The Water and Energy transfer Processes in Cold Regions (WEP-COR) model is an improved version of the Water and Energy transfer Processes in Large basins (WEP-L) model that integrates a multi-layer frozen soil model to simulate the hydrological processes in cold regions and the heatfluxes at different depths of frozen soil. The temperature, water content, freezing depth of the soil, and daily discharge were simulated and compared with observations. The simulated and observed data were used to analyze the runoff flow components. The results showed that the WEP-COR model can effectively simulate the distributions of the soil temperature and water content. The average root mean squared errors of the temperature, unfrozen water content, total water content, and freezing depth of the soil were 1.21 °C, 0.035 cm 3 /cm 3 , 0.034 cm 3 /cm 3 , and 17.6 cm, respectively. The mean Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency and relative error of the daily discharge were 0.64 and 6.58%, respectively. Compared with the WEP-L model, the WEP-COR model simulated the discharge with higher accuracy, especially during the soil thawing period. This improvement was mainly due to the addition of the frozen soil mechanism. The WEP-COR model can provide support for agricultural and water resource management in cold regions.


Full-waveform airborne laser scanners (ALS) transmit short laser pulses towards the Earth's surface and record the complete backscattered echo. The backscattered echo from flat terrain is simply a replica of the original laser pulse, but over vegetated and built-up areas the backscattered echo is often rather complex. The waveform is commonly modelled as a superposition of a number of distinct echoes, which involves the detection and localization of these echoes and a non-linear optimization of the model. This paper discusses the averaged square difference function (ASDF) method for detecting and localizing echoes in full-waveform ALS data. The ASDF is analytically equivalent to the direct correlation method. The results of echo detection and range estimation by ASDF were compared empirically with those derived by classical pulse detection in combination with Gaussian Decomposition. Furthermore, the ASDF approach was also tested for its adequacy to suppress false echoes caused by the so-called ringing effect which may occur in ALS data in case of strong echoes. It is found that the results of the ASDF approach coincide to a high percentage with those of Gaussian Decomposition. Moreover, this approach suppresses the detection of false echoes due to the ringing effect.


In this paper, we want to make two arguments. Firstly, we observe that the current trend in official policy concepts and strategies of the bioeconomy is toward a moderation of the promises of economic growth that it has been associated with since the beginning of this millennium. We argue that this process of moderation is at least partly due to the effects of a series of 'reality checks' that the different existing strands of research on the bioeconomy have (willingly or unwillingly) subjected the promises to, forcing governments to move away from obviously unrealistic visions and adopt more humble ones. We identify four such reality checks, coming from research on (a) bioeconomy discourses and strategies, (b) actors and interests in the political economy of the bioeconomy, and (c) the economic and biophysical materialities that make up 'the bioeconomy'. Secondly, we propose that a fourth, sociological reality check is currently being mounted, exposing the social implausibility and democratic illegitimacy of the bioeconomy's promissory visions. Using survey data from Germany to develop a provisional analysis of the tensions and conflicts within the population that disagreements about the bioeconomy are embedded in, we suggest putting the bioeconomy in its proper political place as part of the larger societal challenge, rather than promise, of achieving a post-fossil transformation of modern societies.


REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY
It is believed that the head-neck position (HNP) has specific effects on the loading pattern of the equine locomotor system, but very few quantitative data are available.

OBJECTIVE
To quantify the effects of 6 different HNPs on forelimb-hindlimb loading and underlying temporal changes.

METHODS
Vertical ground reaction forces of each limb and interlimb coordination were measured in 7 high level dressage horses walking and trotting on an instrumented treadmill in 6 predetermined HNPs: HNP1--unrestrained; HNP2--elevated neck, bridge of the nose in front of the vertical; HNP3--elevated neck, bridge of the nose behind the vertical; HNP4--low and flexed neck; HNP5--head and neck in extreme high position; and HNP6--forward downward extension of head and neck. HNP1 served as a velocity-matched control.

RESULTS
At the walk, the percentage of vertical stride impulse carried by the forehand (Iz(fore)) as well as stride length and overreach distance were decreased in HNP2, HNP3, HNP4 and HNP5 when compared to HNP1. At the trot, Iz(fore) was decreased in HNP2, HNP3, HNP4 and HNP5. Peak forces in the forelimbs increased in HNP5 and decreased in HNP6. Stance duration in the forelimbs was decreased in HNP2 and HNP5. Suspension duration was increased in HNP2, HNP3 and HNP5. Overreach distance was shorter in HNP4 and longer in HNP6.

CONCLUSIONS
In comparison to HNP1 and HNP6, HNPs with elevation of the neck with either flexion or extension at the poll as well as a low and flexed head and neck lead to a weight shift from the forehand to the hindquarters. HNP5 had the biggest effect on limb timing and load distribution. At the trot, shortening of forelimb stance duration in HNP5 increased peak vertical forces although Iz(fore) decreased.

POTENTIAL RELEVANCE
Presented results contribute to the understanding of the value of certain HNPs in horse training.


The men and women that followed the sixth-century customs of Benedict of Nursia (c.480-c.547) formed the most enduring, influential, numerous and widespread religious order of the Latin middle ages. Their liturgical practice, and their acquired taste for learning, served as a model for the medieval church as a whole: while new orders arose, they took some of their customs, and their observant and spiritual outlook, from the 'Regula Benedicti'. The Benedictines may also be counted among the founders of medieval Europe. In many regions of the continent they created, or consolidated, the first Christian communities; they also directed the development of their social organisation, economy, and environment, and exerted a powerful influence on their emerging cultural and intellectual trends. This book, the first comparative study of its kind, follows the Benedictine Order over eleven centuries, from their early diaspora to the challenge of continental reformation. Dr James G. Clark teaches in the Department of History at the University of Bristol.


[1] We estimated the magnitude of the radiative forcing (RF) due to changes in albedo following the forestation of peatlands, and calculated the net RF by taking into account the changes in both the albedo and the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes during one forest rotation. Data on radiation, tree biomass, and soil GHG fluxes were combined with models for canopy cover, tree carbon accumulation, and the RF due to increased atmospheric GHG concentrations for four typical site cases in Finland covering two soil nutrient levels in the south and north of the country. We also studied the observed long-term surface temperatures to detect any indications of drainage-induced effects. The magnitude of the albedo-induced RF was similar to that caused by the carbon sequestration of the growing trees. At three site cases out of four the drainage induced a cooling or negative RF, the tendency for cooling being higher at sites with a higher nutrient level. The differences in albedo-induced RF mainly arose from the spring season due to (1) the different snow cover duration in the south versus the north, and (2) the different albedos of drained and undrained snow covered peatlands. An increase in the maximum daily temperatures was observed in April in southern Finland, where the most intensive drainage practices have taken place, suggesting that forestry drainage has potentially affected the local climate. Our results show that the decreasing albedo resulting from peatland forestation contributes significantly to the RF, balancing out or even exceeding the cooling effect due to the changing GHG fluxes.


Strong consistency of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for parametric Gibbs point process models is established. The setting is very general. It includes pairwise pair potentials, finite and infinite multibody interactions and geometrical interactions, where the range can be finite or infinite. The Gibbs interaction may depend linearly or non-linearly on the parameters, a particular case being hardcore parameters and interaction range parameters. As important examples, we deduce the consistency of the MLE for all parameters of the Strauss model, the hardcore Strauss model, the Lennard-Jones model and the area-interaction model.


Claims for asylum entail many complex psychological interactions. The claimant presents his or her claim, interviews are conducted, appeals heard and decisions made. In other areas of law, civil or criminal law, for example, there is a wealth of studies exploring the interface with psychology and examining the processes at work in legal proceedings. However, to date, very little of this has been applied to refugee law. This article reviews areas of the psychological literature which have models or knowledge to offer that may be pertinent to the proceedings of refugee law. The review is tentative, in that cross-disciplinary research is needed to establish the extent to which these areas of psychology do apply. Studies similar to those seen in other areas of psychology and law are necessary to establish the degree to which similar conclusions may be drawn, and the degree to which there are distinct psychological issues at work in the process of refugee status decision making.


Motivation: High-throughput measurement techniques for metabolism and gene expression provide a wealth of information for the identification of metabolic network models. Yet, missing observations scattered over the dataset restrict the number of effectively available datapoints and make classical regression techniques inaccurate or inapplicable. Thorough exploitation of the data by identification techniques that explicitly cope with missing observations is therefore of major importance. Results: We develop a maximum-likelihood approach for the estimation of unknown parameters of metabolic network models that relies on the integration of statistical priors to compensate for the missing data. In the context of the linlog metabolic modeling framework, we implement the identification method by an Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm and by a simpler direct numerical optimization method. We evaluate performance of our methods by comparison to existing approaches, and show that our EM method provides the best results over a variety of simulated scenarios. We then apply the EM algorithm to a real problem, the identification of a model for the Escherichia coli central carbon metabolism, based on challenging experimental data from the literature. This leads to promising results and allows us to highlight critical identification issues. Contact: email@example.com; email@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Xin Su Ning (XSN) is a China patented and certified herbal medicine used to treat premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) since 2005. A recent completed clinical trial of 861 patients showed that XSN had similar PVC inhibition rate to the class I antiarrhythmic drug mexiletine, at 65.85% for XSN and 63.10% for mexiletine. We have previously reported that XSN prolongs action potential duration (APD) and suppresses action potential amplitude (APA) of the cardiac ventricular myocytes. In this report we aim to reveal the effect of XSN on the ionic channels that govern APD and APA, which would help to explain the cellular electrophysiological mechanism of XSN. Our main findings are: (1) On ECG recorded in isolated rat, in the presence of XSN the amplitude of R wave was significantly decreased and the amplitude of T wave was increased significantly; (2) XSN blocked hNaV1.5 channel stably transfected cell line in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 0.18 ± 0.02 g/L; and (3) XSN suppresses hERG channels in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 0.34 ± 0.01 g/L. In conclusion, the clinical antiarrhythmic efficacy of XSN is based on its class I and Class III antiarrhythmic properties by suppression hNaV1.5 channel and hERG channels, which are directly responsible for XSN's effect on APA suppression and APD prolongation.


Aims: To assess the performance of ALLEVYN ◊ Gentle in the management of a variety of wounds including venous, mixed arterial and diabetic foot ulcers. The primary objective was overall clinical acceptability for its indicated uses. Methods: A multicentre clinical evaluation conducted in 2008. Results: 56 adult patients from five countries were included in the evaluation. Venous leg ulcers were the most commonly treated wounds (18/56, 32%). Median baseline reference wound area was 7.6cm 2 , and median depth was 0.3cm. In 95% (52/56) of patients, clinicians reported that the dressing was acceptable for the indication treated. At final assessment, significant evidence reduction in wound area and depth was reported (p<0.001). Mean wear time was 3.3 days. Mean material cost per week was £6.68. No pain at dressing removal was reported for 87% of removals. Conclusions: The overall results from the study support the use of the dressing in clinical practice. The new soft gel adhesive hydrocellular foam dressing was effective in improving wound outcomes in conjunction with routine clinical practice. Conflict of interest: This study was carried out by Smith & Nephew as part of an in-market evaluation.


This work assessed modes of irrigation on vegetable production in fifty (50) vegetable gardens from ten (10) sampled areas in the Accra Metropolis. Irrigation water sources include: pipe, segment, gutter, dug-well, dam, river, and drains. Demographic survey, nature of the surrounding of the water bodies, physico-chemical and microbiological analysis of irrigation waters were carried out and contrasted with standard values. The analysis of the parameters of various water samples was within the accepted standard values, except the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) value for the irrigation water from Opeibea (3020) and Kasoa (340), which were relatively high compared to standard value of 250. The faecal coliform counts for irrigation water at Abossey-Okai are also high (1150/100 ml) compared to the standard values of 1000/100 ml irrigation water. The vegetable farming was found to be a male dominated activity (86%), mostly practised by 21 - 30 year age group (69%). However the education levels of farmers are low; 70% either do not have formal education or only up to primary education levels. A greater percentage (68%) of the water used for irrigation was waste water, mostly from gutters and segments. Proper management practices of effluent are recommended for vegetable production.


Background: Trichoepithelioma (TE) is a benign skin tumor with follicular differentiation, which sometimes is difficult to distinguish clinically and histologically from cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC). An accurate diagnosis of these lesions is essential for effective and appropriate therapeutic decisions. Therefore, several attempts have been made to identify immunohistochemical differences between these entities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of expression of Her2 protein in cutaneous BCC from TE using immunohistochemistry. Methods: In this cross sectional study first pilot study was done with 5 cases of BCC and 5 cases of TE. According to the results of pilot study 60 cases including 30 cases of BCC and 30 cases of TE were obtained from archival files of the Pathology Department of Rasoul-eAkram hospital, Razi Hospital and Danesh pathology laboratory of Tehran. Selected tissue blocks were recut and analyzed. Immunohistochemistry method was used for evaluation of expression pattern of Her2 protein in TE compared to BCC SPSS software and Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis of data. Results: In current study, percent and intensity of membranous staining of Her2 protein in TE were statically significant from BCC (p<0.0001). In addition percent and intensity of cytoplasmic staining of Her2 protein in BCC were statistically significant from TE (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Results of this study showed that the pattern of expression of Her2 proteins is different in BCC and TE. Thus pattern of expression of this protein can be helpful in differentiation of BCC and TE.


Knowing and deploying local, indigenous, or traditional knowledge has become an increasingly important instrument for the design and implementation of development and conservation initiatives in the Third World. This article explores the strategic mobilization of local knowledge through a case study of the politics of knowledge that emerges within projects aimed at the on-farm conservation of agricultural biodiversity in the Peruvian highlands. In framing traditional farmer practices and knowledge as integral to agrobiodiversity conservation, development and conservation groups take recourse to a particular construct of Andean culture. Yet tension arises between the customary delegitimization of Andean cultural traditions and the new appeals to value them, ambivalence emerges within interventionary discourse practice, and the recognition of local farmer expertise in a broader context of social hierarchy is rendered problematic. This case study of local knowledge, its mobilization and negotiation within a particular rendering of "culture," ideological differences between institutions, agricultural heterogeneity, and the agency of recipient farmer groups have broader implications for how we study the utility and value of local knowledge and "cultural essentialism" in other development and conservation contexts, including those of East Timor.


The potential for human exposure to arsenic (As), a group A carcinogen, has increased tremendously because of the encroachment of suburban areas into former agricultural lands, where arsenical pesticides were used extensively prior to the 1990s. Many baseline risk assessments of As-enriched sites assume that all (100%) As present in the soil is bioavailable because of the high expenses and logistical difficulties associated with conducting site-specific in-vivo studies to measure bioavailable As fractions. This assumption seriously overestimates the actual risk because various geochemical forms of As are insoluble in human gastric/intestinal juices and are not likely to be bioavailable. A laboratory incubation study was conducted to estimate bioavailable As as a function of soil properties. Three different soil types were chosen based on their potential differences with respect to As reactivity: an acid sand with minimal As retention capacity, a sandy loam with relatively high concentration of Fe/Al oxides, and an organic (muck) soil with high Fe/Al, Ca/Mg content with potential for higher As retention capacity. Our results show that soil properties had a marked impact on geochemical speciation of As. Hysteritic adsorption of As onto Fe/Al oxides significantly decreased bioavailability of As in both Millhopper and Pahokee Muck soils, which have high concentrations of Fe and Al. High concentration of organic matter in Pahokee Muck soil solubilized As, resulting in higher bioavailability in Pahokee Muck soil compared to the Millhopper soil, although Pahokee Muck soil has higher concentrations of Fe and Al. The soils varied significantly in terms of soil speciation and bioavailability of As, indicating significant effect of soil properties on As biogeochemistry.

Rupali Datta is a research assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Datta received her Ph.D. in life sciences from the University of Hyderabad in India and did her postdoctoral training in Niigata University, Japan, University of Florida, Gainesville, and University of Texas, San Antonio. Her research interest is in application of plant genetics and molecular biology to solve environmental remediation problems.Dibyendu Sarkar is an assistant professor and the director of the Environmental Geochemistry Laboratory at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Sarkar received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and did his postdoctoral training at the University of Florida. His areas of expertise include soil chemistry, environmental quality and remediation, and risk assessment. Sarkar is also an associate editor of Environmental Geosciences .


Wetting front suction and soil sorptivity (S) are relevant parameters to water movement in the vadose zone. Both may be estimated with the Philip–Dunne falling‐head permeameter, given the moisture increment (Δθ) and measured times (tmed and tmax) during an infiltration event. Previous studies have shown that the Philip–Dunne falling head permeameter can be used for estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), but its potential to estimate the soil's sorptivity has received little attention. We investigate the ability of the Philip–Dunne method to estimate S and the Green–Ampt's suction at the wetting front, Ψ, by performing a parameter sensitivity analysis, focusing on the boundary conditions that limit the search space of physically sound solutions, and studying the shape factors used in Philip's analysis to reduce the three‐dimensional flux of water in the soil to one dimension. Finally, a useful approximate solution is provided that allows computing both Ks and the Green–Ampt's suction at the wetting front, Ψ, (and hence the macroscopic capillary length parameter, α*) from only two infiltration times, tmed and tmax, without having to resort to such a costly measurement as the soil moisture increment, Δθ, required by the original method.


The exhibition 'What is Luxury?' at the Victoria and Albert Museum interrogated general ideas about luxury, its production and future by scrutinizing the relationship of luxury to change, context and conventions. It included objects which demonstrated extraordinary investment in time and skill on the part of their makers as well as projects which investigated social, material and economic networks in order to stimulate alternative thinking about luxury's future.
Against general expectation, the exhibition was not focused on luxury consumption. Instead, inquiry seemed valuable in reflecting on motifs and motivations of luxury production to highlight the investment on side of the maker and enable speculations about possible futures. Such speculations reflected on current definitions of luxury and empowered thinking about relationships, provoked consequential developments and suggested alternatives. The curatorial approach was based on an understanding that meanings of luxury change according to its contexts.
The exhibition took the question as title serious but instead of providing a definition of luxury, the exhibition offered a terminology as structuring principle to highlight aspects and encourage individual interpretations of luxury.
The exhibition was divided into four consecutive sections: Creating Luxury, A Space for Time, A Future for Luxury, and What is Your Luxury? It started with the premise that luxury production implies and represents an investment in time and the application of skills. The next section asked whether luxury is fundamentally connected to time and space when luxury is defined by experiences of time spent and its availability. The important relationship between luxury and value was examined through projects that critically examined issues like access, privacy and memory. The final section highlighted the importance of individual freedom, aspiration and dream for any decision about luxury.


Interactive programs allow users to engage in input and output throughout execution. The ubiquity of such programs motivates the development of models for reasoning about their information-flow security, yet no such models seem to exist for imperative programming languages. Further, existing language-based security conditions founded on noninteractive models permit insecure information flows in interactive imperative programs. This paper formulates new strategy-based information-flow security conditions for a simple imperative programming language that includes input and output operators. The semantics of the language enables a fine-grained approach to the resolution of nondeterministic choices. The security conditions leverage this approach to prohibit refinement attacks while still permitting observable nondeterminism. Extending the language with probabilistic choice yields a corresponding definition of probabilistic noninterference. A soundness theorem demonstrates the feasibility of statically enforcing the security conditions via a simple type system. These results constitute a step toward understanding and enforcing information-flow security in real-world programming languages, which include similar input and output operators


Today, the United States' food system is primarily a large industrial operation with smaller-scale community-based food systems. Although the industrial food system has benefitted society by increasing the amount of food available for every person, some of these products are "cheap" food products that generate external costs, such as poor health, potential wealth loss to farmers and environmental degradation. With over 1 billion individuals on earth undernourished and 15.8% of all U.S. households as of 2010 food insecure [Patel, 2012], this system has not completely solved food issues. Community-based food systems, on the other hand, minimize external costs by aiming to benefit the economic, environmental, and social health of communities. Quality food markets are defined in this study as locations within these smaller systems where local and quality food is sold and where consumer demand can affect supply and strengthen the smaller system. The primary purpose of this research was to learn what consumers understand about the external costs to "cheap" food and assesses quality food markets that minimize these external costs in the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois community. An in-depth literature review was conducted to understand what is known about this topic. Personal observation was conducted at quality food markets in Bloomington-Normal, IL to assess what experiences consumers were having at these locations. Fifteen key informant interviews were conducted, twenty-seven consumer interviews, and a consumer survey was circulated to the Green Top Grocery mailing list (those interested in food cooperative efforts in BloomingtonNormal, IL) and was completed by 248 consumers at an 18% response rate. The results helped identify the ability of the community-based food system to minimize the external costs of the industrial food system. Consumer interviews and the survey revealed information on how the consumer sample makes food-purchasing decisions based on criteria such as quality and price and that there is a range of understanding for the external costs of "cheap" food. This methodology also helped reveal strategies to continue moving similar community systems forward by adding or supporting quality food markets, and through understanding consumers and their food purchasing decisions. Such strategies may help minimize the external costs of the U.S. industrial food system.


The tissue microenvironment shapes the characteristics and functions of dendritic cells (DCs), which are important players in HIV infection and dissemination. Notably, DCs in the gut have the daunting task of orchestrating the balance between immune response and tolerance. They produce retinoic acid (RA), which imprints a gut-homing phenotype and influences surrounding DCs. To investigate how the gut microenvironment impacts the ability of DCs to drive HIV infection, we conditioned human immature monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) with RA (RA-DCs), before pulsing them with HIV and mixing them with autologous T cells. RA-DCs showed a semimature, mucosal-like phenotype and released higher amounts of TGF-β1 and CCL2. Using flow cytometry, Western blot, and microscopy, we determined that moDCs express the cell adhesion molecule mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) and that RA increases its expression. MAdCAM-1 was also detected on a small population of DCs in rhesus macaque (Macaca mulata) mesenteric lymph node. RA-DCs formed more DC–T cell conjugates and promoted significantly higher HIV replication in DC–T cell mixtures compared with moDCs. This correlated with the increase in MAdCAM-1 expression. Blocking MAdCAM-1 partially inhibited the enhanced HIV replication. In summary, RA influences DC phenotype, increasing their ability to exacerbate HIV infection. We describe a previously unknown mechanism that may contribute to rapid HIV spread in the gut, a major site of HIV replication after mucosal exposure.


In light of stricter emissions regulations and depleting fossil fuel reserves, fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are one of the leading alternatives for powering future vehicles. An open‐cathode, air‐cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack provides a relatively simple electric generation system for a vehicle in terms of system complexity and number of components. The temperature within a PEMFC stack is critical to its level of performance and the electrochemical efficiency. Previously created computational models to study and predict the stack temperature have been limited in their scale and the inaccurate assumption that temperature is uniform throughout. The present work details the creation of a numerical model to study the temperature distribution of an 80‐cell Ballard 1020ACS stack by simulating the cooling airflow across the stack. Using computational fluid dynamics, a steady‐state airflow simulation was performed using experimental data to form boundary conditions where possible. Additionally, a parametric study was performed to investigate the effect of the distance between the stack and cooling fan on stack performance. Model validation was performed against published results. The temperature distribution across the stack was identical for the central 70% of the cells, with eccentric temperatures observed at the stack extremities, while the difference between coolant and bipolar plate temperatures was approximately 10°C at the cooling channel outlets. The results of the parametric study showed that the fan‐stack distance has a negligible effect on stack performance. The assumptions regarding stack temperature uniformity and measurement were challenged. Lastly, the hypothesis regarding the negligible effect of fan‐stack distance on stack performance was confirmed.


This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the supramolecular organisation and hierarchical self-assembly of organo-functionalised hybrid polyoxometalates (hereafter referred to as hybrid POMs), and their emerging role as multi-functional building blocks in the construction of new nanomaterials. Polyoxometalates have long been studied as a fascinating outgrowth of traditional metal-oxide chemistry, where the unusual position they occupy between individual metal oxoanions and solid-state bulk oxides imbues them with a range of attractive properties (e.g. solubility, high structural modularity and tuneable properties/reactivity). Specifically, the capacity for POMs to be covalently coupled to an effectively limitless range of organic moieties has opened exciting new avenues in their rational design, while the combination of distinct organic and inorganic components facilitates the formation of complex molecular architectures and the emergence of new, unique functionalities. Here, we present a detailed discussion of the design opportunities afforded by hybrid POMs, where fine control over their size, topology and their covalent and non-covalent interactions with a range of other species and/or substrates makes them ideal building blocks in the assembly of a broad range of supramolecular hybrid nanomaterials. We review both direct self-assembly approaches (encompassing both solution and solid-state approaches) and the non-covalent interactions of hybrid POMs with a range of suitable substrates (including cavitands, carbon nanotubes and biological systems), while giving key consideration to the underlying driving forces in each case. Ultimately, this review aims to demonstrate the enormous potential that the rational assembly of hybrid POM clusters shows for the development of next-generation nanomaterials with applications in areas as diverse as catalysis, energy-storage and molecular biology, while providing our perspective on where the next major developments in the field may emerge.


In this paper, comparison of the SAFER+ encryption algorithm and Triple DES algorithm for Bluetooth security systems is done. Performance of the above security algorithms are evaluated based on the efficiency of the algorithm. The whole design was captured entirely in matlab. In order to check the efficiency of the algorithm, noise is being added to the encrypted data and the output is seen to be obtained without any incorrectness which justifies the level of security. On comparison, Triple DES algorithm proves to be better for implementation in Bluetooth devices than the SAFER+ algorithm.


AbstractThis study aims to characterize anaerobically digested sludge (ADS) and correlate the sludge characteristics in terms of soluble organic compounds with polymer demand (PD) during sludge conditioning. The PD required to achieve maximum dewatering of the ADS studied is in the range of 8–10 kg polymer/dry ton. The commonly used capillary suction time parameter to evaluate the solid–liquid separation ability was not a reliable indicator for assessing dewatering. Instead, in this study, a modified centrifugal technique proposed by Higgins (Higgins MCT) was used to assess the maximum achievable dry solids content of the biosolids cake. The Higgins MCT is readily obtained using a bench-scale centrifuge equipped with a modified centrifuge bucket. Using the Higgins MCT, the maximum dry solids contents obtained from conditioned ADS was 30 wt%. These values were comparable to the dry solids content obtained from the same sludge at full-scale level. Our results suggest Higgins MCT is suitable for assessing th...


Understanding the evolution and dynamics of the Antarctic cryosphere, from its inception during the Eocene-Oligocene transition (∼34 Ma) through the significant subsequent periods of likely coupled climate and atmospheric CO2 changes, is not only of major scientific interest but also is of great importance for society. Drilling the Antarctic Wilkes Land margin was designed to provide a long-term record of the sedimentary archives along an inshore to offshore transect of Cenozoic Antarctic glaciation and its intimate relationships with global climatic and oceanographic change. The principal goals were 1. To obtain the timing and nature of the first arrival of ice at the Wilkes Land margin inferred to have occurred during the earliest Oligocene (reflecting Oligocene isotope Event 1), 2. To obtain the nature and age of the changes in the geometry of the prograda- tional wedge interpreted to correspond with large fluctuations in the extent of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and possibly coinciding with the transition from a wet-based to a cold-based glacial regime, 3. To obtain a high-resolution record of Antarctic climate variability during the late Neogene and Quaternary, and 4. To obtain an unprecedented ultrahigh resolution (i.e., annual to decadal) Holocene record of climate variability. The Wilkes Land drilling program was developed to constrain the age, nature, and paleoenvironment of deposition of the previously only seismically inferred glacial sequences. Drilling the Wilkes Land margin has a unique advantage in that seismic Unconformity WL-U3, inferred to separate preglacial strata below from glacial strata above in the continental shelf, can be traced to the continental rise deposits, allowing sequences to be linked from shelf to rise. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 318, carried out in January-March 2010 (Wellington, New Zealand to Hobart, Australia), occupied seven sites that recovered ∼2000 m of high-quality middle Eocene-Holocene sediments at proposed Sites WLRIS-6A, WLRIS-7A, WLRIS-4A, and WLRIS-5A (Sites U1355, U1356, U1359, and U1361) on the Wilkes Land rise and Sites WLSHE-8A, WLSHE-9A, and ADEL-01B (Sites U1358, U1360, and U1357) on the Wilkes Land shelf at water depths between ∼400 and 4000 m. Together, the cores represent ∼53 m.y. of Antarctic history. Recovered cores successfully date the inferred seismic units (WL-S4-WL-S9). The cores reveal the history of the Wilkes Land Antarctic margin from an ice-free "greenhouse Antarctica," to the first cooling, to the onset and erosional consequences of the first glaciation and the subsequent dynamics of the waxing and waning ice sheets, all the way to thick, unprecedented "tree ring style" records with seasonal resolution of the last deglaciation that began ∼10,000 y ago. The cores also reveal details of the tectonic history of the so-called Australo-Antarctic Gulf (at 53 Ma) from the onset of the second phase of rifting between Australia and Antarctica, to ever subsiding margins and deepening, all the way to the present continental and ever widening ocean/continent configuration. Tectonic and climatic change turned the initially shallow broad subtropical Antarctic Wilkes Land shelf into a deeply subsided basin with a narrow, iceinfested margin. Thick Oligocene and notably Neogene deposits, including turbidites, contourites, and larger and smaller scaled debris mass flows witness the erosional power of the waxing and waning ice sheets and deep ocean currents. The recovered clays, silts, and sands and their microfossils also reveal the transition of subtropical ecosystems and a vegetated Antarctica into sea ice-dominated ecosystems bordered by calving glaciers.


Joint angles reveal useful information for diagnosis and treatment of some diseases. These are collected with camera-based systems in private rooms. However, these systems have disadvantages including expensive equipment, limited movement area and only indoor use. To overcome these issues, a smart garment is presented to collect knee and ankle joint angles of both legs. With this purpose, accelerometers were placed into garment and obtained raw data was converted into joint angles using scalar product formula. Five subjects participated in experiments and performed level walking, sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit processes. A comparison was done between calculated joint angles by designed system and measured joint angles by single-camera. Overall accuracy of designed system is well over 95%.


Objective. To determine if group well-child visits (WCV) can be cost neutral compared with individual WCV by varying health care providers, group size, and physician salary. Method. We created 6 economic models to evaluate the costs of WCV: 3 for individual WCV delivered by (1) advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), (2) resident, and (3) attending and 3 for group WCV delivered by (4) APRN with a nurse and social worker; (5) resident with an attending, nurse, and child life specialist; and (6)attending with a nurse. For group WCV, we performed sensitivity analyses on group size and duration of provider participation. Results. We achieved cost-neutrality at 4 families in the APRN group WCV model; at 3, 4, 5, and 6 families in the resident model with 30, 45, 60, and 90 minutes of attending supervision, respectively; and at 4 and 5 families in the low and high attending salary model, respectively. Conclusion. Group WCV can be delivered in a cost-neutral manner by optimizing group size and provider participation.


An austenitic stainless steel (type 316/316L stainless steel, schedule 40, 64 mm (2.5 in.) diam and larger) piping network used in the fire-sprinkler system in a large saltwater passenger and car ferry failed by rapid leaking. Operating conditions involved stagnant seawater at ambient temperatures. The pipe was in service for four weeks when three leaks appeared. Investigation (visual inspection and photographic images) supported the conclusion that the failure was caused by attack and corrosion damage of Cl ions in conditions that were ideal for three modes of highly accelerated pitting of austenitic stainless steel: the bottom surface, weld or HAZ pits, and crevices. Recommendations included proper material selection for piping, flanges, and weld rods with greater corrosion resistance. Proper filtering to prevent entrained abrasives and timely breakdown inspections were also advised.


Background Tissue hypoxia due to repeated sleep apneas leads to evolution of reactive oxygen stress and serum levels of uric acid (UA) and lactate in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between OSAS and both serum UA and lactate levels as potential markers of tissue hypoxia and their relation with OSAS severity. Participants and methods Thirty participants were classified into two groups. Group I included 10 control persons matched to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients by sex, age, and BMI. Group II included 20 patients with OSA as diagnosed by polysomnography [apnea–hypopnea index (AHI)≥5]. The following were conducted: full history, clinical examination, complete overnight polysomnography to detect AHI, oxygen saturation parameters, and snoring index. Finally serum lactate and UA levels were assessed through two samples of peripheral arterial blood: one before sleep and the second at the end of polysomnography. Results In OSA patients, the mean levels of serum UA and lactate both before and after sleep were significantly higher compared with controls with significant overnight increase after sleep and high percent of change of serum UA and lactate levels. These higher levels were independent of age, sex, and BMI. Moreover, UA and lactate levels after sleep in OSA patients were significantly correlated with OSA severity (AHI) and degree of nocturnal hypoxia through positive correlation with (%TST<90%, %TST<80%, and oxygen desaturation index) and negative correlation with average SpO2% and lowest SpO2%. This correlation was not affected by age or obesity as confirmed by regression models. Conclusion Both serum UA and lactate may be considered as potential markers of tissue hypoxia and related to OSAS severity. Their levels were significantly elevated after sleep with significant overnight rise and significant positive correlation with AHI, %TST<80%, %TST<90%, oxygen desaturation index, and negative correlation with average and lowest SpO2%. This correlation was not affected by age or obesity.


The paper presents the results of information and communication technologies (ICT) research support in the Czech Republic regions, focused mainly on the problems of mapping cultural heritage together with activities in the area of tourism and business activities connected with it (accommodation, food etc). One possible approach is demonstrated on the example of web portal "Get to know Posumavi – a tourist guide to Posumavi". This approach integrates the advantages of standard information sources with the Internet application. Moreover, this application provides a clear topographical output. The project is being prepared in co-operation with a chosen local partner, in our case the Posumavi local action group. The under-mentioned solution can be further extended if need be, but we can also understand it as a general-purpose solution which means it can be widely used in other areas of the information support of regions. The knowledge and data presented in the paper were obtained as a result of the Research Program titled "Economy of the Czech Agriculture Resources and Their Efficient Use within the Framework of the Multifunctional Agri-food Systems" of the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports number VZ MSM 6046070906.


This article explores the relationship between social networking site use and mass media consumption. Based on data from an online survey, the study examines the consumption of print media, radio, television, online news sites, and social media by Latvian users of three social networking sites. According to the findings, most of the surveyed social networking site users regularly consume other media, although they are more likely to consume online news media than print or broadcast media. However, those users who spend the most time on social networking sites do not exhibit much interest in other types of media. Thus, the main distinction among the surveyed individuals is not between online and traditional media use but rather between the use of social media and traditional/journalism-based media. These results are relevant to the discussions of the potential of social media to attract audiences for the mass media.


The Black-Scholes model and corresponding option pricing formula has led to a wide and extensive industry, used by financial institutions and investors to speculate on market trends or to control their level of risk from other investments. From the formation of the Chicago Board Options Exchange in 1973, the nature of options contracts available today has grown dramatically from the single-date contracts considered by Black and Scholes (1973) to a wider and more exotic range of derivatives. These include American options, which can be exercised at any time up to maturity, as well as options based on the weighted sums of assets, such as the Asian and basket options which we consider. Moreover, the underlying models considered have also grown in number and in this work we are primarily motivated by the increasing interest in past-dependent asset pricing models, shown in recent years by market practitioners and prominent authors. These models provide a natural framework that considers past history and behaviour, as well as present information, in the determination of the future evolution of an underlying process. In our studies, we explore option pricing techniques for arithmetic Asian and basket options under a Stochastic Delay Differential Equation (SDDE) approach. We obtain explicit closed-form expressions for a number of lower and upper bounds before giving a practical, numerical analysis of our result. In addition, we also consider the properties of the approximate numerical integration methods used and state the conditions for which numerical stability and convergence can be achieved.


There are two key longstanding structural constraints to inclusive growth in Indonesia—low financial inclusion and limited access to finance—resulting in a large financing gap. Indonesia's digitalization— growing rapidly in the e-commerce and financial services sector, the latter facilitated by fintech—is helping close this gap. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely serve to further accelerate this digital transformation: adoption of e-commerce and digital payments has increased amidst lockdowns and social distancing. Digitalization can also help counter the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, including through the delivery of government support measures, and support longer-term growth. However, attempting to scale up digitalization quickly as a response to a crisis, is not merely challenging but also potentially risky (e.g., risks to financial stability or cyber risks). Hence, important challenges need to be addressed first (e.g., infrastructure, skills, regulations) to ensure an inclusive and stable recovery.


This article outlines the practical management of iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS) in running athletes. ITBFS is the most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners and is related to repetitive friction of the iliotibial band sliding over the lateral femoral epicondyle. Runners predisposed to this injury are typically in a phase of over training and often have underlying weakness of the hip abductor muscles. The diagnosis of ITBFS is clinical and is based on a thorough patient history and physical exam. In the acute phase, treatment includes activity modification, ice, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, and corticosteroid injection in cases of severe pain or swelling. During the subacute phase emphasis is on stretching of the iliotibial band and soft tissue therapy for any myofascial restrictions. The recovery phase focuses on a series of exercises to improve hip abductor strength and integrated movement patterns. The final return to running phase is begun with an every other day program, starting with easy sprints and avoidance of hill training with a gradual increase in frequency and intensity. In rare refractory cases that do not respond to conservative treatment, surgery can be considered.


A dynamic reference-cover method and remotely-sensed ground cover were used to determine the change in the state of ~640 000 km2 of rangelands in Queensland at a sub-bioregional scale between 1988 and 2005. The method is based on persistence of ground cover in years of lower rainfall and objectively separates grazing effects on ground cover from those due to inter-annual variation in rainfall. The method is applied only to areas where trees and shrubs were not cleared. An indicator of rangeland state was derived, at Landsat-TM pixel resolution, by subtracting automatically-calculated reference ground cover from actual ground cover and then spatially averaging these deviations across the area of each sub-bioregion. Landscape heterogeneity may affect reference cover but, because it is stable over time, change in mean cover deficit between sequences of dry years reliably indicates change due to grazing. All 34 sub-regions analysed had similar or increased levels of seasonally-adjusted ground cover at the end of the analysis period, which was either 2003 or 2005. Allowing for possible landscape heterogeneity effects on assessed condition, the Einasleigh Uplands bioregion was comparatively in a better state and those analysed parts of the Mulga Lands bioregion in poorer state at the first assessment in 1988. Most sub-regions of the Cape York Peninsula, Brigalow Belt North, Desert Uplands, Gulf Plains and Mitchell Grass Downs bioregions lay between these two end-states. Simulated levels of pasture utilisation based on modelled pasture growth and statistically-based grazing pressure supported the results of this regional assessment of land condition. The dynamic reference-cover method will allow the Queensland Government to monitor future grazing effects on rangeland ground cover between sequences of drier years – quantitatively and efficiently across the entire state. The method can potentially be adapted to other rangeland jurisdictions where a suitable multi-temporal database of remotely sensed ground cover exists. The results from further analyses of remotely sensed ground cover will be reported through the Australian Collaborative Rangelands Information System.


This case presents complex managerial challenges that stem from the institutional context in emerging markets, particularly in relation to the intellectual property regime and its impact on business strategy. The case centres around a multinational pharmaceutical firm, Novartis International AG (Novartis), that is waiting on a major court decision regarding patent policy as it pertains to one of the firm's products. The case takes students through the company's journey in marketing a promising anti-cancer drug that had global sales of US$3.9 billion in 2009. Novartis' global success with this drug is being challenged by the changing institutional environment surrounding innovation and pharmaceutical patents. The company's decision to patent the drug in India and challenge the institutional system of patent law is meeting significant resistance from those who argue that the drug is neither novel nor affordable for most patients. With key domestic players staking their claim to the large pool of patients who could benefit from the drug, the case focuses on a controversial patents law. Given the uncertainty of the court's final decision on these matters, students are asked to develop an action plan for the company's future. Authors Anand Nandkumar and Mridula Anand are affiliated with Indian School of Business. Author Charles Dhanaraj is affiliated with Indiana University.


[1] A new precipitation data set for the Greater Alpine Region (GAR; 4°E–19°E, 43°N–49°N) has been developed. It provides monthly precipitation totals, for the 1800–2003 period, gridded at 10-min resolution. The new HISTALP 10-min-grid data set is based on 192 long-term homogenized precipitation series from meteorological stations across the study domain and a high-resolution precipitation climatology for the 1971–1990 period. The effective coverage of the data set depends on the observations available in the station network which progressively declines back to the early 19th century (from 192 to 5 stations). To aid the use of these data in other studies, an accompanying data set has also been developed, which provides a measure of the quality of each monthly precipitation estimate over the grid: the explained variance, relative to the 1931–2000 (maximum data availability) period. The computed quality score illustrates the comparatively poorer accuracy of the data set for regions and months with less coherent precipitation fields (i.e., over the Alps and in summer) and when the number of stations is reduced, particularly before 1840. The derived gridded field has also been compared for the whole and geographical subregions with other independently developed data sets and is found to provide a similar description of the precipitation in the GAR for places and periods of common coverage. The data set is publicly available at http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/.


Abstract The southern Arabian (Persian) Gulf is at present the site of extensive carbonate sedimentation, as was the case during Pleistocene interglacial marine highstands. During glacial lowstands the basin was subaerially exposed, and aeolian sedimentation predominated. Most of the southern Arabian Gulf floor is underlain by Quaternary carbonates, and scattered outcrops may be found onshore. These belong to three formations: the aeolian Ghayathi Formation, the continental Aradah Formation and the marine Fuwayrit Formation. The Fuwayrit Formation consists of three members, separated by subaerial exposure surfaces. These are, from the base upwards, the shallow marine Futaisi and Dabb'iya Members, and the aeolian Al Wusayl Member. Offshore, at least six Quaternary sequences are present within the uppermost 50 m of sediment. No reliable direct age dates have been acquired from Pleistocene shallow marine or coastal deposits in the southern Arabian Gulf. It has therefore been necessary to infer the ages of these sediments by a comparison of their stratigraphy and elevation with deposits known from other parts of the world. We regard this approach as valid because the southern Gulf coastline lacks evidence for significant widespread neotectonic uplift, and halotectonic effects are localized. This comparison indicates that the Fuwayrit Formation was deposited during the last interglacial (oxygen isotope substage 5e), as (1) these sediments represent the youngest pre-Holocene marine deposits, and (2) they are found at an elevation correlative with many substage 5e deposits from other parts of the globe. Sedimentary evidence reveals two highstands during this period, peaking at around 1.5 m and 6 m above present sea level, respectively. Offshore sediments indicate that sea level did not fall as far as 24 m below present level in the intervening regression. Following the second highstand, sea level fell to more than 23 m below present level, before briefly rising once again (late isotope stage 5). This later highstand probably peaked between 17 and 7 m below present level. The sequence underlying the Fuwayrit Formation was probably deposited during the penultimate interglacial (late oxygen isotope stage 7). It is also likely that the Ghayathi Formation aeolianites were largely sourced from this sequence. Facies analysis of offshore core sediments indicates that sea level reached at least 15 m below present level during this period. Widespread evidence exists for a Holocene sea level higher than at present in the southern Arabian Gulf, indicating that it peaked at 1–2 m above present level, c. 5.5 ka bp. Pleistocene deposits preserved in the southern Arabian Gulf provide a record of changing palaeowinds and palaeoclimates. Currently, the region experiences a hyper-arid to arid climate, with facies patterns dominated by the northwesterly shamal wind. The Ghayathi Formation was originally deposited under an arid climatic regime, which allowed the sediments to remain unconsolidated. The dunefield was later remodelled under conditions of increasing wind speed, with a change in wind direction from NNW to WNW. These changes are thought to reflect the onset of glaciation. Palaeocurrent directions from the Al Wusayl Member, combined with sedimentary evidence from the Futaisi and Dabb'iya Members, indicate that during the peak of the last interglacial the prevailing wind (the 'palaeo-shamal') blew from the NE. Compelling evidence for a pluvial episode during this period is provided by abundant and widespread dissolution (palaeokarstic) pits found in the top surface of the Futaisi Member, believed to represent the former positions of abundant trees or large plants.


The relaxation oscillations that are present in the output of a high-power free-running diode-pumped Tm-doped silica fiber laser are characterized and modeled. The laser operates on the  3H4→3H6 quasi-three-level transition and operates efficiently from ∼1.9 to ∼2.0 µm. From the measurements of the  3F4→3H4 fluorescence after 1.98-µm pumping of a separate, heavily Tm-doped silica fiber, it is established that the  3H4, 3H4→3H6, 3F4 upconversion process is significant in heavily Tm-doped silica fibers. This process causes the saturable absorption that is indicated by the presence of the relaxation oscillations. A detailed theoretical model that describes the ion-pair dynamics relevant to the Tm-doped silica system is presented. Equations for the steady-state intracavity photon density and for the steady-state population densities of the isolated and paired ions are derived. A linear stability analysis and numerical analysis are also carried out. It is established that, for large emission-to-absorption cross-section ratios that are relevant to Tm-doped silica and for pump rates for which stable output is predicted, the oscillations are weakly damped before the steady state is reached. Best agreement between the experimental and model results is achieved when all the Tm3+ ions within the present fiber are considered paired.


An important element of probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis (PSHA) is the incorporation of ground-motion uncertainty from the earthquake sources. The standard normal variate ϵ measures the difference between any specified spectral-acceleration level, or SA, and the estimated median spectral acceleration from each probabilistic source. In this article, mean and modal values of ϵ for a specified SA are defined and computed from all sources considered in the USGS 1996 PSHA maps. Contour maps of ϵ are presented for the conterminous United States for 1-, 0.3-, and 0.2-sec SA and for peak horizontal acceleration, PGA corresponding to a 2% probability of exceedance (PE) in 50 yr, or mean annual rate of exceedance, r , of 0.000404.

Mean and modal ϵ exhibit a wide variation geographically for any specified PE. Modal ϵ for the 2% in 50 yr PE exceeds 2 near the most active western California faults, is less than –1 near some less active faults of the western United States (principally in the Basin and Range), and may be less than 0 in areal fault zones of the central and eastern United States (CEUS). This geographic variation is useful for comparing probabilistic ground motions with ground motions from scenario earthquakes on dominating faults, often used in seismic-resistant provisions of building codes. An interactive seismic-hazard deaggregation menu item has been added to the USGS probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis Web site, , allowing visitors to compute mean and modal distance, magnitude, and ϵ corresponding to ground motions having mean return times from 250 to 5000 yr for any site in the United States.


Relatively little is known about the recent palaeontological records of the high-altitude closed basin lakes of the Central Andes, but a great need exists to remedy this knowledge gap if microfossils are to be used to infer climatic and ecological transitions from lake sediment cores. Here, eight species of non-marine ostracods and two calcareous algae are recorded from modern sediments and late Quaternary strata from Laguna de los Pozuelos, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina. Four species, Limnocythere alexanderi, Limnocythere foresteri, Limnocythere lysandrosi and Limnocythere ruipunctifinalis, are described as new species. Limnocythere titicaca Lerner-Seggev, 1973 has only been recorded in Lake Titicaca prior to this study and this is the first time the species is recognized outside of Bolivia. The cypridoideans Ilyocypris ramirezi Cusminsky & Whatley, 1996, Eucypris virgata Cusminsky & Whatley, 1996 and Chlamydotheca pseudobrasiliensis Martens & Behen 1994 are known species that are rare in the stratigraphic sequence in core LP06-6A. Also, the gyrogonites of two well-known species of Charophyta, Chara filiformis Hertzsch and Chara vulgaris Linnaeus, are occasionally present in the sediment from Laguna de los Pozuelos. The results provide a new vehicle for clarifying the Quaternary palaeohydrological history of the Pozuelos Basin, which is a RAMSAR wetland that is likely to be sensitive to global environmental change.


I consider two issues concerning how to monitor global poverty for the Millennium Development Goals, the selection of poverty lines, and the data sources for monitoring poverty over time. I discuss the choice of a single international line, converted using purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates, versus the use of country- specific poverty lines. I note the difficulties in constructing PPP exchange rates but argue in favor of a single international line, converted at PPP rates, which would be regularly updated using domestic price indexes. Re-basing, using updated PPP rates, would be done infrequently. For example, if the global poverty numbers were estimated annually, the PPP rates might be updated once a decade. In any case, it is important that the poverty estimates be calculated much more frequently than the PPP rates are revised. I discuss whether monitoring should be performed using national accounts data on income or consumption, supplemented by distributional data so as to make inferences about poverty, or using data from household survey data. I argue that data from the national accounts are not suitable for measuring poverty and that their use requires assumptions that are unlikely to hold. In particular, monitoring poverty through the national accounts runs the risk of pre- judging important issues that are properly the subject of measurement, not assumption, such as the extent to which aggregate growth benefits the poor. I argue that poverty should be directly measured using household survey data, and I discuss what needs to be done to enable such monitoring to be placed on a sounder basis.


India is the first country in the world, where the official National Family Planning Programme was initiated with the pioneer objectives of population stabilisation and to achieve the sustainable development. In the year of 2000, Central Government of India declared a new population policy at national level. Similarly attempt has been made at the state level Among the states, Madhya Pradesh declared its population policy in January 2000 with the broad objectives to reduce fertility and to achieve desired maternal and child health indicators by the year 2011. In this paper, an attempt has been made to examine how far the goals of population policy have been accomplished, why there is a gap between target and outcome and what needs to be done to achieve the desired result. ********** Two major obstructions of the human systems in the present time are poverty and population growth. In developing countries, population policies have been given increasing significance and momentum in the context of the socio-economic development strategies. As early as 1951, India was the only country in the world which had set for herself a national demographic goal in terms of a desired reduction in Crude Birth Rate (CBR). For this purpose, she launched an official programme of family planning as a part of her Five-Year Plan. For the first time, a National Population Policy was adopted in April 1976, which was revised in 1977. At present three policies are in operation in India that have direct impact on population issues and availability of family planning services. These are the National Population Policy (NPP) 2000, National Health Policy (NHP) 2002, and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) 2005. (1) At the sub-national level, Government of Madhya Pradesh had adopted a state level population policy in the year 2000. The Madhya Pradesh Population Policy 2000 laid down to reach a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1, Couple Protection Rate (CPR) to around 65 per cent, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to be reduced to the level of 95 and 220 respectively with several other socio-demographic-health goals (parameters) to be achieved by the year 2011. As we are now in the target year, hence, an attempt has been made in this paper to examine how far the goals of population policy have been accomplished. Why there is a gap between target and outcome. What needs to be done to achieve the desired objectives? The paper is organised as follows: First section deals with the population policy adopted by the Government of India since independence. Section second gives a brief description of the Madhya Pradesh Population Policy 2000. Section third presents the descriptions between objectives and outcomes with respect to several health and demographic parameters of Madhya Pradesh. Section fourth analyses why there is a gap between goal and realization. Section fifth concludes the paper. Indian Population Policy: A Bird's Eye View Population concerns have a long history in India. The Bhore Committee (1943) paved the way for the Government of India (GoI) to adopt a National Programme of Family Planning after independence. The population policies formulated and the national programmes of family planning implemented after independence in India passed through six different phases as analysed below (Srinivasan, 1995). The initial approach adopted by the Government of India was a clinic approach (Phase I, 1951-1961). A number of family planning clinics were opened throughout the country and it was assumed that there was already a strong desire to space and limit family size among the couples. If contraceptive services were offered in a clinical setting it would be sufficient to reduce the birth rate. This approach was extended till the end of second Five Year Plan period. As a reaction to the increase of population in 1961 census, a demographic goal was set in 1962 to reach crude birth rate of 25 by 1972. …


Objective Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3), the immediate cervical cancer precursor, is a target of cervical cancer prevention. However, less than half of CIN3s will progress to cancer. Routine treatment of all CIN3s and the majority of CIN2s may lead to overtreatment of many lesions that would not progress. To improve our understanding of CIN3 natural history, we performed a detailed characterization of CIN3 heterogeneity in a large referral population in the US. Methods We examined 309 CIN3 cases in the SUCCEED, a large population-based study of women with abnormal cervical cancer screening results. Histology information for 12 individual loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) segments was evaluated for each woman. We performed case-case comparisons of CIN3s to analyze determinants of heterogeneity and screening test performance. Results CIN3 cases varied substantially by size (1–10 LEEP segments) and by presentation with concomitant CIN2 and CIN1. All grades of CINs were equally distributed over the cervical surface. In half of the women, CIN3 lesions were found as multiple distinct lesions on the cervix. Women with large and solitary CIN3 lesions were more likely to be older, have longer sexual activity span, and have fewer multiple high risk HPV infections. Screening frequency, but not HPV16 positivity, was an important predictor of CIN3 size. Large CIN3 lesions were also characterized by high-grade clinical test results. Conclusions We demonstrate substantial heterogeneity in clinical and pathological presentation of CIN3 in a US population. Time since sexual debut and participation in screening were predictors of CIN3 size. We did not observe a preferential site of CIN3 on the cervical surface that could serve as a target for cervical biopsy. Cervical cancer screening procedures were more likely to detect larger CIN3s, suggesting that CIN3s detected by multiple independent diagnostic tests may represent cases with increased risk of invasion.


Mitigation and adaptation projects will lead to increased population displacement, calling for new research and attention to past lessons. Although there is agreement that climate change will result in population displacements and migration, there are differing views on the potential volume of flows, the likely source and destination areas, the relative role of climatic versus other factors in precipitating movements, and whether migration represents a failure of adaptation (1, 2). We argue that climate change mitigation and adaptation (M&A) actions, which will also result in significant population displacements, have not received sufficient attention. Given the emergence of resettlement as an adaptation response, it is critical to learn from research on development-forced displacement and resettlement (DFDR). We discuss two broad categories of potential displacement in response to (i) climate impacts themselves and (ii) large-scale M&A projects. We discuss policy approaches for facilitating migration and, where communities lack resources to migrate, suggest guidelines for organized resettlement.


Abstract Terrestrial mollusks, easily identified in Quaternary sediments, represent a reliable tool for quantitative estimates of environmental parameters. Our study, comparing the species distribution with meteorological parameters in Europe, shows that mean temperature of the coldest month and annual thermal magnitude are the most important forcing parameters. This survey allows us to adapt the mutual climatic range (MCR) method to terrestrial mollusk assemblages following two main steps. A set of assemblages from different European regions (northern Norway to southern France) is used to apply the method to present-day mollusks. The reconstructed values describe the latitudinal temperature gradient prevailing over Europe. However, the comparison between the reconstructed and the measured values indicates a shift, similar to that observed, with the same method applied to beetle assemblages. Thus, estimates must be calculated after the reconstruction is tuned with the observations. The results from the modern mollusk assemblages indicate that the MCR method can be safely applied to reconstructing temperatures from terrestrial mollusk assemblages in any worldwide Quaternary sequence. A trial application is made on Late Pleistocene assemblages from Achenheim (Alsace, France).


This article examines the reach and applicability of the business judgment rule as developed by US case law to civil law countries – especially countries from the European judicial area – that hold for an objective standard of due care and a wide margin of discretion for managers in making business decisions. The economic crisis and the awareness of the lack of predictability of all relevant economic parameters when making business decisions, make the applicability of the business judgment rule highly relevant. In light of this, the present article elaborates on the concrete functioning of the business judgment rule and focuses on its different components. Thereby, the business judgment rule is divided into a substantial and a procedural part. The paper's findings are that only the substantial part of the business judgment rule may be applied in civil law countries that hold for an objective standard of due care for managers. However, the procedural part of the rule is likely to conflict with more specific national procedural rules that usually prevail.


We consider a generalization of Voronoi diagrams, recently introduced by Barequet et al., in which the distance is measured from a pair of sites to a point. An easy way to define such distance was proposed together with the concept: it can be the sum-of, the product-of, or (the absolute value of) the difference-between Euclidean distances from either site to the respective point. We explore further the last definition, and analyze the complexity of the nearest- and the furthest-neighbor 2-site Voronoi diagrams for points in the plane with Manhattan or Chebyshev underlying metrics, providing extensions to general Minkowsky metrics and, for the nearest-neighbor case, to higher dimensions. In addition, we point out that the observation made earlier in the literature that 2-point site Voronoi diagrams under the sum-of and the product-of Euclidean distances are identical and almost identical to the second order Voronoi diagrams, respectively, holds in a much more general statement.


Climate change causing heavy rainfall and floods is one of the major constraints to agricultural productivity particularly in rice farming in the Philippines. Despite many studies on the adverse impacts of unpredictable extreme weather events on agriculture, very few studies have examined the differential vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies of male and female farmers in rice farming communities. This study examines gendered vulnerabilities and impacts as well as variable adaptation strategies taken by men and women in response to extreme flooding events in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. To assess how gendered adaptation strategies are produced and reinforced in two selected farming communities in the Philippines, I draw on practice theory and adopt a feminist perspective to examine how structure and agency influence practices and how practices can be changed in order to adapt to climate change. Moreover, since this study has a feminist agenda - gender is central to the analysis in order to expose gender differences and inequalities in areas experiencing climate change and to show how social change can empower and improve women's position as they adapt to climate change. Adopting a feminist methodology was facilitated by a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Results of this study reveal that gendered vulnerabilities to extreme flooding are due to traditional gender roles in household and farming activities and women's lack of access to assets and resources. Also, men and women adapt to flooding according to traditional roles and gender relations. The differential vulnerabilities and responses to the negative effects of flooding events of women and men are further aggravated by women's lack of access of assets and resources and lesser participation in making decisions related to farming. However, prolonged exposure to flooding and continuous loss of livelihood motivated some men and women to realize the need to alter their existing gender roles and relations. Women are compelled to spend more time outside their homes to seek income from non-farm work. In this situation, men assume household and child care responsibilities. This alteration of gender roles and relations has significant impacts particularly for women who have challenged the underlying assumptions and taken action to change their situation and lessen the impacts of climate change on themselves and their households. However, their desired changes are dependent on other institutions, such as non-government organizations (NGOs) and government that must facilitate much needed social change. This implies that changes in gender practices not only require women to think and act differently but require changes at the state and institutional level. Thus, this study concludes that climate change is a necessary but not sufficient condition for women to achieve social change. Furthermore, in order to sustain new practices in gender roles and relations, a women's global movement is needed to assist local women to assert their rights to greater access to and control of resources and to influence policies which are necessary in building women's resilience to climate change.


Retention is a challenge for all third level institutions and retention rates remain lower than colleges would like them to be. This has intensified in recent years as participation in higher education has increased and diversified. Student satisfaction and retention represents an important concern for colleges which must understand the reasons why students may choose to leave a programme. While student satisfaction and retention is a well-researched topic, there remain questions to be answered in terms of the factors that lead to non-completion. The aim of this research is to gain a greater understanding of the factors that lead to dissatisfaction and non-completion among third level students in Ireland. This research analyses data from 10,110 respondents of the Eurostudent survey, a survey of student attitude and satisfaction which is administered to all third level students in Ireland. A predictive model was developed and analysed using regression analysis and decision tree analysis. In line with literature reviewed, satisfaction with the student"s college, teaching quality, teaching staff, facilities, finances, accommodation and friendship, feeling interested, calm and in good spirits, and the extent to which students exercise, were found to be significant predictors of student satisfaction. In contrast to literature reviewed, this study did not find that social status or income represented predictors of student satisfaction. This research contributes to academic literature and provides greater understanding of the factors that impact on student satisfaction. This study identifies important areas for Higher Education Institutions in Ireland to focus their attention as they endeavour to improve student satisfaction and retention rates.


With the growing demand for mobile based interventions in healthcare, use of smartphone applications for disease management and prevention, especially non communicable diseases like chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and hypertension are on the rise. Tobacco use or smoking is the leading preventable risk factor for NCDs (Non Communicable Diseases). Although an innovative mobile based multi-feature service can be a potential tool for smokers to help them quit smoking, it is also necessary to investigate the level of acceptance as well as the factors leading to the acceptance of such a service. This study identifies some of the factors that influence acceptance of such a smartphone based multi-feature service for smoking cessation. The study utilizes the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as the theoretical model, along with Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis. The findings indicate that factors like "performance expectancy", "facilitating conditions", "effort expectancy" and "Social influence" are significant determinants of intention and use of the smartphone based multi-feature service.


The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church is a worldwide, multiracial, and conservative Christian denomination with a well-established educational system that includes Oakwood College, located in Huntsville, Alabama, and founded in 1896 as the denomination's only historically black college. Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, Oakwood College students often displayed strong determination and perseverance in organizing their own social and civil rights "movements" within the SDA church. The students occasionally organized demonstrations and even participated in sit-ins and other nonviolent protests in an attempt to eradicate racially discriminatory practices inside and outside the denomination. In the 19th century within the sensitive area of race relations, Seventh-day Adventist leaders opposed slavery, but accepted the practices of segregation and the doctrines of white racial superiority pervasive in the post-Reconstruction era. The conservative SDA tradition in racial matters presented a challenge to the black student activists in the 1930s and the 1960s. This study focuses on the student struggles over civil rights and social justice at Oakwood College. In explaining the social activism of Oakwood College students, it is important to understand the origin of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, its unique history of race relations, and the purposes for establishing Oakwood College. (1) ORIGIN AND FOUNDING OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH The Seventh-day Adventist church grew out of an interdenominational movement of the 1840s during the "Second Great Awakening" of religious fervor in the United States. (2) William Miller, an ordained Baptist minister, preached in Low Hampton, New York, and its surrounding cities and towns about "the second coming of Jesus Christ," based on his rigorous study of the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. (3) From his initial preaching at the Baptist Church of Dresden on August 14, 1831, to the fall of 1834, Miller worked as an intermittent speaker in Dresden, New York, Poultney and Pawlet, Vermont, and other towns in the rural areas of the upper Northeast. (4) On September 14, 1833, the congregation of the Baptist Church of Hampton-Whitehall voted to "issue him a license to preach." Likewise, in 1835 he was "credentialed" by several Baptist and other denominational clergymen of New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Canada. By 1843 he and Joseph Himes, a Millerite minister, issued the first publications of the "Advent Movement," including the Signs of the Times, Glad Tidings, Midnight Cry, and Advent Chronicle. However, by 1843 traditional clergymen vehemently opposed the Millerite movement because of its strong adherence to setting a specific date for the return of Jesus Christ. Inevitably, the clergymen gave ultimatums to their membership who became Millerites to either renounce these religious convictions or leave their respective churches. However, the Millerites maintained their beliefs, remained in their churches, and continued to spread their religious message. (5) It was also during this time that Rev. Miller outlined a series of dates for the "return of Jesus Christ," and as a result, the date October 22, 1844, is generally referred to as the day of the "Great Disappointment." (6) Although Christ did not return, some of the followers reevaluated the purposes of the movement, and decided that they should emphasize the "second advent of Christ" through evangelism, and not predicting specific dates for the second coming. (7) Joseph Bates, a Millerite and Sabbatarian (one who worships on Saturday, the biblical Sabbath), issued a pamphlet in 1844 entitled, "The Seventh-Day Sabbath: A Perpetual Sign," that convinced two Millerites, Ellen Gould White and her husband James White, to become Sabbath observers. (8) After the Great Disappointment, the Millerite movement split into three different camps: the proponents of a return date of Christ after 1844, those who believed in promoting a primitive organization of "Evangelical Adventists," and the group known as "Sabbatarians" who espoused the teaching of the Biblical seventh-day Sabbath. …


Silencing a Silent Killer Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. HCM is caused by dominant mutations in genes encoding constituents of the cardiac sarcomere, the contractile unit that keeps the heart pumping. Studying a mouse model that recapitulates a severe form of HCM caused by a mutation in a β myosin heavy chain gene, Jiang et al. (p. 111) investigated whether sarcomere dysfunction could be corrected by selectively silencing expression of the mutant allele. Mice treated shortly after birth with a viral vector encoding an appropriately designed RNA interference cassette did not develop cardiac hypertrophy or myocardial fibrosis—the pathologic manifestations of HCM—for at least 6 months. In a mouse model, heart disease can be delayed by a therapy that prevents expression of the disease-causing mutation. Dominant mutations in sarcomere proteins such as the myosin heavy chains (MHC) are the leading genetic causes of human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy. We found that expression of the HCM-causing cardiac MHC gene (Myh6) R403Q mutation in mice can be selectively silenced by an RNA interference (RNAi) cassette delivered by an adeno-associated virus vector. RNAi-transduced MHC403/+ mice developed neither hypertrophy nor myocardial fibrosis, the pathologic manifestations of HCM, for at least 6 months. Because inhibition of HCM was achieved by only a 25% reduction in the levels of the mutant transcripts, we suggest that the variable clinical phenotype in HCM patients reflects allele-specific expression and that partial silencing of mutant transcripts may have therapeutic benefit.


Abstract As global consumption expands, the world is increasingly facing threats to resource availability and food security. To meet future food demands, agricultural resource efficiency needs to be optimized for both water and nutrients. Policy makers should start to radically rethink nutrient management across the entire food chain. Closing the food loop by recycling nutrients in food waste and excreta is an important way of limiting the use of mineral nutrients, as well as improving national and global food security. This article presents a framework for sustainable nutrient management and discusses the responsibility of four key stakeholder groups—agriculture, the food industry, consumers, and waste management—for achieving an effective food loop. In particular, we suggest a number of criteria, policy actions, and supporting strategies based on a cross-sectoral application of the waste hierarchy.


Stabilisation is the bidding for and purchase of securities by an underwriter immediately after an offering for the purpose of preventing or retarding a fall in price. Stabilisation is price manipulation, but regulators allow it within strict limits – notably that stabilisation may not occur above the offer price. For legislators and market authorities, a false market is a price worth paying for an orderly market. This paper compares the rationale for regulators' allowing IPO stabilisation with its effects. It finds that stabilisation does have the intended effects, but that underwriters also seem to have other motives to stabilise, including favouring certain aftermarket sellers and enhancing their own reputation and profits. A puzzling aspect of stabilisation is why underwriters create 'naked short' positions which are loss-making to cover when, as is usual, the aftermarket price rises to a premium. We set up a model to show that the lead underwriter may profit from a naked short at the expense of the rest of the syndicate given the way commissions are apportioned between them. We argue that a naked short mitigates the misalignment of interests which stabilisation causes between issuer and lead underwriter, although it does so at the expense of the non-lead underwriters.


Purpose To evaluate the biomechanical efficacy and safety of in vivo microbial transglutaminase (Tgases)-induced corneal crosslinking in a rabbit model. Methods A total of 34 white New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups, a biochemistry group and a photochemistry group. The right eye of every rabbit was treated and left eyes served as negative controls. In the biochemistry group, a 1 U/mL solution of crosslinking agent microbial Tgases (Tgases CXL) was applied to the corneal surface, while in the photochemistry group, clinical ultraviolet A-riboflavin crosslinking (UVA/RF CXL) was used. Efficacy and safety evaluated on the 14th day after the procedures. Twelve pairs of corneal strips were harvested from the eyes of 12 euthanized rabbits in every group, and uniaxial tensile tests were performed to evaluate ex vivo biomechanical effects. The CXL-treated eye to its corresponding untreated eye ratio of tangent modulus were calculated. Another five pairs of corneal button were excised from euthanized animals in every group for corneal stroma and endothelium staining to evaluate changes in keratocyte distribution and endothelial cell damage. Results In tensile tests, tangent modulus was statistically higher in the Tgases CXL groups under 1.0 MPa (26.59 ± 4.54 vs. 21.47 ± 4.72 MPa, P = 0.04) and 1.5 MPa (29.75 ± 5.01 vs. 20.47 ± 6.63 MPa, P = 0.00). The tangent modulus ratio of Tgases group (1.72 ± 1.0 vs. 1.05 ± 0.22, P = 0.04) was significantly higher than that of UVA/RF under 1.5-MPa stress. The distribution of keratocytes in the corneal stroma and the morphologies of endothelial cells were similar in Tgases CXL-treated and untreated corneas. However, in the UVA/RF CXL group, keratocytes in the anterior half of stromal thickness were lost, and clear endothelial cell apoptosis was observed. Conclusions Tgases-CXL effectively stiffened the cornea and caused no damage to the endothelium and keratocytes in the cornea. This crosslinking method could be useful as a next-generation treatment for corneal ectasia and could replace CXL of photochemistry. Translational Relevance These findings may give a new hope to biomechanically compromised corneal disease due to mechanical forces, such as corneal ectasia and keratoconus. A next-generation treatment to these corneal diseases due to mechanical forces may be designed based on the new findings.


Background: Elevated serum uric acid has been associated with cognitive dysfunction and vascular cognitive impairment in the elderly. Serum uric acid is also commonly elevated in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but its relationship with cognitive function in these patients has not been addressed. Methods: Subjects with CKD (defined as eGFR <60/ml/min/1.73 m2) were evaluated for cognitive dysfunction using the validated Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE). Individuals with dementia, depression or other psychiatric disorders were excluded, as were subjects on uric acid-lowering therapy or with serious illnesses such as severe anemia or active or ongoing cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease. Results: 247 subjects were enrolled. SMMSE scores showed stepwise deterioration with increasing quartile of serum uric acid (26.4; 26.1; 25.5; 25.3, score range 20–30, p = 0.019). Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that there was no linear trend and only groups 1 and 4 were different with respect to SMMSE scores (p = 0.025). Stepwise multivariate linear regression revealed that age, educational status, presence of cerebrovascular disease, and serum uric acid were independently related to SMMSE scores. Conclusion: Serum uric acid levels are independently and inversely associated with mild cognitive dysfunction in subjects with CKD.


The transmission of Plasmodium falciparum was studied in relation to the incidence of severe malaria infections at nine sites in the Kilifi District in Kenya. Intensive mosquito sampling during a one-year period yielded Anopheles gambiae s. l., An. funestus, An. coustani, An. squamosus, An. nili, and An. pharoensis. Anopheles gambiae s.l. was the predominant vector, comprising 98.4% of the total anophelines collected. Overall, 3.5% of 2,868 An. gambiae s.l. collected indoors and 0.8% of 261 collected outdoors contained P. falciparum sporozoites. Transmission was detected during 10 months, with peak periods from June to August and December to January. In eight of the nine sites, entomologic inoculation rates (EIRs) averaged only four infective bites per year (range 0-18); an annual EIR of 60 was measured for the site with the highest intensity of transmission. The incidence of severe malaria infections, ranging from 8.6 to 38.1 per 1,000 children (0-4 years), was not associated with EIRs. At these sites on the coast of Kenya, a high incidence of severe disease occurs under conditions of very low levels of transmission by vector populations. With respect to conventional approaches for vector control in Africa, decreases in transmission, even to levels barely detectable by standard approaches, may not yield corresponding long-term reductions in the incidence of severe disease.


Synopsis The Kell Process has been developed for the extraction of platinum group metals (PGMs)and base metals from sulphide flotation concentrates. The process has been successfully tested on several different sulphide flotation concentrates, including those from the UG2 chromitite horizon and the Platreef mafic/ultramafic layer. It has been shown to provide high (>95 per cent) and selective extraction efficiencies for the key valuable metals, i.e. Pt, Pd, Rh, Au, Ni, Co, and Cu. The Kell Process consists of several commercially proven unit operations. S, Ni, Co, and Cu are first selectively removed by use of a pressure oxidation step during which the dissolution of PGMs is minimized. The residue from pressure oxidation is subjected to a thermal treatment to ensure efficient PGM recovery by subsequent chlorination. All the core steps are very similar to well-proven conventional unit operations in common use, as are the subsequent metal recovery steps to provide marketable end products. Typical metallurgical responses of flotation concentrates from UG2 and Platreef to the Kell Process are provided, and key outcomes of an energy comparison study with smelting are summarized in this paper. Kell presents a potentially substantial improvement in PGM concentrate processing technology, in terms of economics via muchreduced power costs, ease of processing, and various environmental benefits. It allows for the treatment of high-chromium low-grade 'dirty' concentrates, such as secondary concentrates from the platinum industry's 'mill-float-mill-float' (MF2) flotation circuits and concentrates from retreatment of tailings. It allows greater concentrate mass pulls, has higher tolerance to gangue intergrowths in concentrates, and its use can provide substantial increases in overall PGM recovery. Its adoption would be a step change in the platinum industry, and given the commercially proven unit operations embodied in the Kell Process, at much-reduced risk compared with other more experimental technologies. Since the initial process development work, significant improvements and refinements have been introduced as a result of further comprehensive testing and process modelling. Pilot-scale testing and engineering study work is in progress for several selected sites.


Cancer is a complex disease in which cells acquire many genetic and epigenetic alterations. We have examined how three types of alterations, mutations in tumor suppressor genes, changes in an imprinted locus, and polymorphic loci, interact to affect tumor susceptibility in a mouse model of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Mutations in tumor suppressor genes such as TP53 and in oncogenes such as KRAS have major effects on tumorigenesis due to the central roles of these genes in cell proliferation and cell survival. Imprinted genes expressed from only one parental chromosome affect tumorigenesis if their monoallelic expression is lost or duplicated. Because imprinted loci are within regions deleted or amplified in cancer, the parental origin of genomic rearrangements could affect tumorigenesis. Gene polymorphisms can vary tumor incidence by affecting rate-limiting steps in tumorigenesis within tumor cells or surrounding stroma. In our mouse model of NF1, the incidence of tumors mutant for the tumor suppressor genes Nf1 and Trp53 is strongly modified by a linked imprinted locus acting epistatically on two unlinked polymorphic loci, Nstr1 and Nstr2. This interaction of an imprinted locus and polymorphic susceptibility loci has profound implications for human mapping studies where the parental contribution of alleles is often unknown.


We review results on combined stress measurements by the crystal curvature technique and structural investigations on different nanoscale systems. It is shown that stress measurements offer highly sensitive and accurate data which identify even subtle structural changes in the sub-monolayer coverage regime. We discuss the unique potential of stress measurements to complement structural investigations of atomic layers and at surfaces. Our examples reveal that stress measurements enhance, support and clarify the interpretation of quantitative structural data. The role of surface stress and film stress for structural transitions in epitaxial growth, surfactant-mediated growth, surface reconstruction and adsorbate-induced spin reorientation transitions in monolayers is discussed.


Topic models are in widespread use in natural language processing and beyond. Here, we propose a new framework for the evaluation of topic modeling algorithms based on synthetic corpora containing an unambiguously defined ground truth topic structure. The major innovation of our approach is the ability to quantify the agreement between the planted and inferred topic structures by comparing the assigned topic labels at the level of the tokens. In experiments, our approach yields novel insights about the relative strengths of topic models as corpus characteristics vary, and the first evidence of an ``undetectable phase'' for topic models when the planted structure is weak. We also establish the practical relevance of the insights gained for synthetic corpora by predicting the performance of topic modeling algorithms in classification tasks in real-world corpora.