I recently came across a statement that caught my eye: "An economist is someone who believes as a matter of moral justice that the
infant-mortality rate should be positive."

Such provocative statements are love poems to economists. We like to see ourselves as purveyors of uncomfortable and surprising truths. It's the Freakonomics mentality.


The transforming activity of the human fyn protein, p59fyn, which is a kinase of the src family, was investigated by testing the effect of recombinant avian retrovirus (Fyn virus) expressing p59fyn on chickens or cultured chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. The Fyn virus did not induce transformed foci. After several passages of the virus stock on CEF cells, however, a few foci were detected in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide. Chickens inoculated with Fyn virus at the stage of 12-day-old embryos developed fibrosarcomas 3 to 6 weeks after hatching. The viruses obtained from these foci and from one of the tumor tissues showed high transforming activity in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide, suggesting that these viruses carry spontaneous mutations of the fyn gene. Four fyn genes from CEF DNAs infected with transforming viruses were molecularly cloned, and their products were confirmed to possess transforming activity. DNA sequence analysis of the fyn genes showed that two of the four mutants have Thr instead of Ile at position 338 in the kinase domain. The other two mutants carry deletions of 78 and 108 base pairs, respectively, which result in complete loss of region C of SH2. The overall level of proteins containing phosphotyrosine was significantly higher in transformed cells than in normal CEF cells. Our data indicate that when expressed at high levels in a retrovirus, normal p59fyn cannot cause cellular transformation, but that mutant p59fyn with either a single amino acid substitution in the kinase domain or a deletion including region C produces a transforming protein, perhaps due to enhanced tyrosine kinase activity. This is the first observation that deletion of region C can unmask the potential transforming activity of a src family kinase.


The increasing yield of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the main by-products of modern society. Among various MSW treatment methods, plasma gasification in a fixed-bed melting reactor (PGM) is a new technology, which may provide an efficient and environmental friendly solution for problems related to MSW disposals. General objectives of this work are to develop mathematical models for the PGM process, and using these models to analyze the characteristics of this new technology. In this thesis, both experimental measurement and numerical analysis are carried out to evaluate the performance of both air gasification and air&steam gasification in a PGM reactor. Furthermore, parameter studies were launched to investigate the effect of three main operation parameters: equivalence ratio (ER), steam feedstock mass ratio(S/F) and plasma energy ratio (PER). Based on the above analysis, the optimal suggestions aiming at providing highest syngas calorific value, as well as system energy efficiency, are given. Six experimental tests were conducted in a demonstration reactor. These tests are classified into two groups: air gasification (case 1 and 2) and air&steam gasification (case 3 to 6). In all these cases, the plasma gasification and melting of MSW produced a syngas with a lower heating value of 6.0-7.0 MJ/Nm3. By comparing the syngas yield and calorific value, the study found out that the steam and air mixture is a better gasification agent than pure air. It is also discovered that the operation parameters seriously influence the operation of the PGM process. A zero-dimensional kinetic free model was built up to investigate the influence of operation parameters. The model was developed using the popular process simulation software Aspen Plus. In this model, the whole plasma gasification and melting process was divided into four layers: drying, pyrolysis, char combustion&gasificaiton, and plasma melting. Mass and energy balances were considered in all layers. It was proved that the model is able to give good agreement of the syngas yield and composition. This model was used to study the influence of ER, S/F and PER on average gasification temperature, syngas composition and syngas yield. It is pointed out that a common problem for the PGM air gasification is the incomplete char conversion due to low ER value. Both increasing plasma power and feeding steam is helpful for solving this problem. The syngas quality can also be improved by reasonably feeding high temperature steam into the reactor. In order to provide detailed information inside the reactor, a two-dimensional steady model was developed for the PGM process. The model used the Euler-Euler multiphase approach. The mass, momentum and energy balances of both gas and solid phases are considered in this model. The model described the complex chemical and physical processes such as drying, pyrolysis, homogeneous reactions, heterogeneous char reactions and melting of the inorganic components of MSW. The rates of chemical reactions are controlled by kinetic rates and physical transport theories. The model is capable of simulating the pressure fields, temperature fields, and velocity fields of both phase, as well as variations of gas and solid composition insider the reactor. This model was used to simulate both air gasification and air&steam gasification of MSW in the PGM reactor. For PGM air gasification, simulated results showed that when ER varies from 0.043 to 0.077, both the syngas yield and cold gas efficiency demonstrated a trend of increasing. This is explained mainly by the increase of char conversion rate with ER. However, the increase of ER was restricted by peak temperature inside the fixed-bed reactor. Therefore, it is not suggested to use only air as gasification in the PGM process. The influence of plasma power is not obvious when PER varies from 0.098 to 0.138. The positive influences of steam addition on cold gas efficiency and syngas lower-heating-value are confirmed by the simulation results of PGM air&steam gasification. The main effect of steam addition is the rouse of water shift reaction, which largely accelerates the char conversion and final yields of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The effect of steam injection is affected by steam feeding rate, air feeding rate and plasma power. Based on the above modeling work, Interactions between operation parameters were discussed. Possible operation extents of operation parameters are delimitated. The optimal points aiming at obtaining maximum syngas LHV and system CGE are suggested.


Most mobile devices nowadays have a camera. Besides, posting and sharing images have been found as one of the most frequent and engaging Internet activities. However, to our knowledge, no research has explored the feasibility of asking respondents of online surveys to upload images to answer survey questions. The main goal of this article is to investigate the viability of asking respondents of an online opt-in panel to upload during a mobile web survey: First, a photo taken in the moment, and second, an image already saved on their smartphone. In addition, we want to test to what extent the Google Vision application programming interface (API), which can label images into categories, produces similar tags than a human coder. Overall, results from a survey conducted among millennials in Spain and Mexico (N = 1,614) show that more than half of the respondents uploaded an image. Of those, 77.3% and 83.4%, respectively, complied with what the question asked. Moreover, respectively, 52.4% and 65.0% of the images were similarly codified by the Google Vision API and the human coder. In addition, the API codified 1,818 images in less than 5 min, whereas the human coder spent nearly 35 hours to complete the same task.


The kinetics, mechanism and polymer microstructure studies of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactides (LA) by Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes of (pyrazolylmethyl)pyridine ligands, 2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)pyridine (L1) and 2-(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)pyridine (L2) is described. The complexes [Zn(Ac)2(L1)] (1), [Cu(Ac)2(L1)] (2), [Zn(Ac)2(L2)] (3) and [Cu 2 (Ac) 4 (L2) 2 ]( 4) form active initiators in the ROP of D,L-LA and L-LA monomers. Generally Zn(II) complexes 1 and 3 exhibit higher activities compared to the corresponding Cu(II) complexes 2 and 4. Polymerization kinetics of D,L-LA show higher rates compared to the L-LA reactions. All the polymerization reactions follow pseudo first-order kinetics with respect to monomer while 1 shows second-order dependency on the polymerization reactions. Molecular weights of the polymers range from 813 g mol –1 to 9207 g mol –1 and exhibit relatively narrow molecular weight distributions between 1.2 to 1.6. While poly(D,L-LA) are predominantly atactic, poly(L-LA) are largely isotactic. All polymerization reactions proceed through coordination insertion mechanism followed by hydrolysis of the end groups.


"Advanced Database Techniques" combines advanced techniques with practical advice and many new ideas, methods, and examples for database management students, system specialists, and programmers. It provides a wealth of technical information on database methods and an encyclopedic coverage of advanced techniques that other current books on database lack.An overview covers important definitions in the area of database management and describes such classical notions as file structures, conceptual, physical and external schemas, and relational, network, hierarchical, and entity-relationship models. Remaining chapters offer advanced techniques, methods, and practical advice for functional specification and system design of a database-oriented interactive application; database architecture with qualitative and quantitative optimizations; the prediction of loads and response times; data representation, packing, and protection; selection of data elements and structures in a database; practical extensions of the relational theory to include dynamic relations and schemas, existence and processing constraints and coroutines; software architectures (functional interface and decision machine); and open databases for robotics, image processing, CAD, and artificial intelligence.Extended definitions are provided for conceptual schema, view, soft constraints and selection, relation, and dynamic schema. And an entire chapter is devoted to MSD, a new relational approach to specification and design. New software architectures for database applications are also covered. "Advanced Database Techniques" describes the 15 functions of a database management system and its internal mechanisms and provides a complete product review of the DBMS ORACLE as well as advice on DBMS purchasing and database administration.Daniel Martin is an independent consultant living in France. He designed and installed the largest distributed database in Europe. "Advanced Database Techniques" is included in the Information series, edited by Michael Lesk.


Do today's youth have more opportunities than their parents? As they build their own social and digital networks, does that offer new routes to learning and friendship? How do they navigate the meaning of education in a digitally connected but fiercely competitive, highly individualized world? Based upon fieldwork at an ordinary London school, The Class examines young people's experiences of growing up and learning in a digital world. In this original and engaging study, Livingstone and Sefton-Green explore youth values, teenagers' perspectives on their futures, and their tactics for facing the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The authors follow the students as they move across their different social worlds—in school, at home, and with their friends, engaging in a range of activities from video games to drama clubs and music lessons. By portraying the texture of the students' everyday lives, The Class seeks to understand how the structures of social class and cultural capital shape the development of personal interests, relationships and autonomy. Providing insights into how young people's social, digital, and learning networks enable or disempower them, Livingstone and Sefton-Green reveal that the experience of disconnections and blocked pathways is often more common than that of connections and new opportunities.


This paper determined the influence of retail store merchandise assortment and display on consumer impulse buying behavior in north-west Nigeria. Two specific purposes were set with two research questions to guide the study. Two null hypotheses were formulated for the study and were tested at .05 level of significance. The study was conducted in 10 Colleges of Education in North-west Nigeria on a target population of Business Education Lecturers. A total of 219 Lecturers who teach Business Education courses in the colleges and who also patronize retail stores as consumers were studied. A structured questionnaire called "Influence of Retail Store Merchandise Assortment and Display on Consumer Impulse Buying Behaviour (IRSMADCIBB)" was used to obtain data for the study. The instrument was structured on a five-point Likert scale. The instrument was face-validated by three experts in Business Education in University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria all in Nigeria. Cronbach's Alpha reliability test was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and a reliability index of .75 was obtained. A total of 204 copies of the instrument were retrieved for analysis. Data were analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at .05 level of significance. It was found out that the respondents agreed that retail store merchandise assortment and display are capable of influencing consumers' impulse buying behavior. It was recommended, among others, that retail store merchants should take advantage of training and retraining programmes such as workshops, seminars and conferences to update their retailing skills for better product presentations to their customers.


One of the primary uses of bottom-trawl survey data, with respect to fisheries management, is the estimation of abundance of the species involved. Stratified-random surveys have been conducted on the eastern Scotian Shelf since 1970. The precision of abundance estimates for Atlantic cod (ages 5-12) from these surveys was found to be inferior to what would have been obtained if simple random surveys had been conducted. These results were primarily due to suboptimal allocation of stations to strata. Historical data were used to devise alternative sampling strategies. This analysis indicated that the number of strata could be reduced considerably without loss of precision. An additional and important benefit of the smaller number of strata would be increased flexibility for allocation. With the present level of sampling, it would be necessary to reduce the number of strata to achieve proportional allocation of stations or to approximate optimal allocation.


Is the current state of Israel a work of God as predicted in Bible prophecy or is it merely an accident of history? I believe that modern Israel is a Divine work and is in the process of fulfilling Bible prophecy. I believe that Israel, as she is constituted today, is a work of God in progress preparing the nation for the tribulation, which will lead to her national conversion, the second coming of Christ and His millennial reign.


A phage-resistant mutant with a defect in a membrane component required for phage infections in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis C2 was transformed with a chromosomal library of the wild-type, phage-sensitive strain. Of the 4,200 transformants screened for phage sensitivity, three were positively identified as phage sensitive. A cause-and-effect relationship between the cloned chromosomal fragments and the phage-sensitive phenotype was established on the basis of the following two criteria: (i) the frequency of loss of the cloned fragments in the absence of antibiotic selection pressure correlated with the frequency of loss of phage sensitivity; and (ii) phage sensitivity was transferred to 100% of recipient, phage-resistant cells transformed with the cloned fragment. The cloned chromosomal DNA from the three independent isolates was physically mapped with restriction endonucleases. The sizes of the cloned fragments were 9.6, 11.8, and 9.5 kb. Each fragment contained an identical stretch of DNA common to all three, which was 9.4 kb. The gene that conferred phage sensitivity was localized by subcloning to a 4.5-kb region. Further subcloning indicated that a single EcoRI site within the 4.5-kb region must lie within the gene or its promoter. The required 4.5-kb region was sequenced and found to code for one partial and two complete open reading frames. The gene required for complementation was functionally mapped by Tn5 mutagenesis and localized to one of the two complete open reading frames, which was designated pip (an acronym for phage infection protein). pip is 2,703 bases in length. Potential promoters start 206 and 212 bases upstream of the open reading frame. A ribosome binding site and a seven-base spacer precede the GTG (Val) translation initiation codon. The amino acid sequence deduced from the gene has 901 residues and an M(r) of 99,426. Hydropathy analysis revealed four to six potential membrane-spanning regions, one near the amino terminus and the others at the extreme carboxyl terminus. The amino terminus has characteristics of a signal sequence. The putative protein would have a 650-residue, central polar domain.


Eating disorders (ED) are characterized by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect the patient's medical or psychiatric health, with symptoms usually developing during adolescence. Treatment for ED varies across patients and the disease time-course, reflecting differences in psychopathology and medical comorbidities. Here, we provide a brief review of the standard management strategy for ED and emphasize the importance of individualized treatment. To illustrate this, we present a case of ED in which a halt in development was observed during a home visit, which is an unusual component in the treatment of ED. Furthermore, as a result of our collective experience in treating ED, we recognize that discussion among multidisciplinary healthcare professionals is important to improve outcomes. doi:10.11482/KMJ-E43(2)121 (Accepted on October 23, 2017)


The purpose of this study was to establish a noninvasive method of evaluating swallowing function using swallowing sounds. Four handicapped patients with congenital or postnatal dysphagia were selected as subjects and five healthy, fully dentate males were selected as control subjects. A jelly on the market for the elderly in need of nursing care was used as the test food. Ultra-sound diagnostic equipment and a heart-sound microphone were used to record tongue movements and swallowing sounds. Moreover, an endoscope was used to observe the bolus and larynx. In all healthy subjects, the first swallowing sound before endoscopic whiteout and the second swallowing sound after endoscopic whiteout were detected in the swallowing test. On the other hand, in all subjects with dysphagia, the first swallowing sound and endoscopic whiteout were detected. However the second swallowing sound was not detected clearly in the 3 subjects with congenital dysphagia. Waveforms of an unclear first swallowing sound or second swallowing sound were observed repeatedly in the subject with postnatal dysphagia. A part of the bolus aspirated into the trachea upon inspiration made some patients choke and cough. Our findings suggest that the bolus remaining around the epiglottis contributes to an increased risk of aspiration and that observation of the second swallowing sound may be effective in the evaluation of swallowing function.


The field of nanopore sensing has been gaining increasing attention. Much progress has been made towards biotechnological applications that involve electrical measurements of temporal changes in the ionic current flowing through the pore. But in many cases the electrical signal is restricted by the non-ideal noise components, limited throughput, and insufficient temporal or spatial resolutions. To address these limitations, high-sensitivity optical detection techniques that complement the electrical measurements have been developed. The optical techniques involve high-bandwidth, multicolor and high-throughput measurements. Here we review the recent advancements and developments that have been taking place in the field of optical sensing in solid-state nanopores. We describe the main optical methods used in this field involving total internal reflection and confocal microscopy in addition to sophisticated background suppression strategies. We further present the phenomenon of light induced analyte manipulation at the pore and the contribution of the optical sensing approach to possible nanopore sensing applications such as optical based DNA sequencing using nanopores.


At Stellenbosch University the Department of Information Science is responsible for the mandatory Information Skills 172 and 174 programmes for first-year students in four faculties. In 2009 the faculty librarians were asked to create screencast online tutorials on certain library skills, and in 2010 a focus-group discussion was conducted to determine what students' perceptions were of the influence of these tutorials on their ability to find information for assignments. The findings indicate that the tutorials were not as successful as the library had hoped, and that the library should work at not only improving the tutorials, but also bringing them to the attention of the students.


ABSTRACT. Mesquita S.M.C., Mansur F.J., Nascimento E.R., Barreto M.L. & Kimura L.M.S. [Standardization and application of indirect ELISA for diagnosis of Mycoplasma bovis in bovine blood serum samples.] Padroniza- cao e aplicacao de ELISA indireto para diagnostico de Mycoplasma bovis em amostras de soro sanguineo bovino. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinaria, 37(2):101-107, 2015. Universidade Federal Fluminense, Faculdade de Veterina- ria, Rua Vital Brazil Filho, 64, Vital Brazil, Niteroi, RJ 24230-340, Brasil. E-mail: email@example.com International researchers presented results indicating frequent involvement of Mycoplasma spp. as a causative agent of mastitis in cattle, associating its presence with significant economic losses to farmers. Mycoplasma bovis is the species most reported and relevant, because it causes more severe disease. The level of antibodies against M. bovis remains high for several months and can be detected by ELISA. The aim of this work was to develop an indirect ELISA with whole cell antigen of M. bovis (strain Donetta PG 45) with subsequent application in bovine blood serum samples for detection of antibodies against M. bovis. The immunization of cows A and B by inoculating an immunogen against M. bovis to obtain hyperimmune blood serum was the first stage of this work, then the stage of standardization of ELISA was proceeded. The concentration of 2 mg of antigen/mL for coating the microtiter plates was decided by statistical analyses. The optical density value 0,2 was determined as the limit of reactivity discrimination of samples (the cut-off point). The hyperimmune blood serum sample of the cow A (collected 30 days after immunization) was chosen as the positive control and, the fetal calf serum was chosen as negative control of the assay. In addition, the ideal optimal dilutions found for blood serum samples was 1:400 and for conjugate was 1:10.000 and the substrate used was the ortho-phenylenediamine. The amount of 321 samples of cow blood serum from 15 farms was obtained for the application of the standardized indirect ELISA. It was diagnosed animals that have been exposed to M. bovis and the prevalence rate found in blood serum samples was 3,1% (10/321) and 46,7% (7/15) was the prevalence rate found between the corresponding farms studied.


BACKGROUND
Airway pepsin has been increasingly used as a potentially sensitive and quantifiable biomarker for gastric-to-pulmonary aspiration, despite lack of validation in normal control subjects. This study attempts to define normal levels of airway pepsin in adults and distinguish between pepsin A (exclusive to stomach) and pepsin C (which can be expressed by pneumocytes).

METHODS
We performed a prospective study of 51 otherwise healthy adult patients undergoing elective extremity orthopedic surgery at a single tertiary-care academic medical center. Lower airway samples were obtained immediately following endotracheal intubation and just prior to extubation. Total pepsin and pepsin A concentrations were directly measured by an enzymatic activity assay, and pepsin C was subsequently derived. Pepsinogen/pepsin C was confirmed by Western blot analyses. Baseline characteristics were secondarily compared.

RESULTS
In all, 11 (22%; 95% CI = 9.9%-33%) had detectable airway pepsin concentrations. All 11 positive specimens had pepsin C, without any detectable pepsin A. Pepsinogen/pepsin C was confirmed by Western blot analyses. In a multivariate logistic regression, men were more likely to have airway pepsin (OR, 12.71, P = .029).

CONCLUSIONS
Enzymatically active pepsin C, but not the gastric-specific pepsin A, is frequently detected in the lower airways of patients who otherwise have no risk for aspiration. This suggests that nonspecific pepsin assays should be used and interpreted with caution as a biomarker of gastropulmonary aspiration, as pepsinogen C potentially expressed from pneumocytes may be detected in airway samples.


OBJECTIVE
Among the elderly, use of antithrombotics (ATs), antiplatelets (APs; aspirin, clopidogrel), and/or anticoagulants (ACs; warfarin, direct oral ACs [DOACs; dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban]) to prevent thromboembolic events must be carefully weighed against the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) with trauma. The goal of this study was to assess the risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI), ICH, and poorer outcomes in relation to AT use among all patients 65 years or older presenting to a single institution with head trauma.

METHODS
Data were collected from all head trauma patients 65 years or older presenting to the authors' supraregional tertiary trauma center over a 24-month period and included age, sex, injury mechanism, medical history, international normalized ratio, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, ICH presence and type, hospital admission, reversal therapy, surgery, discharge destination, Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) score at discharge, and mortality.

RESULTS
A total of 1365 head trauma patients 65 years or older were included; 724 were on AT therapy (413 on APs, 151 on ACs, 59 on DOACs, 48 on 2 APs, 38 on AP+AC, and 15 on AP+DOAC) and 641 were not. Among all head trauma patients, the risk of sustaining a TBI was associated with AP use after adjusting for covariates. Of the 731 TBI patients, those using ATs had higher rates of ICH (p <0.0001), functional dependency at discharge (GOSE score ≤ 4; p < 0.0001), and mortality (p < 0.0001). Elevated rates of ICH progression on follow-up CT scanning were observed in patients in the warfarin monotherapy (OR 5.30, p < 0.0001) and warfarin + AP (OR 6.15, p = 0.0011). Risk of mortality was not associated with single antiplatelet use but was notably high with 2 APs (OR 4.66, p = 0.0056), warfarin (OR 5.18, p = 0.0003), and DOAC use (OR 5.09, p = 0.0149).

CONCLUSIONS
Elderly trauma patients on ATs, especially combination therapy, are at elevated risk of ICH and poor outcomes compared with those not on AT therapy. While both AP and warfarin use alone and in combination were associated with significantly elevated odds of sustaining an ICH among TBI patients, only warfarin use was a predictor of hemorrhage progression on follow-up scans. The use of a single AP was not associated with mortality; however, the combination of both aspirin and clopidogrel was. Warfarin and DOAC users had comparable mortality rates; however, DOAC users had lower rates of ICH progression, and fewer survivors were functionally dependent at discharge than were warfarin users. DOACs are an overall safer alternative to warfarin for patients at high risk of falls.


Environmental Pollution is the one of the major problem of the hour. In this fast moving scenario, pollution both industrial and air plays a major role in affecting living beings. These pollutants mainly consist of mainly organic pollutants and particulate matter. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) are the groups of organic pollutants that are ubiquitously present, resistant to degradation and can stay for a longer time in the atmosphere.They are known as mutagen, carcinogen and tetratogen. One such PAH is Benzo[a]pyrene, which is first procarcinogen to be discovered which causes skin cancer and respiratory problems etc. Benzo[a]pyrene is a five membered ring which is basically produced from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, exhaust from automobiles and industries. The toxicity of Benzo[a]pyrene is the result of bioactivation of B[a]P to diolepoxides by monooxygenase enzymes i.e. CYP450 enzyme systems in human body. Diol epoxides are DNA adducts which mutate the p53 tumor suppressor gene leads to tumor. Hence these enzymes are inhibited by active compounds extracted from Black tulsi. They are eugenol, carvacrol, elemene, caryophyllene and linalool. In this study we have reported that active compounds of tulsi bind to cytochrome P450 enzyme active site and inhibit those from binding benzo[a]pyrene. By docking studies done in Hex software has proved that active compounds of tulsi bind to CYP450. Also not only insilico studies but also in-vitro analysis like MTT assay, DAPI staining and EROD assay was done to confirm our topic.


We examine the empirical relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and rates of early childbearing. First, we use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to confirm a strong correlation at the individual level - women who grow up "disadvantaged" are much more likely to give birth as teens. Then we aggregate Vital Statistics microdata from 1968 through 2003 to conduct a cohort-based analysis of the relationship between rates of socioeconomic disadvantage of a birth cohort and the cohort's subsequent early childbearing experiences. Our cohort level analysis implies an even tighter intergenerational correlation between rates of background disadvantage and early childbearing. But, when our analysis econometrically controls for fixed state and year of birth effects in the model to account for cultural and other differences across cohorts, the relationship between rates of disadvantage and early childbearing is found to be quite modest. For example, the elasticity of early childbearing rates by age 18 with respect to the probability of being born to a mother under age 18 is only 0.05. This suggests that broader, societal forces are far more important in determining rates of early childbearing than rates of socioeconomic disadvantage per se.


Strontium substituted bismuth and titanium oxide nanoparticles with aurivillius morphology synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method and were characterized using XRD. The nanopartcles were used in the composition of the carbon paste to improve conductivity and transduction of chemical signal to electrical signal. A procedure for the determination of chromium is described based on pre-concentration of the dichromate anion at a carbon paste electrode modified. A novel potentiometric Cr6+carbon paste electrode incorporating Strontium substituted bismuth and titanium oxide nanoparticles (SSBTO). Ina acetate buffer solution of pH 5, the sensor displays a rapid and linear response for Cr6+ over the concentration range 1.0×10-5 to 1.0×10-1mol L-1 M with an anionic slope of 54.8± 0.2 mV decade ' and a detection limit of the order of0.002 /μg ml '. The sensor is used for determination of Cr6+ by direct monitoring of Cr6+.The average recoveries of Cr6+at concentration levels of 0.5~40 pg/ml 'is 98.3. The electrode has a short response time (<6s ) and can be used for at least twenty days without any considerable divergence in potentials and the working pH range was 4.5-6.5. The proposed electrode was successfully used as an indicator for potentiometric determination of Cr6+in water sample.


Effective implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) plays an important role in school education, especially in a developing country like India, to improve the quality of education. School teachers' lack of confidence and motivation for using ICT is one of the major barriers of its implementation in schools. These barriers can be either nonmanipulative (i.e. which cannot be changed) or manipulative (i.e. which can be changed with the help of school/government policies). This paper studies the impact of non-manipulative and manipulative teachers' factors on their perceived proficiency in using ICT in the classrooms. It uses the primary data of 515 school teachers from the Maharashtra region of India teaching at high-school level (8 grade to 12 grade). The study concludes that both non-manipulative as well as manipulative teachers' factors are important in affecting teachers' perception regarding their own proficiency in using ICT in the classrooms. The study also provides some suggestions to improve the perception by changing some manipulative factors.


Abstract Earth Science Week 2015 (11–17 October) will engage millions of people in all 50 states and around the world in learning about the many ways scientists monitor and represent information about earth systems, including land, water, air, and living things. Through the "Visualizing Earth Systems" theme of this year's celebration, science educators, students, and others will explore what it means to see our planet through eyes informed by the geosciences. Each year, the American Geosciences Institute promotes better understanding of earth science and stewardship of the planet through Earth Science Week. A major addition to the 2015 celebration will be the launch of a new "Visualizing Earth Systems" Web page, linking educators to online visualizations that they can use in instruction. Additional new components of the program include a visualization online competition, stakeholder events linked to citywide celebrations, a video promoting the program, posters on the national parks, and an in-depth public...


This book is about relations between three different areas of mathematics and theoretical computer science: combinatorial group theory, cryptography, and complexity theory. It explores how non-commutative (infinite) groups, which are typically studied in combinatorial group theory, can be used in public-key cryptography. It also shows that there is remarkable feedback from cryptography to combinatorial group theory because some of the problems motivated by cryptography appear to be new to group theory, and they open many interesting research avenues within group theory. In particular, a lot of emphasis in the book is put on studying search problems, as compared to decision problems traditionally studied in combinatorial group theory. Then, complexity theory, notably generic-case complexity of algorithms, is employed for cryptanalysis of various cryptographic protocols based on infinite groups, and the ideas and machinery from the theory of generic-case complexity are used to study asymptotically dominant properties of some infinite groups that have been applied in public-key cryptography so far. This book also describes new interesting developments in the algorithmic theory of solvable groups and another spectacular new development related to complexity of group-theoretic problems, which is based on the ideas of compressed words and straight-line programs coming from computer science.


Recent experiments have achieved the single bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL) innondegassed water. Theoretical discussion of these new experiments is presented. First, the stability analysis of the radial bubble oscillations with respect to surface instabilities is given. It is found that the growth of unstable surface modes might be responsible for the experimentally observed oscillations in the SL emission. Second, the previously developed theoretical model is employed in order to explain these new experimental data for the SL radiation. This model is based on the production of the shock waves in a collapsing bubble. Furthermore, strong response of the intensity of the SL radiation on small changes of some of the experimental parameters is discussed. The agreement between the theory and the experiment is found to be very good, considering the complexity of the problem and a variety of physical and chemical processes involved. Finally, the methods for enhancing the effect of SL are discussed and the suggest...


Corticosteroid administration before anticipated preterm birth is one of the most important antenatal therapies available to improve newborn outcomes. A single course of corticosteroids is recommended for pregnant women between 24 0/7 weeks and 33 6/7 weeks of gestation, including for those with ruptured membranes and multiple gestations. It also may be considered for pregnant women starting at 23 0/7 weeks of gestation who are at risk of preterm delivery within 7 days, based on a family's decision regarding resuscitation, irrespective of membrane rupture status and regardless of fetal number. Administration of betamethasone may be considered in pregnant women between 34 0/7 weeks and 36 6/7 weeks of gestation at imminent risk of preterm birth within 7 days, and who have not received a previous course of antenatal corticosteroids. A single repeat course of antenatal corticosteroids should be considered in women who are less than 34 0/7 weeks of gestation who have an imminent risk of preterm delivery within the next 7 days, and whose prior course of antenatal corticosteroids was administered more than 14 days previously. Rescue course corticosteroids could be provided as early as 7 days from the prior dose, if indicated by the clinical scenario. Continued surveillance of long-term outcomes after in utero corticosteroid exposure should be supported. Quality improvement strategies to optimize appropriate and timely antenatal corticosteroid administration are encouraged.


The process of globalisation has many implications for developing countries in terms of trade and the performance of their economies. The structural adjustment, global trade and the new political economy of development gave rise to many questions regarding the role of transnational corporations and the performance of the markets. In the case of the South Pacific Island Nations (SPINs), the performance of the markets and the role of transnational firms have been a matter of concern. Dependency theorists have attributed this to the process of colonialism and the exploitation of resources by the transnational firms in the post-independence era. However, in the present circumstances and in view of global trade regimes, developing countries in general have to accept that they are part of the global economy. Therefore, strategies to achieve sustainable levels of economic growth must combine policies that support the operation of the market as well as allow governments to intervene in strategic areas such as the environment. SPINs have very little option but to attract foreign investment to achieve economic growth and foreign investment which largely has to come through the transnational firms. Over the last decade, governments of the SPINs have pursued economic policies that provide incentives to foreign firms to invest in their economies. These policies have often been dictated to by the international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The experiences of these countries with structural adjustment policies have been articulated both in terms of the positive and negative impacts on the poor and the environment. This paper analyses the role of transnational firms in economic growth and the conflict it creates in the process of environmental management and governance in the SPINs. It explores the questions of markets versus government intervention in the management of the economy and the environment.


The support for connections between research and education is widespread. This connection yields the promise of educating students for the knowledge society. With the curriculum as the most important carrier of planned higher education, the lack of systematic insight in how research can be integrated into the curriculum is an important omission. This systematic review considers how empirical studies provide input for the integration of research in the higher education curriculum. Moreover, it provides a structured insight into the current body of knowledge on research in the curriculum. Based on a first set of 5815 journal articles, 121 articles were selected for further analysis. The model of Curriculum Aspects by Van den Akker (2003) was used to categorise the articles, which shows a body of knowledge on research in the curriculum with the largest focus on learning aims and learning activities. Furthermore, this review shows how few studies consider the effects of curriculum design on student learning, which calls for more empirical studies to benefit student learning.


Nano hot or thermal embossing has many advantages of comparatively few process steps, simple operation, relatively low tooling cost and high replication accuracy for small features. However, because of its long processing time, it has been known as being less competitive than nano injection molding. In order to overcome the weakness of long processing time, the high speed nano hot embossing system has been developed and its characteristics were investigated. Nanopatterned stampers made of Ni and Si were fabricated by the laser mastering and electroforming process and the DRIE and LPCVD or thermal oxidation process respectively. In order to make the processing time shorter and get relatively higher aspect ratio nano/micro features, especially, the temperatures of the molds were controlled actively and precisely during the embossing process. Through various experiments, nano embossing parameters, such as temperature, pressure and processing time, are optimized and the high aspect ratio nano features could be obtained.


A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by precipitation polymerization with tanshinone IIA as the template and used as an adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE). A simulation was employed to predict the most suitable polymerization solvent, the functional monomer, and the molar ratio of template to monomer. The obtained imprinted materials were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, rebinding experiments, exhibiting good morphology, and high binding to tanshinone IIA. Compared with nonimprinted polymers, the imprinted material exhibited a higher sorption capacity, up to 34.09 µmol g−1, and better selectivity for tanshinone IIA and its structural analogs. The imprinted polymer was successfully employed for SPE coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of tanshinone IIA, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone I in fortified serum. The mean recoveries were between 91.5% and 95.1% with relative standard deviations less than 4.9%. These results demonstrate a highly selective isolation and determination of tanshinones.


Abstract Erika Magnusson and Daniel Andersson's Logistics (2012) is the longest film ever made, at over thirty-five days in duration. The film endeavors to make the world-spanning network of global logistics perceptible through an experience of the slow journey of the Dutch container-ship Elly Maersk from Gothenburg, Sweden, to Shenzhen, China. Following this document of an oceanic passage that coincided with—and was at one point halted by—the events of the Arab Spring, this article explores how extreme durational cinema raises questions about the position of the spectator and the limits of representation in an era of digitally networked media. It suggests that there exists, beyond the immediate relationship between spectator and image, a correspondence between the magnitude of filmic address and the logistical conditions of art's creation.


Background: Advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques will require new types of instrument end-effectors for smaller, longer, and flexible instruments. These include a new class of multifunctional instruments capable of performing more than 1 task with a single set of working jaws. Furthermore, it is desired that multifunctional instruments be designed to provide improved dexterity compared with that in currently commercially available instruments. Methods: Three prototypes of multifunctional laparoscopic surgical instruments are described: (1) a mechanical scissors-grasper, (2) a mechanical scissors-grasper-articulator, and (3) a compliant mechanism scissors-grasper. Methods of baseline analysis, design methods and considerations, and subjective evaluations of interim prototypes are presented. Results: The 3 prototypes demonstrate promising early results. However, based on subjective evaluation, these prototypes do not perform individual functions as well as basic disposable single-function laparoscopic instruments do. Conclusions: The concept of multifunctionality and increased end-effector dexterity is achievable as demonstrated by the prototypes presented. Further work is required to refine, simplify, and improve the multifunctional instruments to a point where they may be useful as surgical tools.


This thesis is concerned with the algebraic theory of hermitian forms. It is organized in two parts. The first, consisting of the first two chapters, deals with some descent properties of unimodular hermitian forms over central simple algebras with involution. The second, which consists of the last two chapters, generalizes several classical properties of unimodular hermitian forms over rings with involution to the setting of sesquilinear forms in hermitian categories. The original results established in this thesis are joint work with Professor Eva Bayer-Fluckiger. The first chapter contains an introduction to the algebraic theory of unimodular e-hermitian forms over fields with involution. One knows that if L/K is an extension of odd degree (where char(K) ≠ 2) then the restriction map rL/K : W(K) →W(L) is injective. In addition, if the extension is purely inseparable then the map rL/K is bijective. In the second chapter we first introduce the basic notions and techniques of the theory of unimodular e-hermitian forms over algebras with involution, in particular the technique of Morita equivalence. Let L/K be a finite field extension, τ an involution on L and A a finite-dimensional K-algebra endowed with an involution α such that αœK = τœK. E. Bayer-Fluckiger and H.W. Lenstra proved that if L/K is of odd degree and αœK = idK then the restriction map rL/Ke : We(A, α) → We(A ⊗K L, α ⊗ τ) is injective for any e = ±1. This holds also if αœK ≠ idK. We prove that if, in addition, L/K is purely inseparable and A is a central simple K-algebra, then the above map is actually bijective. The proof proceeds via induction on the degree of the algebra and uses in an essential way an exact sequence of Witt groups due to R. Parimala, R. Sridharan and V. Suresh, later extended by N. Gernier-Boley and M.G. Mahmoudi. The third chapter contains a survey of the theory of hermitian and quadratic forms in hermitian categories. In particular, we cover the transfer between two hermitian categories, the reduction by an ideal, the transfer into the endomorphism ring of an object, as well as the Krull-Schmidt-Azumaya theorem and some of its applications. In the fourth chapter we prove, adapting the ideas developed by E. Bayer-Fluckiger and L. Fainsilber, that the category of sesquilinear forms in a hermitian category ℳ is equivalent to the category of unimodular hermitian forms in the category of double arrows of ℳ. In order to obtain this equivalence of categories we associate to a sesquilinear form the double arrow consisting of its two adjoints, equipped with a canonical unimodular hermitian form. This equivalence of categories allows us to define a notion of Witt group for sesquilinear forms in hermitian categories. This generalizes the classical notion of a Witt group of unimodular hermitian forms over rings with involution. Using the above equivalence of categories we deduce analogues of the Witt cancellation theorem and Springer's theorem for sesquilinear forms over certain algebras with involution. We also extend some finiteness results due to E. Bayer-Fluckiger, C. Kearton and S.M. J. Wilson. In addition, we study the weak Hasse-Minkowski principle for sesquilinear forms over skew fields with involution over global fields. We prove that this principle holds for systems of sesquilinear forms over a skew field over a global field and endowed with a unitary involution. Two systems of sesquilinear forms are hence isometric if and only if they are isometric over all the completions of the base field. This result has already been known for unimodular hermitian and skew-hermitian forms over rings with involution, under the same hypothesis. Finally, we study the behaviour of the Witt group of a linear hermitian category under extension of scalars. Let K be a field of characteristic different from 2, L a finite extension of K and ℳ a K-linear hermitian category. We define the extension of ℳ to L as being the category with the same objects as ℳ and with morphisms given by the morphisms of ℳ extended to L. We obtain an L-linear hermitian category, denoted by ℳL. The canonical functor of scalar extension ℛL/K : ℳ → ℳL induces for any e = ±1 a group homomorphism We(ℳ) →We(ℳL). We prove that if all the idempotents of the category ℳ split and the extension L/K is of odd degree then this homomorphism is injective. This result has already been known in the case when ℳ is the category of finite-dimensional K-vector spaces.


Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) accounts for the most gynecologic malignancy–associated deaths in the United States. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), which silences gene expression through generating trimethylation on lysine 27 residue of histone H3 (H3K27Me3), is often overexpressed in EOCs and has been suggested as a therapeutic target. However, the mechanism underlying EZH2 overexpression in EOCs is unknown. Here, we show that EZH2 is upregulated at the transcription level, and two CCAAT boxes in the proximal regions of the human EZH2 gene promoter are critical for its transcription in EOC cells. Indeed, NF-YA, the regulatory subunit of the CCAAT-binding transcription factor NF-Y, is expressed at higher levels in human EOCs than in primary human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells. In addition, there is a positive correlation between expression of NF-YA and EZH2 in EOCs. Notably, high NF-YA expression predicts shorter overall survival in patients with EOCs. The association of NF-YA with the promoter of the human EZH2 gene is enhanced in human EOC cells compared with primary HOSE cells. Significantly, knockdown of NF-YA downregulates EZH2, decreases H3K27Me3 levels, and suppresses the growth of human EOC cells both in vitro and in a xenograft mouse model. Notably, NF-YA knockdown induces apoptosis of EOC cells and ectopic EZH2 expression partially rescues apoptosis induced by NF-YA knockdown. Together, these data reveal that NF-Y is a key regulator of EZH2 expression and is required for EOC cell proliferation, thus representing a novel target for developing EOC therapeutics. Mol Cancer Res; 11(4); 360–9. ©2013 AACR.


Partially premixed low temperature combustion (LTC) is an established advanced engine strategy that enables the simultaneous reduction of soot and NOX emissions in diesel engines. Measuring extremely low levels of soot emissions achievable with LTC modes using a filter smoke meter requires large sample volumes and repeated measurements to achieve the desired data precision and accuracy. Even taking such measures, doubt exists as to whether filter smoke number (FSN) accurately represents the actual smoke emissions emitted from such low soot conditions. The use of alternative fuels such as biodiesel also compounds efforts to accurately report soot emissions since the reflectivity of high levels of organic matter found on the particulate matter collected may result in erroneous readings from the optical detector. Using FSN, it is desired to report mass emissions of soot using empirical correlations derived for use with petroleum diesel fuels and conventional modes of combustion. The work presented in this paper compares the experimental results of well known formulae for calculating mass of soot using FSN and elemental carbon mass using thermal optical analysis (TOA) over a range of operating conditions and fuels from a four cylinder direct injection passenger car diesel engine. The data show that the mass of soot emitted by the engine can be accurately predicted with the smoke meter method utilizing a 3000 ml sample volume over a range of FSN from 0.02 to 1.5. Soot mass exhaust concentration calculated from FSN using the best of the literature expressions and that from the TOA taken over all conditions correlated linearly with a slope of 0.99 and R2 value of 0.94. A primary implication of the work is that the level of confidence in reporting soot mass based on FSN for low soot formation regimes like LTC is improved for both petroleum diesel and biodiesel fuels.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


PRIVACY PROTECTION IN CONTEXT AWARE SYSTEMS ANALA ANIRUDDHA PANDIT MARCH 4TH 2014 Smartphones, loaded with users' personal information, are a primary computing device for many. Advent of 4G networks, IPV6 and increased number of subscribers to these has triggered a host of application developers to develop softwares that are easy to install on the mobile devices. During the application download process, users accept the terms and conditions that permit revelation of private information. The free application markets are sustainable as the revenue model for most of these service providers is through profiling of users and pushing advertisements to the users. This creates a serious threat to users privacy and hence it is important that "privacy protection mechanisms" should be in place to protect the users' privacy. Most of the existing solutions falsify or modify the information in the service request and starve the developers of their revenue. In this dissertation, we attempt to bridge the gap by proposing a novel integrated CLOPRO framework (Context Cloaking Privacy Protection) that achieves Identity privacy, Context privacy and Query privacy without depriving the service provider of sustainable revenue made from the CAPPA (Context Aware Privacy Preserving Advertising). Each service request has three parameters: identity, context and actual query. The CLOPRO framework reduces the risk of an adversary linking all of the three parameters. The main objective is to ensure that no single entity in the system has all the information about the user, the queries or the link between them, even though the user gets the desired service in a viable time frame. The proposed comprehensive framework for privacy protecting, does not require the user to use a modified OS or the service provider to modify the way an application developer designs and deploys the application and at the same time protecting the revenue model of the service provider. The system consists of two non-colluding servers, one to process the location coordinates (Location server) and the other to process the original query (Query server). This approach makes vi several inherent algorithmic and research contributions. First, we have proposed a formal definition of privacy and the attack. We identified and formalized that the privacy is protected if the transformation functions used are non-invertible. Second, we propose use of clustering of every component of the service request to provide anonymity to the user. We use a unique encrypted identity for every service request and a unique id for each cluster of users that ensures Identity privacy. We have designed a Split Clustering Anonymization Algorithms (SCAA) that consists of two algorithms Location Anonymization Algorithm (LAA) and Query Anonymization Algorithm (QAA). The application of LAA replaces the actual location for the users in the cluster with the centroid of the location coordinates of all users in that cluster to achieve Location privacy. The time of initiation of the query is not a part of the message string to the service provider although it is used for identifying the timed out requests. Thus, Context privacy is achieved. To ensure the Query privacy, the generic queries (created using QAA) are used that cover the set of possible queries, based on the feature variations between the queries. The proposed CLOPRO framework associates the ads/coupons relevant to the generic query and the location of the users and they are sent to the user along with the result without revealing the actual user, the initiation time of query or the location and the query, of the user to the service provider. Lastly, we introduce the use of caching in query processing to improve the response time in case of repetitive queries. The Query processing server caches the query result. We have used multiple approaches to prove that privacy is preserved in CLOPRO system. We have demonstrated using the properties of the transformation functions and also using graph theoretic approaches that the user's Identity, Context and Query is protected against the curious but honest adversary attack, fake query and also replay attacks with the use of CLOPRO framework . The proposed system not only provides ′k′ anonymity, but also satisfies the < k, s > and < k, T > anonymity properties required for privacy protection. The complexity of our proposed algorithm is O(n).


Transplantation is often the only viable treatment for pediatric patients with end-stage liver disease. Making well-informed decisions on when to proceed with transplantation requires accurate predictors of transplant survival. The standard Cox proportional hazards (PH) model assumes that covariate effects are time-invariant on right-censored failure time; however, this assumption may not always hold. Gray's piecewise constant time-varying coefficients (PC-TVC) model offers greater flexibility to capture the temporal changes of covariate effects without losing the mathematical simplicity of Cox PH model. In the present work, we examined the Cox PH and Gray PC-TVC models on the posttransplant survival analysis of 288 pediatric liver transplant patients diagnosed with cancer. We obtained potential predictors through univariable (P < 0.15) and multivariable models with forward selection (P < 0.05) for the Cox PH and Gray PC-TVC models, which coincide. While the Cox PH model provided reasonable average results in estimating covariate effects on posttransplant survival, the Gray model using piecewise constant penalized splines showed more details of how those effects change over time.


A pot experiment was conducted to study the effectiveness of two VAM
species in enhancing growth of cocoa seedlings. Cocoa seedlings of hybrid
UITlxNa32 inoculated with Glomus mosseae and Scutellospora calospora
either as a single inoculum or as a mixed inoculum and uninoculated control
were grown in 2 kg sterilized Tai Tak. series soil. The experiment was a
single factor experiment arranged in a completely randomized design, with
type of inoculum as a factor with four replications. The trial was done in
greenhouse No. 11 C of Univeristi Pertanian Malaysia.
Of the four treatments used, plants inoculated with mixed inoculum
gave more pronounced and significant vegetative growth (as measured by plant height, total leaf area, root dry weight and nutrient content in leaf tissue)
compared to the other treatments.
The effect of mixed inoculum G. mosseae and S. calospora was further
evaluated in the field using a split-plot design, with V AM treatment as the
main plot and cocoa clone as the subplot Five selected cocoa clones (KKM3,
KKM4, KKM5, PBC137 and PBC 178) were grafted onto nine year old
cocoa trees from hybrid UITlxNa32. All data were collected at 3, 5 and 7
months after VAM inoculation. Inoculated clones showed better and
significant plant growth, with longer scion lengths and larger leaf area index,
than uninoculated ones. The crop physiology was also significantly affected
by VAM, with higher relative water and chlorophyll content in the leaf and
lower stomatal resistance. Results obtained also indicated that the mixed
inoculum significantly improved VAM development in the soil, subsequently
enhancing P, K and Mg uptake by the plants. This subsequently shortened the
plant vegetative phase enabling them to flower earlier. 1bis is true for the
PBC clones. In fact, between the two clones tested, the PBC clones-especially
PBC 137 proved to be far superior than the KKM clones. Soil physical
properties such as soil moisture, percent aggregate and aggregate stability
were also improved in the presence of the mycorrhiza fungi. The difference
between treatments however was not significant.


Immersive virtual environments (VEs) are broadly applicable to situations where a user can directly perceive and interact with three-dimensional (3D) virtual objects. Currently, successful interactive applications of VEs are limited. Some interactive applications in the AEC (architecture/engineering/construction) domain have not yet benefited from applying VEs. A review of prior work has suggested that 3D interaction has not reached a level that meets real-world task requirements. Most interaction techniques pay little attention to the application contexts. When designers assemble these techniques to develop an interactive system, the interfaces often have very simple and not highly useful UIs.
In this work, we describe a domain-specific design approach (DSD) that utilizes pervasive and accurate domain knowledge for interaction design. The purpose of this dissertation is to study the effects of domain knowledge on interaction design. The DSD approach uses a three-level interaction design framework to represents a continuous design space of interaction. The framework has generative power to suggest alternative interaction techniques. We choose the AEC domain as the subject of study. Cloning and object manipulation for massing study are the two example tasks to provide practical and empirical evidences for applying the DSD.
This dissertation presents several important results of the knowledge use in the DSD approach. First, the DSD approach provides a theoretical foundation for designing 3D interaction. Techniques produced using DSD result in more useful real-world applications, at least in the domain of AEC. Second, the three-level interaction design framework forms a continuum of design and expands our understanding of 3D interaction design to a level that addresses real-world use. Third, this research proposes an integrated system design approach that integrates DSD and the usability engineering process. Fourth, this work produces a large set of empirical results and observations that demonstrate the effectiveness of domain-knowledge use in designing interaction techniques and applications. Finally, we apply domain-specific interaction techniques to real world applications and create a fairly complex application with improved usefulness.


We introduce a novel switching mechanism that relies on the bistability of a simple nonlinear electrical resonator which incorporates a varactor diode as its capacitive element. The switching action can be made fast and is self-contained in that no further circuitry is necessary. Unlike a flip-flop, whose state is flipped by applying a TTL pulse, this nonlinear switch can be engaged external to the circuit via magnetic, inductive or capacitive coupling; in this way, the switch becomes intrinsically touch-sensitive. Alternatively, the switching action can also be accomplished using frequency-shift-keying (FSK) modulation, which holds the promise of fast manipulation of the memory state. We demonstrate the potential application of these ideas by constructing a touch-sensitive LED lattice.


This paper explores the prospects for future pro-poor reforms to welfare regimes in the 'South' through an analysis of the development of Southern welfare regimes in the past. Esping-Andersen's approach to the analysis of distribution is inadequate in Southern conditions primarily due to its neglect of the ways in which states influence distribution through shaping the development or economic growth path. Even if we narrow our analysis to the provision of income security, EspingAndersen's 'three worlds' typology is less useful in the South than an alternative typology that distinguishes between 'agrarian', 'inegalitarian corporatist' and 'redistributive' welfare regimes. The 'redistributive' regimes are those that entail significant social assistance, i.e. provision for a minimum cash income, at least for specified categories of 'deserving' poor, that is not dependent on past contributions. These (rare) regimes have their origins in both reform from above (pre-emptive action by elites concerned with the social, economic and political problems posed by poverty) or below, following democratisation. In most cases, the prerequisites for reform are deagrarianisation (and the collapse of kin-based poverty alleviation) and the limited development of formal contributory welfare systems in the formal sector of the economy. Well-developed insurance systems can easily impede the development of social assistance. The electoral strength of poor citizens not covered by social insurance is a crucial factor in most cases, especially recent ones.


The Santa Rita ore zone within the Fazenda Mirabela intrusion is an unusual example of high-tonnage magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralization developed as a stratiform layer within the main cumulus sequence of a layered intrusion. The intrusion as a whole is about 4 × 2.5 km in outcrop dimensions and at least 3 km in original maximum stratigraphic thickness with an original boat-shaped morphology. The ore zone comprises a 50- to 200-m-thick interval containing up to 5 wt percent disseminated sulfides within a sequence of mostly unaltered harzburgites and orthopyroxenites. This orthopyroxene-dominated sequence lies between the dominantly olivine rich cumulates that comprise the lower half of the intrusion and the gabbroic cumulates that make up the upper half.
Sulfide tenor variations and silicate host-rock compositions have been derived from a very large database of continuous assays of more than 500 diamond drill cores. Consistent patterns of sulfide tenor—gradually decreasing Ni from over 20 to about 10 wt percent, near-constant Cu and gradually decreasing PGEs with cyclically varying Pt/Pd ratios—are found within the Santa Rita ore zone across the entire intrusion and display relatively little lateral variability. The position of the sulfide mineralization envelope within the harzburgite-orthopyroxenite package migrates to higher stratigraphic levels from the northern to the southern margin of the intrusion. Maximum grades and thicknesses correlate with the maximum thickness of orthopyroxene-bearing cumulates, asymmetrically disposed toward the southern margin of the intrusion.
Nickel tenors of the sulfides range from 15 to 25 wt percent, exceptionally high for rocks with relatively low values of MgO/(MgO + FeO) and are closer to the typical values observed in komatiite-hosted deposits, although Cu tenors (typically 5–8 wt %) are much higher than komatiite values. Sulfide PGE tenors range from less than 100 ppb to greater than 10 ppm of both Pt and Pd, with maximum values in S-poor rocks at the base of the sulfide-bearing interval. PGEs become significantly more depleted toward the top of the Santa Rita zone. We attribute these features, along with the localization of the sulfide-bearing interval at the contact between ultramafic and mafic cumulates, to mixing of an initially S-undersaturated, moderately Ni enriched resident magma with a relatively low Ni, PGE-depleted, significantly lower temperature replenishing magma charged with suspended sulfide liquid droplets.


Daunting fiscal policy challenges face democratic systems throughout the world. Fiscal austerity in the wake of the Great Recession prompted nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to institute major spending cuts and tax increases, increases that caused political and social fallout for years to come. While economies and budgets have improved in the past several years, significant fiscal adjustments lie ahead due to aging populations and the seemingly inexorable growth of health care costs. Faced with larger cohorts of retirees and fewer workers, nations will have to come to grips with a fiscal reality of higher spending and lower revenues for the foreseeable future. This article examines whether and how fiscal austerity measures are politically stabilizing or destabilizing for elected leaders responsible for their imposition. Many would predict that democracies are ill suited to make these hard choices, and certainly regimes have gone down to defeat following the formulation of austerity programs. However, the record is mixed—many regimes have found strategies to mitigate the political fallout and guarantee reelection in the wake of austerity. While traditional incremental and pluralist politics continue to characterize the budgetary strategies of many systems, major policy reforms have risen to the center of policy agendas elsewhere. While the magnitude of the fiscal crisis prompted the adoption of major policy shifts in hard-pressed nations, such reforms were undergirded by a more volatile policy process featuring the emergence of new pathways to power with greater roles for experts and symbolically compelling ideas.


In semantic tasks, sex-related categorical differences, in the form of better processing of fruits and vegetables by women and of artifacts (human-made objects) and animals by men, have been reported both in healthy participants and in brain-damaged patients. Researchers' interpretation of these sex-related categorical asymmetries has, however, been controversial, being connected with the more general (innatist versus experience-dependent) interpretations that had been given of the mechanisms subsuming the categorical organization of the brain. I begin this review with a brief reminder of the debate between supporters of the innatist and the experience-related accounts of categorical brain organization. Then I summarize results that have documented a preference by women for fruits and vegetables and a preference by men for artifacts and animals, and I discuss the innatist and social role-related interpretations that have been given of these results. I conclude that sex-related categorical effects disappear in generations in which the traditional social roles have almost completely disappeared, and these differences are not seen in young individuals raised in societies that emphasize sex equality.


An approach is developed that simplifies calculation of the dynamic characteristics of a self-acting, gas-lubricated slider bearing system. This technique avoids a lengthy simultaneous solution of the equations of motion of the slider and the time-dependent Reynolds' equation, while providing additional design information that is otherwise unobtainable.

The equilibrium pressure distribution in the gas film is obtained using the Bunov-Galerkin formulation of the finite element method. By considering small perturbations of the slider bearing system about equilibrium, two coupled, second-order partial differential equations are derived, which define the in-phase and out-of-phase perturbation pressures in the gas film. These perturbation pressures are integrated to obtain the frequency dependent, non-symmetrical stiffness and damping matrices for the slider bearing.

Using the stiffness and damping properties of the gas bearing and slider support, the equations of motion for the entire slider bearing system are derived. The frequency dependence of the stiffness and damping matrices renders the eigenvalue problem nonlinear, and the eigensolutions are obtained iteratively using Brent's method.

Because of the non-synunetrical stiffness and damping matrices, a similarity transformation based on the left and right modal matrices is used to decouple the equations of motion. This decoupling is approximate because of the frequency dependence of the stiffness and damping matrices, but the resulting damped natural frequencies are shown to be in excellent agreement with published experimental data. Fractions of critical damping obtained for several slider geometries also successfully predict observed instabilities.

The mode shapes of slider oscillation, unobtainable with other methods, permit calculation of the center of rotation for the coupled, pitch-heave modes; this information can be used to determine the optimum location for the magnetic transducer. Closed-form solutions are obtained for the response to disk surface displacement, and for the response to a random force applied to the slider body. These forced-response solutions are useful in identifying the critical parameters of slider design.


Abstract. Because of the high travel speed, the complex flow dynamics around an aircraft, and the complex dependency of the fluid dynamics on numerous airborne parameters, it is quite difficult to obtain accurate pressure values at a specific instrument location of an aircraft's fuselage. Complex simulations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models can in theory computationally "transfer" pressure values from one location to another. However, for long flight patterns, this process is inconvenient and cumbersome. Furthermore, these CFD transfer models require a local experimental validation, which is rarely available. In this paper, we describe an integrated approach for a spectroscopic, calibration-free, in-flight pressure determination in an open-path White cell on an aircraft fuselage using ambient, atmospheric water vapour as the "sensor species". The presented measurements are realised with the HAI (Hygrometer for Atmospheric Investigations) instrument, built for multiphase water detection via calibration-free TDLAS (tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy). The pressure determination is based on raw data used for H2O concentration measurement, but with a different post-flight evaluation method, and can therefore be conducted at deferred time intervals on any desired flight track. The spectroscopic pressure is compared in-flight with the static ambient pressure of the aircraft avionic system and a micro-mechanical pressure sensor, located next to the open-path cell, over a pressure range from 150 to 800 hPa, and a water vapour concentration range of more than 3 orders of magnitude. The correlation between the micro-mechanical pressure sensor measurements and the spectroscopic pressure measurements shows an average deviation from linearity of only 0.14% and a small offset of 9.5 hPa. For the spectroscopic pressure evaluation we derive measurement uncertainties under laboratory conditions of 3.2 and 5.1% during in-flight operation on the HALO airplane. Under certain flight conditions we quantified, for the first time, stalling-induced, dynamic pressure deviations of up to 30% (at 200 hPa) between the avionic sensor and the optical and mechanical pressure sensors integrated in HAI. Such severe local pressure deviations from the typically used avionic pressure are important to take into account for other airborne sensors employed on such fast flying platforms as the HALO aircraft.


Since 1992, there has been a revolution in our ability to quantify the land ice contribution to sea level rise using a variety of satellite missions and technologies. Each mission has provided unique, but sometimes conflicting, insights into the mass trends of land ice. Over the last decade, over fifty estimates of land ice trends have been published, providing a confusing and often inconsistent picture. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) attempted to synthesise estimates published up to early 2013. Since then, considerable advances have been made in understanding the origin of the inconsistencies, reducing uncertainties in estimates and extending time series. We assess and synthesise results published, primarily, since the AR5, to produce a consistent estimate of land ice mass trends during the satellite era (1992–2016). We combine observations from multiple missions and approaches including sea level budget analyses. Our resulting synthesis is both consistent and rigorous, drawing on (i) the published literature, (ii) expert assessment of that literature, and (iii) a new analysis of Arctic glacier and ice cap trends combined with statistical modelling. We present annual and pentad (five-year mean) time series for the East, West Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets and glaciers separately and combined. When averaged over pentads, covering the entire period considered, we obtain a monotonic trend in mass contribution to the oceans, increasing from 0.31 ± 0.35 mm of sea level equivalent for 1992–1996 to 1.85 ± 0.13 for 2012–2016. Our integrated land ice trend is lower than many estimates of GRACE-derived ocean mass change for the same periods. This is due, in part, to a smaller estimate for glacier and ice cap mass trends compared to previous assessments. We discuss this, and other likely reasons, for the difference between GRACE ocean mass and land ice trends.


The deterioration of surface water quality is a huge environmental concern in our new country. Recently we are witnessing the changes in land use throughout the country. Catchments modified from mainly agricultural to urban land-use. The River Sitnica Catchment is experiencing those uncontrolled changes even more rapidly. The agricultural land in this catchment is being progressively covered by new structures, mainly houses and roads, resulting in an increase of the imperviousness of that area and consequently the increased surface runoff. In addition, considerable industrial development and surface mining activities are taking place in this area, too. These changes are associated with high population growth rates and migration from other less urbanized areas. All the mentioned factors are imposing enormous stress on the catchment's rivers. In particular, urban river reaches are experiencing increase of almost all constituents, mostly oxygen demand, conductivity, total suspended solids and phosphorus. Concentrations of nutrients are also higher in those urban river reaches, too. Knowing that sediments are actually the most widespread cause of surface water impairment, than the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) is an important water quality monitoring parameter. The increase of urban, industrial and agricultural discharges into surface waters in this catchment is expected to cause an increase of this constituent, too. The Total Suspended Solids analysis provides an initial and very basic measure for characterization and study of surface water quality. Measuring the TSS in streams is necessary both for monitoring stream quality and for planning management actions for protection. But, since the TSS measurement is relatively expensive and time consuming procedure, especially for our new country, it is the aim of this work to represent a possibility to measure TSS through turbidity, as an easy to measure parameter. In order to know the relationship between turbidity and TSS, the frequent sampling and their laboratory analyses are required. To avoid this, due to time, financial and personnel limitations the new approach is used in this work. The laboratory prepared subsamples will provide the necessary data for the development of turbidity to TSS relationship.


In order to solve the resource allocation problem for
the interference channel in a cognitive context, we evaluate the
application of the superposition coding strategy at the secondary
system for underlay multi-carrier cooperative cognitive radio.
The objective is to maximize the sum rate of both primary
and secondary systems, considering the interference threshold
constraint and that the primary receiver always treats interfer-
ence as noise. The decoding method at the secondary receiver is
either Successive Interference Cancellation, treating interference
as noise or Superposition Coding strategy, depending on the
channel gains.
The proposed algorithm achieves high data rate improvement
for the secondary system, and a small improvement for the sum
rate of the entire system while causing a very low degradation
on the primary system?s rate.


Predicting the impact of climate change on the damage niche of an agricultural weed at a local scale requires a process‐based modelling approach that integrates local environmental conditions and the differential responses of the crop and weed to change. A simulation model of the growth and population dynamics of winter wheat and a competing weed, Sirius 2010, was calibrated and validated for the most economically damaging weed in UK cereals, Alopecurus myosuroides. The model was run using local‐scale climatic scenarios generated by the LARS‐WG weather generator and based on the HadCM3 projections for the periods 2046–2065 and 2080–2099 to predict the impact of climate change on the population dynamics of the weed and its effect on wheat yields. Owing to rising CO2 concentration and its effect on radiation use efficiency of wheat, weed‐free wheat yields were predicted to increase. The distribution of the weed was predicted to remain broadly similar with a possible northward shift in range. Local‐scale variation in the impact of climate change was apparent owing to variation in soil type and water holding capacity. The competitive balance was shifted in favour of the deeper rooted crop under climate change, particularly on sites with lighter soils, owing to more frequent and severe drought stress events. Although the damage niche of A. myosuroides was predicted to reduce under climate change, it is likely that weeds with contrasting physiology, such as C4 species, will be better adapted to future conditions and pose a more serious threat.


This paper proposes a part-based template matching method for multi-view human detection. The proposed method includes two stages: matching and verification. In particular, the best individual matching parts given a detection window are determined using an improved template matching algorithm. The hypothesis of the matched parts forming a human is then verified by employing a Bayesian-based model. The verification is not only based on the matching costs of individual parts but also how well the combining the matched parts satisfying the configuration constraints of the human body. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method is robust for detecting humans at multiple views and outperforms other template matching-based methods.


Introduction. It has been reported that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have abnormal reactions to the sensory environment and visuo-perceptual abnormalities. Electrophysiological research has provided evidence that gamma band activity (30–80 Hz) is a physiological indicator of the coactivation of cortical cells engaged in processing visual stimuli and integrating different features of a stimulus. A number of studies have found augmented and indiscriminative gamma band power at early stages of visual processing in ASD; this may be related to decreased inhibitory processing and an increase in the ratio of cortical excitation to inhibition. Low frequency or ''slow'' (1HZ) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to increase inhibition of stimulated cortex by the activation of inhibitory circuits. Method. We wanted to test the hypothesis of gamma band abnormalities at early stages of visual processing in ASD by investigating relative evoked (i.e., 100 ms) gamma power in 25 participants with ASD and 20 age-matched controls using Kanizsa illusory figures. In addition, we wanted to assess the effects of 12 sessions of bilateral ''slow'' rTMS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on evoked gamma activity using a randomized controlled design. Results. In individuals with ASD evoked gamma activity was not discriminative of stimulus type, whereas in controls early gamma power differences between target and nontarget stimuli were highly significant. Following rTMS individuals with ASD showed significant improvement in discriminatory gamma activity between relevant and irrelevant visual stimuli. We also found significant improvement in the responses on behavioral questionnaires (i.e., irritability, repetitive behavior) as a result of rTMS. Conclusion. We propose that slow rTMS may have increased cortical inhibitory tone, which improved discriminatory gamma activity at early stages of visual processing. rTMS has the potential to become an important therapeutic tool in ASD treatment and has shown significant benefits in treating core symptoms of ASD with few, if any side effects.


Modular neural networks (MNNs) are increasingly popular models for dealing with complex problems constituted by a number of dependent subtasks. An important problem on MNNs is finding the optimal aggregation of the neural modules, each of them dealing with one of the subproblems. In this paper, we present a functional network approach, based on the minimum description length quality measure, to the problem of finding optimal modular network architectures for specific problems. Examples of function approximation and nonlinear time series prediction are used to illustrate the performance of these models when compared with standard functional and neural networks.


The critical history of Stephen Crane's story of a black man who becomes a social outcast after his face is destroyed in a laboratory fire is divided unevenly between moralists, theorists, and historians.(1) Irony and textual unity are no longer fashionable, but common sense and the bulk of informed opinion continue to find Henry Johnson less of a "monster" than the community that ostracizes him. If one scholar's recent defense of the citizens of Whilomville is meant as pragmatic historicism, this argument nonetheless reverses the traditional moral and might be grouped with the more theoretical accounts of scholars like Fried and Mitchell, who describe a writerly and less realistic Crane.(2) Without joining a rich debate about Crane's understanding of ethics or the categorical problem of his relationship to realism, we can classify most treatments of the novella as either moral and implicitly humanistic or hermeneutic and post-structuralist. That both these strands of reading have tended to bypass the problem of history is not surprising, for Crane's text invites a universalizing reading, and his treatment of race exposes the historicity of novella and critic alike. Because Henry's marginalization seems to be primarily the result of an accident, it makes sense to see his blackness as incidental to a transhistorical moral about the need for tolerance or, somewhat more subtly, interpret his unusual plight as a meditation on the defacing effects of writing. Moreover, the story presents racial stereotypes--Crane's likening, for instance, of Henry and the Farragut women to "three monkeys"(3)--that seem to imply a disconnection between Crane's sympathy for Henry and any progressive racial awareness.(4) In this light, Patrick Cooley's anachronistic indictment of Crane's "sadly limited racial consciousness" (p. 14) is persuasive, while Stanley Wertheim's rejection of readings which attempt "to modernize The Monster by reductively centering attention on Henry Johnson's blackness" (p. 98) seems a rearguard action, a generic appeal to historical difference which will not suffice in our era of highly politicized canons. While we might understand Crane's acquiescence in racial stereotyping as a corollary of his naturalism, a strategy for negotiating the marketplace, or as part and parcel of his general contempt for humankind, we would still be left with the problem of why "The Monster" offers the interpretive temptation Wertheim urges us to resist. Henry's accidental "monstrousness" is not at a great remove from the racist constructions of the black as "burly beast" or "savage" current when Crane wrote the story. Similarly, the community's response may be Crane's way of making a general statement about intolerance, but given the context of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), it is difficult not to think that the more specific issue is segregation. Situating "The Monster" in the context of late nineteenth-century racial ideology, I suggest that the central problem of the story--what to do with Henry after his accident--restages a debate about black extinction and white philanthropy. Less abstractly, I speculate that Henry's precarious existence recalls the death of Robert Lewis, who was lynched in Crane's home town of Port Jervis, New York, in the summer of 1892. In light of these connections, Crane does not so much act as polemicist writing a roman a clef (or an apologist offering the rationalization that racism is an accident) as he allows ideology to shadow his story and disrupt the realistic surface of his text. If Crane's passing allusion to the burning of the engraving "Signing the Declaration" in his description of the destruction of the Trescott house is a nod to one of the enduring contradictions of American political life, it is also the most obvious marker of a densely allusive ideological subtext that runs beneath--often counter to--the surface of "The Monster" and links it to contemporary debates about segregation and miscegenation. …


ABC10α is a small polypeptide shared by the three yeast RNA polymerases. Homologous polypeptides in higher eukaryotes have a zinc-binding CX 2C … CX 2C motif and a conserved basic C-terminal end. These features are also found in archaeal gene products that may encode an RNA polymerase subunit. The CX 2C … CX 2C motif is partly dispensable, since only its first cysteine is essential for growth, whereas the basic C-terminal end is critical in vivo. A mutant in the latter domain has an RNA polymerase III-specific defect and, in vitro, impairs RNA polymerase III assembly. Polymerase activity was, however, not affected in various faithful transcription assays. The mutant is suppressed by a high gene dosage of the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase III, whereas the homologous subunits of RNA polymerase I and II have aggravating effects. In a two-hybrid assay, ABC10α binds to the C-terminal half of the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase I, in a way that requires the integrity of the CX 2C … CX 2C motif. Thus, ABC10α appears to interact directly with the second largest subunit during polymerase assembly. This interaction is presumably a major rate-limiting step in assembly, since diploid cells containing only one functional gene copy for ABC10α have a partial growth defect.


The French Revolution of 1789 had a momentous impact on neighboring countries. The French Revolutionary armies during the 1790s and later under Napoleon invaded and controlled large parts of Europe. Together with invasion came various radical institutional changes. French invasion removed the legal and economic barriers that had protected the nobility, clergy, guilds, and urban oligarchies and established the principle of equality before the law. The evidence suggests that areas that were occupied by the French and that underwent radical institutional reform experienced more rapid urbanization and economic growth, especially after 1850. There is no evidence of a negative effect of French invasion. Our interpretation is that the Revolution destroyed (the institutional underpinnings of) the power of oligarchies and elites opposed to economic change; combined with the arrival of new economic and industrial opportunities in the second half of the 19th century, this helped pave the way for future economic growth. The evidence does not provide any support for several other views, most notably, that evolved institutions are inherently superior to those 'designed'; that institutions must be 'appropriate' and cannot be 'transplanted'; and that the civil code and other French institutions have adverse economic effects.


New insights into the mechanism for the flocculation of aqueous colloids by the sequential addition of a water-borne phenolic polymer, called cofactor, followed by very high molecular poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) are presented. It is proposed that PEO/cofactor complexes form in the aqueous phase and adsorb onto the surfaces of the target colloidal particles. Flocculation will occur if PEO/cofactor complex on one particle will bind to adsorbed complex on a second particle; i.e., if the complexes are sticky. The proposed mechanism was illustrated by flocculation experiments with precipitated calcium carbonate, very high molecular weight PEO, and a polypeptide cofactor called PEY1 which was a 1:1 random copolymer of l-glycine and l-tyrosine. Independent measurements of the PEO/PEY1 complex properties, in the absence of calcium carbonate, were used to support the mechanism. In order for PEO/PEY1 complexes to be sticky, they must simultaneously have unbound PEY1 and polymer segments. With time the complexes deactivate (i.e., lose their stickiness) by a reconfiguration process which results in elimination of either unbound PEY1 or PEO segments.


Police reform in much of the developing world reflects a preoccupation with either shifts away from paramilitaristic policing models or restoration of law and order in post-conflict societies. For many Pacific Island Countries (PICs), dialogue on reform reflects the prioritization of internal organizational restructuring and capacity building, with minimal emphasis on responding to ever-changing stakeholder demands. What is also common is for police reform efforts to closely align with prioritized focal areas of donor countries or powerful neighbours in developed countries with different contextual realities. Here we discuss police reform efforts in a PIC that has been the recipient of a major regional post-conflict state-building intervention and highlight the complexities specific to piecing together the police reform architecture. We also make reference to Solomon Islands to support our argument that problematic police reform can be largely attributed to focal imbalances between internal and external transformation agendas. The article concludes with a summary of the constraints associated with police reform in post-conflict contexts and recommendations for navigating the reform process.


[1] Two major aircraft experiments occurred off the Pacific coast of Asia during spring 2001: the NASA sponsored Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Aerosol Characterization Experiment-Asia (ACE-Asia). Both experiments studied emissions from the Asian continent (biomass burning, urban/industrial pollution, and dust). TRACE-P focused on trace gases and aerosol during March/April and was based primarily in Hong Kong and Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, and involved two aircraft: the NASA DC-8 and the NASA P3-B. ACE-Asia focused on aerosol and radiation during April/May and was based in Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station, Japan, and involved the NSF C-130. This paper compares aerosol measurements from these aircraft including aerosol concentrations, size distributions (and integral properties), chemistry, and optical properties. Best overall agreement (generally within RMS instrumental uncertainty) was for physical properties of the submircron aerosol, including condensation nuclei concentrations, scattering coefficients, and differential mobility analyzer and optical particle counter (OPC) accumulation mode size distributions. Larger differences (typically outside of the RMS uncertainty) were often observed for parameters related to the supermicron aerosols (total scattering and absorption coefficients, coarse mode Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe and OPC size distributions/integral properties, and soluble chemical species usually associated with the largest particles, e.g., Na+, Cl−, Ca2+, and Mg2+), where aircraft sampling is more demanding. Some of the observed differences reflect different inlets (e.g., low-turbulence inlet enhancement of coarse mode aerosol), differences in sampling lines, and instrument configuration and design. Means and variances of comparable measurements for horizontal legs were calculated, and regression analyses were performed for each platform and allow for an assessment of instrument performance. These results provide a basis for integrating aerosol data from these aircraft platforms for both the TRACE-P and ACE-Asia experiments.


Immunologic factors are considered as important cause for infertility. One of the immu-nologic factors proposed for infertility is presence of antisperm antibodies (ASA) in serum. ASA are found in cervical mucus, seminal plasma and sera of men and women. It is possible for couples with antisperm antibodies occasionally to beat the odds and become pregnant. Acquisition of genital tract infection following the initial pregnancy can lead to subsequent development of antisperm antibodies. So the aim of this study was to find out the incidence of antisperm antibodies in primary and secondary infertile couples of central India. A cross sec-tional study included 109 couples suffering from infertility referred to the Reproductive Bi-ology Unit, MGIMS, Sevagram. Presence of antisperm antibodies (IgG and IgA classes) was estimated in the serum by Varelisa Sperm Antibodies kit method. Out of 109 infertile cou-ples, antibodies were observed in 37 couples of primary infertility and 15 couples of secon-dary infertility. The percentage incidence was 52.12% and 39.47% in primary infertility and secondary infertility. It is concluded that although the difference in the incidence of ASA in primary & secondary infertility is not statistically significant, its detection can provide a clue to the aetiologic factor in such couples.