It is a historical debate whether the sounds or phonemes have some natural meanings or not. The purpose of this paper is to propose a newly developed theory, explaining the relationship between sounds and their meanings. The paper suggests a unitary code, which is the root cause of every existence including animals and human. This unitary code carries a code of converting meanings into sounds. A model of structure of existence is explained in the paper, proposing placement of phonemes. The placements themselves explain the meanings of the phonemes. Paper provides the semantic values of maximum usable sounds of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabets). Devanagari representations of the IPA are also provided. A wide range of words, including all languages of the world, can be explained by using the semantic values proposed in the paper. To prove the correctness of the theory, we are providing herewith 95 words of English language.


Threshold voltage cancellation (Vt cancellation) scheme is applied to cancel the threshold drop associated with the diode-connected device and improve charge pump performance. Applying this scheme depends on generating control signals from the next stage so it cannot be applied on the output stage. In this paper Vt cancellation is applied for the output stage of modified Pelliconi pump. This is done by adding an extra circuit that establishes the controlling signals necessary for the auxiliary circuit of the output stage. This modification in the output stage leads to increasing the whole pump power efficiency and voltage gain. Also the pump output equivalent resistance is improved. The proposed charge pump is more suitable for energy harvesting applications due to its ability to give more gain at low voltage levels.


A slow (0.5–4 Hz) oscillation of thalamic neurons was recently described and attributed to the interplay of two intrinsic currents. In this study, we investigated the network modulation of this intrinsic thalamic oscillation within the frequency range of EEG sleep delta- waves. We performed intracellular and extracellular recordings of antidromically identified thalamocortical cells (n = 305) in sensory, motor, associational, and intralaminar nuclei of anesthetized cats. At the resting membrane potential, Vm (-60.3 +/- 0.4 mV, mean +/- SE), cortical stimulation induced spindle-like oscillations (7–14 Hz), whereas at Vm more negative than -65 mV the same stimuli triggered an oscillation within the EEG delta-frequency (0.5–4 Hz), consisting of low-threshold spikes (LTSs) followed by after hyperpolarizing potentials (AHPs). The LTS-AHP sequences outlasted cortical stimuli as a self-sustained rhythmicity at 1–2 Hz. Corticothalamic stimuli were able to transform subthreshold slow (0.5–4 Hz) oscillations, occurring spontaneously at Vm more negative than -65 mV, into rhythmic LTSs crowned by bursts of Na+ spikes that persisted for 10–20 sec after cessation of cortical volleys. Cortical volleys also revived a hyperpolarization-activated slow oscillation when it dampened after a few cycles. Auto- and crosscorrelograms of neuronal pairs revealed that unrelated cells became synchronized after a series of corticothalamic stimuli, with both neurons displaying rhythmic (1-2 Hz) bursts or spike trains. Since delta-thalamic oscillations, prevailing during late sleep stages, are triggered at more negative Vm than spindles characterizing the early sleep stage, we postulate a progressive hyperpolarization of thalamocortical neurons with the deepening of the behavioral state of EEG-synchronized sleep. In view of the evidence that cortical-elicited slow oscillations depend on synaptically induced hyperpolarization of thalamocortical cells, we propose that the potentiating influence of the corticothalamic input results from the engagement of two GABAergic thalamic cell classes, reticular and local-circuit neurons. The thalamocorticothalamic loop would transfer the spike bursts of thalamic oscillating cells to cortical targets, which in turn would reinforce the oscillation by direct pathways and/or indirect projections relayed by reticular and local-circuit thalamic cells. Stimulation of mesopontine cholinergic [peribrachial (PB) and laterodorsal tegmental (LDT)] nuclei in monoamine-depleted animals had an effect that was opposite to that exerted by corticothalamic volleys. PB/LDT stimulation reduced or suppressed the slow (1–4 Hz) oscillatory bursts of high- frequency spikes in thalamic cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


This study traces discursive formations surrounding educational technology, equity, and inclusion that have emerged or have been amplified through national policies and initiatives in the U.S., including the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) research grant program, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Ed Tech state funding program, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the 2005 National Educational Technology Plan. Using critical discourse analysis and symptomatic readings, we examine language embedded in national initiatives in relation to educational technology to explore how these policies and initiatives address technology equity. Our analysis underscores the ongoing tendency of national discourses about educational technology to support universal and undifferentiated approaches to educational technology integration. In contrast to these national perspectives we advocate for sustaining interventions that promote contextual definitions of success and achievement rooted in the values, discourses, and resources of community and consider the redistribution of resources in ways that accommodate the complex historical and cultural factors that come into play when defining and addressing equity.


In their best-selling 1994 business text, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, Professors James Collins and Jerry Porras identify common fundamental principles at the heart of the world's premier lasting corporations. (1) Similarly, in Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It, (2) renowned public policy expert James Wilson identifies the principles shared by leading public organizations. Common among both corporate and government successes is a focus foremost on the institution and only secondarily on the specific mission, product, or service provided by the institution. The message these organizations send is that while missions, products, and services may change, institutions endure. Another common theme is people; specifically, people matter in leading institutions. What people believe as core ideologies generation after generation upholds and advances the organization as an institution. Second-tier organizations, both public and private, focus on issues other than the institution--a specific mission to perform, a key product to deliver, a special service to render, a target profit to make. With ideology affixed to other factors and not the institution, a change in any of the factors sends shock waves through the institution, and over the long haul substantial change leads to instability, if not chaos. The distinction between the institution as what endures, and mission, product, or service as what may someday change, is important as the nation addresses its structure for homeland security. Contemporary missions--border security; coastal protection; counterterrorism; biological, chemical, and nuclear defense; emergency management; among many others--dominate the focus of current policy discussions. How do we defend against this? How do we prepare for that? How do we respond to x? How do we recover from y? In the wake of a national crisis, the immediate threats rightly take center stage over discussions of long-term institutional design. But when the national discussion of homeland security starts with specific threats for which the nation is unprepared, answers that produce long-term institutional consequences quite naturally follow. Unfortunately, in first asking the specific questions, and then searching for their subsequent answers, the institutional principle of successful organizations is violated. Answers built on czars, realignments of bureaucracies, creation of new bureaucracies, and facilitation of existing federal, state, local, and nongovernmental organizations address the immediate. When framed as answers for threats against which the nation has no coherent response, all such answers hold a certain logic. But all such answers logically solve the wrong question. Just as leading organizations do, both the federal and national organization for homeland security must provide an enduring answer to a question that most Americans know will never go away: How can the security of the American people and their way of life be institutionalized through its many national capabilities to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and learn from threats known and unknown? If this question is answered with the appropriate institutional response, then the nation can rest assured that its homeland security apparatus will be enduring and effective. Reflecting the enormity of the homeland security challenge, the question itself lacks focus, and justifiably so. The answer's breadth spans a wide variety of contemporary targets, including geography at home and abroad, technology, national symbols, and people; human response resources, including federal, regional, state, and local authorities, non-profit and voluntary organizations, businesses, specialists, and citizens; functional assets, including legal, intelligence, safety, law enforcement, public health, and others; and threats, including foreign and domestic terrorist groups and individuals, foreign conventional powers, rogue regimes, mother nature, disease, and technological disaster. …


A model is developed to determine the minimum weed population where a decision to apply a postmergence herbicide would be profitable. The economic threshold model accounts for changing economic conditions, the effect of weeds on crop quality, the effect of multiple weed species on yield and quality, and uncertainty about spraying period length. The model is uncomplicated enough for microcomputer or programmable calculator applications. An example of weed threshold calculations for round white potatoes is given.


From 1981 through 1998, the condition of adult male and female polar bears has declined significantly in western Hudson Bay, as have natality and the proportion of yearling cubs caught during the open water period that were independent at the time of capture. Over this same period, the breakup of the sea ice on western Hudson Bay has been occurring earlier. There was a significant positive relationship between the time of breakup and the condition of adult females (i.e., the earlier the breakup, the poorer the condition of the bears). The trend toward earlier breakup was also correlated with rising spring air temperatures over the study area from 1950 to 1990. We suggest that the proximate cause of the decline in physical and reproductive parameters of polar bears in western Hudson Bay over the last 19 years has been a trend toward earlier breakup, which has caused the bears to come ashore in progressively poorer condition. The ultimate factor responsible for the earlier breakup in western Hudson Bay appears to be a long-term warming trend in April-June atmospheric temperatures.


We explore the estimation of origin-destination (OD), city-pair, air passengers, in order to explicitly take into account spatial autocorrelation. To our knowledge, we are the first to test the presence of spatial autocorrelation and apply spatial econometric OD flow models to air transport. Drawing on a world sample of 279 cities, over 2010-2012, we find significant evidence of spatial autocorrelation in air passenger flows. Thus, contrary to common practice, we need to incorporate the spatial structure present in the data, when estimating OD air passengers. Importantly, failure to do it, may lead to inefficient estimated coefficients and prediction bias.


This paper investigates the performance of a fuzzy-logic-controller (FLC)-based cost-effective drive system of interior permanent-magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) for high-performance industrial applications. In this paper, the FLC is used as a speed controller and the motor is fed from a four-switch three-phase (4S3Ph) pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) inverter instead of a conventional six-switch three-phase (6S3Ph) inverter. This reduces the cost of the inverter, the switching losses, and the complexity of the control algorithms and interface circuits to generate six PWM logic signals. Furthermore, the proposed control approach reduces the computation for real-time implementation. The closed-loop vector control scheme of the proposed 4S3Ph-inverter-fed IPMSM drive incorporating the FLC is implemented in real time using the digital signal processor (DSP) TI TMS320C31 for a prototype 1-hp motor. The robustness of the proposed FLC-based 4S3Ph-inverter-fed IPMSM drive is verified by theoretical and experimental results at different operating conditions. A comparison of the proposed 4S3Ph-inverter-fed IPM drive with a conventional 6S3Ph inverter system is also made in terms of performance and harmonic analysis of the stator current. The proposed inverter-fed IPMSM drive is found quite acceptable considering its performance, cost reduction, and other inherent advantageous features.


Nowadays microalgae are studied, and a number of species already mass-cultivated, for their application in many fields: food and feed, chemicals, pharmaceutical, phytoremediation and renewable energy. Phytoremediation, in particular, can become a valid integrated process in many algae biomass production systems.
This thesis is focused on the physiological and biochemical effects of different environmental factors, mainly macronutrients, lights and temperature on microalgae. Microalgal species have been selected on the basis of their potential in biotechnologies, and nitrogen occurs in all chapters due to its importance in physiological and applicative fields.
There are 5 chapters, ready or in preparation to be submitted, with different specific matters: (i) to measure the kinetic parameters and the nutrient removal efficiencies for a selected and local strain of microalgae; (ii) to study the biochemical pathways of the microalga D. communis in presence of nitrate and ammonium; (iii) to improve the growth and the removal efficiency of a specific green microalga in mixotrophic conditions; (iv) to optimize the productivity of some microalgae with low growth-rate conditions through phytohormones and other biostimulants; and (v) to apply the phyto-removal of ammonium in an effluent from anaerobic digestion.
From the results it is possible to understand how a physiological point of view is necessary to provide and optimize already existing biotechnologies and applications with microalgae.


Global efforts by states to cooperate through international rules in combating cyber threats have generated mixed results, at best. In this paper, we examine the architecture of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) as a possible model for future cybersecurity cooperation among interested states. We identify several features of PSI's architecture (rather than its substantive focus on non-proliferation) for further analysis, including PSI's low entry costs, tiered structure, and flexibility, as well as its leveraging of both territorial jurisdiction and state consent. We conclude that, despite several hurdles visible in the scope of its membership and its legal framework, the PSI still offers worth-while parallels to draw upon, suggesting a new framework that could allow interested states to further cooperate in addressing current cyberthreats.


The present study investigates the plausibility of novelty-variety as a potential basic psychological need in a series of three studies. We followed set criteria proposed by Baumeister and Leary (1995) on the requirements of basic needs and explored novelty-variety within its framework. More specifically, we examined whether novelty-variety is distinct from other established needs, whether it predicts well-being outcomes, and if its absence results in adverse effects. In study 1, participants (N=202) rated novelty-variety and 10 other candidate needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness, self-esteem, self-actualization, physical thriving, security, pleasure-stimulation, popularity-influence, and money-luxury) to measure the degree to which novelty-variety uniquely predicts domain well-being. In study 2 (N=399), the fulfillment of novelty-variety and two other Self-Determination Theory (SDT) needs was experimentally manipulated in work-related vignettes and it was hypothesized that unsatisfied novelty-variety would reduce well-being. Finally, the third study (N=414) aimed to replicate the findings in study 2. All three studies provide support towards novelty-variety as a potential basic psychological need.


I rise now to speak with the assumption that all of you know very well what I am going to say. I am the humanist here, the professor of English. We humanists, when asked to speak on questions of science and technology, are notorious for offering an embarrassed and ignorant respect toward those matters, a respect, however, which can all too quickly degenerate into insolent condescension. Face to face with the reality of computer technology, say, or with "artificial intelligence," we humanists are the kind of soreheads who compulsively point out that human beings aren't machines, that computers will never possess the uniquely human powers of intuition and common sense, and that we smelly, hairy and other wise organic people are simply more interesting, more clever and more mysterious than electricpowered, binary-formatted, digital computers with their tidy little green phosphorescent screens. So now you know what I'm going to say, or at least part of it. For, to be even more candid with you this morning, I want to go on to say that while I do believe many of the things that we humanists are reputed to believe, I also happen to believe that humanists are wrong, and very foolish, to fear computers. But they are also wrong, to underestimate the power of those computers and their important utility in the world that is now ours and the word that we will soon be turning over to our descendents.


Learning how to give and receive peer review is a skill that science students need support in developing. We included student peer review in an assessment for a large first year science subject. Class time was dedicated to introducing and developing peer review skills and increasing engagement among students and between students and teachers. Students worked in pairs, small groups, and facilitated group discussions and were encouraged to learn from each other. The student peer review exercise provided students with the opportunity to reflect on and improve their work prior to submission. Survey results showed 78% of students agreed that peer review developed their ability to give constructive feedback. Training and resources provision for the teaching staff was crucial to the integration of peer review activities. Supported teaching staff were able to engage with and support the students, and the students valued this engagement and guidance.


This essay explores Percy Shelley's The Triumph of Life as a strategic revival of Lucretian poetic science: a materialism fit to connect the epochal, romantic interest in biological life to the period's pressing new sense of its own historicity. Shelley mobilizes Lucretian natural simulacra to show how personal bodies produce and integrate passages of historical time, exercising a poetics of transience that resists the triumphalism characteristic of both historiography and vitalist biology in the post-Waterloo period. Representing aging faces as mutable registers of the "living storm" of a post-Napoleonic interval, The Triumph depicts the face-giving trope of prosopopoeia as the unintended work of multitudes—demonstrating a nineteenth-century possibility of thinking biological, historical, and rhetorical materialisms together.


In the literature on the origins and the evolution of language, the general assumption is that language started as a restricted code, referred to as "protolanguage." Since there is no direct access to data manifesting the nature of incipient human language, it is inferred that restricted linguistic codes that are presently available may provide a window on the nature of protolanguage. Pidgin languages feature among the restricted codes that have been identified in the literature (e.g. Bickerton 1984). This chapter bears on the relevance of pidgins (and creoles) (PCs) in the debate on the origins and evolution of language. The first part is dedicated to the Bickertonian approach to pidgin and creole genesis. It presents the main features of this research paradigm, as well as a critical discussion of its various components. The second part reports on the shift in research paradigm in the field of pidgin and creole studies, from the study of language varieties to the study of the processes that yield these language varieties. On the basis of the data and analyses presented in the first two parts of the paper, the third part addresses the question of whether the pidgin/creole sequence actually does provide us with a window on the protolanguage/language sequence. My conclusion is twofold: First, pidgins and protolanguage are not alike. Second, the sequence pidgin/creole does not give us a window on the protolanguage/language sequence. Major arguments include the fact that pidgins, even restricted ones, are too elaborate to serve as analogues of protolanguage, and the fact that PCs are not created ex nihilo .


Generating long and semantic-coherent reports to describe medical images poses great challenges towards bridging visual and linguistic modalities, incorporating medical domain knowledge, and generating realistic and accurate descriptions. We propose a novel Knowledge-driven Encode, Retrieve, Paraphrase (KERP) approach which reconciles traditional knowledge- and retrieval-based methods with modern learning-based methods for accurate and robust medical report generation. Specifically, KERP decomposes medical report generation into explicit medical abnormality graph learning and subsequent natural language modeling. KERP first employs an Encode module that transforms visual features into a structured abnormality graph by incorporating prior medical knowledge; then a Retrieve module that retrieves text templates based on the detected abnormalities; and lastly, a Paraphrase module that rewrites the templates according to specific cases. The core of KERP is a proposed generic implementation unit—Graph Transformer (GTR) that dynamically transforms high-level semantics between graph-structured data of multiple domains such as knowledge graphs, images and sequences. Experiments show that the proposed approach generates structured and robust reports supported with accurate abnormality description and explainable attentive regions, achieving the state-of-the-art results on two medical report benchmarks, with the best medical abnormality and disease classification accuracy and improved human evaluation performance.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of institutions and institutional complexity in the process through which resources-in-context get their "resourceness." Design/methodology/approach – To shed light on the process of potential resources gaining their "resourceness," the authors draw from two streams of literature: the service ecosystems perspective and institutional theory. Findings – The authors combine the process of resources "becoming" with the concept of institutions and conceptualize institutional arrangements, and the unique sets of practices, symbols and organizing principles they carry, as the sense-making frames of the "resourceness" of potential resources. In service ecosystems, numerous partially conflicting institutional arrangements co-exit and provide actors with alternative frames of sense-making and action, enabling the emergence of new instances of "resourceness". Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that "resourceness" is inseparable from the complex institutional context in which it arises. This conceptualization reveals the need for more holistic, systemic and multidisciplinary perspectives on understanding the implications of the process of resources "becoming" on value co creation, innovation and market formation. Practical implications – As the "resourceness" of potential resources arises due to the influence of institutions, managers need a more profound understanding of the complimentary and inhibiting institutional arrangements and the related practices, symbols and organizing principles that comprise the multidimensional context in which they operate. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to focus specifically on the process of resources "becoming," using a systemic and institutional perspective to grasp the complexity of the phenomenon.


Exhibition review of 'Liberty, Art, Fashion and Fabrics' at Dovecot Gallery, Edinburgh.

It is rather extraordinary for a department store to promote an educational agenda, but in the mid 1880s that is precisely what Arthur Lansenby Liberty did with the establishment of the Costumes (also known as 'Art Dress') Department in his Liberty shop. According to the store's earliest catalogues, dating from 1886, the department was 'arranged for the study and execution of Costumes, embracing all periods of Historic Dress, together with such modification of really beautiful examples as may be adapted to the conventionalities of modern life, without rendering them eccentric or bizarre'. The legacy of the Costumes Department is clear to see throughout the 'Liberty Art Fabrics & Fashion' exhibition at Edinburgh's Dovecot Studios, where more than a century's worth of billowing sleeves and flowing skirts – not bizarre, but perhaps eccentric – are now on display.


It is expected that a mixture of autonomous and manual vehicles will persist as a part of the intelligent transportation system (ITS) for many decades. Thus, addressing the safety issues arising from this mix of autonomous and manual vehicles before autonomous vehicles are entirely popularized is crucial. As the ITS system has increased in complexity, autonomous vehicles exhibit problems such as a low intention recognition rate and poor real-time performance when predicting the driving direction; these problems seriously affect the safety and comfort of mixed traffic systems. Therefore, the ability of autonomous vehicles to predict the driving direction in real time according to the surrounding traffic environment must be improved and researchers must work to create a more mature ITS. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based traffic safety solution for a mixture of autonomous and manual vehicles in a 5G-enabled ITS. In this scheme, a driving trajectory dataset and a natural-driving dataset are employed as the network inputs to long-term memory networks in the 5G-enabled ITS: the probability matrix of each intention is calculated by the softmax function. Then, the final intention probability is obtained by fusing the mean rule in the decision layer. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves intention recognition rates of 91.58% and 90.88% for left and right lane changes, respectively, effectively improving both accuracy and real-time intention recognition and improving the lane change problem in a mixed traffic environment.


The objective of this paper is to provide an empirical analysis of the influence of equity misevaluation on the speed of adjustment toward target leverage in the UK market over the period of 1993-2016. The study introduces a set of better measures of equity mispricing and implements the standard partial adjustment model to estimate the speed at which firms revert to their target leverage. The average firm is expected to reduce the distance from its target level by 31-33% each year or it takes approximately three years for the firm to adjust back to its optimal capital structure after attempts to time the market in favorable conditions, equivalently. Especially, the study documents strong evidence for pronounced heterogeneity in the target leverage adjustment speed across the sample. For example, the firm which is above its target level (i.e. calls for equity issuance or debt repurchase) tends to revert more rapidly in the period of overvaluation relative to undervaluation. Correspondingly, looking at firms below target levels (i.e. needs to issue debt or repurchase equity), they adjust faster to target levels in the presence of undervaluation. The results are robust to different proxies for leverage in the partial adjustment model and alternate methods of measuring mispricing. While the study is highly consistent with Warr et al. (2012), it challenges the evidence of Baker and Wurgler (2002) about the permanent effect of market timing on capital structure.


The paper describes the growth patterns and breeding strategies in the lizard, Calotes versicolor in captivity. The lizards were raised in laboratory from hatching. It was observed that these lizards attain sexual maturity at 7.42 ± 0.5 months of age. Growth rate in males is always higher than in females and sexual size dimorphism in C. versicolor is due to the difference in growth rate between the sexes. The study revealed that some females reproduce in the first year at smaller body size (snout-vent length-SVL ~ 8 cm) with small clutch size while some skip reproduction in the first year, grow larger (SVL ~11.5 cm) and reproduce in second year with larger clutch size, yet others reproduce in first year, skip reproduction in second year and reproduce in the third year and some skip reproduction in the first 2 years of life and reproduce in third year attaining larger body size (SVL >13.6 cm) with greater clutch size. Thus, females exhibit different strategies of trade-off between growth and reproduction. In addition, the study showed that C. versicolor may lay as many as 3 clutches of eggs in a breeding season. Thus, the study provides information on growth, age at sexual maturity, relationship between growth and reproduction and reproductive strategies exhibited by the lizard in captivity.


A symbiotic relationship between the marine ciliate Euplotes magnicirratus and an alpha-proteobacterium has recently been described. The bacterial symbiont, identified by molecular analysis as a new species of the genus Devosia, is referred to with the provisional name Candidatus Devosia euplotis'. This association is constant (it was found in different ciliate strains sampled in different geographical regions), and durable (it persisted in laboratory conditions for years). The physiological significance of this association was investigated through antibiotically produced aposymbiotic E. magnicirratus and attempts to grow the endosymbionts outside their host. Aposymbiotic protozoa completely lost the ability to digest the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta, their usual food in laboratory conditions, and died. An investigation into the different steps of the digestive process showed that acidification of the digestive vacuoles occurred normally in both symbiotic and aposymbiotic ciliates, but that subsequent activation of acid phosphatase did not occur in aposymbiotic cells. Therefore, the ciliate depends on the symbiont for digestion of its green algal food and, as a consequence, for its survival. Attempts to grow bacterial endosymbionts on diluted culture media and on ciliate homogenate were unsuccessful. The results indicate that this represents a new type of symbiosis between prokaryotes and ciliates, which is mutualistic, and most likely obligatory for both partners.


Daily growth increments and monthly markings on Silurian and Devonian corals and brachiopods were counted using a maximum count method. Early and Middle Silurian fossils indicate that the number of days per year during these periods was 421 and 419, respectively; the number of days per year in the early Middle Devonian Period was 410. The number of days per month has decreased from 32.4 in the Early Silurian to 31.5 in the early Middle Devonian. The values obtained for these periods are considered more accurate than the values obtained using average count methods.


The paper presents theoretical and numerical investigations on simulation methods for the Boltzmann equation with axisymmetric geometry. The main task is to reduce the computational effort by taking advantage of the symmetry in the solution of the Boltzmann equation.; The reduction automatically leads to the concept of weighting functions for the radial space coordinate and therefore to a modified Boltzmann equation. Consequently the classical simulation methods have to be modified according to the new equation.; The numerical results shown in this paper - rarefied gas flows around a body with axisymmetric geometry - were done in the framework of the European space project HERMES.


Abstract Atoll garnet has been found in metabasites and quartz- and mica-rich rocks that have experienced low to medium-temperature, high-pressure eclogite facies metamorphism in the Krušné Hory (Erzgebirge). They occur in several localities but are restricted to thin, texturally distinct zones, even on a thin-section scale. The mechanism of atoll garnet formation is documented by a series of micrographs and compositional maps and profiles of atoll garnet in combination with textural relations to other phases in the rocks. The core of full garnet or its relics in the atoll garnet have larger Ca and Fe, but smaller Mg contents, compared with the thin rim (ring). In addition to quartz, Na-Ca amphibole and phengite, the atoll cores are filled by a new garnet that has a composition similar to the outer rim. Formation of the atoll garnet is interpreted as resulting from fluid infiltration and element exchange between the garnet core and matrix, a process facilitated by a temperature increase during eclogite facies metamorphism. In addition to fluid access, the primary textures, mainly grain size, were also effective for the atoll garnet formation. Small grain fractions with thin rims were easily infiltrated by fluid, which used the short distance for element exchange between core and matrix. The core garnet was gradually dissolved and replaced by new garnet having the same crystallographic orientation as the rim or relics in the core.


Theoretical research on the determinants of business-cycle fluctuations implies that the degree of international financial integration can have important implications for the propagation of, e.g., macroeconomic policy shocks in an open economy. An important assumption underlying this research is that the degree of financial integration can be taken as exogenously given. Because recent empirical research has demonstrated that financial integration may change over time, we use data for the G7 countries to test how well this assumption fits to the data. We find that one can maintain, as a rule, the assumption that the degree of financial integration is invariant to the determinants of the business-cycle fluctuations. We find, however, a few exceptions from this rule, and we also find that shocks tend to have a highly persistent effect on financial integration.


OBJECTIVE
to identify socio-psychological predictors of mortality during a 20-year follow-up period among people aged 65 to <85 and 85+ at baseline interview.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING
elderly people living at home in East London and mid-Essex, who responded to surveys of successful survival in older age in the late 1980s; their mortality was traced through the National Health Central Registry.

RESULTS
adjusted analyses show that, as expected, the hazard rate for mortality over a 20-year follow-up was reduced for younger respondents and increased for less functionally able respondents. The hazard ratio for males was almost one and a half times that of females. The hazard rate was also reduced with each categorical increase in life satisfaction and was consistently reduced for those who undertook crafts, social visiting and activities regularly. There was some variation by age and sex.

CONCLUSION
the results show that social participation is associated with lower risks of death, particularly among people aged 65 to <85, and that life satisfaction is also protective, particularly among females and people aged 85+, even when health status and socio-demographic circumstances are controlled. The study thus provides support for the hypothesised influence of social participation and subjective well-being on survival in older age.


Thermoresponsive poly(glycidyl ether) brushes can be grafted to applied tissue culture substrates and used for the fabrication of primary human cell sheets. The self-assembly of such brushes is achieved via the directed physical adsorption and subsequent UV immobilization of block copolymers equipped with a short, photo-reactive benzophenone-based anchor block. Depending on the chemistry and hydrophobicity of the benzophenone anchor, we demonstrate that such block copolymers exhibit distinct thermoresponsive properties and aggregation behaviors in water. Independent on the block copolymer composition, we developed a versatile grafting-to process which allows the fabrication of poly(glycidyl ether) brushes on various tissue culture substrates from dilute aqueous-ethanolic solution. The viability of this process crucially depends on the chemistry and hydrophobicity of, both, benzophenone-based anchor block and substrate material. Utilizing these insights, we were able to manufacture thermoresponsive poly(glycidyl ether) brushes on moderately hydrophobic polystyrene and polycarbonate as well as on rather hydrophilic polyethylene terephthalate and tissue culture-treated polystyrene substrates. We further show that the temperature-dependent switchability of the brush coatings is not only dependent on the cloud point temperature of the block copolymers, but also markedly governed by the hydrophobicity of the surface-bound benzophenone anchor and the subjacent substrate material. Our findings demonstrate that the design of amphiphilic thermoresponsive block copolymers is crucial for their phase transition characteristics in solution and on surfaces.


In this article we introduce mutual insurance as an inherent part of competitive environment in the field of insurance of the transport infrastructure construction risks. The competitive environment makes a great impact on the market behavior of the actors. The monopolization creates the environment, which does not prevent the negative steps of the firm in different directions. The article shows, that mutual insurance is a significant factor which can prevent the monopolization of the insurance market. This is a specific factor that is inherent only to this kind of the market. The competitive advantages of the mutual insurance organizations, their attractiveness to the clients (the insured) are conditioned with the specific relations between the insured and the insurance organization, such as the decision of the main questions of the financial activity of the insurer on the meeting of all the insured or their representatives, the possibility to insure the risks, which the commercial insurers do not insure and some others.


Background Late warping of dorsal cartilage onlay grafts is a problematic complication of current secondary rhinoplasty techniques in cleft lip patients. Material and Methods From May 2005 to December 2008, a total of 282 cleft patients had a secondary rhinoplasty performed at our center with a modified diced cartilage technique. Finely diced cartilage was injected over a cartilage framework, and no "sleeve" was used. Of those patients, 246 with a follow-up of more than 6 months were included in this retrospective study. Results The infection rate was 7.7%. In addition, 5.7% of patients complained of a bulbous tip. Cartilage warping, as seen with classic en bloc grafting of the dorsum, did not occur. Dorsal irregularity was seen in 8.5% of cases, and grafts were visible in 1.2% of cases. The reoperation rate was 8.1%. Conclusion This technique has greatly reduced the late cartilage warping seen with the classic cartilage bloc dorsal augmentation. Complications are low, comparable in occurrence to other techniques, and are easily manageable, making it our technique of choice.


Aspergillus flavus frequently contaminates maize, a critical staple for billions of people, with aflatoxins. Diversity among A. flavus L morphotype populations associated with maize in Sonora, Mexico was assessed and, in total, 869 isolates from 83 fields were placed into 136 vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) using nitrate-nonutilizing mutants. VCG diversity indices did not differ in four agroecosystems (AES) but diversity significantly differed among years. Frequencies of certain VCGs changed manyfold over single years in both multiple fields and multiple AES. Certain VCGs were highly frequent (>1%) in 2006 but frequencies declined repeatedly in each of the two subsequent years. Other VCGs that had low frequencies in 2006 increased in 2007 and subsequently declined. None of the VCGs were consistently associated with any AES. Fourteen VCGs were considered dominant in at least a single year. However, frequencies often varied significantly among years. Only 9% of VCGs were detected all 3 years whereas 66% were detected in only 1 year. Results suggest that the most realistic measurements of both genetic diversity and the frequency of A. flavus VCGs are obtained by sampling multiple locations in multiple years. Single-season sampling in many locations should not be substituted for sampling over multiple years.


Transportation biofuel production in the United States is currently dominated by ethanol from the grain of maize and, to a much lesser extent, biodiesel from soybeans. Although using these biofuels avoids many of the environmentally detrimental aspects of petroleum-based fossil fuels, biofuel production has its own environmental costs, largely related to fossil fuel use in converting crops to biofuels and crop cultivation itself, including ecological damages caused by nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, pesticides, and erosion. A new generation of biofuels derived from lignocellulosic sources offers greatly reduced environmental impacts while potentially avoiding conflicts between food and energy production. In particular, diverse mixtures of native prairie species offer biomass feedstocks that may yield greater net energy gains than monoculture energy crops when converted into biofuels, while also providing wildlife habitat and enriching degraded soils through carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixation. Ultimately, as demand for both food and energy rise in the coming decades, greater consideration will need to be given to how land can best be used for the greater benefit of society.


This article's goal is to outline the motivations, progress, and future objectives for the development of a state-of-the-art device that allows humans to visualize and feel synthetic objects superimposed on the physical world. The programming flexibility of these devices allows for a variety of scientific questions to be answered in psychology, neurophysiology, rehabilitation, haptics, and automatic control. The benefits are most probable in rehabilitation of brain-injured patients, for whom the costs are high, therapist time is limited, and repetitive practice of movements has been shown to be beneficial. Moreover, beyond simple therapy that guides, strengthens, or stretches, the technology affords a variety of exciting potential techniques that can combine our knowledge of the nervous system with the tireless, precise, and swift capabilities of a robot. Because this is a prototype, the system will also guide new experimental methods by probing the levels of quality that are necessary for future design cycles and related technology. Very important to the project is the early and intimate involvement of therapists and other clinicians in the design of software and its user interface. Inevitably, it should also lead the way to new modes of practice and to the commercialization of haptic/graphic systems.


This thesis addresses the concept of ekphrasis from a new perspective: in the context of digital graphics. The focus of this thesis lies in textual representations of computer-generated immersive and interactive graphical environments, or 'virtual worlds'. This thesis puts forward an ekphrasis that is spurred by an emotional experience of a visual artwork that has a significant spatial aspect. It is suggested that the viewer/user of such an artwork does not simply gaze from outside, but is incorporated into the digital artwork as an active participant through the immersive and interactive elements. Such a multisensory experience of an artwork has several effects on the dynamic between the viewer/user and the artwork, and, subsequently, also on the process of transmitting that experience to the readers via textual ekphrasis. In its discussion, this thesis focuses on three key texts: William Gibson's Neuromancer (1984), Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash (1992) and Charles Stross's Halting State (2008). Finally, this thesis puts forward a proposal for the operation of 'virtual' ekphrasis through five interrelated principles: metaphor, separation, interface, participation and sharing.


For about a decade, GDP growth in Central European countries has been consistently faster than in the 'old' EU-15. As a first approximation, one can expect a growth differential of about 2 percentage points to prevail also in the future. This practical rule-of-thumb is broadly consistent with the outcomes of some early attempts at a formal estimation of the longer-term growth rates for the countries considered. The early models underlying those attempts were inspired by the 'New Growth Theory' (NGT) approach (exemplified by Barro and Sala-i-Martin, 1995). This study reviews the available estimates derived from the NGT models and proposes new ones, taking into account the most recent data available. The base-line scenario suggests that over the period 2005-15, per capita GDP will grow on average by 3.6% per year in the Czech Republic, 4.1% in Hungary and 4.6% in Slovakia (with the EU-15 growing by 2.4%). At constant (1999) PPPs, the Czech per capita GDP will attain 71% of the EU-15 level, Hungary's 63% and that of Slovakia 59%. Apart from estimates for the aggregate GDP levels/growth rates, the study also assesses the likely levels of the future (2015) trade balances, gross capital formation, FDI inflows and stocks. The second part of the study is concerned with the estimation of changes in the structure of value added and employment, consistent with the 'macro' estimates for the period 2005 15. Although one may expect convergence, in terms of productivity and sectoral composition, to the EU-15 levels, sizeable deviations will remain. Aggregate employment forecasts for 2015 appear to be quite sensitive to the GDP growth rate.


Why did the Vietnamese accept certain Chinese institutions and yet explicitly reject others? How did Vietnamese cultural borrowings from China alter the dynamics of traditional relations between Vietnam, Siam, Laos, and Cambodia? How did Vietnam's smaller Southeast Asian environment modify and distort classical East Asian institutions? Alexander Woodside has answered these questions in this well-received political and cultural study. This first real comparison of the civil governments of two traditional East Asian societies on an institution-by-institution basis is now reissued with a new preface.


BACKGROUND
Improvements are greatest in the earlier weeks of antipsychotic treatment of patients with non-resistant schizophrenia.

AIMS
To address the early time-line for improvement with antipsychotics in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

METHOD
Randomised double-blind trials of antipsychotic medication in adult patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia were investigated (last search June 2010). A series of metaregression analyses were carried out to examine the effect of time on the average item scores in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) or Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) at three or more distinct time points within the first 6 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS
Study duration varied from 4 weeks to 1 year and the definitions of treatment resistance as well as of treatment response were not necessarily consistent across 19 identified studies, resulting in highly variable rates of response (0–76%).The mean standardised baseline item score in the PANSS or BPRS was 3.4 (s.e. = 0.06) in the five studies included in the meta-regression analysis, with the average baseline Clinical Global Impression – Severity score being 5.2 (marked illness). For the pooled population treated with a range of antipsychotics (n = 1019), significant reductions in the mean item scores occurred during the first 4 weeks; improvements observed in later weeks were smaller and non-significant. In contrast, weekly improvement with clozapine was significant throughout (n = 356).

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide preliminary evidence that the majority of improvement with antipsychotics may occur relatively early.More consistent improvements with clozapine may be associated with a gradual titration. To further elucidate response patterns, future studies are needed to provide data over regular intervals during earlier stages of treatment.


Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified Floor Reaction Ankle Foot Orthosis (FRAFO) design on gait performance in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: Eight children with cerebral palsy wore a modified FRAFO bilaterally for six weeks. Motion analysis was used to assess the immediate effectiveness of the orthosis on improving gait and also following six weeks of gradual orthosis use. Primary outcome measures were walking speed, cadence and stride length, plus hip, knee and ankle joint ranges of motion. A paired T test was used to compare primary outcome measures. Results: Cadence, stride length and walking speed were all significantly increased when the children wore the modified FRAFO (P = <0.001for speed and stride length and p=0.005 for cadence). The children demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in ankle ROM when using the modified FRAFO. The mean knee joint ROM was increased from 36.5±13.32 degrees when walking with an orthosis at baseline to 43.5±1.19 degrees when walking with an orthosis after six weeks of use. Children with the modified FRAFO also had decreased hip flexion angle at initial contact and an extension shift during stance phase following 6 weeks of orthosis use compared to when initially donning it. Discussion: Children with cerebral palsy can benefit from an improvement in gait parameters when walking with a modified FRAFO.


Ventilatory capacity is reduced in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Tidal volume (VT) is lower and breathing frequency higher at a given ventilation (VE) compared to healthy subjects. We examined whether airflow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation in COPD patients were related to breathing pattern. An incremental treadmill exercise test was performed in 63 COPD patients (35 men), aged 65 years (48–79 years) with a mean forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) of 48% of predicted (SD = 15%). Data were averaged over 20‐sec intervals. The relationship between VE and VT was described by the quadratic equation VT = a + bVE + cVE2 for each subject. The relationships between the curve parameters b and c, and spirometric variables and dynamic hyperinflation measured as the difference in inspiratory capacity from start to end of exercise, were analyzed by multivariate linear regression. The relationship between VE and VT could be described by a quadratic model in 59 patients with median R2 of 0.90 (0.40–0.98). The linear coefficient (b) was negatively (P = 0.001) and the quadratic coefficient (c) positively (P < 0.001) related to FEV1. Forced vital capacity, gender, height, weight, age, inspiratory reserve volume, and dynamic hyperinflation were not associated with the curve parameters after adjusting for FEV1. We concluded that a quadratic model could satisfactorily describe the relationship between VE and VT in most COPD patients. The curve parameters were related to FEV1. With a lower FEV1, maximal VT was lower and achieved at a lower VE. Dynamic hyperinflation was not related to breathing pattern when adjusting for FEV1.


Transfer Learning is an emerging framework for learning from data that aims at intelligently transferring information between tasks. This is achieved by developing algorithms that can perform multiple tasks simultaneously, as well as translating previously acquired knowledge to novel learning problems. In this thesis, we investigate the application of Gaussian Processes to various forms of transfer learning with a focus on classification problems. This process initiates with a thorough introduction to the framework of Transfer learning, providing a clear taxonomy of the areas of research. Following that, we continue by reviewing the recent advances on Multi-task learning for regression with Gaussian processes, and compare the performance of some of these methods on a real data set. This review gives insights about the strengths and weaknesses of each method, which acts as a point of reference to apply these methods to other forms of transfer learning. The main contributions of this thesis are reported in the three following chapters. The third chapter investigates the application of Multi-task Gaussian processes to classification problems. We extend a previously proposed model to the classification scenario, providing three inference methods due to the non-Gaussian likelihood the classification paradigm imposes. The forth chapter extends the multi-task scenario to the semi-supervised case. Using labeled and unlabeled data, we construct a novel covariance function that is able to capture the geometry of the distribution of each task. This setup allows unlabeled data to be utilised to infer the level of correlation between the tasks. Moreover, we also discuss the potential use of this model to situations where no labeled data are available for certain tasks. The fifth chapter investigates a novel form of transfer learning called meta-generalising. The question at hand is if, after training on a sufficient number of tasks, it is possible to make predictions on a novel task. In this situation, the predictor is embedded in an environment of multiple tasks but has no information about the origins of the test task. This elevates the concept of generalising from the level of data to the level of tasks. We employ a model based on a hierarchy of Gaussian processes, in a mixtures of expert sense, to make predictions based on the relation between the distributions of the novel and the training tasks. Each chapter is accompanied with a thorough experimental part giving insights about the potentials and the limits of the proposed methods.


In 1917 the Oregon State Legislature, in Salem, Oregon, passed a bill titled, "To Prevent Procreation of Certain Classes in Oregon." Passage of the bill created the Oregon State Board of Eugenics, an organization [4] that presided over the forced sterilization [5] of more than 2,600 Oregon residents from 1917 to 1981. In 1983, Legislation abolished the State Board of Eugenics, by that time called the Oregon State Board of Social Protection. For more than seventy years, the State Board was involved in the US eugenics movement [6], using theories partly constructed from genetics to control the reproductive health of citizens.


Guillaume Apollinaire, one of the most original poets of the early twentieth-century French avant garde, played a crucial role in the enunciation of modernist aesthetics. Through innovative poetic forms, Apollinaire set forth a new aesthetics which underscored the inherent ambiguity of an increasingly turbulent modern context. Apollinaire's interest in the pure dynamism of the contemporary material landscape, and his attraction to the image that explodes with immediate presence, also led him to a natural curiosity in the visual arts. Identifying with the Cubist mosaic style of inclusion, the juxtaposition of reality and imagination, and the simultaneity of spatial and temporal movement, Apollinaire saw modern artists as "singers of a constantly new truth," inventors of a uniquely authentic modern experience. Apollinaire composed verse to honor his favorite painters, but he also wrote critical studies on the visual arts, and he declares that it is in Cubist art that we can discover a truly successful endeavor to come to terms with the upheavals of modernity. In several texts Apollinaire devotes specifically to Picasso, he argues that his canvases contain the most essential aspects of modern art: a new interpretation of light, a genuine understanding of the elusive notion of the "fourth dimension," and an incarnation of the most modern of principles, surprise. Apollinaire's texts on Picasso, examples of his poésie critique, do not remain simply words printed on a page, but are transformed into an extension of the painting he wishes to convey, experimental and unpredictable in discursive tone and poetic style. Through these texts, Apollinaire moves beyond the parameters of a journalistic style of criticism, as his pieces on Picasso take on a chameleon-like power of movement, engendering unique forms of an avant-garde improvisation, the painting of prose poetry. This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol27/iss1/3 The Poetics of Visual Cubism: Guillaume Apollinaire on Pablo Picasso


Representing entities and relations in an embedding space is a well-studied approach for machine learning on relational data. Existing approaches, however, primarily focus on improving ranking metrics and ignore other aspects of knowledge base representations, such as robustness, interpretability, and ability to detect errors. In this paper, we propose adversarial attacks on link prediction models (AALP): identifying the fact to add into or remove from the knowledge graph that changes the prediction of a target fact. Using these attacks, we are able to identify the most influential related fact for a predicted link and investigate the sensitivity of the model to additional made-up facts. We introduce an efficient approach to estimate the effect of making a change by approximating the change in the embeddings upon altering the knowledge graph. In order to avoid the combinatorial search over all possible facts, we introduce an inverter function and gradient-based search to identify the adversary in a continuous space. We demonstrate that our models effectively attack the link prediction models by reducing their accuracy between 6− 45% for different metrics. Further, we study patterns in the most influential neighboring facts, as identified by the adversarial attacks. Finally, we use the proposed approach to detect incorrect facts in the knowledge base, achieving up to 55% accuracy in identifying errors.


The paper is a contribution to the study of the redistributive impact of public sector intervention across living generations. We aim to work on a comprehensive approach, so that reforms involving several taxation and spending programmes, possibly implemented over several years, may be assessed. By adapting methods from the generational accounting literature, we investigate the impact on fairness between living generations of fiscal policies undertaken in Italy between 1990 and 2008. Large intergenerational differences exist in net tax rates calculated over the residual lifetime horizon, which tend to be substantially higher for young generations. Pension reforms introduced in the '90s play a major role in explaining these differences. We conclude that a significant contribution to the sustainability of these reforms might have come at the price of an unequal distribution of sacrifices across living generations. Awareness of these differences could help in designing additional consolidation efforts in the perspective of achieving intergenerational fairness in Italy.


The purpose of this laboratory exercise is to give students the opportunity to use the basic
knowledge and techniques (Gram stain, biochemical reactions, etc.) gained in a medical or allied
health microbiology laboratory in a series of practical, "hands-on" simulated patient scenarios.
Three case studies will test students' knowledge of the pathogens of the gastrointestinal,
respiratory, and urogenital tracts.


How can societies restrain their coercive institutions and transition to a more humane criminal justice system? We argue that two main factors explain why torture can persist as a generalized practice even in democratic societies: weak procedural protections and the militarization of policing, which introduces strategies, equipment, and mentality that treats criminal suspects as though they were enemies in wartime. Using a large survey of the Mexican prison population and leveraging the date and place of arrest, this paper provides causal evidence about how these two explanatory variables shape police brutality. Our paper offers a grim picture of the survival of authoritarian policing practices in democracies. It also provides novel evidence of the extent to which the abolition of inquisitorial criminal justice institutions—a remnant of colonial legacies and a common trend in the region—has worked to restrain police brutality.


Background: The basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSK). BCC might develop because of the faulty cell cycle arrest. P15 INK4b is a tumor suppressor gene, involved in cell cycle arrest and inactivated in most human cancers. The role of p15 INK4b protein expression in the genesis of BCC is as yet unknown. In a previous study we showed the absence of p15 INK4b expression in the majority of tissue microarray cores of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCCs), another type of non-melanoma skin cancer, indicating that p15 INK4b could possibly be involved in the pathogenesis of cutaneous SCC. The aim of this study was to investigate p15 INK4b protein expression in BCCs. Materials and Method: Protein expression of p15 INK4b in 35 cases of BCC tissue arrays and 19 cases of normal human skin tissue was studied using an immunohistochemical approach. Results: The expression of p15 INK4b was not significantly different in the BCC cases as compared with normal human skin (p=0.356; p>0.05). In addition, there were no significant relationship between clinicopathologic variables of patients (age and sex) and p15 INK4b protein expression. Conclusions: Our finding may indicate that p15 INK4b protein expression does not play a role in the genesis of BCC.


Abstract As Paulo Freire's education theory for social change and emancipation is being continually studied and disseminated in East Asia, it has faced skepticism as some educators are unfamiliar with its critical pedagogy or education for freedom concepts. In light of this, scholars have attempted to compare Freirean philosophies with concepts in Chinese philosophy of education as a way of bridging East and West. Diverging from previous studies that use popular Chinese philosophies (such as Confucianism) to connect with Freirean theory, this paper introduces an understudied but compatible Chinese philosophical thought, Mohism, for comparison with Freirean theory. Mohism is a political philosophy for the working class that expanded into grassroots movements for people's welfare in ancient China. The Mohist bottom-up approach echoes the grassroots emancipatory pedagogy that underlies Freirean philosophy. A comparative analysis of education concepts in both philosophies reveals that despite differences in the educational content of Freirean theory and Mohism, there are similarities in their conceptualization of education for anti-oppression and praxis for social change. Implications for utilizing Mohist philosophy to contemplate Freirean philosophy within the East Asian educational context are also explored. Ultimately this paper revives educational concepts of Mohism that aligns with Freirean philosophy to a broader audience of scholars and educators.


Quercetin reduces blood pressure in hypertensive, but not normotensive individuals. Ex vivo tissue has implicated NADPH oxidase signalling and ROS formation in the mechanism of action in vascular smooth muscle, however there has been no assessment of the role of the endothelium in the anti-hypertensive effects of quercetin. This study describes an endothelial cell model of hypertension and its use to probe the anti-hypertensive effects of quercetin. Angiotensin II (100 nM, 8 h) rendered Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) hypertensive, characterised by decreased nitric oxide availability (15±4%, p<0.05) and increased superoxide production (136±5%, p<0.001, measured by LC-MS detection of dihydroethidium reaction products) compared to controls. Co-exposure of HUVEC to angiotensin II and quercetin (3 µM, 8 h) restored the nitric oxide:superoxide imbalance to control (normotensive) levels without altering eNOS mRNA expression. Quercetin alone had no effects upon nitric oxide, superoxide or eNOS mRNA levels. The NADPH oxidase subunit p47phox was increased at the protein level in hypertensive cells (30±14% of control, p<0.05), which was prevented by quercetin co-treatment. These changes were reflected at the mRNA level. Protein kinase C (PKC) activity (western blotting) increased after angiotensin II treatment (262±60%, p<0.05), which was not prevented by co-treatment with quercetin (3 µM, 8 h). In summary, quercetin restores nitric oxide:superoxide imbalance in hypertensive endothelial cells to control levels, in a PKC-independent manner, with down-regulation of p47phox also observed. No effects of quercetin upon control cells are reported.


Fifty-nine samples of drinking water were collected from various locations in Bangladesh to assess the impact of agricultural practices on groundwater quality. The basic groundwater quality parameters, such as pH, total dissolved solids, iron, sodium, chloride, sulfate, fluoride and arsenic were analysed. In addition, the presence of excess fertilizers was monitored by measuring levels of ammonium, nitrate, phosphate and potassium, and the presence of excess pesticides by measuring levels of endrin, heptachlor and DDT. The results were evaluated on the basis of drinking-water quality standards for Bangladesh as well as WHO and EC standards. Water samples were found to contain relatively high concentrations of ammonium, nitrate and iron. The ranges of the organochlorine pesticides heptachlor and DDT were 0.025-0.789 mg/l and 0.010-1.527 mg/l, respectively. Two samples violated the allowable limits for heptachlor, seven for DDT. The presence of low levels of persistent pesticides at certain locations, along with higher than normal levels of ammonium and nitrate clearly demonstrates that agro-chemicals have influenced the water quality of groundwater sources in Bangladesh.


The human species is beset by 'risks'; one of which is related to its exposed position on the Earth as it travels through cosmic space. An examination is made of the major risks – those associated with cometary impact, with solar emissions and with the explosions of nearby stars. Estimates are given of the risks associated with trying to avoid the effect of these phenomena. Not surprisingly it is concluded that more work is necessary.


Defect in the ventricular septum with obstruction to right ventricular outflow tract encompass a wide anatomic, physiological & clinical spectrum. Large ventricular septal defects occur with pulmonary stenosis that varies from mild to severe to complete (pulmonary atresia). Very large VSD (size 6.4cm, in our case) with severe PS is a rare CHD & without surgical correction only 10% patients can survive beyond 20 year of age. With the help of noninvasive investigation (echocardiography) we can diagnose CHD very easily.


To establish a correlation between spin diffusion, spin lifetime, and electron density, we study spin polarization evolution in low-dimensional GaAs semiconductors hosting two-dimensional electron gases by employing time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy. It is shown that for the establishment of the longest spin-lifetime, the variation in the scattering rate with electron density is of more importance than fulfilling the persistent spin helix condition when the Rashba α and Dresselhaus β parameters are balanced. More specifically, regardless of α and β linear dependencies on the electron density, the spin relaxation rate is determined by the spin diffusion coefficient that depends on electron density nonmonotonously. The longest experimental spin-lifetime occurs at an electron density, corresponding to transition from Boltzmann to Fermi–Dirac statistics, which is several times higher than that when the persistent spin helix is expected. These facts highlight the role the electron density may play when considering applications for spintronic devices.


This book is the first to examine the arguments and behavior of the scientists who have been locked in conflict for a decade over two competing hypotheses for the cause of the mass extinction, some 65 million years ago, of most of life on earth, including the dinosaurs. These papers - by historians, sociologists, philosophers, and participating scientists - provide an exceptional opportunity to observe firsthand the workings of science that in quieter times are hidden from view. The book concludes with an overarching discussion by a balanced panel of embattled scientists and scholars.


Aiming at demonstrating the potential of unidirectional natural fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites in structural applications, textile flax yarn/thermoplastic polyester composites with variable fiber volume fractions have been manufactured by a filament-winding process followed by a vacuum-assisted compression molding process. The microstructure of the composites shows that the flax fiber yarns are well impregnated by the polyester matrix, and this supports the measured low porosity content of the composites. The experimental tensile modulus and ultimate tensile stress of the composites in the axial and transverse directions are well simulated by rule of mixtures models. In the axial direction, at a fiber volume fraction of 0.50, the experimental tensile modulus and ultimate tensile stress are 32 GPa and 350 MPa, respectively. In comparison, for glass fiber composites at a fiber volume fraction of 0.50, the tensile modulus and ultimate tensile stress are calculated to be 38 GPa and 1800 MPa, respectively. The flax yarn composites show better specific tensile modulus than the glass fiber composites with values of 23 GPa/g/cm3 and 20 GPa/g/cm3, respectively. An analysis of data from previous studies of unidirectional natural fibre composites demonstrates comparatively good reinforcement efficiency of the flax yarn fibers with an effective tensile modulus and ultimate tensile stress of the fibers in the area of 70 GPa and 800 MPa, respectively. Altogether, it is demonstrated that composites with high-quality textile flax yarn are well suited for structural applications when stiffness and weight saving are the central selection criteria.


Mass extinctions are global-scale environmental crises marked by the loss of numerous species from all habitats. They often coincide with rapid changes in the stable carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C) recorded in sedimentary carbonate and organic matter, ratios which can indicate substantial inputs to the surface carbon reservoirs and/or changes in the cycling of carbon. Models to explain these changes have provided much fuel for debate on the causes and consequences of mass extinctions. For example, the escape of methane from gas hydrate deposits or the emission of huge volumes of gaseous carbon from large-scale volcanic systems, known as large igneous provinces, may have been responsible for decreases of 13C/12C in sedimentary deposits. In this article, we discuss the challenges in distinguishing between these, and other, alternatives.


The prostate has a zonal anatomy, with differing susceptibilities to disease (benign
prostatic hyperplasia originates from the transition zone, prostate cancer largely arises
in the peripheral zone). The molecular reasons for this are not understood. Previous
prostate cancer microarray studies have used whole benign, diseased or tissue
adjacent to the carcinoma as normal controls, for what is an epithelial disease. This
study provides a gene expression profile of normal, non-diseased prostate, or a
'reference prostate gene expression profile'. This has been compared to prostate
cancer to identify novel biomarkers of disease. This study also investigates zonal
differences in gene expression between different anatomical zones of the prostate. I
used normal, human donor prostate tissue, laser capture microdissection (LCM), and
Affymetrix gene expression arrays to achieve these aims. Eight LCM prostate
epithelial samples from 3 donor prostates were used. The gene expression data was
validated by low density real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry on a prostate
tissue microarray. Major differences in gene expression were discovered between
whole tissue and LCM epithelium only prostate using homology tables. Novel
prostate adenocarcinoma genes were identified using a publicly available LCM
prostate cancer gene expression array dataset. 9318 genes showed significant
differential expression in normal vs. cancer datasets. Three targets, MCM2, NR1D1
and ABCA1 were validated at the protein level. Expression of NR1D1 and ABCA1
were increased in cancer, suggesting they are novel epithelial biomarkers of prostate
cancer.
An analysis of zonal differences in gene expression found significant differences
between zones. Zonal specific markers included TGM4 (central zone), LPL
(peripheral zone), and COL9A1 (transition zone).
This study provides: (i) a gene expression profile of the normal prostate epithelium
(ii) novel, prostate adenocarcinoma specific gene and protein markers and (iii) the
first gene expression profile of normal epithelium on the basis of zonal anatomy of
the prostate.


On October 19, 1985, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake occurred in southern Westchester County, New York, approximately 30 km north of central Manhattan. Barstow et al. (1988) concluded that this earthquake consisted of two sub events, with the larger sub event occurring 0.6 s after the first one. We present analysis of data for the main shock as well as aftershocks and foreshocks which were recorded on the New York State Seismic Network. Because this data set includes a range of source magnitudes from less than 2 to 4 recorded for virtually identical source-receiver pairs, an empirical Green's function technique can be used to study the source characteristics of the larger events. The corner frequency of the main shock and an attenuation parameter t* are resolved from the initial portion of the seismogram at station PAL in Palisades, New York, 8 km northwest of the epicenter. Spectra of small foreshocks and aftershocks can then be corrected for attenuation using t*. Following an iterative procedure, it is then possible to make reliable determinations of seismic corner frequency for these events. Several conclusions are obtained: (1) The spectrum of the first subevent in the main shock can be well modelled by a Brune spectrum from 1 to 10 Hz, with a corner frequency of 7 ± 1 Hz. At higher frequencies, the source spectrum contains sharp peaks which do not fit an omega-square model and may reflect complexities in the rupture process. (2) The average stress drop of the sequence is ≈ 205 bars. The stress drop of the main event is 540 bars, but no stress drop dependency on moment is resolved over the magnitude range 1.8–4.0. (3) Attenuation parameters t* are obtained for the 8 km northwestward path from Ardsley to Palisades and for a 52-km westward path to a station in the Hudson Highlands, and their similarity suggests an increase of Q with depth. (4) Assuming that the two main shock sub events did not rerupture the same area but were contiguous, a maximum rupture dimension is 440–680 m. The rupture diameter of the largest aftershock, mb=3, is determined to be approximately 320 meters. The combined rupture for the sequence inferred from spectral methods is consistent with the size of the rupture inferred from the area surrounded by the early aftershocks (700 m diameter). The rupture dimension of the Ardsley sequence may be characteristic of the Dobbs Ferry fault and other seismogenic faults in the Manhattan Prong, which are segmented with characteristic dimensions of 0.5–2 km (Seeber and Dawers, 1989). Assuming that the range of stress drops in the Ardsley sequence is also characteristic of the Manhattan Prong, this range of dimensions corresponds to a range of characteristic magnitudes between mb of 3.3 and 5.5. We note that this magnitude range encompasses the five largest known earthquakes in the New York City seismic zone: the 1985 Ardsley main shock and events in 1737, 1783, 1884, and 1895.


Catalyzed hydrogenation of CO2 by earth-abundant metal complexes is a promising strategy to utilize hydrogen as a kind of sustainable energy and to reduce greenhouse gases. A systematic density functional theory (DFT) study is presented for CO2 hydrogenation catalyzed by the Co(dmpe)2H (dmpe: 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)-ethane) complex with Verkade's base as an additive. An unexpected formate anion-assisted deprotonation mechanism is unfolded, which is different from the generally accepted additive base-catalyzed deprotonation mechanism. The complete catalytic cycle involves three main steps: (i) oxidative addition, (ii) deprotonation of the dihydride complex, and (iii) hydrogenation of CO2. The cobalt monohydride complex Co(dmpe)2H is found to be the catalytically active species and the rate-determining step is the hydrogenation of CO2 (ΔG‡ = 20.9 kcal mol−1). Furthermore, the hydride transfer process prefers the reductive elimination mechanism (ΔG‡ = 20.9 kcal mol−1) to the direct transfer mechanism (ΔG‡ = 23.3 kcal mol−1). In contrast, the cobalt dihydride complex [Co(dmpe)2H2]+ is less likely to be the active species, which should be deprotonated to the cobalt monohydride species for further hydrogenation. The deprotonation of cobalt dihydride to cobalt monohydride is found to be promoted by the formate anion (ΔG‡ = 10.5 kcal mol−1) instead of Verkade's base (ΔG‡ = 36.9 kcal mol−1). On the other hand, a direct heterolytic cleavage of H2 assisted by the base to cobalt monohydride is less feasible compared with the oxidative addition of H2. These results can well explain the necessity for oxidative addition and the appearance of formic acid after Verkade's base has run out in the experiments, and are in good agreement with the experimental observation that the hydrogenation of CO2 instead of the deprotonation is the rate-determining step. The present results provide sharp insights and helpful guidelines for designing novel hydrogenation systems with transition metal complexes and bases.


We describe a novel method for training high-quality image denoising models based on unorganized collections of corrupted images. The training does not need access to clean reference images, or explicit pairs of corrupted images, and can thus be applied in situations where such data is unacceptably expensive or impossible to acquire. We build on a recent technique that removes the need for reference data by employing networks with a "blind spot" in the receptive field, and significantly improve two key aspects: image quality and training efficiency. Our result quality is on par with state-of-the-art neural network denoisers in the case of i.i.d. additive Gaussian noise, and not far behind with Poisson and impulse noise. We also successfully handle cases where parameters of the noise model are variable and/or unknown in both training and evaluation data.


A solution showing the existence of both bright and dark spatial solitons by a simple modification of a previous approach is obtained for a model of reflection grating with modulated Kerr media without imposing specific restrictions on the physical parameters. The resulted relations of the system parameters and the pertinent physical quantities reveal an interesting algebraic structure and symmetry properties containing the previous results as special cases, with higher degrees of symmetry corresponding to more specific restrictions of the parameters. Detailed analysis of the associated parameter space exhibits clearly delineated regions for the different species of spatial solitons with wide ranging variations of characteristics as functions of the parameters. A practical working scheme is then formulated for tailoring the soliton characteristics according to a relatively simple rule. This is exemplified by a specific choice of soliton characteristics supported by a realistic set of system parameters in connection with the study of the dynamical process of soliton propagation in the system. A further study conducted on the dynamics of linear superpositions of two exact bright soliton pairs shows similar relative-phase dependent, attractive, and repulsive interactions as observed in a homogeneous medium while exhibiting visible envelope broadening due to the diffraction effect. The diffraction effect is shown to result in a wobbling phenomenon for the case of two bright solitons with asymmetric amplitudes. In the case of wide-stripe dark solitons, the propagation features a rapid split-off into several narrow stripes, and the number of new stripes depends proportionally on the width of the initial stripes as well as the ratio between its forward and backward amplitudes. Finally, an enhanced breathing phenomenon was demonstrated as a result of increased nonlinear modulation of the system.


While compressive sensing (CS) has traditionally relied on l2 as an error norm, a broad spectrum of applications has emerged where robust estimators are required. Among those, applications where the sampling process is performed in the presence of impulsive noise, or where the sampling of the high-dimensional sparse signals requires the preservation of a distance different than l2. This article overviews robust sampling and nonlinear reconstruction strategies for sparse signals based on the Cauchy distribution and the Lorentzian norm for the data fidelity. The derived methods outperform existing compressed sensing techniques in impulsive environments, thus offering a robust framework for CS.


OBJECTIVE
Arthritis of the knee affects 46 million Americans. We aimed to determine the level of evidence of intraarticular knee injections in the management of arthritic knee pain.

METHODS
We systematically searched PUBMED/MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases for articles published on knee injections and evaluated their level of evidence and recommendations according to established criteria.

RESULTS
The evidence supports the use of intraarticular corticosteroid injections for rheumatoid arthritis (1A+ Level), osteoarthritis (1A+ Level), and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (2C+ Level). Pain relief and functional improvement are significant for months up to 1 year after the injection. Triamcinolone hexacetonide offers an advantage over triamcinolone acetonide and should be the intraarticular steroid of choice (2B+ Level). Intraarticular injection of hyaluronate may provide longer pain relief than steroid injection in osteoarthritis (2B+ Level). It can also be effective for rheumatoid arthritis knee pain (1A+ Level). However, it is only recommended for patients with significant surgical risk factors and for patients with mild radiographic disease in whom conservative treatment has failed (2B± Level). Botulinum toxin type A injection is effective in reducing arthritic knee pain (2B+ Level), and so is tropisetron (2B+ Level) and tanezumab (2B+ Level). The new agents, such as rAAV2-TNFR:Fc, SB-210396/CE 9.1, and various radioisotopes have provided various degrees of success, but their long-term safety and efficacy remains to be determined.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that strong evidence supports the use of intraarticular knee injection as a valuable intervention in the continuum of management of arthritis between conservative treatment and knee surgeries.


The Tobin's q of a firm is the firm's market value divided by the replacement cost. Ideally the q therefore should be higher than 1. The actual profitability can be measured as the annual profit divided by the firm's replacement cost. This will be denoted as E/C. The stock market's expectations regarding the firm's profitability can be measured as the P/E ratio, i.e. the price of the stock divided by the annual profit. If these two ratios are multiplied, we get the ratio P/C, which is identical to Tobin's q. This indicates a simple way of analyzing the impact of the two mentioned aspects of the q. Our conclusion is that the decomposition of the firm's Tobin's q gives a good illustration of the impact of expectations and profitability on the q.


Acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM), a plant activator known to induce systemic acquired resistance, has demonstrated an ability to manage a number of plant diseases, including bacterial spot on tomato caused by four distinct Xanthomonas spp. The aim of this study was to evaluate application rate and frequency of ASM in order to optimize field efficacy against bacterial spot in Florida, while minimizing its impact on marketable yields. ASM was applied biweekly (once every 2 weeks) as a foliar spray at a constant concentration of 12.9, 64.5, and 129 μM throughout four field experiments during 2007-08. A standard copper program and an untreated control were also included. Overall, biweekly applications of ASM did not significantly reduce disease development or the final disease severity of bacterial spot compared with the copper-mancozeb standard or the untreated control. Only one experiment showed a significant reduction in the final disease severity on plants treated with ASM at 129 μM compared with the untreated control. Three additional field trials conducted during 2009-10 to evaluate the effects of weekly and biweekly applications of ASM at concentrations of 30.3 to 200 μM found that weekly applications provided significantly better disease control than biweekly applications. The tomato yields were not statistically improved with the use of ASM relative to the untreated control and standard copper program. Weekly ASM applications at rates as low as 75 μM (equivalent to 1.58 g a.i./ha in 100 liters of water or 0.21 oz. a.i./acre in 100 gallons of water) to 200 μM (equivalent to 4.20 g a.i./ha in 100 liters of water or 0.56 oz. a.i./acre in 100 gallons of water) were statistically equivalent in managing bacterial spot of tomato without significantly reducing yield compared with the untreated control.


This study has investigated the formal and informal ways pre-registration students from four healthcare professions learn about patient safety in order to become safe practitioners. The study aims to understand some of the issues which impact upon teaching, learning and practising patient safety in academic, organisational and practice "knowledge? contexts. In Stage 1 we used a convenience sample of 13 educational providers across England and Scotland linked with five universities running traditional and innovative courses for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists. We gathered examples of existing curriculum documents for detailed analysis, and interviewed course directors and similar informants. In Stage 2 we undertook 8 case studies to develop an in-depth investigation of learning and practice by students and newly qualified practitioners in universities and practice settings in relation to patient safety. Data were gathered to explore the planning and implementation of patient safety curricula; the safety culture of the places where learning and working take place; the student teacher interface; and the influence of role models and organisational culture on practice. Data from observation, focus groups and interviews were transcribed and coded independently by more than one of the research team. Analysis was iterative and ongoing throughout the study. NHS policy is being taken seriously by course leaders, and Patient Safety material is being incorporated into both formal and informal curricula. Patient safety in the curriculum is largely implicit rather than explicit. All students very much value the practice context for learning about patient safety. However, resource issues, peer pressure and client factors can influence safe practice. Variations exist in students? experience, in approach between university tutors, different placement locations – the experience each offers – and the quality of the supervision available. Relationships with the mentor or clinical educator are vital to student learning. The role model offered and the relationship established affects how confident students feel to challenge unsafe practice in others. Clinicians are conscious of the tension between their responsibilities as clinicians (keeping patients safe), and as educators (allowing students to learn under supervision). There are some apparent gaps in curricular content where relevant evidence already exists – these include the epidemiology of adverse events and error, root cause analysis and quality assessment. Reference to the organisational context is often absent from course content and exposure limited. For example, incident reporting is not being incorporated to any great extent in undergraduate curricula. Newly qualified staff were aware of the need to be seen to practice in an evidence based way, and, for some at least, the need to modify "the standard? way of doing things to do "what?s best for the patient?. A number of recommendations have been made, some generic and others specific to individual professions. Regulators? expectations of courses in relation to patient 9 safety education should be explicit and regularly reviewed. Educators in all disciplines need to be effective role models who are clear about how to help students to learn about patient safety. All courses should be able to highlight a vertical integrated thread of teaching and learning related to patient safety in their curricula. This should be clear to staff and students. Assessment for this element should also be identifiable as assessment remains important in driving learning. All students need to be enabled to constructively challenge unsafe or non-standard practice. Encounters with patients and learning about their experiences and concerns are helpful in consolidating learning. Further innovative approaches should be developed to make patient safety issues 'real' for students.


In this work a compiler from fork specifications into logic programs is presented. The technique implemented by the compiler consists of transforming a set of fork equations (with some restrictions) into normal logic programs in such a way that the semantics of the fork equations is preserved. After translating a fork specification, it can be executed by consulting the generated logic program. The fork compiler, a tool for the translation, is also introduced.


The Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs) are the chemicals which are found in various plant species throughout the world. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary metabolites those have been evolved as a powerful means in the plant defensive system against herbivores. Several studies are being performing to detect presence of PAs in the food and feed which are obtained from plants through direct or indirect sources. Biosynthesis of PAs is dependent upon plant's growth and biomass production. In this review, chemistry, biosynthesis and metabolism of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been summarized. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are toxic in nature so the presence of PAs in food is undesirable. PAs are reported for their hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity and genotoxity. PAs first target liver after consumption for their toxicity. PAs intoxication develops acute, sub acute and chronic stage of the liver which leads liver failure and ultimately death.


SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Europa dei cittadini e identita politica del processo di integrazione continentale - 3. Spazio politico europeo, liberta religiosa e laicita - 4. Conclusioni . ABSTRACT: The evolution of the European Union law and of the right to religious freedom lies in the global process of internationalization of fundamental rights, the transformation of relations between States, the modification of the idea of sovereignty, the emergence of new conventional instruments. With reference to the European social and legal space, the transformation of the European Economic Community into a real political union has allowed the inalienable human rights of the people to become central in the process of integration. Because of that, the political and legal system of the European Union, characterized by the transition of the State monopoly of sovereignty to its sharing among different subjects, has affected the reality of relations between public powers and religious phenomenon. A particular configuration of the concept of secularism in the European continent has been established, by virtue, which the values of democracy, pluralism, human dignity and non-identification between public functions and religious experience would allow for peaceful coexistence between religion, institutional activity of the European Union and fundamental freedoms.


As do many developing countries and emerging economies, Mexico needs to invest in wastewater treatment facilities, which has been neglected in the past. Currently, 45% of municipal sewage enters a treatment plant, so a significant fraction of untreated or partially treated water is discharged or used for crop irrigation. This has significant impacts on public health and the environment. In this context, the proper selection of treatment technologies may be an important opportunity for contributing to the ambitious national greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals in Mexico. Based on actual infrastructure data, the scenarios analyzed in this work show that emission reductions from sewage treatment plants in Mexico could be as high as 34% when compared to the baseline scenario, depending on the treatment technologies. The results show that the anaerobic + aerobic scenario is a better option than the full aerobic scenario, as it would achieve a 4% GHG emission reduction by the year 2030. Moreover, if methane is used for in situ electricity cogeneration in larger facilities, the reduction reaches 27% versus the full aerobic scenairo. The results may be helpful to policy and decision makers to evaluate the cost effectiveness and feasibility of possible GHG mitigation strategies for wastewater treatment facilities, mainly for new infrastructures in developing countries.


A significant global environmental opportunity of today is finding beneficial reuse for industrial and domestic wastewater through appropriate treatment, redistribution and application. Although industrial wastewater may present various challenges in terms of exotic or hard to treat constituents, finding effective and efficient treatment options and subsequent reuse opportunities will be beneficial for many facets of the environment, especially in regions of the world where water scarcity is an issue. Numerous remediation methods have been developed to purify wastewater. Most of these are physiochemical in nature, which are often not effective to implement on a large scale and can be expensive. This research explores an environmentally natural approach using biological processes (microbial activity) to achieve the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. The objective of this study was to study microbes native to Qatar, in particular those found within microbial mats that are found in various areas around the country. The steps taken were to first estimate the area of microbial mats using GIS, identify the microbial species within these regionally specific mats, isolate and culture cyanobacteria from these mats and explore the applicability of using these organisms for treatment of industrial wastewater. Microbial mat samples were collected from three geographical areas around Qatar, namely Ras Abrouq, Al Zubara and Khor Al Adaid. The collected microbial mats were firstly enriched in cultured medium. Different strains of cyanobacteria were isolated from these enriched mats and were cultured using solid media ASN-III and MN. Single strains of cyanobacteria were then sub cultured in BG-II liquid medium and were used to test the biodegradability of a test set of hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and hexadecane). The optical densities of the cyanobacteria were measured using a spectrophotometer and the rate of biodegradation of the hydrocarbons were found using a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrophotometer (GCMS). Results show that most of the microbial mats identified in Qatar are found on the Dukhan coastline area. Another important area of mats is found at Khor Al Adaid (Inland Sea) located in the southeastern portion of the state. Different species of cyanobacteria were identified from these mats. The most common species identified from mats at Al Zubara were Oscillatoria, Phormidium, Microcolous, Lyngbya, and Spirulina. Those from Khor Al Adaid were Plectonema, Synechococcus, Phormeduim, Lyugbya, Oscillatoria, and Trichodesmium. Those from Ras Abrouq consisted mostly of Microcolous, Lyngbya, Pseudanabena, Oscillatoria, Phormidium, Spirulina, Gloeocapsa, and Aphanothecechroococcus. Two species of the cyanobacteria, Oscillatoria and unicellular Cyanococcus, were successfully cultured and sub cultured in BG-II medium and used for biodegradation studies with hydrocarbons. Initial results suggest these species are capable of degrading hydrocarbons, but further studies are required to determine to what extent. For future research, the duration of incubation of microbes with the chemicals of interest for degradation could be increased to help confirm capability. Furthermore, mixtures of different species of cyanobacteria could be used to understand if populations play a role in achieving effective biodegradation of hydrocarbons. This work is also being expanded to explore other microbes found around Qatar and testing their applicability to be effective "biodegraders". All this research may be beneficial with our larger goal of finding more effective, efficient and environmentally natural approaches to treating industrial wastewater.