Objective: This study investigated on the incidence of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus adhesion onto maxillary obturator prostheses with soft lining materials placed by prosthodontists. Material and Methods: Between years 2013 and 2014, patients with maxillary defects due to maxillary tumor surgery and acquired obturator prostheses (n = 21, study group) were clinically evaluated and microbiological outcomes were compared with complete maxillary denture wearers (n = 21, control group). Data were collected on demographic features, histological type of cancer, presence of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, identification of soft lining materials used on obturator prostheses, cleansing methods practiced for obturator and maxillary complete prostheses. The presence of Candida albicans was determined on soft lining materials or polymethylmethacrylate surfaces and in the oral cavity, and Staphylococcus aureus in nasal mucosa and saliva. Data were analyzed using Kruskal Wallis, Fisher-Freeman-Halton tests (p < 0.05). Results: The highest amount of Candida albicans was found on surfaces of prostheses, in the saliva and on maxillary defects on the hard palate and on definitive soft lining material with 90%, 90%, and 70%, respectively. The highest amount of Staphylococcus aureus was observed in the saliva and nasal cavity in the definitive soft lining material group (50%). Conclusion: Short renewal period of lining materials may cause less Candida albicans colonisation and denture stomatitis in the oral cavity. Patients who have undergone maxillectomy were more prone to Staphylococcus aureus colonisation. Keywords Candida albicans; Denture liners; Maxillary prosthesis; Palatal obturators; Staphylococcus aureus.


Strong imprints of Indian culture in various forms or modes of expressions are significantly found in Java. Sanskrit-Old Javanese texts, amongst those texts and traditions, were produced in the island in the periods between 9th to 15th cen. A.D. It covers various genres and subjects enriching indigenous culture in the archipelago. Tutur or tattva texts were one genre of them recorded the dynamic of Javanese intellectuals or poet-sages in pursuing the truth; they reveal metaphysical or theological aspects of Brahmanism, Saivism, Buddhism, Tantrism, Samkhya, Yoga, etc. This paper attempts to study ideas behind the Hindi transliteration and translation of those texts. This is a library reserach, the data were collected from Hindi translation of those texts. This attempt is of high scientific and cultural values as Indian scholars paid attention to Indian culture spreading in foreign lands. With this attempt Indian intellectuals/scholars/students got acquainted with their own culture flourished outside India in different forms, since the works were written and produced in Devanagari script and Hindi language. It creates nuances of being Indian. It can widen their understanding on philosophical point of view, religious elements, and culture of Java, that unity in diversity does not only exist in native land but also abroad.


A bacterial ion pump rescues visual function in damaged cone-photoreceptor cells in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa. Retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that can result from a wide variety of genetic defects, causes degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the retina and leads to blindness. In the course of the disease, it is generally the rod photoreceptor cells that degenerate first. Cone photoreceptor cells may persist, but in a damaged and nonfunctional state. Busskamp et al. (see the Perspective by Cepko) have now applied a gene therapy approach to mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa. Inducing expression of a bacterial light-activated ion pump, halorhodopsin, in the damaged cone cells improved visual responses in the diseased mouse retinas. Thus, it may be possible to rescue cone photoreceptors therapeutically, even after they have already been damaged. V. Busskamp, J. Duebel, D. Balya, M. Fradot, T. J. Viney, S. Siegert, A. C. Groner, E. Cabuy, V. Forster, M. Seeliger, M. Biel, P. Humphries, M. Paques, S. Mohand-Said, D. Trono, K. Deisseroth, J. A. Sahel, S. Picaud, B. Roska, Genetic reactivation of cone photoreceptors restores visual responses in retinitis pigmentosa. Science 329, 413–417 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text] C. Cepko, Seeing the light of day. Science 329, 403–404 (2010). [Summary] [Full Text]


Background: Individuals with acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) can lose precision of articulatory movements, including the ability to achieve correct production of specific sounds or sound sequences. Novel treatment approaches should be explored to enhance treatment outcomes. Aims: To evaluate the clinical feasibility of ultrasound visual feedback of the tongue for addressing errors on rhotics in a patient with AOS. Ultrasound visual feedback was used to provide knowledge of performance to the participant. Methods & Procedures: A multiple baseline single case report is presented to evaluate a treatment programme that uses visual feedback of the participant's tongue from real-time ultrasound images. A blocked practice schedule was implemented during 12 one-hour therapy sessions; 30 minutes involved ultrasound visual feedback (10 minutes of pre-practice and 20 minutes of practice) and 20 minutes involved non-ultrasound practice. Cues were provided to modify tongue shape to achieve perceptually accurate production of rhotics, along with practice trials with increasing levels of phonetic complexity. The feedback type (verbal knowledge of performance and knowledge of results) and feedback frequency (number of trials with feedback) were structured to adhere to principles of motor learning. Outcomes & Results: The participant demonstrated moderate evidence of acquisition of prevocalic rhotics and strong evidence of acquisition of postvocalic rhotics during treatment. There was evidence of retention and generalisation only for postvocalic rhotics. An untreated context was probed regularly and showed no evidence of improvement. Conclusion: The results provide preliminary support for the feasibility of this treatment approach for improving speech accuracy in adults with acquired AOS. The improvements in stimulability for the treated sound sequences could be used to foster further motor learning.


The accession of ten new member states in May 2004 expanded the borders of the European Union (EU). In anticipation of this expansion, the EU developed a more structured and institutionalized relationship with neighboring states that do not have immediate prospects for membership. First expressed in 2003 in a proposal for a Wider Europe Neighborhood Policy, this policy was more formally advanced in 2004 with the proclamation of a European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). The ENP expressed a number of objectives, the overall thrust of which was to enhance security on the EU borders as well as providing a means for political, economic, security, and cultural cooperation. The ENP is designed to cover sixteen countries, twelve of which to date have been the subject of ENP activity. (1) Seven--Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and Morocco--had longstanding ties to the EU through the Barcelona Process but are disqualified for eventual membership in the EU on geographic grounds. Three--Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan--could argue that they possess some European credentials, but at present the prospect of membership is not seriously discussed. The two remaining countries presently in the ENP--Moldova and Ukraine--have expressed interest in joining the EU, border on EU members (none of the other ENP countries share a land border with the EU), and would appear without question to meet the geographic requirements of membership specified in Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union. Thus, for these two countries, the ENP is a bit of a disappointment, as it separates them from EU aspirant countries in the Western Balkans and groups them with countries which have no prospects for membership. Indeed, the very term "Neighborhood" is objectionable to many Ukrainians because it implies that Ukraine lies outside Europe. This paper will focus on EU relations with Ukraine, where the country's leadership has for over a decade made much of the country's "European choice." Despite this rhetoric, however, membership in the EU was never put on the table, in large measure due to the country's economic woes and creeping authoritarian leadership under former President Leonid Kuchma, as well as fear of complicating relations with Russia. One observer, citing the country's aspirations to join the West, noted that its lofty foreign policy rhetoric mixed with its corrupt domestic political life like "oil and water" (Garnett 1999; see also Molchanov 2004). Indeed, despite the EU efforts to foster democratization and growth of "common values" with Ukraine, under Kuchma the country made little progress toward democracy. In this respect, in 2003 the ENP represented a reasonable choice for the EU, as it was a policy that recognized Ukraine's ostensible desire for closer ties with Europe while at the same time offering nothing concrete in terms of membership. Indeed, given fears that EU expansion to the East would create a "velvet" or "paper" curtain along Ukraine's western border, the ENP seemed a wise move to assuage the concerns of Kyiv. While one could perhaps argue that in 2003-2004 the ENP was the best Ukraine could hope for, expectations changed dramatically as a result of the "Orange Revolution" and the inauguration in January 2005 of pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko as Ukraine's new President. The EU played an active role as a mediator during the standoff between Yushchenko and his supporters and the "Party of Power" headed by Viktor Yanukovych. Yushchenko, in turn, declared that the revolution is proof of Ukraine's European credentials and that his goal is membership is membership in the EU. While Ukraine has found supporters in some European capitals and in the European Parliament, (2) and among Europeans is viewed as a more attractive candidate for membership than Turkey, (3) the EU has refused to open the door to membership in Ukraine. In the immediate wake of the Orange Revolution in February 2005 the EU put forward a new Action Plan under the aegis of the ENP. …


Notch proteins drive hepatic glucose production in a FoxO1-dependent manner. Given the association between insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, a better understanding of the mechanism(s) by which insulin resistance occurs would help in the development of relevant therapeutics. Members of the Forkhead box–containing (FoxO) family of transcription factors mediate the effects of insulin by stimulating the production of enzymes that generate glucose in the liver. Proteins of the Notch family, which are involved in cell-fate decisions, are cell-surface receptors that activate the transcription factor Rbp-Jκ, which leads to the expression of Notch target genes. Noting that Rbp-Jκ and FoxO1 interact during cellular differentiation, Pajvani et al. studied metabolic function in hepatocytes from mice that were haploinsufficient in both Foxo1 and Notch1. These mice on various diets had lower concentrations of serum glucose and insulin than did wild-type (WT) and Foxo1+/– mice, indicating that they had greater insulin sensitivity. Mice deficient in Rbpj (which encodes Rbp-Jκ) in the liver exhibited lower serum insulin concentrations and greater glucose tolerance when on a high-fat diet than did control mice. The expression of constitutively active Notch1 (N1-IC) in mouse hepatocytes that expressed constitutively active Foxo1 (Foxo1-ADA) increased the production of glucose-6-phosphatase (encoded by G6pc) relative to that in cells expressing Foxo1-ADA alone, which led to increased glucose release into the culture medium. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies showed that Rbp-Jκ bound to the G6pc promoter. Mice with N1-IC expressed in the liver had increased serum glucose and insulin concentrations compared with those in control mice. Finally, treatment of mice with an inhibitor of γ-secretase, which prevents Notch1 activation, resulted in reduced G6pc expression, reduced serum glucose concentrations, and increased glucose tolerance compared with those in control mice. Together, these data suggest that Notch functions in metabolism and that its inhibition might be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. U. B. Pajvani, C. J. Shawber, V. T. Samuel, A. L. Birkenfeld, G. I. Shulman, J. Kitajewski, D. Accili, Inhibition of Notch signaling ameliorates insulin resistance in a FoxO1-dependent manner. Nat. Med. 17, 961–967 (2011). [PubMed]


The heat treatment process of C919 aircraft landing gear has to go through a series of strict environments such as vacuum, high temperature, oil quenching, and it has been a difficult problem to accurately measure the temperature of landing gear during heat treatment. A black box hi-temp measurement system is designed on basis of heat transfer theory in this paper. The thermal insulation structures are simulated by finite element analysis software ANSYS, and the simulation results indicate that the system can work continuously for 7 hours at 900 °C. The number and distribution of temperature measurement points are determined according to the standard of AMS 2750E. The temperature variations of measurement points in the process of vacuum furnace heating and oil quenching are real-time recorded by binding the hi-temp measurement system and the landing gear as a whole into the vacuum furnace and oil pool. The results show that the designed hi-temp measurement system has good stability and high accuracy, which is fully capable of withstanding vacuum, high temperature and oil quenching environments. It is the first time in China that this kind of temperature measuring problem has been solved, which is of great significance for the accurate verification of C919 aircraft landing gear during heat treatment process.


Based on recent satellite observations, we hypothesize that there exists a significant air‐sea interaction at the shelf‐break front in the East China Sea. An idealized ocean‐atmosphere coupled model was designed to test this hypothesis and to study the physical processes involved in such an interaction, with emphasis on the oceanic part. A positive feedback between ocean and atmosphere was identified in the model and its consequences were evaluated. We found that air‐sea interaction, when combined with sloping topography, could provide a mechanism for the genesis of the shelf‐break front. The resulting frontal circulation and vertical mixing could bring nutrient‐rich subsurface water into the surface euphotic zone, thus making the frontal region a conspicuous place for primary production.


This paper examines the temporal concepts that underlie the theory of transference in psychoanalysis. The paper reviews Freud's rejection of linear temporality as characteristic of unconscious thought in favour of regression, repetition, and deferred action. It then develops concepts drawn from Jacques Lacan's theory of the formation of the ego. Here, the biologically determined helplessness derived from the human prematurity of birth becomes transformed into an ego that anticipates subjective unity. The paper then moves on to the more complex theory of the temporality implied in subject formation, offered in Lacan's later theory of separation. Implications are drawn for the use and understanding of transference in the practice of psychoanalysis via clinical examples. In addition, Lacan's ideas on subject formation are proposed as an extension and clarification of previous psychoanalytic theories of development.


The title compound, C20H20Br4N2, is a product of the condensation reaction of 4,6-dibromo-2,3-dimethylaniline and butane-2,3-dione. The molecule has a center of symmetry at the mid-point of the central C—C bond. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the 1,4-diazabutadiene plane is 78.3 (2)°. Niether hydrogen bonding nor aromatic stacking is observed in the crystal structure.


This document presents an extension to the Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP)-Specific Event Notification mechanism for subscribing to a
homogeneous list of resources. Instead of sending a SUBSCRIBE for each
resource individually, the subscriber can subscribe to an entire list
and then receive notifications when the state of any of the resources
in the list changes. [STANDARDS-TRACK]


Although critical differences exist between large companies and small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), limited empirical research has been done on human resource (HR)‐related corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this paper we study aging workforce management (AWM) as a component of CSR. Our study was conducted in the Netherlands through a randomly distributed online questionnaire. Managers and team leaders of 201 SMEs responded. The data were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression analysis. Our results are twofold: first, findings suggest that CSR policies in micro organizations with fewer than five employees seem to be strongly associated with AWM; and second, that companies with a focus on integration of older workers in daily activities do not perceive their actions as HR‐related. Using AWM as part of CSR helps to give insight into the role of the owner, company size and the nature of implicit CSR practices. Our study demonstrates that the use of AWM in CSR research can lead to valuable insights and therefore, our overarching research question is answered that AWM can be used when studying CSR.


Azadirachta indica A. Juss (Neem) is attested to be an important medicinal tree whose parts and extracts are known to cure several ailments since the Vedic era. But knowledge regarding their concoctions and dosages has remained largely esoteric. Dilute neem oil emulsions are used to deliver active ingredients to body parts by the topical route of administration. This possibly attenuates its dose dumping and concentration related noxious effects to a large extent. However, almost all such products incorporate synthetic organic and bio hazardous chemicals for purposes of formulation and stability, posing ultimate risks to the user. Hence in the present study, an emollient cream using 10% neem oil and an arachidyl glucoside emulsifier of completely biological origin has been formulated. Octa and hexadecanoic acid derivatives were the major fatty acid components identified in the oil. The creamy white product showed a mean particle size of 137 nm and a Z average of 19 nm, with a polydispersity index of 0.245. Zeta potential and electrophoretic mobility were measured as -47.2 and -0.000328 cm2/Vs, respectively thus conferring good stability. FTIR analysis revealed the incidence of extensive hydrogen bonding in its structure and SEM image captured its undulating surface topography. The emollient cream was not susceptible to cracking, creaming or phase separation even after a period of 180 days, when stored at 37° or under low speed centrifugation. Similar results were observed when it was stored at 40°, 4° and -18° for three days and brought to 37° for three cycles. It is concluded that this novel potentially non-toxic neem oil emollient cream can either be used per se or as a base matrix for loading active ingredients and hence function as an efficient delivery system for the same.


1 The effects of litter on seedling emergence (e.g. during succession from grassland to woodland) may not only depend on litter amount and environmental conditions but may also be related to litter types. We tested the effect of litter types, litter cover and soil moisture on the emergence of four congeneric pairs of grassland and woodland species. 2 We carried out a controlled pot experiment (Experiment I) using litter and species from two habitats (grassland vs. woodland), three levels of litter cover (low, medium, high) and two levels of water‐addition (leading to constantly humid or intermittently dry substrate). Amounts of litter were adjusted to result in the same relative light reduction for both litter types. Consequently, we applied 2 g, 4 g and 8 g of grassland litter and 0.5 g, 1 g and 2 g of woodland (oak) litter per pot. 3 To separate the shade effect of litter from its mechanical plus chemical effects we exposed additional pots with seeds of the same species to deep shade conditions (Experiment II) corresponding to 4 g and 1 g of grass and oak litter, respectively. 4 Under intermittently dry conditions both litter types increased seedling emergence. In addition, we found a significant interaction between litter type and species origin: seedling emergence of woodland species was significantly lower from beneath grass litter than from beneath oak litter, whereas grassland species emerged equally well from beneath both litter types. Compared with seed germination under a shade cloth, seedling emergence of woodland species from beneath grass litter was reduced by 44%. Litter significantly affected soil humidity and the amplitude of diurnal temperature fluctuations. Differential effects of litter types on woodland and grassland species are probably related to litter structure. 5 Synthesis. Our experimental data present evidence that ecosystem specific litter effects slow down succession from grassland to woodland and that the effect size is controlled by the litter amount present and the environmental conditions.


Abstract. Various features of the biology of the rust fungi and of the epidemiology of the plant diseases they cause illustrate the important role of rainfall in their life history. Based on this insight we have characterized the ice nucleation activity (INA) of the aerially disseminated spores (urediospores) of this group of fungi. Urediospores of this obligate plant parasite were collected from natural infections of 7 species of weeds in France, from coffee in Brazil and from field and greenhouse-grown wheat in France, the USA, Turkey and Syria. Immersion freezing was used to determine freezing onset temperatures and the abundance of ice nuclei in suspensions of washed spores. Microbiological analyses of spores from France, the USA and Brazil, and subsequent tests of the ice nucleation activity of the bacteria associated with spores were deployed to quantify the contribution of bacteria to the ice nucleation activity of the spores. All samples of spores were ice nucleation active, having freezing onset temperatures as high as −4 °C. Spores in most of the samples carried cells of ice nucleation-active strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae (at rates of less than 1 bacterial cell per 100 urediospores), but bacterial INA accounted for only a small fraction of the INA observed in spore suspensions. Changes in the INA of spore suspensions after treatment with lysozyme suggest that the INA of urediospores involves a polysaccharide. Based on data from the literature, we have estimated the concentrations of urediospores in air at cloud height and in rainfall. These quantities are very similar to those reported for other biological ice nucleators in these same substrates. However, at cloud level convective activity leads to widely varying concentrations of particles of surface origin, so that mean concentrations can underestimate their possible effects on clouds. We propose that spatial and temporal concentrations of biological ice nucleators active at temperatures > −10 °C and the specific conditions under which they can influence cloud glaciation need to be further evaluated so as to understand how evolutionary processes could have positively selected for INA.


Identification of preexisting cardiovascular risk factors is important in projecting postoperative outcomes. Using claims data for 16,317 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty and/or total knee arthroplasty, we performed logistic regression and survival analysis to determine the effects of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia,and obesity (both independently and in clusters) on incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), venous thromboembolism (VTE), and revision arthroplasty. Our results indicated that diabetes (odds ratio [OR],1.55; P<.05) and hypertension (OR, 1.56; P<.05) were independent risk factors for postoperative MI. Risk for MI increased significantly with the addition of each risk factor; there was a 128% increase in risk when all 4 cardiovascular risk factors were present (OR, 2.28; P<.0001). Risk for VTE did not change significantly with 1, 2, or 3 risk factors but reached statistical significance when all 4 risk factors were present (hazard ratio, 3.20; P = .05). There was no association between cardiovascular risk factors and incidence of revision arthroplasty. Our analysis confirmed that diabetes and hypertension are risk factors for postoperative MI, but the respective significant and near significant increased risks for MI and VTE seen with cardiovascular risk factor clustering merit further evaluation of the role of metabolic syndrome in patients who undergo arthroplasty.


Summary Proving properties of distributed algorithms is still a highly challenging problem and various approaches that have been proposed to tackle it [1] can be roughly divided into state-based and event-based proofs. Informally speaking, state-based approaches define the behavior of a distributed algorithm as a set of sequences of memory states during its executions, while event-based approaches treat the behaviors by means of events which are produced by the executions of an algorithm. Of course, combined approaches are also possible. Analysis of the literature [1], [7], [12], [9], [13], [14], [15] shows that state-based approaches are more widely used than event-based approaches for proving properties of algorithms, and the difficulties in the event-based approach are often emphasized. We believe, however, that there is a certain naturalness and intuitive content in event-based proofs of correctness of distributed algorithms that makes this approach worthwhile. Besides, state-based proofs of correctness of distributed algorithms are usually applicable only to discrete-time models of distributed systems and cannot be easily adapted to the continuous time case which is important in the domain of cyber-physical systems. On the other hand, event-based proofs can be readily applied to continuous-time / hybrid models of distributed systems. In the paper [2] we presented a compositional approach to reasoning about behavior of distributed systems in terms of events. Compositionality here means (informally) that semantics and properties of a program is determined by semantics of processes and process communication mechanisms. We demonstrated the proposed approach on a proof of the mutual exclusion property of the Peterson's algorithm [11]. We have also demonstrated an application of this approach for proving the mutual exclusion property in the setting of continuous-time models of cyber-physical systems in [8]. Using Mizar [3], in this paper we give a formal proof of the mutual exclusion property of the Peterson's algorithm in Mizar on the basis of the event-based approach proposed in [2]. Firstly, we define an event-based model of a shared-memory distributed system as a multi-sorted algebraic structure in which sorts are events, processes, locations (i.e. addresses in the shared memory), traces (of the system). The operations of this structure include a binary precedence relation ⩽ on the set of events which turns it into a linear preorder (events are considered simultaneous, if e1 ⩽ e2 and e2 ⩽ e1), special predicates which check if an event occurs in a given process or trace, predicates which check if an event causes the system to read from or write to a given memory location, and a special partial function "val of" on events which gives the value associated with a memory read or write event (i.e. a value which is written or is read in this event) [2]. Then we define several natural consistency requirements (axioms) for this structure which must hold in every distributed system, e.g. each event occurs in some process, etc. (details are given in [2]). After this we formulate and prove the main theorem about the mutual exclusion property of the Peterson's algorithm in an arbitrary consistent algebraic structure of events. Informally, the main theorem states that if a system consists of two processes, and in some trace there occur two events e1 and e2 in different processes and each of these events is preceded by a series of three special events (in the same process) guaranteed by execution of the Peterson's algorithm (setting the flag of the current process, writing the identifier of the opposite process to the "turn" shared variable, and reading zero from the flag of the opposite process or reading the identifier of the current process from the "turn" variable), and moreover, if neither process writes to the flag of the opposite process or writes its own identifier to the "turn" variable, then either the events e1 and e2 coincide, or they are not simultaneous (mutual exclusion property).


Bitcoin is considered to be most valuable and expensive currency in the world. Besides being first decentralized digital currency, its value has also experienced a steep increase, from around 1 dollar in 2010 to around 18000 in 2017. In recent years, it has attracted considerable attention in a diverse set of fields, including economics, finance and computer science. In economics, the primary focus has always been on studying how it affects the market, determining reasons behinds its price fluctuations, and predicting its future prices. In computer science, the focus is on its vulnerabilities, scalability, and other techno-cryptoeconomic issues. Firstly, we are going to collect the historical data of Bitcoin prices over the years 2013 to 2019 and do prediction for the year 2020. We have aimed to justify the usefulness of traditional Autoregressive Integrative Moving Average (ARIMA) model for predicting bitcoin prices. We have predicted the closing price of bitcoin for first seven days of January 2020. Further, we have created web services using ASP.NET to make the predictions on bitcoin price online and lastly, we have plotted the results in a responsive chart using Highcharts.


Introduction Thrombocytopenia occurs in 15% to 58% of intensive care unit patients. Up to 25% of acutely ill patients develop drug-induced thrombocytopenia. Establishing the etiology of secondary thrombocytopenia is challenging, since many medications and co morbidities have been implicated. Objective To define the incidence and severity of thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients and to examine risk factors that may be related to the development of thrombocytopenia. Method This is a retrospective chart review of 328 critically ill patients with thrombocytopenia requiring at least 72 hours of critical care. 30 suspected risk factors, including patient characteristics, drug effects, and associated diseases were identified from the literature and further evaluated using a multiple logistic regression. Mild Thrombocytopenia defined as platelet count less than 200 x 10(9)/L was observed frequently, but only 9 percent had severe thrombocytopenia defined as less than 20 x 10(9)/L. Results Demographic characteristics of patients predisposed to thrombocytopenia are males, older than 55, and Hispanic population. Hemodynamic instability and/or heparin exposure appear to be the strongest identifiable correlates with thrombocytopenia. Sepsis, acute kidney injury and respiratory failure were strongly correlated (p<0.0001) with thrombocytopenia. Patients with severe thrombocytopenia were found to have concurrent alterations in liver function tests. Patients with central line placement and heparin exposure were associated strongly with mild thrombocytopenia (p<0.0001). Drug therapies that were correlated with thrombocytopenia included Heparin, Protonix, Lasix, Ativan and Zofran and antibiotics such as Vancomycin, Cephalosporins and Levaquin. Conclusion Drug regimens should be evaluated daily for minimization of adverse drug events including thrombocytopenia. Once the diagnosis is suspected, clinicians should identify the medication and/or risk factors causing secondary thrombocytopenia to assess the timeline of development. Co morbidity associated with thrombocytopenia was sepsis syndrome, liver disorder, alcoholism and atrial fibrillation. Medications commonly associated with drug-induced thrombocytopenia include glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, cinchona alkaloids, antibiotics, anticonvulsants, and heparin. Thrombocytopenia generally resolved in most patients with critical management of the disease and discontinuation of the offending medication.


We present two evolved stars from the TAPAS (Tracking Advanced PlAnetary Systems) with HARPS-N project devoted to RV precision measurements of identified candidates within the PennState - Torun Centre for Astronomy Planet Search. Evolved stars with planets are crucial to understand the dependency of the planet formation mechanism on the mass and metallicity of the parent star and to study star-planet interactions. The paper is based on precise radial velocity (RV) measurements, for HD 103485 we collected 57 epochs over 3317 days with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and its High Resolution Spectrograph and 18 ultra-precise HARPS-N data over 919 days. For BD+03 2562 we collected 46 epochs of HET data over 3380 days and 19 epochs of HARPS-N data over 919 days. We present the analysis of the data and the search for correlations between the RV signal and stellar activity, stellar rotation and photometric variability. Based on the available data, we interpret the RV variations measured in both stars as Keplerian motion. Both stars have masses close to Solar (1.11 and 1.14), very low metallicities ([Fe/H]=-0.50 and -0.71), and, both have Jupiter planetary mass companions (m sin i=7 and 6.4 Mj), in close to terrestrial orbits (1.4 and 1.3~au), with moderate eccentricities (e=0.34 and 0.2). However, we cannot totally exclude that the signal in the case of HD~103485 is due to rotational modulation of active regions. Based on the current data, we conclude that BD+03 2562 has a bona fide planetary companion while for HD 103485 we cannot totally exclude that the best explanation for the RV signal modulations is not the existence of a planet but stellar activity. If, the interpretation remains that both stars have planetary companions they represent systems orbiting very evolved stars with very low metallicities, a challenge to the conditions required for the formation of massive giant gas planets.


Anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal cancer remains a common and often devastating complication. Preoperative risk factors for anastomotic leakage have been studied extensively and are used for patient selection, especially whether to perform a diverting stoma or not. From the current literature, data suggest that perfusion in the rectal stump rather than in the colonic limb may be more important for the integrity of the colorectal anastomosis. Moreover, available research suggests that the mid and upper rectum is considerably more vascularized than the lower part, in which the posterior compartment seems most vulnerable. These data fit neatly with the observation that anastomotic leaks are far more frequent in patients undergoing total compared to partial mesorectal excision, and also that most leaks occur dorsally. Clinical judgment has been shown to ineffectively assess anastomotic viability, while promising methods to measure blood perfusion are evolving. Much interest has recently been turned to near-infrared light technology, enhanced with fluorescent agents, which enables intraoperative perfusion assessment. Preliminary data are promising, but large-scale controlled trials are lacking. With maturation of such technology, perfusion measurements may in the future inform the surgeon whether anastomoses are at risk. In high colorectal anastomoses, anastomotic revision might be feasible, while a diverting stoma could be fashioned selectively instead of routinely for low anastomoses.


A new instrument, constant deflection atomic force microscopy (CD-AFM) constructed to perform force spectroscopy measurements without mechanical instabilities associated with the use of soft AFM cantilevers has been developed, tested and calibrated.

One of the major limitations associated with the use of soft AFM cantilevers in force spectroscopy measurements is cantilever mechanical instabilities. This includes thermodynamic noise and the cantilever non-equilibrium deflection close to the surface. This limitation can obscure ultrahigh force resolution and short range force measurements, and limits the accessible dynamic range. More stable stiff cantilevers have poor force resolution.

The force resolution of the softest standard cantilever limited by thermodynamic noise has been improved from approximately 30 pN to ~2 pN using the CD-AFM system. It was proved that the discontinuity in the force distance curve close to the surface, approximately 7 nm, was prevented using CD-AFM. The cantilever deflection is kept constant even after the cantilever jumps to the surface. Using CD-AFM, inaccessible regions near the surface can be explored and valuable information about very short tip-surface interactions can be studied.

The need to lock cantilever deflection prevents the use of the deflection signal to record tip-surface interactions. Alternatively, the laser signal used to keep the cantilever deflection constant is employed to record the interactions. The curves obtained using CD-AFM were scaled in force using a new method introduced for this purpose. The new calibration method was tested, and validated through electrostatic force measurements, with curves obtained using conventional AFM or CD-AFM showing the same behavior.

Application of CD-AFM to unfold a five concatamer of the protein immunoglobulin 27 showed that CD-AFM has a wider dynamic range than conventional AFM. For example, loading rate in conventional AFM is limited by the cantilever stiffness and the pulling speed. Using CD-AFM the loading rate increases but without degenerating the force resolution. Moreover, protein L shows no refolding event using conventional AFM due to the tension loaded on the refolded protein by cantilever recoil. Using CD-AFM the cantilever recoil was removed and the refolding events become observable.


Objectives: Foot orthoses are commonly prescribed as an intervention for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Data relating to the cost-effectiveness of foot orthoses in people with RA are limited. The aim was to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two types of foot orthoses in people with established RA. Method: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was undertaken to compare custom-made foot orthoses (CMFOs) and simple insoles (SIs) in 41 people with established RA. The Foot Function Index (FFI) was used to measure foot pain, disability, and functional limitation. Costs were estimated from the perspective of the UK National Health Service (NHS), societal (patient and family) perspective, and secondary care resource use in terms of the intervention and staff time. Effects were assessed in terms of health gain expressed as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results: At baseline, 20 participants received a CMFO and 21 participants received an SI. After 16 weeks foot pain improved in both the CMFOs (p = 0.000) and the SIs (p < 0.01). However, disability scores improved for CMFOs (p < 0.001) but not for SIs (p = 0.40). The cost-effectiveness results demonstrated no difference in cost between the arms (CMFOs: £159.10; SIs: £79.10; p = 0.35), with the CMFOs being less effective in terms of cost per QALY gain (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In people with established RA, semi-rigid customized foot orthoses can improve pain and disability scores in comparison to simple insoles. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, the customized foot orthoses were far more expensive to manufacture, with no significant cost per QALY gain.


Reconnaissance investigations and detailed studies between 1986-1990 under the National Irrigation Water Quality Program of the Department of the Interior identified and quantified elevated concentrations of selenium associated with irrigation drainwater in the Middle Green River Basin in northeastern Utah. Elevated selenium concentrations were found in Stewart Lake Waterfowl Management Area which receives, drainwater from the Jensen Unit of the Bureau of Reclamation's Central Utah Project. Elevated selenium concentrations also were found in Ashley Creek and its mixing zone in the Green River. Small amounts of the selenium in Ashley Creek are derived from the Vernal Unit of the CUP, but most is from non-irrigation related sources. Waterfowl deaths and embryonic deformities have been found in Stewart Lake. Endangered fish live in the Green River in the vicinity of Stewart Lake and Ashley Creek. Remedial planning began in 1991 to develop the most implementable alternatives to correct the irrigation-related selenium problems. Remedial measures will be developed to 1) reduce selenium levels in water and bottom sediment, 2) minimize ecological hazards, and 3) minimize public health risks. General types of potential remedial options proposed include: institutional changes, collection and treatment, disposal, dilution, source control, and no action. A preferred plan including National Environmental Policy Act compliance will be available in late 1994.


Pineapple is a rustic species but may respond positively to conservation practices of soil management. This work aimed to evaluate the physical properties of the soil under conservation management practices for the cultivation of pineapple genotypes. The treatments consisted of four varieties of pineapple, two levels of gypsum (0 to 4 t ha-1), two levels of management (with and without cover crop - millet), and two soil layers (0 -0.05 and 0.05 - 0.20 m). A randomized complete block design was used, with four replications and treatments arranged in a 4 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial scheme, resulting in 128 plots. Soil samples were collected in volumetric corer of 100 cm3. The water retention curve of the soil was obtained using the Van Genuchten model. By model fit, residual moisture values (θr), saturation moisture (θs), inflection point (θfwc), S index and available water capacity (AWC) were obtained. Also, there was a significant effect of layer and genotype on the properties studied. The combination of gypsum 4 t ha-1 (G4) and millet significantly reduces the value of θr and increases water availability (AWC).

 Key words: Ananas comosus, available water capacity, Red-Yellow Latosol, cover crop.


The IEEE 802.11i MAC Security Enhancements Amendment makes use of IEEE
802.1X, which in turn relies on the Extensible Authentication Protocol
(EAP). This document defines requirements for EAP methods used in IEEE
802.11 wireless LAN deployments. The material in this document has
been approved by IEEE 802.11 and is being presented as an IETF RFC for
informational purposes. This memo provides information for the
Internet community.


The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics will be the biggest single sporting event in the UK in our lifetimes. The memories of that summer of sport will remain with us forever, but what did those four weeks tell us about ourselves, our society's values and its possibilities? This collection of critical reflections is not anti-Olympics nor against sport. The writers instead imaginatively address the reality of the Games' impact, question what the ceremonies and Team GB represented, and deconstruct the organisers' claims of economic regeneration and boosting participation. This an essential and exciting read for all who understand and appreciate that London 2012 meant something, but are unsure what. Contributors include world-class experts in Olympism, writers and journalists who reported on and were inspired by the Games, social and cultural critics, sports policy consultants and sport campaigners. Contributors: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Barbara Bell, Billy Bragg, Ben Carrington, Anne Coddington, Gareth Edwards, Bob Gilbert, Eliane Glaser, David Howe, Kate Hughes, Suzanne Moore, Mark Perryman, Gavin Poynter, David Renton, Andrew Simms, Mark Steel, Alan Tomlinson, Zoe Williams. Mark Perryman is the author of the widely acclaimed Why the Olympics Aren't Good For Us And How They Can Be. During London 2012 he was a frequent media commentator on the politics of the Games.


Crosstalk is a major source of noise in Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) systems and is a fundamental challenge for hardware design. When multiple instructions are executed in parallel, crosstalk between the instructions can corrupt the quantum state and lead to incorrect program execution. Our goal is to mitigate the application impact of crosstalk noise through software techniques. This requires (i) accurate characterization of hardware crosstalk, and (ii) intelligent instruction scheduling to serialize the affected operations. Since crosstalk characterization is computationally expensive, we develop optimizations which reduce the characterization overhead. On 3 20-qubit IBMQ systems, we demonstrate two orders of magnitude reduction in characterization time (compute time on the QC device) compared to all-pairs crosstalk measurements. Informed by these characterization, we develop a scheduler that judiciously serializes high crosstalk instructions balancing the need to mitigate crosstalk and exponential decoherence errors from serialization. On real-system runs on 3 IBMQ systems, our scheduler improves the error rate of application circuits by up to 5.6x, compared to the IBM instruction scheduler and offers near-optimal crosstalk mitigation in practice. In a broader picture, the difficulty of mitigating crosstalk has recently driven QC vendors to move towards sparser qubit connectivity or disabling nearby operations entirely in hardware, which can be detrimental to performance. Our work makes the case for software mitigation of crosstalk errors.


We assessed the multidecadal effects of boreal forest fire on surface albedo using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite observations within the perimeters of burn scars in interior Alaska. Fire caused albedo to increase during periods with and without snow cover. Albedo during early spring had a mean of 0.50 ± 0.03 for the first three decades after fire, substantially higher than that observed in evergreen conifer forests (0.34 ± 0.04). In older stands between 30 and 55 years, albedo showed a decreasing trend during early spring, probably from a growing spruce understory that masked surface snow and caused increases in both simple ratio (SR) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI). During summer, albedo decreased by 0.012 ± 0.005 in the year immediately after fire (from 0.112 ± 0.005 to 0.100 ± 0.010). In subsequent years, summer albedo increased rapidly at first and then more gradually, reaching a broad maximum in 20–35 year stands (0.135 ± 0.006). These measurements provide evidence for a well-developed deciduous shrub and tree phase during intermediate stages of succession. Averaged over the first 5 decades, shortwave surface forcing from fires was −6.2 W m−2 relative to an evergreen conifer control and −3.0 W m−2 relative to a control constructed from 2000 to 2003 preburn observations. These forcing estimates had a magnitude substantially smaller than previous estimates and suggest that, at a regional scale, evergreen conifer stand density may be lower than that inferred from chronosequence studies.


The objective of this Paper is to propose a number of alternative decentralized interpretations of representative agent style stochastic growth economies and to explore their implications for the generality of this model construct. Under our first interpretation, firms exist forever and undertake all multi-period investment decisions while consumer-worker-investors only own financial claims to the firm's output. This contrasts with the more standard decentralization approach where firms exist on a period-by-period basis and consumer-worker--investors have direct title to the economy's capital stock. Under our second interpretation shareholders hire a manager who undertakes the firm's investment decisions in conformity with his incentive contract. The time series properties of the shareholder-manager economy are seen to replicate those of the analogous representative agent economy if and only if the manager's contract assumes a specific form. This suggests the time series properties of an economy where incentive contracts such as stock option plans are pervasive will differ from those of more standard real business cycle models.


Drs Cadamy and Booth condemn the use of rocuronium at rapid sequence induction (RSI) and advocate a propofol/alfentanil regimen as an alternative to thiopentone/suxamethonium (Anaesthesia 1999; 54: 817). Although a number of studies involving healthy subjects have shown that tracheal intubation can indeed be performed without neuromuscular block, there is no evidence that such propofol/opioid techniques are safe in those elderly and unfit patients undergoing RSI who will be less tolerant of the likely concomitant hypotension. I believe that the emergency patient whose trachea proves difficult to intubate runs a greater risk of hypoxaemia and aspiration from waning suxamethonium block as opposed to continuing profound nondepolarising block with rocuronium. A partially paralysed patient bucking and straining will consume large amounts of oxygen. Huge increases in intragastric pressure have been measured [1]. I suggest that partial recovery from suxamethonium has the potential to turn a difficult intubation into a failed intubation, and 'can't intubate, can ventilate' into 'can't intubate, can't ventilate'. The timecourse of recovery from suxamethonium block is of course unpredictable [2]. Benumof and colleagues have warned against relying on recovery from suxamethonium to enable a patient to breathe adequately before critical desaturation occurs [3]. The lack of concordance in the practice of RSI and management of failed intubation has been highlighted recently [4]. Adoption of rocuronium at RSI means that the anaesthetist is committed to maintaining oxygenation by positive pressure ventilation. However, sustained optimal conditions will be afforded for unhurried successful tracheal intubation or placement of a Combitube/LMA. The guaranteed absence of pharyngeal and laryngeal reflexes must surely increase the likelihood of safe airway management without provocation of vomiting/ regurgitation. Rocuronium is an immunologically clean drug, devoid of the catalogue of potential complications peculiar to suxamethonium. Randomised trials of suxamethonium vs. rocuronium in elective and emergency patients undergoing RSI have confirmed that rocuronium 1.0 mg.kgÿ1 provides intubating conditions clinically equivalent to suxamethonium 1.0 mg.kgÿ1 after 60 s [5, 6]. Although there are as yet no published comparisons of morbidity following unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation at RSI with the two agents, I believe that continued unquestioning faith in the 'safety' of suxamethonium, based on its (unpredictable) spontaneous offset, is unwarranted.


A search for a heavy charged-boson resonance decaying into a charged lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino is reported. A data sample of 139 fb − 1 of proton-proton collisions at ffiffiffi s p ¼ 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015 – 2018 is used in the search. The observed transverse mass distribution computed from the lepton and missing transverse momenta is consistent with the distribution expected from the Standard Model, and upper limits on the cross section for pp → W 0 → l ν are extracted ( l ¼ e or μ ). These vary between 1.3 pb and 0.05 fb depending on the resonance mass in the range between 0.15 and 7.0 TeV at 95% confidence level for the electron and muon channels combined. Gauge bosons with a mass below 6.0 and 5.1 TeVare excluded in the electron and muon channels, respectively, in a model with a resonance that has couplings to fermions identical to those of the Standard Model W boson. Cross-section limits are also provided for resonances with several fixed Γ =m values in the range between 1% and 15%. Model-independent limits are derived in single-bin signal regions defined by a varying minimum transverse mass threshold. The resulting visible cross-section upper limits range between 4.6 (15) pb and 22 (22) ab as the threshold increases from 130 (110) GeV to 5.1 (5.1) TeV in the electron (muon) channel.


The fifth edition of Romer's Advanced Macroeconomics continues its tradition as the standard text and the starting point for graduate macroeconomics courses and helps lay the groundwork for students to begin doing research in macroeconomics and monetary economics. Romer presents the major theories concerning the central questions of macroeconomics. The theoretical analysis is supplemented by examples of relevant empirical work, illustrating the ways that theories can be applied and tested. In areas ranging from economic growth and shortrun fluctuations to the natural rate of unemployment and monetary policy, formal models are used to present and analyze key ideas and issues. The book has been extensively revised to incorporate important new topics and new research, eliminate inessential material, and further improve the presentation.


A systematic study is reported of the growth of vertically aligned few layered graphene (FLG) nanoflakes on Si (100) substrates by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD) method. Asymmetric grazing incident angle X-ray diffraction (GIAXRD) studies revealed a structural transformation, from nanocrystalline graphite layers to FLG, with the increase of growth time. As the growth time increased we observed a preferred vertical orientation of FLGs accompanied by a sharp decrease in the d002 spacing. Transmission electron microscopy shows these structures have highly graphitized edge planes which terminate in a few layers (1–3) of graphene sheets. Detailed Raman studies not only support the structural transformation but also confirm that the process occurs via the sudden release of stress in nanocrystalline turbostratic graphite films. Graphical plot of all major Raman parameters (such as G peak position, ID/IG value, FWHM of D, G, and G′ peaks) vs.growth time shows a well defined trend. Using the graphical plots a tentative trajectory of the Raman parameters is proposed, which can be very useful in understanding structural transformation during growth process. Finally, a possible growth mechanism of FLGs is presented.


Fisheries policy in the eleventh plan aims at sustainable economic growth, with due
concerns on food and nutritional security and supply side responses. The plan accords overarching
priorities on bridging the sharpening divides and increasing disparities in all sectors. The socio-
economic framework of the fishing community with structural changes in coastal sector needs
successful design and implementation of development programs. This article highlights the sectoral
growth of fishing units and their capital investment over the years, change in ownership pattern
of means of production, earnings, sectoral disparity, and inequity among marine fisher folk in
India. Base material for the analysis includes primary data collected from selected centers of
maritime states in India and secondary data on marine fisheries census of CMFRI and other
relevant publications.
There has been sizeable growth of 70% in the mechanized fishing units and about 200%
growth in motorized sector that are technically efficient (over the last 12 years until 2005).
However, there has been a downtrend of 43% in the nonmechanized units (traditional sector)
denoting a gradual phasing out of less efficient units. The improved socio-economic status of
fishers is reflected by increase in literacy level, reduction in dropouts, and improvement in housing
type. The proportion of owner operators in marine fisheries declined over the years with the
increasing capital requirement for possessing motorized and mechanized fishing units. The
fishermen involved in active fishing is more than the absorbing capacity of the fisheries sector
leading to disguised unemployment and has led to lower per capita production, increased pressure
on fishing, which results in juvenile catch, large level discards, and thus ultimately causing
serious threats to resource sustainability and environmental stability. The nonmechanized sector
is providing about 33% of the employment in active fishing, yet harvesting hardly 7% of the
annual landings, whereas mechanized segment that employs 34% harvests 70% of total catch
creating wide inter-sectoral income disparity. The annual per capita catch of fisher folk in
mechanized segment is more than twice as those of the per capita catch of the motorized segment
and nine times of the per capita catch of the nonmechanized (traditional sector) segment clearly
signifying growing inter-sectoral disparity in distribution of economic gains. Average annual per
capita earnings of fishing laborer range from Rs.13,200 for a motorized dingi with bagnet to Rs. 1,27,200 for a mechanized purse seiner. Significant variation is also observed even within
groups of crafts namely trawlers, gillnetters, purseseiners, motorized, and traditional crafts. The
analysis indicate that there is high incidence of poverty in the coastal rural sector explicitly
revealing that majority of these people still could not get much of the benefits of the economic
development taken place in our country.


Purpose Internal bone transport using Ilizarov external fixator for management of post traumatic femoral bone loss is a technically demanding procedure that entails many surgical difficulties. Many complications were encountered either intra or post operative. Proper and early management of these complications markedly improves the overall results. Methods In the period from January 2011to June 2013, 17 cases of post traumatic femoral bone loss were treated with bone transport using Ilizarov external fixator. All fractures were open, 15 cases were grade IIIb and two cases were grade IIIc according to Gustillo – Anderson classification. The cases included in this study had bone defect more than four cm. The defect was diaphyseal in five cases and metaphyseal diaphyseal in 12 cases with distal intra articular extension in two cases. This procedure was lengthy; to reduce the time of the procedure, all cases were managed either by acute collapse at the fracture site and subsequent limb lengthening or partial collapse of the defect and limb lengthening to achieve limb length equality. Results In all cases the bone continuity was restored with complete union of the fracture. The complication rate was high but all of them could be dealt with successfully. According to ASAMI scoring system the bone results were higher than functional results in all cases. Conclusion This method was proved to be effective in restoring the skeletal integrity inspite of many complications recorded.


Detailed analysis of COCORP seismic reflection data from the Laramie Mountains, Wyoming, shows that processing artifacts produce confusing patterns in a profile that crosses the mountain front. Elimination of artifacts in reprocessing allows for interpretations of residual reflections that are consistent with mapped geology. Reprocessing and model analysis image a near-surface fault-zone reflection and constrain its apparent west dip to be 30°–35°W. Bands of east- and west-dipping seismic events from basement rocks do not appear to offset the basement surface and therefore probably are not from faults directly related to uplift of the range. Multiple Laramide structures east of the exposed fault contact between Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks contribute to uplift of the range, and an exposed basement arch, which extends in the subsurface below Line 3, provides evidence for macroscopic folding of crystalline basement rocks. Lack of continuous fault-zone reflections extendable to depth on the seismic data suggests the absence of major mylonite zones analogous to those associated with the Wind River thrust. Such mylonites are probably better reflectors than brittle deformation zones associated with faults beneath the Laramie Mountains. Although fault-zone reflectivity depends on the physical properties of individual fault zones, the Wind River thrust and Laramie Mountains frontal fault zone may approach end members of fault-zone reflectivity.


Norvell, N., and Belles, D. (1993). Psychological and physical benefits of circuit weight training in law enforcement personnel. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 520-527. Regular exercise is believed to result in improvements in psychological functioning; however, previous research conducted to validate this belief has produced ambiguous findings. Many studies have suggested that regular exercise can improve self-reports of depression and anxiety in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Unfortunately, according to Norvell and Belles, these studies did not employ proper controls (unbiased selection of participants, random assignment to conditions, conditions consistent in experimental demand, specific reporting of protocols employed, appropriate dependent measures, and adequate sample sizes), and as such the relationship between exercise and mental health could not be described as causal. In addition, many researchers have attempted to determine what type of exercise produces these beneficial changes. According to the authors of this study, past research shows that the underlying psychological mechanisms that account for the beneficial effects of exercise are varied, and are not unique to aerobic training as some have suggested. As such, many different types of exercise can have psychological benefits. Despite these benefits, past research also suggests that many people fail to complete their exercise programs. Dropout rates are surprisingly high, with as many as half of an exercise program's participants leaving within 6 months of the program. Factors contributing to this high dropout rate are being overweight, depression, low motivation, lack of spousal support, inconvenient exercise facilities, and lack of reinforcement. One of the most stressful occupations today, according to the authors of this study, is law enforcement. Many law enforcement personnel are included in stress management interventions, and they may report feelings of helplessness and uncontrollability as sources of their stress. As a result, many law enforcement agencies have implemented exercise programs, not only to enhance those physical abilities required by officers, but also to enhance officer health and reduce the impact of stress. Such programs have been shown to improve specific physical and job performance measures, but very few studies have evaluated their effects in terms of psychological benefits. As such, the authors of this study felt it was important to examine a plethora of potential psychological benefits of exercise programs. This study sought to evaluate circuit weight training in a population of law enforcement personnel. To avoid methodological problems discussed earlier, the authors employed an experimental design and examined the effects of the weight training program across a range of cardiovascular and strength scales. In addition, the study examined the effects of this exercise program on self-reported measures of stress, depression, anxiety, physical symptoms, and job satisfaction. According to the authors of this study, this was one of the first evaluations of the effects of circuit weight training in terms of psychological benefits. The authors hypothesized that non-aerobic circuit weight training would result in an improvement in mood, physical condition, job satisfaction, and perceived stress. They also hypothesized that dropouts from the exercise program would be predicted by high psychological distress before the program began, and that these dropouts would be significantly more anxious and depressed than those participants who remained in the exercise program. Norvell and Belles studied 43 male state law enforcement officers with a mean age of 32.84 and an average length of employment of 8.56 years. Of all of the participants, 81 percent were married, 85 percent were White and 30 percent were smokers. In addition, none of the participants had been involved in a regular exercise program in the previous year, none had a history of cardiac disease or orthopaedic injury that would prevent them from participating, and all of the participants were willing to abstain from exercise outside of that prescribed during the study, as were the criteria for selection for this study. …


This study primarily aimed to examine the determinants of rural households' vulnerability to poverty and to profile the households according to their level of vulnerability using Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) and Logistic Regression analysis with the help of data collected from a sample of 500 households in two Woredas. The general poverty line of the study area was determined to be Birr 248 per month per adult equivalent and 29.8 percent of the population in the study areas were found to be poor. The projected consumption percapita after the three step FGLS estimation revealed that, the incidence of vulnerability to poverty in the area was 34.2 percent and therefore, vulnerability was more spread in the study areas than ex post poverty.Using the two vulnerability thresholds, observed poverty rate (0.298) and vulnerability of 0.5, about 28.6%, 5.6% and 65.8% of households were highly vulnerable, low vulnerable and not vulnerable respectively. Most importantly, from the total poor households about 81.75%, 3.25% and 15% were highly vulnerable, low vulnerable and not vulnerable respectively. About 36.06% of female headed households were highly vulnerable while 27.56% of male headed households were highly vulnerable.The logistic regression after the three steps FGLS estimation revealed that being female headed households, large family sizes and low access to all season roads and local markets statistically significantly increased the vulnerability of rural households to poverty. But, credit uses, number of livestock, land size, annual farm income and participation in safety net program statistically significantly reduced the vulnerability of rural households to future poverty.Thus, so as to alleviate ex post poverty and prevent ex ante poverty, government should provide credit services, infrastructures, markets services and promote family planning and participation in non-farm activities like micro and small enterprises by rural households. Provision of such services may help rural vulnerable households to build assets thereby resilience to future poverty. Keywords: Poverty, Vulnerability, Feasible Generalized Least Square, Logit Model and Ethiopia


REGULATION OF SYSTEM XCAND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO CELL DEATH XiaoQian Liu, B.S. Marquette University, 2012 The main focus of the studies in this thesis involves examining the role of cystine/glutamate exchange (system xC-) in neuronal death in primary cortical cell culture, with an emphasis on how glial function affects neuronal cell death. System xCis a sodium-independent transporter that mediates cystine uptake and glutamate release. It accounts for most of the cystine uptake in astrocytes in mature cultures, providing the rate limiting substrate for synthesis of the main endogenous antioxidant glutathione. The glutamate released by system xCmay lead to excessive extracellular glutamate and cause excitotoxicity. β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a non-protein amino acid that may be involved in neurodegenerative diseases. We found that BMAA induced oxidative stress by competing with cystine at system xCleading to depletion of glutathione. BMAA also drives system xCmediated glutamate release, which may contribute to its induction of excitotoxicity. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) is involved in multiple processes in the central nervous system, including plasticity, neurogenesis, differentiation, and neuronal survival. Also, alterations in FGF-2 and its signaling have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. We found that FGF-2 greatly increased cystine uptake through system xCin astrocyte-enriched primary cultures, but not in neuronal or microglial cultures. Our data showed that FGF-2 increased cystine uptake by upregulating system xCby acting on FGFR1, and signaling through the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways. FGF-2 treatment for 48 hours caused significant neuronal death only in mixed neuronal and glial cultures, but not in neuronal-enriched or astrocyte-enriched cultures. Blocking system xC-, or AMPA/kainate receptors, eliminated the neuronal death induced by FGF-2 treatment. Therefore, it is likely that 48 hour FGF-2 treatment induces AMPA receptor mediated toxicity through increased glutamate release from astrocytes due to increased system xCfunction. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that FGF-2 treatment sensitizes the neurons to normal system xCmediated glutamate release. Together the results indicate that 1) competitive substrates of system xC-, such as BMAA, that do not lead to glutathione production are particularly toxic; and 2) upregulation of system xCon astrocytes may be toxic to surrounding neurons.


Three-dimensional television (3D TV) is expected by many to be the next step in the advancement of television. Due to significant financial exhaustion during the process of transition from analogue to digital production, low-budget broadcasters are not in the position to invest in a new 3D system. This paper proposes one model-driven framework approach to 3D TV production system applicable to and suitable for low-budget broadcasters.The target of the project is to define one of the possible scenarios for applying stereoscopic 3D technologies to low-budget TV production. 3D TV content production chain is described in the first step of the project. 3D TV production workflow is proposed in the second step. This step has two parts: the analyses of the production stages and their integral processes, and the definition of a problem space model which is suitable for low-budget 3D TV production. The preproduction, production and postproduction phases of a low-budget 3D TV production are described during the analyses of 3D TV content production workflow. The UML is used as a modelling tool. The behavioural description of a program production is modelled by the Use Case diagram. A state machine diagram is used to describe the dynamic behavioral representation and the life cycle of a 3D content. The flow and dependencies in 3D workflow are modelled by using the activity diagrams. The structural static representation (domain model) is presented by a class diagram.


THE STUDY OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPES has emerged as a central concern in historical archaeology. Archaeological fieldwork has traditionally focused almost exclusively on the discovery and excavation of sites. While site excavations remain of paramount importance, the focus of archaeological research has broadened to include the study of entire landscapes and surface survey in addition to, or instead of, excavation.1 Initially, historically accurate landscape reconstruction began at sites associated with elites, but the field has grown to include landscapes of people who left fewer traces in the documentary record (e.g., women, laborers, immigrants, and disfranchised groups). These studies are premised on the idea that people designed and created landscapes to be seen and experienced by others. Status or other social roles are symbolically communicated by the landscape and its constituent elements. Because social relations are reproduced at multiple scales, there is no single focus of analysis in the examination of cultural landscapes. They include regional, community, and individual studies.2 The landscape that is the focus of this study includes approximately 10,000 acres in the bottoms and watersheds of Moccasin and Indian Creeks in northwest Pope County, up in the Boston Mountains that make up the southern boundary of the Ozark region. Today, almost all of this area is government owned and managed as part of the Ozark National Forest, but, in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, this region was home to kinbased communities whose settlement and subsistence practices shaped the cultural landscape. Remnants of this period occupation are found in the archaeological sites, roads and trails, cemeteries, and place names that constitute that cultural landscape. The influence of kinship on historic settlement of the Arkansas Ozarks has been described in archaeological literature and regional histories.3 The topography and soil characteristics of the Boston Mountains made raising cash crops difficult, and subsistence agriculture dominated both before and after the Civil War. The open range and woodlands facilitated the raising of cattle and hogs. Many Ozark farmers sold livestock at market but primarily raised stock for their own subsistence.4 Kinship was an integral part of these subsistence strategies. Clearing fields of rock and timber, stacking fences, cultivating and harvesting crops, herding livestock, and other tasks could not be accomplished without abundant labor. Settlement in family groups ensured availability of this labor. This study reconstructs kin relations between archaeological sites along Moccasin and Indian Creeks, integrating data from diverse sources, including archaeological investigations, documents, genealogical research, and oral accounts. Earlier studies of land choices in Madison and Washington Counties identified kinship, in addition to environmental variables, as an important factor in determining settlement location.5 These earlier studies, however, relied on a more general class of historical documents (e.g., General Land Office [GLO] records) in which surnames were interpreted as proxies for kin relations. They did not reconstruct a specific kinship network based on actual kin relations that could be associated with specific archaeological sites. Carolyn Earle Billingsley's analysis of the extended Keesee family and their movements across the antebellum South demonstrates the power of kinship and genealogical methodology to address questions about migration, settlement patterns, religion, class structure, and economic and political power in the antebellum South. Her work provides a template for the explanatory power of kinship informed by genealogical methodology.6 The approach taken here similarly combines more traditional methods of historical research with genealogical methods, but with the addition of archaeological investigations. Documentary sources utilized in this study include census records, tax lists, probate records, newspaper accounts, GLO survey plats and notes, land patents and case entry files, U. …


Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) regulates growth plate chondrogenesis during development and postnatal bone growth, but the control mechanisms of BMP-2 expression in growth plate chondrocytes are unknown. Here we have used both in vitro and in vivo approaches to demonstrate that transcription factor, NF-kappaB, regulates BMP-2 gene expression in chondrocytes. Two putative NF-kappaB response elements were found in the -2712/+165 region of the BMP-2 gene. Cotransfection of mutant I-kappaBalpha expression plasmids with BMP-2 promoter-luciferase reporters into TMC-23 chondrocyte cell line suppressed BMP-2 transcription. Mutations in NF-kappaB response elements in the BMP-2 gene lead to decreases in BMP-2 promoter activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay using nuclear extracts from TMC-23 chondrocytic cells revealed that the NF-kappaB subunits p50 and p65 bound to the NF-kappaB response elements of the BMP-2 gene. Thus, NF-kappaB may positively regulate BMP-2 gene transcription. Consistent with these findings, expression of BMP-2 mRNA was significantly reduced in growth plate chondrocytes in NF-kappaB p50/p52 dKO mice, which associated with decreased numbers of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd)-positive cells in the proliferating zone of growth plate in these mice. Therefore, in postnatal growth plate chondrocytes, expression of BMP-2 is regulated by NF-kappaB, which may play an important role in chondrogenesis.


The problem with which this investigation is concerned addresses the question of the proper role of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in the Soviet state. The political leadership has two alternatives in seeking a remedy to this civil-military question. They may either control the military establishment by granting strict professional autonomy or by integrating the armed forces into the civil structure.


The adjacent Huon and Derwent estuaries in Tasmania have similar climatic and physical characteristics, and provide a good comparison between relatively uncontaminated and industrially polluted estuaries, respectively. Representative samples were collected from both estuaries and analysed for grainsize and trace‐element content (using X‐ray fluorescence and neutron activation analyses). The Huon estuary drains a predominantly forested and agricultural catchment and contains low (baseline) concentrations of trace elements, including lead, zinc and copper. In contrast, the Derwent estuary has a geologically similar yet larger catchment and it passes through an industrialised area in the midestuarine reach. A zinc refinery has, in the past, been a major source of trace‐element contamination. These contaminants are distributed downstream from the refinery by combined fluvial and tidal activity, while the latter also causes upstream movement of contaminants during non‐flood periods. Significant upstream contamination is limited by fluvial bottom flows remobilising contaminated fine sediment during flood periods. Maximum contamination occurs in the region around the refinery with values in the surface sediments ranging from 40 to 565 times baseline levels and from 2 to 55 times the Australian Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines high‐levels for aquatic sediments (maximum 22593 ppm Zn, 3866 ppm Pb and 1182 ppm Cu). In the lower Derwent estuary, contaminant distribution is inversely related to tidal‐flow velocities and is most prominent in the lower energy muddy substrates. Trace‐metal levels in the more recent surficial aquatic sediments are slightly lower than those recorded in a previous study from the area, possibly reflecting the stricter environmental controls now operating.


Effectively modeling an agent's cognitive model is an important problem in many domains. In this paper, we explore the agents people wrote to operate within optimization problems. We claim that the overwhelming majority of these agents used strategies based on bounded rationality, even when optimal solutions could have been implemented. Particularly, we believe that many elements from Aspiration Adaptation Theory (AAT) are useful in quantifying these strategies. To support these claims, we present extensive empirical results from over a hundred agents programmed to perform in optimization problems involving solving for one and two variables.


Summary 1. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella populations have declined rapidly in the UK over recent decades, and a clear understanding of their habitat requirements is important to help inform conservation schemes. We aimed to disentangle and rank the effects of winter versus breeding season habitat characteristics. 2. We used information theoretic methods to analyse the factors determining yellowhammer distribution across 26 sites in England and Wales. We did this at two spatial levels: individual field boundaries and individual territories, the latter consisting of spatial clusters of boundaries. 3. We considered the role of nine predictor variables, all of which have been suggested in the literature as potentially important. These comprised boundary height and width, and the presence of hedges, trees, ditches, boundary strips, tillage crops, winter set-aside and winter stubbles. 4. The results of the statistical modelling showed that winter habitats play an important role in determining where birds locate territories in summer. In particular, the presence of rotational set-aside fields in winter showed the strongest association with summer territories. 5. There were minor differences between the territory- and boundary-based models. Most notably, the territory data demonstrated a strong preference for territories containing trees, but this was not observed in the boundary data set. We suggest that the differences between the models may reflect different scales of habitat selection. Boundary occupancy reflects broad distributions of habitat suitability; territory occupancy patterns better reveal detailed habitat requirements. 6. Regional densities were more closely correlated with the predictions of the boundarybased model than those of the territory-based model, and we discuss the implications of this for interpreting habitat association models. 7. Synthesis and applications. Provision of winter set-aside fields for summer territory selection by yellowhammers is an important consideration for farm management where conservation is a priority. We show that models based on occupancy of individual boundary units (e.g. hedgerows) correlate with the density of territories at the farm scale; thus farm management practices link directly to population sizes through effects on the quality of breeding habitat.


With the exception of Poe, no American writer has proven as challenging to biographers as the author of The Red Badge of Courage." Stephen Crane's short, compact life "a life of fire," he called it continues to be surrounded by myths and half-truths, distortions and outright fabrications. Mindful of the pitfalls that have marred previous biographies, Paul Sorrentino has sifted through garbled chronologies and contradictory eyewitness accounts, scoured the archives, and followed in Crane's footsteps. The result is the most complete and accurate account of the poet and novelist written to date.Whether Crane was dressing as a hobo to document the life of the homeless in the Bowery, defending a prostitute against corrupt New York City law enforcement, or covering the historic charge up the San Juan hills as a correspondent during the Spanish-American War, his adventures were front-page news. From Sorrentino's layered narrative of the various phases of Crane's life a portrait slowly emerges. By turns garrulous and taciturn, confident and insecure, romantic and cynical, Crane was a man of irresolvable contradictions. He rebelled against tradition yet was proud of his family heritage; he lived a Bohemian existence yet was drawn to social status; he romanticized women yet obsessively sought out prostitutes; he spurned a God he saw as remote yet wished for His presence.Incorporating decades of research by the foremost authority on Crane's work, Stephen Crane: A Life of Fire" sets a new benchmark for biographers."


The research presented in this paper is a study of the values underpinning the curriculum and teaching of current Australian degree‐level youth work courses, The paper looks at the implications that values raise for the introduction of competency‐based training in the youth and community services sector. The paper raises some of the potential risks for the status of youth work as a profession. The research investigates values in professional youth work education by using a qualitative, interpretative framework of inquiry and using a strategy of purposeful case study sampling and literature review. The data collection involved four case studies focusing on degree level youth work courses in four universities in three states of Australia. To facilitate the triangulation of data, a number of sources were used: students, lecturers, curriculum designers, curriculum documents and sector literature.


The objective of the present study was to compare growth curves for live weight (LW) and body size of three strains of female dairy cattle reared under common environments in Ireland. One strain (HP) was selected from a predominantly North-American/European Holstein-Friesian genetic pool selected for high milk production. The second strain (HD) represented a predominantly North-American/European Holstein-Friesian genetic pool selected for high milk production but with greater selection emphasis on functional non-production traits. The third strain (NZ) consisted of New Zealand Holstein-Friesian females of high genetic merit for profitability in New Zealand. The data consisted of 99 animals (33 animals in each strain) with records on LW, length, girth and height from birth to a minimum of 594 days of age. The von Bertalanffy growth function was fitted to each animal's records separately and least-squares analyses were used to investigate the effect of strain on birth LW/body size, parameters of the growth function and average daily gains. Average mature live weight of the HD animals (591 kg) was significantly larger than that of the HP (566 kg) or NZ (543 kg) strain; the HD strain matured more slowly. The HD (134 cm) and HP (135 cm) strains were significantly taller than the NZ (128 cm) strain. Although the data set was relatively small there are indications that dairy females of North-American genetic origin were heavier at birth, grew faster, and were heavier and taller at maturity than dairy females of New Zealand origin.


ABSTRACT A prominent finding in coalition formation literature is that the underlying political rationale at the subnational level largely follows that of the one revealed by the classic literature on national coalitions. The Israeli political system is extremely centralized, with a local government that is highly dependent on its national counterpart. One could expect such a setting to result in local party behaviour that closely resembles the national one. However, as we show, this is far from being the case. We analyze 34 municipal coalitions in the 17 largest Israeli cities. After establishing that Israeli municipal politics fly in the face of classical coalition formation theories, we turn to explain this discrepancy with a qualitative analysis of interviews with 5 formatuers and 8 councillors. We conclude that mayors face low costs of adding surplus coalition partners, while standing to gain from wider legitimacy, weaker opposition, and constrained future competition. At the same time, municipal lists have strong resource- and policy-related incentives to join the coalition while compromise is met with low political costs. The result is an overwhelming predominance of oversized coalitions and partnerships which would be highly improbable at the national arena.


This thesis describes the history of robots and explains the reasons for the international differences in robot diffusion, and the differences in the diffusion of various robot applications with reference to the UK. As opposed to most of the literature, diffusion is examined with an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective. Robot technology evolves from the interaction of development, supply and manufacture, adoption, and promotion. activities. Emphasis is given to the analysis of adoption, at present the most important limiting factor of robot advancement in the UK. Technical development is inferred from a comparison of surveys on equipment, and from the topics of ten years of symposia papers. This classification of papers is also used to highlight the international and institutional differences in robot development. Analysis of the growth in robot supply, manufacture, and use is made from statistics compiled. A series of interviews with users and potential users serves to illustrate the factors and implications of the adoption of different robot systems in the UK. Adoption pioneering takes place when several conditions exist: when the technology is compatible with the firm, when its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, and particularly when a climate exists which encourages the managerial involvement and the labour acceptance. The degree of compatibility (technical, methodological, organisational, and economic) and the consequences (profitability, labour impacts, and managerial effects) of different robot systems (transfer, manipulative, processing, and assembly) are determined by various aspects of manufacturing operations (complexity, automation, integration, labour tasks, and working conditions). The climate for adoption pioneering is basically determined by the performance of firms. The firms' policies on capital investment have as decisive a role in determining the profitability of robots as their total labour costs. The performance of the motor car industry and its machine builders explains, more than any other factor, the present state of robot advancement in the UK.


A near-field direct antenna modulation (NFDAM) technique is introduced, where the radiated far-field signal is modulated by time-varying changes in the antenna near-field electromagnetic (EM) boundary conditions. This enables the transmitter to send data in a direction-dependent fashion producing a secure communication link. Near-field direct antenna modulation (NFDAM) can be performed by using either switches or varactors. Two fully-integrated proof-of-concept NFDAM transmitters operating at 60 GHz using switches and varactors are demonstrated in silicon proving the feasibility of this approach.


This article analyses an episode of collective resignation. Carried out mainly by specialist nurses, this is a proliferating form of worker protest in Sweden that poses a challenge to austerity policy and emerges in a specific industrial-relations context. Mobilizing for collective resignation, activist nurses navigate terrains of neoliberal governance, marketization and flexible labour-market dynamics. The collective resignation is also a form of action underpinned by a discourse of gender equality. Our analysis, which attends to the co-emergence of gendering and subject formation in the narratives of a group of activists and to the use of gender-equality rhetoric in framing collective action, shows how opportunities for collective action arise that also restrain the exercise of agency. In this case, subject formation included contrasting nursing to tropes of archetypical militant workers and negotiating tensions between care and collective action. This involved reproducing and challenging established forms of gendering.


Density and Viscosity of drug Aspirin (APN) in various aqueous mixtures of ethanol have been determined. These results are further extended for solutes like electrolyte NaCl and non-electrolyte sucrose in the presence of this drug. The density and viscosity data have been analyzed for the evaluation of partial molar volume, molar excess volume, Gibbs free energy of viscous flow, excess viscosity and A and B viscosity coefficients using Jones-Dole equation. It can be inferred from these studies that this drug acts as a structure-making compound due to hydrophobic hydration of drug molecules. B-coefficients values are found to be positive thereby showing drug solvent interactions. Furthermore these results are correlated to understand the solution behavior of drug.  2011 Trade Science Inc. INDIA An Indian Journal Trade Science Inc. Volume 6 Issue 1


Skilled harmonica players learn to bend the pitch of certain notes by a semitone or more, especially in blues playing, by adjusting the shape of their vocal tract [Bahnson, et al., J. Acoust. Soc. 103, 2134 (2008)]. The changes of the vocal tract have been partially viewed with endoscopy and ultrasound but are still incompletely understood. While in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a professional harmonica player using nonmagnetic, MRI-compatible diatonic harmonicas played draw and blow notes in both unbent and bent positions. Three-dimensional static and 2-dimensional real-time magnetic resonance images of the upper airway were recorded in the sagittal and coronal planes. We identified and characterized the static and dynamic changes that facilitated pitch bends for low and high notes with specific attention to tongue positioning, tongue morphology, and airway shape. Deliberate changes in the tongue shape are often accompanied by changes in other parts of the vocal tract such as the pharynx.


"Cost-benefit analysis" is a term that is used so frequently we rarely stop to think about it. But relying on it can lead to some dubious conclusions, as Frank Ackerman points out in this eye-opening book. For example, some economists have argued that states should encourage - and even subsidize - cigarette smoking by citizens because smoking will shorten life spans and therefore reduce the need and expense of caring for the elderly. How did the economists reach that conclusion? The answer is cost-benefit analysis, Ackerman explains.Then in clear, understandable language, he describes an alternative, precautionary approach to making decisions under uncertainty. Once a mere theory, the precautionary principle has now been applied in practice through the European Union's REACH protocol. Citing major studies, many of which he has directed, he shows that the precautionary approach has not only worked, but has been relatively cheap."Poisoned for Pennies" shows how the misuse of cost-benefit analysis is impeding efforts to clean up and protect our environment, especially in the case of toxic chemicals. According to Ackerman, conservatives - in elected office, in state and federal regulatory agencies, and in businesses of every size - have been able to successfully argue that environmental clean-up and protection are simply too expensive. But he proves, that is untrue in case after case.Ackerman is already well known for his carefully reasoned attacks on the conventional wisdom about the costs of environmental regulation. This new book, which finds Ackerman ranging from psychological research to risk analysis to the benefits of aggressive pesticide regulation, and from mad cow disease to lead paint, will further his reputation as a thought leader in environmental protection. We can't afford not to listen to him.


Abstract. Barrier coasts, including barrier islands, beach-ridge plains, and associated landforms, can assume a broad spectrum of morphologies over multi-decadal scales that reflect conditions of sediment availability, accommodation, and relative sea-level rise. However, the quantitative thresholds of these controls on barrier-system behavior remain largely unexplored, even as modern sea-level rise and anthropogenic modification of sediment availability increasingly reshape the world's sandy coastlines. In this study, we conceptualize barrier coasts as sediment-partitioning frameworks, distributing sand delivered from the shoreface to the subaqueous and subaerial components of the coastal system. Using an idealized morphodynamic model, we explore thresholds of behavioral and morphologic change over decadal to centennial timescales,
simulating barrier evolution within quasi-stratigraphic morphological
cross sections. Our results indicate a wide diversity of barrier behaviors
can be explained by the balance of fluxes delivered to the beach vs. the
dune or backbarrier, including previously understudied forms of transgression
that allow the subaerial system to continue accumulating sediment during
landward migration. Most importantly, our results show that barrier state
transitions between progradation, cross-shore amalgamation, aggradation, and transgression are controlled largely through balances within a narrow range of relative sea-level rise and sediment flux. This suggests that, in the face of rising sea levels, subtle changes in sediment fluxes could result in significant changes in barrier morphology. We also demonstrate that modeled barriers with reduced vertical sediment accommodation are highly sensitive to the magnitude and direction of shoreface fluxes. Therefore, natural barriers with limited sediment accommodation could allow for exploration of the future effects of sea-level rise and changing flux magnitudes over a period of years as opposed to the decades required for similar responses in sediment-rich barrier systems. Finally, because our model creates stratigraphy generated under different input parameters, we propose that it could be used in combination with stratigraphic data to hindcast the sensitivity of existing barriers and infer changes in prehistoric morphology, which we anticipate will provide a baseline to assess the reliability of forward modeling predictions.


The urban waterfront is widely regarded as a frontier of contemporary urban development, attracting both investment and publicity. City, Capital and Water provides a detailed account of the redevelopment of urban waterfronts in nine cities around the world: London, Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto, Dublin and Amsterdam. The case studies cover different frameworks for development in terms of the role of planning, approaches to financing, partnership agreements, state sponsorship and development profits. The analysis also demonstrates the effects of economic globalization, deregulation, the marginalization of planning and the manipulation of development processes by property and political interests.


In this article, we compare the fundraising processes of initial public offerings (IPOs) and security token offerings (STOs) and explain how the STO process can be operationally more efficient and less costly using distributed ledger technology. We also highlight recent technological advancements surrounding STOs and the world of decentralized finance. We collate information about recent developments in regulation and digital exchanges to support the growth of STOs. We emphasize some important issues to tackle before STOs can be widely accepted as the new way of financing for companies. Finally, we argue that although STOs have the potential to revolutionize the security value chain, they do not have to replace IPOs completely, and the two channels can coexist to provide more opportunities for businesses.