In a variety of ways, sex offenders in the United States find themselves in a difficult position. One of the lesser-known ways relates to the free exercise of religion. Sometimes by categorical statute, and sometimes by individualized parole, probation, or supervised-release condition, sex offenders can find themselves legally barred from places where children are present (or likely to be present). Because children are usually present at religious services, sex offenders can find themselves unable to attend them altogether. And this hardship has a bit of irony in it too. Back in prison, sex offenders could worship freely with others; now ostensibly free, they can no longer do so. This simple problem has real scope—tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of people barred from essentially all religious services, sometimes for decades, sometimes for life. Moreover, these prohibitions are often vague and overbroad—and so restrictive that low-level administrators (like sheriffs and probation officers) are often pushed into softening or waiving them. But this ends up creating a kind of licensing scheme, whereby low-level government officials make—on their own, without any formal criteria—ad hoc and practically unreviewable decisions about who gets to go to church and under what conditions. Risks of selective enforcement, discrimination, and abuse are obvious. These rules have come into being as if concerns about the free exercise of religion have no weight at all. But this is not the case. In fact, a robust body of law protects the free exercise of religion, requiring exemptions from religiously burdensome laws. Now this does not mean that sex offenders should be universally exempt from any and all restrictions regarding church attendance. There are probably some people who pose such a threat to children that they should be kept away from churches. Courts will have to answer tricky questions—who should be barred, who should decide who is barred, and on what criteria?—that require nuanced and elaborate answers. Yet informed by analogies from other areas of law (like freedom of speech) where courts have wrestled with similar issues, this Article offers some recommendations that are analytically rigorous, practically realizable, and judicially manageable.


Bannai Kufic script is made up of repeating geometric units in vertical, horizontal and parallel forms over a grid (ruler1) and due to the unique visual aspects and its close relationship with architecture, it has many features to be used in contemporary art. This article is about the identification of effective factors on Bannai Kufic script sustainability in modern times and its use in logotype design. By studying structural and geometric properties of the script, the reason for its sustainability as a traditional script with a new spirit can be examined, and extend these properties to logotype design. The structural feature of this line, certain relationships and interaction between savad2 and bayaz3, its simplicity and explicitly of components, having clarity in logic, readability and lack of thickness variations, nonvowel, a traditional history and modernization capacity, the ability to change its positive and negative spaces and textures, has established a set of unique features in this script that makes it suitable for use in the visual arts, especially logotype design. In addition, simplicity, logical order, cryptography, equal thickness of black and white spaces, proportionality in letter composition, use of flat surfaces, vertical horizontal, and parallel movements, and ability of creation positive and negative spaces, high elasticity and evoking geometric forms, having the highest capacity for layout and composition, alphabetical letters variability in terms of layout and using minimal words, positive and negative spaces and textures are among inherent characteristics of this script, which in modern times, they can have valuable, effective and modernized role and simply be used for textual graphics and logos by modern graphic designers. Research objectives Identifying effective factors in Bannai Kufic script survival Identifying the most important formal and structural features of Bannai Kufic script for logotype design. Research questions: Which are the effective factors in Bannai Kufic script survival? Which aspects of Bannai Kofi script structural features can be used in logotype design? Hypothesis It seems that Bannai Kufic structural form is responsible for its modernization in modern times, and this script can meet the needs of visual communication of modern times.


Multiple small injections of streptozotocin in mice produce pancreatic insulitis, with progression to nearly complete beta cell destruction and diabetes mellitus. The timing and appearance of the inflammatory islet lesions suggest but do not prove that streptozotocin acts by initiating a cell-mediated immune reaction. Ultrastructural evidence of abundant type C viruses within beta cells of treated mice suggests that streptozotocin may activate murine leukemia virus in vivo in susceptible hosts.


Earlier this year I undertook an Australian Studies Fellowship from the Australia-India Council to teach at the University of Madras, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. As a consequence, this paper aims to address areas suggested for discussion at the ASAL conference. The first part comments on ASAL topics such as the "selling of Australian literature to the world"; the topic raises concerns for developing nations regarding the "privileging of consumers" as text affordability and availability impacts on the OzLit research scope available to the local, Tamil Nadu, students. The paper then discusses the experiences encountered when Australian Literature is "sold" and taught at an overseas institution. This second part will give examples of (an attempt to) "Translate the local to the world", along with subsequent re-readings of canonical 19th c texts by Tamil students which challenge Anglo-centric assumptions The paper will also discuss some reasons (why I think) indigenous writing is popular with Tamil students. All together, the paper is comprised of observations made during the application of pedagogical practices; but it concludes with a cautionary note concerning the academic value of selling Australian texts to "the world". Part of that caution is directed at institutional gatekeepers who will need to go beyond simply theorising about post-colonial interpretations of the text and instead be accepting of its praxis, where Australian texts will be transformed by unfamiliar cultural capital, and will seldom be controlled by its authors' historical or geographical frameworks.


Attention is sparse in vision transformers. We observe the final prediction in vision transformers is only based on a subset of most informative tokens, which is sufficient for accurate image recognition. Based on this observation, we propose a dynamic token sparsification framework to prune redundant tokens progressively and dynamically based on the input. Specifically, we devise a lightweight prediction module to estimate the importance score of each token given the current features. The module is added to different layers to prune redundant tokens hierarchically. To optimize the prediction module in an end-to-end manner, we propose an attention masking strategy to differentiably prune a token by blocking its interactions with other tokens. Benefiting from the nature of self-attention, the unstructured sparse tokens are still hardware friendly, which makes our framework easy to achieve actual speed-up. By hierarchically pruning 66% of the input tokens, our method greatly reduces 31%~37% FLOPs and improves the throughput by over 40% while the drop of accuracy is within 0.5% for various vision transformers. Equipped with the dynamic token sparsification framework, DynamicViT models can achieve very competitive complexity/accuracy trade-offs compared to state-of-the-art CNNs and vision transformers on ImageNet. Code is available at https://github.com/raoyongming/DynamicViT


A safety case study is presented involving two major contracts: a 1000 m shaft recovery and rehabilitation, and the development of a drainage gallery in a large open pit operation. In the early stages of the contracts, there were a number of incidents that created tension between the owner and contractor, which resulted in the contractor being placed on a final warning with potential termination. As a result of this, a focused safety recovery plan as a 'last chance' was initiated. Over a period of two years, the engagement and subsequent performance of the contractor was turned around, steadily working to set it up for success, such that in one of the contract work areas, a record of One Year LTI (lost time injury-free) was achieved. The journey involved the owner and contractor teams working cohesively to educate all parties in the safety requirements and, most importantly, providing the context and understanding for certain requirements being put in place. Early on in the process, it was recognised that the Owner's Team did not fully understand the safety requirements, and so was not able to lead the way for the contractor effectively. This hurdle took a good deal of effort to resolve. The journey to rectify the situation was supported and followed up by focused engagement with the Project Team, which generated progressive improvement in what was a very challenging environment. It is noteworthy that the contractor turnaround in safety performance was so significant that realising their existing systems needed improvement, they ultimately exported some of the site-based systems to other contract sites.


Although the accuracy of weather and climate forecasts is continuously improving and new information retrieved from climate data is adding to the understanding of climate variation, use of the forecasts and climate information by farmers in farming decisions has changed little. This lack of change may result from knowledge barriers and psychological, social, and economic factors that undermine farmer motivation to use forecasts and climate information. According to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the motivation to use forecasts may arise from personal attitudes, social norms, and perceived control or ability to use forecasts in specific decisions. These attributes are examined using data from a survey designed around the TPB and conducted among farming communities in the region of eastern Nebraska and the western U.S. Corn Belt. There were three major findings: 1) the utility and value of the forecasts for farming decisions as perceived by farmers are, on average, around 3.0 on a 0–7 scale, indicating much room to improve attitudes toward the forecast value. 2) The use of forecasts by farmers to influence decisions is likely affected by several social groups that can provide "expert viewpoints" on forecast use. 3) A major obstacle, next to forecast accuracy, is the perceived identity and reliability of the forecast makers. Given the rapidly increasing number of forecasts in this growing service business, the ambiguous identity of forecast providers may have left farmers confused and may have prevented them from developing both trust in forecasts and skills to use them. These findings shed light on productive avenues for increasing the influence of forecasts, which may lead to greater farming productivity. In addition, this study establishes a set of reference points that can be used for comparisons with future studies to quantify changes in forecast use and influence.


Introduction: Improving Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is one of the main goals in the COPD. The nurse-led COPD-Guidance, Research on an Illness Perception (COPD-GRIP) intervention is developed to incorporate illness perceptions into the care for COPD patients to improve their HRQoL. This individualized intervention, which identifies illness perceptions with theBrief Illness Perception Questionnaire, consists of three consultations with a practice nurse (PN). Aim: The aim is to identify and to clarify the experiences of the patients with the COPD-GRIP intervention. Method: A qualitative study, nested in a cluster randomized trial in primary care, was carried out. The interviews, which were audio-taped, were performed with COPD patients who were guided with the COPD-GRIP intervention. During data collection the constant comparative approach was used. To identify themes, the transcribed interviews were independently coded by two researchers. Results: 16 patients were interviewed. The patients experienced an additional value of the intervention in areas such as disease knowledge, awareness and cooperation with the PN. According to the patients, PN9s need expertise in COPD, give encouragement, be trustworthy and should give personal attention. In addition, a patient should be open and honest as well. The experiences with the care plan, the questionnaire, the duration and the frequency of the consultations were positive. Nevertheless, some patients gave an advise to improve those elements. Conclusion: The results indicate that the COPD-GRIP intervention is an useful and promising tool. Although some aspect will need improvements, the patients were satisfied and do recommend the intervention.


In recent decades changes in social connectivity have become key features in the changing contexts of later life. Communities of propinquity no longer seem to be as determining of social relationships as they once were. Mobile cell phone technology and the Internet have redefined what it means to 'keep in touch'. Some authors have argued that these new forms of connectivity have created a 'digital divide' between those who have become active adopters of these technologies and those who have not. Using data from the British General Household Survey (GHS), we examined trends in mobile phone ownership amongst people over fifty during the period 2000 - 2009. Compared with the pace of change in ownership of other household technologies such as personal computers, dishwashers, fridge freezers and microwave ovens, the take up of mobile phones amongst those aged 50 and over has followed a much sharper rise. Based upon these findings, we suggest a more sceptical stance towards the ICT 'generational divide' which needs more detailed interrogation. Future research should consider the possibility that the divide may be a more short lived phenomenon, as successive cohorts of people aged fifty and over are becoming active participants in individualised networked communities.


Eliminating summer fallow or establishing perennial grass elicited measurable gains in soil organic C (SOC) after just 6 yr in a crop rotation study on an Aridic Boroll in southern Alberta. This study was resampled after 12 yr to determine if SOC increases were continuing with time and to evaluate the impact of alternative crop rotation and fertilizer treatments on SOC. The crop rotation treatments included in this study were fallow-wheat (FW), fallow-wheat-wheat (FWW), fallow-flax-wheat (FXW), legume-wheat (LW), continuous wheat (W) and continuous grass (G). The gain in SOC due to the elimination of fallow was 1.5 Mg C ha -1 after 12 yr, no greater than that observed after 6 yr. Soil organic C was the same for all rotations that included fallow (FW, FWW, FXW). Fertilizer treatments that had the greatest benefit on grain yields of annual crops also tended to increase SOC, although differences were barely detectable. The gain in SOC of unfertilized grass compared to the FW rotation was no higher after 12 yr than after 6 yr (3 Mg C ha -1 ). Under fertilized grass, in contrast, SOC continued to increase at a rate of approximately 0.5 Mg C ha -1 yr -1 . Accumulation of light fraction C accounted for most of the gains in SOC that occurred with elimination of fallow or establishment of grass. These findings suggest that much of the SOC gain due to adoption of C-conserving practices in soils like those of this study may occur early, within the first decade, and consist primarily of decomposable soil fractions. If confirmed, this means that C sequestration in these soils may be comparatively short-lived and vulnerable to future loss.


Throughout an area between Chicago and Peoria, Illinois, approximately 50 measurement locations were selected. At each location measurements were made, typically, for two VHF television broadcasts from Chicago and three UHF television broadcasts from either Chicago or Peoria.

Measurements were made using a standard antenna erected on the measurement van to the same height as the home antenna. Cumulative distributions of these measurements were produced from which the median electric field strengths were computed and plotted at each measured Chicago broadcast frequency, as a function of distance from the broadcast (transmitting) antenna. The least squares, linear regression line for each set of data is shown. Also shown are field strengths required by FCC Regulations for Grades A and B Service and the coverage ranges at which each Grade of Service is realized scaled from contours published in the Television Factbook and as computed using an automated model named COVERAGE which uses a modified version of the FCC propagation loss curves (discussed in Appendix B).

Measurements of received signal level also were made using each home antenna system. Using the two types of measured data, cumulative distributions of sample home antenna system gain are presented for each measurement frequency and location in Appendix A. Median values from these cumulative distributions have been chosen as estimates of gain for the home antenna systems.

It is concluded that systems using single-function antennas typically have significantly higher system gain than systems incorporating VHF/UHF combination antennas. Statistical results (median and interdecile values) from the measured data provide the basis for a generalized model for VHF and UHF television receiving antenna system gain. Though home antenna systems can be installed to provide excellent performance, the measurements show that in-service antenna system performance is 0.4 dB to 12.5 dB less than has been assumed.

All the measured data were obtained and are retained in digital form on magnetic tape.


The Late Pliocene-Pleistocene Naust Formation and equivalent sediments have been mapped on the Norwegian continental shelf between Sognefjorden and Lofoten (61°N to 68°N). During the last 2.8 million years the shelf has prograded up to 150 km westwards. More than 1000 m of sediments have been deposited in large areas around the outer shelf/upper continental slope. Most of the Naust Formation on the mid-outer shelf comprises prograding wedges, commonly thinning westwards and downlapping onto the top of the underlying Kai Formation. 3D seismic data from the shelf show iceberg ploughmarks on palaeo-surfaces buried below 400 m of sediment at the present-day shelf edge. Tentatively, the oldest observed ice-grooved surface is c. 2 million years old. In several hydrocarbon exploration wells, abundant angular gravel fragments, interpreted as ice-rafted debris (IRD), have been found in the lower parts of the Naust Formation. In addition to these observations, the very high depositional rates compared to the previous Tertiary period, support our view that most of the Naust Formation was deposited under glacial influence. The Naust Formation is subdivided into five sequences. From oldest to youngest these are named N, A, U, S and T. Naust S represents the third last glaciation, whereas Naust T is from the last and second last glaciation. An upper regional angular unconformity (URU), best developed on the inner-mid part of the shelf, marks the boundary upwards to more flat-lying sedimentary units. These units mainly comprise tills, deposited during the last extensive glaciations on the shelf. The upper regional unconformity is over large areas off mid-Norway at the base of sequence Naust T and represents an erosional surface made by the Elsterian Ice Sheet.


Well-designed studies have produced over 300 effective treatments that have been summarized in numerous lists of evidence-based treatments (EBTs). At the same time, the field is making great gains in the understanding of how to implement those treatments, once chosen. However, there is no structured guidance for how to select an optimal set of EBTs from those lists that is maximally relevant and minimally redundant with respect to its fit for a targeted service sample. This dissertation introduces relevance mapping, a methodology that addresses this problem. This dissertation consists of three studies that respectively describe the methodology, and use it to evaluate two open questions regarding treatment coordination. Relevance mapping uses automated comparison of the characteristics of each child in a targeted service sample to the participant characteristics from every study of every successful treatment. Relevance mapping addresses who is and is not coverable by any EBT in the literature, under configurable assumptions about which features must match between study participants and children in the service sample. Relevance mapping can then identify the minimum set of treatments needed to serve the maximum number of children in the service sample, based on those same user-defined matching features. The first study describes this methodology in detail along with the context of the problem it addresses within the framework of knowledge management in mental health. The second study compares the efficiency of relevance mapping results when treatments are defined as intact programs or as collections of their constituent procedures. Finally, the third study applies relevance mapping to a large mental health service agency sample to assess the degree to which EBTs fit the problems, demographics, and treatment settings of youths served using wraparound process. Wraparound is a widely implemented and highly popular model for organizing individualized treatments and supports for children with complex needs. However its effectiveness has long been in question, making the combination of wraparound and EBTs and intriguing possibility. The dissertation's overarching goal is to illustrate a methodology for better application of the evidence base to applied settings, under a variety of different definitions and assumptions.


P4.122 Table 1 STI incidence during the 18 month follow-up by intervention component. Community Center vs. No community Center Expedited Partner Therapy vs. No Expedited Partner Therapy Any STI incidence 18.4 Community Center 19.7 No Community Center 23.1 Expedited Partner Therapy 14.0 No Expedited Partner Therapy RR 0.93 (95% CI 0.49–1.76) 1.65 (95% CI 0.85–3.21)


Proper maintenance can help vehicles perform as designed, positively affecting fuel economy, emissions, and the overall drivability. This effort investigates the effect of one maintenance factor, intake air filter replacement, with primary focus on vehicle fuel economy, but also examining emissions and performance. Older studies, dealing with carbureted gasoline vehicles, have indicated that replacing a clogged or dirty air filter can improve vehicle fuel economy and conversely that a dirty air filter can be significantly detrimental to fuel economy. The effect of clogged air filters on the fuel economy, acceleration and emissions of five gasoline fueled vehicles is examined. Four of these were modern vehicles, featuring closed-loop control and ranging in model year from 2003 to 2007. Three vehicles were powered by naturally aspirated, port fuel injection (PFI) engines of differing size and cylinder configuration: an inline 4, a V6 and a V8. A turbocharged inline 4-cylinder gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine powered vehicle was the fourth modern gasoline vehicle tested. A vintage 1972 vehicle equipped with a carburetor (open-loop control) was also examined. Results reveal insignificant fuel economy and emissions sensitivity of modern vehicles to air filter condition, but measureable effects on the 1972 vehicle. All vehicles experienced amore » measured acceleration performance penalty with clogged intake air filters.« less


Abstract Simplified evaluation models are developed at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) to predict the first peak power, energy, and total fission numbers during a criticality accident for design and installation of a criticality alarm system and for quick response with measures to avoid excessive exposure of the general public. These models were first derived in previous papers only from theoretical considerations employing one-point reactor kinetic neutron behavior and thus are applicable to any geometrical shape of vessel containing fissile solution. Applicability concerning nuclide composition comes essentially from using empirical equations describing specific heat and density to give simplified forms of the models. The models developed originally for a stepwise reactivity insertion mode are shown in the current paper to approximately stand for the ramp reactivity insertion mode by giving their theoretical formation and are validated by applying experimental data from JAERI's Transient Experiment Critical Facility (TRACY) on a low-235U-enriched uranium nitrate solution as well as CRAC experiments on high-235U-enriched uranium nitrate solution together with past accident data, including the most recent JCO accident.


This chapter deals with the challenge of managing data often in the form of citations found in medical databases. The second section covers the need to have a strategy in order to support evidence-based practice. The third section describes in more detail some reliable databases that pharmacists may find useful for their evidence based practice. Evidence-based Pharmacy was first published as a textbook by Phil Wiffen in 2001. The first chapter was published in Eur J Hosp Pharm 2013;20:308–12. Subsequent chapters have been published in EJHP at approximately 2-month intervals.

The large volume of data that comes across the desk of many pharmacists creates a challenge in finding ways to store and retrieve valuable information. Most of us have moved away from large filing cabinets of photocopied papers and prefer to store information and knowledge electronically. It is remarkable to see medical libraries that were once filled with long rows of bound journals being stripped out to make space for computer terminals with fast access to the same journals electronically.

One of the most useful tools is the bibliographic database which has been popular in many research settings within and outside medicine but has not been adopted into pharmacy world to any great extent. This chapter sets out to describe the benefits of such systems to facilitate some of the key aims of this book including identifying useful evidence and being able to effectively prepare research articles for publication. These software packages are designed to facilitate two important processes:

1. To store the results of our searches in a format that can be reordered or searched to find a particular paper.

2. To facilitate the preparation of research papers by providing an electronic means of identifying those articles which you cite and want to include in your reference list. The reference list …


This thesis provides a broad and diverse investigation into the field of traumatic responses in mentally disordered perpetrators of homicide and group treatment for such offenders. A range of methods including a systematic review, a single case study and a primary phenomenological investigation were used to explore issues in the field. Following an introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 reviews trauma responses in homicide offenders. The results indicate that trauma reactions among homicide offenders as a direct result of the offence are highly prevalent which has implications for potential interventions. The existing literature is obstructed by weak studies using suboptimal scientific designs and future research is recommended. In Chapter 3 a single case study explores a homicide offender's progress in a group treatment. The group therapy under investigation adopts a recovery oriented approach, addressing both criminogenic need and the well-being of the offender. The impact of the treatment is determined using a range of psychometric measures. The results indicate improvements in the targeted areas with clinically significant change demonstrated. Chapter 4 explores the lived experience of a group treatment for homicide using the principles of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Three areas were discussed: (1) the Group (2) Recovery and (3) Risk. Recurrent themes reflected the importance of shifting narratives and hope for the future in both domains of recovery and risk, lending support to the utilisation of narrative approaches in Index Offence work. The results have implications for clinical practice and are discussed in the context of directions for further research. Chapter 5 evaluates the Inventory of Complicated Grief which was used as an assessment measure in Chapter 3. Finally, Chapter 6 provides a discussion and close to the thesis drawing together the implications of the research.


Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder caused due to malfunction in brain development. It is an emerging field in child psych iatry in the world. Moreover in developing countries like India there is a need for awareness regarding autism among the medical professionals. The proposed research was to investi gate variation in the physiological parameters between autism and normal children. Eigh ty Indian Children subjects (40 Normal and 40 Autism) from a special school participated v oluntarily in this study with age group ranging from 8–13 years. Photoplethysmograph (PPG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) signal were recorded during mental task through clue cards with visual like alphabets, numbers, fruits, colors, and animals. The experiment was per formed during the forenoon session for both normal and autism children. The task performance is measured by calculating the error of commission and omission. PPG and GSR signal are pre -processed, and dicrotic notch, heart rate (HR) and GSR feature are extracted from the ac quired signal. The nonparametric MannWhitney-U tests were performed. The heart rate, dic rotic notch, and GSR were significantly (p<0.05) high for the autism group when compared to control children. The current study result implies that PPG and GSR signals recorded fo r the autistic children are high in comparison with normal children.


This examination intends to inspect the impact of dietary, socio-segment and way of life factors on body sythesis among understudies from Notre Dame University. In this cross-sectional examination, socio-segment, way of life, anthropometric factors including body creation (delicate slender mass (SLM), percent muscle versus fat (PBF), and instinctive fat territory (VFA)) were gathered. Stress was surveyed through the apparent pressure scale (PSS). Diet was evaluated through MEDFICTS. Out of 392 understudies, 3.1% were underweight, 59% were ordinary, 40% were overweight and corpulent. In ladies, 10.5%, clung to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) contrasted with men (2.5%), while 52.5% of men required dietary changes contrasted with 39.5% of ladies, (p<0.01). Men who clung to TLC were in the first tertile of PBF. Members in the first tertile of PBF/VFA/SLM had the most minimal abdomen boundary (WC), BMI, and most noteworthy wellness score. Just men in the first tertile of SLM had the most noteworthy midriff to stature (WHt). Smoking was related with PBF in men as it were. All out number of long stretches of rest was not related neither with PBF/SLM in the two sexes nor with VFA in ladies, while men in the first VFA tertile dozed increasingly (7.5 hours) than those in the third tertile (6.9 hours) (p<0.01). Despite the fact that most of the example was of ordinary weight; most men were overweight or hefty. The relationship among way of life and dietary factors and body sythesis was not comparable across sexual orientations; likewise, it is imperative to give sex based nourishment intercessions in colleges.

Methods: A cross-sectional examination was completed on Notre Dame University (NDU) representatives, in the Zouk Mosbeh, North, and Shouf grounds. Before the commencement of the examination, the investigation convention was affirmed by the Institutional Review Board of NDU. Starting in October 2016, an e-welcome was sent to all staff and employees of NDU to welcome them to take an interest in the investigation. Following the e-welcome, four nutritionists visited all personnel and staff individuals in their workplaces to energize investment. Of the 600 reached workers in the three NDU grounds, 360 acknowledged to take an interest and were screened for qualification. Avoidance rules included pregnancy, lactation, inability to finish the surveys, and nearness of a pacemaker or metal pieces in the member's body. The individuals who were seen as qualified (n = 344) were approached to sign an educated assent structure and afterward reached by the examination agents to organize a 30-min up close and personal meeting. A distinguishing proof number was relegated to every member. All polls were named utilizing codes. The specialists kept up the rundown partner names with codes and were accountable for keeping it private.

Results: A sum of 344 representatives (half Male) matured somewhere in the range of 20 and 74 years took an interest in the examination. The greater part of the members were overweight and fat. Mean serum nutrient D focuses were 28.2 ± 13.9 ng/mL. Among members, 37.5% of our investigation populace had 25(OH)D ≥ 30 ng/mL, and 68.3% had 25(OH)D ≥ 20 ng/mL. People with low nutrient D status had essentially higher percent muscle to fat ratio (PBF) (p < 0.005), and higher abdomen periphery (WC) (p = 0.012) than in the adequate gathering, anyway BMI didn't vary by nutrient D status. Strategic relapse examination showed that a 1% expansion in muscle versus fat expands the chances of having 25(OH)D ≤ 30 ng/mL by 8% while controlling for BMI and different confounders (p = 0.019).

Statistical analyses: Accepting that the commonness pace of nutrient D inadequacy among Lebanese grown-ups was 73% [5], the example size was determined to be 303 people. Quantitative and subjective estimations were summed up as mean ± standard deviation and n (%), separately. Examinations of consistent and straight out factors were performed utilizing autonomous example T Test/Mann-Whitney-U-test and the chi square test/Fisher's careful test, individually. Two calculated relapse models were utilized, where low nutrient D status (characterized as 25(OH)D ≤ 30 ng/mL or ≤ 20 ng/mL) was utilized as the reliant variable and PBF was utilized as the free factor, controlling for BMI, age, sexual orientation, daylight introduction, nutrient D admission, nutrient D supplements use, liquor consumption, admission of oral prophylactic pills (OCP), instruction, sunscreen use, incessant sickness status, salary, physical action, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL levels. Factual investigations were performed utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) form 22 for Windows. A p-estimation of under 0.05 was considered factually critical.

Conclusion: This investigation strengthens the requirement for customary screening for low nutrient D status in Lebanese grown-ups, especially people in danger, incorporating those with high hazard WC, high PBF, who work inside and have low nutrient D consumption, and suggesting nutrient D supplementation if necessary.


The redundant states in the output voltages of a Three-level Neutral Point Clamped Voltage Source Inverter (3L-NPC VSI) can be used to control the neutral point or to reduce the common mode voltage. However, the use of the redundant states to redistribute the losses among the switching devices of 3L-NPC VSI is a further possibility that was reported in previous papers. The proposed method for active redistribution of losses among the switching devices can become necessary in the practice to relieve stressed switches, which suffer excessive thermal stress due to malfunctions. In this paper, a new fault tolerant control approach is introduced to deal with this matter by modifying the switching table of the DTC (Direct Torque Control) scheme for a 3L-NPC VSI. An increased thermal stress in one IGBT module can be detected by sensing the temperature of the heatsink; consequently the switching patterns are immediately altered to redistribute the losses of the stressed IGBT module to the other cooler switches. Hence, the temperature of the stressed switches is kept under the critical limit and the thermal overload is reduced. In such way the reliability and the lifetime of inverter are maximized, even in case of thermal failure. This modulation scheme is called "Active Lifetime Extension" (ALE) and was presented in previous works for the case of field oriented control. In this paper the procedure is extended to the case of DTC.


Air pollution is a serious environmental health threat to humans. Furthermore, the severity of health outcomes associated with air pollution exposure is not uniform within populations. In South Africa, the problem is exacerbated since several vulnerable communities live in close proximity to pollution sources. The National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act No. 39 of 2004 aims to protect the health of South Africans through the implementation of air quality management plans and monitoring programmes. To assess the effectiveness of these actions and implemented mitigation measures with respect to health outcomes, specific indicators are required. Therefore, the aim was to determine South African-appropriate indicators and health data necessary to successfully evaluate efforts to reduce air pollution and associated adverse human health effects, and to consider mechanisms for accessing and integrating these data into a monitoring and evaluation framework. In a preliminary study, a population air pollution exposure and vulnerability risk prioritization model for potential use by municipal air quality managers was developed. The model included vulnerability factors such as poverty, respiratory and other diseases, lack of education and poor living conditions, all of which are important in areas occupied by previously disadvantaged communities. High-risk areas in terms of air pollution health impacts were identified using a set of indicators that assessed air pollution sources, ambient air pollution levels and air pollution potential, as well as community awareness, observations, perceptions and actions. The model was applied to the eThekwini Municipality (Kwazulu-Natal Province). Data were extracted from multiple sources for a selection of municipal wards and scored to illustrate categorisation of communities to prioritize those vulnerable Environmental Health Risk V 55


Introduction: In Punjab, drug addiction is a cancer which is crippling the mental and physical well being of the youth population of Punjab. There are 15 DDCs supported by Indian Red Cross Society in Punjab and many private DDCs are also functional. So this study is an attempt to know the profile of patients taking treatment from these centres. Materials and Methods: 7 DDCs run by Indian Red Cross Society & 3 DDCs being run by Private registered societies located in various districts of Punjab were included. A pretested questionnaire was used to interview the patients who were admitted. Results: 120 patients were interviewed. All were males. 47.5% were in age group of 20-30 years. Mean age of starting drug abuse was 21.15±5.29 years. 79.2% patients started drugs due to peer pressure. 59% belonged to rural area. 46% were in upper middle socioeconomic status & 65% patients were married. Patients were using more than one route and 13.3% were on IDU. As per single drug usage, 20.8% were addicted to alcohol & 20.8% to capsule. As per multiple drug usage, 62.5% were tobacco addict, 42.5% to alcohol & 40.8% to capsule. Rs 170.63 was the average amount spent per day. 85.0% patients were dependent on self for buying drugs. 16% patients had positive family history of drug abuse. 60% patients were brought to centre by family members. 39.2% patients had positive history of previous treatment at any other DDC. Conclusions: It is recommended that both Red Cross & Private DDCs should be checked regularly by authorities like Civil Surgeon and Deputy Commissioner & private centers should also be supported & promoted by the government so that these centers run in a better way & can provide more facilities.


In this article, we explore narrative inquiry data we collected with women who attempted to have a natural, drug-free childbirth for the birth of their first child. The data presented come from semi-structured life story interviews with six women who live in a metropolitan city in the midsouthern United States. Using creative analytic practice (CAP), the women's experiences are presented as a composite poem. The (re)presentation of the women's narratives in the poem emphasizes the tensions between what women desired and planned for in contrast to what they actually experienced during pregnancy and birth. The poem illustrates the politics of agency, the ways in which consent is bypassed or assumed in some medical institutions in the United States, and the resilience of the women.


This thesis presents an automated system for financial time series modelling. Formal and applied
methods are investigated for combining feed-forward Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) into a
single adaptive/learning system for automated time series forecasting. Four important research contributions
arise from this investigation: i) novel forms of GAs are introduced which are designed to counter the
representational bias associated with the conventional Holland GA, ii) an experimental methodology for
validating neural network architecture design strategies is introduced, iii) a new method for network pruning
is introduced, and iv) an automated method for inferring network complexity for a given learning task is
devised. These methods provide a general-purpose applied methodology for developing neural network
applications and are tested in the construction of an automated system for financial time series modelling.
Traditional economic theory has held that financial price series are random. The lack of a priori models on
which to base a computational solution for financial modelling provides one of the hardest tests of adaptive
system technology. It is shown that the system developed in this thesis isolates a deterministic signal within
a Gilt Futures prices series, to a confidences level of over 99%, yielding a prediction accuracy of over 60%
on a single run of 1000 out-of-sample experiments.
An important research issue in the use of feed-forward neural networks is the problems associated
with parameterisation so as to ensure good generalisation. This thesis conducts a detailed examination of
this issue. A novel demonstration of a network's ability to act as a universal functional approximator for
finite data sets is given. This supplies an explicit formula for setting a network's architecture and weights in
order to map a finite data set to arbitrary precision. It is shown that a network's ability to generalise is
extremely sensitive to many parameter choices and that unless careful safeguards are included in the
experimental procedure over-fitting can occur. This thesis concentrates on developing automated techniques
so as to tackle these problems.
Techniques for using GAs to parameterise neural networks are examined. It is shown that the
relationship between the fitness function, the GA operators and the choice of encoding are all instrumental
in determining the likely success of the GA search. To address this issue a new style of GA is introduced
which uses multiple encodings in the course of a run. These are shown to out-perform the Holland GA on a
range of standard test functions. Despite this innovation it is argued that the direct use of GAs to neural
network parameterisation runs the risk of compounding the network sensitivity issue. Moreover, in the
absence of a precise formulation of generalisation a less direct use of GAs to network parameterisation is
examined. Specifically a technique, artficia1 network generation (ANG), is introduced in which a GA is
used to artificially generate test learning problems for neural networks that have known network solutions.
ANG provides a means for directly testing i) a neural net architecture, ii) a neural net training process, and
iii) a neural net validation procedure, against generalisation. ANG is used to provide statistical evidence in
favour of Occam's Razor as a neural network design principle. A new method for pruning and inferring
network complexity for a given learning problem is introduced. Network Regression Pruning (NRP) is a
network pruning method that attempts to derive an optimal network architecture by starting from what is
considered an overly large network. NRP differs radically from conventional pruning methods in that it
attempts to hold a trained network's mapping fixed as pruning proceeds. NRP is shown to be extremely
successful at isolating optimal network architectures on a range of test problems generated using ANG.
Finally, NRP and techniques validated using ANG are combined to implement an Automated Neural
network Time series Analysis System (ANTAS). ANTAS is applied to the gilt futures price series The Long
Gilt Futures Contract (LGFC).


We have conducted a spectral line survey observation in the 3 mm band toward the low-metallicity dwarf galaxy IC10 with the 45 m radio telescope of the Nobeyama Radio Observatory to explore its chemical composition at a molecular-cloud scale (∼80 pc). The CS, SO, CCH, HCN, HCO+, and HNC lines are detected for the first time in this galaxy in addition to the CO and 13CO lines, while the c-C3H2, CH3OH, CN, C18O, and N2H+ lines are not detected. The spectral intensity pattern is found to be similar to those observed toward molecular clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), whose metallicity is as low as IC10. Nitrogen-bearing species are deficient in comparison with the Galactic molecular clouds due to a lower elemental abundance of nitrogen. CCH is abundant in comparison with Galactic translucent clouds, whereas CH3OH may be deficient. These characteristic trends for CCH and CH3OH are also seen in the LMC, and seem to originate from photodissociation regions more extended in the peripheries of molecular clouds due to the lower metallicity condition.


With autonomous systems bringing greater demand for user data, in some
applications, this also brings an opportunity to solicit data from users. To exploit this, a user
interface will need to be designed to coax the user into achieving system
goals, like data solicitation. One approach is to design a system to leverage
an already present tendency for people to socially interact with technology. In this thesis, I argue that such an approach would involve
incorporating interaction concepts that facilitate engagement into the design
of recommender system interfaces that will improve the likelihood of obtaining
data from users. To support this claim, I synthesize past work on
human-computer interaction and recommender systems to derive a framework to
guide scientific investigations into interface design concepts that will
address the data solicitation problem.


Two experiments were conducted in order to test predictions derived from Berlyne's theory of aesthetic preference. According to the theory, preference is an inverted-U function of arousal potential; the determinants of arousal potential are summed, with the consequence that an increase in the amount of one determinant leads to a decrease in the maximally preferred level of other determinants; and collati ve properties, such as dissonance, are the most important predictors of preference. The experiments supported none of these predictions. Preference tended to be related to its determinants by monotonie or U-shaped functions. The predicted trade-off among the determinants of preference was not clearly present. Semantic factors rather than collative properties were the most important determinants of preference. In Experiment 1, uncertainty was related to preference in an inverted-U manner, but it was shown that this may be an artifact of a U-shaped relationship between preference and melodic typicality. In Experiment 2, it was found that subject-rated meaningfulness is highly related to preference for melodies, whereas subjectively perceived complexity is essentially unrelated to preference. The results are explained in terms of a cognitive theory of aesthetic preference.


A global CEO study conducted by IBM in 2006 showed that business model innovation has a higher correlation with operating margin growth than any other type of innovation. It is therefore not surprising that business model innovation is a buzzword increasingly seen in business jargon and literature. However, the field is quite novel and finding ways of approaching and understanding the subject has been more elusive. This thesis presents a comprehensive and academically founded approach to business model innovation, including a framework that can be applied by managers to transform their business, and building capabilities that can become a source of competitive advantage.


Nephrology fellows often face difficult conversations about dialysis initiation or withdrawal but are frequently unprepared for these discussions. Despite evidence that communication skills are teachable, few fellowship programs include such training. A communication skills workshop for nephrology fellows (NephroTalk) focused on delivering bad news and helping patients define care goals, including end-of-life preferences. This 4-hour workshop, held in October and November 2011, included didactics and practice sessions with standardized patients. Participants were nephrology fellows at Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh (n=22). Pre- and post-workshop surveys evaluated efficacy of the curriculum and measured changes in perceived preparedness on the basis on workshop training. Overall, 14% of fellows were white and 50% were male. Less than one-third (6 of 22) reported prior palliative care training. Survey response rate varied between 86% and 100%. Only 36% (8 of 22) and 38% (8 of 21) of respondents had received structured training in discussions for dialysis initiation or withdrawal. Respondents (19 of 19) felt that communication skills were important to being a "great nephrologist." Mean level of preparedness as measured with a five-point Likert scale significantly increased for all skills (range, 0.5-1.14; P<0.01), including delivering bad news, expressing empathy, and discussing dialysis initiation and withdrawal. All respondents (21 of 21) reported they would recommend this training to other fellows. NephroTalk is successful for improving preparedness among nephrology fellows for having difficult conversations about dialysis decision-making and end-of-life care.


Internet worm attacks have become increasingly more frequent and have had a major impact on the economy, making the detection and prevention of these attacks a top security concern. Several counter-measures have been proposed and evaluated in recent literature. However, the effect of these proposed defensive mechanisms on legitimate competing traffic has not been analyzed.
The first contribution of this thesis is a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of several of these proposed mechanisms, including a measure of their effect on normal web browsing activities. In addition, we introduce a new defensive approach that can easily be implemented on existing hosts, and which significantly reduces the rate of spread of worms using TCP connections to perform the infiltration. Our approach has no measurable effect on legitimate traffic.
The second contribution is presenting a variant of the flash worm that we term Compact Flash or CFlash that is capable of spreading even faster than its predecessor. We perform a comparative study between the flash worm and the CFlash worm using a full-detail packet-level simulator, and the results show the increase in propagation rate of the new worm given the same set of parameters.
The third contribution is the study of the behavior of TCP based worms in MANETs. We develop an analytical model for the worm spread of TCP worms in the MANETs environment that accounts for payload-size, bandwidth-sharing, radio range, nodal density and several other parameters specific for MANET topologies. We also present numerical solutions for the model and verify the results using packet-level simulations. The results show that the analytical model developed here matches the results of the packet-level simulation in most cases.


Mortality was extremely high in the industrial cities of the 19th century, but little is known about the role played by pollution in generating this pattern, due largely to a lack of direct pollution measures. I overcome this problem by combining data on the local composition of industries in Britain with information on the intensity with which industries used polluting inputs. Using this new measure, I show that pollution had a strong impact on mortality as far back as the 1850s. Industrial pollution explains 30-40% of the relationship between mortality and population density in 1851-60, and nearly 60% of this relationship in 1900. Growing industrial coal use from 1851-1900 reduced life expectancy by at least 0.57 years. A back-of-the envelope estimate suggests that the value of this loss of life, expressed as a one-time cost, was equal to at least 0.33-1.00 of annual GDP in 1900. Overall, these results show that industrial pollution was a major cause of mortality in the 19th century, particularly in urban areas, and that industrial growth during this period came at a substantial cost to health.


The influence of synthesis method on the formation of VSbO catalysts was examined. The syntheses applied in the present work were slurry, sol-gel and solid-state reaction method. The precursors obtained were further heated at various calcinations temperature; 673, 773 and 873 K and the dependence of the physicochemical characteristics of all the samples on the heat treatment imposed were also investigated. The synthesis conditions for the preparation of crystalline vanadium antimony oxide as mixed phases were found. Nitrogen physisorption at 77 K revealed samples prepared by slurry method gave higher Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area, SBET values compared to samples prepared by sol-gel and solid-state reaction methods. This was due to the chemical procedures done on the sample which promotes the formation of non-uniform particles with slit shaped particles compared to uniform particles formation displayed by other two methods. This phenomenon can be observed in Scanning Electron Microscopic, SEM micrograph. Upon heat treatment, SBET value decreased for all samples prepared by different method due to sintering effect. Nevertheless, the molar fractions of VSbO4 and -Sb2O4 phases depended on the heating temperature. As has been evidenced in X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, higher calcination temperatures promote the formation of these two phases. The existence of the two phases which became dominant as the heating temperatures were gradually increased, are in accordance with reduced activities. Combination of transient kinetic studies; O2-Temperature Programmed Desorption, H2-Temperature Programmed Reduction and Temperature Programmed Reaction of propane, revealed the dependence of reducibility and catalyst activity with the relative intensity of VSbO4 rutile and -Sb2O4 phases. The VSbO samples were found to be increased in reduced activity as calcination temperature is increased. Temperature programmed reaction analysis suggested that the transformation of propane to acrylic acid are through the formation of intermediates propene and acrolein.


A review of the evolution of offshore platforms concludes that the process is ongoing. New configurations continue to emerge and the range of applicability continues to expand. Today's shallow water platforms are often minimal structures that take advantage of existing infrastructure. The economic limit of deepwater fixed base structures has been reached. A few compliant structures and moored vessels have been used to produce deepwater reservoirs. Many of today's deepwater prospects have marginal economics if developed using existing deepwater production concepts. Less expensive development scenarios are needed for many deepwater prospects to be economical. One proposed approach employs an area-wide development concept with a central host platform servicing satellite facilities on adjacent fields. Another scheme uses a staged development scenario wherein a few wells are produced initially so that much of the risk associated with the uncertainty of the reservoir can be eliminated.


During the winter of 1927-28 officials of the Federal government made a strange and secret investigation of certain conditions in the ancient Massachusetts seaport of Innsmouth. The public first learned of it in February, when a vast series of raids and arrests occurred, followed by the deliberate burning and dynamiting under suitable precautions of an enormous number of crumbling, worm-eaten, and supposedly empty houses along the abandoned waterfront. Uninquiring souls let this occurrence pass as one of the major clashes in a spasmodic war on liquor.


Crossognathus danubiensis n. sp., known by a single specimen from the middle Albian of the vicinity of Giurgiu, south Romania, is described. The new species differs from other Crossognathus by the very elongated posterior infra-orbitals covering the vertical limb of the preopercle and part of the opercle and by the bones of the opercular series with fine posterior radiating ridges. Some of its characters, such as the presence of numerous well developed branchiostegal rays, are unusual for crossognathids and are discussed. We discuss the phylogenetic relationships of crossognathids and we point out several characters indicating possible relationships with the Late Jurassic Varasichthyidae. This possible sister-group relationship is regarded as a working hypothesis for further studies on basal teleosts phylogeny.


Social conflicts are ubiquitous and inherent in organized social life. This volume examines the origins and regulation of violent identity conflicts. It focuses on the regulation of conflict: the constraining, directing, and repression of violence through institutional rules and understandings. The core question the authors address is how violence is regulated and the social and political consequences of such regulation. The contributors provide a multidisciplinary multi-regional analysis of identity conflicts and their regulation. The chapters focus on the forging and suppression of religious and ethnic identities, problematic national identities, the recreation of identity in post-conflict peace-building efforts, and the forging of collective identities in the process of democratic state building. The instances of violent conflict treated here range across the globe from Central and South America, to Asia, to the Balkans, and to the Islamic world. One of the key findings is that conflicts involving religious, ethnic, or national identity are inherently more violence prone and require distinctive methods of regulation. Identity is a question both of power and of integrity. This means that both material and symbolic needs must be addressed in order to constrain or regulate these conflicts. Accordingly, some chapters draw on a political-economy approach that places primary emphasis on resources, organization, and interests, while others develop a cultural approach focusing on how identities are constructed, grievances defined, blame attributed, and redress articulated. This volume offers new ideas about the regulation of identity conflicts, at both the global and local level, that engage both tradition and modernization. It will be of interest to policymakers, political scientists, human rights activists, historians, and anthropologists.


This paper presents the design and performance of 110-GHz low noise amplifier MMICs, based on coplanar technology, and utilizing 120-nm gate-length metamorphic HEMTs. Thanks to a cascode device, a single-stage amplifier achieves 8-dB small signal gain, with less than 4-dB noise figure at 105 GHz, within a chip size of only 0.725 mm/sup 2/. The 2- and 3-stage LNAs exhibit small signal gains of more than 15- and 22-dB, respectively over the 100-115 GHz frequency range, with associated measured noise figures of 4.5 dB at 105 GHz; the chip area for these circuits are less than 2- and 3 mm/sup 2/. To the author's knowledge, these results are amongst the lowest noise figures reported to date for uniplanar amplifier MMICs operating at these frequencies.


Serum fluorescent streptococcal antibody tests were carried out on 71 patients with clinically suspected infective endocarditis, and a final diagnosis of endocarditis was obtained in 46 patients. A serological diagnosis of streptococcal endocarditis was obtained in 10 patients who had persistently negative blood cultures, as fluorescent streptococcal antibody titres equal to or greater than 400 were detected against at least one of four strains of streptococci used as heterologous antigens. There were no false positive fluorescent antibody results with heterologous antigens during tests on 29 patients who had either non-streptococcal endocarditis, a final diagnosis other than endocarditis, or streptococcal sepsis not associated with endocarditis. A negative result with the heterologous antibody test could not, however, exclude a diagnosis of streptococcal endocarditis as six of 11 patients with endocarditis due to Streptococcus viridans or Str bovis confirmed on blood culture had serum fluorescent antibody titres less than 400 against all the heterologous streptococcal antigens tested. Homologous fluorescent streptococcal antibody titres equal to or greater than 400, using the patient's own blood culture isolate as the antigen, were found in the serum samples of 14 of 15 patients with endocarditis caused by viridans streptococci, three patients with enterococcal endocarditis, two patients with endocarditis caused by Str pneumoniae, and one patient with Str bovis endocarditis. In contrast, all five patients who had clinically insignificant streptococcal bacteraemias had serum fluorescent homologous antibody titres of only 100 or less. These results showed that the homologous serum fluorescent streptococcal antibody test could help to decide the clinical importance of a streptococcus which is initially isolated from only one or two of a number of inoculated blood culture bottles.


 Violence against Women 2 011 was a special year for the World YWCA as it was a World Council year. It is a unique event, which brings together the YWCA movement, active today in over 120 countries, and builds momentum, unity and a common direction towards advancing our shared vision. This year crucial decisions were made, directions defined, resolutions passed and opinions voiced, and a process for envisioning the future was initiated.


Olfaction, the sense of smell, allows animals to perceive the multitude of volatile and nonvolatile molecules present in the environment. In many mammals, such as mice and rats, there are four unique chemosensory organs including the (1) main olfactory epithelium (MOE), (2) septal organ, (3) Gruneberg ganglion, and (4) vomeronasal organ (VNO). While the VNO detects some general volatile odorants, it is further specialized for the detection of behaviorally relevant nonvolatile odorants or pheromones. In rodents, the VNO is encased within a bony capsule and located at the base of the nasal cavity. Odorants are detected by vomeronasal sensory neuron (VSN)s, bipolar neurons with a single axon that projects to the accessory olfactory bulb of the brain and a single dendrite capped with microvilli that project into the lumen of the VNO. In the MOE, purinergic signaling through adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) gated ionotropic P2X and G-protein coupled P2Y receptors contributes a neuroprotective and neuroregenerative pathway. As virtually nothing was known about purinergic signaling in the VNO, I set out to characterize the (1) presence of the purinergic receptors and (2) ATP release pathways. In isolated VSNs, ATP elicited an increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca]I) and an inward current with similar potency. Adenosine and the P2Y receptor agonists adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP), and uridine 5'diphosphate (UDP) were ineffective. The increase in [Ca]I was dependent upon extracellular calcium and the inward current elicited by ATP was partially blocked by the P2X receptor antagonists pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonate (PPADS) and 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) adenosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-ATP). When coapplied with the natural stimulus dilute urine, ATP increased the inward current above that elicited by either dilute urine or ATP alone. Furthermore, ADP hyperpolarized the voltage dependence of steady state inactivation of voltage activated sodium current (INa) in a subset of VSNs. The hyperpolarization in the voltage dependence of steady state inactivation elicited by ADP was blocked in the presence of suramin, a purinergic receptor antagonist, but similar to that produced by 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG), a membrane permeable protein kinase C (PKC) activator. Neither ATP nor ADP affected the voltage dependence of activation, fast inactivation, or time dependent recovery from inactivation. Interestingly, ADP reversibly increased spike frequency but did not change an action potential's amplitude, latency, halfwidth, or threshold voltage. Accordingly, we detected gene expression of the P2X1 and 3 as well as P2Y1, 2, and 6 receptors in the VNO and localized the P2Y1 and 2 receptors to isolated VSNs. Thus, excitability in VSNs can be enhanced by (1) ATP eliciting an inward current through P2X receptors and (2) ADP decreasing spike adaptation during persistent firing presumably through P2Y receptors. Moreover, one possible source of ATP may be from mechanical stimulation of the VNO that accompanies vasomotor pump activation.


This study adopted a case study design to understand women and contraceptive use in the Diepsloot community, an impoverished urban informal settlement, north of Johannesburg. It was guided by feminist and critical theory, and made use of the qualitative research paradigm. The history of the provision of reproductive health services in South Africa has been discussed as a process that has both marginalised the participation of previously disadvantaged communities and also limited the opportunities for effective contraceptive use in the post-apartheid era. The main objectives were to understand reproductive health experiences of women and their knowledge of modern contraception in relation to the ecological environment in which they are embedded.
I used the non-probability purposive and theoretical sampling methods. The sample size was theory driven and largely determined by the type of data acquired after a series of interviews with twenty women over a five month period. Data collection ceased when data saturation was reached. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with twenty primary respondents. For triangulation purposes, primary health care service providers from the two local clinics were interviewed. Also one focus group discussion was done with a group of eight men; two traditional healers and the manager at the local Marie Stopes clinic were also interviewed for the same purpose. I used thematic analysis as the method of analysing the data. Thematic analysis moves beyond merely describing the data but identifies both the unspoken and obvious ideas within data. It was the intersectionality of contraceptive use and the unique lived experiences of disadvantaged women that had inspired the study and all methods employed were aimed at a deeper understanding of the effects of the cultural, social and economic environment on the reproductive health choices of the women.
The data were analysed according to the seven themes that emerged from the study and these were: empowerment and reproductive health decision making, level of education as a determining factor in contraceptive use, contraceptive knowledge, contraceptive dialogue as a contributing factor to contraceptive use and choice, opinions on the prevention of pregnancy, spacing versus limiting the number of births and the availability and accessibility of modern contraceptive methods. The inextricable link between education, poverty and gender inequality highlighted the need to empower women in marginalised communities. Due to poverty and lack of education, most women were powerless and not independent to make favourable reproductive health decisions. Knowledge of modern contraceptive methods was limited and the most popularly used method was the contraceptive injection.
The circumstances of the women in this study and those of the Diepsloot community speak to the broader economic issues of the country and reflect the need to prioritise women's education; to create economic opportunities for women and to enhance the participation of the…


The Apa molecules secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, or BCG have been identified as major immunodominant antigens. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated similar mannosylation, a complete pattern from 1 up to 9 hexose residues/mole of protein, of the native species from the 3 reference strains. The recombinant antigen expressed in M. smegmatis revealed a different mannosylation pattern: species containing 7 to 9 sugar residues/mole of protein were in the highest proportion, whereas species bearing a low number of sugar residues were almost absent. The 45/47-kDa recombinant antigen expressed in E. coli was devoid of sugar residues. The proteins purified from M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, or BCG have a high capacity to elicit in vivo potent delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions and to stimulate in vitrosensitized T lymphocytes of guinea pigs immunized with living BCG. The recombinant Apa expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis was 4-fold less potent in vivo in the DTH assay and 10-fold less active in vitro to stimulate sensitized T lymphocytes than the native proteins. The recombinant protein expressed inEscherichia coli was nearly unable to elicit DTH reactionsin vivo or to stimulate T lymphocytes in vitro. Thus the observed biological effects were related to the extent of glycosylation of the antigen.


The intra-genomic variation in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region has led to misleading conclusions in the evolutionary analysis of plants; understanding this variation is critical for correct evolutionary analysis based on ITS sequences. To reveal the ITS variation in tomato, entire copies of ITS1 sequences within tomato species were separated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and DNA sequence analysis. ITS1 copies varied significantly in sequence composition, but not in sequence length within the same tomato cultivar. DNA sequence similarity of the ITS1 copies was 77–100%. Moreover, AT and GC contents in ITS1 copies from each tomato cultivar were significantly different, ranging from 50.4 to 64.3% for GC and from 35.7 to 49.6% for AT. However, the length variation of ITS1 was insignificant, ranging from 279 to 282 bp. Multiple copies of divergent ITS1 present in the tomato genome indicate that some copies may be paralogues. In conclusion, DGGE technique is a reliable and novel approach to reveal the entire ITS copy variation and the possible evolutionary relationship of tomato.


The stability of lattices is discussed from the standpoint of the method of small vibrations. It is shown that it is not necessary to determine the whole vibrational spectrum, but only its long wave part. The stability conditions are nothing but the positive definiteness of the macroscopic deformation energy, and can be expressed in the form of inequalities for the elastic constants. A new method is explained for calculating these as lattice sums, and this method is applied to the three monatomic lattice types assuming central forces. In this way one obtains a simple explanation of the fact that the face-centred lattice is stable, whereas the simple lattice is always unstable and the body-centred also except for small exponents of the attractive forces. It is indicated that this method might be used for an improvement of the, at present, rather unsatisfactory theory of strength.


The self-concept maintenance theory holds that many people will cheat in order to maximize self-profit, but only to the extent that they can do so while maintaining a positive self-concept. Mazar, Amir, and Ariely (2008, Experiment 1) gave participants an opportunity and incentive to cheat on a problem-solving task. Prior to that task, participants either recalled the Ten Commandments (a moral reminder) or recalled 10 books they had read in high school (a neutral task). Results were consistent with the self-concept maintenance theory. When given the opportunity to cheat, participants given the moral-reminder priming task reported solving 1.45 fewer matrices than did those given a neutral prime (Cohen's d = 0.48); moral reminders reduced cheating. Mazar et al.'s article is among the most cited in deception research, but their Experiment 1 has not been replicated directly. This Registered Replication Report describes the aggregated result of 25 direct replications (total N = 5,786), all of which followed the same preregistered protocol. In the primary meta-analysis (19 replications, total n = 4,674), participants who were given an opportunity to cheat reported solving 0.11 more matrices if they were given a moral reminder than if they were given a neutral reminder (95% confidence interval = [−0.09, 0.31]). This small effect was numerically in the opposite direction of the effect observed in the original study (Cohen's d = −0.04).


Diabetes promotes the development of atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of such serious complications as myocardial infarctions, stroke, and amputation. Indeed, most people with diabetes die of conditions associated with atherosclerosis. Hyperglycemia leads to an increase in the abundance of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which has pro-atherogenic effects, providing one potential link between diabetes and the enhanced development of atherosclerotic lesions. Raman et al. exposed cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) to glucose, glucose analogs that participate in distinct segments of glucose metabolism, and other sugars to implicate protein glycosylation mediated by way of the hexosamine pathway in the increase in TSP-1 mRNA abundance elicited by high glucose concentrations. Pharmacological analysis further supported a role for the hexosamine pathway and protein glycosylation in this response, as did experiments involving overexpression of GFAT (glutamine:fructose 6-phosphate amidotransferase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the hexosamine pathway). Glucose did not affect TSP-1 mRNA stability but enhanced its transcription, as well as that of a reporter gene containing the TSP-1 promoter. Glucose also increased the glycosylation of proteins in the nucleus. Glucose and analogs that enhanced TSP-1 production stimulated the proliferation of HASMC, an effect that was mimicked by exposure of cells to TSP-1 and was blocked by pharmacological inhibition of GFAT or of glycosylation, and by siRNA or antibodies directed against TSP-1. Thus, the authors conclude that the hexosamine pathway and the glycosylation of nuclear proteins may contribute to the development of atherosclerotic lesions in response to high glucose. P. Raman, I. Krukovets, T. E. Marinic, P. Bornstein, O. I. Stenina, Glycosylation mediates up-regulation of a potent antiangiogenic and proatherogenic protein, thrombospondin-1, by glucose in vascular smooth muscle cells. J. Biol. Chem. 282, 5704-5714 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The experimental future Internet architecture, Named Data Networking (NDN) [1], offers significant promise for content distribution applications. NDN treats data, instead of hosts, as the first-class entity on the network. Instead of addressing nodes on the network with IP addresses (numbers), NDN enables applications to name data (often in a human-readable way) and routes based on those names. Among other benefits, this approach, combined with per-packet content signatures, can reduce network traffic by enabling routers to cache data packets. If two consumers request the same data, the router can forward the same packet to both of them instead of requiring the data publisher to generate a separate packet. Video distribution services, such as YouTube, could benefit significantly from NDN. The site provides multiple videos, but using the current IP Internet, when multiple computers request the same video, YouTube needs to send duplicate packets to transmit the same video to each. (Even modern content distribution networks do not fully mitigate this requirement.) NDN would enable the network itself to cache frequently requested data, reducing load on YouTube servers and increasing performance for users. Interestingly, it could provide the same support to low-capability sources of video, such as mobile phones, enabling direct publishing to many consumers from even these devices. Additionally, by publishing video data using semantically meaningful names (e.g., timecode frame indexes), random access and other related features can be easily implemented. To develop NDN's potential for scalable random-access video further, this project designed and implemented a complete software solution for video and audio streaming over NDN, called NDNVideo. NDNVideo leverages the network's features to provide highly scalable, randomaccess video from live and pre-recorded sources with a straightforward consumer and publisher implementation. It uses the GStreamer open-source media framework and PyCCN, Python bindings for the CCNx software router.


This paper focuses on the Gurdwara (Sikh religious institution) and its politics, which is currently of considerable importance in the formation of Sikh identity in Malaysia. All Sikh functions, collective as well as individual,are generally performed in local Gurdwaras. The Gurdwara plays an essential role in developing the Sikh
community. As Sikhism is a faith which recognises no division between religion and politics, all major political
Sikh movements in the Punjab have sprung from Gurdwaras. In Malaysia, each Sikh religious organisation or Gurdwara enjoys an independent administration. Hence, Gurdwaras Management Committee (GMC) members who run the Gurdwara administration are 'respected' by the Sikh community. In 1988, a central council of Gurdwaras called the Malaysian Gurdwaras Council (MGC) was established to coordinate the functioning of these Gurdwaras. Based on onr research, we found that, most of the Malaysian Gurdwaras are facing similar challenges. The ideal roles of the Granthi Sahib as a religions specialist are in question. The Granthi Sahib
and GMC are iu a dilemma about their roles, The reason for this conflict will be explored in this paper. It needs
to be mentioned that there are conflicts between the GMC and Granthi Sahib dne to committee member influences and their abuse of power in their relations with religions specialists, who are the minority group in the Sikh community. Therefore, the nature of role of the MGC in addressing theSe tensions which in turn affect the formation of Sikh identity will be discussed in detail.


This paper presents a framework for efficiently streaming scalable video from multiple servers over heterogeneous network paths. We propose to use rateless codes, or Fountain codes, such that each server acts as an independent source, without the need to coordinate its sending strategy with other servers. In this case, the problem of maximizing the received video quality and minimizing the bandwidth usage, is simply reduced to a rate allocation problem. We provide an optimal solution for an ideal scenario where the loss probability on each server-client path is exactly known. We then present a heuristic-based algorithm, which implements an unequal error protection scheme for the more realistic case of imperfect knowledge of the loss probabilities. Simulation results finally demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, in distributed streaming scenarios over lossy channels


Proprioceptors are sensors that provide information about orientation of the body relative to the body's orientation with respect to gravity, movement of the body relative to the external medium and movements and forces in localised regions of the body. Muscle spindles are primarily responsible for position and movement sense, Golgi tendon organs provide the sense of force and the vestibular system provides the sense of balance. Feedback from proprioceptors feedback is essential for the accurate execution of movement execution. For voluntary limb movements in primates, proprioceptive feedback can regulate the generation of motor command by correcting errors using negative feedback loops; providing timing cues about an ongoing movement to initiate commands required at a later time within a movement sequence; and by providing signals used in the planning of movements by providing information about starting limb position to set parameters of feedforward commands. Proprioceptive feedback is also required to modify motor commands slowly in response to alterations in the biomechanical properties of the limbs.

Key Concepts:

Proprioception is a peripherally derived kinaesthetic sense.

Position and movement sense is provided by muscle spindles.

Muscle tension is sensed by Golgi tendon organs.

The centrally derived sense of effort gives information about force and heaviness of objects.

Proprioceptors project to the motor cortex via the dorsal columns and to the cerebellum via spinocerebellar tracts.

Proprioceptive information is used in the spinal regulation of rhythmic movements.

Keywords:

proprioceptors;
muscle receptors;
motor control;
motor programme;
reflexes;
voluntary movement;
walking;
locust flight


ABSTRACT Frequent and highly aerobic behaviors likely contribute to naturally occurring stress, accelerate senescence and limit lifespan. To understand how the physiological and cellular mechanisms that determine the onset and duration of senescence are shaped by behavioral development and behavioral duration, we exploited the tractability of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) model system. First, we determined whether a cause–effect relationship exists between honey bee flight and oxidative stress by comparing oxidative damage accrued from intense flight bouts to damage accrued from d-galactose ingestion, which induces oxidative stress and limits lifespan in other insects. Second, we experimentally manipulated the duration of honey bee flight across a range of ages to determine the effects on reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and associated enzymatic antioxidant protective mechanisms. In bees fed d-galactose, lipid peroxidation (assessed by measuring malondialdehyde levels) was higher than in bees fed sucrose and age-matched bees with a high and low number of flight experiences collected from a colony. Bees with high amounts of flight experience exhibited elevated 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, a marker of oxidative DNA damage, relative to bees with less flight experience. Bees with high amounts of flight experience also showed increased levels of pro-oxidants (superoxide and hydrogen peroxide) and decreased or unchanged levels of antioxidants (superoxide dismutase and catalase). These data implicate an imbalance of pro- to anti-oxidants in flight-associated oxidative stress, and reveal how behavior can damage a cell and consequently limit lifespan. Summary: Honey bee flight induces oxidative damage and reveals a mechanism by which behavior can damage a cell.


Since anthropogenic climate change first emerged on the public agenda in the mid‐to‐late 1980s, public communication of climate change and—more recently—the question of how to communicate it most effectively have witnessed a steep rise. This paper synthesizes what is known, presumed, and still unknown about how to effectively communicate this problem. An introductory historical overview of climate change communication is followed by a discussion of the challenges that communicators face in trying to convey the issue (invisibility of causes, distant impacts, lack of immediacy and direct experience of the impacts, lack of gratification for taking mitigative actions, disbelief in human's global influence, complexity and uncertainty, inadequate signals indicating the need for change, perceptual limits and self‐interest). The core of the paper focuses on key aspects of the communication process (purpose and scope of the communication, audience, framing, messages, messengers, modes and channels of communication, and assessing the outcomes and effectiveness of a communication). These elements are placed in relationship to several contextual factors that affect the communication process. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research on climate change communication. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


When building a ship, the weight and cost are important factors. By reducing weight there will be more cargo capacity which ensures the income for the ship owner. On the other hand, creating light weight structure often increase the cost of building, and there may be limits for what the buyer will pay for a ship to be built. Ship design is often based on experience and adapting previous design to the project at hand. This procedure may end with both the weight and the cost of the ship becoming higher than needed. This thesis aims to create a early design tool the designers can use to find the plate thickness and distance between stiffeners which will give the lowest weight, cost or find a solution which reduces on both the former objectives. The program was done in MATLAB using a Particle Swarm Optimisation algorithm. The main problem was making the code recognise the structure of the cross section and use this information on the restrictions set by the DNV, Det Norske Veritas, rules for ship over 100 meters. Also handling and simplifying the DNV rules was a challenge. The different goals for the optimisation was handled by representing both a weight and cost functions in a weighted objective function. With the limitations set by code and rule simplification, the program was able to reduce both the weight and cost during a trial with tree object functions, one with pure cost optimisation, one with pure weight optimisation and one trial with a combination of the two. The labor cost was dominating in all the optimisations and the cost parameters should, in further work, be changed to more correct data. In all the optimisation there was a reduction in the cross section area and therefore a reduction in the weight. %The large improvement found in all the optimisations where caused by using high initial cost and weight valued in the normalisation of the object function. All in all, the program provides a spread of possible solutions the designer can work from in the early design phase. It provides a good start point for the individual project, and may help avoid making the design overly conservative when more design conditions are to be added. To improve the program, constraints regarding the build-ability can be imposed to prevent a large spread in the thickness of the plates in the cross section. Also the constraint of buckling capacity should be included to allow the designer to experiment with higher distances between the stiffeners and avoid critical stress.


Visual working memory provides an essential link between past and future events. Despite recent efforts, capacity limits, their genesis and the underlying neural structures of visual working memory remain unclear. Here we show that performance in visual working memory - but not iconic visual memory - can be predicted by the strength of mental imagery as assessed with binocular rivalry in a given individual. In addition, for individuals with strong imagery, modulating the background luminance diminished performance on visual working memory and imagery tasks, but not working memory for number strings. This suggests that luminance signals were disrupting sensory-based imagery mechanisms and not a general working memory system. Individuals with poor imagery still performed above chance in the visual working memory task, but their performance was not affected by the background luminance, suggesting a dichotomy in strategies for visual working memory: individuals with strong mental imagery rely on sensory-based imagery to support mnemonic performance, while those with poor imagery rely on different strategies. These findings could help reconcile current controversy regarding the mechanism and location of visual mnemonic storage.


Evaluation of the impeller radial stability is important from the bioengineering point of view in the development of mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSDs) for safer use as bridge for several months or destination therapy for years. In this study, radial stability of a magnetically levitated impeller in a centrifugal blood pump with an axially magnetic suspension system was evaluated by investigating the effects of the eccentric impeller position on passive stability, aiming to propose a pump design guide for the development and safer clinical use of MCSDs. First, impeller displacements in the prototype pump were measured using a mock loop together with laser displacement sensors. Then, the radial hydraulic forces exerted on an eccentric impeller were calculated using computational uid dynamics (CFD) analysis for four volute-casing geometries. In addition, hemocompatibility was assessed using CFD calculations of scalar shear stress exerted on blood. Measurement of impeller displacement showed that the displacement varied from 0.56 to 0.27 mm at a rotational speed of 1800 rpm as the ow rate increased from 0 to 6.5 L/min. In the CFD calculation, the radial hydraulic force increased linearly from 0.2 to 1.7 N as the impeller displacement increased from 0 to 0.5 mm for all the double volute geometries, under conditions of a rotational speed of 1800 rpm and ow rates of 3, 5 and 7 L/ min. These results indicate that the impeller stability in the prototype pump is acceptable at the operation conditions of ventricular assist devices, because the magnetic bearing stiffness of radial component was 4.1 N/mm. In the pressure recovery analysis of eccentric impellers, a double volute was not effective because of the unbalanced pressure eld generated by the unbalanced pressure recovery. Thus, the increase in radial hydraulic force associated with an eccentric impeller could not be avoided by changing the conventional double volute design. The CFD analysis of geometrical variation indicated that widening of the radial clearance is an effective approach to improve the radial stability as well as hemocompatibility, although the radial clearance should be designed based on trade-offs among impeller stability, hemocompatibility and pump performance.


The volatility of financial markets has long been studied by researchers from a variety of academic background, with ultimate objective being uncovering its underlying cause. Particularly, the volatility of daily stock returns draws much attention of the researchers in empirical finance. Amongst the various theories proposed and numerous empirical techniques developed, the mixture of distributions hypothesis (MDH) provides a formal base that daily return volatility is explainable by trading volume, and the GARCH family models facilitate empirically investigation on the well acknowledged facts of volatility persistence and volatility clustering (ARCH effects). Although the MDH hypothesis experienced extensive empirical and theoretical examination during recent decades, overall evidence is still mixed. None of the empirical findings can be treated as overwhelming conclusion. This study revisit the relations between return volatility, ARCH effects and trading volume within the MDH framework in the context of the Chinese stock market, by employing a three-stage modelling strategy, i.e. applying the volume-augmented GARCH (1,1) model, the two component GARCH model and a GARCH equivalent stochastic autoregressive volatility model. Model specifications are extended by: (1) using four volume variants with each containing its own information contents in the perspective of market microstructure and behavioural finance; (2) constructing contrast equity groups in terms of turnover velocity and market capitalization; (3) embedding a price limit dummy. Empirical investigations are implemented on market index (portfolio) level as well as individual equity level. It is justified that the central prediction of the MDH framework is basically at odds with the data of the Chinese stock market. The VA-GARCH model can not adequately capture ARCH dynamics, i.e. trading volume can not explain ARCH effects. Trading volume is strongly correlated with contemporaneous return volatility, but the correlation is driven largely by transitory volatility shocks that have little to do with the highly persistent component of volatility captured by standard volatility models. Distinctive differences between the four volume variants, between the contrast equity groups, between the two study levels, between the two types of shares, A-share and B-share regarding the bivariate dynamics of return volatility and trading volume are verified. Overall, the complicated relation between return volatility, ARCH effects and trading volume is uncovered to a reasonable extent.


Objective: to determine the epidemiological characteristics
and outcomes of bacterial meningitis of infants and the children in Brazzaville
after the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b and
Pneumococcal vaccines. Patients and Methods: files of
children aged from 1 to 59 months, hospitalized for bacterial meningitis
between January, 2004 and December, 2013 in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
of the Teaching Hospital of Brazzaville were reviewed. Studied variables
included: age, gender, place of residence, immunization status, motive of
hospitalization, laboratory analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid, and the
outcome. Results: Overall 219 cases were included out of 22,148 admitted children, thus a frequency of 0.99%. Of
the 219 children, 144 (65.8%) did not receive any dose of the Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine, 15
(6.8%) were incompletely vaccinated, and 60
(2.4%) were up-to-date. Concerning the Pneumococcal
vaccine, 213 (97.2%) were not vaccinated, three (1.4%) were incompletely
vaccinated, and the other three (1.4%) were up-to-date. Meningitis was severe
in 139 cases (63.3%). The main isolated germs were: the Streptococcus pneumoniae with 46 cases (41.0%), and Haemophilus influenzae b with 16 cases (14.3%). Ninety-five
children (43.4%) died in the course of the disease. The mortality rate was 7.1% before the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine,
and 9.9% after its introduction, 8.5% after the introduction of the Pneumococcal
vaccine. The lethality was 37% before and 45.1% after the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine and
52.8% after the introduction of the Pneumococcal
vaccine. Conclusions: The high frequency and mortality rate due
to meningitis necessitates the strengthening of the Expanded Program on
Immunization.


This paper aims to set out the role Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) can play in informing responses to global challenges and enhancing the sustainable development of coastal zones. This requires recognition of the importance of MCH as a knowledge base amongst marine ocean scientists, policy makers and marine stakeholders on the one hand and a greater effort by marine heritage specialists to engage with the 2030 Agenda on the other. The forthcoming UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) provides an opportunity to engage with the sea more widely but it is argued that the cultural element provided by considering past human action is currently lacking. The importance of understanding human interaction with the sea in terms of gaining a more complete picture of human history is briefly presented and a definition of MCH as all past action in the human zone is given. The article then sets out how MCH can enhance sustainable development in the marine zone with particular reference to SDG14 considering heritage tourism, coastal development and infrastructure, development aid policy, climate change, coastal management, fisheries and the offshore industry. The article highlights that the knowledge and data from MCH should be seen as crucial in evidence-based decision making across the coastal and marine sectors. The paper concludes that the inclusion of MCH approaches in initiatives aiming at coastal and ocean sustainability is not just advisable—it is essential.


Alligator weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Martius) Grisebach, of the family Amaranthaceae, has become a weed in many countries outside of its natural range in South America. In Australia, it is classified as a weed of national significance because of its potential to devastate agricultural and natural ecosystems. In New South Wales, the weed management officers of local government areas are charged with its control. In 2007, we surveyed this group to determine the status of alligator weed in each jurisdiction and to determine the methods and resources used in its control. Half of the local government area officers who responded reported its presence. The age, number, and size of the infestations indicated that the weed continues to spread into new areas, and is well established in others, at least within local government areas. The resources provided for the weed's management across the local government areas was less than had been expended annually on its removal from a single swamp. The respondents acknowledged that the current approach was inadequate and the need for research into its management was identified. We conclude that, with current management, the weed will continue to spread and recommend that the community should be mobilized to identify new areas of infestation and appropriately train people (e.g. bush restoration consultants, Landcare groups) to remove the weed.