Abstract. We introduce the first catchment dataset for large sample studies
in Chile. This dataset includes 516 catchments; it covers particularly wide
latitude (17.8 to 55.0∘ S) and elevation (0 to 6993 m a.s.l.)
ranges, and it relies on multiple data sources (including ground data,
remote-sensed products and reanalyses) to characterise the hydroclimatic
conditions and landscape of a region where in situ measurements are scarce.
For each catchment, the dataset provides boundaries, daily streamflow records
and basin-averaged daily time series of precipitation (from one national and
three global datasets), maximum, minimum and mean temperatures, potential
evapotranspiration (PET; from two datasets), and snow water equivalent. We
calculated hydro-climatological indices using these time series, and
leveraged diverse data sources to extract topographic, geological and land
cover features. Relying on publicly available reservoirs and water rights
data for the country, we estimated the degree of anthropic intervention
within the catchments. To facilitate the use of this dataset and promote
common standards in large sample studies, we computed most catchment
attributes introduced by Addor et al. (2017) in their Catchment Attributes
and MEteorology for Large-sample Studies (CAMELS) dataset, and added several
others. We used the dataset presented here (named CAMELS-CL) to characterise regional
variations in hydroclimatic conditions over Chile and to explore how basin
behaviour is influenced by catchment attributes and water extractions.
Further, CAMELS-CL enabled us to analyse biases and uncertainties in
basin-wide precipitation and PET. The characterisation of catchment water
balances revealed large discrepancies between precipitation products in arid
regions and a systematic precipitation underestimation in headwater mountain
catchments (high elevations and steep slopes) over humid regions. We
evaluated PET products based on ground data and found a fairly good
performance of both products in humid regions (r>0.91) and lower
correlation (r<0.76) in hyper-arid regions. Further, the satellite-based
PET showed a consistent overestimation of observation-based PET. Finally, we
explored local anomalies in catchment response by analysing the relationship
between hydrological signatures and an attribute characterising the level of
anthropic interventions. We showed that larger anthropic interventions are
correlated with lower than normal annual flows, runoff ratios, elasticity of
runoff with respect to precipitation, and flashiness of runoff, especially in
arid catchments. CAMELS-CL provides unprecedented information on catchments in a region
largely underrepresented in large sample studies. This effort is part of an
international initiative to create multi-national large sample datasets
freely available for the community. CAMELS-CL can be visualised from
http://camels.cr2.cl and downloaded from https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.894885.


Abstract Interaction between shear flows and plasma instabilities in axially symmetric mirrors can lead to improved confinement, observed both in experiments on the gas dynamic trap and in simulations. Shear flows, driven via biased end plates and limiters, in combination with finite-larmor-radius effects are shown to be efficient in confining high-beta plasmas even with a magnetic hill on axis. Interpretation of observed effects such as vortex confinement, i.e., confinement of the plasma core in the dead-flow zone of the driven vortex, is shown to agree well with simulations. Theoretical scaling laws predict such a confinement scheme to be useful even in fusion plasmas.


Solar activity is controlled by the magnetic field, which also causes the variability of the solar irradiance that in turn is thought to influence the climate on Earth. The magnetic field manifests itself in the form of structures of largely different sizes. This thesis concentrates on two types of the smallest known magnetic features: The first part studies the properties of umbral dots, dot-like bright features in the dark umbra of a sunspot. The obtained umbral dot properties provide a remarkable confirmation of the results of recent magneto-hydrodynamical simulations. Observations as well as simulations show that umbral dots differ from their surroundings mainly in the lowest photospheric layers, where the temperature is enhanced and the magnetic field is weakened. In addition, the interior of the umbral dots displays strong upflow velocities which are surrounded by weak downflows. This qualitative agreement further strengthens the interpretation of umbral dots as localized columns of overturning convection. The second part of the thesis investigates bright points, which are small-scale brightness enhancements in the darker intergranular lanes of the quiet Sun produced by magnetic flux concentrations. Observational data obtained by the balloon-borne solar telescope SUNRISE are used in this thesis. For the first time contrasts of bright points in the important ultraviolet spectral range are determined. A comparison of observational data with magneto-hydrodynamical simulations revealed a close correspondence, but only after effects due to the limited spectral and spatial resolution were carefully included. 98% of the synthetic bright points are found to be associated with a nearly vertical kilo-Gauss field.


Contemporary Western legal theory is posited on a claim that property rights have 'evolved' as a response to competition over the use of land and that the distribution and regulation of ownership rights reflect society. Other branches of the social sciences regard regulation and rights distributions as being produced by a more complex and shifting interplay of governmentalities. The governance of land has therefore produced emergent hybrid sets of arrangements that reflect various sources and types of power circulating through social institutions and the wider political economy. Garrett Hardin's 'tragedy of the commons' has been highly influential, in arguing that external or private regulation of land use is all that prevents over-exploitation of common property resources. Many critics have sought to expose weaknesses in Hardin's arguments, and Hardin himself later limited his thesis to explaining the fate of unmanaged commons. Yet his central thesis, about the deployment of property rights, has largely remained unchallenged. As E.P. Thompson has argued, this has (erroneously, in his belief) included a central notion that land is not only capable of being 'owned', but that ownership is discrete, hierarchical and, ultimately, 'natural'. In agreeing with Thompson, Munton has recently observed that the dynamism of contemporary land use and the interests shaping its regulation increasingly renders obsolete singular ideas of tenure in favour of understanding property as a 'bundle of rights' that can be allocated differentially as required. In building upon Thompson and Munton's arguments, we seek to challenge Hardin's thesis, by arguing that: (a) far from being natural, property rights are human directed inscriptions on land; (b) the institution of property has a natural (or preferred) form, to the extent that it is allowed to emerge and evolve by common convention; (c) contrary to advanced liberal doctrine, land has a tendency towards common, rather than individual, regulation and use; and (d) liberal theory has been used to justify and shift regulation from the common to the individual. In advancing our arguments, we have borrowed ideas from Marcel Mauss' description of the socio-economic gift relationship, in which he posits the root of social power being contained in the value of the gift made from one person to another and the indebtedness of the other until the gift is reciprocated with interest. Since reciprocation demands further reciprocation, Mauss shows that only the most powerful can survive a process that, ultimately, serves to underpin the hegemony of tying social practice to the dominant ideology of exchange.


MUC1 is a polymorphic, highly glycosylated, type I transmembrane protein expressed by ductal epithelial cells of many organs including pancreas, breast, gastrointestinal tract, and airway. MUC1 is overexpressed and differentially glycosylated by adenocarcinomas that arise in these organs, and is believed to contribute to invasive and metastatic potential by contributing to cell surface adhesion properties [via the tandem repeat (TR) domain] and through morphogenetic signal transduction [via the cytoplasmic tail (CT)]. The large extracellular TR of MUC1 consists of a heavily glycosylated, 20 amino acid sequence that shows allelic variation with respect to number of repeats. This portion of MUC1 may directly mediate adhesive or antiadhesive interactions with other surface molecules on adjacent cells and through these interactions initiate signal transduction pathways that are transmitted through the CT. We investigated the contribution of the TR domain and the CT of MUC1 to the in vivo invasive and metastatic potential, and the gene expression profile of the human pancreatic tumor cell line S2-013. Results showed that S2-013 cells overexpressing full-length MUC1 displayed a less invasive and metastatic phenotype compared with control-transfected cells and cells expressing MUC1 lacking the TR domain or CT. Clonal populations were analyzed by cDNA array gene expression analysis, which showed differences in the gene expression profiles between the different cell lines. Among the genes differentially expressed were several that encode proteins believed to play a role in invasion and metastasis.


Since the December 1998 Saint-Malo summit between French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, we have been learning to live with a new acronym and a new reality: the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). This is not the same thing as the European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) of the mid-1990s, which was a technical, juridical, and short-term mechanism designed to facilitate the emergence from within NATO of a "separable but not separate" European military capacity, under the political direction of the Western European Union. ESDI's key feature was that it would use borrowed US assets to engage in crisis management missions in Europe's backyard--missions with which the United States did not wish to engage. By contrast, ESDP, as stated in the Saint-Malo Declaration, involves the European Union deciding on "the progressive framing of a common defence policy [for which] the Union must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so in order to react to international crises." US citizens have had difficulty adjusting to this new reality for three main reasons. First, the European Union is not a nation-state and, according to all the rules of international relations since at least 1648, only states "do" security. Second, while the United States has been nagging the Europeans for 40 years to get their military act together, it requires some cognitive adjustment when the Europeans actually begin to do so--especially when the buzzword is autonomy. Third, generations of US theorists have been weaned on neo-realism and tend to see all power relations in terms of balancing, bandwagoning, and buckpassing. These may not be the most helpful concepts to capture what is actually going on. The confused debate within the United States over what the ESDP actually is has produced four different schools of thought. The "yes, please" group embraces a variety of analysts who believe, for one reason or another, that ESDP will strengthen the transatlantic partnership. The "yes, but" camp includes official spokespersons from both the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations who officially support the ESDP but only on certain conditions. The "oh yeah?" cohort features skeptics who refuse to believe that Europe is capable of emerging as a military actor. The "no way!" brigade sees the ESDP as a threat to US national interests. The proliferation of these different schools reflects several basic misunderstandings about the nature of the ESDP project. What the ESDP is Not Before outlining what the ESDP is, it is important to stress what the ESDP is not, because much of the US confusion proceeds from such misperceptions. First, the ESDP is neither a mistake nor an irrelevance, as hostile critics have suggested. It emerges from powerful forces arising from the end of the Cold War. In that sense, the ESDP was arguably inevitable. Second, it is not a "European army" in the sense that national assets would be detached from national command and permanently reassigned to a European command. There is no talk of joint European ownership of troops or weapons systems, nor (yet) any thought of developing a European defense budget. It is not designed for the territorial defense of the European space, which remains the task of NATO. Third, it is not comparable to the US armed forces and could in no way represent a challenge to US military preponderance. Fourth, it never has been intended, even by its strongest French advocates, to undermine or replace NATO. Since the early 1990s, France, which is heavily involved in alliance-coordinated peacekeeping activities, has been moving progressively back into NATO. Fifth, and most important, the ESDP is not designed to "balance" US power in the structural realist sense, even if that term is stretched to include "soft balancing" as discussed in the Summer 2005 International Security. …


This is a brand new picture book starring the world's most famous rabbit - Peter Rabbit. In this exciting adventure from Oscar-winning screenwriter and actress Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee, Sense and Sensibility) Peter Rabbit squeezes under the gate into Mr. McGregor's garden and is carted away from his beloved Lake District to the Scottish lowlands. This plucky little rabbit soon finds himself in the middle of a great big, brand new adventure and has the best fun! Emma Thompson writes with a dry humour, similar to Beatrix Potter's own. She is the perfect choice of author for this new Peter Rabbit tale, to be published by Potter's first publisher, Frederick Warne - 110 years after the original. The delightful illustrations were created by Eleanor Taylor who has been writing and illustrating picture books for the last fifteen years. She has a great affinity for the countryside which is beautifully reflected in the engaging characters and beautiful scenes illustrated in The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit. If you grew up with Beatrix Potter's books, we're sure this tale will entertain you just as much as it will your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and any other little ones you know!


Many workers have studied the ocular components which occur in eyes exhibiting differing amounts of central refractive error but few have ever considered the additional information that could be derived from a study of peripheral refraction. Before now, peripheral refraction has either been measured in real eyes or has otherwise been modelled in schematic eyes of varying levels of sophistication. Several differences occur between measured and modelled results which, if accounted for, could give rise to more information regarding the nature of the optical and retinal surfaces and their asymmetries. Measurements of ocular components and peripheral refraction, however, have never been made in the same sample of eyes. In this study, ocular component and peripheral refractive measurements were made in a sample of young near-emmetropic, myopic and hyperopic eyes. The data for each refractive group was averaged. A computer program was written to construct spherical surfaced schematic eyes from this data. More sophisticated eye models were developed making use of linear algebraic ray tracing program. This method allowed rays to be traced through toroidal aspheric surfaces which were translated or rotated with respect to each other. For simplicity, the gradient index optical nature of the crystalline lens was neglected. Various alterations were made in these eye models to reproduce the measured peripheral refractive patterns. Excellent agreement was found between the modelled and measured peripheral refractive values over the central 70o of the visual field. This implied that the additional biometric features incorporated in each eye model were representative of those which were present in the measured eyes. As some of these features are not otherwise obtainable using in vivo techniques, it is proposed that the variation of refraction in the periphery offers a very useful optical method for studying human ocular component dimensions.


Disasters have consistently captured human imagination. Throughout the Old Testament, the frequency with which disasters are central or incidental themes suggests that they have always been a familiar part of man's experience
and they have been a rather constant setting for posing questions about man's existence and death. Today, an examination of the news media forces one to the conclusion that disasters continue to be worthy of attention. We accept this attention as natural, and perhaps it is, since disasters continue to provide the context in which significant human dramas are revealed. Disasters are perhaps one of the few situations in which there is both the opportunity for the expression of heroism as well as for the ability to confront fear and suffering, And this is played out on a rather dramatic stage for the spectators to see. For those persons whose lives are characterized by the repetitiveness of day-to-day living, disasters provide a vicarious contact with these rather universa1 themes.


Over the past decade, rising authoritarian regimes have begun to challenge the liberal international order. This challenge is particularly pronounced in the field of multilateral development finance, where China and its coalition partners from Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa have created two new multilateral development banks. This article argues that China and its partners have used the New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to increase their power and to restrict democratic controlmechanisms. By comparing formal mechanisms of democratic controlin both organizations to theWorld Bank, this article shows that civil society access, transparency, and accountability are lower at the AIIB and NDB than they are at the World Bank.


The effectiveness of 20 systemic and contact fungicides in protecting Douglas-fir seedlings from infection by Phytophthora ramorum was determined. Some systemic products were applied about a week prior to bud break, while most treatments were applied just after bud break. In addition to the fungicides, two surfactants were included in the post-bud break application tests. One day after the post-bud break treatment applications, all the seedlings were inoculated by spraying seedlings with zoospore suspensions obtained from isolates of A1 and A2 mating types of P. ramorum. Inoculated seedlings were then incubated under optimal conditions for disease development. The only pre-bud break treatment that completely prevented infection was the drench application of Subdue MAXX. Prebud break drench applications of Stature, Insignia, and Terrazole had no affect on the number of infected seedlings. The reduction in infection by the pre-bud break applications of Heritage and Chipco Signature was variable and applications of Phostrol reduced infections by 71 to 75 percent. Post-bud break applications of the contact fungicides Dithane, Gavel, Maneb, and Polyram provided 100 percent control. Although not as consistently effective, applications of Champ Formula 2F, Reason, Daconil Ultrex, Stature, and IKF – 916 reduced the number of infected seedlings by 70 to 100 percent. Most of the other fungicides included in these tests provided more limited or variable reductions in the number of infected seedlings. Post-bud break applications of the organosilicone surfactant, Silwet L-77 had no effect on infection of seedlings. However, the post-bud break application of Latron CS-7 reduced infection by 67 to 100 percent. Our results indicate that several fungicides and possibly some surfactants have the potential to provide excellent control of P. ramorum. One common concern associated with the potential use of fungicides to control this disease is the possibility that fungicides might suppress symptom development on infected plants. While systemic fungicides might have the potential to suppress symptom development, it is unlikely that this would be an issue with any of the contact types of fungicides that were found to be effective in protecting seedlings from P. ramorum.


Primary mucosal melanomas (PMMs) of the head and neck are uncommon malignancies that arise mainly in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, followed by the oral cavity. The mainstay of treatment is radical surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy in selected patients with high‐risk features. Multimodality therapy has not been well studied and is not standardized. Adjuvant radiotherapy seems to improve locoregional control but does not improve overall survival (OS). Elective neck dissection is advocated in patients with oral PMM. Systemic therapy should be considered only for patients with metastatic or unresectable locoregional disease. Despite improvements in the field of surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy, patients with PMM still face a very unfavorable prognosis (5‐year disease‐free survival [DFS] <20%) with high rates of locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis. The present review aims to summarize the current state of knowledge on the molecular biology, pathological diagnosis, and management of this disease. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 147–155, 2016


Water policies around the world are in urgent need of reform. Despite improvements in some sectors and countries, progress on meeting national, regional and international goals for managing and securing access to water for all has been uneven. Rallying policymakers around a positive water reform agenda needs to be a high priority and calls for strong political commitment and leadership.

This report on Meeting the Water Reform Challenge brings together key insights from recent OECD work and identifies the priority areas where governments need to focus their reform efforts. It calls for governments to focus on getting the basics of water policy right. Sustainable financing, effective governance, and coherence between water and sectoral policies are the building blocks of successful reform.

This title belongs to OECD Report Series .

ISBN: 9781780406015 (eBook)

ISBN: 9781780401300 (Print)


A report discusses the methane and carbon monoxide/LOX (McLOx) rocket for ascent from Mars as well as other critical space propulsion tasks. The system offers a specific impulse over 370 s roughly 50 s higher than existing space-storable bio-propellants. Current Mars in-situ propellant production (ISPP) technologies produce impure methane and carbon monoxide in various combinations. While separation and purification of methane fuel is possible, it adds complexity to the propellant production process and discards an otherwise useful fuel product. The McLOx makes such complex and wasteful processes unnecessary by burning the methane/CO mixtures produced by the Mars ISPP systems without the need for further refinement. Despite the decrease in rocket-specific impulse caused by the CO admixture, the improvement offered by concomitant increased propellant density can provide a net improvement in stage performance. One advantage is the increase of the total amount of propellant produced, but with a decrease in mass and complexity of the required ISPP plant. Methane/CO fuel mixtures also may be produced by reprocessing the organic wastes of a Moon base or a space station, making McLOx engines key for a human Lunar initiative or the International Space Station (ISS) program. Because McLOx propellant components store at a common temperature, very lightweight and compact common bulkhead tanks can be employed, improving overall stage performance further.


Large alluvial rivers transport globally significant quantities of water, sediment, and nutrients to the oceans, temporarily storing and cycling this material within the bars, islands, and floodplains that define their morphology. The world's largest rivers display a remarkable variety of morphologies. However, existing theory and numerical modeling fail to explain this diversity, which remains poorly understood. This study applies a new numerical model of water flow and sediment transport to show how the morphology of large sand-bed rivers is influenced by bed sediment mobility, bank erodibility, and rate of floodplain development. Simulations demonstrate that a wide range of river styles, including meandering, anabranching, and braiding, can occur over a relatively narrow range of environmental conditions. Results highlight the suspension of bed material, which limits the gravitational deflection of sediment in the direction of the local bed slope, as a key control on sediment transport direction and hence river morphology. Moreover, high mobility of bed and bank sediments are hypothesized to favor contrasting river styles, although both may be promoted by increasing stream power. These results explain the inability of existing stream power theory to predict the morphology of the world's largest rivers, and highlight the potential for investigating river-floodplain co-evolution using physics-based simulation models.


The text of Sargon's Eighth Campaign provides a challenge to the archaeologist to seek the towns which he mentions, though one must remember that many of his "towns" were hardly more than villages. For two months (mid-June till mid-August 1956) I worked on a survey of Urartian and earlier sites in the districts around Lake Van and eastward as far as the Persian frontier. Later I visited sites in the districts of Bulanık and Malazgirt (Manzikert), and two Urartian sites far to the west, at Palu and in the mountainous Dersim. Among the sites visited are several of which nothing has hitherto been published, whilst nearly all the rest are known only from the discovery of inscriptions. A few fragmentary cuneiform inscriptions were found, in addition to those already known, but the chief purpose of this survey was to discover the Urartian fortresses and towns in this region and to make sketch-plans, wherever possible, of the walls visible above the surface. Circumstances did not allow of the drawing of accurately measured plans: that is an important task, which should be carried out as soon as possible, if only because of the constant and increasing danger of stone-quarrying by local peasants. At remarkably many Urartian sites it is possible to trace the defensive wall for the greater part of its circuit.


Significance "Family values" conservatives in the United States have more children and more siblings than their compatriots. These patterns reflect the tendency of the more religious and less educated to have larger families and more conservative views on the family. Among Protestants, denominational differences play a role, with fundamentalist groups exhibiting larger families, less education, and greater conservatism. The causal pathways are unclear, but the patterns reshape society: Traditional-family conservatism is more prevalent than it would have been if each person had the same population share as his or her parents. This demographic phenomenon raises opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion by 3 to 4 percentage points. It accounts for 7.9 million of the nation's 54.8 million opponents to same-sex marriage. Data from the General Social Survey indicate that higher-fertility individuals and their children are more conservative on "family values" issues, especially regarding abortion and same-sex marriage. This pattern implies that differential fertility has increased and will continue to increase public support for conservative policies on these issues. The association of family size with conservatism is specific to traditional-family issues and can be attributed in large part to the greater religiosity and lower educational attainment of individuals from larger families. Over the 2004 to 2018 period, opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion was 3 to 4 percentage points more prevalent than it would have been were traditional-family conservatism independent of family size in the current generation. For same-sex marriage, evolutionary forces have grown in relative importance as society as a whole has liberalized. As of 2018, differential fertility raised the number of US adults opposed to same-sex marriage by 17%, from 46.9 million to 54.8 million.


Flexible manufacturing systems have long been touted as an application area for supervisory control theory. Unfortunately, due to the typical exponential growth of state space with the number of interacting subsystems, concurrent systems such as manufacturing applications have, for the most part, remained beyond the reach of existing supervisory control theory tools. This paper demonstrates how, by imposing a hierarchical, modular, interface-based architecture on the system, significant gains can be made in the size of applications that can be handled by supervisory control theory. We first review hierarchical interface-based supervisory control, providing the theory necessary to motivate the creation of well-defined automata-based interfaces between components. This architecture permits the verification of global safety (controllability) and nonblocking properties to be decomposed into a set of local checks, each of which only involves an individual component subsystem and its interface automata. The paper then provides a detailed description of how the theory can be applied to the design and verification of a flexible manufacturing system work cell. The work cell model is based on the Atelier Intere/spl acute/tablissement de Productique flexible manufacturing workcell, a system that has been previously studied in the literature with limited success.


Medical procedures present a unique challenge to the patent system. Without patents, investors may be unwilling to commit resources to the costly development of new procedures. However, patents on these procedures may decrease public access to the procedures, which may harm society's interest in accessible medical care. In response to these concerns, Congress enacted 35 U.S.C. section 287(c), which does not prohibit patents on medical procedures, but instead makes them unenforceable against physicians and their associated healthcare entities. This legislation is problematic because it violates the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The United States' violation of this agreement sends a message to other countries to do the same and weakens the ability to strengthen intellectual property protection abroad. To cure this violation, Congress should enact a TRIPS-compliant compulsory licensing system. Fully enforceable medical procedure patents are not advisable because of the unique ethical considerations that these patents present. However, eliminating medical procedures from patentability reduces the incentives both to innovate and to disclose, and creates the additional risk that costly procedures will go undeveloped. Compulsory licensing balances these interests by ensuring that medical procedures are widely available to the public, while providing financial remuneration for inventors and investors.


The closed circuit rebreather (CCR) is not a new diving technology. From the late 1990s CCR units were commercially available in Europe, and increasingly more divers, and among them scientific divers, have been trained to use them. Even if many benefits exist for using CCR for all diving depth ranges, it is in the deep diving zone ranging from 50 m to 100 m of sea water where the main advantages to using this equipment exist. Using rebreathers does carry additional risks, and these must be mitigated to ensure safe usage. A standard for CCR scientific diving has existed for many years in the USA, and the levels of expertise within the European scientific diving community are now sufficient for a European standard to be established. National legislation for occupational scientific diving in many cases excludes CCR diving, which can limit its use for scientific purposes. This paper suggests that, where possible, legislations should be allowed to evolve in order to include this type of equipment where and when its use has direct advantages for both the safety and the efficiency of scientific diving. This paper provides a brief description of the fundamentals of closed circuit rebreather diving and outlines the benefits that its use offers diving scientists. Special attention is given to safety issues with the assertion that the CCR concept is, if strictly applied, the safest available technique today for autonomous deep scientific diving purposes.


Despite its biological significance, little is known about how animals sense and respond to heme to maintain homeostasis. C. elegans is a heme auxotroph, which makes it an excellent model to identify and dissect heme homeostasis pathways. Using C. elegans we have identified HRG-1, a vesicular heme transporter that is transcriptionally upregulated when environmental heme is low. The current study seeks to address how hrg-1 is regulated by heme. Here, we show that a putative 23 base pair (bp) heme-responsive element (HRE) and GATA-binding motifs are necessary for heme-dependent regulation of hrg-1. The HRE comprises both enhancer and repressor elements and works in conjunction with ELT-2 to regulate hrg-1 expression. We propose that the HRE could be used as a molecular tool in C. elegans to tightly regulate internal gene expression by modulating environmental heme. Our ultimate goal is to identify the transacting factor to eventually create a whole animal sensor for monitoring organismal heme homeostasis.


The Protective Effect of Antioxidants on Vitamin A Stability in Nonfat Dry Milk During Thermally Accelerated Storage Amalie B. Kurzer Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science, BYU Master of Science Two studies were conducted to determine the relative effect of various combinations of antioxidants on vitamin A oxidation and isomerization in nonfat dry milk (NDM). In the first study, one lot of pasteurized unfortified skim milk was divided, fortified with vitamins A and D and one of 11 antioxidant treatments, and spray dried. A control batch from the same lot was also fortified with vitamins A and D and spray dried. Samples were analyzed for total vitamin A bioactivity after zero, one, and two weeks of storage. After two weeks at 50 °C, the only NDM samples that did not experience significant vitamin A loss were those treated with butylated hydroxytoluene, either alone at 0.57 ppm or at 0.29 ppm in combination with 250 ppm ascorbic acid. The control sample was significantly different from both of these treatments, and retained only 17% of its original retinol activity equivalents. Isomer composition changed over the two weeks of storage, with an increase of the 13-cis, 9,13-di-cis and the 9-cis isomers as well as a decrease in the all-trans isomer. In the second study, two lots of pasteurized, vitamin A & D fortified, condensed skim milk were divided into four batches, three of which were spiked with an antioxidant treatment: 250 ppm ascorbic acid + 1 ppm propyl gallate, 250 ppm ascorbic acid + 1 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole, or 2 ppm propyl gallate; the fourth batch was a control. Each of the eight batches was homogenized, spray dried and stored in the absence of light at 30 °C for 3 months. Vitamin A and riboflavin were analyzed before spray drying, and after 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks. Two treatments had significant higher vitamin A than the control, the 250 ppm ascorbic acid + 1 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole treatment and the 2 ppm propyl gallate treatment. Limited vitamin A degradation occurred in all samples during the study timeframe, although the overall degree of retinol isomerization began and remained high in all samples, with cis isomers accounting for approximately 23% of the total μg of retinol after 12 weeks. There were no significant differences in riboflavin content between any of the antioxidant treatments and no significant degradation in riboflavin over time. Antioxidants appear to be an effective means of reducing vitamin A oxidation and isomerization in nonfat dry milk. Butylated hydroxytoluene in combination with ascorbic acid was the most effective antioxidant blend observed. Antioxidants may be less effective at protecting against degradation of vitamin A if isomerization has already taken place.


Master Naturalist programs across the country have reconnected Americans with nature for >20 years. Research suggests that reconnecting humans with nature benefits personal health and wellness, educates stakeholders about the importance of conservation, and enhances individual participation in stewardship efforts. Nationally, the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs coordinates and supports Master Naturalist programs through facilitating collaboration and sharing of resources, as well as organizing an annual conference. We explore the Virginia Master Naturalist and Utah Master Naturalist programs as 2 examples of different, but highly effective, statewide programs to highlight the diversity of Master Naturalist programs. The Virginia Master Naturalist was created in partnership with 5 state agencies. It is coordinated at a local chapter level, taught entirely in person, and has the primary purpose to train volunteers who support natural resource conservation in the state. The Utah Master Naturalist, in contrast, was created by Utah State University Cooperative Extension. Centrally coordinated at the state level, it is partially taught online and focuses more on connecting a highly urbanized population to the vast natural areas around the state. Master Naturalist programs provide unique opportunities for scientists and resource managers to engage the public and promote stewardship through education, volunteer opportunities, and citizen science. This mutualistic relationship benefits not only the public that learns from experts and participates in real-world management projects, but also the managers who achieve a broader impact of their work and receive valuable volunteer assistance in fulfilling their management goals.


We describe a kinetic model of ligand-mediated nanocluster (diameter < 2 nm) formation. We investigate two growth pathways: classical single-monomer addition, and autocatalytic growth. We compare our results to some relevant experiments and we discuss and generally describe the optimal conditions for "bottom up" nanocluster synthesis.


The dynamic behavior of a micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) cantilever switch is investigated. Over-actuation of the switch can degrade bounce characteristics and reduce the lifetime of the contacts. This work concerns the development of a control system that limits the number of switch bounces and reduces the impact force on the beam tip. A limited mass-spring analysis of the tip-position is given and an associated control approach is applied. Input limiting, state-feedback, and adaptive control methods are compared. All results demonstrate improved switch bounce characteristics for the simplified beam model with the adaptive showing the best performance improvement. A comprehensive finite element analysis is shown that predicts the dynamic beam behavior along the entire length. This approach produces a realistic model of the beam during switching, especially the tip displacement. A versatile control system is proposed that uses finite-element-analysis simulation and adaptive control. The feasibility of this dynamic control system is also discussed.


This research project was funded by the Australian Government under the 2009-13 National Homelessness Research Agenda. Little evidence has been produced on the influence of housing on children's development in Australia. This study, relying on LSAC 2004 and 2008 data, begins to fill this gap by examining the association between residential mobility, unstable housing tenure and housing stress on children's cognitive development and social-emotional functioning. Previous research indicates that parental relationship breakdown often leads to unstable housing; therefore, this study has a separate focus on the experiences of children living in separated or coupled families. Section 2 of the report presents a review of the Australian and international literature on the association between residential mobility, housing stress and housing tenure on child outcomes. Section 3 provides an overview of some definitions relevant to housing and homelessness in Australia and the data used in this report. Section 4 provides a description of these aspects of the housing circumstances of Australian children. Section 5 focuses on the housing circumstances of children living in families where their parents have separated and where their parents are still coupled. Section 6 examines the relationships between child outcomes and housing characteristics for 4–5 and 8–9 year old children in separated and couple families, while controlling for other socio-economic characteristics of children's families. The final section discusses these findings and their implications. Final Report [PDF - 1050 KB] [DOCX – 1052 KB] Evidence Note [PDF - 54 KB] [DOCX - 141 KB] Image: D Sharon Pruitt, Pink Sherbet Photography / flickr


Synaptic micro-circuit properties in neuronal networks are fundamental to information processing in brain systems. These properties, intrinsic to brain structure, are directly related to neural activity and function. Characterization and mapping the micro-circuitry has been a long standing challenge in mammalian hippocampal research. One of the stumbling blocks in this endeavor is the absence of a construct to integrate the available anatomical knowledge. Thus, integrating hippocampal anatomy from neuronal dendrites to whole-system level may help explain its relation to spatial navigation and episodic memory. This dissertation describes a novel approach to map existing morphological data onto an in-silico based template of the rat hippocampus and address important scientific questions on macroscopic stereology and potential connectivity between various cell types in the hippocampus. Towards this aim, we digitally traced the cytoarchitectural boundaries of the dentate gyrus (DG) and areas CA3/CA1 throughout their entire longitudinal extent from high-resolution images of thin cryostatic sections of adult rat brain. A custom developed computational framework further extends the functionality of this model by transforming the digital trace stack into volumetric representations with arbitrary voxel size. Next, virtually embedding 1.8 million neuronal morphologies stochastically resampled from 244 digital reconstructions, emulated the dense packing of granular and pyramidal layers, and orienting the principal dendritic axes according to local curvature.
Utilizing this unique systems level digital representation, the first part of this research study reports and discusses the macroscopic stereological properties such as volumes, and neuropil occupancy ratios across the various cytoarchitectonic layers of DG & CA regions in the rat hippocampus. The neuropil occupancy reproduced recent electron microscopy data specifically measured in a restricted location. Extension of this analysis across each layer and sub-region throughout the whole longitudinal extent of the hippocampus revealed highly non-homogeneous dendritic density. In CA1, dendritic occupancy was >60% higher temporally than septally (0.46 vs. 0.28). CA3 values varied both across subfields (from 0.35 in CA3b/CA3c to 0.50 in CA3a) and layers (0.48, 0.34, and 0.27 in oriens, radiatum, and lacunosum-moleculare, respectively). Dendritic occupancy was substantially lower in DG, especially in the supra-pyramidal blade (0.18). The computed probability of dendro-dendritic collision significantly correlated with expression of the membrane repulsion signal DSCAM. These heterogeneous stereological properties reflect and complement the non-uniform molecular composition, circuit connectivity, and computational function of the hippocampus across its hippocampal-transverse, longitudinal, and laminar organization.
The second part of this dissertation reports and discusses the potential synaptic connectivity computed by mapping and orienting digital axonal reconstructions of five principal and two CA3 interneuron classes across the CA pyramidal dendritic network within this 3D model. In the mammalian cortex, structural plasticity of spines and boutons makes 'potential synapses' functionally relevant to learning capability and memory capacity. To date, however, potential synapses have only been mapped in the surrounding of a neuron and relative to its local orientation rather than in a system-level anatomical reference. Analyzing connectivity in terms of close spatial appositions between axons and dendrites could thus bridge the opposite scales, from synaptic level to whole systems. We report the potential connectivity onto pyramidal cell dendrites from the axons of a dentate granule cell, three CA3 pyramidal cells, one CA2 pyramidal cell, and 13 CA3b interneurons. The numbers, densities, and distributions of potential synapses were analyzed in each sub-region (e.g. CA3 vs. CA1), layer (e.g. oriens vs. radiatum), and septo-temporal location (e.g. dorsal vs. ventral). The overall ratio between the numbers of actual and potential synapses was ∼0.20 for the granule and CA3 pyramidal cells. All potential connectivity patterns are strikingly dependent on the anatomical location of both pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons.


Fertilizers have played an important role in increased crop production, especially in cereal yields, and will continue to be a cornerstone of the science-based agriculture required to feed the expanding world population. Fertilizers replenish the nutrients removed from soils by harvested crops, encourage adoption of high-yielding varieties, and increase biomass in the nutrient-poor soils of the tropics. Bumb and Baanante trace fertilizer use until the 1990s as well as production and price trends. Finally they propose projected trends in use, requirements, and production. The authors conclude that, overall, a conducive and stable policy environment, including macroeconomic stability, price incentives, credit availability, efficient organizational arrangements, research and extension support, regulatory frameworks, and environmental monitoring, will be essential to promote environmentally friendly growth in fertilizer use and supply to 2020.


Metal cutting operations constitute a large percentage of the manufacturing activity. One of the most important objectives of metal cutting research is to develop techniques that enable optimal utilization of machine tools, improved production efficiency, high machining accuracy and reduced machine downtime and tooling costs. Machining process condition monitoring is certainly the important monitoring requirement of unintended machining operations. A multi-purpose intelligent tool condition monitoring technique for metal cutting process will be introduced in this paper. The knowledge based intelligent pattern recognition algorithm is mainly composed of a fuzzy feature filter and algebraic neurofuzzy networks. It can carry out the fusion of multi-sensor information to enable the proposed intelligent architecture to recognize the tool condition successfully.


The Future Internet, in its different variants, promises a global connectivity of people, things and services.However, in order to develop its full potential and to achieve an accepted, seamless integration of Internet use into daily lives, severe security issues have to be addressed. In this paper, we propose to establish security and trustworthiness by means of an integrated identity and access management. Especially, we sketch the foundations of a novel identity and access management approach that is tailored for the Future Internet. We provide mechanisms for flexible modeling and description of digital user identities with support to transaction-based privacy protection, access to personal data, flexible third party accountability and end-to-end secure communication. The mechanisms are tailored for the use on a trusted personaldevice called Minimal Entity, which provides a trustworthy gateway to benefit from the offerings of the Future Internet.


The Neoproterozoic Damara orogen in Namibia records the Gondwanan assembly of the Congo–Kalahari–Rio de la Plata cratons. Sedimentological and stratigraphic analyses of the Otavi (mostly carbonate) and Mulden (siliciclastic molasse) Groups exposed along the southwestern margin of the Congo craton indicate that foreland-basin orogenesis began during middle Otavi (ca. 600–750 Ma); this time frame is earlier than that for the Nama foreland (ca. 550 Ma) on the Kalahari craton. Evidence for this interpretation includes (1) an intra-Otavi angular unconformity; (2) concomitant development of increasing accommodation space, basin segmentation, and backstepping depositional systems composed mostly of deep-basin and slope hemipelagic and sediment gravity-flow deposits; and (3) a near reversal in paleocurrents (initially northward off the Congo craton, then switching to southeastward from a west-northwestern orogen). Thus, Congo–Rio de la Plata suturing predated Congo-Kalahari suturing during the assembly of Gondwana.


The infamous "pain at the pump" runs much deeper than our wallets, argues Terry Tamminen, former Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and current Special Advisor to California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Petroleum may power our cars and heat our homes, but it also contributes to birth defects and disorders like asthma and emphysema, not to mention cancer. In "Lives Per Gallon", Tamminen takes a hard look at these and other health, environmental, and national security costs hidden in every barrel of oil. While the petroleum industry is raking in huge profits, Tamminen shows, it is studiously avoiding measures that would lessen the hazards of its products. Using the successful lawsuits by state governments against big tobacco as a model, the author sets forth a bold strategy to hold oil and auto companies accountable and force industry reform. He also offers a blueprint for developing alternative energy sources based on California's real-world experiences. Certain to be controversial, "Lives Per Gallon" is an unblinking assessment of the true price of petroleum and a prescription for change. The choice is clear: continuing paying with our health, or kick our addiction and evolve beyond an oil-dependent economy.


Diabetes mellitus is a chronic syndrome affecting many systems of the body and may be considered as a leading cause of death globally. To compare the efficacy of Stevia rebaudiana and Aspartame on hepato-renal functions, sixty adult male albino rats were divided into 6 groups; control, Stevia, Aspartame, diabetic, diabetic-treated with Stevia and diabetic-treated with Aspartame. Food consumption, body weight, blood glucose, serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea and creatinine levels were determined. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and bcl-2 levels were assessed as well as histological examination for liver and kidney sections were performed. Treatment of diabetic rats with Stevia leaf extract or Aspartame significantly lowered food consumption and serum blood glucose. Serum blood glucose was significantly decreased by 38% with Stevia treatment and 50% with Aspartame. Stevia treatment of diabetic rats significantly lowered the serum level of ALT by 62%, AST by 57%, ALP by 41%, urea by 16% and creatinine by 65%. Hepatic MDA was reduced by 50% in diabetic group treated with Stevia and hepatic GSH and Bcl-2 levels were significantly elevated. In contrast, Aspartame did not change these parameters. Histopatholgically, diabetic rats treated with Stevia showed improvement of liver and renal tissues, while Aspartame treatment augmented alloxan induced tissue destruction. Aspartame was more effective hypoglycemic agent than Stevia in diabetic rats but Stevia showed protective effects on the liver and kidney functions. Stevia rebaudiana may be therapeutically beneficial as hepato-renal protective agent for those suffering from diabetes mellitus.


We consider the problem of polymer chains confined between two parallel plates (a slit). The interactions between the polymer and the plates are assumed to be repulsive. A variational theory is used to derive the size of the chain as a function of the distance between plates, D, for both hard impenetrable walls as well as for soft walls. In both cases it is shown that for large and small values of D, the results coincide with the predictions of the scaling theory. For intermediate values of D the size of the polymer depends on the strength of interaction, C 0 , between the monomers and the walls. The cross-over from the fully squeezed regime (D → 0) to the case when the plate separation is infinite is non-monotonic for good solvents. In particular the mean square end-to-end distance has a minimum (the depth of which depends on C 0 ) at moderate values of D. The theoretical predictions are in accord with Monte-Carlo simulations. When the solvent quality is poor the cross-over from two-dimensional behavior to three-dimensional case is monotonic. The effect of interaction strength between the polymer and the plates is also examined. It is argued that for moderate values of D a slit of given size with a specified interaction has the same effect as one of larger slit size but with stronger interactions.


Article type: Original Article Background: The cuprizone multiple sclerosis (MS) animal model is characteristic for toxic demyelination and represents a reversible demyelination and remyelination system. It has been shown that green tea epigallocatechin-3gallate (EGCG) might be effective in improving the symptoms and pathological conditions associated with autoimmune inflammatory diseases in several animal models. Objectives: In this study the effects of EGCG on proteolipid protein (PLP) and oligodendrocyte transcription factor 1 (Olig1) expression in the cerebral cortex of murine model of cuprizone-induced demyelination was investigated. Materials and Methods: C57BL/6 mice were treated by cuprizone for six weeks in order to induce demyelination. Immediately after the cessation of cuprizone the animals were divided into 6 groups (n=10 for each groups). The first two groups was injected intraperitoneally (IP) by EGCG in the amount of 50 mg/kg /daily body weight for 2 and 4 weeks. The second two groups (SHAM) was injected IP by phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 2 and 4 weeks and the third two groups was left without injection as controls. After two and four weeks the mice were killed and the cerebral cortex was collected and the expression of PLP and Olig1 was studied by Western blotting. Results:The results showed that there is a significant increases in PLP and Olig1 expression among the EGCG treated group as compared to the SHAM and control groups (p<0.0001). Conclusion: It is concluded that EGCG increases PLP and Olig1 expression in the cerebral cortex of mouse model of MS induced by cuprizone.


Consider the problem where a statistician in a two-node system receives rate-limited information from a transmitter about marginal observations of a memoryless process generated from two possible distributions. Using its own observations, this receiver is required to first identify the legitimacy of its sender by declaring the joint distribution of the process, and then depending on such authentication, it generates adequate reconstruction of the observations, satisfying an average per-letter distortion. The performance of this setup is investigated through the corresponding rate-error-distortion region, describing the tradeoff between: the communication rate, the error exponent induced by the detection, and the distortion incurred by the source reconstruction. In the special case of testing against independence, where the alternative hypothesis implies that the sources are independent, the optimal rate-error-distortion region is characterized. An application example to binary symmetric sources is given subsequently and the explicit expression for the rate-error-distortion region is provided as well. The case of "general hypotheses" is also investigated. A new achievable rate-error-distortion region is derived based on the use of non-asymptotic binning, improving the quality of communicated descriptions. Further improvement of performance in the general case is shown to be possible when the requirement of source reconstruction is relaxed, which stands in contrast to the case of general hypotheses.


This paper is an examination of the use of Native content in two contrasting sites, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Midland, Ontario, and Ska•nonh–Great Law of Peace Center in Syracuse, New York. These two sites share a common history, not only as early French settlements, but also as living history museums established in the twentieth century to memorialize and celebrate seventeenth-century Jesuit missions. Revisiting them today reveals their transformation into two very different museum models, incorporating very different methods of presenting indigenous knowledge. The authors consider how two distinct narratives have evolved in the twenty-first century, and how public memory continues to shape visitor expectations. The paper adds to the conversation about museums' continuing incorporation of diverse historical narratives into their interpretation and programming as well as a rethinking of the ways in which we produce history for public consumption.


Neuroplin-1 (NRP1), a receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members, has three distinct extracellular domains, a1a2, b1b2, and c. To determine the VEGF165 and placenta growth factor 2 (PlGF-2)-binding sites of NRP1, recombinant NRP1 domains were expressed in mammalian cells as Myc-tagged, soluble proteins, and used in co-precipitation experiments with 125I-VEGF165 and125I-PlGF-2. Anti-Myc antibodies immunoprecipitated125I-VEGF165 and 125I-PlGF-2 in the presence of the b1b2 but not of the a1a2 and c domains. Neither b1 nor b2 alone was capable of binding 125I-VEGF165. In competition experiments, VEGF165 competed PlGF-2 binding to the NRP1 b1b2 domain, suggesting that the binding sites of VEGF165 and PlGF-2 overlap. The presence of the a1a2 domain greatly enhanced VEGF165, but not PlGF-2 binding to b1b2. Heparin enhanced the binding of both125I-VEGF165 and 125I-PlGF-2 to the b1b2 domain by 20- and 4-fold, respectively. A heparin chain of at least 20–24 monosaccharides was necessary for binding. In addition, the b1b2 domain of NRP1 could bind heparin directly, requiring heparin oligomers of at least 8 monosaccharide units. It was concluded that an intact b1b2 domain serves as the VEGF165-, PlGF-2-, and heparin-binding sites in NRP1, and that heparin is a critical component for regulating VEGF165 and PlGF-2 interactions with NRP1 by physically interacting with both receptor and ligands.


The work described in this thesis is the development of an ultrasonic tomogram to provide outlines of cross-sections of the ulna in vivo. This instrument, used in conjunction with X-ray densitometry previously developed in this department, would provide actual bone mineral density to a high resolution. It was hoped that the accuracy of the plot obtained from the tomogram would exceed that of existing ultrasonic techniques by about five times. Repeat measurements with these instruments to follow bone mineral changes would involve very low X-ray doses. A theoretical study has been made of acoustic diffraction, using a geometrical transform applicable to the integration of three different Green's functions, for axisymmetric systems. This has involved the derivation of one of these in a form amenable to computation. It is considered that this function fits the boundary conditions occurring in medical ultrasonography more closely than those used previously. A three dimensional plot of the pressure field using this function has been made for a ring transducer, in addition to that for disc transducers using all three functions. It has been shown how the theory may be extended to investigate the nature and magnitude of the particle velocity, at any point in the field, for the three functions mentioned. From this study. a concept of diffraction fronts has been developed, which has made it possible to determine energy flow also in a diffracting system. Intensity has been displayed in a manner similar to that used for pressure. Plots have been made of diffraction fronts and energy flow direction lines.


In this paper ONS develops Land Cover ecosystem accounts for the United Kingdom (UK). The initial land cover accounts based on data from the Countryside Survey show that the land cover changed significantly in the UK between 1998 and 2007. The cultivated land area decreased by over 550 thousand hectares, while the corresponding increase in the area of pasture and semi-natural grassland was about 295 and 155 thousand hectares respectively. The area of broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland increased by approximately 94 thousand hectares. Land Cover in England shows similar patterns of change as in the UK as a whole, while changes were less pronounced in Scotland and Wales. Changes in land cover in Northern Ireland displayed slightly different patterns.


Results are presented of a dimensional study and an experimental investigation of the pressure rise across a shock wave which causes separation of the boundary layer on a flat plate. The experimental part of the investigation was conducted at a Mach number of 3.03 for a Reynolds number range of 2 x 10 (sup) 6 to 19 x 10 (sup) 6. The available experimental data are compared with the predictions of the present study, and the significance of the results obtained is discussed relative to certain practical design problems.


Background Opioid medications affect not only the central nervous system but also immune function. Pro-inflammatory markers have been shown, although inconsistently, to increase with administration of opioids. However, few studies have been done in humans, and these have targeted non-generalizable populations (people addicted to opioids). Thus, we set out to measure the association between opioid use and inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP), in a cross-sectional analysis of a large, nationally-representative population. Methods Using data from 13,058 participants in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2010, we used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the association of elevated plasma CRP (> 0.18 mg/dl) with prescription opioid use, while controlling for a number of demographic and clinical factors. Results 924 participants (6%) reported a using a prescription opioid. CRP levels were higher in opioid users than non-users with a statistically significant difference of 0.29 mg/dl (95% CI 0.21, 0.37; P <0.001). Opioid users had higher rates of poor physical health and comorbidities, and were more likely to be female, unemployed, obese, of low socioeconomic status, and to report recent tobacco or illicit drug use. In a multivariable model controlling for these and other potential confounders, high plasma CRP levels remained associated with opioid use with an odds ratio of 1.48 (95% CI 1.20, 1.81; P <0.001). Conclusions These results suggest, but cannot confirm, a pro-inflammatory effect of opioid use. Further investigations should aim to unravel the mechanisms by which opioids, in the context of various disease states, may influence inflammation. Journal of Nature and Science, 1(6):e122, 2015


Since the end of the Cold War, China has displayed a reinvigorated interest in the African continent. There are differing viewpoints as to whether China's increasing involvement in Africa is beneficial to the African continent, or whether there are negative consequences. This assignment attempts to answer this question by exploring the nature of China's political, economic, and aid relationships with the African continent, by highlighting examples from four countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Sudan. China's interests in Africa are motivated primarily by economics and diplomacy. In other words, Africa is important to China as a vast source of resources to feed its growing manufacturing base, as well as a source of energy security. In addition, China sees Africa as an important destination for its affordable manufactured goods. China's interests in Africa, however, are not only confined to economics, but extend to diplomacy as well. China is attempting to position itself as an important power in the international system and, in so doing, promote its own views and policies within international multilateral organisations. Africa plays an important role in this regard, particularly in institutions with 'one-country, one vote' arrangements. Thus, China attempts to court African governments in order to secure access to Africa's vast resources, as well as to garner support for its policies in the international arena. After an in-depth examination of the evidence, it is concluded that China's engagement with Africa is based on strategic political and economic considerations and fits within a Realist explanatory framework. It is therefore contended that China's presence on the African continent presents both opportunities as well as threats, although African governments need to be pro-active in order to exploit the potential opportunities. Furthermore, it is concluded that the negative consequences of China's involvement in Africa are not only attributable to China's behaviour in Africa, but some of the blame should also be shifted to corrupt African governments and elites who operate within a framework of neo-patrimonial politics which exacerbates corruption and mal-governance on the continent. Such behaviour stalls efforts emanating from 'responsible' African leaders to promote good governance and democracy on the continent, for example through institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and the African Union (AU).


The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of a peer-led conversation group for English Language Learner (ELL) university students. Class discussions and interaction among classmates are common requirements in US university classrooms, yet ELL students experience many obstacles with oral communication. Prior research has revealed peer strategies as one way ELL students can improve oral communication. This study evaluated how peer-led conversation groups affect self-efficacy and investigated how ELL students could benefit from these groups by using a convergent mixed methods design. A self-efficacy pre-test and post-test was used, and the groups were observed for five weeks. Participants were given short questionnaires, and data sources were reviewed by independent researchers to triangulate findings and to provide additional reliability. Only four participants completed the pre-test and post-test, and the results did not support the hypothesis. However, open and axial coding of the qualitative data revealed three main themes of benefits to the participants, and these findings suggest conducting future qualitative research for ELL oral communication and peer-led conversation groups.


Purpose:
To investigate the alteration of left ventricular function in subjects with
persistent atrial tachyarrhythmia induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) undergoing
radiofrequency ablation, and to study the pathogenesis and effective treatment
of TIC. Methods: A total of 25 cases
with persistent atrial tachyarrhythmia and impaired left ventricular systolic
function were studied (16 men and 9 women, aged 53.3 ± 15.2 years), and all subjects underwent
electrophysiological study and radiofrequency ablation of atrial tachyarrhythmia
under the guidance of CARTO system during 2006.9-2011.8. Indexes related to
cardiac function, including left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD),
left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), New York Heart Association
functional classification (NYHA class), 6 minutes walking test (6MWT), N-terminal
pro-brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and 24 hours average heart rate (AHR), were
analyzed at the time point of 7 days, 3 and 6 months after the procedure as
well as 1 day before ablation. Results:
No refractory atrial arrhythmia recurred in all cases after ablation, compared
with LVEDD (51.7 ± 4.5 mm), LVEF (39.0% ± 4.3%), number of patients with NYHA
class IV and III (n = 17), 6MWT (212 ± 56 m), BNP (3622 ± 1860 ng/L) and AHR
(112.5 ± 23.2 bpm) before ablation, the index of LVEDD (45.2 ± 3.3 mm; 41.7 ± 2.5
mm; 40.5 ± 3.1 m), BNP (2429 ± 1355 ng/L; 1530 ± 866 ng/L; 1300 ± 520 ng/L),
total number of patients of NYHA class IV and III (n = 11; 3; 2) and AHR (73.3 ±
15.3 bpm; 68.7 ± 13.5 bpm; 66.3 ± 13.6 bpm) significantly decreased (P

 47 m; 305 ±
37 m; 313 ± 41 m) greatly increased (P )in 7 days, 3 and 6 months
after ablation respectively. There was a statistical
difference between 7 days and 3 or 6 months after ablation in
above-mentioned indexes (P P > 0.05), no significant
difference existed between 3 and 6 months in all indexes (P > 0.05). Conclusion:
long-lasting atrial arrhythmia with rapid ventricular response could impair
left ventricle function, which could be reversed within weeks after successful
ablation and restoration of sinus rhythm.


This essay identifies and describes three ways of listening that are available to all human beings. Beforehand, we argue that the concept of "sound", as borrowed from acoustics and commonly used in anthropology, is too vague and too limited. In order to be able to understand the full range of human auditory experiences as found in ethnography, as well as the social interactions which they afford, we propose a distinction of at least three postures of listening. We define these as "indexical", "structural" and "enchanted", by contrasting their interactional salience in various settings. The auditory "things" that exist for each of the three stances (their ontologies) are also shown to be different. This trichotomy provides a promising theoretical framework for some longstanding problems in anthropology. After discussing some critical questions and possible shortcomings of our model, we conclude by looking closely at one of these issues: the definition of "music" and its ethnographic relevance throughout the world.


In this paper we propose that spontaneous gemination in the dialects of Cyprus and Kos is part of the Multiple Parallel Grammars (co-grammars) for lexical gemination in Greek. Stress position is irrelevant to spontaneous gemination. Instead a disyllabic trochaic domain is formed on one of the prominent positions of the word edges, the word-initial or word-final syllable. Gemination of the onset of the complement syllable highlights the prominence of the head of this domain, in contrast to its complement. The gemination of the head onset is a deviation due to well-established phonotactic constraints of the language. Nevertheless such gemination also projects the prominence of the head syllable. Variation between the dialects of Cyprus and Kos is the result of the varying directionality of the trochaic gemination domain, i.e., word-initial for Cypriot Greek but word-final for Kos. Otherwise the constraints of the co-grammar of spontaneous gemination are the same for both dialects.


Critics of the Obama Administration's decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act argued that the President had a "duty to defend" the law and that the Executive Branch should serve as Congress's agent in defending statutes in court. Both propositions are wrong. First, it does not make sense to think of the Executive Branch as Congress's agent because, in the context of government action, there are multiple and changing principals and the Executive Branch is at once both principal and agent. Second, the President does not have an absolute duty to defend statutes in court. Proponents of the duty to defend argue that defense of the law is part of the President's constitutional obligation to take care that the laws are faithfully executed and that it is untoward for the government to speak with more than one voice in court. This Article argues that defense is distinct from execution, and that in some contexts, it is helpful for the government to speak with more than one voice. The Article then argues that where the Executive Branch has questions about a statute's constitutionality, it should not defend the law because nondefense better serves our adversarial system of justice and better enables the Executive Branch to protect its own interests. Moreover, where the Executive Branch does not defend, Congress or court-appointed counsel can do so in its place. Finally, this Article suggests that recognizing that classic principal–agent principles do not apply to executive branch action may have implications for other contexts.


The evacuation time of a building in an emergency can be broken down into a number of constituent times including the pre-evacuation time and the travel time. This paper examines how distributions of pre-evacuation times affect the occupant travel time and hence their effect on the evacuation time in the Simulex model. A simple scenario is assessed mathematically and compared with the results from Simulex with further simulations carried out on a somewhat more complex scenario. Where we expect the pre-evacuation time to be characterised by a distribution of values simply adding the maximum pre-evacuation time and the movement time over-estimates the evacuation time. Furthermore, when the preevacuation distribution is small the travelling and queuing effects dominate the simulated evacuation time. When the pre-evacuation distribution is large then travel and queuing effects are not so important and it is the pre-evacuation time that dominates. Finally the paper examines some aspects of the Simulex model in situations where there is a high occupant density in a space.


Excessive Reassurance Seeking (ERS) is an under-researched and poorly understood behaviour that resembles the compulsive behaviours that are typically seen in obsessional problems. ERS can be complex, persistent, extensive, debilitating and may dominate the interactions of those involved. In addition to resembling compulsive checking in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) it may have the effect of transferring responsibility to another person. However, it could be seen as a type of support. Both ERS and support are defined and key questions about these concepts are considered in five studies which examine ERS from the perspectives of non-clinical samples, sufferers of anxiety problems, caregivers and therapists. Study 1 qualitatively examines interpersonal components of ERS in OCD and identified the experience of frustration in caregivers as being particularly pervasive. Study 2 examines the diagnosis specific/transdiagnostic elements of ERS in OCD and health anxiety contrasted with support using mixed methods. Results revealed some limited diagnosis specificity of ERS. Strikingly, people with health anxiety did not seek support; reassurance seeking may be their default response. Study 3 uses a larger sample to quantitatively evaluate therapists' perception of ERS and its treatment, with results suggesting that there is considerable room for improvement. Study 4 examined therapeutic intervention for ERS in treatment refractory OCD using a single case experimental design; Cognitive Behavioural Treatment (CBT) that focuses on treating ERS had beneficial effects. Study 5 tackled the diagnosis specific/transdiagnostic issues in a questionnaire by considering ERS across different anxiety problems. ERS may represent a final common pathway of multiple processes; some processes appear transdiagnostic; others may indicate disorder specificity. Overall, findings reveal the complexity of ERS and its likely nature as a safety-seeking behaviour which requires attention in treatment. Engendering support as an alternative to reassurance in CBT may be particularly promising.


Abstract During the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy, hospital outpatient clinics progressively decreased their activities; in March 2020 they were closed except for emergencies. During this period, the activities of the public Homeopathy Outpatient Clinic of Lucca aimed at guaranteeing therapeutic continuity to patients by means of telephone or video consultations, and searching for homeopathic medicines that best responded to early COVID-19 symptoms. In March 2020, the Complementary Medicine Working Group participated in the organization of a mission of COVID-19 Chinese experts for the online training of professionals working in the Tuscan Healthcare System. The medical staff of the Lucca Clinic also cooperated in telephone health surveillance of infected patients at home, seroprevalence investigations using the capillary blood rapid test, and the implementation of the CLIFICOL (Clinical Files Collection) project.


Abstract. Recently, the reprocessed Advanced Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS)-N Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS) tropospheric water vapour and temperature data record was released by the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM~SAF). ATOVS observations from infrared and microwave sounders onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA)-15–19 satellites and EUMETSAT's Meteorological Operational (Metop-A) satellite have been consistently reprocessed to generate 13 years (1999–2011) of global water vapour and temperature daily and monthly means with a spatial resolution of 90 km × 90 km. The data set is referenced under the following digital object identifier (DOI): doi:10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/WVT_ATOVS/V001 . After preprocessing, a maximum likelihood solution scheme was applied to the observations to simultaneously infer temperature and water vapour profiles. In a post-processing step, an objective interpolation method (Kriging) was applied to allow for gap filling. The product suite includes total precipitable water vapour (TPW), layer-integrated precipitable water vapour (LPW) and layer mean temperature for five tropospheric layers between the surface and 200 hPa, as well as specific humidity and temperature at six tropospheric levels between 1000 and 200 hPa. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the ATOVS record (1998–now) has been consistently reprocessed (1999–2011) to retrieve water vapour. TPW and LPW products were compared to corresponding products from the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Upper-Air Network (GUAN) radiosonde observations and from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) version 5 satellite data record. TPW shows a good agreement with the GUAN radiosonde data: average bias and root mean square error (RMSE) are −0.2 and 3.3 kg m−2, respectively. For LPW, the maximum absolute (relative) bias and RMSE values decrease (increase) strongly with height. The maximum bias and RMSE are found at the lowest layer and are −0.7 and 2.5 kg m−2, respectively. While the RMSE relative to AIRS is generally smaller, the TPW bias relative to AIRS is larger, with dominant contributions from precipitating areas. The consistently reprocessed ATOVS data record exhibits improved quality and stability relative to the operational CM SAF products when compared to the TPW from GUAN radiosonde data over the period 2004–2011. Finally, it became evident that the change in the number of satellites used for the retrieval combined with the use of the Kriging leads to breakpoints in the ATOVS data record; therefore, a variability analysis of the data record is not recommended for the time period from January 1999 to January 2001.


We present a software package that supports teaching different parallel programming models in a computational science and engineering context. It implements a Finite Volume solver for the shallow water equations, with application to tsunami simulation in mind. The numerical model is kept simple, using patches of Cartesian grids as computational domain, which can be connected via ghost layers. The Finite Volume method is restricted to piecewise constant approximation in each grid cell, but the computation of fluxes between cells can be based on the simple Lax-Friedrichs method, as well as on versatile approximate Riemann solvers, which allows realistic simulations. We present how this code can be used to study parallelization with CUDA, MPI, OpenMP, and hybrid approaches - and is useful for both introductory lectures in parallel computing and more advanced courses.


Abstract : Architecture Description Languages provide significant opportunity for the incorporation of formal methods and engineering models into the analysis of software and system architectures. A standard is being developed for embedded real-time safety critical systems which will support the use of various formal approaches to analyze the impact of the composition of systems from hardware and software and which will allow the generation of system glue code with the performance qualities predicted. The standard the Avionics Architecture Description Language (AADL), is based on the MetaH language developed under DARPA and US Army funding and on the model driven architectural based approach demonstrated with this technology over the last 12 years. The AADL standard will include a UML profile useful for avionics, space, automotive, robotics and other real-time concurrent processing domains including safety critical applications.


The legal, regulatory, administrative and policing structures of censorship and related forms of information suppression are well known and widely discussed. The much more insidious phenomenon of self-censorship is paid less attention, but it arguably prevents greater volumes of information, argument and comment from being openly expressed. Self-censorship by private individuals might only have consequences in terms of personal frustration, but selfcensorship by journalists and other commentators, political activists, and those involved in civil society campaigning is arguably socially damaging. Four main reasons why people censor themselves can be identified and these will be discussed in relation to four types of subject matter that are commonly seen to require self restraint. First, self-censorship is most likely where people succumb to the 'constraints of conformity' and allow a perception of the levels of expression that society will tolerate to stifle their individual responses. Second the pressures associated with the policies and political preferences of media owners can encourage commentators to tailor their views to fit those of their employers. Third, there is fear of the application of the law (such as measures on defamation, official secrets or incitement) to material that has been publicly communicated in some form. Fourth there is awareness of prior restraints that can be applied under some systems of law to communication that is being planned or prepared. Whilst it is still likely that committed people will speak out despite all or any of those pressures, in some subject areas it is easier for individuals to convince themselves that restraint is appropriate. The three areas of national security, social stability and protection of national culture all attract sentiments that can range from simple patriotism to xenophobia; can include socio/political conservatism; and emerge from variants of affection for a particular culture that stretch as far as cultural chauvinism. A fourth area that can be added to this list is a tolerance, based in cultural relativism, of ideas and practices that might well demand to be questioned.


Purpose: The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a surface glycoprotein overexpressed on malignant prostate cells, as well as in the neovasculature of many tumors. Recent efforts to target PSMA for imaging prostate cancer rely on suitably functionalized low-molecular-weight agents. YC-27 is a low-molecular-weight, urea-based agent that enables near-infrared (NIR) imaging of PSMA in vivo. Experimental Design: We have developed and validated a laparoscopic imaging system (including an optimized light source, LumiNIR) that is capable of imaging small tumor burdens with minimal background fluorescence in real-time laparoscopic extirpative surgery of small prostate tumor xenografts in murine and porcine models. Results: In a mouse model, we demonstrate the feasibility of using real-time NIR laparoscopic imaging to detect and surgically remove PSMA-positive xenografts. We then validate the use of our laparoscopic real-time NIR imaging system in a large animal model. Our novel light source, which is optimized for YC-27, is capable of detecting as little as 12.4 pg/mL of the compound (2.48-pg YC-27 in 200-μL agarose). Finally, in a mouse xenograft model, we demonstrate that the use of real-time NIR imaging can reduce positive surgical margins (PSM). Conclusions: These data indicate that a NIR-emitting fluorophore targeted to PSMA may allow improved surgical treatment of human prostate cancer, reduce the rate of PSMs, and alleviate the need for adjuvant radiotherapy postoperatively. Clin Cancer Res; 21(4); 771–80. ©2014 AACR.


For many years, researchers in the field of mobile robotics have been investigating the use of genetic and evolutionary computation (GEC) to aid the development of mobile robot controllers. Alongside the fundamental choices of the GEC mechanism and its operators, which apply to both simulated and physical evolutionary robotics, other issues have emerged which are specific to the application of GEC to physical mobile robotics. This article presents a survey of recent methods in GEC-developed mobile robot controllers, focusing on those methods that include a physical robot at some point in the learning loop. It simultaneously relates each of these methods to a framework of two orthogonal issues: the use of a simulated and/or a physical robot, and the use of finite, training phase evolution prior to a task and/or lifelong adaptation by evolution during a task. A list of evaluation criteria are presented and each of the surveyed methods are compared to them. Analyses of the framework and evaluation criteria suggest several possibilities; however, there appear to be particular advantages in combining simulated, training phase evolution (TPE) with lifelong adaptation by evolution (LAE) on a physical robot.


This article examines the construction of feminine psychology in Swahili women nuptial poetry- u nyago . Unyago poetry is composed and performed by Swahili women. Swahili is a community located along the coastal region of Kenya. This article, therefore, focuses on intersections between psychology and poetry in analyzing and describing how unyago poetry reveals the mindsets and emotions of Swahili women. Data for analysis in article is derived from research carried out among women of Swahili decent living at Kisumu using observation and in-depth interviews as data collection methods. Unyago poetry is viewed as confessions and revelations of the female self, the marriage institution and that of the marital partner. Worth noting is the fact that the women, whose ancestors originated from the coastal region of Kenya, have preserved the nuptial rituals and teachings therein across time and space. Through unyago , the women socialize their girls from children to women and is a deeply rooted practice in their philosophy, psychology, and culture of the Swahili people. Thus, this article contends that unyago is both a reflection of group and individual psychological reactions to cultural expression through poetry.


Background and Aims: The aetiology for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains elusive although enteroviruses have been implicated as one of the causes by a number of studies. Since most CFS patients have persistent or intermittent gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, the presence of viral capsid protein 1 (VP1), enterovirus (EV) RNA and culturable virus in the stomach biopsy specimens of patients with CFS was evaluated. Methods: 165 consecutive patients with CFS underwent upper GI endoscopies and antrum biopsies. Immunoperoxidase staining was performed using EV-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) or a control mAb specific for cytomegalovirus (CMV). RT-PCR ELISA was performed on RNA extracted from paraffin sections or samples preserved in RNA later. Biopsies from normal stomach and other gastric diseases served as controls. 75 samples were cultured for EV. Results: 135/165 (82%) biopsies stained positive for VP1 within parietal cells, whereas 7/34 (20%) of the controls stained positive (p⩽0.001). CMV mAb failed to stain any of the biopsy specimens. Biopsies taken from six patients at the onset of the CFS/abdominal symptoms, and 2–8 years later showed positive staining in the paired specimens. EV RNA was detected in 9/24 (37%) paraffin-embedded biopsy samples; 1/21 controls had detectable EV RNA (p<0.01); 1/3 patients had detectable EV RNA from two samples taken 4 years apart; 5 patient samples showed transient growth of non-cytopathic enteroviruses. Conclusion: Enterovirus VP1, RNA and non-cytopathic viruses were detected in the stomach biopsy specimens of CFS patients with chronic abdominal complaints. A significant subset of CFS patients may have a chronic, disseminated, non-cytolytic form of enteroviral infection, which could be diagnosed by stomach biopsy.


Objective: Alternative splicing (AS) is one of the key mechanisms for the proteomic and functional diversity of eukaryotes. However, the complex nature of AS, its associated regulators and their targets are only partially understood. In the present study we investigated the transcriptomic diversity in the zebrafish heart using RNA-Sequencing and elucidated the functional role of the splicing regulator A2BP1 in vivo.

Results: Using RNA-Sequencing we characterized the cardiac transcriptome of 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) old zebrafish embryos and compared the expression of genes and their isoforms to whole fish tissue. Besides the known cardiac genes, we found several previously described genes, highly expressed in cardiac tissue. The analysis of RNA-Seq data indicates that 14% of all genes expressed in the heart undergo AS by single exon-skipping/inclusion. To determine the effect of splicing factors on mRNA splicing we investigated the functional role of splicing regulator a2bp1 in vivo by using the zebrafish as a model organism. Morpholino-mediated a2bp1 knockdown in zebrafish embryos led to progressive cardiac contractile dysfunction, suggesting an important role of a2bp1 in maintenance of cardiac function. Splicing analysis revealed that loss of a2bp1 does not result in a completely splicing failure, but rather alters the splicing pattern of specific target genes. Here we identified novel spliceforms and potentialy novel targets of splicing factor a2bp1. Splice-junction blockage experiments showed that a balanced isoform expression of the targets actn3a, hug, ktn1, ptpla and camk2g is necessary for maintaining cardiac function in zebrafish. We assume, that the a2bp1-knockdown phenotype is not caused by missplicing of specific targets rather by the cumulative effect of many splicing abnormalities.

Conclusion: Our study reveal a novel splicing regulator that is necessary for normal heart function. We showed that dysfunction of a2bp1 not only leads to heart failure, but show that a2bp1 mediates the splicing of different transcripts which might mediate the observed phenotype. Our results highlight the importance of balanced mRNA splicing in the heart and represents intriguing opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches.


Abstract The regression of daughter on dam deviations of Holstein first-lactation milk production from herd-mate averages was computed for 38,440 pairs of records made in the same herd and for 10,256 pairs of records where the daughter was in one herd and the dam in another. The corresponding heritability estimates were .42 and .40, respectively, which suggest an environmental covariance of .01 between records of daughters and dams in the same herd. Other analyses were conducted for dams with two daughters with records where 1) both had records in the same herd as the dam, 2) only one had a record in the same herd as the dam, 3) the daughters were full sibs, in the same herd as the dam, 4) the daughters were full sibs, only one in the herd of the dam. These analyses also indicated no evidence for much environmental covariance between daughter and dam records in the same herd. The environmental covariance between records of maternal half-sisters in the same herd is apparently small, but the environmental covariance between records of full sibs in the same herd may be important—.06 to .12 of total variance. Genetic maternal variance was not excluded as a source of likeness between the records of maternal relatives.


Climate change mitigation, through the means of energy efficiency improvement, requires all countries to play important roles. Developing countries are not the exception. However, in the context of developing countries, the benefit of energy efficiency improvement need to be measured against a broad range of development indicators. Using a general equlibrium model of the Indonesian economy, we simulate various different energy efficiency scenarios and compare its impact not only on the amount of emissions reduction, but also on other relevant development indicators such as employment creation, poverty incidence and income distribution. The result suggests that energy efficiency improvement which leave more resource available for output expansion is employment-generating, poverty-reducing and can have a favorable distributional implication. For Indonesia, improving fuel efficiency in public road transportation and improving energy efficiency of the energy-intensive manufacturing sector has come out as the key priority areas where energy efficiency strategy should focus on.


Use of simulation is well established as a way of learning and assessing skills in vocational disciplines. In many institutions the use of simulation with student nurses is being tested as a way of helping them learn clinical skills, problem‐solving, clinical assessment and decision‐making. This paper explores the value of simulation as a learning tool through the presentation of findings from an evaluative research project into the use of simulation in nursing education. The focus of this paper is how students perceive that simulations help them learn and suggests that simulation may play a part in how students perceive learning that is meaningful to them. A literature review on the use of simulation is presented together with literature related to the learning theory that underpins simulation. The methodology, data collection and findings of the evaluative study are then presented followed by a discussion of the findings. Although the original research did not set out to examine how students perceived that simulations influenced their learning, the analysis indicated that this was a significant issue for them. Conclusions are drawn about how learning theory and simulation can be brought together to enhance student learning.


Worldwide energy consumption is generally related with fossil fuels that increase CO₂ and other greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The transport sector represents a significant part of energy demand. As its share comes mostly from petroleum products, known for their highly polluting effects, there is the need to quantify energy use by transport. This assessment supports the planning and implementation of energy consumption mitigation policies that reduce negative environmental outcomes of transport systems. The research introduces an approach to estimate transport energy consumption obtained from available data and scaling factors. As the emphasis is put on urban transport, only commute road and rail transport are considered in the analysis. Data is stored and managed in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) framework environment that also supports mapping the results. These maps allow identifying higher energy consumption areas by mode of transport and type of vehicle. Plotting the results also enables understanding the geographic distribution of energy demand from urban to rural regions, providing tools to perceive the relationship between urban form and energy consumption of the transport sector. Taking into account that the analysis is produced at a large scale, the obtained results offer support to planners and policy makers that seek solving transport-related problems, as pollution and high energy demand. Large scale analysis allows and enhances better planning, primarily when designing strategies for such detailed areas as urban spaces. Assessing and analysing energy consumption of the transport sector, enables deriving alternative energy layouts that present better energy efficiency, aiming for the final goal of mitigate the negative effects of urban transport systems.


In this paper, we investigate the use of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) in the context of search-based online advertising. We use RNNs to map both queries and ads to real valued vectors, with which the relevance of a given (query, ad) pair can be easily computed. On top of the RNN, we propose a novel attention network, which learns to assign attention scores to different word locations according to their intent importance (hence the name DeepIntent). The vector output of a sequence is thus computed by a weighted sum of the hidden states of the RNN at each word according their attention scores. We perform end-to-end training of both the RNN and attention network under the guidance of user click logs, which are sampled from a commercial search engine. We show that in most cases the attention network improves the quality of learned vector representations, evaluated by AUC on a manually labeled dataset. Moreover, we highlight the effectiveness of the learned attention scores from two aspects: query rewriting and a modified BM25 metric. We show that using the learned attention scores, one is able to produce sub-queries that are of better qualities than those of the state-of-the-art methods. Also, by modifying the term frequency with the attention scores in a standard BM25 formula, one is able to improve its performance evaluated by AUC.