Abstract. Global fire-vegetation models are widely used to assess
impacts of environmental change on fire regimes and the carbon cycle and to
infer relationships between climate, land use and fire. However,
differences in model structure and parameterizations, in both the vegetation
and fire components of these models, could influence overall model
performance, and to date there has been limited evaluation of how well
different models represent various aspects of fire regimes. The Fire Model
Intercomparison Project (FireMIP) is coordinating the evaluation of
state-of-the-art global fire models, in order to improve projections of fire
characteristics and fire impacts on ecosystems and human societies in the
context of global environmental change. Here we perform a systematic
evaluation of historical simulations made by nine FireMIP models to quantify
their ability to reproduce a range of fire and vegetation benchmarks. The
FireMIP models simulate a wide range in global annual total burnt area
(39–536 Mha) and global annual fire carbon emission (0.91–4.75 Pg C yr−1) for modern conditions (2002–2012), but most of the range in burnt
area is within observational uncertainty (345–468 Mha). Benchmarking scores
indicate that seven out of nine FireMIP models are able to represent the
spatial pattern in burnt area. The models also reproduce the seasonality in
burnt area reasonably well but struggle to simulate fire season length and
are largely unable to represent interannual variations in burnt area.
However, models that represent cropland fires see improved simulation of
fire seasonality in the Northern Hemisphere. The three FireMIP models which
explicitly simulate individual fires are able to reproduce the spatial
pattern in number of fires, but fire sizes are too small in key regions, and
this results in an underestimation of burnt area. The correct representation
of spatial and seasonal patterns in vegetation appears to correlate with a
better representation of burnt area. The two older fire models included in
the FireMIP ensemble (LPJ–GUESS–GlobFIRM, MC2) clearly perform less well
globally than other models, but it is difficult to distinguish between the
remaining ensemble members; some of these models are better at representing
certain aspects of the fire regime; none clearly outperforms all other
models across the full range of variables assessed.


Ceramic fibers have been manufactured via electrospinning for a variety of applications, including microelectronics, gas sensing, and memory systems. Preferentially ordering ceramic fibers as uniaxially aligned mats, as layered arrays, or as patterned structures has enormous potential to enhance current applications and add utility to electrospun ceramic fibers. Here, we developed a versatile guide column array-based method for manufacturing uniaxially aligned and patterned arrays of ceramic fibers. The guide column array was designed to control the electrospinning jet via electrostatic interactions between the electrified jet and the electrodes, resulting in fibers that preferentially oriented during deposition. A relationship between the ceramic precursor solution conductivity was correlated to the optimal operating voltage for the realization of aligned ceramic nanofibers using the guide column array.


This research explores the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) (GDPR), due to come into force in May 2018, and its impact on UK local authorities.

Its key objectives were to identify how the pending changes to data protection legislation might impact on current compliance procedures and policies. Its aim was to provide recommendations for local authorities regarding the key issues in order to minimise the risk of non-compliance with the new law by being better informed of the obligations the new rules impose on data controllers.

The study first looked at the structure of the EU and the procedure for introducing new laws, to understand the provenance and supremacy of the legislation. It then looked at the political and legal background regarding data protection and compared the previous and existing legislation to the new Regulation to evaluate the amount of change likely.

Consideration was then given to the current compliance situation in local authorities. Studies conducted by the ICO and Big Brother Watch identified major problems in some local authorities with breaches of the Data Protection Act resulting in considerable fines totalling in the millions.

Whilst key principles of data protection will remain the same the new regulation will introduce important changes requiring greater vigilance over compliance if fines are to be avoided. One is the compulsory requirement to report data breaches, which could pose a serious problem in many local authorities. According to Big Brother Watch, 38% reported never having had a breach; at best this means they have little experience of dealing with one, at worst there could be more fines to come.

The new law imposes a distinct change of direction, from educating organisations after a breach has occurred to requiring proof they took adequate measures to avoid one. This will necessitate implementing clear policies, recording any incidents, training staff adequately and having full accountability throughout the organisation. To avoid further losses to public sector services it is essential that local authorities make the needed changes to meet the new law.


Magnetization, grain size, x-ray diffraction, and dielectric permittivity of BiFeO3 (BFO) and 5 mol% lanthanum-substitution BFO [(Bi0.9BLa0.05)FeO3] ceramics have been carried out as a function of sintering temperature (910-950°C) BFO ceramic exhibits an antiferromagnetic behavior, whose magnetization curve is linear with the field at room temperature. A weak ferromagnetic behavior occurs in (Bi0.9BLa0.05)FeO3 (BLFO) ceramics at room temperature, in which remanent magnetization increases from 0.008 to 0.14 as sintering temperature raises from 910 to 950°C. This phenomenon can be correlated with the growth of grain size of BLFO ceramics, which grows with increasing sintering temperature. The dielectric permittivities of BFO and BLFO are about 33 and 57 at room temperature, respectively. The dielectric losses (tan δ) of BFO and BLFO ceramics vary respectively in the ranges of ~0.2-0.4 and ~0.002-0.004 below 150°C, indicating that 5 mol% La-substitution can efficiently reduce electric conductivity. A frequency-dependent and broad dielectric maximum was observed in both BFO and BLFO ceramics upon heating. This dielectric response is likely triggered by the antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition near the Neel temperature.


To support more effective biomedical information management, Semantic MEDLINE integrates document retrieval, advanced natural language processing, automatic summarization and visualization into a single Web portal. The application is intended to help manage the results of PubMed searches by condensing core semantic content in the citations retrieved. Output is presented as a connected graph of semantic relations, with links to the original MEDLINE citations. The ability to connect salient information across documents helps users keep up with the research literature and discover connections which might otherwise go unnoticed. Semantic MEDLINE can make an impact on biomedicine by supporting scientific discovery and the timely translation of insights from basic research into advances in clinical practice and patient care. Semantic MEDLINE is illustrated here with recent research on the clock genes.


We describe novel techniques used for efficient simulation of memory in SimICS; an instruction level simulator developed at SICS. The design has focused on efficiently supporting the simulation of multiprocessors, analyzing complex memory hierarchies and running large binaries with a mixture of system level and user level code. A software caching mechanism (the Simulator Translation Cache, STC) improves the performance of interpreted memory operations by reducing the number of calls to complex memory simulation code. Major data structures are allocated lazily to reduce the size of the simulator process. A well defined internal interface to generic memory simulation simplifies user extensions. Leveraging on a flexible interpreter based on threaded code allows runtime selection of statistics gathering, memory profiling, and cache simulation with low overhead. The result is a memory simulation scheme that supports a range of features for use in computer architecture research, program profiling, and debugging.<<ETX>>


The mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Tg2576 mice (APP), has provided valuable information, such as the role of the metallothionein (MT) family in their behavioral and amyloidosis phenotypes. In this study, we further characterize the role of MT-1 by crossing Mt1-overexpressing mice with Tg2576 mice (APPTgMT). In 14-month-old mice, MT-1(/2) protein levels were dramatically increased by Mt1 overexpression throughout the cortex (Cx), which showed a prominent caudal-rostral gradient, and the hippocampus (HC). There was a trend for MT-1(/2) immunostaining to be increased in the areas surrounding the amyloid plaques in control male mice but not in Mt1-overexpressing mice. Gliosis was elicited by the amyloid plaques, but the effects of Mt1 overexpression were modest. However, in hippocampal western blots the microglial marker Iba-1 was increased in old male APPTgMT mice compared to APP-wild type (APPWT) mice, and the opposite was observed in young mice. Hippocampal CA1 neuronal loss was observed in Tg2576 mice, but was unaffected by Mt1 overexpression. Aging increased Zn and Cu levels differently depending on brain area, sex, and genotype. Thus, the effects of Mt1 overexpression on the phenotype of Tg2576 mice here studied are modest.


Based on downscaled daily precipitation values from the global climate model of the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg, time series of 20 years have been generated to describe the current climate of 1980–1999 (control data) and the future climate of 2030–2049 (scenario data) for Norway. These time series serve as training data for the Randomised Bartlett-Lewis Rectangular Pulse Model (RBLRPM), a precipitation simulation model, and time series of 1000 years length have been generated to assess possible changes in the extreme precipitation regime due to climate change. The analysis of changes in extreme value patterns for annual and seasonal values in the scenario and control data sets shows tendencies towards increased extreme values and seasonal shifts for the scenario period. A general increase in mean and standard deviation of the extreme value sample and for values of 10 and 100 years return period is found, although the regional variability is significant. For some regions the increase is in the order of 10 to 50 % for both annual and seasonal values.


Maximum likelihood (ML) estimation is used to extract seafloor roughness parameters from records of acoustic backscatter. The method relies on the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff approximation under the assumption of a power-law roughness spectrum and on the statistical modeling of bottom reverberation. The result is a globally optimum, highly automated technique that is a useful tool in the context of seafloor classification via remote acoustic sensing. The general geometry of the Sea Beam bathymetric system is incorporated into the design of the ML processor in order to make it applicable to real acoustic data collected by this system. The processor is initially tested on simulated backscatter data and is shown to be very effective in estimating the seafloor parameters of interest. The simulated data are also used to study the effect of data averaging and normalization in the absence of system calibration information. The same estimation procedure is applied to real data collected over two central North Pacific seamounts, Horizon Guyot and Magellan Rise. The Horizon Guyot results are very close to estimates obtained through a curve-fitting procedure presented by de Moustier and Alexandrou [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 90, 522-531 (1991)]. In the case of Magellan Rise, discrepancies are observed between the results of ML estimation and curve fitting.


Abstract This article will outline two nontraditional student service-learning field study-consulting projects. Both of these experiences involved graduate business students, who had previously received instruction on how to analyze organizations, markets, and economic forces employing both macro and micro models and methodologies. Benefits to students as well as the challenges and difficulties of such experiences will be discussed and comparisons made to similar types of experiences in the literature. From such experiences it is evident that service learning as an integrative field study can also be a powerful capstone-like learning opportunity for students when coupled with a reflective evaluation component. ********** Service-Learning courses have become increasingly popular on campuses today, with some college and universities beginning to require students to complete a certain number of such courses before becoming eligible to graduate. Students seeking such opportunities would more than likely find a growing array of designated service-learning courses at their institutions, whether they are small community colleges, or large public universities. More and more academic disciplines have become involved in promoting experiential learning pedagogies in the classroom, embracing the notion that students learn most effectively when they can actively engage in "hands-on" concrete knowledge application (Stewart, 1996). Over the past several years, educators have developed explicit models for faculty to ensure that they have constructed an effective service-learning pedagogy. (Honnet, & Poulsen, 1989) But must service-learning experiences follow the traditional faculty-directed, course-based model to be effective? Mexico City Service-Learning Immersion Project A team of 5 MBA students from Brigham Young University volunteered to participate in an intensive 7-week consulting project in Mexico City. The BYU Marriott Business School had been approached by several Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints leaders to explore ways in which some students could help with their member employment efforts in Mexico City. The dilemma facing the Church in Mexico was the increasing numbers of unemployed members who either lacked the skills or the opportunities to get placed in "stable" employment positions, enabling them to sustain themselves and their families and thereby contribute more effectively to the explosive growth the LDS Church was facing in Mexico. Once it was determined that the project would involve an extended stay (7 weeks) in Mexico City, a cross-disciplinary team of students was formed from finance, marketing, information systems, and organizational theory emphases to provide a balance of multiple perspectives to the team. Since the timing of the project occurred after most of the 2nd year of the graduate program when MBA students had completed all of their coursework and were preparing to graduate and seek full-time employment, it was evident that this experience would not readily fit within the normal curriculum parameters. Further, since volunteering for the project would mean that a student would either have to postpone the job search or delay an acceptance of a job offer, it was determined that the School would cover all travel, food and lodging expenses for the duration of the project through July. This author served as the director of the project and helped to set the project parameters and initiate contacts in Mexico City through the formal channels of the business school. The author also spent the first week with the students in Mexico getting them established and organized as well as holding introductory meetings with business, LDS Church, and government contacts. It was clear at the outset that this was an "emergent consulting experience" that would unfold as the students began their initial environmental scan which included preliminary meetings and interviews, and a demographic survey of the unemployed LDS member applicants. …


We examine in this article the monthly structure of the US and the UK interest rates by means of using fractionally integrated semiparametric techniques. The results based on the quasi maximum likelihood estimate of Robinson (QMLE, 1995) indicate that the order of integration of both series is higher than 1, especially for the US, with the degree of integration oscillating around 1.23. For the UK, this value is around 1.07. Similar results are obtained when using a parametric testing procedure of Robinson (1994), though with this method, the unit root null hypothesis cannot be rejected for the UK. In conclusion, both series are nonstationary and non-meanreverting.


A study was undertaken to determine the most suitable food for Penaeus monodon zoea out of mixed diatoms, Skeletonema costatum, Chaetoceros calcitrans and C. gracilis. Results indicate that mixed diatoms and C. gracilis are the better food. Addition of zooplankton, e.g.rotifers, is also recommended as early as Z3 since the larvae start to be omnivorous at this stage.


In the early 1930s the crime film Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (1932, USA, dir. Howard Hawks) stirred censorship controversies in the United States because of its gritty portrayal of criminality and violence. Debates over crime, race and immigration proliferated in the North-American press and finally led to Italian-American pressure groups to call out for the film's boycott because it 'offended the Italian nation and people' and vilified immigrant communities. Archival historical research in AVT has revealed how film versions have frequently been cut and dialogues ideologically manipulated to suit political agendas, commercial interests and dominant sexual and religious moralities. Indeed the translation of films has often served too many masters, suffering direct or indirect censorship intervention whenever a film defied existing societal taboos. My contribution aims to offer a diachronic perspective on the reception of Scarface lo sfregiato in Italy. It will look at the film's Italian-language translation and re-translations for cinema, television and DVD, prepared by different hands and re-voiced by different actors during a span of fifty years (1940-90s). From the textual and contextual analysis of the film's different Italian editions, it will be possible to trace significant ideological shifts in the reception of Italian-American crime iconography and in the language used to communicate it.


Traditionally, the practice of genetic testing was governed by the Diagnostic Paradigm. Under the Diagnostic Paradigm an individual tested for a disease that was prevalent in his family and a medical professional guided the testing process. Yet, recently, a new genetic testing paradigm has emerged - the Consumer Paradigm. Under the Consumer Paradigm, direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies are offering online packages of multiple genetic tests that are bundled together. The individual purchases the package and undergoes testing for a large battery of tests usually without the guidance of a medical practitioner.This Essay argues that the emergence of the Consumer Paradigm signals a new step in the genetic revolution and creates a need for an additional policy focus. While in the past legal discourse focused on the removal of barriers for innovation and access, it should now also consider the need to regulate and filter the production of genetic information. Specifically, this Essay underscores the necessity of having a medical professional as a gatekeeper of the production of genetic information.This Essay argues for the need for a law mandating the guidance of a medical professional not only at the interpretation stage but also at the outset of the process - to guide individuals through the selection of tests. Not all genetic information is made equal and not all test results are similarly desirable for all people. A medical practitioner can guide individuals in selecting the genetic tests that reflect their preferences and produce the genetic information that is beneficial for them.


Environmental factors influencing parents or offspring during embryogenesis can have knock-on effects at later life stages of the offspring. These effects may prepare the progeny for conditions that they may encounter as larvae, juveniles, and/or adults. Here, we give examples on how knock-on effects of temperature and predator cues can affect phenotypes of fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Such effects are best described in reptiles, but are generally widespread among ectotherms. Most of the species are oviparous with egg incubation outside the mother's body. The eggs can be exposed to highly different and variable environmental conditions, and developmental plasticity may help offspring cope with influences they may encounter at a later stage, e.g., whether the habitat will be warmer or colder and/or safer or riskier than what they a priori are adapted for. Knock-on effects can be considered a subset of phenotypically plastic responses. They can be instantaneous or delayed, have a physiological foundation, and can be manifested as temperature-dependent sex determination and changes in morphological, physiological, life-history, and behavioral characters. They are often, but not exclusively, assumed evolutionarily favorable, particularly beneficial for invasive species and during periods of rapidly changing environments. However, although several studies suggest that plasticity in some cases increases survival and reproductive success, the fitness gain is still virtually untested. It is assumed that epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, could ultimately be important components of molecular mechanisms that allow early perceived cues to be expressed at a later stage in life. Although some empirical cases support this, evidence is still mostly circumstantial. Future research should investigate mechanisms and fitness effects of early environmental stimuli. These effects are important for the ecology of species and should be taken into account in experiments on ecological effects of environmental variables. This is of particular interest today because of climate change and increasing anthropogenic habitat alterations.


Since Wakefield, Murch, Anthony, Linnell, Casson, Malik, Berelowitz, Dhillon, Thomson, Harvey, Valentine, Davies and Walker-Smith's (1998) proposed a causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism and Crohn's disease (a form of irritable bowel disease: IBD), vaccine uptake rates gradually declined in the UK. Parents of young children began to question the safety of MMR immunisation and were required to assess the risks and benefits of MMR immunisation during their decision-making process. The studies in the present thesis aimed to investigate factors influencing parents' risk assessment, MMR intentions and behaviour to gain an understanding of parents' decision-making process. A mixed method approach was taken, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Four studies involving parents of young children and students were carried out in Scotland. The first study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study which used Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and Subjective Norm (SN) to understand parents' MMR immunisation intentions and behaviour for first dose and second dose MMR vaccine. The results suggest PMT was a useful psychometric risk model when examining first-dose and second-dose MMR immunisation and associated risks. The inclusion of SN in the model increased its overall robustness. Differences between immunising parents and non-immunising parents were identified. Immunisers perceived measles, mumps and rubella to be severe diseases and reported greater susceptibility and fear in relation to the diseases, whereas nonimmunisers reported more concern about the associated risks of autism and IBD. Additionally, immunisers were more likely to follow the advice of health professionals (GP and health visitor) and reported them to be important sources of information, whereas non-immunisers were less likely to follow advice from health professionals and reported the media and internet to be important sources of information. The second study used a similar methodology to the first study but used PMT and SN to investigate MMR immunisation decision-making in a sample of 90 previously non-immunised university students during a mumps outbreak on campus. PMT and SN were found to be important constructs when understanding the students' immunisation behaviour. In comparison with non-immunising students, immunising students reported greater fear, severity and perceived risks of the vaccine-preventable diseases. Non-immunisers perceived greater external barriers to immunisation and anxiety about immunisation to be an internal barrier. Both groups valued the information provided by health professionals and were more likely to follow the advice from these referents than any other referent group. Comparisons were made between the results of the first two studies. The findings indicate PMT, including SN, was a useful model when examining the MMR decision-making process for immunisers and non-immunisers in different population groups. Parents and students reported similar threat appraisals in relation to the vaccine-preventable diseases, but were different in their coping responses (response efficacy and self-efficacy). Many similar patterns between students and parents were illustrated, but parents reported stronger beliefs related to their parental role. The results indicate that MMR decision-making differs depending on the population under study. The third study used 5 focus groups and thematic analysis to explore the role of subjective norm (SN) and other social norms in greater depth with immunising parents. The findings indicate that social norms play a central role in the decisionmaking process, in addition to SN. Social normative factors which were found to contribute to the decision process included: group identification and norms, SN, descriptive norms, private self, relational self, and moral norms. The 'private self', i.e. own personal identity as 'parents', and feelings of moral obligation to their child were perceived as important social norms during the MMR decision. Parents were willing to listen to the advice of significant others but perceived their 'private self' as playing a more active role during the decision process. Experience of other parents' MMR behaviour (descriptive norm) contributed to the risk assessment of the MMR vaccine and increased confidence in their own decision when congruent. The dual role of health professionals (who were also parents) as a 'medical professional' and as a 'parent' was influential during the decision process. The final study further investigated the influence of health professionals (HPs) on parents' MMR decision-making. The role of interpersonal and generalised trust was explored using one-to-one interviews with 6 MMR immunisers, 3 non-immunisers and 8 immunisers with single vaccines. All groups of parents reported generalised mistrust in the Government based on the provision of biased information and past experiences of Government behaviour. Parents who opted for the MMR vaccines described interpersonal trust with their own HPs, where HPs were willing to openly discuss concerns relating to the MMR vaccine. Parents opting for the single vaccines or refusing all vaccines tended to report mixed experiences with their HPs, with some parents citing them as unhelpful and unwilling to discuss MMR concerns. Greater trust was illustrated by all parents, regardless of immunisation status, for their own health professionals and the NHS than for private clinics offering the single vaccines. Parents opting for the single vaccines perceived them to be safer (in terms of autism and IBD) than the MMR vaccine but questioned their credibility. The four studies illustrate that PMT facilitates understanding of parents' MMR decision making and behaviour, and highlights the importance of including social norms (as well as important sources of information) and trust in future MMR immunisation research. Furthermore, comparisons with parents and students illustrate differences in coping appraisal between the two groups and suggest risk assessment differs depending on the saliency of the risk for the population group. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Number ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i LIST OF TABLES iii LIST OF FIGURES vi CHAPTER 1: MMR Immunisation 1.


Offshore renewable energy development is being sought by US coastal states to meet their renewable energy goals. Numerous offshore wind development projects are being proposed along the Atlantic coast, and additional areas are being explored in the Pacific. Commercial-scale offshore wind will share the seas with marine fisheries that provide immense economic, recreational, and cultural value as well as local food security. An acceleration in the number of proposed wind projects combined with a lack of clarity on how fishing activities are to be incorporated into the planning process has created numerous challenges for the fishing community and for fisheries managers. This paper explores ecological, human, and fishery management interactions with wind development, focusing on the Northeast US Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem. With an emphasis on a regional perspective, we identify key challenges to and opportunities for the goal of coexistence of offshore wind energy development and fishing activities, and we make several recommendations toward achieving this goal. Although the challenges to achieving coexistence of these two industries are significant, we argue that they are surmountable and can be overcome through a combination of collaboration, regional approaches, and innovation. By Elizabeth T. Methratta,


Oestrogen is believed to be a potent antioxidant, with potential membrane stabilising
and gene regulatory effects. Oestrogen has been shown to be an effective
cardioprotectant, with for example a lower incidence of atherosclerosis in pre
menopausal females compared to age-matched males and in post menopausal
females on hormone replacement therapy compared to age-matched males. What has
yet to be determined is the extent to which oestrogen can protect skeletal muscle. It
has been shown that certain markers of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) are
lower in females in both animal and human studies, but as yet no conclusive
evidence from human studies has shown that oestrogen provides a protective
mechanism against ERvID or whether susceptibility to EIKID varies across the
normal menstrual cycle, where oestrogen fluctuations are high. Furthermore, if
oestrogen provides a protective mechanism against EIlVID, it is unknown at which
phase during the muscle damage and repair cycle this occurs. It is also debatable if
the potential inhibitory effects that oestrogen has on the inflammatory response, with
regard to repair and regeneration of the skeletal muscle are positive or negative.
The thesis is comprised of a critical review of the nature of EIMD and the potential
effects that oestrogen has on the muscle damage and repair cycle. This is followed by
three empirical studies which were designed to explore this question. These are
outlined below:

Study 1

Study one was in two parts. The first part of this study aimed at determining if the
phase of the menstrual cycle, could in anyway affect eumennorheic (normally
2
menstruating) females in their susceptibility to exercise-induced muscle damage. An
eccentric exercise procedure (elbow flexor muscle group) was performed on a
randomly assigned arm during either the menses or ovulatory phase of the menstrual
cycle. The contra-lateral limb underwent the same procedure during the alternate
phase (random assignment determined in which phase the participant was first
damaged). Simple markers of EDM were assessed at baseline and every 24 h up to
three days post exercise, during both phases. No significant differences were seen in
any markers of BIMD across phases of the menstrual cycle.
The second part of this study investigated whether prolonged ingestion of exogenous
oestrogen, in the form of the combined oral contraceptive pill attenuated any of the
symptoms associated with EIMD. The only symptom to show a significant
interaction between groups was perceived soreness, with the pill users reporting
significantly (P<0.01) less soreness than the eumennorheic females in the days
following the exercise protocol. This suggested that oestrogen may modulate the pain
associated with EIMD.

Study 2

The second study focussed on gender differences in exercise-induced muscle
damage, with particular focus on the secondary symptoms and events which occur
following ERVID. Male and female participants performed a bout of eccentrically
biased exercise. Markers of both EIMD and inflammation were taken prior to the
eccentric exercise and across a 7-day follow up period. Gender differences in the
response to EIMD were seen in creatine kinase activity and mid-thigh circumference,
with males showing a larger response on both variables. In addition to this, males
reported significantly less soreness than females following the exercise protocol.
3
Interestingly, with the exception of neutrophil elastase release, there were no
differences in other markers of inflammation between men and women. Total
elastase concentration, a marker of neutrophil activation, did not differ between
genders. However, elastase release per neutrophil was significantly lower in females,
which may be indicative of gender differences in the inflammatory response
associated with EDvID.

Study 3

With the recognition that oestrogen could potentially reduce or inhibit the
inflammatory response the third and final study investigated whether female skeletal
muscle was more susceptible to exercise-induced muscle damage after a second bout
of eccentric exercise, due to poor regeneration and repair following the initial bout.
Males and females performed a bout of eccentrically biased exercise. Markers of
EEVM included creatine kinase, soreness, isometric strength and isokinetic strength
assessment. The procedure was then repeated two weeks later to determine if gender
differences existed in terms of the repeated bout effect associated with EIlvID. Only
one variable showed a gender x time x bout interaction (P<0.05), that was the fatigue
index. It was shown that following the initial bout of damage, males and females
responded very differently, with female muscle being less fatiguable in the 48 h
following damage compared to the males, but with both groups responding very
similarly in the repeated bout. This may be due to differences in gender and their
response to EIlVID, or due to differences in fibre type between genders


Obstetric units have become larger, with patients being knowledgeable and demanding. Also, established team works at maternity wards require that midwives are secure in their role. A descriptive study with a phenomenological approach was used. A maternity unit in a hospital located in Western Sweden was chosen. Five expert midwives with vast experience of obstetric care who worked in a maternity unit were interviewed. Data were collected by audio-taped interviews. The data were analysed by means of Giorgi's phenomenological method. The results showed that security was constituted by an inherent sense of security as well as confidence in self and in life. Education and practical group training in the workplace provided theoretical knowledge and practical experience. Support for others in the working team and open communication also constituted security. Also, clear leadership, guidelines and routines provided a framework and had a positive effect on expert midwives' sense of security. When security was absent, midwife became worried, the joy and harmony diminished. In order to ensure midwife security and ultimately safe patient care, it was important to allow time for rest, to reflect on and evaluate their work. Expert midwives can create the prerequisites for their professional security. Several constituents combine to shape midwives' sense of professional security; an inherent sense of security, own knowledge and experience, team collaboration, visible and clear leadership.


A novel technique has been developed for fabricating a micromirror in a single-mode silica-based planar lightwave circuit (PLC), in which the flat slope for the mirror is made of resin by utilizing wettability control and the surface tension effect. It was shown that the mirror could be designed by numerical calculation based on the equation of Young and Laplace for a liquid surface. A controllable mirror angle range from 30 to 60/spl deg/ was achieved experimentally by changing the position of the boundary line between high and low wettability regions using oblique evaporation. The characteristics of a fabricated 45/spl deg/ mirror installed in a silica-based PLC were evaluated by coupling it vertically to a single-mode fiber. The obtained coupling losses between waveguides and a fiber were 0.60-1.15 dB for mirrors with widths of more than 200 /spl mu/m, and 0.92 1.62 dB for 190 /spl mu/m wide mirrors, at a wavelength of 1.55 /spl mu/m. The experimental minimum losses of 0.6 and 0.92 dB coincided with the calculated values.


During normal growth, Gram-negative bacteria shed nano-sized outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), ranging from 50-250 nm in diameter. OMVs have been studied in many Gram-negative bacterial species, yet little is still known about the biology of OMV release, nor how these vesicles interact enter host cells or how they induce immune responses. To investigate OMV production by the gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori, we inactivated the H. pylori orthologues of Escherichia coli tolB and pal, encoding two of the critical components of the Tol-Pal system known to help maintain bacterial membrane integrity. We demonstrated that H. pylori mutant strains lacking an intact copy of tolB exhibited distinct outer membrane abnormalities, accompanied by defects in flagella formation. Importantly, H. pylori lacking functional TolB or Pal proteins exhibited extensive OMV production and release. The OMVs from these mutant strains induced high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-8, IL-8) production. This work describes, for the first time, the importance of the TolB and Pal proteins in cell membrane integrity and OMV formation by H. pylori. Work performed previously in our laboratory reported that Gram-negative OMVs enter epithelial cells in vitro, resulting in the generation of pro-inflammatory and adaptive immune responses. However, to date the precise mechanism of entry has not been determined. Studies have reported that not all OMVs enter cells using the same endocytic pathways. Using a panel of chemical inhibitors of key endocytosis pathways, we found that heterogeneously sized populations of OMVs were internalised by epithelial cells via macropinocytosis, clathrin and caveolin dependant endocytosis. Interestingly, however, when we fractionated OMVs into either small ( 50 nm) sizes, we found that small OMVs entered host cells by each of the aforementioned pathways. In contrast, cell entry of large OMVs involved macropinocytosis and clathrin but not caveolin dependent endocytosis. Proteomic analyses of different sized OMVs revealed both shared and unique sets of proteins, indicating that particle size may also determine protein content. Following internalisation by polarised epithelial cells, we found that H. pylori OMVs induce the basolateral secretion of the pro-inflammatory chemokine, IL-8. Interestingly, we found that internalised OMVs up-regulated the expression of HLA Class I and II molecules in epithelial cells. Moreover, stimulation of polarised epithelial cells with H. pylori OMVs resulted in the production of exosomes secreted at their basolateral surface containing OMV proteins. Importantly, we demonstrated that exosomes containing OMV proteins induced proliferation of human T cells in an antigen dependent manner, indicating that exosomes could function to present OMV antigens to mucosal T cells. Collectively, our data suggest that proteins derived from internalised OMVs are packaged into secreted exosomes for presentation to immune cells. We speculate that through interactions with antigen presenting cells, these exosomes are capable of activating antigen specific T cells located beneath the epithelial cell layer, thereby providing a link between the generation of innate and adaptive immune responses to H. pylori OMVs at the mucosal epithelium.


Particle track densities up to > 3 x 109 per square centimeter have been measured in different samples. Rocks 17, 47, 57, and 58 have VH (Z >22) galactic cosmic ray ages of 11, 14, 28, and 13 x 106 years, respectively. Rock 57 has a calculated erosion rate of 10-7 centimeter per year. Near-surface track versus depth data in rock 17 can be fit with solar flare particles that have a differential energy spectrum aE-3; lunar samples can be used to study the history of solar activity. The uranium in the crystalline rocks occurs principally in small regions <10 to ∼100 micrometers in size. The (low) thermoluminescence of the fines increases with depth in core 10004. With one possible exception, x-ray studies have not shown pronounced radiation damage effects. The total energy release upon heating is small up to 900�C and occurs in three broad regions.


Abstract Enceladus has a protracted history of impact cratering, cryovolcanism, and extensional, compressional, and probable strike–slip faulting. It is unique in having some of the outer Solar System's least and most heavily cratered surfaces. Enceladus' cratering record, tectonic features, and relief elements have been analyzed more comprehensively than done previously. Like few other icy satellites, Enceladus seems to have experienced major lateral lithospheric motions; it may be the only icy satellite with global features indicating probable lithospheric convergence and folding. Ridged plains, 500 km across, consist of a central labyrinthine ridge complex atop a broad dome surrounded by smooth plains and peripheral sinuous ridge belts. The ridged plains have few if any signs of extension, almost no craters, and an average age of just 107to 108years. Ridge belts have local relief ranging from 500 to 2000 m and tend to occur near the bottoms of broad regional troughs between swells. Our reanalysis of Peter Thomas' (Dermott, S. F., and P. C. Thomas, 1994, The determination of the mass and mean density of Enceladus from its observed shape,Icarus,109, 241–257) limb profiles indicates that high peaks, probably ridge belts, also occur in unmapped areas. Sinuous ridges appear foldlike and are similar to terrestrial fold belts such as the Appalachians. If they are indeed folds, it may require that the ridged plains are mechanically (perhaps volcanically) layered. Regional topography suggests that folding may have occurred along zones of convective downwelling. The cratered plains, in contrast to the ridged plains, are heavily cratered and exhibit extensional structures but no obvious signs of compression. Cratered plains contain a possible strike–slip fault (Isbanir Fossa), along which two pairs of fractures seem to have 15 km of right-lateral offset. The oldest cratered plains might date from shortly after the formation of the saturnian system or the impact disruption and reaccretion of Enceladus. Another area of cratered plains has modified craters (e.g., Ali Baba and Aladdin), which some workers have explained by anomalous heat flow and viscous relaxation; lateral shear and shield-building volcanism also may have been important. A young rift-like structure (northern Samarkand Sulci) has few craters and a concentration of cracks or grabens and flattened, flooded, and rifted craters. Pit chains and cratered domes suggest explosive volcanism. Smooth plains may have formed by cryovolcanic equivalents of flood-basalt volcanism. Pure H2O would be difficult to extrude through an icy crust and is cosmochemically improbable as a cryovolcanic agent. Density relations rule out eutectic brine lavas on Enceladus, but NH3–H2O volcanism is possible. Current steady-state tidal dissipation may cause melting of ammonia hydrate at a depth of ∼25 km if the crust is made of ammonia hydrate or ∼100 km if it is made of water ice.


In the Coffin Texts, a person's identity can be expressed as the sum of several parts listed together. There are also a few examples of this method of listing being used for the most important aspects of the Afterlife. A close reading of these lists, and how the outcomes are connected with individual concepts belonging to the identity of a person, is the foundation for the following chapters which investigate a few of the concepts in depth. The xprw and the bA are the two concepts which occur most often, and in the most complex uses in this context. They are both parts of the identity of a person, while they can also be means by which someone manifests: as an aspect of a person manifesting in a particular form, or a manifestation which is representative for the whole person. In later texts, it is clear that it is the bA which is manifest (xpr) so there is a strong relationship between these concepts. xprw is a category for forms which gods and dead people, at least, are able to assume, as well as a term for the process involved in the so called 'transformation spells'. The spells with xprw-rubrics are discussed in detail, to examine the relationship between their rubrics and the body of the spells, as well as the outcome expected in the spell. Though groups of spells may have been given the same type of title, it is sometimes difficult to see how they constitute a homogeneous group. There is often an identification sentence in the body of the spell which reflects the transformation object, but this is far from always the case. The relationships between the rubric and the body of the spell vary, as well as the identity of the speaker in the spell, as the speaker might take on several different identities. In the majority of spells the deceased assumes a synchronised identity with a specific being to acquire a certain quality belonging to that being. There are, however, a number of transformation objects with which the dead is not directly identified, but rather acquires something related to that object. The bA is strongly connected to movement and activity in the Afterlife, and in spells where the individual is identified with the bA of a god, the bA is a manifestation of the god which is related to these two qualities. It is contrasted to the inert corpse, and sometimes accompanied with the shadow, which are both also explored here. The bA can be a manifestation of a person, representing the whole being, but his bA and bAw can also be separated from him, and be sent out, towards enemies, or for the purpose of seeing. It seems that in the Coffin Texts, the distinction between bA and bAw-power is not particularly sharp, having many similarities in their range of actions. The terms for specific components are also used as broader concepts, and in this aspect they can also include other parts of a person's identity. The dead can be in the irw of a bA and can therefore describe the bA, or be a component of the bA. At the same time, the two terms might in particular contexts have closely related meanings, where the bA can be the manifestation of a being, and irw a form of the same being. The wished-for results of the spells are related to passage into the Afterlife, integration, and having authority and power in the Afterlife. This passage into the Afterlife is prominent both in relationship to the main characteristics of the bA, and in many of the xprw spells, where the means of passage is acquired from the transformation object. Through identification with a god, or the bA of a god, there are elements of integration into their sphere, as well as giving the person authority and power in the Afterlife. The person lives on intact, integrated into the Afterlife: in the sky and in the Netherworld, and on earth through the bA and the continuation of the bloodline. The identification with an external identity 'syncretises' vital characteristics of their personalities, adding to the overall identity of the final persona.


Pregnant and young mothers' stories often go untold or are poorly represented within dominant health and social care discourses. Consequently, narratives of young mothers are largely absent from social and health care literature, especially in relation to how young women make sense, understand, and experience young motherhood. Drawing on 7 months of participant observation fieldwork at a community service, and 11 in-depth interviews, we discuss six metaphorical themes which capture the experiences of young mothers using a narrative approach. These include: Picking up the Pieces; Walking a Narrow and Familiar Path; Jumping over Puddles; Riding the Rapids to Motherhood; Living with Dirty Looks; and Asking for Directions. Contrary to the wider community's deficit view and stereotypes of young mothers, what emerged from the narratives was quite a different story. Becoming a young mother meant taking a stand against stigma from the wider community; recognising motherhood as a significant and transformational turning point in their lives, one that opened doors to alternative storylines of hope, autonomy and agency, especially given a supportive context. These findings enhance our understandings by widening the lens to diverse realities that exist in young mothers' lives and present a strong case for using a narrative approach to research and practice when working with young mothers.


I argue in this paper that one of the two forms of hitherto unconventional monetary policy that many central banks have implemented in response to the 2007 financial crisis - large-scale asset purchases, or to put the matter more generically, use of the central bank's balance sheet as a distinct tool of monetary policy - is likely to become part of the standard toolkit of monetary policymaking in normal times as well. As intended, these purchases have lowered long-term interest rates relative to short-term rates, and lowered interest rates on more-risky compared to less-risky obligations. Moreover, their introduction fills a conceptual vacuum that has long stood at the heart of monetary policy analysis and implementation. By contrast, forward guidance on the future trajectory of monetary policy has been less successful. Public statements by central banks about their actions and intentions will no doubt continue, but transparency for the sake of transparency is not the same as the deliberate attempt to shape market expectations for purposes of achieving specific monetary policy objectives. Finally, there is a conceptual component to all this as well. In contrast to the last century or more of monetary theory, which has focused on central banks' liabilities, the basis for the effectiveness of central bank asset purchases turns on the role of the asset side of the central bank's balance sheet. The implications for monetary theory are profound.


This paper explores the predicted hydrologic responses associated with the compounded error of cascading global circulation model (GCM) uncertainty through hydrologic model uncertainty due to climate change. A coupled groundwater and surface water flow model (GSFLOW) was used within the differential evolution adaptive metropolis (DREAM) uncertainty approach and combined with eight GCMs to investigate uncertainties in hydrologic predictions for three subbasins of varying hydrogeology within the Santiam River basin in Oregon, USA. Predictions of future hydrology in the Santiam River include increases in runoff in the fall and winter months and decreases in runoff for the spring and summer months. One‐year peak flows were predicted to increase whereas 100‐year peak flows were predicted to slightly decrease. The predicted 10‐year 7‐day low flow decreased in two subbasins with little groundwater influences but increased in another subbasin with substantial groundwater influences. Uncertainty in GCMs represented the majority of uncertainty in the analysis, accounting for an average deviation from the median of 66%. The uncertainty associated with use of GSFLOW produced only an 8% increase in the overall uncertainty of predicted responses compared to GCM uncertainty. This analysis demonstrates the value and limitations of cascading uncertainty from GCM use through uncertainty in the hydrologic model, offers insight into the interpretation and use of uncertainty estimates in water resources analysis, and illustrates the need for a fully nonstationary approach with respect to calibrating hydrologic models and transferring parameters across basins and time for climate change analyses. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Decreases in ocean pH through ocean acidification has shown to have direct negative impacts on the early life stages of the Pacific purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Research has suggested that multiple stressors could exacerbate, cancel, or even alleviate the impacts of ocean acidification on echinoderms. This study assessed the combined effects of changes in pCO2 concentrations (390, 800, 1500 ppm), salinities (28, 31, 34 ppt) and temperatures (12, 15, 18°C) on fertilization and larval development in S. purpuratus. Increased pCO2 was the predominant stressor, with additive and antagonistic effects from temperature changes, and no effect from salinity changes. Stressor combinations significantly decreased the rate of normal larval development by 28 – 68%, whereas fertilization and larval survival were unaffected. The strong impact on normal larval development likely indicates that later development stages could be detrimentally affected and could influence the population dynamics of S. purpuratus.


Importance
Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) is often used to downstage locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and decrease locoregional relapse; however, more than one-third of patients develop recurrent metastatic disease. As such, novel combinations are needed.

Objective
To assess whether the addition of pembrolizumab during and after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy can lead to an improvement in the neoadjuvant rectal (NAR) score compared with treatment with FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) and chemoradiotherapy alone.

Design, Setting, and Participants
In this open-label, phase 2, randomized clinical trial (NRG-GI002), patients in academic and private practice settings were enrolled. Patients with stage II/III LARC with distal location (cT3-4 ≤ 5 cm from anal verge, any N), with bulky disease (any cT4 or tumor within 3 mm of mesorectal fascia), at high risk for metastatic disease (cN2), and/or who were not candidates for sphincter-sparing surgery (SSS) were stratified based on clinical tumor and nodal stages. Trial accrual opened on August 1, 2018, and ended on May 31, 2019. This intent-to-treat analysis is based on data as of August 2020.

Interventions
Patients were randomized (1:1) to neoadjuvant FOLFOX for 4 months and then underwent chemoradiotherapy (capecitabine with 50.4 Gy) with or without intravenous pembrolizumab administered at a dosage of 200 mg every 3 weeks for up to 6 doses before surgery.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary end point was the NAR score. Secondary end points included pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, SSS, disease-free survival, and overall survival. This report focuses on end points available after definitive surgery (NAR score, pCR, SSS, clinical complete response rate, margin involvement, and safety).

Results
A total of 185 patients (126 [68.1%] male; mean [SD] age, 55.7 [11.1] years) were randomized to the control arm (CA) (n = 95) or the pembrolizumab arm (PA) (n = 90). Of these patients, 137 were evaluable for NAR score (68 CA patients and 69 PA patients). The mean (SD) NAR score was 11.53 (12.43) for the PA patients (95% CI, 8.54-14.51) vs 14.08 (13.82) for the CA patients (95% CI, 10.74-17.43) (P = .26). The pCR rate was 31.9% in the PA vs 29.4% in the CA (P = .75). The clinical complete response rate was 13.9% in the PA vs 13.6% in the CA (P = .95). The percentage of patients who underwent SSS was 59.4% in the PA vs 71.0% in the CA (P = .15). Grade 3 to 4 adverse events were slightly increased in the PA (48.2%) vs the CA (37.3%) during chemoradiotherapy. Two deaths occurred during FOLFOX: sepsis (CA) and pneumonia (PA). No differences in radiotherapy fractions, FOLFOX, or capecitabine doses were found.

Conclusions and Relevance
Pembrolizumab added to chemoradiotherapy as part of total neoadjuvant therapy was suggested to be safe; however, the NAR score difference does not support further study.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02921256.


On the basis of geological arguments, two widely different hypotheses have been proposed for the late-Tertiary glacial history of East Antarctica. Theseinvoke ice-sheet reconstructions ranging from severe glaciation completely burying the Transantarctic Mountains to a situation, in which an unstable EastAntarctic Ice Sheet repeatedly collapses to produce ice-free conditions over interior basins. Experiments were performed with a 3-D model of the Antarctic IceSheet to determine the ice sheet geometries to be expected under various kinds of climatic conditions and the physical mechanisms that may be involved. Theresults supported the concept of a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet with respect to a climatic warming, and pointed to the glaciological difficulties involved toexplain an ice-free corridor over the Pensacola and Wilkes subglacial basins. The latter event is a crucial element in the 'waxing and waning ice sheethypothesis' and would require a temperature rise of between 17 and 20K above present levels. For a temperature rise of less than 5K, the model actuallypredicts a larger Antarctic Ice Sheet than today as a result of increased snowfall, whereas the West Antarctic Ice Sheet was found not to survive temperatures8-10K above present values. Furthermore, basal temperature conditions in these experiments point to the difficulties involved in raising the ice-sheet base tothe pressure melting point over the large areas necessary to consider the possibility of sliding instability. A further sensitivity study in terms of topographicaland climatic boundary conditions showed that even with a flat bedrock and mass-balance parameters stretched to their limits, the ice sheet would still need atemperature rise of the order of +15K to melt down entirely. Based on these findings, it appears difficult to reconcile a highly variable East Antarctic Ice Sheetwith the modest warmings recorded in, for instance, the deep sea records for the late Neogene.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Youth drinking is a pervasive public health concern with serious negative developmental implications. Candidate gene and environment interaction studies (cGxE) show that environmental effects on drinking behaviors may differ by individuals' genotypes. Yet little is known about whether genetic and environmental effects on drinking behaviors are developmentally specific.

METHODS
This systematic review evaluated 42 cGxE studies of drinking in adolescence and young adulthood.

RESULTS
Although there are mixed findings, studies of cGxE effects involving DRD4, 5-HTTLPR, DRD2, and OPRM1 genotypes showed relatively consistent patterns. The effects of under-controlled environments (eg, low levels of parental monitoring) on early and middle adolescent drinking appeared to differ across DRD2 or OPRM1 genotypes. Effects of alcohol-facilitating environments (eg, heavy drinking peers) on late adolescent and young adult drinking appeared to differ across DRD4 or OPRM1 genotypes. Interactions between 5-HTTLPR genotype with stressful environments (eg, negative life events) were found throughout adolescence and young adulthood, although there were some inconsistencies regarding the risk-conferring allele. There was limited evidence for other cGxE effects due to the small number of studies.

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
This review suggests that GxE findings may advance our knowledge regarding which developmentally specific conditions result in the expression of candidate genes that influence youth alcohol use and misuse. However, since a significant number of studies had small sample sizes and most studies had small effect sizes, findings need replication across independent studies with large samples. (Am J Addict 2018;XX:1-19).


Part of the popular Primary Copy Collection series, Primary Music Box contains songs to help teachers consolidate language learning in an appealing and memorable way. This collection of photocopiable song-based activities, with clear step-by-step instructions, helps teachers cater for different learning styles. Lesson plans are flexible and divided into steps to make time management easy. Whether you need a ten minute or whole lesson activity, this book has something for you!


In this paper, we propose the SPR (sparse phase retrieval) method, which is a new phase retrieval method for coherent x-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI). Conventional phase retrieval methods effectively solve the problem for high signal-to-noise ratio measurements, but would not be sufficient for single biomolecular imaging which is expected to be realized with femto-second x-ray free electron laser pulses. The SPR method is based on the Bayesian statistics. It does not need to set the object boundary constraint that is required by the commonly used hybrid input-output (HIO) method, instead a prior distribution is defined with an exponential distribution and used for the estimation. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method reconstructs the electron density under a noisy condition even some central pixels are masked.


Historical and recent data demonstrate that off-the-shelf infant formulas are heavily contaminated with aluminium. The origin of this contamination remains to be elucidated though may be imported via ingredients, packaging and processing. Specialised infant formulas exist to address health issues, such as low birth weight, allergy or intolerance and medical conditions, such as renal insufficiency. The aluminium content of these prescription infant formulas is measured here for the first time. We obtained 24 prescription infant formulas through a paediatric clinic and measured their total aluminium content by transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry following microwave assisted acid/peroxide digestion. The aluminium content of ready-to-drink formulas ranged from 49.9 (33.7) to 1956.3 (111.0) μg/L. The most heavily contaminated products were those designed as nutritional supplements for infants struggling to gain weight. The aluminium content of powdered formulas ranged from 0.27 (0.04) to 3.27 (0.19) μg/g. The most heavily contaminated products tended to be those addressing allergies and intolerance. Prescription infant formulas are contaminated with aluminium. Ready-made formulas available as nutritional supplements to aid infant growth contained some of the highest concentrations of aluminium in infant formulas measured in our laboratory. However, a number of prescription infant formulas contained the lowest concentrations of aluminium yet measured in our laboratory. These higher cost specialist preparations demonstrate that the contamination of infant formulas by aluminium is not inevitable. They represent what is achievable should manufacturers wish to address the threat posed to health through infant exposure to aluminium.


This paper reports a case study about the relationship between the symptoms of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and indoor air chemicals. In April 2014, a 40-year-old man visited the Environmental Medical Clinic, Chiba University, claiming repeated symptoms of MCS after purchasing an electronic piano. Samples of indoor air from the living room of the patient's house were collected and chemicals were analysed eight times – when an electronic piano and toys for children were either present or absent, and the floor heating system was on and off. Indoor air in a university office, and outdoor air were used as controls. As a result, it was found that the concentrations of 13 VOCs, for which the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare of Japan (MHLW) set guideline values, were lower than the guideline values in all the samples. The total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) in three indoor air samples collected from the patient's house were 550, 520, and 460 μg/m 3 ; slightly higher than the target value (400 μg/m 3 ) of TVOC set by the MHLW. The patient claimed to have the symptoms in all three cases. Furthermore, symptoms were reduced or eliminated when ventilation was conducted, or the patient was exposed to the outdoor air. A tendency was found that symptoms were strengthened as TVOC increased. In conclusion, MCS symptoms in this case were related to indoor air quality, and symptoms appeared even when the 13 VOCs for which the guideline values are set were lower than the guideline values. Therefore, it can be said that TVOC could be used as an indicator of the effects of indoor air quality on human health.


Large, publicly available data sets present a challenge and an opportunity for researchers based in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC). The challenge for these researchers is how they can make use of such data sets given their poor connectivity and infrastructure. The opportunity is the ability to perform leading edge research using these data sets and hence avoid having to invest substantial resources in generating the data sets. The offshoot of this will be to generate solutions to the substantial local problems encountered in these countries and create an educated workforce in data science. Cloud computing in particular may well close the infrastructural gap here. In this paper we discuss our experiences of teaching a variety of summer schools on data intensive analysis in bioinformatics in China, Namibia and Malaysia. On the basis of these experiences we propose that a larger series of summer schools in data science and cloud computing in LMIC would create a cadre of data scientists to start this process. We finally discuss the possibility of the provision of cloud computing resources where the usage costs are controlled so that it is affordable for LMIC researchers.


We present a new method for reconstruction of 4-D cone beam computed tomography from an undersampled set of X-ray projections. The novelty of the proposed method lies in utilizing optical flow based registration to facilitate that each temporal phase is reconstructed from the full set of acquired projections. The reconstruction of each phase thus exhibits limited aliasing despite significant intra-phase undersampling. The method is fully self-contained. Initially an approximate 4-D volume is reconstructed and an inter-phase registration based hereon. A subsequent reconstruction pass integrates the optical flow estimation in a cost function formulation in which the X-ray projections from all temporal phases are considered for the reconstruction of each individual phase. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations were performed through reconstruction of both a numerical phantom and a clinical dataset. The obtained reconstructions are compared to the state-of-the-art alternatives of total variation regularization and prior image constrained compressed sensing. Our studies show that the proposed method is the better overall "compromise" in the depiction of both moving and stationary anatomical structures.


Normative decision theory proves inadequate for modeling human responses to the social-engineering campaigns of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks. Behavioral decision theory fares better, but still falls short of capturing social-engineering attack vectors, which operate through emotions and peripheral-route persuasion. We introduce a generalized decision theory, under which any decision will be made according to one of multiple coexisting choice criteria. We denote the set of possible choice criteria by C. Thus the proposed model reduces to conventional Expected Utility theory when |CEU| = 1, whilst Dual-Process (thinking fast vs. thinking slow) decision making corresponds to a model with |CDP| = 2. We consider a more general case with C >= 2, which necessitates careful consideration of how, for a particular choice-task instance, one criterion comes to prevail over others. We operationalize this with a probability distribution that is conditional upon traits of the decision maker as well as upon the context and the framing of choice options. Whereas existing Signal Detection Theory (SDT) models of phishing detection commingle the different peripheral-route persuasion pathways, in the present descriptive generalization the different pathways are explicitly identified and represented. A number of implications follow immediately from this formulation, ranging from the conditional nature of security-breach risk to delineation of the prerequisites for valid tests of security training. Moreover, the model explains the `stepping-stone' penetration pattern of APT attacks, which has confounded modeling approaches based on normative rationality.


The number of calls in a telephone survey is used as an indicator of how difficult an intended respondent is to reach. This permits a probabilistic division of the nonrespondents into nonsusceptibles (those who will always refuse to respond), and the susceptible nonrespondents (those who were not available to respond) in a model of the nonresponse. Further, it permits stochastic estimation of the views of the latter group and an evaluation of whether the nonresponse is ignorable for inference about the dependent variable. These ideas are implemented on the data from a survey in Metropolitan Toronto of attitudes toward smoking in the workplace. Using a Bayesian model, the posterior distribution of the model parameters is sampled by Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. The results reveal that the nonresponse is not ignorable and those who do not respond are twice as likely to favor unrestricted smoking in the workplace as are those who do.


Obesity provides a potentially informative signal about individuals' choices and preferences. Using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data, we estimate that debt delinquency is 20 percent higher among the obese than the non-obese after controlling for an extensive set of financial and economic credit risk factors. The economic significance of obesity for delinquencies is comparable to that of job displacements. Obesity is particularly informative about delinquencies among those with low credit risk. In terms of channels, we find that the conditional obesity effect is partially mediated through health, but is not attributable to individuals' attitudes, time and risk preferences, or cognitive skills.


This paper provides the first rigorous econometric estimates on the pay-performance relations for executives of Korean firms with and without Chaebol affiliation. To do so, we have assembled for the first time panel data (that provide information not only on executive compensation and firm performance but also on Chaebol affiliation) for 246 firms that were included in KOSPI200 for at least two consecutive years from 1998 to 2001. Contrary to a popular belief that Korean corporate governance and the structure of Korean executive compensation is considerably different from elsewhere in the West, we find that cash compensation of Korean executives is statistically significantly related to stock market performance and that the magnitude of the sensitivity of pay to stock market performance is comparable to the U.S. and Japan. Perhaps even more importantly, further analysis reveals for the first time that such overall significant executive pay-performance link is driven by nonChaebol firms and that no such link exists for Chaebol firms. The evidence is consistent with the recent literature on the nature of Chaebols in Korea and the current corporate governance reform efforts in Korea that are aimed mostly at Chaebol firms.


South Africa's education system is teetering on a slippery and dangerous slope. The choice is whether to stay mired in a state of stagnation, camouflaged by a beguiling new vocabulary of change, or to transform a crippling historic legacy through an authentic vision, one fuelled by trenchant, and sustained vigour. The thrust of this article is on the tertiary sector, although, to provide a backdrop, I also refer to the historical poverty of general, pre-university education to explain the enduring effects of a design which has nurtured the debilitating underdevelopment that bedevils the present. The article reflects on the heavy weight of an inheritance that has been transmitted intergenerationally and differentiated through racialised and gendered epistemologies, pedagogies, and curricula; all these are deeply embedded in institutional cultures that are routinely executed by an entrenched staff complement who are socialised with dated attitudes and practices. My reflections are largely informed by the report of the 2008 Ministerial Committee on the Transformation and Social Cohesion and the Elimination of Discrimination in Public Higher Education Institution (MCHET). Through identifying emergent trends, I ponder on some nascent trends that could lead to a meaningful and inclusive transformation, one with benefits accruing not only to small segments but to the whole of South African society.


Context. Recent near-infrared data have contributed to the discovery of new (obscured) massive stellar clusters and massive stellar populations in previously known clusters in our Galaxy. These discoveries lead us to view the Milky Way as an active star-forming machine. Aims. The main purpose of this work is to determine physically the main parameters (distance, size, total mass and age) of Masgomas-1, the first massive cluster discovered by our systematic search programme. Methods. Using near-infrared (J, H ,a ndKS) photometry we selected 23 OB-type and five red supergiant candidates for multi-object H -a ndK-spectroscopy and spectral classification. Results. Of the 28 spectroscopically observed stars, 17 were classified as OB-type, four as supergiants, one as an A-type dwarf star, and six as late-type giant stars. The presence of a supergiant population implies a massive nature of Masgomas-1, supported by our estimate of the cluster initial total mass of (1.94 ± 0.28) × 10 4 M� , obtained after integrating the cluster mass function. The distance estimate of 3.53 +1.55 −1.40 kpc locates the cluster closer than the Scutum-Centaurus base but still within that Galactic arm. The presence of an O9 V star and red supergiants in the same population indicates that the cluster age is in the range of 8 to 10 Myr.


George S. Counts was a major figure in American education for almost fifty years. Republication of this early (1932) work draws special attention to Counts' s role as a social and political activist. Three particular themes make the book noteworthy because of their importance in Counts' s plan for change as well as for their continuing contem-porary importance: (1) Counts' s crit-icism of child-centered progressives; (2) the role Counts assigns to teachers in achieving educational and social re-form; and (3) Counts' s idea for the re-form of the American economy.


A new model for predicting the specific chemical exergy of municipal solid waste (MSW) is presented; the model is based on the content of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine on a dry ash‐free basis (daf). The proposed model was obtained from estimations of the higher heating value (HHV) and standard entropy of MSW using statistical analysis. The ultimate analysis of 56 different parts of MSW was used for the derivation of the HHV expression. In addition, 30 extra parts were used for validation. One hundred and seventeen relevant organic substances that represented the main constituents in MSW were used for derivation of the standard entropy of solid waste. The substances were divided into different waste fractions, and the standard entropies of each waste fraction and for the complete mixture were calculated. The specific chemical exergy of inorganic matter in the waste was also investigated by considering the inorganic compounds in the ash. However, as a result of the extremely low value calculated, the exergy of inorganic matter was ignored. The results obtained from the HHV model show a good correlation with the measured values and are comparable with other recent and previous models. The correlation of the standard entropy of the complete waste mixture is less accurate than the correlations of each individual waste fraction. However, the correlations give similar results for the specific chemical exergy, indicating that HHV has a greater impact when estimating the specific exergy of solid waste than entropy.


Deftly retracing a pivotal chapter in one of America's most dramatic stories, Elliott West chronicles the struggles, triumphs and defeats of both Indians and whites as they pursued their clashing dreams of greatness in the heart of the continent. "The Contested Plains" recounts the rise of the Native American horse culture, white Americans' discovery and pursuit of gold in the Rocky Mountains, and the wrenching changes and bitter conflicts that ensued. After centuries of many peoples fashioning many cultures on the plains, the Cheyennes and other tribes found in the horse the power to create a heroic way of life that dominated one of the world's great grasslands. Then the discovery of gold challenged that way of life and led finally to the infamous massacre at Sand Creek and the Indian Wars of the late 1860s. Illuminating both the ancient and more recent history of the plains and eastern Rocky Mountains, West weaves together a brilliant tapestry interlaced with environmental, social and military history. He treats the "frontier" not as a morally loaded term - either in the traditional celebratory sense or the more recent critical sense - but as a powerfully unsettling "process" that shattered an old world. He shows how Indians, goldseekers, haulers, merchants, ranchers and farmers all contributed to and in turn were consumed by this process, even as the plains themselves were utterly transformed by the clash of cultures and competing visions. Exciting and engaging, "The Contested Plains" is the first book to examine the Colorado gold rush as the key event in the modern transformation of the central great plains. It also exemplifies a kind of history that respects more fully our rich and ambiguous past - a past in which there are many actors but no simple lessons.


The original intent of this pro ject was to perform real time digital communications between a personal computer (PC) as the transmitter and a digital signal processor (DSP) as the receiver using the audio band analog channel. Although transmitter and receiver were both designed with baseband binary Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM), a low data rate and a sampling rate of 8 kilohertz, it was not possible to achieve communication between the two with traditional synchronization algorithms because of large differences in sampling clock frequencies. This thesis explores the theory and results of implementing digital communications between systems with different sampling frequencies. The receiver structure has no a priori knowledge of the transmitter's sampling rate, although it is assumed to be approximately equal to that of the receiver. Therefore, a receiver structure that can correct this clock frequency offset is developed. Similar sampling frequencies at the transmitter and receiver are assumed in most derivations in the literature. A search of the literature found no cases of a large difference in the sampling frequencies. In general, if the receiver knows the transmitter's sampling rate, a resampling filter at the receiver converts the signal to one compatible with the transmitters sampling rate. However, here it is assumed that the receiver does not know the transmitter's exact sampling frequency and must be estimated. The mathematical expressions for the signals in the system are derived. The sampling frequency offset introduces errors in the correct detection of the signal when it is done through traditional synchronization algorithms. Therefore, a receiver structure that corrects the sampling frequency offset based on the interpolation concept is proposed. This structure will be shown to work when the correct sampling frequency ratio is known. Later, an approach to estimate the sampling frequency ratio is explored. A feedback estimator structure is derived from the Maximum Likelihood optimum criteria. A feed forward estimator that assumes the clock frequency of the transmitter and uses a synchronization sequence is explored as well.


The emergence and widespread use of personal computers and network technologies have seen the development of interest in the use of computers to support cooperative work. This volume presents the proceedings of the tenth European conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). This is a multidisciplinary area that embraces the development of new technologies grounded in actual cooperative practices. These proceedings contain a collection of papers addressing novel interaction technologies for CSCW systems, new models and architectures for groupware systems, studies of communication and coordination among mobile actors, studies of cooperative work in complex settings, studies of groupware systems in actual use in real-world settings, and theories and techniques to support the development of cooperative applications. The papers present emerging technologies alongside new methods and approaches to the development of this important class of applications.


The effect of titanium alkoxides and solvents in the preparation of Ti(IV)-incorporated micro/meso-porous MCM-36 (Ti-MCM-36) by a simple grafting method using different titanium alkoxides, including Ti(OEt)4, Ti(OiPr)4 and Ti(OBu)4 in various solvents, including ethanol, 1-butanol, and toluene, was examined. The X-ray diffraction patterns and N2 sorption isotherms confirmed the retention of the basal MWW layer structure in Ti-MCM-36. The Si/Ti molar ratios analyzed by ICP-MS increased with the size of titanium alkoxides and varied in the order of Ti(OEt)4 < Ti(OiPr)4 < Ti(OBu)4 based on the same amounts of titanium alkoxides used in the grafting solutions, while the solvent had little influence on the Ti loading. However, UV-vis and XANES spectra showed that titanium species were mainly tetrahedrally coordinated Ti(IV) as well as a small amount of titania clusters when grafting in ethanol and 1-butanol, while large bulky titania crystallites were formed in toluene. Ti-MCM-36 prepared by grafting with Ti(OEt)4 in 1-butanol demonstrated better catalytic activities in the epoxidation of olefins using t-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) as the oxidant than TS-1, Ti-YNU-1 and those grafted in toluene or with Ti(OiPr)4 and Ti(OBu)4 in butanol. In the oxidation of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), about 100% DCPD conversion and 95% diepoxide selectivity could be achieved with a TBHP/DCPD molar ratio of 3.5.


Despite widespread concept of project management, companies in major regions of Russia are still at the initial level of project management maturity. The paper is aimed to determine the current state and dynamics of organizational project management in the companies of the Omsk region, identify problem areas, and seek directions for further development. The author interviewed managers and project management practitioners in 148 companies from a variety of industries in the Omsk region. The study compares the survey results received during two years (2015–2016). The findings indicate that within the majority of companies, the organizational project management is not fully adopted. The author has empirically tested that high-performers are more likely to appreciate the value of project management than low-performers. However, the only small proportion of companies demonstrates a high level of project management maturity. Moreover, no strong relationship has been found between matured project management processes in a company and its performance. The author revealed and ranged the main problems in the organizational project management development. These problems are concerned with a poor support of organizational enablers. The organizational project management development should be considered in the context of strategic governance and management. The findings contribute to the understanding of key processes, which constitute project capabilities in a company. The research results can be used for building a conceptual model and studying organizational project management dynamics in a region during a longer period.


This paper considers a supply chain system consisting of a manufacturer with her authorized retailers, an unauthorized intermediary and the regional government. Aim at the problem of the manufacturer's price decision and service strategy in two markets under gray market, the demand function influenced by the consumer acceptance of gray goods and the manufacturer and the unauthorized intermediary's profit model are established. By analyzing and discussing the effects of government supervision on manufacturer's pricing decision and service strategy, this paper proposes the manufacturer's optimal price and service strategy. The results show that if the government increases supervision the manufacturer will benefit while products demand and profits of the unauthorized intermediary will decrease. Thus, the government will achieve the target of combating gray market transaction. Besides, the manufacturer's service level when the government does not provide any protection against the gray market is as same as the level when the government provides complete protection. The service level will be higher when the government provides incomplete protection. Furthermore the results are examined by numerical examples.


In the context of finding efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to energy pro- duction and consumption, this work presents a method for the systematic resolution of district energy problems using Multi-Objective Optimisation (MOO) methods. A district energy problem consists in matching the demand in energy of a district with a supply from adapted technologies while minimising environmental and economic objectives. In minimisation, these terms often oppose each other, which means that there is no single correct solution, but rather a multitude of possibilities. Multi-Objective Optimisation (MOO) is therefore necessary in order to find these sets of good solutions in the form of a Pareto frontier. The novelty of this work lies in three major aspects. Firstly, as this work deals with a multi-time approach, a tool is developed allowing for the systematic creation of typical days which reduce the complexity of the MOO. Secondly, post-analysis tools allowing for detailed study of solutions are developed in the form of a global sensitivity analysis. Thirdly a hybrid yearly hour-by-hour simulation tool is developed using MILP optimisa- tion methods. The first part of this work concerns a review of the methods for resolving such a district heating system. Secondly, the development of tools and methods for the implementa- tion of this MOO is undertaken in the form of Evolutionary Multi-Objective Algorithms (EMOO). Tools allowing for a more detailed analysis of specific solutions are also de- veloped. These include tools for the study of specific scenarios, sensitivity analyses and hour-by-hour simulations of the system. This is followed by the development of a database of technologies to be simulated within the context of an EMOO. Conventional energy pro- ducing technologies (boilers, engines, turbines) as well as more environmentally friendly ones (heat pumps, storage systems, solar power) are considered here. Finally, a case study using accurate economical and environmental data obtained from Veolia Environ- ment Research & Innovation (VERI) validates the developed methodology, and provides useful information to engineers working on the project. The data obtained from VERI serves for the Case Study and elaboration of a database it is however confidential.


Advertisements (ads) are prevalent in almost anyone's life. In exchange for consuming ads, the user gets free access to online and mobile platforms, thus constituting a fragile symbiosis between platform, user and marketer. We shed light on a critical factor that affects this fragility: advertisements in disguise, also called covert advertisements. By varying the discernibility of ads with visual indications and intrusiveness, we measure the perceived trust propensity and the perceived intention to use. The concerning application is a novel, location-based iPhone app – Local FAQ that allows to ask and to answer questions about nearby places. Our methodology is threefold: first, two focus group discussions each with 6 smartphone users influenced the design and functionality of the Local FAQ app, and raised concern in privacy and trust propensity in mobile, location-based apps. Second, an exploratory survey with 46 respondents aimed at substantiating some focus group claims. Third, a systematic survey with 114 respondents manipulates ad discernibility and measures variations of trust propensity and intention to use. Regression analysis shows that trust and intention to use fall the more intrusive the ads are. Further, results indicate that covert ads may not lead to loss of trust if they are informative. After detection that they were actually ads, they however still lead to loss of trust.


Underwater visual fish surveys have become the most commonly used method for estimating fish abundance and diversity in coral reef environments, and more recently in adjacent environments such as mangroves. Limitations associated with visual surveys (e.g., restricted to daylight hours and relatively clear-water conditions) have resulted in a potentially incomplete assessment and understanding of fish community composition, structure and dynamics. In the present study, we examine the utility of three techniques for underwater fish community assessment. In mangrove and coral reef habitats, under varying conditions of light and water clarity, we compare and contrast: (1) a dual-frequency, multi-beam sonar system (DIDSON); (2) a stereo-video system; and (3) a standard visual survey. Both DIDSON and stereo-video provided relatively precise and similar length estimates, but stereo-video resulted in underestimates of length in turbid conditions, where DIDSON was not affected. Stereo-video resulted in underestimates of abundance, relative to DIDSON, in clear and turbid mangrove conditions. Importantly, DIDSON enable the quantification and measurement of fish swimming within and behind the prop roots of mangroves that were not visible or detected with stereo-video or visual surveys. DIDSON was also effective in environments in which stereo-video was ineffective (at night and in moving transects). Species composition lists generated by stereo-video and visual census were only somewhat similar, and length-frequency distributions generated by all three methods were similar but differed in degree of spread. We discuss the benefits and limitations of each method for assessing fish community structure,


The internet, cell phones and, more broadly speaking, the social media, have changed the world over the past twenty years, resulting in what is called "the network society". What is the response of South African congregations to the use and role of technology in congregational life? The aim is to provide an empirical and theoretical description of the situation in this regard. An empirical survey was conducted among congregations in the eastern suburbs in Pretoria and the northern suburbs of Cape Town and it was found that congregations communicate mostly information through the social media. Congregations that function within a fluid network society should earnestly consider devising a proper and effective digital and electronic communication strategy for the congregational ministry. Congregations that wish to remain relevant within the aetas digitalis must undergo a shift from being mere providers of the correct information, to becoming mentors, co-travellers and wise guides who assist one another, as well as others, to make sense of this information in order to apply it, to the glory of God and for the benefit of others.


Recently we found that modulation depth of beta power during movement increases with practice over sensory-motor areas in normal subjects but not in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). As such changes might reflect use-dependent modifications, we concluded that reduction of beta enhancement in PD represents saturation of cortical plasticity. A few questions remained open: What is the relation between these EEG changes and retention of motor skills? Would a second task exposure restore beta modulation enhancement in PD? Do practice-induced increases of beta modulation occur within each block? We thus recorded EEG in patients with PD and age-matched controls in two consecutive days during a 40-min reaching task divided in fifteen blocks of 56 movements each. The results confirmed that, with practice, beta modulation depth over the contralateral sensory-motor area significantly increased across blocks in controls but not in PD, while performance improved in both groups without significant correlations between behavioral and EEG data. The same changes were seen the following day in both groups. Also, beta modulation increased within each block with similar values in both groups and such increases were partially transferred to the successive block in controls, but not in PD. Retention of performance improvement was present in the controls but not in the patients and correlated with the increase in day 1 modulation depth. Therefore, the lack of practice-related increase beta modulation in PD is likely due to deficient potentiation mechanisms that permit between-block saving of beta power enhancement and trigger mechanisms of memory formation.


Background: Alcohol addiction is a social problem leading to both loss of health and economic prosperity among addicted individuals. Common properties of anti-addictive compounds include anti-anxiety, anticonvulsants, anti-depressant, and nootropic actions primarily through modulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonergic systems. Objective: Here, we screen ashwagandha and shilajit known ethnopharmacologically as nervine tonic and adaptogenic herbs for possible anti-addictive potential. Materials and Methods: Effect of ashwagandha churna and shilajit was measured on ethanol withdrawal anxiety using elevated plus maze. Role of ashwagandha and shilajit on chronic ethanol consumption (21 days) was measured using two bottle choice protocol of voluntary drinking. We also measured the effect of the above herbs on corticohippocampal GABA, dopamine, and serotonin levels. Results: Both ashwagandha and shilajit were found to reduce alcohol withdrawal anxiety in a dose-dependent manner. These herbs alone or in combination also decreased ethanol intake and increased water intake significantly after 21 days of chronic administration. Chronic administration of ashwagandha was found to significantly increase GABA and serotonin levels whereas shilajit altered cortico-hippocampal dopamine in mice. Conclusion: These central nervous system active herbs alone or in combination reduced both alcohol dependence and withdrawal thus showing promising anti-addictive potential. SUMMARY Withinia Somnifera alone and in combination with Shilajeet prevented ethanol withdrawal and alcohol addiction Abbreviations used: GABA: Gama aminobutyric acid, CNS: Central Nervous System, CPP:Condition place preference, DA: Dopamine, 5-HT: 5-hydroxytryptamine, NMDA:N-methyl-D-aspartate Sugato Banerjee


Optimizing energy systems is, in Sweden, as in many other countries, of growing interest. District heating systems are no exception. In 2012, 285 out of 290 municipals in Sweden had district heating in use and the majority of these systems have a higher return temperature than that which is possible with an error-free substation of day current technology. To, when possible, lower the return temperature is a way of increasing the effectiveness of the district heating system.This study means to investigate, through simulations and calculations, how big of a reduction in production cost a lower temperature in the city of Ystad's district heating system would correspond to. The results show that a cold year, such as 2010, 1.8 SEK of the production cost could be saved per MWh sold heat for a whole year and 1°C temperature lowering. Equivalent value for a warm year such as 2011 was concluded to be 1.2 SEK/MWh,°C.


Frequency response function (FRF) measurements take a central place in the instrumentation and measurement field because many measurement problems boil down to the characterization of a linear dynamic behavior. The major problems to be faced are leakage and noise errors. The local polynomial method (LPM) was recently presented as a superior method to reduce the leakage errors with several orders of magnitude while the noise sensitivity remained the same as that of the classical windowing methods. The kernel idea of the LPM is a local polynomial approximation of the FRF and the leakage errors in a small-frequency band around the frequency where the FRF is estimated. Polynomial approximation of FRFs is also present in other measurement and design problems. For that reason, it is important to have a good understanding of the factors that influence the polynomial approximation errors. This article presents a full analysis of this problem and delivers a rule of thumb that can be easily applied in practice to deliver an upper bound on the approximation error of FRFs. It is shown that the approximation error for lowly damped systems is bounded by <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$(B_{LPM}/B_{3dB})^{R + 2}$</tex></formula> with <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$B_{LPM}$</tex></formula> the local bandwidth of the LPM, <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$R$</tex></formula> the degree of the local polynomial that is selected to be even (user choices), and <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$B_{3dB}$</tex></formula> the 3 dB bandwidth of the resonance, which is a system property.