Estrogen has demonstrated great potential as a therapeutic agent in focal ischemic brain injury, as exogenous beta-estradiol has proven beneficial in a variety of focal stroke models. In contrast, the relatively few studies of estrogen's efficacy in transient forebrain ischemia have produced inconsistent results. The present study was therefore designed to clarify estrogen's neuroprotective potential in selective hippocampal neuronal injury resulting from four-vessel occlusion in the rat. Female Wistar rats (normal, ovariectomized, or ovariectomized and estradiol-treated) received 5 or 10 min of ischemia. No differences in hippocampal cell loss were found amongst the groups with 10 min of ischemia. Amongst the groups with 5 min of ischemia, the mildest injury was found in the ovariectomized animals, which lost only 32% of their CA1 pyramidal cells. In comparison, mean cell losses were 54% and 49%, respectively, in intact females and in ovariectomized animals with estradiol replacement. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a highly significant relationship between cell loss and plasma estradiol levels. The mechanism by which exogenous and endogenous estrogen exacerbated the injury is unclear, as estrogen has many neuroprotective effects. On the other hand, many other reported effects of estrogen in hippocampal area CA1 might confer increased sensitivity to ischemia, either by modulating the excitatory effects of glutamate or by modifying the inhibitory effects of GABA. Determining how to modulate the various competing effects of estrogen is of both theoretical and practical importance, as it is now clear that one cannot assume that estrogen administration will always improve outcome in cerebral ischemia.


EdD programming has been questioned because of lack of clarity in the initial degree construction and confusion regarding its unique focus on enhancing practice. An improved, coherent focus was developed through the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate (CPED). To understand the changes happening in CPED-influenced EdD programs, studies conducted within these newly-revised programs are vital. The current mixed-methods study explored perceptions of education doctoral (EdD) students in a CPED-Influenced program at one Midwestern university (n=36 for survey; n=8 for interviews). The research questions examined: (a) the successful completion of outcomes in the program; (b) the influence of the seven outcomes on the students in the program; and (c) being a full-time or part-time student in the program. In the first data collection phase, survey participants rated themselves at the average (3.07) to slightly above average (4.08) level for all seven outcomes, showing students perceived program outcomes as being met. The highest level of proficiency rated was the outcome Research in Practice (4.08), and the lowest was the outcome Organizational Change (3.07). In comparing old program students to new program students, there were no significant differences in their perceptions of proficiency for program outcomes. There were no significant differences between full and part-time students in their perceptions of proficiency for program outcomes; however, calculations of specific benchmark revealed one significant difference and a medium effect size (Cohen's d= 0.59) favoring full-time students for the benchmark "Students understand program delivery models and their implications for practice." The second and third data collection were conducted through qualitative interviews. Emerging themes included the transformative change in the ways students think, invested and professional faculty members acting as mentors, collaboration with and diversity among peers, flexibility of the programming structure and course requirements, the focus on quality research in practice, and the application of learning. Many advantages and a few disadvantages were identified for both full-time and part-time students; however, satisfaction with the option to be full-time or part-time was the primary finding. OUTCOMES, PERCEPTIONS, AND EXPERIENCES IN ONE CPED-ALIGNED EDUCATIONAL DOCTORATE (EdD) PROGRAM A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education


Abstract. Diffusion of gas molecules to the surface is the first step for all gas–surface reactions. Gas phase diffusion can influence and sometimes even limit the overall rates of these reactions; however, there is no database of the gas phase diffusion coefficients of atmospheric reactive trace gases. Here we compile and evaluate, for the first time, the diffusivities (pressure-independent diffusion coefficients) of atmospheric inorganic reactive trace gases reported in the literature. The measured diffusivities are then compared with estimated values using a semi-empirical method developed by Fuller et al. (1966). The diffusivities estimated using Fuller's method are typically found to be in good agreement with the measured values within ±30%, and therefore Fuller's method can be used to estimate the diffusivities of trace gases for which experimental data are not available. The two experimental methods used in the atmospheric chemistry community to measure the gas phase diffusion coefficients are also discussed. A different version of this compilation/evaluation, which will be updated when new data become available, is uploaded online ( https://sites.google.com/site/mingjintang/home/diffusion ).


Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) teach many undergraduates in introductory science courses in the USA. Previous literature suggests that GTAs would prefer more context-dependent opportunities to learn to teach more effectively. This study explores the impact of participation in a lesson study cycle with GTAs responsible for an undergraduate introductory course in Earth Science. Data were analyzed via a theoretical perspective of situated cognition and lesson study. Findings indicate GTAs felt limited by current contexts in the degree to which they could change the laboratory, their talk about teaching largely focused on logistical issues, yet via the lesson study process they began to discuss the learner in their seminars. Implications are presented that explore the applicability of lesson study in this context, the role of a science educator as a facilitator for reform in college science teaching, and the potential impact of this process on GTAs' relationships with other faculty.


Between 2003 and 2005, satisfaction with "the way d emocracy works in Kenya " dropped a full 26 percentage points, plummeting from 79 percent in 20 03, to just 53 percent by 2005. This does not appe r to bode well for democracy in Kenya. But there are numerous practical and analytical questions about what "satisfaction with democracy" really means, wh at it measures, and whether it matters. Some analysts have argued that the very concept and mean ing of satisfaction with democracy is ambiguous, an d that the measure should be abandoned. Others regar d it as a useful summary indicator of support for a regime. To answer some of these questions, we anal yze links between declines in satisfaction with democracy and indicators of system support, system function, and incumbent performance. We find that satisfaction with democracy is actually a very usef l indicator, revealing important things about what Kenyans expect democracy to do for them and their s oc ety. Arguing that we should abandon this indicator in part because it is linked to people's varying hopes and values concerning their political system therefore overlooks one of its key strengths. In particular, it helps to show which of the man y "promises" of democracy Kenyans are most interested in seeing fulfilled. Among other things, we find that having "the right institutions" matters to Ken ya s, but they want outputs even more, both political ones as well as more instrumental or material ones. And the democratic output that is most on Kenyans ' minds is equality, both political and economic. More than anything else, Kenyans hope that democracy will bring about a more equitable distribution of o pportunity and resources in their society. Growing dissatisfaction with the current constitution and d isappointment in the government's handling of the reform process also played a key role in declining satisfaction.


This paper investigates the effectiveness of recent measures undertaken by the governments of some European Union Member States such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland as well as of non-EU European countries such as Switzerland in order to face growing concerns in the public opinion with the increase of transnational migration flows on European continent. The authors analyse selected legislative, regulatory and administrative measures motivated by objectives of migration policy or affecting the mobility of workers, taken in the aftermath of the economic and financial crisis. They argue that, albeit political discourse unfavourable on immigration and migrant workers has become the mainstream in some countries, the measures taken by national governments and legislators seldom involve direct constraints on the free movement of workers which is safeguarded by EU treaty provisions. However, concrete examples illustrate that access of such workers to social security benefits has been restricted through making use of certain derogations from the principle of equal treatment allowed under EU law. In some cases national legislators had to abandon plans to limit directly the free movement of workers, because the envisaged provisions were incompatible with the EU Treaties. With regard to social security, regulatory measures and administrative actions may have effectively implemented national policy concerns with large-scale migration movements. In general, it could be concluded that the European Union, while struggling against multiple crises, has taken a not fully favourable approach to free movement and migration of EU citizens. The present political climate unfavourable to intra-European migration may be understood, from the perspective of historical analysis, as an expression of constitutional ambiguity underlying the European Union's normative Received: August, 2017 1st Revision: September, 2017 Accepted: October, 2017 DOI: 10.14254/20718330.2017/10-3/1 Journal of International Studies S ci en ti fi c P a pe rs © Foundation of International Studies, 2017 © CSR, 2017 Journal of International Studies Vol.10, No.3, 2017 10 framework, consisting in a gap between its formally recognised noble values and the mentalities prevailing in the citizenry, which may place democratic forms of governance in a serious dilemma.


This study examined the prevalence of mental distress among groups in Afghanistan considered to be at risk. Data were drawn from a representative cross-sectional disability survey carried out in Afghanistan including 5,130 households in 171 clusters throughout the 34 provinces of the country. The sample included 838 nondisabled control participants aged above 14, and 675 disabled participants. Results showed that various vulnerable groups (disabled people, the unemployed, the elderly, minority ethnic groups, as well as widowed, divorced or separated women) were at higher risk of experiencing mild to severe mental health problems. The adjusted odds ratio for war-related disability compared to nondisabled was 4.09 (95% confidence interval 2.09 to 7.99) for mild mental distress disorders, and 7.10 (3.45–14.5) and 14.14 (3.38–59.00) for moderate or severe mental distress disorders, respectively. Women with disabilities (whatever the cause of impairment) when compared with nondisabled men, as well as poorer segments of society compared to the richest, had a higher prevalence of mental health problems. Women with non-war-related disabilities compared with nondisabled men were respectively 3.35 (1.27–8.81) and 8.57 (3.03–24.1) times more likely to experience mild or moderate mental distress disorders. People who experience multiple vulnerabilities are more at risk of deteriorating mental health in conflict zones. The study shows that mental health, in times of war, is influenced by a combination of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics linked to social exclusion mechanisms that were in place before the conflict began and that are redefined in relation to the changing social, cultural, and economic contexts. Mental health policies and programmes must prioritise the most vulnerable segments of Afghan society.


The study analyses mass media communication by mortgage lenders in the Czech market and builds on Kotler's competitive strategies concept and aims to answer the question of whether there is a relationship between the mortgage lenders' market position and their mass media communication profile. Furthermore, it analyses the mass media communication of mortgage lenders according to their financial performance. The analysis utilises complete monitoring data from the mass media market in the Czech Republic. As a result of this study, the different advertising patterns of the market leaders and challengers on a highly commoditised market are shown. Market leaders do not utilise defensive strategies to protect their market shares but employ more offensive strategies to increase the size of the market. Market challengers have no resources to implement a massive and offensive communication strategy to challenge the market leaders. Such a conclusion contributes to the debate on communication strategies for distinct types of companies according to their position on the market and their market share.


We present a simple and cost-effective method for rendering networks of cellulose fibers, such as paper, fabrics or membranes, superparamagnetic by impregnating the individual fibers with a reactive acrylic monomer. The cellulose fibers are wetted by a cyanoacrylate monomer solution containing superparamagnetic manganese ferrite colloidal nanoparticles. Upon moisture initiated polymerization of the monomer on the fiber surfaces, a thin nanocomposite shell forms around each fiber. The nanocomposite coating renders the cellulose fibers water repellent and magnetically responsive. Magnetic and microscopy studies prove that the amount of the entrapped nanoparticles in the nanocomposite shell is fully controllable, and that the magnetic response is directly proportional to this amount. A broad range of applications can be envisioned for waterproof magnetic cellulose materials (such as magnetic paper/tissues) obtained by such a simple yet highly efficient method.


In the terrestrial digital TV systems DVB-T/H/T2, broadcasting is employed, meaning that all TV programs are sent over all transmitters, also where there are no viewers. This is inefficient utilization of spectrum and transmitter equipment. Applying interactive multicasting over DVB-T2 is a novel approach that would substantially reduce the spectrum required to deliver a certain amount of TV programs. Further gain would be achieved by Dynamic single-frequency network (DSFN) formations, which can be implemented using the concept of PARPS (Packet and Resource Plan Scheduling). A Zipf-law heterogeneous program selection model is suggested. For a system of four coordinated transmitters, and certain assumptions, IP multicasting over non-continuous transmission DSFN gives 1740% increase in multiuser system spectral efficiency (MSSE) in (users·bit/s)/Hz/site as compared to broadcasting over SFN.


Background High prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in many northern hemisphere populations is causing extreme pressure on healthcare services and leading to high numbers of fatalities. Even though safe and effective vaccines are being deployed in many populations, the majority of those most at-risk of severe COVID-19 will not be protected until late spring, even in countries already at a more advanced stage of vaccine deployment. Methods The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission study-1 (REACT-1) obtains throat and nose swabs from between 120,000 and 180,000 people in the community in England at approximately monthly intervals. Round 8a of REACT-1 mainly covers a period from 6th January 2021 to 15th January 2021. Swabs are tested for SARS-CoV-2 virus and patterns of swab-positivity are described over time, space and with respect to individual characteristics. We compare swab-positivity prevalence from REACT-1 with mobility data based on the GPS locations of individuals using the Facebook mobile phone app. We also compare results from round 8a with those from round 7 in which swabs were collected from 13th November to 24th November (round 7a) and 25th November to 3rd December 2020 (round 7b). Results In round 8a, we found 1,962 positives from 142,909 swabs giving a weighted prevalence of 1.58% (95% CI, 1.49%, 1.68%). Using a constant growth model, we found no strong evidence for either growth or decay averaged across the period; rather, based on data from a limited number of days, prevalence may have started to rise at the end of round 8a. Facebook mobility data showed a marked decrease in activity at the end of December 2020, followed by a rise at the start of the working year in January 2021. Between round 7b and round 8a, prevalence increased in all adult age groups, more than doubling to 0.94% (0.83%, 1.07%) in those aged 65 and over. Large household size, living in a deprived neighbourhood, and Black and Asian ethnicity were all associated with increased prevalence. Both healthcare and care home workers, and other key workers, had increased odds of swab-positivity compared to other workers. Conclusion During the initial 10 days of the third COVID-19 lockdown in England in January 2021, prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was very high with no evidence of decline. Until prevalence in the community is reduced substantially, health services will remain under extreme pressure and the cumulative number of lives lost during this pandemic will continue to increase rapidly.


Abstract. Flood is one of the greatest disasters in the world, and the cause of a lot of damages to buildings and Agricultural products every year. Gorganrood river crossing the city of Aq'qala and it is always under flood risk. In the spring, due to the high intensity rainfall and melting of the snow, upstream areas bring much water into the Gorganrood river. On 23rd March, 2019 occurred a terrible flood in Aq'qala passing discharge 650 (m^3/s), it would occur every 100 years in this river. This river in normal time is passing discharge approximately 120 (m^3/s). A large of an urban and non-urban area was affected by this flood and mapping and analyzing of this flood have a key role for river and disaster management. Remote sensing is one of the best ways to flood mapping, especially in flood time weather is cloudy, Therefore, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images had high potentiality for flood analysis. In this study the Sentinel-1 data used for flood studying due to free available and shorter revisit time. After the processing has done, by selecting the VV band the flooded areas detected. After that overlapped the images and combination of RGB bands and the change the value of pixels, at last, we will be able to obtain the flood mapping images for Gorganrood river. In the primary days of the flooding, almost all the northern regions of the city were flooded, and during a week about 96.8 (km^2) city flooded.


Neurosurgical procedures are carried out to treat various disorders affecting the nervous system. It is common to feel nervous and anxious when one is scheduled to undergo a neuro surgical procedure. Aim: to know the effect of preoperative teaching in reduction of anxiety just before the neurosurgery. Methods: The study was conducted using nonequivalent control group pre-test and post-test design on patients who were admitted in surgical ward for first fifteen days 26 patients as interventional group. After fifteen days interval, again selected all the patients who met the inclusive criteria who were admitted in surgical ward for another fifteen days 28 patients for as control group. Anxiety was evaluated using a validated Spielberger State-Trait anxiety inventory. Findings: The study includes and. Comparison between interventional and control group in relation to sex, education, domicile and income found statistically similar. At admission, State and trait anxiety score mean value of interventional group were 45.31 and control group were 45.11. Interventional group anxiety score reduced to Mean value of 40.31, just before surgery, which is statistically significant (p>0.05) whereas no change of anxiety score in control groups, Mean value to 47.75 just before surgery, which is not statistically significant. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that preoperative teaching could decrease the level of preoperative anxiety in this patient population.


Background: The foliar trichomes of five selected Melastoma L. species in Fraser Hill, Pahang, that belongs to Melastomataceae family had been studied. These five species namely Melastoma muticum Ridl., Melastoma decemfidum Roxb., Melastoma perakense Ridl., Melastoma sanguineum x malabathricum, and Melastoma malabathricum var. normale. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to investigate the systematic significance of foliar trichomes in the identification and classification of Melastoma species. Materials and Methods: Methods of investigation involved cross-section using sliding microtomes on petiole and midrib, epidermal peel, and leaf clearing and observation under a light microscope. Result: The investigation showed that the genus of Melastoma seems to have a great variation of foliar trichomes. This present study has reported nonglandular trichomes in all species studied. However, six types of trichomes were discovered which serve as distinct variations of taxonomic values, such as simple multiseriate (short, pointed end), simple multiseriate (long, pointed end), simple multiseriate (short, hooked end), simple multiseriate (long, hooked end), strigose–setose, and scales trichomes. Surprisingly, the presence of simple multiseriate (long, hooked end) trichome only in M. muticum could be a criterion to diagnose the species. Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study revealed that the foliar trichomes possess as systematic significance in the identification and classification of Melastoma either at genus or species level.


A humans remarkable ability to manipulate unfamiliar objects with little prior knowledge of them is a constant inspiration for robotics research. Despite the interest of the research community, and despite its practical value, robust manipulation of novel objects in cluttered environments still remains a largely unsolved problem. Classic solutions (e.g. involving 6D object pose estimation) typically require prior knowledge of the objects (e.g. class categories or 3D CAD models), which may not be available outside of highly constrained settings. More recent deep learning methods using end-to-end convolutional networks (e.g. raw pixels to motor torques) have the potential to model complex skills that generalize, but they remain highly data inefficient – and robot data (e.g. trial and error) is expensive. In this thesis, we consider an approach to learning manipulation called visual affordances. The idea is to use classic controllers to design motion primitives, then use convolutional networks to map from visual observations (e.g. images) to the perceived affordances (e.g. confidence scores or action-values) of the primitives for every pixel of the input. By leveraging dense equivariant state and action representations, this formulation can be used to acquire complex vision-based manipulation skills (e.g. pushing, grasping, throwing) on real robot platforms that generalize to novel objects, while using orders of magnitude less data. While visual affordances may not be directly compatible with classic planning frameworks that involve explicit forward simulation or propagation, in this thesis we show that it is possible to workaround this limitation by extending it with model-free reinforcement learning to sequence primitive picking motions for more complex manipulation policies. We also study how it can be combined with residual physics (learning to predict residual values on top of control parameter estimates from an initial analytical controller) to enable learning end-to-end visuomotor policies that leverage the benefits of analytical models while still maintaining the capacity (via data-driven residuals) to account for real-world iii dynamics that are not explicitly modeled. Finally, we conclude by discussing the limitations of learning visual affordances, which suggest directions for future work.


AbstractIn the past 50 years there has been an explosion of interest in the development of technologies whose end goal is to connect the human brain and/or nervous system directly to computers. Once the subject of science fiction, the technologies necessary to accomplish this goal are rapidly becoming reality. In laboratories around the globe, research is being undertaken to restore function to the physically disabled, to replace areas of the brain damaged by disease or trauma and to augment human abilities. Building neural interfaces and neuro-prosthetics relies on a diverse array of disciplines such as neuroscience, engineering, medicine and microfabrication just to name a few. This book presents a short history of neural interfacing (N.I.) research and introduces the reader to some of the current efforts to develop neural prostheses. The book is intended as an introduction for the college freshman or others wishing to learn more about the field. A resource guide is included for students along with a li...


The next frontier for wireless LANs is 802.11ac, a standard that increases throughput beyond one gigabit per second. This concise guide provides in-depth information to help you plan for 802.11ac, with technical details on design, network operations, deployment, and monitoring. Author Matthew Gastan industry expert who led the development of 802.11-2012 and security task groups at the Wi-Fi Allianceexplains how 802.11ac will not only increase the speed of your network, but its capacity as well. Whether you need to serve more clients with your current level of throughput, or serve your existing client load with higher throughput, 802.11ac is the solution. This book gets you started.Understand how the 802.11ac protocol works to improve the speed and capacity of a wireless LAN Explore how beamforming increases speed capacity by improving link margin, and lays the foundation for multi-user MIMO Learn how multi-user MIMO increases capacity by enabling an AP to send data to multiple clients simultaneously Plan when and how to upgrade your network to 802.11ac by evaluating client devices, applications, and network connections


This workshop will present and validate the usefulness of a framework for improving knowledge exchange (KE) tools. We propose an improvement framework, where participants collaboratively improve the functions, instructions and flexibility of tools to develop their engagement practices. In this workshop, we will lead participants through a creative engagement activity, where participants will learn through doing how to improve KE tools within a collaborative improvement framework. The potential workshop outcomes are new tool ideas and knowledge as a result of a collective and fruitful experience among participants. Participants will gain new knowledge on how to improve the engagement with groups of non-designers through the improvement of KE tools and other tools, such as participatory tools. Further research involves inviting participants to take part in a research study on the potential applications of the improvement framework to their own work.


Pressed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) powder, pressed BaSO(4), and Russian opal glass were evaluated as possible reflectance factor standards for goniospectrophotometry. Pressed PTFE was chosen based on reflectance properties, ease of preparation, durability, availability, and cost. A method of preparation was developed which combined the most Lambertian behavior with high reproducibility. Several of these PTFE preparations were then measured goniospectrophotometrically to provide a set of data which would sufficiently define the bidirectional spectral reflectance factors for use as a transfer standard for nonstandard instrumental geometries.


Numerical simulation of 3-D dynamic stall has been undertaken using computational fluid dynamics. As a first
step, validation calculations have been performed for cases in which experimental data were available. Although the
amount and quality of the experimental data available for 3-D dynamic stall does not match what is available for 2-D
cases, the computational fluid dynamics was found capable of predicting this complex 3-D flow with good accuracy.
Once confidence on the computational fluid dynamics method was established, further calculations were conducted
for several wing planforms. The calculations revealed the detailed structure of the 3-D dynamic stall vortex and its
interaction with the tip vortex. Remarkably, strong similarities in the flow topology were identified for wings of very
different planforms.


What does it mean to be a transgender person? And how can this knowledge best be incorporated into the law such that there is recognition, legal validation and protection of this much misunderstood and maligned community? Can this be achieved by assigning a third gender to all transgender people or can it be achieved through existing gender identities of male and female? This paper draws from a pilot study involving 12 semi-structured interviews {11 Male to female (MtF) and 1 Female to Male (FtM)} and 3 Focus Group discussions of transgender people, conducted in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The research examines what it means to be transgender in Sri Lanka (as there is no real understanding of the same in the island country) and whether or not this transgender identity translates into a need for a third gender in the country, like its South Asian neighbours, India and Nepal. It will look at issues of Gender identity and the Law and how the same can be incorporated into the Law in Sri Lanka as well as in India (due to inherent similarities in the laws of both these countries).From a preliminary understanding of what it means to be a transgender person, this paper attempts to give a viable legal standpoint to one's gender identity both for Sri Lanka and India. With the background of the new law in Argentina, and constitutional guarantees, I would like to examine possible changes to the existing legal regimes in the two countries vis-a-vis gender identity.


ABSTRACT Given events such as 11 September, the 2013 Boston Bombing, and the 2015 Paris attacks it is becoming increasingly apparent that religious extremism has great potential to negatively impact our daily lives. Predicting religious extremism could – in principle – allow us to respond to, mediate, or eliminate threats more efficiently. It is argued here that predicting religious extremism is possible but religious systems are complex dynamic systems and should be addressed as such. To address religious systems in a way that could provide useful predictions, one should use multi-agent artificial intelligence models that are validated using empirical studies of human cognition to define rules for the agents and historical and contemporary data sources (ex. "big-data" and historical databases) to calibrate and parameterize simulations. Ultimately, I conclude that near-term prediction is possible if one incorporates social and biological environments as well as inter- and intra-agent cognitive mechanisms, but long term predictions would be unreliable. Key to this approach is the admission that cognitive mechanisms play crucial roles in the generation and transmission of culture as well as the recognition that social and biological environments provide input to these mechanisms but neither social or biological environmental input is sufficient by itself.


In this paper, I look at inquiry-based learning within mathematics and science in the Ontario educational system while making connections to Ontario's 21 Century Competencies foundation document. Further to this, I researched whether it might be beneficial for English Language Learners to integrate language and content through inquiry, and also review recommendations on how to best implement this approach. I endeavored to uncover what the current research says about how this pedagogical strategy might be used to support all learners in mathematics and science, and also the associated challenges with implementation of an inquiry approach. This was done through the lens of constructivist theory, with connections made to Ontario educational documents. INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING v


In an effort to reduce the rising costs of health care many local governments are turning to alternative and innovative strategies to mitigate the problem. One solution has been to offer a wellness program for employees. The article reviews the research on employee assistance programs and differentiates between them and the current wellness programs that are in place today. Wellness programs have proved to be cost effective and the return on investment has been well worth the initial cost. A recent study is reviewed to show the current profile of wellness programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. More local governments in this area have initiated wellness programs and the results so far have been encouraging. The article argues that, though wellness programs at the local level of government are not new, they have been repackaged as a positive alternative to reduce costs. A win/win situation arises for the public employee when their health is promoted and they are being productive stewards of tax payer dollars.


The criminal jury's power to nullify laws--to refuse to apply them--is generally disfavored. Most courts expressly limit jury discretion to finding facts, and few states allow juries to be told of their power of nullification. Even the minority who support nullification generally do not consider it a lawful act; it is usually justified as necessary to achieve justice in those rare situations in which the application of law does not. Supporters and detractors generally agree, then, that nullification violates the rule of law. The discussion of nullification, however, has occurred largely without reference to changing understandings of the rule of law itself. Descriptions of that ideal have been considerably revised in response to several developments: the critique of positivism and formalism; the insights of pragmatist and other theories that stress the interaction of law with its broader social and normative context; and recognition of the inevitable interpretive task involved in applying law. This article argues that most contemporary rule of law conceptions already allow the possibility of lawful jury nullification. Using examples of recent verdicts and historical verdict patterns, the article discusses four sorts of cases in which juries are likely to nullify laws and argues that three of them can occur within the rule of the law. The fourth scenario, in which nullification arises from clear bias such as racism, is most likely to occur when not only juries but other officials as well (judges, law enforcement) frequently do not uphold the rule of law, an observation that points to the dependence of the rule of law on broader social norms.


Smart metering systems in distribution networks provide near real-time, two-way information exchange between end users and utilities, enabling many advanced smart grid technologies. However, the fine grained real-time data as well as the various market functionalities also pose great risks to customer privacy. In this work we propose a secure multi-party computation (SMC) based privacy preserving smart metering system. Using the proposed SMC protocol, a utility is able to perform advanced market based demand management algorithms without knowing the actual values of private end user consumption and configuration data. Using homomorphic encryption, billing is secure and verifiable. We implemented a demonstration system that includes a graphical user interface and simulates real-world network communication of the proposed SMC-enabled smart meters. The demonstration shows the feasibility of our proposed privacy preserving protocol for advanced smart grid technologies which includes load management and retail level electricity market support.


This saga brings alive the world of the 10th century AD when the Vikings raided the coasts of England. Acclaimed as one of the best historical novels ever written, this engaging saga of Viking adventure in 10th century northern Europe has a very appealing young hero, Orm Tostesson, whose story we follow from inexperienced youth to adventurous old age, through slavery and adventure to a royal marriage and the search for great treasure. Viking expeditions take him to lands as far apart as England, Moorish Spain, Gaardarike (the country that was to become Russia), and the long road to Miklagard. The salt-sea spray, the swaying deck awash in slippery blood are the backdrop to fascinating stories of King Harald Blue Tooth, the Jomsvikings, attempts to convert the Northmen to Christianity, and much else. Like H. Rider Haggard, Bengtsson is a master of the epic form.


Adult-onset-still's disease is systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown origin, several reports have suggested a triggering infection in Adult-onset- still's disease, we describe a case of uncommon presentation of ASD associated with cytomegalovirus infection. A 25 year-old male was admitted to our hospital complaining of high fever. The physical examination showed Right basal crepitation, with pericardial rub. Although several antibiotics were administered, the spiking high fever was not alleviated. Two weeks after admission a macular rash appeared, and a high concentration of serum ferritin was observed. At this point, Still's disease was suspected. During the prescribed course of prednisolone, hepatic enzymes gradually increased accompanied by a positive test for cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigen. The symptoms disappeared after administration of gancyclovir and steroid. In this report, we attempt to portray the relation between the pathogenesis of adultonset Still's disease and the presence of CMV antigen.


Extreme multi-label classification (XMLC) is a problem of tagging an instance with a small subset of relevant labels chosen from an extremely large pool of possible labels. Large label spaces can be efficiently handled by organizing labels as a tree, like in the hierarchical softmax (HSM) approach commonly used for multi-class problems. In this paper, we investigate probabilistic label trees (PLTs) that have been recently devised for tackling XMLC problems. We show that PLTs are a no-regret multi-label generalization of HSM when precision@$k$ is used as a model evaluation metric. Critically, we prove that pick-one-label heuristic---a reduction technique from multi-label to multi-class that is routinely used along with HSM---is not consistent in general. We also show that our implementation of PLTs, referred to as extremeText (XT), obtains significantly better results than HSM with the pick-one-label heuristic and XML-CNN, a deep network specifically designed for XMLC problems. Moreover, XT is competitive to many state-of-the-art approaches in terms of statistical performance, model size and prediction time which makes it amenable to deploy in an online system.


High levels of spontaneous physical activity in lean people and the nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) derived from that activity appear to protect lean people from obesity during caloric challenge, while obesity in humans is characterized by dramatically reduced spontaneous physical activity. We have similarly demonstrated that obesity-resistant rats have significantly greater spontaneous physical activity than obesity-prone rats, and that spontaneous physical activity predicts body weight gain. Although the energetic cost of activity varies between types of activity and may be regulated, individual level of spontaneous physical activity is important in determining propensity for obesity. We review the current status of knowledge about the brain mechanisms involved in controlling the level of spontaneous physical activity and the NEAT so generated. Focus is on potential neural mediators of spontaneous physical activity and NEAT, including orexin A (also known as hypocretin 1), agouti-related protein, ghrelin, and neuromedin U, in addition to brief mention of neuropeptide Y, corticotrophin releasing hormone, cholecystokinin, estrogen, leptin, and dopamine effects on spontaneous physical activity. We further review evidence that strain differences in orexin stimulation pathways for spontaneous physical activity and NEAT appear to track with the body weight phenotype, thus providing a potential mechanistic explanation for reduced activity and weight gain.


Rapid changes on the world stage have strengthened the argument for society and universities to become wisdom-oriented. This paper discusses wisdom in the context of higher education, its relationship with case-based learning and how wisdom was imparted in case teaching. For the latter, the concept of wisdom-related knowledge was adopted, operationalised as factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, contextualisation, relativism, and uncertainty. The construct was aligned with case-based learning activities which were synthesised from the 'cognitive' dimensions of Henri (1992). They provided the basis for developing teaching strategies to impart wisdom-related knowledge to students undertaking a Master unit in Information Technology Value Realisation at an Australian university. The research approach used was that of technical reflection within the reflection-on-action paradigm. Each of the strategies is discussed first, by providing insight into underlying theory and second, to reflect on actions that resulted. The research concludes with a model that integrates cognitive dimensions, teaching strategies and wisdom criteria to guide educationalists during the transfer of wisdom-related knowledge to their students.


This essay is a contribution to a festschrift honoring Pepperdine law professor Robert Cochran. In addition to his many other professional accomplishments, Professor Cochran is a leading figure in the study of Law and Christianity.

One strain of Law and Christianity scholarship focuses on normative critiques of substantive legal issues based on Christian theology. In other words, it seeks to make the civil law more moral; i.e., to conform Man's Law to God's Law. A second strain seeks to help lawyers deal with the difficulties inherent in being a Christian and a lawyer. As Cochran has put it, one might ask "whether there is a connection between religious faith and what ordinary lawyers do in ordinary law offices on ordinary Wednesday afternoons."

Cochran's work has intersected both possibilities. In Part I of this Article, I tackle his analysis of the extent to which we should strive to harmonize God's and Man's Law. In Part II, I turn to Cochran's analysis of the Christian lawyer's vocation. In both parts, I come at his work from the perspective of a Roman Catholic called upon to give religious assent to both Christian scripture and, where I differ from Cochran, the Church's Magisterium.


This paper explores some of the issues that arise in the regulation of Islamic capital market products and services. As many of the products are distributed to retail clients by Islamic banks and through the Islamic windows of conventional banks, it is also pertinent to deal with the regulation of these institutions, not least because of the distinctive liability and asset structures of Islamic banks. Liquidity and capital adequacy are considered, as well as questions of product information disclosure and transparency. Islamic banks and the Islamic windows of conventional banks offer brokerage facilities for securities trading. How should such facilities be regulated, and are there any unique issues that arise because of the need for shariah compliance? Islamic banks also use Islamic sukuk securities for liquidity management. How does the status of such assets compare with their conventional equivalents? This is likely to become a major issue confronting regulators in the years ahead given the rapid growth of these securities.


Walsh, Cartwright, Corish, Sugrue & Wood-Martin (2011) suggest that the need for sound nutritional knowledge regarding both general concepts that pertain to healthy eating habits as well as the dietary principles that should be met for optimal sports performance, is of vital importance. According to Strachan (2009), adolescent sportsrelated nutrition knowledge is an area of great concern and in need of investigation, especially amongst local adolescent rugby players. Rugby is a high contact sport and the popularity of rugby union-related matches has considerably increased on a global scale (Griffiths 2012; Walsh et al 2011; Quarrie, Alsop, Waller, Bird, Marshall & Chalmers 2001). Unfortunately, Webb & Beckford (2013) and Burkhart (2010) recognize that there is limited published research available where an investigation into the generaland sports-related nutrition knowledge of adolescent athletes was conducted. This study aims to determine the generaland sports-related nutrition knowledge of male adolescent rugby players attending a boys only secondary, urban government school in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. A cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescent rugby players (N= 110) at a local urban, government school in Pietermaritzburg (mean age =15.22 ± 1.430). The players were requested to complete a nutrition knowledge questionnaire developed initially by Whati (2005) for urban South African adolescents. For the purpose of this study the questionnaire was adjusted in accordance with the study objectives using peer-reviewed journals. The results showed that urban, government-level adolescent rugby players have an adequate generaland sports-related nutrition knowledge but lacked knowledge in the field of carbohydrates, understanding of what a wellbalanced diet and healthy eating entails as well as the intake and role of protein. Parents and the media were selected as the two major sources of this information. More than half the participants admitted to using a nutritional supplement 3-4 times a week. There was no statistically significant trend in the improvement of knowledge from the under 14 to the open age groups, perhaps emphasizing the lack of sound nutrition education. Several statistically significant trends regarding nutrition practices, such as


The Mediterranean has always been an area of strategic interest for the European Union (EU), since its establishment, has woven with his partners of the South and East of the Mediterranean a dense network of relationships, by signing agreements cooperation, first, and association, then. The study aims to present an evolutionary picture of the agro-food trade network between the countries of the EU's Mediterranean partners and his neighbours in North Africa and the Near East. Using specific indicators, widely used in the economic literature that analyse trade in sectors, however, different from the agro-food, to measure the intensity of the trade. In particular, the analysis by the application of bilateral trade indices according to Frankel and Rose (1997) and Traistaru (2004) showed, on the whole, a progressive weakening of the intensity of agro-food trade in the period 1996-2010. The analysis of indices of intensity of bilateral trade between the partners in the area, helped to identify the main factors that regulate the commercial relations, and in particular the historical and colonial relations, as in the case of France, and physical distance, which determines the phenomena of border trade. Conversely, the Association Agreements and the Stabilisation and Association Agreement signed between the EU on the one hand, and the Mediterranean partners, on the other, have played a marginal role in almost all trade in food products, distinguishing itself not a relation between the positive trend of the intensity of trade and the signing and entry into force of the agreements.


Nylon 18 18 and nylon 18 1,3-adamantanedicarboxylic acid (ADA) have been synthesized via melt polycondensation and characterized by thermal and spectroscopic techniques. Good film forming behavior combined with film toughness and flexibility indicate reasonable molecular weights for both. The higher aliphatic content of nylon 18 18 leads to increased resistance to common organic solvents over commercial nylons. Crystallization of nylon 18 18 combines hydrogen bonding of the amide units with a more significant contribution from van der Waals forces than possible for lower aliphatic content nylons due to the greater aliphatic chain lengths. Solid state 15 N CP/MAS NMR indicates a mostly amorphous polymer, with crystalline regions comprised of the thermodynamically stable α-form generally adopted by even―even nylons. Nylon 18 ADA as-produced is completely amorphous as determined by differential scanning calorimetry. However, solution cast samples of nylon 18 ADA shows some ordered structures that can grow into more stable crystals with annealing. These crystals, once melted, do not recrystallize possibly due to chain rearrangement inhibited by bulky adamantly-groups.


Distributed video coding (DVC) is rapidly gaining popularity as a low cost, robust video coding solution, that reduces video encoding complexity. DVC is built on distributed source coding (DSC) principles where correlation between sources to be compressed is exploited at the decoder side. In the case of DVC, a current frame available only at the encoder is estimated at the decoder with side information generated from other frames available at the decoder. One of the main challenges in DVC design is that correlation among the source and side information needs to be estimated online and as accurately as possible. Since correlation dynamically changes with the scene, in order to exploit the robustness of DSC code designs, we integrate particle filtering (PF) with standard belief propagation (BP) decoding for inference on one joint factor graph to estimate correlation among source and side information. Correlation estimation is performed online as it is carried out jointly with decoding of the graph-based DSC code. Moreover, we demonstrate our joint bit-plane decoding with adaptive correlation estimation schemes within state-of-the-art DVC systems, which are transform-domain based with a feedback channel for rate adaptation. Experimental results show that our proposed system gives a significant performance improvement compared to the benchmark state-of-the-art DISCOVER codec (including correlation estimation) and the case without dynamic PF tracking, due to improved knowledge of timely correlation statistics via the combination of joint bit-plane decoding and particle-based BP (PBP) tracking.


In Eros and Revolution, Javier Sethness Castro presents a comprehensive intellectual and political biography of the critical theorist Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979), investigating the Hegelian-Marxist, Romantic, existentialist, social-psychological, and anti-authoritarian dimensions of his thought, as well as his contemporary relevance.


Brown rot symptoms were observed on Chamaecyparis shrubs planted in the green landscape of Gorgan region, Golestan province (36°30′38°′′ N, 53°57′56°′′ E), as twig dieback during January 2015. More than 20% of the trees were observed with disease symptoms. Initial symptoms were brown lesions on the leaves. These occurred at the tip or edge of the leaves (Fig. 1a). Leaves with these symptoms were harvested and surface-disinfected for 2 min in 2% NaOCl, then they were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA), incubated at 25°C for 10 days in dark conditions. The colony appeared like a cottony shape on PDA after 10 days at 25°C with a dimension of 35 mm (Fig 1b). The dark brown color of mycelia was observed from underneath the Petri plates (Fig. 1c). Conidium was produced in acervuli and formed individually or integrated on the surface of colonies. Conidiophores with holoblastic and anellidic conidiogenous cells arise from acervulus, which were colorless and often cylindrical (Fig. 1d). Conidia were fusiform, four cells (Fig. 1d) with the measurement of 4–7 (5.4) × 15–21 (17.3) μm, basic colorless cells with dimensions 3–6 (4.1) × 3–4(3.2) μm were measured. The size of the terminal cells was observed 4–6 (5.4) × 3–4 (3) μm with one or more appendages often simple or branched (Fig 2e). They were colorless and the length was measured as 10–22 (15.8) μm. Two alternate cells were dark brown and the total size was measured 5–8(7) × 13–16(14.6) μm. Based on morphological characteristics of the fungal isolates, they were identified and compared with description keys of Sutton (Sutton 1980). The isolates were identified as Truncatella angustata (Pers.) S. Hughes. The differences of Truncatella and Pestalotiopsis are the number of conidia transverse septa. Truncatella conidia have three transverse septa and endogenous papillae were simple, while in Pestalotiopsis conidia has four transverse septa and endogenous papillae was simple or branched (Sergeeva et al. 2005). After DNA extraction the specific DNA of the fungus was amplified using PCR with Taq DNA polymerase according to manufacturer instructions. The PCR analysis was performed according to the method described previously. The PCR product was sequenced and recognized by the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1–5.8S–ITS4) region of rDNA. The resulting sequence (600bp) was submitted to a BLAST search to find the most similar sequences in the GenBank database. These isolates were identified by morphological characterization and sequence analysis of ITS region. The similarity to sequences of ex–type isolates was recognized and confirmed in NCBI (Truncatella angustata, Accession number: MG383932.1(. The culture was deposited at the Iranian Fungal Culture Collection (IRAN...C) with accession number (IRAN 3050C) at the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran, Iran. Truncatella angustata which was the host of the vine had been reported previously (Sergeeva et al. 2005). Moreover, this fungus caused the dieback of the vine in the vineyard of west Azerbaijan province by an isolate of Truncatella sp. (Moshari et al. 2012). In addition, it was reported as a pathogen of olive fruit in Zanjan province (Torbati et al. 2012). Truncatella angustata was also recorded as the cause of leaf spots on Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, for the first time in Iran, however, was not explained thoroughly (Ershad 2009).


The current global economic system, which is fueled by externalizing environmental costs, growing exponentially, consuming more, and a widening wealth gap between rich and poor, is misaligned to meet the climate imperative to rapidly reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs). Amidst this system breakdown as we reach the end of the Industrial Age, the new economy movement has emerged to provide an alternative approach where ecological balance, wealth equity, and vibrant democracy are central to economic activity. Laws are the fundamental infrastructure that undergirds our economic and political system. Environmental law is typically conceived as a set of rules that establish pollutant limits for specific waterbodies, protect an identified species, or direct an industry to use a required technology. Although necessary, these types of law do not address the fundamentals of our political economy, and the most dramatic failure of environmental law is seen in increasing amounts of GHGs and global climate disruption. In order to develop a new economic system that is aligned with a climate and economic justice imperative, we need laws that will facilitate the new system and discourage the old. This chapter discusses systems thinking and systems change, highlighting leverage points to achieve change. It gives an overview of the new economy movement that has emerged to provide a new narrative, and using a systems lens, identifies areas where the law needs to evolve to facilitate building a more sustainable, equitable, and democratic future.


Since the 1970s, the performance and conceptual artist Suzanne Lacy has explored women's lives and experiences, as well as race, ethnicity, aging, economic disparities, and violence, through her pioneering community-based art. Combining aesthetics and politics, and often collaborating with other artists and community organizations, she has staged large-scale public art projects, sometimes involving hundreds of participants. Lacy has consistently written about her work: planning, describing, and analyzing it; advocating socially engaged art practices; theorizing the relationship between art and social intervention; and questioning the boundaries separating high art from popular participation. By bringing together thirty texts that Lacy has written since 1974, Leaving Art offers an intimate look at the development of feminist, conceptual, and performance art since those movements' formative years. In the introduction, the art historian Moira Roth provides a helpful overview of Lacy's art and writing, which in the afterword the cultural theorist Kerstin Mey situates in relation to contemporary public art practices.


Urban heat island (UHI) effects can strengthen heat waves and air pollution episodes. In this study, the dampening impact of urban trees on the UHI during an extreme heat wave in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan area is examined by incorporating trees, soil, and grass into the coupled Weather Research and Forecasting model and an urban canopy model (WRF-UCM). By parameterizing the effects of these natural surfaces alongside roadways and buildings, the modified WRF-UCM is used to investigate how urban trees, soil, and grass dampen the UHI. The modified model was run with 50% tree cover over urban roads and a 10% decrease in the width of urban streets to make space for soil and grass alongside the roads and buildings. Results show that, averaged over all urban areas, the added vegetation decreases surface air temperature in urban street canyons by 4.1 K and road-surface and building-wall temperatures by 15.4 and 8.9 K, respectively, as a result of tree shading and evapotranspiration. These temperature changes propagate downwind and alter the temperature gradient associated with the Chesapeake Bay breeze and, therefore, alter the strength of the bay breeze. The impact of building height on the UHI shows that decreasing commercial building heights by 8 m and residential building heights by 2.5 m results in up to 0.4-K higher daytime surface and near-surface air temperatures because of less building shading and up to 1.2-K lower nighttime temperatures because of less longwave radiative trapping in urban street canyons.


Parameters in chocolate rheology, namely shear viscosity and yield stress, are important in manufacture and directly influenced by product particle size distribution (PSD) and composition. The Casson model was the standard confectionery industry strategy to quantify rheological properties of molten chocolate until in 2000, the International Confectionery Association recommended the use of interpolation data to describe viscosity. The two strategies are compared and correlated in defining rheological properties of molten dark chocolates prepared using different PSD, fat and lecithin content. Rheological parameters were determined using a shear rate-controlled rheometer and data examined using correlation, regression and principal component analyses to establish their inter-relationships. Correlation and regression analyses showed high correlation (r = 0.89-1.00) and regression coefficients (R2 = 0.84-1.00). The newer International Confectionery Association technique gave higher correlation and regression coefficients than the Casson model, but multivariate principal component analysis showed that the two models were highly related and either could effectively quantify dark chocolate viscosity parameters.


The utilization of agro-processing by-products as a veritable source of nitrogen for vegetable production is being popularized. An experiment to determine the effect of rubber effluent as an inorganic fertilizer on the growth, yield and nutritional composition of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F) was conducted at Landmark University Teaching and Research Farm between 2014. The experiment consisted of four treatments which are: control, rubber effluent, urea, and rubber effluent + urea laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Data on the response of the morphological traits such as vine length, number of leaf/plant, and leaf area recorded fortnightly 2 weeks after transplanting while proximate composition on leaf were determined after harvest. Parameters assessed were significantly (p<0.05) increased by the applied fertilizer types. Rubber effluent + urea had the highest vine length at 4, 6, 8, and 10 WAT, urea fertilizer, had the highest leaf number at 8 & 10 WAT, while the leaf area was highest at 8 & 10 WAT with rubber effluent + urea treatment. The crude protein (41.76 %) was highest at rubber effluent + urea treatment, while treatment with rubber effluent had the highest % ether extract (13.33%) and crude fibre (7.5 %).


This paper presents results of a survey of the security practices of introductory IS and MIS students that was conducted with the intent both to enliven classroom discussion of security topics and to provide an understanding of the state of student knowledge of security issues which can serve to guide curriculum development in this area. Survey results suggest that students, almost without exception, have anti-virus and personal firewall security software installed on their personal computers. Students are also found to be rather conscientious with regard to protecting their PCs and avoiding viruses and scams. However, significant numbers of students, particularly introductory students, tend to view tight network security rules as being overly stringent. Introductory students may not yet have the level of awareness of network security requirements that will be required when they enter the workplace.


In wild-type cells, the 3' poly(A) structure is necessary for translation of mRNA and for mRNA stability. The superkiller 2 (ski2), ski3, ski6, ski7, and ski8 mutations enhance the expression of the poly(A)(-) mRNAs of yeast RNA viruses. Ski2p is a DEVH-box RNA helicase and Slh1p resembles Ski2p. Both repress L-A double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus copy number, further suggesting that their functions may overlap. We find that slh1Delta ski2Delta double mutants are healthy (in the absence of viruses) and show normal rates of turnover of several cellular mRNAs. The slh1Delta ski2Delta strains translate electroporated nonpoly(A) mRNA with the same kinetics as polyA(+) mRNA. Thus, the translation apparatus is inherently capable of efficiently using nonpoly(A) mRNA even in the presence of normal amounts of competing poly(A)(+) mRNA, but is normally prevented from doing so by the combined action of the nonessential proteins Ski2p and Slh1p.


In budding yeasts, fermentation in the presence of oxygen evolved around the time of a whole genome duplication (WGD) and is thought to confer dominance in high‐sugar environments because ethanol is toxic to many species. Although there are many fermentative yeast species, only Saccharomyces cerevisiae consistently dominates wine fermentations. In this study, we use coculture experiments and intrinsic growth rate assays to examine the relative fitness of non‐WGD and WGD yeast species across environments to assess when S. cerevisiae's ability to dominate high‐sugar environments arose. We show that S. cerevisiae dominates nearly all other non‐WGD and WGD species except for its sibling species S. paradoxus in both grape juice and a high‐sugar rich medium. Of the species we tested, S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus have evolved the highest ethanol tolerance and intrinsic growth rate in grape juice. However, the ability of S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus to dominate certain species depends on the temperature and the type of high‐sugar environment. Our results indicate that dominance of high‐sugar environments evolved much more recently than the WGD, most likely just prior to or during the differentiation of Saccharomyces species, and that evolution of multiple traits contributes to S. cerevisiae's ability to dominate wine fermentations.


Background: Endodontically treated teeth with severe loss of tooth structure require post and core restorations for retention purposes. The post system includes components of different rigidity because the rigid component is able to withstand forces without distortion and the stress is transferred to less rigid substrate. The difference between the elastic modulus of dentin and the post material may be a source of stress for root structures. The use of post systems that have an elastic modulus similar to that of dentin result in the creation of a mechanically homogenous unit with better biomechanical performance. Thus the post and core material affects stress distribution in endodontically treated teeth.Aims and Objectives: In this study, FEA is used to evaluate the fracture resistance in an endodontically treated maxillary central incisor that was restored with two different post systems – 1) prefabricated glass fiber post and 2) custom made cast post. The qualitative stress distribution analyses were recorded by von Mises criteria. Results: von Mises stress in an intact tooth was concentrated in the crown near the cingulum under oblique load and on the incisal edge with vertical load. With horizontal load- In the crown region, maximum von Mises stress was observed in both the cast post and fiber post. Within the post region, maximum von Mises stress was observed in cast post when compared to fiber post. In the root dentin, more von Mises stress was observed in fiber post when compared to cast post. Conclusion: 1)Stress distribution is similar between cast post and fiber post during vertical load. 2)Cast metal post dissipates less stress to the dentin and gives better fracture resistance to the tooth when compared to glass fiber post during oblique loading. When considering the stress pattern, maximum stress was observed in the cervical region of the crown and in the area of load application during oblique and vertical loading.


Renewable biofuels can offset greenhouse gases by replacing fossil fuels destined for internal combustion engines. However, biofuels have their own setbacks and may lead to poor combustion inside the engine cylinder. In this study, nanoparticles and butanol were blended either separately or together with waste cooking oil biodiesel and neat rape seed oil to investigate the impact of these additives on the properties and spray characteristics. The investigation comprised of three stages, with each having an effect on how the next stage of the investigation was conducted. Initially, the physicochemical characteristics of 25ppm, 50ppm, 75ppm and 100ppm concentrations of aluminium oxide and copper oxide nanoparticle blends with fossil diesel, waste cooking oil biodiesel and rapeseed oil were investigated. The results from first stage investigation showed that, in general, blends containing aluminium oxide nanoparticles gave better results for almost all the concentrations when compared with copper oxide nanoparticle blends with the same nanoparticle concentrations. Overall, waste cooking oil biodiesel blended with 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticle showed most promising results like the flash point of 159.3°C, kinematic viscosity @40°C of 4.66 cSt, and gross calorific value of 44.43 MJ/kg. These values were 61.6% higher, 51.3% higher and 3.2% lower than that of corresponding fossil diesel values. Subsequently, in the second stage of the study, the addition of butanol was investigated to assess its ability to enhance the emulsion of biofuel-nanoparticles blends. Four blends containing 90% biodiesel & 10% butanol, and 90% rapeseed oil & 10% butanol, with and without 100ppm Al2O3 were prepared. Results showed that the kinematic viscosity of the fuel blends containing 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticles were decreased by 0.4% and 3.3%, for 90% biodiesel & 10% butanol and 90% rapeseed oil & 10% butanol blends respectively, when compared to without the nanoparticles. The results obtained from the second stage of investigation proved that butanol acted as a surfactant and thus addition of butanol helped to improve the properties of the biofuel-nanoparticle blends. In the third stage of the study, the spray characteristics of fossil diesel, biodiesel, biodiesel + 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticles, rapeseed oil, rapeseed oil + 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticles, 90% biodiesel & 10% butanol, 90% biodiesel & 10% butanol + 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticles, 90% rapeseed oil & 10% butanol and 90% rapeseed oil & 10% butanol + 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticles were investigated. It was found that amongst all fuels, blend containing 90% biodiesel + 10% butanol + 100ppm aluminium oxide nanoparticles gave better spray characteristics; for example, the liquid sheet angle was 7.14% lower and the spray cone angle was 7.87% higher than the corresponding fossil diesel values. The study concluded that the spray characteristics and properties of biofuels could be improved by blending with both aluminium oxide nanoparticles and butanol.


Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) family ligands initiate a cascade of events capable of modulating cellular growth and differentiation. The receptors responsible for transducing these cellular signals are referred to as the type I and type II TGF beta receptors. Ligand binding to the type II receptor results in the transphosphorylation and activation of the type I receptor. This heteromeric complex then propagates the signal(s) to downstream effectors. There is presently little data concerning the fate of TGF beta receptors after ligand binding, with conflicting reports indicating no change or decreasing cell surface receptor numbers. To address the fate of ligand-activated receptors, we have used our previously characterized chimeric receptors consisting of the ligand binding domain from the granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor alpha or beta receptor fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain of the type I or type II TGF beta receptor. This system not only provides the necessary sensitivity and specificity to address these types of questions but also permits the differentiation of endocytic responses to either homomeric or heteromeric intracellular TGF beta receptor oligomerization. Data are presented that show, within minutes of ligand binding, chimeric TGF beta receptors are internalized. However, although all the chimeric receptor combinations show similar internalization rates, receptor down-regulation occurs only after activation of heteromeric TGF beta receptors. These results indicate that effective receptor down-regulation requires cross-talk between the type I and type II TGF beta receptors and that TGF beta receptor heteromers and homomers show distinct trafficking behavior.


A secure network protocol called the authenticated datagram protocol (ADP) that optimizes the performance of global networks by establishing host-to-host secure channels and building agent-to-agent channels on top of host-to-host channels is presented. The performance advantages of ADP come with an accompanying set of trust requirements that are stringent for a network spanning mutually distrustful organizations. The cause for this stringency is shown to be propagation of trust relationships in ADP. Methods of breaking their propagation and thereby accomplishing a significant reduction in ADP's trust requirements are presented. ADP, being a protocol for establishing host-to-host channels, can be handled at the subtransport level of the protocol hierarchy. A prototype of ADP implemented on Sun workstations connected by an Ethernet is described. Experimental measurements confirm that both the average latency of messages and the maximum throughput are substantially better than other secure protocols. >


We present updated measurements of time-dependent CP asymmetries in fully reconstructed neutral B decays containing a charmonium meson. The measurements reported here use a data sample of ð 465 (cid:2) 5 Þ (cid:3) 10 6 (cid:1) ð 4 S Þ ! B (cid:1) B decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric energy e þ e (cid:4) storage rings operating at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The time-dependent CP asymmetry parameters measured from J c K 0 S , J c K 0 L , c ð 2 S Þ K 0 S , (cid:2) c K 0 S , (cid:3) c 1 K 0 S , and J= c K (cid:1) ð 892 Þ 0 decays are: C f ¼ 0 : 024 (cid:2) 0 : 020 ð stat Þ (cid:2) 0 : 016 ð syst Þ and (cid:4) (cid:2) f S f ¼ 0 : 687 (cid:2) 0 : 028 ð stat Þ (cid:2) 0 : 012 ð syst Þ .


Mining is a key driver of Australian economic development, particularly in resource-rich Western Australia. Ensuring adequate rehabilitation of mine sites after the completion of mining has been an ongoing challenge for Australia's states and territories. Mining securities and financial assurance frameworks have sought to achieve compliance in this area through a combination of the use of performance bonds, inspection and monitoring, and societal pressure.

Outcomes have been mixed at best, and Western Australia has a significant legacy of abandoned mine sites, which represent a substantial potential liability for the State. To address these issues, the Western Australian state government introduced a new mining securities system, the Mining Rehabilitation Fund, which commenced in 2013.

This thesis analyses the objectives and the impacts of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in Western Australia. It does so using an empirical approach based on interviews with lawyers with experience in the application of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund, and aims to advance understanding of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund by comparing their experiences against theoretical analyses on mining securities to date. It also considers concerns raised by interviewees about mining securities within the wider framework.

This thesis suggests that, while in its early stages, the Mining Rehabilitation Fund has been successful in establishing a pooled fund to address the issues of abandoned mine sites and legacy mine rehabilitation. It has achieved this without placing an unreasonable financial or administrative burden on the industry.

However, the Mining Rehabilitation Fund's effectiveness is reduced by the ongoing exclusion of State Agreement mines. The Mining Rehabilitation Fund also provides little incentive to undertake progressive rehabilitation for mine operators. The risks to the State in instances of operator insolvency appear to have increased, and therefore the State may have acted too rapidly in returning most of the performance bonds, at least before completion of a transitional period.


In this paper, we review the state of Internet of Things (IoT) security research, with a focus on recent countermeasures that attempt to address vulnerabilities and attacks in IoT networks. Due to the fact that IoT encompasses a large range of significantly distinct environments, each of which merits their own survey, our survey focuses mainly on the smart home environment. Based on the papers surveyed, we pinpoint several challenges and open issues that have yet to be adequately addressed in the realm of IoT security research. Lastly, in order to address these open issues, we provide a list of future research directions on which we believe researchers should focus.


Lake margin sedimentary systems can provide highly sensitive records of sedimentary response to climate change. The Middle Old Red Sandstone of Northern Scotland comprises a thick succession of cyclic lacustrine sediments. Within this succession the deepest lake phase, the Achanarras fish bed, allows bed‐scale correlation over 160 km across the basin. This provides a unique opportunity to examine the character of synchronous lake margin deposits, and their response to climatically driven lake level fluctuations, across a large continental basin. Detailed characterization of two separate lake margin systems was carried out utilizing multiple sections in western Orkney, in the north, and Easter Ross, in the south. Seven facies have been recognized, which include upper and lower shoreface, deep lake, shallow lake, playa, turbidite and fluvial facies. Differences in vertical and lateral facies stacking patterns reflect the response of these systems to climatically driven fluctuations in lake level. Comparison of the northern and southern systems examined highlights the variable response of lake margin systems to the same climatic change and related lake level fluctuations. In the south, a greater fluvial influence is recognized on the development of the lake margin successions, whereas in the northern example, which lay on the downwind margin of the lake, shore zone facies are more commonly developed. The variability recognized can be accounted for by regional variations in sediment supply, coastal physiography, lake size, bathymetry and potential fetch. Lake level stability is also recognized as a major control on the development of lake margin sedimentary systems, as is the linked or unlinked relationship of the catchment and the lake basin climate for which a conceptual model is proposed.


Purpose

– This research aims at making recommendations to empower the Sri Lankan local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment. Disasters make a huge impact on the built environment. In turn, failure of the built environment can create significant impacts on social and economic activities. Thus, when moving towards safer cities, it is important to develop the built environment in such a way that it can withstand threats posed by natural disasters. Various stakeholders need to get involved in the process of making a disaster resilient built environment, of which the local governments need to play a critical role, as they are the closest government body to the local community. However, local governments are facing a number of challenges in responding to city resilience activities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research adopts case studies as its research strategy and investigates three cities in Sri Lanka which are potentially vulnerable to disasters. A number of expert interviews have also been conducted to supplement the case study findings.

Findings

– The paper presents the challenges faced by the Sri Lankan municipalities in creating a disaster resilient built environment and provides recommendations to empower municipalities to effectively contribute to city resilience. The paper suggests amending policies related to establishment of municipal councils and disaster management to provide more authoritative powers for municipalities to effectively engage in city resilience building. Findings also revealed the importance of addressing financial and human resource issues, which were the main drivers of hindrance. Furthermore, all relevant urban development plans, risk maps, disaster resilient planning, construction and operation guidelines and resilient land use practices need to be integrated into existing planning and building regulations, and proper monitoring and control mechanisms have to be established to ensure compliance with the regulations. In doing so, it is important to raise awareness of council officials of disaster risks and resilient practices by way of organising educational programmes such as seminars and workshops. It is also suggested that municipal officials should be involved in national-level decision-making with regard to their local areas and to establish proper communication channels to exchange decision and information related to city resilience.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper is based on case studies in three cities and a number of expert interviews, which are limited to the Sri Lankan context. Inputs from other cities from developed countries may further validate the recommendations.

Originality/value

– The paper highlights the challenges faced by the local governments in creating a disaster resilient built environment within Sri Lankan cities and provides recommendations as to how the local governments could be empowered in creating a disaster resilient built environment within cities.


The present evaluation of chlorinated pesticides is the result of the detection of tumors, hepatic and renal necrosis and skeletal anomalies in species of fish cultivated in artificial lagoons in the Lake Maracaibo Basin, specifically, in the Municipality of Paez, State of Zulia. Water, sediment and fish samples were taken from randomly selected lagoons. Using gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), concentrations of twelve organochlorine compounds were detected in the lagoon water and sediments in July 1987-1988 and eleven in fish between January 1991 and July 1992: a.BHC, g-BHC (Lindane), Heptachlor, β-BHC, Aldrin, Endosulfan, DDE, Dieldrin, TDE, Endrin, DDT and Metoxychlor. These toxic compounds may be an important factor in causing the above pathological problems.


In order to sustain transmission grid availability and reliability it is imperative that the condition of vital and costly high voltage equipment is ascertained on a continuous or regular basis. It is necessary to establish the effective diagnostic tools or surveillance devices that can be used to assess equipment condition. Emphasis has been placed on refining well-established and more novel but developing condition assessment techniques. It is important to note that condition assessment of equipment also allows the opportunity to predict failure. Based on a complete and systematic assessment, the failure of defective equipment may be evident or predicted in time, thus preventing a forced outage and loss of valuable 'system minutes'. It has also become necessary to extend the life of existing equipment since most of them are reaching the end of their useful life. Replacement strategies have proven to be ineffective due to financial and resource constraints experienced by utilities. Life extension is the work required to keep equipment operating economically beyond its anticipated life, with optimum availability, efficiency and safety. One of its principal components is condition assessment, with the possibility of predicting remnant life. As a result, refurbishment projects are then raised. Refurbishment by replacement, uprating, modifications or change of design of certain key components to extend the life usually requires a substantial amount of capital to be invested. These projects must be economically justified. This thesis focuses on establishing condition assessment techniques for major power equipment such as power transformers. Assessment techniques for instrument transformers and circuit breakers are included, since these are commonly replaced or modified under refurbishment projects. An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the effectiveness of integrating data of two diagnostic techniques i.e. dissolved gas analysis (on-line) and acoustic detection of partial discharges. It was found that there is a correlation between data obtained from an acoustic detection system and an on-line single gas (Hydrogen) analyser. By integrating the data of both on-line monitoring systems, the diagnostic process is further enhanced. In addition, the location of a fixed discharge source was verified by using an acoustic detection system. Further, the sensitivity of the acoustic technique to partial discharge inception voltage, relative to the established electrical detection technique was determined for the experimental arrangement used. The results obtained indicated that this is an effective technique for the evaluation of activity within a transformer structure.


Prolonged exposure to petrol has been shown to be a significant health hazard, especially for skeletal, circulatory, immune and reproductive systems. The present study investigates liver functions (alanine amino transferase and aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, total protein and albumin) and immune functions (IgG, IgA and IgM) in 29 male petrol attendants and compares them with corresponding values in 22 sex- and age-matched controls using spectrophotometry and single radial immuno-diffusion method respectively for determining the functions. All the liver function tests were similar in both petrol attendants and the controls except for significantly lower levels of ALP ( P =0.02). Also, the levels of IgG and IgA were similar in petrol attendants when compared with corresponding levels in controls, while the levels of IgM were significantly raised in petrol attendants when compared with corresponding levels in controls ( P =0.02). This study shows that parameters of liver functions are within normal range in Nigerian petrol attendants.


The grain chinch bug, Macchiademus diplopterus (Distant) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), is a pest of export fruit from South Africa of quarantine concern. During summer adult M. diplopterus move from their host plants, usually wheat, to find shelter for aestivation, and may settle on fruit, sheltering at the stalk and calyx ends. Grain chinch bugs are endemic to the Western Cape region of South Africa, but their distribution and abundance in the fruit-growing areas of this region are not known. A survey was conducted over a period of three years (2004–2007) to determine if any particular fruit-growing area or fruit type is more prone to grain chinch bug infestation. Data on the type of vegetation surrounding the sites used in the survey, and climatic data of each area were analysed to determine which factors influence M. diplopterus abundance. No particular fruit type was found to be more prone to infestation. Areas with high numbers of M. diplopterus (Ceres, Porterville and Piketberg) had significantly lower average monthly relative humidities and minimum temperatures than areas with low numbers. Surrounding wheat fields and close proximity of wheat fields to orchards also contribute to higher numbers of grain chinch bug in the orchards. In the absence of methods to control grain chinch bug in orchards or on deciduous fruit, producers in areas with high numbers are more likely to experience problems with rejections of consignments presented for export. Research is required to develop methods to control M. diplopterus.


Objectives: Emotions are linked to behaviour and an earlier study indicated that nurses' emotions may motivate or inhibit the provision of oral care. The current investigation is to explore these emotional motivators and barriers to answer the question, How do nurses' emotions influence oral care for patients? Methods: Focus groups conducted with a purposively selected sample of 41 student nurses, hygienists and qualified nurses were used to identify the emotional experiences involved. Ten one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 existing and 7 new nursing participants to verify individual experiences of these emotions. Data were transcribed verbatim. Textual data were analysed through the constant comparison of data in order to develop the themes. Results: The sight and smell of patients' unclean oral conditions can attract nurses' attention by eliciting disgust. Hygiene related disgust and anxiety towards harm from contamination can be experienced towards a dirty mouth. These emotions can motivate positive care behaviours. Cleanliness is believed to be good care; achieving this is felt with pride and satisfaction. In contrast, feelings of moral disgust are expressed towards a lack of effort to enable a patient to become clean but where oral care has been attempted but has failed, it may be accepted with disappointment. The action taken to care for a patient's dirty mouth can be moderated by emotional disgust and anxiety. Moral disgust is felt towards to intentionally causing harm and nurses are anxious towards these moral boundaries. Conclusions: The emotion of disgust is important for initiating and motivating nurses to provide oral care for their patients. Emotional rewards can be experienced by providing care. These motivating emotions should be used in oral health promotion activities and training programmes for nurses, to overcome barriers, enable behaviour change and secure patients' oral health.


The fact is, economics is not an experimental science and cannot be. "Natural" experiments and "quasi" experiments are not in fact experiments. They are rhetorical devices that are often invoked to avoid having to confront real econometric difficulties. Natural, quasi-, and computational experiments, as well as regression discontinuity design, can all, when well applied, be useful, but none are panaceas. The essay by Angrist and Pischke, in its enthusiasm for some real accomplishments in certain subfields of economics, makes overbroad claims for its favored methodologies. What the essay says about macroeconomics is mainly nonsense. Consequently, I devote the central part of my comment to describing the main developments that have helped take some of the con out of macroeconomics. Recent enthusiasm for single-equation, linear, instrumental variables approaches in applied microeconomics has led many in these fields to avoid undertaking research that would require them to think formally and carefully about the central issues of nonexperimental inference -- what I see and many see as the core of econometrics. Providing empirically grounded policy advice necessarily involves confronting these difficult central issues.


The catastrophic break-ups of the floating Larsen A and B ice shelves (Antarctica) in 1995 and 2002 and associated acceleration of glaciers that flowed into these ice shelves were among the most dramatic glaciological events observed in historical time. This raises a question about the larger West Antarctic ice shelves. Do these shelves, with their much greater glacial discharge, have a history of collapse? Here we describe features from the seafloor in Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica, which we interpret as having been formed during a massive ice shelf break-up and associated grounding line retreat. This evidence exists in the form of seafloor landforms that we argue were produced daily as a consequence of tidally influenced motion of mega-icebergs maintained upright in an iceberg armada produced from the disintegrating ice shelf and retreating grounding line. The break-up occurred prior to ca. 12 ka and was likely a response to rapid sea-level rise or ocean warming at that time.


Context. Empirical stellar libraries are extensively used to extract stellar kinematics in galaxies and to build stellar population models. An accurate knowledge of the spectral resolution of these libraries is critical for avoiding propagation errors and uncertain estimates of the intrinsic stellar velocity dispersion of stellar systems, such as galaxies and star clusters. Aims. In this research note we re-assess the spectral resolution of the MILES stellar library and of the stellar population models based on it. This exercise was performed, because of a recent controversy over the exact MILES resolution. Methods. We performed our test by comparing MILES stellar spectra with three different sets of higher resolution templates, one fully theoretical – the MARCS library – and two empirical ones, namely the Indo-US and ELODIE v3.1 libraries. The theoretical template has a well-defined, very high (R = 20 000) resolution, so errors in this theoretical value do not affect our conclusions. Our approach based on the MARCS library was also crucial for constraining the resolution of the two empirical templates. Results. We find that the MILES resolution is coarser than previously stated. We derive a new spectral resolution of 2.54 A FWHM, instead of the nominal 2.3 A. The reason for this difference is the previous overestimation of the resolution for the Indo-US library, which was used to estimate the MILES one. For the Indo-US library we obtain a new value of 1.35 A FWHM. Most important, the results derived from the MARCS and ELODIE libraries are in very good agreement. Conclusions. These results are important for users of the MILES spectra library and for further development of stellar population models aimed at obtaining accurate stellar kinematics and spectroscopic properties of galaxies


MORE THAN 300 YEARS HAVE PASSED since Lorenzo Bellini's (1643–1704) poetic description of the taste papillae in his work Gustus Organum (1665; see http://books.google.com/books/ about/Gustus_organum.html?id Uo6RE1CdjUwC): "Many papillae are evident, I might say, innumerable, and the appearance is so elegant that they catch the view and thoughts of the observer, and control him for a long time and not without enjoyment . . ." (3). However, only at the beginning of the 20th Century were the chemoreceptive areas of the human tongue for the qualities of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter tastes established (9), closely followed by the description of the distinctive quality of umami taste (12). Another hundred years passed before the actual sweet taste receptor was identified as a heterodimer of T1R2 and T1R3 proteins, members of the T1R G protein-coupled family of receptors (18), thereby establishing the missing link between the luminal sweet nutrients (e.g., glucose) and the already known second messengers within the taste cell, e.g., gustducin (17, 26), adenylyl cylase, and cyclic AMP (25), as well as phospholipase C 2 and calcium (23, 27). Even before the description of the specific sweet taste receptor T1R2/T1R3, the major signaling components of the taste cascade were identified in the intestinal tract, first in the rat intestine (10). Only four years after identification of the T1R2/T1R3 sweet receptor on the taste cell, the expression of T1R2 and T1R3 was verified in an intestinal cell line (STC-1, a pluripotential enteroendocrine cell line) as well as directly in the mouse small intestine (5). In 2007, Jang et al. (13) first established the link between the sweet taste transduction elements and secretion of the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) from the enteroendocrine L cell, proposing that glucose-associated GLP-1 secretion is mediated by the sweet taste receptor (for recent review see Ref. 24). The intestinal hormone GLP-1 is secreted by enteroendocrine L cells in response to numerous stimuli, particularly following direct stimulation with nutrients, e.g., carbohydrates or fat (11, 14). The biological actions of GLP-1 include increased insulin secretion and decreased glucagon release from the pancreatic islets; furthermore, GLP-1 delays gastric emptying and reduces appetite (2). As a result of these potent antidiabetic and anorectic properties, GLP-1 analogs and GLP-1 degradation inhibitors have been successfully introduced to the clinic and are considered safe for treatment of type 2 diabetes, particularly in morbidly obese patients (4). More recently, the cardioprotective properties of GLP-1 and its degradation products were described, particularly in patients with ischemic heart failure (19), suggesting possible future developments for GLP-1-based therapies. Understandably, these results increased focus on mechanisms underlying GLP-1 secretion from the intestinal L cell as a potential novel approach in the therapy of type 2 diabetes. While the increased GLP-1 secretion following stimulation with glucose was well established in vivo (6) and in vitro (21), the mechanisms underlying increased secretion were less clear. As an alternative approach to intestinal sweet taste receptors, the glucose-dependent closure of the KATP channel and the activation of sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) were considered important mediators of glucose-induced GLP-1 secretion, particularly due to the low expression levels of the taste transduction elements and a missing effect of artificial sweeteners in primary mouse L cells (22). Some other working groups also reported that artificial sweeteners do not stimulate GLP-1 secretion release in rodents and humans, questioning the role of the sweet taste receptor pathway in glucose-stimulated GLP-1 secretion (7, 15, 16). To address this controversy (for reviews see Refs. 20 and 24), further studies in mice lacking T1R2 and T1R3 were urgently needed to verify the role of the T1R2/T1R3 sweet taste receptor pathway in glucosestimulated GLP-1 secretion. Excitingly, the study by Geraedts et al. (17a) in a recent issue of this Journal addresses just this quite intriguing question of the biological relevance of T1R2 and T1R3 molecules in glucose-associated GLP-1 secretion in mice. The authors used established models of T1R2 and T1R3 knockout mice; additionally, some of the results of the study were reevaluated in rats with Roux-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), an established model for surgical treatment of morbidly obese patients. Interestingly, the T1R3 but not the T1R2 knockout mice showed an impaired response to an intestinal glucose load, particularly, decreased insulin levels and increased glucose levels, as shown by an oral glucose tolerance test. Furthermore, intestinal explants from the small intestine of T1R3 knockout mice failed to secrete GLP-1 following stimulation with glucose, fructose, and sucrose, suggesting a key role of T1R3 for GLP-1 secretion. The addition of glibenclamide, a potent inhibitor of KATP channels, did not affect GLP-1 secretion from the small intestine. However, unexpectedly, the T1R3 knockout animals showed increased GLP-1 secretion from large intestinal explants; moreover, glibenclamide significantly potentiated the GLP-1 secretion from the colonic explants, suggesting a role of KATP channels in GLP-1 secretion from the large, but not the small, intestine. To address these surprising findings, the authors further evaluated the changes in intestinal luminal content, detecting a significantly increased carbohydrate load in the large intestine of the T1R3 knockout animals. As a supportive model, the authors used RYGB rats; excitingly, the RYGB rat intestinal explants showed a comparable increase in colonic GLP-1 secretion. As expected, the RYGB rats also showed increased intestinal carbohydrate load, suggestive of a common mechanism. Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: L. M. Lauffer, Klinikum der LMU, Medizinische Klinik Campus Innenstadt, Ziemssenstr. 1, 80336 Munich, Germany (e-mail: email@example.com). Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 303: E813–E814, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00418.2012. Editorial Focus