The number of operating wineries in the United States has doubled during the past decade. Most of this growth has been due to a large number of entrepreneurial landowners developing their own small acreage vineyards and trying to branch into winemaking. However, wineries are capital-intensive enterprises which require high initial investment and experience lagged cash flow associated with the time between the purchase of grapes and initial wine sales. Additionally, the availability of local grape production often limits the production capabilities of an entrepreneur's small winery. As a result, some vineyard owners consider establishing co-operative wineries. This paper describes a feasibility assessment tool developed to assist vineyard owners in examining the potential for a co-operative winery and provides an example of how this tool can be used to examine a number of co-operative operating scenarios.


We applied gypsum (CaSO4×2 H2O) amendments to 100 m2 plots within two clay-textured fields, one under shallow cultivation to 10 cm depth and the other ploughed to 20 cm depth. Unamended plots and plots subjected to a CaCO3 (finely ground limestone) application served as controls. Separate soil monoliths (30 cm in diameter, 40 cm in depth) were collected for laboratory rainfall simulations from all plots 7, 19 and 31 months after the initial application of the amendments. Water passed through the monoliths during these simulations was analysed for turbidity, dissolved and particulate phosphorus (DRP and PP), nitrogen species, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), as well as dissolved Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ and S, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC). Over the three-year monitoring period, gypsum amended soils exhibited substantial decreases in turbidity (45%), PP (70%), DRP (50%) and DOC (35%) relative to control samples. The effects gradually decreased with time, and after 31 months gypsum effects on P species were detectible, but no longer statistically significant. We consider gypsum amendments as a potential tool for slowing P loss from agricultural areas with high P loss potential.


Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on proline‐specific oligopeptidase (Tolerase® G) as a novel food ingredient submitted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council, taking into account the comments and objections of a scientific nature raised by Member States. The novel food is an enzyme preparation of prolyl‐oligopeptidase produced with a genetically modified Aspergillus niger self clone strain. The target population is the general adult population. The results from a bacterial reverse mutation test and of an in vitro chromosome aberration test did not indicate genotoxicity. The Panel considers that the reported effects observed in a 90‐day rat study are treatment‐related effects and can be attributed to the higher energy consumption by these animals. Taking into account the intended maximum use level for Tolerase® G, its daily consumption would correspond to 2,746 mg TOS/person or to 39.2 mg TOS/kg body weight (bw) per day, when considering a default body weight of 70 kg for an adult person. The margin between this value and the dose in the rats, which caused effects attributable to the excess energy intake, is approximately 45. Noting this margin, the Panel considers that it is unlikely that such effects would occur in human at the intended use levels. The Panel concludes that the NF, Tolerase® G, is safe for the intended use at the intended use level.


Based on real events in Epping Forest on the edge of London around 1840, "The Quickening Maze" centres on the first incarceration of the great nature poet John Clare. After years struggling with alcohol, critical neglect and depression, Clare finds himself in High Beach Private Asylum - an institution run on reformist principles which would later become known as occupational therapy. At the same time another poet, the young Alfred Tennyson, moves nearby and becomes entangled in the life and catastrophic schemes of the asylum's owner, the peculiar, charismatic Dr Matthew Allen. For John Clare, a man who had grown up steeped in the freedoms and exhilarations of nature, who thought 'the edge of the world was a day's walk away', a locked door is a kind of death. This intensely lyrical novel describes his vertiginous fall, through hallucinatory episodes of insanity and dissolving identity, towards his final madness. Historically accurate, but brilliantly imagined, the closed world of High Beach and its various inmates - the doctor, his lonely daughter in love with Tennyson, the brutish staff and John Clare himself - are brought vividly to life. Outside the walls is Nature, and Clare's paradise: the birds and animals, the gypsies living in the forest; his dream of home, of redemption, of escape. Rapturous yet precise, exquisitely written, rich in character and detail, this is a remarkable and deeply affecting book: a visionary novel which contains a world.


The manufacture of copper alloy flat rolled metals involves hot and cold rolling operations, together with annealing and other secondary processes, to transform castings (mainly slabs and cakes) into such shapes as strip, plate, sheet, etc. Production is mainly to customer orders in a wide range of specifications for dimensions and properties. However, order quantities are often small and so process planning plays an important role in this industry. Much research work has been done in the past in relation to the technology of flat rolling and the details of the operations, however, there is little or no evidence of any research in the planning of processes for this type of manufacture. Practical observation in a number of rolling mills has established the type of manual process planning traditionally used in this industry. This manual approach, however, has inherent drawbacks, being particularly dependent on the individual planners who gain their knowledge over a long span of practical experience. The introduction of the retrieval CAPP approach to this industry was a first step to reduce these problems. But this could not provide a long-term answer because of the need for an experienced planner to supervise generation of any plan. It also fails to take account of the dynamic nature of the parameters involved in the planning, such as the availability of resources, operation conditions and variations in the costs. The other alternative is the use of a generative approach to planning in the rolling mill context. In this thesis, generative methods are developed for the selection of optimal routes for single orders and then for batches of orders, bearing in mind equipment restrictions, production costs and material yield. The batch order process planning involves the use of a special cluster analysis algorithm for optimal grouping of the orders. This research concentrates on cold-rolling operations. A prototype model of the proposed CAPP system, including both single order and batch order planning options, has been developed and tested on real order data in the industry. The results were satisfactory and compared very favourably with the existing manual and retrieval methods.


With increased interest in 6G (6th Generation) cellular networks that can support intelligently small-cell communication will result in effective device-to-device (D2D) communication. High throughput requirement in 5G/6G cellular technology requires each device to act as intelligent transmission relays. Inclusion of such intelligence relays and support of quantum computing at D2D may compromise existing security mechanisms and may lead towards primitive attacks such as impersonation attack, rouge device attack, replay attack, MITM attack, and DoS attack. Thus, an effective yet lightweight security scheme is required that can support existing low computation devices and can address the challenges that 5G/6G poses. This paper proposes a Lightweight ECC (elliptic curve cryptography)-based Multifactor Authentication Protocol (LEMAP) for miniaturized mobile devices. LEMAP is the extension of our previous published work TLwS (trust-based lightweight security scheme) which utilizes ECC with Elgamal for achieving lightweight security protocol, confidentiality, integrity, and non-repudiation. Multi-factor Authentication is based on OTP (Biometrics, random number), timestamp, challenge, and password. This scheme has mitigated the above-mentioned attacks with significantly lower computation cost, communication cost, and authentication overhead. We have proven the correctness of the scheme using widely accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic and analyzed the performance of the scheme by using a simulator. The security analysis of the scheme has been conducted using the Discrete Logarithm Problem to verify any quantum attack possibility. The proposed scheme works well for 5G/6G cellular networks for single and multihop scenarios.


We show that nonlinear phase shifts and third-order dispersion can compensate each other in short-pulse fiber amplifiers. This compen-sation can be exploited in any implementation of chirped-pulse amplification, with stretching and compression accomplished with diffraction gratings, single-mode fiber, microstructure fiber, fiber Bragg gratings, etc. In particular, we consider chirped-pulse fiber amplifiers at wavelengths for which the fiber dispersion is normal. The nonlinear phase shift accumulated in the amplifier can be compensated by the third-order dispersion of the combination of a fiber stretcher and grating compressor. A numerical model is used to predict the compensation, and experimental results that exhibit the main features of the calculations are presented. In the presence of third-order dispersion, an optimal nonlinear phase shift reduces the pulse duration, and enhances the peak power and pulse contrast compared to the pulse produced in linear propagation. Contrary to common belief, fiber stretchers can perform as well or better than grating stretchers in fiber amplifiers, while offering the major practical advantages of a waveguide medium.


The Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) is a promising candidate for quantum applications on near-term Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers. Despite a lot of empirical studies and recent progress in theoretical understanding of VQE's optimization landscape, the convergence for optimizing VQE is far less understood. We provide the first rigorous analysis of the convergence of VQEs in the over-parameterization regime. By connecting the training dynamics with the Riemannian Gradient Flow on the unit-sphere, we establish a threshold on the sufficient number of parameters for efficient convergence, which depends polynomially on the system dimension and the spectral ratio, a property of the problem Hamiltonian, and could be resilient to gradient noise to some extent. We further illustrate that this overparameterization threshold could be vastly reduced for specific VQE instances by establishing an ansatz-dependent threshold paralleling our main result. We showcase that our ansatz-dependent threshold could serve as a proxy of the trainability of different VQE ansatzes without performing empirical experiments, which hence leads to a principled way of evaluating ansatz design. Finally, we conclude with a comprehensive empirical study that supports our theoretical findings.


Widely regarded as the model for NCLB, the Texas education reforms have had their share of unintended consequences. The authors argue that examining those problems will suggest the changes that need to be made in both reform agendas. ********** WHEN No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law, the President and secretary of education promised sweeping reform of the American education system. In the five years since the law took effect, U.S. public schools have, indeed, seen remarkable change. However, not all of the changes have been well received. Policy makers, scholars, and practitioners alike are increasingly voicing concerns about this comprehensive piece of legislation. In fact, legislatures in 47 states have taken action to mitigate the effects of NCLB. (1) These legislative responses range from petitioning the U.S. Department of Education for waivers to refusing to comply with some or all aspects of the law. Indeed, the Connecticut legislature went so far as to file a lawsuit challenging the legality of NCLB and the use of the policy to guide distribution of federal entitlement funds. (2) Even Texas, widely considered the birthplace of NCLB, (3) showed resistance: its commissioner of education refused to adhere to the NCLB rule that limits to 1% the number of students who may be exempted from testing because of learning disabilities. Rather than comply with this mandate and label schools that exceeded the limit "low performing," the Texas commissioner gave acceptable accountability ratings to more than 900 schools with exemptions greater than 1%. (4) In response to this growing resistance, political and professional groups are calling on Congress to make changes to NCLB policy. Recently, a special task force of the National Conference of State Legislatures issued a comprehensive report documenting the findings of a 10-month study of the effects of NCLB. The report includes recommendations for significant changes to the law. (5) Similarly, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals issued a joint statement indicating support for the goals and intent of NCLB but blasting the policy for being an unfunded mandate that is "unworkable" in its present form. (6) As scholars and former public school practitioners, we, too, believe that modification of NCLB is warranted. However, our call for change stems not so much from what has occurred in the five years under NCLB as from what we have learned in more than 15 years of work within the Texas accountability system. As the state whose reform effort served as the model for NCLB, Texas has much to offer in the debate about school accountability. In particular, examining policies and practices that have worked well in Texas along with those that have proved problematic may shed light on necessary changes for NCLB. What we offer here are the history and lessons of accountability in Texas from the perspective of four individuals who worked within the system from the beginning: 1) the former Texas education commissioner who was one of the architects of the initial reform movement, 2) a former school district superintendent, 3) a former school principal, and 4) a former teacher. When we're asked, as we often are, whether Texas education reform has turned out as we expected, our consensus answer is, "Yes and no." The Vision In the early 1990s, Texas set out on a journey of education reform. Led by the state commissioner, this effort was noteworthy in that it challenged two long-held assumptions about education reform. First, whereas all education reforms naturally aim to improve student achievement, the Texas model was unique in focusing on improvement for each student rather than aggregate groups of students. That is, the Texas model was built on the notion that every student deserves to be well educated. Consequently, the state has a responsibility to provide an education system that gives each student, regardless of where he or she attends school, a high-quality education. …


Commentary on : Chen RC, Basak R, Meyer AM, et al . Association between choice of radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, or active surveillance and patient-reported quality of life among men with localised prostate cancer. JAMA 2017;317:1141–50.

Many patients with prostate cancer are diagnosed with low-risk disease only, for whom the benefit of surgery or radiation on life expectancy may be very limited, while still bringing the risk of side effects.1 2 Therefore, patients with low-risk prostate cancer are currently offered the option of active surveillance. This strategy delays therapy with curative intent until progression occurs, or it may completely avoid radical treatment.3 As a result, in the treatment decision-making process of patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, up-to-date and preferably personalised information about the possible positive and negative effects of the treatment options is vital.

Chen and colleagues conducted a US population-based, observational study on 1141 men diagnosed with mostly localised prostate …


Neurodegenerative diseases have complex and multifactorial etiologies, creating an enormous burden on society without an effective treatment. This thesis utilized olfactory bulbectomized rats to investigate therapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative disorders. Removal of the olfactory bulbs, leads to widespread neurodegeneration. Olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) in rodents has been known as an animal model of depression. However, recent studies including the research presented in this thesis, suggest that OBX rodent models various aspects of neurodegenerative diseases. We have investigated the molecular and neuronal changes underlying the behavioral and cognitive decrements in lesioned animals, and from there, we have identified and validated novel therapeutic targets and strategies. The OBX-induced behavioral and cognitive impairments develop between 3 and 14 days after OBX surgery. We examined the effects of memantine, a NMDA receptor antagonist used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Early memantine administration prevented OBX-induced deficits, but post-surgical memantine administration was ineffective. Simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug with putative neuroprotective properties, was also examined in OBX rats. Interestingly, simvastatin had no effect on the OBX-induced impairments but improved cognitive performance in the control animals. The role of inflammation in the OBX syndrome was investigated by administration of celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, and minocycline, a microglia inhibitor. Celecoxib and minocycline partly rescued OBX-induce cognitive and behavior deficits. Furthermore, we showed that the onset of the OBX-induced cognitive changes parallel in time with signs of microglia activation in hippocampus. Considering that neurodegenerative diseases are multifactorial in origin, treatments designed to interfere at different mechanistic levels may be more effective than the traditional single-targeted pharmacological approaches. Because dietary interventions emerged as safe and effective alternative to drugs, we tested a mixture of nutritional supplements in the OBX animals. This multi-targeted diet combined contained both compounds with potential neuroprotective and neurorestorative properties. Experimental diet had a robust therapeutic effect in the OBX animals and a cognitive enhancing effect in control animals Because there is a high comorbidity between neurodegenerative disorders and gastrointestinal dysfunction, we examined effects of olfactory bulbectomy on the intestinal tract and assessed the effects of memantine, escitalopram (an antidepressant) and the multi-targeted diet. OBX leads to severe inflammation of the colon. Escitalopram and the experimental diet attenuated the OBX-induced intestinal disturbances, whereas memantine itself exacerbated intestinal dysfunction both in control and OBX animals. OBX-induced inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system could be a plausible mechanism for OBX intestinal distress. The results of this thesis present OBX as a potential animal model for the brain-gut axis dysfunction, which may have clinical relevance for the neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, we have developed a multi-targeted diet, which was effective in the OBX-induced deficits and may have translational value for treating neurodegenerative disorders.


We present Reflection Grating Spectrometer data from an XMM-Newton observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516, taken while the continuum source was in an extremely low flux state. This observation offers a rare opportunity for a detailed study of emission from a Seyfert 1 galaxy, as these are usually dominated by high nuclear continuum levels and heavy absorption. The spectrum shows numerous narrow emission lines (FWHM ≲ 1300 km s-1) in the 0.3-2 keV range, including the H-like lines of C, N, and O and the He-like lines of N, O, and Ne. The emission-line ratios and the narrow width of the radiative recombination continuum of C VI indicate that the gas is photoionized and of fairly low temperature (kT ≲ 0.01 keV). The availability of emission lines from different elements for two isoelectronic sequences allows us to constrain the element abundances. These data show that the N lines are far stronger than would be expected from gas of solar abundances. Based on our photoionization models, we find that nitrogen is overabundant in the central regions of the galaxy, compared to carbon, oxygen, and neon, by at least a factor of 2.5. We suggest that this is the result of secondary production of nitrogen in intermediate-mass stars and indicative of the history of star formation in NGC 3516.


Background: The performance of Cultural programs with environmental aims needs to check the status of knowledge, attitude and practice of community towards the subject as is desired, which one of those programs is solid waste management programs in the mountainous areas as a general duty. In the meantime, Mountaineers play role in the environmental cultural activities This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of people Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitude and behavior towards the management of solid waste in the mountain climbers of Kermanshah Taqbstan in 2014. Based on random sampling of 385 questionnaires were distributed among mountain climbers Taqbstan. The results of this study have been analyzed based on a statistical approach; ANOVA, by using SPPS version 16 Results: The results show an insignificant relationship between job and gender with awareness and performance. However, the age as a main variable has a significant relation with the knowledge but has an insignificant relation with attitude and performance. The results of correlation studies of education level with the knowledge and practice with p equal to 0.045 is statistically significant Conclusions: Solid Waste Management mountain climbers' education level is the most influential parameter. So that people with higher education have better performance. On the other hand, suffer climbers aged 20 to 40 and higher had better awareness about the Solid Waste Management. The results of this study should be noted that in any job can be diligent in protecting the mountain environment and includes a certain occupational group not be affected


The idea of home automation using telephone lines and a PC is shown. The system is based on the dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) signals that could be sent through a loop of wire to switch on/off various appliances via a personal computer (PC). The system hardware and software are designed based on the telephone standards. The hardware includes the DTMF receiver, on/off hook detector, ring detector and an input/output PC interfacing card. An example of controlling an appliance is provided. The software control programming is written in Turbo Basic and their flow charts are presented. >


The mean water level in estuaries rises in the landward direction due to a combination of the density gradient, the tidal asymmetry, and the backwater effect. This phenomenon is more prominent under an increase of the fresh water discharge, which strongly intensifies both the tidal asymmetry and the backwater effect. However, the interactions between tide and river flow and their individual contributions to the rise of the mean water level along the estuary are not yet completely understood. In this study, we adopt an analytical approach to describe the tidal wave propagation under the influence of substantial fresh water discharge, where the analytical solutions are obtained by solving a set of four implicit equations for the tidal damping, the velocity amplitude, the wave celerity, and the phase lag. The analytical model is used to quantify the contributions made by tide, river, and tide–river interaction to the water level slope along the estuary, which sheds new light on the generation of backwater due to tide–river interaction. Subsequently, the method is applied to the Yangtze estuary under a wide range of river discharge conditions where the influence of both tidal amplitude and fresh water discharge on the longitudinal variation of the mean tidal water level is explored. Analytical model results show that in the tide-dominated region the mean water level is mainly controlled by the tide–river interaction, while it is primarily determined by the river flow in the river-dominated region, which is in agreement with previous studies. Interestingly, we demonstrate that the effect of the tide alone is most important in the transitional zone, where the ratio of velocity amplitude to river flow velocity approaches unity. This has to do with the fact that the contribution of tidal flow, river flow, and tide–river interaction to the residual water level slope are all proportional to the square of the velocity scale. Finally, we show that, in combination with extreme-value theory (e.g. generalized extremevalue theory), the method may be used to obtain a first-order estimation of the frequency of extreme water levels relevant for water management and flood control. By presenting these analytical relations, we provide direct insight into the interaction between tide and river flow, which will be useful for the study of other estuaries that experience substantial river discharge in a tidal region.


This paper casts doubt on the prospects for legitimizing what is known as "targeted killing" - the use of assassins, death squads, or other murderous techniques - against identified civilians whose continued existence is thought to pose a serious threat of some kind to a given community and its members. We are familiar with the use of such techniques by Israel against Palestinian terrorists and also by the United States against Taliban and other jihadist leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Many other countries use death squads against internal and external enemies, but do not seek to sanitize their characterization with the terminology of "targeted killing." Whatever the terminology, my paper considers whether these actions could possibly be supported by "neutral principles" of the kind that figure in most accounts of ius in bello - i.e. principles (like the principle requiring discrimination between military and civilian targets) that can be used by both sides and whose use and application does not presuppose judgments about who is waging a just war etc. In particular I examine the prospect of abuse of such principles, not only by our enemies but also by our own governments. We have to imagine, based on our experience over the past 50 years - how our governments would be likely to use such powers - or how they would have been likely to use such powers in the past if they had been endowed with them. In other words, the paper considers how war, the management of insurgency, the pursuit of national security, and international relations generally might be transformed by licensing every government to arrange for the killing of named civilians (either its own citizens or foreigners) whose existence it regards as particularly threatening. It argues that the potential for abuse is inherent in principles of the sort that are envisaged to legitimaze targeted killing. And it puts forward the proposition that arguments of the sort that philosophers and lawyers bring forth to justify such principles are particularly troubling, inasmuch as they represent an unraveling of the central norm against killing on the basis of dubious analogy and moral opportunism.


S.S. Kolipaka's thesis questions and investigates the survival prospects of reintroduced tigers and their offspring's in the human dominated landscape of Panna tiger reserve in India. This thesis recognises the importance of both the sociological (human) and biological (tiger) aspects to address tiger survival in human dominated landscapes. The study describes the factors that allow local people in the Panna tiger reserve area to co-existence with tigers such as, people avoiding the forest at night and allowing unwanted surplus cattle to roam the forests. People's behaviours are a result of their age old beliefs on tigers, good knowledge on wild animals and traditional practices. Tigers show adaptation to people's activity and practices and also prey on free-roaming cattle. They did not target villages or become problem animals. These insights show how people's practices in a landscape shape human and carnivore coexistence. Such understanding also provides insights for improving local practices and emphasise the need for in-depth understanding of local cultures. The study also describes the behaviour of tigers. It shows how the originally released animals and their offspring use their environment vis-a-vis their spatial movements and choice of prey. Tigers exhibit high adaptability and also avoid areas of high human activity. These findings demonstrate how an expanding tiger population could co-exist alongside humans. Understanding these processes is essential to guide the reintroduction of large carnivores like tigers and their successful management in human dominated landscapes.


The Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES), which was adopted in 2007, aimed to break with the traditional donor-recipient relationship between the EU and Africa and to develop a true partnership. The concept of partnership has been central in EU-Africa relations ever since the Lome Agreement (1975), but many have argued that it has been eroded by conditionalities and the end of special trade preferences. Ideally, a partnership is characterized by shared values, equality and trust, but are these principles reflected in the JAES? This study investigates this question by focusing on the thematic partnerships on peace and security and democratic governance and human rights. The paper argues that, despite the power asymmetries between the EU and Africa, the JAES has been characterized by equality in decision-making and by African ownership in capacity-building. However, while the JAES may objectively be based on shared values, the EU and the AU have often differed on how to apply those values in concrete situations, more particularly on the question which type of intervention is acceptable (conditionality, military intervention, etc.). Moreover, the analysis identifies a general feeling of mistrust amongst both parties in the partnership.


Business training programs are a popular policy option to try to improve the performance of enterprises around the world. The last few years have seen rapid growth in the number of evaluations of these programs in developing countries. This paper practically undertakes a critical review of these studies with the goal of synthesizing the emerging lessons and understanding the limitations of the existing research and the areas in which more work is needed. It finds that there is substantial heterogeneity in the length, content, and types of firms participating in the training programs evaluated. Many evaluations suffer from low statistical power, measure impacts only within a year of training, and experience problems with survey attrition and measurement of firm profits and revenues. Over these short time horizons, there are relatively modest impacts of training on survivorship of existing firms, but stronger evidence that training programs help prospective owners launch new businesses more quickly. Most studies find that existing firm owners implement some of the practices taught in training, but the magnitudes of these improvements in practices are often relatively modest. Few studies find significant impacts on profits or sales, although a couple of the studies with more statistical power have done so. Some studies have also found benefits to microfinance organizations of offering training. To date there is little evidence to help guide policymakers as to whether any impacts found come from trained firms competing away sales from other businesses versus through productivity improvements, and little evidence to guide the development of the provision of training at market prices. The paper concludes by summarizing some directions and key questions for future studies. Keywords: Business training; Consulting; Randomized experiments; Firm Productivity


This paper examines livelihood diversification as a survival strategy of rural households in developing countries. Although still of central importance, farming on its own is increasingly unable to provide a sufficient means of survival in rural areas. The paper's objectives are first, to increase awareness of livelihood diversification in approaches to rural development; second, to consider the interactions among diversification and poverty, farm productivity, natural resource management and gender relations in rural areas; and third, to advance the policy understanding of diverse rural livelihoods.


The very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54 938–54 956), 2009, as part of an extensive multi-wavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE γ -ray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux ( E > 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the pre-flare baseline flux (3.9 × 10 -11 ph cm -2 s -1 ), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15°. This VHE flare showed a fast flux variation with an increase of a factor ~4 in 25 min, and a falling time of ~50 min. We present the observations of the quiescent state previous to the flare and of the high state after the flare, focusing on the flux and spectral variability from Whipple , VERITAS, Fermi -LAT, RXTE, and Swift combined with optical and radio data.


Preparations for the next UK defence review are under way; a struggle is imminent and the lines of battle are being drawn. There is a grave danger that in the new 'age of austerity' defence planning—and strategy generally—will be driven by tribal conflicts, either between supporters of one or other of the armed services or between contending viewpoints about the nature of conflict. And there will be others who will argue that the defence review should be driven simply by the need to reduce government expenditure, as quickly as possible. These arguments not only reduce the defence debate to a struggle between various incompatible and uncompromising tribal beliefs—'war among the fetishes', perhaps—they also miss the point. This article gauges the extent of the economic challenges which the UK defence establishment will confront over the coming decade. The authors consider how best to approach the problem of undiminished (and even expanding) commitments at a time of decreasing resources. They argue that defence planning should be driven by the notion of value (the ratio of function to cost), which in turn requires both a clear national political vision and a defence establishment which is output- rather than input-oriented. Finally, the authors assert that defence must transform itself to be able to achieve the outputs required in the most efficient and responsive manner.


In this paper, we ask the question of whether we need artificial life (AL) at all. We find a lot of convincing arguments in favor of AL, but we also point out some dangers AL is exposed to. This careful epistemological review reveals the potential richness of AL without being either too reductionist or too holistic. We give some examples showing how this can be done in practice, and conclude that almost everybody needs AL.


Squaraine dyes (SQs) represent a versatile class of functional molecules with strong absorption and emission features, widely used as near-infrared sensitizers in organic and hybrid photovoltaic devices. In this context, the photodynamics of such molecules has been seen to influence dramatically the efficiency of the photogeneration process. The most accepted interpretation of excited state deactivation in SQs is represented by a trans–cis photoisomerization around a CC double bond of the polymethinic-like bridge, although such scenario does not explain satisfyingly the decay route of SQs dyes in conformational constrained systems or in highly viscous environments. Here we combine steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques with high level ab initio calculations to shed light into the photophysics of cis-locked indolenine-based SQs. Our results point towards alternative deactivation routes, possibly involving a dark state in molecules lacking central substitution and the rotation of the central substituent in the core-functionalized ones. This study reveals, for the first time, the possible presence of dark electronic states in SQs, a scenario that can be further investigated in molecules exhibiting higher emission yields than cis-locked indolenine-based SQs. Furthermore, these novel results can suggest a synthetic rationale to design dyes that permit quantitative and effective charge generation/diffusion and collection in photovoltaic diodes and, thus, enhance their efficiency.


This book addresses the welfare gains and costs of accumulating foreign exchange reserves and the implications for the functioning of the global financial system. The tremendous growth of central bank reserves has led to an increased focus on raising returns in addition to the traditional preference central banks have for maintaining liquid portfolios. Issues such as asset and currency diversification, the impact of new accounting rules and the profit distribution agreements with the government are analysed, adding new insights to the current debate on the optimal size of central bank reserves. This book brings together a wide range of experts from central banks, investment banks and the academic community.


Purpose : The purpose of this research as part of an Erasmus+ funded project tilted Aiding Culturally Responsive Assessment in Schools (www.acras.eu) is to provide an exploratory analysis of survey responses related to culturally responsive assessment policies, professional development and practices that were administered to school principals in four European countries (Austria, Ireland, Norway and Turkey). Research Methods: The research method used in this study was a quantitative comparative analysis. A purposeful sampling strategy was adopted based on geographical spread of the participants in Austria, Ireland and Turkey. The survey was also administered to all principals in four out of eighteen Norwegian counties. Descriptive analysis and nonparametric analysis were used . Findings: There is evidence to suggest that the foundations for culturally responsive assessment practices are beginning to take shape albeit varying degrees of difference in each country. However, the survey results also indicate the need for training and professional development, and this study also implies that not enough emphasis is being placed on culturally responsive assessment despite the rhetoric that espouses interculturalism. Implications for Research and Practice : The research points the need for upskilling in culturally responsive leadership as well as the development of an overarching culturally responsive assessment framework and toolkit that can be used by policy makers and schools to allay the various interpretations of what it means to satisfy the assessment needs of teachers and students with migrant backgrounds.


During the 1998 field season, the Western Aleutians Archaeological and Paleobiological Project (WAAPP) team located a cave in the Near Islands, Alaska. Near the entrance of the cave, the team identified work areas and sleeping/sitting areas surrounded by cultural debris and animal bones. Human burials were found in the cave interior. In 2000, with permission from The Aleut Corporation, archaeologists revisited the site. Current research suggests three distinct occupations or uses for this cave. Aleuts buried their dead in shallow graves at the rear of the cave circa 1,200 to 800 years ago. Aleuts used the front of the cave as a temporary hunting camp as early as 390 years ago. Finally, Japanese and American military debris and graffiti reveal that the cave was visited during and after World War II. Russian trappers may have also taken shelter there 150 to 200 years ago. This is the first report of Aleut cave burials west of the Delarof Islands in the central Aleutians.


"Thoughtful Gardening" is based on Robin Lane Fox's own selection from his widely admired "FT" column, which he has rewritten and amplified with new chapters to take readers on a highly enjoyable journey through each season of the gardening year. It draws on his lifetime of practical gardening, including his years as Garden Master of New College, Oxford, and contains many memories of fellow gardeners, from Christopher Lloyd to Nancy Lancaster. The book is essential reading for anyone setting out on a new garden or taking stock of one. It takes a critical look at fashions of the moment and is full of advice, ranging from problems with badgers to how to take root-cuttings or choose flowering trees, as well as examples of gardens at home and abroad which Robin Lane Fox has visited over many years. "Thoughtful Gardening" combines a principled view of the craft of gardening with dozens of new ideas for planting and visiting, and touching reminders of the power of literature and art to deepen what we see and realize in gardens of our own.


Hair cells convert acoustic information into electrical signals that are processed by the brain. These cells also elongate and shorten in response to the electronic signals they generate. The motor protein that drives this cellular shape change has gone undetected until now. Zheng et al. used subtractive hybridization to identify a candidate motor gene termed Prestin. Ectopic expression of Prestin protein in a kidney cell line exhibited charge movement when measured as transient capacitive current. This current was blocked by the addition of sodium salicylate, an agent known to block capacitive current in hair cells. Expression of an anion transport protein, Pendrin, which has a high level of sequence similarity to Prestin, in kidney cells did not lead to capacitance, suggesting that current capacitance was not, in general, the consequence of overexpressing any anion transporter. The authors also demonstrated that expression of Prestin in kidney cells could evoke a change in cell motility (and shape), giving further evidence that Prestin is the likely protein motor in auditory hair cells. An accompanying news & views by Holley summarizes the research and discusses its implications. Zheng, J., Shen, W., He, D.Z.Z., Long, K.B., Madison, L.D., and Dallos, P. (2000) Prestin is the motor protein of cochlear outer hair cells. Nature 405: 149-155. [Online Journal] Holley, M. (2000) Tuning in with motor proteins. Nature 405: 130-133. [Online Journal]


Suppose one has a highly redundant spanning set for a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, knows that a subset of the spanning set is an orthonormal basis for the space, and wants to identify that subset. To identify such a subset, most standard models typically require that the elements of the spanning set are arranged in a particular order. This dissertation develops a novel convex optimization problem, inspired by compressed sensing, and conjectures that the set of minimizers of this problem can be used to identify bases in a given spanning set. In particular, given an injective matrix X, consider the problem of minimizing ‖XY ‖1, the sum of the absolute values of all entries in the matrix product XY , subject to Y being a left inverse of X. This dissertation shows that for a given injective matrix X, the set of such minimizers is a nonempty, compact, convex set and conjectures that the extreme points of this set can be used to find a subset of the rows of X that is a basis for the domain of X. An analysis of this conjecture is given, with particular attention given to the case when the rows of X are a concatenation of two orthonormal bases. In this case, it is shown that if a left inverse Z of X is a minimizer of ‖XY ‖1 subject to Y being a left inverse of X, and Z identifies an orthonormal basis in the rows of X, in a way made precise herein, then Z is an extreme point of the set of minimizers. Furthermore, conditions are developed that ensure that such a left inverse Z exists. Last, some special cases are developed where the above conjecture is shown to hold.


A combination of molecular and morphological techniques was applied to resolve a
nearly 50-year-old ambiguity in the Australian pycnogonid Pseudopallene ambigua
(Stock 1956). Stock was hesitant to initially describe P. ambigua due to confusion
with a sister species P. pachychiera. More recent work has clarified the distinction
between these taxa but P. ambigua remains enigmatic with the type series suspected
to contain several species.
For this study, P. ambigua were collected from a 10-11 kilometre section of the
Tasmanian east coast around Eaglehawk Neck, SE Tasmania. The 56 specimens of P.
ambigua were examined and the data used to generate morphological groups within
this species. Samples from these morphological groups were then sequenced at two
rapidly evolving gene regions, the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal gene and the
mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I protein coding gene.
Comparison of the sequence data for both 16S and cytochrome c oxidase determined
that two species were present in this collection. These genetically identified species
were consistent with the morphological data. Morphological characters including
proboscis shape, oviger spine number, tibiae surface texture, heel spine pattern and
propodus width-height ratio were found to confirm the molecular 16S and COl
sequences separating a consistent group of specimens. Examination of the
morphological data provided significant evidence for the characters proboscis shape
and propodus ratio that will enable the new species to be readily identified from P.
ambigua.


The nuclear lamina is a protein meshwork at the inner side of the inner nuclear membrane
and connects to essential cellular structures like chromatin, the nuclear pore complex and the
cytoskeleton. The nuclear lamina is comprised of A-type lamins (lamin A, C and C2), B-type
lamins (lamin B1, B2 and B3) and lamina associated proteins. Progerin is a altered form of
Lamin A, which causes severe ageing-like effects of the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.
Progerin was also found in cells of normal aged individuals. Therefore, it is conceivable that the
expression of Progerin is linked to the process of ageing and its effects. How the cellular effects
of Progerin expression, like misfolded nuclei, decreased heterochromatin, increased apoptosis
and increased DNA damage are mediated from the cellular to the organismic level is not well
understood. It is conceivable however that stem cells play an important role in this process,
since the early loss of hair is a typical symptom of HGPS and in HGPS-mouse-models a decrease
of hair-follicle stem cell proliferation was reported. Also the loss of subcutaneous fat and reduced
wound healing, found in HGPS patients and elderly people, indicates impairment of stem cell
function. In Drosophila expression of the lamina proteins lamin Dm0 and Kugelkern induces
effects similar to those observed in HGPS patients and HGPS-animal-models. In the course of
this work, lamin Dm0 and Kugelkern were found to drastically reduce stem cell proliferation
in the Drosophila midgut. Since the midgut is a relatively simple organ, with only 5 cell types
and low degree of infoldings, it offers many benefits as a system to study stem cell behavior;
and in this context, the effect of lamin Dm0 and Kugelkern on intestinal stem cells.
In this work the mechanism in which lamin Dm0 and Kugelkern act on intestinal stem cells
was investigated. It is shown, that lamin Dm0 Kugelkern overexpression does not permanently
damage intestinal stem cells or impair their function irreversibly. That the effects of lamin
Dm0 and Kugelkern overexpression are likely not due to impaired nuclear transport. And that
the inhibiting effect of lamin Dm0 on ISC proliferation is pinpointed to the impairment of the
JAK/STAT signaling pathway on a transcriptional level.


How are 'grey market' imports changing media industries? What is the role of piracy in developing new markets for movies and TV shows? How do jailbroken iPhones drive innovation? The Informal Media Economy provides a vivid, original, and genuinely transnational account of contemporary media, by showing how the interactions between formal and informal media systems are a feature of all nations - rich and poor, large and small. Shifting the focus away from the formal businesses and public enterprises that have long occupied media researchers, this book charts a parallel world of cultural intermediaries driving global media production and circulation. It shows how unlicensed, untaxed, or unregulated networks, which operate across the boundaries of established media markets, have been a driving force of media industry transformation. The book opens up new insights on a range of topical issues in media studies, from the creative disruptions of digitisation to amateur production, piracy and cybercrime.


We live in a time when facts are alternative and truth is on the run, a time when the nation's president lies with every heartbeat, shamelessly, about the most useless of things. (Dryden: "I do not say he lyes neither: no, I am too well bred for that: but his Lordship fibbs most abominably.") If lying was one of the first things that Eve learned in the Garden of Eden, lying comes very early on in every child's education, its fundamental purpose to declare, "I didn't do it!" The lie may be harmless, it may be useless, it may be what Hannah Arendt called a "totalitarian lie," it may be murderous; whatever the case, the president, who never outgrew the stage, is the source of a wallopingly reflexive array of falsehoods, beating his own impressive record on September 7, 2018: "In that single day," reports the Washington Post, "he publicly made 125 false or misleading statements—in a period of time that totaled only about 120 minutes. It was a new single-day high." As of that date, the Post added, the president had publicly issued more than 5,000 lies—the Post's term— during his tenure. When onetime spokesperson Hope Hicks said that her job occasionally required her to tell "white lies" on his behalf, there was nothing white about it: If there were anyone whose feelings she intended to spare, it was he alone. As for the rest of us, daily beset by official lies, falsehoods, fibs, mendacia, falsiloquia, and other such counterfactuals, let us scream, with the late John Lennon, "Gimme some truth!" A quarter century ago, a presidential candidate, responding to a reporter's question, admitted that he had used marijuana. But, he added, he did not inhale. Everyone got a good laugh over what seemed an absurdity, but a medieval scholastic would have taken the point: He had worked the edges of the mendacium but not the falsiloquium, for in strictest terms Bill Clinton was speaking the truth while intending to mislead. That he did not inhale did not foreclose the possibility that he had scarfed down mountains of hash brownies. There is truth, and then there is falsehood. Immanuel Kant, who studied the problem more thoroughly than any of his contemporaries, held that it was one or the other, and he was unforgiving: "By a lie," he wrote, "a human being throws away and... annihilates his dignity as a human being." He declared that the legal definition of a lie, namely a falsehood that causes someone harm, was too generous: A lie is a lie is a lie. Augustine, his predecessor in pondering falsehood, was more forgiving, taking care to distinguish the harmful from the harmless. We call the latter category "fibs," or, if one is inclined to kindness, "white lies," the former being the kinds of falsehoods that the Oxford English Dictionary deems "trivial," the latter a fib meant to make the recipient of the lie feel better—telling someone on her deathbed that she looks great, say. Augustine gives them a pass, just as he allows for jokes, which so often play on untruths.


Photography was invented in the mid-nineteenth century, and ever since that moment painters have been asking what they are there for. Everyone has their own strategy. Some say they do not paint what is there, but their impressions. Others paint things that are not seen in the world, and therefore cannot be photographed, because they are abstractions. Others yet exhibit urinals in art galleries. This may look like the end of art but, instead, it is the dawn of a new day, not only for painting but – this is the novelty – for every form of art, as well as for the social world in general and for industry, where repetitive tasks are left to machines and humans are required to behave like artists.


Abstract The rapid growth of e-business in past few years has improved companies efficiency and revenue growth. E-business applications such as e-commerce, remote access has enabled companies to manage processes, lower operating costs and increased customer satisfaction. Also the need rises for the scalable networks that accommodate voice, video, and data traffic. With the increased dependability of networks the security issues are raised and networks become more and more vulnerable to different types of security threats. To overcome security issues different security technologies are in action by vendors and technologists. Also for the survival of many businesses to allow open access to network resources, today's networks are designed with the requirement of availability to the Internet and public networks, therefore, information confidentiality is the major issue in these networks to ensure that the network resources and user data are as secure as possible. With the requirement of network security, concept of Virtual private network was established. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be defined as a network in which connectivity between multiple customers' sites is deployed on a shared network with the same security as a private network. Different VPN technologies and protocols architectures are available in market among are MPLS VPN architecture, IPSec VPN architecture, and SSL VPN architecture. Like With the introduction of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), which combines the benefits of Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing, it became possible to construct a technology that combines the benefits of an overlay VPN with the benefits of peer-to-peer VPN implementation in which routing is simple. MPLS/VPN is a new and simple technology, which provides simpler to routing and also makes number of topologies easy to implement which are otherwise difficult to implement. All architectures have benefits and drawbacks, also each of them can be implemented separately or in combination of other according to customer security requirement and performance of the network.


Summary
1.Global climate and atmospheric change are widely predicted to affect many ecosystems. Herbivorous insects account for 25% of the planet's species so their responses to environmental change are pivotal to how future ecosystems will function. Atmospheric change affects feeding guilds differently, however, with sap-feeding herbivores consistently identified as net beneficiaries of predicted increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (eCO2). The mechanistic basis for these effects remains largely unknown and our understanding about how multiple environmental changes, acting in tandem, shape plant–insect interactions is incomplete.

2.This study investigated how increases in temperature (eT) and eCO2 affected the performance of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) via changes in amino acid concentrations in the model legume, lucerne (Medicago sativa).

3.Aphid performance increased under eCO2 at ambient temperatures, whereby aphid fecundity, longevity, colonisation success and rm increased by 42%, 30%, 25% and 21%, respectively. eT negated the positive effects of eCO2 on both fecundity and rm, however, and performance was similar to when aphids were reared at ambient CO2.

4.We identified discrete functional groups of amino acids that underpinned the effects of climate and atmospheric change, in addition to plant genotype, on aphid performance. Effects of eT and eCO2 held true across five M. sativa genotypes, demonstrating the generality of their effects.

5.Combining this knowledge with amino acid profiles of existing cultivars raises the possibility of predicting future susceptibility to aphids and preventing outbreaks of a global pest. Moreover, environmentally-induced changes in the nutritional ecology of aphids have the capacity to change life-history strategies of aphids and their direct and indirect interactions with many other organisms, including mutualists and antagonists.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The International Code Council (ICC) published the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code{reg_sign} (IECC) in early 2012. The 2012 IECC is based on revisions, additions, and deletions to the 2009 IECC that were considered during the ICC code development process conducted in 2011. Solid vertical lines, arrows, or asterisks printed in the 2012 IECC indicate where revisions, deletions, or relocations of text respectively were made to 2009 IECC. Although these marginal markings indicate where changes have been made to the code, they do not provide any further guidance, leaving the reader to consult and compare the 2009 and 2012 IECC for more detail.


Female survivors of cancer in childhood and adolescence who have been treated with bone marrow transplantation including total body irradiation (TBI) are at high risk of developing ovarian follicular depletion and infertility. The lack of oocytes may be compensated for by oocyte donation but these patients also seem to have a uterine factor. Even though oestrogen replacement therapy is given, the growth of the uterus during adolescence is impaired. To our knowledge there have been no earlier reports of live births after oocyte donation in such patients. We report three cases of oocyte donation in women who, at a young age, were cured of haematological malignancies with bone marrow transplantation including TBI. In adolescence they developed ovarian failure and uterine volumes were assessed by ultrasonography. One woman with a uterus of almost normal size delivered a healthy child in the 37th week of gestation. Another woman with severely diminished uterine volume miscarried in the 17th week of gestation. The third woman has not yet conceived. Pregnancy achieved by oocyte donation is possible despite TBI in adolescence. However, the uterine factor is a concern and complications during pregnancy and preterm birth may be expected in these patients.


Abstract People interpret virginity in a variety of ways with different implications for sexual identity and behaviour. In Arab societies, heterosexuality and compulsory virginity before marriage are traditionally understood as ideals for a 'good' Arab girl, a 'good' Arab family and, consequently, a 'good' Arab society. In this study, our goal was to gain an in-depth understanding of the enactment of sexual agency and decision-making around virginity from the perspectives of Arab women living in the USA. We conducted a qualitative phenomenological study involving interviews with ten women whose accounts could be grouped into three distinct types: 'For me, it's the person you marry that you will be doing these things with'; 'I want to wait until marriage but I know there might be a possibility where I'm not'; and 'I started dating this guy, and I did lose my virginity to him'. The life stories of the women illustrate different ways of enacting sexual agency that are strongly influenced by socio-cultural norms and contexts. Our findings have important implications for future research to better understand decisions and behaviours about virginity and how Arab women in the USA enact their sexuality.


The notion of mimicking natural structures in the synthesis of new structural materials has generated enormous interest but has yielded few practical advances. Natural composites achieve strength and toughness through complex hierarchical designs that are extremely difficult to replicate synthetically. We emulate nature's toughening mechanisms by combining two ordinary compounds, aluminum oxide and polymethyl methacrylate, into ice-templated structures whose toughness can be more than 300 times (in energy terms) that of their constituents. The final product is a bulk hybrid ceramic-based material whose high yield strength and fracture toughness [∼200 megapascals (MPa) and ∼30 MPa·m1/2] represent specific properties comparable to those of aluminum alloys. These model materials can be used to identify the key microstructural features that should guide the synthesis of bio-inspired ceramic-based composites with unique strength and toughness.


The Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation and Water Supply Program (BAMWSP) has compiled field-kit measurements of the arsenic content of groundwater for nearly five million wells. By comparing the spatial distribution of arsenic inferred from these field-kit measurements with geo-referenced laboratory data in a portion of Araihazar upazila, it is shown here that the BAMWSP data could be used for targeting safe aquifers for the installation of community wells in many villages of Bangladesh. Recent experiences with mobile-phone technology to access and update the BAMWSP data in the field are also described. It is shown that the technology, without guaranteeing success, could optimize interventions by guiding the choice of the drilling method that is likely to reach a safe aquifer and identifying those villages where exploratory drilling is needed.


This work presents three techniques for parameter identification for nonlinear systems. The methods presented are expanded from those presented in Adetola and Guay [3, 4, 5] and are intended to improve the performance of existing adaptive control systems. The first two methods exactly recover open-loop system parameters once a defined convergence condition is met. In either case, the true parameters are identified when the regressor matrix is of full rank and can be inverted. The third case uses a novel method developed in Adetola and Guay [5] to define a parameter uncertainty set. The uncertainty set is periodically updated to shrink around the true value of the parameters. Each method is shown to be applicable to a large class of linearly parameterized nonlinear discrete-time system. In each case, parameter convergence is guaranteed subject to an appropriate convergence condition, which has been related to a classical persistence of excitation condition. The effectiveness of the methods is demonstrated using a simulation example. The application of the uncertainty set technique to nonlinearly parameterized systems constitutes the main contribution of the thesis. The parameter uncertainty set method is generalized to the problem of adaptive estimation in nonlinearly parameterized systems, for both continuous-time and discretetime cases. The method is demonstrated to perform well in simulation for a simplified model of a bioreactor operating under Monod kinetics.


Two patterns in the distribution of species have become firmly but independently established in ecology: the species-area curve, which describes how rapidly the number of species increases with area, and the positive relation between species' geographical distribution and average local abundance. There is no generally agreed explanation of either pattern, but for both the two main hypotheses are essentially the same: divergence of species along the ecological specialist-generalist continuum and colonization- extinction dynamics. A model is described that merges the two mechanisms, predicts both patterns, and thereby shows how the two general, but formerly disconnected, patterns are interrelated.


Aim: To determine the safety and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) therapy in Bangladeshi type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients switched from biphasic human insulin (BHI) as a sub-analysis of the A1chieve study. Methods: Bangladeshi patients switched from BHI to BIAsp 30 at the discretion of their physicians were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs), including major hypoglycaemia. Secondary outcomes comprised changes from baseline to Week 24 in the number of hypoglycaemic events, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPPG), systolic blood pressure and body weight. Quality of life (QoL) was evaluated at baseline and Week 24 using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Results: A total of 82 patients (mean age ± SD: 52.3±12.2 years; body mass index: 25.6±3.3 kg/m2) with a mean diabetes duration of 9.5±5.5 years and mean duration on insulin of 2.5±2.4 years were included. The mean BIAsp 30 dose was 0.49±0.20U/kg at baseline and 0.47±0.17U/kg at Week 24. No SADRs were reported. No events of hypoglycaemia (overall, major, minor or nocturnal) were reported at Week 24. Mean HbA1c, FPG and PPPG levels improved by −2.5±1.3%, −65.0±31.8mg/dL and −119.3±48.7mg/dL, respectively, over 24 weeks. QoL also improved (mean change from baseline: +28.5±12.9 points). Conclusion: Switching from BHI to BIAsp 30 therapy improved blood glucose control and was well-tolerated in this Bangladeshi subgroup. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.


Official and black market coffee price series are brought together to discuss the incentives to produce coffee since 1963. On the basis of empirical analysis of prices and supply response, it is argued that some increased export earrings can be expected from a switch from smuggling into official channels. However, these increases will be relatively small. Coffee production is found to be responsive to prices, but this effect is most likely to be relative to other crop prices, in particular chat. During the period of the Dergue, supply response was found to be smaller than in the 1960s reflecting the adverse climate for expansion of crop production existing during the 1970s and 1980s Following the devaluation, coffee production may well increase again, but the increases are unlikely to be very large.


The main objective of this thesis is to define the population structure of Shahrestan Nowshahr, Iran, by determining whether the population comprises one large, panmictic unit or small, localized breeding clusters, and the extent to which the pattern of mobility affects this structure. This study has been carried out by quantifying the nature and extent of migration within and from outside the study area. The components of analysis have included the past and. present demographic structure, the distribution and localization of dialects and languages, the spatial (matrimonial) and temporal (parent and offspring) continuity of gene flow, the orientation of movement, the extent of commonality of surnames and the pattern of relatedness and kinship within and among the subdivisions. The results have been used to assess the extent to which genetic mobility has been determined by geographic, demographic, linguistic and cultural constraints placed on the breeding size of the population. The consequences upon the genetic structure of the population in terms of departure from random mating and panmixia and the potential for genetic differentiation through local, selective pressures and random genetic drift have also been projected. Inferences from these analyses Indicate that the interaction of these factors have influenced and determined the migration pattern and the extent of the reproductive isolation of the Shahrestan. Shahrestan Nowshahr is not a homogeneous unit, but is composed of a series of local, partially isolated units with little genetic flow between them, thus limiting the size of the population, contributing to deviation from panmixia and conducive to random differentiation of local gene frequencies. The temporal increase in the range of movement indicates the breaking down of isolation, due to an overall change in the demographic, cultural and socio-economic structure of the population, providing greater possibilities for admixture and genetic homogeneity.


In every economy, it is commonly accepted that the financial health and stability of its banking sector is a key indicator of that economy's performance. As a result, the volume of banking transactions is bound to rise with increased economic activities. With increased foreign direct investment in Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) consolidation exercise of 2005, Nigerian banks have achieved increased transactional capacity within the past decade. A primary result of these increased economic and banking activities is a similar increase in disputes arising from banking transactions and activities, ranging from retail banking disputes to those arising from specialized products. For all stakeholders in growing economies (particularly foreign investors), an effective and prompt mode of dispute resolution has a high impact on the sustainable growth of such economies. This article analyses the current dispute resolution trends in the Nigerian banking sector as well as key considerations for banks in using arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism. It also assesses major challenges that banks may face, with likely mitigations. Finally, it discusses the need for the further development of arbitration as an effective option for resolving banking disputes in Nigeria.


The paper presents an analysis of the mechanical behaviour of rockfill using the discrete element method. A background reference is the set of results of a few large scale triaxial tests performed at the UPC geotechnical laboratory. In those tests Relative Humidity (RH) was controlled by means of a vapour equilibrium technique. RH is a fundamental aspect in the behaviour of rockfill which has received limited attention in the past. The Relative Humidity within the large pores between rock fragments controls the velocity of crack propagation within the particles. An increase in RH means faster crack propagation
and eventually breakage of some particles and subsequent re-arrangement of the granular
structure. The basic tool used to simulate some of the tests is the computer code PFC3D.
Rockfill particles (they have the size of gravels, typically ranging from 1 cm to 4 cm) were simulated as breakable clusters of 3D balls. Particle breakage occurs in time according to fracture mechanic's laws. In a parallel study, the development of cracks in time has been examined. This information was taken into account in the numerical analysis to derive criteria for particle breakage. The paper describes the preliminary results of the work in progress. The actual shape of rock gravels has been approximated by means of clusters of spherical particles. Several arrangements, comprising a different number of particles, have been numerically tested. The results of the modelling exercise are encouraging and test results are reasonably well reproduced. The model is fairly general and it has a number of interesting capabilities.


We consider semi-supervised classification when part of the available data is unlabeled. These unlabeled data can be useful for the classification problem when we make an assumption relating the behavior of the regression function to that of the marginal distribution. Seeger (2000) proposed the well-known cluster assumption as a reasonable one. We propose a mathematical formulation of this assumption and a method based on density level sets estimation that takes advantage of it to achieve fast rates of convergence both in the number of unlabeled examples and the number of labeled examples.


MECO 6311 Economics of Information Goods (3 semester hours) Analysis of the creation, production, pricing and distribution of products that are mainly informational in nature such as software, television, and web pages. Network effects, path dependence, the choice of standards, and the problems of public goods will be analyzed. Includes examination of the roles of patent and copyright laws in the creation of these goods and the impacts of unauthorized copying. Several case studies will be examined in detail. Prerequisite: MECO 62 01 or MECO 6303 or consent of the instructor. (3-0) T


Objective: To study the characteristics of smokers and their knowledge about smoking, among Family Practice patients, at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Design: A questionnaire based survey Settings: Family Practice Center, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan Main outcome measures: Age at starting smoking, duration and number of cigarettes smoked, started smoking under influence of friends, colleagues, family members or self motivation, number of friends and colleagues who smoked, whether smoking is unhealthy, and actual chance of harm to an individual due to smoking is very rare or not. Results: One hundred patients who visited Family Practice Center were interviewed. Sixty one percent were young married men, well educated and either student, in private service, self employed or unemployed. Eighty four (84%) smokers started smoking between 16-25 years of age, and smoked 6-20 cigarettes daily for two to twenty five years. Sixty nine (69%) of them started smoking under the influence of friends and had 3-5 friends and colleagues who smoked. 91% of smokers believed that smoking is unhealthy and were aware that it causes lung cancer and heart disease. Majority of them (69%) believed that the actual harm of smoking to an individual is not very rare. Conclusion: We have documented the characteristics of smokers and their knowledge about smoking among Family Practice patients. Majority of the respondents started smoking at a young age under the influence of friends though they were aware of its harmful effects. Though the sample size is small but it does give an indication about the responsible factors to plan interventional preventive strategies


It is clear that schools are mirroring the criminal justice system by becoming harsher toward student misbehavior despite decreases in delinquency. Moreover, Black students consistently are disciplined more frequently and more severely than others for the same behaviors, much in the same way that Black criminals are subjected to harsher criminal punishments than other offenders. Research has found that the racial composition of schools is partially responsible for harsher school discipline just as the racial composition of areas has been associated with punitive criminal justice measures. Yet, no research has explored comprehensively the dynamics involved in how racial threat and other factors influence discipline policies that ultimately punish Black students disproportionately. In this study (N = 294 public schools), structural equation models assess how school racial composition affects school disciplinary policies in light of other influences on discipline and gauge how other possible predictors of school disciplinary policies relate to racial composition of schools, to various school disciplinary policies, and to one another. Findings indicate that schools responding to student misbehavior with one type of discipline tend to use other types of responses as well and that many factors predict the type of disciplinary response used by schools. However, disadvantaged, urban schools with a greater Black, poor, and Hispanic student population are more likely to respond to misbehavior in a punitive manner and less likely to respond in a restorative manner.


Biological biomaterials for tissue engineering purposes can be produced through tissue and/or organ decellularization. The remaining extracellular matrix (ECM) must be acellular and preserve its proteins and physical features. Placentas are organs of great interest because they are discarded after birth and present large amounts of ECM. Protocols for decellularization are tissue-specific and have not been established for canine placentas yet. This study aimed at analyzing a favorable method for decellularization of maternal and fetal portions of canine placentas. Canine placentas were subjected to ten preliminary tests to analyze the efficacy of parameters such as the type of detergents, freezing temperatures and perfusion. Two protocols were chosen for further analyses using histology, scanning electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and DNA quantification. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was the most effective detergent for cell removal. Freezing placentas before decellularization required longer periods of incubation in different detergents. Both perfusion and immersion methods were capable of removing cells. Placentas decellularized using Protocol I (1% SDS, 5 mM EDTA, 50 mM TRIS, and 0.5% antibiotic) preserved the ECM structure better, but Protocol I was less efficient to remove cells and DNA content from the ECM than Protocol II (1% SDS, 5 mM EDTA, 0.05% trypsin, and 0.5% antibiotic).


BACKGROUND
D-dimer levels remain elevated in many patients after completion of a 6-month anticoagulant drug course for a first episode of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which may limit the clinical usefulness of D-dimer testing for ruling out a possible recurrence.

METHODS
We assessed the safety and usefulness of D-dimer testing in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) who had experienced a previous VTE. We analyzed data from 2 outcome studies that enrolled 1721 consecutive emergency department patients with clinically suspected PE. Information on the existence of a previous episode of VTE was abstracted from the database. All the patients underwent a sequential diagnostic workup, including an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay D-dimer test and a 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS
The proportion of confirmed PE was 24.1% (415/1719); PE was ruled out by a negative D-dimer test result in 32.7% (462/1411) of the patients without previous VTE but in only 15.9% (49/308) of the patients with previous VTE (P<.001). The 3-month thromboembolic risk was 0% (95% confidence interval, 0.0%-7.9%) in patients with previous VTE and a negative D-dimer test result. The 2-fold lower chance of a negative D-dimer test result in patients with previous VTE was independent of older age, active malignancy, fever, and recent surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with suspected PE and previous VTE, a negative D-dimer test result seems to allow safely ruling out a recurrent event. However, the proportion of negative results is lower in such patients, definitely reducing the clinical usefulness of the D-dimer test in that subgroup.


We propose an active learning approach for the unsupervised normalization of vector representations of speech, such as speaker embeddings, currently in widespread use for speaker recognition systems. We demonstrate that the traditionally used mean for normalization of speaker embeddings prior to probabilistic linear discriminant analysis (PLDA) is suboptimal when the evaluation conditions do not match the training conditions. Using an unlabeled sample of target-domain data, we show that the proposed adaptive mean normalization (AMN) technique is extremely effective for improving discrimination and calibration performance, by up to 26% and 65% relative over out-of-the-box system performance. These benchmarks were performed on four distinctly different datasets for a thorough analysis of AMN robustness. Most notably, for a range of data conditions, AMN enabled the use of a calibration model trained on data mismatched to the conditions being evaluated. The approach was found to be effective when using as few as thirty-two unlabeled samples of target-domain data.


Hagfishes represent an ancient and unique evolutionary lineage that plays an important role in the cycling of organic matter and other nutrients to maintain the overall health of the ecosystems they inhabit.
Fisheries worldwide directly profit from the harvesting of hagfishes for leather and food, as well as from the positive habitat effects hagfishes provide for other target species. Overexploitation and destructive fishing practices are major threats to several hagfish species, especially those with restricted or small distributions.
In order to evaluate the effect of these threats on populations, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria were applied to assess the probability of extinction for all of the world's known hagfish species.
Nine of the 76 hagfish species (12%) were determined to be in threatened categories, indicating an elevated risk of extinction. Particular areas and species of concern include southern Australia where 100% of hagfish species present were determined to be at an elevated risk of extinction and the coast of southern Brazil where up to 50% of hagfish species present are at an elevated risk of extinction. Also of concern, are the species found in the East China Sea, Pacific coast of Japan, and coastal Taiwan where as many as 50% of hagfish species are threatened with extinction.
The loss of hagfish species will have detrimental effects on ecosystems as a whole as well as the fisheries that depend on them, especially in the many areas around the world that have low hagfish species diversity.
Better information, data, regulation and management of hagfish fisheries and other threats to hagfish populations are urgently needed to ensure the survival of these important species.

Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We are living in a golden age of machine learning. Powerful models are being trained to perform many tasks far better than is possible using traditional software engineering approaches alone. However, developing and deploying those models in existing software systems remains difficult. In this paper we present SmartChoices, a novel approach to incorporating machine learning into mature software stacks easily, safely, and effectively. We explain the overall design philosophy and present case studies using SmartChoices within large scale industrial systems.


3-D tomographic modelling of wide-angle seismic data, recorded at the intermediate-spreading Costa Rica Rift, has revealed a P-wave seismic velocity anomaly low located beneath a small overlapping spreading centre that forms a non-transform discontinuity at the ridge axis. This low velocity zone displays a maximum velocity anomaly relative to the 'background' ridge axis crustal structure of ∼0.5 km s−1, has lateral dimensions of ∼10 × 5 km, and extends to depths ≥2.5 km below the seabed, placing it within layer 2 of the oceanic crust. We interpret these observations as representing increased fracturing under enhanced tectonic stress associated with the opening of the overlapping spreading centre, that results in higher upper crustal bulk porosity and permeability. Evidence for ongoing magmatic accretion at the Costa Rica Rift ridge axis takes the form of an axial magma lens beneath the western ridge segment, and observations of hydrothermal plume activity and microearthquakes support the presence of an active fluid circulation system. We propose that fracture pathways associated with the low velocity zone may provide the system through which hydrothermal fluids circulate. These fluids cause rapid cooling of the adjacent ridge axis and any magma accumulations which may be present. The Costa Rica Rift exists at a tipping point between episodic phases of magmatic and tectonically enhanced spreading. The characteristics inherited from each spreading mode have been preserved in the crustal morphology off-axis for the past 7 Myr. Using potential field data, we contextualize our seismic observations of the axial ridge structure at the whole segment scale, and find that the proposed balance between magmatic and tectonically dominated spreading processes observed off-axis may also be apparent along-axis, and that the current larger-scale magma supply system at the Costa Rica Rift may be relatively weak. Based on all available geophysical observations, we suggest a model for the inter-relationships between magmatism, faulting and fluid circulation at the Costa Rica Rift across a range of scales, which may also be influenced by large lithosphere scale structural and/or thermal heterogeneity.


A46 ARCH 108A You Are Here: Engaging St. Louis's Racial History Through Site + Story By acknowledging the pressures and pains of our political moment -a time of crisis for many in our city and nation, but also a long-awaited reckoning with issues of social justice -this course engages the complex history of race and racial injustice in St. Louis through siteand story-based exploration. It offers an opportunity to learn about the city's landscape, history, systems, culture, form and identity while wrestling with fundamental questions of power, positionality and perspective."You Are Here" references orientation, discovery, otherness and place, and it serves as a provocation for reconsidering how designers, artists and architects engage St. Louis. This course may count toward the minor in Creative Practice for Social Change if bundled with "Engaging Community: Understanding the Basics." Priority wil be given to first-year Sam Fox students. Same as F20 ART 108A Credit 1.5 units. Art: CPSC


Purpose Managing and preventing disease exacerbations are key goals of COPD care. Oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices have been shown to improve clinical outcomes when added to COPD standard of care. This retrospective database study compared real-world resource use and disease exacerbation among patients with COPD or chronic bronchitis prescribed either of two commonly used OPEP devices. Patients and methods Patients using the Aerobika® (Trudell Medical International, London, ON, Canada) or Acapella® (Smiths Medical, Wampsville, New York, USA) OPEP device for COPD or chronic bronchitis were identified from hospital claims linked to medical and prescription claims between September 2013 and April 2018; the index date was the first hospital visit with an OPEP device. Severe disease exacerbation, defined as an inpatient visit with a COPD or chronic bronchitis diagnosis, and all-cause healthcare resource utilization over 30 days and 12 months post-discharge were compared in propensity score (PS)-matched Aerobika device and Acapella device users. Results In total, 619 Aerobika device and 1857 Acapella device users remained after PS matching. After discharge from the index visit, Aerobika device users were less likely to have ≥1 severe exacerbation within 30 days (12.0% vs 17.4%, p=0.01) and/or 12 months (39.6% vs 45.3%, p=0.01) and had fewer 12-month severe exacerbations (mean, 0.7 vs 0.9 per patient per year, p=0.01), with significantly longer time to first severe exacerbation than Acapella users (log-rank p=0.01). Aerobika device users were also less likely to have ≥1 all-cause inpatient visit within 30 days (13.9% vs 20.3%, p<0.001) and 12 months (44.9% vs 51.8%, p=0.003) than Acapella users. Conclusion Patients receiving the Aerobika OPEP device, compared to the Acapella device, had lower rates of subsequent severe disease exacerbation and all-cause inpatient admission. This suggests that Aerobika OPEP device may be a beneficial add-on to usual care and that OPEP devices may vary in clinical effectiveness.


Twenty-nine flagellar genes in Escherichia coli K12 have previously been assigned to three regions of the genome. Flagellar region I is located between pyrC and ptsG, region II between aroD and uvrC, and region III between uvrC and his. In this study, flagellar mutants in Escherichia coli K12 were obtained by selection for resistance to the flagellotropic phage, chi. They were analyzed in complementation tests using P1 phage-mediated transduction. In addition to the fla genes already described, eight more flagellar genes were identified. This analysis defined six more fla genes in region I (flaU, etc.), one more in region II (flbB) and one more in region III (flbC). Region I was shown to include at least 12 fla cistrons. Complementation analysis with polar Mu phage-induced Fla- mutants and with lambda fla phage defined four transcriptional units in region I. These were: flaU, flbA-flaW-flaV-flaK-flaX-flaL-flaY-flaM, flaZ and flaS- flaT, with transcription proceeding from left to right. The flB gene was found to be part of an operon: flB-flaI in region II. In region III, a previously unidentified gene flbC was located between hag and flaN.


This thesis consists of three papers, which address different aspects of financial markets and institutions.Equities and Inequality studies the relationship between investor protection the development of financial markets and income inequality. In the presence of market frictions, investor protection promotes financial development by raising confidence and reducing the costs of external financing. Developed financial systems spread risks among financiers and firms, allocating them to the agents bearing them the best. Therefore, financial development plays the twofold role of encouraging agents to undertake risky enterprises and providing them with insurance. By increasing the number of risky projects, it raises income inequality. By extending insurance to more agents, it reduces it. As a result, the relationship between financial development and income inequality is hump-shaped. Empirical evidence from a cross-section of sixty-nine countries, as well as a panel of fifty-two countries over the period 1976-2000, supports the predictions of the model.How Does Financial Liberalization Affect Economic Growth? assesses the effects of international financial liberalization and banking crises on investments and productivity in a sample of 93 countries (at its largest) observed between 1975 and 1999. I provide empirical evidence that financial liberalization spurs productivity growth and marginally affects capital accumulation. Banking crises depress both investments and TFP. Both levels and growth rates of productivity respond to financial liberalization and banking crises. The paper also presents evidence of conditional convergence in productivity across countries. However, the speed of convergence is unaffected by financial liberalization. These results are robust to a number of econometric specifications.Explaining Co-movements Between Stock Markets: US and Germany explains co-movements between stock markets by explicitly considering the distinction between interdependence and contagion. It proposes and implements a full information approach on data for US and Germany to provide answers to the following questions: (i) is there long-term interdependence between US and German stock markets? (ii) Is there short-term interdependence and contagion between US and German stock markets, i.e. do short-term fluctuations of the US share prices spill over to German share prices and is such co-movement unstable over high volatility episodes? The answers are no to the former and yes to the latter.


We perform molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of polar surfaces on the quality (Q)-factors of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire-based nanoresonators. We find that the Q-factors in ZnO nanoresonators with free polar (0001) surfaces are about one order of magnitude higher than in nanoresonators that have been stabilized with reduced charges on the polar (0001) surfaces. From normal mode analysis, we show that the higher Q-factor is due to a shell-like reconstruction that occurs for the free polar surfaces. This shell-like reconstruction suppresses twisting motion in the nanowires such that the mixing of other modes with the resonant mode of oscillation is minimized, and leads to substantially higher Q-factors in ZnO nanoresonators with free polar surfaces.


Following examination of the evolution of the Jurassic Andean retroarc basin at a global scale for the Central Andes, this paper analyses the pattern of the regressive process, and discusses some general features concerning Andean Jurassic Paleogeography. The early Upper Jurassic regression obeys to an exactly reverse pattern as the one evidenced for the Lower Jurassic transgressive process. Sectors with late transgressions become those with early regressions while those with early transgressions show later regressions. This fact may indicate that the Norte Chico Isthmus (29°S to 30°30'S) was a precociously emerged zone from the Bajocian. This carries again a split up between the Tarapaca and Aconcagua-Neuquen basins until their complete drying up in the Late Oxfordian following their restricted circulation. This evaporitic late stage presents great analogy with the Mediterranean «Messinian crisis» and gives evidence of a general tectonic and magmatic control on the straits. The local transgressions observed on the cratonic margin of the central part of these shrinking basins were due to shifting of water masses resulting from the regressive process on the northern and southern margins. Comparison between the main stages of transgression and regression allows some quantification concerning velocities of displacement of coastlines, specifically lengthwise. The permanence of paleogeographic and structural features over the time argues for an indisputable tectonic heritage. In the dynamic framework of this typical barred retroarc basin where arc magmatic activity has contributed considerably to variation on sediment supply and changing bathymetry of the seaways connecting with the Pacific Ocean, evidence for an assumed global eustatic cycle remains questionable or very subordinated.


Most analyses of life-history traits have focused on mean values rather than their associated variance. We review published and original data on snakes, including records gathered over many years on single populations, to examine patterns in clutch-size variability in these animals. Within single populations, the coefficient of variation of clutch size did not vary significantly with maternal body size, or among years. The stability of clutch-size variance through time is consistent with experimental studies showing no significant influence of food intake rates on this characteristic. Clutch-size variances did not differ between viviparous and oviparous snakes, but were dependent upon allometric relationships involving maternal body size and the relationship between clutch size and body size. Clutch-size variability was highest in species with relatively variable female sizes, and with a high rate of increase in clutch size with increasing body size. These two factors acted to magnify the extent of clutch-size variability engendered by variability in maternal body sizes. The relationships among these variables were similar in the two squamate Suborders, but the larger body sizes and mean clutch sizes of snakes resulted in clutch-size variances being higher in snakes than in lizards.


Viscosity and density of molten germanium have been measured with an oscillating viscometer and a pycnometric densitometer in a wide temperature range. The viscosity obtained represents a good Arrhenian straight line in spite of such a wide temperature range. The behaviour is different from the reported values, which show a non-Arrhenian relationship and lower viscosity, especially in the higher temperature range. The density obtained shows a good linear relationship with temperature and the expansion coefficient is almost the same as literature values although the reported values are different from each other. Present results were discussed by comparison with the behaviour of molten silicon.


This article focuses on the experiences of two researchers, Wolff-Michael ROTH and Luis RADFORD, using cultural-historical activity theory in mathematics education. The aim is to provide insights into the ways these researchers see and engage with activity theory, how they have come to adopt and expand it, and some of the challenges and concerns that they have had using it. These questions are not usually addressed within typical scientific papers. Yet, they are important for understanding both the dynamics of research and the practical use of cultural- historical activity theory. Since the format of research report papers is not necessarily well suited to convey personal experiences and thinking, the present article takes the form of a conversation, which provides an effective vehicle for exploring and articulating these matters. This provides a basis for understanding more deeply the underlying assumptions of this theory; its dynamics and how it is applied in research of mathematics practice, thinking, and learning; and insights into the manner in which experienced researchers grapple with the theoretical dimensions of their research.


Provided sufficient throat bleed was employed, maximum pressure recoveries of 0.87 to 0.88 at Mach number 2.0 were obtained for a fuselage-mounted 14 degrees ramp inlet regardless of the amount of fuselage boundary layer ingested. The addition of inlet side fairings yielded further increases in pressure recovery to 0.90 to 0.91, decreased critical drag coefficients, and increased critical mass-flow ratios. With throat bleed, peak pressure recoveries and calculated thrust-minus-drag values were comparable at two axial positions of the scoop and were highest with the greatest amount of fuselage boundary layer ingested.