CO2 budget is generally based on comparison between emission and uptake. In this paper, a methodology for estimating and mapping the CO2 budget at a local scale is presented, considering various rates of uptake due to each kind of actual land use. The methodology proposes to compare data of emission developed by Italian national regional inventory with data of uptake referred to specific land uses, which were collected from literature and optimised for local condition. In literature there are several methodologies for estimating CO2 emission from different sources, whilst there are only a few comprehensive studies about the role of vegetation and soil for CO2 absorption at local scales. Moreover, experimental studies often present different results, also because of the difficulty in measuring uptake and of the influence by meteorological and climatic conditions. The proposed methodology for the CO2 budget assessment at local scale aims to provide a tool for the investigation of local situation with reference to the achievement of CO2 emissions reduction objectives: firstly, for assessing the gap between emission and uptake at a local scale and, secondly, for supporting spatial planning towards choices that can assure a higher uptake capacity. In this paper, an example of application in five municipalities in Northern Italy is presented, where emission and uptake data are mapped with GIS, enabling to highlight the uptake deficit and the role of sustainable land use planning; indeed, the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol could be achieved, reducing emissions and/or planning land use to increase the amount of local uptake of CO2.


In organisms, ion transporters play essential roles in the generation and dissipation of ion gradients across cell membranes. Microbial rhodopsins selectively transport cognate ions using solar energy, in which the substrate ions identified to date have been confined to monovalent ions such as H+, Na+, and Cl-. Here we report a novel rhodopsin from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 7509, which inwardly transports a polyatomic divalent sulfate ion, SO42-, with changes of its spectroscopic properties in both unphotolyzed and photolyzed states. Upon illumination, cells expressing the novel rhodopsin, named Synechocystis halorhodopsin (SyHR), showed alkalization of the medium only in the presence of Cl- or SO42-. That alkalization signal was enhanced by addition of a protonophore, indicating an inward transport of Cl- and SO42- with a subsequent secondary inward H+ movement across the membrane. The anion binding to SyHR was suggested by absorption spectral shifts from 542 to 536 nm for Cl- and from 542 to 556 nm for SO42-, and the affinities of Cl- and SO42- were estimated as 0.112 and 5.81 mM, respectively. We then performed time-resolved spectroscopic measurements ranging from femtosecond to millisecond time domains to elucidate the structure and structural changes of SyHR during the photoreaction. Based on the results, we propose a photocycle model for SyHR in the absence or presence of substrate ions with the timing of their uptake and release. Thus, we demonstrate SyHR as the first light-driven polyatomic divalent anion (SO42-) transporter and report its spectroscopic characteristics.


Our goal is to construct a domain-targeted, high precision knowledge base (KB), containing general (subject,predicate,object) statements about the world, in support of a downstream question-answering (QA) application. Despite recent advances in information extraction (IE) techniques, no suitable resource for our task already exists; existing resources are either too noisy, too named-entity centric, or too incomplete, and typically have not been constructed with a clear scope or purpose. To address these, we have created a domain-targeted, high precision knowledge extraction pipeline, leveraging Open IE, crowdsourcing, and a novel canonical schema learning algorithm (called CASI), that produces high precision knowledge targeted to a particular domain - in our case, elementary science. To measure the KB's coverage of the target domain's knowledge (its "comprehensiveness" with respect to science) we measure recall with respect to an independent corpus of domain text, and show that our pipeline produces output with over 80% precision and 23% recall with respect to that target, a substantially higher coverage of tuple-expressible science knowledge than other comparable resources. We have made the KB publicly available.


Choice of a suitable waveform is a key factor in the design of 5G physical layer. New waveform/s must be capable of supporting a greater density of users, higher data throughput and should provide more efficient utilization of available spectrum to support 5G vision of "everything everywhere and always connected" with "perception of infinite capacity". Although orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been adopted as the transmission waveform in wired and wireless systems for years, it has several limitations that make it unsuitable for use in future 5G air interface. In this chapter, we investigate and analyse alternative waveforms that are promising candidate solutions to address the challenges of diverse applications and scenarios in 5G.


"From the Bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health." - Catalan ProverbIndia is a leading player in the medical tourism industry. It is increasingly emerging as the destination of choice for a wide range of medical procedures. The medical tourism market in India was estimated at $333 million in 2004. It is anticipated to grow by 25 percent annually and to become a $2 billion-a-year business opportunity by 2012. Andhra Pradesh is slowly picking up the heat of Medical Tourism. Hyderabad is the 1st City in AP to catch the fire.To gain more from health tourism, the state government has to be in search of opportunities. Alternative Medicine (AM) is one such avenue which has proven to be a great contributor in Kerala.The paper identified the popular alternative medicines in AP. The paper unravels "Bathini Fish medicine" which is very popular in AP, attracting lakhs and lakhs of tourists from within and outside India. An analysis of the economic value of "Bathini Fish medicine" as an Alternative medicine is discussed. It studies the advantages gained by various entrepreneurs through the people who visit Hyderabad on the purpose of this medicine. The paper explores the challenges being faced by the medicine. The paper suggests various strategies for further growth and development of this medicine and to turn out it as a health tourism opportunity.The paper concludes with the scope of Health Tourism in AP and how "Bathini Fish Medicine", an alternative medicine can be taken as an advantage to grow Health Tourism in AP.


OBJECTIVE
While psychoeducation has been shown to positively affect outcomes in psychiatric disorders, its utility has been little studied in developing countries. The current study sought to examine the role of psychoeducation at a general psychiatric outpatient clinic in Kampala, Uganda in improving clinic attendance, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes.

METHOD
A prospective case-control study using a quasi-experimental design was conducted in 117 patients suffering various psychiatric disorders. Participants were recruited for two months and then followed for a further three months after recruitment ended. Participants in the intervention group received formalized psychoeducation sessions at each clinic visit in addition to the usual psychiatric evaluation and care. Participants in the control group received the usual clinical care. Measured outcomes were knowledge of mental illness, compliance with medications and follow-up, and Clinical Global Impression (CGI).

RESULTS
The groups did not differ with respect to sociodemographic characteristics or attendance at scheduled follow-up visits. Both groups significantly improved on the CGI, but with no significant difference between the groups. However, the intervention group was more likely to adhere to medication, and their knowledge of mental illness was significantly higher at follow-up.

CONCLUSION
These data suggest that psychoeducation is a beneficial mental health intervention in a developing country that may increase compliance with medication and result in greater knowledge of mental illness. However, other factors such as distance from a centralized clinic or cost of treatment may impact outcomes, including attendance at scheduled follow-up visits.


Approximately three-fourths of our planet's surface is covered by ocean and seas, a continuous body of water that is divided into several oceans and smaller seas. Water conditions determine climate that affects life on Earth. Whereas fresh water in lakes and rivers covers less 1%, its contamination significantly damages ecosystems. Within this research this paper proposes a framework with a custom protocol stack for river monitoring with hybrid network topology. The main goal is to design and implement a framework of distributed network of navigating autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and fixed sensors for rivers that will collect monitoring information and transmit data to the central base station. Proposed framework perfectly fits into the latest notion of internet of underwater things architecture and in future it can be utilised not only for shallow river monitoring but also in such extended applications as pipeline surveillance, harbour security and fish farms monitoring.


A Toronto-style light source and the excitation circuit designed for use with a Hilger E612 recording Raman spectrometer in this laboratory are described. The electrical circuits and accessories are designed for automatic or manual start and with safety devices for protection in event of various component failures. For measurements on specimens at elevated temperatures, a simple cell assembly capable of use at temperatures up to 575 °C with a gradient of not more than ±5°C at the maximum temperature limit is described.


Abstract : The instability, corruption, displacement of people, and violence generated by Colombia's unholy trinity of narcotics traffickers, insurgents, and paramilitaries is spilling over into virtually all of northern South America and Panama. Thus, the stability and political sovereignty of the region are being compromised. And, at the same time, progress toward achieving the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the economic integration of the Western Hemisphere by 2005 is being severely threatened. The author outlines some of the detail and implications of the regional security crisis in the Andes and makes recommendations for U.S. civil-military involvement in the hemispheric security arena. She argues for the United States to lead in the articulation of strategic objectives, while designing a defensible and feasible policy that critical elements in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and Japan can understand and support. She specifically argues for the U.S. military to build stronger and more cooperative security relationships within the circle of affected states around Colombia.


Does a glass of ice water filled to the brim overflow when the ice melts? Does the energy inside a sauna increase when you heat it up? What's the best way to cool your coffee-adding the creamer first or last? These and other challenging puzzlers provide a fresh-and fun-approach to learning real physics. Presenting both classic and new problems, Brainteaser Physics challenges readers to use imagination and basic physics principles to find the answers. Goran Grimvall provides detailed and accessible explanations of the solutions, sometimes correcting the standard explanations, sometimes putting a new twist on them. He provides diagrams and equations where appropriate and ends each problem by discussing a specific concept or offering an extra challenge. With Brainteaser Physics, students and veteran physicists alike can sharpen their critical and creative thinking-and have fun at the same time.


During the past few decades, an explosive development of multiple camera systems has occurred. For example, a multiple camera system can be used by an advanced driver-assistance system. For cooperative tasks among robots, a multi-camera rig can be used to increase the localization accuracy and robustness. In the logistics industry, a cargo drone mounted with a multi-camera system obtains a panorama view. In these or other high-demanding tasks that heavily depend on multi-camera systems, accurate extrinsic calibration of cameras is an absolute prerequisite for precise visual localization. In this dissertation, a weighted optimization method and a data selection strategy for extrinsic calibration are proposed that relieve the inherent imbalance between pose estimates existing in Liu's setup. Besides, two new extrinsic calibration methods are proposed to improve the extrinsic calibration accuracy further. Other contributions of the thesis are two cooperative localization methods MOMA and S-MOMA, which can be applied to a robot group. These methods aim at overcoming the localization challenges in indoor environments where repetitive or lack of features are usually the case.
The weighted optimization method introduces a quality measure for all the entries of camera-to-marker pose estimates based on the projection size of the known planar calibration patterns on the image. The data selection strategy provides valuable suggestions on the selection of measurements leading to a better coverage in pose space used for the calibration procedure. By introducing a highly accurate tracking system, the first proposed calibration method disconnects the calibration objects, which are rigidly linked in Liu's setup. With the aid of the tracking system, the method improves calibration accuracy further. The second calibration method uses active calibration patterns realized with two electronic displays. By regulating the fiducial patterns displayed on the monitors, the approach can actively perceive the best possible measurements for the calibration estimation. The configuration of the dynamic virtual pattern aims at maximizing the underlying sensitivity of the objective function, which is based on the sum of reprojection errors, with regard to the relative pose between the camera and the fiducial pattern. State-of-the-art calibration methods, together with different configurations, are conducted and compared in simulation as well as in real experiments validating that both the optimization method and the twonew calibration methods improve the calibration results in terms of accuracy and robustness.
In the second part of the dissertation, two novel, purely vision-based cooperative localization approaches MOMA and S-MOMA for a multi-robot system are introduced. MOMA realizes visual odometry via accurate MObile MArker-based positioning. The movement pattern of the robots mimics the movement of a caterpillar. The introduced fiducial marker board, which is mounted on one of the robots, serves as a mobile landmark, based on which the relative pose between the robots is recovered. The absolute positioning of each robot is deduced from the concatenation of the relative poses of previous phases. The second localization algorithm S-MOMA (MOMA with a stereo camera) extends the original MOMA approach. By fusing absolute pose estimates from static environment features with relative pose estimates from known mobile fiducial features, S-MOMA is formulated as an optimization problem combining two different objectives for these two different feature sources based on the same error measure, namely the reprojection error. A comparison between the proposed cooperative localization approaches MOMA, S-MOMA, as well as state-of-the-art localiza- tion algorithms for different configurations, is given validating the improvement in accuracy and robustness against various challenging testing environments.


"Resilience" – buzzword or useful concept? When we spoke of resilience in 1999, in our report on the famine in Bar El Ghazal, it was not understood by some. This concept from the field of psychology, which describes the capacity of individuals to absorb and survive stress and adversity, was being applied to the living conditions of the inhabitants of the great wetlands of the Nilotic depression in Southern Sudan, one of the harshest environments imaginable. The concept of resilience could also be applied to humanitarian operations in Southern Sudan, which are very fragile as they are dependent on the presence of expatriates, the security situation and flight authorizations from Khartoum. Now in 2012, it is the latest fashionable concept. With the strategic importance it has been given by DFID and the European Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva (initiatives in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel), it has practically become unavoidable. The RESILIENCE research project, launched in 2009 (CARE Holland, Groupe URD and the University of Wageningen), has led us to clarify the issues behind this word: resilience, or the capacity of systems to absorb shocks and bounce back, is, in the end, the result of a broad spectrum of phenomena, in which international aid can play its part: anticipation of changes (climatic threats and economic, demographic and technological changes), risk prevention and reduction, strengthening of response capacity and strategic choices for development (climate change adaptation and poverty reduction). All around the world resilience is being stretched, as can be seen from the agro-pastoral crises in the Sahel or urban warfare methods which are making access to healthcare, water, food and energy more and more difficult. It is there to be seen every day, whether for the survival of communities or in the bomb-ravaged city of Homs. It may have become a fashionable concept, but that is a good thing! It remains to be seen how it will be used, and it is to be hoped that a new "buzzword" will not replace it too quickly. François Grünewald Editorial Humanitarian Aid on the move


The sophistication of the property valuation services provided by valuers in a country has a significant impact on national and global economies. An attempt is made to investigate the property valuation practice using Hong Kong as a case study being a developed country that developing nations can learn from. Property valuation firms in Hong Kong were invited to partake in an online questionnaire survey, the essence of the survey was to examine the property valuation approach(es) being adopted in practice. The information gathered from the questionnaire was analysed and presented using descriptive statistics in terms of percentiles. It was found that all of the valuers are aware of the traditional methods of valuation, whereas the opposite is the situation for the advanced methods. Consequently, it was revealed that they always and regularly adopt the traditional methods in property valuation practice. This was attributed to the valuers' educational qualifications and years of experience. On the other hand, the valuers do not adopt the advanced methods in practice at all. There seems to be a gap in property valuation theory and practice, hence, there is a need to investigate the factors responsible for this, in order to achieve sustainable property valuation practice.


July 17, 2019, Jadavpur UniversityDigital society and mental health have a complex relationship globally. India hosts approximately 462 million internet users (Statista, 2017), making the world's second-largest consumer nation immediately after China. On the other hand, according to India Today (2018), "[T], the average suicide rate in India is 10.9 for every lakh people and the majority of people who commit suicide are below 44 years of age". WHO report (2016) confirms India to be the most depressed country in the world. The last census (2011) report of the India government mentions 73% literacy rate. Ian Jack (Guardian, 2018) claimed in an article that India is home to 600 million young people, under the age of 25. All of these statistics certainly direct us to rethink on the future potential of India's human and social capital and the inevitable global impact. Although there are reports that evidence the impact of social media on young adults, still there is a dearth of empirical research into how the young adults (18-35years), particularly students at the university level, experience and engage with social media. This work in progress paper examines some of the preliminary findings from the data collection that started in July 2019, although, the initial project started in February 2019. Based on the initial findings from the data collected through ethnographic focus group interviews with 60 postgraduate students, the project (phase I) proposes to expand the investigation on how digital society is perceived by young adults in India and proposes to investigate the impact of digital media, particularly social media, on mental health.


An analysis using case reports, laboratory records of tests for C. trachomatis, and Hospital Discharge Summary data shows that, following implementation of a chlamydia prevention program in Wisconsin in 1985, statewide declines were observed in prevalence, incidence and complications of infection. In 1990, prevalence rates among teenage women peaked at 2,794 infections per 100,000 15-19-year-old females. Between 1987 and 1991 (a period of stable testing volume), the proportion of positive tests decreased in all age-groups for females (by 29-41%) and males (by 10-14%), and the incidence of new infections in women decreased in clinic populations by 27%-50%. Between 1986 and 1991, hospitalization rates declined by 33% for pelvic inflammatory disease and by 20% for ectopic pregnancy.


Discomfort glare is considered to be an annoyance or distraction caused by sources of non-uniform or high luminance within the field of view of an observer. There are still significant gaps in our understanding of the conditions that characterise the magnitude and occurrence of discomfort glare, this being especially evident in the presence of large sources of luminance such as windows. The large degree of scatter that is observed when subjective evaluations of glare sensation are compared against calculated glare indices suggests that discomfort glare may be dependent on other variables beyond the physical and photometric parameters that are commonly embedded in glare formulae (e.g., source luminance, source size, background luminance, and position index). There are strong reasons to believe that some of these variables might be linked to the time of day when the observer is exposed to the glare source. In response, this thesis investigated the research hypothesis that subjective glare sensation is associated with temporal variability. This hypothesis was tested in two stages. The first stage was conducted within a laboratory setting, and sought to examine temporal effects under controlled artificial lighting conditions. The collection of temporal variables and personal factors – thereby examining the scatter in glare responses across the independent variable (time of day) and isolating potential confounding variables – enabled to identify factors that could influence the subjective evaluation of glare sensation along the day. Having established the presence of a temporal effect on glare response, the influences detected were further explored within a test room with direct access to daylight, whereby temporal variables and personal factors were measured in conjunction to glare sensation for them to be statistically masked from the analysis. The results confirmed the hypothesis of an increased tolerance to glare as the day progresses. This supported the conclusion that physical and photometric parameters alone are not sufficient for a robust prediction of discomfort glare.


Because of its aberrant activation, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway represents a pharmacological target in blast cells from patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Using Reverse Phase Protein Microarrays (RPMA), we have analyzed 20 phosphorylated epitopes of the PI3K/Akt/mTor signal pathway of peripheral blood and bone marrow specimens of 84 patients with newly diagnosed AML. Fresh blast cells were grown for 2 h, 4 h or 20 h untreated or treated with a panel of phase I or phase II Akt allosteric inhibitors, either alone or in combination with the mTOR kinase inhibitor Torin1 or the broad RTK inhibitor Sunitinib. By unsupervised hierarchical clustering a strong phosphorylation/activity of most of the sampled members of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was observed in 70% of samples from AML patients. Remarkably, however, we observed that inhibition of Akt phosphorylation, as well as of its substrates, was transient, and recovered or even increased far above basal level after 20 h in 60% samples. We demonstrated that inhibition of Akt induces FOXO-dependent insulin receptor expression and IRS-1 activation, attenuating the effect of drug treatment by reactivation of PI3K/Akt. Consistent with this model we found that combined inhibition of Akt and RTKs is much more effective than either alone, revealing the adaptive capabilities of signaling networks in blast cells and highliting the limations of these drugs if used as monotherapy.


"David Busch's Canon EOS 5D Mark II Guide to Digital SLR Photography" is perfect for those new to digital photography or those who just want to make sure they get the most out of their Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The book is a complete guide to this digital SLR camera, including how to utilize the amazing 21 megapixels of resolution, enhanced high-ISO performance, and many other features unique to the 5D Mark II. After the introductory chapters designed to create familiarity with the camera, the book delves into various shooting situations and recommendations on how to get the best possible shots with full-color photos to illustrate each. Readers will discover a wealth of tips and information not found in the user's manual, so new users and pros alike will find "David Busch?s Canon EOS 5D Mark II Guide to Digital SLR Photography" an indispensable tool for achieving the best possible photographs.


ABSTRACT The Trojan horse antibiotic albomycin, produced by Streptomyces sp. strain ATCC 700974, contains a thioribosyl nucleoside moiety linked to a hydroxamate siderophore through a serine residue. The seryl nucleoside structure (SB-217452) is a potent inhibitor of seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS) in the pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ∼8 nM. In the albomycin-producing Streptomyces sp., a bacterial SerRS homolog (Alb10) was found to be encoded in a biosynthetic gene cluster in addition to another serRS gene (serS1) at a different genetic locus. Alb10, named SerRS2 herein, is significantly divergent from SerRS1, which shows high homology to the housekeeping SerRS found in other Streptomyces species. We genetically and biochemically characterized the two genes and the proteins encoded. Both genes were able to complement a temperature-sensitive serS mutant of Escherichia coli and allowed growth at a nonpermissive temperature. serS2 was shown to confer albomycin resistance, with specific amino acid residues in the motif 2 signature sequences of SerRS2 playing key roles. SerRS1 and SerRS2 are comparably efficient in vitro, but the Km of serine for SerRS2 measured during tRNA aminoacylation is more than 20-fold higher than that for SerRS1. SB-217452 was also enzymatically generated and purified by two-step chromatography. Its IC50 against SerRS1 was estimated to be 10-fold lower than that against SerRS2. In contrast, both SerRSs displayed comparable inhibition kinetics for serine hydroxamate, indicating that SerRS2 was specifically resistant to SB-217452. These data suggest that mining Streptomyces genomes for duplicated aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes could provide a novel approach for the identification of natural products targeting aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.


Extracted from text ... ESR Review ? Vol 3 No 2 11 Legislation Legislation Legislation Legislation Legislation and Policy and Policy and Policy and Policy and Policy The National Health Bill A step in the right direction? Karrisha Pillay W hen passed into law the National Health Bill (the Bill) will be a vital piece of legislation that could potentially both improve the quality of life of our nation?s people and increase their life expectancy. However, in order to achieve these laudable objectives, it is critical that the Bill?s provisions are struc- tured in a way that is responsive to the population?s health ..


Controversy exists on whether differentiable neural architecture search methods discover wiring topology effectively. To understand how wiring topology evolves, we study the underlying mechanism of several existing differentiable NAS frameworks. Our investigation is motivated by three observed searching patterns of differentiable NAS: 1) they search by growing instead of pruning; 2) wider networks are more preferred than deeper ones; 3) no edges are selected in bi-level optimization. To anatomize these phenomena, we propose a unified view on searching algorithms of existing frameworks, transferring the global optimization to local cost minimization. Based on this reformulation, we conduct empirical and theoretical analyses, revealing implicit inductive biases in the cost's assignment mechanism and evolution dynamics that cause the observed phenomena. These biases indicate strong discrimination towards certain topologies. To this end, we pose questions that future differentiable methods for neural wiring discovery need to confront, hoping to evoke a discussion and rethinking on how much bias has been enforced implicitly in existing NAS methods.


Little is known about the basic characteristics of the western harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex owyheei) in the absence of anthropogenic disturbances. We examined the role of P. owyheei as an agent of disturbance in an area of semiarid vegetation in central Oregon known as the Horse Ridge Research Natural Area (HRRNA) that has been largely free of livestock grazing and other significant anthropogenic influences for over 23 yr. We determined density and size characteristics of nest sites and estimate total area cleared by P. owyheei activities on HRRNA. From random sampling of twenty-five 0.04-ha plots we found a mean nest density/standard error of 1.6(± 0.16) nests/0.04 ha. Mean area cleared per nest site was 4.8 m2, which results in an estimated barren area of 46,080 m2 on the 240-ha HRRNA. Comparing our findings to others on P. owyheei and P. occidentalis, we found nest density and mean cleared area to be in the middle range of reported observations under a variety of land-use influences. The literature suggests that moderate disturbance may increase nest site density, but little relationship exists between disturbance history and mean size of nest sites.


In this paper, we discuss the requirements of cognitive architectures for epigenetic robotics, and highlight the wider role that they can play in the development of the cognitive sciences. We discuss the ambitious goals of ongoing development, scalability, concept use and transparency, and introduce the epigenetic robotics architecture (ERA) as a framework guiding modeling efforts. A formal implementation is provided, demonstrated, and discussed in terms of meeting these goals. Extensions of the architecture are also introduced and we show how the dynamics of resulting models can transparently account for a wide range of psychological phenomena, without task dependant tuning, thereby making progress in all of the goal areas we highlight.


Automatic control has played a vital role in the evolution of engineering and science. It is also important in such industrial operations as controlling temperature, pressure, humidity, flow and level in the process. This paper focus on the development and implementation of an intelligent optimization to obtain a optimum PID controller settings for level control process in cylindrical tank. System identification of the process is done by step test method and found to be First Order Plus Dead Time (FOPDT) model. At first, a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller based on internal model controller (IMC) settings is designed and the results are compared with PSO based PID controller settings. The robustness of the controllers is validated by imposing both servo and regulatory disturbances. The performance comparison of the designed controller settings are analyzed by time domain specification. Better controller performance can be envisaged by the proposed methods using PSO based PID controller settings than IMC tuned PID controller.


Temporal issues of importance include timing, magnitude, and return frequency of flow conditions as well as duration of exposure (concentration) and return frequency of specific exposure levels. Urbanization alters flow regime and produces unit-hydrograph changes. Water quality is also altered by urban runoff, stream conditions may be dependent on both control technologies used and landuse activities present in the watershed. Spatial issues are important because biological conditions will vary with location in the watershed. This paper views the streams receiving urban runoff in the context of the total watershed. Streams should not be viewed as conduits for the transfer of runoff. Suggested mitigation and control procedures incorporate both temporal and spatial dynamic aspects of the watershed.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, presenting itself clinically by progressive loss of memory and learning and its prevention is a major public health challenge. The key event in the progression of AD are the sequential cleavages of β-amyloid precursor protein (β-APP) by two proteolytic enzymes, beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE-1 or memapsin 2) and γ-secretase to produce Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the human brain. From the therapeutic point of view, BACE-1 appears to be a promising drug target, which stimulated the design and synthesis of BACE-1 inhibitors. The present work describes the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of non-peptidic, semi-peptidic and peptidic BACE-1 inhibitors. The norstatine based BACE-1 inhibitors were synthesized to study the structure-activity relationship (SAR) at the P2´ position. The synthetic approach utilized L-phenylalaninol and isophthalamide derivatives, provided both hydroxyl diastereomers in a 1:1 ratio, which were isolated and investigated separately. To enable lead optimization and facile variation at the P1 position, a new synthetic route was developed by employing an organocatalytic approach. As a consequence, a variety of norstatine derivatives was synthesized by a proline catalyzed α-amination reaction followed by a Passerini reaction. For an easy removal of catalyst, clean and straightforward separation of the product, an immobilized proline derived catalyst was synthesized and successfully employed. A series of compounds was designed and synthesized as potential BACE-1 inhibitors, as analogues of MG132, which is known to have a broad specificity to inhibit cysteine, serine and aspartyl proteases. Biological evaluation of these compounds for BACE-1 and 20S proteasome displayed moderate BACE-1 inhibition. However, they turned out to be potent 20S proteasome inhibitors and promising drug candidates. The most potent 20S proteasome inhibitor BSc2118 that has low toxicity and effective inhibition encouraged further evaluation and optimization of the lead compound. The combined treatment of BSc2118 and calpain-specific inhibitor was evaluated on human melanoma cisplatin-resistant (MeWocis1) cells and found to affect two different proteolytic pathways, which can enhance the proteasome inhibitor–mediated death of the tumor cells, especially of the cisplatin-resistant cells. An agonist of the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) acts to improve behavioural performance in an animal model of AD. Atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and hypertension are identified as other risk factors for AD. A subgroup of angiotensin receptor type 1 (AT1) receptor blockers has been identified as ligands for the PPAR-γ. Therefore, two active losartan metabolites i.e. EXP3174 and EXP3179 were synthesized and characterized for the PPAR-γ–activating properties in the present work. Moreover, it was investigated that EXP3179 inhibits collagen-dependent platelet activation via glycoprotein receptor-VI independent of AT1-receptor antagonism, which has a potential impact on atherothrombosis. Beside this, it was explored that AT1 blockade in astrocytes decreases hypoxia-induced cell damage and inflammation. AT1-R blockade could be of therapeutic benefit during neurodegenerative disorders accompanied by inflammation, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and multiple sclerosis due to its anti-inflammatory and vulnerability-reducing effect on astrocytes.


The interpenetration of two polymer brushes on approaching flat surfaces has been investigated. When compacting polymer brushes with an asymmetric charge on each surface, one neutral and the other weakly charged, we find that the brush interpenetration becomes a parameter that can be controlled by the pH of the hydrating solution. The switching between high and low degrees of brush interpenetration was investigated with numerical self-consistent field theory (nSCF) and experimentally using a sample environment which combines neutron reflectometry with a surface force type apparatus. Initially, a pair of uncharged poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, brushes are examined, where one of the brushes is deuterated to distinguish it from a hydrogenous counterpart. We find in both nSCF and these experiments that there is no significant overlap between the brushes as both compact into polymer blocks with little hydration. However, when a weak polyelectrolyte poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate), PDMAEMA, brush is confined against a deuterated neutral PEO brush and the pH of the hydrating solution is below the polycation's pKa of 7.5, then the presence of charged groups on the PDMAEMA allows significant interpenetration to occur between the two polymer brushes on contact. This interpenetration remains once the polymer brushes dehydrate due to the confining pressure that is applied. Raising the pH to a value above the pKa, removes the charges from the polyelectrolyte brush resulting in little to no interpenetration between the two brushes. Therefore, by simply adjusting the pH of the hydrating solution the interpenetration state between polymer brush pairs can be switched when one brush is a weak polyelectrolyte. Since polymer brushes are widely investigated and used to reduce friction between solid surfaces, this effect may have significant implications in the design and operation of polymer brushes with controllable friction properties.


IMPORTANCE
It remains unclear whether telemonitoring approaches provide benefits for patients with heart failure (HF) after hospitalization.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of a care transition intervention using remote patient monitoring in reducing 180-day all-cause readmissions among a broad population of older adults hospitalized with HF.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
We randomized 1437 patients hospitalized for HF between October 12, 2011, and September 30, 2013, to the intervention arm (715 patients) or to the usual care arm (722 patients) of the Better Effectiveness After Transition-Heart Failure (BEAT-HF) study and observed them for 180 days. The dates of our study analysis were March 30, 2014, to October 1, 2015. The setting was 6 academic medical centers in California. Participants were hospitalized individuals 50 years or older who received active treatment for decompensated HF.

INTERVENTIONS
The intervention combined health coaching telephone calls and telemonitoring. Telemonitoring used electronic equipment that collected daily information about blood pressure, heart rate, symptoms, and weight. Centralized registered nurses conducted telemonitoring reviews, protocolized actions, and telephone calls.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was readmission for any cause within 180 days after discharge. Secondary outcomes were all-cause readmission within 30 days, all-cause mortality at 30 and 180 days, and quality of life at 30 and 180 days.

RESULTS
Among 1437 participants, the median age was 73 years. Overall, 46.2% (664 of 1437) were female, and 22.0% (316 of 1437) were African American. The intervention and usual care groups did not differ significantly in readmissions for any cause 180 days after discharge, which occurred in 50.8% (363 of 715) and 49.2% (355 of 722) of patients, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.88-1.20; P = .74). In secondary analyses, there were no significant differences in 30-day readmission or 180-day mortality, but there was a significant difference in 180-day quality of life between the intervention and usual care groups. No adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Among patients hospitalized for HF, combined health coaching telephone calls and telemonitoring did not reduce 180-day readmissions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01360203.


Significance Little evidence exists on whether preferences about hypothetical choices measured in a survey experiment are driven by the same structural determinants of the actual choices made in the real world. This study answers this question using a natural experiment as a behavioral benchmark. Comparing the results from conjoint and vignette experiments on which attributes of hypothetical immigrants generate support for naturalization with the outcomes of closely corresponding referendums in Switzerland, we find that the effects estimated from the surveys match the effects of the same attributes in the behavioral benchmark remarkably well. We also find that seemingly subtle differences in survey designs can produce significant differences in performance. Overall, the paired conjoint design performs the best. Survey experiments, like vignette and conjoint analyses, are widely used in the social sciences to elicit stated preferences and study how humans make multidimensional choices. However, there is a paucity of research on the external validity of these methods that examines whether the determinants that explain hypothetical choices made by survey respondents match the determinants that explain what subjects actually do when making similar choices in real-world situations. This study compares results from conjoint and vignette analyses on which immigrant attributes generate support for naturalization with closely corresponding behavioral data from a natural experiment in Switzerland, where some municipalities used referendums to decide on the citizenship applications of foreign residents. Using a representative sample from the same population and the official descriptions of applicant characteristics that voters received before each referendum as a behavioral benchmark, we find that the effects of the applicant attributes estimated from the survey experiments perform remarkably well in recovering the effects of the same attributes in the behavioral benchmark. We also find important differences in the relative performances of the different designs. Overall, the paired conjoint design, where respondents evaluate two immigrants side by side, comes closest to the behavioral benchmark; on average, its estimates are within 2% percentage points of the effects in the behavioral benchmark.


Analyzes of influence of the point thermal bridges of buildings with ventilated facade systems on the thermal properties of envelops are presented in the paper. The relation between the separate components of the envelop were made: thermal properties and thickness of supporting wall's layer; value of thermal conductivity and thickness of insulation layer. Studies have shown, that the value of the point thermal transmittance, which depended on the thermal properties of the envelop and thickness of the layers, might increase to 35%. The higher thermal conductivity coefficient of the material of the supporting wall and thickness of the insulation layer, the larger value the point thermal transmittance. And contrary, if the thickness of the supporting wall and coefficient of thermal conductivity of insulation layer was increased, the value the point thermal transmittance was decreased. It is possible to determine the value of thermal bridges of certain construction design solution by simplified calculations, according to the existing dependencies formulas or graphics. In this case it's necessary to have dependence of the point thermal bridges from thermal insulation properties and dimensions of envelop layers.                DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.11.2.12606


Objective: Existing research suggests that men are less likely to be diagnosed with common mental illnesses, but are more likely to drink to hazardous levels and attempt and complete suicide, suggesting that mental illness is prevalent among men, but how they express their distress can be externalised. The need to attend to men's help-seeking behaviour has been recognised and is extensively researched; but, the role of the medical system in supporting this access is less researched. However, the role of General Practitioners (GPs) in supporting men's access is recognised. This study explored how GPs encourage their patients to disclose symptoms of psychological distress, and how they make decisions regarding treatment. The results with a specific focus on men were highlighted.
Design: A qualitative inductive Thematic Analysis was undertaken to identify themes emerging from the data.
Method: Nine GPs (mean age = 35) were recruited. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews about their consultations with patients presenting with psychological distress.
Results: Three themes emerged; 1) "Facilitating Techniques" which captured factors assisting consultations, encompassing five subthemes; Interpersonal Skills, Masking and Unmasking, Specific methods used to Gather Information, Mental Health Awareness and Organisational Influences; 2) "Recognition of the Patient's Treatment Preferences", which captured how GPs are guided by their patient's preferences, men's preference of medication, and the immediate availability of medication; and 3) "Cultural Prism", which captured cultural factors through which help-seeking is governed from the GPs' perspectives.
Conclusions: This research has improved the understanding of how GPs elicit men's disclosure of psychological distress, and their decision-making processes about treatment. It also highlights the benefits of inviting men to attend regular health checks, which has important implications in reducing some of the barriers of help-seeking in men. However, the clinical implications and conclusions are drawn tentatively given the perceived limitations of the study.


The conventional wisdom has it that US Democrats and those on the American left support incremental steps in the direction of socialism, if not an all-out endorsement of the concept. However, in at least one area—regulation—Republicans and the American political right have also, albeit unwittingly, spread the seeds of socialism not just in Washington, DC, but all across the world. This article reviews the history of federal regulation in the United States, and in particular the arcane, technical history of cost-benefit analysis (CBA), a tool that has become increasingly central in battles over regulation between the Left and the Right. Although right-wing political operatives latched on to CBA in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the tool has a long, complicated history, aspects of which could even be called socialist in nature.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central
nervous system (CNS). Myelin antigen(s) specific T cells, B cells, and antibodies are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of MS. While the influence of autoantigenspecific CD4+ T cells has been extensively studied in animal models, the relevance of autoantigen specific B cells and their interactions with pathogenic T cells are largely unknown.
The original aim of the present study was to create a new mouse model with
which to investigate the interaction of myelin autoantigen specific B and T cells and their role in MS pathogenesis. The study was further expanded to analyze the nature and triggers of spontaneous disease and similarity of the mouse lesion pattern to that in human disease.
The double-transgenic mouse ("Devic mouse") strain presented here contains myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific T as well as B cells. A significant proportion (>50%) of these mice showed spontaneous experimentalautoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)-like disease at a young age. In contrast, all single transgenic littermates were free of clinical disease. Spontaneous EAE requires both MOG-specific T and B cells, since the breeding of MOG-specific Ig heavy chain knock-in mice with ovalbumin specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice did not develop any disease.
Histological analysis of the CNS of affected mice revealed restricted localization of lesions in the spinal cord and optic nerves as well as severe demyelination and axonal damage that spared brain and cerebellum. The inflammatory infiltrates were predominantly composed of macrophages and CD4+ T cells, but occasionally also eosinophils. This peculiar localization of the demyelinating lesions and infiltration profile differ from classic EAE and is reminiscent of Devic's neuromyelitis optica, a variant of classic MS in humans.
It is not well understood what triggers the initiation of spontaneous EAE. The microbial environment does not significantly affect the clinical disease. Stimulation of the innate immune system with toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands or depletion of putative regulatory cells did not significantly affect EAE development. The (re-)activation of lymphocytes in sick Devic mice mainly occurs in the CNS without
evidence of priming in the peripheral lymphoid organs.
MOG-specific B and T cells cooperate by means of several mechanisms. MOGspecific
B cells, which bind MOG but not the immunodominant peptide MOG 35-55 via their surface immunoglobulin (Ig), efficiently presented even high dilutions of MOG to T cells. This resulted in the enhanced proliferation of T and B cells as well
as rapid activation. Stimulated T, but not B cells, secreted large amounts of Th1
cytokines IFNg and IL-2 along with small amounts of Th2 cytokine IL-5. In addition,
MOG-stimulated T and B cells expressed a set of co-stimulatory molecules, which
further help to modulate the proliferation and activation. Surprisingly, the doubletransgenic Devic mice, but not their single transgenic littermates, had high titers of MOG-specific IgG1 antibodies in the serum, which indicates a previous encounter with antigen in vivo. However, similar MOG-specific serum IgG1 titers were present irrespective of the clinical status. The transfer of EAE by Devic splenocytes in immunodeficient mice or by bone marrow reconstitution in wild-type mice further supported the in vivo cooperation of MOG-specific T and B cells to induce spontaneous EAE.
In summary, Devic mice show several salient features that are important for study
of the pathogenic mechanisms of CNS autoimmunity. As a model of spontaneous
autoimmunity, they may allow us to study the triggering factors of autoimmunity as
well as the factors that determine restricted infiltration of immune cells into the CNS.In addition, the model may be useful for validating novel therapies for autoimmune CNS diseases.


Who has the right to say what the body means? This is one of the questions those concerned with the power of media – and of access to media – frequently consider. The multiple forms of media (traditional and new) that we experience can have a profound influence on how we consider the body. Those myriad voices frequently dictate (or try to dictate) what we as communities believe it means to be beautiful, what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, what it means to be "normal," even what it means to be human. Increasingly democratic possibilities of new media and media distribution have given forum to many new voices to give their own take on these questions. There have increasingly been more ways to expand and interrogate sacred notions of the body, whether the sacred cultural scripts of gender, race, or those of what it means to have a disability.


Changes of the black band disease (BBD)-associated microbial consortium on the surface of a Favia sp. coral colony were assessed in relation to the different disease phases. A number of highly active bacterial groups changed in numbers as the BBD disease signs changed. These included Gamma- and Epsilonproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes groups. One cyanobacterium strain, BGP10_4ST (FJ210722), was constantly present in the disease interface and adjacent tissues of the affected corals, regardless of disease phase. The dynamics of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of this BBD-specific strain provide a marker regarding the disease phase. The disease's active phase is characterized by a wide dark band progressing along the tissue-skeleton interface and by numerous bacterial OTUs. Cyanobacterial OTUs decreased in numbers as the disease signs waned, perhaps opening a niche for additional microorganisms. Even when black band signs disappeared there was a consistent though low abundance of the BBD-specific cyanobacteria (BGP10_4ST), and the microbial community of the disease-skeleton interface remained surprisingly similar to the original band community. These results provide an indication that the persistence of even low numbers of this BBD-specific cyanobacterium in coral tissues during the non-active (or subclinical) state could facilitate reinitiation of BBD signs during the following summer. This may indicate that this bacterium is major constituent of the disease and that its persistence and ability to infiltrate the coral tissues may act to facilitate the assembly of the other BBD-specific groups of bacteria.


A novel polymer was synthesised using functionalized carbon nanotube and acrylamide as the polymer support for the separation of testosterone. The developed polymers were characterised using FT-IR, XRD, and SEM techniques. Imprinted polymer showed specificity towards the template testosterone. Among the various polymers, the MWCNT incorporated polymer showed high binding towards the used template. Investigation of the selectivity characteristics revealed that the developed polymer showed selectivity toward the template testosterone than similar compounds. The bound template could be totally recovered and regenerated polymer maintains its recognition property after repeated use. On the basis of the results, the imprinted polymer can be applied for the direct extraction of testosterone in clinical analysis.


Parker (1996) suggests that all mothers experience maternal ambivalence, that is the feelings of love and hate directed simultaneously at one's own child. Furthermore Parker (1996) contends that this is a normal, healthy part of the development of the mother-child relationship. However due to social expectations around mothering the experience of ambivalent feelings towards one's own child is considered abnormal and even pathological. As such any normal experiences of maternal ambivalence are experienced as deeply conflictual and distressing by the mothers. Price (1988) and Parker (1996) suggest that as a result of these deeply distressing experiences, mothers feel intense guilt and desperation which, if these become unmanageable, can lead to deep feelings of depression in the mother and even possibly child abuse. This study made use of directed focus groups and sought to explore the difficulties and tensions created by maternal ambivalence and to unpack the way in which mothers understood these experiences. The 'voice relational method' of analysis was used to deepen the understanding of the participants' stories. It became clear that maternal ambivalence was evident across these participant's narratives and was mediated by social expectations, as Parker (1996) proposed. The majority of these participants found these experiences incredibly distressing and deeply conflictual. They expressed the feeling of being alone in these experiences and interpreted these experiences as abnormal and sometimes even pathological. However, through the process of the focus groups the process of maternal ambivalence began to be normalised and reconstructed in a more enabling and supportive way.


In heavily irradiated mice, bone marrow regeneration of either endogenous or exogenous origin was shown to occur in discrete foci comparable to the more intensively studied spleen colonies. The number of endogenous bone marrow colonies was inversely related to dose of whole body X-irradiation. Endogenous marrow colonies were found after higher doses of irradiation than were endogenous spleen colonies. Most of them were granulocytic in nature. Exogenous bone marrow colonies in lethally irradiated mice injected with bone marrow cells were proportional in number to the dose of cells injected, appeared at a time comparable to spleen colonies like which, at 7 or 8 days, they were of single differentiated cell line, either granuloid or erythroid or megakaryocytic, with a small percentage of "mixed" colonies. Whereas erythroid colonies outnumber granuloid colonies in spleen, either in situ or subcutaneously transplanted (E:G colony ratio of about 3.5), granuloid colonies outnumber erythroid in bone marrow (E:G colony ratio of about 0.7). The characteristic E:G colony ratios of spleen and marrow appear more likely to be the result of a hemopoietic organ stromal influence on pluripotent colony forming units (CFU's) than of selective lodgment of committed (unipotent) granuloid and erythroid CFU's in bone marrow and spleen, respectively, as indicated by the following. Bone marrow stem cells (CFU) which had reseeded the marrow cavity of irradiated primary recipients 18–24 hr earlier, were reharvested and retransplanted intravenously into irradiated secondary hosts. The E:G colony ratio of the colonies formed in the spleen of the secondary hosts was typical of primary spleen colonies (2.8), that of the colonies formed in the marrow cavity was typical of bone marrow colonies (0.6). Pieces of marrow stroma containing reseeded CPU's from the contralateral femur of these same primary recipients were implanted by trocar directly into the spleens of other irradiated secondary recipients. Those CPU's that developed in the intrasplenic-implanted marrow stroma yielded an. E:G colony ratio of 0.1. Those that migrated into the contiguous and remote portions of the spleen gave E:G colony ratios of 2.9 and 2.4, respectively. Irradiated marrow stroma and normal spleen CPU's (a 1 mm cube of spleen) were loaded into the same trocar and implanted directly into the spleens of irradiated mice. The spleen CFU's that migrated into the implanted marrow stroma yielded five granuloid and two mixed colonies. The larger number that developed in the host spleen yielded an E:G colony ratio of 2.9 or higher. Of those 19 mixed colonies that bridged the junction of spleen and implanted marrow stroma in each of the above two experiments, in every case, the erythroid portion of the colony was in the splenic stroma, the granuloid portion was in the marrow stroma.


There is a need for a risk analysis technique specific for academic research laboratories. Since accurate accident data, normally required for quantitative risk analysis, are not available for this environment, expert judgements are often used to describe risks. However, these judgements are afflicted with linguistic, lexical or informal uncertainties. As a consequence, analyses made by different experts can lead to different results, which make risks incomparable. The purpose of this work is to analyse the effect of these uncertainties and to test strategies to improve the accuracy of the risk estimation based on expert judgements. Different calculation methods were used to compare the obtained risk scores. Results show that a multiplication-based formula, as used, for example, in the Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), has an inconsistent variance of the risk score distribution. Another approach, using a logarithm-sum-based formula, gives more consistent results but introduces other drawbacks. An estimation method based on Bayesian networks is giving more consistent variances, which are crucial for the risk estimation. With a higher precision of the risk score results, the prioritization of risks can be enhanced and resources can be better allocated to improve the level of occupational safety in academic research laboratories.


This paper considers the optimal design of an emissions trading program that includes a safety valve tax that allows pollution sources to escape the emissions cap imposed by the aggregate supply of emissions permits. I demonstrate that an optimal hybrid emissions trading/emissions tax policy involves a permit supply that is strictly less than under a pure emissions trading scheme and a safety valve tax that exceeds the optimal pure emissions tax as long as expected marginal damage is an increasing function. While the expected level of emissions under a hybrid policy may be more or less than under pure emissions trading or a pure emissions tax, under the assumption that uncertainty about aggregate marginal abatement costs is symmetric the most likely outcome is that emissions will turn out to be less under the hybrid. Finally, a steeper expected marginal damage function calls for higher permit supply and safety valve, which reduces expected aggregate emissions and the probability that the safety valve will be employed.


The Resilience-Increasing Strategies for Coasts – Toolkit (RISC-KIT) FP7 EU project (2013-2017) aims to produce a set of three innovative and EU-coherent open-source and open-access methods, tools and management approaches (the RISC-KIT) in support of coastal managers, decision-makers and policy makers to reduce risk and increase resilience to low-frequency, high impact hydro-meteorological events. Risk is defined within this project as the product of the probability of a hazard, the exposure of receptors and their vulnerability. Representing the vulnerability and the potential role of DRR in their reduction is crucial for supporting the decision. As such a specific task of the RISC-KIT project (Task 2.2) is dedicated to developing a Library of Vulnerability Indicators to input in the RISC-KIT Toolkit and to test the tools on 11 case studies. The deliverable "Coastal Vulnerability Indicator Library" is composed of a Microsoft Excel database and a guidance document. The deliverable introduces the necessary concepts and methods, provides a review and a collection of existing indicators and proposes methodologies for developing new indicators. The Library has been constructed around four categories: Built Environment, Population, Ecosystem and Systems. The Library also identifies Disaster Reduction Measures influencing vulnerability and proposes methods to include within the assessment of vulnerability.


High-resolution aeromagnetic surveys flown over the Albuquerque basin, New Mexico, demonstrate that aeromagnetic methods can successfully map concealed and poorly exposed faults in sediment-filled basins. This is the first known use of aeromagnetic data as an aid to surficial mapping and hydrogeologic studies in a basin. Aeromagnetic maps show detailed fault patterns within the basin fill that revise the structural view of the basin. Concealed faults are more numerous and more closely spaced than expected. The Hubbell Springs fault is the central splay of three generally north-striking fault splays that can be traced for nearly 50 km. The splays converge on the north and may represent the southern extension of the Tijeras fault, contradicting the proposed southwest extension of the Tijeras fault across the basin. In profile view, the linear aeromagnetic anomalies associated with faults show a variety of signatures. One signature has potential for mapping fault-controlled sedimentation in the subsurface because it identifies increases in magnetic, likely coarse-grained, material in the hanging walls of faults.


Background. Research shows that learning and task performance improve when participants in management exercises understand the structure of the system they control. However, the majority of business simulators are black-boxes. Aim. This article introduces structural debriefing, which is a debriefing activity aimed at helping students learn about causal relationships, feedbacks, accumulations, and delays within a black-box simulation. Method. A structural debriefing can be prepared and facilitated by following the Structural Debriefing Protocol. Results. A pilot study was conducted in which undergraduate students participated in a structural debriefing of The LITTLEFIELD TECHNOLOGIES, a popular simulation for teaching principles of operations management. The students were able to complete all eight steps of a structural debriefing, but required considerable time (three academic terms) to do so. Not every instructional simulation will require all the steps or such a large time commitment. Conclusion. The successful completion of the pilot study demonstrates that structural debriefing is a useful debriefing technique. However, to be effective, the scope and format of a structural debriefing activity must suit practical and pedagogical considerations.


In industries, how to improve forecasting accuracy such as sales, shipping is an important issue. There are many researches made on this. In this paper, a hybrid method is introduced and plural methods are compared. Focusing that the equation of exponential smoothing method(ESM) is equivalent to (1,1) order ARMA model equation,a new method of estimation of smoothing constant in exponential smoothing method is proposed before by us which satisfies minimum variance of forecasting error. Generally, smoothing constant is selected arbitrarily. But in this paper, we utilize above stated theoretical solution. Firstly, we make estimation of ARMA model parameter and then estimate smoothing constants. Thus theoretical solution is derived in a simple way and it may be utilized in various fields. Furthermore, combining the trend removing method with this method, we aim to improve forecasting accuracy. An approach to this method is executed in the following method. Trend removing by the combination of linear and 2 nd order non-linear function and 3 rd order non-linear function is carried out to the sum total medical data of production and imports of Blood extracorporeal circulation apparatus for three cases (Hemodialysis apparatus, Dialyzer, and Blood circuit). The weights for these functions are set 0.5 for two patterns at first and then varied by 0.01 increment for three patterns and optimal weights are searched. For the comparison, monthly trend is removed after that. Theoretical solution of smoothing constant of ESM is calculated for both of the monthly trend removing data and the non monthly trend removing data. Then forecasting is executed on these data. The. new method shows that it is useful for the time series that has various trend characteristics and has rather strong seasonal trend. The effectiveness of this method should be examined in various cases.


We examine a sample of in-the-money convertible preferred stock calls and find that they are delayed. We find that the length of the call delay does not depend on the relation between the preferred stock dividends and the pro rata common dividends to be paid on conversion. Thus, our evidence suggests that preferred stock calls may be used for signaling purposes. In support of this, we find that only delayed calls (i.e., those with potential signaling elements) are viewed negatively by equity investors. We also show that, in responding to delayed call announcements, investors appear to react to two distinct information elements. First, price responses to delayed calls are increasingly negative the larger the cash flow disadvantage to calling. In other words, common investors respond more negatively to calls when the forced conversion results in convertible holders receiving larger dividends than were previously required. Second, both cash flow advantage and cash flow disadvantage firms experience significant downward shifts in earnings growth during post-call periods, suggesting that delayed calls are timely signals of decreasing profitability.


Ontario's Greenbelt is key to the region's sustainability and plays an important role in stopping urban sprawl, preserving agricultural land and maintaining ecological goods and services. However, there have been concerns expressed in the literature and by non-government organizations that the Greenbelt legislation, on its own, will not ensure the viability of the farming economy in this region, or ensure adequate ecological stewardship. These concerns point to the need for other programs and policies to complement the Greenbelt legislation, and to help ensure that the goals of the Greenbelt are met. This research study assesses the potential of the Alternative Land Use Services Program (ALUS) as a tool for promoting agricultural viability and associated land stewardship in Ontario's Greenbelt. An Alternative Land Use Services program would pay farmers for the provision of environmental services in the public interest. Using a qualitative methodological approach based on a literature review, a review of government and non-government organization documents and interviews with key stakeholders, this study compares the potential contribution of the ALUS program with that of other reasonable alternatives currently available to promote farmland protection and farm stewardship. The research also provides an analytical framework and a comprehensive set of criteria for selection and design of programs in support of sustainable agriculture in the Greenbelt. The primary research findings indicate that an ALUS program in the Greenbelt, established as a stand-alone regional project or as part of a provincial or national program, could help to strengthen the Greenbelt's roles in stopping urban sprawl, preserving agricultural land and maintaining ecological goods and services. The ALUS concept and means of applying it could also play an important role in discussions regarding how to support the farm economy and rural communities in the Greenbelt. ALUS may be particularly appropriate as a means of enhancing the economic and ecological aspects of peri-urban agriculture. One of the thesis conclusions is that while ALUS could play a positive role in the Greenbelt, the program would be insufficient if it were applied on its own. ALUS will need to be packaged with a suite of existing programs that would be able to complement ALUS and address some of its weakness in order to make a stronger contribution. This research has identified new opportunities to promote land stewardship and enhance livelihoods in the agricultural sector as well as a new agenda for sustainable agriculture in the Greenbelt. More generally, the framework for analysis that was applied in this research has a broader applicability and usefulness in sustainability-based decision making processes. The approach outlines how sustainability assessments might specify sustainability considerations and integrate them together in particular applications.


Subjective interpretation of paired digital radiographic images viewed side by side to assess occlusal lesion progression, arrest or remineralization is difficult. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy and reproducibility of a digital subtraction radiography technique and visual assessment of paired digital images in detecting changes in mineral content within occlusal cavities. Forty molar teeth with occlusal cavities were placed in arches and baseline digital radiographs taken. Nineteen teeth were randomly selected and had acid placed in the cavities and digital images taken after 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h of acid exposure. Paired baseline images and those taken at the various time intervals were examined side by side and assessed for demineralization by five examiners. Subtraction images prepared from the paired images were assessed in the same way. One fifth of the images were re-examined to determine intra-examiner reproducibility. After 12 h or longer the diagnostic accuracy (mean area under the ROC curve = 0.92–0.98 for subtraction radiography), intra-examiner and inter-examiner reproducibility for detection of demineralization from the subtraction images was significantly better than viewing the paired images side by side (p < 0.01). The subtraction radiography system used was found to be more accurate and reproducible than visual assessment of paired digital images. As such the technique shows promise for monitoring occlusal lesion progression in clinical studies.


In The Wind of the Hundred Days, a new collection of public policy essays, Jagdish Bhagwati applies his characteristic wit and accessible style to the subject of globalization. Notably, he argues that the true Clinton scandal lay in the administration's mismanagement of globalization -- resulting in the paradox of immense domestic policy success combined with dramatic failure on the external front. Bhagwati assigns the bulk of the blame for the East Asian financial and economic crisis -- a disaster that prompts him to use as his title the poet Octavio Paz's image of devastation "I met the wind of the hundred days" -- to the administration's hasty push for financial liberalization in the region.The administration, Bhagwati claims, has also mishandled the freeing of trade. The administration-hosted WTO meeting in Seattle ended in chaos and the launch of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations was dashed. Bhagwati shows how the administration's failure to get Congress to renew fast-track authority can be attributed to an unimaginative response to the demands of a growing civil society. In several essays, he shows how free trade and social agendas both could have been pursued successfully if the concerns of human-rights, environmental, cultural, and labor activists had been met through creative programs at appropriate international agencies such as the International Labour Organization instead of the WTO and via trade treaties. Bhagwati also criticizes the claim that "globalization needs a human face," arguing that it already has one. He faults the administration for embracing unsubstantiated anti-globalization rhetoric that has made its own preferred option of pursuing globalization that much more difficult.


This study examined the potential for recycling domestic organic waste in Hobart,
within the context of the Tasmanian Solid Waste Management Policy (1994), which
encompasses both home composting and centralised large scale composting. The
effectiveness of the Hobart City Council's home composting program and the viability,
for the Council to establish a centralised composting scheme, was examined.
The study analysed the impact of state legislation and policies on waste management in
Tasmania and examined the rationale for bioconverting organic waste into compost. The
biological aspects of bioconvertion, and the various composting systems, composting
technologies and the process control required for large scale composting, were
investigated. A survey, to determine the community's current recycling experiences and
practices for organic waste and to assess community support for a centralised
composting scheme lwas carried out in April 1997 in the Hobart municipality.
The study found anomalies, with a significant proportion of the community either
excluded from, or not satisfied with, the levels of information in the Council's home
composting program. The type of compost bins promoted in the Council's incentive
based program were also not found to be conducive for use in all housing types. The
study analysed the limitations in the Council's home composting program and proposed
a number of approaches for the Hobart City Council to improve its promotional and
educational strategies, and incentive based programs. The study found that there is strong community support for the Council to pursue large
scale composting, as an alternative to landfilling organic waste. The majority of
households indicated willingness to pay for the cost and ensure logistic support for the
recycling scheme. The study identified a number of concerns associated with centralised
composting schemes and proposed a number of strategies for the Council to take into
consideration when embarking with the recycling scheme. The study concludes by
offering areas of future research and the potential to encourage the wider involvement of
all councils in waste management issues.


Girls and women face many challenges in engaging in activism across the globe. Both online and in public spaces in our cities, which are increasingly surveilled and monitored by government and law enforcement agencies, women face challenges. In this submission, I would like to draw attention to several issues in particular. First, many countries around the world do have discriminatory face-covering laws, which ban Muslim face coverings in public spaces and thus prevent young women and girl activists from Muslim cultural backgrounds from exercising their rights to freedom of assembly, expression and opinion, among other rights. Second, a lot of public places, including cities and airports, are increasingly equipped with facial recognition technology, which undermines women's activism in city streets and squares. Third, in the digital environment and on media platforms, women from marginalized groups, such as LGBTI communities, face new threats and challenges – their speech and expression are often supressed and also weaponized against them. Furthermore, the rise of large-scale data collection and algorithm-driven analysis targeting sensitive information poses many threats for women activists, especially from LGBTI communities, who are especially vulnerable to privacy intrusion due to their often hostile social, political, and even legal environments. I invite the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls to:

1) Call on the UN bodies to enhance their understanding of theory intersectionality. I have recently proposed a way to enhance judicial interpretation of reconceptualizing by reference to a modified concept of "harmful cultural practices", (paper is freely available on SSRN).
2) Call for a ban on the use of facial recognition technology by governments in public city spaces.
3) Call for the development of binding international human rights law for private actors to remedy the violations of freedom of expression of women activists, especially from LGBTI communities in the digital environment.


Recent fossil discoveries from the lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale (EBS) on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, have provided critical insights into the tempo of the Cambrian explosion of animals, such as the origin and seemingly rapid evolution of arthropod compound eyes, as well as extending the geographical ranges of several groups to the East Gondwanan margin, supporting close faunal affinities with South China. The EBS also holds great potential for broadening knowledge on taphonomic pathways involved in the exceptional preservation of fossils in Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten. EBS fossils display a range of taphonomic modes for a variety of soft tissues, especially phosphatization and pyritization, in some cases recording a level of anatomical detail that is absent from most Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten.


Background: Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is the most devastating disease in peanut. Planting resistant peanut cultivars is deemed as the sole economically viable means for effective control of the disease. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying resistance and facilitate breeding process, differences in gene expression between seeds of Rihua 1 (a Virginia type peanut variety resistant to bacterial wilt) inoculated with the bacterial pathogen suspension (10 9 cfu ml -1 ) and seeds of the same cultivar treated with water (control), were studied using the Genefishing TM technology. Results: A total of 25 differentially expressed genes were isolated. Expression of genes encoding cyclophilin and ADP-ribosylation factor, respectively, were further studied by real time RT-PCR, and full length cDNAs of both genes were obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Conclusions: The study provided candidate genes potentially useful for breeding peanut cultivars with both high yield and bacterial wilt resistance, although confirmation of their functions through transgenic studies is still needed.


Environmental policy should be made up of scientific evidence. This thesis paper supports science based policy and its formulation through innovative communication strategies. It is important to be innovative in communicating science when dealing with the policy community as there could be confrontations owing to the nature of relation between science and policy. This is where the professional environment science communicator surfaces to function as a bridge between the science and policy communities in order to ensure the furthering of science into policy. Seen from the point of view of sustainability science, the role of a science communicator is imperative towards communicating science and advocating for science-evidence based policies. The initiative of the professional environment science communicator will have a future impact on the way bills are drafted. Hence, allowing this thesis to make its way into sustainability science. In context, a science communicator is a boundary spanner who sits on the boundary of science and policy, working at a boundary organization. The paper explains six communication strategies and their limitations, as a foundation for furthering the debate. Furthermore, this paper has adopted a case study method and in doing so searches for the innovative aspect in two projects of the Stockholm Environment Institute and how the innovative communication strategy in these projects influenced policy-making in each case. The results section highlights internal and external factors that affect a communications strategy and continues to discuss the innovative aspect in science communication strategies in detail, through comparative analysis. The paper concludes with a suggestion that science communicators need to recognise that their role is that of an innovation broker. This is in the benefit of sustainability science,which will seemingly support one and all. Word count - 13771 (Less)


This paper presents a novel analysis of the proba- bilistic roadmap method (PRM) for path planning. We formulate the problem in terms of computing the transitive closure of a relation over a probability space, and give a bound on the expected number iterations of PRM required to find a path, in terms of the number of intermediate points and the probability of choosing a point from a certain set. Explicit geometric assumptions are not necessary to complete this analysis. As a result, the analysis provides some unification of previous work. We provide an upper bound which could be refined using details specific to a given problem. This bound is of the same form as that proved in previous analyses, but has simpler prerequisites and is proved on a more general class of problems. Using our framework, we analyze some new path-planning problems, -degree-of-freedom kinodynamic point robots, polygonal robots with contact, and deformable robots with force field control. These examples make explicit use of generality in our approach that did not exist in previous frameworks.


Time-of-flight (ToF) echo techniques have been recently suggested for ranging mobile devices over WiFi radios. However, these techniques have yielded only moderate accuracy in indoor environments because WiFi ToF measurements suffer from extensive device-related noise which makes it challenging to differentiate between direct path from non-direct path signal components when estimating the ranges. Existing multipath mitigation techniques tend to fail at identifying the direct path when the device-related Gaussian noise is in the same order of magnitude, or larger than the multipath noise. In order to address this challenge, we propose a new method for filtering ranging measurements that is better suited for the inherent large noise as found in WiFi radios. Our technique combines statistical learning and robust statistics in a single filter. The filter is lightweight in the sense that it does not require specialized hardware, the intervention of the user, or cumbersome on-site manual calibration. This makes our method particularly suitable for indoor localization in large-scale deployments using existing legacy WiFi infrastructures. We evaluate our technique for indoor mobile tracking scenarios in multipath environments and, through extensive evaluations across four different testbeds covering areas up to 1000m2, the filter is able to achieve a median 2-D positioning error between 2 and 3.4 m.


Starting point of our analysis is that independent privately owned farm organisations in transition countries like Hungary can not countervail the market power of their business partners; therefore closer coordination (integration) of agricultural producers seems an appropriate solution. Apart from some theoretical considerations on co-operative rationale (based on New Institutional Economics), the main aim of the paper is presenting 2 case studies on producer owned marketing organisations from Hungarian agribusiness, one from the fruit and vegetable sector and the other one from the dairy chain. Conclusions from case studies are the followings. Such producers' organisations, like the Morakert Co-operative and Alfoldi Milk Selling and Supplying Ltd. can be a solution for farmers to cope with their problems arising from incomplete pricing mechanisms and to reduce transaction costs, at least at the regional level. They also are good examples for the vertical integration based on the horizontal coordination of farmers as initiators. Despite recent liquidity problems, they also proves that by cooperation there is an opportunity to significantly improve their countervailing power and to establish ownership for farmers in the upper part of the food chain if they can secure strict quality requirements, solid financing, loyalty and trust in their organisations.


In this article we place a bank's duty of care in a European and comparative law perspective. We have chosen five topics which are hotly debated in theory and practice. The first topic is the scope and intensity of the essential duties which typically flow from a bank's duty of care: duties to investigate, duties to disclose or warn, and – in exceptional cases – outright duties to refuse to render financial services or products. In some jurisdictions, financial disputes between investors and banks are not so much resolved by reference to a bank's duty of care, but by reference to the traditional doctrine of error or mistake, and fraud. That is the second topic we discuss in this article. The third topic is the impact of the European Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) on a banks' duty of care. The fourth topic focuses on the role of the financial regulator in settling disputes between banks and clients. We conclude this article with the bigger picture and relevant reform perspectives


On a levelized-cost basis, solar and wind power generation are now competitive with fossil fuels. But supply of these renewable resources is variable and intermittent, unlike traditional power plants. As a result, the cost of using flat retail pricing instead of dynamic, marginal-cost pricing—long advocated by economists—will grow. We evaluate the potential gains from dynamic pricing in high-renewable systems using a novel model of power supply and demand in Hawai'i. The model breaks new ground in integrating investment in generation and storage capacity with chronological operation of the system, including an account of reserves, a demand system with different interhour elasticities for different uses, and substitution between power and other goods and services. The model is open source and fully adaptable to other settings. Consistent with earlier studies, we find that dynamic pricing provides little social benefit in fossil-fuel-dominated power systems, only 2.6 to 4.6 percent of baseline annual expenditure. But dynamic pricing leads to a much greater social benefit of 8.5 to 23.4 percent in a 100 percent renewable power system with otherwise similar assumptions. High renewable systems, including 100 percent renewable, are remarkably affordable. The welfare maximizing (unconstrained) generation portfolio under the utility's projected 2045 technology and pessimistic interhour demand flexibility uses 79 percent renewable energy, without even accounting for pollution externalities. If overall demand for electricity is more elastic than our baseline (0.1), renewable energy is even cheaper and variable pricing can improve welfare by as much as 47 percent of baseline expenditure.


ABSTRACT The Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017 drafted by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation provides a new template that states can use to adopt legislation capable of addressing the fast-increasing groundwater crisis faced by many states. This Bill follows on an earlier model bill drafted in 1970 and updated several times until 2005 on which the dozen of existing groundwater acts are based. This 1970 template is unsuited to the present needs of a country where groundwater is now the primary source of drinking water and irrigation. In particular, it fails to provide for local-level regulation of what is often known as the most local source of water and fails to provide for conservation measures at aquifer level. The 2017 Bill integrates legal developments having taking place since the 1970s, such as the decentralization reforms kick-started in the 1990s, the recognition of water as a fundamental right and its recognition as a public trust. In doing so, it provides new bases for regulating groundwater as a public resource and to take measures at aquifer level, something that is crucial to address ongoing overexploitation and falling water tables.


The availability of carbyne in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) induces intrinsic stiffening and strengthening of CNTs, and is exploited for the very first time in this report to process epoxy nanocomposites with improved mechanical and electrical properties. The existence of encapsulated carbyne in double wall CNTs (DWNTs) was confirmed using High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM). The intrinsic stiffening of carbyne reinforced DWNTs (c-DWNTs) in epoxy matrix was visually confirmed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). In comparison to raw DWNTs reinforced epoxy nanocomposites, c-DWNTS imparted modest but improved tensile strength (5.6%), elastic modulus (9.7%), failure strain (9.9%) and fracture toughness (13%) to their respective epoxy nanocomposites. This inaugural study on carbyne-filled polymer composites also reports a minor but distinct increase (an order of magnitude) in the electrical conductivity for c-DWNTs filled epoxy nanocomposites compared to DWNT filled epoxy nanocomposites.


Dual-sensing (temperature and one analyte) based on photoluminescence is presented in this chapter. After reviewing the basic definitions and concepts, sensing formats and luminescence measurement methods are discussed, as well as common probes and analytes. The structure and performance of selected dual platforms is examined. Future perspectives for nanosized and mobile platforms are also discussed.


Microsoft's new GUI-less Server Core is a command line version of Windows Server 2008 that offers better security, reduced size, and faster access. Inside this comprehensive guide, you'll find everything you need to quickly master this sleek new version. Packed with instructions and practical examples, this book teaches you how to operate in a windowless environment, including using all the commands, creating BAT files, working with scripts, using registry hacks, managing remote systems, and more. Includes best practices, 52 indispensable command line tricks, and an alphabetical list of all the commands.


The interim constitution of Nepal has mentioned "food sovereignty as fundamental right in its constituents 18.3". However, Nepal is experiencing decline in food security situation due to collision of domestic, national and international crises viz. poor agricultural growth, declined national agricultural priority, global climate change, global food crisis, and political instability. There is domination of small and marginal holders in Nepalese agriculture. Although the share of agriculture in country's GDP is decreasing, it is still 33%, and the highest among the South Asian countries. Cereals are the most important staple food crops in Nepal and rice number one from area and production followed by maize, wheat, millets and barley. The grain-legumes and potatoes are considered the protective food crops for the maintenance of balance human nutrition in Nepal. Out of 88 countries, Nepal ranked 57 th in Global Hunger Index (GHI) with GHI value of 19.8 depicting alarming situation of hunger in different regions of the country. Since the III Five year plan (1975- 80), the government of Nepal has given high priority in agriculture, focusing major approaches on promotion of integrated farming systems to address food and nutrition security. However, the food security situation is deteriorating. Adaptive measures on climate change, food distribution policy, crop and livestock insurance, subsidies on fertilizers and seeds, research and development activities on food-grain crops and bio-diversity conservation, inter agency coordination, food and seed buffer stock, and institutional capacity building would the viable options to maintain the food security in Nepal. From the rigorous study of various past research works, it can be concluded that the wider gap of several food grain crops can be reduced by system research, crop modelling, and up-scaling the use of agricultural machineries and tools. Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 3. 2013, Page 42-52 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v3i0.8985


Abstract The Sierras Pampeanas of Córdoba are the easternmost uplifted blocks caused by Andean foreland deformation, over 700 km from the Chile trench. This deformation started at c. 340 Ma through basement faults, thrusts and reactivation of normal faults of the Cretaceous rift during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Other older faults, major oblique lineaments, were also reactivated. Thermochronological and geothermobarometric data indicate that some topographic relief could have been Palaeozoic–Mesozoic relicts and not only produced by the Andean orogeny. Faults are partially controlled by the early Cambrian S2 metamorphic foliation, coincident with the curved fault traces at map scale. During Pliocene time, two deformation phases post-dating Miocene–Pliocene magmatism are recognized. Shallow seismicity data (c. 25 km depth) indicate that the Sierras de Córdoba accommodate Quaternary displacement. Magnetotelluric studies detect the interface between the Pampia terrane and the Río de la Plata craton. The role of the oblique lineaments in the nucleation and development of the Tertiary faulting has been little considered; they could be correlated with an old pan-Gondwanan trend. During the Cretaceous period these lineaments worked in a transtensive way, producing the uplift of high-grade rocks and segmentation of the mountain chain favouring the diachronous uplift along the ranges. Recently, both the brittle–ductile transition at c. 23 km depth and the crustal thickness have been determined by seismicity analysis. The oblique lineaments displace normally the Mohorovicic discontinuity. Main basement thrusts were probably rooted in the suture between the Pampia terrane and the Río de la Plata craton.


Objectives Several clinical factors; overweight, male gender and increasing age, have been implicated as the etiology of hiatal hernia. Esophageal shortening due to acid perfusion in the lower esophagus has been suggested as the etiological mechanism. However, little is known about the correlation between gastric acidity and sliding hiatus hernia formation. This study examined whether increased gastric acid secretion is associated with an endoscopic diagnosis of hiatal hernia. Methods A total of 286 consecutive asymptomatic patients (64 were diagnosed as having a hiatal hernia) who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were studied. Clinical findings including fasting gastric juice pH as an indicator of acid secretion, age, sex, body mass index, and Helicobacter pylori infection status determined by both Helicobacter pylori serology and pepsinogen status, were evaluated to identify predictors in subjects with hiatal hernia. Results Male gender, obesity with a body mass index >25, and fasting gastric juice pH were significantly different between subjects with and without hiatal hernia. The cut-off point of fasting gastric juice pH determined by receiver operating curve analysis was 2.1. Multivariate regression analyses using these variables, and age, which is known to be associated with hiatal hernia, revealed that increased gastric acid secretion with fasting gastric juice pH <2.1 (OR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.38–4.90) was independently associated with hiatal hernia. Moreover, previously reported risk factors including male gender (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.23–4.35), body mass index >25 (OR = 3.49, 95% CI: 1.77–6.91) and age >65 years (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.00–3.45), were also significantly associated with hiatal hernia. Conclusions This study suggests that increased gastric acid secretion independently induces the development of hiatal hernia in humans. These results are in accordance with the previously reported hypothesis that high gastric acid itself induces hiatal hernia development.