Background Enamel is an external layer of the crown, and its production can be affected by genetic, systemic or environmental causes Amelogenesis Imperfecta (AI) is an inherited defect of dental enamel, and can be autosomal dominant, recessive, x-linked or sporadic. It can present as hypoplasia, hypomineralization or both. Mutations in several genes can cause defective enamel formation and have been linked to AI, e.g: AMELX (amelogenin), ENAM (enamelin), MMP20 (enamelysin) and KLK4 (kallikrein 4), although the correlation between genotype and phenotype is poorly understood. Molar Incisal Hypomineralization (MIH) is defined as an environmentally caused enamel defect of one to four permanent first molars, frequently associated with affected incisors, although the aetiology is unknown. The presence of MIH in siblings, and lack of obvious systemic cause suggests there may be an underlying genetic defect involved. When a patient presents in the early mixed dentition, it can be difficult to distinguish between AI and MIH in the absence of a clear family or medical history. Better understanding of the relationship between phenotype and genotype is required to aid diagnoses and management of these conditions. A pilot study was set up to determine the best method to collect data from patients, and establish a database to record dental anomalies. In the second part of this study, different machines were used to determine the most appropriate method to measure the physical proprieties of AI and MIH teeth. In the third part of the study DNA was extracted from AI and MIH patients to; (i) find the most common genes related to the AI patients in UK, and (ii) to check if there is genetic association in MIH patients. This was in order to correlate phenotype and genotype in AI and MIH patients. Aims To develop a dental anomalies clinic to identify patients with AI and MIH and create a data base. Apply a method to characterize phenotype vs. genotype for AI & MIH. Method Ethical approval was obtained. A dental anomalies clinic was established to record information (using DDE index) using a database in liaison with University of Strasbourg (Phenodent database). Phenotype analysis of MIH and AI teeth was done using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), hardness was obtained using both a Wallace indenter and an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). To investigate the genotype, DNA was extracted from saliva samples using TaqMan protocol, and analysed for gene markers known to occur in inherited enamel defect conditions (Enam 2 Allele C and Allele T, Enam 1 Allele A and Allele G and MMp20 for Allele A and Allele T) and was applied on MIH patients for possible genetic association. Results 57 AI patients and 58 MIH patients were identified through the anomalies clinic. 8 MIH, 4 with AI and 8 control teeth were collected and analysed using SEM. Under higher magnifications, normal enamel had well organized prism and crystal structure, while the hypomineralised enamel in (AI and MIH) had less distinct prism borders and increased interprismatic space. In the AI teeth a glass like appearance and loss of prism layer were obvious. Over all, the hypomineralised enamel appeared more porous than the adjacent normal unaffected enamel. The average hardness ranged between 2.3 to 8.0 GPa for control teeth, between 0.004 to 0.027 GPa for AI teeth and from 0.07 to 0.40 for MIH teeth. Yellow/ brown opacities had lower hardness (0.07 GPa) compared to white/cream opacity (0.40 GPa). Strong association of AI and the ENAM 1 gene in UK. Conclusion Teeth diagnosed with Amelogenesis Imperfecta and Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation has significantly lower hardness values in the hypomineralised enamel compared with normal enamel. Yellow/ brown opacities had lower hardness values than white/ cream opacities. No correlation found between the phenotypic presentation of AI and MIH and the genotype of ENAM 1 was polymorphism.


Evolving threats, such as Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks (CCTAs) and other High-Threat Active Violence Incidents, require a comprehensive "Whole of Community" approach to enhance readiness within the emergency management mission. Engaging all community stakeholders, inclusive of the private sector, public safety organizations, and the health and healthcare communities, is essential for risk reduction by preventing and limiting consequences from such critical incidents. The Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series (JCTAWS) is a unique interdisciplinary table-top exercise sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and National Counterterrorism Center, and is designed to test plans and capabilities surrounding a CCTA. JCTAWS focuses on response integration between and across disciplines and jurisdictions. The workshop stimulates participant identification of best practices and gaps so that plans can be refined and resources realigned to improve response coordination for CCTAs.


SUMMARY

The ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is a prominent end-member of the global mid-ocean ridge system. It spreads with a full-rate of 14–16 mm y−1 and shows several segments of various obliquities. The western SWIR consists of the Oblique and Orthogonal Supersegments lying at an epicentral distance of ∼21° to the VNA2 seismic array operated by the German Neumayer station in East Antarctica. The array monitors backazimuth, apparent velocity and signal-to-noise ratio of arriving waves and provides a data set of seismicity from the western SWIR over several years. Compared to the global seismological network, its detection threshold for earthquakes occurring at the western SWIR is more than 0.5 mb lower enabling a more comprehensive study of mid-ocean ridge processes than the teleseismic earthquake catalogues. We identified a total number of 743 earthquakes occurring at the western part of the SWIR and calculated the body-wave magnitudes (mb) from P-wave amplitude picks on the VNA2 broad-band sensor obtaining a magnitude range from mb 3.18 to mb 5.34. In the years of 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2008, significantly increased event rates indicated four earthquake swarms with up to 164 events lasting for several days. All swarms had strong events registered in the International Seismological Centre catalogue. The relocalization of these events confirmed that all swarms occurred in the same region on the Orthogonal Supersegment. We analysed event and moment release rate histories, b-values and aftershock decay rates (Modified Omori Law) finding that the swarms of 2001, 2004 and 2005 have similarities in the temporal distribution of seismic moment and event numbers. The swarm of 2008 is smaller with high magnitude events at the swarm's onset which represent shear failure on normal faults. The application of the Modified Omori Law and the b-value show that the earthquakes of the swarms do not follow the classical main shock–aftershock pattern of purely tectonic earthquake sequences. At the Orthogonal Supersegment, a continuous positive magnetic anomaly along the rift axis, a negative mantle Bouguer anomaly, basalts at the seafloor and potentially volcanic edifices indicate robust magmatic crustal accretion. The high-resolution bathymetry shows ubiquitous rift-parallel ridges with steep flanks towards the rift axis indicating high-angle normal faults. The high-magnitude earthquakes detected teleseismically during the swarms are generated there. We interpret that the swarms are caused by magmatic accretion episodes at a suggested volcanic centre of the Orthogonal Supersegment and that possible magma injection activates the steeply dipping fault planes.


The type of fat consumed in the Mexican diet could predispose to the development of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) which has been associated with an increased risk to develop cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Our study included adolescents between 12 and 16 years of age, divided in two groups: Control Group (n = 31) and MS Group (n = 44). Waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol were determined. Erythrocytes' fatty acids methyl esthers were quantified using gas chromatography with ionized flame detector. We identified 16 fatty acids (FA) with chain lengths from C12 to C24, with emphasis in four trans FA (TFA) isomers: vaccenic (C18:1n7t), elaidic (C18:1n9t), linoelaidic (C18:2n6t), and conjugated linoelaidic acids (C18:2n7t). MS Group had a less proportion of: myristic (C14), palmitoleic (C16:1), C18:1n7t, and linoleic acids (C18:2); and a higher one of C18:1n9t, C18:2n7t, and nervonic acids (C24:1) when compared to the control group. C24:1 and C18:1n9t had a significant positive association with MS (OR = 14.17 and OR = 12.94, respectively); whereas C14 (OR = 0.14), C18:1n7t (OR = 0.14), and C18:2 (OR = 0.22) appear to have a protective effect against the disease. The proportion of specific FAs in erythrocytes' membranes differs between adolescents with MS and healthy controls; these FA not only showed a strong association with MS, but also correlated with most of its individual components. Interestingly, TFA displayed an antagonic behavior; while C18:1n9t had a strong association with MS, apparently C18:1n7t confers a protective effect; these results suggest that analyzing each TFA separately will constitute a more accurate approach to determine the role of TFAs in the pathogenesis of MS or other related metabolic disorders.


ABSTRACT Visual flyout count data for the common bent-wing bat Miniopterus schreibersii, collected by a team of observers over two seasons at a disused mine in the Kinglake National Park, south-eastern Australia, was compared with infra-red video footage, collected simultaneously, in order to quantify the precision and accuracy of the observer counts. Bayesian statistical models were used to evaluate the relationship between observer counts and the actual number of bats emerging from the cave, as determined by analysis of the infra-red video footage of the flyout. The accuracy of flyout counts was found to decline with increasing flyout rates, with observers' counts becoming increasingly negatively biased as the rate of bat emergence from the mine increased. In addition, there was evidence of inter-observer variation in the accuracy of the counts. Although the bias in observer counts was relatively small, caution needs to be exercised in interpreting the results of visual flyout counts. We conclude that the use of infra-red video footage for determining numbers is preferable to visual observer counts. The major difficulty in using flyout counts for monitoring is the considerable night-to-night variation in numbers of bats emerging, which could be attributed to variation in the proportion of bats emerging to forage, or to the use of alternative roosting sites by individual bats on successive nights. Both observer error and short-term temporal variation in numbers of emerging bats have the potential to bias population estimates of bats, and need to be properly accounted for if flyout counts are to be used as a tool for population assessment and monitoring.


Ding, Zi'ang Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2016. Lagrangian Analysis of Vector and Tensor Fields: Algorithmic Foundations and Applications in Medical Imaging and Computational Fluid Dynamics. Major Professor: Xavier M. Tricoche. Both vector and tensor fields are important mathematical tools used to describe the physics of many phenomena in science and engineering. Effective vector and tensor field visualization techniques are therefore needed to interpret and analyze the corresponding data and achieve new insight into the considered problem. This dissertation is concerned with the extraction of important structural properties from vector and tensor datasets. Specifically, we present a unified approach for the characterization of distinguished manifolds that form the skeleton of vector and tensor fields and play a key role in understanding their properties. This dissertation makes several important contributions in this context. First, we propose a versatile model of geometric structure applicable to vector and tensor fields across a wide range of applications. Next, we present an application of this model to the robust characterization of edges in both symmetric second-order and higher-order tensor fields. Then, we introduce a space-varying time-scale concept that improves upon the structure characterization capabilities of existing methods. In addition, we propose a new model that combines generalized notions of Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives for the structural analysis of multi-field datasets. Overall, we present a set of methods that apply a generalized notion of Lagrangian description, originally developed in fluid dynamics, to the analysis of vector and tensor fields. We evaluate them and study their performance in the context of problems spanning computational fluid dynamics and medical imaging applications.


With the possible exception of the Indian Major Crimes Act, the classification of "Indian" for the purposes of the ICCA and the Duro Fix is not "racial" even if it includes non-enrolled people of Indian ancestry with significant connections to tribal communities. Furthermore, although the first prong of the Rogers test should be eliminated on policy grounds, the holding of the Zepeda court that the first prong could be satisfied by proof of blood quantum from any Indian tribe, recognized or not, is highly suspicious, seems to be arbitrary, and boosts the argument that the classification of "Indian" in such cases is a racial classification. Acknowledging the problems plaguing current law enforcement on Indian reservations, this article has endorsed a position which would allow Indian tribes to determine the meaning of "Indian" for the purpose of the Duro fix. The Article also argued that the universe of "Indians" for the purpose of federal jurisdiction should be limited to enrolled tribal members and those eligible for such membership unless the relevant tribe has enacted precise standards delineating who is an Indian for the purpose of federal jurisdiction on its reservation.


This paper questions the relevance of distinguishing acts and omissions in moral argument. It responds to an article by McLachlan, published in this issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics ( see page 636 ).1 I argue that McLachlan fails to establish that there is a moral difference between active and passive euthanasia and that he instead merely asserts that the difference exists. I suggest that McLachlan's paper relies on a false commitment to general rules that do not apply in every case. Furthermore, I question the lack of a moral framework provided in his argument. Finally, I briefly argue why some omissions may well be considered equivalent to some actions. I conclude that until McLachlan (or other commentators) demonstrates that it would be wrong, we should focus on agency and responsibility, rather than seek to derive normative conclusions from contrasts between active and passive causes.

In bioethical debates relating to euthanasia and associated end-of-life issues, commentators dispute the relevance of distinctions between so-called active and passive euthanasia. As a general means of assisting analysts in their studies of different practices, a taxonomy that distinguishes active and passive euthanasia can be useful, principally as we can not usefully argue about these matters unless we are clear about what our arguments touch upon.2 Although it seems to have become received wisdom from ethicists of quite conflicting views that moral propriety can not hang merely on whether a situation obtains because of (inter alia) an agent's action or inaction, there continue to be defences of the act/omission distinction.3 4 In his paper,1 McLachlan has attempted to add support to those who argue that the distinction between active and passive euthanasia is a moral one. Here I respond to McLachlan's paper, arguing that in it he fails to do more …


This paper presents a novel module placement based on genetic algorithm (GA) for macro-cell layouts placement that minimizes the chip area size. A binary tree method for non-slicing tree construction process is utilized for the placement and area optimization of macro-cell layouts in very large scale integrated (VLSI) design. The proposed algorithm have been developed using two types of GA: simple genetic algorithm (SGA) and adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA). The performance comparisons of these two techniques in achieving the optimal results are investigated and analyzed. The robustness of GA is also being examined in order to verify the GA performance stability. Based on the experimental results tested on Microelectronic Center of North Carolina (MCNC) benchmark circuit's data set, it exhibits that both algorithms acquire acceptable performance quality to the slicing floorplan approach. AGA performs better than SGA as it converges faster to the optimal result and obtains better optimum area. However, SGA appears to be more robust than AGA.


Rock glaciers are creep phenomena of mountain permafrost and are composed of ice and rocks. Active rock glaciers move downslope by force of gravity. Maximum creep/flow velocities of individual rock glaciers may vary from a few centimeters up to several meters per year, depending on the underlying terrain, mechanical parameters of the material involved, etc. Inter-annual variation of rock glacier flow has been observed and attributed to various reasons, e.g., climate change. It is believed that the observed warming of the atmosphere accelerates rock glacier flow. This paper proposes a method for detecting active rock glaciers and, where applicable, quantifying their movement relatively or absolutely using multi-temporal image data (i.e., high-resolution orthoimages/orthophotos) of virtual globes, such as Google Maps and Microsoft Bing Maps. The present work was originally triggered by the task of detecting all active rock glaciers of a larger mountain region, i.e., the western part of the Schober Mountains located in the Austrian Hohe Tauern range. In support of this task the proposed method was additionally applied to two well-studied rock glaciers, i.e., Hinteres Langtalkar (eastern part of the Schober Mountains) and Auseres Hochebenkar (Otztal Alps, Austria). In this paper we present the results obtained from the two rock glaciers. It can be summarized that change detection and consequently the high-precision measurement of flow velocities of active rock glaciers using image data (screen shots) of virtual globes (geobrowsers) is possible. It must be admitted, however, that the proposed method has some obvious drawbacks: (a) limited availability of high-resolution image data in high mountain areas, (b) limited availability of multi-temporal image data, (c) lack of information about exact acquisition dates or source of image data, (d) lack of information about the accuracy of the image data (orthophotos), and (e) potential legal obstacles to using the image data.


Numerical calculations recently published [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A23, 912 (2006)] on the eigenmodes in axicon-based Bessel-Gauss resonators revealed significant inconsistencies regarding the modal patterns, the mode losses, the mode ordering by loss, and the intracavity field distributions. We show that the results are inaccurate mainly because (a) it was overlooked in the derivation of the matrix equations that light crosses twice through the axicon in a complete round-trip and (b) the numerical method used to evaluate the diffraction integral equations cannot resolve the eigenvalues and eigenfields for the given resonator configuration.


The main purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between self-report measures such as mood state, emotional recovery, and perceived exertion for a runner during a continental run. Second, the purpose was to examine psychological factors that enable an ultra-distance runner during an event. A case study report from a 49-year-old female ultra-distance runner, running a 3641 kilometre adventure event during a 10-week period was made. Data were collected during 15 weeks with three self-report questionnaires – more specifically, an initial report 3 weeks prior to the run, a weekly report during the 10 weeks of running, and, finally, a report 2 weeks after the run. In addition, a follow-up narrative interview was performed nine months after the run was completed. The main result showed that perceived exertion level had a statistically significant negative relationship with negative mood and a positive statistically significant relationship with positive mood. Results also showed a statistically significant difference between the three measurement points based on the variable perceived exertion level. In addition, the runner's narration suggested four main categories of psychologically assisting attributes: motivation, group cohesiveness, self-awareness, and mental stamina. The findings highlight the complex balance between extreme physical load and feelings of comfort and elevated mood. Another finding is that the joint effect of different psychological factors – especially the runner's high self-awareness, strong-minded attitude, and ability to use humour in problematic situations – was helpful during the run. Practical and methodological implications, as well strategies for further research, are provided.


Look at Hazards, Look at Losses developed out of a series of conversations, exchanges and visits between kuda.org, Anthony Iles and Marina Vishmidt over 2015-2017 through which different approaches to common problems of cultural production in early-21st century Europe and its peripheries were debated and conceptually probed. Setting out from Theodor W. Adorno's concept of 'the aesthetic relations of production', these discussions proceeded to explore problems bearing upon organisation in small groups in the field of culture, philosophical idealism and materialism, poetry, error, and crisis. The anthology assembled reflects these concerns through engagement with the writing of others who have helped orientate us through these discussions. Seven original contributions by poets and theorists attempt to move toward new political interventions in culture and beyond 'crisis as a way of life'.


In deep inclined coal seam entry, mining pressure behavior is intensive and the support is extremely different. Based on continual finite element method, this paper adopts FLAC3D software to simulate rule of liberation seam (coal seam that with no or low shock ground pressure danger) stress and coal seam thickness deformation with physical mechanics parameters and geologic feature of roof and floor strata. It adopts alternate optimized layout in liberated layer according to pressure relief range of liberation seam. And it also studies the effect rule of different coal bed pitch and strata spacing on liberation seam pressure relief. The result shows that pressure relief range of liberated layer is direct ratio to work face length of liberation seam. And top pressure relief shielding angle increases with the increase of coal seam dip angle while bottom pressure relief angle is on the contrary. The bigger interlayer spacing is, the weaker pressure relief effect is. Whereas the smaller interlayer spacing is, the stronger pressure relief effect is. And liberation seam mine pressure behavior rule is applied into 7# coal work face entry. In addition, falling behind of environment management in mine industry affects agriculture and ecological environment heavily. Therefore, coal industry and ecological environmental construction should develop at the same pace.


One of the problems
in
slab-column connections
is
the punching shear
failure at over
loads. Such failures are sudden and catastrophic, and are
undesirable since
they do not allow an overall yield mechanism to develop.
Fibre
reinforcement restrains cracking, and
increases
the tensile strength
of concrete and bond
resistance of steel reinforcement. Therefore, it
should be possible
to use steel
fibres as shear reinforcement.
This investigation is
a study of the structural behaviour
of
fibre
reinforced
lightweight concrete
flat slabs
in
punching shear. Twenty full
scale connections were
tested simply supported on all
four
sides and
loaded
centrally
through a column stub. The mix consisted of Lytag, sand and
fly
ash as partial replacement of cement. The main variables studied were the
fibre volume,
fibre type, column size, amount of reinforcement and concrete
strength. Extensive measurements of deformations were made
throughout the
tests.
Fibre
reinforcement reduced all the deformations of the plain concrete
slab at all stages of
loading. For a given serviceability criterion, the
presence of
fibres increased
the service
load of
the corresponding plain
concrete slab by 15-50%. Fibres also
increased
the post-yield ductility
and energy absorption characteristics of the slabs by. 125-260% and 240-270%
respectively.
The presence of
fibres improved
the load at
first
crack, punching
shear strength and the residual resistance after punching by about 35%, 40%
and 150-400%
respectively. Fibres also produced gradual punching
failures
and sometimes changed the mode of
failure into flexure. Empirical and
theoretical equations have been
proposed to predict both ultimate
flexural and punching shear strength of steel
fibre
reinforced concrete slab-column
connections and they show good agreement with data from other
investigations.
It is
concluded that fly-ash
can be
successfully used
in
structural
lightweight concrete mixes. The addition of
fibres in lightweight
concrete
connections reduces deformations in general, delays
the formation
of
flexural and
inclined
shear cracking, and
increases
the service
load, ultimate
strength, ductility and energy absorption characteristics.


The real-world node deployment aspect is investigated, while considering cost minimization for resolving the energy hole around the sink, which represents a serious problem in typical sensor networks with uniform distribution. A novel strategy is proposed that is based on the use of two sinks and a few extra relay nodes close to the sinks' areas. The traffic is then alternatively sent to the sinks in every other cycle. As a second contribution, an efficient data collection mechanism has been developed to determine the optimal data rate that meets delay requirements of individual sensor reports and improves the network lifetime. The comparison of the proposed node deployment strategy with uniform, non-uniform geometric and linear increase node distributions demonstrates that the cost of the proposed solution is very close to that of the uniform distribution and much lower than all the others, while achieving a load balancing at the same order of the state-of-the-art solutions.


Type 2 diabetes has been coined "a two-hit disease," as it involves specific defects of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from the pancreatic beta cells in addition to defects in peripheral tissue insulin action required for glucose uptake. Both of these processes, insulin secretion and glucose uptake, are mediated by SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) protein core complexes composed of syntaxin, SNAP-23/25, and VAMP proteins. The SNARE core complex is regulated by the Sec1/Munc18 (SM) family of proteins, which selectively bind to their cognate syntaxin isoforms with high affinity. The process of insulin secretion uses multiple Munc18-syntaxin isoform pairs, whereas insulin action in the peripheral tissues appears to use only the Munc18c-syntaxin 4 pair. Importantly, recent reports have linked obesity and Type 2 diabetes in humans with changes in protein levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Munc18 and syntaxin isoforms relevant to these exocytotic processes, although the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed phenotypes remain incomplete (5, 104, 144). Given the conservation of these proteins in two seemingly disparate processes and the need to design and implement novel and more effective clinical interventions, it will be vitally important to delineate the mechanisms governing these conserved SNARE-mediated exocytosis events. Thus, we provide here an up-to-date historical review of advancements in defining the roles and molecular mechanisms of Munc18-syntaxin complexes in the pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes.


Neutron scattering, with its ability to measure the crystal structure, the magnetic order, and the structural and magnetic excitations, plays an active role in investigating various families of Fe-based high-Tc superconductors. Three different types of antiferromagnetic orders have been discovered in the Fe plane, but two of them cannot be explained by the spin-density-wave (SDW) mechanism of nesting Fermi surfaces. Noticing the close relation between antiferromagnetic order and lattice distortion in orbital ordering from previous studies on manganites and other oxides, we have advocated orbital ordering as the underlying common mechanism for the structural and antiferromagnetic transitions in the 1111, 122, and 11 parent compounds. We observe the coexistence of antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity in the (Ba,K)Fe2As2 system, when its phase separation is generally accepted. Optimal Tc is proposed to be controlled by the local FeAs4 tetrahedron from our investigation on the 1111 materials. The Bloch phase coherence of the Fermi liquid is found crucial to the occurrence of bulk superconductivity in iron chalcogenides of both the 11 and the 245 families. Iron chalcogenides carry a larger staggered magnetic moment (> 2 ?B/Fe) than that in iron pnictides (< 1 ?B/Fe) in the antiferromagnetic order. Normal state magnetic excitations in the 11 superconductor are of the itinerant nature while in the 245 superconductor the spin-waves of localized moments. The observation of superconducting resonance peak provides a crucial piece of information in current deliberation of the pairing symmetry in Fe-based superconductors.


We study effects of inhomogeneities on distance measures in an exact relativistic Swiss-cheese model of the universe, focusing on the distance modulus. The model has LCDM background dynamics, and the `holes' are non-symmetric structures described by the Szekeres metric. The Szekeres exact solution of Einstein's equations, which is inhomogeneous and anisotropic, allows us to capture potentially relevant effects on light propagation due to nontrivial evolution of structures in an exact framework. Light beams traversing a single Szekeres structure in different ways can experience either magnification or demagnification, depending on the particular path, and we explore a small additional effect due time evolution of the structures. We study the probability distributions of $\Delta\mu=\mu_{LCDM}-\mu_{SC}$ for sources at different redshifts in various Swiss-cheese constructions, where the light beams travel through a large number of randomly oriented holes with random impact parameters. We find for $\Delta\mu$ the dispersions $0.004\le \sigma_{\Delta\mu} \le 0.008$ mag for sources with redshifts $1.0\le z \le 1.5$, which are smaller than the intrinsic dispersion of, for example, magnitudes of type Ia supernovae. The shapes of the distributions we obtain for our Swiss-cheese constructions are peculiar in the sense that they are not consistently skewed toward the demagnification side, as they are in analyses of lensing in cosmological simulations, reflecting a limitation of these constructions. This could be the result of requiring the continuity of Einstein's equations throughout the overall spacetime patchwork, which imposes the condition that compensating overdense shells must accompany the underdense void regions in the holes. The possibility to explore other uses of these constructions that could circumvent this limitation and lead to different statistics remains open. (Abridged)


Metal nanoparticles of varying sizes can be prepared by
physical as well as chemical methods. They exhibit many fascinating
properties, the size-dependent metal to nonmetal transition being an
important one. Metal nanoparticles capped by thiols can be organized into
ordered one-, two- and three-dimensional structures and these structures
have potential applications in nanodevices. In this context, organization
of arrays of metal nanoparticles with a fixed number of atoms assumes
significance.


This image represents a 1 meter resolution backscatter mosaic of the St. John Shelf, US Virgin Islands. NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Team, in collaboration with NOAA vessel Nancy Foster and territory, federal, and private sector partners, acquired multibeam bathymetry data in the US Virgin Islands from March 18 2010 to April 06 2010. Data was acquired with a hull-mounted Reson 7125 Kongsberg Simrad EM 1002 multibeam echosounder (400 kHz) and processed by a NOAA contractor using CARIS HIPS software. Data has all correctors applied (attitude, sound velocity) and has been reduced to mean lower low water (MLLW) using final approved tides from NOAA COOPS. Data is in UTM zone 20 north, datum WGS84. The backscatter component of the bathymetry data were geometrically and radiometrically corrected using Hypack 2010 Geocoder software. Acoustic backscatter mosaics are ostensibly an important piece of information when characterizing surficial seafloor features and delineating benthic habitats. The project was conducted to meet IHO Order 1 and 2 accuracy standards, dependent on the project area and depth. All users should individually evaluate the suitability of this data according to their own needs and standards.


Background: There is an increasing incidence of irrational drug use worldwide. The drug prescription pattern in Nigeria is characterised by inappropriate drug use which has led to increasing expenditure and loss of patient confidence in the health sector. This has led to calls to improve prescription patterns in Nigerian hospitals. Materials and Methods: a descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from May 17 2016 to August 16 2016. The case files of 621 patients from outpatient department of the Lagos State University teaching Hospital were analyzed and compared with the WHO prescription indicator criteria using SPSS16. Results: There were 2020 drugs prescribed. An average of 3.25 (±1.60) drugs was prescribed per patient. The antibiotics prescription rate was 26.89% with 47.10% of medications prescribed as generics and 89.45% from the essential drugs list. The injection prescription rate was 0.84%. Analgesics were the most frequently prescribed medications with prescription rate of 50.89% Conclusion: Polypharmacy, low use of generic medications and over prescription of antibiotics is still a problem in this facility. There is need to educate health workers especially doctors on rational drug use. Keywords: Prescription rate, WHO Facility Indicator, Rational Drug Use, Essential Drugs List, Generic Drugs


Australia and the world are facing major emergencies and challenges around their emergency management over the last few years. Globally people have witnessed natural disasters of earthquakes, tsunami, floods and hurricanes which have left everlasting damage to property and life. This exploratory research project applied the literature review to understand the current IT technology being used or is planned to be used in the future. This stage of research confirmed the needs for development of tools and technology to assist EM personnel and these organizations during large scale emergencies. A multiple case study approach with the aim of producing a snapshot analysis of the current EM processes and tools in Australia was conducted to link the results of the literature review and understand what the future vision for EM tools. The areas of interest were related to understanding of EM processes, EM tools currently being used, the way emergencies were managed; understand the redundancy plans, how the data integrity is maintained and what the future technology could look like in this field. The study also reviewed the frameworks and strategies and the main technologies used in this field. It touched on organization's/governments cultural aspects by addressing the issues and obstacles faced in efficient and effective EM. Through exploration of literature and interpretive case field work, this thesis proposed a framework for future EM research. This framework encompasses a theoretical understanding of EM, EM technology, challenges with current technology and future technology for EM through literature review and semi-structured case interviews of large EM organization's personnel. As the result, several key factors and obstacles towards EM IT tools implementation and usage were identified. Overall results highlighted a few IT areas for enhancements and what the future technology development could do for enhancing the emergency management field.


Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is the causal agent of a bacterial canker in kiwifruit plants and has caused economic losses worldwide. Currently, the primary strategies to control this pathogen include the use of copper-based compounds and even antibiotics. However, the emergence of isolates of Psa that are resistant to these agrochemicals has raised the need for new alternatives to control this pathogen. Bacteriophages have been proposed as an alternative to control bacterial infections in agriculture, including Psa. Here, we show the isolation and characterization of 13 phages with the potential to control Psa infections in kiwifruit plants. The phages were characterized according to their host range and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern. Four phages were selected according to their lytic effect on the bacteria and their tolerance to different environmental conditions of pH (4–7), temperature (4–37 °C), and solar radiation exposure (30 and 60 min). The selected phages (CHF1, CHF7, CHF19, and CHF21) were sequenced, revealing a high identity with the podophage of Psa phiPSA2. In vitro assays with kiwifruit leaf samples demonstrated that the mixture of phages reduced the Psa bacterial load within three hours post-application and was able to reduce the damage index in 50% of cases. Similarly, assays with kiwifruit plants maintained in greenhouse conditions showed that these phages were able to reduce the Psa bacterial load in more than 50% of cases and produced a significant decrease in the damage index of treated plants after 30 days. Finally, none of the selected phages were able to infect the other bacteria present in the natural microbiota of kiwifruit plants. These results show that bacteriophages are an attractive alternative to control Psa infections in kiwifruit plants.


Medical Ethics is
no different to Ethics, but relates specifically to the doctor-patient
relationship. This relationship is based on mutual trust—trust in the doctor's
expertise and knowledge and trust that the patient is consulting the doctor, for
his/her/their own health, wellbeing and welfare, without agenda or bias. In
other words, the basis of the doctor-patient relationship is one of mutual
trust and confidence. Thus, what is imparted between them is held in the
strictest confidence. The doctor must act within the law. No third party
influence can be brought to bear on this relationship without the patient's
consent. In the case of minors the relationship is between the child's guardians
as well as the doctor who must act within the law. In the category of "elderly"
or adult guardianship or advocacy, those appointed and in positions of trust
must take the person's wishes into account if the patient has capacity to make
decisions or has indicated their wish prior to any such appointment. Capacity
is defined as consistent belief or wish, awareness of what one does not wish
for, satisfaction when wishes are respected and fulfilled and the opposite when
they are not. Ethical practice is determined by taking context into account in
decision-making and ensuring the sanctity of the patient's rights and wishes. Abuse
is just the opposite, where actions taken or not taken are against a person's
wishes. Personal wish determines best interest. Best interest may also be defined
in terms of social functioning and psychological wellbeing. Discussion of
ethics in terms of General Systems Theory is also addressed, and affects an
action on the environment or others, i.e.
ethics in the wider medical context may pertain if the person has a contagious
disease and a period of quarantine or "isolation" or barrier" nursing is
required, and where precedent is given to society's best interest over the
person's wishes, as part of an educational process and as required for
strategic disease management.


Background: Leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis are recognized as the leading causes of mortality and morbidity with the greatest prevalence in the developing countries. They affect more than one billion of the poorest people on the globe. Objective: To find a cheap, affordable, safe, and efficacious antileshmanial and antitrypanosomal natural drug and to elucidate its probable mode of action. Materials and Methods: Phytochemical investigation of the non-polar fraction of the methanol extract of leaves of Ochrosia elliptica Labill. (Apocyanaceae) resulted in the isolation of ursolic acid, which was unambiguously determined based on HR-ESI-FTMS, extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. It was further tested for its cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antileishmanial, and trypanocidal potency. in-silico molecular modeling studies were conducted on six vital parasitic enzymes including farnesyl diphosphate synthase, N -myristoyl transferase, pteridine reductase 1, trypanothione reductase, methionyl-tRNA synthetase, and inosine–adenosine–guanosine nucleoside hydrolase to discover its potential mode of action as antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial agent. Results: Ursolic acid displayed considerable antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial activities with IC50 values ranging between 1.53 and 8.79 μg/mL. It showed superior antitrypanosomal activity as compared to the standard drug difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), with higher binding affinities towards trypanothione reductase and pteridine reductase 1. It displayed free binding energy of -30.73 and -50.08 kcal/mole towards the previously mentioned enzymes, respectively. In addition, ursolic acid exhibited considerable affinities to farnesyl diphosphate synthase, N -myristoyl transferase and methionyl-tRNA synthetase with free binding energies ranging from -42.54 to -63.93 kcal/mole. Conclusion: Ursolic acid offers a safe, effective and cheap antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial candidate acting on several key parasitic enzymes. Abbreviations used: AHT: African Human Trypanosomiasis, ATCC: American type cell culture, BuOH: n -butanol, DCM: dichloromethane, DFMO: difluoromethylornithine, EtOAc: ethyl acetate, FCS: fetal calf serum, HMBC: Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation, HMQC: Heteronuclear Multiple-Quantum Correlation, HR-ESI-FTMS: High Resolution Electrospray ionozation Mass Spectrometry, MENA: Middle East and North Africa, MeOH: Methanol, MRSA: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , NTDs: Neglected tropical diseases, TLC: Thin layer chromatography, UA: Ursolic acid, UV: Ultra violet, WHO: World Health Organization.


The author proposes an explanation of beatitudine according to Scotus. His aim is not only to determine the essential nature of the beatific act in se, but rather the general environment in which it is understood, that is, in an environment of personal fulfillment, of freedom and friendship. To achieve his goal, the author, first considers how things stand among the Scotists of today. He then develops a second point in which he considers some important moments in Scotus' thought which become presuppositions for a Scotist understanding of the beatific act. To begin with, he develops the Scotist understanding of the double mode of action, «natu-ral» and free, as disjunctive within the action. Secondly, he develops the Scotist theory of passage from «virtual act» to «formal act», which is not to be confused with the passage of «potency to act». Thirdly, he develops the Scotist understanding of the meaning of affectio commodi and of affectio justitiae, and amor concupiscentiae and amor amicitiae. In his second main point, the author develops the idea that Scotus puts forward of the beatific act as «vision» of God, most noble operation, of God insofar as he fulfills the total receptive capacity of man as a superior «unum bonum brutum» and above all insofar as man establishes a «super-friendship» with God in which he remains 'free'. A «super-friendship» the root of which is beatitude. In his third main point the author summarises some of the more important moments in the Scotist understanding of the beatific act and undertakes an evaluation with a view to characterising the Scotist system.


Abstract Introduction and Aims. Globally, Czechia and Lithuania are among the top‐ranking countries in terms of high alcohol consumption. This study highlights notable contrasts in temporal trends in alcohol‐related mortality and identifies country‐specific patterns in educational differences. Design and Methods. The study uses harmonised cause‐of‐death series from the Human Cause of Death Database. Mortality disparities by education were assessed using census‐linked mortality data. Directly standardised death rates were used to estimate levels of national and group‐specific mortality. Relative and absolute mortality differences by education were assessed by range‐type measures (Poisson regression mortality ratios and rate differences) and Gini‐type measures. Results. Between 1994–1995 and 2016, the absolute difference between Czechia and Lithuania in terms of alcohol‐related age‐standardised death rates (per 1 000 000) decreased from 450 for males and 130 for females to 76 in males and 11 in females. In both countries, alcohol‐related mortality was markedly higher among persons of lower education levels. Lithuanian males experienced the highest absolute inequalities measured by rate difference between the low and high educated (740 per million), while Lithuanian females showed the most pronounced relative inequalities (6.70‐fold difference between low and high educated). The corresponding figures were less than half for Czechia. Discussion and Conclusions. Reducing educational disparities in alcohol‐related mortality within both countries would have a substantial impact on overall levels. Policies aimed at targeting the lowest priced and illegal alcohols and reducing levels of harmful drinking should be a priority, especially in Lithuania.


Mercury stable isotope abundances were used to trace transport of Hg-impacted river sediment near a coal ash spill at Harriman, Tennessee, USA. δ(202)Hg values for Kingston coal ash released into the Emory River in 2008 are significantly negative (-1.78 ± 0.35‰), whereas sediments of the Clinch River, into which the Emory River flows, are contaminated by an additional Hg source (potentially from the Y-12 complex near Oak Ridge, Tennessee) with near-zero values (-0.23 ± 0.16‰). Nominally uncontaminated Emory River sediments (12 miles upstream from the Emory-Clinch confluence) have intermediate values (-1.17 ± 0.13‰) and contain lower Hg concentrations. Emory River mile 10 sediments, possibly impacted by an old paper mill has δ(202)Hg values of -0.47 ± 0.04‰. A mixing model, using δ(202)Hg values and Hg concentrations, yielded estimates of the relative contributions of coal ash, Clinch River, and Emory River sediments for a suite of 71 sediment samples taken over a 30 month time period from 13 locations. Emory River samples, with two exceptions, are unaffected by Clinch River sediment, despite occasional upstream flow from the Clinch River. As expected, Clinch River sediment below its confluence with the Emory River are affected by Kingston coal ash; however, the relative contribution of the coal ash varies among sampling sites.


Background: Most preterm infants fail to aerate their immature lungs at birth and need respiratory support for cardiopulmonary stabilization. Cord clamping before lung aeration compromises cardiovascular function. Delaying cord clamping until the lung has aerated may be beneficial for preterm infants by optimizing hemodynamic transition and placental transfusion. A new purpose-built resuscitation table (the Concord) has been designed making it possible to keep the cord intact after preterm birth until the lung is aerated and the infant is respiratory stable and breathing [Physiological-Based Cord Clamping (PBCC)]. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis whether stabilizing preterm infants by PBCC is at least as effective as the standard approach using time-based Delayed Cord Clamping (DCC). Study design: This is a randomized controlled non-inferiority study including 64 preterm infants born at <32 weeks of gestation. Infants will be randomized to either the PBCC approach or standard DCC. In case of PBCC, infants will be stabilized with an intact umbilical cord and the cord will only be clamped when the infant is considered respiratory stable, defined as the establishment of regular spontaneous breathing, a heart rate ≥100 bpm and oxygen saturation above 90% while using inspired fraction of oxygen (FiO2) < 0.40. The Concord will be used, which allows giving respiratory support with an intact umbilical cord. In the DCC group infants are clamped first before they are transferred to the standard resuscitation table for further treatment and stabilization. Cord clamping is time-based and delayed at 30–60 s. The primary outcome will be the time to respiratory stability of the infant, starting from birth. Secondary outcomes will include details of stabilization, important clinical outcomes of prematurity and maternal safety outcomes. Discussion: We expect that PBCC using the Concord may reduce major morbidities and mortality in preterm infants. The current study protocol will assess the effectivity of stabilization. Once effectivity of stabilization is confirmed, we will start a large multicenter randomized clinical trial to investigate whether PBCC reduces mortality and morbidity in preterm infants compared to the standard approach. Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Registry NTR7194, registered on April 20th, 2018.


This paper considers an effective method for nonlinear acoustic echo cancellation (NL-AEC). More specifically, we model the nonlinear echo path by a latent state vector capturing the coefficients of a memoryless processor and a linear finite impulse response filter. To estimate the posterior probability distribution of the state vector, an elitist particle filter based on evolutionary strategies (EPFES) has been proposed, which evaluates realizations of the latent state vector based on long-term fitness measures. This method includes a manually-tuned recursive calculation of the probabilities that the observation has been produced by the state-vector realizations. For avoiding this manual tuning, we introduce a new approach denoted as Elitist Resampling Particle Filtering (ERPF) which can also be shown to combine the advantages of the Sequential Importance Sampling Particle Filter (SIS-PF) and the Sequential Importance Sampling/Resampling Particle Filter (SIR-PF). This new approach allows universal use and leads to superior system identification performance compared to both the original EPFES as well as the SIR-PF, as verified for a simulated scenario and a real smartphone recording.


The focus of monitoring was the plant purposely cultivated because after re-vegetation, there were a very few of other plants growing naturally on reclimed coal mining area which were recorded, whereas these plants had important values. The research aimed to record all plants and to identify predominant plants over the reclaimed land of PT Adaro Indonesia. There were four sampling locations with 13 squares of 50 × 20 m on each location established and 2 on each square there were 5 plots of 2 × 2 m plotse made. Both plant species and its individual number of woodyplant saplings were recorded on each square, so in each plot, there were small species and its individual number of either woody-plant seedlings or non-woody plants (herbs/shrubs, grasses, ferns). The relative density and the relative frequency of woody or non-woody plants were summed to obtain the important value index (IVI) of each successional stage. There were 107 plant species consisting of 32, 43, 27, and 5 species of saplings, seedlings/herbs/shrubs, grasses, and ferns respectively. From those species, 16 species of woody plants and 2 species of herbs were planted purposely, other species grew naturally and even some of them were dominants. Either the number of plants or the dominating plant is varied according to the sampling location and the growing stage.


This paper reflects on trade institutions across West Africa from the Empirehood to the present day. We found that regional trade institutions were more standardised across West Africa before the current countries gained their independence. We argue that reflection on past trade institutions could provide important guidance for policy makers currently involved in deepening the Economic Community of West African States. Our review of the literature suggests that the Empirehood was an era with more standardised trade institutions across the region relative to the current ones. Societal norms and political consensus such as the 'Mande charter' and the coming of Islam created a discipline that enhanced confidence in the ability to trade, which was facilitated by common trade institutions such as convertible common currencies and letters of credit. During the colonial era, West African common currencies were also established to facilitate exchange. Historical changes in governance resulted in the loss of some facets of well-functioning trade institutions. This paper argues that historical context can provide policy makers with the confidence that current institutional barriers to trade can be addressed. Economic Community of West African States members could reflect on historical good practices if they are to accelerate the integration process and to realise the full potential of regional trade.


Commercial and military networks are rapidly becoming hybrid networks; that is interconnected wireless terrestrial, wireline terrestrial and satellite networks. There is a great need for software tools to design, model and also do performance analysis efficiently for such large heterogeneous networks. This is the topic addressed in this paper. The hybrid network modeling and performance evaluation tool is currently under development at the University of Maryland. The tool consists of an algorithmic structure and a software architecture. The algorithm is hierarchical in form, deriving its structure from that of the network which follows the network's routing hierarchy. At each level, a node represents a set of nodes at a lower level. The boundary of a node is characterized by a set of statistical models. The statistics, and their parametric representations for the models of the level 1 nodes are obtained from the OPNET simulations which are run offline. The model defines procedures that convey modeling, simulation and performance data up and down the hierarchy of models. We consider the following performance metrics only: end-to-end delay, throughput, blocking probabilities, cell or packet loss rate. We describe algorithms based on loss network approximations and fast progressive solutions of the resulting fixed point equations.


Abstract. Regioviz is an interactive tool developed by UMS RIATE to easily compare the French regions to the European ones. It answers to a need expressed by the State service in charge of spatial planning and territorial observation in France. This public service wanted to have a dedicated tool, easy to use, for monitoring the effects of the 2016 French regional reform on several structural indicators in a European context. This geovisualisation tool was developed in 2017–2018 and is available at the following URL <https://riatelab.github.io/regiovizlab/>. This paper presents first the story of its creation and the strong relationship linking the end-users and the developers. Then it explains how this tool works (how to set the relative position of a region, how to assess the degree of similarity with the others) and it provides 2 user-oriented scenarios.


We begin by considering three main philosophical accounts of assertion, showing that each emphasizes specific aspects of it while leaving others aside, and then proceed to offering a more comprehensive speech-act theoretic account of assertion, which owes much to Austin's approach to illocutionary acts. On the basis of this account, we investigate how assertion and other members of the assertive speech act family serve the aim of communicating, not merely pieces of information, but also the speaker's attitude of certainty or uncertainty about them. In so doing, we make use of examples from a corpus of texts in Italian and English, drawn from newspapers, scientific journals and web sites, concerning the so-called Stamina case.


BACKGROUND
Epistaxis is a common problem in childhood. It has been shown that children with recurrent epistaxis are more likely to have nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus. It has been suggested that low-grade inflammation, crusting and increased vascularity due to bacterial colonization contributes to the development of epistaxis in children.

AIMS
This study aimed to investigate the nasal colonization and treatment outcome in pediatric epistaxis patients.

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS
Charts of the pediatric patients referred to our university hospital otolaryngology outpatient clinics for the evaluation of epistaxis were reviewed. The patients whose nasal cultures had been taken at the first clinical visit comprised the study group.

RESULTS
Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacteria grown. The presence of crusting and hypervascularity was not dependent on the type of bacterial growth and there was no relation between hypervascularity and crusting of the nasal mucosa. Thirty-six patients were evaluated for the outcome analysis. Resolution of bleeding was not dependent on nasal colonization; in patients with colonization, there was no difference between topical antibacterial and non-antibacterial treatments.

CONCLUSION
Despite the high colonization rates, topical antibacterial treatment was not found superior to non-antibacterial treatment. Our study does not support the belief that bacterial colonization results in hypervascularity of the septal mucosa causing epistaxis since no relation was found between nasal colonization, hypervascularity and crusting. The role of bacterial colonization in pediatric epistaxis need to be further investigated and treatment protocols must be determined accordingly.


The purpose of this subject guide is to highlight the important intellectual resources on Family Medicine including books, eBooks, journals, databases, apps, websites, etc


In this paper, we present results on ordered representations of data in which different dimensions have different degrees of importance. To learn these representations we introduce nested dropout, a procedure for stochastically removing coherent nested sets of hidden units in a neural network. We first present a sequence of theoretical results for the special case of a semilinear autoencoder. We rigorously show that the application of nested dropout enforces identifiability of the units, which leads to an exact equivalence with PCA. We then extend the algorithm to deep models and demonstrate the relevance of ordered representations to a number of applications. Specifically, we use the ordered property of the learned codes to construct hash-based data structures that permit very fast retrieval, achieving retrieval in time logarithmic in the database size and independent of the dimensionality of the representation. This allows codes that are hundreds of times longer than currently feasible for retrieval. We therefore avoid the diminished quality associated with short codes, while still performing retrieval that is competitive in speed with existing methods. We also show that ordered representations are a promising way to learn adaptive compression for efficient online data reconstruction.


Mach-Zehnder interferometers with fiber Bragg gratings (MZ-FG) are investigated as promising devices for wavelength-selectable optical add-and-drop multiplexers (OADM). A wavelength reused OADM performance is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge in a six-channel, 10 Gb/s WDM experiment using a single-stage MZ-FG. We discuss both theoretically and experimentally the interferometric crosstalk induced by imperfect Bragg-reflectivity. Two methods are proposed to solve the interferometric crosstalk issues. The first one is wavelength offset scheme. It is experimentally confirmed that there is no interference when the wavelength of crosstalk is away from that of the signal at least two times of bit-rate. In order to separate each wavelength, the master-slave wavelength control method is proposed with Fabry-Perot interferometer made of a set of fiber gratings. The second one is a cascaded MZ-FG scheme eliminating the crosstalk itself. The calculation indicates that a Bragg-reflectivity of only 93% can suppress the crosstalk to be -35 dB. Cascaded MZ-FG's have been fabricated to show that the interferometric crosstalk can be successfully reduced to -50 dB for the add signal, and -71 dB for the drop signal, respectively. The eight-wavelength 10 Gb/s OADM experiment is carried out to demonstrate the low interferometric crosstalk performance.


A computational Eulerian–Lagrangian model (ORSA2D_WT) is used for modelling the movement of floating rigid bodies on the water surface. The two-dimensional transport is computed with a dynamic approach, modifying existing formulations for the transport of bodies within fluid flows for the case of floating bodies, by adopting suitable added mass, drag and side coefficients. An original formulation for planar rotation is proposed, which includes the effect of the hydrodynamic torque and a resistance term, named added inertia, based on the difference between the angular velocity of the flow and that of the body. The value of the added inertia coefficient is calibrated against experiments made on purpose, involving the transport of a cylinder in a flume with two side obstacles. The calibrated code is applied to a slightly larger set of experiments for its preliminary evaluation. The outcome of the simulations shows that the streamwise and transversal displacements are well modelled, while some inaccuracies arise when considering the cylinder orientation. The effects of the initial conditions on the cylinders' trajectory and rotation are discussed, showing their influence on the evolution of the rotation angles.


The literature on vocational educational aspirations typically lacks a conception of space, place and local employment opportunities. This article compares two locations in Norway, that is, the capital Oslo, characterised by knowledge-intensive industries, and a rural district in Rogaland, characterised by manufacturing and oil-related industries, to illuminate how aspirations, class and location intersects. In Oslo, there is a lack of available apprenticeships, a strong east-west segregation regarding enrolment to vocational education and training, and few schools provide vocational programs. In contrast, Rogaland has a firmly established vocational culture, and large shares of youth opt for vocational educations following ten years of compulsory schooling. Drawing on interviews with young people in Oslo and Rogaland, the case-comparative analysis illustrates how these two locations are (re)producing very different educational logics, directing youth either away from or towards vocational education. The article aims to contribute to understandings of educational aspirations by advocating place-sensitivity in the complex ways that social inequality in education is shaped, maintained and reinforced.


Development of an Educational Program to Obtain and Maintain Healthy Weights Among 4 and 5 Grade Students by Stephanie D Black MS, University of Phoenix, 2008 BS, Southwest Baptist University, 2006 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University November 2017 Abstract Obesity is prevalent in schoolchildren and increases risk of chronic diseases throughout the lifespan. Education in elementary schools targeting the topics of nutritional choices and prevention of obesity, particularly in 4-5 grade population, is one strategy researchers have identified as effective. This quality improvement project designed an educational toolkit to provide students educational knowledge and assist them to develop and explore how to incorporate healthy habits and choices into their daily lives. The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program for use in a southwestern elementary school to improve and/or maintain the weights of 4th and 5 grade students. The educational tool kit was developed for the school to implement to fill a gap their curriculum identified by school board members and educators. Orem's self-care deficit theory informed the development of this program, the educational toolkit, and all associated supplementary materials. An interdisciplinary project team of community and institutional stakeholders led by the Doctor of Nursing Practice student worked together to review peer-reviewed evidence, consider contextual challenges, and develop a curriculum suitable for the population. Plans for program implementation and evaluation were also developed to provide the school with a turnkey solution to the problem of child obesity. This initiative has great potential to promote positive social change.Obesity is prevalent in schoolchildren and increases risk of chronic diseases throughout the lifespan. Education in elementary schools targeting the topics of nutritional choices and prevention of obesity, particularly in 4-5 grade population, is one strategy researchers have identified as effective. This quality improvement project designed an educational toolkit to provide students educational knowledge and assist them to develop and explore how to incorporate healthy habits and choices into their daily lives. The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program for use in a southwestern elementary school to improve and/or maintain the weights of 4th and 5 grade students. The educational tool kit was developed for the school to implement to fill a gap their curriculum identified by school board members and educators. Orem's self-care deficit theory informed the development of this program, the educational toolkit, and all associated supplementary materials. An interdisciplinary project team of community and institutional stakeholders led by the Doctor of Nursing Practice student worked together to review peer-reviewed evidence, consider contextual challenges, and develop a curriculum suitable for the population. Plans for program implementation and evaluation were also developed to provide the school with a turnkey solution to the problem of child obesity. This initiative has great potential to promote positive social change. Development of an Educational Program to Obtain and Maintain Healthy Weights Among 4 and 5 Grade Students by Stephanie D Black MS, University of Phoenix, 2008 BS, Southwest Baptist University, 2006 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University November 2017 Dedication This project is dedicated to my four young children. My hope is for a future where people of all ages, especially growing children, to have access to nutritional education and resources that will empower them to make healthy choices for their bodies. I also dedicate this project to school and public health nurses and those working to education our nation's elementary students.


Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are front-line facilitators with first-hand contact with students. They play an important role in providing an engaging learning experience for undergraduate and postgraduate students. However, most of them have not received adequate training and guidance in teaching. This paper reports on an intensive and compulsory education development course for postgraduate students, which aims to prepare them for their upcoming teaching role whilst they are still research students; The course provides an introduction to the basic theoretical knowledge and practical skills required before they begin to take up teaching responsibilities at the University, in a Chinese (Hong Kong/Mainland China) and English Medium Instruction context. Blended learning technologies, active learning strategies, formative assessment and an outcomes-based approach are extensively used throughout the course to enable and encourage participation and collaboration. To measure the outcome performance of the course in alignment with the University's strategic goals, a number of key performance indicators are assessed. The result shows that students found the course very useful and the blended instructional methods used facilitated the achievement of the Intended Learning Outcomes.


Abstract The stem-cement interface experiences fretting wear in vivo due to low-amplitude oscillatory micromotion under physiological loading, as a consequence it is considered to play an important part in the overall wear of cemented total hip replacement. Despite its potential significance, in-vitro simulation to reproduce fretting wear has seldom been attempted and even then with only limited success. In the present study, fretting wear was successfully reproduced at the stem-cement interface through an in-vitro wear simulation, which was performed in part with reference to ISO 7206-4: 2002. The wear locations compared well with the results of retrieval studies. There was no evidence of bone cement transfer films on the stem surface and no fatigue cracks in the cement mantle. The cement surface was severely damaged in those areas in contact with the fretting zones on the stem surface, with retention of cement debris in the micropores. Furthermore, it was suggested that these micropores contributed to initiation and propagation of fretting wear. This study gave scope for further comparative study of the influence of stem geometry, stem surface finish, and bone cement brand on generation of fretting wear.


This work is being done in support of the development of processes for converting coal to liquid fuel of low sulfur content, suitable for use in power production. Most of the effort is intended to produce information applicable to the SYNTHOIL Process. In the SYNTHOIL Process for converting coal to a low-sulfur fuel oil, coal is liquefied and hydro-desulfurized in a turbulent-flow, catalytic packed-bed reactor. A slurry of coal in recycled oil is reacted with hydrogen at 450 degrees C and 2,000 to 4,000 psi in the presence of Co-MoSiO2-Al2O3 catalyst. The turbulent flow of fluid prevents the coal's mineral matter from settling and plugging the reactor. The gross liquid products are centrifuged to remove the unreacted solids. The centrifuged liquid product is a low-S, low-ash fuel. The following four tasks are included: (1) heat of reaction of hydrogen with coal slurries; (2) heat transfer coefficient; (3) additives to facilitate separation of solids from liquids; and (4) catalyst testing. These are now in the planning stage of development.


Single-phase materials that combine electric polarization and magnetization are promising for applications in multifunctional sensors, information storage, spintronic devices, etc. Following the idea of a percolating network of magnetic ions (e.g., Fe) with strong superexchange interactions within a structural scaffold with a polar lattice, a solid solution thin film with perovskite structure at a morphotropic phase boundary with a high level of Fe atoms on the B site of perovskite structure is deposited to combine both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature with magnetoelectric coupling. In this work, a 0.85BiTi0.1Fe0.8Mg0.1O3-0.15CaTiO3 thin film has been deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Both the ferroelectricity and the magnetism were characterized at room temperature. Large polarization and a large piezoelectric effective coefficient d33 were obtained. Multifield coupling of the thin film has been characterized by scanning force microscopy. Ferroelectric domains and magnetic domains could be switched by magnetic field ( H), electric field ( E), mechanical force ( F), and, indicating that complex cross-coupling exists among the electric polarization, magnetic ordering and elastic deformation in 0.85BiTi0.1Fe0.8Mg0.1O3-0.15CaTiO3 thin film at room temperature. This work also shows the possibility of writing information with electric field, magnetic field, and mechanical force and then reading data by magnetic field. We expect that this work will benefit information applications.


Despite the well-established evidence that breastfeeding improves maternal and child health outcomes, global rates of exclusive breastfeeding remain low. Cost estimates can inform stakeholders about the financial resources needed to scale up interventions to ultimately improve breastfeeding outcomes in low-, middle- and high-income countries. To inform the development of comprehensive costing frameworks, this systematic review aimed to (1) identify costing studies for implementing or scaling-up breastfeeding interventions, (2) assess the quality of identified costing studies and (3) examine the availability of cost data to identify gaps that need to be addressed through future research. Peer-reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched using a combination of index terms and relevant text words related to cost and the following breastfeeding interventions: breastfeeding counselling, maternity leave, the World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, media promotion, workplace support and pro-breastfeeding social policies. Data were extracted after having established inter-rater reliability among the first two authors. The quality of studies was assessed using an eight-item checklist for key costing study attributes. Forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria, with the majority including costs for breastfeeding counselling and paid maternity leave. Most cost analyses included key costing study attributes; however, major weaknesses among the studies were the lack of clarity on costing perspectives and not accounting for the uncertainty of reported cost estimates. Costing methodologies varied substantially, standardized costing frameworks are needed for reliably estimating the costs of implementing and scaling-up breastfeeding interventions at local-, national- or global-levels.


The Planck cosmic microwave background temperature data are best fi t with a Λ CDM model that mildly contradicts constraints from other cosmological probes. The South Pole Telescope ( SPT ) 2540 deg 2 SPT-SZ survey offers measurements on sub-degree angular scales ( multipoles ) with suf fi cient precision to use as an independent check of the Planck data. Here we build on the recent joint analysis of the SPT-SZ and Planck data in Hou et al. by comparing Λ CDM parameter estimates using the temperature power spectrum from both data sets in the SPT-SZ survey region. We also restrict the multipole range used in parameter fi tting to focus on modes measured well by both SPT and Planck , thereby greatly reducing sample variance as a driver of parameter differences and creating a stringent test for systematic errors. We fi nd no evidence of systematic errors from these tests. When we expand the maximum multipole of SPT data used, we see low-signi fi cance shifts in the angular scale of the sound horizon and the physical baryon and cold dark matter densities, with a resulting trend to higher Hubble constant. When we compare SPT and Planck data on the SPT-SZ sky patch to Planck full-sky data but keep the multipole range restricted, we fi nd differences in the parameters and A e s . We perform further checks, investigating instrumental effects and modeling assumptions, and we no that the effects investigated are responsible for any of the parameter shifts. Taken together, these tests reveal no evidence for systematic errors in SPT or Planck data in the overlapping sky coverage and multipole range and at most weak evidence for a breakdown of Λ CDM or systematic errors in fl uencing either the Planck data outside the SPT-SZ survey area or the SPT data at ℓ 2000 > .


The research on autonomous miniature flying robots has intensified considerably thanks to the recent growth of civil and military interest in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). This paper summarizes the final results of the modeling and control parts of OS4 project, which focused on design and control of a quadrotor. It introduces a simulation model which takes into account the variation of the aerodynamical coefficients due to vehicle motion. The control parameters found with this model are successfully used on the helicopter without re-tuning. The last part of this paper describes the control approach (integral backstepping) and the scheme we propose for full control of quadrotors (attitude, altitude and position). Finally, the results of autonomous take-off, hover, landing and collision avoidance are presented.


The hormone estrogen directly stimulates gene expression through activation of its corresponding nuclear receptors. Frasor et al. propose that one such estrogen target gene encodes Siah2, a ubiquitin ligase, which propagates a signal that feeds back to further enhance estrogen-dependent gene transcription. In breast cancer cell lines, estrogen treatment enhanced expression of Siah2. Ubiquitin ligases can mark target proteins for degradation by the proteasome, and one of Siah2's targets is N-CoR, a repressor of nuclear receptor-dependent transcription. Loss of the N-CoR protein in estrogen-treated cells was blocked by proteasome inhibitors. Furthermore, inhibition of expression of Siah2 with siRNA prevented the effect of estrogen to decrease abundance of N-CoR and to enhance transcription of vitamin D3 24-hydroxylase, a gene repressed by N-CoR. The authors propose that regulation of N-CoR may feed back not only transcriptional regulation by estrogen but also on the broader set of genes whose expression is repressed by N-CoR. J. Frasor, J. M. Danes, C. C. Funk, B. S. Katzenellenbogen, Estrogen down-regulation of the corepressor N-CoR: Mechanism and implications for estrogen derepression of N-CoR-regulated genes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 13153-13157 (2005). [Abstract] [Full Text]


This paper analyzes the efficient labor supply of male and female workers in Latin American countries employing the collective model framework (Chiappori et al.,2002). Using data from Time Use Surveys for Mexico (2009) and Colombia (2012), we find evidence of Pareto-efficient labor supply decisions within households, as the collective rationality is not rejected in the two countries. We find that higher female wages are related to more labor market hours of female workers, and male workers show an altruistic behavior towards females with the increase of their labor income. Sex ratio are related to transfers of additional income from male to female workers in Colombia, which sheds light on the relevance of distribution factors in the internal decision process of the couple. Our results suggest that the distribution of bargaining power within the household is an important factor that should be considered when analyzing household decisions.


Relative bradycardias have been reported to occur in humans both at rest and during exercise under a variety of hyperbaric conditions. Review of existing data reveals that there are two major mechanisms operating: one depends on hyperoxia and the other does not. While it is clear that hyperoxia produces bradycardia by a variety of well understood mechanisms, the non-oxygen-dependent causes of hyperbaric bradycardia have not been defined. Experimental results from animals studies have eliminated the involvement of increased ambient pressure and gas density in the development of hyperbaric bradycardia, in all normoxic conditions. This review considers two other possibilities, the altered respiratory pattern which may modify the HR secondarily, and circulatory deconditioning under hyperbaric environments, which masks the hyperbaric bradycardia. We propose that the return of a normal sea level HR following the initial bradycardia represents, in effect, bradycardia which would be seen if cardiovascular deconditioning were not present. It is concluded that hyperoxia is the major factor responsible for initiating and maintaining hyperbaric bradycardia, whereas non-oxygen dependent hyperbaric factors may alter respiratory patterns and secondarily cause a reduction in HR.


Syndecan-4 is a ubiquitously expressed heparan sulfate proteoglycan that modulates cell interactions with the extracellular matrix. It is transiently up-regulated during tissue repair by cells that mediate wound healing. Here, we report that syndecan-4 is essential for optimal fibroblast response to the three-dimensional fibrin-fibronectin provisional matrix that is deposited upon tissue injury. Interference with syndecan-4 function inhibits matrix contraction by preventing cell spreading, actin stress fiber formation, and activation of focal adhesion kinase and RhoA mediated-intracellular signaling pathways. Tenascin-C is an extracellular matrix protein that regulates cell response to fibronectin within the provisional matrix. Syndecan-4 is also required for tenascin-C action. Inhibition of syndecan-4 function suppresses tenascin-C activity and overexpression of syndecan-4 circumvents the effects of tenascin-C. In this way, tenascin-C and syndecan-4 work together to control fibroblast morphology and signaling and regulate events such as matrix contraction that are essential for efficient tissue repair.


Drift snow loads on multilevel roofs account for about 75 percent of all snow load related roof collapses. A case history of snow drifts provides the foundation for a discussion of the two drift types which form on multilevel roofs. These are a triangular drift which typically forms at a backward facing step and a quadrilateral drift which typically forms at a forward facing step. Empirical relations for estimating the size and structural load resulting from both triangular and quadrilateral drifts are presented. These empirical relations were developed from an analysis of a number of case histories and form the basis for current building code provisions for drift loads on multilevel roofs. It is shown that for similar snow source areas, triangular drifts tend to be larger than quadrilateral drifts. Recent research results which include wind speed in the estimation of triangular drift size are briefly reviewed. Finally a physical model for estimating drift size is outlined.


The efficiency of the Czech companies in period 1996-2004, measured by return on capital and revenues, did not develop very favorably, only in the year 2000 came the turn. This contribution examines the factors that influenced this development and indicates the ways pointing to improvement. Even though the common Czech industrial company was only seldom created of economic value added, it is evident the positive influence of macroeconomic remedies accepted in the field of the price of credit capital and of legal entity income tax. Also another factors, that the performed analysis does not study, can be certain the accelerator of the efficiency growth – as for example the structural changes of branches, inflow of foreign investments, changes in the field of human capital, company culture, ethics, etc.


Thanks to its ability to generate a stable yet programmable output frequency, Phase Locked Loop (PLL) frequency synthesizers are found in most modern radio transceivers. All practical PLL implementations suffer from unwanted frequency components such as phasenoise and spurious tones, and since these components affect system performance they must be predicted and minimized. This thesis discuss the design and implementation of fully integrated PLL circuits. Techniques to predict system performance are investigated. The strongly non-linear operation of PLL building blocks are analyzed, using both analytical and numerical methods. Techniques to reduce impact of interferer down-conversion and noise folding are suggested. Methods to perform automatic calibration in order to make circuits less sensitive to process variations are proposed. The techniques are verified through a number of PLL implementations. The design and implementation of a transceiver targeting a dual band IEEE 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN operation is discussed. The circuit use two PLL:s operating at 1310 to 1510 MHz and 3.84 GHz respectively. Noise contributions of various PLL building blocks and their impact on over all system performance are analyzed. The combined integrated phase noise is below -34 dBc, and measured transceiver Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) is better than 2.5 dB in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. A low power frequency synthesizer targeting Frequency Shift Keying applications such as ZigBee and BlueTooth is presented. The synthesizer use open-loop direct modulation of the carrier, but unlike conventional implementations, the proposed synthesizer is open both when transmitting and receiving data. This allows the use of a small area on-chip loop filter without violating noise or spurious requirements. To handle the frequency drift normally associated with open-loop implementations, a low-leakage charge-pump is proposed. The synthesizer is implemented using a 0.18μm CMOS process. Total power consumption is 9 mW and the circuit area including the VCO inductors and on-chip loopfilter is 0.32mm2. Measured leakage current is less than 2 fA. A small area amplitude detector circuit is proposed. The wide-band operation and small input capacitance make the circuit suitable for embedding in an RF system on-chip, allowing measurement of on-chip signal levels and automatic calibration. Finally an oscillator topology reducing the phase noise in voltage controlled oscillators is suggested. By using on-chip decoupling and an amplitude control circuit to adjust oscillator bias, the impact of current source noise is eliminated. The theoretical phase noise is reduced 3.9 dB compared to a conventional LC oscillator using the same bias current.


BACKGROUND
The interactions between biochemical and chemical agents in the body are important in many clinical processes. Affinity chromatography and high-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC), in which a column contains an immobilized biologically related binding agent, are 2 methods that can be used to study these interactions.

CONTENT
This review presents various approaches that can be used in affinity chromatography and HPAC to characterize the strength or rate of a biological interaction, the number and types of sites that are involved in this process, and the interactions between multiple solutes for the same binding agent. A number of applications for these methods are examined, with an emphasis on recent developments and high-performance affinity methods. These applications include the use of these techniques for fundamental studies of biological interactions, high-throughput screening of drugs, work with modified proteins, tools for personalized medicine, and studies of drug-drug competition for a common binding agent.

SUMMARY
The wide range of formats and detection methods that can be used with affinity chromatography and HPAC for examining biological interactions makes these tools attractive for various clinical and pharmaceutical applications. Future directions in the development of small-scale columns and the coupling of these methods with other techniques, such as mass spectrometry or other separation methods, should continue to increase the flexibility and ease with which these approaches can be used in work involving clinical or pharmaceutical samples.


Identifying examples of formulaic language in text is a non-trivial challenge, but the difficulties can be much alleviated by the use of an appropriate definition. Three types of definition are distinguished. Type (i) lays out an analytic working space. Type (ii) derives from an analysis and represents a theoretical position. Type (iii) locates examples for subsequent analysis. Examples of each type are discussed. Extreme examples of formulaicity (pre-memorized material, political slogans and military bugle calls) are then used to explore the boundaries of the definition of formulaicity as morpheme-equivalence. Addressing the question 'Do formulaic sequences constrain expression?' reveals the inherent tension between novelty and formulaicity in balancing processing parsimony and the need to respond appropriately in unique communicative events.


This summer a consensus was reached on a mix of policies that can effectively address the emergencies looming over the Mediterranean, turning them into opportunities. In Europe, foreign and security policy, the development Plan with Africa and immigration are increasingly acknowledged as being interconnected, as shown in particular by the launch of the Investment Plan promoted by the European Commission thanks also to the impetus given by the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. Even at the international level – as evidenced by the indications of the G20 meeting held in Hamburg under the Angela Merkel's Presidency the priority of African development plays a central role.


Signaling protein receptors are segregated into different cell protrusions in Drosophila cells. During development, Drosophila cells form filopodia that protrude in the direction of other cells that produce morphogens that influence their development. Roy et al. (see the Perspective by Affolter and Basler) examined images of cells of developing Drosophila embryos and suggest that particular growth factor receptors are sorted into distinct filopodia and cytoplasmic vesicles. Under certain conditions, cells overexpressing fluorescently labeled growth-factor receptors had filopodia that were oriented in a specific direction and appeared to segregate particular receptor types into distinct filopodia. Further investigation of the nature of the receptor-sorting mechanism and its possible function in signaling may elucidate signaling mechanisms controlling development. S. Roy, F. Hsiung, T. B. Kornberg, Specificity of Drosophila cytonemes for distinct signaling pathways. Science 332, 354–358 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text] M. Affolter, K. Basler, Cytonemes show their colors. Science 332, 312–313 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Agriculture is an important source of livelihood for millions of population in rural areas of India. In this country, nearly 60 percent of the population depends on agriculture. According to the Population Census (2011), approximately 18.20 crore of the population are engaged in agriculture as cultivators and agricultural workers. In India, out of the total land, approximately 195 million hectares are used for cultivation from which around 63 percent is rain fed. Globally, India's position is first in rainfed agriculture in terms of both extent and value of production and is responsible for 65 to 70 per cent of the staple food in the country. Rainfed agriculture provides about 55 percent of rice, 91 percent coarse grains, 90 per cent pulses, 85 per cent oilseeds and 65 percent cotton. The Government of India has taken up macro- and micro-irrigation projects to improve the agricultural productivity in rainfed agriculture areas. But the over-pumping of water for irrigational purposes and other uses has resulted in decreasing of the groundwater level. Even the green revolution that has improved agricultural productivity in India had little impact on rainfed agriculture. In rainfed regions, agricultural productivity is low, natural resources are degraded and the people increasingly are poor. In the wake of depleting water, soil and other natural resources, the idea of watershed project comes as a relief to rainfed agriculture. Agricultural scientists and planners aimed to promote rainfed agriculture through Watershed Development Programme (WSDP). Among many proposed solutions for the improvement of rainfed areas, development through watershed projects has emerged as the best strategy. Watershed is an area from which all water drains to a common point. It is an attractive unit for technical development to manage water and soil for production and conservation of natural resources.
To explore the potentiality of the rainfed agriculture, WSDP is implemented with the involvement of the local community. Up to now massive investments have been made in this regard but real evidences of success and failures of the community participation are still lacking. Under this background, the present study has been carried out in two micro-watersheds located in Balangir district of western Odisha. Broadly, the objectives of the study are to figure out the level of community participation, factors affecting the participation, conflict resolution and impact of watershed on livelihoods. The sociological and anthropological techniques are used to fulfil the objectives of the present study. The key findings of the study show that community participation varies at different levels of watershed implementation. The empirical results of the study show that in both the watersheds, most of the people who attended the watershed meetings or involved in the watershed activities are educated, rich and farmers doing the crops in Rabi season. The participation of illiterates, old persons, women groups and poor farmers are very rare. The participation of landless, marginal and women are quite less because of lack of awareness and non-closeness with the PIA. But, the scenario has changed in the planning and implementation phase. The marginal, landless, and women groups those who mostly work as labourers are encouraged to participate as their labour contribution was needed to form the watershed structures. In post-implementation phase of watershed project the transformation took place. Those who have the ability (in terms of labour, money and materials) to maintain the watershed physical structure, participated more, irrespective of their caste and land holding size. The post-implementation scenario in NGO implemented watershed shows that while around 50 percent beneficiaries participated in watershed management, it is not uniform in case of all the communities and land holding groups. The landless (30%) and marginal communities (35%) who really need water for their livelihoods take less interest to participate. The women participation is very minimal that is 20 percent. In case of GO implemented watershed it is 20 percent, 25 percent and 10 percent respectively for landless, marginal and women beneficiaries.
It is observed that in the NGO implemented watershed, the management of watershed assets and community participation are quite better in comparison to the GO implemented watershed. This is because of the creation of proper awareness; smooth functioning of the Watershed Committee (WC), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Watershed Association (WA) and other grass root level institutions. The levels of participation in either of the NGO and GO implemented watershed areas are not satisfactory, because of some socio-cultural, economic, institutional and physical, technical factors. However, the NGO implemented watershed performed comparatively well. In this regard, several variables are identified for determining the reasons for non-participation. The factor and regression analysis reveals that economic factor plays a significant role in the community participation. The main reason attributed for this is that the economic activities are directly linked to the livelihood, poverty, employment, short term and long term benefit. The second highest factor that has influenced the participation is socio-cultural followed by the institutional and physical-technical factors. As mentioned earlier, the participation is highly infused in the social system, which can be a probable reason for the relevance of the social-cultural factor. The institutional factors have a very mild impact as well as physical and technical factors also have a minor impact on overall participation. It is observed that in both GO and NGO watersheds, Brahmins and upper caste people had power and social prestige that gave them an upper hand in the use of watershed resources. The traditional type of authority helped in maintaining harmony in the village before the introduction of the watershed and there were very less chances of conflict. After the implementation of the watershed, the role and functions of traditional authority has changed. The unequal distribution of watershed resource caused conflict between the watershed beneficiaries. However, the idea behind the watershed guideline is that 'let the beneficiaries resolve their disputes by themselves' which are yet to be realised. It is found in the study areas that the watershed project has improved all the capital assets, but it was not felt vividly by the farmers of all castes and communities.
As a result, along with the sustainability, the problem of inequality remained a problem. The marginal farmers did not get many benefits due to the inability to invest, lack of participation in watershed activities, lack of awareness, inadequate training, lack of knowledge of market fair price. The NGO implemented watershed has a moderate impact on the entire livelihood capital assets while the low quality of water harvesting structures constructed in GO implemented watershed, affected the sustainability of all the capitals assets. Though, the watershed project has a good impact on rural livelihood; the sustainability of this has become a pressing question.