Sustainable development is a highly topical issue and is of critical importance to tourism as the environment is of utmost importance for the continued development and prosperity of the industry. There have been numerous texts written on sustainable tourism and the measures which can be used to mitigate and manage this, but none which acknowledges Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)as a mechanism of doing so, despite it being an emerging area of research. ICT in this context refers to innovative tools which form an integrated system of software
and networked equipment that facilitates data processing information sharing communication and the ability to search and select from an existing range of products
and services for an organisation's benefits. Despite the symbiotic relationship,that exists between ICT and sustainable tourism, there has been little research considering how the use of such technology can be used to make sustainable tourism development a more workable reality.
This opportune research monograph is the first to provide a focus on the interrelationship of these two important topics, demonstrating their synergies and providing insight
into a new and innovative approach to managing sustainable tourism development. It considers the use of technology to reduce the negative impacts of tourism from both the demand and supply-side perspectives. A critical review of a range of cutting-edge technologies used by tourists and businesses to assess their usefulness
in managing sustainable tourism development from the macro to the micro level is also provided. It further integrates examples and practical applications to show how ICT can be an invaluable mechanism in the management of sustainable
tourism development.


Background: Nowadays, quality of working life as a universal concept of human resource management and organizational development have been regarded and improving it, is key to successfully managing any organization. This study was conducted to survey Relationship between Quality of working life and Work-family conflict among Nurses of Hospitals in Tehran. Materials and Methods: This study is descriptive –analytic that performed cross sectional. The study population was the nurses of the hospitals of the Tehran University of Medical sciences (N=215).The data was gathered using two questionnaires , Quality of working life components of Casio and questionnaire of work-family conflict prepared based on Carlson. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. Spearman correlation test was used for statistical analysis. Results: There was no significant relationship between Education and work facilities (Quality of working life components) with the work-family conflict (p >0.05).but relationship between the democracy, participation in decision making, job design, workplace in organization with the work-family conflict was significant (p <0.05).finally, between Quality of working life and work-family conflict a significant relationship was observed (p <0.001). Conclusion: Because the significant relationship was observed between the Quality of working life and work-family conflict among the nurses, It can be concluded that Work-family conflict be reduced with improve of Quality of working life< Key Word: Quality of working life, workfamily conflict, nurses, Hospital 1 Associate Professor, Department of Health Services management, Tehran Science and Research Branch , Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran (* Corresponding Author) : Email: firstname.lastname@example.com 2 M.A.in health services management, Tehran Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Published By Tehran University Of Medical Sciences: www.TUMS.ac.ir D ow nl oa de d fr om jh os p. tu m s. ac .ir a t 8 :1 1 IR S T o n S un da y Ja nu ar y 26 th 2 02 0


We study whether a positive historical shock can generate long-term persistence in development. We show that Italian cities that achieved self-government in the Middle Ages have higher level of civic capital today than similar cities in the same area that did not. The size of this effect increases with the length of the period of independence and its intensity. This effect persists even after accounting for the fact that cities did not become independent randomly. We conjecture that the Middle-Age experience of self-government fostered self-efficacy beliefs beliefs in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals – and this positive attitude, transmitted across generations, enhances civic capital today. Consistently, we find that fifth-graders in former free city-states exhibit stronger self-efficacy beliefs and that these beliefs are correlated with a higher level of civic capital. JEL: O43, P16, O10


We propose a hierarchically structured reinforcement learning approach to address the challenges of planning for generating coherent multi-sentence stories for the visual storytelling task. Within our framework, the task of generating a story given a sequence of images is divided across a two-level hierarchical decoder. The high-level decoder constructs a plan by generating a semantic concept (i.e., topic) for each image in sequence. The low-level decoder generates a sentence for each image using a semantic compositional network, which effectively grounds the sentence generation conditioned on the topic. The two decoders are jointly trained end-to-end using reinforcement learning. We evaluate our model on the visual storytelling (VIST) dataset. Empirical results from both automatic and human evaluations demonstrate that the proposed hierarchically structured reinforced training achieves significantly better performance compared to a strong flat deep reinforcement learning baseline.


Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by pyrolysis (heating in the absence of oxygen)
of biomass to capture combustible gases and generate heat and electricity. It can be added
to soils as a means to sequester carbon and to maintain or improve soil functions. The
physical and chemical properties of biochars determine their function as a tool for
environmental management. Soil changes and plant response have been analysed on
diverse soil types under various climatic conditions, water regimes, chemo-physical
environments and on different species. Yet, the exact mechanisms behind the effects of
biochar application are not fully understood and productivity gains vary greatly depending
on the type of biochar, application rates, crop species and environmental conditions.
Producing biochar from different organic waste materials appears to be a promising
method of achieving greater levels of certainty and flexibility for integrating carbon
sequestration, managing waste disposal costs and introducing a new solution into soil and
yield management in the conventional agricultural and forestry production systems.
Biochar, however, is not widely used by farmers or foresters in Australia, mainly due to the
lack of certainty concerning long-term consequences, yield gains and a lack of 'know-how'
in the field of quality certification, transportation, logistics and cost efficiency.
Forestry is a significant industry in Tasmania, with large scale plantations of radiata pine
(Pinus radiata, D. Don) and Eucalyptus (E. globulus and E. nitens, H.Deane & Maiden) which
play an increasingly important role in supplying for national and international demand for
timber. Propagating robust seedlings for planting in the field is an important part of
plantation establishment as it influences potential yield, while also being a significant
budget component. As biochar has been reported to positively affect desirable soil
characteristics (e.g. increased nutrient efficiency, improved water holding capacity or
reduced bulk density) and enhance crop productivity, it was hypothesised that it can bring
benefits to Eucalyptus seedling growth.
The main objectives of this project were to investigate chemical changes of the soil, plant
material and soil solution following biochar application; and to determine the optimum
biochar dose required to positively influence eucalyptus growth under Tasmanian
conditions; both in a controlled nursery environment and during establishment in the field.
A secondary aim was to determine if commercial fertiliser rates could be reduced via biochar application to the growing medium. The final assumption was that biochar can be
profitably made from forest residues and utilized within the forest production systems of
Tasmania.
The macadamia shell biochar used in this research was characterised as high in potassium
and sodium, relatively high in total carbon content and low in total nitrogen (N) and
phosphorus (P) content relative to other biochars described in literature. Two experiments
were conducted: a pot trial in which Eucalyptus seedlings were observed from sowing to 9
months; and a field experiment in the Florentine valley in South West Tasmania where
seedling establishment was monitored for 14 months. In both experiments the agronomic
characteristics of the seedlings and trees was monitored on a regular basis. Each
experiment had 4 sample collection periods when plant material and soil or potting mix
samples were collected and analysed. Percolating water was collected from custom-built
lysimeters installed in the field plantation.
Agronomic monitoring revealed that in both experiments fertiliser combined with certain
doses of biochar influenced the tree growth. The height of seedlings and young trees was
comparable between full fertiliser treatment (i.e. when no biochar was applied) and
treatments where medium biochar rates were combined with reduced fertiliser amounts.
However, biochar application did not result in significantly taller plants. Other agronomic
features were not influenced by biochar application in either experiment. The potting mix
was high in organic matter and the fertiliser applied at rates reflected industry standards.
While fertiliser rates were reduced to simulate a nutritionally poor soil, all other
environmental parameters were optimal in the pot trial. As previous reports have indicated
that biochar has more noticeable effects on poor quality soils, it is possible that the quality
of the potting mix masked the efficacy of biochar in relation to agronomic productivity,
although both soil and leachate parameters were influenced. In contrast, under field
conditions the biochar doses were applied at rates below that at which soil and leachate
parameters were modified in the potting experiment, thus the doses were possibly too low
to show a significant effect. The application method could also have influenced biochar
efficiency under field conditions.
Chemical and physical changes in the analysed mediums used implied a number of
different, in some cases contradictory, mechanisms. Biochar in both experiments increased
growing medium pH and released potassium and sodium to the soil. In the plant tissues, biochar induced changes, yet no clear trends were evident that macadamia biochar has any
sizable effect on the nutritional status of E. nitens in Tasmania. In most cases, the changes
in leaf tissue were correlated with changes in the soil with no evidence that biochar directly
influenced plant nutrient uptake.
Biochar did not have a clear effect on percolating water nutritional changes and the only
thing that can be concluded with certainty is that application of biochar increased
potassium infiltration from the soil. This is most likely connected with significant amount of
potassium introduced to the soil when biochar was applied.
While the mechanisms for the reported changes remain unclear, in many cases biochar was
responsible for changes in soil and plant material chemical characteristics and a limited
agronomic response. It appears that biochar is able to influence nutrients transformations
in the soil and therefore influence the soil environment for the E. nitens in Tasmania. It also
shows significant potential for reduced commercial fertiliser rates both in the forestry
plantations and in the forest nurseries.
The financial analysis was based on the trial outcomes and the local operating environment
in Tasmania; including current forestry procedures used for managing plantations in
Tasmania; and benefits resulting from biochar production and incorporation into
Tasmanian soils. The Biochar Scenario assumed on-site biochar making, out of post-harvest
forestry residues, and different methods of biochar utilization. The model was built in
Microsoft Excel® with help from Forestry Tasmania experts. A number of assumptions were
considered concerning: a) production costs, b) savings enjoyed by traditional operations
following biochar scenario implementation and c) biochar sale. The analysis revealed a
potential annual income of $179,514 resulting from introducing the Biochar Scenario on
270 ha. The sensitivity analysis identified the crucial factors responsible for scenario
profitability, namely biochar price and final product distribution.
The findings of this work supported the hypothesis that reducing common fertiliser rates
used for seedling establishment in forestry plantations is viable. It has also provided insight
into changes in both soil and plant tissue following macadamia shell biochar application to
Tasmanian soils. The financial analysis served as a solid background for the realistic
implementation of the Biochar Scenario for forestry industry in Tasmania.


The hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell (HDAC) was designed to simulate the geologic conditions of crustal processes in the presence of water or other fluids. The HDAC has been used to apply external pressure to both synthetic and natural fluid inclusions in quartz to minimize problems caused by stretching or decrepitation of inclusions during microthermometric analysis. When the HDAC is loaded with a fluid sample, it can be considered as a large synthetic fluid inclusion and therefore, can be used to study the PVTX properties as well as phase relations of the sample fluid. Because the HDAC has a wide measurement pressure-temperature range and also allows in-situ optical observations, it has been used to study critical phenomena of various chemical systems, such as the geologically important hydrous silicate melts. It is possible, when the HDAC is combined with synchrotron X-ray sources, to obtain basic information on speciation and structure of metal including rare-earth elements (REE) complexes in hydrothermal solutions as revealed by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. Recent modifications of the HDAC minimize the loss of intensity of X-rays due to scattering and absorption by the diamonds. These modifications are especially important for studying elements with absorption edges below 10 keV and therefore particularly valuable for our understanding of transport and deposition of first-row transition elements and REE in hydrothermal environments.


Using a simple model of incomplete contracts to characterize the relationship between decentralization and contracting with the private sector, I show that, provided that the expected reduction in quality is low, more decentralized local governments will contract more with the private sector. Then, I use the 2001 decentralization reform in Colombia to test these ideas. Particularly important, the reform entitles more decentralized municipalities to sign subsidy contracts with private schools, and departments (a higher level of government) to do so for the less decentralized municipalities. I take advantage of the fact that the level of decentralization is decided using an exogenous population threshold to identify causal effects using Regression Discontinuity Design. The empirical results are consistent with the prediction of the model. More decentralized municipalities subsidize more students in private schools. There are no significant differences in enrolment in public schools across more and less decentralized municipalities.


Brazil contains roughly one-third of the world's remaining tropical forest and nearly half a million indigenous people, many of whom are largely or entirely dependent upon forest resources for subsistence and cultural survival. For decades, its deforestation has been among the most extensive in the world and its indigenous peoples have suffered as a direct result. Recent changes in Brazilian national policy have begun to restrain forest clearing and incursions into indigenous territories, but these policies remain politically vulnerable and climate change threatens to accelerate damage to the Amazon and its peoples. Thus, Brazil faces an urgent need to secure long-term forest protection measures that can enhance the resilience of its indigenous peoples. Brazil's relatively developed institutional infrastructure, extensive forests, and recent embrace of environmental priorities have made it a leading actor in the emerging REDD ("reduced emissions from deforestations and degradation") program that seeks to compensate for avoided greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. Successful development of REDD would preserve large stretches of Amazon rainforest, yielding major climate change mitigation benefits and potentially securing the future of engaged indigenous tribes. Indigenous peoples are not only potential beneficiaries of REDD , but also crucial to its success because they control over twenty percent of the Brazilian Amazon and possess traditional knowledge related to a long history of successful forest management. However, the benefits of REDD for indigenous peoples remain deeply uncertain. REDD may undermine traditional indigenous forest activities unless it is carefully designed to preserve them. More difficult design challenges arise with regard to assuring equitable distribution of REDD benefits for tribes and, potentially, among members of a tribe. Most troubling, the bedrock of equitable implementation – free, prior, and informed consent – remains uncertain. Moreover, questions regarding cross-cultural communication and the ability of apparent leaders to legitimately bind tribal members persist for many tribes with limited exposure to nonindigenous society. This chapter emphasizes the importance of indigenous peoples for Brazil's successful engagement in REDD , particularly because of their traditional knowledge and strong record of forest management. At the same time, however, the chapter maintains that equitable and effective engagement of indigenous peoples in REDD demands careful design of international and Brazilian law to address risks before indigenous peoples are encouraged to enter long-term REDD arrangements. Even with such law in place, challenges involving indigenous understanding and consent may prove insurmountable for tribes unfamiliar with the worldview underlying economic approaches such as REDD . Therefore, the chapter concludes that net benefits for indigenous peoples in Brazil can only be secured if REDD engagement occurs in a secure legal environment that facilitates understanding and context-specific evaluation by the tribes themselves.


Information has become interactive. Information visualization is the design and creation of interactive graphic depictions of information by combining principles in the disciplines of graphic design, cognitive science, and interactive computer graphics. As the volume and complexity of the data increases, users require more powerful visualization tools that allow them to more effectively explore large abstract datasets.
This thesis seeks to make information visualization more accessible to potential users by creating a "Visualization Spreadsheet", where each cell can contain an entire set of data represented using interactive graphics. Just as a numeric spreadsheet enables exploration of numbers, a visualization spreadsheet enables exploration of visual forms of information. Unlike numeric spreadsheets, which store only simple data elements and formulas in each cell, a cell in the Visualization Spreadsheet can hold an entire abstract data set, selection criteria, viewing specifications, and other information needed for a full-fledged information visualization. Similarly, intra-cell and inter-cell operations are far more complex, stretching beyond simple arithmetic and string operations to encompass a range of domain-specific operators.
The complexity of operations and interactions requires a visualization framework that is easily understandable to both end-users and visualization designers. This thesis develops and discusses the general utility of a novel visualization framework, and validates the framework by applying it to various visualization techniques and showing several systems that illustrate some of these research issues. We show that the spreadsheet approach facilitates certain visual user tasks that are more difficult using other approaches. The underlying approach in our work allows domain experts to define new data types and data operations, and enables visualization experts to incorporate new visualizations, viewing parameters, and view operations.


The history of medieval learning has traditionally been studied as a vertical transmission of knowledge from a master to one or several disciples. Horizontal Learning in the High Middle Ages: Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Transfer in Religious Communities centres on the ways in which cohabiting peers learned and taught one another in a dialectical process - how they acquired knowledge and skills, but also how they developed concepts, beliefs, and adapted their behaviour to suit the group: everything that could mold a person into an efficient member of the community. This process of 'horizontal learning' emerges as an important aspect of the medieval learning experience. Progressing beyond the view that high medieval religious communities were closed, homogeneous, and fairly stable social groups, the essays in this volume understand communities as the product of a continuous process of education and integration of new members. The authors explore how group members learned from one another, and what this teaches us about learning within the context of a high medieval community.


Correlation based stereo vision has proven its power in commercially available driver assistance systems. Recently, real-time dense stereo vision has become available on inexpensive FPGA hardware. In order to manage the huge amount of data, a medium-level representation named "Stixel World" has been proposed for further analysis. In this representation the free space in front of the vehicle is limited by adjacent rectangular sticks of a certain width. Distance and height of each so called stixel are determined by those parts of the obstacle it represents. This Stixel World is a compact but flexible representation of the three-dimensional traffic situation. The underlying model assumption is that objects stand on the ground and have approximately vertical pose with a flat surface. So far, this representation is static since it is computed for each frame independently. Driver assistance, however, is most interested in pose and motion of moving obstacles. For this reason, we introduce tracking of stixels in this paper. Using the 6D-Vision Kalman filter framework, lateral as well as longitudinal motion is estimated for each stixel. That way, the grouping of stixels based on similar motion as well as the detection of moving obstacles turns out to be significantly simplified. The new dynamic Stixel World has proven to be well suited as a common basis for the scene understanding tasks of driver assistance and autonomous systems.


We recently identified MAL (T‐lymphocyte maturation associated protein) as the most down‐regulated gene in cervical oncogenesis. Here, we examined the mechanism underlying MAL silencing, its functional role in cervical carcinogenesis, and the relevance of detecting MAL alterations for risk assessment of hrHPV‐positive women. MAL mRNA expression and promoter methylation were analysed in primary keratinocytes, hrHPV‐immortalized keratinocytes, cervical cancer cell lines, biopsies, and scrapings by quantitative (methylation‐specific) PCR. SiHa cells were transfected with MAL cDNA and assayed for proliferation, migration, and anchorage‐independent growth. MAL mRNA was (nearly) undetectable in all HPV‐immortalized and cervical cancer cells, but could be up‐regulated upon methylation inhibition. MAL promoter methylation at two promoter regions (M1 and M2) was detected in all HPV‐immortalized cells and cancer cells. Ectopic expression of MAL in SiHa cells suppressed proliferation, migration, and anchorage‐independent growth. None (0/22) of normal cervical biopsies, 9% (6/66) of CIN1 lesions, 53% (34/64) of CIN3 lesions, 90% (85/94) of cervical squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), and 93% (26/28) of cervical adenocarcinomas (AdCAs) demonstrated MAL promoter methylation at both promoter regions. Moreover, detection of MAL promoter methylation in cervical scrapings was predictive for underlying high‐grade lesions. Both in biopsies and in scrapings, MAL promoter methylation was significantly correlated with reduced mRNA expression. MAL gene silencing by promoter methylation is a frequent and biologically essential event in HPV‐induced cervical carcinogenesis. Hence, MAL promoter methylation and/or mRNA expression analysis on cervical scrapings may provide a valuable diagnostic tool to improve the detection of CIN3, SCC, and AdCA. Copyright © 2009 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Efforts in integrating the basic economic functions under a common or compatible context could be accelerated by enabling semantic processing of the underlying data. We establish the basic flows among public budgeting, contracting and spending with business information and provide the necessary ontological elements that would integrate them in economic Linked Open Data corpus.


We investigated the near-field optics imaging by a numerical method using special spherical chains created in a silica waveguide (SWG) and explored the possibility of how this can be used for near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) applications. There are two types of spherical nanochain; type A includes nano-dielectric spheres connected closely, and type B includes silver nanoparticles 4 nm in diameter randomly distributed inside the nanospheres of type A. A spherical nanochain with the 80-nm-diameter spheres was embedded in the SWG. The interactions between light emerging from SWG and the electric field near the sample surface that affects the properties of the images produced by NSOM are analyzed using a three dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. The effects of the optical field distribution generated by some factors are also discussed. A method of controlling the light field localized in the SWG is proposed that uses the external protrusion (dielectric sphere). The proposed structure will yield some useful information and give an idea of applications in NSOM.


In the present study an attempt has been made to isolate and characterize the type I collagen from outer skin of Sepia pharaonis. The total protein content and molecular weight of acid soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin soluble collagen (PSC) were determined. The structure of ASC and PSC from S. pharaonis was persistent by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV vis spectrum. The soluble collagen was extracted by treating the skin with 0.5 M CH3COOH and centrifuged (ASC). Then residue was resuspended in 0.5 M CH3COOH and was digested with 10% (w/v) pepsin (PSC). On the basis of dry weight the ASC and PSC content was observed as 1.70% and 3.61% and the total protein content of both ASC and PSC was found to be 16.4% and 44.6% respectively. The molecular weight of ASC and PSC was calculated as 107 kDa and 73 to 117 kDa respectively. Both ASC and PSC consisted of two different α chains (α 1 and α 2), and were characterized to be type I with no disulfide bond. PSC had a higher content with high molecular weight cross-links, than did ASC. The results of this study suggest that the skin of S. pharaonis could be used as another potent source for the exploration of collagen.


Current surgical philosophy by traditionally trained spinal surgeons focuses on decompression with or without fusion as the "ultimate cure" for a painful spinal segment. Endoscopic surgery-the least invasive of current minimally invasive surgical options—focuses on treating the patho-anatomy of the pain generator. Spondylolisthesis is traditionally represented as a "gold standard" for fusion, but with minimally invasive techniques evolving, there is a new path between traditional open decompression and fusion that offers an alternative. A review of a database of patients who refused fusion, but opting to an endoscopic decompression with sciatica, even in the face of back pain determined that transforaminal decompression for a disc herniation or foraminal stenosis is effective in some patients and result in a decrease in the need for fusion.
The endoscopic transforaminal decompression technique is discussed as a stand-alone or staged procedure that may reduce the number of surgical fusions in the face of degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis. When combined with surgical rhizotomy for low back pain, this hybrid procedure includes rhizolysis for posterior column back pain, may offer a cost-effective method for treating common debilitating chronic low back pain.


Distribution of sulfur and its three predominant forms in 10 lignitic coal seams developed in fluvial environments in east Texas was examined. The average sulfur content for individual seams varied from 0.88 to 3.98%, while the total sulfur content of 10-cm sections of these seams varied from 0.53 to 16.79%. Sulfate sulfur was a minor component compared to pyritic or organic sulfur. The organic sulfur content determined by the standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) procedure as the difference between the inorganic sulfur (sulfate + pyritic sulfur) and the total sulfur in the original material, in general, remained uniform within a given lignite profile. A significant correlation was obtained between the organic sulfur content obtained by the ASTM procedure and a more direct method of density separation of specific gravity < 1.6 fraction and the determination of total sulfur in this fraction with an induction furnace and automatic titrator. Pyritic sulfur had the most variable distribution with a greater concentration of pyrite occuring at the seam fringes, which suggests the need for separate handling of these high-pyrite content mine spoils for safe disposal.


Nano-composite coatings have wide applications for their superior mechanical and corro‐ sion properties. Many efforts have been devoted to the development of different types of nano-composite coatings in the last decade. Various techniques are used to modify the coating microstructure at the nano scale in order to further improve the properties of coatings. We recently developed a novel method which combines sol-gel process and electrochemical deposition process to produce nano-composite coatings. This simple method can lead to a highly dispersed distribution of oxide nano-particles in the metal coating matrix, resulting in significantly improved mechanical properties. This Chapter introduces the principle of this innovative method, the basic theory behind the deposition process, and an overview of current results. It also describes the dopant technology that is derived from this novel technique. The future development potentials and industrial applications of these coatings are also discussed.


The goal of Deep Domain Adaptation is to make it possible to use Deep Nets trained in one domain where there is enough annotated training data in another where there is little or none. Most current approaches have focused on learning feature representations that are invariant to the changes that occur when going from one domain to the other, which means using the same network parameters in both domains. While some recent algorithms explicitly model the changes by adapting the network parameters, they either severely restrict the possible domain changes, or significantly increase the number of model parameters. By contrast, we introduce a network architecture that includes auxiliary residual networks, which we train to predict the parameters in the domain with little annotated data from those in the other one. This architecture enables us to flexibly preserve the similarities between domains where they exist and model the differences when necessary. We demonstrate that our approach yields higher accuracy than state-of-the-art methods without undue complexity.


The study investigates the determinants of performance in MENA banking in both the context of Structure Conduct Performance (SCP) and efficiency hypothesis. It is the first of its kind that examines a large sample of banks (140 banks) for an extensive period (1999-2012), includes the after 2007-crisis period so it gives the ability to draw for the first time reliable conclusions for both the 2011 Arab uprising and, more importantly, to examine a whole economic area (MENA region) after the liberalisation and related transformation of the economies of MENA region We use panel analysis, and GMM estimation. Our findings confirms that there is a positive and significant relationship between net interest margins, profitability of commercial banks and capital adequacy implying that commercial banks in the MENA economies have lower needs for external funding and hence higher profitability. In respect to spending on technological items, fixed assets and software, findings indicate that spending on technology and fixed assets contribute in making banks more profitable as it is statically significant and positively related to bank's performance. We also found that bank tends to invest in less risk investments. Bank size as measured by average total assets recorded a negative and significant relationship to net interest margin and profitability indicating diseconomies of scale. We also found that banks with foreign ownership are more profitable and perform better than state banks. The above show that despite the liberalisation of the sector, banks in this area are inefficient, with the only positive contribution being the involvement of foreign banks in the MENA region.


The creation of new principles for the development of near-field probes in the last ten years has become a key aspect for the technological progress of near-field optics. The use of surface polaritons provides a new approach to the solution of this problem. Electromagnetic waves of this type can ensure not only an efficient energy channel along a near-field probe, but also good localization of the field at the end of the probe. © 2004 Optical Society of America


Pump power failure in pipelines is one of the most important factors causing water-hammer, which leads to sharp fluctuations in velocity and pressure. To prevent the destructive effects of this phenomenon, the use of pipe of appropriate compressive capacity and protective devices such as air-chambers and control valves is required. In a transmission system, increased diameter and decreased thickness of pipe leads to decreased flow velocity and compressive wave speed and reduction of water-hammer impact. Thus, although the increase of diameter leads to increased cost of pipe and decrease of thickness lowers its compressive strength, the resulting reduced fluctuation of water-hammer could minimize the cost by lowering the required pipeline class and decreasing the size and number of protective devices. In this paper, an optimization model has been presented for selection of the best diameter, thickness and pipe material and selection of positions and proper type of water-hammer controlling devices where a combined flowchart includes an optimization algorithm and flow analysis at steady and transient states. A self-adaptive real genetic algorithm has been used for this optimization, and its capability in cost reduction of pipelines has been approved in


In cross-domain learning, there is a more challenging problem that the domain divergence involves more than one dominant factors, e.g., different view-points, various resolutions and changing illuminations. Fortunately, an intermediate domain could often be found to build a bridge across them to facilitate the learning problem. In this paper, we propose a Coupled Marginalized Denoising Autoencoders framework to address the cross-domain problem. Specifically, we design two marginalized denoising auto-encoders, one for the target and the other for source as well as the intermediate one. To better couple the two denoising autoencoders learning, we incorporate a feature mapping, which tends to transfer knowledge between the intermediate domain and the target one. Furthermore, the maximum margin criterion, e.g., intra-class compactness and inter-class penalty, on the output layer is imposed to seek more discriminative features across different domains. Extensive experiments on two tasks have demonstrated the superiority of our method over the state-of-the-art methods.


Abstract Subglacial volcanic eruptions can generate large volumes of meltwater that is stored and transported beneath glaciers and released catastrophically in jökulhlaups. At typical basaltic dyke propagation speeds, the high strain rate at a dyke tip causes ice to behave as a brittle solid; dykes can overshoot a rock-ice interface to intrude through 20–30% of the thickness of the overlying ice. The very large surface area of the dyke sides causes rapid melting of ice and subsequent collapse of the dyke to form a basal rubble pile. Magma can also be intruded at the substrate-ice interface as a sill, spreading sideways more efficiently than a subaerial flow, and also producing efficient and widespread heat transfer. Both intrusion mechanisms may lead to the early abundance of meltwater sometimes observed in Icelandic subglacial eruptions. If meltwater is retained above a sill, continuous melting of adjacent and overlying ice by hot convecting meltwater occurs. At typical sill pressures under more than 300 m ice thickness, magmatic CO2 gas bubbles form c. 25 vol% of the pressurized magma. If water drains and contact with the atmosphere is established, the pressure decreases dramatically unless the overlying ice subsides rapidly into the vacated space. If it does not, further CO2 exsolution plus the onset of H2O exsolution has the potential to cause explosive fragmentation, i.e. a fire-fountain that forms at the dyke-sill connection, enhancing melting and creating another candidate pulse of meltwater. The now effectively subaerial magma body becomes thicker, narrower, and flows faster so that marginal meltwater drainage channels become available. If the ice overburden thickness is much less than c. 300m the entire sill injection process may involve explosive magma fragmentation. Thus, there should be major differences between subglacial eruptions under local or alpine glaciers compared with those under continental-scale glaciers.


Open standards are widely considered to have significant economic and technological benefits. These perceived advantages have led many overnments to consider mandating open standards for document formats. Document formats are how a computer stores documents such as memos, spreadsheets, or slides. Governments are moving away from Microsoft's proprietary DOC format to open standard document formats, such as the OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Office Open XML (OOXML). The belief is that by shifting to open standards, governments will benefit from choice, competition, and the ability to seamlessly substitute different vendor products and implementations. This paper examines whether open standards by themselves can deliver these promised benefits. The study examines interoperability for three document formats: ODF, OOXML, and DOC. The research assesses interoperability among different software implementations of each document format. For example, the implementations for ODF included KOffice, Wordperfect, TextEdit, Microsoft Office, and Google Docs. A set of test documents is used to evaluate the performance of other alternative implementations. Our results show very significant issues with interoperability. The best implementations may result in formatting problems, while the worst implementations actually lose information contained in pictures, footnotes, comments, tracking changes, and tables. Our findings also include specific scores for each implementation. There was considerable variation in how well each implementation for any particular document format performed. The raw scores for ODF, for example, ranged from 48 to 151. The results raise questions about the assumption that open standards guarantee interoperability and thereby promote competition and vendor choice. The interoperability issues are troubling and suggest the need for improved interoperability testing for document formats. The results also highlight the importance of ensuring interoperability for open standards. Without interoperability, governments will be locked into the dominant implementations for any standard. These results have significant policy implications for governments setting open standard policies.


It was said to me, "Better have a little of the plantation manner of speech than not; 'tis not best that you seem too learned."' Appearing in 1855, My Bondage and My Freedom is the second autobiography written by Frederick Douglass (1818–95), a man who was born into slavery in Maryland and who went on to become the most famous antislavery author, orator, philosopher, essaysist, historian, intellectual, statesman and freedom-fighter in US history. An instant bestseller, Douglass's autobiography tells the story of his early life as lived in 'bondage' and of his later life as lived in a 'freedom' that was in name only. Recognizing that his body and soul were bought and sold by white slaveholders in the US South, he soon realized his story was being traded by white northern antislavery campaigners. Douglass's My Bondage and My Freedom is a literary, intellectual and philosophical tour-de-force in which he betrays his determination not only to speak but to write 'just the word that seemed to me the word to be written by me.' This new edition examines Douglass's biography, literary strategies and political activism alongside his depiction of Black women's lives and his narrative histories of Black heroism. This volume also reproduces Frederick Douglass's only work of fiction, The Heroic Slave, published in 1853.


The time-line in Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a sequence of events defined in a numerable subset of R+. When it comes from an experimental measurement, the timing of these events has a limited precision. This precision is usually well-known and documented for each instruments and procedures used for collecting experimental datas. Therefore, these instruments and procedures produce measurement results expressed using values each associated with an uncertainty quantification, given by uncertainty intervals. Tools have been developed in Continuous Systems modeling for deriving the uncertainty intervals of the final results corresponding to the propagation of the uncertainty intervals being evaluated. These tools cannot be used in DES as they are defined, and no alternative tools that would apply to DES have been developed yet. In this paper, we propose simulation algorithms, based on the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) formalism, that can be used to simulate and obtain every possible output and state trajectories of simulations that receive input values with uncertainty quantification. Then, we present a subclass of DEVS models, called Finite Forkable DEVS (FF-DEVS), that can be simulated by the proposed algorithms. This subclass ensures that the simulation is forking only a finite number of processes for each simulation step. Finally, we discuss the simulation of a traffic light model and show the trajectories obtained when it is subject to input uncertainty.


Abstract The palaeoproterozoic Svecofennian orogen in southern Finland contains a number of orogenic gold occurrences. The Jokisivu gold deposit, comprising auriferous quartz veins, is hosted by syn-tectonic quartz diorites to gabbros. Mineralization occurs in approximately WNW–ESE- and WSW–ENE-trending shear zones, which probably branch from regional-scale NW–SE-trending shears. Ore zone fabrics post-date regional-scale folding and the metamorphic peak, and can be correlated with late Svecofennian regional shear tectonics (D6; 1.83–1.78 Ga), indicating that mineralization formed during the late stages of orogenic evolution. SIMS and TIMS U–Pb dating of three samples place tight constraints on the age of gold mineralization. Zircons from both unaltered and altered quartz diorites have ages of 1884±4 Ma and 1881±3 Ma, respectively. These are interpreted as the crystallization age of the rock and as providing the maximum age for mineralization. Zircon rims from an altered quartz diorite from the ore zone give ages of c. 1802±15 Ma, which overlap with the 1801±18 Ma titanite (mean Pb–Pb) age from the ore zone. The ages are similar to the age of the pegmatite dyke that cuts the ore zone and whose zircon age of 1807±3 Ma is approximately the same as the 1791±2 Ma monazite age (TIMS) giving the minimum age of the gold mineralization. The mineralization and its structural framework can be correlated with coeval late Svecofennian shear tectonics related to WNW–ESE-oriented shortening in southern Finland. Extensive c. 1.8 Ga granite magmatism, shear zone development and associated gold mineralization are of regional importance also in the northern and western Fennoscandian Shield (Finnish Lapand and Sweden). A Cordilleran-type setting can explain the widespread distribution of magmatism and gold mineralization associated with shortening, as well as the required heat source triggering hydrothermal fluid flow along shear zones.


I argue that Meeker is mistaken in two crucial respects. First, contrary to both myself and Plantinga, he treats exclusivism as a theory about the relation between the religions, and then claims that it is superior to the pluralist theory. But he does not say what his exclusivist theory is. Second, he bases his claim of a fundamental self-contradiction in my pluralist position on a view which I disavow, namely that altruism is the core of religion. He omits the central idea of a profound reorientation in response to the Real, of which altruism is a manifestation.


Sensors are the most important component in any system and engineers in any field need to understand the fundamentals of how these components work, how to select them properly and how to integrate them into an overall system. This book has outlined the fundamentals, analytical concepts, modelling and design issues, technical details and practical applications of different types of sensors, electromagnetic, capacitive, ultrasonic, vision, Terahertz, displacement, fibre-optic and so on. The book: addresses the identification, modeling, selection, operation and integration of a wide variety of sensors, demonstrates the concepts of different sensors technology through simulation, design and real implementations, discusses the design and fabrication of high performance modern sensors technology, presents a selection of cutting-edge applications. Written by experts in their area of research, this book will be useful reference book for engineers and scientist especially the post-graduate students find this book as reference book for their research.


Animal social bonds are defined as stable, equitable and strong affiliative and cooperative relationships similar to human friendships. Just as human friendships, social bonds are thought to function as alliances that generate adaptive benefits via support in critical situations. In humans, similarity in many sociodemographic, behavioural and intrapersonal characteristics leads to trust and is predictive of friendships. Specifically, personality homophily, that is the tendency of individuals to form social bonds with others who have a similar personality, may increase predictability and facilitate trust and reciprocity among partners with compatible behavioural tendencies. While evidence for social bonding in nonhumans is accumulating, far less is known about its predictors. Here, personality homophily effects on the formation and maintenance of social bonds are shown in twenty-four wild male Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Dyadic bond strength increased with increased similarity in the trait Connectedness (i.e. frequent and diverse neighbours in 5m proximity and pronounced social tolerance, as high rates of friendly approaches to and by others). To differentiate whether homophily indeed predicted bond formation or whether bonded males' personalities became more similar over time, we tested the stability of the connectedness traits in a subset of immigrating males that had to form new bonds. Connectedness in these males remained stable suggesting that males do not adapt their personality to their partner. Our results support the idea of a shared evolutionary origin of homophily as a partner choice strategy in human and non-human animals. The main selective advantage of personality similarity in animal social bonds may result from a more reliable cooperation among individuals with similar cooperative behavioural tendencies.


At the 2009 annual meeting of GRAPPA (Group for Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis) in Stockholm, Sweden, 15 fellows involved in research in psoriatic disease were invited to present their work at a Trainees Symposium, which was also attended by members of the GRAPPA Faculty Committee. All of the fellows held poster sessions of their work and 4 of them gave oral presentations, including identification of soluble biomarkers for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), validation of minimal disease activity criteria for PsA, disease progression using the modified Sharp score, and discussion of a new composite disease activity score for PsA. Senior GRAPPA members also instructed the fellows on other composite scoring methods and on training videos and other GRAPPA projects to date. All of the posters and presentations from the Trainees Symposium are summarized herein.


Tropical ecosystem conversion to agriculture has caused widespread habitat loss and created fragmented landscapes composed of remnant forest patches embedded in a matrix of agricultural land uses. Non- traditional agricultural export (NTAE) crops such as pineapple are rapidly replacing multiuse landscapes characterized by a diverse matrix of pasture and smallholder crops with intensive, large-scale, monoculture plantations. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we conduct a case study to examine the coupled social and ecological implications of LUCC and agricultural intensification in this region, with larger application to regions experiencing similar patterns. Guided by frameworks from both political and landscape ecology, we: (1) describe the social and economic implications of pineapple expansion, specifically the concentration of land, labor and financial resources, (2) quantify pineapple cultivation's spatial characteristics, and (3) assess the effects of pineapple expansion on surrounding forest ecosystems, on the agricultural matrix and on biodiversity conservation. Our results indicate that pineapple production concentrates land, labor, and financial resources, which has a homogenizing effect on the agricultural economy in the study region. This constrains farm-based livelihoods, with larger implications for food security and agricultural diversity. Landscape ecology analyses further reveal how pineapple production simplifies and homogenizes the agricultural matrix between forest patches, which is likely to have a negative effect on biodiversity. To offset the effects of pineapple expansion on social and environmental systems, we recommend developing landscape level land use planning capacity. Furthermore, agricultural and conservation policy reform is needed to promote landscape heterogeneity and economic diversity within the agricultural sector. Our interdisciplinary research provides a detailed examination of the social and ecological impacts of agricultural intensification in a tropical landscape, and offers recommendations for improvement relevant not only to our study region but to the many other tropical landscapes currently undergoing non-traditional agricultural export driven agricultural intensification.


Abstract Since the first plasma in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), the electron cyclotron heating (ECH) system has been an essential tool for ECH-assisted start-up using second-harmonic 84-GHz and 110-GHz ECH and for experimental studies of other physics issues such as edge-localized mode control, rotation control, sawtooth control, tearing mode control, and core impurity control for long-pulse discharge and noninductive start-up. The loop voltage in KSTAR is limited by superconducting ohmic coils and a thick vacuum vessel. The ECH-assisted start-up was useful to overcome burn-through during the ramp-up phase with limited loop voltage by the electron cyclotron beam injection before or after the onset of the inductive loop voltage to reduce resistive power consumption. Later, the 170-GHz ECH system is installed as a main electron heating and local current drive for the control of magnetohydrodynamic modes such as sawteeth and neoclassical tearing modes. The 170-GHz gyrotron is an ITER preprototype gyrotron developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Second-harmonic 170-GHz ECH-assisted start-up was also attempted with a raised toroidal magnetic field of 3 T in the 2011 KSTAR campaign, and flux saving in the ramp-up phase was observed. This lecture describes the physics issues and experimental results of the KSTAR ECH system. The present status and an upgrade plan of the KSTAR ECH system is also described.


Transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) is a unique entity that usually occurs in children with Down syndrome (DS) or with trisomy 21 mosaicism. The somatic GATA1 mutation is a distinct feature of TAM. At presentation, TAM can resemble congenital leukemia (CL), which unlike TAM has an extremely poor prognosis and requires prompt therapeutic interventions. Therefore, correct and timely distinction between the two entities is crucial. We report a case of a phenotypically normal infant diagnosed with CL during the first weeks of life that retrospectively was reassessed as TAM. No acute myeloid leukemia (AML) specific mutations were found except for trisomy 21 confined exclusively to leukemic blasts. Retrospectively GATA1 mutation was also detected in malignant cells, but somatic genome appeared to be intact.


The Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of community acquired pneumonia as well as of upper respiratory tract infections such as acute otitis media and sinusitis, and invasive diseases like meningitis, bacteremia, and endocarditis. However, S. pneumoniae is also a commensal of the upper respiratory tract, especially of young children, which represent the reservoir for pneumococcal transmission within the community.
A major virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae is the polysaccharide capsule. The pneumococcal capsule displays an extremely high variability (it exists in fact in at least ninety different types, known as serotypes) and provides an effective barrier against host-cell mediated phagocytosis allowing bacterial persistence in the blood. In addition to the capsular determinant, many other secreted or surface exposed factors have been described to be of importance for virulence through in vivo animal model studies and in vitro experiments (i.e. choline-binding protein A (CbpA), the pneumococcal toxin pneumolysin, pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA), pilus components; however, their direct contribution to and essentiality for disease development in humans have still to be determined.
Streptococcus pneumoniae pilus islet-1 (PI-1)-encoded pilus enhances in vitro adhesion to the respiratory epithelium and may contribute to pneumococcal nasopharyngeal colonization and transmission. The pilus subunits are regarded as potential protein vaccine candidates. In the first part of this study, we sought to determine PI-1 prevalence in carried pneumococcal isolates and explore its relationship with transmissibility or carriage duration. We studied 896 pneumococcal isolates collected during a longitudinal carriage study that included monthly nasopharyngeal swabbing of 234 infants and their mothers between the ages of 1 and 24 months. These were cultured according to the WHO pneumococcal carriage detection protocol. PI-1 PCR and genotyping by multilocus sequence typing were performed on isolates chosen according to specific carriage and transmission definitions. Overall, 35.2% of the isolates were PI-1-positive, but PI-1 presence was restricted to ten of the 34 serotypes studied and was most frequently associated with serotypes 19F and 23F; 47.5% of transmitted and 43.3% of non-transmitted isolates were PI-1-positive (OR 1.2; 95% CI 0.8–1.7; p 0.4). The duration of first-ever infant pneumococcal carriage was significantly longer with PI-1-positive organisms, but this difference was not significant at the individual serotype level. In conclusion, PI-1 is commonly found in pneumococcal carriage isolates, but does not appear to be associated with pneumococcal transmissibility or carriage duration.
In the second part of this work, we focused on non-typeable Streptococcus pneumoniae (NTPn). NTPns are typically isolated from nasopharyngeal carriage or from conjunctivitis. Since the isolation of NTPn from invasive disease is rare, we characterized the genetic basis for non-typeability of two isolates obtained in Italy from two cases of bacteremic pneumonia. Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) revealed that both NTPn belonged to ST191, which, according to the MLST database, is associated with serotype 7F. Sequencing of the capsular locus (cps) confirmed the presence of a 7F cps in both strains and revealed the existence of distinct single point mutations in the wchA gene (a glycosyltransferase), both leading to the translation of proteins truncated at the C-terminus. To verify if these mutations were responsible for non-typeability of the isolates, a functional 7F WchA was over-expressed in both NTPn. The two NTPn along with their WchA over-expressing derivatives were analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy and by high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. Both NTPn were devoid of a polysaccharide capsule and WchA over-expression was sufficient to restore the assembly of a serotype 7F capsule on the surface of the two NTPn. In conclusion, we identified two new naturally-occurring point-mutations leading to the non typeability in pneumococcus and demonstrated that WchA is essential for the biosynthesis of the serotype 7F capsule.


Currently, much research is focused on the corrosion of reinforcement in concrete members. However, none addresses the problems associated with the residual strength of reinforced concrete beams exhibiting both main and shear reinforcement corrosion simultaneously. The aim of this research, therefore, was to determine the residual strength of corroded reinforced concrete beams where various degrees of reinforcement corrosion is present in both the main and shear reinforcement. This may provide a better understanding of the performance of deteriorated reinforced concrete beams in service.One of the main causes of concrete deterioration is corrosion of the steel reinforcement and thus a reduction of the residual service life. In general, corrosion of reinforcement is believed to affect the structural performance of concrete elements in two ways. Firstly, by reducing the rebar cross sectional area, and secondly, by loss of bond strength between the concrete and steel reinforcement and resulting growth of cracks due to the formation of corrosion products at concrete/reinforcement interface.The experimental programme was carried out to provide information on the loss of strength resulting from corrosion to the main and shear reinforcement. Corrosion was induced by means of external power supplies. The test programme was divided into three series. Series I was devised to determine the residual flexural strength of reinforced concrete beams where different diameters of main (high yield) reinforcement were subjected to varying degrees of accelerated corrosion (shear strength was provided by mild steel shear reinforcement which remained unaffected by corrosion). Series II was devised to determine the residual shear strength of reinforced concrete beams where the shear (mild steel) reinforcement was subjected to varying degrees of accelerated corrosion (flexural strength was provided by high yield steel which was protected from corrosion). Finally, Series III was devised to determine the residual strength of reinforced concrete beams where both the main (high yield) and shear (mild steel) reinforcement were simultaneously corroded and the effect of this on the performance of the beam was determined. In total, 116 beams were subjected to accelerated corrosion using an impressed current imposed on the reinforcement. Each beam was loaded to failure to determine the strength loss. Four degrees of corrosion were targeted, ranging from 0% (control) to 15%, in increments of 5%.The results of the laboratory tests determined the significance of both main and shear reinforcement corrosion on the performance of deteriorated reinforced concrete beams. In addition, simplified analytical equations were developed which may assist the engineer in assessing the residual strength of corroded reinforced concrete beams.


In this lovely book, Pierre Berge, the longtime partner of Yves Saint Laurent, remembers ...He recalls his arrival in Marrakech with Yves Saint Laurent in 1966, those first rainy days, their first home purchased together, their exploration of Morocco and its fascinating light. He remembers friends--Loulou de La Falaise, Fernando Sanchez, Andy Warhol, Betty Catroux--who, like them, chose to live in Morocco, or who accompanied them on this adventure filled with love and beautiful moments. He awakens the past with personal photographs, many published for the first time and drawings and watercolours by Lawrence Mynott, which evoke the magic of Morocco. This moving, intimate book, bound to resemble a leather journal, offers a rare glimpse into the personal life of the celebrated designer, revealing how Morocco's vibrant culture and extraordinary landscapes inspired some of YSL's greatest collections.


Structures include elements designated as load bearing and non-load bearing. While non-load bearing elements, such as facades and internal partitions, are acknowledged to add mass to the system, the structural stiffness and strength is generally attributed to load bearing elements only. This paper investigates the contribution of non-load bearing elements to the dynamic response of a new structure, the Charles Institute, in the grounds of University College Dublin (UCD) Ireland. The vertical vibration response of the first floor and the lateral response at each floor level were recorded at different construction stages. The evolution of the structural response as well as the generation of a finite element (FE) model is discussed. It was found that the addition of the non-load bearing facades increased the first floor natural frequency from 10.7 Hz to 11.4 Hz, a change of ap- proximately +6.5%. Similarly these external facades resulted in the first sway mode having its frequency increased by 6%. The subsequent addition of internal partitions, mechanical services and furnishings resulted in the floor natural frequency reducing to 9.2 Hz. It is concluded that external facades have the net effect of adding stiffness and the effect of internal partitions and fur- nishings is to add mass. In the context of finite element modelling of structures there is a significant challenge to represent these non-structural elements correctly so as to enable the generation of truly predictive FE models.


The energy dependence of the neutrino-iron and antineutrino-iron inclusive charged-current cross sections and their ratio have been measured using a high-statistics sample with the MINOS near detector exposed to the NuMI beam from the main injector at Fermilab. Neutrino and antineutrino fluxes were determined using a low hadronic energy subsample of charged-current events. We report measurements of -Fe ( -Fe) cross section in the energy range 350 GeV (550 GeV) with precision of 2%8% (3%9%) and their ratio which is measured with precision 2%8%. The data set spans the region from low energy, where accurate measurements are sparse, up to the high-energy scaling region where the cross section is well understood.


Sembène Ousmane's Xala was written as a novel and made into a film in 1974. It is a biting attack upon the newly risen bourgeois class that has ascended to power and wealth in Senegal since independence. The ideological framework of Xala rests upon Marxist assumptions adapted to and modified by the circumstances in Africa. The distinctively Senegalese features which mark Sembène's portrayal include Muslim and traditional religious beliefs which form the basis of the class oppression and the sexism depicted in Xala. They also supply the title to the work since xala means impotency in Wolof, and it is described with great humor by Sembène, as the result of a marabout's curse. Sembène's treatment of the theme of class oppression focuses upon the great disparities that exist between the wealthy, elite classes and the impoverished masses, especially the beggars and cripples who live on the streets of Dakar. By focusing upon the issue of acculturation in the film, and by emphasizing the importance of imagery related to sight and the act of seeing, Sembène effectively overcomes the deficiencies of the novel in creating the film version of Xala.


Estrogens exert a feedback control on gonadotropin (GtH) secretion at the level of the hypothalamus and pituitary. In the present study, female catfish were ovariectomized (OVX) for 5 weeks in resting (December-January) and preparatory (March-April) phases and supplemented with estradiol-17β (E2, 0.05 and 0.5 µg/g body mass) in 3-week ovariectomized fish to demonstrate the nature of feedback control on expression of pituitary GtH subunit (glycoprotein α - GPα, follicle- stimulating hormone - FSHβ and luteinizing hormone - LHβ) genes. Plasma steroid hormone (E2, testosterone, P4 and cortisol) levels were monitored concurrently. Plasma levels of E2, testosterone and P4 decreased after OVX but cortisol increased initially but later decreased. The E2 treatment elevated plasma E2 levels significantly in the OVX groups dose-dependently but not testosterone, P4 and cortisol levels. Ovariectomy produced season-dependent effects on GPα, FSHβ and LHβ transcript levels. In the resting phase, OVX led to an increase in the expression of FSHβ up to week 4, which then declined on week 5 with the level still higher than the sham-OVX fish. LHβ did not show any change after OVX. GPα showed a pattern similar to the FSHβ expression. In the preparatory phase, both FSHβ and GPα transcripts increased throughout OVX compared to the control group. However, the LHβ transcripts decreased significantly in the OVX group. In the resting phase, E2 replacement in 3-week OVX fish not only reversed the OVX effect on GPα and FSHβ transcript levels, but also decreased the expression below the control level (0.05µg E2) or further down (0.5 µg E2). The LHβ expression did not show any significant change in the resting phase. In the preparatory phase, the GPα and FSHβ expression altered similarly as in the resting phase. The LHβ expression was up regulated after the E2 replacement. The data suggest that E2 modulates transcriptional activity of FSHβ and LHβ differentially depending on the reproductive status of the fish.


Background: Placental transport of iodide is required for fetal thyroid hormone production. The sodium iodide symporter (NIS) mediates active iodide transport into the thyroid and the lactating mammary gland and is also present in placenta. NIS is competitively inhibited by thiocyanate from maternal smoking, but compensatory autoregulation of iodide transport differs between organs. The extent of autoregulation of placental iodide transport remains to be clarified. Objective: To compare the impact of maternal smoking on thyroglobulin (Tg) levels in maternal serum at delivery and in cord serum as markers of maternal and fetal iodine deficiency. Methods: One hundred and forty healthy, pregnant women admitted for delivery and their newborns were studied before the iodine fortification of salt in Denmark. Cotinine in urine and serum classified mothers as smokers (nZ50) or nonsmokers (nZ90). The pregnant women reported on intake of iodine-containing supplements during pregnancy and Tg in maternal serum at delivery and in cord serum were analyzed. Results: In a context of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency, smoking mothers had significantly higher serum Tg than nonsmoking mothers (mean Tg smokers 40.2 vs nonsmokers 24.4 mg/l, PZ0.004) and so had their respective newborns (cord Tg 80.2 vs 52.4 mg/l, PZ0.006), but the ratio between Tg in cord serum and maternal serum was not significantly different in smokers compared with nonsmokers (smoking 2.06 vs nonsmoking 2.22, PZ0.69). Conclusion: Maternal smoking increased the degree of iodine deficiency in parallel in the mother and the fetus, as reflected by increased Tg levels. However, placental iodide transport seemed unaffected despite high thiocyanate levels, suggesting that thiocyanate-insensitive iodide transporters alternative to NIS are active or that NIS in the placenta is autoregulated to keep iodide transport unaltered. European Journal of Endocrinology 168 723–731


Despite improvements in the prognosis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), subgroups of patients would benefit from alternative treatment approaches. Our aim was to identify genes with DNA methylation profiles that could identify such groups. We determined the methylation levels of 1320 CpG sites in regulatory regions of 416 genes in cells from 401 children diagnosed with ALL. Hierarchical clustering of 300 CpG sites distinguished between T-lineage ALL and B-cell precursor (BCP) ALL and between the main cytogenetic subtypes of BCP ALL. It also stratified patients with high hyperdiploidy and t(12;21) ALL into 2 subgroups with different probability of relapse. By using supervised learning, we constructed multivariate classifiers by external cross-validation procedures. We identified 40 genes that consistently contributed to accurate discrimination between the main subtypes of BCP ALL and gene sets that discriminated between subtypes of ALL and between ALL and controls in pairwise classification analyses. We also identified 20 individual genes with DNA methylation levels that predicted relapse of leukemia. Thus, methylation analysis should be explored as a method to improve stratification of ALL patients. The genes highlighted in our study are not enriched to specific pathways, but the gene expression levels are inversely correlated to the methylation levels.


The importance of the effect of ground abrasivity on the performance of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) is important for many tunnelling projects. In recent years, many abrasivity devices have been developed to measure soil abrasivity for specific conditions. In this paper a new device is developed to estimate the abrasivity of the soil for a wide range of site conditions. The device is designed on the basis of simulating the site conditions regarding the ground water, ground stresses and confining pressure of the TBM chamber, and the performance of the rotating cutter-head and pressurized shield tunnelling during its operation. A number of abrasivity tests were carried out on 12 types of crushed rock samples including six sedimentary rocks and six crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks. The results showed that the abrasivity of the samples increased as equivalent quartz percentages of the sample increased. It was also found that the texture of the samples has a great influence on their abrasivity. To evaluate the performance of the newly developed device, the same samples were tested by other current abrasivity methods including the Cerchar test, Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC) test and soil abrasion test (SAT). Comparisons of the results indicated close correlations, especially with the results for the Cerchar and LCPC devices.


Computer Graphics came into the medical world especially after the arrival of 3D medical imaging. Computer Graphics techniques are already integrated in the diagnosis procedure by means of the visual tridimensional analysis of computer tomography, magnetic resonance and even ultrasound data. The representations they provide, nevertheless, are static pictures of the patients' body, lacking in functional information. We believe that the next step in computer assisted diagnosis and surgery planning depends on the development of functional 3D models of human body. It is in this context that we propose a model of articulations based on biomechanics. Such model is able to simulate the joint functionality in order to allow for a number of medical applications. It was developed focusing on the following requirements: it must be at the same time simple enough to be implemented on computer, and realistic enough to allow for medical applications; it must be visual in order for applications to be able to explore the joint in a 3D simulation environment. Then, we propose to combine kinematical motion for the parts that can be considered as rigid, such as bones, and physical simulation of the soft tissues. We also deal with the interaction between the different elements of the joint, and for that we propose a specific contact management model. Our kinematical skeleton is based on anatomy. Special considerations have been taken to include anatomical features like axis displacements, range of motion control, and joints coupling. Once a 3D model of the skeleton is built, it can be simulated by data coming from motion capture or can be specified by a specialist, a clinician for instance. Our deformation model is an extension of the classical mass-spring systems. A spherical volume is considered around mass points, and mechanical properties of real materials can be used to parameterize the model. Viscoelasticity, anisotropy and non-linearity of the tissues are simulated. We particularly proposed a method to configure the mass-spring matrix such that the objects behave according to a predefined Young's modulus. A contact management model is also proposed to deal with the geometric interactions between the elements inside the joint. After having tested several approaches, we proposed a new method for collision detection which measures in constant time the signed distance to the closest point for each point of two meshes subject to collide. We also proposed a method for collision response which acts directly on the surfaces geometry, in a way that the physical behavior relies on the propagation of reaction forces produced inside the tissue. Finally, we proposed a 3D model of a joint combining the three elements: anatomical skeleton motion, biomechanical soft tissues deformation, and contact management. On the top of that we built a virtual hip joint and implemented a set of medical applications prototypes. Such applications allow for assessment of stress distribution on the articular surfaces, range of motion estimation based on ligament constraint, ligament elasticity estimation from clinically measured range of motion, and pre- and post-operative evaluation of stress distribution. Although our model provides physicians with a number of useful variables for diagnosis and surgery planning, it should be improved for effective clinical use. Validation has been done partially. However, a global clinical validation is necessary. Patient specific data are still difficult to obtain, especially individualized mechanical properties of tissues. The characterization of material properties in our soft tissues model can also be improved by including control over the shear modulus.


Two studies examined the effects of reliance on direct and media-based contact for information about Muslims on Americans' stereotypic beliefs of and negative emotions toward Muslims and support for public policies harming Muslims domestically and internationally. Results revealed that reliance on media for information about Muslims was positively associated with stereotypic beliefs, negative emotions, and support for harmful policies. Reliance on direct contact for information about Muslims produced the opposite results. Results from a three-wave longitudinal design revealed that reliance on media and direct contact significantly predict changes in negative emotions which then predict changes in support for civil restrictions for Muslim Americans. We discuss the differential effects of reliance on media-based and direct contact in influencing intergroup outcomes.


Tongue dorsum swabbing is a potential alternative to sputum collection for tuberculosis (TB) testing. Previous studies showed that Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) can detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) DNA in tongue swabs stored in buffer, with 72% sensitivity and 100% specificity relative to a sputum microbiological reference standard (sputum MRS). The present study evaluated a more convenient sample collection protocol (dry swab storage), combined with streamlined sample processing protocols, for side-by-side analysis using two commercial TB diagnostic tests: Xpert Ultra and Molbio Truenat MTB Ultima (MTB Ultima). Copan FLOQSwabs were self-collected, or collected by study workers, from 321 participants in Western Cape, South Africa. All participants had symptoms suggestive of TB, and 245 of them had sputum MRS-confirmed TB (by sputum culture and/or Xpert Ultra). One tongue swab per participant was tested on Xpert Ultra and another tongue swab was tested with MTB Ultima. Xpert Ultra was 75.4% sensitive and 100% specific, and MTB Ultima was 71.6% sensitive and 96.9% specific, relative to sputum MRS. When sample lysates that were false-negative by MTB Ultima were frozen, thawed, and re-tested, MTB Ultima sensitivity rose to 79.1%. Both tests were more sensitive with swabs from participants with higher sputum Xpert semi-quantitative results. The protocol for Xpert Ultra enabled fast and easy testing of dry-stored swabs with no loss of accuracy relative to previous methods. MTB Ultima testing of dry-stored swabs exhibited comparable performance to Xpert Ultra. These results further support tongue swabs as easy-to-collect samples for high-throughput TB testing.


The Eastern Gabbro, Coldwell Complex, hosts several geochemically and mineralogically distinct Cu-platinum group element (PGE) deposits, including the high-grade W Horizon (>100 ppm Pd-Pt-Au over 2 m). Several magmatic and/or hydrothermal models have previously been proposed to explain the range of enrichment in PGEs observed in the Marathon deposit, but no work has integrated textural and compositional variations in sulfides to elucidate which of these models is most suitable. Additionally, comparatively little work has been done to characterize the genesis of Cu-PGE mineralization that occurs to the northwest of the Marathon deposit in the Eastern Gabbro. Through integration of base metal sulfide (BMS) mineralogy, texture, and trace element chemistry, a wide range of magmatic and postmagmatic processes have been characterized that contributed to the formation of these deposits. In all zones of mineralization in the Eastern Gabbro, chalcophile elements were remobilized from primary chalcopyrite by hydrothermal fluids and precipitated as secondary chalcopyrite, which occurs as a replacement of pyrrhotite and as intergrowths with hydrous silicates. BMSs in the mineralized zones in the Marathon deposit (Footwall zone, Main zone, and W Horizon) experienced higher R factors than those deposits located northwest of the Marathon deposit (Four Dams, Area 41, and Redstone), with BMSs in the W Horizon having experienced the highest R factors. The silicate melts from which the Footwall zone crystallized likely experienced some degree of sulfide segregation at depth, albeit to a much lesser degree than the northern deposits. Additionally, the melts from which the mineralized zones in the Marathon deposit crystallized were likely contaminated by high-S/Se Archean sedimentary rocks, whereas the northern deposits were likely contaminated by low-S/Se igneous and/or metamorphic rocks. BMSs in a chalcopyrite-rich pod located within the vicinity of the Coldwell Complex experienced both high R factors and high degrees of contamination (cf. W Horizon and Footwall zone, respectively). This study illustrates the complexity of processes that generate and modify mineralization in conduit-type Ni-Cu-PGE systems.


Paragraph IV of the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia (herein after referred to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia) asserts that the objectives of the state of Indonesia are to protect all the Indonesian people and their entire motherland, to advance the public welfare, to develop the intellectual life of the nation, and to contribute towards the establishment of a world order based on peace and social justice. The law enforcement should be carried out with full determination, empathy, dedication, commitment and courage with the support from ideal legal substances and cooperative societies. The aim of this research is to examine the integrity of the apparatus of the state officials in corruption eradication in Indonesia. This study belongs to the category of the qualitative research design. The result of this study is given: Corruption occurs only if three things are met, namely: (1) there is a benefit or rent that can be shared (2) a public official who has the power facilitates the process of corruption in the context of allowing access to certain parties to the benefit, and (3) there are certain parties who perform bribery actions. The integrity of the state officials is based on the legal consciousness of the apparatus of state officials who later will raise collective consciousness of the law on the state administration agencies. This legal awareness is inherent in the behaviour and not in the law as a rule. Legal awareness will influence the legal compliance of the state officials resulting in collective legal compliance of the state administration agencies making the integrity of the state officials as a reflection of legal awareness and compliance of the state officials personally and institutionally which will help realize effectiveness in eradicating corruption.


In forensic biomechanics, most of us who provide expertise in this discipline have a large percentage of vehicle accident cases [1]. Certainly, as experts we appreciate unusual cases and new challenges outside the box of auto accidents. This specific case involved the defense of a bicycle seat manufacturer in a claim involving a middle aged man who reported that after an approximate 30 mile ride, the nose of his bicycle seat saddle had deformed during the last few miles of his ride resulting in his chronic erectile dysfunction (i.e. ED).


A low intramucosal pH (pHi) and an increase in the difference between gastric mucosal and arterial PCO2 (PCO2 gap) reflect splanchnic hypoperfusion and are good indicators of poor prognosis. Previously, some randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were performed based on the theory that normalising the low pHi or PCO2 gap could improve the outcomes of critical care patients. However, these RCTs yielded divergent results about the benefits derived from this goal-oriented therapy.


GEOGRAPHIES OF NEOLIBERAL REGULATION AND THE EVERYDAY URBAN EXPERIENCE: A CASE STUDY OF OVER-THE-RHINE, CINCINNATI Jean-Paul David Addie This thesis analyses the impacts of neoliberal urbanism through conducting a qualitative case study of the inner-city neighbourhood of Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati. Drawing upon the geographic concept of 'actually existing' neoliberalism, combined with in-depth interviews with neighbourhood organisations, community advocacy groups and residents in Over-the-Rhine, I explore the complex, often contradictory and dialectical relationships between neoliberal regulatory-institutional restructuring, the production of urban space, and the practices of everyday life. Played out against a background of racial tension and civil unrest, the creation of a new, neoliberal institutional landscape in Over-the-Rhine politically and economically disenfranchises the most marginalised neighbourhood inhabitants through re-articulating urban and political space, and re-imagining the ideological form and function of the inner city and the urban poor. I assert the significance of place-based studies to explore the place-specific articulations of neoliberal urbanism and in doing so, present directions for future research. GEOGRAPHIES OF NEOLIBERAL REGULATION AND THE EVERYDAY URBAN EXPERIENCE: A CASE STUDY OF OVER-THE-RHINE, CINCINNATI


The role of protein ubiquitination is well known in promoting regulated protein degradation. Mukhopadhyay and Riezman review what is known about the contribution of protein ubiquitination in other cellular pathways, including intracellular signaling, endocytosis, and protein sorting. D. Mukhopadhyay, H. Riezman, Proteasome-independent functions of ubiquitin in endocytosis and signaling. Science 315, 201-205 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The contents of this report describes the work done during the period July to13; December 1989 and is a continuation of the earlier collaborative research effort on13; the design of Model Following Controllers for the Attas Inflight Simulator. The salient13; features of the design methodology and typical omine simulation results are13; described in [1,2,3].13; Data from recent Attas flight tests (conducted during 1988 and the first half of 1989)13; indicate the presence of certain time delays in the various measurement and actuation13; segments of the fly-by-wire system. These time delays (inherent in all digital flight13; control systems) were not considered during the design of the earlier controllers and13; therefore necessiated redesign prior to validating the controllers in simulation and13; subsequently in flight. A major portion of the current effort was directed towards13; estimating the time delays in the various control loop segments and incorporating13; these estimates in the controller design process and ground simulation software.13; quot;13; The complex onboard multi-processor computing/data recording system Fig. 1 [6],13; asynchronous/autonomous operation of the individual digital measurement and13; actuation segments (for example LTN-90 Inertial Navigation System, Mil-bus Interface13; to the Actuator Drives etc.) and the limitations in the data recording used for the13; earlier flight tests restrict the accuracy of the time delay estimates. The current13; designs incorporate these rough estimates but include the improved actuator model13; dynamics obtained from flight tests.13;


Calix[4]pyrrole derivatives bearing long n-alkyl ester chains have been synthesized from calix[4]pyrroles containing carboxylic acid functional groups. These systems, which contain ester groups on either the meso- carbon atoms of the calixpyrrole ring or the β-positions of individual pyrrole rings, were prepared from the corresponding carboxylic acids. Esterification was effected using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide/4-dimethylaminopyridine (DCC/DMAP) to obtain long alkyl chain substituted calix[4]pyrroles. In the context of this work, several brominated calixpyrrole derivatives were prepared using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as the brominating agent. Anion binding studies carried out by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in 1,2-dichloroethane with Cl− and in the form of their respective tetrabutylammonium salts, revealed that the functionalized ester derivatives have anion binding affinities similar to those of the unsubstituted "parent" systems, octamethylcalix[4]pyrrole (1) and β-octabromocalix[4]pyrrole (2). The new alkylated systems proved soluble in nonpolar solvents, such as hexanes. Structure identification studies, carried out by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, revealed that the control ester system 4 contains two unique crystal structures per asymmetric unit. These asymmetric units interact via intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the solid state to produce a continuous intermolecular structure. Such interactions are not present in the case of the corresponding brominated ester 5.


The radar and satellite networks meant to warn Russia of the imminence of a missile attack are breaking down, heightening the risk of accidental nuclear war. The authors discuss the reasons for the this which include ageing satellites and the floundering Russian economy. The authors discuss a false alarm in 1995 and how it highlighted the deficiencies in Russia's early warning system. The state of the satellites involved in early warning systems, both Russian and American, are discussed. The offer of assistance by the US to Russia with respect to Russia's early warning systems is also discussed.


Aircraft landing gears are subjected to a wide range of excitation conditions, which result in conflicting damping requirements. A novel solution to this problem is to implement semi-active damping using magnetorheological (MR) fluids. This paper presents a design methodology that enables an MR landing gear to be optimized, both in terms of its damping and magnetic circuit performance, whilst adhering to stringent packaging constraints. Such constraints are vital in landing gear, if MR technology is to be considered as feasible in commercial applications. The design approach focuses on the impact or landing phase of an aircraft's flight, where large variations in sink speed, angle of attack and aircraft mass makes an MR device potentially very attractive. In this study, an equivalent MR model of an existing aircraft landing gear is developed. This includes a dynamic model of an MR shock strut, which accounts for the effects of fluid compressibility. This is important in impulsive loading applications such as landing gear, as fluid compression will reduce device controllability. Using the model, numerical impact simulations are performed to illustrate the performance of the optimized MR shock strut, and hence the effectiveness of the proposed design methodology. Part 2 of this contribution focuses on experimental validation.


RNA polymerase II is a multi-subunit enzyme responsible for transcription of most eukaryotic genes. It associates with other complexes to form enormous multifunctional 'holoenzymes' involved in splicing and polyadenylation. We wished to study these different complexes in living cells, so we generated cell lines expressing the largest, catalytic, subunit of the polymerase tagged with the green fluorescent protein. The tagged enzyme complements a deficiency in tsTM4 cells that have a temperature-sensitive mutation in the largest subunit. Some of the tagged subunit is incorporated into engaged transcription complexes like the wild-type protein; it both resists extraction with sarkosyl and is hyperphosphorylated at its C terminus. Remarkably, subunits bearing such a tag can be incorporated into the active enzyme, despite the size and complexity of the polymerizing complex. Therefore, these cells should prove useful in the analysis of the dynamics of transcription in living cells.


Average characteristics of a partially coherent Bessel–Gauss optical beam are treated by using the paraxial approximation. The intensity distribution, as well as the coherence properties of the source, is assumed to vary in the azimuthal direction. The transport of the mean-squared width of the beam in the propagation direction is determined. The variation of the mean squared width of the beam in the azimuthal direction is investigated. The anisotropy of the intensity distribution can be balanced against the anisotropic coherence properties to obtain an optical beam whose mean-squared width in the far zone is a constant in the azimuthal direction.


Attention is attracted exogenously by physically salient stimuli, but this effect can be dampened by endogenous attention settings, a phenomenon called "contingent capture." Emotionally salient stimuli are also thought to exert a strong exogenous influence on attention, especially in anxious individuals, but whether and how top–down attention can ameliorate bottom–up capture by affective stimuli is currently unknown. Here, we paired a novel spatial cueing task with fMRI to investigate contingent capture as a function of the affective salience of bottom–up cues (face stimuli) and individual differences in trait anxiety. In the absence of top–down cues, exogenous stimuli validly cueing targets facilitated attention in low-anxious participants, regardless of affective salience. However, although high-anxious participants exhibited similar facilitation following neutral exogenous cues, this facilitation was completely absent following affectively negative exogenous cues. Critically, these effects were contingent on endogenous attentional settings, such that explicit top–down cues presented before the appearance of exogenous stimuli removed anxious individuals' sensitivity to affectively salient stimuli. fMRI analyses revealed a network of brain regions underlying this variability in affective contingent capture across individuals, including the fusiform face area (FFA), posterior ventrolateral frontal cortex, and SMA. Importantly, activation in the posterior ventrolateral frontal cortex and the SMA fully mediated the effects observed in FFA, demonstrating a critical role for these frontal regions in mediating attentional orienting and interference resolution processes when engaged by affectively salient stimuli.


This paper presents a three-stage 18-level inverter design with a novel control method. The inverter consists of a series-connected main high-voltage, medium-voltage, and low-voltage stages. The high-voltage stage is made of a three-phase, six-switch conventional inverter. The medium- and low-voltage stages are made of three-level inverters constructed by H-bridge units. The proposed control strategy assumes a reference-input voltage vector and aims to operate the inverter in one state per sampling time to produce the nearest vector to that reference. The control concept is based on representing the reference voltage in 60^-spaced two-axis coordinate system. In this system, the inverter vectors' dimensions are integer multiples of the inverter's dc voltage, and the expression of the inverter's vectors in terms of its switching variables is straightforward. Consequently, the switching signals can be obtained by simple fixed-point calculations. The approach of the proposed control strategy has been presented, the transformed inverter vectors and their relation to the switching variables have been defined, and the implementation process has been described. The test results verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in terms of computational efficiency as well as the capability of the inverter to produce very low distorted voltage with low-switching losses.


Background: Diesel engine exhaust causes adverse health effects. Meanwhile, the impact of renewable diesel exhaust on human health is less known. In this study, nasal patency, pulmonary function, and self-rated symptoms were assessed in 19 healthy volunteers after two separate 3-hour exposures to renewable diesel (hydrotreated vegetable oil [HVO]) exhaust, and exposure to filtered air (FA) for comparison. The HVO exposures were generated with two modern non-road vehicles (2019) having either: 1) no aftertreatment system (HVOPM+NOx), or 2) an aftertreatment system containing a diesel oxidation catalyst and a diesel particulate filter (HVONOx). The exposure concentrations complied with current EU occupational exposure limits (OELs) of NO, NO2, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and future OELs of elemental carbon (EC) from 2023. Results: Exposure to HVOPM+NOx consisted of PM1 (≈90 µg m-3, 54 µg m-3 EC) and NOx (NO 3.4 ppm, NO2 0.6 ppm). The average total respiratory tract deposition of PM1 was 27 µg h-1. The deposition fraction of HVO PM1 was 40-50% higher compared to diesel exhaust PM1 from an older vehicle, due to smaller particle sizes of the HVOPM+NOx exhaust. Exposure to HVONOx consisted mainly of NOx (NO 2.0 ppm, NO2 0.7 ppm) with low level of PM1 (~1 µg m-3). Compared to filtered air, exposure to HVOPM+NOx and HVONOx caused higher incidence of self-reported symptoms (78%, 63%, respectively, vs. 28% for FA, p<0.03). Especially, exposure to HVOPM+NOx showed 40-50% higher eye and throat irritation symptoms. Compared to filtered air, a decrement in nasal patency was found for the HVONOx exposures (-18.1, 95%CI: -27.3 to -8.8 L min-1), and for the HVOPM+NOx (-7.4 (-15.6 to 0.8) L min-1). Overall, no change was indicated in the pulmonary function tests (spirometry, peak expiratory flow, forced oscillation technique), except a slight increase in FEV1/FVC after exposure to HVONOx.Conclusion: Short-term exposure to HVO exhaust below the EU OELs did not cause severe pulmonary function changes in healthy subjects. However, an increase in self-rated mild irritation symptoms, and mild decrease in nasal patency after two HVO exposures may indicate irritative effects from exposure to HVO exhaust from modern non-road vehicles below future OELs.


Episodes of booming innovation coincide with intense speculation in financial markets leading to bubbles—increases in market valuations and firm creation followed by a crash. We provide a framework reproducing these facts that makes a rich set of predictions on how speculation changes both the private and social values of innovation. We confirm the theory in the universe of U.S. patents issued from 1926 through 2010. Measures based on financial market information indicate that speculation increases the private value of innovation and reduces negative spillovers to competing firms. No commensurate change occurs in measures grounded in real outcomes.