Natural gas is the third most important energy source in the world. Presently, the consumption of natural gas is increasing the most in comparison to other non-renewable energy sources. Therefore, optimization of gas transport in networks poses a very important industrial problem. In this thesis we consider the problem of time-dependent optimization in gas networks, also called Transient Technical Optimization (TTO). A gas network consists of a set of pipes to transport the gas from the suppliers to the consumers. Due to friction with the pipe walls gas pressure gets lost. This pressure loss is compensated by so called compressors. The aim of TTO is to minimize the fuel consumption of the compressors, where the demands of consumers have to be satisfied. Transient optimization of gas transmission is one of the great research challenges in this area. We formulate a mixed integer approach for the problem of TTO which concentrates on time-dependent and discrete aspects. Thereby, the nonlinearities resulting from physical constraints are approximated using SOS (Special Ordered Set) conditions. A branch-and-cut algorithm is developed which guarantees global optimality in dependence on the approximation accuracy. Concerning the nonlinearities, we discuss the quality of approximation grids by calculating approximation errors. The SOS conditions are implicitly handled via a branching scheme, supported by adequate preprocessing techniques. A heuristic approach based on simulated annealing yields an upper bound in our branch-and-cut framework. To improve the lower bound, we incorporate two separation algorithms. The first one results from theoretical studies of the so called switching polytopes which are defined by runtime conditions and switching processes of compressors. Linking of different SOS conditions gives a second separation strategy. We present theoretical investigations of the SOS 2 and SOS 3 polytope. These polytopes arise from the modeling of SOS Type 2 and SOS Type 3 conditions using additional binary variables. The results do not have practical relevance for our solution algorithm, but we characterize facet-defining inequalities providing complete linear descriptions of these polytopes. We evaluate the developed branch-and-cut algorithm using three test networks provided by our project partner E.ON Ruhrgas AG. Two are of artificial nature, as they were developed for test purposes. They contain all important elements of a gas network, but are rather small. The third network characterizes the major part of the Ruhrgas AG network in Western Germany. We test instances from three up to 24 coupled time steps.


Objectives. This study examined to what extent the higher mortality in the United States compared to many European countries is explained by larger social disparities within the United States. We estimated the expected US mortality if educational disparities in the United States were similar to those in 7 European countries. Methods. Poisson models were used to quantify the association between education and mortality for men and women aged 30 to 74 years in the United States, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland for the period 1989 to 2003. US data came from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index and the European data came from censuses linked to national mortality registries. Results. If people in the United States had the same distribution of education as their European counterparts, the US mortality disadvantage would be larger. However, if educational disparities in mortality within the United States equaled those within Europe, mortality differences between the United States and Europe would be reduced by 20% to 100%. Conclusions. Larger educational disparities in mortality in the United States than in Europe partly explain why US adults have higher mortality than their European counterparts. Policies to reduce mortality among the lower educated will be necessary to bridge the mortality gap between the United States and European countries. (Am J Public Health. 2015;105:e112–e119. doi:10.2105/ AJPH.2014.302344)


Status Epilepticus (SE) is a neurologic emergency associated with high morbidity and mortality. The etiology varies among the different age groups, and it has a U-shaped incidence curve, being more common at the extremes of ages. Mortality is rarely due to the status itself, and the outcome depends to a great extent on the underlying etiology and the presence of additional medical conditions. Outcome also depends on the rapidity of diagnosis and initiation of appropriate therapy. Anti-epileptic drug administration in appropriate doses should begin promptly after the suspicion of SE; intra-muscular midazolam and rectal diazepam administered by paramedical staff involved in transporting the patient also has been shown to shorten the duration of SE. Attention should be paid in the initial stages itself to airway patency, adequacy of breathing and ventilation, the circulatory status, securing intravenous access and identifying the underlying cause. The goals of therapy include rapid termination of clinical and electrical ictal activity, prevention of aspiration pneumonia, and treatment of complications in anticipation. Every hospital needs to manage SE on the basis of established protocols, and an early decision regarding artificial ventilation and midazolam or barbiturate anesthesia for refractory SE needs to be taken. With the existing protocols and available drugs, it is generally possible to control seizures and prevent complications and mortality.


Nothofagus cunninghamii (Hook.) Oerst. is the dominant component of most cool temperate rainforest in southeastern Australia. N. cunninghamii has a long history in the region and has endured through a period of great climatic changes, including the glacialinterglacial cycles. Currently the possible roles of glacial refugia, postglacial migration and long distance dispersal of seed are not well understood to explain the patchy distribution of the species, especially for regions such as northeastern Tasmania where no fossil record of the species is available. The PCR-RFLP technique was employed to determine the pattern of variability of chloroplast DNA using 134 samples across the species range. Four mutations were detected defining five haplotypes, displaying strong geographic structure. A relatively high level of variation detected in a sample size of 72 individuals compared to an initial small sample size of eight demonstrates the importance of using large sample sizes in PCR-RFLP studies for the purpose of finding polymorphic enzyme/fragment combinations. The occurrence of a common and ancestral haplotype across much of the species range makes it impossible to determine the possible roles of migration and fragmentation in regions where this haplotype is the only one present. However, derived haplotypes restricted to the central highlands of Victoria suggest glacial survival, supporting fossil evidence. A haplotype almost restricted to the northeast of Tasmania also suggests glacial survival, but this assertion is not yet definitive since the haplotype was also found in western Tasmania. In addition, two haplotypes restricted to western Tasmania suggest another possible separate refugia in this region. The presence of two haplotypes in southern Victoria may be indicative of a post-glacial migration event across Bass Strait. Further sampling and the detection of greater variation in the chloroplast genome of N. cunninghamii are required to make stronger biogeographical conclusions.


Hedge funds facing capital constraints during market-wide liquidity shocks use bank credit lines to reduce the limits to arbitrage. During shocks, government-protected bank deposits receive inflows and this exclusive low cost funding enables banks to lend to hedge funds. In effect, banks compete away the government subsidy while tax-avoiding hedge funds reap the lion share of the benefits. After the advent of hedge funds, the existing government safety net protecting banks is no longer optimal in the sense of maximizing social surplus.


Isaiah Shembe, founder of the lsanto lamaNazaretha, has been variously interpreted by scholars of African Indigenous Christianity. Some have called him a Zulu Messiah, others have doubted his sincerity and seen him as a false prophet in the tradition of Mlanjeni and Nongqawuse. Following the collapse of the 'post-Christianity' debate started by the likes of G.C. Oosthuizen, more recent scholarship has explained the significance of Isaiah Shembe not only in terms of the religious tradition he formulated, but also the pervasive spirit that continues to perpetuate the Shembe faith.


Objective: In Indonesia, the role of a hospital pharmacist in pharmaceutical care is still limited or even absent. This study aimed to determine whether counseling by a pharmacist could improve medication adherence, controlling the glycemic status, lipid profile, and blood pressure of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) outpatients. Methods: We conducted an interventional study at RSUD Kota Depok, a secondary public hospital, Indonesia, from April to October 2018. Counseling was given three times during the 4-month study. The study design was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest group design on 77 respondents divided into intervention group (IGs) (n = 39 people) who received counseling and booklets from the hospital pharmacist and control group (CG) (n = 38 people) who were only given the booklets. We measured adherence with the Medication Adherence Questionnaire and conducted blood tests for fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PPBG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1, lipid profiles (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and TG), and blood pressure measurements. Findings: In the IG, adherence parameters such as HbA1c and lipid profile improved, whereas in the CG, there were no statistically significant changes in clinical parameters and even nonadherence score increased (P = 0.008). IG showed statistically significant improvement in medication adherence, in parameters such as FBG, PPBG, and HbA1c, compared to CG. Based on the Chi-square test, IG also showed a statistically significant improvement in the number of controlled FBG (P = 0.05) and HbA1c (P < 0.001) compared to CG. In addition, a multivariate analysis showed that counseling by hospital pharmacist was 2.764 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.096–6.794) and 9.964 times (95% CI: 3.434–28.917) better than no counseling in improvement of FBG and HbA1c, respectively. However, the significance disappeared after adjusted by type of medicine, duration of diabetes mellitus drug use, and medication adherence. Conclusion: Hospital pharmacist counseling is an important and significant factor in improving FBG and HbA1c levels of T2DM outpatients.


Present study investigated the shelf life of fermented silage prepared from dressing waste (gut and gills) of Indian major carps and the effect of different concentrations of jaggery as carbohydrate source, on the biochemical and microbiological changes in the silage. Fermented silage was prepared using jaggery at 10% w/w (F1) and 20% w/w (F2) concentrations. F2 had a lower crude fat and ash content. The lowest pH attained was 4.11 and 4.02 in F1 and F2 respectively by the end of 15 days. Significantly higher (p<0.05) concentration of total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) was observed in F2 from the 30th day of storage. The rate of auto-oxidation was also significantly higher in F2 throughout the storage period of 60 days. Total plate count (TPC) of bacteria in F1 and F2 reduced significantly till the 15th day of storage. At the end of 60 days of storage, pH reached 5.55 and 5.67 in F1 and F2 respectively, thereafter the silage was considered spoiled. The study indicated that fermented fish silage prepared from viscera and gills of Indian major caps remained shelf worthy for a period of 60 days and the use of jaggery at concentrations higher than 20% (w/w) would not be viable as it led to faster spoilage rate and increased cost of production.


Cities are growing in terms of economic activities, space and population thus over spilling in peri urban areas. Low population densities and land values have made the peri urban areas the target for land acquisition to accommodate planned expansion processes. In Tanzania, the Government initiated the 20,000 Plots Project in 2002 to among others,
address critical shortage of planned and surveyed plots in the city and check proliferation of informal settlements. The Project was implemented in 12 areas in the City of Dar es Salaam, one of them being Wazo-Mivumoni. This study explored the processes and impacts of land acquisition on the livelihoods of peri urban households. It also built an understanding of peri urban areas in the Tanzanian context and further contextualized peri urban livelihoods in Wazo-Mivumoni.

Data was collected through official, households and key informants interviews, likewise documentary review. An overarching understanding was drawn from the National Constitution (1977) that provides for the right of residents to own properties, the right to protection of their properties and payment of fair and adequate
compensation subject to lawfully acquisition.

Although the principal legislations for land acquisition recognize market values, government-regulated rates were instead used in Wazo-Mivumoni. The implementation process was characterized by lack of appreciation of the drivers of peri urban livelihoods, non-adherence to legal provisions and non-observarance of professional ethics. Further,
the laws were found to be insufficient to adequately respond to present social and economic conditions. The implementation of the project amidst these conditions resulted to loss of assets, disruption of social
networks and family ties. All these undermined household's capacity to sustain livelihoods after project implementation. Among the strategies adopted to overcome these impacts include intensification and increased
innovation on farming and animal keeping; reliance on family support as well as reduction of family sizes. Despite the shortcomings, some positive gains including establishment of new economic activities (private schools, retail business and access to planned and surveyed
plots) were realized.

Residents participation and awareness creation during and after implementation is seen as paramount considerations for successful interventions. Others include establishment of a land cadastre to realise effective and efficient land administration system, establishment of a neutral body to verify valuation reports as well as provision of alternative plots as a measure to restore affected households to same condition as prior to acquisition.


Criminal intelligence (CrimInt) is so useful in serious criminal investigations that it's difficult to envisage a situation where it shouldn't be sought and used if it's available. This special report argues that Australia's current arrangements for gathering and disseminating CrimInt overseas are suboptimal. While additional resources are needed to address this condition, there's also a need to streamline priority setting and associated collection requirements, provide ways to evaluate and better coordinate the collection of information and intelligence product, and expand opportunities to improve training in CrimInt. The paper provides recommendations to improve the quality and utility of our overseas CrimInt effort for law enforcement, policy and regulatory agencies.


This chapter examines the current energy scenario for microgrids over the world and discusses the challenges and opportunities due to the increasing penetration of distributed power generation systems and electric vehicles (EVs) into the microgrids. Wind power and solar power can be generated by wind turbines and photovoltaics, respectively, while these are intermittent in nature. EVs and hybrid EVs use a battery energy storage system and charging facilities while the latter also include an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to provide an extra energy source. The features of these systems in the context of microgrids are studied in detail, in terms of their components, efficiency, reliability, charging and discharging arrangements, active and reactive power control. The chapter provides a reference to the development of microgrid systems especially for developing countries.


Antarctic procellariiform seabirds are known for their well-developed sense of smell, yet few behavioral experiments have addressed how these birds use olfactory cues to forage at sea. I describe results from controlled, shipboard experiments performed in Antarctic waters near Elephant Island. Birds were presented with plain or krill-scented (Euphausia superba) vegetable oil slicks, and their behavioral responses were compared. Krill-scented vegetable oil slicks were highly attractive to some but not all procellariiform species foraging in this area (p < 0.001, G-test). Cape petrels Daption capense and southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus appeared at krill-scented slicks within 1 min, whereas black-browed albatrosses Diomedea melanophris appeared within 3 min. Cape petrels D. capense showed the strongest attraction: these birds were observed as much as 5 times as frequently at krill-scented slicks as compared to unscented control slicks (p < 0.001, G-test), while storm-petrels (Oceanites oceanicus and Fregetta tropica) and Antarctic Fulmars Fulmarus glacialoides responded in equal numbers to krill-scented and unscented slicks. When considered with respect to previously published findings, these results suggest a greater complexity in the significance of odors to the foraging ecology of different tube-nosed species than has commonly been assumed.


This paper focuses on the effects of international migration and received remittances on rural households in Edo State, Nigeria. The empirical results are based on a quantitative and qualitative survey of 240 household heads. The findings show that some households in the study received remittances from migrants outside the country in cash and items; the dominant channel for receiving money being Western Union money transfer. The mean amount received by households in the past 12 months was N543,000. Households who received money in the past 12 months used it for the purchase of food items, debt repayment and the education of household members. Data revealed that international migration affected households' agricultural productive capacity in ways such as a decline in food production and farming activities. There was a significant difference in assets such as plots of land and the number of houses owned after migrants left overseas. Considering the poverty reduction effect that international remittances have, this type of remittances must be encouraged. Moreover, policies to encourage better use of remittance funds could be focused more on small household size, female-headed households and households with elderly heads as they are likely to receive more remittances.


Authors James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, and David Macpherson, believe that a course on principles of economics should focus on the power and relevance of the economic way of thinking. It is this belief and corresponding writing approach that has made Economics: Private and Public Choice one of South Western most solid and enduring texts. Throughout this text, the authors integrate applications and real-world data in an effort to make the basic concepts of economics come alive for the reader.


This study examines processes of transnational alliance-building among political parties in the European Union (EU). It is associated with theories of transnational relations, neofunctionalist integration theory and domestic politics approaches to international co-operation and integration. The overall aim of the study is to contribute to the understanding and growth of knowledge of transnational party alliances, thereby expanding the field of party research. The author attempts to fulfil this aim through an in-depth analysis of the hard-won alliance between Conservatives and Christian Democrats in the European Parliament (EP), entered into by the British and Danish Conservatives in May 1992 and renewed after the 1994 European elections. What factors promote, respectively impede, the formation and evolution of a transnational party alliance such as this? A differentiation is made between three categories of process mechanisms by the causal roles they play, namely opportunities, motives and constraints. Factors are addressed under each category. A number of constraining factors on transnational alliance-building among political parties are traced and analysed. The domestic arenas of party politics are brought into the analysis to help us understand alliances in the European arenas. National parties appear to be anxious about their ideological identities and their autonomy, in the sense of freedom of action. Despite the constraints, political parties prove to be keen on entering into transnational alliances for different motives. They strengthen their capacity for action by building transnational channels for access and influence. By striking alliances in the light of threats posed by countervailing forces, they maximise their parliamentary influence. Tracing and analysing opportunities for such alliances, attention is paid to catalysts related to leadership changes, institutional changes and changes in the international environment. The analysis shows that the enhanced powers of the EP have had a major catalytic effect on transnational alliance-building among political parties in the EU. Patterns of informal integration are thereby established in response to changes in formal institutions.


The available genetic diversity of Musa germplasm is an important asset to support efforts to increase banana productivity, make the crop more resistant to pests and diseases and safeguard it against environmental changes. Bioversity, managing the world's largest Musa germplasm collection at the International Transit Centre (ITC), is playing a major role in the global conservation effort of Musa, and in the exchange and use of germplasm. Efficient characterisation is a prerequisite, not only to facilitate the use of germplasm diversity but also to prioritise resources towards accessions of interest and not yet conserved. The Musa Taxonomy Advisory Group (TAG) identified the lack of a comprehensive procedure to classify an accession up to subgroup and subspecies level as a bottleneck for efficient Musa conservation and utilisation. The field verification and characterisation of 720 ITC accessions as well as the creation of a set of 'reference accessions' representing major Musa subgroups will provide morphotaxonomic data and allow to: i) improve and standardise a procedure for characterisation using molecular techniques, morphological descriptors and sets of photographs, ii) test the robustness of descriptors across different environments, iii) develop tools to allocate an accession to a subgroup or a subspecies (scoring system, identification keys), and iv) provide a manageable and representative set of accessions for research, classification and training. Results of the characterisation will be made available via the online Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS). (Resume d'auteur)


Significance The most commonly used words of 24 corpora across 10 diverse human languages exhibit a clear positive bias, a big data confirmation of the Pollyanna hypothesis. The study's findings are based on 5 million individual human scores and pave the way for the development of powerful language-based tools for measuring emotion. Using human evaluation of 100,000 words spread across 24 corpora in 10 languages diverse in origin and culture, we present evidence of a deep imprint of human sociality in language, observing that (i) the words of natural human language possess a universal positivity bias, (ii) the estimated emotional content of words is consistent between languages under translation, and (iii) this positivity bias is strongly independent of frequency of word use. Alongside these general regularities, we describe interlanguage variations in the emotional spectrum of languages that allow us to rank corpora. We also show how our word evaluations can be used to construct physical-like instruments for both real-time and offline measurement of the emotional content of large-scale texts.


Anemopsis californica is a plant native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico that has been used by many Native American tribes to alleviate pain and inflammation and to treat infection. Limited research has examined the chemical composition of A. californica responsible for its purported therapeutic properties. Goal 1 of this study was to identify pathogenic bacteria against which the plant extract was active, and isolate the compounds responsible for this activity. Goal 2 was to identify bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi isolated from the plant. The A. californica root extract was tested against a panel of bacteria and exhibited the most activity against several Mycobacterium spp. Bioassay-guided fractionation was conducted on a sample of A. californica roots was undertaken to isolate the bioactive compounds. These compounds were identified as the furofuran lignans sesamin (1) and asarinin (2), which were shown to have minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 23 to 395 µM against five different species of environmental nontuberculous mycobacteria. These findings are significant given that these bacteria can cause skin, pulmonary, and lymphatic infections. With the use of liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS), it was determined that sesamin and asarinin were extracted at relatively high levels from A. californica roots (1.7-3.1g/kg and 1.1-1.7 g/kg, respectively), but lower levels from leaves (0.13 g/kg for both compounds). Our findings suggest that the majority of activity of crude A. californica root extracts against nontuberculous mycobacteria can be attributed to the presence of sesamin and asarinin. This is the first reported isolation of these compounds from a member of the Saururaceae family, and the first description of their activity against nontuberculous mycobacteria. Goal 2 of this project was to identify bioactive compounds from the fungal endophytes of A. californica (fungi living asymptomatically within the plant tissues). The fungal endophytes were extracted from the plant and cultured on a solid media. Twelve different fungi were identified. Crude extracts of these fungi were prepared and partitioned with liquid-liquid chromatography. Several antimicrobial compounds were isolated or identified from these fungi, including a new antimicrobial compound chaetocuprum A from the fungus Chaetomium cupreum. An additional nineteen compounds were also identified, of which six have been shown in literature or with our investigations to possess antimicrobial activity. In addition, a crude extract of the A. californica root was prepared from the same batch of roots from which fungi were isolated, to ascertain whether any of these antimicrobial compounds were present in the plant. None of the antimicrobial compounds isolated from the endophytes were detected in the extract, but a series of other fungal compounds were present. Finally, at least eighteen ions were detected as being present in both the botanical and fungal extracts. The structures of these "overlapping compounds" have not yet been solved, but their presence does suggest a potential role for fungi in the chemical composition of botanical extracts.


Radioactivity: Introduction and History, From the Quantum to Quarks, Second Edition provides a greatly expanded overview of radioactivity from natural and artificial sources on earth, radiation of cosmic origins, and an introduction to the atom and its nucleus. The book also includes historical accounts of the lives, works, and major achievements of many famous pioneers and Nobel Laureates from 1895 to the present. These leaders in the field have contributed to our knowledge of the science of the atom, its nucleus, nuclear decay, and subatomic particles that are part of our current knowledge of the structure of matter, including the role of quarks, leptons, and the bosons (force carriers). Users will find a completely revised and greatly expanded text that includes all new material that further describes the significant historical events on the topic dating from the 1950s to the present.Provides a detailed account of nuclear radiation ? its origin and properties, the atom, its nucleus, and subatomic particles including quarks, leptons, and force carriers (bosons)Includes fascinating biographies of the pioneers in the field, including captivating anecdotes and insightsPresents meticulous accounts of experiments and calculations used by pioneers to confirm their findings


This edited volume presents a detailed and comprehensive examination of our current state of knowledge about the single- word period of language acquisition in children (which begins towards the end of the first year of life, and ends sometime in the latter half of the second year of life). The issues which are covered include: the semantics and the pragmatics of children's single-word speech, the relationship between cognitive development and the development of single-word speech, the relationship between prelinguistic communication and single-word speech, the relationship between single-word speech and children's later multi-word speech, and the significance of the study of single-word speech for our understanding of language acquisition in general. This volume provides an invaluable guide to what is currently known about these various topics; it also highlights those issues which are still under debate, and describes the most promising theoretical perspectives which are currently being explored.


Despite their ubiquity, in most cases little is known about the impact of eukaryotic parasites on their mammalian hosts. Comparative approaches provide a powerful method to investigate the impact of parasites on host ecology and evolution, though two issues are critical for such efforts: controlling for variation in methods of identifying parasites and incorporating heterogeneity in sampling effort across host species. To address these issues, there is a need for standardized methods to catalogue eukaryotic parasite diversity across broad phylogenetic host ranges. We demonstrate the feasibility of a metabarcoding approach for describing parasite communities by analysing faecal samples from 11 nonhuman primate species representing divergent lineages of the primate phylogeny and the full range of sampling effort (i.e. from no parasites reported in the literature to the best‐studied primates). We detected a number of parasite families and regardless of prior sampling effort, metabarcoding of only ten faecal samples identified parasite families previously undescribed in each host (x̅ = 8.5 new families per species). We found more overlap between parasite families detected with metabarcoding and published literature when more research effort—measured as the number of publications—had been conducted on the host species' parasites. More closely related primates and those from the same continent had more similar parasite communities, highlighting the biological relevance of sampling even a small number of hosts. Collectively, results demonstrate that metabarcoding methods are sensitive and powerful enough to standardize studies of eukaryotic parasite communities across host species, providing essential new tools for macroecological studies of parasitism.


The overall objective of this study was to assess the alternatives to land disposal for treatment and disposal of potentially hazardous wastes generated by the inorganic chemicals industry. The aim of this project was to identify promising resource recovery and detoxification oriented treatment techniques which are applicable to these wastes. This study provides: (1) Information on feasible alternatives to current inadequate disposal methods; (2) Data needed by industry in its effort to deal with increasing volumes of hazardous solid waste; (3) Information on RandD needs for treatment processes showing high potential for improved waste management. The technical effort was accomplished in three main tasks: Information gathering, consultation and process selection; Information analysis, costing and reporting; Comparison studies.


Compared with the general population, physicians are at increased risk for abuse of prescription opioids. This use can interfere with work function and has potential negative implications for patient safety. The case example in this brief communication describes an opioid‐dependent anaesthetist who, following 10 years of opioid abuse/dependency and a number of unsuccessful treatments, including oral naltrexone, and relapses, received a number of sequential naltrexone implants as part of his management. The case involved a close collaboration between the treating doctor, employer and the General Medical Council (GMC), with ongoing monitoring and follow‐up, a GMC requirement of return to medical employment. This case study is used to illustrate that by sequential implant treatment blood levels of naltrexone can be maintained at levels required for antagonism of opioid‐based drugs for significant periods of time. The GMC, employer and treating physician were able to monitor blood naltrexone levels, with the treating physician able to palpate the implant and thereby confirm that the previously opioid‐dependent physician had remained on treatment. The authors conclude that with implantable naltrexone, opioid abstinence can virtually be guaranteed. Naltrexone implants therefore offer a level of protection not achieved with any previous treatment.


The main aim of this paper is to analyze the yield (t/ha) and the production costs of white (polarized) sugar and sugar beet in the main European producer countries in order to identify main development trends. The partial objectives of this study are: to analyse the production costs (variable costs) of sugar and sugar beet of the main European producers (France, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, Czech Republic), to compare sugar beet yield of Tereos France and Tereos TTD a.s., to analyse sugar beet yield potential and their trends. The used methods are chain and basic indexes and regression analysis of time series/trend data - for predicting on next tree years. The main producers of sugar beet in the European Union (i.e. France, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, and Czech Republic) can not achieve goal of sugar yield 15t/ha while maintaining the amount of variable (direct) costs at 15 EUR/tone of sugar beet in the business year 2015/2016. Pieces of knowledge introduced in this paper resulted from solution of an institutional research intention MSM 6046070906 "Economics of resources of Czech agriculture and their efficient use in frame of multifunctional agri-food systems".


The aim of this article is to call attention to the need for a radical change in implementation strategies if the integrated Africa being envisaged (in the treaty) by the year 2034 is to emerge. The fact that this message is not new, that it has been the subject of numerous publications, debates and conferences, underscores its relevance since the desired objective is still not achieved. The recent attempt by African member-states at integration is, therefore, another opportunity for renewing the call for a radical change in attitudes and implementation tactics by the ruling elite. The article is presented in three sections. The first part outlines the role of borders and borderlands as seen from state-centric perspectives. The second section discusses integration and transborder cooperation attempts within the context of nationalistic perspectives. Nigerian experiences within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Lake Chad Basin Authority (LCBA) are given as specific examples. The third section takes on the central theme of the paper, the imperative for Border Region Development as an impetus for transborder cooperation and integration. The discussions are, although not exclusively, based on the Nigerian experience.


The present study examines whether the three clinical syndromes(psychomotor poverty,disorganisation, reality distortion) are associated with unique patterns of regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) in the cortex, as measured by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). rCBF was measured in relative terms with Tc99m-HmPAO and SPECT in 20 schizophrenic patients classified according to DSM-III-R. Ten normals served as controls. Current and past psychiatric functioning was assessed by using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale(BPRS) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Hypoperfusion was observed in right middle temporal (p<0.05), right superior temporal (p<0.001), left superior temporal (p<0.01) and left thalamus (p<0.05) areas of patients. We found a moderate negative association of tracer uptake in left superior temporal with psychomotor poverty(p<0.05).


Audience development is an emerging priority for many arts organizations. This paper explores the nature and purpose of audience development and considers the role of arts organizations in nuturing both new and existing audiences. Two styles of audience development are described, 'mainstream' focusing on existing arts attenders and 'missionary' focusing on traditional nonattenders. The authors have drawn on literature from relevant areas as a springboard for their ideas, given the lack of theory and empirical data in this discipline. 'Missionary' audience development projects appear to dominate in terms of resources and priorities. Whilst the focus on these audience constituencies is of value these groups are notoriously difficult and expensive to attract. This paper proposes that development initiatives should also focus on strengthening the franchise with existing arts audiences who may deliver higher levels of loyalty and have the dual benefits of being lower risk and less resource intensive. A map of audience typologies described by other academics is presented based on behavioural and attitudinal loyalty together with a map of audience development potential that identifies additional sub-groups. Using Rogers' integrated approach to audience development, functional and strategic responses for each group are then proposed. This discussion focuses on the arts, but is equally applicable to other areas of cultural tourism and leisure.


The influence of five different emulsifying salts on casein peptization (dissociation) and apparent viscosity of processed Gouda cheese was studied. Casein peptization was evaluated as peptization coefficient in the final product, while apparent viscosity was determined as flow behavior and consistency indices in the product during processing before cooling. Increasing moisture content and pH of processed cheese samples generally increases peptization coefficient, however the type of emulsifying salt showed to play an important role also. On the contrary, independently of the type of emulsifying salt, predictive regression models were suggested in order to express flow behavior index and consistency index versus chemical composition and pH. Increasing moisture content or reducing pH increases the flow behavior index. Consistency index, and thus the apparent viscosity, of processed cheese samples was increased when the moisture content was reduced, and when pH and the soluble casein content were increased.


Autobiographical narratives by doctors derive from several strains in recent popular culture that articulate tensions between the personal and the instrumental operating within medical culture as well. The new journalism of the sixties reinstated the first-person into a discourse that had idealized objectivity, but in doing so paradoxically refused personal engagement. Medical dramas on prime-time television personalize medicine, crystallizing the ambivalent, specular economy of the body that is the hallmark of the medical encounter. These seemingly opposed impulses are also written into the basic structures of medical education, a process of de-sensitization that has as one possible outcome a capacity, akin to Keats's "negative capability," to entertain simultaneously both genuine human emotions such as sympathy and the clinical detachment necessary to medical thinking. Rather than deny or pathologize this capacity, we need to understand it, foster it, and incorporate it explicitly into medical training.


Chapter 1

While targeting kinases in oncology research has been explored extensively, targeting protein phosphatases is currently in its infancy. However, a number of pharmaceutical companies are currently looking to expand their research efforts in this area. PP2A has been shown to down-regulate ERK5, a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) that has been shown to be important in driving the invasive phenotype of prostate cancer.

Fostriecin and its related structural analogues PD 113,270 and 113,271 have been shown to inhibit a mitotic entry checkpoint in cell growth through the potent and selective inhibition of protein phosphatases PP1, PP2A, and PP4 (IC50 of 45 μM, 1.5 nM, and 3 nM respectively). Fostriecin is one of the most selective protein phosphatase inhibitors disclosed to date with a 104 fold selectivity for PP2A/PP4 versus PP1. Unfortunately, fostriecin and its analogues are very unstable, and this instability has effectively prevented them from being used as effective therapeutic leads.

The microcystins and nodularins on the other hand, exhibit significant inhibitory activity against PP1 and PP2A (IC50 = 26 pM and 1.8 nM respectively), but their high toxicity has prevented any therapeutic application. Truncation of the ADDA chain from these polypeptides completely attenuates PP inhibitory activity. Simpler analogues incorporating the N-acylated ADDA chain and D-Ala retain moderate activity against PP1 and PP2A (IC50 = 1.0 μM and 0.17 μM respectively).

The generation of a new series of fostriecin analogues to further expand its structure-activity relationship is envisaged with a view to creating new more stable PP2A inhibitors. It was hoped that by incorporating some of the more stable structural features of ADDA into fostriecin that stability and activity could be reconciled. With that in mind a series of PP2A inhibitors were synthesised and biologically evaluated.

Chapter 2

GPCRs are an important area of research and are the targets of a quarter of the drugs on the market (2005). As a result, GPCRs continue to be at the forefront of research in both small and large drug companies. However one of the difficulties in studying this diverse class of membrane proteins is their tendency to denature in aqueous solution. As a result there is a pressing need to develop new detergents to solubilise, stabilise and crystallise GPCRs in their native form for further study.

Cholesterol analogues have been shown to be important for stabilising membrane proteins and preventing their thermal inactivation. In addition the β2-adrenergic receptor, a GPCR membrane protein, has been crystallised in the active state with two cholesterol molecules bound between the I, II, III and IV helices of the protein. This appears to represent a distinct cholesterol binding pocket on the membrane protein that is speculated to be conserved across up to 44% of the rhodopsin class of GPCRs.

CHOBIMALT is a cholesterol-based detergent that has been shown to exhibit promising GPCR-stabilising properties. When benchmarked against other cholesterol based detergents it was found to be superior to all others tested except for cholesteryl hemisuccinate.1 CHOBIMALT has an aggregation number of roughly 200 and forms 210 ± 30 kDa micelles, which are significantly larger than those of most detergents used for biological systems which is likely due to the packing constraints associated with CHOBMALT's large polar headgroup.2 As a result, CHOBIMALT is used mostly as an additive to other commercially available detergents in order to decrease micelle size.

A branched dimaltoside motif is common in recently synthesised detergents by Chae and co-workers. These detergents have shown promising detergent properties, for example the maltose neopentyl glycol (MNG) detergent synthesised by Chae. This branched dimaltoside detergent was shown to be able to solubilise and stabilise the very labile light harvesting complex I (LHI) from Rhodopsin capsulatus in its active form for 20 days with little loss of protein conformation.3

A cholesterol-based detergent was envisaged that combines the cholesterol framework of CHOBIMALT but replaces its linear tetrasaccharide with a branched dimaltoside. This detergent would then be investigated to assess its ability to solubilise, stabilise and crystallise GPCR proteins. This cholesterol-based detergent (shown below) was eventually synthesised in 9 linear steps from cholesterol.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of combining two newly developed web-based tools for the foreign language DDL classroom. One is a KWIC concordance tool, WebParaNews, and the other is a lexical profiling tool, the LagoWordProfiler. Both are freeware and are based on the same parallel corpus, ParaNews, which consists of newspaper texts in English along with their aligned translations in Japanese. Using the same syllabus to teach various types of noun phrases for ten weeks, only one tool was used with the 2013 group, and both of the two tools were used in combination with the 2014 group. In order to reconfirm the effectiveness of combining two tools, both of the two tools were also used in 2015 group. In each year the teaching effect was measured using a pre- and post-test, and students' feedback was collected using a 31-item questionnaire. Groups using both tools performed better than the single tool group on the gain between the pre- and post-test and gave more positive student feedback. This combined-resource approach using different types of information from two corpus tools may be more helpful for understanding the targeted grammar items than a more traditional single tool approach.


This volume showcases some of the most current and exciting research being done on Cambodian religious ideas and practices by a new generation of scholars from a variety of disciplines. The different contributors examine in some manner the relationship between religion and the ideas and institutions that have given shape to Cambodia as a social and political body, or nation. Although they do not share the same approach to the idea of "nation," all are concerned with the processes of religion that give meaning to social interaction, which in some way includes "Cambodian" identity. Chapters touch on such far-reaching theoretical issues as the relation to religion of Southeast Asian polity; the nature of colonial religious transformation; "syncretism" in Southeast Asian Buddhism; the relation of religious icon to national identity, religion, and gender; transnationalism and social movements; and identity among diaspora communities. While much has been published on Cambodia's recent civil war and the Pol Pot period and its aftermath, few English-language works are available on Cambodian religion. This book takes a major step in filling that gap, offering a broad overview of the subject that is relevant not only for the field of Cambodian studies, but also for students and scholars of Southeast Asian history, Buddhism, comparative religion, and anthropology.


Background The human embryo or foetus is susceptible to harmful effects of radiation, which include growth delay, malformations, impaired cognitive function, cancer and foetal demise. The purpose of this study is to describe pregnancy screening practices in radiation oncology, so that potential health effects may be avoided and areas of prevention may be identified. Methods An electronic survey was delivered to 6,304 members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. The survey subjects were radiation oncologists who are currently practicing in the world. Chi-square tests and a multiple logistic regression model were used to analyse the data. All tests were two-sided and the statistical significance level used was 0.05. This study (STUDY00009765) was approved by an Institutional Review Board. Results A total of 434 responses from practicing radiation oncologists were received. Of these respondents, 69.1% were practicing in the United States. Of all respondents, 19.8% reported treating paediatric patients and 93.6% reported treating premenopausal patients. Despite 84.8% of radiation oncologists saying they would 'strongly agree' or 'agree' that one should screen for pregnancy prior to radiation therapy, 29.7% of respondents reported their department has no screening policy and 7.1% of respondents reported they do not screen for pregnancy. Having a departmental policy was associated with screening for pregnancy (p-value = 0.0005). Of all respondents, 93 reported treating a known pregnant patient. Of these 93 respondents, 76 reported intentionally treating and 17 reported accidentally treating a pregnant patient. Respondents who did not screen at time of simulation were significantly more likely to treat a pregnant patient than those who screened at time of simulation (p-value = 0.0459). Conclusions Heterogeneity exists among practicing radiation oncologists regarding pregnancy screening. Institutional policies should be clear and consistent. All members of the radiation oncology team should make every effort to minimise unintended radiation exposure to the embryo or foetus.


Electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) in a degenerate closed transition was measured under the action of a probe and a coupling laser of various polarizations giving rise to different possible N-systems or multi-level systems. While the probe shows EIA the coupling is mainly characterized by "absorption within transparency". However, for certain lasers' intensity ranges, a switch between "absorption within transparency" and "transparency within transparency" in the coupling absorption spectra was measured for the first time.


In other parts of the world, previous workers have shown that sparry dolomite in carbonate rocks may be produced by the generation and movement of hot basinal brines in response to arid paleoclimates and tectonism, and that some of these brines served as the transport medium for metals fixed in Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) and sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) deposits of Zn, Pb, Ag, Au, or barite. Numerous occurrences of hydrothermal zebra dolomite (HZD), comprised of alternating layers of dark replacement and light void-filling sparry or saddle dolomite, are present in Paleozoic platform and slope carbonate rocks on the eastern side of the Great Basin physiographic province. Locally, it is associated with mineral deposits of barite, Ag-Pb-Zn, and Au. In this paper the spatial distribution of HZD occurrences, their stratigraphic position, morphological characteristics, textures and zoning, and chemical and stable isotopic compositions were determined to improve understanding of their age, origin, and relation to dolostone, ore deposits, and the tectonic evolution of the Great Basin. In northern and central Nevada, HZD is coeval and cogenetic with Late Devonian and Early Mississippian Sedex Au, Zn, and barite deposits and may be related to Late Ordovician Sedex barite deposits. In southern Nevada and southwest California, it is cogenetic with small MVT Ag-Pb-Zn deposits in rocks as young as Early Mississippian. Over Paleozoic time, the Great Basin was at equatorial paleolatitudes with episodes of arid paleoclimates. Several occurrences of HZD are crosscut by Mesozoic or Cenozoic intrusions, and some host younger pluton-related polymetallic replacement and Carlin-type gold deposits. The distribution of HZD in space (carbonate platform, margin, and slope) and stratigraphy (Late Neoproterozoic Ediacaran–Mississippian) roughly parallels that of dolostone and both are prevalent in Devonian strata. Stratabound HZD is best developed in Ediacaran and Cambrian units, whereas discordant HZD is proximal to high-angle structures at the carbonate platform margin, such as strike-slip and growth faults and dilational jogs. Fabric-selective replacement and dissolution features (e.g., collapse breccias, voids with geopetal textures) are common, with remaining void space lined with light-colored dolomite crystals that exhibit zoning under cathodoluminescence. Zoned crystals usually contain tiny ( ∼70 °C. The oxygen isotopic compositions of HZD are consistent with formation temperatures of 50–150 °C requiring brine circulation to depths of 2–5 km, or more. The few HZD occurrences with the highest concentrations of metals (especially Fe, Mn, and Zn) and the largest isotopic shifts are closely associated with Sedex or MVT deposits known to have formed from hotter brines (e.g., Th > 150–250 °C). These relationships permit that HZD formed at about the same time as dolostone, from brines produced by the evaporation of seawater during arid paleoclimates at equatorial paleolatitudes. Both dolostone and HZD may have formed as basinal brines, which migrated seaward from evaporative pans on the platform, with dolostone forming at low temperatures along shallow migration pathways through permeable limestones, and HZD forming at high temperatures along deeper migration pathways through basal aquifers and dilatant high-angle faults. The small MVT deposits were chemical traps where hot brines encountered rocks or fluids containing reduced sulfur. The abundant Sedex deposits mark sites where hot brine discharged at the seafloor in adjacent basins. Thus the distribution of HZD may map deep migration pathways and upflow zones between eastern shallow marine facies, where evaporative brine could have been generated, and western Sedex deposits, where heated brines discharged along faults into platform margin, slope, and basin facies. The small size and scarcity of Pb-Zn deposits and the abundance of barite deposits in the Great Basin suggests the brines were generally reduced, possibly due to reactions with carbonaceous rocks along deep migration pathways. While this scenario may have occurred at several times, the age and abundance of Sedex deposits suggest that such a hydrology was best developed in the Late Ordovician, Late Devonian, and Early Mississippian, possibly in response to episodes of extension and forebulge faults associated with the Antler orogeny. The improved understanding of HZD may aid future exploration for ore deposits in the Great Basin.


The replacement of injured heart tissues with the bioengineered cardiac tissues is expected as a possible therapeutic strategy for heart failure. Currently pluripotent stem cells are the most potent cell source for cardiac cells. However the risk of tumor formation due to the remaining undifferentiated stem cells in the bioengineered tissues remains resolved. We previously developed the scalable three-dimensional suspension bioreactor for human iPS cells and also the culture strategy for cardiac differentiation. Since some conditions including temperature, agitation rate, pH and dissolved oxygen concentration are continuously monitored and regulated in the bioreactor, it might be ideal to eliminate undifferentiated iPS cells in the process of cardiac differentiation with the optimization of these conditions. In the present study, we show that TRPV-1 activation through transient culture at 42 °C or with agonists is a simple and useful strategy to eliminate iPS cells from bioengineered cardiac cell sheet tissues. When feeder free human iPS cells were cultured at 42 °C, almost all cells disappeared by 48 hours through apoptosis. Furthermore when iPS cells were co-cultured with iPS cell-derived cardiac cells at 42 °C for 2 days, the number of Oct4 expressing iPS cells was significantly decreased. Conversely, in spite of cultivation at 42 °C, the number of iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts was maintained, and cardiac cell sheets were fabricated after reducing the temperature. TRPV-1 expression in iPS cells was upregulated at 42 °C, and the expression levels were significantly higher than that in cardiomyocytes, suggesting that iPS cells might be more sensitive to TRPV-1 activation than cardiomyocytes, which lead to eliminate iPS cells effectively without affecting cardiomyocyte viability. When cardiac cell sheets were cultured at 42 °C or with TRPV-1 agonist for 2 days, the expression of Lin28 and the number of Lin28 expressing cells were significantly decreased. Furthermore when 42 °C cultivation was applied to the later stage of cardiac differentiation in bioreactor, Lin28 expression was also significantly decreased. These findings suggest that the difference in tolerance to TRPV-1 activation between iPS cells and iPS cell-derived cardiac cells could be exploited to eliminate remaining iPS cells in bioengineered cell sheet tissues, which will further reduce the risk of tumour formation.


Experience in treating diaphysis fractures of the lower third of the thigh was analyzed in 82 patients. We have determined the indications for the use of methods of osteosynthesis of these fractures and the terms of implementation. The indications for surgery were closed and open fractures of the diaphysis fractures of the lower third of the femur. In closed cases, external osteosynthesis was performed using external extra-bone fixators, which were both the final and intermediate stages of treatment. For open fractures, operations were performed on a delayed basis using the Ilizarov apparatus in 5 (6%) cases. In 38 patients, osteosynthesis with fixation developed by us with a plate was performed, BIOS was performed in 8 patients and in 12 patients with AO plates, in 19 patients, various external fixators. The long-term results of treatment were studied in -66 (80.4%) patients: excellent in 27 (41%), good in 21 (32%), satisfactory in 17 (25.5%), 1 (1.5%) unsatisfactory.


The discipline of architecture depends on the transmission in space and time of accumulated experiences, concepts, rules, and models. From the invention of the alphabet to the development of ASCII code for electronic communication, the process of recording and transmitting this body of knowledge has reflected the dominant information technologies of each period. In this book Mario Carpo discusses the communications media used by Western architects, from classical antiquity to modern classicism, showing how each medium related to specific forms of architectural thinking. Carpo highlights the significance of the invention of movable type and mechanically reproduced images. He argues that Renaissance architectural theory, particularly the system of the five architectural orders, was consciously developed in response to the formats and potential of the new printed media. Carpo contrasts architecture in the age of printing with what preceded it: Vitruvian theory and the manuscript format, oral transmission in the Middle Ages, and the fifteenth-century transition from script to print. He also suggests that the basic principles of "typographic" architecture thrived in the Western world as long as print remained our main information technology. The shift from printed to digital representations, he points out, will again alter the course of architecture.


In many countries, the provision of hospital care is turning into an industry with the increasing presence of large corporate hospital chains. Along with public agencies and small private operators, corporations are now investing in the Indian hospital sector. Since the 1980s, health sector reforms and the liberalization policy in India have created new profit-making opportunities in the health care market for local and international corporations. A new pro-market regulatory environment has helped private corporations to invest in the hospital sector. While the demand for hospital care has increased in India, public and private hospital care providers failed to deliver not only in terms of volume (i.e. number of beds) but also in term of quality of care. With such an untapped market and a favourable regulatory environment, corporations see a tremendous growth potential in Indian hospital care. This paper documents the formation of corporate hospital chains in India, their increasing prominence in the delivery of hospital care, and central and state government's role in this transformation.


The trend of inequality in Ethiopia is not promising. The overall national consumption inequality, as measured by the Gini Coefficient, between 1999/00 and 2004/05 is increased from 0.28 to 0.30. The Gini coefficient (0.298) in 2010/11 is also almost similar to that of the 2004/05. Thus, addressing inequality in Ethiopia has been an important component of poverty reduction and hence better livelihood of the society. In turn, the task of addressing inequality would require understanding and analyzing the driving forces of the prevailed inequality in Ethiopia. This study is, therefore, aims to understanding the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, among others, that make inequality to persist overtime and analyzing the power of each characteristic to explain inequality. The study employed rural household survey questionnaire based on expenditure dataset of the 382 sample households from four study districts using a two stage random sampling method proportionate to size. OLS regression is used to analyze the driving forces of inequality. Results show that the Gini coefficient in north-eastern Ethiopia is estimated at 0.247, indicating the existence of consumption expenditure inequality among the sample rural households in the stated areas and this is to some extent lower as compared to the national level Gini coefficient of 0.274 for rural Ethiopia in 2010/11. Regarding the driving forces of inequality, most demographic, socioeconomic and institutional variables entered with expected signs and are significantly explain inequality among households. Policy makers and other concerned bodies therefore must concentrate on measures to enhance demographic, socioeconomic and institutional aspects of the households in favour of reducing inequalities.


In order to improve sustainability and design adequate management strategies in threatened tropical forests, integrated assessments of the use of ecosystem services are needed, combining biophysical, social, and economic approaches. In particular, no integrated ecosystem services (ES) assessment has been conducted in Central Africa, where rural communities deeply depend on forests in a high-poverty context. Here, we aimed to quantify the use of ES provided by tropical forests to local populations in the Dja area (Cameroon), identify its determinants and evaluate its sustainability. We conducted various interviews and field surveys with 133 households in three villages, focusing on three provisioning services (bushmeat, firewood, and timber), and five cultural services (cultural heritage, inspiration, spiritual experience, recreation, and education). Local populations consumed a mean of 56 kg of bushmeat/person/year (hunting zones covering on average 213 km2), 1.17 m3 of firewood/person/year (collection zones covering on average 4 km2), and 0.03 m3 of timber/person/year. Between 25% and 86% of respondents considered cultural services as important. The use of ES was mainly influenced by population size, deforestation rate, and forest allocations, whereas the influence of socio-demographic characteristics of households remained limited to slight differences between Baka and Bantu people. We conclude that the consumption of firewood and timber is sustainable, whereas high hunting pressure has resulted in severe defaunation in the area due to the large decline in the abundance and biomass of forest mammals hunted for bushmeat by local populations.


A number of algorithms have recently been developed to search files compressed with the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT) without the need for full decompression first. This allows the storage requirement of data to be reduced through the exceptionally good compression offered by BWT, while still allowing fast access to the information for searching. We provide a detailed description of five of these algorithms: CompressedDomain Boyer-Moore (Bell et al. 2002), Bina1y Search (Bell et al. 2002), Suffix Arrays (Sadakane & Imai 1999), q-grams (Adjeroh et al. 2002) and the FM-index (Ferragina & Manzini 2001), and also present results from a set of extensive experiments that were performed to evaluate and compare the algorithms. Furthermore, we introduce a technique to improve the search times of Binary Search, Suffix Arrays and q-grams by around 20%, as well as reduce the memory requirement of the latter two by 40% and 31%, respectively. Our results indicate that, while the compressed files of the FM-index are larger than those of the other approaches, it is able to perform searches with considerably less memory. Additionally, when only counting the occurrences of a pattern, or when locating the positions of a small number of matches, it is the fastest algorithm. For larger searches, q-grams provides the fastest results.


This Article argues that, contrary to the consensus of economists and many legal scholars, the norm of 'horizontal equity' in taxation has independent meaning as a default rule in favor of existing arrangements. Although it has long been said, and widely thought, that tax should be fair in its dealings with individuals who are situated similarly to one another, no one has been able to say convincingly just what that fairness comprises. As a result, the learned referees in the last major dispute over the significance of horizontal equity judged that fairness's critic had decidedly won the day. Since then, there have been ever more critics, but no cogent, comprehensive defense. My defense is both theoretical and practical. First, I argue that horizontal equity is a special aspect of the revenue function in taxation. Because it enshrines the status quo before enactment of a new tax law, horizontal equity can be reconceived as a commitment by the authors of tax legislation to honor the past and future policy choices of others, with whom they are jointly engaged in a project of deliberative democracy. Alternately, horizontal equity may be justified by welfare gains from a shared agreement to leave certain controversial questions of distributive justice undecided during the revenue-raising process. Both of these rationales leave open - indeed, they clear the air for - arguments about the ultimate ends law, and tax law in particular, should serve in society.


The Internet has potential to deliver information to Web users that have no other way of getting to those resources. However, information on the Web is scattered without any proper semantics for classifying them and thus this makes information discovery difficult. Thus, to ease the querying of this huge bin of information, developers have built tools amongst which are the search engines and Web directories. However, for these tools to give optimal results, two factors need to be given due importance: the users' ability to use these tools and the bandwidth that is present in these environments. Unfortunately, after an initial study, none of these two factors were present in Mauritius where low bandwidth prevails. Hence, this study helps us get a better idea of how users use the search tools. To achieve this, we designed a survey where Web users were asked about their skills in using search tools. Then, a jump page using the search boxes of different search engines was developed to provide directed guidance for effective searching in low bandwidth environments. We then conducted a further evaluation, using a sample of users to see if there were any changes in the way users access the search tools. The results from this study were then examined. We noticed that the users were initially unaware about the specificities of the different search tools thus preventing efficient use. However, during the survey, they were educated on how to use those tools and this was fruitful when a further evaluation was performed. Hence the efficient use of the search tools helped in reducing the traffic flow in low bandwidth environments. ii Un ive rsi ty of Ca pe To wn


In the twenty-first century, significant changes are occurring related to new scientific dis - coveries, informatization, globalization, the development of astronautics, robotics, and artificial intelligence. This century is called the age of digital technologies and knowl - edge. How is the school changing in the new century? How does learning theory change? Currently, you can hear a lot of criticism that the classroom has not changed significantly compared to the last century or even like two centuries ago. Do the teachers succeed in modern changes? The purpose of the chapter is to summarize the current changes in didac - tics for the use of innovative teaching methods and study the understanding of changes by teachers. In this chapter, we consider four areas: the expansion of the subject of pedagogy, environmental approach to teaching, the digital generation and the changes taking place, and innovation in teaching. The theory of education, figuratively speaking, has two levels. At the macro-level, in the "education-society" relationship, decentralization and diver -sification, internationalization of education, and the introduction of digital technologies occur. At the micro-level in the "teacher-learner" relationship, there is an active mix of traditional and innovative methods, combination of an activity approach with an energy- informational environment approach, cognition with constructivism


The IDB Behavioral Economics Group is an interdepartmental working group on behavioral economics. For nearly a decade, armed with the tools and insights offered by psychology and economics, the IDB has been partnering with local and national governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to promote knowledge related to individual and collective decision-making in the region. Through this work, we hope to serve our countries better and continue improving peoples' lives.


The paper aims at demonstrating the feasibility of an execution platform that is capable of performing protection and control functions from various vendors in a controlled manner. This will reduce vendor dependency enabling utilities to standardize hardware while implementing complex protection schemes from multiple vendors at reduced cost. The paper develops protection system including earth, differential and overcurrent protection functions from different vendors integrated in one hardware using IEC 61499 open reference architecture. IEC 61499 enables efficient and flexible design and implementation of the distributed automation systems. Selected substation is modelled in Matlab Simulink. Developed protection scheme is performed by programmable automation controller (PAC) and validated by connecting it to the simulation model of the substation. The protection scheme satisfied all functional requirements. At present, authors are working on validating its timing properties.


Using Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) in situ data we identify and describe an interplanetary magnetic cloud (MC) observed near Earth on 13 April 2006. We also use multi-instrument and multi-wavelength observations from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) and ground-based solar observatories to determine the solar source of this magnetic cloud. A launch window for the MC between 9 and 11 April 2006 was estimated from the propagation time of the ejecta observed near Earth. A number of large active regions (ARs) were present on the Sun during this period, which were initially considered to be the most likely candidate source regions of the MC. However, it was determined that the solar source of the MC was a small, spotless active region observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Following an eruption from this region on 11 April 2006, the ACE spacecraft detected, 59 h later, the passage of the MC, preceded by the arrival of a weak, forward fast shock. The link between the eruption in this active region and the interplanetary MC is supported by several pieces of evidence, including the location of the solar source near to the disk centre and to the east of the central meridian (in agreement with the spacecraft trajectory through the western leg of the magnetic cloud), the propagation time of the ejecta, the agreement between the amount of flux in the magnetic cloud and in the active region, and the agreement between the signs of helicity of the magnetic cloud and the active region (which differs from the sign of helicity of each of the other active regions on the Sun at this time). In addition, the active region is located on the boundary of a coronal hole, and a high speed solar wind stream originating from this region is observed near Earth shortly after the passage of the magnetic cloud.


- This search aims to study the effects of (SSSC)"static synchronous series compensator– one of the FACTS devices" – on reducing the power losses and improving voltage profile of Iraqi national grid system. Proposed particle swarm optimization ("PSO") to determine the optimum location of "SSSC" devices based objective function that depends on the power and voltage as fitness. The proposed algorithm is checked on the IEEE- 9bus. Then is applied on the Iraqi national grid. The results show the ability of the proposed method to determine the optimum location of static synchronous series compensator (SSSc) that reduced losses of active power and improve the bus "voltage profile". The proposed algorithms are implemented by using MATLAB package version 7.10


We show that it is consistent with ZFC (relative to large cardinals) that every infinite Boolean algebra B has an irredundant subset A such that 2^{|A|} = 2^{|B|}. This implies in particular that B has 2^{|B|} subalgebras. We also discuss some more general problems about subalgebras and free subsets of an algebra. The result on the number of subalgebras in a Boolean algebra solves a question of Monk. The paper is intended to be accessible as far as possible to a general audience, in particular we have confined the more technical material to a ``black box'' at the end. The proof involves a variation on Foreman and Woodin's model in which GCH fails everywhere.


This thesis covers some aspects of current aircraft design, and presents how experiment and simulation are used as tools. Together they give enhanced effects over employing either one separately. The work presented has been produced using both simulations and experiments. An overview of aircraft design tools is presented, together with a description of their application in research. Participation in two major design projects, HELIX and the Rescue wing, gave an opportunity to combine traditional experimental and computational tools. They also serve as a platform for developing two new tools, the vortex lattice program Tornado and the DoTrack camera based wind tunnel measurement system. The HELIX project aimed at exploring new, unconventional high-lift systems, such as blown flaps, flaperons and active vortex generators. The concepts were investigated with an array of conceptual design tools, ranging from handbook methods to high Reynold's number wind tunnels. The research was done in several stages. After each stage the concepts failing to reach specifications were discontinued. The active vortex generator concept is followed in detail from the first phase in the HELIX project, and was finally evaluated by full computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing. The lessons learned in HELIX were applied to the Rescue wing project, where a kite balloon system for emergency localization was developed. The project is truly multidisciplinary, and both experiment and simulation had to be used in close conjunction. Lack of appropriate methods for measurement and analysis of this kind of device meant that new methods had to be developed. Recent experience of academia working closely together with industry has shown substantial benefits to all parties involved. The synergy of computer modeling and simulation with experiment plays an important role in the common collaborative modus operandi of academia and industry. In particular, the later stages of aeronautic educational programmes should actively pursue such collaboration.


The analysis evaluates the potential and methods of the respective assessment of beech trees, beech logs and sawn timber. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of the quality of the incoming raw material (tree) on the quality and quantity of products – obtained at the sawmill. The study presents a model that indicates the relations between the assessment of the quality of a standing beech tree and the quality of the sawmill products obtained from its wood. In addition, relations between individual quality classes of sawlogs, pulpwood, energy wood and sawn timber are shown. Standing trees were assessed in three sites according to the national 5-grade quality scale, assortments produced from selected trees pursuant to the EN 1316-1 standard, and sawn timber produced from assortments according to the rules of the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS). In total, 87.04 m of timber was harvested. In higher quality trees (quality 1 and 2), the shares of sawlogs were between 53% and 72% of gross tree volume, but in the poorest quality trees, the shares were only between 23% and 36%. What remained was pulp and energy wood. In trees of excellent quality (quality 1), sawlogs of the highest quality prevailed (A and B quality grade), while sawlogs of C and B quality prevailed in trees of lower quality. Covered knots and heart defects were typically the decisive criteria for classifying sawlogs quality in all three sites. A total of 30,786 m of unedged timber was sawn from the sawlogs, which comprised 35% of the total gross quantity of trees on average. Nine percent of the sawn timber was classified into the A–EOS class (top quality), 27% into the B–EOS class and 47% into the C–EOS class. Seventeen percent of the timber was only suitable for post-processing. The crucial criteria for classifying sawn timber were as follows: dead and rotten knots, heart, curvature and cracks. Above-average sawlogs (A and B quality grade) was mainly obtained from trees of better quality. Relations between the quality of trees, sawlogs and sawn timber indicated the suitability of classifying standing trees and sawlogs, since it was possible to produce sawn timber of higher quality from quality trees or logs. The model presents a rare attempt to establish and monitor quality and quantity from standing tree to end product.


This paper presents a processing method for multi-baseline interferometric data acquired with the MEMPHIS airborne sensor. The processing method ingests the SAR raw data from each receiver and extends up to the generation of digital elevation models (DEMs). Critical steps include the correction of the azimuth phase undulations, the multi-baseline processing and the phase-to-DEM conversion. Methods for resolving the various hurdles were adapted to the MEMPHIS sensor and are presented here. The results obtained for a data take over a test site near Zurich, Switzerland are shown; these results are in a good agreement with comparable LIDAR products.


Although sentiment analysis has attracted a lot of research, little work has been done on social media data compared to product and movie reviews. This is due to the low accuracy that results from the more informal writing seen in social media data. Currently, most of sentiment analysis tools on social media choose the lexicon-based approach instead of the machine learning approach because the latter requires the huge challenge of obtaining enough human-labeled training data for extremely large-scale and diverse social opinion data. The lexicon-based approach requires a sentiment dictionary to determine opinion polarity. This dictionary can also provide useful features for any supervised learning method of the machine learning approach. However, many benchmark sentiment dictionaries do not cover the many informal and spoken words used in social media. In addition, they are not able to update frequently to include newly generated words online. In this paper, we present an automatic sentiment dictionary generation method, called Constrained Symmetric Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (CSNMF) algorithm, to assign polarity scores to each word in the dictionary, on a large social media corpus — digg.com. Moreover, we will demonstrate our study of Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) on social media word polarity, using both the human-labeled dictionaries from AMT and the General Inquirer Lexicon to compare our generated dictionary with. In our experiment, we show that combining links from both WordNet and the corpus to generate sentiment dictionaries does outperform using only one of them, and the words with higher sentiment scores yield better precision. Finally, we conducted a lexicon-based sentiment analysis on human-labeled social comments using our generated sentiment dictionary to show the effectiveness of our method.


The Forgiveness Project (TFP) is a UK based charity that uses real stories to explore how ideas around forgiveness, reconciliation and conflict resolution can have a positive impact on people's lives. One aspect of the charity's work is a programme run within prisons, targeted at the early stages of a sentence. TFP describe their prison programme as an intensive, group based intervention that encourages prisoners to explore concepts of forgiveness and reparation in a framework that fosters greater accountability and responsibility. Every course is co-facilitated by at least one ex-offender and a victim/survivor of serious crime. The intervention can be seen as being restorative and preparatory; those who take part in the programme will tend to be relatively early on in their sentence. TFP centres on the personal testimonies of both victims and perpetrators of crime and violence. TFP is unlike many other restorative initiatives in that it has no political or religious affiliation and TFP's prison programme is similarly secular in its approach. TFP aims to facilitate changes in attitude and thinking styles of offenders. That is, to encourage prisoners and young offenders in finding their own pathways to change. In finding those pathways, they may draw on many different resources and insights. These could include personal, communal, spiritual or religious beliefs that they may have, whether or not they have previously seen those beliefs as relevant to their offending behaviours. TFP run programmes via both education and psychology units. The emphasis on individual change is also intended to differentiate TFP from prison or National Offenders Management Service interventions. This person centred, facilitative but non prescriptive approach was adopted with the intention that prisoners and young offenders would be more responsive to the intervention than they may be to other, more standardised, manual based programmes. This report of a research study by Dr Joanna Adler and Mansoor Mir of Forensic Psychological Services at Middlesex University into the effectiveness of TFP presents quantitative and qualitative findings, and concludes overall that TFP is well received by prisoners and staff, potentially has an impact on recidivism and does well to stimulate insight and bring about change. The report ends with some recommendations to increase capacity and sustainability.


Letter from Ellen Lawson Dabbs to John Patterson Osterhout about her daughter, Junia. She told him how she found the name and that she named her daughter that because she could convince no one else to use that name for their child. She ended her letter by writing that she had gone to Austin, Texas because she was interested in the Girl's Industrial School. Included is an envelope addressed to "Judge J. P. Osterhout."


Background
Goal setting is accepted 'best practice' in stroke rehabilitation however, there is no consensus about what the key components of goal setting interventions are, how they should be optimally delivered in practice and how best to involve stroke survivors in the process. This PhD by publication describes the development and initial evaluation of a theory-based goal setting and action planning framework (G-AP) to guide goal setting practice in community based stroke rehabilitation settings.
Included studies
The Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions guided the development and conduct of a programme of research which included the following studies:
(i) a review of the literature to identify theories of behaviour change with most potential to inform goal setting practice (Paper 1)
(ii) a causal modelling exercise to map identified theoretical constructs onto a goal setting process and convening of a multi-disciplinary task group to develop the theoretical process into a Goal setting and Action Planning (G-AP) practice framework (Paper 2)
(iii) a process evaluation of the G-AP framework in one community rehabilitation team (Paper 3)
(iv) a United Kingdom (UK) wide survey to investigate the nature of services providing community based stroke rehabilitation across the UK and what goal setting practice is in these settings in order to understand the context into which an evaluation of the G-AP framework could be introduced (Paper 4)
Main Findings
The review of the literature identified three theories of behaviour change that offered most potential to inform goal setting practice: Social Cognitive Theory, Health Action Process Approach and Goal Setting Theory. These theories contained constructs directly relevant to the goal setting practice: self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, goal attributes, action planning, coping planning and appraisal and feedback. The causal modelling and Task group exercise:

(i) Informed development of the G-AP framework into a four stage, cyclical process that included (i) goal negotiation and setting (ii) planning and measuring confidence (iii) action and (iv) appraisal, feedback and decision making.
(ii) Proposed mechanisms of action: successful completion of action plans resulting in incremental improvements in goal sub-skills and self-efficacy.
(iii) Predicted outcomes G-AP was likely to impact on: goal attainment and improved rehabilitation outcomes.

The process evaluation suggested that each stage of the G-AP framework had a distinct purpose and made a useful contribution to the overall process. Overall, G-AP was acceptable and feasible to use but implementation of novel aspects of the framework (coping planning and measuring confidence) was inconsistent and health professionals had concerns about the potential impact of unmet goals on patients' wellbeing. Patient reports suggested that (i) the experience of goal non-attainment could facilitate adjustment to limitations resulting from stroke and (ii) feeling involved in the goal setting process can incorporate both patient-led and professional-led approaches.

The survey findings highlighted the variability that exists in community based stroke rehabilitation services in the UK (e.g. the patients they see; the input they provide). Goal setting is reportedly used with all or most stroke survivors in these services; however, practice is variable and may be sub-optimal.

Conclusions
G-AP is the first practice framework which has been explicitly developed to guide health professionals through a systematic, theoretically based and patient centred goal setting process in community based stroke rehabilitation. G-AP is a cyclical process that that has four key stages, proposed mechanisms of action and has shown promise as an acceptable, feasible and effective framework to guide goal setting practice. The complexity that exists within community based stroke rehabilitation services, and the variability in usual goal setting practice used within them, should be considered when designing a study to evaluate the effectiveness of G-AP in routine practice.


The City & County of Broomfield wastewater treatment plant secondary treatment processes were upgraded to a new biological nutrient removal process described as Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) back in 2003 using a moving bed plastic carrier element to help grow the biomass. This allows the existing aerobic reactors to maintain nitrification during year round operation while still operating near conventional activated sludge solids retention times (SRT) one would find in just carbonaceous treatment plants. The upgraded IFAS system includes anaerobic and anoxic reactors to help meet new effluent Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus limits. The performance of the entire system since July 2003 averaged effluent concentrations of 2.4 mg/L for BOD, 4.2 mg/L for TSS, 0.3 mg/L for NH3-N, 8.3 mg/L for NOx-N and 1.25 mg/L for TP while operationally during this period of time the aerobic suspended MLSS SRT averaged 4 days, the MLSS concentration averaged 1,718 mg/L and the SVI averaged 120 mL/L. The plant has operated with one set point for both the RAS and WAS rates for months at a time while meeting these very consistent effluent results.


This article addresses the inherent bias in Brazilian telenovelas' representations of homosexual love. Medium- and genre-specific biases such as the visuality of telenovelas are powerful limiting agents of representation. However, technological determinism must be expanded to read culture itself as deterministic to properly account for particular biases in the medium's use in different national contexts. The key issue is a struggle for a "monopoly of knowledge" over discourses that deem homosexuality as "acceptable," and one that views it as "unacceptable" and strange. This article examines three recent gay and lesbian progressive storylines in TV Globo telenovelas that fell short in one important aspect: the characters were not allowed to kiss.


The quest for the materials genome— the properties of a material that define its functional properties—has started. This signifies a transition to a new era of materials research where large amounts of materials data become available. The expectation is that this will significantly speed up the discovery of new materials. This is particularly true in the area of catalytic materials, where there is an urgent need for new catalysts and processes to enable the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals.


This action research study explored attitudes and expectations of faculty at a Midwestern university who taught at least one fully online course during 2014. The study focused on instructor perceptions toward and experiences with web-based instruction, particularly in the critical areas of assessment and feedback; course organization; interaction with students; course flexibility; and overall communication. Findings were then compared to student responses from the authors' previous study. A mixed-methods electronic survey blended a quantitative component in the form of 21 fixed response items with a qualitative element accomplished through two narrative response questions where content analysis was used to compress many words of text into content categories based on explicit rules of coding. A total of 134 faculty members participated, and findings revealed that instructors are becoming more deliberate about their actions as they seek to develop "teaching presence" that extends beyond the managerial and technical aspects of their interactions with students. There was growing agreement between faculty and student expectations, with room for further improvement, as both faculty and students adjust to this new delivery system and the need for clarity, timeliness, and course designs that integrate the best of technological possibilities with the preferred "human" qualities of the traditional classroom.


Lakes Baikal and Balkhash are two of the world's major lakes affecting fresh water supplies in their catchments. Measurements from satellite altimetry (TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and -2), satellite gravimetry (GRACE) and a hydrological model (LDAS) are used to see the relationship between lake level change (LLC) and water storage change in these two lakes. At Lake Baikal, the average rate of LLC is negative for 1992 1998 and positive for 1998 2007, and the reversal of the LLC trend concurs with that of the temperature trend during the 1997 1998 El Niño. The rate of gravity change ranges from -0.5 to 0.5 μgal yr-1 with a low over the Tian Shan and a high over western Lake Baikal. Due to the climates over the two lakes, the phases of the annual gravity changes differ by up to 100 days. Using the rates of LLC and gravity changes, the ratios between the mass changes of the lake and its catchment over Lakes Baikal and Balkhash are estimated to 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. The result may help to establish water balance models over these two lakes.


Urban mobility is highly dependent on private vehicles causing pollution, traffic congestion and traffic accidents. The tram has become one of the most relevant public transport modes in those cities which need to reduce the private vehicle dependency. However, the implementation of this kind of infrastructure must be done carefully to avoid unsuccessful route designs which make the system unfeasible to operate. With the aim of analysing the impact that a tram can cause in a city, an original methodology has been developed, which takes into account the effect of the new transport system implementation on three subimpacts: traffic, public bus and outskirts neighbourhoods. This methodology uses different data sources from urban traffic, environmental and energy systems. The methodology has been applied to the city of Zaragoza (Spain) with a current population of around 700,000 inhabitants. The main results found were that tram line 1 saves 6% of the annual final energy consumption of urban mobility, urban traffic has decreased by 7.7% in the city as a whole and by 39.7% for streets close to the tramway.


Several evidences suggest that NK cells can patrol the body and eliminate tumors in their initial phases but may hardly control established solid tumors. Multiple factors, including the transition of tumor cells towards a proinvasive/prometastatic phenotype, the immunosuppressive effect of the tumor microenvironment, and the tumor structure complexity, may account for limited NK cell efficacy. Several putative mechanisms of NK cell suppression have been defined in these last years; conversely, the cross talk between NK cells and tumor cells undergoing different transitional phases remains poorly explored. Nevertheless, recent in vitro studies and immunohistochemical analyses on tumor biopsies suggest that NK cells could not only kill tumor cells but also influence their evolution. Indeed, NK cells may induce tumor cells to change the expression of HLA-I, PD-L1, or NKG2D-L and modulate their susceptibility to the immune response. Moreover, NK cells may be preferentially located in the borders of tumor masses, where, indeed, tumor cells can undergo Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) acquiring prometastatic phenotype. Finally, the recently highlighted role of HMGB1 both in EMT and in amplifying the recruitment of NK cells provides further hints on a possible effect of NK cells on tumor progression and fosters new studies on this issue.


Instruction memoization is a promising technique to reduce the power consumption and increase the performance of future low-end/mobile multimedia systems. Power and performance efficiency can be improved by reusing instances of an already executed operation. Unfortunately, this technique may not always be worth the effort due to the power consumption and area impact of the tables required to leverage an adequate level of reuse. In this paper, we introduce and evaluate a novel way of understanding multimedia floating-point operations based on the fuzzy computation paradigm: performance and power consumption can be improved at the cost of small precision losses in computation. By exploiting this implicit characteristic of multimedia applications, we propose a new technique called tolerant memoization. This technique expands the capabilities of classic memoization by associating entries with similar inputs to the same output. We evaluate this new technique by measuring the effect of tolerant memoization for floating-point operations in a low-power multimedia processor and discuss the trade-offs between performance and quality of the media outputs. We report energy improvements of 12 percent for a set of key multimedia applications with small LUT of 6 Kbytes, compared to 3 percent obtained using previously proposed techniques.


We describe Global Atmosphere 3.0 (GA3.0): a configuration of the Met Office Unified Model (MetUM) developed for use across climate research and weather prediction activities. GA3.0 has been formulated by converging the development paths of the Met Office's weather and climate global atmospheric model components such that wherever possible, atmospheric processes are modelled or parametrized seamlessly across spatial resolutions and timescales. This unified development process will provide the Met Office and its collaborators with regular releases of a configuration that has been evaluated, and can hence be applied, over a variety of modelling r égimes. We also describe Global Land 3.0 (GL3.0): a configuration of the JULES community land surface model developed for use with GA3.0. This paper provides a comprehensive technical and scientific description of the GA3.0 and GL3.0 (and related GA3.1 and GL3.1) configurations and presents the results of some initial evaluations of their performance in various applications. It is to be the first in a series of papers describing each subsequent Global Atmosphere release; this will provide a single source of reference for established users and developers as well as researchers requiring access to a current, but trusted, global MetUM setup.