The literature on various aspects of photoreactions of flavins has been extensively reviewed, with particular reference to recent developments in the techniques of study and the modes of photodegradation, to provide necessary background on the present state of flavin photochemistry.

The present investigation is based on a study of the aerobic photodegradation reactions of a) riboflavin at pH 7.0 in presence of sodium phosphate using 125 W medium-pressure mercury vapour lamp (MP lamp), 125 W high-pressure mercury vapour fluorescent lamp (HP lamp) and 150 W tungsten lamp, and at different ionic strengths and pH values (M.P lamp); and b) formylmethylflavin in water (pH 7.0) and organic solvents (HP lamp). .The 1ight intensity of the radiation sources has been measured by ferrioxalate actinometry during the reactions.

Several products have been detected in the photodegradation of riboflavin (RF) in presence of phosphate ions .and some of these have been identified as cyclodehydroribo flavin (CDRF), formylmethylflavin (FMF), lumichrome (LC), lumiflavin (LF) and carboxymethylflavin (CMF). Riboflavin and its major photoproducts, CDRF, FMF, LC and LF have been determined by a multicomponent spectrophotometric assay thus providing a, specific and relatively more accurate method to evaluate the Kinetics of the system.

RF, on irradiation in presence of HP042- ions, degrades by photoaddition and normal photolysis to give CDRF and LC respectively by paral lei first-order reactions, the relative rates being dependent upon the experimental conditions (i.e.,1ight intensity, pH, phosphate concentration) .The second order rate constants for the anion (HP042- ) catalysed photodegradation are 2.12x10-4M-1S-1(MP lamp),1.37 x 10 M-5M-1S-1(HP lamp) and 6.80 x10-5M-6s-1 (tungsten lamp) indicating the effect of light intensity on photoreactions. The relatively small rate constant for the formation of CDRF with the MP lamp(1.41 x 10 M-5M-1S-1) suggests the involvement of another species, e.g. H2P04- ions, probably catalysing the normal photolysis of riboflavin, i.e. the formation of LC (0.61 x 10 M-4M-1S-1) The sum of both rate constants (2.02x 10 M-4M-1S-1) is nearly equal to the rate constant for the degradation of RF. The least squares correlation coefficients ca1culateoj for the anion-catalysed rate constants ,are 0.995-0.999. These results provide Kinetic evidence to support the .current concepts of RF photodegradation in presence of phosphate ions.

A loss of RF fluorescence (367.) occurs in presence of 2 M phosphate concentration indicating substantial singlet quenching probably due to the formation of RF-HP042- complex leading to CDRF. The singlet quenching also results in a decrease in LC yields on moving from 0.5 M to 2.0 M phosphate concentration suggesting the involvement of excited singlet state in LC formation. The rate of photolysis (pH 7.0) increases linearly with increasing ionic strength of phosphate buffer for values upto 0.60. The value of zAzS (~+1) suggests the involvement of a charged intermediate in the rate determining step. The rate is slowest at pH 5.0 and increases about 2-fold at pH 3.0 and about 60-fold at pH 10.0.

The photolysis of FMF in water (pH 7.0) and organic solvents fold lows second-order Kinetics and depends upon the dielectric constant of the medium. The values of the rate constants range from 0.66 M-1S-1(chloroform) to 2.44M-1S-1(water). A linear relation has been observed between log K and the acceptor number of the highly structured solvents. The results have been explained on the basis of the existence of a dipolar intermediate both in water and organic solvents.


In recent years, food waste has become an increasingly discussed topic in both developed and developing countries. In developed countries, approximately 222 million tons of food is wasted at the consumer level per year (FAO, 2011). These amounts of food waste have large social, economic, and environmental impacts. Studies have shown that one of the main causes of food waste in developed countries is consumer preferences toward food appearances. In fresh fruit and produce, consumers have elevated expectations for appearances and will reject those that are blemished. In this study, we estimate consumer willingness to pay for sweet potatoes with five different skinning injury levels in a Vickrey 2nd price non- hypothetical auction. Our experimental controls include treatments designed to test whether consumer knowledge (1) about the relationship between blemished produce and food waste and (2) about the environmental impacts of food waste influence willingness to pay for blemished produce. We find that consumer bids increased after gaining knowledge about food waste and its environmental implications. This study has implications for governmental agencies as they further research methods and opportunities to mitigate food waste at various sources of the supply chain system, most specifically, at the consumer and farmer levels.


Freedom of expression, and hence of the press - and more generally, of the means of social communication, the "mass media" - is among the fundamental rights that undergird any free society of free persons. At the same time, the right to be unharmed in one's own person, not only physically but also morally, pertains to the essential rights of the human person. Each of these rights needs to be safeguarded in itself, and both must be reconciled within an organic whoe. This article sets forth the protections accorded them, separately and in interrelationship, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a cornerstrone of the international law of human rights.


Two-dimensional optics with surface plasmons was realized by the use of topographically structured dielectric polymer coatings. Triangles of polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) with lateral dimensions of some tens of micrometers on top of a silver layer act as two-dimensional prisms for surface plasmons. Refraction and internal reflection of plasmons were investigated by scanning near-field optical microscopy. The change in propagation direction can be explained by Snell's law when taking an effective refractive index for plasmons into account. Furthermore, intensity modulations in the PMMA elements and in the transmitted plasmon beam were observed.


At Celano (Abruzzo region, Italy), rare tumulus tombs of the Final Bronze Age were excavated, yielding waterlogged coffins of oak wood. Two tombs were dated by Wiggle-Match Dating (WMD), using the conventional 14C method. This shows that the tumuli were erected around 1030 BC, while the associated artefacts in the sarcophagi are attributable to the final stages of the Bronze Age (FBA) in Italy. Fibulae similar to those found in both tombs at Celano are recovered in modest numbers all over the Italian peninsula and even in Croatia and nearby regions (Glogović 2003; von Merhart 1969, pls. 4, 5, 7). Our date of ca. 1030 BC for the last stages of the Bronze Age in Italy has consequences for the beginning of the Iron Age, which should start around 1000-950 BC, an assessment that is consistent with other radiocarbon sequences obtained for Italy, such as the sequence for Latium Vetus and elsewhere in the western Mediterranean.


This thesis examines public involvement in socio-technical controversies from a sociological perspective. Public engagement in science and technology is becoming increasingly important in societies where citizens are asked, and expected, to be involved with issues that have been dominated by experts. In New Zealand, a contemporary example of public participation in science and technology is the large-scale road building programme called the Roads of National Significance. The central aim of this thesis is to understand how the public engage with and create meaningful evaluations of complex issues that are associated with expert-driven politics and top-down decision-making processes. I examine the public's involvement in the Kāpiti expressway project by discussing how locally-based groups evaluated and publicised it as an object of concern. Specifically, I investigate the demonstration and visual imagery technologies that were utilised to publicise the expressway as a public matter. I then explore how opponents translated their concerns with the environmental, political, and social aspects of the project as legal and technical issues. The second aim of this thesis is to contribute to the material turn in the human sciences by engaging with object-oriented (Barry, 2013; Latour, 2005a; Marres & Lezaun, 2011) and socio-cultural (Boltanski & Thévenot, 2006) approaches to public involvement in socio-technical controversies. The role that technologies play in materialising public participation and re-presenting the Kāpiti expressway project as an object of concern are examined. However, to create a dialogue between object-oriented and socio-cultural approaches to public dispute, I investigate the technologies of justification and criticism, and the cultural modes of evaluation that qualify people and things within moral vocabularies. I argue that the public were obliged to re-present the Kāpiti expressway as an object of concern by demonstrating how their personal objections were relevant to the legal and technical aspects of the project. A range of technological devices enabled local groups to evaluate the project during the early planning stages of the project, but convincing decision-makers to reject the expressway involved the difficult task of critiquing the planning process, and enrolling allies. This thesis uses a qualitative, case study approach to socio-technical controversies. I use interviews, qualitative observations, and documentary methods to examine the actions of locally-based groups and the modes of evaluation used to challenge the Kāpiti expressway project.


I. THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF IP PROTECTION 615 A. Underlying Theories of IP Protection 615 1. Labor/Investment Rationales 615 2. Economic Incentive/Efficiency Rationales 616 3. Misappropriation Rationales 617 4. Personality-Based Rationales 618 B. The Theoretical Basis of Trademark Law 619 1. Confusion Doctrine/Likelihood of Confusion 620 2. Unfair Competition/Section 43(a) 621 3. Dilution Theory: Blurring and Tarnishment 622 4. Cybersquatting 624 II. TRADEMARK OWNERS' RIGHTS AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST 625 III. TRADEMARK LAW IN THE CONTEXT OF ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA 628 IV. ABUSIVE TRADEMARK LITIGATION 631 A. Characteristics of Abusive Trademark Litigation 631 B. Trademark Wars: Legitimate Claims and Abusive Claims 633 1. Film Title Cases 633 2. Spa'am Case 635 3. Internet Cases 636 C. Boomerang Effect of Abusive Trademark Litigation Strategies 637 V. SUGGESTED PROPOSALS 638 A. Coordinate a Sensible Policy on IP Lawsuits in Entertainment Industry 638 B. Clarify Acquiescence and Laches Standards 639 C. Eliminate Injunctive Relief as the Primary Relief in Dilution Cases 641 VI. CONCLUSION 641 The recent legal challenge to the extension of the copyright term was grounded in the notion that Congress was giving away benefits to intellectual property ("IP") owners, typically large corporate entities, without any corresponding public benefit that underlies the constitutional authority for IP grants. (1) The giant conglomerates of the copyright industry--such as Time Warner, Disney, and Viacom-ultimately won that battle before the U.S. Supreme Court. (2) Yet, in another case, the Court limited the rights of big corporations with famous trademarks to attack smaller companies under the theory of trademark dilution by requiring a showing of actual economic harm rather than a mere likelihood of dilution. (3) Courts have generally taken a more conservative view toward the expansion of IP rights and trademark rights in particular, (4) whereas Congress has recently enacted federal trademark dilution protection, (5) federalized the law of trade secrets, (6) outlawed cybersquatting, (7) increased damages for copyright infringement, (8) and extended the term of copyright protection. (9) Such expansion by Congress arguably reflects the political muscle of big businesses, including companies in the high-tech sector and the entertainment industry, and their ability to influence the legislative process. (10) The expansion of trademark rights has been particularly dramatic, prompting one commentator to charge, with ample support, that Congress appears intent on "a course of annihilating the common law of trademarks.... [W]ith no real conceptual justification, American trademark law has quickly come to emulate trademark jurisprudence of [some civil law countries], where the trademark itself is considered subject to property ownership." (11) Trademark law blossomed in an environment of robber capitalism and was designed to prevent acts of fraud such as removing a competitor's cereal from its boxes, placing the cereal in boxes with one's own mark, and passing it off as one's own. (12) Today, the explosion of computer technology and the rise of the Interact have profoundly impacted every area of IP, including copyright, (13) trade secret, (14) the right of publicity, (15) and trademark law. …


The second law of thermodynamics has a curious status. Many modern physicists regard it as an obsolete relic from a bygone age, while many others, even today, consider it one of the most firmly established and secure achieve- ments of science ever accomplished. A particularly interesting question is its relationship with the notion of irreversibility. It has often been argued, in particular by Planck, that the second law expresses, and characterises, the irreversibility of all natural processes. This has led to much debated issues, such as whether the distinction between past and future can be grounded in the second law, or how to reconcile the second law with an underlying microscopic mechanical (and hence reversible) theory. But it is not easy to make sense of these debates since many authors mean different things by the same terms. The purpose of this talk is to provide some clarification by distinguishing three different meanings of the notion of (ir)reversibility and to study how they relate to different versions of the second law.


ABSTRACT Considering the growing demand for In(III) and Ga(III) for the manufacture of advanced materials, it is necessary to develop efficient separation processes for recovery of these metals from primary and secondary resources. In the present work, separation of In(III) and Ga(III) from different aqueous mediums by solvent extraction, ion exchange, and solvent-impregnated resins/gels was reviewed. Although complete separation of In(III) from Ga(III) is possible using ion exchange or solvent-impregnated resins/gels, these methods are limited in industrial applications due to low adsorption capacity for metals. Solvent extraction with amines, acidic, and neutral extractants is commonly employed to separate these two metal ions. Amines and neutral extractants can extract both In(III) and Ga(III) and then these metals are separated by selective stripping. By contrast, solvent extraction with acidic extractants including commercial and synthetic extractants results in complete separation of In(III) and Ga(III). Compared to common commercial extractants such as D2EHPA, PC88A, Cyanex 272, and Cyanex 301, synthetic extractants offer higher extraction and separation efficiency, but extraction kinetics and stripping efficiency in these systems should be improved in the future.


This thesis explores the prevalence, nature and pathogenesis of injuries in boxing. Following an introductory chapter and literature review (Chapters 1 and 2 respectively); Chapter 3 examines injuries in the GB boxing squad from 2005 to 2009. There were a total of 66 boxers on the squad during this period 61% were injured, a total of 297 injuries were recorded. The injury rate in competition was at least 460 times higher than in training, and most injuries were new rather than recurrent (246 v 51). The incidence of concussion is comparatively low compared to other studies in amateur boxing (5 in 5 years). Hand and wrist injuries were the most frequent (23.2%). Chapter 4 describes the nature of hand and wrist injuries in more detail. 'Boxers' knuckle', skiers thumb, Bennett's fracture and carpometacarpal instability were the most frequent hand and wrist injuries and also took the longest time to recover compared to all other hand and wrist injuries that occurred. These injuries occur significantly more frequently in competition than in training (347 injuries per 1,000 hours in competition less than 0.5 per 1000 hours in training). Chapter 5 describes efforts to identify and validate a means to measure the pressure at each knuckle, given that 'boxers' knuckle' was found to be such a debilitating injury. This does differentiate between the proportion of knuckle impact forces (PKIF) displayed during punching and no punching but displays very poor test-re-test reliability. This method might allow the impact of changes in the hand wraps or the gloves to be measured. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with head injury in boxing. Head guards were removed from amateur boxers in 2013. The effect of this removal on boxers' health was investigated by reviewing the number of bouts stopped due to blows to the head both with and without head guards (Chapter 6). To improve the quality of this analysis, an examination of video from championships with and without head guards (Chapter 7) was carried out. A significant decrease in observable signs of concussion (p<0.05) and a significant increase in cuts (p<0.001) was observed when the head guards were removed. This work will have implications for the protection of boxers' hands and the use of head guards in other contact sports.


Access control is a key feature of healthcare information systems. Access control is about enforcing rules to ensure that only authorized users get access to resources in a system. In healthcare systems this means protecting patient privacy. However, the top priority is always to provide the best possible care for a patient. This depends on the clinicians having access to the information they need to make the best, most informed, care decisions. Care processes are often unpredictable and hard to map to strict access control rules. As a result, in emergency or otherwise unexpected situations, clinicians need to be able to bypass access control. In a crisis, availability of information takes precedence over privacy concerns. This duality of concerns is what makes access control in healthcare systems so challenging and interesting as a research subject. To create access control models for healthcare we need to understand how healthcare works. Before creating a model we need to understand the requirements the model should fulfill. Though many access control models have been proposed and argued to be suitable for healthcare, little work has been published on access control requirements for healthcare. This PhD project has focused on bridging the gap between formalized models and real world requirements for access control in healthcare by targeting the following research goals:RG1 To collect knowledge that forms a foundation for access control requirements in healthcare systems.RG2 To create improved access control models for healthcare systems based on real requirements.This PhD project has consisted of a number of smaller, distinct, but relatedprojects to reach the research goals. The main contributions can be summarized as:C1 Requirements for access control in healthcare: Studies performed onaudit data, in workshops, by observation and interviews have helped discoverrequirements. Results from this work include methods for access controlrequirements elicitation in addition to the actual requirements discovered.C2 Process-based access control: The main conclusion from the requirementswork is that access control should be tailored to care processes. Care processesare highly dynamic and often unpredictable, and access control needs to adaptto this. This thesis suggests how existing sources of process information, bothexplicit and implicit, may be used for this purpose.C3 Personally controlled health records (PCHR): This thesis explores theconsequences of making the patient the administrator of access control andproposes a model based on these initial requirements. From a performedusability study it is clear that the main challenge is how to keep the patientinformed about the consequences of sharing.


This book describes an approach to software management based on establishing an infrastructure that serves as the foundation for the project. This infrastructure defines people roles, necessary technology, and interactions between people and technology. This infrastructure automates repetitive tasks, organizes project activities, tracks project status, and seamlessly collects project data to provide measures necessary for decision making. Most importantly, this infrastructure sustains and facilitates the improvement of human-defined processes.

The methodology described in the book, which is called Automated Defect Prevention (ADP) stands out from the current software landscape as a result of two unique features: its comprehensive approach to defect prevention, and its far-reaching emphasis on automation. ADP is a practical and thorough guide to implementing and managing software projects and processes. It is a set of best practices for software management through process improvement, which is achieved by the gradual automation of repetitive tasks supported and sustained by this flexible and adaptable infrastructure, an infrastructure that essentially forms a software production line.

In defining the technology infrastructure, ADP describes necessary features rather than specific tools, thus remaining vendor neutral. Only a basic subset of features that are essential for building an effective infrastructure has been selected. Many existing commercial and non-commercial tools support these, as well as more advanced features. Appendix E contains such a list.


A novel concept based on tilted spherical lenses for optical encryption using Lohmann's type I systems is presented. The tilt angle of the spherical lenses is used as an encrypted key and the decryption performance is studied both qualitatively (visual image degradation) and quantitatively (mean squared error analysis) by numerical simulations. The paper presents a general mathematical framework in virtue of the dioptric power matrix formalism and oblique central refraction used in the optometry field. Computer simulations show that image information cannot be retrieved after a few degrees of tilt on both spherical lenses in the encryption system. In addition, a preliminary experiment is presented, considering a hybrid encryption/decryption process where the image is numerically encrypted but optically decrypted. The tilt in the lenses should be understood as a complementary key to the classical encryption/decryption process to increase the security.


In this paper, we investigate regional differences in the gender pay gap both theoretically and empirically. Within a spatial oligopsony model, we show that more densely populated labour markets are more competitive and constrain employers' ability to discriminate against women. Utilising a large administrative data set for western Germany and a flexible semi-parametric propensity score matching approach, we find that the unexplained gender pay gap for young workers is substantially lower in large metropolitan than in rural areas. This regional gap in the gap of roughly ten percentage points remained surprisingly constant over the entire observation period of thirty years.


The paradigm of American K–12 education is shifting as the institution of local educational polities, each responsible for its own "common schools," faces competition from programs of school choice. Although charter schools and related reforms are generally studied in terms of quality and equity, the rise of consumer sovereignty as an alternative to political sovereignty as an organizing principle for educational governance has much wider ramifications. Paradigms of choice have already begun dramatically to alter religious education and its relationship to public schooling. Moreover, because these paradigms rely upon consumer preferences and the aggregation of those preferences by markets, the shape of religious activity in state-subsidized schools will be determined increasingly by consumers and producers – parents and schools – rather than by political actors. Government is likely to find its ability to limit and guide religion/school interactions substantially, and increasingly, constrained. In making this argument, this paper draws primarily upon examples from a small but instructive religious sector in American K–12 education, that of Jewish education. It discusses the direct deployment of the charter-school form to provide Jewish education. It then assesses ways in which shifts in the public framing of education from one of politics to one of markets has transformed public school politics in school districts dominated by Orthodox Jews.


List of contributors Foreword, P. Ucko Preface, Ian Hodder. The political use of Australian Aboriginal body painting and its archaeological implications, Robert Layton Terracotta worship in fringe Bengal, D.K. Bhattacharya Iron and beads: Male and female symbols of creation. A study of ornament among Booran Oromo, Aneesa Kassam & Gemetchu Megersa The messages of material behaviour: A preliminary discussion of non-verbal meaning Roland Fletcher Religious cults and ritual practice among the Mendi people of the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, Theodore Mawe Sites as texts: An exploration of Mousterian traces, Lucy Jayne Botscharow Style and changing relations between the individual and society, Polly Wiessner Post- modernism, post-structuralism and post-processual archaeology, Ian Hodder 'We, the post-megalithic people...', Felipe Criado The diffusion of religious symbols within complex societies, L. Charles Hulin Social evidence from the interpretation of Middle Minoan figurines, Angeliki Pilali-Papasteriou The Priestess Figure of Malta, Christina Biaggi Ethno-archaeological cognition and cognitive ethno-archaeology, Zbigniew Kobylinski Heresy and its traces: The material results of culture, E. Melas Bark capes, arrowheads and Concorde: On social representations of technology, Pierre Lemonnier The artefact as abbreviated act: A social interpretation of material culture, Miles Richardson The material symbols of the Winnebago sky and Earth moieties, Robert Hall Interpreting material culture, Christopher Tilley Divine kingdoms in northern Africa: Material manifestations of social institutions, Else Johansen Kleppe Towards and archaeology of thought, Whitney Davis Tusona ideographs - a lesson in interpretive objectivity, Gerhard Kubik Organizational constraints on tattoo images: A sociological analysis of artistic style, Clinton Sanders A semiotic approach in rock-art analysis, Ana Maria Llamarzares Habitus and social space: Some suggestions about meaning in the Saami (Lapp) tent ca. 1700-1900, Timothy Yates Index


The vast increase in digital insecurity - posed by ransomware, DDoS attacks and data breaches amongst others - requires an intelligent cyber security strategy. Government and industry can shape this strategy with legal instruments, such as regulations and contracts. However, very little is known regarding the social costs and benefits thereof. This is worrisome: cyber security expenditures will rise exponentially in the future as mankind becomes increasingly dependent on the digital world.

'The Law and Economics of Cyber Security' provides an in depth analysis into the root causes of this societal problem. The dissertation investigates novel legal instruments such as the possibility for insurance against cyber risks, the option to cover these risks by means of pooling and the EU data breach notification obligation in the GDPR. Furthermore, the study yields concrete policy recommendations for university, government and industry. In doing so, it combines fundamental analysis with concrete, actionable building blocks for an enhanced national cyber security strategy.

Bernold Nieuwesteeg is a Law and Economics researcher at Rotterdam Institute of Law and Economics (RILE), Erasmus University Rotterdam and has been a PhD researcher in the European Doctorate in Law and Economics (EDLE) Program. Bernold is partner at CrossOver, which offers cross company learning programs for mechanics, administrative personnel, social workers and trainees. He is a frequent contributor to the public policy debate in newspapers, conferences and public fora.


Harvester use in broadleaves has recently become more effective economically. However, difficulties with delimbing have shown that not all harvesting heads are suitable and efficient for broadleaved species. The typical obstacles are mainly large tree sizes, bends and forks in the trunks and large branches. For these reasons, it is difficult to obtain specific log lengths according to the settings in the harvester on-board computer. The objective of the research was to determine: 1) the accuracy of the log lengths from the bottom, middle and top parts of oak trees, and 2) harvester efficiency in the utilisation of the trunk for logs. The research was carried out on 61-year-old oaks from which logs with an expected length of 250 cm were processed. To achieve this length, a margin of error was set in the harvester computer with minimum and maximum lengths of 252 and 257 cm. For thinning operations, a Ponsse Ergo harvester with a H7 harvesting head was used. After harvesting, manual log measurements were carried out on 280 logs: 69, 142 and 69, from bottom, middle and top parts of the trees, respectively. The largest share of assortments satisfying the minimum requirement of 250–257 cm was obtained from the middle part of the trees (93%), followed by bottom logs (91%) and top logs (88%). The highest frequency of logs, which were too short, were found to be the top logs (9%), while bottom logs were most often too long (6%); therefore, different length settings should be applied to limit such inaccuracies. Analysis of the last log from the highest part of the tree indicated a strong goodness of fit between the top diameter and the DBH; the mean value of the top diameter was 13.3 cm over bark.


This paper introduces the concept of 'food democracy' as a theoretical framing for HCI to engage in human-food interaction. Extending existing foci of health and environmental sustainability, food democracy requires thinking through aspects of social and economic justice, and democratic governance as directions for the study and design of technologies for alternative food movements. To exemplify food democracy, we report on field observations and interviews about the opportunities and challenges for supporting the development of local food networks with communities in deprived neighbourhoods using an online direct food marketing platform. Using a food democracy framing, we identify tensions around environmental, social, and economic goals; challenges of local food businesses operating within the existing economic paradigm; and differing perspectives on ownership and governance in the network. We discuss the need for HCI to design for systems change and propose a design space for HCI in supporting food democracy movements.


What are the connections between the United Nations and The Samuel Griffith Society? One is that Australian constitutional lawyers are now examining the relationship between international law and constitutional law. Justice Kirby of the High Court of Australia first argued for the relevance of international law in construing the federal constitutional requirement of "just terms" in compensation for compulsorily acquired property (s. 51(xxxi)). In Newcrest Mining v. Commonwealth in 1997, he stated that in cases of ambiguity in the federal Constitution, "international law is a legitimate and important influence on the development of the common law and constitutional law, especially when international law declares the existence of universal and fundamental rights". The argument for the relevance of international law to constitutional interpretation was pressed in judgments by his Honour again in Kartinyeri v. Commonwealth in 1998, concerning interpretation of the power to legislate in relation to race (s. 51(xv)), and again almost each year subsequently. The argument has generated controversy and has been viewed critically by other High Court Justices. Justices Gummow and Hayne in Kartinyeri, Justices Gleeson, McHugh and Gummow in AMS v. AIF in 1999, and Justice Callinan in Western Australia v. Ward in 2002, each stated that it is inappropriate to apply the principles of international law to constitutional interpretation. In Al-Kateb v. Godwin in 2004, Justice McHugh described the argument as "heretical". Controversy concerning the relevance of international law to constitutional law is erupting also in other constitutionally and democratically governed States. In the USA, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the federal Supreme Court aroused public criticism for her 2003 address to the American Constitutional Law Society, which advocated a similar deference to international law in constitutional interpretation. However, her argument has since been supported by at least two other Supreme Court justices in the USA. Back in Australia, in legal fields beyond constitutional law, such as human rights law, environmental law and commercial law, questions concerning the role of international law are evident. They range from questions concerning the predominance of the Executive in treaty-making, to the wide legislative powers that treaties vest in Parliament, to the latitude available to judges when employing international law in the application of legislation and common law.


Where water is in short supply, greywater treatment and reuse may be the answer. Such systems have been introduced in tribal residential schools in Madhya Pradesh, India. Both children and parent teacher associations were involved in drawing up and applying water safety plans for greywater reuse, and cartoons were used to publicize them.


Abstract. Route planning and navigation in indoor space have become a hot topic recently. To accomplish this task, a map and a real-time detection system are needed. Due to Lidar systems' high efficiency in data acquisition, Lidar sensors have become an indispensable part of an object detection system. In this paper, we use Lidar points to generate obstacle maps. The obstacle maps can be used as a reference for route planning and navigation. To identify single objects more precisely, a deep network combined PointNet with Markov Random Field (MRF) is designed in our work to classify Lidar points. Then, single objects are segmented by using the Euclidean clustering method. After that, the prior rules and derived criteria we summarized from large amount images are used to determine objects' kind between Influence Movement Obstacles (IMO) and Non-Influence Movement Obstacles (N-IMO). Finally, objects are projected into a 2D plane to generate obstacle maps. To evaluate the performance of our method, experiments were performed on the S3DIS dataset of Stanford University. The results show that our method greatly improves the overall accuracy compared to the original PointNet model, and can generate high-quality obstacle maps.


Abstract Phosphorus content and balance in granulometric fractions of old alluvial soil developed from alluvial deposits od Vistula River in middle Poland was studied. The distribution of phosphorus in particular granulometric fractions of the studied soil showed high quantitative variability vertically in the profile. This resulted from the layered structure of the Vistulian old alluvial formation developed throughout the Holocene. The contribution of grain fractions in phosphorus accumulation increased with a decrease in their diameter, and in certain fractions with a decrease in their quantitative state. Eluviation of phosphorus down the soil profile concerned in particular grain fraction <0.02 mm. Fractions with a larger diameters were not subject to the process. Phosphorus resources calculated from the grain fraction balance in the analysed soil amounted to an average of 1.7 kg·m2 to a depth of 200 cm.


This corpus-based study examines the different historical stages the Latin synthetic pluperfect underwent in Spanish and Portuguese. It tries to explain parallel and divergent developments of the morpheme -ara leading to opposite results: the strengthening of the form as an exclusively temporal category in Portuguese and its transformation into a fully-fledged past subjunctive in Spanish. In our analysis we will focus on three main aspects: first, the relevance of the underlying logical-conceptual structures as the enabling condition for the expansion of the category into new domains; second, the role of reanalysis as a listener-based strategy in discourse as the decisive mechanism for functional change; and third, the validity of the prototype concept as a device to explain the organisation of grammatical categories from a diachronic perspective. With our case study we address key questions of this book, namely the locus, the motivation and the nature of linguistic change.


A BSTRACT : Black-tailed prairie dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) colonies can become overcrowded, and the colonies, landscape, and people affected by them may bene fi t from controlled populations. Contraception is a method that may be useful, particularly where lethal control is inappropriate or illegal. We investigated if oral administration of 20,25-diazacholesterol (DiazaCon ® ), an inhibitor of cholesterol and reproductive steroid hormone production, could reduce reproductive success of treated black-tailed prairie dogs in a fi eld trial. Ten treatments of approximately 45-mg DiazaCon per black-tailed prairie dog yielded a 47% reduction of young:adult ratios compared to control sites. Over a 3-month period, desmosterol, a cholesterol precursor used as an indicator of DiazaCon effects, was not detectable in any black-tailed prairie dogs trapped at control sites, whereas elevated levels were detectable in 33 of 35 blood samples from black-tailed prairie dogs trapped at treated sites. Average cholesterol levels were lower in treated animals than in control animals. DiazaCon administration may be a useful tool to control populations of black-tailed prairie dogs, especially in light of the desire for conservation while still managing populations.


Today's business world is evolving faster than ever before due to the global economic situation and developments in information/telecommunication technology. The advent of global work, virtual work, and self-managing teams has considerably increased the complexity and exibility of professional jobs. Jobs have become more dynamic coupled with constantly shifting and changing roles, tasks, and projects (Grant & Parker, 2009). In order to address emergent demands and opportunities at work, managers more and more rely on employees to adapt to and initiate changes in the nature of their jobs (Demerouti, 2014). For example, employees may be encouraged to introduce new methods to carry out tasks more prociently, or to expand their work by taking on more responsibilities. These proactive behaviors may not only increase individual work well-being and motivation but may also be crucial for organizational eectiveness.


The essence of this paper was to determine the extent to which gender and area of specialization are related with students' enrolment in undergraduate degree programmes by platform in Public Universities in Kenya. The researchers considered the cases of Moi University, Kenyatta University and Nairobi University. The study used secondary data collected from the registration offices of the respective universities for the academic years 2003/2004 and 2004/2005. These data were presented in forms of text and tables. The analysis undertook majorly the quantitative pathway using percentages and Chi Square. The overall findings have shown a discrepancy in students' enrolment per gender and area of specialization and hence lead to the rejection of the stipulated null hypotheses. The study made a number of recommendations that would enhance the universities programmes' cost-effectiveness and labour market orientation. Indeed, further areas of research are portrayed. Keywords: Gender, Enrolment, Regular and Parallel programmes, Public Universities, Kenya


Studies on the preparation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) grafted sago
starch were conducted using eerie ammonium nitrate (CAN) and potassium
persulphate (PPS) as the free radical initiators under a nitrogen atmosphere. The effect
of various parameters on the grafting process was determined. The optimum
conditions obtained for the grafting of HEMA onto sago starch using CAN as the
initiator were as follows: reaction period, 3 h; reaction temperature, 40°C; I-IEMA
amount, 0.17 mol and CAN amount, 1.0 x 10-3 mol. Meanwhile the optimum
conditions for the copolymer preparation using PPS as the initiator were as follows;
reaction period, 2 h; temperature, 40°C; amount of PPS, 5.0 x 10-3 mol and amount of
HEMA, 0.05 mol. The percentage of grafting and grafting efficiency under optimum
conditions for CAN initiation were 200% and 46%, respectively whereas for PPS
initiation were 406% and 63%, respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
and scanning electron microscopy (S12M) were used to characterise the graft
copolymer. The infrared spectra of grafted copolymer in contrast to starch showed an
additional peak at 1726 cm-l, indicating the presence of ester carbonyl of the
monomer. TGA studies revealed that the decomposition temperatures of starch were
different from poly(HEMA) grafted sago starch. SEM studies indicated that HEMA
was homogeneously grafted onto starch. The biodegradability study by using aamylase
revealed that the hydrolysis rate of the polysaccharide chains by a-amylase
was strongly dependent on the percentage of grafting where the hydrolysis rate
increased with the decrease in percentage of grafting. The highest hydrolysis rate was
obtained by using 50 ppm of a-amylase concentration. The swelling behaviour of
poly(HEMA) grafted sago starch in water and salt ions showed that the percentage of
swelling at equilibrium increased as the percentage of grafting increased. The
percentage of swelling at equilibrium and the swelling rate coefficient decreased in the
order of water> NaCI > KCI > MgCh > CaCho The water diffusion of the grafted
polymer in water and cationic salt solutions was a Fickian character. The study of
metal chelating properties indicated that Cibacron Blue-attached grafted polymer
particles have higher affinity towards Cd(II) and Pb(II) as compared to Fe(III) and
CU(ll). The dye-attached grafted polymer also showed high affinity for these metal
ions between pH 4 and 7.


Distraction, Enjoyment, and Motivation During an Indoor Cycling Unit of High School Physical Education Kelsey Higginson Department of Teacher Education, BYU Master of Arts With the increased rate of overweight and obese youth in the United States many people began looking for ways to increase youth exercise quality and habits; one such way was by using an external distraction during exercise to increase personal motives toward exercise. This study involved 81 high school aged students enrolled in a required physical education class. Students rode an indoor cycling bike for 20 minutes while wearing a heart rate monitor. They were told to maintain a heart rate between their 70 and 79% maximum heart rate. Every 5 minutes students were asked to rate how hard they thought they were working, using a modified rating of perceived exertion scale, and how much they were enjoying the activity. At the end of each day, students were asked if they would continue to cycle if given the option. The first two days had no distraction, days 3 and 4 had class selected music playing, and days 5 and 6 had a class selected movie showing at the front of the room. There is no significant difference in heart rate or rating of perceived exertion between no distraction and adding music, but when a movie is played, both heart rate and rating of perceived exertion decrease significantly. However, a similar decrease in heart rate and rating of perceived exertion is also seen in the control group on the same days of data collection. Including a distraction while exercising has no significant effect on enjoyment of the activity or intention to persist in the activity. Females have significantly higher intrinsic motivation levels throughout the course of data collection, and males' intrinsic motivation significantly declines with each progressive condition. As the decline in heart rate and rating of perceived exertion is seen in both control and treatment groups the decline is possibly influenced by unaccounted for factors such as hard bike seats, boredom, or teacher pedagogy. These factors could potentially account for the decrease in intrinsic motivation during the last two days of data collection.


Grounded in the upper echelons perspective and stakeholder theory, this study establishes a link between CEO hubris and corporate social responsibility (CSR). We first develop the theoretical argument that CEO hubris is negatively related to a firm's socially responsible activities but positively related to its socially irresponsible activities. We then explore the boundary conditions of hubris effects and how these relationships are moderated by resource dependence mechanisms. With a longitudinal dataset of S&P 1500 index firms for the period 2001-2010, we find that the relationship between CEO hubris and CSR is weakened when the firm depends more on stakeholders for resources, such as when its internal resource endowments are diminished as indicated by firm size and slack, and when the external market becomes more uncertain and competitive. The implications of our findings for upper echelons theory and the CSR research are discussed.


The synthesis of novel, symmetrical, tetrasubstituted manganese phthalocyanine complexes bearing 4 hexylthio, 2',3',4',5',6'-pentafluorobenzyloxy, 2',3',5',6'-tetrafluoro-4'-hexylthio-benzyloxy, and 2',3',5',6'-tetrafluoro-4'-pentoxy-benzyloxy units is reported. The new compounds have been characterized by using elemental analyses and UV-Vis, FT-IR, and mass spectroscopic data. The electrochemical properties of the manganese phthalocyanine complexes were investigated by cyclic and square wave voltammetry and the nature of the observed redox processes was studied by spectroelectrochemistry.


Are multi-core SoCs being held back by the lack of adequate system design and software development tools? Multi-cores supply the advantages of flexible software-defined architectures, but support for system optimization, integration and verification is lacking. Are we taking advantage of new compute density, application partitioning and parallelism? What is enabled with multi-core vs. multiprocessing? How do we accommodate symmetric and asymmetric multiprocessing? We need profiling tools, retained legacy code and a deep understanding of hardware / software interaction.


The common monetary policy is applyed in all member states of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), having a common institutional system, common European currency and system of regulations that helps them coordinate the banking activities in all EMU. The application of this policy has brought remarkable results so far, settling the monetary market in the euro zone. But, the new European Union member states have to apply these common rules and regulations in order for them to accede to EMU, which could produce both positive and negative effects, especially given that most of their economies are not yet ready for this king of changes. It is Romania's situation as well, having had the target set on acceding this by 2014. But is the Romanian economy ready for such a change? And how close is Romania to achieving the convergence criteria?


The starting point of the project was the observation that strategic management is absent in small businesses. The first objective of the project was to examine the reasons causing this situation in Greece, the second one, to examine the appropriateness of the contemporary models of strategic planning for the Greek S.M.E.s, and the third to examine the appropriateness of the alternative approaches to strategic management for the Greek S.M.E.s. The term appropriateness includes (a) the ability of managers to use the models and (b) the ability of the models to assist the managers. The results of the research indicate that none of the two above conditions exists, hence, it is suggested that the contemporary models of strategic management are inappropriate for the Greek S.M.E.s. Many previous research projects on the topic suggest that since the strategic decision making process in S.M.E.s is informal, the whole process is absent or ineffective. Current trends in S.M.E.s' strategic management do not consider the informality of the strategic decision making process as a kind of managerial illness, but as a managerial characteristic. The use of sophisticated data collection and analytical methods does not indicate successful strategic decisions, but it indicates the method large firms use to manage their strategy. According to the literature review, the S.M.E.s' managers avoid the use of the contemporary models of strategic management, because they do not have the knowledge, the resources or the time. Another thesis, expressed by some firms' specialists, suggests that small firms are different from large ones, hence their practice of strategic management should not follow the large firm's prototypes.


We introduce a system of light driven microscopic autonomous moving particles that move on a flat surface. The design is simple, yet effective: Micrometer sized objects with wedge shape are produced by photopolymerization, and they are covered with a reflective surface. When the area of motion is illuminated perpendicularly from above, the light is deflected to the side by the wedge shaped objects, in the direction determined by the position and orientation of the particles. The momentum change during reflection provides the driving force for an effectively autonomous motion. The system is an efficient tool to study self propelled microscopic robots.


Africa is one of the most water-scarce continents on earth and the lack of potable water is responsible for the death of approximately 4,900 children every day. An effective way of making sure that water is of good quality is by decontaminating it by means of a household ceramic water filter. The low-cost water filters suitable for the removal of suspended solids, pathogenic bacteria and other toxins from drinking water were developed using the traditional slip casting process. The locally produced filter has the advantage of low cost due to the usage of locally available raw materials, labour and expertise. Furthermore, the project provides opportunities for local financing and innovation. The product was tested using water contaminated with high concentrations of selected bacterial cultures as well as with water from local polluted streams. The ceramic filter was found to be highly effective in removing the bacteria and suspended solids from the contaminated water. With correct cleaning and basic maintenance, this filter can effectively provide clean drinking water for rural families affected by polluted surface water sources. This could provide a low-cost solution for the more than 250 million people without access to clean drinking water in Africa.


BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) co-infection with HIV is becoming a global emergency especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. Its diagnosis is notoriously challenging in countries with poor resource settings with limited diagnostic facilities.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence, pattern, outcome, and clinical risk factors of TB in HIV co-infected children in Abuja, Nigeria.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
An 18 months retrospective review of HIV-infected children diagnosed as having co-infection with TB was carried out at the special treatment clinic of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, from February 2007 to August 2008 for the above objectives.

RESULTS
Of a total 210 HIV-infected children observed during the review period, 41 (19.5%) were diagnosed as having co-existing TB. Their mean age, weight, CD4 cell count and its percentage were 6.3 ± 2.4 years, 14.3 ± 3.4 kg, 262 ± 28.0 cells/ml, and 9.9%, respectively. Pulmonary TB accounted for 59% of all TB cases seen, while disseminated form was seen in 26.8%. Bone involvement was the least common form seen in only (2.4%) of cases. Confirmation of TB was only possible by positive smear and histology in 22.0% of cases, while 78.0% of cases remained unconfirmed. Co-infection was significantly higher in older children (>5 years) than in younger children <5 years (32 vs 9, P < 0.05). Severe weight loss was the only clinical feature found to have a fairly good sensitivity (88.9%) and specificity (88.6%) for TB in co-infected children, with a positive predictive value of 23.0%. While immune reconstitution syndrome (IRS) occurred in 2 (4.9%) of the patients, only one death (2.4%) was recorded among the co-infected children.

CONCLUSIONS
TB co-infection with HIV in children is common in this environment. Severe weight loss can be used as a clinical guide to identify HIV-infected children at risk of co-infection with TB who will require further evaluation.


This study aimed to record the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria and the
development of malaria parasites in laboratory-bred Anopheles minimus mosquitoes
fed on the blood of people with or without malaria symptoms. The intention was to
identify where the main reservoir of infection was maintained. The study was
conducted in three cantons in Muang district, Mae Hong Son Province, Northwest
Thailand.
Chapter 3 describes studies of epidemiology of malaria in this area, based on
two cross-sectional surveys of populations in villages and people who visited a
malaria clinic. A questionnaire was conducted in the local languages by trained
interviewers, to identify people suffering from fever.
The parasite prevalence was 0.7% of all the surveyed populations. The
prevalence of slide positivity among males was significantly higher than females. All
those with positive slides who had a body temperature >37.4°C reported fever. Some
without measured body temperature >37.4°C also reported fever. Those people may
have had fever a few hours previously. Contrary to expectation P. falciparum
infections did not cause fever more than P. vivax infections. The prevalence of
asymptomatic malaria was 47.1 % among those who were slide positive which
corresponded to about 0.5% of the interviewed population. From the Clinic, 101
patients with malaria infection were interviewed. More than half of the infections
had high parasitaemia.
When people thought they had malaria, the malaria clinic and the hospital
facilities were most commonly used, with the largest number going to the Clinic. A
significantly higher malaria prevalence was found in the people who reported not
having any form of mosquito protection. More than 99% stated that they owned
mosquito nets, but only 44% of the nets had been treated with insecticide.
2 Chapter 4 reports a study of the infectiousness of malaria patients to An.
minimus. Direct feedings were conducted on adults >15 years old and who gave their
consent. All of these people had blood slides positive for P. falciparum or P. vivax
and had been located from the village surveys (n = 28) or the Clinic (n = 92). After
feeding, the mosquitoes were held for 7-9 days and then dissected and examined for
oocysts. Feeding on about 40% of human subjects yielded some mosquitoes with
oocysts. There was a significantly lower probability of infection with P. falciparum
than P. vivax. Symptomatic or non-symptomatic people with parasites were equally
able to infect mosquitoes. There was a significant association of probability of
mosquito infection with presence of observable gametocytes, but there were some
individuals without observable gametocytes who infected mosquitoes.
PCR on 58 subjects with negative slides showed that 30% were positive for
P. falciparum, but none yielded oocysts after mosquito feeding. PCR was also used
to identify the parasite species in the mosquito's gut. The results revealed that none
of the donors with visible P. falciparum infections carried cryptic P. vivax infections
which could yield P. vivax positivity in mosquitoes fed on them.
The occurrence of some cases with undetectable gametocytes who could
infect mosquitoes suggests the question "Do gametocytes selectively enter the
mosquito's proboscis during blood feeding"? However, a small study showed that
the gametocyte density in the mosquito blood meals did not differ significant from
that in the corresponding finger pricks, indicating that gametocytes do not selectively
enter a mosquito's proboscis. The occurrence in some cases of high oocyst counts in
mosquitoes fed on blood with no observable gametocytes remains unexplained.
From the results, on infection of mosquitoes by different categories of people
an attempt was made to estimate the number of people in the catchment area of the
Clinic who were reservoirs of infection. On the basis of the number of patients
visiting the Clinic per day, it was concluded that the main reservoir of infection for
mosquitoes was not in patients feeling ill enough to be motivated to come to the
Clinic. The present study suggests that directing anti-gametocyte drugs to all feverish
3 patients in the villages could have a major impact on the reservoir of infection.
However, in Thailand there have not yet been reports on the infectivity of the
gametocytes in mosquitoes after treatment of patients with gametocytocidal drugs
(e. g. primaquine or artesunate). Such studies are strongly recommended


Journal ranking studies have generally adopted citation techniques or academic perceptions as the basis for assessing journal quality. They have traditionally been a source of information about potential research outlets, new journals, and an aid to developing a consensus about the relative merit of publications for promotion decisions. The widespread adoption of research based funding formulae in tertiary education has had a significant effect on the access of academic departments to funding. While some authors identify this as a cause for concern it is also a motivation to ensure that there is research to identify appropriate rankings and to investigate their application as part of funding formulae. Since part of the department ranking process relies on the ranking of journals in which staff have published, journal ranking studies have become more significant. This study contributes to the area by applying Zeff's (1996) suggested approach to rank journals using a market test of library holdings. It provides evidence of an important difference in journal rankings for the Australian region that could significantly influence studies of departmental quality. It also contributes insights into the effect on research programs of increased access to journals through electronic databases, new journals and their levels of acceptance and provides a benchmark for considering individual library holdings.


There are five hepatitis viruses, A–E.

Hepatitis A and E are enterically transmitted, cause an acute hepatitis, often asymptomatic, rarely fulminant and never resulting in chronic infection. The vaccine for prevention of hepatitis A infection is well established and the vaccine against hepatitis E is currently completing clinical evaluation in field trials.

Hepatitis B causes acute and chronic hepatitis, the latter resulting in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Infection in adult life is usually the result of sexual activity or IV drug use, results in a symptomatic self-limiting illness and causes chronic infection in 5–10% of cases. Infection at birth or in utero invariably results in chronic infection. The chronic infection requires treatment with either pegylated interferon or nucleoside analogues, if there is evidence of continuing hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication (HBV DNA >105 genomes mL−1) and evidence on liver biopsy of significant liver disease.

Hepatitis D co-infection or super-infection is seen in some cases of HBV infection and generally results in more rapidly progressive disease.

Hepatitis C causes acute self-limiting hepatitis in 30–40% of cases, usually after parenteral transmission as a result of inadequate sterilization of medical equipment, IV drug use or rarely after blood transfusion in countries where adequate testing of donations is not undertaken. Sexual and neonatal transmission are rare. Most cases of chronic infection develop some degree of hepatitis and fibrosis over several decades and those with cirrhosis are at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin produces a sustained viral response with resolution of the liver disease (cure) in 50–60% of cases with 6–12 months treatment. Response rates vary from 40% in genotypes 1 and 4 to 80% in genotypes 2 and 3.

Keywords:

hepatitis A;
hepatitis B;
hepatitis C;
hepatitis D;
hepatitis E;
clinical features;
natural history;
viral kinetics;
treatment


As multinational corporations operate in multiple countries, headquarters must take into account differences in local settings when seeking the means to coordinate and control subsidiaries. The local system of industrial relations sets the framework for what kind of human resource management a multinational corporation can implement. Yet another question is whether the still stronger multinationals can change the existing systems of industrial relations, directly or indirectly. The paper analyzes four Danish enterprises over a 10-year period. This longitudinal study shows that none of the multinationals directly try to interfere in local industrial relations. However, by exercising their management prerogative in a way that differs from the Northern European tradition of industrial relations, they do influence the cooperation between employers and employees. In particular, the results show, that a shift from a stakeholder to a shareholder management style and an increased degree of HQ control have an effect on the whole cooperative atmosphere in each of the companies. In the long run, they may affect the collective bargaining system as such.


Enzyme saccharification of pretreated brewers spent grains (BSG) was investigated, aiming at maximising glucose production. Factors investigated were; variation of the solids loadings at different cellulolytic enzyme doses, reaction time, higher energy mixing methods, supplementation of the cellulolytic enzymes with additional enzymes (and cofactors) and use of fed-batch methods. Improved slurry agitation through aerated high-torque mixing offered small but significant enhancements in glucose yields (to 53 ± 2.9 g/L and 45% of theoretical yield) compared to only 41 ± 4.0 g/L and 39% of theoretical yield for standard shaking methods (at 15% w/v solids loading). Supplementation of the cellulolytic enzymes with additional enzymes (acetyl xylan esterases, ferulic acid esterases and α-L- arabinofuranosidases) also boosted achieved glucose yields to 58 – 69 ± 0.8 - 6.2 g/L which equated to 52 - 58% of theoretical yield. Fed-batch methods also enhanced glucose yields (to 58 ± 2.2 g/L and 35% of theoretical yield at 25% w/v solids loading) compared to non-fed-batch methods. From these investigations a novel enzymatic saccharification method was developed (using enhanced mixing, a fed-batch approach and additional carbohydrate degrading enzymes) which further increased glucose yields to 78 ± 4.1 g/L and 43% of theoretical yield when operating at high solids loading (25% w/v).


The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) commissioned a series of literature reviews in 2013 to provide a comprehensive and robust evidence base to inform the development of anti-poverty strategies for the UK. Inclusion's associate director Dan Finn lead a review of research literature concerning non-take up of income related benefits and tax credits, and the impact of strategies and interventions designed to improve take-up rates. Benefit take up in the UK According to research undertaken by the New Policy Institute for the JRF, almost a third of eligible people in the UK in 2009-10 were not claiming the means-tested benefits they were entitled to. Just over half of the estimated £10 billion unclaimed benefits could have been claimed by working age families. Just over half of the estimated £10 billion unclaimed benefits could have been claimed by working age families. Despite service delivery reforms and the progress made in reducing pensioner and child poverty, take-up rates for most income-related benefits declined in the decade to 2009-10. Take-up of tax credits increased after 2003-04 but in 2011-12 H.M. Revenue & Customs still estimated that £3.29 billion in Working Tax Credit and £1.19 billion in Child Tax Credits went unclaimed.


The Abdominal Compartment Society (www.wsacs.org) previously created highly cited Consensus Definitions/Management Guidelines related to intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Implicit in this previous work, was a commitment to regularly reassess and update in relation to evolving research. Two years preceding the Fifth World Congress on Abdominal Compartment Syndrome, an International Guidelines committee began preparation. An oversight/steering committee formulated key clinical questions regarding IAH/ /ACS based on polling of the Executive to redundancy, structured according to the Patient, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) format. Scientific consultations were obtained from Methodological GRADE experts and a series of educational teleconferences were conducted to educate scientific review teams from among the wscacs. org membership. Each team conducted systematic or structured reviews to identify relevant studies and prepared evidence summaries and draft Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) recommendations. The evidence and draft recommendations were presented and debated in person over four days. Updated consensus definitions and management statements were derived using a modified Delphi method. A writingcommittee subsequently compiled the results utilizing frequent Internet discussion and Delphi voting methods to compile a robust online Master Report and a concise peer-reviewed summarizing publication. A dedicated Paediatric Guidelines Subcommittee reviewed all recommendations and either accepted or revised them for appropriateness in children. Of the original 12 IAH/ACS definitions proposed in 2006, three (25%) were accepted unanimously, with four (33%) accepted by > 80%, and four (33%) accepted by > 50%, but required discussion to produce revised definitions. One (8%) was rejected by > 50%. In addition to previous 2006 definitions, the panel also defined the open abdomen, lateralization of the abdominal musculature, polycompartment syndrome, abdominal compliance, and suggested a refined open abdomen classification system. Recommendations were possible regarding intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) measurement, approach to sustained IAH, philosophy of protocolized IAP management and same-hospital-stay fascial closure, use of decompressive laparotomy, and negative pressure wound therapy. Consensus suggestions included use of non-invasive therapies for treating IAH/ACS, considering body position and IAP, damage control resuscitation, prophylactic open abdomen usage, and prudence in early biological mesh usage. No recommendations were made for the use of diuretics, albumin, renal replacement therapies, and utilizing abdominal perfusion pressure as a resuscitation-endpoint. Collaborating Methodological Guideline Development and Clinical Experts produced Consensus Definitions/Clinical Management statements encompassing the most contemporary evidence. Data summaries now exist for clinically relevant IAH/ACS questions, which will facilitate future scientific reanalysis.


This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a widely used sanitation intervention, Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), using a randomized controlled trial. The intervention was implemented at scale across rural East Java in Indonesia. CLTS increases toilet construction, reduces roundworm infestations, and decreases community tolerance of open defecation. Financial constraints faced by poorer households limit their ability to improve sanitation. We also examine the program's scale up process which included local governments taking over implementation of CLTS from professional resource agencies. The results suggest that all of the sanitation and health benefits accrue from villages where resource agencies implemented the program, while local government implementation produced no discernible benefits.


Assessment of future multiple ecosystem services driven by alternative land-use policies is useful for supporting decisions about what and where to invest for the best overall environmental and developmental outcomes. The task faces a great challenge due to the inherent complexity of humanlandscape systems and trade-offs between rural livelihood improvement, biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration. Agent-based system models have been recognized to be well suited to simulate the co-evolutions of the community and landscape systems in response to policy interventions. The study applies the Land Use Dynamics Simulator (LUDAS) framework to a mountain watershed in central Vietnam for anticipating trade-offs among rural livelihoods, forest biodiversity and carbon stocks under different land-use policy interventions. Changes in plant species diversity driven by land cover change were calculated using the species-area relationships that were estimated based on vegetation surveys. Total species pool of the study area was calculated with a taking into account of species' turning over different vegetation cover types. Carbon stocks of different forest types were estimated by empirical allometric equations. Our purpose is to assess relative impacts of policy interventions by measuring the long-term landscape and community divergences (compared with a baseline) driven from the widest plausible range of options for a given policy. We design experiments of replicated simulations for relevant policy factors in the study region that include (i) forest protection zoning, (ii) agricultural extension and (iii) agrochemical subsidies. We comparatively assessed tradeoffs and synergies between different expectations i.e. household income and income equity, deforestation and natural vegetation recovering, and forest tree species diversity driven by different policy interventions. Transparent and objective communication of these informative findings would help increase the effectiveness of multi-stakeholder discussions.


A more complete record is emerging of radionuclide measurements in fish tissue, sediment, and seawater samples from near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) and across the Pacific Ocean. Our analysis of publicly available data indicates the dose rates to the most impacted fish species near the FDNPP (median 1.1 mGy d(-1), 2012-2014 data) have remained above benchmark levels for potential dose effects at least three years longer than was indicated by previous, data-limited evaluations. Dose rates from (134,137)Cs were highest in demersal species with sediment-associated food chains and feeding behaviors. In addition to (134,137)Cs, the radionuclide (90)Sr was estimated to contribute up to approximately one-half of the total 2013 dose rate to fish near the FDNPP. Mesopelagic fish 100-200 km east of the FDNPP, coastal fish in the Aleutian Islands (3300 km), and trans-Pacific migratory species all had increased dose rates as a consequence of the FDNPP accident, but their total dose rates remained dominated by background radionuclides. A hypothetical human consumer of 50 kg of fish, gathered 3 km from the FDNPP in 2013, would have received a total committed effective dose of approximately 0.95 mSv a(-1) from combined FDNPP and ambient radionuclides, of which 0.13 mSv a(-1) (14%) was solely from the FDNPP radionuclides and below the 1 mSv a(-1) benchmark for public exposure.


Introduction The April 2006 special issue of the Journal of Small Business Management (JSBM) celebrates the first 50 years of the International Council of Small Business (ICSB). Emanating from the 50th Anniversary World Conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2005, the articles represent some of the best papers developed for that conference, in addition to a few special inclusions. JSBM was first published in 1963, making it the oldest and arguably one of the finest journals in the field of small business and entrepreneurship. Over the years it has represented some of the best entrepreneurship research by some of the world's most renowned scholars, and it continues to be the representative journal for the ICSB. Thus, it was only fitting that a special issue be developed to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of ICSB. The special issue contains papers initially nominated through the competitive papers process for the World Conference in Washington, D.C. From those nominations, papers were reviewed for their depth and content in relation to the standards of JSBM. The selected papers were then sent into a rigid review process using a distinguished panel of reviewers, all of whom are experienced reviewers for JSBM. This review process produced the articles in that issue and represents the cumulative hard work of authors and reviewers alike. The Evolution of Research in Entrepreneurship It was not too long ago that the field of entrepreneurship was considered little more than an applied trade as opposed to an academic area of study. There was no "research" to be accomplished because it was thought that those who could not attend college would simply "practice" the concept of new business start-up. Yet our economy is actually based upon entrepreneurship, and history has proven that with each economic downturn, it is the entrepreneurial drive and persistence that brings us back. Thus, individual scholars began to examine entrepreneurship from a research perspective and, in doing so, initiated an academic field of scholarly pursuit. So, we look back at some of the "believers" among the academic community such as Arnold C. Cooper (Purdue University), Karl A. Vesper (University of Washington), Donald L. Sexton (Ohio State University), Robert C. Ronstadt (Babson College), Robert H. Brockhaus (St. Louis University), Justin G. Longenecker (Baylor University), and Gerald E. Hills (University of Illinois-Chicago), all of whom are examples of the "pioneering" researchers in the embryonic days of entrepreneurship and all of whom published in JSBM. These are just a few examples of the many scholars who helped shape our field today. Yet their wisdom, scholarship, and persistence guided the field of entrepreneurship from what was once considered a disrespected academic area to a field that has now gained unimaginable respect and admiration among universities in the 21st century. Their willingness to delve into the research issues important to this developing discipline provided motivation for the next generation of scholars to pursue the entrepreneurship field with greater vigor. Today we celebrate the immense growth in entrepreneurship research as evidenced by the number of academic journals devoted to entrepreneurship (44 journals), the number of endowed professorships and chairs in entrepreneurship (over 275 positions), the development of the 21st Century Entrepreneurship Research Fellows by the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, the increasing number of top scholars devoting much of their valuable research time and efforts to publishing on aspects of entrepreneurship in the top academic journals, including JSBM, and finally, the recognition of certain entrepreneurship journals in many university lists of top journals for faculty to publish in. Many of the top business schools in the United States have accepted the London Times' list of the top 35 academic journals, including the Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Journal of Small Business Management. …


Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis Carriere) and the Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Engelmann) are ecologically important tree species in eastern North America forests that are currently threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae Annand, Hemiptera: Adelgidae). HWA has spread rapidly from its original introduction site into new areas. Once present, HWA kills its hosts over a period of 4 to 10 years leading to a phenomenon that is known scientifically and colloquially as hemlock decline. To date, quarantine, chemical management, and biocontrol efforts have failed to curb the spread of the HWA. As such, forest management efforts are now being redirected towards developing an understanding of the effects of hemlock removal on vegetation dynamics, changes in forest composition, and changes in ecosystem function. In this study, we parameterize a spatially explicit landscape simulation model LANDIS II for a specific forested region of the southern Appalachians. Parameterization involves defining the life-history attributes of 37 tree species occupying 11 ecological zones and is based on knowledge of: current vegetation composition data, recent historic management and fire regimes, and life-history traits of each species. The parameterized model is used to explore a simple scenario of catastrophic hemlock mortality likely to occur as a result of HWA herbivory. Our results emphasize that hemlock is an important foundation species. When hemlock is removed from the system, forest composition changes considerably with a greater presence of shade intolerant pine and oak species. Additionally, hemlock removal leads to a period of transient, relatively unstable vegetation dynamics as the forest communities restructure.


Munich, notorious in recent history as the capital of the Nazi movement, is the site of Gavriel Rosenfeld's stimulating inquiry into the German collective memory of the Third Reich. Rosenfeld shows, with the aid of a wealth of photographs, how the city's urban form developed after 1945 in direct reflection of its inhabitants' evolving memory of the Second World War and the Nazi dictatorship. In the second half of the twentieth century, the German people's struggle to come to terms with the legacy of Nazism has dramatically shaped nearly all dimensions of their political, social, and cultural life. The area of urban development and the built environment, little explored until now, offers visible evidence of the struggle. By examining the ways in which the people of Munich reconstructed the ruins of their historic buildings, created new works of architecture, dealt with surviving Nazi buildings, and erected new monuments to commemorate the horrors of the recent past, Rosenfeld identifies a spectrum of competing memories of the Nazi experience. Munich's postwar development was the subject of constant controversy, pitting representatives of contending aesthetic and mnemonic positions against one another in the heated battle to shape the city's urban form. Examining the debates between traditionalists, modernists, postmodernists, and critical preservationists, Rosenfeld shows that the memory of Nazism in Munich has never been 'repressed' but has rather been defined by constant dissension and evolution. On balance, however, he concludes that Munich came to embody in its urban form a conservative view of the past that was inclined to diminish local responsibility for the Third Reich.


—We described 15 Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) drumming logs and adjacent habitat within Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Drumming logs and adjacent habitat differed from 30 random non-drumming sites. Drumming logs had fewer limbs (8; P = 0.003) and a smaller percentage of bark remaining (12%; P = 0.0001). These logs were in advanced stages of decay but were still firm to the touch. Additionally, drumming logs were found close to clearings but in areas with increased amounts of undergrowth and mature trees. Adjacent habitat analysis (0.04-ha circular plot centered on logs) indicated drumming locations had significantly greater average canopy height, more vegetative cover consisting of conifer and total canopy cover, and more vertical foliage between 0.3 m and 3.0 m in height. Adjacent habitat was in advanced stages of maturity as indicated by significant numbers of both large-diameter logs and largediameter lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) snags. Tree species dominating the canopy and subcanopy were large-diameter Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), lodgepole pine, and quaking aspen. Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and quaking aspen saplings were more numerous at used sites. Ruffed Grouse drummed in coniferous areas within close proximity of quaking aspen.


Density functional theory calculations on the neutral [Mn-12](0) molecular magnet and super-reduced [Mn-12](8-) cluster were employed to investigate the experimental geometrical changes observed during discharging in a molecular cluster battery. It was found that for relevant low-spin states the eight electrons added in [Mn-12](8-) are mainly added to the outer eight Mn atoms, causing elongation of the bonds between outer Mn and their surrounding O atoms, while the inner Mn-4 cluster is less affected by the reduction. [GRAPHICS] Schematic representation of the spin density of the neutral [Mn-12](0) cluster and its super-reduced state [Mn-12](8-), for which several possible spin states were found.


This paper deals with analysis of power generating units installed within the technological centre. To be able to analyse behaviour of such a complex system with accumulation, the dynamic model of the technology was created using the EMTP-ATP software. The current configuration of the dynamic model is based on the block diagram containing all the unconventional sources of electric power. The values produced by ATPDraw are shown in graphs for reference. The dynamic model will serve the purpose of research and observation of the entire technological centre with respect to transients at individual sources of power.


Cambridge Grammar for PET provides complete coverage of the grammar needed for the Cambridge PET exam, and develops listening skills at the same time. It includes the full range of PET exam tasks from the Reading, Writing and Listening papers, and contains helpful grammar explanations and a grammar glossary. A Student's Book 'without answers' is also available.


A core concept in international relations theory, especially among realists, is that to survive in an anarchical world, states must rely on self-help. As John Mearsheimer explains, [S]tates cannot depend on others for their own security. Each state tends to see itself as vulnerable and alone, and therefore it aims to provide for its own survival.... This emphasis on self-help does not preclude states from forming alliances. But alliances are only temporary marriages of convenience: today's alliance partner might be tomorrow's enemy, and today's enemy might be tomorrow's alliance partner. (1) "Self-help" may apply to great powers, but it loses its explanatory force when extended to smaller states. As Robert Rothstein points out, lesser states are not simply "Great Powers writ small." (2) John Holmes observes that "the foreign policy ... of a middle power is generically different from that of a great power, let alone a superpower." (3) Small states, Rothstein adds, "think and act differently, and any analysis which fails to take that fact into account is bound to be simplistic and inadequate." (4) What sets lesser states apart from their great-power counterparts is "that they cannot obtain security primarily by the use of their own resources and that they have to rely fundamentally on outside help to maintain their independence." (5) It is clear that self-help does not reflect Canada's security reality. Canada shares a continent with its superpower neighbor, the United States, against which war is inconceivable. In fact, the United States serves as a powerful deterrent to external threats to Canada's safety. But while Canada relies on American power for its protection, the United States also depends on Canada--with its crucial land, air, and maritime approaches--for its own safety. In short, Canada-U.S. security is interdependent. It follows that Canada cannot ignore U.S. safety requirements, nor can Canada easily isolate itself from the consequences of American security decisions. Canada, therefore, participates in North American defense not only to deter possible external threats but also "to ensure national control over the Canadian territory" in the face of possible demands from the United States. (6) Canada does so through "defense against help," a strategy articulated by Nils Orvik, by which a mid- or small-sized state maintains a sufficient level of defense unilaterally, or in cooperation with a large state that is committed to its safety, to avoid "unwanted help" from the large state. (7) Defining Defense Against Help In Canada, defense against help is a policy response to that nation's somewhat unconventional "security dilemma," the essence of which is that the United States, in the process of guaranteeing Canada's safety, could itself become a security threat. If Canada were to become a strategic liability to the United States through military weakness or otherwise, Washington could take any measures deemed necessary for its own defense, regardless of Ottawa's preferences. (8) Moreover, if Canada failed to contribute to North American defense, Ottawa would forfeit opportunities to affect U.S. strategic policy decisions on which Canada's safety ultimately depends. The significance of the defense against help strategy in Canadian policy is evident in what can be called the U.S.-Canada "security bargain," the elements of which were first publicly expressed in statements exchanged between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1938. These statements, which still constitute the core of U.S.-Canada strategic obligations, reveal both similarities and differences in the two countries' priorities and preoccupations. President Roosevelt expressly committed the United States to the defense of Canada, giving the assurance "that the people of the United States will not stand idly by if domination of Canadian soil is threatened by any other empire. …


Plastic pollution has been at the forefront of national news and social media with shocking images of wildlife impacted with plastics. Plastics are found in remote places, from mountain tops to the bottom of the oceans and from the North Pole to Antarctica, and are a sign of the widespread impact of human activities. Plastics that are the most known to the public are the macroplastics (in other words, "the ones we can easily see"); because we use them on a daily basis, they are an integrative part of our life (from the grocery plastic bag to the water bottle or the parts of car or furniture) and are the ones that we consider "disposable" and of single use (like straws and plastic utensils or cups). "And so what?" one might ask. The problem with these plastics is that they were made to last "forever," meaning that their degradation in the environment is slow, although over the years, these macroplastics undergo weathering and break down in smaller and smaller pieces (calledmicroplastics) that are easier to enter the foodweb. Once in these biological processes that are critical for the well-being of ecosystem functions, the effects of microplastics are still not fully understood, although they are widely accepted to be negative. This is exacerbated by the fact that it is difficult (if not impossible) to remove such microplastics from the environment. Or, at least, the technology of today to do so at such a large scale is still not ready. Hence, most of the technological innovations related to plastic targets the macroplastics only; even though this size fraction might not be the most abundant or damaging, at least, it can be removed and hence prevent its further fragmentation in the environment. In this article, we briefly identify the technologies that are proposed to address the issues of macroplastics in the oceans, while addressing the research and policy framework of this global issue in human society.


This work focuses on the power minimization problem while ensuring target rates in the downlink of a multi-cell multi-user MIMO system wherein L base stations (BSs) of N antennas serve in total K single-antenna user equipments. We assume that the transmit antennas at each BS are correlated and propose a decentralized solution to compute an approximation of the optimal beamforming vectors. The analysis is conducted in the asymptotic regime in which N and K grow large with a given ratio K/N. In particular, the proposed solution relies on the exchange of intercell interference terms whose large system approximations are computed at each BS using knowledge of local transmit correlation matrices and non-local pathlosses. Numerical results are used to evaluate the performance loss of the proposed solution compared to the optimal one and to investigate its accuracy in systems of finite size.


War. Our nation was borne of war, and wars since the inception of our nation have in many ways defined us as a people. As the United States enters the tenth year of its longest war, our people should be reminded on a daily basis that the cost of such endeavors in blood and treasure requires careful deliberation on the decision to commit the nation to hostilities. However, as recently highlighted by U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General John Kelly (the only General officer to have lost a child in combat since September 11, 2001), Americans are increasingly attenuated from the consequence of war, with less than 1 percent of Americans serving in uniform. Kelly's speech exposed the proverbial white elephant in our collective national room: the troubling inverse relationship between the duration of our most recent wars and the level public interest in them. While there are numerous plausible explanations for this phenomenon, this lack of meaningful public interest in warmaking endeavors calls into question the underlying assumptions that ostensibly lie at the core of our Founder's vision that the will of the American people must always animate the political decision to 'unleash the dogs of war.' In short, the continued attenuation between the interests of the American electorate and the human, financial, and strategic consequences of war has enabled the political leadership of the nation to wage long-term and extremely expensive wars with increasingly little public scrutiny and even less public 'skin in the game.' The article will avoid value judgments on the wisdom of engaging in long-term military commitments, or the validity of the contemporary method of heavy reliance on implied congressional authorization for war, a method consistently validated by both inter-branch practice and periodic judicial decision. Instead, it will proceed on the premise that re-invigorating a connection between the people and the decision to engage in hostilities is not only consistent with our Founders vision of the American way of war, but is strategically beneficial for two reasons. First, it will limit the ability of the government to commit the nation to hostilities absent widespread popular support. By animating more significant popular interest in such decisions, such a re-invigoration will contribute to the probative significance of congressional silence or action, thereby enhancing the cooperation between the political branches. Second, when popular support exists and the nation does engage in military activities, it will increase the pressure on the political branches to ensure that war is effectively resourced and executed in order to achieve the national strategic objectives. In short, increasing popular involvement in war-making decisions will produce positive benefits irrespective of whether that involvement favors or disfavors the policy decisions of the nation's leadership. Accordingly, I will propose a cure to reverse the ongoing dilution of the popular connection to war-making decisions: a constitutional amendment requiring that ten percent of the end strength of the armed forces always consist of conscripts. This "ten percent draft" will accommodate two competing interests. The first is to re-establish a meaningful connection between war-making decisions and the electorate. By creating a permanent risk of mandatory service by the nation's young men and women, the potential human consequence of war will become far more palpable to the people than produced by the current self-selected consequence distribution resulting from the all-volunteer force. The second is to preserve the effectiveness of a primarily all-volunteer force. By limiting the required percentage of the force composed by conscription to ten percent, the proposal will be responsive to those who contend that a return to widespread conscription will diminish the validated effectiveness of the all-volunteer force.


The German X-ray telescope eROSITA is the core instrument on the Russian satellite Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG). Its scientific goal is the exploration of the X-ray Universe in the energy band from about 0.3 keV up to 10 keV with excellent energy, time and spatial resolution and large effective telescope area. The launch of the SRG satellite is scheduled for 2013. The observational program divides the planned mission duration of seven years into an all-sky survey and pointed observations. For detection of the single X-ray photons with high resolution, adequate frame transfer pnCCDs and the associated front-end electronics have been developed. The back-illuminated, 450 μm thick and fully depleted pnCCDs with a 3 cm × 3 cm large image area have been produced in the MPI Halbleiterlabor in the course of further development of the XMM-Newton X-ray pnCCDs. By means of the concept of back-illumination and full depletion of the chip thickness, high quantum efficiency is obtained over the entire energy band of interest. The performance of each eROSITA CCD was tested on chip level using a so-called 'cold chuck probe station'. A special feature of this setup is that it allows spectroscopic measurements with a 55Fe source. Based on these results, we will select the seven best CCDs for the eROSITA focal plane cameras. An analog signal processor with 128 parallel channels has been developed for readout of the pnCCD signals. This ASIC permits fast and low-noise signal filtering. For a detailed characterization of the CCD detectors an appropriate control, supply and data acquisition electronics system was developed. We achieve a read noise of 2 electrons rms and an energy resolution of 135 eV FWHM for photons with energy of 5.9 keV. Even at the low X-ray energy of 280 eV, we measure a spectrum of Gaussian shape with a FWHM of 52 eV. However, the energy resolution will degrade during the seven years in space due to radiation damage caused by protons. The radiation damage effect was studied and quantified for the eROSITA CCDs in an experiment. After successful development and verification of the CCD and its signal processor chip, we have started to assemble a flight-like eROSITA camera.


Multibeam bathymetry and high-resolution seismic profiles depict in detail the characteristics of submarine gullies present in the upper continental slope offshore of the mouths of the Tiber and Volturno Rivers in the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Simeto River in the Ionian Sea. Upper slope gullies are interpreted as depositional features, growing because of faster aggradation on intergully areas with respect to their axes. The dispersal of river-flood sediment through plunging of hyperpycnal flows has been interpreted to be the limiting factor in sedimentation in gully axes. However, the generation of hyperpycnal flows requires a sediment concentration of several tens of kilograms per cubic meter in the river flows to overcome the higher density of seawater. This threshold is difficult to reach in medium-sized rivers (i.e., catchment basin of 500–5000 km 2 ), such as the Tiber and Volturno. Two alternative scenarios of enhanced sediment availability for these rivers have been proposed. The first scenario is related to sea-level fall and lowstand stages, when the climate conditions may have been different and a huge amount of unconsolidated, fine-grained sediment deposited during the previous highstand stage may have been eroded from the river valleys, coastal plain valleys and shelf delta, as suggested in pioneering work of one of the authors (Chiocci) and Bill Normark. This scenario might explain the formation of some of the gullies offshore of the Tiber River mouth, which developed during the last glacial maximum; however, it is unable to explain the gullies within deposits related to transgressive and highstand system tracts, such as offshore of the Simeto and Volturno River mouths. An alternative scenario is thus proposed on the basis of the relationship observed between the studied rivers and the presence of large volcanic edifices in their catchment basins. Explosive volcanic activity could have drastically modified their catchment basins and caused a sudden and large supply of loose tephras, increasing the sediment load in watercourses and consequently favoring the development of gully-forming hyperpycnal flows. The timing of volcanic activity on the three study areas matches, in fact, the presence or absence of gullies in upper slope depositional sequences.