as their OAM spectrum is highly sensitive to some Zernike terms, and completely insensitive to others. We propose the use of a new basis, the OAM-Zernike basis, which consists of the radial aberrations as described by radial Zernike polynomials and of the azimuthal aberrations described in the OAM basis. The traditional tools for the characterization of aberrations of optical instruments can be used, and the results translated to the new basis. This permits the straightforward calculation of the effect of any optical system, such as an OAM detection stage, on the OAM spectrum of an incoming beam. This knowledge permits to correct, a posteriori, the effect of instrumental OAM spectrum distortion on the measured spectra. We also found that the knowledge of the radial aberrations is important, as they affect the efficiency of the detection, and in some cases its accuracy. In this new framework, we study the effect of aberrations in common OAM detection methods, and encourage the characterization of those systems using this approach.


The extremely high viscosities of high-silica liquids mean that intermediate and high-silica magmas exist deep within the laminar range of fluid behavior. Many common interpretations of layering in plutonic rocks rely on analogies with sedimentation in water, but for such high-viscosity liquids (including interstitial liquid in partially crystallized intermediate magmas), these analogies cannot be correct. Particle Reynolds numbers for high-silica liquids are exceedingly small, on the order of 10−6 or less. In such a regime, inertia is negligible, and everyday experience is inapplicable. Layering and other pseudo-sedimentary structures in granodiorites and granites likely arise from processes such as chemical diffusion, self-organization, and crystal ripening.


Since the end of the Civil Rights Movement, large numbers of black people have made their way into settings previously occupied only by whites, though their reception has been mixed. Overwhelmingly white neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, restaurants, and other public spaces remain. Blacks perceive such settings as "the white space," which they often consider to be informally "off limits" for people like them. Meanwhile, despite the growth of an enormous black middle class, many whites assume that the natural black space is that destitute and fearsome locality so commonly featured in the public media, including popular books, music and videos, and the TV news—the iconic ghetto. White people typically avoid black space, but black people are required to navigate the white space as a condition of their existence.


Using loan level data, we provide evidence consistent with risk-shifting in the lending behavior of a large subprime mortgage originator { New Century Financial Corporation { starting in 2004. This change follows the monetary policy tightening implemented by the Fed in the spring of 2004, which resulted in an adverse shock to the large portfolio of loans New Century was holding for investment. New Century reacted to this shock by massively resorting to deferred amortization loan contracts (\interest-only" loans). We show that these loans were not only riskier, but also that their returns were by design more sensitive to real estate prices than standard contracts. New Century was thus financing projects with a high beta on its own survival, as predicted by a standard model of portfolio selection in financial distress. Our findings shed new light on the relationship between monetary policy and risk taking by financial institutions. They also contribute to better characterizing the type of risk taken by financially distressed firms.


This paper assesses the Commission's proposal presented in December 2015 to set up a European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG), based on the responses made by the EU border agency Frontex to the 'refugee crisis' that began in 2015 and continues unabated. It explores the extent to which this proposed new body will be capable of remedying the EU's shortcomings in meeting established border and asylum standards and related institutional needs on the ground and concludes that it is unlikely to do so. The paper argues that the EBCG proposal does not establish a true European Border and Coast Guard. Instead it would revamp Frontex into a Frontex + Agency. The EBCG would expand the current logic of national border guards to be committed to the Frontex Agency 'pools' and therefore does not solve the 'dependency' of Frontex on member states. More importantly, the EBCG would do too little to ensure that member states comply with EU border and asylum standards, which has constituted the central deficiency throughout 2015 and earlier. We find that it will also fall short of establishing a professional culture in border control cooperation to be shared across the Union. Revamping and relabelling Frontex will create expectations that will be difficult to fulfil if compliance with EU border, reception, and asylum standards remains weak on the ground. The paper calls on the EU to give higher priority to policies dealing with the structural compliance with EU border and asylum standards by all member states, moving beyond the EU Dublin system and including an enlarged role for the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).


Classical anomaly detection is principally concerned with point-based anomalies, those anomalies that occur at a single point in time. Yet, many real-world anomalies are range-based, meaning they occur over a period of time. Motivated by this observation, we present a new mathematical model to evaluate the accuracy of time series classification algorithms. Our model expands the well-known Precision and Recall metrics to measure ranges, while simultaneously enabling customization support for domain-specific preferences.


Soundfield reproduction has a vast array of applications, yet the ecological validity – and external validity – has been little researched beyond the narrow limits of the physical approach. This mixed model research explored the differing perception of reproduced urban soundfields and urban soundscapes. The methodology analysed the influences of: auralisation technique; soundscape; place affordances; time; space; and memory – subject agency and expertise. Three methods of data collection and analysis were employed: a semantic differential analysis and two psycholinguistic methods – one existing and one novel.

The semantic differentials' soundscape dimensions of the public's response from in situ listening were replicated by participants' responses from ambisonic reproduction but not binaural. A generalised soundscape dimension model was proposed that integrates the structural model of appraisal theory with the interpretation of motivation-affordance fit and mediation dimensions.

Different soundscapes were evaluated differently and stimulated differing processes of perception, which in turn effected reproducibility. A focus group was used as well as members of the public and laboratory participants. It was found that experts responded more in terms of source identification.

Existing methods found no significant difference between in situ and ambisonic listening. The novel method found the ambisonic soundfield was described in terms of objects in motion or sound objects whilst the binaural soundfield and in situ soundscape were described in terms of sources or activity. As an assessment of external validity, the novel psycholinguistic method found that binaural reproduction held validity over ambisonic reproduction.

An in situ real-time binaural reproduction test sought to isolate the 'electroacoustic ear' – the findings were consolidated and discussed in terms of embodiment and ventriloquism. The novel psycholinguistic analysis provided a more accurate representation of the cognitive process of soundscape perception and is offered as a tool for the external validity assessment of urban soundfield reproduction.


In contrast to the wealth of molecular and biochemical information available concerning eukaryotic and bacterial replication, less is known about the molecular basis of replication initiation in archaea. In general, the archaeal proteins are simplified versions of their eukaryotic counterparts. Therefore, they are potentially simple model systems to understand the conserved events in DNA replication and other processes.
Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus, a thermophilic archaeon has a circular genome and a single origin of replication. It's replication initiation proteins MthCdc6-1 and MthCdc6-2 are homologues of the eukaryotic Cdc6 and ORC proteins. It also contains a single minichromosome maintenance protein (MthMCM) homologue which forms a hexameric complex and acts as a DNA helicase. What loads the archaeal MCM helicase and how DNA replication initiation is regulated is still unknown.
Mth203, a putative RNA helicase in M. thermautotrophicus has been shown to interact with MthCdc6-1 in a yeast two-hybrid screen and His-tagged full-length protein pull-downs. Mth203 is a SF2 family helicase. The proteins of this superfamily perform a wide array of functions in DNA/RNA processing and often are a part of multi-protein complexes. The Mth203 homologue (Mmp0457) in Methanococcus maripaludis has been co-purified with one of the MCM proteins (McmA) in this organism. Thus, it is likely that this protein interacts with the replicative machinery.
The aim of this study was to further characterize Mth203 structure and function. The results demonstrate that Mth203 is a dimeric protein and possesses NTP-dependent RNA helicase activity and RNA independent ATPase activity. Mth203 also inhibits MthMCM DNA helicase activity. Fluorescence anisotropy assays have shown that Mth203 binds non-specifically to short DNA sequences and specifically to long origin sequences. Mth203 was found to be expressed in periodic manner throughout the cell cycle and MALDI-TOF analysis has revealed that Mth203 interacts with MthCdc6-1 and ribosomal proteins in protein pull-down assays from whole cell extracts of M. thermautotrophicus. Further gene knock-out studies with Mth203 homologue (Mmp0457) in M. maripaludis have shown that the protein is probably essential for cell survival and mmp0457 overexpression resulted in larger cell size with less DNA content. It is not yet clear whether Mth203 is involved in DNA replication and its specific role in RNA metabolism remains unknown. However, these findings provide a valuable insight into the potential role of Mth203.


Summary The purpose of this work is to investigate the link between an altered intestinal mcro- biota or dysbiosis and chronic inflammatory disorders, in particular inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Along with probiotics, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) opts to be a promising therapeutic treatment for restoring the bacterial homeostasis of the hu- man intestine and reducing the risk of colorectal carcinogenesis. Microbiota is the com- plex microbial flora that resides in the gut establishing a mutually beneficial relation- ship. Alteration of the microbiota's composition, termed as dysbiosis, may lead to pathological conditions. Treatment with probiotics can restore the normal commensal flora in IBD. Intestinal microbiota affects the circadian rhythm which in turn regulates the expression of different genes in GALT (gut associated lymphoid tissue) playing a role in the prevention of inflammation and colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. This article highlights the involvement of different microbial strains in the pathogenesis of dysbiosis and in the creation of a carcinogenic milieu caused by an altered stimulation of the immune system. Therapies targeting the equilibrium of the microbiota to switch off chronic inflammation and prevent the progression to CRC seem to be a promising therapeutic tool for a variety of inflammation-associated diseases.


This paper examines measures for evaluating the performance of algorithms for single instruction stream–multiple data stream (SIMD) machines. The SIMD mode of parallelism involves using a large number of processors synchronized together. All processors execute the same instruction at the same time; however, each processor operates on a different data item. The complexity of parallel algorithms is, in general, a function of the machine size (number of processors), problem size, and type of interconnection network used to provide communications among the processors. Measures which quantify the effect of changing the machine-size/problem-size/network-type relationships are therefore needed. A number of such measures are presented and are applied to an example SIMD algorithm from the image processing problem domain. The measures discussed and compared include execution time, speed, parallel efficiency, overhead ratio, processor utilization, redundancy, cost effectiveness, speed-up of the parallel algorithm over the corresponding serial algorithm, and an additive measure called "sprice" which assigns a weighted value to computations and processors.


Assessing the processes by which populations are regulated is one of the most important goals in ecology. The local abundance of "open" marine populations may be regulated by recruitment and/or post-settlement mortality. These demographic rates could be influenced by varying levels of predation, competition and habitat structure, which may interact in complex ways. The relative importance of these factors in determining population size and structure has rarely been estimated. This thesis addresses this goal by focussing on the local dynamics of a coral reef fish Pomacentrus moluccensis at Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Fundamental to this, was testing the impact of implant microtags on the growth and survivorship of P. moluccensis. These tags would enable the individual recognition required for mortality, migration and growth studies. Subsequently, the relative importance of recruitment, predation, habitat structure and their interactions in determining these patterns was investigated. These results were evaluated against generalisations emerging from studies on P. moluccensis at other locations on the GBR and other coral reef fishes.

The impact of two types of microtag on P. moluccensis were tested: Firstly, visible implant fluorescent (VIF) tags which provided an external marker and secondly, coded wire tags (CWT) which were not visible externally but provided individual codes. Retention rates for both microtags in new recruits of this species (10-20mm SL) were high (100%). In addition, there was no significant difference in either growth or survivorship between fish with or without microtags.

The basic life history traits and dynamics of P. moluccensis were assessed. Ageing P. moluccensis at Lizard Island by otolith increments was validated by inducing both tetracycline and stress markers on the otolith at a known time. Age and size structures varied among locations but growth rates were relatively uniform. Longevities at three sites at Lizard Island were found to be fairly similar with very few fish living longer than 6 years. This represents an extreme contrast to southern reefs where approximately 10% of individuals reached 18 years. This greatly reduced longevity at Lizard Island suggested that these populations turn over rapidly and are more likely to be recruitment limited.

Patterns of adult and new recruit abundance were variable between sites over time at both local (transects meters to tens of meters apart) and broad (sites hundreds of meters to a few kilometers apart) scales. Recruitment to Lizard Island was up to an order of magnitude higher than recruitment recorded to the southern GBR. In contrast to the implications of reduced longevities at Lizard Island, higher recruitment is more likely to result in populations which are limited by post-settlement processes. Which would prevail?

There was evidence of variable density-dependent mortality at two spatial scales. There was no relationship between adults and new recruits in transects at four local scale sites which suggests that at this level there may be factors other than density which were also important. However, there was a significant curvilinear relationship between adult densities and new recruit densities at nine broad scale sites implying density dependence at this scale. In addition, densities of several cohorts which were widely differing in year 1 showed convergence in the following year. These results suggested that post-settlement mortality was capable of altering initial patterns laid down at recruitment.

The patterns of distribution of new recruits of P. moluccensis were used to assess the microhabitats with which they were most commonly associated. This species was highly associated with caespitose and corymbose acroporids, and also pocilloporid corals, but all other microhabitats were used less than would be predicted. The coral species with which P. moluccensis was highly associated, all show a highly complex internal structure. Could this attribute account for the observed patterns? A manipulative experiment was performed to test the effects of the peripheral branching structure of one of these coral species on the growth and survivorship of tagged P. moluccensis. Mortality rates were very high at all six sites around Lizard Island (67 - 93%). However, there was no significant difference in either growth or survivorship of fish between manipulated and unmanipulated coral heads.

There was significant spatial variation in predator abundance among nine sites at Lizard Island. These predator densities correlated strongly with densities of new recruits suggesting a predator aggregative effect. Predation pressure was assayed by capturing newly settled individuals and then releasing them at the same nine sites. The majority of consumed individuals were taken by either Pseudochromis fuscus (Pseudochromidae) or Thalassoma lunare (Labridae). Small cephalopholids also took a relatively high proportion which was surprising because these species often hide or are subdued in the presence of a diver. Released new recruits selected the same coral species with which the unmanipulated individuals mentioned previously were highly associated. Mortality rates varied considerably according to microhabitat with lowest mortalities from the highly selected microhabitats. There was also significant variation in the percentage cover of these microhabitats between the nine sites, suggesting that microhabitat availability could influence local survivorship patterns. Other fishes behaving aggressively towards the released new recruits of P. moluccensis, did not appear to be important in determining their mortality.

Patterns of mortality appeared to be a complex interaction between recruitment, predator densities and the availability of preferred coral. Two further experiments were performed to examine these interactions. The first tested the effects of microhabitat on the behaviour of three predator species and assessed their ability to catch P. moluccensis new recruits in aquaria. The second tested the effects of resident predators and microhabitat on the survivorship of P. moluccensis on patch reefs. In both cases microhabitat modified the effects of predation. The predatory abilities of Pseudochromis fuscus, Cephalopholis boenak and Thalassoma lunare varied according to microhabitat. In addition, there was no difference in the survivorship of P. moluccensis between patch reefs with no resident predator and those consisting of high complexity corals with a resident predator. This suggested that high complexity corals may offer almost complete refuge from predation.

The factors regulating local populations of P. moluccensis at Lizard Island contrast with results from southern reefs where individuals were long lived and populations were found to be recruitment limited. Post-settlement processes at Lizard Island resulted in high mortality rates which varied with density and location. Both predator abundance and habitat structure were important in determining abundances of P. moluccensis. Hence, initial patterns of recruitment were modified by patterns of mortality to determine the size of the adult population. The difference between the northern and southern studies could be due to differences in either the scale or the locations. For example, the southern study considered processes occurring between reefs while this study looked at variation between and within sites on the same reef. Alternatively or in addition, traits specific to each location, such as the magnitude of recruitment, could be causing the differences observed. In conclusion, these results would suggest that single process theories of population regulation should be treated with caution, and instead attention should focus on the conditions which may lead to the dominance of any one process. This information would lead to the formation of universally applicable theories.


This project investigated the application and implementation of stress-wave–based methods for assessing the integrity of concrete bridge decks. The ultimate objective is to develop reliable and economical non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that evaluate the condition of concrete bridge decks in the field with limited traffic disruption. Experimental and theoretical studies were conducted on guided stress waves (Lamb waves) in concrete plates. Field measurements were performed on a full-scale concrete bridge deck located at the Remote Testing Facility (RTF) at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Measurements were performed using a variety of sensor and source orientations, including the placement of sensors on the opposite side of the concrete deck from the source. Energy was excited using vertically and horizontally oriented broadband source impacts. Dispersion curves were successfully developed from a single-sensor, multi-impact approach and a frequency-wavenumber transformation procedure. The dispersion curves that were developed demonstrated the ability to detect and separate multiple Lamb wave modes that could be used to infer the thickness and Rayleigh wave velocity of the concrete deck. A second series of field experiments was performed on a concrete element containing simulated defects at several depths. The implementation of the approach described above proved ineffective for clearly detecting the presence and depth of the flaws. Additional measurements of Lamb waves propagating past the subsurface defects demonstrated the potential to identify the presence and depth of flaws based on changes in the frequency content of the wave. These measurements have provided valuable insight into potential means to implement stress-wave measurements for defect detection in bridge decks.


Fatty acids, stored as triglyceride, constitute the largest energy depot in the human body. It has been estimated that fat mass comprises around 20–30% of the entire body mass in Western populations (1). In terms of energy regulation, release of substrates from this huge energy reservoir may be viewed as one of the—if not the —principal metabolic process in the body. Clearly, mechanisms regulating mobilization of fatty acids—those regulating lipolysis—are of seminal interest. In line with this concept, free fatty acids (FFAs) in the circulation have decisive actions. Under conditions of stress, such as prolonged fasting, lipolysis is stimulated and FFAs are released into the blood. This response diverts the body from use of carbohydrate and protein fuels, and directs it to use fat, thereby preserving vital protein stores (2). Under postprandial conditions, which are habitual in modern societies, insulin secretion is stimulated and lipolysis is restricted. This leads to low levels of FFAs and increased utilization of carbohydrate and protein fuels. However, when insulin fails to reduce lipolysis adequately, increased FFA levels induce insulin resistance and lead to development of the metabolic syndrome and eventually type 2 diabetes (3–6).

Mobilization of fat involves the sequential action of three lipases (7) (Fig. 1 A ). The rate-limiting step is cleavage of the first ester bond in triglycerides (TGs) by adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), producing diacylglycerol (DG) and releasing one FFA. Subsequently, hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and monoglyceride lipase (MGL) hydrolyze DG to monoacylglycerol (MG) and MG to glycerol and FFA, respectively. Thus, for each TG molecule, one glycerol and three FFA molecules can be exported to the circulation and delivered to recipient tissues where they can serve as metabolic substrates. …


This is a compelling look at one of photography's most beloved subjects. This volume is the ninth in a group of photography books drawn from the holdings of The J. Paul Getty Museum, each volume focusing on a specific theme or genre spanning the history of the medium from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Animals in Photographs traces the relationship between animal representation and the possibilities presented by rapid advancements in camera and film technologies. In his opening essay, Arpad Kovacs explores the allegorical, social, scientific, and aesthetic approaches to a subject that has been of continuous interest to photographers across the centuries. Eighty full-color plates represent image makers ranging from unknown daguerreotypists and nineteenth-century innovators Felice Beato and Eadweard Muybrudge to early twentieth-century artists Andre Kertesz, Alexander Rodchenko, August Sander, and Alfred Stieglitz to mid-twentieth-century photographers Berenice Abbott, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, and Man Ray. More recent makers Linda Connor, Robert Mapplethorpe, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and William Wegman, along with contemporary artists Tim Hawkinson, Pieter Hugo, and Graciela Iturbide build on that history to round out a group of images that is both distinctive and intriguing. This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition In Focus: Animalia, on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, from May 26 to October 18, 2015.


The study examines Zambia´s evolving aid relationship in relation to the country´s democratic trajectory. The impact of aid in terms of democratic consolidation is linked to the development of the party system, the efficacy of key democratic institutions, and accountability in relation to tolerance of participation by the media and civil society in the political process. The study suggests that there are many good reasons for so-called traditional donors to phase out aid to Zambia. Zambia has recorded economic growth for the most part of this decade, but poverty levels still stand at near 70 per cent and both equity issues and poor human development indicators provide reasons for concern. The study cautions against an aid exit at a time when economic growth and new foreign partners may strengthen the executive office vis-?-vis civil society, opposition and agencies of restraint. The study argues for an enhanced emphasis on democracy assistance that may strengthen stakeholders and institutions with capacity to hold the executive to account for their policy actions in terms of development.


The importance of tumor microenvironment for cancer progression is becoming widely recognized in recent years. The Bone Marrow (BM) is a dynamic microenvironment with high concentration of growth factors and cytokines necessary for haematopoiesis, making it a highly permissive zone for cancer haematopoietic staminal cell homing and survival. It is possible that the same factors that modulate hematopoiesis promote leukemogenesis, enhance blast survival and make them resistant to treatment within the BM microenvironment. In the era of molecular target therapy, whereas Imatinib has shown a cumulative best complete cytogenetic response rate of 82% and an estimated event free survival at 8 years of 85%, several in vitro data have confirmed that Ph+ CD34+ progenitor cells crammed in BM niches are resistant to TKI treatments. We attempted to define BM microenvironment markers that nurture and determine stem cell fate in leukemia associated-niches.
We treated Ph+ K562 cell lines and primary CD34+ BM cells derived from untreated CML patients with a dose range of TKIs (0-100µM) in the presence of a monolayer of human BM mesenchimal stromal cell line (HS-5) or HS5 conditioned media (HCM), to assess the role of BM niche in the regulation of TKI responsiveness. We demonstrated that BM stroma environment significantly protects K562 cell line from TKI-induced apoptosis. Indeed, we demonstrated that Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value (calculated on cell viability) of Imatinib, Nilotinib and Dasatinib significantly increased when leukemic cells are exposed to HS5 or HCM. Moreover, we prove that a significant TKI-resistance could be achieved also by Ph+ CD34+ primary CML cells exposed to HS5 or HCM.
Taken together, these findings indicate that BM-derived stroma cell line produces a strong effect on the regulation of TKI responsiveness in Ph+ CML cells by both a direct cell-to-cell contact and exposition to soluble factors. Moreover, the observed TKI resistance is associated to a BCR-ABL independent STAT-3 activation leading to a significant down-modulation of apoptosis when either Ph+ cell line or primary CD34+ progenitor cells derived from patients with CML are treated with TKIs in the presence of a direct mesenchymal stroma cell interaction or exposition to SCM. Finally, I proved that JAK inhibitor Ruxolitinib, that inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation (a marker of JAK activity), synergizes with TKIs in the induction of apoptosis in CML primary cells. Indeed, compared with single agent treatment, exposure of CML cells to the combination of TKI and JAK inhibitor Ruxolitinib significantly decreased viability of CML cells and increased their apoptosis in vitro. Taken together, our data show that the rational drug combination of TKI and Ruxolitinib may enhance the eradication of primary human Ph+ cells homed in BM stroma niche.


It is a well-known fact that the progress of personal communication devices leads to serious concerns about privacy in general, and location privacy in particular. As a response to these issues, a number of Location-Privacy Protection Mechanisms (LPPMs) have been proposed during the last decade. However, their assessment and comparison remains problematic because of the absence of a systematic method to quantify them. In particular, the assumptions about the attacker's model tend to be incomplete, with the risk of a possibly wrong estimation of the users' location privacy. In this paper, we address these issues by providing a formal framework for the analysis of LPPMs, it captures, in particular, the prior information that might be available to the attacker, and various attacks that he can perform. The privacy of users and the success of the adversary in his location-inference attacks are two sides of the same coin. We revise location privacy by giving a simple, yet comprehensive, model to formulate all types of location-information disclosure attacks. Thus, by formalizing the adversary's performance, we propose and justify the right metric to quantify location privacy. We clarify the difference between three aspects of the adversary's inference attacks, namely their accuracy, certainty, and correctness. We show that correctness determines the privacy of users. In other words, the expected estimation error of the adversary is the metric of users' location privacy. We rely on well-established statistical methods to formalize and implement the attacks in a tool: the Location-Privacy Meter that measures the location privacy of mobile users, given various LPPMs. In addition to evaluating some example LPPMs, by using our tool, we assess the appropriateness of some popular metrics for location privacy: entropy and k-anonymity. The results show a lack of satisfactory correlation between these two metrics and the success of the adversary in inferring the users' actual locations.


Objective Recent studies suggest that chronic stress exposure can ameliorate the progression of diet-induced prediabetic disease, by inhibiting an increase in weight gain, caloric intake and efficiency and insulin resistance. To determine the underlying mechanism by which chronic stress improves the progression of type 2 diabetes, we developed a model of chronic mild stress in high-fat diet(HFD)-fed mice which are resistant to obesity and exhibit a healthy-like metabolic phenotype.
Methods High-fat diet (HFD): 45% kcal derived from fat (Research Diets, Inc.).Mice experienced one stressor during the day and a different stressor during the night. Stressors were randomly chosen from the following list : cage tilt on a 45° angle for 1 to 16 h; food deprivation for 12 to 16 h; white noise for 1 to 16 h; strobe light illumination for 1 to 16 h; crowded housing; light cycle (continuous illumination) for 24 to 36 h; dark cycle (continuous darkness) for 24 to 36 h; water deprivation for 12 to 16 h; damp bedding (200 ml water poured into sawdust bedding) for 12 to 16 h.Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV): AAV9 vectors encoding myonectin under the control of the ubiquitous CMV promoter (AAV9-CMV-Vip) or an equal dose of the AAV9-CMV-null vector were delivered to C57BL/6 mice by the tail vein. Mice were deprived of food for 16 h and then subjected to test 7 days after AAV injection.
Results Chronic stress improved glucose intolerance and sympathetic overactivity in HFD-fed mice. Chronic stress attenuated epinephrine(EPI)-stimulated glycerol release into blood in vivo and accelerated glycerol release from white adipose tissue followed by in vitro incubation with EPI. Chronic stress reduced plasma triglyceride but increased the levels of plasma insulin and myonectin. We further found that adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-mediated myonectin overexpression improved glucose homeostasis and reduced epinephrine sensitivity. Myonectin overexpression reduced plasma norepinephrine, EPI and leptin levels, and increased insulin sensitivity in brown and white adipose tissue. Intense sympathetic activity with high-intensity running inhibited myonectin expression in skeletal muscle, whereas medium and low-intensity exercise running increased myonectin expression.
Conclusions These findings suggest that chronic mild stress can improve glucose homeostasis via myonectin-mediated suppression of sympathetic activity in high-fat diet-fed mice.


Groundwater is a natural resource for drinking water. Like other natural resources, it should be assessed regularly and people should be made aware of the quality of drinking water. For the present study, various samples of groundwater were collected from the different locations of northwest agro-climatic zone of Gujarat state of India and analysed for their physicochemical parameters like temperature, turbidity, electrical conductance (E.C.), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity and concentrations of ions like chloride, fluoride, calcium, magnesium, nitrate and nitrite. Its quality was compared with drinking water specifications IS : 10500, 1991(reaffirmed in 1993). To analyse with statistical point of view, correlation co-efficients (r), mean and standard deviations were also calculated for these parameters.


This article examines the transferability of conversations in literary studies to a more sensitive, holistic, ethically informed, medical education. The article begins with a discussion of a class assignment on medical humanities in a literature course. The assignment enabled an immersive engagement with medical discourse by diverse students through different modes - through textual analysis, direct, and reflective encounters with communities of patients, caregivers, health professionals. The effort was to suggest that literature and medicine be studied as continuous shared strategies of reading and narrating lived experiences of health and illness. The insights of such learning should ideally be integral to the curriculum of medical students in India. Though the Medical Council of India's mandate for the humanities is inadequately sketched out, it nevertheless provides an opportunity to demand a larger citizenship and broader base of social sensitivity and knowledge for medical humanities.


Background: Because of the health systems globalization, it is important to examine health systems organization in Africa, in terms of patient care, to highlight the failures and propose possible solutions. Objective: Modeling based on the Internet of Things (IoT) an Integrated Network for Monitoring Patient Data in West African Health Systems. Methodology: To achieve this, three steps have been followed. 1) Identification of the different characteristics of IoT-based health surveillance systems, WBAN systems and physiological parameters monitorable on a patient. 2) The modeling of the architecture of West African health systems in the form of a cloud of Technocentres. 3) Cross analysis between different IoT technologies, characteristics and functional requirements identified. All this is based on wireless medical sensor networks in Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) systems. Result: This work has been used to model health systems in Africa as a remote monitoring network for patients. Conclusion: The implementation of this model of monitoring networks will be a tool for supporting large-scale decision-making for a health system in Africa. It will enable the West African health system to have an information database.


This thesis addresses the Surrealists' anti-colonialism, arguing that the Surrealist
movement held a resolute line of political commitment that preceded and outran its
relation to Communism. This is a more positive view of Surrealism's engagement
with politics than has been evident in much scholarly writing.
Earlier post World War II accounts of the Surrealist movement, influenced by
Marxism, foregrounded its torturous attempt to marry its energies with the French
Communist Party, and dismissed it as a failed avant-garde that lapsed into mere style
by the mid-to-late 1930s. A more recent 'cultural studies' lens, informed by
feminism, inflected with post-structuralism and shaped by post-colonial studies,
permits a broader view. Yet some commentators who take their cue from newer
disciplinary influences are, in their own ways, censorious of Surrealism's
appropriation of non-European cultural artefacts, positing a conflict between the
movement's visual praxis and its anti-colonial stance. By contrast, this thesis argues
that the stylistic experimentation engaged in by the Surrealists – a range of collagemontage,
appropriation, detournement and display strategies – were means for
exploding received ideas about colonialism, societal evolution and race; ideas that
justified cultural imperialism. Some art historical writings contribute to such a view.
Through an examination of the tracts, poems and objects that engage with issues of
colonialism and 'the cultural other', this thesis aims to demonstrate that Surrealism
did not abandon its critical and emancipatory aims, and nor did it uncouple political
critique from poetic and visual experimentation. Particular chapters are devoted to
anti-colonial tendencies and collage-montage strategies evident in the 1920s and
Thirties, and further developments in the post-World War II era when the
Surrealists' exhibitions relied on radical displacement and theatrical staging.
Furthermore, the thesis invites a reassessment of Surrealism's transgressive potential
and its use-value for post-colonialism, by demonstrating its continued relevance for
understanding work by Australian artists who refer to Australia's colonial heritage:
Imants Tillers, Gordon Bennett and Tracey Moffatt.


A ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) has been developed for detecting Coconut cadang-cadang viroid (CCCVd) sequences. An RNA probe complementary to full-length CCCVd246 was used, terminating at nucleotide 65 in the upper conserved region, and linked to a non-viroid 5′ sequence, which acted as an internal control for ribonuclease activity. Extracts from CCCVd-infected coconut (Cocos nucifera) and African oil (Elaeis guineensis) palms protected three major fragments of approximately 250, 125 and 50 nt and a variable number of minor fragments. Extracts of healthy coconut palms, Potato spindle tuber viroid-infected tomato and transfer RNA did not protect the probe. The approximately 250 nt fragment is predicted to indicate the presence of monomers and dimers of circular CCCVd246, linear CCCVd246 with the same termini as the probe and point mutants of these forms. The origin of smaller protected fragments is discussed. RPA-detected CCCVd sequences in 13 of 18 oil palms surveyed in a commercial plantation in Malaysia. Signal intensity varied between the positive oil palms and was generally lower than in coconut palms infected with CCCVd. An infection phenotype was implied but not confirmed by the observation that in a group of 10 oil palms with orange leaf spotting, 9 contained CCCVd, whereas in a group of 8 palms without orange spotting, the viroid was detected in 4. Of four coconut palms in Sri Lanka shown by dot-blot assay to contain CCCVd-related RNA, one was shown by RPA to be positive for the CCCVd246 sequence. RPA is therefore a robust and sensitive test for CCCVd sequences, and our results show that sequences closely related to CCCVd246 are not confined to the Philippines.


Floods and other weather-related disasters plague farmers in Bangladesh, and climate change threatens to exacerbate these risks. At stake are the livelihoods of millions of small and marginal farmer households that are at risk of becoming further entrenched in poverty. Lack of compensation or other buffering mechanisms means crop losses give rise to deepening cycles of debt, especially when cultivation is financed through loans. While neighboring India has developed strong policy and strategic direction for using risk transfer mechanisms, such as Weather Index Insurance (WII), as a disaster risk reduction tool, policy support in Bangladesh is lukewarm. To date, most WII schemes have been pilots implemented mainly by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and donors. The Index-based Flood Insurance (IBFI) project of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) hopes to adapt the pilot scheme it is trialling in Bihar, India, to Bangladesh. To understand how such a scheme can be made accessible, especially to marginal groups, fieldwork was undertaken in Sirajganj district. Here, a WII pilot project, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which offers insurance for crops during both the Aman and Boro seasons is ongoing. This brief is informed by findings from this fieldwork.


In this paper, I discuss ways in which several important fiscal and monetary policies implemented in Brazil after the Real Plan interfered with class relations and how they reveal the financial class character of the state. The fiscal policies analyzed are the release of federal tax revenue entitlements, the so-called fiscal responsibility, and the goals for the primary and nominal fiscal results. In the realm of monetary policy, the analysis focuses on the priority given to inflation control and inflation targeting. The results suggest that these policies facilitated favoritism towards the financial fraction of capital; the policies constitute an institutional apparatus for the reproduction of the income that finance extorts from labor through the state.


Library and Information Science (LIS) does not lend itself to philosophizing. Political philosophy offers a useful and necessary approach to thinking about libraries. Teleological thinking helps bring into relief some of the problems and issues of library and information science. When we do not address political problems teleologically, we may confuse means and ends, and ignore ends altogether. As an example of a teleological investigation, the author considers a proposition that some take to be the end of the library, the proposition that libraries should provide free access to all information to all persons all of the time. Should libraries embrace all radical technological changes in a quest to seem relevant? Should libraries act according to the Universal Access Principle?


In the early twentieth century, the taxation of modern business corporations became increasingly important to the development of American democracy. During that time, governments at all levels began to view business corporations not only as sources of badly needed public revenue, but also as potentially dangerous wielders of concentrated economic power. To combat the growing dominance of corporations, many fiscal reformers sought to use corporate taxation as a mode of regulatory governance. This paper explores the motives and intentions of fiscal reformers during critical junctures in the development of early twentieth-century U.S. corporate taxation. It seeks to explain how changing historical conditions shaped corporate tax law and policy. More specifically, this paper investigates why activists at certain times turned to taxation as a mode of corporate control, and why at other times they used tax policy to promote corporate growth. By focusing on the pivotal ideas and actions of key political economists, social commentators, and lawmakers, this paper attempts to answer the question: why did reformers see taxation as a viable form of public control over corporate power?
We argue that the corporate tax emerged and developed as a result of competing factions and changing social, political, and economic conditions. During the height of corporate consolidations, some reformers believed taxation could be used to control, or even reverse, the growth of corporate size and power. In the wake of corporate scandals, moreover, the government's collection and possible publicity of corporate information was seen as one specific way to regulate and discipline large-scale industrial corporations. By contrast, others saw the corporate tax as a means to encourage and foster the kind of behavior that would generate much needed economic activity and growth, especially during periods of financial crisis and economic recovery. Still others, mediating between these two extremes, sought to use the corporate tax in a supervisory capacity, while ensuring that it did not "kill the goose which lays the golden egg." Thus, the corporate tax that developed throughout the first half of the twentieth century reflected changing visions of corporate regulation – visions that fluctuated among demands for penalty, subsidy, and neutrality.


The purpose of this study was to determine what factors facilitate and what factors inhibit computer use in the Student Affairs Divisions of James Madison University (JMU), Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), and Mary Washington College (MWC).
The population for this study was student affairs officials and related personnel deliberately selected from three Virginia public institutions.
The following conclusions were drawn from the findings of this study. (1) MWC is in the beginning stages of automation, JMU is moving in the direction of state-of-art technology while VPI's current status has reached the level regarded as state-of-art. (2) The status of CBISs at MWC, JMU, and VPI is affected by the time period in which automation occurred. (3) Student affairs' users at MWC, JMU, and VPI perceive CBISs positively. (4) Respondents believe using CBISs on the job simplifies tasks, helps monitor data flow, increases efficiency, makes output professional, makes data timely and accurate, improves the communication process, and does not significantly affect changes in policy. (5) No significant organizational changes have occurred at MWC or JMU while several organizational changes were identified at VPI. (6) The institution's mission and size influence the direction institutions take in regard to computer technology. (7) Respondents were satisfied with the microcomputer support and training received. (8) All users mentioned mainframe computer support was slow and uneven and many outside influences seem to impact the quality of this service. (9) It is clear that at JMU and VPI the integrator's role positively affects the use of computers. (10) The role, professional background, and personal characteristics of integrators were indentified and summarized. (11) Institutions of higher education should identify the integrators on their campuses and promote and support their role. (12) Top leadership commitment plays a crucial factor in facilitating computer use. (13) The lack of long range plans for the improved use of computers do not significantly affect the use of CBISs at MWC, JMU, or VPI.
Since very little research has been conducted on Student Affairs Divisions' use of CBISs, future research should focus on how data collected on students improve the effective operation of student affairs offices.


OBJECTIVE
to determine the association between firearm availability and female homicide victimization among high-income countries.

METHODS
Data were assembled for the most recent available year (1994-1999) from the official reports of the ministries of health for those countries that had more than 2 million inhabitants and were dassified as high income by the World Bank. Twenty-five nations provided sufficient information for the analysis. Rates of female victimization from homicide, firearm homicide, and nonfirearm homicide were compared with a validated proxy for household firearm ownership (the percentage of total national suicides that are committed with firearms). Possible confounding variables included in the analysis were the percentage of the population living in urban areas and income inequality.

RESULTS
The United States is an outlier. It had the highest level of household firearm ownership and the highest female homicide rate. The United States accounted for 32% of the female population in these high-income countries, but for 70% of all female homicides and 84% of all female firearm homicides. Female homicide victimization rates were significantly associated with firearm availability largely because of the United States.

CONCLUSION
Among high-income countries, where firearms are more available, more women are homicide victims. Women in the United States are at higher risk of homicide victimization than are women in any other high-income country.


Prestin responds to transmembrane voltage fluctuations by changing its cross-sectional area, a process underlying the electromotility of outer hair cells and cochlear amplification. Prestin belongs to the SLC26 family of anion transporters yet is the only member capable of displaying electromotility. Prestin's voltage-dependent conformational changes are driven by the putative displacement of residue R399 and a set of sparse charged residues within the transmembrane domain, following the binding of a Cl- anion at a conserved binding site formed by amino termini of the TM3 and TM10 helices. However, a major conundrum arises as to how an anion that binds in proximity to a positive charge (R399), can promote the voltage sensitivity of prestin. Using hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, we find that prestin displays an unstable anion-binding site, where folding of the amino termini of TM3 and TM10 is coupled to Cl- binding. This event shortens the TM3-TM10 electrostatic gap, thereby connecting the two helices, resulting in reduced cross-sectional area. These folding events upon anion-binding are absent in SLC26A9, a non-electromotile transporter closely related to prestin. Dynamics of prestin embedded in a lipid bilayer closely match that in detergent micelle, except for a destabilized lipid-facing helix TM6 that is critical to prestin's mechanical expansion. We observe helix fraying at prestin's anion-binding site but cooperative unfolding of multiple lipid-facing helices, features that may promote prestin's fast electromechanical rearrangements. These results highlight a novel role of the folding equilibrium of the anion-binding site, and helps define prestin's unique voltage-sensing mechanism and electromotility.


Over the millennia, the legend of a great deluge has endured in the biblical story of Noah and in such Middle Eastern myths as the epic of Gilgamesh. Now two distinguished geophysicists have discovered a catastrophic event that changed history, a gigantic flood 7,600 years ago in what is today the Black Sea. Using sound waves and coring devices to probe the sea floor, William Ryan and Walter Pitman revealed clear evidence that this inland body of water had once been a vast freshwater lake lying hundreds of feet below the level of the world's rising oceans. Sophisticated dating techniques confirmed that 7,600 years ago the mounting seas had burst through the narrow Bosporus valley, and the salt water of the Mediterranean had poured into the lake with unimaginable force, racing over beaches and up rivers, destroying or chasing all life before it. The rim of the lake, which had served as an oasis, a Garden of Eden for farms and villages in a vast region of semi-desert, became a sea of death. The people fled, dispersing their languages, genes, and memories.


Juvenile crime is a major concern Worldwide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes in management of juvenile delinquency within penal institutions in Kakamega County, Kenya. The study was guided by social learning theory. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively and presented in form of figures and tables. A total of 335 respondents were sampled. They included 279 juveniles, 36 key informants, 10 relapsed juveniles and 10 reformed juveniles. Purposive sampling was used to sample key informants and random sampling was used for committed juveniles. Snowball sampling was used for relapsed juveniles and convenience sampling was used for reformed juveniles. Primary data was collected by use of questionnaires, interviews, FGDs and observation checklists records. It was established that juveniles were taken through vocational training, guiding and counseling and formal education programmes. Rehabilitation process was not successful at (94.7%). Rehabilitation programmes were affected by the physical and human environment at (74%). Lack of after care services hindered the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes at (43.0%). It was also revealed that rehabilitation programmes in juvenile penal institutions do not successfully reform the juvenile offenders. The study concluded that the current rehabilitation programmes had a negative impact on juveniles.


This article explores the notion of students as partners in the development of a research-engaged teaching and learning project. Based on the premise that dialogue could form a bridge between students, artists and academics, the Dialogues project was first established in 2010, and has subsequently enabled a meaningful and sustainable partnership between staff and students to develop. Dialogues 2014: Place, Space and Negotiated Territories was the fifth iteration in a series of annual interdisciplinary Fine Art symposia, developed through an innovative partnership between undergraduate and postgraduate Fine Art students and staff at the Norwich University of the Arts (United Kingdom). Since its inception, the Dialogues projects have engaged over 900 fine art students across all levels of study, through the annual symposia and related events.


Background: Olecranon fractures require open reduction and internal fixation that require anatomical reduction and early mobilization. Many methods have been described for fixation of olecranon fractures including the tension band wiring (TBW) which was the standard treatment. The aim of the present study was to comparing crossing screws fixation to the gold standard, TBW in treating isolated non-comminuted olecranon fractures by functional results as well as to assess the complications and secondary procedures. Patients and Methods: A prospective comparative study concluded 18 patients with displaced olecranon fracture Mayo's type IIA were incorporated in an interventional prospective comparative study. Patients were divided equally into two groups according to the method of treatment. A detailed history, clinical and radiological assessment were performed. The quality of the reduction, union and position of the implant will be measured. The elbow's range of motion (ROM) was measured. The functional evaluation of the surgically treated elbow will be based on the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS). At the end of the follow-up was done for one year. Results: the mean age was distributed as 30.33±9.83 and 30.88±10.05 respectively between groups with no significant difference between groups, regard sex there was no significant difference between groups. There was no significant difference detected between groups regard side. No significant difference regard follows up duration. Time of union was significantly shorter among group B. No significant difference between groups detected regard any items. Conclusion: Crossing screws for olecranon fractures provide a safe mini-invasive, that enables early healing with excellent functional outcomes and limited complications that appear to be mechanically, biologically and functionally superior to TBW.


The UK population of the Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata has declined markedly in the last 30 years but there have been few recent studies of the species. This study examined the relationship between nest success and the predominant habitat type around Spotted Flycatcher nests in two contrasting areas of England. A breeding population in eastern England, a region where numbers of Spotted Flycatchers are known to have decreased dramatically in recent decades, was compared with another in southwest England, where numbers have remained stable or even increased. Whilst there was no difference in breeding success between the two study areas, there were significant differences between habitats, with garden nests more successful than those in farmland or woodland, at both egg and chick stages. Estimates of productivity per nesting attempt were also lower in farmland and woodland, with nests in gardens fledging twice as many chicks as those in either woodland or farmland. The proximate cause of lower success in farmland and woodland was higher nest predation rates during both egg and chick stages. In terms of nesting success, farmland and woodland appear to be similar in quality for this species, but both appear to be suboptimal habitats when compared with gardens, providing evidence of a problem on the breeding grounds for this species, in at least these two habitats.


We have the scientific data we need to understand the relationship that a woman's ovulation has to her overall health, and that healthy ovulatory patterns are a prerequisite to being fertile. We also have the data to teach women to observe their biomarkers, to check whether they ovulate in any given cycle, and to teach doctors to diagnose and treat the underlying abnormalities these observations reveal. So why don't we?


Intensity measurements have been made on a complex super-multiplet of normal titanium, 5D′FG′–5H′GF′DP′, arising from the transition [(3d)24s] 4p–4d, parent term a4F′, and on a simple super-multiplet 5D′FG′–5F′ arising from the transition [(3d)24s] 4p–5s. The intensities of the latter have been found to be practically normal, the multiplet ratios being measured as 8.95:7.00:5.30, or within 6% of the theoretical values, with no self-reversal or excitation corrections needed. The complex super-multiplet has extremely anomalous intensities, as might be expected from the fact that it contains strong 5FH′ lines and that a number of lines allowed by the selection principles and usually of considerable intensity are found to be entirely missing in its multiplets. Very few lines have normal intensity ratios to one another, and in no individual multiplet is the Sum Rule fulfilled. In the super-multiplet as a whole the fulfillment of the Sum Rule is only slightly better; the average deviation of the sums from the mean is about 15%, after an excitation correction corresponding to 2080°A for the temperature of the emitting arc has been applied. No other temperature will furnish a correction making the deviation appreciably less. Kronig's formulas for the relative intensities of the nine multiplets hold only roughly. The measurements were made rather difficult by the relative weakness of the lines and by the presence of Cyanogen bands in their neighborhood, but results from a number of sets of plates showed very good agreement, and it is believed that the average final error is considerably under 10%.


OBJECTIVES
Despite its impact on health policy, the relationship between geographical proximity and health care seeking has received scant attention in the medical literature. This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between geographic proximity and health care usage behaviour among patients seeking medical consultation in the northern region of Oman.

METHODS
During 2006-2007, data was collected via face-to-face interviews among 428 randomized patients seeking medical consultation in various primary health care centres in the northern region of Oman. The association between geographical proximity as a reason to seek health care and other predictors was also analysed using multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS
The data suggest that preference for geographical proximity as a reason for seeking health care is strongly associated with marital status, previous exposure to traditional medicine and health education, as well as history of immunisation.

CONCLUSION
This finding supports the view from elsewhere that geographical proximity remains a strong catalyst for care seeking in Oman. The psychosocial factors affecting care seeking are discussed.


Purpose: The purpose of this article was to describe Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) college choice model and emphasize the predisposition phase of the model as the starting point for school counselors' efforts to help African American parents foster their children's college planning in the college choice process.Design/methodology/approach: The authors wrote this manuscript as a conceptual approach to helping school counselors work with African American parents in their children's college planning process by including two case studies as examples.Findings: This is a conceptual article.Practical implications: School counselors should be culturally competent and aware of how African Americans reartheir children to help them successfully navigate college planning. For example, schoolcounselors can learn about and share information with families about colleges that have supportprograms assisting African American students toward college completion.Originality/value: This paper is important to the field of education as it contributes to the literature regarding how school counselors can assist students in becoming college and career ready by working with their parents using a college choice model.


A Diagnostics, Prognostics and Health Management (DPHM) solution is proposed for the operation of the aircraft environmental control system (ECS) cross flow heat exchanger. In particular, a dynamic model is derived and applied to on-line detection of fouling in the aircraft ECS cross flow plate-and-fin heat exchanger. Predictive maintenance actions can be scheduled as per the on-line detected fouling status of the specific component, supporting condition based maintenance. The heat exchanger model is of the lumped state space form, where the state consists of the core and fin temperatures. The ratios of the thermal capacities of the masses of the two air streams to the thermal capacity of the core itself are neglected, and the model parameters' functional dependency on mass flow rate and influence of secondary surfaces (fins) are taken into account in order to accurately describe the dynamic behavior of the heat exchanger. Since the parameters are functions of mass flow rate, as are the core and fin temperatures, and the model is nonlinear in the state variables, an extended Kalman filtering (EKF) algorithm is applied to estimate the state dependent parameters. The effectiveness of the model's formulation is supported by the quality of the corresponding predicted results, which in turn are validated via experimental tests.


The self-assembly of colloidal conjugated polymers presents a versatile and powerful oute towards new functional optoelectronic materials and devices. However, this strategy relies on the existence of chemical protocols to prepare highly monodisperse colloids of conjugated polymers in high yields. Here, a recently developed Suzuki–Miyaura dispersion polymerization method is adopted to synthesize core–shell particles, in which a conjugated polymer shell is grown onto non-conjugated organic and inorganic colloidal templates. By chemically anchoring aryl halide groups at the particle surface, a conjugated polymer shell can be attached to a wide variety of organic and inorganic microparticles. In this way, both spherical and non-spherical hybrid conjugated polymer particles are prepared, and it is shown that the method can be applied to a variety of conjugated polymers. This new method offers independent control of the size, shape and photophysical properties of these novel conjugated polymer particles.


The idea of 'real utopias' is a way of thinking about emancipatory alternatives to existing institutions of domination and inequality, about both the destinations to which we aspire and the strategies for getting there. This paper elaborates the values embodied in the idea of real utopias, explores the strategic problem of transforming society in ways that advance these values, and examines the dilemmas of creating real utopias in situations where the optimal design for ameliorating the harms of existing institutions is not the same as constructing real utopias.


Objective Blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability has been proposed as a predictor of hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration; however, the reliability of perfusion computed tomography (PCT) permeability imaging for predicting HT is uncertain. We aimed to determine the performance of high-permeability region size on PCT (HPrs-PCT) in predicting HT after intravenous tPA administration in patients with acute stroke. Methods We performed a multimodal CT protocol (non-contrast CT, PCT, CT angiography) to prospectively study patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion treated with tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. HT was graded at 24 hours using the European-Australasian Acute Stroke Study II criteria. ROC curves selected optimal volume threshold, and multivariate logistic regression analysis identified predictors of HT. Results The study included 156 patients (50% male, median age 75.5 years). Thirty-seven (23,7%) developed HT [12 (7,7%), parenchymal hematoma type 2 (PH-2)]. At admission, patients with HT had lower platelet values, higher NIHSS scores, increased ischemic lesion volumes, larger HPrs-PCT, and poorer collateral status. The negative predictive value of HPrs-PCT at a threshold of 7mL/100g/min was 0.84 for HT and 0.93 for PH-2. The multiple regression analysis selected HPrs-PCT at 7mL/100g/min combined with platelets and baseline NIHSS score as the best model for predicting HT (AUC 0.77). HPrs-PCT at 7mL/100g/min was the only independent predictor of PH-2 (OR 1, AUC 0.68, p = 0.045). Conclusions HPrs-PCT can help predict HT after tPA, and is particularly useful in identifying patients at low risk of developing HT.


This paper shows that standard international business cycle models can be reconciled with the empirical evidence on the lack of consumption risk sharing. First, we show analytically that with incomplete asset markets productivity disturbances can have large uninsurable effects on wealth, depending on the value of the trade elasticity and shock persistence. Second, we investigate these findings quantitatively in a model calibrated to the U.S. economy. With the low trade elasticity estimated via a method of moments procedure, the consumption risk of productivity shocks is magnified by high terms of trade and real exchange rate (RER) volatility. Strong wealth effects in response to shocks raise the demand for domestic goods above supply, crowding out external demand and appreciating the terms of trade and the RER. Building upon the literature on incomplete markets, we then show that similar results are obtained when productivity shocks are nearly permanent, provided the trade elasticity is set equal to the high values consistent with micro-estimates. Under both approaches the model accounts for the low and negative correlation between the RER and relative (domestic to foreign) consumption in the data—the "Backus-Smith puzzle". Copyright 2008, Wiley-Blackwell.


1. Each of nine volunteers was fed three different diets. The percentage of total daily energy provided by fat, carbohydrate and protein remained constant, but the nature of the fat and carbohydrate was altered. The first diet contained ordinary amounts of sucrose and predominantly saturated fat. During the second dietary period, fat remained saturated, but the quantity of sucrose was increased at the expense of complex carbohydrate. In the third dietary period, the sucrose intake remained high, but fat was supplied chiefly in the polyunsaturated form. 2. A small but statistically significant increase of serum fasting cholesterol and triglyceride was observed during the second dietary period, but on the third diet levels of both lipids fell to concentrations not significantly different from those seen on the first diet.


Because it is often assumed that difficulties in spelling are of phonological origin, the aim of this study was to examine whether emphasis on the pronunciation of individual graphemes is beneficial for learning to spell words in poor spellers. In the first experiment Dutch children with a spelling deficit had to practice words in two types of exercises: (1) full production after memorizing the orthographic pattern, and (2) a special pronunciation, so-called spelling pronunciation, accompanied by full production after memorizing. Spelling pronunciation showed to have no additional effect on spelling. The orthographic information might have overruled the effect of spelling pronunciation. Therefore, in Experiment 2 orthographic information was excluded from the comparison between training with spelling pronunciation and training with normal pronunciation. Spelling pronunciation appeared to be more effective than normal pronunciation. However, spelling pronunciation was as effective as priming the orthography in memorization training, which may indicate that the common process of uncovering orthographic details is the main driving force for accelerated learning.


One of the main objectives of deregulating the electric power industry is to introduce competition in the electricity business and prevent monopolies. The introduction of deregulation has, however, led to confusions in the areas of transmission network loss sharing and the responsibility of generation of reactive power. Because, under deregulation, the business and economic decisions in a power system are made by each individual vendor/utility in a decentralized manner. Each power producing entity operates on the principle of profit maximization by optimizing its production cost of real power, reactive power and the spinning reserve margin. Two methods have been developed to determine a generator's share of transmission loss in a deregulated power system. They are: the Incremental Load Flow Approach (ILFA) and the Marginal Transmission Loss Approach (MTLA). The ILFA employs an iterative load flow technique. The MTLA finds the transmission loss share of a generator by utilizing the marginal rate of transmission loss. Both methods are very straightforward and can be implemented by an electric utility or an Independent System Operator (ISO) with little difficulty. Results obtained from both approaches agree well. The details of the two methods along with some numerical examples have been presented in this thesis. The profit maximization objectives of any generating entity or an IPP not only depends on transmission loss allocation but also on the production levels of real power, reactive power and spinning reserve. A model for profit maximization by a generating entity or an IPP who is interested to sell both real and reactive power is developed and presented in this thesis. In many jurisdictions, a power producer has the option for selling spinning reserve in addition to real and reactive power. A profit maximization model based on the forecasted market price of real power, reactive power and spimung reserve has been developed and presented in this thesis. The model would help a producer to decide the production levels of these three commodities in order to realize the maximum profit. Zero profit conditions have been considered along with the profit maximization model