Abstract. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused damages to coastal ecosystems and thus affected the livelihoods of the coastal communities who depend on services provided by these ecosystems. The paper presents a case study on evaluating and mapping the spatial and temporal impacts of the tsunami on land use and land cover (LULC) and related ecosystem service supply in the Phang Nga province, Thailand. The method includes local stakeholder interviews, field investigations, remote-sensing techniques, and GIS. Results provide an ecosystem services matrix with capacity scores for 18 LULC classes and 17 ecosystem functions and services as well as pre-/post-tsunami and recovery maps indicating changes in the ecosystem service supply capacities in the study area. Local stakeholder interviews revealed that mangroves, casuarina forest, mixed beach forest, coral reefs, tidal inlets, as well as wetlands (peat swamp forest) have the highest capacity to supply ecosystem services, while e.g. plantations have a lower capacity. The remote-sensing based damage and recovery analysis showed a loss of the ecosystem service supply capacities in almost all LULC classes for most of the services due to the tsunami. A fast recovery of LULC and related ecosystem service supply capacities within one year could be observed for e.g. beaches, while mangroves or casuarina forest needed several years to recover. Applying multi-temporal mapping the spatial variations of recovery could be visualised. While some patches of coastal forest were fully recovered after 3 yr, other patches were still affected and thus had a reduced capacity to supply ecosystem services. The ecosystem services maps can be used to quantify ecological values and their spatial distribution in the framework of a tsunami risk assessment. Beyond that they are considered to be a useful tool for spatial analysis in coastal risk management in Phang Nga.


Massive data security breaches have grabbed headlines in the past few years. The data thieves responsible for these breaches have stolen the credit and debit card data of customers of retailers such as TJ Maxx, DSW Shoe Warehouse, BJ's Wholesale Club, and the Hannaford grocery store chain. A thief in control of this payment card data, which can include debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates, security codes and personal identification numbers, has the ability to open new credit accounts and make charges on existing consumer accounts. These data breaches leave individuals fearful that their personal information will be used in ways that will disrupt their financial transactions and damage their credit.Consumers affected by data breaches understandably feel exposed to serious financial harm, even in the absence of liability for fraudulent charges. A consumer's credit score affects her ability to finance important purchases, and the events that occur in aftermath of a data breach can negatively affect that score. Because these losses are not addressed by existing privacy and payment system statutes, consumers have attempted to recover them using various common law theories, but have uniformly failed in recovering anything for these losses. In this paper, prepared for a symposium on Data Security and Data Privacy in the Payment System, I will discuss the cases in which consumers have been denied recovery for losses arising out of data breaches, and then focus on one argument made by the plaintiffs in the Hannaford case, the argument that, under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.), every time a retailer accepts a payment card from a buyer, it warrants that its payment system is secure.While a warranty of data security might be a good idea, Article 2, because of its limitation to the sale of goods, is not the best place for it. Instead, courts could impose a common law warranty of data security, under which all sellers would warrant that their chosen payment system is secure. Below, I will make some arguments supporting a non-waivable common-law warranty of data security that is drawn both from the Article 2 warranties and the warranties in Articles 3 and 4 of the U.C.C., which apply to negotiable instruments and the check collection system. I will then compare the problem of ensuring safe data transactions today to the problem of ensuring the habitability of rental housing in the mid-20th century, which judges addressed by imposing an implied warranty of habitability in leases for residential real property. The story of that warranty can add to the debate about how best to ensure the safety of personal data.


The authors, in the first section of this paper, review the world food situation, productivity growth and its determinants. Various features of international agricultural trade policies, the new protectionism and current trade liberalization talks are highlighted. A discussion of some issues of agriculture policies, both macroeconomic and sectoral policies follows. Elements of the National Agricultural policy are then analysed with regards its direction and rationale. The second section examines the National Agricultural Policy in more detail followed by an overview of investment opportunities in Malaysia.


: The deployable descent technology is a lightweight entry method using an inflatable heat shield. The heatshield consists of a pressurized core which is covered by different layers of thermal insulation and flexible ablative materials in order to protect against the thermal loads. In this paper, both aluminum and silicon-aluminum aerogels were prepared by freeze-drying method. The latter material has bigger specific surface area and nano-scale pores. Mullite fibers are used as the reinforcing fibers to prepare the aerogel matrix to improve composite flexibility. The flexible composite materials were performed as an insulation layer to an underlying aramid fabric by a thermal shock test at a heat flux density of 120 kW/m<sup>2 </sup>and uniaxial tensile test. These results show that the aramid fabric with untreated mullite fibers as the thermal protective layer is completely carbonized at the heat of about 60 s. The aramid fabric as a thermal resistance layer of the composite material still has good mechanical properties at the same heat condition.


Cukur, F., G. Saner, T. Cukur and V. Dayan, 2013. Marketing services and structure of olive farms: a case study of Turkey. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 919-928 agricultural marketing is a long process that starts from pre-production and lasts until the product reaches the last consumer. Besides agricultural production, issues such as supply, demand, pricing and sale are within the structure of this process. In the interest of efficient marketing, services related to marketing of the products play a vital role in this process. These services also directly affect the quality of the product. Marketing services, being applied to olive in Turkey as well, have an importance in terms of an effective marketing. The aim of this research was examined the marketing services and structure of marketing of the olive farms in Milas district of Mugla. In this research, the villages that have intensive olive production are identified by using the proportional sampling method. 66 olive producers are subjected to face-to-face survey. The survey data includes the 2008/2009 production period. Being in this sector or on the first step of this sector, farms producing olive are integrated to the research. according to the result of the study, it was determined that applicability of marketing services are inadequate in olive farms of Milas district. In addition, according to producers, one of the most important marketing problems were determined as the instability of prices.


Fertilization of the Xenopus egg leads to the asymmetrical distribution of components of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to what will become the dorsal side of the embryo. This leads to asymmetric signaling by Nodal, a transforming growth factor–β ligand critical to embryonic axis specification and to mesoderm induction. Martello et al. found that microRNAs (miRNAs) from gastrula-stage Xenopus embryos inhibited embryonic Nodal signaling. Computational analysis revealed binding sites for two related miRNAs, miR-15 and miR-16, in the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of mRNA encoding the type II Nodal receptor Acvr2a. Activity of a reporter containing a wild-type miR-15–binding site was reduced in Xenopus embryos and human HepG2 cells compared with that of a reporter containing a mutated binding site. In addition, activity of the former was further decreased by overexpression of miR-15 or its primary precursor (pri-miR-15/16). Injection of miR-15 inhibited endogenous Nodal signaling and attenuated downstream sequelae such as mesoderm induction and development of Spemann's organizer, phenotypic defects that were rescued by coinjection of Acvr2a mRNA lacking the 3′ UTR. In contrast, inhibitory oligonucleotides directed against miR-15 and miR-16 increased Acvr2a abundance and promoted expansion of Spemann's organizer. The abundance and activity of miR-15 and miR-16 were greatest ventrally; Acvr2a abundance and Smad2 phosphorylation (p-Smad2, a marker for Nodal signaling) were greatest dorsally. Injection of pri-miR-15/16 led to a decrease in dorsal p-Smad2, whereas inhibition of miR-15 and miR-16 led to an increase in ventral p-Smad2. Overexpression of Xwnt-8 or β-catenin mRNA decreased the abundance and activity of miR-15 and miR-16, whereas β-catenin knockdown increased them. Thus, miR-15 and miR-16 appear to constitute a link between asymmetry in Wnt/β-catenin and asymmetry in Nodal signaling and, thereby, to play a crucial role in the regulation of embryonic patterning. G. Martello, L. Zacchigna, M. Inui, M. Montagner, M. Adorno, A. Mamidi, L. Morsut, S. Soligo, U. Tran, S. Dupont, M. Cordenonsi, O. Wessely, S. Piccolo, MicroRNA control of Nodal signalling. Nature 449, 183-188 (2007). [PubMed]


The Chinese e-business industry has a number of unusual features. Institutional factors such as strong nationalism, the state's entrenchment in the economy, political cognitive and political normative factors, regulative uncertainty, the role of professional associations, and the importance of business and social networks are deeply reflected in China's e-business development pattern. We argue that by approaching the Chinese e-business industry from the standpoint of institutional theory, we can capture these complex factors facilitating and hindering China's rapidly growing e-business industry. We thus employ an institutional perspective to explain the Chinese e-business landscape. In addition to advancing research on e-business in China, this paper also highlights several directions for future inquiry and implications for managers and policymakers.


Abstract
The objective of this study is to explore the spatio-temporal nature of groundwater monitoring data using space-time (ST) geostatistics in order to predict water table depths at Bauru Aquifer System (BAS) in a conservation area at Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The information about the groundwater oscillation process in space and time can be measured in terms of spatial and temporal correlation through the ST variogram. The targets was predict water table depths in a missing date inside the monitoring period and propose a validation of these predictions based on predicted and observed values distribution curves for that specific date. Before modelling the ST empirical variogram, separability between space and time structures was checked. Then, the ST kriging predictions for March 31, 2016 were compared with independent observed dataset. ST kriging was a robust interpolator, turning possible a reasonable reconstructions of a hypothetical missing scenario inside the monitoring period in the BAS study area. The results showed a strong dependence of the temporal mean in the predictions.


Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of fibroscan in the assessment of liver cirrhosis in chronic liver disease. Background Fibroscan is a noninvasive imaging study for measuring liver stiffness by transducer probe-induced elastic share wave that propagates through liver tissue to measure its velocity. Patient and methods The present study was conducted on 50 patients with chronic liver disease. There were 32 males and 18 females, and their ages ranged from 34 to 75 years, with mean age of 51 years. The study was conducted in the hepatology units of Menoufiya University Hospitals, and the disease was confirmed by standard diagnostic criteria. All cases were subjected to the following protocol: full history, clinical examination, laboratory investigation, and ultrasound examination. The patients were subjected to fibroscan examination. The elasticity is directly correlated with the degree of hepatic fibrosis, and 7 kPa has been proposed as a cut-off for fibrosis equal to or greater than F2, and 12.5 kPa for cirrhosis. Results Liver stiffness was significantly correlated with liver cirrhosis. The fibroscan technique has high sensitivity and high specificity of 100%, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval) of 1.00, at the cut-off level of 14.5 kPa. Conclusion Transient elastography is a promising noninvasive method for detection of cirrhosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Therefore, fibroscan can be used regarding the decision of treatment and follow-up of patients with cirrhosis for screening and detection of the complications.


High-quality communication is a key determinant and facilitator of patient-centered care. Nurses engage in most of the communication with patients and patients' families in the intensive care unit. Objective To perform a qualitative analysis of nurses' communications. Methods Ethnographic observations of 315 hours of interactions and 53 semistructured interviews with 33 nurses were conducted in a 26-bed cardiac-medical intensive care unit in an academic hospital and a 26-bed general intensive care unit in a Veterans Affairs hospital in Portland, Oregon. Communication interactions were categorized into 5 domains of patient-centered care. Interviews were analyzed to identify major themes in nurses' roles and preferences for communicating with patients and patients' families within the domains. Results Most communication occurred in the domains of biopsychosocial information exchange, patient as person, and clinician as person. Nurses endorsed the importance of the domains of shared power and responsibility and therapeutic alliance but had relatively few communication interactions in these areas. Communication behaviors were strongly influenced by the nurses' roles as translators of information between physicians and patients and the patients' families and what the nurses were and were not willing to communicate to patients and patients' families. Conclusions Critical care, including communication, is a col-laborative effort. Understanding how nurses engage in patient-centered communication in the intensive care unit can guide future interventions to improve patient-centered care. ( American Journal of Critical Care. 2012;21:410-418)


The International Protein Summit in 2016 brought experts in clinical nutrition and protein metabolism together from around the globe to determine the impact of high-dose protein administration on clinical outcomes and address barriers to its delivery in the critically ill patient. It has been suggested that high doses of protein in the range of 1.2–2.5 g/kg/d may be required in the setting of the intensive care unit (ICU) to optimize nutrition therapy and reduce mortality. While incapable of blunting the catabolic response, protein doses in this range may be needed to best stimulate new protein synthesis and preserve muscle mass. Quality of protein (determined by source, content and ratio of amino acids, and digestibility) affects nutrient sensing pathways such as the mammalian target of rapamycin. Achieving protein goals the first week following admission to the ICU should take precedence over meeting energy goals. High-protein hypocaloric (providing 80%–90% of caloric requirements) feeding may evolve as the best strategy during the initial phase of critical illness to avoid overfeeding, improve insulin sensitivity, and maintain body protein homeostasis, especially in the patient at high nutrition risk. This article provides a set of recommendations based on assessment of the current literature to guide healthcare professionals in clinical practice at this time, as well as a list of potential topics to guide investigators for purposes of research in the future. (Nutr Clin Pract. 2017;32(suppl 1):142S-151S)


Changes in the global economy observed in the last decade are, to a significant extent, the result of the globalization of markets and the liberalization of international service-oriented turnover. The progressive globalization changes the conditions for the operation for the business entities of an international character. These companies, adapting to new market conditions, are seeking solutions which would allow them to maintain their competitiveness. One of the tools that companies use to improve their competitiveness is offshoring (BPO). This is a process related to the transfer of the implementation of production and service processes to the territory of another country. Location choice in the BPO decisions has become an important strand of the international business literature with a number of scholars examining the influence of host country variables such as property rights, intellectual property protection, public trust in politicians, government factors and others. Poland is the Central and Eastern European leader in the sector of modern business services. This country has many business service centers with foreign capital, which employ thousands of employees. Additionally, employment in this sector is systematically growing by 20% each year. Poland's attractiveness on the map of offshoring investment projects results mainly from a very well qualified and cheap workforce. Offshoring Centers located here offer both BPO and KPO services.


This study examines the role of structural and agentic resources in shaping school-to-work transitions in England. We ask to what extent are young people able to steer the course of their lives despite the constraining forces of social structure, and how satisfied are they with their lives following the completion of compulsory schooling. Drawing on data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England we use sequence analysis of monthly activity data to identify differences in the timing and sequencing of education and employment transitions. We identified six distinct pathways, differentiating between an academic track, three pathways involving further education and training, as well as a work-focused transition and a group of young people who were over a long period not in education or training (NEET). The findings suggest that not all young people are inclined to follow an academic track and instead select into pathways involving vocational training or further education, enabling them to experience competence and life satisfaction. For others, however, the lack of socioeconomic and psycho-social resources is too overwhelming and they encounter long-term experience of NEET or are not able to transform their educational credentials into employment opportunities. The findings highlight that in addition to considering structural constraints it is important to conceptualise the role of the agent for a better understanding of variations in youth transitions


Built mostly to support the early mining industry, the Cape Colony's railways reduced the cost of transport to the interior and increased labor productivity in the Colony from 1859 to 1905 by, we calculate, 30 percent. Little of the gains went to the state-owned company: the Cape parliament seems always to have seen the railways as a means to development. But the politically overrepresented western parts of the Colony gained much more than underrepresented areas like Basutoland or the Transkei. While boosting the economy, the railways also had distributional effects, with consequences for racial segregation in twentieth-century South Africa.


A better understanding of wood degradation mechanisms used by Limnoria quadripunctata may lead to the development of more specific treatments to control biodeterioration that have fewer side effects than the traditional broad spectrum biocides. Thus, a clear understanding of digestion in wood boring animals is required. This knowledge of the digestive strategies used by L. quadripunctata could also be applied to the degradation of lignocellulose, and provide a novel source of enzymes which could be used to degrade this recalcitrant substrate.

Cellulase activity of extracts of L. lignorum were demonstrated in the 1950s (Ray & Julian, 1952) and the possibility of a microbial contribution to this activity was later tested by electron microscope investigations of the digestive gland (hepatopancreas) and hindgut (Boyle & Mitchell 1978, Sleeter et al. 1978) which showed, unlike other isopods (Zimmer et al. 2002), no resident gut microbes. New sequencing data also shows no evidence of symbiont-derived enzyme sequences in messenger RNA harvested from the hepatopancreas of L. quadripunctata (King et al. 2010). Further evidence for an independent digestion mechanism in L. quadripunctata came from an endo-β-1,4glucanase that belongs to the GH7 family of cellulases, also found in termites (Watanabe and Tokuda 2010) being detected in cells of the hepatopancreas of L. quadripunctata by Dymond et al. (2003) using in situ hybridisation experiments. Subsequent detailed examination of the transcriptome of the hepatopancreas of L. quadripunctata revealed large numbers of RNA sequences encoding for a range of enzymes that have been implicated in cellulose degradation in other organisms. Particularly numerous were sequences for glycosyl hydrolase families GH5, 7 and 9 (King et al. 2010). This made L. quadripunctata the first animal reported to possess a GH7 in an animal genome.

Most recently Western blots have been used in this study to identify GH5a and GH7a protein in the hepatopancreas and gut of L. quadripunctata as well as successful in situ localisation of GH5a and GH9a RNA in the hepatopancreas. This work confirms the hepatopancreas as the site of secretion of these enzymes and that they are translated into protein which is then found in the gut. Furthermore a carboxymethyl cellulose assay was used in this study and showed positive degradation by hepatopancreas and gut extract which confirms the presence of active amorphous cellulose degrading enzymes in these tissues.
In parallel with the efforts to reveal the presence and activity of endogenous enzymes produced by L. quadripunctata, investigations into the chemistry of wood breakdown and utilization by the organism have been undertaken. X-ray diffraction is an effective tool for showing changes in cellulose crystallinity and its use has demonstrated increased crystallinity in wood after digestion, while FTIR has reinforced this observation by showing changes in the hemicelluloses which are the more amorphous components of wood. Furthermore NMR has been used to identify 13C labelled glucose originating from feeding L. quadripunctata with a 13C enriched wheat straw substrate. This glucose was identified in gut extract and labelled 13C trehalose from the hepatopancreas. This provides evidence of digestion products being assimilated into the metabolic pool which has been complemented by evidence for digestion of wood provided by measurements using HPLC to compare, quantify and identify the sugar components of wood lost during digestion. Together this work provides new insight into how wood is affected by digestion in L. quadripunctata and what effect the activity of enzymes involved in this processing is having on the wood.


This paper argues that current pragmatic theories fail to describe common ground in its complexity because they usually retain a communication-as-transfer-between-minds view of language, and disregard the fact that disagreement and egocentrism of speaker-hearers are as fundamental parts of communication as agreement and cooperation. On the other hand, current cognitive research has overestimated the egocentric behavior of the dyads and argued for the dynamic emergent property of common ground while devaluing the overall significance of cooperation in the process of verbal communication. The paper attempts to eliminate this conflict and proposes to combine the two views into an integrated concept of common ground, in which both core common ground (assumed shared knowledge, a priori mental representation) and emergent common ground (emergent participant resource, a post facto emergence through use) converge to construct a dialectical socio-cultural background for communication.
Both cognitive and pragmatic considerations are central to this issue. While attention (through salience, which is the cause for interlocutors' egocentrism) explains why emergent property unfolds, intention (through relevance, which is expressed in cooperation) explains why presumed shared knowledge is needed. Based on this, common ground is perceived as an effort to converge the mental representation of shared knowledge present as memory that we can activate, shared knowledge that we can seek, and rapport, as well as knowledge that we can create in the communicative process. The socio-cognitive approach emphasizes that common ground is a dynamic construct that is mutually constructed by interlocutors throughout the communicative process. The core and emergent components join in the construction of common ground in all stages, although they may contribute to the construction process in different ways, to different extents, and in different phases of the communicative process.


This book constitutes a study of Southeast Asia, discussing the Malay world's long historical connection with the Muslim people including the Rumi-Turks, Hadramīs and the Ottomans. These connections reflect religious, political and legal co-operations. It also discusses the Ottomans' policy of pan-Islamism and the role of Sultan Abdulhamid II in improving ties with the Malay world and their scholars, rulers and heritage, in the fight against Western colonial powers. In seven essays, the contributors to this book discuss the early religious-intellectual network in the region as well as the evolution of the judicial and political systems. The network of Johor-Ottoman and Hadrami Muslim relationships and the role of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor strengthen bilateral connections. The translation of the Majallah al-Ahkam (Ottoman Legal Codes) into Malay language gave an expansion to develop legal practice of the codes of Islamic law in Shariah courts of the Malay Archipelago. The scholars individually discussed and analyzed the topic that they present of which the Ottoman and Malay legal structures and their developments; Turkish scholars in the archipelago and the first interaction with Islam; judicial developments; Ottoman fiqh education system in madrasas. It's hoped that this humble work would contribute some input to the heritages of Muslim World.


Dr W. J. Phillips writes: In his recent paper Dr Walker (1975a) adopted Bradley's (1965) concept of isopiestic surfaces and derived theoretical isopiestic surfaces of lithostatic pressure for a model in which "a body of low density (2.3 g cm−3) acid magma is emplaced in rocks of appreciably higher density" (2.6 to 2.85 g cm−3), but is underlain by basic intrusive rocks of density, 3.0 g cm−3 (Walker 1975a Fig. 3a). Walker's hypothesis for the formation of cone sheets is based on the assumption that isopiestic surfaces of lithostatic pressure derived from this model may be superimposed on another set of theoretical isopiestic surfaces (Fig. 3b) which is derived for "the hydrostatic pressure of a basaltic magma of density 2.65 g cm−3" if it occupied the space of the acid diapir and basic intrusive rocks of the first model. Clearly the superposition of the two sets of isopiestic surfaces, Fig. 3c, is incorrect because the space can be occupied by only one of the two alternative components of the model and therefore the supposed isopiestic surfaces of the other component would be absent. This restriction invalidates the concept of excess hydrostatic pressure and consequently also the supposed new concept of the evolution of the British Tertiary intrusive centres. However it is of interest to consider a number of other points which give cause for concern. In general, basaltic magma does not penetrate the pore spaces of the envelope rocks and therefore the isopiestic surfaces derived for the hydrostatic pressure. in


Acidification of dust aerosols may increase aerosol iron (Fe) solubility, which is linked to mineral properties. Combustion aerosols can also elevate aerosol iron solubility when aerosol loading is low. Here, we use an atmospheric chemical transport model to investigate the deposition of filterable iron and its response to changes in anthropogenic emissions of both combustion aerosols and precursor gases. By introducing three classes of iron-containing minerals into the detailed aerosol chemistry model, we provide a theoretical examination of the effects of different dissolution behaviors on the acid mobilization of iron. Comparisons of modeled Fe dissolution curves with the measured dissolution rates for African, east Asian, and Australian dust samples show overall good agreement under acidic conditions. The improved treatment of Fe in mineral dust and its dissolution scheme results in reasonable predictive capability for iron solubility over the oceans in the Northern Hemisphere. Our model results suggest that the improvement of air quality projected in the future will lead to a decrease of the filterable iron deposition from iron-containing mineral dust to the eastern North Pacific due to less acidification in Asian dust, which is mainly associated with the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. These results could have important implications for iron fertilization of phytoplankton growth, and highlight the necessity of improving the process-based quantitative understanding of the response of the chemical modification in iron-containing minerals to environmental changes.


Foursquare is a location-based social network (LBSN) that can be used to explore locations and mark one's movements in the form of 'check-ins'. This paper investigates why some Foursquare users are choosing to record their locational past, and in so doing using it as a 'mediated memory object' (Dijck, 2009). The paper explores the different ways users then interact with their preserved spatial pasts, owing to Foursquare's mode of preservation. A close engagement with phenomenological theory on the importance of engagement with technology and technicity as a shaping force on the experience of time conceptualises the use of Foursquare as a memory object. The functionality of Foursquare is positioned as a key element in how the location-based social network is significantly different from older memory related practices, as well as signalling its importance for the individuals that employ Foursquare in this manner.


When the Wright brothers took to the skies from Kitty Hawk in December 1903, they did it in a biplane, a craft with two pairs of parallel wings. Most early aircraft were biplanes, but by the 1930s, the faster monoplane design, with just two wings, dominated aviation. On page 1309, a Chinese team presents dramatic new fossils suggesting that early birds went through a similar evolution, starting off with wings on both arms and legs and only later adopting the arms-only, monoplane configuration.


Bayesian inference typically requires the computation of an approximation to the posterior distribution. An important requirement for an approximate Bayesian inference algorithm is to output high-accuracy posterior mean and uncertainty estimates. Classical Monte Carlo methods, particularly Markov Chain Monte Carlo, remain the gold standard for approximate Bayesian inference because they have a robust finite-sample theory and reliable convergence diagnostics. However, alternative methods, which are more scalable or apply to problems where Markov Chain Monte Carlo cannot be used, lack the same finite-data approximation theory and tools for evaluating their accuracy. In this work, we develop a flexible new approach to bounding the error of mean and uncertainty estimates of scalable inference algorithms. Our strategy is to control the estimation errors in terms of Wasserstein distance, then bound the Wasserstein distance via a generalized notion of Fisher distance. Unlike computing the Wasserstein distance, which requires access to the normalized posterior distribution, the Fisher distance is tractable to compute because it requires access only to the gradient of the log posterior density. We demonstrate the usefulness of our Fisher distance approach by deriving bounds on the Wasserstein error of the Laplace approximation and Hilbert coresets. We anticipate that our approach will be applicable to many other approximate inference methods such as the integrated Laplace approximation, variational inference, and approximate Bayesian computation


This paper is derived from a wider study of literacy practice that examines and explores the role played by Qur'anic literacy in the lives of men, women and children in a UK Muslim community. It also draws on the significant body of theoretical work being developed by Gregory and others on the role of siblings and older children in literacy acquisition and practices, and reveals further exemplification of what Gregory terms 'mediators' of literacy practices from within multilingual communities (in this case a Muslim, Pakistani-heritage, Mirpuri-Punjabi speaking community in the north of England) who, in this case, although not always siblings, are elder, more knowledgeable, peers. It outlines a short-lived experiment that took place in a typical mosque school in a northern UK town when the mosque administration had difficulties finding a female teacher for the girls who were attending and describes how two older girls were asked to take over the teaching of young girls. We observe how the two older girls fuse the literacy and language practices from both schooled and Qur'anic literacies to provide an example of syncretic literacy practice.


The evolution of services offered using communication technology has yielded a jungle of different services. Many of these services exhibits different QoS requirements; different requirements to delay, probability of packet-loss and throughput. Effectively this means they require different amounts of resources when handled in a network node. This thesis covers descriptions and simulations of four different scheduling algorithms deployed in a high-speed point-to-point radio-link scenario. The different algorithms examined in this thesis are the conventional First-In-First-Out (FIFO) algorithm, the Strict Priority (SP) queuing algorithm, the Deficit Round-Robin (DRR) algorithm and finally the Deficit Weighted Round-Robin (DWRR) algorithm. Theoretical presentations of each of the algorithms are followed by simulations which exhibits the characteristics of the different algorithms. Two of the mentioned algorithms (FIFO, DRR) does not offer capabilities of differentiation between different classified data-flows, while the two remaining algorithms (SP, DWRR) does. The simulations illustrates the advantages of deployment of scheduling algorithms capable of differentiating resource allocation with respect to the different QoS requirements of multiple data-flows. The simulation results reveals that when deployed in a high-speed point-to-point link, where low complexity is emphasized, the DWRR algorithm offers the most promising performances of the examined algorithms.


This paper presents the current state of our work on an interactive toplevel for the OCaml language based on the optimizing native code compiler and runtime. Our native toplevel is up to 100 times faster than the default OCaml toplevel, which is based on the byte code compiler and interpreter. It uses Just-In-Time techniques to compile toplevel phrases to native code at runtime, and currently works with various Unix-like systems running on x86 or x86-64 processors.


The main task of a voice-enabled tour-guide robot in mass exhibition setting is to engage visitors in dialogue and provide as much exhibit information as possible in a limited time. In managing such a dialogue, extracting the user (visitor) goal or intention at each dialogue state is the key issue. In mass exhibition conditions uncooperative visitors and speech recognition limitations in noisy acoustic conditions may jeopardize user goal identification. In this paper, we introduce the use of sequential dialogue repair techniques, exploiting the inherent multimodality of the tour-guide robot, in order to reduce the risk of the resulting communication failures. Bayesian networks fusing acoustic and non-acoustic modalities during user goal identification serve as input to graphical models known as decision networks. Decision networks allow the definition of dialogue repair sequences as actions, and provide a decision-theoretic utility-based strategy for selecting actions. The benefits of the proposed repair strategies are demonstrated through experiments with the dialogue system of RoboX, a tour-guide robot successfully deployed at the Swiss National Exhibition (Expo. 02).


I. INTRODUCTION TO EVALUATION. 1. Evaluation's Basic Purpose, Uses, and Conceptual Distinctions. 2. Origins of Modern Program Evaluation. 3. Recent Developments and Trends in Evaluation. II. ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO PROGRAM EVALUATION. 4. Alternative Views of Evaluation. 5. Objectives-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 6. Management-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 7. Consumer-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 8. Expertise-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 9. Adversary-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 10. Participant-Oriented Evaluation Approaches. 11. Alternative Evaluation Approaches: A Summary and Comparative Analysis. III. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING EVALUATION. 12. Clarifying the Evaluation Request and Responsibilities. 13. Setting Boundaries and Analyzing the Evaluation Context. 14. Identifying and Selecting the Evaluative Questions and Criteria. 15. Planning How to Conduct the Evaluation. IV. PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING AND USING EVALUATIONS. 16. Dealing with Political, Ethical, and Interpersonal Aspects of Evaluation. 17. Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Quantitative Information. 18. Collecting, Analyzing, and Interpreting Qualitative Information. 19. Reporting and Using Evaluation Information. 20. Evaluating Evaluations. V. EMERGING AND FUTURE SETTINGS FOR PROGRAM EVALUATION. 21. Conducting Multiple-Site Evaluation Studies. 22. Conducting Evaluations of Organizations Renewal and Training in Corporate and Nonprofit Settings. 23. The Future of Evaluation. Appendix: Some General Areas of Competence Important in Education Evaluation.


For future ground, airborne and space based single aperture telescopes, multipixel heterodyne imaging arrays are necessary to take full advantage of platform lifetime, and facilitate science requiring wide field spectral line imaging. A first generation of heterodyne arrays with ~10 pixels has already been constructed, i.e. CHAMP, SMART, HERA, DesertStar, PoleStar and HARP. Our group is now constructing SuperCam, a 64 pixel heterodyne array for operation in the 350 GHz atmospheric window. This instrument will realize another order of magnitude increase in array pixel count. Several new techniques were used for SuperCam to maximize integration and modularity. Unlike other SIS array receivers, SuperCam is built around 8 pixel linear mixer modules, rather than independent mixer blocks. These modules house 8 single ended waveguide mixers with SOI substrate SIS devices. Each device is tab bonded to a MMIC based LNA. These modules dissipate only 8 mW of heat, while still maintaining 5 K IF noise temperature and 32 dB gain. Blind mate IF and DC connectors allow each module to be inserted in or removed from the focal plane as a unit. The modules are machined using a state-of-the-art CNC micromilling machine acquired specifically for this project. IF signals are processed by 8 channel IF downconverter boards, which provide gain, baseband downconversion and IF total power monitoring. A real-time FFT spectrometer implemented with high speed ADCs and Xilinx 4 FPGAs produce spectra of the central 250 MHz of each channel at 0.25 km/s spectral resolution. For arrays with an additional order of magnitude increase in pixel count, several additional technical problems must be overcome. Kilopixel arrays will require advances in device fabrication, cryogenics, micromachining, IF processing and spectrometers. In addition, seemingly straightforward receiver systems will require new approaches to realize a kilopixel heterodyne array with manageable complexity and cost. Wire count and 4K heat load must all be reduced significantly compared to SuperCam. IF and DC cabling and interconnects may be replaced with multiconductor microstrip or stripline ribbon. Parallel biasing of LNAs, magnets and even SIS devices is feasible if device uniformity is good enough. IF processing will require further integration, possibly with integrated MMIC chips containing all parts of a IF downconversion chain. Continued advances in FFT spectrometers could allow processing many hundreds of gigahertz of IF bandwidth for a realizable cost. We present results from final SuperCam receiver integration and testing, and concepts for expanding heterodyne arrays to kilopixel scales in the future.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the cleanliness of a work environment has influence on the productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands.,In the study, an online survey (including questions about the perceived cleanliness) and two objective cleanliness assessment methods (particle counts and surface cleanliness) are used. The data are collected using an online questionnaire to determine the workers' perception (of productivity and cleanliness) and to measure the cleanliness (visual assessment of the surface cleanliness and measured [dust] particle counts in the ambient air) at five different non-profit organizations in The Netherlands.,It is found that a higher objective cleanliness correlates significantly with a higher perceived productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands. A higher measured cleanliness also correlates significantly with a higher work satisfaction level of employees working in office environments. Finally, a significant correlation is found between the satisfaction of employees with their work as a whole and the perceived productivity of the employees; a higher satisfaction leads to a higher perceived productivity.,The cleanliness is measured in five non-profit organizations, so it is not possible to draw any strong generalization. Future studies are needed to confirm or contradict the findings in this research.,The results highlight the aspects of the cleanliness in the office environment that influence the perceived productivity. This concerns the measured cleanliness. Employees evaluate their own productivity lower at a higher level of particle counts in the ambient air in the office environment and when more dirt and stain are found on the surface (lower surface cleanliness). In response to these findings, it is recommended to carry out regular cleaning activities in the office environment where the employees perform their work. Overall, to maintain or achieve maximum personal productivity, a clean office environment is important.,This research is the first to identify the relationship between perceived productivity and measured cleanliness of the office environment.


Opal-A, opal-CT and chalcedony develop in various geological environments mainly through continental weathering and hydrothermal processes. Although some spectroscopic criteria already differentiate the structural varieties of silica, no criterion distinguishes the formation process of opaline silica. The originality of this study is based on a unique collection of 38 hydrous silica samples of different structures formed in various geological contexts and lithologies. This large and diverse sampling of silica emphasizes that several new spectroscopic criteria distinguish opal-A, opal-CT and chalcedony: the apparent maximum of the absorption at 5200 cm −1 , the area of the absorption of silanol groups as well as the area ratio of the 5200 and 4500 cm −1 bands. Moreover, we observed that the shape of the molecular-water band, quantified by a new criterion developed here (concavity-ratio criterion, CRC), differentiates opals formed by weathering (CRC 0.82), regardless of their structure (−A or −CT). This new method quickly assesses the geological conditions of opal formation (on Earth or other terrestrial planets) for which data are unclear or missing.


In order to realize high photocurrent generation in the low-energy region of the solar spectrum, two conjugated A–D–A oligomers, PY-1 and DCI-2 comprising a central dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole donor (D) unit and end-capping acceptors (A) 1-butyl-4-methyl-2,6-dioxopyridine-3-carbonitrile (PY) or 3-dicyanomethyleneindan-1-one (DCI) have been synthesized and characterized. The oligomers showed strong absorptions in the red and near-IR region in solution and in the solid state. As a consequence of the strong electron-accepting character, the absorption band of DCI-2 in thin films is significantly red-shifted compared to that of PY-1 resulting in a low optical energy gap of 1.23 eV. In optimized solution-processed bulk-heterojunction solar cells using a polymeric donor P1, the new non-fullerene acceptor DCI-2 provides an excellent power conversion efficiency of 6.94% which is noticeably higher than that of PY-1-based devices (PCE = 4.89%). Most importantly, a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) of ∼0.8 V with unprecedented energy losses, between the optical energy gap and the open-circuit voltage, between 0.39 and 0.43 eV concomitant with excellent external quantum efficiencies of 69%@880 nm in the NIR-regime have been achieved for DCI-2-based devices.


The aim of this article is to flesh out the implications of seeing universal jurisdiction as a claim to authority. While the idea that jurisdiction is an exercise of authority may seem obvious, the article invites attention to the 'claim' inherent within it, particularly where the exercise of jurisdiction intrudes upon or displaces competing claims. Legal scholars and practitioners tend to focus on the legal source of authority to exercise universal jurisdiction. The consequence is a tendency to think in binary terms: a court either has jurisdiction, in which case the matter will proceed (without further attention to the question of jurisdiction), or it does not, in which case the whole matter is at an end. Jurisdictional thinking invites attention to the need for those asserting such a claim to take responsibility for these claims to authority, encouraging responsiveness to the normative communities such claims put into relation and the potential need to rethink conventional modes of operation. The article proceeds in two parts. Part I examines the deficiencies in the dominant 'legal source' narrative on universal jurisdiction. Part II assesses the value of understanding the legal-political dimension of universal jurisdiction as a claim to authority that must be understood, and justified, with attention to its purpose and the community (or communities) it is intended to serve.


Deformation across the San Andreas and Walker Lane fault systems accounts for most relative Pacific–North American transform plate motion. The Walker Lane is composed of discontinuous sets of right‐slip faults that are located to the east and strike approximately parallel to the San Andreas fault system. Mapping of active faults in the central Walker Lane shows that right‐lateral shear is locally accommodated by rotation of crustal blocks bounded by steep‐dipping east striking left‐slip faults. The left slip and clockwise rotation of crustal blocks bounded by the east striking faults has produced major basins in the area, including Rattlesnake and Garfield flats; Teels, Columbus and Rhodes salt marshes; and Queen Valley. The Benton Springs and Petrified Springs faults are the major northwest striking structures currently accommodating transform motion in the central Walker Lane. Right‐lateral offsets of late Pleistocene surfaces along the two faults point to slip rates of at least 1 mm/yr. The northern limit of northwest trending strike‐slip faults in the central Walker Lane is abrupt and reflects transfer of strike‐slip to dip‐slip deformation in the western Basin and Range and transformation of right slip into rotation of crustal blocks to the north. The transfer of strike slip in the central Walker Lane to dip slip in the western Basin and Range correlates to a northward broadening of the modern strain field suggested by geodesy and appears to be a long‐lived feature of the deformation field. The complexity of faulting and apparent rotation of crustal blocks within the Walker Lane is consistent with the concept of a partially detached and elastic‐brittle crust that is being transported on a continuously deforming layer below. The regional pattern of faulting within the Walker Lane is more complex than observed along the San Andreas fault system to the west. The difference is attributed to the relatively less cumulative slip that has occurred across the Walker Lane and that oblique components of displacement are of opposite sense along the Walker Lane (extension) and San Andreas (contraction), respectively. Despite the gross differences in fault pattern, the Walker Lane and San Andreas also share similarities in deformation style, including clockwise rotations of crustal blocks leading to development of structural basins and the partitioning of oblique components of slip onto subparallel strike‐slip and dip‐slip faults.


Evolved stars are among the largest and brightest stars and they are ideal targets for the new generation of sensitive, high resolution instrumentation that pro- vides spectrophotometric, interferometric, astrometric, and imaging observables. The interpretation of the complex stellar surface images requires numerical simulations of stellar convection that take into account multi-dimensional time-dependent radiation hydrodynamics with realistic input physics. We show how the evolved star simulations are obtained using the radiative hydrodynamics code CO5BOLD and how the accurate observables are computed with the post-processing radiative transfer code Optim3D. The synergy between observations and theoretical work is supported by a proper and quantitative analysis using these simulations, and by strong constraints from the obser- vational side.


While there is a significant and growing body of knowledge describing the microbial communities of marine invertebrates such as sponges, there are very few such studies focused on octocorals. The octocoral Eunicea fusca is common on reefs in various regions of the Caribbean and has been the subject of natural product investigations. As part of an effort to describe the microbial community associated with octocorals, a culture-independent analysis of the bacterial community of E. fusca was conducted. Specifically, a 16S rDNA clone library analysis was performed to provide baseline data. A total of 40 bacteria members from 11 groups were found. In general, Proteobacteria were the dominant group with a total of 24 species and α-Proteobacteria represented the highest percentage of bacteria associated with E. fusca (27.5%). Other prominent groups observed were Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, δ-Proteobacteria, Lentisphaerae and Nitrospirae. This is the first analysis of bacterial populations associated with the gorgonian E. fusca .


Measures of unemployment tally people without a job who are looking for one. For measurement purposes, the critical question is what constitutes looking. This article summarizes how unemployment is measured in the United States and Europe, and describes recent research investigating the permeability of the dividing line between the unemployed and marginally attached subgroups of those out of the labor market. A continuum between unemployed and entirely inactive individuals indicates that measures beyond unemployment may be useful in judging the state of the labor market.


Kartegener's Syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease with primary ciliary dyskinesia. It has a triad of bronchiectasis, dextrocardia or situs inversus and chronic sinusitis. Lyme disease is a multisystem illness. It is referred to as neuroboriellosis if neuropsychiatric involvement is predominant. Myoclonus is a rapid and short hyperkinetic motion disorder. Its secondary etiology is located in the subset of post infectious disease. In this case report we are presenting a female patient of 38 year old known to have Kartegener's Syndrome who had myoclonic contractions. In the etiological work up, no other finding other than acute infection with Borrelia burgdorferi was found. Lyme disease is a rare etiological factor in involuntary movements, which directed us to prepare this case report.


Global warming is considered to be the most adverse consequence from the increasing anthropogenic emissions of CO2. However, in the marine environment additional problems related to the elevated levels atmospheric CO2 may arise; the increased amount of CO2 absorbed by the oceans may lead to a moderate, but consistent and global reduction in seawater pH due to the acidifying effect of CO2, a phenomenon referred to as ocean acidification. Another potential problem may occur as a result of sub-seabed storage of anthropogenic CO2, a disposal alternative introduced by the gas industry to mitigate CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Leakage from such storage sites could potentially cause a relatively local, but extreme acidification of the seawater near the leakage site. Both scenarios may create unfavourable conditions for marine organisms, and previous studies have reported that environmental hypercapnia (elevated pCO2) may affect an array of physiological processes in marine organisms such as acid-base status and metabolic rate. Deep-living animals are considered to be particularly vulnerable to environmental hypercapnia due to their low metabolic rate and poor ability to counteract effects of environmental stressors.To predict the possible outcome of the two scenarios described above it is important to understand the physiological mechanisms that marine organisms apply to handle the CO2 stress. During conditions of elevated seawater pCO2, the charge neutral CO2 molecules permeate biological membranes and react with water in the body fluids resulting in the net formation of HCO3- and H+. Thus, the primary effect of elevated pCO2 is induction of body fluid acidosis. Acid-base regulation during acidosis is generally mediated by buffering compounds as well as acid elimination through direct removal of hydrogen ions (H+) and/or accumulation of buffering bicarbonate ions (HCO3-).In the current thesis the deep-sea bivalve Acesta excavata, the green shore crab Carcinus maenas, and the deep-water prawn Pandalus borealis were exposed to elevated seawater levels of pCO2. The purpose was to study the responses of the different species to elevated pCO2 and to compare the capacity of shallow- and deep-living animals to counteract CO2-induced effects. To meet these objectives changes in acid-base relevant parameters (pH, pCO2, [HCO3-]) and metabolic rate was studied in all three species, while gene expression and activity of ion regulating proteins as well as changes in the metabolome were determined in C. maenas alone.Calcifying animals, such as bivalves, have been suggested to utilise HCO3- from the calcium carbonate shell to buffer acidosis. However, this buffering strategy may be restricted to closed systems such as during shell closure. Indeed, the findings in the present thesis indicate that shell dissolution does not occur in the deep-living bivalve A. excavata in response to CO2-induced acidosis. Consequently, A. excavata does not seem to be able to compensate extra- or intracellular acidosis in response to severe environmental hypercapnia, and experiences a drop in metabolic rate most likely induced by low body fluid pH. However, this species displays a relatively high nonbicarbonate buffering capacity, and may therefore be able to tolerate more moderate levels of CO2 exposure than that experienced in the present study.In decapod crustaceans extracellular pH-regulation occurs in the posterior gills by electroneutral ion exchange between the extracellular fluids and the surrounding seawater. The shore crab C. maenas was able to partially compensate extracellular acidosis by accumulating relatively high levels of HCO3- in response to elevated pCO2, and the degree of compensation was dependent on the level of CO2 exposure. The results from the present thesis suggest that this species can compensate acidosis without substantially increasing the acid-base regulatory capacity of the branchial ion transporting proteins. Surprisingly, the deep-water prawn Pandalus borealis exhibited similar abilities as the shore crab to counteract extracellular acidosis induced by elevated pCO2. This was achieved by increasing the extracellular concentration of HCO3- to a similar degree as C. maenas. The findings indicate that this species display similar acid-base regulatory capacities as shallow-living decapods, thus nuancing the picture of the compensating capacities of deep-living animals. Acid-base regulation in both decapod species was achieved without affecting the osmolality of the extracellular fluid. This is in contrast to what has been reported for subtidal decapod crabs. The metabolic rate was not significantly affected in any of the two species, possibly due to their ability to maintain extracellular pH close to normal values.While acid-base regulation in response to CO2-induced acidosis has received increased scientific attention, only a very few studies have investigated responses of the metabolome to elevated pCO2. 1H-NMR metabolomics revealed that in the green shore crab CO2 exposure induces a shift in the metabolic fingerprint in both hemolymph and extracts of gills and leg muscle. The shift is not the result of changes in metabolites involved in energy metabolism, as could be expected. Rather, it is due to a general decrease in the concentration of metabolites, particularly of important osmolytes such as the amino acids proline and glycine. The observed changes were most prominent after prolonged exposure, suggesting an exhaustive response rather than an active, compensatory mechanism. The results indicate that in response to elevated pCO2 shore crabs experience symptoms resembling those of animals acclimated to condtions of reduced salinity. This may possibly suggests a disturbance of intracellular isoosmotic regulation.The present thesis indicates that A. excavata would be highly, and possibly permanently affected by severe CO2 exposure associated with CO2 leakage, while both the intertidal and deep-living decapods could tolerate relatively prolonged periods of quite severe hypercapnic conditions.


An ongoing British Museum research project at Amara West, Ramesside administrative center of Upper Nubia (Kush), is producing a range of evidence that allows different experiences of the colonial environment to be investigated. This paper considers the formal built environment (walled town, temple and associated decorative programs), household space, domestic cult, material culture and the role of writing to explore individual and household responses when residing in a context (cultural, environmental) distinct from Egypt itself. Alongside consideration of the limitations of the available data, the evidence for an increasing heterogeneity of the town (and its inhabitants) is also covered.


Climate models have become an important tool in the study of climate and climate change, and ensemble experiments consisting of multiple climate-model runs are used in studying and quantifying the uncertainty in climate-model output. However, there are often only a limited number of model runs available for a particular experiment, and one of the statistical challenges is to characterize the distribution of the model output. To that end, we have developed a multivariate hierarchical approach, at the heart of which is a new representation of a multivariate Markov random field. This approach allows for flexible modeling of the multivariate spatial dependencies, including the cross-dependencies between variables. We demonstrate this statistical model on an ensemble arising from a regional-climate-model experiment over the western United States, and we focus on the projected change in seasonal temperature and precipitation over the next 50 years.


PURPOSE: To explore the personal perspectives of physiotherapists
regarding the factors that facilitated them to commence their taught
physiotherapy-related Master's Level Study (MLS). RELEVANCE:
There is a lack of contemporary research into the factors that
encourage physiotherapists to undertake formal post-qualifying study.
With rapidly increasing knowledge there is a requirement for
continuing professional development (CPD) to enable evidencebased
practice. Taught MLS provides guidance in this development.
Greater understanding of the factors assisting clinicians to undertake
MLS will enable more effective facilitation in clinical and educational
environments. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 9 volunteers
(8 female, 1 male, mean age: 36 ±7.29) was recruited. Participants
were: engaged in part-time taught MLS; registered with the
United Kingdom's professional regulatory body; working within
the National Health Service, and possessed a minimum of four
years clinical experience. METHODS: A qualitative, interpretative,
phenomenological study was undertaken with the assumption that
reality is individual and all viewpoints are valid. Following ethical
approval, individual, semi-structured interviews (mean time: 67
minutes) were conducted using an interview schedule. Questions
were derived from a literature review, two developmental interviews,
and two pilot interviews. ANALYSIS: Interviews were transcribed
verbatim and a summary was member-checked to ensure that
initial interpretations were appropriate. Data analysis was conducted
using the framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis.
This focuses on analysis and interpretation of the participants'
words in context to gain deeper understanding of their experiences.
Quotations that communicated similar meanings and ideas were
grouped to form themes. Where conceptual links were identified,
key themes emerged. Peer verification of this analysis was
conducted to increase rigour and involved reflexive discussions
with an experienced qualitative researcher. RESULTS: Four key
themes emerged that described the facilitating factors in different
environments: social, educational, clinical, and working. Within the
Social Environment, participants commented that a settled home
life and future domestic plans influenced their MLS commencement.
There were several facilitators associated with the Educational
Environment; some individuals expressed positive emotions towards
learning, while others were seeking the challenge of MLS. Also, the
content of the Master's programmes being clinically relevant and
accredited, and the flexibility of the modular structure were motivating
factors for some participants. Regarding the Clinical Environment;
some individuals indicated a desire to develop their skills within
their professional role, or for career progression. Finally, Working
Environment facilitation came from the provision of professional
support, the expectation for CPD, and interactions with colleagues
with experience of MLS. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of this
group of post-qualifying students suggest that the factors facilitating
them to undertake MLS were varied and individualised. Their
facilitators could be practical, personal or professional in nature.
Further research into the facilitators to undertake various types of
post-qualifying education is required to generate a body of evidence
to help develop effective mechanisms for supporting clinicians in their formal CPD. IMPLICATIONS: Educational institutions may need
to consider promoting the professional and personal benefits of
undertaking their programmes to encourage clinician enrolment.
Whereas employers offering practical professional support may
also aid facilitation.


A method to miniaturize the Faraday rotator for an optical isolator is proposed. The rotator includes a half-wave plate, and magnets arranged with alternating polarities are used. The principle of operation of the rotator is confirmed by measurements. An isolator employing the rotator has a backward loss of 32 dB and a forward loss of 0.65 dB at 0.633-μm wavelength, where the forward loss is mainly due to Fresnel reflection losses.


The steroid hormone ecdysone regulates larval development and metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster through a complex genetic hierarchy that begins with a small set of early response genes. Here, we present data indicating that the ecdysone response hierarchy also mediates egg chamber maturation during mid-oogenesis. E75, E74 and BR-C are expressed in a stage-specific manner while EcR expression is ubiquitous throughout oogenesis. Decreasing or increasing the ovarian ecdysone titer using a temperature-sensitive mutation or exogenous ecdysone results in corresponding changes in early gene expression. The stage 10 follicle cell expression of E75 in wild-type, K10 and EGF receptor (Egfr) mutant egg chambers reveals regulation of E75 by both the Egfr and ecdysone signaling pathways. Genetic analysis indicates a germline requirement for ecdysone-responsive gene expression. Germline clones of E75 mutations arrest and degenerate during mid-oogenesis and EcR germline clones exhibit a similar phenotype, demonstrating a functional requirement for ecdysone responsiveness during the vitellogenic phase of oogenesis. Finally, the expression of Drosophila Adrenodoxin Reductase increases during mid-oogenesis and clonal analysis confirms that this steroidogenic enzyme is required in the germline for egg chamber development. Together these data suggest that the temporal expression profile of E75, E74 and BR-C may be a functional reflection of ecdysone levels and that ecdysone provides temporal signals regulating the progression of oogenesis and proper specification of dorsal follicle cell fates.


Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most chronic and dangerous diseases worldwide and in the Saudi society in particular. Swabs (168) from DM injuries were collected from inpatient and outpatient departments. Analysis of variance revealed the high incidence of diabetic foot infections compared to other injuries by an average of 51 and 33, respectively. Adults' category was significantly the highest age category in the incidence. Inpatients have recorded the highest incidence than outpatients, while routine cases have recorded the highest rates of infection compared to the urgent and very urgent cases. Etiology was confined in 210 bacterial isolates belonging to gram negative (G-ve), gram-positive (G+ve), aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The study detected a high incidence in one genus/swab compared to two, three, four genera and polymicrobial/swab, with 67, 14, 1, 0.5 and 1.5% respectively. Aerobic bacteria reached 98.5% compared to anaerobic bacteria (1.5%). G-ve aerobic bacteria were highly significant compared to the G+ve. The dominant bacterial species in diabetic injuries was Pseudomonas aeruginosa followed by Staphylococcus aureus with a rate of 28 and 17%, respectively. It is worth noting that the antibacterial ability was evident in Ps. aeruginosa for the most bacterial isolates tested, and this reinforces the result found in the study of Ps. aeruginosa's dominance in diabetes compared to the rest of the isolated bacterial genera. Results of the study are considered unique in the epidemic spread of diabetic injuries for inpatients, outpatients, as well as the antagonistic relations of each bacterial etiology of diabetic injuries in Saudi Arabia.

 Key words: Epidemiology, etiology, bacteria, diabetic injuries, age, in-outpatients, priority, polymicrobial, aerobic, anaerobic, Ps. aeruginosa, S. aureus.


Bone-related diseases seriously threaten people's health and research studies have been dedicated towards searching for new and effective treatment methods. Nanotechnologies have opened up a new field in recent decades and nanostructured materials, which exist in a variety of forms, are considered to be promising materials in this field. This article reviews the most recent progress in the development of nanostructured materials for bone-related diseases, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, bone metastasis, osteomyelitis, myeloma, and bone defects. We highlight the advantages and functions of nanostructured materials, including sustained release, bone targeting, scaffolding in bone tissue engineering, etc., in bone-related diseases. We also include the remaining challenges of these emerging materials.


Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures with promising prospects for applications in data storage. They can form a lattice state due to competing magnetic interactions and are commonly found in a small region of the temperature—magnetic field phase diagram. Recent work has demonstrated that these magnetic quasi-particles fluctuate at the μeV energy scale. Here, we use a coherent x-ray correlation method at an x-ray free-electron laser to investigate these fluctuations in a magnetic phase coexistence region near a first-order transition boundary where fluctuations are not expected to play a major role. Surprisingly, we find that the relaxation of the intermediate scattering function at this transition differs significantly compared to that deep in the skyrmion lattice phase. The observation of a compressed exponential behavior suggests solid-like dynamics, often associated with jamming. We assign this behavior to disorder and the phase coexistence observed in a narrow field-window near the transition, which can cause fluctuations that lead to glassy behavior.


It is well recognized that electromagnetic fields can affect the biological functions of living organisms at both cellular and molecular level. The potential damaging effects of electromagnetic fields and very low frequency and extremely low frequency radiation emitted by computer cathode ray tube video display monitors (VDMs) has become a concern within the scientific community. We studied the effects of occupational exposure to VDMs in 10 males and 10 females occupationally exposed to VDMs and 20 unexposed control subjects matched for age and sex. Genetic damage was assessed by examining the frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal cells and the frequency of other nuclear abnormalities such as binucleated and broken egg cells. Although there were no differences regarding binucleated cells between exposed and control individuals our analysis revealed a significantly higher frequency of micronuclei (p < 0.001) and broken egg cells (p < 0.05) in individuals exposed to VDMs as compared to unexposed. We also found that the differences between individuals exposed to VDMs were significantly related to the sex of the individuals and that there was an increase in skin, central nervous system and ocular disease in the exposed individuals. These preliminary results indicate that microcomputer workers exposed to VDMs are at risk of significant cytogenetic damage and should periodically undergo biological monitoring.


OBJECTIVE
One challenging feature of head and neck pathology is that a dizzying array of spindle cell lesions occurs here which ranges all the way from reactive, very aggressive forms to malignant lesions. Leiomyosarcoma is one such malignant tumour of mesenchymal origin exhibiting smooth muscle differentiation; presenting generally nonspecific signs and symptoms. Here we present a case of leiomyosarcoma in a 21 year old female patient associated with single reddish pink swelling present in the posterior right maxillary tuberosity region with moderate facial asymmetry. On histopathological analysis, all the classic features were noted and diagnosis of a spindle cell neoplasm was made without any obscurity. There are many lesions like rhabdomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, liposarcoma, multiple peripheral nerve sheath tumour, angiosarcomas, melanomas, kaposi sarcoma, solitary fibrous tumors, etc., which mimic leiomyosarcoma clinically and histopathologically and therefore immunohistochemical staining with specific markers plays a vital role in arriving at a conclusive diagnosis.


In despair at having no son to succeed him, the King of Turkey leaves his palace to live in seclusion. Soon after, however, he encounters four wandering dervishes - three princes and a rich merchant from Persia, Yemen and China - who have been guided to Turkey by a supernatural force that prophesied their meeting. The five men sit together in the dead of night, each in turn telling the tale of lost love that led him to renounce the world. As their stories within stories unfold, a magnificent world is revealed of courtly intrigue and romance, fairies and djinn, oriental gardens and lavish feasts, adventures and mishaps. "A Tale of Four Dervishes" (1803) is an exquisite example of Urdu fiction that provides a fascinating glimpse into the customs, beliefs and people of the time.


Background Parenting programmes are a potentially important means of supporting teenage parents and improving outcomes for their children, and parenting support is a priority across most Western countries. This review updates the previous version published in 2001. Objectives To examine the effectiveness of parenting programmes in improving psychosocial outcomes for teenage parents and developmental outcomes in their children. Search methods We searched to find new studies for this updated review in January 2008 and May 2010 in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, ASSIA, CINAHL, DARE, ERIC, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts and Social Science Citation Index. The National Research Register (NRR) was last searched in May 2005 and UK Clinical Research Network Portfolio Database in May 2010. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials assessing short-term parenting interventions aimed specifically at teenage parents and a control group (no-treatment, waiting list or treatment-as-usual). Data collection and analysis We assessed the risk of bias in each study. We standardised the treatment effect for each outcome in each study by dividing the mean difference in post-intervention scores between the intervention and control groups by the pooled standard deviation. Main results We included eight studies with 513 participants, providing a total of 47 comparisons of outcome between intervention and control conditions. Nineteen comparisons were statistically significant, all favouring the intervention group. We conducted nine meta-analyses using data from four studies in total (each meta-analysis included data from two studies). Four metaanalyses showed statistically significant findings favouring the intervention group for the following outcomes: parent responsiveness to the child post-intervention (SMD -0.91, 95% CI -1.52 to -0.30, P = 0.04); infant responsiveness to mother at follow-up (SMD -0.65, 95% CI -1.25 to -0.06, P = 0.03); and an overall measure of parent-child interactions postintervention (SMD -0.71, 95% CI -1.31 to -0.11, P = 0.02), and at follow-up (SMD -0.90, 95% CI -1.51 to -0.30, P = 0.004). The results of the remaining five meta-analyses were inconclusive. Authors' conclusions Variation in the measures used, the included populations and interventions, and the risk of bias within the included studies limit the conclusions that can be reached. The findings provide some evidence to suggest that parenting programmes may be effective in improving a number of aspects of parent-child interaction both in the shortand long-term, but further research is now needed. Plain language summary Parenting programmes for teenage parents and their children Adolescent parents face a range of problems. They are often from very deprived backgrounds; they can experience a range of mental health problems and a lack of social support; they often lack knowledge about child development and effective parenting skills, and they have developmental needs of their own. Possibly for these reasons, the children of teenage parents often have poor outcomes. A range of interventions are being used to promote the well-being of teenage parents and their children. Parenting programmes have been found to be effective in improving psychosocial health in parents more generally (including reducing anxiety and depression, and improving self-esteem), alongside a range of developmental outcomes for children. This review therefore investigated the impact of parenting programmes aimed specifically at teenage parents on outcomes for both them and their children. The findings are based on eight studies measuring a variety of outcomes, using a range of standardised measures. It was possible to combine results (meta-analysis) for nine comparisons. Results from four of these meta-analyses suggest that parenting programmes may be effective in improving parent responsiveness to the child, and parent-child interaction, both post-intervention and at follow-up. Infant responsiveness to the mother also showed improvement at follow-up. The results of the other five meta-analyses we carried out were inconclusive. Further rigorous research is needed that provides both shortand long-term follow-up of the children of teenage parents, and that assesses the benefits of parenting programmes for young fathers as well as young mothers. Background Description of the condition The rate of births to teenage parents D0011 Individual and group based parenting programmes for improving psychosocial outcomes for teenage parents an...


Critical literacy investigates how forms of knowledge, and the power they bring, are created in language and taken up by those who use texts. It asks how language might be put to different, more equitable uses, and how texts might be recreated in a way that would tell a different story. This book is a carefully documented and critically analysed example of the growing emphasis on critical literacy in syllabuses, government reports and the like. It: * bridges the gap between academics' theorizing and teachers' work * describes how secondary teachers have planned and implemented critical literacy curricula on a range of topics, from Shakespeare to the workplace * listens to teachers reflecting on their teaching and analyses classroom talk * extrapolates from present practice to a future critical literacy in a digitised, hypermedia world. Teachers and students of education, critical literacy advocates and theorists of literacy and schooling can learn much more from this book, which shows how critical literacy teachers, and their students are contributing to the ongoing reinvention of English education as critical literacy.


Blacks in the United States are poorer than whites and have much lower employment rates. "Place-based" policies seek to improve the labor markets in which blacks - especially low-income urban blacks - tend to reside. We first review the literature on spatial mismatch, which provides much of the basis for place-based policies. New evidence demonstrates an important racial dimension to spatial mismatch, and this "racial mismatch" suggests that simply creating more jobs where blacks live, or moving blacks to where jobs are located, is unlikely to make a major dent in black employment problems. We also discuss new evidence of labor market networks that are to some extent stratified by race, which may help explain racial mismatch. We then turn to evidence on place-based policies. Many of these, such as enterprise zones and Moving to Opportunity (MTO), are largely ineffective in increasing employment, likely because spatial mismatch is not the core problem facing urban blacks, and because, in the case of MTO, the role of labor market networks was weakened. Finally, we discuss policies focused on place that also target incentives and other expenditures on the residents of the targeted locations, which may do more to take advantage of labor market networks.


BACKGROUND
Segmental vitiligo is a small subset of vitiligo which responds very well to surgical therapy, but the role of medical treatment is not very well defined.

AIM
To compare the efficacy and safety of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment versus 0.05% fluticasone propionate cream in patients of segmental vitiligo.

METHODS
A randomized control trial was conducted in a tertiary care hospital on 60 consecutive patients with segmental vitiligo. Patients with segmental vitiligo exclusively or along with focal vitiligo, untreated or had not taken any topical treatment in previous 1 month or systemic treatment in previous 2 months, from May 2005 to January 2007, were block randomized into two groups. Children <5 years, pregnant and lactating women, and patients with known hypersensitivity to either drug and with associated multiple lesions of vitiligo were excluded. Group A (n = 29) patients were treated with tacrolimus 0.1% ointment twice daily and group B (n = 31) patients were treated with 0.05% of fluticasone cream once daily for 6 months. Response and side effects were recorded clinically and by photographic comparison.

RESULTS
Nineteen patients treated with tacrolimus and 21 patients treated with fluticasone completed the treatment with median repigmentation of 15% and 5%, respectively, at 6 months (P = 0.38). Transient side effects limited to the application site were observed.

CONCLUSIONS
Both tacrolimus and fluticasone propionate produce variable but overall unsatisfactory repigmentation in segmental vitiligo.


The present case study addresses the case of a geographical area neglected by most of the literature about the changing role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): the lowtech contexts. This literature has traditionally exhibited two primary aspects. First, a focus on success stories such as entrepreneurial universities located in high-tech regions (e.g. Silicon Valley). Second, it reveals an inclination towards an evolution from ivory towers to entrepreneurial universities. The article argues that this oversimplification does not apply exactly to some environments where the HEIs have maintained links with industry since their inception. The purpose is to demonstrate HEIs' relevance in low-tech contexts with a pre-eminence of small and medium enterprises by taking a historical and qualitative perspective.


Swamps are unique ecological communities that provide many valuable ecosystem services. In Kentucky, however, many swamps were altered by cypress removal and land development in their watersheds. Cypress Creek Swamp, which lies near Paducah in western Kentucky, is a good example of a swamp whose ecological integrity may be threatened by past and current nearby land use practices. This study was conducted to assess the water quality and macroand microinvertebrate communities in the swamp. Three sites were monitored for temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductivity, depth, phosphorus measured as orthophosphate, nitrite (NO2") and nitrate (NO3", NOx collectively), and ammonia nitrogen (NH3). The temperature, dissolved oxygen, NH3 and NOx concentrations changed with the growing season, but pH demonstrated little variability among the sites. The specific conductivity and phosphorus levels were highly variable. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated no significant difference in microinvertebrate taxa identified among locations or through time. A oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant difference in macroinvertebrate population total densities between locations (P = 0.847), and a oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant difference in microinvertebrate population total densities among locations (P = 0.153) or through time


Traditional design optimization is an iterative process of design, simulation, and redesign, which requires extensive calculations and analysis. The designer needs to adjust and evaluate the design parameters manually and continually based on the simulation results until a satisfactory design is obtained. However, the expensive computational costs and large resource consumption of complex products hinder the wide application of simulation in industry. It is not an easy task to search the optimal design solution intelligently and efficiently. Therefore, a simulation data-driven design approach which combines dynamic simulation data mining and design optimization is proposed to achieve this purpose in this study. The dynamic simulation data mining algorithm—on-line sequential extreme learning machine with adaptive weights (WadaptiveOS-ELM)—is adopted to train the dynamic prediction model to effectively evaluate the merits of new design solutions in the optimization process. Meanwhile, the prediction model is updated incrementally by combining new "good" data set to reduce the modeling cost and improve the prediction accuracy. Furthermore, the improved heuristic optimization algorithm—adaptive and weighted center particle swarm optimization (AWCPSO)—is introduced to guide the design change direction intelligently to improve the search efficiency. In this way, the optimal design solution can be searched automatically with less actual simulation iterations and higher optimization efficiency, and thus supporting the rapid product optimization effectively. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.


BACKGROUND
Malnutrition is associated with impaired immune function; thus, nutrition status assessment is crucial in critical care medicine. We aimed to investigate the impact of being underweight or overweight on major sequelae and mortality among healthy children with an intensive care unit admission.

METHODS
In this retrospective study, 282 patients aged 1 month to 18 years were enrolled on intensive care unit admission between 2011 and 2012. Children were excluded if they had underlying chronic diseases and were transferred to other hospitals or discharged against medical advice. The patients were further categorized into 3 nutrition status groups according to the weight-for-age (W/A) z score.

RESULTS
The prevalence rates of being underweight and overweight, based on W/A z scores of ≤-2 and ≥2, were 8.2% and 5.7%, respectively. Patients who were underweight were younger and had a higher rate of mortality, poor outcomes, and longer duration of mechanical ventilation than those with a normal weight. The patients with mortality or major sequelae had significantly higher rates of being underweight, noninfectious diseases and hypotension, and higher Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM2) score and creatinine level (all P < .01). In multivariate logistic regression interpretation, the W/A z score ≤-2 (95% CI, 2.992-47.508; P < .001) and PIM2 score (95% CI, 1.094-1.413; P = .001) were independent risk factors for a poor outcome.

CONCLUSION
Being underweight and having a PIM2 score on admission were independent risk factors for poor clinical outcomes among critically ill children without underlying diseases.


A contest model is constructed to examine the existence of conference bias in college basketball's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Though a general RPI bias has been identified in previous literature, this is the first study to address whether the bias is random or systematic in nature. Within the theoretical model, the RPI is shown to be systematically biased against teams in high ability conferences, even when all teams play to expectation and can be transitively compared. Further, the bias can prevent the RPI from producing an ordinal mapping from revealed team ability level to the real number line. Given the longevity of the controversial RPI as the NCAA's primary measure of team ability, these results may indicate that the NCAA is serving a demand for team heterogeneity in selecting for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.


This introductory handbook to sake presents over 100 brands for all tastes and budgets, tips for beginners and connoisseurs, and an explanation of the brew-master's skills. The history and intricacies of sake are revealed as well as a list of producers, restaurants and retail outlets in Japan. Anyone who has ever been to Japan has probably fallen under the spell of a soothing cup of sake at one time or another. An encounter with Japan's favorite libation is bound to be memorable, yet despite its growing popularity worldwide, information on this eminently drinkable


Abstract The mobility of anionic and cationic surfactants in unsaturated soil is an important consideration with respect to their potential use in removing or immobilizing contaminants located above the water table. Likewise, for situations in which surfactants are unintentionally released into the soil medium, mobility characteristics also need to be addressed to gauge possible adverse environmental impacts. For these reasons, transient unsaturated horizontal leaching tests were conducted to compare anionic and cationic surfactant transport characteristics in a loamy soil. These experiments utilized a computer-controlled syringe pump to inject 0.025 mol/kg surfactant solutions into the inlet of a dry soil column. Five anionic and five cationic surfactants were tested. Relative to the conservative behavior of soil moisture movement, adsorption mechanisms reduced surfactant transport in all cases. The mobilities of the anionic surfactants varied substantially and on average were greater than that of the cationic surfactants by a factor of five, based on the distance from the column inlet to the centroid of the concentration profile. Anionic surfactants also exhibited a far more pronounced impact on moisture distribution within the soil column in comparison to cationic surfactants. The results of this study serve as a meaningful guide in assessing the behavior of anionic and cationic surfactants in the unsaturated soil environment.


The formal structure of Frege's 'concept script' has been widely adopted in logic text books since his time, even though its rather elaborate symbols have been abandoned for more convenient ones. But there are major difficulties with its formalisation of pronouns, predicates, and propositions, which infect the whole of the tradition which has followed Frege. It is shown first in this paper that these difficulties are what has led to many of the most notable paradoxes associated with this tradition; the paper then goes on to indicate the lines on which formal logic—and also the lambda calculus and set theory—needs to be restructured, to remove the difficulties.
 Throughout the study of what have come to be known as first-, second-, and higher-order languages, what has been primarily overlooked is that these languages are abstractions. Many well known paradoxes, we shall see, arose because of the elementary level of simplification which has been involved in the abstract languages studied. Straightforward resolutions of the paradoxes immediately appear merely through attention to languages of greater sophistication, notably natural language, of course. The basic problem has been exclusive attention to a theory in place of what it is a theory of, leading to a focus on mathematical manipulation, which 'brackets off ' any natural language reading.


The innovative joining process of friction stir welding (FSW) offers a wide range of advantages for welding similar as well as dissimilar materials. Even for the field of poorly weldable material combinations like aluminum to steel with their strongly differing physical properties the method of FSW proved its capability for realizing dissimilar joints with tensile strengths up to more than 80 % of the aluminum base material. Trying to improve this value and other properties of the joints several approaches for hybrid friction stir welding processes were tested in the scientific community, whereas the ultrasound enhancement of FSW (USE-FSW) looked as one of the most promising reaching good results. To gain a deeper knowledge of the influence of the ultrasound on the friction stir welds different investigations were carried out in this paper. Therefore the method of USE-FSW was applied on two dissimilar aluminum/steel-joints with varying carbon content of the steel in this work. The material combinations AA6061/SAE1006 and AA6061/SAE1045 were welded successfully with and without additional power ultrasound. Afterwards a comparison between FSW-and USE-FSW-joints was carried out regarding the microstructure of the nugget and interface (IF) by light-microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore the mechanical properties were characterized in a first step.


Monitoring network traffic and detecting unwanted applications has become a challenging problem, since many applications obfuscate their traffic using arbitrary port numbers or payload encryption. Apart from some notable exceptions, most traffic monitoring tools follow two types of approaches: (a) keeping traffic statistics such as packet sizes and inter-arrivals, flow counts, byte volumes, etc., or (b) analyzing packet content. In this work, we propose the use of Traffic Dispersion Graphs (TDGs) as a powerful way to monitor, analyze, and visualize network traffic. TDGs model the social behavior of hosts ("who talks to whom"), while the edges can be defined to represent different interactions (e.g. the exchange of a certain number or type of packets). With the introduction of TDGs, we are able to harness the wealth of tools and graph modeling techniques from a diverse set of disciplines. First, we fully explore the abilities of TDGs as an intuitive and visually powerful tool. Second, we demonstrate their usefulness in application classification and intrusion detection solutions. Finally, we provide a hardware-aware design and implementation for TDG-based techniques. We conclude that TDGs are powerful, useful, and can be implemented efficiently in hardware. They constitute a promising new chapter for network monitoring techniques.


Aim: Whole genome sequencing and functional annotation of Bacillus nealsonii strain AAU1, an amylolytic anaerobic spore forming isolate from ruminal contents of buffalo. Methods and Results: Morphologically, the strain was observed as slender Grampositive rods, occurring in pairs. Optimal growth was observed at 40°C (range: 30°C to 45°C) and pH 6.5 (range: 5.5 to 7.5) when cultivated in Hungate's medium supplemented with starch. The microorganism showed extracellular constitutive amylolytic activity, proving to be capable of utilizing glucose, maltose, mannose, trehalose, dextrin and starch under anaerobic conditions. Sequence analysis revealed a GC content of 35.1 mol%. Comparison of housekeeping gene sequences for RNA polymerase subunit B (rpoB) and gyrase A (gyrA) identified sequence similarity within the Bacillus genus, confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity which identified Bacillus nealsonii DSM 15077 as the closest publically available relative. Chemotaxonomic analysis provided conflicting results with straight-chain saturated C16: 0/C16:0 aldehyde, C16:0 DMA, C14:0 and monounsaturated 16:1w7c and 16:1w9c the major fatty acids in contrast to those reported for B. nealsonii DSM15077. Further characterization using AN-Bilog and physiological parameters provided genotypic and phenotypic support for taxonomic classification of isolate AAU1 with published Bacillus species including B. licheniformis, B. subtilis, B. circulans and B. nealsonii. Conclusion: Based on the data presented, isolate is likely to represent a new strain/subspecies, for which the identifier B. nealsonii AAU1 is proposed. Significance and Impact of Study: The strict anaerobic conditions prevailing in the bovine rumen from where AAU1 was isolated may have resulted in genetic polymorphism influencing its metabolic characteristics.


A deluxe Harper Perennial Legacy Edition, with an introduction from Margot Livesey, award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy A compelling historical novel of two families wrestling with questions of honor, class, loyalty, democracy, and independence during the American Revolution, now available in a Harper Perennial Modern Classics Legacy Edition. In The Linwoods, Catharine Maria Sedgwick illuminates the American character and explores issues of civic virtue and national identity in the early republic, through the lives of two families: the Linwoods, dutiful loyalists, and the Lees, passionate revolutionaries. At the novel's heart is Isabella Linwood, a bright and independent young woman who will transform from a proud Tory to ardent Rebel, challenging not only British rule but its accepted social, economic, and political institutions, including the aristocracy, slavery, and patriarchal authority. This Legacy Edition features a lush design and French flaps.