PURPOSE
Aberrant retinal blood flow is a hallmark of retinopathies and may be a causative factor in their pathophysiology. In this study, the effects of pulsatile flow on hedgehog and Notch control of retinal endothelial cell and pericyte apoptosis were examined.

METHODS
The levels of hedgehog and Notch signaling components in bovine retinal endothelial cells (BRECs) and pericytes (BRPs) were examined in vitro under static conditions and after exposure to pulsatile flow, with a perfused transcapillary co-culture system. Notch and hedgehog signaling was examined by immunocytochemistry, immunoblot, and real-time PCR.

RESULTS
Notch and hedgehog proteins were present in BRECs and BRPs in vitro and in human retinal vasculature in vivo. Inhibition of hedgehog with cyclopamine and Notch with DAPT decreased hedgehog target gene levels and Notch intracellular receptor expression, respectively, concomitant with an increase in BREC and BRP apoptosis. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) mediated upregulation of Notch1 receptor levels was attenuated after cyclopamine treatment in both cell types. Exposure of co-cultured BRECs and BRPs to pulsatile flow increased apoptosis in the BRPs while concurrently decreasing apoptosis in the BRECs. These changes were concomitant with increased expression of Notch and hedgehog signaling components in the BRECs and reduced expression in the BRPs. The flow-induced decrease in apoptosis in the BRECs was associated with increased Notch receptor expression and was reversed after inhibition of hedgehog signaling with cyclopamine and inhibition of Notch signaling after ectopic expression of the CBF-1/RBP-Jκ-binding protein, RPMS-1.

CONCLUSIONS
Pulsatile flow promotes BREC survival and enhances BRP apoptosis through modulation of Notch and hedgehog pathways. These interactions have important implications for the pathogenesis of retinopathies.


A True Textbook for an Introductory Course, System Administration Course, or a Combination Course Linux with Operating System Concepts merges conceptual operating system (OS) and Unix/Linux topics into one cohesive textbook for undergraduate students. The book can be used for a one- or two-semester course on Linux or Unix. It is complete with review sections, problems, definitions, concepts, and relevant introductory material, such as binary and Boolean logic, OS kernels, and the role of the CPU and memory hierarchy. Details for Introductory and Advanced Users The book covers Linux from both the user and system administrator positions. From a user perspective, it emphasizes command line interaction. From a system administrator perspective, the text reinforces shell scripting with examples of administration scripts that support the automation of administrator tasks. Thorough Coverage of Concepts and Linux Commands The author incorporates OS concepts not found in most Linux/Unix textbooks, including kernels, file systems, storage devices, virtual memory, and process management. He also introduces computer science topics, such as computer networks and TCP/IP, binary numbers and Boolean logic, encryption, and the GNUs C compiler. In addition, the text discusses disaster recovery planning, booting, and Internet servers.


As we can see in war areas today, health care systems and especially hospitals can be considered as a safety net for the civilian population. This was also the case of civilian health care institutions, nurses and medical practitioners in the sparsely populated areas in Finnmark and Northern part of Troms during World War II. Nurses are, and were, the largest group of health professionals. Most nurses worked in small communities and institutions over the large province, and their efforts have been under-communicated. Through interviews, mainly with nurses but also with catholic Sisters in Hammerfest and Tromso as well as members of families with sick persons, we get a picture of daily work as well as work in extreme conditions. There was a need for creative solutions when the basics of water, food, supplies and medicine were lacking, when nursing care was being provided in bomb shelters or during escape. There is also the issue of ethics while nursing enemies as well as friends. The physical and mental demands on the nurses were extreme. By detailing the war's challenges to nursing, its challenges to civilian life are at the same time conveyed.


Through a process of data gathering and analysis along with a review of current library literature, a need was identified to establish a continuum of staff training in technology. The educational needs of library staff at the Ehrman Medical Library (EML) of New York University School of Medicine were assessed via observation, interviews, logging incoming questions at public service areas, and reviewing Helpline e-mails. Data gathered during the assessment assisted in the development and design of a staff training program and will be used in project evaluation. This tutorial outlines a process of designing and implementing a staff computer-training program while providing general tips and strategies. ********** The Ehrman Medical Library (EML) has sixty-one FTE staff, a mix of professional and paraprofessionals working both part- and full-time. The majority of staff are onsite; however, about 5 percent work at affiliated libraries offsite at branch facilities. The level of comfort with technology and computer proficiency varies greatly among staff. Each staff member has access to a personal computer and most staff members serve the public at one of three areas: the circulation desk, the information desk, or the computer media center. All professional librarians and several paraprofessionals staff the library's information desk. The library's computers are a mix of platforms and operating systems with about 60 percent of staff using Windows platforms and 40 percent of staff using Macintoshes. Approximately 90 percent of the public computers are Windows-based. Through data gathering and analysis, a need was determined to establish a base level of computer competencies for all library staff. Although they were eligible to take microcomputer classes in MS Office applications offered by the institution at large as well as Internet training courses offered by the library, there had never been any form of onsite staff computer training. It was determined that an ongoing, mandatory, formal training program for all library staff would prove most advantageous. The project as conceived by the systems librarian and the coordinator for user services had two main objectives--first, to improve the staff's ability to troubleshoot their own desktop machines, and second, to improve the level of assistance provided to patrons in public service areas. An upcoming library renovation would combine all points of public service into one location. This too was considered in the need for a core level of skills. Top-level library administrators were queried during one of their regular weekly meetings to ascertain their interest in such a project and to determine if such a program would be supported. Once verbal approval was received from the library director, project development got underway. It is vital to get the support of the library director and department heads before such an undertaking. There must be a buy-in at all levels, but rallying department heads at the onset proved to be an important step in securing attendance and overall support of all staff members for the training program. Data Gathering and Analysis A literature review is a good start in developing an ongoing training program. A review of articles on staff computer training reinforced the value of such an undertaking. By further focusing the literature review on academic libraries, good starting points for actual program design began to emerge. In the academic institutions, in-house training programs were more likely to be developed and implemented, while training programs in corporate settings tended to be outsourced, something that library budgets do not often provide for. Academic libraries, in particular, are able to use valuable staff resources to cull instructors and budget constraints have reinforced the do-it-yourself attitude in many individual libraries. A training model designed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison was ultimately adopted. …


Background Over the past century, the role of creativity in teaching and learning has been interpreted in many ways, leading to often conflicting discipline-specific definitions, measurements, and pedagogical applications. Purpose/Objective This issue takes on the perspective of creativity as ubiquitous, and follows that line of inquiry in its psycho-social manifestations, its application in innovative educational settings, and the persistence through which ideas and imagery become active forces for transformation and social change. Research Design As an introduction to the issue, this article summarizes and articulates the relatedness between scholars within a variety of educational fields. Conclusions/Recommendations When viewed as ubiquitous, creativity can be a lens through which to interpret learning as a transformational experience, where the learner resources the social and physical environment to move from not knowing to knowing. Motivating such transformation are (a) the ability to identify what is not known, (b) the juxtaposition of difference to reveal alternate ways of knowing, and (c) the openness to possibility and willingness to explore.


Generation of subpicosecond terahertz pulses is observed when graphite surfaces are illuminated with femtosecond near-infrared laser pulses. The nonlinear optical generation of THz pulses from graphite is unexpected since, in principle, the material possesses a centre of inversion symmetry. Experiments with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite crystals suggest that the THz radiation is generated by a transient photocurrent in a direction normal to the graphene planes, along the c-axis of the crystal. This is supported by magnetic-field induced changes in the THz electric-field polarization, and consequently, the direction of the photocurrent. We show that other forms of graphite, such as a pencil drawing on paper, are also capable of emitting THz pulses.


[1] Knowledge of atmospheric processes responsible for horizontal and vertical distribution of dust particles is important for identifying their transport pathways. The Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) model, complemented by observations, was used to simulate and observe the three-dimensional distribution of Australian dust for a severe dust event during 22–23 September 2009. The passage of a cold front modified the boundary layer structure during this event, allowing dust to be lifted and subsequently transported for a significant distance. The model simulated the maximum dust concentrations to be located behind the cold front as a result of strong post-frontal wind speeds. The boundary layer depths were also shown to be significantly deeper behind the cold front where dust particles could be lifted to the top of the boundary layer by turbulent fluxes associated with strong mixing. However, dust was predicted to reach its maximum height ahead of the cold front as a result of lifting in the warm conveyor belt. Both Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and the WRF/Chem model results for this event highlight two transport pathways of dust: southeastward to the Tasman Sea and northward toward tropical regions of Australia. The vertical distribution of dust from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) satellite data and cross-sectional analysis of the model results indicate that significant amounts of dust aerosols were transported over the Tasman Sea toward New Zealand within the lower atmosphere.


The antiproliferative effects of (111)In-DTPA-hEGF on breast cancer cells expressing high levels of EGFR were compared with those of chemotherapeutic agents or gamma-radiation. MDA-MB-468 cells were cultured with (111)In-DTPA-hEGF (30 MBq/microg, 1.8 x 10(5) MBq/micromol), DTPA-hEGF, methotrexate, doxorubicin, paclitaxel or 5-fluorouracil. Cell growth was measured colorimetrically. The IC(50) for 111In-DTPA-hEGF was < 70 pM (11 kBq/mL) versus 500 pM for DTPA-hEGF. The IC(50) for paclitaxel, methotrexate, doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil was 6 nM, 15 nM, 20 nM and 4 microM respectively. (111)In-DTPA-hEGF (70 pM, 11 kBq/mL) delivered approx. 6 Gy to breast cancer cells producing growth inhibition equivalent to 4 Gy of gamma-radiation. We conclude that (111)In-DTPA-hEGF exhibited potent antiproliferative effects towards breast cancer cells at concentrations much lower than chemotherapeutic agents and equivalent to those produced by several Gy of high dose rate gamma-radiation.


Conventional digital painting systems rely on procedural rules and physical simulation to render paint strokes. We present an interactive, data-driven painting system that uses scanned images of real natural media to synthesize both new strokes and complex stroke interactions, obviating the need for physical simulation. First, users capture images of real media, including examples of isolated strokes, pairs of overlapping strokes, and smudged strokes. Online, the user inputs a new stroke path, and our system synthesizes its 2D texture appearance with optional smearing or smudging when strokes overlap. We demonstrate high-fidelity paintings that closely resemble the captured media style, and also quantitatively evaluate our synthesis quality via user studies.


This paper has several aims. First, it is a propaedeutic paper concerned with thinking and understanding the critical accounting literature. Secondly, it examines some inner contradictions in philosophical assumptions, the problematic 'knowledge claim' and diversities of perspectives that have been advanced in the critical accounting literature. Thirdly, a prescriptive understanding of the nature of organisational 'culture' and its transition processes in order to focus on the necessity of perspective choices is advanced. Fourthly, it is argued that the concepts of 'organisational change' and 'change in a (pedagogic) discipline' are not parallel. This view ultimately leads us to argue, from a 'research student perspective', that it is not possible to start a major research study in a vacuum: it is necessary to examine the history of existing thought and theories of a discipline in order to focus on a research interest and as well as determine the choice of the most appropriate research framework. Finally, an example of an evaluation is cited following a Habermasian critical approach in order to show some possible accounting interventions and research propositions in the area of (management) accounting and control systems research in a micro-organisationalcontext We are grateful to Professors Tony Lowe and Richard Laughlinas well as to Ratnam Alagiah, Rod Clark, Alex Frino, Mary Greenwell and other members of the University of Wollongong Accounting Research Seminar for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.


Mission and path planning for multiple robots in dynamic environments is required when multiple mobile robots or unmanned vehicles are used for geographically distributed tasks. Assigning tasks and paths for robots for cooperatively accomplishing a mission of reaching to number of target points are addressed in this paper. The methodology that is proposed is based on using an adjustable force field which is suitable for dynamic environment. From the force field analysis, the decisions to assign tasks for each robot are then made. The force field is also used to plan a collision free path for each robot. Adjustable weights for the force field model are proposed to satisfy the constraints of the motion. In this research, the constraints are the cooperation of the robots, the precedence between the targets and between robots, and the discrimination between different obstacles. Two simulations for mission and path planning in 2D and 3D dynamic spaces with multiple robots are presented based on the proposed adjustable force filed. The result of the mission and path planning for three robots cooperatively doing eight target points are shown.


Objectives: The present work aim to identify the process parameters and technical parameters of granules that affect the disintegration time of an IR tablet. There by utilizing this knowledge to develop an IR tablet without any Super Disintegrants (SD). Methods: The experiments were designed using Design-Expert®. A two factorial design at two levels (-1, + 1) were selected. The study evaluated the effect of particle size and Binder concentration (BC) on Disintegration Time (DT), Hardness and Compressibility index (CI). Discussion: The CI below 16% can be achieved for the granules prepared with particle size > 670μ m and binder concentration> 18.56mg for PVP K 30. The particle sizes do not possess any impact on disintegration time. The granules prepared at the 250μ size and 600μ size shoes similar disintegration time. However, the particle size affects hardness and CI. The BC has a strong impact on hardness, CI and DT. Even though the particle size does not have a direct impact on DT, it affects the hardness, which has a greater impact on DT. Conclusion: The study identified the technical methods and suggests certain formula to attain the low disintegration time, excellent hardness for an IR tablet and fair flow property for the prepared granules. The particle size has a direct impact on the hardness of the tablet. The formula serves as an excellent alternative for SD at an industrial level, to make the drug product more economical and more effective.


The main objective of this article is to investigate the extent to which youth in Sweden run away from or are thrown out of their homes. A further aim is to determine what conditions lead up to and triggers such a break-up and to see what takes place during the break-up process itself. In our results roughly one in ten of youth in Sweden (≈11%) had experienced a difficult break-up from home by running away or being thrown out. Over 30% of those placed in foster families or institutions had run away from home or been thrown out. By our results, only a minority of runaways do so for the excitement or the fun. The majority made clear that their running away was a flight from the family rather than to something exciting and adventurous. It is also obvious from the results that young people who have run away three or more times are more severely at risk than those who have experienced only one or two break-ups from home. For some of these young people, a breakaway from home is the start, however premature, of an independent adult life. This vulnerable group of young people should be entitled to support from the social welfare system during their transition to adulthood.


This paper presents a method for designing optimal holographic optical elements. The method is based on the minimization of the mean-squared difference between the desired and the actual output waves. The minimization yields an integral equation for the grating function of the designed optical element. The integral equation is converted into a set of linear equations that can be easily solved. The resulting coefficients form the final solution as a sum of polynomials. This procedure yields a well-behaved grating function that defines a holographic optical element that can be realized with the help of computer-generated holograms. The method is illustrated with a design of an imaging lens. The performance of this lens is then compared, both theoretically and experimentally, with that of a spherical holographic lens. The results show that the newly designed lens is clearly superior to the spherical lens.


Excerpted from the Introduction The land Canoeing in North America has expanded in recent years to include practically every part of the map. In the United States people of all ages are taking to the rivers in ever-increasing numbers. Rivers that once were considered too dangerous are now canoed regularly as whitewater skills grow. In each state -- southern, prairie, mountain, or coastal -- canoeing has become a means of journeying into wilderness areas and providing the adventure that people are seeking. In Canada, you can put a canoe into the water at any major city and paddle to the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Arctic, or the Gulf of Mexico. The land is laced with a complex network of waterways; some are large, some are small, but most are navigable by canoe. When you look at the face of Canada and study the geography carefully, you come away with the feeling that God could have designed the canoe first and then set about to conceive a land in which it could flourish. The waterways are navigable because the canoe can be portaged easily around the difficult stretches of water. Even the portages over the height of land between watersheds are no longer than those around most rapids and falls. In one place the waters flowing to the Atlantic and the waters flowing to the Arctic are separated by no more than a beaver dam. It was the canoe that made it possible for the Indian to move around before and for several hundred years after the arrival of the white man. As the white man took over their land, the native people would regret the generosity with which they shared their amazing mode of travel. The more I study the birchbark canoe and what it can do, the greater is my admiration for these people who were here long before we arrived. The birchbark canoe is made entirely from materials found in the forest: birch bark, cedar, spruce roots, ash, and pine gum. When it is damaged, it can be repaired easily from the materials at hand. When it has served its purpose, it returns to the land, part of a never-ending cycle. Once you understand this cycle of growth, manufacture, use, and return to the land you begin to understand why our modern culture is in such trouble. The noncycle of growth, manufacture, use, and garbage is a dead end. This is not to discredit the marvelous things that modern technology brings us; but we need to be more aware of where we are headed and from whence we came. An appreciation of the canoe and acquisition of the necessary skills to utilize it as a way to journey back to what's left of the natural world is a great way to begin this voyage of discovery. The shrinking land There was a time when traveling a distance of 5,000 miles (8000 km) in North America would have been regarded as a very long way. Before the railroad. covering that kind of distance meant extreme hardships any way you chose to make the trip. Improving methods of transportation has been a high priority of human beings as far back into recorded history as you care to go. With each improvement the world has grown smaller. Today you can cover 5,000 miles in about eight hours. All you have to do is go to the airport (which is usually the hardest part), buy a ticket, and select a seat in the smoking or nonsmoking section of the aircraft. About the greatest discomfort you might expect to endure is to end up in the smoking section if you are a nonsmoker or vice versa. When the choice of travel was limited to horse, canoe. wagon, ox cart, or on foot, this 5,000 miles could have taken a couple of years. Today, the earth is indeed getting very small. However, trying to convince the world of business and commerce that there are places on this earth where distances should remain undiminished is not an easy task. Such an idea is very difficult to defend in monetary terms. Perhaps the best way to make a case for primitive methods of travel is in the form of a parable. Let's say you are hiking and come upon a beautiful, pristine lake nestled among high hills. You estimate to be a bout ten miles (16 Km) long and with great anticipation look forward to several days of a difficult but exciting journey of discovery around the shoreline. Before long a canoeist comes along and invites you to come aboard to make the journey easier. You gladly accept because the going is tough. Now you can get a better perspective on the shoreline and yet the pace is slow enough so that you do not miss anything. You are aware, however, that in accepting the ride the lake has diminished somewhat in size. You estimate that while hiking would have taken you at least four days, you will now be able to do it in an easy two. After a couple of miles, a motorboat comes along side and you a re offered a ride around the shoreline. The canoeist accepts, and while you are less than enthusiastic, you don't have much choice. As the 100 horsepower (74 600 W) engine roars into action, you slowly become aware that the lake is beginning to feel very small. As the trees and cliffs race by, you realize that what you had hoped to discover in four days is now going to be revealed in a couple of hours. The miles are eaten away as you speed through each bay and inlet and race by most of the islands. When the journey is over and you are dropped off at the point where you first came upon the lake, the mystery is gone. You've seen it all; yet you've seen nothing. The motorboat driver meant well, but he has only succeeded in diminishing the size of the lake. You set up camp and watch the lengthening shadows. As you look far down the lake, you wish that you did not already Know what lay around that point. You regret that your first view into the hidden bay will not be the reward of a difficult hike tomorrow. For many people, the case I have just attempted to make would seem pointless. To them scenery is scenery, any way you get to see it. To others, it makes a lot of sense. It's all a matter of perspective. What encourages me to write about the concept of keeping things undiminished by means of primitive travel is the fact that people do change their minds. I enjoy writing for the already converted, but the possibility that other people might awaken to this subtle concept of keeping what's left of the natural world big is why I write this book. There is no shortage of road builders and people who make their living by shrinking distance. They will succeed too well if there are not enough of us around to present a case for the preservation of the natural environment. Some of it is a I ready overcrowded to the detriment of the plants, animals and native people who lived there long before we arrived. They all have a right to exist because all, like us, were created. In our modern, man-made world we tend to forget this. A journey by canoe a long ancient waterways is a good way to rediscover our lost relationship with the natural world and the Creator who put it all together so long ago. The path of the paddle can be a means of getting things back into their original perspective.


Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is one of the common cetacean species inhabiting the western Mediterranean Sea. The aim of this study was to describe the dive cycle of sperm whales in this region and gain insight into their foraging activity. Dedicated summer field seasons were conducted from 2001-2003. Visual and acoustic measures were undertaken and their relationships analyzed. The measures included surface/dive periods, blow rate, distance traveled, timing of clicks & creak activity, and inter-pulse interval measurements of sperm whale clicks. The whales exhibited dive cycle parameters consistent with those measured in other parts of the world: approximately 45 min dive duration, 9 min surface period (i.e., inter-dive interval), with 5 blows/min, and 1.3 nmi horizontal displacement between dives. An average of 25 creaks per dive were registered. Whale body size appeared to be significantly related with both the number of creaks per dive and the dive time at which the first creak occurred, suggesting that larger whales may increase their prey intake and use deeper water layers than smaller whales. The timing of the first creak and the last click of the dive (around 6 min after fluke-up, and just before the surfacing, respectively) suggest a foraging depth of between 500 and 800 m, based on known descent and ascent rates.


Take your Photoshop CC skills to the next level with this complete, advanced training packageAdobe Photoshop is the industry leading image-editing program for digital photographers, graphic designers, and web developers. The newest version includes even more great tools to manage and enhance your images. This book-and-DVD package focuses on using the more advanced Photoshop CC features such as curves, levels, blending modes, painting and drawing tools, and the latest special effects to create professional-quality designs and images for web and video. You can learn at your own pace, using the step-by-step instructions in the book and supplementary exercises on the DVD.Encourages you to develop your skills in the program's finer points with these 13 self-paced lessons developed by the AGI Creative TeamFeatures illustrated, step-by-step instructions plus video tutorials and lesson files, all created by expert instructorsCovers Adobe Bridge and Camera RAW, then focuses on advanced techniques including curves, levels, blending modes, painting and drawing tools, and the latestPhotoshop CC special effectsEnables web developers and graphic designers to make full use of the advanced features of Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud)Advanced Photoshop CC Digital Classroom takes yourPhotoshop CC skills a step further, giving you more control over your images.Note: DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.


The realities of the workplace have been captured by years of socio-scientific, industrial organizational, and other psychological research. Human behavior and thought, interpersonal dynamics, and organizational behavior, with all of their nuances and fine points, are now better understood than they have ever been before, but unless they are used to inform and buttress the rules of law and interpretations promulgated by courts, Title VII's ability to successfully regulate the workplace to rid it of discrimination will be threatened. This article expands upon that premise, lamenting judges, and specifically justices having eschewed available research and other insights into workplace realities, in favor of their own sense of workplace dynamics, tendencies, and trends. Further, this article observes an interesting asymmetry to how and when so-called "real-world" considerations have been taken into account by the Supreme Court: turning a blind eye to workplace realities that might aid in crafting legal standards and interpretations that do not render legal recourse practically inaccessible to plaintiffs, while overplaying workplace realities and reality-based concerns like those about litigation floodgates when it comes to defendant-friendly holdings and constructions. More balance and transparency is needed when courts weigh the policy considerations that underlie a given decision, and these considerations should be informed, wherever possible, by legitimate sources, and not by caricaturish and monolithic premises too often employed by the judiciary.


Fluorescent indicators based on β-keto-acid bidentate coordination motifs display superior metal selectivity profiles compared to current o-aminophenol-N,N,O-triacetic acid (APTRA) based chelators for the study of biological magnesium. These low denticity chelators, however, may allow for the formation of ternary complexes with Mg2+ and common ligands present in the cellular milieu. In this work, absorption, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy were employed to study the interaction of turn-on and ratiometric fluorescent indicators based on 4-oxo-4H-quinolizine-3-carboxylic acid with Mg2+ and ATP, the most abundant chelator of biological magnesium, thus revealing the formation of ternary complexes under conditions relevant to fluorescence imaging. The formation of ternary species elicits comparable or greater optical changes than those attributed to the formation of binary complexes alone. Dissociation of the fluorescent indicators from both ternary and binary species have apparent equilibrium constants in the low millimolar range at pH 7 and 25 °C. These results suggest that these bidentate sensors are incapable of distinguishing between free Mg2+ and MgATP based on ratio or intensity-based steady-state fluorescence measurements, thus posing challenges in the interpretation of results from fluorescence imaging of magnesium in nucleotide-rich biological samples.


Context and motivations. The desired behavior of a system in ubiquitous environments considers not only its correct functionality, but also the satisfaction of its non-functional properties, i.e., its quality of service. Given the heterogeneity and dynamism characterizing the ubiquitous environments and the need for continuous satisfaction of non-functional properties, self-adaptive solutions appear to be an appropriate approach to achieve interoperability. In this work, self-adaptation is adopted to enable software connectors to adapt the interaction protocols run by the connected components to let them communicate in a timely manner and with the required level of quality. However, this self-adaptation should be dependable, reliable and resilient to be adopted in dynamic, unpredictable environments with different sources of uncertainty. The majority of current approaches for the construction of self-adaptive software ignore the uncertainty underlying non-functional requirement verification and adaptation reasoning. Consequently, these approaches jeopardize system reliability and hinder the adoption of self-adaptive software in areas where dependability is of utmost importance.
Objective. The main objective of this research is to properly handle the uncertainties in the non-functional requirement verification and the adaptation reasoning part of the self-adaptive feedback control loop of software connectors. This will enable a robust and runtime efficient adaptation in software connectors and make them reliable for usage in uncertain environments.
Method. In the context of this thesis, a framework has been developed with the following functionalities: 1) Robust control of uncertainty in runtime requirement verification. The main activity in runtime verification is fine-tuning of the models that are adopted for runtime reasoning. The proposed stochastic approach is able to update the unknown parameters of the models at runtime even in the presence of incomplete and noisy observations. 2) Robust control of uncertainty in adaptation reasoning. A general methodology based on type-2 fuzzy logic has been introduced for the control of adaptation decision-making that adjusts the configuration of component connectors to the appropriate mode. The methodology enables a systematic development of fuzzy logic controllers that can derive the right mode for connectors even in the presence of measurement inaccuracy and adaptation policy conflicts.
Results. The proposed model evolution mechanism is empirically evaluated, showing a significant precision of parameter estimation with an acceptable overhead at runtime. In addition, the fuzzy based controller, generated by the methodology, has been shown to be robust against uncertainties in the input data, efficient in terms of runtime overhead even in large-scale knowledge bases and stable in terms of control theory properties. We also demonstrate the applicability of the developed framework in a real-world domain.
Thesis statement. We enable reliable and dependable self-adaptations of component connectors in unreliable environments with imperfect monitoring facilities and conflicting user opinions about adaptation policies by developing a framework which comprises: (a) mechanisms for robust model evolution, (b) a method for adaptation reasoning, and (c) tool support that allows an end-to-end application of the developed techniques in real-world domains.


Background: Opt out strategy was designed to improve uptake of HIV testing and counselling (HTC) services but only a fifth of the population utilise this service in Nigeria. This study was conducted to determine perception about the opt out strategy for HIV screening among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in a secondary health facility in Ibadan, Nigeria where the opt out strategy was used for HIV screening. Methodology: Cross sectional study was conducted and systematic random sampling was used to recruit 500 pregnant women. Data regarding sociodemographic characteristics, general knowledge about HIV transmission, assessment of HIV screening services in the hospital and attitude towards HIV screening was obtained. Results: Mean age of respondents was 27.4 (SD±6.1) years, 86.8% were married and 79.2% had at least secondary school education. Overall, 69.2% had good knowledge about routes of HIV transmission. More than 90% reported that information received during the HTC session was understood. Only 41.8% reported adequate privacy during screening process while 20.4% felt they were forced to participate. Positive attitude towards HTC was seen in 72.0%. Higher education was associated with better knowledge of routes of HIV transmission (OR=3.8; 95%CI= -4.3-3.3) Being married or cohabiting with a partner (OR=3.7; 95% CI=16.8-0.8), having more than one sexual partner  (OR=3.3; 95%CI=-3.7-2.97) and being HIV negative (OR=3.9; 95%CI=39.0-0.39) was associated with a positive attitude towards HIV screening. Conclusion: Inadequate privacy and patient's voluntariness were major complaints about opt out strategy for HTC. Improving privacy and stressing that screening is optional may improve general uptake of HTC when using the opt out strategy. Keywords:  Pregnant women, HIV screening, Opt out strategy, Antenatal


The WWF-SA and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) were collectively undertaking a project to support the development of sustainable aviation biofuels in South Africa and the sub-Saharan Africa region. This initiative takes place in the wake of the aviation industry's increasing interest in the use of biofuels as an alternative fuel. WWF-SA commissioned IIASA to conduct a spatially detailed resource assessment for different biofuel feedstocks and develop a set of scenarios up to 2050 to assess biofuel feedstock potentials for sub-Saharan Africa, subject to defined sustainability criteria.
The IIASA/FAO Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ) modelling system was applied for the estimation of the production potential of bio-energy feedstocks across Sub-Saharan Africa. Additional feedstocks of particular interest for aviation biofuels including a variety of solaris (tobacco), triticale and camelina were integrated into the GAEZ assessment. GAEZ together with IIASA's World Food System (WFS) are the main components of the ecological-economic modelling framework that connects biophysical and socio-economic processes on a global scale. It was used to analyze two development scenarios to estimate the sustainable biofuel potentials that are compatible with long-term food security and environmental integrity.
The study applies a set of defined sustainability criteria, developed by the RSB and considered best-in-class. They include land use and conservation (no deforestation, preserve protected areas and areas of high environmental value), food security (retain adequate land for food production), greenhouse gas emission savings (minimum of 60% savings compared to fossil fuels when using a 20-year accounting period), and water security (only rain-fed biofuel production considered).
Results of the study regarding the availability and productivity of land reserves in sub-Saharan Africa indicate for 2010 the existence of some 1.9 million km2 grass- and shrubland. These areas (termed REMAIN land) are in excess of land that is needed to achieve food security, land that is legally protected or land that should be set aside for nature conservation and environmental protection, including forest land, key biodiversity areas and wetlands. However, exploitation of these land resources, requiring land conversion from natural shrub land and grasslands to cropland followed by intensive feedstock cultivation practices, will result in substantial initial carbon debts due to the removal of the existing vegetation and the partial loss of soil carbon.
Following the strict sustainability greenhouse gas saving criteria set by the RSB implies that almost exclusively perennial biofuel feedstocks, requiring less frequent and less intensive cultivation of soils, can meet those criteria when conversion of natural grassland or shrub land is involved. Consequently, only land that meets the specific ecological growth requirements of perennials can be considered, which restricts the choice of suitable rain-fed areas to mainly the sub-humid and humid climate zones. Considering all 11 biofuel feedstocks evaluated in this study and selection of the best feedstock in energy terms when multiple feedstock production is agronomically viable, 0.8 million km2 are agro-ecologically very suitable (prime land) or suitable (good land) for biofuel feedstock production. The technical biofuel potential of these areas amount to 7.1 thousand PJ of biofuels (lower heating value equivalent). The majority of this biofuel 'umbrella' stems from miscanthus (52%), followed by oil-palm (18%), and sugarcane (13%).
In the future, the estimated biofuel potentials of the available REMAIN land will likely be significantly reduced. Depending on scenario, by 2050, a reduction in the order of 20% is due to land conversion for food production needed in response to future demographic changes and improved diets due to the expected economic development process and income growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The land suitability and yield impacts of climate change will further reduce potential biofuel production by about 10-15%, especially when the potential is based only on perennial crops as a consequence of imposing a strict GHG criterion for soil carbon recuperation. The estimated biofuel potential on prime and good land compliant with the RSB sustainability criteria in 2050 amounts to 3.0– 4.0 thousand PJ.
For biofuel production to be viable, a minimum cumulative concentration of biomass raw materials must be available around a biofuel production plant. In this context, achievable cumulative energy production potentials were calculated for each grid-cell assuming a collection radius of 50 km, 100 km and 200 km. Considering cumulative feedstock potentials (in TJ of biofuel) from REMAIN land for vegetable oil producing feedstocks complying with the 60% saving GHG criterion, oil palm and jatropha emerge as the defining feedstocks. Bright spots of cumulative biofuel potentials of over 3000 TJ occur in several locations in tropical SSA, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Gulf of Guinea region. A similar spatial pattern emerges when considering sugar/starch based biofuel feedstock production. The dominant feedstock is, by far, miscanthus requiring second-generation biofuel production technologies. Large-scale industrial production for these second-generation conversion pathways that convert the cellulose from the miscanthus grass to biofuels is not yet commercially viable. There are extensive research and demonstration projects, yet the speed and scale of future deployment is uncertain.
If second-generation conversion pathways become economically compatible, crop residues could be considered as biofuel feedstocks. Allowing 2 tons of crop residues per hectare to remain on the field as cover to reduce soil loss risks and to maintain soil fertility, results for sub-Saharan Africa's cropland in 2010 indicate a usable crop residue potential of 75.7 million tons from cereals, 11.8 million tons from oil crops and 9.6 million tons from sugarcane (in dry weight). Unlike REMAIN land, which will be decreasing towards the 2050's, cultivated land and associated crop residues will be increasing.
The transition to a low-carbon economy with biomass as one of its energy sources will intensify the energy-agriculture linkage and add a new dimension to agricultural systems, heighten resource competition in the food system, and may provide new opportunities for rural communities. The study reveals that increasing biofuel feedstock production in Sub-Saharan Africa, while at the same time meeting food demand targets and strictly following sustainability principles, faces a high degree of complexity. The study highlights that attaining the sustainability goals and avoid unintended consequences of increased biofuel use requires next to sustainability criteria, an analysis of future development pathways.


We describe a new layer two distributed and scalable routing architecture. It uses an automatic hierarchical node identifier assignment mechanism associated to the rapid spanning tree protocol. Enhanced up/down mechanisms are used to prohibit some turns at nodes to break cycles, instead of blocking links like the spannning tree protocol does. The protocol performance is similar or better than other turn prohibition algorithms recently proposed with lower complexity O(Nd) and better scalability. Simulations show that the fraction of prohibited turns over random networks is less than 0.2. The effect of root bridge election on the performance of the protocol is limited both in the random and regular networks studied. The use of hierarchical, tree-descriptive addresses simplifies the routing, and avoids the need of all nodes having a global knowleddge of the network topology. Routing frames through the hierarchical tree at very high speed is possible by progressive decoding of frame destination address, without routing tables or port address learning. Coexistence with standard bridges is achieved using combined devices: bridges that forward the frames having global destination MAC addresses as standard bridges and frames with local MAC frames with the proposed protocol.


Accurate nanoparticle (NP) size determination is essential across research domains, with many functions in nanoscience and biomedical research being size-dependent. Although transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is capable of resolving a single NP down to the sub-nm scale, the reliable representation of entire populations is plagued by challenges in providing statistical significance, predominantly due to limited sample counts, suboptimal preparation procedures and operator bias during image acquisition and analysis. Meanwhile alternative techniques exist, but reliable implementation requires a detailed understanding of appendant limitations. Herein, conventional TEM is compared to the size determination of sub-10 nm gold NPs in solution by small-angle X-ray scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation. Form-free Monte Carlo fitting of scattering profiles offers access to a direct representation of the core size distribution while ultracentrifugation sedimentation velocity analysis provides information of the hydrodynamic size distribution. We report a comparison of these three methods in determining the size of quasi-monodisperse, polydisperse and bimodal gold nanoparticles of 2 – 7 nm and discuss advantages and limitations of each technique.


Over the past decade the experimental technique of THz time domain spectroscopy (㎔- TDS) has proved to be a versatile method for investigating a wide range of phenomena in the ㎔ or far infrared spectral region from 100 ㎓ to 5 ㎔. This paper reviews some recent results of the Ultrafast ㎔ Research Group at Oklahoma State University using ㎔-TDS as a characterization tool. The experimental technique is described along with recent results on ㎔ beam propagation and how ㎔ beam profiles arise from propagation of pulse fronts along caustics. To illustrate how spatio-temporal electric field measurements can determine material properties over a wide spectral range, propagation of ㎔ pulses through systems exhibiting frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) are reviewed. Finally two potential metrology applications of ㎔-TDS are discussed, thin film characterization and non-destructive evaluation of ceramics. Although ㎔-TDS has been confined to the research laboratory, the focus on application may stimulate the adoption of ㎔- TDS for industrial or metrology applications.


Two statistical issues that have arisen in the course of a study of mortality and disease related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the haemophilia population of the UK are discussed. The first of these concerns methods of standardization for age and it is shown that, when the mortality of HIV‐infected individuals with different severities of haemophilia are compared, an analysis based on the ratio of observed to national expected deaths suggests that mortality in HIV‐infected individuals depends on the severity of their haemophilia. This conclusion is inappropriate and mortality in HIV‐infected individuals is, in fact, similar regardless of severity of haemophilia. The second part of the paper discusses the effect of using various end points for studies of survival and progression of HIV‐related disease. In the present example it was possible to calculate relative survival in HIV‐infected individuals, i.e. survival after correcting for mortality expected in the absence of HIV infection. An analysis based on absolute survival gave a very similar picture of the effect of age at infection to an analysis based on relative survival, whereas an analysis based on the time to diagnosis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) underestimated the effect substantially and the possible alternative end point of time to AIDS or HIV‐related death was shown to be subject to considerable misclassification error.


Smad proteins play a key role in transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathways, and structural studies can help unravel how related members of the Smad family can induce different signaling outcomes. The receptor-regulated Smads (R-Smads) are each involved in a specific signaling pathway, and the activation of specific TGF-β receptors mediates phosphorylation of specific R-Smads. Phosphorylated R-Smads heterodimerize with co-mediator Smads (co-Smads), and such complexes translocate into the nucleus and activate target genes. Smad2, an R-Smad that acts as a tumor suppressor in humans, is recruited to its TGF-β receptor by the protein SARA (Smad anchor for receptor activation). SARA does not interact with the R-Smads Smad1 or Smad5 despite an 80% sequence identity with Smad2. Wu et al. have determined a structure of the Smad2 MH2 domain, which is involved in receptor recognition, with the Smad-binding domain of SARA that reveals the molecular basis for the specificity of the Smad2 interaction with SARA. Comparison of R-Smad and co-Smad structures provide insight into how R-Smads are recognized by receptors. Wu, G., Chen, Y-G., Ozdamar, B., Gyuricza, C.A., Chong, P.A., Wrana, J.L., Massagué, J., and Shi, Y. (2000) Structural basis of Smad2 recognition by the Smad anchor for receptor activation. Science 287: 92-97. [Abstract] [Full Text]


Convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approaches have shown promising results in the pansharpening of the satellite images in recent years. However, they still exhibit limitations in producing high-quality pansharpening outputs. To that end, we propose a new self-supervised learning framework, where we treat pansharpening as a colorization problem, which brings an entirely novel perspective and solution to the problem compared with the existing methods that base their solution solely on producing a super-resolution version of the multispectral image. Whereas the CNN-based methods provide a reduced-resolution panchromatic image as the input to their model along with the reduced-resolution multispectral images and, hence, learn to increase their resolution together, we instead provide the grayscale transformed multispectral image as the input and train our model to learn the colorization of the grayscale input. We further address the fixed downscale ratio assumption during training, which does not generalize well to the full-resolution scenario. We introduce a noise injection into the training by randomly varying the downsampling ratios. Those two critical changes, along with the addition of adversarial training in the proposed PanColorization generative adversarial network (PanColorGAN) framework, help overcome the spatial-detail loss and blur problems that are observed in CNN-based pansharpening. The proposed approach outperforms the previous CNN-based and traditional methods, as demonstrated in our experiments.


The aim of the research was to discover strategies for
increasing the responsiveness of civil service management
training in Uganda in light of the U. K. experience in civil
service management training between 1979 and 1991. While the
literature has tended to advance theory on management
development and training, and to outline characteristics of
good management training programmes, there is need to relate
the theory much more to the type of organisation.
Using Case Study method, the study investigated the development of management training in six U. K. and Ugandan
Civil Service organisations, with a view to testing the
conjecture that the existence of structured management
training in a civil service organisation is evidence that
there has been a trigger for change to which top management
has responded by instituting a radical change programme, one
that involves transformation of policies, structures, processes, products etc.; and an indication that there has
been a fundamental change in the way top management perceive
the role of management training.
Fieldwork findings led to the construction of a new model for understanding the development of structured management
training in a civil service organisation. This states that,
for structured management training to develop, there must be a trigger for change, perceived as a crisis that requires a significant top management response in the form of a radical transformation of the organisation; the definition of the response to the trigger in management terms by top, rather by senior or middle managers; top management commitment to the implementation of the change; a clear organisational vision, held by the top, shared by key groups, and which incorporates a management development strategy that involves setting up Supporting mechanisms and deliberately developing features of structured management training; sufficient autonomy; financial resources and resources of expertise. Recommendations for the U.K. relate to fostering the ongoing development of mechanisms, while those for Uganda focus on the need to implement the radical change programmes-that have already been proposed as a result of the recent Public Service Review.


Life-history attributes can impose differences on root system structures and properties related to nutrient and water uptake. Here, we assess whether plants with different post-fire regenerative strategies (resprouters, seeders and seeder-resprouters) differ in the topological and morphological properties of their root systems (external path, altitude, magnitude, topological index, specific root length, root length, root-to-shoot biomass ratio, length of the main axis of the root system and link length). To achieve these objectives, we sampled individuals from eight woody species in a shrubland located in the western Mediterranean Basin. We sampled the adult root systems using manual field excavation with the aid of an air compressor. The results indicate that resprouters have a higher root-to-shoot ratio, confirming their higher ability to store water, starch and nutrients and to invest in the belowground biomass. Moreover, this pattern would allow them to explore deeper parts of the soil layers. Seeder species would benefit from a higher specific root length, pointing to increased relative root growth and water uptake rates. This study confirms that seeders and resprouters may differ in nutrient and water uptake ability according to the characteristics of their root system. Species that can both resprout and establish seedlings after fire had different patterns of root system structure; in particular, root:shoot ratio was more similar to resprouters and specific root length was closer to seeders, supporting the distinct functional performance of this type of species.


The concentrations of ten industrial metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, As, Cr, Zn, Fe, Cu, Al and Mn) in 20 samples of rainwater collected at the station of Athens University Campus (AUC) during the cold period 1/10/97 -31/3/98 were determined. In general, low concentrations were observed. The Spearman correlation coefficients for different metals were calculated in order to reveal common sources. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify the factors that affect the presence of metals in rainwater.


Background Retinitis pigmentosa in combination with hearing loss can be a feature of different Mendelian disorders. We describe a novel syndrome caused by biallelic mutations in the 'exosome component 2' (EXOSC2) gene. Methods Clinical ascertainment of three similar affected patients followed by whole exome sequencing. Results Three individuals from two unrelated German families presented with a novel Mendelian disorder encompassing childhood myopia, early onset retinitis pigmentosa, progressive sensorineural hearing loss, hypothyroidism, short stature, brachydactyly, recognisable facial gestalt, premature ageing and mild intellectual disability. Whole exome sequencing revealed homozygous or compound heterozygous missense variants in the EXOSC2 gene in all three patients. EXOSC2 encodes the 'ribosomal RNA-processing protein 4' (RRP4)—one of the core components of the RNA exosome. The RNA exosome is a multiprotein complex that plays key roles in RNA processing and degradation. Intriguingly, the EXOSC2-associated phenotype shows only minimal overlap with the previously reported diseases associated with mutations in the RNA exosome core component genes EXOSC3 and EXOSC8. Conclusion We report a novel condition that is probably caused by altered RNA exosome function and expands the spectrum of clinical consequences of impaired RNA metabolism.


In 2008, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) began reviewing the proposed health benefit claims on all foods. To date, none of the 164 claims of the benefits of probiotic or prebiotic products submitted to EFSA and reviewed by the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) have been accepted (see Table 1). Those who are not aware of either the research supporting specific probiotics and prebiotics or the NDA review process may come to the fallacious conclusion that probiotics or prebiotics have not been shown to have health benefits. Without doubt, fraudulent or exaggerated claims are being made for some products. However, the scientists and clinical investigators belonging to the Board of Directors of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) are concerned that claims supported by solid scientific evidence are also being rejected. They are further concerned that there is a lack of clarity regarding the criteria – from study design through wording of the claim – for a dossier suitable for a positive regulatory opinion. One unintended consequence of the current review process may well be that the responsible companies studying the physiological effects of their probiotic or prebiotic products will decide that continued investment into this line of research is not cost-effective if, in the end, evidence supporting product benefits deemed valid by the scientific community cannot be communicated to the consumer. Certainly, evaluation of evidence to support claims is not a simple process. The NDA scientists must implement challenging legislation and assess a flood of dossiers providing evidence, which in the nature of all research could always be improved. But the process is difficult for industry scientists, too, who must prepare a dossier in support of a claim with only general guidance from the NDA. A successful dossier requires not only compelling studies on efficacy, but also specification of a physiological effect that will be considered by the NDA as beneficial and a claim that is worded to accurately reflect the science but also be in compliance with regulations. Some recent documents have been drafted by the NDA to provide guidance on their interpretation of what constitutes beneficial effects and acceptable outcome measures (http:// www.efsa.europa.eu/en/consultationsclosed/call/nda100928. pdf), but many questions remain unanswered. This opinion is reflected in a letter (http://www.gut-health.eu) by the European scientists expressing dissatisfaction with the process. As of 23 February 2011, 148 scientists have signed this letter. One overriding concern with the review process is the standard of evidence required by the NDA. The legislation states that 'Health claims should only be authorised for use in the Community after a scientific assessment of the highest possible standard'. However, this seems to be interpreted by the NDA to mean that the evidence (as opposed to the assessment) must meet the highest possible standard. A more realistic standard is expressed in article 6 of the EC Regulation 1924/2006, which states that health claims shall be based on and substantiated by 'generally accepted scientific evidence'. Thus, regulators have indicated a definite roadmap: generally accepted scientific evidence is not the same as the notion that evidence must be based on a restrictive number of criteria established by a closed group of individuals. Generally accepted scientific evidence is a well-established concept, and is the basis for the peer review process of scientific journals, evaluation of grant applications or scientific productivity of researchers, and grading recommendations in evidencebased medicine. In the latter case, this means that findings of a single randomised control study with narrow CI can constitute level 1b of evidence and invoke a recommendation of top, Grade A, intervention. In practice, this means that the recommendation should be applied unless there is a specific reason for not doing it. An example of implementing the 'highest possible standard' is apparent when the NDA rejected the validity of an independently conducted study published in the British Medical Journal (2) to support a claim that a probiotic food could reduce Clostridium difficile toxin in the gut and reduce the risk of acute diarrhoea in patients receiving antibiotics. One concern expressed by the NDA panel judgement of the trial was with study blinding. Although the products were not identified to the patients, the bottle shapes were different for the placebo and the test product, but only for product sent home with a subset of discharged patients. It is unclear how the NDA expected this small imperfection to influence the level of C. difficile toxin in faeces. Importantly, the staff who conducted the toxic analysis on the stool samples from patients who had diarrhoea remained fully blinded to the test group assignment. An additional criticism of the study was that C. difficile toxin was measured only in patients with diarrhoea and not in all study participants. However, it is common practice in a hospital environment to assay toxin only when diarrhoea occurs. The authors of this study concluded 'Consumption of a probiotic drink. . . can reduce the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and C. difficile-associated diarrhoea. This has the potential to decrease morbidity, healthcare costs and mortality if used routinely in patients British Journal of Nutrition (2011), 106, 1765–1767 q The Authors 2011


During the presentation of Death Instinct and Knowledge by M. Fagioli held on the 29th July 2010 at the stand of the "Rinascita" bookshop on the banks of the Tiber River in Roma, Matteo Fago and Noemi Ghetti introduced the text from the point of view of the publisher and classical studies scholar, whilst the psychiatrists Andrea Filippi, Tiziana Amici and Barbara Pelletti offered a reading based on their psychiatric experience, trying to describe how Death Instinct and Knowledge has been of pivotal importance in clinical practice for its proposition of a cure for mental illness through psychotherapy and the interpretation of dreams.


In this paper, we report on the performance of the second implementation of the optical counter-phase RF interference cancellation technique. Referred to as the opto-cancellation system, it has demonstrated narrowband-signal cancellation exceeding 80 dB. Also, broadband signals of 80-MHz bandwidth, whose center frequencies ranged from 1 GHz-20 GHz, were cancelled down to the system noise floor; where that cancellation was approximately uniform over the full bandwidth of each signal. It is not known that other interference cancellation systems can achieve such low cancellation depths, over such a wide frequency bandwidth, at the time of this writing. In addition to describing the system's performance in terms of experimental results, we also characterize the system's performance analytically. Although the sensitivity, gain, linearity, and noise figure of the current system implementation are known, the analysis presented here will be useful for future implementations of the optical counter-phase RF interference cancellation technique. The analysis will also aid in understanding the trade-offs and limitations of the current system implementation, as well as future implementations.


Objective: A community-based research project is used as a case study to debate the concept of community participation in setting research priorities. Background: A multidisciplinary team of researchers in health, engineering, and ecosystem management at the American University of Beirut (AUB) conducted a pilot study, funded by IDRC, to investigate lead pollution in a densely populated community in Beirut, Lebanon. It was hypothesized that lead pollution is a major health problem, mainly due to leaded gasoline. Thirty households were visited, where a member of the household was interviewed and blood and environmental samples were collected and analyzed for lead levels. Several meetings with community representatives and interviews with 28 members of the community were also conducted to identify the community's environmental health (EH) priorities. Observations: The community specified the emissions from vehicles using diesel fuel, poor water quality, and municipal waste disposal among the leading EH priorities. Leaded gasoline and lead pollution did not make the list. Household cooperation with the lead study was low. Contrary to expectations, blood lead levels and concentration of lead in air/water/dust/food samples were within acceptable international standards. Discussion: This study is a clear example of the frequent mismatch between researchers' priorities and that of the community under investigation. The community's priorities were all sensual and tangible- smell (diesel, solid waste), color (water, diesel), smoke (diesel), and taste (water). Out-of-sight and non-tangible EH problems such as lead pollution fell from the community's sphere of concern. Researchers face the dilemma of imposing their own agenda or changing direction mid-stream. Is it ethical to educate and raise community awareness about a problem to later investigate it? Or is it a moral duty? How can researchers balance their own needs and objectives with that of the community? The Ecosystem Approach to Environmental Health presents some answers but its application faces the same challenges.


[1] A balloon flight to compare 18 ozonesondes with an ozone photometer and with ozone column measurements from Dobson and Brewer spectrophotometers was completed in April 2004. The core experiment consisted of 12 electrochemical concentration cell ozonesondes, 6 from Science Pump Corporation (SP) and 6 from ENSCI Corporation (ES), prepared with cathode solution concentrations of 0.5% KI (half buffer) and 1.0% KI (full buffer). Auxiliary ozonesondes consisted of two electrochemical concentration cell sondes with 2.0% KI (no buffer), two reconditioned sondes, and two Japanese-KC96 sondes. Precision of each group of similarly prepared ozonesondes was <2–3%. The six ozonesondes prepared according to the manufacturer's recommendations (SP, 1.0% KI, ES 0.5% KI) overestimated the photometer measurements by 5–10% in the stratosphere, but provided ozone columns in good agreement with the ground-based spectrophotometer measurements. This is consistent with the difference (∼5%) in ozone photometer and column measurements observed during the experiment. Using cathode cell concentrations of 1.0% KI for ES sondes caused overestimates of the photometer by 10–15% and of ozone column by 5–10%. In contrast, 0.5% KI in SP sondes led to good agreement with the photometer, but underestimates of ozone column. The KC96 sondes underestimated the photometer measurements by about 5–15% at air pressures above 30 hPa. Agreement was within 5% at lower pressures. Diluting the solution concentration and the buffers from 1.0% to 0.5% KI causes an approximately linear pressure-dependent decrease in ozone for both SP and ES sondes, ratio (0.5 KI/1.0 KI) = 0.9 + 0.024 * log10(Pressure).


This study investigated the temporal behavior of grand piano actions from different manufacturers under different touch conditions and dynamic levels. An experimental setup consisting of accelerometers and a calibrated microphone was used to capture key and hammer movements, as well as the sound signal. Five selected keys were played by pianists with two types of touch ("pressed touch" versus "struck touch") over the entire dynamic range. Discrete measurements were extracted from the accelerometer data for each of the over 2300 recorded tones (e.g., finger-key, hammer-string, and key bottom contact times, maximum hammer velocity). Travel times of the hammer (from finger-key to hammer-string) as a function of maximum hammer velocity varied clearly between the two types of touch, but only slightly between pianos. A travel time approximation used in earlier work [Goebl W., (2001). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 563-572] derived from a computer-controlled piano was verified. Constant temporal behavior over type of touch and low compression properties of the parts of the action (reflected in key bottom contact times) were hypothesized to be indicators for instrumental quality.


Background: Collaborative learning (CL) strategies are grossly underused in medical education. The present study aims to compare the effectiveness of students' preferences for collaborative and traditional learning (TL) strategies. Objectives: The objective of the study is to compare the effectiveness and students' preference for CL and TL methodology for small groups learning's in community medicine. Methodology: This was a crossed over experimental study design with students being taught two separate topics using collaborative and TL methods. Pre- and Post-test scores and students' reflections were recorded. Results: The mean pretest scores of participants were comparable and posttest scores for collaborative method were significantly higher. The effect size for control group was 0.26 and for intervention group was 0.49. Conclusion: Collaborative method was highly effective in improving the performance of participants. Participants' expressed their preference toward collaborative methods over traditional methods of teaching.


The famed golden ratio appears in many different forms of art. Historically there have been people who believe that the golden ratio can be used to create the most aesthetically pleasing figures. More recently, fractals have been used to create beautifully intricate art. In this paper, we present an interesting connection between the golden ratio and fractal trees. Four special self-contacting fractal trees that scale with the golden ratio possess remarkable symmetries and provide new visual representations of well-known results involving the golden ratio. Golden variations of familiar fractals including the Cantor set and the Koch curve appear as subsets of golden trees.


1. In the field of plant–herbivore interactions a major focus of research is the importance
of herbivores as selective agents on the evolution of plant resistance. Evidence to
support the role of herbivores as selective agents must demonstrate that the intraspecific
variation in plant resistance, and the variation in the plant resistive trait, are under
genetic control. Predominantly, research in this field has concentrated on plant–insect
systems, with much less emphasis on plant–mammal interactions.
2. In a common Eucalyptus species, Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.), variation in resistance
to a mammalian herbivore, Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr, 1792), is under genetic control.
3. In this paper, plants of known genetic stock grown in a common-environment
field trial were used to investigate the plant characteristic responsible for resistance of
E. globulus to T. vulpecula and to determine if there was a genetic basis to variation in
the defensive trait.
4. The results demonstrate that a formylated phloroglucinol compound, sideroxylonal,
is the dominant plant secondary metabolite that determined intake of E. globulus juvenile
coppiced foliage by T. vulpecula, and that this metabolite is under significant genetic
control.
5. These results are discussed in the context of the possible role T. vulpecula may play
as a selective agent on the evolution of resistance in E. globulus.


The paper deals with robust parameter estimation (rotor and stator resistances), shaft speed estimation, and flux observation of induction motors using the extended Kalman filter (EKF) technique. The novelty of the paper is that it develops the EKF in a frame rotating synchronously with the stator current vector with the use of a reduced dynamic motor model in order to economise the computational requirements of the EKF. Different problems have been studied. First, the EKF technique is applied to the estimation of the rotor and stator resistances. This is used for the indirect field-oriented control of the induction machine. Next, the EKF technique is applied to the estimation of the induction machine rotor fluxes and rotor resistance, and is used to perform the direct field oriented control of the induction machine. Finally, speed sensorless control is carried out. In this case, the rotor flux and the motor shaft speed are estimated. Computer simulations and experimental tests have been carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.


Knowledge related to the genetic improvement of quinoa has been increasing in recent years, demonstrating an effective advance in obtaining morphological characteristics meant to achieve uniformity in the quantity and quality of the production obtained in the field. For this research, quinoa flour harvested in Mexico and Chile, the latter of which was genetically modified, was obtained and characterized. Next, the determination of moisture, fats, fiber, carbohydrates, acidity, ash, proteins, polyphenols, and flavonoids was performed. Functional properties were also evaluated, and a microbiological count was made. No differences were observed in the odor and color of the flours, nor was there a change in moisture during 6 months of storage. The initial percentages of acidity, fats, proteins and ashes were higher in Chilean flour (2.25, 10.99, 10.69 and 3.54%, respectively), while flour from Mexico presented 1.75, 7.64, 8.4 and 3.17%, respectively. Regarding raw fiber and carbohydrates, the results obtained were lower for Chilean flour (2.78 and 59.78%, respectively), while Mexican flour showed 4.08 and 66.67%, respectively. The content of flavonoids and polyphenols in Chilean flour were higher than those of Mexico. The results obtained reveal that the nutritional content of Chilean quinoa flour was better than that of Mexico. The growth of molds and yeasts was observed in the 6th month for the Mexican flour; however, the values did not exceed the limits of the OMN (Official Mexican Norm) 247.


Finding a suitable balance between performance and physical security can be a significant challenge when implementing cryptographic software. Although asymmetric primitives often afford inexpensive countermeasures against side-channel attack as a result of flexibility in the underlying mathematics, symmetric primitives are generally not as fortunate. The previously proposed NONDET processor architecture attempts to address this problem by securing generic workloads via micro-architectural countermeasures against DPA attack; in this paper we present the first concrete investigation of NONDET using AES as a case study. Our results indicate that versus an implementation of AES with no countermeasures, NONDET can significantly increase the number of acquisitions required for a successful DPA attack. Alternatively, versus an implementation using traditional software-based countermeasures such as randomisation and masking, NONDET can produce significant improvements in performance and memory footprint.


EDITORIAL NOTE (Alison): The idea for this multipart reflective essay emerged from first author Christel Brost's reflections on her experience of striving to develop a students-as-partners approach within the context of a summer institute and then back at her home institution. To aid reflection on these experiences, Christel used Roland Barthe's construct of that-has-been, which she explains below, to examine several "mental snapshots" of her experiences and what those mean for her personally and for students-as-partners work. Inspired by the vivid, emotionfilled representation of Christel's "snapshots," we (co-editors of reflective essays for the journal, Anita Ntem and Alison Cook-Sather) invited participants from two other venues to share their reflections within the same frame. Authors of each section of this essay use Barthes' construct to "zoom in" on different moments and lived experiences of partnership, creating mental snapshots from three students-as-partners venues. The first venue is the Change Institute at the May 2017 International Summer Institute on Students as Partners held at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The second is the May 2017 Pedagogic Partnership Conference held at Lafayette College in, Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The third is the June 2017 RAISE International Partnership Colloquium held at Birmingham City University in Birmingham, England.


Some G protein-coupled receptors, like the proteinase-activated receptor PAR2, can activate extracellular signal-regulated kinases without inducing translocation of the activated ERK to the nucleus. DeFea et al. found that the activated PAR2 receptor formed a complex with β-arrestin, Raf-1, and activated ERK1 and ERK2. This signaling pathway resulted in retention of ERK1 and ERK2 in the cytosol and did not stimulate proliferation. If the PAR2 receptor was mutated to block desensitization and internalization, ERK1 and ERK2 were still activated but translocated to the nucleus, and this resulted in proliferation of the cells. The wild-type and mutant receptors signaled to ERK by different pathways, with wild-type PAR2 signaling through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway, and the internalization-defective receptor signaling through a Ras-dependent pathway. Thus, the consequence of stimulation of a receptor that signals through an endocytosis-mediated pathway may be to control the cellular localization of the signaling molecules, which in turn can influence the mitogenic potential of receptor activation. DeFea, K.A., Zalevsky, J., Thoma, M.S., Déry, O., Mullins, R.D., and Bunnett, N.W. (2000) β-Arrestin-dependent endocytosis of proteinase-activated receptor 2 is required for intracellular targeting of activated ERK1/2. J. Cell Biol. 148: 1267-1281. [Online Journal]


In this paper, based on Kou's classical iterative methods with fifth-order of convergence, we propose new interval iterative methods for computing a real root of the nonlinear scalar equations. Some numerical experiments have executed with the program INTLAB in order to confirm the theoretical results. The computational results have described and compared with Newton's interval method, Ostrowski's interval method and Ostrowski's modified interval method. We conclude that the proposed interval schemes are effective and they are comparable to the classical interval methods.


The Middle East plays a significant role in world affairs, as the region continues to experience political, economic, and military upheavals that have international implications. The daily developments in Middle East issues influence both regional and international affairs. In Conflict and Peace in the Middle East, Dr. Abu-Lebdeh traces the origins of current conflict by analyzing historical events and formative issues in the Middle East. He details, from the turn of the 20th century, the impact of the Ottoman Empire, the Anglo-French alliance, the two World Wars, and foreign intervention in the region, as well as more recent events such as the fall of the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf War, relating these to the present situation and the Middle East peace process. As a foundation for this analysis, Dr. Abu-Lebdeh explains selected approaches to the study of bilateral relations: system analysis, influence, national interest, and national perceptions. Using the perceptual approach, the book examines the impact of national perceptions on the Arab-Israeli conflict and inter-Arab relations. It highlights U.S. interaction with Middle Eastern countries, particularly U.S.- Jordan relations, in demonstrating how perceptual changes affect national policies. Dr. Abu-Lebdeh also examines relationships between perceptual changes and policy modifications. The book analyzes the Arab-Israeli conflict and the crucial role of the United States as mediator and facilitator in the Middle East peace process. Within the perceptual framework, the book discusses such developments as the Oslo agreement, the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty, and the incremental steps toward comprehensive peace accords. With its thorough historical background and solid political scholarship and analysis, this book helps illuminate the origins and complexity of, and current responses to, Middle East conflict and peace.


Dengue viruses belong to the genus flavivirus within the Flaviviridae family. It is self limited viral infection that is transmitted between people by mosquitoes. The dengue virus genome encodes three structural and seven nonstructural proteins. Dengue virus is categorized into four serotypes,so far it is the major health problem and 2.5 billion people are at danger of this disease among them about 975 million of them live in urban areas in tropical areas of Southeast Asia. The sample of dengue positive patients were collected and Serum protein of dengue and healthy individuals can be analyzed and exploited by using a technique sodium dodecyl sulphate Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis .For this purpose serum of healthy and infected patients were taken and infection in individuals were confirmed by using ELISA IgG, IgM and NS1 antigen test. From the SDS –PAGE analysis a protein profile with molecular weight ranging from 200kda to 10kda were analyzed .One serum protein marker that has a molecular weight of about 48kda that is specifically present in dengue patients but not in the healthy person . The recent research concluded that method adopted for protein analysis is sensitive and reliable. Careful and consistent investigation is required in the future to identify these serum protein marker and functions of these protein in the dengue disease.


An inbred mouse model for HDV infection can be used to study virally induced immune responses and for testing antiviral therapeutics. Diving into hepatitis delta virus Although it is a major burden of hepatitis-related disease, there are no specific treatments for hepatitis delta virus (HDV), which depends on hepatitis B virus to replicate. Winer et al. developed a transgenic mouse model to study HDV and test therapeutic interventions. They observed immune responses and effects on the liver, as well as tested drug candidates. This model could help open up the pipeline for future HDV treatments. Chronic delta hepatitis, caused by hepatitis delta virus (HDV), is the most severe form of viral hepatitis, affecting at least 20 million hepatitis B virus (HBV)–infected patients worldwide. HDV/HBV co- or superinfections are major drivers for hepatocarcinogenesis. Antiviral treatments exist only for HBV and can only suppress but not cure infection. Development of more effective therapies has been impeded by the scarcity of suitable small-animal models. We created a transgenic (tg) mouse model for HDV expressing the functional receptor for HBV and HDV, the human sodium taurocholate cotransporting peptide NTCP. Both HBV and HDV entered hepatocytes in these mice in a glycoprotein-dependent manner, but one or more postentry blocks prevented HBV replication. In contrast, HDV persistently infected hNTCP tg mice coexpressing the HBV envelope, consistent with HDV dependency on the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) for packaging and spread. In immunocompromised mice lacking functional B, T, and natural killer cells, viremia lasted at least 80 days but resolved within 14 days in immunocompetent animals, demonstrating that lymphocytes are critical for controlling HDV infection. Although acute HDV infection did not cause overt liver damage in this model, cell-intrinsic and cellular innate immune responses were induced. We further demonstrated that single and dual treatment with myrcludex B and lonafarnib efficiently suppressed viremia but failed to cure HDV infection at the doses tested. This small-animal model with inheritable susceptibility to HDV opens opportunities for studying viral pathogenesis and immune responses and for testing novel HDV therapeutics.


This dissertation research explores Chinese older adults' perceptions of home in varied aging contexts and assesses the process of obtaining a feeling of home after relocation in an old age. Two sets of qualitative data were drawn for the study: one was collected in Atlanta, Georgia to understand Chinese older immigrants' home-making experiences in the U.S. (n=21); the other one was drawn in Xi'an, Shan Xi Province to delineate manifestations and pathways that lead to older people's feelings of home in six different long-term care (LTC) facilities in China (n=38). The study intends to highlight the multi-faceted meanings of home, the interactive nature between human agency and aging environments, as well as the interconnected manner between multiple dimensions of home. Analyses of both samples revealed three premises of home: 1) Home, in its essence, entailed older people' subjective feelings in relation to their dwelling place, including feelings of comfort and safety, independence and a sense of being accepted, valued and supported. 2) These home feelings were shaped by objective components and attributes in older people's living environment which were embedded in the wider social, cultural, and political systems, and simultaneously affected by individuals' actions and emotions; 3) Home is a fluid and dynamic concept that requires continuous personal and environmental adjustment. Taken together, no matter aging in the U.S. or in LTC facilities in China, older people expect their environments to bring about positive residential experiences by compensating for their declines, maximizing their opportunities for independence and mastery, keeping them active and engaged with others, and eventually making them feel good about the place and themselves. This dissertation research offers a full discussion of policy implications for social services and social workers, LTC providers and planners, state and federal government agencies, and aging policy makers at national levels. INDEX WORDS: Home-making, Residential experiences, Long-term care, Older adults WHAT CONSTITUTES A GOOD PLACE TO AGE? A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HOME IN VARIED AGING CONTEXTS


Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSSs) consist of two dimensional arrays of conductive
elements mounted on a dielectric substrate. FSSs act as passive filters to microwave
radiation. The frequency response of the filter is primarily controlled by the dimensions
and shape of the elements. The frequency selective propeny of a conventional FSS
cannot be altered once it is installed.
By positioning two FSSs so they are parallel and closely coupled to each other a double
layer FSS is created. If one FSS is moved across the plane of the other the frequency
response of the double layer FSS alters. A method of moving the FSS using piezoelectric
materials has been investigated. This allows the frequency response of the double layer
FSS to be altered, or reconfigured, after it has been installed.
Suitable piezoelectric materials were studied and methods of utilising them in a
Reconfigurable FSS (RFSS) were considered. Computer models and frequency response
measurements of conventional FSSs were used to establish the design criteria necessary
to maximise the variation in frequency response of the RFSS.
RFSSs were designed, modelled, and manufactured. Their frequency responses were then
measured. The results of the computer models and measurements were compared and
used along with knowledge of manufacturing problems to reiterate the design criteria and
produce an RFSS with greater reconfigurability.


This paper investigates the short- and long-run share return performance of Malaysian spin-off firms during the period January 1980 to April 2011. Using daily and monthly data, the study examines the performance of spin-off firms against the benchmarks of Malaysian All-Shares indices. The results show that parent firms significantly outperformed the market during the few days surrounding the announcement date even after adjustment for size. In the long-run analysis of three years, however, and after allowing for size, this research failed to find abnormal performance for either parents or spun-off entities. Overall, the results of this research allow us to plausibly argue that the market anticipates both increased value for parent shareholders and potential exploitable stock market efficiency in the short-run period but not in the long-run.


The relationship between Maxwell's equations and radiative-transport theory is studied for isotropic, nondispersive media that have arbitrary permittivity variations. It is demonstrated that the postulates of transport theory are consistent with Maxwell's equations if the characteristics of the medium and the fields are such that the field-correlation tensor possesses certain properties and if the relative permittivity fluctuations in the medium are small in comparison with unity and have correlation lengths that satisfy appropriate requirements.


The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9th November 1989 sparked a mass exodus of East Germans to West Germany. This paper exploits the natural experiment provided by the unexpected disintegration of socialist East Germany to study the impact that immigration has on residential housing rents in recipient regions. Using a spatial correlation approach, annual district-level migration data for 1991 and 1992 and unique rental price indicators from Germany's major regional property market information system; we find strong evidence for a positive and sizeable effect of immigration on rental prices of residential housing. A one percent population increase due to immigration is associated with an approximate increase in minimum and average category rents by 4.8 and 3.3 %, respectively. Additional explorations that employ an IV approach based on various exogenous origin-region push factors related to the deteriorating economic conditions in East Germany yield estimates of even larger magnitude. These results suggest that immigration has important economic effects outside the labour market, traditionally the prime domain of economic enquiries into the consequences of immigration. Our findings cast doubt on the appropriateness of this bias in focus.


Aims: We aimed to analyze incidence and characteristics of patients with diabetic ketosis (DK) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in Caucasian adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Studied population included 261, 749 adults. DK criteria included plasma glucose >13.9 mmol/L and ketonuria >2, while in DKA bicarbonate <18 mEq/L or pH<7.30 was also required. Hyperglycemic crises without these criteria were defined as non-ketotic hyperglycemia (NKH). Results: During a 5-year period, we observed 630 episodes of DK and 215 episodes of DKA. Only 8.6% of DK episodes and 34.4% of DKA were attributed to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Patients with T1DM were younger, leaner, majority had newly diagnosed disease, and hyperglycemia was the main cause of admission. Standardized incidence ratio for DK was 48.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 44.5-52.1) and 17.0 (95% CI 14.9-19.4) for DKA. Incidence for both DK and DKA was increasing with age. In patients younger than 50, the incidence of DK and DKA was similar. However, dramatic rise in the incidence of DK was observed in both sexes after the age of 50. When compared with patients with NKH, the patients with DK had higher serum pH and bicarbonates. Patients with T2DM had a risk of 0.8% for developing DKA and 2.9% for DK over 5- year period. Conclusions: Our study showed that DK and DKA are not uncommon in Caucasian adults and the majority of episodes were contributed to T2DM. Incidence of DK is far more higher than the incidence of DKA in patients older than 50, who predominantly have T2DM. Moreover, patients with DK have higher serum pH and bicarbonates, both of which imply that DK and DKA are distinct clinical entities in patients with T2DM. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of these clinical entities.


Periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) continue to be a diagnostic challenge for orthopedic surgeons. Chronic PJI are sometimes difficult to diagnose and occasionally present in a subclinical fashion with normal CRP/ESR and/or normal joint aspiration. Some institutions advocate for routine use of intraoperative culture swabs at the time of all revision surgeries to definitively rule out infection. The purpose of this study is to determine whether routine intraoperative cultures is an appropriate and cost effective method of diagnosing subclinical chronic PJI in revision joint replacement patients with a low clinical suspicion for infection. We performed a retrospective chart review and identified 33 patients that underwent revision hip or knee replacement from a single surgeon over a five-month period. The AAOS guidelines for preoperative PJI workup were followed. 13 patients were diagnosed preoperatively with infection and excluded from the study. 20 patients underwent revision joint replacement and three separate cultures swabs were taken for each patient to help in determining true-positive cultures. Infectious Disease was consulted for all patients with any positive culture. Culture results were reviewed. At our hospital, the cost billed to insurance for a single culture is $1,458.58. We did not calculate the cost of the consultant fee. Three (15%) of the 20 revision arthroplasty patients had a single positive culture. Infectious Disease consultants diagnosed all three of these positive cultures as contaminants. None of the patients had a true-positive intraoperative culture. The total cost billed by the hospital to obtain these cultures in all 20 patients was $87,514.80 In our study, obtaining a set of three intraoperative cultures for those patients with a negative preoperative infection workup was not only cost prohibitive but did not diagnose a single subclinical infection. Studies to find other more reliable, accurate, and cost effective alternatives to diagnose PJI are warranted. In patients undergoing revision hip or knee arthroplasty with a low preoperative clinical suspicion for infection, it does not seem that routine intraoperative culture swabs are necessary or cost effective method for diagnosing subclinical periprosthetic joint infection.


Acoustic telemetry is used to investigate a diverse suite of questions regarding the biology and ecology of a range of aquatic species, and is an important tool for fisheries and conversation management. Herein we present a brief review of the Australian acoustic telemetry literature in the context of key areas of progress, drawing from several recent studies and identifying areas for future progress. Acoustic telemetry has been increasingly used in Australia over the past decade. This has included substantial investment in a national acoustic array and the associated development of a national acoustic telemetry database that enables tag deployment and detection data to be shared among researchers (the Integrated Marine Observing System Animal Tracking Facility). Acoustic telemetry has contributed to important areas of management, including public safety, design and management of marine protected areas, the use of closures in fisheries management, informing environmental flow regimes and the impacts of fisheries enhancements, and is most powerful when used as a complementary tool. However, individual variability in movement often confounds our ability to draw general conclusions when attempting to characterise broad-scale patterns, and more work is required to address this issue. This overview provides insight into the important role that acoustic telemetry plays in the research and management of Australian aquatic ecosystems. Application of the technology transcends aquatic environments and bureaucracies, and the patterns revealed are relevant to many of the contemporary challenges facing decision makers with oversight of aquatic populations or ecosystems.


Forty four consecutive patients of Afro-Caribbean origin resident in the United Kingdom (UK) were studied, based on a provisional diagnosis of myelopathy of unknown cause, tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) or multiple sclerosis (MS). Of 30 patients with progressive paraparesis 27 had serum antibodies to HTLV-1 and were classified as having TSP. Fourteen patients fulfilled the criteria for MS and none of 12 tested had HTLV-1 antibodies. All the TSP patients and nine of those with MS were born in the West Indies. Five of the West Indianborn MS patients had migrated to the UK after adolescence but the duration of residence in the UK before symptoms of MS developed was similar to those born in the UK (average 18 years). The features that differentiated MS from TSP patients, apart from HTLV-1 status, included clinical evidence of cranial nerve involvement, more extensive abnormalities on the brain and cervical cord MRI and asymmetry of the VEP latency increase, all of which were more frequent in the MS group. Of the three patients without a diagnosis one, born in the UK, had marked abnormalities on MRI of the brain indistinguishable from those seen in MS.