A new constraint assignment algorithm and a two‐perspective tracking method are presented for three‐dimensional tracking of motile aquatic organisms. The method aims at providing preferably long tracks of multiple, simultaneously swimming individuals. As an extension to existing tracking and assignment methods, the presented algorithm takes background knowledge about maximum swimming speed and size of the organisms into account. Two strategies, both using the constraint assignment algorithm, were applied to track either a fixed number of objects or to track as many objects as possible in frame‐to‐frame transitions. Whereas the first strategy provides continuous and distinct tracks of all individuals for the entire measurement sequence, the second strategy does not require interpolation of unresolved positions and is more robust to disappearance or reappearance of organisms within the field of view. Two sets of video records of freely swimming Daphnia magna, differing in abundance, image quality, and record length, are analyzed to assess the tracking success of the proposed algorithm. Although both strategies provide better results for a higher detection rate of organisms, the first strategy is preferable for tracking individuals in tests with smaller organism abundance and higher signal‐to‐noise ratio, whereas the second strategy also provides reasonable pathways under less optimal conditions. Spectral analysis of observed swimming velocities is applied to demonstrate the advantage of obtaining long, continuous, and three‐dimensional tracks of moving organisms.


There have been five major mass extinctions among the marine biota during the ∼0.6 b.y. history of metazoan life on Earth. These mass extinctions have been ranked from the largest to the smallest by the severity of taxonomic diversity losses, but they have not been ranked by the severity of the ecologic changes that they produced. Here we utilize a system of paleoecological levels that allows for the ranking of ecological degradation or shifts associated with significant taxonomic events, along with an analysis of large-scale paleoenvironmental patterns of two of the great evolutionary faunas, to compare the relative ecologic degradation caused by two major mass extinctions. The Late Ordovician and Late Devonian mass extinctions produced similar taxonomic losses (marine families declined ∼22% and 21%, respectively). However, our analyses show that whereas the Late Ordovician extinction resulted in only minimal permanent ecological change, the Late Devonian extinction resulted in the complete restructuring of many components of the marine ecosystem. Thus, the large-scale taxonomic and ecological significance of these extinction events are decoupled, implying that some taxa are ecologically more critical than others.


Purpose Advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) formation on the basement membrane of retinal capillaries has been previously described but the impact of these adducts on capillary endothelial cell function vascular repair remains uncertain. This investigation has evaluated retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RMECs) growing on AGE-modified fibronectin (FN) and determined how this has an impact on cell-substrate interactions and downstream oxidative responses and cell survival. Methods RMECs were grown on methylglyoxal-modified FN (AGE-FN) or native FN as a control. RMEC attachment and spreading was quantified. In a separate treatment, the AGE-FN substrate had Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) or scrambled peptide added before seeding. Phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and α5β1 integrin localization was assessed and apoptosis evaluated. In a subset of RMECs that remained attached to the AGE-FN substrate, the production of superoxide (O2-) was assayed using dihydroethidium (DHE) fluorescence or lucigenin, in the presence or absence of NADPH. The specificity of the O2- assays was confirmed by inhibition in the presence of polyethylene-glycol-superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD). AGE-mediated changes to mRNAs encoding key basement membrane proteins and regulatory enzymes were investigated using real-time RT–PCR. Results AGE-FN reduced RMEC attachment and spreading when compared to FN controls (p<0.001). RGDS peptide enhanced cell attachment on AGE-FN (p<0.001), while the scrambled peptide had no effect. FAK phosphorylation in AGE-exposed RMECs was reduced in a time-dependent fashion, while α5β1 integrin-immunoreactivity became focal at the basal membrane. AGE-exposure induced apoptosis, a response significantly prevented by RGDS peptide. AGE-exposure caused a significant increase in basal O2- and NADPH-stimulated production by RMECs (p<0.01), while AGE-FN also increased basement membrane associated mRNA expression (p<0.05). Conclusions AGE substrate modifications impair the function of retinal capillary endothelium and their reparative potential in response to diabetes-related insults. Arginine-specific modifications alter vital endothelial cell interactions with the substrate. This phenomenon could play an important role in dysfunction and nonperfusion of retinal capillaries during diabetes.


Body condition score (BCS) indicates how much fat a cow has on its body, which is an important factor in cow health and reproductive capacity. Growers can use BCS to understand and manage the health of a herd and maintain a profitable operation. This 6-page fact sheet explains how BCS is measured, what different scores mean, the economic impact of various scores, and how changing cow nutrition can move BCS in a desired direction. Written by Matt Hersom, Todd Thrift, and Joel Yelich, and published by the UF Department of Animal Sciences, August 2015.
AN319/AN319: Implications of Cow Body Condition Score on Productivity (ufl.edu)


Early exposure to engineering and mathematics career opportunities has been indicated to influence students' decisions regarding their academic majors and career goals. This study utilized mixed methods to analyze how changes in middle school students' affective characteristics might be linked to their future career decision-making, following participation in an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics summer camp. As part of the summer camp, rising sixththrough eighth-grade students attended a weeklong learning experience based on a specific engineering context. Each grade level cohort participated with their same grade peers in a 36-hour, 6-day event focused on sparking their interest in engineering careers and developing their content knowledge in select science and mathematics content areas. Pre-post testing was conducted with 65 students of diverse backgrounds in grades six through eight to measure their self-reported engineering-related self-efficacy, knowledge of engineering careers, and motivation to pursue future engineering classes and careers. In addition, interviews were conducted to examine any changes in middle school camp participants' affective characteristics of motivation, self-efficacy, and self-determination.


Most theories of implicature make reference to a notion of alternatives. Interlocutors reason about what the speaker could have said. In this paper, I investigate the structure of these alternatives. In particular, I ask how these alternative utterances are constrained by the interlocutors' grammar. I argue that in order to derive certain implicatures, alternative utterances must be analyzed like actual utterances, as fully compositional structures appropriately generated by the grammar. The data supporting this position come from implicatures generated by indefinite bare noun phrases in Tagalog. I show that Tagalog indefinites give rise to non-uniqueness implicatures via competition with definites, as in English. However, unlike English, definite and indefinite interpretations of Tagalog NPs are not signalled by dedicated articles, but by verbal affixes. Therefore, in order to generate the observed implicatures, pragmatic competition must take into consideration the NP's broader syntactic context. Supporting the view that implicature calculation is sensitive to the morphosyntactic structure of alternative utterances, I show that in cases where the alternative is not grammatically well-formed, the implicature does not arise. These data provide evidence that only grammatically well-formed structures are able to enter into pragmatic competition.


Nb12O29 is a 4d transition metal oxide that occurs in two forms with different symmetries, monoclinic (m) and orthorhombic (o). The monoclinic form has unusual magnetic properties; below a temperature of 12 K, it exhibits both metallic conductivity and antiferromagnetic ordering. Here, first-principles densityfunctional theory calculations are used to study the structure, relative stability and electronic properties of Nb12O29. The optimized crystal structures are in good agreement with experimental observations and total energy calculations show similar stability of the two phases, while a magnetic electronic state is slightly favoured for m-Nb12O29. The unusual magnetism of the monoclinic phase originates from a Stoner instability that can be attributed to the Nb atoms with valence states close to Nb, i.e., the atoms with an electronic configuration of d. This is in clear contradiction to current models in which the magnetism is attributed to the presence of localized Nb ions with a formal d configuration. Our study demonstrates that in complex structures, magnetic properties are best not inferred from ionic models, but require a full quantum mechanical calculation over the whole unit cell.


Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology has been used extensively to develop provenance histories for surface outcrops of key stratigraphic localities within sedimentary basins. However, many basins lack sufficiently continuous and widespread exposures of complete successions to evaluate proposed long-term tectonic histories, stratigraphic correlations, and paleodrainage patterns within individual basins. Here, we demonstrate the utility of subsurface detrital zircon U-Pb analysis by integrating ages from three key wells (21 subsurface samples) with previously reported data from six exposed intervals (90 surface samples) within a single basin. Samples from the 5-10-km-thick clastic successions span several structural blocks over an similar to 300 x 50 km swath of the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin, a north-trending intermontane basin in the northern Andes of Colombia. Available U-Pb age distributions for modern rivers highlight the distinctive signatures of several competing sediment sources, including two major contiguous ranges (Central Cordillera and Eastern Cordillera) and two localized block uplifts (Santander Massif and San Lucas range). U-Pb results from Jurassic through Neogene stratigraphic units spanning the nine surface and subsurface sites, including several type localities, enable comparisons of provenance shifts at specific sites and spatial variations among key stratigraphic intervals across multiple sites. Distinctive age populations for the Andean magmatic arc, retroarc fold-thrust belt, and South American craton facilitate correlation of stratigraphic units and reconstruction of the long-term provenance and tectonic evolution of the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin. Nearly all surface and subsurface localities show up-section changes in age spectra consistent with (1) Jurassic growth of extensional subbasins fed by local igneous sources, (2) Cretaceous deposition in an extensive postrift setting, and (3) protracted Cenozoic growth of basin-bounding ranges during Andean crustal shortening. Subsurface samples augment surface samples, highlighting their utility in developing regional source-to-sink relationships, the timing of paleodrainage integration, and tectonic reconstructions. Provenance shifts of mid-Paleocene and latest Eocene-earliest Oligocene age are consistent with incipient uplift of the flanking Central Cordillera and Eastern Cordillera, respectively. However, a well-documented phase of latest Paleocene-middle Eocene beveling of basement uplifts in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin appears to be largely aliased in the detrital record. Moreover, despite the proximity of the magmatic arc, there is insufficient syndepositional evidence for a proposed Paleogene pulse of magmatism and, in this case, limited utility of U-Pb ages in pinpointing precise depositional (stratigraphic) ages. U-Pb age spectra for Oligocene through Pliocene basin fill underscore complex along-strike (north-south) and cross-strike (east-west) variations reflective of compartmentalized transverse deposystems demarcated by point-source contributions from the Central Cordillera and Eastern Cordillera. The late Miocene appearance of 100-0 Ma grains and a regional switch to broad, multimodal age distributions suggest the initial integration of the longitudinal proto-Magdalena River, linking the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin with southern headwaters in the Upper Magdalena Valley and likely driving increased sedimentation rates farther north in the offshore Magdalena submarine fan of the southern Caribbean margin.


Applying qualitative historical methods, we examined the consideration and implementation of school closures as a nonpharmaceutical intervention (NPI) in thirty US cities during the spring 2009 wave of the pA(H1N1) influenza pandemic. We gathered and performed close textual readings of official federal, state, and municipal government documents; media coverage; and academic publications. Lastly, we conducted oral history interviews with public health and education officials in our selected cities. We found that several local health departments pursued school closure plans independent of CDC guidance, that uncertainty of action and the rapidly evolving understanding of pA(H1N1) contributed to tension and pushback from the public, that the media and public perception played a significant role in the response to school closure decisions, and that there were some notable instances of interdepartmental communication breakdown. We conclude that health departments should continue to develop and fine-tune their action plans while also working to develop better communication methods with the public, and work more closely with education officials to better understand the complexities involved in closing schools. Lastly, state and local governments should work to resolve lingering issues of legal authority for school closures in times of public health crises.


Hydrology, particularly the water table position below the surface, is an important control on biogeochemical and ecological processes in peatlands. The position of the water table is a function of total storage changes, drainable porosity and peatland surface oscillation (PSO). Because the absolute level of the peat surface (ASL) oscillates in a peatland, we can assign two different water table positions: the water table depth below the surface (relative water level, RWL) and the water table position above an absolute elevation datum eg. sea level (absolute water level, AWL). A review of 37 studies that report peatland surface oscillation indicate a wide range (0.4-55 cm), which is to the same order as (or one order smaller than) water storage changes and RWL fluctuations. PSO can vary substantially across a single peatland and through time. A set of mechanisms (flotation, compression/shrinkage, gas volume changes and freezing) is hypothesised to cause ASL changes. The potential of PSO to reduce RWL fluctuations trended (mean in %) floating peatlands (63) > bogs (21), fens (18) > disturbed peatlands (10) with respect to peatland types. To investigate the spatiotemporal variability of peatland surface oscillation, AWL and ASL were monitored continuously over a one-year period (one site) and monthly (23 sites) in a warm-temperate peatland that is dominated by Empodisma minus (Restionaceae). A new measurement method was developed by pairing two water level transducers, one attached to a stable benchmark ( AWL) and one attached to the peat surface ( RWL). iii From August 2005 until August 2006 the ASL oscillated at one site through a range of 22 cm following AWL fluctuations (in total 47 cm). Consequently, RWL fluctuations were reduced on average to 53% of AWL fluctuations. The strong AWL-ASL relationship was linear for 15 sites with manual measurements. However, eight sites showed significantly higher rates of peatland surface oscillation during the wet season (ie. high AWLs) and thus a non-linear behaviour. Temporary flotation of upper peat layers during the wet season may have caused this non-linear behaviour. On the peatland scale AWL fluctuations (mean 40 cm among sites) were reduced by 30–50% by PSO except for three sites with shallow and dense peat at the peatland margin (7–11%). The reduction of RWL fluctuation was high compared to literature values. The spatial variability of PSO seemed to match well with vegetation patterns rather than peat thickness or bulk density. Sites with large PSO showed high cover of Empodisma minus. Surface level changes exhibited surprisingly hysteretic behaviour subsequent to raised AWLs, when the rise of ASL was delayed. This delay reversed the positive ASL-AWL relationship because the surface slowly rose even though AWL started receding. Hysteresis was more pronounced during the dry season than during the wet season. The observed hysteresis can be sufficiently simulated by a simplistic model incorporating delayed ASL fluctuations. PSO has wide implications for peatland hydrology by reducing RWL fluctuations, which feed back to peat decomposition and plant cover and potentially to (drainable) porosity. Stable RWL also reduce the probability of surface run-off. It is further argued that the gas content of the roots of plants, particularly Empodisma minus, added enough buoyancy to detach the uppermost peat layers resulting in flotation.


South Africa has had a policy of competitive tendering for the provision of public transport services (subsidised commuter bus services) since the mid-1980s. Although this policy approach was conceptualised by the previous government, prior to the transfer of political power in 1994, it was reaffirmed in a 1996 White Paper on National Transport Policy. Despite the nearly 25 years that have passed since the intention to tender services, only about 32% of the subsidy budget is currently spent on some form of contracting. The majority of services are still operated on authorisations (interim contracts) which formalised services that operators were operating pre-1994. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the reasons why public transport contracting policy progress has been so slow in South Africa. The paper relies on an extensive study that was conducted regarding policy implementation obstacles in general, as well as a questionnaire survey among the subsidised commuter bus operators to solicit their views on the reasons for the delay in the implementation of the contracting system in the country. The findings of the survey indicate that the major issues hindering the implementation of the contracting system are to be found in a lack of funding, lack of capacity to implement policy and major operational issues in the permit offices.


Abstract. The vagus nerve is a major constituent in the bidirectional relationship between the heart and the prefrontal cortex. This study investigated the role of the vagus in social cognition using the cold face test (facial cooling) to stimulate the vagus nerve and increase prefrontal inhibitory control. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was measured to index parasympathetic outflow while social cognition ability was tested using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Healthy males (n = 25) completed the RMET under two conditions: with and without facial cooling. Results indicated that although facial cooling increased HRV at rest, there was no improvement in the RMET during the facial cooling condition. Interestingly, completing the RMET with facial cooling abolished this increase in HRV, suggesting interference along the vagal reflex arc. These results are consistent with the involvement of a common cortico-subcortical circuit in autonomic and cognitive processes, important for emotion recognition.


The MinneTAC trading agent is designed to compete in the Supply-Chain Trading Agent Competition [4]. It is also designed to support the needs of a group of researchers, each of whom is interested in different decision problems related to the competition scenario. The design of MinneTAC breaks out each basic behavior into a separate, configurable component, and allows dynamic construction of analysis and modeling tools from small, single-purpose "evaluators". The agent is defined as a set of "roles", and a working agent is one for which a component is supplied for each role. This allows each researcher to focus on a single problem and work independently, and it allows multiple researchers to tackle the same problem in different ways. A working MinneTAC agent is completely defined by a set of configuration files that map the desired roles to the code that implements them, and that set parameters for the components. We describe the design of MinneTAC, and we evaluate its effectiveness in support of our research agenda and its competitiveness in the TAC-SCM game environment.


Purpose
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of developmental disabilities related to prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is a life-long lasting condition with various neurocognitive impairments and deficits in daily-life functioning. Research also indicates that FASD patients have an increased prevalence for substance use, substance related disorders and other psychiatric disorders. In Germany, data on adult FASD patients and their mental health are rare. The purpose of this paper is to describe substance use and comorbid psychiatric disorders (in addition to FASD) and suicide attempts in adult FASD patients.

Design/methodology/approach
The German version of the structured "Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)" was administered to a convenience sample of patients attending a specialized FASD diagnostic service at a German university hospital to assess psychiatric disorders. Current and lifetime substance use were examined using sections from the German version of the "European Addiction Severity Index (EUROP-ASI-R)" interview.

Findings
In total, 31 adults with FASD were included. Two patients were diagnosed with a substance related disorder, one for alcohol and one for cannabis. Nearly half of all patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for mild mental retardation, a further 16 per cent fulfilled the criteria for another current comorbid psychiatric disorder. In total, 26 per cent reported at least one suicide attempt.

Originality/value
Given that the body of research literature on FASD in adulthood is sparse, even a clinical sample of thirty individuals expands knowledge on mental health and substance use in the adult FASD population. The sample was comprehensively assessed using validated structured interviews on mental health, substance use and FASD.


International firms with multiple business units are dealing with the question of how to balance the international dimension of their business portfolio. Which business units should go international and where should they contract or expand their international activities? Previous research lacks tools providing a foundation for this decision. Drawing on the concept of national competitiveness, we make a crucial contribution to the BCG matrix. We develop a national competitiveness-market growth matrix to identify business units that are promising targets for internationalisation. The case of TATA illustrates the meaningfulness and viability of this new matrix. Three quarters of the analysed business units of India's most successful conglomerate are active in the country's strongest export industries. This finding substantiates Porter's home base thesis: internationally active firms should capitalise on their geographical advantages. Consequently, we postulate that international managers should take precautions if a business unit of their firm has its home base in a country whose 'revealed comparative advantage' in this industry is less than one, i.e. below average.


The antiferromagnetic spin-one chain is considerably one of the most fundamental quantum many-body systems, with symmetry protected topological order in the ground state. Here, we present results for its dynamical spin structure factor at finite temperatures, based on a combination of exact numerical diagonalization, matrix-product-state calculations and quantum Monte Carlo simulations. Open finite chains exhibit a sub-gap band in the thermal spectral functions, indicative of localized edge-states. Moreover, we observe the thermal activation of a distinct low-energy continuum contribution to the spin spectral function with an enhanced spectral weight at low momenta and its upper threshold. This emerging thermal spectral feature of the Haldane spin-one chain is shown to result from intra-band magnon scattering due to the thermal population of the single-magnon branch, which features a large bandwidth-to-gap ratio. These findings are discussed with respect to possible future studies on spin-one chain compounds based on inelastic neutron scattering.


Internet security problems remain a major challenge with many security concerns such as Internet worms, spam, and phishing attacks. Botnets, well-organized distributed network attacks, consist of a large number of bots that generate huge volumes of spam or launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on victim hosts. New emerging botnet attacks degrade the status of Internet security further. To address these problems, a practical collaborative network security management system is proposed with an effective collaborative Unified Threat Management (UTM) and traffic probers. A distributed security overlay network with a centralized security center leverages a peer-to-peer communication protocol used in the UTMs collaborative module and connects them virtually to exchange network events and security rules. Security functions for the UTM are retrofitted to share security rules. In this paper, we propose a design and implementation of a cloud-based security center for network security forensic analysis. I  propose using cloud storage to keep collected traffic data and then processing it with cloud computing platforms to find the malicious attacks. As a practical example, phishing attack forensic analysis is presented and the required computing and storage resources are evaluated based on real trace data. The cloud based security center can instruct each collaborative UTM and prober to collect events and raw traffic, send them back for deep analysis, and generate new security rules. These new security rules are enforced by collaborative UTM and the feedback events of such rules are returned to the security center. By this type of close-loop control, the collaborative network security management system can identify and address new distributed attacks more quickly and effectively.


OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to determine whether patients' families' violence-prevention behaviors would be affected by their primary care practitioner's use of a violence-prevention clinical intervention during the routine well-child examination. METHODS. In this cluster-randomized, controlled trial (2002–2006), 137 Pediatric Research in Office Settings practices were randomly assigned and initiated patient recruitment for either an office-based violence-prevention intervention or a control group (educational handout on literacy promotion provided). Primary caregivers of children who were aged 2 to 11 years and presented for a well-child visit were surveyed at baseline and 1 and 6 months. Practitioners were trained to (1) review a parent previsit summary regarding patient-family behavior and parental concern about media use, discipline strategies, and children's exposure to firearms, (2) counsel using brief principles of motivational interviewing, (3) identify and provide local agency resources for anger and behavior management when indicated, and (4) instruct patient-families on use of tangible tools (minute timers to monitor media time/timeouts and firearm cable locks to store firearms more safely where children live or play). Main outcomes were change over time in self-reported media use <120 minutes per day, use of timeouts, and use of firearm cable locks. RESULTS. Generalized estimating equation analysis revealed a significant effect at 6 months for decreased media use and safer firearm storage. The intervention group compared with the control group showed an increase in limiting media use to <120 minutes per day. There was no significant effect for timeout use. There was a substantial increase in storing firearms with cable locks for the intervention group versus a decrease for the control group. CONCLUSIONS. This randomized, controlled trial demonstrated decreased media exposure and increased safe firearm storage as a result of a brief office-based violence-prevention approach.


25 To detect and avoid illegal logging of valuable tree species, identification methods for the 26 origin of timber are necessary. We used next-generation sequencing to identify chloroplast 27 genome regions that differentiate the origin of white oaks from the three continents; Asia, 28 Europe, and North America. By using the chloroplast genome of Asian Q. mongolica as a 29 reference, we identified 861 variant sites (672 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); 189 30 insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism) from representative species of three continents (Q. 31 mongolica from Asia; Q. petraea and Q. robur from Europe; Q. alba from North America), 32 and we identified additional chloroplast polymorphisms in pools of 20 individuals each from 33 Q. mongolica (789 variant sites) and Q. robur (346 variant sites). Genome sequences were 34 screened for insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphisms to develop markers that identify 35 continental origin of oak species, and that can be easily evaluated using a variety of 36 detection methods. We identified five indel and one SNP that reliably identify continent-of37 origin, based on evaluations of up to 1078 individuals representing 13 white oak species and 38 three continents. Due to the size of length polymorphisms revealed, this marker set can be 39 visualized using capillary electrophoresis or high resolution gel (acrylamide or agarose) 40 electrophoresis. With these markers, we provide the wood trading market with an instrument 41 to comply with the U.S. and European laws that require timber companies to avoid the trade 42 of illegally harvested timber. 43 44


Some restructured power systems rely on audited cost information instead of competitive bids for the dispatch and pricing of electricity in real time, particularly in hydro systems in Latin America. Audited costs are also substituted for bids in U.S. markets when local market power is demonstrated to be present. Regulators that favor a cost-based design argue that this is more appropriate for systems with a small number of generation firms because it eliminates the possibilities for generators to behave strategically in the spot market, which is a main concern in bid-based markets. We discuss existing results on market power issues in cost- and bid-based designs and present a counterintuitive example, in which forcing spot prices to be equal to marginal costs in a concentrated market can actually yield lower social welfare than under a bid-based market design due to perverse investment incentives. Additionally, we discuss the difficulty of auditing the true opportunity costs of generators in cost-based markets and how this can lead to distorted dispatch schedules and prices, ultimately affecting the long-term economic efficiency of a system. An important example is opportunity costs that diverge from direct fuel costs due to energy or start limits, or other generator constraints. Most of these arise because of physical and financial inflexibilities that become more relevant with increasing shares of variable and unpredictable generation from renewables.


ABSTRACT
 This contribution discusses current carbonate deposition in the channel between the Ponza and Palmarola islands and along the western coast of Palmarola, focusing on the quantitative contribution of biogenic carbonate and in particular on the production and accumulation of carbonates by coralline algae. Seventeen out of 150 grab samples have been selected as representative of the main sedimentary features facies of the seafloor between 30 and 100 m of water depth (wd). They were analyzed using XRD and EDTA titration. Thin sections of the same samples were made to identify their biogenic components and to quantify the contribution of calcareous algae to the total sediment. Maximum carbonate production takes place between 40 and 70 m wd, with the percentage of carbonates ranging between 83.1 and 95.7%. of the total. Multidimensional statistical analyses found two different carbonate facies: the coralline algae facies (CA) occupies 38 km2 between 30 and 70 m wd, and the carbonate matrix facies (CM) covers 24 km2 between 70 and 100 m wd. An estimate of the current contribution of algal carbonates to seafloor sediments is about 80% in the CA facies and 15% in the CM facies. The accumulation of total carbonate sediments in the uppermost 2 cm interval of the CA facies is calculated to be 20 566 g m-2 and the fraction of coralline carbonate in the superficial 2-cm layer of the CM facies is calculated as 16452 g m-2. The production rate of the mean 7% live coralline covers ranges between 7.91 and 31.64 g m-2 yr-1.


Despite widespread interest in the evolution of social intelligence, little is known about how wild animals acquire and store information about social companions or whether individuals possessing enhanced social knowledge derive biological fitness benefits. Using playback experiments on African elephants (Loxodonta africana), we demonstrated that the possession of enhanced discriminatory abilities by the oldest individual in a group can influence the social knowledge of the group as a whole. These superior abilities for social discrimination may result in higher per capita reproductive success for female groups led by older individuals. Our findings imply that the removal of older, more experienced individuals, which are often targets for hunters because of their large size, could have serious consequences for endangered populations of advanced social mammals such as elephants and whales.


Two electrodeposited and two chemical manganese dioxides were heat-treated in an air or argon environment for 24 hours at temperatures from 120-450°C and the products were
characterised by chemical analysis, XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red) spectroscopy. It was found that the rate of water evolution was identical in air or argon but the weight loss was greater in argon. This was explained on the basis that the x value in MnOx increased in air but not in argon. Powder X-ray diffraction spectra of the heat-treated materials showed that there was little change in structure from 25-300°C and between 300-400°C the structure changed from a γ-phase to a β-like phase. Application of the latest structural model of γ-MnO2 in terms of de Wolff disorder and microtwinning was applied to the XRD patterns of Faradiser WSLi. It was found that there was decrease in microtwinning from 25-300°C but the amount of de Wolff disorder was essentially unchanged. Simulation of XRD patterns by taking appropriate amounts of two end-members and comparing them with one obtained experimentally showed that the transformation from γ to β like in the temperature range 300-400°C was heterogeneous. FTIR spectra of the same materials showed a progressive shift of the peaks associated with the MnO6 octahedral framework. Comparison of the peak positions with the published data of ramsdellite (γ-MnO2) and pyrolusite (β-MnO2) suggested a ramsdellite phase in the unheated material and a pyrolusite phase at 400°C.
An electrodeposited MnO2 was heat-treated at 200, 300 and 400°C and then H was chemically inserted using propan-2-ol or hydrazine hydrate. XRD spectra showed that a homogeneous reduction occurred with the material that had been heat-treated at 200°C and reduced with propan-2-ol while a heterogeneous reduction occurred with the material heat treated at 400°C and reduced with hydrazine hydrate. Within these extremes of behaviour different regions of homogeneity/heterogeneity were observed. With hydrazine hydrate heterogeneity set in at a lower level of H insertion than with propan-2-ol reduction. This was because the rate of reduction was faster with hydrazine hydrate and the critical value of r = 0.8 in MnOOHr was reached earlier at the surface of the MnO2 particles. FTIR spectra of the chemically reduced materials were interpreted in terms of OH bond formation which was revealed by the appearance of peaks centred at 2050 and 2650 cm-1. With the homogeneous reduction there was no evidence of OH bond formation until MnOOH0.8, in the heterogeneous reduction OH bond formation was observed at low levels of H insertion. The onset of OH bond formation was thought to be due to the localisation of the inserted H+ and eO.
H insertion into a range of chemical manganese dioxides heat-treated analogously to EMD was carried out. The non heat-treated CMD material exhibited the largest region of
homogeneous H insertion while H insertion for the material heat-treated at 400°C was entirely heterogeneous. Between these extremes of behaviour intermediate levels of
homogeneity/heterogeneity were observed. The crystal structure of the most reduced materials formed a similar range of intergrowth structures as was found for the EMD materials. This was δ-MnOOH for the material heat-treated at 200°C and manganite for that heat-treated at 400°C. The boundaries of the homogeneous/heterogeneous behaviour of EMD and CMD were compared and it was found that heterogeneity occurred at a higher level of H insertion for the CMD materials.
A range of chemically Li-inserted MnOOLix (0 0.3 (EMD) and x>0.35 (CMD) a new phase was formed via a heterogeneous reaction. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the new phase could be indexed to an orthorhombic unit cell and, in contrast to H insertion, the crystal structures of the most reduced Li-inserted materials seemed to be the same regardless of the initial heat-treatment temperature.
A novel applied linear regression analysis was developed to determine possible peak movement in a spectral dataset. The analysis used the coefficient of determination R2 as a
parameter for peak movement. In the second part of the analysis it was found that a low value of R2 indicated peak movement. In the XRD patterns of EMD heat-treated at 200°C and reduced with propan-2-ol the low values of R2 correlated with peak movement. Conversely with EMD heat-treated at 400°C and reduced with hydrazine hydrate there was little or no peak movement and the values of R2 were close to 1.


Abstract How do great powers decide whether to provide arms to or form alliances with client states? This "patron's dilemma" revolves around a decision about how to best provide security to clients without becoming entrapped in unwanted conflicts. Strong commitments worsen the risk of entrapment, whereas weak commitments intensify fears of abandonment. This traditional alliance dilemma can be addressed through the provision of arms and alliances. Great power patrons primarily make such decisions on the basis of two factors: first, the extent to which the patron believes it and its client have common security interests; and second, whether the patron believes that its client has sufficient military capabilities to deter its main adversary without the patron's assistance. Patrons assess the degree of shared threat and the local balances of capabilities in determining whether to support their clients with arms, alliances, or both. As demonstrated in the U.S. provision of security goods to Taiwan and Israel during the Cold War, this strategic logic explains how great powers manage the patron's dilemma.


Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher* Anyone who has spent time on the road knows that you often have to depend on signs...to navigate the town, locate your hotel, and even obey the law. A scary thought if you've ever come across any of the publicly posted absurdities that appear in this book: signs about as easy to understand as a Swahili auctioneer (to a non-Swahili speaker) or as well-planned as the dance steps in a mosh pit. With the help of signspotters around the globe, we've assembled a collection of some of the most unintentionally entertaining postings on the planet - we hope they confuse and amuse you! Author: Doug Lansky About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel. TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013


Balanced and symmetric laminates are pervasive in design practice for the simple reason that thermal warping distortions are associated with non-symmetric laminate designs. Design practice, particularly in the Aerospace sector, has become entrenched and risk averse, hence the reluctance to move away from this simple design rule. However to unlock the full potential of composite laminates, the coupling interactions between in-plane and out-of-plane, must now be considered. Thermally stable laminates can now be achieved through sophisticated tailoring design strategies, leading to mechanically coupled materials properties with immunity to thermal warping distortion. This unique quality is known as the hygro-thermally curvature-stable (HTCS). The Extension-Twisting (and Shearing-Bending) coupled laminate is one particular class of coupled laminate with HTCS properties, which is an enabling technology for tilt-rotor aircraft. This class of laminate may be derived using standard ply angle orientations i.e. 45, 45, 0 and 90°, which in comparison to free form angle ply orientations, developed through an optimisation technique, will facilitate the requirement for ply terminations, whilst preserving the Extension-Twisting coupling behaviour within the entire laminate tapered design. Free form angle laminates make thickness tapering virtually impossible, particularly if maintaining consistent coupling behaviour within the entire laminate is a design constraint. Extension-Twisting coupled laminates derived from standard angle orientations with HTCS properties are shown to exist only for 8-, 12-, 16- and 20-ply number groupings, and an assessment of the configurations for each twist magnitude and buckling load strength is presented for each case. The limited number of groupings these coupled laminate solutions is shown to be the result of employing unidirectional material.
The above restrictions for UD material may be relaxed for laminates with balanced Plain weave material, which are shown to be inherently thermally curvature stable. Balanced Plain weave material results in a broader design space for mechanically coupled laminates; irrespective of the ply angle orientations and ply number grouping. This benefit provides more flexibility for laminate tailoring and thickness tapering; where the mechanical coupling behaviour and immunity to thermal warping distortions is maintained throughout, it also opens up the possibility of changing the coupling behaviour through a novel ply termination strategy. Where standard ply angle orientations are a design constraint, seven unique classes of mechanically coupled laminates exist with interactions between Extension, Shearing, Bending, and Twisting.
Alternative woven cloth architecture are also considered. For instance, 5-Harness Satin (5HS) weave material, possesses straighter load-carrying fibres and low crimp angle, gives rise to improve mechanical performance in comparison to Plain weave material, in which maximum fibre kinking potentially exists. However, due to the unsymmetric nature of the 5HS weave architecture, a single layer of this material is shown to be thermally unstable, therefore a method is presented to predict the thermal warping curvature and eliminate their effect by applying suitable lamination strategies.


Electromagnetic launch technology was one of the important developing direction of new concept weapon. The projectile or armature could be accelerated to a high speed by instantaneous released electricity. Integrated launch package (ILP) was seemed as the main ammunition anti-armor currently. ILP could be endowed with stronger ability by using electromagnetic launch. In recent years, how to reduce or avoid gouging, grooving and transition in railgun barrel was the main research direction to increase lifetime of railgun. Most of these researches just discussed the effect between armature and rail. ILP as the final ammunition always contained three parts, armature, sabot and penetrator. The electromagnetic force mainly distributed on the armature. The movement of sabot and penetrator were contributed by the push of the armature. Dynamic analysis of ILP in the barrel was discussed in this paper to provide a reference to decrease damage in the barrel and increase the accuracy long rod.


The shape optimization of a micro-channel heat sink with a grooved structure has been performed using a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm. The thermal-resistance and pumping-power characteristics of the micro-channel heat sink have been investigated numerically. For optimization, four design variables, i.e., the ratios of the groove depth to the micro-channel height, the groove pitch to the micro-channel height, the groove diameter to pitch, and the micro-channel width to height are selected. The thermal resistance and the pumping power are the objective functions. The Navier-Stokes and energy equations for laminar flow and conjugate heat transfer are solved using a finite-volume solver. In comparison with a smooth micro-channel, a decrease in the thermal resistance and an increase in the Nusselt number are obtained in a grooved micro-channel at the expense of pumping power. The thermal resistance in a grooved micro-channel is lower than that in a smooth micro-channel for a fixed pumping power. The ratio of the groove pitch to micro-channel height is found to be the most Pareto-sensitive (sensitive along the Pareto-optimal front), whereas the ratio of the micro-channel width to height is found to be the least Pareto-sensitive variable.


Using methods from computational statistical mechanics, this thesis aims to elucidate the free energy landscape for protein mediated curvature induction in cell membranes. In particular, a mesoscale model of the cell membrane is utilized in this thesis to probe the thermodynamics of several membrane morphological dependent phenomena including membrane tubulation, the formation of endocytic buds, and protein recruitment on cell protrusions. This model allows for the quantification of membrane proteins curvature sensing behavior due to thermal fluctuations, and is able to predict morphologies which form due to membrane proteins cooperative effects. Analysis of the free energy landscape for generation of tubular membrane structures finds correspondence with the thermodynamics of micelle formation in amphiphilic systems. Furthermore, this research is able to quantify differential protein recruitment on protrusive membrane morphologies and inform cell network models of the interplay between membrane tension and curvature inducing protein signaling. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering First Advisor Ravi Radhakrishnan


This paper describes the design and delivery of a specialised Online Learning (OL) module in a Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching for academic staff at a higher education institute in Ireland. It is designed and delivered online with the WebCT Online Learning Environment using a Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach, with an emphasis on group learning in a real life multidisciplinary learning environment for the module participants. The aim of the OL/PBL module is to enable the academic staff participants to become aware of the practicalities of developing, co-ordinating, supporting and evaluating an online course in their own subject discipline; but the key to their success will be by using the principles of PBL to share valuable information with their colleagues in a variety of other disciplines. In addition they have the opportunity to develop a range of online materials in WebCT which will support their proposed online module. These include in the first instance, justifying a decision to deliver a course online rather than by conventional face-to-face methods and conducting a training needs analysis. This is followed by the selection of an appropriate structure and mode of supporting the module for a specific target group and producing a plan for its design, development and evaluation. Thereafter, they examine how to design appropriate teaching, learning and assessment strategies and develop online learning materials for delivery within the proposed online module. Finally, developing a cost analysis for the production of the specific online module is included. It is felt that throughout, developing the participants' ability to reflect on their own and their students' learning through the maintenance of a reflective log is important. The OL/PBL module is delivered online via WebCT with appropriate tutor support and face-to face sessions in order that the participants gain the experience of working and learning online, both individually and in a PBL multidisciplinary group.


Graph neural networks have shown superior performance in a wide range of applications providing a powerful representation of graph-structured data. Recent works show that the representation can be further improved by auxiliary tasks. However, the auxiliary tasks for heterogeneous graphs, which contain rich semantic information with various types of nodes and edges, have less explored in the literature. In this paper, to learn graph neural networks on heterogeneous graphs we propose a novel self-supervised auxiliary learning method using meta-paths, which are composite relations of multiple edge types. Our proposed method is learning to learn a primary task by predicting meta-paths as auxiliary tasks. This can be viewed as a type of meta-learning. The proposed method can identify an effective combination of auxiliary tasks and automatically balance them to improve the primary task. Our methods can be applied to any graph neural networks in a plug-in manner without manual labeling or additional data. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed method consistently improves the performance of link prediction and node classification on heterogeneous graphs.


Roxb., commonly known as rosewood, is one of the highly valuable tropical timber species of Nepal. The tree species was widely distributed in the past, however, over-exploitation of natural habitat, deforestation, forest conversion for agriculture, illegal logging and the invasion of alien species resulted in the classification of this species as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) category. So, the prediction of habitat suitability and potential distribution of the species is required to develop restoration mechanisms and conservation interventions. In this study, we modelled the suitable habitat of over the entire possible range of Nepal using a Maxent model. We compiled 23 environmental variables (19 bioclimatic, 3 topographic and a vegetative layer), however, only 12 least correlated variables along with 43 spatially representative presence locations were retained for model prediction. We used a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to assess the model's performance and a Jackknife procedure to evaluate the relative importance of predictor variables. The model was statistically significant with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.969. The internal Jackknife test indicated that elevation was the most important variable for the model prediction with 71.3% contribution followed by mean temperature of driest quarter (9.8%). The most (>0.6) suitable habitat for the was 235 484 hectares with large sections of area in two provinces whereas, the western most provinces were not suitable for as per Maxent model. The information presented here can provide a framework for nature conservation planning, monitoring and habitat management of this rare and endangered species.Dalbergia latifoliaD. latifoliaD. latifoliaD. latifolia


Background:Persons with behavioral disorders incur higher healthcare costs. Although they utilize behavioral health (BH) services others do not, they also have higher utilization of medical services Objectives:To determine the degree to which higher costs for persons with BH disorders are attributable to utilization of BH services, multiple chronic medical conditions (CMCs) or other issues specific to populations with BH disorders. Research Design:Data base consisted of claims for 63,141 Medicaid beneficiaries, 49% of whom had one of 5 categories of BH disorder. Generalized linear models were used to identify relative impact of demographics, BH status, multiple CMCs and primary care access on total, behavioral, nonbehavioral, and medical/surgical costs. Results:Number of CMCs was associated with significant increases in all cost categories, including behavioral costs. Presence of any BH disorder significantly influenced these same costs, including those not associated with BH care. Effect size in each cost category varied by BH group. Conclusions:BH status has a large impact on all healthcare costs, including costs of medical and other non-BH services. The number of CMCs affects BH costs independent of BH disorder. Results suggest that costs might be reduced through better integration of behavioral and medical health services.


Ukraine has no state investment policy that can lead to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of this article is to analyze the experience of the European Union (EU) regarding the use of the investment policy for sustainable development and, on this basis, to offer the provisions to be further taken into account when forming the investment policy of Ukraine to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. The authors focus on the investment policy of the EU countries, as the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Greece. The analysis of the investment policy of these countries reveals both positive and negative aspects. The authors-researchers suggest what positive approaches of the European countries' investment policy should be considered in the laws of Ukraine. They define what investment policy of Ukraine should be like in terms of sustainable development, based on the principles of investment policy development for sustainable development proposed in the UNCTAD report, the Ukraine's national sustainable development paradigm and the EU countries' experience. Keywords: investment policy, sustainable development, EU experience, laws, perspectives.


Originally, progress towards the AI goal of building artificial agents with human-like intelligence was best seen in cognitive architecture research that focused on developing complete agents in a systematic, theory-driven way. Later, research in embodied AI and robotics turned away from this focus on higher-level cognition in favor of making robots robustly achieve simple tasks in the real world. The ensuing hiatus between cognition-focused and action-focused research perspectives is still reflected in cognitive and robotic architectures today. In this paper, we attempt to reunite the two views by introducing a theoretically motivated, generic interface between cognitive and robotic architectures. From this integration the advances in both cognitive and robotic architectures can be leveraged to produce more complex adaptive robotic behavior. We start by reviewing the differences between cognitive and robotic architecture, followed by a comparison of two alternative methods for integrating such architectures. As a result of this comparison, we propose a threepart interface framework for architecture integration. We then report two specific instances of the interface for integrating the ICARUS and ACT-R cognitive architectures into the robotic DIARC architecture, along with proof-of-concept implementations with two sets of knowledge structures for executing a simple office environment exploration task using a Pioneer P3-AT robot. We describe qualitative evaluations of both integrated architectures and discuss directions for future research with the proposed framework.


An isolated, yet virtually intact contour feather (FUM‐1980) from the lower Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark was analysed using multiple imaging and molecular techniques, including field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG‐SEM), X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS). Additionally, synchrotron radiation X‐ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) was employed in order to produce a digital reconstruction of the fossil. Under FEG‐SEM, the proximal, plumulaceous part of the feather revealed masses of ovoid microstructures, about 1.7 μm long and 0.5 μm wide. Microbodies in the distal, pennaceous portion were substantially smaller (averaging 0.9 × 0.2 μm), highly elongate, and more densely packed. Generally, the microbodies in both the plumulaceous and pennaceous segments were aligned along the barbs and located within shallow depressions on the exposed surfaces. Biomarkers consistent with animal eumelanins were co‐localized with the microstructures, to suggest that they represent remnant eumelanosomes (i.e. eumelanin‐housing cellular organelles). Additionally, ToF‐SIMS analysis revealed the presence of sulfur‐containing organics – potentially indicative of pheomelanins – associated with eumelanin‐like compounds. However, since there was no correlation between melanosome morphology and sulfur content, we conclude these molecular structures derive from diagenetically incorporated sulfur rather than pheomelanin. Melanosomes corresponding roughly in both size and morphology with those in the proximal part of FUM‐1980 are known from contour feathers of extant parrots (Psittaciformes), an avian clade that has previously been reported from the Fur Formation.


Along the coast of northwestern Mexico, "pink gold" may mean wealth for some, but the new global economy has imposed terrible burdens on many sectors of the population. State and regional economic development policies have supported the use of natural resources for commercial export, resulting in the rapid growth of agriculture and shrimp aquaculture. Environmental pressures have contributed to the degradation of marine ecosystems, and once self-reliant rural populations have been driven to wage and subsistence labor in order to survive. This book eloquently explains how contemporary rural communities in southern Sinaloa have responded to economic and ecological changes affecting the entire nation. A political ecology of human survival in one of the most important ecological regions of Mexico, it describes how these communities contest environmental degradation and economic impoverishment arising from political and economic forces beyond their control. Maria Luz Cruz-Torres evokes the rich and varied experiences of the people who live in the villages of Celaya and El Cerro, showing how they invent and utilize their own social capital to emerge as whole persons in the face of globalization. She traces the histories of the two villages to illustrate the complex variation involved in community formation and to show how people respond to and utilize Mexican law and reform. Surrounded by limited resources, poverty, illness, sudden death, and daily oppression, these men and women create innovative social and cultural forms that mitigate these impacts. Cruz-Torres reveals not only how they manage to survive in the midst of horrendous circumstances but also how they transcend those impediments with dignity. She details the participation of household members in the subsistence, formal, and informal sectors of the economy, and how women use a variety of resources to guarantee their families survival. A sometimes tragic but ultimately vibrant story of human resistance, Lives of Dust and Water offers an important look at a little-studied but dynamically developing region of Mexico. It contributes to a more precise understanding of how rural coastal communities in Mexico emerged and continue to develop and adjust to the uncertainties of the globalizing world.


One of the three largest systems of black-tailed prairie dog (BTPD) colonies is located in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. During the last two decades, the area occupied by these colonies has been highly reduced and fragmented. Previous studies suggested that agriculture, poisoning, cattle overgrazing and shrub encroachment could be the factors responsible for such declines. However, the severe drought occurring in the region between 1994 and 2004 has not been considered in this equation. Because these populations occur in arid regions at the southern edge of the species range, they could be especially sensitive to changes in plant productivity. Furthermore, fragmentation of colonies may accelerate population declines due to size and isolation effects. In this study, I analyzed species-habitat relationships at different spatial and temporal scales to understand the causes of recent declines of BTPDs in northwestern Chihuahua. The most severe loss of colony area and most local extinctions occurred between 1988 and 2000, but most likely before 1997. Extinction of colonies before 2000 mostly occurred at small and isolated colonies in low-productivity areas. The coincidence of greatest area decline with the occurrence of most intense drought suggests a prominent role of drought in the population collapse. Overall, patterns of BTPD occurrence and abundance in Chihuahua are greatly influenced by spatial and temporal variation in forage cover. Although BTPDs were more likely to occur in open areas with short vegetation, increased forage cover positively predicted occurrence. High levels of forage cover during the dry season were positively related with BTPD density, juvenile production and population rate of change, but forage cover during the preceding rainy season was a negative predictor of demographic indices. High plant productivity during PR EV IE W humid periods seems to have negative impacts on BTPD populations, presumably because the rapid plant growth reduces visibility and predator detection by BTPDs. The most influential landscape variable was the effective isolation of colonies. Although increased isolation may reduce the probability of occurrence at a given site, highly isolated locations may support high population densities. Contrary to my original predictions, I did not detect significant impacts of human-related factors on BTPD distribution and abundance.


MAKE MY JOY COMPLETE": THE PRICE OF PARTNERSHIP IN THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS Mark A. Jennings, B.A., M.Ed., M.A., M.A. Marquette University, May 2015 My study challenges the consensus that there is no discernable, single purpose that shapes the entire epistle to the Philippians. I argue that Paul writes Philippians with the sole intent of persuading the church to maintain its exclusive partnership with him and his gospel mission. I examine each section of Philippians using standard historicalcritical methods, rhetorical criticism, and social-scientific methods. Special attention is given to those passages where the majority of scholars have argued that Paul has changed subjects. The grammatical imperatives (especially those in 1:27; 2:2, 12, 14, 29; 3:17) factor significantly in this analysis. After surveying the scholarship on Philippians in Chapter One, I argue in Chapter Two that Phil 1:1–11, as the exordium, prefaces what is to follow regarding Paul's view of the Philippians' fellowship with him in his mission. In Chapter Three, I propose that Phil 1:12–26 (the narratio) provides the hermeneutical key for understanding the division Paul establishes between himself / his partners and his rivals. Contrary to most interpretations, I contend that Paul is not affirming the theological position of his rivals in 1:18a. In Chapters Four and Five, I consider the propositio (1:27–30) and the heart of the letter, the probatio (2:1–2:18). I maintain that Paul's attention to unity in 1:27–2:4 does not address potential fractures within the Philippian church, but is directed towards their corporate unity with him. He continues by presenting three pieces of evidence in support of the propositio: the pattern of Christ (2:5–11); the dichotomy between faithful and apostate Israel (2:12–16a); and his own posture of sacrificial giving (2:16b–18). In Chapter Six, I propose that, following Greco-Roman rhetorical convention, Paul introduces Epaphroditus, Timothy, and himself as examples (2:19–4:1). Finally, in Chapter Seven I examine 4:2–20, and argue that Paul delays discussing squarely the Philippians' gift until he has established the proper background for understanding it. Further, I suggest that Paul considers the Philippians' support to be a sanctified, righteous fruit that authenticates their faith and demonstrates their faithfulness to him and his gospel mission. In the Conclusions, I briefly summarize the study.


Laelapidae (Acari, Mesostigmata) mites are ecologically diverse and involve predators and parasites found in various habitats. In the present study, Laelapidae mites were collected from 236 small rodents of five species (the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis , the harvest mouse Micromys minutus , the bank vole Myodes glareolus , the root vole Microtus oeconomus , and the field vole Microtus agrestis ) in the Curonian Spit in 2013–2014. Five species of Laelapidae mites – Laelaps agilis, Hyperlaelaps microti, Haemogamassus nidi, Eulaelaps stabularis and Myonyssus gigas – were identified based on the morphological characters of adult females and males. The present study is the first detection of Laelapidae mites parasitizing small rodents in the Curonian Spit, Lithuania.


This Ph. D. dissertation focuses on the numerical simulation of physical wave propagation in time domain focusing on the wave reflection simulation and their relationship with the inner structure imaging. First of all, this dissertation studies the wave phenomena from a systematic perspective. Secondly, a series of wave propagation simulation methods are developed. These methods include the finite difference time domain method (FDTD), pseudospectral time domain (PSTD) method and multi-region (MR) method. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods are discussed. The novel efficient recursive integration perfectly matched layer is used as the absorbing boundary condition. The third, a novel directional Kirchhoff integration is introduced and developed in this dissertation. The novel directional Kirchhoff integration makes the multi-region PSTD method into the directional multi-region PSTD method. A case study is shown to prove that the directional multi-region PSTD method is valid in the full waveform simulation while keeping all the computational efficiencies of the traditional multi-region PSTD method. Zhao Zhao – University of Connecticut, 2014 The fourth, a novel model subtraction method is introduced in detail. The purpose of the introduction of the model subtraction is to apply the directional multi-region PSTD method in some real reflection model simulation. A case study is illustrated to show that the model subtraction is the ideal method to apply the directional multi-region method into the simulation of a reflection model. Combined with the pre-stack Kirchhoff time migration and stack techniques, the model subtraction method with directional multi-region PSTD algorithm is proved to be able and efficient in the inner structure imaging studies. The fifth part of this dissertation is the discussion of interferometry technique and its utilization into some geological fracture imaging. Interferometry technique transfers the wave field obtained by a transmission model into a virtual reflection wave field. It is especially useful in subsurface borehole radar survey because it is very easy to target the area of research interests. A 3D case study is provided to show that the interferometry method is efficient in fracture detection. Based on the synthetic model results, the simulation and migration results suggest some vital clue in subsurface fracture detection and characterization. Advanced Simulation of Wave Reflection: Theory and Applications for Subsurface Imaging B. S., Beijing University, 1996 M. S., University of Tokyo, 2001


Abstract We report erosion rates determined from in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be across a spectrum of Australian climatic zones, from the soil-mantled SE Australian escarpment through semi-arid bedrock ranges of southern and central Australia, to soil-mantled ridges at a monsoonal tropical site near the Arnhem escarpment. Climate has a major effect on the balance between erosion and transport and also on erosion rate: the highest rates, averaging 35 m Ma−1, were from soil-mantled, transport-limited spurs in the humid temperate region around the base of the SE escarpment; the lowest, averaging about 1.5 m Ma−1, were from the steep, weathering-limited, rocky slopes of Kings Canyon and Mt Sonder in semi-arid central Australia. Between these extremes, other factors come into play including rock-type, slope, and recruitment of vegetation. We measured intermediate average erosion rates from rocky slopes in the semi-arid Flinders and MacDonnell ranges, and from soil-mantled sites at both semi-arid Tyler Pass in central Australia and the tropical monsoonal site. At soil-mantled sites in both the SE and tropical north, soil production generally declines exponentially with increasing soil thickness, although at the tropical site this relationship does not persist under thin soil thicknesses and the relationship here is 'humped'. Results from Tyler Pass show uniform soil thicknesses and soil production rates of about 6.5 m Ma−1, supporting a longstanding hypothesis that equilibrium, soil-mantled hillslopes erode in concert with stream incision and form convex-up spurs of constant curvature. Moreover, weathering-limited slopes and spurs also occur in the same region: the average erosion rate for rocky sandstone spurs at Glen Helen is 7 m Ma−1, similar to the Tyler Pass soil-mantled slopes, whereas the average rate for high, quartzite spurs at Mount Sonder is 1.8 m Ma−1. The extremely low rates measured across bedrock-dominated landscapes suggest that the ridge–valley topography observed today is likely to have been shaped as long ago as the Late Miocene. These rates and processes quantified across different, undisturbed landscapes provide critical data for landscape evolution models.


The seasonal progress of charcoal rot (caused by Macrophomina phaseolina) was measured over two growing seasons in four separate experiments: irrigated infested, irrigated non-infested, non-irrigated infested, and non-irrigated noninfested. Disease was assessed at V5, R1, R3, R5, R6, and R7 growth stages based on colony forming units (CFU) of M. phaseolina recovered from the lower stem and root tissues and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). The population density of M. phaseolina increased slowly from the V5 to R6 growth stages and then rapidly from the R6 to R7 growth stages for all genotypes in all four experiments. Yield loss due to charcoal rot ranged from 6 to 33% in irrigated environments. The extent of yield loss was affected by severity of charcoal rot, which in turn was affected by year. Yield loss due to charcoal rot was consistently measured in all paired comparisons in irrigated environments, suggesting that charcoal rot can be an important disease in irrigated environments. Disease severity based on CFU accounted for more yield loss variation (42%) than did the AUDPC (36%) when used to assess disease. Growth stage R7 was found to be the optimum stage for assessing disease using CFU. In addition, screening soybean genotypes under irrigation environment may have utility in breeding programs where there is a need for evaluating soybean genotypes for both disease resistance and yield.


We present a new classification algorithm capable of learning from data corrupted by a class dependent uniform classification noise. The produced classifier is a linear classifier, and the algorithm works seamlessly when using kernels. The algorithm relies on the sampling of random hyperplanes that help the building of new training examples of which the correct classes are known; a linear classifier (e.g. an svm) is learned from these examples and output by the algorithm. The produced examples are sample averages computed from the data at hand with respect to areas of the space defined by the random hyperplanes and the target hyperplane. A statistical analysis of the properties of these sample averages is provided as well as results from numerical simulations conducted on synthetic datasets. These simulations show that the linear and kernelized versions of our algorithm are effective for learning from both noise-free and noisy data.


As electronic health records (EHR) become more widespread, they enable clinicians and researchers to pose complex queries that can benefit immediate patient care and deepen understanding of medical treatment and outcomes. However, current query tools make complex temporal queries difficult to pose, and physicians have to rely on computer professionals to specify the queries for them. This paper describes our efforts to develop a novel query tool implemented in a large operational system at the Washington Hospital Center (Microsoft Amalga, formerly known as Azyxxi). We describe our design of the interface to specify temporal patterns and the visual presentation of results, then summarize the feedback gathered during early testing with physicians. The use case described in the paper focuses on adverse reactions following radiology studies using contrast.


Significance Microglia, the resident macrophages of the central nervous system, are critical for synaptic pruning and maintenance and for mitigating injury and neurodegeneration. Determining whether microglia–neuron interactions are beneficial in specific instances has been difficult, largely because of the local and transient nature of the interactions. Using simultaneous optical coherence tomography/scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) and adaptive optics SLO retinal imaging in mice, we show interactions of microglia and photoreceptors over time scales from seconds to months during injury, degeneration, and repair. In vivo optical assessment of photoreceptor signaling in a large neuronal field encompassing the injured area allows us to relate the time course of these microglia movements to that of the tissue remodeling and functional recovery. Microglia respond to damage and microenvironmental changes within the central nervous system by morphologically transforming and migrating to the lesion, but the real-time behavior of populations of these resident immune cells and the neurons they support have seldom been observed simultaneously. Here, we have used in vivo high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy with and without adaptive optics to quantify the 3D distribution and dynamics of microglia in the living retina before and after local damage to photoreceptors. Following photoreceptor injury, microglia migrated both laterally and vertically through the retina over many hours, forming a tight cluster within the area of visible damage that resolved over 2 wk. In vivo OCT optophysiological assessment revealed that the photoreceptors occupying the damaged region lost all light-driven signaling during the period of microglia recruitment. Remarkably, photoreceptors recovered function to near-baseline levels after the microglia had departed the injury locus. These results demonstrate the spatiotemporal dynamics of microglia engagement and restoration of neuronal function during tissue remodeling and highlight the need for mechanistic studies that consider the temporal and structural dynamics of neuron–microglia interactions in vivo.


Huge flights of Canada geese turn off local park visitors with their messy, smelly "business cards." The superabundant white-tailed deer we love to watch also can do a number on your car at night and host the ticks that carry Lyme Disease. Blackbirds and gulls and coyotes and other critters bring their own problems when their numbers get out of hand. Most such problems reach their highest profile in urban/suburban areas where traditional animal-control techniques such as hunting and trapping are frowned upon or illegal. More and more people are calling for wildlife managers to use "fertility control"–-but is that concept really feasible on populations of free-ranging wildlife? The definitive answers–in the form of the latest science–are contained in a new Technical Review titled Wildlife Fertility Control. The 29-page Review notes that in the past, fertility control has been far less successful than observers had hoped, but thanks to new findings about animal reproductive systems, the technology is advancing rapidly and is being tested on several species on a small scale. Hurdles include the need to develop and commercialize effective vaccines or baits, cost-effective delivery systems, and public-agency acceptance of the technique. The new publication states that "birth control" will undoubtedly play a role in the science of wildlife management in the future. Managers face two major challenges: integrating contraceptive tactics with more conventional ways of managing critter numbers, and giving the public accurate information about the feasibility of using fertility control vs. lethal methods to reduce populations of deer and other long-lived species. Wildlife Fertility Control THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY Technical Review 02-2


The way galaxies assemble their mass to form the well-defined Hubble sequence is amongst the most debated topic in modern cosmology. One difficulty is to link distant galaxies, which emitted their light several Gyr ago, to those at present epoch. Such a link is affected by the evolution or the transformation of galaxies, as well as by numerous selection and observational biases. We aim to describe the galaxies of the Hubble sequence, 6 Gyr ago. We intend to derive a past Hubble sequence that can be causally linked to the present-day one, and further estimate the uncertainties of that method. We selected samples of nearby galaxies from the SDSS and of distant galaxies from the GOODS survey. We verified that each sample is representative of galaxies selected by a single criterion, e.g., M J (AB) < -20.3. We further showed that the observational conditions needed to retrieve their morphological classification are similar in an unbiased way. Morphological analysis was done in an identical way for all galaxies in the two samples. We found that our single criterion is particularly appropriate to relating distant and nearby galaxies, either if gas is transformed to stars in relatively isolated galaxies or, alternatively, if they accrete significant amounts of gas from the intergalactic medium. Subsequent mergers during the elapsed 6 Gyr, as well as evolution of the stellar populations, are found to marginally affect the link between the past and the present Hubble sequence. Indeed, uncertainties from the above are below the errors due to the Poisson number statistics. We do find an absence of number evolution for elliptical and lenticular galaxies, which strikingly contrasts with the strong evolution of spiral and peculiar galaxies. Spiral galaxies were 2.3 times less abundant in the past, which is compensated exactly by the strong decrease by a factor 5 of peculiar galaxies. It strongly suggests that more than half of the present-day spirals had peculiar morphologies, 6 Gyr ago, and this has to be taken into account by any scenario of galactic disk evolution and formation. The past Hubble sequence can be used to test these scenarios and to test evolution of fundamental planes for spirals and bulges.


We present an application of grammar inference in the domain of facial expression analysis. Typically, only sets of AUs which occur in a given time frame are used for expression analysis, the sequence in which these AUs occur is ignored. We wanted to explore whether the strucural patterns of AU appearances contain diagnostically relevant information. We applied alignment-based learning (ABL) to data of facial expressions of pain collected in a psychological study. To evaluate the quality of the induced grammars we applied crossvalidation to estimate the generalization error. We can show that the learned grammars have reasonably high coverages for unseen pain sequences. However, the number of rules of the learned grammars cannot be reduced substantially without loss of generalization.


Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are a keystone of the management of rodent populations in the world. The widespread use of these molecules raises questions on exposure and intoxication risks, which define the safety of these products. Exposures and intoxica-tions can affect humans, domestic animals and wildlife. Consequences are different for each group, from the simple issue of intoxication in humans to public health concern if farm animals are exposed. After a rapid presentation of the mechanism of action and the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, this chapter assesses the prominence of poisoning by anticoagulant rodenticides in humans, domestic animals and wildlife.


This study has been undertaken in order to develop a new nanocomposite acoustic material via incorporation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into the conventional damping material–polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Usually MWCNTs are added into polymers to strengthen its stiffness only. Here, properties of stiffness and damping are both required for the cone/diaphragm to improve sound features of the speakers. The work provides perspectives on MWCNT covalent modification and the effect of MWCNT surface chemistry on the acoustic performance of the nanotube composites.


Current efforts in computational historical linguistics are predominantly concerned with phylogenetic inference. Methods for ancestral state reconstruction have only been applied sporadically. In contrast to phylogenetic algorithms, automatic reconstruction methods presuppose phylogenetic information in order to explain what has evolved when and where. Here we report a pilot study exploring how well automatic methods for ancestral state reconstruction perform in the task of onomasiological reconstruction in multilingual word lists, where algorithms are used to infer how the words evolved along a given phylogeny, and reconstruct which cognate classes were used to express a given meaning in the ancestral languages. Comparing three different methods, Maximum Parsimony, Minimal Lateral Networks, and Maximum Likelihood on three different test sets (Indo-European, Austronesian, Chinese) using binary and multi-state coding of the data as well as single and sampled phylogenies, we find that Maximum Likelihood largely outperforms the other methods. At the same time, however, the general performance was disappointingly low, ranging between 0.66 (Chinese) and 0.79 (Austronesian) for the F-Scores. A closer linguistic evaluation of the reconstructions proposed by the best method and the reconstructions given in the gold standards revealed that the majority of the cases where the algorithms failed can be attributed to problems of independent semantic shift (homoplasy), to morphological processes in lexical change, and to wrong reconstructions in the independently created test sets that we employed.


Abstract In this paper, we consider the performance evaluation and determine the advantages and limitations of diversity applied to M-ary frequency shift keying (MFSK) signals based on the balanced incomplete block design (BIB-D), with postdetection noncoherent diversity reception and combining over slow nonselective Nakagami m-distribution fading channels. This modulation scheme is referred to as multiple tone MFSK (MT-MFSK), where each MT-MFSK signal is represented by a number of distinct orthogonal tones selected according to BIB-D and the number of tones used to represent the signals set is reduced compared to the conventional MFSK modulation. This mechanism drastically increases the bandwidth efficiency of the modulated signal and allows the modulator to create implicit frequency diversity. This paper shows that by combining the implicit frequency diversity of MT-MFSK signals with the diversity reception introduced by employing multiple receiving antennas, substantial improvements in performance can be achieved compared to the conventional MFSK system in power and bandwidth efficiency.


The absorption of amino acids from the diet across small intestine enterocytes and the reabsorption of amino acids from the kidney glomerular filtrate are critical features that allow maintenance of the body's amino acid supply. Altogether, our results show that B0AT1 (Slc6a19) expression is controlled by tissue-specific associated proteins Collectrin (Tmem27) in kidney and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in small intestine. ACE2 has, in contrast to Collectrin, a catalytic domain and plays a key role in the renin angiotensin system. Our results indicate that the formerly orphan transporter XT2 (Slc6a18), that we renamed B0AT3, functions as a Na+ and Cl--dependent neutral amino acid transporter associated to Collectrin in the kidney.


This project deals with the analysis of high power radio frequency effects on a non-linear opposed contact GaAs photoconductive semiconductor switch, used in high power microwave generation. Specifically, effects of heating on the contacts and the bulk were studied. The changes in the I-V characteristics before and after heating the switches were analyzed. For heating effects, a power density input had been taken from an electromagnetic code and the simulations were performed at a temperature of 330 K. The carrier conduction process during the on-state operation of the device showed current controlled negative resistivity behavior at elevated temperature, due to heating of contacts and the bulk. Analysis shows that filamentary conduction results in thermal runaway that severely affects and damages the device as the breakdown voltages had been observed to be much less than the operating voltages of the switches. Further simulations were also done on a 6H-SiC photoconductive semiconductor switch and another configuration of the GaAs switch by the inclusion of an n+ layer at the cathode. Similar results were obtained for these switches under the effect of RF heating.


The success of human robot interaction (HRI) tasks is characterized by evaluating robot performance in terms of collision safety and position accuracy. Hence, both position accuracy and collision safety are equally indispensable. HRI refers to cognitive as well as physical interaction. Cognitive human robot interaction based on perception and awareness where as physical human robot interaction demands direct contact with the humans exhibiting adaptable compliant behavior. Therefore, development of ideal safe robot manipulator having adaptable compliant actuation is inevitable. Adaptable compliance can be achieved by using active compliant actuation requiring various sensor data or by using passive compliant devices with high mechanical complexity. We present magneto rheological fluid based compliant actuation mechanism introducing adaptable compliance directly into robotic joint with much simpler interaction control and higher intrinsic safety originating from fluid mechanics. In this study, we have discussed adaptable compliance in terms of essential modes of motion for safe physical HRI and evaluated the safety performance of our robot for static collision testing and dynamic collision testing based on impact force and head injury criterion. Finally, the experimental results validate the significance of our proposed method for both human robot collision safety and high position accuracy.


Book description: The Cambridge Companion to Homer is a guide to the essential aspects of Homeric criticism and scholarship, including the reception of the poems in ancient and modern times. Written by an international team of scholars, it is intended to be the first port of call for students at all levels, with introductions to important subjects and suggestions for further exploration. Alongside traditional topics like the Homeric Question, the divine apparatus of the poems, the formulae, the characters and the archaeological background, there are detailed discussions of similes, speeches, the poet as story-teller and the genre of epic both within Greece and worldwide. The reception chapters include assessments of ancient Greek and Roman readings as well as selected modern interpretations from the eighteenth century to the present day. Chapters on Homer in English translation and ?Homer? in the history of ideas round out the collection.
? Ideal introduction for novice reader, but also offers critical insights for the expert ? Deals in greater depth than other general works with the reception of the Homeric poems from antiquity down to the present day ? Has an overriding emphasis on the poems as literary creations


Recurrent excitation is believed to underlie persistent neural activity observed in the prefrontal cortex and elsewhere during working memory. However, other positive and negative feedback mechanisms, operating on disparate timescales, may also play significant roles in determining the behavior of a working memory circuit. In this study, we examined dynamical interactions of multiple feedback mechanisms in a biophysically based neural model of spatial working memory. In such continuous attractor networks, a self-sustained activity pattern tends to drift randomly, resulting in a decreased accuracy of memory over time. Moreover, attractor states become unstable when spike-frequency adaptation reduces the excitability of persistently firing pyramidal neurons. Here, we show that a slow activity-dependent local disinhibition, namely cannabinoid-dependent depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI), can counteract these destabilizing effects, rendering working memory function more robust. In addition, the slow DSI effect gives rise to trial-to-trial correlations of memory-guided behavioral responses. On the other hand, computer simulations revealed that a global cannabinoid agonist (mimicking the effect of drug intake) yields the opposite effect. Thus, this work suggests a circuit scenario according to which endogenous DSI is beneficial for, whereas an exogenous drug such as marijuana is detrimental to, working memory and possibly other prefrontal functions.


Spatial variability in evapotranspiration from a crop covered field exposed to homogeneous climatic conditions is partly caused by field variability in soil physical properties and partly by field variability in pertinent crop properties. The present paper presents an analysis of the spatial variability in soil water content and evapotranspiration for two 0.5 ha grass fields of different soil texture, viz. a coarse sand and a sandy loam. Soil physical properties and soil water profiles were determined 1 m apart at 16 points systematically located in each field. The analysis of soil water profiles in relation to soil physical properties indicates an appreciable variability within a range of 1 m. For this reason a relatively simple model was used to simulate the variability pattern of the evapotranspiration, taking into account the variability in plant available water content. The results of the simulations are compared with the evapotranspiration patterns determined on the basis of a short term water balance.


The following thesis studies techniques for determining the manoeuvring performance
of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The use of UUVs is increasing in both
commercial and military applications. These craft, which are unmanned, are controlled
and powered through an umbilical cable in the case of remotely operated vehicles; for
autonomous UUVs, they are powered and controlled from suitable on-board
equipment.
Often the expense of operating UUVs over numerous scenarios and environmental
conditions restricts opportunities for developing operational use of these craft. Hence
the capability to simulate the manoeuvring performance of particular UUVs is
desirable.
The development of mathematical models and software functions to simulate a
manoeuvring UUV are given in this work. The thesis also addresses the requirement of
these mathematical models for hydrodynamic coefficients that characterise a vehicle's
performance. Experimental techniques based on planar motion mechanism (PMM)
measurements for determining hydrodynamic coefficients are considered here.
The development of a horizontal planar motion mechanism (HPMM) by the Australian
Maritime Engineering Cooperative Research Centre (AME) provided the basis for an
extensive experimental program. The work reported here includes results from tests on
a 1/3rd scale model of the Royal Australian Navy's Mine Disposal Vehicle, PAP104.
The HPMM is an electromechanical device that is mounted in either a towing tank or a
circulating water channel, enabling scale models to be oscillated in a water flow.
Hydrodynamic loads are measured together with the displacement of the model,
allowing the hydrodynamic coefficients to be determined. Techniques are reviewed for the analysis of HPMM data. The Systems Identification
technique is developed into software routines that are used to determine
hydrodynamic coefficients for the 1 /3rd PAP104 model.
Experimental considerations for model testing are discussed together with the
equipment and facilities used. Recommendations are proposed for the design of the model test program, which includes commentary on frequency and blockage related
effects that occur with oscillatory testing.
A circulating water channel (CWC) was used in conjunction with the HPMM for the
continuous testing of the submerged models. An evaluation of this facility with respect
to flow quality is given together with results of the work undertaken to improve the
flow uniformity.
Validation data was provided by independent vertical planar motion mechanism tests
that were conducted on a full size PAP104 vehicle. These data show good agreement
with the results obtained from the HPMM tests conducted on the 1/3rd scale model of
the PAP104.
An error analysis was conducted on the experimental procedure and HPMM data
analysis method to determine accuracy of individual hydrodynamic coefficients. A
sensitivity analysis was also conducted using the UUV simulation to investigate the
effect of individual errors in the hydrodynamic coefficients on the navigational
accuracy of a manoeuvring UUV.


Hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia frequently occur in obese population. As chronic, low-grade inflammation is closely associated with obesity, we investigated if polyphenol-rich blackcurrant extract (BCE) can prevent inflammation and dietinduced metabolic disturbances in mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were given a modified AIN-93M control diet containing high fat/high cholesterol (16% fat, 0.25% cholesterol by weight) or the same diet supplemented with 0.1% BCE (wt/wt) for 12 weeks. No significant differences in total body weight or liver weight occurred between the two groups. BCE-fed mice had fewer crown-like structures (CLS) with concomitant decreases in mRNA abundance of F4/80, CD68, and inhibitor of nuclear factor kB kinase e (IKKe) in the epididymal adipose tissue. F4/80 and IKKe mRNA levels were positively and significantly correlated with CLS number. BCE-fed mice demonstrated a significantly lower plasma total cholesterol (TC) and glucose levels than controls, but no significant difference in plasma triglyceride (TG) levels. BCE supplementation did not significantly alter mRNA levels of major regulators of hepatic cholesterol metabolism, i.e., HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). However, protein expression levels of mature sterolregulatory element binding protein 2 as well as LDLR were significantly increased. In the livers of mice fed BCE, there was a significant decrease in expression of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), which facilitates LDLR protein degradation, as well as one of its transcriptional regulators, i.e., hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha. The skeletal muscle of BCE-fed mice showed a significant increase in mRNA expression of genes involved in energy expenditure and mitochondria biogenesis, including peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), PPARdelta, uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2), UCP-3, and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). Upon stimulating splenocytes from BCE-fed mice with lipopolysaccharides, tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin1beta mRNA levels were significantly lower than control mice (4). The results suggest that BCE supplementation decreases obesity-induced inflammation in adipose tissue and splenocytes, at least in part, by modulating energy metabolism in skeletal muscle. Beneficial effects of BCE on plasma TC and glucose, liver steatosis suggest that this berry may be consumed to prevent metabolic dysfunctions induced by diets high in fat and cholesterol.