Abstract. The radio occultation (RO) technique using signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), in particular from the Global Positioning System (GPS) so far, is currently widely used to observe the atmosphere for applications such as numerical weather prediction and global climate monitoring. The ionosphere is a major error source in RO measurements at stratospheric altitudes, and a linear ionospheric correction of dual-frequency RO bending angles is commonly used to remove the first-order ionospheric effect. However, the residual ionospheric error (RIE) can still be significant so that it needs to be further mitigated for high-accuracy applications, especially above about 30 km altitude where the RIE is most relevant compared to the magnitude of the neutral atmospheric bending angle. Quantification and careful analyses for better understanding of the RIE is therefore important for enabling benchmark-quality stratospheric RO retrievals. Here we present such an analysis of bending angle RIEs covering the stratosphere and mesosphere, using quasi-realistic end-to-end simulations for a full-day ensemble of RO events. Based on the ensemble simulations we assessed the variation of bending angle RIEs, both biases and standard deviations, with solar activity, latitudinal region and with or without the assumption of ionospheric spherical symmetry and co-existing observing system errors. We find that the bending angle RIE biases in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere, and in all latitudinal zones from low to high latitudes, have a clear negative tendency and a magnitude increasing with solar activity, which is in line with recent empirical studies based on real RO data although we find smaller bias magnitudes, deserving further study in the future. The maximum RIE biases are found at low latitudes during daytime, where they amount to within −0.03 to −0.05 μrad, the smallest at high latitudes (0 to −0.01 μrad; quiet space weather and winter conditions). Ionospheric spherical symmetry or asymmetries about the RO event location have only a minor influence on RIE biases. The RIE standard deviations are markedly increased both by ionospheric asymmetries and increasing solar activity and amount to about 0.3 to 0.7 μrad in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. Taking also into account the realistic observation errors of a modern RO receiving system, amounting globally to about 0.4 μrad (unbiased; standard deviation), shows that the random RIEs are typically comparable to the total observing system error. The results help to inform future RIE mitigation schemes that will improve upon the use of the linear ionospheric correction of bending angles and also provide explicit uncertainty estimates.


Publisher's summary:

At a time of increasingly rapid environmental deterioration and climate change, sustainability is one of the most important issues facing the world. Can we create a sustainable society? What would that mean? How should we set about doing it? How can we bring about such a profound change in the way things are organized? This text tackles these questions directly. It covers: historical development of the concept of sustainability; contemporary debates about how to achieve it; and obstacles and the prospects for overcoming them. This new fully revised edition covers the latest on the climate change front, particularly the advances in scientific understanding and political awareness of climate change. Other updates include more recent economic analyses, particularly the Stern Report, and the global shift away from faith in markets over the past five years.


Personal assistant agents capable of proactively offering assistance can be more helpful to their users through their ability to perform tasks that otherwise would require user involvement. This article characterizes the properties desired of proactive behavior by a personal assistant agent in the realm of task management and develops an operational framework to implement such capabilities. We present an extended agent architectural model that features a meta-level layer charged with identifying potentially helpful actions and determining when it is appropriate to perform them. The reasoning that answers these questions draws on a theory of proactivity that describes user desires and a model of helpfulness. Operationally, assistance patterns represent a compiled form of this knowledge, instantiating meta-reasoning over the agent's beliefs about its user's activities as well as over world state. The resulting generic framework for proactive goal generation and deliberation has been implemented as part of a personal assistant agent in the computer desktop domain.


Background: Exposure to microbes and their components may affect the maturation of the immune system. We examined the association of house dust microbial content with cytokine-producing capacity at birth and at the age of 1 year. Methods: Production of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-8 and IL-10 at birth (n = 228) and at the age of 1 year (n = 200) following 24- and 48-hour whole-blood stimulation with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), lipopolysaccharide and the combination of phorbol ester and ionomycin was measured. Concentrations of ergosterol (marker for fungal biomass), muramic acid (marker for Gram-positive bacteria) and 3-hydroxy fatty acids with a carbon chain length from 10 to 14 (marker for Gram-negative bacteria) in living room floor dust were analyzed using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Five single microbial species or groups were determined using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Results: A high total level of the studied Gram-positive bacteria in general or Mycobacterium spp. in house dust was associated with decreased SEB-stimulated IFN-γ production, especially at the age of 1 year. The total level of indoor fungi analyzed (Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and Paecilomyces variotii group, Trichoderma viride/atroviride/koningii,Wallemia sebi) was also inversely associated with IFN-γ production at the age of 1 year, but this association did not remain significant after adjustment for potential confounders. A few associations were found between microbial exposures and other measured cytokines. Conclusions: High indoor microbial exposures may affect immune development in early life by reducing T helper type 1 cytokine secretion capacity. The observed hyporesponsiveness may reflect the adaptation of the immune system to environmental antigens. In future, more attention should be paid especially to the immunomodulatory role of exposures to Gram-positive bacteria.


BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) was detected in human respiratory epithelial cells from 11 weeks of gestation. TTF-1 is involved in both lung morphogenesis and in the regulation of surfactant proteins. Recently, low expression of TTF-1 in the nitrofen rat model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) was shown and restoration of this downregulation by antenatal glucocorticolds (CS) was reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of TTF-1 as a marker of lung morphogenesis in normal human lung development and in age-matched controls of human lung specimen in hypoplastic lungs of human CDH and other forms of lung hypoplasia.

METHODS
Immunohistochemistry by a monoclonal TTF-1 antibody was performed on paraffin sections of human fetal and neonatal lung tissues. The so-called developmental group (12 weeks' gestation to full term) included 47 lung specimens. The congenital hypoplasia group included 8 full-term CDH patients who died within 12 hours after birth, 3 full-term CDH patients who had antenatal CS therapy, and 4 full-term CDH patients after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. For comparison, 6 full-term born patients, who died of other forms of pulmonary hypoplasia, were used as comparative specimen. Immunohistochemical localization of TTF-1 was evaluated by light microscopy for 3 different areas of the airways including intrapulmonary bronchi, intermediate airways so-called terminal bronchioles, distal airways, and later sacculi and alveoli.

RESULTS
Nuclear TTF-1 staining was observed in the progenitor cells of the developing bronchiolar cells early in the human lung developmental series. At full term, TTF-1 was expressed in both type II epithelial cells and in subsets of respiratory nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial cells in a pattern similar in all studied groups. No TTF-1 expression was detected at the level of the intrapulmonary bronchi.

CONCLUSIONS
No difference in TTF-1 expression was observed in the developing early fetal and full-term neither in hypoplastic human lungs. This expression did not change with antenatal CS and postnatal ECMO treatment. Although TTF-1 appears to play an important role in lung morphogenesis, a pivotal role in human lung development is not likely.


The subject of earmarked or hypothecated taxes dropped out of the mainstream of public finance theory a great many years ago. It is doubtful whether many of today' s economists learnt anything about it in either their undergraduate or graduate days. The reason was that economists concentrated on such principles of taxation as who benefits or who can afford to pay for a given level of public expenditure. The latter question was determined either within the theory of public goods and externalities or as part of an analysis of improvements in the distribution of income. Some economists were interested in political theories of tax and expenditure determination, although tax and expenditure were not usually related except on occasion in crude commonsense terms. For example, there were those who advocated low taxes as a means of reducing public expenditure, and who opposed tax increases as a means of balancing the budget because they would validate the existing scale of public provision. Earmarking did not seem to make a lot of sense since there seemed to be nothing intrinsic to a particular tax to warrant relating it explicitly to a specific area of public expenditure, and no other. In addition, it was hard to see the logic of saying that the desirability of this item of public expenditure could be determined by the yield of this tax. There is a logical distinction between saying 'an x per cent rise in expenditure on nursery schools may require an increase of y percentage points in the basic rate of income tax', and 'we have earmarked y percentage points in the basic rate of income tax to determine what can be spent on nursery schools'. Having said that, there has been a growing interest in hypothecation. One reason for this is at first glance paradoxical. Opinion polls show that people favour increases in the scale of public provision of health and education. At the same time while the same polls appear to show that people recognise the tax consequences of that, when it comes to exercising their role as electors, they show some reluctance to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. (One should not exaggerate this point. The two opposition parties, taking them broadly as advocates of higher public expenditure, did gain more votes than the conservatives at the last general election, who themselves proceeded to raise taxes and public expenditure!) A second reason why hypothecation might be attractive is that people may not trust the government, whoever they are. Thus, they would accept tax increases for health, but not for something else. Earmarking the proceeds of a tax or a tax increase may offer some safeguard. Thirdly, it is worth noting that the national lottery is in the form of an earmarked tax. The treatment of the lottery in the national accounts has been such as not to define the part that goes to the arts and other good causes as taxation as it comes in and public expenditure as it goes out. But it could well be interpreted that way and it looks as if the Treasury has now moved to adopt that classification. More to the point, there is no doubt that we have here a form of hypothecation. For all these reasons the present booklet is to be welcomed. It offers an easily comprehensible account of the main arguments and places them within a practical framework. It offers a useful survey of recent advocacy of hypothecation (not least the political), but allows the interested reader to come to a balanced conclusion on his own. Thus it will help to foster the kind of serious debate we need on this subject, and also to clarify the broader questions of the future scale and structure of public expenditure and public finance. It will not surprise anyone to be told there are deeper theoretical economic questions to be examined in this field. Some of them are highly technical. The present paper will be followed by another which goes further into these difficult matters. But the present paper is self-contained, and is a serious contribution to the debate.


By using a high speed rotating mirror camera combined with a microscope, the rapid initial lengthening of twins and their subsequent broadening have been studied. In zinc, twins of up to 1·9 mm appeared in crystal surfaces within 1 μs and subsequently the tips of such twins were observed to move at up to 780 m/s. It is pointed out that observations of twins which simply appear in crystal surfaces do not necessarily yield information on the true twin propagation speed in the twin plane. However, such information has been derived from experiments in which the twin growth was followed from the point of twin nucleation located under a knife edge. Increasing the rate of loading applied to the knife edge by more than an order of magnitude did not significantly alter the maximum speed of growth. Therefore the maximum speed recorded in experiments using a knife edge, about 600 m/s, is thought to be close to the maximum true twin tip speed in zinc in the twin plane. It is approximately one third of the slowest sound speed in the twinning direction. Broadening of twins under a steadily increasing stress is a smooth process which, in a specimen, may occur in several twins at once and may involve the movement of either or both twin boundaries. The present investigation has shown twins to broaden at speeds of up to 35 m/s. These are one and often two orders of magnitude higher than those noted during previous investigations. By using quartz piezo-electric pressure transducers it has been possible to measure the stresses applied to crystals whilst the formation of twins in surfaces of the crystals was being recorded. Comparison with theory has shown that in one example a twin broadened at a speed more than an order of magnitude greater than that predicted on the basis of the Cottrell-Bilby mechanism. The nucleation of a twin or twins near the tip of a rapidly lengthening twin has been noted in many crystals. This nucleation occurs on a plane close to and parallel to the composition plane of the lengthening twin. A brief study of the kinetics of twinning in β-tin has shown that twins broaden at rates similar to those occurring in zinc. Detwinning of tin crystals has been observed to occur at speeds similar to those in twinning, emphasizing the reversibility of the twinning process.


THE INVESTIGATION OF THE UNC-6/NETRIN AND UNC-40/DCC-MEDIATED SYNAPTIC PARTNER RECOGNITION PATHWAY by Kelli Benedetti Organisms receive, process, and respond to environmental cues via intricate neural circuits that form during development. Proper development of neuronal circuits is therefore critical to brain function. To form these circuits, a neuron must first extend its axons to the appropriate target. After reaching this target region, it must recognize its correct synaptic partners from multiple incorrect partners and form appropriate synapses. It is well understood how axons reach their target regions, but little is known about how neurons select the correct partners once there, a process called synaptic partner recognition (SPR). Our work aims to elucidate the genetic programs that specify correct SPR in sensory circuits in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We used the fluorescent trans-synaptic marker, Neuroligin 1-mediated GFP Reconstitution Across Synaptic Partners (NLG-1 GRASP). Using this marker, we discovered a role for an UNC-6/Netrin and UNC-40/DCC-mediated axon guidance pathway gene that functions in SPR. Interestingly, synaptic component localization in mutants of this gene is normal, indicating that the reduced SPR is not the result of a secondary defect in cell polarity or protein trafficking. Finally, we found that this gene functions in the UNC-6/Netrin and UNC-40/DCC SPR pathway previously described by our laboratory. Most remarkably, we found that this new gene's function in the SPR pathway is molecularly distinct from its previously characterized signaling pathways. The characterization of the novel role of this gene may give insights into the mechanism of sensory circuit formation.


Not enough attention within the field of social sciences is paid to the problem of authoritarianism. In spite of the fact that this theme has not been deeply analysed, some of the evidence allows us to think that an authoritarian way of mind is usual for the inhabitants of our country. In this article the features of the development of authoritarianism are studied from a multidisciplinary point of view, revealing its existence in the modern organization of Lithuanian labour. In this article the groups of factors which have the biggest influence on the existence of authoritarian relations (human factors, close environment and macro environment), performed research and studies of the 20th century, diagnostic tools are studied, the need for research on the development of authoritarianism within modern Lithuania is substantiated. Theoretical analysis performed in this article revealed differences and even discrepancies between different scientific theories, studies and researching strategies. Most of the scientists look for the reasons in personal features, behaviour, life experience. The other scientists concentrate on the culture of internal relations within organizations. Some of the scientists say that not only personal features influence personality, but also behaviour, the close environment, which means that most probably permanent mutual interaction between human and environmental factors takes place in this phenomenon. There is no unanimous opinion of what indicators should be chosen for the evaluation of this phenomenon. Their different compositions cause different results. Research experience shows that this phenomenon is influenced by many factors. Personal features cannot be separated from others factors which have influence on authoritarianism, such as the internal culture of organization, relations, etc., including macro factors which sometimes are even more important than personal features. That means that the union of these factors at an exact location and time gives different synergetic effects. It would be expedient to perform a study on intercultural authoritarian relations, which would allow testing of the universality and predictive interpretational power of traditional theories.


High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is revolutionizing our ability to obtain cheap, fast and reliable sequence information. Many experimental approaches are expected to benefit from the incorporation of such sequencing features in their pipeline. Consequently, software tools that facilitate such an incorporation should be of great interest. In this context, we developed WebPrInSeS, a web server tool allowing automated full-length clone sequence identification and verification using HTS data. WebPrInSeS encompasses two separate software applications. The first is WebPrInSeS-C which performs automated sequence verification of user-defined open-reading frame (ORF) clone libraries. The second is WebPrInSeS-E, which identifies positive hits in cDNA or ORF-based library screening experiments such as yeast one- or two-hybrid assays. Both tools perform de novo assembly using HTS data from any of the three major sequencing platforms. Thus, WebPrInSeS provides a highly integrated, cost-effective and efficient way to sequence-verify or identify clones of interest. WebPrInSeS is available at http://webprinses.epfl.ch/ and is open to all users.


Purpose – The research on trust, and specifically on trust measurement, has increased
significantly over recent years. Although the importance of trust has reached theoreticians, as well
as practitioners, the conceptualization, and particularly the measurement, of trust is underexplored
within the field of management science. In addition, most trust measurement instruments
were designed to suit a specific purpose or situation and therefore are too narrow in focus. Thus,
the aim of this study is to conceptualize an appropriate measurement approach for customer trust
that improves the practicability of trust measurement for various organizational settings. The focus
is therefore to develop an instrument relevant for practitioners, as well as for theoreticians.
Design/methodology/approach – After a literature review on relationship management, customer
retention and customer trust, this research identifies current shortcomings in trust measurement:
chiefly that current trust measurements are not flexible enough to be applied to various customer
situations. Following a pragmatist research philosophy, this research first integrates two well
established models of trust measurement and secondly expands this to create a more flexible and
nuanced framework and instrument of customer trust measurement. The instrument is designed
to measure the current and expected level of customer trust, as well as the economic intention
and intra-personal level of trust. Three large scale test are conducted in cooperation with three
German-based companies, covering non-durable, durable goods and services categories. Various
segmentation criteria are applied. With the help of statistical analysis the various level of trust are
linked to the intra-personal level of trust, as well as the economic-intent of the customer.
Findings – The results from the three large scale studies indicate that the customer trust
measurement instrument produces robust results. The instrument can be adjusted to each
company's needs to measure the current and expected levels of customer (and non-customer)
trust. Furthermore the current and expected levels of trust can be measured on a factor-,
dimensional- and overall basis. Various segmentation criteria related to target groups can be
applied. The overall level of trust can be linked to the economic intention of a customer group, but
the indications are too weak to link trust to the intra-personal level of customer trust.
Originality/value – To the best of my knowledge, there is no customer trust measurement that
combines the measurement of trust in an trust object (trust dimension) and trust characteristics
(trust building factor) to provide one trust measurement scale. However, by combining these two
entities a trust measurement instrument gains the necessary flexibility and nuance to be used in
various situations to measure customer trust. This step seems to be adequate because recent research concluded that this would be the "conditio sine qua non" for a useful measurement in
trust research. Furthermore, all previous models and instruments only measure the current level of
customer trust and do not link the level of customer trust to economic intention.


OBJECTIVE:
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for several movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD). While this treatment has been available for decades, studies on long-term patient outcomes have been limited. Here, the authors examined survival and long-term outcomes of PD patients treated with DBS.

METHODS:
The authors conducted a retrospective analysis using medical records of their patients to identify the first 400 consecutive patients who underwent DBS implantation at their institution from 1999 to 2007. The medical record was used to obtain baseline demographics and neurological status. The authors performed survival analyses using Kaplan-Meier estimation and multivariate regression using Cox proportional hazards modeling. Telephone surveys were used to determine long-term outcomes.

RESULTS:
Demographics for the cohort of patients with PD (n = 320) were as follows: mean age of 61 years, 70% male, 27% of patients had at least 1 medical comorbidity (coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, or deep vein thrombosis). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis on a subset of patients with at least 10 years of follow-up (n = 200) revealed a survival probability of 51% (mean age at death 73 years). Using multivariate regression, the authors found that age at implantation (HR 1.02, p = 0.01) and male sex (HR 1.42, p = 0.02) were predictive of reduced survival. Number of medical comorbidities was not significantly associated with survival (p > 0.5). Telephone surveys were completed by 40 surviving patients (mean age 55.1 ± 6.4 years, 72.5% male, 95% subthalamic nucleus DBS, mean follow-up 13.0 ± 1.7 years). Tremor responded best to DBS (72.5% of patients improved), while other motor symptoms remained stable. Ability to conduct activities of daily living (ADLs) remained stable (dressing, 78% of patients; running errands, 52.5% of patients) or worsened (preparing meals, 50% of patients). Patient satisfaction, however, remained high (92.5% happy with DBS, 95% would recommend DBS, and 75% felt it provided symptom control).

CONCLUSIONS:
DBS for PD is associated with a 10-year survival rate of 51%. Survey data suggest that while DBS does not halt disease progression in PD, it provides durable symptomatic relief and allows many individuals to maintain ADLs over long-term follow-up greater than 10 years. Furthermore, patient satisfaction with DBS remains high at long-term follow-up.


Environmental degradation in Southeast Asia has been implicated in what some describe as a failure of regional cooperation and a crisis of regional identity and credibility within ASEAN. This article examines environmental decline in Southeast Asia as a consequence of the region's changing political economy and modes of production and suggests that regional cooperation on environmental challenges is more likely to be successful if it reflects some form of bounded cosmopolitanism embedded in a regional community of rights and duties. Drawing on identity-based accounts of regional cooperation to explore the relationship between ideas, interests and policy in the region, it identifies three phases of environmental cooperation since 1977. It argues that, despite apparent ideational and institutional advances over this period, ASEAN has been unable to respond effectively to regional environmental challenges for normative as well as material reasons. Yet while environmental cooperation has been constrained by the ASEAN way, the imperatives for such cooperation have challenged the ASEAN's political norms and confirmed the ambiguities of regional identity within Southeast Asia.


List of Figures. List of Tables. List of Contributors. Acknowledgments. Foreword (Jerome Bruner) 1. Constructivist To The Core: An Introduction To The Volume (Janet Wilde Astington) Part I: Meaning Making, Literacy, and Culture. 2. The Sociability of Meaning: Olson's Interpretive Community (Carol Fleisher Feldman) 3. Making Up My Mind: Learning The Culture of Olson and OISE (Penelope G. Vinden) 4. Literacy As Symbolic Space (Jens Brockmeier) 5. Cognition and The Lexicon In The Environment of Texts (Rita Watson) 6. Rhetorical and Aesthetic Form: Poetry As Textual Art (Joan Peskin) 7. Building On The Oral Tradition: How Story Composition and Comprehension Develop (Anne Mckeough) 8. From Action To Writing: Modes of Representing and Knowing (Gordon Wells) Part II: Representation, Language, and Theory of Mind. 9. Minds In The (Re)Making: Imitation and The Dialectic of Representation (Philip David Zelazo) 10. Content and The Representation of Belief and Desire (Robin N. Campbell) 11. Lying As Doing Deceptive Things With Words: A Speech Act Theoretical Perspective (Kang Lee) 12. Internal and External Notions of Metarepresentation: A Developmental Perspective (Deepthi Kamawar & Bruce D. Homer) 13. RUM, PUM, and The Perspectival Relativity of Sortals (Josef Perner) 14. Mind, Memory, and Metacognition: The Role of Memory Span In Children's Developing Understanding of The Mind (Thomas Keenan) 15. Nonverbal Theory of Mind: is it Important, is it Implicit, is it Simulation, is it Relevant to Autism (Ted Ruffman) 16. Language and Metalanguage In Children's Understanding of Mind (Janet Wilde Astington) Afterword (Angela Hildyard & Nancy Torrance) Name Index. Subject Index.


Magnetic nanoparticles modified by olive leaf ash were used in this study for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The equilibrium adsorption level was determined as a function of solution pH, temperature, contact time, initial adsorbate concentration, and adsorbent dosage. Adsorption isotherms of heavy metal ions on adsorbents were determined and correlated with common isotherm equations such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin models. The apparent characters and physical chemistry performance of the magnetic nanoparticles modified by olive leaf ash were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmition electron microscopy (TEM), and FT-IR. Results showed that the Langmuir isotherm model was fitted well with adsorption data. Kinetic studies were also carried out using various kinetic models such as Pseudo-first order, Pseudo-second order, Elovich and Intra particle diffusion model. The Pseudo-second order kinetic model was fitted very well with the experimental data. Based on thermodynamic studies, this process was found to be both endothermic and spontaneous and the enthalpy and entropy were found to be negative.


Hepatic osteodystrophy is multifactorial in its pathogenesis. Numerous studies have shown that impairments of the hepatic growth hormone/insulin‐like growth factor‐1 axis (GH/IGF‐1) are common in patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and chronic cholestatic liver disease. Moreover, these conditions are also associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and greater fracture risk, particularly in cortical bone sites. Hence, we addressed whether disruptions in the GH/IGF‐1 axis were causally related to the low bone mass in states of chronic liver disease using a mouse model of liver‐specific GH‐receptor (GHR) gene deletion (Li‐GHRKO). These mice exhibit chronic hepatic steatosis, local inflammation, and reduced BMD. We then employed a crossing strategy to restore liver production of IGF‐1 via hepatic IGF‐1 transgene (HIT). The resultant Li‐GHRKO‐HIT mouse model allowed us to dissect the roles of liver‐derived IGF‐1 in the pathogenesis of osteodystrophy during liver disease. We found that hepatic IGF‐1 restored cortical bone acquisition, microarchitecture, and mechanical properties during growth in Li‐GHRKO‐HIT mice, which was maintained during aging. However, trabecular bone volume was not restored in the Li‐GHRKO‐HIT mice. We found increased bone resorption indices in vivo as well as increased basal reactive oxygen species and increased mitochondrial stress in osteoblast cultures from Li‐GHRKO and the Li‐GHRKO‐HIT compared with control mice. Changes in systemic markers such as inflammatory cytokines, osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, or carboxy‐terminal collagen cross‐links could not fully account for the diminished trabecular bone in the Li‐GHRKO‐HIT mice. Thus, the reduced serum IGF‐1 associated with hepatic osteodystrophy is a main determinant of low cortical but not trabecular bone mass. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


Douglas Bereuter is a member of the US House of Representatives and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. Perhaps the most daunting foreign policy challenge for the United States in the twenty-first century is to coax China into becoming a full participant in the international community. If Beijing practices self-restraint and the international community, including the United States, exercises appropriate diplomacy, the People's Republic of China (PRC) can become a responsible member of that community. Should Beijing's leaders and the international community fail, the consequences for international security, global tranquillity, and the 1.2 billion people living in China would be devastating. As the world's only remaining superpower, the United States has an important role to play in this difficult, but not exclusively American, task. For example, over a dozen countries are wrestling with China over the terms of its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). A more immediate and difficult challenge facing the international community is posed by Hong Kong's reversion to the People's Republic of China. On July 1, 1997, over 150 years of British rule ends and Hong Kong becomes a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. This reversion is unprecedented in its complexity, and the future is uncertain. Hong Kong, one of the world's most efficient economies, must become part of an emerging giant which has yet to integrate itself fully into the world economy and which has only begun to experiment with democracy, and then only at the village level. The United States maintains a large and growing economic stake in Hong Kong; therefore, Sino-US relations almost certainly will be affected by US perceptions of the Hong Kong transition to Chinese rule. Additionally, the success or failure of the Hong Kong transfer will have a major impact on Taiwan and US support for Taiwan as this island responds to PRC proposals for unification under the same "one country-two systems" framework used by Beijing to accommodate Hong Kong. Two Views of the Transition Some US-China specialists, representatives of business interests, and others in the United States, Hong Kong, and China urge US policymakers to deal gingerly with the Hong Kong transfer. They note strong nationalistic feelings prevalent in China and the high degree of satisfaction among Chinese officials that Hong Kong is being returned to China. They warn that certain action by the United States, notably by Congress, or by other foreign officials, could be construed by China as illegitimate outside interference in China's internal affairs. Such actions could elicit responses harmful to the interests of Hong Kong and China, or to Sino-US relations. These observers also suggest that US intervention appears unwarranted. Hong Kong's economy, increasingly tied to the vibrantly expanding Chinese mainland economy, continues to grow. Annual growth in the past few years has been five to six percent. Over the last decade, Hong Kong has moved from its rank of fifteenth to eighth largest trader in the world, and its per capita GDP has climbed from US$6,000 to US$23,800. With a population of only 6 million, Hong Kong's economy now equals one-fifth the GDP of mainland China with its 1.2 billion people. Along with this extraordinary track record, Hong Kong plays an increasingly vital role as a trade conduit and financial center for US, Chinese, and international economic and business interests. Under these circumstances, many believe that the change from British to Chinese sovereignty will make little difference. They argue that Hong Kong will continue to demonstrate strong economic growth, foster a friendly and supportive business environment, and provide an overall atmosphere that allows for an extension of current individual freedoms. Adding to their attitude of confidence is the high level of attention devoted to Hong Kong issues by the PRC leadership, which is well aware of the high stakes relating to the success or failure of Hong Kong's transition. …


The Massachusetts charter movement helped create the impetus for Boston to develop pilot schools (in-district charters) - and that posed a dilemma for the staff members, students, parents, board members, and co-directors of Boston's Fenway Middle College High School, as Mr. Myatt and Ms. Nathan relate here. In September 1994 our small Boston school - staff members, students, parents, board members, and the two of us - found itself confronting a difficult decision, one that would affect our immediate identity and our future course. After a decade of positive growth and increasing recognition, too often accompanied by chafing and struggles within our system, we at Fenway Middle College High School had finally opted to become part of the charter school movement, and our application had been accepted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was at this point that another attractive option unexpectedly became available to us. Founded in 1983 as a school-within-a-school, Fenway had lived through a decade of reform and restructuring efforts, changing homes and identities but keeping its dual mission central. Our school had been founded, first, to be a home to students representing a true cross section of the city's young people - many of them demoralized and defeated by their school experiences - and, second, to question anything and everything in the process of building a school of excellence around those same students. Having spent our early years within the intense atmosphere of restructuring at Boston's English High School in the mid-Eighties, we had spun off to become Boston's first member of the national Middle College Consortium and an early member of Theodore Sizer's Coalition of Essential Schools. Our journey had often been one of exploring new roads, overcoming obstacles, and finding new solutions. We saw the charter school movement as our answer to the four kinds of autonomy we had always coveted - the power to create our own budget, based on teaching, learning, and counseling needs; the freedom to teach our own curriculum and to grant diplomas by portfolio and exhibition; the ability to hire the best teachers, regardless of union and central office restrictions; and the unhindered pursuit of a new brand of intimate, supportive governance to be provided by our own board, independent of a rigid bureaucracy and a political school committee. After years of having to defend our course titles, interdisciplinary instruction, hybrid job descriptions, and, often, our mission itself, we began to accept the need to leave behind the main positive features of being part of the traditional school system - services from the city, such as payroll and health insurance; school department purchasing power for indemnification policies or copier paper; and many long-standing personal and professional relationships - in exchange for getting to "hold our own conversation," as Sizer puts it. As we struggled to keep the "old" Fenway going, we began making long-range plans for our new charter school, including preparing for faculty interviews, developing a first-rate business plan, designing our new school structures and systems, and broadening our alliances. Our Coalition experience had taught us the power of networking, and we knew that we would need to become central players in creating a new network among charter educators and supporters. Our board members and school-to-career collaborators were supportive of us, as were such longtime friends as Sizer, Vito Perrone, Deborah Meier, and others. Then, in a springtime moment of enlightenment and opportunism, a host of former antagonists coalesced. The school committee (appointed by the mayor of Boston), the teacher union, and a besieged superintendent all agreed that Boston, too, should have its own progressive initiative. Six in-district charters, to be known as "pilot schools," would be granted, with some promise of more to come in future years. Even though it provided no real funding or any details or direction for central office implementers, the initiative was passed, and this cast of strange bedfellows announced a request for proposals for pilot schools. …


The long bull market left many with significant assets to invest, not to mention higher return expectations. Hedge funds have had explosive growth because they offer to satisfy these expectations. Return data from hedge funds of funds, across various hedge fund investment styles, suggest that this perception is not based on anecdotes. A closer examination of the return data and its distributional properties reveals a less sanguine picture. The author argues that a prototypical hedge fund has properties that are attractive and should be part of a sensible portfolio. He then describes adjustments to returns and portfolio construction techniques to account for the special features of hedge funds. It is shown that the proportion of a prudent portfolio invested in hedge funds is much lower than naive analysis would suggest.


Australian cities and communities face the looming threats of peak oil and climate change. Ways to transition cities to more sustainable systems of transport now require urgent attention. A form of transport that is highly sustainable is cycling, however the number of Australians choosing to cycle rather than drive as part of their normal daily life remains stubbornly low. While national strategies seek to double cycling participation rates between 2011 and 2016, investment in on-road infrastructure to support and encourage cycling has not been significant. Where there has been significant investment, this has sometimes resulted in division and conflict within communities.
The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the introduction of a network of on-road bike lanes into the city of Launceston. Through the analysis of in-depth interviews with sixteen key stakeholders, three key themes emerged. The first was that bike lanes can both enable and constrain cyclists. While bike lanes at the road margins can provide cyclists with a comfortable, 'legitimate' cycling space, these bike lanes can also act to position cycling as a non-mainstream form of transport. The second theme was that a technical approach reduced the focus on social processes such as communication and consultation with stakeholders. The final theme highlighted the difficulties in transitioning to more sustainable transport systems for the future. For many in the community, the focus is on more local and immediate issues, with the perception that the practice of sustainability is for others, elsewhere.
In conclusion, the transition to more sustainable modes of transport such as cycling can appear problematic, particularly with car-based travel norms such that the 'car is king'. This research has begun to address the little investigated topic of the introduction of bike lane networks. The research highlights issues and ways forward regarding transitions to forms of sustainable transport.


The list decoding algorithm can outperform the conventional unique decoding algorithm by producing a list of candidate decoded messages. An efficient list decoding algorithm for algebraic-geometric (AG) codes and Reed-Solomon (RS) codes has been developed by Guruswami and Sudan, called the Guruswami-Sudan (GS) algorithm. The algorithm includes two steps: Interpolation and Factorisation. To implement interpolation, Koetter proposed an iterative polynomial construction algorithm for RS codes. By redefining a polynomial over algebraic function fields, Koetter's algorithm can also be applied to AG codes. To implement factorisation, Roth and Ruckenstein proposed an efficient algorithm for RS codes and later Wu and Siegel extended it to AG codes. Following on from their previous work, we propose a more general factorisation algorithm which can be applied to both AG and RS codes. This algorithm avoids rational function quotient calculations required by Wu and SiegePs algorithm, making it more efficient to implement. As well as employing this algorithm to list decode AG and RS codes this paper also presents the first simulation results evaluating the list decoding performance comparison between AG and RS codes of a similar code rate defined over the same finite field.


The Michigan State Police were first organized to protect the state's infrastructure and quell labor disputes during World War I. Structured along the lines of a paramilitary organization, the State Police quickly developed a reputation for Nativism and anti-radical agendas. By the 1930s, the force had transformed into a state wide investigation and policing agency with broad support in the population and state government. Here, archival records and police publications are used to ascertain the role of Prohibition and rum running in the force's transformation. Examination begins with an overview of the national movement to establish state policing agencies, and its roots in nativism. The effects of prohibition in the incorporation of heavy weapons, new tactics, and technologies taking place during this period are also discussed. Most important to the State Police's transformation was its changing public opinion, allowing it to expand in the face of labor opposition. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department History and Philosophy First Advisor JoEllen Vinyard Second Advisor Ronald Delph


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • In 2002, 22.7% of Nebraskans over the age of 18 were current smokers, accounting for approximately 389,000 smokers. • Since 1995, the prevalence of adult tobacco use in Nebraska has remained about 1 percentage point below the national average, but per capita tobacco consumption in Nebraska has been falling more slowly than the Unites States as whole. • The tobacco industry has directly been a major political force in Nebraska through lobbying and campaign contributions. The tobacco industry spent over $1,027,000 on lobbying from 1997-2002. The tobacco industry made direct campaign contributions to the members of the 2003- 2004 Nebraska Legislature totaling almost $93,000 over the course of their legislative careers. • Only 20 of the 49 members of the 2003-2004 Legislature have never accepted money from the tobacco industry. • The tobacco industry has also worked to increase its political influence in Nebraska by recruiting, often through financial contributions, third-party allies such as the Nebraska Restaurant Association, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, the Nebraska Retail Grocers Association, the Nebraska Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, the Nebraska Retail Federation, the Nebraska Association of Tobacco and Candy Distributors and the Nebraska Licensed Beverage Association. • Despite opposition from the tobacco industry and its allies and the lack of a well-established grassroots tobacco control community, Nebraska was an early leader in passing statewide clean indoor air laws. Due largely to the efforts of state Senator Shirley Marsh, the Nebraska Legislature passed its first clean indoor air law in 1974, only one year after Arizona passed the first law in the nation that required smoking restrictions in some public places. • In 1979, the Nebraska Legislature passed the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act, which was sponsored by state Senator Larry Stoney. The Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act was stronger than similar legislation that was proposed in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts at the same time. The tobacco industry and its allies responded by mobilizing against the implementing rules and regulations for the Act and succeeded in weakened these regulations. • The Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act was not strengthened for 20 years until 1999 when the Legislature passed a bill that required that almost all state buildings and vehicles become smokefree. • From 2000 -2003, the Legislature also strengthened the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act by requiring that commercial daycare facilities be smokefree and extending its enforcement provisions to include business owners. • From 1999-2004, the Nebraska Legislature has rejected three different attempts by state Senator Nancy Thompson to make restaurants throughout Nebraska smokefree. • Using tobacco settlement money, in 2000, the Nebraska Legislature approved $7 million per year for three years to increase funding for a preexisting state tobacco control program, Tobacco Free Nebraska. • Due to pressure from tobacco control advocates, the Nebraska Legislature approved a $0.30 cigarette excise tax increase in 2002, but the Legislature was only willing to pass this increase during a budget crisis and no earmark was provided for tobacco control. • Citing budget concerns in 2003, the Legislature cut funding for Tobacco Free Nebraska from $7 million per year to $405,000, despite several different options for continuing funding for tobacco control. • In 2003, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department led the push to pass Nebraska first comprehensive smokefree workplaces ordinances, but due to pressure from the tobacco industry and its allies, the Lincoln City Council passed a weakened and confusing ordinance that exempted bars and allowed separately ventilated "smoking rooms.†• Tobacco control advocates have made progress in Nebraska, but they have not yet mobilized the political resources necessary to avoid suffering significant defeats at the hands of the tobacco industry.


ABSTRACT Reforms of the post-conflict military are often part of a broader security sector reform (SSR), focusing on public state institutions in the security domain. The military, as a traditionally masculine institution, has been targeted for reforms related to gender integration and mainstreaming in order to make it more democratic and representative. Yet, while these efforts have partly succeeded in making gender issues essential to the military, I argue here that in order to achieve a gendered transformation of the military and erase the gender hierarchy, it is necessary to move focus beyond the public sphere and into the private to examine how these are mutually dependent. I illustrate this point through examples taken from interviews with soldiers from national armies in two countries that have experienced wide-ranging reforms following conflict: Burundi and South Africa. I identify three societal borders policing women in the private sphere, which have an impact in the public sphere: resistance to women in the army, women as primary caregivers, and men's perceived superiority over women. The examples show how a gendered transformation needs to collapse borders between public and private in order to make visible gendered forms of exclusion and discrimination in the military.


World-wide peer learning programs support students in their transition to university. Peer leader support is distinctive, being closer to the learning experience or transition encountered. This paper explores transition into the first year of university through the reflections of peer leaders. It outlines two synergetic programs at the University of Wollongong (UOW): one supporting high school students in the early stages of transition to university (In2Uni); and the second supporting enrolled university students (PASS). Focus groups were conducted to elicit the voices of leaders reflecting on their own transition and experiences of mentoring peers through transition. The findings suggest peer leaders assist transitioning students to confront change; develop strong social networks; make connections within and across curriculum; and learn how to learn in the new academic context. It was found that peer leaders valued peer support in their own transition (or wished for it) and saw its ongoing significance for others in transition.


ABSTRACT Polyadenylation in eukaryotes is conventionally associated with increased nuclear export, translation, and stability of mRNAs. In contrast, recent studies suggest that the Trf4 and Trf5 proteins, members of a widespread family of noncanonical poly(A) polymerases, share an essential function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that involves polyadenylation of nuclear RNAs as part of a pathway of exosome-mediated RNA turnover. Substrates for this pathway include aberrantly modified tRNAs and precursors of snoRNAs and rRNAs. Here we show that Cid14 is a Trf4/5 functional homolog in the distantly related fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Unlike trf4 trf5 double mutants, cells lacking Cid14 are viable, though they suffer an increased frequency of chromosome missegregation. The Cid14 protein is constitutively nucleolar and is required for normal nucleolar structure. A minor population of polyadenylated rRNAs was identified. These RNAs accumulated in an exosome mutant, and their presence was largely dependent on Cid14, in line with a role for Cid14 in rRNA degradation. Surprisingly, both fully processed 25S rRNA and rRNA processing intermediates appear to be channeled into this pathway. Our data suggest that additional substrates may include the mRNAs of genes involved in meiotic regulation. Polyadenylation-assisted nuclear RNA turnover is therefore likely to be a common eukaryotic mechanism affecting diverse biological processes.


In the second part of the Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant provides a transcendental analysis of the bases of our right to employ teleological conceptions in biology. A living organism exemplifies the conception of a natural end insofar as the organization of the parts to form a whole is the result of a process in which the organism is both cause and effect of itself. Kant's analysis of the concept of a natural purpose is guided, in part, by his general theory of logic. By examining the manner in which the logical modes of relation are used as a basis for analyzing the concept of a natural purpose, I hope to accomplish two goals: (1) to compare Kant's analysis of the category of community to the analysis of the concept of a natural purpose; (2) to evaluate some of the strengths and weaknesses of Kant's account of community and natural purpose; (3) to consider one criticism of Kant's use of the logical form of the disjunctive as a basis for the analysis of these conceptions that is developed by Charles Sanders Peirce. Peirce indicates that Darwin's theory of biological evolution was one of the primary causes that led him revisit Kant's logic and his analysis of the categories of relation.


Deportation, detention and dispersal have formed an occasional part of Britain's migration regime throughout the twentieth century, though they tended to be used in response to particular events or "crises". By the end of the twentieth century, however, deportation, detention and, most recently, dispersal have become "normalized", "essential" instruments in the ongoing attempt to control or manage immigration to Britain. This article outlines the use of detention, deportation and dispersal in the twentieth century exploring how they have evolved and then become an integral part of the migration regime into the twenty-first century. Where appropriate, British practices are compared with those of its European neighbours, where to differing degrees, deportation, detention and dispersal have also become everyday practices. In examining these practices in Britain, we consider the rationale and stated aims of their employment, as well as describing some of the consequences, where known, of detention, deportation and dispersal.


The changing landscape in interpreting includes a recent trend toward criminalizing unauthorized immigration, giving rise to a procedurally and ethically ambiguous area of the law: "crimmigration." Its contradictions in terms of constitutional, civil, and human rights came to the fore in the 2008 Postville, Iowa immigration raid and mass felony prosecutions, a landmark case that challenged interpreter codes of ethics and the role of professional organizations in responding to such challenges. This paper examines both the intrinsic and interpretive limitations of existing ethical codes through a historical analysis of their development in relation to the main traditions in ethical theory – deontology, consequentialism, moral sentiments, and virtue ethics – and using Postville as a practical case study. Recommendations are made for an in-depth revision of interpreter codes and the proactive leadership role of professional organizations, proposing as model the interpreter code of ethics of the Massachusetts Trial Courts.


Abstract. Aircraft OH and HO2 measurements made over West Africa during the AMMA field campaign in summer 2006 have been investigated using a box model constrained to observations of long-lived species and physical parameters. "Good" agreement was found for HO2 (modelled to observed gradient of 1.23 ± 0.11). However, the model significantly overpredicts OH concentrations. The reasons for this are not clear, but may reflect instrumental instabilities affecting the OH measurements. Within the model, HOx concentrations in West Africa are controlled by relatively simple photochemistry, with production dominated by ozone photolysis and reaction of O(1D) with water vapour, and loss processes dominated by HO2 + HO2 and HO2 + RO2. Isoprene chemistry was found to influence forested regions. In contrast to several recent field studies in very low NOx and high isoprene environments, we do not observe any dependence of model success for HO2 on isoprene and attribute this to efficient recycling of HOx through RO2 + NO reactions under the moderate NOx concentrations (5–300 ppt NO in the boundary layer, median 76 ppt) encountered during AMMA. This suggests that some of the problems with understanding the impact of isoprene on atmospheric composition may be limited to the extreme low range of NOx concentrations.


Central-western Asia has often been underrepresented in population genetic studies, but it is important for the clarification of the peopling of Eurasia and the relationship between its western and eastern extremities. We genotyped individuals from over 40 population groups, mostly central Eurasian, for mitochondrial HVR1, CCR5del32 and five functional MC1R variants (p.Val60Leu, p.Val92Met, p.Arg151Cys, p.Arg160Trp, p.Arg163Gln), and collected published genotype data for comparison. Mitochondrial profiles confirm both the higher heterozygosity in Central Asia than in surrounding areas, and the broadly northern European distribution of CCR5del32. The MC1R variants profile alone is a good determinant of the longitudinal position of a population group, and combined FST values divide Eurasia into seven broad geographic divisions. We can conclude that Central Asia shares genetic features with both eastern and western Eurasia, compatible with both a scenario where the former acted as a source for the latter two's genetic diversity, or one where Central Asia is a 'hybrid zone' where eastern and western peoples met. Furthermore, the overall high FST values for functional MC1R variants combined with presumed selection pressures on skin pigmentation in low-UV areas lead us to conclude that different variants were selected for in east and west Eurasia, an example of convergent evolution.


The issue of institutional support for innovations in Latin American countries has been examined in this paper. We use aprirori theoretical knowledge on this issue in order to derive one econometric model out of a theoretical framework. The influence on human capital variable on innovations growth it is straightforward. However, the sign on the institutions variable is ambiguous. Defective institutions in Latin American countries resulted in regional's social conflicts which were severe, and the ability of social groups to use formal political institutions to resolve, or mitigate this conflicts has been much less effective. The lack of democracy if we may say, deteriorates the entrepreneurial spirit and hence institutions may as well turn not to be supportive of innovations.


Sinij and goluboj , the two Russian confounders for 'blue', are considered. The question addressed is whether solely sinij or both have status of basic color terms. Results along various lines of experimental research are analyzed. Developmental studies in preschoolers show that with regards to sinij , acquisition of goluboj is overdue, but comparable to that of 'orange' and 'purple'. Psycholinguistic studies indicate that both Russian 'blues' are named with high consensus and have circumscribed, though adjoining areas when mapped into a color space. Psychometric studies relate data of Russian and English speakers on color categorization and discrimination within the blue region. Results are indecisive on whether Russian speakers possess a sinij-goluboj category boundary. However, choices of stimuli and/or experimental design were suboptimal. Further controlled psychometric investigation is required. Nevertheless, linguistic (developmental, metonymic, metaphoric) and psycholinguistic analyses provide converging evidence that both Russian 'blues' have status of the basic color terms.


Abstract In the present work, we undertook the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of an important Lung cancer model inbred rat strain for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome was 16,308 bp. It harbored 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and one non-coding control region (D-loop region). The mutation events were also reported.


Semi-active control devices can perform significantly better than passive devices, but also have the potential to achieve the performance approaching that of a fully active system. Semi-active devices offer significant promise for their ability to add supplemental damping and reduce seismic structural response in an easily controllable manner, and can be used in some modes to modify or reshape hysteretic structural response. However, many current semi-active devices are highly complex, limiting robustness, while those that can generate larger forces suffer from increased response lag time to do so. Thus, an ideal semi-active device would offer high forces, low complexity, and fast response. The semiactive viscous dampers could offer all these properties and could reduce not only the displacement response of a structure, but also the base shear. There are three semi-active viscous dampers, a 1-4, 1-3 and 2-4 device. In this study, a spectral analysis over periods of T= 0.2-5.0 sec under 20 design level earthquakes from the medium suite of the SAC project is used to compare three device control laws individually or in combination to sculpt structural hysteretic behaviour. Performance is assessed by evaluating reduction factors (RFs) compared to an uncontrolled structure for maximum displacement (Sd) and total base-shear (Fb), indicative of structural and foundation damage, respectively. Results show that combining the control laws to reshape the hysteresis loop can reduce the median value of both Sd and Fb by approximately 30% for periods less than 3.0 sec and 20% for periods more than 3.0. Thus, the results show that the proposed device and control laws have significant effect to reduction both structural response and base-shear. Overall, these results indicate the robustness of potentially very simple and robust semi-active viscous dampers to mitigate the risk of seismic damage to both the structure and foundation in a way that is economically suitable for either new designs or retrofit.


Invasive plants are a serious threat to biodiversity. Yet, in some cases, they may play an important ecological role in heavily modified landscapes, such as where fleshy‐fruited invasive plants support populations of native frugivores. How can such conservation conflicts be managed? We advocate an approach in which native fleshy‐fruited plants are ranked on their ability to provide the fruit food resources for native frugivores currently being provided by invasive plants. If these native taxa are preferentially used, where ecologically appropriate, in plantings for restoration and in park and garden settings, they could help support native frugivore populations in the event of extensive invasive plant control. We develop and critically examine six approaches to selecting candidate native plant taxa: a multivariate approach based on the frugivore assemblage, a scoring model, and several multivariate approaches (including trait combinations having the greatest correlation with the diet of the native frugivore assemblage) based on the functional traits of fruit morphology, phenology, conspicuousness, and accessibility. To illustrate these approaches, we use a case study with Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata) (Asteraceae), an Australian Weed of National Significance. The model using a dissimilarity value generated from all available traits identified a set of species used by the frugivores of C. monilifera more than null models. A replacement approach using species ranked by either all traits available or the frugivore community appears best suited to guide selection of plants in restoration practice.


System administrators use application-level knowledge to identify anomalies in virtual appliances (VAs) and to recover from them. This process can be automated through an anomaly detection and recovery system. In this thesis, we claim that application-level policies defined over kernel-level application state can be effective for automatically detecting and mitigating the effects of malicious software in VAs. By combining user-defined application-level policies, virtual machine introspection (VMI), expert systems, and kernel-based state management techniques for anomaly detection and recovery, we are able to provide a favorable environment for the execution of applications in VAs. We use policies to specify the desired state of the VA based on an administrator's application-level knowledge. By using VMI we are able to generate a snapshot that represents the true internal state of the VA. An expert system evaluates the snapshot and identifies any violations. Potential violations include the execution of an irrelevant application, an unauthorized process, or an unfavorable environment configuration. The expert system also reasons about appropriate recovery strategies for each of the violations detected. The recovery strategy decided by the expert system is carried out by recovery tools so that the VA can be restored to an acceptable state. We evaluate the effectiveness of this approach for anomaly detection and repair by using it to detect and recover from the actions of different types malicious software targeting a web server VA. The system is shown to be effective in guarding the VA against the actions of a kernel-exploit kit, a kernel rootkit, a user-space rootkit, and an application malware. For each of these attacks, the recovery component was able to restore the VA to an acceptable state. Although, the recovery actions carried out did not remove the malicious software, they substantially mitigated the harmful effects of the malicious software. This thesis is dedicated to my parents for their love, support, and encouragement.


Extensible languages are programming languages which allow a user to modify or add syntax, and associate the new syntactic forms with semantics. What are these languages good for? What kinds of features are easy to add, and which are not? Are they powerful enough to be taken seriously? In this survey we will attempt to answer such questions as we consider procedural, object-oriented, functional, and general-purpose extensible languages. We are primarily interested in expressive power (regular, context-free), associated caveats (unhygienic, ambiguity) and ease of use of the various mechanisms.


Electronic commerce frequently requires a substantial exchange of
information in order to complete a purchase or other transaction,
especially the first time the parties communicate. A standard set of
hierarchically-organized payment-related information field names in an
XML syntax is defined so that this task can be more easily automated.
This is the second version of an Electronic Commerce Modeling Language
(ECML) and is intended to meet the requirements of RFC 3505.
[STANDARDS-TRACK]


Three areas of the FTC's fairly extraordinary portfolio of policymaking responsibilities that affect the development of the internet stand out: (1) competition issues, (2) consumer protection issues, and (3) privacy and data protection. These three areas are linked by the FTC's creation of policy by experimentation, assessment, and refinement, which ensures the FTC makes wise choices in the face of dramatic technological changes that characterize the internet. The three areas are also linked by institutional multiplicity, which may need to be reconfigured for internet-commerce policy. Effective policy for internet-commerce requires investment in institutional building and implementation because the degree of the skill of implementation and quality of institutional arrangements shape the resulting policy. However, this often fails to occur because incumbent political leaders are motivated to make short-term gains for publicity rather than invest for future gains. Continuous improvement will be a challenge for the FTC in developing and implementing internet-related policies, but they are important due to the highly dynamic nature of the internet. A possible solution lies in treating enhancements to institutional infrastructure and agency capacity as essential duties of leadership and pressing regulators to describe what steps the agency is taking today to make it better in next five or ten years. Another move in the right direction would be adopting the good practices for competition and consumer protection agencies identified in the 2008 FTC self-assessment. Superior internet-related policy will come from investments made today in strong operational methods and institutional frameworks.


Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping resolution of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) is limited by the amount of recombination they experience during development. Intercrossing during line development can be used to counter this disadvantage but requires additional generations and is difficult in self-pollinated species. It is desirable to improve mapping resolution for success of marker-assisted selection and map-based cloning. Here we propose a way of achieving this through recombination enrichment. This method is based on genotyping at each generation and advancing lines selected for high recombination and/or low heterozygosity. In simulations, the method yields lines that represent up to twice as many recombination events as RILs developed conventionally by selfing without selection, or the same amount but in three generations, without reduction in homozygosity. Compared to methods that require maintaining a large population for several generations and selecting lines only from the finished population, the method proposed here achieves up to 25% more recombination. The precision of QTL location is increased by up to 10% with negligible drop in QTL detection power at average marker intervals of 5 cM or less.


Background Simulation can provide safe, realistic learning environments for repeated practice, underpinned by feedback and objective metrics of performance.1 Technical skills are often the main focus of simulation sessions whilst non-technical skills e.g. communication with patients/relatives and other team members are often neglected. Non-technical skills are essential for providing good safe medical practice.2,3 The UK Foundation Programme Curriculum4 provides information and guidance for newly qualified doctors and those involved in their education: This combines traditional medical training elements with communication and consultation skills, patient safety and teamwork. Several pieces of research have shown the importance of training as part of a multi disciplinary team. Falcone et al. stated,5 "Training of a multidisciplinary team in the care of paediatric trauma patients can be enhanced and evaluated through the use of high-fidelity simulation. Improvements in team performance using innovative technology can translate into more efficient care with fewer errors." Therefore we recognise the importance of inter professional multi disciplinary training in acute medicine. We propose to set up a realistic learning environment for multi disciplinary professionals including the use of multi-modal, hybrid simulation using both actors and mannequins. These simulation sessions will target technical and non-technical skills encompassing patients and other team members as well as traditional mannequin training. Methodology 30 FY1 doctors, Nurses, Health Care Support Workers and Paramedics will attend a simulation session in July 2015. Eight sessions will be held in the Winchester Simulation Suite set up as Resuscitation Area of an Emergency Department (ED). To facilitate a realistic learning environment, these sessions will combine 'multi-modal' and 'hybrid' components. Initial assessment and management will be done on a 'human' patient played by an actor. At a given point in the scenario the patient will have a cardiac arrest at which a traditional mannequin will be used. The simulation scenario will be 'hybrid' combining the cardiac arrest medical management and non-technical skills including communication (during and post resuscitation) with "relatives" of the patient. Results Results will be taken from pre and post questionnaires and feedback sessions. Perceived confidence and skills levels will be recorded and analysed. Themes emerging from the feedback sessions and a free text box will be analysed. Potential impact We are evaluating hybrid simulation for its potential as a training tool for junior doctors and non-medical professionals. We hope technical and non-technical skill levels will increase post sessions, thus improving medical practice, team working and patient safety. References Kneebone R. Simulation in surgical training: educational issues and practical implications. Med Educ. 2003:37 Stroud L, Cavalcanti B. Hybrid simulation in knee arthocentesis: improving fidelity in procedure training. J Gen Intern Med. 2013:28 Resus Council. Advanced Life Support Manual 6th edition January 2011 NHS Foundation Programme Curriculum 2012 with amendments for 2014/2015 www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk Accessed on 20/05/2015


Territorial use rights in fisheries (TURFs) are becoming a widely promoted tool to enhance the sustainability of small-scale fisheries. In 1991, Chile established a national coastal TURF policy that gave legal authority to assign exclusive access rights to artisanal fisher organizations. In 2014, there were several hundred TURFs decreed to fisher organizations in different biophysical and socioeconomic settings. To date, research assessing TURF implementation has generally been based on a few case studies and have had mixed results. Here, we present results from a survey of 535 fishers from 55 different artisanal fisher organizations. The survey consisted of three open-ended questions that explore users' perceptions of the main problems, benefits, and improvements concerning assigned TURFs. We also sampled 55 presidents of artisanal fisher organizations to explore how they perceived the accomplishments of TURFs. Main key problems, as perceived by fishers, include increased costs associated with surveillance and poaching, and the variability and sometimes lack of financial returns. Despite strong price drops in exported species, TURFs have provided incentives for innovation and stewardship, and fishers are generally unwilling to relinquish them. In fact, fishers define TURF benefits in multiple dimensions, which include conservation/ ecological and territorial empowerment. Fisher presidents stress that although expectations of economic benefits have not been fully realized, territorial empowerment is a critical benefit. Through the analysis of fishers' perceptions on solutions to TURFs' problems, we highlight the development of stocking activities, combining TURFs with marine reserves, food traceability, and what we call BIO+ seafood— products that have associated biodiversity benefits.


OBJECTIVE
To examine factors that may explain a 9-fold increase in plagiocephaly in Texas from 1999 to 2007.

DESIGN
Descriptive epidemiologic study of time trends and a nested case-control study.

SETTING
Texas.

PARTICIPANTS
Cases in the Texas Birth Defects Registry.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Time trends in the birth prevalence of plagiocephaly overall and by region, demographic group, and clinical subgroup. Trends in percentage of cases using specific facilities or procedures.

RESULTS
From 1999 to 2007, the prevalence of plagiocephaly in Texas increased from 3.0 cases per 10 000 live births to 28.8, an average increase of 21.2% per year. This was highly statistically significant. The time trend was most pronounced in the Dallas/Fort Worth region and in certain health care facilities. It was observed in all demographic and clinical subgroups. Cases born in 2004 and 2005 were not more likely to be postnatally acquired when compared with cases born in 1999 and 2000. There was no commensurate decrease in other birth defects of the face or skull.

CONCLUSIONS
A small part of the trend might have been due to delayed compliance with the infant supine sleeping recommendation and a slight increase in preterm births. It was not due to changes in birth defect coding practice or trends in multiple births, torticollis, or oligohydramnios. Because the plagiocephaly trend was observed mainly in patients visiting certain health care facilities, among mild cases, and among cases with minimally invasive procedures, we suspect it may be due mainly to changes in available therapies and insurance reimbursement practices.


Bio-diesel, derived from the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats with simple alcohols, has attracted more and more attention recently. As a cleaner burning diesel alternative, bio-diesel claims to have many attractive features including: biodegradability,
nontoxicity, renewability and low emission profiles. Free fatty acid (FFA) esterification and
triglyceride (TG) transesterification with low alcohols molar ratio are the central reactions for
the bio-diesel production. This study presents an experimental investigation into the effects of
running biodiesel fuel and its blends on conventional diesel engines. Bio-fuels provide a way to produce fuels without redesigning any of the engine technology present today, yet allowing
for green house emissions to decrease.

Bio-diesel is one of these types of emerging bio-fuels, which has an immediate alternative fuel, while providing a decrease in green house gas emissions, as well as a solution to recycling used Waste Vegetable Oils which are otherwise disposed. This study shows how by blending bio-diesel with petroleum diesel at intervals of B5, B10, B15, and B20 decrease green house gas emissions significantly while maintaining similar performance output and efficiency with respect to 100% petroleum diesel.

The focus of this research is to optimize the biodiesel production from crude sunflower
oil. The effect of variables including methanol/oil molar ratio, NaOH catalyst concentration, reaction time, reaction temperature, and rate of mixing on the bio-diesel yield was examined and optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). Besides, a second-order model was deduced to predict the biodiesel yield. Confirmation experiment was further conducted, validating the efficacy of the model.

Transesterification of sunflower oil was carried out using low molecular weight alcohols and sodium hydroxide. For sunflower oil, a central composite design with eight factorial, six center and six axial points was used to study the effect of catalyst concentration, molar ratio of methanol to sunflower oil and reaction temperature on percentage yield of the biodiesel. Catalyst concentration and molar ratio of methanol to sunflower oil were the most influential variables affecting percentage conversion and percentage initial absorbance.
Maximum percentage yield of 95 % is predicted at a catalyst concentration of 1.1 % (wt/wt) and methanol to sunflower oil molar ratio of 6.8:1 at reaction time of 66 min and temperature of 35°C. In general, the sunflower oil biodiesel exhibited friendly environmental benefits and acceptable stability, demonstrating its feasibility as an alternative fuel.


Water is vital for the life and survival of plants. It is essential for transportation of plant nutrients from the soil; it maintains the plant posture and serves as a raw material for various chemical processes like photosynthesis, transpiration and buffer the plant against wide temperature fluctuations. Lack of enough water to crops may lead to wilting and eventually death, these may result to dependence on relief food or irrigation. Irrigation is a tedious task, which requires a lot of water, and so some farmers have resulted to mulching. Naturally occurring materials have been used as mulches for improvement of agricultural production since time immemorial. Plant remains and inorganic materials alike have been used traditionally but they lose water quickly. There are few studies on application of hydrogel in agriculture in India and North America but not much has been done in Africa. Papyrus reeds have been found to have the ability to absorb and retain substantial amount of water and the present study hypothesized that when modified, they could retain even more. This study therefore sought to enhance water retention of papyrus reed fibers through appropriate functionalization and cross-linking for use as a mulching agent. The mulch was functionalized and characterized by the use of FTIR, SEM, the swelling ratio was also calculated, and the mulch was applied in the field for the growing of kales and spinach. The FTIR peaks were observed for P-H at 2356.95 cm, P-OH at 820 cm-, N-H at 3342 cm-, C=O at 1660 cm, C-N at 1154.42 cmand C-O at 1111.98 cm. The SEM images showed increase in the number of crevices and pores on the surface of the functionalized and crosslinked papyrus reed. The phosphate derivative absorbed more than 12 times its weight. The derivatized mulch gave the best results of kales and spinach in terms of weight, which had a mean of 2kg, a mean length of 27.8 cm, mean width of 9.96 cm and a mean of 4 leaves. The mulch preserves water; it is non-toxic, biodegradable, leads to high yield and helps to save labor and water by reducing frequency of irrigation.


Design optimization is an important engineering design activity. Research on design optimization has considered better solution methods as well as novel formulations. Although there exist well-established measures for evaluating solution methods (both exact algorithms and heuristics), attributes for evaluating a design optimization model do not exist. This paper presents a comprehensive approach for evaluating a design optimization model along the following dimensions: scope, variable set, objective function, and model structure. Using these attributes distinguishes design optimization models from each other and helps one locate relevant design optimization models. Moreover, they may lead to a comprehensive classification scheme. Finally, they will be useful for assessing design optimization research.


This study sought to determine the level of awareness of the informal indigenous livestock grading and pricing system among producers and the exploitation of this knowledge to increase market participation and realise better prices and returns for their animals. Data was collected from 144 small ruminant producers in 3 livelihood zones (West Golis pastoral, Togdheer agro-pastoral and Hawd pastoral regions) in the northern Togdheer region using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and econometric methods were used in the analysis of data. Results confirmed the importance of small ruminants as sources of income among livestock producers in Somaliland. On average, a household kept 53 sheep and goats with most of the producers (79-85%) having sold some animals (mean=10) during the preceding 12 months. It was also established that producers were generally well versed with the grading and pricing system except for the very fine details. However, this knowledge did not have significant effect on level of market participation, but rather, other supply influencing factors like the number of animals kept by the household, gender of sales decision maker, age of household head and livelihood zone in which the household resided significantly influenced household annual small ruminants sales volumes. Despite level of awareness of grading and pricing having no significant effect on the absolute annual household sales volumes due to other adjunct supply constraints, producers tended to avail more of the superior quality grades for sale. For example, Grades I and II of small ruminants accounted for the largest proportions of animals sold (40% and 29%, respectively) with inferior quality grades (grade III and the local grade) accounting for only 15% and 17% respectively. Furthermore, results of an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression showed that supply of higher grade animals had a positive effect on prices received. In addition, number of animals sold and involvement in other economic activities besides livestock production positively affected the level of prices received by producers. Although a significant number of producers (39%) said that they deliberately fatten animals before sale, the strategy employed simply involved grazing of animals in communal land during the rainy season. Sheep and goats producers in Somalia face formidable constraints of drought and the attendant lack of feed and water for livestock, and also animal health issues. This provides a justification for development agencies and research organisations to continue working to address these problems. 1 Knowledge and exploitation of small ruminant grading and pricing systems among Somaliland livestock producers


Spatial compounding is an imaging technique that aims to improve image contrast by combining partially decor- related images acquired at different angles or positions. In conventional spatial compounding, data sets are combined with equal weighting. Here, we describe an alternative method of reconstruction using algorithms which weight the data based on a "quality" matrix. The quality matrix is derived from beamforming characteristics. For each data set, the reliability of the data is as- sumed to vary spatially. By compounding the data based on the quality matrix, a complete image is formed. Here, we describe the construction of a rotational translation stage and tissue-mimicking phantoms that are used in conjunction with a commercial medical ultrasound machine to test our reconstruction algorithms. The new algorithms were found to increase the contrast-to-speckle ratio of simulated cysts and tumors by 61% from raw data, and to significantly increase edge definition of small embedded targets. The new method shows promise as a computationally efficient method of improving contrast and resolution in ultrasound im- ages. The method should be particularly useful in breast imaging, where images from multiple angles can be acquired without interference from bone or air.


Watamu Marine National Park (WMNP) is one of the oldest no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the world. Since its establishment in 1968, it has been the subject of a number of scientific studies as well as suffering from a range of modern threats to coastal marine habitats. The current state and conservation value of WMNP is documented in terms of habitat, biodiversity, and available scientific literature. There were 101 published references relating to WMNP found, which mostly focus on coral reef ecology, with less attention to other topics, such as biodiversity, socio-economics, or the ecology of non-coral reef habitats. The habitat map produced of WMNP is the first to show this level of detail and the only habitat map of a Kenyan MPA. Nine habitat categories were mapped; revealing that the most dominant habitat type is seagrass and the least is coral reef. Species lists were collected for fish, echinoderms, molluscs, crustaceans, corals, and seagrass, and species abundances were used to estimate total species richness, species diversity and sampling completeness. There were 18 species across all groups that fall into a category of conservation concern (other than Least Concern or Not Evaluated) on the IUCN Red List and 8 species found which are currently undescribed. The findings of this paper emphasise the importance of non-coral habitats in the WMNP, such as seagrass beds, and the need for more research into the ecology and conservation importance of these habitats. The information provided in this paper provides a comprehensive overview to any scientist or conservationist wanting to carry out further work in WMNP.


Water management plays an important role in the economy of Central Asian states. With the transition into the post-Soviet era, the States implemented several phases of agricultural reforms. The establishment of Water User Associations (WUAs) in Tajikistan started in the 1990s following the implementation of the first phase of Land Reforms in 1998-2000. Main purposes of creating such WUAs, often initiated and supported by international donors, are to operate, maintain and use on-farm irrigation system with the purpose of on-time, adequate and reliable water supply to its water users. No reforms take place in a vacuum. An effective legislative framework is needed to support new initiatives and institutional settings. While being a separate legal entity, a WUA has certain obligations both provided in law and in the contracts they sign. These obligations then are transformed into liabilities, when non-performance or mal-performance occur. Therefore, it is important to know what the law says about the chain of water management and the relationships involved, where WUA stands as an intermediate institution between State water organizations and farmers, the ultimate water users. This paper will look into these legal settings and endeavours to explain the complex nature of local water management in Tajikistan from the perspective of the law.


This book analyses share purchase agreements governed by Belgian law used for company acquisitions, whereby a purchaser acquires control over a Belgian target company through the acquisition of a controlling shareholding. The object of such sale and purchase agreements is not a static, inanimate object, but consists of a shareholding in a company whose business and balance sheet evolve while the parties negotiate its acquisition. 00Such share purchase agreements and the negotiations leading up to them create a particular triangular interaction and relationship between the seller, the purchaser and the target company. These aspects make share purchase agreements different from, and often more complex than, sale and purchase agreements relating to other objects. 00The analysis set out in this book is written from a practitioner?s perspective and focuses on the application of classic civil and corporate law concepts in the particular context of share purchase agreements. The theoretical background of all legal concepts is discussed and analysed, with due consideration for the practical relevance of the analysis. 00The reader is guided through the successive stages of a share purchase agreement. Each chapter includes a section containing sample clauses and concludes with an overview of relevant legislation, case law, legal doctrine and other sources of law. 00The book concludes with an index of the concepts used and a separate lexicon of the corresponding Belgian law terms in Dutch and French.


Eviota hoesei n.sp. is described from specimens from New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island (type locality), Norfolk Island, and Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs. It is distinguished from congeners in having the following character combination: dorsal-fin rays usually VI + I,9; anal-fin rays usually I,8; at least some pectoral-fin rays branched; cephalic sensory-pore system pattern 2; base of pectoral fin with two diffuse to prominent dark spots; fifth segmented pelvic-fin ray present, usually about 1/10 length of fourth ray; and 6 subcutaneous bars/spots on lower postanal trunk. Eviota readerae n.sp. is described from specimens from Middleton (type locality) and Elizabeth Reefs. It is distinguished from congeners in having the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays VI + I,9; anal-fin rays I,8; at least some pectoral-fin rays branched; fifth segmented pelvic-fin ray lacking; cephalic sensory-pore system pattern 1; male genital papilla non-fimbriate; 12-13 dark bars or saddles on trunk from origin of spinous dorsal fin to mid peduncular spot, not extending below midline; and pectoral-fin base with prominent circular dark spot dorsally. Eviota corneliae Fricke is placed in synonymy with Trimmatom eviotops (Schultz).


A key problem in repair and functional regeneration following myocardial infarction is the inability of heart muscle tissue to regenerate itself and appropriate vascularization under conditions of increased strain caused by the reduced contractibility of the damaged heart. This frequently leads to continuous loss of functional cells, further increase of the infarct area and nally complete loss of heart function. We propose to explore possibilities for cell therapy using different procedures and sources of stem and progenitor cells. First, we will investigate factors stimulatory for stem/progenitor cell release from the bone marrow, their recruitment to the heart and the activation of resident heart stem cells. Second, we will evaluate adoptive transfer of stem/progenitor cells of different sources, from bone marrow, adult and cord blood, adipose tissue and heart tissue itself. The use of ex vivo cultured and differentiated cells including embryonic stem cells will be tested. Third, we will test genetic modi cation of these cells for improved differentiation, homing and tissue repair. Fourth, we will use a unique arti cial scaffold material as a slow release device for factors and as a structural support material for providing the different cell preparations to the damaged areas. This scaffold will aso be used for tissue engineering in vitro followed by insertion of art cial tissue onto the infarct area. This project of high clinical importance is designed to further support the research and development needs of two SMEs, one is determined to become a supplier of growth factor cocktails for clinical stem cell culture, a second is based on the generation and supply of stem cells for clinical use. It will evaluate whether induction of repair by factors, adoptive transfer of stem/progenitor cells or Grant agreement ID: 222995  Project website


In this paper we present a robust parameter estimation method for jointly estimating shape parameter I±, scale parameter I³ and location parameter I´ of a symmetric stable distribution. The proposed estimation method is based on Probability Integral Transformation (PIT) and robust M-estimators. The procedure is ready to use as besides the theoretical description we provide the numerical algorithm and all constants and approximations of functions necessary to compute the estimators. Robust characteristics and the asymptotic behaviour of estimator I± is investigated. A simulation sequence was carried out to examine statistical properties of the estimator I±. We perform an application for a data set of returns of some assets listed in Budapest Stock Exchange.


Objectives: This study was an evaluation of posteroanterior chest radiographs taken of residents of Konya determined by the cluster sampling method. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted in cooperation with the Konya Education and Research Hospital, the provincial health directorate, and the metropolitan municipality. The sociodemographic characteristics of 2015 individuals participating in the study were recorded. The standard chest radiographs, which were taken with a traditional analog system during inspiration in the standing position, were evaluated by 2 radiologists. The most obvious pathological finding was recorded. Results: Of the participants, 1075 (53.40%) were female and 940 (46.60%) were male. The mean age was 45.89±0.45 years for the women and 46.20±0.54 years for the men. In the group, 340 (16.90%) were retired, 492 (24.40%) were farmers and/or laborers, 144 (7.10%) were white-collar employees, and 1039 (51.60%) were housewives or unemployed. In all, 580 (28.80%) were cigarette smokers. While 249 (12.36%) had pathological findings on the chest radiograph, 1766 (87.64%) had normal results. The pathological findings were hilar fullness (n=50, 2.48%), emphysematous appearance (n=48, 2.38%), nodule (n=29, 1.44%), increased reticulonodular density (n=26, 1.29%), increased bronchovascular branching (n=9, 0.44%), bronchiectasis (n=4, 0.20%), and other changes (n=83, 4.12%). The incidence of emphysematous appearance was 2.77 times greater in the smokers than in the non-smokers (p<0.05; odds ratio [OR]: 2.77, confidence interval [CI]: 1.56-4.91). While the chest X-ray was normal in 93.50% of the individuals under the age of 40 years, the rate decreased to 84.60% in the individuals over the age of 40 years. The incidence of a pathological chest radiograph was also 2.62 times higher in individuals over the age of 40 years (p<0.001; OR: 2.62, CI:1.90-3.61). Conclusion: The incidence of pathological lung findings was greater in individuals over the age of 40 years, and in workers and retirees.


[1] In the paper, the self-organizing map (SOM) was employed for the exploratory analysis of fluorescence excitation-emission data characterizing organic matter removal efficiency at 16 water treatment works in the UK. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to assess organic matter removal efficiency between raw and partially treated (clarified) water to provide an indication of the potential for disinfection by-products formation. Fluorescence spectroscopy was utilized to evaluate quantitative and qualitative properties of organic matter removal. However, the substantial amount of fluorescence data generated impeded the interpretation process. Therefore a robust SOM technique was used to examine the fluorescence data and to reveal patterns in data distribution and correlations between organic matter properties and fluorescence variables. It was found that the SOM provided a good discrimination between water treatment sites on the base of spectral properties of organic matter. The distances between the units of the SOM map were indicative of the similarity of the fluorescence samples and thus demonstrated the relative changes in organic matter content between raw and clarified water. The higher efficiency of organic matter removal was demonstrated for the larger distances between raw and clarified samples on the map. It was also shown that organic matter removal was highly dependent on the raw water fluorescence properties, with higher efficiencies for higher emission wavelengths in visible and UV humic-like fluorescence centers.